Hello, and welcome to my Legend of Korra tale of Bringing Up Korra.
This story is about the twelve years of Korra's life from the time the Order of the White Lotus found her at the South Pole to the time she left the South Pole for Republic City. The idea for this story originally started out as a oneshot; I thought Katara would have something to say to the White Lotus at the South Pole instead of letting her learn out in the world the way Aang did. The more I thought about it, the more ideas I had about that time period, and, well, here we are. Heaven knows plot bunnies do multiply. :D
I'd like to thank Invaderk for once again being willing to be my beta reader/editor for the story, and most certainly I'd like to thank Bryan Konietzko, Michael DiMartino, and everyone involved with the production of Avatar: the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Thank you very much again for your wonderful creations.
The Legend of Korra is the property of Bryan Konietzko, Michael DiMartino, and by extension Nickelodeon and its various parent companies and subsidiaries. And now to our story.
1: The Avatar's Wife
Ten years.
Katara watched the dark green and gray countryside of the Southern Earth Kingdom go by outside the train's window.
It had been ten years since Katara's last trip to the South Pole. Ten years of incredible change, technological and otherwise… in Republic City, at least. Farther out from the City, she didn't know how much had changed. It was hard to say what to expect, most especially at the South Pole.
It could also be said that her people were traditionalists, in certain ways. The way of life of the Southern Water Tribe had survived despite a hundred years of war and persecution by the Fire Nation. Just because something was hot now in the Fire Nation or cool in the Northern Water Tribe did not automatically mean that it would be the "in" thing in the South.
Still… ten years. The last time she and Aang had visited her homeland.
The trip itself wasn't as long as it might have been. While Appa had gone on with Aang to the Spirit World and could no longer fly Katara directly home, the cities of the United Republic of Nations had been linked by rail since the days of their being Fire Nation Colonies. Now an additional rail line ran from the Republic's southernmost city to the Earth Kingdom city closest to the South Pole, a city made rich with post-war Water Tribe trade. The trip from Republic City to the end of the line took only a few weeks, instead of who knew how many days on foot, or by cart or Satomobile. From there, she boarded ship for the Southern Water Tribe, and home.
She had a lot to think about during her journey.
What would the new Avatar be like? How would the Avatar feel toward her? How would she feel to her? She felt Aang's spirit would be near—or at least she thought he would. Where else would he be right now, at this crucial time? She smiled to herself. Of course, I have no idea what he has to do right now, either.
When Katara and Aang had first visited the North Pole so many years ago, Katara had seen Aang's spirit fly overhead like a comet as she, Sokka, and Yue had searched for his body. During their marriage, there had been times when she had seen him, even though he hadn't been physically there. After his passing, he had come to her again, in spirit, and she had seen him now and then ever since.
Why was it he couldn't tell her where the new Avatar was, or who, for that matter, he didn't say—but he hadn't. So now here she was, six years after the fact, on a ship for her old homeland. Wryly she rolled her eyes. Someone needs to sort out their priorities.
The plan had been for Katara to go to where the new Avatar was, Northern Water Tribe or Southern, and teach the new Avatar in Waterbending. She also was to help with the overall education of the new Avatar.
Korra. That was her name—and a rather pugnacious little rascal, too, by all accounts. Well, Katara certainly knew a thing or two about pugnaciousness.
Republic City, centrally located, was an ideal place to wait for the new Avatar. That, and there was always something that Katara could help calm down while she was there, either by giving sound advice to the Council or personally intervening between quarreling parties. Her name and presence carried considerable cachet, and her bending skills made even the strongest arguer think twice. Now that role would fall to Tenzin. She was needed elsewhere.
Katara found on her arrival that the Southern Water Tribe had not changed too much; the several villages spanning out from the central one were still there, hadn't grown appreciably. "Pakku's Gift" was still unfolding. The buildings were sensible ice-covered domes, nothing large or overly ornate like the towers and halls of the Northern Tribe. The ice docks were more extensive, now, though, and a village had now sprung up around them.
As Katara had requested, there was no official welcome, no fanfare, but there were lots of family and friends to meet her regardless. There was expectation in the air; they knew why she was here.
Surprisingly, Korra was not in the cluster of villages, but in a separate compound of ice domes a distance away.
"Has she started her training?" Katara asked Pesut, the elder Waterbender of the White Lotus, on her way to see Korra for the first time.
"No. We felt it better to wait until you were here, so we could employ a more… comprehensive approach."
"Comprehensive? What do you mean?"
"We intend for all of Korra's training to be done here, at the South Pole."
"All of Korra's training."
"Yes. In many ways, the South Pole is an excellent location. Sparsely populated, remotely located from major population centers, easy to defend against attack."
Katara raised an eyebrow, amused. "I wasn't aware we were expecting another invasion, Pesut."
Pesut did not see the humor in Katara's quip.
"Avatar Aang in his dying months charged the Order of the White Lotus with locating, educating, and protecting the new Avatar until they were ready to assume their duties in the world. We have fulfilled the first; it is our intention to fulfill the second and the third."
Katara hid a smile. "Very well, Master Pesut. I wouldn't dream of preventing you from carrying out what my husband charged you with." That drew a raised eyebrow.
They reached the room where Korra was with some of her minders. They went in, and a six-year-old Water Tribe girl looked over. Pesut gestured to Katara. "Korra, this is Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. She is to be your new Waterbending teacher. Katara, this is Avatar Korra—your new Waterbending student."
The six year old stood, assumed a wide stance, and planted her fists on her hips. "I'm the Avatar, and you gotta deal with it!"
Katara laughed, and matched the gesture. "Well, I'm the Avatar's wife—and you gotta deal with that."
"Huh?" Korra tilted her head, and her face screwed up in confusion. "I don't got a wife!"
"Of course not. I'm the wife of Avatar Aang, your predecessor." Korra's face screwed up even more, trying to make sense of the new word. "The Avatar before you."
Korra brightened. "Oh, you know Avatar Aang! Cool! Whatcha gonna do?"
"I am here to teach you Waterbending, and to tell you about Avatar Aang, among other things. Aang didn't know what being the Avatar was about when he was y—"
"Aw, I know about Waterbending already. I don't need to learn any more of that stuff!"
"You don't, huh?" Katara's hands went back on her hips. "We'll just have to see about that. But that's why I'm here. You have a lot of things to learn if you're going to be the Avatar."
"Yeah." Korra nodded at her minders. "That's what they keep telling me."
Katara smiled. "I can only imagine."
o o o
Over the next few days, Katara got to know Korra better.
"Okay," Katara said to Korra in the main training room. "Show me what you can do."
Korra raised her foot high in what had to be an Earthbending stomp. "With water," Katara emphasized.
The six-year-old looked disappointed. "Okay…"
She looked at a nearby bucket and raised her hand. Water came up out of it in a shiny, amorphous blob. Korra slowly moved her hands together in a circle, and the blob became a thick tube of water circling in the air. She moved her arms around over her head, and the water followed, tracing a wide silver ring around her. With a flourish Korra wound up, lunged, and snapped her wrists, and the water splashed hard into the wall.
"That's pretty good!" said Katara. "That's very good—I couldn't do that when I was your age."
"Yeah." Korra struck a pose, then wiped her nose. "I'm a natural."
Katara gathered the water and returned it to its bucket. "Can you do anything else with it?"
"Like what?"
"What do you think you can do with it?"
Korra shrugged. "What do you want me to do with it?"
"All right… how about this?"
Now Katara beckoned to the bucket, and a mist formed at the lip of it, spilled over, and crept along the floor toward Korra, who was wide-eyed at the sight. It flowed over Korra's foot and made her giggle. "Cool!"
Katara smiled. "And this?"
She pointed sharply at the mist, and it froze solid on the spot. Korra jerked back as the mist froze over her foot. "Hey!"
Katara chuckled. She raised her arms, and the water floated up away from the floor as a collection of ice crystals, sparkling in the light. She swirled her arms. The crystals matched the move, whirling into a circle around her. Katara spread her fingers and slowed her arms, and the ice crystals spread out into a slowly-moving snowglobe around her. Korra stood there open-mouthed.
Katara picked up the pace, moved her arms round faster, and brought her fingers back together. The ice thinned out, returning to the circle she had started from. Faster and faster Katara went—then she flung her arms at the wall and clenched her fists. Ice packed together into hard shards and lanced into the wall.
Shuk! Shuk! Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!
"Whoa…" Korra's jaw had dropped. She grinned. "You gotta show me that!"
"I will." Katara nodded. "That and much more. I promise. You're limited only by your imagination."
"Imaj—imagination." Korra frowned. "What's that?"
Katara frowned at her. "Don't tell me you don't know what imagination is!"
Korra nodded. "Yup." She then shook her head. "I dunno what that word means."
A smile worked its way into Katara's frown. "I think you'll catch on pretty quickly."
From then on, Katara found she had a new companion, a sponge of information named Korra that eagerly sapped up any new trick Katara could teach her. The elder Waterbender was greatly pleased at how well they were bonding.
One thing that did surprise Katara was the lack of any presence of Aang in Korra. Korra was completely her own person. None of her gestures, none of her words, none of her personality gave any hint of Aang. But then Katara also remembered the time at the Fire Temple many years ago on the Winter Solstice, when Aang had gone to talk to Avatar Roku. The only time she had sensed Avatar Roku at all was when Aang had allowed Roku to physically manifest himself. Then she had actually seen Avatar Roku come out of the communion chamber and hurl fire at their enemies. All other times, Katara had not sensed Roku in Aang at all.
The same was true with Avatar Kyoshi. The towering Earthbender Avatar had manifested herself through Aang once—accidentally, in fact, when Aang was on trial at Chin Village—but Katara had never seen anything of Kyoshi in Aang. Aang was carefree and easy-going, Kyoshi focused and ruthless. They couldn't have been more different.
Of course, Katara thought as she remembered other, more intimate times with Aang, it's definitely good that Aang was his own person. Having Roku or Kyoshi manifest at those times—or any other Avatar, for that matter—would have been extremely awkward. Katara chuckled to herself at the thought.
One other concern did creep its way into Katara's thoughts; when she was able to describe it well enough, she mentioned it to Pesut.
"Does Korra get to be with other children?"
It was hard to tell if Pesut hadn't thought of that, or if he thought it was a silly question. "We thought she should concentrate on learning the skills she needs as the Avatar."
Katara's look would have been interesting to describe as well. "Korra is a six-year-old girl, Pesut. She needs to spend time learning how to be a little girl as well as how to be the Avatar."
That clearly struck Pesut as ridiculous. "Why does Korra need to learn how to be a little girl?"
"Pesut." Oh, this is going to be interesting to explain… "As odd as this sounds, Korra needs to learn how to be human. She is the Avatar, but you can't just fill her up with knowledge and turn her loose in the world. It doesn't work like that."
"Of course," Pesut said airily. "But 'growing up' is something that Korra will naturally do."
"Only if she's given time and opportunity to do it," Katara replied. "She must have contact with other children. She must be able to grow up with them, learn from them, experiment with them what means to grow up. If she doesn't… If you put Korra in a box, you will grow an Avatar in a box—unfamiliar with the outside world and knowing little about the people she is meant to serve. That will benefit no one."
Pesut didn't like Katara's argument—but he had no answer for the points she had made. He nodded. "Very well; we will allow her more visits home."
Katara smiled. "I think that's a good idea, Pesut. Thank you."