A style change for Lin. Followed by sharing everything that has happened over her decade of imprisonment.
A/N: This chapter is longer than usual. I tried to make sure that we had lighter parts mixed with the darker portions.
*This is not an accurate depiction of legitimate police investigations, this is just fiction.*
*Also I did not have a chance to proofread much, so if you see an error, let me know :)
"Knock-knock."
Lin looked up from brushing her hair to find her aunts Ty Lee and Suki in the doorway to her room she shared with her youngest children. She offered them a shy smile. "Hi." She offered awkwardly, feeling a little exposed in just her bathrobe. She had just gotten to her room after having a shower in preparation for today's trip to the Police precinct.
"Hey sweetie, we have something for you!" Ty Lee said, stepping into the room eagerly. She would have gotten farther if Suki's hand hadn't shot out and grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Sorry, Lin, your Aunt meant to ask if it would be okay if we came in for a few moments."
Ty Lee pouted slightly, but then turned excited, pleading brownish-grey eyes on Lin. "Oh right, yes, may we come in? Please?"
"I suppose so." Lin had barely finished speaking her acceptance when Ty Lee broke free of Suki's grip and stepped closer.
The chi-blocker then turned and laid something down on the bed.
"Here Lin, your Auntie and I thought you would like to wear something that seemed more like home too. I asked Kya for your measurements and called my contact in the City. They had this and a few other outfits made up for you. They will fit you up until the end of your pregnancy, I made sure to tell them that it was very important. Oh! And they are all made of such soft materials! I remembered how sensitive your skin was to certain fabrics. I-"
"Love, you really need to breathe and let Lin absorb what you are telling her." Suki said, wrapping a hand around Ty Lee's waist, pulling her into her side. The shorter woman sighed, but tucked her own arm around Suki's waist.
Lin blushed when she realized her hunch from the other day must have been right. They certainly were acting like lovers.
"Oh, darling, did you not know we were together?" Ty Lee asked, noticing Lin's expression.
Lin swallowed and shook her head. "No."
"You… You don't have an issue with it, do you?" Suki asked, her face more guarded.
"No!" Lin blurted out in her rush to reassure them. She cringed at how loud she had been. "No, I was just surprised. But, I think that if you make each other happy… Then you should be happy together." She said timidly, offering a reassuring little smile.
The two Kyoshi Warrior's smiled back at her warmly, pleased to know that they were accepted.
"We actually got together before… everything… but we decided to just keep to ourselves for a little bit. We had just told Mai and Zuko when we got the call a few weeks later about you going missing." Suki said delicately.
Lin swallowed at being reminded of just how much she had missed out on, because of those men. She mentally shook herself, she couldn't afford to get upset before they even made it into the City. She instead nodded at them and then turned to look at what had been laid out on the bed.
Laying there was a beautiful pine coloured, long-sleeved tunic that was cut and styled in the Earth Kingdom/Republic City fusion that Lin had favoured in her teenage years. Throughout it had little embellishments that had been hand stitched with gold coloured thread. There were a pair of darker pants to wear underneath. The outfit was a much nicer quality that what she would have worn as a teenager, but as she fingered the silky soft fabric, she was grateful that her aunt had even remembered her preferences in fabrics.
"Thank you." Lin choked out, trying to swallow back tears of gratitude.
"Oh sweetie, it was our pleasure. We know how good it feels to be in the right clothes. And while I am sure you have gotten comfortable in what you wear now, we just thought it would be nice to add some green back into your wardrobe." Ty Lee said.
Lin sniffed before flinging herself onto them. Their arms quickly wrapped around her and hugged her close.
After a little bit, they pulled back. Suki wiped the tears from Lin's cheek as Ty Lee wiped her sleeve over her own face.
"Do you want some help getting ready?" They asked her.
Lin bit her lip for a moment, before nodding. Being helped with her outfit and hair, made her feel like a young girl again. If she closed her eyes, she could almost picture herself being on Kyoshi Island with the two women during one of the summers she went and trained with them. The feeling of sisterhood that the Kyoshi Warriors offered had once intrigued Lin so much, she had almost considered officially moving and joining them at 15. But decided to stay to help with Suyin. That and she really did enjoy being so close to most of her family.
They avoided the routine of makeup that usually came after hair in the routine, but they all knew that today would be emotional. It was better to skip it today.
"There! You look so pretty in green!" Ty Lee exclaimed, gently dragging Lin over to the floor length mirror.
Lin almost didn't recognize herself in the mirror. Her aunt had not done the hair loopies she had grown accustomed to after all these years. Instead, her hair had been pulled into a braided chignon, to keep it out of her face today. She then turned this way and that, not used to wearing green anymore. Her jade eyes popped against the darker greens. For a moment she saw the old Lin staring back at her. But a glimpse of her betrothal necklace reminded her of what she was now, just a shell of her old self.
"Do you want us to remove it, Lin?" Suki asked softly, coming to stand behind Lin's left shoulder. She had caught the earthbender staring at the ivory pendant.
Lin shook her head, eyes wide in panic. "I can't!"
"Hey, shhh, it's okay Lin. No one is going to force you to remove it." Suki reassured her softly. "You can remove it when and if you are ready, no matter how long, okay?"
Lin ducked her head, avoiding their eyes, but nodded that she understood and heard what her aunt said.
An hour later, Aang was landing Appa just outside the back entrance to the Republic City's Police Headquarters. He helped Lin down as Toph bent the earth up for Nuna, Istas, Tarrlok, and Katara to step onto. Kya chose to slide down Appa's tail, as she had always preferred.
Inside they were met by Himiko and Daichi.
Toph led them to a room that had a few couches and some refreshments gathered on the table. Anytime they had larger parties of victims and witnesses giving interviews they set them up in this room so that they were out of the way of the hustle and bustle that being at the Police precinct held.
No sooner had they arrived in the room, when Toph's second in command, Bao, entered the room. He greeted Toph and everyone else before turning to Lin. He remembered when she was just a little thing running around the office like she ran the place.
"It is so good to see you again Lin." He said sincerely. Lin gave him a shy smile and nod, but otherwise stayed silent. He felt a pang of anger towards the men in the cells for corrupting this innocent girl. He didn't allow his inner feelings to show, keeping his expression light. "We are ready for you in interview room one."
Lin took a shuddered breath, nodding once more. She turned to Nuna who had glued herself to her mother's side. "Okay pebble, you stay here with your Auntie's okay? I will see you when I am done."
Nuna whimpered and clung to Lin. "I don't want you to leave."
Lin swallowed back tears that threatened to emerge at seeing her daughter so terrified. "I know baby, but I have to. How about we have Amaruq sleep with your siblings, and we can cuddle all night?"
The young girl finally allowed Istas to pull her from her mama. She clung to her aunt as her mother kissed her head before being led out of the room.
Lin couldn't control the slight trembling of her body as she sat in the interview room. The room was different to the interrogation rooms downstairs, but it was still a sterile and cold room. At least the chairs were padded and they provided them all with tea.
Bao set a clunky microphone on the table, the long wire heading towards one wall. Lin was sure there was a huge recording device on the other side.
"I hope you don't mind Lin, but we will need to take your account with a recording. This will ensure that they know your answers weren't coerced due to your unique relationship with many here at the station."
Lin nodded in understanding and Bao turned on the recording. "This is Deputy Chief Bao interviewing Ms. Lin Beifong." He proceeded to list off the case number and the date of the interview. "In the room representing Ms. Beifong is Attorney Himiko, and the support in the room are Chief Toph Beifong and Master Healer Kya.
"Alright, now that we have the necessities out of the way, I just wanted to go over how this will go. Our main focus is to find out what happened in your own words. I will let you speak, and ask questions as they come up. What you tell us will be used to corroborate the evidence we have received, as well as fill in the gaps so that we know the whole picture of what happened. Do you understand?"
Lin nodded again, but was prompted this time to speak. "Y-yes, I understand." She said softly. She soon found her hand in Kya's warm ones, and that helped settle some of her nerves.
"Shall we start at the beginning?"
"I- It was Spring of 136, just weeks after my 16th birthday, and I was on my way to the market to get that week's groceries. I had turned down one of the alleyways that I would use to cut my trip in half, when I was," Lin swallowed, "I was ambushed from above. I-I tried fighting them, but I was chi-blocked and then drugged in the shoulder." She closed her eyes. "Next thing I knew I was on a thin futon mattress in a wooden slatted box. I faded in and out of consciousness, and when the drugs started to fade and I awoke fully, the box was being carried off the ship. I remember feeling the cold wind and seeing the bright white of the snow."
Lin paused, eyes opening to stare down at her hand in Kya's, grounding herself. "I was brought to a hut on the outskirts of the City. The top was opened and I was yanked up. My limbs were still so heavy, but I remember it was freezing, even when inside."
"Who was in the room with you?" Bao asked when she paused again.
"T-Tulok was holding me up. The leader was an older man. He said he was the leader of the Red Lotus, his name being Xai Bao; he introduced Yakone immediately as well. They did not hide the truth of who he was"
Lin continued telling them what had transpired during the conversations.
"So they bloodbent you to make you appear dead to take a picture of you to send as proof of your demise? To make your mother and Avatar Aang believe you were dead?"
"Yes… They wanted to get back at them for what happened with Yakone. I also was perfect for their goal. They…" Lin choked slightly on her words, before taking a shuddering breath. "The Red Lotus, they wanted to raise strong benders and train them to basically be their elite bending soldiers."
"How were they able to get you to go along with this?" Bao asked, careful to make sure his voice wasn't condescending.
Lin glanced at her mother, knowing that this next part would be hard for her. She swallowed and looked up at Bao. "They threatened to take Suyin instead."
Sure enough, a sound of startled inhalation of air came from beside her.
"They held the safety of your sister over you? Those sick fu-"
"Toph! Please, this is an interview. Lin needs you to remain calm and in control of your emotions right now, or I will have to ask you to remove yourself from the room." Bao said, his voice changing to one used to handle subordinates.
Toph's hands tightened into fists, but she shut her mouth. Lin could see the muscles working in her jaw. She placed a tentative hand over one of her mother's fists, and breathed a sigh of relief when her mother relaxed slightly and turned her hand to hold onto Lin's.
"So they threatened you with kidnapping your sister, who was 10 years old at the time?"
"Y-yes. I… I couldn't, no, wouldn't allow them to hurt her. I would go through it all again if it meant protecting her."
Bao nodded. "Tell us what happened next."
Lin shakily explained the wedding and the backstory they had given her, how they had tricked the officiant. She closed her eyes tightly as she recounted the wedding night. Tears leaked from her closed eyes. Kya, despite tears leaking from her own eyes, grabbed a tissue from the box on the table and dabbed lightly at Lin's cheeks once she had finished.
"I think Ms. Beifong could use a little break. Shall we reconvene in 15 minutes?"
Bao nodded and shut off the microphone. He left the room with Himiko, giving the three women some privacy.
Toph instantly pulled Lin into her arms, holding her tightly, allowing Lin to fully break down at the loss of her innocence. She had never been able to fully mourn the loss of her true self.
"I've got you baby. He will never, ever touch you again. Even if I have to kill him. I promise." Toph said, rocking slightly as she held Lin close.
Once calmed, Lin asked Kya to take her to the washroom. After using the facilities, Kya helped soothe Lin's reddened face with her bending.
"Are you feeling alright everywhere else, Linny?" Kya asked, concerned that the stress of the day would be getting to the pregnant earthbender.
"I'm okay. I just want to get this all over with."
"I know, sweetie." Kya replied, squeezing Lin's hand comfortingly.
"Oh!" Lin smiled and flipped their hands before placing Kya's on her belly. A moment later Kya felt a soft thud against her palm.
"Awe, hello there little one." Kya said, a smile gracing her own lips, which matched Lin's.
They both were in better spirits when they entered the room once more. It unfortunately didn't last long, but it had helped in the moment.
Soon Lin was describing the first few months of her forced marriage and imprisonment. She described what would happen if she didn't have dinner ready, or if she didn't get the chores done in time. How he would forcefully take her whenever he wished. How he would be worse if she fought back.
"I wasn't allowed to use the moon tea… at least in the beginning. I… I didn't realize the signs of pregnancy until he pointed out my nausea and such was most likely not the flu. Sure enough, the healers confirmed the next day that I was pregnant. It was like a switch turned on him. Suddenly he was attentive and caring. Making sure I ate, and had the right teas and supplements that would support a healthy pregnancy."
"How did you feel about being pregnant?"
Lin looked down, feeling a well of shame and guilt in her. "Before I felt the baby move… I hated it. I wished it away all the time. But when I felt it, Nuna, move for the first time, my world shifted. There was going to be this little human being that was part me, and I vowed right then and there to love and protect her with my life. I do not regret any of my children, I just regret how they came to be. I wish that Tulok wasn't their father, but I can't change that."
"How did he treat the children? Did he ever hurt them?"
"The only time he did anything like that was the day we were rescued. He admittedly loves the children, and I don't want them thinking he doesn't. I will not hide what he has done, once they are old enough to understand. But I… I will always assure them that he loves them. I don't want them to be hurt anymore than they will be by all of this." Lin answered fiercely.
"Were the children ever witness to any of the abuse you received at his hands?"
Lin shook her head. "Perhaps a couple when Nuna was an infant, however it was the one thing he agreed to when I suggested he never raise a hand or his voice to me in front of the children. There was the odd pointed look, but he did not, until the day we were rescued, lay a hand on me in front of the children."
The rest of the day was spent answering endless questions, exposing everything that had happened to her over the 10 years of her captivity. She was thoroughly questioned why she had never tried to escape, mostly so that they covered every angle so that it was a tight case.
It was very late by the time they left the room. Lin was being supported slightly by Kya, as she was emotionally and physically exhausted. Not to mention being 7 months pregnant made her a lot more tired lately.
Aang was there waiting on them and helped them onto Appa. He reassured Lin that Nuna was alright, and that she was being fussed over by her aunties on the Island.
Lin was nudged awake when they arrived, having dozed off against her mother on the flight over. She hissed when she was placed on the ground, as her feet and ankles had become swollen from all the sitting in one place she had down. Regardless though, she pushed through the pain and made her way into the house, determined to find Nuna and make sure she was okay.
"Mama!" Cried Nuna as she ran to Lin upon seeing her.
"Oh pebble, are you alright?"
"Yes. Auntie Katara came in with me and Mr. Daichi. The officer was nice." She rubbed her cheek into the silky green tunic Lin wore, and patted her mother's belly where the baby gave her a nudge. "I didn't like talking about Daddy like that. But I did it."
Lin placed a kiss on Nuna's forehead. "You are my brave girl. I love you so much."
"I love you too, Mama." She then pulled back, and ushered her mother into the dining room. "You should eat Mama. We kept dinner hot for you."
That night Nuna was snuggled up to Lin, fast asleep. Lin laid there watching her first baby. "I love you, my little pebble." She leant over and hid her face into her daughter's hair. She took in the comforting scent, and finally allowed herself to relax. Lin finally drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Hopefully planning a sister moment with our favourite Beifong sisters for the next chapter.