Katara hadn't realized just how big the world was.
It'd been about a week since they left the South Pole, and they weren't even to the southern tip of the Earth Kingdom yet. Granted, they hadn't exactly been traveling in a straight path north. Aang insisted on following behind Prince Zuko's ship, and, though the prince was generally traveling north as well, it seemed to Katara that he was mostly sailing aimlessly.
If it had been up to her, she would've flown Appa straight north so she could get to the Northern Water Tribe as fast as possible. All these extra detours were starting to grate on her. But she had told Aang that she was willing to go along with his plan to talk to Zuko. So she didn't complain.
Besides, Sokka did enough complaining for both of them.
She'd just had that thought when Sokka burst into the clearing where they'd made camp the night before. "Have you seen Aang?"
She looked up at him, in the middle of rolling up her sleeping bag to pack it away.
"No, why?"
"He's gone again," Sokka said. "He took his glider."
Katara sighed. That was another thing that was slowing them down.
"Let's just pack up the camp," she said. "He'll be back eventually."
"We never should have come with him," Sokka grumbled. "We said we'd do this together, but ever since we left home, all he's been doing is disappearing for hours at a time every day, leaving us to sit around and wait. It's been a week, and we've barely made any progress." He glared at his sister. "You can't honestly tell me you're not annoyed, too."
"Of course I am."
"Then why do you put up with it? I question him at night about where he keeps going, and you just sit there, saying nothing. What's gotten into you these past few days?"
"I…" Katara gave up on packing away her bedroll and looked up at the sky, searching for the right words. "I'm…afraid," she said finally.
Sokka blinked. "Afraid?"
"Sokka, Aang might be my only chance to learn waterbending. And I don't just mean the little tricks I've managed to teach myself, but real waterbending. It's something I've dreamed of my whole life, and then this boy with a flying bison just drops into our lives, offering a free ticket to the North Pole. Yes, I'm annoyed that he keeps leaving. Yes, it's frustrating that we're moving so slowly. But I'm willing to put up with it if it means that someday I might get to have a real master. The last thing I want to do is jeopardize that by arguing with him and making him angry enough to leave us behind for good. Without him, we'll be stranded."
Sokka was silent for several seconds. Eventually, he stepped forward and leaned down so she was forced to look into his eyes. "Katara, you know that I will always support you, right? I never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me."
"Sokka—"
"But," Sokka said, "we shouldn't be afraid of confronting Aang, either. Because that's where you're wrong. We don't need him. He makes the process a little easier, but we've already made it this far. If you want a waterbending master, we'll get you a waterbending master, flying bison or no. I promise. Okay?"
Katara hesitated for a long moment, searching his face, but all she found was honesty. Finally, she nodded. "Okay."
Zuko had spent the last week pretending everything was normal. He trained with his uncle, took reports from the scouts, and generally went about what had become a routine for the past three years.
Except for one thing. When anyone asked him where their next destination should be, he would dodge the question and walk away.
He had almost managed to convince himself the little stunt last week had been a fluke, or a trick… almost.
The thing that was keeping him from believing it completely was standing in the middle of his room when he retreated for his daily meditations a week after the incident.
"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not interested in talking to you?" Zuko demanded, his voice an angry whisper as he peeked back outside his room, then quickly closed the door. "You can't keep coming here. Someone might see you."
"It's nice to see you too, Zuko," Aang said, turning from where he was studying Zuko's dual swords, which hung on the wall across from the door.
"Get out of here, Aang." He'd shown up a couple of times over the past week, trying to talk. Once, it had even been in the middle of the night. Zuko had no idea how he was getting in without being noticed, but clearly they needed to step up their security.
"When are you going to admit that you need my help?"
"When are you going to admit that you have the wrong person?"
Aang crossed his arms. "I don't."
Zuko gritted his teeth. "I'm not an airbender. I've been trying to recreate what happened at the South Pole, and it hasn't worked. Just admit that you did it and leave me alone."
"It's not working," Aang said, "because you're not practicing the right thing. Think about it, Zuko. How did you first find out you were a firebender? I'm betting you didn't have perfect control from the start, right?"
"I don't have to listen to this," Zuko growled. He started to walk toward the door, but Aang grabbed his arm with surprising strength.
"When you first learned you were a firebender, it was on accident, wasn't it? You were angry, or sad, or scared, and you found out you could bend. But when you weren't feeling a strong emotion, you couldn't. It was only through training that you were able to bend fire at will, right?"
Reluctantly, Zuko nodded.
"That's how it will be for airbending too. You can't recreate it because right now, you only know how to airbend when you're stressed or upset. If you really want to prove you're not an airbender, let me teach you how to go from acting purely on emotion to conscious action. Then, if you still can't do it, I promise I'll leave you alone."
Zuko hesitated, torn. What Aang was saying made a terrible amount of sense… And yet, he still wanted to say no.
If he was honest with himself, he knew that his hesitation was because his uncle was right. He was scared that if he let himself learn proper techniques, it would work… and then… and then he would no longer be able to deny what he was.
I have to know, Zuko thought, surprising himself. Regardless of what the answer turned out to be, he needed to settle it. The past week of wondering and worrying had been maddening.
It wouldn't work, he tried to convince himself. He'd turn out to be just a firebender. And if he was wrong, then… well, then he knew exactly what he would have to do.
He looked at Aang's hand, still resting on his arm, and said, "Fine. I'll let you teach me."
"Really?" A blast of air slapped Zuko in the face as Aang jumped back in excitement. He went higher than a normal person would and landed softer, too. "That's great! Let's—"
"We'll start tomorrow," Zuko said, and Aang's face fell a little. "And if nothing happens after three lessons, you promise to leave me alone for good."
"Three lessons isn't nearly enough ti—"
"Three lessons," Zuko said. "That's it."
Aang frowned. It was almost a full-on pout. "Fine."
The next day, Zuko's ship docked in an Earth Kingdom port for the first time since they'd left on their South Pole expedition weeks before. In celebration, Zuko let the crew have the day off to do whatever they wanted in town.
Meanwhile, he snuck away to meet up with Aang at a spot they'd chosen nearby. It was a clearing in a small copse of trees.
When he arrived, he was met with something odd.
The clearing was populated with several stone structures of varying heights, scattered seemingly at random in the small space. Zuko was relatively sure they weren't natural, though they rose seamlessly from the ground as though they'd been here for centuries. It looked like the work of earthbenders.
Though why some earthbenders had decided to erect random pillars and then abandon them, he had no idea.
As Zuko looked around the clearing, he realized he wasn't alone. Aang sat balanced precariously on one of the tallest stone pillars in the center of the clearing. When Zuko's eyes landed on him, he grinned and waved, then hopped down.
Reflexively, Zuko sucked in a breath—before realizing that his worry was stupid. Aang was an airbender. And indeed, instead of dropping like a rock and possibly breaking an ankle, Aang gently floated to the ground and landed with barely a sound.
"You're here!" Aang said. His tone was a mixture of delight and, though he was clearly trying to hide it, surprise.
"I said I would come." Zuko stayed just at the edge of the treeline, reluctant to come closer.
"Well, let's get started, then! We have a lot to cover!" Aang bounded over to Zuko in two long, airbending-augmented hops. It was strange to see someone bend so naturally. It was just a part of who Aang was, the way he moved.
Even without instruction, Zuko found himself noticing how different Aang's bending seemed from firebending. Firebending was all about power and control. Shooting fire wildly could lead to disastrous results, so most firebenders learned to be precise and sparing in their shots.
Airbending wasn't like that, Zuko could already see. It was… free.
Aang grabbed Zuko's arm and pulled him into the clearing.
"For lesson one," Aang said, releasing him. "I want you to attack me."
"What?"
Aang smiled, taking a step back and spreading his arms wide. "You heard me. Go ahead. No firebending, though. Just punches and kicks. Don't stop until I tell you."
Zuko stared at him for a few more seconds before shrugging and throwing a punch. Aang ducked under it.
"Airbending," Aang said as he danced out of the way of another blow, "is about feeling the air around you and moving with it."
Zuko tried to swipe his legs with a sneaky kick, but Aang was out of the way almost before Zuko moved.
"You're not telling it where to go," he continued. "You're just along for the ride. Like a leaf in the wind."
Zuko tried to focus on what Aang was saying, but he was getting frustrated. Every time he attacked, Aang moved out of the way like it was nothing. His movement really was like a dance, with a lot of spinning and twirling.
"That's why the Air Nomads were so focused on peace and freedom in the old days," Aang said. He didn't even sound winded. "And it's why they traveled so much. Air is all about changing direction quickly, anticipating your opponent's move and moving with them, rarely going on the offensive."
Zuko growled and ran at Aang, ready to tackle him to the ground. Aang back flipped effortlessly, somersaulting through the air and landing on his feet atop the nearest stone pillar.
"I think we're done with that for now," he said, raising an eyebrow at Zuko.
Zuko didn't know how a twelve-year-old boy managed to make him feel chastised, but he bowed his head.
Aang sat down on the pillar, letting one leg dangle off the side. "The real Air Nomads in the old days wouldn't spar like this. They'd practice the technique using spinning gates. There are apparently still some working ones in the air temples, but since we're not anywhere near one of those, I figured this would be the next best thing."
Apparently, Zuko noted. So Aang hadn't actually been to an air temple himself. Well, Zuko supposed he shouldn't be surprised. The very first thing Zuko had done after his banishment was thoroughly search all four air temples, and he'd found no sign of airbenders.
"You're not a 'real' Air Nomad?" he asked.
Aang looked uncomfortable with that question, but after a moment, he answered it. "I'm an airbender, sure. But I wouldn't call myself an Air Nomad. Everything I know about Air Nomad culture, I had to learn from surviving scrolls and books." His lips curled into a smile, but one tinged with pain. He wouldn't look Zuko in the eye.
"So you're...self-taught?" Zuko asked, amazed.
Aang nodded, his smile morphing into something more genuine. "Sorry. I'm sure you'd prefer to have a teacher who's a real master. But I'm all you've got."
Zuko studied Aang for a moment. He had a sense that Aang wasn't telling him everything. Before he could interrogate him further, though, Aang jumped down from the pillar.
"Now it's your turn."
"Wait, what?" Zuko asked, taking a step back. "Already?"
"I've only got three lessons to get results," Aang said. "I have to get you practicing as fast as I can." And with that, he attacked.
Aang was clearly unpracticed at being on the offensive, but he made up for it with speed. Zuko tried to duck out of the way of his first blow, but he was too slow. And he was too slow to avoid the next one. And the next.
He'd always considered himself a pretty lithe guy, but Aang's airbending-augmented speed and agility blew him out of the water. Luckily, Aang wasn't trying to actually hurt him. He always stopped his blows right before they hit.
In some ways, that only fanned Zuko's ire more. It was like Aang was playing with him. Finally, instead of trying to avoid it, he grabbed Aang's fist as he came in for another punch and tossed him away. Aang flew back several feet and landed on his back. Shocked, he stared up at Zuko.
Zuko stood there fuming, and the silence stretched between them for several seconds before he deflated. "Sorry," he muttered.
Aang came to his feet on a gust of wind. "It's fine," he said, seeming entirely too chipper.
"What am I doing wrong?" Zuko demanded. "I was doing everything you said. I couldn't feel anything."
"I think," Aang said, "that you're thinking too much like a firebender. It's not about power, or force of will." He glanced at the ground where Zuko had pushed him. "The air doesn't like to be controlled. You have to open your mind and let the air become a part of you. Let the subtle changes in the air currents tell you where to go."
"Open my mind…"
Aang frowned for a moment, then grinned hugely. "I've got a better idea." He spun around to face the maze of stone pillars. Closing his eyes, he clasped his palms together, then opened his eyes and his arms at the same time, spreading his fingers wide.
There was a huge whoosh as several miniature tornados flew around the clearing to encircle each of the stone pillars. They were all spinning in different directions, and they nearly touched each other, so that it looked impossible to get through.
"This is kind of like what the monks used to do, with the spinning gates," Aang said, his voice strained with concentration. "Let me show you."
Reluctantly, Zuko followed him to the edge of the maze.
"The idea," Aang said, "is to make your way out the other side of the maze by feeling the air currents and moving with them."
"Uh…" Zuko looked at the maze skeptically.
"Here, let me show you," Aang said. He stepped up, then began threading his way through the pillars, stepping lightly and changing direction when he met resistance. In just a few seconds, he'd made his way out the other side and looped around the outside of the maze to stand next to Zuko again.
"That easy, huh?" Zuko mumbled.
"Just focus on the feeling of the air."
Zuko sighed. He stepped up to the maze, then hesitated.
"Uh, Zuko?" Aang said after a moment. "Could you maybe go? It's not easy to hold those air spouts in place."
Zuko nodded, then set his jaw, squared his shoulders, and strode forward. Almost immediately, a gust of air knocked him off balance, and he stumbled away from it, meeting with another spout that was spinning in the other direction. He tried to plant his feet to avoid being knocked off balance again, but the next time he took a step, the strength of the wind sent him spinning around anyway. He felt like he'd already been in the maze longer than Aang had, and he'd barely made it past the entrance.
"Move with the flow!" Aang called from behind him. "Don't resist!"
And so Zuko, gritting his teeth, tried to do what he'd seen Aang do, making himself light on his feet, moving quickly.
All that did was let the wind beat at him even more fiercely, bouncing him between pillars until he had no idea which way the entrance was anymore. He was certainly "moving with the flow," but somehow he didn't think this was what Aang meant.
Eventually, he made his way out—and found himself standing in front of Aang again. He'd gone back to the beginning.
"What?" he demanded, spinning around to glare at the entrance.
"Hey, you did pretty good for your first try," Aang said. "You got, like, halfway through before you got turned around."
Zuko rounded on him again. "You were doing that on purpose, weren't you? Making the winds so strong."
"They were just as strong for me."
Zuko growled under his breath and turned to face the maze again. "Let me try again."
"That's the spirit! Remember, light on your feet. Focus on the feeling of the air, but don't resist it. Try to keep the direction you want to end up locked in your mind so you don't get turned around."
"Yeah, yeah," Zuko grumbled.
His second try was less successful than his first. And his third was even more disastrous. With each new try, he felt his frustration growing more and more, and he started to listen less and less to Aang's advice, instead just trying to brute force his way through.
A little voice inside him whispered that he was thinking too much like a firebender. If he wanted to succeed, he needed to listen to Aang. He couldn't rely on force of will to get through this maze. The voice sounded a lot like his uncle's.
But, well, he was a firebender. And he wasn't certain he wanted to succeed. In some ways, succeeding at this maze might mean failure overall.
Finally, after several failed attempts, Aang released the mini tornadoes. "I think that's probably enough for today," he said, clearly disappointed at the lack of progress. "I want you to spend some time meditating tonight and thinking about what you've learned. I'll meet you back here tomorrow."
