Winding Legacies: A 'The Legend of Korra' Rewrite

Episode 13: The Last Stand Part 2

Bolin flexed his fingers as he set down two more buckets of water. He wondered just how many more chores he had to pick up to be allowed to go see his brother and Korra. The only thing keeping him sane was that he wasn't the only one. "Why aren't you out manhandling rubble with Lemaya?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Asami playfully rolled her eyes, wringing out a bloody cloth into a shallow basin. "Thought it might help me take my mind off of things." Bolin lowered his gaze.

"Did you get to say goodbye?"

The injured spread around the infirmary coughed. "I got to spend more time with him. That's good enough for me." Asami leaned into Bolin as he gently reached out and pulled her shoulder close. They stayed like that for a while, counting on the fact that they could hear each other's breaths to ground them in the moment.

"Have you heard any updates about Mako?"

He shook his head. Part of him felt guilty that his brother ended up like that after he left him behind. But he had to remind himself that it wasn't his fault, it was Kuvira's, and soon she would no longer be a problem. He had made sure of that and would continue to fight until it was all over.

"Any on Korra?"

"No, but if that shiny new portal is any indication, she won't be able to sleep forever."

Squeezing Asami's shoulder, Bolin stepped back and gave her a look. "I'm not the only one with a million questions, right?" She let out a slight chuckle. Grabbing one of Bolin's buckets, she led him over to a row of cots and told him to help her calm their fevers.

"As long as I don't have to battle spirits while I rebuild this town, I'll trust Korra on this one."

At the end of his fever-quenching journey, Bolin settled himself next to Kisuta's cot, her bruises all but gone and the light slowly but surely returning to her eyes. "You ready?"

After gathering her stuff, they took the long way to the dock, giving Bolin plenty of time to get his words straight. Even then, when it came down to it, he faltered. She set her bag down in her tiny boat and turned to Kai and Opal, holding them close. The tears brimming in their eyes said it all. There was far more history there than Bolin would ever know. "I hope I can trust you two to keep helping people?"

Kai shook his head with a laugh, saying, "We're full-blown airbenders now. It's kinda in the job description." Rubbing his hair gently, Kisuta let Opal's grip on her hand stay. The weight of everything came crashing down around her, and she rushed forward.

Kisuta held her without hesitation.

"Your future is bright, Opal. Never forget that."

Opal forced herself away, knowing that she couldn't hold on to the past forever. Kisuta gave them one last look before outstretching her hand to Bolin. "It was a pleasure." Kai took off into the sky to follow her boat past the docked United Forces ships. The bright orange of his glider eclipsed the sun for a moment as Bolin and Opal silently watched them disappear.

Noticing his deep exhale, Opal said, "Don't worry, she knows." Bolin wasn't sure what exactly Kisuta was supposed to know, but the statement gave him closure anyway. "I hope you know she was talking about you, too."

"Which part?"

Opal shrugged. "Whichever you want. The world is your oyster, Bolin."

And didn't he know it. After so many careers—athlete, actor, member of Team Avatar, spy—he knew there was nothing he couldn't do. Yet, his mind was not set. Everyone he knew seemed to know for certain what came next, and he used to think that meant he had to, too. But maybe that wasn't what the universe had in store for him.