Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the song "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" from Camelot, lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner.

Author's Note: I totally loved The Headband! Shippiness galore, and even a scene strikingly similar to one I wrote in Destiny's Call. Anyway, I don't really have an excuse for this installment. I just couldn't resist the song. I've left out the lengthy introduction of praying to St. Genevieve.

The Simple Joys of Maidenhood

Where are the simple joys of maidenhood?
Where are all those adoring, daring boys?
Where's the knight pining so for me
He leaps to death in woe for me?
Oh, where are a maiden's simple joys?

Ty Lee's life was not turning out the way she'd always imagined. It probably wasn't remotely close to what her parents had planned for her, either, but she had long since stopped caring about what they wanted. Had it been up to them, Ty Lee probably would have found herself married off to an elderly, obscure nobleman the day she turned thirteen. To this day, Ty Lee didn't know how she'd ended up at the Fire Nation Academy for Girls. Azula had probably pulled some strings.

So, Azula had saved Ty Lee from a confining future of strictures and an arranged marriage, only to step into her life again a few years later and pull her away from the circus she loved. She should have known that Azula would call in a favor eventually. No one could avoid the Fire Lord's reach forever.

Still, Ty Lee tried to find the bright side. Working with Azula allowed her to continue to travel, which was something she had found she loved. However, there was something sadly missing from their quest - boys.

Shan't I have the normal life a maiden should?
Shall I never be rescued in the wood?
Shall two knights never tilt for me
And let their blood be spilt for me?
Oh, where are the simple joys of maidenhood?

If there was one thing Ty Lee hadn't experienced that she secretly longed for, it was to have some young man fall desperately in love with her, to the point where he would do anything for her. Was that so wrong? She had at least enjoyed looking at the young Water Tribe warrior she faced occasionally. He was a friend of the Avatar, which made it very unlikely that she'd ever be able to exchange even a few casual words with him, but she flirted as much as she could while fighting. A fun endeavor, certainly, but it definitely wasn't easy.

As their ship returned to Fire Nation shores, Ty Lee tried to be hopeful again. At last, there would be some young noblemen around. Maybe one would finally notice her or, better yet, two of them.

Ty Lee gazed out across the ocean, lost in daydreams of two firebenders fighting an Agni Kai for her honor, or favor, or some similarly romantic ideal. Wouldn't that be fun? Why didn't anything exciting like that ever happen to her?

Shall I not be on a pedestal,
Worshipped and competed for?
Not be carried off or, better still,
Cause a little war?

Ty Lee knew she was pretty, and there was a reason she dressed the way she did. She wanted to get attention. Surely she deserved to be admired, worshipped, and desired. If anyone had developed an infatuation with her during her time in the circus, she hadn't been aware of it. Maybe she seemed too unattainable. She tried not to frown over this. Her mother had once told her it caused wrinkles.

In a way, it was unfortunate that most of the world had already been occupied with the existing war for 100 years. It would have been exceedingly satisfying to have a little border dispute or something erupt because two leaders were fighting over Ty Lee. She supposed that couldn't happen while the rest of the world was more or less unified against the Fire Nation.

Where are the simple joys of maidenhood?
Are those sweet, gentle pleasures gone for good?
Shall a feud not begin for me?
Shall kith not kill their kin for me?

Seeing the volcanoes of "home" rising into view, Ty Lee perked up again. Surely, there must be plenty of idle families of the noble houses that weren't actively involved in the war. Starting a blood feud might be fun.

Ty Lee glanced over to where Mai and Zuko stood on another part of the deck. With those two focused on each other, and Azula no doubt preoccupied with secret machinations of her own, no one was likely to pay much attention to what Ty Lee was doing. She smiled a private, little smile.

A girl could dream, couldn't she?

Oh, where are the trivial joys?
Harmless, convivial joys?
Where are the simple joys of maidenhood?

--

Author's Note: Um…yeah. I know it's kind of weird. I think the song's actually better than the story. Oh well, let me know what you think, anyway. Apparently, allowing more time between chapters helps me get more reviews. I don't know if I'll make a habit of that, but it's interesting to note.

Review responses:

Wishing Only Wounds The Heart: I'm not sure if you'll agree that this one was such a good choice. Les Mis is a good book, but I strongly recommend the abridged version. The detailed descriptions of the Paris sewers and the extensive history of student uprisings aren't really essential to the story.

Aqua Princess of Avalone: Broadway is just about the only music I listen to, so I'm constantly hearing where they fit in with Avatar. I guess I've already used songs from your three favorite musicals, so do you have any other requests?

Snows Of Yester-Year: Yeah, I thought the timing was appropriate. I can't believe it's taken me so long to finish another chapter, though!

libowiekitty: I'm so glad you liked it. I'm sorry about your grandmother, by the way. I'm intending to write you a more extensive PM on that.

airnaruto45: I'm trying, but I have so many collections going right now that it's hard to decide which one to work on. I'm hoping to have more time to write in a couple of weeks.

Kumori Doragon: Thanks. It can be hard to stretch musings out into an entire fic, but when it works, it works. I think your most recent story probably exemplifies that.

Aangs fangirl1214: Thank you very much.