Disclaimer: All rights belong to Nickelodeon, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and all the men and women that created the A:TLA show, books, and comics. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made. The lyrics are from the song "Feuer" by Faun
Rating: General Audiences. Warning: some scenes contain dark themes and minor violence
Author's Note: There is an English version of the song I took the lyrics from for this chapter, but in order to make it rhyme they changed some of the wording, and I prefer the way the German version is phrased, so I included my own translation underneath in paratheses. This song is so perfect for Katara as the Avatar and her and Zuko together as Firebenders, and it matches up so well with their journey up to this chapter, so if you have the time I highly recommend you listen to the entire song (both German and English versions are amazing)
Chapter 10: The Sun Warriors
Denn in einer Welt, in der Mörder krönt und die Heilerin verbrennt
In einer Welt in der aus Furcht, ein Jeder sich versteckt
Wird es Zeit, dass man den Drachen erweckt
Unsere Liebe wird bestehen
Lass uns zusammen durchs Feuer gehen
Was das Feuer nimmt, das gibt es uns auch wieder
(In a world where the murderer is crowned and the healer burned
In a world where everyone hides out of fear
It is time to wake the dragon
Our love will stand
Let us go through the fire together
What the fire takes, it also gives back to us)
"I know you're nervous," Zuko says, taking a stance opposite from Katara. "But firebending in and of itself is nothing to fear."
Katara thinks of Azula's deadly blue fire. She thinks of Zuko's face, scarred by his father's fire. She thinks of the Agni Kai that she witnessed on Zuko's ship between Zuko and General Zhao. Fire has always seemed a deadly, violent element.
Airbending allows people to fly, to break falls, to move light objects quickly. Earthbending allows people to build quickly. And waterbending allows people to prevent flooding, move water sources, and heal. What good can fire bring?
As far as Katara knows, fire is a dangerous and unpredictable element. It burns and destroys and kills. She doesn't see any good in it. But she sees good in Zuko, and in Iroh, and she trusts them.
"But you have to respect it," Zuko warns. "If you don't respect it, it will destroy you."
Katara swallows nervously. She'd always been taught as a kid to not play with fire. Now she's supposed to create and manipulate fire at will? At least if something goes wrong she can heal herself.
"Now, let's see what you've got," Zuko says. "Make fire. Any amount that you can."
Although Zuko can't firebend himself right now, he still knows the element just as well as she knows water and he can still teach her the basic movements. They're about a day's travel from the Sun Warrior ruins and have just made camp for the evening. Tomorrow they will go and try to find out how to bring his Firebending back. For now, he's beginning her lessons.
She takes a deep breath and throws out her arm the way he showed her, her front leg lunging forward and her back leg stretching out. A puff of smoke escapes her palm but no fire - not even sparks.
She turns back to him, her face a bit red with embarrassment. She knows it's perfectly natural not to get it at first - earthbending took a lot of tough love from Toph for her to get even the basics - but it's still embarrassing. Especially with Zuko as her teacher.
"It's okay if you don't get it at first," he assures her. "Fire will be the hardest element for you to master. It's the opposite of water, and opposite elements are always the hardest."
Harder than earthbending? Katara almost groans.
"Maybe a demonstration," she requests. "Let me see how you do it."
He sighs heavily. "You know it's not going to be good."
"But you can at least do the form."
Zuko reluctantly acquiesces. He does the same movement she had attempted. This time a small flame bursts out. Katara claps her hands. "That wasn't bad! Maybe it's coming back on it's own."
"Maybe," Zuko muses, not entirely sold out on the idea but definitely considering it.
She watches as he does a series of firebending movements, each ending with the same small flame. It's better than the sparks he had earlier, but nowhere even close to as good as he used to be.
He does this for hours. Katara begins to get hungry and tired. She leans against a rock and watches him with heavy eyelids. She feels a little sympathetic because of how frustrated he's getting, but she doesn't see the point of worrying if they're going to the Sun Warriors tomorrow.
"That one felt kinda hot," she says after he finishes another round of Firebending attempts.
"Don't patronize me," he snaps. "You know what that's supposed to look like!"
Katara can't help it - instead of getting hurt or angry at his outburst, she begins to laugh. She's not entirely sure what's so amusing - the fact that it's his first outburst at her for a long time, especially since she's done much worse things than tease him; the fact that she used to be terrified of Firebenders and now she's falling asleep watching one trying to firebend; or maybe it's the entire situation, the irony that a person lost their bending because they redeemed themself and joined the good guys. Whatever the case, she can't help but laugh.
Zuko just stares at her, his expression unreadable. After a minute, his lips curl up at the corners in a wry smile.
He walks over and takes a seat by her, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I guess it is a little funny," he admits.
Katara wipes her eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh. It's not funny."
But it is. She just feels bad because she knows she would be just as frustrated if she lost her waterbending. Firebending is part of who he is - fire runs through his veins, just as water runs through hers. Losing it is like losing a part of himself.
"You don't think there's a chance my sister will lose her firebending, too, do you?" Zuko asks.
Katara's laughing mood disappears as she thinks of the other girl. "No, I don't think she will."
"She'll be unstable after the betrayal of her friends. More dangerous and deadly - but also more prone to mistakes. We'll have to be careful with her."
Katara feels bad for Azula. Although the girl is her father's favorite, in many ways she's had it worse than Zuko. And it will only get worse as Katara grows stronger.
"Do you think she'll kill me if she gets the chance?" she asks.
Zuko is silent for a long time. "I don't know," he finally says. "I hope not. But like I said - she'll be more dangerous and unpredictable than ever."
Katara gets a whiff of cooking food and stands up. Zuko follows her. "Let's go get some dinner," she suggests, changing the subject. "And tomorrow we'll visit the Sun Warriors and get your fire back."
Appa flies over the mountain and the Sun Warrior ruins come into sight, filling the valley below. A large, stacked pyramid sits in the middle surrounded by other sandstone huts and buildings. The whole area is overgrown, trees and plants pushing up in areas they shouldn't.
Katara gasps when she sees them. Zuko watches her, a small smile forming on his face. Part of him is proud that she's impressed by his ancestor's works.
Appa lands at the edge of the city. Katara and Zuko slide off and begin walking through the streets. Zuko has never been here in person before, but somehow he knows where to go. A sense of belonging overwhelms him - more than what he felt when he returned for the first time in years to the Fire Nation.
"Even though these buildings are ancient, there's something eerily familiar about them," he says. "I can tell the Fire Sage's temples are descended from these."
They pass a large, domed building. The dome is caved in, but Zuko can see where current Fire Nation temples got their base design from.
"I'm glad we came all this way to learn something about architecture," Katara teases. "Maybe we'll also learn something about firebending."
He rolls his eyes. "The past can be a great teacher."
Katara suddenly stumbles forward. He glances down to see a tripwire at her ankles and reaches forward, pulling her back right as the slab of stone in front of them rolls back to reveal a bed of long, sharp spikes, pointed up to where Katara had almost fallen.
He releases her and she takes a deep breath. "The past can also kill me," she remarks, examining the spikes with a cautious look in her eyes.
But Zuko is already over the incident, leaning down to examine the thin rope she tripped on. "I can't believe it," he says. "This booby trap is centuries old and it still works."
So the Fire Nation has always been good at killing people, she thinks, but she doesn't say it aloud.
"There's probably more," she says instead. "We need to be careful."
She earthbends the slab back over the bed of spikes, adding another layer just to be safe. They continue walking, this time watching the ground beneath them a little more carefully.
"People don't make traps unless they have something worth protecting," Zuko points out, the large pyramid ahead of them catching his eye.
They continue on their way, passing a few more booby traps but not triggering them. Eventually they climb up the steps to the top of the pyramid, where they see a large scene carved into the stone wall. It's a person hovering in the air, dragons blowing fire at them from all sides.
"This looks promising," Katara says. "But I'm not sure what it's trying to say."
"The dragons look pretty angry to me," Zuko remarks.
"I thought the Sun Warriors had a good relationship with the dragons. And where are the dragons, by the way? They were still here before I went into the ice."
Zuko shrugs. He walks a little farther, his fingertips brushing alongside the ancient wall.
"Zuko." Katara's voice is quiet, serious. It stops him in his tracks. "What happened to the dragons?"
He sighs. "My great-grandfather Sozin happened." He continues walking along the wall. He can hear Katara follow him after a few seconds. "He started the tradition of hunting them for glory. They were the ultimate Firebenders. If you could conquer one, your firebending talents could become legendary and you'd earn the honorary title 'Dragon'."
They walk across an old stone bridge to another part of the temple. Zuko pauses in front of a large marble statue of a dragon. "The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born." He sets his hand on the eye of the dragon. "By my uncle," he adds quietly.
"Iroh?" Katara's voice sounds surprised. "But Iroh is - Iroh is - "
"He had a complicated past," Zuko says. "Family tradition, I guess."
He feels a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Let's just move on." He walks forward and the hand slides off.
They stop at a large, circular gold door. Unlike the rest of the ruins, this is still in pristine condition. The route here was littered with booby traps, leaving Zuko to think that whatever is in here is important.
Katara tries to tug it open, but the door doesn't budge. "It's locked."
Zuko looks around, trying to find something to open the door. His eyes scan over a large tower directly across the city with a large, red gemstone at the top. He follows the path of the sun streaming through and then steps back, revealing a circle carved into the sandstone beneath his feet. The red spot from the sunbeam through the gemstone is almost in the circle.
"Wait," Zuko says, scanning the entire sandstone area. "It's a celestial calendar, just like the Fire Sages used in their times." He looks back to the door and points. "See that red sunstone above the door? I bet it opens it, but only when the sunlight hits at the right angle."
"And when is that?"
Zuko reads the calendar and sighs. "On the solstice."
"Unless the solstice is today, we can't wait that long."
The solstice is still a few weeks away. Zuko has to agree with her that they don't have enough time to wait. He pulls out one of his swords. "No, we can't. But we might be able to speed time up."
He angles the blade against the red spot on the calendar, squinting when the sunlight reflects off the metal and into his eyes. "Let's see if we can outsmart the sunstone." He adjusts the blade so that the red light crawls up the door and finally hits the red sunstone. It shines brighter than before.
"Nothing's happening," Katara says after a minute.
Zuko isn't ready to give up yet. "C'mon," he murmurs to himself.
Suddenly the area shakes a little and the door rumbles open. Katara grins at him as he sheathes his sword and goes to stand by her.
"I didn't know you were so smart," she teases.
"I usually don't have enough patience to think of brilliant solutions," he admits. Then they step into the temple.
Katara jumps a bit at the eyes staring out at her. Zuko sets a hand on her arm. "Relax," he says. "They're just statues."
She leans forward and inspects the fierce expression on the Sun Warrior statue's face. "Nice looking guys," she observes.
The statues are set on risers, in a circular position. Only a small entrance at the front breaks the circle. They walk inside, inspecting the figures.
"It says that this is something called the Dancing Dragon," Katara reads aloud from a carving at the base of the first figure. She stands there for a moment longer and then raises her arms up, copying the figure. When she lifts her leg up to finish the pose, she suddenly gasps.
"Zuko!" she calls. "Get over here!"
He crosses the circle in a few large strides. "What is it?"
"Watch," she instructs. She repeats the motion. This time Zuko notices the slight click and the way the sandstone underneath her foot sinks down slightly.
"What is it?" he asks, leaning down and tracing it with his fingers.
"Dance with me," she orders.
He frowns. "What? Is that really appropriate right now?"
She sighs. "Look at the figures. They're doing the dragon dance or whatever. And when I copied this pose, the sandstone moved. I think that if we do the whole dance it will unlock something."
"Why can't you just do the dance?"
"Because it needs two dancers. These statues are just two people going through the motions of the dance on either side of the circle. It's like they're mirroring each other."
Zuko looks back at the statues with this perspective and suddenly he sees exactly what she sees. They take stances behind the statues on either side of the entrance and fall into the first set of moves.
"This isn't just a dance," he realizes after a minute. "This is a lesson."
"Like some kind of Sun Warrior firebending form," Katara agrees.
"This better teach us some really good firebending," Zuko mutters.
They reach the last stance of the dance, reunited again at the other side of the circle. The sandstone in the center of the circle rumbles and a column rises up, bearing on it a large, golden, oval-shaped object. Zuko and Katara stare at it in shock for a minute.
"What...is that?" Katara asks quietly.
"It's some kind of mystical gemstone," Zuko says, running up to it. Katara is a step behind.
"Well don't touch it!" she exclaims, pulling on his arm.
"Why not?"
"Have you already forgotten about all those booby traps we dodged in the city? There's probably more in here."
Zuko ignores her and picks it up. The booby traps were all outside - and besides, they did the dance. What more protection could it need?
The object is warm and he feels what he thinks is a small motion inside. "This feels...almost alive," he breathes out. Katara leans over to get a better look.
Suddenly a jet of a green gel-like substance shoots upward, blasting them into the ceiling. The door to the temple rumbles shut.
Katara and Zuko are pressed up against the hatched vent on the ceiling. Zuko tries to free himself, but whatever the green substance is, it won't let him move. It's almost like glue.
"Another trap," Katara says.
"At least it wasn't deadly, like the spikes," he points out.
If she wasn't stuck in place, he knows she would have turned to him. "Not deadly yet. After we're up here for a few days we'll starve, or die of dehydration. I think I would have rather had the spikes!"
Zuko takes stock of the situation. "At least we have air," he says. "Maybe if we stay calm, we can figure ourselves out of this situation."
"You had to pick up the glowing egg, didn't you," Katara grumbles. Overheard, the stars are shining brightly in the sky. At least the temperature has cooled down.
Zuko has been much better about his anger since returning, but being stuck to a ceiling for hours is not helping his patience. "At least I made something happen! If it were up to you, we'd never had made it past the courtyard!"
"Help!" Katara shouts into the empty night air.
"Who are you yelling to? No one has lived here for centuries!"
He hears her sigh. "What do you think we should do?" she asks, her voice calmer. "We tried waiting."
Zuko knows there's no options for escape unless somehow the glue unsticks itself or someone else shows up - both of which are unlikely. They just have to sit here and wait until help or death comes. At least he and Katara are getting some quality alone time.
"We can...think about our place in the universe?" he suggests.
Suddenly there's a small slapping sound on the sandstone just a few feet away. A second later, a gruff voice calls out, "Who is down there?"
A face appears over them - dressed in strange clothing and with a fierce, painted face. Zuko hears Katara gasp.
"The Avatar?" Katara says, sounding unsure.
Ten minutes later they're sitting on the cooling sandstone of the courtyard, two aardvark sloths licking the slime off of them with their long tongues. A semi-circle of Sun Warriors stand around them, painted faces flickering in the torchlight.
"For trying to take our sunstone, you must be severely punished!" the man who found them says, stepping forward.
"We didn't come here to take your sunstone," Zuko replies. "We came here to find the ancient origin of all firebending."
"Yeah, right," another Sun Warrior says, stepping forward. "They are obviously thieves, here to steal Sun Warrior treasures." He's holding the golden egg carefully in his arms.
"I told you, I'm the Avatar," Katara insists. They don't respond. She stands up. "Just hear us out," she begs.
Zuko stands next to her. "My name is Zuko, crown prince of the Fire Nation." Saying those words feels strange. "Or, at least I used to be," he amends. "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." He lifts his chin, addressing them again. "When we came here, I didn't imagine that the Sun Warrior civilization was still here, secretly alive." He bows his chin again. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Katara doing the same. "I am truly humbled to be in your presence." A pause. "Please, teach us."
"If you wish to learn the ways of the sun, you must learn them from the ways of Ran and Shaw."
"Ran and Shaw? There are two of them?" Katara asks.
The man steps closer, right in her face. "When you present yourselves to them, they will examine you -" he glances over at Zuko and holds his gaze. "They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry." Zuko cringes at that last word. "If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot."
Katara and Zuko exchange worried glances. The concern isn't over Katara - she's almost guaranteed to pass. It's Zuko that's the problem. He's got a lot working against him.
"Think about it over the rest of the night," the man continues. "You must decide by sunrise."
"We don't have to go through with this," Katara says, her hand on his back. They're sitting on the edge of the temple, far enough away from the Sun Warriors that they can speak in private.
"Yes, we do. You have to learn firebending. It's part of being the Avatar."
"I can learn firebending from you even if you can only summon little flames. It will be harder, but we can do it. I'll be a better student."
Zuko shakes his head. This isn't just about her; it's about him. He'd gotten away with all the terrible things he'd done because the people he'd hurt - Katara and Iroh, primarily - had forgiven him. But everything has a price, and now it's time for him to pay up. His actions weren't without consequences, and now he's about to be judged and sentenced.
"My firebending is a part of who I am. I'm not complete without it."
She stares at him, and he can see the depth of her sadness in her eyes. "You could die, Zuko."
He swallows. "It's a risk I have to take."
He knows she understands. Katara has never been controlling, nor does she try to change his mind when he's set on something - unless, of course, it's something horribly wrong. This is a personal matter. It's his life on the line. His choice.
Katara leans into him and he holds her and they sit on the edge of the temple, looking out over the ruins of the ancient city until the sun begins to paint the horizon a brilliant pink.
"If you're going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the eternal flame."
Zuko and Katara stand at the top of the temple with the leader of the Sun Warriors, Ham Ghao. The others stand in a semi-circle behind them. In front of them, burning in a tear-drop shaped alcove, is a hot and intense fire.
"This fire is the very first one," Ham Ghao continues. "It was given to man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."
"I don't believe it," Zuko murmurs under his breath. He feels as though he's in the presence of something sacred.
"You will each take a piece of it to the masters to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending."
"Excuse me?" Katara speaks up. "I'm not a Firebender yet. Is there any other way I can show the masters that I'm committed?"
"No," he says shortly. Katara sits back, a frown dancing around her face.
"This ritual demonstrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy." While he speaks, Ham Ghao bends a bit of the flame out of the fire and separates it into two smaller flames, one in each palm. "It must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big, and you might lose control."
He hands one of the flames to Zuko. Zuko takes it between his hands, holding it carefully. Then he turns to see the man standing in front of Katara. Her eyes are wide, staring at the fire.
"I'm a little scared," she admits. Then she braces herself and puts her hands forward to accept the flame.
Zuko smiles a little at the moment she realizes that the flame won't hurt her. Her eyes stay wide, but they soften - she's surprised now, not scared. She watches the flame almost tenderly.
"It's like a little heartbeat," she says.
"Fire is life," Ham Ghao tells her. "Not just destruction."
Zuko watches Katara for another minute before turning back to concentrate on his own flame. She's on her own, now. They're together, but their fate is separate.
"You will take your flame there," Ghao continues, pointing to a u-shaped mountain peak in the distance. "The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."
They walk together back through the ruined city to the foothills of the mountain. Then they begin hiking. The edge is sloped, so it's not hard terrain. Still, Katara lags.
"You coming?" Zuko asks after waiting a few minutes for her to catch up.
"I can't go any faster or my flame will go out," Katara tells him. She's cradling it as if it's a baby. He understands her reservations, but fire has to be respected, not babied.
"It's going to go out because it's too small," he explains. "You're being too timid. Give it more juice."
"But what if I can't control it?"
"You can do it. You're strong."
Katara doesn't look too confident, but she focuses on it and lets it grow a bit bigger. Then she follows him as they continue up the path to the strange mountain peak.
They climb all through the day. The whole land is bathed in the orange glow of the sun set when they arrive at the top - to find Ham Ghao and the other Sun Warriors waiting for them.
"Facing the judgement of the firebending masters will be very dangerous for you," he tells Zuko. "Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearance. The masters might not be so happy to see you."
Zuko already knew this. He also knows that the man is giving him one last warning to go back. But he can't, and he won't. This is something he needs to do.
"But once they find out I'm the Avatar?" Katara asks hopefully.
Ghao's voice is hard when he turns to face her. "Have you forgotten that you vanished, allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world? The decline of the dragons is your burden, too!"
Katara and Zuko look at each other. They had expected Zuko's predicament, but they hadn't even thought about Katara. Maybe neither of them will come out of this alive.
Ghao sets his staff down and takes a part of each of their flames. He hands them off to the other warriors, who begin a bending sequence. Ghao walks to the large stone staircase that leads to the bridge between the two thin peaks.
"We could turn back now," Katara says quietly. "We've already learned more than we could have hoped for."
"No," Zuko says firmly. "We're seeing this through to the end. At least, I am."
Katara nods once. She'll follow him. They're in this together.
"Besides," he adds, "I want to meet these masters."
"What if they judge us and decide we're not worthy?"
Zuko smiles wanly. "Well, we're the Fire Prince and the Avatar. I think we can take these guys, whoever they are."
Deep down, though, he's not so sure. He's weaker than ever and Katara still has a lot to learn. Besides, she only has a small waterskin with her - not enough to face off two firebending masters. Her earthbending could help, but she's not quite at a master's level on that.
She puts on a determined face and nods. Zuko turns to the Sun Warriors. "Bring them out!"
The ritual begins. Half the Sun Warriors beat on drums. The other half bend the flames in circles. Zuko and Katara walk slowly but steadily to the stone staircase.
They climb to the top and scan their surroundings. A bridge spans across the mountain peaks, intersecting in the middle at the top of the staircase where they're standing. It's wide enough to make a platform for them. Where the bridge hits the mountain peaks is an opening, almost like a tunnel.
"Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shaw will now present their fire," one of the Sun Warriors calls up.
Zuko and Katara give each other one last look before turning to the sides of the mountain peaks, back-to-back, and bowing low, their cupped hands with the fire held out.
"Sound the call!" Ghao shouts.
A loud horn is played. In the distance, a flock of birds take flight. The whole mountain rumbles a bit.
"What's happening?" Zuko hears Katara ask. He doesn't move from his position, even when she lays a hand on his arm. It disappears quickly. A second later he hears her gasp.
"Zuko! My fire went out!"
Zuko spins immediately to see her staring at her empty hands. Without even thinking he thrusts his flame at her. "Here, take mine!"
She stares at him in shock before shoving her hands toward him. "No! You need it more than I do!"
He crosses his arms, refusing to take it. "It was already a long shot for me. I'm probably going to die anyway. No point in both of us going."
"Take it!" She holds it with one hand and claws at his arm with her other, trying to get his hand to open up.
"Let go! You're the Avatar, you're more important than me!"
"Zuko! Stop being stubborn and take it back! I'm not cheating off of you!"
She lunges at him. He realizes what's about to happen before it happens. "The flame!"
But it's too late. It goes out. Katara and Zuko freeze, staring at each other in shock. If they weren't doomed before, they're definitely doomed now.
He reaches out and grabs her hand. She threads her fingers between his. Whatever's about to happen, they're going to face it together.
The whole mountain shakes. A strange screeching sound echoes around them. Katara clutches his hand tighter. Suddenly yellow eyes peer out from the darkness of one of the cave entrances, and a bright, red dragon flies out, circling over and around the bridge. The wind from the wings pounds them, but Zuko doesn't close his eyes. He just stares in awe of the magnificent creature before him.
A second dragon emerges from the opposite cave, this one a rich blue. The two circle each other and the bridge. Zuko feels his lips twist into a smile. The dragons are not extinct after all.
"These are the masters," he says.
"Still think we can take them?" Katara whispers back teasingly. But he can hear the awe in her voice.
The dragons continue flying over them. Zuko is impressed, but he's beginning to get a little bored. They lost their flames, so shouldn't they be judged and destroyed? Why all the waiting?
"Zuko," Katara whispers. "I think we're supposed to do the Dragon Dance with them."
"What about this situation makes you think they want us to dance?" he whispers back.
He can feel her shoulder rise and fall in a shrug. "It just feels...right."
If it were anyone else, Zuko would have thought they were crazy. But Katara is the Avatar, and sometimes she knows things she has no reason to know. Whatever the case, Zuko trusts her.
"Okay. Let's do it."
They fall into the steps of the dance. Zuko notices that the dragons do it beside them - the red one following him, the blue one shadowing Katara.
At the end, when Zuko and Katara are facing each other, he notices that the wind has died down a bit. The dragons are hovering over the bridge, facing them from both sides. The blue one stares Zuko down. He feels as though it can read his every thought. Katara, standing with her back to him, is shaking a little. He feels for her hand and they face the dragons together.
Suddenly the dragons open their mouths and breath fire at them. Zuko flinches, using his free hand to cover his face. But when the flames envelope him, he feels no pain. Only warmth. He slowly takes his hand away and stares at the kaleidoscope of multicolored flames spiraling around him and Katara.
"It's beautiful," Katara says softly.
"I understand," Zuko breathes out. He feels the wisdom of all his ancestors in his mind. So much knowledge...so much information….
The dragons close their mouths and fly back to their caves, leaving Zuko and Katara standing on the platform, still holding hands.
"Their fire was beautiful," Zuko says, repeating Katara's words as they walk back down the staircase. "I saw so many colors. Colors I've never imagined."
"Like firebending harmony," Katara agrees.
"Yes," Ghao says, meeting them at the bottom of the staircase. "They judged you and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending."
"I can't believe there are still living dragons," Zuko says. "My uncle Iroh said he faced the last living dragon and killed him."
"It wasn't a total lie," Ghao explains. "Iroh was the last outsider to face the dragons. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret on to him as well."
"He must have lied to protect them," Zuko realizes, thinking back to his conversation with his uncle in Ba Sing Se. "So no one else would hunt them."
"I always thought firebending was destruction," Katara admits. "But now I know that it's really just energy and life."
"It's like the sun," Zuko agrees. "But inside of you." He turns to Ghao. "Do you guys realize this?"
Ghao has a small smile on his face. "Well, our civilization is called the Sun Warriors. So, yeah."
"That's why my firebending was so weak before. For so many years, hunting the Avatar and pleasing my father and sister was my drive, my purpose." He turns to Katara. "When I rescued you and sacrificed that life, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now I have a different drive. I have to help you defeat my father and bring balance to the world."
Zuko falls into a firebending sequence, pleased when the usual blast of fire follows. But not just the usual - it's stronger than before. Possibly even strong enough to beat, or at least match, Azula.
Katara tries the one move he taught her earlier, a delighted smile crossing her face when fire blasts out. He thinks she's never looked more beautiful than in this moment.
In this moment, he realizes that he doesn't regret leaving his old life. There are some things he feels sorry about - especially concerning his sister and Mai - but he doesn't regret it. He made the best decision of his life when he fought his sister off to let Katara escape.
He'd follow her to the ends of the earth - actually, he's already halfway there. He'd do anything for her.
He realizes something in this moment that he's briefly thought, but never really believed. He closes the door on it, scared of what it means - and where it might lead.
They are in a war, after all. And love never ends well in war.