The Dragon Princess and the Wolf Warrior

Chapter 42 [~|~] Waterbending Lessons

Azara awoke the next morning and walked towards the palace, humming to herself as the sun rose behind her. She waved to Aang and Katara as they continued their lesson with Master Pakku, before walking over to the lesson Kesuk was teaching. The children in front of him couldn't be older than five as Azara sat in the snow, observing the lesson.

She had spoken to Kesuk about her interest in learning waterbending techniques. Her uncle had always mentioned the importance of understanding all elements, especially waterbending. Uncle Iroh had shown her some moves he had learned from waterbenders, but Azara wanted to expand her arsenal.

"Alright, everyone into your stances," Kesuk instructed, standing in front of the group. The children mirrored him, following his movements as he extracted a ball of water from the ground. "Now, you have to concentrate, otherwise you'll lose the water." 

He continued to swirl the water around in his hands as he walked between his students. He called out some suggestions as one boy behind him lost his concentration, the water dropping to the ground. The child stared sadly at the water as two other kids snickered at him. 

"Hey, we don't make fun of our peers here," Kesuk snapped, causing the two kids to straighten up. Lowering himself down to the other child's level, Kesuk placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled encouragingly. "Hey, it's okay. We're all learning here. It's okay to fail."

"But I want to be a great waterbender. And I can't do that if I can't do any of these techniques," the child replied, a small pout on his face.

"Everyone has to start somewhere. Master Pakku can tell you that I wasn't always this good. I made a lot of mistakes too when I was learning waterbending. But, it's important to learn from your mistakes," Kesuk explained, causing the child to smile. 

Azara's heart warmed at Kesuk's statements to the child, a small smile on her face as she continued to watch the end of the lesson.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Make sure you practice what we learned," Kesuk called as the boys laughed, running free and back towards the city. Shaking his head good-naturedly, Kesuk's eyes widened when he spotted Azara approaching. "Hey, Azara! What are you doing here? Looking for another spar?" he joked as Azara chuckled.

"No, I was actually hoping to learn some waterbending techniques," Azara replied, clasping her hands together in front of her. Kesuk's eyes widened in surprise at the suggestion.

"I never really thought about learning from other bending techniques before," Kesuk admitted openly.

"My uncle learned from some of your waterbenders and encouraged me to do the same. Except, I've never really met a waterbending master before now," Azara shrugged as Kesuk nodded.

"Sure. I'd be happy to teach you," Kesuk smiled, before motioning for Azara to stand next to him. "I've never taught a firebender how to waterbend before."

"There's a first time for everything," Azara chuckled before copying Kesuk's stance. He took her through several techniques, including the ones showcased the night of the feast.

"Now, you try," Kesuk stated, stepping to the side as Azara nodded. Taking a deep breath, Azara copied the technique Kesuk had showed her, swinging her arms around as the flame she congured followed her movements. Dissipating the fire, Azara turned to Kesuk, who smiled and nodded. 

"Almost, just when you turn . . ." Kesuk walked up behind her, fixing her arms, and placing his hands on her hips to move them. Azara blushed at the action but followed Kesuk's instructions and reattempted the waterbending move.