(Note) I would like to announce the winning character of my poll. Due to two silent votes, the winner is Jeong Jeong. Expect the first chapter of Fallen: The Deserter before too much longer.
Adversus solem ne loquitor.
Six The Avatar and The Fire Lord
Roku stepped from behind a wall of fire, gazing straight at Aang. "Aang, its time you learned my history with Fire Lord Sozin. You need to know how this war began, so you can understand how to end it. Meet me on my home island on the day the summer solstice hits."
Aang rolled over, trapping Momo's tail. "Okay…Roku…" He muttered.
"Zuko, get up." Katara shook the sleeping prince, and he opened his eyes.
"What?" He asked.
"There's messenger hawk here for you." Katara said softly. Zuko sat up, and saw the hawk perched at the end of his bedroll, looking over its shoulder at the sleeping Momo.
The hawk hopped over to Zuko, and the prince removed the scroll from it pouch. It chirped, casting one last look at Momo, then flew off.
Zuko opened the scroll, and read out loud, his eyes widening. "You need to know the story about your great-grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny." Zuko frowned. "That's it?"
"Who's it from?" Katara asked.
"Probably my Uncle, although I don't know how he did it." Zuko replied, peering closely at the scroll. Annoyed, he snorted, hot air washing over the paper, and Zuko tossed it aside.
Katara picked it up. "Do that again." She said, showing it to him. "The heat uncovered hidden writing."
Zuko took the scroll again, and ran his hand over it. He read the message. "The sages keep the secret in the Dragon Bone Catacombs."
"There it is." Aang called from his spot on Sokka's neck. He moved bending the air and water around them into a cloud. "Roku's home island."
Sokka leaned over the saddle. "Its completely barren."
After Appa set down, Toph jumped to the ground. "No, its not. There's a whole town under all this. Hundreds of houses. All buried in ash."
Sokka sighed. "So, we wait with nothing to do? I hope Katara and Zuko are having a better time than we are."
Zuko pulled Katara behind a pillar, and they both froze. Fire Sages passed by, solemnly going about their duties.
Zuko led Katara through the temple, past the public places. The hid in the sahows, freezing again when an elderly sage walked past, moving in the same direction.
They followed quietly, and the sage eventually walked through a large courtyard, stopping atop a large, ornate metal medallion.
Zuko watched as the Sage crouched, and blasted fire into the center of the medallion. It clicked loudly as it open, revealing a deep stairwell.
"What now?" Katara whispered as the Sage descended.
"We wait until he comes back up and leaves." Zuko replied. "What we want is down there."
After what seemed like hours, the sage reappeared, moving down the corridor away from them.
When it was safe, Zuko took Katara's hand, and they walked out into the courtyard.
Zuko opened the fire-lock, and they walked down the stairs.
The lock closed above them, and Zuko grabbed a lamp, lighting it. They walked down, coming to a large chamber.
"The catacombs are behind that door." Zuko explained, walking boldly across the room to a doorway that bore Sozin's image.
He placed his hand on another fire lock, and fire rippled from his fingers, unsealing the inner chamber.
"What is this place?" Katara asked.
"A warehouse of ancient royal artifacts." Zuko replied. He raised his lantern, and saw the dragon statue at the far end of the room. "And the private wills of the past Fire Lords are kept here."
He brushed dust from several boxes, finally finding what he wanted. He took it, and set the lantern on a chest, sitting with his back to it.
Katara sat next to him, and Zuko opened the scroll box, taking the scroll from within.
"I can't see." Katara told Zuko. He frowned, then wrapped his arm around her, holding the scroll so they could both read it.
"The Final Testament of Fire Lord Sozin."
Aang took Roku's hand, and sat behind the former avatar on the Fang's back. "Come, Aang." Roku said as Fang took off.
"Where are we going?" Aang asked.
"To visit my past…our shared past." Roku explained.
Zuko knew Katara could read, but couldn't help reading out loud. It felt…comfortable. As he read, he imagined what his great-gradfather would have sounded like. "As I feel my own life dimming, I can't help but think of a time when everything was much brighter. I remember my friend."
Two young firebenders sparred in a green courtyard, trading friendly taunts and insults as they fought.
It was an impressive match, and they were both skilled, but the shorter of the two noted something his friend had not.
His friend's foot was next to a root, and the shorter firebender attacked, driving his back to trip over the root.
The taller boy yelped, but the sorter caught him by his tunic before he hit the ground. He fist was raised as if to strike, then he grinned and let go, his friend thumping to the ground.
"Looks like I win again, Roku." He said, smirking.
"Are you kidding?" Roku replied, laughing. "The root did all the work." He took the other's hand, and got to his feet. Roku patted his friend on the shoulder. "Nice one, Sozin."
Aang turned to Roku, incredulous. "You were friends with Fire Lord Sozin?"
"Back then, he was just Prince Sozin. And he was my best friend." Roku replied calmly.
Sozin and Roku walked through a stone archway out of the courtyard. Roku blushed. Walking past was a beautiful young woman.
"Say something to her." Sozin urged, nudging Roku.
Roku stepped forward. "Uh..ah!" Disgusted and embarrassed, Roku hng his head and ell back onto the grass.
Sozin sat next to him, sprinkling grass on his face.
"Love is hard, when you are young." Roku spoke sagely.
Aang sighed. "You don't have to tell me."
Roku set his hand on Aang's shoulder. "It gets better. Come, we have a party to attend. They moved to a large, festive gathering. Golden lanterns hung all over the place.
"Wait, whose party is it?" Aang asked.
Roku grinned. "Sozin and I shared many things, including a birthday."
Sozin and Roku stood at the top of a stairs, and started down, people cheering at the sight of the two friends.
Roku glanced to the side, where the girl he liked was sitting. Her friend whispered something to her, and the girl giggled blushing.
Roku, not paying attention to his feet, tripped, and would have fallen but for Sozin, who caught his hand.
Roku hung his head, embarrassed, and Sozin laughed, teasing him.
The crowd went quiet, and both Sozin and Roku turned to the Fire Sages as they approached, their manner solemn.
Sozin stepped forward, concerned. "Did something happen to my father?"
The head sage shook his head. "No, my prince. We are not here for you. We have come to announce the identity of the next avatar."
The crowd murmured excitedly, and the sages faced Roku, whose heart stopped. They bowed as the spoke. "It is our honor to serve you, Avatar Roku." Moments later, everyone, even Sozin, followed suit.
Katara shifted, leaning closer to Zuko. Zuko stopped reading for a moment. "You aren't getting tired, are you?" Katara shook her head, and Zuko returned his attention to the scroll.
"Soon the day came when my friend Roku had to leave the Fire Nation and face his destiny as the Avatar. He needed to travel the world so he could master the other elements…"
Sozin stood in the doorway to Roku's room. He leaned against the doorframe. "Why aren't you packed yet, oh all-mighty avatar?"
Roku didn't respond, and stared at the trunk at his feet. Sozin frowned sympathetically, then leapt into the room. "Come on, show me how it done using all four kinds of bending!" He posed in different styles, trying to imitate other bending forms.
"I started to pack, but the sages told me I wouldn't need any worldly possessions anymore." Ruko replied, depressed.
Sozin's smile faded, and he sat next to Roku. "Oh." He spoke simply.
"It all happened so fast!" Roku declared. "Everything's going to be different now."
Sozin's smile returned, flickering for a moment. He undid the hairpiece in his topknot, and presented it to Roku. "Well, I hope they let you have this, at least."
Roku looked at the crown. "But this is a royal artifact. It's supposed to be worn by the Crown Prince."
"I want you to have it." Sozin replied.
Roku took it, and slid the pun in place, smiling. He and Sozin rose, and bowed to each other.
Sokka grimaced in disgust as Aang rose up from the boulder he was on, and squatted, grunting like he was relieving himself. He then smiled, and froze in position.
"Do they have bathrooms in the Spirit World?" Sokka asked, face distorted.
Toph raised her hand, finger pointed out. "As matter of fact…they do not."
"Hey, we're almost at the Southern Air temple!" Aang exclaimed, pointing ahead from his spot on Fang's back.
Fang soared gracefully through the mountain range, looping around the temple. "This was the first stop on my Avatar journey." Roku explained. "It is where I trained to master airbending, and where I met an old friend of yours…Monk Gyatso."
"No way!" Aang watched the scene below.
A row of young airbending monks stood with their gliders in hand. Roku stood at the very end, wiggling his hand, blowing his long hair in a short boy's face. Annoyed, the boy bent the air back, blowing in over Roku's face. He grinned, satisfied as Roku nudged him, also smiling.
They followed an older airbender off a cliff, gliders spread out to catch the air. Roku and Gyatso soared, messing around.
"Hey, Gyatso, want to see a new glider trick?" Roku called. He looped through the air, and leveled out near his friend.
"Check this out!" Gyatso jumped onto his glider, surfing through the air. He lost control, and yelped, but Roku caught him on the back of his glider.
Unfortunately, Roku also lost control, and they came in low, crashing amongst the other students despite their attempts to flee.
Roku lifted his head, Gyatso airbending his hair back. Both grinned sheepishly at the instructor, who stood over them with an annoyed expression.
"That's amazing!" Aang exclaimed. "I can't believe you were friend with Monk Gyatso the same as I was!"
Roku's reply was fond. "Some friendships are so strong they can even transcend lifetimes." Below them the mists changed. "After my years mastering airbending, I traveled to the Northern Water Tribe. Waterbending was especially challenging for me, but in time I mastered it as well."
Roku, older and stronger, faced his master atop an iceberg. Both men wore heavy fur parkas, but that didn't hamper their movements.
The master moved, bending a large spiraling waterspout from the ocean. It twisted in the air before surging forward. It struck Roku full force, washing away part of the iceberg and casting the young man into the ocean.
Roku rose from the water, bending it to hold himself up. He moved, raising a wall of water, and pushed it forward, the massive wave taking out the iceberg and his master, surging over the city walls, and washing over the palace.
The master sat up from where he'd landed, and looked down the palace, holding his head.
Roku lowered his stance, grinning.
Roku and Aang continued their journey, memories passing swiftly below them. "My next stop was the Earth kingdom. My earthbending master, Sud, was uncompromising, stubborn, blunt…and a lifelong friend." Roku turned to Aang. "It was bitter work, but the results were worth it."
Roku rode a mound of earth up a steep mountain, sparing a glance at Sud, who rode a similar dirt-mound.
They each pushed as fast as they could race to the top; each stubbornly determined to outdo the other.
Sud slid up to the top, and pumped his hands in the air, cheering himself. Then, what he saw registered and he stared, slack-jawed. Roku had not only beaten him, he'd done so with enough time to make a throne and boil a pot of tea.
Grinning, Sud took the cup proffered, and both men bowed to one another.
Before returning home, Roku found himself standing on the edge of the sea, ankle deep in the beach's sand. He moved gracefully, shifting from one element to another, master of his own power.
Each movement brought him to a new direction, and a new display of bending. With Waterbending he sent the sea out in a massive set of waves, the water churning. With Earthbending, the ground rippled and flexed as he sent a small earthquake rolling away. Flame roared from his palms, dancing with its hypnotic heat, and finally, sand rushed away, leaving behind a channel formed by airbending.
Roku stood in the middle of the elements, ready to begin his work.
Zuko was distracted from reading when Katara shifted, laying her head on his shoulder. He smiled slightly, and turned back to the scroll.
"Twelve long years passed before I saw my friend again. When Roku returned, he was a fully realized Avatar, and I had changed as well."
Sozin sat emotionlessly on the throne, watching as Roku entered the throne room. The Avatar walked forward, grinning widely as he followed the long red carpet that ended at the throne.
"Sozin…" Roku's grin widened. "Or should I say Fire Lord?"
Sozin rose from his throne, stepping down to the floor and moving to face his taller friend. "Customarily, my subjects bow before greeting me." Roku frowned, then Sozin's cool exterior broke, and he opened his arms. "But you're the exception."
The two friends embraced, laughing.
"Even after all these years, he was my best friend." Roku explained as he and Aang watched the reunion. The scenery blurred once more, and they were in a courtyard at a celebration. "And a few months later, he was my best man."
Aang pointed where Roku and a woman sat. "Roku, its that girl who didn't even knopw you were alive!"
Roku smiled. "Ta Min. I was persistent. When love is real, it finds a way, and being the Avatar doesn't hurt your chances with the ladies, either."
"That's nice." Katara murmured. "They were still friends after being apart for so long."
Zuko scoffed slightly. "And in the end, they were enemies." He sighed, and turned back to the scroll.
"On wedding days, we look to the future with optimism and joy. I had my own vision for a brighter future."
Roku and Ta Min sat, receiving and thanking guests. Sozin walked up behind them, and whispered to Ta Min.
"May I borrow him for a moment?"
Ta Min looked like she was considering. "It's not very traditional, but okay."
Sozin led Roku inside, and they walked up to a balcony that overlooked the party. Roku focused on his friend. "What's on your mind?"
Sozin took a breath, preparing himself. When he spoke, his tone was solemn. "I've been thinking hard about the state of the world lately."
"Sozin, it's my wedding. Have a cookie. Dance with someone. Lighten up." Roku said light-heartedly, laying a hand on Sozin's shoulder.
Sozin frowned, stepping away. He leaned heavily on the balcony, and spoke slowly, considering his words. "I know, I know, but just hear me out. Right from the start, I was destined to be Fire Lord. And although we didn't always know it, you were destined to be the Avatar. It's an amazing stroke of fate we know each other so well, isn't it? Together, we could do…anything."
"Yeah…we could." Roku grew concerned, an odd feeling nagging at him.
Sozin continued, voice filling with pride as he spoke. "Our nation is enjoying an unprecedented time of peace and wealth. Our people are happy, and we're so fortunate in so many ways."
"Where are you going with this?" Roku asked. Sozin's words were pretty, but something did not feel right to the still young avatar.
"I've been thinking. We should share this prosperity with the rest of the world. In our hands is the most successful empire in history. It's time we expanded it." Sozin turned to Roku, waiting with an expectant look.
Roku felt a piece of him break. He had not expected this from his best friend. "No. The four nations are meant to be just that: four."
Sozin tried again, his words precise and emphatic. "Roku, you haven't even stopped to consider the possibilities."
"There are no possibilities. This is the last I want to hear about this." Roku turned on his heel, angry at the turn of the conversation. He walked away, his heart heavy.
Behind him, Sozin watched his friend leave, and he glared angrily. His anger festered, growing strong at having been dismissed so casually.
Roku looked down at Aang. "That was my first real test as the Avatar. Unfortunately, it was many years before I learned Sozin had gone ahead with his plan, despite my warning.
Roku rode on Fang's back, gliding above the water. He was on tour, looking for wrongs to right all across the world.
They approached an Earth Kingdom dock, and Roku looked ahead to the city, gasping in shock. A Fire Nation banner covered the old Earth kingdom symbol. Roku and Fang turned around, the water below splitting as they rushed back to the Fire Nation.
Roku stormed into the throne room, doors slamming shut behind him. Rage turned his voice dark. "I've seen the colony, Sozin. How dare you occupy Earth Kingdom territory!"
Sozin jumped to his feet, his eyes narrowing as he spoke coldly. "And how dare you…a citizen of the Fire Nation…address your Fire Lord this way? Your loyalty is to the Fire Nation first! Anything less from you is treason!" Sozin's voice rose until he was bellowing.
"Don't do this Sozin!" Roku pleaded. "Don't challenge me. It will only end badly." Roku saw the look in Sozin's eyes. "It's over."
Disappointed, he turned, and walked away. Sozin, inflamed with rage at being dismissed again, attacked, the flames that burst from his hand filling the room.
The fires of his rage dissipated, Sozin cast about for Roku, but there was no sign of him.
The ground under Sozin's feet cracked, and Roku appeared, a blast of air throwing Sozin out the doors of the throne room.
A pillar of earth rose, pinning Sozin's tunic to the ceiling, and he hung there, waiting.
Inside the throne room, Roku stood, eyes closed, and when he opened them, they crackled with the cosmic energy of the Avatar State.
Around him, the Throne room came crashing down. Sozin stared, watching as the destruction took place, then glared at Roku as the Avatar approached. Roku bent a cyclone, and rose to eye level with Sozin.
"I'm sparing you, Sozin. I'm letting you go in the name of our past friendship, but I warn you, even a single step out of line will result in your permanent end."
Sozin's face fell from its prideful glare, and he hung his head, defeated.
Roku and Aang stood on Crescent Island, but not the dead island Aang knew. The island was alive, the village slumbering peacefully. "Sozin and I didn't speak or see each other for 25 years after our battle. I spent most of my spare time here at my home."
A loud rumbling deep in the earth woke Roku, and he sat up in bed. Rushing to a the window, he saw fire rain from the sky, dropping from a cloud of black ash onto the island.
He and Ta Min rushed from the room, not taking the time to grab anything. Couching, they left the house, covering their mouths from the ash that hung in the air.
"Let's go!" Roku shouted, and with the villagers gathering behind them, he used a blast of airbending to clear the air for the villagers to escape.
He heard a roar, and Fang rose up from the house, narrowly escaping a plume of near-molten ash that took the house. Beyond the dragon, Roku could see lava begin to top the rim of the volcano.
He let go of Ta Min's hand, and motioned her to go on without him. Looking back as she ran Ta Min saw Roku airbend a dome around himself, already battling the destruction that threatened them all.
Katara listened, feeling the rumble of Zuko's voice deep in his chest. The entire narrative had been interesting. She had grown up believing Fire Lord Sozin was a monster, but to hear his side of the tale…it made him human, again. She focused on Zuko's words as he described Sozin standing on a balcony, watching the destruction of Roku's home taking place.
"Roku's island was 100 miles away. But I could still feel it rumbling and see the black plume of smoke. I had never seen anything like this catastrophe."
Massive, flowing columns of black smoke billowed from the volcano's summit, filling the sky with a cloud of death. The very intensity of the heat formed lightning, which struck all around the volcano, adding to the crumbling devastation as the earth rumbled and shook.
Broken free by the earthquake, a landslide rent its way down the volcano, the rock and dust threatening to wipe of the village. Roku moved, his aging body flowing with the full force of his power as he bent a gigantic wall of stone, riding along the rock to strengthen it enough to catch all of the deadly debris.
Finally, the volcano truly erupted, a wave of molten lava vomits from the summit. It pushed against the wall, finally forcing it apart, seemingly intent on finishing off the village.
Roku raced it to the bottm of the summit, and grunting, used earthbending to tear a fissure into the earth that ran into the ocean. The lava took the new direction, flowing into the bay.
Aang and Roku stood side by side, watching the battle. "This is amazing Roku!" Aang exclaimed. "You're battling a volcano and winning!"
"Unfortunately, my success didn't last, Aang." Roku replied. "There was no way I could do it all. Battling the elements was hard enough. I had to do it while I could barely breathe. The poisonous, volcanic gasses were overwhelming."
Roku stood amidst the lava and ash, covering his face as the lava burst with poisonous fumes. He heard a rumble, and looked at the volcano spewed forth another fountain of fire. He ran, exhaling a blast of air so powerful it lifted him fom the ground and cooled the lava immediately.
Roku landed on the still hot stone as a blast of poisonous gas erupted to his right. He airbent it away, spinning away from another spout of gas, bending it as well.
Fang circled the mountain, trying to join Roku. The mountain exploded with another spout of lava, and the dragon pulled back, barely dodging certain doom.
"It's all right, Fang!" Roku coughed, covering his mouth. "Get out of here! I'm fine!"
With strong, powerful movements, Roku turned side to saide, and when he centered, he struck, crying out. A fissure cracked it way up the moutian, and blew out the back of the volcano.
The lava poured in another direction, following the hole out into the sea. Roku's reprieve was short, for a second volcano erupted.
The Avatar dropped his head in exhaustion and defeat, almost giving up, when a voice from his past spoke.
"Need a hand, old friend?" Sozin sat on the back of a mighty blue dragon.
"Sozin!" Roku was grateful and surprised.
"There's not a moment to waste." Sozin looked at volcanoes, deadly serious. His dragon took them both to the second eruption, and they went to work battling nature herself.
Roku bent the lava down into the crater, fighting against the tremendous pressure that fueled it, his efforts aided by Sozin, who balanced on the vent, directing the heat away from the lava into the sky.
They fought together, beating the odds, until the earth crumbled behind Sozin. Roku bent a wall to catch his friend, and the volcano struck back, poisonous gasses fuming upward, forcing them to flee.
"Don't breathe the toxic gas!" Roku warned, joining Sozin as they ran down the mountain.
Toxic gas vented up under Sozin, but Roku bent it away before it could hurt his old friend. He was not quick enough to stop the gas under himself, and Roku fell to his knees, shaking.
"Its…too much!" He looked to Roku, who stood next to the blue dragon. "Please…"
Sozin's look turned cold and calculating. "Without you, all my plans are suddenly possible. I have a vision for the future, old friend." He mounted his dragon, flying away.
Roku coughed, knowing the end was near, and looked up. Fang had returned, and he flew down, flowing around Roku, doing all he could as a wall of fire and ash covered them both.
There was a piercing light that grew and softened, revelaing a room with large arched windows.
A baby's coos sounded, and three figures appeared in the shadows, fussing over the newborn babe.
Aang watched, fascinated. "Wait, who's that…" Comprehension dawned on him. "That's me, isn't it?"
Roku replied, fading with his voice. "Make sense of our past Aang, and you will bring peace and restore balance in the world."
Aang spun around. "Roku? Roku!"
Zuko had stopped after reading the part after the battle against the volcano. He and Katara shared a look, and he was relieved that he didn't see accusation in her eyes. "Do you want to go on?" He asked, feeling digusted with himself. Once he would have agreed that Sozin was right.
Katara looked down at the scroll, and nodded, so Zuko read the end.
"With Roku gone, and the great comet returning, the timing was perfect to change the world. I knew the next avatar would be born an air nomad. So I wiped out the air temples. But somehow, the new avatar eluded me. I wasted the remainder of my life searching in vain. I know he's hiding out there somewhere. The Fire Nation's greatest threat…the last airbender."
Zuko rolled the scroll up, his face an expressionless mask. He knew Katara was just as disturbed as she was, but he was also disappointed. He had known much of what he'd read.
He replaced the scroll. "Let's get out of here."
The group was silent for some time after they picked up Zuko and Katara. Finally, Sokka spoke. " Even adfter Roku showed him mercy, Sozin betrayed him. That's just…that's just wrong."
"Its like these people are born bad." Toph added. "No offense."
Zuko poked at the fire. "None taken. For my family, its mostly true."
Aang stood up. "I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me at all."
"Then what was?" Katara asked.
"Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their stories prove anyone is capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance. And I also think it was about friendships." Aang sat back down.
"Do you really think friendships can outlast lifetimes?" Toph asked.
Aang took her hand. "I don't see why not." Toph reached out with her other hand, and Katara took it.
Sokka looked at Zuko, who was edging away. "Well, there's no scientific way you can prove that…"
Katara interrupted him. "Sokka, just hold hands."
Sokka took her hand, then beckoned to Zuko. "Hey, if I have to, you have to."
Zuko looked over his shoulder, and held an arm out. A hawk landed on it. "Sorry, I have a visitor."
"Did it bring a message?" Aang asked.
Zuko read the scroll, and something in his expression changed. He rolled up the message, and walked off.
"What did it say?' Toph asked.
Zuko sat alone that night, staring at the stars and thinking about what his Uncle had written. Prince Zuko. I trust by now you have read the Secret History, and that you have questions. I will tell you what I can.
I will start by telling you Fire Lord Sozin was not your only great grandfather. Just as his line led to your father, your mother too came from a distinct line. Avatar Roku was your mother's grandfather.
Evil and good were long at war within you. It once defined you, but understanding the battle within you can grant you, and you alone a gift not even the Avatar can ever receive.
Avatar Aang must one day defeat my brother, but he cannot rebuild a country…cannot retie old bonds of trust. But you, my nephew, have that power. You can restore a balance to this world.
Katara came and sat down next to him. "Are you all right?"
Zuko turned to her. "I think I will be."