The Burning Truth-Peace

Part 25~Dragon

The sun warrior chief stood in front of Zuko and Iroh. The other sun warriors sat in arcs inside the room, in front of the eternal flame."If you're going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the 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."

Blinking in surprise, Zuko gaped. "That's incredible."

"You will take a piece of it to the master, to show your commitment to the sacred art of Firebending." The chief took a piece of the Eternal flame, holding it out for Zuko. "This ritual illustrates the essence of the sun warrior philosophy. You must maintain constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big and you might lose control."

Zuko brought the flame closer to himself. He stared at the flame, a small wonder in his eyes. "It's like a little heartbeat."

"Fire is life, not just destruction. You will take your flame up there," the chief pointed to the top of the mountain. "The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."

Zuko took a step towards the forest, climbing up the steep surface. His mind wandered as he made his approach to the top. He wondered what Hachi was doing. Probably not a lot.

Jumping over another rock, Zujo pulled himself to the top of the mountain. The warriors were already there waiting for him to arrive. Well, this wasn't creepy at all.

The warrior chief walked closer to Zuko, flanked by some of the other members. "Facing the judgement of the Firebending masters will be very dangerous for you. Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearance. The masters might not be so happy to see you."

One of the warriors, Ghao, placed a hand on his hip. "I know I wouldn't be."

Gulping, Zuko muttered under his breath. "Great."

The chief slammed his staff on the ground, the other two sun warriors got onto their knees. The chief walked towards Zuko, taking a small portion of his flame. Splitting it into two, he threw it at the two warriors.

Iroh watched from the far distance, unable to help or intervene in any way. Zuko gulped, no turning back now.

Each of the warriors had created a circle of fire. Some of the warriors hit against their drums, synchronised rhymes banging in his head. Zuko stepped through the group, the chief stepped to the side, letting Zuko climb the stairs.

He took a deep breath, remembering why he was doing this. The warriors continued to beat their drums only stopping when Zuko reached the top.

The sun warrior held up his sound amplifying, shouting into it. "Those who wish to meet the masters, Ran and Shaw, will now present their fire."

Zuko took in a deep breath, facing the sun and holding up his flame.

"Sound the call!" A warrior took a deep breath, blowing a horn and sending a flock of birds scattering. The rocks trembled causing Zuko to step back. His flame shook as he closed his eyes.

Unaware of him, two pairs of glowing eyes opened inside the caves. Two large dragons appeared from within, roaring and circling around the bridge.

"Dragons..." Zuko stared up at the dragons, sensing the same thudding in his heart as when he walked into that room. The dragons stared at him, glaring into his soul. "You want me to dance?" Zuko stared down at the flame in his hands, turning to the side as he moved through the dance movements.

The dragons followed him, one on each side of the bridge. Together, they performed the dance, fire expanding from Zuko's hands. Iroh grinned in pride, leaning against the back wall.

The dragons stopped, fluttering in front of Zuko.

The chief lifted his head slightly. "Judgement time."

The dragons stared down at Zuko, slowly, the dragons opened their mouths. In a second, Zuko was enraptured by fire. Zuko yelped, covering his head in shock. Slowly, he stared into the fire. The multicoloured spiral surrounded him.

"Wow." Zuko reached out, brushing his fingers against the heat. The fire slowly dissipated as the dragons curled up, flying around before heading back to their caves. "I saw so many colours, colours I've never imagined... like Firebending harmony."

The chief nodded. "Yes. They judged you and gave you visions of the meaning of Firebending."

Iroh rushed over, greeting his uncle with a beaming smile. "You did well Zuko!"

Zuko nodded, turning to the sun warriors. "All this time, I thought Firebending was something to cause destruction, to use to gain power but it's not. It's energy and life. Like the sun but inside of you. Do you guys realise this?"

The chief chuckled. "Well, our civilization is called the sun warriors, so yeah."

"That's why my Firebending was so weak before. Because for so many years hunting the avatar- being angry- was my purpose... My drive. Now, I have a new purpose, to bring peace. I have to defeat my father and restore balance to the world." Spinning around, Zuko blasted a ball of fire towards the sky.

"Now that you have learned the secrets and you know about our tribe's existence we have no choice but to imprison you here forever." The chief stepped to Zuko and Iroh, a serious expression on his face. "Just kidding. But seriously don't tell anyone!"

Iroh nodded, patting Zuko's shoulder. "Let's go."

~~~

Isu grinned, moving the piece forward. "Boom! That's 26 to me and 0 to you." Isu leaned back as Sokka groaned.

Katara laughed, moving her water around her with mild difficulty. "You should give up. You're not going to win."

Sokka glared at Isu. "I will win."

Hachi sighed, looking back at the city. "Zuko!"

Zuko grinned, rushing over to the group.

"Are you done?" Hachi yelped as Zuko hugged him.

"Yeah. Let's get out of here." Zuko dragged Hachi to Corno, hopping onto his back as Isu rushed to pack up her game. "Hey Hachi, how about we train later?"

Hachi nodded, a soft smile on his face. "I would love to."