Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Author's Note: Well, we're kind of in an epilogue mode now, so not much happens here. It's mostly some people thinking about their future. However, it does back up a little to Aang's point of view from the time Appa and Katara left.

Musings

Aang watched Appa until he became a speck in the sky. Only then did he turn back to the crowd that was still milling around. Most of the locals were drifting back to their daily activities, whatever those might be, but there were still some guards and fire sages at loose ends, not to mention the small army that Haru, Teo, and The Duke had managed to put together. Momo scurried out from wherever he'd been hiding and did a quick leap to reach Aang's shoulder.

Frankly, Aang had no idea what to do next. Much of his attention and energy for the past nine months had been devoted to winning this battle and ending the war. The rest had largely been occupied in convincing Katara that he loved her. Therefore, he had never given a great deal of thought to what his responsibilities might be after the war. Now that he'd had a glimpse into the lives of the three Avatars who had preceded him, he had a better idea of what was likely to be expected of him, but none of that had really prepared him for this moment. At a loss, he looked to Zuko for guidance. After all, he had at least been raised in the ruling class. Before Aang could say anything, however, a small voice rose up from somewhere near his right elbow.

"Avatar Aang, what are you going to do with me?" The question came from Ty Lee, who'd assumed a kneeling position near the foot of the stairs that led into the palace.

Aang was distinctly uncomfortable with this question, not least because of the expression of fear that accompanied it. He'd never wanted to have anyone's fate in his hands – not even Azula's – and he intended to make such situations the exception rather than the rule. Besides, he fully believed that most people were capable of managing their own lives if only they were given the freedom to do so.

"What do you think should be done with you?" he turned the question back onto her. Without warning, Ty Lee burst into tears.

"Please," she begged. "I never wanted to help Azula. She made me do it. I – I was afraid of her!" The curvaceous girl buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

It was a very convincing performance, and Aang suspected it might even have some truth in it. Azula, like her father, wasn't the type of person to have friends. She had tools, lackeys, and henchmen. If someone didn't want to be helpful to her, she could undoubtedly come up with ways to cause that individual to regret the decision.

"What did she do?" he asked quietly.

"I was happy at the circus," Ty Lee whimpered. "She took me away. I said I didn't want to help her catch Zuko, but she set my net on fire and released the wild animals."

The explanation was a bit garbled, and Aang only understood about half of it, but it was enough. After all, he'd just allowed Mai to walk away, and she hadn't shown any fear. Whatever the stony-faced girl's reasons had been for joining Azula, they had apparently exhausted themselves, and Aang was content with that. He saw no reason not to let this one go, too. He touched Ty Lee lightly on the shoulder. She started and looked up at him.

"Go back to the circus," he advised. Ty Lee blinked as though she didn't quite grasp what he'd said. Aang bent down to place his hand under her elbow and guided her to her feet. Then he smiled reassuringly.

"I won't punish you," he said. Suddenly, he sobered. "But you make sure that the circus you join treats its animals well." He'd heard some nasty rumors about Fire Nation circuses in his travels, and he didn't like the thought of any creatures being mistreated.

"Yes, absolutely," Ty Lee agreed quickly. She retreated from him a few steps, bowed respectfully, and vaulted over the low wall, sprinting away as soon as her feet touched the ground on the other side.

"Well, now that that's settled…" Aang turned his attention back to Zuko. He drew closer so that they could confer without too many people overhearing them. "What do we do next?"

"I'm not sure," Zuko admitted. "A coronation usually occurs on the day of the funeral of the prior Firelord. Since Azula isn't dead, I don't know what should happen. I can't technically order anyone around until I'm crowned."

"Well, that's inconvenient," the airbender murmured with chagrin. "What does the next Firelord traditionally do between the death and funeral of his predecessor?"

"There isn't much to do. The fire sages and family arrange the funeral and coronation, and life for everybody else goes on."

Aang chewed his lip thoughtfully. There was obviously a lot in the present situation that was unique, and he had to take things one at a time.

"So who's in charge?" he asked.

"I think you are." At Aang's shocked expression, Zuko explained. "You're the one who defeated Azula and declared me the next Firelord. This is your show for the next three days."

Aang certainly hadn't expected that, but he supposed he should have. This was why he'd always tried to stay out of politics, and he began to understand why Avatar Roku hadn't acted more aggressively to replace Firelord Sozin. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Will the fire sages and royal guards protect you until you officially become Firelord?" he demanded urgently. Zuko hesitated, then shook his head.

"They have no reason to," he conceded. "My father disowned me, banished me, declared me a traitor, even tried to kill me. They probably don't know about all of that – Father's pride wouldn't have let him admit he let me get away – but there are bound to be a lot of doubts floating around. They'll all swear loyalty to me after I'm crowned, but until then…"

Aang nodded sharply and turned back to the diminished crowd. His eyes sought Hakoda, and he beckoned the chief over when he saw him.

"I need a bodyguard," Aang said quickly, indicating Zuko. "Several of them, actually. Enough to take shifts to protect Zuko until he takes the crown." Much to the Avatar's relief, Hakoda nodded with understanding and required no further explanation. He went to request volunteers for this assignment. Satisfied that this task was in capable hands, he returned to Zuko.

"You can trust anyone Hakoda picks," he assured the prince.

"I believe you."

"What else should we do?"

"Well…" Zuko thought it over. "The officials and fire sages should handle the ceremony arrangements. The servants will take care of things inside the house. The main thing we need to do is figure out where to put all these people."

Aang had already been thinking about that. Most of them presumably had places to stay around the city, but it was clear that they would need at least some of them to stay at the palace. In addition to Zuko's team of personal bodyguards, it would be a good idea to clear the palace of any remaining guardsmen (from what he'd seen so far, there weren't likely to be many), and keep some of the Avatar's allies around to guard the doors and such. This would at least be necessary until Zuko was safely crowned, and it would be prudent to continue keeping some of them around for a few months afterward.

Arranging for a new Firelord was a lot more complicated than he'd expected, and Aang barely suppressed a sigh as he went to talk to Haru and his father.

***

Zuko stood in his old room in late in the afternoon on the day after he had again become the heir apparent to the Fire Nation throne. Tomorrow, most of the few personal items he had here would be moved to the Firelord's suite. He would sleep only two more nights in the Crown Prince's room.

His interactions with people of different backgrounds had allowed Zuko to realize just how regimented life in the Fire Nation was. For example, everyone who lived in the palace had a room assigned based on their title, from the Firelord to the Wine Steward, from the Firelady to the 4th Assistant Scullery Maid. He could see how it was all a little odd from an outsider's perspective. He supposed it bore some resemblance to the separating walls in Ba Sing Se, but the concept was foreign to most other people.

Despite that, however, the future Firelord had not yet made up his mind to change everything. Many people were accustomed to knowing their place in life, and aspiring to a better room gave servants and tradesmen goals to achieve. That was not necessarily a bad thing. If there was one thing he had learned over the past year, it was that it was important to listen to those around you before issuing orders that could affect their lives.

Besides, he already intended to make a lot of changes for the better, and some of those had already begun. Foremost among these was the extinguishing of the fires in the throne room, which had always served to make the Firelord a forbidding, remote silhouette. Truthfully, Zuko had never liked the flames, and while he fully intended to be a leader, he also wanted to be more accessible to his people.

A light step came down the hallway, and a moment later, the bodyguards allowed Aang entrance. The boy glanced around the room disinterestedly while Momo leapt off of his shoulder to investigate the shadowy corners.

"A lot of memories in this room?" he asked.

"Not that many," Zuko replied. "Even less that are good. This room is for the Crown Prince, so I didn't move into it until after Lu Ten and Firelord Azulon died and my father was crowned Firelord. It was only a few years later that I got exiled." Of course, he'd stayed in it again briefly between his return from Ba Sing Se and the eclipse, but that hardly merited a mention. "The best times I had in this room were with Uncle Iroh, after he came back from the war. He used to tell me stories in the evenings. Now I understand that he was trying to teach me through those stories."

There was a pause as Aang seemed to be trying to think of what to say next. Suddenly, he smiled mischievously.

"So are you thinking about filling the room yourself?" he asked pointedly. "And maybe a few others?"

"What?" Zuko looked sharply at Aang and felt his face reddening at the implications. "That hadn't even crossed my mind! There's a lot to clean up before I can even think about…things like that."

"Don't put it off too long," the Avatar replied seriously. "I'm sorry if this is a little blunt, but you'll need an heir soon. Your sister can't rule without bending, but if anything happens to you, a civil war could start."

"Father?"

"If he's still alive, he would obviously try to take the crown again," Aang agreed. "There are probably a lot of people here still loyal to him."

Zuko sat down on the bed and groaned, holding his head in his hands. The royal family had been kept small for a long time, and he could only imagine the wrangling that could ensue as distant relatives who hadn't had a legitimate claim to the throne in centuries finally saw an opportunity for real power.

"You could take away his bending," he suggested.

"I could, and I will if it comes to that. I'd rather not do that too much, though. I don't want to be seen interfering with Fire Nation politics any more than absolutely necessary. As the Avatar, I have to be neutral."

Suddenly, Zuko laughed dryly and looked Aang straight in the eyes.

"You actually have a claim to the Fire Nation throne," he said, and he had the satisfaction of seeing the young Avatar's eyes widen with alarm.

"Me?" he squeaked, voice cracking and making him sound much more the adolescent than he had at any other time in the past day or so.

"My mother is Avatar Roku's granddaughter," Zuko reminded him. "There's no blood tie, but you're sort of related to him. You're even a firebender."

"I'll have enough to do!" Aang protested. "Besides, I just said I can't be partial to one nation. I'm pretty sure that includes ruling one."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. What about Uncle?"

"Maybe. He really should have taken over for his father years ago, and if he defeated Ozai today, he'll have a good claim. The question is, will he want it?"

Zuko thought it over for a moment, remembering Uncle Iroh's unfettered delight in running a tea shop in the Earth Kingdom capital.

"I doubt it," he admitted. I think he just wants to go back to his tea."

"That would only solve things temporarily, anyway. He's not going to live forever." Aang paused, now wearing an apologetic expression. "He would make a good choice as a guardian and advisor to the Crown Prince, though, if that becomes necessary."

"So we come back to that," Zuko sighed. "I have to get married and start producing children for the sake of my country."

"Is it really that bad?"

"If it's set up like my parents' was…"

"You'll be the Firelord. You can pick whoever you want."

Suddenly, Zuko realized that Aang was already engaged to be married, even if the wedding might still be years away. He looked narrowly at the airbender.

"You're already thinking about having children." It was not a question, and now it was Aang's turn to blush.

"I'm in a similar situation," he said awkwardly. "I'm the last airbender. If there are ever going to be any more…well, it's up to me."

"I see," Zuko murmured, finally understanding more of the similarities that they shared. "But you're twelve!"

"Thirteen," Aang corrected. "And I don't really see what that has to do with it. I told Katara the truth yesterday – I'm ready as soon as Hakoda's willing to let us get married. Besides, I like children. I'm sort of looking forward to having some."

Zuko just stared at him for a few heartbeats. He considered saying that it was only natural for Aang to like children, since he was practically one himself. In the end, however, he decided against it.

"You are the strangest kid I've ever met," he said instead. Aang broke out into a wide grin.

"I've heard that before," he admitted unrepentantly. "If it means spending the rest of my life with Katara, I can live with it." Zuko nodded, appreciating the relationship the pair shared and feeling a pang of wistfulness as he wondered if he would ever find someone like that, someone with whom he couldn't wait to start sharing a life.

"So, has Katara…?" he let the question hang there, unfinished.

"We haven't talked about it," Aang shook his head. "Still, she agreed to marry me, and babies are part of that. I think she'll be okay with it. She's always mothered everyone around her; she might like having her own children to mother for a change. She's even delivered several babies."

"Really?" that was news to Zuko.

"At the South Pole. Plus one on the way to Ba Sing Se."

"Wow." Zuko thought this all over. "I guess you two really are ready."

"What I'm more worried about right now is deciding on a place to call home."

"You're not going back to the Southern Air Temple?"

"I don't think so." The Avatar shook his head. "I had a happy childhood there, but there's nothing but death and decay now. Besides, you have to fly to get there, which would make it hard for people to reach me if they needed help with something."

"Or for friends to visit," the prince remarked. He smiled faintly. "We could make more of those balloons." It occurred to him that the Fire Nation must have found a way to get there if they'd wiped out all of the airbenders, but he didn't think that was a good thing to bring up. Aang smiled back.

"That's okay. Maybe it's better to leave that temple as a sort of monument. Maybe it'll help the world remember never to let anything like that happen again."

"I hope so," said Zuko honestly. He decided to change the subject. "When do you think the others will get here?"

"Actually, that's why I came to see you. I thought the earliest they'd probably be able to get here was sunset. Katara would have reached Ba Sing Se about this time yesterday, and she and Appa would have needed rest. Besides, everyone would have wanted to know what happened, and they'd need time to get things organized and pack. I wanted to ask if you'd like to come and watch for them with me."

"I'd love to," Zuko said. "I suppose I'll have to bring the bodyguards?"

"At least one."

So the two of them went with Hakoda to the platform outside the main doors of the palace to wait for their companions. In the meantime, Zuko had a lot to think about.

--

Author's Note: One more chapter down, and it still feels like I have a long way to go. The next one could take a while because I'm going on vacation for a few days.

Review responses:

Katsumara: Thank you for everything. Several people enjoyed Sokka's reaction to Katara's engagement. I can't think of any other specific response for you; sorry.

musiclover9419: Pretty much everything is going to be "filler" from here on out. Some readers said they wanted to get more detail in terms of proposals and weddings and such, so I'm trying to deliver.

Amber Pegasus: Well, that's good to know.

Marisol Maza: The ending of the series bothered me greatly in that Ursa had not yet been found and didn't get to be a part of the events. That's why it was enjoyable for me to give her a fairly significant role here, even more than I wrote for her in Destiny's Call. I'm glad you like my development of Toph. I've always thought she needed to show some maturing before any romance with her would be believable.

Big A. Lovin Avatar: I'm not sure what you mean by the next one. The remaining chapters will primarily be wrapping up relationships. As for the next story, I intend to focus on some other fandoms for a while, maybe just adding to my Avatar songfic collections now and then.

Monte-chan: Obviously, the show left a lot open to interpretation, including the political system of the Fire Nation. I'm glad you're enjoying my development of some of those things.

Private LL Church: An epilogue is usually, by it's nature, a short summary of what happened later. Have you read What You Missed? It's pieces from the characters' lives that were left out of Destiny's Call. I preferred to do it that way, in short snippets as they occurred to me.

Atem's Sister Atea: Yeah, I never really understood the reasoning behind Ursa's exile, so this was my attempt to give an explanation. Since nobody knew about it except Ozai and Ursa, why did she have to leave? Another thing I wish we'd seen more of in the show was Sokka's reaction to Kataang.