Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Chapter 26: The Sacred Fire

Sokka stared up at the large golden stoned castle that loomed over the village of Shu Jing, knees knocking with nerves. Zuko had told him of the intimidating and powerful, yet calm and tranquil personality that was Master Piandao, the famous swordsmaster and maker. He was told by the Prince that he needed to prove his worth to the Master, yet he felt he had no reason to be a worthy pupil to such a prestigious man. He was just a lowly peasant from the Southern Water Tribe, not truly a warrior.

Zuko took a step in front of him and lifted one of the knockers on the double door. There was a Fire Nation symbol embossed in the middle of a large flower that took over both doors. There was a knocker on each door, both shaped like the heads of a lion turtle with a ring dangling from each of their mouths. After a moment or two, the towering door opened and a large, or rather rotund, man answered, eyeing the two young men in front of him.

Zuko bowed to him in the typical Fire Nation fashion, left hand open and perpendicular to his chest and his right fist balled underneath it. Zuko elbowed Sokka in the ribs and he quickly mimicked the gesture, bowing to the man in front of them.

When Zuko straightened up and then crossed his arms behind his back, the man's eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed a few times before bowing back to him, lower than Sokka and Zuko had to him. When he stood upright, he stared at Zuko before smiling and stating, "Prince Zuko! It has been too long. You've grown up."

"It's good to see you, Fat," Zuko replied courteously. Sokka rose an eyebrow at the man's name, but decided to keep his sarcastic comments to himself. If he was to get in with the Master, he would have to be as polite as possible. With a grin to himself, he decided to channel his inner Zuko: stoic, stiff, and humorless.

"What brings you to see the Master, your Highness?"

Zuko lifted his right hand casually, keeping his left folded behind his back, "Please, no need for the formalities, Fat." He turned his body slightly and gestured towards Sokka, "This is my friend. We were passing through and he wishes to train with Master Piandao."

Fat looked at Sokka and appraised him momentarily before saying, "You should know The Master turns almost everyone away. What did you bring him to prove your worth?"

Sokka opened his mouth, but couldn't find an answer. He looked to Zuko, who was opening his eyes a little wider as if to say 'come on, figure it out.' Sokka grinned sheepishly to Fat and said, "Well, uh…"

Fat just shook his head and took a step to the side, gesturing for the two younger men to come inside, "Let's just get this over with."

The duo followed behind the butler as he led them through the front foyer of the home, turning to his right and taking them down another hallway and through an ornate archway into a large sitting room, where a man with tanned skin and black hair pulled into a top knot was kneeling in front of the window. Sokka presumed he was enjoying the scenery on the other side of the window, but he realized the man was writing some calligraphy on a piece of parchment.

Fat led them both into the room and Zuko immediately kneeled down onto the ground. Sokka followed his lead and quietly settled next to him.

"Master, you have guests," Fat said as he bowed to Piandao and proceeded to leave the room. Sokka felt his anxiety build as the man remained silent and continued to write out on his parchment. He looked through the corner of his eye and stared at Zuko, who was still as a statue.

After waiting for a few moments, the man put down his paint brush and stood. When he turned, his gray eyes rested on the two younger men in front of him. He smiled slightly under his well-groomed goatee and took a step towards them, keeping his left hand resting on the hilt of a sword on his side.

"Well, Prince Zuko, I expected you to get here sooner."

Zuko rose his good eyebrow at the man and tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "You were expecting me, Master Piandao?"

The swordsmaster nodded and then looked to Sokka, his expression changing to inquiring as he stated, "And who is this?"

Sokka cleared his throat and looked up at the man. "My name is Sokka."

"Sokka? That's an unusual name."

He saw Zuko practically groan out loud and roll his eyes for some reason, but he chose to ignore the Prince's gesture. "Yes I guess it is. But I wish to train with you."

Piandao raised an eyebrow at him and said a little sarcastically, "Let me guess. You've come hundreds of miles from your little village where you're the best swordsman in town. And you think you deserve to learn from the master."

Zuko snickered quietly and Sokka just frowned, but replied confidently, "Well, actually, I've been all over the world."

Knowingly, Piandao mumbled, "Yep, here we go."

Sokka tore his gaze from Piandao and then looked to Zuko. His friend was already looking at him with an encouraging expression. Sokka felt his confidence waver as he locked his blue eyes with the golden eyed prince. With a sigh, he looked back to Piandao and bowed his head, "And I know one thing for sure: I have a lot to learn."

Piandao crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at the young warrior. "You're not doing a very good job of selling yourself."

Sokka sighed but kept his eyes on the floor. "I know. Both Zuko and Fat told me that when I met you, I would have to prove my worth… But the truth is... I don't know if I am worthy."

He could feel Zuko's fierce gaze still on him as Piandao took another few steps forward, his shadow hovering over the bowing Water Tribesman. He then heard Piandao speak clearly as he towered above, "Well, then, let's find out together how worthy you are."

Sokka raised his head and stared at the grinning swordsman above him. For a moment, he lost his composure and jumped up ecstatically, punching his fist in the air and exclaiming jubilantly. But then, he looked at Piandao and Zuko, who both stared at him with wide eyes and surprise evident on their faces.

He quickly calmed himself and then bowed to Piandao, once again channeling his inner Zuko, "Thank you, Master Piandao."

Zuko stood as well and the older man turned to him and bowed slightly at the waist. "It's good to see you, young Prince. Though I am admittedly confused as of the circumstances of our reunion. Shall we have some tea before we train your friend?"

Both boys nodded and followed Piandao as he led them towards another hallway, then down a corridor decorated with multiple white lotuses on the walls and into a study with a large mahogany desk surrounded by shelves of scrolls lining the walls. The entire back wall was glass and overlooked a green and peaceful canyon with a large waterfall and rolling hills. Piandao motioned for the two younger men to sit as he rounded the desk and sat in his large chair on the opposite side of the teens.

Fat came into the room with a tray that held a large teapot, three cups and a bowl of sugar cubes. He swiftly rested it on the desk and poured the cups for the three men, asking them if they desired sugar as he went. After they were served and Fat left, Piandao took a sip of his tea and sat back in his chair.

"This blend was a gift from your Uncle Iroh," he stated before taking a second sip.

Zuko sipped from his cup and smiled, "He tends to have good taste when it comes to hot leaf juice."

Piandao chuckled slightly before grabbing a scroll from the left side of the desk and handing it to the Prince. "He requested I give this to you when you got here. When I received his letter, I was thoroughly confused but I tend to find that Iroh's methods are…"

"Cryptic?" Sokka supplied. The two other men turned to him and they both thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement before sipping their teas again. Zuko unrolled the scroll and scanned the contents before rolling it back up and nodding to the swords master.

"Thank you for the update," Zuko stated after sipping his tea again. "So tell me, Iroh knew we were going to be coming here?"

Piandao nodded and procured a Pai Sho tile from atop his desk, twirling it in his fingers, "The old man has his ways. He also mentioned your other travelling companions. Where are they, I might ask?"

Zuko looked to Sokka and then back to Piandao, but Sokka spoke up, "They're outside of town at our campsite. We are choosing to be less…" Sokka furrowed his brow as he thought of the right word to explain their decision.

"Conspicuous," Zuko supplied, much to the warrior's gratitude. The Prince turned back to his master and grinned, "I hope you understand that we are on a deadline and Sokka can't be fully trained like I was."

Piandao nodded and turned his head to Sokka. "Well then I guess we have no time to waste. Fat will lead you to the sparring grounds to get started."

Sokka nodded enthusiastically and rose from his seat, then bowed to Piandao before leaving swiftly. Zuko went to stand but Piandao rose his hand for him to stop. Hesitantly, Zuko lowered himself back into his seat and stared at his old master warily.

"So this Sokka," Piandao started, steepling his fingers as he began, "is he as good of a warrior as Iroh said him to be?"

Zuko nodded once and replied, "I've seen him fight. For someone with a lack of training, he is remarkable. I think you will find it interesting to train him, but he will catch on quickly. He is an intelligent young man."

Piandao smiled. "As are you, Prince Zuko. Now answer me this, for I have been curious to hear your side of this for a while… Do you regret your actions that led to your banishment?"

Zuko bristled and stared at the swordsman before slowly shaking his head, "I think what I did was right, whether my father…" he spat out the last word before taking a deep breath and continuing, "Whether my father thinks otherwise. My only regret is that I didn't fight back."

"If you had fought back, the scar on your face wouldn't be the worse disfigurement you would have suffered."

Zuko stared at Piandao for a long moment with blank eyes before tearing them away and looking into his empty cup of tea. With a sigh, he whispered, "I just think if I were to see him now, things would be different."

"Most likely so," the older man replied. "He does think you're dead, Prince Zuko. I think what you did in the past was the right decision, because now you are on a path that heads towards ending this war the right way. Don't let yourself think that what you did was wrong. Though I think Ozai's treatment of you was wrong, I think the way you handled yourself in the situation was right. Don't think that you lost your honor by refusing to fight. You had your honor solidified the moment you spoke up for your countrymen."

Zuko looked up and locked eyes with the man across the desk from him. The reassuring look in his eyes made the young Prince's own golden eyes brighten and he nodded once with a small smile.

"Now go suit up," Piandao waved him off. "Fat is getting old and I'm sure Sokka would like to spar with his friend."

"Yes, sir," Zuko said as he stood and bowed. But before he left the room, he turned back to his master and asked, "Would it be too much trouble if we forge another pair of dual Dao's for me? My original pair was… Lost in my journeys and the set I have now doesn't feel…"

"Like it should?"

Zuko smiled sadly and shook his head. "No. It doesn't feel like an extension of myself."

After their first day of training with Master Piandao, Zuko and Sokka made their way back to their campsite, both exhausted from their day of training with the master. Sokka was more worn out than Zuko, seeing as he had never trained under a master before. Zuko had broken a sweat, but he felt like he honestly could have done more if he had so chosen.

When they reached the crest of the hill overlooking their campsite, they saw Katara, Aang, and Toph all laying on the ground and staring up at the darkening sky. Toph sat up quickly and exclaimed something to the other two, who both sat up and spotted the approaching boys. All three of them scrambled up and raced towards the two older boys at the top of the hill. They looked to each other in panic as their friends bounded to them and didn't have any time to react before they were bombarded in a group hug.

"We missed you!"

"How was training?"

"We weren't gone that long-"

"You guys smell-"

"Someone in town said there's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight-"

"Can you guys give us men some room to breathe-"

"It's so boring without you guys here-"

"We missed you!"

Both teens decided to give into the mob and let themselves be squeezed enthusiastically without objection. They waited for their friends to calm down before breaking away and let themselves be led back to their camp. Katara gripped both of their hands as they strolled down the hill.

"So are we going to leave tomorrow?" Aang asked as they all settled down next to the fire.

Sokka shook his head and replied, "No, I still have some training to do."

"You guys are going to go back?" Katara asked, sounding slightly disappointed as she turned to Zuko and pinned her crystal doe eyes on him. He nodded in response and smiled at her apologetically.

"Sokka still has some forms to master, plus Piandao will want him to make a sword before he goes."

"Did you make your own, Zuko?" Aang asked, walking alongside him and looking up at the much taller teen.

"I had the first time I trained with the master," Zuko replied, gripping his hand on the sheathed blades on his hip. "But these aren't the ones I made. Those were on my ship before I met you guys."

"Oh yeah," Katara added, leaning over Zuko to look at Aang on his left. "Those are the ones he got while Sokka and I were sick."

Zuko and Aang looked at each other and snickered. Months after the incident in Taku, the pair never told the siblings about when Aang had gotten captured by Zhao or how Zuko broke into the Pohuai Stronghold single-handedly and freed the young Avatar. Katara had seen the mask Zuko had worn when he rescued their friend, but had never questioned its origins. For that, Zuko was thankful.

The Prince just nodded at Katara and stated, "They're nice, but I've spoken to Piandao about letting me create a new set when Sokka makes his. But for now, we both need some food and rest. We have a lot to do tomorrow."

"Are you guys going to stay up for the meteor shower?" Aang asked as he looked hopefully between Zuko and Sokka.

"What meteor shower?" Sokka inquired.

As the group ate their dinner, Aang filled Sokka and Zuko in about the meteor shower that was due to arrive that night. They both agreed to watch it, even though they both desired some well-deserved rest. After their dinner was finished and the eldest of the group washed up in the nearby river, the five teens settled on an outcropping of rocks and relaxed as the sun finished setting over the horizon. Toph sat on the far left, Aang to her right. Zuko was in the middle in between Aang and Katara, who had Sokka on her right. As the sky turned dark and the stars began to freckle the navy expanse above them, a streak of blue dashed along the horizon.

Katara elbowed Zuko and Sokka in their ribs and pointed upward, showing them the beginning of the meteor shower. More streaks of light began to light up the night sky and illuminate the peaceful landscape.

"Wow, this is amazing to watch," Katara murmured as she remained hypnotized by the magnificent sight.

"Kind of makes you realize how insignificant we are," Sokka replied in the same awed tone.

Casually, Toph shrugged her shoulders and stated, "Eh, you've seen nothing once, you've seen it a thousand times."

Zuko snorted at her response and tried to stifle a laugh. He saw Katara scowl at him out of the corner of his eye but he chose to ignore her scathing look. He just smirked and kept his gaze on the show above them, focusing on the soaring lights. Suddenly, one of the lights began to come closer to them. Zuko and Aang both sat up and noticed the rock was flaming. One of the meteorites was heading right towards them. Sokka and Katara both then sat up as Zuko and Aang stood.

"Oh man," Sokka stood as well and reached down to grab Toph's arm and pull her to her feet. "You've never not seen anything like this."

The meteor flew past, soaring over their heads and crashing nearby. They all turned and watched as the meteor bombarded the ground, creating a huge crater and setting fire to the surrounding area. The teens all looked to each other and silently agreed to take action. They all ran towards Appa and scrambled onto his saddleless back, Aang at his head. They flew into the sky and towards the crash site and watched as the fires from the meteor slowly crept downhill towards Shu Jing.

"The fire is going to destroy the town!" Katara shouted.

Aang steered Appa down and called back, "Not if we can stop it!"

As Appa landed on the ground, everyone but Katara jumped off. She took Aang's place on the bison's head and grabbed the reins. "There's a creek over here. I'll bend the water onto the fire."

Aang turned to the group and began to go into 'Avatar Mode', ordering the others around. "Toph, let's make a trench to stop the fire from coming any closer. Zuko, head to the front of the fire and try to keep it from spreading."

Zuko nodded and sprinted to the moving front of the wildfire, but not before hearing Sokka whine out, "What should I do?"

As Toph and Aang began creating a trench, Zuko reached the head of the wall of flames. He started using his firebending to steer the blaze away, keeping it contained and trying to smother it. He took deep breaths and remembered what Iroh had taught him about snuffing fires. He focused his energy on the flames, but they were just too strong. He barely noticed Katara fly overhead with a huge supply of water and attempt to kill the fire with it. He didn't even see Toph and Aang come and create a trench in front of him. His mind and weak body were too focused on containing the flames.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko saw Aang begin to use both the water and airbending. But before the airbender could really make an impact on the destructive fire, it leapt over the trench and began creeping towards the group. The flames were too high for Zuko to see anything anymore. He was so focused on trying to steer the blaze away that he didn't notice when it surrounded him completely. Panicking, he began pushing the fire away from himself, not caring anymore about containing. He just needed to get out and smother the flames.

Smoke began to fill his lungs and he started coughing violently against the unwelcome smog. He didn't even hear the voices yelling for him over the roaring flames. His fear of being burned alive began to sweep over him and he started panicking even more. He knew having a sound mind would be the only way he could successfully get out of this predicament, though that was a far off possibility.

"ZUKO!"

Her voice pierced the flames and it was all he needed. With a deep breath, Zuko closed his eyes and focused. He felt the flames around him and reached inward, drawing all of his strength and focus into putting out the fire. Like when he meditated, he focused on grabbing the flames and expanding and contracting them with his breaths. He felt his mind grasp all of the fire around him and take hold.

Zuko's breathing slowed and he felt the blaze pulsate with the deep and steady breaths. He centered his mind on killing the inferno, snuffing it out at its source. He felt the strength of the fire within his blood as he took control and strangled the growing threat. He could feel his friends battling the outer flames, attempting to contain it with their bending. He could feel the fire recede slowly as his breathing remained completely calm. Like in a meditative state, he felt his mind and body connect with the fire and become one.

On a whim, Zuko opened his eyes and was awed with the sight around him. The flames were all dying out, but instead of the red and orange tendrils that had surrounded him before, they were white and blue. Their brilliant colors filled his eyes as he continued to breathe and focus on dowsing the fire. Slowly, the amount of fire he was controlling dwindled down and began to die. His eyes opened even wider as the silhouettes of his stunned friends began to come into focus as he officially killed all of the flames around him. Other than a few random patches of grass that were still slightly on fire, the majority of the inferno had been extinguished.

All eyes were on him, even the empty glass ones of Toph, as he steadied his heavy breathing. For a moment, everything stood still. The meteor shower was over and in the darkness of the night, nothing but the moon and the stars and the small patches of dwindling fire illuminated the faces of his friends. They all were slack-jawed and silent as they stared. Zuko would have said something, but his body didn't respond to any of his brain's demands. His limbs felt heavy and his head felt like lead.

He saw Sokka move his mouth, but he didn't hear what the warrior had said. Instead, his vision began to go black as his knees gave out and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"ZUKO!" Katara shouted over the sound of the raging fire. She had watched as the flames practically swallowed him whole and as her friends desperately tried to stop the blaze from reaching the town. Aang was relentlessly earthbending with Toph, creating deeper and wider trenches that the fire couldn't skip over. He was attempting firebending as well, but his lack of training compared to his other elements was causing him to lack in controlling the flames. Katara was dowsing the flames with as much water as she could get from the surrounding creeks and the river, but nothing was working on stopping the beastly wall of fire heading towards them.

"Aang! We can't stop it! It's too strong!" Toph shouted over the roaring flames. Katara knew that if she had used Aang's real name and not one of her nicknames, this was serious business. Sokka had already ran towards the town to warn the villagers of the hazard, but even with his quick feet and powers of persuasion, Shu Jing would probably burn in just under an hour.

"I know!" Aang shouted back. "I don't know what we can do! We need a miracle if we want to stop this!"

Just as Aang had spoken, Katara noticed a change in the blaze. It was no longer creeping downhill towards the town. Instead it began to expand higher into the sky and then contract, like it was breathing. The flames were receding and shrinking in on themselves, becoming smaller with every 'breath'. As the fire became more concentrated and centralized, their colors slowly changed from red and orange to blue and then a blinding white. As soon as Katara saw it turn white, she knew what was going on.

Zuko was controlling the fire.

She had seen him bend white fire once, in a moment of pure agony. And he had just bent blue fire while they were in Makapu. She knew he was capable of such rare forms of firebending, and now she was witnessing him control an enormous inferno like he controlled the flames on a candle during his meditation sessions.

"What the hell is going on with the fire?!" Sokka shouted. Katara didn't notice him come back, perhaps he had seen the flames change and had returned to see what was going on. "Where's Zuko?!"

She just now noticed that they all were just standing and staring at the shrinking fire with wide eyes and gaping jaws. Katara noticed Aang lift his arm and point towards the center of the blaze, where the silhouette of Zuko was emerging from the white flames. He was standing still, arms extended out to his sides and his eyes wide open. His focus was entirely on the fire surrounding him, extinguishing the shrinking fire with just his bending.

The last of the flames died, leaving just small patches of burning grass around them, as Zuko finally broke out of his meditative state. He focused his eyes on them for a moment and stared at his awe-struck friends before Sokka spoke up.

"Zuko… That was… AMAZING!"

Katara's heart swelled at the thought of Zuko's bending prowess. He just single-handedly put out the fire threatening to ruin Shu Jing. Even in his weakened state, Zuko was incredibly gifted and strong when it came to his bending, whether he thought so or not. Katara was about to step forward to congratulate the Prince, but her feet froze as she watched Zuko's golden eyes roll to the back of his head and his body collapse onto the charred ground beneath his feet.

The four teens all sprinted to his side as fast as they could, Aang getting there fastest with the aid of his airbending. Katara watched as he knelt next to Zuko and pressed two fingers to the underside of his jaw. Aang sighed and relaxed, then withdrew his hand and looked up to the other three just as they skidded to a halt.

"His pulse is fine," Aang supplied. "I think he just pushed himself to exhaustion."

"Most likely," Katara agreed as she knelt to Zuko's left. "We should get him back to camp so he can rest. Sokka, help me and Aang carry him back."

"Alright." Sokka knelt down at Zuko's feet and gripped them between his arms as Katara and Aang both wrapped one of Zuko's arms around their shoulders. With Sokka in the lead, they all silently walked to Appa and lifted him onto the bison's back. In the same amount of silence, they flew back to their camp.

After Zuko was placed into his sleeping bag, Katara began running some water over his heated skin. There were some small burns and cuts along his forearms, and he was going to need to get some new clothes seeing that the majority of his two shirts, robe and parts of his pants were singed away. As she cloaked his right forearm with the water, she couldn't help but overhear the hushed conversation outside the tent.

"Did you see the fire?" Sokka stage whispered.

"Obviously, not," Toph replied dryly.

"It was incredible," Aang stated. "I've never seen anything so amazing."

"What was so amazing about it?"

"I don't know… It was just… I've never seen white fire being bent before. I've seen Azula do the blue fire, but never white."

"Is that good?"

"White is the hottest fire, Toph."

"And Zuko himself said it was almost impossible to bend," Sokka added. "Whatever he did, it was amazing. I can't believe I got to witness something like that in my lifetime."

A few seconds of silence followed Sokka's statement, but Toph spoke up in a quiet tone, "When he was in there and you guys all stopped trying to put out the fire, I could feel his heartbeat. It was so steady and slow that it kind of scared me. At first, I thought he was dying or something. And the thing was, it was even slower than it gets when you guys meditate. It even seemed like his feet were barely touching the ground. Whatever it was, it wasn't normal."

Silence ensued around the campsite and Katara knew the conversation was over once the shuffling of Sokka and Toph going to their tents echoed towards her. As she withdrew the water from Zuko's unconscious body, Katara leaned back and took a deep breath. Healing him always took a lot out of her and even though these were just small burns, their fighting of the inferno earlier had already worn her out.

"Hey, Katara?"

She turned around and was shocked to see Aang's head poking through the flap of Zuko's tent. Katara knew he was light on his feet, but she was completely surprised by his sudden appearance. She had been too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice his arrival.

"What's up, Aang?"

"Is he going to be okay?"

Katara chuckled a little and nodded, "Yes, he will. Just some small burns, that's all."

"I meant with the whole collapsing thing…"

Katara sighed and then shrugged her shoulders. "I think he just pushed himself too hard, like you thought. It happens to the best of us sometimes. He did have a long day with Master Piandao and then combined with that little show of his, he was bound to be on the brink of exhaustion."

"Alright, if you say so," Aang replied, unconvinced.

"Go get some rest, Aang," she smiled reassuringly to him. "We're going to be training hard tomorrow, you and me."

Aang smiled weakly back and retreated out of the tent after bidding her good night.

Zuko has experienced headaches before, so many in the past six months that he has lost count. But none of them compared to the one he was suffering through at that moment. It wasn't the fact that it was like a constant pressure on his head, it was throbbing behind his eyes with such force that he swore he could see his pulse through his own eyelids.

With a groan, he rolled over and pressed his eyes with the heels of his hands in an attempt to subside the pulsing ache behind them.

"Zuko?"

"Ungh…"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard her sweet voice again, "Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" he groaned as he pressed his hands harder into his eyes. Not like it was making his headache lessen or anything. He groaned again when Katara pulled on his wrists and easily removed them from his face. Something pressed against his lips and he felt the coolness of water begin to go into his mouth.

"Drink this," she said as she tipped the cup higher. Zuko swatted her hand away and poured the water more quickly into his mouth, some of the liquid spilling out of the corners of his mouth and down his neck. After he swallowed and took a heaving breath of air, he laid back down onto his sleeping mat and opened his eyes. Katara was looking pointedly down at him with her arms crossed and a disapproving look on her face.

"What?"

"You pushed yourself too hard."

Zuko groaned and closed his eyes again, then laid his arm across them as if to ward off his headache. "It's fine. I stopped the fire, didn't I?"

"Yes, but that's not the point. The point is-"

"Katara, I'm fine. I just got a little lightheaded that's all," he reassured her. But he could tell she was about to retort by the frustrated tone in her voice.

"Lightheaded? That's it?!" she scowled as she practically shouted. Zuko removed his arm and looked at her. He just now noticed it was still dark in his tent, so not much time had passed since the fire. "You're already weak enough as it is. And then you collapsed and blacked out after stopping an inferno! Sokka, Aang, and I had to carry you back to camp because you were out cold. for crying out loud! How can you say that's okay?!"

"Katara, it's not like this hasn't happened before," Zuko supplied as he sat up and took her shaking hand out of her lap. "Remember the last time I bent white fire?"

"Yeah, after you remembered how you…"

Zuko waved his free hand and sighed, "Yes, after I remembered how I got my scar. The point is, you shouldn't have been surprised, nor should have been worried. This fire was a much larger caliber than the one I bent at that creek. Perhaps you should have seen it coming."

Katara tore her hand away from his and pouted at him. "Don't blame this on me! I can't help when I worry!"

Zuko chuckled and leaned forward, ignoring his lessening headache and her glare at him as he nuzzled her jaw with the tip of his nose, "You're so beautiful when you worry. But you're going to get wrinkles if you keep pouting like that."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

Katara turned her head towards him and her frown slackened somewhat, but she just shook her head and went to stand, brushing out the wrinkles in her skirt as she did. "You need to get some rest. You and Sokka have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. And then we're leaving once Piandao lets you go."

It was Zuko's turn to pout as she leaned down and kissed his forehead softly. She then straightened up and headed to the entrance of the tent, turning towards him before she opened the flap and said, "You're going to get wrinkles if you keep pouting like that."

A small chuckle left Zuko's lips as she exited the tent and walked out into the darkness of the night. With a sigh, he laid back down on his sleeping mat and smiled to himself momentarily before finding himself drifting off into a deep sleep.

"Prince Zuko, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Zuko withdrew the strike with his wooden sword and turned to see Master Piandao standing on the topmost step leading towards his house, a towel in his right hand and his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Zuko nodded once and then respectfully bowed to Sokka, his sparring partner at that moment, and walked at a hastened pace towards his master. Fat took his place in the sparring ring as Zuko took off his protective helmet and set it down next to his practice sword on the base of the stairs.

Piandao tossed Zuko the towel as he took two stairs at a time and motioned for the Prince to follow him inside. As he wiped his face, arms, and neck dry of the build-up of sweat, Zuko was led into a small sitting room with several white, navy, maroon, and black pillows scattered around the immediate area. Piandao motioned towards one of the pillows before turning and gazing out the ornate window that overlooked the sparring arena. Zuko sat quietly, waiting for his master to speak first.

"You all did an admirable job with that meteor crash last night," the swordsman finally said as he turned and faced the Prince.

Zuko shrank in on himself and felt his cheeks warm at the compliment from his master. He knew Piandao enough to know that the elder man didn't dish out compliments often and if one was to receive one from him, they were either about to witness his true cunning nature as a skilled swordsman or just get an insult immediately after. Zuko was hoping for the latter.

"Thank you, sir."

"And that was some impressive firebending you did out there. You have improved immensely in your skills. I would have to say you're on the verge of becoming a master yourself, Zuko."

He lifted his head and locked eyes with his master. The man had never used his name without his title. Not even after his year stay at the castle.

"Sir?"

Piandao turned to his left and headed towards a small shelf against the wall to Zuko's left that held multiple scrolls and tomes, all neatly resting in the multiple small levels. As he waltzed slowly, he asked, "What do you know of the white fire, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko cleared his throat as he watched Piandao pick up a single scroll and read its label before putting it back. "I know it's a legend. Said to be one of the colors only dragons could bend."

"Mhm, and?" Piandao replied as he picked up another scroll.

Zuko thought for a moment, furrowing his brow in contemplation as he raked his mind with the answer. His teachings from his private tutor never covered ancient Fire Nation lore, let alone something that was said to never be able to be done by mortal benders. "Uh… It's said to be the fire Agni himself could produce. No person, mortal or immortal, but him could do it."

Piandao nodded as he opened one of his larger tomes and fingered through the pages. "And what was said about a mortal who could bend it?"

Zuko sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry sir but I'm not as well rehearsed on the ancient myths. And, with my-"

"Memory loss it could deem difficult to remember such trivial things," Piandao completed as he stopped on a page in his tome and read over the contents before looking up, his gray eyes locking on Zuko's gold. "Though you seem to remember me well enough."

Zuko's shoulders slumped and he lowered his gaze from his master's. "I do but I don't. Everything seems like something I read in a book or heard from someone else, not something I experienced on my own. Is that normal?"

"I don't know, young Prince. But I want you to think long and hard about what I asked you concerning a mortal bending white fire."

The firebender's eyes lifted once more and he stared down his swords master with confused eyes. Piandao closed the book in his hands and passed it over to Zuko, who reluctantly accepted it and laid it across his lap, fingers curling around the edge as he watched his master turn his gaze back to the courtyard outside.

"I saw you control that inferno, Zuko," Piandao started. "I saw it go from orange to blue to white. I am well aware of your sister's ability to bend blue flames, so I wasn't surprised to see the blue fire coming from you, as well. But when it turned white, it peaked my interest. Have you ever bent white fire before?"

"Once… But it was a while ago and I was sort of in a lot of emotional… Uh, turmoil…"

"'Sort of in a lot of emotional turmoil'? Prince Zuko, do tell me what caused this."

Zuko took a deep breath and replied, "My friend, and Sokka's sister, Katara used her waterbending on my head injury to help relieve some of the damage and see if it would trigger any of my memories. Well, it triggered my defining moment, sir."

"The Agni Kai."

Zuko nodded, not caring if Piandao could see that or not. "I ran away from our campsite and… had a breakdown of sorts."

"What did you feel, if I may ask?"

"I was angry… Because I saw my father, but with my scar, in my reflection in the creek. I see him every time I look in the mirror."

Piandao turned and faced Zuko once more with a warm smile on his face, slightly shaking his head at the Prince's remark. Zuko was puzzled at Piandao's reaction and just stared at the man incredulously until the elder spoke up, "You are not your father. You are nothing like him. You may have his blood in your veins and, admittedly, you look exactly like he did at your age, but you are not Ozai. You are Zuko. Completely different from the man who sired you. Do you know why I trained you with the dual Dao's as a young adolescent?"

Zuko shook his head and Piandao smiled and supplied, "You will always have good and evil warring inside of you, due to your heritages. It is your nature, your legacy. And, if I may be so bold, it is evident with the scar on your face." Zuko scowled at that comment, but Piandao continued, "You are two halves of a single whole, just like the dual Dao swords you wield. I knew from the day that I began training you that you would always have the inner battle of right and wrong."

Zuko just stared at Piandao before dropping his gaze to the book in his hands. The swordsmaster noticed where his eyes rested and stated, "I want you to do some research with that book. I think it will help with your search of what really is lying within your destiny and the prophecy surrounding it." Zuko looked up and Piandao smiled once more before motioning the Prince to stand and follow him outside. "Come, we have to tell Sokka it's time to make his sword."

Sokka and Zuko were both examining the numerous materials laid out on the table in front of them, lifting the bricks of steel to feel their weight. Zuko was carefully comparing two different bricks with a disappointed look on his face. Sokka, the same. Both young men were thoroughly unimpressed with the bricks of steel in front of them, not feeling a special connection to the various metals on the table.

Sokka began stroking his chin after he set down a brick he had, oddly enough, bitten to test its quality. Suddenly, an idea came to the young warrior and he turned to Zuko with a wide grin on his face. The Prince just looked at him like he was crazy, as the warrior stared at him wild eyes and with all of his teeth showing.

"Uhh… Sokka, what's up?"

Sokka's smile just widened and he turned to Piandao, who had been watching over them near the end of the table. "Master, would it be possible for us to leave and bring back a special material for our swords?"

Zuko just raised his eyebrow at his friend, truly perplexed on what brought this on. Piandao just smiled and replied, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Alright great!" Sokka exclaimed. "Zuko, let's go!" He grabbed Zuko's wrist and tugged him out of the room and through the castle. The Prince was led to the front doors and Sokka finally let go once they were outside and, by Zuko's assumptions, on their way to the campsite.

"Sokka, what are we doing?"

"Just trust me."

After a few moments of silence, Zuko couldn't take it. "Seriously, why are we going back to camp if we need materials for swords? I don't recall either of us lugging around bricks of steel in our packs."

Sokka just shushed him again as they reached the crest of the hill overlooking their camp. Instead of walking down, he shouted to their friends, "Guys! We need your help!"

Aang airbended himself to the two older boys and grinned up at them lopsidedly and replied, "What do you need our help with, Sokka?"

Sokka turned and peered over the crest of the hill and pointed at the crater created by the meteor the prior night. "That."

All eyes turned to the crater, where inside there laid a giant space rock. Understanding swept over Zuko and he mentally slapped his forehead for not thinking of it first. Grumbling under his breath, he led Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Toph towards the crater, the last complaining about not knowing where they were taking her.

Piandao stared at the teenagers in front of the gate to his castle and the rock in between them. His eyes scanned over them, stopping at each individual and evaluating them before moving onto the next. When his eyes landed on Aang, he bowed his head slightly and a tiny smile tweaked at the corners of his lips. He finally turned to Sokka, who still had a goofy grin on his face.

"Do you think we can make our swords out of a meteorite?" Sokka asked, eyes wide and his smile even wider.

Piandao laid a hand on the meteorite and examined it, the corners of his lips turning up even more as he turned his head to Sokka and replied, "We'll make swords unlike any other in the world."

The five teens were ushered into the castle, Toph in the rear and earthbending the rock inside. Since Sokka and Zuko informed the group of Piandao's connection with the Order of The White Lotus and his general acceptance of their presence in the area, the teens were less reluctant on using their bending around the older man.

Once the rock was in the welding room, Sokka and Zuko went to work. They chiseled the meteor, breaking off pieces to be melted for their swords. Both young men were shirtless as they hammered at the meteor and placed the pieces in a bucket to be put into the hearth in the center of the room, sweat pouring off their bodies and dripping down their noses and arms. Once both had a suitable amount of rock broken off for their respective swords, Fat helped them carry the buckets with tongs and place them in the forge. For hours, the two switched off on duty of stroking the fires and checking on the status of the metal.

Neither of them noticed when someone was watching them. At one point it had been Piandao, carefully observing the two as Zuko helped instruct Sokka on how to properly keep the fire at a constant temperature, or when Sokka would relieve Zuko when he was about to pass out next to the forge. At another, it was Katara. She watched as Zuko constantly tended to the fire and Sokka hugged his knees to his chest as he slept upright.

Once the metal was properly melted for both aspiring swordsmen, Piandao and Fat both came in and assisted the younger men in the forging of their blades. Since Zuko already had experience in making his Dao swords before, Fat went to him and helped the Prince pour the metal into the molds for his swords. Piandao went to Sokka and assisted him as the warrior carried the bucket of molten metal with a pair of tongs and poured it carefully into his own mold.

Once the blades had cooled a considerable amount, the sounds of hammers hitting red hot metal echoed through the workshop. Both Zuko, Piandao and Fat were hammering away at the three blades being forged in that room: Zuko and Fat working on the dual Dao's and Piandao working on Sokka's jian blade.

A hissing sound replaced the banging of the hammers when the blades were thrusted into pools of water to cool the metal and set it in the proper shape. After the process was repeated several times, both Sokka and Zuko were finished with their swords.

As the fire in the hearth died down and the two swordsmen followed the elder men upstairs and to the sitting room where Piandao had first accepted Sokka as his student. Fat instructed Sokka to kneel in front of Piandao and Zuko next to him. The butler held both of their swords in his arms and waited to the side, holding them out for Piandao as the master stood in front of Sokka first.

"Sokka," Piandao began, "when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in you right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lion turtle, and twice as big. And as we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me. No, it certainly wasn't your skills." Sokka looked down in shame, but Piandao continued. "You showed something beyond that."

Fat stepped forward, handing Piandao Sokka's scabbard. The swordsmaster unsheathed the sword, showing its black blade. He held the sword out to the side and continued, "Creativity, versatility, intelligence… these are the traits that define a great swordsman. And these are the traits that define you." He placed the sword back into its sheath and kneeled in front of Sokka, handing the blade over to the warrior. "You told me you didn't know if you were worthy, but I believe that you are more worthy than any man I have ever trained."

Sokka smiled widely as he accepted the sword from his master and bowed his head in respect. Piandao then stood and walked over to stand right in front of Zuko. The Prince kept his eyes down as the shadow of his master loomed over him.

"Prince Zuko," he started. The man in question looked up and locked eyes with the Master. "From the time we first spent together and master and student, your skills have greatly grown. You have become a Master swordsman in your own right, using skills of your own creation and intelligent tactics and forms that accommodate for your handicap in your left eye. Though your injury would be considered a hindrance in the art of sword fighting, you have become one to not let that be used as a disadvantage. And like your swords," Piandao drew the Dao blades from their black and gold scabbard, revealing the black metal glinting in the setting sunlight. He separated the blades and held them out to the sides. He then brought the blades together in front of his face and looked through the small gap between them down to Zuko, "you have two sides. You are versatile, yet stubborn. Compassionate, yet unrelenting. You have the blood of the Dragon Throne, and the blood of an Avatar. You are two halves of one whole, yin and yang in your own right. Just like your swords."

With a show of skill, Piandao artfully resheathed the swords and knelt down in front of Zuko, holding out the sheath in front of him. Zuko carefully accepted the blades and bowed his head in respect to his master. Piandao then stood and looked down at his students with a proud smile. "I have never taught students of such skill as you two," he looked over his shoulder and said, "No offense, Fat."

"None taken, Master."

The three teens behind the two kneeling swordsmen snickered, but Piandao proceeded to speak. "Customarily, I have my students spar with me or, in your case, each other. But I am aware of the time crunch you all are in and I wouldn't want to hold you all up from your mission. I do have one request, though."

Sokka and Zuko looked to each other questionably before turning back to their master, who smiled and then looked to the teens behind them. "Continue your training. All of you. I expect to see improvement in your skills by the time of our next meeting, whenever that may be."

"Yes, Master Piandao," Sokka and Zuko stated together as they both bowed their heads in respect. Piandao motioned for them both to stand and gestured for Fat to come over. In the butler's hands were two small pouches, one obviously heavier than the other.

"Here is some money for your journeys," Piandao said as he handed the first pouch to Zuko, who was about to protest. Instead, Piando just held up his hand to silence him and then handed Sokka the second pouch. "Don't open that until you leave. I believe you will understand the meaning of it when you do. Now, I think it would be best if you all went on your ways."

The five teens all bowed in respect to the old Master and followed Fat out of the castle. They bid the butler goodbye and began heading back to their campsite when Sokka dug into the small pouch he was given. Inside were two White Lotus Pai Sho tiles.

"Pai Sho tiles?" Sokka sounded genuinely disappointed. "That's it?"

Zuko rolled his eyes and snatched one of the tiles from his friend's hand and ran his thumb over the design before tucking it into his pocket. "I believe those will become important in the future. Don't lose it."

"Fine," Sokka grumbled. "If you know so much about them, why didn't Piandao give you that pouch and me the money?"

"Because he probably didn't trust you with it," Toph remarked sarcastically. Sokka just grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms angrily before a sudden thought crossed his mind and he dug into his pocket, pulling out a small piece of the meteor.

"Toph, I thought you might like this since you've probably never had a chance to bend space earth before."

Toph took the rock and exclaimed, "Sweet! Check this out!"

She began to bend the rock into different shapes as Katara took a few large steps to catch up with Zuko and weaved her arm around his, earning a genuine smile and a wink from the Prince. She looked around him and spoke to her brother, "You know, I don't think there's such a thing as 'space earth'. If it's from space, then it's not really 'earth'."

Zuko chuckled under his breath and Sokka grumbling under his breath, "Must you ruin everything ?"

As they continued over the hills heading towards their campsite, Zuko leaned down to Katara and whispered to her in her ear, "I can't believe you missed us."

A/N This chapter was revised on December 19, 2013.