THE WATER MASTER

HE BLAMED KANNA'S GRANDDAUGHTER FOR WHAT WAS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. He had never had much patience for children, or for beginner students. He had the birth, the connections, and the skill to make sure he only ever taught older, advanced students, and he had felt no qualms about exerting himself for that goal. But then, Katara, that girl, had looked him dead in the eye and said, But, Master Pakku…don't you think that it is the youngest and least skilled who most need the benefit of your talents and your experience? Or, perhaps, those least able to afford it?

And, in a moment that showed just how much the girl was like her grandmother, he had found himself unable to argue with her. Which was why he was standing there, hands on his hips, staring down at a little boy, barely ten, knees pressed together, madly waving his hand about.

Pakku sighed, and shook his head. This is your fault, young lady. Yours, and the fact that you have your grandmother's heart, her heart, her determination, her fire…

Her eyes…

He cast his eyes about the class. Which is why I have girls in this class, too. Though only well-born girls.

I have my limits.

"Yes, Inuk?"

The boy dropped his hand, grasping at his crotch. "I…um…I really have to go to the bathroom…"

Pakku had to struggle not to roll his eyes. Damn you, Katara… "Very well, make it fast."

The boy shot off, but then several other hands were going up. Pakku rolled his eyes this time. "Who else has to go to the bathroom?"

He groaned, quite audibly, as every single hand went up.

"Fine, fine, off with you. Ten minute break. Make it snappy."

Which was why he was standing before an empty training field, sipping some hot tea brought to him by an assistant, grumbling under his breath, when his king stopped before him.

He rounded on Arnook, eyes wide. He dipped his head, both surprised and annoyed. For weeks now, the deliberations had gone on. For the most part, people were ready for war, but the opponents – like that Tahno bastard, he thought – were very vocal, and very good at playing on the High King's regrets. Pakku had finally stopped going to the meetings; he had had enough. Even anxious children were better than that. And more mature, too.

"Your Majesty," he said, rising.

Arnook nodded, dipped his own head in return. "Master Pakku. I thought you might like to know that I've made a few decisions."

Pakku felt his throat go dry, and his heart began to race in his chest. Conflicting emotions crashed together, tearing at his soul. He wanted with all of his heart to go south, to end the madness that had gripped the world by its throat. But…

But then I look at my king, and his sad eyes, and part of me wants to stay out of it…

For his sake…

He swallowed hard, though it didn't do him any good. Not even bothering to keep the nervous tremor from his voice, he asked, "And those are, Your Majesty…?"

Arnook reached down into the pocket of his coat, pulled out a folded-up piece of paper. He handed it over. "Read this."

Pakku did. Three times. It didn't make any more sense the third time than it had the first. "I…Your Majesty, I don't…"

Arnook chuckled, turning towards the horizon, looking up at the sun, the sun that grew stronger and warmer every day. "That is a draft of a succession decree I will be giving tomorrow morning to the Privy Council. As you are aware, one of the primary objections to war, it seems, is that there is no one to succeed me, or, at least, no one obvious, not without reaching out through royal cousins and such."

Pakku frowned. "I was not aware of that…"

Arnook shrugged. "It's been largely unsaid, but it's been there. Thus, in recognition of his valiant service, and of the fact that, through his grandmother, noble Northern blood runs in his veins, I am hereby naming Sokka, son of Hakoda, of the Yuupik Clan of the Southern Water Tribes, my heir and successor." He sighed, his gaze falling until it met the ground.

"You know," he said, not waiting for Pakku to respond, "I was thinking about doing that anyways. I saw the way my daughter looked at him, the way he looked at her. He was, in many ways, everything I could want in a successor. A bit rough around the edges, as is to be expected, but still…" Arnook sighed, and his face was very sad, very far away. "After I saw Hahn, for all that he is a tolerable sort, and brave, in his own way, fail so miserably at the battle, I had decided, when it was all settled, to adopt Sokka into the tribe, ennoble him, and allow him to marry my daughter. So, in many ways, this has been a long time coming." He looked up to Pakku. "What do you think?"

Pakku had to give himself a shake before he could reply. "I…I think it's an excellent choice, Your Majesty, a wise choice. Still…what about…about…"

"The war?"

Pakku nodded. "Yes, if you don't mind my asking, Your Majesty…"

Arnook smiled, and looked to the sun. "Well, the future High King of the Northern Water Tribe is out there, fighting the good fight. Do you really expect the people of the North to do any less?"

Pakku felt his hands begin to shake; it was with great effort that he stopped them. "So…it's war…"

Arnook nodded, and closed his eyes.

"It's war, and may the gods have mercy on our souls."

Pakku bowed his head. "Indeed, Your Majesty, indeed…"

He didn't know what else to say. He hadn't had much faith in the gods, since the day he'd seen one tear an army of terrified boys to pieces.


This chapter is basically a result of me wracking my brain, trying to figure out why, after everything that had happened, the NWT would ever want to go to war, or, at least, why Arnook would want to. Once I hit upon this, well, it was pretty obvious. Sadly, Arnook's thought process isn't an original idea of mine. Equally sadly, I cannot, for the life of me, remember where I first read it. It was a drabble, I know that much. It's really annoying me.

Also, can Arnook do this? Actually, there's a lot of precedent in royal families for solutions such as this one, especially in East Asian dynasties, and also in the Western world, with the Roman Empire. Oddly enough, the Roman Empire didn't start having real problems until they stopped adopting heirs and tried to make it more dynastic.

Moving on! In the next chapter, Kiyoshiro is feeling a bit frustrated. Stay tuned!