Chapter Text
The war reached them.
As distressed as Aang was about the state of the world, he’d been nearly fortunate. His soulmates had been relatively isolated from the worst of the war by distance (Moonbeam, Cub, and River) or privilege (Star, Rocky, and Moonbeam). But, eventually, a war this widespread would overcome one of those obstacles and it did… the night that the snow over Cub and River’s addition to the dreamscape turned black.
River wasn’t talking to any of them. It fell to Cub to tell them what happened. The attack. The only casualty. What River had seen. Aang held them both close. Moonbeam cried with them. Rocky didn’t know how to deal with the tears, especially after Cub snapped at her for being insensitive after an unsuccessful attempt to cheer them up. (Rocky had stomped away and it fell to Star and Moonbeam to soothe her.)
Star… kept his distance.
He wanted to come closer. There was no doubt about that. But when he tried, River’s head would snap up and fixate on the ember burning at the center of his chest, reminding her and the others what, exactly, Star was.
A firebender.
Like the man that had killed her mother.
The attack made Cub more serious. He didn’t tense up around Star, but he was more willing to use him to help their village. Over the weeks following their mother’s death he approached Star several times. He asked Star if he knew anything about military ships so that their village could prepare for another attack. Star promised he would find out, too eagerly, too desperately, as if he had done something wrong rather than sharing an element with the one who did.
Cub asked to spar with him using firebending. Even if it didn’t develop muscle memory it would help with tactics. Again, Star agreed without hesitation, too eagerly. Aang recognized this behavior from him. This was how Star acted when he felt guilty. Aang would need to talk to him. Would need to remind him that his nation did was not his fault.
Aang warily observed the spar. It wasn’t terrible. They did just seem to be working out strategies, how to break Star’s stance, weakening his fire, and teaching Cub how to read his movements, to tell when Star was launching a fireball or a huge blast or a targeted stream.
They actually seemed to be enjoying themselves (despite the grief and guilt) and Aang wasn’t against them knowing the tells. Cub had a point about the danger his village was in and Star’s father seemed to be trying to pit him and his sister against each other. (Not that he thought Blaze would actually hurt Star, she cared about him in a kind of bratty way, but accidents did happen in bending. And, from what he could tell, Blaze could be overconfident in her skills. Star knowing when to dodge would serve them both well.)
Aang was supervising another sparring session between Cub and Star. They were in the snowy addition of the dreamscape that reflected the village, both because the snow meant that there was less damage when Star was bending and because it prepared Cub for how to use the environment to his advantage. They were squaring off. Star had already demonstrated this move and Cub knew the motions well enough to be comfortable with him targeting him, confident in his ability to avoid the fireball. Aang was sure Cub could dodge it, but he was ready to redirect the fire with airbending just in case. It had only been necessary a couple of times. Star launched the attack, Cub moved-
A scream tore through the dreamscape and the snow they were standing on engulfed Star, yanking him under the ice like a vicious undertow.
“Star!” Aang shouted, on his feet and blasting the snow away with airbending, but he didn’t see the smoky form of his oldest soulmate. Appa dropped down from where he’d been circling and started digging. “Star!” He tore at the snow and ice, harder and denser the deeper down he went. Had Star woken up?! Where was he if he hadn’t?!
Cub was shouting at River but Aang couldn’t listen. No Star. No Star. Maybe he’d- Appa chuffed urgently. Aang leaped to him and spotted a shadow under the ice. He moved on instinct, creating a rarely used slice of razor sharp wind to slice open the ice. He plunged his arms into the icy water and tore Star free.
He’s not struggling. Aang distantly noted as he pulled Star to his chest and tried not to hyperventilate. He still didn’t know what happened if a soulmate died in a dreamscape. He had no way to find out and was afraid to ask the children.
Star was trembling from the cold. Cub kept shouting, and Aang should probably stop that, but he was so caught up in the relief of Star’s survival that he couldn’t think about the siblings’ trauma.
“He could have killed you!” River screamed back, breaking down, her heartbreak and fear tearing through her brother’s anger and Aang’s panic. “He could have burned you to death, just like Mom!”
Star vanished with a broken sob.
It was the first time any of his soulmates jolted awake as if the the dreamscape were a nightmare.
Star was avoiding everyone, especially River and Cub. Aang prayed that Star was still actually sleeping and just utilizing his hide and seek skills really well. If Rocky could tell if Star was there, she wasn’t sharing. There were a few times when Aang woke up in the dreamscape, seemingly alone, that made him hope that was the case, but Star did have a history of avoiding sleeping when he was stressed and in this moment, the dreamscape was the source of his stress rather than the refuge from it.
River… River was oscillating wildly between grief, guilt, anger, and fear. She was trying to hold her village together by day, only allowing the cracks to show with Aang and Moonbeam. Cub apologized to her but was distracted by his own struggles and often ended up separating from River in the dreamscape, looking for Star. (Aang reluctantly thought it was for the best. Cub was part of River’s Village and when she saw him here she pulled up that fractured mask to make it seem like she was healing faster than she was. River needed time away from those with expectations of her and space from others’ grief. Crying on each other’s shoulders was well and good, but sometimes you needed to cry on someone who wasn’t hurting, who you didn’t need to be strong for. River sometimes would prioritize others’ healing over her own.)
Aang had no idea what to do when Star finally appeared, haggard and frayed, and marched over to River with determination. He stopped well short of her. She stared at him, conflict warring in her glassy eyes.
“I found the person who killed your mother.” He announced. “Do you want me to kill him?” Aang choked. Shock and horror seizing him like a vise.
“No!” River was on her feet in an instant. She grabbed Star and physically pulled him down to her level. “Don’t you dare go near him!”
“But- your mother!” Star protested. River started shaking him and yelled.
“I won’t let him kill you too! Stay away from him, Star! I can’t-” She choked. “I can’t lose you too.” She yanked him close into a violent hug and started crying, Star’s poleaxed face visible over her shoulder. Slowly his hands came up and he returned the hug tentatively, then stronger when River didn’t recoil.
It wasn’t completely fixed. All things took time and River retained a flinch response to Star for a while longer, but made him swear to her not to risk approaching the soldier who killed her mother: to stay safe. Aang tried very hard to impart Air Nomad philosophies on both of them to teach them how damaging revenge was to those seeking it. The relationship between Star and River was mended by the time the effects of the war hit them again.