When Ivan, Azula, and her friends arrived at the Ruskian camp, they saw Ruskian infantry and cavalry units performing maneuvers as they rode inside. Soon after, the young Grand Duke stopped as he arrived at the Zlachny Life Guard Headquarters and dismounted. "Ah, here we are," he said before opening the flap and gesturing for the others to enter the tent.

As soon as Azula walked inside, she saw three men seated for tea, each dressed as officers, who, upon seeing her, stood up. "Your Highness, we weren't expecting you," said the man at the head of the table. His face, eyes, and hair appeared similar to General Alexeev's but older, while at the other end sat a man with short, light brown hair and bright blue eyes, with the third having brown eyes and black hair while appearing to be vaguely the same age as Ivan.

"Of course, you weren't. After all, this isn't an official visit," Azula said as she came over and took the seat offered to herself as her friends sat to either side, with Ivan closing the flap and entering.

"Ivan, would you care to introduce us?" the man asked as Ivan nodded and sat across from the Fire Nation Princess.

"Azula, these are my Superiors, Colonel Alexeev and Major Dimitriev," he said, pointing to the officers in question. Her mind went into overdrive processing that he'd called them his superiors. He didn't take orders from them, did he? After all, while she was technically supposed to be subordinate to the 1st Army headquarters, that wasn't exactly true, as she tended to do whatever she believed needed doing, and no one dared to question her.

"Your Highness," the two replied, nodding toward the Princess.

Ivan then cleared his throat and turned to Alexeev. "Я знаю, что обед окончен, но могу ли я получить свою порцию сейчас?" (I know lunch is over, but can I get my portion now?) the Grand Duke asked in Ruskian. "Я бы не прочь поделиться, если понадобится." (I wouldn't mind sharing if you need to.)

The older man shook his head as Azula tried to piece together the conversation. "Иван, в этом нет необходимости. Плова было много, хотя гостей мы не ждали," (Ivan, there is no need for this. There was a lot of pilaf, although we did not expect guests) replied Dimitriev.

However, while they were speaking, the other young man had found his eyes drawn to Mai. "Hello, I am Senior Lieutenant Sergei Antonov. Who might you be?" he asked.

"You're speaking to me?" Mai asked in her typical tone as the man nodded. "I'm Mai."

"Well, it is lovely to meet you," he replied before taking her hand and kissing it while Ty Lee turned from Ivan, Azula, and the other two officers to watch. "Are you a friend of the Princess?"

Mai shrugged. "I guess you could say that," she replied. "You're a friend of Ivan?"

"To be honest, I've not been around him long enough to know," he said as his expression turned thoughtful. "But, save for being the Princess's friend, what are you doing here? Isn't this an active warzone?"

The girl seemed puzzled by something before she shook her head and sighed. "Azula wanted... me and Ty Lee to help hunt down her brother," she replied in a monotone, her face a mask of impassiveness. Yet, if one were to look closely, one could see the slight frown on her lips at the mention of the Prince.

The man raised an eyebrow in response. "She wants to hunt down her brother? Why?" he asked quietly.

Mai was about to answer but suddenly stopped when the other officers began laying food in front of them on porcelain plates. "Now, normally we don't use these, but I doubt you ladies wish to eat out of canteens, hm?" the Colonel asked rhetorically.

Turning from the other man, she looked at her food, seeing a pile of what appeared to be rice, meat, and various other ingredients mixed in. Alongside it was a large, uneven bun on a plate with dark brown crust cut into several slices. "What is this?" she asked as she stared at it in confusion.

"It's pilaf," he answered as Ivan took off his cap and folded his arms. "Великий князь, мы уже помолились. Просто ешь," (Grand Duke, we have already prayed. Just eat) the Lieutenant said as he turned to him.

Ivan nodded before placing his cap back on and beginning to eat. In response, Azula, curious about the food, also took a bite. It wasn't anything special, nor served in a flattering manner, but it certainly smelt good. "Hm, interesting," she chimed before continuing as the other two girls watched her in stunned silence. Neither of them had touched their food, yet here was Azula, who only a little while before looked green after watching the General perish in front of them. Now, not only was she eating, but she seemed to enjoy her food, causing them further confusion. Neither girl could understand her actions, as the Azula they knew was a picky eater. Were the Ruskians that great of a threat that she would pretend to enjoy their food? It was the only thing that made any sense. It wasn't that she was smitten with the youthful Grand Duke. It couldn't be.

"How is it, Your Highness?" asked Dimitriev.

Azula felt puzzled by his question, as she was unused to anyone asking her anything of the sort. Perhaps it was because most of her servants were too frightened to ask such questions. Now that the Princess thought about it, she hadn't conversed with a servant in years, as most would ask her what she wanted, and all she had to do was nod or shake her head. Regardless, she placed down her spoon to answer him. "It's good,

she replied honestly, much to her surprise. Sure, it wasn't what she was used to, but the flavour and texture more than made up for it.

The Major smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, and I'm sure our cook would appreciate the praise," he replied before sipping his tea. "Oh, and where are my manners? Would you and your friends care for tea?" he gestured to the teapot.

Azula pondered for a moment while Mai and Ty Lee nodded. "Yes, please," the girls bid as the man poured each of them a cup and passed it to them before turning to Ivan.

"Хотите чаю, великий князь?" he asked, to which the young man nodded as the girls began to eat.

"Да, пожалуйста," he replied politely as the Major poured him a cup and gave it to him.

"I would also like some tea," Azula finally answered, and Dimitriev gave her a fresh cup.

As she chewed, Ty Lee hummed in enjoyment as Mai nodded before taking another bite. "This is pretty good," the former girl chimed before continuing to eat.

Sergei grinned at Mai's response as he continued sipping his tea. "You like it?" he asked when he put it down.

Mai shrugged once she finished chewing. "It's not the worst thing I've eaten," she replied with a subdued smile before returning to her meal.

"Oh, uh, alright then," the young officer replied, his voice uncertain as he took another sip of tea.

In response, Ty Lee turned toward the man after putting aside her spoon. "Oh, don't worry about her. That means she likes it. Right Mai?" she said as Mai blushed slightly behind her teacup, and Antonov seemed to relax as a relieved smile appeared on his features.

After the teens finished lunch, Alexeev turned to Ivan as he and the others cleaned themselves with the napkins he'd passed around halfway through the meal. "So, Captain, how would you feel about afternoon drills? The men have missed you, and there have been several rumours I'm sure you'd wish to put down," he said with a knowing smirk.

Ivan's eyes widened, and he appeared to choke as he practically threw down his napkin and turned to address the Colonel as he stood up. "My apologies, Sir. I have forgotten my post, and I shall prepare the men," he saluted before turning to Lieutenant Antonov. "Come, Lieutenant, let's go," he said before standing and marching out of the tent with the young Lieutenant following behind him.

"Are we allowed to go too?" Ty Lee asked Azula as the Princess turned to Alexeev. She was also interested, though likely for different reasons than her buoyant friend. After all, she'd never seen Ivan taking command before, and she was intrigued to see how he handled himself in such a formal situation.

"Well, I won't deny your wish to watch our grenadiers, Your Highness," he said as he stood up and twisted his gaze to the Major. "Константин, ты собираешь свой батальон?" (Konstantin, are you assembling your battalion?)

The man stood up and inclined his head. "Да, конечно," (Yes, of course) he replied before taking his hat and following after the other two officers.

"Well, girls, let's see what they are capable of, shall we?" Azula asked as she looked at both girls and stood up. The girls nodded and followed after her as she left.

After fetching the Sergeant Major, Ivan and Sergei rallied their company before heading off toward the outer section of the camp, passing a few dozen onlookers who'd stopped their tasks to watch the Guards march. When they arrived in a place Ivan considered suitable, he commanded the men to order arms as he and the Lieutenant discussed what maneuvers they should perform and for how long. However, as they did, the officers hardly had time to react as the Major marched past them, leading the rest of the 1st Battalion. Upon realizing that this was a battalion-level exercise, the Grand Duke and Lieutenant quickly moved to organize their company and connect it to the rest of the Battalion before falling in themselves as Colonel Alexeev, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee rode before them. At first, Ivan felt his chest well with excitement at the prospect of the Princess watching him. However, when he noticed the smirk on her soft lips as her predatory eyes locked onto his, he couldn't help but feel that this would be anything but a usual exercise. "GENTLEMEN OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS OF THE ZLACHNY GUARDS!" began Alexeev. "TODAY, YOU HAVE THE HONOUR OF PERFORMING BEFORE HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, PRINCESS AZULA OF THE FIRE NATION!"

"URA, URA, URA!" replied the Battalion in unison.

"Major, take it from here!" he commanded as the man saluted before turning to face the men.

"Battalion, shoulder ARMS!" Dimitriev commanded as the men took their rifles and held them at the shoulder. "Right, TURN!" at his order, the men snapped to the right, forming a column. "To the front, quick, MARCH!" the drummers beat the cadence, and the men began to advance. Little did they know what they were in for.

After an hour of performing various maneuvers under Azula's direction, the men grew frustrated with her antics. At first, they found it amusing how she asked the Colonel to translate her orders. But as time passed and her demands increased, they quickly began to resent the assignment. At first, she would ask them to change direction every minute or two, which was simple enough for the veterans of the parade ground. However, as soon as she understood the names of different formations, there was no going back. "Square- Line- Column by platoons- Column by companies!" echoed through the wastes as the Princess's friends couldn't decide whether to laugh at the men or pity them as they chaotically shifted from one formation to another. The Colonel's voice had turned hoarse as Azula continued giving him orders to translate until he stopped.

"Why are you stopping?" she asked as he turned to her with a steely gaze.

"That is quite enough, Your Highness. Besides, I don't need any of my men catching fever," he said before wiping his brow with his glove as the men formed the final formation Alexeev ordered them into. "GENTLEMEN, RETURN TO CAMP!" he tried to yell despite his strained voice, and as ordered, the exhausted Battalion remained in column and began the march back to the encampment.

Azula, seemingly not expecting his reprimand, remained silent before a huff escaped her parched lips. "Oh, very well. I suppose your men deserve a break," she replied as she brushed a bead of sweat from her forehead. "But really, I must thank you, Colonel. It's been so long since I've had good entertainment."

Avgustin, uneasy due to her strange response, merely opted to nod his head. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he stated with a subdued tone. "However, if I ever have the opportunity to conduct a display such as this for you again, I ask you refrain from making my men appear like a flock of headless chickens," he then offered a tired salute before riding after the retreating Life Guards. As he did, he watched the girls discuss something before they turned away and began moving toward Fire Nation lines. What an entitled little brat! He thought as he caught up with the Battalion. If the Grand Duke does marry her, I pray he teaches her some manners!

After the confrontation with the Princess, Vassili showed his charge around the camp to cheer the girl up. Of course, this wasn't the best idea he'd ever had, and it showed, as Tiya still appeared shaken and hardly said a word since the encounter. When lunch came, the General took her into his tent and, while preparing the tea, noticed her eyes glued to a small picture of himself, a woman, three little girls about her age, and one boy. "That's my wife, Ekaterina, and my children, Olga, Mira, Katya, and my son, Alexei," the man said as he poured a cup of tea for them both. "They're back in Ruskia, though my son is in Military School."

Tiya nodded in understanding, curious why the boy wore clothes similar to Vassili's. "Hey, the girls are wearing my dress!"

The man chuckled as he invited Tiya to sit across from him. "Theirs aren't quite the same, though it may be hard to tell," he began before sipping his tea. "Your dress was supposed to be a gift for Olga now that she's grown. But that was before we arrived here."

As Vassili cut open his sausage and bit a chunk off, Tiya couldn't help but be astonished by his kindness. He had gotten this dress for his daughter. Instead, he gave it to her, a plain orphan girl with no prospects save to go into the "business" that she'd seen older women and girls do where they sat on street corners and used strange poses and words to attract attention or continue begging as she had done prior. So consumed was Tiya that she hardly even registered the juicy sausage and bun sitting before her. "T-Then why did you give it to me?" she asked, the words stumbling out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

In response, the General placed down his food and cocked a brow. "Why wouldn't I? My daughter has many dresses, and it is no trouble for me to purchase another," he replied with a shrug. "Besides, I'm certain my girls would want you to have it," he said before returning to his food.

Once again, Tiya found herself at a complete loss. He hadn't asked anything of her save if she wanted to go with him, to which she had inadvertently agreed. He had clothed, fed, and stood up for her when no one else would even bat an eye. She remembered how she felt when she heard the General had surrendered. Little could she imagine receiving such selfless gifts from the man who took her people- Captive? No, that wouldn't be the word she'd use, not for Vassili. But what word should I use? She thought about it for a moment and decided upon her answer. "General Alexeev?"

The man again put down his fork and gave her a confused look. "Yes?"

"Thank you for liberating me," she said with a bright, genuine smile, the first she'd had since the Fire Nation destroyed her village.

The man could feel the shudder run through his body at her simple yet powerful words, and although he tried not to show it, he could feel the water in his eyes. "Y-You're welcome, Tiya," he replied with a smile. "Now, why don't you eat? That dress is a bit big for you, but hopefully, you should grow into it once you return to eating more often."

As several artillerymen watched the previous shift messing around in the water from the top of the Bulwark, one of them couldn't help but shake his head. "I wonder when it will be our turn? We haven't been able to bathe since we came here," the man lamented as one of his fellows placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ah, don't worry, Dimitri, we'll get our turn before-"

"AH-" he and those around them all paused as a titanic serpent leapt from the water like a pillar and swallowed two men who swam further away from the others before turning its head toward the petrified soldiers below.

The two sides stared at each other before the serpent rushed forward. "FIRE!" an officer shouted to the stunned gunners as they returned to their posts while the men below recovered their wits and swam as quickly as they could back toward the shore. Unfortunately, the beast was faster, and it got another man and bit down hard, splitting him in half before swallowing both his legs and torso. As this happened, the Cossacks on the wall opened fire with their carbines. As it began to bleed from its wounds, one of its eyes exploded in a fountain of blood and ooze as it flailed its body, creating small tidal waves which pushed the men in the water onto the bank and dock before it ceased moving altogether. The artillerymen ceased preparing their cannons as the Cossacks began cheering as more men appeared from the fortress to see what the commotion was about.

Once he returned to his tent after the whole affair with Azula, Ivan could swear he heard someone whispering or chanting inside. When he opened the flap, he was shocked to find none other than the man who'd blessed the Fire Nation Princess during their tense negotiations. "Father, what are you doing?" he asked, and the man put down what he was holding before turning to him.

"I am only doing the Lord's work, Grand Duke," the elderly man replied with a nod before he approached the exit but stopped short as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "May your aim be true," he said before leaving.

As Ivan let him pass, he turned to the table to find his revolver on his table rather than in his pack where he'd left it. "What was he doing with my revolver, and what did he mean by that?" he whispered as he cautiously walked up to the table and began inspecting the weapon. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, at least as far as Ivan could tell after checking the mechanisms, barrel, and ammunition. But just as he gave up, he swore something or someone whispered that he would need it very soon.

Upon arriving at the fort, Azula tried to take a nap but found that every time she almost fell asleep, the images of General Chi's corpse would spring upon her like a ghost, so instead, when Mai and Ty Lee asked if she wouldn't mind spending time with them, she agreed, and let the girls in. Ty Lee walked over to the couch and plopped herself down. "What a day, huh? I mean, yeah, I am a little disappointed I didn't see Petr today. But at least we got to meet Ivan's friends, right Mai?" she asked, to which the girl turned away with a slight blush.

"Uh, yeah, whatever," Mai replied as Azula shook her head.

"Did you not hear him? Two of those men were his superiors, not friends," the Princess retorted with a sigh. "And here I was beginning to think we were similar."

Ty Lee, without any warning, rolled off the couch and performed a perfect handstand. "I don't know, Azula. They seemed pretty close, and their auras were bright."

Mai, now recovered from her embarrassment since the conversation had shifted, sighed in feigned annoyance. "And, of course, you had to bring up your stupid auras."

The girl recovered and stood up before crossing her arms. "Hey, auras are a real thing! It shows what someone is feeling or thinking," she explained as she tutted a finger.

"Okay, then what's my aura?" the gloomy teen asked as Azula began pacing, attempting to ignore their meaningless conversation. No, not when she had much more important things to consider. The Fire Nation had lost one of its best Generals, and now she finds out Ivan, despite his royal status, took orders from men who weren't his family. She couldn't wrap her head around it. First, it was the soldier who succumbed to the heat. Then it was his "communion," or whatever he called it, and finally, this. Father had always taught her a Royal was to be feared, respected, and worshiped. Yet Ivan, and even Nikolai to some extent, acted with a softness she found distasteful due to her father's teachings. Yet, she also noticed how-

"Oh my gosh, you have a crush! I'm so happy! I thought you would never get over Zuko!" Ty Lee practically screamed as she ran up and nearly tackled Mai, destroying Azula's train of thought.

"Ugh! No, I don't, get off!" Mai said as she pushed her friend away and crossed her arms defensively.

"Is it the officer you were talking to earlier?" she asked, to which Mai began blushing. "Oh my gosh, it is, isn't it!?"

Before Mai could reply, Azula turned to them with a fiery stare. "Ty Lee, Mai, if this is all you wish to converse about, leave," she told them as she placed a hand on her brow. "Please, I just have much to consider," the other girls stopped and stared at the Princess, confusion written on their faces, but with neither willing to ask what had her so worked up, they complied with her demand and left.

As sunset began to fall over Ba Sing Se's outer ring, an older man with blading hair and a long grey beard slowly crested a small hill, upon which stood a single tree. If one were to see his expression under his straw hat, one would think the basket in his hands was for a loved one, which would be correct, though not for the reason most would think. Yet, with a gentle smile, the man continued up the shallow slope until he reached the summit and knelt on his knees. His hands moved quickly but reverently as he upturned a stone as though to set something upon it. Next, he took a small brown cloth, a draw-string bag, and two fruits, drew out an ink portrait of a handsome man in his early 20s with a topknot held in place by a hairpiece in the form of a three-pronged flame, and placed it under the tree, followed by a tray with sticks of incense, which he tapped with his fingers, causing them to burn. "Happy birthday, my son," the man said as tears formed at the edge of his vision. "I only wish I could have helped you more," he bowed his head and silently prayed. Lu-Ten, if you can hear me, I ask that you and the spirits allow the Avatar to prevail over my brother, that no more fathers have to know what it means to lose a son. Once he finished, he wiped his eyes and began to sing:

"Leaves from the vine,

Falling so slow,

Like fragile, tiny shells,

Drifting in the foam.

Little soldier boy,

Come marching home.

Brave, soldier boy,

Come marching home."

When Iroh finished, his face wet with tears, he wiped his eyes before collecting his basket and beginning the trek toward his new home. Even though this city claimed his son's life, he had never blamed its people but his hubris and his father's and grandfather's ambition. He cared little that he was regarded as a "black prince" for defending the sanctity of the spirits during Zhao's invasion of the Northern Watertribe, even willing to covertly work against his nephew to ensure he never succeeded in capturing the Avatar, but, thankfully, the boy had proved more than capable of that himself. Regardless, with the man Zuko was becoming as a result of his exile, the former General would see his nephew sit on the throne if for no other reason than that the world needed peace, and Zuko was the only one he would trust with it. Yet, as his thoughts turned to the future, he knew only one person aside from his brother who stood in his nephew's way: his niece and Ozai's preferred heir, Princess Azula.

Alright, now we're getting serious. I know I held off on introducing Zuko and Iroh for a while now, but since they're going to be getting involved very soon, I felt this was the best time to do so. Anyway, tune in next time to see the bulk of Team Avatar set out to face their destiny as the Ruskians begin laying the groundwork for the battle, and the rest of their reinforcements start to trickle in.