𝑯𝑰𝑫𝑫𝑬𝑵 𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑶𝑵, 𝒂: 𝒕𝒍𝒂

➳ 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯: 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦

KIDA FEELS AS THOUGH HER ENTIRE LIFE HAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. As she continues working, she lets herself get lost in the crowd of happy customers, serving them cups of jasmine and oolong tea while she catches snippets of their conversations. A boy confessing romantic feelings to his best friend; a mother taking her two children out for a change of pace; two coworkers relaxing after a long day. Kida wishes that her life was as simple as that, getting a cup of tea in the afternoon with someone she cares about, or at least someone who's company she enjoys. Maybe Mika would agree to one day. After all, that's essentially what Kida came to Ba Sing Se for: a simple, normal life where she could be happy and not always confused or sad or conflicted.

But, as Kida now realizes, that hope was just that: a hope. A dream. A product of wishful thinking. Because, the truth is that nothing is ever that simple. Things are complicated. Life is complicated, especially for a sixteen-year old (kind of) firebender who has no family and friends and is trying to forget the past and move on, but the past won't let go and oh, right, she does have family! The people who are essentially responsible for the deaths of her parents and brother and so many others around the world. The people who continue to spread lies and hate and destruction. Out of all the people in the Four Nations, Kida just had to have Fire Nation royalty as long lost relatives.

"You remind me of my nephew," Iroh says, leading Kida out of her thoughts. She hadn't even realized that he was beside her in the kitchen, the two getting tea ready to serve. Kida was mesmerized by the small flame underneath the pot of water she was waiting to boil, but Iroh's words made her turn to look at him in disbelief.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," Kida scoffs. That is literally the last thing she needs to hear. Being compared to the prince of the Fire Nation, as though they have any connections to Zuko other than blood.

"You can pretend, but it doesn't make it any less true," Iroh points out, continuing to grind tea leaves in preparation for brewing. "It's the eyes, of course. But I sense that you're conflicted. And despite this struggle within yourself, you remain strong. Much like my nephew."

Kida wants to respond, to argue that whatever Iroh is saying is nonsense, but something else crosses her mind. Zuko's mom and Kida's father were siblings, twins. That means that they're both related to Avatar Roku. That means ....

"Does Zuko know?" Kida whispers. The boy in question is busy wiping down tables, looking flustered as he too is trying to process this newfound information. "About the prophecy."

"No," Iroh replies simply. "He and his sister were forbidden from knowing. My brother, the Fire Lord, tried to control the future but making sure that the only descendants of Avatar Roku's also had his own blood and were raised under his roof, knowing only that they were destined to continue the legacy of the Fire Nation. So when he found out your father abandoned the army, ran away and had kids —"

"The Fire Lord ordered them to be hunted down and killed." Kida watches the water come to a boil and continues the tea-making process she learned during training. She feels a hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop.

"I am sorry you lost your family," Iroh says sincerely. Kida nods slightly and gets back to work.

"So am I."

"It's no coincidence, running into you here," Iroh thinks out loud.

Kida rolls her eyes slightly. "Well, my life is a series of unfortunate coincidences."

"My brother thought he could control fate," Iroh continues. "Perhaps that will be his downfall."

Kida can't help but smile at the thought. Vindictive, maybe, but this was the man who ordered her family to be killed. Her younger brother is dead because of him. He deserves to burn and watch the dynasty he upholds — the evil, terrible, corrupt dynasty that has infected the entire world — go up in flames. Aang would scold her for thinking this way. Katara might at first, but actually agree with her. Sokka would probably applaud her. But that was before; they've all moved on.

"Maybe," Kida repeats. "Regardless of the prophecy though, the Avatar and his friends are going to restore balance to the world. The Fire Lord will be defeated and the war will end, with or without the help of one of Avatar Roku's descendents."

"One can only hope. Things do have a funny way of resolving themselves, eventually. But, may I ask why aren't you there with them?" Iroh inquires.

Kida shifts uncomfortably. She pours some boiling water into a cup. Some spills out and burns her hand. She groans, then keeps to her task. "It's complicated."

"Sometimes life seems that way," Iroh replies thoughtfully.

Kida thinks back to the team. To Aang, who is so determined to save the world. To Katara, who is so hopeful that things will get better. To Sokka, who is so determined to end the Fire Nation's rule. Holy Spirits, if Sokka knew about who she was related to, he would never speak to her again. Maybe that won't matter so much, even though Kida wishes it would. She misses them more than she wants to accept.

"Sometimes life just is that way," Kida replies.

Iroh looks up to Zuko and back to the tea he is brewing. "You really do remind me of Zuko. I know that you might not like that comparison, but it's true."

Truthfully, Kida kind of sees it. The stubbornness. The search to honor their families. The sometimes uncontrollable desire to burn the world down. Maybe they are two sides of the same coin.

"You're right, I don't like it," Kida says.

"Though, I imagine that your firebending isn't all that great."

Kida's eyes widen and she looks around, suddenly very aware that someone could overhear their conversation. "That doesn't matter."

"You never had formal training, did you?" Iroh continues, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Such a shame. There could be so much hidden potential."

"What are you saying?" Kida asks.

"Your firebending. You need to know how to control the fire inside you if you are to follow your destiny."

"Again, what are you saying?"

"I will teach you firebending," Iroh states happily. "I still have lots of wisdom to share." He frowns, finally noticing Kida's tea making. He takes a sip of the cup she just poured and promptly spits it out. "And while we're at it, I'll give you some pointers on making tea."

Kida looks to Iroh, surprised that she's actually considering his offer. She thinks back to what Suki said, about embracing her ability to firebend and accepting a part of herself she's always been afraid of. She wouldn't have to hide from Mika because Suki already told her. They would just have to be careful of no one else finding out. Was it worth it? To learn how to better understand herself and her past, but to continue a life of secrets in doing so?

"I'll think about it," Kida decides, although she's already made up her mind. With that, she places cups on a tray and leaves the kitchen to serve customers.

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author's note! 

hope you enjoyed this chapter :) i'll see if i can be more active, but i also have some new story outlines to post if i'm motivated/brave enough....

thank you for reading <3