A/N: I just read a shitton of really awesome stories that really inspired me that I don't want to get into detail about because it would spoil some stuff so just be aware this is really AU. Like, so goddamn AU it's not even funny. Just roll with it.
Pairings: Pema/Tenzin, no plans to pair up the Krew
Warnings: canon-typical violence, lots of cussing because me, a valiant effort at maintaining proper tenses, no beta, headcanons galore (trans! characters, aromantic! characters, asexual! characters, and more!)
THIS STORY WILL NOT INCLUDE rape or child prostitution. I know there are a lot of stories where Mako turns to sex work to keep himself and Bolin fed and I briefly entertained the idea of having that as well but decided against it.
Breaks will symbolize a change in scene and/or time and/or POV. Double breaks symbolize flashback scenes.
Timeline: season one with flashbacks from up to eight years pre-season
Disclaimer: don't tease me
Summary: When Korra was sent to see the Earth King, she kind of expected to see the Earth King. Instead, she got one jerk advisor, weird Dai Li agent, one flirtatious heir to the throne, and thrown into a jail cell. But that wasn't her fault. She swears.
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Korra knew it was a crap mission - she knew Tenzin was just trying to get her out of the city for a while - but she also knew Tarrlok was jumping all over her last nerve and she was glad for the break. Or, at least she had been until she'd been shuffled off to the biggest jerk she'd had the misfortune of talking to since, well, Tarrlok. She was lucky, in a way - she was given an audience with a councilman, one of the king's most trusted advisors, rather than a regular lackey who would have to run her request by their boss, by their boss, by their boss until it finally reached someone who could give her an answer - but she certainly didn't feel lucky.
"Once again, Avatar, what concern is it of the Earth Kingdom that a United Republic political party has gained extremists?" The advisor to the Earth King was young, maybe only a year or two older than Korra, but he was the one she had to convince to let her see His Majesty. Until he agreed she had a worthwhile cause to aid, Korra wouldn't even be allowed into the palace. She was on her third day of convincing and she was getting sick of it. She was the Avatar, damn it! She had other responsibilities she could be tending to.
"He blames bending for everything wrong in the history of the world!" Korra said incredulously. "Do you really think he would stop at Republic City?"
"All the more reason to keep our troops here, in Ba Sing Se," the advisor replied. "Ready to protect our citizens if and when they need it."
"Or you could just help stop the threat now!" Korra felt about two seconds from breathing fire. All this guy seemed to care about was the Earth Kingdom and, yeah, to be fair, he lived there and it was kind of his job to care about it, but couldn't he spare just a little sympathy for the rest of the world?
"My decision is final," he said firmly. "You will not be seeing the King, we will not be sending you troops, and you will not be admitted into our offices to ask us again." The advisor sat at his desk, absentmindedly grabbing some paperwork and a pen in clear dismissal. "You may leave now."
Korra was tired and pissed off. She wanted to get back to Republic City, she wanted to talk to Tenzin, she wanted to punch the councilman in the face, but she settled for kicking his desk over.
He didn't flinch.
"That is two weeks of paperwork I have to re-sort," he said blandly from his chair. "Most of those papers were requests from the lower ring for much needed resources; a new power plant, updated transportation systems, a few farmers that need better equipment. It will take even longer to get them the assistance they need, now. Thank you, Avatar."
If he said her title like that one more time….
"I'm sorry-" (for the Lower Ring people, at least) "-but if you would just let me see the king-!"
"And reward your bad behavior?" He scoffed. "Please. Now get out before I have you thrown out."
"Oh, you're gonna throw me out?" Korra laughed. "Yeah right."
He glared at her. She glared right back. Suddenly, he smirked.
"Tell me, who was your earthbending instructor?"
"…Why?"
"Because you really should ask for a better one."
Huh?
Korra felt something hit her back - just three quick jabs - and she was down.
I can't move. I can't bend.
She would have begun panicking had her body only cooperated.
"You should have gotten someone who could teach you to see with your feet."
Korra was going to punch that damn smarmy councilman if it was the last thing she did.
She saw someone walk around to her front - a boy, maybe Jinora's age but probably a little older, with dark skin and coiffed hair and a rather large nose, wearing an expensive looking suit.
"What should I do with her, Mako?" he asked the advisor.
"Just get her out of my office," Mako said. "And let the guards know she is not to be allowed back."
"Sure thing, buddy!"
Korra felt herself being lifted up, then she felt another hard pinch and she was out.
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Mako sorted out his borrowed office as the security guard Wu called over threw the Avatar over their shoulders and made to dump her outside. He couldn't wait until she finally left for good and he could stop coming to that stupid cramped office to humor her and get back to his actual life. He had laws to review and disputes to mediate and charities to oversee. He hadn't even spent any real quality time with his family since Avatar Korra had showed up, demanding an audience with the King to discuss sending military support to the United Republic to quell an activist group.
Clearly, when she was being taught about all the different bending types, no one had bothered to give her a crash course in politics or diplomacy.
Mako was sick of pandering to her, sick of listening to her demands like there was a chance of any of them being granted. It was time for her to go back to Republic City and do her Avatar thing and leave the Earth Kingdom alone.
Unfortunately, Mako didn't think it would be that easy.
"She's on her way back to her hotel and the guards are warned," Wu said once he'd returned from overseeing the Avatar's eviction. "I guess that's that!"
"Not quite," Mako said, gesturing for them both to leave. "Not yet. I'm sure of it." He locked the office and he and Wu walked away.
Maybe he could squeeze in some family time before the Avatar's next screw up.
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He got approximately three hours with his younger cousins before his brother called him away to the cells beneath Laogi. Apparently, Avatar Korra had decided to try the direct route to the King and was caught by Dai Li agents trying to break into the palace bedrooms.
All she hit were decoys, but it was annoying that she had tried in the first place.
"What is wrong with you?" Mako muttered, his eyes fixed on the pacing Avatar from the other side of a two-way mirror.
"Let me out of here!" she shouted, kicking at a wall.
"Tch. Fat chance." Mako turned to his brother. "What do you think, bro? Think we could get a treason charge to stick when she's not from the kingdom?"
"I think it's pretty impressive she got as far as she did as a one-woman team with little to no plan."
"No crushing on the prisoners, Bolin," Mako told him. "We have a deal, remember?"
"I'm not crushing," Bolin assured him. "Just impressed."
"Hmm."
"And no," Bolin continued, "we wouldn't be able to get a treason charge on her. We can ban her from the kingdom, but even with all the republics we've set up, that's way too much land to properly police."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Shouldn't we be asking mom? Or even Wu?"
"Mom said not to disturb zir with Avatar crap unless it becomes unavoidable," Mako explained. "As for Wu…." Mako paused. Bolin looked at him and smirked. "Oh yeah, that could be funny."
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Korra really should ask for a new earthbending instructor. One that could teach her metalbending so she could get out of this stupid cell. Or one that could teach her to "see with her feet". Then maybe she wouldn't have been captured so quickly.
A few feet from the bars of her cell was a wall with a mirror inset. She'd heard of them - two-way mirrors - that let captors spy on their prisoners without the prisoners being sure when they were being watched. Korra knew, though. There was no way that smug councilman wasn't gloating on the other side of that mirror.
He wasn't who opened the door, though, and he wasn't who wrapped her up in very thin, very strong metal cables.
The person who turned her to face him was young for a Dai Li agent, or perhaps that was just his face, still round with baby fat. His expression was stern, though he didn't seem like one who was often serious. He had pale green eyes and even through his loose robes, Korra could tell he was buff. More buff than her, actually, which just was not fair.
"Come along, Avatar," the Dai Li agent said. "There's someone who wants to see you."
"Am I finally meeting the Earth King?" Korra asked excitedly. Finally, she could do what she came for and leave.
"No."
So much for that.
"Then where are we going?"
The Dai Li agent smirked. Korra frowned.
"Where are we going?"
More silent smirking.
"Where are we going?"
This could not be good.
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She was lead up and out and away. Korra supposed she should just be relieved she'd avoided the horrors Lake Laogi had once inflicted, but she was more concerned with where she was going. While she was in her cell, she could guess at what would happen to her. As she was thrown into a windowless paddy wagon, she had no clues to her final destination.
Was she being taken to another cell? Or maybe she was going to get thrown onto an airship and forced to leave.
Maybe she was being taken to this generation's Long Feng.
Korra hadn't come to the Earth Kingdom with the intent of killing anyone but it was looking increasingly likely.
The car stopped and the metal tightened around her as she was lifted out by the same young Dai Li agent and taken toward a building only just inside the palace gates. The servants wandering the grounds looked conspicuously away as she was floated past and Korra glared at every single one of them. She wanted them all to feel as uncomfortable as she did.
"Congratulations, Avatar," the Dai Li agent said, his voice holding only a fraction of the disdain for her title that Councilman Mako's had. "You've annoyed your way into a meeting with someone even higher up than Mako."
"But not the king?" Korra checked as she was taken into the building and floated down the hall.
"No." He stopped in front of a door and adjusted her so she could reach the handle. "Would you mind?"
"Oh, no. Of course not!" Korra said sarcastically as she twisted the doorknob.
It was a gym.
She had been arrested and taken to a gym.
As the great metalbending mother Toph Beifong had once said of the crown jewel city, Ba Sing Se; this place is weird.
"I hope you don't mind, Avatar," the Dai Li agent was saying as she took in all the equipment. "The person you're here to see is a very busy man, so he can only talk to you now, during his work out hour."
Most of the cables fell away, but Korra wasn't nearly naive enough to think the metal that remained wrapped around her wrists and ankles couldn't cripple her in a heartbeat.
"If you'll walk this way."
There was a single person in the gym - odd, if he was even half as important as the Dai Li agent had said, that there was no security or even a spotter - working on a dummy punching bag. He was skinny, very skinny, with barely a hint of fat or muscle on him, but he was quick and light on his toes. Korra watched him work his way around the dummy, hitting precise points with a speed she would be hard-pressed to match, and found herself impressed.
Then he turned around.
"Hel-lo, beautiful!"
"Avatar, this is-"
"You're that freak who attacked me!" Korra yelled accusingly. The freak smiled pleasantly.
"I prefer 'Prince Wu', actually, and it's called 'chi blocking', but we can discuss that over dinner if you'd like."
…Prince. Shit!
"You have thirty minutes," the Dai Li agent told Korra. He turned to Prince Wu. "I'll leave you two to talk." He inclined his head slightly and left. Korra and the prince stood in silence.
"Is that a no to dinner, then?" Prince Wu asked, his eyebrow raised suggestively. Korra glared. Prince Wu sighed. "Fine," he said finally, clapping his hands together and grinning. "Now, what have you been saying that's got Mako all in a tizzy?"
"W-Well," Korra said, deciding that if he was going to ignore the 'freak' comment, she wasn't going to look a gift ostrich horse in the mouth, "there's this terrorist in Republic City and-"
"Wait!" Prince Wu interrupted. Korra frowned. This guy might not be as big a jerk, but so far he was just as annoying as Councilman Mako. "I am supposed to be practicing right now. Let's go over some forms while we chat, huh?" Alright, not quite as annoying.
"Um… ok."
"Ok!"
They walked over to an area of open floor and Korra started running through airbending forms, absentmindedly noting Prince Wu copying her out of the corner of her eye.
"So, about this terrorist…."
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"You see," Prince Wu said a little over ten minutes later as he wrapped his hands for his and Korra's spar, "it's a very fine line to walk. Even with the released states, the Earth Kingdom is vast and varied and requires a lot of resources." He flexed his fingers experimentally and passed the tape off to Korra. "So the question isn't 'why won't we help you'; it's 'how many of those resources - if any - can we spare to aid a nation we have no part in without jeopardizing the safety and stability of our own people?'"
"I think I get it." Korra made a fist and nodded in satisfaction. "It's like when the South Pole has a bad hunting season; you make sure your own family is fed before offering anything to your neighbors." She and Wu strapped on their headgear and got into position.
"To an extent, yes," he said, his fists darting out experimentally, testing Korra's reactions. "Furthermore, any help we'd give would just make way for more issues." He ducked Korra's kick. "Then it becomes; if our first wave of resources doesn't help, are we willing to send more? Are we willing to risk the other nations later denying us aid if we say we won't send the United Republic more than originally offered?" He wiggled out of a hold Korra had put him in and swept at her feet. Korra flipped over his leg and landed just in time to block a punch. "How will our decisions affect our international relations? What if something happens while we're helping the United Republic and we need to recall the help we sent?"
He squirmed his way out of another hold and Korra nodded absentmindedly. Neither of them were paying any real attention to their spar (or Korra would have used bending to win already), both too preoccupied with their conversation.
"And why didn't Councilman Mako explain any of this?" Korra asked, sliding under the prince's kick.
"Oh, that." Prince Wu rolled his eyes and himself to avoid her next attack. "Mako's a sweetheart and all, but he never realizes when he's confusing people. Bolin is just so good at following his thought processes, it's like he expects the rest of the world to do it, too."
"Mako? A sweetheart?" Korra scoffed, not dodging his kick so she could land a punch. "And who's Bolin?"
"Mako's a total sweetie!" Prince Wu insisted, shaking off Korra's hit and ignoring her incredulous laugh. "And you've met Bolin. He's Mako's younger brother and the Dai Li who brought you here."
"And the Dai Li who's going to take you back."
The two stopped circling each other and turned to the door where Bolin stood.
"Time's up," he said. "I have to get Avatar Korra back to her cell. Mako's calling the United Republic now to get you extradited."
"Your brother's a jerk," Korra said as metal cables wound their way around her once more.
"And you're a brat." Bolin shrugged, ignoring her offended expression. "We all have our hang ups."
"Excuse me?"
"Hey, it's not a big deal," Bolin said, holding his hands up placatingly and smiling. "Wu was a total brat, too. You grow out of it!"
"It's true," Prince Wu said, nodding enthusiastically. "At least we're good looking brats, which makes a lot of the stuff we pull forgivable."
"How old are you, Prince Wu?" Korra asked.
"Fifteen."
"I'm seventeen."
"…Well, I'm still sure you'll grow out of it eventually," Bolin said, carrying Korra out of the room. "See you at dinner, Wu!"
"See you, Bolin!"
The trip back to her cell was quicker than her trip to the gym and just as boring. Her cell was just as boring, too. She eyed the bars speculatively, wondering if she could learn metalbending from necessity like Master Toph had done.
"Platinum," Bolin said, almost absentmindedly as he retracted his cables and locked the door. Damn it. "And I trust you won't try to use any other bending to escape. It would be a big hassle if we had to bring chi blockers in here every few hours."
Korra glared at him, but he smiled back, unperturbed.
"Anyway, we'll let you out tomorrow if you promise to stay away from the palace and affiliated buildings, or when the United Republic gets back to us, whichever comes first. Good-bye, Avatar!" And then she was alone.
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"He only flirted with her like twice."
"Lame."
Despite what Korra may have thought, there had in fact been security at Wu's gym. Sure, she couldn't see them, but they had been there, and they had heard everything.
"Also she called you a jerk."
"Ow. How ever shall I go on."
Bolin heard everything.
"I called her a brat."
"Nice."
And knowing what he did about the situation in Republic City, what was he supposed to do?
"Things sound pretty dire over there," Bolin said hesitantly.
"Bo, no."
How was he supposed to react?
"But Mako-!"
"No, Bolin."
What kind of person would he be, if he turned his back on his hometown?
"People are being attacked!"
"They have an entire police force - an army - to protect them."
How would he be able to live with himself if he didn't try to help?
"We can protect them!"
"This isn't our fight."
"It used to be!"
"That city never gave a damn about us!" Mako yelled and Bolin tried hard not to flinch back. "We were starving in alleyways after spending hours begging for food! We slept in dumpsters because realtors threw us out of abandoned buildings rather than risk an infestation of street rats on their precious property! We had to line your clothes with trash so you wouldn't freeze to death because people kept calling the cops on us when we tried to sleep near Lord Zuko's statue and now you want to walk into a fucking warzone and help them?"
Mako had always remembered their time in Republic City in a much worse light than Bolin, which was truly saying something because Bolin didn't exactly have the fondest memories of that place, either. Bolin didn't know what Mako had gone through that he had spared his little brother from, didn't know how much of his pain was from witnessing their parents' murder and what was from making sure they survived, but he knew the moment they had arrived in Ba Sing Se, Mako had sworn never to go back.
Bolin never wanted to know why.
"Not everyone in Republic City are like those people," Bolin said quietly. "Some of them are like the waitstaff who gave us free noodles from their restaurant at the end of the night. Some are like the people from the homeless shelters who gave us that blanket and those shoes." Mako looked away. Bolin gently poked him. "Some are like mom."
Mako pursed his lips, still refusing to meet Bolin's gaze.
"We don't have the resources to send anywhere," Mako said. "We're in the middle of releasing three more states, our armies are busy; we can't spare anyone, Bo."
"Still…." Bolin wrapped his arms around Mako, ignoring how the older teen momentarily seized up from the hug. Even after all the years of casual affection from their mom and their grandmother and their seemingly endless procession of cousins, Mako still froze at an unexpected touch. "I know you don't want to go back, and I'm not asking you to, but you know I'm too sympathetic for my own good. I want to help. Somehow."
"…I'll try and come up with something."
"You always do."
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"It only took three teenage girls to bring down our walls."
"Those circumstances were vastly different and we don't have enough information about the current situation to decide whether a team like theirs would make a difference or not."
"Then I can go and get informtion on the current situation."
"You know I don't want you going back to Republic City."
"I know-"
"You know I don't want you near those Triads."
"I know-"
"You know-"
"I know Bolin is going to try to help no matter what you say!"
"…He told you that?"
"I can tell. And I can't let him go alone. I can't…. It'll be different this time. I promise."
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"Here's a Zuko, there's a Zuko, and another little Zuko. Gooey Zuko, funny Zuko, Zuko, Zuko, Mai!"
"Stop. Singing."
Korra had been locked in her cell for a little over a day. The United Republic had apparently not contacted the Earth Kingdom yet, and Korra had made no promises to stay away from the palace. Bored, she had decided to sing for her jailers. Unfortunately for them, she wasn't the best singer. Many of them had retreated as far as they could feasibly get.
It was a small victory, but she'd take it. Her new visitor, on the other hand, she could do without.
"Hey there, Councilman Grump!" Korra greeted. Living up to his new name, Mako only glared. Korra shrugged indifferently. What was he gonna do, throw her in jail?
…Or… release…her?
"What are you doing?" Korra asked as the advisor took out a set of keys.
"What does it look like, Avatar?" he replied sarcastically, unlocking her cell as two Dai Li agents entered the room to flank him, the brims of their hats kept low to hide their faces. "Someone argued your case."
"What?"
"Do not get too excited," Mako said sternly. "You are not getting an army. You are not even getting part of our army. We are sending you back to Republic City with escorts who can better determine if this is a fight worth our efforts."
It wasn't what she wanted - it wasn't anything close to what she wanted - but it was something. Once her escorts saw how bad things were, the king would have to approve the mobilization of his armies.
It was a small victory, and she'd take it.
"So, who are my escorts?"
"You will be traveling with Agent Bolin-" Mako gestured to one of the Dai Li, who lifted his head to reveal Bolin. He winked at her. "-and myself."
Small victories, she reminded herself. Small. Victories.
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"Are you sure you have everything?"
"Yes, Wu."
"I mean, I'm sure you're 'sure' but are you sure?"
"Wu!" Mako closed the last of his suitcases. Mako was packing away the last of his blades while Bolin was giving Pabu an emotional good-bye.
"You be good for Wu and the babysitter, ok, Pabu?" Bolin cuddled the fire ferret close to his face. "I'll be back as soon as we get this Equalist thing taken care of." He set the ferret down and straightened up his smart little outfit. Wu loved dressing the pets.
Wu also loved not helping things.
"Ooh, I wish I could go with you!" Wu complained as the brothers passed off their clothes to some servants and checked the straps on their weapons trunks one last time.
"I wish you could, too," Bolin said, "but the days of royal heirs wandering other nations unattended is long past."
"As it should be. Azula should never have been allowed outside of that palace."
"Or near people."
"Or small animals."
"Or large animals."
"Anything alive, really."
"Poor Uncle Zuko."
"Thanks for not being a psychopath, bro."
"Thank you, bro."
"For what, bro?"
"For being such a good bro, bro!"
The two started punching each other on the shoulder as Wu looked on, unamused. He'd once made fun of how they would call each other "bro" sometimes and it had since become their favorite way to annoy him.
"You're gonna miss the airship!" Wu shouted desperately.
"No, we're not."
"Still, are you done, now?"
"Are you done complaining?"
"Just go."
The brothers grabbed the rest of their stuff and left Wu and Pabu with one last shoulder pat (Mako) and hug (Bolin).
They could be such assholes sometimes.
Wu was going to miss them.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
She was finally going back to Republic City, but not with the military assistance she had been sent away for.
She would get to see Tenzin and his family again, but would also have to deal with Amon.
She would eventually get help from the Earth Kingdom, but that help might come too late and would be sent at the discretion of Councilman Mako - who hated her (and oh, was the feeling mutual) - and Agent Bolin - who didn't hate her but also probably didn't like her very much.
It would be difficult and frustrating and agonizing, but no one ever said being the Avatar was easy.
Korra settled down and looked towards home.
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A/N: Now that there's some info out of the way, I can give y'all a little more clarification on the timeline and a few details on this new world. Please note, most of the differences between this AU and the canon universe will be explained somewhere in the story. I just don't want to be one of those authors that gives an info dump at the beginning/has a character start telling someone they've just met their entire life story/blurts out info at inappropriate moments rather than wait for a more relevant time.
So, more specific timeline and some random info that will help you:
Takes place after The Revelation, except that without Bolin there to be kidnapped and rescued, the council and police force were told about Amon's abilities by one of the criminals who was "equalized". As Korra wasn't there to be the messenger about his new power, I'm saying Amon released the criminals to spread fear throughout the bending community.
So, the government knows Amon can remove someone's bending, but Korra has not seen it firsthand, so she is not as afraid as she was in the show because it's not real enough to her (yet). This also means her first experience with chi blockers was being attacked by Prince Wu (whose age I picked at random; I didn't find his age when I looked so…).
Because the brothers weren't there to form the Fire Ferrets, Korra is still having major issues with airbending and is of course not on a pro-bending team. Tarrlok has already attempted to get Korra to join his task force, but Tenzin sent her away to the Earth Kingdom before he was able to succeed. Her major issues with airbending in addition to her not-as-strong-but-still-there fear of Amon are the reasons she's reluctant to join the task force. There has not been a banquet in her honor yet. Asami has not been introduced but she will be arriving next chapter!
"Releasing states" In Book Four, Wu announces his intention to dissolve the monarchy and allow the city states to operate under separate governments. The Earth King of this world has similar intentions. Every other year, no more than three city states are selected to become their own separate nation. For one year, they operate as independently as they can while the Earth Kingdom army helps them prepare for their sovereignty; driving out gangs and warlords, training up police forces to become militias, instructing local politicians on the differences between city state and national governments, etc. After the probation year, the city state is officially granted its independence as a new nation. Unlike Wu, however, zir has no intention of dissolving the monarchy or the Earth Kingdom as a whole. There is still/will still be an Earth Kingdom, simply a smaller one. I'm not sure how much elaboration for this I will be able to fit into the story, so I figured I should lay it out here.
The Zuko Song is not mine. The song Korra sings is the beginning to an actual parody song. It can be found on youtube under the name "The Zuko Song" by glamaphonic. It's only about 40 seconds long; check it out.
Send me any theories you have on this new universe! If you would like to avoid posting potential spoilers (which would be appreciated) send me a PM (if you're on FFN) or send an ask to RavingsofaBitch on Tumblr (if you're on AO3).