Chapter 3 – The Temple

Air

Water

Earth

Fire

One hundred years ago, the four nations lived together in peace and harmony, peace and prosperity filled our days. That all changed when Fire Lord Sozin, my great-grandfather, attacked. With the death of Avatar Roku, the next Avatar would be born an airbender, so he used the power of a comet to enhance his firebending and lead our nation to war. He wiped out the Air Nation, and the Avatar disappeared.

Some believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads, and that the cycle has been broken, but I know better, because I have become the Avatar. My name is Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai, and the heir to the Dragon Throne, but I have been banished.

So now I have been forced to travel the world, only to return when I have captured the Avatar and regained my lost honour. My father can never know that I am the new Avatar, and the responsibility to return balance to the world falls upon my shoulders.

It is up to me to save the world.

Slowly, he rolled over to his left, before swinging his feet to the side and placing his feet firmly on the floor. Blinking the sleep from his eye, he pulled on the red robe that hung alongside his bed.

Tightening the string around the middle of the robe and standing to his feet, Zuko blinked several times before realizing that he was no longer in the Fire Nation Royal Palace, but was on the warship that Uncle Iroh had procured for him.

He'd also been banished from his home, his only chance to return, to be with the Avatar in chains.

Which presented a problem.

The blinking had also reminded him of the large bandage covering his left eye.

He had the largest quarters on the ship, even after arguing with his uncle, whose ship it actually was, but the older male had refused to take them from him.

"Growing boys need their own space Prince Zuko, and an old man such as myself has no need for such space"

Even the crew had been assembled by his uncle. Well, officially they'd all volunteered, but Zuko had never met any of them before, and it was clear through their interactions that they all thought him to be the spoilt prince, so the only conclusion was that they were here on behalf of his uncle.

Great, a crew that isn't even loyal to me.

Shaking those thoughts from his head, Zuko performed his usual scan of his surroundings – there was no telling when friendly territory would become hostile – and took in his room. His dual dao swords were in there usual place above his mantle, a wardrobe ran alongside his single bunk, and the floor rug, like the walls, were a deep Fire Nation red.

While he hadn't wanted to take the large room from his uncle, and they'd fought over who should rightfully had the room. Zuko had lost that fight, but in the end he was grateful for the extra space – it came in extremely handy for his extra training.

A large basin of water and a bowl of relaxation pebbles, courtesy of his uncle, gave him a way to train his bending.

His uncle's lessons in firebending had given him much needed practice in the basics, and as a result, he felt much more confident in his ability. When he trained with his swords, he'd began using them to aid in his bending, finding that the blades were ideal for firing off longer arcs to deal with multiple combatants, which was proven when he used them to knock four of his men overboard.

Lieutenant Jee was NOT happy to stop the ship on his orders to fish four of his men out of the water. It was just lucky that they were still in the warm Fire Nation waters. If it had been the cold of the Water Tribes, they would've died almost instantly.

The freezing cold temperature would kill any firebender that hadn't mastered breath of fire, and as far as Zuko was aware, only Iroh was supposed to be capable of that particular technique, but after he'd demanded that he be taught it too, and his uncle had instantly consented.

While his firebending was progressing with his uncle, his training in the other three elements was floundering, without other masters to guide him, his training was based solely on his instincts, which were determinedly fire in nature.

He had a lot of fun moving the pebbles around his room, as well as manipulating their shape, but the other two elements left him frustrated.

Air and water remained elusive to him. He'd managed to pull off some basic airbending moves, the likes of slices and gusts, but the only waterbending he'd managed at all was when he was emotional. His anger had once caused him to slice all the drapes in his room and embed ice shards in the wall.

He had to use his firebending to melt them before having one of the shipmen replace the drapes in his room and refill the water basin.

He was in the middle of using the small rocks as subtle projectiles when the door to his quarters began to open.

Panicking, he sent the rocks straight under his bed, before dropping himself upon it, making it seem as though he'd just pulled on his robe when Uncle Iroh's cheery disposition greeted him.

"Ah good nephew, you are awake", at this, Iroh's smile seemed to widen a little, "We are about ready to dock near the Western Air Temple. Once you are dressed, you may join us for breakfast, and then we will head out Prince Zuko"

Fighting a sigh for his Uncle's first thoughts of food, Zuko nodded his consent before waving his uncle out, who left him to dress with a smile still on his face.

Bending the rocks back into their bowl, Zuko breathed a sigh of relief, before opening his wardrobe.

Standing in the courtyard of the Western Air Temple, Zuko watched as his men sorted themselves into small search parties under his uncle's supervision. Once he was satisfied that everything was being handled appropriately, Zuko set off to wander the Air Temple, and check the integrity of the structure as he went.

It wouldn't do him any good if the Air Temple came down around them.

He walked through the temple at a delicate pace, taking his time to take in his home. He remembered playing with the sky bison in the main yard, while the baby bison attempted to teeth on the go-

NO! Clutching the wall for support as the sensations assaulted him, he attempted to regulate his breathing as the images assaulted his mind. Thousands of memories, a hundred lifetimes' worth all attempting to push themselves into his skull.

And then there was peace.

If Zuko hadn't been completely sure that he was the Avatar before, he would've been now. How else could he explain that he knew which training room Avatar Yangchen preferred to use? Or that Avatar Raya used to sneak her sky bison extra red berries when her instructor wasn't looking?

All of the memories were confusing.

He continued to wander the temple until he ran into his uncle, who was staring at a small door with an elaborate seal, in the shape of the Air Nomad logo. It seemed as though it was one pipe that connected all of the three locks together.

He cleared his throat to announce his presence, and watched as his uncle waved him forwards, his attention remaining fixed on the strange door.

"Uncle", Zuko's tone held a note of curiosity, but Iroh's attention remained on the door, "What is … this?"

"This … Prince Zuko, is a sealed airbender room", Iroh stroked his beard, "The doors are designed to be impossible to enter without the aid of airbending, so no firebender has seen the inside. I must admit, I find myself curious as to what may lie inside"

He could hear his heartbeat speed up at his uncle's words, with his own curiosity growing, if HE could get some time alone to airbend, he could open the door, and then he could see what lay on the other side.

Zuko was so caught up on his musings that he failed to notice the guard that was delivering a situation report to his uncle, only paying attention after the soldier had been dismissed.

"Prince Zuko?"

"Yes Uncle?"

"The men have cleared this part of the temple, and they've began a sweep of the lower levels", Iroh nodded thoughtfully, "If you'll excuse me nephew, I should join them"

With that, Iroh headed off with a brisk pace, while Zuko stared at his retreating form. Once Iroh had rounded the corner and Zuko was satisfied that his uncle had left, the young prince's attention snapped back to the Air Nomad door.

Using his hand, he brushed some of the dust on the edges and was rewarded with some partial markings on the left hand side of the door. Firebending had burnt away and damage most of it, but the word 'VAULT' could still be read.

Nomads don't have worldly possessions. What do they need a vault for?

Feeling his growing curiosity inside him, he took up a classic firebending stance, controlling his breath, he pushed his arms out in a basic strike, attempting to control the air into the tube, and …

Nothing.

Not one measly gust.

Around the corner, Iroh watched as his nephew began to get frustrated as he punched out towards the door, with nothing happening as he attempted to open it. Eventually, dejected, Zuko's shoulders slumped in defeat, and Iroh looked on with some pity for his favourite nephew, as he was obviously upset by his lack of airbending.

Then Zuko's posture snapped up.

His eyes flashed white before Zuko pulled back into a small spin, ending the turn by pushing both arms straight out from his body, and Iroh watched on discretely as Zuko airbent straight into the tube sealing the door, the air turned over the seals and the door opened.

Grinning madly, Iroh left to the supervision of his men, allowing Zuko his privacy.

Fighting a large grin, but allowing himself a small smile, Zuko watched as the small door to the vault opened. Trying not to feel smug, Zuko pushed the door open fully, before stepping in and letting out a small gasp.

The word vault was a bit of a misnomer.

There were no jewels, or precious materials … well, not precious by Fire Nation standards in that they weren't flashy or showy, but instead, the room was filled with scrolls.

There were entire sections devoted to the history and culture of the Air Nomads. It was highly likely that the entire history of the Air Nation could be traced through the collection of scrolls here. Having always enjoyed learning about the differences in world cultures, Zuko found the idea of spending some time here very appealing.

Rifling through the different sections of the vault, Zuko found scrolls on culture, history, bison, diet, farming and meditation.

Grabbing a basket from the floor, Zuko found that it found several pairs of ancient airbender robes folded neatly. Taking out half, he dropped in several scrolls on culture, history and meditation before replacing the top layers of clothing, ensuring that the scrolls were suitably cushioned, before deciding to leave.

Zuko turned to face the door and went to retrieve the basket when he almost immediately dropped it.

In a small alcove behind the door, were several cubby holes, with a dozen scrolls in, but unlike the other scrolls, they had protective covering at the edges.

Silver protective edges that meant they weren't just any scrolls.

They were airbending scrolls.

Pulling one out and gently unrolling it, afraid that it would decide to disintegrate in his hands, Zuko's good eye scanned the page and confirmed that it held bending techniques.

Feeling his excitement welling up inside him, Zuko grabbed the other eleven scrolls and placed them gingerly in his basket.

Trying not to hyperventilate, Zuko stepped back into the corridor, making sure that the vault was securely locked behind him. He had plans to return for the rest of the collection one day, and there was not a snowballs chance against a dragon that he was going to let ANYONE destroy it.

"Lieutenant Jee!" Zuko's voice carried across the courtyard, his tone commanding, "What's the situation here?"

Bringing his head down in a short bow, Jee replied, "My Lord, we have no signs of any life, but we were just about to begin a more thorough sweep"

As Jee gave his report, Zuko felt a warmth flow into his gut from the east. Turning in that direction, he could see what appeared to be ruins in the distance. If his memory was accurate, it was the remnants of the old Sun Warrior civilisation. Looking there made the pull intensify.

"No Lieutenant", The Lieutenant's face did little to mask the confusion that he felt at the rebuttal, but Zuko gave him no chance to ask any questions as he continued, "Return to the ship, get some rest and wait for me. There's somewhere I need to be"

Jee stared at him dumbfounded for a minute, before Zuko cleared his throat loudly, snapping the older man into organising his men to the ship.

Zuko handed off his basket to a ship hand with orders to take it to his quarters, before watching as the soldiers marched down towards where they had docked. Iroh lingered, but a reassuring smile from Zuko had him waving 'goodbye'.

His musings on late afternoon Pai Sho were heard by Zuko until his uncle faded from view.

Looking towards the east, Zuko took a look at the Sun Warrior ruins, which glowed golden in the sunlight, and felt another 'tug' in his gut.

Sparing a final glance towards his ship, Zuko set off in the direction of the old ruins.

While Zuko was accustomed to physical exertion and the heat of his homeland, the trek to the ruins was still rather tiring.

His choice in clothing that morning – a light tunic, trousers and sandals – were serving him well in the heat, and it was the first morning since his accident that not having his hair as long as it used to, was not annoying him.

After his Agni Kai, Iroh had ordered the burnt parts of his hair to be cut, and then evened out, which left him with his ponytail and a patch of hair at the back. The lack of hair was keeping him cooler than he was used to.

His scar, however, was really grating on his nerves. The bandage covering it was rubbing against the dry skin, and the sweat forming on his brow was doing little to placate it.

Wiping his forearm across his forehead, Zuko pushed on. The trip would've taken ten minutes by airship, but Zuko estimated an hour each way on foot.

His firebending told him it was only mid-morning, the Sun's power not quite as strong as it could be, but he could feel its guidance upon him as he walked.

And walked.

And walked.

His training with Piandao had boosted his stamina, which made it rather higher than the average person's, particularly for a thirteen year old boy.

In fact, it was one of the few things he had done better than Azula. He was in slightly better shape, was the better hand-to-hand combatant, and was much better at stealth.

Of course, needing to be stealthy or needing hand-to-hand combat was frowned upon, as firebending was supposed to be the superior element.

But was it?

All people in the Fire Nation were taught that fire was the superior element, that it couldn't be defeated, but why were they still at war against a bunch of supposed barbarians after 100 years.

And if fire was so superior, why did the Avatar have to learn all four elements? Why didn't he just learn fire?

Surely, there had to be more to this than taking peace to the world.

NOT that he thought Azula or his father were capable of peace.

His thoughts continued to plague him, until he reached the entrance to what used to be the original Fire Nation.

It was said that when man had entered the Spirit Wild's with the power of fire, they had settled into small villages, each ruled by a different clan. Each clan in turn, had a single leader, responsible as its ruler. Eventually, two of the clans formed an alliance and waged war on the other three, and they eventually won. As one of the clans produced stronger firebenders, they took the throne and became the first Fire Lord, and the other clan, the supposedly wiser of the two, became the first Fire Sages, destined to forever guide their allies. In their anger, the leaders of the losing clans vowed revenge against the Fire Lord and his bloodline.

Zuko wasn't quite sure why he was remembering that particular tale as he walked through the streets of the Sun Warrior ruins, but the buildings reminded him of a trip to the Fire Sage's temple that his uncle had taken him on several years ago.

His uncle had also once told him to always follow his instincts, and it was in that nature that Zuko walked assured, through the streets of the once great civilisation.

He walked unhindered through the streets. The obvious route would've been to take on of the straight lines straight up to the ziggurat that was his decided destination, but his gut instincts told him to take a longer route that involved many turns, as he wound his way towards the old building.

Needless to say, by the time Zuko reached the ziggurat, he was tired from his walk and irritated by the extra distance he had covered on his route up.

The fatigue from his journey was probably the only reason that Zuko failed to notice that while the ziggurat was open, there was a sunstone that could only be opened once a year.

And it was NOT the Summer Solstice.

Failing to notice that detail, he entered the building, following the 'pull' in his gut as the need to reach his destination intensified within him, becoming an almost necessity, he allowed himself to be led inside the main chamber, where the 'pull' from his gut jumped into his chest, as his eyes locked onto the golden egg in the middle of the room.

Using brisk paces, he crossed the room and picked up the egg.

An observer would've noticed Zuko's eyes flashing white before he and the egg crashed to the floor.

"Zuko …"

He could hear the voices.

"Zuko …"

Five more minutes wouldn't hurt.

"You're not asleep Prince Zuko, but PAY ATTENTION!"

The yelling in his ears snapped Zuko to attention, where he shot up and clashed heads with the man in front of him.

Or rather, would've clashed heads if Zuko hadn't passed straight through him.

Above him, a man stood, resplendent in fine clothing. The black and reds signifying him as Fire Nation, and the golden armbands signifying him as nobility. His long white hair, moustache and beard were dull in colour, but his eyes were an intense gold. A colour that Zuko had only seen when he looked into a mirror.

"Ah, Prince Zuko", the man's voice was slightly raspy, "Nice of you to join me"

Recovering his initial shock of passing through the man, Zuko managed to squeeze out, "Who are you?"

"Agni"

That one word sent Zuko to his knees, as he placed his hands on the floor in the traditional bow, while he attempted to control his breathing. Standing above him, Agni let out a small chuckle, as he watched the prince bowing to him, swallowing his pride and kneeling like a commoner.

"Stand Prince Zuko", Zuko stood as Agni cast an appraising eye over him, "At least you have your honour and respect"

"No", Zuko's voice was barely a whisper, "I have lost my honour"

Agni just gave him an all-knowing grin, before replying, "Are you so sure?"

Gold eyes snapped up to meet gold eyes, and Agni kept the grin on his face as he looked into the young prince's confused eyes.

"Where … where are we?" Zuko's voice was more certain now, as he took in his unfamiliar surroundings.

"This Prince Zuko … is the Spirit World"

Zuko nodded his understanding, muttering "Well I am the Avatar … makes sense I suppose"

Agni let out a small sigh at Zuko's murmuring, deciding that he needed to clear up the situation before they went any further.

"You are NOT the Avatar Prince Zuko", at the prince's confused look, he added, "You are AN Avatar. One of two, in fact"

"I don't …", Zuko cleared his throat, confusion written on his features, "I don't understand. What do you mean one of two?"

Agni let out a small sigh, before launching into his explanation, "A little over thirteen years ago, we, that is to say, the spirits of the world, decided that the world had been out of balance for too long. Aang cannot be reborn because he has yet to die, but is instead stuck beneath the pole"

"Stuck beneath the pole?"

"Yes Prince Zuko, stuck, but the Avatar was needed, so we decided to create an anomaly, a new Avatar, one not part of the Avatar Cycle, but one with the skills of any Avatar. We chose you Prince Zuko"

Confusion was still written on his face, along with a small amount of understanding for his situation, as he struggled to find his voice again, "… Why … Why me?"

"Why you?" Agni let out a small chuckle, "You will suffer much in your lifetime Zuko", Agni took note of the look of resignation on the boy's face before adding, "But you will endure. You will bring balance to the world and you will find what you are looking for, what your family has denied you"

Zuko nodded, his features determined and his eyes burning with an intensity that belonged on a true firebender's face.

"However before I leave you, there are gifts to be given, three to be precise. Here", without warning Agni reached over and touched his index finger to Zuko's forehead, "I give you two. When you return to your body, you may remove your bandage. The scar will linger, but you shall retain your sight. This is my first gift to you"

Sounding almost afraid to speak, Zuko asked, "And the others?"

"You may have noticed my physical state", he waited for the boy to nod his agreement, "I look weakened because the true nature of firebending has been lost, and when you awaken, you shall understand where true firebending comes from. The third … well, let's just say that you'll see it momentarily"

"What does that mean?"

Agni smirked, "It's time for you to find out. Goodbye my prince"

On the floor of the temple, Zuko shot into a sitting position from where he had collapsed, and looked into another pair of golden eyes.

The young prince panicked, and the dragon let loose its breath of fire.

Author's Note

Another chapter to help set the stage, after all, everyone needs a good backstory.

As they always are, reviews are much appreciated.

-MarvelMatt

P.S. Can anyone PM me with any recommendations for Avatar Zuko fics. Though I'm writing one, I've never actually read one. Thanks.