Chapter 5

As the night drew to a close, Zuko had the announcing guard draw everyone's attention, and then the party made their way to the courtyard where he and Katara had fought Azula, and where Zuko's coronation had happened. A large cauldron was set up, and a number of wreaths made of fire posies surrounded it. The crowd moved to the bottom of the stairs, and Team Avatar stopped on the stage. Zuko stepped forward.

"One year ago, the world was a very different place; it was just beginning the road to recovery after 100 years of war caused by my family. My father is imprisoned and unable to bend. My sister is on the road to recovery and like our country, is overcoming the prejudice that people have placed upon her. The world is mending and is being carried on the strength of its people. All over the world today, people have celebrated and people have mourned. On behalf of the Fire Nation, I offer my condolences to all those men and women who have lost family and friends"

Zuko stepped back as Katara and Sokka stepped forward; Katara caught Zuko's hand and squeezed, before releasing it and keeping step with Sokka.

Sokka began, "When I was a small child, my mother was killed by the Southern Raiders, a group of Fire Nation soldiers who worked as basic bounty hunters. Almost 5 years ago, my father and all of the other men in our tribe left to aid the Earth Kingdom in the war, and myself and Katara were left to guard our tribe in his absence. Almost two years ago, my sister and I ran aground in the moving ice flats, and it was the best accident we have ever had, not just for the world, but on a personal level. We discovered Avatar Aang, and we began to travel with him, and it very much changed our lives. We each mastered our skills, we met some amazing people, we have experiences others can only dream of, and we were proud to fight alongside our friends to bring about a better world."

Katara took over, "During the war, as well as our mother, we have also lost friends, such as Yue of the Northern Water Tribe, and Jet, a freedom fighter. Yue died to save the lives of her people, by replacing the life of the spirit that gave her life. Jet was brainwashed by Long Feng and died protecting us as he overcame his brainwashing. To each of them, and countless others, I am grateful. Through travelling the world, we have met some fascinating people and people who have changed so much by just trying. On behalf of the Water Tribes, we offer our thanks to the people of the world who fought for good and who continue to bring about change for the better."

Katara and Sokka stepped back, and Suki and Toph stepped forward; Suki pecked Sokka's cheek.

Suki then began, "The Earth Kingdom has seen some of the worst fighting over the last hundred years, but we are a resilient people, and as stubborn as our home element. As a Kyoshi warrior, I aided the war effort, and aided the movement of refugees, and saw firsthand what was happening to the world, especially in the final weeks of the war, when I joined the group behind me. However I have also seen how the world carried on and still had fun."

Toph started up, "While training the Avatar, continuing my training, and seeing the other members of our group train, we still managed to find time to be children. In the final weeks of the war, we went to see an albeit awful play about our lives, but to quote Sokka, it was the time wasting nonsense we had been missing. We also had beach parties for no reason, and in each day we found ways to make jokes, and keep each other's morale up, and on one particular occasion, we were entertained by Sokka and Momo who had drunk cactus juice and although our situation in the desert, without Appa, whom we had lost at the time, was dire, it allowed us all a moment to forget where we were and act our ages. On behalf of the Earth Kingdom, we offer our thanks to those who look for the best in each day and continued to smile when things began to look hopeless."

Toph and Suki stepped back, and Aang took a step forward. He turned and looked at his friends, smiled and turned to the waiting crowd. He began;

"The last two years have been a rollercoaster for me. When I was released from the iceberg by Katara, I was a lost little boy, who knew nothing of the war, and of the genocide of my people, truths that were quickly brought to my attention, and I felt guilty, and as if my actions in leaving the air temple had directly affected what I felt would be the outcome of the war and had cost the lives of my friends, my family and my mentor. I have faced many challenges, including mastering the four elements in a very short amount of time but with the help of my friends, whom I now consider my family, and my past lives, and a giant lion turtle, the world is a better, happier and more peaceful place than the one I woke up to. I doubted myself many times, and many people doubted me as well, and I know the world still has a long way to go, but I hope I have restored some belief in the power of the Avatar and the balance of the elements. It is never the actions of a single person that affect the outcome, but the collective. As the last airbender, from the Air Nomads, I offer my thanks to the people who remained hopeful and patient for the return of the Avatar, and I offer my condolences to those who have been lost due to the war, on all sides, and I praise the strength, resilience and belief in doing the right thing of the people of the world. Thank you"

As the rest of the teens stepped forward, each holding hands with their neighbour and pulling Aang into their line, a round of applause echoed around the courtyard. They descended the stairs and the crowd split to allow them access to the cauldron. It was filled with oil to light a ceremonial fire. Zuko whispered in Aang's ear;

"Care to give me a hand?"

Aang smiled and took up a firebending stance beside Zuko, and each sent a line of fire into the cauldron, which sent a tunnel of fire skyward.

The group stood back with each other and looked to the sky. Suki cuddled in Sokka, and without realising it, Katara hugged herself against Zuko.

A/N Ok, so a filler chapter, but I'm really happy with it...the next chapter is where is gets interesting :D
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