Story Telling

Korra stood by the crib of a sleeping baby and watched as the beautiful girl slept. She had lost track of how long she had been in the room. Only days before this girl had been born, and she was already changing the world. Who could believe such a small thing would bring such joy.

"Hey Kiddo," she whispered, "Do you want to hear a story?"

She waited for a moment. She listened to the soft snoring and took that as a signal to continue.

"You might think now that you understand how things work. That's not the case. Sure, right now crying is going to get your momma and dad to do whatever you want, but that's isn't going to last you forever," Korra said to the baby.

The infant stirred a bit. Giving a little, complaining moan about the lecture she was receiving as she tried to sleep.

"Oh hush you, I am just trying to give you some advice," Korra chuckled.

The baby settled again and Korra continued on, "When I was growing up I thought I knew how the world worked, but I really didn't. There so much you don't understand until you experience it."

Growing up in the South Pole I never really understood seasons. The books I had spent years studying showed pictures of trees in bloom or leaves during the fall. The artistic renderings were all in color, but the photographs were black and white and couldn't capture the vibrant colors of spring and fall. Even if the pictures were perfect, I still wouldn't have been able to imagine things like the cool fall air pleasantly blowing across my face versus the harsh stinging wind of winter. Somethings you just have to experience.

When I arrived in Republic City everything was different from what I had read. For a girl who had never left a guarded complex in the middle of an icy tundra it was overwhelming. There was so much that I could never have imagined. It all felt so strange.

When I walked those streets the buildings were so unfriendly and harsh. For the first time ever I felt small and insignificant. Quickly I learned that the buildings manifested the overall feeling of the city. The warring people, the lack of compassion, everything that was wrong with the city I felt in those first few moments. Overcrowded, filled with poverty and a government that ruled not for the people of the city were just the start of the widespread problems.

These things I had been told to believe in through my lessons all ended up not being true. Republic City was just as broken as any other city. There was no peace. The people were not rational. There wasn't always an answer to every problem. All of what I had known to be true was really false. Even my concepts of love and attraction.

Love is like spring. Without experiencing it you don't really know what it is like. You can have a textbook definition, but those often lead you astray. These expectations are why I always thought I loved Mako and that he was really the one person I was supposed to spend my life with. I realize now, after experiencing true love, that it was only a deep admiration and friendship combined with a small amount of attraction.

Then I met my love. It started off as a rivalry on my side, but then slowly it changed. I hardly noticed it but slowly what I felt shifted. It felt as natural as bending. You'll understand that one day. If your father has any say in it you'll be forty by then, but I promise you will find it.

See, love it doesn't happen like it does in the movers. It is something that doesn't come with trumpets and cheesy music. It isn't announced. Love is like a thief in the night. Love steals your heart without anyone noticing. By the time you finally do notice, you have been in love so long you can't believe it has taken you so long to realize that you've found the person you are meant to be with.

After realizing you are in love there is only one thing to do, kiddo. You've got to take a leap and hope to the spirits that you'll not fall too far. There's no other way. Man, when I admitted how I truly felt I was shaking like a leaf. I felt unworthy. How could I possibly measure up to perfection? Luckily I wasn't the one judging my worthiness.

So, I guess my entire point is that you've got to experience life. No matter how much your dad wants to shelter you from the world. You can't blame him though. He had a rough childhood and doesn't want the same for you. Don't assume anything. Don't settle for anything less than love and if you have to question whether it is love, it isn't. Now you may be too young to understand, but…

"Hey, what are you doing," Asami said walking into the nursery. There Korra was giving a long speech to the newborn girl resting in the cot. She was softly snoring as her chest moved with her breathing.

Korra smiled from her chair by the cot, "I'm just passing on some advice, girl to girl."

"Well, we better get back home. It's getting late," she said leaning over cot. She reached out with gloved hands to the small open hand of the baby sleeping and watched as she instinctively closed her fist around the index finger.

Korra sighed softly, "She's something, isn't she?"

"She's a baby. Of course she is something," Asami chuckled in reply.

"It's just, who would have thought that those two idiots would have a kid before us?" Korra asked.

Asami's hand left the baby's grasp and instead went to pat the Avatar's shoulder in comfort. She didn't have any answers. With the way the world worked if they were going to have a kid they had to play into a corrupt system that would leave them waiting for years. After that it could still possibly break all hope they had for having a kid of their own.

"Mako offered…"she began.

Korra cut her off, "No. Any kid we have is going to both of ours equally. I don't want anyone saying that one of us has less claim because we aren't genetically their parent."

Asami softly brought her lips to Korra's temple and whispered, "Don't worry, we'll figure it out."