A/N: I am so sorry for how long this chapter took. College has been so chaotic. I promise I'm not going to stop writing this story, I'm just not able to update as quickly as I want to. Thanks for everyone's support, patience, and reviews though. This chapter follows a lot of the script but I tried to involve Amber as much as I could. Let me know how you like it. Also I can't make any promises about when the next chapter will be up, but I'll have it up as soon as I can.
Thanks again,
Faithy Waithy
Zuko POV
Lying in bed, Zuko felt exhausted as he sunk into his mattress. It had been four days since he'd gotten back to the palace from Ember Island, and he hadn't spoken much with his sister Azula since then. Actually, he'd distanced himself as much as he could from both his sister and his father. He refused to see his father at all, knowing now what Amber had spoken was true. The Fire Lord had been behind her kidnapping over nine years ago.
Zuko couldn't believe how stupid he'd been, choosing honor over family. He even felt awful for everything he had done to the avatar. All the kid was doing was trying to save the world, and Zuko had made it ten times harder for the air bender.
He wished so much he had listened to his sister. He wished so much he had taken the water benders invitation back at the crystal caverns to join the group.
Now that Zuko knew the truth about his father, he no longer knew what to do. He no longer wanted to help his father anymore with this stupid war. He wanted to free his uncle so terribly from the prison he was being held in. He wanted to redeem himself.
He did not feel any honor toward what he had done. He felt like a monster.
A sound suddenly echoed through the hall outside of Zuko's room, and the young prince was immediately to his feet his fists ready to attack whoever it was. He'd been having a terrible feeling over the last few days. He did not trust the Fire Lord or Azula anymore, and so he was staying alert ready to fight if he needed to.
Slowly, he crept out of his room and into the dark hall, his eyes darting everywhere for the source of the noise. To his surprise, he saw something on the floor in front of him, placed upright as if beckoning him to pick it up.
Zuko grabbed the scroll and when he had it in his hand he looked one last time for the person who had brought it. When he saw no one, he opened the scroll and looked down at the writing. From the light of the moon outside, Zuko could vaguely make out the words.
"You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny," Zuko read softly out loud.
Zuko was curious now. What about his great-grandfather? He already knew about the past Fire Lord Sozin from stories he was told as a kid. What else could there be that would reveal his destiny?
Amber POV
We really had no clue what was going on, but Aang told us it was urgent. As we sat on Appa's saddle with question, Aang flew us toward where Roku's home used to be; the home where he lived when he was human and the avatar. Aang explained that Roku wanted Aang to go to his home for some reason. He wanted to show Aang his history with my great-grandfather Sozin. It actually surprised me that both my great-grandfathers had met each other in the past. I assumed their relationship wasn't something to be happy about.
"There it is! Roku's home!" Aang exclaimed, pointing at the black shape in the distance. From what I could tell there was one large volcano in the middle of the island, and another smaller volcano beside it. Where there used to most likely be a large beautiful village, was now nothing but molten rock and layers of volcanic ash.
"But there's nothing here," Katara said softly, but I could see she knew why without even needing an explanation.
There was most likely a beautiful town here long ago, and the volcano had destroyed it.
As we landed on the ash covered island, I slid off of Appa immediately and landed on the ground. Ash flew up around me, and I frowned as I walked across the uneven rough surface of the island. There was heat all around me, and I assumed that was because there was still an active volcano beneath us. The heat felt deep below us though, and in between was nothing but coldness and molten rock.
Toph jumped off of Appa and landed beside me, ash flying up around her too. "There is something here," she said somberly. "An entire village. Hundreds of houses. All completely buried in ash."
Everyone was off of Appa, and we frowned at the disaster around us. It was sad to think about what happened to my great-grandfather. I assumed he had died at this volcano.
As Aang led us up hill to the edge of a molten rock cliff, he turned to me saying, "Oh… Roku said he wants you to come too."
"Me?" I asked, surprised.
Aang nodded. "He wants you to get the truth as well."
Looking back at the others, I saw Kale look a little worried at the thought of my spirit leaving my body. Katara and Sokka seemed concerned, while Toph didn't really seem bothered.
"Come back soon," Katara said. "We'll watch over your bodies."
Smiling, I nodded. "We won't be long."
Kale added in, "Keep her out of trouble, Aang. She likes to find it everywhere she goes."
Rolling my eyes, I stuck my tongue out at him. He laughed and waved at me. Aang told him he'd keep an eye on me, and then grabbed my hand pulling me to the edge of the cliff with him.
Aang and I plopped down on the ash covered cliff across from one another. Sitting cross legged, Aang mouthed, "Ready?"
Nodding, I took in a deep breath and shut my eyes. As soon as I did I managed to pull my spirit from my body. Stepping out of my body, I looked over at my family to see them talking amongst themselves. They couldn't see us, and I didn't expect them to.
"Amber? Ready?" Aang asked.
Turning, I saw him standing beside his body. His spirit-self glowed but looked the same as his human form.
"Where do we go, though?" I asked.
The sound of wings flapping made us look up at the sky with a gasp. A giant red dragon flew toward us, and on its back sat Avatar Roku, my great-grandfather.
The dragon flew and stopped at the very edge of the cliff hovering in the air.
Roku smiled. He was glad to see the both of us. "Need a lift?"
We both smiled back at the old spirit, then headed over to his dragon. After we managed to maneuver our way on the giant red beast, me getting a little help from Aang, we took off into the sky flying away from my family into the clouds above.
Zuko POV
Zuko stared at a painting in front of him which was a large portrait of his great-grandfather Fire Lord Sozin. He was in the hallway where all of the past Fire Nation royalty were portrayed by their own portraits. Zuko had dreamed of having his own portrait on the wall one day, but thinking back to everything that occurred Zuko no longer wanted the honor. He could care less if he ever became fire lord. As he stared at the old cold face of his great-grandfather, he wondered just what was so important about the man that would change Zuko's destiny.
"It's never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko," Azula suddenly said with heavy sarcasm. "Make sure he gets your good side."
If Zuko wasn't too deep in thought he would've shot fire at Azula for her comment. Instead he turned to his little sister who was walking by him saying, "Wait. I need to ask you something. What do you remember about our Great-Grandfather's history?"
Azula stopped dead in her tracks, and then turned to Zuko in surprise. She was probably surprised most of all that her brother had spoken to her. She knew he was mad at her.
After a moment of thought she let out a hard sigh. "Ah, Zuko. It's so strange how your mind works." She walked back over to him. "Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent his early years secretly preparing for it, but he was as patient as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later renamed Sozin's comet, and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world. In the end, he died a very old and successful man."
Zuko tried to understand why this was important for him to find out, but it all sounded so familiar and insignificant to him. He asked, "But how did he die?"
Azula looked annoyed. "Didn't you pay any attention in school, Zuko?" She turned and started to walk away. "He died peacefully, in his sleep. He was ancient."
The scroll Zuko still clutched in his hand became heavier as he watched Azula walk away. He didn't understand. How could he learn the story of his Great-Grandfather's demise when there was no demise to learn about?
Turning sharply, he walked back to his room just wanting to find answers.
Amber POV
Holding onto one of the dragons spikes coming out of the dragon's back, I smiled as I stared at the clouds below us. This was amazing, flying on a dragon through the sky in my spirit form. A few months ago I'd never even flown, let alone flown on a dragon.
"This is amazing! You never told me you had a dragon Roku!" I exclaimed.
Aang and Roku beamed back at me. Roku responded, "His names Fang."
Aang leaned forward then. "Where are we going?"
Roku answered calmly, "To visit my past. Our shared past."
The dragon sped up as we raced into a bright white light. The light clouded our visions as we raced back into my great-grandfathers past.
Zuko POV
Zuko growled in frustration, lying on his back and staring at the scroll he still clutched tightly in his hand. His eyes continued to race across the sentence on the paper: You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny.
"What does it mean?!" Zuko was annoyed, still having no clue what the point of the stupid scroll was for. There was nothing significant about his Great-Grandfather's demise. There was nothing that was worth discovering that would change his destiny. All he needed to know was Fire Lord Sozin started the war, led many battles, and then died an old man. There was nothing that would change his destiny from this information.
He growled in aggravation, tossing the letter on the table beside him. The scroll landed beside a lantern, and as the light from the fire glowed across the parchment Zuko suddenly saw a different sentence. Sitting up, Zuko leaned over to read the hidden message on the scroll.
"The Fire Sages keep the secret history in the Dragon Bone Catacombs," Zuko whispered, reading the lines aloud. His eyes widened.
Swiftly, he jumped out of the bed and yanked on some shoes. Then with haste he raced through the halls so he could get to the Fire Sage Capitol Temple where he hoped to find some answers. Racing past the guards with much practice from his past days as the blue spirit, Zuko stuck to the shadows as he managed to get out of the palace and reach the dirt path to the temple. When he arrived at the large old sacred building that was lit up by many torches, he stuck to the walls and behind pillars trying to stay out of sight. If he was caught, there was no telling what would happen to him.
Reaching the courtyard, lit by intense red fire on torches all around him, he watched from behind a pillar as Fire Sage's walked by. Watching them, he wondered if he should be doing something so reckless. Why was he so curious to know the meaning behind the scroll in his trouser pocket? Why was he dying to know what would change his destiny?
It's because you're not happy… You don't want to serve your father anymore.
Zuko scowled, trying to push the thoughts away so he wouldn't blow his cover by losing focus.
The Fire Sage he watched suddenly walked over to the middle of the courtyard and stood right on top of a large flower patterned medallion. Standing on top of the medallion, the sage shot fire at the very center of the flower and the ground opened revealing a staircase that led into the earth. As the sage disappeared below, a moment later the staircase shut.
Zuko had a strong feeling that staircase was his key into the Dragon Bone Catacombs.
After waiting a good thirty minutes, the staircase appeared again and Zuko watched as the same sage from before came out with a scroll in his hand. When the sage was gone, Zuko took his chance.
Heading over to the medallion in the ground, Zuko fired at the center just as he saw the sage do earlier. The staircase appeared again, and he quickly rushed down so none of the sages would spot him.
The Dragon Bone Catacombs were really cold as Zuko headed down the long large tunnel lit by many candles. Zuko could now see why the catacombs were given such a dark name. The tunnel was made out of dragon bones aligning the wall, and the giant skulls of dragon's trailed along both sides of the tunnel. Zuko could see the remains of all the dragons that were destroyed so long ago. He couldn't believe his own people were the cause of an extinction of a whole species.
Then again, his people did cause air benders to go extinct.
He winced at the idea of the Avatar possibly being alive. He wouldn't be for long when the assassin caught up to him. Zuko immediately felt sick to his stomach at what he'd done to the Avatar. He felt like a monster, wishing for someone's death. He also felt in a way he was betraying his dead sister by wishing death on her friend.
Zuko sighed heavily, but continued down the tunnel wanting to find answers. When he eventually reached the very end of the tunnel, he approached a large statue of his great-grandfather which seemed to be attached to a large door. On the chest of the statue of Sozin was a fire nation emblem. Pressing his hand on the cold metal, fire immediately shot from the statues mouth and nostrils. Then the door swung open and he was allowed inside.
Stepping into a dark room, Zuko looked around to see tons of artifacts, statues, parchments, and wooden boxes full of more artifacts and parchments. Lighting a flame in his hand to give him more light, Zuko's eyes widened when he saw a large statue of a dragon in the very center of the room. Walking up to the dragon, he pulled a scroll out from under the dragons head. Looking at the inscription on the outside of the scroll, he almost sighed with relief.
The Final Testament of Fire Lord Sozin.
Zuko found some candles and lit them to give the room some light. Then he sat at the feet of the statue and began to read what would hopefully tell him his destiny.
As I feel my own life dimming, I can't help but think of a time when everything was so much brighter. I remember my friend…
Amber POV
My eyes widened when I saw where Roku had brought us in the past. We stood in the palace courtyard, and I watched with amazement as two young men no older than Zuko sparred playfully. The taller one I could immediately tell was Roku, picking him out easily. The shorter one I assumed was my great-grandfather Sozin. They were both shirtless, in fine fire nation trousers, and it seemed like they were enjoying themselves as they fought one another.
"You and Sozin were…" I began to ask.
Aang cut me off finishing my sentence in surprise. "Friends?!"
We both stared in shock, watching as a young Sozin shot a fire blast at young Roku with a sly grin. Sozin looked stronger than Roku in strength, but I had a feeling Roku was more agile and quick.
"Yes. Back then, he was just Prince Sozin, and he was my best friend… We were almost like brothers," spirit Roku answered me and Aang.
We continued to watch as the sparring continued. Sozin suddenly began to push Roku backward toward a tree in the courtyard. Roku clumsily tripped over the stump falling backward on the dirt. Sozin walked over to his surprised friend with a grin. "Looks like I win again, Roku," Sozin said, holding his hand out toward Roku.
Roku took it with gratitude, while saying, "Are you kidding? The tree root did all the work." Roku patted Sozin on the shoulder letting him know he had truly beaten him. "Nice one, Sozin."
Sozin beamed at Roku's compliment. They began to leave the courtyard again, and we followed behind them. Walking where they stepped, we saw them both stop as a very pretty girl walked by. She was probably my age, and she was in a very pretty light red dress. Her black hair kind of held the body and waves that my own hair held. She also looked a lot like my mom had when she was younger. I had a strong feeling this was Roku's wife and my great-grandmother.
The young Roku stared at the girl with ogle eyes, and Sozin nudged him saying, "Say something to her." Roku blushed red as he turned to follow the girl who was steadily walking away. He went to speak but his words got stuck, and he held his hand in the air frozen solid. The girl didn't notice him, and Roku groaned in embarrassment. Falling back on the grassy floor below him, he covered his face with shame. Sozin plopped down beside him and threw beads of grass on his face with a smirk.
"Love is hard when you're young," Roku said. Then his eyes shot to me. "At least for some."
Aang sighed. "Yeah… Amber and Kale got lucky… me on the other hand…"
I could tell he was thinking about Katara.
Smacking him on the side of the head, he winced a bit and glared at me. Rolling my eyes at him, I said, "She likes you, Aang. Stop thinking she doesn't."
"Give it time, Aang… You have plenty of time," Roku said. "Now come with me. We have a party to attend."
With the blink of an eye we were suddenly in the palace courtyard again. This time though the courtyard was full of music, and decorations were everywhere. It was night time. We all looked over at the large doors that led into the palace. Roku and Sozin stepped outside then, the large doors shutting behind them.
"Wait… Who's the party for?" Aang asked, seeing everyone applaud both of the young men as they stepped outside. The young men were wearing fine robes and beaming.
Roku who stood beside me, smiled at the memory. "Sozin and I shared many things, including a birthday."
"Wow," was my response.
Sozin and Roku began to walk down the steps then to join the party. As Roku headed toward the crowd we happened to be among, he spotted the same girl from earlier in the crowd. His momentary distraction caused him to stumble and trip down the stairs. Sozin grabbed his hand stopping him from falling, and I smiled at the act of kindness.
How could someone who turned out to be so awful, be so good to begin with?
How did my Great-Grandfather Sozin become such a monster?
The crowd suddenly gasped and broke apart as five elderly sages walked down the courtyard toward both of my great-grandfathers. Prince Sozin stepped down the steps to meet them, asking if his father was okay.
The sages waved him off, one saying, "No, Prince Sozin. We are not here for you. We are here to announce the identity of the next Avatar." The crowd all began to whisper amongst themselves in amazement at this mans words. "It is our honor to serve you, Avatar Roku." The look on Roku's face was shell shock, and the look on Sozin's face was almost disbelief.
The sages bowed at Roku then, and the crowd followed a moment later. To my surprise, Sozin bowed too.
"So that's how you found out… Bet the party was ruined," I said softly.
Roku sighed, "Yeah… Wasn't one of the best birthdays ever."
In the blink of an eye we were suddenly in a large bedroom in the palace. Standing in the corner of the bedroom, we saw Roku seated on a bed staring with heavy sadness down at an empty suitcase. He looked so heartbroken at the sudden news of him being the avatar.
Sozin suddenly entered the room doing a few playful fighting moves. Roku looked up for a small moment, but then looked back away with dismay.
"Come on, show me how it's done..." Sozin began to move his arms and legs displaying bending movements from all four nations. "...using all four kinds of bending."
Roku sighed heavily. "I started packing, but then the fire sages told me I won't need any worldly possessions anymore."
Sozin immediately dropped his hands and frowned at his sad friend. "Oh…"
"It happened so fast… Everything's going to be different now," Roku said.
Sozin walked over and plopped on the bed beside Roku. Taking the hairpin from his head, he held it out toward Roku. "Here. I hope you're at least allowed to have this."
Roku's eyes widened at the golden hair pin in his friend's hand. "But this is a royal artifact. It's supposed to be worn by the crown prince."
Sozin held it closer to Roku. "I want you to have it."
Roku smiled widely, then with gratefulness he took the pin and placed it on his topknot. My eyes widened at the exchange. My great-grandfather Sozin had once had such a kind and gentle heart.
"Come on… We have an air temple to get to," spirit Roku suddenly said. To my surprise we were back in the courtyard, it was day time, and Roku's dragon Fang was ready for us. The three of us mounted on the giant dragon, and immediately it took off into the sky.
As we flew, I leaned forward asking Aang, "Did you have to give away all of your possessions too?"
Aang shook his head. "I never really had any earthly possessions. Air Nomads are more attuned with nature and the world. We didn't own much but the clothes on our back."
"Oh," I said. Then I asked, "Are you glad you got stuck in that ice berg?"
Aang nodded. "Yeah… If I hadn't I would've never met you and the gang."
Smiling at Aang's words, I said, "You're an awesome brother, Aang."
He looked back at me. "And you're a great sister."
The dragon sped up some more as we headed to our next destination.
Eventually we found ourselves flying over some large mountain peaks. The mountain peaks told me we were getting close to the air temple. Aang must have noticed too.
"Hey! We're almost at the Southern Air Temple!"
Roku looked back at us with shining gold eyes. "This was the first stop on my avatar journey."
The mountains parted suddenly, and I saw with amazement a temple made out of stone on the mountain peak in front of us. The temple was magnificent, and I was excited to get to see the home which Aang had grown up in.
As we got closer, the dragon landed on a flat piece of mountain land. A bunch of young air benders were lined up near the edge of the cliff, each one holding a staff in their hands. Roku stood among this group of boys, air bending his black hair at the boy beside him. The boy beside him used air bending to shove Roku's hair back at him tangling it in the process. They both smiled at their childish play.
Spirit Roku watched his memories with a smile. "It was the place where I was trained to master air bending and also where I met an old friend of yours, Monk Gyatso."
Aang's eyes widened. "No way!"
I frowned a bit, remembering what Katara had told me. They'd gone to the Southern Air Temple where Aang found the remains of his friend Monk Gyatso, killed in a battle against the Fire Nation over a hundred years ago.
Suddenly the air benders all took off toward the ledge and flew through the sky. Roku set Fang to the air again and we followed the air benders as they glided through the air. Roku was among them, and he seemed to be having a blast in his youth. As he smiled and laughed, I smiled too glad to see the youth of my great-grandfather.
Roku suddenly shouted to the kid flying beside him, "Hey, Gyatso, you want to see a new glider trick?"
The kid looked over with question. Roku shot up in the sky, did two loops, and then returned to flying beside Gyatso.
"Check this out," Gyatso responded, then did a flip and somehow ended up on top of his glider using it to surf.
"That's something I've never seen," I commented.
"He's air-surfing. I can't believe I never thought of that," Aang exclaimed.
I smirked. "Maybe when we get you a new glider you can try it."
He beamed as he continued to watch. "Yeah! Definitely!"
Gyatso suddenly lost his balance and began to fall. Roku quickly darted toward him and caught him. Both of them then hurtled down toward the rocky cliff and crashed into the other air bender children who were watching. Aang laughed at the childish behavior while I smirked. I could see where Aang got his personality from.
Aang beamed. "That's amazing! I can't believe you were friends with Monk Gyatso, just like I was!"
Roku placed a hand on Aang's shoulder saying, "Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes."
Roku then took Aang and I to his other stops during his training. As we moved from the air nomads, to the South Pole, I could see young Roku was growing stronger by the years. He became strong in his bending, determined in mastering all four elements, and more focused on his avatar duty.
Watching Roku's training at the North Pole, I couldn't help but remember the pain I had suffered at that very same place. I'd been stabbed by Turk, beat and almost killed by Zhao, and my friend Yue died risking her life for a spirit. I couldn't help but cringe a bit as we revisited the cold Northern Water Tribe.
Thankfully, we didn't stay long. Roku took us once more on Fang to the Earth Kingdom. This time I got to see him learn earth bending from a really buff dude in green armor. It was really cool seeing Roku, a man born among fire benders, move rocks instead of flames.
Suddenly the scene shifted from Roku Earth Bending, and we were carried to a beach where Roku stood near the lapping water.
"It was bitter work… But the results were worth it," spirit Roku said, as memory Roku used all four of the elements. He shot out a stream of water, a blast of fire, a line of earth, and a whirlwind of air, each in different directions. He had mastered all four elements. It was truly amazing to see a fully mastered avatar in front of my very eyes.
"After 12 years of training, it was only then I returned to my friend Sozin," Roku said.
Roku took us back to the Fire Nation palace into the throne room. Entering the throne room, we could see that Sozin was now Fire Lord, and was seated on the golden throne raised by a platform. Memory Roku entered the room, and we watched as he approached Fire Lord Sozin with a smile.
"Sozin," he said. "Or should I say Fire Lord."
The Fire Lord narrowed his eyes. "Customarily my subjects bow before greeting me," he began. My eyes widened at what he said. He smiled however, standing from the throne. "But you're the exception." He walked over to Roku and gave him a hug glad to see his friend again. I almost sighed with relief.
"After all these years, he was still my best friend," Roku said. "And a few months later, he was my best man."
The scene shifted then, and I saw we were back in the courtyard at night. The courtyard was full of activity, nobles dressed in fine attire. On the top of the steps that ran into the courtyard, I saw Roku and a woman at the top. Immediately I knew the woman was my great-grandmother. She was beautiful, and she looked so much like my mom.
"Roku! It's that girl that didn't even know you were alive," Aang said.
I elbowed him, and he looked at me with a 'what did I do' expression.
"Ta min… I was persistent. When love is real, it finds a way. And being the avatar doesn't hurt your chance with the ladies either." Roku said.
I felt my spirit lighten at these words. My thoughts went back to Kale who was probably pacing by my body worried sick. Love surely did find a way. After nine years apart, Kale and I had found each other again.
"Yeah… Love does always find a way," I said softly.
"Sadly, my wedding was the turning point in my friendship with Sozin," Roku said softly beside us, and the scene shifted again. Now we stood on one of the palace's balconies, the one that over looked the courtyard. It took me a second to recognize it as the balcony Zuko and I had stood on staring at the dragon in the sky years ago.
"What's on your mind?" memory Roku suddenly asked, and we saw the two middle aged men come onto the balcony.
Sozin stared off over the courtyard with a scary look in his eyes; A look of almost determination. "I've been thinking hard about the state of the world lately," Sozin began.
Roku tried to brush off the conversation. "Sozin, it's my wedding! Have a cookie! Dance with someone! Lighten up!"
Sozin turned to Roku, and I felt dread fill me. This was it. I could tell from the determination in Sozin's eyes. This was where we'd hear him begin to plan his invasion on the world. "I know, I know, but hear me out. Right from the start, I was destined to be Fire Lord. And although we didn't always know it, you were destined to be the Avatar. It's an amazing stroke of fate we know each other so well isn't it?"
Roku and Sozin had begun to walk to the edge of the balcony, but Roku stopped walking almost knowing what was about to come. He could sense immediately this conversation was going somewhere wrong.
Sozin continued. "Together we can do… anything!"
Roku frowned at his friend, and I saw spirit Roku hang his head at the painful memory we were seeing.
"Yeah… we could," Roku slowly said to Sozin, but his voice was leery.
"Our nation is enjoying an unprecedented time of peace and wealth. Our people are happy, and we're so fortunate in so many ways."
"Where are you going with this?"
Sozin turned to Roku again. "I've been thinking. We should share this prosperity with the rest of the world! In our hands is the most successful empire in history. We should expand it!"
Roku went to interject. "No! The four nations are meant to be just that: four!"
Sozin tried to stay calm. "Roku… You haven't even stopped to consider the possibilities."
"There are no possibilities! This is the last I want to hear about this!" Roku snapped. He then turned and left Sozin, who didn't look happy.
Spirit Roku said softly, "That was my first real test as the avatar. Unfortunately it was many years later until I heard Sozin had gone ahead with his plan, despite my warning."
The scene shifted again and once more we were in the palace throne room. A much older Sozin with graying hair sat on his golden throne. He no longer held a kind easy going expression. His expression was one now of determination and evil. He was so focused on taking over the world, that he lost his humanity in the process.
Roku smashed the doors open to the throne room then, and he stormed in with fury. "I've seen the colonies, Sozin. How dare you occupy earth kingdom territory!"
So the war had officially begun.
"How dare you, a citizen of the fire nation, address your fire lord this way," Sozin snapped. "Your loyalty is to our nation first. Anything less makes you a traitor."
Aang and I scowled at the scene in front of us, while Roku watched his memories with sad eyes.
"Don't do this Sozin! Don't challenge me! It will only end badly! It's over."
Both men shared a long infuriated glance, and I could see they were starting to boil over. A fight was about to brew, and I had a strong feeling Roku would win.
Roku turned swiftly, walking away from Sozin not wanting to hurt his old friend. Sozin had rage shoot through his eyes as he watched his old friend leave. With undeniable rage, the man jumped up from his throne and jumped down the platform landing a good three feet from the steps. As he did this he kicked a strong blast of fire from his feet and hands at Roku.
Roku twisted and fell through the earth going underground. The fire missed him by a second, and I sighed in relief seeing he was unharmed. Roku then appeared behind Sozin and shot a strong blast of wind at him. The man went flying through the air and smashed into the closed doors of the throne room hard. Then a rocky stalagmite shot from the ground and lifted Sozin by his robe high in the room. Roku went into full Avatar state, and another blast of air shot from him this time destroying the palace throne room.
From up above, I could see Sozin was horrified by what had just occurred. Roku used a swirl of air to shoot himself up so he was eye level with Sozin. Staring at his old friend with both hurt and fury, Roku said, "I'm sparing you Sozin… I'm letting you go in the name of our past friendship. But I warn you… even a single step out of line will result in your permanent end."
My eyes widened at what Roku said. He had just threatened to kill Sozin.
The scene shifted one last time. This time we were on Fang again, and we were staring at a familiar island. The island had two volcanos. It didn't take me long to realize this was the island our human bodies were back on. The island had grass, trees, animals, beautiful homes, and so much life.
"Sozin and I didn't speak or see each other for 25 years after our battle. I spent most of my spare time here at my home," Roku said.
Everything went downhill after Roku said these words. The scene changed and the once blue sky became dark with ash and soot. The earth shook and screams could be heard from below. Lava began to spew from the volcanos as they started to erupt. Below we could see citizens running from their homes to the wooden boats waiting down by the water.
An old woman and a familiar looking Roku ran out of one of the houses. "Let's go!" Roku shouted at the woman I assumed was my Great-Grandma. He shot air in front of him which created a wind tunnel so the gas in the air wouldn't hurt Ta Min. She looked at him with agony, knowing fully well he wasn't following her. With tears, the woman turned and ran off into the wind tunnel.
Roku went into full blown determination then, turning toward the oncoming lava. I watched with amazement as Roku began to fight the volcano that was quickly erupting. The ground shook and earth began to fall down the volcano toward the town. Roku quickly used earth bending to create a wall to stop the earth, but as soon as he did lava spewed from the top of the volcano. As Roku battled the volcano, I watched with amazement.
Roku managed to create a channel in the earth that sent the flowing lava toward the sea. When this happened more chaos ensued as the earth shook again and gas began to fill the air around Roku.
Aang exclaimed excitedly while all of this happened. "This is amazing Roku! You're battling a volcano, and you're winning! You and Amber definitely share the same blood!"
Memory's immediately flooded through me of battling that volcano so long ago. That was the day Aunt Wu told me I was going to die. Funny how right she had really been. Turned out she wasn't a con-artist after all.
"Amber actually out did me on this one, Aang. My success didn't last. There was no way I could do it all," spirit Roku said.
I felt pain shoot through me. I was about to see Roku die.
The gas began to surround Roku. Lava began to shoot around him and he coughed hard as the toxic fumes entered his lungs.
Roku spoke again, "Battling the elements was hard enough. I had to do it while I could barely breathe. The poisonous, volcanic gasses were overwhelming."
The memory Fang suddenly flew into the image, his loyalty showing as he tried to fly down toward his friend. Roku saw his loyal pet trying to frantically reach him, but Roku waved him away. "It's all right Fang! Get out of here! I'm fine!" The dragon looked on at his master with agony.
Roku then went into the avatar state, his eyes glowing brightly as he used earth bending to stop the lava. As he stopped the lava flowing toward him, the other volcano erupted then sending more lava and gas in the air. Roku stared at the lava with agony. He knew he was losing this battle.
"Need a hand friend!" Sozin's voice suddenly shouted, and Roku looked up startled to see Sozin flying down toward him on his own dragon.
"Sozin!" Roku cried with utter relief.
Sozin brought his dragon down close enough to Roku and helped him on the giant beast. Then they flew to the other volcano that had just erupted. The Fang that we were on flew us behind Sozin's dragon, and we watched from above as both men landed on the volcano and began to fight the lava. As they did their best to stop the fire and boiling rock that headed toward the village below, I could tell something awful was about to happen.
"Don't breathe the toxic gas!" Roku suddenly shouted, and both of the men turned running away from the volcano they couldn't beat. As they ran Roku tripped and fell on the hard dark ground. "It's… too much," he chokes out, trying to stay on his knees but falling to the ground on his stomach.
My great-grandfather Sozin stared at my great-grandfather Roku with cruelty. "Without you, all of my plans are suddenly possible."
Roku held his hand out toward Sozin, and his eyes widened at what his friend had just spoken. I covered my mouth in horror at what I was seeing.
"I have a vision for the future, Roku." Sozin then hopped up on his dragon and both of them flew off, leaving Roku to choke violently on the gasses entering his lungs. As he began to die, and the lava started to slide down like an angry stampede, Fang flew down and wrapped himself around Roku. Then the lava fell over the both and they were buried underneath. My eyes caught a glimpse of Sozin's dragon as it flew off back toward the Fire Nation Palace.
The scene shifted then and suddenly we were back at a stone like place with air nomad symbols. Standing in the dimly sun lit room, I saw three air nomad monks and a nun standing in the room. The nun was holding a little baby boy with brown hair.
"Who's... wait, that's me, isn't it?"
"Make sense of our past Aang, and you will bring peace and restore balance in the world," Roku said softly.
His hand grabbed my shoulder then and I was torn away from Aang being taken back to the island my body was at. Roku took us both back to the cliff where already I could see Aang was back in his human form and looked confused. He stared at my human body with even more confusion. My human body was still sitting crisscrossed, but my eyes were closed.
Kale and the others ran into view, and they immediately asked Aang what had happened and why I hadn't returned. Aang looked unsure.
"I should get back before they worry," I began.
As I started to step forward, Roku stopped me by stepping in my path.
"Amber… Do you know why I showed you these things?"
Looking at Roku, I shook my head with furrowed brows. Truth was, I had no clue why Roku had wanted me to see these things; to see his past. It only made me hate my father's bloodline more.
He smiled weakly. "After my death I had so much hurt and anger toward Sozin. My vengeful spirit was so determined to end this war that I selfishly tried to use you to get back at the Fire Nation. I was even going to use you to destroy your own father. Huo and I had so many plans, and now I see how foolish I was being. Revenge is never the answer, Amber. Revenge will only weigh you down and drive you mad."
Where was he going with all of this?
He placed both his hands on my shoulders, his gold eyes staring intensely into my own. "You have a choice in this war: You can have your revenge and destroy your father; or you can push your revenge aside and try to repair a family that needs healing."
Now I was startled. "You want me to not fight against my father? After everything he's done to me!"
"I was so angry and hurt by Sozin… I could've killed him when I had the chance, but that would've only made me a monster. Don't be a monster Amber. I want you to follow your heart. When the time comes I don't want your decision to be on anger. I want you to decide what to do with the pure kind heart I know you have. It's time to repair what's important. Our family needs you, Amber."
Roku disappeared then, leaving me to ponder over what he had just said.
Zuko POV
Stomping through the prison cell door, Zuko slammed it behind him so the guards positioned outside wouldn't hear the conversation he was about to have. Storming over to the metal bars in the dark cold room, Zuko stared hard at the hunched over figure inside the empty filthy cell. In his hand was the scroll he'd received earlier that night.
"You sent this, didn't you? I found the secret history. Which, by the way should be renamed "the history most people already know." The note said that I needed to know about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end!"
Zuko was so confused, so frustrated, and so tired. All he wanted to do was figure out why his uncle had sent him the letter. It was eating him away on the inside, not understanding what message his uncle was trying to get to him.
"No...he wasn't," Iroh said softly, his voice firm from where he was hunched inside his cell. His hair was down a bit over his face, tangled and covered in dirt and grime. His gold eyes looked so tired.
Zuko scowled. "What are you talking about?"
"Zuko… Why do you think Avatar Roku chose to save Amber when she was born?"
Zuko was stunned by the question. He pondered over it but only grew more confused. "I don't know… I guess because she-"
He stopped, his voice getting caught in his throat. His memory took him back to the crystal catacomb where he had been a prisoner with his sister and the water bender.
Amber placed her hand on Zuko's shoulder, he kind sisterly eyes staring at Zuko with determination. "I need to tell you something… About our Great-Grandfathe-"
Amber had tried to tell him. Zuko could remember that Amber was trying to tell him the exact same thing that Iroh was trying to tell him now.
"I don't know…" Zuko said softly, agony shooting through him at the memory of his sister. Falling to his knees, he clutched his hair in pain as images of his little sister shot through his head. He'd never see her again.
"You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your father's grandfather. Your mother's grandfather was Avatar Roku."
Zuko's eyes almost bugged out of his head as he heard Iroh's words now. It made sense… Why Roku chose to save Amber… Amber was his great-granddaughter. Zuko couldn't believe what he was hearing. Avatar Roku was his great-grandfather!
Zuko could barely speak. "Why are you telling me this?"
Iroh sighed. "Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers, can help you better understand the battle within yourself. Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature, your legacy. But there is a bright side. What happened generations ago can be resolved now... by you. Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the fire nation. Born in you, along with all this strife, is the power to restore balance to the world."
"That's what Amber was trying to tell me," Zuko whispered. "Back at Ba Sing Sei… She was trying to show me another way."
Iroh nodded. Reaching over to the wall in front of him, he removed a piece of stone and pulled out a bundle of cloth from inside. Turning fully to Zuko, Iroh held out the bundle to him through the bars. Zuko took the bundle and took the cloth off to reveal a fine golden hairpin. The hairpin was Avatar Roku's, that Zuko immediately knew.
"This is a royal artifact. It's supposed to be worn by the crown prince," Iroh said.
Zuko stared down at the hairpin, but already he was starting to feel a change inside him. The battle of good and evil was reaching its climax, and good was finally starting to win.
Amber POV
Resting my chin on the palm of my hand, I placed my elbow on the side of the saddle and stared at the ocean surrounding us. My heart and spirit were heavy with burden as I tried to think about the battle to come. Roku didn't want me to fight my father. Roku didn't want me to kill anyone.
I knew why he was telling me this: I wasn't a killer like my father
So then what should I do? How could I mend a family that seemed to be so broken?
Zuko was in the Fire Nation obeying father like a humble pet. Azula was daddy's favorite child, obeying everything he ordered of her and having nothing but hate toward me. My mom was either dead or hiding, though knowing my father she was probably just dead. Then there was my father. There was no way I could mend my family and have him in the picture. No matter what, if I was going to fix what was broken, I'd have to knock one of the pieces out completely. The Fire Lord could never be a part of my mended family.
A warm embrace suddenly encircled me and I felt Kale hug me so my back was to his chest. He pressed his face into my hair and I smiled just slightly at the loving touch.
"You okay?" His voice was muffled somewhat in my hair.
With a heavy sigh, I turned so that I was facing Kale and my face was on his chest. His arms were still wrapped protectively around me.
"I'm just not sure what to do anymore. I want to take out so much revenge on my father, but at the same time I know I'm not a killer." My heart ached at the words I spoke, knowing now that if I did face my father, I wouldn't truly be able to kill him or even hurt him.
Fire wasn't supposed to kill. Being the spirit of fire, I didn't want my fire to be used for any more violence.
"You don't have to face your father. Aang already said he'd do it. I think you should do what you think is right."
What did I think was right though?
After everything that man had done to me. He sentenced me to die. He turned my brother against me. He stole me from my family and from my own mom. How could I not want to fight my father in the end?
"No matter what you choose," Kale whispered. "I promise I'll be by your side."
Pressing my face harder into his chest, I felt him wrap his arms even tighter around me. He made me forget for a moment about the decision ahead, and for that I was thankful.