Aang awoke that morning with a massive yawn, the proceeded to walk to the window and greet the morning sun, already climbing high into the sky. Then he stopped, eyes widening to the size of saucers as his breath caught in his throat. He raced down the hallways of the Air Temple at an inhuman speed, heart already racing in his chest, though not at all because of the physical exertion.
He reached the outdoors area in a blur of motion, grinding his heels into the stone and skidding to a halt. A lone Zuko sat in a meditative pose near the ledge, his back to Aang as he let the sun wash over his face. Aang approached with tentative steps, and he had to struggle to find his voice.
"Uhh... Zuko?"
Zuko didn't stir, and Aang took another step. That's when it happened.
"BEND A WALL OF FIRE!" Where she came from he couldn't say, but her sudden shouting made Aang nearly jump out of his skin as he cried out.
"Well? What are you waiting for!? DO IT!"
Aang blinked, his mouth forming a tiny 'o' before he responded, "But I can't-"
"Shoot me with a bolt of lightning!"
"What?!"
"DO IT!"
"I don't know how!"
"Then I expect," She said tersely, "that you will be waking up at sunrise from now on." Aang nodded his head very quickly, his entire body rigid and straight as an arrow as he stared into her fierce golden eyes. Then she did something that actually made his heart skip a beat; she smirked. "Then let's begin."
"Zu-Zu dearest, why don't you get the Avatar started on the basics." At his name, the young man took one final breath and then stood to face the pair. Then groaned. The Avatar was almost literally shaking with fear, and fear in Firebending was simply not an option.
He approached Aang as Azula walked off to sit on a ledge and observe. "Firebending, in and of itself, is not something to fear." Zuko told him, and the Avatar relaxed visibly.
"Not something to fear, okay."
"But if you don't respect it, it will chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo-rhino!" He exclaimed, taking an angry step foward for emphasis, and Aang recoiled away like a small child who had fallen victim to someone else crying 'Boo!'
Zuko relaxed his stance, "Now show me what you can do. Any amount of Firebending at all."
Aang nodded, then remembering what Jeong Jeong had told him all those months ago, he took a deep breath, then, just like he had seen all those soldiers do countless times, he thrust an open palm straight out, and was rewarded with a fizzling curl of black smoke that blew harmlessly away in the almost non-existent breeze. He smiled sheepishly, and Zuko could only pinch the bridge of his nose at the pathetic display.
Azula's barely restrained laughter wasn't helping the situation any, and feeling suddenly self-conscious, Aang suggested to Zuko, "Well, maybe a demonstration would help..."
Zuko nodded, "Alright. You might want to take a few steps back." The Avatar did just that, retreating to the ledge Azula was sitting on, and he couldn't be sure if it was his mind playing tricks on him, or if the scar on his back really was starting to tingle from her proximity. She watched her brother with serious intent as he took a breath, then stepped forward and punched out with a solid fist, he produced the tiniest tendril of flame to ever qualify for Firebending. "What was that? That was pathetic!"
Azula's laughter was not at all restrained this time as it rang out high and loud throughout the canyon. She laughed so hard she had to literally hold her sides, but Zuko, being used to her tormenting him as he was, paid her no mind as he did what he always did when he failed and tried again. With very similar results, sadly. He groaned in frustration, "Why isn't it working!?" He stopped to take a calming breath, "Alright, just breathe, and..."
Another spectacular fizzle of paltry Firebending and black smoke and he cried out in anger. Azula finally stopped laughing and hopped down from her perch, approaching Zuko with a sigh of disappointment. "Must you be such a constant failure, Zuko?"
"This isn't funny Azula! Something's seriously wrong here..."
"Poor, poor Zu-Zu... it's so easy, you just breath," she inhaled, "let the energy flow," pulled back her arm, "and using anger as the catalyst..." she struck out, letting loose a powerful conflagration of intense flame in a wave that washed over the old stones. It was a grand display of Firebending that would have put a master 50 years her senior to shame. Every eye present was stretched open to the limit, a shared sense of shock between the three. Azula's mouth moved but no sound came out as she watched the last of the fire dissipated into air. It had been flawless, it had been powerful...
It had been red.
"Red? RED!?" Azula screeched so loudly that every bird in the canyon flew away, and dozens of yards away Momo flew off to hide in a small crevice. "My fire hasn't been RED since I was a child!"
"Azula! Hey, let's just, calm down now, shall we? It'll be alright." The crazed look in her eye told him absolutely otherwise though, and if he was being honest, it scared him. She looked like an injured, wild animal, hurt and uncertain and ready to lash out at anything that came near.
"I thought it was great!" Aang's upbeat voice called out to them, and Zuko never wanted to hurt the kid more than he did right then.
"DON'T YOU PATRONIZE ME, AVATAR!" She snarled, and if Zuko hadn't been there to hold her by the shoulders she certainly would have leapt for the poor kid's throat. Thrashing against her brother's grip Azula screamed, "Let me go! I just want to kill him, just a little bit! Let me go dammit!"
Zuko held fast, though it was proving to be a real challenge. "Azula, no, you're not going to kill the Avatar again, that's a bad Azula."
"But he-"
"No."
"I'll-!"
"Bad Azula!"
"Hrmph." The struggle ceased at last, and Azula was forced to settle with a pout. A dangerous, lethal pout.
Aang, having been thus far reluctant to say anything else that might get him killed, finally decided to toss out a suggestion. "Maybe it's the altitude?"
"Maybe." Zuko repeated, but Azula simply scoffed at the notion.
"That's ridiculous. In case you've both forgotten, we're below ground level right now, there is no reason altitude would be effecting our Firebending down here." The two boys shared embarrassed looks at the obvious being stated.
"Oh... right." Aang appeared thoughtful for a moment then spoke up again, "Maybe we can figure something out over a nice breakfast!"
Azula shrugged, whether or not it would logically help solve their dilemma didn't matter, it would just be nice to eat something at this point.
"Let's hope so." said Zuko, a heavy weight to his words.
The members of the gang were all seated comfortably in a circle when Aang and his new Firebending teachers came walking up. Sokka was striking two spark rocks together furiously in an attempt to start a fire, and Katara nudged him upon seeing Azula and Zuko approaching.
"Thank the spirits..." He muttered, then louder so the pair could hear him, "hey, how about some help over here. I'm getting tired of these stupid rocks and, as much I hate to admit it, I'm glad we finally have some fire on our side."
Azula and Zuko both looked at each other before he replied, "I'm sorry, I don't think I can help. You see... I've lost my stuff you guys."
"What!? Don't tell me that bird came back to finish the job Sparky." Toph nearly laughed, but it became quickly apparent this was no joke.
"No, I mean, I've lost my Firebending." All eyes shot up in surprise, and he clarified, "Well, I didn't exactly lose it, it's just... weaker."
"Too weak to build a fire?" Sokka asked with an overly dramatic sadness, complete with pouting lip and pleading eyes.
"Too weak to be considered Firebending." He replied with a dead finality.
Katara had been studying Azula with a keen interest, and she noted the angry, distant look with suspicion. "What about you?"
When Azula realized it was her being addressed this time, she narrowed her eyes and said with a dangerously even tone, "I don't want to talk about it."
Katara looked mad at first, but then suddenly broke into a giggling fit. Neither of the fire siblings found the situation amusing. "This isn't funny." Zuko told her, but it did little to deter her laughter.
"I'm sorry, but do you know how convenient it would have been for us if you two had lost your Firebending months ago? Maybe back when we were being chased around the world, or, I know, back at Ba Sing Se!? It would have been real nice if you could have 'magically' lost your bending back then."
"You guys we need to focus on the problem at hand, arguing over the past won't help anyone right now." Aang interjected, ever the peace keeper. Zuko thought about it for a minute.
"Maybe it's because we switched sides..."
"That's ridiculous." Both Katara and Azula said at the same time, and then promptly proceeded to glare at one another.
"Maybe it isn't..." Began Aang, thinking back to his first lesson in Firebending, "Jeong Jeong told me that Firebenders use anger to fuel their bending. Maybe by joining us, Zuko somehow lost that anger."
"I dunno, still seems pretty angry to me." Toph pointed out with casual indifference.
Sokka stroked his chin, "Soo... all we have to do is make them angry and they can Firebend again. Shouldn't be too hard." He grabbed a stick and set about poking Zuko in the shoulder, the temple, the back of the head, other temple, etc. etc. It seemed to be working, too, if the slowly contorting features of his face were any indication.
"Stop it!" Zuko shouted with lethal intent. Sokka turned his attention to Azula, but was stopped dead in his tracks.
"Touch me with that stick, and I'm going to take it and turn you into a girl with it." She told him in a sweet, calm voice that was pure malice. Sokka's stick disappeared in a flash behind his back and he back pedaled away with a huge, sheepish smile plastered across his face.
Zuko took a deep breath to calm down, then said, "Look, even if that's true, I don't want to rely on anger anymore. There has to be another way."
"It sounds like you need to go back to the source." Toph told them as she picked at some wax inside of her ear. "Giant badger-moles were the original Earthbenders, and they're who I learned from."
"You learned Earthbending from giant monsters in the ground?" Azula asked with an unusual curiosity in her voice.
Toph flicked some wax away and nodded, "You bet, Sunshine. I was little, and had run away from home. I was feeling lost and scared when they found me. We were both blind, so we understood one another. For them, the original Earthbenders, Earthbending was more than a way of fighting, the used it as an extension of themselves. It was their way of interacting with the world around them."
"That's amazing Toph!" Aang exclaimed with wide-eyed wonder. "The sky bison were the original Airbenders. Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime, hey buddy!" He shouted to Appa, who growled a deep, resonant rumble in response.
"The Moon was the original Waterbender, we learned how to push and pull the tide the same way that she did." Katara explained in turn. Everyone looked to Zuko and Azula, who exchanged uneasy glances with one another.
"Yeah, well, that still doesn't help. The dragons were the original Firebenders, but there aren't any of those left." Zuko admitted with a hint of guilt.
Azula suddenly had a thought, "But maybe the original students learned something useful." Her and Zuko looked to one another and nodded, then spoke in unison.
"The Sun Warriors."
Aang appeared just as confused as the other three when he asked, "The what?"
"The Sun Warriors were the first people to be taught by the dragons, but they disappeared thousands of years ago." Zuko looked uncertain as he proposed, "Maybe they left something we could use, or learn from, or something."
Aang appeared skeptical at the proposal. "You mean we're just going to go to some ancient ruins, and by standing where they stood thousands of years ago, we might learn some cool Firebending moves?"
Zuko could only shrug, "That's the idea. Either we find a new source of Firebending, or you find a new teacher."
"I don't know why, but I thought this thing would go faster." Zuko commented with mild disappointment as him and his sister drifted through the sky on the Avatar's bison, Aang himself sitting on the beast's neck with the reins in hand.
"His name is Appa, and he flies faster than you do." Azula snickered at his snipe. His attitude shifted like the wind itself as he told the two, "You know, we usually start out our missions with a more upbeat and positive attitude."
Zuko rolled his eyes while Azula said with a practiced false sincerity, "We'll try our best." The two first time flyers were both situated at the back of Appa's saddle, perfectly in the center. Azula secretly had a death grip on one of Zuko's arms, the terrifying memory of her recent tumble through the air still all too fresh in her mind.
Some hours later a small island came into view, covered almost entirely in ancient ruins with jungle overgrowth dotting them here and there. In the far distance, twin mountain peaks rose to cast ominous, dominating shadows across the old stone structures.
"Whoa..." Aang breathed, his eyes going wide at the shear size of the old city, "It's huge!"
Zuko moved to peer over the side of the saddle, but Azula was content to remain exactly where she was. "Yep, that's the place alright." He surveyed the ruins for a moment then pointed, "I think there's a spot where Appa can land down there." With a rumble, Appa descended towards the ancient stones.
They dismounted from Appa's saddle, Azula feeling a swell of gratitude the moment her feet touched solid ground, and surveyed their surroundings. The humidity that clung to their skin was the only indication they were even still in the Fire Nation, everything else was as alien to them as ice would be to a badger-mole.
"This place is so... different," Zuko commented with a mild sense of awe, "and yet, I can tell the Fire Sages modeled their temples after this." Azula walked on one side of Zuko, arms crossed and a brooding look that could have made Zuko jealous, while on the other side Aang was wide-eyed and looked around in amazement.
"Wow... See, we already learned something about architecture. The past can be a great teacher." Aang declared, and the next moment his foot caught a tripwire that sent him tumbling for the ground just as a section of stone slid down to reveal dozens of spikes. With a mighty inhale Aang just manages to blow enough air to stop his fall and propel him safely across the shallow pit, flipping in mid-air to land on his feet. He looked back with fresh, raw terror in his eyes as he shouted, "Guys, I think the past is trying to kill me!"
Zuko bent down to examine the tripped wire, remarking to himself, "This trap must be centuries old..." He let it drop as he rose back to full height, and with a burst of speed he ran up and across one of the walls, landing neatly next to the Avatar on the opposite side of the spike pit. "Now where's that positive attitude you were talking about?"
Azula still stood just the way she had been, arms crossed over her chest and ultimately unhappy with the entire situation, though the near death of the Avatar had certainly piqued her interest for a second there. With a roll of her eyes she followed the other two, stepping confidently between the small spikes as if it were a garden and she were merely going for a pleasant stroll. "You know, traps like that really aren't dangerous once activated. It's the surprise combined with the trip and fall that kill you. Once you can see where they are they're quite simple to avoid really."
Zuko glared at her as she made her way between the spikes with cat's grace, mocking him without having to say a word. He could tell by the minute smirk just how much she was loving every second of it.
"Come along now," She commanded without even pausing as she glided right past them, "you know people don't set traps like that unless they have something worth protecting." Without reply the two boys followed after her, both secretly hoping that whatever was worth protecting was also worth finding.
The trio ascended a large set of steps, and at the top found a crumbling wall with an old mosaic that crudely depicted a man engulfed in dragon's fire, though he did not appear to be suffering from it.
"Hmm... That's odd, I always thought that dragons were friendly with humans."
Aang moved so he was standing next to Zuko, "They were... Avatar Roku even had one for his animal guide."
Zuko snorted, "Well they sure had a funny way of showing it."
"It's symbolic, dum-dum." Azula seemed to appear right next to him, chiding in that tone that he knew well enough to know that she wasn't done. "The dragons gave fire to man, taught us how to create and control it like they do, through breath and disciplined focus. This is an early Sun Warrior account of the dawn of Firebending, this dragon isn't killing the man," she explained, her voice dropping to an awed whisper, "It's giving him fire."
Aang stared dumbfounded for a second, blinking several times before finally saying, "Wow, that's amazing! How do you know so much about dragons Azula?"
She didn't look at him though, her eyes transfixed on the simple yet obvious depiction of a dragon, and she reached out to brush her fingertips along the picture, as if she could somehow reach back in time and touch a dragon itself. "I've always wanted one." She said absently, as if more to the wall than anybody else.
Aang's brow scrunched up in thought for a few moments, and then he said hesitantly, "Guys... something happened to the dragons in the last hundred years. There were plenty of dragons around, what happened?"
Neither Zuko nor Azula seemed immediately willing to answer that question. Azula continued to stare intently at the mosaic, as if her glare could set fire to the stone, so it was Zuko that finally confessed with a small, regretful voice, "Our great grandfather Sozin happened. He was the one that started hunting dragons for sport. They were the ultimate Firebenders, and it was said that if anyone could defeat one, they're Firebending skills would become legendary, and they would be given the honorary title of 'Dragon'."
"Uncle killed the last one years before either of us were born." Azula added with barely restrained contempt, her golden eyes narrowing at the picture of the dragon.
"But I thought your uncle was... I don't know, a good guy?" He asked in confusion. All Azula was willing to offer was a bitter 'Hmpf.' Zuko looked away.
"He had a complicated past..." He offered, then smirked as he looked up to see his sister still facing away from him, "family tradition I guess."
Aang nodded in understanding, and the two set off to explore another section of the ruins, Zuko nudging Azula with his elbow as he passed by to indicate that they were moving, but she remained stoic and impassive. "You two go on ahead, I'll catch up. This section of the city seems to be dedicated to the dragons, perhaps I can learn something about them that only the Sun Warriors knew, they were rather close afterall."
Zuko shrugged and nodded and went on his way, already knowing there was no point trying to convince her otherwise. It was an abandoned, ancient ruin, what could possibly happen to her if she wandered off on her own? He remembered the spike pit, and turned to open his mouth and say something, but she apparently beat him to the thought. "I'll be sure to watch out for spikes in the floor."
"Right." He replied as he turned the other way, feeling a fool. Of all the people in the world who might stumble into obvious, simple traps, she was probably the last one he needed to worry about.
He caught up to Aang in short order, and for a while the two boys walked in companionable silence, admiring in their own ways the way the vines snaked across the ancient stone as tufts of grass grew up out of the floor. It was Aang who finally decided to break the silence.
"So..." He began with an awkward scratch behind his head, "your sister is really something else, hey Zuko?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked with guarded suspicion, scarred eye narrowing so slightly.
Aang fumbled to avoid saying something he would quickly regret, "I mean, she's... different?"
Zuko practically rolled his eyes, "Yeah, she's different alright."
"I guess I just never expected she would be one to switch sides like that. I know you were up in the air but she just always seemed really sure of what she was doing. I don't know, it's hard to explain I guess."
"She's confident, but I'm not sure she ever really knew what she was doing." The taller boy replied with a distant regret. Noticing the puzzled look on Aang's face, he explained, "When I got banished, it was the best thing that ever could have happened to me, though I didn't know it at the time. It was three years that I spent with my uncle, away from my father." For a brief moment, Zuko's face seemed to shine with fond memories, but it was quickly clouded with a curtain of guilt that seemed to weigh down on his face. "It was three years she spent trapped alone with him."
The solemn way in which Aang nodded told the scarred man he understood, "She never had a positive influence."
"She never had someone who cared." Zuko shot back without any doubt in his voice.
"What about your mo-"
"Don't." Was all he said, in such a way that Aang knew he would never ask again. He looked to the ground in the opposite direction of Zuko, but brightened with a thought. "Well, I guess she's lucky she's got you then, right?"
Zuko couldn't help but smile, if however weakly, "Yeah."
They came soon upon a magnificent, golden circular door with a large, intricate design in the floor before it. Aang recognized it immediately, "It's a solar calendar, just like the one in Roku's temple!" Zuko scrutinized the calendar more closely.
"It looks like it opens on the solstice."
"Monkey-feathers! The solstice again... We don't have that long."
Unsheathing one of his swords, Zuko commented, "No, we don't. But maybe we can trick it." He knelt, positioning the blade so that it caught the sun. He aimed the light carefully until if reach the large red crystal at the crest of the arch. Nothing happened immediately, but he waited patiently, willing the thing to open with his glare, until finally a latch could be heard clicking. The old door groaned as it slowly slid down and out of the way.
Azula walked along with a sense of repressed awe, her finger absently trailing the wall as she went. Unsurprisingly, she had found what appeared to be a small library nearby to the mosaic. Most of the old tomes were caked in layers of dust and she didn't trust even opening them. Something caught her eye, and she noticed a large book that still had perfectly legible characters on the front cover. Blowing the dust off, she read the title to herself, 'Blood of the Fire Serpents." The term was vaguely familiar, she remembered reading it once or twice in history books about early civilization. Fire Serpent was an old, old name for the dragons, yet the book seemed in better condition than most of the others. She wasn't aware books had even been around back then, but considering her civilization's constant edge on technology, she decided it must have been plausible.
She chose a random page to open at, mindful of the ancient paper and treating it with respect. No sooner had she opened it though, did a voice startle her nearly out of her skin.
"A very interesting read, that one." The wizened old, somewhat strained voice commented, the years themselves seeming to weigh his words down. She turned around to see the old man bent over a cane, regarding her like a harmless animal perched on his window sill. "Are you quite interested in dragons, miss?"
The sheer surprise was nearly enough to set her off guard, but she recovered without flinching and replied easily enough, "Yes."
He smiled widely, in a way only one of many years can, "Yes, they were quite fascinating creatures, weren't they?" He gazed straight into her eyes as he spoke, and she had to physically restrain herself from blinking. He let out a heavy sigh, "It's such a shame they all died, don't you agree?"
Azula nodded, fighting the urge to look away as she solemnly agreed, "Yes, it is..."
"What brings you here, miss? You seem awfully young to be so lost."
"I was... looking for something." She admitted, only afterwards questioning herself and why she didn't lie immediately. She supposed it didn't matter, the truth was pretty harmless in this situation.
"Hmm... And did you expect to find it in that old book?" The hair on the back of Azula's neck rose up. Something about the old man had her on edge.
"Well, I was looking for information on dragons."
"And is that all you are looking for?"
Azula narrowed her eyes at the old man, who's attention had shifted to the dirty old pages of the book, still wide open on a small table. She couldn't help but ask, "What else should I be looking for?"
"Ahh, that is the question, now isn't it? But I'm afraid I'm not the one who can answer it."
Aang and Zuko entered the a large, dusty old chamber to find a number of statues aligned in a circle. Each statue depicted a man in a different stance of some particular Firebending form. Zuko advanced to the center of the circle to study it all while Aang stopped to inspect one particular statue. He scratched his chin in contemplation for a moment, reading the inscription, 'The Dancing Dragon,' then lifted his left leg and raised his arms, mirroring the statue's stance. A stone plate in the floor directly underfoot slid down, and an idea immediately formed in his mind.
"Zuko, dance with me!" The scarred young man gave his counterpart an incredulous stare. "Just trust me."
Zuko stood in front of a second, identical statue to the one Aang stood before, and mimicking his movements, found a floor trigger of his own, and just like that it all clicked into place. "See?" Aang pointed out, and he did indeed.
"I hope these teaches us some really good Firebending." Zuko deadpanned as he shifted his stance, moving from statue to statue in the same manner that the statues depicted. Everywhere they stepped, pressure plates in the floor were situated exactly where their feet ended up, until they reached the opposite end of the circle and completed the form, fists extended towards one another and bodies leaning sideways.
A grinding noise could be heard soon after, and as the two turned they saw a pedestal rising out of the center of the circle, upon which was a large, gem encrusted golden egg. Zuko made to touch it but was stopped by a noise of disagreement from Aang.
"Are you sure you should be doing that?" He asked, nervously biting at his nails and checking over his shoulder.
"What? Don't be so paranoid, there's nobody around, what could possibly happen?"
"I'm just a little wary of shiny golden things on pedestals after that thing with the spikes out there. It could be trapped!"
Zuko shrugged off the Avatar's concerns as easily as an over cloak, and reached to pick the golden egg up. "It feels... alive." He commented, but no sooner had the words left his mouth did the colossal door slam shut, trapping them in chamber without warning. Before Zuko could try to replace the object, a thick green goo shot out of the floor in a jet powerful enough to send him to the very ceiling while Aang jumped out of the way at a moment's notice.
It became immediately apparent to Zuko that he couldn't move, and hung helplessly suspended from the ceiling. "I'm stuck!" He cried out, but Aang was busy with his own problem of trying to avoid the rapidly rising goo. He leapt up on top of one of the statues and sent a powerful air blast up to try and knock his companion down, but all it accomplished was flipping Zuko over so that he now hung from his stomach and not his back. At least there were bars that allowed him to breath.
Meanwhile, the goo continued to rise at an alarming rate, grabbing the Avatar's staff and refusing to let go however hard he was pulling. Aang had to make a split decision, and abandoned the staff as he leapt up to the bars where Zuko was hanging, only find his hands were glued to them the instant he grabbed on. He pulled in vain, then cried, "I'm stuck!" in a very similar manner to Zuko, who merely glared at him.
"I just said that!"
There was no time for an argument though, as the goo quickly rose to fill the chamber, and the two boys could do nothing but wait helplessly for it to reach them. When it finally did, the pressure squeezed their faces through the bars, and then just as suddenly as it had started it stopped. Aang and Zuko could do little more than stare up at the sky above them, unable to so much as twitch a finger in their gooey prison.
"At least it's stopped," Zuko stated the obvious, steadying his nerves. "Let's just keep calm, and maybe we can figure a way out of this."
"Where's your sister? She could help us!"
"I'm not sure if I want my sister to find me and the Avatar trapped helplessly in goo. You never know."
Aang thought about it for a moment, silently agreed and then groaned in frustration. "You just had to touch the golden orb, didn't you."
"Who are you?" Azula asked in a slightly less demanding tone than she normally would have. The old man simply regarded her curiously for a moment before chuckling.
"I live here, my dear. This is my library you are intruding upon. I believe it is I who should be asking you whom you are, hmm?"
He had a point, she couldn't argue there. "My name is Azula." It took longer than it should have for the information to click and her to say, "Wait... You're a Sun Warrior?"
The old man nodded sagely, "Of course I am."
"But how, I mean, I thought the entire civilization went extinct centuries ago."
"Oh?" He replied with plain amusement at being talked about as if he were supposed to be dead, "and have you made many trips to this city of ours? Have you spent many years searching us out?"
Azula scowled at his impudent remark, "Of course not but all the records say you've all been dead for years."
"Then it sounds like all the records are wrong, for I am very much alive here." His knack for pointing out the obvious was beginning to grind on Azula's nerves, but what he said next took her completely by surprise. "I would expect the Royal Palace to keep better records."
"You know who I am..?" She asked with just the barest hint of uncertainty.
"I know you're a member of the royal family. The dragon's eyes may have dulled throughout the millenia, but yours are unmistakeable." He leaned closer, peering into her eyes as light glinted off of his own. "Yes, the fire burns in you like it has not in any other for almost a thousand years. It appears clouded, though." He sighed as he backed away, disappointment evident in the aged lines of his face.
"It is such a shame, to see a fire so strong being smothered with doubt. Tell me, what troubles you child?"
Azula was careful not to let her discomfort show, though she certainly felt it. "There is nothing troubling me, like I said I was just looking for something, but it's clearly not here so I'll be on my way." She added almost as an afterthought, "Sorry for intruding," though she sounded anything but. She turned to leave the way she came, but was stopped dead in her tracks.
"Show me your fire."
She turned slowly back around, and felt a chill run down her spine at the grave look on the old man's face. It was as if he could see right through her. Azula thought about it for a few seconds before refusing with a flat out, "No."
"Why not? I have long wished to gaze upon the beautiful blue flame." Azula's eyes widened in shock, but he hardly seemed to notice as he continued, "It is only imbued in the spirit of a Firebender once every few centuries. As rare as a white dragon, it is. I haven't many years left, my dear. Perhaps you could show me, simply as a favor to an old man?"
She couldn't keep the man's gaze as she admitted almost too quietly for him to hear, "I can't. I've... lost my fire."
"Nonsense!" He roared, a hand swiping out at the air quicker than she would have thought possible for his age, and an arc of flame was unleashed in her direction. Without hesitation she summoned fire to her palms, breaking the attack in half to sail harmlessly past her and preparing to strike back, orange and red flames still blazing around her hands. He smirked a devious old man smirk, "You haven't lost your fire. You've simply lost your focus. Your mind is troubled, child." Azula cautiously relaxed her stance, letting the fire die and regarding the old man in a new light.
He beckoned for her to join him while returning his attention to the book, still open and until now forgotten by the person who had opened it. "Do you know what this book is?" She shook her head tentatively, and he explained, "It was given to man by the dragons themselves, a written account of their bloodlines and the mysteries associated with them. One cannot simply open the book... the book opens to them."
He gestured towards the open book, "Interesting page you've gotten here." Azula peered closer so she could read the words she never had the chance to before.
"The White Dragon..." She read aloud, and the old man nodded.
"A rare creature, a powerful creature, only one every thousand years was ever born, and never was there more than one alive at a time."
"But I don't-"
The old man continued as if he had never heard her, "The white dragon was a creature of remarkable beauty, unprecedented rarity, and unmatchable power. Among all dragons, it was regarded as lord and master." Azula continued reading even as the old man continued speaking, her eyes scanning the words on the page frantically, for what she did not know. "It was over a thousand years ago that the last white dragon created the covenant with man that created the-"
"Created the Royal Bloodline of Firebenders..." Azula finished for him, with undisguised awe as she read. "But... how, why?"
The old man read aloud from a passage on the next page, "And I give this, my blood, to establish a bond inseverable, that the dragonblood may run always through their veins. I give this, my fire, so that they may always carry the dragonfire in their hearts. This gift I make so that the lands born of fire may ever be protected."
The pieces fell into place in Azula's head, "You mean a dragon was responsible for my family's power?" The old man nodded.
"Ironic, isn't it? That the very people who were entrusted with the dragonblood would later cause the destruction of the dragons." He sighed with the weight of his age, a sadness in his eyes as he gazed absently at the pages.
Azula wasn't sure what guilt was supposed to feel like, but she knew that the feeling of her chest being constricted was far from pleasant. "It's a real shame." She admitted, eyes drooping and voice quiet.
"Isn't it." A new voice replied, this one thick and somewhat nasally, and far younger than the man she had been talking to. She turned to see a large man with a feathered headdress and a scepter. He looked less than happy to see her, if his withering glare was any indication. "Are you here with the thieves?"
Azula, ever cautious in her words, eyed the man carefully before saying, "Show me these thieves." He grunted, motioning for her to follow him. As she stepped out of the dusty old library she quickly found that there were dozens of people gathered, and none of them appeared very happy.
Aang and Zuko sat, or were propped up, back to back, still covered in a generous amount of green goop but slowly being licked clean by the long, thin tongues of some strange creatures that seemed more than eager to eat the stuff.
"Which one of you two idiots is responsible for this?"
The two boys both looked up to see Azula standing, arms crossed over her chest and none too happy as she was flanked by a mob of Sun Warriors. Now more than ever did Aang wish he could leap into the sky and fly away. With no other alternative, he quickly blurted out, "Zuko did it!"
The young man in question attempted to glare over his shoulder, but without much success. His eyes slowly came around to meet his sister's, and he had to admit, she was doing a much better job of glaring. "I can explain."
"Can you now? That's incredible, I've waited a long time for an explanation of why you're such an idiot, this should be good."
He felt the anger rise in him, an only too familiar feeling, "I wasn't stealing anything!"
"You found a golden, shining egg on a pedestal in the middle of a room sealed by a massive solstice door, and you thought picking it up would be a good idea?! Spirits Zuko how stupid can you be?!"
"I didn't think-"
"Clearly! What if something else had happened? What if there was no getting out of there? You could have-!"
"I'm sorry, okay?" He offered, hearing the concern that lingered just below her vehement words.
"You're sorry for stealing our most sacred Sun Stone?" The large man in the headdress, the chief as it turned out, mocked Zuko's apology.
"Yes, I am! When I first came here, I had no idea the civilization of the Sun Warriors was still secretly alive. Please, I didn't mean to steal anything, we were just looking for ancient Sun Warrior secrets about Firebending."
The chief glared hard at the young man, as if gauging his worth like he were a gem. "You wish to learn Firebending from the masters?"
Azula didn't like the way the man said "masters," but before she could voice an argument her brother cried out, "Yes, please, we would be honored!"
The large man grinned, a sinister glint in his eye, "Very well."
The trio found themselves before an enormous bonfire that roared and crackled inside of it's gilded, ornate fireplace. Sun Warriors flanked them all around, and before them stood the chief. "This is the first fire, given to man by the dragons centuries ago. We have kept it burning ever since. To prove your worth to the masters, each of you will have to carry a piece of this flame to the top of the mountain. Be warned, if you lack the will to control your flame, it may grow too large and consume you, but if you are too timid, it will wither and die. This ceremony demonstrates the very essence of Firebending, and is the first step to meeting the masters."
With a single swipe, the large man scooped a flame out of the bonfire, and with his other hand he split and divided it between the three assembled teenagers. Zuko took his flame with a grim determination, while Aang was visibly intimidated by his, and Azula simply held hers like it was just the nighttime candle she happened to grab.
"It's... like a little heartbeat." Aang noted quietly, eyes lighting up in wonder. The chief looked down at him in surprise.
"Of course! Fire is life, it burns inside of us all."
Aang shared a look of fascination with Zuko, who merely shrugged in response before indicating that they should get moving. They turned in time to see Azula was already way ahead of them, literally, and with no signs of slowing down. Zuko didn't seem to mind having something to watch as they made the otherwise mundane hike.
"Hey Azula, wait up!" Aang called after an hour or so showed no signs of them ever bridging the distance.
"Avatar," She called calmly over her shoulder, "I've seen you run up 300 feet of wall, if you think I'm slowing down so you can catch up, you're sorely mistaken."
"But I can't wind sprint right now, my fire will go out!" He cried.
"Yes but you could at least go faster than a snail-slug!" She shot back.
"You're fire's going to go out anyways because it's too small." Zuko informed Aang before he could continue the shouting match, which Zuko already knew was a losing fight on his end. "You're too timid, you have to give it more juice."
Aang glanced away, then hesitantly askd, "Well what if I can't control it?"
"You can do it," Zuko told him with a grin, "you're a talented kid." Aang perked up a little and his flame grew slightly upon hearing his once enemy speak so confidently about him. With a new confidence he picked his feet up and set off to catch Azula, while Zuko went back to keeping an eye on his sister.
"If you stare any harder I swear it's going to burst into flames!" She called out in a way that could have been either angry or teasing, but with her it was impossible to tell. Zuko's face darkened almost immediately until it very nearly matched his scar in color. Aang appeared as miffed as if someone had just told him the sky were green.
"What's going to burst into fire?"
Zuko contemplated very quickly whether or not killing the Avatar was still a viable option. Anything to avoid this line of questioning. "It's the, err, well, there was this... Earth, in the rock." Toph was right, he was awful at this. His face felt as though it were on fire and his heart was hammering in his chest. If he tried really hard, Zuko was certain he could hear Azula laughing to herself.
"What?"
"If you stare at rocks long enough they light on fire."
"... What are you talking about Zuko?"
"What are we talking about?"
"I have no idea!"
"Good."
Aang gave up with his questions and Zuko breathed a sigh of relief. They walked onwards in relative silence until at last they reached the summit an hour or so before sunset. Azula was standing in the center of a large circle set in stone, surrounded on all sides by Sun Warriors at regular intervals and looking all about in well concealed fascination. She appeared to be in some small, dormant volcano, enclosed by high rising, jagged walls of Earth. There was a dauntingly tall set of steps that led up to a medium sized platform with walkways shooting out in opposite directions, bridging the gap between the two peaks that sat atop the volcano like a crown.
As Aang and Zuko approached Azula, the chief stepped forward to address the trio. "Now that you are all here, we may begin the ceremony of fire. Present your flames!" He bellowed, his voice echoing all around. The three all lifted their palms up to the burly man, and with a swoop of his hand he took a piece of each flame, then passed the fire to the man immediately beside him, who in turn created a circle of flame before passing it on to the men on either side of him. Each Sun Warrior repeated this process, until there were rings of fire encircling the area.
"When you present your fire to the masters, Ran and Shao, they will examine your hearts and your ancestry. If they deem you worthy, they will teach you, but if they do not, you will be destroyed on the spot!" He paused to study the three before him, the young, apprehensive Avatar, the stoic young man with the scar, and the ebony haired girl with the unamused pout. "The masters will not be pleased to see you two."
Zuko and Azula glanced at one another in surprise. "You know who we are?" asked the former, a hint of trepidation to his voice.
"Yes, and your family is directly responsible for the disappearance of the dragons. This test will be especially dangerous for you."
Finally it was Aang's turn to grin, "I'm the Avatar though, this should be no problem for me right?"
The chief only glared harder though. "Have you forgotten that you disappeared for the last hundred years, and allowed the Fire Lords to destroy the balance? You are just as much responsible for the dragons' decline as they." Aang's head shrunk into his shoulders like a turtle at the reminder, and suddenly all the apprehension was back and then some.
"Well boys, shall we?" Azula suggested as she turned towards the steps. Despite sounding as calm as ever, she was secretly anxious to meet these "masters." If her limited experience in the city of the Sun Warriors had taught her anything, it was to be prepared to be surprised.
As they neared the base of the steps, Aang suddenly voiced his misgivings, "You guys, are you sure about this? We can still turn back, we've already learned so much about Firebending!" He lifted his hand and gave a sheepish smile, but received instead glares that mirrored each other with startling similarity.
"No, we aren't turning back now, we've come too far." Zuko replied with more confidence than he actually felt. Azula gave him an appreciative look for his courage, and he added, "Besides, we're the prince and princess of the Fire Nation and the Avatar. Whoever these guys are, I think we can take 'em." He unsheathed his dao swords just enough to emphasize his point, and with that they all three began the arduous climb. As they did, the warriors below began pounding out a rhythm on their drums that was reminiscent of twin heartbeats.
When at last they reached the platform at the top of the stairs, they heard the chief call out from far below. "You may now present your fire to the masters!" From where they stood, they could now see openings in the twin peaks, and so they held their palms up to the caves in offering, and bowed their heads.
The waiting was weighing on Aang's nerves more heavily by the second, until he finally gave a nervous look over his shoulder to see if either anything was happening behind him. All he saw was Zuko and Azula holding steady flames beside one another, holding their respectful stances as if they were carved of stone. Taking a deep, calming breath, Aang turned his attention once more to his own palm, only to find that the flame had disappeared. Panic overtook him in an instant.
"Guys, my fire went out, let me borrow some of yours!" He cried out in desperation.
"What? No, make your own!" Zuko answered for the both of them, still holding his pose.
"I can't! You guys, please, just let me have some, I really need it!" He begged like a homeless man for food.
"Go get some from one of them." Azula bit out, her patience already running thin from having her concentration broken.
Aang stepped behind them both. "You guys both have some, I just need a little, come on!"
They both turned their heads to glare at the Avatar and said in unison, "NO!"
"You're being selfish!" He told them, now practically climbing over the two and trying to reach their flames, which they held with one hand while fighting the intruder off with their other.
"Back off Aang!"
"Get off of me Avatar!"
"You guys come on!" He made one last desperate swipe at their flames, so close that he could feel the heat on his fingertips, and just like that they both went out. At first they looked irately at the Avatar, but a low, deep rumbling sound caused their eyes to shift, first looking apprehensively to one another, and then finally gazing ahead of them at the dark cave mouth. Aang gulped, still somewhat on top of the siblings but apparently forgotten for the time being. He dropped down and turned to face the opposing cave, and another growl vibrated the stone beneath their feet.
Twin points of yellow light appeared in the darkness, and in the space of a heartbeat a pair of massive dragons emerged from the two caves, one a dark red and the other a soft, somewhat lighter blue. They were both enormous, with heads the size of small huts and long, serpentine bodies that must have been over a hundred feet long. They soared and dove through the air in an endless pattern, as if chasing their own tails and circling one another at the same time.
"Still think we can take them?" Aang whispered to Zuko, who simply denied ever making any such claim. Azula simply stood as one transfixed by some deity of indescribable beauty descending from the heavens, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide with wonder.
After a few minutes of studying them, a thought suddenly occurred to the young Avatar. "It's like they're waiting for us to do something... maybe we should dance with them?"
Zuko looked at his fellow with much skepticism, but then shrugged. "Worth a shot I guess."
They took their places and began the dance, just as the first statue had depicted, and the dragons responded immediately by shooting up into the air. As they stepped through the different stances, the dragons mirrored each movement in their own way, coiling in on themselves and striking out in tandem with a punch, diving low with a leg sweep. Azula hadn't the faintest idea what this dance was, so she studied with a diligent eye every majestic movement that the great beasts made.
Aang and Zuko completed the sequence with a double fist pump towards each other, and then they looked up to notice the dragons hovering in the air, staring intently at the three small beings that stood before them. All the drummers had ceased their actions, and an oppressive silence had settled on them all. It was then that Aang noticed that the largest of their teeth was about the same size as him, and he gulped. They both retreated a few steps until they were once again in the center of the platform, where Azula stood, entire body tense and ready to respond at a moment's notice. She was simply waiting for the dragons to make the first move.
So they did, dropping from the air to land with a shuddering crash on the edges of the platform. Without pause they reared back their massive heads and opened their jaws, spewing forth twin infernos that clashed together and spun like a tornado, rising high into the air. Aang, Zuko, and Azula all screamed as the flames came to wash them away from existence, and without even thinking about it Azula's hand found her brother's, who readily squeezed back in response.
The flames never hurt them though, instead revealing the very essence and source of true Firebending. There were colors beyond count and imagination, colors that symbolized love, anger, sorrow and joy, a color for every emotion, and amidst all the swirling, chaotic beauty, was found a simple, common truth; life.
Aang's eyes were practically too big for his head as he watched in fascination, feeling the magnificent vibrance of it all resonating with his very core. Zuko and Azula stood there, still hand in hand, transfixed by the maelstrom of colored flame that spoke to them in a language they didn't realize they could understand. Azula's lips were parted and her hair flew freely to the side. Her eyes shimmered with unspilt tears as her very soul bore witness to the miracle of all creation, and for the first time in countless years her mind was quiet, and at peace. Zuko looked on, and for the first time in his life found his scarred eye was seeing more than his other. All throughout the flames there were images which he could only make out with his left eye. There were the faces of people, scenes of love and celebration, secrets that could not be spoken by tongue, but only shown with fire.
"I understand." He said at last, his voice incredibly quiet. Azula reached out with her free hand to touch the flames, but just as suddenly as they had appeared, the fire dissipated into thin air, and the dragons rose once more. They flew up, circled each other one last time and then shot straight into their caves, disappearing without any visible trace, as if they were never there at all. Down below, the Sun Warriors finished their own movements, the rings of fire dying out as their hands met in a fist to palm salute that mimicked the appearance of a lone flame.
The trio descended the stairs, filled with a new insight into Firebending and outlook on life. The chief was there awaiting them, for the first time ever his hard scowl was gone and instead a welcoming light shown through his features. "You have faced the masters Ran and Shao, and they have deemed you worthy. I hope you have learned something from all this."
"We have, thank you." Zuko answered, bowing respectfully and offering his own salute. "But I don't understand... my uncle claimed to have faced and defeated the last remaining dragon."
"Your uncle lied Zuko. He didn't kill the last dragon, he was protecting them." Aang told him.
"Well, he wasn't totally lying." The chief said, an unfamiliar smile still on his face. "Your uncle Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters, and he passed their test just as you have. He swore to protect the dragons from any who might wish them harm."
At this Azula's interest was piqued, "You mean Uncle, he... lied to protect the dragons?"
Zuko smirked, "See Azula, he's not so bad." He gave her a playful nudge with his elbow.
"So now do you understand how fire is life?" The chief asked them, and they all three nodded.
"Yes, and I also understand why my bending was so weak before." Zuko replied, and turning to Aang said, "For so long, my purpose in life was capturing you, it was my drive, and when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now, I have a new drive. I will be your Firebending teacher, and together, we will defeat my father, and bring balance and peace back to the world."
Zuko stepped away, and, with a breath and a step, unleashed a fireball from his fist that was several times more powerful than any he had produced before. With a new confidence, Aang too stepped forward and unleashed from his palm a ball of flame that rivaled his friend. They both turned expectantly to Azula, and sensing this she turned, and with one deep breath she extended two fingers to the sky above and let a column of sapphire fire shoot out to the heavens and bathe everyone and everything present in a pale, effervescent glow.
From a stone building a couple miles away, an old man watched through the window by his bedside as the azure conflagration rose high into the sky. "Beautiful." Was all he said, as the candle by his bedside went out, and he closed his eyes for the last time.
The chief's expression turned dark as he approached the three triumphant looking teens. "And now that you know our secret, I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to leave."
The trio glanced warily to one another, silently preparing for a fight when the large man suddenly smiled. "Just kidding, but seriously don't tell anyone."
As Aang and Zuko came fist to fist once more, the audience gathered broke out into congratulations and cheers. "Nice dance you two." Katara quipped.
"It isn't a dance, it's an ancient and sacred Firebending form!" Zuko fired back defensively.
"Oh yeah? What's your 'Firebending form' called then?" The Waterbender asked teasingly.
Zuko flinched inwardly as he realized the answer, and replied lamely, "The... Dancing Dragon." The group burst into laughter promptly, and Katara crossed her arms in a smug look of triumph.
It only took a moment for him to realize who's distinctive laughter was absent. "Where's my sister?" He asked nobody in particular, and it was Toph who responded first.
"I think I felt her going that way." She pointed with her thumb and Zuko took off in the indicated direction, the sounds of people questioning the Avatar about his new Firebending powers dying behind him.
He found her without much difficulty, but then she wasn't exactly trying to hide, just find someplace quiet. She was sitting on one of the temple's many ledges with her legs hanging off. "Hey you."
Azula looked up from staring down at the foggy abyss and her lips twitched into a small smile. "Hi Zu-Zu. Come join me."
He smiled, "Nah, I thought I'd just give you a little push, you know, take out the competition."
"You know I'd grab your leg and take you with me."
"I hope so."
Zuko took a seat beside his sister, and she rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "Long day huh?"
"They were beautiful." She said as if she hadn't even heard him. Zuko had to think for a moment before it made sense.
"The dragons? Yeah, they were pretty awesome."
"Maybe... when you're Fire Lord, they can live free again."
Zuko blinked when the meaning of her words struck him like a club, "When I'm Fire Lord? You mean... you don't want to be Fire Lord anymore?"
Azula chuckled, "No, Zuko, I don't. I just want to be with you."
Zuko felt his face flushing red, and answered with the only thing he could think of, "Always."
"And I will not bow to you."
Zuko laughed, "You'll bow to noone Azula. Now if you want people to bow to you..."
"Oh, they will. I will be the 'Official Representative of His Royal and Honorable Majesty the Fire Lord'," she explained with a flourish of her hand. "All of the power, none of the boring responsibility and headache."
"Deal." Zuko said, and Azula tilted her head up to seal the deal with a kiss. Though Zuko reacted accordingly and instantly, it took a moment for the act itself to register in his head. "You kissed me."
"No I didn't." She replied instinctively, and just like that she was up and walking away, leaving a puzzled and blushing Zuko to sit and stare, once again, at her retreating figure. He thought about arguing with her, but decided not to risk losing the opportunity to watch her go.
Author's Note: Eh, sorry for the long update, but those who know me know, the best I can offer is that updates will come when they come. That's why I don't make any promises about when to expect the next update; I know better. I hope the size of this chapter helps make up for the long wait? :3
Not much fluff, no, this chapter was really just about progression of plot. But hey, at least there's a lot of attention paid to Azula's ass, and in the end, isn't that what really matters guys? :D
As always, thanks for taking the time!