The Thief |Sokka

EPILOGUE

Four years later

Republic City. That was the name of the region that was meant to realise Aang's dreams. He had worked hard for it, tried his best through the years. It had all began with an ambition and a dream he had shared with the Fire Lord, his close friend Zuko, and he had been fortunate he had shared his views. It had been the first spark that was lit, the first show of passion as Aang seemed to realise his hopes could become something more.

He had fought for his dream. Together with Zuko, he had sought King Kuei, who was the person that could offer him the piece of land he desired so that his ambitions may become reality. A land of unity, that was all the Avatar wanted. It was not easy. And yet, in the end, the King gave his consent and Aang had the region he needed. Things only got harder from there.

No person would live in a city that had nothing. So Aang started preparing it – he built buildings, facilities, planned ahead for all the foundation needed for a community to prosper. And then he started letting the world know. After four years of preparations, the city he had always dreamed of was ready.

And Jaya had been right next to him all along, supporting him, seeing his dream become reality. Aang's ambition had long since become her own. She was proud of this city as much as he was, she knew it just as well as he did. She had been there every step of the way. A fugitive given a purpose. A prisoner turned a helper of the people, then someone they looked to for guidance. She had not seen herself turn out like this. She had never thought people were going to trust her again either, and yet...

This city was the culmination of all of her efforts. It was all she had ever dreamed of in the privacy of her thoughts, all she had said to Aang in a whisper in the depths of the night when sleep eluded them both and they stood side by side in front of a fire, not daring to speak in the tone they normally would for fear of their words being heard and sabotaged. Fears spoken out loud seemed to become the truth – it was easier to whisper. But she did not mumble now. She did not cower. She had no reason to.

This was her city. She argued to herself in her thoughts that it was Aang's too even though he knew that if he ever heard her say it, all he would do was smile and agree. And in her mind, she was prepared to do anything so that she may help.

Walking around the streets had become routine in the last few months the city had started working properly. The people knew her, they called for her just to greet her sometimes, at other points they actually needed her help to which she eagerly followed so that she could aid them in any way possible. The elderly people, after becoming familiar with her, tended to call her over and make her part of the conversation. And that was where she had been for the last hour of so.

The usual suspects, as they were those that were holding her back from doing her duty today, was the company of three elderly people, one from the Fire Nation, a grandpa called Aoi, and two from the Earth Kingdom, two ladies answering to the name Min and Zhi. They usually gathered at one of the other's houses and talked for hours. Jaya had found through the few times this had happened that the three of them had first met many years ago, when the Fire Nation still terrorised over the colonies and had become friends. They were inseparable now. And from what she suspected, they were possibly the biggest gossipers in Republic City.

"-and Shu's daughter has started seeing that young man, Guan-"

"Really?" Min gasped as Aoi's eyes widened. "I thought their fathers were sworn enemies!"

"Obviously, love knows no boundaries," Zhi continued, her lips curled into a smile, her look almost dreamy. Jaya didn't bother hiding her smile as Aoi scoffed.

"Love, it's not love, they saw each other six weeks ago for the first time."

"It's a perfectly long time!" Zhi defended herself. She turned to Jaya. "Haven't you felt that way, Jaya? Young people always feel emotions more strongly than others, you must understand what I mean."