The Avatar and the Fire Prince

Book 2: Water, Chapter 12: The Deserter

"Hey, Iroh?"

Zuko glanced over Katara's shoulder to see that Aang was walking alongside his uncle, who had been leading the group down a forested path for most of the afternoon.

"Hmm?" Iroh replied, looking up from his map at the airbender. "Yes, Aang?"

"So... you know I've been practicing my waterbending a lot lately," Aang continued. "And I was just thinking... Maybe it would be good to start practicing some of the other elements, too. Just so I can get a head start."

Iroh stopped walking, then sighed, lowering his map. "Aang, we discussed this already," he replied. "You're not ready to learn firebending yet."

"Come on, Iroh," Aang pleaded. "I know you're a stickler for the Avatar rules, but I don't have the same amount of time to learn the elements as the Avatars before me did! The circumstances are completely different!"

"It's not just about the cycle," Iroh said sternly. "You cannot be impatient with firebending."

"But if you could just teach me how to make a little flame–"

"No," Iroh said. "I've told you this before. Fire is not like the other elements. It can be devastatingly dangerous if you don't know how to control it."

Aang huffed and folded his arms, and while Iroh continued leading them forward, he dropped back to walk next to Zuko, who had been walking next to Appa for the majority of the day's journey.

"Hey, hotman..." Aang said nonchalantly, reaching over to where Momo was sitting on Zuko's shoulder to give the lemur a scratch on the chin. "I was wondering–"

"You want me to teach you how to create a flame?" Zuko interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh. So you heard that up there."

Zuko nodded pointedly. "I hear a lot of things. That included."

"Well... can you?" Aang asked, flashing a smile and blinking his eyes innocently. "Please?"

Zuko's brow furrowed for a moment as he looked at the airbender's pleading face. Aang seemed to have quite the annoying ability of making it incredibly difficult for Zuko to say no to him. He looked up at the back of his uncle's head for a moment, then sighed.

No. You know firsthand how dangerous fire is.

"Aang... Uncle's right. You have to be careful with firebending."

Aang's shoulders slumped. "So you won't teach me?"

Zuko bit his lip, already feeling guilty for disappointing his best friend.

"Oh, look!" Katara said, walking up to what looked to be a kiosk of some sorts at the crossroads ahead of them. "This should give us a good idea of what's around here."

"See if you can find a menu," Sokka said, emptying the crumbs of his food pouch into his hand. "I'm starving!"

"I bet we'll find something to eat here," Aang said, walking up to the kiosk and pointing at a large poster with a dragon emblazoned on it. "The Fire Days Festival. Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, benders, magicians... I think I've been to one of these with my friend Kuzon!"

Zuko walked over to the kiosk as well, and felt a pang of homesickness as he read the end of the last line: Plenty of fire to make you feel like you are back home in the Fire Nation.

"Yes," Iroh said. "It's in the nearby Fire Nation colonial town of Yong'an. But it would not be wise for us to get too close. It's too risky."

"I second that," Sokka said from the other side of the kiosk with a concerned expression. "Look at this."