A/N: Hey guys! Welcome to my first Korra fic! Now, to be fair, I've had this idea for...literally years. I began writing this before season 4 even ended. As a huge fan of General Iroh II, I was highly disappointed when he ended up being under utilized in the series. Time has allowed my ideas for this story to mature, but a little disclaimer: I didn't know when I started this that Iroh was 40 during Book 4. So... I apologize if that's a turn-off for some folks. But hey, stranger things occur in the real world.

As a rewrite, I'm not changing major plot points. I'm going to follow the story as closely as possible while giving Iroh a more active role. It doesn't make sense for him to be EVERYWHERE Korra is, so when they are separated, I will choose to focus most on Iroh. For anyone who might be a Naruto fan and read my story Shadow, you will understand the sort of blended storytelling I'm going for here. For those of you who are new, I hope you enjoy the blending of cannon and fiction! Enjoy, friends!

Book 4: Balance (Rewrite)

Chapter 1: The Lost Avatar

General Iroh headed back to his ship in annoyance. The Earth Kingdom was stabilizing—slowly—however the way in which it was stabilizing was far from ideal. His assessment of the situation was less than optimistic after visiting various Earth Kingdom regions and ascertaining that they had come under the control of Kuvira and her militarized task force. It seemed that force was the operative word since most of the governors had been of the opinion that they had had no choice in the matter. Iroh suspected sabotage, especially after speaking with two of the new air nomads who had been aiding the state of Yai.

Iroh shook his head. As much distain as he had held for the former Earth Queen, he was not sure that her "removal" had led to a better life for the citizens of the Earth Kingdom.

"General Iroh," his lieutenant greeted with the customary salute as he stepped on board his ship.

"Lieutenant. I assume all was well in my absence?"

"Yes, Sir. However, an urgent message arrived for you while you were away."

The lieutenant general handed Iroh a telegram. Iroh scanned it quickly.

"To all Generals of the United Forces

URGENT

The Avatar has gone missing. She has not been seen in six months. We ask that all able personnel take up the search for her. We have no clues as to where Avatar Korra may be, but it is imperative that we find her.

Chief Tonroq of the Southern Water Tribe

Former Councilman Tenzin"

Iroh's grip on the paper tightened.

"Sir? What should we do?"

Iroh lifted his gaze to his lieutenant and folded up the telegram, his face stoic. We will honor the request and join in the search for the Avatar." Without hesitation, he headed to the communication center to deliver his orders to his crew.

"Attention all ships. I have just received word that the Avatar is missing. We have been asked to join in the search to locate her. I want all non-essential personnel off these ships immediately."

As the naval crew disembarked the ships, General Iroh did the same. He ordered that his men break up into teams in order to better stave off bandit attacks, and that if they ran into Kuvira and her men (an unlikely scenario since they were headed further west into the Earth Kingdom), they were to avoid any and all conflict. If Avatar Korra was in some kind of trouble, and he and his men were able to help, General Iroh vowed to save her. He owed the Avatar his life after all.

They did not find her at that particular port city, however as they stopped at different ports around the Earth Kingdom, General Iroh ordered thorough searches of each of the areas in which they made berth. With each stop they made, and each city they searched, the general took his portable radio so that he would be able to receive any messages from his men or his lieutenants who had stayed on board the ships, manning the communication rooms. So far, no word on the Avatar's whereabouts had come through.

As their efforts turned up no results again and again, General Iroh began to lose hope. It had been another three months since he'd received word of the Avatar's absence, and there'd been no sign of her. He didn't want to fear the worst, but wondered if she had gotten into trouble she hadn't been able to escape.

Though he refused to acknowledge that she may be gone for good, he had no choice but to return his full attention to his military duties, especially as President Raiko grew more agitated by what he called a "waste of time."

"We need to be prepared for Kuvira's inevitable attack on Republic City. I can't have you gallivanting all over the Earth Kingdom in search of a phantom. If the Avatar is still alive, she's obviously chosen the path of cowardice by running away when the world needs her most. We have no time to continue this farce."

The general bit his tongue, knowing that jumping to the Avatar's defense was as futile as their search had been. Though Iroh doubted Korra was shirking her responsibilities on purpose, it was no secret that Raiko had never been a fan of the Avatar. It was to be expected that he wouldn't think too highly of her disappearance.

"Understood, Sir."

As the weeks progressed, Iroh had pushed the Avatar out of his mind altogether. President Raiko had been correct in his assessment of Kuvira's mounting aggression. Intel on The Great Uniter's growing army became more frequent, and the nations' leaders were growing more perturbed.

Manufacturing was underway for more tanks, ships, and weaponry, and more men than ever were being enlisted to fight for the United Forces. Iroh and his crew stopped at the Earth Kingdom port of Tomai to step up their recruitment efforts and check on the progress of their increased manufacturing demands.

The sun was waning in the late evening sky as he made his way back to his ship from the military base further inland with a few of his men. The residents were beginning to close up their shops for the night with the exception of a few restaurants. The streets were far less crowded than they were when he'd come through earlier. One of his officers stepped out of a pub and approached him.

"General Iroh. I've heard rumors that an underground bending event is going to be held not far from here. It might be worth looking into. Perhaps we could find more promising recruits?"

"Hm. Not a bad idea. I suppose it couldn't hurt to check it out. We have some time before we have to leave port. When does it start?"

After grabbing something to eat, Iroh and his men headed toward the arena, which was located in a rather shady section of the port city. He wasn't sure how promising the venture would be, but they'd already decided on checking it out. Two people stood at the doorway collecting money for entry. Iroh wondered if they would be regarded with mistrust, but they didn't seem to mind as he and his men paid their way and headed inside.

Not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves, they sat in the back to watch. The first few matches set the tone for matches to come, since they were underwhelming to say the least.

"It doesn't look like we're going to find anyone promising here," said the lieutenant as another amateur was beaten with the sound of the bell.

"And we have a winner! Let's hear it for The Earth Maiden!"

Cheers erupted from the stands, and some spectators even booed as the loser was drug from the ring.

"I guess not. It was worth a shot."

"Folks, it has come to my attention that another challenger has asked to face The Earth Maiden." More cheers erupted from the crowd. "What do you say? Are you game for one more match?"

"Bring it on!"

"That's what we like to hear. Alright folks, give it up for the new, mysterious challenger! She's rough, but is she tough enough to handle the reigning champion?"

Iroh rolled his eyes. Reigning champion? These benders were mere novices. None of them would survive boot camp, let alone an actual war. Regardless, he thought he would hang around to at least get a glimpse of this 'new challenger.'

A section of the ring was lowered, and a woman with short, brown hair and darker skin than the others entered the ring.

"Should we go, Sir?"

"Let's give it another minute, lieutenant."

"As you wish, Sir."

His hopes of seeing the underdog win were soon dashed when the challenger failed to evade the multitude of boulders and pillars of earth that were thrown at her. As she hit the side of the ring and fell to the ground, General Iroh got to his feet.

"This is pointless. We should head out." His men nodded, and together they turned to leave.

"Is that all you've got?"

Iroh stopped so suddenly that his men passed him up.

"Sir?"

That voice. He looked back over his shoulder to see that the challenger had gotten to her feet. He turned and looked more closely at her features. He hadn't expected to run into anyone he knew here, so he hadn't been paying close attention to either the spectators of the fighters. But those eyes… They were crystalline blue rather than the traditional green or brown of an Earth Kingdom citizen. He studied her more closely.

The Earth Maiden threw another boulder, and the challenger dodged it only to be hit by the next one. Again, she was thrown back into the side of the ring before collapsing onto the ground. Iroh watched as she tried to push herself up onto her hands and knees, but she had clearly lost.

"We have a winner!" the announcer called.

She hit the ground with her fist as the Earth Maiden walked away. It took a few moments before she was able to get to her feet.

"That concludes tonight's cage matches, folks! Come on back next week to watch The Earth Maiden take on new challenges!"

The General's amber eyes followed the young woman as she turned and headed back through the opening in the ring behind her. Her shoulders were high, but her head was bent in recognition of defeat.

"It can't be…"

"What is it, Sir?"

There was no way that that woman could be Avatar Korra. Iroh had heard that she'd been debilitated by the Red Lotus, but he had also heard that she had been doing better before she'd gone missing. Even in a weakened state, he'd known Korra to be strong, stubborn, and fierce. It wasn't conceivable that she could lose to rookies in the underground bending circuit.

Still, his gut told him he had to pursue her and find out if his suspicions were correct.

"I think we may have found the Avatar. Come on," he commanded, quickly leading the way out of the arena. "Scout around the building, see if there are any other exits."

While his men followed his directive, Iroh posted himself out front to wait either for her walk past so he could get a better look at her, or for his men to report back. He leaned against the side of the building for at least twenty minutes and became skeptical, wondering if they'd somehow missed her. It seemed everyone else had filed out, but there was no sign of the defeated challenger.

"No luck, Sir. She must have exited the building before we did."

"No. I refuse to let her get away!"

Suddenly, he heard someone pounding on a door nearby. "Hurry up in there! C'mon! I've got an emergency situation!"

Iroh followed the voice to another alcove along the alleyway, and his men followed. He heard that same door open and a familiar voice say, "Knock yourself out."

He saw her form emerge from the alcove as she walked back toward one of the main roads. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"It is the Avatar!"

Her hair was shorter and she looked worn and tired, but General Iroh had to concur with his lieutenant.

"Head back to the ship and radio Tenzin at Air Temple Island. I'm going after her."

Iroh sprinted out from the shadowed alley as his men rushed to fulfill his orders, but before he could call out to Korra, she had stepped in front of a car that she quickly leapt to avoid. The driver of the car swerved and honked their horn in agitation. Iroh sighed in relief when he saw she'd made it to the other side unharmed.

He stepped toward the main road, about to cross when he noticed Korra firebend at something before she fell to the ground with a yell of pain and surprise.

"Korra!" he called, leaping into action, but having to jump back to avoid another car as it flew down the street. By the time it had passed, a small crowd had formed around Korra. He rushed forward, but was unable to get through the throng of curious onlookers.

"What's wrong with her?" a man asked, startling the girl.

"Young lady, are you alright? Can I take you to a doctor?"

She got to her feet quickly. "No! I don't need any help."

"Korra!" he called again, finally breaking through the mass of spectators. He couldn't have lost her so quickly… Glancing around, he finally spotted her turning a corner up ahead. He took up the pursuit again, rounding the corner after her.

"Avatar Korra!"

She stopped short and spun around in surprise, looking defensive for a moment. He stopped a few feet away from her.

She squinted her eyes in an attempt to get a better look at him. "General Iroh…?" she asked in disbelief.

Iroh took in her haggard appearance fully for the first time. There were bandages on her scraped up arms, there were cuts and bruises on her ankles, her left eye was black and swollen—and that didn't count the parts of her that he couldn't see.

"Thank goodness you're safe," he said quietly. "Everyone's been searching for you for months." He took a step forward, but she only backed away.

"Stay away from me."

He put up his hands. "It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you…"

"Obviously. I just don't want you here!"

"Why? Don't you know how worried everyone's been? I assume your parents and Tenzin are worried sick. They want you to come home."

"No. I'm not going back. Not yet." She protested, backing away.

"Avatar Korra, please—"

"Don't call me that!" she said with fierceness in her eyes—a fierceness that was gone a moment later when she dropped her eyes and whispered, "I'm not the Avatar anymore…"

General Iroh frowned and took another tentative step forward. "Korra…what happened to you?"

The fierceness returned as she pierced him with her icy gaze. "What happened to me? What didn't happen to me? I've lost everything! What don't any of you understand about that?"

"Whoa, take it easy," he said, hands up in a gesture meant to bring down the tension. "I only want to help. Please…come back with me to my ship. I can take you back to Republic City."

"No one can help me. Don't you understand? Not you, not Tenzin, not Katara or my parents—no one can replace what I've lost. This is my fight; no one else's. So you can report back to Republic City and tell everyone that you've seen me and that I'm fine. But I need to be on my own right now. I don't owe anyone an explanation."

She turned and ran off, Iroh calling after her, but to no avail. He slumped his shoulders. What had happened to the confident, headstrong Avatar that the world was so fond of? She really had been broken by the Red Lotus, and nothing General Iroh could say could fix her.

That didn't mean, though, that he was going to honor her request to be left alone. From his brief assessment of the situation, Avatar Korra appeared unwell. She was so off balance that it had felt as if he had been looking at and speaking to an entirely different person. She needed help. He wasn't sure that he was the one most suited to provide that help, but he was going to make sure she found it regardless.

Squaring his shoulders, he ran after Korra, but kept enough distance between them that she wouldn't know he was following her. Quietly he trailed her as she left the city and entered the forest on its outskirts. He watched from a safe distance as she made a fire and laid down on the cold, hard ground to rest.

He frowned. She was wounded and obviously too tired to try to heal herself even though there was a small stream nearby. She was lost and broken and he knew he couldn't help her regain her strength of spirit. She was right; she had to make this journey on her own. However, she was wrong in thinking that her loved ones didn't need to know where she was, and that she was—at the very least—safe.

Once she had fallen asleep under the cover of the trees, General Iroh headed back to his ship. Immediately, he wired Air Temple Island in Republic City to tell Tenzin and Chief Tonroq that Korra was safe, but that she had asked to be left alone. He assured them that he would keep tabs on her, so they did not have to worry over her safety.

Whether she liked it or not, her life meant so much to those who cared for her, but not just because she was the Avatar. Iroh understood her desire to fight her own battles, and he admired her for her determination, but he also understood that her loved ones would not be able to rest easily while she was away.

"Lieutenant."

"Yes, General Iroh."

"I want you to take the fleet back to Republic City without me."

"…Sir?"

"Tell President Raiko that I must oversee the wellbeing of Avatar Korra. Tell him that if he has a problem with that, then he can take it up with the Fire Lord. As the grandson of former Fire Lord Zuko, my first duty is to the Avatar."

"Y-yes, Sir."

He walked past the lieutenant and headed for the ramp that led back down to the docks. "I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll return as soon as I can."

"Please, be careful, Sir."

The general paid no attention to his lieutenant's concern. He was much too preoccupied by his worry for Avatar Korra. He turned in the direction of the forest and made his way back to her campsite, dressed in clothes that weren't as obvious as his naval uniform. Instead of red, white, and gold, he now wore tan pants, a white undershirt, and a brown jacket and boots. He figured he ought to blend in with his surroundings if he was going to follow the Avatar without her noticing.

When he reached the campsite, her fire had gone out and she was fast asleep. Iroh sat down against a tree trunk, hidden by the underbrush. He wanted to stay awake so that he could keep an eye on her, however he knew that he needed rest as well, and so he let his own eyes fall closed so he could doze.

A short time later, he was roused from his light slumber by sounds of distress. He opened his eyes and peered through the bushes to see that the Avatar was twitching and moaning in her sleep. Knowing she was having a bad dream, Iroh fought with himself, unsure of whether or not he should wake her. If he did, she would surely run off again.

He decided he should do something to try to ease her tormented mind. Silently, he stepped out from behind the bushes and made his way over to her. He crouched down beside Korra and, after a moment of hesitation, placed his hand on her head.

"Easy, Korra. It's alright. It's just a dream. You're safe," he said quietly. He ran his gloved fingers through her short locks and over her cheek. She curled into a ball and he ran his hand over her shoulder and down her arm.

"Shh, it's okay. You're alright…"

She relaxed a little, but it was clear that her dreams were stronger than his comfort. He wasn't all that good at consoling, and the fact that he didn't want to wake her made the task even more difficult. He bit the inside of his cheek in thought. Then he had an idea. His grandfather Zuko had taught him one of the old hymns sung by Fire Nation soldiers. He had told Iroh that the song had been a favorite of his namesake, the Dragon of the West.

Sitting down at Korra's side, General Iroh began to sing while stroking her hair to comfort her and lift the hold of her nightmares.

"Leaves from the vine

Falling so slow

Like fragile, tiny shells

Drifting in the foam.

Little soldier boy

Come marching home.

Brave soldier boy

Comes marching home."

As her muscles relaxed and she stopped her fussing, General Iroh hoped beyond hope that the soldier that he knew Korra to be would awaken once more and reclaim her place as the Avatar.

x-X-x

The following day was a long one. Long and hot. General Iroh continued to trail Korra. She seemed to be searching for something, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was. She wandered back into town, and Iroh watched from across the street as she stopped to buy food from a vendor before leaving the port town of Tomai and heading inland through the woodlands.

Iroh's concern for the Avatar only grew as it became clear that she was suffering from hallucinations. Every so often, Korra would freeze before firebending at something with a yell of either anger or fear. After such incidents, he noticed her breathing become labored and her mannerisms become defensive. These symptoms subsided for a while only to resurface upon experiencing another one.

None of the hallucinations were serious enough to cause Korra physical harm, but Iroh's desire to watch over her increased with each episode. He thought again of what he had heard concerning the Red Lotus and how they had poisoned the Avatar in an attempt to kill her. It did not take Iroh long at all to realize that Korra was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. As a member of the military, the young general was no stranger to its scaring effects, having witnessed it several times among retired generals and even among his own men. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no cure for the disorder, and he wondered if Korra would ever break free of its iron grip on her psyche.

As darkness fell late into the evening, Korra ventured into another Earth Kingdom town, stopping again for something to eat. Iroh did the same once Korra had moved on before resuming his mission to tail her.

He followed Korra as she turned down a side street that looked as if it lead out of town. He ducked into an alley when she stopped and turned abruptly, as if startled. A moment later, she frowned and faced forward again. A few small barks caught both their attention, and Iroh watched as Korra knelt down to pet a small white dog that sat wagging its tail.

"Where'd you come from, little cutie?"

Iroh smiled a bit at her tone. It was pleasant—there was even slight amusement in her voice—and it sounded like the Korra he had met during the fight with Amon all those years ago.

His smile faded as Korra raised her head to stare at the top of the steps above her for several moments. When the dog turned and growled at the steps, Iroh heard Korra's voice again.

"You can see her, too?"

Too? What are they seeing?

Korra stood. "If you can see her too, maybe I'm not going crazy."

The dog barked offensively several times before running up the steps.

"How'd you do that?" asked Korra, stunned.

Iroh's brows furrowed. What had just happened? What had he missed? Had he been wrong the whole time? Was she not having hallucinations at all? The Avatar was the bridge between the human and the spirit worlds. Perhaps she was seeing a spirit?

The dog turned back to Korra and barked.

"You…want me to follow you?" asked Korra. The dog barked once more as if in agreement, then ran off. "Alright…let's see what I find," said Korra. She took off after the dog immediately and Iroh quickly followed, his curiosity further piqued.

On and on the dog lead them, out of town, through the forest, up the mountain side. It hadn't taken Iroh long to realize where they were headed, and it seemed to make sense if she were indeed seeing a spirit. From what Iroh had heard, the large swamp in the Earth Kingdom was a place filled with mystical, spiritual energy. Perhaps Korra's journey had been leading her there the whole time.

It was well after sunrise by the time they reached their destination. General Iroh continued to follow Korra down into the dense trees, keeping a close watch on the Avatar.

Korra ran after the dog, and as she did so, a pulse of energy filled the air. Iroh felt it too, and when Korra stopped, so did he, his eyes widening when the little white dog was replaced with a forest spirit.

"Wait! I met you at the tree of time!" Korra exclaimed in recognition. The corners of her mouth turned down in slight annoyance. "You should have told me who you were."

"If I did," said the spirit, "would you have followed me?"

Korra sighed. "I get your point… But why did you bring me here? What am I going to find in the swamp?"

"Not a what; a who," said the spirit, taking flight and fluttering off into the trees.

"No, wait!" shouted Korra, taking off after it. "Come back!"

Iroh quickly leapt after her, working hard to keep her in his sights. If he lost her in this swamp, it would be nearly impossible to locate her again. Besides, while it was filled with spiritual energy, the swamp could also be a very dangerous place, and he couldn't afford to let anything happen to Korra.

He lost sight of her briefly as his path was continually blocked by vines, but he heard her cry out a few yards away. By the sound of a loud splash, he guessed that she had tumbled into the water.

Sure enough, when General Iroh caught up with Korra, she had gotten to her feet in the knee-high water and was staring straight ahead, eyes wavering, frightened. She took a few steps backward, her voice shaky when she spoke.

"You're just in my mind. You're not real."

Just then, she was thrown back into the trees. Iroh called out to her, rushing to her aid. Was a spirit doing this? Why couldn't he see it? He had seen the forest spirit.

Before he reached her side, she had gotten back up and rushed forward, waterbending at something that the general could not see. He yelled her name again, trying once more to reach her, but she fell backwards down into a ditch, rolled to her feet, and ran from him.

He turned to Korra's invisible enemy, suddenly angry and frustrated at his inability to stop this madness and save the Avatar.

"Show yourself!" he shouted. "If you want to fight the Avatar, you'll have to fight me, too!" When Korra was again knocked to the ground, he leapt in front of her, pumping his fists in the air to firebend at whatever it was that seemed to have a vendetta against Korra.

Suddenly, he was hit by a blast of water, and he spun to counter attack. Instead, he was surprised to come face-to-face with the Avatar who threw water attacks at him left and right. He blocked them with his firebending, calling her to reason.

"Avatar Korra, stop! It's me! I'm not your enemy!"

Korra threw shot after shot at the general, and he dodged and blocked, finally ducking to swing his leg beneath her to knock her off her feet.

"Korra!" he shouted, about to bend down beside her. Before he got the chance, she threw a blast of air at him that sent him flying backwards before she got to her hands and knees and used her airbending to launch herself high up into to tree above her.

General Iroh got back on his feet and rushed back to the base of the tree in which she stood. "Korra, come back! It's me! General Iroh of the United Forces!"

She stood and raised her arms to shoot boulders at him, which he dodged easily by leaping to his left and rolling to his feet. He heard a startled cry, and when he looked up at her again, she had lost her balance and fallen from the branch, grabbing onto a vine to save herself in the process.

"Avatar Korra!"

She looked down at him, her eyes full of terror. He'd never seen such an expression before. He knew calling to her wasn't working. It was clear that she wasn't fighting a spirit, and that she was battling an illusion after all. He had to find a way to snap her out of it. But how?

He didn't have time to come up with a plan. The vine snapped, and Korra was falling fast. General Iroh leapt forward to catch her, falling backward as she landed on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her as she began to struggle, cries of desperation and despair echoing through the forest.

"Gah! Help!"

"Korra, stop! It's okay! Calm down, please!"

She managed to free one of her arms, and she reached out to the trees above in desperation as Iroh held her tight against him. Finally, she cried out and fainted in his arms, and he was able to relax his hold on her.

Worried and afraid, he called her name again. "Korra?"

No response.

Iroh checked her pulse and her breathing. They were quick, but she would be alright. Relieved, he sighed and laid her down gently on the ground. He reached into his pocket and took out his radio. He attempted several times to gather some sort of signal, but unsurprisingly, he was unable to do so. Growling in frustration, he hit the soft earth with his fist. He looked back at the Avatar as she lie motionless beside him.

He was even more confused now than when he had found her two days ago. What had happened to her, and why was she stuck fighting illusions? How could they be so intense that she wasn't able to recognize a familiar face and voice? Iroh's concern was greater than ever now. She wasn't simply suffering from PTSD. No, her condition seemed to be much worse than that. He concluded that all of her bruises hadn't come from the underground earthbending arena. Instead, he was convinced that Korra had been harming herself unintentionally all this time by battling with her psyche.

"She's not doing well at all, is she?"

Iroh's head shot up, and he took notice of the small forest spirit as it stood perched on a large tree root. He frowned.

"No, she isn't. Who are you?"

"My name is Itu. I noticed you were following us. How come?"

"I have a duty to the Avatar. Everyone is looking for her. She hasn't been seen in the last year."

"I figured you were a friend."

"Sort of. Why did you bring her here?"

"I was asked to."

Iroh's brows furrowed in confusion. "By who?"

"Well, if it isn't Sparky's grandson. Not exactly a person I ever expected to see in the swamp."

General Iroh spun to face the newcomer, and his deep, golden eyes betrayed his surprise. He straightened and squared his jaw, bowing respectfully, fist to palm, to his respected elder.

"Toph Bei Fong. It is an honor to meet you."

"Oh, save it. I'm just an old woman in a swamp."

"Nay, I've heard the most amazing stories about you. I never dreamed I would actually get to meet you, especially since you disappeared all those years ago."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't exactly anticipating your visit, so don't get excited," said the blind, old woman who was still just as rough as she had always been.

General Iroh looked back to Korra as Toph approached her. "So it was you who sent for her. Does that mean you know how to help her?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't call her here."

Iroh blinked in confusion again. "Wait…if you didn't send for her…then who did?"

"Iroh."

Toph and the general settled their attention back onto the forest spirit.

"Yes?" answered the general.

"Iroh asked me to bring the Avatar to the swamp."

"That's absurd," said the general. "I've never seen you before in my life."

"No, not you. The other Iroh."

Iroh stared at the spirit, not understanding, when he heard Toph speak.

"Ah, that's right. He has been in the spirit world for decades." An almost fond smile graced the old woman's lips. "I miss that old timer." By the time the general's eyes had focused on her once more, her usually sour expression had returned. "What for?" she asked the spirit.

"He said that because you live in the swamp, you're connected to everything, and through its spiritual energy and your guidance, the Avatar would be able to begin healing."

"That's crazy. I'm not a spiritual healer," Toph grumbled.

"Iroh said that you would try. Since you were friends with Avatar Aang."

The old woman scowled, but the general knew she would give in. His grandfather Zuko had spoken highly of Toph Bei Fong; of her rebellious nature, her tough exterior, and her loyal heart. She had been a faithful friend to Avatar Aang, and because of that, she already had a deep connection to Korra. She would help.

Sure enough, Toph let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Alright, fine. I'll try. But I'll only be a guide. She'll have to do the work of healing herself."

Iroh bowed again. "Thank you."

Toph turned and began walking off deeper into the swamp, calling to the young general. "Follow me. She needs rest."

General Iroh pivoted on his heel and bent down next to the unconscious Avatar. Slipping one arm beneath her shoulders and the other under her knees, he lifted her up and carefully followed the old woman, trusting that she knew what was best for Korra. As he passed Itu, he stopped to thank the little forest spirit.

"Anything for the Avatar," he replied. "We spirits were saddened at her unhappiness. It was the least I could do."

"Tell my great-uncle I said hello, and thank him for me—and for Avatar Korra."

"Okay!"

"Hurry up! I don't have all day!" said Toph, and Iroh proceeded as Itu disappeared from his sight.