Chapter 9: Korra's decision

Normal POV

After a few hours, Korra had arrived in Zhaofu, when she heard the red lotus members had been caught once again. She was welcomed by Su Yin and the white lotus who immidiatly started to tell the story of how Allerys managed to trick the red lotus members into believing she was their friend, so they could re-capture them...

"Do the armless waterbender turned out to be pregnant for 4 months and is married to the lavabender...which means we can't send them back to jail like that... that would be to cruel..."

Su concluded the story of the white lotus members with a sad look, since she was a mother as well and knew how unbearable pregnancy could be... to go back to jail when she was in THIS conditions... that would be unbearable...

"Maybe we can talk to them Su... And if their willing to patch things up about the red lotus and their goals...we could make them free man again... under the condition they give up their bending ofcourse..."

Korra said after she had heard the whole story. Su looked at her with a incredilous look, not believing she would want that after all they had put her thought, but then nodded, knowing korra was right... They should get a second chance... just like she had gotten.

"I'm here... sorry i',m late... I was... bussy..."

A voice called korra back from her thoughts. She looked up and saw a girl with raven black hairs and piercing brown eyes came in, looking back at the cell block for a second before she sat down with the others, only to get pulled on her feet again by the leader of the white lotus who walked her to korra with a grin on his face.

"And this is the heero that made everything possible, Allerys, this is avatar korra... the one whoms life you saved today..."

The man said while holding the girl close, that looked very unconfortable by the way she was held.

"Hello Allerys... I heard from the Su and the white lotus what you did to catch them... I hope you understand that playing with someone feelings like that was wrong... but it was for the greater good..."

Korra said with a firm look. Allerys nodded, before she looked away with a sad look, something that suprised korra, Until she saw she was slightly blushing... a sign of love... true love...

"Allerys...you WERE playing with his feelings right..."

Korra asked with a firm look now. Allerys looked at her with a sad look, before she shook her head, and walked to the door.

"I wanne talk to you... alone..."

She simply said as she held the door open. Korra looked back at the others with a unsure look, before she nodded and went after her to a empty room, which was the room right next to zaheers cell, without the avatar knowing it...

Allerys's POV

"Okay, i'm here, what did you wanne talk to me about?"

Korra asked firmly as she closed the door, after she made sure no one was eavesdropping on what we had to disgust, do she forgot the check the cell next to ours... the cell were zaheer was kept...

"I wanted to talk to you about... what happened... during that time... when I was trying to get zaheer to trust me..."

I said with a firm look as well.. I saw Korra looked at me with a shocked look, before she smiled at me kindly.

"I understand... I saw you blushed when I asked if you had really been playing with his feelings... your... you have feeling for him... right?"

She asked me with a understanding smile. I looked at the cell wall, were I knew zaheer was, before I nodded. Feeling that my love for him had been real... hoping with all my heart she would understand how I felt about him...

"At first I WAS playing with his feeling... only focusing on the mission... to get the red lotus to trust me... make them say they WERE who thought they were..."

I started, remembering how focused I was on the mission at first, and only had eye for that...

"But then... he told me his story...as well as those of his friends... I didn't knew why I bothered to ask... but when I heard him tell how match pain and missery they have been through before they met each other... it was horrible..."

I said, remembering I had been almost crying when I heard what they had been threw... especially P'li's story had been very hard to listen to... hopfully she could be happy now she was death... without any pain ore suffering...

"Would you mind tell me what they told you?"

Korra asked now. I shook my head and looked at the wall once again. I saw Korra followed my gaze this time, so I quickly spoke up, before she would suspect anything.

"No... I think it will be for the best if THEY tell you yourself... it's their story after all..."

I said firmly, not wanting to tell their story for them, since they were alive... and had the right to tell their own story...

"Okay then.,... I will ask them when I get to see them..."

Korra said with a sign, which was suprising... normally she would have boldted and damanded to know... she sure had grown since she defeated Kuvira and started to date Asami...

"So... after that... we kinda...smooched... a few times actually... and even do I felt akward and disgusted the first time... my feelings for him got stronger every time we kissed after that... "

I said, remembering how disgusted I had felt after the first time, that I had even brushed my tooth multiple times to get rid of that nasty taste in my mouth,... but how match better I had felt after that...

"which means your feelings for him were getting stronger as well... right?"

Korra asked with a small smile on her lips. I nodded and walked to the wall now, placing one hand on the wall as I continued.

"yes... and right before the white lotus turned up to get him... he... he wanted to ask me to marry him... and... and if only I could turn back time... I would have said yes... instead of standing here feeling sorry for myself..."

She said as I punched the wall in my frustration. I saw from the corner of my eyes that korra looked at me shocked as I retreated my hand, feeling tears stream down my face as I hold my hand...

Zaheer's POV

"Okay, i'm here, what did you wanne talk to me about?"

I heard Korra asked firmly as she closed the door right next to ours...

"I wanted to talk to you about... what happened... during that time... when I was trying to get zaheer to trust me..."

I heard Allerys's voice called, wich made my head snap up... allerys... what did she want now...

"I understand... I saw you blushed when I asked if you had really been playing with his feelings... your... you have feeling for him... right?"

I heard korra's voice ask now. I looked at the wall with a incredulious look now, not believing what the avatar had just asked her... and just straight out...

"At first I WAS playing with his feeling... only focusing on the mission... to get the red lotus to trust me... make them say they WERE who thought they were..."

I heard allerys start her story now. I looked down, feeling betrayed she had just said she HAD been playing with me after all... she wasn't worth trusting... I knew it...

"But then... he told me his story...as well as those of his friends... I didn't knew why I bothered to ask... but when I heard him tell how match pain and missery they have been through before they met each other... it was horrible..."

Her voice called into my head, which made tears of anger and sadness stream over my face, remembering how she had looked at me when I had told her everything we had been threw... before we met... even P'li's story... the only one that ever loved me...

"Would you mind tell me what they told you?"

Korra's asked now. I closed my eyes and waited for her to start to tell it, mocking me for being as naíve to tell her meanwhile, but she didn't... I heard her hair flutter to the sides as she shook her head, and then...

"No... I think it will be for the best if THEY tell you yourself... it's their story after all..."

I heard her say, to my big suprise. I now smiled to myself, feeling like she was looking at me now... feeling she DID care about me after all...

"Maybe, she cares for me after all... like she claimed just now..."

A voice In my head called, making butterflies flutter in my chest again, making me feel the chains of the earthly tethers grab for me once again...

"So... after that... we kinda...smooched... a few times actually... and even do I felt akward and disgusted the first time... my feelings for him got stronger every time we kissed after that... "

She said. I heard the avatar gasp after this, meaning she was shocked by the fact that we kissed multiple times, but she didn't got mad... which means she followed my advice and accepted rather then forgot... and grew to a wise and mature avatar after all...

"Good for her... and for the world... They were one very strong and mature avatar richer... that was for sure..."

I thought with a smile, remembering how she had been when they first met, she only wanted to have answers and didn't wanted to listen to anyone else's opinion... and now here she was... a strong mature avatar who was willing to listen to someone else's story before she judged.

"I'm glad we didn't managed to destroy her... who knows how the world would be now if she HAD died after all..."

I thought with a smile remembering a old quote from Guru Laghima that said: "strenght comes with accepting weaknesses" which was just righ now... and maybe not only for her...

"maybe if I could accept I'm not gonna be able to let my earthly tethers... I could get stronger as well..."

I thought as I looked up, when I heard something... ore someone... punches the wall...At first I thought it was Korra who punched the wall... but I was looking up shocked when I found out it was Allerys who had punched the wall, because soon after that, she yelped... making me look at the wall startled... hoping she didn't hurt herself to badly...

"One thing bothers me in this story... If you ARE in love with him... then... then why did you choose to betray him... "

Korra asked with a stern voice, like she had been reading my mind, since that was what was bugging me as well...

"Because... Because I was so focused on the mission... so wrapped up in the mission... that I forgot that HE had feelings as well... just Like I forgot my own feelings..."

Allerys's voice replied with a tone of sadness, no one would be able to deny...

"Like I said before... he wanted to ask me to marry him just as the white lotus arrive and took him... if only they had been later..."

I heard her say now, as In a dream, I walked to the wall, placing a hand on it, feeling that she was feeling so sad and guiltly now... that I knew she was telling the truth... she loved me... she really loved me... it hadn't been a lie...

"Then, If you could... If you could turn back time?... If they had been later?then... Had you said yes... left the mission...?"

I asked now, with a loud voice so they could hear me. Nothing happened for a moment... then,.,... out of nowhere, a door appeared, right in front of me, after that... Korra walked up to me and metal bended the chains off off my waist, arms and legs, making me able to walk to allerys, the ring she had giving back to me in my hand... I was ready...

Allerys's POV

"Then, If you could... If you could turn back time?... If they had been later?then... Had you said yes... left the mission...?"

I was startled when I heard his voice call out of nowhere, do I knew we had been in the room right next to his cell all this time... I saw korra looked at me shocked, before I nodded to the wall and placed my hand back on it.

"His cell is right next to this room, he heard everything we said... all because... I wanted him to know... how I truly fell about him..."

I said with a smile. I saw korra smiles as well now, before she made a makeshift door with her earth bending, then used her metalbending to break the chains around his arms, legs and waist, so he could walk over to me, holding me close smiling.

"Yes... I would have warned you and left the mission... if only I could..."

I said with a bright smile now, looking into his eyes smiling as he swmiled back, most likely because he knew I wasn't lying to him this time...

"then we do like that never happened... so... Allerys... I was... meaning to ask you something for a while now... "

He said with a playfull smile.

"Yes... what is it?"

I asked smiling, as I watched korra stepped back, looking at him with a shocked look, not believing this was really gonna happen...

"I love you... and I know it is from both sides... so I want to ask you to stay together... forever... Allerys... my love... will you do me the honor of becoming my wife...?"

He said as he held out the ring, he must have picked up earlier. I gasped now, smiling as tears streamed over my face, before I nodded.

"Yes... Yes I defaintly wanne be.."

I said with a smile. I saw zaheers eyes lit up now, smiling as he placed the ring around my finger then scooped me up in a passionate kiss, making my chest puff out with joy, since I had been able to do this...

Normal POV

In the following few days, everyone in Zhaofu heard about Zaheer and Allerys. Ming Hua and Ghazan were mad at him first, for believing she changed and REALLY wanted to spend her life with him, but when they saw how happy they were together, and how match allerys tried to show that she really changed, even by treatening to step out of the white lotus clan if they didn't stopped teasing zaheer with his past, they stopped looking at her with a distrusting look in their eyes.

"Not because we trust you fully now, but we DO trust in the instinct of our leader"

Ming Hua snapped at her when she asked if they had finally started to trust her.

"Don't worry all, that is her way of saying "yes" "

Zaheer said with a smile as he pulled his fiancé in a hug. Ming Hua growled at him now, but not because she was mad, but because he knew her THAT well...

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4 weeks passed since their engagment, and In that time, Korra had asked for the personal stories off all 4 of the lotus members, and soon after that, she came with her decision, the 3 remaining members of the red lotus would be released off all charges under to the 2 conditions that they would

1. tell everything there is to know about the red lotus, including the names off all the members.

2. give up their bending (Except Ming Hua who had to rely on her bending to live)

The members of the red lotus were a bit taken aback by these conditions... They knew they would NEVER be able to get back to the red lotus of they chose to accept them... But they also knew that if they didn't... they would be thrown back in jail for the rest of their lives... Ming Hua would lose her baby as soon as it was born... and zaheer would never be able to be with Allerys...

"In other words... we have no choice then to desert the red lotus... ore we will lose everything we have left..."

Ming Hua said with a firm look on her friends as she held her tummy close, that had started to grow already. Ghazan nodded, as he put a arm around his wife and their unborn child, while zaheer looked a bit dreamy to his side, were Allerys was standing, with her arms wrapped around herself to warm herself up a bit, since it was december and already getting cold outside.

"Then... lets do it... you know... I was getting sick and tired of being chased all the time anyway... "

Ghazan said joking, which (ofcourse) earned him a water whip on the back of his head from his wife.

"zaheer... what do you say about it... "

Ming Hua asked, looking at their leader with a worried look, since zaheer wasn't paying attention at all... he was looking at Allerys with that dreamy look in his eyes again...

"HEERO! EARTH TO HEERO!"

Ghazan joked now, waving his hand in front of the older mans face, who suddenly shook his head and looked up at them shocked, realizing he had been dreaming again...

"Yes, sorry I... I was just... lost in thought..."

The airbender said with a shocked look, making Ming Hua sign, since this happened all the time when Allerys was close by...

"we were disgusted the matter at hand, give the info they want and our bending, ore don't and get thrown in jail forever...,"

Ming Hua snapped, forcing zaheer to look at her, since he saw he was already getting lost in thoughts about his fiencé again...

"like we have a choice... if we don't... we lose everthing we have left if we don't.."

Zaheer said with a sad look in his eyes before he looked at Allerys again with a smile on his face. He didn't wanted to lose her again... not like P'li... not again...

"so... we all agree what has to be done... to make heero able to stay with his new girlfriend and we with out baby..."

Ming Hua said while rolling her eyes, since she knew he was only doing this because he wanted to stay with allerys... otherwise he would DEFAINTLY said he would rather rot in jail then to betray the red lotus like that...

"It isn't ONLY because of my relationship to Allerys that I wanne quit... its ALSO because... I care about you all... and I don't wanne lose you as well..."

Zaheer said with a firm look on his face, after which he turned away, to hide the tears in his eyes...

"still... after all this time... you still haven't forgotten about it... haven't you... even do you let your eartly tethers go..."

Ming Hua softly said now, placing one of her water tendrils on the airbenders shoulder.

"How could I... she was my girlfriend for so long... OFCOURSE I still remember that it's my fault she is death..."

He said with a sad look. Ming hua now looked at Ghazan who nodded, before both former red lotus members pulled him in a hug.

"Come on heero...we all miss her... do you think we forgot because were married... "

Ming Hua asked as she looked at Ghazan who shook his head to answer the question for him.

"I still hear that explosion in my nightmares... its awfull... and to think that it all happened because I let her go fight on her own... even do I KNEW what could happen..."

Zaheer sobbed now, holding on to his friends. Ming Hua looked at Ghazan, since they had known for a while that he still had nightmares about the past events, because he somethimes mumbled in his sleep... but they hadn't realized their friend had been having nightmares about THAT event all this time, since he hadn't brought THAT part up, and they didn't wanted to pressure him by asking on when he simply stated he had a nightmare...

"Zaheer... she wouldn't have wanted you to feel guilty about that for the rest of your life... she knew the risk as well, and didn't asked for protection... which means she must have accepted that... if it happened... it had to be that way..."

Ming Hua said with a smirk on her face, since she sounded a lot like him whenever he was quoting guru laghima. Zaheer looked at her smiling now,before he carefully rubbed the tears out of his eyes.

"You know, you should try and sound wise more often..."

Zaheer joked with a smirk on his face, which caused all 3 of them to launch... this was why they didn't see that in a corner of the room, a blue spirit was standing... looking at them with a smile as she saw zaheer had finally accepted that it was all meant to be...

"Goodbye zaheer, I will never forget you... but it is time for both of to move on..."

The spirit of P'li whispered to her ex boyfriend, before she moved to the next room were allerys was standing against the wall.

"Take good care of him Allerys... he will need you... more then you will ever know..."

P'li whispered before she smiled and carefully turned around, before she silently dissapeared into the night...

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And with that I end my ninth chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it!

A/N

P'li is really death! i'm sorry to say this, since i'm a big "P'heer" fan, but I think P'li knew it was her time and that she accepted that she HAD to die so zaheer could capture korra. Besides... I think that last scene I wrote with P'li's spirit telling him goodbye was WAY TO CUTE!

I figured Zaheer let go his earthly tethers but still could be able to feel guilty about what happened to P'li, feel that it was HIS fault she died...

I think it won't be the last time we will see this wise side of Ming Hua, since this is HER story after all...

Maybe Allerys will be leaving the white lotus later in the story, but i'm not sure she should... what do you guys think about it? please let me know if you think she should leave the white lotus for zaheer, ore that she should stay...

ANYWAY THANKS FOR READING AS ALWAYS! AND DON'T FORGET TO

REVIEUW!