Light danced off the walls shrouding the entire cave in writhing shadows. It was difficult to see too far in either direction where the tunnels stretched on and on. The sound of water dripping from stalactites filled the prince's ears. Every drop was like a hammer on his skull, pounding in his mind.
He entered the cave because it scared him. The walls stretched up towering over him and Zuko couldn't shake the feeling of dread that curled inside. He stood buried deep beneath thousands of pounds of stone that were just waiting to come crashing down on him.
It was perfect.
His tutors had always said to be a great warrior he needed to conquer fear. That cowardice and weakness had no place in the heart of a prince. He needed to be strong, to be brave, to be formidable, to be unshakable in his duty. And yet... didn't the tutors also teach that fear was a weapon to be wielded? Strategists used it to force their opponent to play their hand. Generals used it to control their troops. Azula uses it to keep her friends in check. So surely fear could also be useful.
If everyone else was allowed to use fear, why couldn't he?
So he found the scariest place he could, far away from any people. And he let the fear sink into his bones and fester inside him. He was going to fire bend, and he was going to use his fear to do it.
Ever so carefully Zuko put out his torch, and darkness enveloped him. Until this moment he had never known true blackness. There was always a candle or a fire burning somewhere in the palace. Always stars in the night sky. Now there was nothing, and Zuko froze.
What was I thinking? He fought back a panic. Ever so gently the Fire Prince sat down, he had to remind himself which direction was which.
Folding his legs under himself Zuko took a deep slow breath. He searched inside himself, finding his inner flame. He almost expected it to be damaged, broken, and shriveled. Snuffed out like a candle in the wind. Despite often comparing himself to a spirit of the dead, he was in fact still alive. That small flame inside of him was like a reminder that his father had failed. Had failed to kill him. That he was not gone.
Zuko cupped his hands together and fed heat into them. He focused on the intense feeling of dread and anxiety that pooled inside him and used it to fuel his flame. When he opened his eyes light filled the cave, dancing off the walls just as the torch had.
It worked!
Zuko glanced down at the fire, so close to his face, and his heart just about stopped. The fear that overcame him flooded into the flame making it grow larger and harder to control. In a panic, he tried throwing it away from him, and the flame shot out speeding down the tunnels of the cave in one continuous blast.
The fire burned brighter and hotter than Zuko had ever made it and with every passing second his fear was growing, and so too was the strength of his blast.
Zuko tried to yell but no sound came. Every bending lesson he'd ever had ran through his mind, years of instinct trained into him took over and Zuko cut off the connection from his inner flame.
He fell back flat on his butt panting heavily from exertion. His entire body was slick with sweat. It took every bit of self-restraint he had not to collapse.
Fortunately, he had prepared for this and rummaged through his stolen pack for one of the many water flasks he had brought. He drank it in the dark until his stomach swelled and he felt sick. Then he fumbled around in the dark again and started up a new torch with regular old spark rocks.
Zuko decided two things right then, that when he used fear to fuel his bending he was really strong and his teachers never would have called him weak again had they seen that. And two, fear-fueled fire bending was out of control, and if he wanted to use it full time he was going to have to master it.
That left one question; how do you master fear?
Katara ran into the barn.
"They took him! They took Haru away!" Zuko jumped down from the rafters and walked over. Sokka and Aang hurried over as well. "The old man turned him into the fire nation! This is all my fault, I forced him into earth-bending!"
Zuko felt his blood run cold. The firebenders could have recognized her as water tribe. She could have been taken too.
"Slow down Katara, when did this happen?" Sokka put an arm around his sister comfortingly.
"Haru's mother said they came for him around midnight."
Blue hurried toward Appa and started packing things up.
"Then it's too late to track him, he's long gone."
Blue waved his hands and hurried back over. There would be no tracking, they needed to get out fast before the soldiers came back. He was unfortunately ignored, as usual.
"We don't need to track him. The fire nation is gonna take me right to Haru."
"...And why would they do that?"
"Because they're going to arrest me for earth bending!"
Blue stepped in front of them shaking his head and swinging his arms wildly.
"I know Blue, she drives me crazy too." Sokka patted his back.
Blue panicked. He briefly considered grabbing her and tying her up on Appa but the memory of the last time he'd grabbed her and how angry she was, was still fresh in his mind.
Stop it.Katara can make her own choices. She's too stubborn to be convinced otherwise. The Blue Spirit deflated like the other boys. There was no stopping her when she made up her mind.
All these detours were really starting to piss him off. Couldn't they come back for the weird earth kid later? After Aang and Katara mastered water bending.
Apparently not.
The sun sank into the ocean taking the last of daylight with it. Sokka rounded up a very energetic Aang and an extremely anxious Blue Spirit.
"When we get to the ship you sneak in Blue and find Katara."
"Why can't I do it?"
"No offense Aang, but you're not exactly the sneakiest person in the group..."
"I can be quiet!"
"..."
Sokka pinched the bride of his nose.
"Fine. Aang you sneak in and find Katara."
He glanced over at blue, he was sitting with his arms folded tightly glaring at the boat in the distance. The Blue Spirit had made no secret his disdain for this plan. Sokka had to admit, he didn't like it either. His baby sister was gonna get herself hurt or worse. The threat of what happened to Kyoshi was still fresh in everyone's mind. Maybe they were just making everything worse by trying to save everyone.
Aang crawled onto the ship with Momo and disappeared. Blue remained tense, watching the boat like he could see what was happening.
"They'll be okay," said Sokka. Blue just nodded and kept staring straight ahead.
Sokka studied his boomerang impatiently. It seemed to take forever before Aang climbed back in the saddle with momo. Katara came behind him and stayed on the ship.
"Good you're here, there's guards everywhere. Let's go."
Katara planted herself firmly.
"I'm not leaving."
Sokka fought the very real urge to scream. Across the saddle the Blue Spirit reached for katara before pulling his hands back in a clutching them.
"We don't have time for this. We need to go. They don't want to escape. We can't save people who don't want to be saved."
"I'm not giving up on these people."
Sokka grimaced. He hated when she got like this.
"It's just so frustrating Sokka, they're broken. If only there was a way to help them help themselves."
It took some effort coming up with a plan. Tossing ideas around, a few suggestions from Aang and a lot of thinking on Sokka's part. The Blue Spirit was entirely unhelpful. They had no way to communicate with him outside of charades that they didn't have the time or space for. And there was no dirt for him to write in.
That's when inspiration has struck, they needed earth. Something for the earthbenders to fight with. It was the only way to succeed in overthrowing a boat so big. A revolt.
For a moment Sokka got really excited about it. He was doing exactly what he always wanted. Fighting back against the fire nation. He hoped that his father would be proud if he could see him now.
"Alright I have a plan." Sokka leaned forward and in a low voice whispered his idea to the group. Handing out assignments to each of them. He sent Aang into the vents to seal off every path but the one they needed. And sent Katara back to the group, she would have to be the one to inspire everyone to fight back once the coal was passed around.
That left him and Blue. He turned back to the vigilante.
"We need to be in position for when the fighting starts, stay close by Katara and stay hidden."
The masked man nodded seriously and Sokka grabbed his shoulder.
"Blue... if this goes wrong, get Katara to safety. I don't care if she's kicking and screaming all the way back to Appa. She's my little sister, and as much as she drives me crazy, I love her. Take care of her."
The Blue spirit stared at him and Sokka thought for a moment that he understood. That Blue knew exactly how he felt. Sokka couldn't help but wonder if his friend had siblings of his own. It was a painful reminder how little they knew about their teammate. He swore that when this was over he would find a better way for the group to communicate with him.
"Go now."
The Blue spirit took off down the boat, moving with a silence the water tribe warrior could only wish to emulate. In moments he disappeared, fading into the black shadows of the ship hidden completely from view.
Sokka prepared himself. The fight was about to begin. A loud crash echoed through the night as Aang succeeded in his part of the plan. Thousands of pounds of coal flew through the vents filling the air with black dust. A large pile formed in the middle of the deck.
Katara's voiced echoed through the ship filling the night air, and her brother leaned forward listening. He always knew Katara had a big heart, and he knew that one day someone would try to take it from her. To break her. He would never let that happen. Their father had entrusted him to protect the tribe, to protect what was left of their family. He wouldn't fail.
He listened as Katara urged them to fight, and he had never felt more proud.
Katara picked up a piece of coal.
"Here's your chance earthbenders! Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!"
She stood next to the coal panting for air. Adrenaline filled her veins, but nobody stepped forward.
Across the ship a man laughed loudly. The warden. He walked forward.
"You thought a few inspirational words would change these people. Look at them, blank hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago." He shook his head mocking her. "They're a waste of your energy."
Without warning the warden shot a blast of fire at her. She stared as a wave of flames barreled straight towards her face. Then suddenly her view was blocked. A large black frame of a man stood in front of her, shielding her from the heat. The sound of fighting broke out around them.
"Leave her alone!" Katara recognizes the sound of Haru's voice. He must have attacked the warden for me.
The blue spirit turned to checked on her and Katara met his eyes. He had jumped in front of the flames for her.
"You could have been burned."
She stared at her friend for a moment and understanding passed between them. He would always have her back.
"I'm okay, let's win this!"
The masked man nodded and together they charged into the fight. Katara pulled water from her water skin and sent it under the fire nation soliders feet and body checked them as she ran past making them slip on the wet deck.
The Blue spirt unsheathed his swords and joined the fight, dodging lumps of coal and attacking the Firebenders with the flat of his blades. He knocked a couple of men out with the hilt of his swords and punched a man directly in the face.
"Show no mercy men!" The wardens voice echoed.
The air was filled with smoke and coal dust as the earth benders attacked relentlessly. Years of pent up rage fueling them.
Aang stood not far from where Sokka was fighting with his boomerang. He created a funnel out of air.
"Throw me some coal guys!"
Katara and her brother rushed to him and started dropping coal into the dust vortex. They watched in satisfaction as the enemy was continuously pummeled under a constant barrage of attacks.
The blue spirit ran across the ship and kicked a man directly in the chest. He flew across the deck and toppled right over the railing.
The earthbenders cheered and started throwing men over board. The Warden was the last to go.
"Wait! I can't swim!"
"Don't worry, I hear cowards float."
He was thrown over the railing with the others and made a satisfying splash as he hit the water below. The firebenders screamed out either in rage or fear as they paddled around in the ocean.
One man tossed a buoy overboard just in case.
Haru turned and hugged his father.
They were all so covered in coal dust that Katara barely recognized them. She looked to Aang and Sokka.
"We did it!"
Haru cut in.
"You did it katara. You saved us, it was your bravery that got us to stand up and fight back. I just want to say thank you for saving me. For saving us."
Harus father stepped forward as well and grasped her shoulder.
"Thank you for helping me find my courage, Katara of the Water Tribe. My family and everyone here owes you much."
"So, I guess you're going home now."
"We're going to retake our village. To take back all our villages!" The earthbenders all cheered.
Kataras heart swelled with pride. She met the eyes of the blue spirit as he pushed through the crowd. His mask was blackened from coal dust making him appear even more demon like than usual. Glowing golden eyes stared out from the blackness.
She grinned at him. When they got back she'd find a way to repay him for helping her.
It's been a long time since I've updated. I moved into my own apartment and I've been going to school which is very exciting. I have a few ideas for this fic and I'll probably keep updating, if not a bit slowly.
Since I started the story off after the blue spirit episode the timeline is a little wacky. So I can either go back and edit how the team met Zuko or just skip the episode in the future and come up with something different for Zhao.
Leave a comment and tell me what y'all think.