It wasn't dawning yet, when Iroh woke up to the silent knocking on the door. He got up quickly and opened the door, to see Lieutenant Jee.
"What is it? Is Zhao back?" he asked with stone face, preparing to hear the worst news.
"No, sir. It's better." the man denied, with unexpected excitement. He reached for the sealed envelope and handed it to him "A message arrived."
The seal of White Lotus. Iroh quickly ripped it open and read the content. As he read, a spark returned to his eyes, and eventually he gave out a hearty laugh.
"He's there! He's with the Avatar!" he could barely contain his joy, as he immediately ordered "Gather the crew, we're setting off as soon as possible"
Jee was smiling as well, but he had to ask sceptically "But, sir... What about Zhao?"
Iroh's smile faded a little, as he sighed "Well, he still hadn't returned... That's actually better for us at the moment."
"The fact he departed without even informing you has to mean that he didn't trust you."
Iroh stroked his beard "It was a gamble from the beginning, but I have to admit I underestimated Zhao. His men will react immediately if we try to leave without reporting the destination. And the amount of ships he's gathering here is unsettling..."
He took a few steps into his cabin in thought, before turning back sharply. "Well, it can't be avoided now. Report to the captain that we're off to check a trail I had received intel about. It won't be far from the truth, but the false coordinates you'll give should be far enough to stay out of their range. If they try to keep appearances, they won't move to follow us openly. Especially when Zhao's not here. Tell the crew."
Jee gave a nod and headed towards the crew's cabins, waking everyone up and sharing new orders he went.
Noren woke up groggily at first, but as soon as he heard what's going on, a dread passed down his spine. If he wanted to do something, now was the moment. Lieutenant told them only to prepare for departure, but they didn't know where to yet. However, the helmsman berth wasn't far, and he saw Jee approaching the man closer than the others. He leaned in a little, close enough to overhear what had to be a location - "Hei Gua". It didn't tell him much, but it ought to satisfy Iwai.
Trying to look inconspicuous he moved towards the door, heading onto the deck with racing heart. His plan was to get off the ship before anyone realized, but Jee showed up there faster than he anticipated.
"Hey, Noren!" lieutenant called quietly "What are you doing? There's no time to grab things if you left something."
The younger man stopped in his tracks. Any excuse would be worth its weight in gold, but he couldn't come up with any at the moment. Swallowing hard, he slowly turned towards his superior.
"Lieutenant, I..." he started with shaky voice, but the pressure was eventually too much for him "I'm in trouble."
Jee stepped closer, with uneasy feeling "What do you mean?"
"I... It's about my family." the man admitted desperately, and began to just pour out everything "My father is sick, and they need someone to help them out in home, and... The captain has some dirt on my brother, and he said I have to... spy. On Iroh. Or else-"
"Wait. What did you tell him?" Jee asked adamantly.
"Nothing yet, I swear! We didn't even have any information so far!" Noren defended himself frantically, his breathing quickening.
"Alright, calm down." the older man said in softer tone, putting hands on his shoulder "What were you going to tell him now?"
"I... I don't know, spirits! That you're going to give him a false location?"
"Fine. Okay, then do it." Jee said, and the younger man looked at him as if he grew another head. But lieutenant continued "Listen carefully, those are your new orders. I'll go report a false destination as I was going to. Then you'll come to tell Iwai I lied, and give him another wrong location. Alright? And we'll take care of your family. Iroh has many connections in homeland, he'll figure something out."
At the dawn, both Aang and Zuko were waiting right outside the Jeong Jeong's hut.
"So you talked to the master too?" Aang asked with a smile.
Zuko didn't meet his gaze, as he stared at the hut in anticipation. He just answered silently "I did."
The siblings had also woken up when the boys went outside and they were by the river too. Katara had already started her waterbending training, and Sokka found a good spot nearby and cast a fishing rod.
The master showed up quickly, and without wasting any time, he instructed both boys to take a wide stance.
Zuko was familiar with the term, and he got into a stable position with his legs wide apart, knees bent. Aang was more used to airbending stances, and he only set his legs on shoulder-width, which Jeong Jeong kept correcting until he was pleased with it.
"That's better. Now, concentrate." he instructed them.
"So, something like a first-sunlight meditation. Uncle usually would do it sitting" Zuko thought before he closed his eyes for better focus.
"Wait!" Aang called out "What do I do now?"
Zuko felt a pang of annoyance at the noisy child, but Jeong Jeong immediately responded, "Silence! Talking is not concentration! Look at him; is he talking?" He said, pointing at Zuko, then he pointed at Katara, "And your friend; is she talking? Even that oaf knows to concentrate on what he's doing!" He finished, pointing at Sokka.
"But, what am I concentrating on?" Aang argued cluelessly.
Jeong Jeong came closer, calming himself "Focus. Feel the heat of the sun. It is the greatest source of fire, yet it is in complete balance with nature."
"So when I do to get some fire?" Aang asked excitedly.
"Concentrate!"
The only answer at that was a silent laugh of siblings, and Aang fell silent, red with embarrassment.
"I see. Do you need any support? The prince is supposedly traveling with the Avatar." Iwai asked with a poorly feigned concern, to which Jee silently grit his teeth, before answering politely.
"It's not necessary. If the Dragon of the West won't defeat the Avatar, neither will the numbers."
"Of course. A master bender, such as former general Iroh, is bound to defeat all enemies of the Fire Nation, if so he wishes. Good luck then" Iwai finished with a smile, and Jee left the room. Captain then frowned slightly to himself. He would need to send a hawk to admiral and organize a discreet chase, which won't be so easy because they will need to keep a large enough distance so as not to scare them away. He didn't like to wake up to such situations, but what you don't do for promotion.
He didn't expect another knock on the door, however. After initial confusion, he realized he knew who it was, and he smirked slightly. As he opened the door, he noticed none other than Noren. It looked like his newest acquisition was about to pay off.
"Noren, what a surprise! Come in. I hope you're bringing me some news." he said, inviting the man inside with a wide gesture.
"I do." he replied nervously "Lieutenant didn't give you the correct course."
"Obviously. But are you about to give me a correct one, I suppose?"
"Right. We're heading to Yu Dao Bay. The Avatar was supposedly seen in the colony."
Captain squinted his eyes at that. It would make more sense than what Lieutenant Jee reported, but it was also much farther. He leaned closer to the man: "Are you sure it's the right location?"
"Of course, sir!" Noren confirmed heatedly, but he was starting to get nervous again.
"Then I will tell you what's going to happen now. Wani will set off soon, as planned. Iroh expects a chase, and of course, there will be one. But..." the captain began slowly, stepping closer until he was directly in younger man's face.
"If you think you can fool me, Noren. If we won't find you there... Your family will have to live in shame for the rest of their lives, as the public will know they have not one, but two traitorous sons. And I'll make sure they know that it was your choice that made it that way." Iwai explained slowly, looking him straight in the eye. Noren was getting even paler, from the moment his parents were mentioned. Jee had assured him that Iroh could help them, but he wasn't sure what exactly could former general do to outrun the captain. Especially if he will be considered a traitor himself. And if Iroh couldn't help, then his parents would have to run away along with his brother, and hide for the rest of their lives.
"So let me ask you again" Iwai said, bringing him back to reality "Where are you heading?"
There was a moment of silence, but eventually Noren squeezed his eyes shut, and breathed silently "Hei Gua."
The captain opened his eyes a little wider in surprise "The river? Good... Well done, Noren. I won't forget about your part in this, so don't worry. Our Nation looks favorably on those who seek to redeem themselves." he said as he turned to his desk to write a letter.
The younger man understood that he was dismissed for now, and he headed back on his ship. On the way back he couldn't stop thinking that what had he just done would probably haunt him for the rest of his life.
A new day has brought a surprise to all nuns in the abbey. They already knew that their situation was not the best, but when the Mother Superior called them all in the morning, it was clear that things were really bad. Hushed conversations sounded amongst them, but Nyima was waiting in anticipation.
"Silence, please. I know you're anxious, and I think it'd be best if we plan our next step together."
Such an introduction was enough to gain everyone's focus.
"Should we run?" one of the women inquired "If we abandon these disguises, no one will recognize us. Even-"
"No! We cannot just run!" Nyima interrupted her abruptly. She then turned to look pleadingly at Sister Lhamo "We're not going to run, are we...?"
"Calm down, please. If that will be our joined decision in the end, then that's what we'll do. But I'd like to ask you all to first listen to what I have to say."
She received a few nods from other nuns, which she took for approval. "You are all aware what happened yesterday, when the Fire Nation soldier came to capture the Avatar. We may not have been discovered as airbenders, but it's almost certain that they're not going to let us just get away with helping the Avatar, which means that the safest solution is to leave before they send someone here. The more important thing is - what are we going to do next. But it's not as simple as deciding where to find the next safe place."
This time confused looks from some women told her, they weren't sure where it was going, so she decided to cut to the chase "The Avatar has returned. He needs all the help he can get. And I know you're scared - but that's what it's about! We've been scared all our lives, and even longer, for generations! We're living apart from our men, our sons, just to keep appearances, to keep us all safe, but all in fear of being killed just for who we are! What if it doesn't have to be this way? If we can fight for a better world, for us, for our children, shouldn't we at least try?"
"Lhamo, you know that if we joined this war, we would be hunted like our predecessors?" one of the older nuns warned "After all the effort they've put into making sure that we survive, that at least a little bit of our heritage survives, do you want us to risk it all?"
"We never stopped being a part of this war, Dawa. We only survived so long, because the Fire Nation doesn't know we're alive. But they have killed almost all of us, and our predecessors have tried to fight them back, but they lost. With the Avatar on our side again, there may actually be a chance for us to win against the oppressor, to return to our rightful place. To the four Temples... "
"But we don't know how to fight, mother!" a middle aged woman looked at prioress with anxiety.
Lhamo looked at her daughter with compassion, not having it in her heart to scold her for calling her 'mother' in front of everyone, when they weren't supposed to hold on to such bonds. The teachings were one thing, but giving each other comfort in times of fear was as obvious as breathing, at least for her.
"Pema. I know we've never fought. But we do have a skill, we've been passing airbending techniques down for the last hundred years. Now we would just need to practice how to put them in use."
"So you really want us to go there and fight the firebenders?" the old Dawa spoke again with disapproval "We were supposed to protect the sanctity of life, not take it away"
"What about all the lives we could save? We don't have to take enemies' lives." Lhamo assured, which seemed to convince some of other women "I would go as far as to say the only person that needs to be stopped is the Fire Lord."
"So you think the next one would be better?" the old nun asked doubtfully.
"I had a conversation with young prince. He has a potential." prioress said with a brief smile at the memory of the troubled boy.
"The banished Prince Zuko? The one they want dead? You think he could be a next Fire Lord?"
"I am actually sure he will be a good one."
Nyima got lost in thought for a moment when she heard this. She recalled how the boy blushed when she gave him clothes, and she smiled. It wouldn't be so bad if someone like him became a new Fire Lord.
"Now that I've said all I had to say, we need to make a decision."
Jeong Jeong left them there to meditate for about an hour, but for Aang it felt like forever. He was used to constantly being in move, just like the air was never stagnant.
When the master finally returned, he just stated shortly "Good. Now, follow me."
Both boys shared a look and rushed to catch up with the old man, who had already started walking, without bothering to check if they were coming or not.
He started leading them up a bare mountain, from which they had a view of the whole surrounding area.
"Are we coming up here so we don't burn anything with our firebombs?" Aang wondered out loud, his excitement renewed.
Zuko just snorted humorlessly "No novice is taught fire blasts on their first day. But, meditation and breathing...? I already know it all. How is that supposed to help me?"
Jeong Jeong quickly extinguished his zeal, informing him they won't use the fire yet. When they arrived at the top, he began his next lesson.
"Power in firebending comes from the breath. That is why you must muster proper breath control."
"So... You brought us up here to breathe?" Aang asked incredulously, but the old man was unfazed.
"Assume your stances. Aang, wider."
The kid was about to protest, but Zuko approached Jeong Jeong. "Master, are you sure it's the right exercise for me too? I already know-"
"How do you want to learn anything from me if you don't do what I say?" the man scolded him before he could finish his reasoning. "Assume your stance."
The prince had to hold his frustration in, but just one look at the Avatar's face allowed him to tell that the kid felt the same way.
"Now, breathe in through your nose, and out with your mouth. No talking." he said and waited a while to see if they execute it properly, before he gave a satisfied nod. "Good. Keep going."
Two komodo rhinos were covering a nice distance. Both soldiers riding together in the back would even say it was already time to take a break. But Zhao wasn't stopping, so they weren't either.
The soldier sitting in the back eventually got tired of poking his head to see over the other's shoulder, so he was just sitting idly. He was thinking about taking a nap when he heard a familiar sound.
"A hawk?" he mumbled. He looked up and noticed the bird circling above them. "Sir, a messenger hawk!"
Zhao halted and looked up at them as well. Noticing this, he directed his komodo rhino to the clearing in the trees. Then he raised his arm, allowing the hawk to land there, and retrieved the message from the tube on its back. The bird moved then onto his shoulders as trained, so the admiral could read the message. His eyes slid quickly over the letters.
"Oh? Going to the Hei Gua river now, Iroh? Why won't you let me help you with that." Zhao muttered under his breath, sporting a wicked smile. He turned back to the soldiers, who were awaiting new orders.
"There's a Fire Nation colony in the fork of the Hei Gua river, isn't it?"
The question surprised them a little bit, however they were familiar with the area.
"Yes, sir. Yu Taka village, a Fire Days Festival was held there yesterday."
He smiled viciously at the news "Then lead the closest way to Yu Taka. I'm going to need their river boats."
Soldiers didn't comment on it, even though it meant another few hours of travel. For them it also meant they would be free to rest and return to their jobs, so they were happy to show the way.
A few hours have passed in silence. Both boys were breathing, according to the instructions, but eventually Aang had enough. He took an annoyed huff and took a few steps ahead.
"What are you doing?" Zuko asked him surprised.
Aang twitched guiltily, but he turned to face the firebender. "I'm going down to Jeong Jeong. Come on, you know too that it's stupid! We've been breathing here for hours! And for what?"
The prince hesitated, and straightened up from his stance as well. He sighed, "It's not that the exercise is useless in itself. Uncle was making me practice breathing and meditation as well. It helps beginners with creating fire, and Uncle was often saying that it's important to practise the basics. But..."
Zuko turned his face away, but Aang waited curiously for him to continue. Eventually, he prompted "But what?"
The prince looked at him with annoyance before continuing in more strained tone: "But I don't think it's going to help me. I'm not a novice. I know how to create fire; it's just that I can't do so."
Aang looked at the camp in thought. "Well... Then there's no point for you to stay here either, right...? Wanna go back?" he asked, giving Zuko a sheepish smile.
Zuko gave one more tired sigh.
"Yeah"
The celebration of the Fire Days went peacefuly, and the guard captain was quite pleased with this fact. The townspeople had been cleaning up after the festival since the morning, so he didn't expect any problems that day too.
"Sir! Admiral Zhao is here!"
The man sprang to his feet at the news. "What?! Admiral? Whatever could he want from us?"
The guardsman shrugged his shoulders helplessly, and the captain groaned, walking quickly outside.
"It's not like navy admiral is supposed to be overseeing colonies, or something..." he mumbled to himself on the way out. The said Admiral was already waiting for him.
"Admiral Zhao, we're honored you're visiting us! I'm glad to report that the festival went off without a hitch! No fights. Theft was way down. We're-"
"I don't care about your local crime rates!" Zhao spat, irritated "I need you to prepare the riverboats. I have been informed that the Avatar might be hiding somewhere along this river, so you better put a rush on it."
Guard captain looked at him with confusion, but he recollected himself fast enough to reply "Yes, sir, right away!"
His gaze crossed momentarily with soldiers who arrived with the admiral. The look in their eyes told him it was going to be rather bothersome day.
The boys were going downhill, and they could both easily admit that it was much more pleasant than climbing the mountain.
"Hey, the view here is really nice!" Aang rambled "I think I can even see that town where the festival was! A bummer we didn't get to go. But I guess we wouldn't find there any better master than Jeong Jeong anyway, right?"
The thought of the festival stung Zuko with homesickness again. He looked at the forest in the direction the kid pointed, until he located the town as well.
"There probably wouldn't be any masters at all. At Fire Nation festivals, there are usually just magicians' performances, children's theatres, the Fire Nation cuisine..." he kept describing it, getting carried away with the memories "I miss the Fire Flakes. They don't have these in Earth Kingdom."
The prince didn't even realize the last words had fallen from his lips, but Aang smiled warmly and commented "That sounds great! Maybe we'll get to try them someday too."
Zuko looked at him surprised, and then smiled to himself, shaking his head lightly.
They were almost back at the camp, and anxiety was beginning to catch up with Zuko. He wasn't sure what to say to the master after disobeying his instructions.
"At worst he will refuse to continue to teach me... But could he actually help me with teaching like this? Then again, if not him..."
He didn't have much time to figure it out, but much to his panic, Aang didn't stop there and marched straight into Jeong Jeong's hut. Unsure if he should head in as well, he stayed outside, but through the thin cloth door he could hear angry shouts from both of them. Once again it struck him that the old man was speaking ill of their element.
"So 'Fire is a horrible burden to bear'? Master really thinks that way...? That it just, destroys everything? He said something like this before, but-" he considered joining the discussion, when suddenly the Avatar emerged from the hut. The kid passed him by without a word, and sat down on the stone right before the hut in meditation pose.
Just one look allowed Zuko to tell that he shouldn't interrupt in a moment like this, so he turned his head back towards the door. He was trying to build up the courage to get in and confront the master, but he still wasn't even sure what he was going to say. The hopelessness of his situation caught up to him, and he realized he wasn't ready for this. With one last glance he turned away to leave, when he heard the sound of hastened footsteps.
Lin Yee was running along the riverbank; he passed by the boys without sparing them a glance and ran straight into Jeong Jeong's hut. Zuko's curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to stay and listen in on their conversation. To his defense, the voices were quite loud again, so he wouldn't call it eavesdropping.
"Master, he's here! Like you said!"
"Already? Ehh..."
It has gotten quiet, and Zuko was startled when Jeong Jeong suddenly emerged from his hut. The first thing the old man noticed was the Avatar in a meditative pose, to which he hummed approvingly.
Aang opened his eyes and looked at him, unsettled "Is something wrong?"
However Jeong Jeong reassured him quickly "No. Nothing for you to worry about. Continue what you're doing."
The kid complied, so he turned towards the shore and finally noticed Zuko, who had a busted look on his face.
"Master! I know I'm not-" he started to defend himself, but Jeong Jeong cut him off.
"Silence! Come with me." The old firebender said and started walking in the direction Lin Yee came from. Zuko reluctantly started to follow, feeling the old warrior's gaze on his back.
All kinds of thoughts rushed through prince's head.
"Who were they talking about? It's probably about the message he sent when we arrived. So, he notified someone about our arrival. But who? Could he have contacted the closest outpost, to buy himself back into the Fire Lord's good graces? And he actually hates the Fire Nation, so he didn't mention the Avatar, that's why he's only taking me? Should I run? Or..."
He looked back over his shoulder at the kid, who was currently meditating peacefully by the river.
"It will probably be better that way."
"Lin Yee" the master called the warrior, and the man immediately caught up to him. "You can go ahead and notify the rest that we're on our way. Then you're free to return to your duties."
The man bowed lightly in response and rushed ahead, leaving them alone. Zuko watched him leave without emotion, when he realized that there was actually something he wanted to know at last.
"Master? Do you really think that fire is just meant to destroy?"
Somewhat surprised with a question, Jeong Jeong sighed "I'll be honest with you, lad. If I had a choice, I would never want to be born with this burning curse. I've lived a long life, and through all these years I saw many things. And fire... Fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart."
Zuko listened to him quietly, and a bitter smile eventually crept onto his lips, "So, you never really meant to help me...?"
Jeong Jeong stopped and looked him in the eye. "I didn't say that. I admit I envy you, but... I've never heard of such a case. I'm not sure how to help you with that, but I wanted to teach you the discipline. To keep your fire at bay, so you don't lash out the day you will have it back. If such a day will come. Now, let's go."
The old man continued on his way, and Zuko followed him, feeling hollow inside.
"So not even a great master could help me. Of course. First I've lost mother, then my honor. Now my bending, and..."
His trail of thoughts was cut, as he almost bumped into the master, who suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"You really rushed here, didn't you, Iroh?"