(A/N: This story is about Kana's life in the Southern Water Tribe, the first chapter is short and rushed because we already know about life in the Northern Water Tribe pre-war because it hasn't really changed. The writing will get more detailed when Kanna gets to the Southern Water Tribe.)

Kana stared at the betrothal neckalce Pakku had given her, it was her worst nightmare come true. She was getting to married to someone who had been chosen for her. Of course, it wasn't that Pakku was a bad person, far from it; he was quite nice and charming (when he wanted to be). Kana had known him their whole lives and considerd Pakku a close friend, but she wasn't in love with him.

It wasn't just that Kana didn't love Pakku, but that she was in love with someone else; Sosuke a great waterbender who had confessed his love to her just hours before. The two of them had stood on the bridge overlooking the canal and talked about marriage and children. While Sosuke was a great waterbender and was expected to marry a healer so he would produce more waterbenders, he said it didn't matter since Kana's sister Maia was a healing prodigy, which proved that waterbending ran in the family. But now she was betrothed to Pakku, an arrangement her parents had been working on for sometime. Since Kanna wasn't a waterbender nor much of a beauty (in her mother's opinion) finding a husband would be difficult, a good one would be impossible.

If only they had waited a few more days, thought Kana Sosuke, the most promising waterbender in the Northern Water Tribe and the Chieftesses nephew would've proposed!

The only way for the contract to be nullified is if she got an offer that surpassed the original and Pakku was almost an equally skilled waterbender and the sone of the Chief's advisor!

"Kana!" Pakku called as he walked out of the house. "It's awfully cold out tonight, why don't you come inside."

"I don't want this." Kana said

"The necklace? Is there something wrong with it? I'll carve you a new one, anything you like."

Kana fought back tears, Pakku truly loved her. She wished she could return his feelings but she knew that as long as she loved Sosuke her relationship with Pakku would be nothing but kindness and pity.

"Wonderful news!" Her mother called as she ran outside, "Sosuke's here to propose!"

Kana felt her spirits lift, if her mother was this excited it meant that she would help her nullify the contract.

"Where is he?" Kana asked as the tears finally broke through.

"In talking with your father! To think, both my daughters engaged on the same day!"

"Both?" Kana asked

"Yes, you too Pakku and Maia too Sosuke! What great matches, neither of you will want for nothing!"

Maia. Sosuke was marrying Maia? It didn't make any sense! He just confessed his love to me!

"Oh, here he comes." Her mother said

Sosuke walked out and kissed Kana's mother on the cheek, a tradition when someone is going to enter the family. He then proceeded to greet Pakku as his future brother and Kana as his sister. Kana was numb, she hardly felt the kiss on the cheek and light embrace.

"Kana, you're crying tears of joy for your sister's maariage," Sosuke said when he noticed the tears, "what a loving sister you are."

Kana said nothing, she just stared at Sosuke, frozen as if she had spent the night in one of the canals.

"May I have a word with my future sister?" He asked Kana's mother.

"Of course!" She replied as she led Pakku back inside the house, giving Kana a look that told her not to say or do anything stupid.

"I don't understand," Kana said after everyone had gone inside "you told me earlier that you love me."

"I do," Sosuke insisted "but I can't risk fathering children that aren't waterbenders. My aunt is the Chieftess, it would look terrible. Your sister is a great healer."

"I know that, but what about us?"

The tears where now flowing faster, and freezing into small pieces of ice on Kana's cheeks.

"We'll still be together, just secretely. My wife is going to be your sister so we'll have many chances and reason to be alone together."

Kana couldn't believe what she was hearing, the man who she thought she loved was suggesting she commit adultery for the rest of her life with her sister's husband!

"Don't worry," Sosuke said "we won't get caught, and if you have my children, well Pakku and I are both waterbenders and have similar features no one will guess it. You should come back inside, it's freezing out here."

At that, Sosuke turned around and walked into the house. Kana stood outside feeling more alone than any other time in her life. She wanted to go jump in the canal and end her wretched situation permanetly. But that would only cause her parents to curse her spirit and Kana didn't want the next life to be worse. She knew what she had to do, but it would take time and preparation, luckily for her, as the younger sister her wedding wouldn't be till after Maia's. Kana had to do it before she was married, it was her only chance.

The preparations for Maia's wedding took precedent over the entire household for the next few weeks, robes and furs had to be dyed and sewn, food and drink had to be prepared and Sosuke would have to build them a house and furnish it to the bride's families liking. The entire time Pakku was designing their future house while Sosuke kept trying to convince Kana to join him after everyone had gone to bed, luckily Kana was so busy with the wedding (or so she said) that she was just too tired. In reality, Kana could do more than anyone else in her family and have energy for more. She was incredibly organized and had amazing stamina, something her mother insisted was too masculine. While everyone else slept she would plot her journey, sneaking maps and ship schedules from her fathers library. It would be a long and expensive trip, but luck was on her side yet again, her parents had never considered such a man of wealth and rank as Pakku would want her so she had a very large dowry. There was guilt felt in that decision, but Kana ignored it, after all hadn't her parents been saving for her future? It just wasn't the future they had planned.

On the day of Maia's wedding, both families gathered at the spirit oasis so Maia and Sosuke could be bound in body and spirit before the moon and the ocean. It was a simple ceremony, Maia in her lavender gown with flowers in her hair, Sosuke standing in his best robes and furs. They pledged themselves to eachother and then kissed. Sosuke looking hungarily at Kana the entire time. The families left the spirit oasis and walked to the front bridges were the new couple would be shown off and the entire city would be invited for a celebration. Maia and Sosuke sat at a table together and shared a cup of wine as everyone danced, drank and got the party was at it's climax and Kana knew she would not be missed, she stole away into her families home and broke the locke on the silver safe were her father kept her dowry. She shoveled all of the silvers pieces in a bag, took her small sack of belongings and headed towards the docks specifically built for foreign traders. An Earth Kingdom ship was leaving that very night, by the time her parents noticed her missing she would be in an Earth Kindom city

It was an expensive ticket, but Kana had also smuggled some expensive food and drink from the banquet as well as rather large bottle of ambergris to the captain so he wouldn't demand everything she had. The captain and crew were suspicious of course but her money was just as good as anyone's so they didn't ask questions. At nine in the morning, a scream rang out in Kana's former home, her parents had discoveres Kana and her dowry missing. After speaking with traders at the dock they had enough information to put it all together, their daughter had robbed them and left. Kana was on her way to the Southern Water Tribe and her family, Pakku's and Sosuke's were the laughingstock of the tribe.