Published May 15, 2018

"No One Is Alone"

In the meantime let us study things that are no more. It is necessary to understand them, if only to avoid them. The counterfeits of the past take assumed names, and are fond of calling themselves the future. That eternally returning specter, the past, not infrequently falsifies its passport. Let us be ready for the snare. Let us beware. The past has a face, superstition, and a mask, hypocrisy. Let us denounce the face and tear off the mask. ~ Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, translated by Lee Fahnestock and Norman Macafee

"You sure you feel ready to spar with bending?" Mako questions, hands on his hips.

Korra reflects that having this conversation is a mark of how much she has progressed since she began training in the elements. When she first started, she was tentative and needed to be coaxed into creating fire or manipulating water or earth. Now she feels she has a pretty good handle on them, and wants to move on to practical application, specifically in a martial context. Plus, she has always enjoyed sparring, and she enjoys spending time with Mako and Bolin, so she believes she would like sparring with them.

"We can't keep putting it off," Korra insists. "I've been here two weeks now. I have to start putting theory to practice."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this," Bolin stalls.

Korra quirks an eyebrow, smirking at him. "Why? Because I'm a girl?"

Bolin waves his hands in protest. "No, no! Because you're a friend!"

Korra laughs at the way he scrambles to avoid being offensive. "Bolin, I was kidding."

Asami has a serious question. "Are you thinking about trying to use bending if you end up fighting the Equalists?"

Korra does not answer immediately. She still has mixed feelings about that prospect. "If it comes to that, I'd want to be able to use whatever abilities I can. And I don't want to make a fool of myself, or get captured, because I messed up a move."

Before he agrees, Mako presses Tenzin and Monad about the extent of their sparring privileges. "You're really giving us permission to do this?"

"As long as you don't aim for her head … yes, you may spar with the Avatar," Tenzin concedes.

Bolin goes first. He and Korra circle each other around the circumference of the bagua circle, each waiting for the other to make the first move. "Give me your best shot," Korra encourages him. "I can take it."

Taking her at her word, Bolin starts bending rocks and earth discs to her. Korra redirects the first few, but then she tries breaking the projectiles into chunks. She even allows one to almost reach her, and punches her fist against it; instead of breaking her fingers, the clod of hard-packed earth crumbles into dust. "Nice!" Bolin hoots.

Since they want to leave Air Temple Island's landscaping intact, they are somewhat limited in what they can do. "If we were really under attack," Bolin says, "you could try opening up the ground to trip people, or pulling up slabs to trap them."

Korra nods. She has always been good at imagining possible ways to take advantage of her surroundings, and lately she has been getting better at incorporating bending into her mindset. Now that she has embraced the creative aspect of bending, it is sometimes fun to imagine how it can be used, though she still shrinks back from some possibilities that occur to her.

They are just starting to fall into the rhythm of a real fight when Monad's sharp voice breaks the playful mood. "Avatar Korra!" He and Tenzin come down to the bagua circle.

"Is everything alright?" Korra asks.

"We just received word from a ship coming from the Southern Water Tribe," Tenzin informs her. "My sister Kya and a militia of Water Tribesmen are on their way. They want to meet with you and the Council to discuss our strategy."

Korra's stomach turns, and she cannot tell if her excitement is positive or negative. She told her parents not to come; surely they would have respected that wish, the first favor she had asked them in over a decade.

"You guys should come too," Korra tells her friends. "We're a team now." Her friends' smiles are grateful and hopeful, if somewhat tentative.

Mako voices a concern. "With so many people traveling to and from the island, the Equalists must have a hunch Korra's here."

"Chief Beifong found a solution to that," Tenzin assures them. "Last week she increased security on the bay, so police presence on and around the island wouldn't seem unusual. The police will escort a small party from the ship, but it should look like a routine patrol."

Korra's respect and gratitude for Lin Beifong goes up another notch.

The police boat that comes up to the dock is no different than the many that have carried officers to and from Air Temple Island for lessons on fighting chi-blockers. Tenzin makes his family and Team Avatar wait on the island itself rather than going out onto the dock, so even if the Equalists are watching arrivals they won't realize these visitors are anyone out of the ordinary.

A middle-aged Water Tribe woman comes up first, smiling warmly. The airbender kids come down the slope on their air scooters, then break into a run on the dock, attacking the newcomer with hugs. "We missed you, Aunt Kya!" Jinora says.

"Oh, I missed you too! Your father doesn't bring you to visit nearly enough." Kya approaches Tenzin and playfully punches his arm. "He's probably scared I'll beat him up like when we were kids."

"I'm not scared of you … anymore." Tenzin rubs his arm where she hit it.

Kya's eyes fall on Korra. Her smile turns incredulous. "Can this be Korra?"

Korra smiles slightly, feeling uncharacteristically bashful. "Yeah, that's me."

"You probably don't remember me," the woman says apologetically. "Or if you do, it might be my father's memories, not yours. I saw you when you were young. Now you're all grown up!" She opens her arms invitingly, and somehow it seems natural for Korra to hug her. "Wow, you've gotten strong!"

"Thanks for coming," Korra says quietly as they let go.

Kya nods and turns to Tenzin and his children. "I have a surprise for you all," she announces in a sing-song voice.

"Are you coming to stay with us?" Ikki asks eagerly.

"That hasn't been decided yet. But there's someone else here to visit you."

The next person the police escort down the dock is a woman with gray hair pulled back in a bun and hair loopies. Tenzin is startled at the sight of her. "Mother?"

The three airbender children cry out in delight: "Gran-Gran!" They surround her as soon as she sets foot on the island.

"Oh, you've all gotten so big!" she marvels, touching their hair and faces.

Korra can only stare, awed. She saw this woman at different ages in Aang's memories. And this woman knows her blood relatives. "K-Katara?"

The old master looks up at her, and the smile on her face turns hopeful. "Korra?"

Korra gives an excited cry before hugging the older woman. "I'm so glad you're here!" Katara's arms feel almost like coming home. Korra does not know or much care whether this is because of Aang's connection to her, or the fact that they knew each other when she was small.

Behind Korra, Bolin makes breathy, high-pitched noises. "Oh—my—gosh," he squeals. "Master Katara! I don't believe it!" Katara looks at him quizzically as she and Korra let go of each other.

"Forgive my brother," Mako says apologetically, pulling Bolin back a step. "We're just really honored to meet you, ma'am." The two of them bow politely. Katara smiles and bows her head in return.

"These are my friends," Korra introduces. "Mako, Bolin, and Asami. We're kind of … well, we're trying to be … the new Team Avatar." She feels self-conscious and a little embarrassed, saying this to the woman who was part of Aang's team from the beginning, so long ago.

But Katara's smile only widens. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Mother." Tenzin tries to find the right words and tone to address Katara. "I wish you'd told us you were coming."

"I didn't want to risk having a message intercepted. I'll only be here for a day."

A tall, broad-shouldered Water Tribe man steps off the dock next. He surveys the welcoming party, and seems to pick Korra out from among them. Kya's easy smile wavers somewhat as she introduces him. "This is … our unofficial leader."

"Call me Tamir." He extends a hand to Korra. She shakes his hand, but he holds on to hers and asks, "You're Tonraq and Senna's daughter?"

"As far as I know?" Korra says, in the same tone, making it sound like both a statement and a question.

He releases her hand, but does not take his eyes off her. "You do look like Senna," he says softly.

Tenzin clears his throat, drawing attention back to himself and Katara. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, Mother, but why are you here, now, when it's least safe?" His eyes shift pointedly from Katara to Kya and Tamir and then back as he asks this question.

Katara becomes quite serious. "There's something I need to tell you and your colleagues and allies, before you begin planning this fight."

"You should meet Rohan, too!" Ikki pipes up.

The smile returns to Katara's face. "Yes, that's another reason."

A sizable group gathers around the temple's largest dining table: the five Council members, the four members of Team Avatar, and the three visitors from the Southern Water Tribe. Katara waits until Grand Lotus Monad and Chief Lin Beifong join them before she calls the meeting to order.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet. The reason I came is that I need to tell you something about Korra's parents—all three of them. I think it might explain who Amon really is." Katara looks at the young Avatar. "Korra, do you know whether Amon is a bender?"

It is the last question Korra could ever have expected. It seems as random and ridiculous as asking whether Amon could be a woman. "What? No. I mean—I do know, he's not a bender, he couldn't be—" She stops, suddenly wondering for the first time. Amon lied about so many things. Was his lack of bending another lie? He made Korra think that she was not a bender. If he could hide that for so long—could he have done so, too? "I guess it's possible, but I seriously doubt it, because that would go against his entire ideology."

Katara nods slowly. "I had to ask. If he were an earthbender or a firebender, it would disprove my theory."

Those words stir even more confusion, and makes more than one person wonder if Katara might be slightly senile. Tarrlok folds his hands under his chin, looking intently at Katara. "What is your … theory?"

"I'll start with the facts. Immediately after Amon took Korra away, her parents came to me for help. They were not injured, but he had done something to them that rendered them unconscious."

"Sounds like he used a tranquilizer," Lin deduces. "Probably shirshu toxins."

"They didn't have any drugs in their bloodstreams. What's more, shirshu venom doesn't knock people out, it only paralyzes them while they stay conscious. Tonraq and Senna were unconscious for several hours, so their attacker must have used another method."

"What do you think he did to them?" Korra asks.

"I thought of Yakone."

At the sound of this name, the mood in the room suddenly shifts. The council members all look startled. Korra is still confused, but she remembers how Aang seemed to point her toward Yakone again and again. "Aang showed me his memories of Yakone. But what does he have to do with Amon?"

"Yakone proved that we were wrong about the limitations of bloodbending. Unlike other waterbenders, who could only perform it under the full moon, he could bloodbend during any phase of the moon. The day Aang fought him, he used bloodbending to knock out everyone in his courtroom. When Tonraq and Senna described how they had been knocked out, I thought of him." Katara pauses, as though she knows how skeptical the others are or will be; then she concludes: "I think it's possible that Amon is a waterbender and a bloodbender."

There is a long pause, pregnant with shock, horror, and incredulity. Lin and Tenzin, who are just old enough to remember their parents coming home after fighting Yakone, look frightened. Monad is troubled, Tarrlok looks nauseous, while the other Council members appear doubtfull.

Korra takes it upon herself to break the horrified silence. "I don't believe it." She folds her arms on the table. "No disrespect, Master Katara, but your theory doesn't fit. It would go against the whole point of the revolution. Amon may be a liar and a manipulator, but he couldn't be that much of a hypocrite."

"You still think well of him," Yugen remarks.

"He may not be an honest man, but he's logical. He sees bending as inherently evil. Doing evil to stop others from doing evil is …" Korra breaks off, realizing that Amon has, in fact, used that kind of justification before. He believed kidnapping her and hurting one family was worthwhile if it would benefit the world at large. In his eyes, everything was for the greater good; the greater good justifies anything. "Okay, I guess sometimes he does act that way."

"But that doesn't mean he's a bender," Tarrlok says.

"Just that he could be," Lin maintains.

Mako looks to the police chief. "What happened to Yakone after he went to jail?"

"He escaped just weeks later, and was never seen or heard of again," Lin says.

This is news to Korra's friends, who appear disturbed and, in Bolin's case, fearful, but Korra remembers learning of this when she first researched Yakone's history at the library. She glances at the others and can see Mako deep in thought, probably examining the same possibilities that occurred to her: Yakone could still be out there, or he could have taught other people, or recruited followers.

"Could Amon be Yakone himself?" Mako hypothesizes.

"He was already getting on in years when they put him away," Lin informs him. "If he hasn't died yet, he'd be an old man by now."

Kya looks to Korra. "How old is Amon?"

"Not an old man," she answers at once. She tries to remember what he said about his age when telling the fabricated story of her adoption. "He was in his late twenties when he took me. I think he's in his forties now."

"Could they be related?" Rasaka asks.

"Yakone could have had a family," Rei suggests, "or else taught others to bloodbend as he did, without the need of the full moon."

Asami leans forward to speak to Korra. "Did Amon ever mention his parents?"

"Very rarely. When he did, it was usually about little things, like how his mother styled her hair, or how his father took him on camping trips. Other times it was about big things." She bites her lip, remembering the most recent incident, how personal yet vague he was. "The last time was the night I confronted him about my parents and the fact that I'm the Avatar. He said … he had a brother, and their father … had expectations that made him really harsh. That was what made him leave home at a young age."

The pause is full of different emotions, some feeling awkward, some brooding, and more than a few nursing new fears and apprehensions.

Yugen glances at his closest colleague. "Tarrlok? You've been uncharacteristically quiet."

The usually well-put-together politician looks ill, but he swallows and manages to speak. "I'm just thinking over what this might mean."

Korra narrows her eyes. "Do you know something?"

Tarrlok does not answer immediately. When he does, his words are slow, cautious, unwilling. "I have no evidence besides my own testimony. You'd have no reason to believe me—and if you did, you'd have no reason to trust me."

Korra frowns and exchanges glances with her friends. Those sound like the same words she spoke to them before confessing her connection to Amon.

"Is this one of those 'I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill or capture you' kind of things?" Bolin asks.

Tarrlok takes a breath. "I knew Yakone. In the Northern Water Tribe, after he escaped prison." Ignoring his audience's gaping stares, he explains, "Growing up, I didn't know about his past, or about bloodbending. He had a wife, and two sons, who both turned out to be waterbenders, like he had been. They had the same abilities he once had, including bloodbending. Yakone trained them, though at that point he no longer had his waterbending. One of his sons … disappeared in a snowstorm when he was young. It … might be possible … that he became Amon."

Surprise and skepticism are evident on the adults' faces. Korra tries to piece together this new information with the old. Aang might have shown his memories of Yakone to her in order to warn her about Amon.

"Is that all?" Lin questions.

"No," Korra says, answering the question for him. "You're still hiding something," she insists. "I can tell. You're talking the same way my d—Amon did when he talked about his family."

She almost misses Tarrlok's murmured response. "Neither of us wants to admit the truth."

"What?"

It is clearly difficult for Tarrlok to speak. He almost grits out the words. "What I'm about to tell you must stay between us."

"Do you want to swear us to secrecy?" Tenzin asks sardonically.

"I can call in a stenographer," Lin offers. She may or may not be joking.

"No. I'd rather this remain off the record."

"Spill," Lin says curtly.

Tarrlok seems to brace himself. When he speaks, his expression is dark, but his tone is steady. "I am Yakone's second son."

Of all the ridiculous hypotheses and shocking revelations that the assembled people have heard, this one tops them all.

Mako manages to speak first, verbalizing the connection that everyone is making but cannot fully believe. "So … if Katara's theory is true …"

"I'm Amon's brother."

After a shorter pause, Asami ventures, "You don't look much like Amon. He has black hair, a fair complexion—"

"You do look sort of like Yakone," Korra realizes, mentally comparing their faces. Was Aang also trying to warn her about Tarrlok? She always thought her mistrust of him stemmed from Amon's poor opinion of him, and her own sympathy for non-benders and resentment for corrupt politicians, but if what he is saying is true, Tarrlok could be an even greater threat than she imagined. "So … can you … bloodbend?"

"Yes. I don't," Tarrlok clarifies, daring anyone to challenge him on that point, "but I can."

"And we should believe that because …"

"No self-interested person—let alone a public figure—pretends to be related to two criminals."

"I guess we can't ask you to prove it," Lin grumbles. "But your testimony only shows that you've been hiding a skeleton in your own closet. Your hypothesis hinges on Katara's, and even hers is far-fetched."

"If it is true," Korra says, "how in the world do we beat Amon?"

"Maybe it's not possible to bring him in alive," Yugen says. "If no one can get close enough to arrest him, that only leaves some kind of long-range attack."

"Aang didn't believe in killing people," Korra intervenes. "And anyway, that would just make him a martyr for his cause." Thinking of Amon's hundreds of followers gives her an idea. "But there's another way to beat him!"

"How?" more than one person asks.

Korra's spirits and tone rise with excitement as she explains, "This whole time, Amon has been one step ahead of us, but finally, we have the advantage. We know the truth about him. If we expose him as a bender, in front of all his supporters, we could take away his real power."

"And undermine this revolution!" Mako seems excited too.

"But we have no proof beyond Tarrlok's word," Rasaka points out. "We could try to force him into bending in front of people, but if we're wrong, we'll look like liars; and if we're right, then, with his secret exposed, he would have no reason to hide it anymore. The fact that it's a secret is the only thing keeping him from using his full power."

This realism drags Korra's newfound hope back down.

Tarrlok looks at his clenched fists resting on the table. "If he decides to throw caution to the wind, I'll need to be the one to face him."

"What? Why?" Korra asks.

"I'm the only other person who can bloodbend without a full moon."

Korra's mouth drops open. "You want to—no! Absolutely not!" She rounds on Lin and the rest of the Council, demanding, "You wouldn't let him use illegal bending, would you?" She is furious when she sees uncertainty on some of their faces.

"You don't know for sure which of you is more powerful," Lin says to Tarrlok. "If he's been doing it for years while you haven't—"

"It would also send a bad message to the public, particularly non-benders," Tenzin points out, "for a bender on the Council to use illegal and inhumane means to apprehend a criminal."

"Then perhaps it should be someone who's not on the Council," the man who introduced himself as Tamir says, speaking up for the first time since the meeting began. "The next full moon is only weeks away. That would enable any waterbender to face him on more … I hate to use the term 'equal' in this context … shall I say, better footing."

"That's actually a good point," Kya concedes. "We can form a strike team of waterbenders."

"Or non-benders," Asami, the sole non-bender present, points out. "I still think they're your best asset against him."

Lin counters, "Even if we apprehend him, he might be too dangerous to keep alive. Once the full moon is over, he could use bloodbending to escape custody."

It seems like there is no solution. Katara's theory and Tarrlok's confession have only made Amon seem more formidable, more invincible.

Rei speaks up, his hands folded under his chin, a calculating look on his face. "What about bending removal?"

The adults appear intrigued, but Korra's teenage friends are confused. "Amon's power?" Mako says. "What does that have to do with killing him?"

"I'm not talking about Amon; I'm talking about Avatar Korra." Rei looks at her across the table. "Can you take away a person's bending?"

Korra blinks, remembering how Amon mentioned this possibility. "I don't know. I've never tried."

"It may be our best hope of apprehending him."

"That—makes sense. That's how Aang defeated people without killing them." Korra remembers her journey into Aang's past and his solution for dealing with Ozai and Yakone. She had not thought such an ability would help her, since Amon was not a bender. But if he was … "That would mean we don't have to kill him!" Korra feels almost elated with relief. This way she can save both her foster father and the benders he targets. She will not need to choose between saving one or the other. She almost laughs as she says, "That's actually the best idea I've heard from the Council."

Monad immediately counters this proposal. "Korra, you would have to get close enough to touch him, and if that happened, he would try to take your bending before you took his. Not to mention the risk of capture."

"And if he knows that you know his secret, he might bloodbend you in order to succeed," Rasaka points out.

"Then—maybe Tamir's full moon idea would be worth trying." Korra frowns. "There's just one problem. I don't know if I have that power. And I don't know how to find out whether I do. I can't just test it on someone."

There is an uncomfortable pause, before Lin speaks up. "There are benders in prison you could try it on."

That would be better than taking bending from an innocent person, but Korra is still hesitant. "I don't know if it would be right."

"If justice makes you feel better, I'll make sure you get a murderer."

"Well … okay. But make sure the means of murder was bending."

Katara stands. "Well, that's all I wanted to tell you. If there's nothing else I can do for you, I'm going to visit my grandchildren before I take my leave."

"Thank you for your help."

It takes a while for the meeting to break up, as each person wants to formally wish Katara farewell, and several people want to continue conversing on their way out. Tarrlok is one of the few people who remain seated.

Korra ventures to speak to him. "Er—Tarrlok? Are you alright?"

He does not look at her as he answers. "I'll be fine."

Korra feels bad and wishes she could do something for him. She rubs her arms, shifting awkwardly on her feet, then comes to a decision. "Can I … get you a cup of tea, or something?"

Tarrlok looks up, surprise evident in his shifting expression, but then he nods slowly.

"I'll be right back," Korra promises, then stands and heads to the kitchen. She has become comfortable there, after assisting Pema in preparing meals. She is now confident enough to use her bending for small tasks in the process of making tea: she uses waterbending to fill the teapot and uses firebending to ignite the stove.

By the time she returns to the meeting room, everyone besides Tarrlok has left. Korra puts the tray down, pours two cups of tea, and hands one to him. "I don't suppose the Acolytes have anything stronger, do they?" Tarrlok asks.

"Afraid not." Korra settles back on her cushion. "I guess now you have some idea of how I've felt about this whole thing—fighting someone I lived with, someone I cared about, considered family."

"Probably more than you know." Tarrlok studies his reflection in the liquid. He seems disgusted by what he sees. "I don't want to believe it. I'd rather he were dead."

"I understand. I didn't want to believe that my dad was a kidnapper, and that my parents missed me. Sometimes I hoped they were dead." Korra tries to take a sip, but the beverage is too hot. She sets the cup down and rests her elbows on the table. "I think I just lost the last bit of respect I had for what he's doing. I could respect him for acting on his convictions, trying to do what he thinks is right. But if it's all a lie—then he's just doing it for the power."

"The revolution may be built on a lie, but I think Amon truly believes bending is the source of all the evil in the world."

"How did your brother end up becoming Amon?"

Tarrlok does not answer right away, and Korra knows he must be trying to decide whether to open up any more than he already has.

She speaks slowly, trying to sound gentle. "I know it must be hard, and honestly, part of me really doesn't want to know; but if I'm going to face him—if we're going to have any chance of beating him—I need to know who and what we're up against, and whether I can count on you for help." Korra has never been keen on having Tarrlok as an ally, but his connection with Amon could be either an asset or a liability.

Tarrlok takes a sip of tea, heaves a deep breath and sets down his cup before he begins.

"It all began with our father, Yakone. With the help of his former gang, he escaped prison and underwent surgery to change his appearance. He assumed a new identity and settled down in the Northern Water Tribe. That's where he met my mother, a warm, caring woman. Before long, they started a family together. Amon was the first born, under the name Noatak. I was born three years later. Noatak was a good-natured kid, always looking out for me. Those were the good years—before my brother and I discovered we were waterbenders. At first we were excited by our new abilities, but our training brought out a different side of my father. Noatak was a natural, but I struggled. When my father criticized me and pushed me harder, Noatak tried to defend me. Even back then, my brother wanted everyone to be treated fairly and equally.

"When I was seven, my father took us on a hunting trip, far away from our home. He told us his true identity was Yakone, Republic City's most notorious crime boss, and that he was once a bloodbender of rare skill."

"Why would he tell you that?"

Tarrlok's expression is darker than Korra has ever seen it before. "He wanted to teach us that skill, so we could follow in his footsteps. He hoped we would avenge him, since he couldn't avenge himself."

"He told you all that?" Korra asks, aghast. Tarrlok nods, and she presses, "When you were seven?"

"The good days were behind us. Every full moon, our father took us on another supposed hunting trip where he secretly trained us in bloodbending. We kept the truth from our mother."

Korra is afraid to ask her next question. "How did you learn? I mean … whose … blood did you bend?"

"There were plenty of animals. We started with small, gentle ones and worked our way up to larger, wilder beasts. A few years later, my father taught us to bloodbend any time, without the need of the full moon. We practiced constantly, and I hated every minute of it. I had no stomach for manipulating helpless animals. My brother, however, seemed to revel in his newfound power. He was a prodigy, mastering my father's psychic bloodbending technique by the time he was fourteen."

"Psychic? What do you mean?"

"I mean it took very little physical movement, almost none at all. He simply had to will it."

Korra hugs herself to hide how close she is to shuddering. Restraints would be useless against someone capable of hurting people without even moving any part of their body. Capturing Amon seems more and more impossible.

"Even though Noatak was my father's favorite, it wasn't any easier for him. He carried the burden of all Yakone's expectations and demands. Something changed in Noatak over the years. The loving brother I once knew became cold and detached." Tarrlok pauses, remembering and reflecting.

"You—don't have to go on," Korra says.

"I do. If you're going to face him, you need to know the whole truth. Not just about his abilities, but about him, his—relationships." Tarrlok takes a few long, slow sips of tea. Korra waits patiently as he collects himself, and refills his cup when he sets it down. Tarrlok keeps his hands clasped around it as he resumes his narrative. "Our father pushed us to extremes, and one day, he made us bloodbend each other."

Korra covers her mouth, her horror escalating to a climax. Tarrlok also seems affected, bowing his head and pressing his fingers between his eyes. "Noatak went first. He bloodbent me. I finally felt the pain—the humiliating helplessness. Knowing what it was didn't make it any easier to endure. It was—the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced. When it was over, Yakone told me to bloodbend my brother. I refused, and said I never wanted to bloodbend again. I don't know what my father was going to do at that point, but before he could do anything, Noatak bloodbent him. He did it to defend me, at least initially. But what he said—" A huff almost like a bitter laugh escapes Tarrlok's lips. "It all makes sense now."

"What?"

"Noatak said that, contrary to what our father always told us, bloodbending wasn't the most powerful thing in the world. He now believed he Avatar's ability to take bending away was more powerful." Tarrlok buries his face in his hands.

Korra reaches out, wanting to comfort him, but thinks better of it, and rests her hand on the table instead.

"I'm a fool," Tarrlok says woefully, lowing her hands. "I should have thought of this sooner! I did think of Yakone, but only in comparing his criminality to Amon's … why didn't I see?"

"Probably because you didn't want to see," Korra suggests gently. "I know the feeling."

"Noatak then told me he wanted to leave, and I should come with him. I hesitated, thinking we shouldn't leave our mother—and in that moment, he decided I was weak, and went off on his own. He abandoned us.

"My father and I searched for days, but we never found a sign of Noatak. We thought he perished in that storm. My mother was never the same after the loss of my brother. My father stopped training me. With Noatak gone, his hopes for revenge withered, and he passed away a few years later."

Korra wipes her tears away before Tarrlok can see them. Not knowing how else to break the silence that threatens them, she says pathetically, "That's one of the saddest stories I've ever heard." It might be as sad as her own, her family's. Neither family's story is over—actually, Amon has connected them, making them one—but the story of Korra's blood relatives is more likely to end happily than the story of Yakone's. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault. Aang should have killed him. Then this ability would have died with him."

Korra peers at him, disturbed. "You really wish you hadn't been born?"

"My mother could have married someone who didn't bring her heartache. His quest for vengeance tore her family apart." Tarrlok pauses. "Then again, I'm not sure he would have bothered to have a family if he hadn't wanted to pass on his ability."

Korra is afraid to ask her next question, though for a different reason. "What happened to your mother?" She is used to thinking of Amon's mother as her grandmother.

"She's still alive, at an assisted living facility."

"You put her in an old folks' home?" Korra can't help feeling a little indignant. Isn't family one of the biggest values of the Water Tribe? Wouldn't turning your back on family be even more taboo there than in the other nations?

Tarrlok bristles. "I couldn't do much more for her. Looking at me reminded her of our father and Noatak—"

"And you were all she had left!"

"She knew I didn't want to stay. When Chief Unalaq appointed me to the Council, I offered to take her with me. But she spent her whole life in the North and didn't want to end it in a strange place. I cared about her more than Noatak did. He left without giving her a thought. I stayed because I didn't want to leave her. I still visit her, even though neither of us gets much pleasure out of it."

After a pause, Tarrlok says slowly, "I understand, now, why Amon raised you as his own, instead of leaving you with someone else. Noatak and I swore, in secret, that we would never have children. We knew any descendants of ours would probably also be bloodbenders."

Korra's heart seems to thaw a little at this, like ice softening and melting. It does not justify what Amon did, but she pities the loneliness he felt as a child and anticipated experiencing as an adult.

A humorous, ridiculous thought occurs to Korra, as she mulls over these connections, and she decides to voice it, if only to diffuse the tension. "So … should I call you 'Uncle Tarrlok'?"

He gives her an unamused look. "Under no circumstances." But then he looks at her with a new kind of scrutiny. "You are … certain that you're not a blood relation?"

Korra shakes her head dismissively. "Nah, he never even pretended. We don't look very similar."

"You look the way he used to, as far as I can remember. The same skin, the same hair—you even have three ponytails."

As hard as she tries, Korra cannot remember if she wore her hair that way before she was kidnapped, or only after. The look Tarrlok is giving her has something almost like longing in it. She looks away, more memories of Amon surfacing in her mind. "I think now I understand why he thought he was being fair with me. He never hurt me, except in self-defense, the one time we fought. He manipulated me, and kept me from doing what I wanted, but he didn't push me to do anything I didn't want to."

Tarrlok nods in acknowledgment.

"Pardon me." They look up and see Katara standing in the doorway. Tarrlok stands respectfully, and Korra follows suit. "I hope I'm not interrupting," Katara says apologetically. "I just wanted to speak with Korra before I leave."

"That's alright. I should be leaving now too." Tarrlok turns to Korra and nods. "Thank you for the tea."

She nods in return. "Thank you for the truth. I know that was hard to share." She almost wants to hug him, but he doesn't seem like the hugging type, and they should probably stay on professional terms, so she offers her hand instead. Tarrlok accepts it, returns the pressure when she squeezes his hand, and then lets go and leaves the room.

"Will you walk with me around the island?" Katara requests, gesturing to the door.

"Sure." Korra takes the older woman's arm, letting Katara lean on her for support when they go over stairs or slopes in the terrain. Korra remembers Aang's memories of a much younger Katara moving lithely through waterbending stances. "So you're going home?"

"Yes. I wish I could stay longer, but I don't want to make Tenzin worry." Korra secretly feels as relieved as Tenzin must be to hear this. "Anyway," Katara continues, "I decided a long time ago that I was done with war. I'm sorry you have to resolve one now, when you're so young."

Korra raises her eyebrows. "I'm three years older than you were, and five years older than Aang was, when you won the Hundred Year War."

"I know. I suppose we had to grow up quickly, even before we got involved; but looking back, I can't believe how young we were."

Korra hesitates, then ventures, "Tenzin said you know my family."

"Yes—very well."

"How have they been?"

Katara tilts her head to one side, considering how to respond. "Do you want the long answer, or the short one?"

"I'll probably get a longer one when I meet them."

For some reason Katara looks less at ease now. Korra is not sure why until Katara says, "They've adapted, but they still miss you." Katara does not want to hurt her feelings by saying they've been just fine without her, but also does not want to worry her by saying they've been bad off. Korra supposes she will not know for sure until she meets them and hears how they have been living for the past thirteen years.

They come to a stop at the gazebo. Korra looks to the south, thinking about the ships that have come and gone from that direction. "I wanted to go to them right away, but … I'm needed here right now. I need to find my own path as the Avatar."

Katara bows her head slightly, closing her eyes; then she looks back at Korra, smiling again. "I know you do." Korra feels a surge of gratitude, as though she has received a parent or mentor's blessing. "Aang's time has passed. My brother and many of my friends are gone. It's time for your generation to take on the responsibility of keeping peace and balance in the world." Katara places a hand on Korra's shoulder. "But I think you're going to be a great Avatar."

"Thank you." The two women hug and hold each other.

Tonraq watches from a distance as Korra and Katara talk. He only looks away when Tenzin comes up to him, speaking so softly Tonraq has to turn his head to hear.

"Why haven't you told Korra who you are?"

"She has enough on her mind. I can't distract her."

Tenzin's expression is clouded with both confusion and disapproval. "Then why have you come here, if you can't tell her?"

"I had to do something to help, especially after I asked my tribe to do the same."

"She wanted you to stay where you'd be safe."

Tonraq bristles. "I'm the parent in this situation, Tenzin. I'm supposed to keep her safe, not the other way around."

He can see that Tenzin has a hard time finding a sound argument against that. Tenzin's children are even younger than Korra; he has not yet reached the point at which children and parents can take care of each other reciprocally or work together like equals.

"She's already been deceived and betrayed by someone she trusted," Tenzin worries. "She trusts my family because of our connection to her past life; but if she finds out that I knew something of personal importance, and didn't tell her—"

"Blame it on me, then, because I'm asking you—as a friend, an ally, and a father—not to tell her."

Tenzin looks unhappy, but finally he nods. "I concede that it's not my place. But it is yours, and you'll have to do it."

"I will, once this is over."

Music: "No One is Alone" from Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim