A/N: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE.

You'll notice that I did not choose to re-write the battle scenes. It wasn't out of laziness, but more out of lack of want to write it so that Hakone narrated it; for the sake of the storyline, it plays out the same way as in the show, but with Hakone's and the Kyoshi Warriors' assistance. This also turned out to be one of the longest chapters I have ever written.

This is the LAST CHAPTER of Change of Heart. It has been a WILD ride writing this. It took a little more than half of a year I believe to completely compose this, as I had already written the first three chapters prior to publishing them in December of 2014.

I've enjoyed the response of this story from all of you, and I can happily say that this work has turned out to be my best and longest work yet, with 20 chapters, just over 40,000 words, 34 favorites and 39 followers. I'm proud of this work, especially when you consider that it was the first one that I wrote while at University.

Following this story is going to be hard for me, as I'm not entirely sure how long it is going to be before I create another work; I have a few ideas in the works, including The Legend of Korra, and possibly Harry Potter. I hope that ALL of you would be willing to follow me into my next journey. I love you all!

XXX

When night fell, I couldn't keep my eyes from searching the star-filled sky; Katara brought me a bowl of soup and sat beside me in silence as I ate. It was apparent that I wasn't the only one worried here, but I couldn't bring myself to initiate any conversation.

"They're going to be okay," Katara said some time after I had laid my bowl to the side.

"I hope so," I responded. The night fell quiet once more, and after a couple of minutes Katara left. An hour passed before Katara came to bid me a good night and then she and the others turned in for bed. Another hour passed by and I had to stand up and take a walk around the courtyard to stretch my legs. Another hour went by and my mind began to subconsciously wonder whether they had been captured… or worse. By the passing of the next hour, my worry had sunken into despair and panic.

Just as I was about to enter the house at a run to wake up the others, I heard a familiar groan in the sky. My eyes shot upward where the giant form of Appa was descending into the courtyard, his fur smoking along the left side of his body. They had been attacked.

I waited until Appa landed before running forward. Aang jumped off of Appa followed shortly by Zuko. They looked wary at me as I barreled toward them before I grabbed both of them into a hug.

"I was so worried. What happened? Is Appa okay?" I choked out between sobs of relief.

"We're fine – we got shot at about halfway back to the island and a flaming boulder grazed Appa's left side. It didn't hurt him, but it burned his fur off and it scared him so badly that we had to make an emergency landing," Aang explained hurriedly.

"Did they follow you?" I inquired. Zuko nodded but hastened to explain.

"They didn't make it far. Aang and I took out their ship before they could get close enough to the island that we had landed on,"

"Well, at least you're safe. What did you find out at the war council?"

"The Fire Lord is planning to launch an attack on the Earth Kingdom when the comet arrives," Zuko said.

"Well, we figured as much," I nodded.

"But there's more. He's planning to crown Azula the Fire Lord and declare himself the Phoenix King who rules over the world," Zuko added.

I couldn't help the dumbstruck look that covered my face.

"He… he's declaring himself the king of the world?" I asked. Zuko nodded, and it was then that I realized that Aang had gone into the house.

"Is he okay?" I asked Zuko as we walked into the house.

"I'm not sure. He knows that he has to face my father, but I'm not sure he's up to the job. He doesn't want to kill Ozai,"

"Well, he'll figure it out. What are we going to do?" I asked Zuko.

"We have a pretty good idea of what the plan of action is. We'll discuss it in the morning though, I'm worn out,"

I nodded and when we got into bed, I wrapped my arms around him before falling asleep.

When we rose the next morning, it was with some trepidation that we found out over breakfast that Aang had not come down yet. Katara had gone to check on him, but had found that he wasn't in his room.

"He isn't in his room?" Zuko asked, incredulously.

"No. His staff is there though, and Appa's still in the courtyard though, so he must still be on the island somewhere," She said. After a quick bite to eat, we separated and searched the island but when we regrouped at the house it was to our disappointment that none of us had been able to find him.

"How on earth did he get off of the island without flying?" I asked.

"There are footsteps leading toward the ocean on the beach, but he couldn't have gotten very far water bending or swimming," Katara said.

"Did anyone notice that Iroh is gone too?" Toph asked. Zuko looked ready to scream.

"And how did he get off of the island?" He asked angrily.

"He could have used fire bending," Sokka offered.

"He would grow too tired before he could cover a long distance enough to get to the next island or the mainland," Zuko said skeptically.

"I don't think so – he's been training lately," Toph said. "I could feel him at night when I would go to use the restroom doing all manner of exercise."

"What are we going to do?" I asked, looking expectantly at Zuko and Sokka.

"What are you looking at us for?" Sokka asked.

"Well, Aang's the leader of the group, but you usually come up with all of the ideas," I said. "And Zuko is now the only person who knows what the Fire Nation is planning to unleash on the world tomorrow,"

Sokka blushed but then looked toward Zuko. "We need to know everything that you overheard yesterday," He said.

Quickly, Zuko informed us that Ozai had planned for a fleet to cross the Earth Kingdom and unleashing a stream of fire to burn it to ash.

"How are we going to stop that?" I asked, horrified of the prospect.

"We'll have to get to them before they can get to us," Zuko said. "And we have to stop Azula from assuming the throne when Ozai abdicates."

From there, they came up with a plan that sounded insane to me. But what annoyed me was the fact that Zuko didn't want me to come with him to face Azula.

"Why not?" I growled, hurt, staring at him.

"Think, Hakone. Azula knows that you're my weak spot. If I know her, and I know her very well, she'll do everything in her power to take you out,"

I fell silent, and nodded, knowing that he was right. No matter how much I hated it, I couldn't be there when he faced Azula. I had a really bad feeling that this wouldn't be any normal fight.

"We have to take care of this in a matter of a couple of hours," Sokka said.

"You'll have to take Appa," I said.

"We'll take you to the Earth Kingdom first and then redouble for the palace. We have plenty of time before sundown," Zuko said.

We ate a brief lunch together before we had to board Appa. I held Zuko closely to me, hoping that he would stay safe.

"I love you," I whispered into his ear.

"I love you too," He responded, kissing me.

"Katara – keep him safe," I said gravely.

"I'll do what I can," She gave me a bracing smile.

After a while we landed on Earth Kingdom soil and dismounted Appa.

"Good luck," Zuko said to the three of us as they boarded Appa again.

When I looked around I saw a girl that I didn't know staring openmouthed at us. She looked rather shocked to see us, but I couldn't figure out why.

"Sokka?" She asked incredulously.

"Suki?" He gasped. The two ran to each other and I looked to Toph for an answer, but she merely shrugged.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you on Kyoshi Island?" He asked her.

The girl named Suki grinned at him.

"We had a visit from an old man in the night saying that we should come here,"

"You and the warriors?" He asked.

"Yes, Sokka. The island isn't far from the mainland and it only took us the night to travel here,"

I gathered, before Sokka filled us in, that they had visited this Kyoshi Island before they had reached the North Pole. After Sokka filled Suki in on both our plan and the Fire Nation's plan, we found ourselves surrounded by the Kyoshi warriors – all of whom were wearing a traditional set of clothing that looked similar to paintings of Avatar Kyoshi that I had seen before – which made sense considering they were from the island that Avatar Kyoshi had made during her time.

Together with the Kyoshi warriors, we settled ourselves into waiting for the next day. We understood that the fleet would be arriving prior to sunrise, and we would be doing everything in our power to prevent it.

XXX

AFTERWARD

It was still hard to believe that it was over. After we took down the Fire Nation air fleet, Aang somehow managed to take away Ozai's ability to Fire Bend. Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara faced Azula, who had dipped into insanity. After being crowned Fire Lord, Zuko addressed the Fire Nation alongside Aang. It appeared that the Fire Nation had been living under fear of Ozai's regime that had lasted for the last three generations, and the citizens of the Fire Nation welcomed the new era of peace and kindness with open arms.

It was with happiness that I told Zuko that I would marry him any day now that his father had been removed and that the war had come to an end. He responded enthusiastically, and when I woke on the third day of the war ending, I found myself being ushered into a room away from Zuko's new room – an enormous room that felt more like a hall, with a huge bed that could probably hold twelve people comfortably.

Katara was with me, and she explained that it was a Fire Nation tradition for two people who are going to be married to not see each other for a week. I found this to be exceptionally annoying. I had to go for a week without seeing him?

"It's absurd," I frowned and accepted the large breakfast that had been brought in for me.

But there was no arguing the point. I wouldn't have been able to have seen him anyway; after an hour and a half of asking Katara where he was, I was informed that he and Aang had set out on Appa for some reason.

The week passed by agonizingly slow. Iroh, it turned out, had disappeared from the island fire bending, like Toph had suggested, to join the Order of the White Lotus – a group of impartial masters who wanted the war to end – in their efforts to release Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation's grips, which had happened just after we had left the city for Ember Island. He had returned to the palace after Zuko had sent an order to have the Fire Nation stand down immediately and to have the general who was holding the city arrested.

Zuko had followed the same process for each location that was being held under Fire Nation tyranny – ordering them to stand down and arresting whomever was in charge of the location before they would stand before Zuko, Aang, and Iroh in a trial to decide their fate.

I spent the week in the smaller room, having my meals brought to me, and my companions were Katara, Sokka, Toph, and occasionally Iroh and Suki. Ty Lee and Mai had been given full pardons from Zuko, when I reminded him that Mai and Ty Lee had helped me and that they only worked for Azula out of fear; they came and went occasionally. Mai's iciness toward me for being with Zuko had melted and it turned out that she was genuinely funny if a little dry.

When the end of the week arrived, I was told that I was still not allowed to see Zuko because, in a letter that Zuko had written me, he had decided that we would be married that day.

"But…" I started after I read the letter, but before I could do any complaining, the door to my room opened.

Standing there, with looks that were a mixture of amazement, shock, and happiness, was my family.

Kommi and Noruk, my little siblings, screamed in delight and ran to me faster than bullets. I fell to my knees and embraced them – they had gotten so big in the year that had passed. Noruk and Kommi's heads both reached past my waist now. They chattered along energetically as my parents got closer.

"Hakone!" My mother said grabbing me tightly before pulling back to look at me, holding my shoulders. "You've grown up so much."

My father, always a man of few words, hugged me tightly, a smile large and white on his face.

"But how are you even here?" I asked staring in wonder at them.

"Your… um, your fiancé and the Avatar came to collect us," My mother said, smiling.

"We asked Korrik to come, but he had other engagements… he is also getting married today," My father said.

"What! Korrik, married?" I laughed. "To who? I thought that he was staying in the South Pole."

"He returned a few weeks ago with a girl in tow from the Southern Water Tribe; I expect that they'll be happy together," My mother grinned.

I spent the rest of the day with them until Katara arrived at my door, carrying a long blue cloth-covered parcel with Sokka following her.

"It's time," Katara said, smiling. "My brother will take you to the location." She said to my parents who grabbed very reluctant to leave Kommi and Noruk and followed Sokka out of the room.

"What's this?" I asked as she handed me the parcel.

"Your wedding attire," She grinned.

"You've got to be kidding," I said as I unwrapped the long ocean blue robe that was trimmed in white and purple. It was absolutely gorgeous.

"Nope," She said and turned around while I disrobed and slipped the new one on; it slid over my skin like water and felt weightless.

After I had gotten it on, she grabbed my hand and pulled me from the room and through a series of hallways before we stopped at a door.

"Wait until you hear the music," She warned before slipping through the door. Bright sunlight blinded me momentarily and I couldn't see anything through the crack that she had slipped through.

I waited for what felt like a long time, trying to focus my breathing. I was incredibly nervous, although I wasn't sure what for, and felt like I might vomit.

Before I could give the latter thought much time, I heard a loud blare of a tsungi horn. I grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. Sunlight blinded me for a moment, and all I could hear was the horn and the sound of drums. When I regained my eyesight, I took in the fact that I was facing a large square in front of the palace. Across the way from me, Zuko was stepping out of his own door, wearing an exquisite robe that matched the style of mine but in red, gold, and black. Slowly to the beat of the drums we walked from our doors to meet in the middle in front of a large staircase that we turned to climb.

At the top, Aang stood waiting for us clothed in a simple robe of yellow and orange – similar to the one that he had worn the day that he and Zuko had addressed the Fire Nation. He smiled hugely when we stopped in front of him and held his hands aloft.

"Ladies and gentlemen; we are gathered here to witness the unification of these two in love and marriage," As Aang said this, I took in the fact that a large ice sculpture of the Northern Water Tribe symbol and a large flaming Fire Nation symbol were behind Aang, and beautiful flowers of all kinds were everywhere. "Today, by the power of the Avatar, I will bind these two together."

"Do you, Fire Lord Zuko, take Hakone of the Northern Water Tribe to be yours in love?"

"I do," Zuko said.

"Do you, Fire Lord Zuko, promise to honor Hakone above all others, protect him when he needs it, to share everything you own equally, and to love him no matter what?"

"I do."

"Do you, Master Hakone of the Northern Water Tribe, take Fire Lord Zuko to be yours in love?" Aang asked, turning to me.

"I do," I answered, hoping my voice wouldn't crack from the sudden rush of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me.

"Do you, Master Hakone, promise to honor Fire Lord Zuko above all others, protect him when he needs it, to share everything you own equally, and to love him no matter what?"

"I do."

Nodding, Aang reached into his robe and pulled out a long ribbon that was blue on one end and red on the other. Knowing what would come next, I lifted my left arm up and Zuko raised his right arm where we grasped the other's hand tightly.

"With this, I hereby tie the Fire Lord with his chosen life partner of the Northern Water Tribe," Aang announced, and tied the ribbon around our hands.

Aang finished tying it and then raised his hands again.

"Fire Lord Zuko will now say a few words," Aang said.

I looked away from him and turned to Zuko, whose gleaming Fire Lord crown sat in his hair that had once been cut away, newly tied with a bright red ribbon.

"As it is custom, the spouse of the Fire Lord is to be treated with utmost respect and the only authority greater than that of the Fire Prince or Princess Consort resides with myself as the Fire Lord. I hereby declare Hakone of the Northern Water Tribe, Master Water Bender, as the new Fire Prince Consort," He said and reached into his robe to reveal a small, delicately crafted flame crest and Aang took from him and tied into my hair with a red ribbon.

"I hereby pronounce you, by the power vested in me as the Avatar, married. You may kiss," He grinned.

He was positively glowing. Slowly, so as not to ruin the moment, he pressed his lips to mine. The crowd erupted into applause and cheers, but I scarcely heard them from the beating of my heart and the happy knowledge that I had married the love of my life.