Chapter Four
As the sun rose on the eastern horizon, Appa calmly grazed on the grass while Aang was checking the saddle and reins to ensure a proper and tight fit. He made sure to triple check it all because he was beyond excited to return to the Southern Air Temple, his home.
"Wait till you see it Katara," Aang called out to her, while she prepared to set out for the day. "The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in the world!" he said with enthusiasm.
"Aang," she said cautiously, "I know you're excited, but it's been a hundred years since you've been home."
"That's why I'm excited!" he said as he jumped off Appa and landed gracefully onto the ground.
"You know that a lot has changed in the last one hundred years, right?" Azula said after she finished packing her things.
"I know, and that's why I need to see if for myself," Aang answered.
More than you realize airbender, Azula thought to herself. She walked over to where Zuko was still wrapped in his sleeping bag, soundly asleep. Azula frowned at his lack of urgency to get the day started.
"Wake up Dum-Dum!" she yelled before kicking Zuko's hip. He woke up with a start and leaned up from the ground. He scowled at Azula for rudely waking him up.
"You could've just shook me awake," he grumbled as he unbundled himself from his sleeping bag.
"I know, but kicking you was more effective," she replied before looking at Sokka, who was still asleep in his own sleeping bag.
"Wake up Sucker, it's time to get moving!" she shouted.
"Yeah Sokka!" Aang added as he ran over to Sokka. "Air Temple here we come!"
"Sleep now…," Sokka grumbled half asleep, "temple later…" He rolled over and started snoring again.
Aang smiled as an idea came to mind as to how to get Sokka up. He picked up a stick and began running the tip of it atop Sokka's sleeping bag.
"Sokka wake up!" Aang shouted. "There's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!"
Sokka's eyes shot open and he shouted in fear. He quickly jumped up and began hopping around violently.
"Get it out, get it out!" he shouted before tripping and landing face first onto the ground with a look of irritation at the Avatar's prank. Azula and Katara laughed at his misfortune while Zuko groaned at his best friend's usual clumsiness.
"Great!" Aang said as if the prank never happened. "You're awake. Now we can finally go!"
The group set out on Appa and began climbing higher and higher into the sky, skimming over the top of mountains. Aang smiled brightly as he recognized several of them.
But Aang was rather oblivious to how the teenagers were acting about the elephant-moose in the room. Katara was the most anxious about it, unsure if she should outright tell Aang what happened.
"Why haven't you told him about what the Fire Nation did to his people?" Azula whispered to Katara.
"I don't know," Katara admitted. "I'm worried how he'll react."
Azula rolled her eyes. "You're such a mother."
Katara scowled at her best friend, though she was not overly upset about it because it was true to an extent. She did pick up some of the slack after her mother died because Ursa, as devoted she was to it, needed a good amount of help from Katara and Kanna to adjust to not having the luxuries of a palace.
"Well why don't you tell him Azula?" Katara asked. "You're not as worried about how he'll react." When Azula looked away, it gave Katara a hint about why she had not told Aang herself.
"Or are you afraid how he'll look at you and Zuko for being the descendants of the monster who started this mess?" Katara said in a whisper to avoid Aang overhearing.
Azula glared at her friend, both for her crass question and how they were fighting. But she had to admit that it is true that she does not have an appetite to fight the Avatar.
"I wouldn't say worried," Azula arrogantly said, "more like I rather have him as an ally then an enemy."
"Yeah, you're afraid," Katara said with a smirk while Azula glared at her, before smirking herself at how Katara can be sassy as she can be motherly.
Sokka and Zuko sat towards the back of the saddle, checking over their weapons.
"You really think the Fire Army would be there?" Zuko said as he sharpened his machetes, making sure he had the option to use them to either conceal or increase his firebending.
"I can imagine they'd leave a garrison there in case an Avatar would return," Sokka said logically as he finished sharpening his boomerang and started checking his club for cracks.
"I hope you're wrong," Zuko said with a frown.
"He'll be wrong" Azula said nonchalantly as she joined them to prep her own boomerang. "As usual," she said as she eyed Sokka with a mean smirk.
One of Sokka's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "And what makes you think the Fire Nation won't be there?"
"I stole documents from the Rough Rhino's ship," Azula said proudly. "One of them had a map of Fire Nation garrisons throughout the world. None are present at the Southern Air Temple."
"And how do you know those documents are accurate?" Sokka asked with disbelief.
"Because Sucker, they belonged to a colonel in the Fire Nation Army," Azula sad smugly while sharpening her boomerang.
Sokka pouted before saying, "Well maybe those documents are out of date. That colonel seemed to be way more brawn than brain."
"Well you are right on that last remark," Azula said truthfully. Sokka smiled, thinking he was gaining the upper hand in this argument.
"But those documents were dated from only a few weeks ago, so I doubt they placed a garrison there in that time," Azula said nonchalantly, causing Sokka to pout in frustration that he lost this argument. Azula smirked at his frustration, satisfied that she won against him again.
Without warning, Sokka's stomach growled loudly.
"Hey, stomach, be quiet, all right? I'm trying to find us some food," he said as if his stomach was a person of its own. He dug through his bag to grab his blubbered seal jerky, only to find it gone.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Who ate all my blubbered seal jerky?"
"Maybe you ate it without realizing it," Azula said. "Wouldn't surprise me given how you're such a glutton." Sokka shot Azula a look, to which she smirked.
"Actually," Aang said innocently, "I didn't know it was food, so I used it to start the fire last night."
"You WHAT?!" Sokka said horrified. "Awww, no wonder the flames smelled so good."
"Maybe I should start the campfires from now on," Zuko said.
"Yeah, you should," Katara said with a mean smirk. "It's all your bending is good for."
Zuko glared at Katara while Azula laughed and Sokka tried to muffle his own.
But Aang could not laugh at Zuko being teased because it looked like Katara had a crush on him and was being mean to him for it. Girls can be very confusing he thought. He shook his quickly and focused ahead, spotting a familiar sight.
"The Batola Mountain Range!" Aang shouted in excitement. "We're almost there!"
"Aang," Katara said with anxiety, "before we get to the temple, I should talk to you about the airbenders."
"What about 'em?" Aang asked.
"Well, I just want you to be prepared for what you might see…," Katara said with unease, not sure how to continue the conversation.
"And what would that be?" Aang asked, unaware of Katara's uneasiness.
"How much damage the Fire Nation caused," Azula said, believing Katara was dancing around the subject. "They can be quite thorough." Katara shot Azula a look for rather harsh words, but Azula just stared back at her, implying that Aang needed to face the truth one way or another.
"Just because no one has seen an airbender in a hundred years," Aang said optimistically, "doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped."
"I doubt that," Azula whispered darkly.
"Listen Aang," Katara continued, "I know it must be hard to accept."
"You don't understand Katara," Aang said. "The only way to get to one of the Air Temples is on a flying bison. And I doubt the Fire Nation has any flying bison."
"They climbed up the mountain side," Azula said.
"It's too steep to climb," Aang replied.
"By hand, yes," Azula countered, "but the Fire Nation used a new weapon called the crossbow to fire large metal arrows with chains to climb the mountain sides."
"That sounds ridiculous," Aang said.
"You'll see," Azula said, no longer seeing the point in trying to convince Aang with her words, so she will just let the evidence speak for itself.
"Sure I will," Aang said with disbelief. "Appa, yip-yip!" Appa groaned before speeding up to reach the Air Temple.
Soon the temple came into view. The teenagers, including Azula, were in awe by the magnificence of it, amazed that somehow an incredibly large structure could be built on a mountain top.
"There it is…," Aang said, "the Southern Air Temple."
"Aang, it's amazing!" Katara said with glee.
"How did they build that?" Zuko asked.
"I would assume one brick at a time," Azula said sarcastically.
"Or they had earthbenders build them hundreds or thousands of years ago," Sokka suggested.
"No, all the Air Temples were built solely by the ancient airbenders," Aang said with pride. His eyes began to tear up as pleasant memories of this place came back to him. "We're home buddy," he said to Appa. "We're home." Appa groaned in happy agreement before beginning the descent down to the temple.
After docking their damaged ship in Togo Harbor in the Southwestern Earth Kingdom, Colonel Mongke and his men disembarked from the ship. They have been to their harbor recently and dreaded being here because of certain senior officers stationed in this place. Despite the harbor being named after Admiral Togo, a brilliant naval commander and honorable hero of the Fire Nation, none of the current senior officers here had no sense of honor.
Even though the Rough Rhinos had a rather twisted sense of honor of their own, making them hypocrites.
"Vachir, get the dockmaster to repair my ship as quickly as possible," Mongke ordered. "Ogodei and Yeh-Lu, you get the swabbies and grunts to gather supplies. I want to leave as soon as it's done, and make sure no one mentions anything about the brats. I don't want anyone getting in my way."
"Getting in the way of what, Colonel Mongke?" a familiar and arrogant voice said, causing the Rough Rhinos to stop.
Mongke turned and saw what he considered his naval rival.
"Captain Zhao," Mongke said with disdain.
"It's Commander now," Zhao corrected with a smirk. Mongke scowled at that, knowing that Zhao was now the Navy's equivalent of the Army's colonel, making him an equal rather than a subordinate. "The Rough Rhinos are always welcome here. What brings you to my harbor?"
"The Colonel's ship needs repairs," Kahchi answered simply.
Zhao looked over the bow of the ship, seeing that it rammed into something, or that something rammed into it.
"That's quite of bit of damage," he observed.
"Yes, it is" Mongke replied. "But you have no business to know what happened."
"As you wish," Zhao replied. He knew he would not get an explanation from the colonel himself no matter how long he probed for it.
But that did not mean that others from the crew would not hold under persistent and even uncomfortable questioning.
"Perhaps in the meantime, you could join General Iroh and I for some tea," Zhao offered.
"General Iroh is here?" Mongke asked. He served under the Dragon of the West in the past, back when the Prince was a fierce firebender and warrior. He heard that when Iroh returned from his exile or whatever it was after failing to take Ba Sing Se, he set out again immediately to find his nephew. Mongke had no desire for tea, much less tell Iroh what he discovered in the south.
But he did want to size him up in case word somehow reaches him that Zuko is now traveling with the Avatar. He would have serious competition from Zhao if he found out about his new mission, he did not need the Dragon of the West involved.
"Very well then, me and my men can join you and the general for some tea," Mongke answered with a false smile.
Zhao smiled with a more genuine one of his own, knowing his men would have full access to Mongke's ship and crew.
"Follow me please," he said before leading Mongke and his men towards the command area.
After landing at the bison's corral, everyone dismounted Appa while he went to look for some food and water. Everyone looked around in amazement, though Sokka had his own priorities.
"So where do I get something to eat?" he asked.
"You're the first outsider to ever visit an Air Temple," Katara reprimanded, "and the first thing you ask about is where to find food?"
"I'm just a simple guy with simple needs," Sokka replied.
Zuko and Azula looked around for any trace of Fire Nation incursion, but they could not find anything, Fire Nation or Air Nomad.
"Where are all the bodies?" Azula said.
"Maybe the airbenders did escape," Zuko suggested.
"I doubt it," Azula said with a frown. "Where would they have gone?"
"The Earth Kingdom maybe? It a huge country and would blend in over time," Zuko theorized. "That's what I'd do in their position."
"I'm impressed Zuko," Azula said, half sarcastic half earnestly. "Maybe you do have an analytical mind."
"Really?" he asked.
"Well since you asked that, I take back what I said," she teased.
"Hey!" Zuko said. "No take backs!"
"'No take back'?" Azula said with a raised eyebrow. "How childish."
Zuko groaned, knowing he just made an idiot of himself and letting his sister capitalize on it. They returned to the others to hear Aang give a rapid tour of the temple grounds.
"So that's where my friends and I would play airball!" he said while pointing below to a field of tall poles with two goals on both sides. "And… and over there would be where the bison would sleep," he said, his enthusiasm waning, "and…"
"What's wrong?" Katara asked concerned.
"This place used to be full of monks and lemurs and bison," he said disappointed. "Now it's just a bunch of weeds."
Compliments of the Fire Nation, Azula thought to herself bitterly.
"I can't believe how much has changed," Aang said sadly.
Seeing Aang in such a sad state, Sokka came up with an idea that could cheer him up.
"So this airball game, how do you play it?" he asked.
"Yeah, I wanna see how this game is played," Zuko said.
Aang smiled and soon it was he and Katara against Sokka and Zuko while Azula elected to watch. Aang was happy Katara decided to play with him and not Zuko.
Maybe she likes me and not him? he thought to himself. But he brushed that thought aside and served the ball.
Zuko sent a small fire blast to send it back over, where Katara used water to swat it over to Aang, who sent it flying towards Sokka. It impacted him in the stomach and sent him flying through the goal and impacting the ground harshly.
"Yeah!" Aang cheered. "Katara and Aang seven!" he said while gesturing with seven fingers. "Sokka and Zuko zero!" he finished while making a circle to emphasize the lead.
Azula walked over to Sokka, laughing at his misfortune.
"That's what happens when you try to compete with benders," she teased.
Sokka raised his head to tell her off, but he noticed something red in the bush in front of him.
He moved forward to uncover what it was… and it reviled a Fire Nation helmet, an old one.
"Azula," he said to her, "check this out."
Azula spotted the helmet and knew right away its nation of origin.
"Maybe this will convince him the airbenders are gone," she said before picking up the helmet. She walked over to the rest of the group and tossed the helmet at Aang's feet.
"You see?" she said. "The Fire Nation was here one hundred years ago."
Aang leaned down and picked up the helmet to examine it. It was similar to the helmets from the ones he saw in the South Pole, but it was not an exact duplicate.
"Maybe one of the airbenders found this in the Fire Nation and took it as a souvenir," he said with a shrug. "I've done things like that a few times."
"Really?" Azula said with a scowl. "You're that much in denial?"
"I'm not in denial," Aang said with a furrowed brow. "Taking souvenirs happened all the time."
"No you're just-!" Azula began before Katara interrupted.
"I think that's enough," she said firmly. "One helmet isn't proof that the Fire Nation was here."
Azula scowled at that but knew it was true; she will need more evidence to convince Aang that the Fire Nation assaulted this temple and the others.
"Alright, let's get going!" Aang said with enthusiasm. "We have a whole temple to see!"
As the teenagers followed Aang inside, Zuko walked up alongside Katara and whispered, "You can't hide the truth from him forever."
Katara sighed in resignation. "I know, but I just don't want him to fall into despair. Or worse, get angry and attack Azula out of revenge."
Zuko raised an eyebrow at that statement. "What about me? What if he attacks me out of revenge?"
Katara wore a thoughtful expression. "Then I'd let him have it," she teased.
"You can't be serious…," Zuko said worryingly.
"When are you going to realize when I'm being sarcastic?" Katara asked.
Zuko thought for a moment before replying, "When you stop being sarcastic."
Katara snorted quietly and rolled her eyes.
"Hey guys!" Aang shouted. "I want you to meet somebody."
When the teenagers reached Aang, he stood before a statue of an airbending monk.
"Who is that?" Katara asked.
"He looks ancient," Zuko observed.
"Still better looking than you and that scar," Azula said, causing Zuko to glare at her for a moment.
"This is Monk Gyatso, my guardian, teacher and the greatest airbending master in the world," Aang said. "He taught me everything I know."
Aang bows respectfully before the statue and thought back to the last fun moment he had with Gyatso. He baked some terrible fruit pies and remarked to Aang that the secret was in the gooey center. Aang was not paying attention at the time because he was thinking of what he was told earlier that day; the day he was informed he was the new Avatar. He tried to reason that the monks got it all wrong and mistaken him with someone else; he knew that happened to Kyoshi, the Earth Kingdom Avatar before him. Gyatso told him the monks did make a mistake by telling Aang of his Avatar status before he was sixteen, but he was the Avatar, nonetheless. When Aang asked where he would receive guidance and answers on how to be the Avatar, Gyatso reassured him he will receive the answers when he was ready to enter the Air Temple Sanctuary and meet the person most able to help him. Aang was not satisfied with this answer, but he was cheered up when he and Gyatso launched the fruit pies into the air and caused them to land on the stuffier monks, where lemurs landed on them to eat the gooey mess.
After Aang stood upright from his bow, Katara placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You must miss him," she said.
"Yeah," Aang acknowledged before walking down a corridor.
"Where are you going?" Azula asked.
Aang began climbing some steps that led upstairs. "The Air Temple Sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet."
The group soon arrived at a large wooden door with three large airbending symbols arranged in a triangle pattern protruding from the surface of the door. Several tubes and horns went around the door, forming some type of mechanism.
"If there's someone locked in there," Azula began to point out, "there is no way they could have survived for a hundred years."
"It's not entirely impossible," Aang replied. "I survived in that iceberg for a hundred years."
"He has a good point," Katara said. Azula rolled her eyes, still disbelieving that there was someone inside.
"Katara, whoever is in there could help me figure out this whole Avatar thing!" he said with a bright smile.
Sokka walked up behind him and said, "And whoever is in there might have a medley supply of delicious and cured meat!"
"Airbenders are vegetarians Sokka," Zuko pointed out but was ignored when Sokka ran up to the door and tries to open it with no success.
Sokka collapsed to the floor before looking at Aang. "I don't suppose you have a key to this door?"
"The key Sokka," Aang said proudly, "is airbending."
Sokka moved out of the way to let Aang airbend the door open. He blew powerful gust of air into the horns, which then traveled through the tubes into the large airbending symbols. They vibrated and then turned over, causing the door to open a short moment later.
"Hello?" Aang called out as he walked into the large room. "Anyone home?"
The teenagers walked inside behind Aang and noticed several statues of people in varying styles of clothing from each of the four nations.
"Statues?!" Sokka moaned. "That's it? Where's the meat?"
"Do you ever stop thinking with your stomachs?" Azula said.
"Stomachs?" Sokka asked indignant.
"With your obsession with food, I'm starting to think you have at least two stomachs," Azula said while holding up two fingers to emphasize her point.
"I only have one stomach woman!" Sokka yelled.
"Then stop trying to overfill it you oaf!" Azula shouted back. "Or you'll be too fat to be of any use!"
"I won't get fat!" Sokka said defensively. "I just digest everything quickly and workout a lot!"
Azula stood silently for a moment, thinking of a comeback but none came to mind because Sokka had not one, but two valid points. "Whatever Sucker," she said in defeat before walking away from Sokka, who felt triumphant at his victory.
"Who are all these people?" Katara asked Aang.
"Yeah," Zuko asked, "why are only some of them airbenders?"
"I'm not sure," Aang said uncertain, "but it feels like I know them somehow." He looked at one of the statues of a male airbender with a quizzical look. "It feels like this man is a distant relative to me in a spiritual sense."
Katara looked past the airbender and studied the statue in Water Tribe clothes, then another in Earth Kingdom, and another in Fire Nation. It occurred to her that it is a pattern.
"There's a pattern here," she said. "Air, water, earth and fire," she explined while pointing at each statue.
"Isn't that the Avatar cycle?" Zuko said.
"It is," Aang acknowledged.
"These statues are past Avatars, Aang," Katara stated. "They're your past lives."
"Wow!" Aang said before looking around the room and seeing over a hundred statues. "There's so many!"
"Past lives?" Sokka skeptically said. "Katara you believe in that nonsense?"
"It's true," Katara declared. "When the Avatar dies, they're reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle."
"This is ridiculous," Azula said. "What sense does it make to have to start over with each new Avatar cycle?"
"I think it helps bring different points of view for each lifespan," Aang said. "I was told that not only does the Avatar shape the world into what it could be the world shapes the Avatar into who they are."
The teenagers stood there and stared at Aang for the wisdom he spoke of.
"Right…," Sokka said skeptically.
Aang walked down the line and stared at a statue of an elderly man from the Fire Nation. There was only one statute to his flank, indicating that he was the last Avatar before Aang.
"Aang?" Katara said. He gave her no response, so she said in a louder voice, "Aang snap out of it."
"Uh?" he said in a dazed state.
"Who is this?" Katara asked.
"That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me," he said.
"He's… from the Fire Nation" Zuko said as he stared at the statue of Roku. For some reason Zuko felt he knows Roku somehow.
"You okay buddy?" Sokka asked when he noticed that Zuko seemed a bit off.
"I don't know," Zuko answered. "I feel like I know him too."
"What you're an Avatar too?" Sokka said, becoming annoyed by all this Avatar nonsense.
"No it's not that," Zuko said before turning to Azula. "Does he seem familiar to you too?"
Azula looked hard at the statue and felt a wave of discomfort wash over her like a cold blanket. She crossed her arms to look skeptical, but she was really trying to get warmth from them.
"I don't know if he's familiar to me," Azula said. "But I don't like it in here." She turned to leave the large room when she spotted a large shadow approaching the door.
Her instincts took over and she mentally prepared herself for a fight.
"We've got company!" she whispered.
Sokka turned quickly and spotted the shadow too. "Everyone, hide!" he whispered.
Everyone complied and took cover behind the statues.
"It must be a Fire Nation soldier," Sokka said. "I knew they were still here."
"Stop making noises!" Azula reprimanded quietly.
"You're making noises!" Sokka replied.
Everyone shushed him, to which he became quiet as the shadow bearer came closer and closer.
When whomever it was became close enough, the group sprung into the open…
…to spot a small lemur with wide green eyes and an innocent expression staring at them.
"Lemur!" Aang thrillingly said.
"Dinner…," Sokka said while salivating.
"A cozy hat…," Azula said, still feeling cold because of earlier.
"Don't listen to them!" Aang said. "You're going to be my new pet."
"Not if I get if first!" Sokka shouted before taking off after the lemur, with Aang and Azula following.
"You're too slow!" Azula shouted at Sokka before taking the lead.
Seeing the three large animals chase him, the lemur hissed and took off flying the way it came. Azula used her firebending to propel herself forward, but she lost her lead when Aang formed a ball of air to ride it and quickly took the lead after the lemur. The lemur led them down a corridor and onto a balcony, diving down alongside the temple wall with Aang on his tail. Azula stopped before the guardrail with Sokka right behind her, both staring in amazement and frustration that Aang would catch the lemur before them.
The lemur landed on the ground, where Aang came flying down but misses him. The lemur took off running into a decaying tent.
"Hey!" Aang said. "Come back!"
Aang followed the lemur into the tent. "Come on out little lemur. I won't let the hungry guy and hat girl hurt you."
Aang noticed the dirty uniforms scattered around the tent. He approached them and noticed each of them had skeleton remains in them.
"Firebenders?" he said when he realized they were from the Fire Nation. "They were here?"
In the back of the tent sat an airbending monk with a distinctive necklace…
The same necklace that Monk Gyatso wore.
"Gyatso…," Aang said before collapsing to his knees devastated.
Sokka pulled back the tent flap and walked in with Azula.
"Aang we weren't going to really hurt the lemur okay?" he said.
"Yeah," Azula agreed to save face. "I just wanted to cuddle with it," she said half-heartedly.
Their attitude changed quickly when they noticed all the skeletons scattered around the tents.
"Oh man…," Sokka said in shock. As mentally prepared as she was, even Azula was taken aback by the sight.
"Come on Aang," Sokka said gently before placing a hand on Aang's shoulder. "Let's get you out of here."
"Yeah," Azula said, guilt stinging at her heart. "You don't need to keep looking at this."
Without any warning, Aang's eyes and tattoos begin to glow, causing air to begin rushing in a violent circle. Sokka and Azula are blown back but Sokka grabs onto a rock and pulls Azula down next to him.
"Well, this blows!" Sokka shouted.
"Really?!" Azula shouted back. "Bad puns right now?!"
Back in the Temple Sanctuary, Katara and Zuko were examining the statues, trying to figure out more information about each Avatar, though it was in vain because there was no text whatsoever.
"Where do they keep information on which Avatar is who and what they did in their life?" Zuko asked.
"I don't know," Katara said. "Maybe Aang can-."
She did not finish her sentence because one of the statue's eyes began to glow. She and Zuko stared in surprise as more and more of the statues began to glow in the same manner.
"Aang!" Katara shouted before taking off out of the sanctuary with Zuko right behind her.
"Aang!" Sokka shouted. "Snap out of it!" Azula hung on to the rock with Sokka but lost her grip and crashed into another rock and soon it felt like she was about to be blown away off the mountain…
Then she felt hands pull her down and hold on to her. She noticed it was Zuko who saved her.
Great, now I will not hear the end of this, she thought to herself.
"What happened?!" Katara shouted while hanging onto another rock.
"He found out firebenders killed Gyatso!" Sokka answered.
"Oh no," Katara said horrified. "It's his Avatar Spirit! He must have triggered it somehow! I'm gonna try and calm him down!"
"Well do it quick!" Zuko shouted as he crawled towards Sokka with Azula wrapped around him. "The longer I have to hang onto to Azula the more likely she'll kill me for it!"
"Then you better hope Aang blows us off the mountain Dum-Dum!" Azula shouted back at him sarcastically.
Katara crawled towards Aang, as his energy sphere grew more powerful and rose higher into the air.
Then he spotted Zuko and Azula, and a sudden powerful urge took over him…
He spotted the old man when he entered the tent. From what Mongke remembered, Iroh was a physically fit and highly capable strategist, and had a deep love for tea.
From Mongke saw in that moment, the general was not as physically fit from years ago and appeared to have a greater love of tea if that was possible. Mongke also assumed that the man's age was getting to him and was not as sharp as he used to be.
"Colonel Mongke," Iroh said after sipping his tea. "It is a pleasure to see you and your Rough Rhinos again," he finished with mild sarcasm.
"I see your time away from the battlefield has not dulled your eyesight," Mongke retorted.
"Oh if anything my sight has improved over the years," Iroh replied cryptically.
Mongke's brow furrowed in confusion and distrust. "How does someone's eyes improve as they get older?"
"I was not referring to my eyes Colonel," Iroh cryptically said before sipping his tea.
Mongke huffed in annoyance to the general's cryptic words. He certainly has changed over the years. Mongke sat before the low table, his men flanking him. Zhao walked over to a large map of the world, where several symbols indicating both Fire Nation Army and Naval units assigned to different battlefronts. Zhao explained in detail what each unit was doing and how it could achieve its objectives.
"And by the year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be ours and the war will be over," Zhao concluded in his briefing.
"It seems you left out your role in this endeavor Zhao," Mongke said. "Planning on sitting this war out like a coward?"
"On the contrary," Zhao said unfazed by Mongke's harsh remark. "I have my own strategy in development on how to claim victory in this war. One that targets the Northern Water Tribe."
A thought occurred to Mongke and he mentally cursed himself for it. The Avatar boy is a master airbender and needed to master the other elements. Since water was the element for him to learn next, it made sense that he and his friends would attempt to make their way to the Northern Water Tribe through the Earth Kingdom.
"Perhaps you should focus your efforts on the Earth Kingdom first," Mongke suggested. "They have been considered the greater enemy for a long time."
"True," Zhao said before he sat next to Iroh. "But if I would succeed in the north, the Earth King would likely lose the will to fight on and surrender to the Fire Lord." Mongke nodded in response before sipping more of his tea, not savoring the flavor and much preferring alcohol.
"And what of you?" Zhao continued. "I heard that you are looking for the Fire Lord's wife and children."
Iroh was not paying attention to Zhao's monolog on strategy and victory, but he did start paying attention to this new line of conversation. He desperately needed to know any information regarding Zuko.
"We are, but it's proving to be a waste of time," Mongke replied. Iroh rose an eyebrow, believing that Mongke was lying. "She and the kids must be dead."
"I see," Zhao replied. "Why haven't you returned and reported this to the Fire Lord?"
"We've tried to report our suspicions to the Fire Lord, but he is quite insistent that we found solid proof that they're dead," Mongke lied. He had not sent word to the Fire Lord about their recent discovery of the children and the Avatar. Mongke did this intentionally to prevent the communication from being intercepted and word getting out that the Avatar had returned. Mongke wanted the reward for his capture all to himself.
"Surely there must be more to this mystery than you realize," Zhao said.
"The last bit of information we've found is from a civilian captain who was an old friend of Ursa," Mongke said. "He told us he took them south and set them to sea in a small boat. I guess the tides were too much for her and they all drowned."
Iroh began to become impatient at Mongke's reluctance to answer the commander's questions. The general knew Mongke from years ago and was not one to hold back information on the success of his missions. If he was withholding information now, it means he is covering up something.
And that means he knows exactly what happened to Zuko.
"Commander," a young lieutenant said as he entered the tent. "We've interrogated the crew as you ordered. They have confirmed that Colonel Mongke had the Fire Lord's children in custody."
I knew it, Iroh thought to himself.
Mongke growled at the lieutenant, who remained unfazed by the colonel's unspoken threat. Mongke continued to fume in rage that one of his crew was weak enough to break under interrogation. His men next to him shuffled uncomfortably, knowing they should have suggested to stay behind and monitor the crew.
"And there's more Commander," the lieutenant continued. "The crew also confirmed they escaped with the help of an airbending boy, who later revealed himself as the Avatar."
Both Iroh and Zhao reacted with shock that the Avatar is still somehow alive and is only a child.
"So the Avatar is allied with the Fire Lord's children?" Iroh asked the lieutenant.
"It appears so sir," the lieutenant answered. "Along with a waterbender and a warrior from the Southern Water Tribe."
Mongke stood up abruptly and stormed out of the tent with his men close behind. Iroh finished the rest of his tea and stood up far more gracefully than Mongke or his men.
"I believe this is where I take my leave commander," he said as he made his way to the tent flap.
"Going after the Avatar yourself?" Zhao asked.
"I am far more interested in reuniting with my nephew than that," Iroh said before departing to his ship.
Zhao did not take Iroh entirely for his word, but it made no difference since he was a competitor all the same.
"Let's get this piece of shit underway!" Mongke shouted at the crew. "NOW!"
The crew scurried to their stations, knowing one of their own had betrayed the vicious colonel and it was wise to do their job quickly and efficiently to appease him, if possible.
"Ogodei," Mongke said grimly.
"Sir?" Ogodei replied.
"Find the fucker who broke under questioning and make an example of him," Mongke commanded.
Ogodei smiled viciously. "With pleasure sir."
Aang- or whatever force controlled Aang- stared down at Zuko and Azula. Zuko stopped crawling and stared back, fear forming in the pit of his stomach. Even Azula was unnerved by Aang's sight.
"Why is he-?" Azula shouted.
She got her answer when Aang raised one of his arms in a threatening manner. Katara looked back between Aang and the firebending siblings, where horror filled her heart as she realized what was happening.
"AANG!" she shouted at the top of her lungs "Please, don't do it!"
Aang's arm shot forward in a bending gesture, causing Zuko to close his eyes while Azula stared back in acceptance and defiance...
But nothing struck them.
Azula stared at Aang as he hovered in the air.
"Are we dead?" Zuko asked with his eyes still closed.
"No Dum-Dum, we're not dead," Azula growled at him. "Not yet at least." Zuko gulped hard.
Inside Aang's mind, a conflict of sorts was being waged. He fought back against the force with all the energy he had.
Then suddenly, he did not feel alone in this struggle. He did not understand why another force- or forces- was helping him, but he was grateful all the same.
Several disembodied voices echoed in his mind. He tried to understand what they were saying, but he could not make out all of them entirely.
"They… descendants… of… in!" a female voice shouted. "They… pay for… crimes!"
"No," a male voice answered. "They… were not… enced by… So… or his… ons."
"They… help Aang," a different female voice echoed. "This… not just…vengeance."
"I will no… let ha… come to my… dren," another male, this one familiar to Aang somehow, said. "…justice, not vengeance."
Suddenly, Aang began to gain control of himself and awareness of his surroundings.
"Aang!" Katara shouted. "I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. Sokka and I lost our mother years ago and we understand how painful that is," she said before swallowing in an attempt to hold back from crying. "Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you have a new family now. Azula, Sokka, Zuko and I, we're your family now."
Aang slowly lowered himself to the ground, the air calming down with him. Katara and Sokka walked over to him and stood by his side.
"We're not going to let anything happen you Aang," Sokka said gently. "Promise."
Katara took one of Aang's hands, causing the glow in his eyes and tattoos to disappear. He collapsed into Katara's arm and she held him tightly. He breathed out in grief and exhaustion.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"It's okay," Katara said gently. "It wasn't your fault."
"But all of you were right," Aang said. "If the firebenders found this temple, they must have found the others too. I really am the last airbender."
Zuko and Azula approached Aang cautiously, unsure if he would suddenly attack them. Aang looked at them with a guilty look and stood up to face them.
"I'm really sorry for trying to attack you two," Aang said apologetically. "I-I think my past lives took control of me."
Azula furrowed her brow in skepticism. "How would they do that? How would you know they did that?"
"I'm not sure how they did it, but I know it was them. Or at least some of them," Aang said thoughtfully.
"Some of them?" Zuko asked.
"There were voices arguing in my head," Aang replied. "I think some of my past lives wanted you two to pay for what your ancestors have done in the past one hundred years."
"You're kidding," Zuko said in horror.
"We had nothing to do with any of that," Azula said bitterly.
"I know," Aang said. "And I think most of my past lives know that too. That's why I- or we, I should say-didn't attack you."
"But why?" Azula said.
"Because…," Aang began, remembering what the familiar voice said to him, "justice, not vengeance."
Azula and Zuko looked away from Aang, understanding what he said and what he must achieve, and that they must help him. While they still had loyalty to the Fire Nation, they hated how they continued to wage their war, causing much destruction to the world. Worse yet, they caused Hakoda, a man they admired and loved, to leave them to fight in this war.
And for all they know, they will never see him again if this war dragged on for too long.
"It's okay," Zuko said in a forgiving tone before placing a hand on Aang's shoulder. "You have a lot to do, and we're going to help you." He turned towards Azula. "Right Azula?"
Every instinct shouted at Azula to say yes, she will help Aang do whatever it took to bring her nation of birth to a place where it was honorable and proud, not bloodthirsty and greedy.
But her pride could not quite put it in those words.
"Well since I have nothing better to do," she said nonchalantly, "why not?" she finished with a smile.
Aang smiled that he had all his friends stand by his side, despite his outburst.
He returned to look upon Roku's stature, hoping to talk to him after what happened.
"Everything's packed," Katara said as she walked up to him. "Or it should be packed by now; Azula and Sokka were arguing about how it should be done when I came to look for you."
"I'm sure it'll get done," Aang said. He continued to stare at Roku, hoping he would come and talk to Aang at the last minute. Nothing happened.
"How is Roku supposed to help me if I can't talk to him?" Aang said.
"I know you'll find a way," Katara said.
Aang sighed. "I hope so."
They returned to the others, where Sokka and Azula were still arguing on how secured their gear was on Appa's saddle.
"If a big gust of wind comes along," Azula said, "then it's all going to go flying off."
"Hey, this is how my dad taught me to tie knots," Sokka said. "He's the best at it."
"Oh I know," Azula agreed. "But you suck at it." She went over to the gear and quickly retied everything before Sokka could do anything.
"Oh for crying-!" he began before noticing the same lemur standing next to his feet, holding several fruits in his arms.
"Oh," Sokka said awkwardly, "hey little guy."
The lemur deposited the fruits at Sokka's feet before taking off and jumping onto Aang's shoulders for protection. Aang laughed at how the lemur was trying to save itself by bribing Sokka. Sokka smiled with greed and began gorging on the food, despite it not being meat.
"Looks like you made a new friend Sokka," he said.
"Can't talk," Sokka said while stuffing himself silly. "Must eat."
"Hey," Azula shouted, "save some for the rest of us you glutton!"
Suddenly, the lemur jumped off Aang's shoulders and flew over to a tree to pick a peach. He flew over to Azula and dropped the peach for her to catch, causing her to smirk before eating. The lemur returned to Aang, who thought of a name for him.
"I think Momo is a good name for you buddy," he said while scratching his ear. Momo chirped in what Aang believed was approval. "Welcome to the family."
Aang turned around to take one last look at the Southern Air Temple.
"You, me and Appa," Aang said to Momo, "are all that's left of this place. We have to stick together for now on." After a few moments, Aang mounted Appa and directed him to take off, leaving their home behind them, unsure when they would return.