Kaida Queen Of Ice <<ATLA; Book two: Earth>>

CHAPTER TWELVE

   After having tea, tea that was made by Iroh and tasted amazing. We went out to the cliff that was right behind the house we were staying at. I sat down and gave Rex food and water, then I watched them as Iroh started to teach his nephew.

   "There is energy all around us." Iroh spoke. "The energy is both Ying and Yong. Positive energy and negetive energy. Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies.
   This created an imbalance, the energy wants to restore balance and in the moment the positive and negative energy comes crashing back together. You provide release and guidance, creating lightning."

   He motioned for us to step back and we did as we watched him begin the cycle and the lightning began to form at his tips. He shot it up into the sky and I covered my ears, slamming my eyes shut. When I opened them the lightning was gone and I sighed my heart slowing down to it's normal rate.
Zuko pat my back and I smiled nervously, basically telling him I was okay.

   "I'm ready to try it." Zuko announced stepping forward.

   "Remember once you separate the energy, you do not command it." Iroh looked at his nephew. "You are simply it's humble guide. Breath first."

I moved over to Iroh's side and we watched Zuko try, just to get thrown back, hitting me causing us to fall down.

   "At least he did something." I tried to sound encouraging but Zuko was still annoyed and he got up, helping me. "Keep trying."

⇢ ⇢ ⇢

   Iroh and I went to sit back and watched as Zuko kept failing at all his attempts.

   "Why can't I do it?! Instead of lightning it keeps exploding in my face!" Zuko yelled his voice cracked "like everything always does."

   "I was afraid this might happen." Iroh said walking up to him. "You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."

   "What turmoil?!" Zuko asked yelling.

   "That turmoil." I murmured.

   "Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away." Iroh told him.

   "But I don't feel any shame at all." Zuko lied. "I'm as proud as ever."

   "Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame but it's source. True humility is the antidote to shame."

   "Well, my life has been nothing but humbling lately." Zuko said sarcastically.

   "I have another idea, I will teach you a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself." Zuko and I both looked at him, he took a stick and began drawing in the dirt.
   "Fire is the element of power, the people of the Fire Nation have desire, will and the energy that drives them to achieve what they want." He drew the fire symbol.
"Earth is the element of substance. The people of the earth kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring.
   Air is the element of freedom, the air nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom also they apparently had pretty good senses of humor." Iroh smiled waiting for Zuko too do the same but when he didn't he just kept going.
   "Water is the the element of change, the people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things, they have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything." He looked at me and I smiled up at him.

   "Why are you telling me these things?" Zuko asked.

   "It is important to draw wisdom from many different places." Iroh answered. "If you take it from only one place it becomes riged and stale, understanding others, the other elements and the other nations will help you become whole."

   "All this four element talk is sounding like Avatar stuff." Zuko complained.

   "It is a combination of the four elements in one person who makes the Avatar so powerful but it can make you more powerful too!" Iroh poked his chest. "You see the technique I am about to teach you is one I learned by studying the waterbenders."

   "You studied the waterbenders?" I asked and he nodded. "That's great! Unless you did it as a spy, then I think less of you." He smiled and went to help Zuko.

   I watched as Iroh showed Zuko the move and Zuko copied him.

   "Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy, a waterbender let's their defense become their offence, turning their opponents energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lighting."

   "You can teach me to redirect lightning?" Zuko asked excited. I smiled at how wholesome it was to see him excited.

   "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it." Iroh said. "You must create a pathways from your finger tip, up your arm to your shoulder then down into your stomach.
   The stomach is the source of energy in your body, it is called the sea of chi. Only in my case it is more like a vast ocean." He laughed but Zuko and I didn't even smile, he went back to doing the moves.
   "From the stomach you direct it up again and out the other arm. The stomach detour is critical, you must not let the lightning pass through your heart. Or the damage could be deadly."

   "Wow, that's definitely not scary." I muttered.

   "You may wish to try a physical motion to get appeal for the pathways flow. Like this." They both got into position and made the moves. "Now are you focusing your energy, can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up and out?"

   "I think so." Zuko answered calmly.

   "Come on, you got to feel the flow." Iroh told him.

   They did that for hours while I waited playing with the water we had. Soon Iroh told him he got it and Zuko asked him to try it with real lightning. Iroh and I looked at him like he was crazy.

   "What? Are you crazy?" Iroh asked. "Lightning is very dangerous."

   "I thought that was the point," Zuko replied. "You teach me how to protect myself from it."

   "Yeah but I'm not going to shoot lightning at you!" Iroh shouted turning around. "If you are lucky you will never have to use this technique at all."

   "Let's go inside it's about to rain." I hesitantly said staring at the dark clouds that had starting forming. Iroh walked past heading inside and I followed him.

   "If he won't help me, I'll find my own lightning." Zuko said, I looked back at him and sighed.

   "Zuko, no!" I called but he got on the bird and took off. I glanced at his uncle and ran after him. "Damn it, Zuko!"

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Edited; 11/04/20
Re-Edited; 7/10/21