We decided it would be best to head out the next day since I wasted this one on worthless fire blasts. So the next morning, we get breakfast and head out. The only thing The Avatar brings is his stick. I pack my dual swords. You never know what'll happen. Maybe Father sent guards to find me. Maybe he sent guards to find The Avatar. Better safe than sorry.
We get on his bison and take off. The Avatar's friends wave goodbye below, all except Katara. She really seems to hate me. That isn't good. I need to get past her barrier. Otherwise, she'll never trust me. After what feels like forever, I finally decide to say something.
"I don't know why, but I thought this thing was going to be a lot faster." The bison growled beneath us. "Aapa's right, Zuko. Usually, we start with a more up-beat attitude," The Avatar said. How can he understand that thing?
"This is impossible," I sighed. Then, I flopped down on the saddle. This is going to take forever at this rate.
I felt the bison land, waking me up. Apparently, I fell asleep. The ride was so boring I couldn't keep my eyes open. I hop off the bison's saddle and meet with The Avatar. We both examine the ruins. "Woah," The Avatar said.
"Its bigger than I thought," I said, shocked.
We took a step inside. "Somehow, I can tell that the Fire Sages' temples are related to these," I said, brushing my fingers on the wall as we walked. The Avatar tripped on a wire hidden on the floor. "Woah!" he yelled as he blasts himself to the other side of the spikes that came from the floor. "Zuko, I think this temple is trying to kill me!" We both glance down at the spikes.
"This is incredible!" I exclaimed. "This trap must be centuries old and it still works!"
"That's why its trying to kill me!" he said from the other side. "There is probably more though. Maybe we shouldn't be here."
I take a few steps back to give myself a running start. I can't do what The Avatar did, but I can do it my own way. I run towards the wall, run on it for a few seconds before I jump off. "Where is that up-beat attitude you were talking about?"
The Avatar just smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, let's go," he said. We follow the dark hall up a series of never ending stairs. When we finally reach the top, there is a wall with a carving of a man and a dragon breathing fire, I can't tell on him or at him.
"This seems like it tells us something," The Avatar said, "but I can't tell exactly what it says."
"They look angry to me," I said, examining the man's face.
"I thought you said that the Sun Warriors were friends with the dragons," The Avatar said.
"Well, I guess they had a funny way of showing it then."
We continue walking. Was that true? Were they friends? Or were they sworn enemies? I remember stories my uncle used to tell me about the dragons and the Sun Warriors. The dragons had granted the Sun Warriors with the ability of Fire Bending. But why? What was so special about them that the dragons granted them the ability of Firebending? Did they give them something in return?
"Zuko, something happened to the dragons. Something you aren't telling me. What really happened?" The Avatar asked.
"My great-grandfather Sozin happened," I replied.
"What?"
"He started dragon hunting. If you could catch one, you would be the ultimate Firebender. You would get the highest title, 'Dragon'." We stopped in front of two dragon statues. "The last dragon was defeated before I was born, long before that actually, by my uncle."
"Your uncle?" The Avatar asked, surprised. "I thought your uncle was...good! You know, not trying to take over the world like your father!"
"His past was difficult, much like mine. Ran in the family, I guess," I replied.
"Zuko, I'm sorry," The Avatar said behind me. "I had no idea."
"Its fine, really," I said, shaking it off. "Let's keep going. I have a feeling we're almost there."
We continue walking down the hall. "I never caught your name," I said, breaking the mood.
"Aang," The Avatar replied. "Kind of like Aapa, but with an 'ng' in the end."
"What?" I asked. "You lost me."
"Its just, Aang."
"'Aang', huh?" I asked. "That's simple enough. I don't know why, but I expected something different; something longer."
"Like how you expected an old man when you first saw me?" Aang asked.
"Let's not go that far," I said. We come into a large room with nothing but a grate up top, letting in the light, and a pedestal in the center with a stone. There are also gates nearby but they look like the haven't been opened in a long time.
Aang tries to get the gates open. "They're locked!" he cried. Not surprising. I rub my head. There has to be a way out of this room. But where? Where would I put an exit?
I move away a little to get a better look at the gates. A bright beam of light from behind me hits the floor. I turn around to see that the stone is actually a sun stone. I follow the beam of light to see a swirled pattern carved on the ground. "Hey, this is a celestial calendar," I said. Aang walked up next to me.
"What does it do?" he asked.
"The Fire Sages have one of these in their temple. I bet it opens the gate at the right angle. I'd say, on the solstice."
"Monkeyfeathers!" Aang cried. 'Monkeyfeathers'? What the heck? "Another solstice? We can't wait that long!"
"No, we can't," I said, still a little confused at Aang. "I bet we could speed time up."
"Speed it up? How?" Aang asked.
"With a little bit of science," I said, walking to the beam of light on the floor. I pulled out one sword and put in under the light. "Let's see if we can outsmart the sun stone." Aang watched as I reflected the light onto the wall. "How about a little to the left?" Aang said.
I turned it to the left. "Now a little to the right..." I turned the sword up a little. "You're not really helping," I said.
"Oh, sorry," Aang replied.
Finally, I get the beam onto the sun stone on the gate. Aang stared at it. "Nothing happened," he sighed.
"Come on..." I said as I kept my sword in that spot. It has to work. It has to! I held it there for a few second longer before the ground began to shake. I kept the light on the stone, no matter how hard that was, while the door opened. Once the gate opened, I re-sheathed my sword.
"It worked!" Aang cheered. "You know, Zuko. I don't care what anybody else says about you." Aang nudged me with his elbow. "I think you're pretty smart!" I smiled. He said...wait a second. What does he mean by that?
I follow Aang inside the doors. Aang stares at a statue. "Ah!"
"They're just statues, Aang. Calm down," I said. I walked up to the foot of a statue. I glance around the room to see a large number of statues, each doing a different pose. What are they doing?
"It says this is 'The Dancing Dragon'. They're dancing?" Aang said behind me. I continue examining the statue. 'The Dancing Dragon'. What could it mean? Suddenly, I felt Aang grab my arm. He pulled me towards the center of the room. "Zuko! I want you to dance with me!" he said.
"What?" I asked, pulling my arm away. "Why?"
"Just do it," Aang said. I sighed heavily. "Fine, but just this once. And don't tell anyone!" I pointed at him.
"Oh, all right," Aang said. I followed him to the foot of the statue in the entrance of the room. "Let's follow the statues," he said. "They are all doing something different so they have to be telling us something!" We pushed buttons on the floor that weren't there before. "They're giving us a lesson! Not dancing!"
"I hope this gives us some good Firebending," I said. We copied the last statue, this time, with a partner, and held our fists towards each other. The ground pulled apart from itself. A pillar came us with a strange yellow stone on it.
"Yay! We did it!" Aang cheered. He paused for a second. "What is that?" he asked, looking at the stone.
"I'm not sure," I said, examining it.
"Don't touch it," Aang said quietly.
"Why not?" I asked. "Its just a rock."
"Remember what happened with those spikes?" he asked. "What if something like that happens when you touch the yellow stone? Its just very suspicious. A rock on a pedestal? Isn't that suspicious to you?"
He keeps blabbing on but I ignore him. If we had to do all that dancing and all we get is this rock, there has to be something to it. I grab it. Aang stops talking behind me. "It feels almost alive," I said. The rock is kind of warm and I think there is a pulse in there. What kind of rock could it be?