A.N. Here's the last chapter of Book 1! Thank you all for sticking through this story and enjoy! 

Back at the Spirit Oasis, Katara was struggling to heal the depth of the wound as Yue, Iroh, and Sokka looked on in concern. "It's so deep, I don't know if I can heal it fully," Katara voiced, her eyebrows knitting in concern as Azara clenched her teeth in pain.

"Why would you do that?" Yue asked mournfully as Azara stared up at her.

"You were right, Yue . . . we do have duties to our people," Azara explained, her breathing becoming more labored. "I was just doing mine."

"No, you weren't," Sokka argued, as Azara turned to look up at him, her forehead resting on his chest. "You didn't have to do that."

"Someone did," Azara replied, her eyelids feeling heavy as Katara continued to try to heal her. "Think of it as repayment for the Fire Nation's actions."

"Stop doing that!" Sokka demanded as Yue placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sokka, maybe you should be—"

"—No!" Sokka shook his head, throwing off Yue's hand from his shoulder as he stared down at Azara. "Stop blaming yourself for everything that the stupid Fire Nation has done! You're not like them!"

"Sokka, it's going to be okay," Azara whispered, cupping his cheek with her hand. He placed his hand over hers, clenching his eyes shut.

"No, it's not," he stated, staring down at her with tears in his eyes.

"The Fire Nation," Azara started, before pausing to take a shaky breath. "The Fire Nation will be defeated. The Water Tribe is safe. It's going to be okay, Sokka."

"My niece, save your strength," Iroh instructed, kneeling next to her and Sokka and willing his own tears to remain behind his eyelids.

"We still need you," Sokka spoke quietly as Azara smiled sadly up at him.

"You'll be okay," she stated quietly as Iroh clenched his eyes shut at the statement, unable to stop a few tears leaking through. 

"Not without you," Sokka returned as Azara let a tear drop from her eye as she smiled sadly up at Sokka. She rubbed her thumb softly over his cheek as another tear dropped from his eye. Taking another shaky breath, Azara dropped her hand from Sokka's cheek, her eyelids starting to droop.

"Hey, stay with us," Sokka pleaded, lightly nudging her, as Katara continued to bend the water around Azara's wound. Azara's golden eyes opened wider for a moment before starting to close again. Azara was trying her best to keep her breathing even and eyes open, but found she was quickly losing the battle. 

Placing his fingers on her pulse point, Sokka began to internally panic as he felt her pulse get weaker by the second. Turning to Katara, the siblings shared a distraught expression. "I don't know how much more I can do for her," Katara whispered out, her voice breaking as she continued to swirl the water around Azara's chest.

"I'll see if I can find another healer," Yue offered, running back to the palace. 

"You have to stay awake," Sokka pleaded as Azara shut her eyes again, her breathing shallow and labored. "Azara? Azara, please!" 

"Sokka . . . I'm sorry . . ." she whispered out as Sokka could feel her pulse fading through the material of his glove.

"Hey, keep those eyes open!" Sokka cried out, choking on his words as Azara's eyes closed completely, her head resting limp against his chest. "Azara! Azara, come on!" Sokka cradled her cheek, but the action didn't cause Azara to react or perk up.

 Sokka turned to Katara, tears streaming down his cheeks, but Katara wouldn't meet his gaze, tears falling from her own eyes as she stared at Azara's pale face.

"Azara! Azara, please," Sokka begged, his voice breaking as he spoke. "Please, don't leave us!" He pulled her body closer to himself, hugging her to his chest. "Please don't leave me," he whispered out, his voice cracking. 

Iroh turned away from the scene, staring up at the moon as silent tears dripped down his cheeks. Katara dropped the water to the ground, covering her face with her hands, quiet sobs breaking through her gloves.

A tense moment passed when only the sound of crying could be heard in the Spirit Oasis. Then, the Spirit Oasis started to glow again. Sokka looked up at the Spirit Oasis, Azara's head still tucked into his chest. Iroh stepped back as the glowing energy compiled in the middle of the Oasis, a large blue water hand appearing out of the Oasis.

"What's going on?" Katara wondered as Iroh stepped back beside her.

"The Spirits," Iroh whispered out as the water hand bent forwards, moving slowly towards Sokka and Azara. Sokka's eyes widened as the glowing water hand drew closer, stepping back with Azara's body cradled in his arms. Suddenly, the hand shot out and wrapped around Azara, pulling her from Sokka's grasp.

"Hey!" Sokka yelled out, running forwards. Iroh stepped forwards and grabbed his arm, pulling the young Water Tribe boy back. "Let me go!" Sokka demanded, yanking his arm out of Iroh's grasp.

"Let the Spirits do this," Iroh stated calmly, pointing towards the hand. Sokka relaxed momentarily, watching as the water hand gently lowered Azara's body to the ground in front of the Spirit Oasis. 

The distinct fingers of the water hand disappeared momentarily, the water moving to encase Azara completely. The water began to glow a blinding bright blue, causing the three witnesses to look away for a moment. The light then faded, the water returning to its original shape. The water hand rose in the air before slowly returning to the Oasis. As the water leveled out once more, the bright blue glow completely faded from the Oasis.

Once the light was gone, Azara sat up, sputtering out water. Sokka and Katara's eyes widened in surprise, the siblings sharing an incredulous look. Turning to her uncle and friends, Azara coughed out some more water before smiling lightly.

"So, what'd I miss?"

Azara barely had time to blink before she was engulfed in a tight hug from her uncle, who was shedding a few silent tears of relief. "I am so proud of you, my niece," Iroh smiled, pulling away to wipe away some of his tears. "You nearly gave me a heart attack there."

"I try, Uncle," Azara chuckled, holding her uncle at arms length. Lowering her arms, Azara was immediately engulfed in a tight hug from Katara.

"I'm so sorry, I couldn't heal you, it—" Katara rambled out as Azara hugged her tighter. 

"—Katara, you tried your best. That's all I could have ever asked from you," Azara replied calmly, pulling back for a moment to share a relieved smile with Katara. 

"I'm just glad you're okay," Katara stated emotionally, pulling Azara into another hug. 

Releasing Katara, Azara turned to Sokka, who was staring at her with tears in his eyes. "Come here," Azara offered, opening her arms. Sokka rushed forwards, wrapping his arms around her as he buried his face in her hair.

"I thought I lost you," Sokka whispered out as Azara hugged him back, tears leaking from her clenched eyes at his statement.

"You'll never lose me," Azara replied quietly, staring up at him through her lashes. Neither seemed to breathe as they naturally gravitated towards each other, Sokka leaning down as Azara tilted her chin up. The moment before her eyes were to flutter shut, Azara's eyes widened as she suddenly regained awareness of the situation. 

Feeling her pull back, Sokka's eyes opened as well. The two stood awkwardly close for a moment before stepping back, both blushing in embarrassment as they stared at the floor. As Sokka's gaze trailed back up to Azara's face, his blush darkened even further, his eyes darting away. 

"Uh, Azara? Your coat," Sokka stuttered out as Azara looked down. Noticing the large hole in her coat, revealing some of the creamy skin of her chest, but nothing completely unseemly, Azara blushed heavily as well. Holding her hands over the hole in her clothes, Azara looked up as Sokka took off his own coat, holding it out to her. "Here, take mine."

"Thanks," Azara smiled, pulling the coat over her head as Sokka turned around respectfully. With Sokka's coat now resting on her shoulders, Azara turned around at the sound of her name being called. She barely had time to breathe before she was nearly tackled to the ground by Aang.

"Azara, you're okay!" Aang cheered as Azara laughed at his excitement, hugging him back tightly.

"It's going to take more than old Zhao to take me out," Azara joked as she and Aang shared a smile. 

The sound of footsteps caused the group to look up again, spotting Yue returning to the Spirit Oasis with two healers in tow. Yue stopped in her tracks as she spotted Azara up and walking around with no indication of her previous injury. 

"You're okay!" Yue yelled out, rushing forwards to pull Azara into a hug of her own. "I was so worried! How are you alright?" 

"Uh, I actually have no idea," Azara replied, turning to Katara and Sokka for some kind of explanation. 

"Spirit . . . things," Sokka tried to explain, but clearly having difficulty with putting into words how some water hand appeared and magically healed Azara. 

"I can't thank you enough for your sacrifice for the Water Tribe," Yue continued, smiling widely at Azara, who returned the smile.

"Don't worry about it. Also, sorry about your coat. I had to borrow Sokka's, there's a bit of a hole in yours," Azara chuckled sheepishly, pointing at the discarded coat with a sizeable black burn in it. Yue laughed in response, brushing off Azara's concern. 

The healer Yue had brought along offered Azara a thick cloak, which Azara accepted. Returning Sokka's coat to him, Azara followed the group out of the Spirit Oasis and back to the city. Walking down the steps of the palace, Azara stared out at the horizon, not a single Fire Nation Navy ship to be seen. 

Smiling to herself, Azara glanced over as Chief Arnook hurried over, pulling Yue into a tight hug. As they pulled apart, Arnook turned to Azara and Sokka. "Thank you for keeping my daughter safe," he nodded, a kind smile on his face. 

"It was our honor, Chief," Azara bow respectfully, Sokka nodding in response to the Chief. Aang and Katara led the way down the stairs, Sokka and Yue trailing after them. Azara moved to follow them down the stairs to the courtyard, when Chief Arnook called her name. 

"Princess Azara, do you have a moment?" Arnook asked, causing Azara to stop her descent. Turning around, Azara climbed a few stairs back towards Chief Arnook. 

"Of course, Chief." 

"My daughter told me what you did for the Moon Spirit. The Water Tribe and the world are indebted to you. You are forever welcome in the Northern Water Tribe."

"Thank you, Chief," Azara beamed, a kind smile on her face. 

"I also took some time to think about what you told me in the armory about my daughter and our customs," Chief Arnook started, causing Azara to straighten, her eyes widening lightly in surprise. To be honest, she wasn't expecting Arnook to take all she had said seriously. Perhaps there was hope after all. 

"After some consideration, I have decided to break off Yue's engagement to Hahn. She is allowed to freely choose her partner, though whoever she chooses will still have to be approved by the Council," the Chief explained as Azara's eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening slightly.

"Wow . . . really?" Azara asked, glancing over at where Sokka and Yue were standing together. Watching them interact for a moment, Azara turned back to the Chief. "That's great! I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision for you."

"It helps that Hahn is missing," a voice piped up from behind her, causing her to turn around. A familiar waterbender walked towards her, a kind smile on his face.

"Kesuk!" she yelled out, running forwards to embrace him tightly. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?"  

"I'm fine," Kesuk insisted, a calm expression on his face. "Heard you almost died, though." 

"Yeah, but I'm as good as new now. We can thank the Spirits for that," Azara shrugged as Kesuk shook his head.

"They're the ones who should be thanking you," Kesuk corrected, causing Azara to blush lightly. "You're really inspiring, you know that?"

"I try," Azara replied, turning to stare at the ocean. A comfortable silence fell over the two of them before Kesuk moved to speak.

"Master Pakku is leaving for the South Pole to help rebuild our sister tribe. Chief Arnook offered me a position on the Council as his replacement, and I intend to accept."

"That's amazing! You'll be a great Councilman, Kesuk, I'm sure of it," Azara smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

"I'll definitely try my best," Kesuk nodded as they turned back to the water. "So . . . you're leaving soon, then?" 

"Unfortunately I don't think there's any earthbending masters up here," Azara joked, before sobering for a moment. "We have to move on for Aang. This war isn't going to slow down just because we want it to." 

"I understand," Kesuk nodded, smiling softly at Azara. "Doesn't change the fact that I'd prefer it if you stayed here." Azara turned back to Kesuk, a sad smile on her face. "Of course, you have to do what's best for you and I can't stand in your way for that." 

"I'm sure you'll forget about me once you get involved with the Council. Nothing like government affairs to get your mind off things," Azara assured him, her hands resting at her sides. 

"You're pretty hard to forget," Kesuk mentioned, causing Azara to blush and look to the ground. "If you don't mind me asking, do you think if the world was just a bit different . . . we would have worked out?" 

Azara turned to Kesuk, a kind smile on her face. "Maybe," Azara admitted honestly. "If we had more time to get to know each other and there wasn't a war knocking on the door . . . maybe we would have."

Kesuk nodded, thinking over her words. "Well, you're always welcome in the Northern Water Tribe. If you ever need help, don't be afraid to send a message."

"Of course, Kesuk," Azara agreed, a sad smile on her face. The two shared a tight hug, Azara standing on her toes to press a quick kiss to Kesuk's cheek. Kesuk blushed in response, touching his fingers to where Azara had kissed him, before clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Don't leave without saying goodbye," he finally spoke, Azara chuckling in response.

"Wouldn't dream of it." 

On the other side of the courtyard, Sokka and Yue were similarly staring out at the ocean. "So, now what?" Sokka questioned, turning to Yue. The Water Tribe princess smiled up at him for a moment before turning back to her city, her home.

"I think we should probably start with repairing the city," Yue pointed out, sighing as she took in the destruction of the former winter wonderland. They had won the battle, but the victory was not sweet. The Northern Water Tribe had a lot of repairs to make. 

"That would be a good idea," Sokka nodded as the two stood awkwardly next to each other. Sokka, who was normally overjoyed to spend time with Yue, felt rather uncomfortable at the moment. He wasn't sure where they would go from here, as all the time they spent together was focused on the present, not the future. And then there was the subject of Azara. 

"And then you'll get married, I'm assuming," Sokka shrugged after a few moments of silence. However, Yue shook her head in response, causing Sokka to look over at her with surprise.

"I'm no longer engaged," Yue explained, showing her bare neck to Sokka. "My father cancelled the engagement."

"That's . . ." Sokka trailed off, not knowing exactly how to respond. He was certainly ecstatic that Yue was not being forced to marry Hahn of all people, but the new situation left them in even more of an awkward position, especially now that he would be leaving soon to find Aang and earthbending teacher. ". . . great. What changed?"

"My father reconsidered the engagement. Hahn is also missing, but I think Azara really surprised my father."

"Azara?" Sokka asked, turning to look at Azara as Kesuk walked away from her, the Fire Nation princess staring calmly at the ocean. The ocean breeze filtered through her long hair, which had fallen out of braids during the incident at the Spirit Oasis. 

"Yeah, she and my father talked about the whole thing. I don't know what she said to him, but something struck a nerve with my father. And, with Hahn missing as well, he decided to end the engagement," Yue explained, glancing over at Azara with a wide smile on her face. "She's truly amazing."

"Yeah . . . she is," Sokka agreed as Yue looked up at his expression, a knowing look on her face. She hadn't been in the Spirit Oasis when Azara was healed by the Spirits, but it was abundantly clear to her that Sokka and Azara were exceptionally close, closer than she had thought. There was a silent understanding between the two, some kind of unspoken familiarity. 

"Go to her," Yue urged, causing Sokka to look at her oddly.

"But, Yue, I—" Sokka started to try to explain, even though he didn't know how to talk about the whole situation himself. 

"—It's fine, Sokka. I understand. Go," she repeated, pushing him towards Azara. Giving Yue one last embrace, Sokka walked over to Azara, his boots crunching the snow under him. Azara looked up at the noise and smiled at him as he moved to stand next to her.

"We'll have to leave soon to find Aang an earthbending master," Sokka spoke, crossing his arms over his chest as they stared out at the open ocean.

"Then we better get packing," Azara suggested, moving to leave when Sokka grabbed her arm.

"No, let's just stay and watch the sunrise," Sokka insisted, causing Azara to step back next to his side. As they stood side by side, Sokka put his arm around her shoulder. In response, Azara wrapped her arm around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder, as they watched the sunrise together. 

Aang and Katara walked over, Momo cuddled between the two of them. The four teenagers shared smiles before they stared out at the ocean, hope rising in their hearts. The peace wouldn't last long, they knew. But for now, they would just stop and enjoy it.

END OF BOOK 1

A.N. So that's the end of Book 1! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it! I certainly enjoyed reading your reactions to everything! 

Book 2 is currently in the process of being written, but will likely not be out soon because I edit and revise repeatedly before I publish anything. Book 2 will explain more about Azara's backstory, especially involving her relationship with Azula and her mother. And, of course, more Azara/Sokka development. 

Below are just a few insights into the Northern Water Tribe chapters (if anyone was interested): 

1. I know the ending is far from canon (and arguably cliché), but after the love square, I felt like a super emotional scene was needed to get the Sokka/Azara train back on track.

2. Azara's injury scene was based on the Final Agni Kai sacrifice, but it got changed a bit during revising sessions. 

3. Sorry to the Yue/Azara or Kesuk/Azara shippers, but the story is Sokka/Azara. That, however, does not mean that this is the last we'll ever see of either Yue or Kesuk. 

4. I thought that Yue's fate as the Moon Spirit's backup battery was pretty rough, so I left Yue alive to help lead the Northern Water Tribe towards a more equal society. Also, I feel like Yue's death would have been detrimental to Sokka and Azara's dynamic going forwards (which is completely debatable and open to interpretation). 

5. Kesuk was supposed to seem like perfect boyfriend material (ex: good with kids, feminist, etc.) to mirror Yue's similarly perfect persona. From the amount of comments supporting Kesuk, I'm assuming that was achieved. 

Also, Book 2 (and later Book 3) chapters will just be added to this one story.