Time skip to bring us to the same time as Chapter 2, so 10 years since Lin's abduction.

We meet Lin's little family fully, and see their relationship with them.

CHAPTER WARNING: The ending of this chapter implies rape. I do not mention details, as like in Chapter 3. Read at own risk or just dip out when he starts undressing, its only after that that it becomes non-con.

Spring 146 AG

Hope. Lin could almost laugh at the word now. It had been almost 9 years since she had felt that tiny flicker finally get snuffed out. It resurfaced again 5 years ago upon seeing Katara, but it was instantly squashed when the woman hadn't recognized her.

She sometimes would ask herself what her mother would think of her. Weak was always the first word in her mind. Her mother would think her weak for not finding a way out, for letting herself be used and abused; for allowing him to get into her head, mess with her thoughts, and in some ways her heart. But she hadn't tried because she knew their threat to take her sister instead was real. She would never allow what has happened to her, happen to Suyin.

Thoughts of her mother and sister left her when a little body wrapped their arms around her. "Mama, when's dinner?"

Lin looked at the little boy hugging her waist. "Dinner will be ready soon. You know we have to wait for your father to get home. He should be home momentarily. Please get Nuna to help you get Tayen and Tarlo washed up and ready at the table."

Amaruq nodded and ran off to find his older sister to wrangle their younger siblings to the washroom.

Lin dished up their dinner into bowls, covering them to keep them warm, and went to make sure her two eldest weren't having any issues with their younger siblings.

"Mama look, bubbles!" Tarlo said, giggling as Nuna helped him wash his hands. But he was more fascinated by the suds the soap produced than actually washing his hands.

"Yes, they are fun, but your father will be home soon, so finish washing your hands, little cub." Lin guided his hands under the water. He pouted slightly, and she then had to deal with him bending the water away from his hands. "Tarlo, please. Aren't you hungry?" She could see him think about it for a moment before he stopped bending the water away and let her help him rinse his hands off.

"Mama, should I go set the table?" Nuna asked.

Lin smiled at her eldest. "That would be lovely, thank you pebble."

She picked up Tarlo to keep him from running off. She then turned to her middle two and interrupted before they started another water war. "Enough you two. Your father will be home any minute, please dry your hands and go sit at the table."

Amaruq and Tayen nodded and both bent the water on their hands back into the sink.

Lin got them all settled at the table and checked on dinner to make sure it was staying hot. In the kitchen she took a moment to centre herself before Tulok came home. As much as she hated him for how he treated her, keeping her locked up and turning her into a shell of who she once was, he at least was a decent father. He surprisingly had agreed with her when she asked him to never reprimand her or hit her in front of the kids. It was the only thing she had ever asked of him. But as Nuna got older, Lin could tell she was suspicious that something was going on.

She quickly made sure that her hair was still neat and tidy in her usual braids, and that her dress wasn't stained before heading to the front door. She made sure his slippers were ready and that everything was neat and tidy.

It was good timing too, as Tulok entered soon after. She quickly took his heavy coat from him and hung it up. She had long ago lost her need to flinch when he kissed her in greeting. In fact, oftentimes she actually enjoyed the comfort-like feeling it gave her - which she hated herself for. She took the boots he handed her and placed them neatly against the wall beside the rest of theirs.

"Is dinner ready?"

Lin nodded. "Yes. The kids are also ready at the table. I will go grab the dishes from the kitchen."

"Alright, go ahead and get it then." He let her leave to the kitchen while he headed towards the table.

She heard the chorus of "Daddy!" come from the kids. She smiled bittersweetly, briefly allowing herself to imagine it was some other faceless man who she had built a life with on her own, but she quickly snapped her thoughts from that line of thinking. That would only cause problems for her. She quickly brought out the large bowl full of seaweed noodle soup and placed it on the table. She went back and grabbed the still hot bowl full of seared elephant seal meat and the accompanying side dishes.

She then filled everyone's bowls before finally sitting beside Tarlo. She made sure he blew on his food before shoving it in his mouth.

She listened to her children tell their father about their day, quietly picking at her own food. She didn't have much of an appetite over the last several years. She forced herself to eat properly when she had been pregnant and breastfeeding, but since Tarlo had been weaned, and with no new pregnancy, she had given up on forcing herself. She ate enough to stay relatively healthy so that she could keep up with her children, but everything tasted like it was ash to her. It was also the one thing she could control in her life.

After dinner she cleaned the kitchen until it was spotless while Tulok enjoyed some time with their children. She could hear them excitedly talk about their upcoming bending training in the morning, and Tulok reminding them to listen to their instructors. She allowed a slight twitch of her mouth as she thought of just last week and Tayen bending a tidal wave at her instructor - who had been paying more attention to teaching the boys in her class. She was a Beifong alright.

Once she finished cleaning, she made a pot of tea of Tulok's preferred blend - not her favourite, but when with him, she didn't bother making a separate tea for herself. Once that was steeped, she removed the tea leaves, and went into their sitting room. She set the tea service down on the table beside his chair, before rounding the children up to say goodnight.

"Aw, Mama, do we have to go to bed?" Tayen whined, as she sat on her fathers lap.

"Don't argue with your mother, Tayen." Tulok said. "Now say goodnight."

Tayen hugged him. "Night Daddy!" She kissed his cheek and hopped off his lap. The other children each took their turn to hug their father goodnight.

Lin had Nuna take Tayen to their room to start getting ready for bed, while she went to help Tarlo into his pajamas.

"Can we play with bubbles again tomorrow, Mama?" Tarlo asked sleepily.

"We'll see, little cub. You have waterbending lessons tomorrow, so you may have to wait for another day."

Lin tucked her boys in, kissing their heads as she did so. "Goodnight little cub, goodnight my wolf. I love you both." She said to Tarlo and then Amaruq in turn.

"Night Mama, love you!" They both replied before she closed their door.

She walked across the hall to the girls room. She found them both in their nightgowns. They were seated on Tayen's bed as Nuna brushed out her sister's hair. Nuna happily handed her mother the brush to take over and went to grab her book. She sat on her own bed, reading a little while Lin brushed Tayen's long brown hair out.

"How would you like your hair tonight, little moon?" Lin asked.

"Two braids please." Tayen answered, sweetly.

"Of course." Lin deftly, but gently parted and braided her youngest daughter's hair. Once finished she helped the girl get under her warm covers. At Tayen's insistence, Lin tucked her dolly in as well, giving them both a kiss goodnight. "I love you, little moon. Sweet dreams."

"Love you too Mama." The young girl replied as she yawned, her eyes falling closed.

Lin then turned to her eldest and a soft smile graced her face. Nuna looked so much like she had as a young girl, and her love of reading was something they shared. Lin walked over and brushed a loose hair from her daughter's forehead.

"Scoot over, pebble, and I will do your hair." The girl did so without looking up from her book. "Any preferences?" She asked, taking apart the current hairstyle from that morning.

"No Mama." Came the distracted reply.

Lin gently brushed her daughter's hair, perhaps taking a little longer than necessary as she enjoyed the quiet moment with her child. She eventually plaited the girl's hair into a single braid.

"Okay, pebble, time to put the book away, so finish your page."

Nuna finished and placed her bookmark in before handing the book to her mother. Lin placed the book on Nuna's side table, and then pulled the girl into her arms. Nuna sighed and snuggled in.

"I love you baby." Lin whispered into her daughter's hair.

"I love you too, Mama."

Lin pulled back. "Alright, it's time for sleep. You have training with your earthbending master tomorrow."

"I wish you were an earthbender too, Mama. I would rather you teach me. I wish I could train more like the others." Her earthbending master could only come a few days every month or two, whereas her siblings trained at least once a week at the moment.

Lin offered her daughter a smile, while inwardly feeling her heart clench. She wished she could tell her daughter the truth, but it was easier to pretend she wasn't a bender than to think about all that she had lost. "I know, love." The only ones in the Northern Water Tribe who knew she was an earthbender outside of Tulok and Konai (Yakone), were the healers as they listed it on her file at their local clinic.

She got up and tucked Nuna into bed, before heading to the master bedroom to change into her night dress. She ignored her reflection in the mirror as she knew she would see a frail body instead of the muscular one she used to have. She hated herself for allowing them to turn her into this.

Before she could return to the living room to work on the clothes that needed mending, Tulok entered the room.

She held back a grimace, as she knew what he wanted. She slowly walked to the bed, turning down the covers. Before she climbed on the bed, she listened to his command to strip.

Laying down, she stared at the ceiling, avoiding looking at him as he undressed. "It's time we start trying again. I have allowed a larger break after Tarlo's difficult delivery, but it's been over 3 years now. Uncle is expecting us to bear another child." He said, removing his tunic.

Lin sat up and looked at him, allowing fear to show in her eyes for once. "No, please Tulok, can't we tell him I can't conceive anymore? Four children are already enough. You have your waterbenders, and Nuna is a promising earthbender. Please." She found herself begging.

Next thing she knew was there was a stinging pain in her face as she fell back onto the bed.

"Enough. You know your purpose here." He said, forcefully moving her into position. "There will be no more of the moon tea. I've already tossed it. If I find out you went and bought more…" He left the threat open ended, deciding to put a hand to her neck and squeezed enough to keep her complacent but light enough not to mark her pale skin. "I have been too lenient with you since Nuna arrived, and it shows. It seems I need to remind you just who is in charge here."

She closed her eyes, trying to will her mind to escape from what was happening. It was hard as he was more brutal than usual this evening, she had gotten used to him being almost loving in how he would treat her. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of hearing her pain, or waking their children down the hall. She already knew she would have to be careful to hide her bruises tomorrow from the kids.

Eventually he collapsed onto his side of the bed and fell asleep quickly. She wanted to get up and have a shower, but she didn't trust her legs to hold herself up at the moment. Instead, she curled up on her side, as far away from him as she could get.

Only once she was certain that her legs could support her, she stood shakily and stumbled to the washroom. Once there she stepped into the tub and turned on the shower, unflinching at the freezing cold water - she already felt numb. She switched the temperature to hot thought, trying to feel it. As she scrubbed the evidence of their activities from her body, she allowed herself to finally let out her emotions. She silently sobbed under the spray of the scalding water, watching her pale skin turn red from the water and the cloth she used to scrub herself raw.

Eventually she sat in the tub, the water still spraying onto her as she hugged her knees to her chest; she hid her face in her knees. All she wanted in this moment was to be wrapped in her mothers arms once more. At the thought of that not happening, she let out a single strangled sob from her throat, before she could stop herself.

In this moment she felt she was finally, truly broken.

A/N: Let me know what you think!

Any guesses on what's going to happen next? I love hearing your theories.

Name Meanings:

Tayen - a new moon - Native American, I couldn't find if it belonged to a specific tribe (Lin calls her little moon)

Tarlo - Cub of a bear - Native American, Kiowa origin (Lin calls him little cub)