Twenty years had passed since the end of the Hundred Years War. Twenty years ago, Sokka had been a boy with a sword who, looking at his own children, was far too young to be fighting a war. He felt a slight sense of pity and distance that his children would never fully understand the war. Their full view of it was statistics and diluted bedtime stories.
He was glad he didn't have to be a warrior for his boys, he was simply a goofy old man quietly watching them from a window in the kitchen. He enjoyed hearing them play as he prepared dinner.
This summer, seven children had been shipped to Kyoshi Island , by direct order of the Fire Lord, who had thrown a fit when his three children had returned from their last vacation at the Southern Air Temple as vegetarians with flowers braided into their hair, trying to make him dance. Sokka pictured Zuko shouting to no one in particular. That's it! No more Aang and Katara's house! Too happy! I don't want you smiling! The children would pout now. But Dad, we like smiling.Now Imaginary Zuko was sobbing on the ground. How could my own children betray me like this! No more Southern Air Temple!
Yes, Sir. Fire Lord Zuko, Sir. This summer I will make sure that your children ride the Unagi and train with the Kyoshi Warriors, but I will not allow them to have fun. No, Sir.
Sokka and Suki had agreed to keep them all on Mai's terms. You can use your Warriors to keep them in line. We'll take them when they're older and quieter and less sticky.Sokka chuckled at the idea of nine teenagers in the Fire Lord's palace. He could just imagine Zuko's face if he found his little princess and Kaori (Sokka's oldest) acting like teenagers. He was glad he could watch them during the ten-year-old hair-pulling phase.
Outside Kaori was trying to catch Ako's attention. Ako was sitting on a stool with her back straight like a dignified princess and trying to ignore Kaori.
"Careful, Dakori! You don't want to make her any uglier!"
"I'm not ugly!" Ako whipped her head around to the now smiling boy, her cheeks turning a furious red. "You'reugly! Why don't you go eat a bug or something, Kaori?"
He smirked deviously. "Okay! Yummy! I love bugs!"
Dakori cut in, giving both ten-year-olds a stern look. "Kaori! That's disgusting, can you please stop?" Kaori looked at his shoes. The girl's voice was as sharp as her water whip. "Ako, honey, I need you to look at me."
The thirteen-year-old expertly snipped away Ako's bangs until she was satisfied. Dakori was the first of Aang and Katara's four; the two had gotten married the second Aang turned sixteen and Katara started spitting out kids. She was the only waterbender of the gang and, aside from her straight, black hair, looked like a mini-Katara.
Dakori let Ako go free and turned her attention to her seven-year-old sister, who was playing with the baby.
"Aya! Put him down! I told you, you aren't big enough to hold him!"
Aya pouted and put down the red-headed little boy.
"That's not fair! You get to pick Kaiden up!"
"I'm old enough. How would you feel if you dropped him and had to tell Aunt Suki that you hurt him?"
"I'm sorry, he's just so cute!"
Sokka wiped his hands on his apron and smiled. He trusted Dakori to keep things under control. Sokka heard a sigh from the kitchen table.
"Don't you have anything to read that isn't about battle tactics?"
"Not really." Sokka laughed.
At fourteen, Zusa was the oldest of the lot. She resemble Azula so much that sometimes it frightened Sokka. She would make an expression and the ghost of Azula would hit Sokka, knocking the wind out of him. But he still loved the quiet, snarky girl as his own.
"You know," Sokka whispered, leaning towards her. "I won't tell on you."
She rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"I won't tell your parents if you smile. You're allowed to here."
"I'm allowed to smile everywhere. I just have difficulty finding something to smile at."
She gave him a soft smile anyway as she left to find better reading material.
"Uncle Sokka, may we please have a snack?" the bald eight-year-old, Tenzin, smiled up at Sokka with his large, grey eyes.
"I don't think so, kid. We're eating soon."
"Okay. Hey, Rukin, did you let my sister do your hair?"
"Why? What did she do?" Ako's twin brother spun around looking for a mirror. His cheeks turned red as he tore the flowers out of his swinging topknot. He ran to the window and leaned out.
"GENJI! I told you to fix my topknot!"
The eleven-year-old shrugged, smiling. "I did fix it!"
"You didn't have to fix it by tying it in a bow!"
"But, Rukin, you're so pretty!"
Rukin stormed out of the kitchen and down the hall to his bedroom while the other children laughed. Tenzin ran after him.
"Rukin, wait up! Don't listen to her!"
Sokka looked up to see Suki leaning on the door frame.
"Well, if it isn't my beautiful wife and children," she teased.
She tugged on his apron belt to bring him into a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and let his head rest on top of hers. He listened to his busy household, the children playing and water boiling and his wife's breathing and smiled.
He had the life he always wanted. And it was perfect.