Author's Note: HOLY MOLY ITS BEEN SEVEN YEARS. I had really bad writer's block with The Headband episode and that lasted forever and then I just forgot about it. Then like two years or so ago I tried to write it out and then my computer took a dump and I lost all of the progress I had so naturally I didn't want to write anymore. Then recently, I read some fanfiction and thought... I need to finish my story. So here it is! Seven years has me so out of practice, and I've realized many flaws in my story. Like my character having an American name, or the idea that air benders are born with tattoos and don't actually get them. Maybe I'll go back and fix that later, but not before I work to finish this story. If you read this then wow I applaud you for sticking with it after seven years. PLEASE ENJOY 3
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, and air-bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, the blind earth-bender Toph, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the Fire Nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion…
"Guys, I think I see a cave below!"
Ashlynn tried to peer through the dense cloud to see if Aang had been right. Currently, Aang was hiding the group behind a bubble of thick fog as they rode around on Appa. A moving cloud was the least conspicuous idea anyone could come up with as a way of flying to the Fire Nation. However, the cloud was so heavy that Ashlynn couldn't see through it, and had to trust that Aang was right about the cave. After a moment, Appa landed on a nearby shoreline and Aang dropped the cloud cover. A pair of birds close by let out a squawk of surprise as the cloud dissipated and revealed the group.
"Great job with the air cover, Aang, but now that we're in enemy territory we need to make sure we're extra careful. We can't be seen by anyone." As Sokka said this, he made a feeble attempt to sneak up on the cave entrance and peer inside. When he was satisfied there was no one there to see them, he motioned for the group to enter. "This will be the first of many caves we'll live in until the invasion begins," he said, without any effort to try and sound positive.
"Sokka, we don't need to live in caves all the time. We just need some new clothes so we can blend in," Katara debated. She motioned down at her current garb to indicate that the vibrant blue of her outfit stood out too much. She wasn't wrong, Ashlynn thought. If they had regular Fire Nation outfits, they could easily walk out into the town and replenish their supplies, and maybe even get a bite to eat. She didn't even have to worry about being recognized- she had a new scar on her face, and the time spent in the sun had lightened the color in her hair to a lighter shade of red. Her hair was also unkempt- a result of living on the go.
Sokka raised a single, quizzical eyebrow. "It's not a bad idea, I'll admit. Where are we going to get clothes though?"
Some hours later, the team set foot into the nearest marketplace. Everyone had donned new clothes. Much to Aang's dismay, the team was forced to pilfer clothes from a nearby house that had entire wardrobes hung up to dry. Using some of her knowledge of Fire Nation fashion, Ashlynn helped the group pinpoint certain articles of clothing to complete their appearance. She found the perfect sash to fit around Toph's waist, and some open toed sandals for Sokka. For Aang, she identified a strip of cloth that he could use as a headband to cover up his tattoo. She also found a couple of gold bangles that she split up between herself and Katara.
The outfit she selected for herself consisted up a sleeveless tunic that was tied up in the front. It offered a low cut front, with flares on the sides that covered the sides of her neck. The tunic was slightly too small for her, and therefore didn't cover her entire waist. She also selected a vibrant red skirt, which was also slightly too small, forcing her to wear black tights underneath. She completed her outfit with a red sash that hung down the front of her skirt, black bracers trimmed with gold lining, and soft moccasins that would keep her feet cozy. She threw her hair up into a high ponytail and allowed strands of her bangs to hang along the sides, hoping maybe it would cover up some of her scars.
Katara was silently distraught over having to take off her mother's necklace. Aang had reluctantly suggested that maybe it was too obviously water nation. Katara had frowned, agreed, and subsequently removed the necklace and stowed it away for safe keeping.
Now that they were in the marketplace, the group decided together that it would be a good time to eat. When they approached the closest food shop Ashlynn's mouth began to water. How long had it been since she'd had authentic Fire Nation food? The smells that permeated the air were enough to make her stomach rumble. However, she was temporarily stopped when Aang protested eating in a meat shop.
"Come on Aang, everyone here eats meat. It'll help you blend in!" Sokka exclaimed, smelled the air, and licked his lips.
"Maybe you want to try being a little quieter about blending in," Toph suggested sarcastically. Sokka glared at her for a moment, and then went back to smelling the air.
Aang's face turned positively green. "It's okay, you guys go ahead. I'll find something else."
The group exchanged nervous glances, shrugged, and then went into the shop to eat. Ashlynn was especially worried that Aang would get himself into trouble. There was something about his look that seemed too familiar to her, but she quickly forgot the idea as she approached the counter with all of the food on display. They had boiled clams, fried crab, roasted duck, steamed fish, Komodo chicken, Komodo sausage, fried squid, sizzle-crisps, smoked sea slug and Ashlynn's favorite- dumplings. The rest of the group looked completely overwhelmed by the food choices.
"The Komodo sausage is really good, I might get that. You can't go wrong with roast duck, and even if it sounds gross the smoked sea slug can be tasty. Although if you want something that's closer to the food you're used to, maybe you should stick to the crab or the fish," Ashlynn suggested to her companions. Katara perked up at the mention of fish, but Sokka could care less. As soon as Ashlynn had mentioned the Komodo sausage- a tough and hardy meat- he placed an order for that. Out of curiosity, Toph ordered the sizzle-crisps, but she also asked for some roast duck. Roast duck was a common meal in the Earth Kingdom. Ashlynn ordered dumplings and Komodo sausage. With their food in tow, they left the shop. As soon as they stepped outside, Katara began to panic, because Aang wasn't there.
"Relax Katara, Remember, Aang said he was going to go and find food that suited him better. I'm sure that's where he is. Let's wait a minute for him and if he doesn't come back then maybe he went back to the cave," Ashlynn suggested, although she was still nervous for Aang as well. She still couldn't place what gave her the feeling of familiarity about Aang, and wondered if a commoner would feel the same sense of familiarity.
When Aang didn't arrive after ten minutes, Sokka agreed that maybe Aang went back to the cave. Besides, their food was going to get cold soon, and it wasn't like they had a fire bender to warm it up for them. Ashlynn was hit with a momentary pang of hurt as she recalled a distant memory of Zuko heating up food for them back at the palace. She shook her head to rid herself of the memory, and turned to nod and smile at Sokka in agreement. The group quickly walked back to the cave together.
Katara was completely beside herself when they arrived and found Aang wasn't at the cave. She dropped her bag of food on the ground, forgotten, and began pacing. "I bet his headband fell off. I bet someone saw his tattoo. I should have made sure it was tied on tighter. What if he sneezed one of his powerful air-bending sneezes and people saw it and realized who he was? What if the Fire Lord paid a visit to the market and recognized him?"
Ashlynn choked on her food at that last suggestion. "I'm not sure the Fire Lord even knows what Aang looks like. He wouldn't visit a slum like this area, anyways, and if he did we would have known- he would have had an entire party of foot soldiers and hand servants to accompany him," Ashlynn argued, mouth full of dumplings.
"I'm sure he's okay Katara. If it gets dark and he's not back, then we can panic," Toph said as she stuffed more roast duck into her mouth.
Sokka sat pouting in a corner. He'd ate his food entirely too fast. Ashlynn sighed, got up and handed him her Komodo sausage. Sokka instantly perked up and rose to give her a swift hug and a grateful kiss on the cheek. It took him seconds to finish that food as well, and then he was back to sulking. "I love meat," he sighed.
"Well you're not getting my dumplings," Ashlynn warned as she sat close to him and continued eating the rest of her food. Sokka frowned, but ultimately accepted it and wrapped an arm around her. "Maybe I'll get to eat Katara's food," he said as he watched his sister continue to pace around the cave.
"Katara, sit down and eat your food," Ashlynn demanded. She didn't want to have to travel back to the marketplace just to get Katara more food because Sokka ended up eating hers. A little surprised by her tone, Katara grabbed her bag and began eating the food inside. However, she didn't take her eyes off of the entrance to the cave. If Aang showed up, she would be the first to know.
The sun was beginning to set when Katara finally stood up and declared she was going to go out and look for Aang. It was just then that the sound of swiftly moving air currents was heard from outside, and Aang paced into the cave. He had dirt all over his face, but he also had a large grin from ear to ear. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick!" Katara cried out, but the panic in her voice quickly disintegrated now that Aang was back.
"I stayed to play with some friends after school," Aang replied cheerfully as he removed his headband.
Ashlynn smacked herself on the forehead. "I knew you looked familiar. You're wearing a Fire Nation school uniform. I'm an idiot; I should have realized it sooner. I'm sorry everyone."
Sokka shot up so fast he left a small wind behind him. "After what? A uniform? What?!"
"Don't worry about it Ashlynn, it was actually really fun! I made some new friends! It's nice to feel like a normal kid. I'm going back tomorrow," Aang puffed his chest out and put his hands on his hips in defiance. He continued to grin, and Ashlynn could hardly blame him for wanting to go back. She had always wanted to experience going to a Fire Nation school, instead of the private lessons she had received in the palace. There were lots of people to meet and friends to make in the schools.
"You can't go back Aang, we have to lie low! It's a terrible idea. What if someone catches you? And… did you take Momo with you?!" Sokka cried out as Aang released Momo from within the confines of his vest.
"Momo was fine, no one saw him. Well… maybe my friend On Ji did, but she's not a tattle-tale. Come on guys, I have to go back! I'm learning so much information about the Fire Nation! Here's a picture of Fire Lord Ozai!" Aang offered up a picture of the Fire Lord. Ashlynn's eyebrow twitched at the sight of him. Somewhere in that face she could see features of Zuko, and that made her heart race with panic even more. She tried to dismiss it by saying, "Not bad, Aang. After all, I'm the only one here who knew what he looked like."
"…It's impressive… but still too dangerous!" Sokka was clearly beginning to sway in both directions. He was quickly beginning to lose his ability to argue against Aang attending school.
"Well if you don't let me go, I won't get to learn about the secret river… It leads right to the Fire Lord's palace! We're supposed to learn about it tomorrow…"
Ashlynn furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She was almost certain she'd never heard of a secret river. Maybe it was something they added in after she left? But then why would the schools teach about a "secret" river…
"Hmm… that could be useful for the invasion plan. Alright, you win, we can stay a few more days… but only if you promise to be careful!" Sokka nodded in agreement. Ashlynn almost burst out laughing when she realized the "secret river" was just a ploy to get Sokka on board. She kept her composure though- she wasn't going to mess this up for Aang.
Aang cheered with excitement, and ran off in a daze of exhilaration. Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn exchanged brief glances, as if to use nonverbal communication to indicate that they were all in agreement of Aang attending school for a few more days.
The rest of the night was spent collecting ideas on what kinds of information Aang could try and gather from school. Ashlynn was a good source of information, but she couldn't help that she'd been gone for a few years and may not be up to date on all things "Fire Nation". When the group was tired, they rolled out their sleeping mats, and proceeded to fall asleep- everyone separate from one another, except for Ashlynn and Sokka, who curled up together and slept soundlessly.
"Aang, we agreed you would only go to school if you were careful! How is this being careful?" Sokka demanded to know as Ashlynn tried to plaster a fake beard onto Sokka's face.
Aang had somehow gotten himself into so much trouble, that a parent conference was required. The group had no choice but to send in Sokka and one of the girls in as Aang's parents. Otherwise, Aang wouldn't be allowed to return to school, or worse- the authorities might come searching for Aang's parents. "It's not my fault, one of the other kids tried to pick a fight with me. He didn't like that I was going to show On Ji some dance moves."
"Why would you show someone dance moves?" Katara asked as she stuffed one of their sleeping rolls into the dress she was wearing to help give her a pregnant appearance.
"I was dancing in class today and she said she liked my dance so I offered to show her! I thought dancing was popular in the Fire Nation, but none of these kids seem interested in dancing. I think they're scared, or they don't know how."
"Ugh what is this stuff made of? I'm so itchy," Sokka complained, and reached up to scratch his face. Ashlynn swatted his hand away, and plastered on the final touch- a fake mustache. "I… Well, I yanked some of Appa's brown fur out. He's not too thrilled with me," Ashlynn glanced over at Appa. At the sound of his name, Appa let out a low grumble of frustration. "Sorry buddy, it had to be done."
"Alright, the plan is to just go in, hear the headmaster out, say we'll take care of the problem, and leave," Katara said as she threw her hair up into large, twin buns.
"Agreed, but you'd best believe I'm taking this opportunity to use 'Fire' as our family name," Sokka said as he reached up to scratch his face again. Ashlynn swatted his hand again, laughed, and kissed him on the tip of his nose. She pulled away from him and said, "That's a terrible idea."
The trio came back before the sun set. Ashlynn had started the campfire for the night, and had otherwise spent her time trying to comb out Appa's fur. It was the best apology she could offer up for having taken some of his magnificent, shaggy coat.
Sokka was in a total rage as the entered the cave, demanding that Aang never return to a Fire Nation school again. "Sokka, I have to go back! I'm having so much fun! I also want to show the other kids how to have fun. They're the future of the Fire Nation. They need to know what it's like to have fun and feel free, and not just be more mindless soldiers."
"Well what could you possibly do to make them experience 'freedom' and 'fun'?" Sokka queried.
"I'm going to throw them a secret dance party!"
"A secret dance party? Where? When? How?!" Sokka was growing more and more exasperated by the minute.
"I'll throw it here! I'll tell all the kids at school tomorrow to come here at night after school is over. Come on, it'll be fun! I'll tell them to bring instruments if they have them. I know some Fire Nation dance moves from when I visited my friend Kuzon!"
"Oh and I suppose they'll just accept Appa for the giant, endangered sky bison that he is?" Sokka retorted.
"Don't be ridiculous Sokka. We can hide Appa in the back of the cave and seal it off. We do have two earth benders after all," Ashlynn waved a hand to dismiss Sokka's paranoid notions. "Oh, you're in on it now too?" he rounded on Ashlynn. "I'm not in on anything. I think it's a good idea. It could be fun. We can leave afterwards… right, Aang?" Aang blinked at her for a moment, and then reluctantly nodded.
Sokka thrust his hands up in the air in frustration. He was outwitted, and outnumbered.
The following evening, the group worked together to revamp the cave into the perfect dancing hangout. Toph and Aang worked together to seal Appa off in the back of the cave, as well as to raise leveled platforms for any musicians to stand on while they played their instruments. Katara worked on creating beverage fountains, courtesy of her water bending skills. Ashlynn and Sokka worked on placing lighted candles all around the cave to create the perfect lighting and the perfect mood for the dance party.
"This seems so silly," Sokka grumbled as he placed his last candle down on a ledge that had been raised up by Toph. "Oh come on Sokka, it'll be fun. This place looks great!" Aang beamed as he looked around.
"Sokka, you know what's really silly is that you're still wearing that terribly itchy beard," Ashlynn giggled and tugged on some of his 'whiskers'. This time it was his turn to swat her hand away, but as he did so he grabbed her forearm and yanked her close to him and kissed her on the forehead. "Ugh that stuff is itchy," Ashlynn complained and scratched her forehead roughly.
"Guys there's people coming!" Toph exclaimed suddenly. Everyone figured she would be the first to know, since she would be able to 'see' them with her feet from farther away. Aang ran to the entrance to begin greeting his guests. He welcomed them all inside. Ashlynn was thrilled to see how many people brought instruments. It reminded her of home.
There were several large drums, as well as large Tsungi horns. Some people brought flutes, some erhus, and expensive luos. Several students brought in different sounding pipas, which could sound different based on the region they were made in. The musicians got to work right away, taking foot upon the pedestals or standing off to the side. This created a large opening that would serve as a dance floor.
Aang took the center of the would-be dance floor and tried to convince some students to come out and dance with him. Everyone stared at him, blank faced and shy. When no one joined him, Aang started to show off some of the Fire Nation dance moves that he knew, and explained that dancing was just a form of expression. Although they were a little outdated, Aang showed off some of the moves he had known from a hundred years past, such as the Phoenix Flight. Everyone cheered excitedly at the end of his performance.
After showing some Fire Nation dance moves, Aang took some volunteers up to start learning dance moves from other nations. This started to create a more comfortable atmosphere that led students to begin dancing according to their own preferences and what they felt in the music. Ashlynn prodded at Sokka to repeat the dance moves with her. He raised a single eyebrow, perhaps in confusion or maybe in distaste, but ultimately he did join her. She had to refrain from laughing- Sokka had very poor control over his dancing feet. Yet she helped him and eventually he felt the rhythm and was able to dance and have fun with her. However, they stopped as Aang and Katara took the center and began to dance, which mesmerized everyone in the room. Everyone stopped moving to watch them.
It was not a dance that Ashlynn recognized, and she thought that maybe it was a water tribe dance. Regardless of where it came from, it held the same sensual mood that Fire Nation dances held. It was beautiful to watch, and required execution of swift acrobatics. Everyone applauded loudly as they ended their dance, Katara sprawled across one of Aang's arms as he dipped her low. As soon as the applause died down, the students began dancing again. Ashlynn wrapped herself in Sokka's arms and continued watching the dance scene. However, the happy and fun moment didn't last long.
"That's the one! The boy with the headband! Get him!" came a firm and unwelcoming voice. Ashlynn looked in the direction of the voice and saw a few figures of authority standing at the front entrance of the cave. The center man, who looked like he might be the headmaster of the school, was pointing directly at Aang. Aang quickly disappeared into the crowd as the other authority figures dove after him. Ashlynn tugged Sokka towards the back of the cave, and on her way there she caught both Katara's and Toph's attention. They moved through the crowd as well, trying to reach the back of the cave without being caught. If they could get to the back of the cave, they could open the entrance to Appa and sneak out through the mountain with the help of Toph and Aang's earth bending.
Ashlynn bumped into a few of the students along the way, and at first mistook them for Aang. They all wore the same headband. She could swear they hadn't been wearing them before, but either way she was grateful for it now- it meant that it would be harder for the authorities to identify Aang.
When the group met up at the back of the cave, Aang waved goodbye to some of the students and proceeded to earth bend the walls down. Ashlynn caught a glimpse of the shock on the students' faces before the wall was sealed up, leaving the students and the authorities behind.
"Do you think they'll get in trouble?" Katara asked later as they flew away on Appa, safely behind another set of thick cloud cover. "Nah, the headmaster just wanted me- they didn't do anything. They'll be okay," Aang grinned as he fastened his headband around his tattoo.
"Well, that was a fun dance party. You really showed them how to have a good time," Katara grinned back and planted a soft kiss on Aang's cheek. He blushed, but smiled back at her, clearly pleased with himself.
Ashlynn smiled and leaned into Sokka, only to feel the scratch of his Appa-beard on her forehead. "Sokka, we're behind cloud cover and flying away. You can take this off," she motioned to the beard. He folded his arms across his chest and said, "Maybe I like my beard." Ashlynn grasped a tuft of hair and yanked hard, pulling the tuft off his face. "Hey!" Sokka shouted and rubbed the spot where she'd yanked some hair off. Ashlynn laughed and leaned into him once more.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Fire Nation, Zuko was fretting over some deeply set paranoia. He was sure Aang was alive, and he would do whatever was necessary to make sure Aang ceased to exist. Even if it meant putting Ashlynn in harm's way.