The Avatar's Love: Book 1

Welcome

Korra kneeled in front of the man on the throne, waiting for permission to speak.

Until now she wasn't even sure if this place existed. There were rumors about a place deep in the desert where you could get a new start. It was always told to be just a myth since people never came back from there. But she had been traveling through the desert for months and wasn't willing to turn back, despite the eerie appearance of the place.

"I sense great pain from you....who hurt you?" Zaheer, the man who was in charge, asked the small girl who kneeled in front of him.

"Everyone. If I'm completely honest, I know I'm not worthy of your training. Maybe that's why I came here," Korra looked upwards at Zaheer, who now had a confused look on his face. She continued to explain, "I'm just so tired. Of being used, of being hurt, of just....living."

Zaheer studied the girl's blue eyes. They were so dull, like all the life was taken out of them. Like there was no happiness.

"The scars.....how did you get them?" Zaheer motioned with his hand for her to stand up, and when she did she took off the black long sleeve shirt she was wearing.

"I got this because I ate, even though my uncle never wanted me to," Korra pointed to a jagged scar that went from under her right breast to her left ribcage.

"These are because I got a bad grade on a test," Korra turned around and revealed long scars running up and down her back.

"And these....these are from myself. To help with the pain..." Korra turned back around and held out her wrists. Tons of scars ran up and down her inner wrists.

"You have been through so much. Anyone at this point would have broken, would have given up. So why haven't you?" Zaheer leaned forward slightly and clasped his hands together. He would never admit it, but his interest was piqued.

"I...I don't know. I've thought of ending it so many times. But I never did....there's this girl. I met her when I went to move with my uncle. Everything has always been blurry in my life but she's the one thing that has always made sense," Korra's thoughts immediately turned to Asami.

"Who are you?" Zaheer finally was willing to accept her.

"My name is Korra of the Southern Water Tribe. I'm just a nobody...I understand if you want to kill me," Korra looked down and closed her eyes, sure that he would never want her.

"Korra, come with me."

~~~~~~~

Zaheer led her into a room and gave her a name and the symbol her name stood for. He had been waiting for the perfect student to use this name for a thousand years, and he finally found a person worthy.

"This is what you will stand for. This is the spirit of Raava. Her symbol will be tattooed onto your body by P'li," Zaheer motioned his hand, and a woman came into the room. Korra guessed this was P'li. Zaheer exited and left her alone with the extremely tall woman.

"Are you comfortable with removing the rest of your clothing? No one else is allowed into the room until I say so. It's just part of the ceremony, but you don't have to if you don't want to," P'li said. Korra thought she had a surprisingly calm voice.

"Uh-um sure," Korra hesitantly went to pull down her pants and take off her bra and boxers.

"Where do you want the tattoo?" P'li motioned for Korra to sit down on a stone slab in the middle of the room.

"On my back," Korra said as she laid down on the table, leaving her back exposed to P'li.

She felt a needle stab into her back and she screamed out in pain as it started to move.

"Tell me about the special girl," P'li told her, starting to outline the design of Raava.

"Well...she has beautiful green eyes and soft skin. She smells like vanilla and cherries, she always has. She has black curly hair that's always perfect. I could kiss her all day every day if she let me. But that's not even what I like the most about her," Korra began to daydream.

"What's the best thing about her?" P'li asked.

"Her smile and her laugh. Spirits her laugh. Its my favorite sound in the whole world, and don't get me started on her smile. Her smile is so perfect....so bright," Korra looked down at the floor and smiled like an idiot.

That's when she realized how in love she was. Anything Asami did pulled her deeper into the hole she was falling into called love, and she didn't think she could climb back out. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to come back out......

"Done!" P'li tossed Korra a pair of grey boxers and picked up a large mirror. Korra put on the boxers and looked at the back tattoo in the mirror.

Damn....that's badass. She thought to herself, looking at the light blue design on her back.

P'li handed her a pair of dark blue, high waisted samurai pants and a light grey sports bra.

"Come with me. Now you'll be sworn in," P'li opened the door and led Korra down the long hallway to a room at the end. They got inside and saw Zaheer standing there.

~~~~~

Korra's head had just been shaved. She wasn't completely bald, but it was buzzed close to her head.

"Now you must let go," Zaheer told her.

She stood in the middle of the pitch black water and thought of her old life, of everything she was about to leave behind. She closed her eyes and let all of those thoughts go.

"Let go of everything. Even her," Zaheer said.

"Wait what?!" Korra opened her eyes and looked up at him, eyes wide. "Why would I let go of Asami? I...I love her!"

"You have to Korra. That's the final step," P'li told her.

Korra stood there for a moment. Asami was the last thing she remembered right now other than her own name and where she was at. Suddenly she closed her eyes and let the final thought of Asami slip out of her mind.

She stepped out of the water with no memory of the old life she had. Accept for one tiny memory of her and Asami at the airport as they said goodbye for the last time, but Korra forgot her name.

"Who are you?" Zaheer asked, trying to make sure that the water did its job.

"I am Korra. I hold the spirit of Raava and pledge my allegiance to you, Lord Zaheer, and no one else." Korra spoke with no emotion in her voice.

"I will now only address you by your new name, okay?" Zaheer said.

"Okay," Korra nodded. Zaheer smirked.

"Welcome, Avatar Korra, to the Dark Lotus."