Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA Mike, Bryan and Nickelodeon do.
Chapter 2
After Lenetta led them to her camp, she set up a fire and everyone settled around it.
Zuko was very curious about Lenetta, How can a Firebender be born in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko decided to take initiative and ask her himself.
" Hey um Lenetta?", Zuko started. " Yeah?", Lenetta looked over at him, giving him her full attention. " How can a Firebender be born in the Earth Kingdom?", Zuko questioned. He just assumed that she was born into a family of Earthbenders or Nonbenders.
" My ancestors are from the Fire Nation, my great grandfather came with the first settlers to Yu Dao and there he met an Earth Kingdom woman and they got married a few months later, they got married, they had 5 children Earthbenders and Firebenders. One of the Earthbending children, my grandmother married an Earth Kingdom man and they moved to an Earth Kingdom town. My parents have stayed there too. They're both Earthbenders so you can imagine their surprise when they found out I was a Firebender.", here Lenetta looked down with a sad look on her face, which surprised Zuko and Iroh. " Lenetta are you alright?",Iroh asked gently, touching her shoulder. She stood up and walked away from the fire. Her fists were clenched and the fire flared slightly. " They hated me because I was a Firebender, everyone in town hated me!", she said with anger in her voice. " One day I went into my favorite practice spot, something went wrong and the forest caught fire, my parents were so mad at me they cast me out.", she fell to her knees tears streaming down her face. Iroh walked over to her gently. No wonder she didn't wanna bend, thought Zuko. He stood up along with Iroh and they both walked over to her to offer what comfort they could.
" I don't understand why they'd do that!", Lenetta sobbed, she wrapped her arms around herself as memories flooded her mind. " My father would punish me by fighting me if he caught me bending, and after that fire I just couldn't find it in me to bend again.", Iroh was rubbing her back soothingly as Zuko came to a conclusion. She trusted us enough with this, I need to trust her too, and let her know she's not alone. " I understand how you feel Lenetta.", Zuko told her, she looked up at him wiping away her tears. " How?", Lenetta asked, he pointed at his scar, her eyes widened and she gasped. " Your father did that to you?", Lenetta asked. Zuko nodded.
Iroh looked at his nephew with sadness in his gaze, I wish I never let you in that war meeting, then this wouldn't have happened. But at least it got you away from him. " I was thirteen when it happened, I went into my father's war room since I wanted to learn how to be the Fire Lord. What I heard instead was a horrible plan that would sacrifice new recruits. They would send the new recruits in as a diversion and the Earthbenders would take them out, then the more experienced benders would come and take out the Earthbenders. I spoke out against the general's plan, which meant I spoke out of turn. My father told me I had to fight in an Agni Kai, I thought I could take out the general so I said yes. But when I turned I saw my father. I bowed before him and asked for forgiveness. He told me to fight for my honor but I told him I'm a loyal son. He told me I will learn respect and suffering will be my teacher. Then he burned my face.", he didn't notice until just then he was shaking and crying. Lenetta reached up and wiped away his tears, he looked at her shocked. " It wasn't your fault Zuko, you didn't deserve that.", Lenetta told him, she was also crying.
She wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace. Zuko melted into her embrace burying his face in her shoulder, and tears pelted her neck and shoulder. She held him tight and rubbed soothing circles on his back.
Iroh watched them embrace each other in comfort with his own tears streaming down his face. I'm glad my nephew has finally found someone who accepts him, I can only hope this leads to something good.
The two stopped embracing, Zuko put his hands on Lenetta's shoulders, what your parents did wasn't your fault, that fire wasn't your fault either, I want you to remember that.", Zuko told her, Lenetta smiled at him and said, " What your father did wasn't your fault either.", they smiled at each other as they each took in this information.
They all stood up and she picked up her sword. " I'm gonna go hunting for some supper.", Lenetta said. " I can come with you, if you want.", Zuko told her. Lenetta smiled at him. " Alright.", they both strolled off as Iroh watched them and smiled as he went to go sit back down by the fire.