After getting Korra to my grandmother, I continued to remain out of sight. It was easy to blend in, getting warmer clothes for myself before taking up residence in a snow hut I made for myself where I would sneak in and visit Korra every night after everyone else had gone to sleep, doing my own work on healing her until I knew there was nothing more I could do. "Time is all that's left, I'm afraid Korra. Time and patience."

"I feel so weak. Useless. I feel…unworthy." She said to me with tears rolling down her cheeks as glistening beads. "Unworthy of being the Avatar."

"And that's okay. You think Aang went through his entire life without feeling that way at one point as well? You think any of the previous Avatars didn't feel like that from time to time?" I reached out and took her hands. "Korra, all of your past lives…none of them were perfect just because they'd lived before. Some had simple lives, other struggled to maintain the balance in a war torn world and you are just doing the best you can despite everything that's thrown at you. You've got to remember, Korra, that although you're the Avatar, you're not indestructible and you're not all powerful. There's always going to be a limit, a breaking point, whether in your mind or your body. When you reach that limit and you break it, that's when you can start to build yourself back up again, only stronger."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It's not, it's going to be the hardest thing you probably ever have to do." I countered, giving her hand a squeeze and brushing at her hair. "There's no shame in needing time to rest. You can't be perfect all the time, you're still human." She looked at me with those sad, drained eyes that were heavily shadowed with exhaustion.

"But I'm the Avatar. People expect me to keep on protecting them. So far I've done next to nothing except make things worse."

"That's not true, Korra. Through everything you've experienced, you've slowly begun to change. You're learning things that you never would have learned unless you'd gone through it yourself. You know the true meaning of weakness, vulnerability, fear and pain. With all that, you can empathise with others who are even weaker than you, who have no bending to protect themselves. You've learned compassion, something that I believe is crucial to being an Avatar. Ever since all this started, you've mellowed Korra. You've started thinking things through, considering everything before making a decision and weighing the consequences before committing to an action. You were willing to give yourself up in order to save the Air Nation from being exterminated again. That takes real courage, Korra." Her lips tilted upwards weakly.

"I wish I could see myself as you see me. If I saw the world through your eyes, Kanna, I don't think I'd ever doubt myself again." I grinned, nudging at her lightly as I sat down on the bed beside her, both of us snuggling down in order to rest for a while.

"I'm not perfect either, so you'd probably want your own eyes back at some point." This earned a slight chuckle, Korra looking a little better for my sarcasm.

"I'm glad you're here Kanna. Thank you for coming with me. I know this hasn't been an easy time for you but you're still worrying about me. Have you talked to your family yet?"

"I sent Bumi a letter to tell him I got here safely. No one else knows I'm here. I checked in on gran-gran a few times whilst she was sleeping, but I haven't approached anyone. Not even my mom. I'll talk to her before I go, but that won't be for a while yet. Until I'm sure that you're on the mend and your legs feel better, I'll stay here." Korra shifted slightly, putting her arm over me as our foreheads came to press against each other's.

"You can't hide from them forever."

"They won't accept me anymore, not now they know I'm a blood bender."

"Your mom will."

"Maybe…I don't want to risk it though. Until I'm ready, I'm not going to let anyone know I'm here." I said to her before brushing away an eyelash that had fallen onto her cheek. "Do you still have no connection to your past lives? I know you've been trying." Korra looked away.

"Nothing. They're really gone. I'm the last Avatar now, I don't know if there will be another after me."

"Sure they will. Raava is still there, right? She's the spirit of the Avatar, and as long as she's still alive, you'll be reborn again. I just hope that when that time comes, we can be friends again somehow. Like, one of my great-great grandchildren becomes your best friend." She smiled at me.

"I'd love that. Just like how I'm friends with you and your cousins, and Opal and General Iroh. We're all still connected." I liked that thought, our bonds continuing after we die through our descendants. "Do you think I failed as an Avatar, Kanna? What if in my next life, I can't provide any wisdom or advice to my reincarnation? What if I make too many mistakes?"

"I hope you do." I told her, making Korra blink at me. "I hope you make lots of mistakes, and choices good and bad. You only learn through trying, so that's all you can do. Even if you do something wrong, you can advise the Avatar after you not to do it that way. By gaining experience, you'll be able to share a great deal more than you think to whoever comes after you, and I think that might actually be better than having all your past Avatar lives combined." Korra frowned at me, not following my meaning so I continued. "We're in a new world now. Aang struggled to help transition into the new era, but you grew up in it. This is normal for you, so all the experience and knowledge of your past lives don't really have much application these days. From now on, everything will be fresh, new, and you'll be able to relate to whoever comes after you way more than anyone else."

"I never thought of it that way."

"Of course not, because I'm the brains in this operation." I teased her lightly with a grin. "Just think of yourself as the new Wan. He didn't have anyone to guide him except Raava, and you have her with you now too. Besides, you've got me and everyone else who can help you, as well as all the masters who have the wisdom of both the past and the present to offer. It's not the end, Korra, this is just the beginning of your legacy. Focus on healing first, then worry about what kind of Avatar you're going to be later." She smiled lightly, looking a little more peaceful now as she closed her eyes.

"Maybe you should have been born the Avatar." At that, I snorted.

"Please, do you even realise how many fights you seem to get into as Avatar? I hate getting dirty, and mud is the worst so earth bending would have been a no go. You really think I'd be able to stomach being an Avatar?" At this, Korra chuckled one last time before falling asleep, so I held her in my arms and let her rest, leaving me to think my own thoughts deep into the night.