Chapter 38: It's No Fairytale

Hakoda, accompanied by Ivaneq, stepped into the estate with his head hanging heavy. Kya rushed up from her seat to the front door, an inquiring look painted on her face. From behind the nearby corridor were Sokka, Aang, and Katara, their ears pressed against the thin ice barrier.

"What did they say?" Kya asked her husband.

"They were all very shocked. And disappointed, obviously." The Southern chief sank into a pelt-cushioned chair, "Quan and Liu had all their hopes set on this wedding. Just like us."

"Did you tell them that Sokka is in love with...?"

"That's not love, Kya. It hasn't even been a week." Rubbing his aching head, "I swear, the Akna is sticking to him like an elbow leach."

The isumataq glared, his sister and the Avatar also disapproving of the chief's perception. Ivaneq, too, appeared uncomfortable; it may be true that she was the Akna and not really a princess, and the Southern chief and chieftess had their reasons— not justified reasons but reasons nevertheless— for being distrustful, but even the guard knew that the princess was not the one following the prince around. If he recalled correctly, the princess hadn't asked anything from the Southern family. In fact, she had taken great pains to make their stay comfortable here.

"But I did tell them that Sokka was interested in her," Hakoda said. "Enough that he...does not want to marry Lady Suki...at the moment..."

"'At the moment'?!" Sokka scoffed in a loud whisper, "He's clearly trying to keep the alliance open— mmph!"

"SHHHH!" Aang and Katara closed their hands over his mouth.

"They were quite upset at first, but Lady Suki took it better than they did," Ivaneq said. "She admitted to having suspicions that Prince Sokka was seeing someone; she just didn't seem to know it was the princess."

"So she knew...?"

"Apparently so. She didn't know about this arrangement at all, in fact. She said that if she knew her parents were going for this, she would have stopped them beforehand."

"What did Quan and Liu say then?"

"They were furious actually," Hakoda said. "They thought that we tried to marry Sokka off to their daughter in spite of this."

And although that really was the case, the truth remained unspoken.

"I told them that we didn't know about his feelings beforehand," Hakoda told her, "and that we came to cancel the arrangement as soon as we found out. It took them a while, but they calmed down eventually and apologized. They were nice enough to still offer trading partnerships. Thanked us for telling them before they were made into complete fools."

Kya sighed, sitting beside the chief, "Just think about what would have happened if they found out later or even after the marriage. It would have been awful."

Hakoda did not say anything for a while, simply nodding in agreement to her remarks. Hopelessness lingered in the air given the deadline placed on their son's marriage. How the one fair shot they had crumbled because of the Akna.

"The Spirits are merciful," Kya told him. "I'm sure they will help us find a way. Whether the full moon passes or not." Draping her palm over Hakoda's shoulder, "Besides, Chunta has been wrong before, right? Several times?"

"Yes..."

Lowering her voice to a whisper that completely eluded the eavesdropping trio, "Just remember what we talked about. There's no greater chance than the conferences right now…"

"I can't hear anything," Katara whispered.

"Me neither," Sokka pressed his ear further against the ice as if that would help.

"Hold up," Aang said, squinting as he cupped his ear. A ring of air hovered around his ear and palm.

"What are you doing?"

"All sounds are produced by vibrations in the air," the airbender said, "I bet I can pick up on a few this way and hear what they're saying."

"That is really cool, Aang!" Katara grinned.

"Yeah, I'm impressed," Sokka clapped his friend on the back, "Way to go, champ."

"What we really need to do now is keep Sokka distracted," Kya told her husband meanwhile, "Make sure he's too busy to go after the Akna. Our boy's responsible, Hakoda, he's a gem; he's never crossed any boundaries, he's just in a silly infatuation right now. We need to give him crucial responsibilities to remind him of what his place really is in the Water Tribe. Then he will definitely prioritize us and the South over the Akna and the North."

"They're saying they need to keep you distracted with other responsibilities," Aang told Sokka, "So you won't follow Yue around. They're saying you're caught up in a 'silly infatuation—'"

"Sokka!"

The trio jumped, taking some time to straighten themselves and appear as if they had not at all been hearing the conversation. Katara and Aang stopped a few feet away while Sokka walked up to his father.

"As you have so nicely asked," the chief frowned, "we have decided to cancel this arrangement, but we expect you to make up for your tantrums." He took hold of the papers on the table beside them and placed them in his son's hands. "These are the talking points for the conferences. You will be presenting them."

Blinking at the papers, "You want me to present them? I've never even been to a large-scale conf—"

"Your mother and I have decided this would be a good opportunity for you. You are going to be the chief of the South; it's only fitting that you're the one to handle this."

"You won't be completely alone," Kya said, "Katara will be going with you."

"So you and Dad aren't coming?" Sokka asked. "You're the leaders of the South, why wouldn't you—?"

"The rest of us are going to spend some time with our guests," Hakoda said. "Try to forget that today ever happened. Besides, your mother needs to take it easy until the baby gets here, and with my leg, I can't sit for very long periods."

"Mom may need the rest, but you just don't want to run into Her Highness," the isumataq frowned, "If you back out of this, it would be an insult to Her Highness. For everything she's done to secure our seats in such a big conference—!"

"No need to give her that much respect. She's not really a princess anyway."

His frown turned into a fierce scowl, "I won't have you insult Her Highness!"

Hakoda looked up at his son, displeased by his tone, "To think I didn't want you hating the North and wanted so badly for you to come here. The tables have definitely turned, haven't they?" Taking a deep breath as he leaned into his chair, "It's better if I wasn't there anyway. Who knows, there might be certain secrets I'm ready to spill if need be."

Horror flashed in the prince's eyes, "What in the...what is wrong with you?!"

"This isn't fair!" Katara interceded, "We need to be professional about this—"

"One more word from you two, and we'll leave the North right now," Kya said, her eyebrows raised, "and that will be an even greater insult to your princess."

To which the young leaders were forced to keep quiet, sharing muted looks with the equally helpless Avatar.

"Brother Ivaneq," Hakoda turned to the Northerner, "Please make sure Sokka doesn't leave the estate for any reason. He needs to study his points all night if he wants to excel at the conferences tomorrow."

"Yes, Chief."

Turning back to his glowering son, "Instead of jumping on me like a tiger-bear, focus on practicing these points for your speech. I'm giving this responsibility to you and your sister with very high expectations. Do not mess this up." Adding with a stern look, "And keep your distance from the Akna. Don't go around volunteering for her sake."

From her place in the inner sanctum, Yue kept frequent focus on the children who were caught up in games in the prayer chamber, but her main attention was on Kur'i'tui, who was sitting in front of her and making a mess of the little cream puff she had given him earlier.

"Come on, just one more bite…" she held up a small scoop of mashed kelp sauce to his mouth, "Pleeeaasee…?"

The baby cooed and kicked his chubby legs back and forth, babbling to her as he sucked his cream-coated thumb.

"You really like that cream puff, hm?" she beamed. "I did, too, to be honest."

And as if he understood what she said, Kur'i'tui looked from her to the creamy bun in his lap before taking handfuls of the cream and smearing it on her face with both hands.

"No no, I'm good," she giggled, gently prying his hands off of her, "You sure like making messes, hm?"

Five whole boxes' worth of the Earth Kingdom dessert, both regular and fudge-flavored, was apparently given as an offering to Tui by a generous unknown donor (though Osha seemed to know the details), and frankly, such a non-traditional offering was interesting, for a change, rivalling the repeat of the same items. Osha had been after the princess, making sure she was the first to eat it after it had been offered given the priestess's faith in Yue's "Tuiness."

"You can finish the rest in peace if you balance it out with one last bite. Come on, come on...Good job, sweetie!" Yue praised Kur'i'tui as she wiped the last of the kelp off of his chin, "Wait until your mommy hears what a good boy you've been today!"

"Ga Ga!"

"That's right," she kissed his cheek and took him into her lap, "Now you'll grow big and strong," she pointed to the idol sitting on the altar right beside them, "Just like La!"

Kur'i'tui clapped his sticky hands together and reached for the flowers lining the altar before putting their now-rumpled, cream-coated petals beside the La idol, decorating the figurine with his tiny fingers.

Yue grinned at the sight, her memory flickering absentmindedly to the image of the black-marbled La half of the Akna's savior: the androgynous statue that had once adorned this very altar, that had been forcefully broken apart by the stuck-up Great Temple associates, who had no moral qualms against separating La from Tui by breaking apart the masculine from the feminine half all those years ago. Though currently trapped amid extremists and devoid of offerings in a sinful excuse of a conservative temple, the missing half was yet to find its way back to the Moon Temple when the situation allowed for a peaceful transition, and until then, Yue would have to sneak her way into the Great Temple, catch sight of the idol and give offerings in secret.

But what drew her to that particular idol was not simply the story of the Akna that Osha always told her. The La half was quite the apple of one's eye. A sculpture borne of superior craft and fine detail as if La himself had turned to stone. The idol's broad chest— halved given its missing feminine side— was sculpted in the most attractive of ways. A strong half of its breastbone, a firm pectoral muscle jutting out unabashedly like the nature of justice the god resembled. Not to mention that his half of the sternum, still waiting to be completed by its estranged partner, was marked with the presence of a moon-bathed semi-circle— the signature of Tui, who owned and flourished within the Ocean's desirable body. The dark-hued Spirit, Yue mused with a hint of a smile, was certainly well-endowed.

So is the isumataq.

The princess suddenly blinked out of her daze of admiration, appalled and flushed to the core at the sudden thought her brain had conjured up. What on earth was that?

Although she was too embarrassed to admit it and spent the next several minutes internally chiding herself, the incidents from earlier were constantly looping in her mind, projecting onto the icon of La and being projected onto by the icon of La. Repeatedly popping up in her brain at random moments was the image of the isumataq's flushed face— his wide eyes and fumbling lips and all— and even more sinful on her part (or perhaps curious?), his bare upper body, particularly the white spot that had been subject to her lips beneath the hands of fate…the hum of surprise that he might not have noticed himself letting out but which nevertheless flew out of his lips, rumbling from within his chest, having vibrated against her mouth...

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, reminding herself that she was in the inner sanctum and was overseeing a child as she tried to drive away the fierce crimson in her cheeks. So the man was funny and sweet and kind to her, blessed by good looks to go along with an undeniably broad chest area, chiseled by nature with care like a prized sculpture...but it's not like she should be distracted by it.

"It's all a biological trick for some people," Yue mused aloud, grinning as the baby looked at her in curiosity, "So the world can have more cute babies like you."

"Ba baba," plopping his hands on the cream puff icing, "Ba!"

"Yep," she nodded. "Well I'm not falling for it."

Because she was a tribeswoman and moreover, she was the princess, and she wasn't going to debase her pride, let her guard down and have a man— however nice he may be— get in her way...

Though she had absolutely no explanation for the way her ears perked up when she heard a familiar set of hurried footsteps behind her, nor did she have a reason for the sudden skip in her pulse at the scent of ocean and musk that accompanied the arm that whirled around her from behind, presenting her a bouquet of moonflowers.

The princess flushed from recognition, a smile playing on her lips as she took the bouquet, "Hm...I wonder where these came from…"

Warm palms closed over her eyes from behind her before she could turn, "Guess whoooooooo!"

Anyone would naturally be excited to be in the company of a good friend, she reasoned with herself, especially someone so endearing and funny like Isumataq Sokka. It means nothing. But even then, she beamed to the ends of the earth, "Sounds like a manly masculine man. Too bad I don't know any."

"I'm sure you know at least one," he sang.

"Depends. Is he from the North or the South?"

"The South."

"Oh my, this is a really tough one."

"I'll give you a hint," she could nearly hear him grinning, "What rhymes with 'okka'?"

"Let's see, Anokka's a name. Then there's Kurqokka…"

"Anyone else in particular?"

"Well, there's also Ischirokka, Angirokka, Qaokka—"

"Oh come on, dronningi," came his fake pout as she laughed and turned to see him, a deeper flush taking over her face. "I'm just playing," she ruffled his hair. "Someone's happy to be single again."

"I'm just excited to be back in your service," he gave an exaggerated bow before slinging a bag down from his shoulder, "And I brought your books back and got you a little something extra— Heeeeyyy, little man!" He leaned down to scoop Kur'i'tui into his arms, "How you doin', buddy?"

He was answered with a fart.

"Oh, okay then."

Yue shook her head in amusement before reaching in the bag and pulling out a clear package, inside of which was something resembling a shimmering white robe, "What's this?"

"It's a penguin robe!" he said. "Bold new product. Just hit the markets this evening. Open it up!"

"Sokka, I don't know what I'm going to do with so many gifts," she said, taking the robe out of the bag, unfurling the folded shimmering white. "But why is it called a penguin robe? It seems like a normal cloak."

"Turn it inside out!"

She saw then that the pearly white was juxtaposed by rich pitch-black upon turning the robe inside out. "Oh wow!"

"It's the perfect robe to help you disguise yourself more quickly," his voice lowered to a whisper as he held the dark part of the robe, "Now you're Kuunnguaq," and turning back to the white, "And now you're the princess!"

"This is so convenient!" she beamed at the prince, "It's very thoughtful of you, isumataq. I think this gift is by far the most practical one I've ever gotten."

"As long as you like it...No no, Kur'i, no sabotaging important disguises," he held the baby's sticky hands away from the robe, "Boy, you really like that icing," only to be immediately welcomed with the baby slapping his sticky hands across his face and smearing cream puff icing all over him, "Ow ow ow…"

"He's been having a lot of fun with those," Yue giggled, "Though I can't complain. They're really good."

"I know, right?! I swear, these are the only good things that came out of those preparations. That's why I offered them."

"Wait," blinking, "You made the offering?"

"Yep," he grinned. "I figured since the Goddess sabotaged my impromptu wedding plans, it's only fair that I give thanks."

"I'm sure the Goddess appreciates your contribution," she smiled in mirth, "Though I can't figure out how you made it past the angakkuit."

"I didn't. They were kind of busy with somebody's wedding preparations."

"There's a wedding?"

"I dunno, Osha said something about there being a wedding tonight, but anyway," sporting a smug look, "I took it up with Osha."

"What did she say?"

"She said that cream puffs aren't a very traditional choice."

"And what did you say?"

"I said, 'What, you're saying your goddess shouldn't eat the same things we do? I thought this was a non-discriminatory temple!'"

Chuckling, "And then what happened?"

"She laughed and told the guys to take the puffs to the altar."

"Well I'm really glad it worked out. Tui was getting bored of the same old offerings anyway." She breathed in the fragrance of the ipomoeas, her eyes lighting up, "Lovely flowers as always, but you don't have to get me some every day."

"I know," he shrugged, "I just wanted to."

"Trying to pay off your indebtedness? Several gifts at a time?"

"I got them because you like them and for no other reason. You deserve to be pampered, dronni—mmph," he was cut off by Kur'i'tui's hand smacking more of the icing onto his lips, "Ow ow owww!" a louder yelp when the baby bit down on his thumb, "Got some teeth comin' in there, buddy…"

Giggles could be heard in the near distance; they belonged to a trio of teenage girls— the same trio they encountered when the dronningi took the isumataq for a tour of the North.

"I see he's persistent, Grandma!" one of them laughed, waving as they passed by and earning an annoyed frown from the prince.

"On second thought, you probably shouldn't have given them to me in public," Yue told him. "What will people think?"

"Well, it'll be more gossip for the walls. But if it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother me." Smirking, "I like to mess with people's expectations anyway."

"What, does it make you feel like a bad boy or something?" she teased.

Hope swiveled in his oceanic eyes, "So you think I'm harmless, right?"

"Well, I can't be too sure," she crossed her arms, "I could still be waiting for you to pull out an axe anytime now."

Frowning, "I'll have you know I'm completely harmless, Princess."

"Khasiq might like to disagree."

"I'm harmless to good people!"

"Like La, I suppose."

"Exactly." Switching his hold of Kur'i'tui to his other arm, "You didn't eat yet, did you? I was thinking we could go to Kurqi's Kitchen in the middle ring this time. They have a lot of vegetarian options there, I heard."

Smiling, "That sounds nice. We can go soon. Just waiting on Sayen and the others to pick up the kids."

"Babysitting, eh?" He puffed up his chest, "I can lend a hand."

"Can you?"

"Of course! You know, back home, I was the village favorite. Babysat lots of kiddos. Taught 'em a few combat skills, too."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Per class, I had about twenty to thirty students. No potty breaks in between, either, that's how enthusiastic my students were."

"And I should believe this?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Well...there were a few potty breaks...but the point is, the kiddos love me."

"If you insist," she said, already entertained.

"Oh absolutely!"

"Ainngai, kitunngiit!" Hey, kiddos!

"Hey, Uncle Sokka!"

"Looks like I'm well received by the audience this time," the warrior chuckled at the kids before recognizing a particular little girl in the group, "And on special recommendation, I see!" Softening his voice with care, "Ukkisanga, how you doin', little warrior?"

"I'm good, Akpa Sokka!" she smiled, jumping up and down in excitement. "Did you talk to the Gentleman yet?"

"Nope, not yet, kiddo. I think he only comes out when things get really bad."

"Kind of like Aja Kuunnguaq, huh?"

"Yep, like Kuunnguaq."

"Uki told us you know how lots of stories," said a little girl who was standing beside Sayen's daughter.

"You better believe I do!" Sokka exclaimed, taking a seat and seating Kur'i'tui in his lap as the children huddled close to him, "You know, I eat stories for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"No one can do that," frowned Nuraq, who Sokka liked to address as "Agent Green."

"I don't know about anyone else, but I know I can."

"But that's scientifically impossible."

"That's definitely something I'd say, too," Sokka chuckled at the boy, "But it's different in my case. You wouldn't know 'cause you don't know the secret."

"What secret?" another boy piped up.

"Yeah, tell us!"

"Are you secretly a fairy spirit?"

"Nope, not a fairy spirit. Even better, though," he leaned closer to them, a hint of mischief on his face, "I'm La, so I'm beyond science!"

"You're La?" Uki giggled.

"Yeah, your angaju can vouch for me!"

"But you're supposed to have a wolf face!"

"You don't have to have a wolf face if you're a wolf at heart," he draped his hand over his chest, earning more giggles.

"Yeah, right."

"You're lying."

"You don't believe me?" Feigning a disappointed sigh, "Fine, you'll see for yourselves one day. But until then," he called for a few servants who were carrying the offered cream puffs. The servants set down one of the containers, and Sokka opened it for the children, holding it out to them, "Ta-da!"

"Woah, what are these?" Uki blinked.

"Only some of the greatest desserts ever to be created in the Earth Kingdom!" he announced, drooling at the sweets along with the children as he described the delicacies, "Cream puffs and fudge puffs. They're Earth Kingdom favorites! The creamy delicious sensation just melts in your mouth, you guys gotta try it!"

"Really?"

"I want one!"

"Me, too!"

"Woah woah, little warriors," he held his hand up, "Everybody gets one if you form a neat, single-file line."

And as they were told, they all formed a neat line, reached for the puffs that appealed to them the most and dug into them.

"Mmmmm!"

"They are good!"

"Thanks Uncle Sokka!"

"Help yourselves, kiddos," he set the box of treats beside them while trying to hold Kur'i'tui back as his arms reached for a box. "Alright, Kur'i-bear, you've had enough. It's not good for your little belly if have too much—gaaoow!" Kur'i pulled at Sokka's wolf-tail, giggling at the warrior's reaction. "You like it when I'm in pain, huh? Not very nice..."

The children laughed at Sokka's continued yelps and exaggerated cries of "pain." All the while, Yue observed from afar. The corners of her lips stretched into a wider smile as she watched him laugh along with the children, listened to him as he transitioned into some strange story about a guy with a boomerang for a leg, who flew in the direction of his every kick and came flying back around like a planet caught in an orbit.

He's good with children.

And…?

Just an observation.

"Ew ew eew!" a passing angakkuq accompanied by a woman— likely Kur'i's mother— nearly shrieked as she caught sight of the messy child.

"Oh Kur'i-bear, what have you done to poor La?" The child's mother was unsure whether she should be alarmed or taken with laughter, but it was obvious the angakkuq was not pleased.

"Tuiup paninga, what on earth are you letting that kid do to La?!"

"What? We're just having fun. Kur'i's just a baby," Yue smiled, watching the child clap his little hands together after smearing several icing-coated flower petals over the La figurine.

"And you let this nonbelieving jerk inside the shrine room?!"

Sokka, who was tickling Kur'i with the remaining flowers, glared in the direction of the angakkuq. Yue frowned in reprimand, "Minsa, why would you say something like that? Kind words, I told you—"

"I know, I know," Minsa huffed, pointing to the child again, "You're just gonna let him wipe his spit and all that cream all over our patron gods?"

"Maybe La wants to be smeared with icing," Yue pointed out, "Maybe he wants some fun, too."

Sokka couldn't help grinning at her logic. Kur'i's mother, too, was entertained, giving into her giggles as she stepped forward and picked up her child.

"La's a god, why would he stoop so low to get his face attacked by sticky hands?" Minsa demanded.

"It's not about prestige, it's about fun," Yue said, bending the icing off of Kur'i as well as the La figurine, "Why would La stoop so low as to not play with children? Wouldn't that make him egotistical and prone to a superiority complex?"

"Eh, forget it, ikkingutima," Sokka told the princess, "What do these people know about fun?"

Minsa frowned, unable to say anything in retaliation for a moment.

"Well if La's really offended, his wrath will fall upon me instead," Yue sighed, "For letting such a horrible thing happen. Happy?"

"Tell him to get out of here."

"I should be given the royal treatment, mind you," the Southern prince jutted his head into the air with pride. "I was the one who gave the offerings to the Goddess."

"You sent those cream puffs?"

"Heck yeah, I did," he crossed his arms.

"I should've guessed. Since you obviously have no knowledge of what to offer and what not to offer to the all-knowing Tui," came a scoff, "Though I'm not sure what reason a nonbeliever like you would have for making an offering. Unless you're deliberately trying to poison everyone in this building…"

"I'm in a very good mood today. At least I was," he shot back at her, "The Goddess helped me out of a difficult situation. I was feeling thankful, and I wanted to do something nice."

"The Goddess helped me out of a difficult situation." Yue smiled at the remark.

"As long as no one's killed in the process," the woman gave the prince her usual look of suspicion before storming away, yapping on something about the breach of traditions.

"Thank you both for watching my baby," Kur'i'tui's mother said with a smile.

"No need to thank us. All part of the job."

"Part of my job," Yue corrected, nudging him softly as she told the woman, "This guy volunteered."

"Must be good practice for you both," she beamed, "You're both getting married, aren't you? You seem like a good couple."

The duo flushed. "Oh, no no, no way," Yue gave an awkward chuckle, "This is Isumataq Sokka. We are both leagues apart."

It wasn't an answer that Sokka appreciated, but he still managed a smile while the woman widened her eyes in realization, "Oh…Oh my, I did not know...I'm so sorry," bowing her head, "It's an honor to meet you, Prince Sokka."

"No need to bow, Sister…?"

"Chinga," she introduced herself, "It's so good to see you, isumataq. You are good friends with Her Highness, the princess. And I hear you're her bodyguard, too."

"You must be the new financial advisor that the entire palace has been talking about," Yue smiled, "In a good way, of course. There's talk that you're a very fast learner."

"All thanks to the princess and the trainers she's appointed for me. Everyone is so kind and considerate. The princess's cabinet members are not at all like the people in Khasiq's administration." Turning back to Sokka, "I'd been hearing so much about you and the princess, sir. I'd been looking forward to meeting you both. Her Highness, especially. She has given my son and father-in-law a very warm welcome yesterday, and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here right now. I don't know how I can ever repay her..."

"Her Highness isn't one for repayments. She's too compassionate for that sort of thing," Sokka said, stealing a smile at the princess, "As long as you're happy with the job, that's all she wants."

"Dad's coming," Katara noted at the sound of recognizable footsteps.

"Yes," Amaruq stood up from his seat by the door, "Don't worry, I'll distract him. Pretend Sokka's still here. Remember, play it cool."

"You're a really supportive uncle, Mr. Amaruq," Aang said.

"A compliment from the Avatar is a huge achievement, I'll say," the tribesman smiled before hurriedly stepping out of Sokka's room.

It had been an hour since the Southern isumataq snuck out, and the people gathered in his room were charged with the responsibility of making sure Hakoda and Kya were occupied with other tasks so they wouldn't notice his absence. Sensing the timidness of his niece and the Avatar, Amaruq took it upon himself to handle the hurdles. The tribesman, having noticed his brother-in-law walking down the corridor, stopped him with, "You want to upset the boy even more?"

"I'm just making sure he's—"

"He's in there practicing his speech. Don't say something that'll upset him and ruin his concentration," Amaruq wrapped an arm over Hakoda and led him away from the room, his grip firm and his point persuasive. He led Hakoda to the hallway and took a seat on the pelts beside him and his waiting sister, "You know this is becoming more and more pathetic. Seriously, you two are ruining his life with your nonsense."

"Amaruq, we're not having this conversation right now—"

"Yes, you are, and you are now."

Hakoda frowned, "This may be nothing but nonsense to you, but Sokka's birth chart—"

"Forget about the damn birth chart, Hacky," Amaruq cut him off. "Sokka's happiness doesn't depend on a diagram. It depends on the person he's willing to share his life with. Get the boy married to the princess and leave all this nonsense behind." And in response to the glares he received, "And you have to stop hating on that poor princess because of this purity shit. Tell me one thing— one thing— the Akna did that is so earth-shatteringly wrong—"

"Thanks for the unwanted advice," Hakoda said simply, "I'll consider it when I've gone insane."

"I'm gonna give you advice whether you two like it or not," Amaruq huffed. "You and my sister are completely ignoring the fact that Sokka's been robbed of an adolescence. The boy has needs, Hakoda, there's no other way for me to put this! And since our elders insist we give 'the talks' on wedding nights—!"

"That's exactly why we want him married to a decent woman—!"

"Well it's not gonna happen because you two are not accepting the Akna! And the boy's not gonna marry anyone but the princess. He's made it very clear—"

"For the last time, he can't possibly love her, he's known her for four days!"

"Well at least he's known her and met her a couple of times! In regular arranged marriages, the man and woman don't even meet sometimes! And besides, this isn't even a problem about the duration of his feelings. If this was any other girl, I know you would've been elated."

They didn't answer, knowing deep down that he wasn't necessarily wrong.

"The boy is La's incarnation, but that doesn't mean he's a saint. He has needs, and naturally he'll fulfill them with Tui. And he feels that Tui is the princess. So don't fight it. I mean, how much longer will this go on? He can't fulfill his needs just by reading pages upon pages of erotica—!"

"He what now?!" Kya nearly shrieked. Hakoda widened his eyes.

"I'm not saying he is," Amaruq said, "I'm just saying that at his age, it's either that or directly going for the kill—"

"For the love of the Spirits, don't give him any ideas, Amaruq!" Kya exclaimed, covering her ears.

"Why on earth would I—?!"

"Seriously, Amaruq, you're driving us all crazy! Leave him alone—"

"I'm not giving him ideas! He's past the age where he's curious; it's pent up, I tell you! Get the boy married to the girl he loves and soon! Think about it, tribesmen his age are happy with, what, five to six kids each?"

Which only increased the longing in the parents' eyes.

"The boy's been putting things off long enough, and the first time he feels receptive to a woman, you're disregarding his feelings completely! I swear, all this purity yakshit is ruining the lives and happiness of our children—"

"You're the reason why Sokka turned out this way," Kya frowned at her brother. "Like you, he thinks everything is completely useless."

"The boy's enlightened—"

"Enlightened, my blubbertail," Hakoda muttered.

"He used to be fascinated with Tui until you started preaching to him about science and the observable universe," Kya sighed, "The Goddess is probably displeased…"

"Well I never told him to be an atheist—!"

"Amaruq, we appreciate your concern for Sokka, but it would be best if you focused on what you think is best for your son and leave Sokka's matters to us," Hakoda said, standing up. "We know perfectly well how to care for our son."

The Southern chief's brother-in-law sighed in exasperation, watching Kya and Hakoda retreat to their chambers. "Well you're certainly doing a marvelous job of that."

It did not take long for the Moon Temple to be emptied of its devotees and its angakkuit, leaving behind only the preparations for a wedding that was yet to take place. Osha was persistent, and in the name of her shamanistic fortunetelling, she advised that they keep alert ("Because you never know what the night has in store!").

So the duty of finishing the few preparations left was entrusted to Yue. Not that she was completely alone.

"I'll help you."

"It's fine."

"No, really—!"

"It's just dusting!" she reached for the key to the love chamber, "I can handle it by myself, isumataq."

"I want to help, though!" he said, reaching for the key.

"I know you've been bluffing about Chieftess Kya wanting you to do service here," she held the key out of his reach.

"Because I wanted to spend more time with you," he admitted. "I needed an excuse."

"You don't need an excuse to spend time with me, Mr. Wang," she grinned and went on her way, twirling the key in her hand.

"I thought you didn't discriminate against disbelievers!" he called after her. "Is it because I'm a man, then?"

She raised her eyebrows.

"What, are you saying men aren't allowed to clean?" he teased. "How sexist."

"If I was sexist, I wouldn't have you clean the steps in the courtyard."

"Then hand over the keys, dronningi."

"It's okay, really—"

"Oh come on!"

"Fine," holding the key up from a good distance away, a playful look in her eyes, "You want the key, you come get the key, Prettyboy."

In that moment of unspoken tension in which the recognition of an unaddressed yet mutual understanding— exceeding all expectation, control, and rationale— surfaced and took over them, Sokka let out a smirk. His feet moved on his own as he chased after the princess, matching her play with his mischief. She laughed, evading his every grasp, squealing with every swipe he made for the key, and even in moments where he succeeded, she managed to slip it away from his fingers again somehow or another, coy innocence taunting him to further his efforts.

"Hand it over, dronningi!"

"Take it yourself!"

The desire for victory brought an end to the struggle at one pivotal moment when she turned away from his view, hiding behind a pillar and slipping the key inside of her shirt, letting it drop into her bindings. As she stepped back out into the light, she felt warm hands tug her gently against the wall, his panting form looming against hers. Her hands had settled over his chest in an attempt to both secure a bit of space and keep her balance, a dark red flush overtaking her face.

"I won," he grinned, "Hand it over."

"I don't have it," she said smugly, "It must have disappeared to the ends of the earth. You'll never find it."

"I bet I can figure it out."

"Oh really?"

"Well, you did say I'm a smarticle, so…"

"Well then," shifting in his grip, her hands dropping to her sides, quivering from the race of adrenalin, "I'll bet you can if you think like a woman."

"Think like a woman?" Raising his eyebrows, "Where could you ladies possibly hide things that no one else can rea…" he stopped before he could reach the end of his sentence, pressing his lips together as realization overcame him. Confirming his mute suspicion was the way he averted his eyes in the other direction, one hand moving away from bracing itself beside her. A knowing smirk playing on her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"O-Oh…" though he didn't completely move away just yet, a fierce blush crossing over his cheeks. We whispered with a pout, "That's not fair, you know..."

"All's fair in war and…well...just war, I guess..."

He might have expected her to finish the saying. Who was he kidding, he was waiting for it. But what had his senses tied up was the mingling of their body heats in that brief, rare speck of time, the tease of her eyes as they blinked at him, her head tilted in observation, curiosity, definitely entertainment, too, at his embarrassment.

And that look of hers alone did things to him. Strange things...

"Sokka?" came a third voice. "Prince Sokka!"

As if whatever spell they were cast underneath the moon had been finally snapped, they both became aware of the present and pulled away from each other, their vigilance zeroing in on a Revivalist man who stepped into the temple, looking around for the prince. The princess pulled her mask up in time for the man to spot her and the prince. She pretended to look for something and moved out of the way, posing as a servant who had no idea who the Revivalist was.

"Aput?" Sokka said, trying to blink away his blush, "Everything okay?"

"A man has broken into the shelters."

Which brought the isumataq and the dronningi completely back to reality, earning their immediate attention. "What?" the prince widened his eyes, sharing a quick look with an equally shocked Yue, "When?"

"About an hour ago. We've been looking for you ever since. The princess is probably resting, and we don't have an idea of where Kuunnguaq could be, but we feel it would be helpful if you surveyed the situation for yourself. You were a huge pillar of strength for us last time."

It took but seconds for Yue to don her Kuunnguaq persona. The penguin suit was timely and worked wonders, allowing her to quickly sport the dark side of the garb. Her body language changed, too; there was now a sternness in her eyes, the rest of her face cast behind a dark mask. There was a certain lilt to her voice, too. Not to mention the fire in her gait, which was more tense and angular compared to the regular, leisurely sway of her girdle. It genuinely seemed like she was two different people yet exactly one person at the same time, and years upon years of practice made the transition all the more effortless for her.

As for the Revivalists, who were huddled near the shelters in an environment that was seemingly reeling back from earlier chaos, they continued to not suspect anything about their masked leader, finding themselves immensely relieved to see her as well as Prince Sokka hurrying to the scene. What caught them by surprise, though, was that Kuunnguaq, who usually came by herself, was now in the company of the isumataq. It had to be the case that they ran into each other on their separate ways here, for Kuunguaq eluded the company of even the most trusted friends.

Or did she? It seemed that no matter how much the Revivalists thought they knew about Kuunnguaq, she always found a way to prove that she was beyond their hypotheses. Who would've thought that she had connections with the princess of the Water Tribe? Who would've guessed she trained the princess? And to think she didn't give out this information to anyone, not even Imona. It shouldn't be a complete surprise given Kuunnguaq was a very private person anyway, but now it seemed she had more secrets than they thought were possible.

"I heard about the commotion," Yue said to the approaching Ting, Sayen, and Imona.

"It's good to have you here," Ting told her, turning to Sokka next, "And you, too, isumataq. How is the princess doing, sir?"

"Oh, she's fine," he shared a quick look with the disguised princess.

"She did quite a lot yesterday. Well, she and our isumataq, of course," Sayen told Yue, "I'm sure you've heard of it...?"

"Of course."

"We didn't know she'd been your student all this time, Kun-Kun."

The air of inquiry lingered for another moment, earning curious looks in her direction before Yue dissipated it with, "It was for the best that no one knew."

"We'll save that story for another time," Sokka dove in much to Yue's relief, "Now, what exactly happened here?"

"A man broke into the shelters in the middle of the night," Ting said, gesturing to a particular direction where there were several guards, "It's him right there."

Sokka and Yue spotted the man behind the chaos: a young bearded tribesman who was likely similar to them in age, the look in his eyes mimicking that of a nearly lifeless person who had gotten a second chance at life. The man was beaten down in appearance and strength, seated outside and surrounded by several guards in spite of an outwardly harmless appearance. The man looked in the direction of the Revivalists' leader and the Southern prince and stood up, looking at them hopefully as he tried to get their attention.

"That man seems very familiar," Yue said, earning her friends' attention.

"Was he on the criminal list?" Kanguq asked.

"Did you hand him over to prison?" Amka followed.

"No…not that…" Yue narrowed her eyes, trying to remember, "I mean I've seen him at the Moon Temple a couple of times...And somewhere else...I can't put my finger on it…"

"See? She said she knows me!" came the man's desperate remark. He tried to walk up to her in an attempt to say something, only to be held back by several guards.

"Stand down, brothers," Yue said, and the guards loosened their grip around the man's arms.

"Sister Kuunnguaq, I'm not a criminal, please—!"

"I'll be there in just a minute," Yue promised the man, turning back to the group, "Did he hurt anyone? Did he attack or force himself on anyone?"

It was then revealed that the man, whatever his intentions had been, hadn't attacked anyone or forced himself on any of the people there. He wasn't seen at the time of his breaking in, either, only caught in the bedroom of Iska, a recently rescued woman whose family had not come for her yet.

"In her room?" Sokka glared at the man, "And you said he wasn't forcing himself on anyone—"

"He wasn't, apparently. Iska said it herself."

She was the only person he came in contact with, but the man hadn't been trying to take advantage of her. And upon being caught, the man insisted on his innocence, claiming that he was Iska's fiancé and had broken in only to stop her from harming herself. That he meant no harm and loved her too much to see anything happen to her. He had apparently seen her try to cut her wrist from a blindspot window attached to her bedroom, a blade shimmering in her hand beneath the rays of moonlight.

"He claims he's Sister Iska's fiancé, that he'd known her for a long time and was just wanting to stop her from hurting herself," said Kanguq as he made his way over to them with Junguk, "Except there are several flaws to this. First off, she's not wearing a betrothal necklace. Second, she says she has no idea who that man is. Plus, no evidence was found of her trying to hurt herself."

"The guardswomen were patrolling all twenty-four hours," Junguk said. "They said she remained asleep every time they checked on her. They would've taken action to stop her if anything seemed suspicious. Sister Iska denied hurting herself, obviously. She said she did no such thing."

"Even if he felt suspicious, he didn't have to break in for that," Sokka reasoned, "There are guards all around this place. He should have notified them even if he did see something like that."

"He said he had no other choice because the guards hadn't taken him seriously. They didn't find anything suspicious around her chamber—"

"Because she likely was fine," Imona snapped, "That idiot was clearly trying to take advantage of her with this excuse! I don't understand why everyone's waiting around to drag him to prison!"

But even if he was lying, the man was still getting very emotional and upset over this, perhaps more than necessary, and the degree of his distress was what kept them back for a moment. Was it all really an act or not? Sokka kept looking back at him, seeing that at this point, the man was shedding obvious tears as he repeatedly croaked out his identity as Iska's lover.

"Where's Sister Iska?" Kuunnguaq asked.

"Inside. Heavily guarded," Kanguq said.

"She herself admitted he didn't hurt her," the prince noted. "If he wasn't hurting her, and if she wasn't hurting herself for him to stop her, what else could he be doing? Was he confused or," turning back to the man, "Is he mentally ill or something? 'Cause right now, he seems to insist they're engaged..." the prince frowned as he heard the man say the same thing over and over to a group of interrogating guards. The man was trying to gain hold of his temper, holding off sobs as they kept cutting him off.

"I don't suppose Sister Iska had any head injuries in the recent past?" the isumataq asked, "Or any conditions that would prevent her from recognizing him if they really were engaged at one point…?"

"Of course he'd sympathize with him," Imona rolled her eyes at Sokka's remark, "No surprise that insensitive fucks support each other."

Sokka blinked, wide-eyed. Everyone else gasped with Yue fumbling to apologize in lieu of her firend.

"Imu, how could you say that?" Junguk frowned, "Don't jump to conclusions—"

"I don't know what else to call someone who's deliberately trying to get a criminal off the hook," she huffed.

Sokka didn't seem to take it to heart, though, only sighing in patience, "I'm not sympathizing with him, Sister Imona, I'm just assessing the different perspectives—"

"Assess away, then," Kuunnguaq's friend huffed, her fists clenched at her sides, "This country always had a problem with holding men accountable for their shit anyway."

"Imona—" Yue began.

"I'll be with Iska if you need me. I've gotta protect that woman. Even if no one else will." And she stormed off, rushing inside the shelters with her husband running after her in attempts to reason with her.

"I'm sorry, isumataq," Yue turned to the prince. "My friend is…"

"It's okay, I know," he assured. "Junguk told me."

From there, the Revivalists' leader and the prince made their way over to the tribesman, whose restlessness glimmered with the light of revived hope.

"I feel like I have seen you before," Yue told him. "You used to come by the Moon Temple, right?"

"Yes. I was also at the infirmary, ma'am. You were the one who treated me. On behalf of the mission…"

Yue thought for another moment before the memory finally struck her, "The sleeping pills case from... two months ago, was it? You made an attempt to end your life—"

"Yes! That...that was me." Wiping his tears away, "M-My name is Qaasan."

"Qaasan," Yue nodded, "Yes, I remember now."

"Ma'am, I swear on the Goddess I believe in, everything I'm saying is the truth," the man's voice shook. "I'm Iska's fiancé. We were engaged to be married three years ago before she was taken."

"She's not wearing a necklace," Sokka said sternly.

"Because it's with me," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a polysilk ribbon to which an intricately-carved Yin and Yang-shaped sapphire. The prince and princess blinked, pleasantly taken aback by the handiwork for a moment.

"I made this for her myself," the man said, "I-I found this on a sidewalk in the middle ring when I was looking for her...the day she went missing…" His voice shook even more, "I-I know she'd never take it off. There was no reason for her to. We were engaged and in love…"

"Just look at his acting," said a glaring Aput, "You should join the Tribal Troupe, pal. Get your money's worth for your performance—"

"I'm not lying, please! I'm not like those shitheads that did this to my baby, alright?! I came running for her as soon as I found out about the rescue mission!" Pointing to the shelters as he looked desperately at Sokka and Yue, "Iska knows me. She remembers me, I know it! I just don't know why she wants nothing to do with me! I don't know what those monsters did to her!"

"You think we're idiots to just believe everything you're saying right now?" Muktuq frowned, "If you both were really engaged, then we need some kind of substantial proof—"

"Our families were there when we got engaged. They approved of this alliance!"

"Then let's have them come in and confirm—"

"Iska's family isn't going to come anytime soon," Amka interrupted, her voice softened with pity.

"Why not?" Sokka asked.

"We thought they'd show up after we sent the message that Iska's been found. Instead, they left for Minnat immediately."

"She's right," said Sanka, "Before they left, one of our representatives went to escort them here if necessary. Her father said they disowned her."

"What?" Yue widened her eyes.

"He said she brought shame to the family. That she was…"

"What the fuck?" Sokka burst, "They're ashamed of her when she's the victim? Those fucks don't deserve to be called parents!"

"That's how some tribefolk are, isumataq. This shouldn't be a surprise, unfortunately."

Yue, despite hiding behind a mask, looked just as visibly disturbed by the news. "Does Iska know about…? Because if she does, then isn't that one reason why she's likely feeling depressed at the moment? What if she was hurting herself as a result of—"

"We haven't told her this, though," Amka said, "There's no way she would know. This is all confidential information."

"But she was trying to hurt herself, and she shouldn't be left alone!" Qaasan choked out, "I saw—!"

"If we can't have her parents come here, then call your parents," Aput told him, cutting him off. "And if they confirm this, we'll see what to do next."

"I would, believe me," the man began, hesitation filling his eyes, "but…"

"But what?" Muktuq demanded. "Your 'parents' happen to be a pimp and a madam who work for Khasiq? Are they trying to lure in more women—?"

"NO! I'm not that kind of man!" Qaasan flared, his eyes bloodshot with fury mingled with helplessness. "My parents are looking for every opportunity to break this alliance!"

"You just said they accepted and witnessed your engagement," Sokka's frown deepened.

"They did! Three years ago!" he cried, "And now they don't. For the same reason her parents…"

"Well isn't that awfully convenient?" Aput crossed his arms.

"It has nothing to do with convenience, it's this fucking Spirit-forsaken system!" Qaasan's voice went several octaves higher, alerting the guards around him to grab hold of him again. "You all think I'm sitting here weaving a story out of a novella, but the Goddess knows how many places I went to look for Iska." Turning back to Sokka and Yue, "I love her. I can't imagine my life without her. But my parents don't like that. If it means I can't be with her, they're gonna say whatever will work out for them. They won't tell the truth! Please, Sister Kuunnguaq, believe me! I'm not lying, and I'm not pretending. I would never hurt her. I already hate myself for not protecting her, so please!"

The surroundings became quiet as the man dropped to his knees and poured out his heart, sobbing in the direction of the shelters, whimpering, "She must be in so much pain!" His hands clawed at his hair from the agony, and in that moment, at least, the Revivalists allowed him the right to express his despair instead of honing on him with more questions.

Kanguq sighed, turning to Kuunnguaq helplessly, "This is how it is. We ask, and he cries. And Iska over there keeps saying she has nothing to do with this mess. If he's really not a criminal, then at this point, we have no other choice but to take him to an asylum—"

"I'm not crazy!" Qaasan screeched.

Yue took one more look at the man and his pitiful state, her eyes narrowed as she assessed the situation for another moment. Eventually she took a deep breath, "I'm going to talk to Iska. Brother Qaasan, you can wait inside in the meantime."

The man looked up at her through his tears, gratitude swiveling in his welling eyes. Everyone else appeared surprised.

"Are you sure, Sister Kuunnguaq?" Amka asked.

"Kuunnguaq knows what she's doing," Sokka said without hesitation. "It would help if you trusted her. Since you know her longer than I do and have seen her in action."

"He won't be by himself," Yue said, "Protocol would require at least two guards to be with him. But in place of that," she turned to Sokka, "Isumataq, can you stay with Brother Qaasan?"

"Yeah, yes," he swallowed, "of course."

His feet pattered absentmindedly on the ice as he sat beside Qaasan and waited. The man beside him said nothing, holding his breath as he stared at the necklace he'd supposedly carved. The air was tense, and as the possibility of this man being an imposter clouded Sokka's mind, he felt like he was on the verge of snapping. He eventually did, turning to the man with a glare as he pointed at his chest, "Listen, you. I don't know what you heard about me or if you heard about me at all, but if this is all a trick, I'll end up being your worst nightmare."

"I swear to the Spirits, this isn't a trick!" the man clutched his necklace tightly, "I know the tribe isn't at its best regarding its men, but I'm sincere!"

"Well there's no way of us knowing that, is there?" He slumped in his chair with bitterness streaked across his face, a helpless sigh leaving him as he rubbed his aching forehead, fearing every what-if of Yue's reaction after all of this.

"I shouldn't have broken in, I admit it," the man gulped, "but they wouldn't let me in to see her! They wouldn't listen to me! I tried to tell them I'm not trying to hurt anyone but...By then, she was already…I had to do something!" Pointing at him this time, "What would you do if the girl you loved was hurting herself and no one paid attention to you when you tried getting help? Wouldn't you try to do something?!"

And Sokka didn't answer because of course he would...even if he refused to imagine Yue being in any sort of danger.

"If I was a fake, I wouldn't have put up with all the horrible things that Imona lady kept saying to my face—"

"Leave her alone, alright? She had a complicated past."

"That doesn't excuse her from—"

"No, but she was assaulted and bloodbent by a blubberfucker to the point of almost not having kids," Sokka shot back, "And it was really, really bad. And her fiancé at the time? That blubberfucker broke off the engagement and married another woman while she was struggling between life and death at the healing hut. So you can imagine how loyal men had been to her for her to be so kind to us, especially to all fiancés in the world."

The man widened his eyes in horror. "Oh Goddess…"

"Yeah, that's right. You better thank your Goddess that woman found the man she calls her husband today 'cause if not, who knows, she probably would've gone out of her way to prove you're guilty. Whether you are or not." Sokka wiped at the sweat over his brow, "We're not even getting to the stories of the sisters here yet, dammit, and it's already so awful hearing these things, isn't it?" He kicked at something, not sure what it was but definitely conveying his frustration, "We go around saying we're the best at everything. The best brothers, best husbands, best fathers and sons and friends and boyfriends and what have you. But with Khasiq's idiots on the loose, out there representing, what's the use?" Tearing at his lip, "We don't even have a chance at love anymore."

The man winced, a queasy feeling crossing over his desperation. "I'm not like Khasiq's supporters, Isumataq Sokka. I woyld drag my parents down here to confirm everything this very second because that's apparently the only way I can prove myself...but I know they won't help me with this. They'd been trying to get me to call off this engagement ever since she went missing and even more so ever since she'd been found. I wouldn't be surprised if they lied and said they don't know who Iska is. That's how messed up they are. As a matter of fact, they don't even know I'm here. If they did, they'd do whatever they can to take me back…"

It was another thing they both supposedly shared with regard to their love lives: disapproving parents. Then again, Sokka wasn't a fan of these subconscious comparisons.

"But I'm not letting her go," he breathed, "She clearly recognized me, isumataq. I could see it on her face. She just didn't want anything to do with me…"

"If she loved you back, why would she say she didn't know you?"

"How should I know?! I don't know what I did wrong! I've been living in hell these past three years. Not knowing where she is or what she's been doing... And now I see her and...it's so confusing. Why does she hate me? Why am I a stranger? I thought...I thought she'd come running to me, I…I-Is she angry that I didn't come for her? I looked everywhere for her. There wasn't a village I didn't visit, not a spirit that I didn't beg to help me find her…" Whimpering, "Did being around those monsters make her hate men for good? Was it all so much that...that she forgot all the good times we had together? Or...does she think I'll see her differently after all this…?"

The man's affection was unmistakable, unshakeable, a textbook example of pure, and it was pitiful and highly unfortunate to see that that was the main cause of fear and suspicion from those around him amid a culture that prized and profited from the concept of virginity, amid a regime that taught its men to use rather than to love.

"I want her to know that I'm ready to leave everything and everyone behind for her. That I'm not like her parents or my parents. I'll wait for her as long as she wants me to. And I'll never ever hurt her in any way..."

Sokka was still cautious, but by now he was starting to succumb to Qaasan's sincerity, more so when he caught sight of a tattoo of Iska's name peeking through a hole on the fabric covering his chest, his shirt having been ripped from a possible scuffle with the guards. The man saw Sokka observing his tattoo but said nothing of it, speaking only with a tearful look that demanded respect for his genuine affection.

And despite holding onto an ounce of skepticism, "Okay okay, calm down. We'll look into this and see what's up, alright?"

Qaasan dried his eyes, his palm folding over his necklace as he held it up to his forehead.

"You're saying you want to be with her," Sokka dared to venture into the conversation, deciding to give the man a chance if Yue herself decided to do so, "I take it you want to marry Iska?"

"Isn't that the point of an engagement?" Qaasan turned to him. "If you think I'm not gonna accept her just because of this, then you're highly mistaken."

"It's great to run into someone who's not a sexist idiot for once," Sokka told him, sporting still-cautious honesty, "But it's gonna take time, I can imagine. She needs to heal, alright? Just like the other women here. And healing is the only thing you two should be focused on. Even if you do get married."

"So you think I'm dumb enough to expect sex right now?"

"I'm not saying you are, I'm just pointing out—"

"I'm not marrying her for sex, isumataq. Don't you understand? I love her. I want to be next to her at all times from now on. Every day, every night. I want to help her heal. And the only way I can do those things and be as close to her as possible without society spitting in our faces is with marriage." Swallowing the lump in his throat, "We'll move to another village. Iska has always wanted to teach; she can get a job at a schoolhouse if she likes. I'll get a job there, too. We'll be right next to each other. I'll always be watching her back. We can slowly start living the life we've always wanted, healing along the way. We could be happy."

And despite the specks of uncertainty in the air, Sokka still listened, still allowed himself to loosen his guard a little bit, hoping, pleading to the universe that the authenticity of the man's yearning was not an illusion. That the hope filling the man's eyes was real.

"What happened was awful, and I know I could never even imagine...that kind of pain," the man choked out, "But what happened doesn't make her any less of the champion she really is. It shouldn't crush the dreams she's had, the dreams we've had of our life together. And this time...I'll be there to protect her. I won't fail. I just need one chance, please..."

Sokka took a deep breath, resolving to scoot a little closer to the man, his arm resting tentatively on his shoulder. "Alright, stop crying. Let's hope we figure something out soon."

Iska had been stubborn. She had held in her pain, grieving inwardly instead of letting herself go like some of the other rescued women. Apart from bitterness, she showed no other emotion ever since she was brought to the shelters...until now, that is, her expression softened in a way that she refused to admit.

"So you're saying you don't know him."

She did not look at Kuunnguaq, answering with only a somber, "Yes."

"You're positive that you haven't run into him at all? Not even once in your lifetime?" Yue raised her eyebrows.

"I'm very positive. I have never seen that man," keeping her gaze lowered, "Not ever."

But Yue was not a stranger to the way the woman chewed at her bottom lip when she believed she wasn't being watched, the way her fingers were restless every time she admitted to not knowing the man who came for her, the way her eyes darted back and forth and the impatience that occasionally flared up in her voice with the same questions that were being asked over and over again. Iska never truly snapped, though, forcing herself to be quiet, to keep her voice from wavering even if the task failed at certain times.

"Well then…" Yue finally took her seat from across the woman, "I won't ask you any more questions, don't worry...though I do find this a very unusual case. I've never run into a situation like this before. Imposters usually don't carry their act this far along."

Iska shrugged, "Who knows what the man's motivations are. Maybe he's mistaken. Maybe he's not really an imposter…"

"You think so positively of him."

"It's not positive," came her defense, "He didn't hurt anyone. It's a fact."

"Still, you said you don't recognize him—"

"I don't."

"Right, of course…" Kuunnguaq took a deep breath, observing Iska with her peripheral vision, "I'm just not sure why a stranger— an imposter or confused person or whoever he may be— would endure that much pain. For you— someone he's never known."

That statement managed to catch Iska's attention, "Pain? What...what are you talking about...?"

"Well, the guards have been beating him for a while now."

"They what?" Iska stood up, panic overriding her face. "Why?"

"For breaking in, of course," Yue said in the most casual way she could muster. "The man's bleeding all over, yet he refuses to admit he's lying—"

"Is he alright?!"

"Why are you so concerned?"

"I...I…" Iska turned so her face couldn't be seen, "I just...don't want anyone hurt because of me…"

"Oh?"

"He's not a threat," Iska said, "He wasn't misbehaving with me. He was probably just confused." Turning back around with a pleading look that passed off as a command, "Tell them to stop beating him. He's innocent!"

Yue did not budge, an act which infuriated the woman even if she refused to show it, "I said he's innocent!"

"Innocent of what? Breaking in?" the princess said, "He might not have threatened anyone here, but he still deliberately breached security protocol. "I can't just let a potential threat like that go out into society, free of the consequences of his actions. Besides, it's not like there's a strong, noble reason for him to break in. Like saving a life perhaps—"

"But he still wasn't hurting anyone!" Iska found it harder to contain herself, moisture collecting in her eyes as she rushed over to the window. She peered out at the surroundings, frowning when she saw that the man wasn't there, "W-Where is he? Where did he go? He was right there when…"

"So you've been watching him?"

But Iska did not respond to that, only demanding, "Let him go immediately!"

"Why are you panicking, Sister Iska? He won't hurt you now—"

"I'm not panicking, I'm telling you to let him go because it was never his intention to hurt me!" she raised her voice, growing more and more incensed as Yue just sat there, refusing to move, "Aren't you listening to me?!" the woman howled, "He's innocent! Let him go! I never told any of you to punish him! I told you he didn't hurt me!"

After a few more seconds of Iska's anxious cries, her growls and glares, and her abundant serving of curses towards the calm and collected princess, Kuunnguaq finally said, "They're not really beating him."

"...W-What?"

Yue stood up from her seat, her arms crossed, "I don't allow such violence as a method of punishment."

"Then what are they doing to him...?"

"Nothing. He's unharmed."

Iska's harsh panting came to a pause, "Then why did you say...?"

"It is often said that no matter how hard you try, you cannot contain an entire ocean of affection in a tiny pearl." Shrugging, "I wanted to see that in action today."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you love Qaasan, Iska," Kuunnguaq said, "But what I don't understand is why you are acting like you don't know him."

Disguising a sob as an incredulous scoff, "I have no idea what you're talking abo—"

"Don't try to prove to me otherwise, Sister Iska. I can see it written all over you." Taking a few steps towards her before grabbing hold of a pocket blade that was hidden in Iska's sash, holding it out of the woman's reach, "You were hurting yourself with this. He happened to see that, and he came for you. This is the truth, isn't it?"

A minute of silence followed with Iska doing her best to hold back her tears and Yue waiting for her to give into the truth. It happened slowly but eventually, one sniffle at a time before the woman, wounded in more ways than one, dropped down to her knees and poured out the grievances in her heart. Confessions of how wrecked she was as a being, her words jumbled as she choked out how in certain ways, she was spared compared to many women who had been worse off. Her hopes for healing had been dashed to the ground following the news of her parents disowning her, the action being a constant reminder of Water Tribe society spitting in her face for something she had no control over. Surely if her parents did not want her, why would he? The high of reunion that he might currently be in as a result of their past relationship...it wouldn't possibly last once the reality really sets in, right? The reality that she had been violated and used many times, that she was no longer exactly the same woman he fell in love with? And even if he was still willing, wouldn't he come to hate her for being the reason why he and his family would have a falling out considering they would never agree to this?

"I can't have him be humiliated by the entire tribe, Sister Kuunnguaq," she spoke through her sobs, "just because he married someone like me. He deserves someone better."

"Like who? Someone with a 'cleaner' record?" Yue frowned. "You really think that about yourself then? That you're an object to be spoiled or violated? Is that supposed to be a reason why you're not the same woman he fell in love with?"

Iska said nothing, simply taking the moment to let everything off of her chest.

"Sister Iska," Kuunnguaq placed a hand over her shoulder, "I won't pretend to know what it feels like to go through the things you did...but in my lifetime so far, I have seen many, many things, and I have run into many situations through my rescue missions. And I'm not at all saying that seeing those kinds of things is the same as experiencing them, but I do have... an idea, you can say... of the kinds of things that come to people's imaginations. I have heard those things being said, and I have seen the way people react as if they're really as pure and prudish as they say they are. And this includes Qaasan's parents." Swallowing hard, "I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you because I know you know that this will be difficult. People say things in general, and with our country not being in a good place, of course people are going to say things." Looking her in the eyes, "But I want you to know that those words and those heartless people…They're not even worth a single kelp-bean. You hearing me?"

A whimpering Iska had now spared the Revivalists' leader her attention.

"True healing is possible when you realize that even though what happened was horrible and traumatizing, it does not take away from your worth at all. Not in the slightest. Nor does it fundamentally change you into someone else, definitely not into someone who should live in fear and shame and defeat. You are still you with your hopes and desires and feelings, your memories and achievements and dreams." Sighing, "If you need something to blame, then blame the system. If you want someone to blame then blame me. For not coming sooner. For not knowing, for not being able to prevent this—"

"It's not your fault, Sister Kuunnguaq," Iska held her hand, shaking her head at Yue's remarks.

"Well guess what?" the princess gave her palm a reassuring squeeze. "It's not yours, either."

Which moved Iska to tears again.

"In this world, petty ignorance has greater traction than the blazing truth, and those of us who have seen the truth and experienced it...we need to be the changes that we want to see. You are the change we need, Iska. And by that I don't mean I want you actively crusading or anything. I want you to heal. Heal from what happened. Live a life so happy to the point where Khasiq's imbeciles rot from fear and shame and defeat. The way even the most poisonous viper-rats flee during a lightning storm."

Iska trembled against Kuunnguaq's shoulder, nodding and trying to pull herself together.

"And let me tell you something else, Sister Iska," Kuunnguaq pat the woman's back in reassurance, "I'm not experienced with romantic love, so I won't pretend like I know everything enough to give you advice. And I am especially ignorant of the kind of man Qaasan was around you ever since you've known him and fallen in love with him. Because that's obviously something only you should know. But if there is anything I am sure of, it's the fact that he's truly, desperately in love with you."

Indeed, Qaasan spent the last three years looking for Iska. He would resort to intoxication to deal with his pain. He would starve himself. And how did Yue know this? She was, after all, a witness to the man passing out two or three different in front of the Moon Temple two years ago. Calling out Iska's name, begging Tui for another chance.

"And when he felt he couldn't take it anymore, he tried to end his life by overdosing on sleeping pills. I would know because I was the one who healed him. He had been so close to losing his life, do you know that?"

Turning to Kuunnguaq in horror, "Qaasan...my Qaasan would never…!"

"That man let down his emotional barriers in front of so many people out there. He fell to his knees, begging for a chance to see you. He was grovelling for your sake. And the reward he gets for his loyalty is what? You pretending you've never been a part of his life? Pretending he was never a part of yours? What now, am I supposed to think of this as sacrifice on your part?"

Iska shook her head, trying to pull herself out of her sobs.

"The best course of action you can choose to benefit someone like him and especially yourself is to be selfish. To keep him beside you at all times. Because unbridled loyalty should be rewarded with ruthless compassion. He deserves to be with you just as you deserve to be with him." Taking a deep breath, "And as for your earlier love logic...I'm not sure how you found out about your parents when everyone tried to keep it a secret from you, but I want you to know that people like them, even if they gave birth to you, don't dictate what your worth is. I know it will hurt but...it's time you let go of them. They are not your family, no. They abandoned you in your time of need and saw the flaw in you instead of those heartless brutes. So stop thinking of yourself as any less, and stop over-sacrificing. Not over the mess that those kinds of people made. It's not worth it."

The woman nodded, looking up at Kuunnguaq with firm resolution.

"Family is whoever sticks with you until the very end, and even though there's no way for us to predict how the end will turn out to be, I have seen a promise within Brother Qaasan. A promise that he will never let go of your hand." Glancing towards the end of their current corridor, knowing that at the end was the opportunity for Iska's life to change for the better, "We are living in times when we and all of our sisters in the tribe are demanding loyalties in return for ours. In a crucial time like this when we're aspiring for equality and compassion, your silence shouldn't toy with his loyalty over petty insecurities. He is as loyal as they come."

The sound of hurrying footsteps caught Qaasan's attention. The tribesman, keeping his clutch firm around his necklace as well as his lingering hope, beamed with delight at the sight of Iska racing towards him from down the hall, crying and screaming his name with longing and joy before burrowing herself into his arms. The reunited lovers greeted each other with sobs and apologies and kisses, locked in a fierce embrace that they clearly felt wasn't close enough.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Iska wept, melting further with every kiss Qaasan gave her forehead, every moment he refused to let go. "I love you—"

"I love you," he breathed, "so much."

Sokka blinked at the intensely passionate sight, stepping away to give the couple more space as Yue, her mask pulled down from the previous impromptu heart-to-heart, calmly made her way down the hall, joining the dazed isumataq. They were witnesses to the lovers' catharsis as well as their giddiness upon Qaasan unfolding his palm to reveal their necklace. It took merely seconds for the tribesman to tie the necklace around her, the act binding them together, sealing their strengthened relationship. A beacon of hope following years of tragedy.

Sokka didn't realize he'd been smiling at the sight. Yue, however, was more stoic and careful, simply letting out the breath she had been holding as she pulled her mask over her face. She was the first to leave, too, followed closely by the Southern prince, who was more than relieved to see that this had ended on a happy note. He didn't think he had it in him to see the effects that a negative incident would've had on the princess and her opinion of love, especially with the drastic circumstances that had occurred thus far.

"Those two are really inseparable, huh?" Sokka said in a soft voice, looking at her, "If they really love each other, why did she lie?"

"Crippling lack of self-love," Yue said. "One can only accept another if they feel they are deserving of them. Iska was lost in the illusion that she was ruined and could never be good enough. But the problem is solved now."

"Of course it would be," he grinned, "You were the one playing matchmaker."

"I did say I'll play matchmaker if someone's affections are sincere," she grinned.

They were interrupted by Amka, who was hurrying towards them with a look of inquiry on her face, "Well?"

"Brother Qaasan was telling the truth. They're together," Yue told her. "Let them have their moment. They really need it."

"I think that'll have to wait," the perturbed Revivalist gestured to the front yard, "His dad and brother are here, and they're making a scene."

"It's no surprise," Kuunnguaq said, "Brother Qaasan did mention that his parents didn't know he was here. Naturally they would be displeased. Although...there's not very much I can do at this point other than try to convince them, which wouldn't be that helpful. They seem to be of the stubborn type."

"Then what should we do?" Amka asked.

"Just give me your okay, and I'll handle this, Kuunnguaq," Sokka said. "By the looks of it, Qaasan and Iska seem to be perfectly okay with a marriage. If it's possible, we'll have them go through the formalities right here, right now. So it'll be over with and they won't have anyone getting in their way."

She looked at him, sharing a knowingness that only he would understand, "If they're up for it, then we'll proceed, but in the meantime, I think it will be more beneficial if I brought the princess in."

Amaruq jerked awake to the shrill tone of Hakoda, who was calling out his son's name in the middle of the night. The tribesman hurried out into the main hallway, finding his worried sister and furious brother-in-law searching throughout the estate.

"Hakoda, what's going on—?"

"Sokka's not here," the chieftain hissed, "It's almost three hours past midnight, and my son is not home." Glaring, "Did he sneak off to go see the Akna?"

Paling as he shared a look with a panicking Katara, That idiot's not back yet?!

I thought he'd be back, too, by now! she shrugged worriedly.

"He should be here somewhere," Ki'ma interceded, "He's not a child to wander off, and he's not helpless to be taken. Have you checked—?"

"I told him to stay put!" Hakoda raged.

"The tribefolk will spit in our faces if they find out he's spending his nights out in the streets in the company of someone like the Akna!" Kya stressed.

"Alright, calm down, you two, you're going too far," Amaruq frowned, "There's no way to tell if he's really with the princess. He could've gotten hungry. Maybe he went to buy some seal jerky or something. We're out of those, aren't we—?"

"Don't try to cover it up," the Southern chief held his hand up, a fierce look in his eyes. "I've been patient long enough. It's time I had a talk with the Akna myself. Apparently she has nothing better to do in the middle of the night other than sweep my son off his feet and drag our reputation under the sea."

"Hakoda! Hacky, wait! Hakoda!"