Well, this was familiar, and not in a very good way. While their hands weren't tied and bags weren't over their heads, the Gaang being arrested was being paraded in the streets for everyone to see. At this, Ayaan's scowl deepened greatly. He had not wanted excess people knowing about Aang for obvious reasons. With this, rumors would soon spread about him being here.

This truly was Kyoshi Island all over again. But this time it was caused by complete stupidity and children who seemed to have no sense of danger.

Or just no sense in general. Right now, Ayaan wasn't sure which one was more true.

Walking through the market-like plaza to get to the palace, Ayaan saw many of the shops he'd visited throughout the day. Hearing the murmurs, their staff came out to see what all of the commotions was about. When they saw Ayaan their eyes widened in confusion.

'Why is such a kind young man being arrested?'

Ayaan, Sokka, Katara, and Aang were being escorted by a sentry guard group. There were five in total with an older-looking man as their leader. All wearing the same attire as the sentry they had met at the gate, but one could tell by the certain ornaments they wore what rank they were.

The older one had more, obviously because he was more experienced. Although he had a stern expression, his eyes were kind and his tone of voice was gentle. The other three weren't as old but seemed to have an unyielding amount of respect for this senior.

But that was just four of the five guards.

"Lord Ayaan...? What is going on?" Shiko came out of the inn, along with her co-workers, staring in shock as they were shoved along.

'Lord?' He thought in confusion. Why were they calling him that?

'LORD?!' The trio's jaws dropped. What had they missed while they were on that death coaster?!

Ayaan, not noticing their reactions, decided not to ask in lieu of trying to ease her worry. "It is alright, Miss Shiko," He said calmly. "Hopefully, this mess will be cleared up soo—Ugh!" He was shoved along with his family, harshly, cutting off his sentence.

"Keep moving!" And then there was the youngest looking of the group. There always has to be one bad apple in the bunch. He was constantly shoving them forward, spitting insults at them. Ayaan could manage that type of treatment towards him, but the moment he tried to go for his family (Aang is included whenever he says this) he almost lopped his hands off.

He only caught himself when the elder of the group chastised his violent behavior, giving them an apology for his outlandish rudeness. With the convincing of his family, Ayaan calmed himself and they resumed walking. Though Ayaan and the younger guard continued to glare at each other.

This scene angered the inn-keeper greatly. Who was this guard to treat this kind young lord like that?! He hadn't done anything but protect his kin from what she'd seen. The same thoughts were going through the other shop-owners on the street who had interacted with the kind boy.

They weren't sure about the other three, they had not met them at all. And the few that recognized them were the ones whose houses they'd wrecked in their little escapade. So yeah, not the best first impression.

They weren't the only ones upset. The senior officer was too, at his junior. What was with this poor and unprofessional conduct?! He's making them look like the bad guys here, and clearly, the one he's aiming all of his misdeeds is the most loved citizen on this street right now. By the protest they were getting alone, the senior could roughly guess what had happened did not involve the young man.

Heck, by the way the young man was currently looking at the members of his family, he was sure he was just as upset with them as they were!

This nonsense had to stop immediately, or this fool was going to ruin their good reputation! His group was renowned for being reasonable while upholding the law. They weren't brutes without conscience as this rascal was showcasing right now. But before he could chastise his soldier, he was beaten to it by the citizens who'd had enough.

"Stop that at once! I demand to know what he is being arrested for!" Shiko shouted, the others within his secret fan club slowly amassing, demanding to know the same.

"He hasn't done anything but be helpful!" One shouted, "Right guys?!"

A chorus of agreements and nods resounded in the area, the four good guards listening intently to each entry being added about the young man.

"He helped me load my cart! Everything on it was heavy!" An older man stated. "We would've been working 'til sundown trying to load all of this stuff at our age if it weren't for him."

One of the kinder guards turned to Ayaan. "Is this true?"

Ayaan nodded; he had indeed helped this old man pack his cart. A few of his usual helpers were ill, so they were understaffed and running behind schedule. With Ayaan's natural strength, the tasks the older men found taxing were very simple for him. The man was forever grateful.

The old man practically begged Ayaan to join his crew, but of course, Ayaan had to decline.

A young boy, no older than ten, came up to one of the quieter guards. "H-he gave me enough money to feed my family for the next month! Please don't take the nice big brother away, sir!"

The quiet guard turned back to Ayaan, his eyes widening like his senior's. "Is this true, young man?"

Ayaan nodded again; He had seen the child looking at the food stalls with a longing expression. He and some other kids were in the alleyways of the market, their clothes filthy and with a far-off look in their eyes. Ayaan didn't like to see children want for anything as simple as a meal, so, he gave them each a small share of his wealth, telling them to get what they wanted.

What Ayaan didn't realize was that the amount of money he'd given them was enough for them to sustain themselves and their family for a long while. They could even buy themselves good clothes and find a home. When they returned to where they'd been living before, their parents cried. They too cried, because of what they were planning to do that day.

They had been thinking of stealing food. But now, because of Ayaan's generosity, they could have a real chance at life.

The officers were looking at each other now. They too had seen those poor children wandering the streets. They always tried to give them what they could, but it wasn't like they could do much with their pay. They had their own families to care for too.

Because of the war, lots of money and labor had been put into their defenses and military, and it was hard on the citizens of lower stature. While their king had been trying to work out a way to fix this problem before it got worse, it was still a long and hard process. These children were ones they would see often because of those hardships. And this young man helped them enough to get back on their feet.

Soon enough, the family of the children would be able to sustain themselves, and they would help the other families who had been like them.

Ayaan's small bit of kindness had started that.

Next, a young woman came forward. She was a pretty miss who gave a smile towards Ayaan before scowling at the youngest guard in disgust. "Lord Ayaan saved me from your disgusting officers!" The woman had the guts to point at the guard in question, "Yeah, you!"

"R-Rinrin?!" The guard sputtered, recognizing her. The anger-filled sentry turned red from both anger and embarrassment. Ah, so this is why he was especially forceful with Ayaan? Does he believe Ayaan stole his (Not really) girl? Typical.

"What exactly did my officer do, young lady?" The senior was the one to ask, and the young lady was more than willing to answer.

The man had been harassing the poor girl for weeks, trying to get her to date him. When he got tired of her saying no, he began to get more forceful with his advances. Luckily, her handsome savior Lord Ayaan came to her rescue. Her friends who had seen the entire ordeal stepped up as witnesses to it.

"Is this true, young man?"

Ayaan nodded once again. He was going to leave it alone, thinking that it was normal until the girl began shouting at the man to leave her be. When the man did not and began to be more violent, he stepped in. It was then he saw how uncomfortable she was and made the man back off. The girl, as thanks, led him to some very good food stops and other places.

At least, that was what he thought.

In truth, she took him out on an impromptu date.

No, Ayaan did not realize that she took him on a date. He was only thinking of how much Sokka would love the foods he encountered, as well as finding Aang's beloved Egg Custard Tart on the way. That showcase was also how he came across the dress shop where he got Katara's gift. If anything, he thought of it as simply friendly.

Romance was the furthest thing from his mind.

Rinrin thoroughly enjoyed her time with him thanks to our dense Ayaan and his very thoughtful character. The boy even got her a gift. It was something he noticed that she kept glancing at. Being the observant bean that he was, he got it for her. It was the least he could do as a thank you.

Poor girl fell head over heels at that very moment. Could you blame her?

Alas, Rinrin was far from stupid, she was quick to realize that she had no chance with him. Although heartbroken, she savored being in his kind presence for even a moment. She was fine having a friendly, platonic relationship with him.

Yet another general in the Ayaan fan club had been found.

Of course, without our precious Ayaan's knowledge.

The Senior officer was silently fuming at this point at his youngest junior. The other officers in their unit were just as upset but were very good at hiding it. They would say something, but the people were not quite done with their praises.

"He even played with my rowdy children for a bit! They absolutely love him!" A mother said.

Proving her point, the children were waving wildly, calling out to Ayaan for him to come and play with them again. At this point, the four good guards weren't even surprised.

While going around the market, searching for good gifts to get for his loved ones, he came across the tired mother. The children ran up to him, going on about how tall he was. Just as he did the children in his village, he let them ride on his shoulders and swing from his arms. It was not too hard for the strong young man.

Plus, he enjoyed being around children.

He was there for a little while, and that allowed the mother to get a small bit of rest until her husband returned home. The man thanked Ayaan for helping them like that. Ayaan told them it was no problem. They reminded him of the children in his home. He left with a fond smile on his face as he bid them farewell.

It was at that moment even more people joined the Ayaan fan club.

Even Cabbage Man pitched in, surprising the guilty trio, "He saved me from getting hurt by these hooligans." He gestured obviously to the three perpetrators, who shrunk because they could not refute his statement. "Why was he arrested with them? It was these three!"

"H-he is an accomplice!" The youngest guard replied angrily to their protests. He was desperate to find a valid reason, his reasoning no longer being trustworthy until he got one and smiled victoriously. "They entered this city under false pretenses!"

Everyone looked at him like he was stupid.

"My name is Ayaan," He stated, confused. The others in the crowd were confused too, as even the other three children they saw clearly addressed him as 'Ayaan' as well.

The mean guard scrambled to explain his excuse. "E-even still, these three clearly entered under false identities!" He turned to Ayaan, smirking, "You knew and said nothing, allowing them to proceed with their cri—"

Ayaan cut him off, not caring if he was rude or not. "I did know that Aang was not an old man named Bonzu Pipin-whatever," Ayaan stated truthfully, "But I did not do any of the other things you mentioned," he finished, confusion clear in his eyes. "I've paid for everything in my possession."

"These three did." The sentry stated, pointing at Katara, Sokka, and Aang. At first, Ayaan didn't want to believe anything this man was saying. He was clearly just trying to get them in trouble. But he had seen them crash into a cabbage cart from something strange, and his bad feeling was flaring.

"Your hate for me is because I escorted Miss Rinrin away from you," He said, deadpanning, "because you were disgusting."

"What did you say, brat?!"

"The truth." Both Ayaan and the young lady, Rinrin said, their deadpan worsening.

The other guards were deadpanning now, too. Ayaan had totally hit the nail on the head. The others shook their heads in shame.

Ayaan decided to completely ignore this guy in lieu of the other guards who weren't morons. "What are all of the crimes they committed, sir." He asked, pointedly acting as if the fuming guard beside him was nothing but hot air.

The calmest of the guards answered Ayaan. "The destruction of property both public and private, trespassing, theft, there were a few injuries caused by their, um, joyride, and there is also the fact they did, in fact, enter the city under false identities. The other charges are still pending, as not all of the damage reports are in, but these are the most prominent few."

Ayaan's eyes widened. 'This guy must be lying about some of that, right?' He did not want to believe it.

But with every crime listed, he saw the three stooges in front of him wince.

His eyes narrowed, anger rising by the millisecond.

"Katara."

She froze.

"Sokka."

He hiccuped.

"Aang."

And he jumped.

"What the hell were you three doing?" He demanded to know. The young teens flinched altogether at the authoritative edge in his voice. But if anything, this just served to make him angrier.

It meant that they had, indeed, done something. "Explain. Right. Now. "

They knew they were screwed.

Aang gulped, biting the bullet in an effort to explain. "I showed them Omashu's mail system, as well as its other... funner uses?" He tried, his voice growing softer and softer as Ayaan eyes narrowed on him until they were nothing but slits.

"What do you mean by 'fun', Aang? Hm?" There was this purple aura seeping out of him, and while his expression was a careful neutral, to them?

He looked like an angry wolf-bat out of hell.

They gulped.

"We may have gone around some guards..." Katara continued.

"And may have stolen a mail cart to ride in..." Sokka added.

"Then, some things may have happened... and here we are?" Aang finished lamely.

Ayaan did not have the words. Honestly, he didn't even have to speak, his expression did it for him. Usually, he didn't let his emotions show like this around others. But the amount of disappointment he was feeling in them right now was palpable.

"You can continue your confessions in front of the king." The mean sentry said proudly as if he'd won some type of battle.

The older sentry was not pleased in the slightest. "Be silent." He said, the guard shutting his mouth promptly in shock.

The senior could clearly tell what had just happened.

The older of these four got dragged into the younger three's mess, even though he was being a law-abiding citizen. While not admitting that he knew their false identities was a small crime, it wasn't like they hadn't come across this before. And usually, there was a very legitimate reason for one to want to hide their identity. It was usually about their own or another's safety, especially in this time of war. This old man was sure one of these was the case here, telling by this older one's demeanor.

But kids will be kids, and sometimes, that means they do stupid things like this. This young man had just been very unlucky.

'You got it rough, huh, young man?'

The old sentry wanted to pat Ayaan on the back, but he could not, as the damage was already done.

Ayaan, not knowing or caring that he was receiving such a sympathetic look from everyone, simply followed quietly after that. He was not going to fight with these men, even though he truly wished to whack the mean one with the butt of his spear. He didn't want to add to that already long list of crimes.

He did not want them to get into more trouble than they already are simply because he lost his temper and assaulted an officer.

A bit of time passed in this uncomfortable silence. As they neared the entrance to the palace, the guards stopped. The Gaang was unsure why until what they said next. It made all of Ayaan's thoughts halt.

"I will need to confiscate all of your possessions." The mean guard stated victoriously, but he flinched a bit when he was met with a vicious glare.

Ayaan might have just lied to himself. He might end up hurting this man.

"I will not let you take my spear, scum," Ayaan said firmly, holding onto the weapon with an iron grip. The old guard sighed, knowing this was not going to be easy.

"I'm sorry, but I can not let you keep it beyond this point." The senior guard said. He halted the more violent and forward of his men before they could do something stupid. Well, more stupid. The older man knew how to read certain situations better than his younger fellow guards.

He knew that this must be very hard, especially for an innocent caught up in mess like this.

He didn't understand how right he was.

"No." Ayaan was ready to fight these men. He needed to keep his spear with him. He needed to know it was nearby. They could not take it. No, he would not let them take it. "No." He found himself stepping away from them, almost snarling when one of them tried to reach for it despite the older of the men telling him otherwise.

"Whoa there, kid. Calm down!" The kinder guard said, waving his hands in the air as a show of surrender. Ayaan didn't let his guard down at all, though.

"Ayaan..." Aang was shocked by how... almost territorial Ayaan was being. He was fine until this point.

Until they tried to take his spear.

While this behavior was new to Aang, Katara and Sokka knew very well that this was hard for Ayaan.

After... that day, Ayaan never let his spear leave his side. Ever. Not even when he was sleeping. It was always within his reach. They remembered clearly how he refused to use a crutch or cane when he could barely walk due to his pain. He used his spear and nothing but. When someone tried to get it away from him they were met with fierce resistance, just like now.

There was one time Bato tried to take it from him, trying to convince him to rest.

Keyword: Tried.

Bato went in, his target the spear; Bato came out, his prize a busted nose.

No one tried to take his spear from him after that.

This sentry was close to getting the same outcome until the siblings stopped Ayaan, and the old guard stopped the stupid one.

"Ayaan." Aang stepped in front of him, blocking his view from anyone else. "It'll be okay. See?" Aang gave the kind guard his staff, and he was followed by Sokka giving up his boomerang. Katara didn't have anything on her but her water pouch, but she decided to give that up, too.

Ayaan was quiet. He knew there was no way for him to get out of this. Not in this situation. If he lashed out, it would only get them deeper into trouble. He did not want that for his family. It was his job to keep them safe, and doing that would be the opposite. Although what they did was stupid, he didn't want to make this worse.

They knew that, and he knew that, too.

That was why despite every protest his mind gave him, every instinct screaming at him not to, he relaxed his stance as much as possible. Although his body calmed, his mind began to spiral.

Without his spear...

It was just his bare hands against the evil man.

How can he protect them?

And he fought. And fought and fought more. But nothing he did worked.

The answer is: He can't. Not here, not like this. There was nothing for him to use here, surrounded by rock and stone. This was enemy territory now, and they were at the heart of it.

It was only when Sokka and Katara but their hands on his shoulder did his spiral cease. Aang was there too, looking at him apologetically as he knew this was his fault.

"It's okay, Ayaan," Sokka added, trying to reassure him.

"Please, give it to him," Katara said, placing her hand gently on the one gripping his spear until his knuckles were white.

"Everything will be okay. I'm certain of it!" Aang said, trying to ease the situation with his positive thinking. The siblings nodded in agreement.

Ayaan didn't reply to them, but he listened. Reluctantly, he gave the very patient older guard his beloved spear. The familiar weight of his weapon was gone. The old sentry could tell that this was extremely difficult, and being the kind old soul he was, tried to reassure Ayaan, too.

"I promise it will not be damaged in any way, alright? Once everything has been sorted out, all of your things will be returned to you in the same condition as when you gave them to us." The older sentry stated calmly. His demeanor eased Ayaan's worries just a bit, and he nodded stiffly.

And without their weapons or other equipment aside from the clothes on their backs, they were escorted inside by the calm guard. The others stayed behind, needed to take care of the children's belongings as well as other tasks.

When the mean guard laughed at the kids' misfortune, the older one whacked him upside the head, hard. The man went to glare at the source of his pain, he was met with his livid senior officer, as well as the glares of the others.

"You and I will be having a little chat afterward about what that young lady said and your conduct just now." The angry sentry ceased all of his antics at that moment. His tan face paled shade after shade until it was a sheet of white. "You have some explaining to do. Lots of it."

The mean guard looked to his fellow guards but found that in this situation, he was all alone. The other two officers that were left sent up a prayer. They knew it, and he knew it:

He was done for.

'I didn't write a will.'

...

..

.

A group of four teens stands before the King, the guard moving aside so that they may step forward. With a guard on each side of his throne, the King waits patiently for the crimes of these individuals to be spoken.

His heterochromatic eyes wander over each of them, briefly stopping on the tallest of them before halting completely at the bald one. A glint shines in them as new energy seems to fill the King, but as these four individuals are being forced to kneel, they are unable to see it. He wasn't sure about his feeling until they all finally looked up.

The King's eyebrow arches upward as he grunts in silent wonder. Seeing that as his queue to speak, the guard that brought them in began to list his reasons for bringing them, by then, they had gotten all of the information.

"Your majesty," He gestured to Aang, Katara, and Sokka, "these three juveniles were arrested for vandalism, trespassing, traveling under falsified identities, injuries caused by their disruption of private and public property, theft, illegal usage of services, and malicious destruction of cabbages."

"I say cut their heads off! One for each head of cabbage!" Cabbage Man said agitatedly. "Except Lord Ayaan, he didn't do anything." He quickly added, going back into jumping up and down with anger. But he quickly stopped when he saw the look on Ayaan's face. "Maybe not something that severe..." He revised.

Ayaan went back to having his head down, facing the floor. Cabbage Man couldn't help but feel bad for him. This saint, who appreciated his cabbages, was surrounded by little devils!

"Silence! Only the king can pass down judgment." The guard said, Cabbage Man shutting up immediately. The loyal guard then resets his attention to his king.

He gestured to Ayaan, who had this very distant look in his eyes, continuing his report. "While this one was arrested as an accomplice towards the third charge: traveling under falsified identities. Although he himself did not commit this crime, he knew of and kept secret the fact that these three had committed it. He himself did not participate in the other three's crimes aside from that. The guards have been informed very thoroughly that aside from this, he has been a law-abiding traveler with a strikingly good reputation among Omashu's people."

The other three didn't know how to feel about this stark contrast between how the guard introduced their crimes compared to how he presented Ayaan to the king; Should they be proud or jealous?

"So," The guard asked, "what is your judgment, sire?"

It was then that Ayaan decided to speak up for the first time in a while. "Your majesty, if I may speak?" He asked politely, though his tone was a bit dejected.

The others were surprised by his sudden speaking, but before any of the other guards could lash out, the King raised his hand to silence them. "Yes, you may." He said.

Ayaan noticed that his voice was higher than his own, a bit scratchy, and held some form of humor in it. It was an interesting voice. "Thank you, sir." He said, continuing. "While I am not sure how much damage my family has done, I have made a bit of money by selling my wares."

"Your wares?" The king asked.

"Yes, I've hunted many animals during my travels and sold their pelts and meat. I do not know if it would be enough, but would the money I have made from that be sufficient to cover the damages they caused? I am willing to pay if I can. I hope that this may lighten whatever sentence you decide."

"Ayaan!" Katara and Aang said, shocked by his offer.

"Bro, you don—"

"Please be silent," Ayaan said sharply. They did as he asked. He did not want to hear anything from them right now. Although he was masking it very well right now, he was still greatly disappointed and upset with them right now.

Not having his spear did not make that any better.

Cabbage Man was further convinced that the boy before him was a saint surrounded by these little devils in disguise. He was willing to do so much just for the chance to lighten his family's sentences. He was such a caring soul! When he left this place, he would have to inform the club of his findings.

Yes, Cabbage Man had joined the Ayaan cult—EHEM. Fan Club. He had joined the Ayaan fan club.

The King was further intrigued by the maturity of this boy. It was no wonder his people seemed to speak so favorably of him. But the King shook his head at the generous offer, declining it. "There is no need! We can just fix it up with some earthbending! No biggy!"

His answer surprised Ayaan greatly, enough for him to lift his head to see the King eyeing them with a critical expression. This let the King get a good look at him, and he was further intrigued.

The roots of Ayaan's hair... they were returning to their silver sheen. The brown dye was fading away. Ayaan had already explained to the guards that he was wearing hair dye because the color of his hair was odd, and they'd seen it for themselves. Because he explained it, it was not added to the list of "because you were hiding your identity."

'Could he be...? How interesting.'

If one looked closely, they would notice the subtle show of surprise before he quickly masked it. "And as for my verdict," The King said suddenly, getting everyone's attention. Everyone was on their toes, nervous as he paused and leaned forward, "I say we throw them," he paused again, adding great suspense before he broke into a crazy smile.

"A feast!"

"...Huh?" Was everyone's response.

The King Of Omashu just continued to grin. This was going to be a lot of fun.