Chapter 49

The ancient looking healer with white and bushy beard placed his hands on Azula's temples and stared squarely into her eyes. "Hmm... pupils are of normal size, not dilated, good, good," he mused, releasing the girl's head and then raising up his hand, holding up four fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked in a patient voice with a slight Northern Water Tribe accent.

"Seventeen," Azula rolled her eyes at the healer.

"Azula! Behave," Katara called out from her seat in the corner of the room, sounding disappointed with the other girl.

"Ugh, fine... four fingers," Azula sighed, sounding bored.

"Good, good," the elderly healer nodded approvingly. "Now, keep your head straight and follow my fingers... don't turn your head, just use your eyes!" he added, starting to move his hands in every which direction. "That's very good, your mental faculties appear to be intact."

"Oh yes? Then why do I throw up all over myself every time I rise up ever so slightly in the bed?" Azula frowned. "And this mother of all headaches I've had since waking up is killing me!"

"Well... that's going to improve with time, young lady, you'll just need to learn to be patient," the healer explained.

"As long as it goes away in a day or two..." Azula said hopefully.

"Umm," the elderly man swallowed uncomfortably. "Try a couple of months, young lady. This concussion is by far the nastiest I've seen in my career as a healer. You should count your lucky stars you got off this easily."

"Ugh, you must have some nerve to call this getting off easily," Azula complained, glancing at Katara, but the waterbender just smiled at her disarmingly.

"Now let's check you for some other stimuli," the healer pondered, pushing Azula's sheets upwards and revealing her naked feet. "Try to wiggle your toes, please." Azula muttered something unintelligible but did as she was asked. "Very good," the healer nodded, before brushing his gloved fingers against Azula's soles. The girl instantly began to squirm in the bed, struggling not to burst into uncontrolled laughter, then glaring at the pleased looking healer.

"You try that again, old coot, and I'll send a lightning bolt up your ass!" Azula threatened angrily. "What's the big idea tickling my feet!"

"Your reaction is very encouraging, young lady, I don't think we have to fear you suffering from paralysis," the healer looked happy despite the threats to his life. "The feeling in your legs is starting to return faster and faster. We should be able to begin physical therapy once your concussion allows for it. I'm confident that you'll be able to regain full mobility in a few months."

"Did you hear that, Azula? You're going to make a full recovery," an elated Katara ran up to Azula's bed and carefully embraced the other girl, shedding a few tears of relief in the process.

"Well... that's good, I guess," Azula harrumphed, still not looking fully satisfied. "I just wish it wouldn't take so much time and effort. I'm going to let you in on a secret, Katara... I'm simply not a very patient person," she whispered with an entirely earnest look on her face.

"Oh no, Azula, I would have never thought that about you!" Katara gasped, humoring her friend. "But we'll be there for you, supporting you all the way, that should make it easier, right? And speaking of the others, I think I can hear them returning," Katara said, hearing the voices in the hallway outside, Zuko, Sokka, Suki and Ty Lee all returning from taking a little break for food at the nearby noodle stand just outside the hospital.

"I will leave you in the caring hands of your friends, young lady," the elderly healer quickly excused himself. "Just follow all my instructions and I will see you in two days."

"I can't wait," Azula muttered as the healer swiftly departed and their friends entered Azula's quarters, Zuko carrying a couple of takeaway boxes with him, passing one to Katara and the other to his sister.

"The healer was very impressed with Azula's progress," Katara said as she gratefully accepted the takeaway noodles from Zuko and sat down to eat. Nearby, Sokka was carefully helping to prop Azula a little higher up in the pillows so that she could eat comfortably without making a big mess, having to go very gently with his girlfriend as every tiny movement of her head sent shockwaves of pain through her, as the pained expression on her face implied.

"I'm so mad at how long it's going to take," Azula huffed while gorging on the spicy noodles. "Looks like I'll be here for many months, are you sure you want to be staying that long? Don't you need to go back to the Fire Nation, Zuzu?" she looked at her brother.

"Don't worry about that, Azula, I can easily keep an eye on the Fire Nation from here, it's close enough," Zuko smiled in reply. "Besides, Uncle Iroh is back at the capital, keeping up with day to day maintenance. He's probably not going back to Ba Sing Se anytime soon, the Dai Li and some of their more ardent supporters won't be happy to see someone who just led the United Republic forces to inflict a crushing defeat upon them."

"Well, I guess you're allowed to stay then," Azula conceded magnanimously. "Hey, did those Dai Li jerks agree to our terms, did you hear a reply yet?"

"Well, they sued for unconditional surrender, so they pretty much had to accept whatever terms we wanted to impose," Zuko's smile turned slightly predatory. "Of course, Aang insisted we tone down our demands, but even so, it's a pretty heavy toll. War reparations flooding the United Republic's treasury will be very welcome, as well as donations of military equipment for the budding army of the Republic. Oh, and we'll get to choose the Earth Kingdom councilor of our liking for the next twenty years."

"Oh, did you get Toph to agree, Zuko?" Suki asked excitedly.

"No, she still loathes politics with the passion of thousand burning suns," Zuko chuckled. "But we are getting the next best thing. Lao Beifong, Toph's father. He's a good man and a shrewd businessman, just what you guys will need on the council."

"Sounds boring, but I guess we're going to need him," Azula shrugged, turning her attention back to the noodles. She then glanced over at Ty Lee, standing next to Suki, supporting herself on crutches. "How's the leg doing, Ty Lee?" she asked.

"Not too bad, Azula," Ty Lee smiled gratefully. "I'm not sure I'll ever be capable of such acrobatic jumps as before the injury, but it'll be good enough to remain effective and keep serving with my Kyoshi sisters. And it's all because of you, Azula. I could never thank you enough."

"Me neither," Suki added sincerely, giving Ty Lee a big and sloppy kiss. "I'm not sure what I would do with myself if something happened to my precious goofball."

"Eh, think nothing of it," Azula shrugged. Then she broke into a proud grin. "But it was pretty awesome, wasn't it?" she added.

"It was damn near suicidal, but we're all relieved that you and Ty Lee are both alive and on the mend," Zuko smiled at his sister.

"All's well that ends well," Azula remarked, pointing at her empty takeaway box. "Just like my noodles. My face is probably a mess," she chuckled, asking Sokka to pass her a napkin and then busily wiping her face. "Did I get all of it?" she asked Sokka.

"Missed a spot," Sokka grinned, leaning closer to wipe away a smudge from her chin. "There, pretty as a peach," he said, taking the opportunity to place a firm kiss on Azula's lips, surprising her.

"What's gotten into you!" Azula chided once they had parted, though she actually looked very happy about the kiss.

"I'm just happy about being able to date the most wonderful girl in the whole world," Sokka winked at her goofily, but then his expression became more serious. "Honestly, though... there's something I wanted to give you, Azula," he said, swiftly producing a well concealed jewelry box. "I had an artisan make something special for you... I hope you'll like it," he said, gently placing the box in her hands.

Looking apprehensive and curious, Azula opened the box and retrieved something from it. Katara found herself gasping as she realized what the item was, and what it meant, her fingers instinctively reaching to tug on her own necklace. "Whoa... it's... beautiful," Azula marveled at the beautiful jewel encrusted with gold flakes, forming an intricate pattern. "And it has a firebending symbol on it... Sokka, this is just amazing!"

"Azula?" Zuko smiled at his sister, looking a little taken aback by the scene, but also very happy. "I think you should know that according to Water Tribe tradition, this is a betrothal necklace..."

"What?" Azula gasped, her eyes widening as the necklace fell from her hands.

"It is, yes," Sokka nodded. He bent on his knee next to Azula's bed and quickly took her hands in his. "Azula, I've come to realize that I love you with all my heart. Will you please make me the happiest guy to ever live and become my wife?"

For the first time in her life, Azula found herself utterly incapable of getting a word past her lips. She just stared at her hands held by Sokka, at the necklace resting in her lap, and tears began to well in her eyes. "No, no, no, I'm not going to cry, damn it, Azula!" she exclaimed, to no avail. Moments later, she broke down completely and began to weep, Sokka quickly moving to gently pull her against his chest.

"Aww, deep down Azula is such a softie," Ty Lee gushed happily. "This is so sweet!"

"It really is," Suki sniffed, wiping away a stray tear.

Katara also felt happy, but she couldn't help feeling a little conflicted all the same. She hoped that Sokka hadn't rushed into the decision without thinking, and she hoped that they were both ready for such a monumental decision for their lives. At the same time, she could perfectly understand Sokka. He had suffered terrible misfortune in his previous relationships, and he probably thought that by tying the knot with Azula they might avoid another misfortune, especially after one such close call already.

From the way how Zuko looked at Azula and Sokka in the bed, Katara could tell that her beloved also felt happy but conflicted. They had exchanged a couple of stares, and she hadn't been quite able to read Zuko's expression. Did it have something to do with the fact that Katara had been wearing his gift, her betrothal necklace, for almost six months by now, and nothing had come of it yet? Katara didn't blame Zuko for it, she herself had felt that it was too early for them to finalize their relationship, besides, they hadn't exactly been given time to consider it all, with all the crazy events unfolding around them over the past months.

Back on the bed, Azula slowly separated from Sokka and gave him an uncertain smile. "Are... are you really sure about this?" she asked hesitantly, all her bravado set aside. "I mean... you know the kind of baggage that comes with me..."

"When I said I love you, Azula, I meant that I love you and all the baggage you come with," Sokka smiled, wiping a stray lock of hair away from her face.

"Just say 'yes' already, you goof," Ty Lee whispered unsubtly, Suki chuckling along with her girlfriend.

"You really blindsided me with this, Sokka," Azula gave her boyfriend a little glare, then smiling softly as she picked up her beautiful betrothal necklace. "But with so much thought put into it... what can I say but yes... I'll marry you." They kissed again, but as the others began to move in closer to congratulate them, Azula broke off the kiss. "But no wedding while I'm still bedridden or on crutches!" she warned. "I want to be fully recovered for it, because I want to be all fit and able to do all the things married people do on their wedding night."

"Uh... that sounds like an excellent idea," now it was Sokka's turn to blush deep crimson as the others surrounded them in a group hug, all of them taking care not to squeeze Azula too hard.

"I'm so happy for you both," Zuko said. "And Sokka, I want you to know that there's nobody else I would rather trust with my sister."

"Ha, I just hope Katara trusts me with her brother," Azula laughed.

"Of course I do, Azula," Katara replied quickly. "You're good for each other, everyone can see that."

Congratulations and happy banter continued for a while, until at some point later, Katara felt Zuko's hand on her shoulder, pulling her a little aside. "Katara, could I speak with you for a moment?" he asked quietly, pointing towards the doors.

Wondering about what Zuko was up to, Katara quickly nodded, following her boyfriend out of Azula's room and into the hospital hallway. "What is it, Zuko?" she asked once they were alone.

"I wanted to show you something," he replied a little mysteriously, taking her hand. "Come with me," Zuko added, leading her towards the stairway and starting to climb up the stairs, past the top floor of the hospital, ignoring the sign that said 'staff only'.

"Are you sure we should be up here?" Katara asked nervously, but Zuko was undeterred as he led her through the door at the end of the stairway, the two of them emerging on the hospital roof, Katara gasping when she found herself in a beautiful little garden that had been set up on the roof. "Oh... this is lovely! I had no idea there was a garden up here!" she gasped.

"I saw two nurses heading up here and I asked them about it, so they showed me around," Zuko explained with a smile on his lips. "Lovely, isn't it?"

"It's beautiful!" Katara laughed, breaking into a relaxed little dance around the garden, then coming to a full stop when she reached the edge of the roof, amazed at the sight before her. The whole of Republic City spread out before her, construction sites all over the new and rapidly expanding districts surrounding the by now complete city center, new buildings popping up at amazing speed like mushrooms after the rain. The ugly and messy remains of the former Cranefish Town found themselves relegated to the suburbs of the new capital, dwarfed by the much better planned out districts of the Republic City.

"Lovely sight, isn't it?" Zuko commented, coming up to her and embracing Katara from behind.

"They're making amazing progress," Katara exclaimed happily. "It's so impressive already. Just think of what Republic City will look like once it's completed!"

"I just hope it will be worth it," Zuko sighed, sounding deeply melancholy.

"What do you mean?" Katara swirled around immediately to face him. "Something's troubling you, Zuko, I can see you're unhappy."

"Eight hundred dead Fire Nation soldiers and over six thousand fallen on the Earth Kingdom side trouble me, Katara," Zuko frowned. "I swore that I wouldn't let myself dragged into a war again, and yet it happened. Aang won't let me forget that anytime soon, but really, I'm not gloomy because of him... I feel like a failure because of what happened."

"You're not a failure, Zuko. You're not," Katara insisted stubbornly, reaching out to cup his face in her palms. "Zuko, while we both suspected that the Dai Li would get rid of King Kuei, we could not have anticipated that they would be mad enough to go to war over the United Republics. It's their fault and theirs alone."

"I'm not sure I agree," Zuko sighed, removing her hands. "I think we should have seen it coming."

"Not even Iroh saw that far, Zuko! He would have warned us about it beforehand, and he didn't," Katara argued passionately. "And... I guess we could have pulled ourselves out of the war and allowed the Earth Kingdom to occupy the United Republics. Would that have been better? I don't think so, Zuko."

"I don't think so, either," Zuko agreed after a moment of thought.

"As for the war... it happened, we can't change that anymore. At least we kept it mercifully short," Katara continued to press her arguments. "I have to tell you something that I learned myself while struggling with my inability to deal with the consequences of my decisions. It's important to learn the lessons of your perceived failures, but it's equally important not to dwell on them. We can't change what happened, Zuko, but we can honor the fallen with our future actions."

Zuko smiled at her, looking more at ease. "You can be very convincing, do you know that, love?" he whispered to her.

"I guess so, when I believe in something very strongly," she smiled back at him. "You know what would make a good start to honor the fallen? A beautiful monument in memory of those who fell while defending the independence of this remarkable new nation. I think it would be a wonderful gesture."

"I... that's an amazing idea, Katara, I'll talk it over with Toph at the first opportunity," Zuko finally appeared happy again. "I can't believe how good you are at setting my mind at ease, Katara."

"It's just one of my many talents," Katara smiled at him. "Anyway... while I love it up here on the roof, the others will start wondering where we disappeared to. Shall we rejoin them?"

"Not yet," Zuko spoke, taking a deep breath and suddenly looking very nervous again. "There's something I need to talk to you about, Katara."

"That sounds... ominous," she gulped, his nervousness spreading to her.

"I hope not," Zuko managed to force a smile. He reached out and traced the outline of the necklace she was wearing. "It's been a long while since you accepted my gift, Katara, and yet... I have never brought up its meaning since you came back to me. I owe you an apology."

"An apology? For what?" Katara blinked in surprise. "We've been so busy ever since I came back..."

"I have to apologize to you that it took Sokka's boldness for me to realize that I'm ready, and I hope you are as well," Zuko whispered as he slid down on his knee, taking her hands and pressing her knuckles softly against his lips. "Will you marry me, Katara?" he looked up at her, his golden eyes so full of intense adoration that it made Katara's head spin. "Will you become my Fire Lady?"

"Oh, Zuko..." she gasped, her legs no longer able to support her and she all but fell into his arms. "Of course I'll marry you, silly. What else could I do, I love you more than anything," she added, unable to stop herself from crying as their lips met and they began to kiss heatedly, just barely managing to stop themselves from taking things too far right there and then, on top of the hospital roof. As they separated with shy smiles, Katara could see that Zuko's golden eyes had also gone a little moist with all the outpouring emotion.

"There's just one thing I want to ask of you, Zuko," Katara whispered once they both were able to speak again. "I'd like us to wait until Sokka and Azula get married. I wouldn't want to steal their thunder, I mean... Sokka did beat you to the proposal."

"True enough," Zuko admitted, looking a little guilty. "Hmm, how about we speak with them and see if they might be amenable to a double wedding?"

"I... that would be lovely!" Katara gasped in excitement. "But only as long as they don't feel that we would overshadow them," she added after a moment of thought.

"Of course, but something tells me that Azula and Sokka will be happy to agree to our proposal," Zuko smiled at her. "It would be a magical day for all of us, and for the Fire Nation."

"And I can't wait for it already," Katara smiled, leaning in for another tender kiss, then settling in comfortably against Zuko's chest, happy to spend an eternity just being held by him. After many trials and tribulations, Katara felt that finally the reward for all their efforts was just right around the corner.