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Sep. 4th, 2012 10:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anghraineAlso, I've been busy with my capstone project, and then I was terrified about it, but I got up the nerve to check my grades and I got an A. So ... I guess I have my English degree? I think it'll feel more real once all the paperwork goes through, but still, B.A. My undergrad days are nearly over!
Oh, and the brain candy fic.
title: the girl in the iceberg (3/?)
verse: Korra is the Avatar in the iceberg, the Water Tribe siblings who find her are Noatak and Tarrlok, and everything else leads to or follows from that
CHAPTER THREE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Noatak’s and Tarrlok’s jaws dropped in unison. They both gaped at Korra.
She laughed. “I guess you weren’t expecting me?”
It was, unusually, Tarrlok who pulled himself together first. He snapped his mouth shut, lowered his hands, and swallowed.
“Uh,” he said. “No?”
Noatak scowled at her. “How do we know you’re telling the truth and that this isn’t some Fire Nation plot? Stay away from her, Tarrlok, she could be a spy--”
“A spy? Me? But I’m Water Tribe!”
They stared at her. Tarrlok backed into his brother. At any other time, Noatak would have pushed him away and told him to stand up for himself. Now, he just clapped a hand on Tarrlok’s shoulders.
Korra rolled her eyes. “Fine. Water.” She twirled a small stream through the air. “Earth.” She moved a few crumbs of earth up off the sinking cliff, then cupped a flame in her hands again. “Fire. Just like the sages are always going on about.”
“She is the Avatar,” whispered Tarrlok.
“She’s right here!” Korra said, putting her hands on her hips.
Tarrlok blinked. “Well, sorry. Everyone says you’re extinct. The Avatar, I mean. It’s just … um. Surprising. Dad--”
Without a word, Noatak turned and ice-walked to their floe, dragging a more-than-usually-compliant Tarrlok after him.
“What are you doing? Where are you going? You can’t leave me here!” Korra shouted after them. Then, without missing a beat, she added, “You’re waterbenders! That’s great!”
Noatak didn’t let go of Tarrlok’s arm, just dug his fingers in more deeply.
“Something’s not right.”
“Come on, Noatak. You saw her bend. The glowy eyes were probably just some Avatar thing.”
“Of course they were some Avatar thing,” Noatak snapped. “I can see what’s in front of my face. But she’s . . . strange.” They both glanced at her. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was tapping one of her boots on the ice. Noatak was abruptly convinced that, despite her display of three elements, she didn’t know all that much about waterbending; if she had, she’d have marched right after them.
“She thought we might be expecting her,” Tarrlok said slowly. He looked up at Noatak. “But the Avatar’s been gone for over a hundred years.”
“Let me think." Noatak rubbed his cheek. "Okay, the Air Nomad Avatar died the first time the comet came, that’s about a hundred and fifty years ago now. Everyone thought the cycle ended then, but maybe it didn’t.”
“We’d have heard if there’d been an Avatar from our own tribe!” said Tarrlok.
“Not if it was in the South Pole. So either that one died in the raids--say, around thirty years later, and then there’d be an Earth Kingdom Avatar--”
“That nobody ever heard of either?”
“There’d have been a huge rebellion if they’d known they had an Avatar. So he must have been kept secret, but didn’t live long enough to do anything. Let’s go twenty years. And after that--”
Tarrlok swallowed. “The Fire Nation.”
They fell silent, just imagining the Fire Nation with an Avatar at their beck and call. Unless even a Fire Nation Avatar was too much of a threat. Maybe the Fire Lord would have thought that if he killed the Avatar this time, with no Air Nomads to reincarnate into, the cycle would be over for good.
“Then Air--I don’t know how that would work. I guess it could have skipped past.”
“She didn’t bend air,” Tarrlok pointed out.
“She’s not even much of a waterbender right now,” said Noatak. He threw a scornful glance in her direction, just in time to see her climbing back over the iceberg, almost as if she were looking for something. He just shook his head.
“She bent all three of the others, though. Maybe air’s just gone.”
Noatak paused. “Yeah, could be. And then back to the Water Tribe. That could work. Maybe it’s kept cycling through, and they’ve all died young.”
Tarrlok gave him one of his odd shrewd looks. “But you don’t think so.”
“All the Water Tribe Avatars would have to be in the South Pole,” Noatak said. “It wouldn’t be fair. Especially when this is the only place where one might actually have a chance of growing up.” Absently, he chewed his lip. “And she thought her being Water Tribe really meant that she couldn’t be a spy. Where does she think they come from?”
Tarrlok snickered. “Imagine someone actually from the Fire Nation trying to sneak in.”
They both laughed.
“Then--what?” said Tarrlok.
“I don’t know,” Noatak admitted. “Well, I’m not sure. But I think she might have been in that iceberg for a long time. A very long time. If I'm right, then we have a lot to explain. And that’s not even bringing Dad into it.”
Tarrlok’s eyes rounded. “D’you think he’ll teach her bloodbending?”
“Is that seriously the worst thing you can think of?” Noatak snorted. “Besides, we can only do it so well because it’s strong in our family. Even if she’s the Avatar, she doesn’t have that. But she might be able to learn. And if she can’t, three bloodbenders and the Avatar against the Fire Nation is still as close to a fair fight as he’ll ever get. He’ll want to keep her.”
“She’s not a thing,” Tarrlok said.
“We’re things, to Dad.” Noatak tried to shrug it off. The familiar chilly detachment was creeping back into his blood. Even Tarrlok didn’t look particularly disturbed. He knew what their father was almost as well as Noatak.
A sudden roar nearly startled him out of his skin. Tarrlok jerked so violently he just about tumbled off the floe. Noatak snagged his parka and they both turned towards the iceberg to see a polar beardog clambering over the top, encouraged by the Avatar. Noatak had forgotten all about the other creature in the iceberg.
They retraced their steps, and Korra gave them a smug look.
“Done gossiping? This is Naga, my best friend.”
“Your best friend,” Noatak said flatly, “is a polar beardog.”
“That is so cool,” said Tarrlok.
Korra grinned down at him, visibly unthawing. “Yeah, it pretty much is. Naga, this is … um. Sorry. I don’t know who you are.”
“I’m Tarrlok. This is my older brother, Noatak. We were on a hunting trip, only I broke the cliff with waterbending.”
“Seriously?” said Korra.
Naga shook herself dry, drenching all of them. Noatak, always fastidious, dried himself and his brother off, and left Korra to take care of herself.
“Waterbending is the most powerful thing in the world,” he said coolly.
“I like firebending best,” said Korra, tossing her head.
Noatak’s eyes narrowed. “The Fire Nation’s that way,” he said, pointing south. “I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you.”
“What are you talking about?” Korra took a furious step towards him, hands curling into fists. “The Fire Nation took my parents!”
“Join the club,” said Noatak, unimpressed.
Tarrlok glanced between his brother and the Avatar.
“Noatak,” he said, his voice shrill, “it's getting late. Dad'll . . . well, he'll do something. Especially if we don't come back with anything.”
He was right. Sort of. Noatak suspected their father wouldn't care about much else once they showed up with the Avatar—but still, it was always better safe than sorry with Yakone.
“Good point,” he said. He glanced at the Avatar. “You and your pet do know how to hunt, right?”
Korra just crossed her arms.
“If that's a yes, help us and we'll take you home to our village. Or you can just stay here, I guess.”
Tarrlok looked uncomfortable. “He doesn't mean it. Noatak, we're—”
Noatak jabbed him in the ribs.
“Fine,” said Korra.
“You can stay for dinner! And whatever else you need,” said Tarrlok, offering a tentative smile.
“Well—”
“You've got to be hungry.”
Naga roared, and Korra laughed, rubbing the beardog's side. “A little. We must have been in there awhile.”
After another brief argument, Korra climbed onto Naga's back, and tossed up each brother after her. Noatak, rubbing his arm, was almost certain they'd have bruises. She was strong, anyway.
Rather to his surprise, Naga made no attempt to dislodge him or Tarrlok. Usually animals didn't like them. He decided to return the favour by subtly helping her along, keeping her massive quantities of blood pumping just fast enough to keep her alert. It took enough of his concentration that he left the water bubble entirely to his brother. Tarrlok could use the distraction, anyway—Noatak could tell that he was terrified of the beardog, though desperately trying not to show it.
“I could have done that, you know,” Korra pointed out. “I know how.”
“It's okay,” said Tarrlok tightly. Noatak kept a firm grip on his anorak, just in case.
Korra glanced over her shoulder and grinned down at Tarrlok, ignoring Noatak altogether. “Well, you're a really good waterbender. Maybe you could teach me that ice thing?”
“Thanks,” said Tarrlok, flushing. Naga sniffed at the edges of the bubble with considerable suspicion. “But Noatak's the prodigy, not me. You'd be better off with him.”
Korra wrinkled her nose, and Noatak pretended not to notice.
“Which one of you just sliced up the cliff?” she asked.
“Well—”
“Tarrlok's good enough, he's just stupid sometimes,” Noatak said, jabbing his brother in the back. “Like now.”
“Ow!”
Korra gave a surprised chuckle. “Well, you both seem all right to me.”
It sounded like a peace offering. Tarrlok looked back at him.
“See, Tarrlok? Even the Avatar agrees with me,” said Noatak. “Okay, I think this is far enough. Can you pull up here, Korra?”
“Sure.”
The polar beardog surfaced and Tarrlok lowered his hands. Sure enough, the land wasn't much higher than the sea, here. Naga scrambled out of the water so fast that Tarrlok and Noatak both hung on to Korra for dear life, then gladly jumped off after her. Naga threw herself on the ground, nosing the snow and making what Noatak could only assume were blissful noises.
Korra laughed again. “It's been awhile since we saw land. So, what are we looking for? I've never hunted around here before. And where is here, anyway? Please tell me it's some part of the Northern Water Tribe.”
Noatak and Tarrlok exchanged bewildered glances.
“Well, yes,” said Noatak. “We're from the Northern Water Tribe. And we'd like tigerseals, if we could get them. That's why we came this far south.”
“This far south?” Korra looked thrilled. “Wow. This is great. I've been looking for this place for ages. I thought there'd be more buildings, but—that's okay. As long as there are waterbenders. And obviously there are.” She waved at them.
“If you mean the city, it's pretty far east of our village,” said Noatak. “But there are waterbenders everywhere.”
“Good enough,” Korra said, prodding at Naga. “In fact, you've got to have a teacher, don't you? I bet he could finish my training and then I can master the other three elements and defeat Fire Lord Sozin!”
Tarrlok choked.
“Fire Lord Sozin,” Noatak repeated.
Korra poked her grumbling companion. “Of course! You don't want him to rule the world, do you?”
“Um,” said Tarrlok. “I, uh. I guess you were right, Noatak.”
Korra looked up. “Right about what? Do you know something about the Fire Lord?”
“No,” said Noatak, actually faltering for a moment. He forced himself to straighten. “I mean--nothing important. I was thinking you've been in that iceberg for . . . awhile. Do you know how long it's been?”
“A few days, I guess. Has something happened to the Fire Lord since then?”
“Well,” said Noatak, “he's dead.”
Korra's blue-green eyes went wide. “Really? Then who took over the Fire Nation after him?”
“Er. Fire Lord Azulon,” said Noatak.
“He's dead too,” Tarrlok announced.
Korra blinked.
“So then it was Fire Lord Ozai,” Noatak said. “He died a little while back.”
“That's—that's a lot of dead Fire Lords,” said Korra, bewildered.
“It's Fire Lord Azula now,” Tarrlok said glumly. “And she's worse than all the others put together.”
“She's pretty bad,” admitted Noatak.
“Fire Lord Azula,” Korra said to herself. “Well, all right. She's the one I have to defeat. If something doesn't kill her first. It sounds like they're dropping like spiderflies!”
“Well. It's been longer than a few days, Korra.”
“Really?”
“Really,” said Tarrlok.
Noatak took a deep breath. “More like a hundred and thirty years,” he said.
no subject
on 2012-09-05 12:49 am (UTC)...yeah, I might be fangirling over here. :)
Also, mad props on your incipient BA! That's awesome!!! Congrats!
And finally, I'm not even an AtLA/ALOK fan but I've been loving your fics in that universe/AU.
no subject
on 2012-09-06 08:05 pm (UTC)Thank you very much! It's starting to feel awesome, though I have another term to try and cram in a psychology one too. :P
Ooh, thanks. It's a really fun verse to write, so I'm glad even my non-Avatar followers enjoy it.
no subject
on 2012-09-10 11:35 pm (UTC)Oh, wow! That's incredibly cool! (Lit and psych? Two great tastes that go amazingly together, IMO!)
I'm totally enjoying it! (Though I am selfishly glad that there is also SW fic from you to enjoy!)