Noatak hated his father's training. He found it useless. He couldn't see himself assassinating someone, or killing them 5 different ways, he wasn't as gentle as his younger brother but he still wasn't a killer. Yet as the days went on the 10 year old boy gradually became more and more cold. His mother saw it in his eye and the way he stood. The way he talked even. His younger brother was still oblivious to it since he was concentrating on not messing up like he usually did. His father definitely noticed. He became more and more proud of his eldest son and more short with his younger and more timid off spring.
One night he was particularly hard on the young boy, forcing him to fight against a platypus bear that was easily 7 times his size, Noatak, who was a seasoned killer by then, watched as his baby brother got whacked down by one of the creatures mighty paws. His thick parka was cut cleanly open and cut into his skin as well. Upon landing the sound of a bone cracking filled the air, followed by a howl of pain coming from Tarrlok. Inside Noatak was screaming at his brother to run, to get out of there, but he knew that if he went against his father's order's he would be punished. Over the howling wing the bear roared and stood up on it's hind legs, it's arm's raised high in the air. A sight flashed through Noatak's eye, a horribly one that involved a lot of blood and a severed arm, Tarrlok's to be specific. Clenching his hands Noatak sent a quick prayer up to whatever god there was and rushed forwards to help his injured brother. Once at the bear he slid out hidden blades from his parka and leapt at the bear. To give added momentum he twisted then he put all his power in his right arm and sliced through the thick fur and hide of the large animal, successfully cutting into it's flesh and drawing blood. Tarrlok took that opportunity and crawl away, his injured arm cradled against his bruised body. Noatak knew that the cut alone wouldn't kill the bear, it was much too shallow and it was much too powerful to be taken down like that, but he judged from it's howls of pain that it hurt a lot. Gripping the blade tighter he charged the bear once more and rammed it hilt deep into one of it's unprotected eyes. The wild animal gave one last roar before falling on it's side, leaving a great indent in the fresh snow. Blood instantly poured out, steam rose up where the hot liquid touched the below temperature cold snow. Sighing greatly Noatak knelt down and wiped his blade off with snow then used the bears fur to dry it to prevent rusting. Running his thumb against the blade he gave himself a mental note to sharpen then with a wet stone when he got back home.
"You …you, you failure!" Looking up from his kill Noatak sighed again, he could already hear his brother's blubbering. Getting up slowly he walked over to where his bloody brother lay, his arm was clearly broken and everything about him read pain. His father couldn't care about it thought, all he saw was a weak child unfit to kill a wild beast. He showed zero compassion as he assaulted Tarrlok with words and every once in a while kicking him, even though he was on the ground. Finally Noatak decided that enough was enough and cut in.
"Father, we have to bring the beast back, mother is probably worried by now since we have been gone for five days. Our food provisions have run low and if we don't' get home soon we may die out here." Yakone reluctantly looked away from the huddled boy and shot a glare at his most prized son.
"You know better than to help the weak! It's the weak we kill! Next time, just let him die, it's all he's good for anyways." Noatak didn't flinch at his father's words and all Tarrlok did was let out a little whimper. His father had said that before on several occasions. He'd never say it in front of their mother though, for some twisted reason he showed love towards her and hurting her would end him, though they did fight a lot.
"Next time I won't aid him, but I refuse to allow my brother to die." Noatak fixed his glare on his father and for a second he saw fear in his fathers eyes. It was gone in an instant though, with an exasperated sigh he threw his arm's up in the air and dramatically turned away.
"Whatever, I'll get the sled, you fix up that abomination, I'm expecting him to be fit enough to pull the sled by time I get back." Only once his father was out of sight did he allow himself to relax, concern instantly washed over him as he rushed over to his younger brother and crouched down. His cheek was brushed and his left eye was swollen shut. His chest where the bear had hit him was cut open but after a quick inspection he was relived to see that the cuts were shallow and would heal within a couple weeks. Getting a clean cloth he gathered snow and wrapped the cloth around it. Making sure to be gentle he places the pack over Tarrlok's bleeding chest and instructed him to apply pressure. His arm though was broken and wasn't going to be fixed with snow. Both the radius and ulna were broken clean through. The only thing he was thankful for was the fact that the bones didn't break through the skin. After poking and prodding his arm a bit he decided he would try to make a splint for him, first though he had to set the bone.
"Tarrlok, this is going to hurt, bare with me a little longer, ok?" Looking down he saw pain clearly on his younger brother's face and pride filled him when Tarrlok gave him a small nod.
"Alright, get ready." From his poking and prodding he was able to figure out that the bones broke when he tried to soften his landing, causing the already weak bones to snap and over lap. It was an easy but painful fix. Sending out a silent apology Noatak gripped his brother's wrist and shoulder then gave a strong tug. The first tug didn't set the bone so he had to do it again, his brother's anguished yell's almost did him in. Once it was over Noatak lowered himself so that he was laying beside Tarrlok and grasped his hand.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's over now, you did great!" Tarrlok gave a shaky laugh as tears fell down the side of his face. For an eight year old he was surprisingly strong. Stronger than all the other eight years olds in the village. His father, of course, didn't see that, he only saw the bad in Tarrlok.
"Ok, I'll get a splint and we'll fix your arm the rest of the way. You won't even know it's broken." Tarrlok remained silent as he watched his older brother get up and grab three sturdy sticks. From his pack he pulled out twine and came back. For some reason Noatak felt he had to fill the quiet space.
"You know, once we get home mother will probably fix us an amazing stew with the bear. With carrot's a winter turnips. If we're lucky the trader's would have come in by now and we could have some barley in it as well and fresh bread. And we can tell her how you bravely went after the bear to protect father and I. She'd get a kick out of that." Noatak babbled on as he wrapped the twine around the three stick and arm, making sure it was nice and snug so that the bone wouldn't jar. Once he was done he leaned back and admired his work. Tarrlok always got hurt and he was the one to patch him up. His mother couldn't handle big injuries and stuck with little paper cuts and skinned knee's.
"Why? Why are you so nice to me? I know, you're my older brother, you're suppose to take care of me, but why? Why not give up on me like father? Why not wish me dead like him? Why do you keep fighting for me when I'm so weak?!" Noatak thought for a second, he knew there was a reason why he still fought for his brother. To him it was simple.
"It's because I'm not him. I love you Tarrlok, sure you're a pain in my ass at times, but that's because you're my younger brother. You're all the family I have. I love mother too but it's not the same, I could leave her without a second thought if it meant keeping you safe. We've been through so much together and it would be a shame if it all ended." Noatak watched as his brother's face scrunched up, his un injured arm draped over his eyes as he silently cried.
Their father returned soon after that with their sled. It was big and spacious and they were able to fit half of the bear onto it, the other half dragged in the snow, leaving a trail of blood where ever they went. Their father was the one who dragged, Noatak occasionally giving him a break by taking the rope. Tarrlok was pretty much useless and followed behind with a knife, ready to fight off any wolves that decided to attack. During the 3 day walk back nothing else attacked them. Tarrlok remained quiet and was always adjusting his sling and packing snow in it to keep his arm numb. Noatak too remained silent, instead he found comfort within his own mind. Thought's of living a life that didn't involve killing helpless animals and the soon to be helpless humans clouded his mine and made him almost happy. Their father ignored both of them and would occasionally kick Tarrlok if he was sitting or laying on the ground. Once they reached home they were welcomed into their small and warm hut by their mother's loving arms. She fussed with Tarrlok and gave happy shouts at the sight of the bear. She instantly looked between her youngest son and the bear and tears instantly formed in her eyes and he was enveloped in her arms. Tarrlok, feeling embarrassed but happy, welcomed the human contact and smiled for the first time in 8 days. Noatak felt happiness as well as he watched his younger brother received love for the first time in a long while. His father remained impassive at the whole ordeal and quickly got her attention. Noatak didn't know that was the last time he would feel actual happiness, for well, a long time.
"Amon, hey, earth to Amon! Wakey wakey!" Noatak grumbled and rolled over so that his back was facing the intruder. He didn't want to wake up, he was having an interesting dream.
"Wake up!" With a grunt he quickly rolled over and grabbed the closest thing to him, an arm, and tugged. He knew exactly who it was and he also knew that she wasn't a morning person. Why she sounded so awake was beyond him. If it were anyone else they would have been dead. Korra's startled yell was muffled by his hair as he wrapped his arms around her and held her against his body so that she wouldn't escape.
"Good morning Princess." Blushing deeply Korra struggled to get away but his arms only tightened. "You know I don't like being woken up, don't you Princess." Korra felt annoyance at that way he pronounced her title and gave up on her struggle. Normally she wouldn't stop but she knew he wouldn't let go until she stopped squirming around. As expected once she settled down he released her and she quickly scrambled away, her face still red.
"I'll have you know, it's not morning, it's noon. I've let you sleep in today considering our extra hard scuffle yesterday. You can thank me later, but right now you have to get up. I'm headed into town today and you're needed as my bodyguard." Noatak looked sideways at her the looked out the window. To his dismay he noticed that he had indeed slept through half of the day. Cursing out loud he threw back his covers and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He was about to leap up when he remembered that the only thing he was wearing were his briefs. Korra didn't seen to catch on so he snickered up at her.
"If you don't mine, could you leave so that I can put some clothes on? Though you're entirely welcome to stay if you want and admire. You seem to like doing that." Korra's tanned cheeks once again flamed up as he knew they would. Then as he predicted she spluttered a bit then haughtily turned and stomped out of the room, leaving him to get changed. He found teasing her to be a wonderful pass time. Seeing as there was no point in wasting time he quickly pulled on his new "Royal Guard Armour" which he found to be ridiculous. Even Korra found the gear stupid. It was heavy and had absolutely zero stealth. In a tricky situation it would save the person wearing it but not the person they're trying to protect. He wasn't surprised when he learnt that it as Mako who designed the outfits.
Once he had it all on he inspected himself in the mirror. He stood out like a woman in a gay bar and he didn't like it. As an assassin he was trained to not stand out, though it was hard since he was quite handsome. After a bit more inspecting he decided to switch the outfit for his usual gear then stepped out of the room. Korra wasn't there and he felt a sad pang as he made his way to the main floor forayer where he knew she would be. She was there with Asami, the neighbouring princess and the two brothers. He felt his heart sink at the thought of having to baby sit all four of them but was greatly happy when Asami got up and waved good bye to her friends. Upon passing his she gave an elegant curtsy and he bowed his respect. Bolin and Mako both seemed reluctant to leave Korra though but soon they too left and some of the tension in Noatak's shoulders left. He couldn't deny it, he liked Korra. She was strong and beautiful and a wonderful leader when she wanted to be. She was brash and a hard fighter but when someone was seriously injured she would stop and instantly go over to aid them. She was clearly an item in every man's eye, all except the one who she liked. He knew though that if he worked hard enough he would be able to make her fall for him.
"Ah, Amon, so you finally decide to show up. I'm pleased to see you're not in that awful get up Mako designed." Noatak bowed then returned to his stiff stance to show his respect. He was about to offer his arm but her attention was instantly diverted away from him towards someone who he just noticed was behind him. There were only two people who could sneak up on him and that was his father or his younger brother. Both of whom he hasn't seen in several years. Turning slowly he went to inspect the new arrival.
"Councilman Tarrlok, how nice of you to show up." Noatak's blood turned to ice then burned then turned to ice again. Suddenly his clothes felt very hot and very heavy. His younger brother was right behind him, his younger brother who he did a terrible crime in front of. The younger brother who he couldn't protect. The younger brother who he thought to be dead.
"Well I couldn't refuse such a pretty ladies offer for a walk through the city now could I?" Noatak groaned inwardly at how bold his brother was being. It wasn't like him to act so forward. Then again he may have changed over the years. "And whom might this be?" Noatak's heart stopped and he turned fully so that he could make eye contact with him. Tarrlok had aged quite a bit, and even though he was in his twenties he looked way older than that. Noatak always saw his little brother as exactly that, little. Never did he imagine he would age so quickly. To his surprise he saw that he was also very handsome, a word he would never have used to describe Tarrlok with. Not waiting for Korra to respond he quickly cut in.
"Nice to meet you, Tarrlok, is it?" He waited for a nod before continuing, acting as if he had to remember what his younger brother's name was. "I'm Amon, from the southern region. I'm Korra, I mean, Princess Korra's Royal Guard. My job is to make sure no one can harm her, even if it means my life ends." Korra looked slightly troubled but he waved it off. "I'm here today to escort her though her weekly walk. This is my 3rd week here so this will be my 3rd time escorting her." Noatak kept eye contact and gave a small welcoming smile. In his head he continued. I'm also here as an assassin to fulfill father's goal on killing the last royal descendant before she can bear offspring's of her own. You already know that though since you were raised with the same goal set.
"Ah, is that so, then I leave my life and the life of the Princess in your hands for today." Noatak bowed and shot a quick glance over to Korra who was currently looking very uncomfortable in her overly puffy dress. Sighing inwardly Noatak walked over to Korra and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Go change quickly, we'll wait for you here." Noatak could see her face harden and her back straightened.
"No, I'm fine." This time Noatak sighed out loud. When he spoke he made sure to keep his voice hushed.
"I know the only reason you wore that was to impress Councilman Tarrlok but I assure you your subjects will greatly frown upon seeing you dressed up like this. Don't tarnish the relationship you have with them, for it will cost you in the future. Now go change into what you usually wear. We'll wait for you here." Korra shot him a glare but the hand on her shoulder felt remarkably hot and it distracted her enough that she decided to give up and go change. She did feel ridiculous and she couldn't see herself fighting anyone while wearing something so gaudy.
"Alright. If you think that is what is best." Noatak nodded meaningfully and her shoulders hunched a little bit so that she wasn't so stiff.
"My apologies Councilman Tarrlok, but you have to excuse me." Trying her hardest to be polite Korra bowed and backed out of the room then hiked up her skirt to what would be considered indecent and booked it to her room. Leaving the two brother's alone for the first time.
Noatak didn't know what to say, he figured though that saying nothing would be best. He couldn't risk his brother figuring out who he was, though he was surprised that his brother didn't already know. Sure, he was a lot bigger now and his hair was short and not tied up in a warriors knot. He was also much taller. After thinking for a while he decided to drop the whole thing, if his brother didn't recognise him then it was lucky for him. The silence though between them was unbearable. Noatak tried twice to strike up conversation but his brother dearest seemed more interested in inspecting his nails than to talk back so he quickly gave up on that. After what Noatak could only describe as three decades later Korra returned in her casual combat outfit. The light blue shirt held her snugly and showed off her muscles, and chest, nicely. Her navy blue pants were baggy and she was in the process of tying her hip shawl. Her hair was already tied up in her customary warrior's tail and the two lose pieces that framed her face were clasped so that they wouldn't fly around too much. She really was a sight to see. He knew he wasn't the only one thinking that too judging by the withering looks Tarrlok was shooting at Korra. Noatak found it amusing and annoying at the same time.
"Well my fine lady, shall we?" This time it was Tarrlok who offered his arm and Korra almost reluctantly took it. All the while she shot glances at Noatak but he ignored them. Today he was just a guard, not a friend. He would tolerate his younger brother touching her for the next couple of hours. Though he feared that they would be the longest hours of his life.
AN: After a month or several I have decided to update. I managed to hunker down for 4 or so ish hours and produce this. All my chapter's will be a minimum of 3.5k words long. Btw, I have no idea what that thing is that Korra wears around her waist. I sat here for a good 5 minutes wracking my brain and all I could come up with was a hip shawl. It'll do XD I honestly can't tell you when the next chapter will be out but I will say this, I have a great many things planned out. It involves death, and tragedy. I have fun writing tragedy and challenging myself to write more and more tragic stuff XD
Well, hope you like, you know the dance, you've already read now go review! Please! I'd like at least one! XD (or 10)