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Epilogue
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"Come on, Ursa." Fire Lord Zuko waited patiently outside his daughter's bedroom. The seven-year-old girl giggled as she ran to her father, throwing her arms around his waist. "Time to visit Aunt Azula."
The tiny princess's face lit up with delight as she ran back to her room. She returned with a cluster of white lilies in her hand.
"Ready!"
Mai and Ty Lee were already waiting outside. The Fire Lord pecked his Lady tenderly on the cheek when he approached. They small family walked, including Ty Lee, who supported herself with a beautifully carved water tribe cane, courtesy of Sokka. Years of rehabilitation with Katara on her visits had done wonders, slowly but surely. The little princess held hands with her, the one she affectionately called Aunt Ty Lee.
The path to the royal garden was beautiful and lush, covered in flora of every hue and shade. Wind whisked by them, ruffling hair and tickling by. Ursa giggled as they approached the gate, excited with her flowers in hand. When they stepped into the garden, she stared back at them. The marble statue was brilliantly crafted, taking every aspect of Azula's being and accenting it perfectly. She gazed out over the land, her hand laced with that of a tiny child standing beside.
Ursa ran to the site, almost tripping over the stone as she went, and delicately placed her lilies over the grave, ecstatic that whole way. Zuko ran his hand over the plaque, smiling sadly. Mai took his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Princess Azula: warrior, woman, headstrong and stubborn; Brave and eccentric, friend, sister and guardian. Died protecting what she loved all along.
Ty Lee beamed from a ways back, a single tear rolling from the corner of her eye. Then they turned to leave, chatting the way back about memories and the past.
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"What I'm trying to say, in some clumsy way, is that its you and only you, not just for now, not just today. But its you and only you, for always."
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Author's notes: Gah, I didn't mean to make it so sappy there at the end. It just came out. I hope you enjoyed the journey and don't hate me for making Azula a hero. I could have taken her so many different directions, but I chose the one I felt would benefit the plot and characters. I really tried to keep the essence of each character, especially Mai. I know she was a bit more emotional that would typically be seen, but love and children will do that to you. I aimed to show the characters' deeper thoughts and personalities, not just to surface of what we see in the show. All hypothetical, of course. "Five years later" is a handy setting because it opens the writer up to making some creative decisions on character development. If you're confused about the Order and the letters, basically Azula hired them at the beginning on her arrival and then changed her mind because the change of heart she claimed to have actually occurred during those weeks/months. Please comment and tell me what you thought! That little quote at the end is from Nichole Nordeman's song 'We Build' on the album Brave. It's not mine. Once again, thanks to GoddessOfCsilla. I appreciate your support!