Chapter 6: Meeting the Dragon of the west

Quasimodo hadn't heard the knock at the door but was startled when he heard the door slowly creak open. He saw a girl on the other side of the door. She walked in and closed the door behind her. He stared at her his eyes filled confusion and fear. She stepped toward him and he backed away falling of the bed and hiding in the corner of the rom his back pressed up against the wall.

He was cornered he realised he had no place to go. Then he heard her voice. "Its alright, I'm not going to hurt you. Please don't be afraid. He soon heard her footsteps approaching him. But he soon heard her voice near him. Lets get some light in this room. Soon the room became lighter he felt a hand on his shoulder as he nervously opened his eyes.

Standing in front of him was the same girl he had seen with Azula this afternoon. She was still dressed in pink and her brow hair was still braided down her back. Seeing her now, he realized she was about his age she seemed maybe two years younger than him. Maybe Fourteen.

She smiled at him. I figured you must be hungry. She held up what looked like a roll. His stomach growled he looked at her suspiciously before taking the bread from her hands. He ate it quietly staring up at her every few minutes. He looked up to see her sitting across from him.

Both sat staring silently at one another before he broke the silence. Why? "Why did you give me food?' She frowned at his question before finally answering. I guess- I guess I got tired of Azula bullying people. The way she treated you earlier it….It wasn't right, she said looking down at the ground.

Which is why I decided to help you, I guess. I-I should go. She said standing. I don't want her finding me here. Wait! She turned to look at him. What….What's your name? She Smiled. Ty Lee. My name is Ty Lee. What's yours? Quasimodo, he said nervously. She smiled at him. I like your name. Its very Unique. He stared at her as she closed the door behind her. Ty Lee, he said her name with a smile.

Over the next few day Ty Lee brought him food when the guards decided not to. Most of the time she just visited him to talk. She talked about her life at the circus and he talked about his life in the world he had came from. "So you've never heard of bending before you met the Avatar?" He nodded. "I don't think it even exists in my world." "I never thought something like this was even possible!"

The more they talked the closer they became as friends. That soon became something so much more as the two began to have feeling for one another. However, they both to shy to admit it. One day Ty Lee began to notice something. Everyday Quasimodo stared out of the only window in his room.

She soon found out why when she snuck into his room with his lunch one afternoon when he had finished work early. He was watching the new recruits for the fire nation national guard as they practiced there bending. She even caught him trying to copy the moves of the soldiers down below and lost his balance and fell down instead.

She giggled at his silliness. When he noticed her standing in the door way, he blushed bright red. I-I wasn't. "You were trying to firebend weren't you?" He nodded looking absolutely humiliated. She giggled again before helping him up. "I wish I could do that."

"What firebend?" He nodded. "Eh, your not missing much." "But if I could just do what they do then I could escape from here." He looked to her. "Can You teach me?" Me? He nodded a large hopeful grin on his face. "Quasi id love to help you but I'm not a bender." The smile disappeared. Oh.

"I'm sorry I-I shouldn't have asked I-no its alright you don't need to apologize." Don't feel like you always have to apologize. "Besides its not your fault. "You didn't know. "I should have told you I'm sorry."

I just-I wish there were some way I could learn firebending. Then I could Escape and find Aang. She suddenly got a big grin on her face as something occurred to her. "I've got it!" Quasimodo frowned. got what? "I know just the person to teach you!" "Quasi, your going to learn how to firebend!" His eyes widened in disbelief and he a large excited grin spread across his face .

Quasimodo waited in his room pacing back and forth nervously across the room. "where was she?" What was taking Ty Lee so long? He was really nervous about meeting his new firebending teacher, especially considering the fact he was Azula's uncle!

Yet Ty Lee explained that the man hated Azula as much as him, and that his nephew was friends with Aang and that he had pretended to betray his nephew so he could spy on his brother fire lord Ozie and give important information to his nephew for the war.

Yet he was still uneasy. Quasi. Psst. He saw Ty Lee peaking her head into the room. "come on lets go!" She tossed him a black cloak like the one she was wearing so that he wouldn't be seen to easily. They crept past sleeping guards and down deserted hallways until they came to a red curtain, she pulled back the curtain revealing a door.

She opened the door revealing a staircase the led into the dark. He followed her until the light of a full moon glowed above them. She grabbed his hand as they rushed to what looked like a forest in the distance. They rushed through the trees as silently as they could until she came to a large cottage.

"He lives here?" "He prefers not to live in the palace, so his brother gave him this cottage." I have to go ill come back for you later ok? He nodded. Thank you. She nodded before running into the forest. "Here goes nothing." He Knocked on the door

"Come in." He heard the voice of an old man say. He hesitated for a while. The very idea of meeting the fire lords brother sent a chill down his spine. His so-called nick name "the dragon of the west," was enough to scare him. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

Sitting in the center of the room in an old chair was an old man with grey hair and a even grayer beard. He looked up from the book he had been reading and smiled at him. Come in come in, don't be shy he said kindly. The boy stepped further into the room. "Please have a seat."

He motioned to a chair across from him. Quasi sat across from him down avoiding the old mans gaze. Tea? He asked him. Not wanting to seem rude he nodded timidly. The old man sat a cup in front of him and poured the tea into the cup.

He picked up the cup carful does not drop it. "So, you are a friend of the Avatar?" He nodded mutely at him still trying to avoid his gaze. You can relax boy what's said in this room doesn't leave this room. I may be the fire lords older brother but I'm nothing like him. So you can relax boy. "Besides my bark is wore than my bite." The old man burst into laughter at his own joke.

The boy laughed to becoming a bit more comfortable around the old general. "Now to business I suppose." Ty Lee tells me you want to be a firebender. He almost chocked on his tea but gave a small nod. Tell me boy. "Why do you want to learn how to firebend?"

I-I-I want to learn so I can- You want to learn so you have a chance against the guards. You are planning on escaping, aren't you? He nodded. Ive already tried to escape 5 time already and every time I get caught. The next time I escape I want to at least be able to fight back.

"Then we better get started." "You mean you'll teach me?" He nodded. Quasimodo stared at him in disbelief. Thank you! thank you! When do we start? We start right now. Thank you, sir. Please call me Iroh. And if I'm going to teach you, you'll address me as master Iroh. He nodded. Good let us begin!