[Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zuko+Aang: Even Fire Lords Can Dance]
Title: Even Fire Lords Can Dance
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Friendship/General
Rating: PG
Characters: Zuko+Aang, slash googles optional ;)
Word Count: 2,528
Summary: Aang teaches the new Fire Lord that you can't learn everything from a scroll. Post-series.
Notes: For dawnrune (Happy Birthday~!) as part of himitsu_santa.
“Pssst Zuko. Zukoooo.”
Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose at the voice, already knowing exactly who it was trying to garner his attentions. His instructor, High Advisor Chozen, had gone to retrieve more scrolls on the Fire Nation’s history to aide his lengthy (and admittedly very boring) lecture.
“Zukooooo. I got that bigger glider fixed up. We can go flying now…”
Snapping his head around, he spotted the Avatar peering through the open window. Zuko huffed.
“I’m in lessons now. Can’t you see that? Important lessons!”
Aang just gave him an innocent look. “You mean…boring lessons?”
“Well yes but…” Zuko straightened up, snapping back. “That doesn’t make them any less important! As the current Fire Lord I must known and understand all this!”
Pointing towards the blue skies with the tip of his folded glider, Aang countered, “But it’s really nice outside. And I really don’t think history is going anywhere, Zuko. I mean…” He gave him a mischievous grin. “I always had my best lessons when I skimped out on them with Monk Gyatso.”
“But!” Zuko shot back, only realizing after the fact that he really didn’t have any argument against that.
“Plus, I can teach you about the Fire Nation.”
That statement, Zuko had to admit, was so intriguing that he almost jumped out of his chair right away. Instead he just blinked in confusion.
“How could you teach me about the Fire Nation. I’ve lived here most of my life!”
Aang just gave a shrug and a teasing smile, one that Zuko knew he was going to end up answering. It was that same impish smile the avatar always got when he was up to something.
“Ugh fine! Advisor Chozen can give me a lecture about missing my lecture later. I’ll just tell him the avatar needed to speak to me urgently. That should sound important enough.”
Aang grinned. “Well the avatar does need to take you flying. It’s very urgent.”
Zuko cocked a smirk. “Right.”
---------------------------
Zuko’s skepticism about his impulsive decision to join Aang was growing by the moment; especially when the avatar had explained exactly how they were going to be flying.
“You’re going to hold me?!”
Aang didn’t seem to see the problem in this. “I’ll tie you to me so, not that I would drop you, but incase something happens you’ll be fine! Avatar’s promise!”
Zuko dragged his hand down his face. “Aang, I am the Fire Lord. I have to carry myself with some dignity or people won’t respect me and…”
At this, Aang lit up, and slapped Zuko on the back. “You’re right! And I’ve figured out just how to do that! Thanks Zuko!”
This solution turned out to be almost equally, if not more so, embarrassing.
“Now, just hold tightly to the hand grips at the top of the glider here and here,” Aang instructed, moving up to give Zuko’s hands a squeeze to make sure they were holding on tight enough. “Then, once we take our running start, you can sit your feet here on this,” he said indicating a small block of wood near the base of the glider.
Zuko frowned, “And how are you supposed to hold on then?”
Sidling up in front of him, Aang pressed back against Zuko and reached up to clasp the hand grips as well. Then, grinning over his shoulder, he simply answered. “Once we take off, I just need you to hold me around the waist while I hold onto the glider and direct us.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose again, and feeling one of his Aang-headaches coming on, Zuko growled in frustration. “Wait a minute! Let me get this straight. You want us to go flying over the Fire Nation- the nation I am technically the ruler of - while holding you around the waist on a glider?!”
Aang nodded. “Yep! Unless you’d rather we go back to the plan where I hold you, that is.”
“I’m going to look ridiculous!” Zuko fumed.
Aang shrugged. “No more than usual.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That you scowl a lot and it makes your face look like this,” Aang explained, scrunching his face into an exaggerated imitation of Zuko’s scowl. “Hello, I’m Mr. Grumpy-Fire Lord-Pants. Rawr!”
Zuko gave him a light shove on his arm. “Cut it out!”
“I’m just saying. I’ve got a giant arrow on my forehead and you’ve got a scowl permanently glued on your face. We should both be used to looking ridiculous compared to everyone else around here by now, right?”
He just glared and Aang sighed.
“Fine fine. I guess you just won’t find out all the amazing and important things I know about the Fire Nation then…”
“Like what?” Zuko grumbled.
“Oh I can’t just tell you,” Aang said slyly. “It’s something that you must see. But I can promise a lesson on history, the Fire Nation people, geography and just overall national welfare type things. Oh and there’s this really cool place to see wild Dragon Moose!”
Zuko cursed his curiosity, still uncertain how Aang could know so much about his home nation. But if this was the only way to find out…
“Fine! But I’m holding you. The Fire Lord being held might show a sign of weakness.”
Aang rolled his eyes at that, but he was getting used to this sort of behavior every time he invited him out. Ever since Zuko had started having lessons for ‘being a proper Fire Lord,’ he’d been stressing out at every possible moment about doing something wrong in the eyes of his people.
And being the avatar, and knowing the expectations people had about that, Aang could certainly relate.
--------------------------
Despite Zuko’s constant protests about it, they managed to take off without too much difficultly. And they were now gliding over the city with ease, Zuko’s arms snuggly around Aang’s waist. He was holding on tightly more for his benefit than Aang’s, knowing the skilled air bender would be fine even if he was dropped from this height.
“Ready for your lesson, Hotman?”
Zuko huffed, the breath of air tickling the back of Aang’s neck and making him giggle.
“What’s so funny?” He grumped.
Aang, still giggling a bit, steered them over one specific street. Pulling one of his hands off the glider (and worrying Zuko that they were both now being held on by only one hand) he pointed to a small house with a thatched roof.
“Right. So lesson time. See that house?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you tell me anything about it?”
Zuko blinked. How was he supposed to know about some random house! “No, why? Does someone important live there?”
Aang nodded. “Of course. That’s the home of Silyn and Tunfu.” When Zuko didn’t react, he continued, “Tunfu was a Fire Nation soldier who was falsely accused of treason. They lost their nice house and don’t trust anyone much anymore because of it.”
Zuko’s eyes went wide.
“Silyn was sick recently and they couldn’t even afford to have her taken to a doctor. Luckily, I knew about it and had Katara check in on her. With her healing waterbending, Silyn is feeling a bit better…”
“That’s horrible! Why doesn’t the military apologize for their mistake and give them back their home?”
Aang gave a sad smile at that. “Because the Fire Nation military doesn’t have any policies in place for forgiving; as a previous traitor yourself, you know how strict they are.”
Zuko nodded. Yeah, he knew that all too well. But…
“Well I’m the Fire Lord now and that is going to change as soon as I get home!”
Aang gave Zuko’s hand a pat where it rested on his waist before returning it to the handgrip and directing them skyward. “Would you like to learn more about your people, Zuko? I’ve been out in the streets, talking to them and listening to them. So I have a lot I can tell you.”
With a determined nod, he replied, “Show me everything, Aang. I want to know so I can fix the mistakes we’ve made.”
There were the bakers who used to be Earth Kingdom residents and who were still being warily regarded by their neighbors. Aang said they’d only left the Earth Kingdom because of the government corruption they’d recently had there. “They said they wanted to be wherever the avatar was. They felt that was the safest for them. You see, Mio Lang is expecting soon. But if their neighbors don’t start buying their food, they won’t have much money to support a family…”
Aang pointed out the parts of town that were the richest and the parts of town that were the poorest. He spoke of children who were smart, funny and sweet who couldn’t afford to go to the better schools. Of families who were wary of Aang because they’d didn’t see how a Fire Lord and the avatar could be friends. And then there were the animals, even they Aang pointed out, had their troubles. Unchecked firebending that started forest fires and drove rare creatures from their homes and polluted waters that caused sickness in both animals and the people who used them for food.
Zuko now understood why Aang had been so critical of him learning how to be a Fire Lord from “old dusty scrolls while trapped inside your palace.” That was why his father and the lords before him never saw these problems and never knew to fix them.
As they paused to pet the wild Dragon Moose, which of course knew Aang brought ash bananas for them, Zuko tapped Aang gently on the shoulder.
As he turned, Zuko pulled him into a crushing hug.
“Thank you, Aang. You’ve taught me more today then I would have learned my entire life inside.”
He smiled against his chest, tapping at the place above Zuko’s heart. “You just needed to see it. I know you’ll do the right thing, Zuko. You always do…well, sooner or later.”
The two of them laughed at that, then realized they’d squished all the ash bananas between them. Luckily, the Dragon Moose herd was happy to lick it off.
-----------------------------
As they flew back towards the palace, Zuko listed off all the changes he was going to write up as soon as he got back.
“I guess the good thing about being the Fire Lord is that they have to listen to me, right?”
Aang grinned. “Hey, I hate playing the ‘I’m the avatar’ card, but sometimes you have to. If it’s for the best, then why not use your title for good?”
“And hopefully,” Zuko said, his words a quiet murmur against Aang’s neck, “Hopefully I can do some good for this nation.”
“Of course you can! Think positive, Zuko!”
“Still working on that,” he replied wryly.
“Oh! But before we go back, we have a party to go to!”
“A…what?”
Aang turned his head as best as he could and gave Zuko a sheepish smile over his shoulder. “So uh…I kinda promised this kid that I’d come along with the Fire Lord to his birthday party tonight.”
Zuko frowned. “You could have mentioned that before now!”
“Sorry! But really, he’s a great kid! I think you’ll like him.”
Realizing that Aang was going to glide them there whether he liked it or not, Zuko relented. “Fine.”
“That’s the spirit Zuko!
They arrived to much excitement from both Rang Chi’s family and Rang Chi himself, thrilled and surprised to see that the Fire Lord had indeed come as Aang had promised them he would.
Rang Chi gave Zuko a big hug around the legs and grinned up at him, two of his front teeth missing. “You’re my hero, Mister Fire Lord Zuko. I just want you to know that, okay?”
Zuko blinked, his throat suddenly a bit tight and his eyes a bit watery. He gave the boy a gentle pat on his head and crouched down to his level. “Not the avatar?” he teased.
The boy just grinned. “He’s my hero too! I’m going to be both when I grow up!”
With a smile tugging at his lips, Zuko put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, thinking of something appropriate to say. Remembering something his Uncle had told him once, Zuko said, “I’m certain if you put your heart and soul into it, your destiny will find its path drawn to what you desire most.”
Rang Chi nodded, then bounded off to play with his friends. Glancing over to Aang, Zuko caught him giving him a questioning look.
“Iroh?” He asked, wondering where the sudden insight came from.
“Iroh,” Zuko replied with a smile.
The music started up at that and suddenly everyone at the party was on the dance floor, swinging around to the melody. Aang grabbed Zuko by the wrist and started to tug him towards it as well, but he held firm.
“Zukooo, come on!”
“I do not dance, Aang. That’s just…”
Aang gave him a warning glare, one that explicitly told Zuko that if he finished that sentence with “that’s undignified for a Fire Lord,” that Aang was going to airbend him into the ground.
“I’m terrible at it,” he whispered, cheeks pinking at the admission. “Outside firebending forms that call themselves dances, that is.”
“Come on, show your people that even their Fire Lord can dance. I’m sure you can learn a few new tricks if you try hard enough!”
And maybe it was Aang’s enthusiasm and his wide eyes pleading with him, or perhaps it was just the weight of all he’d learned that day, but Zuko took a deep breath and decided that it was time for a change.
“Even the Fire Lord can dance?” He asked tentatively.
Aang grinned, tugging him out onto the dance floor and starting to show Zuko some moves. “Yeah. Even important people like us can still dance just like everyone else.”
----------------------------------
The next morning, Zuko went out into the city. He personally went to Tunfu and apologized for the military’s treatment, inviting him and his wife to move back to their previous home. He stopped by Mio Lang’s bakery and made sure to loudly compliment their food. Sure enough, as he left, the line was already starting to form at their door.
He passed new military protocols, sent more funding to the schools in poorer regions, and instated a nation-wide proclamation to help prevent water pollution and forest fires.
By midday, he was exhausted and needed a break. His fingers were stained with ink, but he never felt more like a Fire Lord than he did that day.
Sneaking away by himself on a Mongoose Dragon, he rode out with a specific forest in mind. It would be a great place to relax and hopefully, a few friends would be there as well.
Sure enough, Aang was there with the Moose Dragons when he arrived.
As he approached, Zuko just smiled and called out, “I brought some more ash bananas, and I have some apples imported from the Earth Kingdom I thought they’d like too.”
Aang just grinned in return.
“So a Fire Lord can learn new tricks, after all.”
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Friendship/General
Rating: PG
Characters: Zuko+Aang, slash googles optional ;)
Word Count: 2,528
Summary: Aang teaches the new Fire Lord that you can't learn everything from a scroll. Post-series.
Notes: For dawnrune (Happy Birthday~!) as part of himitsu_santa.
“Pssst Zuko. Zukoooo.”
Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose at the voice, already knowing exactly who it was trying to garner his attentions. His instructor, High Advisor Chozen, had gone to retrieve more scrolls on the Fire Nation’s history to aide his lengthy (and admittedly very boring) lecture.
“Zukooooo. I got that bigger glider fixed up. We can go flying now…”
Snapping his head around, he spotted the Avatar peering through the open window. Zuko huffed.
“I’m in lessons now. Can’t you see that? Important lessons!”
Aang just gave him an innocent look. “You mean…boring lessons?”
“Well yes but…” Zuko straightened up, snapping back. “That doesn’t make them any less important! As the current Fire Lord I must known and understand all this!”
Pointing towards the blue skies with the tip of his folded glider, Aang countered, “But it’s really nice outside. And I really don’t think history is going anywhere, Zuko. I mean…” He gave him a mischievous grin. “I always had my best lessons when I skimped out on them with Monk Gyatso.”
“But!” Zuko shot back, only realizing after the fact that he really didn’t have any argument against that.
“Plus, I can teach you about the Fire Nation.”
That statement, Zuko had to admit, was so intriguing that he almost jumped out of his chair right away. Instead he just blinked in confusion.
“How could you teach me about the Fire Nation. I’ve lived here most of my life!”
Aang just gave a shrug and a teasing smile, one that Zuko knew he was going to end up answering. It was that same impish smile the avatar always got when he was up to something.
“Ugh fine! Advisor Chozen can give me a lecture about missing my lecture later. I’ll just tell him the avatar needed to speak to me urgently. That should sound important enough.”
Aang grinned. “Well the avatar does need to take you flying. It’s very urgent.”
Zuko cocked a smirk. “Right.”
---------------------------
Zuko’s skepticism about his impulsive decision to join Aang was growing by the moment; especially when the avatar had explained exactly how they were going to be flying.
“You’re going to hold me?!”
Aang didn’t seem to see the problem in this. “I’ll tie you to me so, not that I would drop you, but incase something happens you’ll be fine! Avatar’s promise!”
Zuko dragged his hand down his face. “Aang, I am the Fire Lord. I have to carry myself with some dignity or people won’t respect me and…”
At this, Aang lit up, and slapped Zuko on the back. “You’re right! And I’ve figured out just how to do that! Thanks Zuko!”
This solution turned out to be almost equally, if not more so, embarrassing.
“Now, just hold tightly to the hand grips at the top of the glider here and here,” Aang instructed, moving up to give Zuko’s hands a squeeze to make sure they were holding on tight enough. “Then, once we take our running start, you can sit your feet here on this,” he said indicating a small block of wood near the base of the glider.
Zuko frowned, “And how are you supposed to hold on then?”
Sidling up in front of him, Aang pressed back against Zuko and reached up to clasp the hand grips as well. Then, grinning over his shoulder, he simply answered. “Once we take off, I just need you to hold me around the waist while I hold onto the glider and direct us.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose again, and feeling one of his Aang-headaches coming on, Zuko growled in frustration. “Wait a minute! Let me get this straight. You want us to go flying over the Fire Nation- the nation I am technically the ruler of - while holding you around the waist on a glider?!”
Aang nodded. “Yep! Unless you’d rather we go back to the plan where I hold you, that is.”
“I’m going to look ridiculous!” Zuko fumed.
Aang shrugged. “No more than usual.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That you scowl a lot and it makes your face look like this,” Aang explained, scrunching his face into an exaggerated imitation of Zuko’s scowl. “Hello, I’m Mr. Grumpy-Fire Lord-Pants. Rawr!”
Zuko gave him a light shove on his arm. “Cut it out!”
“I’m just saying. I’ve got a giant arrow on my forehead and you’ve got a scowl permanently glued on your face. We should both be used to looking ridiculous compared to everyone else around here by now, right?”
He just glared and Aang sighed.
“Fine fine. I guess you just won’t find out all the amazing and important things I know about the Fire Nation then…”
“Like what?” Zuko grumbled.
“Oh I can’t just tell you,” Aang said slyly. “It’s something that you must see. But I can promise a lesson on history, the Fire Nation people, geography and just overall national welfare type things. Oh and there’s this really cool place to see wild Dragon Moose!”
Zuko cursed his curiosity, still uncertain how Aang could know so much about his home nation. But if this was the only way to find out…
“Fine! But I’m holding you. The Fire Lord being held might show a sign of weakness.”
Aang rolled his eyes at that, but he was getting used to this sort of behavior every time he invited him out. Ever since Zuko had started having lessons for ‘being a proper Fire Lord,’ he’d been stressing out at every possible moment about doing something wrong in the eyes of his people.
And being the avatar, and knowing the expectations people had about that, Aang could certainly relate.
--------------------------
Despite Zuko’s constant protests about it, they managed to take off without too much difficultly. And they were now gliding over the city with ease, Zuko’s arms snuggly around Aang’s waist. He was holding on tightly more for his benefit than Aang’s, knowing the skilled air bender would be fine even if he was dropped from this height.
“Ready for your lesson, Hotman?”
Zuko huffed, the breath of air tickling the back of Aang’s neck and making him giggle.
“What’s so funny?” He grumped.
Aang, still giggling a bit, steered them over one specific street. Pulling one of his hands off the glider (and worrying Zuko that they were both now being held on by only one hand) he pointed to a small house with a thatched roof.
“Right. So lesson time. See that house?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you tell me anything about it?”
Zuko blinked. How was he supposed to know about some random house! “No, why? Does someone important live there?”
Aang nodded. “Of course. That’s the home of Silyn and Tunfu.” When Zuko didn’t react, he continued, “Tunfu was a Fire Nation soldier who was falsely accused of treason. They lost their nice house and don’t trust anyone much anymore because of it.”
Zuko’s eyes went wide.
“Silyn was sick recently and they couldn’t even afford to have her taken to a doctor. Luckily, I knew about it and had Katara check in on her. With her healing waterbending, Silyn is feeling a bit better…”
“That’s horrible! Why doesn’t the military apologize for their mistake and give them back their home?”
Aang gave a sad smile at that. “Because the Fire Nation military doesn’t have any policies in place for forgiving; as a previous traitor yourself, you know how strict they are.”
Zuko nodded. Yeah, he knew that all too well. But…
“Well I’m the Fire Lord now and that is going to change as soon as I get home!”
Aang gave Zuko’s hand a pat where it rested on his waist before returning it to the handgrip and directing them skyward. “Would you like to learn more about your people, Zuko? I’ve been out in the streets, talking to them and listening to them. So I have a lot I can tell you.”
With a determined nod, he replied, “Show me everything, Aang. I want to know so I can fix the mistakes we’ve made.”
There were the bakers who used to be Earth Kingdom residents and who were still being warily regarded by their neighbors. Aang said they’d only left the Earth Kingdom because of the government corruption they’d recently had there. “They said they wanted to be wherever the avatar was. They felt that was the safest for them. You see, Mio Lang is expecting soon. But if their neighbors don’t start buying their food, they won’t have much money to support a family…”
Aang pointed out the parts of town that were the richest and the parts of town that were the poorest. He spoke of children who were smart, funny and sweet who couldn’t afford to go to the better schools. Of families who were wary of Aang because they’d didn’t see how a Fire Lord and the avatar could be friends. And then there were the animals, even they Aang pointed out, had their troubles. Unchecked firebending that started forest fires and drove rare creatures from their homes and polluted waters that caused sickness in both animals and the people who used them for food.
Zuko now understood why Aang had been so critical of him learning how to be a Fire Lord from “old dusty scrolls while trapped inside your palace.” That was why his father and the lords before him never saw these problems and never knew to fix them.
As they paused to pet the wild Dragon Moose, which of course knew Aang brought ash bananas for them, Zuko tapped Aang gently on the shoulder.
As he turned, Zuko pulled him into a crushing hug.
“Thank you, Aang. You’ve taught me more today then I would have learned my entire life inside.”
He smiled against his chest, tapping at the place above Zuko’s heart. “You just needed to see it. I know you’ll do the right thing, Zuko. You always do…well, sooner or later.”
The two of them laughed at that, then realized they’d squished all the ash bananas between them. Luckily, the Dragon Moose herd was happy to lick it off.
-----------------------------
As they flew back towards the palace, Zuko listed off all the changes he was going to write up as soon as he got back.
“I guess the good thing about being the Fire Lord is that they have to listen to me, right?”
Aang grinned. “Hey, I hate playing the ‘I’m the avatar’ card, but sometimes you have to. If it’s for the best, then why not use your title for good?”
“And hopefully,” Zuko said, his words a quiet murmur against Aang’s neck, “Hopefully I can do some good for this nation.”
“Of course you can! Think positive, Zuko!”
“Still working on that,” he replied wryly.
“Oh! But before we go back, we have a party to go to!”
“A…what?”
Aang turned his head as best as he could and gave Zuko a sheepish smile over his shoulder. “So uh…I kinda promised this kid that I’d come along with the Fire Lord to his birthday party tonight.”
Zuko frowned. “You could have mentioned that before now!”
“Sorry! But really, he’s a great kid! I think you’ll like him.”
Realizing that Aang was going to glide them there whether he liked it or not, Zuko relented. “Fine.”
“That’s the spirit Zuko!
They arrived to much excitement from both Rang Chi’s family and Rang Chi himself, thrilled and surprised to see that the Fire Lord had indeed come as Aang had promised them he would.
Rang Chi gave Zuko a big hug around the legs and grinned up at him, two of his front teeth missing. “You’re my hero, Mister Fire Lord Zuko. I just want you to know that, okay?”
Zuko blinked, his throat suddenly a bit tight and his eyes a bit watery. He gave the boy a gentle pat on his head and crouched down to his level. “Not the avatar?” he teased.
The boy just grinned. “He’s my hero too! I’m going to be both when I grow up!”
With a smile tugging at his lips, Zuko put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, thinking of something appropriate to say. Remembering something his Uncle had told him once, Zuko said, “I’m certain if you put your heart and soul into it, your destiny will find its path drawn to what you desire most.”
Rang Chi nodded, then bounded off to play with his friends. Glancing over to Aang, Zuko caught him giving him a questioning look.
“Iroh?” He asked, wondering where the sudden insight came from.
“Iroh,” Zuko replied with a smile.
The music started up at that and suddenly everyone at the party was on the dance floor, swinging around to the melody. Aang grabbed Zuko by the wrist and started to tug him towards it as well, but he held firm.
“Zukooo, come on!”
“I do not dance, Aang. That’s just…”
Aang gave him a warning glare, one that explicitly told Zuko that if he finished that sentence with “that’s undignified for a Fire Lord,” that Aang was going to airbend him into the ground.
“I’m terrible at it,” he whispered, cheeks pinking at the admission. “Outside firebending forms that call themselves dances, that is.”
“Come on, show your people that even their Fire Lord can dance. I’m sure you can learn a few new tricks if you try hard enough!”
And maybe it was Aang’s enthusiasm and his wide eyes pleading with him, or perhaps it was just the weight of all he’d learned that day, but Zuko took a deep breath and decided that it was time for a change.
“Even the Fire Lord can dance?” He asked tentatively.
Aang grinned, tugging him out onto the dance floor and starting to show Zuko some moves. “Yeah. Even important people like us can still dance just like everyone else.”
----------------------------------
The next morning, Zuko went out into the city. He personally went to Tunfu and apologized for the military’s treatment, inviting him and his wife to move back to their previous home. He stopped by Mio Lang’s bakery and made sure to loudly compliment their food. Sure enough, as he left, the line was already starting to form at their door.
He passed new military protocols, sent more funding to the schools in poorer regions, and instated a nation-wide proclamation to help prevent water pollution and forest fires.
By midday, he was exhausted and needed a break. His fingers were stained with ink, but he never felt more like a Fire Lord than he did that day.
Sneaking away by himself on a Mongoose Dragon, he rode out with a specific forest in mind. It would be a great place to relax and hopefully, a few friends would be there as well.
Sure enough, Aang was there with the Moose Dragons when he arrived.
As he approached, Zuko just smiled and called out, “I brought some more ash bananas, and I have some apples imported from the Earth Kingdom I thought they’d like too.”
Aang just grinned in return.
“So a Fire Lord can learn new tricks, after all.”