Previously…
"Roku, Roku listen to me! I'll save you, I swear I will!" Several Equalists tried to subdue her as she struggled, and Lin stared her lover in the eye, tears falling from her own eyes. "I love you, Roku! I swear, I'll save you!" The Lieutenant pulled him over the first step, and Roku passed out from the pain.
Roku awoke in the dark, cold and broken. He shivered, his breath misting before his face in the winter air. Take stock, his mind told him. You're inside, that much is clear. Your face is pressed against a wooden floor. It's cold… possibly a basement or attic. The pain… The memory came back then, the agony of feeling his spine break on Amon's knee, the slight gleam he had seen in the man's eye as the collision occurred. "Move, damn you, move," he whispered to himself, trying to convince himself it was some nightmare. He tried to lift his legs, but felt nothing. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, and crawled forward, coming into contact with steel bars.
"You shouldn't move," a familiar voice said behind him, and he flipped himself over to see Tarrlok. "And that right there is even worse for your spine," the man said, grabbing ahold of Roku's shoulders and forcing him to lie down. "Just relax, alright? If you keep moving, there's no chance at all that your spine will ever heal."
"Why should you care?" Roku groaned as he was pushed onto his stomach. He felt a rope looped under his arms around his chest, and he cried out as he was hoisted into the air, the rope tied to the steel bars. "What are you doing to me?!"
"Look, I may have been a Bloodbender, but I was a Waterbender before that, and I learned a lot of healing techniques in my village." Tarrlok's fingers probed his spine, hovering on the place where Amon had broken his back. "True, I no longer have my Bending, but I have the knowledge. Now… you have a protruding vertebra. I'm going to have to force it back in." Without warning, Tarrlok slammed a hand into his back with such force that the bars rattled, and Roku screamed until he felt blood pouring down his raw throat. He was in a hell all his own, screams managing to creep past his torn throat even as Tarrlok sat back in his corner, curling up tight to try and keep himself warm.
"Please… kill me…" Roku rasped, his eyelids flickering closed. "End it…"
Lin sank to her knees as she saw the jagged remains of Roku's home. Debris was scattered as far as a hundred feet from where the bombs landed, and everything able to burn was left only as a pile of charcoal now. One wall had managed to remain upright, covered in soot and punctured by sharp metal debris. Within that wall she saw a blackened safe, and she strode over to it, managing to pry its door off its damaged hinges. She tossed the door away carelessly, digging through what was left. First she pulled out several blueprints, immediately recognizing them as the technology he had planned on adding to his Blue Spirit equipment. She quickly stuffed them down the front of her armor, the papers resting between her breasts and the steel she could no longer remove. Next she found that curious little hairpiece he had worn on their date, and she tucked that into a pouch on her belt. Finally, she came across the few photos.
A tear traced down her cheek as she saw his most prized possessions. The first photo was a family portrait of Roku, Zuko, Mai, Ursula the elder, Ursula the younger, and Uncle Iroh. They all were dressed in Fire Nation Royalty clothing, even Iroh, though he looked as though he rather would have been in his Jasmine Dragon uniform. Roku was still a baby in the photo, so his mother held him in her arms, her lips curled in a loving smile as she gazed down at her son. Behind that photo was the photo of the two of them at his birthday.
A third, new photo had been added to the modest collection; this one had obviously been taken by Azulon. It was a photo of the two of them asleep the night Roku had proposed. The blanket on the bed was enough to preserve modesty, but the tears began to flow freely when she saw how he had wrapped his arms around her, saw her peaceful expression. Roku's lips rested against the nape of her neck as he slept, and Lin carried the photos over to a motorcycle she had managed to… "liberate" from the Equalists after they dumped her back on the mainland. Gently putting the photos into a stiff bag to make sure they wouldn't bend or fold, Lin kick-started the bike, speeding off to a place she thought she might find some help.
"Mommy, will you sing me a song?" a young Roku asked as Mai tucked him into bed. The woman smiled down at her little five-year-old, sitting on the mattress next to him. She sang softly, her high, sweet voice lulling him to sleep.
"Far over the misty mountains cold… To dungeons deep, and caverns old… The pines were roaring on the height… The winds were moaning in the night… The fire was red, it flaming spread… The trees like torchers blazed with light."
A thirteen-year-old Roku stood in front of his father in the center of a fenced-in square in the Palace gardens. Roku wore a pair of black trousers and wore no shirt, displaying a semi-muscled torso. Thin black fuzz had grown on his lip, and his hair was pulled back into a topknot. Zuko was dressed the same. He had grown the fu manchu he would have later in life, but back then it was trimmed to a shorter length than it would be in the years to come. Streaks of grey were shot through the Fire Lord's hair. Both men drew dual training Dao swords, taking a fighting stance as they waited for the other to move.
Having a teen's patience, it was Roku who moved first, charging his father with both blades held to his side. As he reached his father he tried to do a double inward slash at Zuko's hips, but Zuko brought his blades in front of him, pointing straight up as he blocked the strikes. Roku moved in closer, putting himself in between his father's blades and pushing into Zuko's chest with his shoulder, forcing Zuko back. When Zuko's back hit the edge of the fence, Roku tried to sweep his father's leg, but Zuko managed to slide with the motion, grabbing his son and pulling him as he went, forcing Roku against the fence as Zuko stepped back and rained down blows on his son. Roku grunted as his blades began to slow, and Zuko gave his son a few soft raps on the arm.
"You're doing better," Zuko told his son once they were done. "I'm very proud of you."
"But when you were my age you were already so powerful," Roku mumbled, kicking a loose pebble before bouncing his heel off of the bench he sat on. "I just… I'm weak, Dad."
"Roku, listen to me," Zuko said, kneeling before his son so they were at eye level. "Everyone has their own pace and their own skills. So what if you're not a Master Firebender at thirteen? You are a brave, strong young man. I've never seen anyone who could climb like you can. When I was your age I couldn't have climbed the towers, but how often have I had to walk up the steps and tell you to come down from there?" Roku smiled, and his father mussed his hair. "Your mother was proud of you too, Roku. She loved you more than anything in the world. Never forget that, son."
I never have, he thought in the present day as he awoke. He was still hanging from the bars, but the pain in his spine was gone, and he could move his legs when he tried, though they were clumsy, awkward. "Tarrlok," he rasped, licking his lips. "Water. Food and water." The ex-councilman untied the rope, helping Roku to stand before pointing out the tray that had been left for him. Tarrlok then retreated to his corner, stabbing aimlessly at his own tray.
"I still don't like you," Tarrlok said as Roku ate. Roku nodded, swallowing painfully before rubbing his raw throat. "The only reason I fixed your back is because I knew it would anger Amon."
"I know why Amon made sure to hide me away from the world. Why hide you as well?" Tarrlok sighed, and launched into the story of his childhood, and a brother named Noatak.
Korra groaned as she rose from her sleeping area, her arms brushing against Naga's stomach as she stretched out. Rubbing her stiff neck, Korra worked her way through the maze of underground tunnels until she found the baths, each large enough to fit four. The waters were foggy from the minerals in the ground here, but it was clean, and it was warm. Shedding her clothing and sinking up to her nose, she sighed blissfully as the warmth worked its way through her stiff muscles. A little Waterbending healed the bruises and whatnot left over from Amon's coup. They were still waiting for the United Forces to arrive, and her nerves were starting to fray.
"You're a tricky person to find, Korra," a voice said behind her, and she turned to find Lin standing behind her, dressed in her armor and the trench coat she had worn since she retired. There was a strong scent of sweat about the woman, and Lin was dusted from head to toe in dirt. "I'm going to get straight to the point," she said, "since I'm sure that you're noticing I haven't been able to bathe since I lost my Bending. Roku and I were captured while assuring Tenzin and his family escaped. Amon took Roku's Bending under the understanding that I would be spared. Amon took my Bending anyway, and when Roku fought him man-to-man, Amon broke his spine." Korra's expression turned horrified, but Lin continued on. "I need your help to rescue him, Korra. I know he's being held somewhere on Air Temple Island."
"I wish I could help you, Lin, but we can't get over there unnoticed," Korra said, rising from the water. She quickly dressed, turning her back to the older woman in a small semblance of modesty. "Even if I were to use my Waterbending to get us on the island, the place is crawling with Equalists. Until the United Forces arrive there's nothing I can do." Lin silently closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking in a mixture of anger and the effort of holding back tears.
"Korra, I… please, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important. He's all I have. I love him." The teen awkwardly wrung the water out of her hair, before sighing.
"Alright, listen. I've been practicing a little bit of Metalbending ever since Roku began training me in Firebending. I can get you out of the armor, and I can take you on one or two reconnaissance trips, but they can't be more than that. Without the Avatar State, which I can't use yet, I'm not strong enough to take on those kinds of numbers by myself, and without your Bending…"
"It'll work for now," Lin said, removing the trench coat and holding her arms out to the side. "Once you get me out of this, though, I'm taking a bath first."
Zuko sat in his wheelchair inside of a hidden cargo hold in a smuggler's ship. Azulon shivered next to him, though Zuko recognized the falseness of the action. "You're very good at security," he murmured to his grandson. Roku taught you well." Azulon grinned slightly at his grandfather's praise. "You know, sometimes I think that you were Roku's child, rather than Ursula's. Tell me, Azulon, how much of yours and Roku's animosity is real?"
"Not as much as you would think," Azulon replied, stopping his shivering and adjusting to reveal the bared dagger hidden in his clothes. "In public, I pretend to hate him so people think I won't help him. In private, I occasionally get upset with him and treat him coolly, though that's usually only when I know that I'll have to take his place as the Blue Spirit for a night. Aside from that… I'm happy enough to call him my uncle."
Zuko nodded, bringing a dagger onto his lap. The handle was made of pearl, and inscribed on one side were the words, "Never give up without a fight." He turned the dagger over in his hands as he silently contemplated it, before speaking. "This dagger was given to me by my Uncle after he took the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. When we were in hiding, we used it to cut out topknots. I gave it to a young boy so he could defend himself, and the dagger was stolen from him. When I took it back and tried to give it back to him, he refused to take it." Zuko was silent for several more moments, before he raised it in his hand, bringing it around to his topknot.
"My sign of mourning my son," he said, before he quickly began to saw through his hair. The white waves cascaded around his face as it severed through, and Zuko seemed to age even more in the few seconds before he handed the blade to his nephew. "Disguise yourself as well, Azulon. For now, you are Lee, and I am Mushi."
Roku ate what the Lieutenant gave him, ignoring the man's anger at his healed back. Tarrlok had been taken out of the cells earlier when Amon had found out, and when he came back he had a fresh collection of bruises and minor cuts, though the man's brother had taken great care to assure they were nothing more than that. The former Councilman never mentioned them, so Roku refrained as well. There was no telling time in the cells, even with a clear head, so they passed the time talking. On what Roku figured was the fifth day of his imprisonment, they brought in a Pai Sho set, so he and Tarrlok played that, Roku displaying the talent he had inherited from his Great-Uncle.
"I never was very good at this game," Tarrlok grumbled after his third loss. Roku smiled, his lip twisting into a crooked grin like the ones Aang used to give him.
"I learned from Avatar Aang and my Great-Uncle Iroh," he said as he reset the board. "Whenever Aang beat me he just gave me a lopsided grin, and whenever Iroh beat me he would tell me about the game and make me drink obscene amounts of jasmine tea." Tarrlok let out a bark of laughter at that, and Roku let the man make the first move. "You know, it was Iroh who got me my first pet. He had this friend who was a member of the Order of the White Lotus who was getting married in the North Pole, so he was invited to the wedding. It wasn't that old Waterbender who married Katara's grandmother, it was some other obscure friendship. Anyway, he went on a hunt with the men afterward, and he came across this little wolf pup all alone on the ice. Being the soft-hearted, doting great-uncle, he brought her home for me, and I raised her."
"Wolves can be pretty dangerous," Tarrlok remarked casually, trying to hide his frustration as Roku made a brilliant move. "I always thought they were beautiful creatures, but once my father made me practice Bloodbending on them I came to fear and loathe them. It took a long time for me to realize I didn't hate wolves; I hated myself." They were silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. "You said the wolf was a girl. What did you name her?"
"The most beautiful name I could think of as a lovesick boy of nineteen," Roku replied as he defeated the man again. "Lin."
"Ah yes," Tarrlok said, giving the prince a knowing smile as they started another round. "I figured you had feelings for that Beifong woman. Well, I apologize for the way I treated her in the beginning. I was so obsessed with trying to do what my father couldn't that I failed to see what a remarkable woman she was. She would have made a great ally." Tarrlok took a sip of his tea, grimacing slightly as Roku moved a piece. "Alright, you've got to be cheating."
"Nope," Roku said as Tarrlok made his own move. "Anyway, I raised Lin from a pup to a beautiful she-wolf. I trained her to get along with people, though I made sure she hunted her own food outside of the herds so she would be self-reliant. I actually went on a lot of missions with her when she was young. If it wasn't for her nose, I never would have found my Aunt Azula when she escaped. Once she was too old for that, we traveled to the North Pole to study there. She must've found a mate or something there, because one night she gave birth to a litter of pups of her own. I set most of them free, but I kept one. Named it after my mother. Raised it, and after Lin died at thirteen her two-year old daughter took her place. I've been breeding them and raising them ever since. I'm actually on the third generation now that I'm training Mai's daughter, Kya. Mai died at fifteen, and Kya's still a young pup… must be two or three now." Roku paused for a moment, a solemn look in his eye. "You know, when we came here I regretted that I left Kya at the palace. Now that all this is happen, I think it's probably the smartest thing I ever did with that pup."
"Well, she's safe enough," Tarrlok said. "Come on, we're going to keep playing until I beat you at this."
Korra sighed as she once again sunk into the bathwater. A week and a half had passed since the fall of the City, and since the fourth day she had been conducting daily reconnaissance missions with Lin. The United Forces weren't expected to arrive for another two days, and Lin was beginning to get on her nerves. Korra rubbed the dirt off her skin with the foggy water, before she sunk even further, the waterline resting just under her chin.
"Mind if I join you?" a voice called out behind her, and her eyes shot open in surprise as she turned to see Asami standing in the doorway.
"Uh… yeah, sure," Korra said, averting her eyes as the other woman undressed, sinking into the
bath. "So… what's up?" Korra asked, unfamiliar and uncomfortable with her current situation.
"Not much," Asami admitted, washing her hair. "I just really need a bath after today. I know my days aren't nearly as exciting as yours and the Chief's, but I figured a girl's just got her days."
"Yeah, I get that," Korra muttered, closing her eyes as she relaxed, sinking up to her nose. She heard Asami's own content sigh as the woman also relaxed, and they spent several minutes in silence.
"So… Bolin told me that you and Mako kissed," Asami said, and Korra snorted in surprise, choking as water went up her nose. She coughed for several seconds as Asami gave her a concerned glance, before Korra paused, noticing Asami's look. She already knows it's true, she thought to herself.
"Well… it wasn't what you're probably thinking," Korra admitted, awkwardly rubbing her neck. "You see, I, uh… I had feelings for him before you met him, and I was kinda jealous that you got to him first. But listen, I can see you're happy with him, and he seems happy enough with you. I really am sorry it happened, and I swear, I'm not trying to steal him from you or anything. I just… I don't know, I just feel the whole situation is awkward." She thought about Mako, and she briefly recalled a training session with Roku.
"What… what are you doing?" Roku asked her as she jabbed at him, sending a small gout of flame at him. "That has no power behind it. Your stance is wrong, too. You're bouncing. You're not creating the strength needed to perform powerful attacks."
"I was trying to imitate some of Mako's techniques from ProBending," she replied, awkwardly staring at her feet. Roku snorted, shaking his head, before assuming a sturdy stance, his feet apart and flat on the ground. He made a swift, powerful jab, and sent a wave of fire spinning through the air.
"Mako's a good enough showman, but he has no actual talent," Roku said as he went back to standing casually. "His attacks lack power, range, really anything that would be expected in a combat scenario. His lightning generation is only strong enough to be used in an industrial setting. It's more of a Taser than an actual attack. If I were to use lightning in its full capacity, I could burn a hole the size of my fist through someone's chest." Roku narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed his student. "You like him, don't you?"
"A little bit," she admitted, rubbing her neck in embarrassment. "I mean, he told me he has feelings for me too, but he also likes Asami, and it's just-"
"He's scum," Roku snarled out, shaking his head. "He's playing on both your emotions and Asami's. He's doing the same thing to that poor girl that Tenzin did to me, and he's going to leave her broken-hearted before he does the same to you. Listen to me, Korra. You become Asami's friend. You become close, and you work together, because let me tell you something; the world's going to work against you because you're women, and it's easier to have an ally than to fight everybody."
"I gotta go," she said, wrapping a towel around herself as she climbed out of the water. "I have to make sure everything will go smoothly enough for the arrival of the United Forces, and Lin will probably want to do another recon soon."
"Alright," Asami said, watching her go. Korra quickly dressed and darted out, escaping the memories and the worries for what little time she could.
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Review, and tell me how I did.
-Zeratide, out.
