Hey guys, I got a new chapter. Let's get on with it, shall we?
You know, I'm not entirely sure if I've ever truly believed in luck. Don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of evidence of it. Sokka is just one of a couple of examples of people I've met who if it can go wrong around them, it will. But beyond that, I've never really put much thought into it. One thing I have noticed is that whenever someone in the group uses the phrase: 'it couldn't hurt to do blank' or something close to that, things went down hill fast.
It was late afternoon with golden sunlight streaming through the trees when we came across the board. Sitting in the middle of an intersection was a bulletin board of sorts. It had posters of all kinds, showing off what was happening in the area. Boards like this were common along the roads, set up in order to let travelers know what was happening.
"Hey, check this out, the fire festival," Aang said as he pointed to a large poster. The others began to talk about the pros and cons of going and checking out this festival. I walked around the board, checking to make sure we had seen everything while leaning on my walking stick. Turning my head, I focused on the board with my right eye.
In the few weeks since the fight at the abbey with Zuko and June, my face had healed relatively quickly thanks to Katara's care. Although I wasn't completely blind in my left eye, my vision had been greatly reduced in it. There was also a rather visible scar on the left side of my face.
Sure enough, on the other side of the board were several posters with red borders that depicted various individuals. One of them was a full body sketch of Aang.
"These are wanted posters, aren't they?" I asked Sokka as he came around and joined me.
"Yep, and look who's front and center," he answered.
"Who is?" Aang asked.
"You are. You might want to rethink going to that festival," Sokka said.
"But this might be my only chance to study firebending up close," Aang said.
"You sure duking it out with Zuko isn't up close?" I asked, earning an annoyed look from the airbender.
"You know what I mean," he replied.
"It's all showmanship, Aang. I'm pretty sure there is a difference between what the festival uses and what's in actual combat," I said.
"It couldn't hurt to go and check it out," Katara said. And like that, I was turned off of the idea entirely. Something always, always, goes wrong whenever someone says that.
"You can go, I'm not setting one pinky toe in that place," I said.
"Come on, Morgan, we'll be in and out before we get caught," Aang said.
"Yeah, because we always leave before that happens," Sokka replied, sarcastically.
"See, this man gets it," I said, pointing to Sokka.
"You know, you don't have to tag along with us," Katara pointed out. I blinked once as I registered her words in her mind. Of course, why didn't I think of that?
"Okay, I'm going this way," I said, picking a northerly direction and starting toward it.
"You're wandering off, again?" Sokka asked, disbelief in his voice. I waved him off without looking back.
"Ah, we'll be back on the same route before the night is out," I said without much worry.
I was right. Again. It was starting to become an annoying habit. Slipping past the village where the others wanted to go put me into direct contact with some tribesmen. By that, I mean they ambushed me and threatened to run me through with a spear unless I did what they said. After that, they took me deep into the woods to their village.
Now I very vaguely remembered this episode, three details to be exact; Aang tried to lean firebending from Jeong Jeong, Katara got burned, and Aang swore off firebending until almost the end of the series. I sure didn't remember these guys, but that doesn't mean they weren't there. What had me concerned was the fact that they had captured me while I was off on my own. Don't get me wrong, I was happy they did cause I would be linked back up with the group. But without Aang, I was just a simple traveler. What reason would they have for taking me? Unless, I was expected somehow.
The village I was taken to was a having a really hard time living up to that title. It was more of a large camp with huts made from reeds that was situated along the riverbank. It wasn't a bad set up. Deep enough in the forest that no one would stumble across it, and lightly constructed enough that it's inhabitants could knock it down and run at a moment's notice.
I was led to a large hut situated right on the bank of the river. Everything but the hooded poncho I was wearing and my walking staff were taken from me and sat aside. With this done, the man who had been leading the party pointed his spear at me.
"He will see you now," he said in a gruff voice before stepping back and allowing me entrance to the hut. I eyed everyone cautiously, not really wanting to go inside. But, seeing as how the alternative was to take about five or six spears to the everything, I set foot inside anyway. The inside was dark, with a white haired man sitting behind a ring of candles with his legs folded in a meditation position. Behind him was a tree that looked like it had seen better days.
"You have come," he said, his voice soft, yet still commanding respect and power. I studied him closely as I took a step closer. He had shaggy white hair and a Fu Manchu to match. Overall he looked the end result of Doc Brown suddenly becoming a Kung Fu master.
"Am I expected?" I asked cautiously.
"Nothing about your presence is expected. You being here has upset more than you know," he answered harshly, his voice containing a mix of anger and accusation. I cast a glance at my boots.
"Yeah, I keep getting told that." He raised his head and opened his eyes at that. In the dim light of the candles, their amber color almost seemed to glow.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked. I nodded once.
"Jeong Jeong, the Deserter," I answered. He returned my nod, acknowledging that I was correct.
"And what should I call you? Merlin, or Morgan?" he asked. I took a short breath through my nose, unsure of just how much he knew about me.
"What do you know of me?" I asked, answering his question with a question.
"For weeks I have heard of both. A lone traveler who can conjure thunder, and a skilled archer traveling alongside the Avatar. To which do I speak?"
"Both, but Morgan is preferred," I decided, not seeing the point in hiding either identity from him.
"Do you know why I have brought you here?" he continued.
"Not really," I confessed as I sat on the floor across from him.
"There is an old prophecy, one which has been passed down amongst the members of my Order since the beginning of the Era. It warns of the coming of one who will lead to the disruption of balance in the world," he said. I actually had to mentally stop myself from rolling my eyes. A prophecy, seriously? What's next, a princess that needs rescuing? A dragon needing to be slain? Actually, this series had both princess and dragons, so I should probably shut my mouth before I tempt fate way too much.
"And what? I'm suppose to be the person who brings about…" I froze as a new realization dawned on me; there was no prophecy in the show. In fact, the only time the subject was ever touched upon was when they visited my fortuneteller of a grandmother. This development had happened solely because of my presence here.
"What do you mean 'disruption of balance'?" I finished, now much more worried thanks to my sudden revelation. Jeong Jeong reached forward and picked up one of the candles.
"You are like this flame, providing warmth and illuminance against the dark for those around you. But, if mishandled…" he trailed off as he held a lump of cloth over the flame, which went up almost instantly. The firebender held onto the burning fabric, ignoring the flames as they danced over his skin and stared me in the eye.
"Unless contained, the flames which you fan will continue to grow and spread, until everything is consumed," he said. The fire in his hand and the flames on the remaining candles all surged in strength and size. I held up my hand out of instinct, blocking my face from the surge of heat. The flames surged some more before going out entirely, leaving the interior of the hut cloaked in darkness.
My heart pounded in my ears as I sat, starting into the black space around me. Up until now I had been aware of what was at stake, but the true scope of it had never dawned on me. This wasn't just some show I had watched growing up. It was a living, breathing world with actual people's lives on the line. People that I cared about, and everything I did effected them.
"What would you have me do?" I asked into the darkness, unsure if I would even get an answer back. A single candle lit up, illuminating the space between us again. Instead of Jeong Jeong sitting across from me, it was the girl from the Crescent Island. I sat up a little straighter, stunned by her sudden appearance.
"Why do you continue to ask questions I have already given you answers to? This your afterlife, the choice of what do with it is yours," she said.
"That's not good enough!" I snapped, jumping to my feet, "those are actual people out there! People's lives depend on me! It can't just be 'your choice' and leave it at that!"
"That's all life ever is, Jacob. Choice, and consequence," she replied before fading away to dust like she had before. All that was left was Jeong Jeong, who sat about relighting the candles by snapping his fingers next to the wicks. I was breathing heavy, anger sitting like a hot weight in my chest. Once again I had no guidance, no idea what to do. Just told to go forth and do whatever I wanted. All I wanted to do right now was scream.
"What will you do to me?" I asked, swallowing my anger to the best of my ability. The firebending master sighed as he lit the last candle and sat it down.
"Nothing. We are sworn not to interfere with the affairs of the world," he said. I gave a single nod of understanding before I turned to leave.
"Remember to maintain control, Morgan, lest you be consumed," he said after me.
Aang and the others arrived shortly after I left Jeong Jeong's hut. I made an effort to keep to myself for the majority of that time, wanting a chance to try and clear my head. They noticed, Katara especially, but they knew by now to give me my space when I wanted it. By the time morning rolled around, my anger had burned off enough that I had somewhat rejoined the group. Katara tried to ask what was bothering me, but I made it clear that I didn't want to discuss it.
As Aang began his study under Jeong Jeong, Katara and I practiced our waterbending. It mainly consisted of sending a blob of water back and forth between the two of us. The aim of the exercise was to build up better control and technique, or at least that's what the single waterbending scroll said. It was extensive enough that I had to take my poncho off because I was sweating.
What Katara didn't know was that there was an ulterior motive for me to be practicing this close to Aang and Jeong Jeong. I was torn throughout the night, arguing back and forth with myself about what to next, in particular the fact that Aang was suppose to accidently burn Katara. Part of me saw the need to just stand back and do nothing. As cruel as that may sound, the incident taught Aang the importance of self control, and it taught Katara about her healing abilities, both of which were going to be needed later.
That being said, the idea of standing by and doing nothing while Katara got hurt wasn't something I was sure I could force myself to do. So I practiced, catching the water and sending it back while half listening in on Aang and Jeong Jeong's conversation.
The funny thing is that I actually understood what the old man was trying to teach Aang. Fire is wild, and if not controlled, incredibly destructive. In short, control was what made the mark of a great firebender. Unfortunately, Aang had the attention span of a twelve year old, which he was, and was only focused on learning how to conjure fire.
For the kid, the tipping point finally came when Jeong Jeong burnt a hole into the middle of a leaf, and told him to keep it from reaching the edge before being called off by one of the tribesmen. Aang grew frustrated and board almost as soon as his teacher was out of sight.
"This is the worst firebending instruction ever! All he does is leave me for hours to concentrate or breathe," he complained, clearly annoyed.
"Firebending comes from the breath, Aang. For an airbender, you're way too impatient," I said as Katara bent the blob of water back into the river.
"But I'm ready for so much more," he replied before looking at his leaf again. After a moment, I saw his eyes light up with an idea, and he resumed his stance and began to breathe again. A heartbeat later, the leaf flared up, and a single flame sat in the palm of the young airbender's hand.
"I did it, I made fire!" he yelled excitedly.
"Aang, that's great, but you should take it slow," Katara said. Her words fell on deaf ears, as he began to toss the fireball back and forth between his hands.
"Now THAT is some firebending," Aang said, quickly becoming wrapped up in his newfound ability. His movements began to get more erratic as he got more and more cocky.
"Aang, you'll burn yourself!" Katara called, concern now in her voice. Again, her words fell on deaf ears, as Aang only had eyes for the flame in the palms of his hands.
"Aang, you are literally playing with fire right now, take it down a notch!" I yelled, hoping to get through to him. Like Katara, my words went unheard.
"I wonder how that juggler did it?" Aang asked to himself as he began to try and juggle the fireball. Time almost seemed to slow as I realized what was going to happen next. Aang threw his arms out, sending a blast of fire in all directions. This was it. Do or die time. Either stand by and let events run their course, or step in and purposely alter things.
My life. My choice.
I was moving before I even realized that I was. Grabbing Katara by the forearms, I spun her around, placing myself between her and the flames. The fire bit into my back, tearing through my shirt and searing my flesh underneath. My teeth clenched down as I fought to keep from screaming out in pain.
It was over in an instant, and the reality of what had just happened slammed down on everyone present.
"Morgan?" Katara asked in a small, stunned voice.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my teeth still clenched.
"I…I'm fine, are you…?"
"Morgan! I'm so sorry!" Aang said as he ran over to us.
"Control, Aang, this is why you need control!" I snapped before I started to hobble off, not bothering to see how my words effected him. I didn't know how bad the burns were, but I could tell by the fact that it was taking me all my willpower to keep from collapsing that it wasn't good. Finding a large rock along the shoreline, I stopped and leaned on it, trying to breathe through the pain.
"You're hurt," Katara said as she appeared beside me. Not surprising that she had followed me.
"It's becoming a habit," I replied before I slipped off the rock, falling to my hands and knees in the mud along the water's edge. Katara knelt beside me, and bent a blob of water onto my back. Instantly, relief flooded through my being.
"Does that feel better?" she asked. I let out a long sigh as I felt the burning pain fade away.
"Yeah," I replied tiredly. The pain receded, until finally it was little more than a stinging memory. I heard Katara gasp in surprise as she lifted the water away and studied my fully healed skin that was left behind.
"You have healing abilities," Jeong Jeong said, stepping out of the tree line as I sat up onto my knees.
"How?" she asked. I simply shrugged as I dipped my hand into the river.
"I've heard stories that sometimes waterbenders can do this," I answered. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Of course, the fact that I could do it myself only cemented my statement. Thankfully, the firebender nodded in agreement with me as he came forward to join us.
"I wish I was blessed as you two are, free from this burning curse," he said.
"But you're a great master, you have powers we'll never know," Katara said.
"Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain," he replied.
"Fire is life, not just destruction," I said, remembering one of my favorite quotes from the show. The white haired man cocked his head at me, silently questioning me.
"Without fire, there is no heat to warm against the cold, no light against the dark. Fire is needed just as much as water," I elaborated. Jeong Jeong continued to gaze at me, as if suddenly unsure what to make of me. Before he could speak, several fireballs landed in the river. He sprang into action, deflecting one that would have hit us.
"Get back to the others and get out of here! Do not return!" he ordered as he assumed a bending stance and faced the three boats that were coming up the river. I didn't need to be told twice, getting to my feet, grabbing Katara's hand, and running back in the direction we had come from. When we got back to camp, I motioned toward Appa, whom Sokka had just finished loading up. Taking my hint, Katara quickly climbed aboard the sky bison.
"Where's Aang?" I asked as I slid to a halt. Sokka motioned toward Jeong Jeong's hut.
"In there, sulking. Are you alright, what happened?" he asked.
"Later. Get this fluff monster ready to take off, the Fire Nation is right on top of us," I said as I turned and ran toward the hut. Inside, I found Aang sitting in a meditation form, but his frame was slouched.
"I should have listened to you and Katara. I'm never going to firebend again," he said, solemnly. I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at his drama. I tend to turn into kind of a no nonsense ass when under pressure. Like right now, for instance.
"You're full of crap, and we need to go," I said, grabbing him by the shirt collar and dragging him out of the hut. This angered Aang a little bit, and he hopped to his feet.
"What gives?" he asked.
"Fire Nation, we need to go. Right. Now," I said, stressing every word. Instantly, Aang's demeanor shifted.
"What about Jeong Jeong?" he asked.
"He's a firebending master, he can handle himself, let's go!" I answered as I climbed onto Appa. Aang looked conflicted at first, but finally jumped onto the bison's head and cracked the reigns. The sky bison lumbered into the air, and we quickly put the whole place behind us. Now that we were airborne and finally safe for the moment, Aang actually took notice of my back.
"Hey, you're not burned," he pointed out. I shrugged slightly.
"Not anymore, no," I said before I began to take the tattered remains of my shirt off. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Katara's cheeks flush some as she tried to make it seem like she wasn't looking. Sokka, being the great detective that he was, picked the fabric up and looked it over closely.
"This shirt took a full on fire blast, how is it that you're not hurt?" he asked. I casually motioned to Katara, who was seated opposite of me.
"Her. She's got some good water," I said, earning a full on blush out of her.
"Wait, wait, you had healing abilities all this time and you've never used them?" Sokka asked.
"I guess I never had any incentive to do so," Katara answered.
"Oh really? What about the time I got two fish hooks stuck in my thumb?" he questioned, sticking his thumb out to illustrate his point. Both Aang and I cocked our eyebrows at the siblings.
"Two?" he asked.
"He tried to get the first fish hook out with a second," Katara explained, smiling at the memory. I blinked a couple of times as my mind tried to process that line of thought.
"How did…you know what, never mind. I'm gonna take a nap. Give me a shirt, it's freezing up here," I said.
And cut. That's all for this time around. Remember to drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like about this chapter, and I'll see you all next time.