Overcoming Ignorance:

"Avatar Jahn, are you ready to begin your training for the day?"

"Go away. If you're not going to let me out then I want to be left alone."

"Look Jahn, I have to stay and teach you. You may as well watch anyway."

"No. You can't make me. You can't fight the Avatar."

The White Lotus compound was stifling and the cell that Jahn inhabited was beginning to close in on him. He remembered nothing from the week before, only that he had spoken to an airbender in the spirit world. Apparently he had agreed to travel with the White Lotus upon their arrival in Taku and had been separated from his mother on the way there by bandits. He did not remember any of this but the Grand Master had explained it all once they had reached Republic City.

The memory was fresh in his mind. The man, Zukoh, had explained his heritage and how he had been named after his great-grandfather, who had travelled with Avatar Aang so long ago. "Apparently our family only has a few variations of royal names anymore. Ever since my great-great-grandfather started the Hundred Year War, we no longer use those royal names. Ozai, Azulon...", Zukoh had mused humorously. He was a serious man, yet young for his position; Zukoh was the youngest Grand Master ever at the age of thirty-one.

"Did you ever meet your great-grandfather?" Jahn had asked as they travelled through the city. The wonders of Republic City were great indeed but the melancholy mood he felt had persisted since waking. He worried for his mother.

Zukoh had sighed at that. "Only the once when I was very young. Lord Zuko had visited our Palace on his dragon Druk and I remember touching his scar and asking why he had no eyebrow. He laughed at that. I know my father misses him dearly. I wish I had known him better before he passed."

They had reached the compound shortly after. It looked like an ordinary tea shop on the ground floor named the Jasmine Dragon, one of a chain of popular tea shops, but hidden underneath was a large metal cavern, housing a number of metal buildings and a training area. Lights illuminated the compound from the rocky ceiling, fitted perfectly via metalbending. Despite Jahn's co-operation, they had quickly taken him and put him in a cell, causing him to react…unfavourably.

"Why am I being locked up? You can't do this!" he shouted angrily. His mother was not here as they had promised and Kuvu was far away in Taku. He had felt so lonely and angry.

One of the guards had waited patiently for him to finish raging before providing an explanation. "You're to train here and master the elements. There are masters of all of them willing to train you. Once you get used to it here, we can move you to somewhere more comfortable."

This explanation had not sat well with Jahn. For days, he had refused the training until he worked out what reason they had for effectively imprisoning him. It was only on the third day that he had finally understood.

"You can't fight the Avatar," he said cockily. They were afraid of him. He had done nothing to make them so and yet…

The woman narrowed her eyes. She was from the Fire Nation, making her blonde hair so unusual. Cut short, it looked strange and different to how most women wore their hair but seemed to make her seem tougher than usual. She also had a cut on her chin and one eye was milky white, signifying blindness. The skin around it was cracked and burned ever so slightly and she moved with a slight limp. A woman of middle age, she could not have been older than fifty. Her name was Azirai.

"Can I not? Do tell, oh great Avatar, why I can't fight you," she said scornfully. Her polite tone had changed rapidly as a result of his arrogance.

Jahn did not exactly have an answer for this question. He paused for a moment, thinking quickly. "Well, I'm the Avatar. It would be unfair."

Azirai was not amused. "Get up and get to the training field in half an hour. We'll see how I fare against you and if I win, you'll train. Now move."

There was no say in the matter. Geared up in traditional Earth Empire garb, Jahn turned to face his opponent once they were both on the field. The green helmet was slightly too big but it made him look impressive, at the very least.

The firebender wasted no time. Launching herself into the air, she punched three blasts at Jahn, who stood his ground. Taking a wide stance, he brought his arms up quickly. There was no earth shield to protect him though, as the metal floor did not move. The fireballs collided with his arms, sending him flying backwards and landing heavily on the cold floor.

Winded, Jahn rolled over and began to cough heavily. Looking around, he realised his amateur mistake. There was no earth in the compound except that which was beyond the metal supports and this was considerably too far away to bend in this fight. At a total loss, he climbed to his feet and raised his hands in embarrassed surrender. "Look-", he began to say.

Azirai rolled forwards and span, kicking fire at Jahn as she came, forcing him to dive out of the way. Crouching, she flipped forwards, bringing a line of fire smashing down from her feet. Jahn was forced to dodge once more, creating a cat and mouse game which he could not win.

"Stop! I give in!" he shouted again but the woman did not hear him. Punching with a startling ferocity, Jahn was forced into a corner. He attempted to run forwards and disable her with physical moves, but she only twisted free and kicked the back of his knee. Jahn fell to one knee and felt the heat as Azirai pushed her fist against the back of his head.

"Stop!? Stop!? You think your enemies will stop!? I shouted that at the man that took my eye but he didn't listen, he didn't care! Do you think you're something special, really? You couldn't even bend, you were helpless!" she screamed at him. Jahn was stunned as he realised she was crying from her remaining good eye. Pushing him away violently, she turned and ran from the training field, leaving him alone and in shock.

Later that day, (or was it evening? There was no time to tell underground.) Jahn had been visited in his cell by Zukoh.

When the Grand Master entered the room, Jahn had sat upright on his bed quickly. Maybe it was about time to show some respect if he wanted some answers. Zukoh took his time inspecting the room, including the door to the adjacent bathroom which squeaked beyond belief. He eventually settled in the only chair and sat watching Jahn with shrewd eyes.

"You'll have to forgive Azirai for her outburst", he said eventually, not moving a muscle. "She has suffered a lot of pain in her past and I believe your arrogance brought up some memories she wished had stayed dormant. It will not happen again, providing you co-operate."

Jahn clenched his fists. "Arrogance? I was just angry! You took me from my home, my mother and my…friend. I didn't want all of this!"

Zukoh shook his head. "No. It was arrogance. You have always been arrogant, according to my reports. Look how that turned out for you earlier. It wasn't much of a fight. We removed you from Taku so that you could receive proper instruction from masters of each bending style. Stop being such a child and just accept it."

This shocked the Earthbender somewhat. People were never usually so blunt, even in the Earth Empire. "And my imprisonment?"

"You're not imprisoned. This is for your own safety. You have power you are not yet ready to deal with", Zukoh answered. He reached up and slicked back his dark hair in a futile effort, which sprang back as messy as before.

Jahn frowned. "What power? Why do I need to be safe from myself?" he asked, totally confused.

Zukoh stood up, prompting Jahn to jump to his feet as well. Bowing, the firebender made for the door. With his hand on the handle, he looked over his shoulder. "It is not my place to explain. Meditate and it will become clear. Also, please be kind to Azirai when you see her next. She is my aunt. I'd take it as a personal favour." Opening the door, Zukoh walked through and quietly shut it behind him.

Muttering, Jahn crossed his legs and placed his fists together as the Wise Seer often had done at Taku. A wave of homesickness washed over him but he fought it down and focused on his breathing. One thought began to dominate his mind; the bed was bumpy and uncomfortable, no matter which way he leant. Taking the pose on the floor, he immediately relaxed despite the unforgiving metal underneath. Focusing on the idea of a power, he began to query the concept in his mind.

"Hello Jahn."

Opening his eyes suddenly, Jahn was startled to see a translucent blue spirit sat opposite him. The spirit was a woman, dressed in water tribe garb with a ponytail and a slight smile on her face. Despite never having seen her face before, Jahn knew who she was. The connection was undeniable.

"Hello Korra."

((It's all very new for Jahn! Total isolationism leads to a lot of issues. Meeting more of the Fire Nation Royal Family! Obviously OC, Izumi had three children and Iroh was the youngest of them all. Iroh himself had two children, the eldest of which is his Heir, just to clear up any confusion! Any characters from Korra are all twenty years older so if there are any older characters you might like to see (Tenzin, Lin etc), please comment in the reviews! Thanks for reading the latest chapter!))