Not much time passed before the two eldest giants rejoined Team Avatar and their daughter. They paused when they saw the metal ball. Automatically, Levka turned to Masha, trying to see if she had actually listened.
"Did you make them try to hide from you?"
The girl quickly shook her head. "No, I didn't," she insisted. "They just balled up all the metal. I didn't even get to say anything."
Levka believed Masha and then focused on the ball, rolling it flat so that the family could see the group. Toph began to frown and grumbled.
"I'm really getting tired of that."
"We have to bring you to the royal family," the mother stated.
"We know," Aang said. "We're fine going with you."
Alexei's eyes widened and he stepped forward. "Are you sure?"
Levka shot him a look. "If they want to meet the king and queen, they can."
"Aw," Masha complained. "Can I play with them when you get back?"
"You really shouldn't," her father said, looking at the team. It was still odd for him to imagine that he was truly looking at people that small. "You might hurt them."
"I'll be gentle!"
"No," Sokka said. "She already could've broken our backs when she picked us up. No playing if you don't mind."
"I second that," Zuko agreed, earning a pouty look from the girl.
Alexei turned to his wife. "I can bring them. You've been at the market all day. Warm up here with Masha and I'll take them to the palace."
The idea of staying out of the cold appealed to the woman, but she also felt hesitant. "Are you sure you'll be fine?"
After giving her cheek a kiss, the other giant smiled. "We'll be back in no time."
Alexei paused, then went to a room of the home before returning to stand by the team. He had a soft hat in his hands.
"You could stay in this," he offered. "It should be large enough to fit everyone, and it would keep the chill from the snow off you."
The man held the hat open. Aang peered down into it, then turned to his friends and shrugged. If the giant wanted to kill them, trapping and squishing them in a hat would be an extravagant plan when a whack of his fist would require far less effort. Aang hopped in, causing Sokka to sigh.
"Just go right in, why don't you?"
The boy sighed louder when Katara went in after Aang. One by one, the others joined the Avatar.
"Come on, Sokka," Suki encouraged.
Huffing, he complied. "If we're never let out of this thing, remember that I was the last one to jump into our prison."
Katara lightly whacked his shoulder. To the friends' relief, the opening of the hat was not squeezed shut. Alexei just gently held the bottom, cupping the side with his right hand so that no wind blew the team away from him. They could hear muffled versions of farewells, then loud wind as they were carried outside and into the storm. While Team Avatar was led deeper into the kingdom, Azula was laying near the shore of Rhijaj. There, waves were so much smaller than what she was accustomed to seeing.
The firebender doubted that was something she could ever get used to. Everything still looked like a dream, but it felt like reality. The grains of sand sliding between her fingers–they were so realistic. The smell of salt in the air–it was reminiscent of when she was first sent to find Zuko and Iroh. Azula had paid attention to her dreams before, testing how much control she could have even without being in her fully conscious mind. They were never like this, so perhaps a portal truly was how she came to be there. But it made no sense. In her entire life, Azula had never been brought through a portal. She had just gone over a swamp. Why did it bring her to a place where everything was miniature? Azula hated for plans to be changed abruptly. Yet again, something of hers had been ruined. She could not just be allowed to claim Earth Kingdom land, not even an area no one would care about or miss. How did the princess who was born lucky suddenly have such misfortune?
A new thought occurred to Azula. What if the negative view of her circumstances was all a matter of perspective? On one hand, she was trapped away from her world without a known way back. On the other hand, she had people who could fit under her shoes. That alone led to many advantages for the firebender. Azula could still have her kingdom. Although she considered this, she also was not sure. It was beneath her to take this land as her own. This idea nearly caused Azula to chuckle scornfully. Technically, that entire world was beneath her. It was also the only place she had access to at the moment. Potentially, it was a better plan for the future as well. In her world, Azula had a time limit. Eventually, Zuko would return from his trip, notice she had left, and send search parties. The escapee could not stay hidden indefinitely. She posed enough of a threat that it was unlikely Team Avatar would simply decide that she was never going to return. They would assume that Azula would wait until the first chance she got to kill them, and they would be right. That was why they would not stop until they found her. As much as getting to have that battle thrilled the firebender, she also considered the easier solution of having a kingdom without being opposed. There in that new world, Azula could finally reign as she saw fit. A smile found its way to the princess's lips. Maybe her fortune was only as bad as she allowed it to be. With a little adjusting and creativity, anything could become a promising opportunity.
While Azula was planning her next steps, Team Avatar arrived at the palace. They could hear muffled voices, then felt the warmth from entering a building. He started to open the hat more, but he did not immediately let the friends out.
"Your Majesties," someone said, "this subject claims that he has important information for you."
There was a slight pause before the team heard another unfamiliar voice.
"Important information? What is it and who are you?"
"I am a humble farmer of your lands, my lieges. My wife is a merchant and found strangers near the market. I came here to bring this to your attention."
"Strangers?" a new voice added. "Well, where are they or did you truly just come to tell us about them?"
After a short pause, more light entered the hat as its opening was widened. Team Avatar was gently placed on a table. They saw that they were in an extravagant room, decorated in red, blue, and sparkling gold. Near Alexei, there were several guards with eyes bulging so much, they seemed likely to pop out of their heads. At the end of the room were two large thrones. A man and woman sat beside each other. They had raised eyebrows for a moment before they became skeptical.
"You brought us figurines and tried to pass them off as strangers?" the king questioned, eyes narrowing.
Alexei quickly shook his head. "Not at all, Your Majesty. I would never disrespect your intelligence like that. They really are people."
"Impossible," the queen stated.
"It's understandable that you'd feel that way, but he's telling the truth," Aang said.
As soon as he spoke, the royal couple went still. They blinked, certain that after doing so enough times, they would see what actually was in front of them. It was odd how eyes could play tricks on people. The guards stepped back in shock, but managed to remain silent.
"We weren't trying to come here," Katara explained. "We were looking for missing people and didn't realize this is where they'd gone."
"You talk?" the king asked disbelievingly. He laughed abruptly. "Farmer, your wife has created peculiar trinkets. I don't know why she felt the need to make them able to hold a conversation with people."
"Is everyone going to think we're toys first?" Sokka asked, turning to his friends. He looked back at the giants. "We're people even if we're small."
The queen glanced at her husband. "We aren't dreaming, are we?"
"I don't believe so, but who can tell anymore?"
Curiously, the royals rose from their thrones and approached. Alexei genuflected before them, but they paid him little attention. The king leaned down to get a good look at the group. He began reaching for Katara, but a quick blast of air from Aang hit his hand. The man's eyes widened.
"You can bend too? You truly are like miniscule versions of real people. Interesting."
Standing upright again, the king turned to Alexei. "You're dismissed. You may return to the village now."
The farmer did not immediately leave. His eyes were on the group, but he did notice the stern frown being sent his way by the queen.
"Did you not hear your king?" she asked. "Leave. You served your duty by bringing them here."
Alexei sent an apologetic look to the friends before bowing and being led out the palace by two guards. Once he was gone, the couple regarded the remaining subjects in the room.
"You too," Vadim said. "Return to your stations."
"Your Highness…"
"I doubt we'd need any protection from these new visitors," the king retorted.
Hesitantly, the guards bowed their heads and left, eyes lingering on the team for a few moments longer. Vadim and Tatia turned their focus back to the friends.
"All this time, people who could fit in our hands existed," the queen commented. "Do you live in burrows and the same holes in buildings that insects use to crawl through?"
"No," Zuko answered, frowning slightly. "We live in actual homes just like anyone else. Where we're from, everything is sized appropriately for us."
This seemed to intrigue the pair further.
"Well, I'm King Vadim," the man said. "This is my wife, Queen Tatia. You'll refer to us as that, 'Your Majesties,' or something along those lines."
"You said that you came here to find missing people?" Tatia asked.
"Yes, but our search wasn't as successful as we'd hoped," Aang admitted. "Could we please be brought to the shores? That's how we got here."
"It's no surprise that you failed. They're probably dead by now. You're the first tiny people I've seen," Vadim stated.
The friends tried to keep their heads up high. Although they had feared the worst, hearing it confirmed stung.
"We'd still like to return to their families," Suki said.
"Why the rush to leave?" the man asked, brows furrowing. "As I said, I've never seen anyone like you before. I'm curious how this all works."
Tatia's eyes lit up with an idea. "We should get the scientists."
"Scientists?" Sokka asked.
"And inventors too," she continued, not having heard the boy. "Maybe someone else as well."
"Good idea," Vadim said. "They could probably have better answers for us than these visitors would. They might lie, but the professionals would get to the truth."
"We're not liars," Aang insisted. "We just really need to leave if there isn't some sort of danger for everyone here that we could help stop."
The couple looked at one another before laughing.
"I hardly think you'd be able to help if we were in danger," the queen said.
"Besides, we don't want you to leave so soon," Vadim told him. "It's rude to leave hastily."
"In our defense, we never planned on arriving," Toph retorted. "It was a change of plans."
"Either way, you're here now and we don't appreciate rudeness," Tatia stated.
The little earthbender frowned. "We have a few stakes a lot higher than just worrying over being impolite."
"I doubt anything involving your group is 'high.' Your problems are most likely as small as you are," Vadim said.
Zuko felt himself bristling at the dismissive tone. "There were lives at stake–many were lost too–so our problems are bigger than you'd think."
"Yeva!" Vadim shouted.
Team Avatar tensed due to the volume. It seemed like their insides shook when the giant yelled. They also did not understand why he was shouting in the first place.
"Is that a thing he normally does or…?" Sokka asked, looking at Tatia.
The queen was not looking at him and instead was focusing on the opening to the room. A young man entered and seemed confused before his expression took on a note of shock.
"What's going on?" he inquired.
"We found small humans," Tatia explained.
The newcomer's eyes widened. "They're really people?"
"Of course they are," Vadim said. "What else would they be?"
The third giant became quiet and regarded the friends. He offered them a small smile and they waved in return.
"I'm Yeva," he said.
"Nice to meet you," Katara stated. "Sorry to rush our introductions, but we really need to get to the shores."
"I could take you."
"No, you will not," Tatia stated, frowning at the younger giant. "Your father called you here so that you could bring them to the guest rooms. Considering their size, they'll only need one."
The friends were going to argue, but they decided to not protest so openly. They could alter their plans. First, they needed to not get killed.
"How long will they be staying?" Yeva asked.
"We haven't decided yet," the king said. "For now, just bring them there."
Yeva approached the table, bending down to keep from seeming as threatening. He held out his hands for the group to stand on. Hesitantly, they walked onto the palms.
"Any room?" he asked.
"Yes, any room," Vadim stated, sounding a little irritated.
"Must we think of everything?" Tatia questioned.
Yeva shook his head. "My apologies. I just wasn't sure."
The royals scoffed as the other giant brought Team Avatar into a large hallway. Everything around them looked like it was worth more money than any of the friends had seen in one place. It nearly made the Fire Nation palace look quaint. The room Yeva brought the friends to was the same. Its ceiling was high even compared to the giant, it had curtains handing over a luxurious bed, and there was a vanity area on the left side.
"Where would you want me to set you down?" he asked.
"The bed's fine," Katara said.
They thanked the giant when he obliged her request. There was a moment of silence with him just staring. Yeva caught himself and shook his head.
"Sorry, it's not polite to gawk, but…"
"Trust us, we understand," Zuko admitted.
"It's very different to see people our size," Sokka added.
"It really is," the giant said. "I would've thought I was asleep, but I guess this is real life. The world is just becoming stranger every day." He began turning to leave, then stopped. "I'm sorry that I'm not taking you to the shore right now. Maybe I can when they get bored."
"Get bored?" Aang asked. "What do you mean?"
Yeva stopped, looking unsure whether he should say more or not. "They value their time. They don't like spending it with people who aren't worth it."
The friends felt like there was something more that he meant, but this was all the giant said on the matter.
"If you need anything, let me know," he said.
"Actually, do you have anything we could use to bathe in?" Katara asked.
Yeva tapped his chin, then nodded. "I think I have something that could work. I'll be right back."
Quickly, the young man left and returned with items which reminded Team Avatar of the helmets worn by Earth Kingdom soldiers. They were made of a hard material and mostly flat on the top.
"Some of the servants wear these," Yeva explained. He set down a larger bowl of water. "It should be shallow enough that you won't drown when you're in there."
"Thanks," the friends said.
"We can put the water in," Aang informed him.
Yeva looked at the hats, then the room, feeling like it was incomplete. "In case there's an emergency or anything, I'll…hmm. I'll try to find something you could use that would make you a little louder. I'm sure there's a music box around here somewhere. A bell would annoy His and Her Majesties."
Zuko tilted his head slightly as he became thoughtful.
"Thanks," Aang said. "I think we'll be alright for the night."
Yeva gave them one more smile, but it seemed unreadable. "Then, I'll wish you all a good evening."
They returned the farewell and waited until Toph could not feel him walking nearby before they spoke.
"Okay, we're definitely not going to stay here," the earthbender said. "Even with the giants, we can figure out how to evade them. No one's going to help us get out of here any time soon, so it's up to us."
"I agree," Suki added. "Now that no one's here to step on us, we can leave. That portal could be closing soon. If we miss it, we'll have to wait another year for the next Winter Solstice."
The friends shuddered at the thought. With a regretful expression, Sokka sighed.
"As much as I hate to say this, we might have to stay. Now that Tatia and Vadim don't want us to leave, we don't know what type of measures they'll use to keep us here. Even if we get out, the portal could be closed already. Then, we'd be stuck out in the middle of a giant snow storm with enormous people everywhere. The next giant who finds us might not be a little kid who wants to play."
"Sokka's got a point," Katara said. "We could go all that way for nothing. And even if the portal hasn't closed yet, we'd still have to somehow survive the trip to get there."
A pensive look crossed Aang's face. "It's trickier here than it was with the tiny lands. There, we knew they had a war. Here, I can't think of what we're supposed to do. I don't know why Zan Fa would send anyone here even once, not to mention how many times it happened."
Toph shrugged. "Maybe Zanny just really likes messing with people. Some mean-spirited pranking could have been the reason behind all of this."
"No," the Avatar said. "It seemed like there was something deeper than that. Besides, if the goal was to cause chaos, then we probably would've been stopped before we ever found out the issue with the portal."
"True," Sokka said, "but that leaves us where we were. We have no idea why we're here. I'm guessing it's not just to keep the royals from being bored."
Katara nodded, then turned to Zuko, noticing how he was frowning at the ground.
"What did you think of?"
"It's what Yeva called them. 'His and Her Majesties.' I even used to say 'Father.'"
"Fatherlord that one time," Toph chimed in, earning a frown from the firebender.
"Fine, that too, but you get my point. Why call them the same title that one of the subjects would?"
"It is pretty impersonal," Katara agreed. "Maybe something happened to cause a rift between them."
"They certainly didn't seem close," Aang added. "The energy between them was so tense."
Suki put her hands on her hips. "I'd be fine with the theory that we're here because of the three of them. We can adjust as we go, but it gives us something to work with."
A smile appeared on Sokka's face. "Alright! We'll have these giants acting like one big, happy family in no time."
"Yeah!" Aang agreed. "They'll be just like us!"
The two friends caught the other team members in a group hug. Zuko groaned, but he did participate in a few back pats. When the hug ended, Aang's face lit up.
"Since we were able to make so much progress in the tiny lands, maybe Zan Fa would think we're worthy of more information about this world. If nothing else, I can ask about the portal being open or not."
"Couldn't hurt," Sokka said, shrugging.
The Avatar sat down on the bed and closed his eyes, preparing to enter the Spirit World. Once he did, Sokka plopped onto a giant pillow, yelping as he sunk in.
"I might not…have thought this through," he said, trying to emerge.
Chuckling, Suki caught his hand and helped pull him onto the mattress. The rest of the friends began awaiting Aang's news as Azula went to stand between the islands. Some of the Rhijaj subjects remained in their homes, so she wanted everyone to see her. It was easy to get their attention.
"Small peasants," she greeted, "I have made my decision regarding your fates. I will become your ruler. Devote yourselves to me, make my happiness your ultimate goal, and I'll consider sparing your lives. Any questions?"
The people of both sides were too shaken to properly think of any inquiries. Taking in their frightened silence, Azula smiled.
"I'm glad we could settle this so easily. Soon, I'll let you all know what I expect of you. For tonight, sleep well. A tired body is useless to me. Tomorrow, we'll make the most of these new arrangements."