The Original Source
Much to Mai's appreciation, the group finally left the Yu Dao area, headed south. Iroh seemed like he was leading them somewhere, most likely to Ba Sing Se. Their old campsite had become far too boring for her likes, and not even Zuko could keep her occupied in the middle of nowhere for days on end.
They had made a few stops along the way; although they visited nowhere notable. At each village they passed, Iroh would spend a couple of hours busking on the streets with Aang, who managed to rope Zuko in also. As much as Zuko said he hated it, it had begun to grow on him. Aang seemed to have that affect on everyone, even Mai could be seen snickering from the sidelines. It was something the young boy prided himself in; being able to bring a smile to his companions.
Aang was beginning to get tired of this whole 'walking' thing. The scar on his back ached from strain. and the heat and humidity left him sweating all over, despite his light clothing and bare shoulder. Eventually he had to remove his top tunic and go barechested. Sure, he had his glider, but it wasn't really safe to use on such open ground with a heavy Fire Army presence. And no once else could fly, either, so it didn't make sense for him to fly ahead of his masters. He remembered a time when he could just take off with Appa and fly around for a few hours. The sky could literally be his home. He had now been walking for over a week straight, with minimal training intervals, which only increased his longing for the bison and his friends that accompanied him.
But he supposed his days of pining after lost friends would get him nowhere right now, he would have all the time in the world to worry post-war. For now, he would focus on his new friendships and masters. Iroh had guided the group south to a small fishing village Aang recalled as having visited a few weeks after being freed from the iceberg. It wasn't a pleasant memory, but for now he was wondering why Iroh would bring them here to stay.
"I've been here before," the Avatar began. "The mountains are desolate, most of the people reside in the fishing village. We can camp there, I can practice, and we'll use the village market for supplies."
"I miss the river..." Jeong Jeong mused, remembering his old base. He had spent years there, in comfortable isolation with the other deserters. As much as he missed it and his friends, though, he had to admit the journey he was currently on was one for the better.
"Me too, master" Aang replied, thinking about how he could waterbend with no large water source. "Zuko, Mai and I will set up camp. You two can gather supplies. I don't want to go in this exposed anyways; I lost my apre sleeves to cover up my arm tattoos."
Aang taking the authoratative lead was an unusual experience, but it was how Iroh would've organised it anyway. There weren't any designated leaders, however it was simply a given that the two old masters took charge. Iroh thought that he would become an excellent Avatar one day, that peace was upon them in just a few short months.
"Good choice, Aang. Come on then, Jeong Jeong."
"Only if you don't make me sing" the older general replied dryly. He could never wrap his head around Iroh's sense of fun.
"You should lighten up, Jeong Jeong, while you still have life left to live" Iroh said, earning a sly glare from him. "We'll see you all later. Where will you set up camp?"
"There's a quiet mountain pass to the northeast of here, away from the main trade routes" Zuko said. He had plenty of knowledge of Earth Kingdom trade routes during his travels.
"Alright, we'll go there then. See you later, hotmen!" Aang called back to his masters as he walked away. The slang was quite outdated, and thus surprised the elders. Even to them, such nicknames were considered 'old'. The two stifled laughs as they watched a very embarrassed Mai and Zuko take off with the Avatar.
"Well, we better get going" Jeong Jeong breathed as he finished laughing. It seemed even he wasn't immune to Aang's oddities. He followed a grinning Iroh into the market, who sped away to one of the artifact stands, making strange noises and imitating the statues. 'This will be a long, long trip' he sighed inwardly.
"Iroh! Shouldn't we be buying useful supplies?"
Sighing, he replied, "You're right, I suppose."
"You suppose?! I thought you would be more focussed" Jeong Jeong retorted.
Before he could reply, something caught his eye in a not too far away. "Oh! Yes, this is perfect. Aang could really use these to cover his tattoos."
"Arm cast padding" Jeong Jeong deadpanned. Although he had to admit it made sense, he didn't want to indulge Iroh's behaviour. "... Alright. But no more impulse buying! We need to focus on food and supplies." He picked up the roll of padding and paid the keeper.
Iroh simply smiled back at his friend and trotted away to the food market.
Zuko and Mai held hands and walked with Aang as he led them to a suitable camping site. Their silence, though normal and completely comfortable for them both, left Aang feeling like an awkward third wheel. Not to mention he despised the quietness.
"So, Mai, I know why Zuko chose to leave, but you could've stayed? You were brought up as a noble, weren't you?" Aang inquired. He hadn't had a chance to get to know the older girl yet, as she was quite reclusive and spent all of her time with Zuko when she wasn't alone.
Mai was surprised by Aang's interest in her. "Azula forced me to accompany her, torturing the locals. I was okay with it, but she was using my own little brother against you. I harboured a lot of resentment towards her. In the end, I guess I loved Zuko more than I feared her."
"You two really trust each other, huh?"
The pair didn't respond, instead sharing a smile, content in their company. Aang briefly wondered where his friends were, and if they were wondering about him, too.
"Do you have anyone like that?" Mai wondered.
"I used to" Aang stated.
Zuko grimaced a little, knowing that he was responsible for his seperation. He knew Aang's comment wasn't directed at him, but he couldn't shake the feeling of regret.
They walked for a while in silence, until the trio came across a small glacial valley. It would definitely serve its purpose as a campsite for the next few days, and a hidden training ground for Aang. It was out of the way of any trade routes and obscured by the surrounding mountainrange, so there was little chance of anyone stumbling across them and their firebending. A young river ran its course downvalley, which provide a reliable water source for Aang to practice waterbending, and the earth around him would be perfect for earthbending.
"D'you think this will work, Aang?" Zuko asked.
Smiling, the Avatar nodded. It had quite the homely feel to it, the height and the wind reminding him of his childhood homes in the Air Temples. "It'll do. I'll set up Iroh's and Jeong Jeong's tents, if you guys do yours." He figured his masters would have enough trouble hiking to get here, he should at least do them the favour of setting up for them so that they could rest.
After placing down a marker flag made of cloth for their companions to find, they hiked a little upvalley, and decided to set down there. Aang bent a plateau from the slope, so that their tents would be level. The group didn't spend long setting up the tents and gathering firewood, so they were just left waiting for the older two of the group to return with some actual supplies. There wasn't much Aang could forage for at this height, either.
There was no more conversation to be had, so Aang made his way to the stream and rolled up his pants. Stepping into the rapids, he found that he would constantly have to maintain his balance. It proved to be an interesting obstacle, a skill he didn't know he had to work on.
He spent the next hour absentmindedly bending, improving upon his forms as he fantasised about the person who wasn't next to him.
Aang was knocked out of his trance when he heard Iroh call his name. 'I thought they went shopping... Mustn't have taken long' he thought.
"Aang! We got you something so you could better hide your tattoos."
"What is it?" he asked, now curious.
Iroh revealed the roll of cast padding that the boy could use to cover up most of the tattoos on his arms.
Laughing, Aang took the gift. "I was worried for a second. You can be very eccentric when shopping, Iroh." He unwrapped the cast padding and wrapped it around his forearm to his elbow, held in place by his thumb. "Thanks, you guys. This is actually very comfortable."
"It's non-flammable, too" Jeong Jeong said. "I checked myself."
"I think I'll wear these to firebending training tomorrow morning. As much as I hate to cover my tattoos, I suppose it's the right thing to do..." He was willing to do what it took to remain hidden, to keep him and his companions safe and obscure, but it didn't make the pain go away. Aang was a devout patriot to his nation, even more so as the only one to exist. In hiding from his identity, he felt like he was chipping away at himself. Nonetheless, it had to be done.
They cooked dinner with their new supplies, with Jeong Jeong making sure they rationed their meals properly. The group enjoyed some small talk with their soup, and soon headed off to bed. Zuko and Mai shared a tent as usual, and Iroh and Jeong Jeong slept soundly in their own tents. That left Aang outside and solitary in his thoughts, determination flaring up in him to do all he could to end the war and be reunited with his friends as he lulled himself to sleep.
He woke the next morning, surprised to find his head resting on something strangely soft. He got up and realised that he had been resting his head on his arms, which was covered in the cast padding. He groaned, although very grateful for the gift, seeing his tattoos so visibly hidden was painful.
He rose to find Zuko and Iroh already performing breathing exercises, and mentally berated himself for rising so late. The sun had risen already, though the mountains blocked it, and he hadn't noticed. Feeling the sun's energy as a firebender was something Aang had been trying to work on, but still hadn't gotten the hang of.
"Good morning, Aang. You are getting better at feeling the sun!" His master greeted him.
"Thanks, Iroh. I might've done better outside of the mountains, though. Will Zuko be joining us?" Aang asked hopefully. It would be nice to have another student to learn with, even if Zuko was years ahead in his training.
Zuko chucked, "Why, not want me around?"
"Six weeks ago I might've said I don't."
"Come join us for some meditation and breathing, Aang" Iroh ordered.
Aang obliged, sitting next to Zuko and across from Iroh on the edge of the plateau. It did some good to calm his mind before beginning some actual firebending practice.
"Alright, let's move on to some basic forms to begin with. Prince Zuko, you may have mastered these, but you still have trouble with using-"
"Using the breath. Yes, uncle, I'll actually try this time."
"That's good, nephew" his uncle smiled. He had a feeling Zuko would be wasier to train from now on, now that he wasn't fueled by such hatred. His goal of trying to get the teenager to see the light, which he had been trying to accomplish for some three years now, was finally coming together. The person who had been hunting the Avatar ruthlessly for the past few years was now training side by side with him, and even laughing with him; something his nephew hadn't done since before the disappearance of his mother.
"Alright Aang," Iroh continued, "Just follow the steps as you usually would. Zuko, remember what I taught you before. Power in firebending comes from the breath. The breath becomes energy, and the energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire."
He stood in between the Avatar and his uncle as they simultaneously went through the motions of the form, a simple fire punch. As both Aang and Iroh punched forward, a large and powerful flame burst forth from their fists. Nothing more than a spark came from Zuko's.
"Uh... Zuko," Aang stuttered, "Are you... broken?"
Iroh stared at his nephew, an expression written all over him that showed he might have expected this. Trying again, Zuko found that he relaly couldn't create fire.
"Uncle... should I... not be using the breath? I don't understand."
"I had a feeling this would happen," Iroh started. "Like Azula, your firebending was once fueled by anger, hatred, and pain. Your weakened firebending is a sign that you have changed sides of the war; for good. For that, nephew, I am so very proud of you" he finished, tears rimming his eyes.
"You're talking as if this is a good thing!" Zuko raised his voice. "I mean, how do you do it? Three years, you've clearly been trying to convince me of the Fire Nation's attrocities, and you managed to still be one of the most powerful benders out there?"
"Zuko, the hateful ways of the Fire Nation are not the only ways to produce fire. Aang, as an Air Nomad, was taught to appreciate beauty and life. As such, he uses passion to fuel is fire. You must learn to do the same... I think a field trip is in order!"
The two boys relaxed their stances, now wondering about what Iroh would suggest. Even Jeong Jeong peeked from his meditation inside his tent.
"Many years ago, before my son passed, I went searching for the last of the dragons," Iroh began. "There were rumoured to be just two left; near the settlements of the original firebenders. I went with the full intent of ending their lives; rendering their race exticnt. To be known as the legandary Crown Prince who killed the last dragons, to gain extreme power. To please my father." He eyed Zuko knowingly. It was a path they had both shared at one point in their lives.
"The rest of the journey is a mystery; you both must travel there alone and face it's secrets. Use the money we have to rent a boat, Aang can waterbend the currents to speed up your journey." He handed them a map with a location Aang remembered as being a 'dead zone' south of the Western Air Temple. "You should leave now, take some food and sleeping bags with you. The morning is still young, you should be able to get a boat."
"Uh... tell Mai that I- we'll be going."
"Of course, Zuko."
They gathered some food quickly, and Zuko took his sleeping bag with him. He decided not to bring his tent along, too. It would be too much to carry, and the Fire Nation summers were warm enough so that he could sleep outside. Aang wasn't even bringing a sleeping bag. Iroh prepared them a bag of food, each, that contained a loaf of bread and some fruit and nuts. It was obvious they would have to ration.
"We should be back in about a week, Iroh. I know this route fairly well... Assuming my waterbending is almost as fast as Appa was" Aang told the general.
The two took off, hurrying to get to the docks before mid-morning to salvage their chances at being able to rent a boat before supply runs dry.
When Mai finally woke, she left the tent only to find her boyfriend and something else missing. "Where is Zuko?" she asked the two men.
"He went on some field trip with Aang to the Western Air Temple. They'll be back in a week" Jeong Jeong explained.
"And this discussion was held without me?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Where's breakfast?"
Zuko and Aang managed to find a boat to rent for the week at a very cheap price, just five gold, out of the twelve Iroh had given the pair. Aang took one hour rotations during the day bending the water around their boat to improve their speed. It was going well, except for when one needed to use the bathroom.
"I thought you'd be faster."
"Usually, we start missions with a more upbeat attitude."
On the morning of their second day, they came across the Fire Navy blockade. Aang bent a water sphere around the boat, and bent them underneath the surface, invisible to any patrols.
Aang pointed out an island volcano, solitary in it's position with the only other land visible being the Air Nation territories. "What's that?"
Zuko replied pensively, "The Boiling Rock. A maximum security prison for the highest level war prisoners."
"Do you think my friends could have ended up there?"
"I don't know... they were considered quite dangerous... but we didn't capture anyone other than you and Iroh that day in Ba Sing Se."
"Azula..."
"I don't think so."
"I won't feel comfortable until I know they're not there" Aang mused.
"How would we even sneak in?" Zuko questioned him.
"Ugh, you're right. They're probably not there anyway" Aang groaned. "Let's just get to this island."
They docked on a coral beach on the south-east of the island, and headed for some structures that were visible further inland.
"What do you think they could be?"
"I have no idea, but it's got uncle written all over it."
The hike wasn't that long; in fact it was only about two hours. Two hours through the humid jungle. Aang wasn't feeling so upbeat anymore.
Upon reaching the outskirts of what appeared to be ancient ruins, Zuko finally realised where they were.
"The Sun Warriors!" he exlcaimed.
"Huh?"
"The first firebenders. Well, first permanent firebenders. This is their civilisation."
"They weren't around a century ago..."
"No, of course not. They died out thousands of years ago. Maybe we could find something by poking around their ruins. There's something eerily familiar about them... I can tell the Fire Sages temples are somehow descended from these."
"Well, we learned something about architecture!" Aang said hopefully. Stepping forward ahead of Zuko, he hit a tripwire that triggered a spike trap built into the floor in front of him. He blew a gust of air from his mouth to balance himself over the spikes before landing on the other side of the trap. "Zuko!" the boy shouted anxiously, "I think the past is trying to kill me!"
"I don't get it. This booby trap must be centuries old. It still works!"
"Maybe this means we shouldn't be here."
Zuko ran as fast as he could and jumped onto the side of the wall and landed himself right next to Aang without touching the trap. "Where's that upbeat attitude you were talking about?" the older boy chuckled. "Besides, people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting."
The two prodded further into the ruined city, climbing up the stairs of the central temple. The city was covered in vines and cracked stone, decaying bridges literring the velleys below. Any treasures that remained here were probably long looted. They came to a mural, depicting the ancient Sun Warriors and their relationships with the dragons.
"This seems promising!" Aang said. "Though, I'm not sure what this tells us about the original source of firebending."
"They look pretty angry to me" Zuko deduced.
"I thought the dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors."
"They had a funny way of showing it."
"Zuko," Aang began. "Something happened to the dragons in the past hundred years. Something you're not telling me."
"My great-grandfather Sozin happened" Zuko explained. "He started the tradition of dragon hunting. They were the ultimate firebenders, and if you could conquer one, your firebending talents would become legendary, and you'd earn the honourary title: dragon. The last great dragon was killed long before I was born, by my uncle." Zuko cringed at that last sentence. Sometimes, he forgot that his uncle had once been a bad man. Worse than Zuko had ever been. But there was a long road to recovery, he thought. And it gave him hope for a brighter future for himself, too.
"But I thought your uncle was good?"
"He has a complicated past. Family tradition, I guess." He looked at the younger boy sadly. "Let's just move on."
They came across a small building made of stone, with a ruby sun stone built into the top of the golden doors. Aang ran up to it to try to prod it open, to no avail.
"Wait!" Zuko got an idea. Looking at the ground, he found that the stone reflected the sunlight onto the ground, which was covered in circular markings. "It's a celestial calander! I bet that sun stone opens that door, but only when sunlight hits it at just the right angle, on the solstice."
"Monkey feathers! The solstice again! I can't wait that long" Aang complained, gesturing wildly to show his frustration.
"No, we can't. But we might be able to speed time up..." Zuko said as he grabbed one of his dual dao swords. They were extremely polished and reflected light just as well as the sun stone did. Zuko just had to get the angle correct... "Let's see if we can outsmart the sun stone."
Holding the sword steady and at the exact angle they needed was a little tiring. After a few seconds, the sun stone glowed a little more instensely, and the doors of the chamber opened.
Inside were a circular array of statues depicting an ancient Sun Warrior form. " It say's... This is something called the 'Dancing Dragon'" Aang said. He positioned himself opposite the first statue and imitated it, and underneath him a pressure plate sank. Crouching, he observed the other statues. He realised then that they were giving a lesson; a firebending form.
"Zuko, get over here! I want you to dance with me."
"What?!" Zuko asked, taken aghast.
"Just do it."
Zuko did as was asked of him, taking position parallel to his friend. When the pressure plate sank underneath him, too, something clicked in his mind as they went through the motions.
"Don't you get it? These aren't just dance moves; they're giving us a lesson. This must be some kind of Sun Warrior firebending form."
"This better teach us some really good firebending."
They came to the end of the sequence, and when the final pressure plate was pressed, a deocrated pedestal rose from the centre of the room, supporting a golden egg.
Aang cheered, but his glee quickly transformed to confusion as he began to wonder what exactly it was that had appeared.
"It's some kind of mystical gemstone" Zuko mused as he ran to pick up the stone.
"Well, don't touch it!"
"Why not?"
"Remember what happened with those spikes?" he gestured. "I'm just very suspicious of giant glowing gems sitting on pedestals."
Aang's eyebrows twitched annoyingly as he watched Zuko lift up the stone, using both of his hands. It was quite large, the size of four whole fists put together. "It feels... almost alive."
There was a suspecting pause. Zuko attempted to place the stone back on it's stand, but it was met with brutal resistance as a sticky green liquid gushed from the pedestal, throwing Zuko up against the ceiling mesh where light was let in from the surface. "Ugh, I can't break free. It's some kind of glue!"
The rapids filled the room in mere seconds, leaving Aang trapped next to Zuko on the ceiling. The sticky liquid rose to their level and stopped. Only their faces remained above the surface, allowing them to breath.
"It stopped..." Aang said.
"At least we have air" Zuko reasoned. "Maybe if we stay calm, we can figure a way out of this."
"We're gonna be stuck here for a while, aren't we."
"Yup."
"You just had to pick up the egg, didn't you."
"Hey!" Zuko shouted, "at least I did something. If it were up to you we'd have never made it past the courtyard."
"As the firebender of the group, I'd have assumed you would know what not to touch" Aang argued.
"Oh please, none of us were there centuries ago! I couldn't have known" Zuko shot back.
"At least when I went poking around the ruins of my temple I knew where to watch my step."
"It's not like you were there a century ago either."
Aang was silent for a moment. He sometimes wondered what people thought of him; how he, an Air Nomad, showed up alive in a time where they were all considered dead. He worried his presence might have unknowingly brought danger to surviving pockets of airbenders, not that there were any. "Um, Zuko, how do you think I'm alive?"
Zuko paused. "I... I guess, I never really thought about it. Did Sozin fail?"
"I suppose he did, considering I was his target. But the rest of us are dead."
The prince felt a pang of guilt. The boy in front of him, barely thirteen, had lost everything, not just his family, but his nation. They were gone, permanently. "So...?"
"I was born over a century ago, Zuko" Aang explained, his voice small. "There are no surviving pockets. A hundred years ago, I was... I was in an accident near the Southern Water Tribe. I went underwater and the Avatar State froze me in an iceberg to protect me, preserving me in some... some energy shield. I don't really know." It wasn't the full truth, he knew it, but Zuko didn't. And he wasn't ready for him to know. He had only told Katara thus far, and she had been nothing but supportive, but maybe Zuko wouldn't be so forgiving. The irony of that was lost on him.
"That... makes a lot of sense" Zuko stated. "I'm sorry."
"You've said that before, buddy."
"I know. But, for that day in the Water Tribe. You really were just a child and I was fighting you, I know just how... difficult your position is now. I'm sorry."
The younger boy mulled over his words for a minute. "And you're just a teenager."
"Your point being?"
"Your life hasn't been all that easy either, Zuko. You must not burden yourself on what was, but focus on what is. And what we're doing right now. Saving the world" Aang encouraged, fully aware of the reference he made to his old master and guardian, Monk Gyatso. Aang supposed he might not just be speaking to his older friend, but to himself as well. The spirits knew just how much he needed such guidance right now.
"Thank you... I guess? Aren't you a little young to be giving such wisdom?" Zuko teased.
Aang ignored him, opting instead to yell as loud as possible for help.
"Who the fuck are you yelling to? Nobody's lived here for centuries."
"Well, what do you think we should do?"
Zuko frowned. "Think about our place in the universe?"
"Been there, done that. A little too much, really."
"Same."
"Who is down there?" A voice came from across the court, dressed in what must be Sun Warrior traditional clothing. The two boys gasped in shock; Zuko especially. He had not anticipated that the Sun Warriors still be alive when his uncle directed them here. Surely, Iroh would've known?
The man brought with him two ant-eaters, who licked them free of their bonds =. The strange man let them free of their cell to let the ant-eaters lick away the glue. They were joined by what Zuko could only assume was the rest of the tribe; not very many.
The original man spoke up, clearly dressed more elegantly from the rest; 'The chief' Zuko thought; "For trying to take our sun stone, you must be severly punished."
"We didn't come here to take your sun stone," Zuko explained confidently. "We came here to find the ancient origin of ancient firebending."
"Yeah, right," one of the tribsemen spoke up. "They are obviosuly thieves, here to steal Sun Warrior treasures."
"Please..." Aang begged. "Look, I don't like to brag about it, but... I'm the Avatar."
The man that interrupted them looked pleadingly at his chief, and then back again at the two teenagers, desperatly clutching the egg.
"Just hear us out..." Aang asked.
"My name is Zuko, crown prince of the Fire Nation. Or... at least, I used to be" Zuko started. "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.
When we came here, I never imagined the Sun Warrior civilisation was still secretly alive..." Aang and Zuko both bowed. "I am truly humbled to be in your presence. Please, teach us."
The chieftain's lips curled upwards slightly as he studied them both. "If you wish to learn the ways of the sun, you must learn them from the masters Ran and Shaw."
"Ran and Shaw, there are two of them?" Aang questioned, fearing he had heard their names mistakingly.
The pent-up anger at the boy's mischief and disrespect was reaching it's breaking point. He walked up to them, and pointed in their faces. "When you present yourselves to the masters, they will examine you, they will read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry. If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. And if they don't... you'll be destroyed on the spot."
The ant-eaters cleaned up the last of the glue that remained on them, and the chief ushered them into one of the buildings where they could catch some sleep for the rest of the night. They didn't have very many hours left, and it would be best if they tried to get as much as they could before going to face the masters.
The Sun Warriors didn't give them the luxury of a sleep in. At dawn, the snarky one entered their room quite loudly and told them to rise. If it were for any other occasion, Zuko and Aang might have groaned, but they were excited. Despite the danger that might await them, in front of them was the opportunity to become better benders. 'If uncle knew about this, then he must assume we are worthy..." Zuko thought. It didn't calm his mind, however. It was just in his nature to brood and be anxious.
"If you are going to see the masters, you must each bring them a piece of the eternal flame," the chief began. "This fire is the very first one. It was given to man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."
"I don't believe it" Zuko gasped.
"You will each take a piece of it to the masters," he continued, "to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending."
Aang looked around nervously, and rubbed the back of his neck. He still vividly remembered Katara screaming after he burned her; and his promise to never firebend again. He had already broken this promise, but the risk of burning someone still remained in such close proximity to others. "This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy. You must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it to small, make it too big, however, and you might lose control."
Zuko took the flame from the man's right palm, however Aang was a little more cautious. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous." As the chief passed the flame into the palms of the young Avatar before him, he got a glimpse into the pain the boy has suffered. Aang quickly regained his composure as he maintained the flame with his own bending. He came to a sudden realisation- "It's like a little heartbeat." He pondered whether or not this is what Jeong Jeong had been trying to tell him all along, the first time he had tried firebending. 'Fire is life' the master had said to him. 'If only I had listened.'
The Sun Warrior chief then repeated Jeong Jeong's words, "Fire is life, not just destruction." It all made sense now. Aang smiled at his little creation. "You will take your flames up there" he said, pointing to a triangular mountain split down the middle." The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."
Zuko and Aang began their hike through the forest, Aang walking more timidly and protective over his fire. His fire was noticeable weaker than Zuko's. He had trained in combat bending before, shooting the fire outwards or manipulating nearby fire, but this was different. This was him creating and maintaining his own fire in his own hands. If he lost control of this flame, he could burn himself and the forest.
They reached the treeline in no time, but Aang was lagging even further behind his older companion. "Hurry up" said Zuko.
"I can't" Aang complained. "If I go any faster, my flame will go out."
"Your flame's gonna go out because you're too timid. Give it more juice."
"But what if I can't control it? If I burn myself, the forest or you?"
"I know you can do it. You're a talented kid" Zuko encouraged.
The compliment meant a lot to Aang, even if it did come from his former enemy.
The rest of their hike was completed in silence, and they did not reach their destination until dusk.
Unbelievably, the Sun Warriors made it there before them. Zuko questioned whether or not they had some other, secret passageway they could have used, but decided against it. This was a ritual, there was a reason they had to climb the entire mountain, he was sure.
"Facing the judgement of the firebending masters will be very dangerous you." He looked at Zuko. "Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons disappearance. The masters might not be so happy to see you" he finished, and Zuko looked away.
"I know I wouldn't be" the snarky one interrupted.
"But... once they find out I'm the Avatar..."
"Have you forgotten, that you vanished, allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world?"
Another spoke up, "The decline of the dragons is your burden, too." Aang broke eye contact in shame. He had worked so hard to not feel guilty for his actions over a century ago. As Katara had once told him, the monks had driven him away, and no one could have predicted he end up in such an accident. All of the healing he had begun with Katara and all of Iroh's wisdom seemingly vanished as he allowed his own self-doubt to creep back into his mind.
The chief took another piece from each of their flames, handing one to each of the warriors on his side. The rest of the tribe began a ritual.
"Bring them out!" Zuko ordered, over confidently.
"Chanters!" The chief yelled. The warriors began their chants, and held rings of fire, an beat drums as Zuko and Aang began their ascent of the stairs to the platform above. Aang took one look back before following Zuko's lead.
"Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shaw will now present their fire" one of the chanters announced.
The two took a bow, arms extended, and presented their fire to the two caves opposite each other from which the platforms extended.
"Sound the call!"
The signal was given, and a crash could be heard from both caves. Aang let his fire dissipate in shock.
"What's happening?" he asked Zuko, as he turned around and peaked around Zuko's larger form. His movements were frantic, but he eventually resumed his position bowing, only to realise he had no flame left. "Zuko! My fire went out" he gasped.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Give me some of yours" he said, clasping at Zuko, desperate for a piece of his flame.
"No, just make your own-"
Zuko's fire went out, too as the master's cave's rumbled once again as two dragons burst forth from their lairs, one blue, one red. The dragons swirled around each other in perfect harmony, performing a dance reminiscent of the one Aang forced Zuko to learn with him in that chamber.
They spent minutes stumbling around as the gusts the dragons created through sheer force. Zuko took longer than Aang to recover from the shock of witnessing actual, live dragons. To Aang, he had probably seen one just a few months ago. The revelation that they were all dead had come to a shock, but he could feel better knowing that there were still a bonded pair alive.
He eventually came to his senses when he realised exactly what it was that the dragons were doing. 'The Dragon Dance.'
"Zuko! I think they want us to dance."
"What?"
"We have to try something, just do it. Remember what we learned in the sun stone room."
Groaning, Zuko obliged. It was incredibly embarrassing to be dancing in front of an audience, to be dancing in front of dragons as they judged his soul for what it's worth. He got into position along with Aang as they began their sequence. Moving on to the second step, the dragons joined them, performing in synchrony.
They finished the movements, and the dragons swirled around them one last time before getting into position facing one of the boys each, finalising their judgement, watching as the two shiver at their stares, cowering behind one another.
'Zuko' Ran thought. 'A man of many mistakes, an ancestry full of hatred and peace, all at once. Self actualising.
'Avatar Aang' Shaw thought. 'Just a boy, full of fear and guilt. Determined to live up to his name and past, without taking revenge.'
They made their decision, and encased the Fire Prince and Avatar in colourful fire. From within the sphere, the boys screamed as the fire surrounded them, encasing them completely. Upon realising they were not being destroyed, they opened their eyes and stood back to back, and looked up at the magnificent array of colours the dragons created for them.
The fire circled around them for minutes as they drank in the sights and the visions the masters had provided for them, the secrets of firebending revealing themselves to the two. "I understand" was all Zuko could utter. And understand he did. The dragons had given him the most important vision of all- how to create fire without pain, without anger. They showed him that fire can also mean creation, life, and art.
Aang and Zuko walked down the stairs and greeted the smiling chief, the pair carrying an elightened air about them. "Now, you see" the chief explained.
Both Aang and Zuko created fire blasts as if to show their newfound power, creating new colours neither could create before. Aang felt more stable with his fire now, and Zuko felt a newfound sense of ease and tranquility.
The journey back to their camp was actually much shorter than their outbound one. Aang took turns waterbending the currents, and Zuko often used firebending to propel the boat forward at fast speeds, only taking breaks to relieve themselves and eat.
Back at the camp, Zuko and Aang demonstrated the poses they had learned from the ruins and their new ability to create colourful fire. "With this new technique the dragons showed us, Zuko and I will be unstopable!" Aang said with childish glee. His excitement was contagious, and even though both Iroh and Jeong Jeong had passed the dragon's judgement and learned the same things, they couldn't help but be fascinated. Mai stared down her boyfriend with admiration as she watched him play with his fire. He has changed, while he wasn't using negative emotions to make fire anymore, he was still the same broody teenager she loved. And she was glad to be sharing this journey with him.
Aang and Zuko sat down finally with their companions and ate their dinner with them.
"Uncle, you knew about them didn't you?"
"Yes, but I had to let you find out for yourselves. It is a unique journey you both had to take."
"But you knew of the dangers...?" Aang asked.
"I did. But I would not have sent you both alone without knowing you were worthy. After all, Jeong Jeong and I went through the same when we presented ourselves for enlightenment."
It all made sense to Zuko now. Iroh had his own redemption journey, and he, too knew the secrets of the dragons. "All this time I wondered why you never needed rage to fuel your bending. I understand now."
"That's all I ask, nephew" Iroh smiled. "I am proud of you."