Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...
Ashlynn groaned as sunlight peaked in through the ceiling of her sleeping room. She rolled over onto one side, trying to ignore the annoying disturbance. When movement on deck became apparent, she knew she could sleep in no longer. She groaned, and sat up in her hammock, and then proceeded to stretch. Then, she slipped on her moccasins and walked up the wooden steps to the outside.
A few days prior, Aang had agreed to sail with Master Paku south for a little while. That way, he could get some more water bending practice with him in before moving onward to find an earth bending teacher. After a few days, the team would depart on Appa and head to an earth kingdom base, where a general would give the group an escort to Omashu. Aang hoped to learn from King Bumi, as he was one of the only reliable sources he knew of.
When Ashlynn walked up on deck, she realized it was the day for their departure. Her companions were busy packing their supplies up on Appa, and Master Paku was waiting, with some of his water-bending students, to bid them farewell.
"Hey Ashlynn- We're almost finished packing. Why don't you go pack your things and toss them into Appa's saddle?" Katara said as she tossed another sleeping roll on Appa's saddle. Ashlynn sighed, turned around, and walked back to her sleeping room.
Once there, she quickly threw her clothes and spare necessities into her pack, slung it over one shoulder, and once again departed from the room.
"Ah, Ashlynn- Come here, I have a gift for you," Master Paku said once he eyed her. She eyed him warily, and then looked over at Katara. She held up a little vial, indication he'd distributed gifts to the group. Ashlynn nodded, and then approached the elderly master.
"This was, in part, a request of Aang's to have made for you," Master Paku explained, and then motioned for one of his pupils to bring forth Ashlynn's gift. The youngest male of the lot protruded a staff, and Ashlynn instantly knew Aang had requested to have a glider made for her.
She carefully lifted the staff and examined it, and then bowed before Master Paku. "Thank you, this means a lot to me. Now I can further my training in bending," Ashlynn said as she rose to eye Master Paku. "May it help you on your journey ahead," he said, and together they bowed before one another.
Ashlynn then opened the wings of the staff and examined them carefully. "Try it out, Ash," Aang called out from on top of Appa. She grinned, and then positioned herself as Aang did when he was about to take off for flight.
Ashlynn felt the air currents around her, and she focused her breathing to her advantage. She inhaled deeply, and jumped forward, and used the air she exhaled to keep herself afloat. Clearly, she was not as mastered as Aang was, but she was able to guide the air to carry her on top of Appa, where her companions waited for her.
"Thank you, Aang," she grinned, and hugged him tightly. "No problem! Now you can practice even more!" he grinned back. She nodded, and closed the wings of the staff. She then set that, and her pack down with the rest of the belongings.
Then, the group looked to Master Paku and his pupils. They each bowed in turn, and the team nodded their heads respectfully in return. "Say hi to Gran-Gran for us," Katara said. Paku nodded, and then Aang ordered Appa to ascend so they could finally make their way towards the Earth Kingdom.
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"Come on Sokka, share some, please?" Ashlynn pleaded as she tried to pry a bag of flavored nuts from Sokka's hand. "Nuh-uh! I was given these, and so they are all mine. You don't get a single one," he said teasingly, and popped one into his mouth. Ashlynn frowned as he crunched down on it, and forcefully tugged the bag away from her.
"But we've been flying for over a day and I've had nothing but unflavored foods. I just want one, please?" she pleaded again with a pouting face.
Ashlynn couldn't help but smile as she begged him for his meal. Sokka, after several days following Yue's death, finally decided upon not acting hostile towards Ashlynn anymore. Since then, the two had become better friends, like they had before. He grew accustomed to her bending abilities, and even left the idea that she lied behind.
Sokka shook his head again, and finished off the bag of nuts with a satisfying and triumphant smirk to follow. "You're so mean," Ashlynn murmured, and narrowed her eyes jokingly. He grinned back at her, and held his hand open to show her he'd saved a few nuts.
Ashlynn grinned and reached to snag them from him. "No! First, what do you say?"
Ashlynn sighed, and said "Even though you're the only one who can't bend you're still the better warrior." Sokka grinned mischievously, and then handed her the nuts. She happily ate them, glad to have had food that wasn't so bland.
"We should be nearly there," Aang said as he peered over the side of Appa's saddle to get a good view of the mountain range. Ashlynn licked her fingers free of the crumbs, and then viewed the area as well. "There it is!" Sokka suddenly blurted, and pointed ahead of them. On the side of one mountain, hidden amidst several others, was the Earth Kingdom Base that Master Paku had instructed them to go to. Aang guided Appa to the area, and had him safely land on the open space set before them.
The General, Fong, was already there, more than eager to meet them. "Welcome, Avatar Aang. I am General Fong," he introduced himself, and gave a courteous bow. The earth benders behind him did the same. "And welcome, Aang's friends and companions... Appa, Momo, Brave Sokka, Mighty Katara, and Valiant Ashlynn," he said, greeting them each in turn.
To further the welcome, fireworks shot off from the building behind them. Ashlynn clasped her hands together as she surveyed them, having missed something so simple that was within the fire nation quite often. Fireworks had always been one of her favorite forms of entertainment.
"Come, come into my keep. We have much to discuss," General Fong said after a moment, and motioned for the team to follow him. The team gave one another curious glances, wondering what the General hoped to discuss with them, but respectfully followed him, regardless.
The General guided them to a large hallway, in which one earthly table stood firmly at the end of the hall. The General sat at the lone table, and requested the group patiently sit on the stone floor before it. They did so, despite the fact that they would've preferred chairs.
General Fong began the conversation as soon as each had sat down on the cold floor.
"Avatar Aang... Each of us here was amazed at the stories of how you single handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole. I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such power as that," he said and leaned forward while stroking his thick, brown beard.
"Well, I try not to think about it too much," Aang responded optimistically, trying to maintain a cheerful atmosphere. General Fong smiled at him briefly before continuing.
"Aang, you are ready to face the fire lord now," General Fong stated simply. Aang continued to smile at him for another moment, before blurting out his surprise as the General's words sank in.
"You got to be joking! No I'm not!" he cried out with shock. "Yeah, Aang still need to master all the elements," Katara defended.
"No he doesn't!" the General laughed heartily, and stood up. "What do you mean?" Ashlynn pondered aloud. "Why, isn't it obvious? He has the power to take down hundreds of fire nation ships without gaining a scratch! He can defeat the Fire Lord now!" he declared confidently.
"Sir, Aang can only do those things when he is in the Avatar State," Sokka explained quickly. "I know all about the Avatar State," General Fong said sharply before anyone could follow what Sokka had said.
The General stood up, and walked over to a map hanging upon the wall. "Without you, Aang, we'd be slaughtered in minutes. But... If you led the way, we could cut through right to the heart of the Fire Nation, straight to the palace!" he said, guiding a finger across the path he'd already drawn upon the suspended map.
"But... I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar State, much less to do once I'm there..." Aang muttered sadly, hopelessly confused. "It's settled then. I'll help you learn how to get into the Avatar State, and then you'll help us take down the Fire Lord," he commanded simply as he turned to face the group once more. At this point, Sokka, Ashlynn, and Katara had grown fed up, and he stood up to further defend his companion.
"Nothing is decided," Sokka fumed angrily. "Yeah, we already have a plan," Ashlynn followed defiantly. "Aang is going to pursue his destiny his way," Katara said, and folded her arms.
"While you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on. May I show you something?" he said solemnly. The group didn't protest, so he paced over to the nearest window. The group followed him hesitantly, and looked down below to where there was a smaller building surrounded with a few groups of people.
"That there is the infirmary. Those soldiers are the lucky ones... They're the ones that made it out alive. Every day the fire nation takes lives. You could end this madness now!" he spat angrily as he clenched one fist. Aang looked away from him and said nothing in response. General Fong waited another moment, and then said "Think about it," before walking off.
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The General's servants escorted the group to a room that had been prepared for them later that evening. They didn't have separate rooms within the base, so the group had to share one larger room that had a number of beds, fit to hold a small fleet of Earth Nation soldiers.
The team slept in a square around the room, Katara and Sokka across one another, and Aang and Ashlynn across each other. They unpacked what was needed, and continued to relax the remainder of the day.
"Maybe I should do what the General says..." Aang said once they'd each become comfortable in their own beds. "No Aang, you need to learn the elements. That's how it's always been," Katara explained.
"But, people keep dying... The General said so himself. It's my fault, because I'm not taking action quick enough," he sighed sadly. "That's the General trying to guilt trip you. People will always been dying, even when there isn't a war. It's not something that can be easily stopped. Aang, if you jump into this too quickly then you'll the one that ends up dead," Katara said worriedly.
"Maybe you're right... Okay, I'll go talk to him..." he said, and then got up from his bed. Without another word, he left the room.
"Well- Good for him; I'm going to try and get some shut eye," Katara said, and then rolled onto her side to face the wall.
Ashlynn eyed Sokka contemplatively, and he responded with a similar glance in her direction. She slipped off her moccasins, and then gave Sokka a short wave, indication she was following Katara's example.
Ashlynn laid out on her back and stared up at the darkening ceiling. She put her arms behind her head, and proceeded to think about what might've happened to Zuko. She knew, at least, that Iroh had gone after him. Ashlynn took comfort in knowing that Zuko wasn't entirely alone.
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"Ash," came a small whisper. Ashlynn opened her eyes, and was instantly greeted by utter darkness. She figured she had slept several hours well into the night. She blinked again, instinctively trying to adjust to the dark scene.
"Ash," came the whisper again, and she was able to identify the speaker as Sokka. "What?" she whispered back, and rolled on her side to face the dark room. It was then that she sensed Sokka was standing over her. "Come on," he whispered again, and Ashlynn heard him tip-toe out of the room. She quietly groaned, slipped her moccasins on, and followed him outside the room.
"What is it?" she asked as she followed him to a balcony outside their sleeping hut. She ran a hand through her hair in hopes of ridding herself of the bed-hair look. "I don't know- I just can't sleep. You missed the argument a few hours ago, so I figured I'd wake you up and tell you," he responded, and sat up on the balcony's edge.
"What argument?" Ashlynn asked while yawning. She rubbed her eyes afterwards, and looked up at Sokka, who was staring up at the moon that hovered above them.
"I guess Aang told the General he'd help them, despite what he told Katara. I backed him up, and Katara got angry," he shrugged, and looked down at her from the ledge he sat upon. Ashlynn folded her arms and leaned against the nearest column.
"Why'd you back him up? You know he won't win if he goes Avatar State. Fire lord Oazi is a powerful man, and he's backed up by many who are almost as powerful as him, including his own daughter Azula. Aang would get ripped to pieces. He needs to do it the right way," Ashlynn frowned, and yawned again.
"I don't know... The General made it seem so easy. Aang would have the entirety of the Earth Kingdom on his side, as well," he responded, and looked up at the moon again.
Ashlynn looked up at him for a moment. "You didn't bring me out here to talk about the argument, did you?" she asked warily. Sokka looked down at her for a moment, and then looked at the floor below his hovering feet. He turned his body around so that his feet hung over the other side, and said no more.
Ashlynn gazed up at the moon, and then sighed. Giving in to her natural need to comfort people, she pulled herself up on the ledge next to Sokka, and hung her feet the same way. "You might think she's gone, but she's not," Ashlynn reassured him, and grasped the hand he had next to her in means of comforting him.
"I haven't had a full night of sleep since... Since we were at the North Pole. It was getting unbearable... I just needed someone to be with," he responded sadly. "Sure, of course," Ashlynn responded.
Neither let go of the others hand. Together, they gazed up at the moon in silence as they awaited the coming sun.
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The next day, General Fong began testing his different theories of how to get Aang into the Avatar state. The theories included: Giving Aang a drink that only resulted in him being more hyper than usual, attempting to scare him into the Avatar State, and having him wear ceremonial clothing from each nation while having a mixture of the elements tossed upon him... None of which were successful. At the end of the day, the General decided upon picking up where they left off the following day.
At sunset, Katara pulled Aang aside to discuss her feelings on the matter with them. Ashlynn, in an attempt to keep him out of Aang and Katara's matters, approached Sokka with a suggestion of an activity for them to do.
"I don't know Ash, there's not a whole lot to do around here," he sighed heavily from severe boredom. "The shoreline isn't far from here... We could swim, or fish," she suggested. "Maybe you should practice your bending?" he suggested unexcitingly. "I do every day! I'm nearly an advanced glider, Aang said so himself. I don't need to practice anymore. Besides, you could use some fun too. You haven't had some in a while," she grinned, and playfully poked his side in an attempt to tickle him. He grinned back, and said "Alright, I guess I could go for an evening swim."
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After only a few hours of playful swimming, Sokka and Ashlynn agreed to silently walk back towards the base without disturbing anyone.
Ashlynn laughed frivolously as she tried to follow Sokka's footsteps exactly as he had them. She stretched one leg forward, and firmly planted her foot in the spot where his foot had just marked the sand. Sokka grinned slyly, and circled around behind her.
"Don't you dare!" she demanded while laughing, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. She lifted one foot and tried to place it in the next footprint, but as she did this Sokka shoved her slightly, making her lose her balance. She let out a small squeal as she fell over.
"Aw man, now it's going to look like two of us were down here," she pouted playfully. "So what?" he grinned, and held a hand out to help her back up. She grasped it, and he tugged her up. "Someone's going to think something's up," she giggled, and began to trot back towards the base. Sokka shook his head and laughed to himself, and then followed her.
"Sokka?"
"What?"
"I don't think bringing on the Avatar State is a good idea."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Okay... Do you think the General will be angry?"
Ashlynn groaned as the voices of Aang and Sokka stirred her in her sleep. When she groaned, the whispering voices ceased. After a moment, Sokka spoke again.
"You're the Avatar. Who knows better than you?"
Aang said nothing, and then the two rolled over to go back to sleep. Ashlynn smiled slightly to herself, glad of Aang's decision, and then rolled over and quickly fell back into a deep slumber.
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The next day, Ashlynn and Sokka went with Aang to confront the General about Aang's final decision. Katara, still angry with Aang for having agreed to the General's crazy ideas in the first place, remained behind.
Ashlynn and Sokka stood together near the General's guards while Aang gave his views on the matter. He ended his short speech by saying "I can't reach the Avatar state unless I'm in genuine danger."
That, however, proved to be the wrong thing to say to the crazed and determined General. "I was afraid it would come to this," was all he said before thrusting his entire stone table in Aang's direction. "Aang!!" Ashlynn and Sokka cried out in unison when the bulky desk struck Aang head-on. Before they could do anything, however, the General's men seized their arms and prevented them from taking any action.
Ashlynn gasped as Aang flew right out the window on the opposite side of the room. The General followed, and watched him fall to the ground. Ashlynn struggled to be free of the men binding her, but it was hardly any use. The fact that she could not see what was happening to Aang made it much worse for her, as well as Sokka.
"Men, attack the Avatar!" the General commanded. Ashlynn relaxed for a moment, knowing Aang had at least survived the fall. Yet, that didn't mean he'd be safe from the General's earth benders, as well as the General himself, who lept out of the window, vanishing from Ashlynn's sight.
Sokka, too, was struggling as best he could to be free of the guards. When the guards swung Sokka away from Ashlynn, exposing their backs to her, she threw herself backwards into the men holding her, and used the air currents around her to lift her legs up from the ground. Then, furthering her air bending, she bent her legs and thrust herself forward, nailing the men binding Sokka in their back's with her feet. They stumbled, and dropped Sokka, who immediately rolled away from them.
Then, Sokka ran around the men holding Ashlynn, and tripped one, causing him to fall over and drop Ashlynn in the process. She followed by using the very first air bending technique she ever saw Aang use, and sucked in a gust of air, and exhaled it. The air shooting out from her mouth forced her guard to fly backwards into a wall, allowing her a second to escape. She quickly hovered up and away from him, and together she and Sokka ran to aid their troubled companion.
Outside, Katara was already on the move to help Aang. The rumbling of the earth caused by the earth benders had obviously worried her and forced her out of her room to check on Aang.
"The General's gone crazy; he's trying to force Aang into the Avatar state!" Sokka explained to Katara as he and Ashlynn met up with his sister at the foot of the arena where Aang was being attacked. Sokka immediately pulled out his boomerang and tossed it towards one of the guard's who was pursuing Aang. It successfully knocked him out, but it wasn't enough to prevent the remaining guard's from attacking the Avatar.
"Come on Sokka; let's go commandeer one of their steeds!" Ashlynn suggested hurriedly, and used her air bending to rush over to a guard who was mounted upon a bird-and-horse-like animal. Sokka followed her quickly, and waited for a signal to attack. Ashlynn nodded, and as soon as she sent a gust of air flying upward at the man's spear, thus knocking it from his arms, Sokka kicked him off his steed. Sokka then proceeded to swing himself on top of the creature, and then extended an arm to pull Ashlynn up behind him. She grasped his arm, and flew up on top of the animal. She wrapped her arms around Sokka's waist as he claimed hold of the reins, and began to guide the beast around the arena. Together, he and Ashlynn began to take out the attackers.
"I can't move!"Katara cried out suddenly. Ashlynn peered behind her, and saw that the General had begun to force Katara to sink into the stone floor beneath her. "Sokka, Katara is in danger!" Ashlynn cried out. Immediately, Sokka turned the steed around and forced it to run in the direction of the General.
Before much more could be accomplished, however, the General bended the earth beneath the creature, forcing it to trip. Sokka and Ashlynn flew over right over its head as a result. Ashlynn cried out in surprise as she struck the ground and rolled over herself a few times before finally slamming into a wall.
"Stop- You don't have to do this!" Ashlynn could hear Aang pleading with the General. Ashlynn groaned as she tried to regain focus of the area.
"You could save her if you were in the Avatar state!" the General responded angrily to Aang's pleas. Ashlynn rolled over onto her back and made an attempt to sit up as he said this.
"I'm trying!" Aang cried back at the General. Ashlynn tried looking in the direction of the Avatar and the General. All the while, Katara kept crying out in shock, asking for help and rescue. Ashlynn tried to make out Katara in the blur before her, but she couldn't place her exactly.
"Please, you don't need to do this!" Aang cried once more. "Apparently... I do," the General said finally, and Ashlynn heard him force Katara entirely beneath the ground.
Following the event, a massive gust of wind blew throughout the arena. Ashlynn cried out in surprise, as she had not expected it. She covered her face with one arm, and began to finally regain full consciousness. She was well aware that now Aang had gone into the Avatar State. All the while, she could hear the General's shouts of glory and triumph.
"Ash!" came Sokka's shout over the gusting winds and the screams of the General. "Sokka!" she yelled in response, and tried to peer through her fingers to see him within the oncoming tornado. "Are you alright? We need to get out of here," he shouted back, and she felt him grasp her shoulder. "I'm just a bit dizzy, help me up!" she coughed, and slouched her free arm over Sokka's neck. She wrapped an arm around her waist, and helped hoist her up. Yet, it was to no avail.
As soon as she was lifted up, Aang, who had risen far into the air to create better winds, slammed his entire body into the ground beneath him, forcing the grounds to rise up and strike every person in the area from beneath, save Katara.
Sokka and Ashlynn cried out in unison as the ground beneath them struck them and threw them backwards into the wall again. Ashlynn cried out as her head struck the wall once more, obscuring her vision.
"Ash!" she heard Sokka cry out, and she felt him wrap his arms around her protectively.
Suddenly, the winds died down. Ashlynn knew that meant Aang had gone out of the Avatar state, but everything was too blurry for her to take in with sight. She felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness, and Sokka's voice began to sound further and further away. She became aware of him picking her up and carrying her away from the wall, but she could not tell where he was taking her to.
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Ashlynn judged she had been unconscious for no more than twenty minutes, given the time of day and the fact that her companions had not yet left the base. She groaned, and felt a bruise on the back of her head. She looked around her, and saw her companions packing Appa, Katara included. She was glad to see she was safe, and was glad to see Aang was once again calm.
"Ash, you're awake! You weren't out for very long," Sokka exclaimed as he trotted over to her. "Good to know," she groaned, and used her air bending to float herself up onto her feet. "You okay?" he asked worriedly. "Just fine," she smiled reassuringly, and then began to question as to what was happening.
Sokka then proceeded to explain that they denied the escort to Omashu, preferring that they leave before the General woke up, being that Sokka had taken the liberty of knocking the man out cold.
"Sounds good... As long as we're away from that man, I can't complain," she grinned. "Excellent," he said, and then climbed up on top of Appa, where Katara and Aang were chatting quietly.
Ashlynn looked up at them, and recognized all of their belongings, including her staff, already neatly placed within Appa's saddle. She grinned, once again thankful for her companions. Then, she guided the air around her to lift her body up into the saddle.
"All set?" Aang asked her with a smile. "You bet," she said, and gave him a reassuring and kind grin.
"Yip yip!" Aang said finally, and with that, Appa leapt off that platform, and flew off in the direction of Omashu.