"Dad, dad, did you see me? Did you see how I turned him into an ice cube? Did you see?" eight year old Korra shouted happily and rushed towards her parents. Her father caught and lifted her high into the air.

"Of course honey! You did so well, I'm so proud of you!" he said and pressed a wet kiss on her cheek.

"Ew, that's gross," she grimaced and wiped her cheek. Tonraq laughed loudly and handed the little girl to her mother who hugged her hard. Korra's arms wrapped around Senna's and her tiny nose found its way to the soft and warm neck.

"My brave warrior," Senna whispered and stroked the girl's hair gently and Korra's chest swelled with pride. To her, there was no better compliment than being called a warrior.

"I passed, right?" The young waterbender pulled back to look at her mother and then father who patted her back.

"Are you kidding? You passed it twice in my opinion but we'll have to hear what master Katara has to say. Maybe we should ask her?" He tilted his head a bit to the side, indicating that her master was approaching.

Senna let her down and Korra stood tall and straight, her fist resting against the palm of her other hand, trying hard to contain the excitement. Her twitching lips were betraying her.

Master Katara and two White Lotus members, one hooded, stopped in front of the family. Seeing the old waterbender master smiling softly at her, Korra lost that little self-restraint she had and started bouncing on the spot.

"Master Katara, did I pass? Did I pass?"

Katara chuckled at the little girl. "Yes, Korra, you passed-"

"Wooohooo!" The girl threw her hands into the air and started running in circles around her parents who were now hugging and looking at their ecstatic child.

"I made it!" She stopped in front of them and hugged them. Then she turned around and ran to hug her waterbending master too.

"You did really well, Korra. You displayed a vast knowledge of waterbending skills and I think you will haunt the man you just beat for a long time," the old woman praised the child.

"Thank you, master Katara," Korra pulled back and bowed to her.

"Now, someone special came to visit you on this special day. It's an old friend," said Katara and moved a bit to the side, tugging at the sleeve of the hooded White Lotus member who stepped closer.

The figure pulled the hood away to reveal an old man with white hair and pointy beard, smiling at the girl. Korra didn't recognize him at first, she thought she had never seen this man before. Then something clicked in her mind and a moment later she found herself hugging her old friend from her previous life.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Avatar Korra," said Lord Zuko.

"It's nice to see you again," Korra replied. The feeling of familiarity was strong, like two friends who had parted their way for a long time before finally reuniting.

"Korra."

"Hm?"

"Korra, would you like some tea?"

"Huh?" Korra was confused. Why was he offering her tea?

"Korra … Open your eyes."

Korra woke up from the dream. She tried to pull herself up, but a broken rib made it painfully clear that it wasn't such a good idea.

With a hiss, she lowered herself back on the pillow and looked at an unfamiliar ceiling. Where am I, exactly? She looked around and her gaze quickly stopped on Lord Zuko sitting on a chair next to her bed, sipping from a cup.

"Good morning," he greeted. "I don' know what your sheets did to offend you. I thought you were going to tear them apart." He pointed at her fist clutching the sheets beneath her. She quickly released them and tried to smooth the material.

"A bad dream?"

"No, just a memory," she answered.

He nodded once. "How are you feeling? I made tea, I'm sure you could use some."

"Yeah, thanks."

Lord Zuko handed her a cup of still hot jasmine tea. Using waterbending, she stirred the content and let some of the steam evaporate.

"Here's a bowl of water, you'll probably want to use it. That wound seems pretty nasty. I tended to it the best I could but it's still far from good."

Korra uncovered the blanket and saw her pants torn where the wound was. Her thigh was wrapped with bandages that were already being soaked through with blood.

"Thank you, lord Zuko," she said and smiled gratefully.

"Well, I'll give you some privacy so you can heal. I'll be waiting outside. Let me know if you need anything. Then we'll talk." He walked towards the door, with a cup of tea in his hand.

"Okay. And thank you … For saving me."

"Some habits die hard," he replied and flashed her a grin which she returned.

When he was out of the room, Korra propped herself higher, cursing under her breath when the broken rib protested. Then she almost cried out in pain when she flexed her thigh while dragging it higher. Spirits, this hurts.

The tanned girl took a short break after the effort and wiped sweat from her forehead. When the pain slightly subsided, she bended the water out of the bowl and let it touch the wound. She needed to stop the bleeding before removing the bandages. She closed her eyes, focusing on the tiny tendrils of water penetrating the material and then touching her skin which made her twitch. Releasing a shaky breath, she let them wander further until they reached the wound, feeling the heat of blood and flesh. Okay, here we go.

It took Korra quite some time to close the wound. It still needed some time to heal completely but at least she would be able to walk. She did the same to her injured rib after taking off her shirt and unwrapping the bindings from her chest. When she felt she could rotate her body without feeling too much pain she decided that was enough for the time being. She would repeat the process later.

Korra slowly slid off the bed and tested her leg by putting some weight on it. The pain was still present but it was bearable. She limped over to her bag that was resting on a small dresser. She pulled out a fresh pair of pants, similar to those she was wearing earlier.

Feeling better now that she wasn't convulsing in pain, Korra limped out of her room to look for Zuko. She found him outside, sitting on a bench, relishing in the morning sun.

"How did you find me?" she asked after taking a seat next to the old firebender.

"Would you rather I didn't find you?" he mused, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I mean, I'm more than thrilled to be sitting here without blood on my hands but … Are you here to take me back to the South Pole?"

"I was sent on this mission to find you-"

"Well, I'm not going back," she stood up abruptly, wincing when the pain shot through her thigh. This will need more healing than I first thought. "During the three years I've been away from home I've learnt more about the world than I would have if I stayed. If you can't let me be the Avatar that I'm supposed to be, then at least let me learn about the people I should protect."

"Korra, we kept you in the compound because your life was in danger. The Red Lotus was after you, we had to protect you somehow."

"That didn't turn out really well, did it?" Korra retorted, remembering her uncle's betrayal. "I'm not going back."

"Who said anything about getting you back?"

"You said-"

"I said I was sent here to find you. I never said anything about getting you back," Zuko explained calmly and took another sip of his tea.

That stopped Korra in her tracks. She was quiet for a moment and sat back down. "Oh, well, why did you come then?"

"There've been whispers about Earth Empire."

"What about it?"

"How much have you been keeping track of what's been going on around the Empire?" he asked.

Korra thought for a moment. She had heard and read about Kuvira, the woman who brought peace to Earth Kingdom after the Earth Queen was assassinated by the leader of the Red Lotus. Korra ran from home after the battle of the Two Lotuses. She'd been travelling around the world ever since and wherever she came, everyone had been talking about the Great Uniter.

"She's the person who brought peace and balance to Earth Kingdom," Korra said, looking at her hands. "Something that I was supposed to do …" she added bitterly, "Unulaq was right, no one needs the Avatar anymore."

Zuko looked sternly at her. "Was Unulaq able to open the spirit portals? Did he bring airbending back?"

Remembering the events with her uncle she knew he had a point. "Well, no, but-"

"Exactly." He sighed. "Look, Korra. We've been keeping you away for a reason. I, personally, am still trying to see if the reason has been good enough … But anyway, I believe there are things going on in Earth Empire that might change the world we know."

"Even more than the opening of the spirit portals?" Korra asked.

"Yes, I believe so."

"What is it? I wanna help!" She shot up on her feet again, this time ignoring the pain.

Zuko chuckled at her eagerness. "I know you do, that's why I'll have to ask you to keep your head low."

"What? Why? How am I supposed to help you if I can't use my powers?" she argued because she didn't understand that even after getting the green light she wasn't allowed to fulfil her destiny.

"Because you will be our greatest weapon if it comes to a conflict and we can't afford to lose you."

Korra let the words sink in. A conflict? What have I been missing? She wondered and tried to remember anything that would have seemed off to her while listening to the radio or reading the newspaper.

But she couldn't.

"Lord Zuko, what are you talking about? Which conflict?"

"Like I said, I've heard things." He briefly explained the situation in Earth Empire. How dictatorship and repression were ruling the nation. How the White Lotus members had been under scrutiny or taken away, leaving their hands tied after Kuvira seized power. How other world leaders were afraid to act. She was left dumbfounded.

"How do I not know about that?" Korra asked, thoughts flying in her mind.

"Because people are being fed false information. There's a special department in Kuvira's council that takes care of that."

Korra started pacing back and forth. All of this came out of the blue. Just a day before she had been just a girl, with special powers to bend all the four elements, but nevertheless just a girl learning about the world of which she was a solemn protector. Now, something new was thrust upon her. Something she'd been waiting for since her tiny waterbending palms produced bright flames.

A chance to prove herself as the Avatar.

She looked at her hands covered with remnants of blisters and tiny scars. She'd been working hard since the moment she left the compound, taking every opportunity to earn food and shelter. Fishing, logging, building, helping at farms, all while hiding away her abilities, using only the one that was convenient at the time. That gave her a chance to explore the world and learn about the different nations. She didn't mind that kind of life but it left her unsatisfied. Something was burning inside her and she knew exactly what it was. She was born to be the Avatar and as such she needed to do more.

"Why can't I just do the Avatar thing and tell her to back off?"

"Because it's not that simple, Korra. You can't just waltz in and demand for her to step down."

"Why not? I'm the Avatar." She crossed her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow.

Zuko sighed. "First of all, as the Avatar, you can't take sides. If you do that, it will be seen as an attack on the whole Earth nation. Second of all, Kuvira is a powerful woman surrounded by people who would die for her."

Korra scowled and threw her arms into the air. Am I supposed to just sit there and do nothing? "What should I do then?"

"Be patient," he answered simply.

"Patient? I've been patient my whole life!"

"If yesterday was what you call patience, then I don't think you grasped the concept of it."

"I didn't … I … Um … That was one mistake!" She blushed at the memory of her foolishness, the feeling of shame creeping up her neck.

"A mistake that could have cost you dearly." He set his empty tea cup on the bench and stood up, walking over to the girl. His hands gripped her shoulders and he looked her in the eyes. "I know this must be hard for you. You're the Avatar and you haven't been given a chance to prove that to the world. I admit that I find myself doubting the decision to keep you away but what's done is done." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "These days it's crucial to be patient. You can't reveal yourself just yet. You'd be taken away immediately. Kuvira's people are everywhere. And you should be aware of one more thing."

"Of what?"

"People might not be understanding about your absence."

Oh. The words hit her like an airbison. They think I'm hiding, which I am, technically, but for all the wrong reasons.

"I'm not a coward, it's not my fault I haven't be able to do my duties!"

"I know, but they don't, so listen to me when I tell you to stay low."

They gazed into each other's eyes without breaking contact for what seemed like an eternity.

Korra had grown used to not taking any commands anymore. She had been free from such bindings for years. But she knew that in order to become a good Avatar, she'd have to listen to the counsels of others. After all, Lord Zuko was a wise man and her predecessor's best friend.

She lowered her gaze and nodded. "What do I have to do?"

"Go to Republic City. Even though the repression is strongest there, you are most likely to get help from the citizens."

Korra knitted her eyebrows. "I'm not sure I understand."

"The metropolis is a mixture of all nations, benders and non-benders. There's no other place on the planet with a more diverse population than this part of Earth Empire. Kuvira wants it to be Earth nation only again."

The tanned girl understood. "She's cleansing the state."

Zuko nodded. "If the rumours about resistance are true, you'll have to find people who know about it. They have the most information about everything that has been going on."

"Okay. Then what?"

He released her shoulders and stroked his beard. "I'm afraid that's all I can give you right now. I'm sorry."

"How do youknow about all of this?" Korra couldn't help but wonder.

A sad sigh left Zuko's mouth. "Tenzin."

A chill ran down Korra's spine. "Did something happen to him? His family?"

A nod. "He's been receiving threats … They will take his family away if he doesn't stop opposing the system."

That angered Korra more than anything Zuko had told her. She knew Tenzin and his family. He and his eldest daughter Jinora helped Korra with airbending and understanding the spiritual side of bending. They all found their way to Korra's heart.

"I will stop this, lord Zuko," she said, determination settled in her voice. He smiled at that. It reminded him of Aang.

"I will try to find a way to help you, Avatar Korra," he replied and bowed his head. "In the meantime, stay safe and be careful who you trust."

"I will."

They spent the rest of the day talking about things they had been through. Korra asked about her parents, who had missed her dearly but understood her decision nevertheless.

It was late in the evening when he gave her some yuans for travelling expenses and bid his farewell. Then he flew away on his fire dragon that had been hiding in a cave located near the town.

She returned to her room and prepared for sleep. Before going to bed though, she repeated the healing process on her thigh and rib then laid down on the old mattress. A tear trailed down her cheek after going through all that happened to her in a span of one day. All this knowledge left her exhausted and soon she found herself dreaming more about the training days at the compound.

Because young Korra is important.

Thanks to my beta - kuroescapism . tumblr . com - for not giving up on me.