Team Avatar glanced at one another. Sokka tapped his chin, then shrugged.
"I guess 'Esteemed Guests' is nice too," he said, "but I'll admit I'm partial to 'Great Beings.'"
Katara shook her head at him, then turned to the newcomer. "It's nice to meet you, President Megat. Are you the representative for Xei?"
"Yes. I am in charge of matters on the island."
"Could you tell us about your homeland then?"
Though the man tensed, he did not do so visibly. "I certainly can. Our home has been one of fishers since the beginning of our history. The fish and minerals from the ocean are our main resources."
"You rely on the ocean," Aang noted. "Is that what we interrupted when we appeared? A fishing outing?"
Megat shook his head. "I am sorry to inform you that this was not the case. When you arrived, we were in the middle of a battle against our neighboring island, Rhijaj."
"Why were you battling?" Zuko inquired.
"We have been at war because of their barbarism." The president was barely able to keep the snarl out of his voice when he spoke. "Just as fishing is part of our history, so too is losing our citizens. For ages, we have lost our own to the Rhijaj people's cruelty."
Suki lifted an eyebrow and glanced at the others. They shared the same curious expression she wore.
"What do you mean?" the warrior asked. "Did the people from Rhijaj come to attack and take them prisoner?"
"They would not even be so decent as to attack us openly. If they had, we would have been able to defend ourselves. Instead, they decide to act when no one is there to see. They must steal our loved ones in the cover of darkness. Not one of us can ever recall hearing a cry for help or seeing anything suspicious."
"Are you sure that your people didn't leave?" Toph asked. "What if they moved to Rhijaj and didn't want to tell anyone?"
Again, Megat shook his head, but this time was more fervent. "The people who left aren't your typical runaways. They're parents, the elderly, parents and their children…I know some of them closely. Even if they would leave Xei, they would never abandon their families. I have seen them risk their lives in battle for their comrades. I cannot believe that they would suddenly leave us without so much as a goodbye. If they did leave, the monsters in Rhijaj coerced them."
The friends regarded one another thoughtfully. Megat sensed their hesitation and began speaking again.
"I beseech you to aid us," he requested. "This war has gone on far too long and has shown no progress. We cannot even bury our lost ones. Their bodies remain undiscovered and unclaimed. It's an unfitting end to so many innocent lives."
Sokka's eyebrows furrowed. "You haven't found anyone?"
"Not a single person as of this moment. The search will continue until everyone is returned."
"Have you directly asked the people of Rhijaj about this?" Suki asked.
"We have. We did that long before the war began, but they denied our accusations and said we were vile, despicable beings." Megat could feel himself becoming hot with anger. "They actually have the audacity to abduct our loved ones, subject them to whatever horrible treatment they see fit, and call us cruel."
"Do you know why they call you that?" Zuko inquired, hoping to get a little more of the individual.
Megat appeared uncertain. "I will not pretend to understand anything they do. I dislike when people act as though they know my feelings and thoughts, so I will not do the same. I can only say what I know to be factual. They accused us of capturing their people."
"Were the accusations founded?" Sokka asked.
"They were not. We are a peaceful people…or at least we were. Even the most passive of souls can be pushed to the point of violence when there is no end to unjustified torment. Unfortunately, I cannot take account of every citizen. I have no way of keeping track of them all, but I can personally assure you that I have never authorized an abduction or seen signs of one having taken place."
"I think that's fair," Aang admitted. "You can't watch everyone on your island, but you can lead by example."
"That is always what I've striven to do. I wish I could do it better so that I could get our home out of danger. Will you help us end this war?"
Aang turned away from the man to look at his friends.
"We'll help end the war," he said.
Megat smiled brightly. "Words cannot express my gratitude, but my actions will more than compensate for this."
Aang's face had a slightly stern expression. "I don't mean that we'll kill the people from Rhijaj. We'll find another way to end the battling."
The president's emotion behind his eyes changed, but he kept his smile. "I am still beyond grateful for any assistance you give us."
"Could you give us some time to talk alone?" Zuko asked. "We want to make sure we've thought everything through before telling you our plans."
"Of course," Megat answered. "Whenever you are ready, please come to the gray and turquoise building in the center of the island. There, you will normally find myself, my vice president, Tipah, and my assistant, Sabit."
This caused the team to regard him in confusion.
"You have a vice president? 'President' isn't part of your name?" Katara asked.
"No, it's my title."
"Is that like a king?" Suki inquired.
"Not exactly, but it has its similarities. I'd be happy to explain more with my associates."
"I think we'll take you up on that offer soon," Aang informed him.
With another bow, Megat returned to his ship. The team waited until he was out of sight before sighing.
"The same story. How helpful," Sokka said sarcastically.
"It's the exact same as before," Toph added. "He thinks he's telling the truth too."
"Well, someone's got to be lying," Suki said. "They both said that they didn't abduct anybody and that the other one did."
"The only other option would tie into what Megat said," Katara chimed in. "If he didn't know what the others on his island were doing, he wouldn't have lied. The same would apply for Durnaz if she doesn't know about an abduction happening to the other group. They could both be innocent and just have people on their islands who are guilty."
"But then we're put at the same place, not knowing who instigated what," Toph pointed out.
"At least we know more than we did before," Zuko offered. "Even if we don't know who started the abductions, it sounds like both sides just want their people returned. If we can find them and convince both sides to not start any abductions again, the main problem will be resolved. We'd be able to figure out the rest from there."
Sokka was unsure. "I'm not sure. Without knowing why whoever took someone did it, we might not be able to do much to stop it from happening again."
"Then, what do we do?" Suki asked.
The Water Tribe boy tapped his chin. "I say we speak with more of them. That's at least something we can do that would give us an idea of who they are."
With a frown, Aang noticed that the sky was becoming darker. "I agree, but it's getting late. Before we speak with anyone else, we're going to have to figure out something to do for shelter."
Suki glanced towards the islands. "I guess we can use this land Toph raised to stay on, but what about bathing? We're too big to not get noticed. Both islands would be able to see us."
"Aang can create fog for the boys, and I'll make it for the girls," Katara suggested.
Sokka let out a gasp, causing the others to turn to him, trying to see if someone had attacked. When they found no danger, their expressions became confused.
"What was that for?" Zuko asked.
"Because I just realized the worst part of this! We're going to starve!"
The others began shaking their heads at him.
"I can't be the only one upset about this. Think about it, one animal here would probably fit in our hands. How are we going to fill up on that when it's cut up?"
"I can find some meals for us," Aang volunteered. "The monks taught me about which foods are higher in vitamins and minerals than others. We might not get full, but we'll get nourished." He paused, giving an apologetic look to his friend. "It'll have to be a vegetarian diet, though. Sorry."
Sokka's face drooped miserably and Suki gave him a consoling hug. They stayed in the embrace as Toph rose the ground up further around them. Doing so, she made huts out of the earth. When she was finished, she appeared pleased with herself.
"Now, we won't have anyone watching us sleep either."
The friends entered the buildings and tried to get some rest, but they all knew this was not likely to happen. In the morning, Toph stirred, feeling something coming towards them. For a moment, she almost dismissed it as a small critter or large bug. Then, she recalled where they were and sighed.
"Sokka can keep this hero stuff," she huffed.
Feeling where her friends were sleeping, the earthbender stomped. Her actions caused the earth beneath the others to rise, tossing them in the air.
"Toph!" came the collective shout.
"No complaining, sleepy heads! We've got company."
Less frustrated now, the others began to get up and leave the huts. Near them, they saw the queen from Rhijaj. She greeted them in the same manner as her daughter had.
"Great Beings, I am Queen Ebrah."
"And we are tired," Sokka whispered to Toph, getting her to nod in agreement.
"My daughter, Durnaz, came to speak with you yesterday."
"Yes," Aang said. "She told us that the war was because of abductions."
"She told you correctly, but I believe that in her haste, she failed to mention the dangers of these lands. Many lives on both sides have been lost. I would not feel as though I served my duty as your hostess if I did not inform you of this."
"We don't mind," Suki said. "We've dealt with war before."
Ebrah's eyes briefly flashed with disappointment. She gestured to the shelters made of dirt.
"We lack the resources to properly house you, so you have my sincerest apologies for this. Perhaps if I know what your diets are, I could accommodate you in that way."
"Normally meat," Sokka said, squinting at Aang who ignored him.
"We–most of us anyway–aren't picky," the Avatar said.
"Even still, there might not be enough on either island to satisfy your cravings," the queen added. "Surely, we lack enough fresh water, and the process of making the sea drinkable is taxing to do continuously."
"With our bending, it shouldn't be too difficult," Katara said.
Ebrah hesitated, thinking deeply about what else she could say. "I would not want to keep you away from your other friends and family."
"Well, that's a little out of our control," Toph said. "We're stuck here, queenie."
The woman managed to keep concern from showing itself on her face. Regardless, Zuko had noticed that it was there.
"You're trying to find a way to convince us to leave," he said. Before Ebrah could attempt to dissuade him of this, he continued, "I understand why you'd do that. I'd probably try the same if I were you, but you don't have to worry about us attacking anyone. We want the war to end too, and to return to our world."
Ebrah's concerns were not necessarily eased, but she looked calmer. "What world do you come from?"
"It's one where everything is our size. We got caught in a portal that brought us here."
"A portal? I have not heard of one of those. Are they like tornados?"
"This one was," Aang chimed in, "but they can also just work the same if you're walking into them."
"Wouldn't it hurt to walk into one?"
"They aren't physical items. Often, they're connected to the Spirit World somehow."
This caused a look of greater confusion to appear on the queen's face. "I do not believe we have a Spirit World here."
"You do actually. Everywhere does. It's a reality that runs parallel to ours. Only, there's no bending in the Spirit World. It hosts beings other than living people such as spirits and supernatural forces that normally embody aspects of nature like animals or plants."
"So, it is a world apart from ours just as yours is?"
"Exactly!"
Katara happily gestured to the airbender. "And this is the Avatar, the bridge between our worlds."
Ebrah's brows furrowed in thought. "It seems like your world is quite different from this one. We do not have an Avatar either."
"I guess that can explain why we're needed," the waterbender mentioned. "Do you have any benders?"
"Yes, we have many benders. My son, Buraid, who you have yet to meet, is a firebender. My daughter and I are airbenders."
Aang's eyes widened and his heart ached with grief. "You're airbenders?"
"Yes, we have many in Rhijaj. It is no more or less common than the other types of bending. Is this another way our worlds are different?" The queen noticed sadness behind the giant's expression. "I am sorry if I said something to offend you."
Katara put a hand on Aang's shoulder, resting her head against his. The gesture was appreciated and helped a little. Zuko unhappily turned to the queen.
"It is another way they're different," he revealed, "but it wasn't always that way."
Ebrah's face took on a sympathetic expression. "Then, I am even more sorry. The pain of losing loved ones…it is only understood through experience." She paused, deciding against trying more to persuade the group to not get involved. "It is appreciated that you want to help end the war. If there is something we can do to make your stay more comfortable, please let us know."
The queen bid the friends farewell and returned to the castle. Sokka went over to Aang.
"Are you going to be okay if we stay here?"
Sighing, the Avatar nodded. "I will be. We have to stay no matter what anyway. Besides, it could actually be nice to see more airbenders again." His forehead creased in a frown. "Later this morning, I'm going to see if I can find out anything from my past lives. They might have more information to share than Zan Fa."
The friends nodded and went further from the lands and into the ocean, beginning to create their fog. As they did, the prince of Rhijaj was speaking to the subjects. He stood on a stage, shoulders back and head held high. In his eyes was more fire than what he could create with his bending.
"First, Xei and now giants," he said, gesturing towards the new fog. "When will the insanity end? It won't! It won't until we make it end. That's all history has taught us. When we expect something to happen, it never does. When we hope things will get better, they never do." The prince looked out on the crowd with a mix of pain and anger. "If we wait for our families to return home, they never will. I say we wait no more! Xei won't be expecting a follow-up attack so soon. We'll have the element of surprise on our side because they will be busy worrying about the giants. Maybe we should too, but after we wipe Xei off the face of the earth, we can deal with those monsters next. Those beings changed nothing. The only thing they did was give us a needed distraction, and I thank them for that. I might even be tempted to show them more mercy than Xei has shown us, as they continue to torture and kill our own this very second. They won't get away with that. We won't allow it! We'll behead every last one of them and bring our families back home where they belong!"
Anger was tangible in the air as it was filled with cries of anticipation for the battle. As the prince stepped off the stage, he was followed by troops of people, arming themselves with weapons. They headed to the ships to board again. Enough was enough. People needed to be saved. The prior day might have been just the previous battle, but the next day would be the last.
