Ashton and Iroh followed the light tracks of the ostrich horse continuously. They'd only stop for lunch and at night to fuel themselves for the days ahead. This was a hard comprise between the two travelers as the princess opted to "drag Zuko's ass back and challenge him to the Agni Kai of the century.", but through much arguing the girl surrendered knowing that any attempt to drag her brother back was pointless. Even so, Iroh wanted to follow his nephew and Ashton followed, wishing to protect her brother as long as she could before she had to leave him.
The constant walking gave the grey eyed girl time to think. Something she had tried her best to avoid through the past few weeks. She often found herself longing for the warmth of her nation. She missed how bright and beautiful the sunset over the waters of ember island and feeding the turtle ducks in her mothers garden. She thought of her sister and how alone she must feel. Though Azula hated her twin, Ashton loved her. She worried about her. For years she had tried to redirect their fathers rage onto herself instead of the amber eyed beauty, but now no one stood in between them. She thought of times much happier than they are now, a time where they thrived in obliviousness.
Azula and Ty Lee were doing flips in the courtyard when Ashton, Zuko, and their mother walked by. Mai, who hadn't been paying much attention to the two girls in front of her, caught sight of the prince and her cheeks flushed a bright red at the thought of even interacting with him. Azula, always alarmingly observant, noticed her flustered expression and followed the girls gaze to her brother. Smirking she leaned over and whispered in her play mates ear, "Watch this.". She raced over to the trio yelling after Ursa hurriedly "Mom, can you make them play with us? We need equal players so we czna play a game!". Ashton's eyebrows knit together and she stared at her sister in surprise at how stupid she was "That wouldn't make it equ-".
"I am NOT cartwheeling." Zuko interrupted, leaning over the railing and glaring at his least favorite sister.
Azula rolled her eyes "You wont have to. Cartwheeling isnt a game, Dumb Dumb." she stated flatly turning to Ashton with begging eyes.
"I don't care!! I don't want to play with you!" Zuko yelled back, already done with Azulas game. Ashton sighed and Placed a hand on here brothers shoulder, Zuko jerked his head in her direction. Ashton smiled reassuringly, his face softened. "I think itd be fun, Zuzu, we are after all siblings, we need to bond. Come play, at least just this once." .
"Exactly!! It's important for us to spend time together! Dont you think so, Mom?" Azula added, happy that her sister caved into her plan. Ashton saw Ty Lee and smiled brightly climbing over the fencing and running up to her. Ursa placed her hands on Zukos shoulders "Yes, darling. It's a good idea to play with your sister." she ruffled his hair and pushed him towards where the girls were.
Ashton and Ty Lee werent paying much attention the others as they laid on their backs and stared at the clouds. Discussing boys, Ashtons birthday that was coming up, Ty lees family, and the ditsy girls favorite subject, Zuko. As she went on and on about how much she adored him, the princess gagged louder and louder. It wasnt until Ashton heard a splash did the girls stop their gossiping. Ashton looked at her brother horrified to find him in the fountain next to Mai.
Zuko got up and Stomped towards the nearest entrance to the palace, Ashton and Ty Lee not far behind. They caught up to him as he yelled "Girls are crazy!!!" and the friends shared a look and fell into a fit of giggles.
Ashton sighed. Darkness now consumed the air around them and she went to light the fire, she stared intently at the flames. Regret of agreeing to Yue's commands flooding her thoughts. Iroh sat on the opposite side of the fire, brewing his evening tea and glancing over at his niece not so subtly, but she wouldn't notice. Her eyes reflected the flames before her and her chin rested perfectly between her thumb and pointer finger.
Iroh started humming. It was an old fire nation lullaby that she barely remembered but it still got her attention. The general felt the princess's gaze on him and stood, offering her a delicate cup of tea. She accepted without hesitation, hand leaving her chin and grasping around it, eyes moved to the fire immediately after. Iroh frowned, he stopped the tune and took a sip of his tea. He saw great conflict in her eyes.
"Is there something you'd like to talk about, Ash?" her gaze met his for a second before she looked down at the steaming cup in her right hand.
She didn't know if the dragon of the west could be trusted. Though something inside of her told the girl could and so, trusting her instincts, she began.
"Uncle." he hummed in response pouring himself more tea. "After the Siege of the North, I started hearing a voice. It was faint...angelic even. It followed me everywhere, on the ship to capture you, in your cottage. But, that night after Azula and I met with you and Zuko. I had a dream, a vision, of a girl with white and and bright blue eyes and she showed me this boy..." Ashton stopped for a moment, his features were so blurry now and she barely remembered his face. But, she could never forget the feeling she got when he touched her.
A light grin spread on his lips as the girl thought of the boy, a knowing look in his eyes.
"She told me her name was Yue." Iroh wasn't too surprised by this, he felt the moon spirits presence around her since they reunited, Ashton continued "She told me to join the Avatar." her eyes finally met her uncles and he just took another sip of tea, "And?" he urged her to continue.
She looked at him incredulously "What do you mean 'and?'".
"I just dont see what the problem is." he shrugged, placing his cup down in front of him.
"I cant just leave!! What about you? What about Zuko??" frustration laced her voice as she continued to look at the old man in disbelief.
"What about us? It's time you follow your destiny, Princess Ashton. It's time for you to join Avatar Aang and help restore balance to the world!!" He sounded stern, never had she heard so much seriousness in his voice.
She stayed quiet for a moment not knowing how to respond so she stood and walked over to him, a tear slid down her face and she embraced him in a tight hug. "Thank you." She whispered. Ashton never wanted to make the decision on her own, it was eating her alive. She let him go and crawled into her sleeping bag, falling into a peaceful sleep.
"I dont know why you always want me to play. You could just chase down Uncle." Azula groaned. After months of pestering, Azula finally gaze into Ashtons requests of playing Pai Sho, but never did she expect it to be this early. The sun was rising in the east, its delicate rays illuminated Azulas face and made her eyes appear as though they were pools of swirling honey, her hair was still a mess, and she looked tired.
Ashton sat, ignoring her sisters complaining and staring at Azula most recent move. Still graced by darkness, her silvery eyes appeared navy or even black, though warmth still radiated from within. "I could perhaps, if Iroh werent out at war, but coincidentally he is." Ashton said making another move and smirking, knowing that Azula yet again, unknowingly gave her twin the upper hand. " And besides...I enjoy playing with you."
Azula stuck out her upper lip, "But, I hate getting up this early." Ashton only laughed lightly and shook her head. Azula made another move. Ashton moved her white lotus tile and grinned proudly, The sun now met her eyes and revealed how mischievous they were.
"I win."
Azula let out a loud groan and fell dramatically on the floor behind her, her limbs sprawled out and eyes on the ceiling, lips down turned into a deep frown. Ashton crawled over to her and stared at her sisters expression and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Azula!! It's our tenth birthday! Smile!!" Azula deepened her frown. Ashton reached to the corners of her sisters lips and tugged up. "Smile." she said teasingly. Azula broke into laughter and Ashton wasn't too far behind.
Ashton and Iroh had been in a bit of a rush over the past twenty-four hours. Zuko had fled from the village earlier than expected and they were rushing to catch up to him at least for a little bit. The duo, after 12 hours of travel and few breaks in between, called it a day where the grassy terrain turned to that of pure sand and dust.
"I'm gonna go look for food." the princess stated, leaving her uncles side in a rush plagued by her past. The memories that filled her skull the past couple days made it throb with vigorous intensity. After letting out a load groan as she messaged her temples, her eyes met a bush filled with shiny and plump berries that were just begging to be devoured. She knew her Uncle would be happy to see such luxurious fruit after their long days travel. Ashton placed each berry her shirt using it as a make shift basket.
Choosing to ignore the banging of her head, she walked carefully back to their little campsite. "Uncle!! Look at what i f-" Ashtons voice trailed off when she saw her uncle sat down with a girl brewing a pot of tea. She lifted her foot, ready to attack if needed, her balance perfect. Iroh noticed and shook his head patting his hand on a clear spot next to him and pulling out a small basket for the berries. "Uncle, Who's this?" Ashton sighed staring intently at the girl and pouring the contents of her shirt in the woven box. "A new friend." Iroh whispered, a huge grin plastered on his face. Ashton shook her head and sat down, accepting the tea her uncle offered her and the girl.
The princess noticed the blank look in the girls eyes and their glazed over look. She was blind. Suddenly, Ashton felt guilty for being so willing to attack the girl.
"Here's your tea!" Iroh said to the girl, smile still on his face. She didn't take it. His smile faded for a moment as he added "You seem a little too young to be travelling alone.". She gingerly reached for the cup and Ashtons gaze left the sky and followed the movement.
"You seem a little too old."
Iroh chuckled and Ashton smiled lightly taking a sip of her tea. "Perhaps I am. I'm very lucky to have my niece with me."
"I know what you're both thinking...I look like I can't handle myself." the girl commented casually. " We weren't thinking that at all. In fact, I was so afraid of our capabilities i prepared for attack." Ashton said, eyebrows knitting together. "You wouldnt let me pour my own tea!"the girl added, motioning to Iroh with her head. "I poured your tea because i wanted to and for no other reason." he responded.
"People see me and think I'm weak. They want to take care of me, i can handle myself by myself." the girl huffed. The princess frowned thinking only of her brother, Iroh seemed to have the same idea. " You sound like my nephew, always thinking you need to do things on your own without anyones support. There is nothing wrong with letting the people that love you help you." there was a quick silence before iroh added "Not that we love you, we just met you!!!" the girl laughed "So where is your nephew.".
Ashton choked on her tea at the question, but quickly recovered with a few coughs in between. "We've been tracking him actually." Iroh responded, sadly taking a sip of his tea.
"Is he lost?"
"Yes, a little bit. His life has recently changed and he's going through very difficult times. He's trying to figure it out who he is and he went away." Anger flowed through Ashton, still she was upset with his departure and the strong emotion made her headache resurface. Every time she looked at the girl, it eased a bit. It was strange and it made her wonder if girl would lead her to where she was supposed to be-at the avatars side.
"So, you're following him?"
"We know he doesn't want us around right now, but if he needs us , we'll be right there." Iroh said nodding at Ashton, who still sat in thought about the stranger next to her.
"He's very lucky. Even if he doesn't know it." the girl stood and grabbed her bag. "Thank you."
"My pleasure, sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights." Iroh responded, smiling. "No, thank you for what you said. It helped me." Ashton finally spoke "We're glad.". The girl nodded at Ashton and started to turn before she stopped and looked in irohs direction " Oh and about your nephew, maybe try telling him you need him too." she began walking away.
Ashton looked after her, her headache was raging the further the girl got away. "You know, princess Ashton, i could hardly blame you for flowing your instinct." Iroh said with a smirk. "Are you sure?" she asked, anxiety filling her. He nodded. She flung herself into his arms and hugged him tightly whispering a thank you, grabbing her stuff and running after her.
"Wait!!" Toph stopped at the sound of her voice allowing her to catch up. "What do you want?" She asked rather rudely. Ashton catching her breath said "To join you on your journey.". "It's not reallly up to me, bu we'll talk to my friends about it. I'm Toph." "It's a pleasure to meet you, Toph. Im-" Ashton hesitated "I-Im Ashton, Princess Ashton of the fire nation." Toph cringed, she didn't know how the others would react to travelling with the princess of the enemy nation. Noticing this, Ashton quickly added "I'm trying to end my nations terror upon the world. I do not agree or like this war." Toph nodded, knowing she wasn't lying and continuing to walk on.
Ashton started to follow, but saw blue flames dancing around a ghost town dissolving red ones and a boy hoping from building to building. "Toph, I believe we have trouble."
Azula was throwing flame after flame at Sokka, Katara, aand Aang. They all dodged with success. But, then Something flashed in azulas eyes and she unleashed a huge wave of flames at the trio, the all lifted their hands preparing to feel the burning sensations on their skin, but it never came.
Ashto has stepped in between them and dissolved them in an instant. "Enough!!" she shouted centering her weight on the ground and preparing for attack."Well, if it isn't my sister. Tell me, why is that im not surprised to see you here?" Ashton stood her ground. The trio behind her stood in shock. "Stand down, Azula. I don't want to hurt you." Azula scoffed "No, I dont think i will." she started summoning lightening and Ashton prepared herself taking a deep breath. But before Azula could get enough to strike her sister the earth moved under feet causing her to fall face first into the ground.
"I thought you guys could use a little help." Toph said, smirking at the people behind Ashton. "Thanks." the water tribe girl said smirking too. Then, suddenly Azula through a few blasts of flames towards the group that were quickly distinguished by her sister while she made a run for it only to run straight into her uncle, bouncing off his stomach and being cornered against a building. Ashton saw Zuko and her heart broke for him. He looked weak and dirty.
Ashton's gaze met Azulas as she took her spot in between her uncle and Katara. "Well look at this. Enemies and traitors working together. I'm done. I know when I've been beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor." Azula raised her hands, none fell for it. She scans for any weaknesses when she spots Irohs eyes flicker between his niece and the avatar, a smile on his lips. That's when she released a flame that hit her uncle straight in the chest. Zuko screamed, Ashton let out a tear as they all sent blasts towards the princess causing an explosion.
Zuko fled to his Uncles side through the dust, Ashton stood behind him listening for a slight breath or heartbeat, anything. "Get away from us!!" Zuko yelled, causing Ashton to jump. "Zuko, I can help." "Leave!!"He yelled throwing a flame back causing everyone to duck. The rest ran of besides Toph, who grasped Ashton's hand and tugged. Ashton let go and approached her brother hugging his back tightly and whispering "I'm sorry." and making a run for it, the blind bandit close behind.
Ashton stopped running as she approached the group, and toph stopped by her side. "Toph!! What are you doing she's the enemy." the water tribe boy said, pointing his club at the girl. His eyes met hers, grey against blue. His widened, hers narrowed. They both had seen those eyes before. "Just listen to her."Toph said impatiently. The group looked to the girl expectantly. She tore her eyes from Sokkas.
"I am Princess Ashton of the Fire Nation, daughter of Firelord Ozai and Lady Ursa. My nation has caused unrest and pain in the hearts of others and i want to change that. A month ago, aboard my sister and I's ship, i had a vision of a spirit who called me to serve you, Avatar Aang." Ashton said eloquently, as if she had been practicing for weeks, which she had, but they didn't need to know that. "Plus, i can teach you how to fire bend and i know my nations military like the back of my hand."
Aang looked at the others, Sokka still stared in shock and Katara was looking at Aang, nodding in approval. "Come on then. I'm exhausted!"