Chapter 40 – Epilogue

Mai walked leisurely through the garden at the royal palace and stopped to take in the beauty of it all. Her favourite spot was the small pond by the ancient cherry tree. It was in full blossom and its pink flowers made the already enchanting place magical.

Every time she came back here she remembered when she and her friends met Sokka for the first time not so many years ago. The scheming of Ozai and Ursa, not to mention her own parents, had brought no end of grievances upon her and her friends but Sokka had been the one to keep them all together and even saved them all. Perhaps even from themselves? Mai thought so at least…

Strange as it seemed with all that had happened to her and her friends during that turbulent year, she remembered it fondly. Whatever heartache and sorrow had befallen her then – the pleasant memories and friendships that had evolved into unbreakable bonds made up for it.

It all could have ended in tragedy for her and probably all her friends but it didn't. Instead they had survived and flourished.

"Daddy, I have found mommy!" A child's voice cried out close to her and startled her out of her reverie. "What are you doing here, mother?" Her daughter Izumi asked more seriously as she stopped before her mother.

Mai smiled at her serious six year old daughter and scoped Izumi up in in her arms with a chuckle and twirled her around. She was rewarded with a happy laugh and a tight hug in return.

"As a child I played here with your Aunt Azula and Aunt Ty Lee a lot and it was here where I met your father and Uncle Sokka for the first time." Mai told Izumi solemnly when they had stopped laughing.

"Ohh…" Her beautiful daughter answered and looked around at the tranquil scenery.

"Was it here Uncle Sokka gave you this?" Izumi asked with the innocence of a child and touched the black betrothal necklace that Mai always wore.

"Yes, Izumi." Mai answered with a kind but solemn smile. "It was here Sokka gave me this necklace and made me a part of his family."

What Mai said was true. She still wore the black medallion that Sokka had given her as a sign that they were engaged. But for Mai the necklace symbolized so much more. With it she finally had a family to call her own.

And it didn't hurt that it subtly reminded the high and powerful Azula that Mai had Sokka's back. She knew for a fact that Azula really disliked Mai wearing it but Azula had never said a word to Mai about it. Mai's husband on the other hand had not been content to stay silent on the subject in the beginning of their relationship but Mai had explained why she carried it and if he still had any issues with it he could see it as a life-long punishment for figuratively leaving her at the altar. Needless to say, she had won that argument…

Then Zuko arrived and smiled lovingly at his wife and daughter. He always made her heart flutter when he smiled like that. Mai had found him in Ba Sing Se serving tea in a tea shop of all things and lived with him there until Sokka called her back to serve as his chief of staff. Zuko had come home with her and had taken over a tea plantation in the mountains overseeing the Caldera. He had become both happy and successful, just like her. They lived a good life together with their little daughter.

Suddenly her employer came bursting out of the palace and running toward them hollering loudly as he ran this way and that. Sokka had become tall and even if he still insisted on keeping his strange haircut, he looked very much like the second most powerful man in the Fire Nation. He trained with Mai regularly so she knew he had become far stronger than when he was a gangly youth.

He carried his daughter, the crown heir, on his shoulders. Princess Azira was the living image of her mother, she had Azula's pale skin, golden eyes and black bangs. She had already started to firebend, to her parents' great joy and pride. Yet when you came to know her you came to discover that she had her father's sense for mischievousness. At the tender age of five years old she had undertaken some already immortalized pranks…

One that Mai remembered most vividly had been when she had placed firecrackers in the fire trench in the throne room. The Fire Lord had not been amused…

Azira's explanation for placing the firecrackers in the fire trench was that she was not allowed to set them off by herself and that she had to be close to her parents while sating her curiosity. The child would become a force to be reckoned with when she grew up. Perhaps not a surprise since the girl's parents were Azula and Sokka to tell the truth.

"There you are!" Sokka said laughingly and embraced Mai to the amusement of both Azira and Izumi. "Did you arrive just now?" Sokka asked Mai as he put the Princess down when they finally had disentangled themselves from Mai and Izumi.

Mai answered Sokka's question and regarded her best friend with clear eyes. Sokka was still the first advisor to the Fire Lord even if the official title was now Prime minister. Sokka was laughing at something Izumi said and was now teasing her gently. Children loved Sokka, according to Sokka because he treated them with dignity and respect but Mai silently agreed with Azula that it was more likely because he could be so silly at times.

But Mai, who worked at his side on a daily basis, knew how clever and indispensable he was to the Fire Nation. It was he who led the Fire Nation's armies, heavily outnumbered and surrounded, to victory in the Colonial war and it was he who managed to talk Azula out of keeping the Earth Kingdom throne for herself and so ending the Colonial war. Or the "Long war" as Sokka wittingly called it after their enemy Long Feng, especially clever since the war had been surprisingly short.

That was a feat worthy of a small statue in Mai's humble opinion.

"Where is your sister, Azira?" Mai asked the princess as the men continued their conversation. "I haven't seen her all day?"

Azira considered Mai's question a little while before answering.

"She and Aunt Ty Lee are watching Aunt Katara waterbend." The small princess answered before taking hold of Izumi who Mai had let down when her cousin had turned up. The girls hadn't seen each other for quite some time after all.

"Look, turtle ducks! Let's explore!" Azira cried and ran over to the other side of the small pond with Izumi in tow. The princess had inherited her mother's determination and ease to take command of her friends, for sure.

Mai joined her husband and friend in their conversation while keeping a watchful eye on the two girls.

"Mai told me your tea leafs are quite sought after on the market, Zuko." Sokka said with an easy smile. "And that you have developed a unique leaf that you are about to present to the world. That is impressive!" Sokka continued and Mai knew that his interest in Zuko's work was genuine.

For the first time in a long time all her friends and families would be gathered in the same place. She smiled a little as a turtle duck nibbled Azira on her finger, making the girls squeal in delight. Yes, this would be great fun!

§§

"Yes, I will introduce a new tea leaf quite soon." Zuko answered Sokka with a relaxed smile. He had worked hard on his tea plantation and he had high expectations on his new leaf. "I am very pleased with the results so far." The prince continued.

He was pleased with far more than his tea plantation to tell the truth. He had found his honour and become the man he always wanted to be. He had had help of course. Mai had helped him far more than he could ever repay her but so had his other friends and even Azula had, in her own way, supported and helped him become a better man.

"I am looking forward to it, Zuko." Sokka replied in that easy way of his and then turned to Mai and raised an eyebrow in a teasing way.

"Mai here has become quite the expert in the world of teas, she can even tell a green leaf from a red now." Sokka said with an insufferable smile.

Mai raised an eyebrow on her own and made a small dismissive gesture.

"Don't make me laugh, Prince Upstart." Mai replied in a monotone voice but the small smile gave her away. "I know more about tea and brewing tea than you could learn in a life-time." Tea and how to properly serve tea had been something they had learned in school after all.

Zuko smiled in amusement as his wife and friend continued their banter. In the beginning he had thought that he could never go back to the capital and the royal palace, that he wasn't welcome there. He had been wrong. His friends had all welcomed him back with open arms. Once again, to his slight surprise his sister had been accommodating and, for being Azula, friendly towards him.

Whatever had happened in that fateful year when Sokka had come into their lives, this was an outcome Zuko was more than pleased with. It was a good life they all now lived.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the building that led to the official part of the royal palace. Several officials and officers bowed low as the Fire Lord passed them by and then dismissed them with a slight gesture. The Fire Lord saw them and with a slight smile strode up to where Mai, Zuko and Sokka stood.

They all bowed slightly as the Fire Lord stopped beside Sokka.

"Sister." Zuko said politely as he greeted his sister and Fire Lord. "It is good to see you."

Fire Lord Azula stood tall and regal as she greeted them with a small nod in return. Her smirk was, as always, in place and her appearance was as meticulously perfect as it always had been when she was still a princess. Azula exuded power and she was regarded as the most powerful Fire Lord in the last millennia, unmatched in her skill with firebending and by the power the Fire Nation now exerted in the world.

"There you are." Fire Lord Azula said with her usual smirk. "You look well, Zuzu. Mai has told us all about your new tea and I am looking forward to taste it. And little Izumi has grown so much! You must be proud." Azula continued in a familiar way.

Zuko smiled as he answered and exchanged observations on how fast their respective children grew up. Yes, Azula had changed quite a lot. He knew that there still was a dragon behind those golden eyes of hers but he no longer was wary of her lashing out against him. She regarded him as a real family member now and say what you want about dragons, they are loyal to their kin.

His sister had changed in other ways too. Mai had made him aware of it since it was so subtle. Azula and Sokka always stood close together in informal situations like this. So close that they nearly touched each other and after a little while they would talk and laugh softly together.

His sister Azula was happy.

In a way Zuko never had believed that to be possible. But Sokka had proven him wrong. For that feat alone Zuko owed Sokka as a brother to Azula.

They made a great couple and in politics they were outright feared, both by scheming nobles in the Fire Nation and among the Kings and Queens around the world. The two of them had de facto ruled the Fire Nation since the day of Sozin's Comet and when Fire Lord Azulon had passed away a year ago, Azula had become Fire Lord and a true force to be reckoned with in the world.

Her achievements were many but the one that stood out the most was the conquest of Ba Sing Se, without bloodshed and loss of men, an accomplishment that instantly made her one of the greatest military commanders in history. She had even brought home with her numerous Dai Li agents that now served her personally.

Truly, Azula and Sokka would change the world. That they had decided to let go of the colonies and remade it into a semi-autonomous land for all four people was a strange move and something Zuko didn't fully comprehend. Both Sokka and Mai had explained it had cost them very little and gained both prestige and extensive trade rights with nearly every kingdom or principality in the entire world.

Still, giving up land and power was not something he had thought Azula would ever agree to, Sokka or no Sokka. The reason, Zuko suspected, was something he himself had discovered and his discovery had shaken the world…

Zuko had found the next Avatar.

Loud voices brought his attention to the end of the garden where three family members came running towards them hand in hand. Ty Lee and Katara had Princess Azira's twin sister between them as they laughingly ran through the garden.

Katara had become a powerful bender in her own right and she had shouldered the responsibility to become the next Highchief of the Southern Watertribe. She was pregnant with her and Haru's first child and she was expected to deliver in five months perhaps. Zuko was unsure, Mai had told him but he never seemed to remember the exact details…

Ty Lee was the uncrowned queen of the "new" parties and festivities that now made the Caldera famous. She was still as nimble and graceful as she always had been. And as deadly. Zuko knew that she refused all marriage proposals that came her way, and there were many... She left behind a wide trail of broken hearts wherever she went. No one seemed to be able to capture Ty Lee's heart just yet. But Mai had mentioned that that might not be true…

"Mother, father!" The little girl between Ty Lee and Katara shouted out in exuberant joy and ran toward her parents as fast as she could. She threw herself in her mother's arms that picked her up with a warm smile. That in itself was an indication of how much Azula had changed. She showed her affection to her children and favoured none over the other. That much Zuko knew, Azula was determined not to make their parents' mistake with her own daughters.

"Aunt Katara was waterbending and…" The little girl told her parents but Zuko was distracted by a loud yell from Izumi and Azira as they rushed around chasing each other.

Azira's twin sister was born twenty minutes after her sister and, oddly enough, also in the next year. The beautiful girl had her father's dark complexion and bright blue eyes.

Her name was Korra and she was the next Avatar.

It had been Zuko who had discovered that Korra was the Avatar when the princess bended both water and fire at the same time.

Yes, Fire Lord Azula's and Prince Sokka's second child was the next Avatar. That had caused an uproar among the water tribes since it was their "turn" to have an Avatar. They felt…cheated of the honour of bringing forth an Avatar. A view that Fire Lord Azula coldly disregarded when a delegation from the North Pole demanded that the child was to be handed over to them for training. To tell the truth, Azula had frightened the living daylight out of the delegation and this time Sokka had not lifted a finger to mitigate his wife's message…

Until Korra was old enough to take on the responsibility as the Avatar, Azula and Sokka intended to uphold the balance of the world. And woe to whomever that tried to take advantage of the Avatar's absence, Azula, Sokka and the might of the Fire Nation would come down on them with a vengeance…

Zuko didn't know much but an Avatar raised and trained by Azula and Sokka would be very formidable. And let's not forget the rest of their friends such as Ty Lee or Mai, two of the most deadly people Zuko had ever encountered, or Katara and Zuko himself who also would train both Korra and Azira.

The world would be very much in balance for the next century or two, that was for sure.

§§

Sokka regarded his friends, no, his family with bright eyes. It had been a long time since they all had been together like this, it seemed that one or two of them always had some important deal to negotiate or a country to rule. But now they were all here and his heart was bursting with joy!

Azira, Korra and Izumi were climbing the old cherry tree while Azira boldly proclaimed herself to be the Phoenix Queen of the entire world. Sokka laughed in amusement at the sight, that one did not know any limits just like her mother. Still, Sokka was not too worried – Azira flashed her father a mischievous grin before continuing her monologue, now she was about to conquer Ba Sing Se. She had a good heart in her, Sokka was not too worried about the future of the world.

He felt Azula's hand brush lightly against his own and without thinking he leaned toward his beautiful wife and breathed her in, how he loved her fragrance…

"Are you sure about this earthbender of yours, Sokka?" Azula asked in a low voice while gazing contently at her children. "I am not yet convinced she is the right person to teach Korra earthbending. She is blind after all."

"Her trainers must be the best of the best, anything less is not acceptable." Azula continued a bit more forcefully, she did not intend to let Korra become a pushover like Aang had been.

"Don't you worry, wify." Sokka answered with an easy smile and ignored Azula's glare, she really didn't like to be called that. "Toph is far better than your mediocre Dai Li agents."

"Actually, Toph is one of the most powerful bender I have ever come across…" Sokka continued and gave his wife a cheeky grin.

Sokka was graced with a furious look. As if she would be so easily taunted into accepting this Toph character! Still, Sokka had a point. Her Dai Li agents were not good enough and every other earthbender that they had approached were utter idiots and complete disappointments. No wonder that nation was in a decline...

"She better be as good as you say, Sokka…" Azula finally said through compressed lips.

"Have I ever disappointed you, Azula?" Sokka asked with a laugh. Sokka had found out that his wife only became more and more beautiful as the years passed them by.

Azula gave him quite the look when he delivered that statement.

"Quite a lot according to my list, my dear husband." Azula replied with a smirk that oozed of sudden amusement.

"When did I disappoint… wait, you have a list?" Sokka begun and then cried in outrage. "Is it a long list? No, no, I don't want to know!" Sokka continued as he rubbed his forehead. A list, really?

"Is daddy being silly again?" Azira piped up before them. She loved it when her parents teased each other and always took the chance to join in on whoever was winning over the other. She was such a tease.

"Yes, your father is being really silly, my dear." Azula said with a knowing smile as she stroked her daughter's hair.

Azira hollered in joy and ran over to where the other adults were standing to inform them that her father was a silly person.

"Don't worry, father." Korra said seriously and tugged at his coat. "I love you even if you are a really silly person."

Sokka gave his smirking wife a wry look before hosting Korra up in his arms.

"Gee, thanks, Korra….I think" Sokka said drily but with a warm smile and then gave her a big kiss that made the girl laugh in joy.

Soon after Korra wanted to join her sister and cousin so Sokka put her down, but not before giving her a fat kiss again.

"This was a good idea, Sokka." Azula said softly and once more brushed her hand against his.

She was looking at her friends and family who all were talking and laughing right before them.

"This is really nice…"Azula said softly and gave Sokka a small and warm smile before moving over to where Katara and Mai were discussing something that made Katara laugh out loud.

There are many ways to say I love you and Azula said it to him every day in some different way.

"I love you too, Azula." Sokka said softly, the words carried only to her and made her look back over her shoulder to give him a smouldering smile.

In moments like this, life was truly wonderful…

Yes, this is happiness, Sokka thought with a blissful smile as he joined his family and friends under the old cherry tree.

§§

Author Notes:

And so it comes to an end. Writing OE has been fun, rewarding, hard, exhilarating, sometimes mind-blowingly boring but always worth it. A little more than two years I have lived with this story and it will be strange not to have it around.

Even now, several years later, I still adore Sokka & Azula, especially as a couple. They are fun, exciting and capable of so much more than a "good" character like Aang for example. You never really know where you have them and that is a thrilling aspect when you read or write about them.

Azula was far harder to do justice than Sokka in OE. Some of that hardship derives from the fact of how OE is structured but I feel I only really got her pinned down in the last part of OE. Whatever the outcome, she is incredible fun (wickedly so) to write when you make her - or are able to make her justice as the complex character that she is.

Of course, I couldn't have finished it if not for you readers. You have been truly wonderful! Kind and supportive as you have urged me to continue writing on a story you enjoy. To know that there are people out there that actually enjoy what you create is a fantastic feeling.

I want to mention some of you readers out there since you have been there for me during this long journey.

BlueLion for being my beta and by your deft hands a new and better story have emerged from what I initially created. OE would not have become what it is today if not for you. Thank you!

Acastus, thank you for all great and interesting discussions we have had and I must say that your reviews have been truly great, from my point of view you should make a living out of them and become a professional reviewer! But most of all, it is always great to find someone you can call a friend. Thank you!

Fanwright, without you this story would have died in its early stages. You gave great support during the first fledging chapters and for that I am very grateful.

Seyary-Minamoto, It has been a pleasure to have a fellow writer and Sokkla connoisseur to follow my story. Thank you for your support and encouragement. I still follow your Gladiator and looking forward to more drama for each chapter!:)

As a writer you live on reviews and you all wonderful people that have given me lovely reviews time and time again, thank you so very much, Fokusas, Morado, Soulhope The Wolf, Totally Spazz-tastic, Guillo1988, Data Seeker, axel100, Ecomadness, LiumD, pir84lyf, MadMeijin, Miroku Kensei, ZekeTheDude, MSG1000, Adrimore, jackriley77, RJCA27, Tactical Strike, clarielparke, Biorr the Old, Jakeros, HikariNiwaandcrapshak50. You are the best!:)

For you out there who have read, followed and/or favoured OE and sometimes left a review – thank you!

Forever yours - LS