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 traveling 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...
A deep rumbling in the earth startled Ashlynn, and awoke her from her deep sleeping state. With hastened reflexes, she grasped her staff and quickly stood up and took a defensive stance, looking around the area to see who the attackers were. Her companions were already on their feet as well.
The team had spent several days flying away from the swamp, and had made camp the evening before in a small clearing in the middle of a forest, as they usually did. It was daytime now, and Ashlynn recognized their attackers as Fire Nation, though she was hardly surprised.
Appa included, the party was completely surrounded by four fire nation men that were mounted upon what could more or less be described as rhinoceros'. The leader of the group demanded the team's immediate surrender.
Naturally, the team refused surrender, and quickly made their way to Appa, avoiding the flaming arrows the fire nation shot at them. As they gathered their belongings, Ashlynn used her staff to create winds powerful enough to deflect the fiery weapons, giving her companions time to collect most of their belongings. When they'd gathered all they could, they clambered into Appa's saddle, and motioned for Ashlynn to hurry.
Taking their advice, Ashlynn sent one final wind at the men before her, and used the excess wind currents to fly herself up onto Appa with her companions. Aang hastily ordered Appa to take flight, and they instantly flew away from the sudden scene.
"My boomerang!" Sokka cried out as they flew away. "There's no time Sokka, we had to grab what we could! We lost at least one sleeping bag, and most of our food. We'll have to go shopping," Katara explained, and Sokka hung his head dejectedly. Ashlynn scooted over to him and patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. "No worries Sokka, we'll find you a new boomerang," she reassured him.
"That boomerang is part of my identity! It's like a lost part of myself!" he said, and refused to lift his head up. Ashlynn saw Katara roll her eyes, and frowned in response. Katara gave her a shrug, and then went to speak to Aang.
"I'm going to land Appa near the next town we come across, so we can regain some supplies," Aang told them. Ashlynn nodded, and attempted to cheer Sokka up the remainder of the way.
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"We need some food, we'll take whatever you've got," Katara asked the shop keeper. The man smiled in response, and moved to the back of his small shop to gather some food for the group.
Aang had landed Appa outside a small town. The shop they were at was on the skirts of the town as well. Sokka hadn't stopped sulking, and Ashlynn hadn't stopped trying to comfort him.
"I'm sorry about your boomerang, Sokka," Aang said sympathetically. "You don't understand! Losing my boomerang would be like you losing your arrow! It's a part of yourself," he responded poetically.
"Well, come on, we've got our food. I think it's best we moved on," Katara said, holding up a basket filled with an assortment of nutritious foods.
The man from the shop walked out and towards them, and began to close up his shop while Katara searched for the money to pay him. She pulled out a single coin, and handed it to the man. "Hey! Water tribe money!" the man exclaimed cheerfully. "I hope that's alright," Katara blushed. The man nodded, and finished closing up his shop.
"Have a nice Avatar Day!" he said as he began to walk off towards the town.
"Avatar Day?" Aang asked curiously, with enthusiasm. "Yeah! You guys are going to the festival, right?" the man replied cheerfully, and then continued on his way to the town.
"Wow! They must be holding an event there in honor of you Aang! We should go check it out," Katara said eagerly. Aang nodded, and the group agreed to walk down to the town and see what there was to see.
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"I would've never expected them to have a holiday after me," Aang said, picking up a figurine of Avatar Kioshi that was on display at a souvenir shop. "Wow! Look at that Kioshi float!" Katara said, and pointed out at the main street where a looming figure of Kioshi was passing by. Enthralled, the children ran towards where the float was going to be presented to the crowd.
"And Avatar Rouku!" Ashlynn exclaimed, and pointed out at the float of Rouku that was being brought up next to Kioshi. "You know, having a festival in my honor is great enough, but I think it's just nice to be appreciated," Aang said, and smiled at the surrounding people, glad to have made an impact on people's lives. Katara, Aang, and Ashlynn gazed at the massive floats, while Sokka happily stuffed his face with deep fried foods.
"Look Aang!" Katara shouted excitedly, and pointed at the approaching float of none other than Aang himself. The float of Aang was placed next to the other two floats, and was left to be presented to all who had come to the festival. "Hey look at the man with the torch! That's a nice effect to everything," Sokka commented as a shirtless man ran through the crowd with giant torch.
"Hey... What's he doing?" Katara asked worriedly, but before anyone could respond, the man with the torch jumped through the float of Avatar Kioshi, using the torch to set it on fire. He then moved to the float of Avatar Rouku, and set that on fire as well. The crowd began to chant "Down with the Avatar!", and it was all Aang could do to keep from losing his grip.
Katara finally lost her patience when the man threw the final torch right into the eye of the float of Aang. Angered, Katara ran forward, and used water from nearby barrels to burn out the fire.
"Hey! That girl is trying to ruin Avatar Day!" a man from the crowd shouted. In defense of Katara, Aang emerged from the crowd and flew up on top of the float of himself, and revealed his true appearance to everyone. "Well she is my friend!" he shouted to the whole crowd.
"It's the Avatar himself!" another pompous man shouted out. "It's going to kill us with its Avatar powers!" another man screamed. "No, I'm not going to kill anybody!" Aang argued.
"I suggest you leave. You're not welcome here," the pompous man from earlier said. He had dark hair, a dark mustache that ran down his face, and he wore green robes. Ashlynn instantly saw him as a man that cared only about himself, and not of the affair of others.
"Why isn't he welcome here?" Katara demanded, and Ashlynn and Sokka instantly moved to her side to show she wasn't alone. "Yeah, why not? I'm on your side, I help people!" Aang said, and leapt down from the float and stood with his companions.
"I seriously doubt that. Based on what you did in the past to our people... It was Avatar Kioshi who murdered our glorious leader, Chin the Great!" the man said, instantly accusing Aang of having committed such a crime.
"You think... That I killed someone?" Aang responded with disbelief. "Aang would never do that! None of the Avatar's would! And it's not fair for you to question his honor like that!" Katara argued, refusing to let the citizens treat Aang so poorly. "Here's what we think of the Avatar's honor!" a man shouted back, and made a rude gesture. The rest of the crowd cheered, and did the same, disrespecting Aang in every way possible.
"Give me a chance to clear my name!" Aang shouted to the whole crowd. The pompous man, who appeared to be the leader of the small town, spoke out again. "The only way you can do that is to stand trial! And if you stand trial, you must follow all our rules, which includes paying bail," he said proudly. "No problem!" Aang said.
Ashlynn and Sokka exchanged nervous glances, not entirely sure if the town would take water tribe money, since water tribe money was all they had.
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"How was I supposed to know they wouldn't take water tribe money?" Aang asked his companions from behind bars. "Come on, we're going to bust you out of here," Sokka said to Aang. Ashlynn tapped the side of her staff impatiently, wishing they could leave the town they were stuck in.
"No, I don't want this town to hate me," Aang responded. "So what if they hate you? The whole fire nation hates you! ...Aside Ashlynn, of course," he said, and avoided Ashlynn's teasing glare. "Now come on," Sokka pleaded. "Yeah Aang," Katara followed.
"Aang, you're supposed to be out saving the world... You can't do that if you're locked up," Ashlynn explained in an attempt to persuade him to agree. "Well, I can't do that with people thinking I'm a murderer either... What I need is for you guys to help prove my innocence," Aang asked politely, yet slightly desperately.
"How are we supposed to do that? The crime happened so long ago..." Ashlynn said hopelessly. "Well, Sokka's kind of the brains of the outfit. I figured he could think of something," Aang grinned at Sokka. Sokka raised one eyebrow in response, and nodded slightly in agreement. "I guess I do have my intelligent ways..." he pondered aloud, and Katara and Ashlynn shook their heads with disbelief.
"So does that mean you'll help?" Aang asked hopefully. "Fine, I guess I will. How hard can it be?" Sokka shrugged. Katara and Ashlynn giggled together, eager to see how smart Sokka really was.
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"This is the crime scene," said the boastful leader of the little town. Sokka ran up to the small, stone shrine and instantly began to examine every corner of it.
Sokka had decided that the best place to start the investigation was at the place where the actual murder had happened. They went to the leader, and asked him for a tour about the area, and for his own side of the story. So, he brought them to a small shrine that stood at the edge of a cliff, and indicated that that's where the murder had taken place.
"This is the footprint of the killer, Kioshi," the man explained, and pointed at a single foot imprinted in the dirt at the very edge of the cliff. Sokka ran over to the footprint, while Katara and Ashlynn waited for Sokka to finish investigating.
"It was three hundred years ago that Kioshi stepped out from this temple and killed Chin the Great. After that tragic day, we built this statue in his honor. Feel free to appreciate it," the leader said, and stormed off to leave the friends to their investigating. When he was gone Sokka began to examine the statue of Chin the Great very carefully. Ashlynn eyed it warily, wondering how a man with an appearance as such was ever a great ruler.
Suddenly, Sokka ran from the statue to the temple and examined the temple again. Ashlynn and Katara stared at him curiously, and watched him run back and forth between the statue and the temple until he'd come to a conclusion. "This statue, and this temple, are cut from the same stone... Yet we've been told the statue was made after the crime happened," Sokka announced suspiciously.
"So if they were built at the same time... That means..." Katara went to finish Sokka's sentence, but he rudely interrupted his sister. "I want to solve it! I'm figuring the things out, I want to be the one to do this!" he whined, and Katara clamped her mouth shut and eyed him in annoyance.
"If they were built at the same time then that means Kioshi never set foot in this temple!" Sokka finished triumphantly. "That is a major hole in the story but... It's not enough," Ashlynn said soberly, wondering what else they could do to prove Aang's innocence. "You're right... We need to go to Kioshi Island," Sokka said, almost as if answering Ashlynn's mental question.
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Since Kioshi island was practically neighbors with the town they were in now, Ashlynn, Sokka, and Katara were able to fly Appa over to the small island within several minutes. Ashlynn was glad to see the inhabitants had restored their town from the chaotic events that had taken place during their last trip. The same squealing fans that Aang had began to cheer as Appa came into their view. They ran to greet Aang, only to realize he was the only member missing.
When the townsfolk realized Aang had failed to come, they departed and went back to living their routinely lives, save for the leader of the island, who stayed to find out why Aang's companions had come for a visit. "These people think their leader was murdered by Kioshi hundreds of years ago," Sokka hastily explained. "That's crazy! I'll take you to her shrine. Maybe something there will help you clear her name," the elderly man said, almost as if he'd taken personal offense to the accusations on Kioshi.
"So... What's Suki up to?" Sokka asked as the three friends followed the man to Kioshi's shrine. Ashlynn narrowed her eyes in annoyance and glared at Sokka, feeling slightly jealous. "She and the other warriors went to fight in the war. You guys had a really big impact on Suki. She said you inspired her, and she wanted to help change the world," he explained.
"How heroic!" Katara exclaimed, happy for Suki. "Yeah... That's great," Sokka replied nervously. Ashlynn remained silent.
Before the conversation could get any more awkward, the leader of Kioshi Island halted at the foot of the shrine. He appreciated its magnificence for a moment, and then entered the shrine.
"This temple was converted into a shrine for Kioshi. The clerics tell us these relics are still connected to her soul," he explained, and showed the group several of Kioshi's belongings that were up for display. The relics included Kioshi's clothing and weapons.
Katara examined Kioshi's kimono, while Sokka examined her fans. Ashlynn took a particular interest in Kioshi's boots, which looked far too large to belong to a woman. "These belonged to Kioshi? Her feet must've been massive," Ashlynn muttered bitterly, yet still loud enough for people to hear.
"The biggest feet of any Avatar," the elder explained.
"That footprint that man showed us is way too small. There's no way Kioshi made that footprint," Sokka said, and Ashlynn nodded, having already figured that out. "That means there's nothing linking her to the crime scene," Ashlynn said, and Sokka nodded along with her. Katara frowned at them both.
The older man then brought the children to a picture hung upon the wall. Ashlynn stared at it for a long moment, and fully appreciated Avatar Kioshi during that moment.
"This piece was painted at sunrise on the day this island was founded. It was today, in fact, three hundred and seventy years ago," he ended his explanation shortly.
"What? Three hundred and.. Wait, you're sure it was today?" Sokka demanded to know. "Well, it is Kioshi day after all, so, yes," the man responded confidently. Sokka went into deep thought, and stared at the picture for a long while. When he'd found something, he grinned with pride.
"This painting took place at sunset, not sunrise...you can tell based on the shadows," he explained. "So?" Ashlynn responded with a slight attitude. "If this took place at sunset then she couldn't have been at the town committing the crime!" Sokka exclaimed, feeling very intelligent.
"That's great! I'm sure we have enough evidence by now to prove Aang's innocence. Let's return, tell the mayor, and get out of here," Ashlynn said, desperate to leave. Sokka and Katara agreed, and they rushed to Appa in order to fly back to the mainland.
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"Honorable Mayor, we've prepared a rather solid defense for the Avatar. We've done an investigation, and found some very strong evidence," Katara explained.
It was late in the evening, and the companions had confronted the mayor right in front of Aang's prison, so that Aang could hear what they'd discovered as well. Ashlynn was leaning against a wall, picking at a scratch in her staff as she listened to the conversation.
"Evidence? That's not how our court system works!" the vain mayor responded with a slight chuckle. "Then how do I prove my innocence?" Aang asked gravely. "Well, I say what happened, then you say what happened, and then I decide who is right!" the man chuckled again, and stuck his nose in the air proudly.
Sokka and Katara gasped in surprise, and watched as the mayor stormed off, still cackling like a madman. Ashlynn looked up through the hair in her face to watch the mayor walk off, but did not lift her head. When he was gone, she looked back down at her staff and continued to pick at the scratch.
"Well Aang, I guess we will have to help you memorize what the evidence is, and tomorrow when you go on trial you explain what happened," Katara said. Aang agreed, eager to clear his own name, and so Sokka and Katara began to tell him what they'd found. Ashlynn remained by herself against the wall.
She eventually tuned out the voices of her companions, and went into a deep thought about her life and her past.
An air-bender living in the Fire Nation... In truth, she shouldn't even exist. Aang was supposed to be the last air-bender alive. Yet, she did exist, and it was a miracle. She hadn't lived with the royal family all her life, so she must've come from somewhere where people knew her story, knew who she was and how she existed. She figured Iroh knew something about it, too.
Iroh... I wonder if he's told Zuko...
Zuko, the first person she ever remembers meeting. Not the Fire Lord, not his wife, not Iroh, nor Azula... Zuko. Ashlynn had every memory of Zuko stored into her mind, and wished his life could have turned out better. The way he acted now was almost as if they'd never been friends, like they were born enemies... The way it should've been.
Yet, she could find no regret for leaving him. She was happier than ever, traveling with her companions. She'd never had friends who treated her better than Katara, Aang, and Sokka did. There was a time Zuko did, but now...
The memory of kissing Sokka suddenly flooded into Ashlynn's mind. It felt like she'd been punched in the gut, and her breathing halted for a moment. Her heart raced, and she wondered if Sokka ever thought about it, or if he even cared.
We're only friends.... We had to do what we did to stay alive. It got us out of those caverns. It didn't mean anything... Right?
Ashlynn felt like there were two sides of her mind at war with one another. On one hand, she thought it hardly mattered. Yet, there was a nagging voice, making her wonder if there was any meaning to it...
"Ashlynn? You're going to ruin your staff."
Sokka's whispering voice brought Ashlynn back to reality. She looked down at her staff and saw she'd begun carving the symbols of the four nations into the side of it with her finger nails. She hissed and dropped her staff when she felt a searing pain in her fingertips. She put her pointer and middle fingers into her mouth for comfort, and instantly tasted blood.
She watched Sokka pick up her staff and examine the blood on it. "If you wanted to carve pretty pictures into it so bad, you could have borrowed my knife. You've probably given yourself some good sized wounds, using your fingers and all," Sokka whispered, and tried cleaning off the blood stains. Ashlynn pulled her fingers from her mouth and frowned at the cuts on them. She figured she had a few splinters, too.
"Why are we whispering?" Ashlynn whispered back, and took her staff back from Sokka. "It's so late, Aang fell asleep while we were trying to teach him. Katara already left, told me to bring you back to reality," he whispered, and laughed quietly. Ashlynn grinned, and nodded her thanks.
Together, they turned around and left the prison and silently walked towards the building where they were staying at.
"Do you think Aang will convince them not to take retribution on him tomorrow?" Ashlynn asked as they walked across the soft dirt. "I sure hope so. We're doomed, otherwise," Sokka responded. "Oh, very reassuring," Ashlynn said sarcastically, and playfully punched him in the arm. He smiled back, and said "I bet we've got nothing to worry about."
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In the morning, Ashlynn, Sokka, and Katara gathered with the rest of the town to watch Aang's trial. The mayor was the first one up to present what he thought what happened, and Aang was to follow.
"Everyone loved Chin the Great because he was so... great! Then the Avatar came along and killed him... And that's what happened," he finished abruptly, and sat down with the rest of the town to see how Aang would do in telling his side of the story.
"You can do it Aang, just remember the evidence," Sokka murmured loud enough so Aang could hear, hoping the rest of the citizens couldn't. Aang nodded with a grin, and Ashlynn sighed, seeing how despite his cheerful appearance, he was completely exhausted from being up so late the evening before.
"Ladies and gentlemen- I'm about to tell you what really happened, and I will prove it with facts! Fact number one!" Aang raised a single finger in the air for emphasis, but then paused during his speech, having forgotten all the evidence they'd discovered.
"Footprints!" Sokka muttered again loud enough for only Aang to hear.
"Good citizens! You see... I have very large feet..." Aang said, letting the argument fall flat. He gazed down at his feet, which were particularly tiny, and allowed the crowd to try and see his incorrect reasoning. Sokka smacked his palm against his forehead, and began to lose hope.
"Furthermore... Your temple matches your statue!" he exclaimed, and grinned in an attempt to convince the townsfolk. He, again, allowed a moment of silence for the citizens to gaze at the temple and then the statue. Ashlynn signed, and put her elbows on her knees and sat her head on her palms.
"And... I was in a painting at sunset! So, there you have it! I'm not guilty!" he said happily. "He's dead," Sokka whispered to Katara and Ashlynn and gave Aang a reassuring grin. Ashlynn raised her eyebrows, and nodded against the palms her head rested on.
"Alright, I have an idea," Katara said, and got up from her seat. Ashlynn and Sokka watched as she went up to Aang, and dragged him behind the temple so that the crowd could not see either of them. "What is she doing?" Ashlynn whispered to Sokka, and he shrugged. After several moments, Katara returned without Aang.
"Mayor, I'd like one last chance for the court to hear one last testimony," Katara announced to the mayor. "I already told you! It's only myself, and the accused! You can't call witnesses," he retorted angrily.
"This is just any witness... I'm going to call upon Avatar Kioshi herself!" Katara announced, and presented a figure who was walking from the temple. Ashlynn had to keep from laughing as Aang stumbled out wearing all of Kioshi's clothing, including the Kioshi Warrior make-up. Katara sat down next to Sokka and Ashlynn again, and waited for something to happen.
"What are you doing?" Sokka hissed. "This morning before the trial I had an idea, and thought if we really had to we could try and trigger something by making Aang wear her clothes. Something could happen," he whispered back.
Aang stood silently before the crowd, unsure of what to do. The murmuring in the crowd grew louder and louder as more time passed, until the Mayor was fed up and interrupted their incessant chattering.
"This is a mockery of Chin Law!" he complained. "Please, if you could wait one more second, I'm sure Kioshi will be here," Katara pleaded. The Mayor walked up to Aang, and grunted with disbelief and utter annoyance.
"This is ridiculous. For the murder of Chin the Great, this court finds the defendant... Guilty!" the Mayor announced defiantly.
Suddenly, much to everyone's surprise, a tornado formed around Aang. The tornado caused high-powered winds around the citizens, and everyone began to panic. Right before they all ran away, the winds died down, and the tornado dispersed. In Aang's place stood Avatar Kioshi.
"I killed Chin the Conqueror," she said loudly, and her voice dominated any sound in the area. Every person instantly felt shrimp-like in comparison to her tall and powerful being. Ashlynn felt honored, yet scared to be in the presence of Avatar Kioshi.
Kioshi then proceeded to tell the town about how Chin was a tyrant who was spreading his armies all over the continent. When he came to the land that she lived, he demanded the immediate surrender of her and her people. She refused to surrender, warning him that she would not be passive towards his ways. He didn't back down, however, and Kioshi responded by splitting her home from the mainland. She moved the small section of land far out to sea, and it became Kioshi Island. Chin ended up falling to his own death when the land separated.
When she finished her tale, the tornado returned for a moment, and Avatar Kioshi was swept away, leaving Aang as himself once again. Katara got up and ran to Aang before he could fully collapse as he entered reality once more. She then proceeded to explain to Aang what had happened.
"I find you guilty!" the Mayor shouted, and now there was no way for the town to prove Aang's innocence otherwise. A 'wheel of punishment' was brought out, and was to be used to determine Aang's method of punishment.
Aang took a deep breath, and hesitantly spun the wheel to see what his fate was. The crowd began to jeer and say what punishment they hoped he won, including Ashlynn, Sokka, and Katara, who hoped he'd gain community service.
The suspense ended when the wheel stopped at a picture of a man in a steaming pot. "Looks to be boiled in oil," said a guard of the town. Aang froze with fear, and knew there was no way to escape his inevitable punishment.
The crowd cheered eager to see Aang dead. Ashlynn, Sokka, and Katara were frozen, just like Aang, completely unsure of what to do. Ashlynn drowned out the voices of the crowd, and waited for something, anything, to happen.
Suddenly, a single miniature bomb was placed into the middle of the area where Aang and the Mayor stood. The crowd stopped cheering, and stared at it dumbfounded. As expected, it went off with a boom, and everyone screamed and turned to see who was attacking them.
Ashlynn wasn't entirely surprised to see the men who'd assaulted their camp the day before. They were still mounted upon their rhinos, looking as menacing as ever. "We've come to claim this village for the Fire Lord!" the leader shouted, and the citizens went into a panic.
"Now... Show me your leader so that I can... dethrone him..." he said with a sneer. A man in the crowd instantly pointed to the mayor. Being a coward, the mayor ran behind the wheel of punishment, and ordered Aang to do something about the attackers.
"Gee... I'd love to but... I'm about to be boiled in oil," he responded. Ashlynn, Katara, and Sokka remained idle, like Aang, knowing it wouldn't be fair for them to help a town that had already condemned them. The mayor, desperate to be saved, moved the wheel of punishment to community service, and ordered Aang to serve the community. Aang smiled, and nodded at his companions, who understood it was time to take out the enemy.
Ashlynn grasped her staff, which was laying beside her, and opened the wings of it. She jumped high into the air so she could get a view of the enemy, and decided to make the man with the flaming arrows her primary target, while her companions took out the others. With high speed and velocity, she sped back towards the ground, directing her blow at the man.
Sensing her, he turned his bow to her and quickly shot an arrow off. Ashlynn quickly brought the wings of her glider back into its hold, and swiped the staff about and sent a gust of wind at the arrow, causing it to bounce away like it had struck a wall.
Ashlynn then landed on the rump of the rhino before the man could set another arrow with the bow. He turned around and tried to thrust a knife into her leg, but she quickly jumped up and landed with one foot on his head. She then dropped her staff and pulled her sword from its sheath. She cut through the bow with one quick slice, preventing it from being useable again.
Then, before she lost her balance while standing upon his head, she jumped back onto the behind of the rhino, and used the hilt of the sword to strike her opponent in the gut. While he was stunned, she hopped off his steed, and cut through his stirrups. Then, she slapped the rhino on the flank, and watched it take its rider far away from sight.
Pleased with her performance, she re-sheathed her sword, and picked up her staff. She opened the wings once again, and began to soar over the town in search of her companions, who were disposing of the other rhino-riders.
Ashlynn spotted Katara and Sokka running out of an alleyway together. Ashlynn air bended her way to a soft landing beside them. "Are they gone?" Ashlynn asked, wondering if the rest had been disposed of. "Yeah, we're going to check on the citizens to make sure everyone's alright," Katara responded.
Ashlynn then noticed Sokka was almost cuddling with his boomerang. "You found it?" she asked, trying not to giggle. "You bet I did! It always does come back..." he said, and gazed at it like it was his own child. Ashlynn laughed, and followed them back to where the trial had taken place.
When they arrived there, they were more than happy to see that everyone was alright, meaning they'd managed to save the day once again. Aang arrived moments later, explaining how he'd taken out the leader of the attackers. The crowd cheered, and the Mayor seemed thoroughly pleased.
The remainder of the day was spent cleaning up the mess made in the town, and then in the evening they set off fireworks and made food in Aang's honor.
"We're going to celebrate a new Avatar day, in honor of Avatar Aang. Let us remember that this is the day that Aang was not boiled in oil," the mayor announced to the citizens, trying to speak louder than the exploding fireworks. The crowd cheered madly, and threw more fireworks into the sky.
Ashlynn could feel her own emerald eyes lighting up with different colors as various fireworks illuminated the nighttime sky. Fireworks were still something she treasured more than a lot of things, and when they were around she couldn't feel more at peace.
Afterall, fireworks reminded her of living in the Fire Nation. Remembering living in the Fire Nation reminded her of her long lost companion, Zuko...