Chapter 44: Out of the Embers

There was a horrible silence on the ice for a few moments, broken only by Azula's harsh breaths.

Zuko took a step towards her, his hand held out in a conciliatory gesture. But in the back of his mind, he was also making sure she didn't try the same stunt on Uncle or Mother.

"Azula," Uncle said calmly. "Call off your soldiers."

She swung her head in his direction and gave an unhinged laugh that made Zuko shiver. "Call them off when they are winning?" she asked derisively. "When I could be Fire Lord? I'm not that much of a fool."

"Neither are they," he continued. "Ozai may have had a very loose claim to the throne when I was presumed dead, but you do not." He turned to the waiting crowd, and his voice echoed across the space, no longer talking to Azula alone. "Any soldier that follows you commits treason."

Uncle's words had a strong effect on the soldiers, who began murmuring among themselves and relaxing their aggressive stances.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked them. "Attack!"

But they didn't move. Instead they looked anywhere but at her.

"Will you surrender peacefully, Niece, or must we put you in chains?"

Zuko saw a violent shiver pass through her. "I yield. You are Fire Lord, Uncle." Her voice was bitter and tight, and he wasn't sure he trusted her word. But without the army behind her, there wasn't much she could do.

The soldiers holding his mother captive released her, and she stumbled forward to Azula and gathered her in her arms. She murmured something Zuko couldn't hear, and Azula let out a guttural cry and pushed Mother off of her.

"Don't touch her!" he snarled, taking a step forward, ready to firebend.

She lifted her hands, ready to return fire for fire. Uncle held up his hands to separate them, several soldiers stepped forward, and Zuko prepared for a fight.

But instead, she crumpled.

She sat on the ice just out of their mother's reach and buried her face in her knees, silent and still, save for the shaking of her shoulders.

Aki and Yuto moved closer to her, ready to intervene if the need arose, but when Mother began speaking to her again, she didn't lash out. She sat pitifully on the ice and cried.

Zuko felt a tiny stab of pity for his sister, something he hadn't felt in close to a decade. She was a pathetic figure, and he was embarrassed on her behalf. That their own soldiers were witnessing this display. She would hate herself for this later.

He couldn't watch anymore, so he turned instead to-

"Uncle," he said, his voice catching. He swallowed hard.

For a moment they both stood still, staring at each other. Then Uncle walked across the ice, his steps so large and quick that it was almost a jog, and enveloped him in a hug.

Tears pricked at his eyes. "I missed you so much."

"I'm sorry, Zuko."

The words were simple and not the grandiose apology he had thought he'd wanted, but somehow having Uncle's arms around him, hearing the pain and regret in his voice, he suddenly didn't care. This was all he needed.

"I'm just glad you're alive."

Uncle gripped him tighter. "You were supposed to know. I don't know why they didn't tell you."

Zuko felt relief course through him. Uncle hadn't purposefully kept him in the dark. It made all the difference.

"But you did such a good job of being Fire Lord." If possible, Uncle squeezed him even harder. "I'm so proud of you."

He let out a harsh laugh. "No, I didn't. I messed up so many things. I was on the run for most of the time, and I-"

"You did an admirable job. No one could have done more."

"Zuko!" Aang landed on the ice near them and twirled his glider, converting it into a staff. He took one look at Ozai's lifeless body and winced, hard. "Oh. I'd hoped I could make it back before… But it looks like you, uh, took care of things already?"

He nodded, resisting the urge to follow Aang's gaze. "We need to get the message to the rest of the Fire Nation soldiers that Ozai is defeated."

He could tell that Aang was still struggling with his father's death. Maybe more than I am, he thought uncomfortably. But despite his distress, Aang lifted his chin and set his jaw.

"That shouldn't be too hard. They're a captive audience now: either floating in freezing water or stuck on board stranded ships."

Zuko glanced over his shoulder towards the ocean, even though from his vantage point he couldn't see any of what Aang was describing. It sounded like it would be a good story once there was time for it.

It took hours for all the logistical details to be worked out, for all the Fire Navy soldiers to accept the situation and agree to stop fighting.

Sozin's Comet had faded from the sky and almost everyone had returned to their homes or ships or barracks. The sky was inky black and the ice a frigid, desolate landscape.

Zuko and his guards were the only people they could see, as far as the ice stretched. Not that they could see very far; the road back to the palace was barely visible in the starlight.

As they crunched through the snow and ice, Zuko was mourning the loss of his enhanced firebending.

Because, yes, it had brought a lot of destruction, but the rush he'd felt was incomparable. His very veins had thrummed with fire. It was the most alive he'd ever felt, and he would likely never experience it again.

In the absence of that power, it almost felt like it had during the eclipse, when his bending had disappeared altogether.

He produced a flame in his hand, more to reassure himself than anything else, though it did also serve the practical function of lighting their way across the black ice.

Yuto and Aki produced their own flames, and the light from their combined fires illuminated enough of the road ahead of them that they could see two lone figures hurrying in their direction.

"There you are!" Yue let go of the other person's hand and rushed forward. "We've been looking for you, Prince Zuko. You should join us all in the palace."

He'd been the acting Fire Lord for less than six months, so perhaps it shouldn't have surprised him to once again be addressed as the prince. But it did. He pushed the feeling down and addressed Yue.

"I was just on my way. Is everyone else safely accounted for?"

"There were far fewer casualties than we had anticipated. We have much to thank the ocean and moon spirits for." She smiled in her gentle way and drew the man behind her further into the light.

Zuko's mouth dropped open. "Sokka? What happened to you?"

Sokka's face was twisted in a surly pout, which was completely at odds with the shock of distinguished white hair he now sported.

"I look like an old man," he grumbled. "Which I suppose is better than looking like a dead man."

"Well, I think you look handsome." Yue leaned up to ruffle his ponytail, then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He smiled down at her, a tender moment that Zuko felt embarrassed to be intruding on. He cleared his throat and gestured past them in the direction of the palace.

"Right," Sokka said quickly, "You're supposed to come back with us. Because everyone wants to be sure your royal self is healthy and accounted for."

"I'm fine," he said as they set off. "A lot of the Fire Nation soldiers were tired of fighting. None of them gave me any trouble. And, of course, they all respect Uncle as Fire Lord."

Lee snorted, and Zuko shot him a glare. He immediately held out his hands, shaking his head. "They do respect Fire Lord Iroh. I'm not saying they don't. Most of them. But…" He trailed off, and shrugged. "I just think you had more to do with this than you give yourself credit for."

"It's true, sir," Yuto said. "That's why the Fire Lord sent you to do this job, you know. Because no matter whether you supported Ozai or Iroh in this fight, you were always going to be the next Fire Lord."

"No I wouldn't. After Ozai, Azula would have taken the throne, and-"

"And no one wants Fire Lord Azula," Lee finished.

"Here, here," Aki cheered.

In a few minutes the palace came into sight - or more accurately, the remains of the palace. The pyramid top was all but gone, and the large chunks of ice from the top tiers scattered around the base. Some of them had gouged out portions of the lower levels, too, and the steps leading up to the entrance had crumbled into barely more than a jagged slope.

But there was still light coming from the inside, and he saw a team of waterbenders at work restoring the structure.

A rush of emotions flooded through him. For the better part of the last year, he had worked towards saving the Northern Water Tribe from his father's genocidal plans. And now to see that it was past - that they had survived and would rebuild, and that his efforts had mattered - filled him with the greatest sense of accomplishment he had ever felt.

"The kitchens are destroyed," Yue said, "so there won't be a feast tonight."

"There doesn't have to be," he replied, immediately and firmly.

"No," she agreed. "We can celebrate just as well without that."

"I'm not so sure-" Sokka began, but he cut himself off as the Kyoshi Warriors stepped out onto the remains of the veranda. "Suki," he said in a choked whisper.

She skidded down the hill, mouth agape, then grasped his elbows and peered at his face. "Sokka, what happened!"

"Well, it's kind of a long story. But the short version-" he pulled Yue closer to him and hugged her to his side "-is that someone convinced the Moon Spirit to save my life."

Suki must have said something in reply, but Zuko didn't hear it. He was focused instead on the warrior leaning casually against the remains of a pillar, an infinitesimal smile gracing her lips. Was Mai waiting for him?

He started up the hill, perhaps a bit faster than the conditions warranted, but he hadn't pushed his body to the limit in training for nothing, and managed to make it to the top without slipping.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said, once he was close enough for a reasonably private conversation.

"I told you I'd handle it," she said with a careless shrug.

"That easy, huh?"

"Easier than your fight with Ozai, from the sound of it." But a slight tightening around her shoulders made him wonder what exactly had happened.

"Who'd you hear that from?"

"The Fire Lord." She pursed her lips. "And Azula."

"You talked to Azula?"

"I did. She's not nearly as upset with me as Ty Lee is. We understand each other, Azula and I. We're both logical, unemotional, pragmatic."

He made a face. "You're not that much like my sister."

"Don't look so worried," she said with a slight smirk. "It's a purely professional understanding. We're nowhere close to being friends again."

"Good."

She leaned in, grasping the edge of his sleeves and tugging him closer. "I'm glad you're okay, too."

He put his hands around her and pulled her into his chest. "I'm fine," he said, and he tried to will himself to believe it. "It's all over now."

If Mai picked up on the distress behind his words, she didn't comment on it.

"You said Ty Lee isn't taking it well?"

"Oh, she'll come around," she sighed. "We spent a lot of time talking after it was all over at the Spirit Oasis. And speaking of that-" She leaned back out of his embrace and looked up at him. "-She's a lot better at putting feelings into words than you are."

"And?" There was no great revelation there; Ty Lee was emotional awareness personified.

"She said a lot of the same things you did, about what it felt like to think someone you loved was dead, only to find out you'd been lied to. Except she actually explained herself," she said wryly, and he grinned back sheepishly. "So I think I understand where you're coming from better now." She paused, then looked past his shoulder. "And I think I'm not as angry with you anymore."

"So we're okay?"

"We're mostly okay," she amended. "But I reserve the right to pin you to the wall by your extremities if you ever threaten me like that again."

"Fair enough," he laughed.

"Hey! Zuko!" Sokka clapped him on the back. "Are you going to make eyes at Mai all night, or are you coming inside? There may not be a feast, but that's all the more reason to get dinner while there's still some to get!"

He didn't wait for Zuko's answer, but instead jogged for the doors, pulling Yue behind him, her fingers clasped tightly in his.

Zuko and Mai entered just behind them. The dining area was barely functional, but the atmosphere inside was jubilant. His own Fire Nation soldiers sat beside Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom warriors, trading stories, joking, smiling, and generally acting like there had never been a hundred year war. There was so much laughter and noise in the hall that it would have been hard to hear a conversation not directly in front of him.

Katara stood up as they approached and ran into Sokka at full speed, wiping away tears as she hugged him.

"Does it look that bad?" he asked, touching his hair self-consciously.

"Ugh," she groaned and shoved him hard in the shoulder. "You look fine. I'm just happy you're alive."

He patted her back awkwardly, and Zuko had to bite back a laugh.

But then Katara let go of Sokka and flung herself at him, too. He held himself stiffly, shocked by the gesture.

"You did it!" She beamed. "You and Aang, you did it. I'm so proud of you!"

She beckoned behind her back and Aang joined them. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Zuko bowed.

"I can never thank you enough for helping me," he said. "I would never have managed this on my own."

"Neither would I," Aang said soberly. "You are Roku's great-grandson, aren't you?"

"Well, yes," he said, "but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Avatar Roku told me that I would need to work with his great-grandson in order to put the rightful Fire Lord back on the throne. I kept wondering who that could be." He laughed. "But it was you all along, wasn't it?"

Zuko's jaw dropped. "What we did was prophesied?"

It was one thing to fumble around and somehow manage to win a war; it was quite another thing to know that a dead Avatar had said it would happen.

"Yeah. Kind of wild, huh?"

"Yeah," he said, still dazed.

"What are you going to do now that the world is saved?" Mai asked.

"I don't know," Aang said, but then he reached over and grabbed Katara's hand. "I was thinking of going to the Southern Water Tribe for a while."

Zuko raised his eyebrows. Aang and Katara, huh? That was new.

"Good for you. Don't be a stranger, though. Come visit us in the Fire Nation sometime."

Aang perked up. "Of course! I used to love visiting the Fire Nation with my friend Kuzon, but I've never actually been in the palace."

"You're welcome anytime. Really."

Sokka, Katara, Yue, and Aang then sat down, but Uncle was waving at Mai and Zuko from across the room, so they waved goodbye and headed in his direction.

He saw Ty Lee sitting with Ling with the Kyoshi Warriors on the far end of the hall, and noticed that Mai was taking them the far way around the room to avoid them. But Ty Lee was smiling and leaning against Ling and looked happy, and when he caught her eye she waved at him like nothing was wrong. She and Mai would be okay, eventually. He was sure of it.

When they reached the table, Aki, Yuto, and Lee sat down next to Toph, and Zuko and Mai took their places next to Uncle and both their mothers.

Michi bowed to him, but then froze when she recognized Mai. She opened her mouth once, shut it, and then cleared her throat.

"What are you doing in that disgusting outfit?"

"Surviving the war," Mai deadpanned. "But I could have shown up today in Fire Nation clothes as a corpse, if you'd have preferred."

But Zuko wasn't fooled. He could see a fondness behind both their caustic outer shells. They had missed each other.

Mai took Tom-Tom from her mother's arms and settled him onto her lap. "You've certainly grown, little one. I hardly recognized you."

He looked wide-eyed at her, running his hand down her strange, foreign armor. "Jie-Jie?" he said hesitantly.

"That's right." She leaned in and nuzzled noses with him. "Big sister finally came back. And look." She held him out to Zuko. "It's Jie-Fu."

"Uh…" he said, backing up in his seat. "He doesn't have to call me that."

She raised her eyebrows. "You'd rather he called you Prince Zuko than brother-in-law?"

"I'd rather he called me Zuko. We weren't big on family titles growing up."

He remembered Father making a big deal out of Azula not needing to call him big brother, and Mother protesting but being overruled.

And then he'd been adopted, and family titles had been so mixed-up for him - his mother was his aunt, his father his uncle, his sister his cousin, his uncle his father - that the whole idea of family names had been twisted inside him beyond recognition.

"If that's what you want," she shrugged. "No titles."

"Just so long as I get to keep calling you Mei-mei," Toph said with a wicked grin.

That earned her a glare from Mai, but the rest of the table burst out laughing.

"So Toph," he said, aiming for casual and disinterested. "What are your plans now that the war is over?"

"I should probably see if my parents are still alive." She wrinkled her nose, as if she found the idea distasteful.

"And after that?"

She reached over and punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow!"

Lee let out a high pitched, offended shriek, Yuto stood half out of his seat, and Aki grabbed Toph's arm.

"It's okay," he grunted, rubbing the spot. "That's how she shows affection." Then, to Toph. "But seriously, why?"

She pulled out of Aki's grasp and smirked. "You forget that I can feel heartbeats again, thanks to these babies." She pointed to her snowshoes under the table. "Come on, tell me the truth. You want me to come back to the Fire Nation with you and continue being your guard. Am I right?"

"Well, uh… if you want to. Sure. That would be fine."

She shook her head. "Pathetic. You're easier to read than Sokka."

He scowled. "I am not." Then, realizing he was probably proving her point even now, he attempted to erase his emotions from his face. "But you are coming back with me, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," she shrugged. "If it'll make you happy."

That was as good as an enthusiastic yes from Toph, and much better than a punch in the shoulder. He would take it.

Dinner was only blubbered seal jerky and rice, but no one really minded. They traded stories from the last year, and everyone laughed and smiled more than they had in a very long time.

At last Mother stood up and said her goodbyes. "I promised Azula I'd stop by her room before bed."

That caught his attention. "Are they keeping her in the prison?"

"No, she's on house arrest for the time being. There are guards outside her room, but that's all."

Uncle nodded. "I told her as long as she stays on good behavior until we get back to the Fire Nation, she'll be welcomed back to the palace as a princess. We'll keep a close watch on her," he hasted to add. "But she spent so many years under Ozai's influence. With him gone, there's an opportunity for me to fill that void. I believe in second chances, and she deserves one."

Zuko wasn't sure how he felt about this, but he nodded his head at Uncle all the same.

"And speaking of second chances." Uncle wagged his eyebrows and grinned. I'll have to send the two of you on a nice little honeymoon. You never got one the first time. Where do you want to go? Anywhere in the world, just say the word."

Mai beamed. "Thank you, sir."

"It's the least I can do." Then he leaned in and spoke in a voice low enough that only Zuko could hear. "But I expect a grandchild on the way when you return."

"Uncle!" he protested, his face flushing.

"I am not your uncle, my son," he said, his voice still hushed. "I am your father."

Father is not a bad word, Zuko. He could remember all the times Uncle had said that to him, the hint of pain behind the words.

Zuko gulped and remembered his father's body lying on the ice. He put a hand up to his now-healed eye. That wound was gone forever. And now his father was gone forever, too. No, Ozai was gone forever. Someone who had brought so much pain and suffering into his life shouldn't be afforded the privilege of being called Father.

Only someone worthy of the name should be given that title.

He looked back at his adopted father and forced the words out of his mouth.

"Father, then."

Zuko hadn't expected the flooding relief that would come with saying those words. He also hadn't expected the tears to stream down his father's face or the crushing hug he was drawn into.

"Father," he said again, and returned the hug.

THE END

It's hard to believe that this is over. Prior to this story, the longest fanfic I'd written was about 17k words long. I really cannot believe I was able to write this monstrosity, both to stick with it to the end, but also to have a somewhat cohesive plot that I mostly wrapped up to my satisfaction.

A huge thank-you to my beta reader, who signed on to this project that I said would be an estimated 75k words and finished in six months. 160k words and two years later, and I couldn't have asked for a more supportive and enthusiastic reader. Thanks for making my writing better, especially by fixing the terrible mess that was my action scenes, for honestly telling me when I needed to rewrite something, and for reassuring me that my chapters were okay when I thought they were trash.

I also want to thank all the many readers who have been with me through this, especially those who have been frequent commenters from the early chapters. You can't know how much your support has meant to me, how much it has motivated me to keep writing and to improve from chapter to chapter. Thank you for giving this story a chance and for all your kind words.

Thank you also to those who have been silent readers. I don't know how many of you there are, but I have seen the kudos and the hits so I know you exist, and I want to let you know I appreciate them. I'd love for you to leave a comment below saying hi so I can thank you personally.