Team Avatar returned to their chambers and started to get ready to sleep. Before they could all do this, Zuko went over to Sokka. The other boy could easily see that something was bothering him.
"Could we talk?" Zuko asked.
"Sure"
They slid off the bed, going over to a corner. The Water Tribe boy offered a grin.
"Only in Krozhny can you go to a different part of the same room to talk in private."
Zuko nodded, but he did not smile as well.
"What's going on?" his friend asked.
For a moment, the firebender hesitated. "It's sort of an awkward question."
"Well, if it's not any more awkward than you interrupting my time with Suki to ask about my mom's killer, we're probably fine."
"I guess that's a good point," Zuko admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He stopped to look at him with a sort of intensity in his eyes. "How do you become a good older brother?"
Sokka's eyes widened. "I wasn't really expecting this to be an advice type of talk." He let out a sheepish chuckle. "Now, I get why you said it was awkward. It's not as easy as just being born first. It also helps to not have a younger sibling who's always trying to kill you."
"I know that Katara makes it easier than Azula does, but there have to be some similarities, right? Something that works across the board?"
Sokka glanced over at his sister. "I guess there are some similarities in every relationship. Communication helps."
"Has she ever not wanted to talk with you?"
"You really aren't sure how having a sibling works," Sokka said, tone light. "Yeah, we've had plenty of times when we've been mad at each other. That's just part of it, but we still know we can count on one another. Maybe that's the problem for you and Azula. If you show her that she can count on you, that could be a start." The boy shrugged unsurely. "Of course, she might think she can count on you to kill us, so this could backfire pretty easily. I hope that helped."
"Sort of."
"Luckily, Aang will tell you I'm a great therapist. So, if it doesn't work, at least I'll give you some animal to scream into."
Zuko regarded Sokka in confusion, but he did not argue. Considering the likelihood of it going over well with Azula, something to scream into might just be what he needed soon. While the friends continued to get ready, Azula was making her way through the kingdom. She had not realized how far it was from the shore. A few minutes for Naum to walk seemed like an hour for her. It might have been even longer. Another issue was that the royal guards seemed to be everywhere. The ground kept rumbling under Azula whenever one of them would take another step. Someone got too close and the princess could feel her teeth chattering as a result. Azula dove out of the way when a larger group of soldiers approached. They were making their rounds near the castle to be sure of no one's entrance or unsanctioned exit. Azula smirked at their failure, but it did not make her job any easier. She somehow needed to reach the docks without being crushed.
The firebender started running. If she could just get on a ship, she could wait for the sailors to leave. She might not be returned to Xei and Rhijaj, but she would be away from this awful place. Azula spotted the vessels. She propelled herself forward slightly with her fire, wanting to use everything at her disposal to move faster. The princess almost moved too fast. A fisher dropped a crate of bait on the ground, nearly crushing her. Azula moved back in time. She stopped her firebending so that she would not draw attention, then she ran again. Azula maneuvered around the walking people, silently hating them for being awake. If they had been asleep, this could have been simple. Unfortunately, it seemed like the only people not awake were the sailors she needed to operate the vessel. Azula's heart skipped a beat when her foot touched the ramp of the ship. She had made it. Nearly anyway.
Azula's eyes widened when she felt something get her around the waist. It was tight, but it did not feel like a hand. Instantly, the princess was lifted up. She turned her head, seeing a bird. Azula could hardly believe reality. First, she had been attacked by a fish. Now, she was being carried off by a bird. Azula was enraged. She let out a furious scream, blowing fire in the process. It startled the creature, who dropped her. Azula had not realized how high it had flown, so she had to quickly adjust to brace her fall. She narrowly avoided hitting the deck with a thud. The princess rested on her back, breathing deeply. Then she saw that the bird had not been alone. A flock appeared, hovering above her with curiosity and hunger. Azula stood up, getting into a fighting stance. She tried to ignore the absurdity of the situation. Ridiculous or not, she was in real danger.
One of the birds flew closer. Azula blasted fire at it, then one from behind her approached. She kept shooting flames, but it was not that frightening considering her size. The princess was like any other type of prey that attempted to defend itself. All the animals had to do was properly adjust. Azula saw just how outnumbered she was. They were smart creatures. As one group went forward, another was preparing. One bird caught her hair in its beak. Azula burned it before it could fly far and possibly scalp her in the process. This did not discourage the others from trying to get their own food. A horrifying thought occurred to Azula: she could not leave. Where would she go in this world and not face these threats? As long as she was in a land of giants, everything would try to kill her. Far too many of these threats had the ability to do just that. If she wanted to live in any sort of peace, Azula was going to have to find a way to leave this dimension, not just Krozhny. As much as she hated it, she was not sure if that was something she knew how to do alone. Furiously, Azula began running from the ship and back to the palace. Going towards the crowd of people effectively made the birds leave her alone. Unfortunately, it also meant that she had to repeat this miserable trek. As the night made way to day, Azula returned to the palace and the Gaang rested. Before too long, there was a knock at their door. Everything seemed to happen in a whirlwind. The servants pushed back the curtains, put a bowl of fruit on a table, then gestured to the door.
"Be fast," one of them said. "His and Her Majesties aren't in the mood to wait."
The giants left and the friends were momentarily quiet.
"I guess we're putting on a play earlier than usual," Aang commented.
"Let's hurry up so that we'll be ready before they come back," Katara suggested.
They began to tend to this while the servants went to do their next wakeup call. Naum jolted when they barged into his chambers. Angrily, the jester stood up.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"The king and queen want all the tiny people to be brought to them," a servant explained.
"I've taken care of that before. Why does it have to be right now?"
"They didn't say. They just told us to get her."
Naum frowned, then looked down towards a chair. His brows raised in shock when he did not see Azula. He must have been exhausted that night. Naum had been working late and merely assumed that Azula was already sleeping by the time he entered. He did not even think to look for her. There should not have been anywhere for her to go since he locked the door. Subtly, the man shifted his gaze. He saw her walking along the ground and picked her up.
"I'll get her something to eat first, then bring her to the royals," he stated, looking at the group. "I can still do that much."
Unsurely, the servants left. As soon as they closed the door, Naum's grip tightened. It hurt more than the bird's beak had. Azula struggled to not let out a wheeze.
"Where were you?" the man questioned, eyes narrowing.
When Azula did not answer, he bent down and looked around. Naum scowled when he saw a miniature burn mark on the wall. He had to stop himself from squeezing the small princess to death.
"You were trying to leave," he accused. "If you're going to abandon me to these royals, I shouldn't be so worried about you living."
"I wasn't going to abandon you," Azula assured him.
"Then where were you?"
"I wanted to see more of the kingdom."
"I could have taken you."
"You were busy."
"You're lying to me," he hissed. "If we can't trust each other, how are we going to work together?"
Azula became silent. People were not supposed to know when she was lying. It was a skill that she had always cherished. It seemed like she was losing everything she held dear. Naum must have seen a brief look of defeat flash over her face. His anger faded slightly, but the coldness did not. He let go of Azula over a table.
"Get ready," he ordered.
"For what?"
"If you'd been here in the palace instead of trying to escape, maybe you would've heard something about the king and queen's plans."
Azula glared at him as he turned away from her to get ready for the day as well. When they were both prepared, Naum brought the princess to the throne room again. He saw that he was walking with some other servants. Azula also noticed this, along with who was standing on their hands. If her glare was deadly, Team Avatar would have died within seconds. The subjects entered the throne room and bowed deeply.
"We're glad you're all here," Vadim said. "We were talking and realized that we have something better for you to do than just put on plays."
"Indeed," Tatia agreed. "Plays can only be done so many times before creative individuals like us become bored. So, we've come up with a greater solution."
An awkward pause ensued. The team realized that the royals were waiting to be asked.
"What's this solution?" Sokka inquired.
Pleased, the royals sat taller. Vadim grinned widely as he spoke.
"We want you to fight each other."
This caused the friends' eyes to widen. Tatia pointed to Katara and Toph.
"You two, you'll fight first."
"Why do you want to see us fight?" Katara asked. "We're probably too small for you to really see the details of a battle…especially if we move quickly."
The waterbender hoped that made sense, and she hoped even more that it was convincing the royals. Unfortunately, the king and queen had already made up their minds.
"Although we appreciate you worrying about our entertainment, we're fine," the giant waterbender said. "We'll worry about how we will enjoy the show. You just worry about putting on a good one."
The king clapped his hands and servants pushed a long, stone table to the middle of the room. Vadim pointed to it with eagerness in his eyes.
"The first to fall off is the loser."
Tensing, Katara glanced at Aang. He looked back at her, silently giving his assurance. It made her feel better and she went towards Toph.
"We'll just spar," she whispered.
"Don't worry," Toph whispered back, "I don't want us to be down one waterbender anymore than you do."
Katara narrowed her eyes, but she was still glad that they knew how the other fought well enough to make this look real. Toph stomped hard, having the ground shoot them upwards. They landed on the table, then got into fighting stances.
"Wait," Katara whispered, "we didn't agree who'd fa—"
Before she could finish, Toph hurled some small rocks at her. Katara ducked, drawing some water out of the air. The royals watched in fascination as the earthbender created a shield around herself, blocking the attack in time. When Toph moved the barrier apart, she also split the stone beneath them. Katara tried to keep her balance, leaping gracefully into the air as she prepared another attack. The water splashed Toph, pushing her back but not far enough.
"I bet the little blue one will win," Tatia said.
"You and your waterbending. You're biased," Vadim commented, smirking. "I'm betting on the little green one."
The rest of Team Avatar was anxiously watching the faux battle. They trusted their friends, but they did not trust the royals. Hearing them place bets only added to their concern. Vadim leaned to one side, pretending to be stretching. In reality, he was sending a small stream of fire towards the tiny waterbender.
"Katara, look out!" Suki called, seeing him in time.
Her friend heard her and blocked the attack. Vadim frowned in annoyance at the warrior.
"If you aren't fighting, you aren't supposed to get involved."
"The same can be said for you," she retorted.
Vadim's glare became more furious. Protectively, Sokka started to move in front of Suki, but it was not necessary. Tatia chuckled and tapped her husband's arm.
"Darling, you're letting this game get you all riled up. If they're going to be injured, let them do it to each other. We already know we can kill them. There's no fun in that."
The king took a breath and nodded. He gave Tatia a kiss on the cheek.
"You're right. I won't let them get to me."
After a few more blows, Katara started to move towards the edge. At least the queen seemed to be less violent at this moment. If they kept the king happy, it was possible that it would cause less issues. Katara's movements were slow enough to not be noticed by anyone but Toph and her friends. When the earthbender made the ground rumble at just the right moment, it looked like Katara was knocked off. Aang used his airbending to help her land gently. Azula glared at the group, having suspected their plan. If she did not hate the royals so much, she would have exposed the trick. Vadim pointed at Suki and Zuko next.
"Now, you two fight."
Toph helped the duo reach the table by using her earthbending again for them. Their fight was similar to the first one, if more combat-focused. They used hand-to-hand combat to fight, neither one using full strength since the royals would not know the difference anyway. Suki did a flip over Zuko's head and he nimbly dodged a kick. It was interesting for the large couple to watch, but there was one issue.
"There's no blood," Tatia mentioned. "It should be bloody."
Before this could be an order, Zuko pretended to get punched off the side. Aang slowed down his fall as well. The royals got quiet, turning to each other. They spoke in whispers, hands up by their mouths. Then they turned to the group.
"I think we've discovered the problem," the king revealed. "You six, you're friends. We forgot about that. It's unrealistic to force you to fight and expect you to use everything you have. You don't want to hurt each other. Even if we order you to draw blood, we don't know what your pain tolerances are. You might just do enough to cause a small amount."
"So, we've changed our minds."
"We're done fighting?" Aang asked hopefully.
"No, but you won't fight each other." The queen pointed at Azula. "You'll fight her."
Another silence hit the group. Immediately, Azula got ready for a battle. If it was between their lives and her own, she knew who they would choose.
"We aren't doing that," Zuko said.
The royals' gazes turned cold.
"We aren't asking," Vadim stated. "Attack her until she's dripping with blood. I want to hear her bones breaking. I don't get why this is a struggle for you. She's not even your friend."
"She's my sister."
"Well, that's unfortunate then, isn't it?" Tatia asked, chuckling. "Get on with it already before we start getting bored."
Zuko did not move a muscle. The others did not either. They might have viewed Azula as an enemy, but they still valued honor in battle. There was nothing respectable about beating an opponent senseless for the royals' entertainment. Azula's eyes widened, but her stance did not relax. It felt like a trap. There had to be something she was not seeing—some way that the group was going to use a sneak attack. They would pretend to be fair until her guard was down, then they would lunge. She could not give them that chance.
"We just gave you an order," Vadim stated. He stood up aggressively. "Attack her!"
Still, the friends remained where they were. It made the royals seethe with rage. Shock began to fill Azula. If Team Avatar was really scheming against her, they would not have risked their own safety. Azula would not have been surprised if the king and queen even helped them during their fight. She would have eight opponents, two being giants. Maybe the friends actually did not want to attack her so brutally, even when they were given so much of an advantage. The princess could not understand them. None of it made any sense. Why were they not attacking?
"She thought that she could stand beside us," the king growled. "How dare you be so disrespectful as well. We should kill all of you!"
Fire shot out of the man's mouth at the group. They ducked in time, but it did not seem like the king was aiming for them. He was just furious. No one disregarded his authority. Yet, these tiny strangers had all dared. His yells drew the attention from nearby parts of the castle. Only Tatia was able to calm him down, but she did not tap his arm this time. Instead, she used waterbending to draw the liquid from a chalice. This tightly wrapped around the group. Tatia started moving them closer to her. She used a hand to gently stroke Vadim's hair.
"You're being so testy today, Dear. Why give them the satisfaction of knowing how irritating they are?" A cruel smile spread over her face. "Especially when we still hold all the power?"
Vadim's hands shook with rage, but he looked at her without anger in his eyes. "We can't let them get away with this."
"We won't."
Tatia snapped her fingers. As she did, servants returned to the room.
"Bring us new outfits for the entertainers," she instructed.
Quickly, the servants left to go get these clothes. The group felt unnerved by the sinister look on her face. When the subjects returned, Tatia placed the clothing items on her lap, then turned to Vadim.
"Pick one of the toys."
"To do what to? Kill?"
Tatia chuckled softly. "Nothing so brief. They seem to prefer putting on shows, so we'll help, but I think we've given them too much freedom. Up until now, we've let them go through the kingdom, feed themselves, and even prepare themselves for the shows."
Vadim's eyes twinkled in realization. "We shouldn't expect them to be able to handle such responsibility. After all, no one would expect a doll to dress itself."
"Precisely."
The group felt pits in their stomachs. Perhaps it was silly when they were in danger constantly, but the privacy they had been granted still meant a lot. In a world where they lacked so much control, that provided one type of comfort. Suddenly, it seemed like they would lack even this. Tatia used her bending to separate the group. Vadim glanced over them, before pointing at Suki.
"That one."
Obliging the request, the queen brought the warrior over to him.
"Don't touch her!" Sokka yelled.
As usual, the royals were ignoring him. A chill went down his spine as Tatia brought him closer to her.
"Give them back!" Zuko ordered.
"You can't do this!" Katara shouted.
"We're not toys!" Toph added.
Aang was silent, but it was because he was preparing to go into the Avatar State. It might not have been much help against the bear, but it had to be useful against the giants. It just had to. Tatia noticed his focused frown and disliked that. She grabbed him as well.
"I'll have both of you," she stated, keeping her grip just tight enough to prevent the Avatar from doing anything.
Vadim selected an outfit off the queen's lap and smiled at Suki. "You're a pretty doll. I'm sure you'll look nice in this. Let's get you out of that boring outfit first."
The warrior tried to hit him, but the grip was almost crushing. Suki hated how weak she felt at that moment. She also hated how fast her heart was beating. Vadim started tugging at her top. Abruptly, he stopped. The king looked at the entrance of the room, glaring.
"What are you doing?" Yeva asked, expression worried.
"We're about to undress our dolls," the king answered plainly.
The other giant moved towards them. He was so swift that he surprised the royals. In a fluid motion, he took the friends from their hands. They sat, stunned for a moment before realizing what he had done.
"The nerve," the queen growled.
"They're just kids!" Yeva yelled, too angry to worry about his tone.
"You're overreacting. They're merely toys."
"No, they aren't," he stated, eyes narrowed. "And let's be honest, you'd both do this to anyone. It wouldn't matter who they were as long as they were humiliated and you felt powerful."
As soon as he said this, the prince could see the glares from the royals. Regardless, he did not regret his actions. Yeva had wanted to get them angry enough to distract them. He had done that. Before anything could happen, he put the group on the ground. A water whip hit him on the side of the face. It was sharp and deeply cut his right cheek. He held in a hiss of pain, but he grimaced. Fire shot at him and he moved back. It followed him and he was left with nothing to shield himself with but his hands. Katara winced in remembrance of how that felt. Yeva still did not cry out. The royals got up and went over to him. They stood on either side of the prince. Tatia created a blade out of ice, bringing it towards his throat, and Vadim grabbed the back of his head, forcing him closer to it. Yeva still did not cower in fear. The king sent a hard kick into his side that made him wheeze, then the queen stabbed his shoulder. His silence enraged them.
"How many times do we have to humiliate you, Yeva, before you finally learn?" the queen asked. "You always fight against us."
"It's tiring," Vadim stated, making his grip tighter so that he pulled the prince's hair. "What would we have to do for you to view us with respect?"
Yeva looked at them, eyes colder than the ice blade his mother held.
"Earn it."
Fury flashed over their faces.
"Guards!" Vadim yelled.
The group entered, looking at the scene with uncertainty.
"Take Yeva to his chambers and lock him there until we give him permission to leave. If he wants to act like a child, we'll treat him like one."
Immediately, the guards apprehended the prince, forcing his arms behind his back. When they reached his room, he was shoved inside. Yeva heard the click of a lock when they left. The young man sighed, uncomfortably shifting to sit in a way that would not make his injured shoulder feel worse. His eyes widened when he saw some movement out of the corner of his eye.
"You're all impressive if you got here before they closed that door," he commented, voice strained.
"They weren't faster than airbending," Aang revealed, expression sad.
The Avatar had used his abilities to follow Yeva. In the attempt, the air blast had been large enough to inadvertently bring Azula as well. Rather than immediately try to leave, she just stood near the entrance of the room. Her eyes were on the ground and her expression was unreadable. The firebender was still trying to comprehend what they had done, but it was not working.
"Thanks for what you did, but you didn't have to do that for us," Aang said, stepping towards Yeva.
"This is our fault," Katara added, looking miserable. "They wouldn't have attacked you if they thought you agreed with them."
"Well, I don't agree with them," the prince stated. "Maybe I'm too proud to always keep my mouth shut."
"I think that spunk just makes you an even better prince," Toph told him, causing the young man to smile.
The waterbender went over to him. She started to draw the water from the air. It covered her hands, beginning to glow.
"Could you bend down a little?" she requested. "I'll heal you."
Appreciation was shown on Yeva's face. "Thanks."
"We're the ones who should be thanking you," Suki said, unconsciously hugging herself. She still felt a little shaken, even if she was trying to ignore that.
"You got there just in time," Sokka added, feeling rather uneasy himself. "I know we weren't about to die or anything, but…"
"You don't have to explain," Yeva stated reassuringly. "I've been around those two for my entire life. They thrive off humiliation and suffering. Even if you rationalize it by thinking, 'They aren't killing me,' it never makes you feel better. If anything, you start feeling worse because it's like you're learning to accept it."
The prince's tone had become quiet. His eyes were sullen and he glanced away from the group. Katara began to heal his hands, feeling her throat becoming sore.
"I'm so sorry you had to be here with them for all this time, Yeva," she said sincerely.
Surprised, Yeva looked at her. The rest of her friends had that same sincerity on their faces. It was strange for him to receive that type of care. No one had ever given it before. Yeva was not entirely sure what to do. He swallowed hard.
"When I was really young," he said quietly, "I used to imagine that I was adopted and my real parents were out there somewhere. I imagined that they were probably really nice. Maybe I got separated from them when I was too little to remember their faces." He let out a humorless chuckle. "I liked that thought a lot better than real life."
"We can't pick who our blood families are," Zuko commented, "but we can still make our own."
Azula felt his gaze on her, but she did not respond. She would have normally wanted to mock Yeva and the others for their comments. This time, she did not have it in her. Yeva smiled softly at the thought of forming his own family.
"That sounds nice." Almost immediately, his smile fell. "We just have to do this first. Somehow, we have to stop the King and Queen."
It was strange to hear the prince's voice lack the commanding tone the friends so often heard. He almost sounded frightened, and he was.
"Even if this works, I really don't know what I'm doing," he admitted. "I've never been taught how to lead people. The only examples I've been shown are those royals, and I know I don't want to be anything like them." Yeva let out a nervous sigh. "It just feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders and I can't hold it up anymore."
Aang went over to the prince. "I know how it feels to have pressure you don't think you can handle, but trust me, you can do it. I don't know anyone else in this kingdom who cares as much for its people, and even strangers like us, as you do. You always fight for others, even if it puts you in danger. You might not have been taught about becoming a king, but you already have the natural instincts of a great leader. When the day comes that you lead Krozhny into a safer future, you'll be ready for it, Yeva."
The Avatar's words comforted the prince. He still might have been worried, but he was starting to feel like the future was not as daunting. No matter what, Yeva could not give up. His people needed him, and he would be there for them.