A/N: Hello everyone! I've been getting a lot of really amazing reviews from readers, so thank you so so much! I love to hear from people and see how they like the story. Here is a new chapter, and it is much longer than the others. It got away from me a little bit. Anyway, I will be updating my old chapters to fix some spelling and grammar errors that I have seen. I know there aren't much but they're annoying to read around, and I don't want anyone to be annoyed! Without further ado, here's chapter 9!
Chapter 9 – The Deserter
"Sokka, stop eating all of our food!" Darya yelled, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"I'm hungry! And as a warrior, I shouldn't lose any more muscle mass if I'm going to protect you guys." Sokka retorted, emptying their food bag into his mouth. Darya scowled at him and he swallowed quickly.
"What muscle mass?" Darya sneered.
"What do you mean 'what muscle mass'!?"
"You're so thin I can see through you!"
"Hey-"
"Will you two cut it out!" Katara yelled back at the two older teens. Darya and Sokka had their foreheads smashed together in their bickering. They jumped apart and huffed. Darya stalked forward in order to look at a notice board that had appeared in their path.
"This should give us a good idea of what's around here." Katara said from beside the older airbender.
"See if you can find a menu, I'm starving." Sokka said, standing on the other side of Katara. Darya shot him a dark glance and he moved around to the other side.
Aang rushed over to stand between the two girls and looked at the notice board himself. Darya smiled down at him motherly and thought for the hundredth time since her escape that she was glad she was back with friends. While she begrudgingly missed Iroh and refused to admit what she felt about Zuko, she was happiest next to Aang.
"I bet we'll find something to eat here!" Aang said, pointing at a flyer for a Fire Nation Festival. "The Fire Days Festival. Fire Nation cultural exhibits . . . jugglers, benders, magicians. This'd be a great place for me to study some real firebenders!"
Darya was about to say that perhaps that was not the wisest idea, when Sokka beat her to it.
"You might want to rethink that. Look at this." He said from the other side of the board.
Darya, Katara, and Aang moved to stand by Sokka and looked at the other side of the notice board. Darya gasped as she looked at the posters. There were four wanted posters adorning the plain wood. The top had an older man with white hair and several scars over his right eye. The bottom two contained a plain man with brown hair and someone in a blue mask. But it was the center poster that drew their attention.
"Hey, a poster of me!" Aang exclaimed. Darya shook her head, it seemed they would need to keep moving. Her stomach growled lightly and she glared at Sokka again. He put his hands up in surrender and moved closer to Aang.
"A wanted poster. This is bad." He said, trying to ignore the glare from Darya. Aang ripped the poster off of the board with a sour look on his face.
"I think we had better keep moving." Katara said, already beginning to walk away.
"I have to learn firebending at some point, and this could be my only chance to watch a master up close." Aang said, surprising them all, even Darya. However, when she turned to look at Aang, she knew that there would be no persuading him otherwise.
Katara seemed to sense the same thing because all she did was look at the ground and say: "I guess we could check it out . . ."
"What!? You want to walk into a Fire Nation town where they're all fired up with all their, you know, fire?" He finished stupidly. Darya rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but agree. They may not be in the Fire Nation itself, but even a colony could be dangerous.
"We'll wear disguises and if it looks like trouble, we'll leave." Katara said.
"Yeah, because we always leave before we get into trouble." Sokka grumbled. They all walked over to Appa and began to walk beside him along the path.
"Hey, Darya!" Sokka yelled, running to catch up to them. Darya turned around at the sound of her name and raised an eyebrow at Sokka.
"What can we expect from this festival? If we're going to spy on the enemy, we need to have any facts that will help us." Sokka asked, walking next to Darya.
"How should I know?" Darya asked, confused.
"Well, you're Fire Nation, so I figured you've been to this festival before." Sokka added.
"I left when I was five and I can barely remember what my father looked like, let alone the details of an intricate cultural festival." Darya snapped. She immediately regretted it and sighed.
"I'm sorry, Sokka. You had a good idea, I'm just hungry," She shot a playful glare at him, "and I'm getting reused to all this walking."
Sokka gave Darya a comforting smile and put an arm around her shoulders. The two eldest of the group had formed a bond over their desire to protect their younger group members and a little irritation on either side could not break it.
"I'm sorry we couldn't rescue you sooner." Sokka said quietly in order to keep the other two from overhearing. They both did their best not to worry Katara or Aang needlessly.
"I understand, and it wasn't as bad as you would think." Darya said, looking up at Sokka. He frowned a little and held her tighter.
"You know we had to hold Aang back from going after you when he learned that you had chased him into the storm. I've never seen him like that." Sokka shivered slightly. "We stayed in that town for a couple of days before Zhao showed up and we decided to leave. After a week, we were afraid you might have… well, we were afraid something really bad had happened to you and we wouldn't see you again."
Sokka was squeezing Darya very tightly now, his arm forming a protective barrier that brought Darya warmth and comfort. She really liked Sokka, even when he was annoying, but particularly when he was acting mature. Not for the first time she wished she had feelings for him. Thankfully, she knew he was still thinking about Suki, the warrior from Kyoshi Island, otherwise she would feel like he was flirting with her.
"I'm sorry you guys worried so much about me." Darya began, "But just know that I was treated surprisingly well. And to be honest with you Sokka, I kind of miss Iroh."
Sokka made a choking noise and looked at Darya like she had grown another head.
"Before you start, he treated me well, yelled at Zuko when he yelled at me, and even taught me Pai Sho! I also think he had something to do with Zuko letting me airbend." Darya said quickly, holding her hands up. Sokka looked at her skeptically, but nodded and kept walking forward, his arm still around Darya.
"When that monster leapt onto the path in front of us and I saw you on the back of it I nearly cried with joy, but then I saw that other monster with his arms around you and I felt sick. You're sure he treated you well?" Sokka asked, looking back at Darya.
"Yes, he was a gentleman I suppose." Darya said before falling silent, fighting the blush that was adorning her cheeks. Sokka fell quiet as well, clearly not fully satisfied with her response but knowing enough not to ask further.
The group walked in silence for half an hour before they exited the trees and stood looking at a town in the valley below them. There were lights decorating it and a large wooden tower with the Fire Nation symbol on top. They could see hundreds of people dancing and laughing below, along with flashes of fire.
"Alright, you guys stay out of sight here while we go to the festival." Aang said, addressing Appa and Momo. Momo leapt behind a large bush and disappeared. Appa followed and settled down with a large whump. Darya laughed as the bison tried to hide behind a foot-tall bush.
"Ready disguises!" Aang ordered. Katara, Sokka, and Darya all pulled on the hooded cloaks they had in their packs. Darya looked out past her hood to see that Aang had pulled his shirt up over his head. She burst out laughing while Katara giggled girlishly. Sokka just rolled his eyes.
"It's like you're a whole different person." He said sarcastically. Aang laughed and motioned for them to follow him down the hill to the town.
"Let's go!" He said happily.
They walked down the hill quickly, admiring the fireworks that were dancing in the sky. Darya felt something in her heart squeeze tightly as she thought of half her heritage. She was honest when she told Sokka she couldn't remember much about the Fire Nation. Other than some brief memories of her father, spice cakes being eaten daily, the busy marketplace, and the room with the golden dragon, there was just a haze. She decided that at some point she would need to catalogue these memories before she forget them completely. Despite the horrors that the Fire Nation had committed, she still felt connected to her heritage and losing it would feel like she was incomplete, like when she couldn't airbend on Zuko's ship. In all honesty, Darya was incredibly excited that they were going to this festival. Even though she knew it would probably end in them running from a bunch of firebenders, she was interested in learning more about half of herself.
As they entered the town, it became apparent that they would need different disguises. Everyone was running, dancing, laughing, eating, and most importantly, covering their faces in intricate masks. Several people in a dragon costume glided by and Darya felt her heart tug again. She had always loved dragons, which was apparent after anyone saw her glider and swords. Said swords lay gently tied on either hip, the twin dragons snarling in the light. She had left her glider on Appa's saddle in case anyone would recognize what it was.
"I think we need some new disguises." Katara said, looking around.
"Where are we gonna get masks like that?" Sokka said in frustration.
"Get your genuine Fire Festival masks here!" A merchant cried from his stall behind the four teenagers. Darya laughed and walked over to the stall, patting Sokka on the shoulder.
"That was surprisingly easy." Sokka said, following her. Darya shook her head at him and then stared up at the masks. Sokka, Katara, and Aang grabbed the first ones they saw, but Darya felt like she should really think about what one she would get. This was her first Fire Nation festival, at least the first she could remember, and she wanted to commemorate it.
One that she had her eye on was a large yellow face with a wide grin. It had red trim and was simple in its design compared to the others. It drew her in with its simplicity and the fact it looked similar to the one Aang had on, and she was about to choose it when another one grabbed her attention. A gold dragon snarled at her with a savage ferocity. Its black eye sockets seemed to hold a dark light within them, and the ivory teeth gleamed with deadly intent. It's the dragon from the palace! Darya thought with excitement. She had seen this dragon before. It was her favorite in the red room of the palace, and she knew that she had to have it. She quickly grabbed it and made to walk away and join the others, when the merchant interrupted her.
"You have a good eye! That's a very special mask." The old merchant winked, his eyes held deep knowledge that Darya was fascinated with.
"Why is that?" She asked. It was special to her, but she had assumed it was just an ordinary mask to anyone else.
"That is the mask of the first dragon, Saizo, to teach humans firebending. He is an ancient and powerful symbol for our great nation. He represents power, leadership, and wisdom. Where that mask with pride." The merchant finished sagely, and Darya felt like he knew more than he was letting on, but she decided that she needed to return to her friends.
"Thank you." She bowed and put on the mask, lowering her hood. Her long, blonde hair flowed around the edge of the mask, creating a golden mane. She ran up to the three teenagers as Sokka was dancing around yelling: "hot! hot!"
"What's up with him?" She asked as she stood behind Aang and Katara.
"He ate some 'flaming fire flakes'." Aang said, turning around. When he saw Darya's mask his mouth dropped open. "Whoa that is a seriously cool mask!"
"Yeah, you look so fierce!" Katara added.
"You look stupid." Sokka contributed, his mouth still steaming. Darya laughed at him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm not the one standing here with his tongue lolling out like a dog." She said, laughing again.
"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed.
"Hey, look at this." Aang interrupted, drawing Darya and Sokka out of the start of a fight. He led them over to a puppet show that had children crowding around it. A puppet of the Fire Lord appeared, causing a shiver to run down Darya's spine. She could tell that Aang was affected by the odd sight as well by the stiffening of his spine. The children cheered for the puppet as it began to speak.
"Don't worry loyal citizens! No one can surprise the Fire Lord!" The puppet squawked. Behind the puppet, an earthbender puppet appeared hold a rock. It moved to strike the Fire Lord, but instead the Fire Lord puppet turned its head and a blaze of fire scorched the earthbending puppet. The children all cheered, while the four turned away and began to make their way towards another stage.
A single performer stood on the stage dressed in elaborate red robes. A large crowd was packed around the stage, waiting for the performance to start. Aang began to push his way into the crowd.
"Aang, hold on!" Katara cried before Aang could disappear. "Where are we going?"
"I don't know, but there's a big crowd so it must be good." Aang replied as if it was simple.
"Knowing the Fire Nation, it's probably an execution." Sokka said sarcastically, making Darya chuckle.
"Or maybe just another puppet show." She said to him, pointing back at the Fire Lord puppet who was now roasting a waterbender puppet while the children squealed with glee.
As they neared the stage, it became apparent that it was what they had come into town looking for. The man on the stage was performing several ornate tricks with several pools of fire, which were laid out on the stage. As the performer extinguished his fire, a flock of white birds soared into the sky. Darya had to admit that it was quite impressive, and the firebending had been beautiful. For the first time in her life, Darya felt a pang knowing that she couldn't create such beauty.
"I gotta learn that trick!" Aang said, his voice full of excitement. Darya couldn't blame him. All they had known of firebenders were that they destroyed. Seeing fire that could be beautiful and harmless was something they admired greatly.
"Thank you!" The performer said, addressing the crowd. "For my next trick, I need a volunteer from the audience!"
"Oh!" Aang yelled, raising his hand high and waving it around. "Oh! Me! Me!"
"What are you doing?" Darya and Sokka hissed at the same time. Darya could understand going into the village to see some firebending, she could understand watching this performance, but drawing direct attention to themselves was too far.
"I want a closer look." Aang pouted, but Darya only glared at him, keeping him quiet.
"It's better that we don't attract any attention to ourselves." Katara said, placing a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder.
"How about you, little lady?" The performer shouted, pointing at Katara.
"Uh…" Katara stared at the performer from under her mask.
"Awww, she's shy. Let's give her some encouragement, folks!" The performer shouted, causing the audience to push Katara to the stage where the performer grabbed her and pulled her up. Darya shook her head and sighed. Time to get ready to run, she thought, resting her hands on the hilts of her swords. She wanted to avoid airbending, even if Aang used it here. She wanted to stay as far off Zhao's radar as possible.
Back on the stage, Katara was being ushered into a chair in the center of the stage. The performer placed her in the chair and tied her up.
"This next trick," the performer spoke as he continued to tie Katara to the chair. "is called "Taming the Dragon'. You will be my captured princess."
The performer moved from behind Katara and began to firebend a huge comet of fire that had the vague form of a dragon. He looped it around Katara and the crowd several times, exclaiming that he would save her and not to worry.
"It's too strong!" The performer began to cry out. "I can't hold it!"
Darya sighed at the performance. The firebending wasn't bad, but the acting certainly needed improvement.
"We gotta help her!" Aang shouted, moving towards the stage. Darya looked over at him and made to stop him from getting on the stage. He's so blinded by his feelings for her that he can't see it's an act, she thought with exasperation.
"No, we don't want to make a scene!" Sokka said, holding Aang back.
"The rope, it's breaking!" The performer yelled, and the fire dragon turned and charged at Katara. On the stage, Katara cried out in fear and Aang airbended himself out of Sokka's grasp and onto the stage. Darya yelled in annoyance and gripped the hilts of her swords tighter. There was still a chance that the crowd would think it was all part of the performance and they could get away without a fight.
"Hey, that kid's the Avatar!" an audience member shouted.
"Damn it." Darya growled. She pulled out her swords and leapt onto the stage. She watched as Aang froze and three Fire Nation guards turned and began to make their way through the crowd. Sokka, Katara, and Aang had all removed their masks by this point, but Darya found comfort in her anonymity and didn't want any report of her face getting to Zhao. She twirled her swords in order to intimidate the guards, and it seemed to do the trick, because they paused just long enough for Sokka to pull her off the stage and towards a man in a shabby mask. She didn't trust him, but trusted Sokka enough not to lead her astray.
They all leapt through a broken wall and followed the masked man down the winding alleys of the town. Fireworks still soared and burst above them, making the chase seem surreal.
"There they are!" A guard shouted, just as the masked man threw a smoke bomb to obscure their retreat.
"I'm calling Appa!" Aang announced, pulling out the bison whistle.
"I hope he can really hear that bison whistle!" Sokka yelled at him over the noise of the guards chasing them. They turned into an alleyway only to find it ended in a high wall.
"Okay, not this way!" The masked man yelled, turning down another street. They followed him, only to see the exit blocked by guards. The masked man threw another smoke bomb at them and they dashed past the distracted guards.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Darya roared as they found another dead end. She officially didn't like the oaf they were following. She was about to attack the advancing guards when Appa soared above them.
"Appa, down here!" Aang yelled to the bison. Appa roared and landed between the guards and their group. He used his tail to create a huge gust of wind that blew the guards down and out of the way.
"Quick, get on him!" Darya shouted, pushing Aang towards Appa. They all clambered on with Darya being the last. They took to the sky as the guards returned to the alley. The masked man threw one last smoke bomb into a crate of fireworks. The fireworks exploded into a dazzling array of gold, red, blue, green, and every color in between. Appa flew quickly into the night air, the town swiftly fading away.
The masked man sat back on Appa and removed his hood, revealing a disheveled face beneath. Darya narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion as the others gathered around the stranger. She didn't like him. Not because he was a "bad guy", although they didn't know if he was a "good guy" either, but because of his seemingly vast stupidity. He had endangered their lives, and they almost got captured because he didn't know his way around the town.
"Nice touch setting off the fireworks." Aang said.
"You seem to really know your explosives." Sokka added in suspicion.
"I'm familiar." The stranger said, trying to appear aloof, but only looking silly. Darya rolled her eyes.
"You're a Fire Nation soldier!" Sokka exclaimed, surprised.
"Was." The man said, looking nervous as Darya held onto one of her swords. "The name's Chey."
"I think we need to have a talk, Chey." Darya snarled, tired of not knowing who this man was or who he worked for. "Appa, find a place to land."
The sky bison roared back an affirmative and began to descend.
"You can control the beast with just your voice?" Chey exclaimed in admiration. Darya would have felt flattered if not for the mans' idiocy from earlier.
"Darya's always been good with sky bison. She flew in the adult sky bison polo championship when she was only 14!" Aang provided, ignoring Darya's glare.
"It was 15, Aang. I only flew with them for a year before the Fire Nation ruined everything." Darya hissed. Chey had the courtesy to look down in shame and fell silent. Darya continued to glare at him, feeling the familiar anger bubbling up towards the surface.
They were all silent, glancing between Chey and Darya, until Appa landed gently in a clearing. They all climbed off the sky bison and set up a fire to hear Chey's story.
"Let me explain myself." Chey began, glancing at Darya but looking down when he met her fierce glare. "I serve a man. More than a man really, he's a myth, but he's real, a living legend, Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation general, or wait, was he an admiral?"
"He was very highly ranked, we get it." Sokka said, clearly annoyed to hear there was another Fire Nation soldier involved.
"Yeah! Way up there! But he couldn't take the madness anymore. He's the first person ever to leave the army and live. I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that. That's okay though." He looked around at the four surrounding him. "Jeong Jeong's a firebending genius. Some say he's mad, but he's not! He's enlightened."
"You mean there's a firebender out here who's not with the Fire Lord?" Aang asked, standing up in excitement. "We've got to go see him, he can train me!"
"We're not going to find some crazy firebender." Sokka said dismissively. Darya wanted to agree, but she felt something nagging at her in the back of her mind, telling her that Aang must see Jeong Jeong.
Chey stood up quickly, "He's not crazy! He's a genius! And he's the perfect person to train the Avatar. That's why I followed you into the festival."
"Look, thanks for the help, but we're leaving for the north pole in the morning." Sokka said, standing up as well.
"Sokka," Aang said, looking disappointed in Sokka, "this could be my only chance to meet a firebending master who would actually be willing to teach me."
"It can't hurt just to talk to him." Katara added, standing up.
"That's what you said about going to the festival! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?" Sokka yelled.
Darya stayed quiet through the argument, instead focusing on a flash of something reflective she had seen in the tree opposite of her. As she watched, someone dressed in dark green and wielding a spear leapt down from the forest and pointed the spear at Aang. She was up in a flash and blocked the attack with one of her swords. The spear glanced to the left and the wielder took a step back, clearly shocked. However, Darya realized there was little use fighting, since they were now surrounded by men with spears.
"Don't move." One of them ordered, and they all froze. The one who spoke whispered something to another man and that one in turn told the rest.
"Follow me, keep your weapons and bending to yourself." The lead man ordered, and they were all shoved into line and began to walk out of the forest.
"Jeong Jeong told you not to look for the Avatar." The lead man growled at Chey. Chey shrunk back a little while Sokka rounded on him as well.
"Hold on, you know these guys!?" Sokka exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, Lin Yi's an old buddy. Right Lin Yi?" Chey said, putting his hands up in surrender. He looked towards the lead man for help.
"Shut up!" Lin Yi ordered, lowering a spear at Chey. "Keep moving."
Darya snorted, earning an eye roll from Katara.
"You seem to be in a better mood." Katara whispered to Darya.
"It seems that when I am in dangerous situations with no ability to defend myself, I tend to become quite an optimist." Darya grinned impishly at Katara, who in turn smiled back. "But in all seriousness, there is something telling me that we should speak with Jeong Jeong and that he must teach Aang…something. It's firebending, but not firebending. I don't know what it is, but it is something important."
Katara looked at Darya with wide eyes. Darya looked back and rolled her eyes at Katara's reaction.
"I'm not psychic or anything. When it comes to Aang, my intuition seems to be stronger, that's all." Darya said to erase the look off of Katara's face. Or it could be Avatar Roku. Darya thought, but she decided to keep that to herself.
A while later, the group appeared at the top of a hill which overlooked a small shack on the bank of a river. If they had not been tied up and facing an uncertain destination, Darya would have called the scene serene. They stopped at the hill and Lin Yi pushed Chey forward.
"Go on. He sees you only." Lin Yi ordered.
"Oh, that's okay, we can chat later." Chey whimpered. Darya added coward to the list of reasons she didn't like Chey.
"Is that where Jeong Jeong is? I need to talk to him right away." Aang said, pushing forward until he was in the front. A spear from Lin Yi stopped him from progressing further.
"No, you wait here." Lin Yi ordered, pushing Chey forward. "Go now!"
Chey stumbled down the hill a few steps before righting himself and looking back at Aang.
"Don't worry, everything'll be fine. He's a great man, great man!" Chey stuttered and walked towards the small shack.
"Follow me." Lin Yi ordered. They shuffled after him for only a few feet until they were under a large tree. They sat under it silently and contemplated their situation. Clearly, they were not being held as prisoners, but they were also not being treated as friends. Darya watched the men with the spears disperse until they were left alone.
They stayed in that spot for a long while, Aang, Katara, and Sokka falling asleep while Darya kept watch. Darya was disrupted from her quiet meditation by Chey exiting Jeong Jeong's hut. Aang must have heard it in his sleep because he quickly sprang into the air.
"What happened? Can I see Jeong Jeong now?" Aang asked the approaching Chey, who looked very glum.
"He won't see you." Chey began, sounded disheartened. "He's very angry that I brought you here. He wants you to leave immediately."
"Finally!" Said Sokka, who woke up a blinking Katara. "Let's hit the road."
"Why won't he see me?" Aang asked Chey, ignoring Sokka.
"He says you're not ready. Says you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet." Chey said. Darya and Aang looked more attentive at this while Sokka and Katara seemed to fall back to sleep.
"How could he know that?" Darya asked, genuinely curious.
"He saw the way you all walked into camp. He can tell." Chey replied, watching Darya carefully.
"I'm going anyway!" Aang declared.
"Aang!" Darya cried after him, but he had run off to the hut and had entered it. Darya watched the curtain fall shut and a sense of calmness fell upon her, as if this was meant to happen.
"Boy, Jeong Jeong is going to make him regret that." Chey said quietly. Darya let out a growl of frustration that sent him scurrying into the trees.
She glared after him and then returned her gaze to the curtain of the hut. A flash of firelight burst out of it for a second before it disappeared. Darya felt uneasy with Aang being in there alone, but she made herself look away and up at the night sky. There were no lights other than the soft flicker of a fire in a hut, and Darya could see all of the stars burning brightly. She felt like they were staring at her, and she couldn't decide if it was in a nice way or not.
Before she could think about it much further, Aang appeared from Jeong Jeong's hut. The glow from the fire inside showed a large smile on his face as he used airbending to climb the hill quickly. He sat down next to Darya with the grin still plastered on his face.
"Jeong Jeong is going to teach me firebending!" Aang exclaimed quietly so as not to wake Katara and Sokka, who were asleep near them.
"That's great Aang, how did you convince him?" Darya asked.
"I just kept asking and then he sort of said yes." Aang replied. Darya looked at him in confusion but decided to drop it. Jeong Jeong had agreed and that was what mattered.
"Well, go to sleep then. You have a long day tomorrow." Darya said motherly. She watched as Aang curled up into a ball under the trees and the stars, and she felt a pang of loneliness hit her. Why would I be lonely with all of my friends here? She shook her head to get rid of the feeling. Because not all of your friends are here . . . a voice whispered. She looked around but the owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen. Darya narrowed her eyes and glared into the darkness. With a humph, she lay down next to Aang and closed her eyes. I won't think about him, I won't think about him, I won't think about him, Darya thought as she fell asleep.
The morning arrived bright, beautiful, and refreshing. Darya was practicing her airbending by the river next to Katara, who was also practicing her bending. Sokka sat on a rock several feet away, fishing unsuccessfully. Darya was just beginning to create a small tornado, which she was quite proud of seeing as it was difficult to control such violent air in such a small form, when she was interrupted by Jeong Jeong scolding Aang.
She looked up as Jeong Jeong called Sokka an oaf and she laughed with Katara and Sokka at Aang's lack of concentration. She looked past Aang and at Jeong Jeong. They met eye contact briefly before the firebender looked away. Darya had liked the old man as soon as she had laid eyes on him. He disliked the Fire Nation as much as she did and his respect for the other elements was refreshing. More than that though, she felt like there was something deeper to him, something she couldn't explain. Either way, she decided to trust him with Aang's training.
She returned to her work with controlling the powerful winds required to form a tornado, and was pleased with her continued success. After a while, she noticed Katara and Sokka had disappeared, along with Aang and Jeong Jeong. She looked around and saw that the sun was much further in its progression than usual.
"Boy, I need to pay more attention when I'm practicing." She chastised herself.
"You were deep in concentration." A voice startled Darya from the entrance of Jeong Jeong's hut. When Darya looked over, she saw that the voice belonged to none other than Jeong Jeong himself.
"Where's Aang?" Darya asked, slightly worried.
"He is practicing breathing at the top of the mountain." Jeong Jeong pointed to the small mountain a short distance away. She could see the small silhouette of Aang in contrast to the sky. She looked back to Jeong Jeong.
"Breathing?" Darya asked, genuinely curious.
"It is where a firebender gets his power." Jeong Jeong informed her. Darya nodded her head and looked back towards Aang.
"He just wants to be a good Avatar." Darya said, meeting Jeong Jeong's eyes. "I know he is impatient and can be very rash, but he has a good heart and he has too many burdens on his shoulders."
Jeong Jeong just nodded and motioned Darya to follow him into his hut. She took one last glance at Aang before following the old man in. The hut was small and plain, with only a dirt floor, some candles, and a mat for sleeping.
Jeong Jeong sat in a half ring of candles, motioning for Darya to sit across from him.
"I had a vision of Avatar Roku when Aang asked me to be his teacher." Jeong Jeong announced. Darya looked shocked.
"Avatar Roku?" She asked, unclear of what Jeong Jeong was telling her.
"Yes, he told me to teach Aang firebending, and while I do not believe he is ready, it is clear that Avatar Roku believes otherwise. He also told me about you. The girl who is both an Air Nomad and of the Fire Nation." Jeong Jeong stated, watching Darya with an analyzing look. Darya sat froze as he spoke. She knew there was more to this man than being able to firebend well.
"I- well, I don't really know what to say to that." Darya said, feeling foolish. Jeong Jeong shifted backwards slightly and waited a moment before speaking again.
"You do not possess the ability to firebend. However, Avatar Roku has passed on the information that you are able to heat your airbending. Show me this." Jeong Jeong asked.
Darya nodded and lifted her hands. She formed a ball of air in them and compressed it tightly. The air spun around and quickly heated up until steam poured off it and the hut had become increasingly hotter.
"Enough." Jeong Jeong said quietly.
"My normal bending is usually a bit warm too. I don't think I've ever created a cool breeze in my life." Darya added for good measure. For some reason, Avatar Roku had been keeping an eye on her. Maybe he just wants to make sure I'm up for the task of protecting Aang. She thought. It was Avatar Roku who had given her that task in the first place.
"I will not teach you as the I would teach a firebender. However, I feel it is important that you are careful with your bending." Jeong Jeong held up a hand as Darya was about to protest. "Yes, I know that airbenders are taught restraint at a young age, but I can see for myself that that particularly lesson never set in deeply with you."
Darya fell silent and they both looked at the swords which hung at her hips. "I guess not." She said quietly.
"Are you trained in using those. They are rather fearsome." Jeong Jeong asked.
"I taught myself. Thankfully I haven't had to use them in actual combat much, but when I did I held my own pretty well." Darya said, happy to share an accomplishment she had acquired all on her own, without even the monks to guide her.
"They have dragons on them. Your glider does as well, but the Avatar's is plain." Jeong Jeong said. It was not phrased as a question, but Darya could feel the question behind his words.
"I was brought to the Southern Air Temple when I was only five, but I can still remember a bit of the Fire Nation. I can hardly remember my father, I think because he was busy a lot. We lived in the palace so I assume that he was someone of some importance. Anyway, I remember the paintings of the dragons and I wished that I could bend fire and fly like they could. I guess I was blessed with only one of those abilities. After I left the Fire Nation, the only monk to inform me of my heritage what Monk Gyatso. He would tell me to 'calm my fire' if I was too angry, and sometimes he would call me little dragon. But the best thing he did for me was to carve my glider into the shape of a dragon. I was never a good monk because of my Fire Nation blood, at least that's what it felt like. But Monk Gyatso showed me that I didn't have to be ashamed of it. He was the father I never knew." Darya finished with tears in her eyes, which she refused to let fall. Somehow, this firebender had been able to ask in just the right way to make her spill some of her deepest secrets. She had never told anyone about feeling unsatisfactory at the Southern Air Temple, or how much her glider meant to her.
"I see. Airbenders learned their skills from the sky bison, while the firebenders learned from the dragons." Jeong Jeong said after a moment.
"Saizo." Darya blurted out, remembering the name the merchant had told her.
"Yes, the first dragon to teach firebending." Jeong Jeong said, looking slightly surprised. "How do you know that?"
Darya shuffled around the bag that was tied to her side. She fished out the golden dragon mask from the festival and handed it to Jeong Jeong.
"The merchant who sold that to me told me that it was Saizo, the golden dragon. I picked it because it looked like a painting of a golden dragon in the palace that I loved as a child. I would talk to it and pretend it talked back to me. I just- it reminded me of, not home exactly, but a home. The first home taken from me." Darya explained, once more revealing more scars than she meant to. Jeong Jeong held the mask and stared at it for a while. Darya tried to guess what he was thinking, but his face was inscrutable.
"Yes, this is a mask of Saizo, but few know his name now. The merchant who sold it to you must be either powerful or well-traveled in order to hear that name. You, Darya, you have the abilities of the sky bison. They have taught you well and you manipulate air in a similar way as the bison. Yet, it is clear to me, that you have the heart of a dragon. You are fierce, determined, and savage, yet you are loving which only aids to your ferocity." Darya was shocked to hear herself described in such a way. However, Jeong Jeong wasn't finished. "You have a heart that burns with an inner fire found only in firebenders. This heats your air and gives you the ability to strike where Aang, or any other airbender, would flee. Be careful of your power or you will hurt those you love, but hone it and you will be able to defeat any opponent."
Jeong Jeong concluded, handing back the mask, and Darya felt her head spinning. Her life had never been normal, yet it seemed that at every turn it got more complicated. So wait? On the inside, I'm a firebender? I'm so confused! Darya felt a headache growing and she excused herself from the hut. The sun was fading and Aang's silhouette was still on the mountain. She thought of going to him to seek advice, but decided that it was more important for him to practice firebending.
She ran to Appa, who was lounging near the river's edge, and grabbed her glider from his saddle. She deposited her bag onto the saddle when the mask of Saizo spilled out. She looked at it with a much deeper meaning now. She bent down and grabbed it, looking at it closely as if it would hold some answers.
The black eyes stared up at her while the snarling maw grinned wickedly. Jeong Jeong had called her savage, fierce, and determined. Determination she could see in herself, but fierce and savage did not seem to fit. I don't think he mean that was bad though. Darya thought. I mean, he compared me to a dragon which is definitely a compliment. Maybe Avatar Roku told him something that I don't know. When we met in Hei Bei's forest he told me I would save the Fire Nation, whatever that could mean. It's Aang who will do that, and I'll just make sure he is safe until then.
Darya nodded and put the mask back in her bag. She would hold onto it as a reminder of her mission and of the words Jeong Jeong said. Maybe one day I can make him proud, she thought. The old man had quickly found a place in her heart.
A scream interrupted her thoughts and Darya's head shot up, trying to locate the source of the scream. There was no following scream, but Darya began to hear someone crying loudly, and soon Katara emerged from the trees. Darya grabbed her glider and leapt off of Appa and glided to where Katara had her hands in the water.
"Katara, what's wrong? What happened?" Darya asked, worried about the source of Katara's pain. She was swiftly silenced as the water around Katara's hands glowed bright blue with spiritual energy. Katara's eyes were as wide as Darya's as she lifted her hands out of the water. They both looked at Katara's hands and the water for a moment before Darya broke the silence.
"Uhh, Katara, what was that?" Darya asked, watching Katara closely and slightly wary. Katara looked at Darya with her mouth still open.
"I-I-" Katara started.
"You have healing abilities." The two girls jumped in the air as Jeong Jeong walked up the path behind them. He sat next to Katara and took her hands in his, turning them over gently. "The great benders of the Water Tribe sometimes have this ability. I've always wished I were blessed like you – free from this burning curse."
Darya stared at the master in silence, a horrible twisting in her gut formed as she saw how he viewed his powers. She was no fan of firebenders, but firebending itself could be incredibly beautiful.
"But you're a great master. You have powers I'll never know!" Katara said, wanting to comfort Jeong Jeong.
"Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart." Jeong Jeong stated somberly. Darya stared at him in horror as her mind turned to Zuko. She had seen this battle within him multiple times and it worried her to think that he may eventually be torn apart by his own bending. I won't let that happen, Darya thought with determination.
Suddenly, the water in front of them exploded, showering the three on the bank in hot water. Gouts of flame blasted into the water near them as Jeong Jeong quickly rose and broke apart any flame that came too close to them. As the flames ceased, Darya could see three small Fire Nation riverboats cutting through the current. To her horror, she saw Zhao standing on the deck of one of the boats, watching them through a spyglass.
"Go, get your friends and flee! Do not come back here or you will all be destroyed. Hurry!" Jeong Jeong ordered as he sunk into a firebending stance. Katara immediately turned and ran, but Darya was frozen with indecision. Part of her wanted to run to Aang and sweep him away to safety. However, another part of her wanted to stay and fight with Jeong Jeong. She wanted to show him her power and see him defeat Zhao.
Darya was about to yell for Katara to tell Aang she would meet up with them, but then she remembered the task she was given by both Monk Gyatso and Avatar Roku. No, I have to stay with Aang. She spun around and leapt into the forest after Katara.
It didn't take the two girls long to find Sokka, who was preparing their supplies in Appa's saddle. As he heard their footfalls he turned around and looked at Katara with worry.
"Katara, are you alright?" Sokka asked, grabbing Katara's shoulders and looking at her with worry.
"I'm fine, we've got to get out of here. Where's Aang?" Katara asked, ignoring Sokka's worried gaze. Sokka thumbed towards Jeong Jeong's hut and Katara ran past him to it. Darya stayed with Sokka, knowing that Aang would be fine hearing the news from Katara.
"What do you mean is she alright?" Darya turned to Sokka and put her hands on her hips. She had felt left out of something important when she saw Katara crying on the river, but the combination of Jeong Jeong showing up and Zhao attacking had distracted her. Now that she had a second to think, she wanted answers.
"Aang burned Katara," Sokka said solemnly, turning to stare at Darya, "with firebending."
"He did what?!" Darya yelled, furious at the Avatar for doing something so stupid. She spun around when she heard Aang and Katara coming out of the hut.
"I have to help him!" Aang yelled, pulling out his glider. Before he had a chance to leapt into the air, Darya shot a blast of air at him, knocking the glider out of his hands. Aang yelled and looked around for his attacker, but only found a furious Darya glaring at him.
"You did what?" Darya asked as she stalked forward. Aang put up his hands, thoughts of Zhao forgotten in the face of such a fierce face.
"I didn't mean to." Aang began quickly. "I was impatient and I tried firebending before I was able to control it. But I just told Katara, I'm never firebending again."
"You . . . what?" Darya asked, her fierce gaze only getting hotter. Aang thought he could see small tongues of emerald flame shoot out of them.
"I'm never firebending again." Aang repeated, hoping it would appease Darya.
"Avatar Aang," Darya snarled, commanding the attention of Aang. "You were chosen to master all four elements. That includes firebending. I have been chosen to see that you fulfill your destiny of ending this war. This means that you will not only learn firebending, but you will master it. Fire may be destructive, but it is the only element with life of its own. It is just as important as the other elements, and if it takes me teaching you myself, you will learn firebending. Now, get into the air and get over to your master."
Aang did not need to be told twice. He leapt into the air and silence reigned back on the ground. Darya looked between the two Water Tribe members before rolling her eyes.
"What? He's got a thick skull and some things need to be drilled in." With that, Darya took to the air in her own glider and followed Aang. She was tasked to keep him safe, and she would do just that.
Darya landed on the beach just as Jeong Jeong disappeared in a whirlwind of flame. Once more she wished she could create something so beautiful. Not the time or the place, Darya, focus.
She turned to Zhao and Aang, who were squaring off against each other.
"It's a trick! He's run off into the woods, find him!" Zhao barked at his soldier. "Let's find out what my old master has taught you."
"You were Jeong Jeong's student?" Aang exclaimed in surprise. Darya raised her eyebrows at this, but now she could see where Jeong Jeong's bitterness had come from.
"Until I got bored." Zhao growled darkly. "Ah, and I see my favorite airbender has arrived as well."
Darya felt a chill run down her spine as her green eyes met Zhao dark ones. The lack of humanity was apparent, and Darya remembered Jeong Jeong's words about the balance between humanity and savagery. But didn't he call me savage? Darya felt a twinge of doubt form in her, but she pushed it to the side as Zhao struck out at Aang. Darya leapt out of the way as a ball of fire roared towards her as well.
They both danced around the fireballs as Zhao seemed to only get angrier.
"I see he taught you how to duck and run like a coward. But I doubt he showed you what a firebender is truly capable of!" Zhao launched another fireball at Aang, momentarily forgetting about Darya, which she was fine with. She watched the battle like a hawk, just in case Aang was too slow to dodge an attack.
Aang dodged several more searing fireballs, always dancing out of the way. As the latest fireball soared past him, he formed a ball of air to center himself with before yelling: "Whoa! Wild shot!" at Zhao.
"I'll show you wild!" Zhao yelled, shooting a quick volley of fireballs at Aang. Darya had to dodge a stray fireball that had found its way towards her. Unfortunately, it seemed that Zhao's attacks were too powerful and the forest surrounding them was starting to burn. Darya opened her glider and lifted off, but still keeping an eye on Aang. She formed a ball of air around a small chunk of the river and, with a lot of concentration, she moved the mass of water and air over the forest. With a sigh, she let the air stop, allowing the water inside of it to fall and extinguish the fire's below.
Aang was now dancing on the boats as Zhao continued to fire at him. Darya couldn't help but laugh as she saw Aang's rather obvious plan. Without firing a shot, Aang was provoking Zhao into torching his own ships. Two ships were in flames and sinking while the third was just catching.
She watched Aang say something to Zhao before leaping into the air and diving into the water. Darya took that as her cue to get the flames really going. She formed a wave of air that would encourage the flames. She watched as the air she produced met the roaring flames. The flames leapt higher as the air coaxed them higher, until the entire ship was alight with Zhao roaring in frustration on the deck.
"Have a nice walk home!" Aang yelled from the water. In the joy of a victory and the fact that Aang was safe, Darya laughed heartily. She swooped down and Aang grabbed her around the waist. They soared out of the way of Zhao's wrath and back to Appa and the others.
"Thanks for letting me do that on my own." Aang said as they landed gently on the riverbank next to Appa. Katara and Sokka were just finishing packing the saddle. Darya looked down at Aang and nodded, giving him a warm smile.
"You'll be a great Avatar, you know." She whispered to him, before running and leaping onto Appa's back.
They began to take off before Aang yelled and looked over the side of the saddle. "Where's Jeong Jeong?" He asked.
"He disappeared, they all did." Sokka replied as the four teens looked at the deserted village below.
They all took a deep sigh and relaxed into the saddle.
"I don't know about you guys, but this has been an exhausting week." Darya said, leaning back with her hands tucked under her head.
"A week?" Sokka laughed. "It's only been two days."
Darya just laughed and said a faint: "Oh!" Sokka shook his head at her and sat back in his own seat.
"Aang, you're burned." Katara said, making Darya look up.
"You are?" She asked, concerned. She hadn't seen him get hit, but it must have been while she was putting out the fire.
Katara opened her water bottle and bended a string of water out of it. The water gleamed and flashed in the sun as it wove around Katara's hands. Katara placed her hands on Aang's burned arm and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and a moment later her hands began to glow with the same blue spiritual energy. Katara held her hands there for only a few seconds before replacing the water. The all looked and saw that the angry red burn was gone.
"Wow! That's good water." Aang laughed, causing Darya to laugh too.
"When did you learn how to do that?" Sokka snapped.
"I guess I always knew." Katara shrugged.
"Oh, well then thanks for all the first aid over the years." Sokka grumbled, crossing his arms. "Like when I fell into the grease briar bramble and that time I had two fish hooks in my thumb!"
Darya was laughing at the images Sokka had just conjured. She was holding her stomach as she thought of him with two fish hooks in his thumb.
"Two?" She asked with tears in her eyes.
"He tried to get the first hook out with another hook." Katara giggled at the now red Sokka.
"Oh, and the time that big snake bit me! Thanks for healing that up. Really helpful." Sokka said sarcastically.
"Where'd it bite you?" Darya asked.
"His-" Katara started.
"Don't you dare tell her that!" Sokka roared, tackling a shrieking Katara as Aang and Darya laughed hysterically. They flew off into the horizon, their journey to the north pole continuing once more.