Lost Arrow [A:TLA au]

epigraph + summary

"The heart is an arrow. It
demands aim to land true."
—leigh bardugo; six of crows

"Family isn't always blood. It's
the people in your life who want
you in theirs; the ones who
accept you for who you are. The
ones who will do anything to see
you smile and who love you no
matter what."
—unknown

————

Flo didn't have anyone – not anymore, not really. Years ago, she used to. Three big brothers and two big sisters, all six of them parented by two loving parents. The family had been as close as possible with war ruining their lives, taking them out one by one by either sending them into the war itself, or an illness they couldn't afford to get the cure for, or an execution to teach the village a lesson. At age ten, the only ones left of the family were Flo and her father who needed a walking to stick, up until the Earth Kingdom demanded the man's presence to fight in Ba Sing Se against the Fire Nation's siege.

She hasn't seen him since. When the letter was given to her just days after her father left that he died in battle, she left the small village, alone and afraid with only her mother's forgotten bow and arrow set, refusing to be thrown in an orphanage or brought to a Fire Nation colony. The next five years she lived alone. She went from place to place, became an expert at shooting a bow and arrow, and got used to being completely and utterly alone. It was better that way, she figured, because sooner or later everyone left her because of the war going on. The young girl didn't have a home or anyone to call friends or family except for a lone hawk-cat she once rescued from a dangerous trap.

It wasn't until she found herself on Kyoshi Island when things started to change. Flo didn't remember how she got to the island – days before, she had been ambushed by some Fire Nation soldiers and barely made it out alive – but the people were nice, so she stayed there for a little while as she healed. A few weeks later, a trio of kids with their flying bison and a lemur show up. And, soon enough, the Fire Nation as well. With no other way off of the island, one of the Kyoshi warriors urged Flo to leave with the group.

Reluctantly, Flo agreed. She left with the group of friends and planned on leaving them during their next stop. What she didn't expect was for all three of them to grow attached to her so quickly, and she couldn't deny the feeling of rightness whenever she was with them too. She wanted to stay with them, but unfortunately the fear of losing them just like she lost her family made her want to leave them first as soon as possible. She wanted a home, and friends, and a family again, but with the war continuing on and the Fire Nation attacking every which way, the girl didn't want to lose anyone close to her again. But Aang was just a kid even if he was the Avatar, and Katara barely knew how waterbend, and Sokka only had a boomerang to fight with.

The three were some sort of family, and Flo might not have her own but they do and she'll be damned if she let any of them lose one another. So, she stayed with them on their journey to help the Avatar. All the while, she made a plan to do her best not to get too attached to them.

Unbeknownst to her, that plan was destined to shatter. Especially when a certain blue eyed, goofy boy with a knack for strategics wormed his way into her heart.

————

A/N— AKA, Suki urges Team Avatar to adopt Flo despite her protests and Flo eventually makes it her personal mission to keep the idiots alive. Like honestly, hers and Aang's brotp is going to be so pure once they crack her walls; but that's all I'm gonna say on that so I don't spoil anything lmao. I'm just excited!! Also, the prologue and the first chapter are already written, so you can expect those sometime soon!

And just an FYI, this is connected with my other A:TLA stories, Morton Ice & Ocean's Calling

Hope you enjoy!

DEDICATION(S)— to all the a:tla lovers, any of my mutuals who love it, and once again to latte-to-go bc she is such an amazing writer and her a:tla (and marvel) fics literally give me life.

WARNING(S)— violence, death, sexism, typical A:TLA shenanigans, war, & talks and descriptions of depression, anxiety, and other mental health topics
[if needed, I will add onto this as well as up a warning at the beginning of the chapter if necessary]

DISCLAIMER— I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender nor the plot of the show. The characters and stories rightfully belong to the creators, and whoever else helped make the show. I only own this story's plot and my original characters.

started — 2.8.2020
posted — 2.10.2020
finished — TBA