The next morning, Chiara was up early after another nightmare. She looked at Zuko who, to her relief, was still asleep, so she lay down and quietly waited until the sun started brightening their room. When it was light enough, she sat up, and seeing Zuko was so sound asleep, she quietly gathered some items and left the room leaving him to his rest knowing he needed it. Walking out into the courtyard, she placed the bag down near the area where they ate their meals before walking around the trees gathering fruit for the others for their breakfast.

Returning to the courtyard, she saw Aang walking up to her.

"Greetings, Avatar Aang," she greeted him as she bowed with an armful of fruit.

"Greetings, Hotwoman," he said returning the bow. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better thanks to Lady Katara and Prince Zuko. Are you hungry? I picked some fruit for everyone." She threw a moon peach up in the air for Momo who flew up and caught it, and then he landed on Aang's shoulder before he began eating it.

"Thanks," said Aang taking one she held out to him. "Where's Zuko? We're supposed to start my firebending lessons today." There was a slight tone of uneasiness in his voice.

"He's getting some much needed sleep," she answered as she knelt down.

"Isn't he usually up with the sun?" asked Aang.

She was placing the fruit down in a pile not far from the extinguished campfire. "Usually, but I know a little waterbending technique that helps him sleep longer if he needs it."

Aang was laughing. "I think it's great you're a waterbender. We really had no idea."

"I'm sorry I had to hide it from you," she said as she started pulling a few things out of her bag and setting them near the fruit pile.

"I understand. Zuko said it would've been dangerous for you."

"I was more worried about the General," she said. "He was nearly executed because of it."

"Zuko said that's when he broke you out of prison. I guess he's a really good guy."

"My prince is very honorable." She looked at him. "I'm surprised to see you up so early this morning."

"I was just going to feed Appa."

Her eyes lit up. "I love Appa."

"Would you like to help me feed him?"

"I would love to," she said.

She stood up, leaving her work, and followed Aang. After helping him gather hay, they approached Appa who perked up knowing he was about to eat.

"He's so beautiful," she said when she saw him.

Aang was laughing at her excitement. They laid the hay before him, and as he ate Chiara enjoyed petting him.

"You are so beautiful," she said as she rubbed him. "I've missed your soft fur."

"I can't believe how different Zuko is," said Aang who was leaning against Appa. "He's really changed."

"He had to learn that true honor comes from making the right choices. There's no honor in murdering the innocent."

Aang enjoyed her wisdom.

"He really cares about you," he said.

"He's so precious," she smiled. She continued rubbing Appa who paused eating and rolled over. "Aww." She laughed. "So are you," she said to the content bison.

"Appa really likes you," he said.

"He's such a beautiful boy. You must be so happy to be out of that cell," she said to Appa.

Aang was puzzled by her words. "Cell?"

"Under Lake Laogai."

"You knew he was there?"

"We saw your fliers in Ba Sing Se," she said. "Prince Zuko released him."

Aang thought about what Zuko had said the day before about freeing his bison.

"How-how did he find him?"

"Dai Li agent."

"Why would Zuko look for him?"

"To get to you," she said honestly. "But he made the decision to set this beautiful boy free."

"Were you with him?"

"Yes."

He wondered if she had influenced Zuko to set Appa free.

"I can't believe Zuko followed me to Ba Sing Se," he said in a low voice.

"He didn't," said Chiara. "We were wanted by the Fire Nation, so we went there as refugees."

He looked at her. "Why were you wanted by the Fire Nation?"

"After the General fought against Zhao and tried to save the moon spirit at the North Pole, word got back to the Fire nation, and we were considered traitors. Azula came after us, but we escaped into the Earth Kingdom with nearly nothing."

Aang was stunned as he never knew what they went through.

"We ended up hiding in Ba Sing Se after she attacked the General in Tu Zin," she continued. "It was an adjustment, but we planned on settling down. The General had opened a tea shop in the Upper Ring, we had just gotten married...and then Azula showed up with the promise of honor and his father's love," she said sadly.

"Zuko told us what happened—how he betrayed you and his uncle."

"It was a turning point for him." She stopped rubbing Appa and looked at Aang. "Your destinies are connected. It was no coincidence that he was the first of the Fire Nation to discover the Avatar was alive. This was where he started his quest looking for you here in the Western Air Temple in order to capture you, and now he finally finds you here, but he comes to you as an ally and a teacher. It was a long journey, but he made it back here...on your side, on the right path."

"You were right about finding the right teacher when it was time," he said. "You're really wise, Chiara."

She smiled. "The General used to say that."

After enjoying some time with Appa, they went back to the courtyard where Aang watched Chiara build a fire.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"Do you want to cut up the fruit?" she asked.

"Sure." He picked up an apple. "Do you have a knife?"

She pulled hers out of its sheath and handed it to him.

"This is nice," he said looking at it.

"It was a gift from Prince Zuko," she said as she started heating water for tea. "It was the most useful gift I've ever received."

When the water was ready she replaced the teapot over the fire with a frying pan, and then she began preparing the tea. While it was steeping, she lined up a few spices she pulled out of her bag, and once the frying pan was sufficiently heated, she dropped in a few pieces of apple that Aang had cut. Holding a piece out to a happy, hungry Momo, he jumped onto her shoulder and ate it before begging for more food. She added some spices to the pan and then turned the fruit to fry it evenly.

"I don't think I've ever eaten fruit fried before," said Aang when he finished cutting another apple.

"It's a little difficult to get them perfect without the right ingredients, but they should still be good to eat," she said as she flipped the apple pieces in the pan and added more spices. "Back home or on board the ship, we could make them where they would melt in your mouth."

"This is what we really missed about you, Chiara," came Sokka's voice as he and Katara walked up to them and sat down.

"Sokka!" said Katara.

Chiara softly laughed. "I'm glad to be of service," she said as she bowed to them while Momo balanced himself to keep from falling off her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" Katara asked her.

"I feel really good. Thank you, Lady Katara," she said. "Would you like some fried fruit?"

"I don't refuse any food that sounds good," said Sokka.

She placed some cooked pieces on a plate and handed it to Katara who shared it with Aang and Sokka, and then she poured tea for them.

"I thought we might have fried fish this morning," said Sokka.

She smiled. "If Prince Zuko allows me to go to the river, I could catch something to fry."

Katara felt annoyed by the thought of Zuko having to allow her to do anything, but she just quietly ate the fruit.

"This is really good," said Aang as Katara nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," smiled Chiara as she added more pieces to the pan.

"It'd be better with some meat wrapped around it," said Sokka.

"If you don't like it, then Aang and I will finish them," said Katara as she moved the plate between her and Aang.

"I didn't say I didn't like it," he said reaching for another piece. "I just think meat would...enhance the flavor."

Chiara was softly laughing at them as she was adding spices to the pan.

"So...," said Sokka, "...Zuko's wife. What's that like?"

"It's been adventurous," she answered.

"And speaking of Zuko," he started as he looked around wondering if he missed him, "Where is he?"

"He's still sleeping."

"Chiara said she knows a technique to help him sleep longer," said Aang to Sokka. "Do you think you can teach it to me?" he asked, looking at her.

"Aang!" said Sokka. "You can't ask her that?"

"Why not?"

"That...that's...private..."

"What's the big deal...?" asked Aang innocently, wondering why Sokka sounded so offended.

"I don't think Zuko would appreciate you and his wife...you know..."

Katara was wondering what they were going on about as Chiara just watched them going back and forth wanting to laugh as she realized what Sokka was implying.

"But Zuko's going to be my firebending teacher," argued Aang. "Why would he mind if Chiara teaches me a few things..."

"She's another man's wife, Aang." He lowered his voice. "And not just any man's wife...Zuko's...you know, angry jerk...the same angry jerk who chased you all over the world for his honor. What do you think he's going to do to you if you hit his wife up for...techniques?"

Chiara was still holding back laughter while quietly eating a piece of fruit hoping Zuko would not walk out during this conversation.

"She gave Katara tips on waterbending," countered Aang. "If she knows something helpful for sleeping, I think it would be great to have her teach me."

"That is a terrible idea!" said Sokka looking around worried that Zuko might hear.

Smoke coming from the frying pan suddenly distracted Chiara from the conversation that had distracted her from her cooking. She started pulling out blackened pieces of apple and tossed them across the courtyard. Momo immediately went after them and tried picking up the burning apple remains.

"And you need to keep your voice down," said Sokka in a loud whisper. "You shouldn't be asking her for that...that kind of information."

"All she has to do is show me what she does for Zuko," said Aang.

Sokka looked at Katara. "Why are you not the one yelling at him for this?"

Chiara decided to hold off cooking at the moment. She considered cutting up another apple, but, worried that she might lose a finger this time, she just joined the conversation instead.

"I can teach it to Katara too," she said innocently as Sokka's jaw dropped. "She and Aang could both benefit from it together."

"No! That's...no...technique...no...," stuttered Sokka unable to express anything coherent at that moment.

Chiara thought Sokka's brain was about to explode.

"Sokka, what is wrong with you? What are you talking about?" Katara finally asked him.

He looked at her. "Come on, Katara," he said, finally managing intelligible words. "How can you think it's appropriate for her to talk about her techniques to help her husband sleep or for Aang to ask her to teach him...or you?!"

"It's a really useful waterbending technique," said Chiara coolly to Katara as if that's what the entire conversation had been about all along.

Sokka looked at her. "Waterbending technique?" he asked in a small voice.

Suddenly he jumped as Katara hit him. "You need to get your mind out of the gutter!" she said to her brother.

"Well...what...what was I supposed to think?" he asked. "Aang just said she knew a technique for sleeping."

"And that automatically means something...inappropriate?"

"So you thought I was asking Chiara to...?" started Aang as it dawned on him what Sokka had been talking about. "Sokka!" Aang turned as red as the apple Chiara was now cutting up. Even the arrow on his head looked like a light shade of purple. "Honestly, Chiara, I-I wasn't thinking that," he said, though he could not bring himself to look at her.

"Considering we were talking about a waterbending technique, it never crossed my mind that you were," she said calmly, despite the laughter inside her mind.

"Leave it to my stupid brother to assume that," said Katara also feeling embarrassed.

At the sound of their arguing and the smell of the food, Teo, The Duke, and Haru came out.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Teo.

"Nothing!" yelled Aang, Sokka, and Katara at the same time.

Chiara just giggled as she placed some fruit in the pan.

"Everyone's up early today," said Haru.

"And whatever you're cooking smells good," said The Duke.

"Give me a few minutes, and you can try it," said Chiara.

Momo, finally giving up when he realized the burnt apples were not edible, jumped back on Chiara's shoulder and she handed him a piece of a freshly cut moon peach.

Soon, Zuko woke up after one of the most restful nights of sleep he had had in a long time. He thought about the night before and the wonderful water massage Chiara had given him, and he rolled over to put his arm around her only to find the spot next to him empty. He sat up and glanced around the room feeling more worried as he found himself alone, and he immediately got up to go look for her. When he walked outside, he found her serving breakfast to Haru.

"Chiara, you shouldn't be working so hard," he said when he walked up to her.

"I'm not. I just fried some fruit for breakfast, and I've been enjoying the interesting conversation."

Aang suddenly turned red as did Sokka, but Zuko did not notice. Momo wrapped himself around her neck causing her to giggle, and she scratched behind his ear.

"Remember Momo at the Southern Air Temple?" she asked Zuko.

"Is this the same creature that was following us?" he asked as he looked at him.

"I think so." She handed Momo a piece of fruit.

"He definitely remembers you," he said.

She placed her hand on Zuko's back and tenderly rubbed it. "Come sit, relax. Let me get you something to eat."

"You really shouldn't be doing this," he insisted as she led him to the spot near where she had been cooking. "You just got out of prison."

"I feel really great this morning," she said as she knelt down and added moon peaches and apples to the pan. "This is the best I've felt in a long time."

Zuko reluctantly knelt down next to her, and she handed him a cup of tea. "You'll need to warm it up."

"Yep, now I see why you guys missed her," said Toph as she knelt down next to Sokka.

"Give me a few minutes, and I'll have your breakfast for you," said Chiara.

"It smells good," she said.

After handing a plate of fruit to Zuko, she began cooking for Toph. When it was done, she stood up and walked it over to her.

"Lady Beifong," she said as she set her plate in her hands. "And this is your tea." She set it next to her.

"Now, that's how you know Princess Chiara is royalty," said Toph. "She knows how to address her equals, unlike the rest of you peasants."

"Hey," said Sokka. "We're not peasants, Toph."

"Since all the peasants address me so casually," started Toph to Chiara, "it seems only right that the Princess of the Fire Nation should too."

"As you wish, Lady Toph," said Chiara.

Toph laughed.

"Did you eat?" Zuko asked Chiara as she walked behind him towards her spot.

"I had a little."

"Then you need to eat more."

"Wow, you two really are married," said Toph.

The others started laughing.

"I just don't want her overworking herself," he said.

"Yes, Prince Zuko," said Chiara kneeling down next to him since she now finished serving everyone.

Seeing her give in to Zuko's nagging, Katara was about to snap at him, but she held back as she watched him put some of his food in front of her.

"Eat more," he said to her.

"You need to eat," she said. "You'll need your energy today."

"I'm fine."

The others started talking about their plans for the day while they ate, and while they were carrying on their own conversations, Chiara looked at Zuko.

"Would it be okay if I go to the forest while you're training with Aang?" she asked him softly.

"Why?" he asked.

"To hunt."

"I don't want you outside the temple."

"But I imagine you want meat for dinner."

"Yes," said Sokka perking up when he heard the word 'meat.' "Meat sounds good."

"I'll go without before I let you go off in the woods by yourself," Zuko said to her.

"I'll go with her," said Sokka.

Zuko looked at him. "I'm not comfortable with that."

"That might be inappropriate," said Chiara dragging out her last word.

She laughed to herself as she caught Aang blushing and averting his eyes, and Sokka quickly stuffed food into his mouth.

"I agree," said Zuko totally oblivious to their reactions, which made Chiara want to laugh even more.

"I'll go too," said Toph.

"I would be more comfortable if I was with her," said Zuko.

"Katara's right," said Toph, laughing. "You really are overprotective of her."

"You do realize she was in prison because an army of soldiers captured us in the Earth Kingdom?" he said. "After what she's been through, I need to be overprotective."

"If you were both captured, then it looks to me like it doesn't matter whether or not you're with her," said Toph. "Now if I was there..." She cracked her knuckles. "...I would've been able to protect her."

Zuko just softly sighed.

"Well, I still want meat," said Sokka. "I'll go hunting."

"Would you like to borrow my bow?" asked Chiara.

"Nope. I have my trusty boomerang."

After breakfast Chiara started cleaning up as Katara helped her. Zuko stood up and looked at Aang.

"Okay, Avatar, are you ready to learn firebending?"

Aang reluctantly stood up. "I suppose, Sifu Hotman," he said, sounding unsure.

Chiara giggled to herself at Aang's address, but she noticed his reluctance. "Don't worry, Aang," she said. "Now's the right time. And I think Prince Zuko will be a good teacher for you."

Zuko chuckled. "She suggested I teach you firebending when she returned to my ship after she spent time with you."

They all looked at him.

"What?" asked Aang.

"You suggested it back then?" Katara asked her.

Chiara nodded. "We were talking about Master Jeong Jeong, so I told Prince Zuko that he was so good at firebending he should teach the Avatar, and being closer to Aang's age, he might be able to connect with him."

"And he didn't throw you in the brig?" asked Sokka.

"That's what the General said," giggled Chiara.

The others started laughing, but Zuko just shrugged.

"I thought about it."

The others stopped laughing as their jaws dropped making Chiara giggle at their reaction.

"I was just joking," said Zuko.

The others relaxed and laughed, except for Katara.

"Yeah, right," she hissed under her breath.

"My Prince was very tolerant with me," said Chiara.

Zuko's heart melted at her words.

"What did you say to her when she told you that?" Aang asked Zuko.

"I told her it was treasonous," he said.

"Figures," said Katara.

"The General thought it was a good idea," said Chiara. "He knew just how connected your destinies are."

Zuko was reminded of Iroh telling him of his connection to Avatar Roku.

"Where should we practice?" asked Aang timidly.

"I know where we can go that will give us enough room," said Zuko.

He took Chiara's hand and gently pulled her up.

"But I'm not finished cleaning," she said.

"I'll do it later," he offered.

"She can stay here with us," said Katara.

"I need her help," said Zuko trying to remain patient.

"She's not even a firebender," argued Katara.

"She knows more about firebending than a lot of firebenders," he argued back.

Chiara knew it was just an excuse, but she went with him, and the three of them walked to a large, open, secluded balcony. Zuko crossed his arms and turned to face Aang.

"I know you're nervous," he said. "But remember, firebending in and of itself is not something to fear."

Aang sighed deeply. "Okay. Not something to fear," he said looking deeply worried.

"But if you don't respect it, it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino!"

"Aah," said Aang nervously.

"Now show me what you've got," said Zuko. "Any amount of fire you can make."

Aang attempted to firebend, and produced a small puff of smoke.

"Maybe I need a little more instruction," he said, sounding defeated. "Perhaps a demonstration?"

"Good idea," said Zuko. "You might want to take a couple steps back."

Aang and Chiara moved back to give Zuko space, and he moved to produce fire but only produced a small flame. Aang clapped, but Chiara was surprised and wondered if he did it on purpose.

"What was that?" said Zuko, surprised by such a weak display. "That was the worst firebending I've ever seen!"

"I thought it was...nice," said Aang.

Zuko tried again several times, but was unable to produce any large flames and he was feeling frustrated.

"Ughh! Why is this happening?"

Chiara was puzzled as she had never seen him have this kind of trouble with firebending.

"Maybe it's the altitude," suggested Aang.

Zuko felt worried. "Yeah, could be."

He continued trying but was unable to produce anything greater than a small flame. As the day went on, Aang sat down and Chiara stood nearby while Zuko continued trying to firebend.

"Remember what the General said," she started as she went through the motions. "Power in firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles. The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire."

Zuko could not help laughing at her perfect imitation of Iroh, but he went through the movements.

"Just breathe, and..." He tried to shoot another flame, but it was still small.

"That one kind of felt hot," said Aang.

"Don't patronize me!" yelled Zuko impatiently. "You know what it's supposed to look like!"

"Sorry, Sifu Hotman."

Chiara stifled a giggle at Aang's address.

"And stop calling me that!" yelled Zuko.

"Hey, jerks, and Chiara," said Sokka as he approached them while eating an apple. "Mind if I watch you jerks do your jerkbending?"

"Get out of here!" yelled Zuko.

"Okay, take it easy," said Sokka. "I was just kidding around." He turned to leave. "Jerkbending...still got it."

"Do you want to try to shoot some fire at me?" Chiara asked Zuko as she pulled out her sword. "Maybe if we practice like we used to it'll help."

"Yeah, maybe."

She took a defensive stance.

"Wait," said Aang worriedly, "you're going to shoot fire at her?"

"Don't worry," said Zuko. "She's been trained to fight firebenders."

Chiara was touched by Aang's concern for her, and she smiled at him. "I'll be okay, Aang. We've practiced a lot."

Zuko faced her and then he moved to send fire towards her, but the flame was weak and small and barely reached her. He tried again with the same result. He took a deep breath and released it just as he tried another move, but he was still unable to produce a flame that required her to defend herself. Each time he tried, he was unsuccessful. Suddenly, Chiara cut through the air with her sword before lunging towards him raising it to attack, and Zuko, unnerved by her unexpected aggressive action, tried to firebend at her defensively, but she easily cut through the small flames and put her sword to his throat. Aang was on the edge of his seat anxiously watching, stunned by her assault as he never suspected she was so well-trained with the sword, and he held his breath when he saw her hold the sword to his neck.

"Umm...you win?" said Zuko, sounding slightly nervous.

She withdrew her sword and both Zuko and Aang breathed a sigh of relief. Chiara, though, was still worried about Zuko's ability to bend.

As the day went on, Zuko began worrying even more as he was still unable to fully firebend. Aang had gone off to join the others leaving Zuko and Chiara alone together on the balcony where they sat staring into the distance.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Chiara," he said worriedly. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"So much has been going on lately," she said with her hand on his upper arm as she leaned against him. "Maybe you're just too tense."

"I don't know. I feel freer than I've felt since...since we were at the cabin."

She stood up. "C'mon," she said taking his hand.

"Where are we going?" he asked as she pulled him along.

"Back to the room. We need a mat. I'm going to help you relax."

"Uh...what about what Uncle said...," he started.

She stopped and looked at him. "What?"

"...you know...about us waiting...until after...everything..."

She started laughing wondering if there was something in the air affecting the male minds. "Not that kind of relax."

"Oh," he said sounding a bit disappointed.

They went to their room.

"Sit on the mat and take your shirt off," she said.

"Are you sure it's not that kind of relax?" he said as he sat down.

She smiled. "I said shirt, not pants." She ran her fingers through his hair. "Now clear your mind." She sat facing him, and after he removed his tunic, she took his hands cradling them in her own with his palms up. "Give me a flame in each hand."

He produced two small flames for her, and then she moved behind him.

"Keep holding them and keep breathing in and out."

He kept his breathing steady as she began massaging his shoulders and back. As she moved her fingers along his spine and outward from it, his flames would grow and shrink. He was amazed at the effect it was having on his fire.

"Okay, lie down on your stomach," she said as she moved to his side.

He allowed the flames to extinguish, and after doing as she directed, she began massaging his back. She worked the tension out of his muscles, and then she began using water in her massage.

When she finished, he felt completely relaxed.

"Try firebending again," she said.

"I don't think I want to move," he said.

She softly giggled.

He reluctantly stood up. Trying his moves again, he noticed an improvement, but he was still unable to create anything more than a small stream of fire.

"Ugh...," he said with frustration. "It's still not working." He looked at her. "About that other way of relaxing..."

"It's not physical," she said.

"What?"

"Whatever's wrong with your firebending, it's not physical."

"So it's in my head?"

"Remember in Ba Sing Se after you released Appa and you got sick?" He nodded. "I couldn't heal you. The General said it was because it wasn't a natural sickness. Just like then, there's something going on inside of you, and you need to figure it out."

"Great," he said dejectedly as he sat down next to her and lay back on the floor. "It'd be so much easier if it was physical. Nothing ever seems to work out for me. I finally feel like I'm doing the right thing, and then...this."

She leaned towards him. "It'll work out," she said softly as she gently caressed his head. "It has to."

As the sun began going down, they returned to the courtyard where Chiara started helping Katara with dinner while Zuko stood off to the side by himself worrying about the situation. When the others were gathered around eating, Zuko approached them.

"Listen, everybody, I've got some pretty bad news," he said. "I've lost my stuff."

"Don't look at me," said Toph. "I didn't touch your stuff."

"I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone."

Chiara walked over to him and stood by his side.

Suddenly, Katara started laughing and everyone looked at her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just laughing at the irony. You know, how it would've been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago."

Chiara tenderly caressed his arm.

"Well, it's not lost," he said. "It's just...weaker for some reason."

"Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are," said Katara.

"Ouch," said Toph.

"I bet it's because I changed sides," said Zuko thoughtfully. He looked at Chiara remembering her words earlier.

"That's ridiculous," said Katara.

"I don't know," said Aang. "Maybe it isn't. Maybe your firebending comes from rage and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."

"So...all we need to do is make Zuko angry," said Sokka. "Easy enough."

Sokka started poking him with his spear.

"Okay! Cut it out!" Zuko yelled at Sokka as Chiara held onto his arm. He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way."

"You're going to need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source," said Toph. "I recommend the original source."

"How's he supposed to do that?" asked Sokka. "By jumping into a volcano?"

"No," she answered. "Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is."

"So, is it jumping into a volcano?" asked Sokka.

"I don't know," said Toph. "For earthbending, the original benders were badgermoles. One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me, so we understood each other. I was able to learn earthbending, not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting; it was their way of interacting with the world."

"That's amazing, Toph," said Aang. "I learned from the monks, but the original airbenders were the sky bison." He looked at Appa. "Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime, buddy."

Appa just growled.

Chiara looked up at Zuko. "The dragons," she said.

He nodded. "Well this doesn't help me," he said. "The original firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct."

"What do you mean?" asked Aang. "Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid."

"Well, they aren't around anymore, okay?!" said Zuko angrily.

Chiara placed her hand on his arm again.

"Okay, okay," said Aang. "I'm sorry."

"But maybe there's another way," said Zuko more calmly. "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors."

"Sun Warriors?" said Aang. "Well, I know they weren't around when I was a kid."

"No," said Zuko. "They died off thousands of years ago. But their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins."

"It's like the monks used to tell me. Sometimes the shadows of the past can be felt by the present."

"So what?" asked Sokka. "Maybe you'll pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing where they stood a thousand years ago?"

"More or less," said Zuko. "Either I find a new way to firebend, or the Avatar has to find a new teacher."