The king and queen did not immediately ask anything. They regarded the friends with inspecting gazes.
"You dress like you're from different kingdoms," Tatia stated. "Are you?"
"We are," Aang informed her. "Our world used to be divided into four nations, but that might change because some people from different groups are living in the same areas."
"Why are they?" Vadim asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"There was a war," Katara said. "People in the Fire Nation claimed more land during it. Even though there's peace now, not everyone has moved back yet."
Glancing at one another, the royal couple seemed confused.
"The Fire Nation?" the man asked. "I'm assuming you have a Water Nation too?"
"We call it the Water Tribe," Sokka informed him, "but close enough."
"So, there is also firebending where you're from?" Tatia asked. "We were told that you have waterbending."
"Earthbending too," Toph added. "We've got all four. Is it the same here?"
Rather than answering, Vadim turned to his wife. "I suppose we didn't prepare properly."
"It should still be fine," she assured him. "We can just bring more people next time."
"Um, what more people are being brought?" Sokka asked.
The king glanced at the group, then pointed at Aang. "You. You're an airbender. I remember you using it against me. How do you compare with those from your world?"
Katara saw a flash of sadness go across the boy's face. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
"He's an airbending master."
This made the older couple chuckle.
"Doubtful, but we'll see for ourselves. We've arranged for you to meet with an actual airbending master," Tatia said. Raising her voice, she called towards the entrance of the throne room. "Join us!"
At her command, a man walked in and bowed before the royals.
"This is Fyodor," Vadim said. "He's the best airbending master in the world."
"Yours maybe," Katara said under her breath.
Aang heard her and smiled. "What would you like us to do?"
"Duel," the queen said plainly.
"You can't ask them to do that," Zuko stated, frowning.
"The wind from him walking by would be enough to send us backwards," Suki chimed in. "If you add airbending, it won't be a fair fight."
The couple's amused expressions faded. Vadim leaned forward in his seat.
"I'm not sure how things are in your world, but here, we value respect. Remember that before you address us."
The warrior and firebender continued to frown.
"Well, what's the competition?" Sokka asked carefully. "Is it something like a race? No one should get hurt from that."
His idea made the pair turn contemplative.
"A race could be interesting," Tatia stated. "Follow us."
The queen stood up and left the room with her husband. Fyodor held out his hands for the friends. When they looked at him, they saw a slight frown on his face. Unsure why it was there, Team Avatar hopped onto his palms so that they could follow the duo. They went outside and past several servants tending to decorations. Paying them little attention, Vadim squinted and pointed away from the castle.
"That tree with the snow on top, whoever makes it there first is the winner."
The racers took in the distance. They would have to go past half the length of the palace.
"Are we running or rolling?" Aang asked.
The inquiry made the couple frown at him.
"What kind of question is that?" the king asked. "You're not wheels."
"No, but we can do this," the Avatar said, creating a ball to balance upon.
Vadim and Tatia's eyes widened before they turned to the larger master.
"We've never seen you do that before," the man stated. "Were you hiding it from us?"
"N-no, my lieges. I've never seen that technique."
"What kind of master hasn't explored all techniques in their given element?" Tatia questioned harshly.
"It's not his fault," Aang interjected. "This is just something I came up with. No one back home had done it either."
Although the royals did not look more pleased by this information, they stopped glaring at Fyodor.
"Race by running," Vadim said. "Clearly, not everyone is capable of doing the alternative."
A blush went over the older master's cheeks. He bent down so that he could set the friends on the ground. Without warning, Vadim snapped his fingers.
"Begin!"
Instinctively, Toph created a shield of earth. She did this just in time because the wind that hit the barrier was nearly enough to cause its destruction. None of the friends could even see how the race was going, since peeking beyond the shield would have been too dangerous. On the other side of the earth, Aang and Fyodor had begun running at full speed with the enhancement of their airbending. The giant's strides were long, but he was not aerodynamic. His shoulder length hair added friction against the oncoming wind whereas Aang's shaved head did not. In addition to this, the boy's power was more raw, further strengthened through a childhood of training. Aang did not take long to be side-by-side with Fyodor. A happy laugh escaped the Avatar as he remembered days of the past when he could race against his friends. When he looked at the other airbender, his smile faded.
Fyodor did not look like he was enjoying himself. His face was pale and his breathing was becoming labored. The duration of the race was not so long that it should have tired an airbender. He hardly looked old enough to get exhausted from running. Only one potential explanation came to Aang's mind. Out of the corner of his eye, the boy saw the finishing spot. In the next moment, he made a decision and there was a victor.
"The winner is Fyodor!" Vadim announced, squinting again to see the master.
"Which was to be expected," Tatia stated. "Though I will admit that I was surprised by the small bender's speed."
"Yes, " the king agreed, "it was a closer race than I anticipated." He glanced down at the friends. "You might be more interesting than I thought."
"Bring that one back over here, Fyodor," Tatia instructed.
The airbender obediently started to reach down, but Aang made it easier by using a blast of air to propel himself onto the giant's shoulder.
"Thank you," the man whispered, keeping his gaze on the royals as he started walking towards them.
"You're welcome," Aang said.
When they reached the rest of the group, Vadim began to frown.
"We won't have time to ask many more questions. We have to prepare for the ball."
"We'll resume these matters later," Tatia informed them. "For now, you can wait in the guest chambers and we'll send someone to retrieve you when it is time."
Vadim motioned for one of the nearby servants to approach. She bowed and began bringing the team back to their room. When the woman was gone, Katara turned to Aang.
"What happened?"
"Yeah, what was that about?" Toph added. "I thought you were going to kick some giant butt, Twinkle Toes."
"I think there was going to be a consequence for Fyodor if he'd lost the race," the Avatar explained, frowning. "What if the problem with Vadim and Tatia isn't just between them and Yeva?"
"Do you think they're harsh to everyone?" Suki asked. "I guess it's possible. We just haven't seen them around too many other people."
"Exactly. I hope I'm wrong, but Fyodor looked terrified when we were racing. I don't know what he thought was going to happen to him if he'd lost."
Zuko crossed his arms. "Well, if they treat everybody like this, we'll see at their party. All we can do for now is wait."
The friends remained in the room as preparations began. Meanwhile, the people of Xei and Rhijaj were beginning work as quickly as possible for the new palace. Megat led the earthbenders in moving large blocks of stone.
"We'll need to stack at least sixty more rows," he stated. "Remember that the ceiling can't just be at the level of her head."
Obliging, the other earthbenders put more stones on top of each other. At the same time, waterbenders cleaned the areas so that they would sparkle in the light. Airbenders made sure to dry the new walls when this ended. In between the islands, the raised land was not wide enough to fully recreate a palace for the giant. So, the firebenders worked to clear away grass and some trees. Buraid almost did not mind this work. It released his anger without causing it to be directed in a harmful manner. After hours passed, he sensed someone approaching.
"We've stopped for now on our side," Sabit said. "The giant's given us no indication how large she wants this palace to be. Are you going to continue clearing land on Rhijaj?"
"I don't know," the other firebender admitted. "Every time I think about stopping, I see someone burn away more grass and can't tell if I should get them to stop or not. I'm in a haze."
A sympathetic expression crossed the woman's face. "I know what you mean. It's like I've been mindlessly blasting fire since we started, but we have to do what's necessary to protect the others."
After another moment of numbness which seemed to last too long, Buraid shook off the feeling and sighed.
"I'll ask my mother what she thinks we should do. Would you listen to her suggestion?"
"I would. I doubt she wants to lose any more land than what's necessary."
The prince started heading towards the airbenders. Ebrah and Durnaz were drying the walls, making Buraid realize just how much work had been accomplished everywhere. Besides the roof, a silhouette could be made for the castle. The walls were high enough to accommodate their new ruler.
"We should stop here for the night," the prince said. "We've done enough work already and the sun's gone down."
"It has, but our work is far from complete," the queen stated, eyes on a new pile of stones being added.
Buraid felt that the walls were beginning to mock him. They stood so tall, only making him feel smaller. What was a tiny, former leader when compared to the grandeur of a giant ruler?
"How much more do you want to do? I haven't seen anyone stop all day."
"Once we do the roof, we can return home." Ebrah turned to her son. "I would have had them rest hours ago, but the giant has made it clear that hard work is valued. It's better to build and be tired than to stop and be killed."
Reluctantly, Buraid nodded. "I understand. Should we continue burning areas?"
The queen hesitated before bringing out her air glider. She used bending to propel herself upward. There, the woman could see how this new kingdom was expanding. It was difficult to tell where Xei ended and Rhijaj began, but it was simple to see the territory which would belong to Azula. Ebrah wondered how far the empire of the giant would reach. She descended back to the ground near her son.
"Go several more paces outwards," she instructed. After a moment, she held his hand. "You're all doing well. We will push through this…setback."
Buraid sighed and gave his mother's hand a small squeeze before rejoining the others. They continued to work for several more hours. As they did, Azula watched from the Rhijaj shore. She had much to consider. It had been her brother and his friends who traveled to these odd lands. How had they arrived? Perhaps it had been through the sky too. Such an occurrence once was already bizarre. For it to happen twice was far stranger than Azula enjoyed. It seemed too coincidental that all of them would be taken from their world, then brought to Xei and Rhijaj. Had it happened before? No, that was unlikely. The princess was certain she would have heard of people missing. She paid too much attention to the world for such a thing to have gone unnoticed. There also was the way the tiny people spoke. They did not make it seem as though many giants had been seen. Simply, they mentioned the friends…who had ended their world's war. Azula nearly would have been amused if she was not so bitter. She was always chasing Zuko somewhere. To get him when he failed to capture the Avatar, after he left the Fire Nation willingly, and now this. Was Azula doomed to follow him to the ends of the Earth even when she was not trying to? She was tired of being surrounded by her brother. It was enough to know that her Fire Nation was his to do with as he chose. The princess could not even escape him while in a dream-like world. However, not everything about her situation was deplorable.
It was nice to watch her new subjects toiling away throughout the night at her command. How loyal they seemed to be. At least they were until they stopped. A crease came to Azula's forehead when she saw the group begin to separate. It appeared like they were about to return home, which had to be a mistake since there was so much left to be done. The largest firebender stood up from the sand and approached the group.
"Bow your heads," she instructed.
The people did as ordered, but Azula noticed who among them moved slower.
"We sought to build much of the castle for you today," Ebrah stated.
"But not all of it?"
Megat spoke up. "It wasn't morning when we heard of this request. We wanted to get as much done as possible and have barely even rested for a drink."
"People can go days without resting," Azula stated. "I've seen soldiers train until they were given the order to enter the war."
"Please, we have so much to do before the castle is completed," the president said.
"Can we resume our work in the morning?" the queen requested. "It could be as early as the sunrise."
"Imagine how much more you would accomplish if you didn't stop," Azula told them.
Tension went through the crowd of tiny people.
"You were planning on going home," the princess said. "Remember that 'home' is something I lack here. A ruler cannot live beneath the stars and in the wilderness like mere commoners. So, until I can rest easily, none of you will at all."
Azula narrowed her eyes at the people before returning to Rhijaj. The tiny people continued their work. Some did this with more resentment than others. Durnaz knew her brother would not be able to do much more before he lost his temper, so she quickly went to find him.
"I need to tell you and Mom something," she said.
Buraid was happy to get a break from the smoke and embers, so he quickly followed after the airbender. They stopped walking when they were near their mother.
"Inaya and I were able to talk with Tipah," Durnaz said. "We want to all work together."
"You're kidding," the prince said. "All? As in Megat too?"
"He agreed to let our people relocate there."
"That doesn't change what he did."
"Just like how that doesn't change the fact that we're dealing with a giant who's going to kill us if we make her angry."
"What kind of teamwork were the three of you talking about?" Ebrah asked.
"We want to see if we can use the giant's arrogance against her," the princess stated. "If she can get us agitated while we're still at odds with each other, we're going to lose more people. It's too much animosity, but if we can work together, we can probably keep everyone safer."
"I don't want to keep everyone safe," Buraid grumbled.
"It's not right to dismiss all of Xei because of Megat," the queen said. "Wherever the friends went, our people were trapped there first. So, there's no reason to hold onto a grudge towards Xei. They didn't do anything besides come to the wrong conclusion just like we did. Right now, more ideas are what we need to figure out how to defeat the giant."
Durnaz waited a moment, looking between her relatives with hope in her eyes. "So, are we going to work with them?"
Ebrah turned to her son who crossed his arms.
"Just because our choices are: get along with people who didn't actually abduct anyone or get crushed."
"I'll take that," Durnaz said, smiling. "Tipah should be telling the others now."
She was correct about this. As he made parts of the ceiling shine, Tipah was keeping an eye on Megat.
"I spoke with Durnaz and one of her subjects about us working with them."
"Did they actually agree to that?" Megat asked, side-eyeing him while shaping some of the ceiling to become a dome.
"They did. I can't promise that they've forgiven what you did, but they're setting it aside for this."
The president began frowning. "Maybe they'll just worry about their revenge when the giant's gone."
"Or they'll begin to actually forgive you after we've learned how to work together."
"That doesn't sound likely."
Tipah got quiet for a moment, then he took a deep breath. "Could we just be hopeful?" He spotted Sabit approaching with the firebenders. "Would you be willing to work with the people from Rhijaj to deal with our new problem?"
Sabit's eyes widened slightly. "They suggested this?"
"It was mutual. We don't have a reason to fight them, but we have every reason to fight the giant."
Megat looked at Sabit, hoping for a particular answer from her.
"That…does make sense," she admitted. "Working with Buraid to clear land wasn't terrible. Working with more of them so that we'll be able to get rid of this palace will be a lot better."
"But it has to be too easy," Megat said, looking worried. "I…I was wrong and they won't forget that."
"They probably won't," the assistant admitted, "but what you did doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Even if they want revenge later, we can deal with that when the time comes. We're not going to survive for long enough if we're spending all of our time worrying about Rhijaj and the giant. It's too much, Megat. We have to prioritize."
The president became silent for several moments, then he nodded his head. He felt the same as before, but he knew his colleagues were right. They had bigger concerns than if the people of Rhijaj were going to give into vengeance. The earthbender tensely watched as Tipah left to deliver the news to the princess. All he could do was wait and hope that the time spent working as a team would dissuade anyone from attacking when they did not have a violent giant in their lands anymore. The people of Xei and Rhijaj kept working on the palace long past the hour when the preparations for the full moon ball had been completed. Team Avatar was still in their room when Toph sensed someone approaching.
"Giant incoming," she said.
Her friends turned to the entrance and saw Naum enter. He regarded the friends with an almost blank expression.
"I was sent to escort you to the celebration," he said evenly.
"Are Vadim and Tatia still upset with Yeva?" Aang asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"He's been the main one who's taken us places in the castle," Katara informed the giant.
"I don't know if His and Her Majesties are still upset or not, but he wouldn't take you anywhere now either way. Everyone's got responsibilities with the ball. He's got his own and I've got mine."
Naum reached out his hand.
"What are ours?" Suki asked.
"That's for the king and queen to decide," the jester said, looking at his hand and then the group again.
They hopped onto Naum's palm and he began bringing them through the hallway. When they got to the openings again, they were reminded of Yeva's words. Already, the friends could hear muffled sounds of music. Naum seemed to hesitate a moment before he continued walking. They went to the archway farthest to the left. This part of the palace had a floor, but there was no ceiling. The area was large and had several dozen subjects. They were all dressed in elaborate garments with various colors. The moon shone down as the only source of illumination. Musicians were gathered together in a corner, playing several instruments which were unfamiliar to the team. The friends could not find Yeva, but they saw Vadim and Tatia on a stage, resting on two thrones. Naum approached the royals and bowed. When he did, the king looked at the musicians and they stopped playing.
"I have brought the guests, my lieges," he stated.
"Well done, Naum," Vadim said. He gestured to a table in between his seat and Tatia's. "Set them here."
The jester did as instructed, then went to stand to the left side of the royals. People at the ball began muttering when they saw Team Avatar. At the raise of her hand, Tatia silenced them.
"They are interesting, aren't they? The bald one nearly defeated Fyodor in a race today."
There was a gasp heard that brought a smile to the leaders' faces.
"So, you'll see that they are very entertaining," Vadim said. "If you all are good, we might allow you to ask some questions of them. For now, I believe there was a dance planned."
Quickly, the crowd put themselves into two rows so that they could easily find partners. The music started up again as the partygoers waltzed. They amused the royals well enough, but Tatia did not take long to turn to the friends.
"Do you have celebrations like this in your world?"
"We do have different parties, but I'm not really sure what we're celebrating right now," Aang admitted. "The full moon?"
Vadim chuckled. "That would be an odd cause for celebration."
"Now he realizes it," Sokka mumbled.
"No, we only celebrate because of what it means," Tatia clarified.
The friends felt like they might as well have not been given an answer, since it hardly made any sense to them.
"Yeva doesn't have a throne next to yours?" Zuko asked, hoping for a clearer response.
"Why would he have one?" the king asked, appalled.
"Because…he's the prince."
Vadim and Tatia frowned, then looked at one another.
"No, he doesn't get one," the queen said.
"Well, where is he?" the firebender inquired.
The king flicked his wrist dismissively. "He's back there somewhere. You'll probably see him late–"
Vadim stopped talking as he heard an incorrect note being played. He turned his head sharply to the musicians. Their heads were low and they continued to play.
"I know I wasn't the only one who heard that," the king snarled. "If you're going to play like random beggars on the street, then that's exactly what you can become."
The players stopped, causing the dancers to do the same.
"It-it was my fault, Your Majesty," one of them apologized. "I'm so sorry."
Vadim glared at the musician. "Move away from the others."
Hesitantly, the subject followed the order. The king's gaze was penetrating and Team Avatar wondered how the room had gone from bustling to dead silent in such a short span of time.
"You weren't going to take responsibility for your error."
"I did not want to stop and sabotage the others."
"Oh, now you worry about the others? You didn't worry before you came here, knowing you weren't deserving of our attention?"
"I meant no disrespect, Your Highness. I-I never made that mistake in practice."
Vadim scoffed. "Like I could trust you now. I couldn't even trust you to play a simple song properly." He rapped his fingers against the side of his chair. "You've spoiled the evening. Now, no one can ask the guests questions. You've ruined the celebration for them all. Hold out your hands. You don't know how to use them."
Shakily, the musician held out her hands to the king. Team Avatar's eyes widened when a crackling went through the air. Lightning sparkled on Vadim's fingers. He formed it into a thin line and gripped it like a whip.
"A moment, Your Majesty," Yeva said, stepping forward from the crowd.
Vadim's eyes shifted to him. "What?"
"She dishonored the celebration by playing incorrectly. What punishment is better than being forbidden from ever returning?"
"Getting electrocuted," the man answered plainly.
"It would be a temporary pain, but she would remember the disgrace for the rest of her life," Yeva reasoned.
"Her scars would also remain for the rest of her life. Your logic is flawed, Yeva," Tatia pointed out, lifting an eyebrow.
The prince glanced at the frightened musician. "This is the first full moon ball we are showing our guests. They will be unable to appreciate it if they must hear screams of pain."
Curiously, the king and queen looked at the friends and saw their horrified expressions. The team felt limited. Only Aang or Zuko could redirect lightning, only Aang would be able to reach the musician in time, and he was not even sure if he would actually be able to control it when the bolt was that large.
"They do look a bit pale," Vadim commented, sighing. "Self-proclaimed musician, you're no longer one of the nobles. You're banished to the outer side of the kingdom. Get out of my sight immediately."
The woman quickly bowed and left the area, but not before sending an appreciative look to Yeva. He stayed where he was, looking at the ground. The young man could already feel the heat from his parents' gazes.
"You ruined our fun," Tatia said. "Why must you always do that? When was the last time Vadim got to make one of them dance in such a different style than they're used to?"
"It was two months ago," the young man answered.
"It could have been today as well."
Suddenly, the queen began to smile. She glanced at her husband, sharing a meaningful look. He picked up on what this meant and smiled. Yeva saw the expressions as well and Toph sensed his heart racing.
"We still can have some entertainment," Tatia said.
The leader lifted her right hand and Yeva's body tensed. It jolted unnaturally as he grimaced. Katara's eyes widened and she turned to the queen. The other members of the team quickly felt as ill as she did. Feet no longer on the ground, the prince's wrists were painfully twisted. Yeva was forced onto his knees, then his forehead was pushed into the ground. Tatia chuckled at the sight.
"Stop that!" Katara exclaimed, scowling at the royals.
They were unfazed by her anger.
"Look at him," Tatia said. "He thought he could control how we chose to celebrate during our own party."
Vadim scoffed. "A pathetic nonbender should have just been grateful we didn't dispose of him as a child."
"Maybe that was a mistake on our part. It hasn't been worth the effort of raising you. All you do is cause problems."
"I'll try not to," Yeva said in a strained voice.
Katara's gaze was steadily on the queen. The girl raised her hands. She did not want to bloodbend, but if it would protect the people there, she would.
"If you try that, we're going to get shot with lightning," Sokka whispered.
"But–"
"We'll find another way to help."
Katara glanced at her friends and saw that they agreed even though they wanted to do something. She looked at the angry faces of the royals. Then she saw the expressionless face of the jester. Katara began to frown at him as well. Yeva stayed on the ground for several moments longer before Tatia stopped. He inhaled deeply, but he did not fully stand yet.
"You might try not to," the queen conceded. "But I'm sure you will again. It's in your nature to disappoint. Get up and return to cleaning the area. I'm sure it's gotten messy since you've stopped."
The prince bowed, then went back through the crowd. There was a brief silence that ended when Vadim addressed the group.
"We didn't bring musicians here for none of you to play. Resume and you all can continue dancing."
At his command, both groups started up again. The rest of the ball was uneventful in comparison, but the friends anxiously awaited when they could be brought back to their room. Naum took them when the festivities had ended.
"They were doing that two months ago too?" Aang asked, concerned.
"They do this every month," the jester informed him. "The king just didn't electrocute anyone last month."
He turned to leave, but Katara stopped him.
"You didn't seem fazed by what happened."
"Like I said, it's every month. You get used to it. Hopefully, you won't stay long enough to. Good night."
The jester was not stopped again before he could exit the room. Toph huffed and frowned.
"I have a feeling he's not going to help us much."
"I don't think so either, but at least we have some more answers," Suki said.
Sokka nodded. "Yeah, it's not just Yeva. They hate everybody. It's both fair and worse."
"It makes it harder since we'll have to protect an entire kingdom from a giant lightning bender and a giant bloodbender," Zuko stated. "Those are bad enough in our world."
"At least Tatia will only be able to bloodbend when it's a full month," Katara offered.
"Yeah, but we're going to have a year of that before the next Winter Solstice," Toph reminded her.
"It'll be difficult, but we'll find a way," Aang said hopefully. "There'll always be people who stand up to tyrants. As soon as we find them here, we'll be making even more progress with saving this world."
Zuko was unconvinced. "If we can even find them. We might be getting watched everywhere we go, so we have to figure out how to get around that." His frown deepened as a disturbing thought came to mind. "If we don't, then it might not matter if there's another Solstice or not. Vadim and Tatia won't let us leave this place."