3rd Person's POV

The group of heroes launches out of the ground and onto land. Himoko stumbles a bit, catching herself from falling flat on her face. They don't get a chance to take a breather when in their peripheral was a group of Dai Li Agents running towards them.

"Go go go!" Sokka urges them all to start running. Himoko sighs heavily and takes off into a sprint, catching up to them. Aang glances over his shoulder, seeing just how close the agents were getting to them. "Do you think we can outrun them?" Sokka asks.

"It won't matter." Himoko extends her arms out to her side, stopping Sokka and Aang from running. Ahead of them, was a wall of agents, with Dai Li in the dead center of them. A trap.

Walls are erected around them, boxing them inside of three walls. The princess glanced to her left, staring at the water of Lake Laogai.

"Dude come on now, really?" Himoko comments under her breath in annoyance, ear twitching.

"How many Dai Li are there?"

"Around twenty from what I can see, perhaps more." Sokka states in reply to Aang. 'Just great.' Himoko seethes silently to herself, 'Sadem, I hope you and the others got away without much trouble unlike us.'

"What is it Momo?" Aang questions the lemur when he sweeps down from the sky and onto his shoulder, chattering enthusiastically. Himoko's hearing hones in the surrounding sounds, the crunching of dirt, the sound of passing water from the lake, wind brushing through the trees- and the heartbeat of a familiar companion. Her eyes widen, head snapping up as Momo launches off of Aang's shoulder into the air. Momo flies into the sun, masking his figure in the light. No one can see just how far he went up, but they can see when something much larger than the flying lemur came down, crashing into the wall Long Feng and the other half of the agents were on. "Appa!" Aang shouts, the biggest smile Himoko has ever seen on his face thus far shines, brighter than the sun. Appa goes through the wall behind the group, debris of stone and earth falling. Himoko covers her nose and mouth, fighting off a rising fit of coughs. Aang and Toph bend the cliff the remaining agents were perched on, launching them into the lake's chilly waters. Appa lands in front of Long Feng, his wits and the wind in his lungs lost. Appa hunkers down, growling intensely at the royal advisor. If the flying bison had eyebrows, Himoko had a feeling that they would be slanted down to show off more of his anger.

Any remaining Dai Li on the shore begin to flee at the sight of Appa, leaving Long Feng all alone to deal with the enraged animal.

"I can handle you by myself." He egotistically states, launching a kick at Appa. The large mammal catches his leg in between his teeth, flinging him away in one fall swoop. An easy defeat. Long Feng's body skips across the lake like a flat pebble, an amusing sight to the princess. She waves as his momentum slows, sinking into the water.

"Yeah! Appa!" Sokka shouts, throwing his arms around Appa's legs. Aang, Katara, and Momo cuddle into Appa's fur, who was delighted to see and receive such affection from them all. "I missed you, buddy," Aang mumbles into Appa's fluffy fur. Appa's keen hearing hears his human companion's words, shining brown eyes closing, content with being home, finally; after so many perilous weeks of being without this love and affection.

Himoko steadily walks up to Appa, resting her hand on his wet nose, leaning her forehead against the back of her hand. "You are safe now." She whispers to him, a calming trill in her words.

---

The sun is on the horizon, casting colors of orange, red, and yellows onto the group of kids. The princess sits at the sandbank of the small island that Appa landed on, all of them tired from the long day. Sokka and the rest of the group were conversing on where to go from here. To fly away from the city, or head straight to the castle and confront her cousin about the Dai Li, Long Feng, and the 100 Year War.

There was a lot they needed to do and accomplish, too much pressure weighing down upon their shoulders, Himoko wondered how none of them had started growing grey hairs by now.

"Look, we escaped from the Dai Li, we got Appa back, I'm telling you, we should go to the Earth King now and tell him our plan. We're on a roll." Sokka defends his point, his hands moving in emphasis while speaking. Katara fires back with her point, "One good hour after weeks of trouble isn't much of a roll." and Himoko found herself agreeing with her.

"We can build on it. If we want to invade the Fire Nation when the eclipse happens, we need the Earth King's support." But- that was also true, they did need his support, but at this current time, it was very unlikely that they would gain it. "What makes you think we'll get it? I don't know if you've noticed, but things don't usually go that smoothly for our little gang." Toph dryly states, sitting on the ground, eyes threatening to shut.

"I know, but I've got a good feeling about this. This time will be different." Sokka glances to where Himoko sat at the edge of the tiny island, watching her hand glide through the wading waters. "I mean, he would at least listen to Himoko, right?"

"Doubtful, Sok. I may have been able to get through to him a couple of times, but Long Feng is much closer to Kuei after years of filling his head with lies...and, I have a bad feeling after what we saw down there." Himoko peers into the lake, brows scrunching together. Sokka frowns, hearing the hint of worry in her tone.

"I think we should just keep flying and leave this horrible place behind us- We can take Himoko and Sadem with us too... That is if they want to come with us." Katara suggests. Himoko shrugs her shoulders. She did want to leave, but she had an obligation to the Earth Kingdom to fulfill.

Aang jumps into the group, the bright smile on his face stuck there like glue. "But, now that we have Appa back, nothing is stopping us from telling the Earth King the truth about the conspiracy and the war." 'One ear and out the other, Katara and I literally just said that the probability of this working was very slim.' She thinks to herself.

"See! Aang's with me." Sokka puts an arm over Aang's shoulder, sharing a wide grin with the twelve-year-old, "It's the whole reason we came here in the first place, we have to try." Katara pauses, softly humming as she thinks. Everyone had points in their arguments, but not everyone held the same wisdom and intellect when it came to the idea of charging into the King's throne room and whipping decades of lies and deception out from the graves of many Earth Kingdom citizens.

'I promise to help, to share what happened to Eren and so many others by the hands of the Dai Li... To stop it from ever happening again, but... Their safety, the ones who are still alive, are important too.' Himoko didn't know what to do, standing at the crossroads before helping the dead, and helping the living. She chuckles to herself, 'No wonder I was chosen to be the Adversary, to make choices like these.' The sentence was tainted with bitterness, showing her distaste at the thought of choosing between sides when she wanted to help both, not one at a time and at the cost of the other losing what they needed.

"Well, I guess if the Earth King knew the truth, things could change." Katara decided after a moment passes, the two boys smile widely at Katara's support in their side. Toph gets up from her spot on the ground, nothing bothering to wipe off any dirt that may have been on her.

"I don't trust the new positive Sokka. Long Feng brainwashed you, didn't he!" She points accusingly at Sokka lightheartedly. Before Sokka could scramble to defend himself, Aang rushes off, going to the opposite of the island from where Himoko sat. Himoko pushes herself off of the ground, turning to see what the rest of the group were looking at. In the distance were three Earth Kingdom ships.

"That's probably the Dai Li searching for us, so?" He turns to his sister, asking with his eyes on what to do. Katara, blue eyes reflecting a strike of confidence, replies. "Let's fly." They clamber onto Appa, Sokka leaning down and extending his arm for Himoko to take to help her climb up.

"Come on let's go!" Sokka urges her to take his hand. Himoko's eyes glance to where she could still see the ships.

"I- I'm not coming with."

"Huh? What, why? Are you scared?" Sokka's tone wasn't mocking her like she had expected it to be, it was genuine. Was he starting to forgive her for leaving so suddenly? Or was he just being nice?

"If things go south, I need to let as many people in the city know what is going on. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach." She unconsciously rests her hand on her stomach, her stomach was twisting and churning with nerves. Sokka frowns, seeing the look in her eyes.

"Are you sure? At least let us drop you off-" Himoko shakes her head, flipping her staff around from where it was resting in the holder on her back. "I will be okay. Don't be reckless, any of you, alright?" Himoko tells them. Aang nods; the smile that once radiated on his face is replaced with a frown. She knew that she was the cause of it, and didn't enjoy having that knowledge.

Sokka retracts his hand and sits up on the back of Appa, hands clutching his fur since they had lost his saddle. "We won't be, promise," Katara tells her. Himoko steps back from Appa, giving him room to lift off. The sky bison floats off of the ground, and flies off, leaving the Heir to Omashu alone on the island.

She takes a deep breath, watching them fly away, as Appa's humungous self becomes only a speck in her vision. When she could no longer see them, she turns and looks at the boats, devising a plan in her head. If she could...

"Yangchen, are you there?" She calls out to the spirit, trying it out. She never has called on her before, she has always come to her first.

She is greeted with silence, and no powerful presence like she would usually feel when Yangchen was around. She guesses it is not that easy to just simply call upon a dead spirit, especially that of an avatar. Yangchen made it sound so easy.

"Just call me whenever you need me... Yeah sure, right. Okay, uh... Let's try- La, are you there?" She waits for a reply, kicking at the dirt beneath her feet. Was he really not going to reply to her too? She rolls her eyes, puffing out her cheeks. "That's annoying..." She mumbles under her breath, looks like she was gonna have to do this herself.

She opens her glider, the green flaps translucent in the light. It might be time soon to replace the staff, it has been through a lot so far during the short time she has had it- But, she didn't want to replace it since it was specifically made for her. After pushing hair out of her face, she mounts the glider, ready to kick off and fly up into the sky when she pauses, feeling a shift in the air.

Her grip loosens around the wood, waiting for a moment. What was that?

"..Yangchen? La?" She calls out to them, but the energy was vastly different from the two. Maybe it was Frigg? No, that didn't make sense either, this energy wasn't as chaotic as theirs was. This was more...sturdy.

"Who is there? Show yourself." Her glider closes before she twirls it in her hand and in between her fingers, waiting for any sign of contact.

The princess is just met with more silence, leaving her standing there on the shoreline of the tiny piece of land in the middle of Lake Laogai, waiting to hear something, anything.

"Okay well, I guess I will take my leave then if you don't want to show yourself to me right-" She doesn't get to finish the rest of her sentence when the earth below her rumbles. "Uh oh." She airs out as the rumbling gets stronger. She digs the end of her staff into the ground, keeping herself stable to not crash onto the ground. Earthquake?

Himoko looks out to where she last saw the ships, seeing them no longer in view. That is even greater, she had a plan for those and now she has to deal with- whatever the hell this all was.

Despite getting more annoyed by the minute, she didn't take off flying, letting her curiosity control her actions. 'The rumbling is coming from the earth, but the energy is...' She looks out into the lake again, grey eyes scanning in search of any signs of life. 'Life' probably wasn't the correct word to use, but the phrasing was weird when it came to spirits because even though their mortal bodies have deteriorated, their spirits haven't. And so- they were still technically alive? Himoko didn't know and wasn't about to spend her time debating on whether to call spirits dead or alive because of the proper connotations or grammar.

It was like a pin dropped at the lake- a water droplet landing on Himoko's cheek. She glances up, expecting to see grey clouds casting over her- Instead, she is met with water, formed into a face. Her head tilts, and the water mimics her. Curious eyes and scared tongues.

The spirit's body was made entirely out of the water attached to the lake, the way the spirit's face would change reminded Himoko of Frigg's expressions, and how they had no face, and would constantly morph into something new. Himoko was curious, to say the least, of this spirit of the water, wondering what it needed from her.

She lifts her hand, lightly touching the surface of the water spirit's outer shell, cold, just like the lake.

Seeing a water spirit here of all places was both surprising and not, she should have expected, since this used to be a prison, where many had died below. But, to manifest as a water spirit? She wondered who this person was prior.

When her hand grazes past the spirit's neck, or what would have been their forehead, a small light formed, wrapping around the water like a halo.

Himoko retracts her hand, and the spirit moves back, disappearing back into the water. The rumble under the earth stopped. Himoko rubs her fingers together, feeling the water left in between them seep into her skin. She wasn't sure what had just happened, and what the light was. Nor the spirit that accompanied her. The presence was still there, so she knew that the water spirit hadn't left yet.

A stream rose from the lake again, and the dark-haired girl turns to look and see what the spirit was going to do next, but this time, it wasn't just the stream of water, it was many, reminding Himoko's of tentacles off of an octopus.

Once all of the tentacles were formed and reached out of the surface of the lake, emerged a new body of water- in the shape of a human.

Himoko takes a staggering step back in shock, eyes widening. This spirit was powerful if it was able to manipulate the water into that shape to resemble a human and keep that shape while also keeping their soul in check.

An amazing feat Himoko has never come across before.

The spirit stops walking once they stood a few feet in front of the heir, droplets of water falling off of them and bouncing back up to return to its body. "Who..are you?" Questions Himoko, mouth open agape.

The body of water continues to form, giving Himoko a chance to see more of the details marked into the spirit. the face of the spirit wasn't the beady eyes she had seen prior or the vacant smile of nothingness. It was a woman's face.

The ring around the forehead glowed the same light, and now she could see that it was a headband.

'That is a parka...' Himoko looks up and down the spirit, putting things together. Why they were a water spirit...

"You are from a water tribe, aren't you?" The spirit doesn't reply, only stared at Himoko. "Okay, okay... From a water tribe, now which one? South or North? Uh..." The spirit doesn't reply, only watches Himoko figure things out in her brain. People in the Northern Tribe wore lighter clothing, what this spirit wore resembled more so what Katara and Sokka have worn.

"Southern Tribe? Uh, okay you are going to help me out here. Give me like an answer somehow, in your own way." She receives a nod, and Himoko releases a sigh of relief. 'Good, they made ears to hear me.'

"Alright, um..yes or no, are you from the Southern Water Tribe?" The spirit nods. "Oh thank spirits. Okay, looks like I have to ask you yes or no questions for you to answer me." Himoko clears her throat.

"Yes or no, were you once a prisoner here at Lake Laogai?" The spirit nods.

"Uh... Yes or no, you were here for a long time?" Head shakes, no.

"Yes or no, you uh- You deserved to be put in here?" There was no hesitation as the spirit nods yes, much to Himoko's surprise.

"Yes or no, are you a friend?" The spirit nods. The princess went to ask another question when the formed body of water walked closer to her.

"Woah, okay..." Himoko hesitantly puts her hands up, not sure what the spirit wanted now. It seemed like it was done answering questions.

The spirit walks past Himoko, raises its arm, and points to a mountain in the distance.

Himoko turns, squinting her eyes to try and see what it was pointing at. She blinks, confused for a moment, "Mount Yù?" It was a mountain where the palace used to rest thousands of years ago; before the walls around Ba Sing Se were built. When the Fire Nation started their first initial attacks across the world, the royals from there evacuated and moved into the city. It has been 100 years since anyone has step foot on that mountain.

So, why was the spirit pointing towards it?

"Okay, I don't understand what you want me to do? That mountain has been abandoned, and is just a regular mountain now." The spirit side-eyed her, continuing to point. It was like they were insisting the heir do something.

"Whatever- I need to head back into the city and start evacuating." Himoko snaps open her glider, a small gust of wind causing ripples in the spirit's body of water. As she mounts her glider and is ready for takeoff, the spirit moves closer to Himoko, resting its hand on the glider. Himoko glances up, watching the spirit shakes its head. Eyebrows furrowed and chewing on her bottom lip, she looks to the mountain again. What was up there? The spirit wouldn't let up... She means, well, she was the Adversary, and if a spirit came to her out of nowhere pointing towards something. 'Something up there is extremely important.' She thinks.

Himoko lets out a soft sigh, shaking her head. "Okay, fine. You get your way. But, I can't be there for long. I still need to evacuate my people." A cold hand moves down from the wing of her glider, resting on the back of her neck. Water wraps around her neck, and Himoko panics a little, stiffening.

The body of water belonging to the spirit falls to the ground into a puddle, the water around her neck solidifies, weighing heavy on her collarbone.

She lifts the necklace, staring down at the pendant. It was a carved symbol.

'Wait... Water Tribe right?' She flips over the pendant and sees more engraved markings. It was a betrothal necklace. Whoever this spirit was, was engaged, and for whatever reason gave their necklace to her of all people. Himoko stares more intently at the engraving, making out a sword- a cutlass.

"Pirate..." She drops the pendant, staring down at her feet then up and around her. Lake Laogai.

"Water Tribe, South Pole, Parka. Bender, a woman who was betrothed, a cutlass engraved onto the necklace at the back of the pendant instead of the front...and this spirit showed itself to me at Lake Laogai." Fitting the puzzle pieces together, Himoko is left with a striking conclusion. She doesn't speak on it, only thinks it to herself. The narrator is unable to see into her head to listen and know what she figured out.

Her glider opens once more, and up into the sky she goes, leaving the lake of manipulation.

---

Mount Yù wasn't discussed that much anymore in recent times, long forgotten in the past. The palace walls and everything within it were reduced to nothing but rubble and terror.

When Himoko lands on the flattest part of the mountain, she sighs heavily, taking in the fresh air from the swirling wings.

She turns and looks down the edge, seeing just how far up she was, and far away both Lake Laogai and Ba Sing Se are. It must have been beautiful to wake up every day and overlook your kingdom like this, an air of peace.

Princess Himoko shakes her head, reminding herself that there was a reason why everyone evacuating the main castle, because just over this hill and 50 miles out to northwest...

"The Northern Air Temple..." Ba Sing Se was in direct line of the Fire Nation's path, to destroy all of the Air Temples and murder any Air Nomads they came across.

Himoko thought about it a lot, what it was like to flee until you couldn't anymore, to take to the skies and glide for as long as you can because once you landed on land, you were done for. Found Families hid in caves, in big cities, in small towns- everywhere. Her own ancestors fled from the Northern Air Temple, her grandparents and parents journeyed everywhere until they couldn't anymore, and now she was the only one left. The last of a bloodline forged with fear.

The palace was evacuated and then demolished because why bother leaving up a structure that was bounded to be destroyed soon?

No royal has left Ba Sing Se since.

It was originally to protect the royal family line, but it twisted into a sheltered king, manipulated to believe that the outside world was okay. Constantly in the turmoil of believing in the war, and not believing.

Himoko walks towards the rubble of the castle, keeping her eyes peeled and hearing clear for any sign of what the spirit wanted her to see.

The sun was still setting on the horizon, the warmth disappearing, and so was her hope as she stepped over stones that stuck out of the ground, and looking behind suspicious leftover pillars.

More and More, traversing through her emotions and the rough terrain. Goosebumps run up and down her skin, shivers down her spine, and the once warm wind passing through her hair running cold like the pouring water of an ice glacier.

She didn't understand what was happening, why she was starting to feel this sudden cold, until the sun disappeared behind her, leaving nothing but a dark sky and lingering clouds. She walks up some broken steps, leading up to a stone platform. On the platform was nothing left besides a torn-up rug.

Himoko leans down, feeling the mildewed fabric in between her fingers. "Why am I here? What did she want me to find?" She wondered out loud, still looking for answers.

The necklace around her neck weighed her down as she tossed the old ragged rug off of the platform, and takes a seat.

There wasn't anything here, nothing that her bare eye could see anyway.

"This was a waste of my time..." She mumbled, rolling her eyes, "That's what I get for trusting a dead pirate, to be honest..." Her brows furrow, feeling a soft rumble beneath her.

"I swear if this freaking collapses underneath me-" She referred to the platform she sat on, looking down, searching for any cracks within the concrete.

None.

So, what was the rumbling?

"Adversary..." Her eyes widen at the sound of a whisper, coming from deep below. "A Royal Adversary..." Himoko pushes herself off of the ground, twirling her staff in her hands before gripping tightly onto it, looking around her. "When-" She clears her throat, "Where are you?"

She doesn't gain an answer, leaving her alone in silence. "Can you guys stop with the whole going silent after I ask you something deal? It is getting so annoying- I don't have the time for this. Whatever." She grumbles under her breath, "I'm leaving, go find someone else for entertainment." Himoko jumps off of the platform, walking away from the rubbles of dead life.

When she reaches the edge of the mountain, the teenager pauses, staring at Ba Sing Se, at the glowing lights from people's homes, of the whistling from the cicadas, and the smell of fresh rainfall.

It didn't rain that day, was the thing.

Himoko turns around abruptly, eyes widening. "Ah, crap." Under her breath, staring at the sitting form of- well her.

"Okay, what the hell did I get myself into."

"Welcome to the Spirit World, Adversary." The voice she had heard before was clearer, crisper as if you had just taken a bite of a freshly picked apple. Himoko turns again, tripping over her own feet, being caught by a man with gentle but calloused hands. Her eyes narrow, glancing up and see the face of a man, looking to be in his 60s or 70s.

"Why am I here? And who are you?"

"Because you are meant to be here, for now at least." He sets her up straight before letting go of her arms and walking away, folding his hands behind his back, chin held up high. 'Authoritative attitude...' Himoko assesses. "I feel like I know you... Which I shouldn't since you are, you know, dead." He lets out a laugh at her bluntness. "You have probably read about me, explaining why I am familiar."

"Read..." She glances around, "Wait, hold on a second." 'Spirits usually reside where they passed away, or a place that they were very connected to when they were alive...'

The princess looks over the spirit of the man once more, seeking out the familiar parts of him, doing her best to spark the memory from deep within her childhood.

-

"Why do I have to learn about dead people?" Questions nine-year-old Himoko bluntly, blowing her bangs out of her face. Karlie lets out a laugh, pushing the history book back over to her, "You must learn from the past, so you can do better than them."

"Better?"

"If you are ignorant of history; what led up to the present day, then there will never be a good change." She leans over the table, taking a hair clip and putting it in Himoko's hair, helping keep her bangs out of her face. Himoko blows a raspberry, not wanting to read through boring history that day.

"But it is so boring~ Can't we just look at the cool pictures?"

"You mean the airbending scrolls? Your Highness, you only stare at them and never actually attempt any of the forms."

"Yeah and?" Karlie rolls her eyes as the young girl sasses her. "And, you are still going to read at least two pages out of this history book."

"You're mean~"

"Not mean, just a teacher who wants you to actually learn from people's mistakes. Okay, let's start with...him." Karlie flips through the pages before landing on one dedicated to a deceased king.

"Who?"

"This is the King who was in power during the time the 100 Year War started. The 50Th King, King Shoi-Ming, a very respectable king in the Earth Kingdom's history.".

-

"You are the 50Th King, I remember not wanting to learn about you." He chuckles, nodding softly. "You are correct, I am the late King Shoi-Ming, Adversary."

"Okay cool, now that I figured out who you are... What do you want from me? Wouldn't you want me to not waste time and go down to the city and evacuate our people?"

"They will be fine, as there is no need for evacuation to occur- Just yet." He smiles softly in reassurance. "The current Avatar and his friends have dealt with the situation quite well."

"They succeeded? How do you know that if you're the whole way up here?"

"The Spirit World keeps tabs on current events in the World of the Living. To many, it is our source of entertainment, to see the many twists and the resolutions to each situation. Like a story being written right before our eyes." 'Okay, strange. But- don't blame them. I reckon it is very boring after death.' Himoko thinks to herself, before pointing towards Lake Laogai.

"Why did- Uh, Tagaka want me to speak with you, of all spirits."

"Ah, getting straight to the point now that you know that your people aren't in immediate danger." King Shoi-Ming jests before clearing his throat- somehow without working lungs or esophagus. "As the Adversary, you will come across many spirits who hold enough spiritual power to routinely speak with you and come to you when called upon, however, there are times when the current spirits who are your allies/companions, will not come to your aid."

"Why?"

"Because they aren't suitable to help you. This is why you get four main companions as the Adversary. You currently hold Air and Water. You saw that occur when trying to call upon Avatar Yangchen and the Moon Spirit La. They didn't come to your aid because they weren't suitable to help you."

"I wanted to take over Earth Kingdom ships that the Dai Li were using in Lake Laogai, so my people could use them to escape the mainland and flee from Ba Sing Se. La is Water, right? Wouldn't they have been the most suitable to call?"

"Not quite. On the surface, that is what you would think. But, if you look more into their properties as spirits, you would see who would actually be more suitable to help you."

"You make no sense."

"It will one day, just give it time. It will become more clear to you when you gain Earth and Fire." Himoko whistles softly, thinking about his words and short explanation. "I have been wondering about something." King Shoi-Ming tilts his head, curious to know what she wanted to ask next. Himoko on her exterior seemed like a normal teenager who never questions anything, but once inside- the beautiful geo is revealed, seeking answers to questions. That was who Himoko was, a Princess of the Earth Kingdom, Heir to the Omashu Throne. She was naturally curious and wanting to learn more. She never takes things as they are, she researches to find every angle to something until there are no angles left to learn.

"Tagaka was a ruthless pirate who killed many people when she was alive...but, she came back as a peaceful spirit, why is that?"

"When you pass on and are given the chance to become a spirit, to let your body rest and your soul continue living- Your soul shows your truest self, no hiding behind your environmental surroundings."

"You are in your rawest form. Even though Tagaka was a bad person when alive- Her true self was to be the best person she could be. It is a wolf in sheep's clothing reversed." Himoko hums in thought, mulling over this information.

"Is it... Kind of like a way to redeem yourself? Far after you are gone."

"When you pass on and become a spirit, things are holding your soul back. But, it all depends on the spirit and how those two correlate. For example, I stay on earth to watch over my people."

"How long for, though? Thousands of years from now?"

"My mission is to watch over everyone until all the nations can live in harmony once again."

"But, that could take forever before it comes true."

"If it is thousands of years from now or tomorrow, I shall stay until that time comes. I believe in us." 'Man he is dedicated. I don't think I ever could dedicate myself to something that I have no idea how long would take.' She answers honestly in her head. She strides back over to the staircase, walking up onto the platform, and stands behind her sitting form in the World of the Living.

"Alright, well, good talk. But, it is getting late and I would like to visit someone because I head back to the palace."

"Understandable. The night is still young after all, might as well enjoy it before sleeping it away." He walks up to the platform, making no move to get on it.

"Uh, thank you for the talk, I guess? It was nice to meet you."

"It was wonderful to meet you as well, if you ever need my assistance, do not hesitate to call for me."

"Wait what-" The man reaches up and grabs Himoko's hand, before his spirit's form disappears, and she is knocked back into her body.

Himoko intakes a big breath of air, her heart beating rapidly in her ears, feeling a tingling sensation on her left hand, a lingering effect of being touched by someone dead. "Okay, what the hell just happened." Princess Himoko is confused, staring at her empty hand. Today has been a strange experience, even more, weird she thinks compared to her day at The North Pole when she saved Karlie... Shaking her head, she grabs her glider and hops off of the platform, staggering slightly at the feeling of her legs being asleep. Himoko groans in annoyance, whacking her limbs with her glider to wake them up.

"Going to take a long nap after all this." She tells herself before taking flight, heading back to Ba Sing Se.

---

Meanwhile, during Himoko's confrontation with King Shoi-Ming's spirit, the Avatar and his friends were attempting to convince King Kuei that Long Feng was a deceiver and there was really a war going on outside of the walls.

It was proven to be difficult, King Kuei was stuck in his trust for Long Feng, as he has been his royal advisor for many years, and so far has never done anything horrible to him or would harm his kingdom- to his knowledge.

King Kuei stares at the group with narrowed eyes, not trusting any of them while Long Feng stood by him with conniving eyes. 'The Princess isn't here...' He remarked to himself, 'With Her Highness not present I could...' Long Feng clears his throat before Aang could get a chance to continue speaking his side of the story.

"Where is Her Highness? We did agree that if she weren't back by sundown, you all would face severe consequences." Long Feng pointed out, igniting a panic in the Earth King. "Gosh, you are right! Where is Princess Himoko? You all promised me that you would protect her!" His voice boomed making Aang jump at the harshness in his tone. 'Worry.' He thinks.

King Kuei was adamant about Himoko, about protecting her and keeping her safe, he truly cared for her wellbeing and seeing her gone from his sight, and not with the group he entrusted her to after the day prior- He couldn't trust them.

"No you see, Your Majesty-" Sokka began to explain, interrupting by Long Feng, "Why should His Royal Majesty trust you, when you couldn't even keep one promise? Have Her Highness, Crowned Princess Himoko of Omashu, back home safely by sundown." King Kuei nods in agreement, "Long Feng sends the Dai Li out to find her, we can't waste our time when she could be in danger once again-"

"Why would H- Princess Himoko be in danger? Why do you think spies from the Fire Nation went and took her in the first place? Earth King think about it, don't be an idiot." Toph points out to him harshly, blunt force in her words. Long Feng's eyes narrow, "You may not speak to the king that way."

"Don't care. Princess Himoko was kidnapped by Fire Nation spies and almost taken away and never to be seen again yesterday, why on earth would they do that to her? Why is she here in the first place, and not back at Omashu? Why did King Bumi order her to come here? USE YOUR BRAIN!" Katara wrapped her arms around Toph, holding her back from doing any more damage. King Kuei looks to the ground, mulling over her words... Did she have a point?

"My King, you can't trust any of them. Remember, they all broke a promise." A skeeving rat whispered into his ear.

"We didn't break a promise! Himoko wanted to stay behind herself to look after something!" Katara states and Long Feng lets out a laugh, "Why should we believe you?"

"Can you all shut up with the yelling, you are giving me a headache..." Came a familiar voice from the entrance to the throne room. The group of teenagers turned around, seeing Himoko walk in, her glider strapped to her back and an annoyed look on her face.

"Oh thank spirits." King Kuei sighed in relief, holding onto his heart. He felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders, allowing him to breathe again. Long Feng on the other hand, wasn't too happy or relieved to see her. She chose a wonderful time to make her appearance, the king walking down the steps and speedwalking towards her, meeting her in the middle of the room, enveloping her in a hug.

"Are you okay? Any injuries?" King Kuei questions, looking once over her, noticing a shift in her. It was like she wasn't the same person she was this morning.

"I'm okay. But, we need to talk. And all of you must listen." Stated Himoko authoritative.

"Yes of course- What do you need to tell us?" The Earth King rests his hands on Himoko's arms, waiting for her to speak. Himoko desperately wanted to take a nap right now, but that had to wait, unfortunately. She had to deal with his blubbering idiots at the moment. "Long Feng has been hiding a war from all of you, a war that has lasted for 100 years."

"A war? That's ridiculous-" Long Feng began to patronize, silenced by Himoko, "I will seal your mouth shut if you interrupt me again." Long Feng reluctantly stayed quiet, squeezing his hands into fists.

"You occasionally remember about the war, but Long Feng and members of the Dai Li have been brainwashing you to forget, like the rest of the people living inside of Ba Sing Se. Talk over the war is secretly outlawed. If anyone ever speaks one word of it, they go on vacation to Lake Laogai, the old security prison."

"Himoko, this sounds so crazy, it can't possibly be real."

"Long Feng stole the Avatar's Sky Bison to keep them quiet, blackmailing them. Luckily, he is back in their care now after today when we went to Lake Laogai and saved him."

"Hold on this is so-" Himoko continues, ignoring King Kuei's expressed confusion. "You have been nothing but a pawn since you became the Earth King. Open your eyes and think about situations that made you confused or suspicious. Think about it, cousin." Himoko informed him more forcefully.

"All lies. I've never even seen a Sky Bison, Your Majesty. Frankly, I thought they were extinct." Long Feng released a huff. "I don't... This is all ludicrous! How would any of this be possible?"

"Just as possible as the Avatar existing, just as possible as me still being alive after my people were massacred hundreds of years ago. Please, listen and think."

"These hooligans are part of an anarchist cell that my agents have been tracking for weeks. If you listen to them, you're playing right into your own destruction." Long Feng pulled out of his ass as a new appearance walked into the room, "There is no anarchist cell, you never sent any Dai Li Agents outside of the perimeter of the city. I know the schedules." Sadem walked in, attention falling onto him. Himoko sighed in relief, glad to see that he managed to make it back. Himoko pulled away from her cousin, jogging up to Sadem putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Are Jet and the others okay?"

"They are fine, I dropped them off at a ferry leading out of the city." Himoko nods, turning back to pay attention to what was on hand.

The Earth King's face is full of conflict, not knowing what to believe. Should he believe the avatar, a group of teenagers, his own cousin, or the advisor appointed by his father before he passed, who has been at his side through thick and thin? The king releases a stressed-out sigh. Himoko shares a glance with Sadem before watching King Kuei walk back up the stairs, taking a seat on his throne. He is tired, not knowing what to do.

"My King, what they are proposing to you is slander of me. I am loyal to the Earth Kingdom, and would never betray the crown." Himoko rolls her eyes at Long Feng's words, wanting to walk up and sucker punch him. It has been such a long day.

The Earth King doesn't reply to anyone, sitting on his throne thoughtfully, weighing his options...

When Kuei looks up, making eye contact with Himoko, at her narrowed grey eyes, resembling a feral feline cat ready to pounce if need be... He makes his decision. And hopes, it was the correct one.

"I apologize, Princess Himoko, but I have to trust my advisor. All of this is just your word against his, with no actual proof of any of this being true." Himoko frowns, the cycle begins again. Long Feng smirks, raising a brow at the development. It seems like he still had control over the King. Sokka looks between Himoko and Kuei, watching a silent conversation between their eyes unfold. Himoko is left disappointed, and Kuei is trapped within his own bubble.

Sokka's eyes shift over to Long Feng, the snake, the man looked like he had won, confidence radiating off of him. He wanted to crush that so badly. He couldn't allow this to happen, everyone was counting on them to get the Earth King's go ahead, to get him on their side.

And, the teenager couldn't stand seeing the disappointed look on Himoko's face.

"Wait, I can prove he's lying. Long Feng said he's never seen a Sky Bison, ask him to lift his robe." Sokka stepped out, urgency and confidence in his voice. Sadem and Himoko's heads turn with a snap, shocked at what Sokka just asked a middle-aged man to do in front of an audience.

"Dude what the fu-" Himoko almost replied before Long Feng beat her to it, "What?! I am not disrobing!" The old man is appalled and for once- Himoko didn't blame him. What was Sokka thinking? Was he a little... ya know.

Himoko held in a snort, 'No, bad Himoko. Shut up you are tired.' She kicked herself mentally. At least she didn't say it out loud. Aang and Sokka smile knowingly at one another before nodding. Aang fills his lungs up with a large amount of air, before blowing a powerful gust of wind towards Long Feng, blowing up the advisor's robes, showing off a bruise on his leg. Himoko tilts her head, staring at it for as long as the robe stays up.

"I have cleaned Appa's teeth enough times to know that those molar indents are from him." Himoko states with a small chuckle, "Appa is such a good boy." She continues, hearing a soft growl coming from Bosco. She laughs lightheartedly, "You are a good boy too, Bosco." Bosco grumbles, content with her answer.

"Appa bit him." Himoko tunes back in.

"Never met a Sky Bison, huh?" Sokka states smugly, Long Feng's face turning red after being humiliated like that. He flattens down his robes, a deep frown set on his face.

"That happens to be a large birthmark. Thanks for showing everyone." Sokka rolls his eyes. The Earth King glances between the opposing groups, "Well, I suppose there's no way to prove where those marks came from."

"Of course there is!".

-

Appa, now in the room after a hassle of getting him inside of the balance and through the halls- Stands behind the group of teenagers. Appa opens his mouth wide, showing off his pretty clean teeth, despite them not being brushed for a couple of weeks. And as Himoko thought, and already knew, the imprints matched Long Feng's 'birthmark'.

"Yup, that pretty much proves it." Now Himoko wanted to whack her cousin upside the head. Aang and the group cheered, "But it doesn't prove this crazy conspiracy theory." the group slumps, disappointed. He still didn't believe them? Even after proving that Long Feng lied? Wasn't that just a big thing a couple of minutes ago?

"Though, I suppose this matter is worth looking into." King Kuei makes eye contact with Princess Himoko. Himoko breaks it immediately, sighing deeply. 'All of this would be resolved earlier if you had just believed me, and not your snake of an advisor.' She thinks bitterly.

They head their way outside of the throne room, Aang apparently knowing the perfect thing to show to the Earth King to make him believe them and their tale of a 100-year war.

During their walk to the outer wall, Sokka falls in step with Himoko, crossing his arms while Himoko slightly leaned against Sadem's shoulder, wanting to go to bed.

"Did you do what you wanted to do?" He asks her. Himoko shakes her head, "No, but I will tell you all that later. I'm too tired to put a timeline in place." Sokka nods, releasing a soft sigh. "It's been a long day, hopefully, the Earth King believes us after this."

"You need a nap, and bad," Sadem mutters, wanting to just grab her and drag her to her room. "You don't think I already know that?"

"Alright, let's calm down for a bit, we are almost there." Himoko closes her eyes, letting the two teenage boys deal with directing her and making sure she didn't trip over her own two feet.

They enter the underground station, and after passing by groups of people who flocked towards them when they spotted the Earth King (kinda hard to not recognize him when he stood out wearing extravagant clothing and jewelry). Himoko pushes herself to stand up straight, opening her eyes as they walk onto the train platform, King Kuei looking more than uncomfortable in this sort of atmosphere.

"You're fine, this isn't like you are going to make a speech or anything."

"Still an odd feeling, using public transport that regular people use." Himoko blows a soft raspberry, grabbing his arm and forcing him into the train cart, practically dragging him through the doors.

"Now you stand, and wait for everyone else to get on, the conductor will close the doors, and we are off." People pour into the cart, taking their seats. Himoko stands with her cousin and the guards, Sadem taking his seat next to Sokka.

The doors to the cart close and it begins to move, sliding down the metal tracks.

"So, this is what a train is like? I didn't realize it would be this...public." Himoko snickers, "You are fine Kuei."

"So you've never been outside the upper ring before?" Katara questions, the Earth King shaking his head, "I have been before, during small walkthroughs of the city, but never on something like this... May I ask where we're going?"

"Underneath Lake Laogai, Your Kingliness. To the Dai Li's secret headquarters. You're about to see where all the brainwashing and conspiring took place."

"Dude I would have just stayed at the lake if I knew we were going to go back there," Himoko complains. "Rip you." Toph comments. Himoko closes her eyes again, listening to them all speak to one another, while she gets some shut-eye. She might end up just taking a seat if it meant her taking a nap.

Sadem sighs heavily, getting up from his seat and walking to Himoko, grabbing her arm and pulling her over, forcing her to sit down. "You aren't a horse, you can't sleep standing up."

"Yes I can, you just didn't allow me to do it before I fell while asleep." Himoko replies with her eyes still closed. Sadem stops himself from making a biting remark, shifting his gaze to the Earth King. He wondered what he was thinking, and wondered what the man next to him thought, Long Feng.

Two conflicting emotions on their faces, one of curiousness and uncomfortableness, and the other of conniving and thieving attributes. Long Feng had something up his sleeve, Sadem just didn't know what.

Well, after this, he knows for sure if the Earth King still didn't believe them, he would be out of a job. Might be for the best though, as long as he was still allowed to remain at the princess's side and protect her from harm- He would be alright. They would be alright.

Himoko drifts off to sleep, leaned up against the back of the train seat, her head lolling on her shoulder. Katara shifts herself, gently grabbing the side of Himoko's head, and moving it to rest against her shoulder. She didn't want Himoko to wake up with a stiff neck.

After a train ride, the group made it to Lake Laogai, where Toph walked up to the edge of the lake, hopping up and upon landing, revealing a crumbled and destroyed path of what once was the causeway.

"It's gone!"

"Oh, don't tell me..." Sokka slumps forward, prepared to give up.

"It's fine guys, we can find something else." Himoko states with a small yawn.

"The Dai Li must have known we were coming and destroyed the evidence." Eyes shifted to Sadem, an innocent agent. He puts his hands up in defense, "Wasn't me! I was too busy with getting kids out of the city. Can you guys not, please?" Himoko slaps the back of Sadem's shoulder, walking up to the Earth King.

"Hmm. That seems awfully convenient." Kuei mutters in thoughts, "Yeah duh, that's what happens when people cover things up." She retorts bluntly.

"Hey, if anything, this proves the conspiracy existence even more." Sokka points out.

King Kuei shakes his head, not satisfied with this outcome, "Long Feng was right, this was a waste of time. If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to the palace-" He turns to leave with his guards, stopped by Himoko grabbing the back of his collar, holding him back. "Nope, you aren't leaving until we prove this to you, bonehead."

"Okay, apparently that nap on the train didn't help at all with her crankiness."

"Shut up it's been a long day." Fired back the princess towards her guard. Sadem hangs his head, now he needs and wants a nap.

Katara, being the savior she was, snaps her fingers as an idea sparks. "The wall! They'll never be able to cover that up in time!" Himoko stares at Katara, confused. "What wall?"

"The outer wall."

"What did you guys do to the wall."

"We did nothing!" Sokka defends.

"Mhmm sure..."

"If you come with us to the outer wall, we can prove to you that the secret war is real!"

"No Earth King has ever been to the outer wall. I don't have any more time for this nonsense." Himoko sighs, "There literally has been, how do you think the palace got put inside Ba Sing Se?" She corrects him.

"If you come with us, this time you can ride on Appa." Sokka runs up to the Earth King, the man looks over to where Appa stood, the Sky Bison lowering himself to the ground, inviting them to get on. The group climbs on, some of the guards staying back since there wasn't that much room for them on top of the flying bison.

Himoko grips onto Appa's fur, feeling Sokka throw an arm over her back, helping keep her on the bison, "Sok, you are going to fall if you do that." She points out and Sokka shakes his head, "I will be fine."

"I am not going to chase after you again when you fall 100 feet." Himoko lightly bumps his chest with her shoulder, indicating her sentence was lighthearted. Sokka sends her a small smile before looking forward, waiting for Aang to order Appa to take off, his grip tightening around Himoko.

Katara eyes the two, head tilting in deep thought.

Kuei climbs on the Sky Bison, the scared royal gripping tightly onto Appa's fur in a death grip. It was amusing to Himoko to see him so scared, acting as if he truly was going to slip off of the animal's back at any moment. They weren't even in the sky yet. "Ready?" Aang questions the scared king, "Uh not really- AH!" He screeches when Appa lifts off, flying through the air at max speeds. Appa's throat grumbled, clearly having fun as he flew, the wind pressing down his fur and whipping in his face. Himoko smiles, letting her grip ease on the fur to sit up, reaching a hand up, grazing against a low-hanging cloud.

"Himoko!" Sokka began to scold, pushing her down again to sit. "I'm fine, if I do fall off, I have my glider on me. Don't be such a worrywart."

"I will be a worrywart if I want to, I'm not going to lose-" Sokka stops himself from continuing, cheeks flushing pink. He hides his face by looking in the opposite direction of her, not wanting her to see him so red. Himoko rolls her eyes, not thinking much of it.

"First time flying?" Toph questions the Earth King, pulling the attention from the duo.

"It's both thrilling and terrifying." King Kuei answers honestly, "Yeah, I hate it too." Toph confesses, not enjoying being in the air where she couldn't see anything.

"I have to be honest with you. Part of me really hopes that what you are telling me about this war...isn't true." Himoko frowns.

"I wish it wasn't," Aang whispers under his breath, shoulders slouching forward. 'Me too, Aang...' Himoko thinks to herself, staring up at the clouds, it was a present thought at the back of her mind, on how history would have played out without the Fire Nation starting a war... Without Fire Lord Sozin's involvement in massacring her and Aang's people. Would things be the same?

She probably would have never been born, the Air Nomads didn't have a traditional family setting, children would be born, and never meet their parents, they would be put under the care of the monks at their respected temples. The only reason why she was born was that two Air Nomads escaped, from two different Air Temples escaped, and her ancestors were created; starting a family line that should have been started in the first place.

Appa flies over patchwork fields, that is between the last ring and the outer wall, the many farms that the city provided and farmers worked upon. Their main sources of food.

---

Zuko lays asleep, sweating feverishly as he wilts in pain unconsciously. Iroh tends to him, a permanent frown on his face, hating to see his nephew in such pain. Iroh couldn't help... He had to allow this to run its course.

Inside of Zuko's dreamscape is a version of Zuko that he never thought he would see, of what would have happened if he was the perfect child of the Fire Lord, if he had never spoken out of turn that fateful day. A slithering serpent slides down a pillar he was sitting in between, followed by another, two different shades of colors, red and blue.

"It's getting late. Are you planning to retire soon, my Lord?" The Blue Dragon questions him wistfully, its tongue moving past its lips as it spoke to him, tasting the air and hearing Zuko's reply, "I'm not tired." He had stated.

"Relax, Fire Lord Zuko. Just let go, give in to it. Shut your eyes for a while..." Zuko's eyes threatened to close at the sickly sweet voice, beckoning him to give in and fall.

"No, Fire Lord Zuko! Do not listen to the Blue Dragon. You should get out of here right now. Go! Before it's too late!" Insisted the Red Dragon with a worried voice. The Blue Dragon hisses at the Red Dragon, not wanting it to foil its plan, "Sleep now, Fire Lord Zuko." The dragons disappear, leaving Zuko alone as the room crumbles around him into the void. He searches for a way out in a panic, when a pair of golden eyes show themself in front of him, approaching quickly and within a flash, disappearing after bellowing in a threatening voice- "Sleep, just like Mother!" It screeches, opening jaws wide and swelling Zuko's form whole.

He stands in a pool of water, turning around in circles.

"Zuko, help me!" He turns again, looking for her. He sees his own reflection in her eyes, fear and distraught. He falls into the pool of water.

He is startled awake, hoping to feel the familiar fabric of the sheet thrown on him by Uncle... Instead, he is back where he started, in the throne room, posing as the new Fire Lord. The boy is trapped, seemingly with no escape from his dreams and terrors.

-

"It's still there!" Shouts Aang, pointing towards something on the ground. Himoko removes herself from Sokka's grip, maneuvering herself to the edge of the bison, trying to see what the avatar saw. Appa lands on the top of the Outer Wall and they all climb off him, Himoko jogging to peer down, a startled gasp leaving her lips. Sadem joins her side, his eyes widening at the sight of a large drill, branded with a Fire Nation insignia.

"What is that...?" Her cousin joins her and Sadem's side, peering over the wall and down at the large machine, fear in his eyes and voice.

"It's a drill. A giant drill made by the Fire Nation, to break through your walls."

"When- When did this happen?" Himoko is confused, sharing similar confusion with Sadem. How did neither of them know about this? They thought they were keeping good tabs on the city, by constantly being around the citizens every day and patrolling the tops of the walls when they could during the night. Just, how did they missing something like this? Something so important?

"A few days ago, shortly after we arrived at the city," Toph answers Himoko's question, guilt consuming the princess. She could have helped... If that drill would have succeeded in breaking through the wall, what could she have done? Fled? Leaving her city in the grasps of the Fire Nation?

Sadem feels her distress, resting a hand on her back, "You couldn't have known, this isn't your fault." Tears welled in her eyes, "But I should have! I'm a Princess of the Earth Kingdom, I should have known and should have stopped this from happening-"

"Hey, hey, everything is okay now." Sokka grabs Himoko, forcing her to turn around and look away from the machine that laid below, "We were there, we handled it. It didn't breakthrough." He reassured her.

"It pierced the freaking wall, Sokka! They almost succeeded in invading our city! And I wasn't here to stop that from happening!"

"I can't believe I never knew." King Kuei shakily states, horrified with this development. He couldn't believe it... Just how blind he has been, how much suffering this has caused.

Long Feng, the weasel, approaches from the right of the group, two Dai Li guards flanking him. Sadem furrows his brows, recognizing them from the 1st Division, the most loyal agents to Long Feng and the Crown. Sadem was in the 4th Division, so he didn't see them too often, unless it had to deal with something like at Lake Laogai, or when Long Feng is walking around the city. Sadem did his best to avoid Long Feng, so that didn't help at most times.

But, he knew that something was off when the advisor approaches them with agents that he actually trusted.

"I can explain this, Your Majesty. This is nothing more than...a construction project." Long Feng stops in front of the group, gesturing down towards the drill.

"Why would our own construction project be from outside of the wall and- Why would we want a drill, that is known to make holes in the earth." Himoko points out, Katara carrying on with the Airbender's point, "Perhaps you can also explain why there's a Fire Nation insignia on your construction project." Himoko blinks her tears away, looking down at the drill again. She wipes away the tears that escaped with her sleeves.

"Well, it's imported of course. You know you can't trust domestic machinery. Surely you don't believe these children, instead of your most loyal attendant?!" King Kuei looks at the group of teenagers, his eyes falling on Himoko, a pain in his heart, guilt eating him up. 'I have to make this right.' He thinks to himself before clearing his throat, turning to Long Feng, his face stern and hard. Authority.

"Dai Li, arrest Long Feng. I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom." Firmly the Earth King orders them, taking charge just like he should have a long time ago. The Agents at his side exchange looks and snare their peer's wrist in chain-manacles, pulling his wrists back behind him, walking back to once they came.

"You can't arrest me. You all need me more than you know!" Long Feng yells at the group, enraged by this outcome.

"Looks like Long Feng is 'long gone'! Ha...Oh, yeah, I've been waiting to use that one." Sokka quips out a dry joke, Himoko sighing in relief.

"Can I take a nap now? Please?" Himoko asks out loud with a small annoyed groan. She was too tired to think of a funny line in response to Long Feng's arrest. King Kuei walks up to her, reaching down and grabbing her hands, rubbing circles on the back of them.

"I would like to apologize to you, dear cousin. I should have believed you when you first brought up how Long Feng had been behaving." King Kuei tells her honestly. The signs have been all there, all along, and Himoko off all people, showed those signs to him within the first week of her being in Ba Sing Se. She had the courage to bring it up to him, and yet he still ignored her because he was too caught up in his own pride, blind to see just how much Long Feng was playing him like a fiddle.

Himoko removes one of her hands from his, reaching up and resting it against his forehead.

"Your mind is still foggy from all of the years of washing your brain... I will explain that in further detail later- But, I will help you regain what you lost, I promise you that." King Kuei doesn't question her confusing words, only nods, "And I promise you, and to our people, that I will be a better King, one who actually rules and protects them from harm." Himoko smiles gently, an aura of silver radiating off of her.

"I believe you will, Earth King Kuei.".

They made their way back to the Inner Ring (another flight on Appa, and this time around Kuei wasn't as scared to fall off and perish), they poured into the throne room, King Kuei taking a much-needed seat, relaxing into the stiff chair, he might join Himoko's plans and take a nap as well, it's been such a long day- but, it wasn't over yet. The sun was still threatening to set over the horizon of Mount Yù.

Princess Himoko takes her own seat next to King Kuei, in a less extravagant looking throne, lolling her head back and staring up at the ceiling, 'Nap time, nap time, nap time...' Bosco lays down at her feet, yawning tiredly.

"I want to thank you, young heroes, for opening my eyes. All this time, what I thought was a great metropolis, was merely a city of fools, and that makes me the king fool. We're at war, with the Fire Nation."

"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, Your Highness. Because we think you can help us end the war." Momo flies over to Himoko, landing on her lap, discreetly asking to be pet. Himoko runs her hand up and down his back, the flying lemur purring in response.

"We don't have much time. There's a comet coming this summer. Its energy will give the fire benders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable." Himoko's eyes open at Aang's words, a comet? Honestly, she forgot about that. She has been too caught up in herself to realize just how close the end of summer was.

She ignores the uneasy feeling in her gut, a memory with a certain fortune-teller coming to mind.

"But there is hope. Before the comet comes, we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be entirely blocked out by the moon, and the fire benders will be helpless." Sokka explains with earnest, the water tribe boy was confident in their plan to end the war.

"What are you suggesting, Sokka?" King Kuei asks for further clarification, wanting to know more.

"That's the day we need to invade the Fire Nation. The Day of Black Sun."

"I don't know. That would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be completely vulnerable." Himoko just sits there, listening to the conversation. She had no input and just wanted to see them succeed in gaining her cousin's support.

"You're already vulnerable. The Fire Nation won't stop until Ba Sing Se falls. You can either sit back and wait for that to happen, or take the offensive, and give yourself a fighting chance."

"Very well. You have my support." The group cheers, ecstatic with the news.

"Woo! Alright! Good work team!" She smiles, glad to know that it was finally over. She scoops Momo up in her arms, standing.

"If we are done here, I'm going to retire to my room, if that is alright."

"You are free to go and do whatever you please, Your Highness." Himoko blinks, not expecting King Kuei to address her by that title. Was this the start of something? Of newfound respect between the two of them?

"Your Majesty. I apologize for the interruption." Himoko holds back a groan, annoyed. Why won't the universe allow her to go and take a nap? Everything was against her today it felt like.

Momo cuddles into her chest, his claws digging into the front of Himoko's shirt. "This is General How, he's the leader of The Council of Five. My highest-ranking generals." Kuei explains to the group.

"We searched Long Feng's office. I think we found something that will interest everybody." General How states, eyeing each person in the GAang.

"Okay, well have fun you lot, I'm going to take a nap." Himoko waves before walking away, Momo still in her arms.

"Uhh, bye?" Aang watches Himoko leave the throne room, Momo not making any move to leave her arms.

"I believe we just witnessed Himoko kidnapping your pet lemur." King Kuei states with a small chuckle in amusement.

-

Zuko is still trapped in his own mind, in his terror of a dream, searching for a way out, an endless cycle of falling into a void, and returning to the horror of sitting upon the throne of Fire Nation, being the Fire Lord he was supposed to be.

The Blue Dragon kept enticing him to continue to sleep, while the Red Dragon urged him to stay awake. Contradicting one another, fighting for control.

He didn't know what to do anymore, at this point he was going to be trapped there forever.

He rests his hand on the left side of his face, not feeling any rough bumps or scars, he was how he was supposed to be, born to be.

Why couldn't it just have been like this- Minus the Red and Blue Dragons, to be the perfect son. The perfect crowned prince, the perfect person. Why did he have to take an opposite path, against his own control?

Zuko desperately wanted to be in control of his own life, of his own attributes and path of history. Everything so far has pushed him to where he was today, in an enemy nation, working at a tea shop, failing to be who he actually wanted to be.

The Prince at this point didn't even know what he wanted, he just wanted to...

"Sleep..."

"Stay awake..."

Even now, in this void, entities are telling him what to do, out of his control. Whispering to take the path that they laid out for him.

Should he just give in?

Fall into the void, be sucked up.

Was it finally time to just let others take control of him? To be in control of him?

He felt like giving up.

"Wake up..." Zuko glances at the Red Dragon, who had grown tired and weary after so long of trying to gain control, to the Blue Dragon, who was in a similar state.

Silver.

Whisper of Silver.

Graces his ears, like chimes of a bell, reminding him of a traditional garment.

Zuko couldn't help himself, pushing himself to stand, ears perking, listening to the soft chimes that made him feel safe. Serenity.

Eyes of blue stare at him from within the dark void, shimmering scales of silver glinting in the absent light.

He walks forward, choosing what wasn't on the table of hands.

-

Himoko goes to sleep, Momo held to her chest. Sadem sits in the chair next to her bed, staring out the window in deep thought. They did it, didn't they?

Sadem pulls his hair out of the low-hanging bun, shaking out any knots from the wild day. "As long as I'm here, I will not allow anyone or anything to harm you." He promises, gripping the edge of his chair.

It had been many weeks since Himoko experiences a dream, a dream that didn't make her feel fear or resentment, just happiness. She ran around a garden, filled with beautiful flowers and buzzing bugs, chasing after the friends she has made along the way. Seren is laughing, a bright smile on her features. Sokka and Katara watching from their spot on the ground, eating lunch. Aang is flying around above them on his glider, Momo hanging on down from his shoe, eating an assortment of grapes he stole.

Bright and lively, a wonderful future in store for them all.

She is caught by Sadem suddenly, lifting her off of the ground and tickling her sides, bustling laughter while Toph makes her way over to them, attempting to 'save' Himoko from the torture of being tickled.

What a wonderful life. To just be kids in a world of no pain or hurt.

Soundless snores emit from Himoko when Sadem takes his leave, exiting the room, leaving the guards posted to keep an eye on her.

To Be continued

Word Count: 12,133

Page Count: 34.7