A/N: A very big thank you to my guest reviewer from the first chapter! I owe you for the basis of this chapter.

Still don't own Legend of Korra or Anastasia!

Anastasia wanted Demitri at her side, and tried to focus on him to use her bending, but it still wouldn't work. But as she felt Iroh's hand in hers, she began trying to channel her chi into him. He could feel her hot chi flowing into him, and after twenty minutes he withdrew his hand from hers.

"Iroh," she rasped as she blinked to full consciousness.

"Good morning, Anastasia," he smiled gently. "Come, I want to show you how to use your firebending to control lightning."

Her eyes widened, but she tottered after him wearily. She sat on the steps outside the palace as Iroh held up one and began to use his firebending.

"I thought you said lightning," she protested, and he nodded.

"I know, but I thought I'd get a little excess chi out of my system first," he said calmly looking over his shoulder to her. "I think that is what was wrong with you before."

"Oh. So, how's it done?"

"Well, beginners will have to learn how to redirect lightning before they can create it, but the principle is very much the same. You must concentrate, and channel the lightning from one hand into the other, but take it through the stomach while it goes through your body. If you go through your heart, you'll die, and we don't want that."

"But how do I create it?"

"That is far too advanced for you to learn how to do. You must be an expert at firebending first. Now, try to use your firebending."

Anastasia pictured her rescuer from the castle raid in danger and punched the air. Iroh simply stood and waited as no flames came out from her attempt, and she growled in frustration and began again. this time, she thought of her family in danger, and still nothing came out.

"Why won't this work?!" she screamed angrily, and the flames erupted around them.

She jumped in shock and fear at the flames, her mind being brought back to the castle raid. Iroh laughed at her reaction to her own bending, and stepped towards her.

"I think we should start a little more basic for you. Controlling candle fires would work well," he said with a fond smile. "It was how I learned how to begin manipulating fire."

"Fine," Anastasia grumbled angrily.

Iroh led her into his room where he usually meditated in front of four or five candles. She stared at the flames and pictured them out. To Iroh's understanding, nothing happened, since he'd willed them to get just a tiny bit bigger in anticipation that she would try to put them out.

She sat in front of the candles and stared at them, her mind back in the past. But as Iroh sat down next to her, she shot him a glare that meant that she wanted to be alone. He shook his head and simply sat down and began meditating.

He could feel the fear rolling off of his companion in waves, a fact that was only making the fires inch ever so slightly higher. Finally, as hers began to keep growing, Iroh began to focus on dimming hers instead of slightly growing his.

"Why does my element have to be fire?" she asked after a few hours.

"It is what element Avatar Aang thought suited you best. Why are you afraid of fire?"

"I-Rasputin. He destroyed my family's castle's chandelier one night during family celebrations while I was sitting in my grandmamma's lap. Less than two weeks later, our castle was raided and set on fire as we were forced to flee. When I was traveling to find my grandmamma, the train's engine was set on fire and the fire got out of control."

"I think I know the root of our problem. Rasputin. If we can get you over your fear of him, we might be able to get rid of your fear of all of the elements in time. but first things first, we'll start out with the basics of exposure to fire. I find that whenever my soldiers become afraid of something, exposure to their fears is the best thing that we can do."

"But that makes no sense. Why use exposure? Does it have to be exposure?"

"Exposure without the danger desensitizes the mind from its fear, and helps one see why their fear is or isn't irrational. Simply put, this is the method that we use to cure benders of the fear of their own element for bending."

"Oh. But why?"

"Because this helps them realize that their element isn't just used to attack them, but that they can also use it to defend themselves. You'll see what I mean when we're through. Now, what's the worst thing that you fear about fire?"

"The memories," she said like it was obvious. "I'm afraid a chandelier is going to explode near me, or some other thing that Rasputin did to me."

"Then we'll start there."

..

(At the air temple)

..

"Now, to begin airbending, you must have complete concentration," Tenzin began instructing the Romanov family. "We'll start with meditation every day."

"What about that leaf exercise?" Alexei asked, and Tenzin looked at him calmly.

"I didn't think you'd remember that. but that will come after a while. First things first: beginning to teach you how to use airbending."

"But what about Anastasia, Olga, and papa?" Tatiana asked worriedly.

"Anastasia won't be learning airbending. She'll be living with her tutor until she comes to master her element. As for your sister and father – that's up to them on how fast they'll learn."

"So basically they'll be learning later while we get a head start?" Maria asked, and Tenzin nodded. "Oh, Olga will be so unhappy that we started learning before her!"

"Who cares? She snoozes, she loses," Korra shrugged as she walked over to where they were training with Mako at her side. "If she wants to cause havoc with her airbending, then she'll have another thing coming. Avatar Roku has a descendant who's training someone to take down a rogue bender."

"Would this descendant and their student have names?" Mako asked, and Korra smiled at him.

"You'll see," she promised.

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