Life Goes On

Revolution

Lin was the first to wake up. She slowly sat up holding her head as it pounded with a blistering headache. Lin noticed first that half her body felt numb, she was freezing, then she noticed bruising all over her, likely from being dragged and transported. 

She had been stripped of her metal suit and was left with her tank top and pants. Lin looked around realizing she was in a wooden cage suspended in the air in what seemed to be a glacier setting. Shivers racked Lin's body as she curled up holding herself. Who knew how long she had been out, or how far from the city she was.

A body in the corner caught Lin's eye and she realized it was Tenzin on the ground at the other side of the wooden cell. Lin rushed to him as quickly as her numb body would let her. Without thinking she immediately felt for Tenzin's pulse and sighed with relief when she felt it's faint rhythm.

 At the touch of Lin's freezing cold hand Tenzin stirred slowly at first, then suddenly and wildly he flailed around trying to get his bearings as to where he was. Once he stopped, he looked at Lin questioningly, as what had happened slowly came back to him. Tenzin stared at Lin, who was sitting on the ground shivering in nothing but a tank top and pants. Without hesitation he took off his cloak and started to put it around her, while looking around at their situation.

Lin immediately shook her head and pushed it away saying, "Nnnnoo, you'll freezeeee, we both can't fffreezzeeee to deathhhh.", she barely choked out through chattering teeth. Tenzin thought a moment still a bit hazy from being drugged, "Okay... well then we will have to share, because neither of us needs to die", he said with a wry smile at her tough act.

 Tenzin sat next to Lin, pulling her half-frozen body into his lap and wrapped the thick cloak around both of them tightly to help keep their body heat in. Lin didn't even protest, her body was stiff, and felt like he was holding a block of ice. Lin snuggled her head into Tenzin's neck, violent shivers racking her body, she pressed her body into his warmth as hard as she could. Tenzin held her tighter as he felt her snuggle into his warmth. 

Every fiber in Tenzin's body was seething at whoever had caused Lin to suffer almost freezing to death. They had most likely been in this glacier for almost a day judging by the state of Lin's half frozen body, and developing bruises.

For what felt like a day they sat, in a very intimate way, warming each other up drifting in and out of dreamless sleep, dreading what fate awaited them when they were conscious.

Lin stirred in Tenzin's lap, realizing that she dozed off in his protective arms again. She lifted her head out of the crook of Tenzin's neck to find his cool blue eyes on her. She swallowed slowly staring him in the eyes for what felt like an eternity, then started to get up to free herself from his warm safe prison. She was afraid if she had stayed there much longer, she wouldn't have ever left, and she needed to stretch her stiff body. 

Tenzin let out a barely audible groan in protest but helped her up anyways. She stretched long and hard, then started looking out of every side of the cage reaching her arms out attempting to find any earth or metal in the tall sheer walls of ice. When she found nothing, she was filled with rage that she was helpless.

Tenzin tried to hold onto Lin as she stirred in his lap, but to his disappointment she woke up. She looked into his eyes sleepily, wisps of hair stuck to her face and some still stuck to his neck. As Lin looked him in the eyes she swallowed slowly, and it about drove Tenzin crazy. How did this woman do perfectly normal things and make him go crazy? Then she pulled herself out of his arms, and Tenzin groaned in protest as her warmth left him, wishing she would sit back down so he could hold her again. 

He watched her stretch and walk about the cage, noticing the hand shaped bruises all over her, Tenzin's blood boiled at the sight. Suddenly without warning Lin's face twisted angrily and she began punching the thick wooden bars as hard as she could. Tenzin sprung up lightning fast trying to grab her now bleeding hands without taking one of her vicious blows. He finally had ahold of her fists tightly in his hands, but she was still attempting to swing, growling at him for stopping her.

"That won't help anyone Lin! It will only break your bones!", Tenzin scolded her. "How could I let this happen! I am the CHIEF OF POLICE!", she all but screamed. He gave her a sympathetic look and started to reassure her but stopped. She took a deep breath and expertly composed herself in seconds and calmly asked through clenched teeth, "Has anyone come by?" she nodded her head in the direction of a wooden door on one of the walls.

 Tenzin shook his head, still clinging tightly to her bloodied fists. "Ok", she sighed trying not to explode again, then looked at him apologetically. He gave her one of his wobbly smiles and began inspecting her knuckles. She yanked them away, "They are fine, it's just a little blood", she said, her classic tough act.

Suddenly the wooden door, that awkwardly sat on the side of a sheer ice wall, opened. The same man from the tea shop stood in the doorway saying, "Oh good, you are awake and not dead yet." Lin gave give one of her dirtiest scowls, and Tenzin calmly asked, "What is it you want with us?" 

The man laughed saying, "Don't you know who I am?" Lin and Tenzin looked blankly at each other and back to the man. "Well, you know I'm Red Lotus, at least I told you that much," he laughed at Lin's face putting pieces together, "You only knew what I told you, your only leads were my leads." He laughed again. "I am the orchestrater of it all!!! It was simple enough to lead you on, and even easier to lure you right into my hands. Now I have the great Chief Beifong and the avatar's beloved master. What better leaders to start a revolutionary execution with?" 

Thanks for reading!!!