Epilogue


The full moon tugged at Katara's blood. She knew trying to sleep was futile. Although the nights were getting shorter this time of year, the moon had lost nothing of her power.

She snuck out of the tent and quietly walked towards the hilltop, from where she knew she could look out over the sea. What fourteen years ago had been a collection of huts and tents with only a handful of campfires and a watchtower made of snow, had grown into a town of considerable size. It grew and shrunk with the seasons, as the migrating tribes came for trade in winter and went off again in summer on fishing expeditions or grazing their herds on the tundra; and now, early in the light season, the town was small. A collection of stone houses formed the center of it, but those were mainly warehouses, and of course the large communal hall. Most people still preferred tents for their homes, especially in summer when the nights weren't even freezing.

Katara passed the school building. Suki was headmistress, and a handful of Kyoshi Warriors also taught there. In summer it was just the townchildren, but during the trade season in winter, children from the migrating tribes would also join for the classes in writing, history, maths, and fighting. Until recently, Sokka had been instructing engineering, swordfighting and boomerang techniques, but now all his time was consumed by preparations for Chiefdom.

His installment was next month. Technically, anyone from the tribes could still challenge him, but he was so generally beloved that no one expected any trouble. Still, Sokka seemed to grow more anxious every day.

As if to prove her point, she found her brother already sitting on the hilltop. He stared at the double moons, one low above the sea, the other reflected in the water. As a child she had envied him for his sound sleep during full moon nights, when only she, the waterbender, was restless, but ever since their first trip to the North Pole he had joined her in her moon-fueled insomnia.

"Hey," Katara said.

"Hey. I thought you might turn up."

"I always hope it's less in summer, but it never is."

"Yeah."

She sat down beside him. His wolftail had grown long, and he wore beads in his hair now. She'd gotten used to the beard, too, although she still teased him about it. All the swordfighting, sailing, fishing, and building had made his shoulders broad and his skin tough. Sometimes, if she saw him from the back, at a distance, she mistook him for her father. But his puns were still terrible and he had still not learned to successfully avoid slimy objects. Katara was not surprised the tribespeople loved him.

They sat quietly for a while. A thin cloud drifted across the sky, revealing glittering stars in its wake. In the east, the sky started turning a pale pink already.

"It'll get busy in town soon. All the tribes are visiting for your installment."

He grumbled. "I just hope no one challenges me to a duel."

"Well, you are the best warrior of the village, right? Don't worry," she elbowed him. "They already voted for you. You'll be okay."

"I feel nauseous just thinking about it. I'm not even sure if I want to be Chief anymore. Can't I just stay a teacher, build some houses, and fish a bit?"

"You can still teach and build and fish. You just also have to make decisions about the Tribe. You're already telling everyone what to do, now it's just going to be official."

"That's what Suki tells me too. I'm just worried I won't do it right. What if I'm not a good leader? I'm not like Dad…"

She looked at him sideways. "You don't have to be like Dad to be a good leader. You're good as yourself."

He smiled. "Thanks."

"It's about time you became Chief, honestly. Your children are already way older than we were when Dad was installed."

"I don't even remember that."

"Neither do I. I just heard about it from Gran-Gran. A pity, I would've liked to know what that party was like! What do your kids think about it?"

"Kunik's excited for the party. Maya seems a bit concerned. Yuka hasn't given me her opinion yet but she cries a lot."

"I suppose a Chief installment party is a big thing when you're three months old."

"It's also a big thing when you're three decades old!"

Katara laughed. They fell silent again. After a few minutes, Sokka asked:

"Hey, I noticed something recently. Doesn't Maya remind you of someone?"

Katara bit her lip. "Actually, yes."

"Who?"

"… Mom."

Sokka kept looking out over the ocean. "Hah. Why Mom?"

"The way she smiles, as if she's holding back a bit. And the shape of her face, I guess."

"That's interesting. I hadn't noticed that yet."

"Who do you see in her, then?"

He hesitated. "Yue."

"Oh?"

"She has the same eyes. It's weird, I know."

It surprised Katara, but she shrugged. "I suppose we always try to find traces of the people we miss."

Sokka leaned back and reached up a hand towards the moon.

"I sometimes think… Now that I'm going to be Chief, would I have been able to marry Yue? Would that have been good enough for her father?"

Katara scoffed. "Even a Southern Chief would never be good enough for a Northerner. They wouldn't have enjoyed seeing their princess going here."

"Guess I would've had to abduct her," Sokka smiled. "Not that she would've agreed on that, anyway."

Katara observed her brother quietly. "Do you still miss her often?"

"Not that often," he said. "Sometimes."

They stared at the moon together in companionable silence. After a while, when the pink dawn had turned the sky pale and starless and the moon was only a translucent ghost hovering above the horizon, they walked back to the village to catch a quick few hours of sleep before their tasks of the day would start.


A few days before Sokka's installment, a Fire Nation ship moored at the docks. It was much larger than Zuko's old little warship, that had been so impressive when it first showed up here, but it was still dwarfed by the big-bellied Earth Kingdom's merchant boats. The merchants seemed smug about this. But despite its modest size, the golden dragon and phoenix decorations betrayed its royal purpose.

Zuko was welcomed by a small delegation. Bato, Sokka and Katara waited for him, together with the dockworkers who would carry whatever luggage or gifts he had brought. Accompanied only by a couple of guards, Zuko and Hanabi descended the gangway.

Hanabi, wrapped in a thick quilted coat, halted at the end of the plank and took the view in. When she saw Katara her face lit up, and she ran up to her.

"Auntie Katara! I missed you!"

Katara caught the girl in her arms and lifted her up. Hugging her tight, she said: "Oh, you've grown! I'm so happy to see you!" Then her gaze fell on Hanabi's father, coming up behind her. She carefully put the girl down and smiled at Zuko with gleaming eyes.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said back.

Sokka interrupted their shyness and grabbed Zuko's arms. "You two can smooch later! Let me at least properly welcome you first!"

Zuko grinned at him and returned the hug. He bowed to Bato, then to the dockworkers, and gave instructions about the luggage. Then the small delegation took him to the Chief's tent, to pay his respects to Hakoda.

Hanabi's eyes went wide as she took in the inside of the tent. Having come from the bright outside, she had to get used to the dim light, but when she had adjusted she gazed at the wall hangings- woven tapestries, lush furs, artifacts in strange shapes-, and at the people that filled the tent, with their strange hairstyles and strange clothes. Towards the back of the tent stood a seat that looked suspiciously like a folding chair, covered in furs and leather. On the seat sat a large man, who was also dressed in furs and leather. His wavy graying hair was half tied up in a ponytail, half hanging over his shoulders, and decorated with braids and beads. He seemed intimidating to Hanabi, but his large hands rested calmly on his knees, his broad shoulders were relaxed, and a smile glimmered in his eyes.

Hanabi squeezed her father's hand, but he nudged her towards Katara. Hanabi reluctantly let go. At least auntie was here, a familiar beacon amidst all this unknown, even though she was also dressed in furs and smelled funny.

Her father bowed to the man in the seat, and they exchanged formal-sounding greetings. The gifts they had brought on the ship were carried in, and the man in the seat seemed pleased.

"Who is that?" she whispered to Katara. Her auntie laughed softly. "That's my father," she answered. "Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribes."

Hanabi's mouth formed a small 'o'. She considered for a moment if this made Katara a princess, like her, but then decided that a Chief was something very different from a Fire Lord.

The official part of the welcome seemed to be over. The Chief -Katara's father- had stood up from his seat and clapped Zuko on the back, and they were chatting and laughing now. Katara tugged Hanabi along to a group of people to the side. Hanabi recognized Katara's brother, her uncle Sokka. To her surprise, she also saw some children among them. A girl around her own age with round blue eyes and two dark braids, and a slightly older boy who kept so close to Sokka that he was surely his son.

Uncle Sokka knelt down and smiled at her.

"Hanabi, I'd like you to meet my children," he said. She was a little irked that he omitted the 'Princess' before her name, but she supposed they were guests in a strange country, so she couldn't expect to be treated with the same reverence as at home. And uncle Sokka's smile was so friendly that she immediately forgave him. She politely nodded at the two children.

"This is Kunik, and this is Maya," Sokka said. The two stared at her impassively.

"Hello, nice to meet you," Hanabi said to them, determined to show her good manners despite their obvious rudeness. Maya, the girl, mumbled a quiet "Hi", but Kunik said:

"Your eyes are weird."

At this, Hanabi lost her patience.

"Your eyes are weird, peasant," she snapped.

"Hey!" Katara said to her. "Don't say that."

"He started!" she protested, pointing at Kunik. The boy crossed his arms. Sokka nudged him though.

"Yes, that's not a nice thing to say, Kunik," he said. "How about you apologize to each other and call it even?"

Hanabi stuck her tongue out to the boy, but he shrugged, and bowed to her.

"I'm sorry."

At this apology, of course, she couldn't stay behind, so she also bowed.

"I'm sorry too. Please forgive me."

"Sure. Do you want me to show you where our playground is? We have a really cool slide."

Hanabi nodded, and Kunik grinned. Sokka and Katara both sighed in relief.

"Diplomatic disaster avoided," Sokka said, wiping mock sweat off his brow. "I'll go with them to make sure they don't hurt each other. You can take Zuko for a tour of the town," he winked.

Katara narrowed her eyes at him. "Just be careful that you won't be the one getting hurt."


Katara and Zuko walked around town side by side, still a bit too self-conscious to hold hands or otherwise touch. Katara showed him the current building projects, the large communal hall where the festivities would be, and ended at the school. They saw Suki from a distance, supervising sparring students with her baby in a sling on her back.

"It's lovely," Zuko said. "You must be proud."

"I am," Katara smiled. "We've come far."

"Do you teach at the school as well?"

"No. There are no other waterbenders anymore, they all went back to the North Pole with Master Pakku. I assist with sparring sometimes, it's good for the students to know how to work with bending. And I help out with construction work. I think that's where I'm most useful right now!"

Zuko laughed, but heard the badly hidden frustration. He changed the subject.

"Looking forward to the celebrations?"

Her smile returned. "Yeah! I'm gonna do a really cool waterbending demonstration that no one has seen yet, it's gonna be great! I'm so proud of Sokka, too. He'll be a great Chief."

"Your dad is still in good health though, isn't he? Why is he stepping down?"

"It's custom to have a young chief, in the prime of his life. Old men tend to get stuck in their habits, and we don't like that. Traditionally the leader needed to be the strongest and fittest of the entire tribe. He'd lead the fishing, the sailing, and of course the fighting. Dad won't be gone from the scene though! He's going to be Sokka's advisor. Old Chiefs are usually still very involved in everything."

"I see. I always thought the habit of having young Chiefs was born out of necessity during the war."

"Oh, it was too. No thanks to your Nation, no offense."

Zuko inclined his head. "Justified."

She elbowed him. "At least you have a proper young Fire Lord now, and all is well."

He turned towards her, his face soft. "I missed you, Katara," he said quietly. She reached out and cupped her hand around his elbow.

"I'm happy you're here."

He drew her towards him and pressed her close against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and they stood like that for a long moment. Katara snuggled a bit deeper into the firebender warmth. Zuko rested his chin on top of her head and slowly exhaled.

"It's good to be away from court for a bit. Calm down. See things from a new perspective."

She looked up at him with teasing eyes. "Got any fresh ideas yet?"

"Hmm, maybe," he hummed. He lightly touched her face and traced the curve of her cheek. "Only one has priority, right now, though."

"And what might that be?"

"Kiss my love," he said, and kissed her.

"It's so cold here," Hanabi pouted, stuffing her hands under her armpits and stomping around. "How do you bear it?"

"This is normal," Maya said. "Mom said it's even warm for this time of year."

The two girls stood at the edge of the playground. Kunik had run off to join some older kids, but Hanabi didn't mind. She liked Maya, who was quiet and thoughtful, but still wasn't sure about her brother.

From the corner of her eye she saw uncle Sokka leaning against one of the playhouses, but he wasn't paying attention to them. He had taken out a notebook and was scribbling rapidly, his tongue poking out a little.

"I thought there would be snow," Hanabi said.

"You should come in winter then," Maya answered. "Kunik and I built an igloo last time. We played battlefield and had to defend it with snowballs."

"Ha! I bet I could've melted it with firebending," Hanabi said. Maya's eyes went wide.

"You're a firebender?!"

"Yeah! Wanna see?"

Maya nodded fervently, and Hanabi jumped into a stance. With pursed lips she went through the movements of her latest exercise, and thin trails of flame followed her hands as she turned and stepped through the form.

Kunik came running back. "Wow, that's so cool!" he shouted. "Do it again!"

Hanabi huffed. "I'm not a show pony," she said. "You could at least say please."

"Pleeeeease?" Kunik said, putting on his best puppy eyes. "It looked amazing!"

Hanabi could not resist such praise. She jumped on the low wall around the playground and took a moment to find her balance. Then she decided to show off her most difficult form, the one that ended in a kick. She took a deep breath, stepped, turned and kicked, and a blast of fire burst from her heel. Kunik and Maya clapped and shouted: "Again! Again!" Hanabi frowned, a little disappointed in the size of her flame, so she readily obliged to their pleas.

She breathed, stepped, and turned again, but at the moment she wanted to make an extra big kick, her foot slipped. She yelped and tried to regain her footing, but overshot and tumbled down the wall. Maya gasped, and Kunik shrieked.

Hanabi lay in a crumpled heap at the foot of the wall, clutching her ankle. She took short, ragged breaths and clenched her teeth in an attempt not to cry, but tears leaked from her eyes. Maya and Kunik rushed over to her.

"Quick, get Dad!" Kunik said, and Maya ran off. Kunik tried to help Hanabi sit up, but she kept curled up, her body shaking with soundless sobs.

Sokka and Maya came running back. Sokka saw Hanabi and his face went pale with worry.

"Okay, keep calm," he said, kneeling down next to her. "Where does it hurt?"

Hanabi still couldn't speak, but gestured to her ankle between sobs. Sokka gently lifted her up and stretched her leg out in front of her. She winced in pain as he slowly pulled her boot off.

"Right. Well shit, we'll have war with the Fire Nation again now… But let's see if you can move your toes, okay?"

Still clenching her teeth, Hanabi tried to wiggle her toes. When this was successful, Sokka carefully traced her ankle with his fingers and checked the bones. Kunik and Maya watched with wide eyes. Maya asked in a small voice: "Will we really have war with the Fire Nation now?"

Sokka shrugged. "Nah, Zuko will probably just kill me and call it even."

"I'm so sorry, Dad, it's my fault, I asked her to do it," Kunik said. His lips were trembling.

At this, Hanabi finally looked up and said with clenched teeth: "No. It's my own fault. I slipped."

"Well, luckily it's only a bruised ankle," Sokka said. "You'll be fine, those are some good sturdy boots. We should get Katara to take care of it, though."

"I'll go get auntie!" Maya said, eager to be useful. She jumped up and ran off.

"Be careful!" Sokka shouted after her. "I don't want you to slip too!"

He looked back at Hanabi. The girl had calmed down a little and was rubbing her eyes, still refusing to cry.

"Hey, it's okay," he said softly to her, patting her shoulder. "You'll be fine. I know it hurts, but Katara will heal it quickly."

"My hands hurt too," Hanabi sniffed. She held up her palms, where angry red lines showed how she had scraped her hands, trying to catch herself.

"Well, we can wash those already, that'll help," Sokka said. He uncorked the gourd that hung from his belt and poured some water over Hanabi's hands. She grimaced.

"That's cold."

"Auntie Katara can heal it, right?" Kunik asked. Hanabi and Sokka both nodded.

"Auntie is the best healer in the world," Hanabi said. "It's because she's a waterbender."

"Hmm," Kunik said, and took Sokka's water gourd. "How does that work? Like this?" He poured some water on his own hands, and placed them on Hanabi's ankle. Sokka reached out to pull his hands back, and started to say: "Don't hurt-" when a faint glow erupted from under Kunik's palms.

Sokka's mouth fell open. Hanabi stared wide-eyed at Kunik, who also seemed surprised.

"Huh. Cool," he said. Hanabi stretched her leg and carefully rotated her foot. She pulled herself up on Sokka's shoulder and tried to stand. Gingerly she put her foot down. Then she met Kunik's eyes. "You healed it!"

At that moment, Zuko came running towards them. Katara followed close behind, slowed down by carrying Maya.

"Hanabi! What happened?! Are you hurt?" Zuko said, frantically grasping his daughter's arms. She winced, but said: "It's okay, daddy. I'm fine."

Katara joined them and put Maya down. "But Maya said you'd hurt your ankle?"

"I did!" Hanabi said. "But Kunik healed it!"

All eyes shot towards the boy, who awkwardly held up his wet hands.

"I think we've got another waterbender, sis," Sokka said.

Katara stood motionless, and Zuko could only say: "What?"

"I just did it like this," Kunik said. He poured out a little more water from the gourd, took Hanabi's hands, and lightly stroked over the grazed skin. When the glow subsided, her palms were soft and whole again. Everyone stared.

"Is- is that okay?" Kunik asked, suddenly nervous. Katara made a strange hiccuping noise, then crushed him into a big hug.


On the morning of Sokka's installment, Zuko woke up in Katara's tent only to find her gone already. This was unusual, she never got out of bed before him.

He quickly dressed in his formal clothes, then went to get Hanabi and take her to the Chief's tent. Hanabi spotted Maya and Kunik at the table and immediately ran over. The three had been inseparable since the accident. Hanabi, completely at home, helped herself to fish and rice from the communal bowls, then sat cross-legged on the pillows and started chatting with her friends.

"You look like you could use some breakfast too," Suki said from her seat next to the fire, and beckoned Zuko to join. He sat down next to her and also got himself some food. Suki noticed his gaze roaming around the tent, and said: "Katara's helping Sokka get dressed in his Chief clothes. Hakoda's there too. It's a big family moment."

"I can imagine. Must be stressful."

"They seemed to be having fun," Suki shrugged. "I heard a lot of laughter coming from our tent just now."

She bounced her baby daughter up and down on her knee. Little Yuka seemed a lot more energetic and loud than Hanabi at that age, or maybe Zuko just didn't remember it.

"Do you think you'll feel different, being the Chief's wife?" Zuko asked.

"Nah," she said. "I'll still go on teaching. Sokka's been preparing for this so long, I don't think things will change immediately."

The tent flap at the entrance was pushed aside and a small but robust figure stepped in, still dressed in oversized sleeping robes and with unruly hair.

"Goooood morning to all of you," she said, stretching herself out, "and especially to that tiny loudmouth on Suki's lap. She woke me up."

"Good morning, Toph," Suki answered. "Hungry?"

"You bet!" Toph planted herself next to Zuko, who handed her a bowl, and she extended her feet towards the fire.

'Aah, that's nice. I'm glad you didn't decide to hold this ceremony in winter. My feet are already frozen and it's not even snowing."

"Why don't you wear those sole-less socks Shanti knitted for you?" Suki asked.

"I don't like the colour." It took one second, then Suki and Zuko both burst into laughter. This prompted baby Yuka to cry again.

"Hey, can I hold her for a bit?" Toph asked. Suki looked doubtful, but carefully placed the baby in Toph's arms. Zuko raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Since when do you like babies?"

"I don't. Especially not after spending three nights on a sky bison with Aang's twins. Still better than getting seasick on a boat, but Spirits, they're annoying. But this one seems… feisty. I like her."

She cradled the baby in the nook of her elbow and lightly poked her. Yuka firmly grabbed her index finger with one little hand and her thumb with the other. She had stopped crying and seemed content exploring this interesting new person.

"Hah. Unbelievable how much strength she has in those tiny hands," Toph said. Zuko and Suki exchanged glances. Zuko shrugged. Suki took another bite of fish.


In the back of the tent, Katara pushed a flap away and stepped inside. Aang entered after her, and they stood next to each other, observing the others. No one had noticed them yet.

"Hard to believe this is the Chief's tent," Katara said. "It feels more like a nursery right now."

Aang laughed quietly. "Yeah, if even Toph is holding a baby…" He studied Katara's face, soft and warm in the reflection of the fire. He shuffled his foot on the carpeted floor, and awkwardly started: "How is that for you? With the children, I mean. Sorry if that's uncalled for, if you don't want to talk about it…"

Katara turned towards him and smiled. "It's alright. I've made my peace with it." She bit her lip. "Though I have to say it was a bit difficult to see Shanti and the twins, at first."

"I'm sorry this is the first time you meet them," Aang said. "I hope it doesn't ruin the festivities for you."

"It's good, actually. I was dreading it for a long time, and having it out of the way really clears things up."

"I was dreading it, too," Aang said. "I knew how it must make you feel."

They were silent for a bit. Katara stared at the fire. Aang swallowed.

"You know, I can't change the past, but…"

Katara raised her hand. "Don't say it, please."

"I wasn't going to say what you're thinking. Katara, I…" Aang took her hand, which startled her, but he looked at her earnestly. "I want to thank you for the time we spent together. I'm sorry I made it difficult for you. I felt really guilty ever since you left, but… Well, the truth is, I'm really happy right now. I want to leave the past behind and just enjoy the present. And I hope you can do that too. Do you think that's possible?"

Katara nodded. "I understand. Thanks, Aang. Some things are still a bit painful, but I've also moved on a long time ago."

Aang gave a cursive glance towards the fire, where Zuko was engaged in light-hearted banter with Toph and Suki. "I'm happy for you. I really am," he said.

"I'm happy for you too. You deserve happiness."

"So do you," Aang smiled. He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back.


At that moment, a horn sounded loudly outside. They both turned around. On the stage in front of the communal hall, Bato was blowing his lungs out on the large instrument, and Aang ran over to him. "Oh, let me, let me!"

Bato gladly pressed the narwalrus horn into his hands, and airbending-enhanced hornblowing blared all through the town. A crowd was already gathered in front of the building, and more people rushed in.

Zuko stood up from the fire and saw Katara, silhouetted against the bright light in the entrance. He walked up to her and offered her his arm. She smiled and took it. Arm in arm, they stepped outside.