Leminkaiya
Disclaimer: I do not own either "The Hobbit" or "Avatar: The Last Airbender" but the wonderful lady firebender in the story is my precious.
NOTE: I changed the timeline from the movie a bit to give them a few more days between finding the troll hoard and then being attacked by the goblins and wargs. I needed some relatively quiet time for Ainara to share her story with Bilbo and the dwarves so you will be finding out more of her background as well.
I've managed to make a lot of progress writing the next few chapters so I can definitely update twice a week and therefore finish the story in time for the third movie. So you will only have to wait a few days between each new chapter.
I know that a crossover with an OC isn't likely to get a wide audience unless it is exceptional so it is an honor to have anyone read this at all. So to the handful of you who are bothering to read this, thank you very much. I'd love to hear from you! Please do leave a word or two to let me know what you think of each chapter. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this one!
CHAPTER THREE
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"Tell us about your land, Ainara," Kili asked eagerly one night.
It was several days after they had escaped the trolls and found their hoard. The time had passed uneventfully so far and although the dwarves had shared many stories of their history and their people, they became curious about that of their foreign companion. The other dwarves soon voiced their interest as well and they gathered around the firebender, like children waiting to be told a story. Thorin said nothing but even he could not hide his curiosity. And Bilbo was just as keen on hearing about Ainara's story as the others.
"I've known you for years but you've never talked about your past," the hobbit commented.
"Well, you never asked," Ainara replied candidly, "but I suppose I owe you a story too. But this might take some time."
"It's a long way to the Lonely Mountain," Bofur pointed out, the others nodding in agreement.
The firebender shot a look at Gandalf who nodded gravely but there was a hint of warning in his eyes. Somehow, she was not yet to reveal her firebending. But this was already a test, to show her companions that she understood their struggle and that she could be relied upon to help them in their mission. But even with some details left out, this was going to be a long story so she made sure she and everyone else was seated comfortably around the fire.
"I come from a distant land, called the Four Nations which were divided among the four elements, Water, Earth, Fire, Air," she began, and she was careful to describe the different cultures without mentioning bending. She simply said that each nation had an affinity to one of the elements and everyone had distinctive traditions linked to their elements. She then focused on the Fire Nation and told her companions about growing up in the army.
"I've been a soldier all my life," Ainara declared proudly, "it's all I've ever wanted to be. I come from two noble lines of great Fire Nation generals from both my mother and father's sides. Being a warrior has always been in my blood. I was an only child so it was natural for me to follow in my parents' footsteps. And I was always proud to do so. I never felt like I was forced to follow a tradition and my parents never pressured me to become someone I was not. I chose my own path and even if it cost me much later on, I never regretted becoming a soldier in the Fire Nation Army. I trained under some of the great masters and I served some of the bravest and noblest officers."
The whole company listened, enthralled by Ainara's account of life in the Fire Nation military. The younger dwarves were completely in awe of their new companion and even the older ones could not help but be impressed by her story. She spoke with such sincerity and conviction that they did not doubt her words at all, even if some of the details about her land were strange to them. She also did not seem to be boasting about her fighting ability and they were sure they would see proof of this soon enough.
Bilbo was amazed to hear of all her exploits and felt that he was meeting someone knew. He had always known her as a quiet, private person who caused no trouble and baked excellent pies. And to hear that she was a fierce warrior from a faraway land was such a revelation to him.
Even Gandalf, who was well acquainted with Ainara's history and who probably knew even more about some aspects of her world than she did, listened with interest to his friend's words. He knew that this was the first time she was speaking of her past in a long time and he was certain that it was doing her good. She needed to remember certain events, no matter how painful, so that she could properly face her demons and move on. He could see that the more she talked about herself, the more confidence she regained. The years in isolation had made her somewhat shy and sorrowful but she was gradually opening up again and the wizard was glad.
"What about the dragonslaying?" Fili inquired, "What was it like?"
"Terrifying, to be honest," Ainara replied with a shudder as she revisited the memories of those days, "I was lucky to escape alive."
There were moments of those missions she did not want to talk about and the dwarves understood this and did not press her.
"But I don't think I've ever faced a beast as terrible as this Smaug," the firebender admitted, "the dragons in my land were huge and dangerous. But I don't think any of them caused as much destruction as Smaug did. And as far as I know, our dragons could not speak. At least not in any language we understood."
"Well, Smaug is an exception," Bofur remarked with a sigh.
"Those differences aside, surviving a dragon's wrath is a rare thing," Balin said wisely, "and your experience will certainly prove invaluable to us when the time comes."
The other dwarves nodded and Ainara thanked them humbly. She tried to catch Thorin's eye but he was looking away, lost in some sad memory.
"But how did you come to our world?" Ori voiced one of the questions all of them had been very eager to ask. Once again, all eyes were on the dark-haired lady.
She sighed heavily but was determined to tell them the truth, no matter how painful. She had not spoken of that terrible moment for years and somehow she needed to speak of it now so that it might be easier to forget.
The dwarves sensed that this was a sensitive topic to her. Thorin saw a shadow fall upon her features that he recognized only too well.
"Perhaps it is not easy for you to talk about it," Balin said kindly, "so we will not press you."
"Thank you for your consideration," Ainara replied, "indeed it is not easy to talk about but I feel that I must. It's not exactly a secret but I've kept it hidden in my memory long enough."
Once again, she exchanged a look with Gandalf. The old wizard nodded at her encouragingly.
"Ten years ago, my men and I were betrayed by our king," Ainara recounted gravely, much to the shock of all her listeners except Gandalf. With a sad but determined expression, the warrior continued her tale.
"We were in the middle of war, a war that some of us believed had lasted for far too long. While we had all fought for the glory and honor of our country, we began to have doubts. My men and I had fought for our country across all the Four Nations so we had seen the kind of destruction our war had caused on thousands of innocent people. We noticed that the Fire Lord was only concerned about gaining more power even if it meant ruining the lives of so many. Our eyes were opened to the flaws of our campaign and some of us dared to question our superiors. We should have known then that any hint of insubordination would not go unpunished.
Those who were lucky to escape imprisonment or execution became deserters and disappeared into the wild. My men and I suffered a different kind of punishment. We had not yet abandoned our posts and though we were reluctant, we still obeyed orders. One day we were sent on a secret mission. We were but a handful, some of the bravest and most loyal souls I have ever had the privilege of fighting with. Too late did we realize that a trap had been set for us. We found ourselves outnumbered by other soldiers, sent by the Fire Lord to execute us for 'treason.'
I do not know how I survived that attack. All I remember Gandalf rescuing me from the battlefield and bringing me to safety, far away from the world I had known."
Ainara concluded her tale and the whole company sat in thoughtful silence. The dwarves looked at their companion with renewed admiration and Bilbo was almost in tears, so moved was he by his friend's account of her struggles. Ainara nodded gratefully at Gandalf who approached her and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"I owe you my life," the firebender said earnestly, "so how could I refuse your invitation to an adventure?"
Seeing that the others continued to stare at her sadly, the warrior smiled warmly at them.
"Well, that's my story then," she declared, "but I do not like dwelling on the past. What I am looking forward to is helping all of you on this quest! It's been a long time since I've held a sword in my hand and you have no idea how much I've missed it!"
The dwarves gave a cheer and the mood was significantly lightened. But no one forgot a word of what was shared that night and for the next few days, Bilbo and the younger dwarves continued to ask about Ainara's other adventures and experiences. They were careful enough not to refer to the unpleasant events of her past but they were always curious about her country's history and culture. And not having spoken of the Fire Nation for so long, Ainara enjoyed telling them about it. And though Thorin never asked her about anything, she noticed that whenever she happened to be telling Kili and Fili about her days as a soldier, their uncle always seemed to be listening discreetly. More than anything, Ainara hoped that she could gain his trust because she had a great respect for him.
They continued on their journey in relative peace. And though Ainara continued to discreetly ask Gandalf when she would finally reveal her firebending to her companions, the wizard always replied that it was not yet the time.
"Don't you think they will resent me all the more the longer I keep this from them?" she told him one night.
"You have not lied about anything so far," Gandalf reassured her, "and you and I both know that you have not yet recovered your full strength. You have not used firebending in a fight in ten years."
"But I feel stronger and stronger everyday," she protested, "surely that should be enough for a simple demonstration. You know that I've already been discreetly bending to start small fires and whatnot."
"Trust me, when the moment comes for you to use your bending, it will be for more than just a demonstration," Gandalf said mysteriously.
"Very well," the warrior conceded, "but when that time comes I will tell them that it was you who told me to delay this disclosure."
"Go ahead," the wizard replied in amusement, "you may allow yourself to be intimidated by these dwarves but I certainly will not. And do not worry too much. When the time comes, they will understand."
Though she still had some doubts, Ainara nodded and followed Gandalf's advice. She didn't always understand him but he had never led her astray.
Later on, to keep themselves in fighting condition, the dwarves decided to have some sparring sessions with one another. The more experienced dwarves showed the younger ones how to handle weapons. Ainara was a patient teacher and she even shared certain techniques that were new to Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Bofur, Bombur, Bifur, Dori, Nori, and Thorin. All the younger dwarves were thrilled to learn these new skills.
Even Bilbo had to learn some basic moves and fighting positions. The hobbit proved not too clumsy with his new elven blade though he still hoped he would not have to use it. There were moments when he felt slightly out of place in the group because he was not an experienced fighter like his friend. But she always seemed to sense when he was uneasy and she would quickly reassure him that he belonged with the group as much as she did.
"You need to believe in yourself a little more, my dear Bilbo," she would tell him, "but until you do, know that I believe in you. And so does Gandalf."
These words always brought the hobbit some comfort and he was grateful to have an old friend by his side on such an unpredictable journey.
As the days passed, the dwarves grew more and more at ease with their two new companions and though they still had a long way to go, the road ahead seemed less forbidding.
