Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! If you get a break from family festivities, you can enjoy the feast of words that I am offering. Zuko's worries at the beginning of this chapter are a nod to my husband, who is constantly worrying over problems that could wait.
Another Coronation
The next day passed quickly as the various preparations for the coronation were completed. Zuko had decided to hold a feast after the ceremony, which meant additional food to be brought in and temporary cooks and servers hired. He and Aang had also arranged for the belongings of the prisoners from The Day of Black Sun to be delivered to the palace so that those people would have decent clothing to wear for the occasion.
By the evening, Zuko was so tired that he hoped he would wake up in time to be crowned. Of course, he had tasked a servant with making sure that he would, but it was one among many little worries that had descended upon his brain, demanding attention. What if he tripped over his robe? What if the people didn't accept him? What if they hurled insults and vegetables? Or stormed the palace?
Thinking beyond tomorrow, there were even more concerns. For example, there were many Fire Nation prisoners that Aang's friends had not freed, both in the capital city and beyond. Zuko would need to review those cases to determine whether they had been unjustly punished. He had no doubt that there were real criminals in his country, but he was also aware that many people who'd been incarcerated were simply unfortunate common folk who'd had the audacity to speak out against his father's policies. Then there were the soldiers and sailors that would have to be recalled and more recent colonists to re-settle somewhere.
Zuko groaned, holding his head in his hands as he sat on a chair in his room. He really should leave all of these things for another day, but he couldn't seem to stop thinking about them. Rising, he decided to visit his mother.
She'd taken her enforced solitude in stride, but that was probably made easier by the fact that she had already been in exile for several years. He tapped on the door, and Chief Hakoda answered it, ushering Zuko in when he recognized him.
Due to the secrecy surrounding her presence, no one could be posted outside the door, which had necessitated someone staying in Lady Ursa's sitting room. Zuko was pleased that Hakoda had really followed through on his promise to see to her safety personally.
His mother was seated calmly in a padded chair, appearing as serene as she had ever been. Her graying hair hung loose, and she brushed it out as though preparing for bed.
"You should be getting some rest," she admonished her son, but her smile indicated that she was happy to see him.
"I will soon," he promised. "I just wanted to see you first. Are you okay?"
"To be honest, I am a little nervous about being presented formally tomorrow. Are you sure it's appropriate?"
"Absolutely sure. Besides, I need you beside me." Zuko paused. "I'm nervous, too."
"Just remember who you are, and everything will be fine."
Zuko grunted, thinking that knowing who he was had long been his problem. He looked around the guest quarters she'd been assigned. The room still had the air of being vacant; his mother hadn't made a mark on them yet.
"Will you move back into your old rooms?" he asked idly.
"Actually, I was thinking I could just stay here." She waited until he returned his gaze to her and then looked him straight in the eyes. "The Lady Mother suite is so far from everything, and my old rooms should be reserved for the new Firelady."
"Oh, not you, too!" Zuko groaned, sinking into a chair opposite her.
"Me too?" his mother raised a delicate eyebrow.
"Aang was just saying that I should think about an heir. That there needs to be a clear succession."
"Was he? He's remarkably astute for one so young."
"Yeah, well, he's been thrown into a lot of things over the past year." Zuko paused before uttering a painful truth. "Most of that was probably my fault."
"You did the best you could," his mother reassured him, placing a hand over one of his. "But really, have you given the matter any thought?"
"A little, but…" for a moment, Zuko couldn't continue. There were still things about this subject that he hadn't even admitted to himself, which made it impossible to voice them to anyone else. Fortunately, his mother patiently waited for him to continue. "I understand the reasons for me to get married, but I'm not ready yet. There's still so much I need to do here, and there will be a lot of traveling. I want to be more or less settled here before I think about starting a family."
The silence stretched out, and the prince could no longer meet his mom's searching gaze. He was only barely able to keep himself from fidgeting under her scrutiny. He knew she could probably sense that he was keeping something back.
"You know, I always thought that you and Mai…"
"We were, for a while," Zuko admitted. "It – wasn't right."
"I see," his mother murmured, sounding as if she really did. She resumed in a lighter tone. "Well, it's your decision, of course. You do have a lot to deal with now without adding marriage to the mix."
The conversation turned to more innocuous topics until Zuko took his leave. When he returned to his quarters, exhaustion caught up with him, and he was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
***
The coronation went off smoothly, despite the short planning time. Sokka suspected, however, that there were far fewer natives attending this one, and he knew for a fact that this audience was more diverse than any Firelord crowning in living memory. Water Tribe warriors stood in formal dress alongside a motley assortment of earthbenders from Earth Rumble competitions and beyond. The remnants of Jet's freedom fighters mingled with nearly-naked swampbenders. Refugees from Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom villages alike crowded the courtyard, with uniformed Fire Nation soldiers appearing here and there amid the middle-class and common folk who had made it.
Sokka really couldn't blame the capital city residents for taking a pass on the event. After all, their last coronation had occurred only weeks before. They had their own lives to attend to, and they doubtless wanted to see whether this reign made a decent start before they took any interest in it.
For his part, Sokka was not much into pomp and lost track of the fire sages' droning early on. He was more interested to look about the crowd and think about what the assemblage might mean for the future. Maybe there finally could be a united world again, something he hadn't truly thought possible even after making friends with Avatar Aang.
He did this, Sokka thought with amazement. That goofy kid my sister broke out of an iceberg did all of this. It was true that he hadn't done it alone, but Sokka still doubted that anyone else could have brought this many people of so great a diversity together. Of course, Aang couldn't help but associate with people different than he was – his entire race had been wiped out.
For the first time, it hit Sokka that Aang and Katara's marriage could very well result in more airbenders, and he briefly entertained a vision of several small children zooming around on air scooters.
Better them than me, he decided emphatically. One airbender in my life is plenty.
Of course, the Air Nomads would probably never be quite the same as they had been. Aang and Katara's children would be half Air Nomad and half Water Tribe, and when they grew up, they would have to seek husbands or wives among the remaining three nations. Aang's bloodline would be continually diluted, so they could only hope that enough airbenders would be produced through the generations to eventually maintain a viable population of them. It seemed very unlikely that there would ever be enough to form their own nation again. It was sad, yet it also meant that the remaining nations would always have a connection to the surviving airbenders. That could be a positive thing.
For that matter, it looked like the Southern Water Tribe was going to get an infusion of people from other places. Waterbenders from the North Pole had already gone there, and there were no unmarried women left in his tribe to match with the single warriors. He'd heard rumors that some of the men had begun courting Earth Kingdom women during the time they'd been assigned to patrol around Chameleon Bay. Then, there was Sokka himself. He cast a sidelong glance at Suki, promising himself to speak to her right after the coronation. He returned his attention to the ceremony.
Aang and Katara stood immediately to Zuko's right hand throughout, as though daring anyone to interfere. While Aang's getup was something Sokka could never imagine wearing, he had to admit that the Avatar wore it well. It was sort of a cross between his original outfit and the full robes they'd seen on the statues at the air temples. The orange cape held wide openings for his arms and ended at his hips, revealing the familiar close-fitting beige pants and brown knee boots beneath, and he wore a medallion over the top.
Katara, meanwhile, had decided to wear the silk Fire Nation clothing she had swiped. It was undoubtedly the nicest thing she owned, although, as her older brother, he would have preferred her not to have quite so much skin on display. She remained so close to Aang that Sokka would almost think that the pair of them had to be surgically detached from one another if he didn't know that they slept in separate bedrooms every night. He really couldn't be unhappy about their attachment, though. He had never imagined his sister would find someone so perfectly suited to her, and he genuinely wished her all the best.
Finally, the crown was placed, and Firelord Zuko rose to address the gathering. He kept his speech brief, essentially just announcing the end of the war and his intention to work with the leaders of the other nations in establishing the conditions of what he hoped was a lasting peace. When he concluded, Zuko took a step back and gestured to his left.
"For my first official act as Firelord, I would like to welcome back someone who has been absent from our court for too long. The Lady Mother Ursa has returned, and I wish all to greet and accept her as though she had never left."
Ursa stepped into the light, looking striking in her adapted court clothing of red and black. Sokka had never seen her dressed up like that, but her appearance couldn't hold his attention. When she emerged, she was supported by the arm of Sokka's father in his most formal tribal attire, and the young warrior felt his jaw drop. He'd known that his dad had taken a personal interest in Ursa's safety, but this part of the event came as a complete surprise. It did, however, explain why he hadn't seen him at the celebration.
Sokka shook off his astonishment as the crowd made their way to the banquet hall for the feast that Zuko had decided should follow the ceremony. Normally, Sokka was all for free food, but he held back, pulling Suki with him into a corner as he waited for the area to empty. She turned to look at him with a curious expression.
"Suki, I was wondering…how do you feel about ice?" he asked her.
"Ice?" She looked confused and maybe a trifle disappointed. "I guess it's…cold?"
"Um, yeah." Belatedly, it occurred to Sokka that perhaps he was being just a little too obscure. "It is. Where I'm from, the South Pole, it's covered with ice and snow. I thought you might like to go there with me sometime. Maybe when things are more settled here and in Ba Sing Se?"
"A whole land covered with snow?" Suki's eyes took on a faraway look. "I've never seen anything like that."
"It can be beautiful," he told her earnestly. "In summer, the sun's up all the time, and the ice reflects the light. It is cold, though. I'll get you a parka."
"I was counting on you to come up with more creative ways to keep me warm," she teased, arching an eyebrow. Sokka felt himself coloring.
"I can't be beside you all the time," he stammered.
"Oh, practicality. There's something to be said for that, too." Suki paused, gazing at him intently. "How long would you want me to stay?"
Sokka pondered briefly over what to say. Her boldness gave him courage, and before he could change his mind, he blurted out, "Forever. I mean, if it's okay with you."
The kiss following that offer lasted quite a long time.
***
Toph sat at the front table with Zuko and the others who had been closest to him in the weeks that had passed since his change of heart, although Sokka and Suki's seats remained conspicuously vacant while the food was served. It was very unlike Sokka to be late when food was present.
The constant shifting of hundreds of people provided a steady background hum to the blind earthbender's senses while the babble of voices all around blended until only the words uttered by the people closest to her were comprehensible.
She was in the middle of a crowd, yet Toph felt very alone. After all of the adventures she'd shared with those who sat around her, everybody seemed to have someone: Katara and Aang; Sokka and Suki; even Zuko had his mother and uncle. Only Toph was solitary.
It made matters worse that many of her companions were talking about their future. There were many things to discuss, certainly, and she didn't really begrudge them that. The Fire Nation social structure had to be completely reorganized, and the city of Ba Sing Se needed to be rebuilt both physically and governmentally. In addition, many of her companions had to make decisions about where they would live and how they would keep in touch.
Katara and Aang didn't speak much, but they didn't need to. Even from the other end of the table, Toph could sense their joy at simply being together. Their relationship had progressed beyond a need for words. When Sokka and Suki crept guiltily in, however, they added their voices to the conversation.
Toph seemed to be the only person who had nothing to look forward to. These last few months had been the best in her life. For the first time, she'd had freedom, as well as the satisfaction of being part of something really important. She couldn't imagine anything better than that. She didn't feel that she had a place in what would happen from this point on; diplomacy wasn't exactly one of her strengths.
So Toph sat in uncharacteristic silence, pushing food around her plate more than actually eating. Iroh noticed her reticence.
"Is something wrong, Toph?" he addressed her in a low voice.
"I just…I guess, in a way, I'm sort of sorry this is over," she replied, just as softly. She gestured around with her chopsticks. "I mean, everyone else seems to know what they're going to do next. I have no idea."
"I see. You won't go back to your parents?"
"I don't know," Toph sighed. "With Katara's help, I sent them a letter a while ago. It's not that I wouldn't like to 'see' them, but I wish I could be sure they'd accept me for who I am."
"You won't know until you talk to them again," he pointed out gently.
"Yeah, you're right." Toph nodded, her decision made. "I'll give them another chance." The last time she'd tried to explain to them, it hadn't gone so well, and they'd sent two earthbenders after her. Still, the magnitude of what Aang had accomplished over the last few days gave her optimism that circumstances could change. Besides, it wasn't like her family could hold her if she really wanted to get away.
"I'm glad to hear it." Iroh paused as he reached for a roll. "You know, I'm planning to return to Ba Sing Se and reopen my tea shop. Now that Zuko has new responsibilities, I could use some help there. If things don't work out with your family, I would welcome you."
"Thanks. I may just take you up on that." Feeling cheered, Toph tucked into her noodles with relish.
--
Author's Note: I wanted Sokka to come up with a way to propose that was neither traditional nor romantic but would get the idea across somehow. It just seems like him.
Review responses:
Katsumara: Let's just say there's nothing wrong with your eyesight. I liked the idea of Aang's new robes, but the way they were drawn seemed to defeat the purpose of them, which I assumed was to make him appear grown up and serious. Instead, he seemed lost in them and looked more like a child.
Tetsu Deinonychus: Unlike most writers on this site, I actually am married, so I guess that causes me to think about the other relationships that surround a marriage.
musiclover9419: I'm glad you liked my costume change and Hakoda's perspective.
Private LL Church: Favorite chapter? Well, that's good. As for the costume, I did change it slightly. I felt he should pay homage to his heritage while still wearing something that suited him. I do miss the gray outfit I made up for Destiny's Call, though.
Amber Pegasus: Not as exciting as action, perhaps, but I've always thought relationships were exciting in their own way.
IJAKEI: I don't know what you meant by "361," and I don't know how many chapters I have left. As many as it takes to finish the story, I guess. You'll have to keep reading to answer your question.
Marisol Maza: I do like to play around with the minor characters. I think they don't get enough attention. And I'm not the first to bring up a connection between Ursa and Hakoda.
Big A. Lovin kataang: I'll try, but for how long? I think there's an end in sight, but this description of what happens after the big battle is taking longer than I thought. That's what I get for wanting to pair almost everybody up, I guess.
arizony: As always, your reviews are a joy to read. If I could get a few hundred thousand people to respond as you do, I could be a successful professional writer. I sometimes got the feeling in the third season that the creators were intentionally tweaking fanfiction authors. It seemed rather childish.
Monte-chan: I first brought up the idea of having the robes in storage in a oneshot I did. I can't remember now if it was a songfic or in Flying Embers. I just expanded the concept here.
Atem's Sister Atea: Well, I had Sokka dwell on some of the issues you mentioned. There are still three lifetimes (plus the rest of Aang's) before another airbender will be needed to step up as the Avatar, so there will hopefully be a number of new airbenders produced, although it will be extra important to protect them.