"Okay? I'm listening."
"Perhaps we could head inside for this, if you don't mind? Your friends can wait here." The prioress said as she gave an awkward glance at the whole group.
Aang looked at her perplexed now "Well, they are my friends. You can say what you want to say here."
Zuko gave the kid an odd glance, assuming that the nuns probably meant him. Maybe they had some important information that they didn't want to fall into the enemy's hands.
"I can go pick up your stuff in the meantime" he offered to the group, though he looked the prioress in the eye.
"Wait, Zuko?" Aang started, obliviously, but the prince has already dissappeared into the room.
The siblings exchanged looks, knowing that they hadn't even unpacked much here (not to mention how little they carried at all), but they didn't say anything as he went into the room.
The nun observed the door closing behind him, a mix of both gratitude and discomfort on her face. Turning back to the Avatar, she raised her hand.
"I think it will be easier to show you first" she said, and waved her hand lightly. To everyone's surprise, the gesture was followed with a gust of wind.
"You- you're an airbender!" Aang stammered in disbelief.
"That I am." the Mother Superior admitted with a smile. She gave a look at the rest of sisters, who gathered closer in a meantime, and added "We're descendants of survivors from the Air Nomad Genocide."
"Survivors? But, I've heard that all the temples were attacked at once, and no one survived...?" the kid asked hesitantly.
"And that is truth, at least partially. The Fire Nation attacked all four temples, and that's where most of our people lost their lives." she explained, her eyes saddening gradually. "But in times before the Great War many of us have undertaken customs of our predecessors - we've been known as air nomads after all. We've been travelling around the world, either in spiritual quests, or simply spreading a goodwill. Those of us who weren't at the temples during the attack had not fallen victim of that day. However, because of this we didn't have enough capable people to defend the temples. Not that it would make much difference against the power of Sozin's Comet..."
She halted for a while, but nobody dared to say a word. She cleared her throat and continued "But even aside from that, we were divided amongst ourselves back then. We disagreed on philosophy, strategies, and customs... It sounds so trifling from today's perspective. But we failed to unite when Sozin first turned against us, and we paid for it."
"But, how did you survive? Does it mean there are more of us out there...?" Aang asked carefully.
She was pained to see the hope she lit in his eyes, and she said slowly, "I... I honestly don't know if there are more. Some of the monks managed to escape the attack and warned those they could, but we were hunted. And Sozin was clever..." she added bitterly, "He took some of our relics from the temples and placed them in caves in the Earth Kingdom, spreading a word that the survivors had found refuge there. But it was a trap. Whoever went there, was killed by the soldiers inside."
The group watched her in horror, but all she could do now was to finish the story as she knew it from her predecessors. And she continued to do so, with her eyes cast downward.
"Our group was lucky enough to discover it before we went in, because the soldiers weren't done getting rid of the previous victims. After that... We stopped trying to follow any rumors about refugees. We fled further into the Earth Kingdom, and eventually we started this Abbey, helping people, and producing ointments and perfumes. We've been like this for generations now. The Fire Nation doesn't know who we are, and they consider us harmless." She finished quietly.
Eventually she took a step towards him, pleading clearly in her eyes.
"Avatar, we have a request to ask of you. You need to bring the balance back to the world, so we can return to our homes and restore our heritage. However little of it is left."
As soon as Zuko entered the room, he glanced back at the door. He knew that he shouldn't eavesdrop, but when he heard the Avatar yelling outside "You're an airbender!" he couldn't help it. The walls were thin, and he managed to catch most of the conversation. What he learned, however, filled him with mixed emotions.
Sozin was portrayed as the greatest Fire Lord in the history of his Nation, and however blood curling was it of him to exterminate the entire nation of Air Nomads it was said to be well justified in their books. But, learning that he deliberately ordered a slaughter of women and children, or hunted the refugees with such dishonorable traps seemed so cruel that Zuko was having a hard time to believe it. Yet, he had a feeling that the woman wasn't lying. The temples he visited were stripped of all valuables. There was a chance they were robbed later by some stray plunderers, but it would take quite a lot of effort.
"Even though it makes sense, still... Nobody in the Fire Nation speaks of this. Why would they hide something so dishonorable?" His eyes widened at the thought.
"They would hide the fact that the Fire Lord acted dishonorably, but... Why? To prevent us from questioning the- No. That is a treasonous thought."
He squeezed his eyes shut, and took a few deep breathes to clear his mind. Then he realized that they probably finished their conversation, as it got quiet outside. He felt guilty for eavesdropping a conversation he was purposely left out of, and he knew he couldn't show it. He calmed himself down and quickly grabbed the things he recognised as their group's equipment.
There wasn't much of it, so once he finished he waited a little longer before going back out. He tried to put the most neutral expression on his face, even when all eyes fell on him in silence. He stopped in front of the bison awkwardly and tried to read anything out of their faces, however he felt that he was the one being read.
"I guess it's time for you. You are always welcome here, Avatar." the Mother Superior said, locking eyes back with Aang.
"Yeah. I'll make sure to come back here when I'll get a chance." he answered with a warm smile "There are many things I want to ask"
"So, uh... Are we going...?" Sokka asked. They were all stunned by all the information they had learned. Even Bato didn't know if he should say something, after all he had spent the most time in the abbey and he hadn't even suspected a thing.
"Yep. We have to get to the North Pole, right?" Aang said, turning to his friends with a smile.
Zuko hesitated for a moment. The North Pole definitely wasn't a good place for him right now. Not that the Earth Kingdom was going to take him in with open arms, but it would be easier to hide there. There was the matter of wanted posters of course, but in comparison the land filled with ice and snow when he couldn't even firebend sounded like a terrible idea.
"Actually." Zuko rasped quietly, as he walked closer to Sokka, handing him the stuff he gathered. The teenager picked them from him surprised, and the prince continued "I think it's time for me to go as well."
He turned to leave, but the Avatar ran ahead, blocking his way "Wait! But you are not well enough to go on your own, are you? You said you'll stay until you can beat me, didn't you?"
The thought of their conversation by the stream passed through the firebender's mind, filling him with guilt. It annoyed him that the kid was right, but he couldn't wait that long.
"It wouldn't prove anything if you beat me now. You have already bested me a few times by now, and I was fine then." Zuko responded dismissively. He hoped that his friends, or at least the Water Tribe warrior will persuade the kid for him.
"But you weren't hurt then. We saw that wanted poster of you..." Aang said worriedly "If someone attacks you-"
The mention of it irritated Zuko, as he was too proud to even think of relaying on someone else to protect him. That would mean he was weak, just like his father had said.
"Then I will handle it. Just back off." he wanted to pass the kid, but he was persistent.
"No! What if-"
"Come on, this is ridiculous!" he barked through a gritted teeth. He turned around, seeking a support in the group "Tell some reason into him! There is no point in me staying with the Avatar!"
Both Sokka and Katara glanced at each other, conflicted. They wanted to support Aang, but they agreed with Zuko on wanting him to be gone from their group.
"Well, maybe-" the waterbender started, but a loud shriek from the gate cut off the rest of her sentence.
They all look in that direction, and noticed a strange beast, with two riders on the top. The woman was unknown, but Zuko immediately recognised the man behind her. Zhao!
He quickly pushed himself next to the kid, trying to prepare himself, although the animal didn't look like anything he's ever seen. Not only did he not have his swords, but being unable to bend fire from a distance also put him at a significant disadvantage. He frantically looked around for something he could use, and noticed that the Avatar had stood up next to him, preparing his staff. He recognized the Admiral as well.
"How did he find us?" the kid asked Zuko with panic.
"And how would I know?" the firebender retorted in answer.
The sisters had already sought refuge either inside of the buildings, or behind the large jars of ointments. Bato, Katara, and Sokka came closer, preparing for the fight, although they also didn't know what they were fighting against.
The shirshu moved forward, fixated on Zuko's scent, but June stopped her at a little distance from him, remembering what had happened to her precious Nyla the last time they attacked firebenders. Zhao took advantage of this opportunity to mock "So that is true. The traitor has allied with the Avatar. How pitiful."
The prince was about to deny it, but he knew not only how it looked, but also that it didn't even matter since there already was a lawful warrant on him. He gritted his teeth harder. If there was no other way, then he had to get through that beast somehow.
"It doesn't seem to have eyes, but the nose... It probably relies on smell. It also seems pretty agile. It's not gonna-" he tried to think of his possibilities, but Zhao was getting impatient on shirshu's back.
"What are you waiting for?" he yelled at June, as he leaned from behind her and sent a fireball in Zuko's direction. It surprised the Avatar, who assumed that the man came for him. The prince was only slightly surprised that he was currently a higher priority, but considering their history, it wasn't unexpected.
His options were quite limited; either dodge or block the fire. And while the previous day's trial proved that he probably could do it, it didn't seem like a good time to test it. He dodged to the side, grunting as his wound screamed in protest when he rolled over the hard floor. He didn't waste time, and quickly got up using the momentum, charging at the beast from the side.
Seeing this, Zhao jumped off the shirshu and yelled to June "Get the Avatar!"
"It's not how it- ugh!" she tried to protest, frustrated, but still she swung her whip.
Nyla screeched in confusion, being directed towards a different target than she had been following by scent. She charged ahead, straight at the group. Aang dodged it, by jumping aside, and Appa flew up, leaving just Katara, Sokka, and Bato there. The siblings dashed away, but Bato was too slow for Shirshu's tongue, and he fell paralyzed onto the ground.
"Bato!" Katara cried with worry. She got up and ran to check on the warrior when she noticed he wasn't moving. Sokka joined her and together they turned the man onto his back.
"I can't move!" Bato said shocked, to the relief of the siblings.
"So it can paralyze with its tongue?" Sokka realized, and quickly brought his attention back to the shirshu. Fortunately, June had already steered her toward the Avatar again, ignoring the rest of the group.
After more prompting from the huntress, Nyla charged at the kid. But before she could reach him, Appa rammed hard into her side. The impact sent the poor thing flying through the closest wall, startling a few nuns who were hiding inside. Shirshu, however, wasn't interested in them - she quickly got up, in accompaniment of June's whip.
The animals stood against one another, growling, but shirshu was faster. She dashed towards Appa, who attempted to avoid the attack by getting into the air; however, she managed to lick his stomach. The toxins from her saliva were strong enough to force the bison to land. He crashed hard onto the ground, finding it difficult to remain standing.
June looked around satisfied, trying to locate the Avatar again, but then a massive wave of water landed on her and her shirshu. But Katara didn't stop there - she froze the water, trapping them inside the ice.
Aang watched both battles, trying to decide who should he aid. As he saw that the shirshu was subdued, he turned his attention to Zuko.
The prince was up against Zhao, who kept unleashing powerful blasts of fire at him. He continued dodging them, dashing to the sides, but he was starting to feel fatigued. The Admiral started to laugh as he noticed that Zuko wasn't launching any attacks of his own.
"What is it? Won't you fight me?" he mocked the prince. "Your father would be disappointed! Oh, wait, he already is!"
Eventually, one of the fireballs came too fast, and the prince knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it. He raised his hands and moved them into a well-known gesture in a desperate attempt to disperse the fire. To his relief, it worked, but the force of the impact was still strong enough to send him onto his back. It forced the air out of his lungs, but he still managed to roll back onto his feet somehow.
The next fireball followed quickly after, and when Zuko looked up, it was already too late for any reaction. All he could do was watch the impending doom, but when the fire was about to reach its target, it got snuffed out. Aang has jumped in front of Zuko in the last second, deflecting the attack.
"Do I really have to do everything myself?" Zhao murmured with irritation and took a more secure stance. He hadn't fought the Avatar before and wasn't sure which tactics would be most effective against him.
"Are you alright...?" Aang asked the the prince with worry, not daring to take his eyes off of Zhao.
Zuko wasn't sure if he was grateful for having his life saved, or furious at being humiliated by the Avatar in the process. He coughed slightly, trying to get his breathing under control.
"I didn't ask you to help me." he hissed quietly.
"You didn't have to." Aang replied, and although he stood backwards to him, the prince knew that he was smiling "I would- woah!"
The kid didn't finish the sentence, as he was forced to block the next attack that came from the Admiral. Aang answered with an air blast, which was narrowly dodged by the man, who immediately responded with another fire missile.
"Let's work together! I will deflect his attack, and then you shoot!" Aang offered, as he waved his staff to disperse the fire with wind.
In that moment Zuko felt busted. He tried to think of a better strategy, but only way he could fight right now was in hand-to-hand combat, which meant he had to confess the truth.
"I can't!" he admitted quietly.
"Why?" Aang didn't understand apparently "You said that you're better-"
"I can't firebend!" he clarified, trying to keep his tone quiet enough for Zhao not to hear.
"WHAAT?!" Aang yelled shocked, turning to face the prince. "How is that even-"
The moment of inattention was swiftly used by the Admiral, who sent a more powerful wave of fire with a smirk.
"Get down!" Zuko threw himself onto Aang, rolling with him and dodging the fire in the last second. They quickly untangled and got up.
"I don't know how. But for now I need to get closer to fight him."
Aang nodded as he sized the Admiral up again "Alright. Let's try."
Meanwhile the shirshu was thrashing around in a blind panic. Being immobilised, and moreover in ice, was frightening, and Nyla was trying to get out of it as fast as possible.
In the same time Mother Superior managed to retrieve some sober salts and made it back to Bato. As risky as it was, it seemed to have an effect on the shirshu's toxins, and the warrior could sit up after a moment.
He rubbed his numb arms as he took a closer look at the beast "What kind of animal is this? I don't think it even has eyes."
"It doesn't..." Sokka said in thought "Of course! It must rely on a smell then! And what do we have here?"
"The perfume!" prioress caught up quickly and ran to call other sisters to help.
The shirshu however broke free from the ice, and charged towards the last target's scent. Appa noticed it, and got up with a great effort. He threw himself between Aang and the shirshu, creating an impenetrable wall. Nyla noticed it too late to stop, and slammed into him.
The force of impact threw June over and she hit the ground behind the flying bison. Bold move, however regrettable, as the next thing Appa felt was a paralysing tongue on his nose. Given that it was the only part not covered by fur, the toxins worked stronger, and Appa fell on the ground, unable to move.
On the other side of bison, June came back to her senses and got up, realising that she was on the back of their two targets now. Both boys were looking at her now, distraught at having been caught in between their attackers.
June glanced behind her, but all she could see was the bison. As much as she trusted her combat skills, without the shirshu she would be at a disadvantage against benders.
Zhao however decided to use the opportunity and switched to continuous stream of fire, which the Avatar quickly attempted to stop by continuously spinning his staff. Zuko had to grit his teeth at the powerlessness he felt, as he had to leave Zhao to Aang. He stood back to his back, facing the huntress.
"I'll just have to get rid of her quickly." he thought preparing to charge at her, when he noticed her swinging her whip.
"To me!" June shouted loudly, but when her shirshu wasn't coming, she realised that she would have to fight on her own. Remembering that the prince was supposedly a firebender, she decided to close the distance between them to avoid being exposed to a ranged attack.
To her surprise, Zuko chose the same tactic, keeping in mind that they should move the fight away from Aang.
The first punch came from the huntress, which was swiftly dodged by the prince. He returned it with a left hook, followed by a kick as she stepped backwards to avoid the first hit. It reached its target, and the woman stumbled into the bison's surprisingly soft back.
She used it to push herself towards Zuko, ramming her shoulder into his chest. He stumbled backwards when it sent a wave of searing pain as she unknowingly managed to hit his wound. The distraction was enough for her to land another punch on his face.
He collected himself in time to see the next punch that was coming. He managed to catch her fist into his hand, then he did the same thing with her second hand, locking them in a hold. They gave each other fierce look - they both had a lot to loose here.
Zhao continued with his stream of fire for a while, but the Avatar kept blocking it. He noticed that the a fight ensued behind the boy, and focused on the kid solely. He decided to change the tactics, and started to move closer, sending aggressive fire punches with each step. Although Aang kept dispersing them, Zhao was gradually getting near him.
However, the airbender wasn't just idly defending himself - he also kept moving step by step to the side of the courtyard. As soon as Appa and Zuko were no longer behind him, he switched to more active fight, answering with his own attacks between defending, and dodging some attacks instead of blocking them.
After exchanging a few more attacks, the Admiral was almost at the arms reach, when suddenly their next attacks connected. Zhao's fire punch together with Aang's air blast created an explosion, which threw them on two sides of the courtyard. However, due to the difference in height between them, the force of explosion sent Aang rolling on the yard, while Zhao got thrown higher in the air, landing on the roof of the building on the other side.
Zuko and June were struggling for a moment in their lock.
Although the prince was physically stronger, he knew that he could only buy a little time like this. He thought frantically about the next move, and it gave him an idea. June definitely didn't look like a Fire Nation soldier, and since she was dressed in Earth Kingdom colours, she was probably a mercenary.
"If you really think Zhao will share credit for catching me or the Avatar, then you know nothing about this man!" he said through gritted teeth, looking her in the eye.
To his surprise, June smiled viciously "Oh, I know enough."
The response confused him, but before he could react, she leaned back, preparing to headbutt him. Fortunately he realized it on time, and used the tension to push himself away from her and respond with a high kick. It connected right with her face, and she stumbled back, and fell on her one knee to catch balance. She reached to her face and confirmed that her nose was bleeding. Setting her eyes back on him, she realized that the further fight might end bad for her. It was time to change the strategy.
The Water Tribe trio watched in shock as the shirshu immobilised Appa. Sokka looked around frantically, seeing the nuns were almost done preparing the perfume vases. But then they heard the whip strike along with the huntress' call, and the beast raised her head at the sound. The boy knew he had to stop the creature from getting to her, and fast.
He threw his boomerang at the shirshu's head, and it hit true. The animal hissed angrily, trying to locate the source of attack by smell. He backed himself towards one of the buildings, but it only took a moment before the beast charged at him. He made a run for it, positioning himself before one of the perfume vases. The sisters that were moving it dispersed in panic to get out of the way.
He waited till the last second before he threw himself out of the way, and shirshu knocked hard into the vase, breaking it. The strong smell of perfume covering her fur was overwhelming, and she shrieked, trying to shake the liquid off her.
"Now! Spill it all!" Sokka yelled loudly, catching the attention of all the sisters. However distressed, as they planned to push the vases closer together first, they complied. The perfume was spilled in a few places, all around the yard, adding to the shirshu's confusion.
This action also did not escape the attention of the other combatants. June's eyes widened in realization when she felt the smell. Forgetting her fight, she frantically stumbled back on her feet to locate her shirshu.
"NYLA! To me!"
The call has reached the beast, and she threw heself in its direction in blind panic. What the huntress didn't expect was that Nyla couldn't separate her smell from the surroundings, and instead of stopping in front of her, she rammed into the woman, with the tongue laid out in defence. June fell on the ground, immobilised, and Nyla sprawled next to her.
Zhao watched the actions from the roof, not understanding why that shirshu beast attacked its master, but then the smell of perfume hit his nostrils and he realized that the nuns must have spilled it on purpose to confuse the creature.
Shirshu was already getting back up to continue escape, but Zhao saw his opportunity there. Aang was still sprawled on the floor, near a group of sisters struggling with a perfume jar.
The admiral sent a fire missile at the ground before the shirshu, forcing the animal to change direction as it ran. His prediction was correct, and the beast was now charging in direction of Zuko and Aang. The prince took a quick notice of the position of their main opponent as he saw the blast, but he had to dash sideways quickly to avoid the charging beast.
He rolled over and looked behind to check on the beast's next position. His eyes widened at the realization, but it was too late to shout a warning.
The shirshu was running straight at the unexpecting Avatar, who didn't get up yet from where he fell. The nuns who spilled the perfume the closest to him were watching terrified what was about to happen. In a desperate attempt to save him, the younger one sent a gust of scented air from above the perfume puddle.
Aang was getting up, holding his head, which got battered a little when the explosion hurled him hard into the ground. He raised his eyes just in time to see shirshu charging straight at him.
"Waaaah!"
Right before it reached him, the cloud of perfume air covered him, causing the beast to take a sharp turn to avoid the strong smell, passing right next to the frightened kid.
Katara and Sokka were rushing to their friend already, and they saw what miraculously didn't happen.
"Aang, are you ok?" the waterbender asked him worriedly, to which the smiled and nodded. They helped him up, and Aang glanced behind him to see two nuns - obviously terrified but the younger was smiling at him. He nodded to her gratefully, and turned back to the battlefield.
Zhao was watching the scene with disbelief. He obviously couldn't see the air moving, just the shirshu's reaction, so to him and everyone else it looked like the beast just avoided the Avatar on purpose.
"Everything by myself, again!" he muttered angrily, and looked around to assess his situation. One of his allies was lying paralysed on the ground, and the other (it's hard to even call the animal an ally) was currently fleeing from the abbey.
As for his enemies, it seemed like they didn't manage to take any of them out of fight. Which meant it was just him against the Avatar's group, the traitorous prince, an older Water Tribe warrior, and a group of nuns.
The last ones confused him slightly - why didn't they run away from there? That he couldn't tell, but he knew one thing - they will have to pay for aiding the enemy. And as the thought crossed his mind he took one more look at the perfume puddles splattered all around.
"You picked the wrong side, sisters!" he exclaimed loudly, taking aim at the closest spill.
It gathered everyone's attention, but before anyone could react, the admiral shot a fireball at the perfume puddle, setting it on fire. He then continued to do it with every other he could reach from his position.
"No! Stop!" Aang called, as he rushed towards Zhao. Katara and Sokka joined him immediately.
When they were close enough, the kid launched an airwave towards the admiral. He noticed too late to dodge and it sent him on his back. Coughing, he gritted his teeth, and got back on his feet, readying to fight the Avatar who was already facing him.
The siblings were about to join the attack, when Aang cried out, without stopping the fight "Katara, can you put these fires down?"
"But Aang-" she was about to protest, but her brother stopped her with quick reassurance "Don't worry, we got this!"
She gave a reluctant nod, and ran off back to the yard. Eventually she turned towards the well, as she remembered she has already used up most of the water from drainage. She gave the boys one last look, muttering under her breath "I'll be right back, so you better hold on!"
Zuko watched with a grim look as the Avatar and his friends ran past him. In a way he felt like Zhao was his responsibility, but at the moment he felt powerless against him.
He got up, casting a glance at the bison next to him. Surprisingly his eyes were met with a pair of big brown eyes. Appa stared at him intently, and Zuko had uneasy feeling he knew what he wanted from him.
"What are you waiting for?"
He startled at voice, and looked around to see Mother Superior and Bato right behind her.
"I saw you fighting earlier, the Avatar could use-" she continued, but Bato interrupted her softly "Stop. With all due respect."
He then turned directly to Zuko "If you wanted to leave, you can now. I'm sure they can handle it from here, and if you leave now, no one will follow you."
The prince looked at him silently. It was clear that the warrior wanted him leave the group from the beginning, and he couldn't blame him. He considered it for a while, casting a glance at the Avatar.
Aang has already gotten on the roof and engaged a combat with Zhao, but it didn't seem to be going well for him. The admiral was aware his situation was bad, and he was fighting all out.
Sokka stayed in front of the building, and kept wondering frantically how he could help Aang at the moment, seeing that up close he would be no match for the man blazing fire all around him.
Zuko took a step towards them, watching it unsettled."But can they really handle it?"
Another quick look around the yard told him that Katara was effectively putting down the fires started by Zhao, but there was one small puddle still burning nearby.
"One shot"
*
Thanks for reviews so far ;) as for the airbenders backstory that was told here - it is actually part of the canon that some of them survived and were later hunted by Sozin, but sadly he actually managed to get them all, so the nuns here being descendants is just my invention. There is a comic book called "Relics" in which Zhao actually tried to lure Aang using Air Temple relics the same way, but I won't be including it in this story.