Here is the full chapter! Please enjoy!
Zuko stared at the empty, rock filled pool, terror coiling in his stomach. Of all the times that I could have left Uncle alone… This could not be happening. Of all the times and places that someone wanted to get back at his uncle for the 600 day siege, they had to choose today. He had heard rumours that Aang was helping with the local Hei Bei spirit and, deciding that he wanted nothing more to do with any more spirits than the one in his own head, had left Iroh to enjoy his steam bath while sparring with his crew. Except, now they needed to leave before the spirit decided to go looking for the one guy who wasn't the Avatar and Uncle was gone.
And there was no way those rocks had moved by accident.
Swallowing past the terror rising in his throat, Zuko closed his eyes, attempting to centre himself somewhat. This would take time, time and careful planning, one of which he didn't have. But first, he was going to need to inform his crew- if neither he nor his uncle came back, then they were free to return home and would probably thank Agni for that. Three years was a long time to be away from a functional family.
Zuko tried not to think about all the things that the Earth Kingdom soldiers might be doing to his uncle right now. It was no secret that the first thing many of them did was break a firebender's hands- it was the easiest way to incapacitate a bender and while that wouldn't stop Iroh, it would hinder him greatly. Factoring in the fact that the Dragon of the West was fairly out of shape from three years of very little activity and things were a little bleaker, although Zuko knew very well that he was still a formidable foe. Zhao had learnt that lesson as well. Even so, they might have just decided to kill him outright, and had simply moved him to find a spot away from Zuko and his crew to execute him or were on their way to Ba Sing Se to make a spectacle of the execution. Pausing on the road, Zuko carefully knelt down, brushing dirt softly away from a faint dent in the road. Someone's bent this, he thought to himself. Glancing around to ensure no one saw, he pressed his hand to the ground, asking the earth what had happened. It was a form of bending he had been taught oddly enough not by the spirit, although he could have done without the bruises from their brief sparring match and tips.
There! Zuko thought, catching the sense of bent earth disguising tracks. Fuck, they've taken him with ostrich-horses, they're faster than our own mounts. He had even less time than he thought as he set off at a run now, eager to get back to camp. Komodo-rhinos were slower than ostrich-horses, but they would be held back by numbers and the fact that one of them would be riding two-breasted to carry his uncle. And Iroh was clever- he would find some other way to slow them down and attempt to get away.
He just had to catch up with them first.
Aang swallowed nervously, wondering what it was that he had to do. He had no idea how to work with the spirits, no clue as to how to contact this one or even its name, and yet these people were counting on him because he was the Avatar. But I don't know what I'm doing Aang really wanted to protest but stopped himself. He didn't, but then again, he must have done this a thousand times before in his past lives. He just hoped that something would help him before the spirit ripped this whole village to pieces.
Katara came out of the hut, watching him as the sun set from the veranda. She looked just as frightened as he felt but he gave her a grin anyway. After the spirit had taken Sokka the night before, Katara had been fretting all day, worried about what might be happening to her brother and Aang felt bad. Sokka had only jumped in the way of the spirit to stop it from taking him and he was really glad Zuko hadn't seen that. They had seen the teenager over and over again the past few weeks, tracking them constantly but they had managed to get away from him just before he arrived at that prison where the earthbenders were being held. Aang got the impression that he was less than impressed with them after the whole debacle on Kyoshi Island and it was only a matter of time before he caught up with them here and they would have to flee.
And they couldn't do that without Sokka.
Alright, one spirit in need of taming. If only I knew what it was the spirit was angry about… I really wish I had listened more to Gyatso when we spoke about the spirits. Aang pushed away the old hurt, it was time to move on. Nothing was going to bring his mentor back to him and he would see him again one day, when his own time came. Maybe, if he found a way to get to the spirit world and Gyatso hadn't yet moved on to be reborn, he might see him again there? Internally, Aang shook his head. This wasn't helping and soon, the spirit would be back.
The sun had finally set over the horizon.
Silence had fallen over the village. Aang, as the last person outside, sat still and as calm as he could. Katara had gone back inside once the sun had set, just as he had asked. None of the other villagers were outside of their homes or the village hall where most were huddled. There was a soft breeze but, as the spirit approached, the sounds of the earthly world seemed to still. It was as if the place were holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen now that Aang had a goal in mind. He had to calm this spirit in the next couple of nights. Something was telling him that there was somewhere else to go, somewhere important. And that he needed to get there soon in order to find out what that was.
It was the abrupt stillness of the night that alerted Aang to presence of the spirit. The wind died, the birds stopped chirring their night-songs in the trees, any small animals that had been making noise before stopped. Total silence reigned for a few precious seconds before the spirit appeared, lumbering out of the darkness menacingly. Aang swallowed past the growing fear, past the unnatural feeling of the spiritual and tangible world being drawn so close together. If it were any other time of year, perhaps the spirit wouldn't be so strong but now, right before the Winter Solstice, it could do the most damage. It stopped at the far end of the street, eyeing him up in silence made ever more so louder by the absence of the rest of the world.
"Please," Aang said, in a tone much calmer than the night before. "I'm the Avatar, the bridge between the worlds. I want to help you." The spirit eyed him in silence. "You took one of my friends from me, took people from this village. Why? What did they do to anger you?" Nothing seemed to affect this being. Aang drew his staff closer to himself, rising and snapping it open. "I don't want-" Before he could finish the spirit lunged forward, arms smashing through yet more of the buildings, mouth opening to unleash the supersonic beam that would harm so many people.
And it was aimed right at him.
"No!" Aang shouted, resisting the urge to do as he should, to move as air did out of the way. But if he moved, the beam would hit the hall behind him where the villagers and Katara were huddled, destroying the building and all those inside. This is gonna hurt Aang thought, snapping his staff shut at the same time as he swirled air around it, hoping that bending would stop most of the energy put into the beam. The spirit changed tactics at the last moment, one of its four arms coming up to smash him out of the way and releasing the beam, destroying three buildings of the street. An unearthly shriek emitted from its mouth as Aang came to land, dazed, on the ground somewhere behind them.
"Aang!" he hard Katara shout but he couldn't see her. Blinking residual dust out of his eyes, he saw a streak of blue running towards him, just as the spirit reared back for another round, now done with demolishing the street. No… he thought, shoving her back with a wave of air. The spirit's hand missed her, gouging out only earth as she rolled back on the ground, dizzy from Aang's uncoordinated blast. And before Aang could think much further, another hand swept him up off the ground and they were gone, running back through the bushes. He could hear Katara's screams but it was better him than her. Maybe I can reason with it better in the spirit world, if only I knew how to get there.
Trees were slipping past them as the spirit ran at such a speed that they were soon miles from the village. Aang struggled against the hand holding him, but with his arms pinned to his sides and staff trapped uselessly under his armpit, there wasn't much he could do. And blowing air into the face of a possible great spirit may not be the best way to defuse a situation.
"Please!" Aang shouted over the wind, "I want to help!" The spirit ignored him, instead turning its attention down the road. For a moment, Aang caught sight of red and black armour, dark hair tied back in a phoenix tail and his blood ran cold. Then the spirit, shriek emitting from its mouth, started forward only to be deflected with not just a fireball in the face, but a blast of air that was most definitely not the wind. I want to be able to bend two elements at once Aang found himself thinking for a brief moment, before remembering that there were bigger things to be concentrating on. Or at least there would be, had Zuko's blatent message to the spirit to leave him alone hadn't dislodged Aang from the spirit's hand and sent him spiralling away down into darkness.
He almost missed the moment his head went smack into something hard and solid before the darkness overwhelmed him.
When Aang awoke, it was to the sunshine of a forest he had never seen before. Glancing about, Aang wondered where he was before red scales flickered around him and a man, hair white with age and dressed in Fire Nation red, bent down, hand offered towards his own.
"Hello, Aang," Avatar Roku said, amber eyes soft. "I believe there is much for us to discuss."
The one time I run into another spirit, and the one in my head decides to run off to the Avatar Zuko thought as he dodged yet another blast from the angry Hei Bei. It wasn't the first time that the spirit had been quiet, but it was the first that it had disappeared completely. Zuko pulled a stone wall up in front of himself, spinning away as it was immediately splintered to pieces, his komodo-rhino roaring in fear as it bolted up the road, away from the raging spirit. And this is why I wanted nothing to do with you Zuko thought, before diving out of the way of the creature's hand. It was slow due to its size, which would have been an advantage if it didn't also faze through the layers between worlds to jump around the forest, forcing Zuko to always be on edge.
"I didn't attack your forest!" Zuko shouted, resisting every urge to throw any more fire. That first blast had been more instinctual than anything, a warning for it to stay away, right up until it had let the Avatar go in favour of tracking down more profitable prey. But it wouldn't get it from him.
It was odd fighting for once without the distraction of having to hide. Without the eyes of his crew, he was free to bend how he liked, to bend what he liked. And right now, he was quite happy bending earth and air against the spirit, although it didn't seem to care that fire was no longer being thrown. Using his feet, he slid the earth sideways as the spirit fazed around him and slammed a fist right where he had been a moment ago. It shrieked its frustration at him as he rolled to a standing position, arms up and ready to continue the fight even if he didn't truly have the time for this.
"I didn't attack your forest," Zuko said again, backing up from the Hei Bei as it approached, it's face menacing in the moonlight. "If I knew who had done this, they would be punished. It is against the law to destroy a spiritual place, even in the Fire Nation." The spirit paused, it's head tilted in some form of acknowledgement. It knew that he wasn't like the villagers or the Avatar, that much was certain, but it also knew he wasn't local. Just like the people who had burnt down the forest. If Aang were here, he would probably be trying to talk it down or showing it the multitude of acorns that were scattered about, waiting to be planted. But Zuko knew that that would only calm the beast for now, not help this forest. So, biting his lip as the creature approached, he carefully knelt, scooping one acorn into his hand. At least it was listening.
"I did not do this," Zuko reiterated, just to be certain. He didn't have too much experience with spirits- the last one had tried to kill him too although Uncle had burnt it to a crisp and spirits he wished Iroh was here, now- but his uncle had taught him that you had to make your intent clear. Especially with non-violent spirits. The Hei Bei spirit was a forest spirit; it looked after this forest and the people who lived within it. And when the idiots who had rampaged through here had burnt it down, it had angered the creature and now it was taking its anger out on any living thing within what had once been under its protection. The spirits weren't particularly picky when it came to finding someone to punish for damage done to where they lived in the mortal realm. "But that doesn't mean that this is the end for your forest," he said as he held up the acorn. It was a good thing that it would rain soon, otherwise this might not work. Hei Bei cocked its head, pausing in its movements and staring down at the tiny seed. Ensuring that the spirit was watching him, he placed the acorn on the ground, scooping out a small shallow indent into the ground and placing the acorn inside. Sweeping the earth, now crumbled and loose, over the seed and then, drawing out water from the damp air around them, he bent it over the ground between them containing the seed. Hei Bei seemed to shrink, growing smaller into a panda bear as it rested its nose over the ground, where Zuko had planted the acorn. As the spirit drew away, a small shoot appeared in the ground and Zuko allowed a small smile to grace his face. His uncle might be far away, but at least he had managed this.
"You see," he murmured. "The damage might be visible for now, but one day, all of this will be back, and your forest will be safe again." He froze as a soft, unearthly breeze snuffled over his face. He glanced up hesitantly to find himself eye to eye with the spirit. Its eyes were now soft, nothing like the rampaging creature it had been before. For a moment, it snuffled over him, a deep sense of gratitude and acceptance of his actions before the panda turned and lumbered off into the woods. Slowly, but surely, sounds returned to the forest as bamboo shoots grew with each step Hei Bei took back into the spirit world.
Of course, this would be when Hei Bei returned everyone that it had took back, including one irate Water Tribesman.
"You!" Sokka yelped, reaching back for the boomerang still strapped to his back. Zuko stood from the kneeling position he was still in as the spirit left, noting the terrified looks the villagers were giving him. As if to apologise for the fact that none of these people were anywhere near where they lived, his komodo-rhino decided to wander back in their direction. Sighing softly, Zuko simply pointed in the vague direction Aang had been flung during his initial attack.
"Your friend is that way," was all he said in answer to Sokka's shout. He then gathered the reins of his mount and approached the most senior of the villagers that had been returned. "Here," he said, holding out the reins. "Take him and get those that can't make the walk back to your village. It'll take you a couple of hours from here on foot." The man visibly swallowed but nodded his assent, taking the reins from him. He could feel Sokka's eyes on his back as he turned away and began walking.
Looks like I'll need to start bending to reach uncle faster now.
Aang stared around him, wondering where he was. Definitely not in the same forest as before, that was for sure. The place he was in now was swampy, vines hanging off of the trees and he was sitting in the middle of a puddle of water. Roku, above him, seemed amused at his confusion and it took Aang far longer than it should have done to realise that he was in the Spirit World.
"Woah," Aang breathed, awed by the sight of the forest and the brilliant red dragon before him, coiled round the trees.
"Come Aang," Roku said, gesturing him towards the dragon. Fang Aang found himself recalling, although if that was from his life as Roku or some forgotten lesson by Gyatso, he wasn't sure. "We have little time."
"What?" Aang asked, scrambling to catch up and get on behind Roku. He realised that he wasn't wet despite being in water and decided that that was a perk of being in the Spirit World. Couldn't get wet if you weren't actually physical. "How comes?"
"The Winter Solstice is not until tomorrow and we have only a certain amount of time to talk tonight," was the only answer he got before Fang leapt into the air. It turned out that riding on dragon-back was different to being on an air bison. Appa always flew straight whereas Fang seemed to be in some form of constant motion, moving this way and that, up and down, using the air currents that existed rather than changing them to suit his needs. It was an exhilarating experience, made all the weirder by the ever-changing landscape below them.
"Where are we going?" Aang asked as the world seemed to shimmer around them a moment and suddenly, they were flying back over the forest where he had just been, in the mortal realms.
"There is much to show you, Aang," Roku said, not truly answering his question. "And do not worry about the Hei Bei, Zuko has already seen to its needs." Below them, Aang could make out a small figure bending the rock under his feet, speeding along at a rate faster than even an ostrich-horse. He wondered where the prince was going. Zuko knew that they were here now- so why wasn't he already trying to follow them? The answer came a little-ways down the road, although it was hard to tell distance when flying so fast. Ahead of Zuko was a group of Earth Kingdom soldiers and one barely dressed General Iroh, bundled up in chains. Aang was startled to note that the old man could see them as he tracked them across the sky. "I cannot tell you everything tonight, but tomorrow is the Winter Solstice and we shall have enough time then. But for us to speak, you must come to the sanctuary on Crescent Isle." The world shimmered and changed again, so that they were suddenly flying over the oceans and seas, speeding towards a small island shaped like a crescent moon and made up from a single volcano. Perched on the peak was a distinctly Fire Nation temple.
"But that's in the Fire Nation!" Aang protested. "How are we supposed to get there in a day?"
"Appa is your animal guide, as Fang was once for me. He will find you a way. Besides, the distance is not so great that a boat cannot make it within a day's sailing. We are only on the edge of Fire Nation waters," Roku explained as they landed on the island. Aang hopped off, staring up at the temple that was no doubt dedicated to the Avatar before him. Oddly, the island appeared to rumble as he landed, and he thought he heard a far-off shriek. "There is one more job for you, when you come here." Roku stated, staring up at the temple. "One that cannot be completed without Prince Zuko." Aang blinked but Roku was already gesturing for him to climb back on Fang. "Come, you must return. Your friends are waiting for you."
Returning was almost as much fun as it had been coming here, although he wondered what Roku had meant. Why would they need Zuko? How would that help them in any way? "Roku what was there at the island?" Aang asked instead, somehow just knowing that the old man liked to be cryptic.
"You will know when you see it," was the only answer he got and Aang groaned internally. Why did old men have to make everything a riddle?
It didn't seem to take them long to return to his body, but when Fang dropped him off the sun was rising in the distance. Roku didn't provide an explanation for why, merely giving him a quick farewell and a promise to see him soon. And then he was gone and Aang was left blearily opening his eyes to a panicked Sokka.
"Aang! Aang! Thank the Spirits!" the older boy exclaimed, dragging him into an out-of-character hug in relief. "What happened?!"
"Er… it's kind of hard to explain," Aang started, rubbing his head from where it was throbbing from the impact with… something. "Hey, you're back!" Aang realised and Sokka stared at him.
"Yeah, and immediately ran right into the jerkbender so we need to go," Sokka stated. "And Katara's going to want to see that bump on your head. You must have hit the totem with some force." Aang blinked and turned, to find that, yes, behind him was a totem bearing the image of a panda and the carvings for the Hei Bei spirit. It had literally flung him right into its most sacred area and offering place.
"Wow, I didn't even know this was out here," Aang muttered, stumbling to his feet with Sokka's help. He wished that Appa was here- they could get going as soon as possible, and they were going to need all the time they could get to make it to Crescent Isle on time.
Zuko regarded the array of groaning earthbenders with some satisfaction. Less satisfying was the image, forever burned into his brain, of his uncle in a loincloth. After dealing with the Hei Bei, it hadn't taken long to catch up with the small cavalry force, and even less to ambush them in the night. All those nights of sneaking about the palace and colony ports as the Blue Spirit had finally paid off. They hadn't known what hit them.
"Well done, Prince Zuko," Uncle Iroh said, a soft smile on his lips. "That was an ingenious trap you set in the ground." Zuko flushed a bit, not mentioning that that particular trick had been taught by a tiny bandit in the night, shouting that he wasn't listening. Curious, that these men, supposedly in the Earth Army, could not sense the instability of the earth beneath their feet, crumbling and ready to turn to quicksand after some manipulation. Perhaps he ought to ask the spirit to give Aang a hint about Gaoling but decided against it. He needed to learn water first.
"It was…" Zuko trailed off as a familiar groan echoed above them, along with the faint sound of arguing on the wind. He glanced up, staring as the bison slowly descended, the two Water Tribe siblings looking particularly unhappy. Aang, however, was looking mildly harried, as if he were in a rush.
"Zuko!" he shouted, leaping from the bison's back in a controlled jump, a hundred feet from the ground. He watched the girl leap forwards, unable to catch him in time. "You have to come with us!" Zuko blinked, eyeing him warily. He does know I'm trying to capture him, right? He wondered in the spirit's direction.
I told him. It is necessary you go with him.
What? Zuko barely had time to think that however, before Aang was bouncing towards him, speaking incredibly quickly.
"Look, I know we're technically enemies and all, but I just spoke with Avatar Roku and he said you have to come with us! We need to get to the Temple on Crescent Isle, except I don't really know where that is and he also said there was something there that we needed you for and-" Zuko stared, trying to process the chatter, a horrible niggling thought in his head.
You're Roku? What, in the name of Agni, are you doing in my head? He half shouted at the spirit. Why would the previous Avatar, who had been murdered by his great-grandfather, decide to help him, strange Avatar-like powers notwithstanding?
You never asked my identity the spirit stated, having the audacity to sound amused by this turn of events.
"I can't go with you," Zuko stated abruptly, cutting off the continued chatter and Aang blinked, startled. By this point, the bison had landed, the lemur that Aang had picked up at the Temple curling about the Avatar's shoulders. "I'm banished. If I go with you, I break the stipulations of that on pain of death." Aang paled slightly, as did the two siblings. Uncle laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, calming.
"It is also death or worse for the young Avatar to travel there as well," he pointed out. "And it has been requested by Roku. One cannot ignore the wishes of the spirits so easily." Zuko glared at him a moment, not mentioning he was rather good at ignoring calls from the spirits. They had been interfering with him his whole life after all.
"Please Zuko," Aang begged, despite the protests of his friends. "It has to be today. Roku said we had to talk, on the Winter Solstice." Zuko frowned.
Why do you need to speak with him? Why not just do this? he asked, curious. It wasn't as if Zuko had had any trouble in getting in contact with the previous Avatar. It seemed, however, that this question had made the spirit uncomfortable.
The connection you have with me is different. Aang must enter the Spirit World to commune with past lives. I am not your past life. The connection we have is… familial. Zuko blinked but decided now was not the time to question what Roku meant by that. Considering the current Avatar's jitteriness, it would be pointless to refuse at this point. He would probably follow them around until he got what he wanted and forcing him to miss this meeting wouldn't benefit anyone. But, there may be a way to get into the Fire Nation without breaking his terms of banishment or Aang getting killed. How very Sozin of you Roku commented and Zuko ignored him.
"Fine. But your friends are not going to like how we get in," he stated. Sokka narrowed his eyes at him, suspicious already. Aang, however, lit up, excited.
"Really! Well, let's go then! You can tell us on the way!" Aang stated excitedly, turning to run off.
"Wait," Zuko commanded, eyeing his Uncle. There was no way he was leaving him alone to get back to the ship, dressed in practically nothing. "First, you take Uncle back to the ship." Aang blinked but nodded his assent.
"Oh, nephew, you don't have to worry about me," Iroh stated in his most coy voice. "I can get back to the ship by myself."
"You're dressed in a loincloth," Zuko said shortly, sitting on his temper, tone brooking no arguments. It was at that moment that the girl squeaked, clearly only now realising the extent of his uncle's undress. Even Sokka had the decency to blush, probably realising why he had been in such a hurry to not run after Aang.
"Don't worry, it's on our way!" Aang said, tone forcibly upbeat. It sort of wasn't, but it wouldn't take them long on a bison, compared to the journey on foot. Or at least, the journey within sight of the crew on foot. No need to mention the earth-bending.
The ensuing journey was awkwardly silent. Katara was pointedly not looking at them while her brother was glaring. Iroh had struck up a pleasant conversation with Aang about his home culture, delicately skipping around the fact that his own grandfather had wiped them out and Zuko was just happy to sit back, feeling the rush of the wind on his face. He wondered vaguely if, had she been with him, riding Junsuina would have felt like this. Free.
I'm sure you will see her again soon Roku murmured. Zuko, eyes closed, made no move to acknowledge him.
Knowing my father, he will have killed her to give himself a better name. Probably called her mad after my banishment. Roku was silent and it wasn't long until they landed beside the ship, Jee's eyes wide as he and his uncle jumped off. Zuko straightened, glaring up at the man who liked to cause him so much grief. At least he hadn't led a mutiny against him yet.
"Lieutenant Jee, see to it that my Uncle is clothed and checked over for injuries. An Earth Kingdom regiment decided to attack him," Zuko commanded sharply. "Also fire up the engines and head north towards Gaipan. I will meet back with you there. The Avatar has agreed to be escorted back to the Fire Nation." Jee's eyes widened and Sokka stiffened, about to butt in but Aang stopped him. Most likely remembering Zuko's warning.
"We're… going home?" the man asked, voice faint. Zuko felt guilty about lying to the man. He would have to tread carefully the next few weeks- it would be obvious to them that he had let the Avatar go and no doubt a few would mutiny over the fact that they would not be allowed to see their families again. Perhaps it was time to dismiss them and find refuge elsewhere when this was over. I think you'll be surprised.
You stay out of this. It sickened Zuko that this was something his great-grandfather or even father might have done.
"If all goes to plan," Zuko agreed out loud however, kicking himself quietly as he did it. Better for them to think the Avatar was finally keeping his end of the deal they had made in the South Pole than that he was about the betray them. Something flickered across Jee's face and his eyes flicked towards Aang, who looked slightly stricken as if something had just occurred to him. He simply nodded, however.
"As you command, my Prince," Jee stated, giving a formal bow. Zuko stared in shock. The Lieutenant had never showed such deference to him before- considering that some of that had been his own fault had not been lost to Zuko, but he also never expected respect from anyone. He tried his best to earn it and he wasn't sure what he had done to deserve this. He nodded, jerkily, feeling slightly wrong-footed, unable to form a response. A few minuets later they were off, flying away from the ship and everything Zuko had once known.
Am I doing the right thing? He wondered, gazing out into the sky, watching the ship grow smaller and smaller. The crew will never forgive me for this, for deceiving them so. And my people… they'll be left to Azula. He swallowed, trying to shove that familiar feeling of failure down. All because you wanted me to go with the Avatar he thought angrily in Roku's direction. Wisely, the spirit said nothing, leaving Zuko to wallow in his thoughts.
"So," Sokka started sharply, "this great plan of yours. Ever going to tell us?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Zuko snapped, not in the mood for playing nice. Couldn't they understand that he had just betrayed his people to help them? "The Avatar has agreed to uphold his end of our agreement. I have left your people alone, as the Chief's son you have agreed to talk terms with my Father on behalf of your people and this is the quickest way of getting the war to end." If only it were that simple.
"Oh no you don't!" the girl snapped, hands falling towards her waterskin. "You are not taking Aang!" Zuko ignored her in favour of keeping his eyes on the horizon.
"But he isn't!" Aang said and Sokka seemed to reluctantly agree. Katara frowned, clearly not getting it.
"It's a cover story," Sokka said, unhappy with it but reluctantly agreeing that it would get them where they needed to go. "A convincing one that won't get either Aang or himself killed for violating his banishment." There was a sneer in the other boy's voice. He got the sense that there was more to it than just bitterness for being chased there. Zuko wasn't a fool. He had noticed that their village was far too small to be considered an entire Nation anymore. Someone had attacked them and attacked them hard. And their sister tribe had done nothing to help.
"What did he mean about going home?" Aang asked, deciding that now was the time to ask the worst questions. Zuko shifted, not wanting to speak, but knowing he had to.
"It's been three years since half of them saw their family," Zuko said shortly. "They're my crew to do the impossible. They're not allowed back until I am." And we all know that that is never going to happen. It hurt to think about his father, but it was the truth. It hurt to think what he had known for some time now. He wondered if the crew had known too, after that first year of just aimless wandering from Temple to Air Temple. He had been set up to fail.
"So, this trip…" Sokka suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "They're not going to be happy you tricked them."
"Probably try to kill me," Zuko agreed calmly. Sokka stared at that admission, as did Katara.
"But you're their prince!" Aang stated, flapping his arms about in some ridiculous fashion. "Wouldn't that be illegal?"
"Banished prince," Zuko corrected tiredly. "Half of my crew were dismissed from their previous posts anyhow. The only reason I'm still alive is because I let them think I don't know about their little mutinous meetings in the Komodo-rhino holds." He paused and then shrugged. "That and they get paid enough to drink and whore their way through every port between here and the North Pole." Probably not the politest way to put things, but three years at sea had taught Zuko quite a few creative ways to curse at someone. It was always entertaining to see the shocked expression on a noble's face when the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation spat out words that could make even a sailor blush.
After all, his first experience of what his crew got up to in towns had only been three weeks into his banishment. He had been two crew members down these last few years after discovering what those two had thought appropriate. Probably the only time Jee had considered him decent in those days.
"Oh, um, that's… good to know," Katara muttered, face red. Considering how sheltered their lives had been, it was likely none of these three had ever even heard of a brothel until they had left the Southern Air Temple. They lapsed back into awkward silence after that, Zuko ignoring their blatant calculating looks.
It took three hours to reach the patrols on the edge of Fire Nation waters, sailors readying the catapults for mid-morning practice. Now they actually had something to aim at. Zuko instructed Aang to aim for the command ship, the largest there, firing off the correct signals for incoming ambassadors. Lies, all of it, but his family were good with those. Zuko himself had been lying his whole life about what he could do.
Zuko froze the moment he noticed that, of course, the commander of this ship was Zhao.
"Ah, Prince Zuko," Zhao greeted, a mad gleam in his eyes. "We meet again I see. And this time, you brought… guests."
Sokka had a bad feeling about this guy. In fact, he had a bad feeling about all of this, but, like it or not, Aang had insisted after that mad flight from the village with the Hei Bei to meet up with Zuko, half formed thoughts and explanations tumbling out of his mouth. And now, here they were, standing like a tiger-seal's prey under the watchful eyes of fifty or so Fire Nation soldiers and one mad Commander. From the way the jerkbender's shoulders stiffened, they weren't on friendly terms either.
"Commander Zhao," Zuko started evenly, sounding as if he were grinding his teeth together. "I gather you've recovered since our last meeting." The Commander flushed, scowling. Sokka wondered what exactly had happened between the two previously, although from the sounds of a quickly stifled laugh from the aide behind this Zhao, it had not ended well for the Commander. The others were merely watching the ensuing confrontation warily, waiting to see what would happen.
"Of course," Zhao half growled and coughed, drawing himself upright. "I believe that you are violating the terms of your banishment. But ,since I am feeling merciful, Captain-"
"One moment," Zuko cut off the Commander, tone entirely that of an entitled stuck-up prick. Somehow though, after that incredibly awkward conversation on Appa, Sokka got the feeling that this persona was merely put on. "I am not, in fact, violating the terms of my banishment. The Avatar has agreed to uphold a vow to me and the two savages with him have come to barter for their pitiful villagers' lives." Sokka bristled at 'savages' but stayed quiet, grabbing Katara's wandering hand by the wrist to stop her from doing something stupid. This was Zuko's plan and it was time to see if he could pull this off. Zhao raised an interested eyebrow. "However," Zuko continued, not letting the man butt in, "since this contract was made with me, I highly doubt he would be so merciful to your crew." Sokka nudged Aang to look at least a little more intimidating rather than playing with Momo. The lemur, having good instincts, leapt onto Sokka's head, chittering warily. It clearly did not like Zhao. Some of the other officers on board were looking mildly impressed by Zuko's show, others staring fearfully at Aang as he stood up straighter. Zhao, however, didn't take the hint.
"How honourable of you," Zhao jeered and Zuko flinched. "But, we are all aware that you have lost your honour." He gave a sickening smile, even as several of his officers frowned, obviously not happy with this direction. "So, it is my solemn duty to escort you out of Fire Nation waters and uphold this contract in Fire Lord Ozai's name." Is that really how Fire Nation politics work? Sokka wondered, remembering Zuko's strange fixation on honour. As if one could lose it. Zuko was clearly livid at this insinuation but merely stepped ever so slightly to one side, leaving Aang open to this scumbag.
"On your head be it," Zuko stated, anger clouding his voice. Sokka had a brief moment to contemplate whether this was normal behaviour towards him before Aang took that cue to blast a huge whirlwind in the direction of the firebenders. Zhao made an attempt to block, forgetting that air channelled fire and, oddly, the man's fire caught within the whirlwind, causing all of the men to dart out of the way or risk being horrifically burnt. Sokka took this moment for the distraction it was, grabbing Katara and throwing himself and his sister onto Appa, Aang already jumping to do the same. The bison immediately rose, sensing the danger, just as Sokka realised that they had left someone behind.
Zuko had stepped away from Appa and that fire-whirlwind-thing had forced him further away from them. Sokka was certain that he had no wish to be burnt again, considering that scar on his face. Now, he was trapped on a boat with an angry Zhao, who looked just about ready to murder him. However, the prince didn't seem too bothered. Fire flew from his hands, wild and hot and Zhao grinned, looking like he had somehow gotten the upper hand, already batting it away. But that hadn't been the point. The moment Zhao was distracted in turning the fire away was all the time Zuko needed to take the wildest, craziest leap Sokka had seen in a person since Aang, grabbing onto the edge of the saddle and clinging to it like a barnacle to a ship. Sokka wasted no time in helping to haul the other boy into the saddle, weirdly happy at the disgusted rage on the Commander's face.
But, most importantly, they were inside the Fire Nation. It wouldn't be long now until they reached their destination.
It was approaching time, when the Avatar's bison was spotted on the horizon, aiming straight for the Temple. Shyu let out a sigh of relief, thankful that the man had made it on time. It wouldn't do for him to miss the Winter Solstice in a Temple. While it may not be the ideal time for a Fire Temple, the lines between the physical and metaphorical planes were thin enough that the airbender would be able to contact his past life. But he had to be in the inner sanctum to do so.
When the bison landed, Shyu was surprised to find that the airbender was rather younger than he had expected. And he wasn't alone either.
"Prince Zuko," he gasped, falling into a proper bow, the scar marking out his identity, the shape of the flame forming naturally in his hands. "We were not expecting you!" Had he heard? Did he know she was here, waiting for him? If one listened closely enough, you could hear her cries and Shyu wondered if she could sense her partner was so close. Their connection had been unlike anything he had heard of. More like that between the Avatar and their spirit animal than a dragon rider with their dragon. Not even Princess Azula's connection was so close with her own dragon. He glanced up to note that the boy looked startled, surprised at such deference. Shyu decided it would be safer to turn his attention to the Avatar, merely a boy with the signature arrow tattoos of a Master. "We have been waiting for you Avatar." The prince raised an eyebrow, catching the boy's shoulder before he could bounce forward.
"And your orders?" the prince asked, suspicious. At least one of them was. Shyu bowed his head.
"The Sages were ordered to turn the Avatar in to the Fire Lord should he ever come here. I, however, am the sole survivor of those with a differing opinion." Oddly, the two others with the Avatar looked surprised at that but the prince did not. He narrowed his eyes but nodded, letting the boy go.
"You will need to show Avatar Aang to the inner sanctum. He has business in the Spirit World," Zuko ordered, back stiff. Shyu bowed, murmuring his obedience of such an order. He found himself thinking there was something familiar about the boy but there was no time for questions. He was right- the Avatar was needed in the inner sanctum right away.
He took them the long way around, hoping to avoid the magma chambers. Unfortunately, they almost ran into Tadao, who had been his own rounds. Thankfully, Zuko was the one to distract him, demanding a blessing for his crew and his mission, gesturing for Shyu to take the Avatar another way. Tadao looked startled to see the prince on Fire Nation soil but could not refuse- Crescent Isle was only on the edge of the Fire Nation and some still debated whether they were technically in Earth Kingdom waters due to continual border disputes. Zuko was no doubt taking advantage of that and was well within his rights to ask for such things as the Captain of his ship.
The magma chambers it would have to be then. He prayed Junsuina was in a forgiving mood.
Aang was feeling excited at the prospect of meeting Roku again, frustrating as he had been the last time they met. He wondered if the mission they needed Zuko for was to get them in here, although he had specified that there was something else here, some other task for Aang to complete before leaving than just seeing Roku. The Fire Sage, who had introduced himself as Sage Shyu, had been friendly enough and he wondered if he would be able to tell him what else was here as the man pulled some secret lever, leading them up a flight of stairs going straight through the volcano itself.
However, just as Aang opened his mouth to ask, there was a guttural cry and something long, large and covered in glistening red scales flew past, shrieking in rage. It took several long moments for Aang to realise that the thing that was attacking them was not another angry spirit monster like the Hei Bei as it circled again, forcing them to duck as it tried to skewer them with its claws, but rather a real life, breathing dragon. Sokka squeaked behind him, having noticed too.
"Oh dear," Shyu stated, watching as the dragon, screeching all the while, twisted and turned around the hanging stalactites, ready for another attack. "Come, quickly! It would appear that she has been riled up!"
"Riled up!" Sokka yelped as they all raced to their feet, now running up the steps. Aang would have gone faster, however he didn't want to leave his friends behind, no matter the fact that he really ought to be upstairs by now. "By Tui and La, why are you keeping a huge great big dragon in a volcano!" Shyu didn't deign that with an answer, ducking as she tried to attack them again. It was strange, she seemed to mostly be aiming for the Fire Sage and had yet to breathe fire. Perhaps, she was merely angry at her imprisonment and didn't want to hurt them? He would have paused at that thought but the exit was ahead and, really, he needed to speak to Roku.
Then he would see about the dragon.
Fire bellowed out after them as they dived through the door, thankfully hitting no one. There was another angry shriek, although it sounded mournful too. Aang felt bad for her- she ought to be free to fly through clear skies, not cooped up within a mountain. They had arrived within a large room, filled with columns decorated with snarling dragons and Aang wondered how they could imprison the very thing they had deified. Shyu gave a soft cough, rising to his feet and brushing off his robes.
"My apologies for the excitement," he said with an apologetic bow. "As you can see, she is not very fond of strangers."
"No wonder, if you're keeping her locked up in there!" Katara exclaimed, outraged. "The only human contact she has is with her jailors." Shyu had the decency to be ashamed and Katara nodded huffily. Aang felt bad that he had said nothing, but Momo was still clinging to him, terrified by the huge predator, and he had things to do. Two huge doors yawned open, showing the inner sanctum filled with nothing but a golden statue of Roku in all his wisdom. Light reflected from the setting sun by a jewel had almost reached another within Roku's chest. Shyu gestured forward.
"Go, you must be inside when the light reaches the ruby. It will take you to the Spirit World. We will close the doors behind you so you will not be interrupted," he said. Aang was about to go when Sokka caught his arm.
"Hang on. How do we know no one will try to get in while Aang's in the Spirit World? His body will still be here," Sokka asked.
"Once the doors are closed and locked, they can only be opened by five continuous streams of fire by five different benders. All the other Sages would need to be here," Shyu answered. "Only Aang will be able to open it once the Solstice truly hits us however, which is in the next two minuets!"
"I have to go Sokka," Aang said, carefully prying the other boys hand off his arm. "I promise, I'll be fine. Roku's me after all!" Sokka didn't look convinced but let him go, jumping into the room as the light inched closer. As the doors slammed closed behind him, light filled the room and Aang found himself once more facing the man in question, red dragon whipping around them.
Zuko was on edge. There was something about this place, as he was led through the Temple, that made him wary. It was as if he had seen it somewhere before, strangely familiar. There was a quiet rumbling from beneath them, the Sage assuring him it was merely magma movements, but Zuko could hear shrieks along with it. He didn't dare hope, but there was always another possibility. After all, Azula had never been too concerned about what happened to Lengkù. And with each tortured cry, he was more and more tempted to call the Sage out on his blatant lies.
"Sage Tadao," Zuko started, eyeing the man's back warily. This could still be a trap- one message from Zhao and the entire Fire Nation would know he had been here and was a traitor. "Where exactly are you taking me?" They had wandered in circles, going neither further up or down within the Temple. The Sage twitched and Zuko narrowed his eyes. This is a trap.
"Ah, to the inner sanctum of course," the Sage stated, but his voice wobbled with obvious nerves. He knew he had been caught.
"Forgive me if I am wrong." Zuko said, keeping careful balance in his feet, ready to move at the slightest sign of danger, "but I believe all inner sanctums are built as close to the sun and the Lady Agni herself as possible?" Tadao paused, back stiff and Zuko knew he had caught him out. The moment the Sage turned to attack, he was already gone, slipping through the convenient passage that they had stopped by, one the Sage most likely thought he hadn't noticed. A quick twitch of the lever and he was through, away from the deceitful Sage and into one of the many passages through the magma chambers that the Sages kept to ensure that they didn't get in the way of those come to pray. Not that many did anymore. It was likely that Shyu had taken the Avatar a similar way as well, although why he hadn't from the start was lost to Zuko.
The passage initially headed down, into the volcano, before rising to a secret passage up to the top of the Temple. All he had to do was follow it and meet up with the others to warn them of what had occurred. Most likely, Tadao and whoever was the Senior Fire Sage already knew that Aang was here without Shyu's knowledge. He couldn't have been as subtle as he had thought. Zuko sighed, ensuring his footfalls were silent in order to fool anyone who might think to find him down here.
It was always fun to see people's faces when he seemingly 'disappeared'.
The passage grew steadily warmer until he entered the huge cavern, filled with roiling hissing magma. He watched it a moment, mesmerised. Liquid fire, the primordial ooze in which land was made up from. It was said in the past, strong firebenders had been able to bend it to their will. Theoretically, an earthbander probably could too- magma was, after all, nothing more than boiling liquified earth. Zuko had been fascinated with magmabenders as a child, his mother having lovingly read such takes to him every night. Azula, in a tame mood once upon a time, had even played games with him when she had first presented her bending. They would each bend towards each other, little more than sparks in those days, and pretended that it was lumps of magma thrown at each other. Then, Ozai had discovered his precious daughter could bend at four, and she had been swept away, ever changed from that day onwards and such pleasant memories became a thing of the past.
Zuko swallowed the pain those memories brought up, moving at a swifter pace now that the noise of his feet was disguised by the bubbling of the magma. There was a scratching from ahead, a soft presence that he had thought once long gone. But it couldn't be…
Red scales flew past, a shriek of joy and pain bringing Zuko to a stop. The dragon lowered her snout, golden eyes sad as she settled along the path, stone creaking under her weight, carefully distributed. He found himself transfixed, emotions swirling around him in confusion. It had been so long… One long, trailing feeler crept out, brushing his forehead and he was filled with emotions not his own. Joy at having found her rider once again. Pain at the clear agony he had once lived through. Fear for the man who manipulated her rider and her brother so. But most of all, anger. All consuming fury at the monster that had dared to lock her away, to injure her rider and hatred of those who enabled him to do so.
And Zuko found himself echoing that anger as he gripped her head now, touch desperate from having been separated all these years.
"Junsuina…" he whispered, the edges of his vision darkening as anger took him, a fury that was not completely his own winning out.
"Roku!" Aang cried, happy to see the old man's face again. It was strange meeting with his past lives- they were all so much different from him. One day, it would be him facing a future life, giving out wisdom and Aang found that hard to fathom.
"It is good to see you too," Roku said with a smile on his face. "Come." Aang tried not to be too excited to ride Fang once again. It was clear, from the grim set of his eyes, that nothing Roku had to tell him was good.
This time they didn't fly over the mortal realms at all. Aang knew very little about the Spirit World other than what all Air Nomads were taught, Gyatso having had no time after he had been informed Aang was the Avatar. The other Temple Elders had thought advanced techniques were more appropriate and only now was Aang realising that they must have had a solid reason for doing so. That they might have known the war was coming. The world below them was all the more wondrous for it though. Mountain ranges that seemed to move, others that floated in the sky, all manner of creatures below some beautiful, others hideously ugly, and others yet still indescribable. Words had not been invented to describe those and most likely never would. Most spirits stayed away from humans and vice versa. Neither understood the other, which was why the Avatar was needed.
It didn't make Aang feel any better, that he still had no idea how to be that bridge.
"I have something very important to tell you Aang," Roku said as they continued to fly, the world below them changing to a burnt-out nightmare. He swallowed heavily, staring at the molten lakes of lava, the buildings crumbled and destroyed, ash thick in the air. He shuffled closer to Roku. "A hundred years ago, a comet came that strengthened the Fire Nation's power," Roku continued as a bright flash streaked through the sky. A huge, burning comet and below, the ground became thick with Fire Nation soldiers, their armour a much older style than Aang remembered on Zuko's crew. With a jolt, Aang recognised the Western Air Temple and he stared, unable to look away. "Sozin harnessed this power to destroy your people." It didn't help that Roku's voice was sad.
He turned his head away, closing his eyes thankful that it was silent for only them and the sound of Fang's wings slicing through air. He didn't want to see the deaths of the nuns.
He didn't want to hear the inevitable screams.
"So that's how…" He couldn't say it.
"I am sorry," Roku said solemnly. "If I had known…" He trailed off and they were suddenly no longer above the Air Temples. The landscape, however, was just as destroyed. "I could do nothing, dead as I was by then. But I tell you this now, because by Summer's end, Sozin's Comet will have returned." That froze Aang's blood and he couldn't help the pure fear that went through him. The comet is coming… again? But where would they…? He saw walls, once thick and sturdy crumbled to dust, ringed three times around a city a quarter of the size of a continent.
"Ba Sing Se," he whispered, horrified. "They'll destroy the Earth Kingdom?" This was too much, how could they stop this? Before Summer's end, that's just over half a year away, it's not enough time…
"You must defeat the Fire Lord before then," Roku said firmly, but his eyes were sad. "You can do this Aang. You have mastered the elements before, you can do it again. You have already mastered air."
"But that took years to learn!" Aang protested. At that moment, the world seemed to distort, and Fang dipped alarmingly.
"Oh dear," Roku commented and for a moment, Aang caught a glimpse of the dragon in the magma chamber, bent over a tiny figure in Fire Nation armour, face furious.
"Roku?" Aang asked uncertainly.
"You know that the prince is spirit-touched," Roku started, oddly unconcerned, "Junsuina is his own guide, just as Appa is for you." Fang circled them once and then carried on, sympathetic to his cause. "It is the same as if someone stole him from you." Aang swallowed, unable to comprehend that thought. Be split up from Appa? That would be awful. How was the prince still sane? Appa was a part of his spirit, a part of him. People knew one didn't just split up an Avatar from their animal guide. Or at least, they had. Something told him, Ozai had very little regard for how things ought to be.
"I'd be angry," he said quietly.
"Yes." Aang wondered what Roku was thinking. Shouldn't he know? Roku was the Avatar before him- in theory he was the easiest to know, to gain information from. But he seemed more a stranger than before. "The Temple will be destroyed. There is always punishment given to those who hurt a spirit guide. But… Zuko is a gentle soul." That wouldn't have been the word Aang used, but he understood. Zuko hadn't outright tried to kill them. Not like those soldiers in the Earth prison camp. Not like Zhao had tried to keep them on his ship, to turn them in to the Fire Lord.
And, despite helping them, he was still going to get Zuko killed. It was a sobering thought.
"He helped me once," Aang said, determined. "I'll try to do the same." Roku nodded, giving him a small smile. It softened the man's stern features and there was something familiar there too. Something he had seen in the mortal world on his travels but Aang couldn't place it. Probably just some strange Avatar thing.
They landed back where they started, on the dusty plain Roku had met him upon.
"Be careful Aang," Roku warned. "Remember what I have told you. And what Zuko told you as well." Family are the people who stick by you through thick and thin. They had gotten through some pretty tough scrapes and even when he had been confused by Bumi, Sokka and Katara had never stopped believing in him. He could do this, so long as they never stopped believing in him. He gave Roku a smile, determined.
He wasn't expecting to be met by dripping lava.
Sokka struggled uselessly against the chains, grinding his teeth in frustration. Mere moments after Aang had dived into the Inner Sanctum, the Temple Sage Zuko had been distracting arrived along with the others and, shortly after, the smirking form of Zhao. The Commander must have followed them as soon as they left, abandoning his ship and the jerkbender was nowhere in sight. A continual rumbling occurred beneath them, no doubt from the dragon they kept locked in the chambers below them. Sokka wondered briefly if that was why the prince had been delayed.
Next to him, Katara was struggling equally as hard, just as the entire building shook, the shriek louder than before. Only the chains kept them upright, the soldiers, Sages and Commander all thrown to the floor. Sokka hoped that wasn't indicative of what was happening within the Sanctum and prayed to Tui and La that Aang was alright.
"What was that?" Zhao snapped, trying to jump to his feet despite the continual shaking of the Temple.
"The dragon has been angered again!" one Sage cried, clinging to a different pillar, eyes wide. Zhao's mouth curled upwards into a satisfied smile.
"Well, I no longer have to worry about that brat," he commented, although from the expression on the Sage's face he wasn't in agreement. Something told Sokka that Zhao was wrong. That was most certainly not just the dragon.
Struggling was useless, however. The chains, too tight as they were, were the only things keeping them safe, as bizarre as that sounded. The shaking caused cracks to run up the walls, chunks of ceiling starting to fall, and several soldiers were already running from the temple, despite their Commander's shouts for them to stand their ground. Unlike Zhao, those men had self-preservation as the dragon gave another unholy shriek and the wall hiding the molton catacombs below exploded outwards. At that very same moment, the doors to the Inner Sanctum creaked open, the sound covered by the explosion so that Zhao was facing the wrong way to face Aang.
Sokka kind of wished he couldn't see what was happening either.
He had seen that glow before, disconcerting without it being on Aang. Doubly terrifying with an enraged dragon at his back. Zuko was a whirlwind of fire and lava, inhuman rage etched into every feature of his face. Sokka knew instantly, that he never wanted to see this kind of anger again, the word 'revenge' not coming close to describe it. Within moments, three men were dead, struck either by the crumbling temple or blue and green tinged fire shot from the Prince's hands. Lava bubbled over the cracks and, in the moment before it could reach them, was swept away, back towards fleeing soldiers, and Aang, faced scrunched up in concentration and unusually sober, froze water over chains and smashed them with Sokka's own boomerang. He'd have said something if he wasn't currently convinced that they were dead.
"We have to leave!" Sokka shouted over the din of screams and inhuman snarls. Aang however, shook his head.
"I have to calm him down," Aang insisted, determined. "He did the same for me when I was mad…" He trailed off, glancing over towards where Zhao, coward as he was, had fended off raging fire and lava long enough to escape down the ruined stairs and away. The Sages were trembling in a corner and the soldiers, those left alive that is, had dropped their weapons, faces pale in the face of the spirits' rage.
"He's going to bring the Temple down on our heads!" Shyu stated, alarmed. It was clear he had not been expecting this either.
"Don't worry, Roku agrees," Aang said, almost as if the idea was a good one. "There has to be retribution for imprisoning a spirit guide." Shyu choked at that but Aang moved before Sokka could say any more. Even Katara was staring, wide eyed, any water that might have been in her water-skin either used up to get them free or evaporated in the rising heat. One thing was clear- they couldn't stay here.
They watched as they made their careful way across the floor, dodging lava and fire, as Aang did the same, coming to a stop in front of Zuko. The dragon glanced down at him as if considering eating the world's last hope and Sokka watched as Aang swallowed heavily. He raised a hand, the other white-knuckled on his glider, and gently placed it on the jerkbender's shoulder. Spirit bright eyes snapped sideways to stare at him, fists clenched and stopping the flames from ending the lives of those left within the temple.
"I get that you're mad but… you don't have to kill them," Aang stated, voice wavering slightly. It was strange- Aang was the Avatar, supposedly the only one in the world who could call upon the Avatar State but here was Prince Jerkbender, doing something similar. And those glowing eyes had just narrowed, they were so dead… "They didn't imprison her."
A single tear trailed from the scarred eye and Zuko wavered. Fire and lava died, the dragon leaping forwards as the prince crumpled. It spared Aang a single look before leaping, taking to the skies and away. Sokka let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.
"Er, how do we get out?" he asked, inspecting the crumbling hell they were still in, the ground slanting worryingly sideways. If they didn't leave soon, they would be joining the soldiers in death. The others had fled the moment Zuko had been distracted.
"Appa!" Aang shouted and the bison was suddenly there. He didn't even think, running to jump on the fluffy monster, never happier to see him then he was right now. Katara was right behind him but paused in horror as Aang gestured for the Sages to join them.
"Aang, they betrayed us!" his sister exclaimed, angry and no doubt scared that she had no way to defend him.
"We can't let them die!" Aang argued, stubborn as only a pacifist could be. Sokka decided now was not the time to argue.
"We'll just put them down on the beach," he said firmly, already sitting on the bison's head. "We need to go." That got Katara to shut up for a moment.
There was something very wrong about watching a bunch of Fire Nation Sages, who had tied them up and agreed to help kill them, weep as their home fell to pieces. Even Shyu had joined the men who had betrayed him. The Temple crumbled into smoke and dust, finally giving way to the hot lava erupting from the volcano it was built upon, offered back to the Spirits. Zuko had been ruthless in his destruction of the place.
"So… the dragon was Zuko's?" he asked quietly, watching Aang who was staring at the remains of the temple. He nodded, strangely quiet and still.
"Yeah… And I have even worse news."
Sokka decided he could have done without knowing about Sozin's Comet.
This chapter took an eternity to write. It is officially the longest chapter so far in this story and we haven't even got to the North Pole. So updates are going to be on a monthly basis- this hopefully gives me time to write, edit and update the chapters without getting in the way too much of my other projects plus life.
Katara fans, don't worry, I'll be getting to her soon. She just didn't fit in this chapter for some reason and I was struggling with her character, especially towards the end. At this stage, her attitude towards all Fire Nation people is the same, whether it's Zuko, Zhao or Iroh. She's also still working on Water Tribe logic whereas Sokka just wants to get them through alive. I don't know why, but Sokka just came easier this chapter but next one deals with Jet, so he might take a bit of a backseat as Katara did in this chapter, since that is the point where Katara gets a rather painful wake up call. That even people outside the Fire Nation can be cruel and that not every friendly face is what it seems. It's gonna be interesting.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, long time coming as it was! Hopefully, now I can start to update this more regularly and keep to some sort of schedule. But I promise, it's not abandoned!