Summary: Tonraq writes a letter to Korra he will never give to her.
Sometimes I wish you weren't the Avatar.
I don't want you think that I'm not proud of you, because I am. I'm so proud of you that it almost makes my heart ache. I was so proud when you held your first flame before me when you were three. I was so proud when you cracked the earthen floor of our living room, scaring our house guests nearly to death. I was so proud when the White Lotus came to us and took you under their wing.
But I wasn't proud when the Red Lotus came to take you away. Until that point I had not realized the implications. I was the father of the Avatar, master of all elements.
But you weren't a master. You were only five. You could bend three elements, but you had no mastery over them. I was a fool, and you were almost snatched from me.
They took you from our home after that, to protect you better, they said. But all I heard was that I was a failure, incapable of protecting my daughter from harm. And that hurt. It hurt a lot. They put you in a compound of tall walls of ice and that's where you stayed for over ten years.
They kept you so safe. You became so strong. I thought that you'd always be close to home, safe where we could love you and cherish you. But you were growing up and home wasn't where you wanted to be anymore. You needed to discover the World, travel to places the Avatar would be welcomed, or even missed. I accepted this and gave you my blessing and good lucks when you came to say goodbye.
When I heard another terrorist hurt you again, I was almost blind with rage. Here in the South Pole, I could do nothing. I could do nothing when I heard they took your bending away. I could do nothing when Master Katara tried to heal you and failed. I could do nothing as you fled.
I felt as if I could never do anything for you.
Do you know how many nights your mother cried herself to sleep? She was always so worried, nearly going sick with it. Our daughter, our daughter that we, as parents, should always strive to protect and shield from the dangers of the world, was putting herself in the middle of it.
But you healed yourself, didn't you? You connected with your Spiritual self, something I could never achieve. You were healed and I was proud.
When the World was threatened by my terroristic brother, you were there to thwart him. I watched as you battled our forces, as you entered the Spirit World, as you fought and fought and fought for our Safety. I defended your when there were forces against you, I stood by your side when you decided to keep the portals open, I accepted your proposal of appointing me Chief, and I tried not to let myself hurt too much.
But the hurt only got worse.
As much as I love you, as much as I want to protect you, I can't do it so well, can I?
Those terrorists, the Red Lotus, came back and repeatedly tried to snatch you away again. I traveled to where you were to aid you, to help protect you. But even in that, I failed. I watched as you were whisked away by the very group that tried to take you away so many years ago.
I watched as you fought for your life.
I watched while you nearly died in my arms.
I held you when you stopped breathing. I held you as Su took the poison out of you. I held you when you opened your blue eyes again.
The greatest pain of my life was at that moment. Such great pain, Korra, that I went almost delirious with grief. Even as I held you, your breathing body, I was grieving.
Because I love you, Korra. I love you, and I'll go through that great pain over and over again if it meant saving you. I'd go through it every day if I knew you'd never be hurt again.
And that's the thing. There will always be people trying to hurt you, but I know that there are also people trying to protect you. Those friends you have, Mako, Bolin, Asami, Tenzin, Lin, and the others, they all work together to protect you, don't they? I've never been more grateful to anyone in my life.
I'm even more grateful to have been on this journey with you. To watch you grow, become strong, and kick absolute ass, because you do. You're the bravest person I've ever known.
Sometimes I'm glad that you're the Avatar.
Despite everything that has happened and will happen, you are my daughter, my Korra before you are the Avatar. Remember that, Korra. Hold that in your heart. Keep those words close to you. You are my daughter.
And I've never been more proud.