The Officer and the Princess: The Flames Of War

Epilogue 

Azula had once thought that being struck by lightning had been the worst pain she would ever be in. Well...childbirth certainly made a lighting strike feel like a pin prick. There she was in her and Sung's shared bedroom. Her night gown lifted for all to see in a very unlady like fashion as June held her bent left leg down on the bed, and Naomi held her right. Mother Honoka kneeling between her legs.

A year had passed since that beautiful wedding in the Garden. The year had been by no means perfect, her and Sung had their little arguments like any married couple, often over petty grievances. But no matter how mad the two were at each other they never ended the day angry, their last words to each other every night were always "I love you." Their marriage wasn't a perfect one, but no marriage was. Azula was happy.

"Keep pushing." Mother Honoka said soft yet sternly. Keep pushing?! Goddess she had been pushing for what felt like all night, was the kid ever going to get here? That was certainly Sung's child coming into the word, only a Yang would be that stubborn.

Azula did as she was told screaming as loud as she could as it felt like she was getting ripped apart, a flash of lightning lighting up the night sky from a nearby window as if the heavens themselves were sharing in her pain. Azula was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her as she turned her head to look at Sung's nightstand. On that nightstand in a small frame was their wedding photo. A black and white image that people thousands of years ago no doubt would have thought stole their soul when the picture was taken.

Technology was advancing faster now than it had ever done during the Hundred Year War, with the camera came trains, actual steam locomotives that were so fast that it could get a person from one end of the Earth Kingdom to the other in a manner of days instead of weeks. Sung had his misgivings about this so called "new age of science" as it was called. But he had relented somewhat, he had bought a camera. All around the halls of this castle, black and white Photos hung from Family vacations to Ember Island, pictures of her and him standing atop the wall of Ba Sing Se, pictures from when Zuko and Mai had welcomed their daughter izumi into the world, even a rather "professional" photo of Sung wearing a Republic Generals uniform, he had been asked directly by Zuko to serve a term as Commander and Chief of the United Republic's Armed Forces and help with its construction. He had hated every moment of it, but as a Yang when his Fire Lord called he answered.

Something all those pictures shared however regardless of their location was each person in those photographs had a warm smile. A not so perfect family making the best of it.

"Sung!" Azula cried out loudly as another contraction hit her so hard she wanted to cry. Goddess this child was relentless. Just get here already please! She had gone into labor a rather gruesome ten hours ago, Sung had left the day before to give a lecture on the cause and effect of war on a population over an extended period of time, at the Fire Nation Royal Academy, Sung hadn't wanted to leave with Azula so far along in her pregnancy...but Azula to her newly formed chagrin had told him that she would be okay, that he'd be back long before their little bundle of joy came. Oh Goddess how wrong she was now.

"He's coming." Naomi tried to reassure her, gently patting her on the knee.

"Naomi." The muffled voice of Nikkō said from behind a sliding door behind Mother Honoka. "I-is Azula okay?" Even through the waves of pain she was feeling Azula could hear the worry in her voice as clear as day.

"She's fine Nikkō." Naomi called back. "Everything is fine."

"I need you to keep pushing Azula." Mother Honoka said.

"I-I don't know if I can." Azula said weakly.

"You can do it." Naomi said, flashing her a warm smile. "You're a Yang, when we set our minds to something we do it."