Chapter Text
Dimas looked in consternation at the bundle at his feet. The door had closed behind them and Aytha had immediately all but melted and now as Dimas leaned over the pile of clothes only to hear a faint grunting sound. Gently moving the fabric aside, he saw Aytha. As a tiny baby… covered in scars that no adult would have survived much less a 2-month-old.
He lifted the bundle, knowing what needed to be done and hating it. He left her at the top of the mountain, a note tucked into her blankets. The air nomads would take great care of her. He hoped.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Aytha ran her hands lightly over the newborn. Holding him gently in her tiny hands. Aang would be one of the most powerful Avatars to ever live, but for now, he was a newborn baby being held by his two-year-old sister. She smiled, hearing the faint gasp as the midwives saw the twisted expression for the first time. The monks raising her had long since recognized her smile, but whenever new people saw it, they invariably became frightened. She let his mother take him back. It was time for her to practice her forms.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Aang had been missing for 2 days. Aytha was furious. They told him he was the avatar too soon and now her brother was gone.
---
On the third day, smoke rose in pillars from the base of the mesa, the clunk and scrap of machinery slowly making its way up. The fire nation was here.
---
Aytha lay in bed with a splitting headache as her memory returned. The true nature of her “disfiguring birthmark”, the reason she was here. And Aang was gone. And there was shouting in the courtyard, and she just wanted it all to stop.
Her door slammed open, “Aytha, we’re being attacked you have to run!” Her mentor said urgently. Fire burst behind her and she fell screaming. Aytha raged. A black sword wreathed in shadows appeared in her right hand, a shimmering pale blade glowing a pure white in her left. A Morgul-blade and the Master Sword held in the hands of a grief-stricken, raging, very cursed Maia. The poor soldier never stood a chance. Nor did the hundreds of others who stood alone in her path. It took a whole battalion in the end. Half of them died in the assault but in the end Aytha fell, burned almost to ashes. And the Air Nomads were massacred by Fire Lord Sozin’s forces.
---
Dimas was more frustrated than he was willing to admit even to himself. Apparently, he was bound to a disaster child who had 0 sense of self-preservation. The burns had taken forever to heal. Two years before she was walking again and another 3 before they could move on to part 2 of their plan. Which was to head to the Southern Water tribe and learn their style before it went extinct.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Aytha had mastered Southern Water style, Northern Water style (women’s version cause misogyny) Earth bending, several variations, and was setting out to explore the world before it was time for Phase 3. Fire bending. The most delicate time for this whole world was coming, Aytha needed to convince Ursa that adopting a very small child as her eldest would be a good idea.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Once again masquerading as a toddler, Aytha held her new little brother, crown prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. Ursa was an amazing mom. Ozai was a predictably terrible father. Aytha, Zuko, and Azula were growing at the expected rate. Shortly after Ursa’s banishment and Ozai’s rise to power, Uncle Iroh took Aytha on a little trip. They went to see some ancient ruins and found more than they bargained for. They gained more than either could have imagined in the meeting. The originators of fire bending found them worthy, and nothing could taint the sun they each held inside them.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
The Agni Kai came. Zuko was banished. Aytha gained an audience with Fire Lord Ozai just to tell him how terrible of a person he was, saying “I am leaving, and I disown you as a father.” And vanish like smoke. Turns out she too can fade into the Shadows if she so chooses.
She went back to the Southern Air Temple. The time was upon them all and the Avatar was about to return to the world.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Three years later Aytha is sitting in her garden looking up at the fresh spring buds that were attempting to sprout in her orchard when she hears a cry.
He’s back, and he found the cemetery. She and the Nine had spent the years of her recovery and these last three years burying the dead of the Air temple. The Fire Nation soldiers got a mass grave, it was marked because they were just following orders and truly thought it was for the best. There were even some names listed as those she had cut down with the Morgul-blade had returned as wraiths and they had known the names of some of their fallen comrades. For the last hundred years these wraiths had traveled to all the air temples and buried the dead.
She approached making no effort to remain silent, it was obvious someone was up here from the brushed pathways and the snow man. The grief exploding from Aang manifesting in the Avatar state was hardly a surprise. She was about to call out when the girl appeared fighting the wind and calling out that Aang had a family still and she and Sokka, who must be the boy fighting to remain behind a tree, were his family now. Aang calmed and broke down sobbing in the girl's arms. Aytha walked up behind him, the girl was looking at her suspiciously, kneeling Aytha laid a hand on Aang’s shoulder, “And you also still have me. I told you once I was immortal, didn’t I?” The shock on his face was only slightly more than the girl and her brother.
“AYTHA, you... ‘re alive?” Half laugh half sob Aang threw himself into her arms and they cried and laughed together.
---
Once they had calmed enough to talk Aytha lead the trio to her rooms. She had been cleaning the whole temple with the Nine’s help but there was still only a small section that was completely clean. As they walked across the courtyard Aang pestered her with questions, Sokka and Katara, as they had been introduced, followed a few steps behind eyeing her warily; she was doing nothing to disguise her mangled skin so that was unsurprising.
Aytha laughed, “Come on all of you, I have more food, and yes Sokka, there’s meat. Specifically dried fish.”
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Don’t ride the Unagi. Not fun.
Of course, the trio had failed to mention that they were being chased by Zuko. Aytha wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with this new development. Because obviously, both her little brothers fighting each other was not the ideal outcome, but right now was not the time for that fact to be uncovered. So, she fought the rest of the soldiers and met them at Appa. I should probably tell them I’m Zuko’s adopted sister... Later, for now, they flew away, maybe Aang would learn not to take side trips.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Aytha had studiously avoided the larger cities of the world in the last hundred-odd years. As such it was quite pleasant exploring Omashu with the Gaang but naturally it was too good to last. Not that she minded being encased in Geminite, as an earth bender herself it didn’t really pose a danger, it’s a delicious candy, but also it didn’t seem as though King Bumi really had malicious intent, he seemed to like messing with people though so this was going to be fun to watch and hopefully, Aang would learn something.
---
It was good to know that not all of Aang’s old friends were gone.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Aytha was really beginning to wonder about Katara. She had hope as boundless as the ocean, but what must she have gone through to develop such a thing at so young an age? If you think about it, none of them are really, children, anymore. War forced them all to grow up far too quickly. Aang still acts like a child because he hasn’t been forced to be an adult until a few weeks ago. Saddened Aytha promised herself she would at least be there to listen if any of them wanted to talk about things.
And now to wait, surely the enslaved earth benders would be willing to rise up. Then again, maybe not. They’d been on this stupid hunk of metal for years. A pity I can’t figure out metal bending. All good things to those who wait as they say.
They were all too afraid, all but one. Haru, spirits bless him, became the pebble that started the avalanche. She took the opportunity to throw some rocks at soldiers' heads. She wasn’t a great shot, never had been. Bows were still more her style.
The fight was over. They won easily, and now the Gaang was staring at her like she’d grown an extra head. Sighing she motioned for them to leave, “I’ll explain later.”
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
“It’s later.” Katara sat in Appa’s saddle arms crossed looking all but murderous, “Explain.”
“I’d also like to hear how it’s possible that one of the best air benders I know is also able to bend earth,” Aang added quietly.
“Ok, ok.” Taking a deep breath, she took the plunge, “ Soo, I am immortal. We’ve established that. But I am also able to bend... all four elements.”
“WHAT!” Sokka’s turn. “I thought only the Avatar could do that. How can you.”
“You’re right, under normal circumstances only the Avatar can bend all four elements. I am not a normal circumstance.” she sighed, “I am not from this realm of reality. I’m one of a very small group that can travel between realities, which we do in order to help those that live through the hardest of situations. Which, children being the linchpin upon which a war for the entire world is won or lost qualifies. So as such, I get a few, abnormal abilities so I can help more effectively. Questions.”
Sokka and Aang were staring mouths agape, Katara was predictably the one to speak first. “You can teach us water bending!!” Aang snorted trying not to laugh, or maybe trying not to cry, hard to tell sometimes. Katara was also confused “What, she can!”
“Aang is laughing because I am the world’s worst teacher. I’ve tried to teach him things back when we were just learning airbending, I was a few years ahead and they hadn’t started teaching him the more advanced stuff, so I was trying just for kicks ‘cause we wanted to see how he did. Three hours later, he doesn’t understand what I’m saying still, and he picks things up from other people insanely fast, so I am clearly the problem.”
“It’s like she starts speaking a completely different language that I don’t know when she tries to teach. Even when she shows me what to do, it’s hard to describe there’s something about how she bends that makes zero sense.” Aang shrugged, “At least we know now, and it’ll be easier not to get caught by the fire nation.”
“Ever the optimist” They were all smiling at this point.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Aytha felt the power of the Spirit Realm growing within her like cancer. Hers was not a kind power after all. She had already suggested they find a good place to camp for a couple of days since the Solstice was coming. The others didn’t seem too concerned. Of course, finding a massive burn scar changed how they were feeling but that did nothing for Aytha’s impending… illness.
The village they’d come to was tiny, and in ruins. But the Solstice was approaching, and she was running out of time. She barely heard the village elder plead with Aang to stop the spirit terrorizing their village. It was all she could do to remain upright. As dusk fell they gathered in the town hall, Aytha lay down blind and deaf to all around her as shadows and screams overtook her senses.
---
Aang had been worrying about Aytha all day, he couldn’t remember a single Winter Solstice when she wasn’t too sick to join in the festivities the Temple usually held. It looked like this year wouldn’t be different as she had suggested they find a place to stay for a couple of days, and her birthmark seemed to be darkening which was never a good sign.
---
Katara watched as Aytha’s seemingly boundless energy faded rapidly as the day wore on. As they gathered in the town hall to await the rouge spirit, she kept an eye out and watched as Aytha stumbled into a corner and collapsed. It almost looked like dark fire was dancing around her as night fell and the town was shaken by the arrival of Heibi. “Aang? Aytha’s...” she just pointed. Aang glanced at Aytha, eyes filled with sorrow,
“No one touch her. She’ll be fine in the morning.” Then he leaped out the door to confront the spirit.
---
Agonizing pain wracked her, a many-armed monster charged towards her only to become a bear, an angry and sad bear. A dragon flew overhead, a boy and a man on its back, she knew them but from where she couldn’t say. All she knew was pain and the screaming of the Nazgul.