A/N: Okay, so Delta Dawn's niece is Clampers! Thanks, that is helpful. :D

Chapter Twelve – Secrets of the Secret Village

Joy noticed Poppy's great work with Apollo. A few days later, she invited her younger doppelgänger to learn some water-bending techniques. Poppy jumped at the opportunity. The two trolls practiced water-bending all morning, and Apollo cheered them on. Then, the three of them had lunch together.

"You are an exceptional bender, Poppy." Joy said. "I'm very impressed." She noticed Apollo seeming to shake his head. "What are you doing?"

"I just cannot believe it!" Apollo laughed, looking back and forth between his mother and his new friend. "You two could be twins!"

"Rare as it may be, it is possible for two trolls to have very similar colors even if they are not related." Joy analyzed Poppy for a moment. "Then again….."

"What?" Poppy asked with a bit of a hopeful tone.

Joy shook her head. "Nothing. Never mind."

"No, please." Poppy insisted. "Tell me. What's up?"

"Well, you see, I have amnesia." Joy explained. "These scars I have are from a fire I was caught in before Apollo was born. Artemis pulled me out and saved my life, but I lost all my memories from before the fire. Despite my best efforts, I can't recover any memories. Nothing from my childhood, my parents, not even how Artemis and I became friends in the first place."

"But I remember you saying you remembered Rosiepuff." Poppy pointed out.

"Fine, I remembered two things." Joy corrected. "I remembered very clearly Rosiepuff's face, smiling at me and talking to me like an old friend. I did not remember her name before she returned. The other thing I remember is dancing with a troll. I thought it was Artemis, but…"

"You said his colors weren't right." Apollo reminded her.

"Yes." Joy sighed. "But I could never conjure a face. I only ever remembered how it felt to have him hold me. I can't explain it. The sensation was so different compared to Artemis."

"Different how?" Poppy pressed.

Apollo scooted closer to his mother when he saw her getting more upset. "Mother, it's okay."

"No, it's not!" Joy took a few calming breaths. "I wish I could remember who I was. I don't regret the choices I made, and I'm so happy with my life as it is now. But something feels like it's missing."

"It's okay." Poppy also moved closer. She and Apollo hugged Joy, the three of them sitting in silent comfort. Poppy felt disappointment once again. How can I bring her memories back if she has been trying without success?

"The strongest water-bending involves movements as fluid as your element." Rosiepuff instructed to the trio of trolls before her. "You must be adaptable and able to change quickly in battle. Let me show you. Come up here and help me, Marimba."

"I'm Tambora. She's Marimba." The green troll said.

"Right, sorry. And you are….." Rosiepuff stared at the blue male of the trio. "Tracy?"

"Tresillo." The male corrected. "But Tracy is fine, oh great master of the elements."

Rosiepuff rolled her eyes and laughed. "No, no, I must use the name you're comfortable with. And stop calling me 'oh great master.' My students at the Troll Tree called me sifu, and that's about as formal as I'll allow. Tambora, come on up and show me what you got."

Tambora hopped forward and performed a few techniques. "How was that? I'm also really good with snow."

"That's perfect! Show me something you can do with snow." Rosiepuff insisted. Tambora pulled snow from the nearby hills, and she made a perfect snow sculpture depicting herself and her friends. "Wonderful! The other elements don't take on different forms like water does. Bending sand is much different than bending earth, but bending ice and snow is exactly like bending water."

"This is awesome!" Marimba squealed excitedly. "Thank you so much for training us."

"We promise to use these lessons well." Tresillo said. "If that demon guy comes for you, we'll be ready."

"What demon guy?" Rosiepuff asked.

Marimba whapped Tresillo upside the head. "We weren't supposed to mention anything to her."

"Mention what?" Rosiepuff demanded.

"Word spreads quickly around our little village." Tambora explained. "I don't know who started the rumor, but most everyone knows that someone is hunting you, and that's why Kai brought you here. I don't think that guy will find you."

"I think it's possible, if he's a spirit." Marimba said.

"I am neutral on the matter." Tresillo shrugged. "But we all agree that we're ready to stand with and defend you if that jerk comes for you."

"That is very kind, but I do not want you to do anything reckless." Rosiepuff said. "I'm also not sure if I should tell you, because I don't want you to worry, but let me clarify something: a spirit is indeed hunting me. But Kai helped us get here with special sutras or whatever to keep the spirit off our trail."

"Then you'll be fine." Marimba assured. "We'll be there to help, too."

"I accept your help." Rosiepuff made sure they paid attention. "However, I do not want you to put my safety above your own. Understood?"

The trio exchanged looks, and simultaneously sighed in resignation. "Yes, ma'am."

Rosiepuff grinned. "Thank you. Now back to work! I'll teach you to ride waves you make for yourself."

Symphony groaned and whined loudly. "Branch! This is the tenth time we've searched this place!"

"Well, search again!" Branch insisted. "I know my grandpa said he didn't find The Cleaver—"

"Quincy, Essence, and Darnell even said they can't find it, and they've been searching for a week." Symphony added. "We should find a new method for fighting Titan."

"Fine." Branch sighed. "I just wish the dagger had been here."

"I know. But we'll find something." Symphony began searching the shelves. She, too, wished they had a simple or easy solution to their problem. Then again, she hoped to never see Titan again, even when she knew it was likely he would return and find them. Symphony didn't know whether she should run and hide when he arrived or stand and fight, which would risk her being possessed.

Symphony found a book on battling malevolent spirits, and she carried the book to a nearby table to flip through it. She found exorcisms, charms to keep demons away, materials that harm demons, and other things they already knew.

Except for one thing.

"'Ghosts must be wary when they possess a living creature.'" Symphony read the paragraph to herself. "'Though they will have access to the powers of the possessed, the ghost must not allow themselves to be harmed. The spirit can be greatly weakened if the body they possess is damaged or destroyed. If the spirit's host is killed, the spirit will lose much of whatever power they gained from being in the Mortal Realm.'"

"Hey Symphony!" Branch called from elsewhere in the library. "I can't quite reach this stuff on the top shelves. Want to lend a hand?"

"Coming!" Symphony shut her book and flew to her friend.

Unfortunately for Branch, he and Symphony didn't find anything helpful. Symphony wandered off to find Rosiepuff while Branch took a walk to clear his head. He ended up on the shore of the frozen lake behind the village, where he found two familiar faces.

"Hey Branch!" Poppy called him over. "We could use your help!"

Branch was happy for a break and to feel useful, so he joined Poppy and Eclipse on the snow-covered beach. "What's up?"

"Well, I'm showing Poppy how to combine her bending styles." Eclipse explained. "Poppy, tell Branch what I've already taught you."

Poppy nodded. "The ability bend two elements means I have twice as much to learn. But that also means I have the capacity to do more with my bending. Part of that is combining my elements so they work together."

"With my elements, fire and air, it's much easier." Eclipse explained further. "Fire and water, being opposites, requires a bit of creativity. However, if Poppy ever learns to bend lightning, she could combine that with water. That would be very badass."

"Sounds awesome." Branch said. "Nice work, Poppy. But what do you need me for?"

"She did mention you two were a couple, and I wanted to see how cute you look together." Eclipse teased.

Poppy blushed a little. "Actually, we wanted you to show us how you bend lightning. If you can explain how it feels, maybe I can learn it quicker."

Branch stepped back, and he focused his energy. He summoned lightning and shot it skyward. "It's really exhilarating. Lightning is so much power and wilder than fire. That means it also takes up a lot of energy. Summoning it isn't much different than summoning fire. It just requires more concentration."

"I'll work on that." Poppy said.

"After we try one more exercise." Eclipse led the pair back up towards the village. She stopped a quintet of colorful trolls wearing matching leotards and identically styled hair. Each of the five females had their own color: blue, pink, yellow, green, and purple. "Poppy, Branch, these are the Element Sisters: Wani, Baby Bun, Gomdori, Ari, and Kim-Petit. Girls, you know Branch, yes?"

"We heard about him." Ari said. "He's cuter in person." Her sisters giggled, and Branch blushed.

"Well, I'm afraid he's taken." Eclipse said. "This is Poppy, the double-bender I've been training. I want her to spar with you."

"We'd be happy to!" Gomdori said.

"Element Sisters! Circle up!" Wani ordered. The quintet made a ring with Eclipse, Poppy, and Branch in the center.

"Uh, what's happening?" Poppy asked.

"The sisters are going to test you." Eclipse said. "Rosiepuff says she's been teaching you the techniques of all the elements. Now is the time to prove it. Each sister will attack you with their own fighting style and element, and you must respond accordingly."

"Okay. Got it." Poppy nodded.

"You got this, Poppy!" Branch cheered as he and Eclipse stepped outside the circle.

Eclipse raised a hand, and the Element Sisters prepared themselves. Poppy took her stance, calm and collected. Eclipse lowered her hand in a swift motion, and Baby Bun made the first move. She made a small twister that knocked Poppy off her feet. She rolled back to her stance and shot a fireball at Baby Bun, who made a swirling air shield that deflected the blast. Gomdori lunged forward and shot fire from her foot, and Poppy ducked under the kick and pushed Gomdori's foot upwards. Gomdori did a backflip and blew fire from her mouth. Poppy made a bubble of water around herself to stop it. Ari took Poppy's bubble and froze Poppy's feet to the ground. Wani darted for Poppy, drawing a sword from the scabbard slung over her back. Poppy still had her own sword, and she parried Wani's strikes. She took the ice around her feet and made a small wave that pushed Wani away. Finally came Kim-Petit, who jumped and stomped both feet on the ground. This caused the ground to throw Poppy up into the air, but she did a few flips and landed on her feet again.

"Wow!" Branch breathed as the spar continued. "Incredible!"

"Those sisters are something else." Eclipse said. "You should see them when they work together in spars. They would obliterate any enemy in a real fight."

"Which element does the blue one have?" Branch asked. "Wani? Why is she relying on her sword?"

"The sword is her element, in a way." Eclipse said. "Wani can't bend anything."

"Really?" Branch watched Wani's elegant sword movements. "I'm surprised. A village of benders but there's one who isn't a bender?"

"She's the only one in our village who can't bend an element." Eclipse said. "Don't bring it up. It's a bit of a sore spot, even though she's proud of her swordsmanship. Even more impressive is her sisters follow her lead, despite not having an element."

"How do folks around here find their elements?" Branch asked.

"We help each other. There's a rigorous training process that unlocks your elemental abilities." Eclipse explained. "That's part of my job in the village. I help our people unlock their powers. But I've never been able to unlock Wani's element. No one wants to believe it, but I think she just doesn't have the ability to bend the elements."

"Why not? What's stopping her?"

"Who knows?"

"Did the sisters' parents bend the elements?"

"Yes, of course. But they were killed in the raid on Lotus Lagoon. The Sisters were only infants. It's a miracle we managed to save all five of them."

"How do you end up with a village of only benders, anyway?"

Eclipse laughed lightly. "Aren't you full of questions?"

"I'm just saying that bending is already rare, and only the greatest masters or students of the Golden Rose Clan could do it." Branch said. "Grandma wasn't doing any teaching when you guys were all in Lotus Lagoon. So how did the entire village end up with a population of element-benders? What would happen if there was another Wani? What if someone wanted to move into the village but they couldn't bend an element?"

Eclipse sighed. "Branch, your grandfather wouldn't want me to tell you this, but you couldn't be a member of the Lotus Lagoon community unless you could prove you bended an element. When your parents decided to run away from Troll Valley, Kai came up with a plan to help your grandmother heal from Titan's attack. Kai and his Merry Men found a strange temple dedicated to the elements, and Lotus Lagoon was established there. Kai was unanimously named chief of the village, and he sent word out to kung fu schools and masters around the country. He informed them that Lotus Lagoon was to be a safe haven for those who could bend earth, water, fire, and air, and he welcomed benders to settle there. I suppose Kai believed that being surrounded by benders would help Rosiepuff move on and open her up to the possibility of bending again herself. But if you could not bend an element, you were not allowed to live in Lotus Lagoon."

Branch stared at her. "But what if someone was born in Lotus Lagoon and they couldn't bend an element? Even after they go through the rigorous training to unlock the element?"

"If someone went through the training but could not unlock their ability by the time they were eighteen, they would be expelled from the village." Eclipse said. "Most of them went to live in Sunrise City. Mind you, I heard about this secondhand from one of the Merry Men the first time I came to visit Kai in the village. The same day I visited, Artemis attacked. I have something of a talent for bringing out the inner power of a warrior. I decided to use that for good, and that's why I am here."

Branch needed another moment to wrap his mind around the concept. When Poppy finished her spar with the Element Sisters, he still couldn't believe it. Poppy agreed to hang out with the Element Sisters again and share sword techniques with Wani, and she thanked Eclipse for her teachings.

Poppy walked up to Branch and saw the way his eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. "What's up?"

Branch summarized what Eclipse told him. "I just can't believe it. That just doesn't sound like Grandad to be prejudiced, especially to the point where he would cast out someone who didn't fit in."

Poppy hummed thoughtfully. "That reminds me of something Apollo told me the other day. He wants to travel outside the village someday, find friends of Artemis to get to know his dad better. But every time he asks Kai or even requests the chance to prove himself, he's shot down. From the sound of it, Kai forbids anyone from leaving the boundaries of the village. The scouts themselves can only go so far to check for intruders."

"He wants to keep everyone safe, I suppose." Branch shrugged.

"But there's a difference between being safe and being afraid." Poppy said. "Based on Apollo's description, it sounds like Kai is so afraid of the discrimination in the outside world that he's very strict about his people staying within these borders. I know this place looks like an oasis, a refuge for people with exceptional abilities. But the more I look around, the more I talk with the trolls here, the more this place starts to feel like…."

"A prison." Branch finished.

Poppy stared at the horizon. "Branch, Titan is still out there. He's going to come back. Maybe it would be best if we confronted him as opposed to waiting for him to find your grandmother. If we find the answers we need here, will Kai let us leave to face Titan?"

"What do you mean, let us leave?" Branch asked, fearful of the true meaning of their revelation. "We can leave whenever we want as long as we tell Grandad where we're going."

"Are you certain of that?" Poppy asked.

Branch suddenly remembered something that happened to him yesterday. He volunteered to help Eclipse with some scouting. But Eclipse never let him stray too far from her. In fact, she always stayed within arm's reach of him for the entirety of the scouting run.

"No." Branch finally said. "I guess I'm not so certain anymore."

When Kai heard of Poppy's lack of progress on recovering Joy's memories, he decided to invite Joy and Apollo to his home for dinner with his family. Joy jumped at the opportunity and arrived promptly with her son.

"In all the excitement of you being back, I forgot about my desire to talk with you!" Joy laughed as she took a seat next to Rosiepuff. "You're the closest thing I have to my old memories."

"I would be happy to answer any questions you might have." Rosiepuff said.

"May I sit next to you, Poppy?" Apollo requested.

"Of course." Poppy nodded. She sat on the other side of Joy so she could hear the conversation between Joy and Rosiepuff.

"Where did we meet?" Joy asked Rosiepuff.

"We met in Troll Valley." Rosiepuff said. "Actually, my son challenged you to a duel to impress a girl, and you easily beat him."

"What did you think of me?"

"When I saw you flip my son over your shoulder, I thought, 'Now that's a girl I want to be friends with.'"

"Oh, good. Did we spend a lot of time together?"

"Yes, we did. You, my daughter-in-law, and I had plenty of girls' nights and lots of fun times together."

"So, we got to know each other well?"

"Very well. Why?"

Joy took a breath. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to bombarde you with questions."

"Not at all!" Rosiepuff said. "I want you to feel comfortable asking me questions. I can't give you all the answers about your past, but I want to help as much as I can."

"But I remember so little." Joy sighed.

"If you lived in Troll Valley, maybe you knew some of Poppy's family." Apollo suggested. "Poppy? Did your parents ever mention my mother?"

Poppy stared at Joy. In an instant, she snapped the chopsticks in her hand. She dropped the broken pieces in her shock. Everyone stared at her. "I…I'm sorry…..I don't….excuse me!" Poppy stood and practically ran out the door.

"I'll handle this." Rosiepuff reassured everyone and followed Poppy outside. She found the pink troll on the verge of hyperventilating.

Poppy spun around when she heard footsteps, and she struggled to control her breathing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that I'm just…."

"Poppy, let it out." Rosiepuff said calmly.

Poppy burst into tears, and she accepted Rosiepuff's hug. "How can she not remember me?! That is my mother! That is the woman who raised me and loved me and never let me give up on myself! A decade of time spent as my mom, and she doesn't even know who I am? What am I doing wrong?"

"Nothing, Poppy." Rosiepuff insisted. "This is something that happened outside our control."

Poppy hiccupped, wiping away her tears almost as fast as they fell down her cheeks. "Dad and I finally got over mourning for her, and now I have to find out she's been alive all this time? We lost so much time with her. I know it happened because of someone else's actions, but I'm just so angry and upset regardless! I want my mother!"

"I know. I know." Rosiepuff gave her a squeeze. "It's okay." She heard footsteps, and she turned her head. "Apollo? What are you doing out here?"

Poppy looked up and saw Apollo cautiously stepping closer. She rubbed her eyes harder to get rid of her tears. "I'm sorry, Apollo. That outburst was uncalled for."

"No, I should apologize." Apollo said. "I didn't mean to make you upset."

"You didn't." Poppy inhaled deeply and then slowly let it out. "I'm fine. I'm just going through something."

Apollo glanced to the door. "Did you say something about your mother?"

Poppy shared a look with Rosiepuff. "Apollo, does your mother really not remember anything before the accident?" Rosiepuff asked.

"I've tried everything to get her to remember. I know she doesn't remember anything because she is so sad whenever we talk about it." Apollo said. "I wish I knew a way to help her."

Rosiepuff hummed in thought. "There might be something I can do. I was afraid of how it would affect her, but maybe it's for the best."

"Really?" Apollo and Poppy asked simultaneously.

Rosiepuff guided them inside. Branch, Kai, Symphony, and Joy waited for them in the front room, looking concerned. "We're fine, and I've made a decision." Rosiepuff looked to Joy. "I think I know a way to unlock your memories."

"You can?" Joy asked hopefully.

"It's an older technique, kind of like water-bender healing." Rosiepuff explained. "If you can remember me and one other person, then the rest of your memories can be released. It might be painful, especially with so much at once."

"I don't care!" Joy hugged Rosiepuff. "Whatever you can do to help, do it. I need to know who I was before the fire, before Artemis. If there's even a small chance that I did something wrong in the past, I may need to atone for it."

"I doubt you did anything bad." Apollo said. "Let's do it!"

Rosiepuff told Kai to grab some herbal incense and asked Branch to bring a bowl of water to the den. Joy sat on the sofa and leaned back against the cushions. Everyone stood a short distance away, close enough to watch yet far enough to give Rosiepuff space to work.

Rosiepuff lit some incense and pulled water from the bowl. "The incense should help keep you calm. This might be a bit rough, but don't fight the flood of memories. Let them flow, even if they hurt."

"I'm ready." Joy exhaled to relax. "I want to remember everything."

"How does this work?" Branch piped up.

"It's an old technique Grandpa Thorn taught me." Rosiepuff said. She divided the water equally between her two hands, and the water became bubbles that rested on her palms. "It's a healing technique, similar to therapy. It should break the dam keeping all these memories at bay."

Joy shut her eyes. Rosiepuff placed the water at Joy's temples. A moment later, the water glowed. Joy's breathing started out even. Then, she breathed quicker. Her eyes flew open and she wheezed from breathing too fast.

"Do not fight them, Joy." Rosiepuff soothed. "Feel your emotions. You're experiencing all these things again. Let it happen."

Joy clawed at the sofa and whimpered a little. Apollo grasped Poppy's hand worriedly. He looked apologetic, but Poppy patted his hand and kept holding onto it. A few agonizing minutes later, Joy shut her eyes and breathed in meditation. After a minute, she opened her eyes and stood up. She looked to Rosiepuff. Then she turned and her gaze lingered on Poppy. Tears welled up in her eyes. She walked to Poppy and reached towards her with a shaking hand. Joy cupped Poppy's cheek in her palm.

"Look how big you've gotten….." Joy whispered.

Poppy didn't stop her tears this time. She hugged her mother as tight as she could. Joy trembled, petting Poppy's hair. "What do you remember?" Poppy asked, her face buried in Joy's shoulder.

"Everything." Joy said. "I remember living in Sunrise City as a child, moving to Troll Valley to continue my training, the day you were born, I remember all of it." Joy pulled back from the hug, and she looked to her son. "Apollo, I'd like you to meet your big sister."

Apollo's jaw dropped, and he then smiled. "My big sister is Master Poppy of the Troll Tree? A double-bender and one of the greatest warriors in the land? That's so cool!" He joined in the group hug.

"I'm glad you are taking this well." Poppy said.

"Hey, I already liked you." Apollo said. "Knowing you're my sister just makes it better. Who cares if we didn't have the same father?" He looked to Joy. "We don't have the same father, do we?"

"No, Poppy's father is….." Joy's smile dropped. She stepped back and ran her fingers through her hair. "Oh dear gods. Poppy, your father. He's going to freak when he finds out!"

"Mom, relax." Poppy giggled. "It's so nice to call you that again."

Joy wrung her hair in her hands. "But when your father hears what happened, when he finds out I've been alive all this time—"

"He will be overjoyed." Apollo said. "I bet he and I will like each other, too!"

Poppy realized why Joy was freaking out. Peppy hated Artemis. He hated very few people, but he did hate Artemis. Peppy's wife was taken by Artemis, and he tricked her into marrying him and bearing his child. To say the least, Peppy would not be pleased.

"One step at a time." Poppy said. "I'm here for you, Mom."

"Me, too!" Apollo hugged her. "Plus, I got a sister out of this deal, so bonus for me!"

Joy laughed. "Okay. Yes, we have so much to talk about. I want to hear about everything you've done." She hugged both of her children. "We'll be okay."