He found her sitting atop the large wall that divided the palace from the rest of the city. Shielding his eyes with one hand, he glanced up, squinting against the too bright light of the setting sun.

"Kioni?" he shouted up. The figure on the wall swung its feet. "Can you come down?" No response. Zuko sighed and tried to run a hand through his hair, forgetting the headpiece that rested there. "Or at least, can you let me come up?" He gestured with one hand, vaguely frustrated.

A beat of silence and then a stone platform protruded out of the wall by his feet. Zuko let out another heavy sigh. "I really hate doing this," he grumbled to himself, but he stepped on the platform anyway. He did his best not to look down as the platform rose fifteen feet in the air to the top of the wall.

Kioni glanced over at him as he rose into view, her soft smile quirking the tiniest bit more when she saw the disgruntled expression on his face. The golden glow of sunset illuminated her face, causing her eyes to look that much greener against her tan skin, and he was rendered temporarily speechless. Zuko sat down on the wall next to her and turned his head to gaze over his city.

It really was a beautiful view. From this point, he could see almost all of Caldera sprawled before him. People bustled merrily in the streets, which were finally starting to fill back up. Some of the rooftops were still scorched, but for a moment, Zuko could pretend everything was normal.

"Suki and Katara are looking for you, you know?" he said finally, a hint of scolding in his voice. "You're meant to be getting ready for the party."

"Aren't you?" she shot back, the smile wry on her face. He raised an eyebrow, and she sighed softly. "Yeah, I know. I just needed a minute away from everyone."

"Tell me about it." The groan spilled out of him before he could stop it. "I've been Fire Lord for four hours and I'm already exhausted. Uncle keeps trying to teach me how to talk to all these politicians at the party. I haven't even met any of them yet and I'm sick of them." The other side of her mouth lifted at his rant and he felt a little embarrassed. "Oh, uh, sorry. Did you want to be alone? I can go..."

Kioni reached out and caught his hand, intertwining their fingers. "Don't be silly," she scoffed, and smiled at him in a way that warmed his whole body.

"I just... part of me still can't believe it's all over," she admitted, looking back over the city. "The war, the comet... for so long, my entire life has been about that. And now it's just-" she waved her other hand in the air "-it's over."

"Well, Uncle would say, it's not the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning, but the beginning of... the middle?" Kioni looked over at him, one eyebrow raised, and he blushed. "... or he would say something like that."

She grinned this time, squeezing his hand briefly. "I get what you're trying to say. It's not the end, it's the beginning. But still... I mean, we did it. We ended the war. Aang beat Ozai. We did it."

Zuko couldn't help but smile along with her. "Yeah, I guess we did." They were silent for a few more minutes, just watching the sun set over the city, before Kioni spoke again.

"What happens now?"

"To Ozai?"

"To Ozai, to the gang, to everyone..." She gestured between the two of them and bit her lip, a slightly more uncertain look on her face. "... to us?"

Zuko swallowed. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that..." he started, his heart pounding in his chest. "I don't know when you were planning to go back to Omashu and for how long, and obviously that's really important and you should be there for your city, so feel free to say no to what I'm about to ask, but Uncle thought I should at least ask and so I'm going to, but really, don't feel pressured-"

"Zuko," she cut him off, looking amused. "What is it?"

"We need someone to be an ambassador between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation," he said. "Obviously, each part of the Earth Kingdom has their own representatives, but those are usually the kings and mayors who can't really leave their city. We need someone who can travel around and help with all the peacekeeping, especially in these first couple years."

"Technically, you'd be the ambassador for the Earth Kingdom and the rest of the world, but at least for now, I think that mostly involves communication with the Fire Nation, since that's what needs to happen the most. Sokka and Katara have already agreed to be ambassadors for the Southern Water Tribe, and Suki for Kyoshi Island, and I thought... well, I thought you'd be perfect for the job."

He didn't want to look up at her, keeping his eyes focusing on his hands twisting together in his lap. Didn't want to see her face when she told him she couldn't do it, that she was leaving for Omashu and they would never see each other again... Agni, had his heart always sounded so loud in his ears?

"You thought... you thought I'd be perfect for it?" Kioni asked finally, sounding surprised. He chanced a look up then; her eyes were wide and she looked shocked, but pleased.

"Well, yeah." He kicked his feet a little. "I mean, you're so good with people and stuff. But really, I don't want you to feel pressured into this at all, because I know you already told your grandfath-"

"Zuko," she cut him off again, smiling wide. "I would love to."

His mouth fell open and he looked up at her in surprise. "You- really?"

"I'll probably have to go to Omashu for a couple months after the initial peace talks, but yeah." She shrugged and it felt like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. "Of course I would love to." He looked so achingly surprised that she scooted closer, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. "What did you think, that I was just gonna run off and never come back?"

"I didn't want to make you feel obligated to do anything," he mumbled. Kioni looked at him searchingly before an impish grin spread across her face.

"Oh, you should know by now that I don't do anything unless I want to." Zuko chuckled in acknowledgment. Her grin faded into something softer and she glanced up at his hair. "Your crown's crooked."

Leaning forward, she reached up with both hands and adjusted it slightly. His head was framed by her arms and their faces were close together. He glanced up, watching her brow furrow as she fixed it. "There."

One of her hands trailed down to rest on his shoulder and she met his eyes, noticing how close they were. His golden eyes smoldered into hers and Kioni fluttered hers shut as he closed the distance between them. She melted into him, her other hand trailing down to cup his face. After a second, he wound one arm around her waist and pulled her even closer, tilting his head to kiss her more deeply-

"Ow! Zuko, your armor is poking me!" Kioni pulled away, rubbing her arm and glaring at the offending spiked shoulder pads.

"Sorry, sorry! Let me try..." Zuko shifted his weight slightly and tried to lean behind her to kiss her, his arm balancing on the edge of the wall. Kioni hummed in contentment and for a minute everything was great until she tried to respond more enthusiastically and pulled back with another hiss.

"Can't you take it off or something?"

"Up here? It'd definitely fall off the wall." Zuko glanced down curiously and then gulped - mistake. "I don't want to have to explain to all the nobles at the party that I dented my shoulder armor because it fell off the wall while I was making out with my girlfriend. I can't imagine that'd go well."

He looked up at her again, but she was blinking at him, her eyes wide. "Did you just call me your girlfriend?" she asked, almost shy.

Zuko opened his mouth in shock and then closed it, blushing deeply. "Well... yeah," he mumbled, stumbling over his words. "But, like... aren't you? I thought that was kind of obvious, from all the, y'know, kissing and stuff?"

For a second Kioni looked inordinately pleased, her smile stretching to the corners of her cheeks, but then her face fell. "Zuko," she said quietly, looking sad. "I can't be your girlfriend."

It felt like his stomach had dropped out from underneath him. "W-what? You don't want to be with me?"

She took one look at his face and started backtracking quickly. "Of course I want to!" She grabbed his hand again and squeezed it and he exhaled, quelling some of his immediate panic. "But... how is this going to work? The war just ended, and there's already going to be so much animosity between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. I really doubt anyone here is going to be thrilled about their Fire Lord dating an Earth Kingdom peasant."

"You're not a peasant, you're a princess," he said fiercely. She shrugged.

"I don't think it's going to matter much to them. There are views about the Earth Kingdom here. Views that involve thinking the whole Earth Kingdom is full of dirt-eating peasants. They will freak out."

Zuko frowned. "Well, it's not just the Fire Nation. Your grandfather might be okay with us being together, but I doubt the rest of the Earth Kingdom will see it that way. I'm sure the animosity against the Fire Nation, and against me, is going to be just as strong there. The world hates the Fire Nation, and no way that's going to change just because Aang defeated my father."

"That's exactly my point! Can you imagine what a disaster the peace talks in Ba Sing Se would be? There's no way they will let me do my job as ambassador if they think we're dating. They'd think I'm being biased."

"But you wouldn't be biased."

"Of course I wouldn't. Just because I love you doesn't mean I don't love my country and won't defend it to the death. And I know you feel the same way. But that's not how the rest of the world is going to see it."

He let out a long sigh, frustrated. As much as he didn't want to, Zuko could see the truth in her words. "You're the Fire Lord now," Kioni said sadly. "And I'm a princess of the Earth Kingdom. If people found out about this, about us, there would never be peace."

Zuko thought for a moment. "What if they didn't find out?"

She turned to him, confused. "What?"

He leaned forward eagerly, the idea spinning through his head. "What if they didn't find out? We could keep this, us-" he gestured between them. "We could keep it a secret. I mean, our friends and family already know, but we could keep it between them. They wouldn't tell anyone. When we're out in public or doing official business, we could act normal, but then when it's just us... we could still be together."

Kioni was silent for a few moments. "That's... not a terrible idea, actually," she said slowly. Zuko felt a prick of of disgruntlement - did he only have terrible ideas?

"We'd have to be careful though," she continued, looking thoughtful now. "We're both going to spend a lot of time in the public sphere; we're going to have to act like we're just friends. And we'd have to make sure that none of our friends let it slip accidentally, so they're all going to have to be discreet around us also."

"It's wouldn't be easy," Zuko acknowledged. He paused for a second before speaking again. "But... I love you. And I don't think that's going to stop anytime soon." The unspoken hung in the air between them - was it worth it? He bit his lip. "What do you think?"

Kioni looked over the city, deep in thought. Zuko felt like his heart was in his throat. If Kioni turned him down, if she didn't think it was worth the risk... he felt like his heart might break right in two. He didn't know if he could handle it if they couldn't be together anymore.

She turned towards him, a soft smile breaking out over her face, and she leaned forward and kissed him gently. When she pulled away, Zuko stared at her, eyes wide. "I think my secret boyfriend needs to get some armor that's not so uncomfortable to make out in."

Sweet relief washed over him and ducked down to capture her lips again. She leaned up, one hand resting on his cheek. That kiss felt like a promise, a promise that no matter how hard things got, at least they would try.

They were worth that much. They were worth a try.

"You're late."

Suki didn't even glance up from doing Katara's hair as I rushed into the Kyoshi Warriors' villa. Both were already dressed in their red party gowns. The waterbender looked up at me with a concerned expression.

"Did Zuko find you? We sent him after you."

"Yeah, we uh-" I cleared my throat and tried not to let the blush show on my face. "He found me."

Both girls looked at me, smug expressions on their face. "Told you we should've sent Sokka," Katara said, smirking, and Suki rolled her eyes.

I ignored them. "Where's Toph?"

"I told her to go change into her dress for the party." Katara frowned and tried to lean forward and Suki tutted at her, pulling her back and continuing to braid flowers through her hair. "Toph? Are you okay?"

"I'm not coming out!" A muffled voice ensued from behind the closed door. The three of us glanced at each other and then back at the door.

"Come on, I'm sure it's not that bad," Suki coaxed, but there was no answer.

"Toph, get out here," I said impatiently. "I need to tell you guys something important."

"Are you pregnant?" Toph called out. Both Suki and Katara turned to me in shock and my eyes widened.

"What - no, I'm not pregnant!" Blushing, I stormed forward and yanked open the door... and my jaw dropped. "What are you wearing?"

"Shut up!" Toph scowled, stomping... or more like flouncing forward. Her dress was a pale pink color that actually complimented her light skin and milky green eyes quite nicely, but it was covered in layers of lace. "Why do I even have to wear this stupid thing?"

"Your mom sent it for you," Katara reminded her and the earthbender's scowl grew even deeper. "It's not... awful."

"It's pretty bad though," I remarked and was met with three glares. "What? Okay, I bet we can make it better. Come here, let me try something."

Toph walked over, still scowling, and I grabbed a pair of scissors that were lying on the table, starting to trim away some of the lace. After a few minutes, I stepped back and pursed my lips. It was still pretty frilly, but at least it didn't look like she was drowning in lace. Suki and Katara peered over and made noises of approval.

"I don't feel like a giant doily, so I guess that's a good thing," Toph said grudgingly.

"I'll take that as a thank you."

"Come over here and let me fix your hair," Suki said. "What did you have to tell us, Kioni?"

I told them quickly about the conversation I'd had with Zuko about how we were going to keep our relationship a secret from the public eye. "You guys all have to be really discreet about it, okay?" I said pleadingly. "If this gets out, then it's going to reign chaos on both of our lives."

"A secret relationship?" Katara said doubtfully. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Don't those tend to implode?" I glared at her, and she looked appropriately abashed.

"No, I think it's the right choice for now," Suki chimed in. "Sokka told me he's already been getting questions about us from all the Water Tribe Warriors - 'Do you have things figured out yet? Where are you going to live? When are you getting married?'" She rolled her eyes.

The four of us were silent for a moment. "Do you have things figured out?" I asked tentatively.

Suki sighed. "I have to go back to Kyoshi Island soon, at least for a couple of weeks. So I think we'll be doing long distance for a while."

I nodded, and a slightly melancholy air fell over our group. "I have a question though," Toph piped up and we all turned to look at her. "How are you and Zuko going to keep your relationship a secret when you literally cannot keep your hands off each other?"

I sputtered, flushing. "What- what are you talking about?"

"She has a point," Suki said, looking mischievous now. "You've only been together-together a few days, and every time you abscond somewhere for a few minutes..."

"Oh, like you're one to talk!" I shot back, feeling annoyed now. The other three simply laughed at me and I crossed my arms over my chest, my face red.

We met the others in a little chamber to the side of the main hallway, right outside the ballroom in which the coronation party was being held. I could already hear the party starting to get into full swing, although it wouldn't officially start until the Fire Lord got there.

Speaking of, I met Zuko's eyes as I entered with the girls and his eyes widened, his mouth falling open the tiniest bit. I tried to will down the light blush and the pleasant squirming feeling low in my stomach. He stood and walked over to us, bowing slightly.

"Princess Kioni," he said formally. "You look lovely tonight."

I fought the urge to smirk. "Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko." He dithered for a moment before sticking his hand out, awkwardly.

I couldn't hold back my snicker. "Okay, you don't have to act like that. Everyone knows we're good friends."

Zuko looked a little embarrassed. "Did you tell the others?"

"Yup. Toph doesn't think we can do it." I rolled my eyes. "Apparently, she thinks we're not very good at being stealthy."

"What? I'm so stealthy," Zuko argued, looking offended. I shrugged. "I told Aang and Sokka and Uncle, and they're all on board, so I think we should be good."

"Good," I smiled and Zuko smiled back down at me. Our gaze was held for a split second too long, and I had to consciously curb the urge to reach up and kiss him. Agni, was Toph right?

Thankfully, Iroh cleared his throat then, calling everyone to attention, and Zuko and I stepped away from each other. "If everyone is ready, we shall proceed to the main ballroom now."

The seven of us gathered around Iroh. "Before, we go in, I just want to say something," Zuko said, looking worried already. "I know this may be asking a lot, but can we all please try to behave ourselves at this thing?" I bit my lip to hide my smile.

"Probably not gonna happen," Toph piped up. Zuko turned his worried look on her.

"Do not worry, nephew," Iroh said. "This is a party, it's meant for everyone to have a good time!"

"I'm just wondering if it's too much to ask for everyone to have a good time without terribly embarrassing themselves... or me." I patted Zuko's arm comfortingly, and he let out a weary sigh when nobody responded. "Fine... let's just get this over with, I suppose."

"That's the spirit!" Iroh grinned, and stepped forward to part the curtains. The rest of us gathered behind him as he called out in a booming voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you - Fire Lord Zuko and the heroes of the war!"

Iroh had certainly gone all out for this party. I'd been to several lavish balls and gatherings in my lifetime, but I'd never seen anything like this before. Red and gold streamers, lanterns, and tapestries decked out the ballroom, and there were little twinkling lights arranged artfully on the ceiling to look like fireflies. All the doors on one wall had opened up to the main gardens, which were also decorated with lanterns.

There were multiple little sitting areas with several couches and cushions scattered across the room for people to gather, but much of the ballroom was left wide open for people to mill around and mingle. Several guests were mixing and chatting amongst each other. There were many people wearing Fire Nation red, but there were also quite a few dressed in greens and blues, representing the wide diversity of people that were present.

My own dress was a deep scarlet, as there hadn't been time to get a green dress sent over for the Earth Kingdom or made here. However, I still wore my mother's chopsticks in my hair and my crown rested on my head.

Iroh ushered Zuko and Aang away pretty quickly to go chat up some nobles and do their Fire Lord and Avatar duties. Sokka and Katara went off to find their dad and the other Water Tribe warriors, while Suki went in search of her Kyoshi Warriors, leaving just Toph and I.

"I'm starving," Toph announced. I glanced around the room, seeing several waiters scurrying around the room carrying trays of appetizers and small snacks.

"Why don't you go sit down somewhere and I'll grab us a plate of snacks?" I suggested. Toph gave me a thumbs up, and I started after one of the waiters.

"Excuse me!" I called after one waiter and he turned around, a surprised look on his face. "May I have that tray of snacks, please? My friend over-" I turned to point to Toph, my finger falling when I saw she had vanished. "What the-" I craned my neck, searching around, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Ma'am?" the waiter asked.

"Never mind," I grumbled, annoyed now. The waiter shot me another worried look before he scurried away. I crossed my arms over my chest, huffing a little. It hadn't even been ten minutes of this party and I had already been abandoned. I glanced around the room, searching for my grandfather.

My eyes landed on a waiter carrying a tray of delicious looking fruit tarts, and I eyed them appreciatively. Deciding I could have a bite to eat before finding Bumi, I rushed over to the waiter. However, before I could get there, I was intercepted by a few Earth Kingdom men dressed in regal green robes.

"Princess Kioni! I am Mayor Chun from the East Si Wong region, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I glanced behind him at the tray of fruit tarts quickly disappearing and tried not to sigh. Instead, I put on a charming smile, introduced myself, and began the arduous task of networking with politicians.

"You are good friends with the Fire Lord, as I understand?" Mayor Chun asked innocently, and I was instantly on guard. "Will you be present at the peace talks in Ba Sing Se?"

"Fire Lord Zuko and I fought together to end the war," I replied. Mayor Chun pursed his lips. "And I will be acting as an ambassador during the peace talks and a liaison for the Earth Kingdom in the Fire Nation."

"Well, as you know, the Eastern Si Wong region was highly devastated by the war, and much of the damage was caused by Fire Nation soldiers..."

Once Mayor Chun started, it seemed like an open invitation for every Earth Kingdom noble, mayor, and general there to tell me about the devastating havoc the Fire Nation had caused in their area, and how they needed resources and funds more than anywhere else. Some of the politicians had legitimate concerns, but some were clearly just looking for money (I knew for a fact Gaoling had not been 'ravaged and destroyed') and others just wanted an excuse to bad-talk the Fire Nation.

"I'm not saying I don't trust the new Fire Lord to run the country, but he is quite inexperienced," one general said.

"He has no experience at all," another chimed in.

"Precisely," the first one tutted, looking disapproving. "Honestly, I swear, it's just a matter of time before he ends up being assassinated and the Fire Nation falls into anarchy."

That was the last straw for me. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom," I said curtly, removing myself from the group. I could feel their curious stares on my backs, and I tried not to clench my hands into fists as I stalked away and tried to think about anything but what they had just been talking about.

Luckily, I spotted the waiter with the fruit tarts again and headed towards him. Just as I reached for the last fruit tart on the plate though, another hand darted out to grab it.

I glanced up in surprise, meeting Mai's sharp eyes.

"Oh!" A little startled, I drew my hand back. Mai seemed as surprised as I was, because she also froze. I scratched my head nervously. "Uh, you can go ahead."

Mai eyed me cautiously. "Thanks."

The waiter looked between the two of us. "I will be right back with another plate, if my ladies would be so kind as to wait."

"Oh, uh, certainly." The waiter bowed low before going off, leaving Mai and I standing alone.

Perfect.

Mai seemed to realize it would be quite rude if she just left me standing by myself, but that meant that we were both standing together in awkward silence. She took a delicate bite of her fruit tart, glancing around the room, while I wracked my brains for something to say.

"So, you're interested in bounty hunting?" I finally came up with. Mai glanced at me, one eyebrow raised, and I blushed a little. "Um, Zuko told me that you might be looking for an apprenticeship with June."

Mai shrugged. "Maybe. It would be less boring than hanging around here." I offered a weak smile in return and silence descended upon us once again.

A few moments later, Mai asked, "Were you one of the ones who returned my brother?"

"What?"

She turned to face me fully now. "In Omashu - when the Resistance took my little brother Tom-Tom."

"Oh! That was kind of an accident," I admitted, and Mai tilted her head questioningly. "We didn't mean to capture him," I clarified. "I guess he just got caught in the crowd that was leaving the city. But yeah, Katara and I watched over him and made sure he was okay."

Mai pursed her lips and nodded stiffly. "Well, thank you for that."

"Of course." I tried to think of something to thank her for in return, and then I remembered the Boiling Rock. "Thank you for what you did at the Boiling Rock. We would've all died if it wasn't for you. That was... it was really brave. So thank you."

"It's no problem," Mai replied noncommittally. "The Water Tribe boy already promised me a lifetime supply of Fire Flakes for saving him."

I cracked a tiny smile. "Yeah, don't hold your breath for that. Sokka makes a lot of empty promises." I bit my lip, wondering if I should ask the question that had been on my mind forever. "Why'd you do it anyway?"

"Because I'm secretly still in love with Zuko and I'm hoping to win him back from you."

My mouth fell open. Mai glanced at me and rolled her eyes. "Relax, I'm being sarcastic. Insecurity isn't a good look on you, Princess." I bristled slightly. Mai gazed off into a crowd for a second, as if she were thinking. "I don't know. Maybe I was just tired of taking orders from Azula. Maybe what Zuko said about doing the right thing got to me."

A throat cleared behind us and we both turned to see Zuko standing behind us, looking distinctly nervous. Well. Speak of the Fire Lord and he shall appear, I suppose. "What... what are you guys talking about?"

"Just sharing our love lives, swapping ex stories, y'know, girl talk," Mai deadpanned, and Zuko looked downright terrified. I had to suppress a laugh at his expression. Mai cracked the tiniest of sly grins before walking past Zuko and grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. "I'm going to go find Ty Lee; I'll see you two around."

Zuko watched her go, and then turned back to me, the nervous look not vanishing from his face. I giggled a little and grabbed two more flutes of champagne, handing one to him. "You look like you need a drink."

He made a face at me, but took the glass and sipped at it. "How's Firelord-ing going?" Zuko downed the rest of the glass in response. "That bad, huh?"

"I swear, if I have to hear one more politician tell me that 'they've been on my side this whole time', I'm going to lose it," he groaned, rubbing at his temples. I reached out and gave his arm a brief, sympathetic squeeze. "Honestly, I already need a break."

I bit my lip, an idea coming into my head. "Well, not now, but a bit later, when nobody would miss us too much... maybe we could slip away for a couple minutes."

Zuko seemed very keen on this idea. "That wouldn't be very discreet," he said, but his eyes shone with anticipation.

"We could be discreet about it," I argued, stepping the tiniest bit closer.

"Zuko! Kioni!" I dropped Zuko's arm and instantly stepped away, but it was just Iroh. He bustled towards us, looking very excited. "I have someone the two of you simply must meet!"

Zuko let out a groan. "Uncle, please, you said I wouldn't have to talk to any more politicians for a while."

"Oh, I think you will be happy to see him," he grinned, and both Zuko and I furrowed our brows in confusion, until someone very familiar stepped out from behind Iroh.

My jaw fell open and Zuko made a sound of surprise. "Lieutenant Jee!"

"Fire Lord Zuko," Jee replied, bowing, but there was a smile on his face. "And of course, Princess Kioni." I bowed in return, smiling back, but Zuko was still gaping.

"I thought you were dead!" Tactful as always. I could see Iroh resist the urge to facepalm, but Jee simply laughed. "How did you survive the Siege of the North Pole?"

"It's good to see you again," he replied wryly, and Zuko looked a little embarrassed. He bowed low, probably lower than was appropriate, but the two seemed so pleasantly surprised to see each other again that it was mostly just endearing. "I actually... wasn't at the North Pole."

"What?" Both Zuko and I made faces of surprise. "Where were you?"

"Er... you remember that I have a tendency to... speak my mind," Jee explained, and I barely stifled a laugh. "Well, turns out, Zhao appreciated that even less than you did. I was only on his ship for two days before he had me locked up for insubordination in a military holding cell."

I couldn't hold down my laugh at that, but Jee seemed to think it was funny as well, because he smirked along with me. Zuko shook his head, but I could see the smile on his face. Iroh excused himself to go talk to some of the Order of White Lotus members, leaving just the three of us.

"You know, it's a Fire Nation tradition to take a shot of firewhiskey after reuniting with an old friend," Jee said, a mischievous glint entering his eye. "Especially one you presumed to be dead."

I frowned and turned to Zuko. "Is that really a tradition?"

He rolled his eyes. "Not one I've heard of." Jee shrugged and waved over a waiter anyway, asking for the shots. "I don't know if that's such a good idea, Jee. I'd like to keep a clear head for as long as possible. The last thing I need is to get to drunk and make a fool out of myself on my first day as Fire Lord."

"You don't need liquor to do that." I couldn't resist chiming in, prompting a glare from Zuko.

"Oh, come on, Zuko. You're not going to get drunk off one shot of firewhiskey." Jee glanced at me then, his smirk growing fractionally. "This one on the other hand... I remember you don't have a great tolerance for alcohol, Princess."

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest as both of them chuckled. "Okay, I thought we were in silent agreement to never mention that incident again," I grumbled. The waiter arrived with three small glasses filled with golden colored liquid on a tray, and Jee raised an eyebrow at us.

"Oh, fine." Zuko sighed and took a glass and Jee grinned. He took another one and handed the last one to me.

"To Fire Lord Zuko!" Jee proclaimed with a cheeky wink, and Zuko rolled his eyes before we clinked glasses and downed the liquor.

It was not pleasant. The firewhiskey burned the entire way down to my stomach. Zuko and I doubled over coughing as Jee starting laughing again. I straightened up, wiping the corners of my eyes, which had started to water, and stared at the former lieutenant incredulously.

"That was awful." Jee merely grinned at me in return.

"So, how've the two of you been?" he asked. "You certainly seem on much better terms than you were aboard Zuko's ship." Zuko and I glanced at each other cautiously, and then back at him. The question was innocent enough, but there was still a sly sparkle in his eye.

"What do you mean by that?" Zuko asked cautiously.

Jee let out a snort, dropping the innocent act. "Okay, you know what I'm talking about. I've spent a lot of time on Ember Island after my forced retirement, so I saw The Boy in the Iceberg. Agni, was that interesting."

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. "What!?"

"The two of you certainly got up to a lot, didn't you?"

Zuko sputtered, his face turning nearly as red as mine. "That wasn't - that was just a stupid play," I stammered. "Surely nobody actually believes that's what happened."

Jee looked more than a little surprised. "Oh... so none of that was true?"

"Of course none of it was true!" I practically shrieked, my face burning. "Oh spirits, do people think it is!?" I glanced around the room, much more worried, wondering how many of these people thought I'd had a torrid love affair with their Fire Lord while gallivanting across the Earth Kingdom.

Zuko took one look at my face and seemed to sense how much I was panicking. "Uh, Jee, would you excuse us for a moment?" Jee glanced at me curiously but nodded, and Zuko grabbed my arm and steered me discreetly out of the room into one of the hallways.

"Kioni, calm down," he started soothingly.

"Calm down!?" I cried, waving my hands in the air. "How can I calm down!? Everyone in here thinks that I'm some kind of tramp who followed you around the Earth Kingdom half naked!"

Zuko flushed at that but managed to stay composed. "Okay, I think you're being a little bit dramatic... and this is coming from me, keep in mind."

"Zuko, this is really bad," I emphasized. "How are people supposed to take me seriously if they think I'm... that." I gestured frantically, not wanting to say the words again. My portrayal in that idiotic play still was a bit of a sore spot, as much as I didn't want to admit it.

He took me by the shoulders, stroking the tops of my arms lightly. "It's not that bad," he assured me. "Nobody else but Jee has even mentioned anything about it, and you know he only brought it up to make fun of us." I pursed my lips. Well, that was true. "I doubt that many people have even seen it, and even if they have, they had to know it was absolutely ludicrous. People know the Avatar isn't a woman."

I exhaled, relaxing slightly. "Okay. Okay, you're right. I may have overreacted a bit."

Zuko smiled at me. "It's all right. And don't worry, as my first official act as Fire Lord, I'm going to ban that play." I cracked a smile at that.

"I think we do have to be a little more careful though," I said, stepping away gently. I tried not to see the slightly hurt look on Zuko's face. "We need to work on keeping this a secret," I reminded him. "And that's not going to work if we're constantly seen together."

"No one has noticed anything out of the ordinary so far."

"Right, but even if people realize the portrayals in that play were completely made up, that idea has probably already been planted. And they're going to start to wonder. These people are basically searching for gossip." The corners of Zuko's mouth pulled downwards. "I'm just trying to be practical."

Zuko sighed but nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." My brow furrowed at his unhappy expression, but before I could say anything, Aang zoomed in on an airball.

"Hey guys! Watcha doing?"

"Nothing," I answered quickly, turning to the airbender. Behind me, Zuko's frown dropped even further. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to ask Zuko what time the dancing is supposed to start," Aang said cheerfully.

An incredulous expression overtook Zuko's face. "Dancing?"

"Yeah, you know." Aang jumped off his airball and did a little jig to demonstrate.

"Um... I don't think dancing is a part of the schedule, Aang."

"What? Why not?" Zuko opened his mouth to reply, but Aang cut him off. "That's okay, though, you don't need to schedule dancing. In fact, I feel like spontaneous dancing tends to work better in the Fire Nation..." Aang started going on about how he had experience teaching Fire Nation people how to dance, and how he had 'fixed' some Fire Nation schoolchildren with dance, and how he was more than willing to help Zuko out with this.

The firebender met my eyes in a silent plea for help, but I just shrugged, not sure what on earth Aang was blabbering on about. I was about to jump in when a series of loud crashing noises came from the gardens, following by rambunctious cheering. Startled, we all turned towards the noise.

"Toph," I groaned when I realized what the noise must be. Zuko let out another sigh, rubbing his temples. I felt a little bad for him. "Okay, I'll deal with Toph, you go deal with the... dancing." I glanced at Aang, who was still looking up at the Fire Lord eagerly.

Zuko nodded, and looked like he wanted to say something more, but then another loud crash sounded from the garden. Shooting him an apologetic look, I turned and hurried towards the sound of the chaos.

I was right - the noise in the gardens was Toph. I pushed my way through a large crowd of rambunctiously cheering guests (mostly male) and stopped in my tracks when I saw what was happening. Toph appeared to be having a mini-Earth rumble... with Bumi of all people.

"Take that, you old timer!" she yelled, uprooting the stones in an entire section of the garden and sending them flying towards my grandfather.

He merely punched forward, shattering the stones. "That all ya got, youngster?"

"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered as Bumi and Toph sped towards each other. Sighing to myself, I hiked up my dress and kicked off my high heels. "I swear, if I get my dress dirty because of this..."

I jumped into the middle of the ring just as they were about to collide with each other and threw up two earthen walls on either side of my hands. Both earthbenders screeched to a halt to avoid crashing into them.

"Stay out of this, Kioni!" Toph cried. "We're settling once and for all who is the greatest earthbender!"

"We are supposed to be behaving ourselves!" I stomped my foot again so that the raised platform they had been earthbending on sunk back into the ground. This prompted a series of boos from the crowd. I whirled on them with a scowl. "Show's over everybody! Go back inside!"

Slowly and reluctantly, the crowd thinned out. I turned back to Bumi and Toph, who were both looking at me sulkily. "Honestly, I expected better from you. You both need to learn to act your age!"

"Acting your age is overrated," Bumi snorted, cowing only slightly when I turned my death glare on him.

"Yeah, come on, Kioni, it's a party. People are supposed to be having fun," Toph added.

The strangest combination of frustration and indignation rose up in me, and I didn't quite know why. I hadn't been having a great deal of fun at this party at all, and Toph's words struck a nerve. I curbed the urge to stamp my foot. Bumi caught sight of my expression and made a thoughtful face.

"Why don't we call this one another draw, little lady," he said. "We can finish up another time."

Toph rolled her eyes but relented. "Oh, all right. This isn't over, old man." Bumi cackled at her and she grinned back at him before turning to me, a curious expression on her face.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"I'm trying to listen..." Toph cocked her head for a second before her expression smoothed out into one of amusement. "Yup. I'm pretty sure Ty Lee is getting Katara drunk right now."

I slapped a palm to my forehead. "One monkey-feathering thing after another..." I grumbled, starting to walk back inside, but Bumi put a hand on my shoulder, holding me back.

"Could I talk to you for a second, Kioni?"

Confused, I paused. Toph nodded at the both of us and headed back in. "Don't worry, Princess, I got this."

It was just Bumi and I in the gardens then. "What's going on?"

"Is everything all right, my dear?" Bumi asked. "You seem a little... frazzled."

"I'm..." fine, I was about to say, but Bumi gave me a look and I couldn't lie to him. I told him about how difficult pretending in front of everyone about Zuko already was and how I hated having to lie but I didn't see any other option.

"I just... I want people to take me seriously," I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Being an ambassador is important work, and a big part of that is making sure all these nobles and politicians look at me like an equal. People already treat me differently because I'm just a kid. I have a chance to make a difference, and I really don't want to screw that up."

"My dear, you have already made a difference," Bumi said. "You helped defeat the Fire Lord and put an end to a war that has been going on for a hundred years. You and your friends did what every noble and politician has been trying to do for their whole career. The only difference is you succeeded."

I paused at his words. I hadn't even thought about it like that. "You're not their equal, Kioni, and that intimidates them. People treat you differently not just because you're a kid, but because you succeeded where they failed. All you need to do is believe in yourself. You are one of the great heroes of the war! You have a great deal of power and influence - own it."

"I don't know if I'm ready for that much power and influence," I confessed quietly. Bumi smiled gently at me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You have always been destined for greatness, my flower. You have always faced your challenges with grace and determination, and I know you will continue to do so. I know you are ready, and I know you will make me even prouder than you already have."

I stepped forward, hugging him, and Bumi embraced me back. "Thanks, grandpa."

"Anytime." The sound of the gong caused us to pull apart. "Ahh, about time the feast started! Come on, before all the good stuff is gone!"

Chuckling to myself, I followed Bumi back into the party.

Welcome friends, to Four Seasons, One Love aka the sequel to The Earth on Fire! In case you hadn't noticed, this sequel basically picks up right where TEoF left off and will chronicle the events that happen in the year between the end of the series and the start of The Promise.

So this story will be a lot more original content than the TEoF, which I hope you guys like. There are some bits from the last episode and the start of The Promise that I will include, but it will be mostly my own story about what happens in this year. That being said, I am always always open to suggestions, now more than ever! So if there's something you'd like to see me work into the story, don't hesitate to mention it in a review!

Some things you can look forward to in this story: the Gaang navigating the post-war peace talks in Ba Sing Se, fitting into their new roles & positions of power, dealing with the colonies, Kioni finding out more about her chi-healing abilities, Zuko dealing with the post-war FN, and Zuko and Kioni exploring their relationship!

A note about that - this story is rated T, which is one up from the K+ rating of TEoF. This will get more intense with the Kiuko relationship; they are teenagers after all! While it's still T and not M, so there won't be any full on sex scenes, things may get lightly smutty at times, so if that's not your thing, feel free to skip past it. Additionally, there will be a bit more light swearing than in TEoF.

Special thanks again to my lovely beta DreadingTheDayWhenYou'reGone! That's about it from me, and I hope you guys enjoy the sequel as much as you enjoyed The Earth on Fire.

Next chapter: Aang gets dancey, Zuko gets jealous, everyone has a little too much to drink & shenanigans ensue!