The Avatar and The Fire Lord

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The Avatar and the Fire Lord

Written by: Elizabeth Welch Ehasz
Directed by: Ethan Spaulding
Storyboarded by: Oreste Canestrelli, Miyuki Hoshikawa, Dean Kelly, Ethan Spauldi
ng
Animation: JM Animation
Transcript: Avatar_Mom

Act I
(The scene begins with Roku emerging through a wall of fire. He is speaking to A
ang through a dream.)
Roku: Aang, it's time you learned my history with Fire Lord Sozin. You need to u
nderstand how the war began, if you want to know how to end it. Meet me on my ho
me island on the day of the summer solstice.
(The dream changes, and an island in the Fire Nation with two volcanoes is now s
hown.) The scene cuts to Aang, asleep on Appa. He rolls over onto his side.)
Aang: (talking in his sleep) Okay, Roku.
(The scene cuts to Zuko. He is in his room, sleeping on his side. Footsteps can
be heard in the hallway outside his door. The sound wakes him and he rushes to t
he hall to investigate. As he opens the door, he sees a mysterious cloaked figur
e disappear down the hall. As Zuko gazes down the hall, a strong breeze blows th
rough the drapes of the hall. Zuko starts off after the figure but is distracted
by a scroll placed upright in the hall. Surprised, Zuko picks up the scroll and
begins to read.)
Zuko: (speaking aloud) You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's de
mise. It will reveal your own destiny.
(Zuko closes the scroll. Intrigued, he stares down the hallway. The drapes are s
till rustling. The scene cuts to a view from the opposite end of the hallway. Th
e camera focuses on Zuko, still standing outside his bedroom, drapes still rustl
ing from the breeze. Cut to a bright blue, cloud filled sky. A very large cloud
moves quickly forward. Cut to the inside of the curious cloud. Appa and Aang are
shown inside the cloud. Aang, positioned on the neck of Appa, bends the element
s around Appa to create a cloud of camouflage. His arms move quickly around his
body in a circular motion. Katara and Sokka look over Appas saddle for a better l
ook. The island is unnervingly desolate.)
Aang: There it is. Thats Rokus home.
Katara: (confused) But there s nothing here.
(Toph jumps from Appas saddle. Once her feet hit the ground, she solemnly tells K
atara and the gang what she can see with her unique vision.)

Toph: (somberly) Yes, there is. An entire village. Hundreds of houses. (A strong
breeze moves a layer of ash along the ground, brushing past their feet.) All co
mpletely buried in ash.
(The scene changes to show an amazing Fire Nation City, surrounded by walls that
appear to have been made by waves of lava. Cut to a large and impressive hall,
full of paintings of Fire Nation Royalty. Zuko stands before one of the portrait
s. Azula passes by Zuko, and makes a suggestion.)
Azula: It s never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko. (sarcast
ically) Make sure he gets your good side.
(Zuko, glints away from his sister, clearly upset with his sisters off color comm
ent. Suddenly his face changes. He turns to speak to her as she continues down t
he hall.)
Zuko: Wait. I need to ask you something. What do you remember about our Great-Gr
andfather s history
Azula: (sighs) Ah, Zuko. (The camera angle changes to an overhead view of the ha
ll, the siblings, and the majestic paintings.)It s so strange how your mind work
s. (The camera focuses on Sozins portrait. It slowly pans up from the bottom of t
he painting. It rests on Sozins face, a comet arching in flight over his head. Azu
la continues to tell Zuko Sozins history.) Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of cour
se. He spent his early years secretly preparing for it, but he was as patient as
he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later renamed Sozin s comet, a
nd used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world. (The camera an
gle changes. The siblings are shown, standing side by side, looking up at the pa
inting, Azula finishes the story.) In the end, he died a very old and successful
man.
Zuko: (confused) But how did he die
Azula: Didn t you pay any attention in school, Zuko (Azula begins to walk away. S
he walks off camera as she finishes her sentence.)He died peacefully, in his sle
ep. He was ancient.
(Zuko stares, his face furrows in frustration. Cut to Rokus island. The gang is s
hown, from a distance. They are sitting on the tip of a hardened wave of lava. C
ut to Aang from the back. He is facing the ocean which is ablaze in gold and ora
nge as the sunsets. Aang is meditating. His arrows glow, and he is shown sitting
atop a mountain top in an alternate reality, possibly the Spirit World. He is s
urrounded by an ocean of clouds. Rokus dragon flies into the shot. He flies in be
hind Aang, who is now standing. Roku smiles gently, and a breeze tussles his whi
te hair and beard. The scene cuts. Zuko is in his room, laying on his back on hi
s bed. He rolls over on his side and stares at the puzzling scroll. He picks up
the scroll and reads it to himself again.)
Zuko: (frustrated) What does it mean (Annoyed, he tosses the scroll aside. It lan
ds on his bedside lantern. The light from within the lantern shines through the
parchment. It reveals a secret message on the scroll. Zuko gasps and grabs the s
croll from atop the lantern. He reads aloud.)The Fire Sages keep the secret hist
ory in the Dragon Bone Catacombs. (The camera focuses on Zukos eyes as he finishe
s reading the discovered message. Zuko quickly turns to leave. Cut to a dark and
ominous temple. It stands stately, bathed in soft red light. Fire Sages walk th
e grounds. Zuko is hiding and waiting behind a pillar, out of sight. He sees a F
ire Sage walking through a courtyard. The courtyard is large. In the middle of t
he courtyard floor, a large medallion fashioned in the shape of a flower is seen
. The Fire Sage stops directly over the ornate medallion on the ground. He crouc
hes low, and delivers a blast of fire into the center of the design. It begins t
o open, a hidden passage is under the courtyard of the temple. The Sage disappea
rs into the floor. Zuko sits behind the pillar to wait until it is safe for him
to use the secret passage himself. When all is quiet, Zuko goes to the secret pa

ssage, and bends a blast of fire into the medallion just as the sage had. The pa
ssage opens, and a spiral staircase is revealed along with a very large secret c
hamber. Zuko travels through the chamber and down a hall lined with what appears
to be the bones of dragons, all lined up along the walls of the hall. He then c
omes to an ornate door with what appears to be a metal sculpture of Fire Lord So
zin on it. On the chest of the sculpture is a Fire Nation emblem. Zuko places hi
s left hand over the emblem, and delivers a powerful fire blast. The fire fills
the door, and pours out from the statues eyes, nose and mouth. As the door opens,
cobwebs pull apart and fall to the side of the door. As Zuko enters the room, h
e pulls his cloak from his head and raises his lantern to look around the dark c
hamber. The room is filled with artifacts and various vessels. A large and intri
cate dragon statue sits in the middle of the room. Under the dragons head, Zuko f
inds what he is looking for.)
Zuko: (reading aloud) The final testament of Fire Lord Sozin.
(The scene cuts to Aang reaching for Roku to climb on the back of the dragon.)
Roku: Come, Aang. (The three fly off over the clouds)
Aang: (curious) Where are we going
Roku: (smiling) To visit my past. Our shared past.
(Aang smiles, and the three fly out of the shot. Cut to the chamber where Zuko s
its, reading fervently. While Zuko reads, Fire Lord Sozins voice is heard. He nar
rates the following story.)
Sozin: (narrates) As I feel my own life dimming, I can t help but think of a tim
e when everything was so much brighter. (The scene cuts, and we see a lush and g
reen Fire Nation Courtyard. Two young firebenders are sparing. The young men exc
hange fire blasts in an impressive display of firebending. The two young men are
Sozin and Roku.) I remember my friend. (While they spar, Sozin notices that Rok
us feet are too close to a tree root. Sozin smiles, and uses this to his advantag
e. He steps up his attack to drive Roku back, causing Roku to trip and fall back
. As Roku falls, Sozin grabs Roku by the shirt to keep him from falling. While h
e holds him, he raises his hand as if to fire blast, but instead he lets Roku fa
ll to the ground.)
Sozin: (smiling) Looks like I win again, Roku. (Sozin extends his hand to help R
oku to his feet.)
Roku: Are you kidding (Raises eyebrows, and takes Sozins hand.) The tree root did
all the work. (Roku gets back on his feet, and pats Sozin on the shoulder to pra
ise his clever maneuver.) Nice one, Sozin. (The two young men walk off camera wh
ile Roku and Aang watch.)
Aang: (surprised)You were friends with Fire Lord Sozin !
Roku: Back then, he was just Prince Sozin, and he was my best friend.
(Roku and Sozin leave the courtyard. A lovely young Fire Nation woman enters the
scene. As she walks past the friends, Roku stares at her and blushes. Sozin not
ices.)
Sozin: (nudging Roku) Say something to her.
(Roku walks after the young woman. He raises his hand and attempts to greet her.
)
Roku: Uh...ahhh. (Embarrassed, and overcome by her presence,
his hands on his head and falls back onto the ground. Sozin
im and sprinkles blades of grass onto Rokus face. Roku and
the back, watching Rokus history unfold. The camera closes

Roku sighs and puts

sits down next to h
Aang can now be seen in
in on Aang and Roku.)

Roku: Love is hard when you re young.

Aang: You don t have to tell me.
Roku: (puts his hand on Aangs shoulder) Don t worry, It gets better. Now come wit
h me. We have a party to attend. (Cut to a lovely outdoor celebration in a court
yard. Cheerful golden lanterns are strung above a large crowd of Fire Nation cit
izens. The camera pans down, and we see a large staircase with two figures stand
ing at the top.)
Aang: Wait, whose party is it
Roku: Sozin and I shared many things, including a birthday.
(The camera now focuses on Roku and Prince Sozin at the top of the stairs. As th
ey walk down the stairs, the camera focuses on two young women in the crowd. One
of them is Rokus love interest. She watches Roku, then looks down and blushes. H
er friend leans over her shoulder and giggles. Roku has noticed the young womans
interest and blushes while he continues down the stairs. Distracted, Roku begins
to fall down the stairs. Sozin acts quickly and grabs Roku by the hand, saving
him from falling. Roku, composes himself, and blushes again from embarrassment.
Sozin laughs at his love smitten friend. The moment ends quickly, as the crowd s
uddenly grows quiet. A group of Fire Nation Sages have entered the courtyard. Th
ey are walking toward Prince Sozin and Roku. Sozin hurries down the stairs to me
et them.)
Sozin: (concerned) Did something happen to my father
Fire Nation Sage: No, Prince Sozin. We are not here for you. We are here to anno
unce the identity of the next avatar. (The guests are no longer quiet as whisper
s travel through the crowd. Cut to Roku and Sozin, both in shock. Cut again to a
close up of the sages. The Sages make the announcement, and they bow to respect
the new Avatar.)It is our honor to serve you, Avatar Roku.
(Cut to a close up of Roku, standing with his jaw dropped, in disbelief. The cam
era shows the crowd on the ground, all bowing. Sozin, who is still in shock hims
elf, looks around at the crowd. Then he quickly turns to kneel before Roku. The
scene slows fades and ends with Roku still standing at the top of the stairs.)

Act II
(The scene opens with Zuko sitting in the chamber reading. The camera pans down
to show him holding the scroll. His lantern still casting an orange glow against
his body. Cut to a side close up of his face reading Firelord Sozins history. As
he reads, Sozins narration is still heard. Fade from Zukos close up, to a close u
p of Roku, sitting in his room. He is staring down towards the floor.)
Sozin: (narrates) Soon the day came when my friend Roku had to leave the Fire Na
tion and face his destiny as the Avatar. He needed to travel the world so he cou
ld master the other elements.
(Sozin appears in the doorway of Rokus room.)
Sozin: (leaning against the door frame) Hey, why aren t you packed yet, all-powe
rful Avatar
(Roku doesnt move, and continues to stare. The camera focuses on Sozins face. Sozi
n looks down, he sympathizes with is friend. Suddenly, Sozins face perks up.)
Sozin: (smiling) Come on, show me how it s done(Cut to another view of Rokus room.

Sozin leaps in the shot, attempting to demonstrate examples of all the bending
disciplines.) using all four kinds of bending. (Sozin ends his routine with a ch
eerful smile. Cut to an overhead view of Roku sitting on his bed. The camera clo
ses in on him slowly as he speaks.)
Roku: (depressed) I started packing, but then the fire sages told me
I won t need any worldly possessions anymore. (Cut to Sozin, who loses his smile
, and sits down beside his friend.)
Sozin: (saddened) Oh.
(Cut to a view of Roku and Sozin, sitting next to each other on Rokus bed. There
is an open, but empty trunk at Rokus feet.)
Roku: It happened so fast. Everything s going to be different now.
Sozin: (Blinks, and a small smile is seen briefly. He reaches up toward his head
dress. He removes it from his topknot, and holds it out towards Roku.) Here. (C
ut to a close up of the royal head dress)I hope you re at least allowed to have
this.
Roku: But this is a royal artifact. (Cut to a view of the two still sitting, Soz
in holding the head dress in his hand.) It s supposed to be worn by the crown pr
ince.
Sozin: (leans in) I want you to have it.
(Roku accepts the gift, and places it around his own top knot. The camera focuse
s on Rokus top knot as he slides the pin into place, then pans out to show Roku s
miling. The two friends stand up, and bow towards one another. Cut to Zuko still
sitting on the floor reading. The camera pans out. Cut to a close up of Sokka,
Katara, and Toph. Sokka and Katara looked disturbed. The camera angle changes, a
nd we see Aang with his eyes still closed, stand up on the rock he has been medi
tating on. Aang crouches down in a peculiar way, and begins to grunt. He appears
to be relieving himself. Cut back to the gang. Katara looks alarmed.)
Katara: (disgusted) Do they have bathrooms in the spirit world
Sokka: (raising his index finger) As a matter of fact, they do not.
(Cut to Aang smiling, still in the peculiar stance. Cut again to Aang riding on
the back of Rokus dragon in the spirit world. The camera angle changes to an aeri
al view of Roku and Aang soaring over the clouds. Aang notices they are on their
way to a familiar place.)
Aang: (excited) Hey, we re almost at the Southern Air Temple.
Roku: This was the first stop on my avatar journey.
(The camera angle changes, and the beautiful Patola mountains are shown with the
Southern Air Temple in the distance. Fang flies gracefully through the mountain
range. Cut to a line of young Air Nomad monks. The camera pans right to show Av
atar Roku, at the end of the line. He is annoying a young monk to his right. Rok
u is airbending his long black hair in the monks face.)
Roku: It was the place where I was trained to master airbending and also where I
met an old friend of yours, Monk Gyatso.
(Gyatso then effortlessly air bends Rokus hair back, causing his hair to tangle.
Roku nudges Gyatso forward. Gyatso is very satisfied and smiles.)
Aang: (surprised) No way.
(The scene changes, and an aerial view of the airbenders on a grassy ledge is sh
own. An older Air Nomad leads the students in an airbending exercise. He launche
s off the side of the ledge. The students line up by twos to follow their teache
r. Cut to Gyatso and Ruko soaring through the air on their gliders.)

Roku: Hey, Gyatso, you want to see a new glider trick (Roku flies up and loops tw
ice in the air.)
Gyatso: (laughing) Check this out. (Gyatso flips his himself over, and stands on
top of his glider. Cut to Roku and Aang, sitting on Fang.)
Aang: (impressed)) He s air-surfing. I can t believe I never thought of that.
(As Gyatso shows off his skill, he loses his balance, and begins to fall through
the sky. Roku catches him on the back of his glider. Unfortunately, Roku is una
ble to control the glider, and the both plummet towards the other young monks wh
o are now back on the grassy ledge. Cut to the other students looking up at the
falling airbenders. They panic and try to run to get out of their way. Cut to a
side view of Roku and Gyatso, flying low about to crash. They crash off camera,
and a large cloud of dust enters the shot. Cut to the young monks knocked over,
and scattered about. Rokus hair is in his face. Gyatso air bends it back while Ro
ku lifts his head. They both smile, and Roku pats Gyatso on his shoulder. Cut to
a close up of Aang.)
Aang: (smiling) That s amazing. I can t believe you were friends with Monk Gyats
o just like I was. (The camera pans out quickly to show Roku.)
Roku: (fondly) Some friendships are so strong, (closes his eyes) they can even t
ranscend lifetimes.
(Fang slowly flies out of the scene with Roku and Aang on his back. Cut to a pan
oramic view of the North Pole. In the distance, we can see two figures on a plat
eau of ice. Cut to Roku standing on the table of a small glacier. He is older no
w. His hair is shorter, around shoulder length. He has chiseled features, and th
e beginnings of a beard.)
Roku: After my years mastering airbending, I traveled to the Northern Water Trib
e. (Cut to Rokus water bending master. His hair is short with familiar beaded dre
ads of hair around the face. He wears a collar of bone with a blue stone, and a
blue water tribe parka. The Water Bending Master commands a large, spiraling wat
er spout from the ocean waters behind him. It curls, turns and twists before fin
ally thrusting forward, knocking Roku, and a fourth of the glacier, into the wat
er.) Waterbending was especially challenging for me. (Cut to a shot of the water
.) But in time, I mastered it as well. (Roku emerges from the water, and bends a
n enormous wave of water directly at his master standing on the glacier. The bla
st destroys the glacier, and carries his waterbending master all the way back to
the top of the North Water Tribe Temple. His master sits up, and shakes his hea
d to get his bearings. Cut to Roku, standing on an ice float, lowering his stanc
e. A smile of satisfaction sits upon his face. The scene fades into the next. Ro
ku stands shirtless. From the waist down he wears Earth Kingdom clothing. His ha
ir and beard are longer. He moves his arms in quick strong motions across his bo
dy to earth bend a large piece of earth he is riding up the side of a mountain.)

Roku: (narrating) I moved on to the Earth Kingdom. (Cut to Roku racing up the sl
ope, another Earth Bender enters the scene. He is racing Roku. The point of view
changes, and we see Roku again, looking at his master as they compete for speed
.)My Earthbending master, Sud, was uncompromising, stubborn, and blunt. (The two
benders race their landmasses into thick brush and trees. Then, they disappear
from view. Cut to a view from the top of the mountain overlooking a valley.) and
a lifelong friend.(Sud races into the shot, coming closer to the camera. He quic
kly brings his landmass to a halt. He thrusts his fists into the air, confidentl
y cheering for himself. The look on his face changes quickly when he realizes th
at Roku not only beat him to the top, he also had arrived in enough time to seat
himself, and pour them both tea. Sud smiles at his pupil. Cut to a long shot of

Roku and Sud. They both raise their teacups to toast. The scene dissolves into
a close up of Rokus head dress and slowly pans down to show his face in an extrem
e close-up.) It was bitter work( The camera pans back to a medium shot of Roku on
a beach. He moves his arms to bend the different elements in a display of maste
ry. He starts by Waterbending to his left, Earthbending to the front, Firebendin
g behind, and Airbending to his right. The camera pans to an aerial view of Roku
at the center of the 4 elements he commands.) but the results were worth it. (T
he scene cuts in a wash of white light followed by a shot of Zuko, still reading
Sozins history in the chamber. An extreme close up shows his eyes quivering with
each word he reads.)
Sozin: (narrating) Twelve long years passed before I saw my friend again. When R
oku returned, he was a fully realized Avatar, and I had changed as well.
(A wall of flames fade Zukos shot, into the next. The camera is behind Sozin sitt
ing in his throne room. Roku enters the shot, he walks down a long ornate red ca
rpet towards Sozin.)
Roku: (cheerfully) Sozin, or should I say, Fire Lord.
Sozin: (seriously) Customarily, my subjects bow before greeting me, but you re t
he exception.
(Aang and Roku watch the scene from across the room.)
Roku: After all these years, he was still my best friend (Fade to a wedding cere
mony and celebration in a Fire Nation Courtyard. Many guests are in attendance,
even citizens from other nations. To Rokus right is Sozin who is holding a scroll.
)And a few months later, he was my best man.
Aang: (excited) Roku, it s that girl who didn t even know you were alive.
(Roku lifts his brides veil.)
Roku: (fondly) Ta Min. I was persistent. When love is real, it finds a way, and
being the Avatar doesn t hurt your chances with the ladies, either.
(Cut to a medium shot of Zuko. As he continues to read the history, the narratio
n changes to the voice of Sozin. Fade to a medium shot of Sozin deep in thought.
)
Sozin: (narrates) On wedding days, we look to the future with optimism and joy.
I had my own vision for a brighter future.
(Cut to Roku and Ta Min receiving and thanking guests. Sozin walks up behind the
couple.)
Sozin: (leaning in) Excuse me. May I borrow him for a moment
Ta Min: (considering) It s not very traditional, but ok.
(Cut to Roku and Sozin on a balcony. The lanterns in the courtyard can be seen b
elow.)
Roku: What s on your mind
Sozin: (seriously) I ve been thinking hard about the state of the world lately.
Roku: (trying to lighten the mood) Sozin, it s my wedding. Have a cookie. Dance
with someone. Lighten up.
Sozin: I know, I know, but just hear me out. Right from the start, I was destine
d to be Fire Lord. And although we didn t always know it, you were destined to b
e the Avatar. It s an amazing stroke of fate we know each other so well, isn t i
t Together, we could doanything.

Roku: (concerned) Yeahwe could.

Sozin: (proud) Our nation is enjoying an unprecedented time of peace and wealth.
Our people are happy, and we re so fortunate in so many ways.
Roku: (growing more concerned) Where are you going with this
Sozin: I ve been thinking. We should share this prosperity with the rest of the
world. In our hands is the most successful empire in history. It s time we expan
ded it.
Roku: (firmly) No. The four nations are meant to be just that: four.
Sozin: (emphatically) Roku, you haven t even stopped to consider the possibiliti
es.
Roku: (angry) There are no possibilities. This is the last I want to hear about
this.
Roku: (narrating) That was my first real test as the Avatar.
(Roku walks away from Sozin. He is clearly upset with their conversation. Sozin
can be seen in the background. He watches Roku walk away. Cut to Sozin, fuming w
ith anger at being dismissed by Roku. Cut to an extreme close up of Sozins eyes,
full of anger and hate.)
Roku: (narrating) Unfortunately, it was many years before I learned that Sozin h
ad gone ahead with his plan, despite my warning.
(The last scene dissolves. Roku and Fang are flying over a body of water, approa
ching land. As Roku flies over, he sees an Earth Nation dock, but as the camera
pans up, he sees an Earth Nation fortress with plumes of smoke rising from insid
e. A Fire Nation banner is strewn over the original Earth Kingdom symbol, coveri
ng it. The camera pulls in more to an extreme close up of the Fire Nation banner
. Cut to a medium shot of Roku, shocked by his discovery. Cut to Roku, bursting
through the doors of Fire Lord Sozins throne room. Cut to an overhead shot of Rok
us shadow in the doorway cast on the long red carpet.)
Roku: (infuriated) I ve seen the colony, Sozin. How dare you occupy Earth Kingdo
m territory!
Sozin: (bitter with anger) How dare you, a citizen of the Fire Nation, address y
our Fire Lord this way. Your loyalty is to our nation first. Anything less makes
you a traitor.
Roku: Don t do this, Sozin. Don t challenge me. It will only end badly. It s ove
r.
(Avatar Roku lowers his eyes in disappointment, and turns to walk away. As he le
aves, Firelord Sozin becomes filled with uncontrollable rage. He leaps from his
throne and bends a deadly blast of fire at his former friend. The POV shows the
mighty blasts from Sozins hands, streaming steadily from his clenched fists. As t
he flames lift, and the room can be seen again, Roku is nowhere to be found. Cut
to a medium shot of Sozin, still fuming with anger, but clearly concerned about
Rokus whereabouts. His eyes shift from side to side, trying to find Roku. Roku b
reaks through the floor behind him, he had used Earth Bending to sink into the f
loor to safety. As he emerges, he delivers a mighty blast of air that sends Sozi
n flying across the room, and slams him into the doors of the throne room. As So
zin drops to the floor, Roku wastes no time Earth Bending a pillar of Earth that
lifts Sozin into the air and pins him by the back of his robes to the ceiling.
Sozin is helpless. Cut to an extreme close up of Avatar Roku, his face gripped b
y fury. He calmly brings his hands together in front of his face, and his eyes s
park. The avatar spirit now flows through him. Cut to a long shot of the throne
room. He brings the supports of the throne room crashing down. Cut to an aerial
shot of the devastation seen from outside of the throne room. Cut to a medium sh
ot of Sozin, uncovering his face to witness the destruction. Roku airbends a cyc
lone of air, and raises himself up to face Sozin.)
Roku: I m sparing you, Sozin. I m letting you go in the name of our past friends

hip, but I warn you, even a single step out of line will result in your permanen
t end.
(Sozin stares at Roku, his face unchanged. Suddenly, his expression drops, and h
e hangs his head in defeat. Roku turns, and rides the cyclone quickly away from
Sozin, and out of the shot.)

Act III
(The scene opens to show Rokus island. Cut to a long shot of Roku sleeping peacef
ully next to his wife in his home.)
Roku: (narrates) Sozin and I didn t speak or see each other for 25 years after o
ur battle. I spent most of my spare time here at my home.
(A loud rumbling whooshing noise wakes Roku. He springs from his bed, and looks
out a window. He sees several large fireballs falling from the sky, and crashing
into the island. Roku and his wife flee the room. As Roku flees from the room,
his headpiece falls to the floor, and is left behind. Roku emerges from the hous
e to find the air saturated with smoke and ash. Coughing, Roku and his wife shie
ld their faces. Ta Min runs towards a corner of the house, away from Roku.)
Roku: (reaches for Ta Min) Let s go.
(Roku airbends a tunnel into the clouds of smoke to help his wife and others esc
ape safely. Cut to a view of the town. Townspeople are running through the stree
ts to escape the waves of smoke and ash that now pour through the streets. Cut t
o Rokus home. Fang flies up from behind the house. He narrowly escapes as an ashf
low completely buries the house. Cut to a wide shot of Roku, with his face cover
ed, leading his wife and many townspeople to safety. Ash continues to fall as we
see a swell of lava ooze from the mouth of the volcano. Cut to a close up of Ro
ku still running. He looks to his wife, the POV changes to Rokus. He lets go of he
r hand, and motions her to go on without him. With her arm still outstretched, s
he looks at him, and runs to safety. She continues to look back, desperately hop
ing Roku will grab her hand. Ta Min runs off camera with many of the townspeople
. Avatar Roku turns to face the advancing destruction. He airbends a hug dome of
protection around himself. Cut to the townspeople POV of the air dome from the
life boats off shore. Cut to a reaction shot of Ta Min, a young man to her right
, and a young woman to her left. They look up, at the catastrophe stricken with
fear. Cut to a wide shot of Firelord Sozin, watching Rokus island burn from his b
alcony.)
Sozin: (narrates) Roku s island was 100 miles away. But I could still feel it ru
mbling and see the black plume of smoke. I had never seen anything like this cat
astrophe.
(Cut to an aerial shot of the volcano. Large columns of black smoke billow from
the summit. Suddenly,lightning strikes above the volcano as the earth rumbles fr
om the disaster. Cut to a close up of a landslide quickly approaching the town,
threatening to destroy it completely. Thinking fast, Roku earth bends a gigantic
wall, and rides the wall to meet the falling earth, and stop its decline. As he
succeeds in stopping one disaster, another appears. The volcano ejects a massiv
e wave of molten lava from its mouth. The flow breeches the wall of earth. Roku
runs to the bottom of the summit, and cuts into the earth using his earthbending
. He creates a channel to divert the lava into the surrounding ocean, away from
the town, and the bay of the island. Cut to a wide shot of the island. The chann
el fills with lava, and empties into the ocean. Cut to Roku and Aang watching th

e destruction.)
Aang: (in awe) This is amazing, Roku. You re battling a volcano, and you re winn
ing.
Roku: Unfortunately, my success didn t last, Aang. There was no way I could do i
t all.
(Cut to Roku surrounded by lava and smoke. He covers his face as lava leaps arou
nd him, and toxic gases spout up around him. Roku slowly turns to look up at the
top of the volcano. As the camera pans up and focuses on the mouth of the volca
no, it violently expels another fire fountain of lava. Roku runs toward the volc
ano, and leaps into the black sky. He blows a powerful blast of air from his mou
th at the rapid lava flow. The blast is so powerful; it causes him to rise in th
e air. The lava flow cools to rock, and Roku lands on it. Suddenly, a blast of p
oisonous gas spouts to his right, he turns and covers his face. He turns to the
jet, airbending it away. Suddenly lava appears on his right. Another jet of gase
s blasts to his left, and he quickly air bends it as well.)
Ruko: (narrates) Battling the elements was hard enough. I had to do it while I c
ould barely breathe. The poisonous, volcanic gasses were overwhelming.
(Cut to an overhead shot of the sky directly over the eruption. Lightning crashe
s around the crater as Fang flies into shot. The summit emits another lava fount
ain. Fang pulls back, narrowly escaping the blast.)
Roku: (covering his face with his arm) It s all right, Fang. Get out of here, I
m fine.
(Roku turns his body from side to side. His movements are strong. When he faces
the camera again, Rokus face is fierce and his eyes are aglow, he has entered the
avatar state. With a powerful blow from his fist, Roku earth bends a tremor thr
ough the volcano, knocking out the entire backside of the crater. This lessens t
he lava flow that was threatening to engulf the island. As the lava flows down,
the second volcano erupts. Roku hopelessly drops his head. Cut to a view of Roku
from behind. Sozin, on a blue dragon, enters the shot.)
Sozin: Need a hand, old friend
Roku: (surprised) Sozin !
Sozin: There s not a moment to waste.
(Cut to an aerial view of the two volcanoes. Sozin and Roku ride on the blue dra
gons back to the second eruption. Cut to a medium shot of Roku bending the fire f
ountain down into the crater. Cut to Sozin balanced on the mouth of the vent. He
helps cool the lava by displacing the heat and channeling it through himself, a
nd out through his other hand into the turbulent sky. The scene pans out to show
the silhouettes of the two friends, commanding and controlling the devastation.
Cut to a view of the volcanoes from the POV of the towns people in the boats of
f shore. Cut to a medium shot of Ta Min. Her face is anxiously fixed on the volc
anoes. The scene cuts back to Roku and Sozin on the edge of the crater. Lightnin
g blasts above Sozin. The earth beneath him becomes unstable. He begins to fall
back off the side of the volcano. Roku quickly earth bends an earth shelf to cat
ch Sozin. Stable again, Sozin looks to Roku for a moment. Suddenly, the earth vi
olently shakes and another surge of ash and rock shoot from the crater. The two
turn to run. )
Ruko: Don t breathe the toxic gas.
(As the two run, a jet of toxic gas shoots up directly next to Sozin. Roku quick
ly air bends it away to protect Sozin. Suddenly gas erupts directly into Roku fa

ces. Roku is overcome and disorientated.)

Roku: (shaking) It s... too much.
(Cut to Rokus POV. He lifts his hands to look at them. They blur out of focus. Ov
erwhelmed by the poisons, Roku begins to buckle and falls to his knees. He looks
up toward Sozin, and holds out his hand for help.)
Roku: (begging) Please...
Sozin: (callously) Without you, all my plans are suddenly possible.
(Cut to a medium shot of Roku. His arm is still reaching out towards Firelord So
zin. He listens to Sozin in disbelief as Sozin delivers his death sentence.)
Sozin: I have a vision for the future, Roku.
(Sozins dragon appears. As Roku kneels, weak and vulnerable, Sozin mounts the dra
gon and flies away. Cut to Roku, on the side of the volcano. He is surrounded by
toxic gas, and behind him a surge of rock and ash flows swiftly toward him. Cut
to a wide shot of the black clouds billowing from the island. Sozins dragon emer
ges from the plumes. The camera zooms to an extreme close up of Sozins piercing a
mber eye. Cut quickly to Roku, from the back, still on his knees. He is coughing
, and is unable to get to his feet. Fang appears from the right, and flies above
him. Cut to a close up side view of Roku, he bravely looks up towards his drago
n. Cut to a view of the debris, rapidly approaching Avatar Roku. With the avalan
che just moments away from swallowing Roku, Fang flies down, and wraps himself a
round Roku. The wave of ash and rubble cover the two completely. Fade to a sooth
ing bright light flooding an arched window frame. A babys coos can be heard. The
camera pans down to show a chubby, smiling infant. Cut to a long shot of three A
ir Nomads. A nun holds up the baby to the light while the infants parents stand i
n the shadows to the right of the nun.)
Aang: (off camera) Who swait, that s me, isn t it
Ruko: Make sense of our past Aang, and you will bring peace and restore balance
in the world.
(Avatar Roku slowly disappears behind Aang.)
Aang: (calls out) Roku

Roku

(Slow fade to a wide shot of Sozins chamber in the Dragon Bones Catacombs. Zuko i
s still seated on the floor, reading. Cut to a shot of Sozin from the back. He i
s standing on a balcony, overlooking his soldiers and Fire Nation Navy.)
Sozin: (narrates) With Roku gone, and the great comet returning, the timing was
perfect to change the world. I knew the next avatar would be born an air nomad.
So I wiped out the air temples. But somehow, the new avatar eluded me. I wasted
the remainder of my life searching in vain. I know he s hiding out there somewhe
re. The Fire Nation s greatest threatthe last airbender.
(Cut to a shot of the Southern Air Temple, devastated by fire. Slowly a close up
of Fire Lord Sozins eyes appear underneath the destruction. The two images stay
in the shot in juxtaposition, and then cuts to a Fire Navy ship sailing through
glaciers. Cut to the underside of the ship seen from under the water. The camera
pans down to reveal Aang and Appa surrounded by a sphere of ice. The scene fade
s to a close up of the scroll Zuko has been reading.)
Zuko: (disappointed) That can t be it, where s the rest of it
(Zuko puts the scroll down, as the camera pans out. Cut to the Fire Nation priso

n where they are holding Uncle Iroh. Cut to the back of Zuko, slamming the door
to the cell behind him as he enters. Cut to Iroh sitting with his head down. His
hair is tangled in tendrils that loosely lay about his face.)
Zuko: (shouting) You sent this, didn t you I found the secret history. Which, by
the way should be renamed "the history most people already know." The note said
that I needed to know about my great-grandfather s death, but he was still alive
in the end.
Iroh: (looks up toward Zuko) Nohe wasn t.
Zuko: (irked) What are you talking about
Iroh: You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your fath
er s grandfather. Your mother s grandfather was Avatar Roku.
Zuko: (shocked) Why are you telling me this
Iroh: Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers, ca
n help you better understand the battle within yourself. Evil and good are alway
s at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature, your legacy. But there is a bright
side. What happened generations ago can be resolved nowby you. Because of your l
egacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the fire nation. Born in
you, along with all this strife, is the power to restore balance to the world.
(Cut to a bundle inside of a brick wall. Iroh removes a brick and reaches for th
e bundle. Cut to Iroh slowly unwrapping the bundle while he walks toward Zuko.)
Iroh: This is a royal artifact. It s supposed to be worn by the crown prince.
(Zuko reaches out and takes Rokus head dress from Irohs hand. Zuko holds the artif
act while the camera angle changes to a wide long shot of the back of Zuko, stan
ding outside of Irohs cell. Iroh stands quietly, looking at his nephew as a soft
light glows from above his cell. Cut to a wide shot of the hardened lava wave th
e gang had been sitting on from the previous act. Cut to a medium shot of Sokka,
Katara and Toph all facing Aang as the camera pans down.)
Katara: (in disbelief)You mean, after all Roku and Sozin went through togethereve
n after Roku showed him mercy, Sozin betrayed him like that
Toph: It s like these people are born bad.
Aang: No, that s wrong. I don t think that was the point of what Roku showed me
at all.
Sokka: (confused) Then what was the point
Aang: Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right If anything, their st
ory proves anyone s capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fir
e Lord
and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they re worth giving a chance. And I
also think it was about friendships.
Toph: Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime
Aang: (grabbing Tophs hand) I don t see why not.
(Katara enters the shot, and reaches out to hold Tophs hand as well.)
Sokka: (stroking his face) Well, scientifically speaking, there s no way
to prove that..
Katara: (annoyed, she interrupts her brother) Oh, Sokka, just hold hands.
(Sokka stops talking, and without moving, he thrusts out his hand to hold Kataras
. The camera angle changes, and now shows the gang holding hands looking out tow
ards the ocean. The camera pans out, and fades.)
[End Credits]
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