"And so, Zuko became Fire Lord and Aang a fully realized Avatar and together, these two young men who were once enemies that became lifelong friends after many trials and hardships, brought about an era of peace and harmony to the world..."

The older woman paused in her storytelling for a moment to chuckle under her breath, her ember-colored eyes bright with mirth. "Or at least after they did after overcoming a few hiccups along the way. But that, my dears, is a story for another time." She clapped her slightly wrinkled hands and smiled down at the gaggle of children, teenagers, and even young adults that sat around her chair. "Now it's time for bed."

"Aw, Grams!" Two twin boys around eight years old whined simultaneously and both turned their respective amber and green eyes on her, staring up at her pleadingly.

"Just one more story?" The green-eyed boy, Zenji, begged.

"Please, Grandma Xia?" Zenji's amber-eyed brother, Kenji, added and jutted out his lower lip for effect, his twin quickly mimicking him.

Several of the Xiaodan's other young grandchildren-and one or two of the not so young ones-rallied behind the twin boys, imploring their grandmother for just one more story. They all loved when she told them stories, whether they were youngest of her grandchildren, who were only a year old or the oldest, who where in their early twenties. Her voice wove the words of the story together so well, that the children could almost see what was happening in their mind.

"Oh, no, no, those puppy-dog eyes won't work on me." Xiaodan replied, chidingly waving her finger at her grandchildren. "It's getting late and these old bones of mine need their rest."

The oldest of the group, a tall young man with dark brown hair and bronze-flecked gold eyes snorted in amusement as he leaned against the wall near the door. "Grams, you started an air-scooter race just this afternoon. Your 'old bones'," He made quotation marks with his fingers when he spoke the last two words, "Obviously, you aren't that tired."

"Well, yes, I did do that. But that was only because I don't stay up all night telling stories to children who refuse to sleep." Xiaodan stated then shook her finger at her eldest grandson. "And don't you take that snarky tone with me, Lu Ten. You may be twenty-two years old but that won't stop me from disciplining your butt."

Lu Ten rolled his eyes in exasperated amusement, while his cousins and two siblings laughed at his expense. His grandmother loved to complain about her old age despite the fact that she barely looked like she was in her early fifties and could do things people decades younger than her seventy-four years couldn't do. She claimed being elderly gave her to whine about everything and Lu Ten, along with his fellow grandchildren who were over the age of thirteen, had just accepted it as one of her many, many quirks.

Just then one of the youngsters sitting near the front of the half-circle that had formed around Xiaodan's chair, climbed out of her older sister's lap and stood up on slightly wobbly legs then stumbled her way over to her grandmother, clutching at the older woman's long robes when she reached her. Fiery-colored eyes peered up at the older woman out of a cherubic face as the little girl, named Xiaolian for her grandmother and great-great uncle, lisped endearingly.

"Pleathe, Grandma Xia?"

Xiaodan looked away from her granddaughter to the rest of her grandchildren and sighed in resignation when all of them, even Lu Ten and the four other elder ones in the gaggle, fixed her with the same look the little girl clutching her robes was giving her. It was one thing when it was just two of her grandchildren giving her the puppy-dog eyes, but when they all did at the same time? Well, even the person with the hardest, coldest heart in the world would melt and end up doing whatever was asked the children asked. Just ask their great aunt Azula.

"Okay, okay. I'll tell you another story if you all stopping looking at me like that." Her grandchildren burst into giggles and snickers and Xiaodan gave them all a deadpan look that didn't even hide the amused curve of her lips. "I hate it when you all gang up me like that. You know I can never say no when you all give me that look."

Some of her older grandchildren tried to look contrite, but most failed spectacularly when the younger ones continued to giggle at their grandmother's dramatics.

Xiaodan sighed again in a woeful manner and shook her head in feigned dismay, "You all of no respect for the elderly and their need for rest. Honestly, none at all."

"You're stalling..." The eldest girl, Anala, who was twenty-one, sang mildly. Her brilliant amber eyes danced with sly amusement as she regarded her grandmother over the blonde head of her three year old sister, Saranyu, sitting in her lap. Ursa, the second eldest girl giggled quietly behind her hand at her best friend and cousin, before holding her arms open to Xiaolian as her little sister stumbled back over to her, sprawling out in her lap with a happy sigh.

"Hush, miscreant granddaughter of mine." Xiaodan snipped without heat as she sat back in her chair and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. "I'm thinking of a story...Hmm..." She tapped her chin then smiled and looked at her grandchildren, "It's been awhile since I told you all the story of Sun Spirit and the First Dragons, hasn't it?"

When her grandchildren made sounds of assent, Xiaodan settled into her chair and folded her hands in her lap. "Yes, that's what I thought. Very well then." She cleared her throat, smiling slightly when all of her grandchildren seemed to lean forward in anticipation.

"Many people believe that Tui and La, the Moon and Ocean Spirits were the first to manifest in the mortal world, but that is not the case. For you see, thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago, long before the first Avatar, before humans had learned to bend from the first benders, before even they learned to the bending arts, there was a spirit that could pass freely between our world and the Spirit World. His name was Tai-Yang and he was the Sun Spirit..."

Finis?