Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or any of it's characters. The only thing I own is my OC.

The Six Rules:

Rule Number One: Alec won't warn the Gaang about things in advance or solve their problems for them, with a few rare exceptions.

Rule Number Two: Only Alec has the right to tell people his true origins, and he will mostly limit this to group members. He will tell new group members his secret as soon as they join the Gaang.

Rule Number Three: There are some changes Alec wants to make, and he will use his knowledge of the future to make those changes.

Rule Number Four: Sometimes, to make a change, Alec will act in a way that doesn't make sense. If that's necessary, he'll tell the Gaang "I need you to absolutely trust me." After he says that, the Gaang has to either do whatever he asks or leave him to do what he needs to do.

Rule Number Five: After a change happens, Alec will tell the Gaang what happened in the original story, in the interest of transparency.

Rule Number Six: If a major change happens that Alec doesn't expect, the Gaang will have a meeting ASAP. In this meeting, Alec will break Rule One and tell them all relevant information that will help them figure out how to respond to the change.

Chapter 13:

The Deserter

Alec POV

A few days after we gave Zuko the slip at the abbey, we made our way to the northeast. We were giving Appa his break from flying, walking down a road, keeping an eye out for Fire Nation soldiers. At mid-afternoon, we reached a crossroads with a noticeboard. Katara walked up to the board.

"This should give us a good idea of what's around here." She said, examining the noticeboard.

Sokka opened up his food pouch, only to find that it was empty, apart from a few crumbs. He shook the crumbs into his mouth. "See if you can find a menu, I'm starving!" He complained.

I felt Sokka's pain. He was a growing boy. When I went through puberty, I got hungry constantly, but barely gained weight. Now that I was fifteen again, that hunger returned with a vengeance. I also learned the hard way that firebending burned a shitload of calories. Thank the spirits Sokka and I caught enough game to feed everyone.

Aang ran up and pointed at a sign. "I bet we'll find something to eat here!" He suggested excitedly.

The poster in question depicted a dragon flying over a flaming pagoda. I read it aloud.

"Celebrate the Fire Days Festival. Featuring traditional Fire Nation food, Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, magicians, firebending masters, puppet shows, and plenty of fire to make you feel like you are back home in the Fire Nation!"

Aang turned to me. "This would be a great place for us to study some real firebenders!"

"You might want to rethink that." Sokka warned from the other side of the noticeboard. "Look at this."

We walked around to the other side. This side was covered with wanted posters. One of them depicted Aang, staff and all. "Hey, a poster of me!" He said with a smile, taking the poster off the board.

I rolled my eyes. Aang could be so naive sometimes. "A wanted poster." Sokka clarified. "This is bad."

I read the poster over Aang's shoulder.

"Wanted: The Avatar. This fugitive knows airbending, can create whirlwinds, and flee like the wind. Hunters, be extremely cautious."

Katara stared at the poster. "I think we should leave."

Aang looked up at her with puppy-dog eyes. "I have to learn firebending at some point, and this could be our only chance to watch some masters up close." He pleaded.

To be completely honest, Aang was looking in the wrong place for a firebending master. The firebenders at the festival were theatrical performers, not warriors. This would be like watching pro wrestling to learn how to fight. I didn't say anything, though. We needed to go to the festival for my plans.

Katara looked down, and thought about it for a few seconds before she answered. "I guess we could check it out." Aang brightened and looked excited. Sokka looked the exact opposite.

"What?!" He questioned. "You wanna walk into a Fire Nation town where they're all fired up with their…you know, fire?"

"We'll wear disguises." Katara answered. She and Aang began walking towards Appa. "And if it looks like trouble, we'll leave."

"Yeah, because we always leave before we get into trouble." Sokka grumbled, his voice thick with sarcasm.

I looked at the other three posters on the board. The first showed a man in a blue demon mask.

"Wanted: The Blue Spirit. Stole the Avatar. He wears a blue Earth Kingdom opera mask. His true identity is unknown, but disregard the rumors that he is a ghost. If you discover his whereabouts, spare no effort in apprehending him."

"Zuko." I thought. "Thanks for getting Aang out of there, even if you did it for selfish reasons."

I turned to the next poster. This one showed a man with messy brown hair and a topknot.

"Wanted: Chey. Was a captain in the Fire Nation army, is a coward, a deserter, and a traitor. He is thirty years old and skilled with explosives. Mentally unstable. Hunters be cautious."

"I need to keep my eyes open for him when we get to the village." I thought.

I turned to the final poster. This one showed an older man with two scars and white hair.

"Wanted: Jeong Jeong. Was a Fire Nation Admiral. He is sixty years old and white-haired. Appears weak; is actually a master firebender. Hunters be cautious."

"This should be interesting." I thought.

I left the noticeboard and joined the rest of the group.


By late afternoon, we came up to the edge of a small cliff. We saw the village in the distance. Aang turned to Appa and Momo.

"You guys stay out of sight here while we go to the festival." He instructed. Momo dove into a bush and hid. Appa tried to hide behind it, but he was too big, so it didn't work.

Aang turned to us. "Ready disguises!" He declared dramatically. My siblings and I put on our black traveling cloaks and pulled up our hoods. Aang pulled his orange shawl over his head, making him look like Cornholio. I facepalmed. The person who needed the best disguise had the worst disguise. We were so lucky that the average Fire Nation soldier was an idiot.

"It's like you're a whole different person." Sokka stated sarcastically. Katara giggled. We made our way to the village. I thought I detected movement behind me, and turned around, but I didn't see anything in the trees. I was pretty sure I knew who was following us, but I couldn't be too careful.


The village was full of happy people, all of whom wore red colors. Children ran around with sparklers, and adults chatted joyfully while enjoying good-smelling food. We noticed that everyone was wearing a party mask.

"I think we need some new disguises." Katara suggested.

"Where are we gonna get masks like that?" Sokka asked.

"Get your genuine Fire Festival masks here!" A voice to our left announced.

"That was surprisingly easy." Sokka admitted.

The four of us went to the stand and picked out our masks. Katara chose a lady with makeup. Sokka got a blue smiling mask with petals around the rim. Aang picked a red mask depicting a frowning man. Katara made Aang and Sokka switch. I selected a red dragon mask that reminded me of Fang. We made our way to a market with several vendors. "Hey, there's some food." Aang pointed.

"Finally." Sokka sighed and ran off. I followed after him. I was pretty hungry, too. We approached a food stall. "What do you have?" Sokka asked the shop keeper.

The shop keeper indicated several bags of some kind of chip. "Flaming Fire Flakes. The best in town."

"I'll take 'em!" Sokka answered. He shoved several of the flakes in his mouth and instantly regretted it. He pulled up his mask, opened his mouth, and tried to scrape the remaining flakes off his tongue. "AAHH! HOT! HOT!" He screamed.

Katara crossed her arms. "Flaming Fire Flakes, hot? What do you know?" She quipped.

"Can I have one?" I asked. I hated spicy food back in my world, but I was curious how hot these things were. I took one in my mouth, preparing for pain. I didn't feel any pain. I just tasted warmth and a smokey flavor. It tasted a bit like barbecue potato chips back from my world, but even better. I scarfed down the rest of the flakes with gusto, and got another bag.

Sokka just looked at me. I didn't see his expression through his mask, but I guessed he was probably staring at me in shock. "How?" He whispered.

The shopkeeper spoke up. "Are you a firebender?" He asked me. I nodded. "I thought so. Firebenders love spicy food."

Huh. That explained it. I hated spicy food before, but I didn't even feel heat in my mouth from the flakes. I gave the shopkeeper the Fire Nation bow. "Thanks for the flakes, they were delicious."

"Hey, look at this!" Aang exclaimed. He ran off towards a crowd sitting in front of a small curtain. The curtain opened and revealed a puppet version of Fire Lord Ozai.

"Don't worry loyal citizens!" Puppet Ozai said. "No one can surprise the Fire Lord!"

An Earth Kingdom general puppet popped up behind Puppet Ozai. Puppet Ozai turned around and breathed fire on the Puppet Earth General, burning it to a crisp. The kids in the audience cheered. We left uncomfortably.

"Propaganda." I thought sadly. "These poor kids don't know any better."

Aang dragged us towards a stage. "Aang, hold on! Where are we going?" Katara inquired.

"I don't know, but there's a big crowd, so it must be good!" Aang admitted.

"Knowing the Fire Nation, it's probably an execution." Sokka quipped.

We saw a firebender on stage, twirling around and manipulating several large fireballs like a juggler. At the end of his performance, the fireballs converged and exploded, and three doves emerged from the explosion. The audience applauded and cheered.

"Parlor tricks." I said dismissively.

Aang, on the other hand, was impressed. "I gotta learn that trick!" He exclaimed.

"And that's why you're not ready." I thought.

"Thank you!" The magician said. "For my next trick, I need a volunteer from the audience!"

Aang's hand shot up like a hyperactive first-grader. "Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me!"

Sokka grabbed his hand and pulled it down. "What do you think you're doing?" He whispered harshly.

"I want to get a closer look." Aang answered.

"It's better that we don't attract any attention to ourselves." Katara pointed out.

Right on cue, the magician pointed at her. "How about you, little lady?" He asked.

Katara backed away, while holding her hands in front of her. "Uh."

"Aw, she's shy. Let's give her some encouragement, folks!" The magician announced.

Someone pushed Katara towards the stage from behind, and the magician pulled her onstage.

"Aw, that could've been me." Aang whined with his arms folded.

It was time to change the future. "Aang, no matter what you see on that stage, don't do anything." I whispered urgently. I gripped both his shoulders tightly to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

"Okay." Aang said uncertainly after a few seconds.

Katara sat in a chair onstage. "This next trick is called 'Taming the Dragon'!" The magician explained. "You will be my captured princess." He said to my sister, before tying her to the chair with a silk scarf. The magician waved his arms, and summoned a giant dragon made of fire. I had to admit, his control was pretty impressive. "Don't worry, young maiden! I will tame this fiery beast!" The magician conjured a fire rope and lassoed the dragon. The dragon flew around the stage, twisting and turning for several seconds. "It's too strong! I can't hold it!" The magician said dramatically. Aang tensed, but I kept my grip on his shoulders.

"It's an act." I reassured him. "Don't. Do. Anything."

"The rope, it's breaking!" The magician shouted. The rope broke. I held onto Aang with an iron grip. Thankfully, he didn't move. The dragon headed straight for Katara, but exploded into confetti right before it hit her. Aang relaxed. I breathed a sigh of relief. The audience erupted with cheers and applause. The magician bowed and thanked Katara, untying her and letting her offstage.

"You alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, it was just a little scary for a second, though." She admitted.

"We should probably leave." Sokka suggested.

"Yeah, let's get going." Aang agreed.


We walked down the street. Aang spoke up. "How did you know it was an act?" He asked.

"You mean, besides the obvious?" I answered. "That guy was the second-worst actor I've ever seen. He said he lost control, but you could tell he was faking. He was in complete control the whole time."

"Wait, who's the worst actor you've ever seen?" Aang inquired.

I turned to him. "You are, Mr. Pippinpaddleopsicopolis." I quipped.

Aang rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. My siblings laughed. "Anyway," I continued in a low voice, "In the original story, you jumped up on stage and destroyed the dragon with bending. You lost your mask and blew your cover. The three of you barely escaped the town. I wanted to avoid that."

"How did we escape?" Sokka wondered.

"Well, that's the thing." I said quietly. "We're being followed. We need to head into an alley and confront this guy. He's not a threat, but we need to talk to him."

Everyone tensed. "Are you sure?" Sokka asked seriously.

I nodded. "Positive."

We made our way into an alley, and waited. Sure enough, a man in a dark brown cloak with a cloth wrapped around his face entered the alley soon after. He seemed surprised that we were waiting for him.

"That's far enough." I said sharply. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

The man looked at Aang. "My name is Chey. I know who you are. I'm really excited to meet the Avatar!" He said a little too loudly.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka took stances. I facepalmed. "Great, announce it to the whole village, why don't you?" I muttered.

"I need you to come with me." He said softly. "There's someone I want you to meet."

"Why should we?" Sokka asked suspiciously.

"This guy isn't working for the Fire Nation." I explained. "I saw his wanted poster. He's not on the enemy's side."

My siblings turned to me. "Are you sure?" Sokka questioned. I nodded.

Aang made a decision. "We'll go with you, and hear you out."


We reunited with Appa and Momo outside the village. We took off our masks, and Chey took off his hood and scarf. He looked just like his wanted poster, only with stubble on his face. We set up a campfire in the forest. Chey told us his story.

"I serve a man." He said. "More than a man really, he's a myth, but he's real. A living legend, Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation general." He rubbed his head in confusion. "Or wait, was he an admiral?" Chey's tone of voice made me wonder if he'd snorted too much spark powder during his military career. That stuff can really mess with your head.

"Admiral." I clarified. "I saw his wanted poster, too."

"He was very highly ranked, we get it." Sokka said impatiently.

"Yeah! Way up there!" Chey continued. "But he couldn't take the madness anymore. He's the first person ever to leave the army and live. I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that. That's okay, though. Jeong Jeong's a firebending genius. Some say he's mad, but he's not! He's enlightened."

Aang perked up at this. "You mean there's a firebender out here who's not with the Fire Lord?" He asked excitedly with wide eyes and a big smile. He stood up. "We've gotta go see him! He can train me!"

"We're not gonna go find some crazy firebender!" Sokka snapped.

Chey stood up. "He's not crazy! He's a genius!" He insisted. "And he's the perfect person to train the Avatar. That's why I followed you into the festival."

I barely held back a snort. Jeong Jeong was probably the worst teacher Aang could ask for, even if you didn't bring up Aang's issues with patience. Aang thrived under positive reinforcement. Jeong Jeong's idea of positive reinforcement was not telling you how much you suck.

Sokka stood up. "Look, we're leaving for the North Pole in the morning."

"Sokka, this could be my only chance to meet a firebending master who would actually be willing to teach me." Aang pointed out.

Katara stood up. "It can't hurt just to talk to him." She said.

Sokka pointed at me. "Just ask Alec, like you asked Katara for help with waterbending."

I stood up. "Oh, fuck no!" I retorted.

"Language." Katara chided. "And why not?"

"Because I barely understand it myself." I confessed.

"Look, I say we get out of here, now." Sokka said. He turned around and almost walked straight into a spear. We were instantly surrounded by a group of men wearing straw hats and light armor.

"Don't. Move." The leader of them warned.


The men escorted us to their settlement at spearpoint. The leader turned to Chey.

"Jeong Jeong told you not to look for Avatar!" He accused.

"Hold on, you know these guys?" Sokka asked Chey.

"Oh yeah." Chey answered. "Lin Yee's an old buddy! Right, Lin Yee?"

Lin Yee pointed his spear at Chey. "Shut up. Keep moving."

We came to a group of huts along the river. One of them was farther away from the others. Lin Yee pointed his spear at the farthest hut. "Go on." He ordered Chey. "He sees you, only."

Chey didn't seem thrilled at the prospect of talking to Jeong Jeong. "Oh, that's okay." He said nervously. "We can chat later."

"Is that where Jeong Jeong is?" Aang asked brightly. "I need to talk to him right away!" He took several steps forward, but Lin Yee blocked his path with the spear.

"No!" He told Aang sharply. "You wait there." He pushed Chey towards the hut. "Go. Now!" He insisted.

Chey turned to face Aang. "Don't worry! Everything'll be fine!" I suspect he was trying to convince himself as much as Aang. "He's a great man! Great man!"

Lin Yee led us to another hut. We set up our sleeping bags. Sokka and Katara tried to get some rest. Aang pretended to sleep, but he was eagerly awaiting Chey's return. I didn't even bother pretending, and just sat awake by the fire in the hut.


Sure enough, when Chey entered the hut and sat down, Aang stopped pretending to sleep and immediately sat up. "What happened? Can I see Jeong Jeong now?"

Chey looked downcast. "He won't see you." He answered in a low voice. "He's very angry that I brought you here." He looked Aang in the eye. "He wants you to leave immediately."

Sokka sat up. "Finally! Let's hit the road." He lay down and stretched his arms out.

Aang turned back to Chey. "Why won't he see me?" He asked.

"He says you're not ready." Chey explained. "Says you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet."

Aang's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, how does he know that?"

"He saw the way you walked into camp." Chey replied. "He could tell."

"I'm going in anyway!" Aang said with determination. I stood up and grabbed him before he could leave the hut.

"No, you're not." I stated sharply. I kept my grip on Aang's shoulder and turned to face Chey.

"Chey, could you please give us some privacy?" I requested. "I need to speak with the rest of my family alone."

Chey nodded and left us. Once he was out of hearing range, Aang rounded on me. "Why are you stopping me?" He asked, slightly angry.

"Because Jeong Jeong is right. You're not ready." I replied simply. Aang opened his mouth to argue, but I beat him to it.

"I need you to absolutely trust me." I said firmly, looking Aang in the eye. His eyes went wide. Sokka and Katara shot up from their sleeping bags. Thank you, Pavlov. I had their attention. "I have good reasons for this. Just let me explain." They all nodded.

"Aang, you're a very curious and eager student." I said kindly. "Normally, that's a great thing. However, you have a massive flaw: you lack discipline, especially when you're bored." Aang opened his mouth again, but I spoke again before he could talk.

"The fact that you were about to interrupt me just proves my point." I pointed out. Aang's mouth snapped shut and he nodded sheepishly. "Firebending is the bending art that requires the most discipline and control. If you try to learn it now it'll only end in disaster. Remember what happened to me when I tried to experiment with it? I almost blew myself up."

A flash of understanding crossed Aang's face, before it was replaced by slight fear. "Did something bad happen last time?" He asked.

I needed to sugarcoat this. If I told him he burned Katara he would be just as wary of firebending as he was in the show. "Something scary happened because you were impatient and didn't listen, but nobody got seriously hurt." I answered gently. "Not permanently, anyway." I added in my head. "You got so scared of firebending that you refused to learn it until it was almost too late. I won't go into details. Just this once, I won't tell you exactly what happened. But you shouldn't try to learn firebending right now. You're better off focusing on waterbending."

Aang didn't reply for several seconds, then he gave a small nod. "Okay." He said softly.

"So what now?" Sokka inquired. "Should we move on?"

"No." I replied, shaking my head. "We still need to be here. Aang and Katara can use the river to practice waterbending for a few days. You'll know when it's time to leave."

"What are you gonna do?" Katara asked.

"I'm going to speak to Jeong Jeong." I declared, moving towards the door.

"Why?" Sokka asked.

I gave him a brief look over my shoulder. "It's not the right time for Aang to learn firebending, but maybe it's the right time for me."

I walked out the door.


I walked into Jeong Jeong's hut. He was facing the back wall, an arc of candles between himself and me. Jeong Jeong noticed my presence, but didn't turn around.

"Get out, Avatar." He ordered sharply. "I told Chey I would not train you."

"I'm not the Avatar." I responded. Jeong Jeong turned around.

He looked exactly like I expected. An old man in tattered brown robes with tan skin, a messy mop of white hair, and a Fu Manchu mustache and beard. Two long parallel scars ran down the right side of his face. His face was set in an angry frown, but his golden eyes appeared to reflect many sorrows and regrets.

"I suppose the Avatar sent one of his friends in an attempt to wear me down?" He speculated with narrowed eyes.

"No, sir." I answered respectfully. "In fact, I agree with you. Aang is not ready to learn firebending. He's too impatient right now."

His face softened slightly, but remained suspicious. "If you agree with me, then why are you here?"

I took a deep breath. "My name is Alec. Recently, I discovered that I'm a firebender. I was hoping you would teach me how to control it."

"Are you so arrogant to assume that you are ready when the Avatar is not?" He challenged.

"No, sir." I replied humbly, kneeling down and bowing my head. "My worthiness is for you to decide."

Jeong Jeong's face became a curious expression. "You are certainly different than anyone I have trained." He admitted. I took that as a compliment, having met Zhao. "Why do you wish to learn?"

"I want to help the Avatar restore balance to the world." I said. "And I want to be able to protect my friends and family without accidentally burning down a forest."

He narrowed his eyes. "You don't plan on using this knowledge to train the Avatar before he's ready, do you?" He asked suspiciously.

I shook my head. "No sir." I answered firmly. "If he attempts to learn before he's ready, I'll stop him. The last thing I want to do is teach a hyperactive twelve-year-old how to play around with fire."

He was silent for several seconds, then he nodded. "Tell me everything you can do with firebending."

I rubbed the back of my head. "Not a lot." I confessed. "I learned how to shoot basic fireballs by accident when my village was attacked. I also learned how to extinguish small fires on my own. I know how to block oncoming fire attacks without getting burned. I can breathe fire to keep my body warm. Lastly, I can compress large fireballs and use them as explosives. I only did that once, successfully, though."

He nodded and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I see. Is that all?"

"Yes." I admitted.

"Then we had better start from the very beginning." He stated.

I perked up. "You mean…"

"Yes." He stated. "I will train you. Meet me outside my hut at dawn."

I bowed my head. "Yes master."


The Next Morning

I woke up just before dawn and had a quick breakfast. I made it to Jeong Jeong's hut just before the sun rose over the horizon. He had me take a basic horse stance on a flat rock just outside his hut. Aang and Katara practiced waterbending right next to the river. Sokka was fishing.

"Widen your stance." My master ordered. I adjusted. "Wider!" I adjusted again. "Bend your knees." He instructed. I complied.

"Now concentrate. Feel the heat of the Sun. It is the greatest source of fire, yet it is in complete balance with nature." I closed my eyes and focused on the Sun's heat warming my back.

"Power in firebending comes from the breath. That is why you must master proper breath control." He explained. "Now, inhale through the nose, and exhale through the mouth."

I began breathing. In through my nose, and out through my mouth. I got into a rhythm. I felt the heat of the Sun. It was comforting, but not overpowering. I felt calm, relaxed. I felt a sense of inner peace…

"Wait. What does he do now?"

My inner peace was shattered by a curious airbender who couldn't keep his trap shut.

"Silence!" Jeong Jeong yelled sharply. "You should focus on your waterbending. Look at your friend." He indicated my sister. "Is she talking?" He asked rhetorically before pointing at my brother. "Even that oaf knows to concentrate on what he is doing."

"Hey!" Sokka yelled indignantly. It took every ounce of self control I had not to laugh. I tried to start my breathing exercises again. Aang had other ideas.

"So, when does he get to make some fire?" Aang asked.

"SILENCE!" Jeong Jeong and I yelled at him at the same time. We looked at each other and blinked. I might have seen the ghost of a smile on his face, but I probably imagined it.


Aang proved to be too much of a distraction. My master and I ended up moving to the top of a nearby mountain to do my breathing exercises there. At one point, Jeong Jeong left me on top of the mountain. I didn't follow him. I just kept breathing. I felt truly at peace for the first time since Jet tortured me. I enjoyed the calm serenity of my surroundings. I kept this up until the sun began to set.

"You are still here." I heard my master observe from behind me. I got out of my horse stance and turned to face him.

"You didn't tell me to leave." I replied. "Was it some sort of secret test that I failed?" I asked.

"No." He said simply. "It was a secret test that you passed."

I cocked my head. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

He sat down and motioned for me to join him. "I had a pupil once who had no interest in learning discipline." He explained. "He was only concerned with the power of fire. How he could use it to destroy his opponents and wipe out the obstacles in his path. But fire is a horrible burden to bear." His expression turned sad. "Its nature is to consume, and without control it destroys everything around it."

He looked at me. "The test was to see if you had restraint." He explained. "If a firebender has no restraint, he risks destroying himself, and everything he loves."

I swallowed. "Master, with all due respect," I said as politely as possible, "I know fire can be used for evil, but it can also be used for good." Jeong Jeong raised an eyebrow, but didn't interrupt me. "When I was found outside the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka and Katara used a fire to warm me up, and fed me hot soup to keep me alive." I explained. "Without fire, I would be dead."

My master's brow furrowed like he was deep in thought. "Perhaps."

He stood up, and turned away. "We're done for today. Go back to your friends and get some rest. Meet me outside my hut at dawn. We will work with real fire tomorrow."

I smiled. "Yes, master."


Aang was all over me as soon as I got back to our hut.

"What did you learn?! Fire whips?! Fire bombs?!" He asked excitedly.

"Aang, I didn't even start working with real fire today." I answered with an eye roll. "I was focused on learning proper breathing."

"What? That's it?" He seemed disappointed. "I thought you went up the mountain so you wouldn't burn anything."

I gave Aang a look. "We went up the mountain because a certain airbender wouldn't shut his air hole." I replied. Aang looked embarrassed. Sokka and Katara snickered.

I quickly ate some dinner and went to sleep.


I met Jeong Jeong outside his hut the next morning. I assumed my stance. He plucked a falling leaf from the air and held it between his thumb and index finger until it started to smolder. He handed me the leaf.

"Concentrate on the fire." He instructed. "Keep this flame from reaching the edges of the leaf for as long as you can."

I nodded and began breathing, focusing on the leaf. Jeong Jeong went back into his hut. He emerged a few hours later. The flame in the center of the leaf had barely moved. He walked over and looked closely at the leaf.

"Well done." He didn't smile, but I could tell his praise was genuine. "Perhaps you are ready to begin the next-"

"Master, there is trouble!" Lin Yee said urgently. "The Fire Nation is coming here on riverboats!"

"How did they find us?!" Jeong Jeong wondered.

"Well, Chey did say that Aang was the Avatar pretty loudly in the middle of a Fire Nation town." I speculated. "Maybe someone overheard him." That fucking idiot! I'd kept Aang from blowing his cover so I could have some more time with Jeong Jeong. Because of Chey's big mouth, I only got an extra day. Thanks, asshole!

Jeong Jeong groaned and facepalmed. "Idiot."

Lin Yee ran off. Jeong Jeong went to follow, but stopped and looked at me. He walked over to me. I dropped the burning leaf into the river and got out of my stance.

"It seems our time together has come to an end." He said softly. "You must leave now. But before you go, I have something for you in my hut. Do not lose it."

I gave him the standard Fire Nation bow. "It was an honor to have you as my teacher, master." I said.

He smiled and returned the bow. "It was an honor having you as a student." He replied warmly, before his face turned serious again. "Now go!"

Jeong Jeong took off into the forest. I entered his hut. I found a wooden box in the center of the ring of candles. I took it and left the hut.


I ran back to our hut as fast as I could. I threw open the flap. Luckily, everyone was there.

"We have to leave!" I exclaimed. "Zhao's attacking. Jeong Jeong went to hold him off."

My siblings put on their serious faces. "I'll go help Jeong Jeong." Aang declared with determination. Then he noticed the box I held in my hands. "What's that?" He wondered.

I shook my head. "Jeong Jeong gave it to me, I'll explain later." I answered. "If you're going to help Jeong Jeong, you need to go, now. He shouldn't be too hard to find. Just follow the flames." Aang nodded and turned to leave.

"Aang, one last thing." I said. Aang stopped. "Zhao has no restraint. Remember that." Aang nodded and left the hut. I turned to my siblings.

"Let's get Appa and get ready to pick Aang up."


Jeong Jeong's escape and Aang's fight with Zhao ended up being almost identical to the original story. Aang even got the same burn on his right forearm. Katara healed it just like back then.

Sokka turned towards me. "Sorry you didn't get to learn much."

I shrugged. "It's okay."

"So, what's in that box that Jeong Jeong gave you?" Aang asked.

"Let's find out." I said. I picked up the box and opened it. The box was filled with scrolls, and on top of the scrolls was a note along with a small leather pouch. I took the note and read it aloud.

"Alec,

If you are reading this, then our time together was cut short. I am sorry if this is the case. I cannot in good conscience leave your training incomplete. Inside this box I have placed scrolls containing every firebending form and technique I know. I have numbered each scroll. Learn them in order, and don't skip any!"

"Wow!" Aang exclaimed. "This is great! You can teach me, too!" I held up my finger and kept reading.

"Do not use these scrolls to teach the Avatar, either! He is not ready!"

"Aw, man!" Aang said with a pout. My siblings laughed at him. I continued.

"I have placed another small gift inside the leather pouch. If you ever need help, take it to any Pai Sho house and tell the owner "The deserter wants to call in his favor." If you do this, they and their associates will do anything in their power to grant your request.

You once told me that fire can be used for good. Please use these techniques to help bring balance back to the world. Do not embrace savagery.

I hope we meet again,

Jeong Jeong"

I smiled from ear to ear. This was better than I could've hoped! An entire set of firebending scrolls! I would be able to keep up with the group for sure, now!

I took the leather pouch and opened it. "It's a Pai Sho tile. The white lotus." I whispered with wide eyes. I looked at everyone with a serious expression. "We mustn't lose this. I can't tell you why, but we might need this." I said seriously. They all nodded. I put the tile back in the pouch and the pouch back in the box.

"So, what kind of scrolls do you have there?" Katara asked. "I'm just wondering."

I looked through the scrolls. "Let's see." I said. "We got fireball, blocking fire, fire stream, fire dagger, jet step, fire shield…" I skipped over a few and rifled through to the more advanced section. "Fire missile, jet propulsion, wall of flames, and…" My breath caught in my throat.

"What? What is it?" Aang asked.

"Lightning." I whispered. Everyone's eyes nearly bugged out of their heads.

"Firebenders can make lightning?!" Katara asked with alarm.

"Yes," I replied. "Extremely powerful firebenders can create lightning. It's a subset of firebending, like healing is for waterbending." I explained. "It's an advanced and rare technique. In the entire story, I only ever saw three people create lightning."

"That's some powerful stuff." Katara said in slight awe.

"Yeah, I've gotta be careful when I learn this stuff." I agreed. "I'll start tomorrow. In the meantime, we should probably find a place to make camp. It's getting late."

AN: Next time, training and the Northern Air Temple.