Note: Special thanks to chocolatelova for soft beta reading this for me.

This is a gift fic for PureForestGaudian on tumblr and ao3.

Reawakening

Rain cascaded outside, slamming onto the panes of the windows and obscuring the little light that was left out. The boom of the storm rolled through the clouds and lightning flashed across the gray sky.

Zuko shivered under his bedsheets. Tears collected at the corners of his eyes. He balled his little fists into the silks.

"I'm scared, mama," he whimpered.

His mother smiled. She patted his cheeks and smoothed away the stray locks of hair that stuck to his forehead.

"The thunder dragon, Druk, is coming," cooed Ursa above him. "He'll descend from the sky on peals of thunder onto our land." She kissed the crown of his head. "And when he soars all the world will stop to listen to his cloud-voice, and the people will remember a dragon's wisdom."

Zuko sank into the mattress, eyes drooping. His mother did not leave his side, and he dreamed of flying.


Fire Lord Zuko saw a vision of a shadow soaring above him. It was big and bold with bat-like wings. It was also–annoyingly–squawking nonsense at him. He wanted to clog up his ears with as much cotton as possible.

Zuko was forced out of his fog when a creature slammed into his face. He almost tipped out of his chair in an ungraceful heap. His dignity was gone the moment he yelped in surprise.

"Momo!" chastised Aang from across the table. He wore yellow and orange robes that fell from one shoulder. "Zuko's topknot is not a dragonfruit! How many times do I have to tell you?"

His friend's flying lemur leaped out of the way, screeching his displeasure and begging for snacks. Momo scampered across the mahogany table stretched out between them in the meeting hall, stopping only when he had snatched a sachet of pine nuts from somewhere within the folds of Aang's clothes.

The lemur almost knocked over a silver pot of tea that steamed in the center. It took all of Aang's concentration to get Momo to ignore the side dishes of various shapes and sizes that were spread out around it.

Sitting next to Aang and dressed in a sleeveless Water Tribe blue dress with trousers, was Katara. She had left her hair in a braid. She placed her hand atop Aang's. "It's okay," she added with a suspiciously sage tone, "Clearly the Fire Lord wasn't paying attention."

The Fire Lady snickered beside Zuko. "You need to sleep," chastised Mai. She glared at him.

Zuko rubbed his temples. "I'd probably sleep better if there was less paperwork to do and less…assassination attempts. It's been five years since the war ended. Can't they give it up?"

"Well no," deadpanned Katara. "You did just tear down the last Ozai statue."

Mai shot her a disapproving stare, which sent a shiver of warmth through Zuko until she turned her annoyed gaze upon him instead. "I'm enlisting Katara's help to knock you unconscious one of these nights," she said. "You know that the guards have protected you thus far. There's really no excuse this time."

He grimaced and looked at Aang helplessly. "Why are you here again?" he asked, hoping to divert attention back to the matter at hand.

Aang perked up. "Because I saw a vision of a colorful flaming fireball and Roku kept telling me you and I had to follow it on the summer solstice."

"Okay, helpful," Mai said with a sigh. "The solstice is tomorrow."

"He had this vision and then we packed up to visit the Fire Nation," said Katara. She shrugged. "No matter how strange it is, if Aang has a vision, it's usually important."

Aang nodded and looked pointedly at Zuko. "It is important," he added. "You know what this means, right? Colorful fire?"

A sudden realization overtook him. There was only one answer to all of this. Zuko narrowed his eyes. "You don't think…?"

"Oh, I think," agreed Aang.

"Well, one of you does," said Mai.

They had to leave as soon as possible so that they would make it in time. He hoped that Appa would be agreeable.

ooo

It had been years since they last made this journey. In fact, he never thought either of them would make it again.

Sprawled out underneath them were the vine-covered ruins of the ancient Sun Warrior city on an island north of the mainland Fire Nation. Crumbling pyramid structures, steps, and pathways unwound in careful lines. Great carvings arched through timeworn doorways and an overgrowth of plants peeked through cracks littered throughout.

The sun was halfway across the sky now. Its midafternoon light baked the ground and the heat rose to meet them. They had some time before sunset even after nearly a day's worth of flying.

"Look!" exclaimed Aang. He pointed to a red glowing orb just below them. It was the engraving right above an elaborate round open door. Silhouettes danced around inside the chamber. "I'm going to land Appa there."

With a soft thud, the bison alighted on the earth. A cloud of dust rose around Appa's six legs. Both Zuko and Aang slid from his back.

"Why couldn't we just land here last time?" asked Zuko, straightening his travel robes.

"We didn't know where to go," replied Aang. "Besides, this time we know that since it's the solstice, whatever Roku was directing us to has to be in there."

Appa groaned. He backed away into a copse of nearby trees, desperate for shade. Not that Zuko could blame him. A Fire Nation summer was hot, even for him.

A mysterious stillness washed over the land. Zuko watched as Aang stood frozen, staring at the room inside. He was perfectly in the middle of the doorframe. The looming statues that were erected in a circle and depicted the Dancing Dragon were like specters backed by the sunlight that filtered through the sky well above.

"Aang?" Zuko called. His friend did not move.

Zuko shivered. Goosebumps rippled across his skin. The stillness became a cool wind. The strands that were free from his topknot blew across his face. Rushing gusts came from seemingly nowhere and he let out a surprised shout. He shut his eyes to shield them from the dirt.

Someone behind him cleared their voice. "Ah, I was wondering when you two would arrive."

Zuko whipped around, firebending at the ready. He was met with the sight of the Sun Warrior chief and a few of his retinue including Ham Ghao who scowled unhappily at him. They looked the same, like the years had not passed. Maybe the chief had a few more wrinkles hiding under his red and white face paint.

"You were expecting us," Zuko said. His fire dissipated and his arms dropped to his sides.

"Yes," replied the chief. He looked imposing with his yellow-feathered headdress. He lifted his chin. "As were they."

It was then that Zuko realized that there were long shadows that crossed their paths. He spotted a dark blue scaled claw, and then another. The breath of something gigantic puffed above him. He turned around. The Old Masters, Ran and Shaw, had perched on either side of the door. Their opposing colors of red and blue were stark against the sandstone, and their intelligent orbs were fixated on him.

"I don't understand why we have to do this," whined Ham Ghao. He flicked his ponytail to the side.

"Hush," commanded the chief. He brought his attention back to Zuko. "The Avatar must sense a lot of spiritual energy inside. I think besides the dragons, only he knows what is truly about to happen."

Zuko crinkled his eyebrows. "What is going to happen?" he asked.

"A ceremony that hasn't occurred in a very long time, and it seems that you two are the ones chosen to perform it."

"But…spiritual energy? That sounds like just Avatar stuff."

The chief chuckled. "You forget, Fire Lord, that the dragons were once close friends with the spirits. We do not question their ways."

The dragons huffed, and soft spouts of flame erupted from their nostrils, urging him inside. Zuko tripped forward and he found himself standing right beside Aang.

As if shaking himself from a trance, Aang breathed in and was startled into reality. He glanced at him, gray eyes intent. "Let's go," he said.

The pair of them marked their places at the start of the statues' formation. Zuko did not know what to expect. He still did not know what they were there for. But, if there was anything he learned about living in a world with Aang in it, it was to trust him. There did not always need to be an answer.

They both began balanced on one foot. The stone underneath them sank into the ground. They went through stance after stance, slowly pressing in the tiles until their form ended when their fists met. On queue, a pedestal rose from the center of the floor, and atop it was the gleaming golden figure of an egg.

Aang rushed to its side, and Zuko could only follow. He placed his hands on either side of it.

Zuko looked at him in alarm. "What are you doing? We'll set off the goop trap!"

"Not this time," said Aang. "We're hatching the sunstone. Put your hands at the top of it and firebend on my signal."

Zuko was about to stutter another confused reply when the Old Masters themselves blew their own fire inside the chamber through the door. The flames encircled them in a controlled spiral of beautiful colors. Aang's eyes glowed for a second, and then Zuko felt the stone warming beneath his hands. Zuko copied him.

An eternity seemed to pass, and then a crack appeared at the peak of the stone. A tiny fissure, and then out through it burst forth a snake-like creature. He gasped. The fire stopped all around them.

The creature flew from a hole it had created. Its red scales shone as it stretched itself out and then flew into the sky well, breaking through the glass. Remnants of the shattered ceiling rained down around them.

The once clear sky filled with dark clouds. Thunder boomed across the heavens. Lighting streaked in crackling fingers, white and blue. He heard rumbling that was deep and clear, the first phrase from a newborn tempest.

A cloud-voice, Zuko thought. Only a sound like that could come from a storm.

The sky brewed above, and then from the eye of it, the creature swooped down onto the courtyard. It looked bigger than before. Zuko and Aang ran outside, panting.

When they joined the others, they had formed a circle around the creature. All was still and quiet. It was almost as if they were all being told something in the silence, like wisdom had descended upon the land.

At first, Zuko could not believe his eyes, but even after rubbing them, he knew that what he saw was no fluke. There was a baby dragon the size of a lemur hiccuping on the ground.

"The sunstone egg has been with us for centuries," said the chief. His voice had a hint of awe. "It is said that it was the last young dragon egg left, protected by our people. It has rested for a thousand years in the water, a thousand years in the mountains, and now it finished a thousand years in the land of men."

The infant dragon wobbled its way toward Zuko. It looked at him for a long while before it bowed.

"This dragon has chosen you," said the chief. He was grinning.

"Me?" sputtered Zuko. He stared at the dragon now. Its head was still dipped in a bow.

The chief hummed in approval. "Learn to bond with him well."

"But–"

"An animal companion," interjected Aang. He sounded far more enthusiastic than Zuko felt. "Your great-grandfather had one too."

Zuko stared wide-eyed at Aang, but his friend only urged him to accept it. The dragon leaped into his hands and curled into them, then slithered onto his shoulders as it began to increase in size. When the dragon finally hopped off after a few minutes, it was growing at an incredible rate until it was big enough to ride. All he could do was watch in amazement.

"Well, what are you going to name him?" asked Aang.

The storm clouds had yet to dissipate. They were swirling above them like a threat. But strangely enough, Zuko did not feel as frightened as he should.

He remembered his mother's voice.

"Druk," he said. He smiled.

The chief laughed. "A noble choice from an old legend," he said. Even the Old Masters seemed to rumble their agreement. "It seems that the spirits have chosen wisely. After all, to give this dragon as your companion is a great honor. It means that the spirits and the dragons have sensed that you will end this cycle of killing that your ancestors began. And to have the Avatar, your spiritual ancestor, lead you to him, means that they trust both of you to bring balance to firebending once again."

Zuko could only feel wonder.

Druk never broke eye contact with him. He lifted a hand, his talons shining. Then, he produced a peculiar round object that glimmered a translucent hue. He presented it to the circle, unmoving.

"What is it?" Zuko whispered.

"A dragon born with a pearl…my grandfather said that even when dragons were not hunted, this was a rare event," the chief murmured his reply.

When both Zuko and Aang glanced at each other in confusion, the elder continued. "A dragon's pearl has great spiritual energy, power, and wisdom. It is said that to be bestowed with one is to grant one prosperity, and even–"

Ran touched one of her whiskers to Zuko's forehead.

In a bright burst of light, Zuko stood at the edge of a vision. He was in a dying valley surrounded by mountains. A scrawny little boy with raggedy farmer's clothes wandered into the clearing. He held a plow.

The boy shouted. He looked up and Zuko copied him. A distant emerald green ribbon slashed through the clouds. He could hear a roar echoing into the valley below. The ribbon twisted and turned, revealing its pair of pointed horns and the maw of a great dragon. Speckles of silver and gold dotted the dry grass, and then the dragon released an object from its claws.

Something round and brilliant fell upon the earth, and a few seconds later, a single patch of grass grew into a deep, luscious green. The boy lowered himself near the patch. He took the plow and dug into it, and from its depths, he revealed a shimmering white pearl. He held onto it.

Soon, the boy was home. He showed his mother who exclaimed. The pearl was knocked from his hands and rolled onto the sack of rice sitting in the corner of their kitchen.

Night shifted into day. When Zuko blinked, he saw the boy jump in happiness. There were more sacks of rice than yesterday.

There was a rushing noise in his ears, and Zuko opened his eyes with a gasp. Ran stared knowingly at him, and Aang looked at him with concern.

Zuko clutched the pearl in his hands. "You should have it," he said. He held it now in his open palm, waiting for Aang to take it.

"What? But–"

"You should take it," he insisted. "A dragon pearl can increase the quantity of anything it decides to. Maybe…maybe it can help you."

Zuko was not good with spirituality. He was not good with words. But he did understand the need for forgiveness, the desire to fix what was broken.

Druk nudged him. Ran and Shaw breathed a sigh that ruffled his hair.

He was not sure if the spirits or the dragons were wise in their decision, nor if having a new dragon companion would gain him the respect from his people he needed to lead them. Looking at Aang and the Sun Warriors now, he knew he wanted the wisdom to move forward. Having Druk at his side could be one of the many steps he needed to get there.

He did not need to be sure, though. He needed to trust.

"You have broken that cycle indeed," said the chief.

On the pearl's surface, Zuko thought he could see the reflection of rebuilt air temples filled with people. Dragons were soaring around them, playing with the children.


Note:

-The story about Druk is based on a Tibetan legend about the thunder dragon.

-The depiction of dragon pearls is loosely based on the Chinese symbolism of them and what they represent: wisdom, prosperity, spiritual energy, power, etc.

-The vision Zuko had of a boy who finds a dragon pearl is based on a version of a Chinese folklore legend called "The Dragon Pearl" about a boy who finds a pearl in the ground that has magical properties. Some things were tweaked to better fit this story. You can find this folktale online.