A.N. Looking over this chapter years later I realized it need some changes. So this is not the original first chapter. But I figured I might as well clean this one up a little before I release another chapter. Lol. You probably won't even notice the changes, but I just thought I'd put that out there. lol.
The Great Uniter's Trial
"Please stand for the final verdict."
Suyin sat behind Kuvira in City Hall, with Opal beside her. Kneading the fingers of her hand, she tried to alleviate her restless state. Every cough or sniff from the audience in the room, put her on edge as she stared at Kuvira's back with an unforgiving amount of focus. The matriarch hadn't seen her former guard in over six months. But in that time, driven by her own guilt, Suyin learned to forgive.
Telling herself that she was the reason why Kuvira sat in platinum chains now, helped the matriarch understand the Great Uniter's original intentions for what she did. After many nights staring out of her office window without Kuvira at her side; Suyin finally saw the Earth Kingdom she had been too scared to protect, through the guard's eyes. There were more people that needed her than just Zaofu's citizens; and she had turned them away, looking at their suffering through blind eyes.
For three years, the matriarch struggled to come to terms with the radical methods the Great Uniter used to build her Earth Empire. In disagreement, Suyin let her anger win in the fight against the love she had for the former guard, as she was forced to watch her turn into a dictator. Kuvira's conquer of Zaofu brought Suyin to her lowest breaking point; now considered one of her life's most shameful moments.
In a fury of rash decisions, Suyin had almost acted upon her rage-filled thoughts of killing the young woman she forgot she loved.
No longer seeing her Kuvira in the Great Uniter, the matriarch justified her would have been horrific actions, by letting her mind think she was only killing a stranger with no significance to her. Suyin couldn't settle with watching passively from the sidelines, as the city she gave so much for was destroyed by someone else before her eyes; even if that someone else was the person she had trusted indefinitely.
Suyin followed Kuvira with her eyes as she slowly stood from the table. The younger woman had lost a lot, but her dignity was still intact; and even in prison clothes, the former Great Uniter was a menacing sight to behold. Every time Kuvira would even move, Suyin looked around the room, noticing the slight shifts from those near her.
Lin stood at the far front side of the court room, much like Toph had during the Yakone trial many years ago. She had yet to take her eyes from Kuvira; supposedly waiting for the moment she'd suddenly learn how to platinum bend, and throw the room into chaos.
"Mom?" Opal's hushed voice broke Suyin's attention from Kuvira's back.
"Yeah, what?"
Opal looked down at the quick rhythmic up and down motions of her mother's foot. "Are you ok?"
"Of course. Why do you ask?"
"Well, you're doing the foot thing again." Opal pointed a finger down at Suyin's foot, forcing the woman to look.
Suyin uncrossed her legs with a sigh and put her foot on the floor, letting her toes still tap unseen within her shoes. "I'm fine."
She wasn't.
The prolonged wait to hear Kuvira's final sentence was driving her crazy with nerves in the suspense. She knew that either way the sentence would be nothing good, but she just hoped it wouldn't be death.
Yes, Suyin could agree that some of the things the former Great Uniter had done were horrible. But if Kuvira were condemned to death, it would tear her apart. Call it a selfish thought, trampling on the graves of the dead; but Suyin couldn't fathom losing Kuvira again; even as hypocritical as that was, coming from the person who would've killed her almost a year ago.
Suyin glanced back around the room, looking at the faces of some of its inhabitants. The Avatar and her friends, Tenzin, Raiko, Korra's father, and a few Airbenders she didn't recognize were present. All sat in a thick silence, waiting to hear the inevitable.
"You are hereby found guilty of 1 count of crimes against humanity." The judge's loud voice brought Suyin's focus back to Kuvira.
"208 counts of first degree murder…"
Suyin shifted in her seat; the verdict was harder to hear than she thought it would be.
"…and 1 count of extortion for each Earth Kingdom city." The judge looked up from the paper she held in her hand and adjusted her glasses. "Kuvira, do you understand the specified charges and why they are being given to you?"
Kuvira nodded in response.
The judge took in a deep death, her face taking on a grim appearance. "In light of the atrocities and unspeakable acts of violence against humanity…committed by your own hands and presented here today." She struggled with her words. "…This court…has found it only appropriate that you be sentenced to death…365 days from now."
There was a collective gasp in the court room at the gravity of the final sentence.
Suyin's heart felt like it had stopped, freezing the blood within her veins. Tears fell down from her widened eyes, as a reassuring hand came to rest on her back. 'This can't be happening' She leaned over in her seat; resting her elbows on her knees, as she brought a hand over her mouth.
"May the spirits be with you, this court is adjourned." As the judge left, the heaviness in the room only increased as people let the weight of the sentence sit in their minds'.
A few pairs of eyes glanced over to the matriarch. Out of everyone present, Suyin was taking it the hardest. The wooden banister separating her from Kuvira acted as a wall between two worlds. The former Great Uniter stood silent on one side; paying no attention to the whispered words coming from the lawyer next to her. She no longer saw anything in the numbness of her mind. Whatever grief Kuvira had, she didn't show. Instead, it played out behind her, on the other side of that banister, through the woman she had come to love.
People began to leave, respectfully staying silent in the moment. But the immediate ones who had dealt with the situation of stopping the Great Uniter, stayed behind.
'I have to get to her before she goes' Suyin stood from her seat; walking past Opal, to the front of the room with legs that felt like they'd buckle at any second.
"Mom, where are you going?" Opal's voice attracted the attention of the others still in the court room, turning their heads to watch Suyin break the invisible barrier between her and Kuvira.
Gently, the matriarch waved off the representative who stood at the table, as she took her spot next to the former guard she'd known for years. Kuvira didn't turn to look at her; she just kept staring ahead with unfazed eyes. There was no telling what kind of thoughts ran through her head, or if she was even thinking, given the hard sentence she had just heard.
Suyin placed her hand tentatively on Kuvira's shoulder, knowing undoubtedly that the other woman could feel its unsteady tremor. But gathering enough strength, she slowly turned Kuvira to her, until their faces met.
The tired looking empty eyes that stared back at her, had faded to grey from the deep green they had once been. Dark circles and lines had found their place under Kuvira's jaded eyes; telling Suyin that the emotional toll of her actions had gotten to her at some point in that barbaric cell she was confined to; and sleep's relief hadn't come in days.
Pulling Kuvira to her, Suyin let her tears fall as she warded off Lin's steady approach with a hand she had lifted from the former guard's back.
"Take me back to Zaofu…That's where I want to spend the rest of my time…with you." Kuvira's voice held an eerie drone as she paused, staring vacantly at the opposite wall over Suyin's shoulder. "Even if I'm locked in a cell…"
Suyin tightened her arms around Kuvira, hearing the chains rattle in response against her. "…I'm not going to let you die. I'll fight with everything I have to keep you alive."
The verdict had been expected; so it came as no surprise to Kuvira. It was a fair decision, considering the crimes she had committed.
But right now, what upset her the most was that she couldn't wrap her arms around Suyin, and wipe away her tears. Instead, all she could do was rest her head against the matriarch's shoulder, and listen to her cry tears for the monster in her arms.
"Don't Suyin." She whispered, protecting their words from those around them. "Don't bother. I love you too much to see you get dragged into this." Kuvira leaned into Suyin, closing her eyes as she escaped from the court room and its onlookers, who watched them with a prying curiosity and despair. "I've created this…I have to go through with it. But it doesn't mean it's easy." Kuvira paused, wanting to do nothing more than feel and listen to Suyin's breaths, one after another. After leaving Zaofu over three years ago, Kuvira never looked back. She had tricked herself into believing she didn't miss the place she'd called home for so long. But now, Kuvira knew she was more desperate than ever to have just a small taste of home, when she could pinpoint the fresh crisp smell of Zaofu within the Matriarch's clothes. And it saddened her to think that she'd never smell the Zaofu air for herself again, or see the sunset from the estate. Kuvira sighed, deflating into Suyin's arms. "I'm sorry Su."
The hands that held her close, took in fistfuls of the skin on her back through her plain prison clothes. It hurt; but strangely, also comforted Kuvira, knowing that Suyin still didn't want to let her go.
Even after everything she had done to Zaofu, and everything she'd put her through, the former guard was grateful that the matriarch still had the capacity to love and forgive her.
When Kuvira originally left Zaofu, her mind was clear with good intentions. But her pride wanted to return as the unbreakable warrior; coming home after battle to the proud face of the one they loved. She wanted that face to be Suyin's.
However, that prideful complex was what changed her for the worst; it was the difference between her success, and her downfall.
It pushed her into believing that she had to prove herself to Suyin, in order to gain an unconditional love she never realized she already had. And conquering the Earth Kingdom was supposed to do just that. But as those three years wore on, Kuvira discovered some of her darkest corners; reveling in the glorious sight of people falling to her feet, begging to be saved by the Great Uniter. Feeling needed, and gaining substantial power over the course of her journey, Kuvira intended to make sure the Earth Kingdom would never forget who brought them out of chaos. They would always be loyal to her; they would depend on her to survive.
And in the end, she chose power over love; her stupidest mistake.
Instead of bringing them closer, Kuvira's choice drew a rift between her and Suyin. Taking Zaofu was only the final straw that tore everything apart in the process; killing whatever love was still there, and making it seemingly irretrievable.
After the demise of her reign, Kuvira would sit in her cell wishing to be back in Suyin's arms; their love being one of the things she regretted destroying.
But feeling welcomed back into the arms around her now, made the prospect of dying easier to digest.
"Sis."
Suyin buried her face closer to Kuvira's neck, trying to ignore Lin's voice.
"Suyin."
She finally looked up with narrowed eyes staring at her older sister. "Hey look it's time for her to go, ok?" Lin's hands reached out to grab Kuvira, but Suyin took a step back, putting a foot of distance between them.
"What the hell Suyin?"
The matriarch kept her eyes trained on Lin's; looking at her as though she were a personified version of death coming to take the life of its victim. "Just give me a minute, would you?"
Shifting her eyes back down, she whispered. "You have to go, but I promise I won't forget about you." Suyin pushed Kuvira up by her shoulders, gazing into her eyes as she wiped tears from her own with the back of her hand. "For now, just stay strong and don't let them break you in there."
Kuvira looked down at the stone floor between her and Suyin. "For what? If I'm going to die anyways…Does it matter what they do to me?"
Digging her fingers into Kuvira's upper arms, Suyin shook the former guard, jolting her attention back to her. "For me, that's what." Suyin squeezed harder; burning holes into the other woman's eyes with angry reddened ones. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again. You're not going to die. Just let me worry about that."
"Suyin-"
"Don't say anything else."
Kuvira smiled as much as she could given the situation. "You don't want me to even say thank you." She watched the anger in Suyin's eyes pacify, feeling the hands pull her back in for one last hug.
Inhaling the intoxicating sweet scent of the matriarch, Kuvira closed her eyes in an effort to retain the memory of the arms around her. She wanted to remember the way Suyin's fingers tensed every time she'd shift beneath them; the subtle sign of her unwillingness to relinquish the bond that had held them together throughout the years. The relaxing peace channeling through her from those hands, had been Kuvira's eternal refuge; and the only thing she'd have left to keep her sane through the lonely cold nights in her cell.
Warm tears fell heavier against the rough fabric of the clothing Kuvira wore. "The Great Uniter's new uniform" the guards would say, passing her cell as they teased her in spite, for reasons she could only guess.
Unlike the fancy clothes Suyin gave her, these made the world feel real again; reminding Kuvira of the dark childhood she had buried under riches.
Turning her head, Kuvira placed a bold kiss onto the skin of Suyin's neck. "Thank you, for everything. And in case I don't get to see you again…I love you. But now...you have to let me go." Kuvira tried to lift herself up, feeling an extra resistance from Suyin. "Please, don't make this harder for me than it already is Suyin."
Taking her arms from around Kuvira, the matriarch pushed Kuvira away, watching Lin take hold of her before she turned around, fleeing from the court room with haste; not even giving a glance to anyone else.
The others didn't need to see her completely break down into a mess before their eyes. Some newsworthy spectacle that would be, with the headline, 'Matriarch of Zaofu Cries on floor of City Hall over Republic City Mass Murderer', to follow just hours later in the papers.
Mass Murder was just one of the words used to describe Kuvira amongst, Tyrant, cold-blooded, heartless, maniacal, ruthless, cruel, and so many other things Suyin got tired of hearing.
For months she didn't read the newspapers; quickly becoming angry by every distasteful "creative" title they tried to put over Kuvira's head. The most outrageous being Metal Maniac, Spirit Killer, and even something as absurd as Death's Ringleader.
Suyin knew that trying to keep Kuvira alive would be seen as an improper disrespect to the dead; and there was bound to be backlash on her for wanting to do it. After all the destruction the Great Uniter left in her path, the sentence was just. There were a lot of families who wanted to watch the former Great Uniter die, avenging their loved ones whose death she had caused.
But Suyin would never have it, because she still loved the one they called mass murderer.
"Mom?" Opal looked back at Kuvira, giving the shackled woman a confused look before she took off after her mother.
"What was that about?" Korra turned to her friends, waiting for one of them to explain the situation as though they knew.
Asami was the first to chime in, answering Korra's daring question with her own opinion. "Well, Suyin is probably just sad. I mean think about it, having to hear a death sentence given to a person you've known for years …can't be easy to deal with." She watched Kuvira disappear with Lin out of the room.
"I don't know." Bolin looked up at the tall model like woman standing next to Korra. "Don't you think that was a little over the top…with…" He gestured with his hands. "The hugging and the holding and -"
"You know you could really work on your sensitivity skills little bro." Mako shook his head. "I agree with Asami. That wasn't just a simple sentence, it was a death sentence. It's only normal for Suyin to feel sad after she's known her for so long…no matter what Kuvira's done up to now."
Korra sighed, glancing aimlessly around the court room. "We better get out of here guys…how about we all go out for noodles?"
"I'm in."
"Me too."
"Great idea Korra."
The group started to walk, moving down the aisle from which Suyin had fled with her hurried steps. Mako and Asami walked ahead as Korra slowed her pace to meet up behind the pair next to Bolin.
Stepping out into the Republic City air, Korra nudged Bolin with a smile. "Ok I kind of agree with you…" She guiltily shifted her eyes to the side and whispered to him. "Suyin did seem a little…over affectionate, didn't she?"
"Exactly what I'm talking about-"
"Oh for spirits sake you guys, somebody just got a death sentence and you're thinking about how affectionate they were."
Both quieted with guilty smiles, as they looked back at Mako who walked backwards in an effort to face them.
"Oh..uh..." Bolin nervously laughed next to Korra who still had a smile mirroring his own on her face. "Y-You heard that?"
Mako looked at both with unamused eyes. "Really? Of course I can hear you, you're right behind us."
Reaching the City Hall steps, Korra stopped; finding Suyin with her eyes, sitting on a bench with her face buried into her hands. "Maybe we shouldn't...joke about it." Korra's voice stopped the rest of the group, drawing their attention to the same sight she saw.
Asami focused back on Korra whose instinct to help was starting to take over. "Don't Korra; she just needs some time." She gave a small smile to the Avatar looking down at her from the top step. "Come on; let's just...focus on getting some food for right now."
A.N. I do hope you got something good out of this. :)