The Pandalily
-In which the girls get a mystery illness and we find a Pandalily
I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or The Legend of Korra, but I do own the characters that Bryke doesn't!
As they neared Azayla's room they heard a scream from both girls, it wasn't an over excited scream, it was one of terror. They looked at each other for a second before bolting to her room.
As Aang approached Azayla's room using Airbending enhanced running the first thing he noticed was the strange flicker glow that seemed to be omitting from her room. He thought this was strange because they didn't have candles lit in her room during the day- it was a bit dangerous.
He burst into the room with Katara right on his tail, the sight of flames made adrenaline pump through his body. Azayla stood terrified in the confines of her cot; she couldn't escape from the fire that was currently consuming her blankets and mattress. Aang used his Firebending to take control of the fire, slowly decreasing its size until it finally went out. Katara scooped the whimpering Azayla up into her arms and started to console her as Zuko and Mai rushed in.
"What happened!" demanded Zuko as he rushed over to his crying daughter
"I don't know, we came when we heard the screams too, there was a fire set in Azayla's bed" Katara explained as she walked over to Kasami's cot to calm her too
"A fire?" Mai repeated, taking her daughter from Kataras arms and making sure she was ok. "Do you know how it started?"
"No, but luckily everyone's ok, it just gave the girls a scare" Aang responded calmly also looking over at his daughter, she was standing up in her cot but looked different than she usually did. Her eyes were red and she looked much more frail than she normally did, Katara, assuming she was still in shock from the sudden fire lifted her into her arms as well.
"Perhaps it was the work of someone who doesn't want me on the throne" Zuko spoke with a dark look in his eye, "I swear if they hurt any of my family-"
"I don't feel well mummy" said Azayla cutting her father off.
"It's ok honey, you'll feel better soon" Mai reassured her "You were a very brave girl, you and Kasami were brave" she said looking over at Kasami who she noticed was quite pale.
Just then 2 flying blurs flew into the room followed by their older sister. Tenzin and Gyatso jumped off their air scooters and Kya took in the situation
"We heard screaming" she said looking at the adults "Is everyone alright?"
"Everyone is fine Kya" Katara smiled at her as Gyatso and Tenzin peered at Kasami and Azayla
"Kasami doesn't look very good" said Gyatso bluntly
"Azayla doesn't look very good" spoke Tenzin at the same time
At these words a person whom Aang could only assume to be the Royal Healer walked into Azayla's room. Aang noticed that although he and Katara were the first to reach her room, a number of servants and staff had also come, although once they saw no-one was hurt or in danger they hadn't felt a need to barge into the situation
"Pardon me Fire-Lord Zuko, but may I examine your daughter?" She asked. She was an old lady who spoke gently and seemed to care about the children's health
"Please" he said, gesturing toward her. She felt her forehead and examined her eyes, she look in her pasty complexion and the fact she was sweating.
"May I Avatar Aang?" she asked looking toward Kasami who looked much the same, after looking over her she seemed deep in thought for a moment.
"Do you know what's wrong with them?" asked Mai looking at both girls and assuming they weren't still scared from the fire
"It seems they have contracted some sort of sickness though I cannot say what…their symptoms are different my Fire-Lady"
"Have you got a cure?" asked Zuko, eyes widening
"I do know of a recipe that may cure them, although it is hard when I do not know what they have. I have seen symptoms like your daughters in my travels around the Fire Nation but never ones like the Avatar's daughter has" Aang and Katara looked at each other, panicked and Katara immediately tightened her grip on her young girl.
"Kya, Tenzin, Gyatso, maybe it would be best if you 3 wait outside, we don't want you to get sick too" said Katara uncertainly and the children filed out of the room looking downcast. Usually Aang would try to cheer them up but he knew they understood why they needed to leave, and Aang was preoccupied with his youngest daughter.
"What will we do?" Aang asked
"I am not sure if this recipe will cure her as I have never seen a collection of symptoms like that in one person, but we can try. It is the only thing I can think of."
An angry expression flashed across his face for an instant, Katara took his hand in hers and he calmed down immediately. He sighed quietly but as he looked at his shivering daughter he said "We'll have to take the chance, and pray to the spirits it will work"
"When can you have the cure made?" asked Zuko
"Unfortunately, I do not have all the ingredients, there is still one more herb I need."
"How can you not have all the ingredients! How can the Royal Infirmary be out of herbs!" demanded Zuko, on edge because of worry for the 2 girls
"I'm sorry Fire-Lord, the last of the Silver Root was used in the copious amounts of medicine used during Fire-Lady Mais pregnancy" Mai stiffened and Zuko remembered insisting they make her medicine to calm her morning sickness
"What is required to get more?" asked Mai, a stony expression on her face. Zuko knew she was feeling guilty at using the last of Silver Root but it was he who felt guilty, it wasn't Mai that insisted on it being made
"The nearest known source of it is a few days travel from here I'm sorry, but I'm sure we can get it faster is I tell them the…current situation" She said sympathetically
"I'll go" said Aang instantly "I'll be the fastest, I'll take my glider and Appa" Zuko looked like he was about to argue but Aang said "Zuko, do you really think you could possibly be faster than an Airbender?" Zuko couldn't argue with his logic so he turned to the Royal Healer to get the directions
As soon as she wrote down the directions on some parchment Mai had thrust at her and Aang had buried the scroll in his robes and gave his wife and daughter a kiss he was gone.
The healer had left so it was just the 3 adults and 2 children left in the room; they stood in silence until Mai spoke
"Zuko, I know you're worried about Azayla but that won't achieve anything. I know you have work to do so go, Katara and I will take care of the girls and I will send someone to you if anything happens" Zuko knew better than to argue with his wife so after he kissed his wife and daughter goodbye he left.
Kasami was shivering and was still extremely pale so Katara wrapped her in a bundle of blankets and set her back down into her cot when she drifted off into a light sleep. She turned and coughed forcefully but didn't wake up to Katara and Mai's relief.
Azayla was running a high fever and had broken out into a sweat. Mai took her unnecessary clothes off until she was dressed very lightly; she got a moist towel and was wiping her forehead when Azayla drifted off as well.
"I'm so sorry Mai" Katara said, her voice breaking as though she was holding back tears
"This isn't your fault, I'm the one who used up all the Silver Root" She replied, regretting she had ever agreed to have that medicine made for her.
"It is my fault" she insisted "When I took the girls out earlier, they met a girl at a puppet-show, she had a cold I think and they probably caught it"
"Katara" Mai sighed "Does this seem like a cold to you?"
"Well, no but"
"The best thing we can do is be here for them" Mai cut her off "and hope that the medicine works"
"You're right, I'm sorry"
"Stop apologizing, can you take over for me?" she asked, gesturing to the cloth she was wiping Azayla's forehead with "I need to go feed Zayu"
"Of course, I'll send someone to find you if anything changes" Katara almost thought she saw a grateful smile on her lips as she silently left through the door but she couldn't be sure
….
Aang sat on Appa as they flew over a forest that was immediately north from the Fire Nation capital, he unrolled the scroll he stashed in his robes to look over the directions he was given. When he reached the edge of the forest he should follow it East until he finds a long river, at the end of the river will be a Fire Nation town, behind that is a large mountain, only at the top of that can he find the Silver Root plant. He re-read the description of the plant the healer had given him
"The only parts of the plant that will be visible are the long, wide leaves. They are a ghostly blue colour and seem to glow slightly. If you pull on these gently you will reveal the large root, almost like a carrot in appearance but silver in colour."
He only needed to get 2 of these for the medicine but he was going to gather more than needed, as Appa flew he sat and meditated, praying to the spirits to let the girls be alright. After quite a few hours on Appa, he could see the small town in the distance, he jumped off Appa and while he was falling he manipulated the air around him and flew as fast as he could on his glider. He flew over the town and up the mountain.
The sun had just set when he arrived at where the Silver Root was supposed to be, the top of the mountain was breathtaking, bathed in moonlight that seemed to make the leaves of the Silver Root glow. They looked magical and he thanked the spirits they were there. Aang wasn't sure of the medicinal properties of the leaves so he gathered them as well. When he had an armful he blew the bison whistle he kept around his neck to call Appa. Before Appa landed he saw something on the other side of the peak, a lone Pandalily. He smiled at how he had been trying to get Katara a Pandalily once, just to have to save a whole town from destruction. It was at that time he thought Katara had really began to like him, so as Appa landed he picked the Pandalily wondering if it was a sign from the spirit that watched over this part of the Fire Nation.
….
It had been a day since the girls had started to feel sick and Katara was getting worried that Aang wasn't back yet. She knew she was being irrational but she didn't care, all she wanted was for these 2 girls to feel better. She hadn't slept that night, and her, Mai and Zuko had taken turns watching over the girls among caring for Zayu, Tenzin, Gyatso and Kya. Zayu was oblivious to the happenings around him but Tenzin, Gyatso and Kya were quite worried for the girls, they adults tried to re assure them that they would be fine and it was nothing to worry about but Kya responded to this by saying "Why aren't we allowed near them then?"
The twins were also missing their father because he had promised to do some Airbending training with them today, so they were really disappointed. Kya tried to train with them but it wasn't the same as an Airbending sifu.
Eventually Katara heard cries of "Daddy!" from outside and knew that Aang had returned, she ran outside to greet him and saw him giving the herbs to the healer, she kissed him and held him tightly, she noticed he had a flower in his hand
"What's that?" she asked and he smiled
"Remember when Sokka and I went to the top of that volcano and we found it about to erupt? Well the reason we were up there to start with was to get you one of these" He conveniently left out the part of Sokka thinking he was getting the flower for Meng as he held it out to her "It's a Pandalily"
"It's beautiful Aang, thank you" She said hugging him again
"How are the girls?" He asked as he took her hand and led her inside
….
Katara, Aang, Mai and Zuko watched anxiously as Azayla and Kasami got given their doses of medicine, Azayla took hers without much of a fuss but Azayla hated the taste and scrunched up her face as she swallowed it. A few minutes passed but nothing changed. Kataras grip on Aangs hand tightened and Mais eyes betrayed the real emotion she was feeling.
"It will take some time to start working" the royal healer said before she excused herself from the room.
Another 30 minutes passed before Aang noticed Katara had fallen asleep against him. He figured that she hadn't slept at all that night so he carried her to a chair that sat in the corner of the room. One by one everyone drifted off into a restless sleep, not to be woken until the dawn of the next day.
….
Katara stirred in the chair she sat in and woke up, she immediately glanced over at Azayla and Kasami and found them to be asleep as well. Soon Aang woke up too, followed by Mai and Zuko. After Mai fed Zayu the girls started to stir.
Azayla was the first to fully wake, she sat up sleepily and rubbed her eyes endearingly, Kasami followed after, when Kasami noticed the audience she said "Mummy?"
"I'm here sweetie, how do you feel?" Katara answered, judging her colour and deciding she wasn't as pale as she was yesterday, but she was still quite pale.
"Feel A-"She stopped what she was saying
"What?" Asked Aang confused
"Feel A-"She said again, slightly more high pitched, Aang and Katara looked at each other confused before returning their gaze to their daughter
"Feel A….CHOO!" Kasami sneezed and ended up in the Fire Lords arms. A surprised Zuko blinked twice at her, as if confirming what he thought happened.
"Wha- How?" Zuko choked out as he passed Kasami to Aang, Azayla sat in her cot laughing and clapping at her friend's antics
"Is she?" Katara asked and Aang nodded, it was as if a giant weight had been lifted from both their shoulders, now instead of worrying for their daughter's health they were celebrating the gift she had been given, even Mai smiled for them.
"Can someone fill me in please?" Asked Zuko and Aang chuckled, "It seems Kasami is an Airbender Zuko" he explained and understanding dawned upon Zukos face.
"And I'm willing to bet Azayla is a Firebender" Mai spoke in her usual quiet voice
"What makes you say that?"
"Have you forgotten about the fire?" She asked dryly and he grinned sheepishly "Maybe?" she whacked him playfully before Azayla started to tense
"A!"
"A!"
"Choo!" Suddenly Azayla's blankets were on fire again and Mai quickly snatched her up while Zuko put the fire out
"Looks like she'll be sleeping with fireproof blankets from now on" Mai commented as Azayla rubbed her nose furiously
"So did the girls catch that cold from the Fire Nation girl but reacted differently because of their bending?" Katara asked and Aang nodded "I think so, that would explain why the healer hadn't seen the symptoms before, I mean it's not like there are many Airbenders"
"It was a good idea to keep the other children away from them then, the last thing we need is 6 children sick" said Katara as Kasami prepared to sneeze again, this time Katara was prepared and ran forward to catch her daughter
"It looks like you've had practise" commented Mai and Katara nodded "Hard not too, raising 2 other Airbending children"
"Tenzin, Gyatso and Kya will be so pleased to hear the news" Aang said "Let's wait until their colds are completely gone until we tell them, otherwise they won't stop pestering us to see them and they'll get sick too" said Katara and everyone agreed
"So the next in line is a Firebender, the council will be pleased" mused Zuko "Although if she wasn't I would have changed the laws, bending isn't everything" he added seeing Mai's expression.
Zuko requested for Azayla's bed to be made fireproof and Mai tied her hair up into a bun at the back of her head so she wouldn't singe her hair. Aang took Kasami's mattress out of the cot and put it onto the ground so if she flew out of it at night she could crawl back into bed, he also surrounded her makeshift bed with various pillows knowing from experience it hurt if she blew yourself out of bed and hit your head on a bookcase.
The girls were drained of energy from their short time being awake- the cold was taking its toll. They took another sip of medicine again and soon fell back asleep, Zuko, Mai, Aang and Katara watched them thankful that nothing serious was wrong with them. As Aang was leaving Azayla's room he noticed the Pandalily on the ground, it must have fallen from Kataras hand when she fell asleep. He placed it on a table wondering again if it was a sign from the spirits that their daughter was going to be alright.
A/N Whew! Long chapter, the Pandalily sort of just wrote itself into this chapter, that's not what I named it for but I like the little reference. Everyone will understand the name in the very last chapter! Please REVIEW!
HarmonyBendingFreak: Thank you so much for the lovely review! You're definitely part of the reason this update came out so fast and I will try my hardest to get a chapter up on your birthday! Do you have a FF.N account? I would have loved to reply to your review with a PM but sadly couldn't, keep up the amazing reviews!
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