Fire and Aether

Chapter 31: The Avatar and the Fire Lord

  Picture for reference (Luna^^)
                               
                  I still love you. 

     Rose looked down at the letter in confusion, unsure how to respond, if she even could bring herself to. Why would Zuko send her this letter? Yet she knew it was him, even if he didn't sign it this time. 
     Angry tears overcame her, and she balled up the letter, tossing it into the creek beside her. "If you loved me, you would've stayed." she whispered to the empty woods, the darkness her only companion.
     Over and over, she thought of that last night in Ba Sing Se, of Zuko promising a future together, then of his betrayal. "I should hate you. I should want nothing more to do with you. And, yet, somehow, I still love you...and it seems I always will."
     She cursed herself for falling for someone who could never truly love her, and she cursed the destiny that brought her to this moment, her red hair waving in the wind. Then, once she had nothing left to offer the void of silence, she headed back to camp.
     That night, she dreamed Avatar Roku visited her with a message. "Rose, it's time you learned my history with Fire Lord Sozin. Not only do you need to understand the war within yourself and that of your soulmate, but you also need to understand how the war began if you want to know how to end it. Meet me on my home island on the day of the summer solstice."
     "One question: why do you care about my relationship with Zuko?"
     Roku was quiet for a moment. "Because there is a war waging inside you both and it is of my making."
     "Your making?" Rose questioned.
     "Trust me. All will be revealed during the solstice."
     "Ok, Roku." Rose agreed. "I trust you."
     With that, she rolled over and went back to sleep.
                    * * * * *
    Zuko tossed and turned, restlessly. His thoughts were too loud, reminding him of what he had done...what he had lost. That's why he was aware of a noise outside his door.
    Quickly, he rushed out into the corridor to find a scroll by his bedroom door. At first, he thought that it was from Rose, until he read it.
  
       You need to know the story of your great grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny.

    What could that possibly mean?
    For hours, he pondered the letter and what it could mean. When the sun rose over the horizon and he still didn't have his answer, Zuko got dressed and headed to the corridor with the paintings of his family. On the wall were dozens of self-portraits of the various Fire Lords and Ladies that had ruled over a multitude of years. He passed a portrait of his parents and felt tears prick his eyes at the painting of his mother. Taking a deep breath, he continued until he found the portrait of his great grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin.
     "It's never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko." Azula said as she walked past. "Make sure he gets your good side."
     "Wait. I need to ask you something." Azula stopped in her tracks, allowing him to continue. "What do you remember about our great grandfather's history?"
     "Oh, Zuko, it's so strange how your mind works." Azula sighed as she turned in his direction. "Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent his early years secretly preparing for it, but he was as patient as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet--later renamed Sozin's Comet--and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world. In the end, he died a very old and successful man." She sighed, bored with the history lesson.
     "But how did he die?" Zuko asked, growing more confused.
     "Didn't you pay any attention in school, Zuko?" Azula scoffed. "He died peacefully, in his sleep. He was ancient."
     The sound of Azula's footsteps receded into silence. Zuko stood rooted to the spot, more confused than before. What was he supposed to learn from this?
                          * * * * *
     Team Avatar made it to Roku's island, only to find that the island was burnt, and a village was somehow beneath the ash. Rose sat down indian style and began to meditate.
    When she opened her eyes, Roku was waiting for her. He embraced her before pulling her after him. Rose mounted Crystal, following Roku and Fang.
     "Come, Rose. It's time to visit my past. Our shared past."
                         * * * * *
     Zuko sat on his bed, trying to decipher the letter and what it could mean. Growing frustrated, he tossed it across the room where it landed on top of a candle he kept on his bedside table. The flame then revealed a secret message.
     "The Fire Sages keep the secret history in the dragon bone catacombs."
     Zuko snuck inside and found the final testament of Fire Lord Sozin. Sitting down, his began to read.
                            * * * * * 
     "As I feel my own life dimming, I can't help but think of a time when everything was so much brighter. I remember my friend."
    Roku and Sozin were the very best of friends. They grew up together in the Fire Nation and, despite their different stations in life, they spent every waking moment together. They played together, they trained and fought together. 
     For a time, they were inseparable...
                         * * * * *
   "Wait." Rose interrupted Roku's story. "You were friends with Fire Lord Sozin?"
   "Back then, he was just Prince Sozin and he was my very best friend in the world." Roku said. "Now, come, we have a party to attend."
   "Whose party is it?"
   "Sozin and I shared many things, including a birthday."
   During the party for the two friends shared birthday, the Fire Sages interrupted it by rushing in and announcing that Roku was the next Avatar.
                       * * * * *
    "Soon the day came when my friend, Roku, had to leave the Fire Nation and face his destiny as the Avatar. He needed to travel the world so he could master the other elements."