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...
Ashlynn travelled aimlessly through the desert, hoping to come across the oasis that Iroh had mentioned previously. She hadn't the slightest idea how she was going to begin tracking her old group of friends, but she knew she had to. Otherwise, she'd be alone- for all she knew, she'd be alone for the remainder of her days.
It was hot, and the sun beat down upon her skin, causing multiple beads of sweat to run across her body. She dragged her hand across her forehead to rid herself of some of the sweat, and then tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. She was low on food and supplies- if she didn't find the oasis soon, then starvation would soon finish her off. She could feel the soles of her feet beginning to blister, and her ankles ached. She'd lost knowledge of the time.
After many more minutes of trekking across the desert sand she tripped over a rock, and collapsed upon the floor. She hissed in pain, and instinctively grasped her wounded foot. She sighed afterwards when she saw her remaining items rolling out from her pack, and scrambled to retrieve them all back. She looked up at the horizon, and grinned for the first time when she saw a town in the distance. She prayed it was the oasis Iroh had spoken of.
Leaving everything but her change remaining in the sand, she regained her footing and began to pace towards the small town. If it wasn't a mirage, then she was saved.
As she approached the walls surrounding the town she was relieved to see other people there. Each were dressed to keep the hot sun off their bodies, and she secretly wished she had had clothing of the kind. She glanced at her arms and frowned as she saw they'd turned her pale skin slightly red. She ignored the slight sting her arms had, and entered the town.
If the town was the oasis, Ashlynn came to the conclusion that it was a rather dried up one. Sure, there was water- but it was more of a puddle than a desert lake. Ashlynn eyed an empty bench underneath a tree, and thankfully took a seat within the shade. She made the mental decision to rest her feet until her stomach rumbled- then she'd go buy some food.
After some time passed, a few young men approached her. She kept her bag close to her, and eyed them warily. One of them grinned mischievously, and took a seat next to her. She inched away from him slightly, and remained silent.
"What's a pretty lady like you doing out here by yourself?" the man asked curiously. His voice was raspy, and gave Ashlynn the chills. She looked up at his friends, who each grinned down at her with the same mischievous look. "Looking for my friends," she responded casually, and frowned at the man. "We could be your friends," he replied, and placed a hand on her leg. His friends cackled in unison.
"Well, I'm not interested," she spat, and sat up and backed away from the group. The man sitting on the bench frowned at her, and one of his friends said "I think you hurt his feelings." The rest of the group continued to laugh. Ashlynn turned her back on them and began to walk away, only to bump into another man. He grasped her wrists as she flew them up in front of her in defense, and she felt the other men close in on her. One of them grasped her bag, and she began to struggle to free her arms.
The man grasping her wrists shoved her against the nearest wall and pulled a pocket-knife out, and pressed the side of the blade against her throat. The other men scrambled to take her bag from her. She debated air-bending her way out of her situation, but then a familiar voice was heard.
"Ashlynn!" cried Sokka as he ran over to the group. "Ashlynn?" responded Aang, Katara, and Toph, and they, too, followed Sokka. "You let her go, or you die," Sokka demanded, and armed himself with his machete. "Pay us, and maybe we will," spat one of the men. Ashlynn made eye contact with Aang, and he nodded at her. She swallowed, and then waited.
As soon as Aang sent a gust of wind flying at the men, Ashlynn bended herself out of the other man's grip, away from the blade. Every man fell over, and cried out in surprise and horror. Then, they each retreated together out of sight.
Before Ashlynn could react, Sokka ran towards her, and wrapped his arms tightly around her in a hug. She swallowed a sob, and hugged him back, forgetting the fear she'd had moments ago. "I can't believe you made it here- and we were just getting ready to leave! Talk about good timing," Aang told her. Ashlynn released herself from Sokka's hold, and looked down at her bag. A slice had been made through the fabric, and her money was gone.
"Those thieves," she frowned, and dropped her bag on the ground; she no longer had a use for it.
"Oh my, you're an air nomad too?!" said a man who was unfamiliar to Ashlynn.
"Oh, Ash, this is Professor Zei. He's the head of the anthropology department at Ba Sing Se. He's searching for a lost library in the desert- we told him we'd help. Who knows, maybe we can find some information on the fire nation," Sokka told Ashlynn. Zei grasped Ashlynn's hand firmly and shook it vigorously. "It's amazing that you exist! You're practically a living relic- just like the Avatar! Your bending seems rather advanced too, has the Avatar been training you? Where do you come from? Are your parents alive?"
Ashlynn's head swam as the questions hit her like a rock. "I think… I think I need to rest and eat," Ashlynn said, and swallowed to help clear out the dryness in her throat. "We were just going to go get up on Appa. You can rest there," Sokka told her, and grasped her arm to help her remain standing.
On Appa, Sokka gave Ashlynn some of the dried meat they'd bought at the oasis. She ate it gratefully, and a portion of her energy returned. The aching in her ankles and legs began to die down as well.
After a quarter of an hour of flight, Sokka and Katara sat close to Ashlynn, and looked at her both eagerly, and worriedly. "Is there… a problem?" Ashlynn questioned hesitantly. "Well… We're a little curious as to what happened when you stayed behind. Is Zuko's uncle okay?" Katara asked curiously.
"Iroh? He's fine. In fact- he told me a lot about my history," Ashlynn replied solemnly.
Toph, Aang, and Zei turned to look at her as she said this. Ashlynn sighed, and said "I'll tell you guys… IF you keep looking for this library. I don't want to be flying around for hours on end for nothing." Each of them nodded, and returned to scanning the desert around them, ears awaiting Ashlynn's recent tale.
Ashlynn inhaled, and pondered where to start. After a moment, she decided to start as Iroh had- and thus, she told them her story.
"That's unbelievably. I can't believe your heritage traces back so far- and I can't believe Iroh knows that much" Aang exclaimed. Zei had taken up writing what he could of Ashlynn's story into a journal he kept for himself. Sokka was quiet, taking in the fullness of his story. Ashlynn wondered if he was regretting all the times he'd associated her as fire nation- since it was clear she was never of the fire nation at all, not of her own free will at least.
"Do you think any of your family still lives?" Katara asked, and Ashlynn shrugged. If her mother was alive, or if she had siblings, that was something she'd worry about after the war was over. She couldn't afford to let control her emotions, and her mind. "Is it just me, or does it feel like the library Iroh went to is the one we're looking for?" Toph asked. "It's highly possible," Zei responded, still writing in his journal.
"Wait, I see something!" Sokka said suddenly, interrupting the conversation. Everyone looked to where he was pointing, and Aang glided Appa down. Ashlynn was thankful for a distraction- she didn't feel like talking about herself anymore.
Appa landed next to a tall pillar that was jutting out of the sand, stretching high above their heads. Much to their dismay, it looked nothing like the picture of the library that Zei had brought with them, for the library was much larger than the measly tower that hovered over them.
Katara sighed, and said "This is obviously not what we're searching for. Let's move on."
"Wait, what's that?" Ashlynn pointed out in the distance, where a gleam of light shined toward them. They each squinted to get a better look as a fox-like animal ran towards the tower. It glanced at the group once, and then ran in a vertical line up the tower. "What kind of animal is that?" asked Katara. Zei pondered the question for a moment, and then said "I think that was one of the knowledge seekers! We must be close to the library!"
As he said this, the team looked down at the picture on the scroll they held out before them. Sokka was the first to make the connection as he said "No, this is the library!" Zei looked back at them and frowned, confused. "You're right, look, it's this tower here," Ashlynn said, and pointed at a small tower atop the enormous building in the picture. "It's completely buried in sand," Katara said hopelessly.
"Buried! Now what am I to do?" Zei cried out in horror. Toph approached the building and placed her hand firmly upon the cold stone, feeling its structure. "The inside is entirely intact. You guys could probably get in through that window up there and explore the inside," Toph told them, and Zei's face lit up excitedly.
"I'll wait out here. Books don't really do it for me," Toph frowned. "Alright, that way you can keep Appa company," Aang said; it was obvious the sky bison couldn't fit through the small window.
Sokka tied a long rope to his boomerang, and tossed it up through the window. It latched onto the edge, and he began to climb up the rope. Ashlynn, Aang, Katara, and Zei followed him. When they reached the ledge they latched the boomerang onto the other side, and let the rope drop down to the floor. Ashlynn grew dizzy as she looked at how far down they had to go. "I think I'll just glide down," she told her friends, and opened her glider. They nodded their approval, and she took off.
She bended the currents around her, silently bringing her down into the library. The size was overwhelming- the picture had made it seem large, but it didn't do it justice. The designs on the walls were exquisite, and highly detailed. After a moment of taking the sight in, she landed softly on the ground, and waited for her friends to show up.
She could hear Zei's voice bounce off the walls as he verbally admired the architectural artwork throughout the library as he, and the remainder of the group, descended into the depths of the building. Slowly, but surely, the ground dropped down next to Ashlynn, and took in the fullness of the ancient library.
Then, suddenly, a shuffling was heard from nearby. Instinctively, the group ran behind the nearest pillar, hoping to avoid any confrontation with a higher power. Sokka pressed Ashlynn close to himself, trying to make the group as tight and small as possible. The shuffling continued, and then a deep voice said "I know you're back there." Aang gasped, and Ashlynn's heart thudded faster with anxiety.
Without warning or hesitation, Zei left his hiding spot and approached the figure that Ashlynn was unable to see. She heard Zei introduce himself happily. The voice replied "You should leave the way you came." Aang left his place behind the pillar, and slowly Sokka dragged Ashlynn and his sister out from behind the pillar as well.
The figure looked like a black owl, although much, much larger in size than that of an ordinary owl. It walked on two feet, and stood much taller than anyone in the group. Ashlynn found it to be intimidating- and even more-so when she realized he was a spirit.
"Are you the spirit who brought this library to the physical world?" Sokka asked as he, and everyone else, approached the owl spirit. "Yes, I am Wan Shi Tong; he who knows ten-thousand things. You are obviously humans, whom are no longer permitted in my library," the spirit replied, turning his head to each of them. Although it appeared he had no eyes, Ashlynn couldn't shake off the feeling that he was staring right into their very souls. She shivered at the thought.
"What's wrong with humans?" Aang inquired.
"Humans only wish to learn that which will help them overpower other humans. They only come here seeking ways to destroy their enemy. Thus, I must assume you are only here to destroy your own enemies," the spirit told them, and Ashlynn felt he'd grown very angry and impatient with them.
"Oh, well… We're not here for destroying purposes!" Sokka said hesitantly, and gave a nervous chuckle. "Then, pray-tell, why have you come here?" the owl questioned. Ashlynn felt Sokka's body stiffen beside her as he grew more nervous. "Uh… Knowledge for… Knowledge's sake?" Sokka replied nervously.
"I'm an old spirit; I can tell when you're lying."
"Hey, I'm not lying!" Sokka retorted.
"We're here with the Avatar. If you don't believe us, believe him. He is the bridge between our worlds, after all," Ashlynn said, and gave Aang a small push forward. Aang frowned back at her, and then smiled up at the owl spirit.
"You have my word, good spirit, that we will not abuse the knowledge of your library," Aang said respectfully. The spirit pondered this for a moment, and then said "Very well. I'll let you 'browse' my fast collection- on one condition. I wish for each of you to provide some worthwhile knowledge, to add to my library."
Zei stepped forward first, and held a book out before him. The owl nodded his head respectfully, and brushed the book away from Zei's hands, causing it to vanish from sight. Katara stepped forward second, and presented her water-bending scroll, which the owl also took gratefully. Ashlynn became dizzy, unable to think of something she could give to the spirit. Would she have to leave the library?
Aang gave the spirit a wanted poster of himself. The owl sighed, and accepted it anyways. "Aang, what should I give him?" Ashlynn whispered to her friend. "Well, you're a living relic. Perhaps tell him you're all that's left of your kind and say you want to learn of your heritage," Aang suggested. Ashlynn sighed doubtfully.
Sokka presented a knot-figure, which the owl took regardless. Ashlynn began to believe that maybe a pity-story would work on the spirit, after all. Ashlynn stepped forward as Sokka stepped back.
"Great spirit," she said, and bowed respectfully. "I realize you have nothing to present to me, and I must tell you- bribery won't work on me. Yet… Lucky for you, I realize you are, as your companion said, 'a living relic'. If you wish to learn of your past, then do so. However, you are not permitted to view anything else of my knowledge," the spirit said, and without another word he took flight, and dove down deeper into the library, out of sight.
"I wasn't really interested in reading anything anyways. I just didn't want to wait outside…" Ashlynn murmured to Aang and Sokka. Sokka gave her thumbs up, and then proceeded to followed Zei. Ashlynn followed closely behind him.
Ashlynn couldn't believe how large the library was, and wondered how long it'd take to cover all of the ground it had within it. She only hoped that they found whatever it was they were looking for quickly, and left- before the spirit came back.
Katara and Aang followed Zei about, and the three of them read up on useless fun-facts. Ashlynn followed Sokka, whom was looking for information on the fire nation.
"You know Ash, it'd be great if you knew your way to the fire nation. Then I wouldn't need to keep looking for a map," Sokka told her as he surveyed a few scrolls, and stuffed some into his bag. "I haven't been there in years Sokka, let alone know the exact location of everything. I never left the fire nation palace walls…" Ashlynn explained.
"Hey, what's that?" Sokka asked, and pointed to a stand that held a single sheet of paper beneath a glass encasement. "The darkest day in fire nation history," Ashlynn read the writing upon the paper. "It's got a date at the top, but it doesn't say anything else. Come on, I want to find out what happened," Sokka told her, and slipped his machete beneath the glass, and pried it off the paper. Ashlynn looked behind her to see if anyone was watching, which, none were. Sokka grasped the piece of paper, and stepped away from the stand.
"Follow me," he said, and took off through a bookshelf. Ashlynn quickly followed him.
"Sokka, where are you going?" Aang asked as he saw Sokka running away. "I'm going to find out what happened to the fire nation on its darkest day. This could be promising."
"If I'm correct, the information on the fire nation should be right up here," Sokka said, pointing at a doorway that had a red drape pinned above the opening. They entered through the arc and everyone gasped in shock. Everything within the room had been burnt to a crisp and smudged throughout the room.
"Fire benders… They've destroyed everything that had any information on them," Katara muttered hopelessly. Sokka cried out in rage, and said "That's so unfair! Why is it that whenever I think we're one step ahead of them it turns out they beat us there a long time ago? I need to know what happened on the darkest day!"
Suddenly, a whimpering was heard from behind them. Everyone turned back to see the fox-like knowledge seeker sitting behind them. "Hello- little fox guy," Sokka said curiously. The fox turned around, and pointed with a single paw in the other direction.
"It appears to be trying to assist you," Zei suggested. "Sure, I guess I'll follow it," Sokka replied, confused. Thus, the group took off after the knowledge seeker.
The fox led the group to a large, round stone door. It crawled through a small hole that no one aside Momo would be able to fit through, and vanished from sight. A moment later, the stone door rolled to the side, granting them passage into the curious room.
The team entered the room, and watched as the fox ran up to a single circular pedestal in the room, and pushed down on a lever. Then, the walls around them changed to a view of the night sky. Fake stars shone around them, and there was a single circle sliding along the wall that was shaped like the moon.
"This… Is a mechanical wonder! It's a planetarium that shows the heavens moving!" Zei exclaimed excitedly as the walls became a day-time blue sky, and the sun moved across the wall next. Katara looked down at the pedestal, which had symbols carved into them.
"I bet these dials represent dates," Katara suggested. "Oh, Sokka! Enter the date on that paper you grabbed," Ashlynn urged. Sokka nearly jumped as he produced the flimsy paper from his bag. He got a good look at the date, and then moved the dials to match it. Then, he pushed the lever, and the walls began to change once more.
Everyone frowned when the machine appeared to have broken; the walls were the daytime sky, but the sun was gone- the moon in its place. "Where'd the sun go?" Katara inquired worriedly. "Nice work Sokka, you broke it," Aang sighed.
"No, it's not broken- the sun is behind the moon! It's a solar eclipse!" Sokka exclaimed, and Ashlynn nearly jumped with realization. "It's literally the darkest day in fire nation history!" she cried out with excitement, and Sokka grinned at her- he'd realized it too.
"See, Ashlynn gets it! Something terrible happened on that day. I don't know what, but I do know why… Fire benders lose their bending during a solar eclipse!" Sokka said, growing more excited. "It makes sense! Think of what the lunar eclipse did to the water benders. This is huge!' Katara gasped.
"We need to get this information to the earth king at Ba Sing Se," Ashlynn ordered. Sokka nodded, and said "We can wait for the next eclipse, and eliminate the fire nation while they're totally helpless. The fire lord is going down!"
Ashlynn gasped as she saw a shadow loom over them. They each turned around, and grew terrified as they realized it was Wan Shi Tong. He'd heard every word they'd said. "You mortals are so predictable- and such terrible liars. You betrayed my trust! From the beginning, your intentions were of this! You wanted to misuse my knowledge for your own personal gain!"
"You don't understand! We need this information- the fire nation is dangerous! Didn't you see what they did to your library? They're the destructive and evil ones!" Sokka fought back, attempting to justify their actions.
"You aren't the only ones who have come here seeking weapons and battle strategies!" the spirit spat, growing angrier.
"We didn't have a choice. Please forgive us, great spirit- we're just trying to protect the ones we love," Aang pleaded. "Now, I am going to protect what I love," Wan Shi Tong said deeply.
The library began to shake, and dirt and particles began to crumble off the walls around them. The owl spirit began to double in size, its neck expanding upwards as it flapped its enormous wings in an attempt to collapse the ancient building. A giant wind began to surround them, and Ashlynn bended a bubble around her to help keep her footing.
"What are you doing?" Aang cried out in terror.
"I'm taking my knowledge back. No one will ever abuse it again!"
Ashlynn jumped as a chunk of stone fell from the ceiling and bounced off her air bubble, crumbling upon the floor. Sand began to seep through the cracks in the walls. "He's sinking the library! We need to leave, now!" Katara shouted over the wind.
"I can't allow that- you already know too much!"
Just in time, the group leapt to the side as the spirit lunged its enormous head at the group, its sharp beak missing them by inches. Ashlynn bended the wind back at it with her staff, and swiftly ran out the room with the remainder of the group. The spirit shook its head in confusion, and took flight, following them.
They ran through the vast halls, back towards where their rope still hung. The spirit trailed closely behind, attempting to bite at them whenever it got close enough. Wan Shi Tong crashed through his towers of books, breaking anything he came into contact with. Every-so-often Ashlynn and Aang would bend a gust of wind back at the spirit, but to no avail.
"We need to get the surface!" Aang shouted at his companions. Sokka halted, however. "Sokka? Come on, let's go!" Katara tugged on his arm. "No, Katara. We still don't know when the next eclipse is!"
"Don't be stupid, Sokka, we'll find out later!" she shouted at him. "No, you guys go on ahead. I'm going back to check the date," Sokka told them, and ran back towards the planetarium. Aang quickly followed Sokka, to ensure he'd be alright.
"Let's go Katara," Ashlynn shouted, and screamed as Wan Shi Tong suddenly burst through the shelf of books nearest to them. The wind force was enough to topple them over, but Ashlynn quickly regained a standing posture. She helped Katara up, and dazed the spirit for a single second with another gust of wind in its direction. Zei took off in an opposite direction.
"Down here, Katara," Ashlynn said, and grasped her friend's wrist and dragged her down another aisle of books. Then, she darted behind another shelf, and sat silently. Ashlynn put a finger to her lips to signal for Katara to be quiet. Katara held Momo close to her. Ashlynn could hear the spirit pacing around, searching.
The spirit chuckled, and said "And you both thought you could hide from me."
Before it could knock down the shelves, Ashlynn tugged Katara away, and began to continue running towards the exit. "Run Katara, keep going!" Ashlynn cried, and shoved Katara ahead of her. Ashlynn then planted her feet firmly on the ground, and held her staff in front of her. When Wan Shi Tong closed in on her, she swiped her staff in front of her as hard as she could, sending another massive gust of wind at his face.
Ashlynn took several steps back as she waited for the spirit to recover. Wan Shi Tong shook his head, clearing his vision. She kept her ground as she waited for him to close in on her again. "You think you are more powerful than me, more intelligent? You know nothing!" the spirit spat as it grew closer to her.
Suddenly, Aang's glider came into view, and Sokka dropped down from the air, and whacked the spirit across its head with a tome. Wan Shi Tong collapsed, fully dazed from the blow. Sokka fell off the massive creature, and landed on his back beside Ashlynn. He groaned in pain, but was still conscious. Ashlynn knelt down beside him, and helped him up.
"Thanks, Sokka," she said to him, and kissed him softly on the cheek. He nodded, blushed lightly, and pointed at the rope that still hung from the window they'd crawled through. Katara hadn't left- she had waited for her companions. "Where's Zei?" Sokka asked Katara. "He refuses to leave. He spent his whole life looking for this place," Katara sighed.
"It's okay Sokka, let's go!" Ashlynn urged, and Sokka reluctantly began to climb up the rope. Aang and Ashlynn remained behind on their gliders, ensuring that Sokka and his sister made it up and out safely.
Just as they approached the window, Wan Shi Tong began to stir once more. "Go, go!" Ashlynn screamed at the water tribe siblings. Aang grasped Katara, and Ashlynn grasped Sokka, and together they flew them back outside into the desert. Due to the library beginning to sink, the tower stood no more than a few feet above the ground. They collapsed beside Toph, whom had been keeping the tower out of the ground.
Toph released her grip on the tower, and collapsed beside them, exhausted.
Ashlynn's head swam, and she felt Sokka squirm beneath her, struggling to get up. Still dizzy, she sat up and apologized to Sokka, who stood up and helped her stand up. "This is great! A solar eclipse!" he exclaimed excitedly to the group.
However, the happy moment took a sharp turn as Aang asked Toph "Where's Appa?"
Toph had tears running down her face, and she shook her head, unable to speak. Ashlynn looked around her, and noticed that Appa was indeed missing. There were footprints not too far from them, and the faint paw prints of Appa.
Tears ran down Aang's face as he realized Appa had been capture.
The group was stranded.