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 32:

Firebending and Surprises

Alec POV

The next morning, we sat around the breakfast table. Aang and Katara held hands, looking at each other. I had to admit, they were really cute together. This morning, Iroh had made some breakfast pastries. Aang bit into one and his eyes lit up. "Wow, Katara, you've gotta try this!" He exclaimed. He picked up a piece of pastry and made to hand it to her. A glimmer of mischief flashed across her eyes, and instead of grabbing it from him with her hand, she grabbed it with her mouth.

Wow. Eating out of his hand already? I shook my head. Ty Lee laughed. Zuko and Mai rolled their eyes. Iroh chuckled. "Amaya once did the same thing to me." He recalled fondly.

Sokka gave the two lovebirds a look. "Aang, Katara, you're giving me the oogies over here." He complained.

Katara glared at him. "You're one to talk. Suki's almost sitting in your lap!" She pointed out. "And another thing, I'm sick of hearing about your stupid oogies! I don't even know what that means!"

Toph smirked. She held her hand out to Katara. "I can explain." She offered. "Give me your hand."

I didn't know what Toph was up to, but I knew it was a trap. Katara raised an eyebrow, but complied with Toph's request.

"Gaaah." Toph stuck her tongue out and licked Katara's hand. Apparently Toph's tongue could give Gene Simmons a run for his money. She slid it up Katara's ring finger.

Katara recoiled in disgust. "OOGIE!" She shrieked, pulling her hand back and wiping it vigorously on her napkin. Toph, Ty Lee, Suki, Sokka, and I laughed out loud.

Toph turned her attention to Sokka and Suki. "Twinkle Toes and Sugar Queen are laying it on a little thick, but you don't have room to complain, Snoozles." She smirked. "I felt some very interesting vibrations coming from your room last night."

Sokka and Suki blushed. I wasn't that surprised. Suki struck me as a very open-minded type of person. Iroh stood up. "I think I should take my leave." He said. He probably didn't want to hear any more about that part of our relationships. He turned to me. "I'd be happy to assist you with your firebending today." He offered.

My eyes widened. A chance to learn from one of the strongest firebenders on the planet? Yes please! I nodded. "I'd like that." I agreed. "I'll meet you in the training grounds after breakfast."

Iroh nodded and left the dining room. Toph grinned at Sokka and Suki. "As I was saying, I felt some interesting vibrations from your room." She tapped her chin in mock thought. "Now, I couldn't tell exactly what you were doing, because the mattress was soft, but I did hear a very fascinating sentence."

Okay, this I had to hear. "Go on." I prompted.

Toph cleared her throat. "Oh, Water Tribe warrior! Show me your boomerang!" She sighed, mimicking Suki's voice.

Aang and Katara cringed. Mai and Zuko shook their heads. Ty Lee and I couldn't breathe, we were laughing too hard. Sokka and Suki blushed.

Katara pinched the bridge of her nose. "Tell me you two were careful." She groaned.

Suki blushed even brighter. "Of course we were!" She exclaimed. "I drink Moon Tea regularly!" I figured Moon Tea had to be some kind of contraceptive.

I shook my head. "I don't really care about what you two were up to, but seriously? That's your idea of dirty talk?" I teased.

Suki glared at me. "Oh yeah?!" She challenged. "I bet you couldn't do better!"

I laughed. "Anybody could do better than that. But if it works for you two, whatever." I shrugged.

I finished breakfast and kissed Ty Lee on the cheek. "I'm going to do some firebending. I'll see you later." I whispered in her ear.

She smiled. "Good luck."


I was nearly giddy with excitement. Learning from Iroh was going to be awesome! I grabbed my scroll box from my room and made my way down to the training grounds. I found Iroh sitting close to the river. He smiled and nodded at my approach.

He noticed the box. "Are those the scrolls Jeong Jeong gave you?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I only have two left to learn." I replied.

"Which ones?" Iroh inquired.

"Wall of flames and lightning." I said. "Jeong Jeong numbered the scrolls in the order that he wanted me to learn them. Wall of flames is next."

Iroh nodded and stroked his beard. "I must admit, I am surprised Jeong Jeong agreed to train anyone." He said thoughtfully. "How did you manage to convince him?"

I shrugged. "He started me out on breathing exercises. He left me on top of a mountain for hours. He was testing my patience. I stayed up there until he came back."

Iroh nodded. "Restraint." He realized. "Jeong Jeong always speaks about that." Iroh stood up. "Let us begin."


"Wall of flames:

A concentrated barrier of fire that acts as a powerful shield against attacks. It can also be used to push aggressors back."

I looked at Iroh. "How concentrated do I have to make those flames?" I asked.

Iroh stroked his beard. "You're familiar with the fire bomb?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's one of my go-to moves."

"The proportion of flames to surface area for wall of flames is about half that of a fire bomb." Iroh instructed.

I nodded. "So, you need to put a lot more power into it than a fire bomb, but it's spread out over a much larger area." I surmised.

Iroh smiled. "Correct."

I looked around the cavern. "I just hope I don't turn this place into an oven. Then again, Katara could freeze the river to cool us down if it gets too hot."

Iroh stoked his beard again. "That is the disadvantage of firebending in closed spaces." He admitted.

I looked at the diagrams for the movements in the scroll. It depicted a man raising his arms in a flowing motion, almost like he was waterbending. I chuckled and pointed at the drawing. "It seems like you weren't the first to get ideas from waterbenders." I mused.

Iroh chuckled. "The four elements are much closer than many people realize."

"That's true." I agreed. "If they weren't, blending in techniques from other elements wouldn't work."

I started stretching to warm up. Once I got to the lightning redirection exercise, Iroh raised an eyebrow. "You use that technique as a warm up?" He asked with a hint of amusement.

I didn't stop. "Yeah." I said. "Ever since I started practicing firebending in earnest. I knew I was going to run into Azula at some point, and this was the only thing I could use against her that she didn't know."

Iroh put on a neutral expression. "You used it against her, and yet she's still alive." He noted.

I stopped and gave Iroh a serious look. "I had my reasons." I said. "Besides, are you suggesting you want me to kill your niece?"

Iroh shook his head sadly. "No, but perhaps it has to be done." He said regretfully.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "If it has to be done, you should blame yourself." I growled. "Azula thought Ursa didn't love her, so she gravitated to Ozai. I know you have a good relationship with Zuko. Did you just not try with her?"

That was a little mean, but I felt the need to ask. Iroh shook his head. "I did try. Many times." He said quietly. "When she was very young, she was nicer. By the time she was around six years old, she either refused to see me or simply dismissed me as a foolish old man."

That was interesting. "What happened?" I asked.

Iroh shook his head. "I do not know." He admitted. "It was a very sudden change. It was almost as if one day she began to resent me."

"But you kept trying to be there for her?" I asked.

He nodded sadly. "Yes, until Zuko was banished." He gave me a look. "Do you have any idea from your story what the cause for her resentment would be?"

I shook my head. "I don't." I confessed. "I'm sorry I got mad at you. I didn't know that you tried to reach out to her. I just thought you wrote her off as too much like your brother when she was still in diapers, or something."

Iroh tilted his head. "Do you think she can be saved?"

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know." I admitted. I stretched. "I'm done with my warm up. Let's get to work."


A few hours later, I'd made significant progress, but the wall still wasn't more than five feet high and four feet wide. I knew what my problem was: power. Saying wall of flames needs power is like saying the Fire Nation's drill was big. It wasn't a lie, but it didn't convey the whole truth.

Like I suspected, the cavern started to warm up, even though my wall of flames wasn't that big. About an hour into practice, I took my shirt off so it didn't get soaked with sweat. I sat down to catch my breath. I heard Iroh chuckle.

I turned to him. "What is it?" I asked.

Iroh nodded his head in a certain direction. "You have an audience." He said with a smile.

I looked around the cavern. Katara was working on her waterbending alone. Toph was working with Aang. Mai and Zuko were training. She was throwing knives at him and he was deflecting them with his swords. Sokka was sharpening his boomerang. In the direction Iroh indicated, I saw Suki and Ty Lee talking. Ty Lee was glancing at me every few seconds.


Ty Lee POV

After breakfast, Suki asked if I could teach her some chi-blocking so she could mix it into her own style of fighting. I was trying to teach her, but there was a problem.

I was getting distracted. Alec was shirtless.

And sweaty.

And hot.

I got a sense of his muscles when we cuddled, but this was delicious. He wasn't huge, but he was toned. His arms had some definition to them, but the real treat was his abs. Spirits, they looked amazing.

"You okay?" I heard Suki ask.

I snapped my attention back to her. "I'm fine." I said quickly.

Suki laughed. "Eating the eye candy?" She teased. She glanced over at Alec. "Not that I blame you."

"Mine!" I said sharply before I could stop myself. Right after I said it, my face felt so hot I could have cooked breakfast on it.

Suki laughed again. "I'm just kidding." She turned her gaze to Sokka. "I have my own eye candy."

I glanced over at Alec again. We locked eyes. He smiled at me.


Alec POV

Ty Lee was so cute when she was flustered. I stood up and got back to work.


A Week Later

I did it! I got a twenty feet high, ten feet wide wall of fire and managed to sustain it for five minutes at a time. I brought the wall back down and turned to Iroh. He smiled. "Well done."

I nodded in appreciation. "Just one scroll left." I noted. "Can we get started now?"

Iroh nodded. "Let us begin. We will not need the scroll for this technique. I will teach it to you myself." He sat down in front of me. "Lightning is a pure expression of firebending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion like other firebending is."

I held out my hand in a 'stop' motion. "I know that rage and aggression aren't the true way to use firebending." I said, making sure my voice was low enough that nobody overheard, but we were far away enough that it probably didn't matter. "I know that it's energy and life, but I don't really understand how to put that concept into action."

Iroh nodded. "Unfortunately, that is something you can only learn if the masters choose to show you in person." He continued his lecture. "Lightning is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind." He stood up. "There is energy all around us. Yin and yang. Positive and negative. A select few firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance, and in the moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together, you provide release and guidance, creating lightning."

Iroh took a stance, facing the cavern wall. He moved his arms in a circular motion. Blue sparks formed on his fingertips. He extended his arm and with a loud thunderclap, a massive bolt of lightning shot into the wall, leaving a small, smoking crater.

I stood up. "I'm ready." I said.

"Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it." Iroh warned. "You merely guide it."

I nodded and took a stance. I imagined the energy inside myself splitting in half. I started moving my arms. I knew something was wrong when no sparks formed. I extended my arm when I finished the motion.

BANG!

I got thrown back a few feet by an explosion. I wasn't burned, but the force knocked me back pretty hard.

"ALEC!" I heard Ty Lee yell. She ran over and knelt down beside me. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

I looked around and noticed it wasn't just us. Katara, Sokka, and Zuko ran up to me. Katara knelt down and started healing, checking for any injuries. The others looked at me with concern. "What happened?" Sokka asked.

"He tried lightning." Zuko realized. I nodded.

"Apparently, I don't have as much peace of mind as I need." I snarked. I shook my head. "I can't try this again until I figure out what I'm doing wrong."

Zuko tilted his head. "You're not just going to try again?"

I shook my head. "If I keep blowing myself up, Katara will freeze me from the neck down until I agree to stop."

Katara glared at me. "You're darn right, I will." She growled.

Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Tell me, Alec. What emotion do you use to fuel your firebending?" He inquired.

"Protective instinct." I replied. "My drive is to end this war and protect my friends and family." I narrowed my eyes. "I'm surprised that isn't peaceful enough." I said.

"Well, your protective instincts don't exactly take prisoners." Sokka noted. "The way you fight is pretty ruthless compared to the rest of us."

I nodded. "That's true." I admitted. "But I thought I cleared my mind before I tried it."

Ty Lee shook her head. "I saw your aura. It was loud and clear." She said. "You were still feeling a lot of emotions, at least subconsciously. You're not as aggressive as other firebenders I've seen, but there is still some piece of anger fueling your bending."

I was stumped. "Then how the fuck does Azula create lightning?"

"Language." Katara chided.

Ty Lee swallowed. "She bottles up all her emotions." She said. "When they do surface, they're pretty extreme, and violent."

I frowned. "Well, I don't want to do that. That's not healthy." I sighed. "I guess I'm stumped for the time being. I'll just work on what I already know."


I spent the rest of the day drilling with Iroh. Even though I knew all the scrolls already, he helped me refine my techniques. When I showed him my version of jet propulsion, he was quite impressed.

"Using four smaller flames instead of two larger ones is a creative solution." He said. "Normally long-term sustained flight is impossible without Sozin's Comet."

I narrowed my eyes. "Is jet-propulsion how the Fire Nation reached the Air Temples?" I asked quietly.

Iroh nodded sadly. "Yes." He confirmed. "Sozin sent his strongest firebenders to wait near the temples before the comet arrived. They flew up and attacked as soon as they saw it in the sky."

I nodded. "I figured it was either that, or they used dragons."

Iroh shook his head. "Sozin started the Dragon Hunts early in his reign." He said. "By the time Sozin began the war, there were very few dragons left."

I frowned. "About that, what happened, exactly?"

"An event occurred which caused him to lose popularity among the nobles." Iroh said. "To regain their support, Sozin began the Dragon Hunts. Only a few dragons were hunted at first, but the nobility embraced the sport ravenously." He said sadly. "Whoever killed a dragon earned the honorary title Dragon and their firebending skills became legendary. The nobles loved the prestige of the title, and the chance to gain a social advantage over their rivals." Iroh scowled. "Just like that, the nobles were loyal to Sozin again."

I was stunned. "Sozin started wiping out the original firebenders to score political points with the nobility?" I clenched my hands into tight fists in anger. "Didn't anybody say anything?"

"The Fire Sages were deeply concerned, at least at first." Iroh replied. "There were numerous debates regarding the ethics of killing the original firebenders. Also, spirits were attracted to the death sites of dragons, and people reported hauntings. Sozin tried to cover it up and created a taskforce to deal with the problem. The Water Tribes even noticed the spiritual damage that the Dragon Hunts caused and tried to send envoys to investigate the death sites. Sozin blamed the Water Tribes for any spiritual disturbances that reached the ears of the public."

"Blame the problem on the foreigners." I said bitterly. "A favorite tactic of despots in every world." I shook my head. "Thanks for the history lesson, but I think I should get back to training."


That night at dinner, Aang had an announcement. "Mr. Mùtou delivered the new saddle for Appa." He said. "I paid him what we owed, but we're down to about 2,000 gold pieces."

I nodded. "How's the saddle?" I asked.

"It's great." Aang said with a smile. "Appa seems really happy with it. It's really light. And it doesn't drag in the wind either. Appa's flying even faster than before."

"That's good." I said. "Mr. Mùtou fulfilled his promise."

Toph grinned. "More good news." She said. "Twinkle Toes has learned enough that I think he's ready to start firebending tomorrow."

Aang's smile faltered briefly. What was up with him? I didn't call him out though. Katara smiled at him and grabbed his hand affectionately. Zuko nodded and gave Aang a look. "I'll start working with you tomorrow morning." He said.

"I'll watch." I offered. "I've got nothing better to do."

Ty Lee turned to me. "What about lightning?" She reminded me.

I frowned. "I'm still stumped. I feel like I'm missing something. Until I figure it out, I won't work on it again."

She squeezed my hand. "You'll figure it out." She said tenderly.

I smiled at her. "Thanks."


The next morning. Aang, Zuko, and I set up across the river in the training area. Zuko stood across from Aang. Iroh and I stood off to the side. Aang seemed scared. That was odd. He was so enthusiastic when he started the other elements. What was different this time?

"You seem nervous." Zuko told Aang. "You don't need to be. Firebending in and of itself is not something to fear."

Aang took a deep breath. "Okay, not something to fear." He said to himself. Zuko was doing well so far.

"But if you don't respect it," Zuko continued, "It'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino!" He shouted.

Aang gave out a startled yelp and recoiled. I shook my head and leaned over to Iroh. "Want to give Zuko some teaching advice?" I whispered. "Aang doesn't really respond well to people yelling."

Iroh shook his head. "I will help if he asks, but not before." He smiled. "Leading a student through the learning process will be good for Zuko. Learning how to respond to Aang's needs as a student will help him adapt to the needs of others. That's a valuable tool for leaders to have."

Zuko began speaking again. "You helped Alec learn most of those scrolls, right?" He asked.

Aang nodded. "Good." Zuko responded. "Now, show me a fireball."

I raised an eyebrow. "Interesting." I whispered.

"Hm?" Iroh replied.

"Jeong Jeong had me on breath control for a full day before I did anything else." I recalled.

"Zuko's trying to get a feel for how much power Aang has." Iroh explained.

I nodded. Aang took a stance, then he thrust his fist out. A small puff of smoke billowed out of his fist. My eyes widened. He was afraid of firebending. How? Why? He didn't burn Katara in this timeline. This shouldn't be happening.

While I tried to wrap my head around that, Aang gave Zuko a sheepish look. "Maybe I need a little more instruction." He said. "Perhaps a demonstration?" He suggested.

Zuko nodded. "Good idea. Stand back." Zuko shot his fist out and grunted, but only a small plume of flame shot out. It was the weakest flame I've ever seen. What now?! I know Zuko switched sides, but all the stuff I told him should have made him angry enough to still be able to bend.

"Dammit." I muttered under my breath.

"This is interesting." Iroh mused.

"If by interesting, you mean distressing." I snarked.

"What was that?!" Zuko asked with disbelief in his voice. "That was the second-worst firebending I've ever seen!"

That was new. "Second?" I asked out loud.

Zuko turned to me. "The first time we met and all those misaimed fireballs you threw was the worst." He said, completely seriously.

I narrowed my eyes. "Gee, thanks."

"Maybe it's because we're underground." Aang suggested.

I shook my head and shot a fireball at the wall. "I'm fine. It's not that."

"Why is this happening?" Zuko groaned in frustration.

I gave Iroh a look. "I'm not sure, but we're going to find out. Let's talk more at dinner." I suggested.


I spent the day in my room, trying to figure out what was wrong here. I had worked diligently to make sure that Aang wouldn't be scared of firebending, but I must have missed something. And Zuko was another concern. Even though I knew the solution, I wanted to know the cause. I needed to be sure nothing had changed that I didn't know about.

At dinner, the mood was pretty glum. Zuko was the first to speak. "I've got some bad news." Zuko admitted. "I've lost my stuff."

Toph raised her hands up defensively. "Don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff."

"I mean my firebending." Zuko clarified. "It's gone." He looked down at his lap.

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Gone? How?" She asked. "Bending doesn't just disappear."

"Not without help." I thought.

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

"Why would that be?" Suki asked.

A flash of realization crossed Zuko's face. "Maybe it's because I changed sides."

Katara looked skeptical. "That sounds a little hard to believe."

Aang shook his head. "Maybe he's right." He said. He looked at Zuko. "Maybe your firebending comes from rage, and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."

I spoke up. "I think that's true, but I have a question about that." I turned to Zuko. "Why aren't you angrier? I mean, with all the stuff I told you about Ozai, I figured you'd be pretty livid about it."

Zuko glanced at Mai. "I am, but now that I'm with all of you, and with Mai, I feel happier than I've felt in years." He said quietly. Mai gave him a small smile and took his hand in hers. Huh, I guess there was a downside to them getting together so quickly.

Sokka smirked. "So, all we need to do is make Zuko angry." He said. "Maybe Mai should break up with…"

THUNK!

Before Sokka finished his sentence, a knife embedded itself in the table in the space between two of his fingers. I turned to Mai. She was still looking at Zuko and smiling, but her free hand was pointing towards Sokka. Was she that accurate without looking?

Sokka paled and shut his mouth. Suki gave Mai a glare that said 'I know he said something stupid, but still.'

I nodded at Mai. "Nice shot." I complimented.

Zuko shook his head. "Even if anger works, I don't want to use it anymore. There has to be another way." He looked at Iroh. "How do you do it without anger and hate, Uncle?" He asked.

Iroh shook his head. "It is not something that can be explained with words."

"Can't you or Alec just take over as Aang's teacher?" Suki suggested.

I shook my head. "There's another problem." I said. I turned my gaze to Aang. "Aang's pulling his punches. He's scared of putting power into firebending."

Aang shook his head. "No, I'm not!" He denied.

"Lie." Toph said.

Katara gave Aang an understanding look. "Aang. Talk to us." She coaxed gently. "Why are you afraid?"

I wanted to know. He hadn't burned anybody, so why was he scared? Aang swallowed and turned to me. "Every time I think about firebending, I remember the stuff I saw you do with it. Especially during the Siege." He said quietly. "Did you have to be so brutal?"

So that was what bothered him. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. Aang was a shoe-in for the 'Most Merciful Avatar' award. But, explaining myself couldn't hurt. "I hadn't mastered firebending the way you and Katara had mastered air and water." I said. "I only knew seven firebending techniques at the time. I couldn't afford to hold back." I shook my head. "Plus, I knew that if we succeeded, most of the Fire Nation soldiers were going to be drowned by the Ocean Spirit." I looked at him. "Do you know how many prisoners the Northern Water Tribe had at the end of the battle?" I asked.

Aang shook his head. "One." I said. "Just Zuko. I knew that the losses for the Fire Nation would be near-total. If you hit a soldier with an air blast, knocked him into a wall and knocked him out, then the Ocean Spirit came and killed him, how is the outcome any different for that soldier than if I happened to stab him with a fire dagger?" I asked. "Either way, he lost his life in that battle."

Aang didn't respond. "I know you're a kind person, Aang." I said. "I don't want the Avatar to see one of the four elements exclusively as a tool of death and pain."

Aang looked at me and swallowed. "After everything I've seen, I don't know how to see firebending differently." He said sadly.

"Maybe he doesn't have to right now." Sokka said with a thoughtful look on his face.

Everyone turned to him. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"During the eclipse, firebending will be useless anyway." Sokka pointed out. "We could have Aang learn firebending after we win the war. We'll have plenty of free time."

I shook my head. "No we won't." I said. "Ending the war won't fix everything. The war was Sozin's idea, but he also spent years changing the Fire Nation from a vibrant, passionate culture that loved music and dancing into a massive war machine bent on conquering the world." I shook my head. "Changing the culture will take years, if not decades of hard work. Zuko won't have enough free time as the Fire Lord to just set aside several months to train Aang."

Zuko nodded. "Besides, I need my firebending back." He added.

Sokka held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, but how do you plan on getting it back?"

I locked eyes with Iroh. He nodded. I guess we were doing this ahead of schedule. "There is a place that can give us the answers we need." I said. "Sokka do you have your map?"

Sokka reached into his bag. "Do you want Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, or world?"

"World." I said.

Sokka pulled out his map and unfurled it in the center of the table. "Iroh, where is it?" I asked.

Iroh peered over the map and pointed at a small speck of land north of the Fire Nation Capital Island. "There." He said.

Zuko looked at where Iroh was pointing. "Isn't that the ancient city of the Sun Warriors?"

Iroh nodded. "It's where I learned the true meaning of firebending."

"Who are the Sun Warriors?" Aang asked.

"They were an ancient civilization that learned firebending from the dragons." Zuko explained. "The original firebenders."

Aang perked up. "Will we get to see a dragon?!" He asked excitedly.

Zuko shook his head. "We won't." He said. "They're extinct." I struggled to keep my heartbeat under control to not trip Toph's senses.

Aang seemed surprised. "What happened? Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons around when I was a kid."

"They're not around anymore." Zuko said quietly.

Aang took the hint and didn't push the subject. Interestingly enough, Ty Lee looked sad as well. I chose to break the awkward silence around the group. "Aang, how fast can we get there?" I asked.

"We?" Zuko asked.

"Me, you, and Aang." I clarified. "Maybe whatever's there can help me with my lightning problem."

Aang looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "A week." He said.

I was surprised by that. "Um, Aang, you do know we're in Ba Sing Se, right?" I asked. "That's here." I said, pointing to a spot on the map. "How can we get halfway across the world in a week?"

Aang smiled. "Appa's new saddle is amazing." He said. "You have no idea how much the old one was dragging in the wind. Katara and I went on a flight yesterday morning. We made it to the Outer Wall and back before sunset. We can make it there in a week, especially because we know exactly where we're going."

"And we're not making any side trips." I realized. "Wow, I forgot how time-consuming those things were."

"We can fly for twelve hours, stop for rest, then repeat." Aang said. "How long will it take once we get there?"

I thought about it. "Two days at the most."

"What should the rest of us do while you're gone?" Sokka asked.

I gave him a serious look. "Train." I said. "We'll probably want to meet the Earth King shortly after we get back, and they won't just let us into the palace."

Zuko nodded. "We can head out in the morning after breakfast." He said. "We should go ahead and get some sleep."

We cleared the table and said our goodnights.


As I was lying in bed, cuddled with Ty Lee, a thought occurred to me. I pulled back from her hug so I could see her eyes. "You awake?" I asked quietly.

She opened her eyes. "Yeah, why?"

"There's something I wanted to ask you." I said. "Earlier, when Zuko mentioned the dragons were gone, you seemed sad. Sadder than you should be that a species is extinct." I noted. "What made you so sad?"

Ty Lee took a deep breath. "It's a long story." She said.

I stroked her cheek softly. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" I asked gently.

She smiled. "I first met Azula when I was five. We became friends quickly. She was happier, and had a lot of fun. Her aura was a lot brighter back then."

I tilted my head. "What happened?" I asked.

Ty Lee's smile fell. "Azula loved books, especially history books about dragon riders." She said. "She told me that she wanted to ride a dragon more than anything." She shook her head sadly. "Then, when we were six, she came to school and she was quiet. Her aura was dim. I asked her what happened." Ty Lee looked me in the eye. "Ozai overheard her playing make-believe in the garden, pretending to ride a dragon. He told her to stop wasting time on such nonsense. He said she would never ride a dragon because Iroh killed the last one."

I didn't know it was possible to hate Ozai more than I already did. Seriously? Scolding a six-year-old for playing make-believe? What kind of asshole does that? But then something hit me. "And she resented Iroh for it." I realized.

Ty Lee nodded. "And Azula started bottling up her feelings. That only got worse after Ursa disappeared. Azula devoted herself to firebending and studying. I mean, most of the games we played at the palace were some kind of training."

I shook my head sadly. "That's so sad." I said. I looked Ty Lee in the eye. "I'm sorry I made you remember that."

Ty Lee leaned forward and kissed me. "It's alright." She said. "Just hold me."

I held her closely and rubbed her back. She purred softly. I chuckled. "What is it?" She asked.

"Toph was right about you." I said. "You are a kitten. You even purr when I pet you just right."

She blushed. "I don't purr." She denied.

I raised an eyebrow and rubbed her back again. She purred and blushed even brighter. "Don't be embarrassed." I said gently. "It's adorable."

Her blush faded, and she smiled. "Let's get some sleep." She said softly. I gave her a final kiss and let sleep take me.


After breakfast the following morning, Aang, Zuko, and I packed our stuff and enough supplies for two weeks. We got ready to say our goodbyes in the backyard. Zuko looked at Iroh. "What exactly are we going to find?" He asked.

Iroh gave him a knowing smile. "I won't spoil the surprise."

Zuko groaned and turned to Mai. "I'll miss you." He said.

Mai smirked, grabbed him by the collar and kissed him. Hard. She pulled back after a few seconds. "Hurry back." She said. She leaned forward and whispered something in his ear. I couldn't hear what she said, but judging by Zuko's blush, I could get the gist.

I took Ty Lee's hands in mine. "I'll miss you." I said quietly.

She smiled. "I'll miss you, too."

"Here's something to tide you over until I get back." I said. I gave her a deep kiss. Our bodies pressed together. She sighed into the kiss. We broke apart. I stroked her cheek. "Goodbye." I whispered.

She looked at me. Her silver eyes were slightly hazy. "Goodbye."

I turned and went to climb in the saddle. I heard Aang and Katara talking. I turned around to observe. "I'll be back in two weeks." Aang said to her. "Goodbye Sweetie."

"Must not laugh. Must not laugh. Must not laugh." I thought urgently.

Katara kissed him and smiled. "Goodbye Sweetie."

"Must not laugh. Must Not Laugh! MUST NOT LAUGH!"

Zuko and I climbed into the saddle. Aang jumped on Appa's head. "Appa, yip yip!"

We took off into the sky.


Once we started climbing into the sky, a thought occurred to me. "Hey Aang, I think we should fly above the clouds until we're far outside of the city." I suggested.

"Okay, but why?" Aang asked.

"As far as the Fire Nation is concerned, we're in Ba Sing Se." I said. "If they don't see us leave…"

"Then they won't hunt us down." Zuko finished. He nodded. "Clever. Did you come up with the strategy to zigzag across the world when I first started chasing you?"

I glared at Aang's back. "No, a certain hyperactive twelve-year-old wanted to ride hopping llamas, hog monkeys, and elephant koi."

Zuko's jaw dropped. "You mean that all those evasive maneuvers were just side trips to have fun?"

I nodded. "Yep."

Zuko groaned. "You know, I'm embarrassed that I didn't catch you all." He admitted. "So, what should we do to pass the time?" He asked.

"We could get to work on the list of things you need to do when we win." I suggested. "That should keep us occupied for a while."

"What should I do?" Aang asked.

"Come up with new pet names for Katara." Zuko snarked.

I gave him a look. "Did you just make a joke?" I asked. "A joke that was actually funny?"

Zuko shrugged. I turned to Aang. "I have to agree with Zuko, though." I said. "Sweetie? Seriously?"

I could tell Aang was blushing, even though I couldn't see his face. His entire head turned red. I shook my head. I pulled out a blank scroll from my bag and an inkbrush. "Let's get this list started."


"So, say we defeat Ozai, what do we do the next day?" I asked, trying to get the ball rolling.

Zuko shook his head. "We can't afford to wait to get started." He said. "Once my fath…I mean Ozai falls, there'll be chaos. We need to take control as soon as we can."

I nodded. "Okay, what do we do?"

Zuko took a breath. "We need to take control of the palace, first. It's pretty easy to defend. From there, we can move to take control of Royal Caldera City, then Harbor City after that."

I wrote that down. "Okay, how do we take the palace?" I prompted.

Zuko ran his fingers through his hair. "That's going to be hard. We'll need to determine who's more loyal to the country, and who's more loyal to Ozai."

An idea occurred to me. "How well did you treat the servants when you lived at the palace?" I asked.

"Mom taught me to always be polite to them, and say please and thank you." He said. "One of them, Yee, once told me that the most coveted positions in the palace were to be assigned to either me or Mom."

I nodded. "That's good. If you treated them well, they'll be more likely to be on your side."

"We'll need to go through the servants and ask them if they'll be willing to work for me." Zuko said. "And we'll need to determine who's telling the truth."

I wrote that down, too. "Good thing we have an earthbender who can sense lies, and an acrobat who can see people's emotions." I noted.

Zuko nodded.

I frowned. "I know one servant who we need to get rid of, if she's still around." I said. "Elua."

Zuko looked surprised. "Elua's dead." He told me. "But why did you want her gone?"

"She was the one who was intercepting Ursa's letters." I explained. "Ursa gave Elua the letters and told her to deliver them in secret. Instead, Elua gave them to Ozai."

Zuko's eyes widened. "But Mom said she was like a member of the family!"

I nodded sadly. "Yeah, and Elua betrayed her trust." I frowned. "When did Elua die?"

Zuko frowned. "About four years ago." He recalled. "She died in her sleep. She was pretty old."

"Well, that's one less problem to deal with." I said. "So, we can get the servants. What about the guards?"

"The guards are mostly muscle. They'll listen if they think we're strong enough." Zuko replied.

I wrote that down. "Okay, if we get the servants and the guards, we've got the palace."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "Man, this is a lot of stuff to think about. Could we take a break?" He asked.

I nodded. "We have an entire week to get there, and another week to get back. We don't want to figure this all out today and be bored for the rest of the trip."


It was hard to sleep that night. It wasn't because I was used to a comfy bed, it was because the sleeping bag was missing something important. I'd gotten so used to cuddling with Ty Lee that I didn't even know what to do with my arms when I was trying to sleep. It wasn't only that though. I missed her. We would often stay up late talking about nothing in particular, laughing at each other's jokes, kissing and cuddling until we fell asleep. I missed that already, and it was only the first night.

I finally managed to get reasonably comfortable. Before sleep took me, I realized something. Something I needed to tell her when I got back. I hoped she was sleeping better than I was.


Ty Lee POV

I wasn't sleeping well at all. I missed Alec's cuddles. And that last kiss. It was different than all the other kisses we shared. That one was deeper. Hungrier. It gave me ideas. Ideas that wouldn't leave my head. Before I knew what I was doing, I left my room and walked down the hall to Suki's room. I knocked on the door. I hoped she was alone tonight. I didn't want to interrupt anything.

The door slid open, and Suki stood there, still a little groggy. "Ty Lee?" She said stifling a yawn. "Do you need something?"

My cheeks felt really hot. I couldn't look her in the eye. "When Alec gets back, can I have some of your Moon Tea?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

I expected her to say no, or to tease me, but she was quiet. I glanced up at her. She was smiling. Not a mocking smile, but one of kind understanding. "Sure." She said. "I'll be happy to help you."


Alec POV

The next day, during our flight, I pulled out the list again. "What will it take to get Royal Caldera City under control?" I asked Zuko.

Zuko frowned. "Royal Caldera City is where the nobles live. They're rich, but they all answer to the Fire Lord. If we take over, most of them should fall in line. But we'll need to keep an eye on them, in case they get the idea to do a coup. The people in the Harbor City are commoners, they mostly care about getting enough food and money to get by."

I nodded. "And the commoners will be more likely to listen when we bring their family members home from fighting in the war." I added.

Zuko nodded. "Probably."

I thought for a minute. "Are there any other groups of people we need to convince?" I asked.

"The Fire Sages." Zuko answered. "They're the spiritual leaders of the Fire Nation. We'll need them."

"Well, they were kept in the dark about your Agni Kai, so they'll probably follow the law and support you." I speculated. I wrote that down, too. "Now, once we have control, what do we do?"

"End the war." Zuko said. "Send out messenger hawks to all commanders, tell them to pull back to the Fire Nation, or the colonies. We'll start talking about our official surrender then." Zuko shook his head. "I just hope the other nations are willing to listen and won't attack the soldiers while they're retreating."

I frowned. "We should probably try to meet with the leaders of the other nations before we attack, so they know they can trust you when you order the retreat." I suggested.

Zuko raised his eyebrow. "You think they'll listen?"

I nodded. "I'm pretty sure Earth King Kuei will. Chief Arnook will listen to us if we vouch for you. In the Southern Water Tribe, each village has its own chief, but Sokka and Katara told me that Hakoda was elected by all the other villages to be the Head Chief as long as the war is going on."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "And will this Hakoda give me a chance?"

"He's Sokka and Katara's dad." I said. "And my adopted dad. He'll listen to us. But you will have to apologize."

Zuko looked down. "I've done so many things I'm embarrassed about, you're going to have to be a little more specific."

I smirked. "Remember that old woman you grabbed by the collar when you showed up at our village?"

Zuko looked at me. "Yeah?"

"That's our Gran Gran, Kanna. Hakoda's mother." I said.

"Oh shit." Zuko whispered, his eyes wide with horror.

The immature part of me compelled me to keep messing with him. "Also, the necklace you took from Katara belonged to Kya, Hakoda's dead wife." I said.

Zuko turned green. "How do you know he won't kill me?" He whispered.

I stopped messing with him and gave him a reassuring smile. "We'll be there when he meets you. Besides, Katara got the necklace back and Gran Gran wasn't hurt."

Zuko breathed. "That's a relief."


Over the next several days, Zuko and I tried to map out what needed to be done to change the Fire Nation. We knew changing it from a war economy with colonies to a self-sustaining peace economy would be a huge undertaking, but we would have plenty of time to do it when the war ended.

We were flying on the seventh day, when Aang perked up. "Check the map. That should be the island!" He said excitedly, pointing in front of him.

Zuko and I looked. We saw an island, and a large abandoned city near the foot of a mountain. It looked like Mayan or Aztec in design. Lots of pyramids and stairs. The city was in ruins, and there were plants growing through the cracked stone.

Appa landed on the outskirts of the city. We disembarked and started walking through the ruins. Zuko looked around at the buildings. "Even though these buildings are ancient, there's something eerily familiar about them." He stated. "I can tell the Fire Sages' temples are somehow descended from these."

Aang nodded. "Okay, we've learned something about architecture. Hopefully, we'll learn something about firebending too. The past can be a great teacher." He said optimistically.

Aang's foot brushed a tripwire, and he began to fall. A portion of the path in front of him sank a few feet, and spikes shot up through holes in the tiles. At the last second, he blew a blast of air from his mouth and vaulted himself to the other side of the path. He turned around with a worried look on his face. "Guys, I think the past is trying to kill me!" He said.

Zuko kneeled down to inspect the spikes. "I can't believe it." He said with a hint of awe. He picked up the tripwire. "This booby trap must be centuries old and it still works."

"You'd be surprised how long things last with regular maintenance." I thought to myself.

"There's probably a lot more." Aang speculated. "Maybe this means we shouldn't be here."

Zuko did a wall run and made it across the gap. I flew over it with jet propulsion. "Uncle learned the true meaning of firebending here." Zuko said. "I'm not about to leave empty-handed." He looked up at the tallest building in the city. "People don't make traps unless there's something worth protecting."

"I'm not leaving either." I said firmly. "Especially after we spent a week flying here."


We made our way to another building. We saw a mural depicting a man being surrounded by two dragons breathing fire at him. "Look, this seems promising." Aang noted. "But I'm not sure what it tells us about the original source of firebending."

"They look pretty angry to me." Zuko observed.

"It's the art style." I said. "All those angular drawings make everything look angry."

"Maybe." Aang said. He turned to Zuko. "Besides, weren't the dragons friends with the Sun Warriors?"

"They had a funny way of showing it." Zuko answered. He started walking away. I followed after him.

"Alec, Zuko?" Aang said, stopping us in our tracks. "What happened to the dragons?" He asked.

"Sozin." I said gravely.

"He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory." Zuko elaborated. "They were the original firebenders. If you could conquer one, your firebending talents would become legendary, and you'd earn the honorary title, Dragon." We began walking towards the massive temple in the center of town.

"They hunted them down?" Aang asked with a sad tone in his voice.

Zuko nodded and we began ascending the stairs to the temple. "The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born." He reached his hand out and touched one of the dragon statues beside the stairs. "By my uncle." He finished.

"But I thought your uncle was…I don't know, good?" Aang said.

"He had a complicated past." Zuko replied. "Family tradition, I guess. Let's move on."


We reached the top of the stairs. We saw the entrance to the temple was a massive round stone door. A red gem was encrusted in the archway above it. Aang ran to the door and tried to open it with his hands, to no avail. "It's locked up." He said.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh no." I snarked. "If only we had an earthbender."

Aang rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, right." He turned back to the door and stomped, spreading his hands apart. The door opened along the seam. We entered the temple. It was full of twenty statues in a circle, performing a mirrored sequence of firebending moves. Aang recoiled a little when the light hit the statues.

"Relax." Zuko assured him. "They're just statues."

I stood outside the circle and started mimicking the moves. I knew I would need this. "What are you doing?" Zuko asked.

"Those look like firebending forms." I said. "I want to learn them." I did a few repetitions of the sequence until I felt like I had it memorized.

Aang read the inscription on one of the statues from inside the circle. "It says this is something called the Dancing Dragon." He looked up at the first statue. He mimicked its pose, and we heard the creaking stone of a pressure plate. Aang looked down, then at the other statues. Then he ran over to Zuko and grabbed him. "Zuko, get over here!" He said urgently. "I want you to dance with me."

Zuko tried to escape his grip. "What?!"

"Just do it!" Aang insisted.

Zuko agreed to Aang's demand. They set up in front of the first statue. "Let's follow the steps of the statues." Aang instructed.

Zuko and Aang followed the statues' movements, which pressed a series of pressure plates on the floor. "This better teach us some really good firebending." Zuko grumbled.

They got to the last pose, which had their waists bent towards each other and their arms pointed at each other. A part of the floor in the center of the statue circle retracted and a column emerged from the floor. A gold egg-shaped object sat on top of the column.

Aang raised his arms up in victory. "Hurray!" He exclaimed. Then he put his hands down and looked confused. "Wait, what exactly is that?" He asked.

Zuko walked towards it. "It's some kind of mystical gemstone." He reached out to touch it.

Oh, fuck no! I was not about to be trapped in goo, thank you very much! I jet-stepped over to Zuko and grabbed his wrists.

"Hey!" Zuko shouted. "What are you doing?!"

I gave him a look. "I know exactly what will happen if you touch that thing." I said seriously. "And I don't want to trigger that booby trap."

Zuko's eyes widened and he backed down. "So, what now?" He asked.

I noticed that the sun was beginning to set. "We should set up camp." I suggested. "There's enough space outside the door for Appa to hang out. Let's bring him up here."


We ate dinner that night. I was on guard. Hopefully the locals would ask questions before they attacked. Aang paused and tensed suddenly as we sat around the little fire we made. "Guys, you know how Toph's been teaching me to feel things with earthbending?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"We're surrounded." Aang whispered.

"Finally!" I thought to myself. "How many?" I asked.

Aang looked worried. "Thirty-two."

I stood up and held up my hands. "We surrender." I said loud and clear.

Zuko and Aang looked at me like I was crazy. "Trust me." I whispered to them. They slowly stood up and held up their hands, too.

People started emerging from the darkness surrounding the temple. They all wore red pants with gold sashes. The men wore short red collars that looked a bit like Ty Lee's, and the women wore tight red tops that covered their chests but left their midriffs exposed. One man was dressed differently than the others. He wore the same pants as the others, but his top was a red vest-like garment. He had gold armbands, a gold necklace, an elaborate headdress, and a staff. This was clearly the chief.

"Who are you?" He demanded. "Why are you here?"

Zuko spoke up. "We came to find the ancient origin of all firebending."

One of the other men stepped forward. "Yeah, right." He said. "They are obviously thieves, here to steal Sun Warrior treasures."

Aang decided to try his hand. "Please, I normally don't play this card." He placed his palm on his chest. "But, I'm the Avatar."

If this weren't a tense situation, I would have rolled my eyes. Aang always played that card. The chief and the other man shared a glance. "Just hear us out." Aang pleaded.

Zuko took a step forward. "My name is Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation." He looked down. "Or at least I used to be." He looked up and continued. "I know my people have distorted the ways of firebending, to be fueled by anger and rage. But now I want to learn the true way, the original way. When we came here, I never imagined the Sun Warrior's civilization was secretly still alive. I am truly humbled to be in your presence." He bowed. Aang and I followed suit. "Please, teach us." Zuko pleaded.

The Chief looked at me. "What is your reason for coming here?" He asked.

"The same as them." I replied. "I'm a firebender working with the Avatar to end the war that's been destroying this world for the past hundred years. I also want to learn the true meaning of firebending."

The Chief gave a curt nod. "If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn from the masters, Ran and Shaw."

Aang perked up. "Ran and Shaw? There are two of them?"

The Chief walked up to us. "When you present yourself to them, they will examine you." He said. "They'll read your hearts," He looked at Aang. "Your souls." He looked at me. "And your ancestry." He looked at Zuko. "If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you." He said. His neutral expression turned grave. "If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot."

I gulped. I knew Aang and Zuko would be fine, but I wasn't so sure about me.


The next morning, the Sun Warriors led us to another temple in the city. At the top of the temple, under a pagoda-like structure, was a large fire. The Chief stood in front of the flame, facing away from us. "If you're going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the Eternal Flame. This fire is the very first one." He raised his hands reverently and turned to face us. "It was given to man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."

"I don't believe it." Zuko whispered with awe.

The Chief continued. "You will each take a piece of it to the masters, to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending."

Aang rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Um, Mister Sun Chief, sir? Yeah, I'm not a firebender yet, could one of my friends carry it for me?"

"No." The Chief said bluntly. He turned around and scooped up a piece of the Eternal Flame in his hand. He took part of his piece and put it in Zuko's waiting hands. "This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy." He handed me a piece. It felt different than any fire I'd held before. It felt pure and alive. I could feel it pulsing. "You must maintain a constant heat." He instructed. "The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big, and you might lose control." He held out the flame in front of Aang. Aang nervously brought his hands forward.

"I'm sorry." Aang apologized. "I'm just a little nervous." He took the fire. His eyes widened. "It's like a little heartbeat." He said with a small smile. Good, he was getting it.

"Fire is life." The Chief said. "Not just destruction." He pointed to a pair of twin mountain peaks in the distance. "You will take your flames up there." He said. "The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."


We spent most of the day walking through a path in the forest, making our way to the mountain. At one point, Zuko and I got a little ahead of Aang. We turned around. "Hurry up." Zuko instructed.

"I can't." Aang replied. "If I walk too fast my flame will go out." I noticed that his flame was a lot smaller than ours.

"Your flame's gonna go out because it's too small." Zuko said.

"Give it a little more power, Aang." I added. "You can control it, I know you can."

Aang smiled at the compliment and his flame grew from the size of a golf ball to the size of a baseball. That should stabilize it for a while.


About an hour of walking later, we reached the mountain. A massive staircase led to a platform that was connected to each of the twin peaks by a stone bridge. At each peak, where the bridge connected, was the entrance to a cave.

The Sun Warriors were already here. They had arrived ahead of us. The Chief approached us. "Facing the judgement of the masters will be very dangerous for you." He looked at Zuko. "Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearance. The masters might not be so happy to see you."

"I know I wouldn't be." The other Sun Warrior from last night muttered.

"But once they find out I'm the Avatar…" Aang began.

The Chief cut him off. "Have you forgotten that you vanished, allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world?" Aang got a guilty look on his face. "The decline of the dragons is your burden too."

The Chief turned to me. "And you. What makes you believe you are worthy?"

I shrugged. "That's for the masters to decide." I said plainly.

The Chief raised an eyebrow. "Did you not hear the part where I said you'd be killed if they find you unworthy?"

I gave the Chief a flat look. "I've been tortured before. A quick death at the hands of the masters sounds pleasant by comparison."

Zuko gave me a shocked look. I gave him a look that said 'I don't want to talk about it.'.

The Chief planted his staff in the ground, took a piece from each of our flames and handed them to a Sun Warrior. The Sun Warriors each and made circles of fire the size of hula hoops.

Aang turned to Zuko and me. "We could turn back now." He said. "We've already learned more about firebending than we'd hoped." He held up his flame and gave us a weak smile.

"No." Zuko said. "We're seeing this through to the end. We're gonna meet these masters and find out what's so great about them." I nodded in agreement.

"What if they judge us, and attack us?" Aang asked, worried.

"Well, we're the Fire Prince, the Hand Slicer, and the Avatar." He said. He took his free hand and slightly unsheathed one of the swords on his back. "I think we could take these guys, whoever they are."

I frowned. "Okay, two things." I said. "One, I'm not leaving. And two, don't call me Hand Slicer, only Toph can get away with that."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Every alternate Sun Warrior in the circle surrounding us had made a fire circle. Zuko turned to the Chief. "Bring 'em out!"

The Chief spread out his hands to both his sides. "Chanters!"

The Sun Warriors who weren't making fire circles started playing the drums and chanting rhythmically. Zuko, Aang, and I approached the staircase. The Chief stood to the side to let us pass. We slowly ascended the steep steps. We made it to the top. The three of us glanced at each cave, trying to see what was inside.

An echoing voice sounded from below us. "Those who wish to meet the masters, Ran and Shaw, will now present their fire."

Aang and Zuko each turned towards a cave and held up the flames reverently. I stood in the center of the platform and did the same.

"Sound the call!" I heard the Chief yell.

I heard a massive horn blow out a long, low note. Then I heard a crashing sound coming from each cave. Aang dropped his arms and turned around. "What's happening?!" He exclaimed.

"Aang! You let the fire go out!" I hissed.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What do I do?!" He whispered, terrified.

I put some more power into my fire so it was big enough to split it. I took half in my left hand and held it out to him. "Take it, and don't drop it again." I warned.

I didn't know if this was cheating, and I knew Aang and Zuko would probably be fine, but I didn't want to risk it. Aang took the flames gratefully and got back into position. "Thanks." He whispered.

I heard a sound halfway between a screech and a roar coming from Aang's cave. I turned my gaze towards it and saw a pair of yellow eyes, before a massive red dragon flew out and started circling the platform in the air. Even though I knew it was coming, seeing a creature this majestic, beautiful, and terrifying in person was awe-inspiring. I heard another roar from Zuko's cave, and a blue dragon flew out and joined the red one in their formation.

"These are the masters." Zuko realized.

"Still think we can take them?" Aang asked, terrified.

"Shh!" Zuko hissed. "I never said that."

We stood and held our flames, but the dragons didn't change formation. Aang figured out the problem. "Guys, I think we're supposed to do the Dancing Dragon with them." He said.

Zuko wasn't convinced. "What about this situation makes you think they want us to dance?"

"He's right, Zuko." I said.

Zuko sighed. "Okay, fine."

"Put some power into the fire when you do it." I suggested. "We don't want to lose the flames."

We each took the beginning stance of the Dancing Dragon. The masters changed their flight pattern. We went through the steps slowly. With every move we took, the dragons thrust, twisted and turned, dancing with the three of us. Fire shot out with every move in the sequence. Aang and Zuko moved around the platform, and I moved across it. We took the final step, and all our fists came together, the flames combined in a massive helix, and shot out across the platform.

The dragons stopped. They perched above each bridge, slowly flapping their wings to stay airborne. Aang stared down the red one. Zuko locked eyes with the blue. My gaze darted back and forth between both. Aang was shaking like a leaf. If I didn't have better self-control, I'd have been right there with him. The seconds seemed to drag on for hours while we awaited their judgement.

The dragons dropped down, opened their mouths, and breathed. A vortex of fire surrounded us. It was hot, but it didn't burn. In fact, it felt nourishing, almost. The fire went through every color of the rainbow. This was what real fire was. Energy. Life. It all became so clear to me.

"I understand." Zuko whispered.

We had been found worthy. The red dragon flew up and back into its cave. That was odd. Didn't they both leave at the same time? The blue dragon stared us down.

"Follow." I heard a deep, animalistic, but still clearly female voice say inside my head.

"Did anyone else hear that?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the dragon.

Zuko and Aang both nodded. "It wants us to follow." Zuko said.

"She." The voice corrected. "My name is Shaw. Follow."

She took off and flew back into her cave. Zuko and Aang turned to me. "What are we getting into?" Zuko asked.

I shook my head. "I have no idea." I admitted. I started walking towards Shaw's cave. Zuko and Aang gave me incredulous looks. "What do you mean, you don't know?" Zuko hissed.

"This part didn't happen in the original story." I explained. "I'm just as lost as you. But I'm not about to say no to a dragon."

Aang nodded. "That's fair."


We entered the darkness of the cave. Zuko and I each made a small fire with our hands and held it out to give us some light. The cave was large, and Shaw was curled up in what looked like a giant nest. "You wished to speak with us?" I asked.

"Yes." Shaw replied. "I have something to show you all."

She lifted up part of her midsection, revealing three large eggs. One red, one black, and one blue. I was mesmerized by the black egg. Almost like it was calling to me.

"Most dragons hatch naturally with time." Shaw said. "But those that are destined to bond with humans don't hatch until their human companion finds their egg."

Zuko looked shocked. "Are you saying we're supposed to take care of those three?" He asked.

"You two are to take care of two of them, but the Avatar is not." Shaw responded.

Aang looked a little disappointed. "I'm not?"

"You already have two animal guides. That's more than enough for one incarnation." Shaw said. "Any more and you'll become more of a zookeeper than an Avatar."

I was still reeling from this. I was supposed to take care of a dragon? I'd never had a pet before in my life! I knew Zuko had one in Korra, but he didn't get it in the original series. "Who's the third egg for?" I asked.

"I do not know." Shaw admitted. "Perhaps they will come in a year, perhaps in twenty years. I will only know for certain who they are when I meet them."

She turned her gaze to Zuko and me. "Each of you feels one of the eggs calling to you, do you not? Approach that egg and touch it."

I walked slowly towards the black egg, while Zuko did the same with the red. I reached out and touched it with my palm. The egg felt warm. It began to rattle. The egg cracked, then it burst open. What I saw inside took my breath away. It was a baby dragon, with black scales, and about a foot long. Somehow, I knew intuitively that the dragon was male. It was amazing. The dragon jumped up and stretched his wings, then he perched on my shoulder. I turned to my left and saw that the same had happened to Zuko, only his dragon was red.

"Give them names." Shaw instructed.

"Druk." Zuko said after a few seconds.

I thought about it. My inner nerd was having a field day. I thought back to my favorite game, Skyrim. I was such a fanboy that I memorized the dragon language. I thought of a name.

"Ved." I said. 'Black' in the dragon language.

"Some things you should know." Shaw stated. "They eat meat, any kind will do. Also, three months from now, they will be able to speak to you as I can. A year from now, they will be large enough for you to ride them. A year after that, they will be fully grown. Keep them safe."

I bowed gratefully, as did Zuko. "Thank you." I said. "We will."


We walked out of the temple and down the stairs. The Sun Warriors looked at us with shock written all over their faces. "So, not only did the masters deem you worthy, they entrusted two of their young to you as well." The Chief noted.

"Their fire was beautiful." Zuko whispered, stroking the top of Druk's head. "I saw so many colors, colors I've never imagined."

"Like firebending harmony." Aang added.

The Chief smiled. "Yes. They judged you, and gave you visions of the true meaning of firebending."

"I can't believe there are still living dragons." Zuko said. "My uncle said he faced the last dragon and killed it."

I smirked. "So your uncle lied." Aang stated.

The Chief smiled again. "Actually, it wasn't a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him as well."

Zuko's eyes widened. "He must have lied to protect them, so no one else would hunt them."

Aang shook his head. "All this time, I thought firebending was destruction. But now I know what it really is." He smiled. "It's energy and life."

Zuko nodded. "Yeah, it's like the Sun, but inside you."

"Hence, the Sun Warriors." I nodded at the Chief.

"That's why my firebending was so weak before." Zuko realized. He turned to Aang. "Because for so many years, hunting you was my purpose. When I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now I have a new drive." He said with determination. "I have to help you defeat my father and bring balance back to the world."

Zuko took a stance and shot two fire blasts into the distance. He had his old power back, and he seemed a lot calmer firebending, to boot. Aang took a stance and thrust his hand out. A fireball shot out, and he smiled.

I tried to clear my head. It was a lot easier this time. I moved my arms in an arc. Blue sparks formed at my fingertips. I shot my arm out in front of me. I heard a loud clap of thunder, and a huge bolt of lightning shot out of my fingers. I did it!

The Chief nodded. "Congratulations." He said. "I would make a joke about imprisoning you here forever now that you know our secrets, but you must be allowed to leave to raise the dragons. Keep them safe, but keep our secrets. Tell nobody that you don't trust with your lives."

We all nodded in agreement.


We boarded Appa and flew out the following morning. We had some meat jerky with our food supplies, thank the spirits, but not enough for the humans and the dragons. Zuko and I reluctantly made the decision to go vegetarian for the week until we got back. We could survive without meat. Druk and Ved couldn't.

During the first day, while Zuko and I sat in the saddle, scratching our dragons behind their ears and their tiny little stubby horns, I looked at Zuko. "I hope our girlfriends like pets." I said with a smirk.

Zuko chuckled. "I think we'll be fine." He said. "Ty Lee thinks every animal is cute, especially when they're little. Mai likes things that are deadly."

I nodded. "Good point." I said. A thought occurred to me. "Aang?" I said loudly enough to get his attention.

Aang turned around. "What is it?"

"When we get back, you should probably explain to Momo that Druk and Ved aren't for eating." I warned him.

Aang's eyebrows shot up. "Do you really think Momo would try to eat them?"

I gave Aang a flat look. "He tried to eat the Moon and Ocean Spirits before I stopped him." I pointed out. "Just make that clear to Momo."

Aang nodded. "Sure."


The rest of the week passed without incident. We saw the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. An idea ran through my head. "Zuko, we probably don't want the Dai Li to get wind of the dragons." I said. "Maybe we should hide them in my bag until we get inside, and go down to the training area just to be safe."

Zuko nodded. "Sure, let's do it."

I emptied out my bag to make enough room for the dragons. Zuko and I gently placed them inside. "It'll only be a little while." We assured them. Thankfully, Druk and Ved were pretty chill about it. I didn't close my bag all the way, so they could breathe. Zuko volunteered to carry the bag.

A few hours later, at about midday, we finally saw our house. I'd missed Ty Lee so much. I wondered what she and the others had been up to? We landed and jumped off of Appa. We opened the back door of the house and walked into the sitting room. "We're ba…"

Before I could finish that sentence, a pink blur crashed into me and tackled me to the floor. I was wrapped in a tight hug. I blinked a few times to get my bearings and looked down. Ty Lee was was staring up at me with wide eyes and a huge smile. "I missed you so much!"

I returned the hug and kissed her. "I missed you, too." I looked around. "Could you let me up?" I asked gently.

She blinked, and seemed to realize that we were literally on the floor. She blushed slightly and we both stood up.

"Sweetie!" I heard Katara shout. She ran up from the sitting room and hugged Aang tightly. Aang returned her hug. Those two were cute together, even if 'Sweetie' was a bit much.

"Hello handsome." A husky voice said from our left. Zuko blushed and turned to see Mai leaning casually against the wall. She walked up and gave him a kiss. "Welcome back."

"Where's everyone else?" I asked Ty Lee.

"Down in the training area." She said. "Mai, Katara and I decided to wait up here today for you."

I nodded. "We need to go down there." I said. "We have something to show you all."


We made our way down to the training grounds. I saw Sokka and Suki training. Toph was throwing boulders. Iroh was meditating. Momo was flying around the training grounds.

"Everyone, look who's back!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

Everybody stopped. "About time." Toph said, not even turning around. Sokka and Suki saw us and grinned. Iroh gave us a warm smile.

I smirked. "Gather around, everyone. We have some things to tell you."

We all gathered around and sat in a circle. Momo perched on Aang's shoulder. "So, we made it to the Sun Warriors' island." I began.

"What did you find?" Sokka asked.

I turned to Zuko and gave him a smirk. "Let's show them."

Zuko grinned and opened the bag. Druk and Ved flew out and perched on our shoulders. Everybody's jaws dropped. Well, all except for Toph's. "What are those? Some kind of bird?"

"Not birds." Zuko said with a massive grin.

"Dragons." I clarified.

Toph's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Oh."

Momo looked curious, but Aang grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. "Momo, they're not food." He said firmly. Momo's ears drooped.

Everyone but the three of us still looked flabbergasted. Iroh was the first to recover. "Well, I certainly didn't expect that." He said.

Ty Lee inched closer to me. "Alec. May I?" She asked, mesmerized by the dragon.

I gave her a warm smile and nodded. "Sure." I picked up Ved from my shoulder and put him in my arms. "Hey Ved." I said to get the black dragon's attention. He looked at me with his golden eyes. "This is your mommy, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee gasped slightly when she heard me say that. I gave her a look with as much affection as I could muster. "Come on, Ty Lee, it's okay." I said gently.

Ty Lee inched closer to me and slowly extended her hand towards Ved. "Scratch him behind the ears." I whispered. "He likes that."

She scratched Ved behind the ears. Ved closed his eyes and nuzzled into her hand. "He likes you." I whispered.

"He's amazing." She said with awe and affection.

Mai approached Zuko and Druk and did something similar, but I couldn't hear the conversation those two were having. The others had recovered.

Katara gave us a look. "Care to explain for the rest of us?"


A Brief Explanation Later

"So, the dragons are secretly still alive?" Suki asked.

Zuko nodded. "Yes. So are the Sun Warriors." He glanced at Iroh. "Uncle lied and said he killed the last dragon years ago to protect them from being hunted." He turned to me. "We should add 'ban dragon hunting' to the list, now that I think about it."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll take care of that."

"So, did you get your firebending back?" Katara asked.

Zuko smiled and stood up. He shot a fireball at the wall. Aang did the same.

Ty Lee gave me a look. "What about you, Alec? Did you learn anything?"

I nodded. I stood up, moved my arms in an arc, and shot a bolt of lightning at the wall. Iroh nodded appreciatively. "Well done. Just remember, that is a lethal technique, do not use it unless you need to kill."

I nodded. "I understand."

Zuko turned to Aang. "We can start more firebending training at dawn." He said.

I raised a hand. "Actually, I have plans for all of us tomorrow." I said.

Everyone turned to me. "What plans?"

I grinned. "We're going to see the Earth King."


We had dinner as a group. During dinner, Ty Lee fed Ved by hand. She was going to spoil him rotten, I just knew it. When we got ready for bed, we placed a plush pillow on the floor for Ved to sleep on. He curled up and started snoozing immediately. Ty Lee and I cuddled in the bed.

"I missed this." She murmured.

I stroked her hair. "There's something I have to tell you." I said.

She looked at me with curious eyes. "What is it?"

"That first night I was gone, I missed you so much." I said. "Cuddling with you, kissing you, talking to you. I missed all of it. It made me realize something important."

"What did you realize?" She asked.

I smiled at her. "I don't want to be away from you that long again." I said. I locked eyes with her. "Because I love you."

Ty Lee's eyes widened. She was silent for several seconds. I was starting to worry that I said it too soon. Then she smiled and pulled me into a kiss. We broke the kiss after several long seconds. She smiled brightly at me. "I love you, too." She whispered.

I hugged her tightly. "Are you as happy as I am?" I whispered.

She giggled. "My aura has never been pinker."


Third Person POV

In the ruins of the Eastern Air Temple sat a man. Currently the oldest living person, Guru Pathik was a nonbender, but one of the most spiritual people alive. He was in excellent condition, considering he was 150 years old.

Guru Pathik spent most of his days meditating. Sometimes he ventured into the Spirit World to talk to various spirits. Other times, he just emptied his mind of worldly concerns. Tonight, he was engaged in the latter, when he heard a familiar voice.

"Guru Pathik."

He opened his eyes and saw a familiar spirit. He smiled. "Hello, Lady Ài, how may I help you?"

The Love Spirit gave him a kind smile. "The Avatar needs your guidance." She said. "And I need you to send a message to him in Ba Sing Se."

Pathik inclined his head. "Certainly." He replied. "What is the message?"

AN: Sorry this took longer than usual. Next time: The Earth King.