Chapter One: A Water-Bender's Healing

The door to the restaurant swung open fast enough to slam into the wall.

"I swear to all that is holy, if you break my window—"

"Sorry, Miss Rosiepuff!" the troll at the door panted. "But there's a fire down the road!"

"Do I look like the fire brigade?" Rosiepuff droned.

"You are a water-bender." The troll shrugged sheepishly.

Rosiepuff rolled her eyes, but grinned as she handed her apron to Fuzzbert. "Fuzzbert, Biggie, hold down the fort?"

"Our pleasure!" Biggie said.

Rosiepuff followed the troll down the road and to a flaming bakery near the creek. Poppy and Branch were already there, and Poppy tried to use her water-bending to put out the fire with the creek water.

"Wait, wait!" Rosiepuff stopped Poppy from shooting water at the flames. "The goal is to not cause damage equal to or more than the fire already has."

"Sorry." Poppy said.

"Watch this." Rosiepuff moved a large wave of water from the creek. Gently, she enveloped the entire burning building, including everything inside, in a giant bubble of water. "Branch, Poppy, keep an eye out for anything coming out." Rosiepuff instructed as she slowly moved the water back to the creek. Branch and Poppy caught a wooden bowl, a tablecloth, and a pillow trying to get away.

The baker who owned the building thanked Rosiepuff a dozen times. "A cake of gratitude is on the way, I assure you!"

"Don't stress it, Carol." Rosiepuff assured. "I'm happy I could help. Focus on fixing the damage the fire caused."

"Thanks for your help." Poppy said. "You're right. I might've done more harm than good with my albeit aggressive methods."

"Glad you were nearby." Rosiepuff said. "What are you two doing out here?"

"It's our third-year anniversary." Branch said, hugging his girlfriend. "We were heading to a nice spot where we like to watch the sunset."

"Well, I'll leave you to it. I still have a restaurant to run." Rosiepuff turned to leave.

"Wait, Grandma!" Branch called. "Remember to remind Fuzzbert and Biggie about our trip next week."

Rosiepuff paused. "Oh, right. That." She sighed with a soft smile. "I'll remember. You two go back to your date." She wandered off, humbly accepting the praise from nearby villagers.

"What's happening next week?" Poppy asked as she and Branch hiked up to their favorite hilltop.

"Grandma, Symphony, and I are going on a trip." Branch replied. "Which, that reminds me, I should probably tell your dad, too."

"Where are you going?"

"Grandma's old hometown, where she grew up."

"Is that wise? I mean, is she ready?"

"I think so. After what happened in Sunrise City, she has gotten a lot better. No seizure, episode things in over a year. What you said to her, about feeling the pain to move on? That was great advice, and I think she'll be able to fully let go once she sees her old home."

"I think so, too. Best of luck to you."

Branch and Poppy reached their hilltop, and they sat in the grass and looked out over the land. From their spot, they could see all of Troll Valley, the Troll Tree, and some of the land surrounding it. Few communities in their country were as diverse as Troll Valley, a place that attracted characters from all walks of life. Branch often marveled at such a concept, thinking of his own family and where he came from. Some settled in Troll Valley their entire lives. Others stayed for a while before moving on. Branch spent so much of his life here. Now that he and Poppy were in a solid, healthier relationship, Branch began seeing a future farther down the road.

"You ever think about the future?" Branch blurted out.

Poppy giggled, kissing her boyfriend's cheek. "Branch, this is the fifth time in two months we've had this conversation."

Branch facepalmed. "Sorry."

"It's okay. It's cute, and I like that you live in the now yet ponder the future as opposed to dwelling on it, you know?" Poppy said. "Allow me to recap what we've agreed: I spent my entire life here, you were born somewhere else but spent more years here. We're in a good place, and we both agree that our future most likely rests here in Troll Valley, regardless how long our romantic relationship lasts."

"I hope the romance lives on for a while." Branch sighed happily. He put an arm around her shoulders. "I'm very happy with you."

"I'm happy with you, too." Poppy said. She noticed something about Branch's gaze on the land, almost as though he stared longingly. "What's up?"

Branch hummed softly, gathering his thoughts. "You wanted to be the Dragon Warrior, right?"

"Everyone did." Poppy said. "But I did think I was more deserving of it. Leader of the Furious Five, top warrior of the Troll Tree, trained and raised by one of the greatest teachers in all the land. Of course, even if I'm not the Dragon Warrior, and there is no Furious Five anymore, I'm still proud of so much I've done. Plus, I'm a double-bender. How many people can say that?"

"True." Branch nodded. "But, when you were imagining the life of the Dragon Warrior, did you think there would be more than what you had before?"

"Sort of." Poppy shrugged. "For me, it might've been just another title for a warrior. In your case, becoming the Dragon Warrior was a huge change. You went from a cook and waiter in a restaurant to a protector of the land, a bender of the Troll Tree, and you've done so much more than anyone thought."

"Yeah, but I could've done all those great things if I had just gone up to Peppy and said, 'I want to learn kung fu, will you please teach me?'"

"Would you have actually done that?"

"Before? No way in hell." The two of them laughed. Branch sighed heavily. "But I wasn't trained to be a warrior for the sake of being a warrior. I was chosen as the Dragon Warrior. A mystic sword was made by Grandmaster Ryu to choose a warrior of greatness. All that, just for the sake of defeating one bad guy?"

"Creek was pretty horrible, Branch." Poppy reminded him. "He caused so much destruction."

Branch scoffed a little. "Yes, Creek was bad. He terrorized the village, attacked a lot of innocent people, nearly killed your dad, I get it. But what about Artemis? He massacred an entire village and murdered over a hundred people himself, including my parents and grandpa. Compared to Artemis, Creek doesn't seem that bad. Plus, it wasn't my destiny to defeat Artemis. That was you. That was all you. I beat Creek four years ago. I guess I fulfilled the prophecy Grandmaster Ryu left behind."

"And you're wondering if there's anything more for you to do?" Poppy guessed.

"Exactly! Gosh, you're so smart." Branch sighed in what seemed to be relief. "I feel like, lately, there's been a lull in my life. I feel like I should be doing more since I was chosen out of everyone else. There must be something more to my life than this. There must be more to being the Dragon Warrior than simply defeating Creek. Been there, done that."

Poppy giggled. "Branch, you are undermining your own achievements. You know, lots of warriors are known for doing great things that they did years, even decades, ago. You don't have to keep doing great things to earn the right to call yourself Dragon Warrior. Like I said, it's just a title. The real meaning comes from the troll behind the title." She kissed him gently. "I can say with complete honesty that the troll behind the Dragon Warrior is someone I love very much."

Branch smiled. "I love you, too." He scooted closer, holding Poppy against him. He let his worries settle, knowing they might pop up again later.

"If it helps, there's nothing wrong with mixing things up when life gets mundane." Poppy said as they journeyed home for dinner. "Make a change and see if that helps."

"I'll have to try that. Thanks." Branch held her hand. He did a small double-take when they passed a jewelry shop. His eyes lingered on the rings in the display window.

Fuzzbert and Biggie jumped at the shout and the crash, and Fuzzbert rushed back to the kitchen. He found Rosiepuff trying to clean up a mess of glass shards and lasagna on the floor in front of the oven. Fuzzbert quickly grabbed a broom and dustpan to help clean up.

He garbled something to Rosiepuff.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Rosiepuff assured. "I tried to take the lasagna out of the oven, and I guess I lost my grip."

Fuzzbert understood this well. He had been dealing with it for three years. He quickly and rather forcefully checked over Rosiepuff's hands.

"I didn't burn myself." Rosiepuff yanked her hand away. "I used potholders."

Fuzzbert garbled something else in an irritated tone.

"I would know because I would see it even if I can't feel it!" Rosiepuff snapped. "Just let me take care of this, I got it."

Fuzzbert shook his whole body the same way someone would shake their heads. He finished cleaning the mess, so Rosiepuff returned to the dessert she was plating. She took the plate to the customer in the restaurant, one of the few still remaining as closing time drew near.

"Are you all right, Miss Rosiepuff?" the customer asked after thanking her for the dessert.

"Yes, yes, it's fine." Rosiepuff assured, picking a piece of melted cheese off her hand from the spill. "Sorry for the delay."

"Not at all!" the customer assured. "Service may have slowed lately, but this is still some of the best food in Troll Valley. It's worth the wait."

Rosiepuff returned to the kitchen. Thankfully, there were no more accidents for the last two hours of business.

"We'll take care of cleaning and lock up!" Biggie offered. "You go to your appointment."

"Thank you, boys!" Rosiepuff hung up her apron and headed out the door. She briskly walked through the village and arrived at Dr. Plum's office and home. It was a common theme amongst business owners in Troll Valley: you live where you work. Rosiepuff knocked, and Dr. Plum welcomed her inside.

"How was the restaurant?" Dr. Plum asked, preparing an examination bed.

"Going well." Rosiepuff said. "Thanks for meeting me after closing."

"Oh, it's no problem." Dr. Plum said. "I do this with so many other business owners. It's just easier. Now let's talk. Any changes from last week?"

Rosiepuff sat on the edge of the bed and allowed Dr. Plum to run her quick checkup. "Better than last week. The tai chi and those bath things you gave me—"

"Bath bombs." Dr. Plum corrected.

"Right those. They've been helping. Not aching too much anymore. But things are still slow at the restaurant. I hired Moxie to help cook part-time, and she's really good. She says she wants to open a restaurant of her own someday. She could do it, you know. Absolutely."

"How many dishes did you break since last week?"

"Just the one lasagna pan. It wasn't even my good one. I think I got it at a yard sale."

"And how do your wrists and hands feel?"

"I can't feel anything in my hands, especially my palms and fingers. Fuzzbert keep checking for burns. My wrists are still the sorest when I cook, which is getting irritating. Maybe we can try something else? That physical therapy stuff we did last year?"

Dr. Plum finished her examination, scribbled a few notes, and pulled up a chair. "Actually, no. I think I've figured out definitively what's going on and what my advice to you should be."

Rosiepuff gave her a strange look. "I thought we established that I had arthritis."

"That's what I thought, too." Dr. Plum said. "But certain things about your situation made me think that there's something else at play. How you describe your pain and discomfort after prolonged cooking action does not completely line up with typical arthritis pains."

"Then what's wrong with me?" Rosiepuff asked.

"I did some research. For the past month, I've studied books and interviewed people and even did these sketches of your bones." Dr. Plum shuffled a few papers on her clipboard.

"My bones specifically?" Rosiepuff asked, surprised.

"Well, I couldn't exactly cut you open and see what's going on in there." Dr. Plum said with a joking smile. She turned serious again. "The research I've been doing pertains to your bending skills. Water-bending often has healing properties, correct?" She handed her sketches to her patient.

Rosiepuff looked confused. "Why do my bones look a little off-kilter?"

"Because that's what I felt while feeling the bones in your arms. They're not as straight as they should be, and I feel strange bumps in certain places." Dr. Plum explained. "I wrote to other water-benders in the country, who confirm that healing abilities usually limit to resetting the bones so they can be splinted. Some of the strongest benders can heal the bones entirely or almost entirely."

"You think I'm that strong?"

"Oh, don't be foolish, Rosiepuff. Even I know the legend of the Golden Rose Clan. That family created more than half of the advanced techniques benders use today. Your family is responsible for developing the sub-elements, essentially creating the art of bending lightning, metal, and blood. You're too humble."

"I'll work on being more prideful, then." Rosiepuff said sarcastically. "You certainly did your research. What does that have to do with me?"

"Remember when I examined you after returning home from Sunrise City? I wanted to know what level of trauma you experienced. From what I gather, this was an emotionally charged experience, but there's more to that." Dr. Plum pulled out a different paper. "During the evaluation, you said you got the burns on your hands because of a flaming cannonball shot at you?"

Rosiepuff glanced to her palms, still scarred in the same swirled design as the pattern on the cannonball. "Technically, it was shot at my grandson, and I caught it instead."

"You caught it?" Dr. Plum shook her head. "Never mind. During the fight, you were water-bending, and the water you had in your hands protected you from severe burns. That was good, barring the issues of not feeling anything. But I had wondered about the impact of the cannonball. You were hit with a heavy metal sphere blasted out of a cannon. That's going to leave some significant damage, not to mention the damage caused when you crashed into the building."

"But the worst injury I got from that was the burns on my hands."

"Was it? Nobody gets shot with a cannon and just walks away like it's not a problem."

"I wouldn't say I did that."

"Think back, Rosiepuff. Push past your mind's survival defenses against trauma and remember any other injuries you got or pain you felt."

Rosiepuff did think. It took a moment to really get the details clear. At first, she only remembered catching the cannonball in her hands, and then she blinked and she was stumbling out of a pile of plants and broken flowerpots. "I don't know. You're making it sound like I shouldn't have lived through that."

"Normal people would not have in that situation." Dr. Plum insisted. "We've established you're a strong bender. You even mentioned once that water-based elements react to you almost telepathically."

"I said that as a joke….." Rosiepuff paused. "Although, some of my older family members did have something similar happen to them."

Dr. Plum nodded, humming to herself. "Here is my theory: you were hit by the cannonball and sustained numerous injuries. I'd wager you broke the bones in your wrists and arms, probably fractured a few ribs, and certainly got a concussion and/or a cracked skull. Unconsciously, your mind sent a sort of distress signal, and the blood in your body healed most of your injuries similarly to how you would use water-bending to heal someone else. However, a cracked skull and fractured ribs don't compare well to the brutal breaks your arms experienced from getting the brunt of the impact."

Rosiepuff considered the doctor's words. "I know my family was powerful, but—"

"No 'buts' about it." Dr. Plum scolded. "There are more stories about your family than another other creature or mythical figure—"

"You know, I never liked having my family—myself included—compared to gods. No one in my family liked that." Rosiepuff snapped. "It caused us trouble, like when Titan attacked us."

"You can't stop people from having opinions about you and your family." Dr. Plum reasoned. "You also cannot deny this one truth: you are powerful. This power runs in your family and has for a very long time."

"I know." Rosiepuff sighed. "Okay, so my psychic water-bending healed me and kept me alive. So why are my arms and wrists in so much pain when I cook?"

"Because I think the healing process didn't work right." Dr. Plum said. "Your bones were not properly reset. That is why the fluid, oftentimes softer, movement of water-bending doesn't hurt or hurts less compared to the sharper, harsher motions of cooking in a popular restaurant. Has this sort of telekinetic healing happened before? Has it saved you in the past?"

Rosiepuff shrugged. "I don't know. But so what if it happened? We can fix my arms, right? You're a doctor."

"I'm not a miracle worker." Dr. Plum said. "We'd have to re-break your arms and meticulously reset the bones, allowing them to heal all over again. You wouldn't be able to use your arms for months, we'd have to redo physical therapy—"

"I don't care about how long it takes." Rosiepuff interrupted. She looked to Dr. Plum imploringly. "I want to know if it can be done."

Dr. Plum tapped her pencil on the clipboard, something she did when she was thinking of a delicate way to put something. "Rosiepuff, there's no way to do this. We cannot re-break your bones and risk them healing in such a way that makes you unable to use your arms for nearly anything. I cannot responsibly do that to a patient, especially one whose grandson I have been seeing for many years. This is the advice I have for you, and I have considered it carefully: I think it's time to retire from the restaurant business. Too much strain on your deformed bones will cause even more problems down the road. You say Moxie is a good chef? Perhaps she can take over. Under your guidance, of course."

Rosiepuff stared at the ground. "Is there nothing else I can do?"

"The cooking part of your life is causing these pain problems, and I don't see them getting better." Dr. Plum said straightforwardly. "However, your bending doesn't seem to affect you as much. You're training Master Poppy, yes? There's something you can do. I will say that I think you've earned your retirement." She noticed the dejected gaze in her patient's eyes. Dr. Plum patted Rosiepuff's shoulder comfortingly. "That's my final word on the matter. I want you to stop cooking for this week, and we'll meet up again at the usual time and day to see if that has helped."

Rosiepuff quietly agreed, thanked Dr. Plum, and slowly made her way home. Yes, she had hoped for some sort of miracle medicine to magically heal her aches. Yes, she realized that was a foolish thing to hope for. That still didn't make today's appointment any less disheartening. Arthritis would have been so much easier to deal with. Rosiepuff's thoughts buzzed: she'll have to ask Moxie if she'd like to work full-time, Fuzzbert and Biggie might worry about her, Branch and Symphony would definitely be concerned, and how on earth was she going to deal with this? How could she deal with being forced to give up her livelihood, what she had done for two decades for the sake of supporting her family? Of course, she still owned the restaurant, and making sure Moxie was paid wouldn't put a huge dent in the income Rosiepuff would receive.

Something else tickled at her psyche. Why could she not remember the injuries she received from the cannonball hitting her? Rosiepuff could clearly imagine the day she dropped a knife and it impaled her foot, or the time Branch broke his leg while hiking with his friends, or even that silly moment when Symphony tried to ice skate, slipped, and face-planted into a rock, causing her to knock out a tooth. But if Rosiepuff tried to remember the cannonball, it was like a split-second change between seeing herself on the ship and seeing herself stumbling, disoriented, from wreckage caused by her crash-landing. Why couldn't she remember crashing into a building? Come to think of it, she barely remembered when Artemis ambushed her and nearly killed her for, as he said, "wasting his time by not being the Dragon Warrior and leading him on a wild goose chase." He had attacked her, and she remembered a few hits, but then she only recalled pulling herself from the river and clumsily walking away. How exactly did she walk away from that with only a few cuts and a black eye?

Rosiepuff returned home, locked up the empty restaurant and dark house, and she drew herself a bath. She dropped in a sphere that felt like chalk but smelled like peppermint—one of Dr. Plum's homemade "bath bombs," as she called it—and watched it fizz and dissolve to create bubbles and a soothing smell. Rosiepuff eased herself into the water and sighed heavily. She untied her hair and combed it, controlling her inhales and exhales.

She then remembered something Peppy taught her. He once showed her meditation techniques, including a couple specific ones for calming the mind and aiding in memory recovery. That, combined with her water-bending healing, might unlock these memories she somehow blocked.

Rosiepuff couldn't quite sit in a lotus position like the warriors of the Troll Tree, but she could sit cross-legged comfortably in her round bathtub. She folded her hands the way Peppy showed her, and she shut her eyes. She breathed in through her nose, filling her lungs, and exhaled through her mouth, emptying her lungs completely. The peppermint aroma made her nose and throat tingle pleasantly. She felt the water from the tub crawl up her arms, chest, and shoulders, engulfing her in a bubble of water. At first, the water stayed away from her face so she could breathe. Then, after she inhaled, the water covered her mouth and nose.

It was quiet and peaceful in this bubble of water, and she could hold her breath for at least five minutes underwater. She gently let some air out in increments, allowing her to stay in this bubble of tranquility. Her eyes remained shut, keeping her in the darkness.

Then, images appeared in the blackness. Rosiepuff stood on one of the boats in Sunrise City, fighting Artemis's soldiers. She saw Artemis shooting a cannonball at Branch, but she shoved him aside. Instinct aided her movements and she caught the cannonball in her water-covered hands. Then she felt searing hot pain, like touching a hot pan on the stove, and she heard gut-wrenching cracks, and pain blazed in her wrists and arms. The weight of the cannonball hit her chest, and she went flying. She felt something hit her head, and spots danced in front of her eyes. Her back hit many hard and sharp things. Everything hurt: her back, her head, her hands, her arms, her chest, one of her knees. Then, in an instant, the pain was gone and replaced with numbness.

A new scene emerged. Artemis was coming at her with the Dragon Blade. She tried to use her water-bending, but he overpowered her with his own bending skills granted by the Nymph's Amulet. The Dragon Blade smacked into her shoulder blade, and she felt the hot gush of blood flowing from the open wound. She could feel every kick from his boots, every punch from his fists encased in metal gauntlets, every sharp, stinging pain of a blade slicing and stabbing into her. She could not move. Her mind screamed for her to escape but her body did not respond. When Artemis shoved Rosiepuff into the ocean to drown, she began to sink, and the saltwater caused her injuries to flare again in agony. She couldn't gasp without breathing in water.

Wait, there was another. A memory of Rosiepuff when she was Creek's prisoner. He allowed his thugs to hurt her. Again, she felt every strike from feet, hands, clubs, and knives. The pain she unintentionally blocked she now felt full force, only her body didn't have that adrenaline rush that saved her from the experience last time. This was torture. Brutal torture. She felt sick. She couldn't breathe. She was…..drowning…..

Rosiepuff's bubble of water popped and she coughed harshly. In her waterlogged vision, she could just make out that she had puked during her episode. She hauled herself from the tub and wrapped herself in a towel, coughing and spitting. After a few heaving breaths, she found a way to calm down, and she could finally register what happened.

She almost died. Twice, maybe three times, she came so close to death, and it was her unconscious bending abilities that saved her. She would have been killed if her water-bending did not save her. What if she did not have the power she did? What if she had actually died? It was a bit jarring to think about.

Rosiepuff noticed the water on the floor, and she returned it to the bathtub. Her family tended to live very long lives, provided they were not killed from battle or sickness. So far, the record in the Golden Rose Clan was Rosiepuff's great-great-grandmother, who lived to be one hundred-and-fifty-two before dying peacefully in her sleep. Did they live so long because of their powerful bending? Did having this seemingly mystical power make them stronger, and thus act as a sort of Fountain of Youth that kept them alive for as long as possible? No one really knew, even when many speculated. This longevity in the Golden Rose Clan was another reason some saw the family as spirits or deities…..or demons…..

"I am not a god. I am not a demon." Rosiepuff whispered, remembering the many, many times she said this same thing to admirers and bullies. "I am just me."