Fire & Rain: Book 2 (slow updates)

Mother

Y/N's POV
Katia sat at the dining room table as I prepared something for her in the kitchen, waiting for my parents to get home.

I didn't know whether to call General Zorian and Azira my parents anymore... to refer to them by their names would be disrespectful, they did raise me after all- but perhaps it would be disrespectful to Katia if I was to continue calling them "mother" and "father" since that luxury was ripped from her shortly after she gave birth to me.

I shook my head.

There's so much more to be worried about right now.

Mother clearly isn't going to be happy about meeting Katia- especially after the way we left things between us.

I brought her out some fresh fruits, "here you are, freshly picked yesterday."

She smiled gratefully as I sat down opposite her, "Whenever you feel more comfortable, there's so much I want to know about you... about my father... the Water Tribe..."

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"Everything."

She smiled before telling me everything, about how she had to flee the Southern Water Tribe when she was just a small child, growing up on a little icy island where they formed their own community, falling in love with my father, and the tragic end to their happy lives when she was taken by the Fire Nation.

I sat staring at her in awe of everything she had just told me.

"Wow, that's incredible! Do you think the community still stands? If it does, can I accompany you there sometime?"

There was this pained, yet content smile on her face every time I asked her a question.

"I'd want nothing more, Y/N."

There was a few moments of awkward silence between us before Katia finally asked, "are you happy?"

I shifted my gaze back to her, "huh?"

"Being a soldier, I mean. Is it something you enjoy? Or was it something that was forced upon you?"

"I definitely enjoy it, I was raised to be an exceptional fighter. I work with weapons, with bending and with hand-to-hand combat- it's a great stress reliever! Are you any good at fighting?"

She darted her eyes away from mine and muttered, "I guess you could say that..."

—

After keeping up with awkward small talk for an hour or so, I heard the door finally unlock.

Thank the spirits.

Katia might have been my birth mother, but she was still an absolute stranger and I had no idea what I was supposed to say to her.

I rushed to the door to quickly explain to my parents that Katia was in our house, trying to avoid an unexpected encounter that would only cause things to become more uncomfortable.

"Mother, fathe-" but before me was only my mother, "oh, hello, mother. Where's father?"

She exhaled sharply, "he's staying late at work."

She tried to shove past me but I grabbed her arm and pulled her back, earning a terrifying glare.

"Pardon my rudeness, mother, but I believe there is something you'd want to know before you head in that uh- that general direction."

"Spit it out, then."

I took a deep breath, "my, uh- my birth mother is in there... I picked her up from the prison tower she was being held in and she insisted on meeting with you and father, so I brought her back here."

She froze temporarily, pursing her lips together, not seeming angry at all; she actually looked more anxious than anything.

Without saying another word to me, she made her way straight to where Katia was sat awkwardly fiddling with her fingers. The moment my mother walked in, though, she stopped fiddling with her fingers and stood up, "you must be Azira! It's an honour to meet you, I'm Katia, Y/N's-"

"I know who you are."

My mother took the seat I was sitting in and Katia slowly sat back down in her seat.

The tension in the room was so thick I could've cut it with a knife.

"Hey, well, I'm going to make some tea! You two like tea, don't you? I'm great at jasmine, learned from General Iroh himself! Yep... I'm gonna-"

I quickly slipped away into the kitchen to prepare some tea as slowly as I possibly could, trying to stay away from the scene that was probably unfolding in the dining room.

Azira's POV
I didn't speak a word to Katia until Y/N reappeared, placing a cup of tea in front of the both of us.

I cleared my throat, "Y/N, please go up to your bedroom, I want to have a few moments to speak with Katia, privately."

She quickly nodded, muttering, "yes, mother." before scurrying off to her room.

"Azira, before you say anything, please understand, I have no intention of damaging the relationship you have with Y/N, I don't-"

I held up my hand, silencing her.

"Please, wait. You have the wrong idea... I want you to have the opportunity to get to know Y/N and grow to love her the way we do, I know that she needs that."

Katia's eyes were locked onto mine, she was listening to me intently.

"You're a water bender, correct?"

"I am."

I couldn't deny that I was jealous, that was something that I couldn't provide for Y/N, not that I had even known she would need it.

"Listen, Katia, I know that Y/N's your daughter... I know that better than anybody. I tried my best, I really did, I tried to make her physically and mentally strong, I made sure that she was cared for and provided for... I did everything that I could to be a mother to her..."

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"But at the end of the day, even though I will always see her as my daughter, she isn't mine, I didn't give birth to her... you did. And, perhaps there are things that the two of you will share that her and I never will."

"Azira-"

"I can't have children of my own, Y/N was my one chance to be a mother... and I had that. I got to see her grow up, something that was stolen from you and- I'm just, I'm so sorry... because she's wonderful, she's strong and independent and you're going to love her so much-"

—

Y/N's POV
I was back in the dining room with mother and Katia, who seemed to be getting on rather well after their private discussion.

Father arrived home later into the evening, "I'm sorry that I'm late, there are some things I needed to- oh, we have a guest?"

I quickly stood up from where I was sat, "Father, this is my birth-mother, her name is Katia. Katia, this is my father, General Zorian."

Katia offered him a grateful smile, "its lovely to meet you, General."

He shook his head, "you can just call me Zorian; it's a pleasure- and I apologise for interrupting this meeting but Y/N, Azira, an incident occurred at the palace this evening, which is why I was so late home."

He immediately had all of our attention as we waited for him to continue.

"There was an attempt on the Fire Lord's life."