"She is insufferable!" Katara yelled, throwing her hands in the air as she paced angrily. "I am a master, not her. If I hear 'I already learned this with Pakku' one more time, I swear I'm going to..."

Katara didn't know how to finish that, so she just yelled, bending a ball of ice and throwing it into the wall of Zuko's office. Chunks of plaster fell down as the ball shattered, and Sokka grumbled as he batted away a few shards. Zuko was sitting behind his desk, his arms crossed, looking off into the distance as if he wasn't aware of any of this and Katara felt the dark cloud that had been over them for the past month starting to creep in. Suki shook her head and tried to smile.

"Are you going to tell us that she doesn't sound like you at all?"

"You weren't even there, Suki," Katara said, waving this away.

"It's not like it's hard to imagine! You literally said the same thing when Mistress Yina was teaching you about Fire Nation etiquette!"

Katara huffed and stomped her foot as the corner of Zuko's mouth twitched. He held his arms open to her. Sighing heavily, she went over to him and let him pull her into his lap. He placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder, but it did little to calm her nerves. She tried to focus on one train of thought, but that darker, far more terrifying thing was determined to creep in. She took a deep, shuddering breath, reaching for anger and frustration because those were easier to deal with than the other emotions lurking just under the surface.

"And the thing is," Katara continued, aware that there was no fire behind her rant anymore. "The thing is, she has the gall to think she's better than me. How do you teach someone who thinks they know it all?"

Suki gestured as if Katara had just made her point. Which, technically, she had.

"She's just excited to finally be training with us," Zuko said. "We've known her for ten years, and every year, almost like clockwork, she's asked to come train with us, and we've always told her no."

"I can't train a second Av…"

The dark cloud came over her like a rush, and her voice broke. She couldn't train this girl who was so eager and excited, so full of life. She couldn't get attached to someone else only to watch them die. They had a plan in place, something they hoped would work, but if that plan failed, they'd be back to depending on the Avatar. Sure, they had an actual resistance and army that was capable of standing up to the Fire Nation, but in the end, it always came down to the same thing. Children fighting a war they shouldn't have to fight. If their first plan failed… Zuko held her as she sobbed, unable to keep the cloud away any longer. Ever since the letters were sent out, this was the darkness and the pain she'd been trying and failing to keep out of her mind. She would not imagine a world where they lost to Ozai twice. She would not think about what losing to him twice meant. She would not.

"Hey, hey, things will be different this time," Sokka said, coming to stand by her. "We're all so much stronger. We're actually ready, this time."

"Are we?"

"I am."

Zuko's voice was strong and firm. It held none of the doubt that she felt in her heart, none of the fear that things wouldn't work out. He stood and held her tightly, kissing the top of her head. She clung to him desperately, listing to his heart beat, steady and strong, feeling the warmth of his inner fire. This wasn't a choice he should have to make.

"I've made my peace with it all, and I'm ready to do whatever I must."

"I can't even imagine how hard this must be for you," Suki whispered.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Katara squeezed Zuko as tightly as she could before she moved away. Toph came in, her face decidedly somber. She closed the door behind her and nodded.

"It's done. The last of the proclamations have been sent out, and the army's ready to leave tonight." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "It's time to march on the capitol."

Zuko stood at the head of the ship as the fleet sailed through the Gates of Azulon. Druk swam beside the ship, keeping a lazy pace, but Zuko could feel the tension in his companion, just as he was sure Druk was able to feel the tension inside of him. He waited, half expecting the old feelings to bubble up inside of him again, but he knew they wouldn't. He hadn't felt the insecurity or the shame in so long. He took a deep breath, then let out a little puff of fire. No doubt their ship had been spotted, and reports were being relayed to the capitol.

"Nephew?"

He took a deep breath, holding in that scent that always hung around Iroh. Zuko smiled just a little; he suspected Iroh always kept tea leaves in his pockets for an "emergency."

"Are you going to ask me if I'm ready?"

"No," Iroh said, standing beside him "I'm sure you're tired of the question by now. And before you tell me that you don't need any advice, when have I ever asked if you needed it?"

Zuko chuckled a little, and he turned to look at his uncle one more time before this all ended. Iroh's eyes were a little red and his smile was strained. It looked like he hadn't slept in days, but Zuko couldn't blame him. It was hard to be calm and restful on the final approach. Iroh looked thinner and tired and old, and when Iroh put his hand on Zuko's shoulder, it was gentle. Comforting.

"I have watched you grow, my child," Iroh said, his voice shaking. "I have watched you grow and learn and change into an amazing man. From the moment I first saw you, when you were two and clinging to your mother's dress… The spirits gave me a second chance, and I like to think I did better this time. I…I wanted better for you…"

Iroh's voice cracked and Zuko pulled his father into a strong hug, holding him as if Iroh would float away. Usually, it was Iroh having to comfort a trembling Zuko, but he was glad that he could return the favor.

"This will not be goodbye," Zuko said as the Fire Nation dock came into view.

"He'll fight dirty."

"I'm expecting it. But I've trained with Toph, she fights dirty, too."

"He doesn't have good control over breath of fire, but he likes lightning, so remember your redirection."

"I'll remember."

Slowly, the others started to come on deck, Hakoda holding an unusually somber Kya, and the air around him shifted. Zuko stood tall, his crown gleaming in the early morning sun. All the bells on the dock were ringing, and Zuko scanned the crowd, looking to see if Ozai would greet them, knowing that he wouldn't.

"He doesn't know what you can do," Iroh said, grabbing Zuko's arm roughly. "Use that to your advantage."

"I will."

"His firebending comes from anger, and he'll be furious. You must be calm."

"As calm as the waters of the turtleduck pond."

Katara came to stand next to him, and she slipped her arm around his waist. It felt good to be surrounded by his family. They all looked tired and worn out, but Zuko felt the opposite. He'd spent days in meditation, and he liked to think that everyone else felt so frazzled because they transferred their calmness and strength to him. And he did feel calm. A little tense, still, but ready. He wasn't scared. He wasn't anxious.

He was ready.

"Remember, son," Iroh said, his voice breaking, "remember that his pride is gravely wounded and it will make him fight all the harder. He prefers short, precise bursts. You must be strategic."

"I'm ready."

They were close enough to hear the commotion on the docks as several soldiers moved smaller boats into their path, hoping to prevent them from docking. Every now and then, he could hear the word "dragon" floating to him, and people were trying to get a glimpse of Druk, to see if what the soldiers said was true, or if they'd been mistaken as Ozai kept insisting. Others stood firm, shifting into firebending stances, threatening to set the boats on fire. They'd burn the whole dock before they let this imposter, traitor, heathen, bastard, usurper set foot on their home.

"You must be grounded. Remember your footing."

"I'm ready."

He walked toward Hakoda, and Kya reached out for him. She whimpered as he hugged her.

"Mommy and daddy are going to go away for a bit, ok?"

"No, stay here."

"You're going to stay with Grandpa Hakoda, right?"

"I want mommy!"

Katara smoothed back Kya's hair and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Kya sniffled and tried to cling to both of them, beautiful golden eyes starting to tear up. Katara cooed at her, but Kya wasn't having it.

"We're going to visit family we haven't seen in a very long time, sweetheart," she said, taking off her mother's engagement necklace and handing it to Kya. "Can you take care of this for me? I want to make sure I don't lose it."

"You coming home?"

"Absolutely," Zuko said, squeezing her tightly before handing her back to Hakoda. "Remember, you're in charge while we're gone, ok?"

"Ok."

"Practice being a well behaved princess."

"Ok. You coming home?"

Zuko smiled at her, then looked out at his family. Everyone seemed to have the same question. He smiled at her, this little angle that looked so much like Katara and so much like him. This little life they'd created and loved and protected with everything in him. Everything came down to this moment, and he was ready. He would do what needed to be done. For her. He pulled his favorite hair pin from his pocket and placed it in Kya's tiny hands.

"On my honor, I promise that your mother and I are coming home. Hold onto this stuff for us so we don't lose it, ok?"

"Ok."

"We love you, sweetheart."

They both gave Kya kisses, then returned to the head of the ship.

"Wait!" Kya reached out to the side of the ship. "Bye bye, Duck!"

Hakoda walked her over so she could give the dragon a kiss, and Druk bathed her in steam, the way he'd done when she was first born. Their family stood huddled together, everyone ignoring what was happening on the docks. They'd been waiting for this for so long. They'd sacrificed so much, had been fundamentally changed by this war. The journey had been painful, and had tested their resolve at every turn. But they'd made it. They'd finally made it to the end.

"Are you nervous?" Katara whispered.

Zuko squeezed her hand as he climbed over the railing and onto Druk's back.

"No." He held out his hand to her, and she took it, climbing onto the space behind him. "It's time to end this."

Druk let out a great roar, and the people on the docks screamed, backing away from them as Druk climbed onto the dock. He beat his wings a few times, shaking off some of the water, then shot into the air. Flying was an amazing feeling. Having Katara hold him was an amazing feeling. He steered Druk toward the palace, the world racing by beneath him, and he felt at peace as the spire came into view. He felt at peace.

He was ready.

A/N: Sorry this one took so long to get out. Life has been throwing me some curve balls, and when you're not in the right mindset, it's very hard to write and be creative. But here we go, the penultimate chapter. Just one more to go, and then this story will be done. Thanks everyone for sticking with me through the long gaps in publishing chapters!