Chapter 4: Inspiration
Fire Nation; Roku's island
Zuko had spent several minutes in contemplation without moving after the soldiers had taken away his uncle. He knew he might be heading in the right direction to regain his bending with the approach to look at the original firebenders. Even though Zuko knew he would not be able to find one of the legendary dragons, he did believe he could find traces of their legacy, of the way they were bending fire, and of how they taught the first human firebenders - the ancient civilization of the Sun Warriors. Maybe he should travel to the remaining ruins of that civilization; maybe they had documented their ways and teachings somehow. But that would be for later concern.
He nodded decisively to himself. This was the path he would take. Without dwelling on the Sun Warriors any longer, Zuko turned and looked up to the volcano's summit. This had once been the island where Avatar Roku had lived and, if Zuko recalled correctly, Roku had befriended one of the dragons, as had his grandfather, Firelord Sozin. Maybe there were still traces left on this island. Maybe... Zuko's gaze moved down the slopes of the volcano, until he realized there was nothing left on the island. Roku's Island was barren and lifeless, no plants or animals left since the eruption more than a hundred years ago.
Zuko shook his head slowly. Once again, it seemed his plans were burning to the ground even before he went to execute them. Nothing ever came easy to him, unlike to his sister Azula. Often, he had wondered why things always had to be hard on him, but his uncle had always told him that was what made him strong. 'The strongest steel was forged in the hottest fire' was a quote that came to mind. Thinking about his uncle made Zuko's gaze move from the barren landscape to his uncle's tent. As the soldiers hadn't searched it, and his uncle seemed not to have taken anything with him, there could be things left he could use for his journey. In fact, it would not surprise him at all if his uncle had left something behind...
So, before anything else, Zuko walked back into the tent and looked around carefully. He was searching for anything he could use, anything unusual. Within minutes, Zuko had found a about 25 feet of rope and several supplies he could use, along with one small plain wooden box, decorated with nothing but the symbol Zuko recognized from a Pai Sho piece - the White Lotus. The box had no lock, yet, somehow, Zuko knew this box would not be easily opened by just anyone. It seemed just like his uncle to have something looking so simple, be it a riddle or puzzle.
The prince in exile reached out and touched the symbol lightly, once more wondering about the old man's obsession with that white lotus. As his finger touched the white lotus, however, Zuko realized he felt what was inside. For a brief moment, he could only stare in wonder at the box, his finger still touching the white lotus. Realizing this might be what he was looking for, what his uncle had wanted to guide him towards, had he not stormed out. Once more, he damned his impatience but he had no time to dwell on such things. Slowly he opened the box and looked at what was inside - a small flame, burning seemingly without fuel, without scorching the inside of the box. How... How had his uncle managed to do that?
Suddenly, Zuko realized the flame was dying out very slowly, but he did not know what it meant. If this was a gift or hint from his uncle, he could not allow the flame to fade away, could he? But, how could he keep the flame alive without his firebending. Staring into the flames, Zuko suddenly realized he could keep the flame alive. His ability to bend fire was still somewhere within him. Somehow, he had to learn how to channel that ability again. Iroh's words echoed in his mind. "You no longer have those goals, Zuko, and will have to find another way to fuel your bending." He knew he had a new goal, but he also knew he had to find another way to fuel his bending. This one flame was the first step to finding that.
This flame would not die.