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foxyanon · 3 months

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To End A War: HoTD/TLK Crossover, ATLA AU

Book 1: Water

Chapter 1: The Avatar

Pairing(s): Aemond Targaryen x Avatar!Reader, Sihtric Kjartansson x Avatar!Reader

Summary: The end begins…

Word Count: 2,406

TW: Character death, mention of bloodbending

Disclaimer: I do not own any images used nor any of the characters from House of The Dragon, The Last Kingdom or Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Many thanks to @arcielee for making the dividers for this series!

Earth. Fire. Air. Water.

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony, but everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them. Sadly, Avatar Aang was found and captured after having evaded the Fire Nation for 75 years. The air bender had challenged Fire Lord Daemon to an Agni Kai when the Southern Air Temple came under attack and subsequently lost the fight due to the vulnerability Aang experienced when he entered the Avatar state. The resulting massacre of the airbenders at the temple and the brutal death of the Avatar shook the world to its core, and it seemed all hope was lost.

Most of the knowledge surrounding the Avatar cycle was obscured from the public, many only knowing parts of the stories behind the legend. However, Daemon knew that he had only deferred the inevitable since the Avatar would reincarnate within the water tribe next. While the Northern Water Tribe had not shown to be the birthplace of the next Avatar, that left only the Southern Water Tribe. Fortunately for the balance of the world, the Southern Tribe was notoriously recluse and difficult to reach, even for the might of the Fire Nation. The ever moving icebergs and harsh snowstorms meant that the Fire Navy couldn’t reach any of the settlements within the South Pole. It is here, where the water bending Avatar has hidden for 25 years, waiting and training for the day where she would end this never ending war.

From the day of my birth, my parents knew I was destined for something greater than myself. My training began in earnest when I was old enough to walk since I was among the last of the southern waterbenders and the Avatar. My mentor, Master Hama, often took me away from the rest of the tribe for us to train away from prying eyes. From the beginning, she drilled the importance of not showing mercy to my enemies into my head, showing me how to pull water from every available source and how to manipulate water on a larger scale. When I was 16, she showed me a previously unknown form of waterbending, bloodbending. Since I knew her entire story, I knew she had suffered greatly under the hands of the Fire Nation and thus her unorthodox methods never phased me. I knew there was a great pressure on me to learn as much as possible, as the chances of me being able to learn any of the other elements were rather slim at the time being. The fate of the world rested on my shoulders and I was determined not to fail.

I remain hidden within Grey Wolf Village, far from the capital of the South Pole. I still train daily, but Master Hama’s age has started to catch up with her and she is incapable of going too far from the village for our training. Of all the lessons she has taught me, none have been more important than hiding my identity from the world. “The world is full of monsters disguised as men, you must never let them know who you are,” she would say. I often slipped away from the village, trying to teach myself the other elements whenever Hama wasn’t hovering over me. It was difficult, especially since I had a hard time connecting myself to my past lives and therefore couldn’t ask for their guidance. I knew I would need to find masters to help teach me the other elements, but that would be near impossible since I was the most wanted person within the Fire Nation.

It was on one of these secret excursions that I first saw them, the massive metal ship flying the banner of the Fire Nation causing my heart to nearly stop. I had been trying to teach myself fire bending, but it hadn’t been going according to plan. Instead, I somehow managed to nearly set myself on fire while also melting a fair amount of the snow around me. My failed attempt at firebending must have been seen from the deck of the warship, and now my people were going to suffer for my foolishness. They were sailing straight for the village and everyone there was defenseless, save a handful of warriors and Hama. Without thinking, I jumped into the saddle of my loyal companion, a polar bear dog named Ivalu and we ran towards our home, hoping to arrive before it was too late.

Prince Aemond had been watching along the shoreline, something in his gut telling him he was in the right place. Navigating the ice fields had been hazardous but he was determined to investigate every inch of the frozen landscape until his curiosity was satisfied. He could feel the eyes of his aunt, Princess Rhaenys, on him as he looked through the spyglass. Her ever constant presence by side since that fateful day both thrilled and infuriated him. The soft sound of Rhaenys moving the tiles across the pai sho board mingled with the seemingly calm breeze of the cold morning, a good sign in Aemond’s mind. He continued to ignore her, instead focusing on his own task when he heard a sigh come from behind him.

“You should rest, Aemond. Come, play a round with me,” she spoke in her usual soothing tone, no malice like he had been used to back home. The sound of another tile being moved into place then a contemplative hum filled the air as she waited for a response.

Aemond turned to face her, a scowl on his face as he glared at her. “No, I must keep looking. I do not have time for games, Aunt. We are in the right place, I am sure of it,” he ground out, turning back to the telescope and training his good eye back on the shoreline. Luck appeared to be on his side when he saw what could only be described as a fiery explosion and at the center of the scene, an indistinguishable figure that he could only assume belongs to the one person he has been hunting. A little further along the snowy landscape, he caught sight of a small village. “See there! On the ice there was someone firebending. There is only one explanation, Aunt. We have found the Avatar and their hiding place.”

A heavy sigh and another soft tap of a tile before Rhaenys clicked her tongue at her nephew's stubbornness. “Prince Aemond, we have been down this road before. I do not want you to get excited over nothing.”

“This time is different, I can feel it. Set a course for that village!” Aemond excitedly responded, feeling closer to the end of a long road than he had in a long time.

Upon my return to the village, I learned that the ship had already docked and several men had already come ashore. I slipped past the ice walls and stayed hidden behind a few of the tents, watching as my kin were rounded up and interrogated by a tall and imposing figure. He wore a standard Fire Nation uniform, but it was the way he carried himself that stood out the most to me. His long white hair was pulled back neatly and he wore an eyepatch over his left eye, the edges of a deep scar peeking out and marring his handsome face. I knew in an instant he was a member of the royal family, but I didn’t know his name. Dread started to settle in my chest as the realization that I have been discovered started to become my reality. I was pulled from my short lived self-loathing when I heard the wizened voice of my mentor bark back a retort to the foreign prince.

”Haven’t you taken enough from us already? Or does your greed know no bounds?” Hama asked, the anger in her voice strong despite her frail appearance.

The man simply stared at her, not moved by her words as he asked his question again. “Where is the Avatar? I know they are here, I spotted them along the shore. You will tell me where they are.”

The silence that followed must have irked the man, because he grabbed Hama by her parka before summoning a flame to his free hand. “Tell me now or she suffers for it!” he shouted, his jaw clenching when he received no verbal response.

Instead, the few warriors that remained sprung into action to distract the four other men that had come ashore. That split second was enough for the Fire Prince to loosen his hold of Hama before she too went on the defensive, knocking her captor to the ground with a smooth roll of her arm, the water whip snapping against his chest. The remaining women and children quickly made for safety while I jumped out from my hiding place, pulling water from the snow to send one enemy to the ground to buy time for my neighbors to hide. I quickly turned to see the prince get up and engage in a one on one battle with Hama, my mentor deflecting each of his attacks. He was quicker and more agile, but she was more experienced and had an environmental advantage. I wanted to come to her aid, but the subtle shake of her head as she kept his focus on her was enough to stay my hand. Instead, I focused on aiding the warriors of the village, keeping the fighting from advancing too far from the shore.

After a seemingly quick battle, only Hama and the strange bender were left. They were both breathing heavily as they pushed and pulled with one another. In his rage, he lashed out and Hama went flying back, her body crumpling into a heap on the ground. I quickly jumped into the fray with a shout, taking him by surprise as the rage began to simmer beneath the surface of my skin. The air was thick with tension as we stared at each other, my eyes locked onto his one blue one. My lips were pulled back into a snarl as I bared my teeth, my body poised to strike. He regarded me slowly, a flicker of recognition passing over his face as he dropped into a fighting stance.

Aemond stared at the young woman in front of him, her hair coming undone from its style and her breathing even despite the fighting against some of my best men. She was beautiful, from the stone cold focus in her eyes to the aggressive look on her face. For a moment, he was taken aback before realizing she looked a lot like the figure he saw earlier. The thought that he was actually standing face to face with the Avatar, the very person he was hunting and discovering they were a woman caused something to stir within him. He quickly squashed those feelings, knowing that she was the key to his future and he couldn’t afford to lose focus now that she was within reach.

”So, you are the Avatar? I thought you’d be…�� he started to say, but a low growl escaped her throat and suddenly he was having to dodge shards of ice leveled at his head. With a bob and a weave, he evaded and went on the defensive as he started going through the motions. It was easy enough to get angry, memories of his final moments home and now the conflicting emotions swirling within him giving him an edge in the fight. Water and fire clashed as the two circled each other, Aemond’s steps harsher and heavier compared to the Avatar’s more fluid form.

The fight carried on for several more minutes, neither gaining ground on the other until the old woman joined the fight again. The two women moved in sync, backing Aemond towards the warship with offset attacks, not letting him get so much as a breath in. The loss of ground and the possibility of missing out on this opportunity set him off and he roared, throwing out his arms as the flames rolled across the ground, knocking both his opponents to the ground. There was a sickening crunch and he heard the Avatar cry out causing him to look up to see what had happened. The older woman was on the snow, her neck bent at an unusual angle and eyes lifeless as she lay there. The silence as the village gathered around, the Avatar holding the limp body of the woman he determined was her mentor. Soft sobs and incoherent words fell from her lips, the pitiful sounds breaking Aemond’s heart.

He stepped forward, the snow crunching underfoot alerting the grieving woman to his approach. She snapped her head up, tears streaming down her face and grief heavy in her eyes. A brief moment passed before she gently set the dead woman down and rose from her kneeling position, her gaze never leaving his. He was only barely aware of his Aunt on the deck of the ship, several more of his men standing on the gangplank and waiting for further instruction. That’s when the gleam in her eyes registered in his hazy mind and he felt fear for the first time in a long time.

One moment, Hama and I are beating back this aggressive man and the next, she’s gone. An overflow of emotions came over me; sorrow, grief, but most of all, rage. The sound of his footsteps was enough to send me over, the feeling of all my past lives suddenly came rushing to the forefront of my mind and I felt nearly invincible in that moment. One thrust of an arm and all the Fire Nation soldiers were sent flying back into the belly of the ship with the invisible force of a strong breeze. Another upwards punch and a solid step forward, the metal made a loud clanging sound as the ship suddenly closed with everyone on board. A twirl in place and strong push, the water and wind carried the ship away from my home with the force of a polar vortex and swept them all out into the glacier ridden sea.

I felt the immense power leave me before the world went black, the feeling of being caught before I hit the ground, the last thing my overworked mind registered before I passed out.

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Taglist: @valeskafics, @gemini-mama, @alexagirlie, @julessworldd, @mrsarnasdelicious, @whitedarkmoonflower, @officerbrowneyes, @xoxo-tala

#hotd #tlk #ATLA au #foxys fics #aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #sihtric kjartansson #sihtric x reader

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