Two teams of komodo rhinos came drudging up a steep incline to a dark dwelling looming over the raging sea. The leader of the team was holding an incapacitated little girl in his arms. They reached the gateway to this place. They halted for a moment.
"What is the password?" asked the sentry with his fist of fire ready to set ablaze the man if it was inaccurate.
"May the fire of dragons led us to victory in the moonless night." replied the man in a rather bored tone of voice.
"You are cleared. Please proceed Admiral Zhao is waiting. Do not test his patience. He been rather moody to say the least since the Avatar escaped with the Blue Spirit." replied the Sentry as they passed through the gateway.
The courtyard was barren except for a soaring tower made out of red fire crystals. From a balcony high above Zhao surveyed the complex, he smiled slight when he saw his men had retrieved his quarry.
"Well at least this turning out to be a flawless so far. Now if Zuko and the Avatar are true creatures of nature they will come and I will have the ultimate prize. Maybe even that wrenched Blue Spirit will join them. Then the Fire Lord will make me Second in the Nation. Yes now that would make everything perfect!" he chortled to himself insanely.
He flew down the stairs and evilly eyed the sleeping princess as his officer shoved her in his arms and he had a trapdoor opened and they went 600 meters straight down. He was followed by fifteen of his finest soldiers. They came down the last of the old crumbling dusty stone steps to two colossal wooden doors with a gold and silver dragons insignia on it.
Using fire bending the ancient door creaked open and they stepped over the threshold into a carven chamber. This stone chamber had been completely iced over. It was about 18 feet long and 14 feet wide. In the center of the room was a large square hole about 8 feet deep. Zhao laid the sleeping child on the floor of this room and then drew back his right foot and kicked her hard in the abdomen. "Wake up! You treasons princess wake up you brat! Wake up!" he kicked her till she was black and blue.
"Ahh! Stop that right now! That hurts! Where am I? What's going on? Who brought me here? Zhao! What is the meaning of this!" she snapped at him before she fell to the frozen ground in pain.
He got down on his knees and held her chin in his right hand and said looking right at her amber eyes. "You little girl , are going to bring me the Avatar. You will also bring me his friends, and your traitorous brother. Then I will hand all of you over to the Fire Lord. Then I will be made Second in the Nation. You and all the others will be executed of course then things will be perfect."
"Like I ever help you! You are a monster that belongs in hell! Its people like you and my father that ruined the reputation of what we of the Fire Nation once stood for. Before we became corrupt by the poison of greed, lust, and power. Before our fire stood for life, now it this sacred flame only brings pain and misery and death to all that it touches. I see what my father truly is. The devil in human skin. I will bring true honor back to the Fire Nation. I see you and everyone like you will die!" she hissed through bared teeth. She lunged at the man but received only another blow to her chest. She fell to the ground in a crumpled heap gasping for breath.
"You don't have a choice. I know you, and your brother nature. Like so many others he will come. He will try to save you. It's so predictable that it's not even funny. He will bring the Avatar with him. He will need the brat's help to get in and out of the Citadel of the Dragon in one piece. I will be waiting! Now to make sure you won't escape I will use the legendary blue fire on you." He grabbing hold her hands roughly.
"Blue Fire?" gasping, "You mean the Ice Dragon 's flame of Cold Fire! But only a true master can bend it with harming themselves!" she said fanatically trying to run away.
"True. Now be prepare its going to get cold. Very cold." He said as took out a vile and open it and dark blue flames danced in his palm. He then set fire to her hands and she instinctively lit her own fire. But the flames changed her fire to ice!
"The more heat you produce the more you'll be covered in ice. This room tempter drops every 15 minuets. Its already 10 degrees above freezing soon it will drop to below freezing. So see you later ice princess." He said laughing insanely, He walked out with his head held so high you didn't know how he could have held up his over inflated ego.
She ran to the doors trying to get out. But he sent a shower of sparks at her and she fell into the pit. "Ha, Ha, Ha! Stupid little girl!" he said laughing like a hyena at dinnertime.
"NO! This can't be happening!" she shivered. Hanging her head sadly she began to cry. With each tear drop that fell it become an icicle and shatter on the ice-cold floor. Curling up in the corner she hoped her body heat would keep her warm enough till help arrived.
"Is this not the cruelest twist of irony ever? I'm a fire bender, but if I use my fire I will just turn in to an ice sculpture. But if I don't I'll die. Zuko, Aang. My brother, my love. I really need you. Please come save me." She moaned weakly as she start to become drowsy.
Outside on the other side of the door Zhao was busy screaming at the guards to watch the door. "No one, I mean absolute no one get past you. You stay and make sure that no one gets into that chamber with out my permission. Got it!"
The soldiers only nodded in agreement. Armed with their spears and fire they would go as far as to die to make sure this order was followed to the letter.
"Delighted we understand one another. I must go and wait for our guests to turn up. See you!" he said as he and Colonel Shino began to trek up the twisted old stone stairwell. Half way up Colonel Shino decided to take a big gamble and tell Admiral Zhao what he was thinking.
"Admiral, I know you still feel a bit sore over the loss of the Avatar. But everyone is humiliated once in a while. But what you are doing is beyond reckless. It suicidal! You are willing to risk all are lives, on a mere chance, that the Avatar and Prince Zuko will show up to rescue her!" he said in a fearful and angry tone of voice. With his fists trembling in fury.
"What is your, point, Colonel Shino? Do you have a problem with my plan? Because if you do I like to hear what it is. So tell me what to you find so offences you risk being burned alive?" Zhao said calm but firmly with his eyes narrowing to mere amber chips.
"Admiral Zhao. I respect you a great deal. You are a fine officer, but I would think it's a bit foolish, if not insane to risk the Fire Lord's fury by kidnapping, imprisoning, and leaving his daughter to die. All in the name of hoping no dreaming that she will bring you the Avatar. I even wouldn't be so fool hearted to risk my neck in such crazy cockamamie scheme!" he yelled with mischievous sprite inferno in his worn out eyes.
"Then that is were you and I are different, I'm willing to risk everything! I am not afraid of anything! Remember, Colonel I out rank you. So you have to follow my orders!" he said turning and pointing a finger at the Colonel chest.
Pushing the finger away Shino stood up and glared at his rival officer. "You may out rank me, Admiral Zhao, but of all the lives you are willing to risk, its your own neck you should worry about! Because only a fool is afraid of nothing." He said in a chilled out voice.
"You think I am anxious about Fire Lord Ozai? His son is a traitor and his daughter is one too. Take after that wrenched Zalika. She was just too good; she never knew when to keep her tongue unvoiced. She was more of a traitor then her useless, valueless, ignominious spawn. The little girl is even more treacherous than her insignificant brother. She committed the most treasons act ever." He said as they near the top.
"What would that be?" asked the Colonel
"She fell in love with the AVATAR!" Declared Zhao in peculiar tone of voice. He sounded like he was possessed. "If there ever was an act of true transgression against the Fire Nation, kissing and being with the Avatar is it! She had her chance to take him down and she blew it. Her and her brother don't deserve the honor of being of the Fire Lord 's blood. They don't deserve to be part of our superior nation of the greatest element! If she dies it will be a great relief for the Fire Nation! Now come we must wait for the Avatar. Once we have him, then will we finally win this war!" as they rose from the underground and embraced the moonlight night air.
Flying high above the clouds as the moon come and went behind them. Sokka was holding onto Appa reins, while Aang and Katara tried to come up with a plan that wasn't going to get them killed. Zuko just stood with his arms folded across his chest with a look of determination in his eyes. He hadn't spoken a word since they a sped headlong into this crazy mission. All he managed to utter was "I can't believe this stupid creature can fly!"
"I don't know, Aang, we can't really plan a strategy, with out knowing exactly what we are getting into. I mean we don't even know what this place looks like!" said Katara in defeat when she could think of no real plan.
Sighing, Aang got off his knees and walked over to Zuko and tapped him on the shoulder. The Fire Prince jumped almost out of the basket in surprise. "What do you want, Avatar?" asked Zuko his one good eye glaring intensely at the child with the arrow tattoos.
"Listen, Zuko we need your help. We can't save Zara by ourselves. We need to know everything about the Citadel of the Dragon. Please, can we work together at least long enough to save Zara?" asked Aang with his emotional gray eyes twinkling in the starlight.
Zuko seemed lost for moment in his own world. He hung his head with his eyes closed. Finally he sat down and spoke. His voice seemed to take up the innocent of the boy he used to be, before he was burned. He looked at Aang with a queer look in his eyes, and then he spoke " To truly understand the Citadel of the Dragon, you would have to hear the story of its creation. I first heard the legend one summer night when I was seven years old and Mother had snuck Zara and me out of the palace." He looked at the moon and began to remember the night he thought had been lost to him.
It was a beautiful crisp summer night. The stars twinkled like little diamonds. The summer breeze whistle softly through the trees and hills. It was a quarter to midnight. On top of the largest hill were three shadowy figures. Suddenly they began to roll down the hill laughing and shouting joyful. The only watchers around were the fireflies that illuminate the night so the trio could play. Reaching the bottom at the same time the all got up and laughed as the brushed off the grass.
"Is this not pleasurable, my Scarlet Dragon, and Little Phoenix? To just enjoy the marvels of the magic of the world of the night?" asked Zalika to her children as she cleaned them up.
"It is most beautiful, Mother. You always make everything so fun!" cried the little red head girl. Her mother picked her up and put her on her shoulders.
"Yes you do make things quite fun. But won't Father be angry we snuck out in the middle of the night?" asked Zuko as his mom took his hand as she lead them back up the hill.
"Lets us live in the moment, shall we, children? Let us savor this moment of moonlight magic. When they reached the top of the hill she laid her children down in a patch of silvery moon blossoms.
"I want you two too look at the stars. See that group of stars over to the left of the moon's crescent tip? That's the Dragon Star. There is a wonderful story to that constellation. So you want to hear the story?" asked their mother kindly as she stroke their faces.
The two looked at each other with gay smiles and said in unison "Please, Mother, tell us the story, but please sing it to us!"
"Alright, I will sing you a story." Composing her self for a moment she stood up tall and began to sing in a dreamy velvet voice of sweet serenity and love. "Long ago, long before the war, our land was home to the magnificent and majestic creatures of great power. They were the masters of the skies and keeper of the flame; they were the most honorable of all the creatures if not one of the most beautiful of God creation. They were dragons. When you had seen a dragon it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The Emperor Dragon, the dragon of gold sun, Solar and his Emprises the silver moon dragon Lunar ruled over the dragons for countless centuries. They would still rule if we had not been tainted by greed, and power."
"You have heard of the Citadel of the Dragon, my children? Well its not a building in the shape of two slumber dragons, it is two real sleeping dragons. The Emperor and his Queen. One week after the first assaulted on the other nations, we wanted even more power than even Sozen comet could ever hope to give to us. We went to the nesting grounds of the dragons to take their sacred fire. We soon killed all but three dragons on our ill quest to get the Fire of the Dragon. The Emperor, his mate and their only surviving son, Ravi who had been Avatar Roku own spirit guide. They stood their ground and launched one finally strike against the evil fire benders. But lost, but before they could be killed, they used the power of their crown gems to turn themselves into stone and Ravi then crystallized the fire into fire crystals. With one last mournful cry of sorrow for lose of his parents, he flew and didn't stop till he reached Avatar Roku' temple island. Then he died and faded away to the world beyond.
Soon, the land was converted into what is now known as the Citadel of the Dragon. High-ranking officer used to hold people for their death. That includes what the consider "Traitors" of the Fire Nation. If they're anyone who should be condemned to die a slow cold death, it's half the people in the Fire Nation! Come Scarlet Dragon, Little Phoenix we must return to the palace." As they began to race home laughing all the way.
"So you see the Citadel isn't a building as much as it's a living creatures. I suspect the Dragons are waiting for the Fire Nation greed to end so they may return. The two dragons themselves are about 500 feet long each. And the Fire Crystal Tower is about 36 stories high. The place is full of traps. The cell is the old egg chamber. It used to be warm all the time. But when the Fire was crystallized it became ice cold." Conclude Zuko is defended.
"Back up! You are saying that this Citadel is not a building of stone but rather two real live dragons sleeping!" cried Sokka with his mouth hanging open so far that you could fit a pair of hog monkeys in side and still have room for dinner.
"Yes. And no one ever has gotten in or out of the Citadel in one piece. But than again, Zhao thought no one could get the Avatar out of his fortress and I did that with the Avatar help. So if the impossible can be done once it can be done twice. I least I hope. I really don't have much hope left." He said as he became lost in his own world again.
"Zuko we need to have a plan! We got only about ten minutes before we arrive at the place. We need you to tell us what else you know so we can hopeful get this suicidal mission accomplish so talk to me!" cried Katara as she snapped her fingers in front of Zuko face to break the trance he was in.
"Ahh! Err!" he gripped her by the wrist held it tight.
"Stop that!" she cried out as her wrist began to bruise
He let go of her wrist and shook his head. "I 'm sorry, Water Bender. I'm just beyond upset. I can't really even breathe anymore. I need Zara. I promised to keep her safe. I can't, I won't break my promise to my mother."
Katara hands went straight to her hips at the same time her eyes narrowed to mere slits. "Listen, Mr. Prince of fire! You have done nothing but hunt us like animals and cause pain and misery everywhere way we have gone. You think Aang will give you your "honor" back then you are wrong! True honor is living a life of good, and giving back to life. We feel sorry for you. But instead of wallowing in pity cause your devil of a father brunt your face try doing something constrictive with your life! You were punished for doing the right thing! You really think if your father loved you he would have done what he did? NO WAY! Your sister has felt guilty because even seeing your fate two years ago she couldn't have prevent it. So if you really want to honor your mother, do the right thing a help rid this world of the evil of your father!" she screamed at him, till she had to start gasping for air.
Zuko looked at her stunned that she had spoken to him in such a manner. He must admit he admired her courage but he didn't like the way she had spoken to him at all. Or the fact that they knew how he got his scar.
"You'll do better in the future to remember to treat me in a better manner! I deserve a little more respect then a street dog who been rolling in mud! How you force Zara to tell you my tale of dishonor? Tell me Water Bender," he said as he towered over with a scowl on his face.
"First thing, Zuko! My name is Katara, not Water Bender. That's my brother Sokka! And he not just the "Avatar" his name is Aang! Second Zara wasn't force to tell us anything. She told us your story so we wouldn't make anymore-cruel remarks about you. She cares more about you and Aang then she cares about her own safety. She loves you both so much! So if you want to save her help us now!" she shouted at him and then using the a bit of water from her satchel doused him with water in his face.
"Fine, Katara. I will call you by name. We will need you and your brother Sokka was it? To occupy the guards while the Avatar and me get inside the tower and find the trap door and get Zara out. You just have this flying shag rug ready to leave! Understand, Katara?" asked Zuko
"This flying carpet is called Appa and the winged lemur is Momo in case you were wondering. Ok how am I and Sokka supposed to divert the guards attention?" asked Katara
"You will use your water bending to created at thick fog. Then your brother will use his boomerang to get rid of the guard's weapons. The little wing rat, I mean Momo!" he corrected when Katara glared at him. " Will take the weapons and throw them in the sea. While you keep the guards busy me and the Avatar will drop down into the court yard get into the tower, past the traps and find the trapdoor that leads to the cell. You just have to keep the guards occupied till we gotten Zara out of there, then the Avatar will use his whistle to call Appa and be home free. Any questions?" Zuko asked
"Yeah, I have a question for you, your highness, Are you totally insane!" shrieked Sokka "Do you actually expect us to survive through this, or are you hoping we die and then you could take Aang back to your demonic father and doom the world for all time!"
Zuko seemed particular boiled by this. He went up to the water tribe boy and towered over him. " I will let that slide. You say you have heard my past. Then please I won't criticized you if you get off my back so shut your air hole before I have to punish you!" he said angrily
"You really think you are all that, don't you Zuko? Well I be I could beat your butt any day of the week!" shrieked Sokka
Zuko chuckled "You think a boy as pathetic as you could beat me? Don't make laugh!" he said as if it were the most up sine thing in the world.
'Why you self center son of the devil! I …" cried Sokka as it looked like he and Zuko were about to do a dance to the death at 4000 feet up a huge force of wind separated them.
"ENOUGH! You two can stop acting like a couple a little kids now! We don't have time for this. Zara needs us! Weather we like it or not we have to work together to accomplish this task. So quit acting like idiots and help get me and Katara in position. Zuko I know you are used to giving orders but this once I want you to follow them. Sokka I know you don't like Zuko, be we don't have time for your nonsense so let all tolerant each other for now! Ok!" Aang screamed with his tattoos beginning to glow a little.
Everyone was stunned by his outburst that they shut up. Zuko sort of smiled at Aang and said in a low voice to him. "Quite a temper you got for such a small boy. I can see why you were chosen to be the Avatar."
Aang looked at him stunned. Before he could speak he heard a voice in his head call his name and then he and Zuko fell to the ground in a heap and began to cry out in pain. "AANG!" cried Katara and Sokka as they rushed over to him. He was turning blue just like Zuko and they both felt cold as ice. After a few more terrifying moments it stopped and they slowly got up.
"Are you all right, Aang? What happened?" cried Katara she began to check every inch of her friend over.
"So cold, so alone, so frighten." Shrived Aang as try to warm up so the goose bumps would fade away.
"Cold? Aang its 72 degrees out! You can't possible be cold." Said Katara as she took out a washcloth and began to wipe his face.
"You are wrong, Katara, I felt it too. I saw imagines of events I have not experiences and I think if you look at the Avatar and my abdomen you will see it has been bruised quiet a bit as if someone had be kicking us hard." Said Zuko in a query tone as he rubbed his stomach.
Feeling disturbed Katara rolled up Aang shirt and gasped! There was a huge purplish; bruise on the right side of his upper body that she knew had not been there early.
"Ok, what going on! This journey has been freaky enough but this is beyond the shadow of a doubt the strangest yet. Would someone please tell me what is going on!" cried Sokka with his arms thrashing outrageously and his mouth open wide
"I think, no I know that Zara was trying to make contact with us and let us know that her circumstances are becoming more and more bleak. We need to hurry! Appa Yip Yip! Yip Yip!" cried Aang as ran to Appa head.
When they were about two miles from the Citadel, Katara open the satchel and let a handful of water pour out then began to stretch and expanded the water. Zuko helped by heating the water a little causing it to steam a little and Aang then blew it till the fog was so thick you couldn't tell where your nose was on your face.
They arrived at the Citadel just as the fog creped up towards the two slumbering stone dragons. The fog mixed with the steam from the heat vents and the guards began to tense up.
"Peculiar, weather, we are having? What do you make of this fog?" asked one of the gate watchers.
The other just shrugged fog was fog. He was getting creped out by the whole thing though. He knew that the stone dragons where real and this murkiness made them look very creepy.
Then a sound was heard cutting through the thick mucky air and all the weapons where knocked out of their hands. Before they pick them back up a great noise distracted them. They looked all over to find the source of eerie noise but they couldn't find it. When they went to pick up their weaponry they were astonished to find it gone, vanished into thin air! Now they were all a little more than crept they were very terrified.
Then emerging from the shadows was a great dragon, a water dragon. It was 250 feet long and its pricing eyes made your soul shutter.
"DRAGON! DRAGON! THE DRAGONS HAVE RETURN TO KILL US LIKE WE KILLED THEM! RUN!" cried the panicked gatekeepers as they cut and run from their post. The others stood their ground but were shaking so badly you think they fall off the great beast back!
"Good work, keep them occupied a little longer and get me and Zuko over the center of the court yard. A little bit more a little bit more, perfect! Well ready, Zuko?" asked Aang attentively holding one of Appa horn and Zuko holding the other.
"More than ready Avatar. Let's do it!" he shouted with such enthusiasm you could only guess how much adrenaline was running through his body.
Taking a deep breath they plunged into the heart of the unoccupied courtyard only praying that Sokka and Katara could keep everyone occupied.
Running hard as their heart worked overtime to keep up with the demanding strain they were putting on their bodies.
"Hope you can keep up the pace Avatar!" jeered Zuko as the approached tower at top speed. But when he looked back the Avatar was not there he was already at the tower.
"How?" asked a stunned Zuko
"I can run faster then the wind. Now how to you open the door to the tower? I been all around and I can't find an entrance of any kind." Aang as he scratched his baldhead in confusion.
"You have to play the Song of the Dragon to get in.," said Zuko blissfully as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.
" Song of the Dragon? We have to sing to a bunch of crystal a song I never even heard of. Well how does it go?" asked Aang in bewilderment
Giving him a queer smile, Zuko began to sing a song that had been song to him the day of his brith.
"The mighty beings of the sky, shower us with sparks of honor as they sour above the clouds of colored hues. Dreams of hope and love come true because of the beautiful creatures. Of all the colors of the rainbow it a great honor for my dream to come true when I see the Emperor and his Queen of Gold and Silver. For I'm the hero of their dreams I'm the Scarlet Dragon, hero to all of the Nation born of fiery dreams." He finished as the crystal glowed a bright red and revealed a doorway.
"That was amazing! You got a very good voice you know." Said Aang as they ran through the confusing stone fire lighted corridors. They didn't know they had already trip an alarm.
Getting to a cross road the looked around casual, Aang put his right foot on the threshold and the demons faces on both sides of the room lit up and blew blue flames at them.
"GET DOWN!" Screamed Zuko as he tackled Aang to the ground shot up a blast that came to shatter on the high polished floor.
"Thanks! I owe you big time." Said Aang as they got up and Zuko pushed him away.
"Don't get used to it, Avatar! Now look at the symbols above the door. Where to we go next?" Snarled Zuko as he looked at the four doors mystified.
"Umm. There are two symbols to each doorway, they symbolism the season to which elements belongs to what nation. Water is winter, Earth is spring, Fire is summer, and Air is autumn. But if you look the symbol for winter and summer have been switch. So we have to go down the three door come on!" he said as they ran down a long hallway lined up with carcasses.
They ran into a few more traps but using the combined forces of air and fire they were not harmed. They found the trap door and look in shock on how far down it was.
"We'll never make it down in time to save her even if we run! There got to be a faster way to get down there!" cried Zuko in aggravation
"There is but I'm sure you aren't going to like it. But here it goes" Aang told him as he made a giant air scooter and leaped on. "Hurry jump on my back!"
"You have got to be kidding, hey what do you think you are doing? Ahh!" wailed Zuko who was trying not to puke. They made it down in five minutes.
"You ok, Zuko? You look a little green around the gills." Asked the child as he helped the prince get back on his feet though he was still teetering a bit.
"Give me space! I just need a minuet to bounce back!" he barked at the little boy who was stunned by his words
He suddenly got the impression that they were not alone. "Zuko we don't have a minute we have company!" whisper Aang in terror.
Turn to look they saw that there were 15 fire benders. And they looked ticked.
"Remember the Avatar is to be left alive. You can kill the Prince." Said the leader with out a hint of emotion.
A rain of sparks was hurled at them. But Aang blew away. Soon a fight broke loose. Zuko and Aang did some back flips and then use an air catapulted and hit a stalagmite causing to bury half the men. While the others ran at them with spears the two boys team work finished off the weapons and left them in a crippled pile on the floor. Zuko was going burn them all when Aang stopped him by grapping his arm.
"Get off me, Avatar! They need to die. They are evil." He said in a hyper tone of voice as he tried to shake Aang off him but the kid grip was firm
"Listen, Prince Zuko. Killing is wrong no matter what horrible things people have done we are human and we can't decide who lives or dies. True honor is living your life right. Not living it wrong. Your mother taught you that. Do you think this is what she want you to do with your life?" asked the little boy with pleading tears in his big gray eyes.
"You have a big heart, young Avatar. You possessed much wisdom beyond your years. Come help me open the door." He said as used his fire bending to open the door a crack and Aang blew it open.
As soon as they enter the room they felt a climatic drop in tempter. It was beyond of a better word cold. "What is this awful place?" said Aang through chatting teeth trying to warm him self up.
"It the old rookery or nesting chamber. The dragons laid their eggs in that pit, and the heat vents would keep them warm. But once the dragons killed the chamber iced over. We got to find Zara before we ice over too." Explained Zuko as the looked the chamber over. Aang looked down into the pit and gasped. "ZUKO! ZUKO! I FOUND HER, BUT SHE LOOKS ALMOST DEAD!" cried Aang with horror in his voice.
"Zara! Zara! Please answer me. Little Phoenix, it's the Scarlet Dragon please answer me!" he looked down at lifeless body half frozen with light blue skin. "Please get! So we can leave this awful place! Hurry!"
Aang jumped down and pick up the limp body of his love and jump back up. "We have to hurry or she will not make. Lets go! Katara and Sokka can't keep it up much longer!" he said as he placed Zara in her brother's arms. They turn to leave but someone was blocking their exit. Emerging from the shadows was Admiral Zhao "Going somewhere?" he sneered
"Zhao do you realize you have committed a crime of utter barbarian by nearly killing my sister?" yelled Zuko
"She played her part in getting you to bring the Avatar. Now that I have you two I will turn you all over to the Fire Lord. Then I will be made Second in the Nation. You are weak and tired. You can't fight me and hope to win. Good night Prince Zuko!" jarred Zhao who was about to barbecue them when he was hit from behind on the head and fell life less to the ground.
"Uhh?" said the boys as they looked up and saw Iroh had appeared.
"Uncle! I'm so glad to see you!" cried Zuko happily
"Come, Avatar, Prince Zuko we must get back to the flying bison the others are waiting." He said as they ran. Aang put everyone in an air bubble and got them out to Appa and they were gone. In a blink of an eye that awful place was gone.
They landed in a clearing a few miles away. Zuko had had no luck reviving Zara who had appeared to taken a turn for the worst.
"She is suffering from hypothermia shock. We need to warm her up fast! Zuko try using your fire bending to warm her up. You get a fire going." Order Katara
But after ten minutes nothing changed. Zuko was doing all he could but it didn't seem like enough. "Please Zara, my sister, Little Phoenix fight. We still have so much to live for. I love you Zara, don't leave me. I promised mom nothing would happen to you. I can't lose you. If you die, I will die. Please Zara come back to me. Zara? Zara! ZARA!" he said as he heard her stop breathing and couldn't feel a pulse anymore.
"No! No! Zara, don't die please don't die!"
Aang dug his fists into the moist ground as tears streamed down his face. He looked at the starry heaven and cried out "WHAT IS THE POINT OF BEING THE AVATAR AND SAVING THE WORLD IF I CAN'T SAVE EVERYONE! PLEASE I GIVE ANYTHING, ANYTHING TO SAVE HER PLEASE LET HER BE SAVED!" suddenly his eyes and tattoos began to glow and he and Zara were lifted into the air. Everyone stared in amazement as a blue light shot out of Aang mouth into Zara and she began to glow. Then they both lay back on the ground.
"Aang!" shouted Katara and Sokka as they rushed over to him.
"I'm fine, just drained a little." He said as crawled over to Zara as she opened her eyes and said in a weak voice "Zuko? Aang?"
"Zara? ZARA! You are alive! Oh Zara I love you! I promise I will never break my promise again. You are too valuable." Said Zuko as tears of joy ran down his face
She quickly placed Aang and Zuko hands on her heart and said. "I love you both so much. I believe a unity of Air and Fire can end this war. Zuko please let tell you something." She starts before he shushed her.
"In a moment sister, I need to speak with the Avatar." He walked over to Aang and to everyone amazement hugged him and bowed. "Avatar you have save what is most important to me from the clutch of certain death. This is a debt I can't ever hope to repay you but if you tell what you want I will grant that wish. What is it you desire?"
"The only thing I want from you Zuko is your friendship. If you and your family wish to be part of my family than I am happy." Aang told him.
"You know what Aang I like that a lot. I swear to be your friend till the end of time." Said Zuko
"You use my name!" cried Aang
"That I did"
"Everyone listen I had another vision. Mother told me she wants all of us to go to Fire Lily Island and be there in three days. We must obey!" cried Zara.
"We will go there Zara in the morning for now lets sleep." Said Aang and that what they did.
