I'm back! Did I mention that Crossroads of Destiny is around the corner? I actually forgot there's another corner to turn into before we reach that!

"We have been presented with an extraordinary opportunity, girls," Azula commented as she strode into the room, her golden eyes glancing at her two friends who were still occupied at the gold mirrors, removing the white, red and black makeup that they had worn for the day.

"Mai finally gets to wear make-up that's not totally depressing?" Ty Lee chirped, quickly seizing the opportunity to make the atmosphere in the room much brighter.

Said girl let out a mirthless laugh, signifying her displeasure at being the butt of the joke as she continued - and failing impressively - to remove the make-up that she wore for the whole day. Large, dark splotches of lack make-up dripped down Mai's eyes, making the tall girl look like she had just undergone a major breakdown five minutes ago. Not that she would, since emotions are definitely overrated in her book. The same goes for wearing any form of cosmetic that was beyond simple eyeliner, mascara and some lip gloss.

Heck, just putting those three feels like a hassle for the oldest girl on most days.

Azula, not wanting the conversation to veer off-topic any further than it has, maintained a serious tone. "I'm talking about conquering the whole Earth Kingdom." Two heads whirled around, and the Fire Nation Princess noted the identical shocked looks that her two friends wore. Seeing that neither of them would be interrupting her any time soon, she spun around, not bothering to hide the smug smile forming on her lips while walking towards the window to have a clear night view of the cityscape below. "For one hundred years, the Fire Nation has hammered away at Ba Sing Se from the outside. But now we're on the inside, and we can take it by ourselves."

The firebending prodigy was, of course, referring to the successful infiltration into the Earth Kingdom capital that she, Mai and Ty Lee executed. The trio had - as planned by Azula - entered Ba Sing Se, disguised as Kyoshi Warriors. Following the failed invasion attempt with the supposedly 'indestructible' Drill, Princess Azula and her covert team encountered the actual Kyoshi Warriors, who were protecting the Avatar's sky bison. It was easy to take down the group of 'warriors' (more like Avatar's fangirls), but the beast was able to escape after the Kyoshi Warrior with a distinguishable gold headdress chased it away with fire. No doubt trying to keep the Avatar's pet away from captivity. They waited several weeks before approaching the capital once again, this time donning the uniforms of their captives and claiming they wanted to see the Avatar.

It was laughable, really, how easily all these Earth Kingdom officials bought the story that they were the 'Earth King's humble servants'.

But none was more pathetic than Earth King himself. He just possessed so many flaws. Having his pet bear sitting next to the throne and dressing it like Royalty; slouching while sitting on the throne; publicly discussing internal disputes, which displayed incompetence at being a king suitable to lead the largest nation in the world; King Kuei was the antithesis to every single value that the Royal Family of the Fire Nation had ingrained in every member since birth. Azula was certain even when she's done with two long scrolls she would need another five more before she was done listing down the inadequacies of the man.

No, this boy.

His biggest blunder would be his gullible nature. Within just five minutes of meeting the 'esteemed Kyoshi Warriors', he had spilt more secrets pertaining to Ba Sing Se's weakness than any gossipy grandma would dream of listening. He was completely unaware of the Hundred Year War until recently and casually revealed that the Avatar had approached him with plans to invade the Fire Nation. The plan was foolproof, if only a fool playing king had not unwittingly revealed the essential details to three undercover Fire Nations. But perhaps the best information Azula had managed to obtain was when Kuei shared the attempted coup by his supposedly 'most trusted advisor' and the Dai Li.

It is appalling, really, that a head of a country would publicly disclose the many issues his government faced. Not that Azula would look a gift horse in the mouth. No. Fool or not, Kuei had just served the Fire Nation - more specifically, Azula - with an opportunity. An opportunity, as she said, that was extraordinary.

It was rare.

"Gosh, you're so confident," Ty Lee's eyes lit up in astonishment and she clasped her hands together excitedly, unaware of the sigh that Mai released upon seeing that. "I really admire that about you."

"From the inside, we're in perfect position to organize a coup and overthrow the Earth King. The key is the Dai Li. Whoever controls the Dai Li," Azula declared as she soaked up the praise from the chi-blocker, before she spun around to look both girls dead in the eyes as a plan started formulating in the back of her mind, "controls Ba Sing Se."

How often does one of the four nations be brought down internally? And it was to be the one final nation standing in the Fire Nation's path to total glory?

Never, really.

"But that's not the only reason you wanted the Dai Li under your control, isn't it?"

Mai, always the perceptive one. Shining gold eyes darted towards the knife-wielder, meeting bored tawny, a smirk forming on her lips.

Fire Lord Ozai, her father, once said she was born lucky. And Azula was planning on proving that luck is only part of her success. Her strongest point would be her ability to seize the opportunities that arise and taking advantage of them.

Her initial mission: to capture both her treacherous uncle and failure of a brother, could wait. Capturing the Avatar - which has taken priority since crossing paths with the kid - would be completing the very mission that her ancestors had spent nearly a hundred years trying to bring down the legendary figure. Conquering Ba Sing Se would be an added bonus, an achievement that even the most decorated of generals could only dream of fulfilling.

And Princess Azula would finish what her predecessors started. But Mai was right, these two goals weren't the only reasons she intended to seize control of the mythical Dai Li.

No, she has a score to settle.

oOo

The two ladies in identical uniforms bowed in sync as the customer stepped foot into the large and extravagant green. He made his way towards the nearest vacant table and sat there. He allowed himself a few moments to take in the environment. The dining room of the tea shop was spacious, filled with aesthetic brown tables - large enough to seat four people - that were round or square with matching chairs. The area was mostly illuminated by the natural sunlight that flowed in through the windows that were shaped identically to coins, though there rectangular wood and cloth yellow-green lanterns lined on the ceiling also providing their own source of lighting.

There were various intricate yet artistic scroll paintings that were hung on each wall. The shop gave a feeling that the customers were closer to nature with the potted plants that were spread strategically over the shop, nevertheless they were reminded that they were in a tea shop with the decorative kettle and teapots.

But perhaps the most eye-catching decor would be the large framed piece of calligraphy placed right above the entrance, displaying a proverb: "It is better to go for three days without food than one day without tea" which spoke of the heart of the owner of the tea shop.

"Who thought when we came to this city as refugees, that I'd end up owning my own tea shop?" Iroh asked rhetorically as he watched a waiter walk up to the round table closest to the entrance to serve the customer. "Follow your passion, Zuko, and life will reward you."

"Congratulations, Uncle," Zuko commended, drawing a smile from the owner of the newly opened tea shop called 'The Jasmine Dragon'.

"I am very thankful."

"You deserve this. The Jasmine Dragon will be the best shop in the city."

"No," Iroh corrected, much to his nephew's confusion. "I'm thankful because you decided to share this special day with me. It means more than you know."

The teen felt his lips tug slightly upwards at the happy grey-bearded man. Two strong arms wrapped around him, pulling Zuko into a hug. He stiffened like his body was unsure how to respond, though he quickly shook out of it and returned the gesture. Awkwardly.

The embrace was brief, and the young firebender was the first to break away from the hug. His smile was small but filled with warmth mixed with more awkwardness. "Right, I have to make sure our kitchen stays intact on the first day."

Iroh let out a soft chuckle, watching his nephew dash into the worker's room and into the kitchen while apologizing as he almost collided with a waiter carrying a tray of used china tea set for cleaning. Old amber eyes glanced at the lively crowd flooding the Jasmine Dragon. The grand opening couldn't have gone any better. Every table was occupied by customers carrying themselves with regality that was only found in the Upper Ring.

All of them here, just to have good tea.

Quon had outdone himself. When he claimed that he could have everything arranged for the Jasmine Dragon per Moshi's (Iroh) wishes, Iroh thought that it was just an exaggeration. Then, the businessman settled everything for Iroh, and he meant everything. The renovation of the tea shop, which was days ago just an empty building, was completed with swiftness beyond Iroh's imagination. Whatever Iroh had in mind, Quon funded. The finest carpenter in the city was hired to supply the furniture currently used by the customers, and several of the decors were undoubtedly imported. Quon even set out to recruit and train the employees that now work in Iroh's booming tea shop, while also supplying them with the proper uniforms fit for one living in the highest class in the city. Even Iroh was given a nice suit.

"Spare no expense" Quon had said. All for a cut from monthly profits. Not that Iroh's going to complain. Especially with how great the reception had been to the opening of the Jasmine Dragon.

The former general allowed the smile on his face to widen before he too made his way to the kitchen, only to bump into someone leaving the worker's room.

"Woah! Easy there!" Percy's voice was filled with a mixture of mirth and concern as his sea-green eyes gave Iroh a quick once over. "Oh and I said this a few times already today, and I'm gonna say it again. Congratulations on this, Iroh. No one else deserves this other than you."

The newly appointed tea shop owner chuckled and muttered his thanks as the young man complimented him again. Every time he would say it with full sincerity, and this time was no different. Then, Iroh remembered something important that he forgot the previous day.

"How did it go?"

Percy blinked dumbly at the question. "What do you - oh! You mean that? Right, remind me to thank Quon -"

"That is not that I'm referring to, Percy," Iroh interrupted, and took a breath. "Zuko told me about yesterday. That the both of you went to the library to do some research. I am sorry I did not ask sooner, but did you find what you were looking for?"

The demigod's mind darted back to the time he and Zuko visited the library in Ba Sing Se University the day before, trying to find answers he had been hoping to find for some time. He was certain that based on the looks that the librarians were giving him when he made the request on the topics he was searching for they thought he was speaking in a whole different language altogether. Even Zuko looked more confused than usual.

"'Breach'. 'Dimensions'. Oh, this is a long stretch, but do you have anything on 'time-travel or 'multiverse'? Ugh, don't look at me like that, I heard my girlfriend mention it once!"

At one point, one of the curators looked like she wanted to send Percy to the nearest asylum. Percy was certain he would gladly help tie himself up and be sent to a mental health institute rather than be stuck in a place full of wisdom and being able to find absolutely nothing for more than an hour.

"Not really," he answered, trying to shrug nonchalantly.

His grimace must have slipped through though, as Iroh patted him softly on the arm, a reassuring smile on the old man's face. "Do not worry too much, young man. We will find a way back to your home."

A small sense of relief washed over the son of Poseidon, and he felt his lips tug up slightly at the show of support by Iroh. "Thanks, old-timer," the duo allowed themselves to enter a comfortable silence before sea-green eyes lit up in realization.

"Schist, I needa go check on the new batch! Make sure they're not overburnt," Percy proclaimed, breaking the silence as he spun around and reentered the kitchen. Five seconds didn't even pass when the demigod poked his head out through the curtains. "Oh and your nephew told me to tell you that 'you shouldn't keep the customers waiting and make some dam tea'."

Iroh chuckled again, paying no heed to the indignant 'Stop paraphrasing! And why are you so obsessed with dams?' that definitely came from his nephew as he returned his gaze towards the crowd of customers.

"Yes, let's make some tea!"

oOo

Katara took in the scenery as the sun set over the horizon of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se, painting the skies in a purple hue. It was a fresh change from the usual orange sunsets that Katara had come to associate as a daily phenomenon with the Earth Kingdom, and though the skies may not be as close to the beauty as seen in the South Pole, the cooling feeling given out by this sunset reminded her of the South Pole.

Of home.

She took in a deep breath, allowing the air to refresh her lungs and rejuvenate her body. The past two days had been tiring, to say the least.

Long story not-so-short, just yesterday Team Avatar stormed the secret headquarters of the Dai Li under Lake Laogai, were almost ambushed, and Jet got hurt in the process. They reunited with Appa when they were almost caught the moment they exited the underground maze of tunnels, the sky bison saving them from the Dai Li in dramatic fashion.

The happy reunion with Appa was brief, however, as Sokka decided it was the best time to seek an audience with the Earth King. Team Avatar reached the Royal Palace, pushed past the resistance from the Royal Guards, and found the Throne Room. Again, they faced Long Feng, this time in a tug-of-war over convincing the young monarch that they - not Long Feng - were the 'good guys' and the existence of the Hundred Year War was not a conspiracy. There were some difficulties at first, but after showing King Kuei evidence in the form of the sky bison tooth mark on Long Feng's foot and the giant Drill that had an obviously large Fire Nation insignia, Long Feng was immediately arrested to stand trial for his crimes against the Earth Kingdom.

As Sokka said, "Looks like Long Feng is long... gone!"

King Kuei proved to be a good king, quickly making moves to support Team Avatar's plan to defeat the Fire Nation during the eclipse. But a raid on Long Feng's private quarters revealed that the former Grand Secretariat had been secretly intercepting messages meant for Team Avatar.

Oh, Katara was so done with secrets.

The teens decided it was best to split up to cover more ground. Aang headed East to find a guru at the Air Temples there, Toph set off to find her mother in the city, and Sokka took Aang's offer for a lift to find his and Katara's father at the Chameleon Bay. Katara would love to join her brother in reuniting with dad after three years, but the young waterbender decided it was best to stay in the capital to coordinate the invasion plans with the Council.

The best idea proved to be a rather tough one. The five generals were hard-headed in nature just like every other earthbenders. They had good judgement (even General Sung) and each came up with excellent plans to invade the Fire Nation. That's where the problem laid, the four of them were adamant about using their own plan instead of the other. Sitting in the War Room was tiring enough, listening to four adults debating about their plans loudly for half a day was just exhausting. Katara was thankful that the leader of the Council, General How, was level headed as he often kept the other four from veering off-tangent with his no-nonsense approach.

Though Katara was certain that he could stand to work on his sense of humour. The same could be said about the other four, too.

She swallowed the sigh that threatened to escape her throat while her legs carried her towards the palace. It had taken the whole day, but finally, the plans to invade and defeat the Fire Nation had been finalized - all thanks to General How's ability to merge all four plans into one sophisticated mechanism. All that's left was the Earth King's seal to execute the plan on the Day of the Black Sun.

The young Southern Water Tribe Woman stopped in her tracks as she caught the faint smell of tea brewing, turning to see a large green building bustling with citizens inside. Blue eyes darted upwards, noticing the golden words beautifully inscribed on the black plaque.

茉莉龍

The Jasmine Dragon.

"Katara?" hearing her name being called, she peeled her eyes off the plaque. There was a sense of familiarity to the voice, and she knew she had heard it before.

"Percy?"

Said man appeared within her vision, dressed in a green fancy tunic that matched his eyes. A lopsided grin was etched on his face as he clicked his tongue while making a weird hand sign. "Got it on the first try!"

"What are you doing here?" Katara felt her own smile growing. "I thought you were finding your friends in the Lower Ring?"

Not that she meant to be rude. It's just that she hadn't expected to run into the dual bender after he suddenly left the station before anyone could say 'goodbye'. Meeting a familiar face just after her friends had gone separate ways was welcoming, to say the least, especially when the folks in the Upper Ring were a less than welcoming bunch.

The lopsided grin turned sheepish and Percy started rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, we got offered a shop here. Actually, the guy I know got offered the shop. I just tagged along," he explained with wild gestures, looking more like a teenager than an adult.

"It's great to hear!" Katara exclaimed, her face brightening at the news. "He must make very good tea then."

Immediately Percy straightened himself and feigned clearing his throat by coughing dramatically into his fist before he spoke. "The finest tea in Ba Sing Se. Made only by the finest teamaker in the city."

The obviously rehearsed tone elicited a giggle from the Katara, which in turn drew a small warm smile from the Percy.

"So, you wanna keep staring at the shop wall, or do you wanna go in and have some tea?" He asked while jerking his head in the direction of the Jasmine Dragon, his sea-green eyes glinting with mirth. "I mean it is an interesting wall."

Katara looked at Momo who was perched on her shoulder. "What do you say Momo? A cup of tea before we go to the Earth King?"

The flying lemur chirped, his head bobbing in a nod-like gesture as if he understood every word of the question asked. Satisfied, Katara turned to Percy and nodded, who began leading the way towards the entrance of the shop without making a single comment about watching the interaction nor the conversation he just heard.

"So, you work here?" It was only then Katara noticed the apron wrapped around his waist. The very idea of this man, who single-handedly defeated the Fire Nation soldiers at the Wall and defied General Sung after, smiling at customers while taking orders and serving tea was almost absurd to Katara.

Percy's a fighter, that much she was sure about. Though he does have a tendency to act like an overexcited child than an adult at times.

"It's a temporary arrangement," Percy replied with an offhanded shrug. "The owner offered me the job, so I took it." The dual-bender waved off the two hostesses at the door, saying he 'got this' before his face lit up like an idea appeared at the back of his head. Once again Katara thought he looked as excited as a child waiting for his parents to play with him. "Oh, I gotta let you try the cookies! It's mom's recipe! The customers here loved it. Quon really did me a favour with getting all the ingredients in such a quick notice"

Katara didn't know what 'cookies' were, nor did she know who 'Quon', but if the customers had a good opinion of it she was willing to try them. She nodded, ignoring the tight clench in her chest at the mention of the word 'mom'.

Now isn't the time to be jealous. Right now you get to catch up wi -

Katara was about to step into the shop when she heard a voice break through the crowd, sounding louder than the rest as it reached her ears.

"Uncle! I need two jasmine, one green, and one lychee!"

Katara felt dread pooling within every fibre of her muscle as her vision tunnelled, focusing on the teenager standing in front of the counter holding onto a tray of tea sets. His back was facing Katara, his hair longer and he was in a green tunic identical to Percy's, but Katara would always recognize that voice wherever she went.

Blue eyes landed on the red scar on the teenager's face the moment he turned around, and the blood in Katara's veins froze. One train of thought raced within her mind, replaying itself over and over again at speed rivalling an eel hound.

Zuko's here! Zuko's in Ba Sing Se! Iroh's here too!

"Katara?" Percy furrowed his brows in concern when he realized that Katara was rooted on the spot, her eyes wide with shock. He moved to place a hand on her shoulder, but the reaction was not what he expected.

The girl flinched, hard, pulling her shoulder away from the slightest contact like the man's hand was made of searing metal left to the fire instead of human flesh. Percy watched as wide blue eyes snapped around to meet sea green, confusion and fear prominent in them.

"Y-you," she stammered out, her voice only above a shaky whisper as she tried to control the trembling in her body. "You're with them..."

The demigod's mind was on overdrive, trying to find the reason behind the sudden change in Katara's demeanour from relaxed to guarded. Then he caught sight of Zuko serving tea to a table of customers, and he put the pieces together.

Zuko's eagerness to capture the Avatar.

The Avatar is Aang.

Aang was with Sokka, Toph and Katara.

"Katara," he tried again, resisting the internal urge to slap a palm on his forehead for being so... obtuse as he maintained a measured voice. He raised both his hands in a placating gesture when she took a shaky step back. "Just lemme explain. Zuko's not -"

That was definitely the wrong thing to say, as Percy saw the new torrent of emotions on Katara's face as she registered his words.

Realization. Anger.

Betrayal.

"You know who he is?" A gasp followed by another step, and Percy saw Katara's hands instinctively reaching for the waterskin hanging on her waist. He knew water wouldn't hurt him, but he's trying to prevent a scene. He stretched an arm forward and Katara's face changed, hints of the battle-hardened waterbender underneath.

"Don't you touch me," she growled. Percy didn't miss the edge in her voice. "Stay away from me. You monster!"

Percy felt like he was being hit by a freight train, the words stunning him long enough for Katara to whirl around and start running away. By the time he shook off his daze, the young Southern Water Tribe girl was gone. He heard his name being called, and his head snapped around to see inquisitive amber eyes staring at him.

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked, shifting awkwardly as if he wasn't sure what he should do. "Uncle's wondering where you've been. He wants to make sure you didn't leave the fire in the oven alight for too long."

Percy straightened at that and cursed under his breath before darting into the shop. All worries about Katara were put aside. He would deal with that when the time comes.

If the time comes.

oOo

"What?!"

Aang asked, his voice that was filled with confusion breaking through the tranquil night as he came out of his meditation to stare incredulously at the skinny, bald man sitting cross-legged before him.

The airbender arrived at the Eastern Air Temple to meet the guru who offered to teach him control over the Avatar State. Pathik was his name. He was as eccentric as Aang's friend Bumi and just as old. If not older since he knew Monk Gyatso. He even proved to be extremely knowledgeable, mentoring the young Avatar on 'chakras' and helping the teen unlock said 'chakras'.

There are seven chakras - which are pools of spiralling cosmic energy in one's body - in total, and the nomadic master had led Aang to unlock six of them through meditation to deal with the respective emotions (fear, guilt, shame, grief, lies and illusions) that kept the chakras from flowing freely within Aang. Now they are at the final chakra which will allow Aang to enter and exit the ever-volatile Avatar State at will. But there was one problem.

The teen couldn't comprehend Guru Pathik's instructions.

"Let all of these attachments go."

It was bordering on 'puzzling'.

"Why would I let go of Katara? I..." the airbender paused as he reigned in his emotions. "I love her."

Aang couldn't let go of Katara. She was the first person who befriended him when he got out of the ice. She was kind to him even when he was nothing but a stranger to her, and remained kind to him when she learnt that he was the mythical Avatar. She decided to remain by his side when he lied and hurt her. She was the greatest person he ever knew in his life. And he loves her with all his heart.

No, 'unfathomable' would be more accurate.

"Learn to let her go," Pathik insisted, "or you cannot let the pure cosmic energy flow in from the universe."

"Why would I choose cosmic energy over Katara?" Frustration seeped into Aang's question as he threw his hands into the air and rolled his charcoal-grey eyes. "How could it be a bad thing that I feel an attachment to her? Three chakras ago that was a good thing!"

He had a point, he was sure of it. Why else would Pathik say that love was connected to the Air Chakra? How can it be good at one point and be bad at the other?!

The guru decidedly ignored Aang's outburst and concentrated on the task at hand as he pressed on once more. "You must learn to let go."

oOo

Stone walls were but a blur to Katara as she sprinted down the corridors of the Main Hall in the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace.

She couldn't believe how foolish she was. How foolish Team Avatar was, to trust Percy so easily! He had been working with Zuko the whole time, yet everyone thought he was the good guy. They were all tricked, Even Aang bought into the man's act.

Oh no! Aang!

She picked up the pace, forcing her tired legs to carry her faster despite feeling their protests. She needed to warn the Earth King that the Fire Nation's already in the capital. Pushing open the giant double doors leading to the Throne Room, she continued her dash towards the golden throne. For a brief moment, panic overcame her being when she saw that the throne was empty and she feared the worst. Then blue eyes landed on the green armored figures kneeling ahead, and she recognized the white and red face paint.

King Kuei did mention that they arrived yesterday.

Relief washed over her in the presence of a familiar and trustworthy face as she closed distance towards the Kyoshi Warriors.

"Thank goodness you're here, Suki!" Katara managed between pants. "Something terrible is going on. The Fire Nation has infiltrated the city, I just saw Prince Zuko and his uncle! And Percy's working with them! We have to tell the Earth King right away!"

"Oh, don't worry," Suki said as she stood up, but there was just something about her that was off to Katara. "I'll be sure to let him know."

Suki's voice was too... silky and condescending. Dread crashed onto her like a tidal wave when she noticed her mistake.

Suki's golden eyes glittered in the room.

Suki never had golden eyes.

But Fire Nations have gold eyes. Azula does.

The moment of dread froze Katara for a moment, and it proved costly as the shorter Kyoshi Warrior impostor - obviously Ty Lee - appeared right in the waterbender's face in a blink of an eye. The labours from the many weeks of training kicked in spontaneously as Katara took a step back and uncapped her waterskin, ready to battle the three enemies present before her.

She never managed to do that.

Her muscles below her neck turned numb and Katara slumped to the ground. Her mind roared at her body, willing it to move. To stand and fight. But her muscles failed to obey the command.

Another quick jab, and all she knew was darkness.

Azula approached the unconscious body as a pool of water soaked the peasant's clothes. A smile gracing her lips as she allowed the information slipped to her settle in.

"So, Zuzu's in the city too," the Fire Nation Princess drawled, her eyes narrowing slightly "and it appears he's with Percy."

Azula eyed her taller friend walking up to her right, trying to gauge her reaction. She and Mai were close since their childhood, their friendship only made stronger from the years spent in the vicious environment that was the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Mai had always been the shiest of the three girls, and was not an advocate for expressing one's emotions. But for a while, she opened up slightly, publicly smiling whenever a certain someone was around. Then that someone was no longer around and Mai closed up, returning to her previous impassive self.

Azula had never been able to get a proper read on the markswoman ever since.

She picked her next words carefully, but the bite laced in them was clear for all to hear.

"It looks like it's time for a family... reunion."

Ty Lee stared worriedly at her best friend. Ever since their loss to the Avatar and his friends at the Drill, Azula looked like a woman possessed, consumed by the flames of desire to defeat - no, decimate this 'Percy'. No one was better than Azula, other than her father Fire Lord Ozai. But even that was just temporary, for she was the prodigy destined for greatness. To be defeated by a mere waterbender had inflicted humiliation upon her pride.

She would never admit it (as she often teased Zuzu about the matter), but the Princess had made it her goal to regain her lost honour by putting the man who bested her on his knees. The image of the lowlife grovelling at her feet as he begged for the sweet mercy of oblivion became the driving force behind Azula pushing herself through the gruelling personal training she set up for herself during those past weeks.

Azula was definitely looking forward to this more than she should.

oOo

For the past few hours, Long Feng remained seated cross-legged in the middle of the underground cell. Walls of metal greeted him wherever he turned, and even the door was made of reinforced steel. The only source of light was from the glow of crystals that lined the walls outside the cells, as if taunting through the small view panel on the door the earthbender's inability to bend without any direct contact with the element that became one of the deadliest weapons in his arsenal.

The most powerful weapon in his possession, however, was the very instrument in his head. His mind. Long Feng prided himself as a man with superior intellect, having climbed up the atrocious ladder that is the Ba Sing Se social hierarchy through nefarious plots and schemes until he was appointed Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se, the most trusted advisor to the Earth King, and the Head of the Dai Li. From there, he moved to consolidate his influence as the most powerful man in the capital. The Earth King's focus was shifted towards maintaining Ba Sing Se's cultural heritage, while other states of affairs would be directly reported to Long Feng. Of course there were oppositions against that arrangement, but they were quickly taken care of with the Dai Li's... 'intervention'.

Of course, that system almost fell apart five years ago when the mythical General of the West from the Fire Nation breached the Outer Wall, and the general guarding it had surrendered. Pandemonium almost broke out within the Lower Ring of the city, the people fearing that their livelihoods would be threatened to be set aflame by the blazing trails of the Fire Nation. Then the enemy retreated the following day.

It was a bizarre spectacle, one that no one understood even till this day. But Long Feng was not one to question good fortune. Instead, he saw that the citizens would panic at the first sight of danger. Panic leads to chaos, which means disorder, and Long Feng couldn't have that. He couldn't afford that. So he took the best possible route.

Confidentiality.

That day onwards, The policy that the Hundred Year War not be mentioned within the walls was introduced and enforced. All traces from the War were quickly covered up. War refugees were pressured into secrecy, never to speak of the conflict should they hope to remain protected within the city walls. Advocates for a more active role in the War were 'convinced' otherwise. Quickly, there were no longer mentions of the War, and the people returned to living their lives in bliss.

After all, there's no war in Ba Sing Se.

All of that hard work went down the drain, however, when the Avatar and his friends showed up with a plan regarding the War after repelling a Fire Nation attack on the Outer Wall. It was easy to contain the excited group at first, one of his Joo Dee officials sending them running in circles looking for information they would never obtain and a meeting with the Earth King that would never happen. Weeks later, the children took matters in their own hands, storming the Dai Li's underground headquarters in search of the Avatar's lost pet bison before forcing an audience with the Earth King. In that meeting, The Avatar was somehow able to convince young King Kuei that Long Feng was the 'bad guy' despite his careful planning and meticulous words, and the Grand Secretariat was quickly arrested and locked up to stand trial for the 'crimes' he committed.

Trials? Crimes? If only they could see the bigger picture as he did.

But Long Feng was not going to just surrender to fate. No. His Dai Li agents pledged allegiance to him in spite of his imprisonment and continued to feed him with daily updates. They came to him with two very interesting pieces of information.

One, they had successfully identified one of the two figures responsible for freeing the Avatar's sky bison. It was a man by the name of 'Percy', the same name that Long Feng came across from General Sung's report on the Fire Nation attack that was repelled by the Avatar and his group. 'Zhang' - or rather, 'Percy' was there that day as confirmed by the children themselves, and was reportedly capable of bending more than one element. How? Long Feng wouldn't know. After all, the only figure known to man gifted with the ability to bend multiple elements was the Avatar. The tidbit of information that Long Feng had on this 'Percy' other than his name was miniscule. It was the source of his earthbending powers. His heritage: Earthshaker. An odd name for an earthbender, sure, but if rumours of the way he bent the earth during the battle were to be believed, then it was a fitting name nonetheless. One that if Long Feng could get his hands on the man wielding such power, would be most beneficial to him - pardon, Ba Sing Se.

If only Long Feng could put a face on the name. For weeks, his agents scoured all three Rings in search of anyone with knowledge of the strange name but came up empty-handed time and time again. The man was elusive, an enigma if he was capable of staying away from the attention of the Dai Li for so long. Until yesterday, when a small group of Dai Li agents reported two masked figures breaking into the headquarters and skillfully taking down the agents that were not involved in the operation to arrest the Avatar, one at a time. One of the infiltrators removed his mask, and was heard being referred to as 'Percy' several times. A squad of agents were assigned with identifying Percy's residence and searched the Middle Ring a few times over having seen him enter and exit the University. Again, they returned with nothing to report.

Two, the Ky -

The door to his cell swung open, his eyes stung slightly by the sudden glare from the lights that came from the crystals. Long Feng continued to watch calmly as two of his agents marched in with a girl whose hands were locked behind her back.

"What is this about," the girl demanded, her brows scrunched together as she looked around with clear indignation. "Your agents show up in the middle of the night and drag me down here? You will not treat a Kyoshi Warrior this way!"

"But you're not a Kyoshi Warrior, are you?" Long Feng asked knowingly.

She donned the green armour of the elite female group of warriors, but Long Feng knew better. Her irises were gold, a feature not found in anyone of Earth Kingdom descent.

That was the second interesting information Long Feng learnt from his men earlier that day. That the three Kyoshi Warriors who arrived the day before were impersonators, sent here to capture the Avatar. He knew who they were, his men had overheard the conversation between her two accomplices and went to him immediately with the news.

The Grand Secretariat stood up, towering over the girl who continued her struggle against the vice-like grip the Dai Li agents had on her arms. He felt the end of his lips tug up into a knowing smirk as he spoke. "Princess Azula of the Fire Nation."

Immediately the girl - Princess Azula stopped struggling upon being called out. Instead, she snapped her head towards him and studied him with narrowed calciuating eyes. "What do you want?"

"I want to make a deal," he announced, "It's time that I regain control of Ba Sing Se. And you have something I need."

"Oh?"

"The Earth King's trust."

"Why should I help you?" So, she isn't as naive as her other two friends.

"Because I can get you the Avatar," Long Feng answered confidently.

Princess Azula did not skip a beat as she replied, interest written all over her face and her golden eyes gleaming in the dark cell. "I'm listening."

Long Feng allowed his smirk to grow wider. The princess may be smarter than the others her age, but that's it. She is still a girl. A child playing games. And Long Feng was the master of games.

It's time he returned to power.

oOo

Zuko swept the carpet with the broom when he noticed the lone figure entering the Jasmine Dragon. He stopped his sweeping and was about to turn the man away as the shop was closed. The grand opening had been a successful one, and all employees - bar Iroh, him and Percy - had returned home for the night while the trio stayed to finish the cleanup.

Then he saw the scroll in the tall man's hand.

"May I speak to the owner of the Jasmine Dragon, please?" the man, who looked like he was a messenger, asked.

Iroh stepped forward wordlessly, and the messenger handed the scroll to the teamaker. "A message from the Royal Palace," he said before he turned and left.

Curious, Iroh unrolled the scroll and read the words written on it. His face turned to one of shock before morphing into a wide bright smile. "I... I can't believe it!"

"What is it, Uncle?" Zuko asked, wanting to know the reason behind the old man's sudden excitement.

"Great news!" the former general exclaimed while rerolling the scroll. "We've been invited to serve tea..." a pause, clearly intended for dramatic effect on his part "to the Earth King!"

Zuko watched as his uncle darted towards the kitchen, probably to make preparations for the trip to the Royal Palace, and the teen's lips tugged up at the sight before amber eyes snapped towards the man with jet black hair who just exited the same kitchen Iroh entered.

He wouldn't admit it even if his life counted on it, but the young firebender was concerned for the demigod. The entire evening Percy looked distracted, though Zuko couldn't understand why. It wasn't his 'cookies'. That much he was certain about. The customers were full of praise for the new food that the man had introduced, and there wasn't any sign of trouble.

The former Prince shook his head and continued with his cleaning duties. Perhaps Percy was missing home more than usual. It would make sense, since he too at times had longed to return during his days of hunting the Avatar in his self-imposed exile.

No matter, the teen wasn't going to let it dampen the mood. It has been a great day, and tomorrow will be a better one.

Nothing can go wrong.

So, Katara finds out that Percy is with Zuko and Iroh. Azula and Long Feng are doing their thing, and everything is going well for the Jasmine Dragon trio.

Alright then, onto a few announcements:

1. I joined discord (somehow), where a bunch of other writers just sorta hangout there and discuss... things... Anyway, if you wanna hang with us just copy the link in my profile. yeah, idk what to say other than i'm still figuring out how to work around that dam thing *cries in corner*

2. I have several 'tie-in' one-shot ideas that I have penned down (the general ideas, anyway). But if I'm gonna post them, they would be posted in a separate book. they're not gonna be posted in this fic bcs i don't wish to interrupt the flow here. Think of it like an anthology, like The Lost Adventure or Team Avatar Tales comics where a series of short stories are compiled. If you have interest in reading it when it's posted, just click follow to get notif when that gets posted.

Yeah, that's about it. idk what else to say other than the next chapter is 'Crossroads of Destiny'. Woohoo! most likely expect a long chapter. yeah. that's about it. my brain is officially melted, i shall excuse myself to unmelt my brain. Until next time.

I'll see you when i see you,

- LaidEffect