The prince of Krozhny stood in his room with a troubled frown. It had been a difficult evening. Yeva had managed to slip into the village long enough to see the carnage that was occurring there. He angrily watched the soldiers collect specialty benders for the king and queen. The small bit of comfort was that not many specialty benders lived beyond the borders of the town. Regardless, even if not many of them were in the village, Yeva cared for them all. Seeing anyone be dragged away and forced to fight in the kingdom's military broke his heart, but he could not let himself be defeated. Doubt was insidious. It would creep into his mind and lay in wait for when it could use him as a vessel to discourage the others. If given the chance, it would turn Yeva into a puppet just as the queen would during the full moon. The prince would not give it that chance. Therefore, the following day, the rebels held a meeting. After more performances, Team Avatar was able to go into the village as well. They made their way to the abandoned building. The friends were not entirely sure what Yeva would say to ease the worries of everyone, but they wanted to show their support. Happy smiles appeared on their faces as they noticed two new members of the meeting. Alexei and Masha had attended. The child grinned happily when she spotted the team. She ran over to them in excitement.

"We're rebels now!" she exclaimed eagerly.

"I hope you won't say that when you're around anyone else," Suki stated, chuckling at her excitement.

The younger girl shook her head. "Nope. I know it's a secret. No one will ever find out…" She paused to grin wider. "At least not until we've already taken back Krozhny."

"That's what I like to hear," Toph said, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

Masha gestured around. "We showed up last night for our first meeting. It was fun."

She smiled up at her father when he approached the group.

"It really was nice," he admitted. "We should have been attending these long ago."

"At least you're doing it now," Katara commented comfortingly.

The waterbender wished she could encourage everyone there. It was almost impossible to ignore the feeling of tension in the building. It seemed to hang thick in the air. The friends turned to the sound of Yeva entering. He did not go straight for the center of the room. Instead, he stood near the door. The prince pointed at it.

"They think they can control every part of the kingdom," he said. "They think they can break us by taking more of the people we care about and throwing them into the military, but they're wrong. This won't make us snap. This will make us stronger because now more than ever, we have someone to fight for."

Alexei's expression showed determination, and Masha's did the same.

"This kind of behavior happens when people believe that no one can do anything to stop them—that they're on top of the world, peering down at everyone else. No one's that powerful. They can think they're as high up as they'd like, but it'll only cause a greater fall." So much fire was in the prince's eyes that Zuko might have confused him for a bender. "They've sabotaged themselves. Soldiers need training. When the new recruits get that, it won't be used for the royals; it'll be used against them. The king and queen will have directly helped take themselves down."

This thought gave the group a feeling of hope, and they began to smile. Even the worst situations could be improved if they chose to view obstacles as opportunities. It was this type of thinking that the soldiers needed as well. Ever since being brought together, they had undergone their training. It was long, tiring, and painful. Their trainers were harsh, always ready to remind someone of their place. They did not quell the anger in Levka. She listened to what they instructed for the training, but she did not fear any of them and knew that she would not fight for the royals. One of the older recruits collapsed after having to run a twentieth lap around the training area. Levka stopped to help him up.

"What do you think you're doing?" a soldier questioned.

"Using teamwork," she retorted. "Isn't that what we'll need?"

"You don't need teamwork to fight on the front lines. His and Her Majesties are just being nice by giving you this training so that you can think you're important. You'll be dead as soon as the battle begins. I wouldn't suggest you start making friends here."

Ignoring the soldier, Levka continued to help her fellow recruit stand. This angered the trainer.

"Let him fall back to the ground or you'll finish the lap for him."

"I could use the additional exercise."

Angered, the seasoned soldier prepared a water whip. She lashed out at Levka, but the metalbender blocked the attack.

"Insubordination," the waterbender hissed. "This is why peasants like you aren't fit to be in our ranks."

Levka glared at her, not even backing down when more soldiers appeared. One of them looked smug all of a sudden.

"That spirit won't be so strong when you realize that you're never seeing your family again."

Hearing his words, Levka's glare momentarily faltered. She had not thought of that. It had all happened so quickly, but it made sense that she was not supposed to see her family again. She would be trained with the others until it was time to go into battle. Then she would not be expected to survive. If the mother somehow did, she would just be required to fight again. No matter what happened, Levka was never supposed to be reunited with her husband and child.

"See?" the soldier asked, turning to his comrade. "She doesn't look so bold anymore. Just wait it out. She might be audacious for now, but the grief will wear her down. Soon enough, she'll just do as we say."

The soldiers remained cruel throughout the rest of the training. It was not going to end any time soon. If it were up to the troops, the new recruits probably would have been worked to death to put an end to this mockery of their military before anything truly began. Everyone seemed to be busy. Even Naum had to check on the matters around the palace. The new military branch had caused a stir, worrying the servants who wondered if they would also be forced to become fighters if the royals decided this pleased them one day. When the jester got a chance to stop, he returned to his chambers. He needed to speak with Azula. The little princess was still in the room where he left her. Naum had a small piece of meat that he brought with him. He set the plate on the table near her.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Chicken."

Azula eyed him suspiciously. "What else?"

"Just that."

These worlds would never cease to bewilder her. Azula was unsure if the man wanted to poison her or not, but there were few other methods to get food as long as she stayed in that room. She hardly even had ways to leave without being face-to-face with another giant who might not think her life had value. So, she started eating the food.

"Have you heard the servants complaining?" Naum asked.

"It's difficult not to. They won't stop." Azula set down the food and looked at him. "Of course, this could be a good thing for us. When people are scared, they're easily controlled."

The jester lifted an eyebrow curiously. "But the royals aren't scared."

"No, but the subjects are. They're the ones you want to lead, aren't they?"

Naum was silent and Azula's brows furrowed at him. Since he was not saying anything, she continued.

"We could convince them to start a coup and kill the royals, then the kingdom would be in chaos. The subjects would need someone to lead them. They'd still be afraid of what would happen without anyone enforcing rules. People need structure, and we'd be the ones providing that."

Naum was still quiet. It was beginning to annoy Azula.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" she asked.

"Because I hadn't thought of killing the royals."

"You're not above killing."

"I'm not, but it's one thing to kill small strangers who show up." Naum lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. "It's another to kill the king and queen of a kingdom. I wouldn't even know what to do when they were gone."

"But you want them gone, don't you? You want to lead the others."

"I honestly hadn't thought of leading them at all."

"Then what's the point of your plan?"

"To stay alive. I want to keep my position."

Azula regarded the man in disgust. "Is that all you want?"

"That's enough."

"Well, it's not enough for me," the firebender snapped.

She took a breath, forcing herself to calm down. Naum was going to ruin everything. As much as the princess hated to admit it even to herself, she needed him. She doubted anyone would follow her on her own like this. Azula would have to rely on the jester. She had hoped that giving him promises of power would sway him to be loyal to her, then she could control his actions. She would still lead—just through him. He could be her figurehead. Yet, Naum seemed to have no interest in this. It infuriated Azula. They had a perfect opportunity that he was going to waste at this rate.

"You'll have more than your job if they're dead."

"I would, but I don't know how to lead that many people. I just take care of the palace."

"I know how to do it."

Naum regarded her incredulously. "I don't think you'd be able to lead the people of Krozhny."

"Not alone," Azula reluctantly admitted, "which is why we should work together. We'd both benefit from this. You wouldn't have to fear what the rulers would do to you."

"And what would you get?"

"Security. I could live here safely if you were in charge."

Naum doubted that was all she wanted. He recognized the conniving twinkle in her eyes, but it had been a long day. The man was in no mood to bring this up. Maybe another time.

"I want to meet them," Azula suddenly said.

Naum's brow rose. "Who?"

"The king and queen."

"No, you don't."

"I do. Tomorrow, bring me to them."

"What's the point in that? If they don't like you, they could have you killed. And if they find out I didn't introduce you immediately, they could have me killed."

"You can't have a proper battle without knowing your enemy. They'll underestimate me, but I want to see who they are. They won't find out anything I don't want them to know."

Naum frowned in concern. "What's my guarantee that you won't say something to put me in danger?"

"I still need them to die. It would be easier to accomplish that with someone working in the palace who can reach more individuals. Killing you would remove that chance for me."

Naum was not entirely sure, but he supposed it was worth a try. Maybe Azula could learn something about the royals that helped her plans. If she did, then he would not have to be worried about getting executed. He could be the one ordering executions.

"Tomorrow," Naum said, "before the first play that the other tiny people put on, I'll take you to meet them. Don't be surprised if they don't respond the way you expect."

Azula smiled deviously. "Don't worry, Naum, I know how to get what I want from people."

The duo remained there as the plays were just finishing in the throne room. Vadim and Tatia watched Aang pretend to slay the vicious beast—Zuko, dressed in a fuzzy costume. The king clapped his hands when the heroic job was done.

"Great. This is what we'll be doing to our enemies soon!" he declared.

Instantly, the friends tensed.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked.

"A kingdom that never grows is stagnant," Tatia stated. "We won't let ours get that way."

She and Vadim looked at one another. Slowly, their eyes widened in realization.

"Do you think we could…" the queen started to say.

"It does seem possible."

"I didn't even think of it until now."

"Me neither, but this will be perfect."

"It's like destiny."

"It must be!"

Confused, the friends waited in hopes of the couple elaborating, but they never did.

"What are you talking about?" Sokka asked.

He nearly expected to be ignored, but the realization put the royals in a good mood. They turned to him with smiles so bright that they might have looked pleasant if the reason was not so malicious. Vadim eagerly answered his question.

"We're going to expand even sooner than we expected."

"What?!" the friends asked, horrified.

"There's no point in delaying much longer now," Tatia commented. "The main reason would have been to ensure that we could invade while keeping our strongest generals alive so that they could fight the next battle. With the peasants fighting on the front lines, danger really isn't a concern anymore."

"They don't even need to have that much training," the king said. "They just need to be decoys. Even imbeciles can accomplish a task that simple."

"B-but you can't do that," Katara protested.

Her voice had been too low for the rulers to hear. She frowned, starting to speak up, but her friends stopped her. Katara knew the others were right. Even with Vadim and Tatia seeming happy, challenging their authority would immediately dampen their moods. The waterbender hated it, but she knew that there was nothing she could say to change their minds anyway. It was disturbing to watch their eyes light up with the thought of the war.

"If this goes well, maybe we'll even put more peasants in the military," Tatia suggested. "It wouldn't matter if they were specialty benders or not."

"I was thinking that too!"

"I wonder how hard they'll cry if we give them that news."

"Only one way to find out."

This caused them both to laugh, completely oblivious to the ill feeling in the small friends. When the royals finally noticed them again, they dismissed the group.

"We have planning to do," Vadim said. "Go away until we call for you again."

The team wasted little time in leaving. Once they got to their room, Aang looked at the hole in the wall.

"We have to warn Masha and Alexei," he stated. "They need to know what might happen."

Aang began opening up the hole more for the others to leave through. Suki went forward with him, but he noticed a hesitation in Katara's steps.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she murmured. "I think I'm just going to stay behind this time."

The Avatar was going to say more, but he shared a glance with Sokka.

"I think I'll stay too," the other boy commented.

Nodding, Aang started going through the tunnel with Suki. Before Toph and Zuko could go, the firebender paused. He turned to his friend.

"Do you know if Naum is in his room right now?" he asked.

"No, he's out in the halls."

"Then could you take me to the servants' quarters?"

Toph paused momentarily, then shrugged. She started lowering a portion of the ground directly beneath them. Once everyone was gone, Sokka turned to his sister.

"Okay, besides 'nothing,' what's wrong?"

Katara unhappily looked up at him. "I'm the one who suggested that the villagers get turned into soldiers."

"Yeah, to keep them alive."

"But it's not going to keep them alive if Vadim and Tatia put them into a battle right now. I wanted to help them, Sokka. Now, I might have just put them in more danger." Katara's eyes filled with tears. "If the other villagers are also put into the war, what's to stop the royals from putting kids into battles too? Masha and Alexei might lose Levka or be forced to join her. I could have just gotten their entire family killed!"

Sokka put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Katara, you didn't. We don't know when this invasion is supposed to happen, but we know that Levka was about to get killed. You saved her life." He offered a hopeful smile. "Besides, think of what Yeva said. The villagers are being trained to defend themselves. It's pretty hilarious that Vadim and Tatia are basically helping us now. We'll have more fighters on our side because of you and them. That's a pretty good thing if you ask me."

Katara smiled softly, wiping her eyes. "Since when did you start getting so positive?"

"After you help save the world, your outlook on life changes," Sokka said, chuckling.

His sister gave him a hug, feeling better already. While the siblings were there, Toph and Zuko had dropped down to the lower level of the palace. Once they had, the earthbender crossed her arms.

"This is about the lightning princess, isn't it?"

Zuko knew it would be pointless to try to lie. He let out a soft sigh.

"Yeah, it is. I want to know if she's really working with Naum or not."

"He was in his room earlier with her. Since he hasn't squished her yet, they might be on good terms."

Either outcome troubled Zuko. His face was covered in a frown.

"You don't have to go in there with me," he stated. "I just wanted to talk with her one more time, without everyone else there."

"I can give you some time to talk alone. If there's a problem, I'll feel it anyway." Toph pointed to the hallway. "But you better hurry. Naum's going to be coming back soon now that it's night."

"It won't take me long," Zuko assured her.

Speedily, the firebender went over to the room. When he reached the door, he knocked. Zuko did not hear a response. He looked back at Toph.

"She's in here, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she's just being stubborn."

Zuko frowned at the door. "I know you're there. I'm coming in."

He pushed the door enough for him to enter. Zuko was ready for the smug look and fire that would be sent his way. To his surprise, neither were. He saw Azula sitting on the ground. Quietly, he heard her speaking, but he could barely make out the words.

"Azula?" he called, almost concerned.

She did not respond. A low chuckle escaped the other firebender as she continued to mutter. Her voice was finally loud enough for Zuko to hear.

"He doesn't even want it," she said.

"Who doesn't want what?"

Azula kept going, like she did not hear him. "He could have it all and doesn't want it. I'll make him, then I'll have it all."

She chuckled more until it was a full laugh. The sound was unhinged. Worried, Zuko nudged her. This seemed to snap the princess out of her state. She turned to him, but the gaze in her eyes was different. It was not quite the cool, calculating expression he was used to seeing or even the deranged twinkle he saw during their Agni Kai. It was some mixture of uncertainty and irritation for having been interrupted.

"Why are you here?" she questioned.

"I wanted to talk to you about Naum…is he the one who doesn't want something?"

Azula glared at him, gaze becoming more familiar to Zuko. He was not sure if she was going to say anything else to him.

"What was just going on?" he inquired, still wanting to try. "It was like you weren't really here for a moment."

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"We're enemies."

She said it so smoothly and naturally. It almost stung.

"Look, I know that Naum doesn't like to be outshone. We already warned you, but I was hoping you'd listen if you didn't feel like we were all trying to force you to do something."

"You can't force me to do anything."

"I didn't come here to start an argument."

"No, you just came here to see if I cared what you had to say. I don't."

Zuko frowned at her. "I'm trying to help."

"Like you did before?"

"What are you talking about?"

Azula turned away from him in anger.

"Azula, we have to work together if we want to get back home."

"Why would I want that? What's waiting for me besides that asylum?"

Zuko hesitated. He was not sure what their home had to offer her.

"Have you ever actually gone there?"

"What?"

"The asylum. Have you spent a night there?" Azula questioned, spinning to look him right in the eyes. "Have you tried the slop they pass off as food or been stuck in a room with nothing but your anger to keep you occupied?"

Zuko stammered with his answer. Azula did not give him time.

"You haven't. You have no idea what it's like being stuck there, everyone thinking you've gone insane. It's a dishonor for a princess or anyone else to be kept like that—kept on display to laugh at."

Azula's glare became deadly. Zuko was sure that if she had better options, she would have attacked him.

"I won't go back to that world just to become your prisoner again. This will be my new home and it's going to be a perfect one. Now," she said, pointing to the door, "get out."

Zuko regarded her, dumbfounded. He glanced at the door, then her again. The fire lord started walking to it, but he stopped before he could exit.

"I never thought about the conditions of the asylum," he admitted. "That's not what I wanted. I…I thought it would be somewhere you couldn't hurt anyone and couldn't get hurt."

"You wouldn't care if they tortured me while I was there."

"I would."

"Why?"

"Because despite everything, you're still my sister. I know things have been terrible between us, but we really can't focus on the past right now. You don't know what the royals are like. They'll kill us all if we even annoy them."

Azula only turned away from him again. Seeing that she would not be receptive to anything else, Zuko left the room. Maybe she would not believe him, but he had been telling the truth. He did not forget that they were family. Zuko did not want the royals or Naum to hurt her. In spite of that, he was not surprised that she had been angry. He just hoped that she would join Team Avatar before it was too late.