Ba Sing Se.
The city of where friendships blossom and mayhem ends.
That is what Soana had always thought of the imperial city even after it became compromised by the Fire Nation a few months prior.
The Jasmine Dragon was now a sacred place of gathering for the world's new saviors.
With the Avatar being there along with Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki, Zuko and Iroh grew pleased as the atmosphere became blissful and content.
Mai and Soana had their own table near the center of the tea house where Gato, and Yuri had joined them as Reid was in the kitchen with Sueh.
As usual in the tea shop, Zuko was serving tea like before and Iroh was playing a tsungi horn to set the calming atmosphere.
All while Soana and Mai spoke with Gato and Yuri.
"You know, before all of this I thought you were some scary girl, but now I see you." Gato said to Mai.
She chuckled as Zuko passed out tea to their table.
Everyone seemed nonchalant and comfortable, all except for Soana.
For her friends, today was the day of celebration of the new world formed from peace and love, however, to her it was the day she was to go home and see her father for the first time in more than a year.
Not only was she nervous because she was soon to see her father, but she was very agitated because that meant she had to leave Zuko and the rest of the team behind to tend to her royal duties.
"Gato, is it?" Mai asked.
He nodded.
"I thought you would be some know-it-all Dai Li agent." She retorted. "But turns out you're alright. Stupid, but alright."
Yuri chuckled.
"I like her."
A tea cup had been placed in front of her with steam rolling off of it. She looked at Zuko who had put it in front of her. She sent him a forced smile then let her gaze fall to the table.
Zuko knew she was nervous. In fact, he could sense it in her attitude and voice that she was itching with anxiety. In the past week he would always see her playing with her lips and biting her nails down until it was just a nub.
She was anxious out of her mind, but she wasn't the only one. Zuko had also been itching to know if she was staying or if she was leaving with her father, but most importantly he was worried about whether or not his marriage was at stake. He didn't want to lose her as a wife, however, he did want to keep everything on good terms with her since he promised himself to let her go willingly.
Zuko cleared his throat awkwardly before carrying on with passing out cups of tea to the rest of the team.
Toph was enjoying herself by having her feet propped on a nearby table. Suki and Katara were playing Pai Sho while Aang was playing with Momo on the green and yellow dragon rug in the center of the shop.
Sokka was next to Iroh, brushing ink on a piece of paper ferociously.
"Sueh!" He shouted, making her and Reid come out of the kitchen.
"What do you want, Sokka?"
"Hold it! Stop moving!" He demanded.
"I'm trying to capture the moment, so we'd always remember the good times together."
Katara stood from the Pai Sho table and looked over her brother's shoulder to look at his painting.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Sokka." Her face scrunched with concentration.
"Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?"
"Those are your hair loopies." He explained, making everyone else curious.
Gato stood with Mai and went to Sokka's side.
"Why is my hair so tall?"
"At least you don't look like a porkupine. My hair is not that spiky." Zuko complained.
"Soana looks like she's blowing bubbles out of her nose. Why is Reid electrocuting Yuri?"
"She's a waterbender, and Reid isn't electrocuting his mom." Sokka rolled his eyes.
"I look like a man." Mai stated.
"I know I'm fat, Sokka, but I'm not that fat. You made me as big as Iroh." Sueh stated.
"Why did you paint me firebending?" Suki asked.
Sokka shrugged.
"I thought it looked more exciting that way."
Momo hopped onto his table and chattered.
"Oh, you think you can do a better job, Momo?"
"Hey," Iroh peered over at the painting. "My belly's not that big anymore. I've really trimmed down."
Toph stood from her table and raised her arms.
"Well, I think you all look perfect!"
Everyone laughed except for Soana who merely stood quietly from the table to catch a breath of fresh air, but instead of heading out towards the front, she went through the kitchen and exited out the back, enjoying the scenery of the lower ring where everything started.
Near the lower ring was an agricultural field that had a fresh water canal going through to water the mass amount of crops. That was where she was to meet her father who was to show any moment.
Soana sat on the stairs that led to the tea shop and placed her chin in her hands, staring at the field with her stomach twisting in thought of finally seeing her father.
She didn't know whether to be happy that he was coming or to be distressed with the fact that she was leaving Zuko.
"Hey," She heard a raspy deep voice.
She looked in the corner of her eyes and saw a color of brown and yellow with black hair.
"Hey, Zuko." She sighed, trying to relieve herself of her emotions.
"You seem bothered." He informed.
"Well, I'm seeing my father for the first time in a year, so that doesn't stir up any emotions whatsoever."
He shook his head.
"You should be happy to see him, not bothered."
She ignored Zuko which only made him take a seat next to her. He slumped and examined her face to make out what she was feeling.
"Why're you upset, Soana?" He mumbled.
She closed her eyes to concentrate on his words.
"I don't want to leave anyone behind."
"You're not. If you choose to go, you're not leaving anyone behind. Besides, I can provide you with a messenger hawk and you can talk to whoever you want."
"It's not that simple, Zuko." She sighed. "I don't want to leave you or our marriage."
"Yeah, but are you going with your father back to the North Pole?"
"Yes, I am, but that shouldn't-"
"It will affect us, Soana. Especially if you plan on staying there and since I'm Fire Lord, things won't be as simple as they were before when I was prince."
She nodded slowly, letting it sink in.
"So this is it." She stated.
"After I leave, we're no longer married."
"We can always be friends, Soana. Best friends if Sueh will allow it." He chuckled.
She broke into a small smile.
"You'll have to fight her on that one."
Zuko let the corners of his mouth pull upwards as he admired Soana and her beauty, basking in the sunset of the Earth Kingdom.
"I'm gonna miss you, Soana." He muttered as she glanced at him.
She blinked away a few tears that threatened to spill before they looked back to the canal when they noticed something in the distance.
She turned her head to see three small wooden ships with dark blue and purple waves painted on the sides and white sails seeming big like clouds.
"It's my father." She breathed, the feeling of overwhelming joy take over her body.
•
At the docks, Zuko carried Soana's knapsack as everyone else from the tea shop came to say their goodbyes. Well, all except Gato and Sueh.
As the ship slowed on the stone dock, Soana turned to the team and lightly smiled.
"I'm so glad I ran away." She said to lighten up the mood, however, the atmosphere still happened to feel like a great weight.
Katara laughed softly before her and Aang attacked Soana with a massive hug.
"We'll see each other again." Katara informed then backed away to let the next person go.
Sokka and Suki brought the princess into their arms for a short time before speaking.
Suki patted Soana's shoulder.
"You're a heck of a fighter. The Kyoshi Warriors and I are honored to serve with you."
Her heart fluttered at Suki's comment before she turned to Sokka who brought his girlfriend closer to him.
"I'll always remember your advice. It's such a privilege for us to be friends."
Next was Toph who forced herself to wrap her arms around Soana's waist.
"Oof!" Soana coughed and patted the earthbender's back.
"I'm sure we'll see each other again. Just come down here. I'm not visiting anywhere I can't see with my feet."
Soana giggled before Toph withdrew herself to let Mai go.
"I'll definitely be up soon to visit. Aang's been telling me so much about penguin sledding. Sounds fun."
They hugged for a quick second before Mai let the next person say goodbye.
Yuri and Reid.
Reid ran and tackled Soana's waist just like Toph, but this time he didn't say much. Instead of speaking he buried his face in her stomach, crying hot tears into her robe.
"Oh, Reid." Soana cooed, rubbing the back of his brown hair with her hands.
"He's gonna miss you so much." Yuri informed, sighing. "You're only at the North Pole. It's not that far from the colony we'll be staying at. It's in the North West. Apparently both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom have been residing there for some time, according to Zuko."
Soana smiled lightly at Yuri before grabbing her shoulder and pulling her into her arms.
"You're like my mother. I wish you could've met her Yuri."
Yuri let out a breathy laugh before pulling away and looking to her son who was backing away and looking to Soana with tears in his eyes.
"We'll meet again, Reid." She caressed his hair and pinched his cheek teasingly. "Unless if I mistake you for a wooly pig again."
This put a smile on the boy's face before he released a realistic oink at her.
She giggled before Yuri and Reid moved to let Iroh go ahead.
The firebender engulfed her in a cheerful embrace.
"It was a pleasure, Soana."
"You take care, Iroh." She pulled away and pressed her lips onto the old man's cheek, making him blush red.
He let go and went to Zuko who stared at his uncle with a sorrowful expression. What he didn't notice was Soana and the team staring at him until Aang spoke up.
"Uhm, Zuko?"
The new Fire Lord jerked himself to focus on Soana.
"Sorry." He mumbled apologetically then went to the princess.
As he stood before her, Gato and Sueh finally arrived with their luggage.
"I understand Sueh is going with Soana to the North Pole, but Gato?" Sokka questioned out loud.
Gato shrugged with his knapsack string over his shoulder.
"Lavabending training. Turns out waterbenders can bend it, so I think I should learn it to my advantage."
Sueh blew a breath in between her lips.
"Good luck finding a volcano at the North Pole. Knowing you, you'll end up melting the entire glacier if you happen to stumble across one."
The team laughed, but Soana and Zuko ignored them as they were in their own little world.
The two stared at one another as they knew this would be the last time seeing each other as a married couple.
"There's so much to say, Soana, but I don't think I can say it all in the short amount of time there is." He said, handing over her knapsack and seeing that they were tying down the ship for Soana's father to join them for a reunion.
Soana smiled softly at him.
"I think I can."
She placed her hands on his shoulders softly and leaned to the side to press her lips on his cheek.
Zuko felt frozen in fear as he didn't know what to say or do for goodbyes. He always thought they were pointless until now when the moment came down to seeing the love of his life leaving.
When she pulled away, she looked back into Zuko's intense amber eyes and maintain her soft smile.
"I love you, Zuko."
His heart stopped as Soana heard the guards gathering to lower the wooden plank, connecting the ship to the dock.
The princess turned to see a few guards with spears walking on the plank then stopping on the stone and separating to reveal Arnook.
He stood tall and with no emotion as he saw his daughter before him.
Zuko felt intimidated at the sight of Soana's father. His arms flexed with a silver ring around his bicep that had a vulture griffin's long feather attached to it.
The masculinity this man had frightened the Fire Lord.
Soana, in the midst of finally seeing her father, cowardly bowed to him out of respect.
"Hello, father." She breathed.
Arnook frowned slightly and raised a brow, making Soana ramble on.
"I'm so sorry I ran away, but in my opinion I don't regret it. But that never meant I didn't miss you. I missed you and Yue terribly. If anything, that's one thing I regret-"
Arnook ignored his daughter and took a stride towards her to engulf her in his arms.
Soana melted into her father's arms, breathing in his familiar scent and feeling the thick material of the blue clothing he wore.
Her breath hitched at the sudden emotion that he tugged at her father's heart.
"You're not furious with me?" She asked him.
"I was never furious with you. I was worried of your safety, but since I know you were with the world's savior, I know now you're not just a simple princess. You're my brave little girl."
She buried her face in her father's chest as he held her head and peppered small kisses on the top of her head.
"I love you, my daughter."
"I love you, father."
She hugged him tighter.
After a moment of father-daughter bonding, they pulled away and turned to the group.
"Father, you know Avatar Aang, Katara, and Sokka." Soana reintroduce them to Arnook who nodded.
"Yes, I recall." He said.
"I also know Sueh, Yuri, and Reid. Thank you for taking in and watching over my daughter. I apologize I never found the time to thank you during your stay in the North Pole."
Sueh chuckled lightly.
"So, Arnook, when can I get the chance to train like a wolf warrior?"
Arnook sighed.
"I guess as soon as we get back."
Sueh cheered.
"Yes!"
Soana gestured to Gato.
"Father, this is Gato. He is an earthbender and a former Dai Li agent. He wants to come to the North Pole with us to learn how to bend lava like a waterbender."
"I don't understand how that's possible, but if he wants to come along then I guess it's quite alright."
Gato grinned coyly.
"If lavabending doesn't work out then I could always be of use as Soana's personal guard."
Arnook hummed, examining the boy's evident strength and height.
"That seems feasible."
The Chief looked to Iroh and nodded.
"General."
Then to Zuko.
Arnook held a blank stare as he felt mixed emotions just by staring at this boy.
"Hello, Chief." Zuko stammered, taking a small step towards him and bowing.
"Uhm," He continued to stammer.
"I know you don't have much to say to me, but I will say something to you. My last day at the North Pole after Soana left, I remembered what you said to me. You're willing to do anything for the ones you love? I didn't really understand what you meant entirely, but I do now.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for you as I do for my uncle, so if you don't want me near the North Pole then I will respect your decision. Just know that I would do anything for your daughter because I love her."
Arnook didn't stop himself when he released Soana from his reach and pulled Zuko into his arms.
"Thank you." He whispered.
Soana tried to hide her smile, but couldn't when she saw the overwhelmed emotion Zuko held.
His eyes were immense as he hesitated to hug the chief back, however, Arnook pulled away before Zuko could do anything.
For the first time, Soana's father beheld a smile at the young Fire Lord.
"Not only has Sueh protected my daughter, but you have as well. You've brought her back to me, and I thank you, Fire Lord Zuko. You are more than welcome to visit the North Pole whether it be for a personal visit or for aide."
Just for the forgiveness from Arnook made Zuko triumphantly smile. The chief then patted his shoulder before glancing at Gato and Sueh.
"Are they ready?" He leaned over and asked his daughter.
"They should be." She answered.
"Okay then." He nodded slightly. "Let's board."
Gato raised his hand and grinned.
"Hold up! I forgot something."
Everyone grew quiet before he put two fingers in his mouth a whistled so loud that it nearly bursted everyone's ear drums.
Nearby, everyone heard a honking noise before a giant animal appeared over the horizon.
"Come on, Ula, girl! Daddy's missed you!"
She honked twice as she galloped towards Gato and nearly knocked him over. He grabbed her by the reigns and sighed happily as he patted her long feathered neck.
"Now let's board." Gato said.
He clicked his tongue before pulling Ula across the plank to get on the boat.
Arnook grinned, wrapping his arm around his daughter, letting Sueh go in front of him.
"Let's go home."
After they boarded the water tribe ship, Soana stood at the bow, staring at the team with a soft gaze.
Leaving the canal, Soana let her blue eyes fall onto Zuko as she passed him. Her heart sunk just by seeing the look of perturbation written on his face.
She felt a lump in her throat as she began to lose sight of him the faster the boat went.
Desperately, Zuko started to walk after the boat just to get one more glimpse of the princess, but it was too late. He had stopped when there was no more dock to walk on before the ship left the canal.
Soana heaved in multiple breaths to calm her nerves before sensing a presence behind her.
She turned to see Sueh and Gato standing behind her as if they were her moral support.
Sueh placed a comforting hand on the princess' shoulder.
"It won't be long. Your destiny is coming."