A/N: We get Hama's story in this chapter, so expect violence and tread carefully.

Chapter 45: Walk The Gradient

"Okay, let's stop, you're out of breath," Sokka panted and grasped the arm that was leading him. He planted his weight firmly against the ice and stopped her, and she tried to catch her breath, still reeling back from the panic of nearly being asphyxiated. Sokka kept his injury covered, swallowing his pained wince and looking around frantically. He spotted a closed stall nearby where he saw small containers of water kept away in a basket. He ran towards the stall, yanked out two containers, and left several copper pieces in the basket in exchange for the clean water before hurrying back to the princess.

"Have some," he gave her both containers, receiving one back for him to drink. They both leaned against the wall of the nearest building, feeling the cold water replenish their parched throats. Sokka reached for her hands, observing them to see if they harbored any cuts or other injuries, satisfied to see that they weren't.

"How are you feeling, dronningi?"

"I'm okay…" Turning to his alarmed form, "Are you okay? They mentioned something about a backup group. You took them out, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I'm fine—"

"Is that blood?" her eyes widened at the wet trail running down his bicep from under his overcoat.

"No, that's—"

"Sokka, you're bleeding!"

"It's nothing, really—"

"Don't try to hide it!" she snapped, reaching for his arm and pulling up his sleeve. A sharp gasp left her lips at the sight of the dagger wound, "Spirits," looking at the sky, "The eclipse isn't over yet!"

But before she could examine the wound further, sudden voices from nearby caught their attention. From where they were staying hidden, they could see that the guards were persistent in their search for the princess, likely wondering if she was injured. They dragged the captured imposter along with them, and he mumbled with pained breaths that the princess was likely safe given the situation of his injured comrades and the fact that Kinji's slayer was a capable fighter.

"He could be anyone," a guard noted. "What if he doesn't have his mask on? We've never seen his face. How do we identify him?"

"He was stabbed in the arm," the imposter revealed, "He won't be able to cover it up or heal it under the eclipse."

Yue turned to Sokka, "If you're not found, they're going to keep looking for you, and if I'm not found, they're going to tell the chief. He's not feeling well as it is. That's why I'll redirect them. Go hide—"

"I'll just keep this hidden," he tugged his mask under his overcoat. "I'm not leaving you out here."

"You don't have to leave. Just hide behind that building or something—"

"I can't risk it," he fumbled to cover up his injured bicep, deciding to stay within the shadows, "I'll be fine."

"Sokka, there's no time to argue, just hi—"

"Your Highness!" came a cry of recognition.

"The princess!"

"The princess is safe!"

"Prince Sokka's with her!"

The duo pretended not to have been conversing about anything, sporting a "relieved" expression when they saw the guards hurry in their direction.

"We've been looking for you," the princess told them.

"Did you see the Gentleman, Your Highness?" a guard immediately asked, tugging at the arm of the imposter, "This guy's telling us he helped you."

"Yes, he brought me here," she said. "On the way, I saw Prince Sokka."

"Did he say anything to you? The Gentleman?"

"He asked if I was okay, then he left."

"I tried to follow him, but he was too fast," Sokka added. "I thought the better thing to do was stay with Her Highness. We decided to look for you."

"Which way did he go, Isumataq Sokka?"

Pointing to the direction from which the guards came, "He went that way."

"We're just coming from that way," a guard said, perplexed. "We didn't see him."

"You might have missed him. That was the way he went. He might've taken a shortcut somewhere."

"We'll keep investigating," another guard responded. "The important thing is that Her Highness is alright."

"Please don't tell the chief about this," Yue said. "I'm not injured anyway. There's no need to make a big deal out of this."

"But Princess, we can't keep this a secret," a guard said. "An attempt has been made to take your life—"

"But nothing happened to me, did it? If I was very seriously injured, we wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret, but we had luck on our side tonight."

"But Your Highness—"

"The healers told me earlier that the chief cannot be disturbed," Yue told them. "Please keep this in mind."

From there, the guards grew silent about the issue, promising they wouldn't speak of this with the chief and would handle all investigations quietly. As soon as they marched in the direction of the "Gentleman's" supposed exit, Yue wasted no time in grabbing Sokka's hand and leading him away.

The warmth and guaranteed privacy of the Spirit Oasis were all that came to her mind, and she ended up bringing the isumataq to the secret location. "Careful, careful," she said, helping him sit beside the spirit water. She kept an eye on the reflection of the eclipse, which was coming to an end fast, though not fast enough. With a prayer to the Spirits to speed up the process, she helped him out of his overcoat and tunic, all of which were stained in blood though not as much as his undershirt. She stiffened at the sight of the stab wound on his bicep and more so at the blood was also soaking out of the back and front of his undershirt, indicating more injuries.

She took the liberty to slowly peel his undershirt off, taking note of the smaller cuts on his back and chest. The wound to his bicep was deeper, warranting attention as soon as possible. With a focus on cleaning up the wound, she tore the bottom strip of her tunic beneath her overcoat and dampened the cloth with the water from the oasis.

"Your shirt—"

"It's fine," she said, carefully cleaning the blood off of his arm. Meanwhile, she kept her hand hovered above the water.

"Come on," she tore at her bottom lip, looking up at the sky as if pleading it. She could feel slight tugs of the water that didn't amount to much movement.

"It's fine, it'll only be a few minutes," he breathed as he looked up at the eclipse, noting how close it was to completion. Holding back a painful wince, "There's nothing else to do but wait."

Yue seemed to have another idea, though. "Wait here." Pressing the piece of cloth against the wound, "Put some pressure on your arm. It'll stop the bleeding."

She then stood up and headed towards a few plants that lined the Spirit Gate. He watched as she plucked a few leaves off of one particular plant. She placed the leaves on top of a rock and, using another rock, ground the leaves together, making the mixture into some kind of paste. Moments later, she was by his side again with the paste in her palm.

"We might have to wait, but in the meantime, we can use this. This will prevent infection and numb the area." Gathering the paste into her hand and dabbing it over the wound, "It's going to sting a bit at the beginning, though."

"That's fine—ah!"

"Sorry, sorry—"

"It's okay…" he gave a sharp grunt before the herbal paste began to work its wonders. He slowly let out the breath he'd been holding, sighing as the pain slowly began lifting. Noting the relief crossing his face, Yue tore another piece of cloth off of the end of her tunic before wrapping it around his arm like a bandage, keeping the paste in place.

"Once I can bend again, I'll take care of these smaller cuts with regular healing " she said, gesturing to the cuts that she carefully began cleaning next, "But for the stab wound, I have a technique that can help you heal faster. It's painless, but... it requires bloodbending." Looking up at him, "It's totally safe, I promise. Bloodhealing is not like how people describe the extreme version of bloodbending. You won't feel anything, actually."

Tilting his head in curiosity, "You don't always give this warning to other people, do you? You just heal them, and they won't notice a thing...since you don't want them to know…"

"I felt obligated to ask," she confessed. "Since you know about it."

"Well you don't have to ask," he blinked. "I trust you with my life. I'll go with whatever you think is good."

A pause followed by a careful nod, "Like I said, you won't feel anything."

It seemed like forever until the sun finally parted from the moon enough to send moonlight coursing through their veins. Yue took a deep breath, bringing a tendril of water to her fingertips and sweeping the herbal paste off of his arm. She pressed her bare palm against the wound next, exhaling softly. Just as she mentioned, Sokka didn't feel anything but the touch of her palm, but after a moment or two, he felt a slight stretch near the punctured skin and a feeling that he could only describe as a subtle vibration, which lasted but for a few seconds. The glow of the water surrounding the wound dimmed down eventually, and Yue moved her hand away, revealing mended skin that appeared as if it had been intact the entire time. Sokka blinked, wide-eyed as he felt the area; he felt no pain at all, only a faint soreness.

"How does it feel?"

"Great. A little sore but great."

"Yeah, the soreness will be there for a day or two, but there aren't any other complications."

She then summoned a bit more water than before, using it to encase his back and chest. The water cooled his skin and emitted a slight healing glow that numbed the stings of the cuts for a moment. When she bent the water away, he found that his cuts were healed.

"You're not hurt anywhere else, are you?"

"No," he assured, "Thanks, dronningi."

It was then that Yue felt most relieved. Noting the grimace on his face when he caught sight of his blood-stained clothes, dampened and torn from the chaos, she took off her cloak and handed it back to him.

"No, it's fine," he said, "This one has a good hood. You'll need it so people won't see you."

"Take mine, then. It doesn't have a hood, but it's warm." She took off the robe that had been underneath the cloak he gave her, draping it around him. It was indeed very warm given its thickness, making up for his lack of shirts. It was also scented in moonflower and cardamom, which gave his tensed form much comfort. Adding to that was the warm, serene atmosphere of the oasis, which reminded him of how truly exhausted he was, how even more exhausted she would be.

"I didn't think you'd be there, honestly," she broke the silence.

Frowning, "Why? Cause I'm a hypocrite who points out other people's flaws but gets mad when my sexist dad finally gets schooled?"

"That's not what I meant."

Crossing his arms, "And I get you're a pacifist and don't want people hurt, but this has gone too far, you know." Part of his voice broke, "Going to the woods by yourself during an eclipse. It's not exactly a move someone would expect from a sage, intelligent princess!"

"I didn't want civilians to get hurt. In case anything crazy happened…"

"Well you could've at least taken someone with you! You could've taken me with you!"

"I—"

"Seriously, dronningi, how could you do this? How could you think I wouldn't come for you? What if something happened to you?!"

Yue was slightly amused by his concern at first, but her amusement was replaced by surprise and tenderness when she saw tiny specks of moisture swirling in his eyes. Just for a split moment before blinked them away, trying to gather himself. It caught her off guard; she wasn't used to people feeling such stubborn care for her on this kind of level. "Hey…" reaching for his hand, "It's okay. I'm fine, aren't I—?"

"I was so afraid...If I hadn't made it in time…" Turning to her, his voice softening, "I'm sorry. I still didn't make it early enough. You wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place if I—"

"Sokka, you saved my life," she cut him off, squeezing his hand in reassurance, "It's the most anyone has ever done for me."

With a scoff, "Guess that's why you don't want me around."

Sighing, "Sokka, that's not what—"

"My dad's the one being a dick, and I'm the one who gets punished for it? It's not exactly comforting if your friend tells you they'd rather slice their throat than be in your vicinity."

"I'm sorry. Look, we all say things when we're mad. That doesn't mean we mean them."

"You said that on purpose. Even if you didn't mean it. You were trying to get me to leave the North. You had made up your mind about me, too, when you told me you were going to send a lot of the Revivalists away." Crossing his arms, "If you send all of your allies away, you'll be the only one left to fight in the North. Is that really what you want?"

"It's not something I want, it's something that's necessary."

"It's a cruel, stupid world out there, and it's full of sewer-rats who take advantage of you and don't even care to spare you something to eat…Not that you don't know this already, but people can be yakshits. Not everyone's a walking goddess like you. And you're over here trying to do everything by yourself."

She ignored the slight flutter in her chest.

"I can understand sending away vulnerable people, but I signed up for this, and I care—"

"You think you're the only one who cares for their friends?" she said, standing firm in her conviction. "If anything happens to you, I'll never be able to forgive myself. A couple of minutes ago when you were injured to that degree..." Shaking her head, "I don't want to see you like that ever again, Sokka. I don't want to see you in any kind of condition worse than that. And as long as I can help it, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure it never happens."

"Nothing's gonna happen to me if you're looking out for me," he told her, "And if you give me the chance to look after you, too, then we don't need to worry about having what happened today happen again. We'll watch each other's backs. We make a good team, Yue. So why aren't you giving me a chance?"

"You don't understand—"

"I will if you sit me down and tell me why you're feeling this way," he said. "Are you afraid that I'll betray you? Is that really why—"

"No, no, that's not at all my concern."

"Do you think I won't protect myself? Are you expecting a certain skill level? What do I need to do? How can I prove myself?"

"You don't need to prove yourself. I just…I don't want to be the cause of anyone's misery or suffering, and...and…It's hard to explain, okay?"

Casting her a patient look, "Princess Yue, I can understand that you're really bothered by something. I don't know if that has an impact on how stubborn you are in doing things yourself, and if you really don't want to talk about it, that's perfectly okay...but if you feel like getting it off your chest, I'm here to stay, and I'm here to listen."

Years drowned in naiveté were wasted behind walls, leading up to a fateful, desperate moment when an eight-year-old Yue relied on the very few bending movements she realized she could exercise. It had been accidental, for the most part; a swish of her hand created an opening in the wall through which she broke out of that Spirit-forsaken room of her imprisonment. The presence of many veiled ladies immediately following her escape instilled in her the practice that she continued to this day: to keep her identity a secret. To keep her face covered. To keep certain truths hidden if she didn't want to be deprived of life.

Yue was awkward, to say the least, in the initial years following her escape. It was the awkwardness that resulted from being deprived of a social life, the intimidation and fear that was ingrained within her due to high-security measures blocking her off from the world. It was the lack of knowledge on how to respond to greetings, how to navigate the places outside of her boundaries of knowledge. All she was armed with was the curiosity to explore the world beyond the walls, learn new things through observations. And particularly given the fact that she saw very little of the man she called her father, it was easy— too easy— for her naive self to fall for any form of affection shown to her. That's why when Osha took her in and oversaw her as a mentor figure, Yue remained fascinated by her, devoted to her. In many aspects, Osha became a mother to her...even though Osha's motherliness was, for the most part, detached. It was not the same kind of love Yue observed when she saw other mothers scolding and kissing their children, for it wasn't attached or selfish. And for Yue, it left a feeling of unsatisfied emptiness in her heart.

That is, until she met Hama, who was the antithesis, in many ways, of Osha and her philosophies. It was not long after Osha took her in that Yue caught Hama's eye. The old woman was initially highly concerned for the young dronningi and sought to bring her out of her shell. Indeed, as Sayen mentioned before, Hama had been very worried and consistently asked Yue if she had been abused in any way. Over the course of time, Hama realized it was a matter of neglect and not abuse, necessarily, and the motherly part of her opened up to the young girl.

Hama showered Yue much love and affection. The way a mother would to her own child, selfish and attached. She joked with her, scolded her, brought her into her arms, spent entire nights telling her stories, teaching her secret movements more often than she did the other students. Not to mention the huge role Yue's peers played in helping her communicate and interact with the world that she had been deprived of. In short, Hama— all while perfectly managing to hide her true darkness— made herself and her institution seem like blessings in disguise: a mother and sisters Yue never had, making her feel as if she belonged, as if she was truly loved. A golden opportunity for knowledge over combat, supplemented by Osha's separate healing lessons.

"It was one of the greatest ironies I had ever seen and experienced," Yue mused, for Hama had no qualms against pulling out the guts of innocent men yet acted like a pillar of strength, teaching the girls how to protect themselves and how to avoid trouble. The woman who deprived families of fathers and sons was adamant about being a mother-figure, spoon-feeding her students with her own hands.

"But after seeing who she really was that one night…I was never the same…"

It had been a particularly dark night. The air hung heavy with the promise of chaos. Hours before, several warnings of a blizzard had reverberated through the tribe via booming emergency gongs, and advisory warnings had been announced rampantly, persuading the tribefolk to steer clear of impending conditions guaranteeing hypothermia. And yet, to a fourteen-year-old Yue, nothing seemed colder than the look on Hama's face, nothing as bone-chilling as the moment the master-come-terrorist tore her bloodshot glare away from the innocent body of mangled limbs on the floor and turned to look at her pale students. They were frozen with horror and disgust, some nearly in tears, some looking faint.

"What are you all looking at?" Hama snapped. "Don't tell me you're feeling bad for this monster," another twist of her hand, and the life that was hanging on by a thin thread of hope convulsed, more blood pouring out of the man's nostrils. Hama's students screamed, taking more steps back, their mute horrors manifesting into muffled cries.

"STOP IT!" Yue howled, a flare of defensive boldness taking over her as she shoved Hama away from the man, catching the woman and the rest of the students by surprise.

Hama, swallowing the lump in her throat, attempted to pacify her with, "Little River…"

"Stay away!" the princess screamed, shoving Hama away again when she got closer to her.

"You don't understand—!"

But Yue wasn't having it. She blocked Hama's chi, catching her even more off guard, and as Hama struggled to bend, Yue restrained her by freezing her in place. Hama, whose head remained unfrozen, struggled against the ice, screeching, "Let me go! Kuunnguaq!"

The Northern princess didn't have the time to confront the shocked woman further, devoting her attention immediately to the poor man, who was obviously in a highly critical condition. She knelt beside the man and took a deep breath to steady herself. The students, who had never seen Kuunnguaq lash out this way, felt a sense of courage at the retaliation, more so with the fact that Hama was restrained. Resting in the shade of Kuunnguaq's ferocity, which they could note even if they never saw her face, those who had healing experience rushed forward to help her, tending to the man as best they could along with her.

"There's no way you can heal him," Hama spat in their direction, repeatedly ignored, "Don't be foolish! Listen to me!"

Although Yue summoned water around her hands, doing everything she could to heal the wounds that she could immediately, she knew that the most lethal of the man's injuries— the more deadly wounds that would immediately claim his life— were really the after-effects of bloodbending.

The man's arteries were blocked by blood clots. A few nerves were ruptured. A trail of blood left each of his ears, indicating a severe injury to the brain.

"She's right," a fellow healing student shook, "The damage can't be reversed, Kuunnguaq."

"He's brain-dead," trembled another. "There's no way…"

"Monsters like him don't deserve to be healed!" Hama kept yelling, a wild look filling her eyes, "I did what I did with a purpose! Get away from him! Get away!"

But what tugged at Yue's heart fiercely— what fascinated her even in this moment of utter gore and hopelessness, betrayal and heartbreak— was that somehow through his pitiful condition, which would've rendered someone dead a long while ago, the man— his body contorted in nonhuman proportion— had a persistent will to live that coursed strongly through the very faint, stubborn pulse that she could still detect. The pulse was getting weaker, but somewhere deep down, he was still trying to fight. His fingers, bloody and twitching, still managed to grip the warm buns and breads he'd stolen. They were for his wife and young children, he had cried the entire time Hama tried to restrain him. To this very second, the princess could still hear his pleas prior to the horrors that happened to him. His begs for mercy and understanding.

He may have committed theft, but that was not deserving of such a horrid fate. And now, he may remain still, but in his eyes was a plea to be saved.

All this time, Yue had affirmed Hama's words that where there is life, there is water. Horrific truths and betrayal aside, the statement still stands true. And as someone who spent entire nights rejuvenating plants by instilling and moving around adequate water within them, Yue knew that such a valuable truth was not to be neglected. It was all a matter of cells multiplying, pulling themselves together to form the larger whole little by little. All a matter of the smallest building blocks of life being satisfied in order to pull everything else together. And the facilitation of that rapid healing process relied on nourishment gathered from vital liquids. In plants, it was water. In humans, it was blood. The marvels that blood had to offer in drenching human cells with nourishment so that they could pull together tissues, then muscles and nerves, tendons and ligaments.

Granted, rejuvenating plants and basically "reassembling" the body of a human being were completely different things, but not too different for the purposes of this state of emergency, right? If one were to fight fire with fire, one were to heal matters of the blood with blood.

In light of the chaos that had taken place, Yue refused to come out as a potential bloodbender. That was why she nevertheless fiddled with the water encasing her hands. The glow surrounding her healing water was strong enough to distract what she was actually doing, i.e., drawing back in the blood that was readily escaping the man. In the guise of "cleaning away" the blood, she redirected it back into the man's body. Her eyes fell to a close, and with exceptional particularity, she moved the liquid at a slow pace the way she would instill and move the water in the wilted plants. She manually circulated the liquid through the man's body, helping it latch onto the ruptured nerves and arteries.

Her technique, most of it being disguised, surprised and confused the students who were watching her, but Hama, who seemed to have an idea, panicked, "What are you doing?! Leave him to his fate! Leave that hideous creature to its fate! Kuunnguaq!"

In a matter of moments, nerves and arteries were mended back together and cleared. Lacerations were sealed to a close. Blood began coursing through the man on its own volition, rejuvenating his body and bringing back all feeling and sensation.

"His pulse is rising, Kuunnguaq, what...?" a shocked student noted, her question left unanswered. And yet, the determination in the princess's eyes was enough to speak volumes.

"You're making a mistake!" Hama screeched, "Don't heal him! Kuunnguaq, don't heal him—!"

By now, the bleeding from his ears stopped. Yue let one of her palms hover over the top of the man's head, detecting proper circulation. His chest began to rise and fall at a more healthy rate. Grateful tears slipped from his eyes, which then closed; he may have slipped into unconsciousness, but the danger had passed. All that remained were some external injuries.

Sayen and the other students gawked at Yue with wide eyes, but she interrupted them with a hoarse, "Continue healing him. Take him away from here. Don't say anything to anyone. He's going to make it."

The healing students, who gawked at Hama's ferocious look, gulped down their fears with Yue's determined commands. They worked together to carry him away, but the students who relied on combat remained by Yue's side. Yue, in spite of her ground-breaking achievement in creating essentially a life-saving technique, cast her disgusted glare at Hama.

"Don't look at me like that," Hama hissed, "Kuunnguaq, don't look at me like that. He deserved to die, and you healed him—!"

"Why? Because he's a man? Are you going to say it's self-defense?!" Yue roared, fists clenched, blood boiling, the moisture in her eyes simmering. "What did that man even do to you? He might have stolen food, but he didn't attack anyone, did he? He didn't attack you, did he?!" Holding her head as a throbbing pain shot through with the many revelations that finally hit her frozen brain, "You're the one who's making innocent men disappear during the full moon...Spirits, how long have you been doing this?! How do you live with yourself doing all of this—?!"

"You respect justice, don't you? Well here's a taste of justice," Hama's voice dripped with defensiveness stained with rage, "They don't give a fuck about us. They only want to fuck us. They want our bodies, our services. A man needs a woman to call a mother so she can serve him for the rest of her life. He wants a woman to call a sister so he can feed off of her inheritance. He wants a woman to call his wife so he can feed off of the groom-price and dowry she brings him. He wants another woman to call his whore, another to call his side-whore, a slave whom he also fucks and sires illegitimate children with on a regular basis. And if he's 'noble' enough to want a daughter or two or seven, it's only so that he can trade them off to wealthy families and mooch off of them. Either that or take them for himself or sell them to the brothels—"

"Not everyone is the same—!"

"Don't live in denial, Kuunnguaq!" Hama snapped. "This world has been cursed with manhood. Our tribe has been cursed with manhood. They kill us right after we enter this world. If they have any way of knowing our gender, they kill us in our mothers' wombs. And if we miraculously make it past a few years, they violate us and use us! And they preach to society that we're the temptresses!" Her voice softened a little, choked, racked with sorrow, "They haven't spared the old, and they haven't spared the young. Kuunnguaq, don't you remember? Just last week, a five-year-old girl was found with blood running down her legs, thrown abandoned by the sea. A FIVE-YEAR-OLD-GIRL, Kuunnguaq! DON'T TELL ME THAT WASN'T COMMITTED BY A MAN!"

Tears dripped from the princess's eyes, "I know…"

"THEN YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Hama screeched. "A little girl was violated. The perpetrator labeled that little girl as a seductress! He called that innocent child a whoring witch in disguise!"

Yue tore at her lip, "There may be monsters among men and women, but that doesn't mean you hold entire groups and communities accountable—!"

"Oh, but it's not one or two men, Kuunnguaq, it's hundreds of thousands! This is just one example!" Hama shouted. "A man is a heartless brute. He sees something he likes, he'll stop at nothing to take it! He does nothing but think with that damned organ of his and takes pride in it! He's an imbecile who finds pleasure in ripping our bodies apart! You think I did something unspeakably horrible to that creature, don't you? Well these men have done much worse to us! We have to fight them whenever we can! Wherever they are! With any means necessary! You need to realize this!"

"That man was just trying to feed his children—!"

"And you're going to believe that?! That's not for his wife and kids! He stole it for stealing's sake! Today it's food, tomorrow it'll be all of you if he's not killed!" Tears running down her own face, "I did what I could to protect all of you!"

The rest of the students remained frozen, dangerously tempted by Hama's words, but Yue stood her ground, shaking her head, "In the name of protection, you're wiping out the innocent..."

"Don't be consumed by naive compassion, you fools!" Hama croaked. "Kuunnguaq, I'm begging you. The world is a horrible, horrible place. These imbeciles take away everything we have, bury us alive in the snow for showing loyalty! Don't you know how many of our sisters have died? Do you even know all I've been through?!"

From there, Hama broke down, sobs and banshee-like screeches reverberating through the igloo.

"An imbecile violated me when I was thirteen. My family never saw me the same ever since. They treated me like I was a piece of yakshit because I was no longer fit for marriage! Another sewer-rat of a man violated me when I was twenty-two. My parents kicked me out for good. I was shunned by society! Deemed a prostitute for something I couldn't help! I was called a witch just because I could fight! My entire life was ruined thanks to the touches of men! Don't you UNDERSTAND?!"

"What happened to you was horrible and can never be justified," Yue dried her eyes, "but what you did today can also never be justified." Piercing Hama with a sharp look, "You're a monster, Hama...YOU'RE A MONSTER!"

"I'm the monster? I'M THE MONSTER?! What do you even know about that hideous creature?! To so confidently confirm he's innocent?! Their kind is RUTHLESS, and this is the eternal truth! They're instruments, that's all they are! Instruments you use to have a child and nothing else! They ravage us! Lose control and take away our control over our bodies!" Sniffling and booming with determined fury, "Don't be weak, Kuunnguaq! Compassion is nothing but weakness. They use us and leave us to rot, and they deserve the same! You need to carry on my work!"

"NO!" the Northern dronningi hollered, "I've heard enough of your reasons. From now on, I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure you're never let loose in public!"

In a fit of her fury, Hama cried out and broke her hand free from the ice, using enough force to cause the ice to splinter. Before Yue could freeze her again, Hama broke completely free, this time blocking Yue's chi. The young teen hit the floor, finding it difficult to get back up due to the sharp, paralyzing nature of the jabs. Clearly Hama was also operating under blocked chi, but given her extensive mastery in comparison to the experience of her students, she was able to quickly block the chis of the rest of the students who took the chance to attack her. Even so, Hama was angry at them; rather, her eyes were drenched with worry, fear for the girls she raised as her own daughters. She turned to Kuunnguaq, tears falling from her eyes as she knelt beside the princess.

"Kuunnguaq…Kuunnguaq, listen to me, dear. Everything I do, I do to protect all of you..." Her hand cupping Yue's cheek, unable to handle the look of disgust in the dronningi's eyes, "Kuunnguaq...paniga…" Kuunnguaq, my daughter. "You're like my own, you know that. You know that to this day, I've shown you nothing but love...Why can't you understand where I'm coming from? If anything happens to you...have you thought about what will happen to me…?"

Yue fought the resurgence of her tears, pushing Hama's hand off of her, "Stay away from me!"

"Kuunnguaq—!"

"I SAID STAY BACK!" Yue used the little bit of strength she accumulated to stumble her way back up and make a run for the door.

"Kuunnguaq! Kuunnguaq, wait!"

"Kuunnguaq!" Sayen cried, forcing her way up and heading for the door towards her friend, but Hama shoved her inside, howling Kuunnguaq's name.

The blizzard was merciless, and the night dark from the moon being quickly swallowed by the clouds. Even so, Yue ran, nearly tripping along the way given how her chi was suppressed. Hama trailed at her heels, screaming for her and trying to reach for any part of her to stop her. As the minutes wore on, Yue felt small boosts of her chi flow through her, allowing her to pick up the pace. She tore through the tundra, cutting through the shocks of bare trees. She didn't look back as she ran; she didn't need to, for Hama was not far behind her. At one point, Yue thought she couldn't hear any footsteps behind her. Even so, she didn't stop, picking up the pace little by little until she had gone much deeper into the tundra, far beyond the reach of immediate civilization.

It was then that an arrow swooped by from behind, tearing through her sleeve and barely missing her arm.

"Aah!" Yue came to a halt, the abruptness of the stop sending her face-first into the snow. The demands of the blizzard were severe, and snow quickly accumulated on top of her in the few minutes she took to catch her breath. She nearly dug herself out of the overbearing snow, flinching as a few other arrows launched in her direction, tearing through the fabric of her coats and keeping her pinned to the snow. Though pinned down, with a grunt, she tried to escape, her bleary eyes turning around and taking notice of several figures emerging from behind a few glaciers, bows and arrows in hand.

"Oh..." a bearded man stepped forward to the front of the group, his eyebrows raised, "Who do we have here?"

"Not the kind of saber-deer we see everyday, is it, Master Khasiq?" followed another.

Another man stepped up to her, attempting to take off her mask, but she managed to tear away the hem of her pants that was attached to an arrow and kicked him away just in time. Using her remaining strength, she broke free of the other arrows, pulling herself up.

"A fighter, aren't ya?" Khasiq grinned, crossing his arms, "You're lucky I like a struggle."

Khasiq's men charged forward at once. Yue found it difficult to fight back without her bending, which she temporarily couldn't have access to since Hama had blocked her chi. It became all the more difficult for her to defend herself with her energy draining little by little; nevertheless, she did what she could to fight back, managing to knock down several of the men. Khasiq, having been patient for long enough, charged forward this time, and when she swung at him, he cut off her efforts with a harsh tug at her veil. With the aid of the bleating winds, he snatched it off, revealing her face.

And the world stopped as if taking in a sharp breath. The men froze in place, taking in the beauty before them. Sure the girl may not be of age yet, but she had a mature face, a flawless appearance that matched the Tui worshipped by the non-Nationalists.

"My my," Khasiq widened his eyes, "What a beauty."

"She's really looking for a fight," the man who managed to restrain her noted how she struggled to get out of his grasp.

Khasiq sighed, "You know, I really didn't want to do this, but if you're not complying, then I don't see another way."

"Master Khasiq!" one of the men threw a dagger in his direction. Khasiq caught hold of it, keeping one foot planted firmly in the snow. Yue widened her eyes, struggling further to break free but failing as a few others grabbed hold of her. Someone managed to strike a few vital pressure points, sending her back down onto the snow. The last thing she remembered in that moment of weakness was the gleam of a moonlit dagger tracing its way down her throat, pressing against her collarbone before she squeezed her eyes shut, expecting pain...

Only she didn't, and the scream that ripped through the air didn't belong to hers. The painful scream unmistakably belonged to someone else.

Yue's eyes shot open, widening in horror and recognition, "Hama!"

Indeed, the recipient of the dagger was Hama, who had flung herself in front of the young dronningi at the time of crisis. Hama howled in pain, glaring daggers at the attackers before using the remaining amount of her strength to kick a shocked Khasiq off of her.

"We need to go, Tui!" she grabbed Yue's hand and pulled her along, trampling all fascination.

She's a monster, she's a monster… But no matter what Yue kept repeating to herself, at that moment, she was blinded by shock, pain, conflict and worry, her eyes locked on the dagger wound near Hama's stomach that profusely poured out blood. And it was then that she realized that no matter what she told herself, she couldn't resist weeping at the painful reality that Hama genuinely cared for her. That she had saved her life just now and was fighting for her own.

"Kuunnguaq...you're like my own, you know that. You know that to this day, I've shown you nothing but love…"

Yue trampled the conflict in her heart for a brief moment and took the reins, being the one to pull Hama along with her at the sight of several men racing after them to corner them. They hadn't gotten very far, however, when Hama slipped and fell into the snow, blood leaking from her lips.

"Go," she commanded, spewing out more blood, "You need to go!"

"I can't leave you like this—!"

"Kuunnguaq, please! GO!" another cough, "They're monsters...they won't spare you…!" Her quivering palm cupped her beloved student's cheek, taking in her appearance for the first time. The literal resemblance of the Goddess, her hair resembling Tui's milky strands, her face imbued with the familiar snowy hue of her hands. "Run away, paniga. My Tui..." tears slipped from Hama's eyes as the series of footsteps got closer. In a last effort to protect the young girl, she tore off her own veil and mask, struggling to put them on Yue, "Don't let anyone see you! Run away! GO! GO AWAY, TUI, SAVE YOURSELF!"

But Yue shook her head, torn apart by further conflict, "As much as I know you've done unspeakable things...I'm not leaving you like this..."

"NO! GO!" Hama screamed, "Run away! Tui! TUI, go away!" She gave a particularly harsh shove that sent Yue falling backward. The princess found herself rolling down the long hill that followed, nearly buried by the snow, unable to stop herself given her weakness from her blocked chi. The freezing temperatures seized hold of her, weighing her down along with the adamant blizzard. She was unrecognizable in the way the snow and fallen twigs nearby blew over her, covering up her figure, and with the blood coursing through her coming to a near freeze, she felt herself lose consciousness. But her eyes were open, taking in the horrid sight of the men cornering Hama.

Yue's hand tried to claw out of the snow, and her lips tried to form words, but it never happened. She was on the brink of fading away from reality, barely holding on, traumatized by the sight of the men slapping Hama and treating her like a ragdoll several feet away. Hama groaned in pain as the men around her worked quickly to keep her restrained. The block of Hama's own chi played a large role in her own helplessness, for even though she fought back, she was deprived of the energy to do more.

"Where is she?" Khasiq demanded Hama in the meantime, "Where did she go?!"

"Tui…" Hama breathed, "Tui, Tui, Tui…"

"Witches like you need to be put in their place," Khasiq spat, signaling the rest of the men to keep her pinned in place. "If you won't tell me where she is, I'll have to satisfy myself with you instead."

"Sir, she's a bit old—"

"A little grey hair won't bother me," he barked, snatching her coat off, "She still has her womanly parts, doesn't she?"

Who said that Khasiq and his men were discriminatory? Young or old, it did not matter to them. This horrible truth sunk into Yue, whose entire world went black in the midst of the tragedy.

The look on Sokka's face was one of pure shock, horror, and devastation. He looked to Yue and noted the subtle tremble of her hands, which were holding her knees close to her chest. Her expression was unreadable, best expressed as a myriad of reactions condensed into a single feeling of emptiness. His hand flew around her shoulders, and he pulled her in for a hug. It was not an expected move, and she would normally be skeptical, but here, she knew it was made in good faith as a means of comfort.

"I'm so sorry…It's a lot. It's overwhelming, I know…"

"I don't dwell on those incidents all the time," Yue mumbled against his shoulder, "but sometimes, I still have nightmares about what happened. There are certain days I can't avoid it, though, like whenever that bloodbent man comes to the city to visit the Moon Temple with his family to give thanks." She broke from the hug, "I think the Revivalists told you that the man was dead, but he's alive. After what happened, he became very paranoid and feared for his life and his family's life, and he said that he would live an honest life from then on. He didn't want to be dragged into the investigations surrounding the discovery of Hama and her death. We honored his wish but advised him not to stay in the city anymore. We would say that he was killed, but really, he would be living somewhere else. Safe and happy."

His arm still lingered around her shoulders, "The sisters told me you had a hard time getting over everything."

"Well...it did take me a while to digest everything that happened," she confessed. "I went into depression for a year after the events of that night. I remember being scared to go out by myself. It was just horrible...I wanted to find some kind of purpose in my life, so I started off with a few social missions. The girls and I eventually formed a group that would meet regularly and give back to the community. Raise awareness for social issues."

Needless to say that the aforementioned group started to go by "The Revivalist Mission" and achieved popularity over time.

"Everyone has certain moments where reality just...kicks in super harshly in that moment… For you, I presume it was Khunsha. For me, it was that man. And Hama." Gulping, "I mourned her death, and I was ashamed of that. Hama was horrible. She was as ruthless as the men who raped and killed her. As fate would have it, she ironically met her death by the very factor that made her go on a killing spree. She became prey to the very issue she was trying to eradicate…"

"But she loves and cares. That much is true, isn't it?" he spoke, feeling highly conflicted as well. "I can't help but think how things would've been different if she wasn't shunned by society in the beginning."

"That's what I think about, too, sometimes," Yue admitted. "She saw more brutality and assault than humanity and love throughout her life. Her final moments preached to her nothing but hate. She died thinking she was right to kill all those innocent people, and...that's wrong." Wrapping his cloak around her more tightly, "There are times I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't blocked her chi during that time."

Indeed, she might've been able to save herself, but what would've happened after she saved herself? She would run loose. A terrorist running free, presenting danger to more innocent people...the consequences of that would surely be horrible. She could've been locked up, but she would never have surrendered. And if she did surrender, she would be put to death.

"But most of all...I think about how she died to save me. A terrorist died to save me...And as much as her actions are irredeemable... she raised me and taught me nearly every defense move I learned. Every time I fight, every time I protect myself...I'm reminded of her… I'm reminded that I was the cause of her death."

"Yue, it's not your fault—"

"It happened because she was following me—"

"But it's not your fault that that happened. It was meant to happen to her. There's nothing you can do about it." He squeezed her hand, "And I know it's hard to accept, but...it's okay to still care about her. In a weird, incomprehensible way. You're not a horrible person because you care. You yourself once told me the world isn't' black and white. It's more like...a gradient, you can say…" Shrugging, "It's weird with Hama, but...she definitely had bad in her, but she also had good, you know?"

They basked in the contemplative silence that followed, not breaking it for the next few minutes.

"The point of me saying this isn't necessarily to figure things out," she eventually said. "It's to point out that I'm having a hard time getting over the death of a terrorist to this day. Think of how much worse things would be if anything happens to the people I care about because of me. That would destroy me. That's why I don't want people running after me for anything. I don't want people to be dragged into a horrible mess because of me. Obviously, you are not in the same situation as Hama was, but…"

"But I won't be running after you. I'll be running with you," he told her, sincere and resolute in his look, "Yue, I promise I won't take any unreasonable risks. I won't cross any limits. And even if there is some kind of danger ahead, I'll do everything I can to outwit it and be right next to you."

He definitely was persistent. She didn't answer to him, but she didn't protest, either, letting her weariness take over her as he pulled her in for another warm hug.

They were not sure how much time had passed. The commotion beyond the oasis had died down, eventually giving them the chance to slip out. They were the only ones out, really, indicating how late it probably was. The quiet lapping of the water in the canals filled their ears, and the presence of the moon gave them— Sokka, especially— a sense of immense courage and relief. They were able to grab something to eat before ambling back to the inner ring.

"Do your parents know you're here?" she asked. "Well, not with me, but...do they know you're not at home?"

"I snuck out."

"Again?"

"I had a bad feeling about the eclipse."

"Then what made the Gentleman come out tonight?"

Shrugging, "I didn't want to be recognized when I snuck out. If some idiot goes, 'Oh, Chief Hakoda, I saw Sokka…!'" Turning to her, "The things I do for you, Princess."

She couldn't resist chuckling at his squeaky impression, and yet, the look on her face was tense, still mindful of separation. Yue really did not know what her own problem was; this wasn't the first time she recognized potential goodbyes, and yet, the prince's conviction was admirable. The thought of his departure was strangely wearing down on her heart, even more so when they reached the Crescent Moon Estate.

"The offer's still open for us to go somewhere else. This place has been depressing lately," he said, referring to the estate. "We can look around the city a bit more. Or we could go on a gondola ride or...or we could go to the Moon Temple..."

"The tribe cannot handle your father's wrath again, Prince Sokka," she admitted. "And anyhow, I need to make sure all preparations are made for the Revivalists' departure." Swallowing, "They're leaving in a few hours."

"Already?"

"Already."

The realization that the princess truly would be alone after that repeatedly rubbed a sore spot in his chest. "I'm telling you again that I'm staying. Katara is, too. So don't give me that look like you're saying goodbye."

She glanced up at him, admiring the spill of moonlight on his dark-bronze skin. "Sokka...the truth is, I want you to stay. I do. I feel comfortable around you, and I haven't felt comfortable around anyone this much…"

"Yeah?" he softened his tone, hopeful.

"And I know this is ultimately your decision...whether or not you should stay…and I'm fully aware that your mindset is way different from your parents'... but I still would like your parents to agree with you staying here." Twiddling with her fingers, "I'll feel highly uncomfortable if they don't agree."

"I'll convince them, then." Though the reality that was waiting for him was likely the opposite.

She, too, seemed to acknowledge that difficulty, letting out a dry chuckle.

"I will, really." He felt his eyelids drooping with greater weight, but his hand reached for hers anyway, an unspoken worry left to simmer between the two of them. She smiled it off, ruffling his hair.

"Will you? Without being harsh?"

"Without being harsh. You'll see for yourself."

She wasn't sure what it was that overcame her at that moment— perhaps it was that stubbornness of his that she found to be amusing, maybe even adorable— but whatever the reasoning was, she didn't stop herself from stepping forward. Her palms cupped his face, and she brought him close for a soft kiss on his forehead. He felt a strong tug in his heart, a great pull in her direction that seemed magnetic at most, a simultaneous sense of defeat and victory.

"Get some sleep, ikkingutima," she whispered.

As if that would be easy. "This isn't a goodbye," his voice cracked, his lips kissing her hand.

"Okay."

"Okay."

"...Okay..."

The moment was interrupted by Ivaneq's hurried footsteps. He was running towards them, eyes wide and teary, jarring to an abrupt halt as his arms grabbed them both by the shoulders, "...the chief…Chief Arnook..."

"The chief?" Yue frowned, descending into panic, "What happened?"

"What happened to the chief?" Sokka demanded, "Dammit, tell us, Ivaneq!"

"The chief wants to see you both," he gasped out, looking around both ways frantically before whispering as audibly yet as inaudibly as he could, "Ataniq Ahnah." Chieftess Ahnah. "She's here. She wants to see you both."