Fire and Aether

Chapter 36: The Firebending Masters

     Rose stood with Zuko in a spot where they would be able to practice firebending without worrying for everyone else's safety. Rose exhaled slowly, nervous for what today would bring.
    Zuko smiled, trying to be encouraging. "I know you're nervous but, remember, firebending in and of itself is not something to fear."
    Rose exhaled sharply again. "Ok."
    "But if you don't respect it, it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry kimono rhino!"
    Rose gasped, jumping back. Zuko took her into his arms for a moment, comforting her. "I didn't mean to scare you."
    They parted from the hug. "Can I get a demonstration before I try?"
    "Good idea." Zuko said. "You might wanna take a couple steps back."
    Rose did as he instructed, backing up for the demonstration. Zuko took a deep breath and got into his stance. However, instead of the large fireball he usually conjured, a much smaller ball came from his fist.
    "What was that?" Zuko asked himself, angrily. "That was the worst firebending I've ever seen!"
    He began to grow more frustrated by the minute. Rose, wanting to comfort the man she loved, hugged him from behind. Zuko slowly began to calm down under the loving embrace of the woman he loved.
    "Maybe it's the altitude. Should we try somewhere else?"
    Zuko took a deep breath. "Yea, could be. Let's go, beautiful."
    Together, they found a spot at lower altitude where they might be able to firebend more easily. By now, Aang had decided to join them and was sitting beside Rose as Zuko practiced. As Zuko continued to attempt to firebend, he found himself getting more angry and frustrated.
     "That one felt kinda hot." Aang tried to sound supportive.
     "You're doing great, sweetie!" Rose called, trying to placate Zuko.
     "Don't patronize me! You both know what it's supposed to look like!"
     "Sorry, love."
     "My apologies, Sifu Hotman." Aang added.
     "And don't call me that!" Zuko shouted at Aang.
     That's when Sokka chose to show up, munching on an apple. "Hey, jerks. Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerk bending?"
     "Get out of here!" Zuko shouted.
     "Ok ok!" Sokka said. "I was just kidding around." He walked off, laughing at his dumb "jerk bending" joke.
     Zuko hung his head in annoyance. Rose got up from her spot and patted him on the back as she stood beside him. "Hey why don't we just try again tomorrow? You're probably just tired. You did spend more than a day trying to rescue my mother."
     Zuko smiled. "You're amazing. Did you know that?"
     His lips found hers and he began to relax as he gave himself over to her unconditional love. They then snuck away for some privacy...
                        * * * * *
     That night, everyone settled down for dinner. Zuko watched from a corner as Appa ate the mountain of straw placed before him, as a tiny Crystal dug into a few mice she had caught, and as Team Avatar, Rose's mother and sister, and all the children sat around the fire, laughing and joking around.
     The fact that he suddenly couldn't firebend was bothering him. He just couldn't figure out what the problem was and he knew he had no choice but to come clean to the others.
     "Listen up everyone." he said, getting their attention. "I've got some bad news: I've lost my stuff."
     "Don't look at me." Toph said, waving her hands in the air. "I didn't take your stuff."
     "I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone." Zuko hung his head in embarrassment and shame.
     Katara laughed. "I'm sorry." she said. "I'm just laughing at the irony. You know, how it would've been nice for us if you'd lost your firebending a long time ago? Besides, maybe you're just not as good as you think you are."
    "I bet it's because I changed sides...for good this time. I showed it by challenging my father and saving the Avatar's mother."
    "I think it's not only because of that but that you are much happier now." Rose explained. "Your rage is gone and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to anymore."
     "Even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. I'm not the person I was. There has to be another way."
     "You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source." Toph explained. "I recommend the original source."
     "How's he supposed to do that? By jumping into a volcano?"
     "No. Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is."
     Toph continued then to tell the story of how she found the original earthbenders after running from her family: badgermoles. They taught her how to earthbend, not just for fighting, but how to use it to interact with the world."
     "That's amazing, Toph." Aang agreed. "I learned air bending from the monks but the original airbenders were the sky bison. Hey! Maybe you could give me a lesson sometime, buddy!" He joked with Appa.
     "The original aetherbenders were the dead themselves." Rose explained. "I learned a lesson or two before I left the Aether Realm but I wasn't able to learn much as I had to rush to meet my Guardian."
     "Unfortunately, this doesn't help me." Zuko said, quietly. "The original firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct."
     "You're wrong." Aurora stated in a soft tone of voice, almost as if she was talking to herself.
     "Pardon?" Zuko asked, beginning to grow angry. "My uncle told us--"
     "Your uncle lied." Aurora said, flatly. "Is it any surprise that Iroh would want to keep the dragons--a beautiful and fierce animal--safe from men like your father?"
    "Then where are they?"
    "The Temple of the Sun Warriors."
    "Hopefully, you're right. Either I find a new way to firebend or the Avatar has to find a new teacher."
                        * * * * *
    Early the next morning, Zuko woke Rose up so they could head to the Temple of the Sun Warriors. At the last minute, Aang decided to tag along, bringing Appa with him. The three piled onto Appa's back, a tiny Crystal also riding on his back, and he took off into the air.
    Rose fell back asleep almost immediately after Appa took off, her small dragon curling onto her chest to sleep as well.
     "We've been riding for hours!" Zuko finally spoke up later in the day. "I don't know why, but I thought this thing would be a lot faster."
     Appa growled. "Appa's right." Aang said. "In our group, we typically start our missions with a much more upbeat attitude."
     Zuko groaned. "Ugh...I can't believe this!"
     With that, he laid next to Rose, cuddling into her, and fell asleep beside her.
     Sometime later, the pair of lovers were woken up when Crystal nuzzled against them. They sat up to find they had finally made it to the temple.
     The group leapt off Appa as soon as they reached the ground. Aang pet him and told him to stay there. A tiny Crystal jumped onto Rose's shoulder as usual. Rose linked arms with Zuko and Aang as they entered the old ruins.
     Zuko looked around at the ruins and mentioned how they were a lot like the Fire Sage's temples, perhaps being the inspiration for their architecture.
     "See? The past is always a helpful teacher." Rose said, smugly.
     "True." Aang agreed, breaking from their linked arms and running ahead in excitement. Unfortunately, he tripped over a root, causing a pit of sharp spikes to open up beneath him. Using his airbending, he jumped over it. "Zuko, I think the past is trying to kill me."
    Rose laughed.
    "Odd." Zuko said. "This trap must be centuries old, yet it still works."
    "There might be more." Rose warned. "We should be careful."
    Using her aetherbending, she portalled through to the other side of the pit.
     "Then maybe this means we shouldn't be here." Aang said in a worried tone.
     Zuko jumped onto the wall beside the pit and raced over it to the other side, landing beside Rose. "Where's that upbeat attitude you were talking about?" he teased. "Besides, people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting."
    "As usual, Aurora was right." Rose said in a deadpan tone. "That means we're one step closer to winning! So are you two coming or will you stay with Appa?"
    "I'm coming." Zuko smirked.
    "Ok ok I'll come too."
    "Splendid." Once again, she grabbed them by their arms, carting them after her.
                           * * * * *
     "So what was with that conversation with Aurora yesterday?" Rose asked. "About your uncle lying about the dragons?"
     Zuko sighed as he explained that his great grandfather Sozin started a tradition among the firebenders that involved hunting dragons for glory. His uncle was the last great dragon hunter.
     "You always spoke fondly of your uncle and I could tell he was a good person." Rose said. "Maybe that's the reason he lied about the dragons? To keep them safe from firebenders who would continue Sozin's tradition?"
     "I wouldn't put it past him." He hung his head in shame.
     Rose placed a comforting hand on Zuko's shoulder. "He will forgive you as I did. I promise."
     "I can only hope you're right."
     They continued walking until they came to a large set of double doors. Zuko tricked the stone at the top by shifting his swords in a way that the light hit it at just the right angle, opening up the temple.
     "I don't care what anyone else says, Zuko. You're pretty smart." Aang said, rushing into the temple.
    The inside of the temple was filled with statues. As the trio glanced around at them, Rose had a sudden realization.
    She raced to Zuko's side and grabbed ahold of him. "Zuko, come dance with me!"
     "What?" Zuko asked, caught off-guard. "As much as I adore you, my princess, I don't think now is the best time."
     "No. Look." Rose said, pointing to the statues. "It looks like an ancient firebending form."
     "Um...I'm gonna sit this one out." Aang said, heading off to a corner to sit.
     Rose and Zuko followed the steps displayed by the statues. Where they stepped, stones placed around the temple would sink in a bit, acting as a type of trigger. At the end, they stood with their fists almost touching.
     Zuko chuckled and grabbed ahold of his princess, dipping her down in time for something to rise up from the ground. Zuko set Rose back on her feet and started towards the object in the middle of the room.
     "Wait, don't!" Aang shouted a moment too late as he jumped to his feet.
     Zuko had already picked it up. Immediately, some type of green liquid came out of a grate and launched him onto the ceiling, underneath a grate. Rose and Aang were soon caught as well.
     They were stuck there for hours as day turned to night. "You had to pick up the glowing egg, didn't you?" Aang asked in annoyance.
     "At least I made something happen. If it were up to you, we'd never have made it past the courtyard."
     "Help!" Aang screamed.
     "Well I think I've just gone deaf." Rose joked, trying to lighten the mood.
     "Who are you yelling to? Nobody's lived here for centuries."
     "Well what do you think we should do?"
     Zuko was silent for a beat. "Think about our place in the universe?" he finally responded.
     Rose laughed. "You've been spending way too much time with your uncle."
     At that moment, a man appeared, dressed like one of the old Sun Warriors. "Who is down there?"
     The trio just looked at him in shock. Yep, Aurora was definitely right.
                       * * * * *
     The trio was dug out from the old temple and taken outside where they learned the Sun Warriors were still alive, their civilization still thriving. They were cleaned up while the leader reprimanded them for trying to steal a precious artifact from their temple.
     They explained that they had only come to learn firebending. Rose explained their friend had (correctly) guessed the dragons were alive while Zuko explained that he wished to do better than his family had taught him and learn the true ways of firebending.
     "If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn them from the Masters, Ran and Shao." The leader of the Sun Warriors explained. "When you present yourselves to them, they will examine you. They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry. If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot."
     The leader then beckoned the trio forward and took them to the top of a large set of stairs. "I'm not a firebender." Aang replied. "I'm simply here to help my friends."
     "Then sit with the others there. But, be warned, if your friends don't make it out of here alive, neither will you."
     He turned to Rose and Zuko then. "If you are going to see the Masters, you must bring them an eternal flame. This fire is the very first one. It was given to man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."
     "And where are the dragons?" Rose asked, curiously.
     "Oh I expect you will find out soon enough." The leader said. "Now, you will each take a piece of it to the masters to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending."
     He explained a bit more before handing the fire to Rose and Zuko respectively. "You will take your fire up there to the top of the rock."
     The pair walked up the mountain as they were asked, one determined, one nervous. "Don't be nervous." Zuko said, trying to comfort his lover. "You'll be fine."
     She took a deep breath as they reached the top where the Sun Warriors (and Aang) were already waiting. They stood on a circular platform where a set of stairs led to the very top.
     "Facing the judgment of the firebending masters will be very dangerous for you." the leader explained.
    He turned his attention to Zuko. "Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearance. The masters might not be so happy to see you."
     His attention then turned to Rose. "And, you, Avatar, you vanished, allowing the Fire Nation to wreck havoc on the world. The decline of the dragons is your burden too. Tell your dragon to join us before you go. We don't want another dragon's death if you fail."
     Crystal followed Rose's silent command and flew to land on Aang's head. Some of the Sun Warriors created fire around the platform while the rest banged on drums. Rose and Zuko headed up the stairs. As they reached the top, another sounded a horn.
     The earthquake caused Rose to lose control and her fire went out. When she found out, she reached for Zuko's. He was going to hand some over to her when another earthquake sounded and he lost his as well.
     Suddenly, a pair of dragons, one red and one blue, appeared from the caves beside Rose and Zuko. As they flew around, Rose had a thought.
     "Zuko, what if they want us to do the dragon dance with them?" Zuko gave her a weird look. "I put my trust in you when you saved my mother. Put your trust in me just this one time."
     "Ok, my love."
     Together, they did the dance, Rose dancing with the blue dragon as Zuko danced with the red one. As they finished, Zuko held Rose in his arms. If they attacked, he planned to at least save her.
     Instead of attacking, they surrounded the pair of lovers with fire of every different color, all swirling in a vortex. In that moment, they knew what to do. The fire disappated and the dragons flew back into their caves.
     As Rose and Zuko headed back down the stairs, they marveled at the fire. "They judged you and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending."
     "So you and Aurora were both right." Zuko said. "My uncle lied to protect the dragons."
     "This is true." the leader said. "Iroh was the last outsider to come here. The masters found him worthy and passed on their secret to him as well."
     "All this time I though fire was destruction but it's not." Rose realized. "It's energy, life."
     "That's why my firebending was so weak before, why I couldn't master it." Zuko realized. "Because, for years, hunting you was my drive. So when I joined you, when I fell in love with you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world."
     With that, the pair firebended together. Afterwards, Zuko took Rose into his arms and kissed her.
     "Now that you have learned the secrets and know about our tribe's existence, we have no choice but to imprison you here forever." Rose and Zuko looked terrified. "Just kidding. But seriously, don't tell anyone."
                         * * * * *
     The trio said goodbye to the Sun Warriors and hopped back on Appa to leave, waving goodbye. Crystal chirped at them from her spot, cuddling beside Rose and Zuko.
     It wasn't until later, far past noon, that the group made it back to the Western Air Temple. They told their friends everything, opting then to give them a demonstration of the firebending form.
     The group clapped, Sokka laughing, "Yea, that's a great dance you two learned there."
     "It's not a dance." Zuko said, indignantly. "It's a firebending form."
     "We'll just tap dance our way to victory over the Fire Lord." Sokka joked, mostly goodnaturedly.
     "It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old."
     "Oh yea?" Katara challenged. "What's your little form called?"
     Zuko paused. "The Dancing Dragon."
     Soon, the temple was filled with laughter.