a meeting with destiny; ❛ moth to a flame ❜
❝ he doesn't look like a liar or a spy to me ❞

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Leyha had been running for three years and was slowly getting tired of it.

Who was she without the Fire Lord's protection and the loyalty of the royal family? She did not have the time to figure that out. After finding out that her entire life was a lie and that she had a much greater purpose in life, she lost track of who she was outside of the duty she had to her family history.

Once she had the time to read through her family journal, she discovered that her and the Avatar's fates were intertwined. Leyha was convinced that the Avatar was alive because if they weren't, she wouldn't feel such an empty feeling in her chest. She felt as if her other half was missing.

Her family has been protecting the Avatars for centuries. Ever since the first Avatar's lover followed him into the spirit world and lost his life saving him, airbenders were destined to protect each one of Avatar Wan's reincarnations.

Like a lunatic, Leyha spent the past three years running away from her past in hopes of finding a greater purpose.

That was why a part of her hated Tenzin for following her. At first, he claimed that he was just helping her escape the kingdom. By the time they were clear from anyone loyal to Ozai, he told her he wanted to come with her. She felt suspicious at first. Who could blame her? If his half-brother, her most trusted friend, could betray her why wouldn't the quiet bastard desperate for his father's approval?

The more time she spent running away from firebenders with Tenzin, the more she learned about his hatred for Ozai. That was why she let him keep her company.

They slept in trees, caves, stables, and basements. The life they lived was a big change from the life in the palace but it was a burden that they were both willing to take if it meant that they got their freedom.

The two rarely trusted people after running away, especially strangers. That was why Tenzin was so reluctant to stay on Kyoshi Island. It was the longest they had ever spent in one place.

Leyha lost track of how many days they were in their camp. Maybe it was a month, maybe it was more. It didn't matter because she did not feel like herself in years until she arrived at the island.

She was taught how to use weapons rather than her bending by Kyoshi Warriors and almost became one of them. Despite the fact that she trained, ate, and slept with them, she was not a Kyoshi Warrior. She wore their make-up and their clothes but she swore no oath. She was an honorary member.

Kyoshi Warriors were usually pretty strict about strangers. However, once Leyha showed them her mark of the Protector, they allowed her and Tenzin to stay for a while. Leyha wanted to find some of Avatar Kyoshi's old journals or personal objects in hopes it would bring her closer to finding the new Avatar.

When she and the other Kyoshi Warriors ambushed three people near the beach, Leyha realized that the Avatar might have come to her himself.

The clothes of the airbending monks sketched inside of her journal and the arrow visible on top of his bald head made his identity obvious. He was one of the last remaining airbenders. He might have been the descendant of some people who ran away, just like she was. Then again, if he was the last remaining airbender besides her and the next Avatar was supposed to be born in the Air Nation, it meant that was him.

It just didn't make sense. The Avatar was supposed to be more than a hundred years old.

"You three have some explaining to do." They all glared at the three newcomers.

Tied and blindfolded on Avatar Kyoshi's statue beside the airbender were a boy and a girl from one of the Water Tribes.

"And if you don't answer all our questions..." Suki trailed off sharply, narrowing her eyes at them in a threatening manner despite the fact that they couldn't see them, "we're throwing you back in the water with the unagi."

She took a couple of steps closer to tug down the blindfold of the older boy.

"Show yourselves, cowards──" He cut himself off when the blindfold fell from his face and around his neck. He blinked and stared at Suki with wide eyes. He looked between all of the girls and glared at them. "Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?"

Leyha squinted at him. Her lips fell open in disbelief. He was already being obnoxious despite being awake for all of two minutes. She could not wait to throw him into the lake.

"We're the men." Leyha deadpanned. "Now tell us who you are and what you're doing before we kill you."

The mouthy guy with the ponytail looked at them in disbelief. "Wait a second, there's no way that a bunch of girls took us down."

Leyha scoffed and felt her blood boil. She took her sword out and placed it underneath his jaw. She put just enough pressure for it to sting but not enough to draw any blood.

"We're warriors, not just girls." She spat out. "And I suggest you keep your mouth shut if you don't want to end up as fish food. Remember that you're the one tied up and we're the ones with weapons."

"No, don't hurt him!" The girl next to him yelled. Her bright eyes were pleading and there was a glint of fear in them but it was mostly overshadowed by protectiveness. "He didn't mean it." She tried to assure her. "My brother is just an idiot sometimes."

Leyha looked between the siblings for a couple of moments. The fact that they were related was undeniable and their clothes and features made her believe that they were from the Water Tribes rather than Fire Nation spies. They didn't actually look dangerous but the guy had a big mouth on him that would probably get him killed someday.

She reluctantly lowered her knife.

"It's my fault." The shortest and the youngest out of the trio started softly, his voice guilty. "I'm sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the elephant koi."

"How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies?" Yukari, the old woman in the middle of the younger Kyoshi Warriors, asked him harshly. "Kyoshi stayed out of the war so far. And we intend to keep it that way!"

The bald boy perked up at her words. His wide and innocent eyes stared at the woman curiously. "The island is named for Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi!"

Yukari scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Right. Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred years ago, kid. She's been dead for centuries."

"I know her because I'm the Avatar."

Leyha's breath hitched and her eyes widened. There was no way.

"That's not possible." She rapidly shook her head. "The airbender Avatar was supposed to be born a hundred and twelve years ago. You are way too young to be him."

"That's me!" He grinned at her. Leyha blinked at him in silent shock. He was way too oblivious to hold the weight of an entire war on his back, even if he somehow proved that he was the Avatar.

"Throw the imposter to the unagi!" Yukari ordered her daughter. Suki grabbed her fan and the rest of the girls followed while Leyha watched them, her feet glued to the ground.

The warriors circled them, but before they managed to do anything, the young boy launched himself into the air, free of any bounds. He stood in the sky and stared down at them for a couple of moments before he slowly lowered himself.

"It's true." Yukari marveled, her mouth wide open. "You are the Avatar."

The airbender proudly nodded. "Now, check this out!" He made a small circle of air between the palms of his hands. Leyha stared at him blankly, still trying to process the information, while the villagers (who she didn't even know gathered around them until then) started cheering.

Leyha swallowed and turned around to look at the crowd surrounding them. Tenzin was standing in front of everyone. His arms were crossed and his eyebrows were furrowed. He must have felt her gaze on him because he immediately looked away from the Avatar to give her a knowing look.

They couldn't stand on the island for much longer. It was time for the real fighting to begin. No more running.

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It was hard for Leyha to get Avatar Aang alone. At first, she left him alone so he could eat. Then, he became surrounded by girls everywhere he went.

Leyha huffed and approached the crowd of pre-teen girls surrounding the new celebrity in the village. "The show is over girls. Scramble. Admire him all you want later."

Blushes covered everyone's cheeks and they rushed to walk away, most of them pushing each other to hurry while doing so. Leyha could not help but chuckle.

"Did you need to talk to me about something?" Aang asked her, tilting his head.

"Yeah." Leyha nodded. She took a deep breath. "My name is Leyha. I want to know where you want to go from here. You can't stay here forever because it won't take long for people on the land to hear about it. They'll come after you."

"I know." Aang sighed, obviously growing tired of people saying that. "We won't stay long."

Leyha hummed. "Good. How many elements can you bend?"

"Um..." He shuffled on his feet awkwardly. A sheepish smile and a blush coated his face as he admitted, "Just air."

She blinked in shock. Then, she shook his head. Aang was a child. He had no one to guide him except a slightly older girl and a dumber older boy. He needed his Protector to help him master the rest of the elements quickly. That meant she had to tell him the truth immediately because they could leave any time they wanted or had to.

"Look, Aang. I have been looking for you for years because I'm your Protector. My ancestors ran away when the Fire Nation ambushed the airbenders a hundred years ago." She explained, ignoring the shock on his face To prove how true her statement was, she rolled up her sleeve and showed him the blue arrow wrapped around her forearm. "I'm the only person in my family left. The Fire Nation killed them. I want to help you learn all of the elements so you can stop Ozai."

Aang could cry from joy at the words. Just a few days prior, he thought he was the only airbender left. The knowledge that he wasn't the only one who had to carry the burden of saving the world and the knowledge that he wasn't completely alone made him feel so much lighter.

Leyha expected a lot of reactions from Aang. She even expected him not to believe her. She definitely didn't expect him to wrap his arms around her waist and hug her as if his life depended on it. The hug was so tight that all of the air was knocked out of her lungs. It took her a couple of moments to register what he was doing before she reluctantly and awkwardly hugged him back.

"Thank you." Aang whispered, and it was only then that Leyha realized that he was crying.

Her heart softened and she rubbed his back slightly. "No problem, Sunshine." He pulled away from the hug to wipe his eyes dry. She watched him in silence and then hesitantly asked the question she had been wanting to ask since he told everyone who he was. "Can you tell me how on earth you are still a child? You're supposed to be a hundred and twelve years old."

"I am." Aang shrugged. He scratched his chin. "I got frozen in an iceberg before the ambush on the Air Nomads. Katara and Sokka found me a while back."

Leyha blinked, astonished at the information. "So, you were frozen for a hundred years and woke up looking exactly the same. How did you even get frozen?"

Aang sighed and looked down at the ground, refusing to meet her gaze as he admitted. "I found out that they were going to send me away so I could learn the other elements. I didn't want to leave my home on somebody else's terms and I ran away with my flying bison Appa. There was a storm while I was flying above the ocean and we both fell in. I don't know how I froze but..."

"You must have activated the Avatar state." Leyha's eyes widened in realization. "That usually happens when you're upset, angry, or afraid."

"That must have been it." He shrugged nonchalantly.

Leyha sighed and felt her heart sink. She thought that she was going to have to work with an experienced Avatar. She didn't expect him to be a child. That meant that she had to take care of him and be his actual protector rather than a companion because he couldn't protect himself. Even if he did grow up to become a powerful bender, he was still very young and thought that he was smarter and more capable than he actually was.

"Wait..." She squinted at him, repeating his previous words in her head. "Did you say you had a flying bison?"

"Yeah." Aang grinned. "His name is Appa!"

Leyha grinned despite the serious conversation they had a minute ago. "Really? I read about them and I always wanted to see one!"

Aang grabbed her hand and started dragging her away from the village before she even had the chance to protest. "Come on!" He smiled up at her over his shoulder. "You have to meet him."

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Tenzin got himself a little nice house near the house where the Kyoshi Warriors and Leyha slept and ate. Thanks to Suki's mother being the kindest woman on the planet, she allowed him to dine with them every day. She wanted to do her best to make their stay on the island as comfortable as possible.

"You really think he's the Avatar?" Tenzin asked her during dinner. They were the first to arrive at their usual table so nobody could hear their conversation. Still, Leyha shushed him just in case.

She nodded and quietly said, "I do. He doesn't look like a liar or a spy to me. And even if he is a liar, he is still the only remaining airbender other than me. I have to protect him and I need him to teach me airbending."

Tenzin hummed and shoved the meat from the plate into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and then nodded. "It's a solid plan. You and I can teach him firebending. I doubt that any other firebender would want to."

"Yeah." Leyha agreed. "But he has to master water and earth first. Airbenders have a hard time bending fire because they aren't used to attacking their opponents. That was why it took me a long time to learn."

Tenzin squinted at her. "Why are you saying that as if you weren't a better firebender than me growing up? You were always better than all of us..." He deadpanned.

"I was just angrier." Leyha shrugged. "I was an orphan in an unfamiliar home with people I barely trusted."

Before Tenzin had a chance to respond, Suki and another Kyoshi Warrior whose name Leyha did not know, approached their table.

"Hey, guys." Suki gave them a warm smile. She sat down opposite of Leyha and said, "It was an interesting day. I can't believe how many visitors we have been getting lately."

"We never meant to bother any of you..." Tenzin trailed off awkwardly.

Suki cut him off with an amused chuckle. "Come on, Tenz. I'm not complaining. I haven't seen this many teenage boys in my entire life. I find it extremely refreshing." She winked at him.

Tenzin pursed his lips and awkwardly lowered his gaze to his plate. He always became extremely uncomfortable when Suki flirted with him but he never really complained.

Leyha snorted and straightened in her seat. "Speaking of teenage boys... I hear you beat that guy's ass at training today. I'm so sad I missed that. I was hoping that someone would put him in his place since I saw him this morning."

"He looked so pathetic that I almost felt sorry for him." Suki said, although the proud smile on her face made it clear that she was not sorry at all. "Are you coming to training tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah." Leyha instantly nodded. "I have to train a couple of more times before we leave. I don't really have more time to waste."

Suki's smile fell. "You're leaving soon?"

Leyha gave her a sad smile. "Yeah." She said and looked down with a heavy heart. Suki was one of two people who she grew attached to during her search for the Avatar. She was the only girl friend she had and leaving Kyoshi Island meant leaving her behind.

She couldn't even ask her to leave with her. She would feel too guilty. The island was her home and the Kyoshi Warriors were her entire life.

Suki and her mother were the only ones who knew that Leyha was the Protector. That was why Suki was not shocked when Leyha told her that she would be leaving too. Aang was there which meant her search was over. She had to focus on more important things, like stopping a war.

"Well, then we have to make the most of the time before you leave." Suki shook off any negative thoughts and smiled at her. "You two come to the beach after the lights turn off. I'll invite some girls and we'll give you something to remember this island by."

"Like I'd ever forget it." Leyha rolled her eyes, a soft smile dancing on her lips at the words.

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a/n: Tenzin and Leyha are my favourite duo. Leyha grew up with him, Azula and Zuko but she and Tenzin were the only ones who created a much deeper bond. They're so similar and hold so much loyalty toward each other because of it. He was sometimes jealous of how much Ozai worried about her rather than him but he knew she was not a bad person. He was also the only one who didn't know about who she was and the only one who (at the time) wouldn't choose Ozai over her. My man followed her out of the Fire Nation court the second he heard her say "I shot Ozai." and did not look back since because he knew he deserved it.

A little name change in case you haven't noticed. I loved Leyha's first name but this one just fit better.

I'm happy about the current ATLA hype because I genuinely have inspo to write this book now.

This book will most likely continue to TLOK. I adore that show and all of the parallels it has to ATLA. I also can't help but imagine just how pissed Aang got watching his reincarnation who looks exactly like Katara date Mako who is so similar to Zuko. They robbed us for real. But, Tenzin (my oc) is much more like Mako than Zuko so I feel like that's so symbolic.

Tenzin is already one of my favourite characters that I've ever written. I imagine him as Charlie Bushnell. I have so much planned for him. My morally grey boy is gonna go through so much shit istg

Tenzin is a few months older than Zuko and is the child of Ozai's mistress so he has no claim to the throne. Tenzin never had anyone besides Iroh who cared for him and Zuko at least had his mother so that was why Tenzin partly resented him. Despite that, he knew that Zuko was not as strong-headed and confident when they were kids. So, he was protective over him and defended him against Azula when he had to