"Katara, my dear, how are you doing?" Ursa asked softly as she entered the Firelady's birthing chambers. Her daughter-in-law had been in labor for the best part of the day and hopefully it would all end soon.
Katara, who had been pacing the room, smiled towards the older woman. "I've been better" she admitted shyly before a grimace overtook her features as another contraction hit her. She gripped the windowsill and let out a slight groan, Ursa was quick to make it across the room and support her by her other arm.
A few moments passed before the waterbender sighed and looked at Ursa, fear obvious in her beautiful blue eyes. "I'm scared " she whispered, "I'm so, so scarred. What if I can't do it?" A whimper escaped her lips as the older woman pulled her into a firm embrace.
"Oh my dear, you're doing amazingly. I would never had been able to send the royal doctors away when I had my children." She smiled as she and Katara began walking again.
"They weren't helping" she heard the young woman mumble, "They wanted me to just lay there and wait."
Ursa hummed in agreement as they turned. "They told me the very same, but I did it because I was so afraid. I was so afraid of what Ozai would have done had I not follow their commands." Her face dropped into a frown and her eyebrows knitted together.
"How did you get through it all?"
She smiled softly, recounting the births of her children. "The hardest birth was Zuko's" Ursa quietly admitted, "You see I had gone into labor a month early, I was out`feeding the turtleducks when an assassin had an attempt on my life..." she paused for moment, her grimace deepened, "He had killed my personal guard and one of my women in waiting. I was terrified and thought that it was the end."
A soft gasp from Katara stopped her, the gripped on her hand tightened as another wave of pain hit the young waterbender. Lady Ursa began to rubbed her back soothingly and whisper words of encouragement into her ear. These contractions appeared to be worse than the previous ones.
"Shall I fetch the doctors now?" The former Firelady was concerned for Katara. This was her first child and Ursa wasn't very medically skilled.
"No!" she swallowed, "No, I'd like to hear the end of your story. It's helping with the pain."
Ursa pursed her lips in response, eyeing the girl beside her before sighing. "Surprisingly it was Ozai who saved me. He was merciless but it was too late… the stress of the whole ordeal brought on Zuko's birth." she glanced outside the window out to the courtyard. "Fortunately the birth was fairly quick but Zuko wasn't doing very well. He didn't cry when he was born and the doctors rushed him away before I could even see him. They wouldn't tell me how he was doing or if he was even alive." A single tears streaked it way down her porcelain cheek. "Ozai came into me a few hours later spouting off some nonsense about him not having the 'firebender spark' and how he should have cast Zuko out from the palace but I wouldn't let him, I would never let anyone harm my Zuko. So I offered Ozai my body, he could have as many children as he wanted as long as I got to keep my baby, firebender or not." She hadn't noticed that she was frowning when she ended her story. She turned to Katara and let her face drop back into a comforting smile, "But of course you'll never have to worry like I did." she smiled.
Katara sent back a small smile of her own "Thank you Ursa, you don't know how much you've helped me." she grimaced, "But I think it's time you let in the doctors" she huffed, waddling towards the bed.
The doctors and nursemaids spilled in as Ursa cracked the door open, some preparing blankets and basins of water while others helped Katara to adjust herself. They reminded her of busy bee-ants working in harmony.
She noticed her son pacing down the corridor. Since he wasn't allowed into comfort his wife in her hour of need Zuko had taken it upon himself to guard the chambers. The worry on his face aged him dreadfully in Ursa's opinion. She felt sorry for the royal couple having to be separated from eachother at such an important time in their lives. She was about to step out and join the nervous Firelord and give his wife some privacy when she heard the young waterbender call out to her.
"Ursa, please will you stay? I would really appreciate your support." Katara panted out.
A sympathetic smile graced the older woman's lips as she nodded gently. She glanced out to Zuko, who was sure to put a hole in the floor with all of his pacing, before taking her place beside her daughter-in-law ready to welcome the newest member of the royal family into the world.
A/N
Damn I whipped that badboy up in three hours instead of packing so yeah sorry if it's kinda shit… I fucking love Ursa and I know that if Zutara had become canon her and Katara would have been really close ya know? Hope you guys liked it. Btw how annoying is it to have a middle and ending to a story but not a beginning any tips?
