Author's Note: I wanted to take a moment and thank those of you who have gotten this far in my story. I'm really glad I get to share this with you and I hope you like the direction the plot is taking.
The stillness in the arctic air was unnerving. There was no sound around them yet the tension between the four figures was almost tangible. Desna, Eska, and Tonraq all stood beside Arael, eyes focused on the horizon in front of them. They were stationed near the prison in which P'li was being held. It was a deep cavern nestled between glaciers that kept the firebender too cold to bend. Arael had not been down in the cavern but she had looked over the edge into the sheer drop hundreds of feet below. It seemed impossible that anyone would be able to succeed at a prison break with how prepared they were, but Zuko and Tonraq still seemed on edge about the whole ordeal. She was growing more nervous about the eminent confrontation with the Red Lotus by the minute.
A red dot appeared in the sky and drew closer rapidly. The dragon landed before them with a spray of snow and wind that sent everyone's hair and loose clothing whirling. The arrival of the former fire lord eased Arael's worries slightly. Despite the fact that Zuko was far more experienced in these matters than she was, she still worried about the elderly man going off on his own.
"Did you see Zaheer?" Tonraq asked.
"The only thing I saw was a snowstorm heading our way," Zuko replied, indicating large white clouds that had gathered on the horizon and were rapidly coming toward them.
Tonraq frowned at the appearance of the storm, his eyes narrowing. "That's not a snowstorm. That's him. Everyone get ready."
The dragon lowered its head, allowing Zuko to step off. He approached Arael, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We have the element of surprise with you. We'll cover you as best as we can, but you are to ultimately keep anyone from getting into the prison with any means you deem necessary." She nodded at his words, a frown touching her lips as he moved away. She knew he was depending on her to use her bloodbending, but she had promised herself it wouldn't happen again. An image of Amon flashed before her eyes and she squeezed them shut. She would do whatever was necessary, but she wouldn't bloodbend again. And she wouldn't kill again either. She couldn't let herself.
Nervous energy surged through her as the cloud grew closer, moving too fast to be a natural blizzard. After everything she had heard about the Red Lotus, she was worried about just how powerful they were. It must not have been an easy task to put them away in their high security prisons. The reality of her coming face to face with the criminals became more real by the second as a vehicle jumped out from the cloud of whirling snow, barreling toward them. Two figures leapt from the top, coming straight for their line of defense. The others rushed forward to engage the enemy and Arael stayed where she was, scanning the situation. The twins went for Ming-Hua, Zuko approached the metal vehicle, and Tonraq aggressively went after Zaheer. There were no others, but she was dangerously close to Tonraq and Zaheer. She was forced to leap out of the way as the airbender blew a wave of air strong enough to knock her off of her feet. She had never fought an airbender before, but she didn't have time to worry about it. She sent two spirals of water at the bearded man, both of which he weaved out of the way, dodging a blow from Tonraq as well. She saw him as the biggest threat as he was the one the men had been most worried about. She and Tonraq exchanged volley after volley with the airbender, and he frustratingly danced out of the way of each blow.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a large bout of fire. She moved clear of Zaheer's attacks and turned to find Ming-Hua and a woman who must have been P'li standing there, ready to rejoin the battle. If Ming-Hua was there, then the twins must have been incapacitated. The situation was going to quickly get out of hand without them as they were suddenly outnumbered. Unable to do anything else, she reluctantly took a bending stance, concentrating on the two women. She'd never tried to bloodbend two people at once but they both stopped in their movements, their bodies now under her control. P'li's eyes fell on her and narrowed for a moment, widening in realization before a smirk crept onto her lips. Arael felt a shiver run up her spine. The woman inhaled and Arael barely heard Tonraq's shout of warning before a visible ripple in the air came speeding toward her. She fumbled for a fraction of a second, pulling up a wall of ice to shield herself. It barely emerged from the snow before exploding right in front of Arael and sending her flying back violently. Stunned, she lay there as her vision cleared, her ears ringing. It wasn't until Zuko appeared in front of her with a concerned look on his aged face that she realized she was laying on the ground. He helped her to her feet and she dusted off the snow, looking after the tail end of a new snowstorm as it disappeared into the mountains.
"What was that?" she asked in confusion, still a little stunned.
"A combustion bender. I should have warned you before."
"What was that?" Tonraq echoed Arael, although the question was directed toward her and with explosive anger.
"Easy, Tonraq. She didn't know."
"Those sons of bitches just got away and are now heading straight for my daughter! You had them!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't know she could do that," Arael said defensively, although her tone was apologetic.
"We'll intercept Korra and make sure she's safe," Zuko reassured the angry father. "We won't let the Red Lotus get near her."
Tonraq gave Arael one last glare before turning his back on her and storming off. She sighed softly, looking up at Zuko. "What do we do now?"
He grimaced, gesturing for her to follow him as he led her back to the dragon. "All we can do. I'll figure out where Korra is and then we'll intercept them. She'll be safest with you."
Arael's eyes widened at his statement. "I can't join them. Korra would never let me near her."
Zuko turned to face her, his golden eyes fixing on her sternly and stopping her in her tracks. "Arael, I don't think you understand the severity of this situation. The Red Lotus will do anything they can to get their hands on Korra and destroy the Avatar. Their goal is to break the cycle. Whatever differences you and Korra had in the past, they are irrelevant. You are the person most capable of protecting her and so you must. This isn't just about Korra, this is about the future Avatars too."
Arael nodded, dropping her gaze and saying nothing more. Everything that had happened between her and Korra was irrelevant. This was Arael's chance to prove herself. If she successfully protected Korra, she could return home a hero, not a villain. In the end, that was all she wanted: to be able to return home and live her life again.
"We'll return to the palace now. My grandson will not be pleased about this turn of events."
"You did what?" Arael flinched as Iroh's hand came into contact with the dark wood of the table, emitting a loud crack.
"I took Arael with me in an attempt to stop the Red Lotus," Zuko calmly repeated, his tone clearly conveying his dislike of the was his grandson was speaking to him.
"Grandfather, she is my ward. If anything happened to her while you were gone, her father would have my head," Iroh said, reigning in his anger.
"I assure you, Iroh, she was completely safe. May I also remind you that she is a free individual. She may do as she pleases and come and go as she likes."
Iroh's jaw tightened at Zuko's statement, but he said nothing else, bowing his head in defeat. He wasn't going to win that argument.
Arael cleared her throat, reminding the two men of her presence. They both looked down at her, as if realizing she was there for the first time since they had arrived in the room. "I think we should be focusing on the fact that the Red Lotus has reunited again. Iroh, we think it's best that I intercept Korra and work as a bodyguard to protect her."
Zuko nodded, glad for the redirection of the conversation. "She is the only person capable of protecting Korra from the terrorists."
"It would be unwise for Arael to go around bloodbending again. It's already been hard enough for her to clear her name, she doesn't need to stay in practice," Iroh protested.
"What do you suggest, Iroh? We confine Korra somewhere where the White Lotus can keep a twenty-four hour watch on her? You know the Avatar will not agree to that," Zuko retorted.
"This isn't a discussion we should be having right now. The rest of the members of the White Lotus should be present before we make any big decisions," Iroh said.
"We don't have time to gather the members," Zuko insisted. "I will fly Arael out to meet Korra once we locate her position. My decision is final."
Iroh let out a frustrated huff. "That isn't your decision to make!" Arael flinched again as his hands came into contact with the table once more. She got to her feet, tired of their bickering.
"No, it's not. It's my decision and I've already decided I'm going."
Both Iroh and Zuko looked up in surprise at her outburst, but she held an even look of determination. The argument was over and Iroh didn't need to say anything further. Zuko didn't hide his look of triumph.
Iroh let out a reluctant sigh. "I'll radio Bei Fong and locate their position. I'll relay the location to you tomorrow," he told her stiffly before exiting the room.
Zuko rose from his seat, looking over at Arael with a look of approval. "Thank you for doing this, Arael. You're doing the right thing." She gave him a small smile and nodded. "I will begin the preparations for us to leave. Be ready tomorrow. As soon as Iroh knows where Korra is, we're taking off." Arael nodded again, watching as the old man exited the room. She sat back down in her chair, suddenly feeling the weight of the responsibility she had accepted. She was going to have to swallow her pride and face Korra once more, this time as an ally and a protector. She didn't think the Avatar would take it well, but Zuko was right. They would need to put aside their differences and work together if they were going to stop the Red Lotus.