Chapter 8 - Way of the Sword
Having traveled the entire night straight westwards, Appa took the group of four across the largest island they had seen yet, one covered by thick forests. It had been a strange night, illuminated by a spectacular meteor shower, everyone but Toph amazed by the display of falling stars. Some had even struck the ground, starting a few forest fires here and there, but pressed for time, they could not afford to do anything about it, Zuko insisting that they reach the town of Shu Jing by the morning.
It had been a tight race, but they had reached their destination briefly before the dawn, managing to set up a campsite higher up in the nearby mountains, safe distance from the town. Now, a couple of hours after dawn, Katara, Sokka and Toph were sleeping in their tents, while Zuko had offered to go on a brief scouting mission into the town.
However, upon reaching Shu Jing, Zuko didn't even enter the town, instead picking a path that led away from Shu Jing, higher up into the mountains. There, overlooking the town, stood the reason why he had been so desperate to make a stop at Shu Jing, even managing to talk Sokka into slightly adjusting their schedule. Having made the brief climb up the mountain path, Zuko finally stood at the gates he hadn't faced for four years, leading inside the dojo of Piandao, the most renowned sword master of the Fire Nation, and his own favorite tutor.
Zuko didn't waste any time, knocking on the gate. Someone very familiar soon opened the gates and stared at him. "Ah, Fat, I am so glad to see you still serving Master Piandao," Zuko smiled at the older man. "Do you think he might find the time to see one of his former students?"
"And who might you be-..." Fat began with a slightly condescending glare, but then blinked as he realized who stood before him. "Prince Zuko! My apologies, but I did not realize it was you!"
"That's alright, Fat, I've done some growing up during those four years since I was last here," Zuko chuckled. "Now, about seeing the Master..."
"Of course, Prince Zuko, of course!" Fat nodded quickly, letting him pass through and then leading him inside the dojo, escorting him towards the private chambers of Zuko's old tutor. "Master Piandao will be pleased to meet you, I'm sure. Oh, Master!" Fat called out, alerting an elderly man sitting cross legged on the floor, deep in his meditations. "Master, you won't believe who's come to see you!"
Piandao, a severe but fair looking man in his early fifties, slowly turned to face the intruders, his eyebrows rising a little as he gazed upon his former student. "Zuko! This is a surprise, but not an unwelcome one, for you are still my favorite student," Piandao smiled as Zuko gave him the formal greeting. "Should I ask what brings you here, or perhaps it is better that I don't know?"
"That might be for the better, master," Zuko nodded, appearing regretful. "I would rather not make you complicit to treason."
"Indeed," Piandao smiled thinly. "Still, there must be a reason for you to seek me out during all this turmoil that I am trying to distance myself from."
"There is a reason, Master Piandao," Zuko bowed his head. "One of my companions, a young Water Tribe warrior, is a very talented swordsman, but he desperately needs more training. I wanted to ask you if you would consider tutoring him. Just a few lessons to set him on the right path."
"It's been a while since I've had a promising apprentice," Piandao mused thoughtfully. "Very well, Zuko. Bring him to me, and I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, Master Piandao," Zuko bowed deeply. "I don't suppose you would be kind enough to find room for the rest of my companions and myself while you're training Sokka?"
"That can be arranged," Piandao nodded. "Fat will take care of it. How many companions are you traveling with, Zuko?"
"It's just me, Sokka, his sister Katara and a young Earth Kingdom girl, Toph," Zuko explained. "Oh, and then there's Appa. You're going to love him, Fat."
"Indeed?" the servant wondered. "What is this Appa like?"
"Oh, he has five stomachs, six legs and weighs close to nine tons," Zuko explained with a broad grin on his face. "Appa is our sky bison," he added upon seeing the mortified look on Fat's face.
"A sky bison?" Piandao wondered, looking impressed. "I find myself deeply intrigued about the adventures of your group, Zuko. They sound wondrous."
"I'm sure I'll be able to share some stories during the breaks in Sokka's training," Zuko replied. "Now, with your permission, I will bring my friends to the dojo."
"Yes, do so, Zuko," Piandao nodded. "Fat, go and make preparations to receive our visitors. They seem like the most interesting group of people, and by Agni, it will be a welcome break from my meditations."
Three days later Sokka's training was progressing so well, that he had forgotten all about it not being a part of his original schedule. While Master Piandao had been initially frustrated with Sokka's unorthodox solutions to some of his challenges, with time, the great master had realized that they were actually valuable expressions of Sokka's unique individuality and creativity. After only a couple of days, Master Piandao had decided that Sokka was worthy of having the opportunity to create his own sword. Even there, Sokka had shown his creative approach, turning down all the available materials at the forge, instead scouring the countryside together with his friends for the chunks of fallen meteorites. The result of all this effort was a beautiful and elegant blade, grey and matted in appearance, of unparalleled strength and sharpness.
While Sokka had been hard at work these past few days, the others had fully enjoyed the luxuries that Master Piandao's residence afforded. Ever since Ba Sing Se, they hadn't enjoyed a proper bath, and Katara had even managed to bully Toph into for once overcoming her revulsion of water and properly washing herself. It was a great relief not having to constantly worry about their next meal, or where to set up a camp and get some much needed rest. All of them felt a little saddened that this blissful respite was coming to an end, when on the evening of their third day of stay, Sokka faced his final challenge, and his toughest one by far, a sparring duel against Master Piandao himself.
Zuko, Katara and Toph all sat on the nearby terrace, observing the duel, Katara ardently supporting her brother with clapping and cheering, Zuko and Toph joining in as well. And Sokka definitely needed their encouragement, as Master Piandao chased him back and forth across the courtyard, always keeping his struggling apprentice on the defensive, not giving him a moment's respite. Still, even under constant pressure, Sokka still came up with many creative ways to get himself out of trouble, using the surroundings to his advantage, and every time he successfully evaded defeat, Master Piandao stopped to acknowledge and praise the decisions he had made on the fly.
Sokka held out for a very long time, and it took an unlucky accident of him tripping over a tree branch to be finally disarmed by Master Piandao. "Excellent work, Sokka!" Piandao was still full of praise as he turned away the sword he had been pointing at the boy's chest. "You have that something special which very few of my apprentices have had. When you first arrived here, I immediately saw a heart as strong as a lion turtle and twice as big. And as we trained, it was not your skills that impressed me. No, it was something that went beyond it," the great master said, picking up Sokka's fallen sword. He waited for Sokka to rise from the ground and then passed the sword back to him. "What impressed me most about you was your creativity. Versatility. Intelligence. These are the traits that define a great swordsman. And these are the traits that define you."
"Th-thank you, Master Piandao," Sokka sniffled, looking overcome from all the high praise thrown at him.
"But you must promise me to continue your training, Sokka," Master Piandao spoke firmly. "If you stay on this path, I know that one day you'll become an even greater master than I am. But I am certain that you will be in good hands, Sokka, because you will continue your path side by side with the best of my apprentices."
"Are you sending someone to accompany us, Master Piandao?" Sokka blinked, looking utterly stupefied. "Our mission is very dangerous, I'm not sure we could-..."
"No, Sokka, you misunderstand," Master Piandao laughed. "My best apprentice is already traveling with you," he said, then pointing at Zuko, the exiled prince having gone red in the face from the sudden attention and gasps directed at him.
"Zuko is your apprentice!?" Sokka exclaimed, looking like he was going to faint from the shocking revelation. "So... so that's why you accepted to train me in the first place, Master Piandao!"
"No, that is why I agreed to see you, Sokka," Master Piandao corrected him. "I would not have agreed to train you if I hadn't immediately seen the raw talent before me."
"But why didn't you just tell us that you knew Master Piandao from before?" Katara asked, wide-eyed as she stared at Zuko.
"Umm, I didn't want to make a fuss, honestly," Zuko nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "And I didn't want Sokka to think that Master Piandao only took him on because I put in a word for him. Because nothing could be further from the truth."
"Well... you still could have told me!" Katara frowned at him.
"Ah, don't be too hard on him, Sweetness, Sparky was just being modest," Toph chuckled.
"That he is," Master Piandao nodded in agreement. "When Zuko was twelve, his father sent him to spend three months at my dojo. During that time, we came to know each other very well and developed a close bond. Zuko?" the master swordsman gave the exiled prince a fond stare. "Would you honor an old man's request? How about a test of skill? I want to see just what you have learned over these past four years."
"Gladly, Master Piandao, but without proper dao swords, I will be no match for you," Zuko shook his head respectfully.
"That can be arranged quickly," Master Piandao smiled. "Fat! Fat, come here!" he called for his loyal servant. "Fat, bring my best dao swords for Zuko. We're going to spar!"
"Right away, Master," Fat nodded emotionlessly and disappeared. Moments later he returned, carrying a pair of exquisite dao swords which he handed over to Zuko.
"Satisfied, Zuko?" Piandao asked as Zuko carefully examined the swords, testing their weight, feeling the muscle memory instantly reawakened by the familiar feel.
"More than satisfied, Master, these blades are perfect," Zuko said, jumping down from the terrace and landing in the courtyard below. Before assuming a battle stance, he quickly removed his heavy robe, remaining dressed in his baggy pants and a sleeveless shirt.
"Very well, let us begin," Master Piandao announced, readying his jian sword. The two combatants began to circle one another, testing each other with exploratory thrusts and parries before the dangerous sparring dance began in earnest, Katara, Sokka and Toph observing breathlessly from the terrace above.
"Whoa, Sweetness, your heart is really racing right now," Toph commented as the two swordsmen circled each other, still searching for an opening. Piandao was not having it all his own way, he didn't have the kind of advantage over Zuko to send his former apprentice on a chase all around the courtyard. "Relax, it's just a sparring match!"
"Hey, those swords are awfully sharp and could easily take off an arm if they're not careful!" Katara retorted defensively.
"I think those swords were just as sharp when Sokka was fighting the Master and you hardly seemed worried then," Toph annoyingly pointed out.
"Exactly, Master Piandao almost nicked me that one time, I could feel the blade passing by, it was so close," Sokka nodded, breathless as he watched the close contest below. Piandao was slowly starting to put Zuko on the defensive, but it was far from over.
"I think she just likes watching Sparky working out and getting all sweaty," Toph laughed. "It helps that he's not wearing his robes, too."
"Now you're just being all weird, Toph," Sokka laughed. "I mean... you're not saying that my sister is into Zuko, right?" Toph facepalmed again.
"Of course she's not saying that, Toph is just trying to annoy me as usual," Katara said quickly, her hands clutching at the railing of the terrace as she watched the final moments of the contest, Piandao finally managing to corner and then disarm Zuko. Having lasted a good while, the sparring match was finally at an end, Katara letting out a deep sigh of relief.
"You have made some progress, Zuko, but not as much as you could have made," Piandao commented as the two contestants bowed to each other.
"I know, Master," Zuko nodded apologetically. "These past few years have been rough. I have not had as many opportunities to practice as I had hoped. Not to mention the loss of my swords..."
"That can be easily remedied," Master Piandao smiled, offering the two exquisite dao swords to Zuko.
"Are you certain, Master?" Zuko at first hesitated to accept them. "It would be an honor, but..."
"Please, Zuko, just take the swords," Piandao said encouragingly. "Something tells me that you're going to need them far more than I do." Zuko finally allowed himself to be convinced as he took the swords and they both returned to the terrace to rejoin with the others.
"Now, can I convince you to stay for one last dinner before you head out to continue your adventures?" Master Piandao asked, receiving four happy nods from the group. "Excellent! Fat! Fat, where are you?" Piandao bellowed to summon the servant. "Fat, how long until the dinner is ready?"
"No more than ten minutes, master," the loyal servant replied, passing a message over to his master, together with a small round token. "Meanwhile, this letter arrived for you."
"Hmm? Oh yes, it looks urgent," Piandao smiled, quickly pocketing the letter and the token, but not before Zuko had spotted what it was.
"A White Lotus Pai Sho tile?" the exiled prince wondered. "My uncle always kept one of those close at all times. For good fortune, he used to say."
"Oh? How very interesting," Piandao commented with a slightly enigmatic smile. "Your uncle is a great man, Zuko, I know you'll agree. I'm sure you are doing whatever you can to free him."
"I'll free Uncle Iroh, or I'll die trying," Zuko intoned grimly.
"Well," Master Piandao clapped his hands as he looked at the group. "Since the dinner is about to be served, shall we go inside and get seated?" With everyone nodding, they turned to follow the Master inside, but Zuko found himself stopped by an insistent tug on his arm, turning around to be faced by Katara's searching stare.
"Could I have a moment of your time?" she asked softly.
"Of course, Katara, always," Zuko smiled at her.
"I'm not happy that you kept the truth from me, Zuko," Katara frowned slightly, but then the smile returned to her face. "But at the same time, I'm very grateful for what you did. You did a wonderful thing for my brother, Zuko, and I'll never forget that. And I know that you wanted to keep your involvement a secret, but I'm very glad that Master Piandao told us the truth. I guess what I'm saying..." she appeared a little breathless and blushing. "Thank you, Zuko," she finished, then throwing her arms around him for a quick hug. As she was pulling away, Katara leaned in and surprised him with a gentle kiss on the cheek before she turned and ran after the others, leaving Zuko stunned, happy and confused.
Eventually, Zuko concluded that for a girl who had still very recently hated his guts, Katara was behaving very strangely... but he was okay with that.