Hours passed and the royal couple had no interest in plays for the rest of the day, so Team Avatar stayed in their chambers; however, they did not want to do this for any longer. There was only so much they could do from inside the palace. Since the group had already gone through the story prompts given to them, they shifted their focus to other goals for the evening.

"Maybe there's a servant in the castle who would be able to help us like Inaya did," Katara suggested.

"It would be really risky," Zuko stated. "They're around Tatia and Vadim all the time, so they could accidentally give our plan away if we try to involve them."

"They also could be scared to fight in case they're caught," Sokka added. "I don't think we should go for a servant. There could be more nobles outside the palace who we can go to. They're the ones who are forced to act like entertainment during those parties. They probably already want that to end. The other days of the month, they get to feel high and mighty, then are humiliated by their king and queen. It might not be too difficult to sway them to our side."

The rest of the team was open to this idea. Toph began going towards the hole they had made in the wall.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for? I don't know about you, but I'm in no rush to put on another performance for the two brattiest royals I've ever met."

Quickly, the earthbender's friends slid off the bed and joined her. Toph created another tunnel, leading the way for them to travel beneath the giants' feet. They needed to get far enough away from the palace so that none of the guards would see them. When the Gaang had reached a safe distance, Toph opened up the ceiling of earth, letting them poke out their heads.

"See anyone who looks helpful?" she asked.

Aang used a blast of air to float above the hole. There were several people nearby. Two of them were entering a building and another three were in a carriage with bizarre-looking animals wearing reins like Appa. Their faces were long and they had human-like hair going down their necks.

"Maybe," the airbender said unsurely. "Let's try."

"Wait," Suki chimed in. "What are we actually going to say? We can't just tell them that we want to overthrow Vadim and Tatia. If they want that but are scared, they could turn us in, and I don't think we're getting out of a Krozhny prison."

"It's all in the wording," Sokka stated. "We shouldn't necessarily say that we're planning on dethroning their king and queen, but we can try to figure out if they're happy with the way things are. Then, Toph can do her truth-telling magic and we'll know."

This eased some of the worries felt by the group. Cautiously, they all left the ground and approached the giants in the carriage. The odd animals noticed them first, going onto their hind legs in panic. Perplexed, the giants went forward to see what was wrong. When they saw nothing, they heard the tiny voices.

"Hi!" Aang called up for them.

The trio's eyes went wide. Speedily, they looked around, then back at the group.

"You're supposed to be with His and Her Majesty. What are you doing?"

"We wanted to get some fresh air," Sokka said. "So, since we're here, have a minute or two to talk?"

The giants shook their heads.

"No," one said adamantly. "If we're seen by anyone, they'll think we had a part in this."

Another giant tugged his sleeve, gesturing to the building. "Go and tell them we need to get out of here before anyone does notice us."

No amount of convincing was necessary before the giant hurriedly jumped off the carriage and went inside.

"We're not trying to get you in trouble," Katara assured them. "We just wanted to see what you thought of the kingdom. It's all new to us."

"The kingdom is great. You'll love it here," a giant said, leaning forward as though this would somehow make the friend exit sooner with the others.

Katara turned to the rest of her team. "I don't think this is going to work."

"Not at all," Toph remarked, sighing. "They're basically panicking. Let's keep searching."

Discouraged, the friends went back into the ground and continued their hunt. It was more difficult than they had anticipated. The reaction they had just witnessed was not a fluke. Everyone was that way. As soon as they saw the friends, they ran like the Gaang consisted of monsters. It seemed like no one would be willing to help. The team was beginning to feel worse and like they would need to return without any success to show for their travels. Zuko let out a groan.

"There's seriously not one noble who's willing to turn on them? I don't believe it."

"The ground doesn't lie," Toph said. "Everyone's been terrified. They were shaking so much, I'm surprised the rest of you didn't feel it too."

"That, I believe, but I meant that we've got to be missing something. There might be places where the rebels all gather."

"It could be like the Freedom Fighters," Sokka mentioned. "They were in the forest where no one would really look for them, so they could plan and not get found."

Toph looked doubtful. "I don't feel a place like that. It's just buildings or open space that's surrounded by more buildings. There aren't forests with a bunch of giants in them. I doubt they're in the mountains either."

"Maybe one of the buildings then," Suki offered.

The earthbender shrugged. "I'm fine trying. Anything to keep this from being a waste of time."

She and the others kept traveling. The rest of the team kept wishing that they could go above ground more often to see, but they relied on their friend. Toph knew exactly what was happening on the surface, and gradually, it became strange. She felt only a few people in one building, but they were stomping a lot. The girl could not tell if they were angry or just passionate. As Team Avatar got closer, she noticed the same voices she had heard in their last time traveling through the tunnel.

"It's that yelling again," she said. "They're the people from before."

"Could they be our rebels?" Katara asked.

"Maybe. There's only an abandoned building next to it. Most of the giants probably don't come around here. I haven't sensed anyone else in this area."

"Then let's see if they'd be willing to talk with us."

Toph started to open the ground, then stopped with a frown on her face. "Something's wrong. There's someone running up to the building."

Muffled sounds could be heard from beneath the earth, then the tunnel shook slightly as more people ran out.

"I wonder what they found out," Sokka said, confused.

"No clue, but now we know at least where to go," Aang said, feeling hopeful. "If we won't be able to speak with them right now, let's head back before anyone notices we're gone."

Sighing slightly, the group started to walk back towards the cursed castle. They were completely oblivious to the reason for the giants' panic. Unbeknownst to them, earlier that day, Alexei and his fellow farmers were tending to the crops. He was pulling up and adding carrots to a wheelbarrow with a couple hundred other ones like them. It was tiring work. The man's back almost always hurt, and he had nearly passed out from all his time spent in the sun on some of the summer days. Regardless, this did not mean that he could stop. The market needed the crops. More precisely, the royals wanted fresh food, and that was only obtained through people like him. It was no great honor, but this was a fact. Alexei looked over to his right, seeing a friend of his sitting down. This was the third time the other farmer was not on his feet.

"If someone sees you, it won't end well," the sandbender warned.

The other man frowned. "No one will see me. I could stand right in front of the king and queen and they wouldn't see me."

"That's dangerous talk. Just get up and help me harvest the cabbages next."

"I'm tired, Alexei."

"I am too. It doesn't change the amount of work we have."

The working farmer did not stop yanking the carrots. He only had a few more, so he kept slinging them into the wheelbarrow.

"You make it harder for yourself when you sit," he stated. "Your legs think they can relax, but they can't. Why lie to your own body?"

"I'd lie to whoever or whatever if it meant I got a day's break from all this." The man paused, frowning with more confusion than irritation now. "Doesn't this bother you?"

"It does. I just like to be realistic. If I can't control something, why worry about it?"

This caused a scoff to escape the other farmer. "That's where you're wrong. We can always control things in our lives. You just have to find out how."

Slowly, he rose to his feet and approached his friend. He reached into a pocket, pulling out a necklace made of silver. Alexei stumbled back, eyes wide, when he saw this. He glanced around fearfully.

"What are you doing with that?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

"I stole it off one of the store owners," the man answered proudly. "I told you that no one sees us. Went with my wife to meet one of the buyers at the market and the lady never even noticed me taking it."

Alexei's heart pounded and he kept stepping away. "Give that back."

"That's crazy talk, man. I can't give it back. She'll know I stole it."

"Which you shouldn't have done!"

"Maybe not, but now, I'll have something nice for my wife's birthday. I never would've been able to afford this. Never would've even been around something this nice."

"She won't want stolen goods. It'll get you both killed."

"Not if we don't get caught."

"What makes you think you won't?"

"No one sees us! How many times do I have to tell you this?"

Alexei shook his head. "You're wrong. They see us when something's wrong, and there's something wrong now. That necklace will be missed, and as soon as it is, the owner will think of the last peasants she was around."

A long moment passed with the other farmer becoming quiet. "Sh-she probably sees a lot of other ones."

"What's stopping her from having all of your homes searched?"

Now, the man was becoming pale like Alexei. "It's just one necklace. No one was hurt. She probably has better ones back home."

"It doesn't matter. They'll take any excuse to make examples of us. Nothing's worth that."

The other farmer bit his hand anxiously. He began to pace back and forth, muttering to himself. When he looked back up at Alexei, his eyes were full of fear.

"I wasn't thinking. I just…I'm so tired of doing all this for nothing. What should I do? I can't let my wife get killed because of this. Even if she doesn't die, I'm the one who brings the crops for her to sell. She'd have to take both roles to provide for herself and our son."

Alexei had a troubled expression on his face. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't know at all. Just…just get that away from here. Go. I'll take care of the cabbages until you get back."

Nodding nervously, the other farmer ran off with the necklace. Alexei struggled to focus as he returned to the crops. He kept seeing that necklace. It really was beautiful, sparkling in the sun like a priceless treasure. Levka would probably look stunning in something like…no, those were the same dangerous thoughts which no doubt plagued his friend. His family would accept what they had. Everything that they needed, they could make for themselves. Such trinkets were frivolous. The thoughts were so invasive that Alexei barely noticed that he was not joined for the remainder of the day. He grabbed the bars of the wheelbarrow and began hauling it back home. Since his friend had not returned, he decided that he would bring it to him first. This way, they could split the crops as usual. Alexei's eyes widened when arriving. The home was nothing more than burnt debris. The farmer's wife was holding their young son protectively as they crouched outside. Alexei looked around, a pit forming in his stomach.

"What happened?" he asked.

The woman tearfully looked at him. "They took him. Someone accused merchants of stealing and they came here. He's gone. Th-they're going to…"

She stopped talking as the child let out a harder cry. The mother held him closer. Alexei looked out towards the kingdom. Glancing down, he saw trails in the ground. Some spots were scuffed. It looked like there had been a struggle.

"Did you know?" the wife asked, eyes low.

Alexei was quiet for a moment, then he pushed the wheelbarrow towards her. "Take these. We'll keep our share of half and half. That won't change."

He turned and began walking home…or at least that was what he had planned to do. Alexei was actually walking towards the sandy shore. His feet sank in the grains and he felt the urge to manipulate them. With his bending, they could become weapons. With his help, he might have been able to defend his friend. Yet with his family, that did not seem worth the risk. He truly began walking back this time. Word had traveled of this. It was outrageous. A lowly commoner had tried to steal from someone of high standing. He had even dared to be successful. How disgraceful. Most of the town was in an uproar. The farmer was dragged through it until the guards reached the castle. He wore metal chains around his ankles and wrists, but he still was fighting. He fought more with every step because he knew who he was getting closer to.

"We have apprehended the criminal," one guard said, speaking to a comrade.

"I will announce you," came the response.

The second guard entered the throne room, bowing deeply.

"Your Majesties, the criminal has been arrested."

"Good," Vadim stated. "Bring him here."

Quickly, the guard went to retrieve the others and they went inside. The farmer was thrown in front of the royals, falling to his face without having the ability to use his hands to keep him upright. The guards forced him to his knees.

"You had the gall to steal from one of our nobles?" Tatia inquired.

The man shakily averted his gaze from her eyes directly. "I am sorry, Your Highness. I merely–"

"There's no need to explain yourself," Vadim interrupted. "Nothing you say will undo what you did, so why say it at all? Clearly, we've been too kind to you peasants."

"Far too kind," Tatia echoed. "We allow you to harvest our crops and remain out of our military, but this is how you show your gratitude? I think that we should remind you all what happens when our love is taken for granted."

Vadim smiled sinisterly. "I agree. You'll be–"

He stopped when the doors to the throne room opened again. Immediately, he scowled and sighed.

"Who called you here?"

"No one, Your Majesty," Yeva stated, bowing. "I heard of the crime and wished to speak with you before the sentencing." He paused, hesitantly looking up. "It seems like I am not too late."

"Unfortunately, you're not," Tatia said. "I suppose now you're going to plead for his life like some beggar."

Yeva stood up looking at the man, then gestured his way. "May I address him?"

Bored, Vadim put his chin in his hand. "Why not? Our time's already being wasted. Might as well continue."

Bowing again slightly, the prince went over to the farmer. The prisoner was still shaking, but the warmth in Yeva's eyes was a comforting sight.

"What did you steal?"

"A necklace, my prince."

"Why? There is no way for you to sell it to others for money, is there?"

"No, there isn't, but…I wanted to give my wife something nice and never have before." The man's face flushed with embarrassment. "I know it's shameful, but it's the truth."

Yeva's brows furrowed, then he faced the king and queen. "I am not condoning his actions," he began, "but this does not seem to be a crime punishable by death." He gestured to the castle. "It is only natural to appreciate beauty. To a certain degree, I think we all enjoy having nice belongings. The merchants and farmers have none. They only have what they make and grow, and barely even that, because of giving them to the store owners."

"It sounds a lot like you are condoning his actions," Tatia criticized.

"I don't think the answer is thievery," Yeva clarified. "Maybe there could be ways for the villagers to earn a living as well."

This idea caused rage to flare in the rulers' eyes.

"You expect us to have the nobles pay these miscreants?" Vadim questioned.

"They're not miscreants. They're desperate. For this man, he could be sentenced to several months in our dungeon, then released. For the others and him afterwards, the store owners could pay low prices for the items. They would still make more by selling them in their establishments, but the villagers would have something. That could be a fine start and prevent this from happening again with someone else."

"What could prevent this is killing him," Vadim stated. "No one else would want to do what the dead man did."

"Death does not have to be the answer."

"It is in this case."

Yeva was quiet shortly, then his eyes turned cold. "Then can he still have several months in the dungeon first? Three could do well. Death is more merciful. He will not be punished if he is immediately executed. Rotting away in the cell, he will have time to think about his fate."

The farmer was ashen and tears filled his eyes.

"My prince," he said, heartbroken.

A small smile grew over the rulers' faces.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you've finally started to sound like our son," Vadim commented, laughing. "Forcing him to rot in a cell to think about his death…that's harsh, Yeva. I like it."

Tatia gestured to the guards. "Our sentence is that he will be taken to the dungeon until we decide to end his suffering through execution."

Grabbing the man's arms, the guards dragged him out of the throne room and below the palace to the dungeon. Tatia gestured for Yeva to approach. She patted the side of his face.

"You almost had your father's snarl when you said that," she commented.

The queen's thumb went to his chin as she began holding his face tighter. Her nails threatened to dig into his skin.

"This wouldn't happen to be a ploy of yours, would it?"

Speaking evenly, the prince answered, "I'm smart enough to know that I'm too foolish for something like that. I'd fail and have a punishment far worse than the farmer's. I wouldn't risk my safety like that."

Tatia glared into his eyes. The young man was unflinching. She released her grip and gestured towards the door.

"Good. Stay that way. You might be king one day if this continues."

Vadim gave an unhinged smile. "Before then, I'll have much to teach you about the art of execution."

Yeva bowed. "I'd be honored to learn all you have to teach me."

When he raised back up, he exited the throne room. Team Avatar had arrived near the end of the conversation and heard the giants. The sounds of the begging farmer made their insides rumble.

"Did Yeva just…join them?" Suki asked.

Aang frowned in thought. "I can't believe that."

"Don't," Toph stated, certain. "I feel a lot of vibrations from everyone running around, but there's one thing I still can detect really easily: anxious heart beats…and they're not just from the farmer."

Her friends regarded her in shock at this information. They were unsure what to do, but they hoped that she was right. They had too few allies in this world to lose one. The Gaang's plight was well understood in the tiny lands as well. People there also needed more allies. Their teamwork allowed Azula's statue to be built within an amount of time deemed reasonable by the giant. Still, everyone was nervous. This was dangerous. If she discovered what their true motives for building this were, they doubted any of them would survive. With the carving done, the group nervously regarded the statue.

"I'll tell her it's finished," Durnaz volunteered. "It was my idea in the first place. If she hates it, I'll take responsibility."

A frown crossed Ebrah's face. This matched the one on Buraid.

"No, we're not letting you do that," the queen stated. "We're a family. We will go together."

Inaya eagerly nodded and Tipah approached the group, hearing the mother.

"We're part of this as much as you are," he reminded her. "I'll join you."

He glanced at Sabit and Megat. They seemed hesitant, but after taking a deep breath, the president went over to the others.

"Tipah's right. This is something we all decided to do. Whether it fails or succeeds will be up to us. It's not right to send you in alone."

Sabit somewhat reluctantly walked over as well, and the team started going towards the palace. Already knowing their reason for being there, the guards moved aside to allow an entrance. In the throne room, several chefs were preparing so much meat that the tiny people worried there would be no animals left in their lands. Azula was suspiciously watching the cooks. Her gaze moved to the newcomers.

"Is it completed?" she asked.

"It is," Durnaz assured her. "We wanted to alert you of this so that you could see for yourself."

Azula remained seated for a moment. Her eyes trailed back down to the chefs. They had just finished and were bowing near the meal. The giant princess pointed towards the table.

"One of you will try this first in case it's poisoned."

"I swear that we did not taint any of the food, Your Highness," a cook insisted.

The firebender's eyes were still cold and untrusting. "Well, I wouldn't necessarily expect a assassination attempt to begin with a warning." She looked at Inaya. "You, try a piece of meat. With the amount of poison you'd need to kill me, it would kill you immediately. So, I'll get my answer quickly."

Bowing, the waterbender moved forward and selected a small piece of meat. She looked at it for a moment, hoping that the cooks had been telling the truth. Slowly, she took a bite. When she did not feel strange, she bowed again.

"I believe that it is safe, Your Majesty."

Azula narrowed her eyes at Inaya, then flicked her wrist. "I suppose that you aren't all overly foolish. I'll eat this after I see the statue. You should hope that you captured my beauty properly."

The giant stood up from the throne and strode out of the palace. Running was necessary for the tiny people to come close to keeping up with her. They stopped a little after she did. Azula was looking at the statue skeptically. It was life-sized. It could have been her twin if not for the fact that it was inanimate. The tiny people truly missed nothing. This could have made the princess happy, but she was reminded of her father's statue. If he had just let her rule with him, events could have gone so differently. Why was it that he wanted to do it alone? Being fire lord was an honor, but it would have meant so much more to do that with him. Even after they had created the perfect world, he wanted to be separate–of higher status. These unpleasant emotions filled Azula and she turned around.

"It does look like me," she conceded. "You're fortunate that it does. I would have killed you if you had tried to pass off a hideous creation as being my statue." She started to walk back to the castle, then paused. "It seems like food resources are limited here. Fix that. Naturally, come to me to receive permission before you begin any sort of plan. This is just a problem that needs to be resolved immediately. I won't starve in my own kingdom. Ration out what all of you will eat if that's necessary. One meal a day will be enough for each of you unless that would cause supplies to decrease too quickly."

Azula continued walking, returning to her palace. Even in the short moment before she was reminded of her past, the statue did not bring her much joy. She wondered why that was. The princess was certain that she would spend the evening pondering this. While she did, the others relaxed.

"We did it," Buraid said quietly.

"Now, we just need this to work," Sabit said. "Let's bring the people here."

In agreement, the group split up, helping citizens and subjects with physical struggles get to the statue. They were safe from the giant's gaze, since Azula had no desire to look at the statue anymore that day. This allowed safe passage from the lands to the center and into the hollow area. The hidden people bowed gratefully.

"Thank you all," they said.

Even though it was small, it brought a smile to the group's faces. They needed to feel like there was something left to do which could keep their people safe despite everything they faced. They needed to know that hope was not completely lost. Despite this, not all matters were resolved, and teams could not be strong when their members lacked trust. Megat's smile faded as he started to frown. He had not been able to shake off the feeling of guilt. When he and the others closed the sides of the statue, hiding the people in the stone that was Azula's boot, he turned to the royal family. The man bowed his head.

"I never apologized for trying to poison you, but I am deeply sorry," he said.

Sincerity was evident in his voice. It surprised the family, but he was not done.

"We had a truce and I opposed that. I didn't even have the decency to declare war again. The true snake that day was not the viper, but myself. An honorable leader would not have behaved in such a way. I know this apology changes nothing that I did, but I hope it lets you know that I will not repeat those actions or do anything similar."

Megat felt a hand on his shoulder and he glanced up. Durnaz had an understanding smile on her face.

"I forgive you. We were all scared. We have been for years. It's hard to be your best self when you're desperate and running out of ideas. There's nothing we can do about that, but we can work together now."

Ebrah breathed in slowly before nodding. "I agree. Throughout this war, we have all no doubt done something we regret. We were blinded by our unwarranted hatred. Since we know the truth about the missing people, we can change the relations between our islands."

Megat wore an appreciative smile. "This means more to me than you know."

Ebrah smiled slightly as well, then subtly glanced at Buraid. He was staring at the statue. His expression was unreadable.

"I'm sorry too," he said, surprising the others. "I'm the one who was behind this war starting in the first place. Maybe we would have found the real reason we lost people if we hadn't been battling so much." The prince turned and faced Megat. "I won't lie and say that I've moved on from what you did, but I know I've hurt countless citizens from Xei in the name of protecting Rhijaj. We could argue or cry about the past all day. Neither is going to help us right now. What we need is to stop the giant, and that can only be done with us working as a team. If you're willing to move forward, I am too."

He extended his hand to the man. Megat shook it, a determined look in his eyes.

"We'll always protect our lands," he said. "No matter what we're up against."