Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA.
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"All changes have their melancholy, for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."
-Anatole France
Northern Water Tribe
Royal Palace
Princess Yue sat in front of her extravagant looking-glass, trying to ignore the haunted look that was surrounding her reflection. She brushed her hair slowly, knowing it might be the last time she could do so and consider it her own and not the property of her husband. She tried to concentrate on the soothing, methodical insertion of the pearlescent whale-tooth comb slipping into her flaxen tresses and sliding through with ease.
Yue found her mind wandering, and as her comb strokes became more and more languid, her thoughts returned to her doubts and anxiety. Shunning the presence of her maids in favor of spending her last night alone, Yue sat and ruminated on the misery of her arranged marriage.
I don't want to marry him, Yue thought bitterly. I don't want a hero. I want a man.
"I don't even know him!" the exclamation fell from her lips, unbidden. Uncharacteristically apprehensive that someone overheard her, she glanced uncertainly around her quarters. For the first time, a decision she truly couldn't fight was being forced upon her, and Yue knew she was powerless to change it. Her father, Chief Arnook, had delighted in the idea of matching his daughter to the Fire Nation prince.
I must travel many miles to reach the Fire Nation, thought Yue resentfully. I must leave my father and my home. The North Pole is my home... I don't want to leave it for someone I've never met! Zuko, a man accustomed to brutality and violence; he will control me because he does not understand how I am.
In a rare fit of temper, Yue hurled her comb into the wall beside her mirror. The delicate ornament shattered, neither accustomed nor designed for such abuse, and Yue rushed over to collect the pieces. As she pieced together the shattered teeth of the comb, her body was racked with sobs.
"Mother," she wept, saltine tears trickling down her crestfallen face. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break your comb."
Yue crushed the fragments into her palm and leaned against the wall, drawing in a shaky breath as she tightened the reigns over her emotions. The cold temperature of the alabaster wall cut through her sleeping gown quite sharply, but the iciness helped to clear her head. She sighed, noiselessly easing down against the wall in a jumble of silk. She slumped to the floor, drained and defeated.
I cannot arrive to the Fire Nation like this, Yue thought listlessly. Her hand dropped at her side, spilling the contents to the floor. As the infinitesimal comb remnants skittered and rolled across the marble, Yue ignored the tiny sounds and stared at the vaulted ceiling.
My ceiling is so high, yet it contains this massive room, Yue thought sadly. Maybe I will be this room, and Zuko will limit me as well.
Yue spent the night huddled against the wall of her chamber. In the morning, her maids found her and bade her to ready herself for the journey. Unnerved at her unusual compliance, the servants did not complain; the princess was not a troublemaker by any stretch of the imagination, but her disdain of the marriage was well known and the maids were troubled when she apparently stopped fighting.
Allowing herself to be dressed and primped by her maids, Yue sat stoically as she was attended to. Usually preferring to do such things herself, she was determined not to take actions that would be deemed cooperative short of being problematic.
A soft knock on the chamber door caused her to jolt.
"Daughter?" a voice asked tentatively.
I'd be careful, too, after agreeing to marry off my only child to a complete stranger, thought Yue acrimoniously.
"Yes, Father?" she answered sweetly. She reminded herself that though the decision was beneficial for him, it was also beneficial for her. Using his connections, he had arranged for the marriage in the hopes that his daughter could live in a renowned country where she would be safe.
"Leave us," he commanded the maids, who instantly fled. He shut the door that the last made carelessly - or not so carelessly, thought Yue wryly - left ajar behind her. After securing it closed, her father turned to her and studied her carefully.
"Yue," he addressed softly, his face bestowing a gentle, yet sad smile. "This world is an unfair place and, unfortunately, we are all pawns in it."
"Father, I-"
Arnook held up a hand, causing her words to stop short. "I am sorry that you, daughter, are a victim of your times. I know you are unhappy, but I do not wish for you to leave this place harboring feelings of resentment. I would be greatly pained if the last memories I would have of you were sad. You're my only child, daughter; your inner strength rivals the combined might of any of my fiercest warriors. I am proud of you, Yue."
"Why can you not accompany me to the Fire Nation?" she inquired, abandoning her anger, knowing it was fruitless. "If I am to be married, you should at least be there to preside over the ceremony. General Iroh would want to see you after all these years, too, Father."
Arnook shook his head. "Once you are there, it will be even harder to let me go if I were to accompany you," he reasoned. "I am not going to be a part of your new life, Yue. You must accept that."
"I know, but-" Yue choked on a sob. "I'm afraid, Father."
Arnook chuckled softly. "My darling daughter, afraid of a man?" he teased lightly, but drew her closer at the look of anguish that crossed her delicate features. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he held her reassuringly.
"Prince Zuko is not to be feared," Arnook promised. "I met him while he was in his youth. The boy was very killed with a javelin and remarkable with a sword. He is now a man of honor; he will protect you."
"Who told you that?" questioned Yue, peering at him intently.
To the princess's dismay, her father laughed again. "It's nice to see that you're finally interested in the man you're going to marry."
"Father, who told you that Zuko is a good man?" persisted Yue. "It would be his uncle's duty to do so, and if Iroh is responsible for your high opinion of the prince then I fear I shall remain skeptical."
"Iroh is a trusted friend. He would not lie, Yue," Arnook told her solemnly.
"How do you know?" asked Yue, narrowing her eyes.
"Because I was originally going to arrange your marriage to the prince's older cousin, Lu Ten," Chief Arnook revealed. "He was the better looking of the two lads, so naturally I thought of him first."
Yue made a sound of disgust when her father winked at her, obviously teasing her again.
"Iroh told me, after I described you to him, that you would be too strong for his son," Arnook explained. "Though Iroh loves his son, he said that his nephew is the better man to marry. He will be faithful to you and true to any promises he makes. Besides, Lu Ten is too short for you."
Giving her father a good-natured shove, Yue freed herself from his grasp. "You're hopeless, Father."
"But there's still hope for you yet, daughter," Arnook continued. "Perhaps Zuko can tame all of that strength you have in you."
"Only the man I love will be able to do that," swore Yue.
Sighing patiently, Arnook gazed fondly at his daughter. "This...is possibly the very last time I shall lay eyes on you. I want to remember it always, fondly in my heart." He drew his daughter to him, kissing her hair as he held her in their home one last time.
A/N: Reviews are always appreciated! :)