I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of Nickelodeon and Viacom. It is the creation of Michael DiMartino and Brian Konietzko.
Small note, I played the track Cave Jivin' from the ATLA soundtrack while writing the first part of this chapter. You could listen to it while you read if you want.
Enjoy!
"So, um, what exactly is this?"
"I think it is a type of shrimp. Try it Zuko. I think you might like it."
Hesitantly, Zuko bought one of the spicy-looking pieces of fish to mouth and started chewing it. Just like many things over the past few days, it turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable.
Speaking of surprisingly enjoyable, Druk was in the process of eviscerating all of the burned food he could find on the table. Be they fried crickets, steamed toucan-puffin, or plain fire flakes, Druk barely chewed before swallowing all in his path.
"Do all dragons have appetites like this?" Zuko asked the chief, who he and Iroh had the honor of sitting next to this evening.
"Only when they are young. Their bodies are storing as much energy as possible for when their bodies start growing in size, and their fire in strength. After the six months, their appetites should moderate."
Druk listened to the chieftain speak for the duration of his explanation. He then proceeded to jump off the table and eat an elephant-rat that had been running on the ground.
"You said his appetite should moderate?"
Iroh laughed. "Relax nephew. That is a problem for the future. Enjoy tonight. Look at the festival."
Zuko decided to follow his uncle's advice and look out towards the party. He and his uncle were being held as the guests of honor. He was the first outsider to hatch a dragon in over a hundred years, one of the few outsiders the masters deemed worthy, and the first in a line of new Avatars. That meant that the entire village was holding nothing back in the celebrations.
And it was amazing to look at. There was fire everywhere. The lamps that lit up the night, the grills that prepared the food, and the decorations that the performers were dancing with. Zuko couldn't remember seeing anything like this in the Fire Nation ever since he was a kid. He remembered a few festivals and parties around the royal palace, but he was never allowed to go to them. They always said that it was too dangerous for a young prince. And after his father became Firelord, all the celebrations around the palace ceased. The only ones that still occurred were a few balls with some important nobles and some traditional festivals. And those were never all that fun.
But this was the exact opposite. The people that danced did so without reservation. The musicians played lively and energetic tunes that the Fire Nation probably wouldn't allow anymore. The drums, in particular, caught his ears. The only times he ever heard drums was when Ode to the Fire Nation was played at the palace. But the drumming here was more lively, more passionate. It was like the drummers were playing to the beat of a heart.
The entire party exemplified what the dragons had taught him. Fire is life.
"Perhaps you could join them Zuko" Iroh suggested as the song changed. "I know you were never allowed to parties when you were younger. This is a fine opportunity."
Iroh's suggestion killed Zuko's smile.
"What? But uncle, I can't..."
"What is it, nephew? Didn't your tutors ever prepare you for parties? Have you not been taught to dance?"
"Yes. For royal balls. Not... this."
"Oh, really? And what would you call this?" Ham Ghao shouted from the other end of the table. "What does this look like to you? A bunch of savages throwing their arms around? Oh, maybe we look like tiger-monkeys playing with fire? If you don't respect our ways, then maybe you should...!"
"Ham Ghao! Silence yourself immediately!"
The Chief's words reverberated throughout the whole table. No one, not even Druk (who still hadn't stopped eating), would interrupt him.
"I have dealt with your buffoonery for too long now. These two are outsiders, yes. But they were deemed to be worthy by the dragons themselves, and their progeny chose to be bonded to one. And this boy is destined to bring balance to the world. A task that his uncle, a master of true firebending, will aid him with."
The Chief stood up, his hardened gaze focused entirely on Ham Ghao. The man looked so small while under it.
"I understand why you despise outsiders. You have my sympathy, as well as the entire tribe's. But that is no excuse to show such disrespect to esteemed guests. You have two options. Continue to be obnoxious and be sent home. Or swallow your pride, realize your mistake, and Shut Up Now!"
No one spoke for many tense seconds after the Chief's outbursts. Everyone (including a still frozen in place Druk) was silent, waiting to see what the result would be.
"I understand Chief. I will stay silent."
Ham Ghao sat down dejectedly.
"I apologize for that" the Chief told Zuko and Iroh. "Ham Ghao can be difficult at times."
Zuko frowned. "He said something about outsiders. Did something...?"
"It is nothing you need to concern yourself with" the Chief dismissed. "However, I am concerned but what I just heard. You cannot dance?"
"Well, not like this. The only dances I know are meant for ballrooms. More "high society" stuff."
"BAH!" The Chief spat. "That is not dancing. Dancing is an expression of life, of spirit. Firebending would not exist without dance."
"It wouldn't?"
"No, it would not. In fact, the Dancing Dragon is one of the first firebending forms ever created. And nearly all of our techniques stem from it."
Zuko had to think about that. Firebending, the art that the Fire Nation used as a weapon and as a means to try and conquer the world, was created by dancing?
"If you are to become a true master of fire, you must know how to dance," the Chief decided. "Eiyet! Come here!"
Immediately, one of the Sun Warrior girls walked up to the table. She seemed to be one of the younger residents, maybe only a few years older than Zuko. She wore a red and gold dress that seemed designed for dance, with along flowing skirt and a loose top.
"There is an issue."
"What is it chief?"
"Our honored guest does not know how to dance."
Eiyet seemed shocked for a moment. But when her eyes focused on Zuko, her lips curled into a smirk.
"I see. Would you like me to teach him?"
Zuko's eyes shot up when he heard this. "Wait. Hold up. I don't think..."
"That is a splendid idea," the Chief said, not giving Zuko a chance.
"Alright then." Eiyet grabbed Zuko's hand and dragged him from the table.
"Uncle! Help!"
"Don't worry nephew. I will meet you at the dancefloor soon."
"That's not what I meant! Druk!"
The dragon took a moment to look towards Zuko. He then immediately went back to eating.
"Traitor!"
Eiyet dragged Zuko to the floor, where she plopped him straight in the middle.
"Now, tell me what you know about dancing."
Zuko tried to stammer a response. "Um, well I..."
"That bad huh? Guess we'll start with the basics."
Eiyet started looking around for something. Zuko couldn't follow her eyes. But then she pointed to another corner of the ring.
"See that man over there? Try to describe what he's doing."
Zuko looked where he hand pointed, and saw a man dancing. At least, it looked like he was trying to dance. It would be more accurate to say that he was imitating a wet flutter bat trying to dry itself.
"He looks like he's having a spasm."
Eiyet snorted. "That's pretty funny. And it's also the point."
"What point?"
"You just described dancing perfectly. It's basically having a spasm and enjoying it. You try. Let's see what you got."
Have a spasm... and like it? Zuko had no idea how to do that. The only dancing experience he had was when his mother took him to balls. And that was years ago before she disappeared. Before his father took the throne and basically did away with celebration.
And if his father was here... Well, the first thing he'd do is try to kill everyone here. Zuko and Iroh included. He wouldn't want any threats to his rule. He wouldn't even spare Druk.
Forget that man. His life was forfeit the moment his reign began.
Zuko's eyes widened when he heard those words in his mind. He thought he could only talk to Vaatu in his dreams. Why was he hearing him now all of a sudden?
Unless... that wasn't Vaatu?
No time to think about it now. Eiyet was watching him, and she was waiting for him to make a move. It would be embarrassing if he was stuck here all night, so he might as well do something.
He started moving his hands and feet to the music's beat.
(He would later find out that the series of movements he would invent would go on to be called the Phoenix Blossom. It would become quite a popular dance within the Sun Warriors.)
When Zuko was finished, he held on to his knees for balance. There was sweat coming off his head. With a grin, he turned to Eiyet. "How was that?"
Eiyet only looked at him with a flabbergasted face. "I don't know what that was..."
Zuko's grin vanished immediately. What did he do wrong now?"
"But you better do it again!"
Huh?
"I've never seen anything like that. Do all the people in the Fire Nation dance like that?"
"Um, no? I mean, I kinda just... freestyled that."
Eiyet frowned. "Freestyled?"
"Yeah. I just made it up."
Zuko looked down in embarrassment. He knew he shouldn't have even attempted any of this.
He was unprepared for Eiyet to grab his arm and yank him forward.
"You are teaching that to me right now!" She demanded.
"Wait, what?"
"You're stuck with me for the rest of the party," Eiyet told Zuko with a smirk. "And I intend to make use of the night."
Zuko gulped.
The Next Morning
"How do you feel today Zuko?"
"Tired. I can barely feel my legs after last night."
Iroh raised his brow. "You were up late with Eiyet, weren't you?"
"Uh, yeah. She said she wanted to show me some things. She... why are you laughing uncle?"
Iroh, who had indeed been chucking, bought himself under control. "Nothing at all Zuko. Perhaps when you are older. Right now, we need to focus on your firebending."
Zuko, who had been waiting for an opportunity to train, readied himself in a stance. "I'm ready, uncle."
"Good. We reviewed the basics before we flew here. What do you remember?"
"Breath. It's the most important aspect of firebending. If your breathing is bad, the flames will be bad."
"Precisely. Now apply that to what you have learned here."
That took a bit more time for Zuko to put into words. But Iroh was a patient man. He waited for his nephew's answer.
"The dragons showed me that fire is life. it's the energy born from a person's inner drive. So long as a bender has a goal to strive towards, they will have an inner flame to call upon."
"Yes. What else?"
"Fire requires both discipline and emotion. A bender needs to feel his flames in order to strengthen them. And anger isn't the only emotion that works. But control is needed to make sure that the flames don't spiral out of control."
"Good. We will begin with the Dancing Dragon."
Zuko frowned. "Why are we focusing on that? I thought we were focusing on combat."
"Remember what the chief said Zuko. The Dancing Dragon is the blueprint from which all firebending was designed. Much like your basics, this form is something that you must know by memory. You never know how you could apply it."
"Alright," Zuko said dejectedly. He had really been hoping to try more firebending attack moves.
"But just to make things a bit more interesting, I want you to do two things Zuko."
"What uncle?"
"One is to have Druk observe you" Iroh said, pointing to the small dragon who was devouring a stack of fire flakes on the other side of the courtyard. His head perked up when his name was called.
"It is true that you may learn secrets of fire from him, it might do him well to see how his companion trains."
"Alright. What's the second thing?"
"Go through the Dragon Dance by memory. And I want you to use your fire."
Zuko grinned. "I can do that."
"Good. In that case, now!"
Zuko took the first position, with his foot on his knees and his hands facing up, palms open.
The rush that he felt when the flames came out was one of the best things he had ever felt. The flames were larger and stronger than any he had produced before. And as he went through the motions of the dance, the same feeling kept causing through him. He didn't feel like he was just firebending. He was actually enjoying himself now.
When he finished doing the set, he saw his uncle smiling at him. He could even see Druk eyeing him intently.
"Very good Zuko. This is a sign of progress."
Zuko, who couldn't even remember the last time anyone had praised him for his firebending, couldn't help but smile. It was nice to actually be good at something for once.
"Thanks, uncle. What'...?"
Zuko's question was interrupted when he felt something tugging on his leg. He looked down to see Druk pulling on his trousers.
"What is it Druk? Is there a problem?"
Instead of an answer, the little lizard just rushed to be in the middle of Zuko and Iroh. Turning his head back and forth to make both of them were paying attention to him, Druk lifted up his body and stood on his hind legs.
"What's Druk doing uncle?"
"I don't know Zuko. This is my first time dealing with an infant dragon as well."
They received an answer when Druk pointed his head upwards and opened his maw. Instead of the smoke trails or sparks of fire that usually came out, there was now a stream of flames spewing directly from his tongue. Both Zuko and Iroh could only stare as the fires ending in a large sphere in the air.
When it was over, the two of them could only stare at the tiny dragon who had a proud look on his face.
"Druk! That was amazing!" Zuko exclaimed as he bent down to his companion. He started stroking the hairs on his head, which Druk seemed to enjoy.
"I must agree. Your little friend seems to be progressing quite quickly."
"I think you might have been right about him learning from me uncle," Zuko said, not taking his eyes away from Druk.
"I am inclined to agree," Iroh said with a smile. It filled him with joy to see his nephew smile, and to have a friend with him. That might be a (currently) small fire-breathing lizard, but he wouldn't complain. A friend was a friend.
"This has been nice. But our practice is not over. Perform the dance again."
"What? But uncle, I just performed it. And I know I didn't mess it up."
"That is true. However, the point of practice is not to do something until you do it right. It is to do something right until you never do it wrong. Now, again!"
Groaning, Zuko complied. They spent all day on that dance.
Months Later- 98 AG
"I think we should cut off the top knots."
Zuko looked at Iroh like he had grown a second head.
"Uncle, why would we cut them off? They are a part of our culture. They..."
"That is precisely why I am suggesting it," Iroh said. "They mark us as members of the Fire Nation. They will make us recognizable to anyone who looks at us. And if we want to find someone who will be willing to teach you to bend the earth, we will have to appear trustworthy first."
Zuko hated to admit. He really liked his Phoenix Tail. But Uncle was right. They couldn't be recognized if they wanted to succeed.
"Here." Iroh had already cut off his top knot, and he was now handing the knife to Zuko.
Hesitantly, Zuko bought the knife to his hair. Before he could hesitate further he cut off the knot. And Druk, not really knowing better, set both of them on fire.
"Do we know where we should go uncle?"
"I have an idea," Iroh said as he pulled a map from his sleeve. "I have traveled throughout the entire Earth Kingdom in my military days. I can safely say that Ba Sing Se is out of the question. It is too well guarded, and I doubt the locals are very welcoming towards outsiders. Especially firebenders."
"Couldn't we keep our fire secret?"
"We could. But how long do you think you could without practicing? Especially if something happens to irritate you?"
Zuko frowned. "Not long."
"Exactly. That is why I suggest we go to Gaoling."
"Gaoling?"
"Yes. It is a city teeming with merchants and trade. It has also been untouched by the war, as the city itself holds little strategic importance. There is a high chance we could find you a master there. There is also a forest not too far, where we can still practice firebending. And among the many people that go there for varying reasons, we could blend in."
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Let's do it uncle."
"Shouldn't we at least say goodbye to our hosts?"
"Uncle, what do you think last night was? Besides, we already told the chief that we would be leaving first thing in the morning. I don't think we should waste any more time here."
"I suppose you are right. Though I do think some people might miss us."
Zuko snorted. "Uncle, I don't think Matzil s going to miss us messing up his garden."
"Perhaps. But wouldn't you like to say goodbye to someone?"
Zuko frowned. "Uncle, I said what I needed to say to them last night. It's time we got moving."
Iroh sighed. "Very well. Just make sure Druk is ready. He needs to be careful not to be spotted. Dragons are endangered, and that last thing we need is him at risk."
Said dragon was currently rolled around Zuko in scarf form, still sound asleep. He might not be waking up for a while.
"I think we'll be fine, uncle. He's still small enough to hide on my person. We just need to make sure we find a secluded place to train in Gaoling. We can hide him there while he grows. So long as he stays hidden long enough, he should be able to defend himself when the time comes."
Iroh raised his brow, impressed at his nephew's logic. It seems spending time with the Sun Warriors to build up his firebending skills and his general confidence was now paying off.
"Very well Zuko. Let's go."
With all that needed to be said out of the way, Zuko and Iroh boarded the war balloon, turned it on, and flew out towards the Earth Kingdom.
It was time for Zuko to take the next step in his journey.
I decided that I should at least give a glimpse at the life Zuko had when living with the Sun Warriors. In the next chapter, they are headed to Gaoling. You can guess who the trio is going to meet there.
I had fun writing this chapter. I figured Zuko never got to go to a commoner party, so it was fun writing his reaction. I decided to keep his dance ambiguous, mostly because I can't dance and I don't know how to write about it. Though if you want, you can imagine him doing the freestyle dance that one Fire Nation did in the episode The Headband.
As for Eiyet and Matzil, I kinda just made up those names after looking up some old Aztec names. In the future, I will go into more detail over the Sun Warriors during flashbacks.
I know a lot of you are expecting the Northern Water Tribe to be the next destination after Zuko learns Earthbending. But I decided to surprise you all a bit. He will still go there, don't worry. But he'll be making another stop first.
One last thing. Could you guys please not flame me? If I do something in the story that you disagree with, could you please be civil about it? Just tell me what you don't like, and I'll see if a change is possible. There's no need to be rude or agree. This is FanFiction, not politics. Nobody wants incels here.
Anyway, please leave reviews, and I will see you all next time.
Bye.