A/N: The story has been around for two months now. 14 chapters and 5000 views. That is awesome. Also, feel free to check my new story Clandestine on my profile. About Makorra.
"Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand, Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate. Ember Island reveals the true you."
–Lo and Li
XIV
"Wow," she exhaled as she observed and rejoiced in the new surroundings.
"Welcome to my home," spoke a regal voice behind her, but she was too immersed in the sight in front of her to even comprehend what the host was saying.
During her short life, she had been able to visit quite a few places all around the globe. While the team was eagerly looking for Airbenders, they stumbled upon many interesting cities in the Earth Kingdom, including the everlasting city of Ba Sing Se with its strong walls, which only meant further segregation. It was exciting to be in the capital of said Kingdom to say the least, but the views were not at all enticing if one were to look at the Lower and Middle rings.
Then there was the Water Tribe. Beautiful in its own way, naturally located where Waterbenders could feel the most connected to their elements. But she was no Waterbender exactly. She was the Avatar, and as such, needed to be in touch with the other elements as well. It was difficult to feel the warmth of fire when there was no sun whatsoever during half the year.
The Air temples were majestic, perfection. Such architecture and culture prevailed despite the obstacles and suffering of their people. They would never vanish. The temples stood tall and glorious, giving a glimpse of what the nomad life was like. Then again, she was no nomad and the lacking proximity of water made her feel slightly nervous sometimes.
She understood, however, that every single spot in this world had their good and bad sides. Light and dark. It was only natural. But this…
"This is amazing," concluded the young Avatar. Her blue eyes were glued to the beach a few meters away from her current place. She had been staring at it for so long now that she had lost track of time. It was a little embarrassing really, that a grown woman felt like an excited child first discovering his or her bending abilities.
Her embarrassment was soon out of the window when the tropical air caressed her skin. The water was so calm, the breeze so refreshing, the earth so moist, and the sun so bright. She felt every tiny expression of the elements. It excited her beyond words, as she had kind of lost a connection with herself, yet felt so fused with the elements.
The man with grey hair and a scar decorating his face chuckled at her astonishment, "Avatar Aang liked Ember Island too. He would come here with his family sometimes during the summer, as did I."
Her eyebrows raised at the mention of her predecessor, "Aang came here too?"
Although it was a rhetorical question out of amazement, Zuko still answered, "Yes, many times," a smile crept up his face as his mind traveled through time, "This place is said to be the perfect location for self-discovery."
"I can tell," she really did. For some unknown reason, her very own self seemed to be calling out for her through the slow crash of the waves. Shaking her head quickly, she focused her attention back on the Firebender, "So, uhm, how does this work? You know–"
A look of amusement crossed his features at her sudden nervousness. She could not help it, because yes, she was the Avatar, but this was Lord Zuko and he was going to be her chaperone, in simpler words.
"I hope you understand that the orders of the council were very strict," he tilted his head to the side, an apologetic expression invading his eyes.
"I understand."
Sighing deeply, he linked his hands behind his back, "It is evident that you are not allowed to leave the island. Furthermore, you're not to leave your cabin without supervision, especially at night," he stopped to watch her reaction, but she remained uncomplaining.
She nodded her head as she gulped, "What about phone calls?"
"Every other week you will be given the chance to contact others," explained the elder calmly, "But I must remind you that your location is to remain secret."
"So, no matter what I do outside of my cabin, a White Lotus Sentry will be following me around."
Placing a supporting hand on her shoulder, Zuko said, "There will be no guards in that sense. I do, however, trust you to follow the orders I just listed," she nodded quickly, unable to escape from his authoritarian gaze, "Should I trust you?"
"Of course! I won't do anything stupid," she promised sheepishly. Even though she had broken more rules she could ever recall, she knew for a fact that she should not break his. And she also did not want to, either. It felt good to be trusted.
"No one is a prisoner in Ember Island, Korra. The only one with the ability to imprison you here is and will always be you."
If only he knew how right he was, she thought. It was not even questionable. She knew for a fact that the only person standing in her way of recovery was that eye-glowing, chained side of her mind. They were not just hallucinations. They were a part of her.
His finger lifted towards the sky, pointing at the flying silhouette hovering above them. A bison, "Now, should we welcome your other mentors?"
"Why didn't they just come in the ship with us?"
The corners of his lips turned up, "They had to make a small detour."
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she watched the animal descend into a safe landing. She felt her own mouth shift into a small smile. Loneliness was not something she looked forward to. Even though that was what she deserved. It did not matter how lighthearted the days were, she would always be alone at night.
And demons came out to play when the sun went out.
She stopped herself before her brain could drift any further, locking her vision with the bodies that appeared from atop the bison. Two people, whom she knew too well, approached her. The smaller one clung to her as if her life depended on it. Korra ruffled her hair affectionately, only revealing more of the girl's tattoo.
"You saw me two days ago, Jinora!" the Avatar said, failing to hold a laugh. She held out her hand for the other mentor to take, and wrinkled hands warmed her own, "I'm sorry you had to leave the South Pole."
"Nonsense," the Waterbender discarded her apology with a smile, before turning her eyes to the Firebender, "Zuko."
"Ember Island has missed you, Katara," he told his old friend with a bow. The Avatar felt like she had landed in another time period and like she was no longer Korra. This felt too familiar, a remainder of a past lifetime. And that was exactly what it was.
"So," the 20 year-old exited her thoughts as her eyes shifted around the three benders in front of her, "You're my Firebending teacher," she addressed Zuko, "Waterbending," her finger pointed at Katara, "Airbending," and subsequently, Jinora.
The three of them nodded in unison.
"Am I missing somethin–"
She was cut short by the sounds of struggling and complaining coming from the bison, "This is why I hate flying!" the grumpy voice exclaimed as it made its way stumbling down the furry animal.
Korra's eyes shot open, her jaw hitting the floor.
A side grin appeared on the stranger's mouth, "Nice to see you again, Twinkle Toes."
She sat crossed-legged, a mirror positioned far enough for her to catch her own reflection. Behind her, the young Airbender brushed her hair, styling the top into a classic Fire Nation bun. Her clothes matched her hairdo, distinct shades of red fabrics hugging her curves. A red top reached the middle of her abdomen, tied on one shoulder and off on the other. Similar to her blue baggy pants, she wore a crimson pair.
"The color suits you," the tattooed girl complimented the Avatar.
As much as she wanted to disagree with her, she could not help but enjoy the change. Whether it was for better or worse that she was sinking in the culture of the island, different was exactly what she needed.
"How come you're still in your Airbender uniform?"
"I have a blue arrow on my forehead, duh," she explained in a matter-of-factly kind of way, "Not much I can wear that can disguise it. Besides, people are not supposed to know you are here."
That was indeed a good point, and she agreed that it was for the best. The minute civilians realized that the Avatar was on the island, the news would spread like wildfire.
"How did you leave things in the South Pole?" the blue-eyed girl changed the topic.
"Dad was a little worried about my departure. But Gran-Gran is here," she said shortly, no further explanation needed on the subject, "Your friends were sad, though."
A glimpse of guilt flashed across her blue orbs.
"Speaking of which," she reached inside of her pocket to retrieve an envelope, "This is from the Firebender boy who drives you crazy. He said you would know when to read it."
The Avatar felt a blush sneak its way up her neck to her cheeks but said nothing. She merely took it in her hands, examining his neat handwriting.
"There you go," Jinora let go of her finished hair and stood up from the floor, Korra following right behind, "I heard there is a nice theater downtown. Maybe we should check it out."
Korra shifted uncomfortably at her suggestion, Zuko's words ringing at the back of her mind, "I don't think I am supposed to go out unsupervised."
"Well, you're not," stated the younger girl proudly, raising her hand to point at herself.
As soon as she arrived at the theater, she had a feeling she should have turned around. Something inside of her, a distant voice told her she would not like it. But there she was, sitting at the back of place, waiting for The Legend of Korra play, ironically, to start.
"How precise do you think it is?" pondered the Airbender excitedly next to her.
Her heart rate accelerated, "Hopefully, not at all."
The curtains opened, revealing the surprisingly accurate story of her life. Although her early teenage years were slightly rushed, it was understandable, nothing interesting really happening there. Closer to reality than she was willing to admit.
"She doesn't look like me at all," she fumed under her breath, studying her overly girly and dramatic impersonator.
They changed the setting around the stage, making it more Republic-City-fitting. She laughed when she was supposed to, and scowled when suitable. She could not help but double with hysteric laughs when Bolin and an extremely brooding Mako were introduced.
But then the acts became more serious in her eyes when a masked man took over the stage.
And for the second time, she could hear that distant voice telling her– no, urging her to run. This was supposed to be an entertainment and she could see why the rest of the audience enjoyed the tale, including her young companion. But the Avatar was having her failures and fears portrayed for a crowd to see.
"I challenge Amon to a duel! I am the Avatar, nobody can beat me!"
Korra closed her eyes at the shameful memory recreated by the actors. Her arrogance and pride had almost led to her own doom at the time. All because she wanted to prove to everyone that she was not a coward. But those close to her already knew she wasn't. So why did she bother with proving something to those who only judged her from afar?
Sensing her tensed body, Jinora's eyes fell on her, "Are you okay?" she whispered.
"Yeah," but she was certain it would only get worse from there.
The actress fell to the floor with pretended unconsciousness after the Amon double ambushed her with the rest of his Equalist group. And then the fake version of her started sobbing dramatically after Tenzin arrived. Sobbing her eyes out, for Spirit's sake.
And yes, that had happened to some extent. But that did not mean she wanted it disclosed.
The scenes progressed along with the clock, and she continued to dread every minute of it. Lin having her bending taken away, the Airbenders being imprisoned, Mako being bloodbent.
Her own self being "cleansed from her impurities" by Amon.
"I don't need you, Tenzin. Unalaq will teach me all I need to know!"
"I will open the Spirit Portal, Uncle."
"They took the Avatar Spirit right off me! I'm so useless!"
Korra buried her face in her hands, trying to ignore the voice of the actors. She was failing miserably, and the reactions of the spectators only added to her despair. They laughed and gasped and aww'd continuously. Praying to every Spirit that had ever encountered, she begged for the tormenting sounds to end. But to her disappointment, although not to her surprise, there was another story that was left to be told.
Clenching and unclenching her fist, she stared at the ceiling, pretending that she could not hear what was happening on stage. She hoped that Jinora could not be able to notice her discomfort, but she was too obvious for that to slip.
She was going to keep pretending.
And pretending.
But then there was that part.
"–The poison will force you into the Avatar State for the last time. Korra, the Last Avatar!" said the actor playing the Airbender that plagued her nightmares, as he laughed evilly. The actress wearing tattered blue clothes and chains started to scream, in an almost comical way, swaying from one side to the other as if she were to faint.
On the other side of the theater, the actual Korra felt her breathing become hectic as pieces of flashbacks surged within her mind. Her throat seemed to close dangerously, and even though she knew it was only in her mind, she massaged the front of her neck to soothe it.
Licking her lips anxiously, she left her seat, tripping on her way out, "I need some air."
There was something peaceful about this night, regardless of her chaotic thoughts, with the cloudless sky decorated with glinting points. It had been a while since she had stopped and taken her time to look at the stars. They were beautiful.
Full of light.
After leaving the theater and having a panic attack, she had been comforted by the young Airbending Master. Korra had never felt more grateful of her presence than at that exact moment. It was easy for her to get lost in the sea of mistakes and grief that had been displayed across the stage. She surely did for a moment, but then Jinora was there, to pull her back to reality.
"You're focusing on the wrong things," the brown eyed girl had pointed out after they had left the theater, "Your mistakes and failures are a part of you. But you're not your mistakes. You're not the monster you think you are."
As soon as she had heard those sentences, she wondered when exactly the other girl transformed into that wise young lady. The Avatar had been replaying those words in her mind ever since she had arrived to her chambers. There were many things that she could conclude from that, but one thing was certain.
It was time for her to learn and grow.
Having always been strong-headed, proud and sort of independent, she liked to think she could take care of herself. The thought of people pitying her boiled her blood, giving her the desire to punch a wall until it crumbled in front of her. She despised the fact that others felt sorry for her.
So why should she feel sorry for herself?
Lord Zuko was more than right; she was her own obstacle. She had had many opportunities to take a look at herself and know that she needed to pull it together and do something about it. Change would only happen if she allowed herself to do so. And she could not think of a better time and place to start.
As she looked out of the window, she gulped when glowing eyes stared back at hers from the shore.
"You're not the monster you think you are," she whispered as she closed the panels, forcing herself to ignore her hallucination and go back to bed.
One peaceful sleep was all she asked for in this lonely bedroom.
And she should have felt alone. At least lonelier than usual. She was far away from home, in a strange place. Her mother and father were not a room away, to read her stories the way they did when she was just a toddler. Her best friends were halfway across the world. But Katara, Jinora and others who cared for her were here, to assure her that she could get through this. And her boyfriend–
He was right there with her.
A small smile threatened to appear as her hand found her pocket.
Dear Korra…
A/N: A couple of notes:
1. To be honest, I was planning on having Suyin be the Earthbending Master for Korra. But then I thought... This is the perfect time to include Toph. Also, Zuko, Katara and Toph were Aang's teachers. Now they'll be Korra's. It made a lot of sense in my head, hopefully in yours as well. Plus, there are a lot of things Korra can learn from the three of them.
2. This chapter was meant to be a throwback to ATLA, with the Ember Island Theater and so on. Again, I had to do it. The ATLA fan in me could not stop herself. And I felt Korra needed to witness her rocky path from an outside perspective.
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Thank you for reading!