Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, as much as I wish I did.
Stories
"Uncle Iroh! Tell us one of your stories." Aang's big brown eyes stared pleadingly up at the man they all called Uncle Iroh now.
Iroh sighed and took a sip of his tea. Ginseng, my favorite. A chorus of pleas erupted from the four youngest of the group. Zuko gave a small smile of encouragement as he placed the teapot back on its stand.
"Oh, all right." Iroh put on a fake long-suffering, weary voice. The little glade they were camped in erupted with cheers, along with chattering from Momo and a grunt from Appa. The war had been over for quite some time, but they still enjoyed traveling together, seeing places they'd never seen and revisiting beloved places and people.
"Which one are you going to tell this time?" Katara asked, her blue eyes transfixed on the old man. "The Cave of Two Lovers? The Creation of Kiyoshi Island?"
Iroh shook his head. "I am going to tell you a story none of you have heard, besides Zuko. And even he hasn't heard it in several years."
Zuko's eyebrows pulled down over his eyebrows, trying to remember. He shook his head, as if to shake off an irksome fly (or perhaps an irksome thought), sending his preferred shaggy disarray of hair flying in all directions. "Please go on, Uncle."
Iroh took another sip of his tea and thought deeply for a moment. As he thought, his face seemed to get rid of its wrinkles, bringing back the shadow of the young man he had been.
"It is said that there is a girl, an extraordinary girl, who can reach into people's dreams. She can talk to you, forewarn you, and threaten you. She can see into past dreams you've had. Her eyes are blue-"
"Does that mean she's from the Water Tribe?" Sokka asked excitedly. Katara elbowed him.
It was Zuko who spoke next, finally remembering the story. "No one knows. Some say she is a Water Tribe girl, some say she isn't, and that she's from another world entirely."
"The…Spirit World?" Aang asked confusedly. Zuko shrugged.
"Like I said, no one knows."
Iroh cleared his throat. "Continuing on. Her eyes are a magnificent shade of blue, and her hair is-unbelievably- a golden color. It is long, and wavy, and said to be about the color of wheat.
"But the most unbelievable thing about her is her singing, which is why they call her the Dream Singer. She is said to take a liking to people, and she sings them to sleep in their troubled times. She also possesses powers unknown to anyone. Some even say that, like the Avatar, she can master all four elements. Most, however, find that hard to believe. I think it's a bit far out myself.
"Either way, she's pretty powerful. Many tyrants have attempted to capture her and hold her, and each and every one has failed. No one knows how to evade her or restrain her."
"Is it always a her?" Aang asked.
"Yes."
"Sweet!" Toph said, speaking for the first time. "I love stories where the damsel saves herself."
"There are three theories: one, she is omnipresent, everywhere at once. Two, she is immortal. Three, she is reborn, like the Avatar, except always with the same appearance. Those who believe that say that her past lives are like yours, Aang, as in she doesn't know everything, but she still has wisdom from another.
"It's up to you whether you believe or not."
They sat in a quiet silence for quite some time, Iroh sipping his tea contentedly.
"Why did you tell us this story?" Katara asked quietly.
"Because I am favored by the Dream Singer," Zuko said, turning his face away from their surprised expressions.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Back at the Palace of the Fire Lord, a girl was thrown to the ground in front of another young woman. The captured girl seemed only to be around sixteen, and she was dirty and scratched all over. Her hair was muddied to a light brown, but you could tell it was naturally golden.
Mai looked down at the girl with disgust. "Wait until Fire Lord Zuko hears that his army has finally captured the Dream Singer," she sneered. A pair of fierce blue eyes stared up at her. For of course, Mai didn't know that her boyfriend was favored by this same girl in front of her.
The Dream Singer struggled against the chains holding her, knowing that if she tried anything on them, they'd burn her down. She remembered the night her Zuko had been burned by his father. His pain, her pain, they had been the same. So much pain…
One of the guards kicked her in the side. She cried out in pain and fell even lower than she was.
"Take her down to the holding cells. Put her in top security." Mai's voice was just as bored as ever.
The Singer felt something in her heart she had not felt in a long time as she was dragged away: hopelessness.
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A/N: Remember, this is a world where blonde hair doesn't exist. And don't come in here saying she's a Sue and she's stealing the Avatar's place and all that. It will be explained if you're patient enough.