Work Text:
I.
Growing up, Lu Ten’s favorite game always involved playing soldiers. He took to weaponry as easily as his sisters took to learning to bend. His heart and face always warmed whenever Uncle Sokka called him the bravest warrior the world had ever seen.
When his father first told him that he was named after a very brave soldier, Lu Ten held his chest out in pride for the rest of the day. His name was a badge of honor that he carried with him, day by day.
It was when Grandpa’s visits to the palace and Lu Ten’s visits to The Jasmine Dragon were more frequent that he learned more about his namesake. The first time was when Grandpa was visiting for Lu Ten’s tenth birthday.
It was no surprise that the celebration would be enormous, they always are. Dad always initially complained about how chaotic everything became once the rest of their family would arrive, but he still smiled at their antics. While Auntie Toph was busy shifting the buffet tables and spilling the messiest foods on the rudest nobles, Lu Ten made his escape for the gardens.
It was an unspoken agreement with his family that the gardens were the best place to be. Lu Ten loved the pond the most. He could spend all day just watching Mom bend several ribbons of water around her and feed the turtleducks with Dad and his sisters. For now, though, Lu Ten was alone.
"My, you're growing up much too fast for this old soul's liking." Or so he thought.
Lu Ten turned and threw his arms up and around his grandfather. "Grandpa, you're here!"
"Well, of course! What kind of grandfather would I be to miss my favorite grandson's birthday?" Grandpa laughed, his wrinkled hand rubbing circles into Lu Ten's back.
"Grandpa, I'm your only grandson!"
"Ah, but in a blink of an eye, you'll become a man, and then what am I supposed to do? Let me treasure you now so I may look back on these moments with nothing but joy," Grandpa said, his eyes cloudy and moist with tears that refuse to fall. "Now, let me make you some celebratory tea. Would you care for some jasmine?"
"That'd be perfect, Grandpa."
Lu Ten enjoyed watching Grandpa's tea-making process. He was so methodical and patient, never letting the water boil, and his tea always came out soothing and delicious. He always explained each step in-depth to Lu Ten so he could learn. So far, the tea leaves would only end up slightly burned.
Grandpa held out a cup to Lu Ten and drank from his own. “Ah, nothing can soothe the soul more than having tea with a loved one.” Aged eyes stared at the sky, painted a rosy gold as the sun began to set. “This reminds me of when my oldest would join me after mediation. We would just sit and talk about our day over tea. How I miss those moments.” Lu Ten raised an eyebrow.
“Oldest?” Grandpa stared at himself, his mouth falling slightly open as if surprised by what he had said.
“Ah, I suppose we never did tell you who the brave man you are named after was. Lu Ten, well… he was my son,” Grandpa said, his voice becoming husky. He coughed to clear up his throat. “He’s long since passed, of course. That’s why you’ve never met him.”
It felt like the tea was coating Lu Ten’s throat but it wasn’t enjoyable like it usually was. He set his cup down. “Do you miss him?” Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to ask, but his curiosity got the better of him.
“The wound in my heart has healed. But I never go a day without feeling its ache,” Grandpa whispered. Lu Ten rested his head on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around him. He decided it was better not to point out the wetness dripping on his hair.
The second time was mostly by accident. Lu Ten was a little older then, about thirteen, when he found a yellowed portrait of a young man in an intricate frame while sneaking into his parents’ room for a reason he would later forget about. His hair was pulled into a traditional topknot and he had sideburns. His face was stoic but it didn’t tract from the fact that he was handsome.
Lu Ten was just confused as to why there was a picture of some random guy tucked away in his parents’ bedroom.
“Lu Ten, what are you doing?”
He would never admit to it, but Lu Ten nearly jumped out of his skin when his father’s voice spoke up from behind him. Before he could attempt to return the portrait to its original place, his father’s eyes softened, sadness masking his face. “Oh. You found that, huh.” His father sighed, moving to sit on the bed as if he could no longer support his own body.
“What… Dad, who’s this?” Lu Ten stared at the portrait, squinting to read the faded characters in the upper left corner. Something about “victory”?
“That is Grandpa’s son.” Dad paused, his jaw opening and closing like he was chewing on sticky candy. “Your namesake.”
Well. Curiosity always did kill the cat-owl.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Lu Ten stammered as he rushed to put the portrait back. He fidgeted with the angle so he wouldn’t have to face his father when he asked, “Grandpa told me a little about him. Do you remember what he was like?”
Dad huffed through his nose, his way of showing that he wanted to laugh but was too tired to actually do it. “Well, we were cousins but he was about as much of a brother to me as Uncle is a father. He loved to show off the silly firebending tricks he learned to me. He even introduced me to the art of weaponry when I was younger.”
“He wasn’t a nonbender?” Lu Ten was sort of disappointed. It would have been cool had his namesake been a nonbender as well.
“No, but he was still very proficient in swordsmanship. You’re actually pretty close to being the same skill level that he was at your age,” Dad said. His hand rested on Lu Ten’s shoulder and he figured it was best to just leave the picture be. He sat next to his father and stared up at him.
“Do you think he would have liked me?” he asked. He had no idea why he did, though. Lu Ten didn’t particularly care about what people thought about him, so the words that he blurted out confused him. Dad only smiled, his left eye almost completely squinted shut as he smiled.
“I think he would be very proud to share a name with you, Lu Ten.” At that, the boy chuckled.
“It’d get really confusing pretty fast, though.” This time, his father laughed out loud.
The last time was when Lu Ten was working a shift at The Jasmine Dragon. Mom and Dad had agreed that the kids should spend their longer breaks from school helping out at Grandpa’s teashop as a way to humble them and connect more with everyday people.
He supposed it was perfect practice because there was no possible way that any of the stuck-up nobles that visited the palace or the ministers that were a part of Dad’s council could ever be as horrible as a customer angry over their tea not being hot enough.
He and his sisters were closing up the shop and cleaning up when Izumi said, “Did either of you see where Grandpa went?” Both of them shook their heads no. Humming, Izumi closed the ledger she was writing in and put it away. “Lu Ten, I think Kya and I can finish up here. Think you can find Grandpa?”
He tugged off his apron and nodded. “Sure. He probably hasn’t been gone for long. I’ll be back soon.”
Lu Ten ended up being wrong. Grandpa must have left a long time ago if he was outside of Ba Sing Se’s outer wall. He was on top of a hill, kneeling in front of a solitary tree and his head bowed.
“Grandpa, what are you doing out here? We were worried when we realized you were gone,” Lu Ten called out to his grandfather as he walked up the hill. With no response, Lu Ten peeked over his shoulder as he noticed the wafting smoke of incense burning in front of Grandpa.
Staring back at him was a portrait of Lu Ten… well, Grandpa’s son, Lu Ten. It looked exactly like the one Dad had. He figured since Lu Ten was Grandpa’s son, this portrait was the original copy.
“Grandpa, is something wrong?” Lu Ten kneeled beside his grandfather, staring at the portrait as if it would come to life.
It wouldn’t and neither would the first Lu Ten, he thought morbidly.
“No, nothing is wrong. I was just wishing my son a happy birthday,” Grandpa whispered, his voice hoarse like he had been crying not that long ago. It was probably true. “You know, he had died outside these walls. I do not know where, so this hill is the best I could do for him.”
“I… I didn’t know that,” Lu Ten mumbled. “What happened to him?”
“I’m sure you know history very well. You know what happened between these walls and I,” Grandpa said, his tone leaving no room for questions.
And Lu Ten did know. He had to, just like his sisters had to know. He knew that his grandfather was the Dragon of the West, and he knew that he had held a siege on this very city for six hundred days before pulling back. And now he knew that his namesake had something to do with it.
“My son, Lu Ten, wanted so desperately to prove himself to me and lead his own division. I was a fool and allowed him to. My arrogance killed my oldest and for the longest time, I thought it had killed me alongside him,” Grandpa continued. “Lu Ten should have never seen the war for what it truly was, but he faced it with a bravery not many possess, even now. He wanted to fill the shoes I had left behind for him, but I wish I could have shown him that he had fit in his own perfectly.”
“Did he ever think that the war was wrong?” Lu Ten couldn’t help but ask.
“I don’t know. All he ever said was that he wanted to make me proud, and to him, that must have meant being strong until the very end. But I suppose I shall never truly know until my time comes.” A heavy silence settled between them, Lu Ten’s portrait still staring at them both.
“It’s sad that he might have never understood that the war was wrong and to see the world become better once it ended,” Lu Ten spoke up, his voice cutting through the silence. “I’d like to believe that if he had the chance, he would have wanted to do good.” Grandpa’s watery eyes met his.
“You’re handling this surprisingly well. I am sorry your father and I never told you about my oldest.”
“I understand why you didn’t. It’s a sad story and it must have hurt so much,” Lu Ten said. Grandpa squeezed his eyes shut, tears forced out of the corners as he whimpered and nodded. “Your son didn’t get a chance to do good. I’d like to give him that chance, give our name a chance to be a part of a better world.” Grandpa smiled, his arms coming up to wrap around Lu Ten’s body and pulling him close.
“He would have adored you. You will do him proud as you do for us every single day.” Lu Ten returned the hug, barely paying mind to the tears welling up in his own eyes. Eventually, they returned home to Izumi’s worried questions, the scent of incense clinging to their clothes.
II.
Kya was named after her mother’s mother. This, she knew very well.
She also knew, since the age of four when she asked the question only once, that she would never get to meet her mother’s mother. She had asked when she could get to meet Grandma on Mommy’s side. Her mother’s face fell and cracked so quickly and horribly that Kya would never ask again.
For years, that had been enough for her. Whatever had happened to her grandmother had hurt Mom deeply and Kya didn’t want to prod at it, no matter that the wound has scarred over the years.
It was almost sudden when her mother decided to end waterbending practice early for the day.
“Is something wrong?” Kya asked, worried that maybe, just maybe, Mom wasn’t impressed by her performance.
“Nothing,” Mom said, her hands fidgeting now that they weren’t bending the water into countless intricate shapes. Mom took a seat on the edge of the fountain that was in the middle of the entire garden. Her hands clenched into fists and she steadied herself before speaking up again. “There’s nothing wrong, my little otterpenguin. There’s simply something very important I need to tell you.” Kya couldn’t help but grumble at the nickname. She was almost fifteen, she’s not little anymore.
“Please tell me it’s not about the ice on the stairs during lunch hour,” Kya said, sitting beside her mother. Mom raised an eyebrow.
“What’s this about ice on the stairs?” she asked, her tone promising this was a conversion for some other time. “I wanted to talk to you about my mother.” Kya perked up. She had never expected a conversation about her grandmother, not when the mention of her had hurt her mother so long ago. “Do you know anything about her?”
“Aside from that you named me after her and that she’s my grandmother? Nothing much,” Kya shrugged. Mom nodded slowly as if she didn’t already know that was the extent of Kya’s knowledge.
“Well, those are certainly the basic facts. Yes, her name was Kya. And she was an absolutely wonderful woman,” Mom smiled, not once focusing on the tear that rolled down her cheek. “She was the best mother ever. She meant the world to me and she loved me, your uncle, and Papa so much.” Kya rested her hand on top of her mother’s, comforting her the best she could without interrupting.
Mom intertwined their fingers together and smiled at her daughter. “Thank you, my love.” She frowned and took a deep breath before continuing. “Kya, do you remember what your tutors taught about the Fire Nation’s raids on the Southern Water Tribe?” Slowly, Kya nodded.
“It was to capture all of the waterbenders in case the Avatar was to be reborn there,” she answered. Kya remembered visiting the frozen ship outside of her mother’s village. Even when empty and rusted, its looming presence was still haunted by evil and cruelty. It served as another monument of the Fire Nation’s horrible actions and as a reminder to never do such things ever again. Then it dawned on Kya. “Mom… you’re a waterbender.”
Her mother’s silence was enough of an answer.
“But then they never came for you since you’re obviously here now! Right?”
“I wish it was as easy as you want it to be, Kya,” Mom said, flicking tears away from her eyes. “It was only long after it happened that I found out who they were and who did it, all thanks to your father. But the Southern Raiders, they came. No one could fathom they would actually take a child prisoner, and they never did. Their captain, Yon Rha, cornered my mother in our own home, and she…” Mom paused, her lip trembling from the effort of keeping her sobs at bay. “She claimed to be the last waterbender, the one they were looking for. But that time, they didn’t want a prisoner. He didn’t care that he looked me in the eyes and still killed her.”
“Mom…” Kya wrapped her arms around her mother’s body and pulled her close.
“Your grandmother was the most loving, bravest person I’ve ever known. She was willing to make the greatest sacrifice for her own daughter just so she could continue to live,” her mother finished. She raised one hand to tilt Kya’s head down and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. “And I am so lucky to have a daughter as wonderful and courageous as you.”
“Does it still hurt?” Kya asked.
“Well, I think it always will hurt. I wish she could be here and see you kids grow up. She deserved to be a grandmother and she deserved to live an entire life. But,” Mom said, “it’s not as painful as it could have been. Your father? He’s the only reason I even know who was the man who killed my mother. And, well, I confronted him and that was enough to bring me the closure I had needed for so long. It never does go away, the pain, but it helped me so much that I could finally face him and just… see him for what he was. And it was nice to have your father’s support the entire time.”
“I don’t need to hear the sappy details, gross!” Kya covered her ears and ignored her mother’s cackling. She simply spoke louder.
“Oh, it’s true! I didn’t fully realize it at the time, but your father can be quite the charming prince when he needs to be! I should tell you about the time I found out he was the one secretly helping me with the cooking, even when I was angry with him…”
III.
Fountain. That was what her name meant. Her father told her it was because, when they were born, her eyes were almost as blue as Kya’s and as clear as the beautiful fountain in the garden. She could only imagine everyone’s surprise that such a color would only last for a few weeks after her birth, and her eyes would become the same gold as Dad’s.
Her name was also the odd one out of her siblings. Her name supposedly came from something beautiful, and while she carried no shame or annoyance at the fact, it does seem lackluster compared to sharing the name of a loved one.
Even though it became increasingly obvious that she was going to be a firebender, there was one instance where Izumi thought the spirits were correcting themselves and swapped her fire for water during practice.
As it turned out, her “water” was very much still fire. It just happened to turn blue that day.
The dinner after that practice was awkward for some time, mostly because of her parents. Then they must have worked out whatever was causing their awkwardness in the first place because after they finished eating, Mom and Dad helped her with her new schedule that came with different tutors. Ever since then, that schedule had remained mostly consistent.
Until one day, when everything appeared normal at first, things began to change once more. Funnily enough, it started with the fountain in the gardens.
There was a woman standing by the fountain, observing the ripples in the water. She was vaguely familiar, which was strange because Izumi knew she had never seen her before that day. Izumi smiled and called out to the woman.
“Hello! I don’t think we’ve met before! I’m Izumi, what’s your name?” she asked as she bowed. When she rose up again, she was confused by the perplexed look on the woman’s face as if she was shocked that Izumi was speaking to her. She gasped, realizing why. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about all the fancy titles right now! It’s just the gardens, no stuffy nobles here to get upset that I’m being too ‘casual’.” Really, the idea that being too comfortable with others was a bad thing was hilariously ridiculous.
Still, the woman stood stock-still, her amber eyes staring as if she was looking straight through Izumi. Then, as if struck by lightning, her body jerked as she turned around and walked away from Izumi.
It was one of the more strange encounters she’s had but not the worst. Izumi hoped to see the woman again, just to see if perhaps it was just a fluke and nerves overtook her. Her wish was granted not a week later when she entered the gardens for her late morning firebending practice and noticed the woman taking a walk along the garden paths.
“Hello!” Izumi shouted and jogged to stand beside her. The woman flinched and moved to make an escape again but Izumi, against her better judgment, quickly grabbed her wrist. “I’m sorry if I startled you, but please don’t leave! I’ve seen you twice now and I’d like to get to know you.”
The woman’s eyes searched Izumi’s face like she was trying to look for any sign that this was a joke of sorts. She only smiled in return.
“Let me start over,” she said and took a deep breath before bowing. “I am Crown Princess Izumi, but you can call me Izumi. There’s no need for titles in the gardens. What’s your name?” Izumi straightened her back and waited patiently. The woman’s nostrils flared as she took deep breaths, and it seemed like she was trying to hide behind the two strands of hair that framed her face. After what must have been a minute or two of deliberation with herself, the woman faced Izumi completely and bowed low with respect to Izumi’s position and title.
“I am Azula. It’s a pleasure to meet you… Izumi.”
That feeling of recognizing Azula never did go away, but it was so nice to get to know her better. Her humor was rather dry and sarcastic but just as entertaining as her sister’s. They both seemed to share a fondness for the fountain where Izumi first saw Azula and would often meet up there.
Azula also had blue fire and knew so much more than Izumi’s tutors. She would teach her a few tricks and, in exchange, Izumi would share little stories about her family.
It was subtle but Izumi noticed that Azula’s eyes seemed to soften whenever Izumi talked about Dad.
At this point, Izumi was certain there was a spell upon that fountain. She snuck off from her regular classes because she was in no way prepared for Sensei Yan’s test on agriculture and ended up in the gardens.
Her father and Azula were sitting next to each other with his hand holding onto hers while she spoke, too quiet for Izumi to hear without getting closer. But before she could make the choice to step forward, Azula’s eyes shifted up, noticed Izumi, and covered her mouth with a gasp. Dad could have fallen into the fountain from how fast he spun around to see Izumi behind him. He spluttered for a few seconds before his brow furrowed.
“Izumi, you’re supposed to be in your studies. What are you doing out here at this time?” Dad asked her. Izumi could feel her face burning as she fumbled for any sort of response.
“Well, it all comes down to preparation. And well… um, I was not prepared.” Izumi tried to chuckle but her father only sighed. She scuffed the toe of her boot into the dirt. “Um, I didn’t know you knew Azula, Dad.”
With the silence growing, Izumi observed the two adults in front of her. The realization was like a punch to the gut.
Dad and Azula looked near identical. And they were both shifting nervously as her words set in. Azula forced a smile onto her face.
“Well, I’d sure hope to know him better. We did grow up together and helped me even when I didn’t want it,” she said wrily. Her father sighed and rubbed circles at his temples. Azula scoffed. “I’m trying to be funny, why are you so annoyed?”
“I’m not annoyed, I’m just not fully prepared for this conversation and Izumi deserves to know if she knows who you are. Which, by the way, neither of you told me you’ve met,” Dad scowled.
“Oh please, it was a harmless secret and I rather enjoyed her company,” Azula crossed her arms. Then her countenance softened as she muttered, “Izumi’s very sweet. She reminds me of you.” Her voice was quiet as if those words were only for her father. Despite his previous exasperation, Dad smiled the way he only ever did for her, her siblings, Mom, and the rest of their family.
Whatever they decided to tell her, Izumi knew that Azula was family.
“Are you really going to keep standing there like a fool or are you going to take a seat and join us?”
“Azula, be nice.”
“Zuzu, I am being very kind today.”
Izumi giggled and decided to sit in between them. She watched her father as he gathered his thoughts.
“Well, Izumi, I’m positive you’re able to tell by now that Azula and I are related.” She nodded. “We are, you’re right. We’re siblings. Azula’s younger.”
“Truly the greatest surprise anyone has ever found out about our birth order.” Dad squinted at Azula. Well, Izumi thought, Auntie Azula. “I’m being nice! Look, long story short, I was quite the horrible person to be around, hurt others around me, desperately needed help but didn’t want it, and now I’m here, mostly okay.”
“Mostly? Is something wrong?” Dad asked, worry suddenly taking over. He was shrugged off by Auntie Azula’s hand wave.
“Nothing’s wrong. It was just a shock that one of the nieces I’ve heard so much about actually saw me in person and wanted to be friends,” Auntie Azula explained. Izumi furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
“Well, if you knew about me, why didn’t I know about you? Dad?” Before her father could answer, Auntie Azula interjected.
“Don’t blame him, I told him not to tell you or your siblings about me. Perhaps it was just paranoia that, somehow, I’d be shunned by toddlers, and wouldn’t that be quite the bruise to the ego? But when you and your sister were born, I had just started on the path to actually wanting to get better. I wouldn’t let myself burden such tiny children and force you to carry part of the weight that is my healing. Then it just became me telling your father that it was better if they didn’t know about me, the lady who takes walks in a garden to clear her mind.” Auntie shrugged. “I suppose there is a better explanation for this but I, too, am woefully underprepared for this conversation as I am with most other conversations with people.”
“Oh, is that why you ran away?” Izumi asked, her eyes gleaming with the chance to tease. “Did you never practice the off-chance that I might run into you and try to be friends in under a minute?”
“Frankly, I know you almost as much as Zuzu does and I really should have planned for that scenario,” Auntie pouted. Still, she gently shoved her shoulder into Izumi’s side. “But you turned out not being that bad, though. I think I’ll keep you to myself.”
“Only if we get to keep you.” Izumi gasped and turned to her father. “Dad, can Auntie Azula stay with us in the palace?” Dad’s eyes widened as did Auntie Azula’s, even though Izumi couldn’t see her shock.
“I… Well… Azula? Do you want to?” Dad looked over his daughter’s head. Izumi turned back around and watched as Auntie’s face morphed from surprise to something of a solemn acceptance.
“As much as I’d like to, I don’t think I’m ready to step foot in the main palace just yet,” Auntie Azula said, her voice soft as she spoke to her niece.
“Oh.” Izumi couldn’t help but let her face fall at the disappointment.
“How about this? I may not want to go into the palace, but I do have a small estate tucked away nearby. It’s close enough that I can walk from there to here within the hour. If dear Zuzu and your mother will let you, you could visit. You and your brother and sister, at that,” Auntie offered as a compromise.
“You have your own house?!” Izumi scrambled to get up from the fountain and presented the flame to her father. “Dad, please please please, can I visit Auntie Azula and bring Kya and Lu Ten with me? I promise we’ll be safe and not spoil our dinners!” She looked up to wait for Dad’s response only to gulp when he squinted.
“Were you considering spoiling your dinner?”
“Oh please, Zuzu. How could they spoil it? I only eat those little fruit tarts Uncle brought that one time, and they’re the tiniest things,” Auntie protested. Dad sighed again. He stood up and rested both of his hands on Izumi’s shoulders. He smiled at her in his special way.
“I would be more than happy if you want to go and visit, Izumi. Just check with your mother first, but I think she’ll agree as well. Just promise me that you don’t firebend anywhere near your aunt’s house,” Dad said, hiding his mouth behind his hand as if he was sharing a secret with her even though he was speaking very loudly.
“What kind of a fool builds a home for a Princess of the Fire Nation with thatch?!” Izumi and Dad laughed while Auntie ranted. In the midst of a fit of giggles, Izumi gently grabbed her aunt’s hand.
“Auntie, you know what else I like in the gardens? I like to feed the turtleducks with Dad. Do you want to join us?” Izumi barely allowed her aunt to utter any sort of response before tugging her toward the direction of the pond. She had a new family member now and she was going to enjoy their time together even more.