Chapter Text
She wanted to deflect them, she really did, but a part of her did not expect the attack. Or maybe, it did, and she figured it was better not to defend against it. Whatever it was, it did not matter, because in the next moment, she was lying on the soft sand, her ankles and wrists bound.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here.” Said a familiar voice, and she looked to see one of the twins, glaring down at her.
“Wei-“ One of the men from the ship touched his shoulder, wanting to stop him, but Wei pushed him away.
“NO! YOU DON’T GET TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I LOST MY BROTHER BECAUSE OF H-“
“Wei, what’s going on?”
This voice, Kuvira recognised instantly, and she froze, despite the hot sun heating up the metallic shackles of hers, despite the sweating in panic. Oh, she knew that voice.
“It’s her, mum! It’s Kuvira!” Wei yelled, as he turned his back towards the former general and approached his mother.
It was then that Kuvira saw her, and her breath hitched in her throat. She looked… She looked well.
Kuvira feared what she might be like. She knew of some pirates losing limbs in their adventures, and she wondered what Su would look like with a metallic arm or a leg. It felt like a stupid thought, but Kuvira preferred it than imagining that Suyin was dead.
And now, as she stood there, Kuvira could see that Suyin looked perfect, as always.
Her hair was still somehow perfect, although it was clear that it was still somewhat wet from her time on the sea. The clothes she wore resembled her old Zaofu clothes in colour, especially ones she would train in, minus the metal parts. It made sense, Kuvira thought, to not really be laden with a tonne of metal while at sea.
She was snapped out of her thoughts only when she felt the cold steel touching her throat, then lifting her chin upwards. Kuvira swallowed. Oh, Su looked angry. Really angry.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.” Su said coldly, and that hurt so much more than any steel cutting her throat could.
Kuvira swallowed. It was going to sound so stupid... She herself didn't believe it yet. “…I’m the Avatar.” What else could she say? It was the only reason why she was to be kept alive. Because most likely, the new Avatar would never become old enough to be able to help the world. It was now or never, really-
She winced when the steel nicked her skin and her breath quickened. Great. Great, Su was going to kill her and-
“Let her be.” Su said after a moment, and lowered the blade that she was holding. “She’s obviously not herself.”
Kuvira noticed something was off in her voice, but could not quite place it.
“Su. Su! WAIT!” Despite being bound, she was still a perfect metalbender, and even a flicker of her finger was enough to remove the metal bands from her wrists and then her ankles. Wei was immediately between her and Su, but she tossed him away with ease. After all, the idiot was still wearing the same metal armour that he wore ages ago. Did they learn nothing? That type of armour was so easy to just control and-
Before she could blink, the rest of the sailors had their weapons pointed at her. She swallowed and raised her hands in the air. Su was still in the process of walking away, and Kuvira tried again.
“Su, please-“
“You’re insane, Kuvira.” Suyin said, as she stopped in her tracks. “…I’m just sad I haven’t noticed it earlier. I guess it simply got much more worse now.” She took in a deep sigh. “I’ll have someone take you to Omashu-“
“Su, I just came from Omashu!” Kuvira protested, pushing a few blades near her face away with her hand. Unsurprisingly, many people did not feel like attacking her. Her reputation still preceded her.
“Well then you can find your way back.” Su turned to look at her. Kuvira saw the anger in her eyes. A hint of pity. Sadness? “Goodbye, Kuvir-“
“I need to find the fire Lion Turtle. I was told to find you. I was told you’re the only one who can cross the seas. Su, please, this isn’t about me. I’m trying to fix what I’ve done, and Jinora and-“ She swallowed. “Opal-“
The blade was at Kuvira’s throat in an instant again, and this time, there was nothing but fury in Suyin’s eyes.
“Opal is dead. You killed her. You shot her off the sky-“
“She’s not, Su-“ Oh, the blade definitely cut her skin. “I swear, I swear, Su-“
“She’s dead.” Suyin replied coldly, but the hand holding the blade shook a little, and Kuvira hoped that she was slowly reaching the older woman.
“No, no, she’s-she’s just badly hurt.” She said quietly. “She doesn’t want to see you in that state, and-“
“She’s lying. Kill her, mum. You’ll do everyone a favour.” Wei said coldly, and Kuvira was thankful it was Su who held her life in her hands, and not Wei, because she had no doubt that the young metalbender would slit her throat without a second thought.
“Wei-“
“She’s LYING!” He protested, louder, and before Kuvira knew what was happening, his fist met her face, and she a blinding pain.
“FUCK!” She yelled, feeling her eyes water.
“WEI, STOP!” Suyin screamed at her son.
“She killed Wing, mum!” He shouted at her, tears appearing in his eyes. “She killed Korra. She killed everyone! And now she’s going to kill us too! Can’t you see this, mum?”
“…Wei-“
“I WANT HER DEAD!”
“KILL ME THEN! I DON’T WANT TO LIVE ANYWAY!” Kuvira spat back, and the silence fell over them.
All that could be heard was Kuvira’s rapid breathing and Wei’s sniffling. Suyin did not move a muscle for a good minute, and finally, when she did, it was to lower the blade and sheath it again.
“You’re not the Avatar, Kuvira.” Su said quietly and slowly, and it felt like she might try to explain it to her, as if Kuvira was a silly child who came back home with a new superstition she heard in school.
“I don’t want to be one. I-I still believe I’m not one. But I have to talk to the fire lion turtle. I found the earth one – well, honestly, it felt more like it found me, but… it told me I have to find the rest.”
It was clear they didn't believe her that she talked to any lion turtle. After all, they've been rumoured to be extinct for centuries. “So, can you bend other elements?” Wei asked, still looking like he might try to kill her any moment now.
“…no. But I-“
“She’s your problem, mum.” Wei said quietly, then turned on his heel and left to help others load and unload things from the ship.
Suyin stared at the former Great Uniter who tried to look back, but quickly looked away.
“…do you swear that Opal is alive?” Suyin asked, her voice quiet. Kuvira swallowed, and nodded.
“D-does she miss me?”
“Yes. Yes, she does, but she doesn’t… want you to see her in the state she is.” Kuvira said quietly.
“What does that mean?”
“I did shoot her off the sky, Su. She… fell. It was a long way down-“
“Then why did she not come to me?” Suyin insisted.
“Because she doesn’t leave her home. Jinora takes care of everything. Opal… her legs don’t work.” She said, her voice barely a whisper, and Suyin’s eyes widened. Kuvira really wished she didn't have to mention this to Su, and a part of her felt as if she was betraying Opal's wishes. “…I-I know. I know, I-I’m sorry, Su, really-“
Suyin took in a deep breath, the closed her eyes for a moment. She loved her captain once. She gave her this duty because she loved her, because she trusted her. With her life. With the lives of her family.
What a bad choice that had been.
“You’re the youngest guard I’ve ever had, and without a doubt, the youngest captain that will ever exist in Zaofu.” Suyin says with a smile, as she gives Kuvira a proud look.
Kuvira, still quite young, struggled to keep her face neutral.
“Thank you, Su. I promise you won’t regret this-“ Kuvira starts to talk, but Suyin interrupts her with a wave of her hand.
“We all have regrets, Kuvira.” She says as she sits down in her office chair. “But I won’t have any about appointing you to this position. Understood?”
“Yes, Su.” Kuvira says, bowing her head slightly.
“I know how hard you trained. I know how great your potential is. I know that you are the best for this position. Do you know how else I know?” Suyin asks, observing the young metalbender.
“No.” Kuvira has a few ideas, but is not sure which one Su is thinking of right now.
“None of the older guards have anything against you becoming the captain. So many people have been in my service since before you came here, and they all say how perfect you are for this position.
All of them. They trust you completely, Kuvira. That is not easy to achieve.” Su explains simply.
The young captain has to smirk. Ah. Yes, that was one of the possibilities that she had. She knows how other guards value her and trust her. It was not always like it. She had to fight her way up to the top. She had to train every day, constantly, to prove that she was worthy. She had to spar with so many guards so many times that most of them she could now defeat in a sparring match with a
blindfold on.
Spirits, even Toph Beifong, the great Toph Beifong, the inventor of metalbending, said her bending was good. What more was there to say?
Of course, Kuvira always wished Toph had something more than just grumpily admit that the kid is good, but knowing the stories about Toph Beifong, that was probably the biggest praise someone
could get.
“So, I guess you will no longer be sleeping here. Not like you’ve been spending much time at home in the first place.” Su says, and Kuvira notices a hint of sadness in her voice.
“I’m sorry, Su. It was easier for me to live at the barracks.” Kuvira tries to explain. And of course, it is true. The training ground was right there, she could get more familiar with other guards better, and also, she wanted to make sure that no one saw her as Su’s privileged little protégé. No, she wanted to prove that she could do all of this on her own. She was Su’s protégé, yes, but she deserved to be. She deserved a spot in the guards.
She deserved it.
“Mhm. You will still attend dance practices, I assume?” Su asks, looking at her.
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss those for anything.” Kuvira smiles, and she looks so young for a moment, that Suyin for a brief second regrets appointing her to such a high duty. She is still so young, too young, probably.
“Good.” Suyin says with a nod, trying to get rid herself of those doubts. The truth is, Su has plans, long term plans for Kuvira.
None of her children are actually capable of running Zaofu, she had been aware of this for a while now. Opal has no powers and is more interested in sitting in a shade with a good book. Huan is completely lost in his art, and the idea of taking on any kind of duty is laughable to him. The twins are mm ore interested in creating their own sports and beating each other up. Her oldest son, Junior, on the other hand, wants to be an inventor, not a leader. And he lacks the ability to speak for himself too, she knows this. He would not be good for Zaofu.
And then there is Kuvira.
She is young, smart, intelligent, an amazing bender, and born to lead. The girl started grasping politics when she was quite young, practically since she got here. Suyin was always pleased in a way that Kuvira’s parents abandoned her, because with them, there was no way she would be able to reach her true potential. No, even now, the young woman kept surprising her. Her metalbending skills were unparalleled, and for a while now, Su was wondering if she could even beat the younger woman in a sparring match.
Of course, that was not something that she told Kuvira. She did not want her to get too cocky, to think too highly of herself. No, the young woman needed confidence, yes, but Suyin was sure that she was going to build it as a captain. There, her abilities to lead would fully form, and one day, when the time was right, Suyin wanted Kuvira to take over Zaofu.
Only a few years later, Suyin was cursing Kuvira for wanting to take over Zaofu. She cursed her leading skills. She hated what she had become, forgetting that, in a way, she made her.
Suyin moulded her, built her, nourished her talents, and when Kuvira put them to use to help others, not just control Zaofu, Suyin abandoned her.
“Su, please, I need you.” Kuvira’s voice was quiet as she spoke, and she felt so… tiny. Not unlike she felt the first time she found herself in front of Zaofu gates. She was what, five years old then? Seven? It was a blur, really. The faces of her parents had been long forgotten, but she remembered the feeling. The feeling of insignificance. Knowing that your life was now at the mercy of someone else.
“Why would I help you?” Suyin asked, staring her former protégé down. “You’re probably lying about Opal as well-“
“I’m not! I swear I’m not, I’d never lie about this. Never. I’ve… I've been many things, Su, but I've never been a liar, Su.”
“You said you’d step down and you never did, and look where we are now!” Suyin yelled, and Kuvira shook her head.
“I never said I’d step down! I-It doesn’t matter. Okay? It doesn’t matter. I need your help to cross Mo Ce Sea and reach the Crescent Island. It’s what Toph told me-“
“…you spoke with my mother?” Suyin asked, before shaking her head. “Doubtful. She probably would’ve killed you-“
“She’s the one that said I’m the Avatar as well. Su, why do you think I’d-I’d try to live a fantasy where I’m the Avatar, huh? Why? I want nothing more than to-to forget everything. The pain I’ve caused to you and your family, to the people of the Earth Empire and all around the world. That’s all I want. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to search for lion turtles. I don’t want power. I’m tired of power, Su, I’m tired of-of messing everything up.” Her voice cracked and Kuvira looked away. Just as she wondered where the hell Pepper was, the little fire ferret came running towards her and, without glancing at anyone else, jumped into Kuvira’s arms.
“…I don’t want this. I don’t want any of this.” Kuvira said again, quieter this time, as her fingers absentmindedly stroked Pepper's fur. “I’m scared of making things worse somehow.”
Suyin stared at her former protégé in shock. She had never seen Kuvira be this… emotional. Spirits, even after she destroyed the world, and Baatar was presumed dead, and-
She always felt so cold. Unfeeling. For a while, Suyin believed that she had no ability to feel for others. Now, she was starting to realise she might've been wrong.
“…we’ll leave in four days in the morning. I… I still don’t believe that you’re the Avatar. But you seem to believe it. And if it will… help you… then I’ll take you where you need to go.” She said, her voice slightly gentler than before, touching Kuvira’s shoulder.
There was hesitation before that gesture, yes, but she still did it, and Kuvira barely kept herself together.
Maybe she did not ruin everything in her life yet. Maybe there was still hope for her, and for the rest of the world.