Chapter Text
Within an icy palace, an older, middle-aged woman with graying hair and a mole resting on her left cheek, a covered food tray in hand, briskly walks down the long hall. On both walls of the hall, were engaged columns evenly spaced and acted as support for the foundation of the large building. In the center of each engaged column, sat oil lamps carefully mounted and contained in their blue-tinted glass, lighting the hallway bright enough to see the intricate ice carvings decorating the walls, embedded between each column. Passing by, one could see men upon mighty buffalo yaks hunting polar bears, wolves howling at a full moon, and a flounder, being eaten by an otter penguin, that’s about to be eaten by a polar orca, portraying the food chain of the fauna in the Northern Water Tribe. Though she was not looking to admire the lovely architecture, her only goal was what was at the end of the hallway. A room that served as the bedchamber of two of the most paramount people in this palace, hell in this entire tribe, and most importantly, the most loved people in her heart. Finally arriving at the two heavy doors, she nods her head in greeting to the two guards on night duty fighting to stay awake. She promptly shoves the tray into one of their hands, starting them as they fumble to hold the tray, while she heaves the heavy doors open, plucking the tray from the slightly disoriented guard’s hands, and enters the large room, ready to perform her daily duties.
Within the center of the room lay a king-sized bed set against the far end of the wall, with nightstands on each side. In the middle of the room lay an ice round table with two chairs on each side. On the left and right sides of the room were seemingly identical pieces of ice-sculpted furniture that mirrored each other. On both sides, laid a large bureau, a closet, and hand-woven rugs. They look identical but if a person looked hard enough they’d see the slight differences in the craftsmanship of the furniture. On the left side, the furniture was more smoothed and curled on the edges, while the furniture on the right side was more geometric and sharp. Woven into the rug on the left Koalaotters played in the snow, while the rug on the right had an ancient fleet of water tribe ships. The Gendered differences in decorations can be seen much clearer on the walls, with the wall on the right side of the room being adorned with warrior spears and shields, while the left wall has carvings of beautiful women in traditional clothing being charmed by only the most suitable of men. “Good morning, your royal highnesses!!!” her buoyant greeting fell on deaf ears, as the twins did not stir from their sleep. Determined to get them up and out of bed, she opens the windows, to let in a chilly breeze, a tactic that usually works on mornings like these. She stands in front of the window taking in a fresh breath of air. “Come now Eska, Desna, it’s time to wake up! Today is an important day!” She turns around with a big smile plastered on her face, that quickly falls into an impatient frown, as she sees the twins not only not rise from their bed, but burrow deeper into it, groaning in sleep-addled annoyance, covering their heads with the heavy pelt blankets.
She rubs her chin pretending to be stumped on what to do when she knew what she had to pull to get these two out of bed. She is no stranger to this little snafu in their daily routine, the twins often refuse to get out of bed. “Hmmmmm, it appears these little koala otters aren’t going to wake up,” She said with phony exasperation on her face as she proclaimed her woes to the ‘slumbering’ royals. “I guess this blueberry ice cream I brought just for them will go to waste, a shame really I went out of my way to get their favorite, but I guess I’ll have to give it to those guards outside.” She begins to make large exaggerated steps towards the guards, who peaked their heads around the corner of the doors, smiling at the thought of getting the frozen treats.
At the mention of their favorite frozen sweet treat, the twins’ eyes snap open under the blankets, and promptly sprung out of bed, throwing them on the ground. They stood up and lunged towards the elderly lady, “Ahnah wait, we’re awake now!” The twins shouted, scrambling to grab onto the long hanging sleeve of her thick coat, as she was just exiting the door to stop the old woman from giving away what was theirs.
“Ahhh, look who woke up from their slumber. Now tell me how do you ask for something young ones?” She said with a firm tone, but a soft, playful look in her eyes, as she looked at the royal twins.
Desna and Eska looked at each other again, their faces ladened with a peaceful and pleasant look. They both linked arms and bowed deep reciting in a posh formal tone one would not address a servant with “Please Lady Ahnah, won’t you be ever so kind to shower your delicious gifts upon your humble royalty?” They turned their heads up to her, in time to see her sly grin and charmed face. They all broke out into laughter acting as though this was a regular game among the three of them.
“Oh, how can I say no when you ask so politely.” The guards in the background frown as she goes to set the tray on the table, lifting the cover to present the twins with two identical glass bowls each with three scopes of blueberry ice cream, with a silver spoon and cloth napkins on the side. The twins didn’t wait a moment longer and rushed to sit at the table. Desna was about to grab his spoon and was about to dig in with a happy smile on his face when Eska extended her hand across the table motioning for him to stop.
“Remember, Desna we are royalty we must dine in a dignified manner,” she said while raising her head high, straightening her posture, and taking the napkin to set it onto her lap. Desna looked at her with a slight frown on her face, and so did Ahnah, who ruffled Eska’s hair and reminded her “Most princes and princesses don’t have dessert for breakfast. Come now Eska you must loosen up a little.” She advised while folding her arms. Desna nodded in agreement as he stuffed his face with ice cream, completely disregarding Eska’s reminder to eat with the table etiquette that had been hammered into them since they were old enough to hold eating utensils. Eska shot her brother a pensive look, as she began to eat.“After all, today is special, you only turn eight once!”
At that moment the twins froze mid-spoon full and looked at Ahnah. “What do you mean?” Eska wondered. Hoping that today wasn’t the one Ahnah was implicating.
“Eska, today is your birthday, or did you forget? Hence the sweet gift,” she said, going to each of their closets to set their formal wear onto each twin’s side of the bed. She smiled “A joyous day like this can not start on an empty stomach so eat up and get ready quickly. There is a lot that must be done to prepare.” Though her request was met with silence, causing her to turn around to figure out what prompted such a lack of reaction.
She saw the once cheerful and relaxed faces of the twin turn to ones filled with anxiety and nerves. All of a sudden sweat coated their brows and they found they could not eat as the delicious sweet now just felt like icicles piercing through their tongue, causing a sharp pain and wave of nausea to flow through them. Ahnah sighed with a frown, upset that her attempt to sweeten the morning of her precious twins didn’t cushion the realization of what day it was, though that doesn’t stop her from trying to calm their poor spirits. She walked up to the middle of the table, “Desna, Eska look at me please?” she pleaded. Thankfully they did, but their eyes, filled with fear and despair, caused deep pain to shoot through her heart. Nevertheless, she fights through it determined to smile for them.
“Now I know your birthday is often a large source of…stress, but it’s important to remember that so long as you have each other this day will pass as though it never happened. I’m sure it won’t be like it usually is. Even your cousin, Korra, will be there along with your aunt and uncle, isn’t that exciting.” She cups their cheek in her hands, seeing that her attempts at comforting them were not working. She breathed in a deep breath “Remember today is a blessing, the day you came into this world the northern lights shone brighter than ever before. So whenever the day gets hard remember you are loved not just by me, but by the spirits of the lights as well.”
Ahnah’s gentle touch snapped the twins out of their mental panic. Though the pits in their stomachs were heavy, neither desired to cause Ahnah any grief, so they placed their hands over hers, hoping their actions would speak what their mouths couldn’t. Luckily it did, as she smiled softly at them filled with warmth but also pity as to what may happen today. Looking into the eyes of the children she raised since they were left in her arms, she lets go of their grip and goes to leave. “I know exactly what you need, Jasmine tea! That will calm your nerves.” She rushes to the door ready to head towards the palace kitchen determined to help her beloved royal children. She pauses just as she’s out the door and turns to them “I’ll be back soon, for now, try not to dwell on what might be and focus on the now.” She advises with a lingering hope her words will set their minds at ease and leaves as the guards close the door behind her.
The twins sit in silence, in contrast to their minds that were constantly buzzing around endlessly, with thoughts of dread and anxiety. At least for Eska, it seemed. She couldn’t help but grasp her head as all the ways today could go wrong went through her mind a million miles per second. She covered her mouth with her hand as the constant buzzing in her head fills her stomach with nausea. She tries to focus on Ahnah’s gentle touch and words, on the sweet taste of ice cream, anything to ground herself and bring her from her state of panic. Though nothing seems to be working, when suddenly Desna said her name, though it sounded as if he were a thousand miles away. She turned to look at him only to be met with a hard flick on her forehead.
“Ooowwwww,” She grimaced in pain and annoyance, surprised her brother could put so much force behind two fingers. “What was that for?”
“Your face,” Desna remarked almost as if the answer was simple.
She stared at him blankly, still rather annoyed, “Yeah I got that part, both literally and figuratively, but why did you do it?” standing up to meet him at eye level so he can see how irritated she is.
Though her glare did not affect him “Ahnah is right, we’re going to be okay. That is, as long as you keep that sour expression off your face, the guests might mistake you for a constipated Yeti-ape.”
In response to her brother’s insult Eska snorted at him and smiled. Appreciating her brother’s attempt to ease her worries. Though he’d be more convincing if he did not mirror her anxious face as she looked back at them. They both knew that he’d never be able to help her forget days like this, for every year when this day rears its ugly head, every moment of it is imprinted in her mind. Coming back to haunt them in her dreams, when all she wanted to do was forget.
Nonetheless, she agreed with him, both to convince herself and him that everything would be okay, that they’d be better than the previous years. “Agreed, all we need to do is keep calm and remain poised, like proper royalty.”
“Exactly, all we have to do is remain like posh asses and no one will suspect a thing,” Desna reassured her, getting dressed in his more formal robes. She looked at him incredulously with one eyebrow cocked up, “You do realize that you just failed not less than a minute after we both agreed to remain civilized? Proper people do not curse Desna.”
He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. Not caring that he cursed as no one was around to hear it. She sighed at her brother’s hopelessness and began to get dressed as well. When Ahnah came back with the tea the twins were almost ready, practicing keeping their facial expressions void of all emotion, to attempt to give themselves an air of refinement and grace. Though as she came deeper into their quarters the twins did not react, seeming to be distracted by their task at hand.
“Well that won’t do, '' she whispered. She quietly snuck behind the twins, inching forwards slowly. Just as the twins were taking a deep breath in to relax their facial muscles, she grabbed each of their checks and pulled them upward. “Come on now my dearests smile more, you look so full of life when you're not staring like blank codfish.” She remarks letting go of their checks only to pucker her lips and presses them together to mimic the face of a fish. The twins burst out laughing at her poor impression, only for their loud laughter to be interrupted by a guard poking his head through the slightly ajar door. “Prince Desna, Princess Eska your parents request you join them in the royal throne room.”
Immediately, Eska and Desna freeze and the joy is sucked out of their lungs, the air turning heavy at the thought of having to meet their parents. Ahnah being the amazing woman she answers for the twins, “They will be out soon.” She says hurriedly in a rush to answer the demands of her royal superiors. She looks down at the twins, “Now hurry along and finish your tea, your parents are waiting for you.”
The twins both take a deep breath in an attempt to calm their minds and cease the shaking of their hands. They sat down drinking the Jasmine tea, letting it do its job and relax their bodies and spirits. The nerves lowered to a small simmer, as they got up, relaxing their faces into ones of apathy and no emotion whatsoever. As they followed Ahnah leading them out to the hallway and to their parents in the throne room. As they realized they were getting closer and closer to their destination. Desna visibly began to look anxious, his brows furrowed and his mouth twisted in a bitter frown. Eska reached out to Desna tugging on her sleeve. She could not say everything she wanted to say at that moment, but she did not have to. She just looked at him with soft eyes, and he understood her message, ‘I’m here for you. We’re here for each other.’
They stopped at the entrance to the royal throne room awaiting for the guards to open them, their arrival being announced by a quick but loud gong. Ahnah walked in first with the twins behind her. “Presenting Prince Desna and Princess Eska,” she said while stepping aside so their parents could see the two. On cue the twins bowed their heads to their parents, waiting for their next command, “Rise,” which came right on time and exactly how it usually is, short and to the point.
The twins rose in unison at their parents, particularly their father, Chief Unalaq, as he was the one who told them to raise their heads. He was tall, dignified, and refined with sharp features and a cleanly shaven face. Though he was far from weak Everything about his stature to his presence emitted a sense of poise and an expectation for obedience, order, and perfection from all. A demand that the twins knew all too well.
He looked stood up and looked at them, his long black hair bending around his shoulders and his gaze cold as ice. So cold, yet very scathing and strong, so much so that despite wanting to break away from it, the twins were locked into their father’s heated gaze.
“You two took longer than expected to arrive. What prey tell what was so important that it caused you to be late?” He spoke, his tone strong and formal, and despite hiding it well, the twins could feel the cold and venom behind his words. He was displeased with Eska and Desna and they knew it. Before either of the twins could even open their mouths to answer with an excuse they knew would not be acceptable in any way to their parents, Ahnah spoke out, “Forgive me your great Chieftain, it was my fault they are late. These old bones aren’t as strong as they used to be so I was late going to wake Princess Eska and Prince Desna causing them to fall behind schedule. My sincerest apologies.” She said lowering to her knees and offering a deep bow, making a big show of appearing to struggle during what should’ve been a swift motion, to establish that she was at fault.
The room was filled with a loud scoff, causing Desna and Eska to move their eyes to the gaze they worked hard to ignore, Chieftess Meriwa, their mother. Their mother had a sour expression on her face, yet somehow still kept an appearance of grace as she moved to stand, all the while the rage visibly grew on her. She was short, only a little taller than Ahnah who was shrinking due to age. “We didn’t employ you just so you could give subpar service,” She spat out, every word she spoke was thinly laced with feelings of disgust towards Ahnah. “Do not be late again. As a matter of fact, don’t try to make excuses for their poor behavior!” She shouted, causing Eska and Desna to flinch in fear. “These two know better than to keep us waiting! What is it you two think your time is so important now, just because it’s the day you miserable parasites forced your way into this world!”
Twins began to tremble in fear, finding themselves suddenly incredibly cold, unable to bear the weather, as they found they could not pull away from their mother’s cold, silver eyes as she spewed more vitriolic hatred towards them. Each word stabbed their heart, making it harder to keep themselves from falling apart, just as it always did no matter how many times they heard it before.
“Well! Let me tell you-”
“That is enough, Meriwa,” their father said, raising his hand in indication for her to stop. “I believe you’ve gotten the point across and if desire, you can scold them later, but right now we have more important matters to attend to.” He said without even looking at her. He spoke with a sense of indifference, not caring that his wife was insulting his children, but more annoyed at his wife wasting their time with her nonsense. Meriwa albeit reluctantly sat down and silenced herself, still staring daggers at the two, knowing that through her searing gaze, she’d be able to let the two miscreants know how much hatred and disgust she had in her heart for them at this very moment, without needing to say a word. Her silver eyes reflected her true emotions, as they always do.
“You are dismissed for the day Ahnah,” Chieftain Unalaq commanded.
Ahnah rises, though she does it slowly and hesitantly. She doesn’t wish for the twins to be faced with any more hatred than they already have been subjected to, on a day when their lives should be celebrated. Though she knew that despite her desire to act as their shield, protecting Eska and Desna from their parents, she knew that standing in their way wouldn’t be good for her cause. Disobedience, especially from that of a servant, is not taken lightly by the Authoritative Chieftain. She steps aside and leaves the royal throne chamber, muttering a plea to the spirits to protect the twins’ hearts from the ones who should nurture them and that her love for them can be felt across the space even though she most likely won’t see them until tomorrow now.
The twins’ anxiety began to spike, pins and needles pricking their skin, as Ahnah was forced to leave them with their parents. Their hearts ached for her to be near them. Their mother, who was already high-strung and angry at them, and their father who wasn’t any better in all honesty.
“Desna, Eska,” the twins turned away from their mother’s glare to meet their father’s emotionless eyes, though they did their best to remain eye contact with him, it was better than looking at their mother, and it served as the only thing grounding them, allowing them to just barely focus on their father’s words
“Today is the day you were born, and as such you will both be celebrated. Though I rarely address you both in person on this day, what with everything else that needs to be taken care of,” a slight grimace formed on the twins’ faces, not missing his veiled insult.
‘You’re not important enough to deserve my attention, not even on the day of your birth.’ They quickly turned their faces back to blank slates before he noticed.
“But today is different. Your cousin, Avatar Korra, will be attending your birthday feast,” He straightens up his posture, “since she has been so kind to come, we will be greeting her and her family at their arrival into the harbor. Not only that but there will be a string of important dignitaries from the edges of the world arriving alongside her.”
Chief Unalaq’s demeanor hardens, his arms crossed behind his back, as he sharpens his glare at his two children. “I expect you to be on your best behavior, for her entire stay. I will not have you two make a fool out of me, and if you do then I will have no choice but to discipline you for your sorry behavior.” The twins held their breath, as all of a sudden it was like the air was made of ice, causing each breath of great discomfort. But the twins knew the real cause, they knew all too well that their father would make good on his words.
“Understood?” He said, raising an eyebrow at them.
“Yes Father,” the twins answered timely and respectfully. Not wanting to waste their father’s time any more than they already have.
“Good, you’re both dismissed to your chamber. You are to stay there until someone fetches you to welcome Avatar Korra.” He said sitting down back on his throne taking no mind to his wife’s displeased face, for letting the twins off the hook too easily, in her twisted mind.
“Thank you, Father,” the twins said simultaneously, leaving to return to their room.
Once in their room, their only haven Desna leaned against the door and slid to the bottom unable to keep himself standing upright on his wobbly legs. Eska wasn’t doing too well either as she was fighting back to hold in tears. Desna pulled her down to the ground with him, letting him rest her head on his shoulders.
He rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her, only really able to say “D-on’t cry-y, at least not yet, not yet, it’ll all be over soon, and then we can forget” Eska listened to her dear brother’s attempt to comfort her, but she was unsure if he was saying that to her or himself. It didn’t matter either way, since they both needed those words now more than ever.
The twins were able to compose themselves just in time for the guard to come and lead them to their parents outside the palace. They rode on the royal gondola, which was only different from regular ones because of its fancy design, so Desna says. Eska didn’t care for design either, as it was what was happening outside of the gondola that caught her attention. Families, men, and women young and old, waving and craning their necks to get a glimpse of the royal family. Though they waved at them, they were not allowed to wave back, or rather Desna and Eska, the last few times they did, their mother scolded them very loudly for ‘thinking anyone cared to wave to them,’ while their father didn’t care. At first, he would go out of his way, to keep Meriwa from scolding them so harshly in public, worried about the concerned glances that came their way. The only time he truly was ever mad at them for waving was when they, got too excited and leaned over the bars of the gondola to wave and smile at the happy families passing by. That was the line he drew, and from that point on they were only allowed to watch the people pass by, ‘lest they make him look like a fool, who can’t even raise his children with proper sense,’ or so he said.
Though at this point, the twins don’t even bother to look at the people passing by, as all it did was fill them with envy. Envy for the close families that held hands, and were filled with love and joy. Things their parents saw as foolish and unnecessary. Either desiring such concepts was a sign of weakness or they didn’t deserve to have them. Therefore the twins would just stare blankly ahead until they met their destination.
This pleased both their mother and father. For her, she was happy to see a source of their happiness shrivel up and die while for their father the twins would now act dignified, and everyone would see him as a leader with a perfect royal family.
Desna and Eska were stuck in such a state of limbo that they didn’t realize that they even got off the gondola. The realization only struck them when they heard a scout cry “They’re here!” causing them both to shoot up straight in shock, to see their aunt and uncle’s ship arrive. The twins held their heads high ready to bow to the avatar, treating her with the same respect they display to their parents. Their stomachs turned into knots though as even though they were not looking, they could feel their mother stare icy dagger into the back of their heads. She watched them as if she was an orca whale circling an ice block, waiting for the tiger seals to slip up and fall into the water so she can tear into them with her sharp strong fangs.
Chieftain Unalaq stood poised along with his wife and children, as he saw his brother’s family exit the boat. “Welcome, Tanraq, Senna” he greets them both tentatively. Once he spots Korra though, he forms a small grin and even lowers, bending down slightly to greet her. “Avatar Korra, it is a pleasure to have you here.”
“Hey, Uncle Unalaq, Aunt Meriwa, Desna, Eska it’s nice to see you all again!” Korra greets them in a cheerful tone. Unalaq smiles, while Meriwa acts happy to see Korra, remarking on how big she’s gotten, though it’s obvious to the twins that she’s faking it. Over the years, the twins learned how to identify their mother’s emotions and behavior, mostly just so they can do their best to avoid making her upset. She barely cares to see their extended family, only here to greet them as a duty. Desna and Eska, bow in greeting to their cousin.
“Greetings, cousin Korra,” they said in unison as polite and poised as their voice could be, and left it at that, the fewer words they spoke, meant that there was less of a chance to mess up. They rose from their bow, to see their cousin staring at them strangely, which doesn’t surprise them. Desna and Eska are aware that their behavior towards their extended family is an anomaly.
Their father and uncle exchanged curt but polite words, as he led them back to the gondola to go up to the royal palace. He let the twins and his extended family there, while he and their mother went off to welcome the other important guests.
Desna and Eska were able to see them from where they were, and they were immediately able to tell who these important people were. The first one they greeted was Tenzin, who had a shaved head and light blue arrow tattoos on his body, that were only worn by airbenders with him being the only one on the planet and the son of the previous Avatar, Aang, made him easily identifiable. Alongside him was a shorter Water Tribe woman, who was obviously his mother the legendary Katara, and an old but tall and lanky older Water Tribe man, with a long warrior’s ponytail, who was undoubtedly Sokka, Tenzin’s uncle. The two were known far and wide for their amazing adventures with the past Avatar. The same goes for the older man in fire nation robes, a scar covering a part of his face and long greying hair with an equally long beard to match, the Great Fire Lord Zuko and alongside him his wife, Mai whose hair was greying and tied up in a tight bun, with golden chopsticks in her hair.
Their parents greeted each one of them, probably expressing their gratitude for coming to celebrate their own flesh and blood. Though they soon left them to join their family on the royal gondola, letting the soldiers guide them to their separate one. The revered guests though did not seem bothered by it, as they were all very happy to be left alone to talk to each other. Probably excited to be able to catch up with old friends after such a long time.
Must be a nice feeling, Eska lamented the voice in her mind dripping with sarcasm. “It’s probably not as pleasant as it seems, especially since it’s just a fleeting moment that will soon dissipate. As if it never happened, and if it goes away that easy is there really any value in it?” Desna chimes in almost as if reading her mind, vailing his attempt to comfort Eska as philosophical thinking, to not raise alarm bells to their aunt, uncle, and cousin.
Though it still raised eyebrows, as it seemed odd to blurt out philosophy with no context. Faced her brother and nodded to him then she turned to her extended family who had puzzled looks on their faces.
“Desna and I were contemplating the purpose of life and our inevitable deaths, we are studying ancient texts from an old earthbending nomad who was seeking out the source of happiness and whether it has any true value.” She slightly furrows her brows, realizing that it’s probably not the best subject to talk about, she relaxes her face and looks towards her slightly troubled cousin, “it’s more interesting the when studying the texts, we are just on the more depressing section. The book is very thought-provoking and challenging, as we observe his mental breakdowns and descent into a dark hole that he can not crawl out of no matter how hard he struggles. Would you like to see it when we arrive at the palace, Cousin Korra?”
Korra flinched upon hearing her name and was visibly creeped out by what Eska just told her. She scratched the back of her head, and avoided making direct eye contact with either of the twins, “Uhm, yeah-no I’m fine the White Lotus already give me a bunch of uhh, thought-provoking books to read, thanks for the offer though.”
She was going to respond, that is until she saw her parents heading towards the gondola. Once they entered the vessel Eska sat up straight, in perfect posture, and remained quiet.
As they began their ride back to the palace, Korra tried her best to talk to Eska and Desna, while they both did their best to talk to her in a way that displayed a lack of emotion and indifference, to appear regal and poised, as their father insisted.
“How have you two been?”
“We have been well, thank you for inquiring,” said Desna.
Acting so formally to her when they were of the same royal line and so close in age, was odd, but they didn’t want to let Korra get too close to them. Not that they didn’t like Korra, they admired her both for her strengths, skills, and her constant attempt to make them laugh and form a bond.
A short pause, “I heard you guys are really starting to pick up on waterbending, maybe we could spare if you guys are up for it?”
It’s that Korra was the opposite of them, not tied down by expectations and rigorous training, her rambunctious and wild attitude could influence them in the wrong way, the way Unalaq and Meriwa didn’t want them to be, outgoing, foolhardy, rough, and improper, a way that would result in them being harshly corrected. So the twins simultaneously agreed to keep their distance from their cousin Korra, treating her with respect but indifference. Korra visibly didn’t like this, but how could they possibly explain to Korra their family dynamic in a way she’d understand?
“If mother and father allow it then we will spare with you to the best of our abilities, though we are certain we could never beat you. You are the avatar.” Eska retorted staring emotionlessly at Korra.
Korra began to scratch the back of her head nervously “Are you guys excited about your birthday party? It uhm…seems like everyone is joining in!”
“Yes,” they both replied short and straight to the point, not wanting to speak on the matter less their true emotions about their birthday leaks out.
A silence, falls over the three young ones, as Korra is unable to think of anything else to say. Desna does not need to be a mind reader to know that Korra feels uncomfortable right now, it doesn’t help that it appears their fathers are getting in a heated ‘civil’ discussion or their mother giving backhanded compliments to their Aunt Senna. Therefore Desna decides to take the risk and talks unprompted.
“Cousin Korra, is it true that you’ve nearly mastered earthbending?” Desna asked taking pity on Korra, who perked up at his question.
“Yeah, I have,” she replies rather flatly, resorting to looking out the gondola, to watch the people passing by.
Eska seeing what her brother is doing follows along. “Could you perhaps enlighten us, on the bending techniques and forms of earth bending? We’ve not learned about such things since it would be of no use to us, but I am still intrigued by it and would appreciate it if you shared your knowledge,” she asked with only a hint of curiosity, still keeping the blank look on her face.
At that Korra, eyes lit up as she broke out into a large grin, excited to talk about all the amazing new moves she learned while studying under the White Lotus. “Well it’s not as hard as it seems, you see all I have to do is…” and just like that, their cousin is back to her chipper self, explaining all she’s learned about earthbending, even displaying a few of the arm techniques while they’re riding to the palace, with Desna and Eska listening intently, giving a polite nod every once in a while. Though it is small, each twin’s mouth twitches upward almost forming into a smile at the sight of making their cousin feel happy, luckily no one seems to notice, as they float back to the palace.
As they arrived at the palace, there were guards posted at the landing dock. The parents exited the gondola, Eska noted that their mother was practically giddy, while their Aunt already looked ready to leave.
The sun was only in the middle of the sky, the day was only half done. The worst was to come in the evening when their birthday celebration began. Desna and Eska were sent to their chambers, along with their cousin, tasked with entertaining her. Though once they came to their room and closed the doors there was only so much they could do to keep their cousin’s interest. She didn’t seem interested in reading about history, mathematics, or even practicing different waterbending motions, as they did not involve actual water.
Korra was bored and Eska couldn’t blame her. The twins were only allowed to do so much in their room, due to a lack of toys and play pals. Which left Korra staring out the window while the twins played pretend with their brushes.
Eska looked over at Korra and asked “Do you not wish to join us? You could be the hand mirror if you want?”
“That sounds fun and all…but hand mirrors aren’t exactly my thing,” she said continuing to look outside.
Eska and Desna’s brows furrowed at her response, and walked over to join her, not wanting to leave Korra alone in her state, even if they were enjoying their game…well Eska not so much, the story Desna formulated is a little lacking in the dramatics, in her opinion. The twins were tired as Korra was at this point and rested their chins on their folded arms along the railings.
Eska’s eyes followed Korea’s to the royal training courtyard a couple of feet away. Eying the icy terrain and sighs. The training courtyard is nothing special to look at, it’s merely a white rectangular field with a large moat encompassing it. Plain ice bridges on each opposing side. The only decor was the giant koi fish jugs carefully set around the edges of the yard, filled with water for when they actually needed to train.
Well, it’s not like we can look at anything else…
Eska’s eyes land on the high wall. It was one of the few ways out of the palace, rarely used at all its meant to be used only when the royal family wants to leave and return unnoticed by people. They used that door many times with their father…
She pushes her attention back to her cousin. Eska, absentmindedly, her mind numb with boredom, decides to open up to Korra, “I wish you could show us your earthbending skills, I’d look forward to a new challenge.”
“Yeah…wait a minute…yeah! Let’s do it!” Korra grabs each twin by the shoulder and before Eska could ask what’s going on, she jumps out the four-story window releasing the twins to free fall in mid-air.
“Ahhhhh!!!” The twins screamed as the ground came closer and closer. Eska covered her eyes not wanting to watch her death happening before her eyes when she landed face-first into the snow shocked she was not dead. She climbed up out of the hole her body made and realized that Korra appeared to have made a giant pile of snow to break their fall. We’ll sort of break their fall, Desna crawled out of his hovel, rubbing his forehead while Korra popped out of the snow as if the fall were nothing.
Eska looked over at her and yelled more than asked, “WHAT IN SPIRITS NAME WAS THAT!!!”
Korra looked over at her, shocked that Eska of all people raised her voice.
“You said that you wanted to see my earthbending so I just figured, what better way to do that than through a sparring match,” she said as she pointed to the training yard.
“I only said if mother and father agreed or did you forget that,” Korra simply shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant apology.
“Oh they’re gonna be furious with us,” Desna admitted as he stood up, “nice going by the way.” He said glaring at Eska.
“Excuse me?!” She asked in utter disbelief.
“Well sister, if you hadn’t been going on like a chattering hog-monkey, she wouldn’t have the bright idea to throw us to our deaths,” he accused her, slightly disoriented and annoyed.
“Oh, this is all MY fault!” Eska narrowed her eyes at her brother, took a deep breath, and closed them. ‘Easy, Eska yelling won’t solve anything.”
Desna looked at her and gave a small nod, “Yes, I’m glad you agree.” He said with a sly smile.
Her eyes snapped open, the last bit of her restraint breaking, ‘ya know what forget it.’
She let go of the breath she was holding, “You’re right brother.”
“I am???” He looked at her a bit shocked.
“Yes, if I had not suggested for cousin Korra to display her new skills to us none of this would’ve happened.” She said, calm as ever.
“Well, I’m glad you agree with me,” Desna snorted a little satisfied with his victory.
“Although, if you had thought of a better storyline while we were playing with our hairbrushes, perhaps I wouldn’t have been so bored, and wouldn’t have made that suggestion in the first place,” smirking and leaning over to stare him down, despite them being the same height, her arms crossed above her chest.
Desna let out an exaggerated gasp. “How dare you insult my masterful storytelling, the epic of Brushelton, has a compelling main character and is filled with drama and action. Will he save his love, Lady Combeletta from her evil twin trapped in the mirror, or will he not? It’s thrilling and great! You just lack an artistic eye like I do, when it comes to spinning tales. Did you ever think that if your voices were more creative maybe you would’ve held her attention longer?!”
Eska clutched her nonexistent pearls around her neck in shock, “how dare you! My acting is superb to your subpar plot lines.”
The twins aren’t even inches apart from each other pressing their foreheads together, neither of them backing away from the other. That is until…
“Desna, when did you get that stain on your shirt?” She says pointing at his chest.
Desna caught off guard, looks down at where his sister was pointing, only to be met with her finger flicking his nose. “Owww!” He stumbled backwards rubbing his nose.
“Made you look,” a mischievous grin broke out across Eska’s face, laughing at her triumph.
Desna was not going to take this sitting down though, which is why he lifted a small lump of snow, clenched his fists turning it into a snowball, and thrust it forward toward Eska…who promptly redirected it right back at him. The snowball hit him right in the face, causing him to fall over on his rear end.
Eska bursts out laughing, doubling over, until she realizes that someone is staring at them, that someone is Korra, her mouth agape in shock. Eska quickly got off the ground and tried to regain her composure, in a slight panic that someone other than her brother saw her acting so uncouth.
“Eska…?” Korra asked.
She finishes dusting herself off, turning to face her “Y-yes, cousin Kor-oomph!” Only to be met with a snowball flying toward her face, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground. Staring up at her cousin who was laughing harder than Eska ever saw her.
The twins looked at each other perplexed, and a little unsure of what to do next. Korra had seen them behaving poorly, would she tell their parents? Though neither of them had the chance to linger on it very long as Korra shattered all their worries away as she moved out of the pile of snow, laughing, beckoning them to come join her in the training yard.
For the first time, in what felt like ages, today the twins felt light and Desna rushed up to join their cousin in the snow, pulling a dumbfounded Eska along with him. Eska is not sure how but it seems as though a gift was given to them at that very moment, as Desna and Eska smiled, filled with excitement and adrenaline, as they all pelt each other with snow.
Korra was very unlike them. So full of life, while they were practically void of it. Conditioned to remain that way, to shut out all frivolous distractions, and hide their emotions away. Though somehow, in mere seconds Korra was able to fill their spirits to the brim with life. For once Eska didn’t think about how much trouble they could be in, finally able to focus on the present, the joy they all felt at that very moment.
Though, just like all good things in their lives, nothing good ever lasts. Their snowball fight was interrupted by a tall figure that Korra collided with, so hard that it caused her to fall back onto the ground. Eska and Desna ran over to their cousin, moving to help her stand up only for them to freeze upon realizing they sat in the shadow of another person.
The twins looked up to meet a tall man, in a black parka, with olive eyes and short black hair. He smiled down at the three young ones, though his aura doesn’t match the appearance on his face. The twins could sense his ill intent, though Korra, naive as ever, was unable to see the monster behind the mask. “Hello, Avatar Korra.”
“Oh hi mister,” Korra, not at all troubled by this stranger, “Who are you?”
“I’ve been tasked to take you and your cousins to a safe area, it seems that there are intruders in the palace. Please follow me.” He reaches his hand out to help her up. Korra was about to accept his help with a smile, only for Eska to pull her back closer to her and away from the man.
“If there are intruders in the palace, then why hasn’t the alarm gone off?” She inquired hoping to get the point across to her cousin that this man was not who he claimed to be.
“Because we don’t want to alarm the intruders, they don’t know they’ve been found out yet, so it’s pertinent, you all get to safety,” he insisted.
Yeah, I’m not buying that, you’re not even dressed as a guard. She shot Desna and Korra a knowing look, Desna gave a curt nod equally suspicious of the stranger…Korra looked between us and the new person in front of them. Finally catching onto the hostility that the twins harbor towards the strange man.
Korra decided to play dumb. Talking in a sickly sweet tone. “Well, sir, if you insist then we’ll all follow you to the…,” she punched a bolt of fire at the man, hoping to catch him off guard. Though he seemed to have expected her move, he quickly delivered a swift kick snuffing the fire out.
Hah! Well, that’s not the only thing I got up my sleeve! Korra takes a strong stance, and quickly raised her fists in the air, creating a small wall ice wall between them. “Run!” Korra shouted but found she couldn’t move as a harsh grip wrapped around her wrist, suddenly she was pulled into her snowy wall hard, by a clenched fist, that pierced its way through it. She struggled uselessly as she was suspended high into the air.
Desna and Eska were about to get ready to hose this guy down and tear this guy a new one, only to be pulled away and hoisted into the air by the hoods of their coats. They struggled against the grip, but to no avail, “quit it you brats,” a gruff female voice, that was threatening enough to cause the twins to freeze. Eska turned slightly, to observe their captor from the corner of her eyes, only to see a woman with light skin and dark brown hair. Half of her face was covered by a black neck gaiter, leaving only her eyes and forehead visible. Her eyes were a first amber, though her unique eye color is not what caught Eska off guard, her forehead was marked with an intricate red third-eye tattoo.
“Hey let them go-hmph!” Interrupted as her mouth and nose is covered by a damp cloth, giving her no choice but to breathe it in. Her eyes began to close and she fell limp in the man’s grasp, knocked out cold.
“Who are you, people?!” Desna asked out in desperation, hoping someone hears them, to come to their rescue.
The man holding Korra looked at the twins, “We are the harbingers of a new era, one of freedom. Seeking to break the bonds of oppression, so that all may be free.” The twins looked at him in confusion. “You are the future, you have the ability to shape and break the chains of oppression subjected to you. I can see it in your eyes. You both know that feeling too well and yet all you do is let society weigh you down, letting it push you down harder and harder until you end up in the ground. Freedom is just as essential as air and without it, there is no life. So tell me, Prince Desna, Princess Eska, are either of you even alive, would you be able to tell the difference between life and death, if I squeezed the air out of your lungs?”
All of a sudden three gongs rang in quick succession, drawing the attention of the two intruders, as they turned toward the source of the sound. Two other figures entered the courtyard, one a plain guardsman and a tan woman, with her hair tied back into a bun with chopsticks, bending on a wave of snow landing close to the other two. While the women wore midnight black water tribe clothing, long thick robes, and woolen pants, what shocked the twins was her lack of arms, only water tendrils in their place.
“We need to get out, Zaheer, our covers have been blown!” The waterbender announced, already running away from the numerous guards, coming out of the palace.
“Damn it,” he turned to the women holding Eska and Desna, “leave those two as long as we have the avatar, we still have a chance. Let’s go!” He shouts, sprinting away from the palace with their cousin in tow. Eska, wide-eyed and terrified, screamed for help, so desperate that any sound from her was an incoherent gargle or words. Desna didn’t seem to be doing any better. Though it didn’t matter as she found her cries cut short, by a quick sharp pain that shot through her head, a ringing sound taking over her senses. White spots began to dance in her eyes, the pain becoming greater as struggled in a vain attempt to escape her captor’s grasp, only to find be met with the cold snow as she thrashed about, dazed and confused.
Eska curled in on herself, clutching her stomach, a wave of nausea crashing over her, as her body became weak and her bones turned to lead. Her face came into contact with the snow, the cold substance causing her to flashback to the last time she was knocked down into the snow not long ago, a snowball colliding with her and Korra’s smile and laughter.
Eska forced herself onto her hands and knees, struggling as she fought on weak arms to stay upright, and raised her head to search for their dear cousin, only to find her brother unconscious on the ground not too far from her and the blurry image of Korra getting smaller and smaller. She extended her arm, reaching out to her to no avail, heaving, fighting for the air that abandoned her lungs, choking on her tears, falling prone. The loud ringing died out, allowing her to hear a faint rush of large water from a distance that was met with a loud explosion, ash invading her nostrils, as her vision failed going black.