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The monsoon storms always scared Kya. They were always loud and kept her awake at night. And she hated that.
She was a waterbender like her mother! She should like how much it rains and like staying up at night! Instead, she’s scared and just wants to hide under the covers until everything is quiet again. She sat up in bed to see her sister sound asleep. It felt almost unfair that Izumi could sleep just fine through the storm when Kya couldn’t.
She jumped when the bedroom door creaked open, a small flame creating some light to spill in and illuminating her father’s face. Kya could see his eyes widen when he saw her awake.
“Turtleduck, what’s wrong?” Daddy whispered, keeping the door slightly ajar as he entered. He sat down beside Kya, keeping the flame close to his chest so he could see her. Kya could only point at the window, tears suddenly filling her eyes. Lightning broke through the sky, bathing the room in white for a split second. “The storm woke you up again, didn’t it? Kya, love, you know you could have just come to our room, right?”
“But I shouldn’t be scared, Daddy,” Kya whined and she didn’t care enough to deny that she did. “I’m s’posed to be a waterbender like Mommy, and she never gets scared!” Kya fell into her father’s chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She always got scared, but her parents never did. That’s why she always went to their room when there was a storm or she had a nightmare. Kya was always safe when she was with them.
“Kya, that’s very sweet of you to say about your mother but also a little silly,” her father chuckled. “Your mother gets very scared, just like everyone else.”
“Even you?” Kya sniffled. She smiled when he kissed her forehead and brushed away falling tears with his thumb.
“I get scared, too. For you, your sister and your brother, your mother, for my people, for the world. I just have to act like I’m not because I don’t want to scare everyone else.” Daddy squeezed her tightly in a hug before pulling away to see her face. “Let me tell you something about your mother. She is the bravest, kindest, and most compassionate person I have ever met. That’s why when she gets scared, it’s because she cares so much and wants to keep everyone safe.”
Thunder rolled much closer and much louder than before. Kya gasped and tucked herself closer to her father.
“You know, your mother doesn’t like storms either.”
“What?!” Kya cried out. She covered her mouth with her hands and glanced at Izumi. She was still asleep and drooling on her pillow. “But Mommy never wakes up when it’s loud and scary.”
“She does, actually. That’s why she’s always awake whenever you come to our room. She doesn’t like lightning.” There was a flicker of an emotion that passed her father’s face that Kya had seen before but could never name. His arm shifted so he could pull the side of his robe away, revealing the pink starburst scar on his chest. “Do you know what happened here, turtleduck?” Kya shook her head no. She had tried to beg Grandpa Iroh to tell her about the scars on her father’s face and chest, but he only looked sad and said she was still too young to know.
“Auntie Azula hit me with lightning here.”
Kya gasped and looked out at the window as if she could catch the culprit in the few moments that it cut through the darkness. “Why?”
Kya didn’t know her aunt that well. Sometimes she was nice, but other times she would be very distant and only smile whenever she and Izumi showed her the new bending tricks they learned. The one time Izumi asked why Auntie Azula was so quiet sometimes, Daddy and Grandpa and Grandma would just get sad. They learned not to ask until they were “older” like Grandpa insisted.
“It was a long time ago. We were only teenagers trying to stop a war from continuing. Your aunt wasn’t well and she wanted to keep hurting people. I had to fight her, and she… she tried to hurt your mother. And I knew that I could never let that happen. I had the power to redirect her lightning, so that was what I did. I still got hurt, but it was better that it happened to me rather than your mother. I don’t know what I would have done had she gotten hurt.”
Kya pressed her small hand on her father’s chest. Her whole life, she only knew her father with his scars. It never occurred to her that there was a time in his life when it wasn’t there. Maybe that was why Grandpa wouldn’t tell her or Izumi anything about it yet except to be gentle.
“Does it still hurt?” she muttered. If she talked any louder, the lump in her throat might grow and she’ll start crying all over again.
“Every day. Your mother gets sad when she sees it and tries to heal it when there’s nothing left to heal. It took a long time for her to finally believe that it wasn’t her fault, but I think she still feels guilty that it happened at all,” Daddy said, placing his large hand over hers. “Ever since that day, your mother would have nightmares during thunderstorms. They remind her of what happened back then.”
“Does Mommy… does she not like Auntie Azula?” Kya was told that she was a very smart child and she was very proud of that. She knew that there was a reason why she will never get to meet Mommy’s mother. She knew that Daddy’s real father was a very bad man and that’s why Daddy’s uncle is “Grandpa” instead of “Great-Uncle”. But she never would have thought something so bad could have ever happened between her mother and her aunt.
“I told you that your mother is the kindest person ever. She said she never wanted to forgive your aunt ever and there was nothing that could change that,” her father reminded her. “Well, something did change. They talked and tried to form a relationship together. At some point, your mother and your aunt started to get along. They started to heal. She hasn’t forgiven Aunite Azula for what she did yet, but your mother hates being angry. It hurts her to be angry. Maybe one day she might, or she might not. But she’s not angry anymore.”
“That’s good. I don’t want Mommy to be angry, either.”
They remained sat in Kya’s bed for a moment more before her father spoke again. “Do you still want to sleep in our room tonight?” Kya nodded. “Good. Let’s bring your sister with us so she doesn’t get jealous.” She giggled and nodded again. Once her father was carrying Izumi on his back safely, he held out his hand to her. Kya was pleased to take it.
Mommy was waiting for them outside the bedroom door. “Oh, my sweet otterpenguin. Are you okay?” she knelt down and checked Kya all over, touching her forehead and straightening out her pajamas.
“I’m okay, Mommy.” Kya let go of her father and rushed to hug her mother as tight as she could. Joy filled her when her mother picked her up and carried her to bed. Kya waved at the sleeping baby in the crib. “Hi, Lu Ten.” Her mother gently shushed her and they both giggled. Kya and Izumi were tucked in the middle of their parents, safely wrapped in the blankets. Their mother and father surrounded them on both sides and Kya had never felt safer.