AtLA Rewritten: Edition 1

Chapter 17

"What!?" Aang yelped.

"Oh no," Toph groaned.

Athlea handed Zuko a bottle of water. "I want you to brush the idea of me to the side and pretend I'm your enemy," she explained. "Pretend that I'm your enemy and I just hurt someone dear to you--how will that make you feel? Angry? Determined to defeat them? Determined to protect your loved ones?" she asked as she looked at him.

He groaned, leaning back. "Of course it'll piss me off," he snapped, "but it won't bring my fire back." He pushed his hands forward, and they gave a small crackle before smoking. "Do you see that? See how I'm not making any flame?" He stood, dusting his hands off on his pants.

Athlea looked at him, hands on her hips. "Because your fire came from anger," she responded calmly. She stood in front of him, her index finger on his chest over his heart. "Your fire needs to depend on something like your will to protect others. It must come within you. Stop relying on anger. See how much fire you made when you were angry? Try making that fire while defending someone. Your need to help the Avatar and protect those around you is there, you just need to allow it and express it." She took a step back, eyeing him.

Zuko gritted his teeth. "It always came from anger." He took a step away from her finger. "No shit I need it to come from somewhere else. It's a little bit hard to totally relearn bending, Athlea! And I won't be defending someone. It won't be the same." He eyed her just as carefully.

Aang smiled. "Maybe she's right, Zuko. Maybe your will is to protect those around you need to focus on that for your bending to come back."

Aang frowned. "Zuko, I think--"

Katara smacked Aang's shoulder. "I think he's upset enough already," she muttered quietly. "Just let her deal with it. She already pretty much knows him best." Her eyes were narrowed.

"Ouch."

Athlea stood there as she looked at him, hands by her side and eyebrows furrowed. She ran a hand through her hair and started tying it in a ponytail, letting out a sigh, a glimpse of anger in her eyes. "Then keep depending on anger; let's see where that gets you," she said and walked over to him. "Because your fire bending needs to come from within you, like I've mentioned." She simply walked past him.

"I'm telling you I don't want to rely on anger," Zuko responded sharply, "and that it's a bit difficult to totally relearn bending. I've never bent without relying on it."

"Just relax for the day," Athlea said and sat down, legs crossed, hand in the other, eyes closed.

"Well, she's also angry now. Today's day is tense," Aang said with a frustrated sigh as he laid on the grass, closing his eyes. "I just think Zuko should try. Maybe she should run after him on top of the rooftops like he did with me," he half joked.

"It's not going to be easy," Katara reminded Aang gently. "They're bound do get frustrated." She sat down next to him as he sprawled in the yard. "Yeah, but you were bending from your original source. It isn't working for him to do that any more because he's not angry anymore." Suddenly her eyes widened. She slid closer to Athlea, waiting there for a moment before flexing her hands into fists and freezing Athlea to the ground using the water from the grass.

Athlea's eyes shot wide open. "What the hell!" she shouted. She wiggled, her hands flexing.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"Shut up and make a flame," Katara ordered. Zuko opened his mouth to argue, but she repeated herself, clearly not willing to wait: "Shut up, and make. A. Flame." Athlea blinked, then stopped moving.