A/N: I cannot thank you guys enough for your amazing support and following this story. I was blown away by the reviews for last chapter. You guys are awesome and thank you for your patience. This chapter has so many things I've been waiting to reveal for what feels like forever. I hope you enjoy it!


Chapter 2 - Identity

I can't stop staring. I keep thinking every time I blink the image of the girl standing before me will vanish, but it doesn't.

Just as miniature, just as pale and raven haired and milky eyed, is Toph. She too is wearing the uniform I'm beginning to associate with Thirteen. The last time I saw her was in the Games, when she tried to get me to escape with her. I remember the lighting, the ground exploding, her scream…

"I—but you died," I say, my voice strangled. "They said you were dead."

"Of course they did," she says pleasantly.

I spring up—my bowl clatters to the ground—and yank her into my arms, hugging her so fiercely that it surprises even me.

"Can't. Breathe," Toph chokes out. I pull back but I can't quite let go. Her milky green eyes are focused on my face, but I'm glad she can't see me. My own eyes are filled with tears.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I'm just so happy to see you. I knew you couldn't be…I didn't want to believe them. I'm glad you're alive, Toph."

Toph's expression shifts and it takes me a second to realize she looks a little uncomfortable and maybe even bashful. She gives a jerky, nonchalant shrug. "Yeah well," she says, and clears her throat, "I'm glad you're alive too, Sugar Queen."

A sound escapes me, somewhere between a laugh and a sob.

"Okay, okay, enough with the sappiness," Toph gripes. "I'm alive, you're alive, great. Now go take a bath. You smell."


What used to obviously be some sort of storage room now acts as the bathhouse for the women. It's nothing like the Capital. Gone are the luxurious golden faucets and colorful bubbles that smell like winter and freshly plucked flowers.

My tub is a wide wooden barrel, most likely used for carrying supplies. I don't have to settle for cold or lukewarm water though, like I used to have to do at home before I won the Games. It's steaming hot, thanks to one of the Firebenders. The room is grim, and the little light from the candles catches the edge of wooden crates and supplies.

When I asked about using a bath in one of the houses in the city, Asami had shook her head and said the Capital would be able to tell if they looked into it. I don't know much about how water supply in a city like this works, so I take her word for it. I've bathed in worse than this, with far less privacy.

I lean back against the tub, letting myself breathe in the steam slowly. I forgot what it feels like to relax. When you're fighting for your life or trying to save someone else's, you don't really have time. It's hard, even now when I know I'm safe. I remember when I came home from the Games, every sound, even the smallest of sounds, woke me from sleep. I had found it hard to sit still for too long. I still catch myself glancing over my shoulder from time to time.

I sink lower into the water and dip my head back, rinsing my hair. When I get out of my bath, there will be no artists to shave my legs or paint my eyes. No June to pick out my outfits.

June.

I close my eyes tightly and try to force her name out of my head, but the quiet won't let me escape from the pain it brings. Her name reverberates inside my mind, over and over.

June, June, June.

My chest is so tight and painful I can hardly breathe. She wouldn't want you to be sad, I think. She wouldn't want you to cry. I keep telling myself this, but it doesn't stop the shaking, the trembling in my hands, or the tears. June was one of the few people I could call my friend.

And now she's gone.

I can't make myself forget, but I had tried to cram my mind with a thousand different things to distract me from the loss of her—from everyone. But it's here now, and nothing is distracting me from it.

I press my palms into my eyes and a sob tears out of my throat. I start gasping, struggling for breath. It isn't just June's name in my head now. My entire body is shaking and I can't stop, no matter how hard I try not to.

So I let go.

I cry for what feels like a long time, long enough that my fingers become wrinkly. I cry for June, for Sokka, for my dad, for Hama, for Aang—I even cry for my enemies, people like Azula and Mai and Chan. Children who had to become the monsters they are forced to be. We are all pawns in the Fire Lord's never ending game and only when we die can we stop playing.

I don't know how much time passes before I can breathe again, but eventually I'm no longer struggling. I can breathe, even if it's slow and heavy, even if my eyes and head throbs. Surviving the Games—living—doesn't come without a price, does it?

When Asami comes to check on me, she doesn't ask what's wrong or why I've been crying. She just helps me out of the bath, gives me a fresh towel, and leads me to my new home.

I'm too drained to do anything but sleep the rest of the day.


I wake somewhere between dawn and twilight. Everyone is still asleep. I see several uniformed men and women pacing by the entrance, but they don't pay me much attention. Pakku isn't too far down from me, and I move quietly and duck into his tent first. A healer sits at his side, straightening the bandages on his shoulder, and immediately I feel a rush of guilt. This should be me.

"I can watch him," I tell her.

"I do not mind, child," says the woman. "It is the least I can do."

"If I get some water, I might be able to heal him."

"It is rest he needs now," she says, a raspy quality to her voice. Her brown hair is streaked with grey, but her green eyes are bright with life. "The body is it's own best healer. We gave him and the prince a sleeping draft, but he should wake in a day or two days' time." She pats the stool next to her. "But I would not mind a bit of company."

I take a seat, the warmth of her undeniably inviting. "Were you a healer before Thirteen was evacuated?"

"I was transferred here from Province 6, and I was a herbalist of sorts," she says, then her lips turn down into a frown. "The plants are dying now. There is only so much we can do with our limited resources. My garden grows smaller every day, just as our people."

"You have a garden? I'd like to see it."

"Do you study the art, child?" she asks, looking hopeful.

"No," I admit, "but I want to help and I can learn. Where's the sense in being free if you can't live?"

Asami said there were no more Bacui berries, which means no more cure. There's already so much death hanging in the air. I can't stand the thought of waiting around to catch the Red Death with no sight of a cure in the distance.

The woman looks at me with sad eyes. "You are a kind thing, for someone who has suffered such horrors. I am truly sorry for your losses."

I blink in surprise, my throat tightening. "Thank you," I manage to say, and I mean it. "Were you the one that discovered the Bacui berries?"

"Oh no, that is Jin," says the woman. She smiles fondly at the name. "My name is Riya. Jin has…suffered like you. But she is a brilliant little thing, and just as wildly delicate as the flowers she dissects. She never leaves the garden."

Remembering Asami's story, I say "She got sick, didn't she? And then she found the cure?"

"A brilliant little thing," Riya says again.

"Can she show me what the Bacui berries look like?" If I have a vivid picture, maybe I can find them.

Riya smiles.

Soon after, I head to the garden with Bowen. Riya told me she'd take me there in the afternoon, but I don't want to wait. Toph yelled at me and threw a pillow at my face so I'd leave her alone, so I decided that angry bear needed to stay in her cave. Bowen was my second choice and I was not having no for an answer. He wasn't too happy when I dragged him out of bed, but after the way Riya talked about Jin, I have to admit I'm a little wary of meeting her now.

She wasn't the only one, either. When I asked one of the guards how to get to the garden, the man shook his head and said he'd stay away and muttered that the young girl is mad. All Riya said was to tread carefully and if Jin slips into her own little world, let her. Supposedly, she's harmless and sweet, an innocent and brilliant daughter of an equally brilliant professor.

So, you can imagine my surprise when Bowen and I walk into the garden and Jin takes one look at us, grabs a glass vase from a nearby work bench, and charges at Bowen, the vase tight in her hands, ready to knock his head off.

I lurch out of the way in surprise. Bowen sidesteps her attack and easily overpowers her, the vase shattering on the floor. But that doesn't stop her from screaming. And she screams loud.

Bowen freezes and let's go, glancing at me in alarm. Still screaming, Jin reaches into a nearby flower pot and buries her hand inside, pulling out a handful of dirt. She throws it at Bowen, then another and another, coating him in earth.

"Hey, stop it!" he yells, but it only fuels her more and next she goes for a glass vial. Before she can do more damage, and before Bowen loses his temper and destroys the entire room, I throw myself into the middle. The vial smashes against my shoulder.

"Get out!" I yell at Bowen, hissing from the pain. "Just wait outside!"

He looks at me in bewilderment and fury, completely disshelved and covered in dirt. If my shoulder wasn't throbbing so badly I might laugh, but instead I fling open the door and shove him out with all my strength. The battle cry behind me is the only warning I get, and I turn and move out of the way just in time as a flower pot crashes into the door.

"He's gone!" I assure her quickly, holding up my hands. Blood drips down my arm from the pot, but my adrenaline is rushing too quickly for me to pay much attention to it. "He's gone, I promise!"

Jin looks wildly around, armed with a glass bottle in one hand and an arrow—where did that come from?—in the other.

"Please put those down," I say, speaking quietly and slowly, as if I'm trying not to frighten a rabid animal. "I just want to talk to you."

Harmless, huh Riya? No wonder she urged me to wait for her.

Jin's arms drop, and the book and arrow clatter to the ground. She runs a hand through the front of her bangs, muttering something under her breath. Then she walks to one of the benches, sits down, and completely ignores me as she buries herself in her work.

I stand here a moment, shell shocked. When I turn to the quiet tapping sound behind me, Bowen's face peeks through the small glass window of the door. I wave him away angrily. Something about him is obviously very upsetting to her, and I have no idea how to approach that.

Stop peeking, I mouth at him. He wordlessly argues back, but I have no idea what he's saying. Just wait, I mouth, and turn my back to him.

Slowly, I make my way through the room, careful not to bump into anything or make too much noise. The garden is the only room in the factory I've seen that has windows, allowing the natural sunlight to leak through. There are several long workbenches scattered with stacks of papers, glass vials, bottles, potted plants and flowers, and steaming liquids. Vines twist their way around the walls and huge plants dangle from the ceiling. It looks like a mad professor's laboratory. Maybe it is.

When I get closer, I notice twigs and bits of leaves poke out of Jin's ratty, braided hair. Her uniform is spotted with dirt, and there are ink stains across the back of her pale hands. A wild, delicate flower was a good description. Hunched over the table, she stabs a large black bug with a needle, pinning it down. Then she takes a small dropper and sucks up the juice. She adds the drops slowly to a vile filled with yellow liquid.

Keeping my gaze fixed on the needle, I slide into the stool next to her, careful to keep my distance. I watch, fascinated, as she works. Jin pays me no attention as she scribbles furiously on her papers or when she dissects insects and flowers. Sometimes she jerks out of her seat so fast it makes me jump, only to run to the cabinet to grab some ingredients or pace in the aisles, muttering under her breath. Other times she's completely silent for so long that I itch to make a noise to fill in the silence. The only thing she says to me is "Don't touch!" when I reach to examine a vial that looks like blood. So I don't.

I don't know how much time passes before I decide to try to talk to her. The smile she made after reading something from her papers encourages me. Or maybe she was smiling because her latest victim made a crunching sound when the needle shoved it's way through it's stomach. I try not to think about it too much.

"My name's Katara," I say, and to my surprise, my own voice sounds weak. I clear my throat. "I'm new here."

Jin says nothing. I've prepared for this, so I try again. "Riya tells me you're brilliant."

The name catches her attention. Jin stills, her hand pausing in the act of writing. "Jasmine," she says suddenly. "Jasmine and white jade." She nods to herself and goes back to her writing.

"Can I ask what you're making?"

"Your blood is red."

I blink at her, so caught by surprise that before I can stop myself, I say, "So is yours."

She turns to look at me then. Her lashes are jet black and so, so long, her eyes bright and green. I want to smile at the dirt smudged across her cheek and the flower tucked behind her ear. "But I am not bleeding," she says, as if that conquers my logic.

I don't know what to say to that, so I say nothing. She gets up and walks over to the cabinet. After rummaging around, she returns with a jar filled with a creamy substance. She sits down and holds it a moment, then places it on the table and slides it to me.

"Is this for my shoulder?" I ask. You know, the pain you inflicted on me? I add a little bitterly in my head.

Jin nods. "It will mend you."

"No, it won't," I say quietly. "Not really."

She looks back at me. "My name is Jin and I don't have a father or a sister today," she says. Her words are anything but happy, but she still smiles. No teeth, but a small, soft, genuine smile.

"My name is Katara and I don't have a brother today either," I tell her. It hurts to say it, nearly chokes in my throat, but when Jin takes the flower from her ear and places it behind mine, I feel a little less broken.

"What are you working on?"

She's hesitant at first, but once she starts talking, she's like a tornado. Jin hands me things, shows me drawings that are extremely detailed, uses my hands as two extra ones for herself, and rattles on about plants, herbs, and a number of medical terms I'm completely unfamiliar with. I do my best to keep up, hoping to learn something, but she often zones out or forgets I'm here. She has a strange habit of constantly moving her finger against the wood, like she's writing something. I don't even think she realizes she does it.

To my surprise, Bowen is waiting for me outside the door when I emerge sometime later. He's sitting on the ground, his arm propped up on a raised knee. I bend down, half expecting him to be asleep, but he's staring straight ahead.

"Hey," I ask in alarm, and reach out to touch his arm. "You okay?"

He just keeps staring, looking deep in thought and completely mystified. Finally he says, "Did you see the way she looked at me?"

"I saw the way she tried to attack you," I say. "What are you talking about?"

"She hated me." He sounds so utterly confused by this that I don't know whether to laugh at him or give him a sympathy pat on the back. It's when he adds, "I don't get it" that I do laugh.

"You can't win every woman's heart, Bowen."

"No, it's not like that," he says. "It's like…like she saw a monster."

I frown at that, but I can't erase the sound of her screaming. "Maybe you remind her of someone who frightened her," I tell him.

"Maybe." He doesn't sound convinced, but after a moment he gets to his feet and dusts off the remaining dirt from his clothes. "Did you get the picture?"

"No," I admit regretfully. "I'll ask her tomorrow. Today was eventful enough. Did you wait here all this time?"

"It wasn't that long," he says with a shrug. "Besides, you and I have a date." I give him a look that says I don't think so and he laughs. "Yesterday Asami asked me if we wanted to have a look around Thirteen. I accepted her invitation for us."

"You know, it's not really a date if it's three people," I point out.

Bowen places an arm around my shoulders, which thankfully does feel better thanks for Jin. "My sweet, innocent little Kat, those are the only dates I am interested in."

I jerk away and elbow him in the side, but we're both laughing as we descend the metal stairs and head toward the cafeteria for some lunch.

Asami is waiting for us by one of the tables, prompt as ever. Toph is here too, looking as grumpy as ever. Bowen slips into the kitchen to grab us something to eat, but I suspect he also wants to check on his mom.

I approach the table and grin at Toph. "Good morning, sunshine," I say brightly, taking a seat next to her.

She groans. "Okay, you are way too positive for the morning."

"It's the afternoon, Toph," Asami points out.

"Whatever. Where's my food?"

Asami ignores her and hands me a freshly washed uniform and a mask. My new identity. "You'll need these for your job today," she says.

"Job?" I ask. Bowen failed to mention that.

"There's time for training and learning, but all of us are assigned to different duties so we can pull our own weight around here." Asami throws a glare at Toph and adds, "Well, some of us do."

"Hey, I pull my own weight," Toph defends.

Asami gives her a look. "You do whatever you feel like doing."

"Who died and made you in charge of handing out duties anyway?" Toph snaps. "I get stuck cleaning bathhouses while you get to work on weapons all day? I don't think so, Princess."

"It's a rotation," says Asami, shockingly calm despite the clear growing annoyance behind her tone. "You might clean today, but tomorrow you'll be in the kitchen or doing laundry."

"Do I look like a housewife to you?"

"No, you look like a bratty child—"

"Okay, enough," I say, standing from my seat to block out Asami's view of Toph. "Tell me what to do."

She takes a deep breath and focuses her attention on me. "You and Bowen both survived the Games. You know how to hunt and track. We're very limited on food supplies, and we don't know where the animals might have migrated to. You two are experts and we need meat for our strength."

I wouldn't call myself an expert, maybe my dad or Sokka, but I do have experience. And at least I'll get to see the sun. A thought suddenly occurs to me and I smile.

"I want to be there when you tell Zuko what his responsibilities are."

"He's our prince," says Asami, as if that explains everything. "I wouldn't ask him to do such a thing."

I grumble snatch the uniform and mask. "Can I check on him before I go?"

Asami smiles. "Katara, this isn't a prison. You can see him, and Pakku, as freely as you like. You don't have to ask."

Oh, right, I think lamely.

"I know it's new for you," she goes on. "We're just trying to survive and rebuild here."

Is that what you're doing when you're building weapons? I want to say. Instead I say, "Is that all you're doing?"

She shrugs a delicate shoulder. "For now."

This might be a former weapon's of mass destruction province, but that doesn't change the facts that she'd be a fool to ignore. "The Capital has too many Guards," I admit resentfully.

"It doesn't take an army to win a war," she says with surprising fierceness.

With that final note, she leaves me and Toph, who yells at her, "I'm still waiting for my food!"

"Get it yourself!" Asami shouts back.

"You know, she's really a piece of work," says Toph with disgust. "She nags all the time and schedule this, schedule that. She's like a mom. And you're here now, so that makes two of you."

"Hey!" I shout.

Toph shrugs. "What?"

"You called her a mom—and you called me a mom!"

"Well yeah," Toph says, like it's annoyingly obvious. "I was around you long enough to figure that out about you." She gives a haughty sigh and slams her head against the table. "I'm so tired and hungry. Won't you get me something to eat? I'm blind—take care of me, mom."

"Don't play that with me. You're lazy," I correct. "I bet you came from a rich family, didn't you?"

"Define rich."

I laugh. "I knew it." She's quiet after that, and the silence forces me to think of my dad, and I immediately shove away the guilt that comes with it. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long. About a month. I hid out in Four for a while first. Once I figured out we weren't on an island, I knew I'd run into an Earth province eventually. The funny thing is that this province is actually the closest to the arena."

"Really?" I ask in surprise. I don't know how I feel about that. "How close?"

"Far enough they aren't worried about the Red Death spreading that far. It's way north of here. I went way out of my way, thinking Thirteen was near Six. Took me months just to find my way back. When I got to Four, I mostly stayed underground. There were Guards everywhere.

"Probably due to the proximity of the arena," I say, still shocked at how far Toph had to walk.

"I didn't feel bad at all when I stole from them," she says with a smug smile.

"Toph!" I scold. "You shouldn't steal. Not even from them."

"Stealing, trading, borrowing, what's the difference?"

"Um, there's actually a huge difference."

"I don't think you thought so high and mighty in the arena."

I swallow hard. "We aren't in the arena anymore, Toph."

"Feels like it sometimes, doesn't it?" she says quietly. Silence falls between us, both of us lost in our own nightmares. Then after a moment she adds, "He was supposed to come with me."

"Who?" I ask.

"Matsu. His father was part of the uprising in Eight. He told him about Thirteen. He's the one who told me. I don't even know why."

"I'm sorry," I offer, feeling even worse since I learned that Zuko was the one to kill him. I don't know if Toph knows. Maybe she does. Maybe she doesn't care who did it, only that he died. I don't know and I don't want to bring it up. "I'm sure he'd be happy to know you made it here."

"My parents sure wouldn't be."

I run a hand through my hair and pull out Jin's flower. The petals are a bright pink with dark purple near the center. Keeping my eyes focused on them, I ask, "Do you miss them?"

"I miss the idea of them."

I look up. "What do you mean?"

"They were better businessmen than parents," she says with a shrug. "They thought I was helpless because I was blind, and they tried to control me like they did their company. You know I was actually happy to go to the Games? I knew there was a chance I would die, but at least I wasn't trapped anymore."

Trapped. I know the feeling.

"I miss my dad." I pull my knees up to my chest. "I can't stand thinking about what they might be doing to him. It was selfish to leave, but it would have been even more selfish to stay."

It's a hard lesson, but I've learned you can't let one person stop you from saving thousands of others if you have the chance to, no matter how much you love them. Maybe it's a fool's dream, but I can't help but believe the White Lotus has a plan.

I change into my new uniform after I get a bite to eat. Underneath, I wrap some bandages around my shoulder. Jin's salve seems to have worked, but it's still a little sore and I don't want my uniform rubbing against it.

The top and bottoms are a dark gray-green, with burgundy padding built into the elbows, forearms and thighs. Around my neck is a soft, also burgundy material that will keep me warm and help cover the bottom of my mask. The pants tuck into high boots, and golden buttons and a black belt embroider my jacket and waist. I long for the comfort of arctic blues, but it's comfortable enough at least.

I carry my mask in hand as I leave my tent, deciding to check on Zuko again before I meet Bowen. I already popped in earlier this morning, but it doesn't hurt to check again, right? I know he's probably still sleeping due to the sleeping draft, but I just need to see him breathing.

I flip back the flap of the tent and halt in surprise when I see that Zuko is awake. And he is not alone. When the visitor turns around, I realize they are not a healer. My heart skips a beat and a strong wave of protectiveness washes over me. I'm about to tell him to leave Zuko alone, to explain himself and answer every question I've had since I got here yesterday. But I do none of those things. Because then Amun Ra pulls off the mask, and he is in fact not a he.

He is a she.

I don't have to know her name to know who she is, because the resemblance is undeniable. It just takes me a minute to wrap my head around it. I'm too stunned to do anything but stare.

Amun Ra is Zuko's mom.


A/N: Annnnd we finally know who Amun Ra is! Big backstory to come next chapter. :) And for those wondering, yes this is Jin from ATLA. Since we saw so little of her in canon, I sort of used Prim, Annie, and her canon personality to adapt her character. More backstory on her as well. Anyway, thank you for reading. :)

Edited: 3/24/14

Review Responses

irishauthor94: "Brilliant, simply brilliant, i've been waiting for the reveal for some time, but you placed it perfectly." - Thank you so much! I always thought Toph would make her first appearance in The Rise of One, but it just didn't work. It's been really hard not being able to tell everyone she made it, lol. So glad I was finally able to reveal that.

"regardless, my prejudice was completely and utterly wrong, so far this has been my absolute favourite story on this site, THANK YOU for doing this concept justice, i'm in the middle of planning my own attempt at an ATLA games story, but i don't think i'll ever overshadow this, from page one you've had me by the short hairs. this story has shocked and inspired me in equal measure, and i hope it will continue to do so." - Your review (and from previous stories) honestly were wonderful to read and I thank you for your feedback and positive response. I wish you the best of luck with your story! I'll have to check it out. :D

SkittleDee: "I actually made an account so I could specifically tell you that I love this series." - Wow thank you so much!

"Are you going to include other characters from LOK?" - At the moment, I don't plan on adding any more LOK right now because there is no need for them, but I don't want to rule that out entirely because things can always change. Originally I had no intention of adding any characters from LOK, until I started mapping out Province 13 and realized Republic City is perfect for that. And with 13 being the weapons of mass destruction province, it made sense to me to include Hiroshi and therefore also Asami. I wouldn't have added them at all if they weren't relevant to the plot.

InItToWinIt: "I am so impressed with how far this story has come. The plot is so good that the lack of Zuko-Katara interaction is barely noticed - except for when you do have them I fangirl over it for days!" - Hehe thank you! As I was writing The Rise of One, I started to realize there would be less interactions between Zuko and Katara. I can say that changes in this story. :)

Familia8: "Don't be forgotten. stay the best we support your creativity love Familia8:)" - Aw thank you dear! Your review was very sweet. *hugs you* Thanks for reading and being patient!

parodized: "I had these feeling that I only get when I read a legit novel. I cried. I squealed. I yelled. I screamed." - Wow thank you! My goal with TBG was to really bring out all sorts of emotions, so I'm glad to hear you were able to connect emotionally like that. :) (Also, I'm VERY impressed you read both stories in a day! lol)

Placidwickedness: " I hope this one will focus a tad bit more on the complicated relationship between Zuko and Katara since they didn't have much alone time in TRoO." - Yes, for sure. There is much more interactions in this story than there was in The Rise of One. Poor things just never have much time. :P

ChosetoWrite: "Now how did you come up with the characters of Rox and Bowen's mom?" - Rox was loosely inspired by Aunt Wu, but she's mainly inspired by something spoilery, lol. I'm afraid I can't reveal that yet! As for Mica, Bowen's mom, her personality is loosely inspired by Annie. But her backstory is kind of a spoiler, so you'll have to wait for that too, lol.

Guest: "I read TBH and TRoO twice! I also made my brother read it! (I think he's halfway through TBG and thoroughly enjoying it!)" - That's awesome! I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. :)

Just wondering: "About how often do you update?" - Usually twice a month, though lately it's been more like once since I've been so busy. Hoping to get back on track with twice a month or more. :)

Starryo0: "If Zuko can shoot lightning, Katara should be able to hold her own in her own element, consistently and knowingly...ah well, all's well that ends well, and if they end up together well then I can't complain much lol" - Haha! That's actually one of the biggest differences in canon and TBG. In canon, Katara had no training, but she was able to freely experiment at home. In this story, she has lived her entire life forbidden to bend anything but basic movements. She's grown up under the control of the Capital, with Guards constantly enforcing the law. If she were to do any sort of offensive attack bending, she'd be severely punished. She does struggle at first in canon, but once she has some weeks or maybe even a few months with Pakku at the North Pole, she becomes a master. Here, she never got even close to that amount of time to train. Truthfully, she just hasn't had the TIME to become a master yet. Only firebenders grow up being taught how to fight, which is why they usually win.

Guest: "Also I was wondering, does/will any character in this story is/be loosely-based off of Plutarch?" - Ya know, I haven't read enough of Mockingjay to even grasp his character, lol. And I don't really remember him much from CF. So I'd have to say that intentionally, no. :P

coolcari: "Bowen...all we need is something with sugar cubes" - The sugar cubes will be making an appearance, don't you worry, haha.

Onyxx: "just want you to know that you have an avid reader here in Bermuda! Love love love your work! I've been here since the first one and I'll stay till the very end. :)" - *hugs you fiercely* Aw thank you dear! You know, I've never been to Bermuda, but I'd love to go there someday. Thanks so much for sticking with me through this crazy ride.

balai: "I know that since the medicine in the world of ATLA isn't really as advanced as ours that they really don't have diagnoses, but if it could be categorized, what disease if any would you say that Bowen's mother (Mica, I think is her name) has?" - You know, I'm not sure. When I was writing her, I just imagined a frail woman who was frightened and forgetful, who clung to the comfort of the son she no longer remembers, who lived in her own world and was so traumatized by what she saw happen to her son that she never recovered fully from it. Even though I know Alzheimer's has to do with losing memory, I truly don't know enough about it to say that's what Mica has. In my mind, Mica has a combination of things.

spongetine013: "Is the Phoneix Queen a parallel to the Phoneix King at the end of A:TLA or a completely different meaning that just happens to be a coincidence?" - It is a parallel to that, yes, and also to something else. :)

akl: "Was the red plague inspired by the medival plague?" - I wish I could say yes, but it's actually inspired by a person. :P

allicaeu: "I kind of ship Asami with Bowen already." - Understandable. Bowen is very shippable. :)

TophHitsugaya: "OMG it's like midnight where I am and my brother came into my room and said this was posted." - I have been astounded with how many people have told me they read my stories with their brother. I think that's so awesome. :)

Aaliyah92: "I never got into watching Legend of Korra, is there anything important from that series that I should know in relation to your story?" - Hm, well I don't think you need to have watched LOK, but those who did will see where the two tie together and some parallels. The funny thing is that there's something I had planned awhile ago, and then something similar happened in LOK and I just like HAH go figure. :P LOK definitely helped with some important plotlines in this story, but it isn't required to have seen it so no worries!