(~)

That night, Mako just couldn't sleep. Too many thought were swarming around his head. He got up in the middle of the night to take a walk in hopes of figuring something out. Asami and Bolin slept soundly in the soft grass until Asami heard something coming from the farmhouse. It sounded like claws walking on a wooden floor. Immediately she jolted up, her ears moving in every direction. Her eyes began to glow and she used he fox vision to see if the princess was alright. She looked at the windows and caught sight of something large moving inside. That did not look like Korra at all. Immediately she shook Bolin awake.

"Wha-what did I miss?"

"Bolin, I saw something."

"What?"

"In the farm house."

Bolin immediately got up and approached the farmhouse. He knocked on the door, "Princess?" he called out but received no reply. He knocked once more, "Princess Korra." but when he received no reply again he took the initiative and opened the door. "You sure you saw something?"

"Positive.

Bolin's ears moved, trying to see if he could hear what it was Asami was talking about. The barn itself was an old, dusty and somewhat messy old place with broken wood, old abandoned furniture and barrels of water that no doubt were filled up after it rained, considering the very poorly constructed roof that had numerous holes above it.

The two walked slowly inside the farmhouse, their backs towards one another for precaution incase whatever Asami saw would attack them. They sniffed the air, catching whiff of something that did not smell human at all.

"You smell that?" Asami asked.

"Yeah. Princess, where are you? It's pretty spooky in here."

They heard the sound of wood creaking and the sound of claws once more. The creature they were after hid in the shadows above the poorly constructed stairs of the farmhouse. The floor soon gave way and both the stairs and creature came falling down, collapsing and causing the dust all around to rise up. Asami and Bolin coughed before catching a glimpse of the creature. The silhouette appeared as big as Asami herself with what appeared to be large wings coming from its back. Bolin immediately opened his mouth to scream before being covered by Asami's hand. She caught whiff of something else, something…familiar.

Once the dust cleared up, which in turn made the mysterious strange caught as well while fanning the dust away with her free hand. The creature had arms and legs just like them only instead of feet she had bird-like talons and her hair was loose, falling elegantly down her back like a waterfall, while a pair of feathered tan wings came from her back, the tip of the feathers dipped with aquamarine/blue colors and a pair of antlers stuck out from her head, but in the most elegant way making them appear almost like a crown, and a pair of pony-like ears rested on her head, and finally a long elegant reptilian tail with a cuff of hair at the tip moved elegantly behind her. A pair of familiar blue eyes caught the duo's attention. They knew those eyes and they knew this creature. Asami slowly lowered her hand from Bolin's mouth, both of their eye widening in shock.

"Korra?!"

The princess smiled nervously while waving at them innocently, "Hey guys."

Asami's jaw was practically to the floor. "Wha…what happened to you?"

"Yeah, you look…" Bolin tried to find the right word to describe what he was seeing, "different."

"I'm a freak, alright!" the princess said, her voice somewhat cracking as if she would cry.

"You're a faerie!" Asami concluded, still in shock herself. "So this is why you hide away every time the sun sets!" she said with a snap of her fingers, "It finally makes sense!" but upon seeing the princess's distraught face Asami's ears lowered in sadness, "Right, not the time. Sorry."

"How did this happen?" Bolin asked, "How did you turn into a…a…bird dragon…lion…dear…I'm sorry, what kind of faerie are you, exactly?"

"The cursed kind." Korra replied, crossing her arms and turning her back to them.

"Never heard of those."

Korra looked down at her reflection in the still waters of the barrel. "By night one way. By day another. This shall be the norm. Until you find true love's first kiss. Then, take love's true form."

"That's beautiful, I didn't know you wrote poetry."

"It's a spell! I've had it since I was seven."

"A spell?"

"Before my parents got married, my dad used to be in a relationship with a witch. Needless to say, she didn't take the breakup so well. As punishment, she turned me into the one thing humans would resent the most."

"Well, that's insulting." Asami said, crossing her arms while pouting bitterly.

"At first, I was supposed to look like this all the time, but my dad managed to convince the witch to only lessen the curse and only true love's kiss can turn me back to normal. At first, I was so sure my parents and I could break the spell. But…" her gaze fell as she recalled the memory, "One night, I was stubborn enough to go outside one night. I heard a cat stuck in a tree and rushed to help. Some folks saw me and chased me. I'll never forget the fear and anger in their eyes." Korra covered her eyes as tears rolled down from them. "Ever since, I agreed to live in that tower until the day my true love would rescue me. That way, I wouldn't be a danger to my family if anybody else saw me…like this."

The two friends placed their hands over their hearts, for which felt would break upon seeing the poor princess down on her knees, crying her eyes out. The poor thing, forced away from her family because of a curse. The two sat beside her, Bolin wrapping his arm around her while Asami patted her back in a sisterly manner.

"There there, it's not that bad." Bolin said in the most compassionate voice.

"Not that bad? Bolin, I don't even know what kind of faerie I'm supposed to be! At least you guys know what you are, I don't! Even among you guys I'm a freak."

"You're not a freak, you're…unique. And besides, those antlers make you look like you're wearing a crown which is a nice touch."

Korra really did appreciate his effort to make her feel better, but even his good-hearted efforts would be futile. Asami wiped away Korra's tears. She really really sorry for this poor child. But maybe, maybe she didn't have to be miserable.

"Korra, how about you don't marry Amon tomorrow." the fox faerie suggested compassionately.

"I have to. Only true love's kiss can break the spell. It's embarrassing enough I'm like this but I also have to rely on a kiss to get me back to my family."

"But, you know…when you think about it, you're a faerie outcast, and Mako…well, you have a lot in common."

"Mako?"

(~)

Speaking of Mako, the dragon faerie stood outside of the farmhouse. In his hand he held a panda lilly he found in the woods. The moment he saw it it reminded him of Korra. He still wasn't sure if this was a good idea, especially with the reality that she would me married to someone else tomorrow. But, he eventually realized he should at least open himself at least for once. This way, he wouldn't be stuck wondering what might have been. That was his rational side talking, but hopeful side was hoping she would say she felt the same way, which really was a long shot.

He took in a deep breath and began rehearsing what he would say. "Uh, hey Korra. How's it going? Good? Great, I'm good too. So, um, I was just taking a stroll and I found this panda lilly and thought about you because, it's really pretty and-well, I'm not really a big fan of flowers myself but I thought you would like it because you're really pretty-but I like you anyway and I…uh…" he face flamed himself, lowering his wings in dismay. "I'm in trouble." still, he wasn't about to let this stop him. Not this time. When would he ever get a chance to do this again. "Okay. Here we go."

With his heart thumping against his chest he approached the door, and just as he was about to knock he heard Korra's voice talking from inside.

"It's not that simple you guys. How can anyone with happy with a monster? A monster that doesn't fit in with humans or faeries? That's why I can't stay here with Mako. The only way for me to get everything back is to marry Amon. Don't you guys see? That's the way it has to be."

His eyes widened in shock, his heart suddenly stopped, feeling as though it were being stabbed with a knife and sliced in two. Did she really just call him a….a monster? Why would she say that? Was that really what she saw him as? That she could never be happy with him? That nobody could ever be happy with him? And she wasn't alone, she was talking to somebody, and the only other people she could have been speaking to were Bolin and Asami. And they were okay with this? Bolin was perfectly okay with this princess calling his brother, and in a way himself, a monster? Was Bolin really so ashamed of him now that he would listen to what a princess had to say? He was already getting close with Asami, who's to say he would have chosen to leave him after this whole thing was over?

Anger and heartache flowed within him, his fists clenching tightly before tossing the panda lilly down to the front door and walking away in anger. He should have known better than to follow his heart.

(~)

"It's the only way to break the spell so I can get back home to my family."

"Well you at least have to tell Mako the truth." Asami said.

"What, no!" Korra said as she quickly stood up, "He can't know. No one can ever know!"

Bolin groaned in annoyance as he and Asami both stood upright, "What's the point of having friends if you got to keep secrets from each other?" he said.

"Promise you won't tell. Promise!" the princess held her hands close to her heart, her blue eyes shimmering pleadingly at the green dragon faerie. He couldn't say no to those big blue eyes.

"Okay, okay, I promise." both him and Korra turned to Asami, who had her arms crossed and tapping her foot. She didn't feel right keeping this a secret. She knew Mako deserved to know, but when both Bolin and Korra began giving her the eyes she finally caved in.

"Fine! I won't tell him either. But you should!" the fox faerie placed a lot of emphasis in that last sentence as well as pointing a finger at Korra, making more of a statement before she walked outside with Bolin behind her.

The dragon faerie sighed exasperatedly, "Wow! I did not see any of that coming!"

"Yeah. When this is over I'm gonna need a whole lot of serious therapy. Look at my eye twitching!" Asami's left eye began to twitch and Korra peeked through the door as the two left. Her eyes caught sight of something on the ground.

It was a beautiful panda lilly. She picked up the plant, gently caressing the soft black and white petals. A soft smile formed on her face, immediately knowing who it was from.

(~)

Korra couldn't even sleep last night. She paced back and forth, his long reptilian tail dragging behind her as she did and the feathers of her wings ruffling with anticipation. She thought long and hard about what her friends said. When she told Mako about her parents she was hesitant to tell him too much, but also felt terrible at keeping this secret from him. If anybody knew how it felt to be an outcast it was Mako. He didn't deserve to be alone, and she was cursed to be alone. She knew he didn't deserve that. He deserved better than what the world had given him. He deserved…he deserved to know the truth.

Korra had made up her mind. With the flower in her hand she walked outside, a smile appearing on her face as her heart raced. She opened the door, revealing her faerie form to the outside world.

"Mako!" she called out, "Mako, there's something I want to…" she stopped once she felt the warmth and heat of the sun already peeking up from the horizon. She had not realized it was already morning. The princess shielded her eyes from the sun's intensity once she felt its rays shower her with its glow. Her body began to shift and change, specks of sunlight circling all around her. Her hair was tied to a braid once more, her wings, tail, talons and antlers gone. She was human again. She was normal. For a moment she was happy to see her normal body form once again, but then quickly became disappointed. She wanted to tell Mako, and showing him her night form would surely be evidence enough she was telling the truth. Still, she couldn't turn back now. She quickly spotted her friend walking towards camp. Upon making eye contact Mako briefly stopped before carrying on. His eyes were narrowed and his pupils had become slits, which only happened when he was really angry.

"Mako! Are you okay?"

"Perfect! Never been better." he responded, his voice bitter and slowly rising in volume.

Korra was confused by his response. Why did he sound so angry? Non the less, she proceeded with telling him her secret. "I…there's something I have to tell you."

"You don't have to tell me anything, Princess. I heard enough last night."

"You heard what I said?!" the princess exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.

"Every word, so no need to repeat anything."

Korra was speechless. He had heard her conversation with Bolin and Asami, he knew her secret. No wonder he was upset, he must have felt hurt that she had not told him sooner. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, I-"

"Oh, but you had no problem telling my brother and Asami, did you?" the dragon faerie rose his wings up, a common reaction for his kind whenever they felt angry or were ready to attack. His ears were pressed down against the side of his head, visually showcasing his anger all the more, as if if his slit eyes weren't enough already.

"I didn't plan on it, It just-"

"I'm surprised they took it so well."

Korra's heart pounded against her chest. She didn't mean to hurt him. "I thought you would understand." she said.

"Oh, I understand perfectly. Like you said; Who can ever be happy with a monster?"

He made sure to place a lot of emphasis on the word "monster", which might as well have been a knife cutting directly at Korra's heart and slicing it in two. He thought she was a monster? She was a faerie just like him, but was she too strange even for his kind? Or was it that she was a human/faerie freak of nature?

"But…I thought that wouldn't matter to you."

"Yeah, well, it does!"

Forget about the knife, Korra's heart was practically stomped on by a rock, shot with arrows and tossed into the ocean to sink down to the could unforgiving bottom. She couldn't even move. Her eyes filled with tears and she couldn't even look at him. She never imagined she could feel this broken in her entire life. She never wanted to have this feeling of abandonment and hatred again, but that was just her curse. Her faerie form would take away anybody she ever loved. Her parents, and now Mako. She wasn't a human, she wasn't a faerie. She was just as Mako said.

A monster.

She didn't even fling when she heard the sound of fanfare approaching, along with the sound of galloping hooves. "Ah, right on time." Mako said, his wings slowly closing, "Princess, I brought you a little something."

Korra gained the will to move her body and turned her head to see a group of men ridding horses approaching the group. They all wore full body metal armor and one man rose on a beautiful white stallion. He was tall and handsome, the perfect image of elegance, poise and strength. He appeared to be around his early to mid thirties and was very toned and muscular underneath his long sleeves. He wore a crown around his forehead and his eyes directly at Korra. His eyes were a chilling shade of icy blue that made Korra feel uncomfortable as he gazed upon her from top to bottom.

"Princess Korra." he said as he stopped his horse and dismounted it to approach the girl. He smiled in satisfaction, for she was even more beautiful than he had imagined. She would make a fine queen and future mother of his heir. "Job well done, dragon." he said to Mako.

"I did my end of the bargain, now about my-"

"Yes, yes, your swamp. You will be happy to know it has been cleared out of all the faeries just as you had asked. You may return whenever you wish. Though, I highly suggest you take the offer before it expires."

Bolin stretches his arms and yawned, "Man, nothing like a goodnight sleep, right buddy?" he said to a guard beside him. His eyes widened and he stepped back, looking around and seeing all the guards and Lord Amon right there. "What did I miss?"

Korra was slightly startled when Amon took both of her hands, gazing in her eyes and smiling the most charming smile. "Forgive me for startling you, Princess. But, you have startled me. For in all my years I have never seen such a radiant and exotic beauty such as yourself. I am Lord Amon."

"You're Amon?" she asked. So, this was the man she was promised to? She couldn't lie, he was indeed more handsome than she thought, but as good as his looks were that wasn't enough to heal her already aching heart. If anything, him being here only added salt to the wound. Her eyes briefly shifted to Mako, who stood a few feet back, his eyes looking down in anguish. She drew her attention back to the man before her.

"Oh, no, forgive me my lord." she said, speaking like the princess she truly was, "I was just…saying short farewell to my frie-I mean, traveling companions."

"That's very kind of you my dear, but you don't have to waste too much of your good manners on the dragon faerie. His heart is as thick as his skin."

Her eyes darted back to Mako, this time narrowing in his direction. "Yes…it is." she said, her voice cold like ice.

Amon gripped her hands a bit tighter and held them closer to his heart, taking Korra by surprise. "Princess Korra, I apologize for what you have endured in that tower, so I am offering you a chance at happiness, if you will accept." he got down on one knee, holding her hands, his eyes softening as he asked the big question, "Will you accept my proposal and marry me?"

The princess could hardly feel anything at this point. The pain in her heart numbed her body and clouded her mind. She didn't want to feel this pain anymore. She wanted to break free of this curse. If marrying Amon was the key to finally break free from all the pain and turmoil she had been through in that tower, her curse and the separation from her parents, then so be it.

"Lord Amon, I accept."

Even though he knew it was coming, Mako couldn't stop the pain he felt in his heart right now. This was coming, he saw it, but it still pained him non the less.

Amon stood up and wrapped his arm around his new fiance. "Excellent. We shall start the preparations immediately, for tomorrow we wed."

"No!" Korra's outburst made Amon slightly back away in shock. Even the three faeries looked at her in shock. Maybe she was having second thoughts, Bolin and Asami wondered. Maybe she would say she loved Mako and not Amon? Fingers crossed.

Korra quickly covered her mouth, brushing in embarrassment before recollecting what she had said, "I mean…why wait? Why don't we get married today, before sunset. After all, don't you think we've both waited long enough?"

Amon smirked at the idea, "As you wish, my dear." he said before snapping his fingers, "Mean, let's move."

Korra quickly walked up to Bolin and Asami, who were still shocked over what had just happened. "Korra, what are you doing?" Bolin asked, only to bur surprised when Korra hugged them both.

"Thanks. For everything." she said before releasing the two, who were still rather surprised. The princess then approached the dragon faerie, who still refused to look her way. "Congratulations." she said, "You finally got what you wanted."

"So did you." Mako replied, still not looking at her, "I hope you're happy."

"Yeah…you too." she replied, her eyes narrowing in anger and her voice still as cold as ice before heading back to her fiance. He assisted her onto the back of his horse before he yanked on the reins, making the mammal move forward. His men followed their lord as Korra looked back at the group, this time Mako finally looked back, only to see her slip right through his fingers.

Bolin snapped back to his senses, "Mako, what are you doing? You're letting her get away!"

"Yeah, so what?" Mako angrily shoved his brother aside as he walked by.

"Mako, you don't understand, Asami and I talked to her last night and-"

"I know you did! You're such great pals now, aren't you? Sharing secrets behind my back!"

Bolin was taken aback by his brother's words. He had never heard him speak to him like this. Asami quickly came over and intervened, "Mako, it's not what you think, just let us explain."

"Explain what? That my own brother would rather shut me out and have private conversations with a princess who doesn't even care about us? You know, the two of us were perfectly fine until you came along!" Mako pointed an accusing finger at Asami, only to be shoved aside by his own brother, who glared at him in anger.

"That's enough! This isn't Asami's fault!"

"Why are you always taking her side?"

"I'm not taking sides! You know what I think, you just can't stand the idea of me actually finding a life outside of that smelly, slimy swamp because you want me to be just like you!"

"If that's the way you feel then don't worry about coming back!"

"Good, because I won't!"

"Good for you!"

"Enjoy your lonely life, bro!"

"I will!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" with that, Mako spread open his wing and flew off into the sky, leaving his brother and Asami behind. Bolin's wing lowered in dismay and Asami hung her head in shame. He wrapped his arm around her, showing this wasn't her fault. If Mako wanted to build a wall around his heart, then so be it.

(~)

Mako's sharp talon feet landed on the soft ground, overlooking his home. Just as Amon had said, all of the faeries were gone. Not a sight of one could be seen or heard. The only things that remained were the pieces of their campsite, but it wasn't anything Mako couldn't clean up.

Well, he did it. He got his home back. Only, he lost his brother in the process. Might as well, since Bolin never liked living her so much anyway, and after he met Asami he was more than eager to go wherever she went instead of the two sticking together like they used to. He always thought it would be him and Bolin against the world, but his curious brother always wanted a life out of the swamp, while Mako would rather live there, away from the cold harsh world. He never could understand what Bolin saw in the outside world. It was dark and cruel, no matter what, he knew that was a fact.

But then, he met Korra.

She wasn't like other humans. Sure, she wasn't too happy to meet him at first (the feeling was mutual at the time), but he quickly came to realize she wasn't as bad as he had originally thought. She was brave, funny, kind and clever. She was never afraid to say what was on her mind, or to call him out if he did something dumb every time he did it. Like when he tried to swat a bee away from his face and she kept telling him to stop only to have the bee stink his finger. She gave him an "I told you so", but that only made him like her more. She was her own person, he didn't care if she was a human. In fact, she could have been a human, or a faerie and he would even care. It was her spirit that captivated him.

But, it was all too good to be true. Just when he least expected it, she called him a monster. The same word he had been called before by everyone else in the world. He thought she was different, but she was just like everybody else. He even thought Asami could actually be a friend, and a good enough match for his brother, but they both sided with her even after what she said. Bolin and Asami would rather be with her, a princess who called them monsters instead of him. HIs brother wanted out of their life, Asami wanted a companion, and Korra wanted her prince charming. Well, looks like they all got what they wanted.

Or did they?

(~)

Korra gazed at her reflection in the mirror as the seamstress made her wedding gown. It was as beautiful as the ones she would see in the portraits of her mother's wedding. Amon had sent a letter inviting her parents, but she wasn't so sure they would arrive today. It would take them days just to get here. It was a real shame, her own parents couldn't even be here on her wedding day.

Her wedding day…she always believed those words would bring her joy, but now they only brought her misery.

She didn't want to marry Amon, she knew that. She barely knew him and wondered how she would make a marriage work when she didn't even know the guy. Would true love's kiss even work. None of this was making any sense. Mako was the one who destroyed the pythonaconda, and only her true love could do that, but then he goes and calls her a monster?

She thought he was different. She was disappointed her rescuer was a faerie, but upon knowing him he wasn't all that bad. Sure he was rather grumpy, stubborn and very no-nonsense…but he was also sweet, sensitive and even thoughtful when he wanted to be. By showing him kindness he showed her kindness. He had a good heart underneath those hard scales, she knew that. But, maybe she had been fooling herself. He found out about her secret and called her a monster. Now she was sure she made the right choice in not telling him sooner, or maybe if she had she wouldn't be having these second thoughts.

She would miss his laugh, his courage and his somewhat sense of humor. He was no prince charming, that was for sure, she she still cared about him either way. Even after he had hurt her she still cared about him. How was it possible to care about somebody who had hurt you?

Well, she did. They both did. Maybe what they had originally wanted, wasn't what they really needed after all. But it was too late for them to turn back now. Mako had his home back and that was where he would be staying. Korra would break her curse, and that was the end of that.

A happy ending…right?

(~)

Two more chapters left. BTW, Korra's faerie form is based on that of the Dragon Bird from book 2. Also, should I include "I'm a Believer"? Let me know what you guys think.

Wow, this story has been a roller coaster for me, I haven't felt this inspired in a while! It's a great way to get my creative juices flowing again! i hope the same will go for my other works. Fingers crossed.