In the morning, the friends went to Rhijaj in search of the princess. Guards met them, expecting to be asked about retrieving Inaya for another session of waterbending practice.
"Could we speak with Durnaz?" Katara asked instead, surprising the soldiers. They agreed to the request and soon returned with the young woman. Durnaz happily regarded the giants, feeling optimistic due to seeing their hopeful expressions.
"Did you find out some good news?" she inquired.
"We did," Aang informed her. "We learned that someone else has been collecting information about the missing people too."
Grinning, the princess felt like she was still dreaming, unless she had misheard the giant. "You really did? Who is it?"
This caused the group to pause. Sokka was the first among them to speak
"Someone from Xei is the one doing it."
"Is it Megat?"
"No, it's not him."
Durnaz got quiet as she considered this information. While she did, Suki spoke up.
"This person is willing to meet in between your islands where we're staying. Since it's common ground, it was decided that it would be more peaceful than you talking in Xei or Rhijaj."
"Between you, Inaya, and the Xei citizen, you could read the scrolls a lot faster than if you did it alone," Zuko commented. "By the time we found a way to see everything, you three could probably have already gone through a nice amount of it."
Durnaz glanced back at the palace. She knew her brother would be upset if he learned about this. Most likely, he would learn some day. The airbender was also unsure if her mother would like the idea, but they were not the ones being asked. The decision was hers to make. Durnaz did not need to consider what her family would have done in her position, just whether or not she agreed with the plan.
"I'll do it," she answered. "I'll tell Inaya as well so that we can meet with the other investigator."
"Great!" Aang said happily. "When's a good time?"
"Does this afternoon work?"
"We can ask. If it does, we'll see you there, and if not, we'll let you know," Katara stated.
Durnaz bowed her head and went back to the castle to inform the servant of the news. Team Avatar moved away from Rhijaj to share the plan with Tipah. It was a quick matter to schedule, so they were on their way back to the base shortly. What seemed even quicker was the time between then and noon. As the time became closer, the friends felt a little worried.
"Should we have told them who the other person was?" Suki asked.
Sokka appeared uncertain. "I don't know. If we told them, that might have made them not want to talk."
Zuko nodded. "With what we said, they could think the other person is just someone who wants to find the missing people."
"Which is basically true," Toph pointed out. "They just don't need the detail that they're sort of the ones directly opposing each other in this war."
"Exactly," Aang added. "So, if we can get them to focus on what they have in common, then maybe learning identities and all that won't be as upsetting."
"And if worst comes to worst, Inaya and Tipah can angrily splash each other, since Inaya knows how to do more waterbending now," Sokka joked.
Katara just frowned at him.
"I'm kidding! He's had way more practice, so Durnaz would probably have to save her with some wind."
The waterbender made a band of water and whacked his shoulder. He rubbed the area as two ships approached the area of land.
"Here goes nothing," Toph said under her breath.
When the ships docked, Tipah disembarked as Durnaz and Inaya did the same. They walked onto the land and froze when they saw each other.
"You didn't say that your other investigator was the vice president of Xei," Durnaz commented, eyes not moving from Tipah.
"Nor did you mention the fact that I would be speaking with the princess of Rhijaj today," Tipah stated, feeling equally deceived.
Inaya nervously glanced between the two leaders.
"We weren't trying to trick you," Aang said. "We just feel that you both want to help your islands and are the most open-minded. We didn't plan to ask you to talk. When we found out that you two were studying what's gone on, it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to get to the bottom of this. You can even do it together for once, instead of Xei and Rhijaj constantly being against each other."
"We won't force you to have this conversation," Katara said, "but it would be really helpful if you did. So, could you just consider it before leaving?"
Inaya turned to the princess. "Maybe it can help," she said quietly.
Durnaz glanced at her, then back at Tipah. With a sigh, she stepped forward and extended her hand.
"If you're willing to do everything you can to find those who have gone missing, I'll do the same."
After a brief moment, the man shook her hand. "I can promise that I will. There's nothing more I want than to find everyone. I do mean everyone," he added, a meaningful look on his face.
Inaya bowed to them both. "I will also try to do my part in this."
The trio turned when they heard Sokka let out a sigh of relief.
"Okay good! This was going to be really hard to explain if you both fought, then went back home to say that you got attacked."
Toph nodded. "And if I had to trap you in the ground to keep you from killing each other, that might have made you less trusting of us too. It would've been a bad day altogether."
The other friends shook their heads at the pair.
"Well, fortunately, none of that has to happen," Zuko said. "Did you all bring the scrolls and notes?"
Nodding, the small people went to retrieve the items from the vessels. They came back with arms full of scrolls and papers.
"I noticed that if anyone recalled something about where a loved one went missing, it seemed to involve heading towards the center between our islands on the water," Tipah stated.
"I noticed that as well," Durnaz said, showing him the papers. "Along with that, there seems to be a trend."
"What do you mean?" Aang asked her.
"There's a consistency with when people get lost. For example, we've never lost someone two days in a row. Sometimes, it'll be notified later due to the distance it takes to get to the palace from some areas of the kingdom, but all the dates will typically be the same. If one differs, then it's normally because the notifier wasn't living with the other person, so they didn't know anything was wrong the first day."
Tipah's eyes widened. "Now that you mention it, that's the same on Xei. When a friend reports someone missing, I try to speak with their spouse or family, if they live with them, to get a better idea of when it happened. If we lose more than one person at a time, it's always together."
"It also seems to only happen once a year," Inaya commented, looking at a scroll.
"Really?" Tipah asked. "I hadn't noticed that."
"I hadn't either," Durnaz admitted. "I guess when you're constantly dealing with a problem, it seems like an everyday thing."
"Precisely. Even if it happens annually, the pain lasts the whole year, and so many people have been lost," the vice president agreed.
Suki's brows furrowed slightly. "Does it say when during the year?"
Inaya squinted at the scrolls. "This part is a little smudged, but I can see the month. I guess it happens in the winter."
"I can be of some assistance with that part," Tipah stated. "We use dates in our reporting system."
The man grabbed several of the reports to examine. When he told the group the date, the giants' eyes widened.
"That's the winter solstice," Aang informed them.
"I've never heard of that before," Durnaz admitted.
"It's the shortest day of the year. If Ebrah told you what I said about the Spirit World, it's one of the times when the line between there and the physical world is blurred."
After receiving an unsure look from Tipah, the Avatar explained the Spirit World to him. Once he was made aware of this, the man tapped his chin.
"I suppose that would also explain why it always seems like people go missing at night. Does it mean that spirits just enter worlds like ours the whole day?"
"Not necessarily," Aang said. "They don't have to enter our world, but it's easier for them. It's also easier for people to enter their world."
"Could that be what happened then?" Durnaz wondered aloud. "Our people went to the Spirit World?"
"Possibly," Katara commented. "It would explain a lot. Maybe Zan Fa is taking them."
Aang seemed hesitant. "I'm not sure. I've been to the Spirit World a couple times since being here, and the only new presence I sensed was Zan Fa. It didn't feel like any living person was there."
A discouraged expression crossed the small people's faces.
"But," the largest airbender added, "there might still be a connection between their disappearance and spirits."
"It feels like we might be getting closer to the actual answer," Suki said hopefully. "It can't be a coincidence that everyone was lost on the same day of the year and that's when it's easiest to enter or exit the Spirit World. Maybe we just haven't quite figured out how the spirits are involved."
There was a slight pause as the three tiny people considered this.
"I can't rule anything out," the vice president admitted, "but I think that there's a greater chance of something happening with those spirits you mentioned than someone from our homes causing this."
"I agree," Durnaz stated. "A third party being involved would explain the inconsistencies with everyone denying that they abducted anyone. I just wish we knew why that would have happened and where everyone is if they're not still with the spirits. Do you think the spirits would have killed them?"
"No," Aang replied. "Spirits can get angry when they're disrespected, but I don't see them just capturing and killing people pointlessly. Even in our own Winter Solstice, an angry spirit was caused by the forest being destroyed."
"No chance you did anything like that?" Toph asked.
"None that I can recall," the princess told her.
"Nothing for Xei either," Tipah added.
After a brief pause, Sokka said, "Well, here's an idea. Since we're finding things to get you to not mistrust the other side so much, what if we all started speaking with the rest of your people?"
Durnaz's complexion paled slightly. "But we still don't have answers for them."
"Not definitive answers," Katara conceded, "but this is still something. Some of them have gone years without having a single clue about what happened to their friends and family. Even a little information might give them some closure."
"It could also work to help them not want to fight so badly," Zuko added. "Right now, they're assuming the only option is that Rhijaj or Xei stole their loved ones. When they hear about the spirits, even if they don't all believe that's what happened, they'll know another possibility. It could start to lessen their hatred at least a little."
"It's not like they'd be reading the scrolls," Toph commented. "We don't have to worry about not being able to trust them with that. They'd just listen to what you told them." She shrugged. "More people involved could even help us think up new answers."
"Also," Aang stated, "it has the chance to make it less tense when the war is over if you're already starting to talk civilly."
Tipah tapped his chin, then nodded. "I would be up for doing that. If you're fine with it, we could use this ground again."
"That works for us," Sokka told him. "We can help supervise to keep anyone from fighting."
The group turned to Durnaz, who was still thinking over this plan.
"Okay, we can do that. The sooner, the better."
"I can go into the kingdom," Inaya offered. "The people at the tavern might enjoy getting some answers. They'd probably know someone else to bring along too."
The others looked open to this plan and agreed to meet again that evening. In search of the friend group from before, Inaya returned to the tavern. She felt disheartened at seeing nothing for a moment, then someone waved to her.
"Inaya! Glad you came back," Noor greeted.
"Hi," she responded, smiling. The grin faded as she began to feel nervous. "The princess would like it if some of you came to the land where the giants are staying."
Noor's eyebrow rose. "She wants us to speak with them?"
"We found new information regarding the missing people. If a group can go there, they will learn about what might have happened to our families."
The other subject stood up from the seat. "If there's something new about our lost ones, I'll get my friends and some of our remaining family members. They'll want to know. Should I bring more than that?"
"No, she doesn't want a large group."
"When are we supposed to be there?"
"It'll be this evening. I can meet you at the entrance to this tavern before we go together."
"Then, I'll get that handled and return here. See you then."
The two people went their separate ways and met up again at the tavern as promised. Meanwhile, Tipah had gone to gather some people from Xei, and later he and Durnaz waited on Team Avatar's base for the groups to arrive. Soon, ships docked on either side of the land mass. The people began walking towards the giants, but they stopped when they saw the leaders and the residents of the other island.
"What are they doing here?" Noor asked Inaya. "I thought we were just going to talk with the giants."
"Please, let them explain."
Someone from Xei spoke up, glaring at those on the opposite side of the land. "We won't speak with any Rhijaj monsters!"
Tipah lifted a hand to calm the angered citizen. "If you'll let Princess Durnaz and I explain, there's a reason we gathered you all here."
Durnaz nodded. "We have collected information, and with the giants' knowledge, it has been brought to our attention that all of our loved ones were lost during the Winter Solstice."
"That is a time when spirits can enter our physical world and we can enter their nonphysical one," Tipah elaborated.
"With that in mind, it's entirely possible that our people were taken by spirits, and that each time someone denied the accusation of committing an abduction, the truth was being told," Durnaz stated.
Citizens from Xei turned to their vice president.
"Is it true that all the dates were the same?" one inquired.
"It is. Despite the different years, the dates were always the same."
Someone from Rhijaj looked at the princess.
"Why would spirits take our families?"
"We aren't sure yet, but we wanted you to know that this was a new possibility," Durnaz explained. "We're going to continue working with this lead."
"Is there something we can do?" a Xei citizen asked her.
"We just ask that you spread the word of this. It won't help anyone if we ignore the other options." A frown crossed Durnaz's face. "Us being so determined to blame each other has likely cost us many lives unnecessarily. It's been this way for so many years."
Tipah stood with her, a grave look on his face. "While we have focused on our war, the true cause has gone unnoticed." His expression changed to one of determination. "Let's not allow future generations to make the same mistakes we did. This can end with us. We've all lost people. Both of our homes know the grief of loss. If you still don't believe this, look for yourself." He gestured to the people on both sides. "You've seen the pain in your own eyes for so long. Do you think what's in theirs is insincere?"
The people looked at one another. Hesitantly, Noor stepped forward and Hilmi did the same.
"I'm sorry if you lost someone," the Xei citizen said.
"Thanks. I'm sorry if you did too."
A happy smile spread to the friends' faces as they watched the small people slowly begin to approach one another. Not everyone was receptive, some choosing instead to stay further back. Their stance on the matter did not stop those who went to offer their condolences. An idea came to Aang as he tapped his chin. Katara noticed his pensive expression and turned to him.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just wish that they had something besides their pain to bring them together. There's got to be something that can be uplifting to them and lead to some type of similarity between the groups." Suddenly, the Avatar's eyes brightened and he turned his attention to Durnaz. "You're an airbender, aren't you?"
The princess confirmed that she was, then Aang began to smile.
"Why do you ask?" she inquired.
"I haven't seen anyone use an airbender staff on Rhijaj…or Xei for that matter."
"An 'airbender staff?'" Durnaz chuckled softly. "Your world has so many unique things."
Aang brought out his glider, opening it so that the wings were visible. The people marveled at the item in fascination.
"How does it work? Do you hit people with it?" Hilmi inquired.
"It's really good for poking people," Sokka joked.
Aang shook his head. "That's not what you're supposed to do. You airbend and let the wings catch the wind. When they do," he put his feet on the rod, "you can soar through the sky."
The Avatar took to the skies, causing the people's jaws to drop open in amazement. They had no words until Aang landed again.
"Mom would love that!" Durnaz exclaimed, awestruck. "I think I would too."
"I was hoping you would. I can help teach you all how to make them. It could be a sort of group learning activity for both sides," he volunteered.
The people began to quickly talk amongst themselves before several new pupils emerged from the group.
"We can start that tomorrow then," Aang told them.
Excitedly, the groups began returning home. Durnaz, Tipah, and Inaya stayed behind, each feeling relieved that they had not been the cause of a bloody battle.
"Thanks for suggesting this," Tipah said. "I wouldn't have thought to do it."
"Me neither," Durnaz admitted. "It'll be good for them to see that we don't have to be enemies." The princess smiled at the man. "I think that we could make a good team, Tipah."
The waterbender smiled back at her. "I was thinking the same thing, Durnaz. I can tell it's going to be a pleasure to work with you."
The three people bid one another farewell and said goodbye to the giants before returning home.
"We're making real progress with them," Katara said happily.
"Knew we would," Toph said, grinning. "They'll be best friends before they know it."
"It's definitely looking good at this rate as far as relations go," Zuko mentioned. "We just need to figure out what the spirits could have wanted with them."
Nodding solemnly, the group got ready for the night. As they did, Megat sat at his desk. He kept writing down ideas and crumbling up the scrolls. Everything sounded like a bad idea to him. The earthbender stopped and went outside to look out at the water. Megat glanced down at his reflection. He did not understand where the bright-eyed presidential candidate had gone. In his place seemed to be an entirely different man–one he did not recognize. The only recognizable feature was that determined look on his face. Tipah's plan was hopeful, but it relied on people being good, which they inherently were not. Megat always knew the vice president's idealism would get too strong one day. Evidently, that day had come.
"I have to overcompensate for that," he thought, frowning. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I don't care what the risks are if they bring our people back home. I owe our citizens that. If I can do nothing before my term is complete, I have to save at least one life."
The next day, class started early. Since it could take a while to teach the airbenders how to make the staffs and use them, Aang thought it would be a good idea to have more time between when they started and the evening. Not everyone was as thrilled with the idea of an early start. Sokka yawned sleepily as he poked his head out of the earth shelter. He began watching Aang use earthbending to write in the dirt.
"Why are we having a bunch of people show up so early?" he asked, closing his eyes again. "I think giants need more sleep than tiny people since we need time to digest all those twigs you've been feeding us."
"They're not twigs," the Avatar said. "Besides, if we start early, we'll have more time to get to everything." He began to smile excitedly. "I think they're going to have a lot of fun if I teach it to them this way."
Sokka yawned again. "Well, just make sure the others know when you start, so they don't slap anyone out the sky."
He chuckled, seeing the frown directed his way before reentering the hut. Meanwhile, being an early riser, Zuko was already awake. He left his shelter to greet his friend after hearing the others' voices.
"Are you ready for today?" he asked.
Aang nodded and gestured to what he was writing. "Yep, I spotted some fallen trees on the East side of Xei and on the South side of Rhijaj. We could use those to make the gliders. Then, we wouldn't have to worry about chopping down trees, and we'd still have the materials we need."
Zuko observed the way Aang kept adding to his notes and swiping away words. He was positively fretting over the slightest detail.
"People normally struggle the most with getting the wings in the right place. Sometimes, they're uneven, so the airbenders would be slanted while gliding."
"I didn't actually mean ready with the supplies," the firebender admitted. "You'll be around a group of airbenders again. I know you've heard about them existing in this world, but you haven't really seen them yet. Are you ready for that?"
Aang hesitated a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know if I am or not. Avatar Yangchen made me realize that seeing other airbenders could help prepare me for the future." A hopeful expression crossed his face. "One day, there'll be airbenders again in our world. I might be the last one for now, but it doesn't have to stay that way."
The thought made Zuko smile. "When there are more airbenders, they're going to have a great example to look up to."
Aang began to smile as well. He turned his head as he heard a group approaching. Durnaz and Tipah had returned to supervise their groups. The airbenders eagerly greeted the giants. Their instructor grinned and told them about the fallen trees.
"They're not part of any sacred grounds, are they?" Aang asked.
"No," Durnaz answered. "They probably were destroyed in battles. Is it the same in Xei?" she inquired, looking at the vice president.
"It is. We've been meaning to clear away some of the debris for a while, but there's always something that stops us. That would actually be a pretty good way to solve the issue."
After a moment, Hilmi smiled up at the people. "You should come with us to collect the lumber. You'd be able to see more of the islands instead of just looking from in between them."
Aang and Zuko turned to one another.
"That's a good point," the firebender said. "We really haven't gotten to see much of where they live."
"I'll get the others," the Avatar offered.
Aang went to the shelter, knocking on one and hearing a groan from Sokka.
"We can't glide on the air, Aang," he told him. "So, we can't help teach the people how to do it either."
"That's not why I came to get you. Hilmi suggested that we go onto the islands. We can see what they're like."
Aang waited on the other side of the door, pressing his ear against its surface. He heard a few more grumbles, but he also heard Suki.
"It would be neat to see where everyone lives," she said.
After a couple more grumbles, Sokka agreed and duo two left the shelter. He pointed at Aang, squinting.
"You have a personal vendetta against my sleep today."
Aang just laughed. "It'll be worth it. Then, when we're back home, you'll be able to tell all your pupils the details of the lands."
This got Sokka's attention and his eyes twinkled. "I could. This whole ordeal will probably become part of Water Tribe folklore one day. Hey, Katara," he called towards his sister's shelter, "we're going to be more popular than Mom's story about her friend, Nini!"
The waterbender popped out of the door. "We did stop the war, Sokka. That's not too surprising."
"I'm not talking about that…but true too. We're going to be able to tell everyone about the tiny lands. Come on."
Excitement shone on Katara's face. "I've been curious about them. Toph!"
"I know," Toph huffed, bringing her shelter back down to the ground. "Not sure how I wouldn't, with all of you talking and walking all over the place." The girl stopped and frowned. "But why are you here?" she asked, gesturing towards where Hilmi was standing. "You said you're a nonbender. Why are you about to join an airbending class?"
The boy shrugged. "I wanted to come see you all again. It sounded like more fun than watching everyone fly around while I stayed home."
Durnaz glanced towards her people. "He's not the only one. Some of these subjects aren't airbenders either."
"We were just curious," one of the Rhijaj residents said. "My cousin came here last night and said you seemed nice."
"Aw," Katara said, smiling. "I'm glad you're here. Maybe while Aang helps the airbenders, we could answer some questions if you have any."
This intrigued the people, who began leading the way to the forest on Xei first. For safety reasons, the people of Rhijaj stayed on the common ground while the Xei citizens went with the friends. Toph felt all the little houses gathered to the right of where they were headed. What she could sense most easily were the trees. They were large, some reaching up beyond the friends' knees.
"I live in the building with the red flowers in the front," Hilmi told them.
Suki looked over the trees and spotted the home. "I see it. Is there a market nearby? I think I can see something that sort of looks like one."
"Your eyes don't deceive you," Tipah told the warrior. "We try to keep the market near the homes so that the elderly citizens can still be independent. We also have other shops further away, but the majority of the places are close enough so that if one senior wanted to go and buy something, there wouldn't be a need to ask someone to go instead."
"Gran Gran would love something like that," Katara commented. "Actually, it would probably help a lot of people in the nations."
"It could be something you do in your combined area," the vice president mentioned.
Aang nodded. "It definitely could be." He stopped walking when they reached the fallen trees. "These will be great. The wood still looks strong even after all the attacks that knocked it down."
The friends picked up the items, returning to the common ground. They did this again on Rhijaj. This time, they spotted farmlands.
"That's where we grow wheat and lentils," Durnaz explained. "They're a big part of our diets."
"And we keep the sheep and chickens near there too," Inaya added.
Briefly, the friends became confused.
"Just sheep? Megat mentioned just vipers. Is that type of thing normal here?" Aang asked.
The people regarded them in bewilderment.
"Just vipers?" Noor inquired. "I don't really get what you mean."
"We have animals like platypus bears and turtle ducks," Suki told them. "To just hear 'sheep' or another animal without another kind being part of it, it's a little strange."
Fascinated, the people quickly began asking questions about the creatures.
"Are there ever cases of one animal being combined with different ones, like a platypus bear, then a turtle bear?"
"What if half of the animal is an herbivore and the other is a carnivore? Does that turn the hybrid into an omnivore?"
More questions began piling on, and the friends stopped them.
"We can answer those, but let's wait until we're back with the others," Zuko suggested. "You'd all be able to learn at the same time."
Obliging, the people refrained from asking anything else until they returned to the common ground. On cue, they started up again.
"They have hybrid animals!" someone from Rhijaj excitedly told the Xei citizens.
Realizing that the people would be unable to focus on anything if none of these questions were answered right away, Aang started replying to them before leading the airbenders through making the gliders. They carved up the lumber, continuing to discuss various topics with the giants.
"Did it take a long time to end the war in your world?" Noor asked.
"It took a hundred years," Katara stated. "By the time it ended, the world was so different because of it. So many people had been killed or imprisoned. Before we got trapped here, we were actually on our way back from trying to help the new world adjust to the war being over. People are still recovering and learning to live in peace with former enemies."
"But it's promising that it could happen," Durnaz stated. "If people could still move forward after a hundred years, there's hope for us."
"What caused your war?" Tipah asked.
Zuko's brows pinched together. "Greed. My great-grandfather wanted more power in the world and attacked the Air Temples, then kept trying to expand."
One of the citizens from Xei had wide eyes. "Your relative started the war?" She looked at the group. "And you're all friends now?"
"Yep," Sokka told her, resting his elbow on Zuko's shoulder. "It wasn't an overnight thing or anything, but enough changes happened and we learned to trust each other. Now, we even enjoy hanging out. So, we know it's possible to laugh with someone who you used to view as an enemy, because Zuko used to come after us every other week if he was in a good mood."
A hopeful look was in the people's eyes. Then, Inaya's head lowered slightly in concern.
"But what if the others don't want to move forward?"
"You can't force it," Toph told her. "Some people, like Zuko and his uncle, were able to see what their nation was doing was wrong. Not everyone from there did. Some people in the Earth Kingdom were just as corrupt. We couldn't change everyone's mind. In those cases, we dealt with the problem as best as we could. Just have to take the wins where you get them and move on from the losses."
"But the people who did change really helped us," Katara commented. "I guess, it's just about finding who wants to live in peace and who doesn't."
This made the people consider those they knew, wondering in which category they would fall. After a short time, some of the gliders were finished.
"Is this okay?" Durnaz asked, showing Aang hers.
"It's great! You're a natural."
The princess smiled happily, and her grin widened as more of the people were told that their gliders were ready for flight. Some started mimicking what they had seen Aang doing, but they were ill-prepared and spun out of control. Carefully, the largest airbender slowed them down with a soft gust of wind. It helped them return to the ground safely.
"It's better to take this slow at first. Then, you can go as fast as you want–and you can go really fast. I can show you how to do a bunch of tricks on these."
Waiting this time, the airbenders watched Aang demonstrate. They positioned their feet behind the bottom wings and blew gentle breezes against themselves.
"The more air you use, the higher you go," the Avatar informed them.
The people began testing this out. Gradually, they were flying without needing to be given suggestions. Aang soared alongside them, the wind from his airbending assisting them. A soft smile appeared on his face as he watched everyone. He had missed this more than he had even realized. The boy never thought he would soar with airbenders again. It was almost enough to make him not want to leave this dimension, but the prospect of making this a reality in his world was enough to excite Aang. He landed and stood by Katara.
"I'm happy you're able to do this," she said, kissing his cheek.
He smiled at her. "It's going to be great when we're back home and we can see the larger version."
Throughout the day, the people soared, asked questions, or did a combination of the two. When it got late, Aang had the airbenders stop.
"Okay, don't want anyone flying into each other," he said. "There are ways to pick up on when you're flying close to someone, so we can work on those tricks tomorrow."
"Thank you for the lesson," the people said, bowing their heads.
Aang happily bowed back, and the residents of both islands said their farewells to one another and the giants. As soon as the pupils were gone, Aang began planning the lesson for the next day. The other airbenders were nearly as excited to learn as he was to teach. All the people were equally intrigued in the time they spent together.
"Ostrich horses," someone from Rhijaj said, chuckling.
"I need to see that hybrid myself," a Xei citizen admitted.
"You and me both!"
All along the way to the ships, the people spoke. They were slightly disappointed that they would have to wait to discuss more topics, but waiting until morning was manageable. The Xei ships docked, and Tipah went to the turquoise building to check on matters before retiring to his home. Megat was not there this time, but he saw Sabit looking through files. When she realized he was there, she had a frown on her face.
"Megat told me about your plan."
"You don't look like you support it."
"I just don't know why you'd want to share that information with the giants. Also, what was going on with the airbenders all over the sky? Is that part of your plan?"
"It is," he admitted, smiling. "Aang has been teaching the airbenders from both sides how to soar with the aid of these gliders they learned to make."
Sabit's eyes widened. "From both sides? Tipah, please tell me you're joking."
"I'm not. It looks like there could be another reason that the people have gone missing. Have you noticed that it only happens once a year?"
The assistant was about to argue when she stopped. Tipah saw the shock in her eyes.
"I didn't notice that at first either. Someone from Rhijaj helped me see that, but this is exactly what I was looking for. It explains why the royal family's always denied that they captured anyone. They really might not have."
"Or they just always capture people on one certain day."
"Why would they do that?"
"And why would whatever else you believe took our people? There's no option that makes it better."
"Yes, there is. If it's not Xei, then we don't need to treat them like enemies. We can work with them to find all of our people."
The firebender put a hand over her face. "How do you go about life like this? We can't trust them."
"Sabit, I spent the entire day with people from both our islands. The only difference I saw was clothing. They're just like us. They're scared about the war and want their people back. We're trying to turn them into monsters in our minds because it's easier to kill something instead of someone."
"That's a lovely thought, but it doesn't fix our problem. There are no other islands near us. If the people of Xei didn't abduct anyone, that leaves no alternative."
"That's not true. There's a Winter Solstice–the day everyone's been going missing. It's when spirits can travel between dimensions, sort of like how the giants entered our world from theirs."
"So, our people were abducted by ghosts?"
"Spirits. It's a little different," the vice president told her.
Sabit sighed. "They were abducted by spirits then. Is that better?"
Tipah regarded her seriously. "I know this sounds strange, but I think we should look deeper into it. We really might get the answers we've been looking for."
The assistant went to the desk and sat down. "I don't understand your plan, but I won't oppose it. If everyone's really gone missing on this Winter Solstice you mentioned, that's suspicious and deserves to be studied."
"I'll have some good news for us soon," Tipah assured her.
Leaving the officer, Tipah left to return to his home. While he did, Durnaz was going to the palace. She had barely entered when she was met with Buraid's frown.
"I saw a lot of people in the air today," he stated.
"The giants were teaching us," Durnaz said calmly. "They have much to offer us as far as information goes."
"And I'm sure it's no coincidence that I've heard some people talking about being around Xei citizens."
"I never said that it was a coincidence."
"No, you didn't say anything about it at all."
"Because my goal isn't to keep secrets from everyone or tell you my every plan. It's to protect our island."
Buraid's scowl deepened. "That's my goal too. What do you think I've been doing?"
"I know that's what you want, which is why I need you to know that we found some promising information. The people from Xei might really be innocent."
"I can't believe you!"
Hearing the angered voice of the prince, Ebrah left her chambers and saw the siblings.
"What is going on?" she inquired.
Buraid crossed his arms. "Durnaz is working with Xei."
"You're making it sound worse than it is," Durnaz said, frustrated. "I'm not conspiring against Rhijaj. I just brought a small group from here to the land where the giants stay. We've been learning how to air glide. Mom, you'd love it. It's amazing. We've been doing that and learning about the situation surrounding the missing people more. There's a Winter Solstice. It's possible that spirits used that time to bring our people into their world. It's easier for it to happen on that day. That's also the day when all the abductions have taken place. It's too convenient to be unrelated."
The queen seemed thoughtful of the information. "That would explain the difficulties we've had in getting information out of people from Xei."
"I was thinking that as well."
Buraid was unmoving. "They probably just captured everyone on that day so that you'd think spirits did it and they'd get away with what they were doing."
"You should come to the common ground," the princess said, surprising her brother.
"Why would I do that?"
"Because you need to see these people for yourself. Not to see them on the battlefields like you have, but actually as people with families and friends who are grieving just like we are. If you can see them like that, I think you'll know they didn't do this."
Buraid stepped away from her, then looked at their mother. He could tell that she was considering this to be true. Hurt, the prince turned away from them both.
"The only thing I know is that I'm apparently alone in this. I couldn't get Dad to act before we lost him. And now, you both want to wait until they come for you too. If I have to protect Rhijaj alone, I'll do it. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize that."
"Buraid–"
The young man left before the queen or princess could say anything else. He was so furious with his sister, his mother, the giants, the subjects for agreeing to go, and his father for not listening to him. He was just furious and tired of feeling that way. Buraid's sole comfort was that it would end one day. It would end the day that the war did. Even if he had to burn Xei down to the ground, it would end.