Aang held onto Appa as the rest of the group looked out at Lake Laogai for any signs of the Dai Li or Long Feng. "I missed you more than you'll ever know, buddy," Aang whispered into Appa's fur as Momo flew over to hug Appa as well. Appa raised his head to lick Aang, causing the airbender to laugh loudly.

Sokka walked over to Azara, Katara, and Toph, who were all lounging around on the ground. "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 suggested, causing Katara to shake her head.

"One good hour after weeks of trouble isn't much of a roll," Katara pointed out, but Sokka remained optimistic, smiling widely.

"We can build on it. If we want to invade the Fire Nation when the eclipse happens, we'll need the Earth King's support," Sokka pointed out as Azara stood up, dusting herself off.

"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 sighed from her place on the ground.

"I know, but I've got a good feeling about this. This time will be different," Sokka tried again, but no one else seemed to share his optimistic spirit.

"Sokka, Long Feng is in control of the city. His conspiracy with the Dai Li is too powerful. I think we should just keep flying and leave this horrible place behind us," Azara stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm with Azara. I've seen enough of Ba Sing Se. And I can't even see!" Toph exclaimed, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

"But now that we have Appa back, there's nothing stopping us from telling the Earth King the truth. About the conspiracy and the war," Aang spoke, walking over with his staff in hand.

"See? Aang's with me," Sokka smiled, wrapping an arm around Aang as the two sent identical smiles at their friends. "It's the whole reason we came here in the first place. We have to try," Sokka added, glancing around the group.

"Well, I guess if the Earth King knew the truth, things could change," Katara conceded as Toph stood up from the ground.

"I don't trust the new positive Sokka. Long Feng brainwashed you, didn't he?!" Toph accused, causing Azara to crack an amused smile, before sobering as she noticed the ships combing Lake Laogai.

"That's probably the Dai Li searching for us," Azara sighed, before turning to the group, who looked at her expectantly.

"So, what do you think?" Sokka questioned, causing Azara to pause before smirking.

"Let's go 'pop in on the Earth King,'" Azara joked, referring back to Joo Dee's phrase.

Without another word, the group piled onto Appa's back and took off for the Earth Kingdom palace. As they flew through the air, Azara kept a hold on Toph, who was holding onto Appa's fur for dear life. "Can we please buy a new saddle? Riding bareback is terrifying!" Toph called out as they neared the palace.

"There it is! The whole thing is the palace! The Earth King's chamber should be in the center!" Sokka announced, pointing at the structure in the distance.

"We have to be careful. Long Feng's probably warned the king that we're coming," Katara reminded the group, yelling over the noise of the wind.

"Why would you assume that? If you ask me, I think we're just going to sail right in and—" Sokka stopped his statement as Appa dodged a rock, screaming out in surprise.

"Stop jinxing us!" Azara scolded, keeping her tight grip on Toph to prevent the earthbender from tumbling over the side.

"What was that?" Toph shouted out as Sokka looked over Appa's back.

"Surface-to-air rocks! More incoming!" Sokka screamed as Appa continued to dodge the flying rocks. Aang stared forward as he easily smashed one rock with his hand, the dust enveloping Appa for a moment before they continued forward. Appa started to descend as Aang sliced through another flying rock with his staff.

As they neared the ground, Aang jumped down off Appa's horn and slammed his staff into the ground, creating a large shockwave of earth that knocked back the regiment of palace guards. To finish off the guards, Appa growled at the lone ostrich horse, which quickly scattered, leaving its rider behind to crawl away on his own.

The rest of the group slid off of Appa's back as they started to charge the palace. As they ran through a set of pillars, they were soon surrounded with palace guards that bent a series of rocks at them. Toph and Aang blocked most of the rocks with their own earthbending as Katara, Azara, and Sokka dispatched the soldiers that Aang and Toph left behind. "Sorry!" Katara apologized as she water whipped a soldier in the face.

Making it past the pillars, another group of soldiers ran towards them. Toph, however, stopped in her tracks and kicked her foot into the ground, flipping the large earth tiles of the walkway back onto the soldiers with her arms, trapping them in place. "Sorry! We just need to get through to see the Earth King!" Katara called as they ran past the trapped guards.

As they neared the river surrounding the Earth Palace, the palace guards launched two large badgermole statues at the group. Sokka looked worried for a moment, but Toph and Aang encased the group in a shelter of earth, blocking the statues from crushing them. Once the dust settled, Azara and Katara ran out from the back of the shelter, both jumping over the river and knocking the palace guards back with their respective bending techniques. Aang froze the river with airbending before the group continued forward.

Katara and Azara waited for the rest of the group to reach the bottom of the stairs when they were soon bombarded with more rocks. Looking up, Azara stared at the hordes of guards pouring out of the palace to stop them. Toph stood at the bottom of the stairs and raised her hands in the air. For a moment, the ground lightly shook before she stomped the ground and pulled her arms in, turning the stairs into a ramp.

As the palace guards slid down the new ramp, Aang and Toph worked together to bend the group up the ramp, Appa helping with the flap of his tail. "Seriously, we're on your guys' side!" Sokka shouted as several guards rolled by them. "Sorry," he added as Azara winced as one of the guards smacked into their elevator.

The group reached the top of the stairs and started running towards the entrance to the palace. More guards ran at them from the sides of the palace balcony, but Aang and Toph knocked them back with similar earth walls. "In there!" Sokka yelled out, leading the way into the palace.

The group entered a room with three adjacent hallways, all of which were filled with guards ready to smash them to pieces. As the guards ran into the room, Toph stomped her foot on the ground, knocking a few of them into the ceiling with earth pillars. "Toph, which way to the Earth King?" Sokka asked as Azara punched a fire blast through a rock.

"How should I know? I'm still voting we leave Ba Sing Se," Toph huffed before sending an earth shock towards the guards in front of her. Sokka ran around the room, opening the various doors, as the rest of the group fought off the remaining guards. Sliding under a boulder, Azara rolled on the ground, kicking two guards back with her fire blasts.

"Sorry!" she winced as they groaned against the wall. The room was quickly trashed, rubble covering most of the entrances, when Sokka finally returned to the group. Looking behind him, Sokka decided to climb up the rubble and stared down at the large door at the end of the hall.

"Now that's an impressive door. It's got to go somewhere," Sokka stated, dropping down to the ground and running towards the door. With a yell, Sokka attempted to open the door with a kick before falling down to the ground. Getting to his feet, Sokka tried to push it open, but Aang and Toph pushed the door open with their bending, knocking Sokka over in the process. "A little warning next time?" he scoffed, rubbing his head.

As Sokka stood up, the rest of the group sprinted into the room behind him. In the center of the room sat the Earth King, who was quickly blocked by Long Feng and Dai Li agents. The teenagers prepared for another battle, getting into fighting stances as they glared at Long Feng. "We need to talk to you," Aang called to the Earth King as Long Feng turned around.

"They're here to overthrow you," he warned the Earth King lowly as the monarch's gaze hardened.

"No, we're on your side. We're here to help," Sokka promised, clutching his club in his hands.

"You have to trust us," Katara continued as the Earth King rose from his throne, his face twisted into a frown.

"You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to trust you?" Kuei replied in an aggravated tone, as Azara shot the rest of the group a look.

"He has a point," Azara sighed as Kuei continued to glare at them.

"If you are on my side, then drop your weapons and stand down!" Kuei demanded, causing the group to look at each other for a moment. Without a word, Aang dropped his staff, Katara put away her water, Sokka dropped his club, Azara let the fire dissipate from her hands, and Toph dropped her boulder.

"See? We're friends, Your Earthiness," Aang chuckled nervously as Kuei continued to glare at them. Long Feng signaled for the Dai Li to cuff them, the agents quickly sending earth hands at each of the teenagers, who yelled out as their arms were held behind their backs by the rock gloves.

"Detain the assailants!" Long Feng ordered as the Dai Li rushed forward to grab them.

"But we dropped our weapons. We're your allies," Sokka insisted as they started to be led away from the Earth King.

"Make sure the Avatar and his friends never see daylight again," Long Feng ordered, causing the Earth King to look at group with surprise.

"The Avatar? You're the Avatar?" Kuei asked, pointing at Sokka, who narrowed his eyes.

"Uh, no. Him," Sokka sighed, nudging his head towards Aang.

"Over here," Aang smiled, breaking out of his earth cuffs for a moment before putting his hands behind his back once more.

"What does it matter, Your Highness? They're enemies of the state," Long Feng dismissed, glaring over at the group.

"Perhaps you're right," Kuei sighed as Bosco walked over and sniffed at Aang, the bear licking the laughing airbender. "Though Bosco seems to like him. I'll hear what he has to say."

Aang turned to face the Earth King, a serious look on his face. "Well, sir, there's a war going on right now. For the past one hundred years in fact. The Dai Li's kept it secret from you. It's a conspiracy to control the city, and to control you," Aang explained, walking towards Kuei.

"A secret war? That's crazy!" Kuei scoffed as Long Feng nodded in agreement.

"Completely!" Long Feng scoffed as Azara narrowed her eyes at him.

"Long Feng didn't want us to tell you, so he stole our sky bison to blackmail us. And blackmail is the least of his crimes. He brainwashed our friend!" Aang continued, his voice rising at the end.

"All lies. I've never even seen a sky bison, Your Majesty. Frankly, I thought they were extinct," Long Feng sighed dramatically, turning back to the Earth King.

"Your claim is difficult to believe. Even from an Avatar," Kuei sighed, leaning back into his chair, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Your Majesty, if I may add to Aang's statement," Azara spoke, stepping forward with her hands still bound behind her back. "Princess Azara of the Fire Nation," she stated, bowing slightly, hoping that the more formal greeting would sway Kuei's mood. The Dai Li never told him about the war, but she hoped that his tutors had at least taught him some court etiquette.

"You're a princess of the Fire Nation? But you're dressed like an Earth Kingdom peasant," Kuei replied, sounding confused as Azara stood up straighter.

"It's a disguise while I'm traveling with the Avatar," Azara explained, but Kuei didn't look convinced. "Because the Fire Nation has ravaged the Earth Kingdom for the last hundred years, I wear this to avoid drawing unwanted attention or anger from your subjects. But, please, Your Majesty, you have to believe us. If you don't you will lose Ba Sing Se and the war in a matter of months."

"She's merely a lying peasant, Your Majesty. The Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom are not at war, and she insults your subjects with her very words," Long Feng muttered to the Earth King as Azara glared at him.

"Your Majesty, while I don't have my crown, I can assure you I am a princess of the Fire Nation. And I come here to help both your subjects and my own," Azara continued as Kuei continued to look skeptical at her.

"But how do I know you're a Fire Nation princess?" Kuei asked, causing Azara to sigh.

Thinking to herself for a moment, Azara took a deep breath and leaned back, releasing a flame from her mouth, as her hands were currently trapped behind her back. Straightening up, Azara smiled nervously as she stared up at Kuei, the fire above her head mimicking a Fire Nation crown. She never thought she would have to gleefully announce that in the Earth Kingdom, yet here she was. "Uh, does this work?" she offered, a sheepish smile on her face as Long Feng rolled his eyes.

"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 warned Kuei, causing his eyes to widen for a moment before he turned back to the group.

"I have to trust my advisor," he sighed, causing the Dai Li agents to start leading them away again.

"Wait!" Sokka exclaimed, pulling himself around to face the Earth King. "I can prove he's lying. Long Feng said he's never seen a sky bison. Ask him to lift his robe."

"What? I am not disrobing!" Long Feng snapped as Aang and Sokka shared a look. Aang smiled before blowing a large gust of air at Long Feng's legs, lifting his robe, and revealing Appa's bite mark on his lower leg.

"Right there! Appa bit him!" Aang pointed out as everyone in the room turned to stare at Long Feng's leg.

"Never met a sky bison, huh?" Sokka taunted, a wide smirk on his face.

"That happens to be a large birth mark. Thanks for showing everyone," Long Feng huffed sarcastically as he lowered his robe.

"Well, I suppose there's no way to prove where those marks came from," Kuei shrugged, still looking skeptical despite the mounting evidence.

"Of course, there is!" Sokka replied, sounding determined despite Long Feng's continued meddling. They brought Appa into the room and the sky bison opened his mouth. Aang pointed at Appa's teeth and then Long Feng's mark, demonstrating the clear similarity.

"Yup. That pretty much proves it," Kuei nodded, causing the group to celebrate, hugging each other. "But it doesn't prove this crazy conspiracy theory." The group groaned, slouching against each other. "Though, I suppose this matter's worth looking into." The group shrugged, seeing this as a potentially good outcome, as Long Feng glared at the King.

Deciding to start with the Dai Li headquarters at Lake Laogai, the group and the Earth King, as well as several of his guards, exited the palace. While Aang flew on Appa, the rest of the group piled into one of the trains. The citizens of Ba Sing Se stared at Kuei with shock as the Earth King looked around at the people with a confused and nervous look on his face.

"So, this is what a train is like? I didn't realize it would be this . . . public," Kuei trailed off awkwardly as he stood in the middle of the train car.

"So, you've never been outside the Upper Ring before?" Katara asked, trying to make conversation with the monarch.

"I've never been outside the palace," Kuei corrected before noticing Aang flying alongside the train outside. "Now that's the way to travel." Azara glanced out at Aang before Kuei continued. "So, 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," Sokka explained, causing Kuei to look ahead with a serious expression.

They eventually reached the shores of Lake Laogai and led the Earth King over to edge of the lake. Toph walked across the shoreline before hopping and lifting the lakebed up to the surface. However, the entrance to the headquarters had been destroyed, merely a pile of rocks now.

"It's gone!" Toph exclaimed, causing the group to share nervous looks.

"Oh, don't tell me—" Sokka groaned, leaning down as Azara placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Sokka straightened himself up with a fake smile and thumbs up. "That's okay. Still got my positive attitude."

"The Dai Li must've known we were coming and destroyed the evidence!" Azara guessed as Kuei began to look suspicious.

"Hm . . . that seems awfully convenient," he muttered sarcastically, glancing at the group for anyone to speak up.

"Hey, if anything, this proves the conspiracy exists even more," Sokka smiled, trying to convince Kuei about their story.

"Long Feng was right. This was a waste of time. If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to the palace," Kuei huffed, turning around and walking back the way they had come.

"The wall! They'll never be able to cover that up in time!" Katara realized, causing the rest of the group to smile and nod. Aang ran up the hill after the Earth King, the rest of the group right behind him.

"If you come with us to the Outer Wall, we can prove to you that the secret war is real," Aang spoke, jumping in front of the King.

"No Earth King has ever been to the Outer Wall! I don't have any more time for this nonsense," Kuei huffed, storming past Aang.

"If you come with us, this time you can ride on Appa," Sokka offered, hoping to entice the Earth King to follow them. Kuei paused for a moment, before turning around and nodding, a smile on his face. 

A.N. Thanks as always for reading, voting, and commenting! Only four more chapters left to go in Book 2!