AN: So this is a story idea I got a few days ago, and I'm actually proud of myself for getting it down so quickly! I do have high hopes for this story, so I hope it gets farther than any of my other ones did.
I don't exactly love this chapter, but hey, first chapters are usually rocky, right? It'll get better from here, I promise!
Enjoy :)
A sudden blast of ice cold wind and frost jerks Korra from her sleep. Her blanket folds over on itself, exposing her to the near-arctic air. Korra's desperate grabs for it prove to be in vain as the blanket is blown farther away, bundling up in the corner.
"Spirits," Korra hisses under her breath, already beginning to shiver. The word billows out into a cloud near her mouth. With a glare at the window, which had been thrown open by the wind, Korra wraps her arms around herself to hold in the heat and swings her feet to the ground, standing and dragging her feet to the window. A few drops of mist from the bay hit her face, and the sound of waves hitting the shore is almost deafening.
Spreading her arms wide, Korra grasps the shutters and is ready to slam them shut before she notices something moving down on the beach. A dark figure, so small Korra can hardly see it from this distance, only visible by the faint light of the moon. Korra rubs what's left of the sleep from her eyes, but the figure remains. At first, she thinks it must be one of the White Lotus sentries; but what would one of them be doing out there alone, on a night like this?
Korra practically slams the window closed, muffling the sound of the waves and blocking the wind. She cringes at the loud bang the shutters make, hoping she didn't wake anyone up. After a few moments of near-silence and hearing nothing from anywhere in the temple, Korra sighs and steps away from the window, moving to collect her blanket from the corner. Wrapping herself tightly and warmly, she falls back on the bed, closes her eyes, and tries to push the image of the lone figure out of her mind.
It only takes a few minutes for curiosity to take over. Korra reluctantly pushes herself upwards into a sitting position, knowing she won't get back to sleep anytime soon. She turns and stands again, with the blanket still wrapped tightly around her shoulders, and this time makes her way to the door, picking up her boots on the way out. Naga, curled up tightly on the other side of the room, raises her head in confusion.
"Don't worry, girl," Korra reassures the polar bear dog, crossing the room to pet her on the head affectionately. "I won't be gone long." Naga does not seem pleased at her master's decision for a late-night walk—Korra assumes it must be around two A.M.—but she lays her head down again, huffing in annoyance. Her eyes follow Korra as the Avatar slips out through the door silently.
Korra doesn't put her boots on until she's already outside, trying her best to stay silent. The ground is colder than she anticipated, and she almost barks out a curse before her hand flies to her mouth to quiet herself. When the boots are on, Korra scans the immediate vicinity for any sentries roaming around, but sees no one. She sticks close to the wall and skirts around behind the bushes until she reaches the ground below her window. The figure has moved, but it's still on the beach. Something is being dragged behind it.
Korra starts walking more quickly in the figure's direction, now even more curious than before. As she gets closer, however, she notices that the figure has stopped moving. She moves closer, and the confusion grows: the figure is a man, but she can't recognize him, especially from this distance. What she can notice is that he's staring right at her.
"Hello?" Korra calls out cautiously. She doubts he can hear her over the wind and waves, but it's worth a shot. The man doesn't move. Figures. Korra keeps moving closer.
A new sensation hits her. The wind is blowing hard enough, but Korra's almost surprised she didn't pick it up quicker. The smell of charred hair, burned flesh, burning flesh fills the air, and Korra has to pause and recompose herself for a moment to keep from vomiting. An underlying metallic scent also hits her: blood. "Do you need any help?" she tries again, her voice wavering slightly. Opening her mouth probably wasn't the best idea; the smells nearly make her choke.
The man responds by collapsing to the ground.
"Shit." Korra doesn't hesitate anymore. She breaks into a run, throwing herself against the wind as though her life depended on it. Maybe his did. She almost loses her blanket in the dash. Korra reaches the man quicker than she thought she would, and skids painfully on the hard, sand-dusted ground in a clumsy attempt to stop. Knees stinging, Korra kneels down next to the man, momentarily unsure of what to do. His bloodshot eyes are wide and terrified, the icy-blue chips darting blindly back and forth frantically, desperately trying to find something to hold on to. Korra, unsure of what exactly to do in a situation like this, places two fingers on his wrist, checking his pulse. The man's eyes go even wider, and for a moment Korra thinks they might pop out of his head. A low-pitched whine escapes his lips. His pulse is erratic.
"Uh…" Korra stammers. She glances up and skims her eyes over the surrounding area, and notices what the man had been pulling behind him—in this condition, she's surprised he made it as far inland as he did. The other dark shape—another man, Spirits—lays a few feet away, a trail of fresh blood behind him. Korra shoots another glance down at the first man, then darts over to his companion. The second man is in far worse condition, if that's even possible. His right arm looks the worst, a mangled lump of blood, bone, and skin, and Korra actually does retch at the sight of it. Wiping her mouth with one corner of the blanket, Korra reaches down and feels his neck for a pulse. For a moment she doesn't feel anything, and panic starts to rise, before she feels the slightest of flutters beneath her fingertips, and she breathes a sigh of relief. He's still unconscious, though.
A pained moan sounds behind her, and Korra jerks out of her momentary relaxation. She spins around and looks at the first man, and although he hasn't moved, he seems to be panicking. His breath hitches repeatedly, his chest heaving up and down. Korra scrambles ungracefully back to his side and peers into his eyes. "Hey, hey," she stumbles over her words, "Look at me. It's gonna be all right." Korra has no idea if he understands what she's saying, or if he can even hear her. Gingerly, carefully, she lifts his head and rests it on her lap. The man's eyes pinch shut for a moment, trying to cope with the pain, before they open again. Korra puts one hand on his cheek and tilts his head toward her. "Look at me."
He does. At that moment, their eyes meet, cerulean and ice. She can tell that the man is struggling to stay awake, holding on to what little consciousness he has left. With one heavy hand he grasps the blanket around Korra's shoulders, making her pitch forward, caught off guard by the surprisingly quick movement. She straightens herself out and stares into the man's eyes, while he searches hers. For a brief moment, Korra thinks she sees something like recognition flash across his face, before his eyes flutter shut and his hand falls from its grasp. Korra freaks out for a bit, thinking she'd lost him, before she sees his chest rising and falling unsteadily. She lets out a shaky breath and sits back on her heels, laying the man's head back on the ground.
What now?
Korra certainly can't leave them here. They'd die if she left them alone. She's afraid that, if she tries to carry or drag them back to the temple, she'd injure them more than they are now. The wind and water are still almost deafening, so calling back to the temple would be pointless. She tries to shift the two men close together, so they won't freeze to death, then lays her blanket over them, tucking it beneath them to keep it from blowing it away. With one last glance at their too-still forms, Korra takes off back to the temple, sprinting faster than she had on the way out. Running with the wind is much easier than running against it.
"Tenzin!" Korra shouts the moment she bursts through the doors and runs down the halls, trying to alert the airbender. "Tenzin, wake up! Now!" It takes too long to get to his room, practically body-slamming the door open. Tenzin is wide awake as Korra crashes to the floor, sitting up and staring wide-eyed at the Avatar's sprawled form. Pema is up a moment later, just as confused as her husband.
"Korra?" Tenzin asks, voice gruff from sleep. He wipes a hand over his face. "What on earth are you doing up at this hour?"
"Tenzin, I need help," Korra rushes. "I woke up because the wind blew my window open and when I got up to close it I saw a thing down on the beach so I went to see what it was and it was a man and—"
"Korra, calm down." Tenzin's voice is much calmer than Korra's, but it does nothing to ease her panic. "What happened?"
"There are two men on the beach, and they're dying. There's no time to explain!" Korra is practically out the door before she's done talking, trying to get back to the beach.
Tenzin catches her before she can leave. "Pema, wake the healers. Tell them to prepare for some patients." Pema nods, and he turns back to Korra. "Show me where."
Korra does. She leads him down to the beach, dashing much faster than him but not bothering to check if he's keeping up. She slides to a halt less clumsily than last time, kneeling down beside the men and leaning over them, removing the now-bloodstained blanket and looking. Tenzin appears a moment later, crouching down across from Korra and inspecting what he could see of the burns. Although he appears calm and collected, Korra notices that his face has a light green tinge to it.
"We need to get them to the temple," Tenzin decides at last. He slides his arms underneath the man Korra had communicated with, and lifts him up into the air. "Let's go."
Korra repeats his action with the other man, the task being slightly easier because of his smaller figure. She isn't too sure what she should do with the man's mangled arm, but when she notices Tenzin already pacing away, she gives up, drapes it across the man's stomach, and stumbles after the airbender.
The healers have already cleared out and set up a room by the time Tenzin and Korra return. Korra can see their eyes widen at the extent of the injuries and their faces change at the smell. Pema even excuses herself and disappears into the bathroom.
"Lay them down here," one of the healers instructs, indicating to two empty, clean beds. Tenzin follows the order immediately, but Korra winces at the pained moan that escapes the still-unconscious man's lips. Her own movements are a bit more awkward due to the man's greater size, but a couple of healers are at her side in an instant, lowering the man down gently but quickly onto the bed. Their task done, Tenzin and Korra are ushered from the room.
"What do we do now?" Korra asks her mentor.
Tenzin sighs heavily. "We wait." He turns to walk away. "Go back to sleep, Korra," he orders. "We can check on them in the morning." With that, he disappears down the hall. Korra sniffs in displeasure and crosses her arms; she knows she won't be sleeping at all for the rest of the night—at least, not easily—but she still trudges back to her room quietly.
Naga is waiting for her when she opens the door, her tail wagging with pleasure at having her master back. Korra can see that the polar bear dog is uneasy; she can probably smell the burns from here. Korra crosses the room and pets Naga on the head. "It'll be okay, girl," she tells her, more to reassure herself than anything. "They'll pull through." I hope. She doesn't allow herself to continue thinking, but instead takes her boots off, throws herself on her bed and tries to get some sleep.
Korra wakes shivering the next morning. She curls more tightly in on herself and blindly grasps for her blanket, but all her hand meets is air. Confused, she opens her eyes to the pale dawn light filling the temple and sits up, looking for her blanket. Naga had moved from the other side of the room and come to rest at the foot of Korra's bed, as though keeping watch, but the polar bear dog doesn't appear awake at the moment. Not seeing the blanket anywhere nearby, Korra flops back down to the bed, ready to go back to sleep.
Then she remembers.
She bolts upright into a sitting position again, this time more fully awake. Naga's head darts up at the sudden movement, alert, but she relaxes when she notices Korra and her tail starts to wag lazily, thumping loudly on the floor. Korra hesitantly sniffs the air; the strong scent of medicine and ointments wafts in from her open door, but the smell of burned skin is gone. She swings her feet off the bed and onto the floor, flinching slightly at the cold, and stands and stretches. With a now-looser body, Korra is out the door before Naga can rise from her position.
The door to the room the men are in is closed firmly, and Korra can hear the activity inside. The healers must have stayed up all night working on their new patients. Korra puts her back to the wall across from the door and slides down into a sitting positon. She stays like that for a while, chin resting on her knees, arms wrapped around her legs, and listening to the hustle through the door.
"I'm surprised you haven't been here longer," Korra hears someone say after a few minutes of silence. She raises her head to see Tenzin strolling down the hall in her direction, but she doesn't rise to meet him. He doesn't ask her to, but instead comes to a halt next to her and sits down to her right. "You slept late. I thought you'd be here at sunrise."
Korra glances at him. "Do you know how they're doing?" she asks quietly.
"They're alive. Barely. Last I was informed, they were sleeping." Korra's shoulders slump with the news and she rests her chin on her knees again. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"I found them on the beach last night, one of them dragging the other behind him. He collapsed and passed out, and I went to get you guys. I don't know how they got here—the ferry doesn't run that late." Korra sighs heavily. "I don't know how they got the burns, either."
Tenzin places a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Korra. You did well. We'll just have to find out when they wake up." He stresses the word when. Korra hopes he's right, but she doesn't respond. Tenzin takes her silence as agreement, huffs tiredly, and rises. "They'll be fine," he reaffirms, then turns back down the hall, disappearing from Korra's sight.
Korra watches him go, then stands to follow him.
"Miss Avatar?"
Korra pauses from her airbending training for a moment, giving the woman a look. "Yes, Lo? I'm busy."
"My apologies," Lo hurries. "I came to inform you that, in the three weeks they've been here, I believe we've healed the burns enough for someone to recognize the men."
Immediately Korra perks up. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She takes off in a run, leaving Jinora—her training partner—and Lo to catch up. Korra glances over her shoulder once and laughs at their confused expressions before she slams through the door of the temple.
"…but that's not possible," Korra overhears as she reaches the door to the room. The voice sounds like Tenzin's. "That's simply not possible!" The disbelief and confusion in is voice puts Korra on edge. She steps up behind her mentor and taps him on the shoulder.
"What's going on?" she asks him when he turns to face her, her voice sounding concerned. "Is something wrong with them?"
Tenzin hesitates. "Not with them," he responds evasively.
"What happened?" Korra demands again.
"See for yourself," Tenzin tells her, stepping aside and gesturing for her to enter the room. Korra obliges.
Korra sees right away what has Tenzin so spooked. The smaller man's burns have healed quite well, and although the scars left have made his skin rough and uneven, there is still the soft, brown shade of Water Tribe skin. His brown hair is not as long as it used to be, having been mostly burned off then trimmed, but it still reaches to the tops of his ears. His facial structure, on the other hand, is recognizable upon a single glance. How did no one notice this before?
"Tarrlok." The word is sharp and sour on Korra's tongue. She hates it.
"Tarrlok's been officially declared dead for almost a month," Tenzin says, still trying to grasp the reality of the situation.
"Well, apparently, he's not," Korra spits. Her eyes are reluctant to leave Tarrlok, but she finds her gaze being dragged over to his companion. Now that she knows what she's looking for, the realization hits her like a ton of bricks. No wonder he recognized her on the beach. "But then, that means…" Korra trails off, unwilling or unable to finish that thought.
Tenzin denies it immediately. "No," he snaps sharply. "There's no way. It's not possible."
Korra stares at him. "Tarrlok survived, somehow. It's not just possible. It's probable." She glances back to the other man, then moves to the side of his bed, running her fingers delicately along his jawline. There's no way she can be wrong about this. "Amon survived, too."
No one really knows what to do in this situation. Having both the former Equalist leader and a rogue ex-councilman unconscious and vulnerable on the island sounds like a terrible idea, and everyone knows it. But the men aren't well enough to be moved and no one has the courage or willpower to move them, so everything just falls back into order. Korra continues her training, Tenzin continues his teaching, the healers continue their healing. Life does not change. Three more weeks go by and everything is the same.
Until it isn't.
Korra strolls by the room one morning on her way to breakfast when she hears more commotion than usual inside. At first, she passes it off as the healers working a little harder, and continues to walk on, but she comes to a halt when something crashes. "What the hell?" Korra mutters as she kicks the door open and lands in a fighting stance.
It's utter chaos. Bottles have been broken, medical supplies have been strewn about, and various healers are already nursing wounds. Korra glances at Tarrlok—sound asleep, just like always. The healers who aren't injured are trying to restrain their other patient.
Amon is awake, and he is pissed.
AN: So, what do you think?