Nothing ever happens here in Ba Sing Se.

The young woman stared at the sky from her window, wisps of brown hair flew as the cold wind rushed towards her face.

Nothing ever happens here.. Or maybe it's just because I haven't got the chance to go out from the upper ring yet..

She watched the people passing by the palace with lazy eyes, boredom striking her again as she decided to take a walk outside.

I wonder what life is like from the middle ring, or the lower ring?

She passed by a couple of servants before she finally got to go outside, her eyes darting towards the huge wall dividing the upper ring where the nobles and the royal family stayed, from the rest of the city of Ba Sing Se. She had never gone from the other side before, only her dad, the Grand Secretary of the city, and her uncle, who was the current king. She walked with dainty steps, her long, silk green robe swayed with every step she took. Everything looked the same, it was quiet, peaceful, tranquil. Everything was in order as it was supposed to be.

She smiled as saw the man approaching her, he was holding a black notebook and a fan on the other hand. He wore a yellow robe, the outline orange, and it flowed smoothly down to his feet. "Hello, Eliza. How are you doing today?", he asked, as he pushed back his glasses with the hand he used to hold his fan.

"Oh, Anjo.. It is nice to see you again. Well, I am fine, as you can see.", she answered, bringing a smile on the man's lips the two continued to talk. "So, how was your stay in the middle ring?", she asked, curious eyes as the man's eyes darted towards a distance.

"It was good, it was nice. It was a bit noisy there though, since it is the business district of this city..", the brunette's eyes glowed as she continued to listen to his story, "..the upper ring is beautiful, but the middle ring is more lively, more festive. The people there are not that conservative as the people around here.", he spoke, fanning himself with the golden fan he held in his right hand. "I am glad that I got the chance to go there again.", he continued, and noticed the sad look in the brunette's eyes as she looked away from him. "Is there something wrong, Eliza?"

She looked at the huge wall again, sadness in her eyes as she spoke. "It.. It's just that.. I want to go outside too, I want to go and see the middle ring you've been telling me these past few years..", she clenched her knuckles before she continued, "..if only I wasn't part of the royal family.. If only I was born "normal" like you and the rest.. Rules here, rules there, I can't go here, I can't go there.. I feel like a caged animal, don't you know that?"

The man began to feel pity, and a reassuring smile crossed his face. "Eliza, don't worry. Someday, maybe, you will get the chance to go outside too.", he said, uncertain of his own words as they finally arrived at the palace gates. "Well, see you again, Eliza.", he waved a hand as he walked away, a frown on the brunette's face as she walked towards the palace.

Li Yi Ming. It was a weird name for her, really, so she'd rather hear others call her by her other name, Eliza, a name given by her grandfather Kuei who was the Earth King at that time. Her fascination of the outside world grew from the stories her grandfather used to tell her, of how "the Avatar" came to their palace and showed him that there was another world outside the city walls. He also told her of the adventures and the places the Avatar went and gone through, of how the Avatar saved the world from the war that took place in his time. It was fascinating, no, it was exciting to hear all of these stories from his late grandfather. And now he's dead. She ponders over the lost promise her grandfather made days before he died, that he would take her outside of the city walls and show her how beautiful the world really is from the outside. Sadness welled up within her as she reached the doors to her room, sighing as she thought that another boring day passed again in this lifeless part of the city of Ba Sing Se. Then, she heard her father's voice echoing in the hallways. It seems as if he was arguing with someone, and when she tried to take a peek on who it was, the voice of the King suddenly interrupted her father's. "This is for the good of our kingdom, Han. You know what is happening outside of Ba Sing Se, of what is happening in Republic City, right now."

Her father, Han, had a distressed look on his face as he glanced at the floor beneath him. "But.. She's my only daughter, my Highness. Please, I won't let you take her away from me."

Eliza gasped, and she covered her mouth with her hands. "But you know that I don't have an heir to succeed me. And since the Fire Lord's son and your daughter are both of legal age, I was thinking of arranging a marriage between the two. The Fire Lord had already agreed with the proposal, and he was even thinking of unifying the City of Ba Sing Se and the Fire Kingdom. I think it is the best choice we currently have, considering that we are the only two nations left."

She silently gasped from where she was hiding and a confused look was on her face as she tried to listen to their conversation. Two nations? Then what happened to the Northern and Southern Water Tribe? The Air Nomads? Where did they go?

Han looked at the King, his eyes pleading as he spoke. "I know, but I can't give her up that easily.. I can't.."

Eliza quickly ran towards her room, confusion, fear and anger welling up within her. Moonlight shone in her room as she opened the doors, a tear escaping through one of her eyes as she thought of the arranged marriage the King was planning for her. "Why..", was the only word that escaped through her mouth. She had never lived her life like she wanted to, she had always followed what her family had wanted her to do, and now, she doesn't even get to decide on who she's going to marry. A voice inside her head reminded her of what the King said..

..we are the only two nations left.

What did he meant by that? The anger slowly dissipated as wondered on the King's words. "The only two nations left..?", she repeated to herself when suddenly, she heard someone threw a rock on her bedroom window.

"Psst. Eliza!"

The brunette slowly got up from her bed as she walked towards the windows. A man with brown hair grinned at her from the outside, and a familiar man stood beside him, his face obviously embarrassed. "Hey Eliza!", he called out, as he waved his hands in the air. The man beside him hit him on the head with his fan. "Shh! The royal guards will hear us, Yong Soo.", he scolded. A small smile was on Eliza's face as she put a green coat on, and Yong Soo still waving and smiling at her. "What are you doing here?", she asked, elbows propped on the marble railings of the balcony as she stared at the two men standing there, outside the palace.

"We heard about the marriage thing from our parents.", Yong Soo answered, a mischievous smile on his lips as he continued, "..and we're going to bust you out of here."

Eliza's eyes widened in shock as she looked at the two. "What?", she asked him, her voice a bit louder than she should have been. She repeated in a hush tone. "What?"

Yong Soo chuckled a bit as if he wasn't even surprised by what he's saying. "We're going to bust you out, out of the upper ring, out of Ba Sing Se.", he answered with a smile on his face, and she heard a sigh escape from Anjo's lips. "We've already made preparations, so come on!"

She looked back at her own room, torn between the decision to stay or to leave. But I've always wanted to see the outside world.. The world Grandpa Kuei used to tell me.

Eliza grabbed a bag as she finally made her decision.

I'm sorry, father, uncle. But this is my only chance to do something I want to do, the first time I get to do something for myself.

Notes:

Eliza/Lin Yi Ming – Hungary

Anjo/Anjo Wang – Macau

Yong Soo/Im Yong Soo – South Korea

Han Yi Ming – Hungary's father