Author's note: This chapter contains some off the plot and storyline of the new Legend of Korra comic: Ruins of the Empire. Please be aware of story spoilers.
Chapter 38: Kuvira's Trial
Normal POV
After having checked on Atteritta and making sure she would be fine until after the trial, the Red Lotus crew picked up Zaheer from the hospital to attend Kuvira's trial the next day. None of them were really excited to be there but they knew they couldn't just not show up. Zhu Li was right; they had to show they changed.
"I hope we're going through this fast. I hate these kinds of things." Zaheer said while Femke fixed his tie.
"Because off the clothes?" Femke asked jokingly as she finished the tie before heading to do her hair.
"To much White Lotus people as well. Brings back bad memories." zaheer said as he sat down to put his own hair in a low ponytail. This made Femke gasp add a greenish skin and an earring and he was the spitting image of Daniel.
I never realized how much they resembled each other until now
Femke thought as she looked at Zaheer with a small smile.
'They are from the same bloodline.'
Feria called in my head. Figures she would show up.
'Wasn't everyone family within Voorfield at that time?'
I asked.
'Yes, Inne, Deoxis and Selvia are distant cousins of mine. Back then that was still very normal.'
Feria said sadly.
'It still is in some places.'
I thought back at her. Remembering some smaller villages on Earth only contained one or two families.
'So all our ancestors came from Voorfield. How? I thought Voorfield's people were wiped from the face of the Earth back when darkhar…'
I started, gulping at the memory of Darkar having wiped the Voorfieldian people, my people, from the face of the Earth.
'Not all of them were wiped out. There were groups of people that weren't there at the time of the attack. People that managed to flee as the battle started.'
Feria recalled as I heard the sound of people screaming while seeing some people indeed fleeing from the ongoing battle while Darkhar attacked.
'Most of them fled to Earth and created your home village; Scheffield. The houses of you and your friends Ilene, Dizanna and Selvia are direct Descendants of the Voorfieldian people.'
'I know that story.'
I smiled, remembering Daniel had told me that when we had just met.
'Others believed they were safer in the Avatar dimension and went there. Creating the houses of Ling, Lee-chang, Lee, Akira-ai and Varma.'
Feria said as I saw the symbols of the families of my friends as well as one symbol I had never seen before.
'Varma?'
Femke asked with a shocked look.
'The last name of twelfth Voortrix.'
Feria said before she fell silent as Femke looked in the eyes of a very worried Zaheer.
"You okay, dear?" Zaheer asked as he looked at his girlfriend sadly, which made Femke smile. He was such a sweetheart.
"I'm fine but I'm afraid we have another mystery to solve." Femke said, which made everyone in the room groan in frustration.
"What is it this time?" Zaheer asked.
"We have to find and guide the twelfth Voortrix." Femke said as she told her friends what Feria had told her.
"Varma? Never heard of them." Zaheer said as he looked down in taught. "And I know a lot of high society from around this world."
"Maybe they're not from Ba Sing Se. Maybe they're from the Fire Nation or the Air Nomads. We barely have any benders from there." Femke said as she looked down.
"That's possible but both the Fire Nation and the new Air Nomads have a vast amount of people. How are we going to find them within the short time we have left?" P'li wanted to know with a worried look.
"That's easy. We just need to find out to which nation the house Varma belongs. If there is more than one house with that name we just need to figure out which one has Voortrix ancestry." Femke smiled.
"Voortrix Ancestry?" Korra asked as she came in.
"Someone within a family called Varma has Voortrix powers and is the twelfth and final member of our clan." Femke explained.
"There is only one house Varma I know off; they live in a small city near Zhaofu." Su said as she and Lin entered the room as well. "They might attend the trial today."
"Any idea if they have someone around our age? Maybe a little younger?" Femke inquired with a small smile.
"They're Kuvira's parents, why?" Su asked as she looked at her grandmother with a raised eyebrow.
"The one that is on trial today?" Ghazan asked.
"Who else?" Ming Hua remarked dryly.
"Femke does that mean what I think it does?" Zaheer asked as he looked at his girlfriend with shock.
"It's possible." Femke said as she looked back at Zaheer.
"What is possible?" Bolin asked as and Mako walked in the room along with a lot of other people.
"The house Varma is tied to the old Voortrix clan. Which means Kuvira might be a Voortrix." Femke said as she looked down, which made everyone in the room gasp in shock.
"But she's awful." Wu stated with his hands clasped over his mouth.
"So were weuntil we met Femke." Ghazan said.
"Femke helped us find our way back." Zaheer nodded in agreement.
"After Korra did all the hard work and kicked your butts." Femke added with a smile.
"Sure did." korra smirked in reply, happy femke hadn't taken all the credit to herself like she had done before.
"There is the possibility Kuvira is a Voortrix?" Wu asked.
"We have to check to be sure but if her last name is Varma then yes." Femke said with a shrug.
"That would mean she has to join you in your quest to destroy Darkar. Something the republic will never allow." Tenzin said sternly which made Femke look down because she knew that was true.
"I know. She has hurt too many people." Femke agreed.
"She blew up half the city with her super weapon." Bolin said.
"Which would have been fun for a mover." Ghazan smirked, which made Varrick pop up behind him.
"You, my boy, have a golden mind! That would be a great idea for a mover!" The husband off the President smirked as he gave Ghazan a firm pat on the back. "A recreation of Kuvira's rise and fall, Nuktuk! You're on again!"
With this Varrick walked out of the room along with a hesitant Bolin.
"Anyway." Femke coughed "If it's her, what should we do?" She asked. "Darkar can't be stopped unless we're all working together as a team"
"Maybe we can train her in her prison cell?" Zaheer suggested.
"That's an idea." Tenzin agreed.
"After we freed my aunt." P'li said with a firm look, hoping the whole twelfth Voortrix story hadn't taken away their focus from Atteritta's impending faith
"First we save Atteritta then we go see who is the twelfth Voortrix." Femke nodded as the whole group started to walk to the courtroom.
"But first this trial. This is going to be boring." Ming Hua muttered in an annoyed way as the group walked to the Courtroom.
"Speaking of… How is Bataar jr. doing?" Femke asked Su with a sad look, remembering Kuvira had blown up her engagement with her great grandson after Team Avatar had managed to take him captive.
"He's recovering. He couldn't come today though, that would have hurt him too much." Su replied while looking down sadly.
"I'm sure he'll feel better soon." Femke assured her granddaughter as she hugged her. "He just needs time."
"And she knows what she's talking about." Ghazan joked, earning him a foul glare from Ming Hua.
"It's true. Remember when she found out Zaheer lied to her about Korra not wanting her around anymore?" Ghazan said. This made Korra look up at him shocked. Femke had mentioned Zaheer lied to her but not what those lies were about.
"You told her I did that?" Korra asked sounding rather shocked.
"Not my brightest moment. I really hurt her feelings when she found out the truth." Zaheer admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling ashamed, making Femke come over to hug him.
"And you believed him? Did you really think I was such a monster that I would abandon you?" Korra asked Femke with a shocked look.
"I did." femke admitted as she looked to the side. The things she had told her that day in Zhaofu still hurt her.
"Why? I might have disagreed with your decisions more then once and made that very clear but i would have never and I mean never abandon you." Korra stated firmly.
"Why did you tell her that?" Wu asked Zaheer.
"We recognized her strength long before we knew of her Voortrix status." Zaheer admitted with a smile to Femke, who blushed in return. "We thought she could be the key to defeating Korra and fulfill our plan but she was still very loyal to Korra when we took her. The lie was meant to put a wedge between the two and make Femke would accept murder as a option."
"Which she didn't and we all know how that story ended." P'li smiled.
"She was still loyal to us?" Mako asked, surprised to hear this. He had always thought she had immediately accepted the ideology of the Red Lotus.
"Only after I told her Korra had abandoned her she started to listen to our beliefs." Zaheer stated, after which Korra looked at Femke with shock. "Despite everything that had happened, her loyalty was still with the Avatar."
"Mostly due to Aang I suppose." Toph said.
"At first but after the whole Una-Vaatu thing it was also due to Korra herself." Femke smiled as they stopped before the door to the still closed courtroom. "I'm not saying that to suck up. I respect you even if I haven't always shown it."
"Femke?" Korra said as she smiled at the brunette. "I always assumed you went because you hated me."
"Why?" Femke asked. "I was mad you didn't wanted to listen to me but I understood why you got so mad. I had chances to prove my loyalty and i blew them. I wanted to leave that night in Zhaofu but it wasn't my plan to join the Red Lotus. I just wanted to find Toph, get my brothers and leave."
"You were thatdesperate?" Wu asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes but Fate had other plans. And we all know how it ended." With that, Femke smiled at Zaheer, who smiled back and hugged her.
"We all quit and now we're on to save the world." Zaheer smiled, after which Femke and him rubbed noses.
"Unbelievable. And now you got this Believix power as well. What does that mean?" Wu asked, suddenly very interested in the group that had once probably wanted to kill him.
"It means we're stronger. We have a new Fairy form and new powers in our arsenal." Zaheer smirked.
"Like what?" Wu asked but just as Zaheer wanted to answer the grand doors of the court room opened and Kuvira entered, flanked by two White Lotus guards. Femke looked at her with widened eyes as she walked by. Kuvira wore her hair loose and a green prison garment instead of her normal metal armor, making her look very different from the determined, strong-willed woman she had met on Laghima's peak.
She looks so sad. She really believed what she was doing was the right thing
Femke thought as she and the others sat down in the front row benches, ignoring the distrusting looks on many of the faces in the room.
'She did but in the end what she did was wrong, using her power to abuse and terrorize the innocent.'
Feria commented in the head of the brunette.
Just as wrong as letting someone suffer and die 'for the greater good'
Femke thought back firmly, which made Feria look at her sadly.
'In a way it's true'
Feria told her sadly.
You should always regard someone's feelings as well. Would you think hearing your son's death was 'for the best'? If 'the greater good' comes at the expense of someone's life, maybe it's not all that good.
Femke thought to her past life sternly as Feria looked to the side sadly.
'You're right. I'm sorry. That was a cruel thing to say and expect from people'
With that she disappeared, leaving Femke to listen to the charges against Kuvira.
"Refusing to turn over emergency power granted to you by Former President Raikou and King Wu. Numerous acts of aggressionthroughout the Earth Kingdom. Presiding over inhuman prison camps. Invadingthe United Republic and the use of spirit energy as a weapon of mass destruction."
"It sounds even worse if they sum it up like that." Ghazan whispered in Femke's ear, who nodded then motioned him to be quiet.
"What do you plead?" The judge asked with a firm voice.
Come on Kuvira. Plead guilty. You know what you did was wrong
Femke thought as she hung forward a little, hoping Kuvira wouldn't be as dumb as to plead not guilty.
"I'm sorry for the harm I caused to the people of the Earth Kingdom and this city, I truly am" Kuvira started while looking down.
"There is gonna be 'but'." Zaheer whispered in Femke's ear, who nodded.
"Probably part of her plea." The brunette whispered back.
"But this Tribunal seems all too eager to list my offenses without giving any consideration to my achievements" Kuvira stated calmly.
"Please enlighten us." The Head Judge said with an amused smile.
"After the fall off the Earth Queen due to the Red Lotus terrorists." Kuvira started, looking back at Femke and the others sitting behind her. "The Earth Kingdom fell into chaos. When no one was willing to, I stepped up and brought back order."
"Something Korra would have done if she wasn't out of commission." Zaheer whispered with a sad voice, which made Femke smile at him and give his hand a little squeeze.
"We're past that now. I'm sure everything will be okay from now on." Femke whispered back with a small smile as Kuvira continued her plea in the background.
"I dragged an ancient culture out of the dark ages and modernized it." Kuvira continued.
"She has a point. Ba Sing Se was ancient before she came along." Zaheer whispered in Femke's ear.
"Alteressa won't agree with that." Femke whispered back, before looking back to where Alteressa was sitting, quickly looking back at zaheer when she saw how angry the woman was looking at her.
"Everything I did, I did for the greater good of the Earth Kingdom and its citizens." Kuvira ended her plea.
"What do you plead?" The Judge asked again after she was done.
"Not guilty." Was Kuvira's solemn answer, which made all Voortrix look up at her with widened eyes.
"Seriously?" Ming Hua said.
"She can't mean that." Zaheer gasped. "Not after what she did."
"We all suffered because of her. How can she do this?" Dahlia asked with a shocked look as she held her daughter in her arms, who had fallen asleep.
"I don't know but we'll figure out soon enough." Femke said as she walked to the door together with the remainder of the viewers.
"She's not getting away with this. We all saw what she did." Wei said.
"Locking us up, taking over Zhaofu." Wen agreed, also very upset about Kuvira's plea.
"Trying to squash my individuality." Huan added with a sour face.
"She hurt your older brother." Femke added as she walked to her great grandchildren and hugged Opal, who was also very upset.
"Who?" Wei asked bitterly.
"She means the traitor; Kuvira's little pet." Wen said, nodding to the door from were Kuvira was brought out just then, making everyone glare at her.
"Not guilty?! The whole world knows what you did, Kuvira!" su snapped at Kuvira as she walked by. Kuvira simply ignoring her as she passed by, making Su storm up and get in front of Kuvira with her arms spread wide. Kuvira walked right past her without replying.
"What are you trying to prove?" Su asked as she followed Kuvira, who kept silent and walked with the White Lotus guards calmly.
"Don't turn your back on me!"Su called furiously as she got right in front of Kuvira with her arms spread wide.
"I know I hurt you and your family but you turned your back on me long before the earth empire existed." Kuvira replied with her head turned away from Su.
"That's a lie! I gave you a home. I provided for you!" Su shouted, outraged.
"But I was never really part of your family, was I?" Kuvira retorted with a hurt look in her eye.
"You attacked Zhaofu! You almost killedmy son!" Su snapped angrily.
"Thankfully only almost." Femke whispered to Zaheer, who nodded in return.
"I don't even want to know what Su would have done to Kuvira if she had managed to kill Bataar Jr." zaheer whispered back.
"Or me. Nobody touches my family." Femke whispered back.
"And I've apologized numerous times. When will you see through your anger to forgive me?" Kuvira asked calmly.
"Not any time soon." Ghazan whispered to Femke.
"That's what you don't get. Being sorry isn't enough…" Su said as she looked at Kuvira coldly. "You need to take responsibility for what you have done. Like Femke and the Red Lotus." With this, Su looked at Femke and Zaheer standing together, smiling as they held hands.
"I heard rumors about their change of heart but I never imagined them to be true." Kuvira replied as she also looked at them.
"They are. My great grandmother Femke gave them a second chance and they have proven they changed over the past couple of months." Su said as Femke looked away because she saw something move by the door. Something green and grey with a shot of brown hair. "Because of her I know this Darkar threat will be vanquished in no time." Femke gently let go of Zaheer's hand and walked towards the place she had seen the spot, smiling when she saw Bataar Jr. sitting by a window, looking over the city with a sad look in his eyes.
"Enjoying the view?" Femke asked smiling as she came in and sat down next to her great grandson.
"Came to mock me as well?" Bataar Jr. asked as he looked up with a scowl on his face. Some of the wounds from the blast of the spirit weapon were still bandaged but in his new metal clan clothes, he looked a lot better already.
"Why should I?" Femke smiled as she gently placed a hand on his.
"Because of what I did. I know it was horrible. No need to come and rub it in as well." With this Bataar jr. looked to the side.
"Bataar…" Femke whispered before she hugged him. "I would never do such a thing."
"Why not?" Bataar asked.
"We're still family." Femke smiled, at which Bataar huffed, since he had been mocked by his brothers and sister as well for what he had done. "And because I know what it feels like."
"You do?" Bataar asked, shocked.
"I was in the Red Lotus, remember?" Femke said with a small smile. "I also let myself in with Tarrlok and Amon. Unalaq forced me to help out." The brunette summed up with a sad look. "And let's not even start about the time beforeI became a fairy. The time your grandmother was born."
"You had quite the life." Bataar jr. muttered.
"I've done my share of crimes." Femke admitted while looking down. "So I might have an idea of what you're going through."
Femke's POV
"Kuvira turned on me like I was nothing. I thought she loved me but it was all a lie." Bataar said while looking down. My poor great grandson.
"Love can hurt." I nodded as I gently took his hand. "But a wise man once told me: nothing hurts forever."
"Do you really believe that?" Bataar asked me, which caused me to chuckle. I remember asking the same thing.
"I do. It's working for me." I smiled. Bataar now looked at me with sad eyes, before he let me pull him in a hug, softly stroking his back as he let out a few choked up sobs. Which reminded me of how I had been in the arms of Vlad plasmius' Masters when I had just lost Daniel. I started to sing softly.
You've seen the damage words can do
When full of thoughtless pride
Now heed the wiser voice in you
That calls to be your guide
The flowers reaching for the sun are all uniquely blessed
But though each is special no one is better than the rest
Bloom, bloom, may you know
The wisdom only time breeds
There's room, bloom and you'll grow
To follow where your heart leads,
Bloom and may you bring
Your colours to the vast bouquet
There's room, bloom, learn one thing
Your gifts are meant to give away
"Nice song." Opal smiled as she walked in as well. Ignoring Bataar, she walked to me and took my hands.
"The others are ready to go save Atteritta. You coming?" She asked me with a small smile.
"I'm ready. I was trying to cheer up your older brother." I smiled as I looked at Bataar, who smiled back at me carefully.
"What are you talking about? Wei, Wen and Huan are in the other room." Opal remarked with a raised eyebrow. My eyes widened. They were really doing this?
"Opal, you have another brother remember?" I remarked with a stern look.
"No one talks to that traitor anymore." Opal huffed.
"Then you should stop talking to me as well." I said sternly. I hated to remind her of my old self but right now I had to. "I came back around. You know why?"
"Because Zaheer and the others changed as well." Opal started but I shook my head.
"No, it was something else." I replied with a small smile.
"Then what?" Opal asked.
"After all the things I had done and after all the hurt I caused, my family was still willing to talk to me." I said with a smile to Bataar, sitting next to me, who also smiled at me.
"If I've learned anything it's that people being there for you really can make the difference between making the same mistake twice or getting out of that cycle."
Without saying another word I walked out of the room, leaving my two great grandchildren to hopefully talk while we would go after that mayor to free Atteritta.
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And with that I declare this chapter done. I hope you enjoyed it.
The song is from Josheph the dream king, all rights reserved for them
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