And here we are. The epilogue, which is...depressingly short, all things considered. Only four pages. But...but epilogues usually are short, so it's okay, right?

My thanks, as always, to Stingrae, for helping me get this far.

Also thanks to all my awesome readers. I remember when I first started writing this thing, and I thought, "Man. This story is about a dead guy who only got one line in the series and the two-dimensionally evil organization canon only cared for as a plot point and the fandom doesn't care about at all. Most of the cast is comprised of OCs. How many people are actually going to read this thing?" At which point Stingrae told me to stop worrying about it and keep writing. I quickly agreed that this was the best course of action, if only because this story was so very determined to be told.

That doesn't mean I don't get all giggly and squeeful when I see the number of hits and visitors. People are actually reading this thing. And enjoying it, no less! So thanks, guys. It means a lot. ^_^

Now, enough babbling. Enjoy the epilogue! (There are, however, some more notes at the end, if you're in the mood for more babbling...)

Epilogue - We All Fall Down

Xiaofan didn't like how dark it was down here.

He was in his room, curled up on his bed, ignoring his aching legs, enjoying the warmth of the blankets, and trying to fall asleep. But sleep was slow in coming, and with every passing moment Xiaofan felt like the walls were pressing in on him, and the ceiling was bowing down under the weight of the lake above. The stone was too hard, and the air was too still, and the temperature was too cold, and everything was so dark. A heavy, deep sort of darkness, without even any light from the moon or stars.

It was frightening, and he really didn't like it, and he supposed he'd have to get used to it.

It could be worse, he told himself. He could be dead.

He lay there a few minutes more, and then he reached out into the darkness for the cloth he couldn't see but knew was lying on the small table beside the bed. He pulled it away, and the room was instantly flooded with a gentle, green light from the glowstone the cloth had covered. It wasn't sunlight, or even a candle, but it was better than nothing.

Yuan had handed it to him before showing him to his room, saying he'd need some sort of light. Nice guy, Yuan. He'd been happy to help Xiaofan get settled in, even though it was the end of the day and Director Quy had mentioned that Yuan had a family to get home to. He'd even lent Xiaofan some extra clothes. They hadn't had much time to get to know each other, but Xiaofan thought Yuan seemed like a pretty decent person. Friendly, even.

Xiaofan decided he'd have to be friendly to as many people as possible, himself. And work hard. And maybe, after a while, the Dai Li directors would see that he really was on their side, and not a Fire Nation spy in disguise. Maybe they'd even trust him.

For now, though, he had to get to sleep.

Xiaofan reached out for the glowstone. It was small enough that he could pick it up with one hand, and he took it from the table and set it beside him on the mattress. The light was soothing, even though it was weird and green, and he felt himself relax as it washed over him.

Within minutes, he was asleep.

o0O0o

Enlai paged through the last few papers that had come in at the end of the day. Most were forms or requests that needed to be approved, and those he set aside on Long Feng's desk to be handled later. Others were more important or informational, and those he sorted into another pile, summarizing them as he went.

"The latest report from General How states that the Fire Army is withdrawing entirely," he said.

"Good," Long Feng nodded, looking over a budget report he was almost through reviewing.

"Also, the Council of Five has chosen General Sung to replace General Sang Shi," Enlai said.

"Also good. Is there anything else?"

Enlai paused to look at the little scrap of paper in his hand. "Director Shirong says that Xiaofan Yu is settling in well."

Long Feng was silent.

Enlai went about straightening up the reports on the desk, making sure everything was in place before calling an end to a long day. He thought about the Firebender under the lake, and wondered how this was going to play out. Like most of the others, Enlai had the feeling that keeping the Firebender around was a pointlessly stupid idea. They should have just run the experiment and then gotten rid of him. And that was his common sense talking, not the oath he'd failed to keep.

"And if that doesn't happen? If the north flank isn't wiped out?"

"I'm a spy. I've snuck into this city plenty of times. I think I'd find a way to extract payment. Enlai."

Enlai actually didn't feel any fear over Lee's threat. It wasn't like the man had any way to know that a single soldier had survived. Especially since he was probably well on his way back to the Fire Nation right now. And even if Lee did, somehow, show up, Enlai wasn't the slightest bit worried about how the consequences would play out. He was an agent of the Dai Li. He could deal with a Firebender if he had to.

And he was undoubtedly going to have to, if Xiaofan was going to stick around. Even if the man didn't remember how to bend anymore, Enlai refused to let his guard down. Keeping Xiaofan around was a dangerous and stupid idea, and Enlai thought that Long Feng should have told Shirong, point-blank, no.

He had a feeling that Long Feng might think the same thing.

"I believe this goes without saying, Enlai," Long Feng said at last. "But keep an eye on Xiaofan."

"Of course, sir."

o0O0o

Shirong sat at his desk in his office, tucking all the notes he'd made on the Firebender's reconditioning into a folder. He'd have to take them back to his house in the Upper Ring soon; no point in leaving them around where any reeducation officer could come across them. Granted, Shirong's underlings knew better than to snoop through his office, but there was always a chance someone would accidentally come across them while looking for some other piece of paperwork.

And it wouldn't do for lower-ranking agents to learn that there was a brainwashed Firebender in their midst. He wanted Xiaofan to have a normal life now, after all. As normal a life as a gold-eyed refugee could have, at any rate.

Shirong couldn't wait for things to go back to normal, himself. He glanced at the stack of reports on the reconditioned farming families that had been sitting on his desk for half a week now, waiting for his attention. The experiment was over; time to get back to work.

He picked up the last page of notes on the Firebender – one of the first things he'd ever written about the boy. A simple piece of paper, covered in notes on the Firebender's childhood and family life. Shirong stared at it for a moment before snorting and placing it in the folder with the rest.

Whoever Jouin had been didn't matter anymore. His past and future, his thoughts and feelings, his hopes and dreams – all were locked away, buried so deep into his subconscious that they might as well have never existed. They might come back out someday, of course – all reeducations came with the risk of a rebound. But Shirong would be ready for that day, for his creation's sake.

Jouin was dead. All there was now was Xiaofan.

o0O0o

Azula was brushing her hair when someone knocked at her bedroom door. The princess frowned. It couldn't be her brother, because Zuzu had stumbled off to bed a few hours ago, exhausted after the long night of Father's coronation celebrations. It couldn't be Mother, because...

Well. Because.

And Father wouldn't knock.

Servant, then, the little girl surmised.

The visitor knocked again. "Princess Azula, I am sorry to disturb you - "

"What is it?" she demanded, not bothering to leave her vanity.

"There's a delivery for you."

Azula blinked at her reflection, comb halfway through her hair. A delivery? What sort of delivery?

Maybe Mom -

She squashed the thought. The hope. Mother didn't care.

Not about her, at least.

"You may enter," she said, and the servant did so.

"I apologize for keeping you up, Princess," she said, hurrying forward. "But I thought you might want this." She presented a little box, sealed shut. "It was meant to be delivered with Prince Iroh's last letter and gifts."

Azula snorted at the thought of the stupid doll. The only thing she'd liked about the toy was how nicely it'd burned. But still, horrible gifts or not, there was no excuse for this new package's less-than-prompt delivery. "Why wasn't it?"

"Ah, well... My apologies, Princess, but it got lost at the bottom of a crate. We only just found it."

Azula snorted again and took the little box, wondering if she should just burn it now and save herself the trouble of looking inside. If Uncle had sent her another doll -

Only it wasn't from Uncle, she realized, staring at the words painted on the box, detailing who it was for and who it was from. Azula went very still when she saw the names. It was for her, of course. But it was from Lu Ten.

He sent me something. Lu sent me something.

"You're dismissed," she said, eyes fixed on the box. The woman bowed and walked out.

The moment the door closed behind the servant, Azula yanked the lid off the box. Inside lay a small slip of paper.

Zuli, it said in a dead man's handwriting. This is a piece of the Outer Wall. We've had chunks of the stuff lying all over camp ever since we blasted through. With any luck, by the time you get this, we'll have taken Ba Sing Se's Agrarian Zone. It'll be an easy road to victory after that. Dad and I are hoping we'll be home by the New Year.

I hope you like it - more so than some silly doll, at least.

Love, Lu

The only other thing in the box was a chunk of tan stone.

Azula stared at the note. Reread it a couple times. Then she carefully folded it up, and tucked it back into the box.

Next, she picked up the rock, and found it hefty and coarse to the touch. It was different from Fire Nation stone forged in volcanoes, which was dark in color and glassy in texture. The rock of Ba Sing Se was light-colored and rough, and seemed to be made up of innumerous little sand and silt particles, all packed together to form a solid chunk.

Azula turned it over in her hands, noting the thickness, the density.

No wonder we couldn't get through.

Not for five hundred ninety-five days, at least. But then they had.

And then they'd lost.

Uncle wouldn't even avenge his own son's death.

Azula stared at the stone in her hands, and imagined mile-high walls made of such stuff.

She imagined them falling to her.

Soooo...final notes and whatnot, in no particular order.

First off, in one of the first reviews I ever got (from OmniSchreiber), it was theorized that Lu Ten's death hit little Azula harder than she let on. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks so. It's a perfectly viable option - not necessarily provable, but not disprovable, either. That said, next time you watch The Drill, watch it with the idea that Azula's not only trying to conquer Ba Sing Se - she's also trying to take the vengeance her uncle wouldn't. Suddenly, her utter determination in that episode has a feeling of...desperation to it, too.

Moving on. What a Week, the sequel to Gilded Green, is still being written. In completely related news, my work schedule is still crazy (and, for the record, will remain so until January). With any luck, What a Week will be postable within the next few weeks. I'm giving myself until Halloween-ish to get it together, but hopefully I'll have it done before then. Not making any promises, though.

And if you don't know how you're gonna make it through those weeks, never fear! I have fic recommendations! Fic recommendations that are relevant to the Dai Li, no less! Or at least Lu Ten...

First off is The Formation of a Team, by my beta stingrae90. Just as I've been working on the Dai Li boys, Stingrae's been working on the Kyoshi Warrior girls, giving them backstories and families and personalities and all that awesome stuff. How is this relevant to the Dai Li, you ask? Because the Kyoshi Warriors are the Dai Li's sister organization, duh. Also, if you like to think that there was once a time when the Fire Nation Royal Family was only slightly screwed up instead of completely screwed up, check out Learning to Share, A Shoulder to Cry On, Play Nice, and Remembering You. Featuring pre-fratricidal!Azula, and sometimes exasperated!Lu Ten.

As for fics that focus mainly on the Dai Li, I highly recommend Rebecca Hb. and Dark Puck's work. Their stories greatly inspired my Dai Li, and reading their stuff really helped me understand shades of gray. Not to mention that I really like their characterization of Long Feng, and their interpretation of the Dai Li's "betrayal." Since they beta each other's stuff a lot, most of their Dai Li works are interrelated, so if you don't understand something in one fic, chances are it's explained in another. As Dai Li fics go (not that there's many of them in the first place), the ones written by these two authors are definitely the best.

Annnnnd...yeah, it's midnight, and that's all I can think of to say for right now. Except for that it's weird to think that, after two-and-a-half years of writing and worldbuilding, I'll be posting this chapter and clicking the "complete" button in just a few moments.

Thanks again to all you guys for sticking with me through this thing, and here's hoping you'll enjoy the rest of the ride! Feel free to PM me if you've got any questions or whatever in the following weeks, and I hope to see you all in the sequel(s)!

Caelum Blue