When Aang entered the Spirit World, he quickly saw Zan Fa again. The energy was as strong and bright as before, so the boy did not make direct eye contact.

"Zan Fa," he greeted, "my friends and I were able to find out what happened to the missing people from Xei and Rhijaj. Now, we've been brought to this giant land where they went. Do you know if the portal is still open, so we can return?"

"It has closed, young Avatar."

Although not overly surprised, Aang still had hoped for different news. "We were worried about that. Could you please tell me why you sent everyone here?"

"I did not send everyone. It was due to their own choices that they did not learn of the portal's dangers."

"Okay," Aang said slowly, "but why did you send anyone through it? It seems like there's no way for them to survive."

"There was not."

The Avatar waited for his question to be answered, but the spirit remained silent.

"Since we were able to get the people from Xei and Rhijaj to talk and be civil, I was hoping we'd be able to learn a little more about Krozhny from you."

"Why would I need to tell you about these lands? In the recent past, you succeeded while hardly knowing anything. Changing from that could only affect your progress poorly."

Before Aang could say anything else, the spirit vanished. He let out a heavy sigh.

"Maybe I can see what the others have to say."

Aang focused on the spirit he wanted to draw to himself. Before long, he saw Roku. The past Avatar had a pensive expression on his face that did not fill the airbender with much confidence.

"You've never heard of Krozhny either, have you?"

"I have not," Roku admitted, "but I have noticed something peculiar. Be wary of those with power, Aang. They do not always know how to wield it safely."

"Do you mean power like bending or power like leadership?"

"Potentially, it could be both. I'm not entirely sure what you'll face here. I can only suggest you watch people carefully and do what you can to protect those who are in need."

Aang thanked the other Avatar for the advice. When Roku went away, the boy summoned Kyoshi. She did not look like she had heard any more about this world than the firebender had.

"Avatar Roku said to be careful of powerful people. Do you also notice something strange about them in particular?"

"I do, but in Roku's and my life, we've seen people with power abuse it and those they believe are beneath them. The methods you use to defend others might put you in greater danger than you've faced before, but it's the responsibility of the Avatar to risk this for the good of everyone. Even if this world isn't yours, it is while you stay here. Treat it as such and consider its people the same as those you normally fight for."

Aang thanked Kyoshi as well, then she vanished. Deciding that his other lives would probably not know about this bizarre dimension, Aang left the Spirit World.

"How'd it go?" Katara asked. "Did Zan Fa tell you anything?"

"Just that the portal is closed and that we don't need help, since we did well in Xei and Rhijaj."

"I guess we'll have to wait for the next Winter Solstice after all," Zuko said. He paused as a frown creased his forehead. "But that's really it? Zan Fa sends people to their deaths and just tells us we did a good job finding that out?"

"Spirits aren't always as…empathetic as humans can be," Aang said. "Time works differently for them, so lost lives probably don't seem very impactful. Zan Fa almost made it sound like it was the people's fault for getting lost because they didn't know what the portals did."

"That's not fair," Suki stated. "How were they supposed to know that without getting pulled in first?"

Aang shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling there's a bigger plan. It's the only reason I can think of for why a spirit would go through all this trouble." He paused, expression becoming concerned. "Avatar Roku and Kyoshi warned me about people with power being more dangerous than they seem."

"Wait, with power or in power?" Sokka asked.

"With."

"Well…that makes it a little more confusing. Did anyone in the Spirit World feel like giving a straight answer?"

Toph sighed and plopped down heavily on the bed. "I think I've had enough of homicidal or confusing spirits for one day."

"I second that," Suki added, yawning. "Maybe we'll be able to come up with some answers in the morning."

It did not take long for the group to try to sleep; however, they soon discovered that slumber in Krozhny was different from the tiny lands. There, the only one who could sense the people doing anything was Toph, but she had experienced years of sensing people through the ground. The girl could easily remove that from her focus and rest. In the giant lands, every member of the team could feel whenever someone would talk, walk, or cough. Every step was so heavy–every noise was so much louder. Sokka was the first to be able to fall asleep, and his friends were more than a little jealous. Toph nearly ripped off a piece of a pillow to throw at him so that he would have to suffer like the rest of them. It was the worst for her. Seismic sense combined with hearing made the night torturous.

"Why aren't they asleep?" she groaned, burying her head under a fold in the enormous blanket.

"Because they're servants," Katara said, equally frustrated. "The royal family is probably asleep, but everyone else has to work."

"I don't remember it being like this in Rhijaj," Aang mumbled sleepily.

"Maybe we just didn't…notice," Suki offered, having gotten interrupted by a snore from her boyfriend.

"How is he doing that?" Zuko asked, feeling envious.

Katara tiredly shrugged. "He's been able to ever since we were kids. I never understood how, but I wish it was a family thing." The waterbender stopped, looking pensive. "Igloos are soundproof, so we could put ice around us. It's not that cold in here, but I could make the layers thick enough so that it stayed in one piece until morning. The only problem is that it wouldn't stop us from feeling everyone walking."

Aang finally opened his eyes and sat up, face brightening. "I could–"

"We're not sleeping in the air," Zuko told him. "You probably wouldn't be able to do it without being awake anyway."

The Avatar's mouth curved downwards as he rested his head back on the bed. "Fine."

Suki's expression began to look thoughtful. "Would we just be using the bath water?"

"I don't think we need to," Katara said. "Something's different about the air here."

"You're right," Aang added. "I've been noticing it too."

"Everything really must have gotten bigger because it seems like there's also more water in the air here than back home," the waterbender added. "I could use it to make the igloo."

There were no protests as the girl started bending the water around them. The friends saw that she and Aang had been correct. Quickly, Katara pulled huge water droplets from the air. She formed them into an igloo and froze it, successfully blocking out the sound of scurrying and talking giants. With a relieved sigh, the team was able to get some rest. Unfortunately, this did not last for long. Soon enough, Toph felt footsteps getting closer, and the rest of the team jolted when the igloo was tapped on from the outside.

"When did we get one of those?" Sokka asked groggily.

No one got a chance to answer before the giant tapped again. Katara melted the igloo and put the water into the bath hat. Impressed, an unfamiliar face stared back at the group. There were a dozen people in the room. It quickly became a whirlwind of giants as servants entered to swap out the used water with its fresh counterpart. As they did this, some people in nicer clothing moved forward to address Team Avatar.

"Hello, we were sent to speak with you," one man with a long beard said. "We're scientists."

"And inventors."

"And philosophers."

"I'd almost forgotten we were going to talk with them," Suki admitted quietly. She raised her voice. "Can you give us a few minutes to get ready for the day?"

The giant who had spoken of philosophy quickly jotted something down. "They still value privacy," she muttered. "Interesting."

The other professionals started writing as well, burying their noses in their books.

"Yeah, we do," Toph said, crossing her arms. "So, that means we'd like you all to leave."

Almost reluctantly, the giants left the chambers so that the friends could prepare for the new day in peace.

"That's going to get old quickly if it's not a one-time thing," Toph grumbled.

"At least they finally left," Katara said, starting to make some fog with the water.

"We don't know when they'll be back, so let's hurry," Sokka encouraged.

Agreeing, the friends finished cleaning up, then redressed. It was just in time as the giants returned.

"Knew they wouldn't wait long," Sokka said.

Toph nodded, but her brows furrowed as she sensed one more individual nearing their chambers. He was on the outer side of a wall. Curiously, she realized that the giant had not been noticed by the scientists or their colleagues.

"Okay," one of the strangers said, "my first question is: do you have tools you use at that size?"

"We do," Suki informed the man. "We also have weapons such as various kinds of blades and fans, along with tanks and ships."

The man zealously wrote more down. "I wonder how such complex creations could be made that small."

"Well, they're not small to us," Aang informed him. "It's easy for inventors our size to see how to make vessels and weapons we can use."

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, we've made some that can fly too."

The giants' jaws dropped.

"Fly?" one asked. "We don't even have vessels like that." A new idea lit up her face. "Your clothing. Do you make any of them from plants?"

"We do sometimes," Aang answered.

"So, are plants also your size or bigger?"

"They're our size too. We come from a world where everything fits us."

This made the giant seem astonished.

"Do you have to bathe in water droplets or make something to use the rain?" a different inventor asked.

"No," Sokka said, starting to feel frustrated. "Everything's our size. We can just use a normal bath."

Next, another scientist seemed curious and held up his notepad.

"If there are more of you, are you born through other tiny people, or is there some different way you're created?"

Katara blushed and Sokka made a face at the giant.

"What different way would we be created?" he asked.

"Potentially through magic of some sort," a philosopher offered.

"Oh, you know what," the boy said sarcastically, "I forgot that we actually are made out of magic dust."

Katara elbowed her brother and then frowned at Toph, who had begun chuckling. "Don't listen to him. That's not how it works."

"What about death? Is it still permanent for beings so small, or is it merely a matter of putting you back together?"

"We're not machines," Zuko said, shocked at the question. "If we die, we die and that's it."

"So, remember that, please, if we're walking around and you're nearby," Sokka requested.

Some of the giants seemed doubtful. "No, that can't be right. It doesn't make sense that they'd be so similar to us."

"Similarity is all in the mind," another subject said.

"There's also the matter if their little minds are as complicated as ours."

"Us having smaller brains doesn't make us less intelligent," Suki stated, feeling a little annoyed at the implication.

"I suppose there's no way to be sure without a test," a scientist stated. "We could prepare one for you. Actually, I've already done that." He pulled out a scroll that stretched down the floor when it was unraveled. "This has one hundred questions, but I'm sure they won't take you long."

The friends' hearts sank when they heard this, but a new sound offered them some hope.

"Our guests have just arrived. Let's at least give them a chance to see Krozhny before we overwhelm them with questions."

This caused the giants to turn to the newcomer. Respectfully, they bowed before their prince.

"Could the information you just collected be enough for the day?" he asked.

"Most definitely, Prince Yeva," one of the inventors said.

The others voiced their agreement and were excused to leave.

"Thanks," Aang said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've never liked written tests."

"Neither have I," the giant admitted, a soft smile on his lips. "I'm going to be heading out of the castle today if you'd like to see more of the kingdom. I'm not allowed to take you to the shores, but it could give you a change of scenery. Snow won't be an issue this time. It's sunny outside."

The team considered the idea before Katara nodded.

"I think that sounds nice," she said. "We decided that staying longer is okay, and it could be interesting to see what everything is like around here."

Yeva held out his hands again so that the friends could hop off the bed. When he exited the room, they saw more of the palace. Beyond the hallway with chambers on either end, there was a room with large archways that seemed to lead to many different places.

"What's over there?" Suki asked.

"The one on the right is where we're going. It leads outside. The one in the middle leads to the kitchen."

"What about the one to the left?"

Something changed in Yeva's eyes, but it was hardly noticeable. "That's where we host celebrations."

"It's nice of you to have parties for everyone," Aang commented.

The prince gave an absent-minded nod of his head as he continued walking to the right. Toph felt someone else approaching quickly, and her friends realized this too when the person hurried over to Yeva.

"My prince, what are you doing?" the new giant asked, still slightly behind the younger man.

"I was going to check on matters in the kingdom and provide a tour to our new guests."

Yeva turned so that the other individual could see. The stranger's eyes widened when he saw the friends.

"His and Her Majesty said they were small," he mentioned quietly. "I suppose that was no exaggeration."

"Far from. Guests, this is Naum. He's the jester of our palace."

Sokka's eyes twinkled excitedly. "We should trade jokes!" He puffed up happily as he put a hand to his chest. "Where we're from, I'm known as an amazing comic."

"And he's probably the only one who'd say that," Katara said.

"You're just jealous because Aang said being funny didn't run in the family."

The Avatar sheepishly grinned when Katara glanced at him for confirmation that he had told her brother. Zuko sighed at his friends and returned his attention to Naum.

"It's nice to meet you. We're not sure how long we'll be in the castle, so you might be seeing us a lot."

Naum lifted an eyebrow. "The king and queen did not say when you would be leaving?"

"No, we were given a room last night, but nothing else about our stay was figured out yet. That'll probably happen today."

The jester took in the information with an unreadable expression. "Then please allow me to provide the tour. My liege should not need to concern himself with such menial tasks."

Yeva shook his head. "I don't mind. I wanted to stretch my legs anyway. If you'd like to join us, you're welcome to."

"I probably should not. The king and queen might become bored if neither of us are in the castle. Enjoy the tour." To Sokka, he said, "Perhaps we could share jokes later."

Sokka grinned and the jester went further into the palace. Yeva resumed walking out of the palace, showing Team Avatar the building's full size from the outside. It had three rows of windows and twenty columns. The roof of the castle seemed so high that Aang wondered if the architect had planned on it being used to host lion turtles.

"What kinds of animals do you have here?" he asked, suddenly curious if that truly was an option. "Are there any turtle ducks?"

"Turtle ducks? No, we don't have those. We have arctic foxes and polar bears, though."

Toph scratched her head in confusion. "Again with the weird animals."

"You haven't seen those?"

"We've seen a plain fox," Sokka said. "It was strange and in a library, but most of the time, there are hybrid animals…except for an odd bear this one king has as a pet."

"Well, an animal being hybrid would be peculiar to see here, but I'll let you know if I find any. They might help you not be homesick."

Yeva continued walking, bringing Team Avatar past shops with live music being played. They could smell various kinds of food and saw the bustling crowds. Happiness went through Sokka as a realization dawned on him.

"We don't have to starve on an airbender's diet!"

"What?" Yeva asked. "You were starving?"

"No," Suki assured him. "We just weren't eating meat. Before we got here, we'd been stuck in a world where we were the giants."

Shock was evident on the prince's face. "I'm struggling to imagine that, but it's interesting. Well, I can see how you would have limited options for food. That's certainly not the case here. Feel free to eat as much as you'd like."

"Maybe staying here won't be so bad after all," Sokka commented as their tour guide began walking towards one of the store owners who bowed to him.

"Ah, Prince Yeva, your timing is always magnificent. We just got a new load of fish this morning."

The giant gestured to some creatures that were familiar-looking for the friends. When she saw Team Avatar, she gasped. They waved to her and she unsurely waved back.

"What are they?" she asked the prince.

"They're people. They're just tiny."

Some moments were needed for the other giant to accept this information. During that time, the team saw what she had to offer, and Yeva selected a couple items for them. They thanked the prince and he paid the woman.

"Did a farmer named Alexei bring the fish?" Aang asked.

The shop owner laughed when she heard this. "No farmers are allowed in this part of the kingdom."

"They're not?"

"Of course not. They stay on the outer side. It would be ridiculous if they were here."

Yeva pursed his lips, then smiled. "Thank you for the food."

"You're quite welcome."

The prince started walking away, then looked at the friends. "She's right about who's allowed in, but the farmers wouldn't bring it anyway. The merchants sell whatever the store keepers need."

Zuko regarded him curiously. "I'm used to kingdoms having a certain group who lives closest to the palace, but it seems like we're pretty far from it now. I'm surprised we're still in an area that's restricted for some of the subjects."

"Yes, well, it's just one of the cultural norms here."

The friends noticed tension in the prince as he kept walking. While the tour continued and they ate, the tiny lands were making their changes. Azula had rested well that evening. Sleeping on the sand was far less comfortable than her usual chambers, but it was a vast improvement from the hard cell bed. She was not forced to inhale stale air or hear the footsteps of guards. When morning came, Azula went to the ocean and created a wall of fire so that she could bathe in peace. This gave her some time to consider what she wanted to do. The fire caught the attention of the people of the islands. Outside the turquoise building, Sabit faced the flames.

"She'll kill all the fish that way," she said. "Or dry out the ocean."

Tipah nodded, feeling anxious. "I doubt we'll be able to convince her to stop, so let's work on dealing with her while she's here and hope this won't end too badly."

"How won't it? She wants to be our leader."

The assistant and vice president turned to the sound of Megat approaching.

"I think everyone is getting settled now," he stated. "A few of our citizens didn't mind having roommates."

This made Tipah smile. "I was hoping that would happen."

"I'd be surprised if you didn't also offer it to someone," the president said.

"You're right. An elderly couple moved in last night."

"I wonder if they're planning anything on Rhijaj yet," Megat commented, glancing off towards the island.

"Durnaz told me that she needed some time to think about their next moves," Tipah said, tapping his chin. "When they think of something, she'll come here and let us know. I told her that we'd do the same."

He looked at his colleagues to see what they thought about the idea. Sabit had a thoughtful countenance.

"That's good," she admitted. "Depending on what happens, it might take all of us to stop the giant."

Megat wore a pensive expression as he nodded. While they spoke, the royal family discussed their ideas on Rhijaj. They had not left with some of the others. Although most of the subjects had relocated, the trio did not. As long as even one subject remained on Rhijaj, the leaders would be there to offer protection. Similarly, Inaya would not leave without them. The four people remained in the throne room, Buraid pacing back and forth enough to create a trench.

"And now, she's trying to increase the temperature of our world," the prince fussed. "What's next?"

"Maybe we should see if she knows the friends," Durnaz suggested, then sighed. "Considering how differently she handled her arrival than they did, I'm not sure if she would get along with them, though. She might not care that they helped us."

Ebrah put a hand to her chin in concentration. "Even if she's an enemy to them, hearing that they will return could make her try to leave or pose less of a threat so that they won't apprehend her in the future."

Buraid grunted unhappily. "But that future is further away than I'd like it to be with this new 'ruler' of ours."

The princess was going to offer another idea, but she heard the giant's voice.

"Servants, I have my first order for you."

Buraid instinctively bristled at the disrespectful tone, but he joined the women by going outside. Those on Xei had done the same, seeing Azula smirking at them.

"Last night, I was forced to sleep on the sand. I don't plan on doing that indefinitely, so you all will be building me a palace."

There was a pause which followed her words. This annoyed Azula.

"Was I too quiet for you to hear me?" she asked, irritation in her voice.

"We don't have enough land in either of our islands," Ebrah stated. "We would not be able to build a palace that's big enough to accommodate you."

"There's a simple solution. Are any of you earthbenders?"

Hesitantly, Megat spoke up. "Why?"

"I'd suggest you prioritize answering my questions over asking your own," Azula warned.

The president felt nerves in his stomach as he continued. "We do have some."

"Good, then you can raise the earth underneath the islands. Once you have done so, that'll make enough room for me to have the kind of palace I'm used to living in. It won't be an easy process, so you'll start immediately. While you do it, I'll decide what I want to be inside."

"We won't have sufficient supplies," Tipah added. "There aren't enough resources to build a structure that large. We'll run out before we get to the interior."

"Then you'll need to be creative," Azula stated, walking back to her spot on the sand. "I don't like excuses. They're for people who are lazy or believe they can get away with not doing their work. Neither of those will describe my subjects."

The firebender turned her head to look at the others. They saw a dangerous twinkle in her eyes.

"If anyone feels like that does describe them well, I'll happily remove the weak links."

"What will you do when you're no longer the largest person here?" Durnaz asked.

"If those people you mentioned return, I'll deal with them."

"Even if they ended their world's war?"

This information made Azula's face twitch slightly. She did not realize that the other giants had been her brother and his friends. Durnaz saw that the giant was troubled.

"We'll gladly host you," she assured her. "We just ask that you treat us as people despite our size."

There was a brief silence, but it ended with crackling. Lightning sparkled on Azula's fingertips.

"Don't trick yourself into believing that you're doing me a favor by allowing me to stay here," she advised. "Today's a different day. They might have been able to save some people, but they won't return in time to save you."

This caused a wave of fear to wash over the crowds. Sensing this, the princess walked away from them and began planning how she wanted her new castle to look. The Rhijaj and Xei leaders started to gather their earthbenders. Once enough of them were together, they focused on the ground in between the islands. Like Team Avatar had done, they lifted it so that it was even with the lands. Almost as soon as it was possible, Durnaz and Inaya crossed to meet up with Tipah. He was on his way to see them, and the trio stopped when they were directly in the middle.

"Thank you for helping so many of our people move," the princess said sincerely.

"It was my pleasure. I'm happy we could help."

The airbender's face clouded over. "Our problems won't end with a matter of losing homes. This castle is going to be a laborious venture. We're going to be working together for the giant now. We should work together to defeat her too."

"Maybe we'll be able to surprise her," Inaya offered. "She will probably underestimate us because we're so small in comparison."

"I agree," Tipah stated, nodding. "The element of surprise is our best advantage. She won't expect anything from us besides servitude. She'll realize that was a mistake, but it'll only be after we've gotten our islands back."

After a small pause, Durnaz chuckled. "This isn't how I expected our partnership to evolve with time, but I know we can do it."

A confident smile spread to Tipah's face. "The more we see from her, the more we'll be able to adjust to her abilities. I think our new overlord will regret trying to rule us."

His certainty spread to the Rhijaj benders, and they spoke for a little longer before more people joined them to begin building. They had just finished their plans for the foundation of the palace when Yeva returned to his own castle with the friends. Another servant approached the prince.

"The king and queen would like to speak with you," he said.

Yeva thanked the man and began setting the friends down on the armrest of a chair. Before he could, the servant stopped him.

"All of you," he added.

The prince hesitated, then started bringing Team Avatar with him to the throne room. Naum was there as well, now wearing a silly-looking hat. Bowing, Yeva addressed his parents.

"I heard you wanted to speak with us."

"Naturally. You took it upon yourself to remove our guests from the palace without permission," Tatia said, frowning.

"That was very inconsiderate of you," Vadim added. "We planned on spending this afternoon with them after the specialists were done."

Yeva kept his head low. "I apologize. I was worried our guests were being overwhelmed."

"We'll worry about that," the king said. "It's not your place to change our plans."

Zuko sympathetically regarded the prince. The interaction forced unpleasant memories to the forefront of his mind. Several tense moments passed, then Tatia tapped her husband's hand.

"I suppose we should expect him to be excited. This is an unusual situation for Yeva. He's met someone he's stronger than."

Vadim laughed and nodded in agreement. "Your wisdom always amazes me, my dear. Yeva," the man said harshly, looking back at the prince, "this won't be excused a second time. You're not permitted to leave with them."

"Please, my lieges, I promise to not repeat my blunder. My pride in your kingdom is so strong that I cannot help but want to share it with the world. If I ask first, could I be their guide again sometime?"

The royals thought over this, muttering to one another.

"We'll consider it," the queen told him. "Now, go find something to do."

Yeva straightened his back and set the friends down on a table. He started to leave, but his mother spoke again.

"I forgot something, help the servants prepare to host a ball."

Toph's eyebrows furrowed as she felt the youngest giant's heart racing.

"A ball?" Yeva asked. "I didn't realize we were still hosting one this month."

"This month is all the more deserving of one," Vadim stated. "Our guests will be excited to see the small visitors."

"The size difference could lead to someone getting hurt." Yeva paused, seeing their eyes narrowing at him. "But I won't pretend to have considered something you haven't. I'm sure the ball will be like those before it."

"Very good," the king said. "So, run along now."

Yeva glanced at the friends before leaving the throne room. Once he was gone, Zuko turned to the couple.

"What's this celebration you're talking about?"

"Oh, it's a fabulous event," Tatia informed him. "Every year for the full moon, we host for the nobles in the area."

"Think of it as our way to share what we have with our subjects," Vadim added.

"Only the nobles are invited?" Suki asked. "There won't be any merchants or other workers?"

This made the king laugh again. "That's an odd thought. No, the merchants already know all we have. This is how we remind the nobles."

"Now," Tatia said, putting her chin in her hands, "we've met with the professionals who spoke with you this morning, and we have many unique questions. I hope your answers are just as interesting."