The fight wasn't going well for Aang. Zhao was attacking more aggressively, not giving the kid much opportunity to respond with his own attacks. The airbender struggled between dodging and parrying, but after a while, he managed to land an air blow on one of Zhao's legs, causing him to lose his balance.
However, his failure in the Agni Kai against the banished prince was still fresh in his mind. As his foot slipped from under him, he quickly used his hands to launch himself back onto his feet, using the momentum to fire another fire punch at the Avatar.
It caught Aang off guard. He managed to block the fire, but it left him vulnerable. The admiral's eyes were already glowing as he was about to take advantage of that opening, but before he could deliver the blow, the side of his head was hit with a boomerang.
He stumbled sideways, propping himself on the edge of the roof to regain his balance. Enraged, he searched for the source of the attack and spotted Sokka. The teenager noticed that he had drawn all the attention of the now-enraged admiral.
"Yikes!"
Zuko stood beside the pool of burning perfume, watching the fight, and waiting for an opportunity. There was still a worry in the back of his head that his firebending would fail him, but he tried to ignore it - instead he recalled the feeling from yesterday when he had moved the bonfire flames. Then opening his eyes again, he grasped with his chi as much of the flame as he could, and quickly moved it in the same way he usually sent fireballs at his opponents.
To his surprise, it worked just as he intended. The ball of fire flew straight at Zhao; he only noticed it because he had been looking at Sokka instead of Aang.
He blocked the attack, but the impact sent him over the roof's edge. Zhao still managed to grab the edge, but he realized that he couldn't fight all of them at once - especially when the prince was able to use firebending, despite the impression he gave during their fight.
"It's not over, Avatar!" he barked, and with a last glare he let go, landing outside the abbey.
Aang carefully watched him leave before turning back to his friends with a grin. "We won!"
Sokka answered him with a smile "Yeah, we did!"
Katara joined him by then, and she was smiling as well. "You had me worried there for a while!"
Aang jumped off the roof, walking past the siblings to face their last companion, calling out happily "So you can firebend after all!"
Zuko froze at those words, and everyone else gave him a confused look.
"Why wouldn't he?" Sokka asked, surprised.
"It doesn't matter. As you can see, it was just fine" the prince tried to get off the topic to avoid admitting his inability.
Katara moved a few steps toward him. "Well, I saw that you bent the fire from the puddle I was just about to put out. Is that what it's about? Why didn't you just bend your own fire?"
Zuko felt embarrassed again, and before he could answer, Aang approached him with a worried look.
"Wait, you can't create fire...?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. "That's what you meant? But..."
"So what if I can't?! Get off my case already!" Zuko retorted angrily, turning around to grab his things, noticing briefly that the nuns had collected all their belongings that had been scattered around the yard during the brawl.
Aang was still reluctant to let it go, however. He rushed closer and stopped him by the shoulder. "No! You said you'd be fine, but Zhao almost got you here! If he finds you again, you-"
"I said I don't need your protection nor your pity! How I'm gonna make it is my problem, nobody else's." Zuko shook his hand off angrily and moved to take his dao sheath from the hands of a scared nun. She let go of it and quickly took a half-step back, then retreated back inside. When he turned, however, another person was standing next to Aang.
"The Avatar is right. Fire Lord's enemies shouldn't have to fight alone." Mother Superior said calmly.
It shocked Zuko enough to stop him in his tracks, and he squeezed his fist in powerless anger. He let his gaze fall to the ground, before answering quietly, "I'm not the Fire Lord's enemy."
"But it seems he is yours."
He looked at her again in shock, but her gaze was unwavering, and Zuko found himself struggling to find the words. Aang decided to take the chance again.
"Well, I'll have to find a firebending teacher anyway, so maybe he could help you as well? Why not stick around until then?" he asked with a smile "The offer still stands; you don't have to fight against the Fire Nation or anything."
Sokka and Katara looked at him, silently questioning the wisdom of that decision, but didn't say anything.
"No firebending master worthy of his art would help the Avatar, let alone a traitor. But what else is there for me...?" Zuko wondered carefully. The Avatar and his friends have already had more luck in these few months than he did his entire life, so it wouldn't be surprising if they actually found a firebending teacher.
The lack of his response was beginning to look like an acceptance, and Aang smiled even wider "So, it's a deal!"
"Excuse me?" they turned to the shy voice and noticed that the nun from earlier came back, and was extending a small bundle in Zuko's direction.
"I thought that you could use some warm clothes, if this sheath is all you got... I hope it's okay?" she asked, looking at the prioress, who smiled and gave a nod.
The prince blushed slightly. It was hard to deny that he needed them, especially if they were about to end on the North Pole. He took it, mumbling awkwardly "I- uh, thanks..."
Meanwhile, Bato came closer to the siblings.
"I take it that you're going to continue on your journey with the Avatar?"
Katara answered with regretful smile "If we had enough time, we would meet with Dad, but..."
"I know." the warrior stopped her "And I know that he's very proud of you. Do what you have to."
He cast a quick look over his shoulder and added conspiratorially "And maybe keep an eye on that prince. Aang might be too trusting for his own good."
Sokka just gave a tired smile "Tell us about it..."
"Halt! Who's going?"
Zhao were now looking at the pair of Fire Nation soldiers on komodo rhinos. The one who asked the question was watching him carefully, but seeing the army uniform calmed his first suspicions.
The second one seemed more clever; he pushed himself to the front. "Commander Zhao? We saw the smoke rising from the abbey. What are you doing here, sir?"
Zhao glared at them sternly before saying, "It's Admiral Zhao." He paused for a moment, gloating in the panic he had caused.
"F-forgive us, sir! How can we be of assistance?"
Cracking a little smile, he answered "I need a komodo rhino. You'll show me the fastest route to the harbour."
He turned towards the abbey, catching a glimpse of an air bison raising towards the sky. Trying not to let on his frustration, he added lightly "As for the abbey, don't bother for now. You'll receive orders regarding it soon."
"And so they left. Are you sure it was a good idea for Prince Zuko to come with them?" The Water Tribe warrior inquired as he was being walked to the gate by the Mother Superior.
"I know you're worried, but I meant what I said. The boy is being hunted by the Fire Nation just like them. They can help each other." she replied, adding with a smile "Besides, his aura was all grey. He is not a threat to them, not the way he is now."
"Aura? I won't even pretend I know what it is" Bato smiled warmly "What about you? I have a feeling that this admiral won't let you get away with it"
"I know. And if your offer is valid we would like to take it."
"I'll prepare a message and explain the whole situation to Chief Hakoda as soon as I can, but I'm sure he will agree with me. This will take some time though. Do you have somewhere to go in case the Fire Nation sends a token of gratitude for aiding the Avatar?"
"We'll be waiting."
Meanwhile in the middle of the yard a young nun was shyly approaching the fallen huntress.
"If you lay a finger on me, my beast will hunt you down." June warned sternly, despite still being unable to move "She will come back for me as soon as this wretched scent settles."
Despite the harsh tone she used, the girl surprisingly smiled in response.
"I know that. She's your companion animal, right?" she said as she leaned over the woman holding a small bottle in her hand "I always wondered what it's like, to have such a bond."
"What are you doing?" the huntress asked sharply, but then the bottle went under her nose. She tried to hold her breath, but eventually she inhaled some air, and the next moment she felt her paralysis fading.
"I'm helping you get up."
June looked at her, slightly amused but also confused "Just like that? After I attacked you?"
The nun outstretched a hand towards her, but the huntress ignored it and stood up on her own. The smile however didn't fade from girl's face.
"Mother Superior said you're not a threat to us anymore, and I agree. The Fire Nation abandoned you here, so he's not your ally anymore. You have no reason to attack us."
June burst out laughing at this "Ally? We were never allies in the first place, naive girl. I was using him, just as much as he was using me. A mutual transaction." he added, chuckling, as she rubbed her still stiff neck. "But you're right. I have no interest in this place, since both targets have gotten away."
"Targets...?" the nun asked confused "I don't understand. Why were you helping the Fire Nation? Aren't you from Earth Kingdom?"
June gave a tired sigh "For money? Obviously." She walked past the girl, shaking her head in amusement, when she heard:
"You would give up the future of this world for money...? That was the Avatar!" the nun asked, looking at her in disbelief. It hit the huntress with uncomfortable remorse, and she turned back towards her.
"Look, it's not that easy. Everyone in this world cares only about himself. If you believe that some Avatar guy will suddenly appear on a white ostrich horse and miraculously save the world from all evil, then I won't stop you. But I always managed on my own, so excuse me while I continue to do so."
The nun watched her turn away again, biting her lip hestitantly, before she called "Wait! I didn't mean to offend you."
The huntress halted, but didn't face her either, so the girl added "I think you're really cool. Just... don't hunt the Avatar, okay? Just in case?"
That earned a chuckle from the woman. She turned her head with a smile "What's your name?"
"Nyima. But everyone calls me Nyi."
"Take care of yourself, Nyi."
The day in harbour dragged on painfully. Even though nobody talked about it, the news of Zhao following some trail on traitors have quickly gotten out.
Noren couldn't stop thinking about captain's threat, but contacting his family would be really difficult in his current situation. It seemed he would have to work for Iwai until he could figure something out, but the thought of going behind Iroh's back was almost as bad. Eventually he spotted Jee on his way to do some task, and he approached him.
"Hey, lieutenant! Do you have a moment?"
The man looked at him with a tired face "What is it, Noren?"
"I, uhm... Is there any news?"
"No. It's been a madhouse here all morning with Zhao leaving all of a sudden, and on top of that they are making us prepare quarters for even more soldiers." Jee commented grimly "Spirits know what they are gathering here for. But this looks bad."
Noren fidgeted nervously, listening to the lieutenant "But we didn't get any news about the prince either, right?"
"... No. None so far." Jee replied, giving him an inquisitive look "Is there something on your mind, Noren?"
The younger man visibly abashed, laughed awkwardly, "No, I, uh... I was just wondering. What would happen if we actually got some news...? Do we just... rush out of here and not come back?"
Lieutenant Jee realized that there was probably more to it than his crewmate was willing to admit. He peered around to make sure there weren't any prying ears, and moved a little closer.
"Well, mostly. We were aware of what we were getting into. Supporting Iroh now is likely to brand us all traitors. If you're not ready for this, you can still back out. You're still young; I understand. I can get you an assignment on another ship, if you-"
"No, no! I couldn't-" Noren protested heatedly, "I mean, Iroh did so much for me. I... I will stick up for him."
The few hours of their flight felt like forever. The Avatar mainly steered Appa and only made remarks about the weather or landscape, while the water siblings were discussing something quietly with a smile, glancing awkwardly at Zuko from time to time.
The firebender mostly ignored them, focusing on their surroundings, when he noticed something odd. A giant rock formation that could not have been the work of nature. It took him a while before he recognised it "Makapu village?"
He moved closer towards the Appa's head where the Avatar was sitting and asked "What's going on? Where are we going right now?"
Aang looked at him in surprise before understanding the question. "Oh, we didn't tell you yet? We're going to the North Pole to find a waterbending teacher for me and Katara."
"A waterbending teacher..." he sighed "Of course."
He looked away not to show his worry, when he remembered what disturbed him in the first place.
"But we're not even flying north, we're literally flying back east, where we came from. There's Makapu village below us! Are you trying to confuse the chase, or-"
"For starters, what is it to you?" Sokka interjected suddenly "You got a business somewhere?"
"Sokka! You-" Aang began in a scolding tone, but the teenager continued:
"And, as a matter of fact, we are going to the North Pole, but we need to find a right place to go off from. It's a long distance and Appa can't fly endlessly, you know!"
Zuko just glared in response before turning away.
Katara watched the exchange biting her lip. She felt like her brother was giving the firebender a harder time than it was called for. She tried to think of something to soften the atmosphere, as she looked at the prince. Suddenly a thought occurred to her.
"Oh, right! That shirt of yours is still torn!" she noticed, pointing at Zuko.
He looked at her confused at first, then at his chest. He grabbed the fabric of his sweatshirt, taking a look at the hole.
"Well, yeah. I don't have sewing tools, and even if I did, I don't really have the skill." he commented dismissively.
"Why am I not surprised..." Katara sighed half-heartedly, reaching for her sewing needle "Pass it over, I'll sew it up for you."
"I can do it myself, if you instruct me." he replied, gaining himself a side-eye from Sokka.
"Why would you want to do it yourself? She said she'd do it for you!" the teen asked incredulously.
"Why wouldn't he?" Katara replied reproachfully "It's nice when someone wants to actually do something themselves instead of dumping it on others!"
"I mean, chores are fine, but sewing is a woman's job!" Sokka defended himself, but this time it was Zuko who gave him an odd look.
"Why would it be only women's job? Men wear clothes too."
The girl laughed, but her brother continued to defend his point of view "But you just said you can't do it either!"
"That's true, but it has nothing to do with me being a man. In the Fire Nation we don't divide chores like this." the firebender explained "But I've spent most of my life in the palace, and we had servants for that. And later when I... left I just didn't pick up the skill." he finished awkwardly.
"Right, you're a prince." Katara said with realization. "And you actually lived in a palace, with servants doing all your chores? What were you even doing there?"
"Well, I'm no longer a prince." He cut the subject short, irritated "Can we move on now?"
"Sure." She agreed and moved closer to him. Without thinking much, he took his shirt off over his head, and she had to look away to hide her red face. Sokka also couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy, noting that the other boy was in far better shape than him.
"There. It's cold up here." he muttered, tossing a blanket at Zuko. The prince gave him a confused glance, but he actually put it on himself, as the air was indeed cool at this altitude. Still, he commented "I already have another clothes to put on if I-"
"Then why didn't you?!" The Water Tribe boy fumed and turned away to find something to do.
Katara appreciated it silently; she could finally get down to explaining the basics, as well as showing a few stitches. Zuko picked it up quite well, and after a few messy tries he managed to do a decent job at both sides of the shirt. He gladly put it back on, and Katara moved closer to Appa's head to chat with Aang, who watched the interaction with mixed feelings.
The rest of the flight was rather calm, but it wasn't long before Aang informed them that they should land to let Appa rest.
They chose a landing spot inside a forest, at the fork of the river. They were about to set up a camp, but Aang noticed a beaten road nearby. After a short discussion, they decided to try following it in the hope of finding a settlement.
They hadn't gotten very far when an information pole appeared in front of them.
"Hey, this should give us a good idea what's around here." Katara said as she approached the pole happily.
Aang joined her quickly and spotted a big colorful poster on it. He read its content aloud "The Fire Days Festival in the town nearby! It's today!"
Zuko froze in his track upon hearing this. Along with his homesickness came the painful realization that in the colony of the Fire Nation he would be quickly discovered and arrested, or worse.
While Aang happily went on reading about the festival's attractions, Sokka went around the pole to check the other side.
"This would be a great place for me to study some real firebenders!" the kid finished with enthusiasm, but his friend stopped him.
"Yeah, you may want to rethink that. Look"
Katara and Aang went to check out what Sokka meant, but Zuko stayed in his place, already knowing what it would be.
"Oh, wanted posters of us again..." Aang said in thought, ripping his poster off the pole.
Katara looked at it shortly before advising "I think we better keep moving."
"But I have to learn firebending at some point, and this could be my only chance to watch the masters up close" the kid tried to argue.
"Don't get your hopes up too high." Zuko said, crossing his arms on his chest "The real masters aren't performing on local colony festivals."
"How can you be sure?" Aang asked doubtfully, before turning back to Katara "Come on, I'm sure we can learn something there!"
Katara seemed to give in to the idea eventually, to which Sokka started arguing. Quite rationally, if Zuko were to admit it, but he wasn't going to join their argument. He turned back to check on the bison, when he noticed a slight movement in the corner of his eye.
Instantly alerted, he focused on the source of this movement, while pretending to check one of the saddle straps. It was only a few seconds, but there it was – a silent rustling of footsteps on the leaves, and a dark silhouette passing from one tree to the other. The direction allowed him to tell that he likely wasn't the target, and his Blue Spirit alter ego's instincts kicked in, as he moved to ambush the sketchy person.
The Gaang seemed to finally resolve the issue, as they were walking back to Appa already. Not surpringly, Aang was the first one there, and he was also the first one to notice the absence of their new companion.
"Zuko? Where are you?" the kid called, while looking around from Appa's head.
Hearing this, the hooded figure quickly jumped up to locate the missing person, alarmed, but it was too late. Zuko lunged at him, pinning him to the ground. A brief groan of pain was interspersed with a sharp question "Who are you, and why are you watching us?!"
The Gaang quickly rushed to see the prince holding down a pathetically moaning man in a dark cloak.
"Stop, you got it all wrong! I'm not your enemy!" the man tried to reason with Zuko, who was sitting on top of him, eyeing him without a hint of trust.
They all watched in shock, but then Aang was the first one to react.
"Zuko, let go of him. Let him explain himself" he said firmly, walking closer.
The prince looked at him confused.
"Are you serious? He was following you from hiding; don't you think a little caution would be a good idea?" he asked doubtfully, but still got up eventually, meeting his steely gaze. He took a step back from the man, watching him carefully.
"Oww, it hurt, you know!" the man complained, getting up. Then he finally realized who he was standing in front of "The Avatar! Look, I don't mean any harm! My name is Chey. Well, I used to be a soldier, but I deserted to serve a man. No, more than a man, a myth! His name is Jeong Jeong. He-"
"Wait." Zuko interrupted sharply "You mean Jeong Jeong the Deserter?"
"You know him?" Sokka asked quickly.
The prince looked at him briefly, explaining "I've heard about him. A firebending prodigy, supposedly a master in his teenage years. He used to be a navy admiral, before he deserted the army. Thus his nickname, the Deserter." He looked back at the sketchy man, adding "Some say he's crazy."
"He's not crazy! He's enlightened. But you're quite well informed." Chey eyed him oddly "Zuko, as in, Prince Zuko? What are you doing with the Avatar?"
"It's none of your business." he answered sharply, crossing his arms.
"Wait!" Aang interrupted them excitedly "So you mean there's a firebending master out here, who's not with the Fire Lord? We gotta see him! He can train me!"
"Hold on, Aang" Sokka protested "We're not gonna go find some crazy firebender now!"
"I told you, he's not crazy!" Chey insisted "He's a genius! And he's the perfect person to teach the Avatar. That's why I followed you when I spotted the flying bison."
"No, thanks. We're leaving for the North Pole in the morning, we don't have time for this." the warrior stated sternly.
However, Aang wasn't about to let such an opportunity pass him by "But Sokka, this could be my only chance to meet a firebending master who would actually be willing to teach me."
Zuko wasn't sure how he felt about this situation. On one hand, he doubted the man would be willing to help him, even if he aided Avatar; not to mention if he even would be able to if he wanted. But on the other hand, a firebending master was what he needed, so it was far better opportunity than he had hoped for.
"It can't hurt just to talk to him." Katara defended the proposition, seeing how much it mattered to Aang.
"You just said the same thing about going to the festival a minute ago!" Sokka yelled "You guys have no self preservation instinct!"
Zuko already knew that logic appealed to the boy, so he looked him in the eye and said "Out of these two, this option seems safer. Jeong Jeong is wanted himself, so he won't turn us in even if something goes wrong."
"Even you?! I thought- ohh, right, of course. You wanted to meet the firebending master too." Sokka sighed "Fine, I see I'm outvoted anyway so-"
He didn't finish his thought as suddenly a group of men ambushed them from the trees, with their spears raised. Their appearance indicated that they were members of some kind of primitive tribe from the Earth Kingdom. The Gaang immediately took battle stances, when the warrior's leader said "Don't move."
"We're outnumbered, but these odds aren't so bad if they're not benders. And judging by the fact they all wield spears..." Zuko thought as he was preparing to attack the warriors in front of him, when he heard Chey muttering silently "Don't fight. They will take you to Jeong Jeong."
The evening came and passed too quickly, but her work wasn't done yet. Mother Superior recalled a list of people who needed to be informed as soon as possible, and she couldn't help but sigh. Still, a silent knock on the door announced that she would have to take a break.
"Mother Superior? May I come in?"
"Nyima? Of course, come in." the woman said, recognizing the voice. The girl entered, and noticed prioress pointing at the chair next to her with a tired smile. She was sitting at a table with a lit candle, pen, ink, and a few sheets of paper on it - some of them were already written on.
"And you don't have to be so formal, the outsiders are gone already." the prioress added, as the girl moved to join her.
"Right." Nyima laughed, embarrassed "I know. It's just... Sometimes it just feels more appropriate."
"So what's the matter, child?"
"I..." Nyi hesitated, trying to express her thoughts "I can't stop thinking about the Avatar, and the fight, and-"
"Don't worry." the old woman stopped her "We'll do everything in our power to protect you, girls. All of us. If the Water Tribe chief-"
"But that's not my point!" the girl interrupted "You have seen the Avatar, didn't you? He's even younger than me, and he's saving the world. I want to do something to help too!"
"Ahh, I see..." the prioress thought for a moment, unsure of what to say "But- Well, I'll be honest with you. I'm not convinced that violence is the best response to violence. You know our-"
Nyima didn't accept that for an answer "Isn't the Avatar a monk as well? But he is fighting. And he's fighting a war! Come on, you were teaching us to fight too!"
"But not to fight in war!" The old woman shouted nervously, rising abruptly from her chair. She took a deep breath, before her face sagged into sadness "There's so little of us left, girl. If we fall, then all our heritage, all memory of us will be lost..."
Nyi kept silent with her eyes pinned on the table, feeling a bit of guilt. But eventually she raised her gaze back on her elder "But the Avatar is out there now, fighting for us all. We may actually have a chance to fight back, after all this time. We may never have such chance again. We can't just hide and wait it out!"
The old woman woman was looking at her with wide eyes, as the girl went with her reasoning. At the end Nyima was rather expecting a scolding, but Mother Superior surprised her with a smile. "You sound like your mother. When did you grow up so much, child?"
"Does it mean...?" the girl asked carefully.
"I will think about it."
"Thank you, Sister Lhamo!" the girl said happily as she threw herself into a hug, and the old woman hugged me back immediately.
"Thank you, Nyima."
The tribal warriors were leading the group deeper into the woods. They still didn't seem friendly, but at least they pulled their spears away once they assured they won't meet resistance. It was already dark by the time they saw a river in front of them.
Finally, the tribe leader spoke disapprovingly, "Jeong Jeong told you not to look for Avatar."
His remark seemed to be directed to Chey, and Sokka couldn't help asking "Hold on, so you really know these guys?"
"Oh, yeah! Lin Yee's an old buddy! Right?" Chey said with a slug smile.
"Shut up. Keep moving" the warrior barked, pointing a spear at his supposed buddy.
Soon they reached the river shore and found a small settlement beside it. It consisted of only a few huts connected by beaten paths; one of them was directly by the riverbank.
"Go on. He sees you only." Lin Yee said to Chey dryly.
"Well, that's okay. We can chat later." the man said goofily to the rest as he was about to go.
"Wait, is that where Jeong Jeong is? I need to talk to him right away." Aang said taking a few steps towards the river, only to be stopped by the Lin Yee's spear.
"No, you wait there." he said sharply. Then he pushed Chey ahead, adding "Go, now!"
Zuko frowned as he watched it "Does the master know we're here?"
However, Lin Yee ignored his question, and so Chey left after giving them a brief reassurance that everything was fine. The rest of them was led to a small empty hut, where they were supposed to stay the night. There was no point in resisting a roof over their heads, even if they were forced to stay there, so they entered it quietly.
They lied down quietly, and eventually the exhaustion started to catch up on them. Katara fell asleep first; but the boys fought it off longer, waiting for the news. After a little while longer it paid off, and Chey entered the building.
Aang immediately sprang up "What happened? Can I see Jeong Jeong now?"
But the man just sat down heavily, and sighed before answering: "He won't see you. He's very angry that I brought you here. He wants you to leave immediately and-"
Sokka sat up, interjecting "Finally. Let's hit the road."
Aang ignored him, turning back to Chey "Why won't he see me?"
"He says you're not ready. Says you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet." Chey said sadly.
"Wait, how does he know that?" Aang wondered, and the question caught Zuko's attention. He stayed still, pretending to be asleep to see the outcome.
"He saw the way you walked into camp. He can tell." Chey said eagerly, but that response didn't really satisfy the airbender.
"I'm going in anyway."
"Brave, but not really smart. Jeong Jeong couldn't possibly know that, at best he could take a guess from the time that had passed since his awakening. So he's most likely looking for an excuse not to teach him, and he won't be convinced. And if he wouldn't even help the Avatar, then..." Zuko thought as he lied with his eyes closed.
It took a long while but eventually the Avatar returned, and Zuko peeked at him. The kid was visibly delighted. It puzzled the prince enough to decide to give it a shot as well.
He waited listening to everyone's breaths long enough to be sure that they were asleep, and then got up quietly and sneaked outside of the building. A quick look around told him that there was some movement by the Jeong Jeong's hut, and Zuko hid behind the tree to observe it. It seemed like the master was handing a small package (possibly a letter?) to Lin Yee, who took it carefully, and bowed before leaving in rush.
A little while longer, to make sure no one else was coming, and Zuko was back on his way. Sneaking to the hut was easy, but he wasn't stupid enough to try sneaking upon a firebending master, so he made sure not to enter it soundlessly.
Immediately there was a remark from Jeong Jeong "How dare you come in here uninvited?"
The old man didn't even look around from his meditation spot, with his back towards the entrance. But the prince was unfazed by it. He was already risking a lot, so he couldn't back away now. He went in and sat on his knees, bowing his head "Master Jeong Jeong, I'm in need of your guidance."
"Guidance? Had you no masters to teach you before?" the old man asked sarcastically.
"It's not..." Zuko began, but then decided to just tell everything. He took a deep breath and said, "It's about my firebending. It's gone, and I can't understand why."
Jeong Jeong actually turned around to face the young prince. He looked at him with curiosity "Gone, you say? Explain yourself."
"I'm not sure how much you know about my current situation, but it started when I broke the Avatar out of Pohuai Stronghold..."
Zuko proceeded to tell him how he was exposed and ended up with the Avatar, and discovered later that he couldn't create a flame at all, just manipulate existing ones. He only left out the part about absorbing fire.
He didn't notice the old man smirked slightly as was telling about breaking Avatar out of Zhao's grasp. Then after he finished, Jeong Jeong commented "Well, maybe you have realized the truth. Firebending is a curse, not a gift. It only brings destruction and pain. You'll be better off without it."
The statement shocked Zuko. "How can a master say that about his element? And, how can it only be destruction when it saved my life?"
He shifted uncomfortably, and said "I... don't think that way, Master. Firebending is part of who I am, it helped me accomplish many things. I feel lost without it... It saved my life."
Jeong Jeong sneered at him, "You speak of life and identity... If that's who you are, then you're no better than the rest of this cursed dynasty. What of the pain and suffering the Fire Nation has inflicted upon others with its firebending? The lives it took? Entire villages burnt to the ground? Where is the honor in wielding such power?"
"I... I don't know." Zuko admitted finally, still feeling the need to defend his element. "But you say it like the other elements can't be deadly! You must have fought other benders in the war!"
"And what do YOU know about the war?!" the master yelled, visibly agitated "Have you ever seen the battlefield right after the fight is over, with the smell of burnt bodies still lingering in the air? Have you ever walked through a newly conquered town and looked these people in the eyes? They hate us. And rightfully so. The Fire Nation has brought destruction to every corner of the world."
Zuko struggled to find the words. He had been hearing these accusations a lot lately, and he felt that all arguments for the righteousness of this war seemed bleak in light of its costs. Especially when he talked to the person who used to share his views once.
The silence was beginning to stretch and Jeong Jeong eventually started to turn away "If that's all, then-"
"Wait. You despise firebending so much, and yet you are a master, you still wield it. Why can't I have my bending?" the prince asked him desperately, adding quietly "It's all I have left."
Jeong Jeong looked like he was conflicted about something, before he finally closed his eyes and let out a sigh.
"Listen. If I am to teach you anything about fire, it is to be in control at all times. To master bending, one must first master discipline itself. You can join the Avatar in learning tomorrow, if you want."