Aang used a large gust of wind to try to knock the bear back. It was futile. The creature was too large. Toph sank the animal's paws in the ground, but it powerfully broke through the earth. It was so fast. Claws and fangs. They seemed to be everywhere. More wind blew the creature's fur, but it kept going forward. Its snout was deep in the dirt, jaws snapping at the friends as Toph tried to burrow them deeper. The bear clawed away more of the ground, leaving little for the earthbender to use. Zuko shot a blast of fire at the animal's snout. This caused it to move back a little, pawing at itself. Then it acted like the flames were minor inconveniences. Even when more were added by Aang, it remained undeterred. After all, what were small fires to an enormous beast? The friends were running out of options. There was nowhere to go. There was not even anything for Sokka and Suki to do, since any close-range attacks would be too dangerous and ineffective. Suddenly, an option revealed itself.

Katara moved in front of the others, focusing on the bear. The moon was not full, but it was still night. She was a waterbending master, and the lives of those she cared about were at stake. Katara had to push herself past her limits and try this even if she hated the technique. The bear raised a paw to slash the ground near the group again, but Katara held up her right hand and it stopped. Slight surprise showed on her face as the bear let out a growl. It could not move the paw. The bender's breathing became heavier. She had never bloodbent something this large. The waterbender knew she could not control the blood in its entire body. It was taking a lot to focus on one paw. Pushing herself, Katara extended her control to the other paw when it attempted another swipe. Aang went to her side, using air again. If the bear could not move forward, he could push it back. The couple continued to force the creature back, but they knew this was a temporary solution. Eventually, it would break free. Behind them, they heard the sound of Toph using earthbending. They could not turn around because their focus had to remain where it was or else they would be devoured.

Aang's tattoos lit up and he used more fire with Zuko. He also used his airbending to force smoke into the creature's face. When it inhaled enough, it might be rendered unconscious. The only issue was time. This was needed, but it was nothing the group possessed. In horror, they watched as the animal's hind legs used more power to push it forward in a lunge. Its jaws opened wide, then fire went into its face. The trio turned and saw giants–the rebels.

"Shift the earth," Yeva instructed.

At his command, the earthbending rebels raised the ground, creating a makeshift slide that prevented the bear from getting a good grip.

"Cover it with ice," the prince added.

This made the bear's grip worse. It started to slide, but it still tried to fight.

"Now, blow it back."

Finally, the airbenders used a large gust of wind to force the creature far from the area. It let out a disappointed whimper and ran away from the village. Sokka sighed a breath of relief.

"Thanks," he said, looking at the giants.

Yeva's expression was troubled as he looked in the direction the bear had gone. He turned back to the small friends.

"I'm glad you came to get us. We never would have thought to look for bears. One hasn't entered the kingdom in years," he explained.

"Could one have just ventured out of the forest?" Suki asked.

"It's unlikely. We've got pins set up to block the forest from the rest of Krozhny. The only ones who can enter are those who the royals invite, and that extends to all wildlife."

Realization dawned on Team Avatar, leading to Katara frowning.

"Are we really that much of a problem that Naum has to try to kill us?"

"I don't even know how we could be a threat to him," Toph admitted, annoyed. "What are we going to do? Push a splinter into his foot?"

Sokka's face immediately lit up with the thought.

"We're not doing that, Sokka," Zuko said, arms crossed.

The Water Tribe boy sighed. "Fine…even if that is a pretty reasonable payback for trying to get us mauled."

"I didn't realize that Naum would go to such lengths," Yeva stated, voice grim. "I don't want to assume it's him without proof, but I can't think of who else it would be, and the incident with the bugs certainly isn't making him look more innocent."

"Then what do we do?" Suki asked. "Just keep surviving and wait until he gives up?"

"Naum has access to a lot of places in the kingdom. The king and queen trust him enough to have given him that, so I can't promise that we'll always be able to watch him, but we can watch you more. The only times we really won't be able to is when you're in the process of spying. Otherwise, the rebellion has enough members where we can subtly keep an eye on you to make sure you're not in danger."

The friends became quiet for a moment as they thought this over, then they agreed. They doubted there were many alternatives. The group went back to the abandoned building with the rebels and told them the new information they had been given. As soon as they did, the giants started to discuss ways to adapt their plans. Once they finished, one of the rebels sighed, but she ultimately looked happy with what had been learned.

"Nice job. I think we've found some good spies to help us with this."

"You're right about that," Toph agreed, grinning proudly.

The giant turned more to the team. "Since we'll be working together, I'm Eva," she said.

"And I'm Boris," another rebel added.

A few more introduced themselves. Smiling softly, the group gave their names as well. When they were done for the evening, curiosity crossed Eva's faces.

"Prince Yeva said that in your world, you had animals that were combinations," she said. "Were they all like that?"

"Most were," Zuko answered. "We have turtleducks, platypus bears, and other animals like that."

"I also overheard someone saying that you told the king and queen about how different benders lived separately," Boris stated.

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, up until recently, the four nations stayed completely separated. Each element had its people living together."

One of the giants appeared intrigued. "I couldn't imagine everyone living apart. Our culture practically relies on all the benders to be together."

"It's true," Yeva added. "Without the earthbenders, most of our buildings would have taken years to complete. The waterbenders keep our water sources fresh and ready to be drunk. Then the firebenders manage the hearths inside the palace and town during the winter."

"What about airbenders?" Aang asked.

"They're our best scouts. They can leap high into the air to make sure that no enemies are approaching." The prince let out a soft sigh. "Before, they used to only do that. Now, they also encroach on others' territory to spy on them from the skies."

"But there was a time when Krozhny wasn't like this?" Suki asked. "The rulers before Vadim and Tatia were kinder?"

"From what I've heard, they were. I never met them. They were my grandparents from the queen's side, but they had been dead long before I was born."

"What happened?" Toph asked. "Did the royals kill them?"

"Probably," Yeva admitted quietly. "There aren't any investigations that I know of. The only reports showed that there was an assassination, but the killer was never found."

Zuko's brows started to furrow. "It's not too uncommon to kill the previous leader to take the throne, even if it does look like an accident. I wouldn't be surprised if Vadim and Tatia did that just to take over faster."

"Neither would I, but I hope it'll convince more people of what we're fighting for. Not only did the king and queen turn our kingdom into a prison, they stole our gracious leaders from us first. They've gotten away with all of this for so long, but they can't anymore. We won't let them."

A feeling of determination went through the group. Some of the giants began asking a few more questions about the team's world. While they did, Katara noticed a frown on Aang's face. He was standing slightly off to the side until she joined him. The waterbender held his hand.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Aang turned to her, looking worried. "The fish, the bugs, the bear…what's next?"

Katara's eyes widened slightly, hearing how concerned he sounded. The Avatar did not wait for an answer and continued.

"We're completely in over our heads here, Katara. Literally. I even went into the Avatar State and wasn't able to stop that bear. If it weren't for Yeva and the other rebels…"

Aang did not finish his sentence, disliking it too much. What a disheartening thought. He was the Avatar. He was supposed to protect the world. How could he not even protect his own family from some animals? What would he do when the day came when Vadim and Tatia learned of their betrayal? Snapping him out of these thoughts, Katara clasped his hand in both of hers.

"You're right," she agreed. "Krozhny isn't like anything we've faced before, but we're facing it together. That's what matters." She glanced towards the rebels. "We've even made new allies. Individually, none of us may be stronger than Vadim or Tatia, but we'll be stronger together. We always are. Even if most of the world is terrified, there'll be people who stand up and fight for what's right. They're proof of that. We are too."

Aang slowly started to smile. He kissed Katara, putting his arms around her waist.

"We've faced bad odds before and won," he recalled. "This won't be any different."

Katara put her arms around his neck and smiled as they both started to feel more confident. Time passed in Krozhny as Team Avatar collected more information, providing everything they had to the rebels. It was tiring work, but it was worth the effort. This world was dangerous and terrifying more often than it was not, but that would not stop them. Nothing would. The Team were far from the only individuals in the kingdom who would not be stopped. In the village, Masha should have been asleep hours earlier, but she was not. The girl felt a need to train. She had to be able to protect her parents if the guards came for them one day. Masha had crept out of the home. Every sound was deafening, making a tiny creak in the floor seem like a shrill scream which would awaken the parents. Eventually, she managed to escape through the doorway. That was the first time she breathed since leaving her room. Delighted with what she had done, Masha started to focus on the ground beneath her.

Bits of dirt turned red hot, then became magma. That was fine, but Masha wanted more than that. She worked on expanding the area. Burning one soldier's foot would do little in a battle. The entire ground needed to be lava if Masha was going to be useful. Therefore, she kept training. Slowly, a glow of red filled the area until it reflected off Masha's face. Her smile was even brighter. She was doing it. Soon, she would turn herself into a master of lavabending. All she had to do was keep practicing. All she had to avoid were the watchful eyes of a merchant who had already been scared enough by the soldiers' recent home raids. Masha never even saw the woman backing away, eyes wide with the knowledge of what this meant. There was a specialty bender outside of the palace and noble families. If anyone found out, they would assume everyone in the village was part of some conspiracy. The stolen necklace would seem like nothing. Instead of one life lost, they would all be exterminated like pests. So, full of fear, the woman ran to the palace gates and pleaded to speak with the leaders.

While the villager went to the palace, different subjects were going to another one. People of the tiny lands were working together to carry an enormous robe. The fabric took most of the resources in their kingdoms, but at last, it was done. It seemed like the robe was determined to cause issues for the people of Xei and Rhijaj. Even with simply carrying the garment, it was heavy enough to require airbenders from both lands. When they entered the palace, the earthbenders knocked off any dust that had accumulated. Then it was the waterbenders turn. They used their bending to wash the garment again. Although it had been cleaned many times even on that day, they did not dare bring the ruler anything which she might deem less than satisfactory. Finally, the firebenders stayed at a safe distance so that they could warm the fabric. They set the robes on Azula's bed and left to provide privacy. The giant heard them leave and went to inspect the clothing.

Azula regarded the item in boredom. It was perfectly fine, which meant it was dull to her. The outfit combined Rhijaj with Xei designs. As instructed, it was red. It was really like she had become their ruler. It was official…yet uninspired. Azula walked outside to see her reflection in the water. Her time in the tiny lands had been met with loyalty to a fault. Her prison had not increased in numbers ever since her first inmate. Even seeing him was disappointing. It reminded Azula that he was alone there. He should have been around countless other citizens. The princess stared out at the seas, thinking about what was beyond them. Glancing to the left, she saw Durnaz approaching. The smaller princess bowed her head.

"Why are you here?" Azula inquired.

"You appear to be in low spirits, Your Majesty."

"So, you think you'll somehow improve them?"

"It seems like my duty to try."

Azula paused for a moment, starting to stand up straighter. "Yes, it is your duty. Improve my mood, peasant."

"Since you seemed bored, would you enjoy overseeing our preparations for the celebration?"

The firebender's brow rose. "What celebration?"

"The Winter Solstice celebration. We use the time to visit extended family."

More confusion filled Azula and her eyes narrowed. "How could you visit extended family? No one's here outside of these two islands."

"The Winter Solstice allows them to go from another dimension into ours."

Azula became quiet as she considered this. It was unlikely that the other princess was lying. She had not lied during the entire time of Azula's reign. So, maybe this was true and there was another portal that led to more people of this size. If this was true, then Azula could have new subjects. They might be more interesting than those Azula had already met. They might make her control of the island genuinely fascinating.

"Very well," she said. "I'll allow you to prepare for this little celebration of yours. Remember that the only reason I'm doing this is because I'm a kind leader. I don't have to be this permissive."

Durnaz respectfully bowed her head again. "Thank you, my liege. It means a lot to us all, I assure you."

Azula began following the little airbender, eager to discover more about this celebration preparations. While they did this, Naum was making his way to the throne room. He had a lot of new material for the royal couple. They would need his best entertainment. After all, they had just lost some of their favorite toys. Hiding his smile, Naum entered the throne room. After seeing what was happening, he no longer needed to pretend like he was not happy. The jester felt frozen in place. He only jolted slightly when he heard his name being called.

"Naum," Vadim stated, annoyed at having to repeat himself.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Good, you're awake," the king said sarcastically. "I wasn't sure. Why are you here? We didn't summon you."

"No, but I thought that I could provide entertainment for you both."

"We don't need you," Tatia stated, gesturing to the center of the room. "The tiny friends are putting on another show for us. See? They are solving a vicious crime right now."

Vadim excitedly nodded. "The shortest one got killed, but I'm pretty sure that the scarred one did it."

The queen looked surprised. "Really? I think it was the one with red hair."

"It's a shame that you didn't see it from the start," Vadim mentioned, looking back at Naum. "You could have helped us solve this mystery."

Naum still felt stunned. "Would I be able to stay and watch?"

The jester needed to watch them. He had to prove it to himself that they were somehow alive and he was not having a bad dream. He could not understand this. There was a bear. Those were powerful enough to kill the subjects of Krozhny. How did a group of people the size of his palm survive? When they fought the bugs, that was one matter. Naum had known it was not a guarantee. They would probably not die, but they would be scared. It could have easily removed them from the center of attention. No one even had to get hurt, but if that was not going to work, more drastic measures had to be taken. So, a bear was the next step. What would be enough if that was not?

"No," Vadim decided. "It's not necessary that you stay here. I'm sure there's work around the palace for you to do."

Naum bowed his head and began turning to go back into the rest of the castle. He could have had work to do. The work he should have been doing was in that throne room. Entertainment. That was his job and one that he took seriously. Not just anyone could become a jester. Naum did not care if he had to dress in ways others would describe as silly. He had respect in that palace. He had a purpose. Without a purpose, many jesters saw the end to more than just their careers. Naum had done everything ever asked of him by the royals. Every whim they had, every foolish game they wanted to play, every humiliating trick they wanted him to perform in order to amuse them, he did without complaint. How could they just dismiss him? How could they prefer the friends to him? What had those strangers done to gain their favor? Naum had even told the king and queen of the supposed treachery. The strangers could not be trusted, but their company could be enjoyed. That was incomprehensible. It made a scowl spread over Naum's face. His hands balled into fists, and all the servants who he walked past thought he was ready to strangle them.

"Insects," the airbender hissed. "Indestructible insects."

Filled with hatred, Naum kept going through the castle, looking for something to take his mind off matters. It felt like night would never come. Team Avatar felt this way as well. Vadim and Tatia prolonged certain scenes when they wanted something to stretch for a longer duration. Toph had considered asking if she could ever stop playing dead, but she decided this was at least better than having to act with the others. Finally, the royals were satisfied.

"It was a group kill!" Vadim declared.

The friends quickly agreed, even though the script had said something different. As long as the couple was pleased, they were as well. Vadim clapped his hands proudly.

"I knew it!"

"There was no other option," Tatia agreed, starting to yawn. "I'd say this was an amusing day. We should sleep and you should get some rest too. We'll want more shows tomorrow."

The friends nodded and were quick to hop onto the hands of servants who came by. They were tired, but they still wanted to leave the palace so that they could see the rebels.

"Are they almost gone?" Aang asked, once they were in their chambers.

Toph nodded. "Yeah, the servants are going back down near where the tailors work. Let's go now before they get back."

Not wasting another moment, the team went through the hole again. Toph stopped when they got too far.

"What's wrong?" Suki asked.

"There are soldiers," the shorter girl answered. "They're heading into the village."

"What?" Aang asked, eyes widening. "I didn't hear anyone say something about another lost necklace."

"Me neither, but that's where they're going."

"We need to stop them," Katara said. "We can't let them arrest anyone else."

A similar sentiment was felt by the group. It was too much. They could not stand by as the dungeon's inmates multiplied. Toph started leading the way to where the soldiers were going. With her and Aang making them a tunnel, the group was able to keep up with the giants. They just stayed behind far enough to not draw attention. Eventually, the group stopped and slowly emerged from the ground. They saw a giant march up to a home, kicking down the door. In horror, the friends realized whose home this was.

"What's going on?" Alexei asked, exiting his room. "We haven't done anything."

More soldiers entered, ignoring him. They began knocking over tables and chairs.

"Can you tell me what you're looking for?" the farmer inquired. "I'm sure this is all some sort of misunderstanding."

Still, he was not answered. The soldiers did not have much of an area to search, so they went to a back room. It was Masha's. Alexei stood in their path.

"There's nothing in there that you need," he stated.

A soldier used earthbending to knock him aside. Alexei nearly used his own bending to catch the soldiers' legs before they could enter. Just barely, he stopped himself. They entered and Masha was hiding under a blanket on her bed. This blanket was snatched away and her right arm was grabbed. Alexei ran over and tried to knock the soldier's hand off her, but he was unsuccessful.

"If you need her to move, I'll have her stand over here by me."

"We came here for her."

"What?"

"She's a lavabender."

Alexei's face paled and he felt lightheaded. He heard another door open and Levka went by him.

"She's not a lavabender," she stated. "Where did you even hear this rumor?"

"Someone saw her. Saw the ground turning red. None of you are firebenders, so she must be a lavabender."

Tears started filling Masha's eyes. The grip on her arm tightened and she winced. In surprise, the soldiers felt the elements pushing against them, but it was to a small degree. They looked down and saw Team Avatar. The soldiers did not remain shocked for long, and the firebender who was holding Masha prepared a flame to roast them alive. Seeing this, the girl kicked the soldier. This just caused the invading group to get angrier, but more rage flashed in Levka's eyes.

"You really came here to execute a child?!"

"We came here to balance everything once again."

Levka glared at the soldiers with all the loathing in her body. Her heart pounded and she silently took a breath.

"That was me," she said.

A pit formed in Alexei's stomach as he stared at her. She did not look back at him, her gaze focused on the soldiers.

"You're the lavabender?" one of them questioned. "I heard that the person saw a kid."

"I'm a specialty bender, not a lavabender. My daughter was there with me because she normally is."

Alexei started to find his voice again. "Lev–"

"The pot we had heated while preparing dinner had gotten knocked over. To keep it from burning down the home, I bent it outside. That's why it was red hot. I'll prove it to you."

Levka speedily went outside and grabbed her merchant cart. Inside, the friends and Alexei were nervously considering what to do. They could not think of anything before the mother returned. Katara felt a pit in her stomach, and soldiers immediately got into fighting stances when they saw the metal turn into disks.

"I'm the one that the villager saw," Levka declared. "Here's your proof. Kill me if someone has to die for this."

The soldiers approached with blades made of ice and fire. Alexei stood in front of Levka, but a blast of fire made him hit a wall.

"You don't have to kill anyone!" Aang shouted, prepared to fight the soldiers more.

"No one's betrayed the kingdom," Zuko reminded them. "Simply having another kind of bending shouldn't be a crime."

"But it is one," a soldier stated.

"There's got to be another way," Sokka said. "Maybe the family can just give you extra crops this year?"

"Or more of the goods they make?" Suki offered.

"Or we can just take all of you down right now," Toph threatened, getting ready to take a large stomp to shake the ground.

Before she could, Katara moved forward. "It would help the king and queen if they had more specialty benders."

This made the soldiers hesitate. They turned to Katara.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean as soldiers," the waterbender continued. "More specialty benders could be put into the royal military. It would be better than having soldiers from noble families being put on the front lines."

Again, the soldiers hesitated. They got rid of their blades and instead grabbed Levka by the arms.

"We'll take you to His and Her Royal Highnesses," they declared. "Only the small strangers can join us."

Alexei and Masha tried to go forward, but an earthbender trapped them in their home. Another soldier roughly picked Team Avatar up from the ground. The group started returning to the palace while in the tiny lands, the people were going to the center of the land mass. Azula stood there, arms crossed.

"How long is this supposed to take?" she asked impatiently.

"It will be within the next few minutes, Your Highness," Ebrah assured her.

"What will this portal look like?"

"It's beautiful," Durnaz said. "There are a plethora of colors that will provide a grand display for you before our cousins enter."

Azula sighed, but this did intrigue her. New people, new worlds. Anything was an improvement from this dull existence. The thoughts of what was to come were distracting. Therefore, she did not notice as her subjects began moving back. They had slowly gotten to a safe distance by the time they started to feel a strong pull of wind. It wanted to draw them in, but Megat and their other earthbenders helped create ditches so that they could remain safe. Azula barely noticed this either. A thrilled smile covered her face even as she watched the flat ground turn into a crater. It continued to break apart, turning into a spiral and creating a storm of dust. Azula stepped forward, but she barely had to. The portal was pulling her in whether she wanted to go or not. Her eyes were bright with the idea of a greater kingdom to rule. Suddenly, Azula glanced back and saw that the people were hiding. They were not trying to welcome their cousins. They were hiding. They had lied. Azula's smile fell and her eyes moved to her palace. It was being sunk into the ground as well, breaking into large chunks that nearly crashed into the firebender. She moved back in time to avoid this, but the portal did not allow her to go far. It was almost suffocating. Azula felt like the tornado was pulling air from around and within her. Suddenly, her gaze raised to the sky. Above her, earthbenders had launched her statue. It was falling into the portal as the spiral grew. Azula began snarling. Traitors. Everyone always was one. The princess lived in a world without loyalty. She did not see hope in her future anymore. As she was pulled into the center of the portal, she saw only darkness.