"Uncle, you need to take it slow," Zuko said as he helped Iroh climb over the edge of the saddle and down Appa's tail.
"I'm alright, Zuko," Iroh replied with a light chuckle. "I can assure you I'm not going to keel over anytime soon."
"But Katara said you need to try not to overexert yourself," Zuko replied, brow furrowing as he glanced over to the waterbender. It had only been two days since their last encounter with Azula, and he had been doing whatever he could to make sure that Iroh's condition didn't worsen.
"Zuko's right, Iroh," Katara said kindly. "You should rest and take it easy. Which is why it's a good thing we're finally here."
"You guys are gonna love Misty Palms," Aang said excitedly as he hopped off of Appa's head and floated to the ground. "The ice spring is so cool and refreshing, and they use it for so many different things in the town! There's a place that makes a delicious fruit punch, and they serve it to you in a bowl made of ice!"
"That sounds perfect right about now," Sokka sighed. "Why is it so hot here? It's the middle of autumn!"
"It's the desert, ding dong," Toph said, shaking her head. "It's always hot here."
"Sounds like the exact opposite of the poles," Katara said. "Except for this place, apparently. I didn't even know ice springs were a thing!"
"Well, let's not wait around any longer," Aang declared with a grin as Momo swooped down to land on his shoulder. "Misty Palms Oasis, here we come!"
Almost as soon as they entered the town, however, Zuko felt an uneasy feeling come over him as he surveyed their surroundings. Many of the rounded clay buildings were dilapidated, and more than one shady-looking individual seemed to glare at them from the various alleyways.
"Must've… changed ownership since I was last here," Aang chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as they passed by the ice spring itself, which was, unsurprisingly, quite underwhelming.
"I knew it sounded too good to be true," Katara sighed heavily, her eyes shifting back and forth as she grabbed her upper arms. "There has to at least be an inn here, right?"
Zuko scanned the town again for a moment before catching a glimpse of a building with a crooked, very faded sign that read "Misty Palms Inn".
"Looks like that might be our only option," he said, pointing to the establishment.
Katara's nose crinkled slightly. "Well… Even if it's not the nicest place, I suppose it'll be better than sleeping in the wilderness."
With that, they made their way inside, pushing aside the warped, creaky door. A tired-looking older woman with graying hair sat at the small front desk, and as they entered, her green eyes lifted up from the book she was reading.
"No kids allowed without an adult," she said with a frown. "Last time I let a bunch of teenagers have a room, they trashed the place."
"These kids are with me," Iroh said, stepping forward and smiling politely. "Are you the owner of this lovely establishment, madame?"
The woman seemed slightly taken aback by Iroh's gentlemanly behavior. "I— well, yes, sir, I am," she replied.
"Would you happen to have any rooms available that can fit…" Iroh stopped to count each of them. "Six, including myself?"
"We don't have any single rooms with enough beds to sleep that many people," the woman replied. "I can get you two rooms, but that'll of course cost extra."
"That's not a problem at all," Iroh replied kindly. "We'll take the two."
"Toph and I can share a room," Katara said. "And the boys can have their own."
"Really? You're okay rooming with me ?" Toph replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, I am," Katara said, folding her arms matter-of-factly. "As long as you're respectful of me and my space, I'll be respectful of yours, and we shouldn't have any problems."
Zuko watched this exchange with a wary eye. He and Katara had already both apologized to Toph for their behavior towards her during the boulder incident, and thankfully, since then, overall tensions in the group had lessened significantly. However, that didn't mean that they couldn't become heightened again at any given moment.
"Aye-aye, Sweetness," Toph replied, folding her arms behind her head. "But I'm warning you, I'm a pretty loud snorer."
Zuko felt himself let out the breath he'd been holding. From what he could tell, it seemed the exchange was no more than lighthearted banter.
"Alright, then," the innkeeper said, writing something down in her notebook. "Two rooms, one with a single bed, the other with two doubles?"
"That sounds perfect," Iroh replied with a kind smile.
As Iroh continued to chat with the innkeeper, they each made their way outside to where the inn's rooms were located. Toph and Katara's was the first one they found, while the boys' room seemed to be located conveniently right next door.
As Zuko pushed open the door, he was pleasantly surprised to see a small but tidy room with two separate beds, a small nightstand between them, and a chair and table in the corner.
"Looks like it'll be two of us to a bed," Aang observed aloud, walking up next to him.
As they both looked at one another, the thought of sharing a bed with Aang appeared in Zuko's mind against his will. Almost immediately, he felt his face begin to burn, and he tore his gaze away.
"So, um…" Zuko began, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Which one are you gonna–?"
"I call the one next to the window!" Sokka interjected from behind them, flopping onto one of the beds with a grunt. "Not the best quality mattress I've ever slept on, but it sure does beat the ground."
"What a lovely little room!" Iroh said, entering as well and setting his satchel down on the other bed.
Zuko immediately felt his spirits dampen, and he frowned slightly.
"Well, guess that's settled," Aang said with a grin, rubbing the back of his neck.
Zuko nodded sullenly as he set his bag at the foot of the bed Iroh had chosen, hoping his disappointment was not too evident on his face.
Aang was awoken the following morning by Sokka's forearm smacking him squarely in the face.
He groaned as he shoved the other boy's arm away, and with a heavy yawn, sat up and rubbed his eyes.
That hadn't been the first time he'd been woken up by one of Sokka's limbs hitting or jabbing him. While he'd definitely slept better than he had the handful of days that Azula had been chasing them, it had been a tough night regardless thanks to the Water Tribe boy's restlessness.
Aang narrowed his eyes as he turned to look towards the window. He wasn't sure what time it was, but the sun was clearly up judging from the light that was filtering in through the curtains.
As he turned back around, his eyes wandered over to the bed on the other side of the nightstand. Surprisingly, Iroh was nowhere to be seen. Zuko likely wouldn't be happy to find out that his uncle was wandering around without him knowing—he'd been keeping an incredibly watchful eye on the old man the past couple of days since he'd gotten injured.
Aang's gaze moved to the Fire Prince himself, who was sleeping soundly on his right side facing him, his chest rising and falling gently with each breath.
There was a sudden snort from behind him, and he turned to see Sokka rolling over to the left side of the bed. Aang sighed gratefully as he laid back down, this time on his left side, now facing the sleeping prince in the other bed.
However, instead of closing his eyes, he continued to stare at Zuko, and he soon felt his chest begin to tighten with a sense of yearning.
Aang's eyes drifted down to linger on the Fire Prince's slightly parted lips for a moment. He lifted his fingers to his own, recalling the feeling of their kiss in the dark. His heart leapt in his chest at the memory.
Exactly how long had it been since they had traveled through the Cave of Two Lovers? It had to have been at least a month or two by now.
At this point, enough time had passed that it felt too awkward to bring it up. It was almost as if it had never happened.
Why? he questioned internally, squeezing his eyes closed for a moment. Why can't I just talk to him about it? About us?
It wasn't that he had no hope at all that his feelings might be reciprocated. He knew the connection he had with Zuko was deeper than any other friendship he had ever had. And he could feel that in their every interaction. There was something between them; a magnetism that was quickly becoming impossible for him to ignore with each passing day.
The question was: did Zuko feel it too? Or was Aang seeing things that actually weren't there at all, deluding himself with hope to avoid acknowledging the painful alternative?
I'm afraid, Aang admitted to himself, his heart aching. I'm afraid that if I tell him I love him, I'll lose him.
That was what it always boiled back down to. Fear.
...But what if you don't lose him? a small, hopeful part of his brain posited as he opened his eyes to look at the Fire Prince again.
What if he loves you back?
With a slight murmur and a furrowed brow, the Fire Prince suddenly stirred, his amber eyes slowly blinking open as they adjusted to the soft morning light.
Aang forced himself to look away, moving to lay on his back as he stared at the ceiling and willed his pounding heart to calm itself.
"Aang? Are you awake?"
Aang turned his head to look at the prince again, hoping his blush was not too evident on his face.
"...Yeah," he replied, clearing his throat. "Sokka kinda woke me up with an arm to the face a few minutes ago."
"Ugh," Zuko sighed. "Sorry you got stuck sleeping next to him."
"Honestly, I might prefer sleeping on the ground at this point," Aang joked.
Or next to you.
Before Zuko could reply, their room door creaked open, and they both sat up to see Iroh entering the room, carrying a large basket in his arms.
"Ah! You boys are awake?"
"Uncle?" the Fire Prince asked with a frown, looking to his left, then back to Iroh, seemingly just realizing that his uncle had been gone this whole time. "You're supposed to be resting! And you shouldn't be carrying heavy things like that!"
"I can assure you I haven't been overexerting myself, nephew," Iroh replied as Zuko hopped to his feet and took the basket from him. "I merely wanted to make sure I got the best pickings from the local produce stands this morning. We needed to restock, remember?"
Zuko sighed audibly as he set the basket down on the corner table. "You should have just woken me up," he muttered, pinching his nose bridge. "What if you'd reopened your wound?"
"I can assure you I would have known if I had," Iroh replied, humming to himself as he began to sift through the basket. "The lovely innkeeper has graciously allowed us to use the fire pit in the main building, by the way, so I'm going to get started on breakfast."
"No," Zuko said, pulling the basket away from Iroh. "You need to stay here and rest."
With a loud snort, Sokka shot upright as well, drool still trailing from the side of his mouth. "Did someone say 'breakfast'?"
Iroh pulled the basket back towards him. "Cooking isn't going to hurt me either, Zuko. But if you're that concerned, perhaps you boys would like to help?"
Zuko narrowed his eyes at his uncle, who smiled brightly at him, and Aang chuckled.
"I know Misty Palms may not be as… luxurious as it was when I was here last," Aang said apologetically as they passed by the dilapidated ice spring once again following breakfast. "But I'm sure the fruity beverages here are just as delicious as they were nearly a century ago."
As they approached the tavern, Zuko immediately grew tense as they passed by a gaggle of people clad in wrappings that covered their entire bodies, some wearing strange spectacles over their eyes. Several of these individuals seemed to glare at them as they passed, and, of course, Zuko glared right back at them.
While the rest of their companions entered the tavern, he and Sokka both stopped short as one of these people—a man leaning on the wall next to the doorway—spat on the ground in front of them.
"Ugh!" Sokka exclaimed, glaring at the man.
Zuko immediately felt a surge of anger at the display of disrespect, pulling his swords slightly out of their scabbard.
"You have a problem with us?" Zuko demanded, narrowing his eyes.
To his annoyance, the man appeared unfazed, and even grinned at him, revealing a mouth with very few teeth, all of which were an unpleasant shade of yellow.
"Come on," Sokka said, pulling him back, and as he turned to face the warrior, he saw that all of the other wrappings-clad people had stood up and were now watching them both. "This jerk is not worth a fight."
Reluctantly, Zuko sheathed his swords again, and he and Sokka entered the tavern. While it was bigger on the inside than he'd expected, it was relatively empty, save for a handful of patrons.
He spotted Aang at the bar with Katara and Toph, speaking animatedly to the rugged-looking bartender, and smirked slightly at the sight. His uncle, however, was not standing with his friends. Instead, he was sitting at a small table across from another old man, a Pai Sho board between them.
No surprise there, Zuko thought to himself, shaking his head with a sigh as he and Sokka approached the bar.
"Zuko, look!" Aang said, turning around and leaning back with his elbows on the bar counter. "The bartender uses the same kinds of swords as you!"
Zuko watched as the man in question swiped his dual broadswords flashily, creating a paste out of the fruit on his cutting board and pouring it into a bowl made of ice before placing a small umbrella inside.
"Hey, maybe you could do an apprenticeship with this guy," Sokka teased, poking Zuko with his elbow as the bartender made another drink with his swords and passed it to Katara. "He could teach you some new tricks."
Zuko glared at Sokka in response as the warrior eagerly stepped up to the bar. When he turned back to Aang, however, he saw that the grinning airbender was holding up his drink.
"You wanna try?"
"... Are you sure there isn't any alcohol in these?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow as he suspiciously eyed the drink. "This doesn't seem to be the most… reputable establishment."
"You know, I don't know," Aang replied thoughtfully. He took a sip from his straw, and for a moment, there was a contemplative look on his face.
"I can assure you there is no alcohol in this fruity beverage," Aang replied at last, holding the drink back out to him.
"Wait. How would you even know?" Zuko questioned, blinking several times. "Have you had alcohol before?"
"No," Aang replied simply.
Zuko narrowed his eyes and took the bowl from Aang's hands, taking a sip and trying not to think too much about the fact that the airbender's lips had been on that same straw moments prior. He immediately recognized the taste of mango and passion fruit juice—sweet and refreshing, the coldness of the ice bowl enhancing the flavors.
"No alcohol," Zuko confirmed. "And you were right. This is pretty delicious."
"Wait, have you had alcohol before?" Aang replied curiously.
"Only a couple of times at fancy banquets," Zuko sighed. "It was wine, and it tasted horrible."
"I can't believe I'm still learning new things about you," Aang said with a grin. "It really makes me wonder what other secrets of yours I have yet to uncover…" he added teasingly with a sly look as he leaned closer.
Zuko immediately felt the tips of his ears begin to grow warm.
Like the fact that I'm in love with you?
"I– I'm… gonna go see if uncle wants one of these," he stuttered to a slightly confused Aang, shoving the drink back into his hands before spinning around.
However, as he did so, he bumped into another person, and suddenly, the entire front of his shirt was soaked in what smelled like papaya juice.
"Oh! My apologies, young man!"
Zuko looked up to see a polite-looking man in his mid to late thirties standing in front of him. The man was clearly dressed for the desert with his large brimmed hat, and he carried both a backpack and a large satchel, both of which looked to be completely stocked with supplies.
"No, I'm sorry, it's my fault," Zuko replied.
"No worries, hotman," Aang interjected, stepping up to him. "Allow me."
"Aang, what–"
Before he could finish his reply, he was promptly smacked face-first with an air blast.
"A little warning next time would be nice," Zuko muttered to a grinning Aang as he smoothed down his now-dry clothes and windswept hair.
"You're a living relic."
Zuko looked back up at the man, who was now staring at the Avatar with awe.
"Thanks. I try," Aang replied with a shrug, shooting an amused glance at Zuko, who rolled his eyes again.
"An Air Nomad, right in front of me…" the man breathed, shaking his head incredulously. "Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University."
The man bowed, and Aang and Zuko both bowed politely in return.
Suddenly, the man grabbed Aang's arm, lifting it up to study the tattoos on the back of his hand. "Tell me. Which of the Air Temples do you hail from?"
"The Southern Temple," Aang replied, raising a confused eyebrow.
"Oh, splendid!" the professor replied delightedly before reaching into his pack and pulling out what looked to be some sort of measuring instrument, placing it on Aang's head. "Now, tell me—what was the primary agricultural product of your people?"
"Uh… do fruit pies count as an agricultural product?" Aang replied nervously.
"He's not a relic. He's a person," Zuko interjected with a frown, grabbing Aang's shoulders and pulling him gently away from the odd man. "And you're being invasive."
"Of course!" Professor Zei replied, smiling apologetically. "Forgive me. Sometimes it can be quite difficult to turn off the ol' professor brain."
"Did you say you're from Ba Sing Se?" Sokka questioned, looking intrigued.
"Indeed I am," Zei replied.
"If you're a professor from the city, what are you doing all the way out here?" Katara asked.
"That is an excellent question, young lady," Zei replied happily. "I'm currently doing some field research for my department. I travel to the Si Wong Desert every year to search for archeological evidence of lost civilizations."
"Woah," Sokka replied, his eyes widening. "Have you found anything yet?"
"I've discovered lost civilizations all over the Earth Kingdom throughout my career," the professor replied proudly. "…But I haven't managed to find the crowned jewel: Wan Shi Tong's library."
"You spent years walking through the desert to find some guy's library? " Toph questioned, raising an eyebrow as she slurped loudly from her straw.
"This library is more valuable than gold, little lady," Zei replied, shaking his head. "It is said to contain a vast collection of knowledge, and knowledge… is priceless."
"Hmm. Sounds like good times," Toph muttered in reply.
"Oh, it is," Zei replied, not recognizing the girl's sarcasm. "According to legend, it was built by the great Knowledge Spirit, Wan Shi Tong, with the help of his 'foxy' knowledge seekers."
"Oh, so this spirit has attractive assistants, huh?" Sokka asked with a smirk, appearing even more intrigued.
"I think he means they look like actual foxes, Sokka," Katara sighed, pushing her brother's face to the side with the palm of her hand.
"You're both right. Handsome little creatures," Zei chuckled. "Wan Shi Tong and his knowledge seekers collected books from all over the world, and put them on display for mankind to read, so that we might better ourselves."
"Books from all over the world?" Aang repeated, his eyes widening. "Do you think there may be any Air Nomad texts there?"
"I would be surprised if there weren't," Zei replied. "If the library were to be found, I'm certain it would contain lost knowledge from many cultures."
"Maybe they have waterbending scrolls from the Southern Water Tribe, too!" Katara said, her face lighting up.
Zuko couldn't help but feel the uncomfortable sting of guilt in his stomach as he was reminded exactly why so much knowledge from both of his friends' cultures had been lost.
"Do you think this library might have some information on the Fire Nation?" Sokka questioned, placing his hand on his chin. "Maybe something that could help the other nations win the war?"
"I wouldn't know. But if such information exists, it's in Wan Shi Tong's Library," Professor Zei replied before sighing heavily. "Of course, there's the matter of finding it. I've almost died each time I've made an attempt to traverse the Si Wong Desert… I'm afraid it's impossible to cross."
"Not if you have a sky bison," Sokka replied with a sly smile.
"A sky bison ?!" Zei exclaimed, his eyes widening incredulously. "You actually have one?"
"Hold on!" Zuko interjected, stepping forward. "We're not about to take a trip into the desert to look for some mythical spirit library that may or may not exist."
"Aww, come on, Zuko!" Sokka replied, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "You can't tell me you aren't at least a little bit intrigued. Can you imagine what lost information we could find?"
Zuko's brow furrowed. He had to admit that there was a small part of him that was curious about this mysterious library.
"Even if it does exist," he replied. "Uncle needs to rest. He can't just go scavenging around the desert looking for ancient ruins right now in his state."
"Zuko has a point," Katara said. "The more time Iroh has to rest, the faster he'll heal."
"What's this about scavenging around for ancient ruins?"
Zuko looked up to see that Iroh had apparently finished his Pai Sho game and procured himself a fruity beverage of his own.
"Sokka wants to try to go search for some ancient library in the desert," Zuko sighed. "But like I've been saying multiple times the past few days, you need to rest."
"Well, why don't I just stay here while you kids go check it out?" Iroh replied simply, taking a sip of his drink. "I don't mind."
"Uncle, we're not leaving you here on your own," Zuko replied, folding his arms. "What if something happens while we're gone?"
"Then why don't you just stay here with him?" Sokka interjected. "The rest of us can take a little day trip to search for this library. If we find it, then we'll mark it on the map so we can all come back together once Iroh's better. If we don't find it, then we'll just come back and try again tomorrow."
Zuko sighed and pinched his nose bridge. That… did sound like a reasonable enough plan.
"...Fine."
"Alright!" Sokka exclaimed happily, slapping him on the chest before removing his arm from his shoulders. "Who else wants to go search for this library?"
Aang and Katara both eagerly raised their hands, while Toph halfheartedly raised hers.
Zuko's brow furrowed. "Toph, you actually want to go?"
Toph shrugged. "Sounds like there's a chance it'll be more interesting than sitting around here all day. This place is a snoozefest."
"Then it's settled!" Sokka declared, holding out his arm out and pointing dramatically. "It's time to take a field trip… To the library! "
"Are you sure you don't wanna go with us?" Aang asked as he and Zuko exited the tavern behind Zei and the rest of their companions. "I'm sure Iroh will be alright by himself just for an afternoon. How much trouble could he possibly get into?"
"You'd be surprised," Zuko replied with a slight smirk. "Are you disappointed you have to spend a whole afternoon without me?"
"...Maybe," Aang replied, folding his arms.
"Well, like you said. It's just for an afternoon," Zuko countered. "You'll be back before dinner."
"But that's like… hours from now," Aang groaned.
"Ahem," Toph interjected loudly from behind them. "Do you two mind? Your adorable banter is starting to make me sick."
Aang and Zuko shared a glance for a moment, and Aang felt himself blush awkwardly as he quickly looked away.
"Sandbenders, shoo! Away from the bison!" Professor Zei shouted, jogging ahead of them as they passed through the town gate.
Upon hearing the sound of Appa's anxious growling, Aang immediately frowned and darted past the gate as well to see that several people clad in white wrappings were standing next to the bison, who was backing away from them.
Before he could yell at them himself, the sandbenders dispersed on their own, using their bending to depart on two vessels that almost seemed to resemble boats.
"What were they doing?" Zuko said, running up next to him with a concerned look. "Did they hurt Appa?"
"Thankfully, no," Aang replied, narrowing his eyes as he watched the sandbenders grow smaller in the distance.
"You do have to be careful around these parts," Professor Zei sighed, folding his arms. "Life is harsh out here, and some people are forced to do… less than ethical things to make a living. I had to learn that the hard way during one of my first treks into the desert."
"Well, I just hope they didn't steal any of our stuff," Sokka replied with a frown.
"I don't think Appa would have let that happen if they'd tried," Aang replied with a smirk as he walked over to scratch Appa's head. "Right, buddy?"
Appa roared affectionately in response, and Aang felt himself relax somewhat now that he had been reassured the bison was alright.
"By the way… There's someone here who's excited to meet you!"
He turned and gestured for Professor Zei to come over. The awestruck man slowly stepped forward, and flinched when Appa breathed out through his nose. After a moment, he slowly raised his hand and began to pet the bison's head, and Appa closed his eyes happily.
"What a magnificent creature…" Zei breathed. "And so soft and fluffy!"
Aang chuckled to himself as he watched the professor press the side of his face into Appa's fur, and turned around to make his way back over to where Zuko, Iroh, and Katara appeared to be chatting while Sokka helped Toph climb into the saddle.
"If you want to go look for the library, I'd be happy to stay and keep an eye on Iroh," Katara said.
Zuko shook his head. "I saw how excited you were about possibly finding some of those waterbending scrolls. You should go."
Katara smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Zuko. He should be fine as long as he doesn't—"
"As long as I don't overexert myself," Iroh finished for her with an amused look. "You kids seem to think that if you let me out of your sight for too long that I'll get myself into trouble."
Katara smirked and folded her arms. "Zuko certainly seems to think so, and he's known you longer than any of us, so I'm afraid I have to put at least a little stock into his judgment on this," she replied before turning to Zuko. "We'll do another healing session this evening when we get back, but if he needs it, use that burn ointment I gave you."
"Sounds good," Zuko nodded, and the waterbender turned to make her way over to Appa.
"Last chance to join us, hotman," Aang said as he stepped forward, holding his staff behind his back. "It won't be as fun without you there."
Zuko smiled warmly at him, and he felt his heart flutter in his chest.
"You can take notes for me if you find anything interesting," the Fire Prince replied.
"Alright…" Aang sighed before turning to Iroh. "Stay out of trouble, okay? Don't make your nephew worry too much."
"I'll do my best," Iroh replied with a chuckle.
Aang grinned in response before turning back to Zuko. As the prince's bright amber eyes met his own, however, his grin faded slightly, and a strange feeling began to come over him.
For some reason, he felt quite reluctant to leave.
"Aang? Are you okay?" Zuko asked as a look of concern appeared on his face.
Aang blinked several times and shook his head rapidly.
"It's nothing. Just… stay safe and take care of Iroh, okay?" he said, patting the firebender on his shoulder.
"Aye-aye, Avatar," Zuko nodded with a smirk.
Aang held Zuko's gaze for another moment, his grip on his shoulder tightening slightly. The desire to pull the Fire Prince in for a hug was strong, but it felt silly considering he was going to see him again in just a few hours.
Aang resisted the urge, reluctantly pulling his hand back.
"Aang, come on!" he heard Sokka shout from behind him. "Are you coming, or not?"
"Be right there!" he called over his shoulder.
He gave Iroh and Zuko a small wave before turning and jumping into the air to land on Appa's head, trying to push the uneasy feeling out of his mind.
"Yip yip!"
After the first hour of his friends' absence, Zuko quickly began to understand why Toph hadn't wanted to stay behind. This town really was —as she'd put it—a snoozefest.
He groaned as he laid the side of his head down on the table he was occupying in the corner of the tavern next to the bar. Across the room, he could see Iroh, sitting on the opposite side of the bar at a table with the same old man from that morning.
If I'd have known he was just gonna sit around playing Pai Sho all day, I would have just gone with them, he thought in annoyance as he slowly lifted his head off the table.
After a moment, however, he perked up slightly as he remembered that he did have something to keep him occupied while he waited: his sketchbook.
He quickly procured the book and a piece of charcoal from his satchel and began to flip through the first couple of pages, each of which were already full of drawings. These were mostly rough sketches consisting of plants and landscapes to help him get back into practice, but nonetheless, he was still impressed that he'd somehow managed to retain his artistic eye after all these years.
As he turned to the most recent page of sketches, he smiled softly. They weren't very detailed, nor were they as accurate as he would have liked for them to be. Despite this, he still felt that he'd managed to capture Aang's crooked smile fairly well.
Maybe I should ask him to sit and pose for a proper portrait someday, he thought. I'm sure he'd love the idea… But he also can't sit still to save his life.
He exhaled through his nose in amusement at the mental image before flipping to the next page, which was blank. He really hadn't gotten to use the sketchbook much since Iroh had gifted it to him. It had only been about a week since they had left Gaoling, but somehow, it felt like much longer had passed after everything that had happened with Azula…
Azula.
His brow furrowed, and he shook his head in an attempt to clear thoughts of his sister from his mind.
Zuko truly had no idea how to feel about her at the moment. Part of him was still furious with her for what she had done to their uncle. However, another part of him felt… guilty. Particularly so when he recalled the look on the princess' face after he had yelled at her.
She had almost looked scared.
But Azula never looked scared. He didn't even think it was even an emotion that she was capable of experiencing.
She could've been faking it. Trying to lure me into a false sense of confidence so she could strike me when I least expected it…
He felt a swirl of anger rising within him again, and he clenched his bar of charcoal tightly in his fist.
Taking a deep breath, Zuko began to sketch furiously on a new page, building his way up to more heavy, messy strokes as the complicated emotions he was feeling about his sister ran through his mind. He wasn't even certain what he was drawing, exactly—memories? Feelings?
When he at last put the charcoal down, what he saw on the pages before him was almost completely abstract and formless; the opposite of anything he'd drawn previously.
However, he did have to admit that, strangely, he did feel a bit better.
Zuko sighed heavily as he set his stick of charcoal down, lifting his gaze to see if his uncle was still playing Pai Sho. Surprisingly, it seemed that as the afternoon had stretched on, the tavern had acquired more customers, as many of the tables were now occupied.
Initially, he sighed again when he saw that Iroh was still engaged in his game with the old man. However, as his eyes continued to scan the rest of the room, his gaze landed on the faces of two very familiar-looking men as they entered the tavern, and he immediately did a double take.
It was none other than Master Yu and Xin Fu—the last two people Zuko would have ever expected to see together, in the last place he would have ever expected to see them.
What in the name of the spirits are they doing here? he wondered anxiously, slinking down into his chair so as to not draw attention to himself as the two men surveyed the occupants of the room before heading over to the bartender.
"We're looking for a young girl that may have passed through this way recently," Master Yu said.
The bartender narrowed his eyes at the man as he wiped his cutting board clean. "I see a lot of people pass through Misty Palms."
"This isn't just any girl," Master Yu continued. "We're searching for a little barefoot blind girl."
"...I might have seen someone matching a similar description," the bartender replied carefully. "But information doesn't come for free around here."
"Let's try this again" Xin Fu replied darkly, marching over and slamming his fist on the bar counter. "You give us the information on the girl, and I don't break every bone in your body. Seems like a reasonable enough exchange to me."
The bartender sneered at the earthbender. "I'm definitely not telling you shit now, pal. I think it's you who should worry more about broken bones if you don't back off in the next five seconds. "
As Xin Fu looked over his shoulder, several of the patrons of the tavern stood up from their chairs and brandished their weapons.
"This guy bothering you, Samir?" one very tall, very muscular person asked, cracking their knuckles.
"He means no harm!" Master Yu interjected nervously, pulling a frowning Xin Fu away from the bartender. "He was just joking. Right? "
Xin Fu's lip curled for a moment as his eyes moved over the crowd of patrons, and Yu whispered something in his ear before elbowing him.
"...Right," Xin Fu grumbled.
"That's what I thought," the bartender—Samir—said as he continued wiping the cutting board. "Now, if you're not gonna order any drinks, I would like to kindly ask you to get the fuck out of my bar."
"Two glasses of baijiu, please," Yu replied quickly, placing some coins on the counter.
The bartender snatched the money up before pouring two small cups of liquor and shoving them both to the nervous man.
"Come now, Xin Fu," Master Yu said, handing the irate man his cup. "I say we take a seat and gather our bearings for just a moment so we can plan our next move. Perhaps if we continue to ask around, one of these people will have seen the Beifong girl."
Xin Fu did not reply, instead downing his drink in one gulp before jerking his head to the side and marching over to one of the empty tables.
Zuko continued to watch them for a few more moments, waiting until the noise of chattering patrons increased in volume once again. Slowly, he placed his sketchbook and art materials back into his satchel and calmly rose from his chair, taking care to keep his head down and tilted away from the two earthbenders' lines of sight as he made his way over to the Pai Sho table.
"Uncle," he said quietly as he came to a stop next to where the old man was seated. "We need to get back to the inn. Now."
"Just a moment, nephew," Iroh replied without looking at him, one hand on his chin as he held the other up to him. "I must plan my next move carefully…"
"Are you actually planning?" the old man sitting across from him replied with a smirk. "Or are you simply stalling?"
Iroh grunted in reply and remained still for a moment as he continued studying the Pai Sho board.
"Uncle," Zuko hissed, frowning in annoyance. "This is more important than a stupid Pai Sho game! Toph's old earthbending teacher and that Earth Rumble jerk are both here looking for her, and if they see us–"
"Pai Sho is more than just a game, Zuko," Iroh interrupted, still not looking at him. "I've always told you so."
Zuko blinked at his uncle incredulously. Had he not heard what he'd just said? "What does that have to do with anything?"
"And there you have it, Fung!" Iroh said, moving his tile at last. "You've lost this round."
"I truly am no match for you, Iroh," Fung replied with a chuckle, shaking his head. "And here I thought I might truly win this round."
"Okay, you two old gasbags have finished your little game," a now irate Zuko muttered. "Now let's go, before—"
"I'm not waiting all day for these geezers to finish yapping!" a familiar and angry voice suddenly erupted from behind them, causing Zuko's stomach to sink as he whipped around to find himself face-to-face with Xin Fu.
"I thought I recognized you, Fire Nation brat," the earthbender growled, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "Where's the Beifong girl?"
"How should I know?" Zuko quickly lied, narrowing his eyes at the man. "I haven't seen her since we left Gaoling."
"Nice try, boy," Master Yu, who stood behind Xin Fu, said, eyeing Zuko condescendingly. "We know the Avatar has kidnapped Toph. Her father simply wants her home safe and sound."
"Right. And I'm sure you're doing all of this out of the kindness of your hearts and totally not because Lao Beifong offered the both of you a huge reward," Zuko snorted sarcastically.
"Enough stalling!" Xin Fu snapped, jostling him roughly. "Tell us where she is!"
"I told you. I haven't seen her since last week," Zuko retaliated.
"Then where is the Avatar?" Master Yu questioned.
"I don't kno—"
Xin Fu's grip on Zuko's shirt tightened. "Listen here, you little ash maker —"
"Ahem," Master Yu interjected quietly. "Even if the boy truly does not know where Toph is, remember—these two will still fetch a high reward from the Fire Nation."
Xin Fu blinked for a moment as he processed this information. Then, he smirked.
Before the man could reply, however, someone else shouted from behind Zuko, "I knew it! You two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!"
With this loud declaration, the entire tavern grew silent again, and both Xin Fu and Yu now sported similar looks of unease on their faces. The former's grip on Zuko's shirt loosened, and he pulled himself out of it, stumbling backwards into his uncle, who steadied him. He looked behind him to see the accusation had come from none other than Fung, who had stood up and was now pointing accusingly at both himself and his uncle.
"So much for your new friend," Zuko muttered through gritted teeth, his hand shooting down to grip the hilts of his broadswords.
Were they about to have to fight their way out of an entire tavern full of bounty hunters?
"Just wait," Iroh replied quietly out of the corner of his mouth.
"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?" Fung added loudly as he moved to stand between Zuko and Iroh and the two earthbenders.
"Gold?" one of the patrons repeated as many more stood up again, several brandishing their weapons.
"Um… maybe we shouldn't…" Yu began.
In a split second, the tavern erupted into chaos as Xin Fu and Yu's attention was turned to the other patrons, who were now after their prey. Benders and nonbenders alike lunged at one another, and Zuko was just about to unsheathe his broadswords again when his uncle pulled him back.
When he turned around, he saw Fung make a shushing motion with his index finger and gestured for the two of them to follow him.
By some miracle, they managed to quickly escape the tavern without anyone noticing, no doubt thanks to all of the commotion. However, this didn't stop Zuko from frequently checking over his shoulder to make sure no one had followed them.
"Uncle, where are we going?" he whispered as they continued to follow Fung through the alleyways of the settlement. "This isn't the direction to the inn… Are you sure we can trust this guy?"
"I am," Iroh replied as they exited the walled section of the settlement.
They continued following the old man on a road that led uphill, eventually approaching a cluster of buildings, which looked to be slightly nicer than those within the walled section of Misty Palms itself.
As they entered one of the buildings, Zuko was met with a fragrant smell that immediately filled him with nostalgia, reminding him of the greenhouse his mother used to spend so much time in when he was a child. Unsurprisingly, the building was full of various types of flora, all in excellent condition despite the desert climate.
"Is this… a flower shop?" he questioned aloud.
"Indeed. I've been running this place for about fifty years now. It's my pride and joy," Fung replied over his shoulder with a smile as they came to a stop in front of another door at the back of the shop. "It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus," he continued, turning to Iroh. "Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets..."
"Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging?" Zuko interjected, his eyes narrowing with slight irritation.
"You must forgive my nephew," Iroh said. "He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts."
"Cryptic… what?" Zuko replied, blinking in confusion. "Can someone please explain what's going on here?"
"Let's just say that Fung here and I… we share some mutual old friends," Iroh replied, nodding to the other old man.
This did not clear up any of Zuko's confusion.
Old friends?
Was it possible that this Fung person was actually a Fire Nation spy who had served his uncle during his days of laying siege to the Earth Kingdom? If so, could he be trusted?
To his chagrin, instead of explaining further, Iroh stepped up to the door, where a small slot opened to reveal another person's eyes.
"Who knocks at the garden gate?" the person asked.
"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries," Iroh replied, as if he had spoken the phrase many times before.
After a moment, the door opened, and Fung entered, followed by Iroh. However, as Zuko approached, Iroh turned around and held up his palm.
"I'm afraid it's members only. Wait out here."
Before Zuko could reply, the door closed, and he huffed in annoyance.
Aang opened his mouth into a wide yawn as he stared into the barren desert horizon ahead of him. They'd been flying for at least an hour, maybe more, but had yet to see any sign of this mysterious spirit library. At this point, he was nearly ready to suggest that they call off the search and return to Misty Palms.
I wonder what Zuko's doing right now, he thought as he reached a hand up and gave Momo, who had been sleeping on his head, a few scratches. He couldn't help but feel that he would much rather be hanging out with the Fire Prince at the tavern than searching for an old library that might not even exist.
"It shouldn't be this hard to spot a giant, ornate building from the air…" Katara said from behind him, and he turned to see that both Water Tribe siblings were still busy scanning the desert for the library. Sokka, who had taken off his shirt and fashioned it into a head covering, seemed to be using his spyglass to assist his search.
"Down there!" the warrior exclaimed abruptly, pointing with his index finger. "What's that?"
Aang suddenly perked up, causing Momo to chirp, and looked to the direction Sokka was pointing. As he squinted his eyes, he could see what looked to be a tower of some sort in the distance—the first manmade structure they had seen all afternoon since leaving Misty Palms Oasis.
Aang whipped Appa's reins, and before long, they were landing on top of one of the dunes that surrounded the tower.
"Forget it," Katara sighed after they dismounted, holding up Zei's diagram of the library as they approached the tower on foot. "It's obviously not what we're looking for. The building in this drawing is enormous."
Suddenly, out of the corner of Aang's eye, he saw a flash of light.
"What kind of animal is that?" Sokka asked, brow furrowing as each of them—save for Toph—looked to their left.
Aang's eyes widened slightly when he realized that there was some sort of canine-like creature standing at the peak of one of the dunes.
"I think that was one of the Knowledge Seekers!" Zei replied excitedly, clasping his hands as the creature bounded over to the tower, ascended it with ease, and disappeared through one of the windows at the top. "Oh, we must be close to the library!"
"No," Sokka said, shaking his head as he and Aang both peered over Katara's shoulder at the diagram. "This is the library—look!" He pointed to the spire at the top of the building in the illustration, then back to the tower. "...It's completely buried."
"The library is buried?! " Professor Zei replied, his expression turning crestfallen as he fell to his knees. "My life's ambition is now full of sand…" He lowered his head for a moment before sitting back up and smiling as he procured a very tiny shovel. "Well, time to start excavating."
"Actually, that won't be necessary," Toph interjected, and Aang looked up to see that the earthbender had made her way over to the tower, pressing her palm flat against the stone. "The inside seems to be completely intact. And it's huge."
With this revelation, Aang, Katara, and Sokka each exchanged delighted looks.
"That fox thingy went in through a window," Sokka said. "I say we climb up there and give it a look."
"I say you guys go ahead without me," Toph replied.
"You got something against libraries?" Katara asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I've held books before," Toph said with a shrug. "And, I gotta tell ya, they don't exactly do it for me."
A sheepish look appeared on Katara's face. "Oh. Right. Sorry."
"Are you sure, Toph?" Aang asked. "You wanted to come out here with us. I'd feel bad if you had to just sit out here the whole time..."
"I appreciate the concern, Twinkle Toes," Toph replied, waving her hand. "But I'm honestly fine. I just tagged along in case you guys ran into any bandits, dangerous wild animals, what-have-you. You know, something actually interesting."
Aang nodded. "Well, in that case, I guess you can keep Appa company. I'm sure the both of you can take care of any threats like that that might come our way. Isn't that right, buddy?"
Appa roared as Aang pet his head affectionately.
"Don't worry. I'm never making you go underground ever again. I doubt you'd even fit through those tiny windows, anyway."
Toph nodded and folded her arms. "We'll hold down the fort while you guys check it out."
With that, Sokka dug some rope out of one of their supply packs from the saddle, and Aang flew it up to the top of the tower, where he tied it into a secure knot, allowing his flightless companions to scale it.
As they climbed through the window and down into the library itself, the first thing Aang noticed was the exquisite gold-plated interior of the spire, appearing untouched by both time and the elements.
"Oh, it's breathtaking, " Zei sighed in awe as they lowered themselves down to the main chamber. "The spirit spared no expense in designing this place."
Eventually, they reached the end of their rope, which thankfully stopped right above a sort of bridge-like platform. As Aang hopped down and peered over the edge, his eyes widened slightly when he saw just how massive the library truly was—there appeared to be many, many floors beneath them. How had a structure so large and grand managed to stay hidden for so long?
"My word!" Zei exclaimed from behind him, and he turned to see that the professor was studying a mosaic depicting a winged creature. "The exquisite mosaic handiwork of this tile-rendered avian symbol…"
The professor stopped speaking for a moment when he saw the puzzled looks on his companions' faces.
"Eh, nice owl," Zei finished sheepishly.
Before anyone could speak further, Aang heard a rustling sound from somewhere nearby, and tensed slightly. They were not alone in this library.
He grabbed Professor Zei by the wrist and pulled him behind a pillar as Sokka and Katara did the same. Very carefully, he peered around the pillar's edge, and froze when he saw what looked to be a giant owl gliding out of the shadows of bookshelves and onto the bridge they had just been standing on.
The creature came to a stop at the rope, for a moment, then slowly rotated its head completely backwards, making direct eye contact with him.
Aang felt an uncomfortable shiver run down his spine.
"... I know you're back there, " the owl spirit said in a distinctly inhuman voice.
As Aang turned back around to check on his friends, he suddenly realized that Professor Zei was no longer next to him.
"Hello, I'm Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University!"
"You should leave the way you came," the owl spirit replied with a tone of annoyance. "Unless you want to become a stuffed head of anthropology."
"Are you the spirit who brought this library to the physical world?" Sokka asked as he left his hiding place as well, Katara and Aang exchanging uncertain glances as they followed him.
"Indeed," the spirit replied. "I am Wan Shi Tong, 'He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things.' And you are obviously humans, which, by the way, are no longer permitted in my study."
"What do you have against humans?" Aang questioned.
"Hm!" Wan Shi Tong replied, his feathers ruffling slightly. " Humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans. Like that firebender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy."
A firebender has been here? Aang thought, sharing another glance with Katara, who appeared to be thinking similarly. And recently?
"So... who are you trying to destroy?" Wan Shi Tong asked, leaning forward and looming over a now nervous-looking Sokka.
"What? No-no-no-no destroying," the warrior stuttered. "We're not into that!"
The spirit blinked slowly. "Then why have you come here?"
"Um... knowledge for knowledge's sake?" Sokka replied with a weak grin.
"...If you're going to lie to an all-knowing spirit being, you should at least put some effort into it."
"I'm not lying!" Sokka replied quickly, grabbing hold of Aang's arm and pulling him forward. "I'm here with the Avatar, and he's the bridge between our worlds. He'll vouch for me!"
Aang glared at Sokka for a moment before clearing his throat, stepping forward and bowing politely. "Good spirit, I apologize for my friend's behavior. We did not come here to abuse the knowledge in your library. We truly are here for the sake of knowledge and knowledge alone."
Wan Shi Tong tilted his head slightly, his pitch black eyes seeming to bore into his very soul.
Still, Aang stood his ground, taking a deep breath.
"You see, I may be the Avatar, but I am also the last surviving member of my people. So much of thr Air Nomads' history and culture has been lost. Any information your library contains would be of great importance to me, so that I may carry on their legacy."
"Hmm," Wan Shi Tong replied. "I suppose that is a noble cause indeed."
The spirit's head abruptly swiveled to Katara, who flinched slightly.
"What of you, girl?"
"Oh," Katara replied. "I- I suppose I'm here for a similar reason. The war with the Fire Nation has also caused much loss in my tribe. I would like to learn more about Southern Water Tribe history and culture here, if I can, so that I can share it with my family and friends when I return home."
"The desire to share knowledge for such a purpose is commendable," Wan Shi Tong nodded slowly before turning to Professor Zei.
"Great spirit," Zei began before Wan Shi Tong could speak. "I have uncovered ancient civilizations throughout the Earth Kingdom and learned so much. But there is still so much I don't know. Your library—it has been my life's greatest ambition to find it so that I might make good use of its vast wealth of knowledge. Learning about our past can only serve to improve how we build our futures."
"Very well said," Wan Shi Tong replied, sounding impressed. "...Perhaps I was wrong about humans."
"Great!" Sokka said, breathing a sigh of relief and taking a step forward. "Now, if you'll excuse us–"
"Not so fast," Wan Shi Tong interrupted, holding a vast wing out to prevent Sokka from walking any further. " You have yet to give me a proper answer about why you desire access to my library."
"Um… well, you see…" Sokka replied awkwardly, his eyes darting over to Aang and Katara. "...I'm in a similar boat to my friends. The Fire Nation took everything from us, and that includes knowledge. I'd like to reclaim that knowledge so I can build a better future for my people, and for the rest of the world."
Aang and Katara both exchanged a surprised look at the apparent genuineness of Sokka's statement.
"Hmm. Very well. I'll let you all peruse my vast collection," Wan Shi Tong sighed, lowering his wing. "But know this: if I discover that any of you have attempted to deceive me…"
His head swiveled back towards Aang as he looked over him.
"Your status as bridge between our worlds will not protect you or your friends, Avatar."
"I understand," Aang replied, keeping still and maintaining eye contact.
With that last menacing note, the owl spirit stretched out both of its giant wings and leapt over the edge of the platform, circling down into the depths of the library below.
"Phew. That was a close one," Sokka sighed in relief after a moment of silence.
"Sokka!" Katara hissed, smacking him on the shoulder. "Did you not hear what he just told us? After everything that happened in Ausuittuq and Agna Qel'a, you'd think you'd have a bit more respect for spirits!"
"We'll be fine, Katara," Sokka replied, rolling his eyes. "I didn't lie to him."
Katara frowned. "But you didn't tell him the whole truth."
"And he's never gonna find out," Sokka said, turning around to make his way towards one of the many aisles of books.
"There's just so much here," Katara sighed as they found themselves walking down yet another nearly identical row of bookshelves. "We've been at this for ages now and we're still only finding Earth Kingdom texts… We really should have asked that owl spirit for a map."
"Maybe those guys can help us?" Aang said, pointing to one of the fox spirits, who was placing a book on one of the shelves.
"Aang, don't talk to it!" Sokka said with a frown. "It's with the owl!"
"Oh, so now you're worried about the owl?" Katara muttered.
"I'm not going to say anything incriminating about you, if that's what you're worried about, Sokka," Aang said, shooting him a deadpan look.
Sokka said nothing else in protest, but continued to eye the fox spirit suspiciously as Aang walked over and crouched down next to it.
"Hi there! My friend and I are looking for books or scrolls from Air Nomad and Southern Water Tribe culture. Could you tell us where those might be?"
The fox's ears perked up upon hearing this, and it spun around, pointing its snout forward as it lifted one of its front feet.
"Seems it's trying to assist you," Professor Zei—who was currently carrying a large stack of tomes—suggested.
"Oh, maybe it's pointing to show us the way!" Aang said, turning to Katara.
"Then let's go!" Katara replied, returning his excited smile. "Sokka, are you coming?"
Sokka shook his head as he picked up a scroll, studied it for a brief moment, and stuck it in his satchel along with the other books he'd found earlier. "There has to be something here on the Fire Nation. Something about their weaknesses…"
Katara sighed heavily. "Sokka, if you really want to know about the Fire Nation's weaknesses, you can just ask Iroh and Zuko. You know, the literal Fire Nationals?"
"But there could be information here that even they don't know," Sokka argued. "I've got to keep searching."
"Well, since you're not finding anything in this section, why don't you just come with us?" Aang suggested, folding his arms. "Maybe you'll find something on the way."
"...Fine," Sokka grumbled.
They followed the fox down several flights of stairs past more rows of bookshelves until they at last arrived at an entryway with the familiar symbol of the Water Tribes emblazoned on the blue tapestry above the entryway.
"Wow," Katara breathed in awe as they entered the room, which glowed with a bluish light that reflected off the pale gray stone of its walls. Surprisingly, the stonework had been carved in a manner that was very reminiscent of the architecture of the buildings made of ice in Agna Qel'a.
"Look at this!" Katara exclaimed, jogging over to one of the shelves. "This entire section has texts about plantbending techniques from the Foggy Swamp Tribe!"
"Katara, I found a book about the history of ice dodging!" Sokka exclaimed excitedly from where he stood next to another shelf across the room.
"Oh, here's a cookbook with a bunch of Southern Water Tribe recipes! Gran Gran would love this!"
Aang grinned at his friends' excitement as Professor Zei came to a stop next to him.
"This is why this place is so important," the professor said, his eyes crinkling as he smiled warmly. " This is why I've spent so many years of my life trying to find it. If only more people could visit and connect with it again…"
Aang couldn't help but agree. "I'm glad we were able to help," he said, smiling back at the professor. "Though, to be honest, I wasn't even sure we would find it."
Zei laughed. "Well, it's all thanks to you, Aang. If you had told me when I woke up this morning that I'd not only get to meet the long-lost Avatar, but also finally discover my life's greatest ambition?" he shook his head in disbelief. "I'm living every anthropologist's dream. I can't wait to see the looks on my colleagues' faces when I tell them I actually found it!"
Maybe this really could be a place that brings people from all over the world together someday, Aang thought. A place where everyone can learn, no matter what nation or culture they're from.
Of course, Wan Shi Tong might be resistant to the idea of his library becoming widely known after remaining hidden for so long. But he was the one who brought the library to the physical world in the first place, specifically to share with humans. Meaning the owl spirit must have a soft spot for them.
Perhaps when the war was over, Aang could negotiate with him…
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a nudge at his ankle, and he looked down to see the fox spirit sitting next to him. It made several whining noises before turning around and pointing again.
As he looked back up, he saw that Katara, similar to Zei, now had several books in her arms, while Sokka had placed some in his satchel.
"Did you guys find some good stuff?" Aang asked with a chuckle.
"There's so much in here! It would take days to go through it all," Katara replied. "I definitely want to come back later."
The fox chirped before Aang could reply, nudging at his ankle again.
"Okay, okay," Aang said with a chuckle, turning around to follow the fox. "I think we're ready."
They followed the spirit across the platform to the other side of the library, and before long, they came to a stop next to another large entryway. Next to the entryway stood two large bison statues, and he placed his palm on one as he slowly strode into the room.
Almost immediately, Aang recognized the architectural styles of his people—Wan Shi Tong seemed to have gone out of his way to pay homage to each of the four nations for their respective areas of the library. Somehow, despite being deep underground, the energy of the vast, circular room managed to capture the same feeling of standing in an Air Temple, and he felt his heart begin to ache.
He approached one of the bookshelves, his fingers brushing against the spines of the books lining each shelf until at last he stopped on a random one. As he picked it up and opened it, he saw that it seemed to be a simple meditation text with some familiar illustrations of monks interspersed throughout.
As he thumbed through the pages, he felt his eyes begin to sting with tears.
Why am I getting emotional over a meditation text? he thought, feeling silly.
Books just like this one had been commonplace in the Southern Air Temple's library. They were by no means rare.
Only… that wasn't true anymore. In each of his previous visits to the temples following his release from the iceberg so far, he'd failed to find even a scrap of anything remotely resembling a scroll or book. As far as he knew, this library could be the only place on earth where any written documentation from the Air Nomad culture still existed.
"Are you alright?" Katara asked from behind him.
"Yeah," Aang replied, quickly wiping his eyes with the back of his hand before closing the book and placing it back on the shelf. "Sorry. I never thought I'd get this emotional over a book," he joked, chuckling weakly as he turned around.
Katara's blue eyes studied his face sympathetically. "You don't need to be sorry, Aang."
Aang shook his head. "I'd thought all of my peoples' culture and history had been lost. But there's so much here. I would like to take my time going through it all… But we've been down here for so long already..."
"Well, then we can just come back another day," Katara replied encouragingly. "Zei marked it on his map, so we know where it is now."
Aang sighed as he turned to look at the long hall of bookshelves again. "I can't just take a break from being the Avatar to sit down here sifting through hundreds of books for weeks on end."
"I'm not saying you have to do that," Katara said. "But Iroh's still on the mend, and it's not like we'll have anything more interesting to do with our time while he's recovering for the next few days. You could spend that time here."
"...I guess you're right," Aang replied, biting his lip.
Katara smiled, a twinkle appearing in her eye. "If you want, maybe tomorrow you can bring Zuko. I can stay in Misty Palms with Iroh to keep an eye on him."
Aang perked up slightly, smiling as well as he imagined getting to explore the library further with the Fire Prince.
"You guys! I think I found something!"
They both turned around to see Sokka jogging up to them, Professor Zei following behind, looking slightly winded.
"I thought you guys were right behind us," Katara replied as they met them at the entryway to the Air Nomad section.
"I got… a bit distracted," Sokka replied somewhat sheepishly. "But it was for a good reason! Look!"
He pulled a single rolled-up piece of parchment from his satchel, and Aang immediately noticed that the edges appeared to have been burnt.
"What is that?" Aang asked as the warrior unfurled it.
"It reads, 'The ninth day of the seventh month of the Cultivate Rule Dragon Year was the darkest day in Fire Nation history,'" Professor Zei read over Sokka's shoulder.
"What does that mean?" Katara questioned.
"I don't know," Sokka sighed in annoyance. "But it's right there on this paper: darkest day in Fire Nation history. We should go to the Fire Nation section and see if we can find some governmental records from this date to give us an idea about what happened."
Aang's brow furrowed for a moment as he turned to look at the Air Nomad wing behind him. Katara was right—he could always come back tomorrow. And if they left early the next morning, they would have all day to explore
"Alright, Sokka," Aang said, nodding to Katara. "Let's go."
With that, they were off again. Strangely, the fox spirit seemed to have disappeared, Aang noticed, though Sokka seemed to have learned how to navigate the library well enough. Before long, they turned a corner, and there it was: the Fire Nation wing, identified by its red banner and dragon statues standing on either side of the entryway.
However, when they entered the room, Sokka suddenly stopped in his tracks.
As Aang's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized the reason why.
In front of them stood no bookshelves. Instead, large piles of ash stretched into the darkness.
"Firebenders…" he murmured as Sokka fell to his knees.
"That's so unfair!" the warrior grunted in frustration. "Just when I think I'm one step ahead of the Fire Nation, it turns out they beat us here a long time ago… I need to know what happened on the darkest day…"
"Sokka, calm down," Katara said, crouching down next to her brother. "We still have Iroh and Zuko. They might know what happened."
"But they might not," Sokka countered. "The Cultivate Rule Dragon year was ages ago. Whatever this is referring to might not even be common knowledge in the Fire Nation anymore."
"Well, we won't know unless we ask them, right?" Katara sighed, standing back up and folding her arms.
"Pardon the interruption," Professor Zei interjected. "But it appears one of the knowledge seekers has returned."
Aang turned around to see that the professor was correct. Whether or not it was the same spirit that had helped them earlier, however, he could not tell.
As the fox spirit turned around and pointed again, Sokka got back to his feet and eyed the creature suspiciously. "...Alright. I guess I'll follow you."
Thankfully, this time, they didn't have to follow the spirit for long. However, the place it led them to was unlike any other section of the library they had been to previously.
In front of them stood what looked to be an enormous and ornate golden doorway. Aang's curious eyes followed the fox as it slipped through a small hole in the wall, and within seconds, the round golden door opened, revealing the spirit sitting inside.
As they stepped into the dark, expansive room, the fox led them to a stone structure at its center and pushed a lever forward with its front feet.
Momo chirped from where he sat on Aang's shoulder as the sound of gears turning echoed within the chamber. Suddenly, a shadow passed over the domed ceiling, and to his astonishment, hundreds of stars appeared, almost as if he were looking up at the night sky.
"This room is a true marvel, a mechanical wonder!" Professor Zei said, putting his stack of books down and grasping the sides of his face with his hands as he gazed up in wonder. "It's a planetarium that shows the heavens moving! "
Aang smiled as well as he watched the ceiling of the planetarium shift again, turning from night to day and revealing walls painted sky-blue with clouds and a mountainous landscape lining the circumference of the room.
"Uh, this is beautiful, but how is it helpful?" Sokka questioned.
"Maybe these dials represent dates and times," Katara said with a look of realization. "Sokka, try entering that date from that parchment you took."
"Shh, Katara, not in front of the fox!" Sokka hissed, eyeing the spirit suspiciously. "He's with the owl, remember?"
As Katara scowled at him, he glanced warily at the fox spirit, carefully pulled the burnt piece of parchment out of his satchel to look at it, and quickly shoved it back in before getting to work turning the dials to the appropriate date and pulling the lever again.
The mechanical clanking sound started up once more, and the sky shifted from day, night, and then back to day again. However, this time, the planetarium remained dark.
"Hey, what happened to the sun?" Katara questioned.
"Did you break it?" Aang asked, raising an eyebrow at Sokka.
Sokka shook his head. "It's not broken. The sun is behind the moon…"
Suddenly, his eyes grew wide.
"It's a solar eclipse! It's literally the darkest day in Fire Nation history!" the warrior exclaimed, turning around to grab Aang by the shoulders. " Now I get it. Something awful happened on that day. I don't know what, but I do know why. Firebenders lose their bending during a solar eclipse!" he finished, jostling Aang by the shoulders before releasing him. "...Sorry."
"That makes sense," Katara said, nodding thoughtfully. "I mean, think about what the lunar eclipse at the North Pole did to the waterbenders. This is huge."
"We've gotta get this information to the Earth King in Ba Sing Se," Sokka said, grasping the piece of parchment in his hand. "We'll wait for the next eclipse, then we'll invade the Fire Nation when they're totally helpless. The Fire Lord is going down! "
"...Mortals are so predictable, and such terrible liars."
A chill ran down Aang's back again as a shadow loomed over them from behind.
"You betrayed my trust. From the beginning, you intended to misuse this knowledge for evil purposes," Wan Shi Tong said darkly.
"You don't understand," Sokka countered defensively. "What the Fire Nation is doing to the world is evil! You saw what they did to your library. We need this information!"
"You think you're the first person to believe their war was justified?" Wan Shi Tong snapped. "Countless others before you have come here seeking weapons, or weaknesses, or battle strategies."
Aang stepped forward before Sokka could say anything else. "Good spirit, respectfully, our intentions are not to cause more conflict, but to end it," he stated boldly. "I can promise you, we're not going to use this information to conquer, or to cause pain to innocents. This information will help us protect the people we love."
"And now, I'm going to protect what I love," Wan Shi Tong replied, spreading his massive wings.
"What are you doing?" Aang questioned, holding out his staff defensively as the knowledge spirit began to flap his wings.
"I'm taking my knowledge back," Wan Shi Tong bellowed as the entire building began to shake around them. "No one will ever abuse it again."
"He's sinking the building," Katara said, grabbing Aang's wrist with a frantic look. "We've gotta get out of here!"
"I'm afraid I can't allow that," the owl spirit growled, its neck beginning to elongate."You already know too much. "
Zuko's eyes shot open with a start as the door he was sitting next to creaked open. He blinked groggily for a few moments until he remembered where exactly he was—the flower shop that the old man from the tavern had led them to earlier.
Must've fallen asleep while I was waiting for uncle to finish his secret club meeting, he thought in annoyance, shaking his head to dispel the memories of the strange nightmare he'd been having. All he could recall of it was that he had been chased by a giant owl through a dark labyrinth.
As he pushed himself to his feet, several people exit from the back room, Iroh being the last of them.
"Well? What happened?" Zuko questioned, folding his arms. "And don't say you can't tell me because it was 'members only'," he quickly added as Iroh opened his mouth to respond.
"I'm sorry, Prince Zuko. I really can't say," Iroh replied apologetically. "But if you are interested in joining the Order, I can–"
"I'm not interested in joining your weird old people club," Zuko snapped, shaking his head with a grunt as they both began to make their way towards the exit. "Let's just… get back to the inn."
However, as he pushed the door open, his brow furrowed in confusion. It was nearly sunset.
"Uncle, how long was that meeting, exactly?"
"Only a handful of hours," Iroh replied.
" Hours? " Zuko repeated incredulously. "We need to get back to the village! Aang and the others might think we're missing!"
With that, he began to speed walk irritably down the road leading back to Misty Palms. However, as the oasis came into view below the hill they were standing on, he stopped in his tracks.
"What is it, Zuko?" Iroh said, coming to a stop next to him.
Zuko shook his head slowly as he began to anxiously scan the horizon. "Aang and the others should have been back by now. But I don't see Appa."
"Perhaps he landed the bison somewhere else?"
"Uncle, we can see the entire town and the surrounding area from here," Zuko snapped, anxiety gnawing at his stomach. "He's not there."
He shook his head and squeezed his eyes closed before turning to face his uncle.
"Something must have happened to them. What if they're in danger?"
"Let's not jump to any worst case scenarios," Iroh said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure they're just fine. You and I both know your friends can take care of themselves."
Zuko's brow furrowed in uncertainty despite Iroh's reassuring smile.
"Come on," Iroh continued, patting him on the arm. "Let's head back to the inn. How about you help me with dinner to get your mind off of your worries? They may very well return by the time we're finished."
But what are we going to do if they don't? Zuko wondered anxiously as Iroh continued on down the path.
Please be alright, Aang…
