Korra, you were so right!" Kuvira uttered jubilantly as her eyes scanned the star-studded Antarctic night sky from the very first time.
Many months had gone by, but the metalbender could still relive with photographic precision the events that propelled the last-minute impulse to change course from her intended destination of Ba Sing Se to journey all the way to the Southern Water Tribe. Now, from the bow of a United Republic's frigate, the former Zaofu commander gazed at the shimmering colors of the southern lights with a smile, at last understanding her friend's enthusiastic insistence she–no, they, had to witness it together someday.
Kuvira closed her eyes, a sudden gust tussling her hair as a briny scent filled her nostrils. In the quiet of the night, memories began to flow freely as her hands gripped the handrail to steady herself. The metalbender let out a long, cleansing exhale that quickly transformed into a misty cloud and when she blinked, she could no longer distinguish the lights of the sprawling walled capital city beyond. Instead, she saw a white blur that became larger until it acquired the shape of an Air Bison. And that's when she recognized Suyin Beifong hastily dismounting and again, her mind painstakingly reenacted every sight and sound of that fateful day as it if had happened mere hours ago.
"Kuvira, round up the wounded", the matriarch had ordered, urgency dripping from every syllable. "The airships will land any minute now. so we need to move!" "Where are the first aid kits?"
"Here," Kuvira replied as she helped the matriarch gather the remaining kits. "Suyin, where's Kor–where's Avatar Korra?" Kuvira quickly corrected herself as she made a conscious effort to play down her distress.
"We have Korra, but she's badly wounded and we need to leave in a hurry. Let's go now!" They both caught the outlines of several Zaofu airships speedily approaching their location.
"Can I see her?"
Suyin paused for a moment. "Captain, what's gotten into your head? I just gave you an order!"
"But Su…!"
Suyin shook her head in disbelief, olive eyes growing dark as she scowled. "Kuvira! What the hell is wrong with you? Do as you've been told. I'll be leaving for Republic City with Opal, Lin, and the rest."
A faint hope flickered in Kuvira's face. "Can I go with you?" Behind Su, the metalbender caught the broad silhouette of Tonraq carrying a limp body in his arms as he approached a landing airship. Anguish was sketched in every line of his face.
"Korra!" she mouthed as her muscles coiled. The metal bands of her armor rippled slightly. Kuvira barely suppressed the impulse to sprint towards them, stopped only by Suyin's displeased countenance.
"Of course not!" the matriarch spat back and with that, she unintentionally crushed Kuvira's incipient hope, leaving in its place the uncertainty that would gnaw at Kuvira's insides for the weeks to come.
"Captain, you have your duties and I have mine. You make sure our people are taken care of and that our city is safe from another Red Lotus attack. We got Zaheer but we don't know how many more of these bastards are still out there. Do you understand?"
"Yes ma'am," Kuvira replied in a perfunctory tone. Her attention was becoming more detached from Su and more focused on what was happening behind her. They had taken Korra inside the ship and the rescued airbenders were boarding now.
"Perfect. We should leave now. I'll be contacting you by radio once we make it to Republic City. And Kuvira?" The way Suyin said her name revealed she noticed her momentary lapse in attention.
"Yes ma'am."
"I won't tolerate this undisciplined attitude from you again. We're in the middle of a crisis and I expect better from you. Have I made myself clear?"
Kuvira caught the ominous tone. Suyin was nearing her breaking point and it wouldn't take much to have her temper boil over.
"Crystal clear," the metalbender replied with a sharp salute.
"Good. Now leave and do as you've been told. I have important things to do and I don't have the time nor the patience to dawdle."
"Understood," Kuvira said, but as she lead her wounded comrades into their airship while the others embarked on a desperate race towards Republic City, her mind spun with schemes of her own.
The welcoming drone of a lighthouse's foghorn cut through the silence and her recollections. Another gust blew and she shivered but despite the intense cold and the numbness she felt on her cheeks, she smiled. She made it.
"Soon…" she had declared to herself and now as she walked beside the small contingent of Southern Water Tribe warriors that came to welcome her, Kuvira knew the hardest part of her plan was just about to begin.
"I can't wait to see this with you, Korra."
"Captain, I'm so glad to see you!" Tonraq boomed as he wrapped Kuvira in an embrace.
"I-I'm glad to see you too, sir," Kuvira replied as she awkwardly patted his shoulders in response.
"I think the captain is not used to this type of greeting, Tonraq," Senna chuckled at the flustered expression on the metalbender's face.
"I'm sorry! Where are my manners? Ah yes, as I was saying, I'm truly glad to see you," the chief said as he extended his hand towards Kuvira. She took it and she felt her armor tremble under her thick parka when he shook it vigorously.
Thank you for receiving me on such short notice. I don't think I'll have the liberty to travel for pleasure once I join the stabilizing forces in Ba Sing Se."
"It takes a lot of courage to do what you're about to do, Kuvira. I've heard about the situation in the Earth Kingdom and to be honest, it doesn't sound good," Tonraq replied, the subdued tone of his voice reflecting the concern shared by everyone present at the Chief's study.
"Please take a seat while I order some tea. You must be exhausted from the long journey," Senna added as she motioned Kuvira to sit.
"I must admit it was more tiring than I had expected." Kuvira's composed demeanor concealed the fact that her first 48 hours in the open sea had been quite nightmarish. Kuvira couldn't believe you could throw up twice what you ate until they met an unexpected squall that rocked the ship and made her insides churn in ways she didn't think were humanly possible. Fortunately for the novice traveler, the rest of the journey continued with calm winds and clear, pleasant days.
"It is a daunting trip for anyone. The sea is in our very blood and culture so we sometimes forget not everyone is as attuned to it as we are. Was this your first time at sea, captain?" Senna asked.
"Yes, this has been my first sea voyage, and in fact, it is the first time I've been away from Zaofu in a long time. The last time I was away from the city was when traveled to Laghima's Peak..." the remainder of the sentence died in Kuvira's lips. The metalbender groaned inwardly as she noticed how Tonraq stiffened in his seat and Senna let out a soft gasp at the mention of the place where tragedy has struck their family. A sullen, tense pause befell the small room, barely broken by the anxious tapping of her boots against the floor as they exchanged uneasy glances until an employee put a merciful end to the uncomfortable silence when tea was finally delivered.
"So, Kuvira, about the reason that brings you here, I believe you are aware of the severity of my daughter's condition," Tonraq stated, his composure recovered from the awkward lapse.
"I understand Avatar Korra is here to recover after…" Kuvira's voice trailed off. "I don't think I need to say what is common knowledge by now."
"It is more complicated than that, but basically. yes, that is the reason my daughter is back home. Kuvira, I'm going to be completely honest with you."
"Tonraq…!" Senna gasped alarmed.
"If she made the decision to travel all the way from Zaofu to the South Pole, then I believe she deserves to know the truth."
"Sir, I didn't mean to upset you or your wife with my presence, but I just need to see Korra one last time."
"But why? You barely know each other!" Senna interrupted. She knew that without Kuvira's timely intervention, Tonraq wouldn't be here now, and for that, she was forever in her debt, but Senna was deeply confounded by her sudden interest in Korra. The metalbender didn't strike her as the obsessive fan type, so she pondered what could've motivated the captain's unexpected visit to her home.
Kuvira stood up. "Because I made a promise and I intend to keep my word."
Tonraq carefully regarded the young, eager leader standing in front of him. A faint smile curved at the corners of his lips. He recognized the steeled resolve shimmering in her eyes, but as a seasoned fighter and leader, he could also see the faint shadow of a doubt which haunts the heart of every warrior before a major battle.
"You're afraid you might not make it back from Ba Sing Se, isn't it, Kuvira?"
The metalbender let out a long exhale. "I am. That's why I'm here today."
"Do you think Korra will want to see her? You know how she's been lately," Senna reminded as she took her husband's hand.
Tonraq gave a reassuring squeeze to his wife's hand. "Darling, when I spoke with the captain, I made her aware of the risks." The metalbender nodded at that.
"Kuvira, what I and Senna wanted to tell you is that Korra has remained secluded inside her room for the past few days. She's barely eating and nightmares have plagued her nights, to the point we all wake up to Naga's distressed wailing. We expected her recovery to be a long and difficult process after what the Red Lotus put her through, but I'm afraid her condition has worsened. When I accepted your petition, it was in the hopes that an unexpected friendly visit might cheer her up, but I'm afraid my daughter isn't herself and I don't know how she will react to your presence here."
"We just don't want you to set up your hopes too high," Senna added. Kuvira could sense her anguish in the slight quivering in her voice.
"I appreciate your concern, but please, don't worry about me. Chief Tonraq is right. I know this is far from a done deal and if Avatar Korra doesn't want to see me, I will respect her wishes and I'll be on my way. It will be like I wasn't here at all. But I just can't leave for my mission without at least taking a shot at this."
Tonraq offered the metalbender a benevolent glance.
"I believe we have reached an understanding then." The Chief and Senna approached the metalbender together. "My wife and I will talk to Korra later today over dinner and as soon as we know, we'll inform you of her decision. Meanwhile, please make yourself comfortable. You are our esteemed guest after all," he added as they guided her towards her guest room.
"Chief, I cannot thank you enough for this."
"It's the least we can do," he said as he opened the door to her room. "Oh, and let me give you a piece of advice not a chief, but as a fellow warrior." He rested a massive hand over her shoulder and grinned. 'Make sure to take this time to rest and gather your strength while you can." For a brief moment, Kuvira felt he wasn't being treated as a foreigner but as part of the family.
"I will!"
As she watched Tonraq and Senna walk away together, Kuvira finally allowed herself a relieved sigh to escape her lips. That evening, as the metalbender organized her few belongings, she went over her plan one more time. During her journey and once she had felt strong enough to stroll the deck, Kuvira listened to the conversations of the ship's crew and through their idle gossip, she found out that Korra's recovery was taking longer than anyone had foreseen. It made her mission even more urgent because no one knew for sure when the Avatar would be healthy enough to return to action. Kuvira was running out of time. Ba Sing Se's decimated forces were faltering and every day that went by, the city and the Earth Kingdom itself teetered on the brink of chaos. As she put away the last of her things, the metalbender noticed the balcony adjacent to her room. She adjusted her parka and set out to enjoy the view. There was only one person left who needed convincing: Korra, but Kuvira didn't make it this far just to fail. She was determined to uphold her word because deep inside, she understood she might not get another chance.
"Korra, please give me the chance to create this memory with you."
-to be continued-