As Always, Please Review!

Bolin

Bolin paced up and down outside Kuvira's office anxiously. Several other officers sat in the corridor, their helmets tucked neatly under their arms. Varrick and Zhu Li were stood a little further away, the inventor with a stash of furled up papers under his arm. Bolin watched them for a second. He wondered what Kuvira wanted with him, probably some kind of weapon. He remembered the terrible power of Varrick's spirit bomb, and shuddered.

He didn't know what to think. He had heard some worrying rumours, and now the army was readying to depart Ba Sing Se again already, though he had not been told where they were going. That worried him; he had always been told before, and the fact he seemed to have suddenly fallen out of the Great Uniter's favour didn't bode well. He had no desire to see the inside of a Ba Sing Se jail cell any time soon.

"Bolin?" Kuvira stuck her head round the door, making him jump slightly. "Can I have a word?"

Bolin wordlessly followed her into her office. It was a large, orderly room decorated in greens and browns. One wall was devoted to a large window with a brilliant view of the city of Ba Sing Se, which stretched into the distance until the outer walls of the city loomed up above them in the distance. Kuvira went behind her desk and sat down, the map of the Earth Kingdom having pride of place behind her. It had been moved from the armoured train after the win, but now three regions had been removed from it again. The three pieces sat on Kuvira's desk, just as they had done during the long campaign of unification.

"What did you need to speak to me about, Ma'am?" He asked.

"Please, you don't have to call me that!" Kuvira said. "I just wanted to see you about some rumours that have been flying around. What have you heard?"

Bolin hesitated.

"Well?" She prompted.

"I heard you deposed the King and got in a fight with my brother and the Avatar, who escaped. I heard Asami Sato electrocuted you."

Kuvira leaned back. "And what do you think of these rumours?"

"I wasn't there," he replied. "I couldn't say."

"I see." Kuvira leaned back. "I wanted to speak to you because you're probably wondering why I haven't told you my plans. With all these rumours, I didn't know if you had heard anything that would turn you against me. I don't want that, and I don't think it's true, but I haven't got this far without taking precautions. Careless talk costs lives, and all that."

She looked up at him.

"But if it's the truth you want..."

There was a moment of silence as Kuvira chose her words.

"The truth is that I did depose the King; but I did it because he was plotting against me. He was going to get rid of me and assume personal rule. Where would we have been then? Straight back to the Earth Queen. He got away once he realised I was into him; set some of his guards on me and made a run for it. We don't know where he is at the moment, but my security services are on his trail as we speak."

"We wouldn't want a return to the Earth Queen," Bolin replied. It seemed best to just agree with her.

"But your other rumours are false. They were spread by my enemies. I let your brother go peacefully just before the ceremony and he went back to Republic City with the Avatar and Miss Sato in their airship."

Bolin narrowed his eyes. He doubted that these sorts of rumours just came from nowhere, and it was a very specific thing to just make up. But he just nodded.

"They didn't say goodbye?" He asked.

"Oh," Kuvira gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realise. I'm sure it was just an oversight on their part." She said this in a tone which indicated that she was trying to comfort him.

Almost as if they had to leave in a hurry, Bolin thought.

"I can rely on you, can't I?" Kuvira asked. She cocked her head and looked at him. "You are one of my best men, I'd hate to lose you. Especially over a misunderstanding."

Bolin shook his head. "You can rely on me. Is that all you called me in for?"

"No," Kuvira replied. "I'm afraid we have some unsettling developments."

"How so?" Bolin asked, glancing at the map again.

Kuvira leaned forwards, and laced her fingers together on the table.

"Rebels."

"I thought we dealt with all of them?" Bolin sighed.

"We did." Kuvira stood up. "Unfortunately Wu had a lot of supporters, and they have risen up against me. Groups of them have seized Xaofu, Omashu and Kyoshi Island, and who knows what they are doing to the civilians there."

Bolin gasped. "There must be some mistake. Suyin Beifong would never do this!"

"You're right, she wouldn't," Kuvira agreed immediately. "They took her prisoner, and her entire family. We must go there, rescue them, and crush these rebels."

Bolin felt a niggling sense of unease creep into his mind at that. Kuvira had already said one thing that didn't quite ring true, and who was to say that she couldn't do it again? Still, if what she said was true, the Beifongs were in danger.

"Should I contact the Avatar?" He asked earnestly. "Korra will help if we ask, I know it-"

"NO!" Kuvira shouted. "Sorry, I mean no, I don't think that would be wise. Korra has been having difficulty recovering from the fight with Zaheer, and she's not quite ready yet. While we give her some time to recover we should handle this ourselves."

"Ok," Bolin replied, recognising a fobbing off when he saw it. But he decided not to push the issue. Then he had another thought.

"What about Opal?" He asked. "Did they get her too?"

Kuvira nodded. "Her entire family."

Bolin immediately began to worry. Opal was in danger!

"So you see why it is so urgent that we leave immediately?" Kuvira asked pointedly. Bolin nodded.

"Then we are in agreement. Thank you Bolin, for everything."

"You're welcome."

"That will be all."

Bolin nodded, and made for the door.

"Bolin?" Kuvira called. He turned around.

"Yes?"

"Send the next man in when you leave please."

Bolin nodded.