Chapter 41: The Play

Normal POV

Early the next morning Femke, Zaheer and Bataar walked into the kitchen of the royal palace of the fire nation through a back door. All of them were wearing a brown robe around their bodies because their clothes had been ripped when they had transformed while they snuck their way up to the guest's room to change.

"What a night! I'm beat." Bataar said, yawning when they were almost there.

"Me too. I can't believe you're able to do this every month, Femke." Zaheer whispered as he gently held on to her hand as she yawned every now and then.

"All a matter off keeping breathing." Femke whispered back with a small smile on her face.

"It's still tough." Bataar said as he looked at Femke sadly as she smiled and gave him a playful pat on the back.

"You'll grow into it." Femke assured him as they arrived at their room. "We better get some sleep."

"Good idea, sleep tight." Bataar waved as he snuck to his own room, cursing softly as a plank creaked.

"G'night, Bataar" Femke whispered back to him before she and zaheer went into their room, quickly changed into their nightwear before cuddling close together in bed.

"Sleep tight." Zaheer whispered before he closed his eyes and bent towards Femke and gently kissed her on the lips.

"Sleep tight." Femke said as she did the same, yawning before she fell asleep, smiling as she thought back to a beautiful night together with her loved ones.

The next morning, the remainder of the Voortrix and Team Avatar were at the breakfast table along with the Bei Fongs and Atteritta, who looked in awe at all the food.

"Where are Femke, Zaheer and Bataar? It's not like them to be late." Tenzin, who had only arrived today, commented as he looked around, seeing the three of them were missing.

"Sleeping. It was a full moon last night." Tarrlok said as he took a few steam buns.

"Was that a good idea?" Tenzin said as he looked at Lord Zuko. "Won't people get hurt?"

"If the moon calls you have to go. They can't fight that urge." Katara said with a small smile

"I know but still…" Tenzin started, before looking up as he realized something. "You knew?"

"Femke told me a long time ago. She had no choice back then." Katara smiled, before looking down at her food, looking back up rapidly when Tenzin was about to make a comment. "She also told me to keep it a secret."

"I didn't know Bataar was like that as well." Jinora questioned when the servants were all out of the room.

"It's in their Bloodline. Femke was bitten a few days before we were conceived." Toph said, calmly eating her food.

"If it can be carried over by blood..." President Moon started with a shocked look. "Does that mean Zaheer is one too?"

"Indeed." Ghazan answered.

"Great grandma Femke told us it isn't dangerous do unless you don't take the Wolfroot potion" Opal replied with a small smile.

"She always took it around us back in the day as well." Katara said smiling.

"It's still hard for me to believe she never lied to it to Aang and you guys while she kept it away from us for a long time." Korra said as she looked at her plate sadly.

"We all slept outside back then. Had we woken up one full moon night and found her bed empty we would have gone looking for her and then we could have gotten hurt." Katara said as she placed a hand on the young Avatar's arm. "She was actually forbidden from telling anyone but she took the risk for us because we were her friends."

"That same risk of getting killed wasn't there for you so she had to keep her true nature a secret." Kya agreed.

"She only told me to make sure we kept each other's secret." Tarrlok brought.

"What do werewolves do?" Atteritta asked, which made everyone look up at her with surprise.

"Werewolves are mythical creatures for as as i know. They're normally human and only show their true nature under the light of the full moon." Lee Chang explained.

"They do. Femke told us they normally only listen to the call off their own kind unless they take the Wolfroot potion." P'li told with a small smile.

"Did she ever murder someone?" This question made the room fell silent as everyone shared a look.

"She did." P'li sighed after a moment. "She didn't have the wolf root potion to protect her at that time."

"But she still did." Atteritta sternly said.

"She couldn't help herself." P'li replied defensively. "And she felt very guilty."

"I guess." atteritta simply said, looking up smiling as Femke and Zaheer came in. Pyjamas still on and still very tired.

"Hey everyone." Femke yawned as she sat down next to Atteritta and grabbed some steamed buns as well.

"How did it go?" Ghazan asked casually.

"Great. We didn't run in any humans. The most trouble we had was escaping a platypus bear we woke up by accident." Zaheer answered before taking a sip from his tea.

"We got away unscratched this time." Femke added, remembering how bad they had been after their first run in with a platypus bear.

Atteritta's POV

"You had a run in with a platypus bear before?" I asked with a surprised look and it looked like I wasn't the only one that heard this story for the first time as Femke started telling what happened.

"Why did you tell him you used to be a princess? He was still on a quest to kill royalty. Weren't you scared he would kill you at some point?" I asked after they finished telling their story.

"Not even a little." Femke admitted with a small smile. "Call it crazy but I fully trusted them."

"Even when you just found out he lied to you?" Wu asked.

"Crazy, right?" Femke asked with a shrug. "I didn't know they were Voortrix back then my subconscious told me it was okay to trust them."

"Like subconsciously you knew who they were?" Ikki asked.

"Funny, right?" Femke smiled as she looked at Zaheer, who smiled back.

"What are the plans for today?" Bolin asked to no one in particular.

"We still have to find the twelfth Voortrix and all that." Femke said, followed by a long stretched yawn. "I might want to take up some sleep beforehand"

"How late did you return? I asked with a surprised look.

"Five or six in the morning." Femke yawned again after she answered this. She really needed to stop that. It was getting annoying.

"It's ten in the morning now." Mako answered as I nodded, not wanting to come over as dumb.

"After breakfast I think we'll lie down a bit more." Femke smiled a little as she said this.

She seems to really enjoy the full moon even if she turns into a monster

I thought as Femke told what she and the others had been up to last night.

Never even knew that was possible

I thought as I listened to the stories they told with an awestruck face. Everything they told me was new and sounded like an amazing adventure. I wanted to go on an adventure.

"How about we put up a little play tonight?" Zuko suggested with a small smile. "From the looks of it Atteritta would love to see some of the adventures you've had." Zuko chuckled a little after he said this.

"We don't have time for that. He knows were here." Femke said as she looked up sadly. "If we don't find the twelfth Voortrix soon it could all over."

"You're both still under doctor's orders to take it easy." Ming Hua brought in.

"Besides, Atterita should know the true story of how things came to be." P'li nodded, before she smiled to her aunt.

"Okay then." Femke groaned. "But don't look at me if we all die."

"He knows we're here but he can't pass through the shield, don't worry." Zaheer yawned before he placed a hand on her arm in a reassuring way. "We're all safe here."

"Let's have some fun!" Bolin exclaimed, which caught me giggling.

Normal POV

Meanwhile at Shadowhaunt, Darkar was pacing up and down his throne room furiously. The Avalon and Griselda clones cowering before the small altar he stood on.

"That mayor was a foolto underestimate them." Darkar fumed as he kept pacing. "A total waste of time. he had them on a silver platter and stillthey managed to slip away."

"We can hunt them down for you." the Avalon clone suggested with a trembling voice.

"Fool! If the mayor can't defeat them, neither can you."Darkar bellowed.

Just then Darkars loyal pet Kerborg flew into the room, screeching as it locked around the arm of his master, folding himself up completely.

"I know they didn't find their twelfth ally yet." Darkar told the animal with a firm look, causing the animal to screech again.

"Do they know who it is? " Darkar asked as his eyes flashed, making Kerborg screech again.

"That could work in our favor." Darkar smirked after which he looked over his clones.

"Seems I'm going to have a good use for you two after all." He said.

The Royal Palace of the Fire Nation

"It's a shame we have to go our separate ways so soon but we can always meet up in the Spirit World." Femke said with a smile on her face while standing on a small stage they had made for the occasion. Her arm wrapped in a bandage like it had been at that moment as they were enacting what had actually happened.

"Five more minutes left! Hurry it up!" A White Lotus Guard called from around the corner, making Femke look up at zaheer with tears in her eyes, yet stayed awkwardly silent, not knowing what to say or do with the given situation as she looked Zaheer in his eyes.

"Promise me you won't try anything stupid when I'm gone. It isn't worth it." Zaheer said as he took Femke's chin in his hand, making the brunette look to the side like she had done then to avoid his eyes.

"How can you make me promise something like that? You know how much you all meant to me." Femke replied as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"Because even stopping to talk won't change their minds. I don't want you to get hurt. Not because of me." Zaheer whispered harshly as he had tears in the corners of his eyes as well.

"I promise i won't try anything stupid." Femke swore with a broken voice.

"One minute left! Wrap things up !" The guard called. Zaheer nodded before he hugged Femke close, who buried her face in his shoulder, weeping.

"Goodbye. Take good care of yourself."

Zaheer whispered to femke as he gave her a hand, which made Femke look down with shock before she looked back up at him as she showed the audience consisting of Team Avatar, the Bei Fong and airbending family, Zhu Li and Varrick (who was filming everything) that she was holding on to the Guru Laghima pendant, which had been Zaheer's at that part of the story.

"This is amazing!" Atterita commented with a smile on her face as she looked at the lovers looking at each other as Zaheer was chained before he walked to Femke one last time.

"Femke… " Zaheer said as he was standing in front of Femke one last time and kissed her, passionately. Femke didn't return this, pulling away with a mixture of shock and horror on her face as they were pulled away from each other.

"Guess she did tell the truth." P'li whispered to Ming Hua, which made King Wu look up with a smile.

"This is what really happened. I saw it." He told her as Jinora walked on the stage and placed a hand on Femke's shoulder to comfort her friend, who smiled at her before walking before she broke into a run, after which someone behind the stage made the trees rustle as a sign she was running at top speed.

"Get back here!" Some of the White Lotus guards called after her but Femke paid no attention to them as she reached the top of a tall cliff, while Zaheer stood tall behind bars below them, smiling as he looked at her one last time while Femke used her airbending to make colored leaves fly towards him after which she waved dramatically.

"Why did she do that?" Allerys asked.

"To make their goodbye more special." Wu commented. "Like a lover does."

"Or just good friends." Ming Hua said.

"Goodbye Femke. Good luck with the rest of your life." Zaheer whispered behind bars, after which he made a sign with his arms like he was going to bend. Femke's eyes lit up when she saw this and as a last sign of gratitude and thanks. She bent all the elements showing them off with the same ribbons as the Ember Island players had: Water, Fire, Earth and Air.

"Show off." Korra commented. "Why did she do that?"

"Gratitude. She wanted to show him that thanks to him she could bend all four elements now and save the world." P'li smiled as Femke waved happily after Zaheer as she held the medallion in her bandaged arm.

"She just lost someone very important to her." Toph commented as she smiled as the scene went into four years after the fall of the Red Lotus when Team Avatar caught up.

"After losing her brothers and thinking she lost everyone else that cared for her , it must have been tough." Noatak nodded as he looked at the scene unfolding before him.

"She was very locked off for a while. Even when she promised Zaheer she wouldn't stop talking again she rarely spoke to us." Jinora said with a sad smile on Femke, who was reading the letter off the Woodvillages after which she spoke to P'li about what was going to happen to Ming Hua and Ghazan. Getting herself caught in the process.

"So you lied to us?" Raikou asked firmly.

"She would do anything to protect us." Ghazan whispered to Ming Hua, who nodded in return.

"Too bad her lying for our sake only got her in more trouble." Ming Hua replied with a nod as they witnessed P'li getting her first fairy form, after which it was time for the hospital scene.

"Ming, Ghazan. I remember now. I remember everything. Please open your eyes." P'li begged as she placed a hand on Ghazan's hand and her other hand on Ming Hua's shoulder with tears in her eyes, just like she had when she had really been there.

"It's no use, Li. They can't hear you." Femke sadly replied as she sat down next to P'li and placed a hand on her arm, tears blinking in her eyes.

"I just have my memories back and now we have to say goodbye to them." P'li sadly said as she looked up at Femke, also with tears in her eyes.

"This is so sad." Atteritta whispered to Lord Zuko, who looked up and nodded in reply.

"I wasn't there when this happened but you can clearly see how much they care about each other." Lord zuko whispered back as Femke explained to P'li about heaven on stage.

"I hope so. Then they would at least be able to be happy." P'li started, but stopped when she started to sob again, which made Femke look down for a moment before she started to sing:

I don't know if You can hear me

Or if You're even there

I don't know if You would listen

To a Gypsy's prayer

Yes, I know I'm just an outcast

I shouldn't speak to you

Still I see Your face and wonder

Were You once an outcast too?

Femke started to sing with a soft voice. This made P'li look up at her since that was exactly what the Red Lotus members were in her eyes back then. Outcasts.

God help the outcasts

Hungry from birth

Show them the mercy

They don't find on earth

God help my people

We look to You still

God help the outcasts

Or nobody will

I ask for wealth

I ask for fame

I ask for glory to shine on my name

I ask for love I can possess

I ask for God and His angels to bless me

Ilena, Dizanna and Selvia sang the last part as they came in as well and wanted to help Femke cheer up their friend, which made the viewers smile while Atteritta had to even rub a few tears from her eyes.

I ask for nothing

I can get by

But I know so many

Less lucky than I

Please help my people

The poor and downtrodden

I thought we all were

The children of God

God help the outcasts

Children of God

As the song ended, Femke was just as much in tears as her friend and the people watching. She was smiling as she looked at her two unconscious friends, knowing they would have heard this as well.

"That was beautiful." P'li said as she smiled down at her two friends as the nurse came in, seeing they were still hugging and left them alone.

"We better go now. This is goodbye." Femke said softly to her two motionless friend as she sat by their sides and took Ghazan's hand In hers and placed her other hand on Ming Hua's shoulder. "Thanks for everything. Without you I wouldn't have known what I had done with myself." She sniffled as she placed her head on P'li's shoulder for comfort. Meanwhile in the spectator's corner, Katara let a box of tissues go around.

"We will let you go now. You can always see us and Zaheer wherever he might be now." Femke felt her voice break and a moment later she started to break down into sobbing "Just don't try to drive each other nuts, okay?" Femke sobbed as she and P'li shared a small smile.

"This is so sad." Wu commented with tears in his eyes as he watched the girls tell their friends goodbye, breaking down in sobs as they each bent down to give them a kiss on the cheek when…

"Femke. He's coming to." P'li stammered as she looked up at Femke with shock. "He's waking up." P'li said as she looked at the body of her best friend, unable to believe she what she had just heard and what she saw next; Ghazan's fingertips moved.

"He moved!" P'li said as she pointed to the fingertips just as they relaxed again.

"That could be anything." Femke started but stopped as she gasped in shock when she saw Ghazan's whole hand moved this time. "It can't be…" She whispered before she almost ran to the side of his bed and bent over him to listen to his heartbeat.

"Femke…. P'li…." Zaheer whispered smiling, looking up as Selvia tapped on his shoulder to offer him a tissue.

"Ghazan!Can you hear me?" Femke asked with widened eyes as Ming Hua behind her started to move as well.

"We all knew they were gonna wake up but it's still fun to see." Floxy commented with a small smile.

"They were so sad before and now they're full of joy and life again." Yucca smiled.

Ghazan moaned, which made Katara smile as the girls looked at each other, their eyes beaming with hope at the sight of the two waking up.

"Get the respirator, they're waking up!"Femke called as she stormed to the door. A nurse immediately came to check and started to do her job.

"Ming is waking up!"P'li gasped as tears of joy started to appear, running to Femke who pulled her into a hug.

"It's a miracle!"Femke said as she hugged her best friend, tears of both joy and relief streaming down her face while Maxine and Sapphire did a little happy dance in the background.

"Can someone please explain why this is a miracle?" Ming Hua muttered as she opened her eyes. "I got knocked out in a fight. It happens." She said as she looked from Femke to P'li.

"You've been in a coma for almost three years." Femke said as she sat on the side of her bed and hugged her.

"They have been worried sick about you. I can understand their reaction." Maxine whispered as she looked at the scene sternly.

"I can also understands Ming's reaction. I would react the same if I would wake up out of what seemed to be just a minor knockout." Narcissa replied.

"I'm so happy! That said there's something you need to know. About your legs." Femke carefully said, remembering the nurses had told her that Ming Hua's legs had been too heavily damaged by the electrocution that they had to be amputated.

"What in the hell are you…?" She started but stopped as she managed to bend some water a small vase on the room's table into makeshift arms and lifted the blanket.

"Oh." she stated simply as her face turned pale.

"Your legs were too heavily damaged by Mako's electric attack. They couldn't save them anymore." Femke said as she looked down "I'm sorry."

"Like you should be, considering you weren't there and both look quite alright." Ming Hua snapped as she looked at Femke angrily.

"We are fine right now but we weren't at the moment of the last fight." Femke said as she moved her shirt down a little so Ming Hua could see the scar on her shoulder.

"A scar. So much worse then having no limbs. What happened?" Ming Hua asked as she looked up at Femke, annoyed.

Atteritta smiled, looking up to the door, noting an old woman in a wheelchair being pushed in by one of the servants, who smiled and made a few hand gestures to lord zuko, who nodded and made a few signals back after which the servant rode the woman to the front line and left her there after which zuko sat down next to her and whispered something in her ear while gently squeezing her hand.

"I am not some helpless child, Zu-Zu! Stop being so overbearing!"The woman said with a loud voice, making the players on stage look up for a moment with femke looking rather nervous at the sight of her.

Why is she scared? It's just a rude old lady

She thought as she walked over to them and sat down next to the Firelord.

"Hello. I m Atteritta." Atteritta smiled as she looked at the woman, who looked up at her and rolled her eyes.

"This is my younger sister; Princess Azula." Lord Zuko smiled as he looked from Atterita to his younger sister.

"Another combustion bender?" Azula said, making Atteritta hide behind Lord Zuko.

"Combustion Man left a whole family behind." Kord Zuko commented, smiling at Atteritta.

"So you're running a charity now?" Azula called with a mocking voice as Femke got off stage for a bit so and sat down with Lord Zuko.

"No. We found her in a village being abused by the people for what Combustion Man did." She smiled at Atteritta, who nodded. "We freed her and took her to the palace for safety as well as letting her re-adjust to a normal life."

"Pathetic. "Azula sneered.

"She deserved better than what she got. As the Firelord it is my duty to help people who are like her."

"Keep telling yourself that." Azula huffed as she crossed her arms and looked to the side.

"Look." Zuko pointed at Femke and Zaheer holding hands as they looked at the stage, smiling while P'li and Noatak behind them were having small talk.

"They were once criminals and now we're all here. Love, understanding, friendship and hope is what we all have and understand now. Thanks to Aang. Thanks to Korra and thanks to Femke, who refused to give up on the Red Lotus when everyone else deemed them lost."

Zuko smiled as he said the last part. That was what the old Team Avatar had done for him. Everyone had deemed him lost but Aang gave him a second chance in life which had altered his path for the better.

"Gag me with a spoon." Azula said rolling her eyes.

"If all you're going to do is insult me, you can ring the maid to take you back to your room." Zuko said, rather annoyed by his little sisters attitude.

"I just wanted to see the play." Azula smirked as she looked at the stage where the final act of the Earth Empire story was playing out with Kuvira and Korra fighting.

"That must have been one intense fight." Femke whispered to Zaheer before getting back on stage again. For a while the Red Lotus and Team Avatar played out their story for Atteritta until suddenly Femke's medallion started to glow and everyone looked at it, shocked.

"Why is it doing that?" Zaheer asked as he ran towards Femke, who looked at the medallion with surprise.

"Darkar is trying to break through the barrier." The voice of Feria stated, which made everyone worried.

"We have to find the twelfth Voortrix soon!"Zaheer said as he looked at his friends firmly.

"How?" King Wu asked with a worried look on his face.

"We know it is someone from the Varma family so it's probably Kuvira or a sibling, if she has those." Femke explained.

"You seriously believe this?" Azula said.

"Will you shut up?" Femke said, getting frustrated with Azula's constant jabs. "We have to find that twelfth Voortrix from the Varma family and fast."

"Do you still have time?" Wu asked with widened eyes.

"The medallions are all linked we can easily track her down since we know she is already wearing the medallion." Femke said as she showed her companions her medallion.

"Good call." Zaheer said as he did the same, followed by the others.

"Let's all lock hands and focus. We can find the Voortrix if we all work together." Femke smiled as she reached for Zaheer and P'li standing on either side of her, who in their turn locked hands with Ming Hua and Ghazan and so on until the circle was complete, making a bright glow appear all around them.

"Let's focus and find that voortrix." Ghazan said as they all focused, trying to find whoever was the twelfth Voortrix while also strengthening the barrier keeping them safe from Darkar.

In Shadowhaunt

"Sir, the barrier is very strong. The Voortrix are powering it from the inside." The clones of Grizelda and Avalon said as they tried to break through the barrier for the next phase of their plan to get the voortrix in hands.

"Clever." Darkar smirked as his one eye blinked in delight. "But it won't be enough to keep me out."

"You have a plan, Sir?" Avalon asked as he looked up at his master with shock.

"Yes. We need to weaken the Voortrix to make us able to pass through the barrier and I know exactly how to do it." Darkar smirked as Kerbor flew in with a scroll in its paws, putting it in Darkars hand before hanging onto his Master's other arm.

"Kerbor managed to find the scroll I was looking for." Darkhar said as he opened the portal and started to chant the spell off the scroll, after which Kerbor flew in and started to grow and morph.

"Grow, little one." Darkar said as Kerbor took the form of a giant monster, after which all three started to laugh evilly.

A flash of thunder appeared above the mountain Shadowhaunt was located, making both Valtor and Najira, who had been gathering herbs in the woods, look up at it with shock.

"That can't be good." Valtor remarked as he looked at his mother, worried.

"We have to warn Femke, she has to be on guard. Darkar is entering his Endgame." Najira replied as she looked at the mountain, worried as well.

"Please, Voortrix, be careful." Valtor whispered as he looked at the sky. Knowing Femke, the woman that helped save him, was in danger now while Najira called to make sure Femke was informed of the threat that was sure to come. He closed his eyes and rested with one arm against a tree, remembering first passing the very spot they were standing, Femke holding him on the arm, sick and exhausted. Thanks to them, he had recovered and had hope for a better life now.

"They won't fail. I just know it." Valtor smirked as he looked up at the sky as a dragon passed over them. "She saved me from myself. She managed to break through my iron door. She can save the world. I believe in you. All off you."

"Never give up hope. Never surrender to fear."

In the dungeons of Shadowhaunt, a man wearing a brown cloak looked up as he heard the thunder. This revealed pale green skin and a flash of white hair under his dark hood.

"Mom, please watch out. He's coming for you." Was all the boy whispered before he passed out again just as Darkar managed to breach the barrier with a loud bang.

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And that marks the end of chapter Fourty-One! Sorry it took me a while to write it, I wrote a few pieces in between 'When two mothers meet' and 'An alternate path' so I was a little busy with those two and kinda forgot I still had this chapter to finish.

A/N:

Since it's unclear if Azula was dead during the Legend of Korra series, I wanted her to make an appearance.

That was all for now! Thanks for reading and thanks to paranoidgirl doing such an awesome job as Beta reader and advisor.

Please leave a review!