From my icy window, I gazed out into the open, blue sea. I spied something bubbling on the waters surface. Suddenly, out popped a koala-otter!

"Oh!" I giggled. The otter, who had been playing with a pink shell of some sort, look up at the sound of my voice.

"Hello, little koala-otter!" I waved.

I heard it squeak a hello at me. It began jumping out of the water, doing all sorts of flips and tricks. It was quite adorable.

"Thank you for trying to entertain me! It can get rather boring here, you know. I wish I was as lucky as you, little otter." It squeaked at me. "What do I mean? Well, I'm not allowed outside the palace walls. The Northern Water Tribe is quite large, but I'm afraid I've already explored everything there is to explore here." I sighed. "I wish I could be like you... free to go as I please. Perhaps, when this war is finally over, Father will let me be free, as you are..."

"Zenna!" With that, I was shaken out of my daydream.

I sighed. "Hello Yue." I said. I did not turn my head around. I kept my eyes to the beautiful waves of the ocean.

"Daydreaming again, sister?"

"Has there ever been a moment when I am not?"

I heard the gentle chuckle of my sister. She sat beside me, and looked out to the ocean as well. "I suppose you're right. What was it about this time?"

I waited for a moment. I knew that if I told her, she would only scold me with another lecture.

I tried anyways. "The same as it always is-"

"Oh, Zenna!" she sighed.

I ignored her. "I was thinking, what it would be like... to be like that koala-otter. Out there, do you see?"

"Yes, I see."

"It's free to make its own choices. To be who it wishes to be. It can swim as far away from here as it wants to! Imagine... Imagine what that would be like, Yue!" I looked into Yue's blue eyes, hoping she could see things they way I did.

"Zenna.." she sighed. "I do understand how you feel. Really, I do. But you and I both know that this dream you have to leave the palace walls is impossible. What, with this war going on... You are safest here, where you belong."

"Yes, I know. But Yue! I have this... this feeling... that this war may soon come to an end! There have been talks of the Avatar's return! When he saves us all, perhaps Father will finally let us see the world! You and I... together we can go wherever we wish! Oh! I've always wanted to visit Ba Sing Se!" I stood up from my window and scurried off to my collection of scrolls. I found one on Ba Sing Se. "What it would be like to have a cup of tea there..." I said dreamily.

"Zenna, I do have hope that the Avatar will save us all. But, even if he is to do so... You must understand that Father would never allow either of us to leave the palace walls. We have a duty to our people, Zenna. We must be loyal to them. We are their Princesses, and we must act accordingly as Princesses do."

My eyes began to sting. I blinked, hoping to erase the fragile drops of water that fell from my eyes. No. It couldn't be true. I could not spend my whole life here in the Northern Water Tribe, never to explore the wonders that this mysterious world had in store. It couldn't be true!

Yue lifted her hand to my shoulder. "Do not cry, sister. I know that neither of us decided this life, but we must be strong. We must accept things as they are."

"You've seemed to accept things rather well already." I sniffed.

"Ahh, but it wasn't easy. I have wishes like you. I'm just better at pushing away my own needs for the better of our people."

"But how? It must be difficult..."

She smiled. "It is. But, one learns with age, I suppose." Yue left my side and grabbed my light blue coat from my bed. I took it from her hand.

"Learns with age?" I smirked. "I'm only a year younger than you, sister."

"Then perhaps you will begin to see things my way soon."

See things the way Yue did? Soon? I wasn't sure if I wanted that. I loved our people, and I did want what was best for them. But, what about what was best for me? For my sister? We deserved to be happy as well. We most certainly did not deserve to feel trapped for the rest of our lives.

"Come along, Zenna."

"Where are we going?" I asked, while putting on my coat.

"Did you forget? You have your healing class to go to! What would you do without me?" she smiled.

I followed her out of my room. We walked through the palace halls, where our people bowed and said hello. As Princesses, it was unacceptable that we walk the whole way to wherever we wished to go to. Honestly, I did not mind walking everywhere. It gave me time to think to myself, and to say hello to my people of the Northern Water Tribe. Though, it was unacceptable, and it was yet another thing I had to live with as being Princess Zenna. Instead of walking to my healing class, I traveled on a silver canoe.

"Hello, Barktah." I smiled to the olive-skinned and dark haired man who helped Yue and I step onto the canoe.

"Hello, Princess Zenna" he bowed. "Hello Princess Yue."

"Hello, Barktah. Thankyou." Yue smiled.

We began our short journey to my lesson. I wondered to myself what Yue would do while I was gone. She did not possess the ability to waterbend as I did, so it would be rather silly for her to attend the lesson. Although, she did visit every now and again to observe what I was learning. Perhaps she'd spend time with her betrothed... Hahn. Eww, I hoped not. I'd rather her stay with me. Hahn was the boy that our father, Arnook, had arranged for Yue to marry. Hahn was selfish, and I fear, had no affections for Yue, other than becoming Chief one day. I became bored sitting in the canoe. I looked ahead of me, where Yue was sitting up straight. I looked to make sure that she would not see me. To keep myself entertained, I leaned over and became closer to the icy water. Smiling, I dipped my fingers in.. I began wiggling them ever so slightly, and the water began to take a shape of a blob. I lifted my arm higher, and the water floated as it followed my hand. I giggled to myself. Barktah chuckled behind me.

Yue turned to look at me, and her eyes grew wide. "Zenna! What are you doing?"

"Keeping myself from dying of bordem, Yue. Or am I not allowed to have some kind of fun, either?"

"You know you aren't supposed to be waterbending anywhere other than your healing lessons."

"Ugh!" I groaned, letting the shimmering water slip through my fingers back into the sea. "I hate that rule" I growled to myself.

"Sit up straight, Zenna."

I did as I was told, and continued to grumbled to myself. Yue was like a mother to me. Our mother had passed away when we were both very young. I believe that her passing encouraged my sister to grow up so fast. She was only 16, and she would be marrying Hahn so very soon! I knew that Yue did not want to marry Hahn. When we were much younger, we would always talk about how we would marry for love. Sadly, we did not know that our marriages had already been planned for us. Well, Yue's marriage had been planned. Father has not yet picked anyone for me to marry yet. So, I still have a chance to find love. Because Yue is the eldest, it is essential that she marry who father wishes. Although I have a chance to fins someone who I could really love, it is difficult. Everyone I know treats me like I am nothing more than a Princess. All I truly want though, it for someone to love me for who I am. Though, I suppose marrying anyone other than Hahn is a better choice! I giggled to myself at the thought.

"Here you are, Princess Zenna. Have fun at your lesson." Barktah wished.

I bowed to him. "Thankyou. Sister, will you be joining me today?"

"Not today. I think I would enjoy a nice trip around the palace. Are you up for it, Barktah?"

"Certainly, you highness." He smiled.

"Goodbye!" I waved to them both, and turned for my lesson.