They flew over miles of dense jungles below them towards the giant tree in the center of the swamp. Tenzin remembered the story of the swamp from his parents and Uncle Sokka. They had spoken of this swamps power and the visions they had seen here while they were young. His mother and Sokka had seen people from their own past there, Uncle Sokka his first girlfriend Yue, and Katara her own mother. Korra too had ended up here in her own journey to heal herself after Zaheer's poison. She had been shown visions here and learned to overcome her fears and finally be free of Zaheer. He didn't know how the swamp had such a strong spiritual connection, but he hoped it would be enough to help Lin regain her memory.
Lin, seeing her again after 20 years was strange, painful, weird and amazing. She was still completely how he remembered her, strong, stubborn and unyielding as ever. She was still beautiful, her hair had gotten grayer and there were a few lines on her face but she was still beautiful to him. She seemed more relaxed too. Maybe up here in the mountains rather than the stressful and hectic life she had lived in Republic City had been good for her. It hurt that she couldn't remember him or the life they had shared together though. She had shown them the few things she still had after the explosion before they left. Her armor had been easy to explain.
"You were chief of Police in Republic City." Tenzin had told her. "Jinora recognized the armor design, that's what finally pushed them to contact me." Lin had nodded.
Asha had found that idea assuming. "Well that explains a lot." She had told her mom bumping her with her shoulder slightly. Lin had rolled her eyes at her daughter, clearly some joke passing between the two.
The next item was a mangled piece of white horn. "Oogi's whistle, I gave that to you years ago. In case you ever need him." Tenzin said.
"I never figured out what it was." Lin had told him. "It got pretty mangled in the explosion I imagine."
The final item made his heart seize. It was the pendant from the engagement necklace he had made from her. "I made it for you when we got engaged." Tenzin said quietly when Lin handed him the pendant. Lin's eyes had flicked up to meet his and he thought his heart was going to explode. He had made it over 25 years ago now, it was just the flying bore with the three spirals of the air nation symbol. "The flying bore is the symbol of your family, the Beifongs. Opal has a necklace with the bore too. She is your niece." Tenzin explained to her. Lin regarded Opal for a moment before offering her a nod.
"That's why you asked me about it at dinner. You knew only Beifongs had it." Asha said.
Asha, Lin's daughter Asha had been staying close to her, eyeing him warily. Their daughter he corrected himself, he was almost 98% sure she was their daughter. She was the right age and he could see some of himself in her. He marvels at how much of her mother was in her though. She was a Beifong there was no denying it, from the protective and wary nature she had taken when he had thrown her mother for a loop. To the slight scowl and raised eyebrow at the idea that a swamp would magically cure her mom's memory loss. He should have expected that though, Lin had raised her on her own. He felt guilty, ashamed and sad that he couldn't have been there to help her and to watch their daughter grow up himself. Fatherhood have given him the first real joy in his life after Lin's supposed death. He would have loved watching their daughter growing up and he still planned on enjoying whatever time he'd have with the 20 year old.
"What do I do?" Lin asked Korra as they walked towards the trunk of the giant tree.
"I just touched it." Korra shrugged at her. "But meditation might be the best especially since you already do that normally."
"You mediate now?" Tenzin asked her, surprised.
"Yeah, it was the only way to get the headaches to stop." Lin shrugged.
"You used to hate it, when Dad made us when we were kids. I don't think you ever did past the age of 20 when you humored me." Tenzin told her, smiling at the memory.
"Yeah, well, now I do it. At least once a week. Used to have to do it more." Lin told him. Tenzin's face fell, he felt bad about her getting so hurt. He felt guilty about him not being there to help her. There was nothing he could have done and no way he could have known but it didn't make it any easier, she was his wife after all. Lin sat down cross legged on the root of the tree and reached her hand forward to flatten her palm against the root, her eyes closed. She stayed like that for several seconds but it felt like an enturity to Tenzin but couldn't have been more than a minute. Tenzin watched Lin rise shakily, she turned and took a step towards him out stretching her hand to him. "Tenzin" her voice is raw and Tenzin knew she remembered.
He closes the gap between them wrapping his arms around her frame and burying his head in her neck. Relief overwhelming him as her arms went around him and her hands clutching at him. "Lin" He murmurs into her neck. "Lin, Lin, Lin" each one it's own little prayer of thanks. His wife is back. He can feel her tears on him and he knows he's crying too but he doesn't care he has his Lin back.
Kyra was still reeling over meeting Tenzin and finding out about her old life. Tenzin, her husband, she had been married before the explosion. He was the father of her daughter. She had always wondered about that, most other things she had let go of, but that she held onto that for Asha's sake. Asha had always wondered about her father, but Kyra knew as much as she had until now. Tenzin not what she had imagined but she could see him in their daughter. They shared the same eye shape and mouth. She also trusted him for some reason, but she wanted to trust him even if she couldn't remember anything about him. Maybe it was proof he knew her, he had been able to tell her about the scars and her birthmark. She'd find out she supposed, assuming this magic forest thing worked. That she didn't get, Asha knew about that spirit stuff. She liked playing with the spirits in the forest, Kyra could careless and would rather not mess with them. Still even she felt the shift in the air as they began to fly over the swamp below them. She saw a giant tree coming up at them. They landed there jumping off the air bison's back to stand on the root of the massive tree.
"Here we are." The avatar told her, shooting her a grin.
"What do I do?" She asked Korra as they walked closer to the trunk of the tree.
"I just touched it." Korra shrugged at her. "But meditation might be the best especially since you already do that normally."
"You mediate now?" Tenzin asked her, surprised. Asha and Tenzin had followed them but the other three stayed behind with the bisons.
"Yeah, it was the only way to get the headaches to stop." Kyra shrugged. When she first had woken up it had been hard to stay awake for more than a few hours, the head aches were that bad. Over time they had lessened but stress brought them back. It had taken her over a year to work up to the point to be able to spar again without almost passing out.
"You used to hate it, when Dad made us when we were kids. I don't think you ever did past the age of 20 when you humored me." Tenzin told her, smiling at the memory.
"Yeah, well, now I do it. At least once a week. Used to have to do it more." Kyra told him. She sat down crossed legged at the tree's base. She took a breath, reaching forwards placing her palm to the tree. She almost gasped at the electric current she felt travel through her body. It was like all of her senses opened up to the tree and her memory unlocked. She watched the years zip by a warp speed. Asha and her training just a few weeks ago, then Asha becoming an airbender, then Asha's tenth birthday, Nan's death, Asha's birth, waking up after the explosion. Then it was 'new' memories, ones she hadn't had access to in 20 years. The explosion itself, saving her men, Tenzin, their wedding, growing up with him, his family and her family, Su and her mom. Then it's over as quick as it started. She feels shaky and overwhelmed as she stands, but also feels the overwhelming need to get to him. She took a step towards him out stretching her hand to him.
"Tenzin" her voice is raw with the 34 years of emotion and memories she now remembered.
She can see his face light up at the realization that she did remember him before crumbling as he darted forward sweeping her up into his arms. "Lin," he says softly against her neck. She hugs him back like her life depended on it. She takes a shaky breath against him as he murmurs her name into her neck. She can feel the emotion starting to overcome her and the tears begin to fall onto his chest. He's crying too, his eyes wet against her neck. They stay like that for a while, until they both regain control of their emotions. She laughs as she pulls away emotionally exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. Tenzin stays close to her keeping his arm around her shoulders. He kisses her temple as she pulls away from him, his lips linger there.
Korra and Asha had both turned away giving them a minute looking out over the dense swampland below them. They stood when Tenzin and Lin neared. "So it worked?"
"Yeah it worked." Lin breathed. She pulls away from Tenzin enough to catch Asha who jumps forward to hug her at the news.
"I'm so happy for you mom." Her daughter told her.
"This is your father." Lin tells her softly, holding her at arm's length in front of her.
"I'm so happy to meet you." Tenzin said, smiling at her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I just wish it had happened sooner."
Asha grinned at him. "yeah well I'm just glad to finally know."
Tenzin was over the moon. His Lin is back, he had missed her some much everyday. Now that she was here standing next to him, he felt like he was floating. He finally let go of her allowing her to pull back. He kissed her temple when she did. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her properly but he also knew this was a lot for her. He could practically feel the emotional exhustion coming off her as soon as she had remembered. If she wanted to kiss him, she'd do it he knew. Until then he didn't plan on letting go of her. That would have to wait though until they had a chance to talk about the last 20 years.
"What should we do now?" Korra asked as the four walked back towards the bisons.
"Well," Tenzin said, glancing up at Opal on Pepper and Lin. "Zaufo isn't far away and Su will flip when she finds out." He watches Lin carefully. The sisters hadn't been on the best of terms when Lin had 'died'. He knew she hadn't hated her sister but there was still bad blood and hurt feeling between the pair.
Lin looked away, even as Opal was excited. "She'll be happy to see you." Opal said, smiling at her aunt.
"She's better now," Tenzin told Lin, understanding the hesitation. "She has grown up alot since your death."
"She's told me alot about growing up with you." Opal was confused about why Lin was hesitant.
"I doubt that." Lin muttered darkly.
"Lin, she really has. She and I are close friends now. Beside you can probably get her to admit to anything when she sees you." Tenzin told her.
"Fine. only because I don't want to sleep out here." Lin gave in with a huff. They flew for most of the evening to Zaufo, arriving late that night.
"Master Tenzin, Lady Opal." One of the guards greeted them when they landed. "We weren't expecting you."
"Please tell Su, we're here and she needs to see us immediately." Tenzin ordered them.
"What's your sister like mom?" Asha asked.
Lin crossed her arms, Tenzin could see her guard going up. "I don't know. Ask Opal, I haven't talked to her in 30 years."
"What?" Opal asked, unaware of the sister's history. Korra, Asha, Jinora, and Kai also listened in clearly interested. The kids had been trying to listen in as closely as possible as without being noticed by either of the older adults. It was a good thing none of them were spies because they had largely failed at that. But because of that Lin and he hadn't talked at all because of them. He knew Lin wouldn't appreciate it and he didn't really want to lay out all of his feelings to her with the kids listening in. The last 20 years was a conversation they needed to have but not one with anyone else around to overhear. Hopefully Zaufo would provide them with that tomorrow.
The guard came back over to them. "Lady Biefong will see you at the main house." He said. "This way." He gestured to the rail car with his hand. They took the train to Su's mansion, Tenzin let his hand find Lin's and intertwined their fingers, like he had done virtually every chance he got. He could feel Lin tensing up as they were led into Su's office. Lin was looking around her back to the door.
"What's so important that you guys show up here in the mild of the night unannounced. Did someone start another war?" Su said walking into the room, with her husband on her heels both look like they had just gotten ready for bed.
"No it is good news." Lin said, stepping out from behind Tenzin. "Hello Su."