Tomoko had never really liked or even understood the meanings behind the Northern Water Tribe's beloved traditions, but she never quite disliked them either. That is, until she was told of her own engagement.
In hindsight, it made sense. Tomoko had been the agreeable daughter of a noblewoman and the perfect age for the Tribal Prince. And she didn't have anything against him. Arnook seemed like he'd make a decent husband. She had no legitimate reason to object.
Admittedly, Tomoko had been falling in love with a man, but she saw no option other than to forget him and spend her life with Arnook. And it worked well, for a while. She and Arnook got along alright, if not a little dispassionately, and through him, she gave birth to Princess Yue, who she loved at first sight.
But something was wrong. Arnook had been at a meeting during his daughter's birth. Tomoko had thought Yue's health complications might make him realize how much they both needed him there, but they only solidified his idea that their tribe needed to be tougher. He was soon consumed by helping the Northern Water Tribe to prosper and stay as separate from the war as possible.
Tomoko was stuck with the responsibility of raising Yue. She was able to hand her over to servants whenever she wanted, but it hurt to see her daughter in the arms of someone who only cared about her political value. With loneliness and resentment toward her loveless, arranged marriage growing, she turned to the man she had dutifully avoided for years, the only one she had ever really loved.
The time Tomoko spent with him, though it was all in shadows, was the best time of her life. She knew it was technically wrong, but, she reasoned with herself, since her husband hadn't lived up to his name for a long time, it was alright.
All reason was demolished when Arnook caught her in the act. He had been forced to love his wife, and though a small, ignored part of him knew he hadn't given her enough attention, he had always respected her, so seeing her and one of his people betraying him so deeply… it filled him with blind rage.
Arnook fought harder than he had ever fought before. It wasn't just about Tomoko—it was about justice. He was the Chief, and he needed to show them that he was not to be trifled with.
Everything was a blur of saltwater as he and the man fought back and forth. Arnook completely forgot the horrified woman standing by until he was rudely awakened by a weak, rasping breath.
Arnook wasn't sure who had done it—he liked to think it was the other man—but one of the two had tried to use water to send the other into a bone-breakingly icy wall, and whoever it was had hit Tomoko instead.
The injuries were too deep for even his best healer to fix, and though Arnook considered the Spirit Oasis, he doubted the spirits would take pity on him for something that had been his own tribe's fault.
But after the funeral, Chief Arnook held his daughter tight, mumbling how the tribe could only survive if its royal members strictly followed the rules arranged by their superiors. He was going to make Yue stand by her duty no matter what; it was for her own good.