The hot, arid air of the desert was an unexpected feeling for Arael. She'd never been anywhere like the Misty Palms Oasis before, but this was where Lin Bei Fong said they would find Korra. According to the Republic City police chief, Korra, Asami, Mako and Bolin had all stayed in Zaofu for a while. Then they were attacked by the Red Lotus and the group was separated. Arael was worried to hear that Mako and Bolin had been captured by the Red Lotus, but Bei Fong didn't seem too worried about the brothers. Not only had the boys disappeared, but the Earth Kingdom was in turmoil after Zaheer assassinated the Earth Queen. Arael had met the snobbish woman at a few events and had never particularly liked her, but she didn't think she deserved to die. Zuko informed her that part of the Red Lotus's mission was to eradicate all of the leaders of the nations and force the world into chaos. They truly were terrorists.
Now, Arael was waiting with the former Fire Lord, Tonraq, and Lin Bei Fong inside of a tavern. Bei Fong was not exactly excited to see Arael when they initially met up, but she understood why it was necessary for the bloodbender to stay with the Avatar. She told the others that she was convinced that Korra and Asami would arrive in the Misty Palms Oasis at any moment.
True to her prediction, the two girls eventually entered the tavern, immediately spotting their table. Arael had opted to linger back against the wall, afraid of what Korra's initial reaction would be when she spotted her. She wasn't noticed as Korra happily rushed into her father's arms. They exchanged a few words and then Zuko was introduced.
"I met you when you were a very young girl. It's good to see you again, Avatar Korra," he said pleasantly.
"It's good to see you, Lord Zuko," Korra returned respectfully.
"I understand that you have gone through a great ordeal recently, but I have come here with a purpose," he told her, gesturing to where Arael was leaning against the wall. Korra glanced curiously in the direction he indicated, her expression immediately contorting to anger.
"What is she doing here?" she spat.
Zuko raised a hand, silencing her fury. "I brought her here. Because of the Harmonic Convergence, Arael's bending has been returned to her." Korra opened her mouth to say something, but was silenced by a look from her father. "As a senior member of the White Lotus, I took it upon myself to appoint Arael as your new bodyguard. Her abilities in bloodbending will be of great assistance to you when dealing with Zaheer and the Red Lotus. I implore you to accept her as an ally and take advantage of this opportunity."
Korra looked at the man with disbelief. "You expect me to travel with her? She tried to take my bending!"
"I understand that you and Arael have had a rocky past, but she has turned a new leaf since the end of the Equalist movement," Zuko pressed, unfazed by Korra's rejection. He looked back at Arael, gesturing for her to come closer. She pushed off the wall, coming to stand at his side.
"Hello, Korra," she greeted civilly, dipping her head respectfully. She wasn't particularly fond of performing the gesture, but she figured it was necessary in regaining the Avatar's trust.
"I'm sorry, Lord Zuko, but this isn't right. She's a bloodbender and a criminal. I wouldn't feel safe with her," Korra declined, attempting to take a more respectful approach.
"Korra," Tonraq said with some authority. "I understand that you aren't fond of this idea, but it's the only way to keep you safe without locking you up somewhere. I've fought with Arael and she is skilled at what she does. I wouldn't agree to this if it wasn't in your best interest."
"They're right, Korra. She'd be a good addition to the group, especially with Mako and Bolin gone," Asami added, surprising Arael. She assumed that Asami would be on Korra's side.
Korra fixed her gaze on Arael, contemplating what everyone was saying. She let out a defeated sigh and her shoulders fell. "Fine, if it makes you happy. She can come along." She tensed, raising a finger at the bloodbender. "This doesn't mean I trust you. Do something stupid, and I'll take your bending away again without a second thought."
Arael's eyes narrowed at the threat, but she said nothing in response. If Korra thought she could put her through that torture again, she was dead wrong. Avatar or not, Arael was not parting with her precious element ever again. Despite those thoughts, Arael swallowed her pride and dipped her head. "I understand. Thank you for accepting me. I'll do my best to protect you."
Korra didn't look convinced, but she nodded, turning her gaze to Bei Fong. "Sorry about ditching you back at Zaofu." The chief didn't seem convinced, but they fell into conversation as Zuko drew Arael to the side.
"Now that my mission has been fulfilled, I will return to the Fire Nation. Please, do not hesitate to contact me if you need anything. My home is always open to you so long as I'm around to offer it," he said good naturedly.
Arael smiled, giving him a short bow. "Thank you, Lord Zuko. Will you please thank Iroh for me as well? I don't know how I'll ever repay him for all he's done for me."
"Of course. Be careful, Arael. I expect future Pai Sho matches with you." He gave her a final nod before walking over to the others and saying his goodbyes. It wasn't long after Zuko left before a loud crash came distantly from outside.
"What was that?" Korra asked out loud, voicing everyone's thoughts. Korra and Asami were the first to leave the tavern to investigate. Arael followed them a few moments later, surprised to see a large group of people gathered around the fountain outside. Korra and Asami were embracing two familiar figures and Arael hesitated to approach them. She wasn't sure how the brothers would react to her return.
As soon as Bolin noticed her, a gasp escaped him. "Arael!" he shouted, barreling toward her and encasing her in his thick arms. She was surprised by his genuine happiness to see her and she froze for a moment before wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. She was overwhelmed by the mix of emotions she felt upon seeing him. Relief and guilt filled her, but most of all happiness. Tears involuntarily filled her eyes and she drew back to take a good look at his face.
"It's good to see you, Bo," she said softly and he gave her an easy smile.
She wiped away her tears, looking past him to see Mako standing a few feet away, a look of uncertainty on his face. She was probably the last person he expected to see. Slowly, he moved toward her until he was mere inches away, his gaze lost as he looked down at her. He reached up unexpectedly, his fingers brushing her cheek tenderly. "Is it really you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. She nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from his. Without warning, he leaned down, his lips connecting with hers. She returned his kiss with vigor, her arms wrapping around his neck as his tightened around her waist. It conveyed all of the emotions they had experienced during the past eight months apart. When he eventually drew back, she felt like she had lost her breath. He hugged her tightly against his chest, resting his chin on her head. "I missed you so much," he whispered softly. She squeezed her eyes shut, her grip tightening around him. "I missed you too."
The sound of a throat clearing broke through their intimate reunion and they drew away, but not too far. Mako's hand found hers, his fingers threading through her own. They turned toward the person who had been trying to get their attention. A small old woman stood before them, a grin on her lips. "Mako, I'd love it if you would introduce me to this beautiful girl."
His cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he glanced at Arael apologetically. "Sorry Grandma. This is Arael. Arael, this is my grandmother, Yin."
Arael gave the old woman a gentle smile. "It's wonderful to meet you."
"You too, dear. Glad to see my handsome Mako found such a pretty girl." Arael giggled as Mako's face reddened once more, obviously embarrassed by his grandmother. "I'll let you two get back to being reunited."
She hobbled away and Mako took the opportunity to lean down and press his lips eagerly to Arael's once more, but in a much more chaste kiss. "We have a lot to talk about, but I need to speak to Korra first," he told her, giving her hand a squeeze before turning his attention to the Avatar. He approached Korra, putting a hand on her arm as a solemn look appeared on his face. "Zaheer has a message for you. He's headed to the Northern Air Temple. He's going to wipe out the new Air Nation unless you turn yourself in."
Korra's smile fell away. "What? We have to warn Tenzin!"
Mako nodded. "Unfortunately, we don't have a radio on the airship." Arael looked to where he gestured, surprised to see an Earth Kingdom airship haphazardly parked just outside the oasis.
"We can head back to Zaofu and contact him from there," Korra said decisively. "We need to hurry."
"Alright family, back on the ship!" Bolin called out. There were a few groans of protest from the small crowd and Arael pieced together the information she was missing. All of these people must be Mako and Bolin's extended family. They must have found them while they were escaping Ba Sing Se. Her heart swelled with happiness for the brothers. After years of being orphans with nobody looking out for them, they had finally found their people.
She looked up as Mako approached her once more, unable to hide the smile on her lips. "You found your family," she observed aloud.
"Yeah. Turns out all of my dad's side of the family was in Ba Sing Se all along," he told her, unable to contain his own smile. "Come on, I'll introduce you to them on our way to Zaofu."
She followed him onto the airship and once everyone was boarded, they set their destination for the city of metal that Arael had only read about. It was a relatively short ride, and when they docked, they were greeted by a small group of people. Arael quickly learned that it was Lin Bei Fong's sister, Su Bei Fong's family. Once Su was filled in on what was happening, they were quickly whisked away to a radio room. One of the operators got to work on trying to contact the Northern Air Temple, but there was no response.
"While they work on that, I'll go ready my airship. We should be ready to depart for the Northern Air Temple in a couple of hours," Su said, leaving the small group and taking Tonraq and Lin with her to help.
Korra let out a frustrated sigh. "I need to do something about this now. Asami, come with me." The two girls left, leaving Arael with the brothers.
"We can stay here while they try to get through to the temple in case there are any changes," Mako told them. They nodded in response and his gaze shifted to Arael. "I think we should talk while we can." She nodded and followed him over to a corner of the room, leaving Bolin to help the radio operator. "I wanted to apologize for never responding to your last letter. Things got a little crazy and I had to prioritize."
"It's okay," she reassured him, although his lack of response had left her worried. She hadn't considered what he might have been going through in the time he hadn't written her. It did make her a little sad that she was pretty low on his priority list though. She tried to not let it bother her too much.
He seemed reassured by her words and gave her a relieved smile. "How did you end up here? Last I knew, you were still in the Fire Nation."
She sighed at his words, shaking her head. "It's a long story. But the short version is, I got my bending back."
His eyes widened in surprise, disbelief clouding his expression. "How?"
"Harmonic Convergence. I woke up one day and I accidentally used waterbending."
Mako smiled thoughtfully. "I guess you weren't meant to be a nonbender."
"That's what Iroh said," she laughed.
"But that doesn't explain why you're here."
"I was getting to that. Lord Zuko wanted me to protect Korra with my bloodbending," she admitted. "He thinks I'm the only person really capable of protecting her from the Red Lotus."
His eyebrow's furrowed at her statement, confusion entering his gaze. "He…wants you to bloodbend?" He seemed uneasy at the thought.
"I know it's unconventional, but it's the only way. You've seen how powerful they are. They're all masters of their elements. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't stand a chance against them. I don't like it, but it's my duty now. And protecting the Avatar will surely earn me a ticket home."
Mako shook his head. "I don't like it. Bloodbending never leads to anything good, especially not in Republic City."
Arael frowned at his words. "I don't want to do it, Mako, but I don't have a choice. The balance of the world is at stake right now. I agreed to this and now I'm bound by my word."
Before he could say anything else, a loud holler of triumph came from the other end of the room. Bolin rushed over, excitement and urgency fueling his steps. "We've made contact with Meelo. I'm gonna talk to him. Can you get Korra and Asami?"
Mako nodded, glancing back at Arael. "We can talk about this later." She frowned at his statement as he walked away. What else was there to talk about? She'd given her word that she would do everything she could to protect Korra, even if it resulted in bloodbending. He couldn't change that because he didn't like the idea of her using her special ability. Besides, her bloodbending had saved him in the end. He couldn't really think it was all that bad.
"It's your destiny." Amon's cold voice echoed in her ears.