moonchild ☽ legend of korra

book 2 - chapter 7

They nod and proceed to escape. Yakun and I begin to carry Unalaq's unconscious body towards the snow scooter. Just as we're about to speed away, I hear fight grunts coming from the direction the rest escaped to. My brain starts reeling as I see Korra's figure appear in front of us. She must've regained consciousness quickly due to the Avatar State. I curse at myself for not thinking of that before.

"Go! Now!" I yell at Yakun.

"Luna!" She yells. "Dad! Stop!"

Just as we were about to cross under a bridge, Korra bends the snow and creates a sideways ramp, making us fall over from some meters in the air. I crash into the snow and grunt in pain. I look up at her as she runs towards the three of us.

"Why did you do this, Dad?" She queries with pain in her voice as she rips off Yakun's head covering. She gasps in surprise at the unfamiliar face. "What? Who are you? Where's my father?"

"He wouldn't help us. He's a traitor! Just like you." Yakun dramatically says.

I roll my eyes and take off my covering. "You know that your dad wouldn't hurt his own brother, Korra." I explain.

Just as our eyes meet, and a sense of sympathy flows in the air, Unalaq's voice thunders in the air. "You'll pay for this! All of you!"

☾ ☾ ☾

I'm pacing around in my cell, pondering everything that has happened. My fight with Korra, my relationship with Iroh — him leaving so soon and me feeling a void, Unalaq's invasion, and my involvement in his kidnapping attempt. Everyone probably thinks I've gone insane. The gossip is probably spreading like wild-fire. I can just picture that "Granddaughter of Avatar Aang and Master Katara is a criminal!" is most likely in every newsstand in the South Pole. I wonder if Gran-Gran is ashamed of calling me her granddaughter right now. I probably would've disappointed my grandfather as I hear that he was very much anti-violence. Korra probably hates me for what I did to her, seeing as she stayed quiet as I was being arrested right in front of her. But I didn't have much of a choice. In fact, in my opinion, I didn't have a choice at all.

I stop pacing, crouch down, and hug my knees; trying to calm myself down. I picture Iroh's face, his voice. I hear his kind words telling me that I'm not alone. I miss him. I miss his embrace and the way he makes me feel. Why did he have to go so soon? When will I see him again? Will I ever?

Would he be ashamed of me, too?

As I'm immersed in my thoughts, the door to my cell slides open. I look up to see Northern guards flooding in, looking at me with disgust. I furrow my eyebrows. "What's going on?" I demand.

They don't answer. A tall, grumpy-looking guard proceeds to take out a pair of handcuffs. I narrow my eyes at them and put myself in a defensive position. "There's no need for aggression, prisoner." One of them states firmly. "We're here to take you to stand trial for your crimes against Chief Unalaq."

"Trial?" I echo.

Something doesn't sit right with me. The fact that Unalaq is letting us stand trial after we literally tried to kidnap him is telling me that he's trying to safe-face with either Korra or the Southern people. He's trying to seem like a decent person. This is all just a show.

I let them handcuff me, figuring that if there's a chance to escape, it's probably outside of this cell. Outside of this prison.

There's an echo with every single step I take. I breathe in deeply, preparing myself for the worst. A few minutes later, we reach the doors that lead outside. The bright light is harsh on my eyes, and it takes me a while to focus my vision.