"So… where are we going again, exactly?" Sokka asked as he lazily gave Momo, who was fast asleep on his lap, a few scratches behind his ears. "We've been flying through these same mountains for days now."
"We should be arriving at the Northern Air Temple soon," Aang replied over his shoulder.
Iroh nodded. "It's the last point of civilization on the Earth Kingdom mainland between here and Agna Qel'a. We'll rest and restock on supplies there before setting out over the North Sea."
"Last point of civilization?" Katara repeated curiously. "I thought all the Air Temples were abandoned."
"Our friend Teo lives there with his father and a group of other Earth Kingdom refugees," Zuko explained. "It's been a little over a year since we last saw them."
"Speaking of Teo and his dad... this is also my chance to do what I should have done a year ago," Aang said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck guiltily. "Last time we were here, we didn't exactly leave on a positive note."
"What do you mean by 'didn't exactly leave on a positive note'?" Sokka asked, sitting up and raising an eyebrow. "Do we need to be prepared for anything?"
"Well…" Aang began to reply, when suddenly, he spotted the familiar shape of the temple through the haze of clouds ahead of them. "We're here!" he exclaimed, feeling a strange mix of excitement, homesickness, and apprehension swirling in his stomach.
"No way… " Sokka said, skepticism forgotten as he marveled at the temple. "There's people flying around up there!"
"They're flying on gliders just like yours, Aang!" Katara gasped. "Are they…?"
"Actually airbenders?" Aang said, finishing the sentence for her. "That's what I thought at first, too."
"So… they're not?" Katara asked, brow furrowing in confusion.
Aang shook his head. "They're gliding, but they're not airbending. You can see it in the way they move. The air controls them, they don't control it."
"Oh," Katara replied, wilting slightly. "I'm sorry, Aang…"
"It's okay," he replied kindly, giving his friend a small smile of reassurance. "At first, I was disappointed, but a lot of the people who live here now do a good job of keeping the airbender spirit alive. Especially Teo."
Almost as soon as he had mentioned the Earth Kingdom boy's name again, one of the gliding people soared towards them. As the person grew closer, Aang felt his smile widen as he recognized who it was.
"Aang? Lee?" Teo shouted, grinning widely as he looped around to glide next to Appa. "And Mushi!"
"Hi, Teo!" Aang yelled back with a wave. "We were just talking about you!"
"Hey, Teo," Zuko called out.
"It's good to see you!" Iroh shouted with a wave as well.
"Guess we weren't the only ones who got duped by those two when we first met them," Sokka said out of the side of his mouth in a joking tone, nudging Katara with his elbow as he gestured towards Iroh and Zuko with his thumb.
"Woah, woah, woah…" Teo said as he led them through the temple courtyard. "So let me get this straight. Your names are not Lee and Mushi?"
"Lee Junior, actually," Iroh said, holding up an index finger.
"They're fake names, uncle! That literally doesn't matter anymore!" Zuko snapped, his face burning as he heard Katara and Sokka snicker from behind him. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then turned back to Teo. "My real name is Zuko, and my uncle's is Iroh."
"And you really both defected from the Fire Nation?" Teo asked.
"Yep," Sokka chimed in, slinging his arm around Zuko's shoulders. "And they're not just any Fire Nation defectors. My buddy Zuko here's dear old dad is the Fire Lord himself! And the Fire Lord is Iroh's younger brother."
Teo stopped in his tracks, mouth gaping as he pivoted around to face them with a dumbfounded expression. "Is he joking?" the boy asked, wide eyes darting back and forth between Zuko and Iroh.
"No, he isn't," Zuko sighed, shooting the Water Tribe boy an annoyed look. "I'm sorry we didn't tell the truth before. We… didn't want to scare anyone."
"Regardless of our reasons, it was wrong of us to lie to you," Iroh said.
"And I completely understand if you want us to leave," Zuko added.
"Leave? Why would I want you to leave?" Teo asked, brow furrowing in confusion. "You just got here!"
"You're not angry?" Zuko asked, blinking in surprise.
"Not at all," Teo replied. "I think it's amazing that you're both on our side! The Fire Lord's own brother and son! Dad's gonna be thrilled when he finds out!"
Zuko sighed again and exchanged a wary glance with Aang, who had been surprisingly quiet the entire walk. "Speaking of your dad… is he still…?"
"Oh," Teo said, deflating somewhat as he pivoted back around to continue leading them forward. "Well, the day after you left, he went and cleared out everything he had been keeping in that room with the big doors. He said he was going to get rid of it.
"Really?" Aang replied, his eyebrows rising. "Did he actually do it?"
"I don't know, honestly…" Teo replied with a sigh. "I'd like to think he did, and he definitely hasn't touched that room since, at least as far as I know. Maybe he really did get rid of it."
"Have you had any problems with the Fire Nation since we were last here?" Zuko asked.
Teo shook his head. "I've never even seen anyone from the Fire Nation at the temple, aside from you two."
It seems unlikely that the Fire Nation would just let the Mechanist get away with throwing all those weapons away without burning the temple to the ground, Zuko thought suspiciously.
"So, Sokka and Katara, right?" Teo asked, changing the subject. "You're from the Southern Water Tribe? I've never met anyone from any of the Water Tribes before!"
"Yep," Katara replied with a smile. "Before we met Aang, Iroh, and Zuko, we'd hardly even left our village before."
"And now you're both on the other side of the world!" Teo said excitedly. "Which reminds me… What are you guys doing up here again, exactly?"
"We're on our way to the North Pole to find a waterbending teacher for me and Katara," Aang explained. "I've gotta start my bending training as soon as possible so I can defeat the Fire Lord."
"Who's your dad," Teo said, pointing to Zuko. "And your brother," he said, pointing to Iroh.
"Yep..." Zuko replied, while Iroh nodded. "You're pretty much all caught up to speed now."
"Wow," Teo said, shaking his head. "It's just hard to believe you're both related to someone that..."
"Evil?" Zuko suggested.
"Well… yeah," Teo replied.
I mean, it's not exactly like uncle and I could be qualified as "good", Zuko thought guiltily. Especially considering the things we've done in the past …
"Woah, what is that? " Sokka interrupted excitedly before the conversation could continue further, running up to one of the many mechanized platforms that Zuko remembered seeing all over the temple the last time they were there.
"Dad calls it an 'elevator'," Teo explained, motioning for them to follow him onto the platform. Once they were all on board, he pulled on a rope, and a burst of hot air shot them upwards.
Sokka was still gaping in awe as the platform came to a stop. "That was amazing! And your dad invented this?"
"Well, he's invented a lot of things. In fact, if you want, you can ask him about it right now," Teo replied with a grin as he wheeled over to a nearby door and knocked on it. "Dad? It's me. I've got some guests."
"Guests?" Aang heard the Mechanist's voice reply from behind the door, and it abruptly swung open, revealing the eccentric man, looking exactly as Aang had remembered him.
His wide eyes darted around anxiously at first, but upon realizing who Teo's guests were, a smile slowly appeared on his face.
Teo had been right—the Mechanist was of course initially shocked when he learned of Zuko and Iroh's true identities, but his shock quickly morphed into excitement.
"The Avatar returning was already fortunate enough, but if the Fire Lord's own brother and son have turned against him… Then maybe we stand a chance of winning this war after all!" he exclaimed joyously before turning to Sokka and Katara. "And I see you've picked up some new friends as well," he said, giving the siblings a friendly nod.
"You're the one who invented all of that stuff out there?" Sokka asked excitedly.
"I did indeed!" the Mechanist chuckled. "I would be more than happy to give you a tour, if you'd like."
"Yes!" Sokka immediately replied with a grin.
Before the Mechanist could reply, however, Aang stepped forward, placing his staff firmly on the ground. "Are you still making weapons for the Fire Nation?" he asked bluntly.
The smile on the Mechanist's face slowly disappeared, and Sokka and Katara's eyes widened in shock.
"Wait a minute, you make weapons for the Fire Nation?! " Sokka questioned angrily.
"I…" the Mechanist began, glancing at Teo nervously.
"Dad, you said you were gonna get rid of all of it…" Teo said disappointedly.
"I–I was , Teo, believe me…" the Mechanist stuttered before turning towards Aang. "And I did remove everything from the sacred Air Nomad room! But as I told you last time… he said they'd raze this place to the ground if I ever stopped giving them what they wanted."
"And who is 'he', exactly?" Iroh asked.
"A man who goes by the title of War Minister comes to the temple every few weeks for shipments," the Mechanist explained quickly. "I don't know any further information than that. I'm certain they don't want me to know. It's not like I'm doing this willingly!"
"War Minister Qin? " Zuko said, brow furrowing as he looked at his uncle. "If he's in the area, that can't be good…"
"No, it can't," Iroh agreed with a frown, shaking his head and placing his hand on his chin thoughtfully.
"The more weapons you make for the Fire Nation, the more people get hurt," Aang said. "Your people may be safe, but what about the rest of the world?"
The Mechanist held his gaze for a moment, then bowed his head shamefully. "You're right, Aang. You've always been right. But what can I do?"
"I wanna help you this time," Aang replied. "We're not leaving until I know for certain that you aren't being forced to make weapons anymore, and that you and your people are safe from the Fire Nation."
"Are you sure about this?" Zuko asked, grabbing his forearm gently. "War Minister Qin has hundreds of soldiers under his command, and they aren't ordinary Fire Nation soldiers."
"My nephew is right, Aang," Iroh added. "Qin oversees the military's technology, and his troops have uninhibited access to large numbers of his latest weapons."
Aang looked into his friend's anxious amber eyes for a moment. "We've survived worse before," he replied, though he had to admit that Zuko and Iroh both made good points.
"Yeah, we have. But what about the refugees that live here?" Zuko turned to Teo and his father. "Is anyone trained in any sort of combat?"
"No," the Mechanist replied with a sigh. "Some of the stronger among us could likely hold their own for a little while during a fight, but none of us are warriors..."
"Iroh, you helped the Southern Water Tribe prepare for the Southern Raider attack," Katara interjected. "Couldn't you do the same for these people? Give them a fighting chance against the Fire Nation?"
"Of course I could try," Iroh said. "But if none of these people have any battle experience… it makes things a bit more difficult."
"When is Qin coming next?" Aang asked.
"He typically sends a messenger hawk one day before he plans to arrive," the Mechanist sighed, plopping down into the chair behind his desk. "That's usually the most notice I get. He hasn't sent one today, so we at least know not to expect him tomorrow."
"Do you know where his troops are stationed?" Iroh asked.
"Somewhere to the north of here, that's all I know," the Mechanist replied, rubbing his temples with his thumb and index finger. "Not very far away at all..."
"What about your inventions?" Sokka chimed in. "Is there something you've made that we could use against them?"
"I primarily make the weapons they give me the schematics for," the Mechanist sighed. "While I do have schematics and prototypes of my own, very few could be realistically used as weapons. And while the Fire Nation weapons would of course be useful, that won't make a difference if the people wielding them don't know how or don't want to fight."
Will we be able to help them at all? Aang wondered, his internal anxiety increasing the longer this conversation continued. Maybe we could… help them find someplace else to live? But where? And what if we encounter Fire Nation soldiers on the way? His head was beginning to spin with all of the possible considerations he would have to make in any alternative scenario.
Suddenly, the lit candle next to the Mechanist's desk popped four times. "Oh, doodle," he muttered. "Look at the time. I need to oil the pulley systems for the elevators before dark."
"Wait, how can you tell the time from that thing?" Sokka asked curiously. "The notches all look the same."
"The candle just told me," the Mechanist replied with a smirk.
Sokka eyes widened in realization. "You put spark powder in the candle!"
The Mechanist nodded. "Four flashes. So it's exactly four hours past mid-day. Or, as I call it: four o'candle ."
Sokka immediately burst into laughter, startling Zuko, who was standing next to him.
A wide smile appeared on the Mechanist's face again. "If you like that , wait till you see my finger-safe knife sharpener!" He held up his hand, revealing that three of his fingers were made completely of wood. "Only took me three tries to get it right," he said, popping off the wooden fingers and tossing them into Sokka's gloved hands, causing the Water Tribe boy to emit a small, horrified yelp.
This did not seem to deter him, however. "Can I come with you to oil the pulley… thing or whatever you were just talking about?" Sokka asked.
"Hold on," Zuko interrupted, sounding slightly irritated. "What are we going to do about Qin and his soldiers? We haven't even made a plan yet."
"It's probably best that we get some rest for today, especially after the long week of flying we just had," Iroh said, placing a hand on his nephew's shoulder before looking back at the Mechanist. "If it's alright with you, I'll come up to your office first thing tomorrow morning and we can discuss our options for dealing with Qin."
"Absolutely," the Mechanist replied, nodding jauntily before darting back over to his desk to grab a handful of trinkets and sheets of paper. "Follow me, son!" he said to Sokka, who excitedly ran out the door after him.
"So? Did you have fun?" Teo asked as he, Aang, Zuko, and Katara arrived at the dining hall the following afternoon.
"I really did," Katara replied with a grin as she sat down at the table.
While Sokka and Iroh had gotten up early to head to the Mechanist's office that morning, Aang and Teo had decided to teach Katara how to use a glider. While she had been apprehensive at first, just like Zuko, she had ended up enjoying herself once she actually tried it.
"I knew you'd love it," Aang said cheerily.
"The only thing I didn't love about it is that the wind did this to my hair," Katara continued as she tucked back several wisps that had blown loose from her braid and hair loopies. "That, and the bugs I swallowed… ugh."
"You think your hair is messed up?" Zuko grumbled as he attempted to smooth down his own windblown hair, which appeared to be stubbornly resisting his efforts. "At least you don't look like you've been struck by lightning…"
"One of the many reasons a shaved head is the ideal hairstyle, in my humble opinion," Aang replied, reaching his hand over to ruffle the Fire Prince's hair. "Though I do like this look on you, hotman."
"Ha, ha," Zuko replied sarcastically, while Aang grinned.
However, when the Fire Prince's amber eyes moved down to meet Aang's own, Aang froze, suddenly becoming acutely aware of just how close he was to his best friend. He felt his face begin to grow warm, immediately pulled his hand away, and turned to look in the opposite direction, coughing awkwardly into his fist in the process.
"I just… never knew I could see the world like that," Katara sighed. "I mean, we fly on Appa all the time, but this was different somehow. And this temple… it's beautiful. I've never been anywhere like it."
"I wish you could have seen this place a hundred years ago, Katara," Aang said, turning back towards his friends as the heat in his face faded. "There were monks and nomads, and lemurs and bison everywhere!" He chuckled as he watched Momo scramble off of his shoulder and over to a peach that had been left on the table. "Imagine a bunch of Appas and Momos all over the place!"
Suddenly, he felt a pang of homesickness and sorrow in his heart as he recalled the memories of how things used to be, and his smile disappeared as he looked down at his lap, tears stinging in his eyes. When he looked back up, Katara, Zuko, and Teo were each looking at him with various degrees of concern.
"Oh, Aang…" Katara replied quietly. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine what it must be like to see a place you're so familiar with looking so different."
Aang patted the corners of his eyes with the back of his sleeve and took a deep breath to calm himself. "It's okay, Katara. Teo and his people may not be airbenders, but they have the same spirit."
"That's a huge compliment coming from an airbender," Teo said with a warm smile.
"You keep the place alive, just in a different way," Aang said, smiling in return. "And you still make good use of the skies, just like my people did."
Make good use of the skies…
Suddenly, Aang bolted to his feet, startling his friends.
"Teo, I need to go see your dad. I just had an idea!"
When they entered the Mechanist's office, he and Iroh appeared to be engaged in a serious-looking discussion. Both were hunched over the office desk, where several plans and schematics seemed to be scattered. Meanwhile, Sokka was standing next to the bookshelf to the left of the doorway, fidgeting with some sort of small, balloon-like contraption.
Iroh was the first to notice them. "Aang," he said, looking up from the desk. The old man had clearly not gotten much sleep—Aang could see the dark circles under his eyes. "Do you need something?"
"I know how we can protect everyone from the Fire Nation without them having to fight the soldiers directly," Aang declared. " And how we can make sure they stay away for good!"
"Really? How can we possibly keep them all away?" Katara asked nervously.
"I'll tell you how," Aang replied. "We have something they don't: air power. We control the sky. That's something the Fire Nation can't do. We can win!"
"Yeah! And we can use something like this!" Sokka chimed in, holding up the balloon contraption. "A war balloon! If we made a giant one of these, it would be just like having another Appa!"
Aang frowned slightly. "Appa's one-of-a-kind, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, I know he is," Sokka said, waving his hand. "When I say 'another Appa', I mean it's a way for people to fly in greater numbers, or carry heavier things over long distances." Suddenly, he darted over to Zuko.
"Huh?" the Fire Prince exclaimed in confusion.
Sokka nodded down towards the contraption, where a candle sat in the center of the boat that was attached to the balloon.
Zuko rolled his eyes, sighed, and produced a small flame with his index finger, lighting the candle.
"And who said firebenders weren't useful?" Sokka said with a grin as he let the balloon go, Zuko shooting him a glare.
Aang watched the balloon ascend until it hit the roof. Eventually, the candle burned out, and the contraption fell back down to the floor.
"Uh, no offense, Sokka," Katara said. "But that seems a bit dangerous."
The Mechanist sighed. "Yes, it would be. If we could somehow control it, then we might be able to make use of it. I just haven't quite figured out how."
Sokka walked over to where the balloon contraption had fallen to and picked it back up. He studied it for a few moments, then perked up, snapping his fingers. "I think I just figured out a way we can fix that problem!"
Both Iroh and the Mechanist looked up at Sokka with surprised expressions.
"See, the problem with this war balloon model is you can get it airborne, but once it is, it just keeps going," Sokka explained. "We could put a hole in the top, but then all the hot air would escape. So the question is, how do you keep a lid on hot air?"
"Ugh, if only we knew," Katara said, and she, Aang, and Teo chuckled, while Zuko smirked.
Sokka glared at his sister for a moment before continuing. "A lid is actually the answer. If you control the hot air, you control the war balloon."
"Huh," Katara replied. "That's actually pretty smart."
"Sokka, my boy, you are a genius! " the Mechanist exclaimed, slapping Sokka firmly on the shoulder. "I can't believe I didn't think of that myself!"
"Thank you! You're a genius," Sokka replied with a grin. "I'm not the one who invented the war balloon!"
"We could use it to deploy large bombs," Iroh said, nodding thoughtfully. "This would give us a significant advantage over Qin's troops!"
"We've got four kinds of them," Sokka said, turning to Aang, Zuko, and Katara. "Smoke, slime, fire, and…"
" Stink! Never underestimate the power of stink!" the Mechanist declared.
"Then it's decided," Iroh said, standing up. "We need to get to work on that war balloon."
Over the course of the next week and a half, progress was steadily made on the war balloon. While a few tests had been recently made, according to the Mechanist, the balloon was not yet quite stable enough to truly be safe enough to man under normal circumstances, much less during a battle. He had also stated that they likely needed at least two or three more days to work out all of the kinks until the war balloon would, in his words, "be ready to drop bombs out the wazoo".
Zuko heard Aang sigh audibly as they both wandered the winding halls of the temple that afternoon. He glanced over at the airbender, who appeared to be fidgeting with his sleeves as they walked.
"You've been sighing a lot today," Zuko observed. "And you've been unusually quiet."
"Have I?" Aang replied absentmindedly, suddenly coming to a stop. He looked to their right at what looked to be the entrance to another long corridor.
"What's down that way?" Zuko asked.
"That leads to the atrium," Aang replied. "It's that room with the sky bison fountain, and all the pipes."
"Oh. That room," Zuko replied, frowning as he recalled how upset Aang had been when he had seen what the Mechanist had done to it. "Is that the one Teo said is closed off for repairs, or something?"
"Something like that," Aang said. "It's not like I'd want to see it anyway. I saw more than enough the last time we were here."
Aang continued onward, and Zuko followed. "Are you worried about the Fire Nation?" he asked after another few moments of silence.
"When am I not worried about the Fire Nation these days," Aang replied with a short, dry laugh. "It just feels like Wolf Cove all over again... But this time, it's worse, because I don't have a magical prophetic dream to tell me exactly when they're coming this time."
Zuko nodded understandingly. While no messenger hawks had come yet to give notice of War Minister Qin's impending arrival, this had not lessened anyone's anxiety. The most stressful part for everyone was waiting and not knowing . There was no telling when the messenger hawk would arrive, but once it did, they would all only have one day to truly finish their preparations.
Eventually, they both came to a stop in front of the large wooden doors that led to the Northern Air Temple's sanctuary, which were illuminated by the soft rays of the afternoon sunlight that was filtering in from the hallway windows.
"Are you sure you want to go in?" Zuko asked. Despite the Mechanist insisting that all of the Fire Nation weapons had been cleared out, he remembered very clearly that Aang had declined to see the room when Teo had offered to show him a few days earlier.
"I do," Aang replied. "It's just… hard to forget happened last time."
Zuko hadn't seen it for himself, but he couldn't imagine how horrible it must have been for Aang to have opened these doors, expecting to see an Air Nomad room untouched by the outside world, only to be met with the sight of instruments of violence and destruction.
Aang took a deep breath and whipped his arms up to send currents of air into the mechanism, which Zuko noticed was nearly identical to the one at the Southern Air Temple. When it had fully unlocked, Aang pushed the ancient doors open, and they both entered the room.
As in the hallway, soft sunlight was shining from small windows near the ceiling, though it was not nearly as bright. He heard Aang sigh again, this time likely in relief. There was not a single Fire Nation weapon or insignia in sight, true to the Mechanist's word.
The room was, in fact, almost completely empty. While the Southern Air Temple's sanctuary had been filled with hundreds of statues of past Avatars, this one was not. Instead, along the chamber's curved walls stood statues of various monks and nomads.
"Who are these people?" Zuko wondered aloud.
"Great monks and nomads who all lived at the Northern Air Temple at some point," Aang replied, perking up slightly. "If I had to guess, this was probably a place where the head monks of the temple would come to meditate."
Zuko continued curiously scanning the room until his gaze landed upon the largest of the statues that lined the wall, which stood directly across from the doorway. It depicted a stout-looking Air Nomad sitting in lotus pose. Their eyes were closed, and they appeared to be sitting on a cloud.
"This person looks important," he said, cocking his head to the side. "Do you know who this is?"
A small smile appeared on Aang's face—a welcome sight as far as Zuko was concerned. "Suddenly interested in Air Nomad history again, hotman?" he teased. "Do you miss my temple tours?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," Zuko replied, glad to have finally found something to talk about that was lifting Aang's spirits. As always, the airbender's smile was infectious, and he felt the corners of his mouth begin to tug upwards as well. "I like listening to you. Your stories, I mean," he quickly clarified, feeling his ears grow slightly warm.
Aang's smile widened considerably upon hearing this. "I'll have to remember that the next time you complain about me chatting your ear off before bedtime."
"I think I'm justified in complaining about that. And so is everyone else."
Aang simply laughed in reply. "To answer your question, I do know who this is. This is the legendary Guru Laghima."
"What made this guru so legendary?"
"Well, we were taught in classes growing up that he was 'one of the most influential philosophers in the world' and 'considered by many to be the greatest airbender who ever lived'," Aang explained, imitating what Zuko assumed to be a wise old monk. "So… yeah. He was a pretty well-respected person."
"Well, you can't just stop there," Zuko said with a slight frown. "Why was he considered to be the greatest airbender who ever lived?"
"Supposedly, he could fly," Aang replied.
Zuko's eyes narrowed in confusion. "But you can fly."
"Nope. I can glide," Aang said matter-of-factly. "But I can't fly. When I say fly, I mean floating in the sky, no glider or anything. Just like Appa does."
Zuko's eyes widened. "He could fly? "
"Yep. That's what I just said."
"Does that mean you could learn how to fly?"
"Well… the thing is, no airbender has managed to learn how to fly since Laghima," Aang replied. "Not even any past Avatars."
"And how long ago did this guy live?"
"About…" Aang scrunched his face up as he attempted to recall the information. "Four thousand years ago, I think? Something close to that."
"That's awfully convenient. How does anyone even know if it's true that he achieved the power of flight if he was the only one in history who supposedly ever did?"
"I dunno," Aang said with a shrug. "Technically, it should be possible to unlock the ability. It's just extremely difficult."
"What do you mean?"
Aang nodded towards the statue. "Look at the inscription at the bottom."
Zuko did as he was told, squinting his eyes as he attempted to make out the ancient words. "Let go of your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty and become wind," he read aloud. "…I don't get it. 'Let go of your earthly tether'?"
"It means detaching yourself from worldly concerns," Aang said. "That's basically the core aspect of the Air Nomad way of life. It's why we almost never had issues with things like greed, war, and violence like the other nations did."
"That… honestly sounds like a pretty decent philosophy," Zuko said.
"It is, in some ways. When you don't have very many worldly attachments, that presumably means you don't have to experience the pain of negative emotions like fear, anger, shame, jealousy, and grief at the same level as someone who does have more worldly attachments."
Less painful emotions? Zuko thought. With everything he had been through in his short life so far, he probably felt all of the emotions Aang described more often than the average person did.
"If more people tried to live like that, do you think the world would be a better place?"
"Maybe…" Aang replied, folding his arms. "But some Air Nomads believed that in order to achieve true enlightenment, one should strive to let go of all worldly concerns, including any attachments to the people you care about and love. That's why no other airbender in history has managed to unlock the power of flight since Laghima. You'd basically have to let go of everything that makes you human, forever."
"Oh," Zuko replied, at a loss for words. That definitely didn't sound ideal. He looked back up at the statue of the guru, whose round face appeared serene and peaceful.
He tried to imagine what it would be like to detach himself from the world completely, what he would have to let go of in order to overcome the power those painful emotions often held over him.
He glanced at Aang, who was also studying the statue.
"I could never do it," Aang murmured to himself.
"Never do what?" Zuko asked quietly.
"I could never detach myself completely," Aang continued, his expression growing defiant as his eyes remained locked on the statue of the guru. "I won't ever do it. I won't give up on the world, and especially not on the people I care about."
He suddenly looked at Zuko again, and the intensity of the Avatar's gaze immediately caused his heart to skip a beat.
"Aang! Zuko!"
They both turned around at the same time to see that Teo was approaching from the hallway, a very anxious expression on his face.
"I've been looking for you guys all over the place!"
"What is it?" Aang asked.
"Dad just got the messenger hawk," Teo said. "Qin is going to be here in one hour."
The Mechanist was pacing nervously in front of his desk when they arrived at his office, his eyes darting every so often to the bell on the wall.
"I'm sorry boys," the anxious man murmured, coming to a stop and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "He's never given me such short notice before! I'll try to be direct with him, I promise, but what if he… I don't know, shoots a fireball at me?"
"It's okay, dad," Teo said. "Just take a deep breath and calm down. Aang and Zuko are here, they won't let anything happen to you."
"And War Minister Qin isn't a firebender as far as I know, so you don't have to worry about getting burned, at least," Zuko said.
"Where are Sokka and Iroh?" Aang asked.
"Working on the war balloon as we speak," the Mechanist replied. "If they can work fast enough, it should be operational by the time the troops arrive. It won't be perfect, but it's better than nothing."
Aang hoped the Mechanist's words were true. Iroh had said several days ago that if they were successful in this upcoming battle—meaning, if the war balloon worked as intended—they would not only be able to protect everyone living at the temple, but they would also have the opportunity to deal a great blow to a large chunk of the Fire Nation's forces in the northern Earth Kingdom. Thus, they really couldn't afford for it not to work as intended.
Suddenly, the bell on the wall jingled, and the Mechanist jumped slightly.
"Everything's gonna be okay," Aang said, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. "We're right here with you."
The Mechanist took a deep, shaky breath, and nodded slowly before walking across the room to pull the rope that opened the trapdoor in the office floor. Steam poured out of the hole as the platform beneath it rose, revealing a gray-haired man wearing long, dark red robes. The man sniffed haughtily as he stepped into the room towards the Mechanist, facing the opposite direction of Aang, Zuko, and Teo.
"You know better than to keep me waiting. Give me what you owe us so we can be on our way."
Aang and Zuko shared a glance and exchanged a nod. Thankfully, the man appeared to be unarmed, and he had not brought any soldiers with him. The Mechanist was likely not in danger.
"I–I'm sorry, but I'm afraid with such short notice of your arrival, I–"
"What? Is there a problem?" Qin demanded, causing the Mechanist to flinch. "You know the deal. If you don't give us the weapons–"
"No," the Mechanist interrupted.
"Excuse me?" Qin replied, voice darkening.
"I said, no ," the Mechanist repeated, standing with more confidence than before. "I won't make any more weapons for the Fire Nation."
"If I don't get what I came here for, the Fire Nation will burn this place to rubble!" Qin snarled.
"He said the deal's off," Aang interjected firmly, causing the startled war minister to spin around.
"The Avatar…" Qin murmured in momentary shock, and as his eyes moved to Zuko, he quickly regained his composure, smoothing the front of his robes. "And the banished Prince."
"Surprised to see me?" Zuko asked defiantly.
"No," Qin said, his frown deepening. "It's well known by now that you and General Iroh are traitors. I will say, however, I am surprised that you're still alive. Though now that I know you're here, you won't be for long."
Aang felt an abrupt rush of anger surge within him. "Get out of here!" he demanded, slapping Qin in the face with a blast of air with the swipe of his hand and knocking loose several strands of hair from the war minister's perfectly styled topknot. "You're leaving empty-handed!"
"Then the destruction of this temple will be on your head!" Qin snarled in reply, pointing directly at him before descending through the door in the floor again. Aang made sure to slam the trap door shut forcefully with airbending for good measure.
The Mechanist visibly sighed in relief upon Qin's departure, using his desk to keep himself steady as the strength in his legs wavered. "That was one of the scariest things I've had to do in my entire life."
"I'm proud of you, dad," Teo said, rolling over to his father and patting him on the arm. "That was brave of you to talk back to him like that."
"I'm just glad I didn't pass out," the Mechanist replied with a weak chuckle.
"They're coming!" one of the refugees—a young girl—cried out from the edge of the courtyard where she and several other people had been keeping an eye on the cliffs below the temple for the past half hour.
"Are we ready?" Teo asked, looking up at Aang, who was sitting on Appa's head.
"Yes," Katara replied. "But where are Sokka and Iroh with the war balloon?" she asked nervously.
"We'll have to start without them," Aang replied, hopping down from Appa's head, staff in hand.
"Katara and I will help supply the gliders with bombs," Zuko said with a nod to Aang and Katara before turning to the rest of the refugees who were not going to be fighting. "If any of the soldiers manage to get up here, we'll be the first line of defense. If that happens, everyone needs to immediately head for the designated escape route. Don't linger behind or stop to grab belongings. If any Fire Nation soldiers find you…" A slightly pained look appeared on the Fire Prince's face for a moment, and several of the adults in the crowd shared knowing glances. "Just… don't let them find you."
"Alright. We're off," Aang said, flicking his glider open, while the glider attachment was secured to Teo's chair. "Stay safe, you guys."
"Same to you two," Zuko replied. "Don't be reckless." He looked pointedly at Aang.
"When am I ever?" Aang replied with a grin as he flicked his glider open, resulting in a strange look appearing on the Fire Prince's face. "...Actually, don't answer that," he added before he and Teo took off into the skies.
Once airborne, he quickly spotted the lines of Qin's troops ascending the footpaths of the cliffs below, and he felt a sudden spike of dread.
Is this what it looked like when the Fire Nation attacked my people?
Would the refugees suffer the same fate?
No, he told himself, shaking his head. They won't. Because we're going to win.
"We've got them on the run!" Aang shouted to Teo as he watched several slime-covered Fire Nation soldiers retreat down the mountainside. "We need more slime!"
Teo gave him a short nod in reply, and the two ascended through the clouds up to where Appa was currently floating. Katara, Zuko, and Momo were seated in the saddle, and as Teo and several other gliders flew past, they were handed more bombs.
Suddenly, a startled roar sounded from Appa, and as Aang looked back down, he saw several hook-ended metal chains burst out of the layer of clouds. He heard Katara scream as Appa narrowly managed to evade several chains, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zuko scrambling onto his head to steer the bison up and away from danger.
As the hooks at the end of each chain latched onto the cliff, Aang's eyes widened in recognition as he heard a familiar metal clanking sound. The last time he had heard such a sound had been…
At the Southern Air Temple.
Soon, more metal tanks appeared, each rolling up the cliffs at a ninety degree angle. Some of the gliders weaved their way through the chains, tossing fire bombs at the tanks as they did so, but none of them seemed to do any damage.
Aang quickly flew over to where one of the hooks had been lodged into the rock and jammed his staff next to it, knocking it off. However, as the tank began to fall, another chain shot up from the machine, just barely missing him.
It's no use, he thought to himself. Maybe if we just drop enough bombs, the tanks will start taking damage…
As the tanks finished their ascent of the cliff and continued towards the temple on flat ground, a small window on the front of each tank opened, and multiple blasts of fire were shot into the air towards the gliders.
While the rest of the gliders continued to drop bombs from above, Aang landed onto the snowy ground and used his staff to shoot powerful air blasts at the tanks, knocking several upside down. However, to his continued shock and frustration, the central mechanism of each downed tank suddenly spun around, returning to an upright position as they continued forward towards him. He felt sweat beginning to form on his brow as he continued his attempts to blast the tanks away with airbending, while at the same time deflecting fire blasts.
Suddenly, Katara and Zuko landed in the snow next to him, the latter tossing his glider to the side as he moved into a fighting stance.
As Aang continued to deflect fire blasts with his staff, Zuko did the same with his own blasts of firebending. Meanwhile, Katara, who stood between them, assumed a solid stance, raised her arms, and blew softly, creating spikes of ice from the snow that stabbed directly into each of the wheels of the tank directly in front of them. To Aang's surprise, the ice somehow managed to completely break the wheels off of the tank, rendering it immobile.
Before he had the chance to compliment Katara's waterbending abilities, he felt himself yanked to the side, and frowned as he looked down to see that another tank's chain had wrapped around the end of his staff. As he began to yank at it, Katara lifted the tank with a wall of ice, knocking it over onto its side.
As Aang freed his staff from the chain, he saw that several more tanks had ascended the cliff, and a feeling of dread washed over him.
"They just keep coming!" Aang yelled to Zuko as they both continued to protect Katara from fire blasts. "We need to get out of here!"
"How are we going to do that now?" Zuko replied, now looking thoroughly distressed as he shot a fire blast towards the tank closest to them. "They're closing in on us!"
Just as it seemed they were about to be cornered, Appa landed in front of them with a thud. To Aang's surprise, Iroh was sitting on the bison's head. The former general whipped the reins, and with a great roar, Appa used his horns to toss several of the tanks away from them.
"Uncle?" Zuko exclaimed as he, Aang, and Katara scrambled up Appa's tail and into his saddle. "What are you doing out here? I thought you were helping Sokka and the Mechanist with the war balloon!"
"Are they both okay?" Katara asked nervously.
"They are," Iroh replied reassuringly as they ascended back towards the temple. "The war balloon should be out any minute now. Hopefully."
"Hopefully?" Zuko repeated with a frown.
"We did have to… rush things a bit, so there may still be some last-minute snags they're needing to work out before it can be flown safely."
As they dismounted in the temple courtyard, a distressed-looking Teo rolled up to them. "We're out of bombs!" he said.
"Come on, Sokka…" Katara said, clasping her gloved hands together. "Where's that war balloon?"
Suddenly, from over Katara's shoulder, Aang spotted something very large and very red emerge from behind the walls of the temple. To his relief, it appeared to be the completed war balloon, with a black Fire Nation insignia emblazoned on its side.
" Phew, " Iroh sighed, wiping sweat from his brow. "It looks like it's functioning as it should."
"And the soldiers aren't attacking…" Zuko murmured. "They must think the war balloon's on their side!"
Iroh nodded. "Exactly as planned. Qin won't be expecting this."
They must have used the materials given to the Mechanist by the Fire Nation, Aang thought in realization. I guess it actually was a good thing that he never got rid of all that stuff.
He watched nervously as the war balloon continued flying over the troops on the plateau below the temple, until one giant slime bomb was dropped upon the unsuspecting soldiers, then two, then four, slowing down several of the tanks. Unfortunately, that appeared to have been the last of the war balloon's bombs, and it seemed that even that would not be enough to deter all of the soldiers and tanks, a large number of which had managed to avoid the bombs altogether and were already preparing to make the final ascent to the temple.
"The tanks will be here any minute!" Zuko yelled, whipping around to face the refugees. "Everyone needs to head for the evacuation route immediately! We'll hold them off as long as we can!"
As he watched Zuko openly declare his intent to protect the refugees, Aang felt a sudden surge of warmth in his chest. He really has come a long way since the last time we were here, hasn't he.
"No," Teo argued. "We won't leave you!"
Several other refugees nodded in agreement, and Zuko looked at both Aang and Katara with an expression of frustration and helplessness.
"Teo, Zuko's right," Aang said. "You and your people need to get to safety. We'll come get you when it's safe." If we survive, that is, a small, anxious voice inside his head added.
Teo shook his head. "We're not just going to abandon you!"
Before Aang could argue further, several loud clanging noises sounded in the distance, and they all quickly turned back around. He fully expected to see another bigger, more unstoppable Fire Nation machine; instead, his brow furrowed in confusion when all he saw were the same tanks and soldiers, while the war balloon was still floating in the distance.
Suddenly, an ear-splitting boom erupted from somewhere below the temple, and Aang squeezed his eyes shut as the flash of the explosion nearly blinded him.
When he opened his eyes, he gingerly leaned back over the edge of the courtyard wall. For a moment, all he could see was the black smoke. However, as the smoke began to clear, he saw that not only had several of the chains that had been holding the tanks been broken, but the remaining Fire Nation soldiers had started moving in the opposite direction.
"Look! They're retreating!" Aang cried out joyfully, breathing a sigh of relief as the refugees cheered behind him.
" We're going down! "
Aang's short-lived relief quickly dissipated when he heard Sokka's scream. The war balloon was descending, much more quickly than it was likely supposed to.
"No, Sokka!" Katara yelled. "Hold on!"
"They must have thrown the engine into the cavern to set off the explosion somehow," Zuko said, eyes widening. "They don't have a fuel source!"
"I was worried something like this would happen… I should have stayed with them," Iroh murmured nervously.
"It's okay, Iroh—I'll get them!" Aang said, quickly shooting back into the sky with his glider.
When he got close enough to the war balloon, he saw that Sokka had attached his boomerang to a piece of rope, which he was swinging around above his head. Aang nodded to let the Water Tribe boy know he was ready, and as he soared past them, he felt the rope wrap around his ankles.
He winced slightly when he felt himself lurch with the weight of both Sokka and the Mechanist now holding onto the rope, took a deep breath, and used a blast of air to shoot himself upwards.
When they each landed safely in the temple courtyard a few moments later, the crowd of refugees cheered once more.
"I wish you guys didn't have to leave so soon…" Teo said as he, his father, and the rest of the refugees helped Aang and his companions pack up their belongings the following morning.
"I know," Aang said, jumping down from Appa's head, where he had been tightening the reins on the bison's horns. He walked over to the sullen-looking boy and put a hand on his shoulder. "I really do need to start my Avatar training. But I have a feeling we'll see each other again soon. Right, hotman?"
Zuko nodded as he walked over to stand next to Aang. "Just like last time, this isn't goodbye forever."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Teo's lips. "Well, you guys know where to find us if you need any slime bombs or war balloons in the future."
Aang chuckled. "We'll definitely keep that in mind."
"I wish there was some way we could repay you for everything you've done for us," the Mechanist sighed. "I would offer some spark candles, but that doesn't seem like enough…"
"I mean, all of the food you're giving us is payment enough in my book," Sokka said with a nod of approval. "Even if there's no meat…"
Katara frowned and shook her head at her brother. "We were happy to help. And we're grateful for your generosity and hospitality."
"And we were happy to provide it," the Mechanist smiled before turning to Iroh. "Iroh, it was an honor to work with you this past week. I never could have guessed that my good friend Mushi would turn out to be the Fire Lord's brother," he chuckled, and turned to Zuko. " Both of you have our wholehearted thanks for defending our little settlement, and for fighting against your own people to do so."
Iroh shook his head. "We're only doing what's right. It's the least we can do to make amends for the harm our nation and family have caused."
"Besides," Zuko added. "They really aren't our people anymore."
"Of course," the Mechanist replied, nodding understandingly in response. "And Sokka, my boy," he continued, clapping the Water Tribe boy on the shoulder. "If it weren't for you, we'd all be burnt to a crisp by now. You're an excellent inventor, and a resourceful young man."
Sokka beamed. "Thank you!"
"I know you've got a very important mission ahead of you," the Mechanist said, looking somewhat guilty. "But I can't suppose you'd be willing to stay here for just a little bit? Maybe to give some input into some of my other inventions?"
An extremely conflicted look appeared on Sokka's face upon hearing the Mechanist's request. However, when he glanced over at Katara, the look faded. "That is very tempting… But you're right. We do have an important mission ahead of us, and I promised my dad I'd take care of my sister. I'm sorry."
The Mechanist smiled. "That's quite alright. I know more than anyone just how important family is," he replied, ruffling Teo's hair affectionately. "You're a good brother."
"He really is," Katara said, giving Sokka a genuine hug, which the surprised boy gingerly returned.
"I know I wasn't thrilled about it at first," Aang said, spotting a small, fluffy hermit crab similar to the one Teo had shown him over a year ago crawling on the ground in front of him. "But I'm really glad you guys all live here now." He scooped the hermit crab gently into his palm. "It's like this hermit crab. Maybe you weren't born here, but you found this empty shell and made it your home. And now you protect each other."
"That means a lot, coming from you," Teo said warmly.
"Still, surely there must be something we can do or give to you to show you our gratitude…" the Mechanist muttered, stroking his beard.
"Wait a minute, dad," Teo said, eyes widening. "What about the atrium?"
"The atrium?" the Mechanist repeated, blinking in surprise. "But it's not finished yet!"
"I don't think he'll mind," Teo said, turning back towards Aang with a small grin. "There are actually some things that have changed since you guys were last here."
"Oh," Aang said, trying not to let his instinctual reaction of disappointment show. "Well… Like I said, this is your home now."
Teo shook his head and laughed. "It's not the type of change you're probably thinking of. Follow us, and we'll show you."
Aang and Zuko exchanged a curious glance, and the Fire Prince shrugged.
When they arrived at the entryway to the atrium, the Mechanist pulled back the tarp that had been placed over it and gestured for them to step through.
"Like I said, it's not quite finished yet," the man said. "But we've still made a good bit of progress so far."
As Aang cautiously stepped into the room, he looked up, and his eyes widened.
The last time he had been here, it had been dark, dingy, and crowded with pipes. Now, however, the room was lit warmly with the soft golden light of the morning sun. He immediately noticed that the number of pipes seemed to have significantly decreased—he could see a pile of them stacked in the corner of the room, in fact—and the few that were still there were no longer haphazardly jutting out of the walls. He was especially relieved to see that there were no longer pipes protruding from the head of one of the many statues of former temple abbots.
Additionally, he could see that the large fountain, which had been covered and filled with muck and grime the last time he had seen it, had been cleaned up as well, its waters now crystal-clear. Even the stone bison carving above it looked almost brand-new.
When Aang finally turned towards the wall behind him, he gasped softly.
"Are you okay?" Zuko whispered, placing a hand on his upper back.
Aang nodded slowly in reply, and the Fire Prince's eyes widened when he saw what he was looking at.
The pipes that had once marred this particular wall were completely gone, each hole meticulously patched up. Instead, the murals displaying the history of his people seemed to have been nearly completely restored, save for a small portion at the end of the wall, which was covered by scaffolding.
"Wow," Katara breathed in awe. "Isn't this amazing, Sokka?"
"I'm not much of an interior decorating guy," Sokka replied. "But I have to agree with you."
"Breathtaking," Iroh murmured. "Simply breathtaking."
Aang turned back to face Teo and his father, tears now spilling down his cheeks. "You… You guys…"
Teo smiled. "It was all dad's idea."
"I know it's not perfect, and there are still parts of the temple that need some work, but this room is the first one we've really made a lot of effort on," the Mechanist said. "You really made an impact on us the last time you were here, Aang."
"I did?"
The Mechanist nodded. "For years, I was so preoccupied with progress, and my inventions, that I didn't even stop to think about what we were doing to this place. We want to try and respect and honor its history as best we can going forward."
Aang was silent for a moment as he looked around the room again, his heart nearly overcome with the depth of emotion he was currently feeling.
"So… do you like it?" Teo asked, rolling over to Aang. "Because I'm pretty sure you do, but it's kinda hard to tell."
Aang laughed as he wiped the tears from his face. "I love it," he replied, a warm, joyful feeling budding deep inside his chest. "All of this… it means more than you could ever know."