The Second Avatar

IX

"Hey, she's awake!" Bolin said happily as I slowly opened my eyes.

"Is there a reason I'm no longer knocked out by these bands?" I questioned as I looked at the long strips of white that wrapped around my body.

"You kinda started glowing," Bolin shrugged.

"They loosened it because I told them you might go all Spirit on them," Mako said.

"That's never happened though," I whispered. 

"They don't know that," Mako replied with a wink. 

"I'm probably more useless awake though," I said.

"Wait, you could really go all Spirity on us?" Bolin questioned.

I shrugged, "I have no idea what I am capable of."

"If you think holding us hostage will give you some leverage to use against the Avatar, you're gonna be very disappointed," Mako said to whoever is driving. 

"Can't we just enjoy our time together in silence?" Ming-Hua responded. 

"And why did you need Korra alive back in Zaofu? You had her paralyzed, why didn't you just take her out when you had the chance?" Mako asked, and he had a point. 

"Look, all you need to know is that the World is about to change, for the better," Ghazan said. 

"So you guys were, like, locked up for fifteen years, huh? That must have been, like, crazy boring," Bolin said. 

"Great conversation starter, Bolin," I said sarcastically. 

"Actually, it was only thirteen years, but it felt like thirty," Ghazan said. 

"I mean, what did you do with all that time? Did you sing songs, work on crafts?" Bolin questioned. 

"Not a lot of craft supplies in a volcanic prison cell," Ming Gua said.

"And I must have renamed the constellations about a thousand times," Ghazan said softly. "When it rained, that was a big event."

"Oh, I would've killed for some rain. Mostly I just made up stories about the guards. Who was having trouble with his girlfriend? Which one secretly wished he'd become a pastry chef?" Ming Hua said wistfully. 

"Ooh, okay, that sounds like fun. Let me try that on you guys," Bolin said as he glanced at Ghazan. "You were raised by an older sister. Your mustache grew in when you were ten. And I'm sensing- just sensing- an unspoken attraction between you two."

"Two out of three. Not bad," Ghazan said.

"Bolin, will you stop making friends with the bad guys?" Mako said annoyed. 

"Sorry," Bolin muttered.

"Ghazan, gag those two," Zaheer said before glancing at me. "And her too, I wouldn't put it past the princess to find the energy to scream. We're almost there."

"I could bite you too," I muttered as they gagged me. 

~*~

"Ah, yes. I remember these three," Queen Hou-Ting said. "Especially, the princess who refused my great-nephew's hand in marriage. We'll find an acceptable home for you in prison with the rest of the dissidents. Now, I'm told you have some information for me. I hope this isn't just some ruse to try to increase your bounty." 

"We don't want any bounty, Your Majesty," Zaheer said as he gestured to us. "You can consider these two a thank you gift for simply taking the time to talk to us."