prejudice: (n) preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience
"If you could just talk with her, Master Katara. Convince her that marrying this boy is wrong. The child I can accept, but a Fire Nation boy—a firebender at that? No, I just can't."
As the head healer at the South Pole, Katara is used to dealing with angry mothers and teenage pregnancies. This girl, Jena, isn't the first to turn up pregnant as the result of some date-night wrestling match, but she is the first to have done so with a Fire Nation boy. What make matters worse is that the boy, Kenji, is one of the cultural exchange benders. While the programme itself has been praised as a cultural strengthening success, a lot of people still question its merits. The four nations are supposed to be learning about one another's cultures, not one another's bodies.
As both friend and diplomatic advisor to the Fire Lord and the Avatar, and who jointly created the cultural exchange programme, Katara has inevitably become caught in the crossfires. Parents complain to her about the Fire Nation boys being fresh with their daughters and teenagers argue bitterly with their parents as a result of their overbearing parenting. It's a volatile situation.
When Jena's mother, Sena, originally found out about her daughter's pregnancy, as well as her fraternising with a firebender, she tried to lock the girl in her room. But Jena escaped and tried to run away with Kenji. They didn't get far before they were caught by locals and returned home.
"Jena." Katara addresses the girl gently but firmly, ignoring the probing mother. "Did Kenji ask you to marry him?"
The girl looks up with tears in her eyes and nods slowly. She pulls out a familiar-looking necklace from her pocket and her mother immediately tsks at the sight of the carved stone.
"He made a betrothal necklace for me, but Mother won't let me wear it."
Katara nods sympathetically and places a warm hand on top of the girl's. "Do you love him?" There is another angry tsk from the mother, but Katara ignores it. "Do you want to marry him?"
Jena looks over at her mother and frowns before turning back to Katara and nodding once more. "Yes, I do. I love him."
"Jena! How could you possibly love someone like—"
"Enough." Katara raises her hand, effectively silencing the older woman. "Love is blind; it does not share our earthly prejudices." Her eyes soften. "And that is why you must let your daughter follow her heart."
Sena squeaks in protest, but Katara's hand is still in the air.
"Neither of you wanted this, but such is fate sometimes." Katara turns to the mother. "You may not like your daughter's actions or her decisions, but you must try to respect them as her mother, and be there for her.
"I know what it is like to not have a mother. I know what it is like to love someone that others do not approve of. It makes you feel very alone and isolated. And now that your daughter is bringing new life into this world, she needs you more than ever. You must be there for her, to guide her through these difficult times."
"But, Master Katara, this boy—"
"Do not disapprove of Kenji simply because of where he was born or who he is." Katara reaches out to Sena. "Will you love your grandchild any less? Will you love your daughter any less?"
Sena slowly shakes her head, her eyes downcast. "No."
"Then be there for Jena," Katara says softly. "Be there for your daughter and your grandchild. They need you more than you could possibly realise."
Sena tries to prevent her bottom lop from wobbling, but it's too late. She lets out a shuddering sob and leans towards Jena. The mother and daughter tightly embrace, sobbing silently on one another's shoulders. Katara sits back and watches them with a sad smile.
"Well," Sena says with a determined sniff before wiping away her daughter's tears, "let's properly introduce this boy to your father, then."
Jena smiles a hopeful smile and both women rise to their feet. Katara leads them to the door, drawing back the curtains. Kenji is already waiting outside. His heart is worn so plainly on his sleeve that it makes Katara smile. Jena looks up at her mother for approval and Sena nods slowly. In a flash Jena is lunging forward, leaping into a bewildered Kenji's arms.
Katara watches from the doorway. She cannot make out their words, but she can see the beam of happiness on their faces. Kenji is bowing so lowly to Jena's mother that Katara wonders if he's going to topple over. Jena then hands him the betrothal necklace and Kenji nervously slips it around her neck, planting a chaste kiss to the hinge of her jaw.
It's then that Katara's smile falters. The image of her own belly swollen while Zuko stands behind her, holding her close, flits through her mind. She lets out a long, protracted sigh and turns back inside, letting the curtains close behind her. If only she had the sense to stop running so long ago; maybe she too would know this kind of peace.