Kuvira Beifong. She kept repeating that name to herself the entire evening. With just one stroke of a pen she gained mother, father, brothers, a sister and a husband. Something that she had not dared to dream of since… the beginning. One of her deepest desires, the one she thought she had to bury was fulfilled a week ago as if nothing happened. "As if nothing happened…" she thought. Of course, she knew that it took her almost 10 years of working her way into the good graces of her adoptive family that she had such a complicated relationship with. And Baatar… He forgave her and they rebuilt their relationship despite everything. Of course, part of him still was hurt but their love for each other seemed to overcome any obstacle. "And yet despite that I am spending my honeymoon on a mission that would take me further away from Zaofu, from Beifongs, from Baatar each day. Because I still need to pay for my crimes."
She could not really complain. Despite everything, she was very lucky. Suyin did not disown her immediately and eventually decided to visit her in prison. After a cold stare for 10 minutes and a very emotional tirade, they slowly started to mend their broken relationship. Korra, of all people, visited her twice a week. Avatar and the former Great Uniter came to an understanding in the spirit world but Kuvira did not expect that their relationship would go past that. However, Korra was bringing her news of the outside world, about her trial, about Baatar and eventually they started to get to know each other properly. Bolin made occasional visits but he was unsure about his feelings and the interactions were slightly awkward.
The most ironic part is that she stayed in prison only for one year. Her sentence was much more elaborate and revolved around rebuilding the Earth Nation with Avatar Korra and crown Prince Wu. This eventually made her a part of Team Avatar. A lot of people were unhappy but she just tried to focus on her work and redeeming herself in her own eyes. "I set out to help my nation but caused only death, destruction and created more orphans than Zaheer did".
Kuvira was thinking about past for a long time until her head snapped back to reality when she heard a loud burst of laughter. Apparently Mako finally managed to produce a story that Korra and Bolin found so hilarious that they were almost rolling on ground, and Asami and Opal also started laughing openly not trying to tone it down. She was accepted at this point by all of them but only Korra and Bolin would truly consider her as one of their own. Mako was suspicious, Asami was lukewarm at best and Opal was fine with her if all was going well but would snap immediately at any Kuvira's misstep.
"What's up Kuvira, can't laugh at jokes anymore?" said Korra when she finally regained composure.
"Sorry, I was just thinking something over," Kuvira apologized.
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad! Surely you did not get your honeymoon but you get to spend more time with us! And you are about to get some good action," said Bolin excitedly.
"Calm down, Bo, we might spend this whole time chasing rumors. We have not seen any loyalists or any bandits or those other revolutionaries that are being talked about," said Mako. "Besides, Opal is with you while Kuvira can be legally dragged away from Baatar at any moment."
While they continued arguing, Kuvira got up to stretch her muscles. She stared at Zaofu's domes thinking about the upcoming mission. She did not hear Opal approaching from behind.
"Hey, are you alright?" she said surprisingly gently. There were these rare moments when everything seemed to be like nothing happened, as if she never betrayed her family. She steeled herself because the ensuing conversation could go either way and she was in no mood for arguing.
"No, Opal," she answered honestly. "This is… hard. I have been helping out Korra for 10 years already but we are still cleaning up the mess that Red Lotus and I left!" she exclaimed and took a deep breath. "Don't get me wrong, I am still convinced that me and Baatar stepping up was the right decision but we could have done things differently" she said looking at Opal. "I could have tried talking to Suyin, ask her to let me go, not just go behind her back and throw my success in her face, I did not have to strong-arm everybody into obedience. There were alternatives and Korra has shown me them but we are not progressing."
"Kuvira, I think after all this time I owe you an apology," Opal said after a brief pause.
Kuvira was taken aback. "You want to apologize to me? Am I not the woman who betrayed our family and stole Baatar from all of you?" she said remembering all the bitter remarks that Suyin was throwing at her during the first 5 years of Kuvira's sentence.
Opal frowned but decided to tell her anyways. "Kuvira, I am still angry at you. You've done things that I am still not ready to forgive you for and don't know if I ever will be. When you left, you hurt all of us. Not just because you took Baatar, no, because you discarded us like we were nothing. We were your family Kuvira! You never had the Beifong name and mom kept her distance but dad saw you as another daughter and for me, Huan, Wei and Wing you were a sister. A sister who fired on us!" she covered her face and breathing to calm herself. "I still can't believe Baatar married you…"
Despite the seriousness of conversation, Kuvira found herself laughing. Soon, Opal joined. The complicated family dynamic that they have had and the fact that they have ended up coming back together changed their perspective quite a bit. They could not help but find the entire situation hilarious at this point.
"Anyway, what I wanted to say is that I am sorry that you felt like an outsider while growing up with us. But now," Opal put her hand on Kuvira's shoulder, "now we can truly be a family."
Kuvira squeezed her hand in reassurance and said "Thank you Opal. For everything."
They stood in silence for some time looking back at their home. Korra joined them soon bringing them tea. "Hey guys, why so gloomy?" she said handing them their drinks.
"Actually," Kuvira said looking at Opal, "I think we just made peace with each other." Opal nodded.
Korra smiled and said "Great. I am happy with the progress you've made Kuvira," they both looked at each other. "If it were up to me I would have cancelled your sentence by now. You deserve it."
Kuvira looked at them, back at Zaofu, at the campsite. "I am more than happy to be with you here, helping my country and finally surrounded by family and friends," she smiled weakly but genuinely. She quickly regained her composure and started to move back to the other group, "Come on, we have a long day ahead of us and we need to get some sleep before that. I'll keep the first watch".
"Hey! I am still the leader here!" Korra shouted joking offended.
"Of course you are," teased Kuvira.
In 15 minutes everyone, except Kuvira, was in the tents drifting off to sleep. Kuvira, on the other hand decided to use some of the time to assess the situation without any distractions. For the past 10 years Earth Nation was a battlefield between bandits, Wu's forces, her loyalists and the People's Army. Her loyalists quickly succumbed to the infighting and either surrendered or slowly dispersed with some of them joining the other three groups. Wu's forces were able to achieve their success only because of the Avatar's help and involvement from other nations. However, recently, about since 2 years ago, the People's Army started to grow stronger and the bandits' attacks became more organized, more efficient and more political. The last bit is what troubled her the most. Looking back at some of their recent activities, an unpleasant pattern started to emerge. This very mission seemed wrong from the start: the information was extremely vague and it lead Team Avatar somewhere far away from civilization. Kuvira wanted to confirm her suspicions and she knew that only one person besides her had the strategic mind to help her out. Unfortunately, that person also hated her the most.
Kuvira did not hesitate long before gently shaking Asami to wake her up. "Kuvira?" she said sleepily, "My shift is after Mako's and it's not due for some time. Now let me sleep."
"I need your help Asami," Kuvira said.
"No, you don't. I can tolerate you and I trust you to an extent but I do not want to interact with you more than necessary," she said coldly.
"I believe we are being led astray so that whoever provided us the information could attack Zaofu," Kuvira told her.
That got Asami's attention and she rose quickly. "I'm listening."
Kuvira grabbed one of the Earth Nation maps and started marking locations of most prominent skirmishes and of their travels.
"Look, for the past 10 years, we fought the same people over and over. However, recently these people started to prefer quality over quantity," Kuvira said as she pointed her pen at the first spot she circled on the map. "First it was the governor of Omashu who got targeted. The attack was attributed to the group of bandits who used the panic to rob the biggest bank in the city," she moved on to another spot. "Then the People's Army blockaded the Kyoshi Island, many warriors tried to return to fight for their homeland only to be ambushed and overpowered with multiple bandits attacking single warriors on the mainland," she continued explaining.
Asami started to see where she was heading but decided to let her continue. She wanted to hear the story until the end to see if their conclusions align.
"There are many other examples but the most prominent is the last one, the Massacre of Gaoling. Somehow, the bandits caused the destruction of property that killed off the leaders of the city and then conveniently on the next day the People's Army stepped in. We can make several conclusions and observations," she said starting to count it on her fingers. "First one, someone organized the bandits to work towards a common goal. Second one, the bandits are now engaging in the acts of terrorism and political assassinations. There was no other motivation than to cause chaos. Very often, it is the People's Army, not us, that steps in to deal with the chaos," she raised her third finger. "Which leads us to the third final conclusion. The bandits and the People's Army are working together and are operated by the same person."
Asami regarded Kuvira carefully and told her, "I want you to say it."
Kuvira glanced at the map one more time, then lifted her head and told Asami, "I believe it is the Red Lotus we are dealing with. They cause the anarchy in the place, let an army sympathetic to the common folk deal with the consequences and the let us thin the People's Army so that Wu can install another governor. Then the cycle repeats with every side getting weaker with each iteration."
"And that's how he wants people to stop accepting the imposed rulers," finished Asami.
"Very perceptive, both of you," said a deep voice behind them, which also prompted others to jump from their sleep and be immediately on alert.
"Zaheer!" shouted Korra. "Since when can you make an astral projection!?" she asked.
The anarchist smirked and responded, "You should pay more attention to the airbending teachings, Avatar. They offer a spiritual enlightenment that no other philosophy or practice can achieve. This is why you made a mistake when you left me alive. A true airbender can never be imprisoned as you no doubt can see."
"Enough! What do you want?" Asami found herself shouting as well.
Zaheer turned to her and Kuvira. "I want nothing for now but to warn you to stay out of our way. The Red Lotus is making the world a better place and should you comply, you might even get to see and enjoy it," he looked at Kuvira and his eyes narrowed. "Except you, Great Uniter. I can see now why you achieved so much, you truly are intelligent and capable," he gave a little bow of respect. "But it does not absolve you of your crimes."
Kuvira could only clench her teeth at this statement. She took a deep breath and calmly responded, "I will be paying for them for the rest of my life."
"Only your death can be payment enough for crimes against people. Until next time, Team Avatar," he said as he vanished in the air.
The team was in a state of disarray. The sudden emergence of Red Lotus explained a lot of things but also brought a lot of additional worries. Korra, in particular, still had an occasional nightmare or two about Zaheer and her feelings towards that period were still complicated. Asami was worried for her wife since she of all was the most involved in Korra's recovery. The rest were just wondering how bad things are going to get. They had their answer soon enough.
The earth beneath them was slightly trembling and all metallic equipment was crushed. Three dozens of bandits emerged from the forest, both benders and the non-benders who were armed with the newly created weapons that launched projectiles at large speeds. People were just calling them guns. Kuvira could not help but wonder how progress was creating a huge potential for both creation and destruction.
The fight ensued almost immediately. Bolin's lavabending allowed the group to create the first line of defense while Kuvira set up walls to be protected from bullets and flying rocks. Opal could use her airbending to send some of the projectiles back at the attackers but most of the time ended up hitting nobody. Asami shocked a couple of bandits who foolishly decided to get close. Mako occasionally shot lightning to get some of the most troublesome attackers. Korra, of course, used a combination of all four elements. In case Avatar's case, the fight would quickly become something else, not just a brawl, but a complicated art form, almost like a performance.
Depsite the good performance of the goons, they were still fighting against the 5 most powerful benders in the world and an engineering and tactical genius. Eventually, they were all incapacitated, but not before their firebender shot a bright ball of fire in the sky.
"Shit," said Kuvira.
"What?" Korra looked at her with surprise.
Kuvira tried to gather her thoughts but instead Asami stepped in. "While you were sleeping, Kuvira and I looked back on the fights we had and came to the conclusion that the People's Army and the bandits work together. The latter do the assassinations of leaders and damage government infrastructure while the former come to the rescue."
Korra scratched her head looking at both of them and asked, "Well, how does that involve the Red Lotus?"
"The People's Army is not recognized by any nation. Any time they gain ground, the United Republic's forces are sent to help Wu's army with the cleanup. Ba Sing Se installs another governor and the cycle repeats," Kuvira explained. "If we understand Zaheer's logic correctly, he and his band of anarchists hope that the people would eventually get fed up with the rulers and start living without them."
They all looked at the prisoners and what Asami and Kuvira said started to sink in. Zaofu was in danger. One of the only stable places in the Earth Nation was about to be attacked by a large overwhelming force. And the flare sent by firebender would bring the reinforcements very soon. They jumped on Juicy and flew back to Zaofu. Once in the air, they saw lights in the distance, moving in their direction and therefore, towards Zaofu. The People's Army was here. Korra turned to Kuvira, looked at her for some time, as if overcoming some inner doubt.
"Kuvira, once we land in Zaofu, I want you to take Beifongs on the airship and fly to Republic City. Tell the president full story. We cannot take any risks with the involvement of the Red Lotus. However, now they have revealed themselves and maybe we can finally stop them from pulling the strings."
"Korra, no! We cannot abandon Zaofu, we need to fight!" cried Opal.
"Opal, depending on the situation, we will either fight or lead the evacuation. The city might fall, but people are the priority. And no, I will not abuse the Avatar state to wipe out people who were wronged. Even if they are over the line," said Korra, shutting down all the questions.
"Korra, I am a war criminal. I either have to be on house arrest in Republic City or Zaofu. I can only go anywhere else with you," said Kuvia sadly.
The Avatar regarded the former Great Uniter for some time. Korra then then put her arm on Kuvira's shoulder.
"You have made your amends. I have seen you learn from your mistakes and you helped so many people already. Dragging you around with me leads to nothing but wasting your life. You have a second chance now and I believe you will not waste it," Korra said sincerely.
To surprise of both of them, Kuvira pulled her in a tight hug and only whispered, "Thank you," before releasing her. They soon arrived at Zaofu and the team headed to Suyin immediately. Naturally, she was not pleased with Korra's plan.
"You are asking me to abandon my city and let my people be led away so that I try to convince another incompetent world leader to help us out?" Suyin asked pointedly.
Instead of Korra, Kuvira stepped in the conversation and tried to frame her answer in a way that the Beifong matriarch would accept understand. After all, Korra was not the one who grew up with her. "Su, we have been fighting a losing war for 10 years and Korra initially thought that she could fix the problems of every single person in the Earth Nation, then she tried to improve Wu's system. But every time we hit a roadblock and it turned out we were all pawns in a long play of the Red Lotus. We can either keep falling for their provocations and let them steamroll one of the few stable Earth States or," she paused and looked at Suyin pleadingly "We can remove you out of the equation from the start. Maybe they will even turn away. Anyway, depending on the size of the incoming force, Korra would either lead her team and the guards against the People's Army or evacuate the city. One thing is for sure, with Zaheer's involvement you are not safe."
Reluctantly Suyin agreed and brought the entire family together. There was some arguing but eventually they decided to follow this plan given the amount of unknowns and that Republic City is probably the safest place on the continent right now. In 2 hours they prepared the airship and Suyin gave the last orders to her captain of the guard. Kuvira said her goodbyes to Korra, Mako and even Asami and was the last to enter the airship. They soon took off and Kuvira stayed at the observation deck, looking at her home and contemplating Korra's choice. She really hoped that it was not a grave mistake to hide away Beifongs while Korra and United Forces special forces scout the Earth Nation for the Red Lotus leaders.
Kuvira took one last look at Zaofu from the window and then headed to the rest of the family. She looked at all of them, at the people who took her in when she was 8, whom she betrayed, who have forgiven her and given her a place again. She did not like being on the run or feeling powerless but as long as they were together she hoped that maybe, just maybe, they will all be alright.