Chapter 1: Mythology
A/N: This story is somewhat based on Mulan set in the Avatar world, at the beginning of the 100 year war. Korra is not the Avatar but she is a powerful waterbender. Noatak is not Amon, but he is a Captain for the Water Twibe Warriors-a joint force between the North and the South.
Long ago, both the Southern and Northern Water Tribe populations thrived. But when the Fire Nation began their war, draft notices were sent to each water tribe family. It didn't matter if it was the husband or the son, or if they were waterbenders or not, if they were of fighting age, they would undergo training to become water tribe warriors.
In a small village in the Southern Water Tribe, a man named Tonraq received his draft notice: 'The Chief orders that each family must send one male to the Water Tribe Warriors by the end of two weeks.' Unfortunately, Tonraq had no sons and he had a limp on his left leg from a previous war injury. When his daughter Korra heard the news, she was furious because her father had fought for their nation before. She tried convincing him to not go but disobeying the chiefs orders was punishable by death and deep down she knew that if her father was sent to war, he would not be coming back. Within the next two weeks, Korra practiced day and night on her waterbending training, her parents thought she was using it as a release from stress but Korra was secretly planning to take her father's place.
On the night before the draft, Korra wrote a letter to her parents expressing her intentions to take the place of her father and to prove herself to her family and ancestors. She requested that her parents do not follow her and do not reveal her secret. While her parents were deep asleep, Korra dressed as a man in her father's warrior armor and took off with her polar bear dog Naga to report for the draft.
To the world, she was now known as Korran, son of Tonraq of the Southern Water Tribe, the son who was hidden from the world. Each reporting man was assigned to a unit and Korra was assigned to Captain Noatak. Captain Noatak was originally from the north but now stationed in the south to assemble his unit. He was a calm, calculating, and an elite waterbender, not to mention quite the handsome fellow too. The first week of training was brutal, Korra had never undergone such intensive physical and waterbending training but she was determined to not give up. She trained extra hard at night while others were asleep, being careful not to reveal her true identity as a woman and took extra precautions to bathe late in the night.
Soon, she exceeded her fellow peers and passed the Water Tribe Warrior test with flying colors. Captain Noatak was so impressed with Korran, that he challenged him to a friendly water bending spar. Korra declined politely but under peer pressure from her fellow warriors, she finally accepted under the conditions that it cannot be a close range spar. In preparation for their friendly spar, Korra made sure her under bindings were wrapped very tight and she wore her thickest armors to conceal her feminine body parts. Captain Noatak was confused as to why Korran would dress so heavily for a friendly water bending spar but he did not question his decision.