The following morning, Durnaz went to the throne room and found Ebrah. They greeted one another warmly before the princess got to her point of coming.

"I'm about to go to the common ground with the others. Would you like to come with us?"

The queen considered this momentarily. "Tomorrow," she decided. "This arrangement of yours is still very new. Now that Buraid knows, it's possible others will learn of it, and they might not all be as optimistic as you are. If they have questions and concerns, I want to be here to answer them."

Although slightly disappointed, Durnaz nodded. "I understand. I'll let you know how today goes. I'll show you what we learned with the gliders too if you'd like."

This made the mother smile. "I would love that."

Durnaz left to return to Team Avatar's base, and airbenders soon filled the sky again. Aang soared on his glider and grinned at the pupils.

"Focus on the air you're controlling and the breeze you feel," he advised. "It'll help you sense where the others are."

Some of the benders began making the adjustment and were able to fly closer together without any accidents. When Aang was satisfied with their progress, he started showing them tricks.

"If you put a large enough gust of wind beneath you, it'll hold you up as you run along the staff of your glider."

"What do we do afterwards?" a citizen from Xei asked.

"Sometimes, it's helpful to separate from gliders if you're avoiding an attack. It can be easier to move in the air yourself than try to maneuver the glider around a series of fire blasts or similar attacks. Afterwards, you can bend the air to bring it back over to you when you're somewhere safe."

The people began trying this and a few failed, losing their balance. Aang sent small air blasts their way to keep them from falling. It brought him immense joy to see everyone gliding, and it filled his friends with a similar happiness for him. Sokka smiled at the sight, then nudged Toph.

"Think that we'll get statues made in our honor?"

Toph tapped her chin. "Maybe. These would be the only statues in the world that could be taller than houses and still the same size as the person."

Sokka got into a pose. "We'll need to test out some of the best positions for them to sculpt us into. Zuko," he called, "pick your pose. I think you'd fit with a broody type."

Zuko squinted at him, making the Water Tribe boy nod.

"Yeah, just like that! It's perfect."

Toph and Sokka chuckled at the firebender's sigh.

"We don't need statues," he said.

"Speak for yourself," Toph told him. "I'd love to have one. Maybe I'll cross my arms. It looks tougher to stand like that. All the future generations will think I would've stepped on someone, but then I had a change of heart and decided to help out."

Sokka grinned over at the Kyoshi Warrior, who was speaking with a small group.

"I'll ask Suki if she wants to get a couple's statue. That could be fun."

The two friends kept talking about their plans as Zuko tuned them out to focus on little benders around him. It was fun to be there with everyone and help them learn about each other. There was a feeling of hopefulness in the air, but these positive emotions were not shared across the land. In Rhijaj, Buraid glared bitterly at the sky. He hated seeing the airbenders glide. If there had only been the subjects of Rhijaj in the air, he would have been supportive of his sister's ideas; however, Xei was involved. To soar with enemies, it put a horrible taste in his mouth. The prince had to find a way to stop this. His brows lifted with an idea, and he hurried to the palace. Buraid searched around the servants' quarters, then stopped when he found a certain waterbender.

"Inaya," he called.

The servant turned to him and bowed. "Hello, Your Majesty."

Buraid flicked his wrist. "Enough of that for now. I need you to talk to Durnaz when she's done floating around with those abductors."

"What would you want me to tell her?"

"Tell her that she needs to stop working with Xei. She won't listen to me, but if you say it's foolish, she might consider it for a moment at least."

Inaya paused, keeping her head low. Her silence irritated the prince.

"Well, what are you going to tell her? Tell me first so that I'll know if it'll work or not."

"I do not think that I am the correct person for this task."

"Of course, you are. She trusts you. Just use one of the times you're together and deliver the message."

"I would not be convincing."

Buraid stopped, then started to frown at her. "You wouldn't be, would you? No, you'd seem insincere because you agree with her."

"I do, Your Highness," Inaya said quietly.

The prince huffed angrily. "I shouldn't even be surprised. You've followed every order you've been given ever since we were children. Whichever one of us tells you something first, you stick with that."

A small frown crossed Inaya's face. "It's not that way. I really do believe that the giants are going to help us find a peaceful end to this war."

"It's a simple belief for a simple servant."

The waterbender continued cleaning, jaw set. This frustrated Buraid, and he walked around to her right side as she swiped a table with a water whip.

"I'm not a simple servant," she said, focusing on her work. "Not even if that is what you want me to be."

"What are you talking about?"

Inaya felt nervous, but she kept talking. "Y-you want me to just accept whatever you say because Her Majesty and the princess won't. With me, you can get angry and I won't argue."

"You won't because you're a servant."

"But I'm a servant for Durnaz too, and she doesn't try to threaten or yell at me."

The firebender scowled at her. "We're at war, Inaya. Are you really telling me that you have an issue over some hurt feelings?"

"It's not just that. Your temper with everyone, Sire, it's dangerous. You act rashly when you're in anger like this."

Buraid scoffed. "I suppose that you'd prefer I waited for everyone in Rhijaj to be captured. Then, perhaps, I can act. Is that what you want from me? You're not going to get it. No one in this cursed palace knows when or how to respond to war! I'm the only person who does, and the one everybody blames when something goes wrong. So, tell me. How did Durnaz get you to side with her? If I had her linguistic skills, I could've convinced people to act long before Dad was taken."

Inaya sadly regarded him. "We don't blame you." She could see from his expression that he still did not believe in this. "Durnaz didn't talk me into agreeing with her, and no one is forcing me either. I want to because of what I've seen. Xei really might not be our enemies, and treating them like that for so long hasn't helped anyone."

Buraid started to speak, then lifted an eyebrow. "What you've seen? What have you seen?"

Inaya realized her mistake, but her worry did not show on her face. "I have seen the people working together."

"That's not what you meant. What did you see, Inaya?"

There was a pause as the waterbender thought over what she could say.

"If you learned something that pertains to this war, you have a responsibility to tell me." The next pause made Buraid livid. "You also have an obligation, Inaya. As prince of Rhijaj, I am requiring that you tell me whatever you found out about the war." Remembering something, his eyes widened. "Durnaz spoke of knowing that our people went missing only on one day. Did you know that? Did she get that information from what you were referring to?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, my prince."

"You'll tell me because I'm fighting this war! I need to know what's going on!"

"It would oppose the wishes of the princess."

"I'm the prince! I deserve to know!"

Buraid's body felt as though he had been engulfed in flames. He was hot with rage and could have exploded. When he saw the resolute look on Inaya's face, he stormed out of the castle. The prince could only think of returning to the training grounds. He needed to burn something if he could not burn someone. While Buraid furiously traveled to his destination, Megat was heading to a location of his own. The president was walking through the forest. In his hands, he held a small cup. Megat's eyes moved around quickly and his feet stepped lightly. He had to be aware of his surroundings and go unnoticed for as long as possible.

Megat listened for any rustling of leaves and grass. More than that, the earthbender looked for anything that moved. There was something in particular that he wanted to find. Megat's eyes opened in excitement as he saw shades of brown making triangles that pointed towards each other. With a smile, the man stepped down heavily, bringing up some of the ground around a snake. The reptile was trapped with only its head free. It hissed aggressively as Megat came closer.

"Shush," he said softly. "You and I are going to help our home. We're going to give the Rhijaj royal family a proposition it can't refuse."

Gently, the earthbender held the snake's head. When it unhinged its jaws, Megat put the cup under the roof of its mouth. Venom drained out of the hollow fangs and covered the bottom of the surface. Satisfied, Megat released the snake, letting it slither back into the brush. He turned his attention to the cup, expression becoming sinister. The president began leaving the forest, and Inaya went to the common ground. She felt tense and needed to find the princess. Quickly, she bowed to the giants.

"Is the princess still training?" Inaya asked, raising a hand to block out the sun so that she could try to see for herself.

"She is," Suki told her. "We can get her attention if there's something wrong."

"Could you please do that?"

Nodding, the warrior waved. "Durnaz, Inaya needs to speak with you."

The airbender glided down and landed near her friend. Immediately, she could see how worried she looked.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Buraid. He's so angry. I-I accidentally let him know that there's more to what we've been doing than just working on airbending." The servant's head was low. "He doesn't know about the scrolls and notes from His Majesty, but he knows that we're keeping something from him. I'm worried. I'm sorry to interrupt you here, but I don't think I've seen him so hurt. He thinks we're his enemies."

Durnaz's eyes widened, then she put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "This isn't your fault. I should have told Buraid and Mom before we did this." She sighed deeply. "I'll talk with him. I can't let him think that he's alone in this."

"I'll go with you. I still feel responsible."

Saying goodbye to the friends, Inaya and Durnaz started to leave. They passed by Tipah on their way and smiled at him. He returned the smile and was leading more citizens of Xei there.

"Ending the session early today?" he asked.

"Yes," Durnaz told him. "There's a bit of family trouble."

"I wish you luck then."

"Thanks. I have a feeling we'll need it."

The duo parted ways and Tipah greeted Team Avatar with a smile.

"Hey, Tipah," Sokka said. "Good timing. We were talking more about the date everyone goes missing. Since time works differently here than where we're from, we're not sure when the next Winter Solstice is. Do you know?"

"I do. It'll be a little over a week from now."

"That's great," Suki said hopefully. "We can watch to know what happens."

Sokka nodded. "If something does, we'll know what caused people to go missing."

"What if nothing happens?" the small waterbender asked.

"Then, we'll know people don't just automatically get lost on that day," Toph added. "If it's been every year for as far back as you can date and it's the spirits, it seems pretty unlikely that it would stop this time."

Tipah nodded and looked out at the airbenders. "I hope that it really was the work of spirits. This," he said, gesturing to the people, "is nice. If our islands could stay this way, it would seem like a fantasy." The vice president chuckled. "I'm almost unsure what I'd even do. It would feel so strange after being at war for all this time."

Katara smiled at the man. "It really can feel that way. When you've been at war for so long, it seems weird to think about peace, but it can be a reality for both of your homes." The waterbender followed Tipah's gaze to the gliding people. "You and Durnaz have helped us prove that your people can learn to get along."

After a moment, the Xei citizen tore his eyes from the group. "I need to give this information to Megat. He's been so troubled lately. Hearing about this plan with the Solstice–even if it isn't a guaranteed way to find everyone–might give him a bit of hope."

With a polite bow, Tipah said his goodbyes to the group and returned to Xei. He went to the turquoise building and stopped at the entrance to Megat's office. When there was no answer to his knocking, he opened the door to find an empty room. Tipah stood there as a feeling of dread washed over him.

"What are you doing, Megat?" he wondered.

Tipah began to look around the island, asking people if they had seen the president. No one had. A pit formed in his stomach as he hurried back to the common ground. Zuko saw the waterbender and lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

"Did he not take the news well?"

"It's not that," Tipah answered anxiously. "I can't find him. When we spoke before, he mentioned doing something drastic. We have to find him before someone gets hurt."

Concerned, the group began going with Tipah to find the president. They did this just as Durnaz and Inaya reached Buraid. The prince hardly noticed them in the midst of his training. When he did, he sent a glare their way.

"You went running to Durnaz, I see," he commented, eyeing the servant.

"Don't be like that," the princess said, frowning, but her expression softened. "We're just worried about you."

"You're keeping secrets," Buraid said.

The firebender's voice was quiet. His volume surprised Durnaz, but she saw that his hands were shaking at his sides. Quickly, he turned to face his sister.

"You act like everything I'm doing is wrong. I know you and Mom blame me for this war. It never would have started if Dad were still here."

"We don't blame you, Buraid."

"Stop lying to me!"

"I'm not lying," the airbender said adamantly. She reached out and held her brother's hands. "We care about you. We know how much you were hurt by what happened. We were too."

"Then, why was I the only one who acted? You all would have been ready to just sit back and wait for everyone else to be taken." Buraid angrily pulled back his hands. "Would we even be searching for Dad if I hadn't attacked Xei?"

"Of course, we would have," Durnaz assured him, hurt. "Just because we didn't plan to have a war, doesn't mean we didn't want to find Dad. This secret, it's about him."

Durnaz saw Buraid's eyes widen. She took a breath and kept going.

"He took notes. Dad had a study that was at the end of a hidden passageway. There, he wrote everything he'd observed and discovered about the missing people. I've been looking at that, going there every day. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. Mom doesn't know yet either, because I thought that the reason Dad didn't say anything to us was to avoid raising our hopes for nothing. Until now, I had no real proof to offer anyone. Everything seemed speculative. I was looking for real evidence I could use, but we're getting that now, Buraid. I just need you to be a little more patient."

As the princess had spoken, the prince's face took on a thoughtful look. Only at the end of her spiel did his face begin to cloud over with frustration.

"Patience," he repeated. "It's all anyone wants. Well, you can't always wait, Durnaz. You can't wait when people are getting taken every day."

"But they're not getting taken every day. That's what our research is showing us."

"So every year, if you want to be that particular. You're missing the point. Sometimes, you can't wait at all. You can't always rely on saying the right thing or having the perfect plan. You just have to react and hope that it works."

"Sometimes, yes, but we can't live in a state of constantly reacting to what happens. We have to stop for a moment and really plan. For the entire war, we've been reacting," Durnaz said, irritated but trying to keep her voice even. "Xei attacks, we attack back, so forth and so forth. That's all we've been doing. You have to see it's not working."

"Of course I see that! That's why I'm ready to just end everything with Xei. If we destroy that entire island, we'll be able to search for Dad and everyone else freely."

Durnaz unhappily regarded the young man. "But I don't want to destroy it."

"That's your problem. You aren't willing to do whatever it takes."

"No, it's not a problem. Doing this might even help Rhijaj become stronger one day."

"Rhijaj will never be strong as long as our people are captives! I won't stop, Durnaz," Buraid said, eyes blazing. "I don't care if I'm hated for it."

The prince swallowed hard. What he was about to say was already hurting him.

"Do what you must. Mark me as a tyrant, say I'm vile for treating genocide so lightly…s-stop thinking of me as your brother if your morals won't let you stomach being related to me. I'll still do what's necessary to protect our family and our home. I won't fail again."

A moment of silence passed as the siblings looked at one another. Durnaz's expression was one of sadness; her brother's was the same. He could not see her look that way, know he was the cause, and remain there. So, Buraid planned to walk away from her. He found that he could not move when arms went around him in an embrace.

"I'll never stop thinking of you as my brother," Durnaz promised, eyes tightly shut. "You're my family, Buraid. You, Mom, and this kingdom mean more to me than anything else in the world. You're not alone in this. I need you to know that. You've got us with you. I think there are more allies we could have, but I'd never trade you for them."

Buraid was unsure how he felt. He wanted to believe her words. The firebender did not know what to say next. Before he could decide, he felt the princess's hands roughly shove him. Looking up in confusion, Buraid was about to question her but stopped. Durnaz's face was contorted in pain. Her brother's eyes moved to her right shoulder. Protruding from it was a dart. Durnaz pulled out the object and stumbled back. Quickly, Buraid caught her before she could fall.

"Wh-what happ…"

Buraid paused when he noticed another presence. He looked up and saw the figure of someone running. Furiously, the prince lit fire in his right hand to throw at the culprit. It engulfed an entire path in flames, but the intruder shielded himself in an earth barrier.

"You poisoned my sister!" Buraid roared. "I'll burn your whole island to the ground! Not even the sea will put out the flames!"