[A/N: To everyone who reads, thank you so much! I'm really passionate about this character and her story. Even greater thanks to those of you who reviewed; it means the world to me! I write in this story nearly every day, as well as tote my project binder to work with me to edit what is already written so I can provide you with the cleanest, clearest version possible. I want to do this story justice, and with that being said, I'd like to keep a schedule of having a new chapter posted every Sunday. Please continue to enjoy.]
Chapter V: The Fire Bending Masters
The sun had just begun to paint the morning sky with fiery orange and gold hues as Raya and Aang made their way across a sky bridge to practice their meditation. There was a cool breeze on the air, and the temple they settled on the edge of had moss and vines hanging in organized chaos from its outer walls. It was a spot a good distance from the main group so that they would remain undisturbed when their friends began to wake.
The time passed quickly, and Raya was excited to begin Aang's firebending lessons. The air nomad seemed less enthusiastic, and even suggested they extend their morning meditation by an hour. Raya gave him a stern look and shook her head. When Aang knew there was no way around it, they both stood and headed back across the sky bridge to fetch breakfast and the Fire Prince.
"Okay, first, just show us what you can do," Zuko offered as they stood on an outcrop of the temple grounds. "Any amount of fire you can create." It was spacious enough that nothing would be harmed by the fire bending that was set to take place. The Avatar swallowed visibly and took a slow breath. He pushed one arm out into the open air with a fist and the other folded into his side.
A small puff of smoke was the only thing that emitted from his closed fist.
"Sorry," He offered, looked at the Demitar and Fire Prince a bit dejectedly. "Perhaps a demonstration?" he asked, looking hopefully to both of them.
"Sure," Raya said, stepping up between the two. She moved a bit closer to the ledge, and in a series of fluid movements sent three medium blasts into the crevasse. The heat from them was felt from where the other two stood. She took a final breath and exhaled steadily, bringing her hands down in front of her to end the movement.
"That was awesome!" Aang said, watching the Demitar with admiration. She bowed to them both and smiled playfully as she tossed some of her white locks behind her, as they'd fallen over her shoulder during her demonstration. Aang continued to smile dumbly as she approached.
"Thanks. Remember, it comes from your breath - You okay?" she asked, observing the still present smile.
"Huh? I'm fine, why?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Why are you smiling at me like that?" The Demitar asked taking her previous position amongst the group. Aang felt a moment of déjà vu as he remembered a time when the exact same thing had occurred when he'd first met Katara. He rubbed the back of his bald head absently and laughed awkwardly.
"No reason," he said, looking at Zuko expectantly. The Fire Prince rolled his eyes at the other two, and then stepped up. With a solid punch into the open air he sent a valiantly small burst of fire out into the space his fist occupied and his brow furrowed in confusion. Raya, too, was confused and Aang clapped encouragingly.
"Something's wrong," he said, turning a different way and trying again to the same end. He began punching the air in succession, and nothing greater emitted than what had on the first try.
"I think it's great," Aang said, trying to be supportive.
"Don't patronize me!" he said angrily. "You know what it's supposed to look like." Zuko looked down at his hands, staring hard.
"Maybe that's enough firebending for today," Raya said, looking at Zuko with concern. "Katara and Toph have lessons for you, too." Aang nodded and departed across the sky bridge to join the larger congregation of their group.
"Zuko?" she asked, reaching out to him, unsure of how to approach or handle this situation.
"Just go," he said, still staring hard at his open hands. She wanted to argue; to stay and help him figure this out, but she knew it would only suffice to make him angrier.
She spent the day watching Aang practice his other elements. She admired water bending the most. As she watched Katara push and pull the water, she thought back to the many times she had wondered what it would be like to have been born a water bender, instead of air. Aang was so natural in the element, too. He did it with such fluid grace that Raya wouldn't have been surprised if that was the element he was born with originally.
Katara was an incredibly kind and patient teacher as well. Any time Aang had trouble getting a technique just right, Katara would guide him through it slowly; surely. He left their training lesson having learned everything she taught that day. He was incredibly gifted for such a young boy, but then he already had his tattoos. It had taken the Demitar to the age of 14 to master her fire bending.
Toph was a much harder teacher. That didn't make her any less effective. Earth was an incredibly stubborn element, and Raya could feel with every boulder Aang moved that it took him a great deal of concentration; Air and earth were opposing elements, after all. Toph pushed Aang because he needed to be pushed with this element. He had to develop a place within himself that was hard and unwavering, which was completely opposite of the nomadic teachings.
To be free flowing, passive, and as mobile as a gust of wind was the way of the airbender. To air bend was to be entirely about movement and agility while earth bending was about finding your root and remaining immovable. She admired the way Aang pushed himself to conquer the element and adapt his ways in order to master it.
As the day wound down, everyone that had finished lessons with Aang moved to doing chores and helping Katara with dinner. It was then that Raya decided – after watching every other element be worked that day – that she wanted to remember why she loved air bending so much.
"Hey," she nudged Aang as she walked up beside him. She was holding a long staff in her hand.
"Hey," he said, turning his attention away from Momo, with whom he had been playing. The flying lemur scampered up to his shoulder and looked at Raya inquisitively. Raya held the staff out and with a bit of air bending propelled it out so that it flew into the hand of the Avatar. He looked at it for a second. "My staff," he said, looking at her in a bit of confusion.
She nodded her head as a gesture to follow, and she moved away from the group and out toward the animals. Rai Jin was sleeping, as was his usual mode of operation when Raya wasn't pestering the adolescent dragon. He looked up slowly and black plumes roiled easily from his nostrils. She patted his scaled side affectionately and then detached a long staff from her saddle. It was very similar to Aangs, except hers was still an original relic, hand crafted by the monks of the Eastern Air Temple. Aang had been patting Rai Jin's neck gently when he realized what she had in her possession.
"A glider!" he said enthusiastically, his face lighting up at the sight of it.
"Yes!" she said excitedly, snapping its orange wings open and nodding to his. He did the same without hesitation. "See ya!" she said playfully as she ran to the edge of the precipice. Anyone else would have been stopped by their instinct of self-preservation, but the Demitar stepped easily off the ledge, glider in hand, and was suddenly gone from sight; freefalling.
Aang laughed loudly and tossed his glider into the air to follow her. She reappeared then with her glider on her back, bending the currents easily around her. She closed her eyes and felt the sun bathe her in complete light and warmth as she rose out of the crevasse. The wind caressed her exposed skin and tossed her white hair wildly behind her. She took a deep breath and reveled in the feeling of such utter freedom. She missed this life.
Before she knew it, Aang was flying over her and doing spins in the air. Raya laughed and did a spiral of her own to show off and Aang followed up with some more acrobatics. Raya's heart felt full to bursting as she glided through the clouds with the Avatar.
As the sun began to set, Raya felt her stomach protest at its lack of sustenance. With a mental sigh she signaled to Aang that she was heading back, and he nodded, following at her side. They each landed with soft feet and clicked their gliders shut.
"I almost forgot how fun it is to fly," she said, reattaching her glider to its slot in Rai Jin's saddle.
"To be honest, so did I," Aang admitted, watching Raya closely. "I forgot what it was like to be around another air bender at all. Thank you," he said, smiling genuinely. Raya returned the smile and bowed. The Avatar wrapped his arms around her suddenly and a small gasp escaped her lips. She looked down for moment before wrapping her arms around him, returning the hug.
"Let's promise to have fun at least once a day. Not always so serious," Raya said, stepping back to look at the air nomad.
"Agreed," he smiled.
"Hey, there you are. I was starting to worry." Katara had spotted them with the animals and walked toward them. "You have to stop just disappearing," she said disapprovingly, but not angrily.
"We were flying, sorry," Aang said with an apologetic smile and a shoulder shrug. Katara motioned for them to come sit with everyone, but not before Raya noticed the flash of emotion on her face. Raya couldn't tell what it meant, but hoped that Katara wasn't genuinely upset with them.
They all settled around the fire and Raya began eating. The room they were in was large and she imagined that, at one time, it was also quite beautiful. It still held beauty, but the beauty of something that has begun to be reclaimed by nature. Tendrils of vines had begun to creep down the inner walls of this room and there was rubble and dirt scattered variously about. It was at this time she realized they were still short a member.
"I have bad news," Zuko said suddenly from the door way. Raya looked over with relief. "I've lost my fire bending." Katara let out a laugh and covered her mouth quickly. "What's funny about this?" Zuko asked angrily.
"It's just . . . Do you know how convenient it would have been for us if you would have 'lost your bending' a long time ago. I'm just saying," she said. She didn't look remotely apologetic for her words, and Raya withheld the urge to glare at her.
"This is serious," he said, and Raya could tell that he had spent the entire day dwelling on this problem. "If I can't figure out how to bend again, I can't help teach Aang."
"Raya is perfectly able to teach Aang," Katara said, as though the loss of his bending was nothing to be concerned about.
"How would you feel if you woke up tomorrow and couldn't water bend," Raya shot at her, unable to continue watching her belittle Zuko. "This is no longer an issue of teaching Aang, it's a matter of helping our friend in his time of need." Katara looked into her bowl of food and said nothing.
"Maybe, you spent all those years using rage to fuel your bending, and without it you don't know how to bend," Aang offered.
"I learned to earth bend from the original masters. The badger-moles helped me understand how to make my earth bending an extension of myself," Toph said, recalling her time with the blind creatures.
"Hey, yeah! Maybe you could give me a lesson some time buddy," Aang shouted over to Appa. The creature simply roared in response.
"There's only one dragon left in the entire world," Zuko said, gesturing behind himself and towards Rai Jin.
"Only one?" Raya said suddenly, looking out the door toward Rai Jin.
"What happened to them?" Aang asked, confused. "There were tons of dragons before we froze. Roku had a dragon," Aang said.
"Well there aren't any now, okay?" Zuko said, frustrated. Raya could tell he was brushing the subject off purposefully.
"Okay, sorry, sorry," Aang said, raising his hands in apology. The Fire Prince leaned against the door frame and looked out into the night air.
"There is something we could try," he offered, "There's a Sun Warrior village not far from here. We could check it out."
"But I thought they died out thousands of years ago," Aang said.
"They did. There may be an answer to this somewhere in their ruins. It's worth a try" he said, and Raya knew they were going.
The night came and went quickly and Raya awoke for morning meditation to find that Aang and Zuko were already packing up Appa. She approached them casually and tossed a small bag up onto the creatures back.
"You're already a perfectly fine fire bender, what are you doing?" Zuko asked, trying to retrieve the bag.
"I'm going," she said defiantly. "I've spent 100 years separated from the Avatar. Do you honestly think I'm going to let him gallivant off into the sunset with the Fire Prince without me? After everything it took for me to find him?"
"She's got a point," Aang said, excited to see that she was joining them.
"Were you just going to go without me?" she asked then, turning to face Aang suddenly.
"Well, no- I- Zuko said you didn't need to," he explained clumsily, wishing there wasn't hurt lingering in her eyes. It sent a pang through his chest.
"Sure, throw me under the bus," Zuko said flatly. Aang blushed and shrugged his shoulders. She just shook her head and with an air burst leapt onto the bison's back. Aang sighed and followed suit while Zuko clambered up the old fashioned way.
As Raya settled herself into the back of the bison's saddle she watched as a large white dragon head found its way to her. Rai Jin was standing beside the bison with his head over the saddle, just inches in front of Raya. He puffed a bit, smoke wafting gently from his nose, and gave a low grumble.
"I'm sorry buddy, we only need one flying beast in the air at a time; Appa is better suited for a group." She rubbed his snout and watch as his jade eyes blinked slowly at her touch.
"Don't worry, everyone will take good care of you," Aang said, venturing to pat the scaled side of Rai Jin's neck. "Wow, he feels like fire." It wasn't hot enough that Aang had to jerk away, but he had to admit the dragon was the hottest blooded creature he'd ever made contact with. He watched then the way Raya interacted with Rai Jin and realized it was a lot like the way that he interacted with Appa.
"They are fire," Raya said with a small chuckle at his observation.
"I hate to cut this short, but we need to get going if we want to make it in good time," Zuko said, not unkindly. Everyone nodded in agreement and Raya gently pushed Rai Jin's large head over the saddle until Appa was clear to take off. He let out a growl and looked up after her as they departed.
The journey itself was incredibly uneventful. Aang sat at the head of the bison and kept the reigns while Zuko sat at the front of the saddle, facing the rear. Raya sat at the back of the saddle facing the front until her and Zuko had made awkward eye contact one too many times. She moved to the side of the saddle, then, and watched as the earth beneath passed by in a whir of color. It was like watching an oil painting that made little sense, all in shades of green and brown.
Her hair tumbled around her in the passing air as Appa pushed on toward the Sun Warrior ruins, and she ended up tucking it all behind her ears to keep it from her eyes.
"You wore it," Zuko observed, coming to kneel next to her. He looked out over the edge as well for a moment.
"Hm?" she asked, confused for a moment, "Oh, the clothing. It's really great, Zuko. I was really, well, surprised that you were able to have something like this made." She pulled at a small piece of the looser fabric and admired it.
"I'm glad you like it," he said, with a small smile, "but I was referring to the ornament." Her hand flew to it absently at its mention and for whatever reason she felt a light blush begin on her cheeks.
"Oh, right," she said, letting her hand fall down to the saddle once more. She kept her eyes down, watching the blur of scenery pass as she added, "The craftsmanship is amazing."
"Oh, er, yeah. Fire Nation craftsmen are the finest," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Zuko," Raya said, her voice suddenly low.
"Hm?"
"What did happen to the dragons?" Her arms were hanging loosely over the edge of the saddle and she watched them sway as the passing air tugged at them whimsically. She wondered for a moment if Zuko had even heard her as the pause between their words grew.
"My great-grandfather happened." Raya looked up to find the prince, still kneeling next to her, with his eyes pointed at his hands in his lap. He seemed distraught about the subject, as though all his families' mistakes and tragedies were his own to bare personally. "He began the tradition of slaying dragons for glory. Any one strong enough to take down a dragon earned the dragon title. My uncle defeated the last one years ago."
"Oh," was all Raya could muster when he'd finish. There was a heavy silence between the two of them in that moment.
"You okay?" Zuko asked, breaking the silence as it began to weigh on him.
"How could anyone be so . . ." She struggled to find the right words.
"My uncle isn't a bad person; actually, he's one of the wisest men I know. He just has a complicated past. Runs in the family, I guess," Zuko said solemnly.
"We're here!" Aang said happily as he turned back to look at the two. He noticed then that they were seated side by side at the edge of the saddle and turned away quickly. His heart gave an uneasy thud and he pushed the feeling away quickly while Appa descended.
"Finally," Zuko muttered as he moved back to the front of the saddle to watch as they approached the ground.
"Agreed," Raya whispered to herself. No matter what his family had done, he had become dear to her. He rescued her and her dragon. For that she would be eternally grateful.
The ruins hardly looked like ruins at all. In fact, many – if not all of the buildings – were still intact. Raya admired the larger buildings she could see off in the distance as the group began to walk down a high walled path that seemed to lead directly to the main temple. Its peak was visible from their place on the ground, and it was clearly the focal point of the Sun Warrior civilization.
"This architecture – it's amazing," Zuko observed as he looked up and around at the buildings that could be seen from their position. "I can tell a lot of Fire Nation buildings are modeled off of this style."
"I see it, too," Raya agreed.
Before they could make it more than a few steps down the walled path, Aang managed to activate a trip wire. The booby-trap caused the solid floor directly in front of the Avatars feet to slide down, leaving nothing but an array of spikes several feet before him. He waved his arms in an attempt to gain his balance as he fell forward. Blowing a harsh gust of air from his mouth he used it to flip over the pit. His feet landed directly at the edge of safety on the other side, and thinking quickly, Raya bent a current of air into his back to shove him the rest of the way onto the smooth stone.
The Avatar let out a lengthy sigh as he placed his hands on his knees for a moment, letting his heart rate return to normal. He turned suddenly to face the two on the other side of the death pit.
"Guys, I think the past is trying to kill me," he said comically, looking uncomfortable.
"Wow, these booby-traps must be thousands of years old, and they still work," Zuko said as he bent to admire the tripped wire.
"Maybe we should just go back. Who knows how many more of these things there are," Aang said, looking to Raya for sympathy.
"No way," Zuko said quickly. "We've already made it this far."
"He's right," Raya agreed with the Fire Prince after a lengthy pause. "We're just going to have to be more careful. Let me lead," Raya suggested as she used a burst of air to leap over the pit. Zuko backed up a bit for a running start and propelled himself around the pit by running along the wall.
They continued on unhindered by anymore traps by the time they reached the center temple. Its architecture was the grandest of all of the buildings they could see. The large set of stone steps that lead to main doors landing were decorated with intricate golden dragons on either side. The bodies of the dragon statues extended all the way from the first step to the last; bodies waving and twisting naturally.
Raya extended a hand to touched one of the golden dragons and admired the work that must have gone into its creation. Both statues were remarkably realistic and she quelled the pang she felt at missing her own dragon. She continued to climb and as she hit the platform at the top step she noticed that Aang and Zuko had pried the temple doors open to enter.
"Wait!" she called as she hung back near the stone steps.
"What?" Zuko asked, and Aang's face mirrored the question.
"Well, what if it's another trap? What it someone comes?" She protested at their lack of concern.
"The place has been deserted for thousands of years," Zuko said, turning to enter the building regardless of the Demitar's qualms. Aang hung back and approached her.
"He's right, and even if it is booby-trapped we'll just have to be careful," Aang said, hoping he was easing her mind.
"I'm not sure."
"I'm not either," he admitted. "But I can't just let Zuko go alone . . . You could keep watch, if you want; that way you can stay outside," he offered gently.
"Okay," she said slowly and after a lengthy pause of deliberation. She wasn't keen on leaving him to enter the temple without her, but the fact that Zuko was with him was enough to ease her tempest of thoughts.
Aang disappeared through the large temple doors and Raya stood at the stair case, continuing to admire the dragon statues. There was no one in sight, but she still felt uneasy about the place. The deeper they had gone into the city the more she had felt as though they were being watched. It was silly, she knew, because they had seen no signs of inhabitants for their entire walk, but the feeling lingered.
The wind picked up and tossed her white locks around her shoulders effortlessly. She ran her hands over the softness absent mindedly as she waited for her companions to re-emerge from the temple.
"Raya!" she heard suddenly, and as she began to run for the door, it slid shut heavily; stone grating across stone. She slammed her fists into the door and bent air and fire at it. Nothing.
"Aang!" she called, fear swelling in her chest. She could hear muffled yelling from behind the doors and looked up at the top of the temple. Pushing away from the doors and backing up she bent air bursts under herself, allowing her to take large leaps up the side of the massive structure. When she finally reached the top, she noticed the grate that was placed at the center point of the temples roof.
"Raya!" she heard again, and suddenly Zuko's face was visible from the grate. She ran forward and looked down at the Fire Prince. He was covered in a dark green substance that appeared to be gluing him to the bars.
"What the -" She said as Aang's face suddenly came into view beside him. "What's happening?" Raya asked as she felt the tang of panic rising in the back of her throat.
"Zuko picked up the stupid egg!" Aang shouted as the goo pressed against the backs of the two and finally stopped at bars. Their faces were stuck through the bars allowing them to breathe and speak. For that, at least, they were all grateful. It gave them time to figure out what to do next.
"At least I made something happen! If it were up to you we wouldn't even have made it to the temple!" Zuko said with frustration.
"Woah! Stop fighting!" Raya said, hushing the two boys. "For the love of the spirits . . ." She muttered, holding the sides of her head in exasperation as she knelt down beside the boy's immobile bodies.
"You're right. Sorry," Aang apologized sincerely.
"Well, what do we do now," Zuko asked no one in particular. They sat in silence for a few moments, thinking.
"I'm the worst Demitar ever." Raya had pressed a fist against her forehead, obscuring her arrow from sight as she thought. She was becoming frustrated with herself.
"That's not true," Aang said quickly.
"Look at this mess," She said, gesturing to the goo.
"But you're not in the goo, so that's something. We could all be stuck. Then what would we do?" Aang said, his positive attitude shining like a beacon.
"That's it!" Zuko said suddenly. "She isn't stuck!"
"Yeah, I said that," Aang said in mock irritation.
"No, no. She isn't stuck; as in she can go for help," Zuko said, looking towards the Demitar.
"You mean leave you both here?" she asked, uncertain.
"It's not like we're going anywhere," Zuko said flatly as he wiggled his face to no avail.
"I know you don't wanna leave, but," Aang said, wishing there were an alternative, too. "We really don't have much of a choice."
"I know," Raya said after a short pause. She sucked in a deep breath and as she exhaled she stood and looked out over the city. She wasn't even sure where to begin. Should she fly back to the others? No. That would be a last resort. She didn't want to go that far from the two. "I'll come back soon," she promised, and then she was gone, off the temple and out into the ruins of the city as the sun began to set.
"Now what?" Aang asked.
"Contemplate our places in the universe?" Zuko suggested. Aang huffed lightly, wishing he could at least move his body. After another lengthy silence he began to think of Raya off in the city, alone, probably worried.
"Hey," Aang said to get the Fire Princes attention.
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?" The Avatar asked after a brief pause.
"Sure."
"Let's say you meet someone, and you really like them; love them even, maybe. And you've been on so many adventures together, and shared so much together. But then you meet someone else," Aang paused for a moment to see if Zuko would interject, but he simply listened in silence. "And this person just . . . completes you somehow. They have so much in common with you, and you feel peaceful with them. . . What do you do?"
"About what?"
"About choosing, I guess," Aang said, unsure of how specific to get. Zuko had a feeling he knew both people the Avatar was referring to, but didn't push it further.
"Honestly? If you loved the first one, you wouldn't have fallen for the second," he said plainly.
"It's just . . . I thought I knew how I felt. But now?" He paused and his mind raced with images of Raya. He pictured her under her glider, laughing genuinely as she watched him flip and twirl through the air beside her; her white hair tossing in the wind, shining like silk beneath the suns uninhibited rays. And her arrows; something he had not seen on another living person in what felt like an eternity.
"Hearts change," Zuko replied simply.
The sun was long gone from the sky as exhaustion began to take hold of the Avatar and Fire Prince. They both let sleep take them for a few hours before feeling themselves wide awake from the stress of being stuck.
"Do you think she's okay," Aang finally wondered aloud. It had been the first words they had spoken since their conversation about changing hearts.
"I really hope so. How's that spiritual connection thing going? Can you communicate with her yet?" Zuko asked.
"I've never really tried," Aang admitted.
"Now would be a great time to figure it out," Zuko pressed.
Just then, as the horizon was dimly lit with morning's twilight they saw the familiar white hair of the Demitar appear at the edge of their vision. Being able to mostly only see directly up was not only perturbing, but made being trapped especially tedious.
"Raya!" Aang called out with excitement and relief.
"Did you bring help?" Zuko asked quickly.
"You're not going to believe this," Raya said as she looked over her shoulder. Before the two boys could ask, they followed her gaze to a man that looked strikingly similar to those on the intricate wall depictions outside the temple. He wore traditional tribal attire and was followed by a few more tribe's people.
"Are they. . ." Zuko began to ask.
"They are," Raya finished his thought for him, nodding.
It took a bit of work, but the other tribe's people – with the help of ant-eater-aardvarks – managed to free the two from the main part of the dark green goo. The giant creatures were still working to lick the boys clean on the ground in front of the temple when the chief finally spoke.
"What were you doing in the sacred temple?"
"They must be after our treasures!" A shifty looking priest had stepped up beside the chief and was watching the boys suspiciously.
"No they weren't – we're not," Raya corrected him, defending herself and the others.
"We're looking for the origin of firebending," Zuko said. He was mostly free now and began to stand, trying to scrape some of the goo off himself. The creature that had been licking him continued to do so, much to the Fire Princes' chagrin.
"I don't usually play this card, but I'm the Avatar and this is the Demitar," Aang said from the ground, inclining his head towards Raya as he spoke. "We really just want to know about the true source of firebending. We didn't even know anyone still lived here," Aang said apologetically.
"We're sorry for intruding and all the trouble we've caused you and your people, but can you help us?" Raya asked.
"To learn the true source of firebending, you will have to face the masters, Ran and Shaw," the chief said simply.
"That's great! When can we meet them?" Aang asked enthusiastically.
"Right now," the chief said with a grin, "but first you'll need a piece of the eternal flame." The group exchanged questioning glances with each other, but said nothing. They all nodded in agreement and once Aang was free of his sticky prison, the group followed the chief to a large fire at another temple. It was kept under a large over hanging roof, held aloft by great stone pillars.
"This is the first fire given to man by the masters," the chief said, extending his hand into the flame to extract some. "The Sun Warriors have kept it going for thousands of years, never letting it become extinguished."
"Wow . . . You've kept it going all this time?" Aang asked in disbelief.
"Of course," the chief replied matter-of-factly, and then took the fire in his hands and split it into two. He held his hand out for Aang to take the first one. "Now, you must each take a piece of the eternal flame and carry it up the mountain. At the top, you will present your offering to the masters."
"Uh, well, you see," Aang said, looking nervously at the fire ball, "I'm not an actual firebender yet."
"Just take it, don't be such a coward," Zuko said.
"Hey, don't be mean," Raya said quickly before giving the Avatar a look of encouragement. Aang visibly gulped and held out cupped hands. The chief placed the fireball gently within them and moved on to Zuko and Raya.
"Hey, it's like a little heart beat," Aang observed as Raya and Zuko accepted their fire.
"Be warned, young ones. Fire can be a fickle thing; make your flame too big, and it will consume you; make it too small, and your flame will go out." The group exchanged glances once more and then Raya turned her head up toward the top of the mountain.
"We'd better get moving," she said to the other two.
The climb wasn't that bad, aside from having to hold the flame out carefully. Concentrating on the size and form of the ball was a matter of keeping their breathing steady and even, something Raya and Zuko were very mindful of. Aang, however, was struggling, as he didn't yet know a lot of the basic principles of fire bending.
"You need to make your flame bigger, it's going to go out," Zuko chided as he climbed.
"What if it gets too big?" Aang asked with worry.
"You can control it, I know you can," Raya said confidently. "Remember to breathe evenly. Firebending is about control of the breath."
"You're a talented kid, you'll be okay," Zuko added. Aang took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The flame grew slightly, enough that the wind no longer threatened to extinguish it. He beamed up at the other two with pride and Raya looked down at him encouragingly.
When they finally made it to the top of the mountain, the Sun Warriors were already there, waiting. The top of the peak was all flat, except for a giant set of stairs that led to a platform situated between two caves. The chief nodded to them in approval as he stepped forward to greet them.
"I'll need a piece of the eternal flame for the summoning ritual," he said, extending his hand. Raya obliged, holding out her flame. He took a piece of it and then split it, handing it to the people on either side of him. They split their flame and handed the second off, again and again until several people were tossing their flame in a loop. The chief directed them up the stone steps and they obliged.
"I don't know about this," Aang said timidly. "What if we face the masters, and they decide we aren't worthy. What if they attack?"
"They're probably ancient, I bet we could take them if we had to. We're the Fire Prince, Avatar, and Demitar," Zuko said.
"It's going to be fine," Raya said, though his fear was causing fear to bloom within herself. She wasn't sure if it was their connection, or her own mind. The group stepped up onto the platform as ceremonial drums beat rapidly below them. Raya could feel her heart increase in speed with the drums as Aang bowed to the right cave, his flame outstretched; Zuko to the left in the same manor. Raya bowed out into the horizon between the two boys.
As the drums beat heavily, a small rumble came from the caves and the earth shivered with the movement of whatever was inside. Aang panicked and turned to look around at the other cave and his companions.
"What's happening?" he asked quickly, taking a few steps toward Zuko, then Raya, before returning to his spot once more and bowing only to realize that his flame was gone. He gasped and turned to Zuko. "Zuko, give me some of your fire," Aang said, running up to the Fire Prince.
"No way, just make some of your own," Zuko said, trying to ignore him.
"Come on Zuko, please," Aang pleaded.
"Just go get some of theirs," Zuko said, trying to push Aang off of his back as the Avatar was reaching around him for his flame.
"That's too far!" Aang protested. "I'll never make it!"
"Stop cheating off me!" Zuko yelled.
"Guys, stop!" Raya said harshly, as she turned. Her flame was still there but she noticed that both boys had managed to lose theirs in their scuffle. "Here, hurry – whoa," she said, offering her own flame, but stopped as a large quake rumbled through the mountain. She was cut short abruptly as two large dragons flew from the caves, and she dropped her arms in awe, her fire dissipating.
The dragons began to swirl around them on the platform and Raya couldn't believe her eyes. Dragons. Two living, breathing dragons. They were massive, indicating that they were most likely very old, and wise. She felt her heart hammer in her chest as she watched the blue and red dragons swirl through the air. Rai Jin was not the last one. This thought brought the familiar sting of tears to her eyes.
"Beautiful," she whispered, lost in their movements.
"Still think we can take them," Aang joked nervously.
"Shut up, I never said that," Zuko snapped quickly as they back towards the Demitar who didn't seem concerned at all.
"Wait," Aang said, thinking back to the dance they had learned in the temple while Raya had waited outside. "I think they want us to dance with them."
"Are you crazy?" Zuko asked.
"Well, they want us to do something." Zuko looked at Aang hard for a moment before agreeing, and as Raya continued to stand in the center of the platform watching the dragons, Aang and Zuko did the dragon dance around her. The dragon's flight patterns changed then and they truly danced with the boys as they did the movements across the platform. When Aang and Zuko's fists came together for the final movement, the dragons settled heavily on either side of the stone platform and looked down at the three.
"Now what?" Aang said, nervousness leaking from every word.
"You're the one that said we should dance with them," Zuko hissed.
"Well, they did something didn't they?" Aang replied. Suddenly their great maws opened and fire blasted toward them. Aang and Zuko cringed for inpact, and Raya looked on as though she were entranced by it. In the last moment the dragon's fire clashed and began to swirl up around the three in a brilliant inferno full of different colors. They all looked on, eyes wide with appreciation, and the boys visibly relaxed as they took it all in.
"I understand now," Zuko mumbled as he watched the colors swirl.
"It's beautiful," Aang said, feeling the fear and anticipation he had felt towards fire bending abate. The fire began to dissipate, and Shaw's massive head came into the circle. He looked towards Raya and moved toward her. Aang tensed and began to move toward her, but Zuko grabbed his shoulder.
"Wait," Zuko said, watching the dragon carefully. "I don't think he means any harm."
Raya looked at the dragon, her face serene, and touched his snout gently. A long tendril from his snout snaked out to touch the tip of her arrow, and she froze. Her tattoos began to glow, and Aang felt the presence of the dragon between them. The scene was so incredibly familiar, as Roku's dragon had communicated with him the same way months ago.
After a few moments, Raya's body finally relaxed, and she appeared to begin breathing again. The fire had completely dissipated and the dragons withdrew from the platform, pushing their massive forms off into the air. The snaked up into the sky, before turning to funnel back into their caves.
"Raya?" Aang asked anxiously. Both Zuko and Aang ran up to the Demitar to make sure she wasn't harmed.
"I'm okay," she said softly, looking down at her hands, her eyes full of wonder.
"What happened?" Zuko asked quickly.
"I don't really know . . . I can't remember," She said honestly. She seemed a little confused herself, but she was happy.
"You can't remember?" Aang asked.
"I feel like he gave me something, and spoke to me . . . but I can't remember any of it." The corners of her mouth tugged down slightly, but she shook her head and looked at both of them.
"It doesn't matter," She said. "The fire, it was – it was amazing." They all agreed as they made their way down the platform to the chief. He was waiting for them patiently.
"My uncle didn't kill the last dragon," Zuko said, and Raya could almost see a visible tension lift from his shoulders. "He lied to protect them."
"You're uncle seems like a very wise man," Raya said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"He is," Zuko said softly, then taking a stance, he bent a strong blast of fire out and away from everyone. "Fire is so much more than power and rage." He said, smiling up at everyone. "I understand now, the truth behind firebending; it grants warmth and light, like the sun. Did you guys realize this?" Zuko was becoming excited now, his revelation still coursing through him.
"Well, we are called the Sun Warriors," the chief said with a small laugh.
"I get it now, too," Aang said thoughtfully. "There is so much more to firebending than what I've seen because of the war. It's so much deeper than that," he said, and as he spoke, he copied Zuko's stance and bent a confident blast of fire. He smiled triumphantly and looked to his friends. Raya smiled happily for him and hugged him.
"You did it," she said, pulling away from him with a proud smile.
"Shaw touched you," the chief said as Raya spoke for the first time since descending from the platform. "He saw something in you of great worth," the chief observed. Raya looked down at her hands once again, and pulled the feeling of fire from within her lungs. She took a deep breath, and as she exhaled, pushed her open hand out into the air, palm up. Emerald flames erupted from her fingertips and painted the air in hues of green.
She looked at the colors, shocked, and turned toward her friends. Aang and Zuko were watching her with wonder as she brought her hands back down to rest beside her.
"Wow," Aang marveled.
"I've only ever seen regular fire, and Azula's blue fire," Zuko commented, looking intrigued.
"A gift from a dragon must not be taken lightly. It is a great responsibility," the chief said sternly. "But the Demitar knows a lot about that, I'm sure," the chief said, referring to the responsibility of being the Demitar as he smiled kindly at her. She nodded in agreement and smiled to them all.
"Thank you, for allowing us to see the masters. Their secret is safe with us," Raya promised. "When Zuko told me that my dragon was the last, I felt . . . devastated. But now I knew there is hope. They still live." Unsolicited tears blurred her vision as the relief she felt consumed her. She felt Aang wrap her in a gentle hug, and Zuko's hand came to rest reassuringly on her shoulder.
"Your dragon is very fortunate to have a companion such as yourself," the chief observed.
"I feel like it's the other way around," she said thoughtfully, wondering what her life would have been without him.
The journey home took less time than the trio had expected, and when they touched down onto the temple stone, Raya leapt from the saddle with a great air burst beneath herself. She landed directly on Rai Jin's face, hugging the great white dragon tightly. He rumbled appreciatively and smoke wafted around the Demitar's body.
"Missed you, buddy," she muttered into his face. "Look what I learned!" she said suddenly, leaping back a few paces to give herself some room. She bent out several emerald blasts, filling the air with green light. The dragon watched in silence, content.
"Well, that's new," Katara said, coming to welcome them back.
"And I can do this!" Aang said excitedly, bending brilliant bursts of fire. Katara smiled supportively as she watched him.
"Great, so you're a jerk bender now too," Sokka said sarcastically. Raya and Zuko both scowled at the water tribe boy, but Aang's spirits could not be dampened.
"We also learned this!" Aang said, grabbing Zuko's arm and dragging him into the center of the platform where everyone could see. Zuko sighed, but agreed. They went smoothly through all of the movements, and once they'd finished, Raya and Katara applauded lightly.
"So you went all that way to learn some fancy dance moves?" Sokka jibed.
"No! It's an ancient technique that's thousands of years old!" Zuko argued.
"What's it called again?" Sokka asked, one eyebrow raised.
"The . . . dancing dragon . . ." Zuko said slowly as laughter bubbled up around him.