Aaaah first story ever! I'm so excited, hope you guys like it. Sorry if there are spelling mistakes, but English isn't my first language, so some things can be hard for me to explain.

I won't keep you any longer from reading, so please enjoy!

Chapter 1: Confronting the council

Life isn't easy at the northern water tribe, not only for women but for men as well. Standing in front of the council of elders is a daunting experience for even the bravest of warriors,… save for Mako.

Two servants of Chief Arnook were doing their monthly thouch-ups of the palace, which shows cracks every now and then, when they see a young warrior going into the great hall. "Hey Koda, why is Mako being summoned by the elders?" came the whisper from Koda's left. "What? Haven't you heard Tavi? He is to wed Kyra, but he has never had the intention of marrying his best friend." After a short pause he continued, "You know I can't blame him, it is said that she's in love with a lowly ice-jack herder."

"Why would that be a problem? It's not as if an ice-jack herder would ever be permitted to court the daughter of a high-ranked merchant." came the scowl from Tavi.

"True, but Mako doesn't want to brake Kyra's heart by taking away her chance of marrying her true love."

Upon hearing this Tavi blew out a snort and with a lot of sarcasm answered: "Oh no, turning 17 and not being able to marry your first love! It must be the end of the world for that poor girl!"

"Oh c'mon Tavi, you must remember what it was like to be young and in love, with no other care in the world." came the amused response from Koda.

"Actually I don't, my wife and I are married for over 30 years. And let me tell you that is a loooooooong time. My teenage years are long but forgotten, for they were full of disappointments."

"For you maybe…, but I got lucky with my wife. I can still feel my hearth thudding when I see her nurturing our children and taking care of the house. I think I'll never get sick of the image of her cooking over the fire with our baby-girl on her back." said Koda with a dreamy look on his face.

"Trust me it'll fade…, now let's get back to work before Arnook comes back and sees that we're behind on the walls."

"That's your opinion Tavi, but I don't think I want another scolding from Arnook. He's probably in a bad mood after being finished talking to Mako."

Mako entered the great hall with a determined feeling in his gut, he would not be scared into marrying his best friend and in the process breaking her heart. She would surely hate him forever! He always dreamt of finding true love, but not like this. Not with his best friend getting hurt and being miserable for the rest of their lives together.

He loved her sure enough, but like a sister. He has known her since they were 4 years old, she soaked him during their 'waterbending lessons for beginners' class and their friendship had developed from that moment on. Being a member of the northern water tribe, he was thought to think lesser of females but being friends with Kyra had him knowing that women could do everything men could. She was very much like her great-aunt, who was famous for leaving the northpole for the south when she was told she had to marry a man not of her own choosing. She too was very stubborn and opinionated.

Watching Mako enter the great hall, Arnook remembered the shock revolving around his birth. After he heard that a baby was born into their tribe with blonde hair, he immediately thought the baby had some kind of sickness.

After getting the child to a healer, and she didn't find a problem, Arnook thought that the spirits were somehow involved. Watching that little baby grow up to be a strong young man of nearly 1.9 meters, he knew he was going to be a great waterbender. When he showed interest in fighting with weapons, Arnook was surprised. Nearly all waterbenders believe that bending will be sufficient in their survival, but not Mako. He told his weapons master that he wanted to honor his tribe's culture by mastering all the aspects there are to know about fighting in the north pole… not just waterbending. Though he yet had to play his part in this world, Arnook knew it would be somewhere in the near future.

While Mako was walking up to the council, he noticed they were all staring intently at him. Especially master Pakku, who seems to hold a grudge against him ever since he defended Kyra a few years back. When she tried to ask master Pakku for lessons in waterbending, he shooed her of and said that the only thing she needed to know was how to cook, clean and heal.

"Mako,…" he was pulled out of his inner thoughts when Chief Arnook began to address him "… you were called here before us to further discuss your marriage with Kyra."

"Yes Chief, I know" came his dull response.

"I came to understand that you have objected to this betrothal. May I ask why you are reluctant to go through with it?"

"With all due respect Chief Arnook, but she is my best friend who is in love with another, and thus it is impossible for me to uphold the traditions of our tribe." Mako managed to say in his most formal tone of voice.

With a surprised look on his face, Arnook replied: "It is not uncommon for best friends to engage in marital union…, they are actually happier when they get to marry a friend instead of someone they have never met." Arnook knew this to be true because of his daughter Princess Yue. She was betrothed to Hahn, a good warrior hailing from an influential family. Ever since Arnook signed off on Hahn's request to marry his daughter, Yue was more silent and not very prone to engage in conversation with her father. He knew she wouldn't mention it, but he knew she was unhappy with his decision…, he saw the look on her face after all.

Confused by Arnook's statement, Mako figured they would disregard Kyra's love for the ice-yak herder. " That is not the problem I was referring to Chief, I cannot break her heart by taking her away from her love. It would surely kill her and make her hate me. I do not want to marry her if she doesn't want me for herself." he said passionately.

In one fluid movement, quite impressive for a man his age, Pakku stood up with an angry look on his face and half-yelled in suppressed anger: " She will do what she is told, even if she is in love with a mere herder… and you will obey as well." And with that he left the great hall leaving Mako and the council behind.

Watching Pakku leave, Arnook sighed and looked at Mako. " Do not worry about master Pakku, he is quite strict in his teachings about upholding the tribe's customs."

Chuckling, Mako answered: " Oh believe me I know, he is my teacher after all."

Arnook saw the troubling look that was behind those bright blue eyes and he knew he had to talk with the young waterbender/warrior privately. So he looked to his left and right, took on his most regal posture and addressed the council with a booming voice. "If the council would be so kind to let me talk to this young man in private?" With a questioning look, the 5 men stood up from their seats and left the great hall to attend to other matters than the lovesick youth.

Now standing face to face with the tribal chief, Mako grew increasingly more nervous. There were even little beads of sweat forming on his brow. Upon seeing Mako's nervous stance, Arnook thought it was time to end his torture and say something to the waterbender to make him less edgy. "Listen Mako, I understand the position you are in, but the council doesn't. They would never allow that herder to marry Kyra… it would bring shame on her family, and that's something her father can do without right now."

"But she's my best friend, if I were to marry her she would blame me. I just can't do that to her Chief."

Arnook respected that which other elders in the council didn't : a close friendship with a woman, other than your wife, was not heard of in the icy lands of the north. " sigh What do you want me to do Mako, you are one of our best waterbenders and you're gifted with the axe. Your father was honored to hear that you had a chance at marrying Kyra."

Yes, Mako remembered his heated discussion with his father. He wanted to bring great pride to the family by marrying his youngest son to a daughter of one of the most powerful merchants in the north pole. But Mako wasn't easy to persuade, and here he is talking to the chief trying to annul his betrothal.

"I know that Chief, but I want to marry for love, not to help my family up on the social ladder. U are the leader of the elders, surely there is something u can do to stop all this!" Surprised by his sudden outburst, Mako quickly apologized for his rude behavior towards his chief.

Looking up into Mako's blue eyes, Arnook could see the love that sparkled in them. Taking in his appearance, he knew that this boy was going to be a great warrior and husband someday. Seeing that he switched his stance from nervous to confident just moments ago, told him he could deal with a though situation appropriately. "You really love her, don't you Mako?"

Being caught off guard, Mako blushed but soon recomposed himself and with a confident voice answered: "Yes… I consider her my sister"

Knowing the answer already, Arnook backfired: "That's probably better than marrying her to a stranger. Why don't you marry her, it's better than the alternative."

"Because she doesn't want me. She wants Kanako." Knowing that he wouldn't get anywhere further with this, he thanked Chief Arnook for his time and wished him a good day.

Author's note: So this was the first chapter. I hope you all liked it, please let me know if you did. If it was somehow lacking, tell me and I will listen. (no spam please!)

Btw i'll try and update regularly but you know how sometimes things can go wrong. Not planning on that happening too often. Thanks for reading!