Ashton sat upon Appa's head while the others slept. Her backpack was still on and her knees were curled up to her chest with her chin rested on them. Her hand held a orange flame that tried to flicker blue and purple every now again. The heat licked her face more often then not and her eyes reflected it's ever changing colors. She tried to keep the flame small, but the wind that flowed through her brown hair only fueled it.
She sighed, closing her palm, and looking behind her to the sleeping body's within the bison's saddle. Her eyes lingered upon the water tribe boy for a moment before flicking to the Avatar. "He's just a kid" Ashton thought, saddened by the young boys call to action. He didn't even look like he had started puberty, he barely looked as though he had reached adolescence. Momo, the lemur, popped his head up from Sokka's grasp and ran up to the princess. He carelessly hopped on her shoulder trusting her already and she held back a giggle to not wake her new acquaintance's and climbed on the saddle finding a corner away from the rest.
Setting her bag next to her, the girl laid down with Momo who crawled into her arms loving her natural warmth. The fire nation princess looked to the moon and let a tear escape her eyelids. Worry for her Uncle had resurfaced in her mind and the stress of facing her twin crawled into her chest, pulling it tight and restricting her air ways calling for her to stand down and let the heart retching sobs escape. She swallowed the pain still staring at Yue hopelessly. The fire bender knew the spirit felt her pain and could feel her graceful presence lulling her to sleep. With a beautiful, almost inaudible, voice in the wind Princess Yue thanked the girl watching and feeling her eyes close peacefully.
The group travelled for a week trying to gain as much distance as possible between them and "Ashton's Evil Twin", as Sokka had dubbed her. Through those days the Princess barely spoke, but assisted the group as much as she could. She even tried to sell her arm band to help with money, but Sokka shut her down sensing the meaning that it held to her. Ashton often wondered about Kai. She knew he had been sent to guard a prison on the outskirts of her nation, but every time the girl tried to find more information about the boy, her father grew furious. She missed the older boy and longed for his brotherly comfort in the palace. Ashton thanked Sokka later that night for encouraging her against selling it.
Every morning, Ashton would wake just as the sun rose to soak in it's power and freshen up her bending. After spending weeks not using her gift, her bones ached to release fire. She started with her forms running through the elements as she knew them and then she let flames escape from her limbs. Sokka would always wake up soon after sneaking off to watch her. He had never seen fire bending look so beautiful. He only saw destruction, but the princess gave it life. He always felt as though he was watching a dance and resisted to not sing a simple melody.
One day, the princess noticed and turned to his direction "Must you stare?" she asked smirking. She wore nothing more than her dark red bindings, but he barely paid any mind to her to her feminine assets and instead honing in on her delicate yet sharp features deciding that they were undeniably perfect compared to any he had ever seen. His face flooded red "I wasn't!! I was just sun bathing?" the boy panicked and silently cursed himself for his pathetic excuse. She just laughed, "It's okay! I was just teasing you!" She smiled loving that he had paid attention to her. The princess sat next to the warrior and let her body be fueled by the stars rays above them. "Can i ask you a question?" Sokka asked admiring at her profile. "Of course." "What's it like in the fire nation?" Ashton took a moment to think, Not knowing quite to say. "Strict, warm, and boring." She said meeting his eyes.
A bond was created that morning. Ashton's sleeping bag was no longer distantly placed from the group, it now had a place closer to her new friend. This was insisted upon by Sokka who built a distain for her misplacement for the days of travel and, after loads of bickering between the two, dragged her bag next to his. After growing exhausted of their bickering the princess begrudgingly slipped into the bag, but moved it a little farther away from them as she was still sensitive to Katara's glares.
"Today's the day!!!"Aang yelled, air bending himself out of his sleeping bag and landing in front of the sleeping water tribe boy. Ashton was just walking back to camp after training for a while when she saw Aang excitedly chatting to the grouchy warrior only hearing incoherent bickering from Sokka as she put her shoes back on next to Appa. She shook her head at their interaction as she neared them a smile on her face. Sokka had finally laid back down once she reached the two boys, Momo jumped on her head. "Excited?" Ashton asked Aang and he shook his head vigorously.
"GOOD MORNING, EARTH BENDING STUDENT!!!!" Ashton jumped and fell, landing on Sokka with Momo sprawled on her back. Sokka began to grumble again, but stopped for a moment when he saw Ashton. He decided to wait for her to get up before he cursed the youngest of the group. "Good morning, Sifu Toph." Aang responded, bowing respectively. Ashton finally got her footing and placed the lemeur back on her head smiling happily when he didn't move.
"Hey, You never call me Sifu Katara." "Well, if you think I should..." Sokka, eye twitching, sat up and grumbled to the earth benders. "Sorry Snoozles we'll do our earth bending as quietly as possible." Toph said and ,content with her words, Sokka snuggled back into his sleeping bag. She smirked, and Ashton's eyes widened as she took a step back when Toph stomped the ground moving the earth below Sokka to propel him into the air. Sokka screamed as he plummeted to the ground. Momo reached down to bat at the Princess's nose making her giggle. Katara rolled her eyes and removed the lemur from her head when Sokka met the ground. Ashton frowned and the water bender glared at her.
For most of the day, Ashton watched the Avatar fail at his new bending art. But, soon enough Katara chased her off, but the princess didn't leave without encouraging the boy one last time "You got this, Arrowhead!!!" making the boy smile. Humming a fire nation lullaby, Ashton searched for Sokka.
Though her mind wondered along the way. The people around her liked her pretty well, except Katara. She didn't care all that much whether or not the water-bender did considering that she was in fact a princess. Yet, it made the girl unsettled. She just wanted to regain her nations honor. But, it seemed as though she will only be evil in the eyes of others despite her efforts. She wished she was from the earth kingdom, water tribe, or even in an eternal rest with the air nomads. She wished that at least one of her ancestors were redeemable. No. That could never be. She was born to be an asset of war. She was born to bathe in the blood of her enemies. She was born to destroy any remints of any other nation that didn't breathe fire.
She didn't even know she was crying until she heard Sokkas voice in the distance. She quickly composed herself before finding him speaking to a moose lion cub. "You probably think I deserve this don't you? Look I'm sorry I hunted you, but that's just the natural order of things. Big things eat smaller things, nothing personal. But, this time it didn't work out that way." he hesitates before cooing " I admit it you're cute."
"It is pretty cute." Ashton revealed herself walking up to the cub and patting it's head. If Sokka could jump, he would've been a couple feet back from the fire bender. "When did you get here?" he asked still brushing off his fear. "Just now." She replied, flashing a smile at the warrior and sitting down in front of him. Just the slight upturn of her lips made the boys head feel light and free. He could sit and watch her smile all day long. His eyes travelled to hers and he frowned. Her slate colored eyes were slightly blood shot and their usual warmth was far away.
"Are you okay?" Ashton's breath hitched and her eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself after the shock of Sokka's question. "I'm brilliant." she smiled again. It sounded so convincing. Truthful even. He still knew better though. He had seen Katara put on the same show before. "No, you're not."
He watched as she tensed and looked at him with a bewildered look in her eyes, but nonetheless, she agreed. "Why is it that your sister hates me?" she cocked her head to the side as she asked that. He found it adorable despite her question holding such a dark and depressing answer. He sighed, breaking eye contact and watching as the sun slowly made it's way down the skyline. "She doesn't hate you." Ashton raised an eyebrow and Sokka let out a laugh. "Okay, maybe she does. But, It's not anything you did. It has to do with something that happened a long time ago." The princess nodded "Can I fix it?" He almost laughed, mocked her even but she knew didn't know. He recognized that she was just a little over Katara's age when it happened. "Our mother was murdered in a raid by your nation." he responded simply, trying not to sound cruel. Ashton's eyes watered and she looked away "I understand."
He actually laughed that time, "How could you possibly understand?" She let some tears fall and she looked him in the eyes that were so full of doubt and spoke "My mother was taken from me and my siblings when i was ten. I didn't see her for months before. I was sent out pm some stupid journey to find 'enlightenment' or whatever and when i got home.....Both my mother and brother were gone." she took a moment, thinking about what to say next, and then continued "My brother was banished and branded by my father and I couldn't protect him. My mother....it was like she never existed."
The warrior felt guilty and wanted to embrace the beauty before him "I'm sorry for doubting you." She smiled "No need to apologize, I can see how my title of 'princess' can be deceiving." she reached down and offered the apple that was delivered by the baby moose lion earlier and offered it to him.
After he had finished the apple, the girl tossed it behind her, startling "Foo Foo Cuddlypoops" in the princess who napped in the princess's lap. "I'm going to find the others, okay? Maybe Toph or Aang can get you out of there." He nodded as she removed the cub from her lap. She stood and patted the boys head, skipping away. He blushed and shook his head smiling big as he became focused on a conversation with the animal once again.
By the time Ashton reached camp Katara was frantic and once the water bender spotted the fire bender she felt herself become overtaken by rage. "What did you do to my brother?!" She yelled, drawing her water from her pouched and aiming it towards Ashton who jumped out of the way. Before she knew it ice was being thrown at her too and she quickly weaved through them. "I didn't do anything to him." She squealed slightly, avoiding a huge ices cycle aimed for her heart. "Like i'd believe you!!"
Ashton groaned as the bender relentlessly sent water her way and deciding enough is enough she ran at the girl. The princess hit her neck, then her waist, but before she could finish chi blocking Katara, the rest of the group rounded around a boulder and the bender ran to her brother. Ashton sighed, thanking the spirits that she wouldn't have to explain that one to Aang.
"You found him!!" The water bender yelled, embracing her brother tightly. "The whole time i was in that hole, not knowing if I'd live or die, it makes a man think about what's really important. I realized..." His monologue was interrupted by Aang yelling for Katara's attention and earth bending. Making Toph leave her place next to Sokka and cheering proudly, letting the boy stumble around a bit before Ashton wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He thanked her and they laughed as Aang got knocked down by Appa.
Sokka decided that he quite liked having Ashton this close to him.
A/N: Hello everyone!! I'm sorry this update took so long!! I was assigned a huge research essay and it took loads of my time. But, i hope you enjoyed. I rewrite this one a couple of times and I'm finally happy with the out come. I hope everyone's Halloween was excellent!!!