That evening, her soiled bandages were replaced and medicine was applied. She felt a bit better after her nap, but she was still a bit weak and sore.
After tending to the apprentice, Maya left early because she was assigned for patrol duty. Chiyo was left all alone once more in the darkness. "A lesson from the past..." She whispered to the dark, silent room and stood up.
She searched her hazy, scattered memories for anything that might help her.
"Alright, Chiyo." A boy her age put both his hands on her shoulders and pushed them down gently. "Lower your stance into a squat and take deep breaths."
She did as she was told, breathing in the crisp air of spring and breathing it out slowly.
"Great! Now as you release your breath, focus your chi on your fists and punch!" The boy demonstrated the move by her side. As he punched the air, a burst of fire was shot out of thin air from his fist. She stared in awe and wondered if she would be able to do it as well.
She took a couple more breaths and tried to punch, but no fire was created. No matter how many times she tried, it only led to her disappointment. She kicked the grass beneath her feet and laid back down in frustration.
"Come on, Chiyo! You can do it! I know you can!"The boy sat beside her with playful smile on his lips. "You're the most talented person I know, and we've only just started!"
"I can't! I'm not a firebender like you guys are!" She pouted and turned to lay on her side, facing away from him.
She felt his hands take hold of her arms and pull her up to stand. The action brought a light blush to color her cheeks as he spun her around to face him. "You can't give up that easily. That's not the Chiyo I know." His golden eyes shone with mirth as he looked at her.
He spent the rest of the afternoon showing her the basic movements of firebending. The more she studied them, the more she realized that it was an undeniable combination of the ancient martial arts. She saw the fighting styles of the Northern Shaolin monks, the techniques of the Tao's Southern Dragon, as well as the disciplines of Xinyiquan.
Her mind whirled with excitement as the memory ended. "I tried firebending?! Who was that boy, my Sifu?" The golden eyes he had were the same as that of the Fire Lord's, but his was different. The boy's gaze was kind... and warm...
Feelings she never thought she would get to experience again bubbled within her.
Eagerness.
Determation.
Hope.
Two aardvark-sloths licked the sticky, dark-green tar off as the Sun Warriors looked down upon them with fierce expressions on their painted faces. "For trying to take our Sun Stone, you must be severely punished!" The elder who looked like the leader of the tribe stepped forward.
"We didn't come here to take your Sun Stone! We came to find the origin of firebending."
Another man who was holding the precious Sun Stone approached the elder. "Yeah, right. They are obviously thieves, here to steal Sun Warrior treasures!"
"Please!" Aang tried his luck in reasoning with them. "I don't normally play this card but, I'm the Avatar. Please, just hear us out!"
"And my name is Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Or at least, I used to be." He clenched his fists at his sides as he continued. "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. When we came here, I never imagined that the Sun Warrior civilization was secretly alive!"
He stood up and bowed his head, as did Aang. "We are truly humbled to be in your presence. Please... teach us."
The chief pondered their reasons and came up with the verdict. "If you wish to learn the ways of the sun, you must learn them from the masters, Ran and Shaw."
"Ran and Shaw? There are two of them?"
"When you present yourselves to them, they will examine you. They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry." He looked to Zuko as he said the last word, making him flinch. "If they deem you worthy, they will teach you. If they don't... you'll be destroyed on the spot!"
The sun had risen as the pair was led to another place deep in the heart of the ancient city. At the top of the tiered-pyramid, a towering structure housed a bright, burning fire. Zuko and Aang could feel its energy and heat even from a distance. "If you are going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the eternal flame." The chief turned to the sacred flame and raised his arms. "This fire is the very first one. It was given to man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."
"I don't believe it..."
"You will each take a piece of it to the masters to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending."
Aang winced. "Uh, Mr. Sun Chief, sir. Yeah, I'm not a firebender, yet... Couldn't my friend here carry my fire for me?"
"No." The chief said simply. He reached deep into the fire and pulled a string of flame from within. It twisted and turned with his hands, not as if he was controlling it, but as if he was the one controlled by it. "This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy. You 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 handed them both each a flame of their own to hold.
Zuko took his confidently, while Aang hesitated with shaking hands. "Sorry... I'm just a little nervous." He gingerly placed his hands under the flame and focused on maintaining his chi at his palms. His expression softened and relaxed as he felt its soft pulses and heat. "I-It's like a little heartbeat!"
"Fire is life, not just destruction." He directed the attention to the mountain where two jutting stone edifices rose towards the sky. "You will take your flames up there, the cave of the masters is beneath that rock."
The pair began their long journey through the rocky slopes of the mountain. Zuko led the way, while Aang trailed a bit behind. "Hurry up!" He urged the airbender to climb faster.
"I can't! If I walk too fast, my flame will go out!"
"It's gonna go out because it's too small. You're too timid. Give it more juice."
"But what if I can't control it?"
Zuko's expression softened. He knew what it felt like to be unsure and scared. He smiled fondly as he briefly remembered teaching Chiyo how to firebend. "You can do it. I know you can. You're a talented kid."
The Avatar smiled and followed Zuko's instructions, slowly increasing the chi in his fingertips, making the fire grow steady.
An hour before sundown, they have reached the peak of the mountain. The Sun Warriors were already there, waiting for them. "Facing the judgment of the firebending masters will be very dangerous for you." The chief warned them and turned first to Zuko. "Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearance. The masters might not be too happy to see you."
"I know I wouldn't be..." The chief's right-hand man muttered.
"But once they find out that I'm the Avatar—"
"Have you forgotten that you vanished, allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world?" Aang shrank a bit at his true words. "The decline of the dragons is your burden, too."
The chief signaled the start of the ritual and turned towards the man-made pathway that connected the two stone edifices.
"We could turn back now..." Aang whispered low so that the Sun Warriors could not hear him. "We've already learned more about fire that we'd hoped."
"No. We're seeing this through to the end. We're gonna find out what's so great about these masters..."
"W-what if they judge us, and attack us?"
"We're the Fire Prince and the Avatar. We could take these guys in a fight, whoever they are." He gave Aang a confident smile to ease his worries, but he could only nod and look up at the bridge.
A chant was initiated by the warriors. Strong, bare fists beat on drums as they hummed the ancient rhythm of the firebending masters. Firebending warriors held rings of fire behind them, while the women of the tribe bowed repeatedly in great anticipation of the masters.
Zuko and Aang took the steps slowly, but determinedly. It must have taken them a thousand steps, or at least it felt like that to them, until they reach the top of the bridge that connected the two caves.
"Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shaw will now present their fire!"
The pair held out the fire in their hands and bowed.
"SOUND THE CALL!"
A loud blare from a long horn shook the very foundation of where they stood, making Aang panic and turn to Zuko who remained steady in his stance. It was too late when he found out that the piece of eternal flame he held had gone out.
"Z-zuko, my fire went out!"
"What do you want me to do?!"
"Give me some of yours!"
"No! Just make your own!"
"I can't!"
"Get some from one of the warriors, hurry!"
"They're too far!"
"Stop cheating off me!"
"Quit being stingy!"
They struggled on the bridge until Zuko's fire went out as well. And just as it did, they heard something from within the recesses of the caves. The first thing they saw were a pair of big glowing eyes, followed by long sharp teeth jutting out from a large maw.
The firebending masters, Ran and Shaw, emerged from the caves, their long, scaled bodies glimmering in the afternoon sun as they soared and glided through the air with their powerful wings, woken from their deep slumber.
They couldn't believe their eyes as they watched them wind and circle the bridge and each other. The ancient masters, these powerful beings...
Dragons.
Despite the protests of her aching body, Chiyo started training herself in the ways of firebending, just as the boy from her memories had shown her.
With her feet firmly planted on the ground, she began with a quick succession of jabs and punches. She focused on breathing evenly throughout the routine and maintaining the posture.
Next was the high kicks. She made a running start and kicked high. Just as her right foot landed on the ground, she twisted her body and sent her left foot into another kick.
Pain shot up from her side, leaving her gasping and clutching her injured waist. But despite the pain, she went on until the alarm for the changing of shifts and meals blared through the whole prison.
She hurriedly returned to the corner of her cell, wiping away the sweat with the dirtied sleeve of her tunic just as the guard came in and tossed the tray of food into the ground.
Chiyo kept up the facade of weakness and struggle. She suspected that if they were to know of her recovery, they would beat her to a bloody pulp, or worse, send her back to that wretched palace.
The guard smirked at the apprentice's state of helplessness before leaving satisfied.
She stuck her tongue out, mocking him for his incompetence and gullibility, and slowly ate her small ration of rice and stale soup.
"One day, I will get out of here. And I will make them all pay. The war ministers, the council of elders, the Fire Sages and that monster who calls himself the Fire Lord."
"Zuko... I think we're supposed to do the dragon dance with them!" Aang kept a wary eye for any signs that the masters would attack them, but they just kept their rapid pace of circling the bridge effortlessly.
The prince furrowed his brows in confusion. "What?! What makes you think they want us to dance?"
"Well... I think they want us to do something... Let's just try it!"
"Fine..." Zuko conceded and tried to remember the statues from inside the first temple they had gone into.
As they went through the stances, the dragons did actually dance with them. Wherever they directed their punches, the dragons twisted their long bodies to follow. Whenever they kicked and spun, the dragons would soar to the skies and dive back just as fluidly.
They reached the last of the stances, their fists joined in the air. The dragons stood behind them facing each other.
"Judgment time!" The chief called out.
The red and blue dragons growled and snarled as they lowered their heads in front of Zuko and Aang. In the blink of an eye, the dragons lunged forward and clutched the base of the bridge with their long, sharp claws, and opened their gigantic mouths.
Fire streamed endlessly and engulfed the pair of humans that stood on the bridge and shielded themselves with their arms. They screamed off the top of their lungs and waited to feel the burn on their skin that never came. They opened their eyes and marveled at what they saw.
Colors. Not just orange and red. All the colors they could think of, even ones that they never imagined could exist. It flowed all around them and up towards the sky. It was hauntingly beautiful and magnificent.
This was the truest meaning form of firebending. Not just destruction and harm, but life and harmony.
The fire faded as Ran and Shaw retreated back to the caves, leaving the prince and the Avatar on the bridge, both humbled by shock and awe.
They descended from the bridge to meet back with the chief and the warriors. "Their fire was beautiful..." Zuko said after their momentary silence. "I saw so many colors that I've never imagined..."
"Like firebending harmony..." Aang agreed.
The chief welcomed them back. "Yes, they have judged you and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending."
"I can't believe there are still living dragons! My Uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it."
"So your uncle lied?"
"Actually, it wasn't a total lie." The chief smiled at the mention of an old friend. "Iroh was the last of outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy, and passed the secret to him as well."
Zuko's chest felt warm as pride spread throughout him for his uncle. He had thought that his ancestry, and their part of hunting down the dragons' existence will forever weigh him down. But for his uncle to go against the grain willingly, it gave him hope. It gave him courage. "He must have lied to protect them so no one else would hunt them."
Aang felt a heavy weight fall of his shoulders, leaving him much more confident and brave. "All this time, I thought that firebending was destruction. Since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant, but now I know what it really is. It's energy... and life."
Back at the Western Air temple, Zuko and Aang demonstrated their newly learned firebending skills. Aang felt much more uninhibited now, and he was able to produce fire with ease.
Whereas Zuko had regained his skills, but with a new driving force from within. He was no longer fueled by anger and hate like he used to. He gained power through a new purpose, by helping the Avatar restore peace and harmony across all four nations.
"That's uh... a great dance you two learned there..." Sokka scratched his head as he watched the pair.
Zuko glared at him. "It's not a dance, it's a firebending form."
To say Sokka enjoyed making the Fire Nation prince squirm was an understatement. "Okay, we'll just tap dance our way to victory over the Fire Lord!"
"It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old!"
Katara raised a brow. "Oh yeah? What's your little form called?
Zuko sighed and lowered his head, muttering. "The Dancing Dragon..."