Prologue: "The Old Ways, Our Ways"

Somewhere in Aaa many, many years ago...

"My dearest grandson, you must stop squirming around and let me tuck you into bed. Truly, it may appear that you have a lot of energy right now but trust me when I say that you're going to collapse at any given moment unless you get some rest this instant. Today has been a busy day. Today has been a good day for all of us Winmads. Do not ruin it by misbehaving like this."

"Aw but grandma, I'm not tired! I'm not. Ugh, quit it! I want to stay up with mom and dad and the rest of the clan to see the winds of Lord Aero pass over the land. I want to see the winds of fate that have guided our forefathers since the most ancient of days. I want to feel them on my face. I want to know where they wish to bring me."

"And in time, when he feels that you are ready to be a Winmad and you are responsible enough to bring his prophetic winds to the needy folk around this world of ours, Lord Aero will come to you, my child. He will bring his destined breeze with him. He will touch your soul. He will give you safety, happiness, courage, wisdom and so much more which you will then pass on to everyone else you meet in the future."

"Grandma, when I become a Winmad like the other adults, I'm going to be the best adventurer in history. I'm going to be the wisest of travelers, the most cunning of teachers, the bravest of warriors anywhere. Yeah, ha ha, I'm going to be like Lord Aero! And I'm not just saying that. I really mean it!"

"Ah, yes, I believe you, my grandson. You wishing to be like our savior, our guardian, our heroic Lord Aero, is a splendid goal to walks towards during the days to come. I've no doubt that if you set your heart upon that dream of yours, his lordship will bless you with the finest winds to speed you on your way in changing the world for the better. To protect you and the others you will meet in life."

"Hey, yeah. Yeah! If I'm going to help the world, if I'm going to fight evil, if I'm going to teach people the ways of good, then surely Lord Aero will help me, won't he? Ha ha, I'm going to be the best wind elemental ever known! I just know it! I can feel it!"

"Well, heh heh, no wind elemental of Lord Aero has ever gone on without ever taking a moment to still his winds and sit down for a breather. Every Winmad before us, my grandson, has learned that rest is an essential thing to abide by at every given chance. For without rest, he nor she could have ever been able to do the bidding of fate. He or she would've never been able to travel to the farthest reaches of existence and then come back to tell others of their experiences. Now… hop into bed there. That's it, good. Get under the covers and I'll tuck you in."

"Alright, alright. Fine. Grandma… I know that our clan, all of the Winmad clans everywhere, owe their allegiance to Lord Aero. I know the reason why mom and dad became the leaders of our own tribe was due to Aero's will. Still, if he's the teacher of all of us wind elementals, if he is our protector, if he is our teacher, why… can we never see him. Why does he only speak to us through his winds?"

"Ah, dearest child, you have a good heart along with mind to ask such a question… The reason we do not nor cannot see our lord is because he loves us. Even though we do not see him, he is protecting us."

"Really? So, like, hm, he is loving us by avoiding us?"

"Grandson, Lord Aero has never avoided us. He never will. To avoid someone or something means having nothing to do with that certain someone or something being avoided. It means total ignorance, silence, harshness from the individual doing the avoiding in question. Is our protector ignorant, my child? Is he silent or harsh?"

"No… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult Lord Aero."

"And you haven't, my dear. In fact, you haven't insulted anyone and, thus, you have no reason to apologize or feel guilty over anything. Instead, I want you to lay your head back onto your pillow, let me tuck you in… and listen to the story of why Lord Aero took to not showing himself to the world. Why he has to remain far away because he very much wishes to protect everything he holds dear."

"Okay, okay. So, our guardian took to hiding from the world to keep it safe? He still hides to keep everyone everywhere out of harm's way?"

"Yes, more or less. Yet, the reason for him doing so is a very exquisite tale that involves the beginning of our world, that describes his wisdom being passed onto everyone who would listen, that tells of how he made many friends… and some of his friends needed him more than anything else. And that's where he is today."

"Wait, what? Where is he today, grandma?"

"He's out there, somewhere in the world, helping his friends. The friends whom very much need him most to get along. The ones who love him with all of their heart. The ones who brought fire and ice into battle against each other and nearly brought the world to a crashing end."

"The friends of Lord Aero… who brought fire and ice into battle? You speak of Samandra, the lady of fire, and Matilda, the lady of snow. Right, grandma?"

"That's true. You see, my child, before he became the great savior he is today, before you and I were close to being born, before the world was covered in green and the sea was sparkling blue… Lord Aero was born into this world when it had still been barren, untouched, just plain bleak."

"Ha ha, our protector was born into this world when it was all empty? That must have been boring."

"Indeed, it was. Especially for he, the first playful wind elemental, who could run faster than fast, think quicker than quick and make the many winds of the earth flow at his slightest motion. Nevertheless, as soon as he was given life, Lord Aero was a free spirit whom tried to always look at things on the bright side. Despite the emptiness all around him, he was the best optimist anywhere."

"Still, he did get bored of never having anything to do then, right? I mean, we, his followers, weren't there with him. There wasn't anything there for him to help with. There wasn't anyone around to listen to his teachings."

"Now hold on, you're not listening, my child. Heh, although he was alone, you forget that Lord Aero was the happiest spirit to be around. Yes, when he was born, he was brought into our ancient world when it was mere emptiness, dust, bleakness. During that era, things were most definitely boring if not lonely. However, being the wise elemental he was, feeling a bit tired of playing around with only himself, our lord decided to do something. He decided he couldn't be the only being alive. With the help of his winds, he could feel other presences like his own far off in the distance. Thus, with a running start and leap into the air, Lord Aero blasted off into the sky where he flew circles around the world."

"Ha ha, he flew circles? He really flew all the way around the world?"

"Yes. Yes he did. Not once but twice, thrice, four times and perhaps more. For he was eager to find someone whom would keep him company, who would have fun with him, who would make his existence all the more enjoyable. And during his search, to his utmost joy, he did find a friend. In a shimmering desert, he found her; Lady Samandra, the first fire elemental, a most beautiful maiden made up entirely of dancing blue, red, orange, yellow flames. However, there was a problem…"

"Of course there was. Whenever a pretty woman is involved, there's always some sort of problem for the hero of the tale."

"Shush now. Heh heh, she was in fact locked away in a protective boulder and wouldn't come out for anything. When Lord Aero questioned why this was, she stated that the water from the sky would descend upon her… and put out her life source; her flames."

"Water from the sky? Oh, yeah, Lady Samandra was afraid of the rain."

"Indeed, she was. For you know as well as I that water puts out fire, my grandson. Therefore, to save herself from being doused, it was during the first ever rainfall of our world that Lady Samandra sealed herself within her rocky cocoon. And before Lord Aero's coming, she'd been locked away in that prison of hers for many a century. She had allowed fear to take control of her life."

"And fear is a poison, isn't it? It's the worst kind of poison of all."

"That's correct, my boy. Fear is what has always kept anyone from reaching their full potential. Fear is what makes problems grow into bigger problems. Nevertheless, when Lord Aero couldn't get Lady Samandra to come and speak with him, he did not leave. Instead, he simply sat in the dunes of the desert. There, through walls of the boulder before him, he spoke of many things with his first friend. In turn, he gradually came to very much enjoy her company and she enjoyed his. Together, they overcame their loneliness, their doubts, their fears. Finally, one day, Lady Samandra wished to come back out into the world and experience it with her newest friend… However, that's when the storm clouds began to gather."

"And let me guess, the rain decided to fall then?"

"Yes. That's when the rain started to fall. How very smart of you."

"Hah, how predictable. Classic. I saw that coming from a mile away, grandma."

"Ha ha, very well. Alas, Lady Samandra couldn't come outside while the water from the sky poured down from above. She had to wait until the storm cleared before she could step outside of her prison home. And being the understanding individual he was then, being a personage of patience, Lord Aero still did not depart. No, he waited with his friend of fire. Yet, on that day, the rain poured furiously, the thunder growled, the lightning struck with a wicked passion. For one day, for two, for three, the rains went on. All the while, unmoving, Lord Aero waited for the sun to come back out. And when it did not on the fourth day, he MADE it come out."

"He did? Oh, wait, he used his powers over wind to move the clouds and the storm away! Duh."

"That's right. Gathering all of his might together, overcoming the strength of the wrathful storm around him, Lord Aero used his powers to create a gale that would force the storm to move along. It during that event, though, that he met the first electric elemental, Lord Kaiser, whom was most cruel and sinister and made it known then that he'd been keeping Lady Samandra from leaving her prison for so many years. How? He'd done so by bringing about the worst of storms. In turn to hearing this, our Lord Aero acted most selflessly and battled Lord Kaiser for dominion of the heavens. The winds howled, thunder roared, lightning flashed. And in the end… the elemental of wind drove out his electrified foe. In turn, with the rains having been forced away once and for all, Lady Samandra was able to come out of her prison for the first time in a very, very long time."

"Hooray! Leave it to Lord Aero to be the hero of the day. Leave it to him to defeat that bully of a tyrant and save the maiden in distress!"

"Yes, our Lord Aero proved to be a fantastic champion that day. Not only had he driven away the ways of evil but he'd also freed an innocent soul from the grasp of despair. And as for that freed, innocent soul in question, she was so very happy to have found a friend like our lord. She blessed him with a kiss which granted him unrivaled vigor and he, in reply, vowed to never let her come to harm ever again. He promised to always be there for Lady Samandra; for his first best friend."

"In the future, grandson, our Lord Aero would make that same promise to everyone he met. Truly, he made that promise to the earth elemental, Lord Gronite, after they'd raised vast lands from the sea together. He made that promise to the water elemental, Lady Nami, after they'd calmed the tides and stopped the devastating tsunamis of the ocean. He made that promise to mortals everywhere after he'd used his winds to guide good weather to their crops, after he'd taught them all he knew of the ways of life, after he'd stopped many a natural disaster with his brave ways and cunning."

"Grandma, he never forgot about Lady Samandra, did he? During all of his heroics and saving the day, he didn't forget about his first best friend, right?"

"Right, my grandson. You are right. Whenever tired or free from his duties, always did Lord Aero return to his oldest friend in the desert. Always did they speak of what they'd done since they'd last saw each other. Gratefully, always did comforted Lady Samandra give her champion a kiss that filled him with joy, energy along with bravery which gave him the firm determination to go on doing anything and everything he could."

"Ew. Leave out the kissy stuff, grandma. Gross. That's big people stuff… Hey, what about Lady Matilda? Didn't you say that ice and fire fought each other?"

"Ah, sadly, yes. That is how this story of our Lord Aero will end, my grandson. That part of the tale where flame meets ice is the saddest of all. For it teaches us Winmads and every other mortal today that no matter how brave or strong or capable a person or god, mistakes can still be made. And in turn, failure can strike at anyone."

"When he first found Lady Matilda, Lord Aero was off exploring the unreached, uncharted parts of the world where ice, snow along with freezing temperatures reigned supreme. Yet, having been recently blessed with a kiss of fire from Lady Samandra, Lord Aero did not feel affected by the cold. He went on exploring, adventuring, doing what others could not in the arctic north. Finally, it was within a fissure that went deep, deep, deep into the earth that Lord Aero felt something. He knew there was an awesome presence down there. So, with a spin, with a hop skip of his feet, he courageously leapt down into the cold reaches of the abyss where darkness clouded his vision. At first, he was careful not to anger anything down there. Yet, when he eventually bumped into Lady Matilda, the first ice elemental, he learned she was very quick to displease. For even when he meant good by greeting her, she replied with trying to freeze his soul."

"Whoa! She did? What a grump!"

"Now, now, you must remember that Lord Aero was the first stranger to have ever met Lady Matilda that day, my grandson. For you see, while the world outside of her frozen domain had went on growing, while the other elementals had come to meet one another, Lady Matilda had been alone all of her life. She didn't understand that our lord meant her no harm. Like her land, due to her many years of being by herself, her heart was frozen. He mind was broken."

"Seriously? She was… crazy?"

"At first, yes. Our Lord Aero was quick to in learning keep his distance from Lady Matilda. However, being the caring hero he was, he did not leave her. Now, some might say he stayed because she was enticingly beautiful in her own, frosty kind of way. Others might say she actually froze him in place and wouldn't let him leave because she found him entertaining. Still, the real reason is that he cared for everyone. He cared for even his enemies. And due to our Lord Aero's care, with his body warm from Lady Samandra's kiss, Lady Matilda's cold heart thawed over the years. Her mind returned to her and she found… that she finally had a best friend in life. She realized that there was a rather splendid world outside of her own cold realm."

"Yay! Did she come to visit the outside world? Did she make other friends?"

"Well…. Yes and no. For many years, somewhat forgetting everything else, Lord Aero spoke with recovering Lady Matilda of many things. They learned much from one another, respected each other, were happy when together. In time, they agreed to go back to the outside world and see what awaited them. Still, when they ventured too far from the icy north, Lady Matilda began to become sick. Lord Aero quickly figured out that it was due to her not being cold enough. Thus, with a quick dash from here to there then back again, he captured the winds of the frigid northlands and brought them to his sickly friend. After having fashioned the captured arctic winds into a gown, he presented the gift to Lady Matilda whom was instantly cured. And she, in gratitude, kissed him for his heroics."

"Uh oh. Too many kisses going around."

"That is correct, my grandson. For this is the portion of the story… that will be the saddest to hear. Instantly, although unintended by Lady Matilda, Lord Aero was turned colder than cold and he became very ill. Leaving his shocked ice elemental friend behind, he rushed to Lady Samandra to ask her for her help. He needed to be rejuvenated by her kiss. He needed to be warmed up. Of course, the fire elemental saved him from freezing to death. That and, in a growing rage, she demanded to know whom had dared to bring him to harm. And even though Lord Aero tried to explain the story as best as he could then, even though he tried to keep her from firing up… Lady Samandra flew into a rage when she heard that another had kissed her champion."

"And that's when ice and fire fought?"

"Sadly, yes. Misunderstanding one another, that's when Lady Matilda as well as Lady Samandra met and nearly tore the world apart with their might. That's when the many other elementals everywhere joined Lord Aero's efforts in separating them. At the end of the feud, when the dust had settled, when the end of world had been eluded, the elemental maidens of fire and ice were forced back to their respective homes. And in turn, to this very day, even as lady Samandra cries for him to come back to her, even as Lady Matilda descends back into madness, Lord Aero watches over them from a distance. Standing between them, not seeing either so that emotions will not flare up, he's kept the goddesses of ice and fire from ever fighting again."

"And that's what you mean, grandma… by Lord Aero protecting the world, all of us, by not appearing to us? The reason we don't' see him ever is because he's always busy keeping Lady Samandra and Lady Matilda from destroying each? He's… protecting them and all of us in his own… very special way?"

"Yes. It is indeed sad that you nor myself nor anyone can see Lord Aero these days. However, where he can't go on keeping the rest of the world safe because he needs to keep the powers of ice and fire separated, he now calls upon us – the Winmads – to take up his brave tradition of keeping the world stable. So, like our ancestors before us, you, my boy, your father, your mother, me, our clan, we will all continue to act in the good name of our lord. We will be the guiding winds of fate for everyone everywhere."

"Yeah. I'm… I'm going to be the best… Winmad ever, grandma… I'm going to the very best wind elemental… known in history."

"Yes, I know, my child. And while you're busy being the best, Lord Aero will be very proud of you all the while. He'll be there guiding your every step along the way."

"Grandma…?"

"Yes? What is it, grandson?"

"I… I'm going to make ice and fire… friends."

"Hm? What was that?"

"I'm going to… get Lady Matilda and Lady Samandra to be best friends. I'm going to help Lord Aero… not have to keep watch over them for eternity. I'm going to… make them all happy… and have them understand their mistakes."

"Heh, I would not be shocked if you did, dearest. With such drive like yours, with such determination in your voice, it will be hard for anything to damper your spirit and commitment. Still, shut those heavy eyelids of yours. Yawn once or twice. Now, let sleep take you. For look at the time. It's far too late for you to be awake any longer. You most certainly need your rest."

"I need… my… rest."

"Yes, you need your sleep. During all of his changing the world in eth past, even Lord Aero needed to take time to sit down and catch his breath again. Now sleep, my dearest August. Sleep. For tomorrow is a new day. And with every new day, there are new winds to be heard , to be followed, to be shown to others. Soon enough… you yourself will hear those winds, you will follow them, you will show them to everyone everywhere. And, truly, in one way or another, the world will thank you for all of your work."

Side Note: I don't exactly know if everyone who reads this first ever Adventure Time Fanfic of mine has read the Mini-Comic series featuring Fionna and Cake but I just wanted to put this in; all of this stuff about elementals and such was encouraged by characters like the Ice King/Ice Queen and the Flame Princess/Flame Prince. Plus, in Comic #1 of Fionna and Cake, there is a short story in the beginning that describes how a woman made of fire was encased in rock by her loved ones so that she wouldn't be harmed by the first rainfall of the world. However, inside of that rock, she was trapped and was sad. I thought it might've been cool if someone came to her rescue, someone who was like her in many ways. Anyway, I've rambled enough. I hope you enjoyed reading this and I'll see about posting more of this story when it is convenient for me. Favs and Follows would encourage my pace in posting. Thanks again for reading.