Kidah's POV

"For trying to take our Sun Stone, you must be severely punished!" The chief proclaims in front of his people. Aang, Zuko and I sit on the steps of the temple in front of them.

"Isn't this just great…" I murmur.

Zuko speaks up defensively, "We didn't come here to take your Sun Stone. We came here to find the ancient origin of all firebending."

A man beside the Chief steps forward, "Yeah, right. They are obviously thieves, here to steal Sun Warrior treasures." He holds the Sun stone tightly in his arms.

Aang stands, "Please, I don't normally play this card, but…" he squares his shoulder in confidence and places a hand on his chest, "I'm the Avatar."

The man turns to the Chief, puzzled. Aang turns and gives us a weak smile. He steps closer to the Sun people, "Just hear us out."

Zuko sighs beside me and stands as well, "My name is Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Or at least… I used to be. I know my people have distorted the ways of firebending, to be fueled by anger and rage. But now, I want to learn the true way, the original way." Remorse fills his voice.

I go to stand beside him. He continues, "When we came here, I never imagined the Sun Warrior civilization was secretly alive. I am truly humbled to be in your presence. Please, teach us." We all bow deeply in respect.

The Chief points to me, "and who are you? Another firebender?"

I look around to see who he's talking to, "Who? Me?" I touch the tip of my nose. He nods cynically. "Oh, I'm Princess Kidah of the Northern Water Tribe, Master Waterbender and Healer." I feel my cheeks burn and I bow again. "I apologize for the intrusion."

He strokes his chin, "interesting…" He looks to Aang and Zuko, "If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn them from the masters Ran and Shao."

Aang brightens, "Ran and Shao? There are two of them?"

"When you present yourselves to them, they will examine you." The Sun Warrior Chief steps toward Aang, "They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry." He steps toward Zuko, "If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot."

I take Zuko and Aang's hands in mine, and they turn to me. Their faces are full of worry. "You'll be fine… You are both worthy." I give Zuko's hand a small squeeze and he smiles weakly at me.

Zuko inhales deeply, "Alright."

The Sun Warrior people lead up to a pyramid-type building with a dome at the top. A large fire burns in the middle, and the warriors gather in semi-circles around us. Their leader gestures toward the dancing light before him. "If you're going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the eternal flame. This fire is the very first one. It was given to Man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."

Zuko leans forward towards the flames, bewildered. "I don't believe it."

The Chief continues, "You will each take a piece of it to the masters, to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending."

Aang steps back nervously, "Um, Mister Sun Chief, sir? Yeah... I'm not a firebender yet. Couldn't my friend here carry my fire for me?"

"No," he answers sternly. "Your waterbender must stay here, as well."

Zuko steps forward, "She comes with us."

"She cannot carry the offering. The masters may kill her." Zuko looks at me uneasily.

I take his hand, knowing that Aang will see what is happening between us. "This isn't you leaving me, this is you taking a study break for a little while." I smile, hoping to ease his anxiety. "Just come back to me." He sighs and nods. Looking to Aang, I can see the questions bubbling beneath his concern of the current mission.

The Chief interrupts our silent conversation by pulling fire towards his palms. "This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy." He splits the fire in two. "You must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big, and you might lose control." Zuko takes the offering and cradles the flame in his hands. He looks at Aang.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes. "I'm just a little nervous." Aang takes it into his hands. The fire grows slightly and he looks relieved and in awe. "It's like a little heartbeat."

"Fire is life, not just destruction." The Chief smiles at the Avatar. "You will take your flames up there." He points to a rocky mountain nearby and the boys turn their heads following his arm. "The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."

I place my hand on Aang's shoulder, and his face turns to me full of determination. Zuko meets my gaze as well. I hope my eyes discerned my love for him. The corner of his mouth raises into the smallest smile. They turn to start their journey, leaving me behind in the dome.

A young woman about my age comes up to me. Her golden tunic sparkled with tiny gems around the neck. "So, you're a waterbender?" She asks.

I bow my head slightly, "Yes… My name is Kidah."

She grabs my forearm and holds it tightly, "Atzi." We smile at one another. "I've never fought water before, want to spare?"

Excitement rages within me, "if you think you can keep up." Her smile says it all. This is going to be fun…

Zuko's POV

I had just reached the top of the incline, when I noticed Aang was yards behind me. "Hurry up," I yell to him.

"I can't. If I walk too fast, my flame will go out." He looks down at his tiny fire.

I sigh and walk down to him, "Your flame's gonna go out because it's too small. You're too timid. Give it more juice."

He looks at me worriedly, "But, what if I can't control it?"

I forget how young he is sometimes… "You can do it." I assure him. "I know you can. You're a talented kid." He smiles and nods, ready to trek further.

The sun begins to set as we reach out destination. The warriors are already here and are poised in an alternating standing and sitting position. A staircase leads to a bridge before us with a cave on either side.

The Sun Chief approaches us, "Facing the judgment of the firebending masters will be very dangerous for you." He looks at me directly, "Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearances. The masters might not be so happy to see you."

The man from before puts a hand on his hip, "I know I wouldn't be."

Aang interrupts, "But, once they find out I'm the Avatar…"

The Chief looks at him with surprise, "Have you forgotten that you vanished allowing the Fire

Nation to wreak havoc on the world? The decline of the dragons is your burden too."

He drives his staff into the ground and Sun warriors get into position at either side. Grabbing a section of Aang and my flames, he places it in the Sun Warriors' palms. They move away and the Chief removes his staff. The warriors who received flames, bend it around in a circle a few times before the next warrior who is standing bends a small part of the flame towards them and repeats the process.

Aang turns to me nervously, "We could turn back now. We've already learned more about fire than we hoped." He holds up his flame to me with hope.

"No, we're seeing this through to the end. We're gonna meet these masters and find out what's so great about them." My stubborn defiance is unmoving.

"What if they judge us and attack us?"

"Well, we're the Fire Prince and the Avatar." I whisper as I unsheath one of my swords slightly. "I think we can take these guys in a fight, whoever they are." He nods uneasily.

I step forward with as much confidence I can muster, "Bring 'em out."

The Chief opens his hands, welcoming, "Chanters!"

Warriors sitting down beat in synchronized rhythm on their drums. The others are rising and bowing alternatively. I try to keep my arms steady as we approach the stairs. Aang and I lock eyes as we take a deep breath and start our ascension.

Once we reach the bridge, I hear the chief yelling from down below, "Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shao will now present their fire."

We turn back to back and bow with our hands holding our flames extended in front of us.

A loud horn rings through the crater. Aang whispers to me, "What's happening?" I turn and give him a puzzled look, indicating I have no idea either.

He quickly returns back into his 'flame-giving' position. I hear him gasp behind me, "Zuko, my fire went out."

I whisper back, rising from my own stance, "What do you want me to do?"

"Give me some of yours."

He reaches for my fire, and I push him back. "No, just make your own."

"I can't." He reaches over me again.

"Get some from one of those warriors." I nod towards the warriors below us. "Hurry." He reaches for my flame again, "Stop cheating off me!"

He climbs onto my back, "Quit being stingy!" I try to hold it away from him, and we struggle momentarily. I accidentally drop my hand to push him away and my flame is extinguished.

"Shit," I whisper. The caves rumble.

"Uh-oh," Aang says behind me.

A pair of yellow eyes glow before me in the dark and suddenly, a red dragon roars and shoots out of the cave. It circles us around the bridge. We stagger slightly from the powerful wind created by the beast's wings. Shock fills me. A blue dragon appears out of Aang's cave and circles with the other.

I whisper, "These are the masters."

"You still think we can take 'em?"

I shove his arm, "Shh. I never said that."

We stand still for a moment as the dragons circle us, struck by their glory. "Zuko, I think we're supposed to do The Dragon Dance with them."

"What?" I turn to Aang bewildered by his assumption, "What about this situation makes you think they want us to dance?"

He raises a shoulder, "Well, I think they want us to do something. Let's just try it."

Considering I have no other ideas, I agree. "Fine."

As we move through the dance, I notice the dragons complementing our motions. We reach our final position and the dragons stop, landing on either side of the bridge. The blue dragon in front of me snarls. My mouth falls open. It inhales deeply, preparing to blow fire, and I cover my head with my arms. Heat surrounds me, but I remain unharmed. I look up and see a vortex of flames. Aang and I both stare in amazement.

Orange, red, purple, blue, green and yellow flames surround us in the most magnificent way. It filled me with awe, warmth, love and life. Realization comes to me. "I understand," I whisper. A tear escapes my unscarred eye. The flames dissipate, and the dragons recede into their caves.

Aang and I turn to each other, still slightly shell-shocked from our experience. We start down the stairs. "Their fire was beautiful. I saw so many colors, colors I've never imagined," I say with a light voice.

"Like firebending harmony," he breathes beside me.

The Sun Chief meets us at the foot of steps. "Yes," he nods. "They judged you, and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending."

I touch my head, feeling like I'm in a dream, "I can't believe there are still living dragons. My Uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it."

"So, your Uncle lied," Aang tilts his head.

The Chief smiles at us, "Actually, it wasn't a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him as well."

My eyes widen in surprise. "He must have lied to protect them, so no one else would hunt them."

The Avatar holds out his hands before him, "All this time, I thought firebending was destruction. Since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is... it's energy, and life."

I extend my arms as well, "Yeah. It's like the Sun, but inside of you. Do you guys realize this?" I ask in wonder.

"Well, our civilization is called the Sun Warriors... so yeah." The Chief says nonchalantly.

Turning to Aang, I feel the answers bubbling up. "That's why my firebending was so weak before. Because for so many years, hunting you was my drive... it was my purpose. So when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now, I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world."

I turn away and form a large sized sweep of flames that fly into the air. Aang smiles at me and copies my movements, conquering his fears.

"Now that you have learned the secrets, and you know about our tribe's existence," the Chief's face turns serious, "we have no choice but to imprison you here forever." My stomach drops. After a short pause, he smiles at us. "Just kidding. But seriously, don't tell anyone!" Aang and I bow deeply.

The Sun Warriors lead us back to the temple to gather Kidah before we head out. I fear the worst as I hear screams from below the building. I sprint toward the sounds. A crowd had gathered in a circle around some type of a duel. They cheered around me. I push my way to the front and find Kidah sparring with a female Sun Warrior.

I cross my arms in front of me as I take in her appearance. She had a light burn on her right arm, her skirt was slightly singed at the bottom, and her hair flew behind her in the wind. She jumps back from her opponent, who seemed about the same age as us.

Landing on her feet, she calls over to the young woman, "Come on, Atzi, you can do better than that."

Atzi steps forwards. She has a few cuts on her shoulder from icicles, I assume. She is panting heavily. "You're gonna-" breathes deeply, "wish you never said that."

Kidah roars as she launches herself forward to attack, but the Chief grabs her collar, yanking her backwards and up in the air easily. "Atzi, I leave you for two hours and you fight our guests?"

She tries to fix her clothing and bows deeply, "Sorry, Father."

"Oh, shit," Kidah chuckles as the Chief puts her down. "I didn't know she was your daughter."

"She's strong willed…" He rubs the back of his head awkwardly as he gives his excuse.

Atzi skips up to Kidah, and they grasp forearms. "Don't worry, Princess. We will see each other again." The Chief walks away towards the crowd.

She blows out her cheeks, "man, I hope so. You've got to teach me that flip."

Atzi laughs and leans forward quickly, kissing her on the lips. My body moves on its own, and I stomp over to them protectively. Before I reach the pair, Atzi pulls away quickly and slaps Kidah's shoulder. "Bye, water girl." She walks away towards her people.

Kidah's eyes are wide and her cheeks flushed. "Bye," she calls behind her. I take her hand and drag her towards Aang.

"That was- uhm... a sweet gesture?" He says, leading us to Appa.

"Maybe it was just a part of their culture?" Kidah murmurs awkwardly.

I stay silent until we get into the sky. Aang stays at the front, leaving the two of us alone. "So, what happened?" She asks.

Ignoring my jealousy, I am reminded of the beauty I'd just witnessed. "It was glorious, Kidah." my hands rose to my face as I rubbed my eyes. "So much life… The masters were dragons."

Her eyes widen, "dragons?! They're not extinct?" She whispers as if someone could hear us up in the clouds.

I nod eagerly, "Yes! My uncle lied to everyone to protect them. They swirled around us, engulfing us in a vortex of flames. I'd never seen so many colors." A smile spreads across my face as I form a fireball in my palm. It glowed brightly.

Kidah's eyebrows raised, "that's amazing, Zuko. I'm so happy for you." She puts her hand on my knee, but I pull away slightly. "Zuko, don't do that."

I sigh, "I know, I'm sorry."

"Trust me, that was the last thing I expected to happen, too." I take her hand in mine, and we sit in silence for the rest of the trip.