Work Text:
The belief that the world tends to improve
Sokka tries not to think too much about the future. Well, sure, there’s the war and the not getting caught and the defeating the firelord, but he tries not the think about the future future. The future after the war. But when he does stop to think, about the practicalities of peace, things don’t look good. The fire nation has done a lot of horrible things that they need to pay for. But some of these fire nation people are just people, and the longer he spends here the more worried he gets about what justice means. Once the firelord is dealt with the war is over, because it was the fire lord who wanted it to begins with. And once he’s dealt with, who’s going to be left to pay for his evil? His kids? His brother? His soldiers? His citizens?
Sokka’s training with Master Piandao taught him a lot of things. But one thing he figured out is that at least some of the people here don’t want the war. They’re just normal people who have to support the firelord. To not support him is a crime. And considering that they were going to send Aang to work in a coal mine for disagreeing with a teacher… he doesn’t want to think about what acting against the firelord would get you.
So they defeat the firelord, they end the war, the fire nation no longer has to listen to a guy who’d rather burn the world down than not control it, and then… Well he doesn’t think people are going to be nice to the people of the fire nation. He doesn’t think firebenders are going to be welcome pretty much anywhere. That’s if anyone is going to let a fire nation ship dock anywhere to begin with. Assuming, of course, that once the firelord is defeated the earth kingdom wont take that as an opportunity. Yeah the gaang is going to have a lot of work to do. Peace wont happen just because the guy winning the war isn’t a problem anymore.
Win the war in a year. And then spend the next decade making sure no one tries to start it again. Well, anyone with political power. If there’s anything he’s learned in the craziest year of his life, it’s that no matter where you go and no matter who you’re with, at the end of the day people are just people. Everyone has festivals, everyone has spirit tales, everyone you come across is just trying to get by. And there’s going to be a lot of bad blood in the coming years. But when you take away things like power or control or opportunity, when it’s just people and not the generals and nobles and kings? It might just work. Everyone might actually be able to live in peace and harmony like Aang remembers. It’s gonna take ages, and it’s gonna suck, but it can be done.
We can save the world.