Chapter 7 – The Voice in the Night
Air Temple Island
Thor was sitting alone in the kitchen; he was drinking a cup of warm tea. It had been a couple of days since the Revelation. His wounds have fully healed and there was this spark, the good kind of spark, between him and Korra. Thor smiled as he thought about her, and as he did he surprised himself, he normally thought about axes, hammers, battle and adventure. Now he was thinking about a girl, a mortal to top it off.
He placed his cup in the sink and walked into the hallway. It was still morning and Korra was still in her room sleeping. The door was knocked, seeing that neither Tenzin nor Pema was around, Thor went to open it.
"Good morning sir." A fancy dressed man stood on the other side of the door with an envelope in his hand.
"Morning." Thor replied. "What do you need?"
"I'm here to give Ms. Korra an invitation to a ball in her honor tonight." The man responded.
"A ball? Like a feast? From who?" Thor asked again.
"Councilman Tarrlok of course." The man answered as he gave Thor the invitation and left. Thor looked at the invitation and raised an eyebrow. Well she did deserve one and all…she is the Avatar after all.
Later that day after giving Korra the envelope, Tenzin told everyone to get ready for the ceremony. As Tenzin ran throughout the temple to get Meelo dressed, Thor stood in his room looking at himself in the mirror. Normally in Asgard, whenever a feast was celebrated in someone's honor, the warriors dressed in their ceremonial armor. As the crown prince, Thor had this fancy winged helmet that he had to put on, and this long red cape and dark armored vest. It had been made by his mother, that was the only reason he would put it on.
But here, he had no luxurious clothes to put on besides his mildly torn crimson jacket, his black-blue sleeveless shirt with four white circles on it, his leather belt, blue plants and fur boots. If he didn't know any better…and had a sudden tan, he would be from the Water Tribe.
"Need help in dressing up?" Korra asked as she walked to him and placed her arm around his back.
"I have no idea what to put on; does Tenzin have some armor pieces he can let me borrow?" Thor asked as he smirked.
"Nope, at least you can wear pants. I have to wear this annoying dress and stuff." Korra responded as she sat on his bed. "Hmm…"
"Any ideas?" Thor asked as he saw Korra looking at his jacket.
"Maybe if you ditch the jacket and put on a cloak and some kind of head dress you could go all fancy." Korra said.
"It wouldn't be the first time I had to wear those." Thor responded. Some minutes later, Korra had brought to him one of Tenzin's red cloaks and an old helmet she had found in the attic.
"This helmet has wings on the side…" Thor said as he looked at the helm.
"There were like three helmets, this one, a horned one, and an ugly one that covered the eyes. So I grabbed this one since I thought it would look on you." Korra responded as Thor placed the helmet on and looked at the mirror.
"I like it." Thor said as he turned to Korra.
City Hall
The place was packed. People from the highest caste of Republic City assembled for this ceremony. Korra looked around; she was quite astonished by the presence of the city's top bear-dogs. Thor walked next to her; he had been looked at ever since they arrived.
Tenzin then left to tend to the mischiefs of Meelo and the other kids, leaving Thor and Korra by themselves. Suddenly Tarrlok appeared, "Avatar Korra, so glad that you could come!" he said.
As soon as Thor laid an eye on him, he didn't like the guy. His sly smile and the way he talked…too many times has he seen his type. Back on Asgard, several Storm Giants had been scamming several Aesirs, and much of these fiends had this smoothness in their voices. A silver-tongued fire demon.
"Come I have some people you have to meet." Tarrlok said taking Korra with him before Thor could even greet the guy.
"Trouble brother?" Thor turned to see his step-brother, Loki, standing beside the food table.
"Loki, what are you doing here?" Thor asked.
"Just checking on you, never thought of you as the actually falling in infatuation with someone, at least for this long." Loki said as he giggled at Thor's appearance.
"I still think that you don't see her the same way I do." Thor replied.
"Of course I don't, she is a puny mortal and we are Gods. We are above such little insects, we could squash them like the bugs they are but you…you fall in love with one. She can be the queen of this world and yet she is still a mortal." Loki responded. "Mortality has twisted the right way for you to view existence brother, foolish."
"It is not foolery; it is the true feelings of a forsaken god of thunder." Thor replied. "Have you come to mock me or are you actually going to tell me something?"
"The war spreads and there is little we can do fighting a war in two fronts, even with the little help that Karnilla gives us. It is only a matter of time until the war comes to Midgard." Loki informed. "Also, there has been some infiltrations through the Rainbow Bridge."
"Infiltrations? But Heimdall…"
"Magic blinded the guardian, high-level magic indeed. And I believe it is one of your old flames, you better watch out." Loki said as he began to smirk.
"You did it…" Thor realized as the sound of a microphone was heard and the reporters of the room began to pour into the stand that was some feet away from them. Thor saw Korra and Tarrlok stand on top of it.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure and honor to present to you all, Avatar Korra!" Tarrlok presented Korra to the press, cameras flashed blinding Korra temporarily.
"Avatar Korra is it true that you have been going around the city causing trouble?" A reporter asked.
"That was an accident, it won't happen again." Korra replied. Then a young reporter with a camera asked a peculiar question.
"Avatar, what will you do with the rising problems of the Equalists and the Empire Triad?" The young reporter asked. He looked to be around Bolin's age.
"Uh I will help the…uh police with the triad problems and I am well aware of the Equalist issue." Korra responded.
"Then why haven't you done anything about it? Are you scared?" The young reporter kept asking making Korra slightly pissed off.
"No! I'm not afraid of those guys." Korra responded.
"Councilman Tarrlok has started an agency to take care of the issue, why haven't you joined Avatar? Are you really that afraid of Amon?" Another reporter asked.
"No, I am not afraid of Amon! I will join Tarrlok's team, better yet I challenge Amon to come out of his hiding hole and face me! Avatar Aang Memorial Island, ten o' clock this weekend night!" Korra shouted angrily as the reporters wrote on their notepads and the cameras flashed.
Then Loki looked at Thor and smiled, "Mortals, always foolish brother, always." Then he disappeared. Thor was now worried, what had Korra gotten herself into?
Air Temple Island
"You don't have to do this." Thor told Korra as she grabbed all she needed to join Tarrlok's hunt.
"I have to, I'm the Avatar." Korra replied as she walked out of her room with Thor following close. Then Thor grabbed her by the shoulder.
"All right then, it is your choice just promise me…don't get into trouble." Thor said.
"Okay." Korra replied as she nodded and smiled warmly. She then left Thor standing alone in the wooden halls of the temple.
Thor made his way to the outer side of the training area and felt a strange feeling crawling up his neck. That feeling…he has felt it before. During those times were he courted…no…it can't be. Not here…"Hello there my prince." A soft female voice whispered in Thor's right ear.
"Amora." Thor said with a dry voice, trying to not give this Enchantress what she wanted. "What do you want?"
"Your hair…your strong arms around me…your heart." She replied as she appeared from the air and struck him in the chest with a magic blast.
"Agh!" Thor grunted in pain as he was forced into his knees. Smoke came from his chest, the blast hadn't hurt him too much but the pain was indeed felt.
"You replace me with this…this mortal harlot!?" Amora yelled as she grabbed Thor by his hair and hurled him into the grassy training area. "You weak and pathetic back-stabber!"
"Agh…you are…fooling yourself Amora." Thor said as he stood back up, he had forgotten how weak he is in this human body. Asgardians like her could easily overpower any strongman from Midgard, and now Thor was both physically and magically outmatched by the furious maiden. "I was…wrong in lying to Sif with you. I was even more wrong when I thought you could be that one girl for me but…when I finally find her you come…"
"Shut up!" Amora shouted and blasted Thor again. Thor was able to dodge the attack, but he was now cornered. "Cornered like the rat that you are."
Thor thought quickly and used a nearby Airbender staff and smacked Amora with it, confusing her for a moment. But it did nothing to her only make her even more irritated.
"Go back to Asgard, Amora. Tell Loki to stop his games!" Thor yelled.
"This isn't about Loki! I will make you suffer like you made me suffer!" Amora shouted back as she stomped the ground and made Thor lose his balance a little. Before he could react she jumped on him and overpowered the young prince with her superior strength. "Now pay!"
Suddenly a powerful air blast struck Amora off Thor and into the waters of the bay; Thor stood up and saw Tenzin coming to his aid. "Thor, are you all right? I saw you being attacked by that woman." Tenzin said.
"I'm okay thanks." Thor replied as he looked at where Amora had splashed into.
"Who was that woman?" Tenzin asked.
"Bad news…" Thor answered. "She's gone but I think she will be back."
"Is she from where you're from?" Tenzin asked again as he walked with Thor back inside the temple.
"Yes but I think you won't believe me why she could beat so easily." Thor replied as he patted the dust off his shirt.
As the weekend drew closer, Korra and Tarrlok seemed to capture more and more Equalists in their daily raids. Newspapers and radio stations reported that the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division or S.H.I.E.L.D for short have been more than efficient in tracking all and all threats to the city and the nation at large. Triads across the city were being busted and Equalists being put in the big house.
Thor knew, as he read the daily newspaper, that it was only just a matter of time before Korra's showdown with Amon came. He and Tenzin knew very well that she wasn't ready; she hadn't master airbending or tapped with her spiritual self. Amon is way too powerful to take on alone and may not play fair.
Republic City Docks
9:59 PM, The Night of the Duel
Korra stood on the small boat facing the Aang Memorial Island, accompanied by Tarrlok. Then Thor and Tenzin came down aboard Oogi, wanting to stop Korra from doing this.
"Korra wait!" Thor yelled as he hopped of the sky bison with Tenzin close behind. "You don't have to do this."
"Thor is right, Korra please this is too dangerous." Tenzin added.
"Tenzin, Thor…I have to do this. I can't let Amon get away with this any longer." Korra replied.
"And besides I have the island surrounded with S.H.I.E.L.D troopers ready to pounce at any moment." Tarrlok said with a smug face. "Anything goes wrong we will ready."
"See, nothing to worry about." Korra added as she turned and waterbended the water around her small boat and quickly arrived to the memorial island. Thor was more worried than anything at this moment but he trusted her judgment…but something told him that this was going to get worse before it got any better.
Hours passed and it seemed like nothing or no one arrived on the island after Korra. Thor, Tenzin and Tarrlok waited on the pier, waiting for something to happen.
"Hey kid." Tarrlok said.
"Yes?" Thor replied.
"I've noticed that the Avatar has a strong bond with you."
"Yeah…she's my friend." Thor responded, feeling a little suspicious of this so called politician.
"Well yes, but there was that sparkle in her eye every time she spoke with you." Tarrlok kept saying. "I'll keep you in mind." He smiled.
Thor didn't like this man, and it looked like Tenzin didn't either. They waited a little longer until they heard a scream coming from the island. "Korra!" Thor shouted awake at the sound of her scream.
Thor quickly got on Oogi along with Tenzin and flew off towards the island. As soon as they hovered over the concrete floor of the memorial, Thor jumped off. He quickly ran towards where he believed to be the rotunda below the statue.
"Korra!" Korra heard two voices shouting her name as she came back to consciousness.
"Thor…? Aang…?" Korra weakly said as she opened her eyes to gaze upon Thor's worried face.
"Korra are you okay!?" Thor asked as he grabbed Korra and helped her sit up.
"What happened? Was Amon here!?" Tenzin asked as he stood behind Thor, also dead worried.
"Yeah…he…he ambushed me." Korra replied as she looked away from Thor.
"Did…he take your bending?" Thor asked. Korra made a small flame on her palm and then extinguished it by turning her hand into a fist.
"No…I'm okay." Korra answered still not trying to look at Thor eye to eye.
"Thank goodness." Tenzin said relieved that nothing bad had happened to her. Suddenly Korra started to cry, taking Thor and Tenzin by surprise.
She hugged the young prince tightly and placed her head on his right shoulder, surprising him even more but making him feel broken in the inside. "I was so terrified! I felt so helpless…!" Korra said while she cried. Tenzin kneeled beside them, Thor looked at the master airbender and he nodded.
"Korra…" Thor said as he stroked her hair. "It's going to be fine."
"You…you were right. I wasn't ready…you and Tenzin…you were right. I've been scared this whole time and…and…I've never felt like this before." Korra said as she kept hugging Thor. "And I…don't know what to do!" She continued crying, feeling totally helpless and scared.
"My father once told me when I was younger, that admitting your fear is the first and most important step in conquering them." Thor said as he hugged her back and closed his eyes. "This is what makes us strong…"