Chapter 3, the Southern Air Temple
Dawn broke over the Patola Mountains with a blanket of golden sunlight bathing everything in an amber glow. The light danced on the waves of the Gan-Lan Sea below, the sky above devoid of cloud. On the shore, at the foot of the mountains, as Appa slept, Aang and Katara broke camp. Aang was a portrait of excitement, while Katara was more cautious.
"You're gonna love the Southern Air Temple, Katara!" he said, practically jumping up and down with excitement. Katara frowned, not sure what to tell him.
"Aang, I know you're excited," she began, cautiously, "But you might find things aren't the way they were when you were last there."
Aang smiled, practically skipping, "But that's why I'm so excited!"
"Alright," Katara said, "But a lot can change in a hundred years."
But Aang, apparently not listening, was already trying to wake Sokka up. Not responding, Sokka rolled over in his sleeping bag. At this point, Appa stirred, lumbering over. At this point Aang was prodding Sokka with his staff, as Sokka resolutely ignored him. This valiant attempt not to get up, however, was cut short by Appa, who licked Sokka with his massive tongue. Crying out in disgust, Sokka clambered out of his bison saliva-covered sleeping bag. "Good, you're awake; let's go!" Aang said, already having climbed onto Appa's back. Muttering under his breath, Sokka obliged, throwing his sleeping bag over the edge of Appa's saddle, not bothering to roll it up. Appa pushed off from the ground, and they were in the air.
The damaged ship limped into port. Azula and Zuko walked down the gangplank onto the dock, where Fire Navy sailors bustled about. Azula strode confidently up to one of them. "We need to see Captain Zhao," she said without preamble.
"He's already here, Princess Azula," a voice behind them said. They turned to see a man of middling height, with large sideburns. "And Prince Zuko, I see." Zhao looked at the damage to their ship, walking towards it. "Well, well, well, what happened here?" He put his hand on the hull, right near a large gash left in the hull plates.
Azula glanced around them at the sailors going about their work at the base. "A collision with an iceberg, nothing more. It's a shock it doesn't happen more often." She shot a look at Zuko as he opened his mouth to say something. Not here, the look said. "While we were here, I thought we might discuss a few matters of some importance," she added.
"I'd consider it an honor," Zhao said, bowing. "Please, join me in my office."
Appa flew low over the Patola Mountains, headed north. Sokka sat at the back of Appa's saddle, while Katara and Aang sat on Appa's head. Suddenly, Sokka began digging through the bags. "Hey, who ate all the blubbered seal jerky?" he asked. Katara rolled her eyes.
"You hid it, remember? After Aang nearly used it to start the campfire last night?" Katara said. Behind her, Sokka began digging through the bags that contained their supplies. Ignoring him, she turned to Aang. "Aang, before we got there, I wanted to talk to you about something."
"What?" Aang asked, still excited to finally return home.
"Well, I wanted to talk about the Airbenders," she said cautiously.
"What do you mean?" Aang asked, confused.
"Well, it's just that nobody's seen them in a hundred years. And- well the Firebenders are ruthless. They killed our mother, and-" she paused, not sure how to say this "they may well have done the same to your people."
Aang thought about this for a moment. He shrugged. "Well, just because nobody's seen an Airbender in a hundred years doesn't mean they're all gone. They probably escaped.
"Aang-" Katara began, but Aang interrupted her cheerfully.
"No, it's not that I'm blind to facts, but the only way to get to an Air Temple is by a Flying Bison, and the Fire Nation doesn't have any. Don't they buddy?" And he rubbed behind Appa's ear, as he growled low.
Just then, the temple came into view. Atop one of the highest peaks in the mountains, the Temple was a collection of buildings, all built into the sides of the mountain, which itself had been eroded until it was like a massive tower. A path leading from the flat landing pad where the flying bison would land wound its way up to the main part of the temple. In the chill air snow lay on the ground.
"There it is!" Aang shouted. Sokka and Katara stared in wonder. He smiled, looking down at Appa. "We're home, buddy," he murmured in his ear.
Zhao led them into a large, black tent, where a subordinate was already pouring tea. Zuko looked around at the maps that adorned the walls of the tent. "Please, sit," he said, indicating the two chairs in front of his desk. "So, to what do I owe this honor?"
"We would like you to pass a message on to father," Azula said.
"Really?" Zhao asked with eloquent surprise, "And what might that be?"
"Tell him that wild mongeese are all well and good, but we have something more substantial to chase now," Azula said with a raised eyebrow.
Zhao appeared to understand the significance of this. He motioned to the two guards at the door to his tent. "Leave us." He leaned forward. "So you've found him. The Avatar is alive."
"Yes," Zuko replied. "He was the one who damaged the ship." He paused. "And he's a child."
"Really?" Zhao said. "Yet he did that much damage? How on earth does he manage that?"
"No idea," Zuko replied acidly. "I suppose being master of all four elements comes with its perks. All that matters is that he's alive, and now that he knows about the War, he is the greatest threat to the Fire Nation out there"
"We'd like to keep this under wraps, of course," Azula added. "Hopefully we can contain the situation before it becomes serious. This is a delicate situation, and the more people know about him, the more difficult it will be to catch him; after all, you don't send an army to catch a tigerdillo."
"Well, I'm honored to know that you consider it worth letting me know," Zhao said sardonically. "I assume this has to do with more than a personal liking for me as a person."
"Like Azula said, father says he can trust you," Zuko said, "We'd prefer, of course, that for the moment this information stops at Father, and that the decision whether or not to tell Firelord Azulon be left to his discretion."
"Well, if I hear anything, you two will be the first to know," Zhao said, fingers steepled. "Your ship should be ready to set sail tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Would you like to spend the night here or on your ship?"
"We wouldn't want to impose on your hospitality, Commander," Azula said, "We'll sleep on our ship.
"Suit yourselves," Zhao said simply, leading them out of his office.
They walked through the abandoned temple compound, Aang pointing out features of it as they walked. Everything was eerily quiet, the temple deserted, almost devoid of life. Katara looked around her, gazing at the forlornly vacant windows and the overgrown buildings. Somewhere along the way, Sokka stopped to look at something, and appeared to bend down and pocket it, but he didn't say anything.
Aang sighed. "This place used to be full of life. There were people all over the place, and bison coming and going, and lemurs flying around. Now there's just a bunch of weeds. I can't believe so much has changed."
They walked silently for a few minutes, Katara and Sokka unable to come up with a response to this. Suddenly, Sokka hears a noise. "What's that," he asked, as a bush shuddered. He pulled out his club. He slowly stepped forward. Out of the bush popped a-
"Lemur!" Aang shouted, running towards it. The lemur, startled, gave a running start and jumped up in the air, spreading its wings. The lemur flew off, Aang in hot pursuit, Sokka and Katara following. "Come back, little guy!" Aang shouted.
The three of them and a lemur bolted up the stairs and through an open hallway. They turned left, through a partially collapsed corridor, and along a long winding path that led to the tower at the center of the temple. Ignoring the path, Aang bent the air below him, jumping over the overgrown bushes that lined the path. Katara and Sokka followed suit, clambering through the bushes, following Aang up to the top of the mountain. From there Aang chased after the lemur as it flew through a grand hall. Finally, the lemur came to a stop at the end of the hall, cornered. It took a few tentative steps towards Aang, and, finding him trustworthy, licked his hand.
Sokka came to a stop, panting. He looked up at the end of the hall. It ended with a great door, twice the height of a person, which was adorned with strange, elaborate circle of curling, winding pipes, with three strange, snail shell-shaped devices.
"What's that?" he asked. He and Katara approached the door, level with Aang, who was holding the lemur in his arms, the lemur purring softly. All three of them stared up at the door.
"That's the door to the temple sanctuary," Aang explained. He paused. "Monk Gyatso- one of my mentors in the temple- told me that I would find something that would help me understand my role as the Avatar in there." He thought for a moment. "Maybe whatever it is is still in there!"
Sokka walked over to the door and pushed. It wouldn't move. "Anyone got a key?" He said sardonically.
"The key, Sokka, is airbending," Aang said. He stepped forward. He thrust his arms forwards, sending a current of air into each of the tubes at the bottom of the circle. The air twisted and turned through the piped, coming out of each with a sound like a horn. The three smaller circles of pipes turn, showing their other side. Finally, the door began to open.
Aang, Katara, and Sokka stepped into the dark room. Despite the semidarkness, somehow the room managed to without sight convey a sense of immensity. Slowly, their eyes adjusted to the dark. They saw that the room was full of statues, statues of many different people, of all nations, each completely strange to the three of them yet, to Aang, conveying the strangest sense of familiarity, as if each one were someone he met as a very young child and never since.
"Who are all these people?" Sokka asked, walking up to one, a tall woman wearing clothing common in the Lu Shao provinces of the northeastern Earth Kingdom.
"I'm not sure," Aang said, though truthfully each one seemed like an old friend long since forgotten. He paused. "Look! That one's an airbender!" He pointed to a severe-looking woman with a partially shaved head and traditional airbender tattoos.
"Who is she?" Katara asked, examining a statue of a grinning waterbender man with three ponytails.
The knowledge, unbidden, from some strange recess of Aang's mind. "That's Avatar Yangchen, the last airbender Avatar before me." He started, unsure as to how he knew this.
"They're all in a pattern," Katara observed, "Air, Water, Earth, Fire." She pointed to the airbending Avatar- Yangchen, apparently, then to the waterbending Avatar (the name Kuruk pushed itself to the top of Aang's mind), then to an earthbending and firebending Avatar.
"That's the Avatar cycle," Aang explained, all of this somehow clicking in his mind.
The same thought apparently occurred to Katara. "They're Avatars; they're your past lives!"
Sokka scoffed. "Past lives? Katara, you don't actually believe all that mumbo-jumbo, do you?"
"It's true," Katara insisted. "When the Avatar dies he is reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle." She paused. "I guess the Avatar before him was a firebender"
"A firebender?" Sokka asked, "No wonder I didn't trust you, Aang." He looked at the past Avatar, a tall man with a long beard. "Who is he, anyway?"
Almost instinctively the name came to him. "That's Avatar Roku," Aang said. He frowned. "It's so weird. I don't even know how I know all this." He sighed. "I thought this would clear things up, but now I'm even more confused."
Azula found Zuko on the top of the conning tower of the ship. He was staring out across the horizon, watching as the sun set. She walked up to him. "You know, brother, sometimes you surprise even me; you managed not only to not embarrass us, but you realized that subtlety was needed.
Zuko didn't respond. Instead, he stood there for a few moments. Finally: "Do you trust Zhao?" Zuko asked.
Azula thought for a moment. "No," she finally said, "But I trust his predictability. Face it: Zhao's a fool. While he's a slimeball, I do trust that his ambition will overwhelm his common sense." She paused. "Why do you ask?"
Zuko wondered how to say what was on his mind. At length, he explained. "It doesn't feel right doing all this behind Grandfather's back, and keeping this secret from Uncle and Lu Ten. I think we should tell them."
"Don't be ridiculous, Zuko," Azula shot back. "You know what Father said: let him decide what to do with the knowledge of the whereabouts of the Avatar. Personally I trust dad to handle it more effectively than either Lu Ten or Uncle."
"But what about Grandfather?" Zuko asked, "Why don't we tell him?"
"Because, Zuzu," Azula replied testily, "Grandfather at this point is far from the man he once was. He may once have dueled with the Earth Kingdom's finest, but he's ancient; from what Dad says his mind is going. Dad runs the day-to-day business back home because Uncle won't and Grandfather can't." She paused. "You know, Grandfather never named an heir. That's why Uncle's just 'Heir Presumptive,' not 'Heir Apparent.' Dad could still become Firelord instead."
"You're wrong," Zuko said challengingly. "Dad would never do anything like that." he paused. "And neither would I."
Azula shrugged. "Whatever you say. You know, personally I think we should have a Firelord who doesn't need on-the-job training. And since Dad's doing all the work..." she trailed off. She turned. "Well, good night, Zuzu," she said, as she descended down the stairs.
The exited the sanctuary in silence. They walked for a few meters, before Aang stopped to play with the lemur. Taking this opportunity, Sokka pulled Katara aside. He led her over to a window.
"Katara, I need you to see this," he said, pulling something out of his pocket. So, she was going to find out what he pocketed earlier. In his hand was a black metal gauntlet with a small Fire Nation emblem on it. "We need to tell him," Sokka said.
"No, Sokka," Katara said, "If he found out the Fire Nation invaded his home he'd be devastated."
"Well, he needs to know," Sokka said, "You can't keep sheltering him from the truth."
"Come on!" Aang called from the doorway outside, and they followed him.
They walked along the path that they had followed earlier, finally coming to a stop. Aang stood in front of a statue of a kindly-looking old man with airbending tattoos. He was seated lotus-style on a pedestal, with a benevolent smile on his face. Katara indicated the statue. "Who's that?" she asked.
"That's Monk Gyatso," Aang explained, "the greatest airbender in the world. He taught me everything I know." He stood at the statue, lost in thought.
A much younger Aang stood uncertainly at the spinning gates, Gyatso kneeling down to him. The younger Aang pointed to the gates. "What do I do with those?" he asked.
Gyatso smiled. "This is one of your first lessons, Aang. As an airbender, you must adapt to the world around you. Rather than smash through an obstacle, you must learn to think your way through a problem. I'm going to spin the gates and you'll have to get to the other side without touching the gates. The key is to 'be the leaf,' as it were. " He entered an airbending stance and thrust his hands out, as a gust of wind spun the gates. He held out a leaf, which he released. The leaf spun and twirled as it passed effortlessly through the gates. Aang ran around to the other side and jumped to catch the leaf
Aang grinned. "Let's do it!" he said.
Gyatso repeated the airbending stance, and a great gust of wind blew through the gates. They began to spin rapidly. Aang grinned, the tip of his tongue sticking out, and sprinted towards the gates. With a shout he ran, arms waving, at the gates. Inside, he managed to get two meters, before he saw a gate rapidly spin towards him and, almost in slow motion, slam into his face. He was flung backwards, and ejected from the gates. He was thrown back a meter or two, and looked up, the world spinning around him, at Gyatso. Gyatso held out a hand, which a dazed Aang grabbed, and helped Aang up.
"Perhaps another try," Gyatso said dryly, and Aang laughed. He hugged his mentor's legs. He smiled up at him.
"Gyatso, we're always gonna be friends, right?" Aang said, looking up at him.
Gyatso smiled. "Yes, Aang. Always."
Aang stood in front of the statue, lost in memory. "Always," he said to himself. Het turned, motioning for Katara and Sokka to follow. "Come on," he said, "I want to check something out." Maybe Gyatso left a message that would explain what happened.
They walked down a long, winding stair, towards the lower end of the temple. They walked across a large courtyard near the bison landing pad. They approached a half-ruined building with a canvass roof, which drooped down in places and was torn in others. "This was Gyatso's dojo," Aang explained, "He might have left something to explain what had happened." Tentatively, not sure what to say, Sokka and Katara followed.
They entered the building, Aang pushing the canvas out of the way. The first section was clear, nothing but rubble around it. The second-
The space was littered with the bodies of Fire Nation soldiers. Helmets and parts of armor were strewn about the floor. And at the head of the room, lying dead atop a pile of rubble, was-
"Gyatso," Aang murmured, falling to his knees and burying his face in his hands. So it was true. The Fire Nation had come here, and they had destroyed everything. They had killed everyone Aang cared about, destroyed the Air Nomads. Yet it made no sense; only days before, Aang had been playing Paisho with Gyatso. Only days ago the temple had been full of life, with thousands of monks and acolytes.
The Fire Nation had done this. The Fire Nation had destroyed everything Aang loved, everything Aang held dear.
Rage and grief and anger swirled inside him as his vision turned red. Suddenly' he felt an immense power well up from within him. He felt infinitely powerful, immensely wise. The energy that welled up from within swirled around, and was released. His awareness dimmed, and his sense of place, of time, and of who he was and what he was doing diminished.
In the Air Temple Sanctuary the eyes of the statues of Avatars past began to glow; first Roku, then the other Avatars, one by one.
In the Northern Water tribe, two tribal elders passed by the Avatar Temple as the roof began to glow. They stared as a beam of light split the night sky in half
In the Earth Kingdom, a local holy man praying before the icons of Avatars past was thrust out of his meditation as the eyes of the Avatars in the mural began to glow.
In the Fire Nation, the Fire Temple Sanctuary was filled with white light. One of the Fire Sages turned to the other/ "Send word to the Firelord," he said urgently. "The Avatar has returned."
Katara and Sokka watched as the tattoos on Aang's arms and legs and his eyes began to glow. The air swirled around him, and immense whirlwind surrounding him. He rose off the ground, a sphere of air surrounding him, made visible by the dust kicked up. Rocks and canvas swirled around him as the force of the winds blew over the walls of the building. Armor and bits of rubble were thrown like pebbles all around them, and Sokka and Katara struggled to cling to solid ground and not be thrown themselves.
"It's the Avatar Spirit!" Katara shouted, trying to be heard over the din, "finding out the Firebenders killed Gyatso must have triggered it! I'll try and calm him down!"
"Yes, do it before he blows the whole mountain down!" Sokka shouted
Katara pulled her way over to him, struggling to move against the current of air. "Aang!" she shouted. "I know this must be horrible, and I know you're upset! I know; I felt the same way after the Fire Nation killed my Mom! Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family! Sokka and I; we're your family now!"
The winds diminished, and Aang sank back down to the ground. The glow in his tattoos and eyes faded, and he slumped over, exhausted and grief-stricken. Katara and Sokka walked up to him. Sokka put a hand on his shoulder.
"We won't let anything happen to you, buddy," he said.
Aang turned to Katara. "I'm sorry," he said.
Katara hugged him. "It's okay; you didn't mean to."
"But if the Firebenders reached this temple, that means they reached the other ones," Aang said. His shoulders slumped. "I really am the last airbender."
The ship had been repaired, and they were ready to leave. Zuko stood at the bow of the ship, waiting for Azula. She said she had business with Commander Zhao, but wouldn't say what. From his vantage point, Zuko saw Azula step out of Zhao's tent, Zhao in tow. Zhao turned and, from a distance, looked in Zuko's direction. Zuko glared. Finally, Zhao and Azula parted. She stepped onto the gangplank, and the ship pulled out of the harbor.
"What was that about?" Zuko asked.
"Nothing that concerns you," Azula said airily. "Really, Zuko, you shouldn't be so sullen," she continued. "We're on his trail. The Avatar. Zhao has agreed to pass on all intelligence he receives to us. With the resources we have, he can't hide from us."
"If you say so," Zuko said, turning. He walked over to the conning tower and into the ship's interior.
Aang sat at the edge of the Bison landing pad as Katara and Sokka loaded up their gear onto Appa.
"Everything's packed," Katara said, "we're ready to go."
Aang turned to Katara. "How are the past Avatars supposed to help me if I can't contact them?" he asked.
"I'm sure you'll find a way," Katara said reassuringly.
Behind them, Sokka was munching happily on the pile of fruit the lemur had brought to them, the lemur happily perched on Sokka's shoulder. "Looks like you've found a friend," Aang said.
"What are you gonna name him?" Katara asked.
Aang thought for a moment, and watched as the lemur snatched a moon peach out of Sokka's hand. "Momo," he answered.
The three laughed, and climbed onto Appa.
Aang watched as the temple receded into the distance. "The three of us are all that's left of this place," he said softly to Appa and Momo, "We gotta stick together." He watched as the temple continued to recede, finally completely obscured by the clouds, the last thing connecting Aang to the past, gone. He turned, and watched the sun begin to set as they flew off, across the sea.
Well, that wasn't a long wait, was it? I don't think there'll be any schedule more specific than "when they get finished" to when I publish new chapters.
An author's note: Azula and Zuko have only been sailing for eight months in this story. I assume an extra sixteen months in the Fire Nation would mean Zuko learns something of tact, and politicking. He's not as impulsive or angry in this story. If anything, he's more like his self in season three; he understands that they're running around Azulon, Iroh, and Lu Ten's backs, and he doesn't like it. To say his loyalties are conflicted is an understatement. He knows Azula's right, in his heart of hearts, but he doesn't want to accept that his father may be planning treason. And yes, you heard it correct; Azulon isn't in the "picture of health" he was even a short few years earlier. By the way, another thing: Princess Ursa was never banished in this world. You may see the effects of this later in the story, in ways you may not expect.
Well, anyway, and I say this every story: please, review! I'll owe you a bushel of apples in return if you do! Mail it to my apartment at 2864 Enduring Harmony Avenue, PO Box 2264, Docklands, Republic City, 56772