Early Morning Sessions

Zuko woke with a start, panting, sweating. It can't be real. He bolted upright, frantically feeling for ruined flesh across his cheek. When his shaking fingers found none, he sobbed in relief, struggling to keep his cool. It wasn't real. He buried his face in his hands, breathing hard.

The bedroom glistened in the moonlight. The hammock swayed as Zuko curled into a ball, burying himself in the furs. His milky cheeks went red at the thought of crying: he hadn't cried in years, and he wouldn't start now. He bit his hand and held his breath, waiting out the thundering of his small heart. He blinked furiously. He remembered all the fire he had seen, all the flesh that burnt, and his jaw locked on the meat of his thumb. The pain crested and he tasted coins, but he ignored it. Eleven-year-old boys did not cry.

Finally, when he trusted himself not to whimper, he released his hand and buried it against his stomach, a sickening cold settling in. He hated the cold. His fingers found the stone of the pendant wrapped around his inner wrist, rubbing the worn faces of the dragons.

"Dreams aren't real," he chanted between chattering teeth. "Dreams aren't real." These words had small comfort. The dreams weren't real, but his cheek still burned. His eyes still watered.

He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "Dreams aren't real." With repetition, he told himself, it'd go away.

He turned to the other side and left the fear. When the lull settled in, he gave himself permission to go back under.

Dreams aren't real.

Grey, early morning light streamed in through his window. Hurrying, he finished the annoying lace of his parka and slipped on the tailored boots. Zuko pulled himself to a stand and sprinted to the door, turning to give his room a quick once-over. Yes, it was in order. The pillows cushioned the furs of his hammock nicely—the servants would leave the saggy form of 'Zuko' sleeping soundly.

He checked the sky. The moon was low on the horizon, and the city still slept with a hushed silence. A light blue dawn stretched over the cliffs, slowly.

He smiled to himself. Perfect.

Minding his steps, he slipped out his door and crept down the hall. He peered back over his shoulder, to the room at the end of the hall. Inside, two muffled forms lay side by side on an expansive bed. Earth Kingdom spices filled the air and he wrinkled his nose. His father snored softly, his mother buried at his side. Good.

He tip-toed to the stairs, leaning to check them one last time before taking off, gloved fingers skimming the frosty railing. The entrance hall loomed, ceiling arched high above his head. He dashed across blue and lilac rugs, rounding the interior fountain before charging towards the kitchens, checking each hall before he crossed it.

When he reached the rear entrance down by the servants quarters, he tore into a bolt, splitting through the door into the open, freezing air of the courtyard before anyone could stop him. His cheeks felt red. He pulled his collar higher and looked back, the wind tearing at his hair. No followers. His breath felt deep and frosty in his lungs and he grinned. A clean getaway!

Zuko fell to his knees down by the garden of ice sculptures, giving the yard a furtive glance before he leaned down and pushed the loose brick of ice back, barely squeezing through the space. With a grunt, he wriggled out to the other side, shoving the brick back in. He frowned as he jogged away. He was getting a little too big for that route.

The empty streets wound through the capitol. The sun rose, painting the sky with pinks and purples. Already, the air felt warmer. The mansion walls disappeared far behind him as he vanished down the backstreets. The fresh snow creaked with every step. He hoped no one would follow the footprints that led away from his home.

Zuko came to the small alcove behind his mother's favourite fabric store, rubbing his numb hands together. The tall wall of the school loomed ahead of him. Already, eh felt dwarfed. Hesitant, and constantly checking for unwanted witnesses, he knelt and dipped his head low, whispering to the wall. "I'm here! And I'm alone!"

There was a beat of silence. Zuko frowned. "Hello?"

Still nothing.

This wasn't the arrangement. Zuko glanced around again, a little worried. "Peti?" he finally whispered. "Peti, it's me! I'm here! It's Zuko!"

The wall cracked and a jet of steam shot from between the bricks. Zuko yelped and fell back in shock, breathing hard, eyes wide. The ice melted away, revealing a tall teen with an annoyed frown, hand poised in the air.

Zuko blinked as Peti dusted the snow from his jacket. "You're late."

Zuko scrambled to his feet. "No, I came at the break of dawn!" he protested. "Like you said!"

Peti rolled his eyes. "You're later than I thought you'd be."

Zuko locked his jaw in shame. "Came as quick as I could..." he mumbled.

The taller teen sighed, pinching his nose as he gestured. "Whatever. Let's go. I need to get this lesson out of the way." Zuko stepped inside, then Peti sealed the gap in the wall with one sweeping motion. "This way."

Zuko followed the teenager eagerly, admiring the carvings in the walls and the statues of various poses. The courtyards stretched long distances, the ground uneven from where water had been drawn in combat. The school always took his breath away. When he noticed how far ahead Peti had gotten, he picked up his pace.

Peti glanced down and rolled his eye, striding with the proud gait of a northern waterbender. He was older and stronger than Zuko, dark brown hair pulled into a wolf's tail, run through with blue ribbons. He had forgotten his usual rich boarding clothes for a simple tunic and pants, animal skin boots crunching in the frosty snow.

"Aren't you cold?" Zuko asked, curious.

Peti huffed. "I'll be warm soon enough."

Zuko nodded. "Oh."

"Don't sound so surprised," Peti sighed.

He led them down into a small practice yard, hidden away from prying eyes. With one cursory look, Peti lifted both hands and sealed the yard off with a wall of ice. He turned back to Zuko, brow raised. "Wipe that smile." Zuko nodded and straightened his shoulders. "Early morning lessons mean we more than just rehearse the motions. It means we'll do actual bending."

Zuko vibrated, nodding.

"I have a test today," Peti continued, shucking the gloves from his hands. Zuko quickly did the same. "If I pass, I go beyond group classes and instead take private lessons with Master Pakku."

This took Zuko off guard. "Wait, really? Pakku? The Pakku?"

"Well, there's just so many Pakku's to choose from."

Zuko kept his lips sealed.

Peti clarified. "In other words, I become his personal apprentice. Pakku only takes on three, and I'm not the only student competing for a slot."

"Then why are we having a lesson?" Zuko asked with a frown. "You should be training. Preparing for the test."

"Because the test is unique," Peti replied. "Everyone shows off for three minutes, then Pakku chooses someone to duel." Zuko's jaw went slack. A fight? "If he deems you worthy, he'll take you on. I mean, there are other rules, and most of it is just tedious tradition. But I need to be ready for anything. He can challenge whoever he wants to a duel, as long as he has seen their bending on the day."

Zuko marvelled in silence. "How do you know he'll choose you?"

This took Peti by surprise. "I'm the top of my class. He'll choose me."

Zuko didn't quite understand, but he nodded anyway. "Okay, so what do we do?"

Peti grinned. "We duel."

Zuko's eyes widened, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Get into your starting pose," Peti commanded. "We duel the traditional way."

Zuko quickly did as he said. The teen gave him a critical look. Zuko readjusted his position and smiled. Peti sighed, but rolled his shoulders back, feet waist length apart. His smile became crooked. "The first move is yours," he said. "The defender always starts."

Zuko hadn't known this was a rule, but obliged anyway. He drew his hands in and cupped his fingers. He took a deep breath and felt the heat pit in his gut. An ember brightened between his open palms, then poof: a docile flame formed, flickering happily.

Peti relaxed. "Is that it?"

Zuko frowned and concentrated, the flames emboldened by the challenge.

Peti rolled his eyes, gesturing towards himself. "Come at me, Zuko!"

Zuko grunted and rotated swiftly, the flame dripping in a wave of glowing, bright energy, incandescent and blinding as it drove forward hard and fast. A swell of pride made Zuko smile until his attack went up in a jet of steam. Peti smugly grinned and waved a dismissive hand. "Really, that's it?"

Zuko kicked up more flame. The energy trailed his motions loyally, faltering when he caught glimpse of icicles flying towards his head. The fire evaporated and he ducked.

Peti clicked his tongue. "Zuko. I trained you better than this." He bent down and flexed his hands towards the floor, lifting a sheet of ice that melted, splintering into a thousand droplets before pressing together into a streaming coil.

Zuko tried to remember all of the second-hand moves he learned, everything Peti had been taught then taught him out of pity, but all the memories seemed to slip away. Instinct took over. Frayed hair and sweat fell down his forehead as he dodged the teen's slices.

"Fight back, Zuko! Fight!"

Zuko decided to evade. He slipped around Peti and shot a fistful of flame at his back. It erupted in a smoke blast that sent Zuko sprawling. He rolled to his knees, gritting his teeth, panting in frustration.

"Do you yield?" Peti asked, a little disappointed.

"No," Zuko spat. He rose and spun, shooting balls of flame as fast as he could. Peti dodged the volley, redirecting the steam with a simple motion of the wrist.

No, go down, Zuko thought angrily, growing tired with each attack. He weathered each counter of Peti's. Curled spouts rose in a line from the ground, angling towards Zuko then hardening, soaring as towering spears of ice. Peti's signature move.

Zuko leapt and twisted in the air. Small as he was, he easily ducked between strikes. Waves of heat danced from his hands and the last spear melted before touching him, splashing him with a gout of water.

The heat was getting to Peti. The teenager was already sweating, wiping his forehead. He grit his teeth, curling his fingers. The ground opened beneath Zuko and he dropped with a cry. A snaking whip of water struck him back and the wind was knocked from Zuko. He sprawled, empty lungs starving.

Peti gazed at Zuko and let the whip fall towards the snow-lathered ground. "The fight's not over," he said haltingly. "Do you yield?"

Zuko quickly pushed himself to his feet, still gasping.

Peti's eyes twinkled. "Always a fighter," he sighed, leaning back to gather a massive wave from the floor. He reeled and aimed.

Something seized in Zuko, a sudden fear he couldn't brace, and a surge of heat raced through his hands, fingers jolting forward to meet the crashing wave with a bolt of blinding light. It cut clean through, the air sparking and cracking and with a heavy boom the wave split apart and sent Peti flying, landing against wall with a deep smack, one that sent Zuko's stomach into a churning pit of horror.

Lightning.

I just made lightning.

Peti tumbled to the ground. Limp and motionless for a horrible moment. Stunned, Zuko only stood, unable to do anything. The teenager finally moved, hair falling from his wolf's tail. The waterbender grimaced and pushed onto his knees, lifting himself against the wall with one hand while the other held his stomach. "What in the spirit hell was that?!" he demanded, still a little shaken. "Since when... How..."

Zuko could only shake his head, arms useless by his sides.

Voices erupted outside the wall. "Hey, what was that?!" None were familiar.

Zuko panicked, turning to Peti. "No one can know!" he whispered. "My parents!"

Peti nodded, expression transformed, and sprang into action. He waved his hands and the ground flattened, scorch marks gone. Footsteps crunched on the other side of the wall, and Zuko ran to Peti's side. The voices were closer now. "Since when was this here?" a husky voice remarked of the wall.

Peti smoothed back his hair, dusting the singed ends of his shirt.

"Knock it down—the explosion was on the other side." This voice had authority.

Peti turned to Zuko. "Don't make a noise," he whispered. He brought his hands down. A hole opened beneath Zuko and he plummeted with a gasp, shut in a small chamber of ice. A thin layer of crystalline covered the surface. Zuko sat huddled, frightened and claustrophobic before he realised that he was in hiding. He held still and silent, golden eyes wide as the sun.

Steps beat against the snow like a hollow drum, voices muffled. He saw the shadow of Peti move, folding his hands behind his back. The colours blurred through the icy ceiling, slowly lathering with snow.

Unfamiliar shadows suddenly appeared, blocking the early morning light. Waterbenders, Zuko thought. Three of them.

"Peti? What are you doing here?"

"Practicing," the teen answered smoothly. "I find I'm at my best in the morning, when the moon still has some presence in the sky."

"Sounded like you were fighting an army of firebenders," one sneered jokingly.

"As if you know what a real fight sounds like, Koluk."

"Wanna a bet?" spat back the authority voice. Zuko could hear his grin. "How about we practice on each other, Pretty Boy."

"That you will not!" interrupted a cold, calculating voice.

"M-master Pakku!" one of the spare teens stammered.

Zuko felt his stomach drop, palms curdling in a cold sweat.

"Last minute practice is a waste of your time and a disgrace to me," the old master scoffed. "You've been training your entire lives for this—your security in your bending should've been set long ago. Now, you all have places to be."

The teens all stood in silence. Zuko hesitantly looked up. A long shadow loomed. "Go."

Peti and his peers left. Zuko panted, gripped with a sudden loneliness as his only friend left him. Pakku's shadow lingered, before the soft snow creaked underfoot and he followed them out.

Zuko heaved a small sigh of relief, measuring the silence before deeming it safe. He stood, stretching towards the cap of the chamber—a few feet off his head. He reached, stretching on his toes, but his trembling fingers barely skimmed the surface.

Well, he thought dismally. I could always melt it.

The walls around him suddenly caved and the ground lurched beneath his feet, shooting upwards until he fell forward in open air, collapsing from the violent movement. He pushed himself onto his elbows. Rich boots stood facing him, just an arm's length ahead. Those aren't Peti's.

He levelled his gaze with Pakku. His long white hair hung in a limp curtain around his bulbous head, hands relaxed at his sides. His eyes betrayed nothing.

Pakku took a step back and gestured towards the open doorway, the distant wall of the school melting to form a gap just big enough for Zuko. Only two courtyards were between the boy and the awakening city.

"There's your way out," he said flatly. "Go before your parents find you missing."

Zuko staggered to his feet, shame colouring his cheeks. Two boys his own age ran into the distant courtyard, tossing water between them as if it were a ball.

Pakku's gaze hardened. "So it's waterbending you want," he mused quietly. A deep chord pinched in Zuko's chest. Pakku iced over. There was no kindness in his voice. "Leave, firebender."

The name hollowed Zuko's chest as if the wind had been kicked from him again. He knows.

So Zuko ran, not caring if the boys running in the courtyard saw him as he darted through the gap in the wall. With a thwop it closed behind him. He took to the streets, humiliated and terrified.

He hated that name. He hated it with all his heart.

Zuko shoved through the crowded marketplace. Fish rattled on carts, carvings sold, and the elite class bartered with the poor. Some gazes caught his. An old woman in rich indigos suspiciously scowled. Don't we know you?

He covered his face and quickened his pace. The walls of his home slipped into view, bordering the palace. Gulls cried overhead; the city woke faster than he wanted it to. The sun was climbing high now, shining and oppressive. Yet despite the heat, Zuko shivered.

He ran to the far corner of his house, the one away from the other mansions. The street walkers never commented as they saw a councilman's boy kick in a loose brick of ice in the wall, struggling through as if his life depended on it.

Zuko closed the gap and tore through the courtyard of statues, running past the emerging servants. His favourite cook was already in the kitchen, fetching ingredients and more than puzzled to see his young master sloppily dart inside.

"Zuko?" he asked, but the boy ignored him. Zuko ran down the halls dividing servants quarters, past the store rooms and into the entrance hall, where maids smoothed the rugs. He was nearly there, he was nearly at the stairs—but he ran into something hard and bounced back, shaken and stunned.

Zuko looked up into the eyes of his father. "Zuko, what's wrong?" he asked. "Where were you? I sent out Salcha and Kena to look for you."

I can't tell him. "Nothing," Zuko lied, shaking his head, eyes fleeing. "I went out to watch the sunrise in the yard. When I realised how late it was I came running back."

His father raised a brow. "From the yard?"

Zuko held his breath. "Yeah, it's farther than it looks."

If his father didn't buy it, it didn't bother him. "Well, okay. Just let someone know next time."

Zuko nodded, still burning at Pakku's words.

"Come," his father gestured, "let's meet your mother for breakfast. Then you'll have to change that old parka. Your cousin Peti has an important waterbending test today, and we've been invited! Pakku himself will be there!" He smiled. "It's a great chance to see waterbending up close!"

Zuko felt sick. "Yeah," he agreed. His father walked him into the dining room, where his mother waited at the table, glittering eyes blue and sweet and trusting. The sudden safety of his parents made Zuko's throat tight.

"Did you tell him about Peti?" she grinned. Zuko slumped into his seat at the set table.

"Was just explaining it to him," Zuko's father grinned. "Already excited about it, eh, Zuko?"

The firebender couldn't think of an answer. He wanted desperately for one of them to give him a hug and tell him that what he could do was not a crime, nothing to hide. But he knew that wasn't true. And the thought of the greatest waterbender in the world knowing his secret made him want to die.

So instead, Zuko only nodded and wrung his bare hands. He stopped in fright before figuring it didn't matter that he'd left his gloves at the school.