Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The most stubborn Great Spirit was stalking the night. Looking. With her other senses.

This was Guiyang, the youngest, most intimidating Spirit, second only to Uncle Agni and Aunty Naki. Those two don’t need any more explanation. 

She was also the most desperate right now, most the others have already chosen their Champions. She hated being last. Her last Champions, Oma and Shu, were hot on her heels.

“Mistress?” Oma asked.

“What.”

“Might I suggest looking at Gaoling for your Champion? I heard from Blue that the Beifongs have a new daughter.”

The Spirit of Earth contemplated before heading that way. When the trio arrived at the Beifong Manor, Guiyang sent the two lovers in the house to neutralize any possible witnesses, she didn’t want any of her people to get hurt for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When they came back with the affirmative, Guiyang stepped in. She admired the architecture of the house, not really one for going in depth in detail. When the three musketeers came to the nursery, they saw the baby sleeping soundly. 

Guiyang scooped the baby up in her armored arms, ignoring Oma, who was shaking an unamused husband in delight at the sheer cuteness from the baby. The baby woke up and started toying with Guiyang’s hands. That was when she noticed the wild, jerky movements.

“Shu, what color are her eyes.”

“Pale jade, Mistress.”

“Are they unfocused?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“So, if I’m not mistaken, she is blind?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Good, she will have no problem seeing, then. I chose this one.”

Oma and Shu glanced at another, confused at their Mistress. Who was currently playing with the baby, eliciting giggles from her.

“You do?” both asked at the same time.

“Yes, now shush, I need to focus.”

Guiyang readjusted the baby in her arms so that she could sense her properly.

“Oh, sweet, stubborn child, don’t let blindness stop you from reaching your full potential. I give you this, my Glory, Power, Wisdom, and Love. Your enemies will tremble before you, my little badgermole. 

You will be my Champion and help the others end this devastating war. You will possess a power so rare and powerful, even the greatest human tutors cannot hope to teach you.

Stay strong, Toph Beifong, daughter of Earth. Now I tell you to sleep. Tomorrow will greet you well, my child.”

Guiyang laid the baby back in her crib, pushing the stuffed badgermole closer.

“Oma, Shu.”

“Yes, Mistress?”

“Watch over her for me.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

When Guiyang came back to Aunty Tui’s Palace, she came to the Moon Spirit and retold the story to her, Tui listening intently.

Chapter Text

Toph Beifong, six years young, was running away, tired of her parents smothering. She ran until she reached the caves. There she cried in anguish.

Suddenly, Toph felt the ground shake and huge things come towards her. They came up to her and sniffed her. One of them left while the other puffed in her face, causing childish giggles to erupt from the young girl. 

When they left, Toph followed them to the heart, the Cave of Two Lovers. While crawling, Toph realized just how the badgermoles saw where they were going, by sensing the vibrations in the ground.

When they reached their destination, Toph could partially see the caves with her newfound ‘Seismic Sense’. It was tall, wide, and had only one smooth side. 

While Toph was getting a feel of her surroundings, her two guardian spirits manifested from their mural.

“ Well done, child”

“Who’s there?” Toph hadn’t sensed anyone nor anything come in.

The spirits merely glided over to their charge and guided her through various forms. 

“We are the ones our Mistress charged us to watch over you.”

“Well, I don’t need any protection,” the six year old stubbornly claimed.

“Of course you don’t,” the feminine voice replied, “Our main purpose is to help you grow to your full might.”

Toph contemplated the female’s response.

“Okay, what do I have to do?”

“First, you have to fix your stance,” the masculine voice instructed, “ Your tutors your parents hired have their stances all wrong, too loose. Earth is the element of stubbornness, show it.”

So, for the rest of the day, Toph and her two teachers went through various earthbending forms, some old and mostly unused, others brand new and advanced, while the two badgermoles stood guard.

When the time came for Toph to return home, Oma and Shu gave her one last piece of advice.

“When with your tutors, don’t show your progress you made with us. Lao and Poppy will be livid and destroy their careers for life.”

“Okay.”

“You can come back and practice with us. It’s good to keep up with your skills.”

With that said, Toph went back to the Beifong Manor and ‘apologized’ to her overprotective parents, keeping up the pretense of the delicate blind child.

Every other night, during the guard shift, when her parents were asleep, Toph would shed her expensive nightgown alongside her act, and head to the Cave of Two Lovers, where Oma and Shu greeted her with unaltered love and adoration.

Chapter Text

The nights their charge wasn’t in the Cave of Two Lovers, Oma would stand watch during the Earth Rumbles whilst Shu would go to the Stronghold and report to their Mistress.

Three Years Later

Tunneling back to the house after winning yet another tournament, The Blind Bandit, nine years old, thought of the different ways she could improve her forms.

When she returned home, she rushed to her bedroom and quickly washed, dressed, and hid her inexplicably dirty clothes before her parents called their daughter for dinner, putting on her mask like a second skin.

Before she got there, she overheard one of the servants talking about something (an agony kay? Banished prince?). When she got to the table she brought it up.

“Mom, what’s an agony kay?”

“Wherever did you hear that sweetheart?”

“I overheard one of the servants mention something close to it.”

“It’s nothing, dear,” Lao cut in before Poppy had a chance to elaborate, “Did you hear about this new potential business partner…?”

Disappointed her parents had changed the subject, Toph sat glumly and picked at her food.

“Hey, eat your food, don’t play with it.”

Toph sat up straighter and ate, secretly rolling her eyes.

When night had fallen and her parents with it, Toph got up from her bed and changed into her set of black training clothes, and started the long trek to the mountain. Once there, she started for the Cave of Two Lovers.

Before she entered, she heard her two guardians talk quietly, only getting bits and pieces.

“... Mistress… angry… Lord Ag… ui devastated...”

“What… e… going to do?”

“Masters?”

The two spirits look to their young charge. Confusion and slight anger was written all over her face.

"What were you talking about just now?"

“N-nothing, dear child.”

“Yeah right, like I believe that. Does this have to do with what that servant was talking about earlier?”

The two lovers looked at each other, Oma looking away with a pained expression, Shu responding for her.

“Most likely, yes.”

For the rest of the night, after the two centuries-long dead Champions explained to the best of their abilities without giving up too much information, Toph spent the rest of her time with them releasing her pent up frustrations.

When Toph depleted her energy sources, she sat against the walls of the cavern and wept, Oma cradling the child, while Shu stood off to the side and shed his own ghostly tears.

“So... the rumors are true.” 

It was not a question, nor a statement. It was fact, cold, hard, unyielding fact. 

“Yes.”

Toph merely bid them goodnight and left the two.

In the World of Spirits, The Earthen Stronghold’s walls, surrounding mountains, hills, you name it, shattered, broke, and tore apart. As the vast anomaly persisted, earthquakes rippled across the ground. 

In the center of it all was Guiyang, screaming her rage and frustration as she bashed in tables and chairs. She screamed her vows of vengeance upon the pitiful excuse of a Fire Lord, of a father. The vows radiated with the righteous fury and passion of her aunt and uncle, respectively. 

Although Uncle La opted to go for the more subtle route, the Mistress of Earth will make sure the Fire Lord will feel her wrath headon, through her people of green and brown. 

For earth was the stubbornest of the primal elements, and 'subtle' is rarely in any earthbender’s vocabulary.