ZUTARA WEEK 2016, Day 4: LILAC
What Blooms in Adversity
DISCLAIMER: Avatar: the Last Airbender belongs to Bryke, but Zutara Week belongs to all Zutarians.
NOTE:
A tricky prompt and since I have limited botanical knowledge, I tried my best to do some research and incorporate the significance of the flowers (love, mourning) into the story. I struggled for a while to find a title and then I remembered this quote from Mulan and everything fit perfectly.
This is set after Zuko arrives at the Western Air Temple but in a scenario where Katara is not too bitter at him and they have already reconciled somewhat, even before the events of the Southern Raiders.
Hope you like this!
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Katara smiled as soon as she saw the flowers, a splash of bright color against the browns and greasy of the stone temple. The waterbender could not help but admire the flower's resilience, to grow and survive even in the tiniest crevices, like a symbol of hope in times of despair.
She had been wandering around the Western Air Temple after several hours of training. The others were taking a well-deserved break after working so hard and she had decided to do a little more exploring of the ancient structure. As she roamed the halls, she had suddenly sensed a familiar aroma. She followed the fragrance until it led her to the remote corner of the temple where the lilacs bloomed.
The waterbender approached the section of the wall with the cracks that had allowed the flowers to grow. But from the other end of the hall, someone had turned the corner and Katara found herself face to face with Zuko. They stared at each other in surprise.
"Zuko! What are you doing here?" Katara asked curiously.
She noticed that the firebender's gaze had flickered briefly to the small flowers and she wondered how he came to recognize them.
"This was my mother's favorite scent," he explained, "and it's been years since I last breathed in this fragrance. I followed it to this spot, and now here we are."
Katara's eyes widened at this answer. "That's strange," she said softly.
"What is?" Zuko asked.
"This was my mother's favorite scent as well," the waterbender replied.
They turned their eyes to the cluster of flowers in the crevice and stared at it for a few moments in silence, both trying to process what they had just discovered about each other.
"It's a rare variety of flower that would never survive for long in the harsh cold of the South Pole," Katara explained, trying to fill the awkward silence, "My father brought it home once, after his travels, and when he saw how much my mother loved the flowers, he made sure to always find a way to bring her some whenever he returned from his trips."
Zuko nodded, appreciating the confidence the waterbender was placing in him. When she finished her story, he felt it would only be fair for him to share his own memories.
"My father was not so considerate," he said gravely, "but my mother had always tended to these flowers in the garden of the house where she had grown up. When she married my father, she made sure to bring some seedlings with her so that she could have her favorite flowers around her in the royal gardens."
Zuko paused for a moment, seemingly lost in a memory. Katara sensed that a deep sadness had come over him, one that was not wholly unfamiliar to her. She waited patiently for him to continue.
"After my mother left," Zuko continued somberly, "my father had all the flowers removed from the garden, as if to remove every trace of her from our lives. This is the first time I've seen these flowers in a long time."
The waterbender listened intently, moved by the story and eager to learn more about Zuko's past, but reluctant to press him for details about such an intimate subject. She had always wondered about his mother and about what he had meant in Ba Sing Se when he had admitted that the Fire Nation taking his mother was something they had in common. She had often thought about that conversation but ever since Zuko's arrival in the Western Air Temple, there had not been any real opportunity to broach the subject. They had all been too busy preparing for the trials ahead.
Never would she have imagined that something as simple as a flower would give them a chance at having a better understanding of each other. But she was glad, not just to find something that reminded her of happier times, but also to have something they could finally bond over. She had been gradually learning to trust Zuko, and seeing him so sincerely and openly discussing what must have been painful for him, helped raise him in her esteem.
They remained silent for a few more moments, reflecting on their memories of their mothers and staring pensively at the fragrant flowers that had evoked all these memories and emotions. They had not expected to have company during such reverie but somehow, they found comfort in each other's presence. They felt a certain kinship and solidarity in the shared experience of having lost the people they loved and now being reminded of that loss.
Zuko walked towards the crevice and plucked a small stem from the flowering plant.
"I remember my mother telling me," he began wistfully, "that the flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all."
As he said these words, his eyes met Katara's and for a moment the latter was overwhelmed by something she could not name. They turned away quickly, a blush spreading across their cheeks.
Zuko was surprised at his boldness and he had no idea what had come over him. Most days he was hesitant to even approach Katara, considering their complicated history and all the unresolved tension between them. But fortunately, this surprise encounter had left no room for any hostility, and he believed that they were firmly on their way to a proper reconciliation. And he was determined to make amends for his previous behavior. He was grateful that his mother's favorite flower had paved the way for all this.
Katara recovered first and turned to Zuko with a smile. "I think our mothers would have gotten along well."
Zuko nodded. "I think so too."
Then, plucking up his courage, the firebender approached Katara and gently placed the flower he had picked behind the waterbender's left ear. She stared at him in surprise and blushed but did not turn away.
"I know that it might be too much to ask," Zuko said softly, "but I was hoping that you and I could get along a bit better, Katara."
"I'd like that," Katara replied with a smile.