the legend of khione || korra

a brush with death

KHIONE

Khione awoke, stirring to find her hands chained above her. Disoriented and aching, a groan escaped her as the bright light burned her eyes. She tried to blink away the swooping spots in her vision, half delirious, yanking at the chains futilely.

"Korra?" She asked quietly.

"Khione?" Korra's voice was shocked, almost hesitant.

"My life is a disaster now, thanks to you," Tarrlok walked down the stairs, rubbing his wrists. A metal container sat in the centre of the room. Korra's prison.

"So, your little bloodbending secret's out?" Korra taunted, oblivious to the way Khione's shoulders curled in. She shouldn't have been surprised, but it still hurt.

"And I know how you bloodbent me without a full moon. You're Yakone's son," Korra revealed.

"I was his son, but in order to win Republic City, I had to become someone else. My father failed because he tried to rule the city from its rotten underbelly. My plan was perfect, I was to be the city's saviour, but you... you ruined everything!" Tarrlok spat.

"The jig's up and you have nowhere to go," Korra retorted confidently.

"Oh no, no I'll escape and start a new life, and you're coming as my hostage," Tarrlok snarled as he began to climb the stairs.

"And what about Khione? What are you going to do with your daughter?" Korra shot back.

Tarrlok stiffened. "We'll have a new life, far away from Republic City."

"What makes you think I'd ever go with you," Khione snapped, eyes filled with cold hate.

Tarrlok sighed, ignoring her as he walked out of the basement.

"You're a bloodbender too, aren't you?" Korra asked quietly.

"I'm sorry."

The silence was all she needed to hear. Khione felt panic rise in her, pressing against her throat. How stupid could she've been? Now, Korra knew she was a monster too. Would she tell the others? Khione knew her fate; she would be bound and imprisoned for the rest of her life.

Her darkest secret spilt in a single moment. Every sacrifice, everything she'd done, rendered useless. Maybe, she thought numbly, this would've been easier if I wasn't her friend.

She could play the part of a monster, and let Korra take her down without the pain and burden of knowing her. She should've pushed them away, acted colder, been the heartless thing her father had wanted.

After all, if there was nobody around her, nobody would know.

"Amon."

Khione's head snapped up as her father's voice floated to the basement. Would her father be able to take him down? Some despicable part of her wished that Amon would come down to the basement and take her power away. But Korra...

Khione inhaled, feeling the damp, icy air around them. Her fingers pressed against the cold metal of her chains. She could feel the tiny droplets of water in the air. They were hers to control. Khione let power surge through her, and the metal froze. Khione slammed her wrists into the wall, and the chains crumbled off her, snapping cleaning.
Khione tried to stand, only to collapse back on her knees. Her father had taken her brace. Khione cursed him, then the spirits. She used the wall this time, shifting most of her weight to her left. A blood-chilling scream ripped through the air, and Khione flinched.

"I'll take care of him. You four take care of the Avatar. Do not underestimate her. Electrocute the box to knock her out before you open it," Amon's low voice commanded from upstairs.

Khione backed away as the equalists opened the door, hiding behind a rack of round barrels as the four equalists surrounded Korra's prison. They were filled to the brim with water. Perfect.

Khione took a deep breath, concentrating hard.

"It's payback time," The equalist took out his bats, ready to electrocute the box when Khione thrust out her hands. The barrels exploded, flinging the equalists against the wall in a wave. She curled her fingers into a fist, and two of the slower equalists were pinned against the wall in a layer of ice.

The others leapt away in alarm as Khione swept out her hands, hurling ice spikes at the equalists, who barely had space to outmanoeuvre her attacks. One of the equalists raced forward, forcing Khione back as the other equalist brought his bat to Korra's box. Sparks flew, illuminating the room in cold blue light as a scream came from within.

Khione slashed her hands, sending shards of ice from her rapidly dwindling supply of water at the equalist, forcing him to flip away. She ran to the container, cutting through the lock, throwing it open to see Korra standing inside, her face set in determination.

"Duck," She warned, before she kicked, fire blasting from her leg.

Khione staggered to her side, vaguely aware of the cuts littering Korra's body, as Korra slammed her fist to the earth, sending the bricks toward the Equalists in a wave.
The equalists slumped against the wall, unconscious, as Korra pulled Khione outside, slamming the door open.

They landed in the snow, the sky above them dark as they faced Amon.

Khione raised her arms as snow behind them arched over their heads, forming huge spikes of ice, landing around Amon. Korra stepped forward, encircling Amon in a wall of ice. Snow swirled around them as Korra turned around, beginning to run away. Khione hesitated, staring at her father's unconscious form in the truck.

Her eyes flickered to her father, then at Korra, who skidded to a stop.
"We'll find him, Khione. But we have to leave, right now," Korra urged, sensing her friend's hesitation. Khione closed her eyes, before nodding.

They ran towards a dip in the land, using the snow to propel them faster downhill and through a grove of trees. Korra bit her lip, suppressing a smile when a tree root tripped her, sending her sprawling through the snow. Khione's eyes widened as Korra tumbled faster, snow and ice scraping against her skin. "Korra!" Khione yelled, her voice breaking in fear as she raced after Korra, snow stinging her eyes. She gritted her teeth, ignoring her knee as it screamed in protest.

She stumbled to a stop by Korra, who had slammed into a tree, snow piled on top of her.

"Korra," Khione gasped, trying to pick up her slumped form without success. Khione was too weak, barely able to support her own weight. Her eyes searched the white expanse around her for any sign of where to go, her breath turning to frost in the air. She tried again, crying out as she collapsed to the ground, her knee finally giving out. Her fists clenched handfuls of the snow as angry tears threatened to escape her eyes.

Khione was good at being cool under pressure, but now she wanted to cry. She had never, in all her life, felt so useless as she did now. Khione's breath came in short, wheezing pants, the cold scraping at her throat as she practically dragged Korra to the tree, her entire body shaking as she managed to melt the snow around them, trying to keep them dry.

In the distance, a hulking shape appeared, sniffing the ground.

"Naga?" Khione croaked, trying to keep her eyes open. A flicker of hope lit inside her as the polar bear-dog whined, wagging her tail as Khione stretched out a hand in greeting. Naga pressed her wet nose against Khione's cheek, and licked her.

Khione staggered up, muttering something deliriously, her hands tangling Naga's warm fur. Naga bent down, and Khione hauled Korra onto her back, trembling from the effort.

Khione's breath was ragged as she slumped behind Korra, holding onto Naga's reins.

"Go Naga," Khione mumbled, dangerously close to passing out.

Naga bounded off through the snow, heat rippling through her fur.

Khione's shivering became worse, her fingers so cold she couldn't feel them, her knee sending waves of black pain with every movement. Her eyes began to close, as she slumped forward into a cold, feverish dream.