The Rebellion Within

Chapter 3: The Young Captain

A/U: Sorry guys I'm still recovering from the semester, it was pain.  Hopefully this week I'll upload way quicker. 

"No!" A child screamed at the top of her lungs. "Daddy, no! Don't leave me." The small child, around seven years old, was dragged by a man who called himself a father. He wiped his cheeks that were stained with tears and pulled the young child towards a group of young men. The child screamed and fought with all her might, but he didn't see any other way. He could have more children if needed, right? Money was too tight and they needed it. The mother of the child was left crying in their home with a sore cheek, she had no say on this.

"Is this her?" One of the young men spoke and kneeled down. He grabbed the child's cheeks forcefully with his hand and inspected her.

"Yes. Just take her and give me my money." The father let go and handed the child to the man after being handed a suitcase.

"NO! DADDY PLEASE" The child implored and watched as her father looked down at her with sorrowful eyes and started walking away. "NO!!!"

A deep breath was taken and blue eyes stared back in the reflection, snapping out of the trance she was in. The young captain gripped on the edges of the sink of her small bathroom until her knuckles turned white from the force. Her breathing was frantic, she was sweating and her teeth were tightly clenched; pain shooting through her jaw. How could he sell me like this? This question always lingered in her mind, a deep hole was always present in her chest. Don't misunderstand her, though, she was thankful for the people that took her in. Tonraq and Senna were nothing but kind to her, and she considered them without question her real parents. Yet, still, that missing closure always lingered and she wasn't able to move on.

She hadn't had an episode like this in a while and she blamed it on the stress of the day that awaited her. It was her first official day as captain since she got promoted and she was already getting called into the base for instructions. The blue eyed beauty was nervous, that was for sure, but she wasn't going to let this ruin her performance during her duties. She stared at herself in the mirror for a few moments and opened the faucet, splashing water on her face a few times.

"Pull yourself together." She mumbled to herself. "You've been through worse on the battlefield."

Taking one last breath, she made her way out of the bathroom and looked at her small piece; some furniture and boxes scattered around it. Apparently this was one of the perks of being a captain, to sleep in a small sort of apartment instead of the barracks with the other soldiers. Although she welcomed the privacy she finally had, it did feel somewhat lonely. She stared at the uniform that hung from her tall dresser and sighed. It was unbelievable how lucky she had gotten to get accepted into the army, considering women were yet to be allowed. Still, in these times of need where Abd el-Krim had gained so much territory, the army needed all the help it could get. Honestly, Korra just seemed to be at the right place and time to get recruited along with other women.

Gently taking it off the coat hanger, Korra slipped on her uniform and fastened it into place, taking her boots and slipping them on. She pulled her hair into a bun, one she used for formal meetings, and placed on her hat and badges. She studied herself in the mirror, the dawn serving as the perfect lighting, and walked towards the closet door once she was satisfied. She took out her rifle, hung it around her torso and walked out of her apartment. The first initial steps towards the vehicles were in a welcoming silence. The soldiers would be up soon and exercising, which was one of the reasons Korra decided to leave earlier than usual to avoid them. Still, there was one she couldn't avoid.