Chapter Four
The Southern Air Temple Part II
"Katara, firebenders were here. You can't pretend they weren't." Sokka hissed as Aang ran off through the main entrance to the Temple, leaving Sokka, Katara, and Lian a moment to speak alone.
Lian made a small sound, that was similar to a chuckle, and Katara and Sokka looked back at her with annoyed and confused looks on their faces. Lian just smirked, and then moved to walk in between the siblings.
"Well, there's one here right now, but no one thought to mention that." Lian shrugged as she walked in between them, and then stopped to turn back around and face them.
Katara's eyebrow rose at Lian's comment, and Sokka just crossed his arms and narrowed his blue eyes at the Princess before turning back to his sister.
"Katara-" Sokka began, but was cut off by Katara's raised hand.
"I can pretend. For Aang's sake." She spoke softly before lowering her hand, and moving past Lian and Sokka with the intention of catching up with Aang.
Lian followed Katara with her eyes with her blonde eyebrows raised, and then turned to exchange a look with Sokka- that was only met with a short glare, and then followed by a huff and him walking past Lian without a second thought.
"If Aang finds out that the Fire Nation invaded his home, he'll be devastated." Katara spoke as Lian shot Sokka's back a weird look, and the moved to follow them.
"Hey guys!" Aang called from outside the Temple. The sound of his voice caused Lian, Katara, and Sokka to all look towards the entrance at once.
The trio walked through the entrance together just to spot Aang standing before a statue of an airbender monk. Lian gazed up at the statue along with Katara and Sokka with wide eyes as she reached up, and held her hood on her head.
"I want you to meet somebody." Aang spoke happily as he motioned up to the statue, his gray eyes aglitter. Lian grinned at his words, and turned to look at Aang.
"Who's that?" She asked as she nodded her head towards the statue politely, and watched as Aang gazed up at the monk with a smile worth a million gold pieces.
"Monk Gyatso, the greatest airbender in the world." He said with dazed and awed tone to his voice. Lian smiled at the boy, and then looked back up at the statue as Aang continued to speak. "He taught me everything I know."
Lian gazed up at the statue as Aang bowed to Monk Gyatso.
He looked incredibly wise, yet somehow, the statue caught the twinkle of mischief in his eyes, and humble smile on his lips.
Katara reached forwards towards Aang, and placed a hand on his shoulder as Lian looked back towards them, and sent him a solemn look.
"You must miss him." She said softly as Aang looked down towards the bottom of the statue with a frown, and his expression hidden from them as he turned his head away.
"Yeah." Is all Aang replies with when he begins to walk away from Lian, Katara, and Sokka, and moves to enter the air temple once more.
"Where are you going?" Katara questions as she moved forwards a few steps behind him. Sokka and Lian remained where they were standing for a moment longer before Lian took the first step towards Aang and Katara.
"The Air Temple Sanctuary." Aang answered as he continued to walk forwards, but now with his three friends trailing behind him. "There's someone I'm ready to meet."
Katara gives Aang's back a questioning look, and turns her head to exchange a look with her brother and Lian, who both respond with shrugs.
As the quartet walks through the Air Temple halls, Katara begins to speak again, and soon enough, they're standing in front of a large door with intricate piping and the artistry of an air bending society.
"But Aang, no one could have survived in there for a hundred years." She reasoned as she motioned up towards the door, and looked towards the boy. Aang just shrugged, and Lian narrowed her eyes curiously at his response.
"It's not impossible." He reasons. "I survived in an iceberg for that long."
Lian's eyebrows rise at this comment, and she makes a small sound.
"Well that answers my question." She mutters to herself as she continues to look up at the door while the trio before her glance back at her. Aang is the first to move on, and he points at the door as he looks towards Katara.
"Katara, whoever's in there might help me figure out this Avatar thing!" He says excitedly as he takes a step towards the doors.
"And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious, cured meats!" Sokka tittered as he rubbed his hands together near Lian, causing her to look over at him with a disinterested expression.
Sokka runs towards the door full speed in a fevered anticipation, and hits the door with a loud thunk, and then strains against the giant door to no avail, and slides down to the floor in defeat.
"For some reason or another, Sokka, I highly doubt there's any meat in there." Lian said from her spot behind Katara and Aang, whom both chuckled at her comment as Sokka looked up from his spot on the floor, and glared at her.
"Yeah, well we'll see about that now won't we?" Sokka spat back as he looked pointedly at Lian, rolled her eyes. Lian just smirked at him.
"Yes, we will."
Katara eyed the door for a moment before Sokka finally turned his glare away from Lian, and looked towards Aang.
"I don't suppose you have a key?" He asked dryly as he stands and dusts himself off.
Aang grinned, closed his eyes, and held up a finger, just as a wise man would to an impatient child.
"The key, Sokka, is air bending." Aang answered before he draws in a deep breath, composes himself, and then takes and air bending stance.
Lian watched with curious eyes as Aang held out his arms perpendicular to his body, and then before Lian could even prepare herself, he pushed forwards with his arms, stepped forwards with his right foot, and air bended to powerful jets of air from each arm.
The door gave an almost musical howl as the air bending symbols began to flip over from maroon to sky blue, and the two leaves of the door finally open to reveal the vast, dark insides of the sanctuary.
Aang was the first to move forwards to the sanctuary as Lian slowly lowered her hood in awe.
"Hello?" He shouted with is childish voice. Lian walked forwards with Aang, Sokka, and Katara, and stopped at the threshold. "Anyone home?"
-0-
"So a twelve year old boy bested you, your best firebenders," Zhao spat as he circled Zuko and Iroh, who sat with their eyes towards the floor. "And your prodigal sister?"
Zuko averted his gaze when Zhao leaned towards him with a scowl on his face.
"You're more pathetic than I thought." He snarled.
Zuko narrowed his eyes at the floor, and then looked up to respond to Zhao's snarls.
"I underestimated him once, but it will not happen again." Zuko spoke with disappointment in his voice as he faced the man who was openly disgracing him.
Zhao's face remains straight and calm as he turns his back to Zuko, and narrowed his eyes at the wall.
"No, it will not, because you won't have a second chance." Zhao replied with venom. Zuko's eyes became wider than saucers, and he leaned forwards in his chair, gripping the arms of it until his knuckles turned white.
"Commander Zhao, I've been hunting the Avatar for two years and I-" Zhao cut him off as he rounded on him, flames erupting from his hand as he sweeps it from left to right directly in Zuko's face, causing him to pull back from the fire.
"And you failed!"He shouted violently as Zuko watched with wide eyes, and near horror on his features.
No. No, no, no, you can't take this from me. You can't have this. Zuko thought frantically as he tried to think of an argument against Zhao's decision. I'M supposed to find the Avatar. I'M the one who will find my sister!
Zhao now towers over Zuko, and his face is somewhat shadowed by the torches behind him.
"Capturing the Avatar and finding the Fire Nation's princess is too important to leave in a teenager's hands. He's mine now." Zhao announces as he glowers down at Zuko.
Zuko abruptly attempts to charge at Zhao in anger, but is restrained by the two guards behind his seat.
Zhao turns to leave, and just as he reaches for the curtain the separates himself from the dock and his office, he delivers an order to the guards.
"Keep them here." He growls before flicking the fire out of his way, and leaving the tent.
Zuko kicks the small table sitting next to his Uncle in a fury, and it breaks into pieces as Iroh watches with a calm demeanor that only Lian could duplicate.
Iroh then raises his tea cup, and looks towards the guards.
"More tea please?"
-0-
Lian continued to gaze down at her toes that were grazing the threshold of the sanctuary.
Not one firebender has been inside of this sanctuary, Lian. She pondered as she looked up from her feet, and looked up just in time to hear Sokka complain about the lack of meat. Do you really want to ruin that?
"Told you." Lian chirped dryly from her spot at the threshold.
The three look back at her, Katara and Aang with expressions of confusion, and Sokka with a pointed glower. Sokka threw up his hands, and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He snapped, causing Katara to shoot him a deadpan expression from the corner of her eyes.
"Lian, why don't you come in?" Aang asked as he took a step towards the Princess, and motioned towards the rest of the room.
Lian looked around the room uncertainly and then back at Aang as she began to wring her hands together.
"I don't know Aang." She began warily. Aang raised an eyebrow at her tone. "It's just that… it doesn't feel right for me to go inside such a… sacred, place, being a firebender and all."
Aang just shrugged, and ran over to Lian, snatched her hand and pulled her inside with a gentle tug.
Lian felt her chest tighten as she entered, and her expression turned to one of horror as he toes passed the threshold.
I shouldn't be here.
"It's alright! Katara's a water bender. Sokka's not- a -bender." Aang shrugged with a smile on his face. Lian frowned at the boy's naivety, and unwillingly followed him into the swirl of statues.
"Aang that's not what-" Before Lian could finish, Katara quickly shouted out her question.
"Who are all these people?" She asked loudly as she pretended to look around, when she was really looking pointedly at Lian, who only turned her face away with a puckered brow and crossed her arms.
Aang looked around for a moment, squinting his eyes in the darkness as he moved between the statues.
"I don't know. But it feels like I know them somehow." Aang said apprehensively. Suddenly his expression switches to excitement, and he points at a statue. "That one's an airbender!" He shouted eagerly.
Katara pointed at another one wearing what appeared to be furs and boots.
"And this one's a water bender!" She announced. "They're line up in a pattern. Air, water, earth, and fire."
"That's the Avatar cycle." Aang spoke as he examined the statue in front of him, and then moved to look at the others.
Lian walked around as well, but kept her distance from the others.
"Of course! They're Avatars!" Katara almost slapped her own forehead in realization, and motioned about the room filled to the top with level among level of statues. "All of these people are your past lives, Aang."
Aang looked around in wonder, and Lian walked up beside him in the next row of statues, her eyes also examining the levels upon levels of Aang's past lives.
"Wow!" Aang marvels. "There's so many!"
"Yeah…" Lian gaped as she began to wonder just how far up the statues went. Her mind wandered and she even began to wonder who the first Avatar was.
"Past lives?" Sokka the skeptical asked with an almost dry tone to his voice. Lian squinted an eye at the ceiling at his remark, and then looked back down, and spotted him standing between two statues with his hands resting on each one's shoulders. "You really believe in that stuff?" He asked as he waved one of his hands around on the statue's shoulder.
"You don't?" Lian shot back at him, causing him to grumble, and narrow his eyes at the statue in front of him. Katara gave a short chuckle, and moved to stand next to Lian.
"It's true. When the Avatar dies he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle." Katara explained to her brother as he followed his sister with narrow eyes. Lian nodded in agreement with Katara's words, and Sokka scoffed once more, and then threw his hands up in the air as he turned away from his sister and the Princess.
Lian rolled her amber eyes, and then turned to look towards Aang, who hadn't spoken for a while, and spotted him standing in front of a statue, just gazing up at it, not moving a muscle and his gray eyes wide open.
"Aang?" Lian said from her spot next to Katara, who looked towards Aang as well at the sound of Lian's tone. When Aang didn't respond to Lian, Katara exchanged a look with the firebender, and then moved towards the boy.
"Aang?" Katara echoed Lian's voice as she moved to touch Aang's shoulder. When he still didn't respond, she frowned deeply.
"Aang, snap out of it!" She practically shouted, causing the air bender to jump slightly. He looked dazed when he looked at Katara, and then Lian, who also looked concerned just as the water tribe girl did.
"Huh?" Aang said as he looked at the two girls in confusion.
Lian only raised an eyebrow at him, and Katara gave a small laugh.
"Who is that?" Katara asked as she pointed up to the statue Aang had been staring at.
Aang looked up at the statue as Lian and Sokka walked over, and gave it a smile.
"That's Avatar Roku. The Avatar before me." He promptly answered. Sokka looked up at the statue, and scoffed, causing Lian and Katara to look towards him.
"You were a firebender?" He said incredulously. . Lian narrowed her eyes at him. "No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met!"
Lian narrowed her eyes at Sokka and Katara rolled her eyes.
"How nice of you." Lian spat as she looked away from Sokka and crossed her arms. Sokka just shot Lian a look at then scoffed loudly. Katara slowly looked away from the two, and then looked towards Aang.
"There's no writing? How do you know his name?" She questioned as Lian walked away from the group, and moved towards the door.
"I'm not sure," Aang said wearily, as if it bothered him too. "I just do."
Sokka suddenly growled in frustration, and threw his hands in the air at Aang's response.
"You just couldn't get any weirder!" He shouted, causing his voice to echo in the sanctuary.
"Hush, loud one!" Lian suddenly commanded from her spot behind a statue. Katara, Aang, and Sokka abruptly looked towards her with confused expressions on their faces. She was hiding behind a statue of an earth bender with her head just peeking out from over its shoulder, and her eyes focused on what was outside of the door.
"I hear something." She whispered just loud enough for them to hear from their spot across the sanctuary.
The three exchanged a look, and then rushed up to Lian, and hid behind the statues nearby her. Katara and Aang behind one, and Lian and Sokka behind the other.
A long eared shadow began to approach between the two statues the kids were hiding behind, and Sokka pulled out his boomerang.
"Firebender! Nobody make a sound!" He whispered loudly. Lian's expression dropped and turned to annoyance as she scoffed at his words.
"Oh yeah, this firebender definitely can't hear you from here." Lian sneered as she pointed at herself with her thumb, and then peeked around the earth bender statue's leg. Sokka glowered down at Lian and then raised his boomerang up and pretended to hit her over the head with hit as a vein in his temple throbbed.
"You don't' count right now!" Sokka growled at Lian, who had just pulled her head back behind the statue. "Don't. Make. A. Sound."
"You're making a sound!" Katara snapped at him as Lian rubbed her face with her hand, and then pressed a finger to her lips.
"Shh!" Lian demanded as she leaned over and peeked around the corner again.
They were quiet for a few moments longer before Sokka peeked over the statue's shoulder.
"That firebender won't know what hit him." Sokka said smugly as he rose up his boomerang. Lian gazed up at him with an aggravated look.
"He will if you keep talking!" She spat as she looked back down at the shadow, and then brought her head back in surprise.
Suddenly, Sokka jumps out from behind the statue with a war cry, and Lian, Aang, and Katara walk out to take a look. Lian snorted, and then began laughing hysterically when her eyes landed on the long eared creature before them.
Aang's eyes lit up with enthusiasm when he spots the small creature casting the giant shadow before it, and his mouth grows wide with a smile as Lian finally pulls herself off of the floor and points at the animal with laugher still spilling out between her lips.
"Lemur!" Aang shouts as he points at the animal before them, whom is now gazing at them with large, curious green eyes with its ears pushed back.
"Oh yeah, Sokka. That's one terrifying firebender you've got there!" Lian laughs as she reached up and wipeed a tear from her face as Katara begins to giggle next to her. "You might want to catch him before he goes to get reinforcements!" Finally, Katara begins to laugh hysterically along with Lian, and when the two girls look up, their laughter stops abruptly at the sight of Sokka drooling like a hungry wolf-fox.
"Ew…"Lian sneered as Katara smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand at the sight of her brother drooling.
"Dinner…" Sokka moaned as he rose up his boomerang almost robotically at the animal, and Aang's eyes widened in fear for the animal.
"Don't listen to him!" Aang shouted at the animal as if he could understand him. "You're going to be my new pet!"
"Not if I get to him first!" Sokka shouts as he darts towards the creature, and then Aang, who catches up with ease due to his airbending.
The two girls watched as Sokka and Aang sprinted after the lemur, their voices fading the further they ventured into the temple. Lian snorted, and reached to pull up her hood as she began to walk towards the doors of the sanctuary, and Katara followed with a small smirk on her face.
"Boys are stupid." Lian joked as the two walked out of the sanctuary, leaving the rows and rows of Avatar statues behind them. Katara just laughed in response, and then shook her head.
"They each have their moments though," Katara shrugged as the two girls followed the sounds of the boy's voices. "We just haven't seen them yet."
Lian laughed at Katara's crack at the boys, and then turned to look at the waterbending girl.
"Katara?" She said gently. Katara looked towards Lian with raised eyebrows, and made a small sound, acknowledging that she was listening. Lian looked at the floor, and then back at Katara before speaking.
"How come you came to trust me so easily?" Lian asked suddenly, causing Katara to nearly stop where she stood.
Katara looked down at the ground ahead of her as she walked, sighed, and then looked forwards once more.
"Because Aang trusted you."
-0-
Zhao's calloused hands pushed the flaps of the tent open with vigor, and the two guards already standing at the door draw back their spears upon his entrance almost robotically, and Zuko looks up from his clenched fists, and scowls at the man standing before him.
"My search party is ready." Zhao announced smugly as Zuko glowered up at him. "Once I'm out to sea, you'll be free to go."
"What? Are you afraid I'm going to try and stop you?" Zuko sneered from his seat in front of Zhao, whose eyes darted down towards Zuko at his threat. But then, Zhao smirked, and to add salt to the gash he had already left in Zuko's pride, he laughed, and threw his head back slightly.
"You? Stop me?" He hackled. "That's impossible."
Zuko growled, and in his defiance, burst out of his seat, and invaded Zhao's personal space. Iroh looked up with slightly concerned eyes as he took a sip of his tea, and finally put down his cup to watch the two argue.
"Don't underestimate me, Zhao!" Zuko snarled like a saber tooth moose lion whose territory had just been threatened. "I will capture the Avatar, and find my sister before you!" Zuko spat as he leaned closer to Zhao, who only glowered down at him with such an intense hatred that heat began to roll off of him in waves.
"Prince Zuko, that is enough!" Iroh exclaimed as he stood from his seat and attempted to reign in his nephew, but Zuko pulled away from him, keeping himself out of Iroh's reach.
Zhao suddenly scoffed loudly, and Zuko growled.
"You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of warships under my control, and you? You're just a banished Prince." He practically laughed as he looked down at Zuko with a sneer. "No home. No allies. Your own father doesn't even want you."
Zuko seemed to back off slightly at this low blow, but never the less, continued to fight with Zhao as he looked away from him.
"You're wrong." Zuko snapped back at him. I have Lian. Lian was my ally. "Once I deliver the Avatar to my father he will welcome me home with honor, and restore my rightful place to the throne.
Zhao gives a slime ridden laugh, and Zuko grits his teeth at the man.
"If your father really wanted you home, he'd have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar." Zhao spat venomously as he glowered at Zuko. "But in his eyes you are a failure and disgrace to the Fire Nation."
"That's not true." Zuko spat in return.
Zhao smiled, and Iroh new the worst was coming next.
"You have the scar to prove it." Zhao almost purred as he smirked like the Cheshire cat.
That was when the last string of restraint Zuko had- snapped.
With a primal cry of indignation he lunged towards Zhao, and within inches to his face, his teeth grit and his eyes aflame.
"Maybe you'd like one to match!" Zuko snarled through his teeth as Zhao glared down at him.
"Is that a challenge?" Zhao questioned with the same indigent purr in his voice that grated against Zuko's nerves.
"An Agni Kai." Zuko proposed. "At sunset."
Zhao then sent Zuko a sly, and almost terrifying smirk, and moved away from Zuko to exit the tent.
"Very well." He agreed as he walked towards the exit of the tent. "It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your Uncle will do."
And with that, Zhao left the tent, and Iroh moved towards his nephew whom was still fuming at the events that had previously unfolded before him.
"Prince Zuko, have you forgotten the last time you dueled a Master?" Iroh questioned incredulously as he watched his nephew for any signs of regret. None were to be found.
Zuko looked down towards the floor, and then back up at the exit with determination written across his features.
"I will never forget."
-0-
It's when Lian is back in the sanctuary by herself, she knows that something has gone terribly wrong.
Katara had left her alone to find the boys and rein them in, and Lian had decided to return to the sanctuary to gaze upon the statues. As she discovered, each one was different, yet they were all the same being, just reincarnated versions of them.
It was amazing to think that Aang had so many past lives. So many past lives that did so much good for the world, so much to heal it.
While Lian was alone in the sanctuary she finally lights the first flame in the palm of her hand since she had arrived at the Air Temple.
It seemed wrong at first, and she contemplated putting the flame out to respect the Air Nomads that had been destroyed by fire.
But after a few moments of gazing about the cave with the light of her flame to help her see the details of the statues, she kept the fire alive, and dared to lean in close to the statues, gaze into their eyes, and touch the engraved and highly detailed necklaces, dimples, and stone clothing.
It's when she looks into Avatar Roku's eyes, they suddenly glow- and Lian's fire is suddenly smothered by a sharp gust of wind- she knows.
Directly after Lian jumps back from Avatar Roku's statue, the rest of the statue's eyes begin to glow, one by one in their spiral pattern as they rise all the way to the top where when Lian looks up, all she can see it the blue glow of their eyes all melded together.
"Aang." She whispered in alarm as she gazed up at the statues. She stumbles away from them, running into the same earth bender statue she had hidden behind earlier as she moved towards the entrance. "Aang!" She shouted as she finally turned on her heel, and ran full speed towards the front of the Temple.
Lian runs so hard that the hood covering her golden hair flies off of her head and falls onto her back, and her heart pounds as she begins to feel the wind growing stronger and stronger.
Finally, she comes upon a dilapidated building that is shaking and trembling under the stress that is caused by the gales of wind, and spots Katara rush towards just as Lian leaps over a stone rail to reach it.
Just as Lian joins Katara in front of the building's entrance, Sokka flies out of it, screaming at the top of his lungs, and his back slams directly into Lian's stomach with full force, sending the two teenagers tumbling back on stone and patches of weeds before rolling to a stop.
Katara ran up to them, and pulled Sokka up as Lian sat on the ground, and rubbed her scraped forehead with her hand as she gazed at the shuddering building.
"What happened?" Katara shouted over the violent winds as Lian finally moved to stand, and latched onto Sokka's shirt for support- and to her surprise, he reached out without looking at her, and offered her a hand to help her up with, which Lian accepted without a sarcastic comment or a look of surprise. At this moment, she was only concerned for Aang.
"He found out fire benders kills Gyatso." Sokka announced over the winds as they all began to run towards the building, fighting against the winds and the debris that moved faster than any of them could even imagine.
"It's his Avatar Spirit!" Lian shouted as they finally reached the entrance, and all three of them could see Aang. "He must have triggered it!"
Katara gasped loudly as she laid eyes on Aang, up in his sphere of energy and violently swirling air. Lian could see bones of Fire Nation soldiers flying about them, helmets piled over corpses that had rotted centuries ago, and finally, Monk Gyatso's orange and yellow clad skeleton- and the same wooden necklace that had been around his neck at his statue.
"I'm gonna try and calm him down!" Katara shouted over the winds as Lian held a hand over her eyes, and squinted at Aang along with Sokka.
"Well do it before he blows us off the mountain!" Sokka yells in return as Lian ducks to avoid a fire nation helmet, and crouches further behind the pile of debris.
Lian watched in suspense as Katara struggled to get to Aang through the malevolent winds, and prayed to the Sun that she would end the madness.
-0-
Back at the Firebending stadium, a crowd awaits the Agni Kai between the banished prince Zuko, and the renowned Commander Zhao.
"Remember your firebending basics, Zuko. They are your greatest weapons." Iroh spoke wisely as he watched his nephew stand from his kneeling position, and glower at the fighting floor.
"I refuse to let him win." Zuko said in response as he moved towards the floor along with Zhao, who was on the other across it.
The shoulder wrap Zuko was wearing falls to the ground ceremoniously, and Zhao stands, and turns, his shoulder wrap falling as well- just as Zuko's had.
At the top of the gate, the gong sounds, and both men face each other, and assume their firebending stances. They remain at a standoff for a few moments before Zuko scowls, and thrusts a fist forwards at Zhao, sending a wild shot of fire at Zhao, which passes harmlessly to the Commander's left, and then fires another that Zhao easily evades to his right.
In his frustration, Zuko fires off several more, and Zhao avoids each one, and then blocks the last with his own fire with a look of satisfaction on his face.
Zuko can feel himself becoming frustrated, and losing control of his breath as he fights and fights but to no avail, but he still moves forwards towards Zhao, and fires off a volley of fire at the Commander from his hands and feet. To Zuko's fury, Zhao blocks and dodges every blast of fire Zuko fires at him.
The breath, Zuko, remember the breath. Lian's voice reminded him in his head as Zhao's movements began to slow down in his mind- just not fast enough.
Zhao fires a low shot of fire towards Zuko, and the Prince narrowly avoids it.
"Basics, Zuko! Break his root!" Iroh shouted from the sidelines with lines of worry written all over his face.
Zhao fires multiple volleys of flames at the Prince, alternating between each dangerous fist as Zuko blocks each and every one of them. But even though the prince successfully blocks every blow, he has been pushed back.
The last blast the Zhao fires at him is fired with both fists, and Zuko is knocked over into the dirt on his back. Zhao doesn't hesitate for a second, and takes a flying leap at Zuko, who narrowly avoids the blast of fire that Zhao sends his way.
But as Zuko rises, he swings his leg around towards Zhao's rooted feet, and knocks them out from underneath him, and the Commander lands on his back with a loud grunt.
Zuko lands on his feet, and at the sight of the Commander struggling to stand, he smiles slightly, and moves to attack once again.
As Zhao stands, he glowers at Zuko, and swings out his fist with a cry of fury towards the boy, and the shot of fire goes wild as it flies towards the Prince.
In a second, Zuko recalls Lian's favorite trick where the girl would catch her opponents fire, twist her hands in an elegant circle to tame the fire, and then smother it. The first time she had done this was to irritate their sister, Azula, and ever since, she has used it to tease her enemies with her power.
So in a split second decision, Zuko reached out, and caught the flame calmly, and copied his sister's movements for the first time since she had invented the move.
Zuko's hands twisted the fire into submission, and then, as Zhao finally stumbled to his feet, and turned to glare at the prince, Zuko smothered the flame by pressing his hands together, and in a last ditch effort to infuriate his opponent, he even swiped the soot left by the smoke off of his hand, onto the floor.
Iroh nearly cheers from excitement from his spot at the edge of the arena, and smiles at the thought of how proud Lian would have been if she could have seen her brother now.
Before Zhao can even process what Zuko has done, Zuko fires at him, causing the Commander who has yet to find his root again to stagger back as the Prince sprints towards him with, leaving a trail of fire in his wake.
Iroh clenches his fist with anticipation, and his face shines with hope as he watches his nephew.
Just as Iroh begins to smile, Zuko lays Zhao out on the ground, and sprints towards him to deliver the final blow.
But, just as he is about to burn Zhao just as he had been burned, his angered expression flickers to indecision.
"Do it!" Zhao snarls from underneath Zuko's grasp.
Zuko growled, and then without another thought shot a blast of fire at Zhao, and with one last look, he moved away from the Commander, and began to walk off of the floor.
Zhao turned his head to the side, and observed the smoldering hole in the ground with a scowl, and then made his way up to his feet.
"That's it?" He demanded as Zuko walked away from him. "Your father raised a coward!"
Zuko turned his head, but did not honor Zhao with the pleasure of his stare.
"Next time you get in my way, I promise I won't hold back." He threatened before turning back around, and continuing his walk off of the floor.
But in with a howl of anger, Zhao declares that the argument is not over, and unleashes a whip of flame from his foot aimed towards the Prince's back.
But before the flame can move even an inch away from its creator- it is extinguished by a hand grasping Commander Zhao's foot.
It is Iroh who has stopped Zhao's dishonorable attack on the Prince, and now frowns at the man who's foot he holds before him.
Iroh simply pushes Zhao's foot with enough force for him to fall back onto the dirt, and watches as the man falls, and scowls up at him
Zuko moves to avenge the dishonorable attack with a growl, but his Uncle holds out an arm, and stops him.
"No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory."Iroh spoke wisely as he grasps his nephew's shoulder, and frowns down at Commander Zhao as if he were a child who had drawn on the walls with his calligraphy brush.
"So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat." Iroh tisks as his nephew glares down at the man. "Disgraceful." He spat as he turned his nephew around, and began to move off of the floor.
"Even in exile my nephew is more honorable than you." Iroh spat at Zhao as Zuko's eyes shot open wide in surprise. "Thank you for the tea, it was delicious."
Iroh turns and begins to walk away, and Zuko follows closely behind as Zhao sits up in the dirt and watches them leaved with anger in his eyes.
Zuko leans towards his Uncle with an innocent look in his eyes, and he asks softly; "Did you really mean that Uncle?"
Iroh gave a sly smile, and continued forwards with his nephew.
"Of course." He chirped. "I told you ginseng was my favorite."
-0-
Lian watched Katara approach Aang with a hand holding on tightly onto Sokka's shirt, and her other hand holding onto the rock in front of her.
"Aang, I know you're upset…" Katara shouted calmly over the chaos as she shouted from nearby. She was much closer to Aang than Lian and Sokka would even dare at the moment. "…and I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my Mom."
Lian inhaled sharply at Katara's mention of her mother, and she gripped Sokka's shirt harder as a drop of blood trickled down the side of her face from the scrape on her forehead. Sokka looked towards Lian for a moment, but did not protest when he realized that she was hanging onto his shirt.
She's not the only one. Lian thought to herself.
"Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family." Katara shouted again, her voice sounding sympathetic as she gazed up at Aang, whom was still up in the air, his eyes and arrows aglow. "Sokka, Lian, and I, we're your family now."
Soon enough, the malevolent winds begin to slow, and soon enough, Aang begins to descend from his place in the air, his eyes and arrows still glowing, and Katara and Sokka begin to move towards him. Lian is so dazed by the entire ordeal that she only begins to move when she feels her hand being tugged by Sokka's movement, and then quickly follows them.
Lian moved to stand in front of Aang, while Katara and Sokka stood at his sides; Sokka holding his shoulder.
"We're not going to let anything happen to you." Sokka spoke as he squeezed Aang's shoulder. Katara reaches to take Aang's hand, and his eyes and arrows begin to fade, leaving him with the eyes and arrows Lian had come to know over the past day and a half. Aang collapses, and Katara takes him into her arms, and hugs him as they kneel on the ground, where Lian and Sokka crouch next to them.
"I'm sorry." Aang croaks into Katara's shoulder. He sounds terribly weak, and his eyes are barely open.
"It's okay. It's not your fault." Katara purrs as she holds him in her arms. Lian watches with worried eyes, and hear heart goes out for the boy.
He's lost everything he's ever known in his entire life, and she couldn't even imagine how painful that could be.
"But you were right." Aang croaked as tear built up in his eyes. "And if firebenders found this temple that means they found the other ones too."
Lian squeezed her eyes shut, and turned her head away, causing Sokka to look towards her, and frown.
"I really am the last airbender." Aang's voice trembled as Lian looked back at him, and then reached forwards, and placed a hand on top of his as Sokka placed a hand on his shoulder.
To her surprise, Aang took her hand in a vice grip as he cried in Katara's arms with his new family surrounding him.
-0-
Later, after everything had been packed and ready to go, Katara, Sokka, and Lian find Aang back in the sanctuary, staring up at Avatar Roku's statue with a ponderous look on his innocent face.
"Everything's packed. Ready to go?" Katara asked as she approached Aang, and looked up at Avatar Roku with him.
Sokka and Lian stood back a few feet from the two with a good amount of distance between the two of them. Lian had been patched up by Katara and was now walking around with a wrap around her forehead. But when Katara had been patching Lian up, she mentioned how she noticed that Sokka and Lian quarreled like the married couple back at the village.
Lian's eyes almost popped out of her skull and Sokka demanded his sister never mention anything about old married couples again.
"How is Roku supposed to help me if I can't talk to him?" Aang asked as he gazed up at Roku, and then looked at Katara.
"You'll find a way Aang." Lian spoke from her spot next to Sokka, causing the other three to look at her.
Aang smiled at Lian, and then his eyes suddenly averted to the doorway.
The lemur has returned with an armful of berries and nuts in his arms, and before anyone can say a word or move a single muscle, he darts forwards, dumps the berries and nuts at Sokka's feet, and then waits patiently for Sokka to accept or deny his offering.
Sokka immediately began to devour the berries off of the floor, causing Lian to look down at him with slight disgust, and take a few steps away.
"Looks like you made a new friend, Sokka." Aang chirped as the lemur darted towards the airbender, and scurried up his arm to rest on top of his head. Aang laughed as he nearly went crossed eyed trying to look at the animal, and Lian walked towards him to take a closer look at the tiny animal.
"Can't talk." Sokka replied with his mouth filled with berries. "Must eat."
"Hey little guy." Aang spoke to the lemur as it leaned over his head, and peeked into Aang's eyes.
When Lian approached, the lemur looked straight up at her with his little paws resting on top of Aang's head, and leaned forwards to get a good sniff.
Lian gave a small smile, and held a hand out towards the lemur, which he began to sniff right away. But to her surprise, the lemur made a sound similar to an excited chirp, and darted down her arm, and nestled itself around her neck underneath her hood.
"Oh!" Lian jumped as the lemur's tail tickled her neck, causing her to turn her head to the side only slightly so that she wouldn't disturb the lemur's comfortable spot. "He's tickling me!" She laughed as the lemur tittered from underneath her hair. Aang laughed along with her and reached towards the lemur to scratch its head.
"He definitely likes you." Aang laughed as he watched the lemur make itself comfortable on Lian's neck.
Soon enough, the quartet made their way out to Appa, all ready to load up for their next adventure.
Lian still had the lemur wrapped around her neck as she walked up to Appa, and gently pet his snout, causing him to grunt with approval and move his head slightly underneath her touch.
Aang walked up to Lian, and gazed at the lemur with a sad smile on his face as he reached out and scratched his head again.
"You, me, and Appa." Aang sighed as he brought his hand away from the lemur, and looked towards the temple. "We're all that's left of this place. We have to stick together. Katara, Sokka, Lian…"
Sokka looked up at Aang and Lian with a mouth full of berries, and Katara stepped forwards and scratched the lemur's head.
"…say hello to the newest member of our family." Aang announced as the Lemur's head popped out of Lian's hood, and darted up to the top of her head, its tail grazing her neck as it went, causing her to giggle. Sokka laughed lightly at the sight, and then quickly stuffed his mouth full of berries, hoping no one had noticed.
"What are you going to name him?" Katara asked as she smiled up at the lemur sitting on Lian's head.
The lemur pounces off of Lian's head suddenly, and pounces at a piece of fruit, then quickly returned to the group, but settled on Aang's shoulder.
"Momo." He answered as the lemur ate the berry, and then promptly made its way back to Lian's neck, causing her to laugh again before she climbed onto Appa's saddle with Sokka and Katara, and settled into her place.
"I wonder why he likes that spot so much." Katara pondered as Appa pushed off of the ground, and began to fly away.
Lian raised an eyebrow, and then focused on her internal body heat, and slowly raised it up. Just as she suspected, the lemur nestled itself closer to her, and she giggled again at the movement.
"He likes the warmth." Lian answered with a smile as she reached up, and scratched the lemurs head.
As Katara accepted the answer and Sokka continued to eat his berries, Lian spotted Aang watching the Southern Air Temple disappear behind the clouds, and cast her eyes away from the sight.
You can mend the wrongs done against the Avatar, Lian. You can help him heal.