Hey guys thanks so much for your patience, I have wanted to get this out for some time but with my work increasing and all kinds of other things, plus the holidays drawing near I will say my time will be occupied. I will write still, I just might be slower than normal.

This chapter Korra goes for some advice, and she decides to talk to Kuvira again and if it goes well…you'll have to read to find out. ;)

I don't own Legend of Korra.

Enjoy!

Two days had passed since Korra had spoken with Kuvira, and it had been two of the longest days in her life. Kuvira had kept quiet, even when Korra would check on her to eat and change her bandages, giving the full silent treatment as Korra tried to initiate conversation. Kuvira ate, she slept, and she read books left in her room, but otherwise she wouldn't utter a word.

Korra was tired of it, her alpha could sense the heat getting stronger and in the next few days if not sooner Kuvira's aura would burst and she would be ready. Korra was maintaining her self-control very well, but it would only keep up until the heat came. Truth be told, she needed some assistance in how to approach the angry omega, and she knew just who to speak with on the subject.

"Remind me again why you have to do this?" Asami asked as she handed Korra her glider.

"He's the only one who can help me with the situation on Kuvira; he's had some experience himself that much I know."

"Perhaps, but why not ask Chief Beifong or even your parents?"

"Because I already know what they'll say, and I need a new something to figure this out. His family has been marrying omegas for generations…." Asami nodded in agreement.

"Ok, but until you get back what do you want me to do about Kuvira?"

"I've already been in there to change her bandages, and she's eaten so I think she'll be fine. Just keep an eye on her for me ok?"

"You got it." one quick hug and out the door Korra went. This trip wasn't going to be easy, but Korra didn't feel like anyone else could help in the moment.

"Korra!" after about five or ten minute of gliding over the city and towards the harbor Korra looked down at the large UF battleship. General Iroh, proud and tall prince of the Fire Nation, grandson of former Fire Lord Zuko and son of recent Fire Lord Izumi, stood on deck waving at her.

"Iroh!" Korra landed swiftly on deck, walked up to the General, bowed, and then gave a light hug. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too, you look good."

"So do you Mr. General, I appreciate you agreeing to speak with me." Iroh looked around, noting a few people on deck around but not too far off.

"Let's take this somewhere private eh? We can use my cabin." Korra nodded and followed him bellow. Iroh's quarters were big enough to be a small apartment, one of the main benefits of being on top; it had only one window and a door, but it was private enough for this. "So you said this was urgent, is everything ok? Asami alright? Mako? Bolin?"

"No they're fine, this is more personal than urgent but before I tell you can I have your word to keep this quiet?"

"You can, not a peep out of me." she grinned.

"Thanks…" Korra took a deep breath. "I found my mate." Iroh's eyes widened.

"That's great news, who are they?" Korra gave him a look, and he picked it up. "Trouble?"

"That's putting it mildly; for starters she was gifted to me by the Earth Queen." Iroh's eyes narrowed. "The Dai Li and the queen's head Gunn came to see me and had her in chains; she's been abused most of her life…"

"I wouldn't doubt it if she's been under the queen's rule, that woman is just awful."

"That's putting it mildly, she's been in such bad shape I'm almost afraid to get near her..." she looked away.

"Has she seen a healer?"

"Yeah, Kya's been helping me with everything. It was all going so well too, but the other day I tried to connect with her and she…" Iroh understood.

"You told her she was your mate, and she didn't take it well." Korra nodded. "What do you know about her so far?"

"Other than the abuse, she was abandoned as a kid and ran away from her foster family at fifteen. She pretty much lived on the streets until she was caught by the Dai Li, and while she was imprisoned someone kept slipping her suppressants."

"Suppressants? For how long?" Korra stared at him.

"Her whole life, she's never had a full on heat before and she's going to have one soon. I've tried to tell her I mean no harm, I won't force her into anything but she's fighting me back and forth."

"Honestly I can understand it, while times have changed over the years in protecting and mating with omegas there's still many out there who're used and sold off like property."

"Yeah well, I've been taking care of her since she came to me, but it's not enough."

"Did you tell her a little about you?"

"Yeah, and she seemed to perk up but when I asked her about the suppressants she got angry. I bit her, just to calm her down but…"

"You crossed a line, not a big one but still." Iroh sighed and walked around.

"Go ahead, tell me I messed up big…I rushed and reacted too soon, go on." he stared at her, but his eyes were soft.

"It's obvious there's a lot of fear, if she's been on her own since she was a kid then gaining her trust is a challenge itself. You're treading on thin ice already but…how close is her heat?"

"In a few days I'd say, or less. I don't want to 'take' her on the first but if I don't she'll draw other alphas around since she's still unclaimed." Iroh's face turned into concern, and he scratched at his chin.

"You know, I think I remember my grandfather telling me a similar story once…oh yeah, it was my great Uncle Iroh when he met his mate." Korra's eyes widened a bit.

"Was it the same as my situation?"

"Not entirely, but similar; I'm sure you've heard some tales of back in the day when royalty and any family of nobility arranged marriages for their children?" Korra nodded. "Well that was what happened to Iroh, his wife was an omega and he an alpha but compared to others he was tame. Fire Lord Azulon was hoping to match his oldest son with a fine woman, and he chose the lady Xian Wu; she was a beauty from what I know, but she hated Iroh."

"Why? From what I remember Iroh was always a kind individual…"

"In later years he was, but remember he was also once the crown prince of the Fire Nation and an army general, the first to ever break the wall of Ba Sing Se." he paused. "Anyway, Xian Wu's family pressured her into finding a good match, she was the eldest and they made sure she knew it was her duty to marry well. She accepted it, but she despised how omegas were treated like possessions, but Iroh treated her well. For him, it was love at first sight."

"They had a rocky marriage, right?" Iroh nodded.

"Very rocky, after the wedding she barely spoke or looked at him, over a year later did they start 'getting along'. Xian Wu's family and Azulon kept pushing her into having children, but she refused. She told Iroh under no circumstances would she be a broodmare for him, if she wanted a child then she would decide when it was time."

"And he was ok with that?"

"Not entirely, but he understood her reasons and agreed if they weren't happy then a child shouldn't be forced into it either. Azulon was furious, but Iroh convinced him he would find a way to woo her." Korra found it hard to believe that anyone could hate Iroh; the man himself was practically a saint.

"So what did he do?"

"Mostly he spent time talking to her maids and even watched to see her activities, found out her favorite hobby was reading and writing poetry. So the big lug decided that he could try and sway her with his own poem, and he spent days working on the perfect one." Iroh chuckled, trying not to laugh hard.

"I'm guessing it didn't go so well?"

"It was terrible, Iroh was so nervous he missed several verses and he could barely form a sentence after she kept giving him odd looks. It made her laugh though, and despite it being a terrible piece, she offered to give him lessons. He agreed, and things got better from there."

"How long did it take before she fell in love with him?"

"Almost another year, but they became very close; Xian Wu gave him everything he could want. By the time their son Lu Ten was born, you'd never seen a happier couple…" Korra caught the slight falter.

"Still, it couldn't have been easy for him."

"Oh it wasn't, but he loved her and eventually she came to love him. You on the other hand, I think you're going to have a tougher time with…what is her name?"

"Kuvira and she's a hard nut to crack that's for sure." Iroh laughed. "But seriously, what am I going to do? I can't just force her into accepting this, not after all she's gone through."

"You are right, and I think the best I can advise is that you try and show Kuvira you'll be good to her. You've already given her the first mark, so the next best thing would be to try courting her." courting, Korra hated that word for good reason.

"Well I can't take her out, she can't walk and it's healers' orders not to leave the bedroom." Iroh stared at her. "What?"

"Is this coming from the same girl who broke into city hall to confront a councilman for falsely arresting her friends; or the same girl who broke out of a military compound and stowed away on a ship to pursue her destiny in Republic City against the direct orders of the White Lotus and Master Tenzin?" Korra blushed.

"Hey those were different; I had to act those times."

"And what about now?"

"Well I can't jeopardize her health, Kya will murder me if something happens." he gave her a long stare, and Korra let out a huff. "Fine, I'll figure something out but…Iroh what am I going to do if she won't give me a chance?"

"Keep trying, that's all you can do." Korra rolled her eyes. "Hey, believe me if this girl is your true mate it'll work out on its own."

"I hope so, I mean…you know how I wasn't even looking for a mate right? Well now that I've found her…"

"You want to make her happy, it's natural. Now, have I helped you in any way?" Korra smiled.

"You have given me some advice anyone else could've, but the story…yeah that was a big help."

"So what're you gonna do?" she took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"I'm going to head back home and attempt to talk to her, again. I just hope this time she doesn't try to bite my head off."

"And I wish you the best of luck, and hey…I wanna meet her sometime." Korra hugged him.

"Thanks a lot my friend, if this works out I'll owe you big time." after splitting apart Iroh helped Korra on deck to be sure it was clear, and with his say she took off on the glider. It wasn't long before she reached the temple, and after she landed in the back garden she walked inside to see Asami coming down the stairs.

"You're back, how did it go?" the two friends shared a brief hug.

"It went well, I have an idea how to approach this carefully. Was everything ok here?" Asami frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" the CEO took a breath and glanced back at the stairs.

"After you left I went to check on Kuvira, and when I did…she was crying in her sleep." Korra's mouth dropped open slightly. "She was talking too, but I could only make out the words no and don't…"

"Did you try waking her?"

"She didn't wake, but she calmed down after a while. I brought her some water but she was still sleeping." Korra looked up at the stairs. "Or perhaps not, do you want me…?"

"You've done plenty Sams, I know you've got work to do and you've got that big meeting to prep for. I'll owe you for this." Asami only smiled.

"You don't owe me anything, I'm glad to help. Now, go up there and…do something to convince Kuvira you mean well. I'll come back later if you want."

"Nah, you go on and do whatever you have to. Just call me if you need something, especially if those triads are giving you trouble again."

"Korra there hasn't been any trouble since last month, I can handle it. I'll see you later." after Asami left with her things Korra quickly made her way up to Kuvira's room. She saw the door was cracked open a bit, peeking inside to see Kuvira still in bed, seemingly asleep.

"Kuvira…?" Korra opened the door, taking a better look at the woman in bed. "Kuvira I can tell you're not really asleep, so come on." Korra stood beside the bed, but Kuvira didn't budge. "I can tell you're alive too, and your breathing is even so let's just…let's talk." Kuvira still didn't move.

'She is stubborn, command her.'

'I can't it's too soon, I'll make it work.'

"Kuvira, I know you're still angry with me but I promise I won't hurt you. I know what you think of most alphas and I don't blame you, but not all of us are bad. In fact a fair amount of us are good, we aren't all rabid beasts."

"So you say." Kuvira's eyes opened, hard like jewels but looking brighter.

"Hey you spoke, how do you feel?"

"I don't want to talk to you."

"It's just a question, please answer me." the omega rolled her eyes.

"The same as yesterday, is that enough for you?" Korra gave her a look.

"Yes, but no as well."

"Why are you even bothering? Why do you care so much?"

"Because I've spent the last few days trying to heal you, and I'm trying to help you."

"Help me? You're keeping me locked up here in this room…"

"Because your body needs rest, as do you. Look Kuvira, I know this has all come at you fast, but I think that maybe you and I should give this a shot."

"A shot? Give you and me, a shot?" Kuvira's eyes narrowed. "As far as I'm concerned there is no us, you are the avatar and you need a trophy mate to carry pups." Korra rolled her eyes.

"If I wanted a trophy mate there are more than plenty of those all over the city, and you're not a trophy."

"I was given to you as a prize, what do you call that?"

"You are not a prize to be won or a possession to be given Kuvira, I'm sorry if you got that impression from me but not all alphas are bad." Kuvira sat up slightly, but her posture was stiff.

"The last person who told me that tried to give me away as a bride, so forgive me if I don't believe you." ok that was unexpected, partially.

"Kuvira, like it or not this is happening, you are my mate but I'm not going to force you into anything you don't want. What you said earlier about pups, you don't have to worry about that for a while."

"Define a while."

"I won't rush you into motherhood; we're both still quite young so I think pups can wait."

"Yet you still want them."

"Yes, but like I said it's no rush right now. My first focus will be helping you heal, and after you've recovered I'd like to try and know you more."

"Oh really? Is that before or after my heat comes?" Korra's eyes closed. "Yeah, I know you can sense it growing so can I. I know the minute you smell me you'll be all over, every time someone has gotten a whiff of my scent they come out and expect me to submit and obey." Korra's eyes flashed, the idea of someone putting their filthy hands all over Kuvira, her mate, infuriated her inner alpha.

"You've never been through a full heat, how did they smell you?" Kuvira glared.

"That's none of your business; I've already told you I am not your mate! I don't care if you've already marked me, I will fight you…" Korra grabbed at Kuvira's hand, trying to pull her close but when their eyes met Korra froze. She saw the green orbs flooding with tears, the fear in those pupils, it made her heart feel heavy.

"Kuvira…"

"I won't let you take me, you can't make me do this." the omega pulled back and curled up under her blanket. Korra touched her shoulder, feeling her shaking hard; the smell of fear was strong, and whoever made Kuvira feel this way if they were still around, they would suffer.

"Someone hurt you didn't they…?" if Kuvira heard her she didn't respond. Korra rubbed her back soothingly but the shaking didn't stop. Realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere with this she decided to give Kuvira a little more space. It was obvious when she got like this there wasn't much talking, but Korra wouldn't leave her alone, not again.

'She is still pure, but someone has touched her.'

'I know.' Korra's alpha senses could smell Kuvira was still a virgin, but for this reaction, something had happened. Korra knew this little meeting could go south, again, but like Iroh said she had to keep trying.

"Kuvira." Korra called to her. "I know you're hurting, but I'll make this better I promise you."

"No you can't." Korra almost jumped at the muffled response, and the blanket uncovered Kuvira's face, all red and tear streaked. "You can't make this better, no one can." Korra's instincts came over, and she wrapped her arm around Kuvira's frame. Kuvira shook harder, and sobbed in her hold, so Korra's free hand went into her hair and stroked. She was mindful of her wounds, and Kuvira didn't pull away or even attempt to do so.

"Ssshhhh, it's ok, it's ok you're safe now." Korra held her close and continued to whisper in her ear, and Kuvira's sobs started to lessen. Kuvira leaned against her, her face going into Korra's shirt and she went limp.

"I'm not safe, I'm not…" Korra held her tighter.

"You're safe with me Kuvira; I promise I'll protect you." Kuvira shook her head, and the cries came back. "I won't let anyone else get to you, never."

"Why…?" Kuvira's voice was muffled into Korra's shoulder.

"Because I care about you."

'And because you're mine.'

Ok this came out a little shorter than the last chapter but I hope you all still enjoyed it!

I know in reality canon Korra and Iroh aren't that close, plus there is a huge age difference but I decided to make them somewhat closer here. I figured why not let her learn more from Zuko's grandson, with a story of his namesake.

Next chapter we pick up with Korra trying to get closer with Kuvira, and we get a little time with Asami in the mix. Just to be clear this isn't going to turn into a Korvirasami, but the girls are going to be close.

Until next time everyone, so please tell me your thoughts!