A bad dream woke her up in the middle of the night. She tried to shake it off, but homesickness quickly began to take its place. Mother would always sing a sweet hymn to ease her back into sleep, but mother is not here.
Korra got off the bed to reach her bag to get a whiff of her home, but its scent had faded, now replaced by the smell of fine silks and rich fabrics. She notices the bundle of ointments Zia had gifted her and holds it near her chest. "They can help with burn wounds," Zia had said when she handed it to her. She wondered how everyone had been faring since she'd left. She thought about her mother, she thought about Zia and Huu, and even Vek too. She remembered the tree where she meditated with Huu, he's probably there right now, heh. She never thought she would miss that tree so much, the smell of the vines and roots, and the screams of that damn screeching dodo.
"Your father would be so proud of you." Korra couldn't help but sob quietly as she remembered her mother's last words. It has been almost a full week since her arrival, and three weeks since she departed from the port at Gaoling. She'll send them a message, they need to know how she's been doing so far, and if she can, she'll send everyone the items they had requested, if she can find them. Maybe Harbor City would be a good place to shop.
She wonders if she could ask the Fire Lord for help with that, and yet, she hasn't seen the Fire Lord or the Chancellor ever since the day they had lunch together. She doesn't want to show up at her court to ask for help with a message, she should know how to do this herself. But she doesn't know how to do this.
Azumi. She'll ask Azumi for help. Korra goes back to sleep, planning to talk with her before she leaves to the Academy.
Princess Azumi awakes in her room as the first rays of sunlight filter through the elegant curtains. Her room is adorned with ornate Fire Nation décor, with beautiful flowers planted in Earth Kingdom vases, and Water Tribe rugs on the floor, symbolising the unity and diversity Azumi values and her desire to learn from many different cultures. She would have loved to have Air Nomad wind chimes too, but authentic ones are hard to find for sale, and she thinks it would be ironic for her to nab one, since, you know.
She rises from her bed, her long, dark hair cascading over her shoulders as she stretches and yawns softly. Pabu stirs from his sleep, his reddish-brown fur all messy, yawning and feeling numb. The morning sunlight illuminates the shelves filled with a vast collection of books, their spines bearing titles on history, philosophy, and stories from all four nations.
She moves gracefully to her washroom, and as she washes her face, a soft knock on the door grabs her attention. "Coming!" Her hair is still undone and she's wearing her red and gold sleeping robe.
Korra is standing at the door, "Morning, sorry to bother you."
"Hey! It's no problem at all, and please Korra, don't ever apologize to me. It makes me feel like I did something wrong."
Looking at the princess with her hair down, Korra blushes, and Azumi invites her in. "Those are a lot of books." Korra says.
"Wait till you see our library."
They sit at the small table in Azumi's room, and Pabu jumps on Korra's shoulders. She rubs his ears softly. "I need a favor." Korra begins.
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Well, how can I send a message? I wanna send one to my mother."
Azumi smiles, "I'd be happy to help you with that. It's very easy, we have telephones here actually, you can contact your local governement office and they can bring her to call you back, if you don't already have one in your home, though not many do."
Korra doesn't know what a telephone is, which starts to make her feel uneasy. She feels like she missed out on so much progress that happened in the world. She feels like a small child walking among fully grown adults. She doesn't ask Azumi what a telephone is, feeling embarrassed about the fact. "Uhhh, is there another way?"
"Of course, we can send her a message through mail to her address."
Again, Korra isn't happy. No mail was ever delivered to them in the Foggy Swamp, she's not even sure if it's an acknowledged address. The mailman would probably get lost in it as soon as he enters, that is if he's not scared of entering already. "Yyyyeah, what other options do we have?"
Azumi begins to feel a bit perplexed. "Oh, well, umm…" She isn't exactly sure, her thoughts racing back and forth between methods of sending messages, and where Korra is from. She doesn't ask her however, if she wants to share, she will, and she doesn't seem like she wants to.
"Lemme think about it, I'll get back to you when I'm back from the Academy. Is that okay?"
Korra nods and thanks her before exiting, Pabu perched on her shoulder. Azumi quickly gets ready before she's late, or else Natsui will tell the driver to go. She did it a few times before and mother wasn't supportive, saying that she needs to be punctual. She wears her school uniform, a long flowing robe with phoenix motifs embroidered in gold thread and belted at the waist with a wide sash. Robes not only symbolise status, but also wisdom in the Fire Nation. Government officials usually wear robes because of that. "Sorry, Pabu, gotta go." Instructing the maids to feed him.
She runs as fast as she could, shouting "Wait!" before the driver leaves, and gets in the car, a compact vehicle powered by a steampunk engine. "Thanks for not waiting for me. Again."
Looking out the window, Natsui sighs, "You need to respect my time."
"You need to respect mine too! I have things I need to do, y'know."
"Like what," Natsui glances at her, "hanging out with the Avatar? You've been hanging out with her a lot lately."
Azumi scoffs, "You make it sound like it's a bad thing. It's a blessing to have her live with us, this is great."
"I'm just saying, she's not like us, she doesn't even go to school. Do not hang out with her, she'll make you late everyday, and I don't really trust her."
She scowls at Natsui. "I'll do whatever I want."
Both girls are students of Tadashi's. They would train with him after school everyday. As nonbenders, he trained them in the way of the sword as well as chi blocking, specifically teaching them how to best any bender with ease, whether by using chi blocking or attacking with a weapon. Agility was his key factor in training them. They would spend long hours perfecting their stances and movements under Tadashi's watchful eye. The rigorous training had forged a bond of mutual respect and camaraderie between them and their master. They grew to know the human body and its weak points, and understand where pressure points are located in any person of any body type.
It wasn't only swords he taught them, it was also daggers, knives, bows and arrows- all weapons of lethal potential and low weight. And most of all, he trained them on how to move silently and track a target. The Fire Lord wanted to make sure all of her children, along with Natsui, are trained for any potential dangers they might encounter in their future careers as rising political figures. They are the last line of defense, and as such, they must make the defense worth it.
They soon arrive at Hari Bulkan Academy for Girls, a new center of learning established by Zuko and Mai long after Zuko's reign had begun. The school is named after the dormant volcano where the royal city is located, and most of its students are upper-class Fire Nation girls, though the school does welcome all types of female students, and the curriculum includes a wide variety of topics ranging from mathematics, science, history, philosophy, geography, sport activities, and of course, music and dance, as was advised by Aang to Zuko.
Natsui has her small clique come to welcome her arrival, and she departs with them, leaving Azumi to walk alone. They were always treated as sisters by faculty and students, and Natsui was always the perfect one. She is calm and poised and the other girls gravitated toward her non-caring nature. She does care though, but she never shows it. She comes off as cold and calculating, sometimes instilling fear in her classmates. She finds the girls who walk with her annoying, but she lets them do her bidding, leaving her untouched, and as always, unbothered.
Azumi barely makes friends, year after year, the girls she befriends either grow bored of her worldly interests or think being friends with Natsui is more beneficial. Afterall, everyone wanted to please Natsui.
Azumi is fifteen years of age, born in the same winter that Korra was born in. While Korra was born in the middle of that winter season, Azumi was born at its end, when spring was upon the land. Her birth, unlike Korra's, was an easy one. She came out like a blossoming red flower, the last of Izumi's kids. Izumi's oldest son had already reached adulthood by then, and her second son was in his teens.
Most of her upbringing was left to her father and uncle, who raised her like a little sister to Natsui. Izumi was always busy and looked mostly to her oldest son as the future heir to their nation. She did spend a lot of time with her mother of course, but those times were treated almost like appointments, leaving Azumi to go back to her room or the library to learn on her own. As the two girls grew older, Natsui became reserved, while Azumi wanted to go out and travel the world, much to Natsui's boredom. "Why would we leave, we live in the best place in the world." Natsui used to say to her.
She goes to class and sits by the window, offering her a perfect view of the world beyond the classroom walls. Her thoughts wandered to Korra. She feels sense of purpose when hanging with Korra, like she's being acknowledged and her wisdom is asked for.
Her mind drifts away from the lesson at hand as the teacher's voice drones on in the background, and she starts to think of a another method to send messages. She speculates Korra might be from a small secluded village in the Earth Kingdom judging from her clothing and strong demeanor, and she suddenly recalls, briskly getting up from her chair, "A MESSENGER HAWK!"
"Excuse me?" The teacher says in amusement while all the students stare at her. She swiftly apologizes and sits back down.
Back at the palace, not even breaking her fast, Korra heads straight to the secluded courtyard after leaving Azumi's room to wait for Master Zenzo. She stops by her room to leave Pabu to enjoy the fruits at her table. She now knows the way, not getting lost while walking in the winding corridors. She greets the tapestry of Zuko as she walks by it, and arrives at the courtyard.
She trains herself while waiting for Zenzo. She does squats and push-ups while controlling the motion of her breathing. She does feel a bit stronger than before, and strangely, she feels hungrier than ever. It wasn't because she didn't have breakfast, she didn't have the appetite for it and she had a rough night full of emotional sobbing, but the breathing exersises are breaking her apart, the constant inhaling and exhaling is making her feel something strange, changing her insides in a manner she can't explain.
Zenzo arrives, noticing her do push-ups. She doesn't notice him, and he says nothing, only observing from a short distance. She then stands, breathing heavily now, sweat coming out of her, and sees him standing quietly. "Good morning," she says as she struggles for breath.
"You're exhausted." He says, "Have you eaten anything?"
She denies, and then tells him, "Those breathing exercises are doing something strange to me."
"Those breathing exersises are cleansing you."
Heavy breaths escape her lips, each one a visible struggle. Her shoulders slumped forward, as if bearing the wait of the world, and her legs tremble with every effort to remain upright. "Cleansing me of what?!"
He walks closer, "Whatever bad thoughts you have. Whatever negative energy dwells within you."
"Bad thoughts? I don't have bad thoughts." Then the memory of her bad dream comes to her mind. "I- I'm fine!"
"Korra, you're exhausted. Stop."
"What do you mean exhausted! I do push ups all the time, I'm a strong girl."
Zenzo sighs, looking at her eyes, ringed with dark circles, struggling to stay open and focused. "Go back to sleep, Korra. Today's session is over." His voice leaving no room for argument. "You're in no condition to continue."
She shakes her head defiantly, her eyes burning with determination despite their heavy lids. "No! I came all the way here to learn firebending. I'm not going back!" Her voice a mere whisper compared to his.
"Very well," Zenzo says, stepping forward and assuming a fighting stance. "Since you're a strong girl, show me."
She smirks, thinking finally something other than those breathing exercises. She launches herself at him. Her movements are a bit sluggish, trying to strike him without bending, each strike slower than the last.
He blocks her strikes easily, and in a swift move, he sweeps her legs from under her, and she tumbles to the ground, unable to break her fall. He then kneels beside her, his expression softing, "This was expected. Your chi is starting to flow differently. You now have a lot of energy at your center, too much of it in fact that your body isn't used to. Let it flow, Korra. Let the extra energy release."
He helps her up and assumes a straight stance, instructing her to do the same. She tries with a little effort, and then he tells her to release. She strikes the air, stretching her right arm as fiercely as she could, but then she screams from a sudden pain in her right fist.
Zenzo touches her right palm, it feels very hot, and he realizes something. As she's working with her natural opposite, she isn't used to the warmth of fire in her body. "Let's not continue. You need to rest."
"But-"
"No arguing! I need you to go back to your room and sleep, then, I need you to start reading Avatar Roku's journals, specifically his training."
Feeling forced, she apologizes for her behavior, and before she leaves, he tells her that they won't be seeing each other for the next two days so that she can read the journals carefully.
She goes back to her room, feeling hungry, exhausted, and defeated. She throws herself in bed and sleeps.
In her sleep, she sees herself floating in a vast, barren wasteland, with a tall figure, glowing in white, lunging at her. She is hit, punched, whipped, it's all too much. This is the same nightmare she had. She struggles for breath and screams aloud, waking up and startling Pabu. It was the afternoon time.
She shakes her head and gets off her bed to shake her whole body too. She is not giving in to those nightmares. She calls the maids to bring her food, and fills her stomach whole.
Azumi runs to Korra's room the moment they arrive back from the academy. She knocks one time only, and opens the door. "I got it!"
"Woah, slow down armadillo tiger."
Azumi continues, "I know another way to send your message. Come with me."
They go to the Royal Plaza, taking Pabu with them, perched on Azumi's shoulder. Situated below the mountain next Harbor City, it is a special area, closed off from outsiders, only important political figures and members of the royal family land in the Royal Plaza upon their arrival to the capital. It has a tower with a few messanger hawks in it, used to send quick messages to the Fire Lord to signal the arrival of some of her important guests.
"This is how you will send your message." Azumi says.
Korra beams with joy, thinking this is the perfect way to deliver a message to her family in the Foggy Swamp. "Azumi you're a genius!" She exclaims.
Azumi uses her status as a princess to order one messenger hawk to take with them, and then they take the tram, heading back to the palace. On their way, Korra asks her how these birds work. "It's really simple. They're very smart and very fast, you just give them the location, and they'll go." The imposing hawk scares Pabu, and he jumps to Korra as Azumi holds the bird on her arm.
They arrive at the palace during evening and go to Azumi's cluttered room. Pabu jumps on the bed, licking his fur clean and sleeping. Azumi gives Korra a pen and paper, and Korra starts writing. She doesn't know what information should she set aside, for she can only write so much. She glances at Azumi, who is sitting in the chair across from her reading a book.
"Azumi,"
"What's up?"
"So… I didn't wanna tell you because I was embarrassed how you would see me." Korra continues, "I actually grew up in the Foggy Swamp, y'know, in the Earth Kingdom near Gaoling city."
"Why would you be embarrassed about that?" Azumi asks.
"I don't know, it's just…" Korra turns quiet for a moment, and then follows "I'm embarrassed about many things. I barely know anything. I don't even know what a telephone is! As you can probably guess, I've been living in the swamp my whole life, like living under a rock. Everyone expects me to be this huge public figure, but I don't know anything."
Azumi closes her book and smiles gently at Korra, "It's never too late to learn. We all come from different backgrounds, that's what makes meeting new people so exciting. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Korra… I can give you material to read if you want."
Korra smiles back at Azumi, "Thank you, Azumi. I really appreciate it."
"Can I ask you something? It's personal, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Azumi says.
Korra assures her that it's okay, feeling much more comfortable with her than before. Azumi asks, "Why were you living in the Foggy Swamp? I mean, were you actually born there?"
Korra inhales deeply, "Alright, I'll tell you, but you have to promise me not to tell Natsui, or anyone else for that matter."
Azumi promises, and Korra proceeds to tell her more about her background, where she was born, her uncle's attempted kidnapping of her, him killing her father and attacking her mother, her going into the Avatar state and defeating him, them moving to the swamp, all of it.
Azumi gets up from her chair and hugs Korra. "I'm so sorry. I never knew you went through so much as a child."
"It's okay, really. It's all in the past, but I still hate him though, I hate all of the tribes. I want nothing to do with them or their politics."
Azumi asks, "Is that why you never wear, y'know, Water Tribe blues?"
"I guess so, I left the Southern Water Tribe a long time ago and I can't even remember much of it. My identity is very much the Foggy Swamp, if you get I'm what I'm saying."
Azumi glances at her rugs, ported from the Northern Water Tribe, Korra notices her looking at them and laughs.
Azumi follows, "Believe it or not, I've actually always wanted to visit the Foggy Swamp. I read a lot about it. Is it true that it gives you visions?"
"Well, I actually did have a dream that seemed like a vision, I saw a huge beast calling to me to follow it."
Azumi furrows her brows, "What did it look like?"
"It was floating, it had a lot of legs for me to count, I think it had horns, too."
Azumi fumbles from her chair, falling to the ground. "HOLD UP!" And she jumps to her shelves, grabbing a history book and showing one image of a sky bison to Korra. "Did it look like this?!"
"YES!" Korra exclaims.
"Korra this might be Appa! Y'know, Avatar Aang's animal guide! Every Avatar had one. No one knows why, how, or when did it start."
"Hmm, guess I don't have one." Korra glances at Pabu sleeping on Azumi's bed, "Is Pabu my animal guide?"
They both laugh. Korra then starts writing her letter to Senna and the rest of her tribe. She writes about the trip, about all the new things she has seen, and briefly writes about her time in the Fire Nation, assuring them in her message that she's doing well and that her training is progressing, and tells them to be on the lookout for the items they had requested her to send.
They secure the message in the small, cylindrical container attached to the hawk's back, and open the window, send it off flying, signaling for it to head to the banyan-grove tree, the center of the Foggy Swamp.
