DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I know, another long wait, and I'm sorry. But, I would be alot more sorry if people were reviewing! Seriously, guys, I'm getting really depressed here. So, enjoy! Oh, and be warned, this is going to be a pretty long chapter.

CHAPTER 3

"Hi, I'm Sara." I took her offered hand, and shook it soundly.

"I'm Cinrae. This Manek, Sonziah, and Arra." I said, pointing to each of my companions when I spoke their name. Sara nodded to each of them, still wearing her bright smile. "We're here to find..." Suddenly, Sara held up her hand, stopping me.

"Um, I'm sorry to interrupt, but this conversation would be better suited off of the streets, if you don't mind." she said, pulling her hood back over her head, and turning from us. She immediately started back on her trek to Agni knows where. All of my companions glanced at each other, than we took off after her.

For such a sweet looking girl, she sure knew her way around the city like she was born on the streets. It was like following a shadow, keeping up with that girl. Just when I was about to stop this madness and say that we could make it our own way, she stopped directly in front of me.

We were what I assumed to be outside of the city, or, at least, in a less inhabited part of it. There were fewer homes, and the exotic trees, and startling green grass grew in abundance. Now that we were out of the clogged, industrial city, I understood what Arra was saying about the air. There was something electric, almost magical, about it that made my spirit soar. I swore for a moment that I could see tiny spots of power, like stars, floating around me. It was awe inspiring.

While I was being fascinated by the new world around me, Sara had been busy unearthing some kind of door. It was round, and stone, overgrown with wildlife, proving that it hadn't been used in great abundance. Sara mumbled something under her breath, and, suddenly, the lock that bound this door snapped open. I stared in shock for a moment, not really knowing how to analyze what I had just seen. You would think that I would be used to the strange and unexpected by now, but there were still many things left in the world that could shock and amaze me. Sara pulled open the door with a loud grunt, proving how heavy it was, and revealed a long, dark tunnel that lead to what looked like nowhere.

"Go ahead." she said, motioning for us to enter. I gave her one of Manek's "are you bloody kidding me" looks.

"Um, yeah right. I'm not crawling down some dark hole, oblivious to where I am going." I said, my weariness apparent in my voice. In all honesty, I could have just lit a flame in my hand, that would have guided my way, but I wasn't about to let her know that. Sara's shoulders dropped, displaying her obvious annoyance.

"Fine, I'll go in first, but whoever comes in last has to remember to close this door." she said.

"I'll do it." said Manek almost immediately. Sara and I both looked to him, and, even under the shelter of her hood, I could see her wide, purple eyes scanning his form. I felt a little pain of anger in side me for a short moment, but quickly let it subside. Sara nodded at Manek with a bright smile, than entered the dark tunnel. I followed after her, than Arra, than Sonziah, and finally Manek. I heard the loud "thump" that signaled that we were all in. And we were all standing in total darkness.

I was about to blow my secret, and light a flame in my hand, until Sara did something that still amazes me. She held her hand up, and a white, bright light slowly formed in her hand. It was like she was holding a star high above her. The light she made illuminated the entire tunnel for as far down as it went. I could clearly see another door at the far end.

"Wow." mumbled Arra with awe. I would have said something similar, but I was too shocked to speak.

"Follow me." said Sara before she made her way down the newly illuminated tunnel. Now, I could clearly see that great attention that had been put into it. The walls were all delicately engraved stone. They were smooth, and wondrously beautiful. I couldn't help but run my hand along them as I followed Sara.

We soon arrived at the opposite end of the tunnel, much quicker than I would have expected. Sara mumbled something else under her breath, and the lock to this door immediatly snapped open, just like the other one. She gave a strong pull, and the door creaked as it slowly opened. What awaited beyond it was enough to make me wonder if all of this was just one really long, really amazing, dream.

We were apparently inside a very elaborate, beautiful room, the standards of which I have never seen. The walls and ceiling were of rich, beautiful wood that was carved and engraved almost to the point of exaggeration. Portraits of beautiful people in grand outfits lines the walls on all sides. A golden chandelier hung from the ceiling, but the floor to ceiling window provided much of the light.

Sara stepped out first, and ushered the rest of us to follow. Once we were all out, she closed the door behind us, and it turned out to be a panel on the wall. Or, at least, from the inside it appeared that way.

I stood and stared in total and complete awe, not really caring what would happen next, because nothing could beat this.

"So...where are we?" asked Arra as she looked, and touched, everything within her grasp.

"One of the sitting rooms. It's almost never used, so people won't catch us sneaking in." answered Sara who had her ear pressed up against a large door, probably listening to hear if anyone was outside.

"Sitting room in where, exactly?" asked Manek.

"The royal palace." answered Sara very matter-of-factly. The color drained from all of our faces. The royal palace. The palace of the ruler of all of this...weirdness? Fate had decided to prove me wrong once again. This totally beat the secret door in the wall thing.

Finally, after staring at Sara in total shock for a while, I managed to ask, "What?" She stared at us all in total obliviousness for what seemed like forever.

"But, of course. Where else would we go?" I exchanged glances with Sonziah, who was standing directly beside me, and I could tell we were both thinking the same thing. 'What the bloody earth?'

"Okay, who exactly are you?" asked Sonziah. Sara didn't turn to face us as she slowly opened the door.

"Ugh...I work in the palace. I pretty much live here. Also, there are so many rooms in the palace, we can certainly find someplace for you to stay." She silently opened the large door, and it opened onto a large, long hallway that seemed to go on forever in both directions. The ceilings were arched all the way down, and strong stone columns supported the ceiling. There was almost no one in the halls, which was strange for a royal palace. But, it would make it easier for us to sneak around.

Sara was the first one to ease out of the sitting room, and into the hall way. She motioned for us to follow, and we quickly did as she bid. Next, it was just the simple act of not getting caught. Once or twice, a group of servant girls dressed in dark purple dresses would walk by, and we would take to hiding behind large items of furniture, and grand columns, but, otherwise, the palace was amazingly quiet.

"Where is everyone?" I asked once we had come to some kind of a stop.

"The Emperor isn't a grand fan of the nobles, so he doesn't keep them around." answered Sara while she was fiddling with another secret door. After she mumbled something under her breath, a panel in the wall opened up to reveal a winding staircase that lead up. Arra, realizing that her never failing curiosity could actually be put into good use , entered first, and eagerly climbed up. I followed after, and we all continued to climb up this winding, iron stair case, Sara bringing up the rear.

As we continued to climb, we came across small, rectangular windows on either side of us, where we could look out, and see the city as you climbed. From above, the city really did look beautiful; shimmering rooftops, and bright, exotic colors, along with the massive population of extravagantly dressed people were only some of the things I noticed that were pleasing to the eye. I was sure that Montar had much more to offer.

The neverending staircase finally came to a halt at an elaboratly engravedwrought iron fance that was locked with a large, ancient metal lock.

"Well, looks like the adventure ends here." mumbled Sonziah, who was directly behind me. Just as she said this, Sara squeezed her way to the front of the line. Her hand quickly disappeared into a deep pocket that was sewn into her skirt, and it quickly reappeared, along with a large ring of keys. The keys were of different size and ware, some small and new, others large and ancient. Sara quickly chose one of the larger keys, and used it to unlock the metal lock. It opened with a loud click, showing that it hadn't been used in a long while. Sara pushed open the iron gate, and continued to climb up another flight of winding stairs.

Fortunately, we didn't have to climb for long, for, soon, we found ourselves in a ridiculously large, round room with a glass ceiling. The floors were a polished wood, and the walls were of cool marble, with some spaces left for wide, round windows that peered high over the entire city. The room was also filled to the brim with stuff. Extravagant tapestries, ancient paintings, figurines and statues, even pieces of furniture. All of them appeared to be from different civilizations, however.

"Wow." said Manek, who had come to stand by me. "It's like a high society flea market."

"Yeah, pretty much." said Sara, who had removed the hood of her cloak, and was now standing next to me. She smiled brightly, seeming to create her own light around her. "Go ahead, look around." she encouraged. We obliged, and made our separate ways through the maze of things.

Most of the things I saw, I could not relate to anythings I've seen before. Nothing from our world. Accept, there was one small statue of a monkey with rubies for eyes. I could have sworn that I had seen that before.

"I never thought that someone could collect so much..."

"Junk?" Manek cut in. I turned and gave him a deadly glare.

"...precious artifacts."

"I'm sure he would appreciate that." said Sara as she trudged around somewhere in the sea of things. "I think it's a bunch of junk however." My eyes shot open, and I could almost feel Manek smirking at my back.

"So, Sara, who's stuff is this, anyway?" asked Manek as he was studying the painting of a nude woman somewhat erupting from a sea shell.

"Um, my father's." she said slowly. Manek and I exchanged glanced.

"You're father? Well, how did he come about it?" he asked as he tried to make his way towards wherever Sara was.

"He's been to a lot of places. He's seen a lot of things. You see, he's kinda an important person."

"How important, exactly?" asked Sonziah, who entered onto the same hall that we were on.

"Oh, nothing big, he's just..." Suddenly, Sara appeared around the corner, her arms wrapped around her torso. ", the Emperor."

My mouth dropped. Not only were we being hidden in the Emperor's palace, but our savior was none other than the Emperor's daughter. This day was just turning out to be full of surprises.

"So, that means you're the princess of Allansar. This could all be a trap!" said Manek, readying his bow.

"No, no!" said Sara as she rushed to him, taking his hands in hers. I could feel my eye twitch at the sight. "No, this isn't a trap. My father doesn't even know that I've been outside of the palace. You see, I love other cultures, especially when my father hasn't conquered them. When I saw you running from the Guards, I knew that when they caught you, you'd be taken to the Magistrate, and probably sentenced to life in the silver mines, or worse. I couldn't let that happen. You see, I really did this to help you."

Sara's big, purple eyes held no lie, and her smile was sincere. I had only known this girl for an hour, at the least, and I trusted her. I might have been leading myself into the ultimate trap, but, I trusted her. I sighed, and lowered my defences.

"Sara, we're on a bit of a mission. Have you run across any other...foreigners in the last few days, weeks--months, dare I say?"

Her face held a solemn expression, as if she was looking off into the abyss.

"I'm sorry, I can't say I have. I mean, you are the first from the Other Side to have made it all the way to the capitol. Anyone else, I do not know of. What kind of mission are you on, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked, taking a seat on a large day bed that rested directly behind her.

"We're looking for someone." said Arra, settling into an overly upholstered chair.

"Someone?" asked Sara.

"Yes, my brother." I answered. "We have been wondering our world for months searching for him. His life hangs in the balance." Sara folded her legs under her, nodding in understanding.

"What exactly are you?" I was slightly taken aback by this question. What am I? Did I not look human to her?

"Well, um, I'm human..." I answered uncertainly. Sara smiled to herself, and raised her hand.

"No, no, I mean what are you socially? Some kind of nobility?"

"Yeah, a little. Well, I guess I'm a little more than a noble."

"How so?"

"She's a princess. Heir to the throne of one of the most powerful nations in the world." said Manek, never one to beat around the bush. Sara's eyes went wide, but not in fear, in pure awe.

"Wow. A princess? Royalty? That is amazing! I've never met royalty from the Other Side. Well, I've never met anyone from the Other Side. What is the name of your nation?"

I really didn't want to tell her anything else. She was so annoyingly interested, it made my head hurt. I know that she was simply curious about my world, since my friends and I were probably the only leak she had to the Other Side, but I never had to tell people everything before. Back home, it was common knowledge. But, since I was already stressed out enough, my morals weren't exactly taking the lead at this point. I was about to turn around and tell her just how annoying she was, but Arra, who heard my thoughts loud and clear, poked me in the side, rather hard, if I may say so, so I pretty much had no choice but to tell her.

"My home is the Fire Nation. It was once the most feared nation in the world. You see, my ancestors were rather power-hungry. They waged a onehundred year war on the rest of the world, and my grand-father was on the verge of winning it, too, if not for all of our parents, who played a special role in saving the world. Now, the Fire Nation is still very powerful, but very respected, as well." Sara listened like a child listens at story time. She was taking all of this in, and storing it for later use.

"Wow. And are all of you from this Fire Nation?" asked Sara, gesturing towards the rest of the group.

"Oh no, we're all from different nations." said Manek. "I'm from the Earth Kingdom."

"I'm from the Southern Water Tribe." said Sonziah.

"And I'm from the Southern Air Temple." chimed in Arra.

"Our world is divided into four different nations," I began, going into teacher mode. "Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes (Southern and Northern), and the Air Temples. Four elements. There are also certain few in each of the nations who can control the element of their nation, we call it bending. Only on person is born every generation who can control all elements. We call him the Avatar. Well, that is, unless you're Arra. Her father is the Avatar and her mother's a waterbender, so, somehow, she was born able to bend air, the element that her father was born under, and water. Oh, and she can also read minds." Arra smiled, and shrugged, knowing how awesome she was.

Sara nodded, taking all of this in. An entire world that had been shut away from her her entire life now stood before her in plain view. She could learn so much about everything else that was out there, and maybe, someday, escape from under her father's hand.

"This is all so amazing. For hundreds, maybe thousands of years, your world was only a myth. No one ever truly believed it existed. And now, here you are, plain as day! But, how did you cross the Coral Wall? It is bound by a powerful magic."

We all looked at each other, and simply shrugged. We didn't know how we managed to cross this magical barrier.

"Something must be wrong." murmered Sara. "Or, maybe it's fate. I feel that I am meant to meet all of you. I'm not sure why, but, I do. And I swear on Thor's hammer that I will help you in any way I can." she said with a warm smile. I smiled back at her, not doubting for a second that she spoke the truth. Suddenly, Sara stood, as if she had forgotten that she was supposed to be somewhere.

"I'm so sorry, but, I have to go. I have to get back to my room before my father summons me, of he'll suspect that I've been out of the palace. But, I'll be back soon, and with some food, too. When I do return, I can try to brief you on my world." she said, putting her hand to her chest. She turned quickly, and began to make her way back down the winding staircase. "Just make yourselves at home. Oh, and, I'm gonna have to lock the gate back, just to make certain you won't be discovered. See you later!"

And with that, she was gone.

---

"Well, this is lucky." said Arra as she threw herself down on a large, heavily upholstered bed.

"No, this is weird." responded Sonziah, who had her arms tucked tightly over her chest. "This girl saves us from getting arrested, than she sneaks us into the palace of the very ruler we need to avoid. Oh, who, by the way, happens to be her father!"

"Calm down, Sonziah." I said in the calmest voice I could manage. "We're as safe as we're gonna get in this place, so you might as well deal with it. Besides, she doesn't seem like the maniacal kind of princess who would lead us into a trap. What about it, Arra, did you pick up anything from her mind?" I asked, turning to the mind reader in question. She sat up, thinking for a moment, then shook her head slowly.

"No, actually. Her mind had some kind of shield around it. I couldn't get a thing out of her."

Well, there went our leverage. We were completely relying on this girl now. I just hoped we weren't making a huge mistake.

-888-

Sara hurried through the intricate tunnels that filled the palace, praying that she wasn't to late. If she wasn't in her room when her father summoned her, the consequences would be extreme.

Finally, she came to the end of the tunnel, and fumbled with the door that lead to her room. She mumbled a small spell, and the door slid open, turning out to be another panel in her wall. The hidden door slid shut behind her, and was magically sealed to prevent a non-magic user from using it.

Sara quickly threw off her peasant outfit which consisted of a long, brown skirt, and a dark purple tunic. She searched her grand wardrobe for an outfit that would look more her class. She soon chose a twenty pound dress with a large, hoop skirt and layers upon layers of fabric underneath. It was dark red, almost the color of blood, and was tight fitting at the top, running slightly off the shoulder. It's sleeves flared out at the wrist, and ran along the floor when she hung her arms by her side. There was golden embroidery of a vine that ran along the left side of the dress. It was truly a magnificent dress, made in Shorsh, and would have captured the heart of any other woman. Sara, however, wasn't as easy to capture.

She checked herself over in the mirror, and decided not to bother with her hair. She would just take the whole thing down later, so why bother? Just as she was thinking this, a knock came at her door. She took a long, deep breath, and moved to open it. There stood a Guard, dressed in the shining armor of the Royal Guard. He looked young, but, now that she thought about it, all members of the Gaurd looked pretty much the same.

"Princess, your father summons you." he said, his pure Allansarian accent apparent. Sara nodded, and exited her room, closing her door behind her. She followed the Guard down the long, ancient hallways of the palace, even though she knew exactly where she was going. It was the same thing every day. How could she forget?

-888-

Emperor Taurus sat in the throne room that his father had occupied, and his father before him. The large stain glass window that hung directly above the stone throne casted a regal glow throughout the room. The throne sat on a raised dais, where you had to walk up many steps to approach it. The entire room was made of grey stone, with grey marble for the floors, and the long rug that lead from the door at the far end of the throne room to the throne itself was of a dark purple, along with the upholstery of the throne, and every other fabric in the room. There was a throne similar to the Emperor's on a lower dais to the left and the right of the grand throne. One was reserved for the Queen of Allansar. The other, for the heir apparent. Unfortunately, the Gods blessed Emperor Taurus with one child, a girl. The heir to the mighty throne of Allansar would be a girl. That fact alone still made Taurus's blood boil.

Taurus himself was a pretty emposing man, even at the climbing age of forty five. He was tall and broad chested, his body molded from many battles. His dark blond hair was slowly begining to grey in some areas, but it didn't make him anyless threatening. Only wiser. He had the same purple eyes that his daughter was blessed with, and owed that to fine Allansarian breeding.

"You look slightly perplexed, my lord." said the other figure in the room. Taurus looked up, and met the stern, grey eyes of the Master Magician, Cronus. His hair had already greyed, but he was just as tall, as as fit as his Emperor. He wore the long, black robes of all wizards, and wore a heavily embroidered golden sash to prove his status. But, in all reality, you just had to look into his eyes to know what great power he possessed.

"I was just thinking about the future of this empire, Cronus. I am not certain if Sara will be able to handel the role of Emporess." Cronus laughed and smiled at his lord.

"Well, your majesty, isn't that why we plan on marrying her off? She won't have to be Empress at all."

"But the line has always been carried down through the royal family. The male gene is the dominant gene, and I do not want anyone not of pure blood to stain the royal blood line." Taurus had been looking down for so long, that he didn't notice when Cronus moved to stand beside him in about a second. Another wizard power, of course.

"Don't worry, my lord." he said, placing a warm, powerful hand on the Emperor's shoulder. "We will find someone of pure Allansarian blood for Sara. Besides, with our plans for the future running smoothly, you might not have to worry about an heir at all."

Suddenly, the grand door at the end of the hall opened, and Sara walked in. Her long, flattering dress made contact with the floor as she walked, muffling the sound her peasant boots made. She passed the many statues of Emperor's passed, her ancestors, as she made her way to the raised dais that supported the throne. After quite a long while of walking, she reached the dais. She curtsied to the two men before her in respect.

"Father, you summoned me." she said, her voice cool and solid.

"Yes, I did." said Taurus as he sat up straighter. "Cronus, you remember my daughter." The powerful magician turned his cold, grey eyes to face Sara, and she could feel his mind seeping into hers.

"Yes, of course. Good evening, Princess. My, my, you grow more and more beautiful every time I see you."

"Thank you, Master Magician. It is a pleasure to see you, as well." she said, bowing her head. In her mind she was thinking of how much he made her skin crawl.

"Sara, I received word from your tutor that you were falling asleep in your classes again." said Taurus in a cold, stern voice. "Such childish behavior will not be tolerated in the royal family."

"But, father, I still ace all of my exams." Sara pleaded. "I've just had trouble sleeping these days, that's all." Sara could feel Cronus struggling to search the bowels of her mind, so she lowered her head, knowing that if she made eye contact with him, he would brake her already flimsy psychic wall.

"Trouble sleeping?" inquired Taurus.

"Bad dreams." Sara answered. Well, that wasn't a total lie. She had been having bad dreams lately, but she was up late from her studies of a far more interesting topic. Magic.

"Bad dreams, you say? Perhaps Cronus can help silence your night terrors. Cronus, if you please." The Master Magician turned towards Sara, his hands out, and approached her.

"No!" Sara screeched, almost too loudly, as she backed away from the wizard's searing hands. Both Taurus and Cronus raised their eyebrows at the young girl.

"There is no need to fear me, Princess. Magic is a powerful thing, but I have long since mastered it." said Cronus as he attempted to approach Sara again.

"No, I mean, my nurse knows this tea recipe that will help quite my mind, and give me rest. I know how tired wizards can get after using their magic, and I don't wish to cause Master Cronus any pain." she said with a wide smile. In all honesty, she knew that if his hands touched her, the gravest secret she carried would be known by the most powerful man in the world.

"Why, that's very considerate of you, Princess. As you wish, I will not use my magic on you." said Cronus. Sara let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding.

"Alright then, just make sure your nurse gives you this tea soon. If it does not work, than Cronus will use his magic on you whether you wish it or not. You are dismissed." said Taurus, motioning with his hand for his daughter to leave. Sara curtsied again, than turned, hurrying across the room, and out the door. Cronus stared after her, even after she had exited the room.

"The Princess certainly is a wonder, my lord." he said, turning to face Taurus once more. "Very much like her mother."

"Yes, that's what worries me." said Taurus as he ran his hand through his hair. Cronus glance out a nearby window, and saw that the sun was making it's slow decent towards the horizon.

"I'm afraid I must return to the Isles, my lord." he bowed low, and turned to make his way to the end of the room. "There is still much to be done!" he said loudly when he reached the door, exiting the grand throne room.

"Yes, good evening Cronus. There is still far to much to be done."

AN: Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed the first half of chapter 3! I never originally intended to split this chapter in two, but there is so much information that I need to fit in, I didn't want to drag it out in one never ending chapter, so I just split it in two. Also, I was having a great deal of trouble describing the throne room of the royal palace, and if you want to see a picture of what the throne room is supposed to look like, go to Google Images and look up throne rooms, and the 4th picture across the top of the third page with the web address is what the throne room is my inspiration. Review please!