The wind blew through the open gondola of the airship. Ian kept his eyes up, focused on the bright blue sky. He didn't dare look down. He didn't even want to think about how high up they were. He'd never been fond of heights, so he was starting to get shaky and a little bit nauseous. And as an earthbender, he always felt nervous when there was no earth under his feet.
Violet pointed. "There it is!"
Ian didn't see anything at first. Just a mountaintop and clouds. Then, as they drew closer, the clouds parted to reveal an entire small city. Small houses and buildings covered the mountaintop. The Eastern Air Temple.
Barley landed, and they exited the airship. Violet looked around. Something felt wrong. There were no children running around or anything. No people at all. Everything felt abandoned. Angry black scars covered some of the buildings. Burn marks.
She led the brothers to her parents' home, to the courtyard where the attack had happened. She gasped when she saw the destruction. Ian and Barley felt sick.
The area looked like a graveyard. Small charred bones littered the ground, clearly belonging to small children. Violet walked through as if in a trance. Her eyes took in the horrifying sight but her brain didn't register it. It didn't seem real.
She stopped when she saw two skeletons propped up against the back wall. Two skeletons dressed in her parents' clothes. Her father was in front of her mother, trying to protect her as much as he could. A smaller skeleton sat next to them. Dash.
Violet's knees gave out. She fell to her ground as tears began spilling out of her eyes. Her sobs rang through the empty courtyard. Ian and Barley shifted uncomfortably, wanting to comfort her but having zero idea what to say.
A terrible, heavy pause hung in the air. Not silence, just a moment of stillness. No words were spoken. The only sound was Violet's cries of pain and grief.
"I should have saved Dash," she said finally. "He was just a kid. Now he's dead because I was too selfish to look out for him!"
"Hey, no," Barley said. "You were scared. You're just a kid too."
He awkwardly approached and hugged her. Violet leaned into him gratefully, her sobs quieting a little. Normally, she didn't like strangers touching her, but she needed the comfort right now. Gradually, she stopped crying and pulled away from Barley's embrace.
"Thank you," she said. Without another word, she went back into the airship. Ian and Barley glanced at each other, surprised and a little worried about this sudden shift.
"Are you okay?" Barley asked Ian as they got back into the airship. He hated that his little brother had seen such a traumatizing scene. Ian was only sixteen. He didn't need to see that.
Ian nodded. He was a tough kid, even if he didn't look it, Barley reminded himself. They'd been through a lot these last few years, and Ian took everything as well as he could.
Violet was pacing around the airship. She turned to face them, a new determination burning in her eyes. "I have to go to the Fire Nation and get Jack-Jack back. I owe it to my parents, and the rest of the airbenders."
"We can help you!" Barley said.
Ian stared at him. "What?" Of course, he felt bad about Violet's plight, but not bad enough to risk his life. The Fire Nation wasn't something to mess with.
"Come on, Ian, the Avatar's the one who's going to stop the Fire Nation! And bring peace and harmony back to the world."
"I know, but that doesn't mean we need to risk our lives trying to save him," Ian said. "He's powerful enough to save himself, right?"
"He's a baby," Violet said. "Firelord Syndrome is going to raise him as a weapon. We need to stop him!"
"It's an adventure," Barley said. "Besides, what else are we gonna do? We've said it before: there's nothing for us here. So why not go out into the world and make a real difference?"
Ian wanted to argue, but he had to admit an adventure outside of their tiny home sounded sort of nice. And it would be a chance to spend time with his brother. "Okay, fine."
Barley grinned at him and shook his shoulder in celebration. "Great! Let's go!"
"Go where? To the Fire Nation?" Ian exclaimed. "We can't just fly in and take the Avatar from them!"
"Why not?" Barley asked.
"What do you mean, why not? It's the Fire Nation! They'll have guards everywhere!"
"You can earthbend our way in, and we can steal some soldier uniforms. The helmets will cover our faces. And they have so many guards, they won't notice three new ones suddenly appearing."
Ian didn't like this plan at all, but he didn't have any better ideas.
He tried to ignore the growing knot in his stomach as Barley began steering toward the Fire Nation. He'd never thought he'd ever be deliberately going toward that awful place. He hoped he wouldn't regret this. Being burned alive was one of his worst fears.
Violet looked out at the horizon and thought of Jack-Jack. He was her last living relative, and she was his. He must be so scared in this new, strange place, surrounded by strangers. She spoke softly, imagining her words carrying on the breeze all the way to the Fire Nation to soothe him. "Hold on, Jack-Jack. I'm coming."
~~~~
Firelord Syndrome walked down the last flight of stairs to the dungeon. Jack-Jack was five years old now. It was time for him to start his training. Of course, if it had been up to him, he would have started Jack-Jack's training much earlier. His wife Mirage had insisted that they wait.
The prisoners went quiet as he entered. The fear in the air was palpable as he walked down the cell block. Each prisoner wondering if they were the one he was here to see. Syndrome smirked to himself. He loved seeing how much terror and awe he inspired in people.
He stopped by one of the cells. "I hear you're the best airbending master there is."
Master Edna glared up at him. All four of her limbs were chained up, restricting her bending. Syndrome laughed at the sight of her. Such a strong will in such a small body. And now this proud airbending master was reduced to a dirty prisoner.
"Listen, Edna. Can I call you Edna? I'm taking the Avatar on a little road trip. But when I get back, I want you to start training him in airbending."
Edna spat at him. "And why should I help you?"
Syndrome crouched down to her level. "Remember, that's the only reason I kept you alive instead of burning you with the rest of your people. And if you don't cooperate with me, I may have to send you to the Boiling Rock."
Edna's hard expression didn't change, but her face went a fraction of a shade paler.
"Ah, I see you've heard of the place," Syndrome said. "So you must know what we do to the prisoners there." He turned away. "I must get going. Think about what I've said today, won't you?"
The dungeon door slammed shut. The other prisoners resumed their conversations.
"Your time is coming, Firelord Syndrome," Edna muttered. "The Black Sun is near." She just needed to have patience. Luckily for her, that was a guiding principle of airbending. She could wait, as long as she needed to.
~~~~
Mirage stood in front of her bedroom mirror, messing with her hair. A single strand out of place could set off Syndrome. He was very particular with everything, reminding her how important it was to keep a maintained and controlled appearance. Anything else would ruin the royal family's image.
She jumped when the door opened behind her. To her relief, it was just Dash, her oldest son.
"Dash. Sweetie." She noticed the pout on his face. "What's wrong?"
He sighed and shut the door, then walked over to her. "Dad and I had another argument. He won't let me learn airbending. It's not fair! It's my heritage too! He just wants Jack-Jack to learn."
"I'm sure he'll let you train eventually," Mirage said, smoothing his blond hair that never seemed to want to stay in place. She knew it drove Syndrome insane. "He just wants to focus on your brother because—"
"Because he's the Avatar, I know, I know." Dash sighed again. Mirage's heart ached at how deflated he looked. She did her best not to make him feel overlooked or neglected, but it couldn't be easy being the sibling of the Avatar.
"Come here, spark." Mirage hugged him.
"I don't think he'll ever let me train," Dash mumbled. "He hates me."
"No he doesn't," Mirage said soothingly. She had to believe that somewhere deep down, Syndrome cared for Dash, even if he never showed it. And she wanted Dash to believe that, too, because a ten-year-old child feeling hated by his father was heartbreaking to her.
They stood there quietly. Mirage stroked Dash's hair and thought back to the moment at the Air Temple when she'd rescued him. Somehow, through the smoke and chaos, she'd noticed him hiding behind a statue of a lemur. She liked to think it was fate, drawing her to him. He'd looked so scared, just standing there as everything around him burned. When he looked up at her with his big blue eyes, she couldn't bring herself to just leave him there to die.
So she'd taken him with her. Syndrome hadn't been too pleased about that. She still remembered how he'd screamed at her for hours. She'd truly wondered if she was going to die that day. But in the end, he'd grudgingly told her he'd allow it if it was what she really wanted.
He would come around and love Dash like a son eventually, she told herself, although her optimism was waning after five years. In the meantime, she'd give Dash enough love for the both of them.
She had loved him from the start. Even if he'd spent the first few months crying and saying he wanted to go home. She'd held him for hours, singing the same lullaby over and over until he fell asleep. It was a sad piece she'd requested the royal musicians write after finding out she and Syndrome could never have children of their own.
She found herself singing it now as she held Dash.
"You may never be mine
But you're always on my mind
I love you, I'll love you for all time
So fly across the sky
Find where you belong tonight
And maybe I'll see you shining bright"
He relaxed as her soothing voice sang the familiar melody. The notes rang through the air, dancing up and down before floating away.
The door banged open, and Syndrome walked in. Dash and Mirage both flinched.
"Dash! I'm taking Jack-Jack to the other nations to find waterbending and earthbending teachers, and I want you to come!" Syndrome declared. "It'll be a father-son bonding trip!"
"Really?" Dash asked. Where was this coming from?
"That sounds like a great idea!" Mirage beamed. She knew Syndrome would come around, even if it was only for her sake. "Doesn't that sound fun, spark?"
Dash didn't seem thrilled by the idea. He looked at Syndrome suspiciously. He must have ulterior motives, but Dash wasn't sure what.
"Come on, kid, the ship is getting ready to leave," Syndrome said.
Mirage kissed Dash's cheek. "Have fun, sweetie. Write to me when you get there! Love you."
"Love you too," Dash said. He reluctantly followed Syndrome out of the room.
Syndrome smirked at him. "We're gonna have a lot of fun, kiddo."
Mirage sighed happily and fell back on the bed. She had been waiting for this day. Of course, this didn't guarantee they'd start getting along, but at least Syndrome was trying.
Maybe the smiling, happy family in their royal portrait would finally become a reality.
~~~~
Barley slowed down as they approached the Fire Nation. He didn't want to alert anyone to their presence. As they came closer, Violet moved some clouds in front of the airship to disguise it.
The royal family's palace came into view. Ian could see guards and soldiers milling about, which immediately made his palms start sweating. Every one of them had the power to shoot them down with a fireball or lightning strike.
Barley pointed at something below them. "Look."
A Fire Nation ship was leaving the harbor. Firelord Syndrome himself was there. None of them had ever seen him in person, but they knew him by his spiky gold crown and ornate robes.
Violet's heart stopped when she saw the general Syndrome was talking to. It was Waternoose.
"How in five years have you not found the girl yet?!" Syndrome yelled.
Violet frowned. She assumed he must be talking about her, but…five years? Hadn't the attack just happened?
Waternoose bowed his head in a gesture of respect and shame. "The world is a big place, sir."
"I want you to find her. She's the only one who'll try to stop us. I want her dead!"
"I'll have my best admirals on it," Waternoose said with a bow. "Have a good trip, sir."
"He's leaving!" Barley said. "This is perfect."
"Wait," Violet said. A child had just walked onto the deck. His red hair and round face were all too familiar. She gasped. "Jack-Jack!"
It couldn't be. But it was undoubtedly him, she knew it. This was confirmed when she saw him run around the deck at top speeds. Just like an airbender.
"But—he was a baby," she stammered. It really had been five years. She supposed it made sense how this had happened, but she couldn't believe it.
"Where is he taking him?" Barley asked. He took out a spyglass and looked at the ship's navigation system. "They're heading for the South Pole."
"What do we do now?" Ian asked.
"We know where they're going. We'll just beat them there," Barley said. "There must be armies of waterbenders in the South Pole. They'll be able to help us get the Avatar back."
Violet barely heard him. She just stared at the ship as it sailed away. Jack-Jack was on there. He was five now. The same age Dash was when she last saw him. She'd lost one brother and missed out on most of the other's life. She felt like she'd failed Jack-Jack even more now that she knew she'd been gone for years.
In her misery, she neglected to realize their cloud cover had disappeared. Then she heard a loud shout below them. She looked down and saw Waternoose pointing at them.
"Invaders!" he yelled. He didn't seem to know it was her yet, so she ducked out of sight.
"Barley, get us out of here!" Ian cried.
A large fireball whizzed past their heads. Ian screamed. Another fireball hit the bottom of the gondola, rocking the entire airship.
"We're gonna die, we're gonna die," Ian whimpered, clutching the side of the gondola. He was too young to die. Besides, there were too many things he'd never gotten to do, like go to Ba Sing Se with his brother.
"Admiral Boggs! Help me take them down!" Waternoose barked at a thin, weaselly man standing next to him.
"Why do I have to stay here, while Sullivan and Wazowski get to go with the Firelord?" Boggs whined. "I should be by his side! I'm his best soldier!"
"Stop whining and get them!" Waternoose snapped.
Boggs rolled his eyes but started shooting fireballs at them. Barley erratically dodged. The airship swayed back and forth, making Ian even more queasy than before.
Fire Nation airships were joining the fight now. Ian's blood was rushing in his ears, and his heart was trying to escape his chest. He looked around in a panic. The airships had surrounded them on all sides, ready to shoot them down.
"There's got to be some weapons on this thing!" Barley said, but there didn't seem to be any.
In desperation, Ian put his hand out and tried to metalbend the airships. But he was too panicked to even activate his seismic sense.
Violet blasted the airships with gusts of wind, which barely wobbled them. Remembering the tornado she'd seen Bob and Edna create, she spun around and brought her arm forward. A tornado flew from her fingertips, sending the enemy airships spinning away.
"The airbender girl!" Waternoose shouted. "Get her!"
Barley turned the gas up as high as it would go, and they sped away. Waternoose shot lightning at them and barely missed. The airship vanished into the distance. Furious, Waternoose turned to Boggs. "How dare you ignore my orders!"
"I deserve more respect around here," Boggs snapped. "I deserve to be the Firelord's right-hand man!"
Waternoose stepped toward Boggs and lowered his voice. "In case you've forgotten, you have a more important task than accompanying him on a stupid trip. Remember our little trip to the Bookworm's library?"
"Of course."
"Our machine will change the shape of the world forever! Remember your place, and have a little goddamned patience."
Boggs muttered nasty words under his breath, but he knew Waternoose was right. He would get the accolades and recognition he deserved once the world saw his genius. Sullivan and Wazowski should start counting their days, since they wouldn't be Syndrome's favorites for long.
~~~~
Dash stood on the deck of the ship. It was a massive space. He was tempted to run around as fast as he could, but Syndrome didn't like it when he got too wild. It wasn't becoming of a Fire Nation royal.
So he just went to the side of the ship and looked out at the water. He'd never left the palace before, and he hoped the outside world would be interesting, but the sea looked pretty boring. Maybe the South Pole would be more captivating.
A hand fell on his shoulder. He looked up to see Syndrome looking down at him. Every trace of faux friendliness was gone. Now his face showed nothing but the disdain he had always held for Dash.
"Listen here, boy," Syndrome hissed, tightening his grip on Dash's shoulder. "If you really thought I wanted to bond with you, you're even more stupid than I thought. The reason I brought you on this trip is so I can punish you without your mommy getting in the way. I am going to make your life on this ship hell. And if you tell anyone, especially your mother, I'm going to kill her when we return. Understand?"
He snapped his fingers at a soldier standing nearby. "Come punish him. I'd do it myself if he were worth the trouble."
The soldier stepped forward and lit a flame on his palm. Dash stared at it in terror. Syndrome wondered if he remembered the attack on the Air Temple. Maybe he'd even seen his parents burning to death.
The soldier brought the flame closer to Dash's face. Syndrome held up his hand, telling him to pause. He enjoyed the suspense.
The soldier pressed the flame against Dash's eye. Dash's shrill screams alerted everyone on the ship. They came running to see what was happening, then drifted away when they saw that Syndrome was the cause. They all knew better than to even look like they were challenging him.
Only one person stayed. General James Sullivan stood there, aghast, as Dash fell to the deck, clutching his eye and sobbing. Of course, he knew that Firelord Syndrome was cruel, but to burn a child? His own son?
Syndrome saw him staring. "What are you looking at?"
Sullivan's friend and fellow soldier Wazowski ran over and pulled him away. Wazowski looked at him with concern. He'd never seen Sullivan shake like this.
"Are you all right?" Wazowski asked.
Sullivan nodded, although he wasn't. He'd just stood by and watched a child get hurt, instead of trying to help. Compassion wasn't a highly-prized virtue in the Fire Nation, but he felt like everyone should have some for young children.
He stared past Wazowski and out at the waves, trying to get his composure back. But he couldn't get Dash's screams out of his head.