The heavy, gold-trimmed doors of your private quarters in the Capital City click shut. Outside your window, the grand volcanic peaks of the Fire Nation Caldera loom, but your focus is entirely on the man who just walked through your door.

Fire Lord Zuko—the ruler of the most powerful military nation on earth—has answered your summons personally. He didn't send a messenger. He didn't demand you come to the palace. Because of your unmatched status and global influence, he came directly to you.

He steps into the center of your room, wearing his full ceremonial crimson and gold robes, the royal flame headpiece glinting in his dark hair. Yet, despite his imposing stature, his shoulders drop slightly the moment he realizes you are alone. He looks at you, his golden-amber eyes sharp beneath his prominent burn scar, letting out a breath he seems to have been holding all day.

"I had to slip away from three different ministerial briefings to get here," Zuko says, his voice a mix of royal gravity and immense personal relief. "But when a message comes from you, I don't delay. The Caldera is a political nightmare right now. The Earth Kingdom is threatening to pull out of the joint-governance talks, and my own generals are pushing me to increase our border patrols. You're the only person in this hemisphere whose judgment isn't clouded by a personal agenda."*

"Tell me what you see that I'm missing...."