A/N
Today is the Winter Solstice, aka the darkest day of the year on the Northern Hemisphere (which is pretty dark on the latitudes I live in). Coincidentally, the Winter Solstice is coming up in the Avatar World as well, so watch out for spirits.
()()()
8. Unspoken
Seven years ago
"Oh Zuzu, you're just no fun at all", Azula mocked and twisted her expression into a sneer that did not belong on a seven-year-old's face. Ty Lee giggled and Mai looked solemn.
The summer sun was shining brightly down on the four figures standing in one of the royal gardens. All children were wearing their short sleeved holiday looks to better stand the heat of the day.
Zuko tried to look indifferent. He would not let Azula win this time.
"I'm not gonna let you do that, Azula. So let the baby rabbiroo go", Zuko tried to sound stern and decisive the way their father did when he really meant it. Somehow, his impersonation was lacking.
Azula narrowed her eyes and smiled, seeing straight through Zuko's weak attempt at intimidation.
She shifted the little animal baby she was holding from one arm to the other, as if demonstrating how she was weighing her options. Azula held one of her fingers on her jaw to further indicate how puzzled she was.
"Nooo, I don't think I will", she eventually decided.
"I won't let you hurt it!" Zuko shouted. He was almost sure that Azula had been kidding and was just teasing him, but with Azula, you never knew, and Zuko really didn't want to see the animal get hurt.
"Well, who is going to stop me? You?" Azula asked with such a skeptic tone that it made Ty Lee giggle some more.
Zuko glared at Ty Lee for a moment. He hated being laughed at.
Ty Lee continued to giggle, but suddenly Zuko realized that there was a nervous edge to her laughter. She was wrinkling up the hem of her dress with her fingers.
She is nervous, Zuko realized. She doesn't want anything bad to happen to that rabbiroo, either.
"I'll tell Mother", Zuko threatened.
"Really? You're going to run to Mommy and tell on me?" Azula was still not taking Zuko seriously, and it made him angry.
For a moment, the siblings just stared at one another, neither willing to stand down.
The tension was interrupted by Mai: "Boring."
She yawned a little to emphasize her words, and continued with a completely nonchalant voice: "Can't we go do something interesting, like, say, pick on the new house maid?"
Azula seemed to consider that. The chubby little rabbiroo on her lap looked calm, clearly oblivious to the impending doom that loomed over its head.
Before Azula had time to make up her mind, a familiar voice called for them. "Zuko, Azula. What is going on here?"
Their mother had entered the garden and was walking towards them. She looked as beautiful as always, but also worried. Her eyes were locked on Zuko's clenched fists.
"Nothing. We're just playing a game and Zuzu is being a sore loser", Azula said innocently.
"I am not a sore loser!" Zuko exclaimed.
He turned to Mother, ready to tell her everything about the horrible things Azula had threatened to do to that animal, but something in his mother's eyes stopped him from speaking.
Ursa was still looking at Azula, her eyes hard. There was something... wrong about the way in which she looked at her own daughter. She was already expecting to hear the worst of her.
Zuko was stunned. His mother never looked at him like that.
"I am not a sore loser", Zuko repeated. "Azula cheated. She didn't explain all the rules beforehand."
For a split second, Azula's eyes met Zuko's. She looked surprised, but before anyone had time to see her surprise, her face resumed its usual unreadable smile.
Mother looked at Zuko intensely. He knew his face might betray him, so he looked down, as if ashamed to show just how upset he had gotten over a silly game.
"Ty Lee, Mai. Would you excuse us for a moment?" Ursa eventually said in her usual caring, yet polite tone. "I need to speak with my children."
Azula pushed the rabbiroo over to Ty Lee, and her friends left hastily, leaving them alone in the yard.
Mother turned to look at both her children with loving worry. "You know I do not like it when you two fight."
"It was only a game", Azula protested, but Mother raised her hand to indicate she was not done talking.
"Zuko, you need to be a good big brother to your sister. Azula, stop teasing your brother", Ursa looked at each of her children in turn.
"I'm trying", Zuko mumbled.
"Fine. Next time, I'll explain all the rules beforehand", Azula sighed.
Their mother hugged them both, holding them in a loving and warm embrace.
It felt good to be held by Mother, and Zuko liked the way she played with his hair. But the calm of the moment was disrupted by worry. Her worry.
Mother worried because the siege of Ba Sing Se wasn't going well. A messenger had just told her so. Mother was afraid that something bad would happen to their relatives on the battlefield.
"Is everything alright with Uncle and Lu Ten?" Zuko asked. Even though the summer day was hot, he found himself shivering.
Zuko lifted his gaze to look at his mother. She looked surprised. Azula, too, looked openly curious. Her gaze shifted from Zuko's worried face to what Mother's response would be.
Swiftly, Ursa composed herself and answered: "Your uncle and cousin are fine. Why would you ask such a thing?"
"It's just", Zuko tried hard to find the right words to explain something he knew to be true in his hear. "I mean, you just seemed so worried for them."
Again, Mother looked puzzled. Then, she smiled at him and said with a reassuring voice: "It is sweet of you to worry for them, but I am sure everything is alright."
"Zuko is being weird", Azula teased.
"Azula", Mother warned Azula to be quiet, and continued to talk to Zuko: "You have always been an emphatic child and there is nothing wrong in that."
She hugged him tighter one more time, then let go off them both and told them to run along.
As Zuko and Azula headed into the house after Mai and Ty Lee, Azula suddenly elbowed Zuko, saying: "Mother's pet."
Zuko was irritated. He tried to think of a response, but couldn't think of anything to say.
Azula was the one everyone admired; the prodigy who could do no wrong. And still, she was jealous of him. It seemed unbelievable, but Zuko knew it to be true.
She is jealous, because Mother loves me more.
Zuko had never thought it that way, but suddenly he knew for a fact that Azula did.
Azula ran off, leaving Zuko alone in the corridor. The spot on Zuko's arm where Azula had elbowed him didn't ache, but it itched in a funny way.
ooo
The present
A teenager woke up in the middle of a small clearing in a woods. The night sky was still dark, but Katara knew she would not fall asleep easily after a dream like that.
Instead of trying to go back to sleep, she got up and started to go about her morning duties. Aang would be up soon, and Sokka at the very latest when the breakfast was ready.
Still, Katara could not forget her dream. The garden had felt so tangible she almost believed she had been there herself, smelling the exotic flowers and spices and feeling the warm, humid air on her face.
The people had been familiar too. Like acquaintances you had known long ago. The world of the little Fire Nation boy had felt in every aspect... real. Which was more than a little worrisome.
He is already haunting my thoughts more than I would like when I'm awake. Does he really have to invade my dreams as well?
As much as Katara resented the thought, she knew the little child in her dream had been Zuko.
It was impossible to think that their evil pursuer had once been a caring little boy with a baby sister and a loving mother. None of that matched Katara's idea of the Fire Nation, let alone Prince Zuko.
Whatever happened to that child t turn him so evil? She couldn't help but wonder.
ooo
Zuko had made it sound like they would spend two, maybe three days on trying to find out what had happened to his mother. They had been at it for four days now, and there was still no sign of him giving up.
Just because Zuko hadn't found any clues yet, didn't mean there were none to be found. He wasn't even close to giving up. There were still many places to search from and many people to ask.
Zuko had began his new hunt from the port where Orion had left his mother almost six years ago. It had been a long shot to think that there would still been signs of her there, but since he was being exceptionally qualified in gathering information, Zuko had wanted to search the place just in case.
After that lead had run cold, they had visited the colonial city of Kala. There, Zuko had broken into the city archives, where records of Fire Nation Colonies' immigration and taxation were kept.
Ursa had most likely not stayed in the colonies for fear of recognition, but if she had, there may have been a mentioning of her in the archives. Most likely not by her own name, but Zuko had hoped to find some type of clue from there. It had turned out to be another dead end.
Now Zuko was sneaking to meet someone who might have the information he needed. This was why the Prince had his ninja outfit on.
The costume had improved much in the last two years, but Zuko still occasionally fine-tuned it here and there, or added a new item. There was always room for improvement.
The boots were knee-high and made of soft leather to enable moving soundlessly. The pants were baggy and made of black silk. He wore a dark tunic that completely covered his skin and had two hoods: a skin-tight one and a larger one, both used to cover Zuko's almost entirely shaved and highly recognizable head.
The loose tunic was tied at waist by a black silk belt. On top of that belt he had another one; a dark brown leather belt that was wider in the front. It served both as a shield for his stomach area and as a good place to hide small throwing knives in.
The costume had black cloves, hand armors made of leather and a leather strap that held the Dao on Zuko's back. It wasn't customary for a firebender to carry swords, or any other weapons, for that matter, because it was seen as a sign of mistrust in one's own bending skills.
Tonight, however, that did not matter. Zuko was not about to let anyone know who he was or that he was a bender. The swords may even prove helpful in misleading people about his true identity.
Tonight, he wasn't Prince Zuko. He was the Blue Spirit.
The crown piece of the costume was a blue opera mask that portrayed said spirit. It had proven useful in both covering his face and in intimidating his opponents.
One should never underestimate the advantage of intimidation. The fear of having to fight a creature that may be a spirit got most adversaries distracted, and some of them even running for cover.
Zuko had used the identity of the Blue Spirit many times before when sneaking around gathering information. The anonymity of the mask was a good way for him to get to use his secret powers without tipping anyone off that he had secret powers.
Consequently, the Blue Spirit had gotten quite a reputation. Rumor had it he could disappear into shadows, walk through walls, see into people's souls and do many other, ridiculous and not so ridiculous things.
Zuko was sneaking into a Fire Nation outpost located on a windy islet just outside the coast of Earth Kingdom. The outpost was medium-sized and rather well-equipped and frequently patrolled. It had taken Zuko all night to sneak deep into the fortress. He knew the sun would rise in a few hours, but he was almost to his target.
No turning back now.
Finally, Zuko reached the door he wanted to be at. He opened it very slowly. Thankfully, the outpost had been kept in good shape, and the hinges of the metal door were well-oiled.
Zuko sneaked in and closed the door behind him. The room was almost completely dark. The only source of light were a few smoldering embers in the fireplace.
The room wasn't large for a Commander's room. With his eyes already adjusted to the darkness, Zuko could make out a writing desk and a bed at the back of the room.
Before moving further, Zuko surveyed the metallic room one last time to see if there were any booby traps. It seemed unlikely that there were, but Zuko didn't know enough about Commander Ping to know how paranoid he usually was about his safety. Most Fire Navy officers who had lasted this long tended to be... cautious.
No traps. Here goes.
Zuko lit a candle on the Commander's desk. In its light, he could see Commander Ping still asleep on his bed. Zuko waited a moment, and soon enough the man's face began reacting to the change of light.
Commander Ping opened his eyes. For a split second he appeared disoriented, but when he realized that there was someone else in his room, the man got up to a sitting firebending stance at once.
Zuko had expected this response and kept his cool.
He was standing in the middle of the room, a few meters from the old man. Looming there, silent and unreadable. Zuko knew the larger hood atop his head created shadows on his masked face, which added to the otherworldliness of his appearance.
"Who are you?" Commander Ping demanded to know.
Zuko cocked his head to the right, not unlike a wolf-bat trying to determine how to best kill its prey.
The movement had the desired outcome. Ping's face flushed with fear and he threw a firebolt at Zuko.
Zuko dissipated the fire with a tiny movement of his hand, but tried to make it look like the flame had vanished on its own. Bending with this small movements required an extra amount of focus and chi, but if Zuko could get through this fight by having to block only one attack, it would be worth it.
Commander Ping looked terrified and asked: "What do you want?"
"Tell me what became of Lady Ursa", Zuko said in a quiet and even voice.
Ping's face dropped. Finally, he answered: "I always knew that would come back to haunt me one day."
"That day has come. Tell me what you know."
The man glanced at him, sighed, and probably decided that this was a dream or something else surreal, so he might as well spill the beans. "I was ordered to transport Lady Ursa from the Fire Nation to Earth Kingdom. I left her at the port of Kemi, and I never saw her after that."
"Who gave you your orders?" Zuko asked.
"Fire Lord Ozai", Ping answered, surprisingly calm under the circumstances.
"Why?"
"I was told that she had been banished, and that I should no longer recognize her status as a member of the royal family. My orders were to escort her out of Fire Nation undetected, but to give her no aid beyond that."
"Is that all?" Zuko asked. Ping nodded, but Zuko had an intuitive feeling there was more to it. Over the years, he had learned to trust his intuition. Even Zuko's mindreading had always been more about intuition than anything else.
Even before entering this fortress, Zuko had decided that he would use the Power of Dragons on Commander Ping. He did not want to leave any stones unturned at this point. That was why he had sneaked in disguised in the first place: this way, the ability would not be as easy to trace back to Prince Zuko.
Zuko could have just sneaked up on a sleeping man and started by reading his mind. There were, however, many reasons why Zuko had decided to wake Ping up first.
First, reading dreaming minds could be incredibly confusing, and even disturbing.
Second, reading him would be much easier once Ping's mind had already been guided to the right topic. Just because Zuko could read minds did not men he was exceptionally good at it, and he needed every advantage he could get.
Third, reading Ping would have in any case woken him up and then Zuko might have had to dodge fireboltswhile still in the middle of reading him.
Also, Zuko had wanted to give the man a chance to explain himself the old-fashioned way.
Still, it didn't hurt to ask first. "You are not telling me everything."
Ping swallowed. He looked distressed, but eventually, he answered: "You are right. I... even though I wasn't supposed to, I gave Lady Ursa some money and a map of the local areas."
"Why?" Zuko asked.
"I just... I know a marriage doesn't always work out, but a man, even the Fire Lord, is responsible for his wife. This was Lady Ursa, the mother to the Fire Lord's children. It did not feel right to leave her with nothing."
Chivalry. Not what Zuko had expected, but the old man's words sounded genuine enough.
"I have heard of you, you know", Commander Ping went on. "The Blue Spirit. Some say you are a thief. Some say you're a hero. Some say you're a ghost."
"And what do you believe?" Zuko asked.
"I don't know", the Commander responded, "but dying by the blade of a stranger seems appropriate enough. I have lead men and women to a similar faith all my life."
Okay, now Zuko was seriously starting to look up to this man.
"I am not going to kill you", Zuko said, and thought: I'm not even going to read you. That is how much I respect you for what you did for my mother.
Ping looked openly surprised and stammered: "But... then I have to kill you, for I have just told you things I have sworn never to tell anyone, so long as I live."
Oh, right. This had been a dying man's last confession. That, in part, explained the honesty.
"You told me nothing I did not already know", Zuko tried to calm the man. "So what do you say we both walk away from this alive?"
Ping thought that over, clearly torn between what his honor demanded and the fact that he didn't want to die.
Eventually, he nodded.
When exiting the islet, Zuko kept thinking to himself: If I ever become the Fire Lord, I just might have this man lead my Navy.
ooo
"Look, Katara, I've got to ask. What's up between you and the firebender?" Sokka's question came so out of the blue that Katara completely froze.
Finally, she managed an answer: "Nothing. And I think a much more imminent concern to us all should be what we're going to do about the spirit bent on attacking this village at sundown."
"I know, I know, but since there is little we can do about it other than hope that Aang will get it right intuitively, now is a good time to talk", Sokka pointed out. "And we do need to talk. Ever since the angry jerk with the ponytail gave you your necklace back, it has been constantly 'Zuko this' and 'Zuko that'. If I didn't know better, I'd think you have a crush on him."
"What?!" Katara shouted. "That is so not true! He is a firebender and he attacked our village and I hate him. Mostly, anyway."
"Katara does not have a crush on a firebender!" Aang put in quickly, suddenly looking more worried than he had looked after hearing he would have to fight an angry spirit.
"Right?" Aang asked from Katara.
"Of course I don't", Katara reassured him, already calmer herself. "Sokka is just being an idiot."
"And he can be an idiot a lot longer than this unless he is gonna get some real answers", Sokka said, speaking of himself in the third persona for no apparent reason.
My idiot brother, Katara thought. Though, this time, he does maybe have a point.
Katara had been struggling with this herself; wondering whether to tell her friends about Zuko maybe knowing how to read minds or not.
First, she had told herself that there was no need, because she had most likely imagined the whole thing. After their conversation at the Halti village and the weird dream, she had had this morning, she was almost certain that Zuko really could go inside people's heads. And just like Zuko had seen into her memories, she had seen into some of his.
It was time she came clean with the truth.
Katara told them first of the weird way Zuko had made her relive memories from her past. Memories relating to Aang and her mother. Then she told them that in Halti village Zuko had as good as confirmed that he had seen those memories, too.
Sokka looked displeased and puzzled, Aang confused but curious.
Katara even told them of the strange dream, since she seriously doubted it was a dream at all.
"I mean, I don't see how I could have imagined being at the Fire Nation when I have never been there, and it was nothing like I would expect Fire Nation to look like", Katara concluded.
"Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?" Aang asked worriedly.
"Everyone has had a lot on their plate of late. I didn't want to add to it."
Truth be told, Katara wasn't entirely sure why she had not told them of her suspicions before now. Maybe she had been afraid of Zuko but had not wanted to admit she was. Katara wanted so bad to be a strong bender and to be able to defend herself.
"Yeah, sure. Because the guy we might be up against in the future having mysterious powers we didn't knew he had is definitely something we don't want to know about", Sokka mocked her reasoning.
"Seriously, though", he added. "Not trying to belittle your story or anything, but I kind of find it hard to believe that firebenders could read minds. I mean, first off, mindreading is impossible. Just think about it; we have fought the Fire Nation a lot and we have met a lot of people who have fought them even more. None of them, friends or foes, never gave us the heads-up that, by the way, watch out for firebenders, because they can read minds."
"A hundred years ago I had friends from all nations, even the Fire Nation, and none of them ever mentioned anything about mindreading", Aang pitched in.
"See?" Sokka said. "And this is Fire Nation we are talking about. They aren't exactly known for subtlety. Their benders wear skull masks, for crying out loud. If they could do stuff like that, they would put it on their propaganda posters to show just how awesomely horrible they are. Someone would have heard about it."
Katara was angry that the boys were teaming up against her, but she had to admit that they had a point. Even though news never traveled fast to the South Pole, a knowledge such as this one would have been the kind that was passed down from generation to generation.
"Well, I can't explain it", she responded, irritated. "All I know is that I saw what I saw, and so did he."
"Okay, then I guess this thing definitely warrants looking into", Sokka agreed. "I gotta say: somebody else's childhood memories from out of nowhere? Sounds creepy."
Katara made a face at her brother.
Although Sokka and Aang were mainly worried about the concept of mindreading, that was not the part Katara lost her sleep over. The truly weird part was that, as much as she hated Zuko, she could not help but feel a little curious about him, too.
There was more to the Prince than met the eye, for better or for worse.
They didn't have time to continue bickering, though, because the sun was setting.
ooo
Zuko was frustrated. He was still going nowhere with his investigation.
He had returned to the village of Kemi, since now that he knew Ursa had been given a map of the surroundingareas, the odds of her having stayed in the vicinity for a while had increased, if ever so slightly. Maybe someone would remember seeing a sad, beautiful Fire Nation woman here a few years ago.
Since the village had turned out to be a dead end only a few days earlier, this time Zuko had focused his efforts on the surrounding countryside.
The area was, on paper and in reality, very much part of the Earth Kingdom, so instead of taking their usual komodo-rhinos, Zuko and Uncle had rented a pair of ostrich-horses.
Zuko had ridden on an ostrich-horse only a few times in his life, but they did provide necessary camouflage against possible Earth Kingdom Army scouting parties they might run across.
They were both also wearing Earth Kingdom clothing for disguise. Uncle was wearing traditional Earth Kingdom green robes and a dark brown traveling cloak on top of everything.
Zuko's clothes were very non-descriptive. Lots of different dark colors, making it hard to place him in any particular nation.
Zuko had his sneaking outfit boots, belts, leather hand armors and Dao, but other than that, his clothes were nothing special. He was, however, wearing traditional scarfs around his neck and head, leaving his face visible but hiding his unusual hairstyle.
Now the sun was setting, and it was a several hour ride back to the ship, so they chose to seek shelter somewhere else instead, and continue their search tomorrow.
The small inn was located in a crossing of two relatively well-traveled roads. It seemed a bit shabby but safe enough for one night stay.
As Zuko and Iroh were walking from the stable to the main building, Zuko finally realized why the scenery looked so familiar.
"I have seen that mountain before", he said and pointed at the closest peak, "I have seen it in a painting."
Uncle looked mildly puzzled. "Really? Because I am not certain I have."
"It was at the monastery. Master Kurita told me that most of the old Fire Nation shrines were located in Fire Nation, but some were in other nations as well. They were built to honor places that were believed to be spiritually connected to fire."
"I see where you are going with this. This area of Earth Kingdom is indeed volcanic, and known for its many refreshing hot springs. I would not mind visiting one of those", Uncle added and winked an eye at his nephew.
"And I wouldn't mind visiting that mountain", Zuko stated.
Uncle looked serious once more. "And what do you expect to find there, my nephew?
Zuko considered what to say. In all honesty, it was unlikely that the fact that there may once have been a Fire Nation shrine somewhere up there would make any difference to Ursa's chosen path.
Still, it was a huge coincidence that Zuko happened to run into a place he had once been told of. It felt almost, well, Zuko was not a very spiritual person, but if he had been, he might have called it destiny.
Eventually he answered: "At the rate this search has been going so far, praying couldn't hurt."
Uncle looked at him for a long time.
"I know, I know. A man needs his rest. But I am not tired and if I go right away, I will probably be back soon. And Uncle, I am taking this trip alone. You stay at the inn and wait for me."
ooo
Two years ago
"Separation is an illusion. All living things are connected. The true meaning of these words is very complicated and may take you years to understand. This is one of the most important lessons you will ever learn, so I hope you'll meditate on it as long as it takes for you to truly comprehend it."
Zuko nodded. He did not completely agree with his master on the utmost importance of this particular piece of ancient wisdom (personally, he could think of a hundred more important lessons), but after spending the last four months with the man, Zuko knew Master Kurita well enough to know he usually had a point.
So, Zuko was willing to at least consider that Kurita knew what he was talking about this time as well.
Also, sitting around contemplating something deep sounded like as good an excuse as any to take a little break from all the hiking.
They had risen before the sun and had been climbing up the mountainside all morning, so Zuko could really use a break, even though his pride would not let him ask for one.
From this high up on the mountain, the scenery was quite breathtaking. It was a clear, crispy morning with no clouds to limit the view.
While Zuko sat meditating, his legs crossed one over the other, he also focused on breathing deep Breaths of Fire in order to keep the chilly wind from piercing straight through him.
"Apprentice Zuko. Look around you and tell me what you see", Kurita ordered after they had sat in silence for a moment.
Zuko opened his eyes. Okay, what do I see...
"I can see the ocean from here. I can see the nearby mountaintops. I can see the valley, and the monastery in it", Zuko stated evenly.
"Can you really? I can see the sky and the ocean and the mountains, but I do not see a monastery", Kurita answered.
"It's over there", Zuko said and pointed down at the valley, wondering if the old master's vision was failing him.
"Are you sure? It looks like just another rock to me", Kurita said, sounding unconvinced.
"Well that's because Earth Kingdom fortresses are traditionally built from the same material, the same type of rock, that their surrounding areas are. It is cost-effective and helps to create a natural camouflage", Zuko clarified.
"That is very interesting, but I asked you to tell me what you see, not what you know", Kurita said, playing with words. "Look again, and tell me what you see."
Zuko looked again.
What am I missing here? Or what is it that is missing?
"I see earth, air and water, but no fire."
Kurita nodded, so Zuko went on. "Looking from here, I would not think there is any Fire Nation presence here."
"So what makes you think there is?" Kurita inquired.
"Because I... know there is."
"And again with the knowing", Kurita sighed.
"What do you expect me to say?! You can't ask me to solely rely on what I see right now in front of me, and forget what I feel or already knew!" Zuko shot back, irritated.
For a moment, Kurita did not respond. They just sat in silence.
Eventually, the old master continued: "You are right. It is unwise to rely solely on your sight. What you see is not always what is.
"However, it is often useful to let go of the things youthink you know, so that you can see the situation from a new perspective. You might notice something you have missed before. Your earlier presumptions may even prove to be completely wrong."
"Okay, reevaluating the situation every now and then is a good idea. Got it. What's that to do with the whole 'separation is an illusion' thing?"
Kurita smiled a wistful smile at him. It was actually the first time Zuko had seen the man smile.
"That is a separate piece of wisdom. Then again, separation is an illusion, so in fact these things are connected."
Now the Master was just trying to make Zuko's head hurt.
"You were also right to presume there is fire here, even if you can't see it", Kurita added
"The sun", Zuko realized, suddenly feeling a bit blind himself. How could have he overlooked the source of his own power?
"That is the most obvious source of fire, yes, but it is far from the only one. You can find fire even in the unlikeliest of places. Even if it were night time or we were in a cave, even then there would be fire.
"Fire, just like all the other elements, is everywhere. All living things have an inner spark of life in them. The wind moves and redistributes fire's heat, and water and earth preserve that heat even when the sun has set. Under the soil, earth and fire are one in a never-ending dance", Kurita explained.
"All four elements are always present everywhere and in everything. It is only the ratios that vary. The elements need one another even if we humans are not always wise enough to see the connections that bind them, and us, together. One element cannot exist without the others, and for there to be balance in the world, the ratios must be in harmony."
Balance? Harmony? Master Kurita was beginning to sound like the Avatar.
"This is also what, in essence, enables the Power of Dragons. You can connect your thoughts with someone else's thoughts, because those thoughts are not separate from yours to begin with. Waterbending healing works much the same way. All things have a common heart that beats in us. People, rocks, waves, monasteries; things you think are separated by matter are in fact connected. By chi, by spirit, by essence."
"My teachers at the Fire Nation spoke nothing of such connections. They said fire was the superior element", Zuko pointed out.
"Elements are at their strongest when working together. Alone, no one element is greater than the others."
"Treasonous words", Zuko commented.
Kurita smiled at him again. The expression still looked odd on his face.
"Well, hardly the most treasonous words they could catch me saying, should they dare to come and ask."
True.
ooo
The present
Iroh was taking a long, hot bath in his room at the inn. It was not quite a hot spring, but it still worked wonders on his tired body and spirit.
He wished Zuko had stayed here as well, but unfortunately his nephew had a tendency to get a bit obsessed over his missions.
Iroh was hopeful, however, that this one was close to its end.
He had been incredibly surprised to find out Ursa had not died the night she went missing, but it was still unlikely she was alive today. Most importantly, Iroh was not sure if Zuko was ready to face the ghosts of his past.
One way or another, this hike up the mountain was, hopefully, Zuko's way of getting some closure before admitting defeat and moving on with his life. Moving on had never been Zuko's strongest suit, but one could always hope.
The teenager would not find anything from an ancient Dragon Shrine, but sometimes the journey was what really mattered, not the destination. And this was by no standards one of his nephew's more foolhardy and dangerous quests. When Zuko returned, he would be exhausted but in one piece...
"Oh, dear Agni!" Iroh exclaimed out loud.
We are a few days from Winter Solstice; the time when the veil between our world and the spirit realm is at its thinnest, and I have just allowed Zuko to go to a Dragon Shrine. Who knows how many angry spirits he may encounter there?!
Iroh was dressed, packed and ready to go in less than five minutes.
ooo
It was close to midnight when Zuko finally reached what he presumed was the shrine. He left his ostrich-horse, a feisty black mare named Precious, tied to a small tree some distance from a platform that looked too smooth and symmetrical to be anything but manmade.
The shrine had been abandoned, probabaly thousands of years ago when the area had stabilized as part of Earth Kingdom, and all Fire Clans had moved out. Now the Dragon Shrine was little more than a pile of rocks, even though the hard mountain climate had made sure it was not completely overgrown.
Zuko felt... disappointed. He had somehow expected an answer to all his problems land on him once he got up there. Now, as he looked around, he couldn't help but to think that Uncle had been right.
A wasted trip.
It was actually pretty weird that he had been so sure he wanted to come up here in the first place. He was not good at asking for things and he did not count on his luck, so praying was not his cup of tea.
But tonight, he had come here almost as if summoned.
Although Zuko was starting to feel a little uneasy, there was one more thing he wanted to do now that he had gotten this far.
The Prince took a few incense sticks from his bag and placed them in a small bowl. He said a few traditional prayers and bowed to show respect to whatever spirits dwelled in this place before lighting the sticks with his firebending.
ooo
"Look, Sergeant. He is a firebender", one of Sergeant Rang's soldiers pointed out.
The leader of the Earth Kingdom Army scouting troop weighed his options, but since he was in charge of twenty experienced soldiers, there was no way the boy could prove to be a match.
The Sergeant nodded, which was a signal for his men to move ahead with their plan. It was time to put the ambush into action.
()()()
A/N
Random Earth Kingdom soldiers harassing other travelers unprovoked is canon.
Emphasize in this fic isn't on romance but more on friendship and family ties. I'm not saying there isn't any romance at all, just letting you know that it won't be the main thing here.