The Bond of Honor

Chapter 22 Epilogue

Authors I don't own Avatar just my OC's and I want to thank my Beta Half Jaw for helping me write this fic.

The Dragons Lair

General Zaa stood next to the speaker and began his speech while Kalo and other army officers watched on Zaa said, "No less than an hour ago, Fire Lord Ozai Sozen committed suicide and thus abandoned all those who had pledged allegiance to him, loyal soldiers you obeyed the Fire Lord's orders and were prepared to continue fighting on despite the fact you were running out of supplies and further fighting was futile. I order an immediate ceasefire; every hour of fighting will only prolong the suffering of the Fire Nation people and of our own wounded comrades. In agreement with the new Fire Nation government, I order all of you to cease fighting at once. Zaa former commanding officer of the Drano defence forces."

Zaa then stopped speaking and quietly said, "A glass of water please" before he collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion. Kalo then said to an officer under Zaa's command "Send that order out to all soldiers under Ozai's command, the Fire Nation civil war is now and truly over."

The soldier nodded and left to carry out his new orders as other soldiers carried Zaa's body out of the room.

A few weeks Fire Nation prison

Former president of the Fire Nation Peoples Court Wa Zhung sat in his cell and looked at the solid grey wall as the door opened and two soldiers put a tray of food down on the table along with a paper.

As the left, the room Wa walked over read what the paper said with bad news for him.

These People are traitors to the Fire Nation

General Amin Zaa

Admiral Vai Hug

General Li Kiji

Admiral Sai Taui

Chief of security and Ember Guard leader Lang Fasu

All Ember Guards

All Dai Li

And President of the Fire Nation People's Court Wa Zhung

Wa then stopped reading the list when the door opened again and Wa was shocked when High General Kalo Tzhang entered the cell and sat on the chair before he said to the former judge, "I take it you've read the list Wa, listen the new Fire Nation government is prepared to give you a full pardon and a lot on money in exchange for your cooperation with a few delicate matters."

Wa looked at Kalo for the first time and said, "What delicate matters do you mean Kalo?" Kalo smiled and said, "The rest of Ozai's inner circle, we have them imprisoned here as well and they will die soon enough. Now the offer is a pardon and a lot of money, if you agree to preside over some special trials to get rid of those who killed Ozai Sozen in the Ember Guard coup attempt. If you don't help us, you'll be on trial in your very own court. Now Wa what do you say?".

Wa was silent as he considered his options and then said, "I'll do it Kalo," and the High General smiled as he led the judge out of the room to get him ready for the trials in the coming days.

A few days later Fire Nation Peoples Court

Wa looked on as the police brought in the accused former Ember Guard leader and Chief of Security Lang himself Wa then yelled out, "What you did to Fire Lord Ozai Sozen is an outrage that never been done before anywhere in the history of the world!, an assaination attempt on a leader of a great nation!!. And I'm disgusted at how you and several other generals and admirals declared you could do things better than he who was the lord and leader of us all!!!. Do you confess to having said and those despicable acts of treason against the Fire Nation?".

Lang looked at Wa for a few seconds before he replied, "Yes, I do confess to these crimes, I did and I deserve punishment for my crimes".

Wa suddenly yelled out, "You do deserve punishment for your treason Lang!, just like the others who helped you in your coup attempt!. And I made my decision. The People's Court sentences you to death by hanging. Take him away!!".

A few hours later and all the trials were over and all accused were given the same sentence guilty, but the punishment varied from death, to at least 70 years in prison.

Wa then went into his office just near the courtroom where he saw Kono with a bottle of wine in his hands and Kono said, "I propose a toast Wa to justice being severed". However when Wa drank the wine he felt a sudden pain go through his entire body and fell to the ground seconds later twitching in agony and Kono said quietly, "It's amazing what poison can do isn't it Wa".

Kono then left the room as Wa lay on the ground dying from the poison drink and with his death; all of Fire Lord Ozai's inner circle were dead or imprisoned for the rest of their lives with no hope of ever being free to cause war or destruction ever again.

A few months later

After the trials and consolation of power by the Red Flame Organisation was complete with the last people on their wanted list killed or in prison, the Fire Nation Noble Court and Council were then made more important parts of the government with both groups having elected members and power to make laws that could become only full law with the Fire Lord and his cabinet's approval.

And as well as that massive changes were made to everyday life in the Fire Nation, schools got rid of the oath to the Fire Lord and instead of learning propaganda they now learned, actual Fire Nation history, music, culture and religion.

While the army got a new oath to the county instead of an oath to their leader and after the civil war ended with Ozai's death, Zuko had immediately ordered the pulling out of all soldiers from Earth Kingdom cities except for five colonies which they had gotten very early on in the war and those people were in the minds of the Fire Nation, their people.

As for Avatar Aang after Kalo murdered Ozai he had left the Fire Nation as per the Red Flames punishment a lifelong ban from entering the Fire Nation unless for peace talks or diplomatic visits under pain of death. He had gone to the air temples apparently trying to find any signs that any other Air Nomads survived the attacks or any sign of where any possible hiding places they could have gone were so far he wasn't having any success at all.

After the changes were made to the Fire Nation everyday life the government decided it was time to hold a peace conference to discuss the war's aftermath and what price the Fire Nation would have to pay to answer for what they did.

The conference was held in Omashu and it lasted for three weeks and The Water Tribes had agreed to accept the Fire Nation's offer of help to rebuild what they destroyed especially in the Southern Tribe and send supplies to those who needed it most, and in return the Water Tribes agreed to accept the Fire Nation's offer of surrender with no occupation of Fire Nation territory.

However the Earth Kingdom were insistent that the Fire Nation surrender to them unconditionally, all colonies set up by the Fire Nation be returned to the Earth Kingdom as soon as possible and that the Fire Nation be occupied by the Earth Kingdom Army for at least 100 years as well as their government be dissolved and the Fire Lord position be got rid of forever.

The Fire Nations response was swift they flat out refused to return all the colonies as the majority of people there both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation wanted to remain with the Fire Nation and did not wish to be ruled by a government from Ba Sing Se. And as for the proposed occupation of the Fire Nation by the Earth Kingdom army, High General Kalo Tzhang had made it clear to the Earth Kingdom that if even a single Earth Kingdom navy ship tried to force its way to the Fire Nation mainland he would have it destroyed in an instant. And as for the proposed removal of the Fire Nation government and Fire Lord position, the Earth Kingdom was told that it wouldn't happen in a million years.

In the end, it was agreed by all sides that the Fire Nation would pay reparations for what they did and that army number would cut down by a tenth at least. And that the Fire Nation would be allowed keep four colonies on the Earth Kingdoms western coast and that a neutral zone would be created from Omashu to Gaoling and that entry by either the Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation army would be an act or war.

As for the Air Nomads, the Fire Nation pledged to build memorial sites all over their country so no would ever forget the air benders and the other nations pledged to do the same in their countries.

After the conference, High General Kalo Tzhang soon married the love of his life June Sato in a small private wedding with the only guests being close friends and family.

Azula led the rebuilding efforts of the Fire Nation army in the Earth Kingdom, slowly but surely, Azula was earning forgiveness for her past crimes against the world in service to Ozai.

Zuko continued to lead the Fire Nation through the horrors of the war and the civil war to a new age of peace with the help of Iroh, Ursa and Katara. And 10 years after the civil war Zuko married Katara in a big wedding but Aang refused to attend.

16 years later Fire Nation

A young girl no older than 4 or 5 sat in her bed and listened intently as her father told her a bedtime story one that she loved hearing The Hunter and The Soldier.

The father finished the story by saying "The soldier and the hunter, soon defeated the evil dragon and saved the town from his evil forever".

The father then stood up to leave when the girl said, "Then what happened daddy?" The father smiled and said "The soldier and hunter soon got married and lived happily ever after, now go to sleep I love you very much".

The girl then said, "I love you too daddy," and fell asleep seconds later. The father left the bedroom and entered the kitchen when he saw his wife making a cup of tea and he said, "Mind making another cup while you're at it my love?"

She then gave him a second cup already made and the father said, "Thanks June." She nodded and kissed Kalo on the lips and suddenly broke the kiss when she saw their son in the hallway looking at his father curiously.

Kalo then said, "Son what is it, what's wrong?" Saui only replied "Today in school, we learned about the Fire Nation coup by the army against Ozai Sozen. And the civil war as well. I need to know dad, did you really kill Ozai in cold blood?"

Kalo was silent for a few minutes as he considered what to tell his son a lie, or the truth. Kalo then said, "Yes son I did kill Ozai Sozen in cold blood. I did it because it was the only way to make sure the civil war and the war would end once and for all, Ozai was too dangerous to be left alive in prison, he would have escaped and took over the Fire Nation again. So I hope you can understand why I killed him."

Saui nodded and hugged Kalo and said, "I don't care if you are a killer dad, that was in the past you're my father and I love you." Kalo hugged his son back and said, "I love you as well Saui, you, your sister and your mother. I love you all so much."

June then kissed Kalo on the lips and said, "And I love you Kalo with every fiber of my being".

Kalo only smiled as the moon appeared over the city of Malhalla and for a split second Kalo swore he saw a young woman smile at him, for reason unknown to him.

Western Earth Kingdom

A man ran through the forests as he saw his pursuers gaining on him with every passing second. Then he saw one of his pursuers ahead of him and the man knew he had no chance of escape and his blood curdling screams were heard all across the forest as the wolves devoured him.

Authors notes well that is the end of The Bond of Honor I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I want to thank all my reviewers for their comments of praise for this fanfic and the ideas I had for the plot.

Now I have some bad news for all of you this is the last feature length Avatar fic I'll be writing for awhile as I'm going to be working on my Star Wars story arc The Plague Ship and I really hope you all read it cause if you liked my original ideas in this fic, then you will like The Plague Ship Saga. But I will let you know this a sequel to this fic is being planned and I'll begin working on it as soon as I finish the Plague Ship Saga.