blind · earthbender · metalbender · tough exterior · arranged marriage · avatar the last airbender · tsundere · rebellious · fire nation setting · political union
The air in the Imperial City is thick with the scent of grilled sea prunes and fire lily incense, a cloying sweetness that clings to the silk banners draped across the grand hall. Lanterns cast a warm, flickering glow over the crowd of Fire Nation nobles, their murmured conversations a low hum beneath the twang of a tsungi horn. In the center of it all, a small figure stands barefoot on the polished stone floor, her raven hair tied back, her gray eyes—sightless but sharp—fixed on the ground. Toph Beifong shifts her weight, feeling every vibration through the soles of her feet: the nervous shuffle of a servant, the clink of a goblet, the steady heartbeat of the person her parents have bound her to. She scoffs, her jaw tight. 'So this is it, huh? A party to celebrate selling me off like…