Chapter 35: Gambling With My Heart
The Northern royals' healer-in-chief, Ikimi, who was infamous for her rations policy regarding the princess's meals in the name of "personal fitness," was taken aback by the reveal of Yue's beauty as well as her fighting and healing abilities as much as everyone else, even if she and the other healers continued to be denied access to the princess's hair, which didn't make much sense to them. It appalled Ikimi, especially, to no end that being a healer herself all this time, the princess did not once say anything to give away her abilities, instead putting on an act of meekness and detachment that put the Tribal Troupe to shame. It would feel awkward for any healer aware of the princess's achievements to be examining her at this point; nevertheless, Ikimi signed up for the task.
At present, the Northern chief and Southern prince waited outside of Yue's chambers; Arnook was seated on a few pelts while the Southern prince paced back and forth. And after what seemed like hours, Ikimi finally stepped out, earning their immediate attention.
"How is she now?" Arnook stood up.
"I think it's best if we keep her on a fluids-only diet," Ikimi said. "Hydration is very important for her at this time. We'll keep it going even after she wakes up. Have her stay clear of solid foods for the rest of the day."
Sokka frowned, "She hasn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon! The body can't treat itself if it doesn't have the energy. Being a healer, you should know this—"
"If you had let me finish, you would've heard me say that sugared water is fine," the woman told him with a raised eyebrow. "And fruit juices—"
"What is it with your obsession of starving people?" came Sokka's vehement retort. "No one survives solely on fruit juices!" Turning to the chief who was caught off guard by the outburst, "We should send for Healer Yugoda. I trust her judgement more."
"I've been the palace healer for over fifty years," Ikimi raised her voice, "I'm pretty sure I'm not as incompetent as you think—"
"No wonder the chief hasn't been getting any better, either," came the response, which sent the healer fuming. "Yugoda is a capable healer. It won't hurt to get a second opinion."
To Healer Ikimi's annoyance and Sokka's appeasement, Yugoda was eventually summoned. She took several minutes to examine the princess before confirming in alarm, "Her temperature is consistently high. I've tried to bring it down with my bending, but it keeps shooting back up after a few minutes." Frowning at the chief, "It would've definitely helped if she wasn't underfed and overworked."
"See, I told you!" Sokka spazzed like an anxious mother, earning a horrified look from Arnook.
"I'll have to send in a tonic to bring the fever down," Yugoda said, "but I can't do much more than that since it's psychogenic."
"Psychogenic?" Arnook asked.
"A psychogenic fever isn't necessarily caused by germs. It occurs when someone is exposed to chronic stress or is affected by deep emotional disturbance. Her Highness was at the shelters, I heard. Isumataq, you were with her. Did she exert herself?"
"A lot," he said helplessly, "I tried to tell her to take breaks, but she kept doing one thing or another."
"Then she is very likely upset or sensitized by the situation there." Giving them both a serious look, "Angayok, isumataq, what I'm about to say...this isn't something that requires immediate attention, but it shouldn't be taken lightly, either."
Both men paled.
"Don't be alarmed. It's not extremely serious," she assured them. "Not a threat to her life or anything. But it's best to address it before it becomes a threat because...it seems to me that this isn't the first time she's had this problem or this type of fever. Has she experienced something like this before?"
Arnook swallowed, brushing away the sweat at his brows, "I...I don't know…"
And the look that Sokka gave him was priceless in its strange mixture of sheer incredulity and bitterness, a look that put the Northern chief to absolute shame. It was a pitiful answer on the chief's part, but it was predictable given the widespread knowledge of the chief's negligence, a topic that served as the highlight of Professor Zei's article that stopped the North.
"It's no surprise that more and more people, especially women, are being traumatized by what is happening in the North. We don't exactly have an exemplary environment at the moment. But you see, some people are quite sensitive, more so than others. They internalize certain things to a greater degree than others do, and they have a tendency to think about those experiences over and over, loop them in their minds," Yugoda explained. "When we see upsetting things, we try to dissociate ourselves from them for the sake of our mental health. We hear about slaves who are being tortured by their masters, people passing on from illnesses, beloved pets passing, families being torn apart. There is much suffering in the world that goes unwarranted, and even though we acknowledge that, we do not occupy ourselves with that reality constantly. Doing so leaves behind only anguish at the expense of our mental well-being, and we are only human beings. That's why we take a minute to go for a run or joke or laugh or watch a play...do something to divert our attention."
Indeed, the people who were helping out at the shelters took several breaks to escape from that environment and reel back from the devastation. The princess, while spending her short break with Katara, Sokka, and Aang, still did not get the chance to swallow down the reality and take a proper breath.
"There is so much going on in the world, and there is a lot going on in the North, and for someone like the princess, all of this naturally must be weighing heavily on her mind. Her tendency to reach out and help with nearly every situation is an extremely good quality, and it's truly wonderful that we have a leader who cares so much for the North, but too much care to the point of not giving oneself time to recuperate is not healthy. We are only human. We are not responsible for tackling every problem there is out in the world. We all need to draw certain boundaries and take breaks in between. Her Highness is taking big strides, and after what I heard happened last night, I have deep faith that her influence will change the North for the better, but as far as her health goes, what she needs now is lots of patience and care. A means to relax and recuperate. The princess is fine-tuned to recognize another's suffering, but it is equally important for her to not suffer herself. It is crucial that she finds joy." Turning to the chieftain, "It is important that you as her guardian do what you can to make sure she doesn't overexert herself physically or mentally, Your Majesty. She is the princess of the Water Tribe, and she doesn't' deserve to be a slave in her own home, so don't let her be one."
Arnook gulped and nodded.
"We'll be sure to take extra care of her," Sokka said, "But what should we be doing right now? When is she gonna get better?"
"If these are easily solvable problems, solutions can help ease her stress and bring down the temperature, but the humanitarian crisis in the North isn't something that can be solved overnight. I recommend you give her some time to process what happened at those shelters. She needs rest the most right now. Let her sleep it off, and when she wakes up, she must eat. I would recommend a certain type of diet if there's an infection that her body is trying to fight, but this is psychogenic, so it's not necessary."
"She won't be happy if she doesn't get to go to the conferences…" Arnook began worriedly.
"Well she's not going to those conferences like this. She needs to take it easy for at least a few days. If she must attend, she needs to wait at least until her temperature stays down for a solid twelve hours. Meaning if it starts to go down in at least the next four or five hours, it'll be tomorrow evening at the earliest." Slinging her medicine-bag over her shoulder, "I've left a small container of a herbal balm on the table next to her bed. Smear some over her forehead every hour until the fever goes down. If she doesn't wake up at least once within fifteen hours, send for me again."
The chief and the prince stiffened further but nodded in acknowledgement of her warning.
"I can go see her, right?" Sokka asked.
"Yes, you can if you'd like. Don't disrupt her sleep."
"I won't."
With Sokka charging inside and Yugoda taking her leave, the White Lotus sentries, who had hurried over after hearing what happened, stepped into the corridor.
"How is the princess doing, Chief Arnook?" Jeong Jeong asked.
"She needs to rest. She's apparently quite stressed."
"It's understandable. She's already done too much for today."
The sentries then expressed that they had no problem with postponing the Global Conferences until the princess's health improved.
"Oh, no, you don't have to do that for our sake," Arnook began.
"The conferences have always been commenced by the leaders of the hosting nation," Iroh said. "The conferences this year would be incomplete without your daughter there. She is the future chieftess, after all, and is very deserving of the honor and attention."
"We will announce that we requested the postponement," Gyatso said, "We don't need to draw more attention to the princess. We were going to meet with the Revivalists and could use the extra time anyway."
"The Revivalists?" Arnook asked.
"We will ask them what they know about Khasiq," Jeong Jeong said, "And what they know about the man responsible for Kinji's demise. After you left the meeting, we asked Prince Sokka and the princess if they knew anything about him. They admitted they knew nothing but that he likely wasn't a Revivalist member. The princess said she didn't find any resemblances between him and the other Revivalists, but since the past year, she hadn't been involved with the group as much. Inquiring the Revivalists themselves might be of some help. Don't worry, we won't give away anything about the princess."
Arnook nodded, bowing, "I can't thank you enough."
"The princess is like a daughter to us as well," Piandao said, earning nods in agreement. "We are happy to help."
Ivaneq came to see Sokka three more times that morning, and every time he came, he brought with him the news that everyone back at the estate was worried about him, insisting that he come home. Sokka waved off Ivaneq's claims, refusing to budge, claiming that he was needed at the palace to make sure the maids were properly caring for the princess. The fourth time, Katara came to see him, bringing with her some food for him, but he didn't touch any of it. The master waterbender also got a chance to try to bring the princess's fever down for good, but Yue's temperature kept fluctuating, sometimes staying high and sometimes dropping to a low-grade.
"But she's gonna be okay, I know it," Katara adamantly told her brother. "So why are you sitting here pining? You can't take care of her if you don't take care of yourself."
"I'm not leaving until she wakes up and eats something."
"Sokka—"
"I'll be fine."
The prince's crabbiness only increased when he realized that the maids were slacking in their duties. At one point, he snapped his fingers, catching the attention of the fumbling maids, "If you're gonna take your sweet time with the medicine, then go home. I'll stay here."
"Sorry, isumataq, we'll be—"
"It's fine, just go. I'll handle it."
And from there, he took to promptly smearing the balm over her forehead every hour, dabbing a cloth above her brows, and inching away her suffocating headscarf to let her sleep freely and comfortably. More and more color drained from his face with how still she seemed to be in her sleep; she bore a plaintive look on her face all the while, and there were moments when she would whisper in her sleep, a single name wrecking her sleep. "Hama…"
When he first heard it, he wondered if he was mishearing things, but the name came up two more times, worsening the frown on her face. She tossed around, shaking her head, gripping her blankets tightly, "No, Hama, no…"
"Your Highness, it's okay," he said softly, "Hama's not here."
"Innocent...let them go…innocent…"
Something was greatly troubling the princess, obviously something related to Hama. But what, he would probably never know anytime soon, and he didn't think Yue was ready to tell anyone, either. He was nevertheless reminded, though, of what the Revivalists had previously told him.
"A man had broken into our training site. He wasn't trying to hurt us or anything. He just broke into the kitchen for some food. He seemed like he was very poor. That was when we saw Hama bloodbend for the first time...She was ruthless, Brother Sokka, absolutely ruthless..."
"Hama had bloodbended him without mercy. It was so gruesome that blood had been coming out from his nose and ears and mouth. Everyone had been terrified. It was sick and nauseating just hearing her talk about what she did afterwards."
"Kuunnguaq did what any horrified person would do in that situation. Run for her life. She ran towards the mountains, and Hama went after her."
"I finally managed to find Kuunnguaq passed out in the snow. She was nearly frozen."
"We later learned that Hama was captured while she was trying to find Kuunnguaq. Khasiq's men had found her. They were originally looking for the spirit that was killing the men but felt her bloodbend them to try to escape. Somebody somehow blocked her chi, and they killed her on the spot. Stabbed her to death. In her last moments, Hama was screaming for Tui."
"Kuunnguaq must have seen the murder happen before her eyes; she was never the same after that. It took her a year to recover from that depression."
The Southern prince was not sure if this had anything to do with the princess's current nightmare, but it wasn't like he was in the position to ask; he could only brush her hair away from her face, whisper to her that Hama wasn't here. She managed to calm down eventually, continuing to sleep through her struggle, her exhaustion speaking to her inner state.
"As of today, I have died a thousand deaths." Sokka sighed, powerless, wishing he had a brilliant idea to snuff out all of her problems, lamenting that he didn't have exemplary healing abilities. The best he could do at this very moment was something that went against his resolve to never rely on the supernatural for anything. He reached for the La pendant at his neck and cast a look at it before taking off his necklace completely— a feat that he didn't do even once ever since he first received the pendant.
"My mom says this thing works better on people who believe in it," he told her sleeping form as he wrapped the necklace around her hand, the pendant resting at her wrist, brushing against the bangles he gave her, "So please, get better soon, Princess. Everything's gonna be okay."
Then again, what was a mere pendant good for in alleviating the sins of the North's oppressors?
"It's no surprise that more and more people, especially women, are being traumatized by what is happening in the North…There is so much going on in the world, and there is a lot going on in the North, and for someone like the princess, all of this naturally must be weighing heavily on her mind."
What could he do to make the cleansing process faster? Stopping the world and going back in time to change the worst of history were impossible feats, after all. To think that he, too, had a heart that could love in a time of surrounding sinners. To think that horror that was rampant in a nation once known for passion and pining poetry. Softly grasping her hand as he knelt by her bedside, he could only whisper, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" for crimes he didn't even commit.
By then, a worried Arnook was approaching him in an effort to persuade him to go home. Sokka, hearing the footsteps, decided it was probably best to wait outside instead of having Arnook spike her stress levels again. The prince stormed up to the chieftain and glowered, "This is all your fault! This really wasn't a good time for you to bring up marriage!"
"Think what you want, but you can't expect me to wait any longer. Especially after finding out what she had been doing all this time—"
"Cut the yakshit, Chief. You were planning this marriage beforehand, and this piece of information is only your launching point." Keeping his hand at his sword, "I made you an oath in blood that I won't leave her side. Isn't that enough for you? You want another oath? Is a bunch of rituals and a ceremony more worth it?"
"It's called a marriage," the chief said, more calm than expected.
"This is so sudden, it's insane!"
"Sudden decisions are necessary when both of you are several years past marrying age," came the reply. "When you're young, you feel that you're the master of all worlds, but there comes a time in your life when you realize you want someone next to you. Be it a spouse or a child or friend, maybe even a pet. Anyone to call a companion. You say we're social creatures, and yet, you and my daughter claim you can live your lives by yourselves—"
"No one should be forced into a major life decision like this. It's simple logic, Chief, how are you missing this?"
"I have no choice! I must do what I can to protect my daughter, and after everything that has happened up to this point, I'm not willing to trust anyone who isn't family."
"Even me?"
Arnook sighed, "I know that sound reason would in no way agree with my decision to have you marry her after only four days of knowing you, but after seeing you today, I know you care about her. You said so yourself that you love her and have the intention of marrying her, and I never had a considerable reason to believe that until now. That is why I'm rushing things."
"But that doesn't mean you get to—!"
"I also know your parents would not like the things my daughter is involved in," he frowned, "And even if she wasn't involved in certain things, I doubt they'd like her when they find out she's Lady. But I have no one else to turn to."
"I can't marry her if she doesn't like me back, Chief!" Sokka said, a shake in his tone, "I can't marry her if she doesn't want to marry me. This isn't a one-way sidewalk. And I won't sit back and let this happen if Her Highness is being forced into this!"
"She didn't say she didn't like you," Arnook pointed out. "If you show her that you genuinely love and care for her, then she will accept you—"
"This can be done without a marriage, too. You have no right to pressure her. She is her own person, so let her be her own person!"
"What she's wanting to do now is the equivalent of charging into the battlefield during a lunar eclipse without a shield! Are you saying I should still sit back and let her 'be her own person'?!"
"It's not necessary to be someone's husband to protect them—"
"Do you not want to be her husband?"
"I may have feelings for her, but I'm not taking advantage of Her Highness in any way," came his resolute glare.
Indeed, Sokka was proving minute by minute that he was the perfect choice for the princess to her father, but what reigned at this present moment were confusion, panic, and stubbornness. "Alright. I won't force either of you," Arnook threw his hands up in exasperation, "And in return, don't either of you dare force me to leave the North because I am tired of having my worst fears unacknowledged. For once, I will prove myself to not be useless and do everything I can to keep her safe. I am all she has at this point!"
"She has me, too—!"
"No, she doesn't. As the danger in the North increases, so will her distance from you. With nothing binding you to her in any way, she will eventually make you leave this place. You will see for yourself."
As incensed as Sokka was at Arnook's stubbornness, he did not want to entertain the chieftain's point.
A gentle Arctic zephyr accompanied by a sliver of sunlight fell upon Princess Yue's face. She furrowed her eyebrows, stirring to warmth and the smell of moonflower-scented incense, waking to the rhythm of snores that caught her off guard. Her eyes opened, and she took in the sight of Prince Sokka's surprising presence in her own bedroom; he was sitting on the floor right next to her bed, his head drooped against the side of the cot, drool hanging from his lips as he snored. In his hand was the cloth he used to dab at her forehead, his fingers bearing the scent of the herbal balm that he'd smeared above her brows. At further observation, she also saw that a black pendant— Sokka's black pendant— was wrapped around her wrist. The talisman bearing the image of La was settled atop her palm, occasionally clanking against her bangles, gazing at her with its smiling werewolf face. Confused in the wee hours of consciousness, she softly shook the prince by his shoulder, "Isumataq Sokka—?"
"Dronningi!" he jerked awake and sat up, blinking at her startled form with a relieved look, "Princess, are you okay?! When did you wake up?"
"Just now," she rubbed her eyes, "What are you doing here? What time is it? The conferences... I need to be..."
"Postponed until you get better," he told her, "You have fans all throughout the White Lotus, dronningi. They said they'll tell the organization committee that they need some more time to do investigation work. The conferences won't start without you."
Following his explanation, he quickly stumbled up and resorted to excessive fumbling despite her protests. Yue slowly sat up in bed, taking in more of the surroundings to assess the situation. She caught a glimpse of a scroll on the bedside table; the canister bore an official seal along with the Water Tribe insignia, indicating it had to be important, so she reached for it and tucked it beside her.
"You can read it later, Princess, you need to take it easy," he returned with a cup filled with clean water and handed it to her, "The healer said you shouldn't be stressed—"
"They're overreacting. I've had this happen before, and I made it through."
"It's because you had this happen before that you need to be more careful," his hand flew to her forehead, "Your temperature's nearly gone down. Only a low grade."
"I should be okay in another hour or so," she said, bringing his hand back down and answering his doubtful look with, "Really, I will be, I know it. It's not the first time this happened."
"This amount of stress isn't something to take lightly."
She simply shrugged, taking a sip. "They say your hair turns grey if you're super stressed. I think I was born super stressed." Chuckling, "That's probably why my hair's white."
"Your hair is white because you're Tui."
"Haha."
Frowning, "I told you to get some rest after meeting with the White Lotus. Do you know how worried I was, dronningi?"
Yue didn't recall the last time someone was openly displaying such care and concern. He had probably been here for a while if he fell asleep here, and it continued to appall her that he even stayed. She had to admit that if she was feeling this charmed by it right now, it was no wonder Arnook took a liking to him as a son-in-law, probably having believed Sokka would take care of her. "You probably shouldn't be so worried then, isumataq. It's because you were so worried about me that the chief was won over and now wants us to get married."
He fiddled with his fingers, his face slightly warming.
"Please tell me you went home at least once."
"Yeah, of course I did," he didn't make eye contact.
"You're lying, aren't you?"
"You expect me to leave you when you're like this?"
"You didn't have to stay, you know—"
"I wanted to," he said sincerely.
"Your parents—"
"We're not gonna talk about them right now, okay?"
Shaking her head and holding up her hand to denote the necklace at her hand, "What's this about? Isn't this yours?"
"Yeah," he admitted. "I thought it would bring some good luck. You know, 'cause it's La and stuff…"
"I thought you don't believe in talismans," she teased. "We shouldn't link our fates to a bunch of 'arts and crafts', should we, isumataq?"
"Yeah, but...at one point, I got super worried, and I didn't know what to do, so...yeah," rubbing the back of his head, "You can say it's a moment of weakness for the atheist."
She laughed, beginning to unwind the necklace from her wrist to give it back to him, but he stopped her instead with, "It's okay, you can have it."
"Pardon?"
"You can keep it with you. You know, for forever."
Blinking, "I can't do that. Your mother gave this to you. You said you keep it as a reminder of her. You can't possibly give it away."
"It's fine. I don't believe in talismans anyway. My mom has plenty more."
"But this is—"
"Really, it's okay. To be honest, my mom would like it if a believer wore this and actually respected it."
With a sigh of acceptance, she wound it back around her Hand and reached for the conch at her neck next. "I want you to have this then," she handed him the shell, "A necklace for a necklace."
"You don't have to do that, Princess. Besides, you've had it for a long time, too."
"I have La now, so it's fine," she smiled, and he took the necklace, running his fingers over the surface as she spoke. "It's not superstitious or anything. It's perfectly natural and free of special properties the way you prefer. If you close your eyes and listen to it, you can hear the ocean. Granted, we can't actually hear the ocean since it's just the noise around you being amplified, but you could pretend. Stop the everyday bustle and live in the metaphor for a moment. It could work wonders for reducing your anxiety."
He held the shell up to his ear, hearing the whooshes and whiplashes of what resembled crashing waves, and he softened his gaze as the sound resonated through him. Smiling at the princess, "I'll keep it safe with me."
The prince continued to fuss some more, stepping into the connecting chamber to bring in the food that he'd sent for earlier. Yue, sporting her scarves and veils again, skimmed over the scroll in the meanwhile, and she eventually cast it aside, her efforts at keeping her mood elevated soured by its contents.
After thorough review of the present circumstances in the Northern Water Tribe, we regret to inform you that your request could not be processed. The Council of Leadership has deemed that while Articles Four and Six may be put on hold during emergency situations, certain terms and conditions of the Heir Policy, specifically Articles Three and Twenty Five, cannot be overridden—
"Eat first, Princess."
Yue's attention flew from the scroll to the food that Sokka brought in. She seemed quite surprised by the amount, "They don't usually give me this much."
"I know, it's like they're insane! I ordered again saying the food got cold."
Casting him a look, "You didn't go home. Did you at least eat?"
"Yeah... of course."
Raising her eyebrows, "What did you eat?"
"Uh...five flavor soup, some noodles, a couple of sea prunes—" he was instantly cut off by his growling stomach. Chuckling nervously, "Hehe...I, uh, I did eat. You know how I eat, like, eight times a day, right—?" His stomach growled even louder than before.
"Sokka, stop starving and eat, will you? I didn't help out your village in exchange for your starvation." Gesturing to a few dishes, "We can share."
"Your Highness—"
"Or order something for yourself. We're eating together, no questions asked."
For someone who claimed he already ate, he was wolfing down his meal very quickly, prompting Yue to have more food ordered in for him. She was overcome by guilt and curiosity; it was because of her that he was being this way, but why would he wait? The position of a bodyguard didn't at all require waiting to have meals together or being present during sick days.
And as for her, Sokka noticed that she had her eyes set on sweet things the most. Pangs of hunger directed her towards finishing all the salty and spicy dishes, but she seemed to truly savor the sweets the most, having saved them for the end.
"You want some more sweets, dronningi?" he asked.
"No, it's okay, I—"
"More sweets for Her Highness, please!" he called,
"I don't think that's a good idea," Ikimi said sternly as she stepped into the chamber, her eyes widening at all the food.
"Her Highness needs to eat, and Healer Yugoda said she can have anything she wants," Sokka frowned. "If she wants sweets, then you're gonna give her sweets, got it?"
Yue blinked at his uncalled-for sternness, "Isumataq—"
"I'm sorry to break it to you, Prince Sokka, but you're not an expert in women's health," Ikimi crossed her arms and turned to the princess, "Your Highness, you know how the consumption of sweets will affect your physique—"
"With all due respect, another word, and I'm gonna have to tell the chief to fire you, Healer Ikimi," the Southerner glared.
Yue widened her eyes as she shook her head at a bewildered Ikimi, "He doesn't mean that, he—"
"I do mean that."
The healer huffed at the prince's attitude and stormed out. Sokka went back to his chomping, raising an eyebrow at the maid who had accompanied the healer. The maid hurried away only to return with several dessert options for the princess's choosing, issuing a bow of respect before leaving.
"I swear, these blubberheads aren't feeding you at all," he told Yue, handing her the mango pulp cream that she was reaching for, "You gotta tell these people off, Baby Blue."
"This is all your fault, you know," she said lightly. "I gained about a pound in just these four days by having dinner with you."
"I have the right idea, Your Highness, and you know it." Turning in the direction of the entrance where Ikimi stormed off, "Can't you fire that healer lady?"
"Lady Ikimi has been working at the palace for several years; if I transfer her to another job, her reputation will be at stake. I don't want her to lose face because of me. Besides, it's no big deal. The maids and I sneak in some food every now and then when we work at the royal kitchen."
"You can't be so kind to people like her, Princess. It's a cruel world out there, you know it."
She flashed him another one of her rare smiles, growing more and more amused by his care...only to be reminded more and more of Chief Hakoda's words.
"People with connections to the Akna or the Moon Temple only bring bad luck, and there have been instances in real life that point to this truth!" Hakoda roared. "And no matter how many times you give the same speech over and over again, Sokka, I'm helpless in this matter. So do yourself and all of us a favor by keeping away from those Revivalists, that Moon Temple, and especially the princess!"
And with that, she wolfed down the sweets one by one, her previous smile now fixed into a perturbed frown. Sokka furrowed his eyebrows in concern, spilling his worry forth with his look alone.
"Whenever I'm having a rough day, I like to treat myself with sweets," she said, reaching for the almond cake next, "Some days, it's super tiring to run from one place to another, acting like different people."
"Because you're juggling a lot of things at once."
"It used to be a little easier because I wasn't recognized publicly as a princess. I used to balance being a servant, a caretaker, and occasionally Kuunnguaq. But now that I have other important duties as the princess, and now that I've decided to stay somewhat involved with the Revivalists on a regular basis, I'm having to adjust my schedule to fit all of my personas."
Keeping his voice low, "Why not get rid of the identities that you care about the least? Like the servant job?"
"I need to be a servant so I can learn what really goes on in the palace," she said. "I need to be the princess, obviously. And I need to be Kuunnguaq if I want to protect my friends. It's not that Khasiq won't target Sayen and everyone else, but... as long as I'm out there as Kuunnguaq, I'll be the center of attention. And being the caretaker…It's a personal pleasure. The closest I can get to being a priestess."
"You can always be a priestess and a princess. It's not unusual for the political leader to also be a religious leader. Look at the Air Nomads."
"The Water Tribe is not a theocracy, though."
"Well yeah, if you don't want religion mixing with the government, but there's nothing stopping you from being a priestess personally and being a chieftess professionally," he said. "By the time you become the chieftess, the White Lotus will have wiped out all traces of Khasiq's influence. The people will stand in support of you, and you can have everything you want. You can do whatever you want."
Chuckling dryly, "It's hard to imagine. Probably because it's a bit too idealistic."
"That doesn't mean it's impossible."
"It's certainly not easy." She gestured to the scroll sitting in her lap, "I got this from the Council of Leadership. For security reasons, they haven't been living here in the capital for several years. They're staying in Kut'sira fifty miles from here."
She told him then of how she sent the Council a message a few days ago, trying to convince them to waive the Heirs Policy in her case— a difficult argument to make considering the Heirs Policy was one of the most important requirements for an upcoming leader.
"You didn't mention the Heirs Policy before," Sokka said.
"Because I thought it was going to be easily waived for me. You know, because of the situation here. That's why I didn't give it a lot of thought. I thought I could get around it somehow. But the Council still didn't approve of my request."
"What's their reasoning?"
"They're being stubborn. The Heirs Policy is basically a way of securing the continuation of the bloodline. The council members think there could be a chance that I'm barren, and they need to know if that's the case before they choose me as the next leader. What better way to find out than have me marry and engage in procreative sex? Although, they did write that when it comes to times of emergency, the safety of the nation takes precedence over an heir, so even though I won't be forced to have a child, a marriage is still mandatory." The bitterness returned to her gaze. "The Council of Leadership has the power only until the new leader is coronated. After that, they can't do anything to the leader. Even if it means the bloodline will end."
And that's why after Chief Aklaq was assassinated, Arnook and Ahnah were allowed the position despite not securing an heir for a long time.
"The heirs policy is a pain in the ass," Sokka said. "Down South, Gran-Pakku didn't become chief until he had my dad, but my dad had to become chief even before I was born for emergency situations. And now, I have to have a kid of my own before I become the chief. It's all been laid out before me for a while."
"The woes of royalty," she shook her head and leaned back against the pillows, lost in her thoughts. She hadn't been expecting to face so many pressing demands for a marriage all at once. There was the Heirs Policy to deal with, and on top of that, the demands of Water Tribe society and culture that brainwashed people into thinking life would be hell without a marriage, her parents having long fallen into that trap. Her father, mother...
The chieftess. It had to be true that the chieftess shouldn't be stressed out in this situation, for a patient who recently came out of a coma needed to take it easy for several months afterwards. Spikes in stress levels were not good for them. With the chieftess being in such a situation, how else was Yue going to be able to spill her truths to her? She had to tell her at some point, and that would have to be whenever Ahnah is deemed fully recovered.
But this marriage thing... Ugh.
"You're worried about your mom, too, aren't you?"
Yue nodded absentmindedly. "To this day, I don't know what happened to the chieftess exactly, and the chief always avoided my question one way or another... but I know that Khasiq was the one who attempted to have her killed. To this day, he doesn't know that she's alive, and if he finds out...I don't want to think about what will happen after that. I can't have her be anywhere near the North for a long time. Until I know there's no threat. But I'm not in a position to say no to what she wants because if I don't agree to a marriage...if she finds out about the situation here...she would want to stay with me, too." Shaking her head firmly, "I can't have anything happen to her."
"Nothing will happen to her," Sokka told her. "I'll talk to the chief again, Princess."
"No matter how many times we talk to him, he won't let up. He has his baton, and now he's gonna run with it." Scoffing, "I mean, it's not like I want to upset them! If our men understood we're every bit as human as they are and not sex objects, then maybe marriage wouldn't have been a problem. These days, more people than not seem to be looking for one thing and one thing only, and once they get it, they leave. They don't seem to favor commitment, so why should I?" Crossing her arms, "To think the Water Tribe was once known for its innocent pining lovers. What a narrative!"
Mewling internally, "I'm sure there's someone out there, Princess...Not that I'm saying you should get married, but if you wanted to at some point…"
"I meant it when I said I can't experiment, Sokka. Either I get it right or I don't go for it at all. All the sexists are available and ready while all the good men are forbidden or already taken, and I can't sit around screaming heartbreak when I'm supposed to be strong for my people. I don't need a relationship to survive, do I? So why does the chief...Why can't the chief understand? Linking my marriage to their health and survival. Like what the heck?"
The visit to Nansei was all she had on her mind. If she told the chieftess all about the figure called Lady, and if she told her that this Lady happened to be none other than her, the chieftess would no doubt spend the rest of her life worrying about her rebellious daughter, thinking there were zero allies in the North.
"That's what your dad's worried about, too."
Yue looked at Sokka, "You're thinking I'm being harsh on him, aren't you?"
He shook his head, "There's no other way to get it through his head. Although…He hasn't been very smart in the past, and he's not being very smart now, either, and he's undoubtedly being sexist in a lot of ways... but in his own strange way, he cares a lot about you."
"I know," she ran her thumb across the La pendant. "I had to purposely be harsh with him all this time. It was for his own good."
"His own good?"
"I care about His Majesty," Yue admitted. "That's why I don't want him to be targeted for my sake. I know he didn't send me along with those imposters on purpose. He may be sexist, but he was still trying to save my life by sending me away, and I understand that. Though I wish he would've listened to me, too, but that's a different story." Wincing, "I know that every second he's in this place, he will be targeted, but if I seem rebellious enough to seem like I despise his every effort, Khasiq will have the impression that I see the chief more as a threat to my efforts than my father. And he will spare the chief, maybe even try to convince him that I'm an enemy."
Softening his gaze, "I know you care, Princess. You even send him medicine every week as the caretaker."
"It's the only way I can care for him," she said. "It's my duty to protect the people who are closest to me in every way possible, and this is no different. That's why I must pretend I'm angry. At least, until he leaves this place." Swallowing the lump in her throat, "I would rather the chief be alive and well than have him be on my side. I'd rather be a horrible daughter than an outwardly caring one. Besides, this way, it may be easier for him to forget me if anything happens to me—"
"Nothing will happen to you," he said, his palm folding over hers. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"I won't let anything happen to you." It's this care of yours that's driving him crazy." She trampled the rising warmth in her chest and brought her knees to her chest, "I really shouldn't have told him I'm Kuunnguaq."
"Even if you didn't tell him, he'd still suggest this," Sokka told her. "My instincts tell me he was planning this from even before our meeting. What's surprising to me is that he didn't tell me this beforehand."
"But this does give him more of a reason. Whatever his original plans were." She took a deep breath and gave him a look, a slightly curious light dancing in her eyes. "You wouldn't happen to have a master plan in that smart brain of yours, do you?"
He gulped, summoning all the ideas he'd calculated in his brain, all the paths he thought through while she slept. Brewing out of his helplessness and his determination to do something to help was a plan that would wring out his own heart. "I do have an idea, dronningi."
She perked up for a moment, "Oh?"
"It's crazy, but…I've experimented with it in my brain and...I think it'll eliminate a lot of your problems."
"Crazy is fine. Well, if it's not too crazy." She crossed her legs, "Pull up a chair. Let's hear it."
"I...okay, but...this is…" another second of fumbling later, "I want to preface it by saying that with this idea, I'm not expecting anything out of it. Even if it doesn't appear that way. It'll sound ridiculous and counterintuitive to what you're really wanting, but I assure you that it's not meant to be that way."
She blinked at him. "Um...okay—"
"Seriously, I have zero expectations," he was nearly panicking for some reason, and his fingers were slightly shaking, "and this is gonna be crazy-sounding, but I thought through a decent seventy percent of it, all things considered."
"Okay, alright…"
"I'm not trying to take advantage of the situation," he added, "And this plan is not intended to force you into anything, and you are in no obligation to agree to this," his voice cracked in the midst of his explanation, "And the only selfish reason behind this idea is that your parents are safe and healthy for a considerable amount of time before we spill the whole truth…"
"Prince Sokka, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying…" he took a deep breath after his huge disclaimer, and he looked both ways, eventually getting up and pressing his face by the door of her room to make sure there was no one right outside. He took his seat again and scooted a little closer, looking at her in the eyes, "We should get married."
Never had Sokka heard a more quiet silence in his entire life. Yue did not process what he said for a solid minute, her breath having come to a gradual pause as the message finally began to register. Her expression transitioned from realization to immediate disbelief, "Um...I'm sorry, I think I misheard you—"
"You didn't," he said, twiddling with his fingers, "The master plan I'm working on plays off of us...getting married…"
An alert spark flared in her eyes, "Us?"
Swallowing a cough, "Yeah."
"So...us as in...we marry separate people so my parents won't force us or…? Because I already told you I—"
"N-Not exactly, Princess. I mean...you and me," he looked down, suddenly feeling very hot and faint, almost as if he'd start hyperventilating right then and there, "Together. To each other."
"What?"
"See, I told you it's crazy!" he said, turning away immediately and cursing at the increasing heat that was rushing up to his face at this not-so-appropriate moment, "But I gave it a lot of thought and…You know what, we won't talk about it any further if you don't want to."
"Of course we're not, we...we can't just…I-I mean your parents and...and w-we can't...we're not and…!" Yue trailed off, feeling her heart pounding not with nervousness or fear but...an exhilarating kind of curiosity. She took a moment to think over what he said, initially very sure of turning down the idea before even hearing it in full...but then she began to reminisce over the past couple of days, over all of Sokka's plans that she'd seen manifest— and succeed— up until now. It may seem hard to believe or even outwardly counterintuitive, but perhaps...perhaps it could be liberating?
"It'll sound ridiculous and counterintuitive to what you're really wanting, but I assure you that it's not meant to be that way."
Biting her lip and flashing him a look, "Where exactly were you going to go with this anyway?"
"W-What?" he blinked.
"Your idea," she cleared her throat, trying not to succumb to the awkwardness, "What would...what would happen if we…?"
"So you really want to hear it?"
Hesitant but still receptive to at least hearing the idea, "I'm desperate for an idea. I know you're smart. Plus, you're saying you thought this through, and you even told me you don't have any selfish intentions with this. You didn't even want a marriage to begin with, but if you're still suggesting this, there has to be a good reason for going through with this, so let's hear it."
"Alright, then. Listen carefully and don't panic," and after looking both ways again, he scooted even closer, his voice lowered to a whisper, "It'll be a marriage, but it also won't be. And by that, I mean it'll be no different than a...a political alliance between two countries. No feelings, no emotional investments," his voice cracked again as a result of him trying to sound nonchalant while suppressing the increased excitement and sheer yearning in his chest, "no personal expectations."
"Like a...like a contract?"
"Exactly," a gulp, "It's like a trade deal. Just another undercover operation. You see, your dad won't trust that I'll be next to you unless I'm bound to you in some way. That's why he's suggesting marriage. Somehow he thinks a few rituals and matching drawings on our wrists are worth more than friendship and oaths in blood. Now I tried to tell your dad that I needed some time to still 'court' you and that marriage was too sudden, but he kept telling me I can 'win you over' even after a marriage—"
"Like everyone says when someone's getting arranged."
"And on top of that, we have the Council of Leadership to deal with. The least they're expecting from you is a marriage so they can favor you as the next leader. That's why I figured we could act like we're 'giving it a chance' and sit through a ceremony. It'll only be for your parents and the head of the leadership council. No one else is gonna know about it."
"So... your parents won't be involved in this…?"
"Nope, not at all. No one else will be there except for your parents and the head council member. And the officiators, of course, but that doesn't matter 'cause this won't even happen in the homeland; it'll happen in Nansei at the Water Tribe-Earth Kingdom border. So there's no chance that anyone here will know. We'll ask to keep it confidential for security reasons."
"What...what happens then?"
"Simple. After the ceremony, the council will secure your leadership. Your dad will confidently stay behind with your mom in Nansei, and they'll likely be taken to the Fire Nation with Jeong Jeong and Piandao. They'll send the two of us back here in the meantime, thinking we're enjoying marital bliss and whatnot, but we can live our normal, separate lives while we're here. To them, we'll still be married, but here in the North, we're free to be however we want to be 'cause no one will know what happened. There's not gonna be anyone here to police us around or expect us to be a couple. It'll be like it never happened."
Gulping, "How long will this go on?"
"Until the day you become the chieftess of the North. Until the day the situation here is safe and all the Nationalists are thrown behind bars for good and your parents return to the North with nothing to worry about."
"And after that? The chief and chieftess will be expecting us to reveal our status to everyone," she frowned, "They'll even be onto us to take the next steps and...You know how it is with parents expecting grandchildren..."
"It won't get to that point," he assured. "If we want to break this arrangement, we have two options. Either we tell them the truth about our plan, or we can pretend that we...we want the marriage to be…"
"So annulment?"
"If an annulment is what you want…" though he found he couldn't say it to her face to face. "Whatever we choose to have happen, it needs to be after your coronation, though. That way, the Council of Leadership won't take action. And as soon as you become the chieftess, you have all the power to change the Heirs Policy however you want."
Yue brooded over the idea for a while, not saying anything for a few minutes before admitting, "I'm not sure how I feel about deceiving my way to the throne like this."
"Deception used for a good cause is good," he told her. "You said so yourself that we need to act like we're following certain rules so we can take the oppressive system down from the inside. Everyone in the North knows deep down that you need to be the leader instead of Khasiq. The North needs you just as much as you need it. You shouldn't be separated from it ever, especially not over these petty rules." Sighing, "This idea is a big stretch. Believe me, I get it. But I'm confident it'll answer to these problems one way or another."
But even then, Yue wore a conflicted expression, torn apart by the ethics of the situation, and the entire time, Sokka felt like he'd pass out any minute. Eventually she sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't do this. I know it's not for ulterior motives, and I know you're trying to help. I know you enough to know you're not the kind of person to take advantage of people like that, and honestly, this is all quite brilliant and convenient...but I can't just ask you to do something like this."
"You didn't ask me. I was the one who suggested it—"
"Still. Isn't this...wrong?" Huffing, "What am I saying, of course it's wrong. I can't be toying with your life like this for my sake!"
"You're not toying with my life, Princess," he said. "There's nothing wrong with this if it's for the right reasons. And it is. We're not trying to play with each other's lives, and we're not taking advantage of the situation for horrible reasons. We're doing this for your parents. We're still picking and choosing who will be your greatest allies, and we're not in a position to have your dad stay here and be vulnerable to every threat around the corner."
"You're here thinking about my parents. I'm here thinking about yours," her brows furrowed in concern. "Your parents have been looking forward to your marriage their whole lives, Sokka. I can understand how intense the situation is for a tribesperson to not be married by at least twenty years of age. It would be a great disservice to them if I go through with this...Even if it's not a genuine marriage, even if we don't see each other that way."
Swallowing the discomfort welling up in his chest, "They won't know. Not ever. And I made it clear to them that I'm not interested in whoever they bring to the table." Taking a deep breath, "If you still feel uncomfortable about this, you can say no. But if you really do want to give this a try...I don't want you to have second thoughts because you think I'll be adversely affected. This could be one of the most important tricks we'll play yet, and it'll only be until you become the chieftess. This will not go public at any point. I'll make sure of it."
He assured her that they would both still be best friends. He would still be her bodyguard and ethics minister. They will still live their separate lives, stay the way they are now. At the most, they would have marriage markings, but those will be covered up.
"Your parents won't be watching us or making sure we're living like husband and wife or anything, and my parents won't even know about any of this when they're all the way in the South by then," Sokka pointed out. "Believe me, I would've never suggested this if your parents were staying here. It's because we don't have any of our judgemental folks here that I'm suggesting this."
"Katara is not judgemental, but she's still going to be staying here, isn't she?"
"She won't know if you don't want her to know."
The princess's discomfort did not ease even then. "But I still can't just use you like that. I won't. It's not right."
"I am giving you all rights to use me. You have my consent. What's the problem then, Your Highness? Nothing's gonna change. No boundaries will be crossed. To tell you the truth, if there was anyone else in your place, I wouldn't have done this. That's how much I trust you."
"But still…Oh my Spirits, I..."
As she continued to struggle for the right words, he said. "If you still don't want to do this, your dad will stay here, and I will be happy to ask some of the White Lotus agents to stay and guard him. And the chieftess can stay in Nansei."
"They've been apart for too long, Sokka," she said, concern filling her eyes. "The chieftess is the reason why the chief still has strength in him. No matter how many people insulted him, no matter how many people talked about him behind his back or how much support he kept losing over the years."
He could see the turmoil in her gaze, the way her fingers quivered in her lap. "I'm not gonna force you, Your Highness. I'm just saying that this is a way around a lot of the issues you're worried about. And I want to do what I can to make sure you're not being consumed by stress." Leaning back in his seat and letting out the breath he'd been holding for a while, "Take some time to think about this, if you want. There's no rush."
A few more minutes of pitch silence followed with Yue skimming back over the scroll sent from the Council of Leadership. After what seemed like forever, she finally said with a determined look, "We can never have your family or anyone in the South find out about this. Not ever. It has to be over before anyone could have any suspicions."
"I'll make sure that no one knows," he said.
"But at the same time...this is still going to feel very wrong if we don't have at least one person in your family understand where we're coming from and agree to this arrangement. Not your parents or grandparents, obviously, but someone..."
"It won't be easy," he said, the wheels in his mind turning, "Although…"
"What about Katara?"
Nodding slowly, "There's no one else I can think of. If you want, I'll explain the situation to her. Tell her it's for the tribe. She can come with us to Nansei. I know she'll understand."
"We'll need an excuse to have the marriage annulled."
"I'll think of something. We'll get there when we get there. You're okay with that, right?"
She nodded, adding, "It all sounds fine if we think about the benefits we'll get from this,
Looking at him, "Are you sure you want to do this, Sokka? Like, are you really really sure? Because if you're doing this as a result of gratitude—"
"Take gratitude out of the picture, Princess. We're good friends, aren't we? I care about you."
Taking a deep, shaky breath, "I'll have you know that if this wasn't you, I would never agree to something like this with anyone I knew for barely a week."
"I trust you, too, Princess," he said warmly. "That's why I'm down for this. The question is, do you trust me?"
Nodding, "Yes."
"So this means…?"
"Yes," looking up at him, "Let's give this a try. It's not a genuine marriage anyway, and we have our own terms to do this by, so we won't be forced into anything we don't want. It's like you said. It'll be another undercover operation of sorts..."
"Y-Yeah…"
"Although...I'd like to know what's in it for you if we go through with this."
"W-What?"
"If this is essentially a contract for mutual benefit, what's in it for you?" she asked him.
"I don't want you stressed, and I don't want the North to miss out on a strong leader."
"That's it?"
"What do you mean, that's a lot, dronningi!"
"I mean for you personally."
"Well…I mean…" brushing away the sweat at his temple as he covered, "I'm your intern. I can't let go of an opportunity to learn from the best. That's why…" with a sincere look, "Maybe I wanna buy more time with you. So you won't have a reason to tell me to leave."
When Arnook was summoned, he expected another stubborn whiplash of arguments, but he was surprised and relieved and completely over-the-moon when his daughter, instead of answering to his query of how she was currently feeling, straight-up told him what he needed to hear.
"I agree to this arrangement."
"Oh, Merciful Spirits! Oh my goodness, oh my Goddess!" Arnook pulled in his daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law for a hug, nearly weeping with relief. Yue and Sokka shared awkward looks before the dronningi interrupted with, "But on a few conditions."
Arnook pulled back, "What?"
"It must be private," Sokka said, "Meaning no one must attend. No one except for you, Her Majesty, Mr. Kenjuq, the head of the Council of Leadership, and my sister, Katara."
"Katara?"
"Her Highness was feeling weird about not having anyone from my family represent," Sokka said, "That's why she's gonna be there. Since my parents won't know about this."
"What are you talking about?!" Arnook said, incredulous, "You can't just get married without your parents—!"
"SHHHHH!" Sokka covered the man's mouth, "Keep it down, will ya?" Letting go, "I will convince my parents, but I'm going to need a little more time. They can't know about this yet."
"They will continue to look for matches for you—!"
"I won't accept any of them obviously!" Sokka said. "And when the time is right, I'll tell them about this. Please, trust me on this. You are not going to contact them or tell them anything for any reason."
"It's not the only reason why we need to keep this private," Yue said. "I can't reveal the identity of the man I'm married to in a situation like this. Sokka's life will be in danger. Khasiq is already furious, and I'm not taking any chances. I will have to remain single to the tribe."
"You do know that you will have to secure an heir at some point—"
"Children will not be brought into this equation," Yue hissed, the slicing glare in her eyes prompting the two men to step back a little, "This is not the right time."
"Yes, but eventually—"
"We'll get there when we get there!" Sokka snapped, "End of discussion! It won't get any better than this, Chief, take it or leave it!"
Arnook let out a nervous breath, "Alright fine. You both agreed, and that's all I need. As soon as the conferences are over, we will leave for Nansei. Should we schedule the conferences for tomorrow evening?"
"Do whatever you want," Yue looked away. "The sooner the conferences, the sooner we can get this over with."
Arnook looked at his daughter, "I know I seem like a cold and heartless person for not listening to you, but I have my reasons, Yue."
She didn't look at him.
"Your mother was quite the rebel. Just like you. Her rebellion was what I loved the most about her," Arnook said. "But it was because of that rebellion that she had been suffering all these years. If I was capable enough to call myself a true man, I would've...I would've protected her. But I couldn't."
The prince and princess, while doing their best to keep up their act of "begrudging acceptance," were not strangers to the pain, fear, and regret in the older man's tone.
"I will not let you make the mistake of not having a capable companion by your side," he said. "You are strong-willed. You have the ability to protect yourself. I won't deny any of it. But as a father...I can only think of the dangers around you. I'm an anxious soul, Yue, I can't let you do this alone."
She did not pull away when he reached for her this time, his hand settling on top of her shoulder, "Marriage is a special kind of friendship when it's with the right person. That's all there is to it. There's nothing to be scared about. I know what you've been seeing in the North isn't confirming what I'm saying at all, but our isumataq will take really good care of you. You'll see for yourself that when he's with you, you'll never look back."
"Let's hope you're right," was all Yue could say.
Arnook dried his eyes. "You both can choose to have a formal engagement at Nansei so it can be kept a secret."
Engagement, they looked at each other with wide eyes, having totally forgotten about that. Sokka experienced a brief brain fart, having lost all grip on effective counters, but the princess took over from there.
"That won't be necessary," she said, "I don't want a betrothal necklace anyway. "
"What? That makes no sense, it's a necklace!" Arnook cried.
"It's no less than a leash, and I don't believe in it," she breathed. "I don't feel comfortable being 'claimed' by a choker. It's like I'm a dog or a slave being claimed by an owner."
"It's not right to talk about a sacred betrothal necklace that way!"
"It's just a necklace, Chief," Sokka began, "don't force her into—"
"It's not just any necklace, it's a promise that she'll be well-cared for and not abandoned!"
"I don't need promises, I need to breathe," Yue frowned. "And it's not fair for a woman to wear something screaming her status to the world while the man is free from wearing something to tell the world he's taken. Besides, a choker would give away the fact that I'm married. We decided to keep this a secret."
"Sokka will make you a regular necklace, then! Something you can keep hidden—!"
"I don't want any kind of necklace!"
"Oh dear…" Arnook facepalmed, "What am I going to…?"
"I'll wear a necklace then, sheesh!" Sokka interrupted the chieftain, "An engagement is basically an expression of serious interest and the exchange of a necklace, right?" He held up the conch necklace that she gave him earlier, "I'll wear this. The princess herself gave me this."
It surprised both father and daughter, for they knew that any other man would not have accepted, let alone suggested an arrangement and would've deemed it as "emasculating." The prince's humility highly impressed the princess, who thought for a moment before looking at the La pendant at her wrist. She eventually unwound the necklace and held it up, "And I will wear this. Prince Sokka gave it to me earlier."
"Oh Great Spirits, thank you," Arnook praised as he closed his eyes, "Thank you for your mercy."
What happened after that was mostly a chaotic, last-minute arrangement as Arnook pulled the two of them over to a tapestry of Tui and La on the wall.
"I'll have you do this again at Nansei so Ahnah can see it for herself, but please, for me, just this once…"
It was obvious he was expecting them to tie the respective necklaces around each other, and after their protests were drowned out again and again by the overly-excited chieftain, Yue and Sokka took a moment to absorb everything that was currently happening, realizing that they had limited choices from now until the wedding if they were to go through with this without raising suspicion. So the leaders let it happen— a messy moment of betrothal, concealed from the rest of the world yet enough to shake up both of their own worlds. The princess with her temperature finally becoming normal, her hair flapping wildly from the Arctic winds that seeped in, and the prince with his body doused in sweat and a look struck with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. His teeth stained by the juice from the pickled fish, and her quivering lips harboring a smidge of the mango pulp cream from earlier. He bit his bottom lip, a weird, intense warmth coming over him as his entire world focused on her.
Yue's turn came first; she stepped forward awkwardly, their chests nearly touching as her arms slowly, tentatively wrapped around his neck to tie the conch necklace around him. She tried not to sink into his gaze— warm blue eyes crashing over her like a gentle wave that lapsed into fascination rather than an attempt at reassurance. She could feel his rapid heartbeat, the way it drummed within him so intensely as if it would break out of his chest any minute.
Are you sure, are you sure, are you sure—?
Yes.
He could barely breathe as his fingers worked the necklace around her next, burning looks swept away despite their present exchange of unspoken agreements. And as a crying Arnook hugged them at once yet again, kissing both of their foreheads, babbling on about wedding plans, wishing them a long, blissful life together, the universe stopped for the two of them, allowing them to process the moment. They were engaged.
"Just an undercover mission," she mouthed.
He nodded, biting his lip harder at the impending rejection that would rip out his heart one day in the near future, shivering upon feeling her breath in such close proximity to his in the wake of a faint, feverish feeling. For once in his life, how he ached to be bound. What am I doing to myself?