Chapter 48: What Binds Us
"We might as well be nocturnal."
"Tell me about it," Sokka sighed as traces of dawn finally hit. He followed the princess out of the temple and waited while she donned her masks and locked the doors. It would only be another hour or so before the doors reopened for worship, and the hectic day would begin again…although it seemed hectic already. A good distance away, there had apparently been a fire largely left unnoticed; it prompted the attention of several waterbenders after the fact given it occurred in the middle of the night.
"Must have been serious," Sokka mused, watching the trails of smoke rising in the distance.
"I hope everyone's okay…" and she took a seat by the steps, stifling a yawn.
"Yep, you're definitely tired, dronningi."
"At least I slept continuously for four hours, and that's an achievement," she held back another yawn. "But today's a busy day. We have the big Conference, then there's the press conference with Zei and the other journalists."
"You know you really don't have to go through with this press conference thing."
"I know, but I want to use this chance to give a clear message to the public. Explain my goals for the tribe, reiterate the fact that I'm not going to ascend the throne without majority support. And I know whatever I say will be top news, so it's kind of necessary that I draw attention to myself this way a little bit."
"You know I'll be endorsing you throughout the whole thing, Your Grace," he grinned.
"Of course you will," she chuckled, "It's the least you're obligated to do after I extended my hand to the South."
"It's not obligation or gratitude, dronningi, we've been over this!"
"Alright alright," with a shrug and a jingle of the keys in her robe pocket, "So much to do and so little time—" but she found herself pausing at the bottom step of the small stair path, feeling a tug at the bottom of her long tunic as if it had gotten caught by something. She turned to free herself, a sudden gasp leaving her lips as she saw what grabbed her tunic: a black marble hand identical to the famed hand that sustained the Akna. She recognized the hand as it was held together by a strong adhesive, in turn evidenced by an ever-so-tiny yet distinct crack by the wrist area, indicating former repair.
"Is it…?" she whispered to herself, immediately kneeling down and digging through the snow, freeing the object that was trapped underneath. Sure enough to her surprise, it was the stolen half of the Moon Temple idol.
"Looks like La washed up on the snow," Sokka said.
"When did you get here?" Yue whispered to the idol, the soft lilt in her voice very noticeable, the shock in her eyes abundant. The affection that poured into her at the sight of this idol was a reminder to Sokka that she valued this artifact considerably, and it was a kind of affection that rivaled the respect she had for the other idols.
As she tried heaving the heavy idol out of the snow, Sokka reached forward and helped hold it, drawn in by the idol's rather familiar appearance, taking a curious look at the white-marble semi-circle at the center of its chest and the large magnets included at the side where it would attach to its other half. Out of all the other idols of La Sokka had seen throughout his life, this one was truly a work of art, though a messy-looking work of art even for something made of slickened black marble. The idol appeared worn and dirty, having lost its sheen.
"There's only half of him," Sokka noted. "I'm guessing his other half is supposed to be the Tui side…?"
"Yeah…" she said idly, taking her seat on the pelt atop the top step and shifting the idol into her lap. She used the melted ice to brush away the stains on it, treated it with much tenderness as she would a baby.
And that's when a crucial fact struck Sokka in the face, making everything fall into place. "Wait, is this the idol from the Great Temple? The one that Khasiq stole from here?"
"Yeah."
"So this was the idol that helped the Akna…" And from there, his skeptical side lowered its guard, and his features significantly softened. He had much appreciation for the idol— even if not belief, per se— but immediately following this little revelation and the observation of sheer joy on the princess's face holding the idol, he couldn't help but wonder for the hundredth time since his stay here if— if— she knew of the past.
She doesn't. She can't, right? Who would tell? Osha didn't. Who else would? "Uh…" blinking away his bout of panic, "How do you think it got here?"
"I don't know…" she frowned as she caught a glimpse of some of the stains that were stuck in the cracks of the carving, especially around the dagger at La's belt, "Is this blood?"
"Blood?" he blinked, bewildered as he inspected the black marble, "Yeah, that's blood alright…"
"What even happened?" she mused, bending the stains away. "How did it even get here…? The Great Temple wouldn't be this negligent about its main idol."
"Your main idol," he gestured to the Moon Temple, "They're a bunch of thieves."
"Still, they took care to make sure it never left the premises…even if they never properly took care of La," she muttered, deepening her frown.
"Let's take it inside," Sokka urged. "Before anyone sees us."
"I want to, but…I need to know how he got here," she said. "I sneak in and out of the Great Temple every evening to see La. It wouldn't have taken two seconds for me to take him in the middle of the night and bring him back here. But if he went missing, the people at the Great Temple will be suspicious of our temple. Khasiq and his men would've snatched him from us and had this temple closed down for good, so there was no point." Running her fingers softly over the black marble, "Once I know he's here for good, I'll take him in."
"Excuse me?"
Sokka and Yue looked up, noticing a young man of seventeen or eighteen years approaching them. He was covered in an overbearing coat and cloak, checking both ways to make sure he wasn't seen, but there was relief in his eyes as he saw the idol nestled securely in the duo's arm. What momentarily distracted him was the close proximity of the isumataq and the idol; oddly enough, they seemed to resemble each other— an observation that could easily be overlooked considering the idol was only half of the overall statue, meaning half a face.
It was no surprise, the visitor thought idly since word had it that the prince was supposedly born during the Winter Solstice. Goosebumps trailed up his skin, and an involuntary smile crossed over his face.
"So…can we help ya with anything?" Sokka blinked.
"Oh, right," blinking away his thoughts and giving a low bow to Sokka in greeting, "It's an honor to meet you, Isumataq Sokka."
"Call me Sokka. Or Brother Sokka," a grin, "Since you Northies are a bit too formal here anyway."
"Brother Sokka," the man chuckled, turning to Yue, "And you're the caretaker, am I right, ma'am?"
"Yes, I'm the caretaker" Yue stood up, holding the idol in her arms, half of its weight supported by the isumataq.
The young man blinked for a moment, seemingly caught off guard by her voice, which seemed so familiar, if not identical to the voice he heard in a dream he had just two hours ago— a dream that brought him all the way here. Deeming it to be a coincidence, however, he cast it aside. "I'm Kunuku. I recently joined as a co-priest at the Great Temple." Taking another relieved look at the idol, "I'm glad to see La finally found his way back home. He's yours now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. He's yours."
"The people at the Great Temple won't ask for him—?"
"There's no temple to go back to," the man said. "It burned down."
Her eyes widened; if she wasn't fully awake before, she certainly was now. "Wait, the Great Temple caught fire?" Holding La closer to her heart, "Is everyone okay?"
"No one was harmed," the man assured. "I'll give you all the details; please, let's go inside. We shouldn't be seen."
Convinced by the priest's stubborn assurance, Yue curbed her flaming curiosity, hurried inside the temple, and placed the idol with the isumataq's help in its original place: the altar in the main sanctum. Kunuku, though surprised that anyone could enter the main shrine room, not only the priests of this temple, nevertheless charged inside; he did so only after made sure to close the doors, however, so they wouldn't be seen. He was repeatedly caught staring at the obsidian beauty of the Moon Temple, but he ultimately snapped out of his trance to help clear the altar and placed the mini idols aside. Very little time was wasted; Yue, after putting Sokka in charge of La, disappeared into a hidden chamber and made her way back, groaning and heaving the idol's other half: a statue of a beautiful white-marble woman denoting Tui, bearing the same type of magnets that La did. A wide smile crossed Kunuku's face as he took in the sight of the original other half; he folded his hands in prayer.
It seemed Tui and La were eager to reconnect; even with Yue and Sokka attempting to join both halves gently, the sheer force of the magnets was highly strong even with the fabrics placed before the magnets to reduce the effect; instead, the fabrics fell away, and before they knew it, Sokka and Yue felt themselves being tugged forward by their respective idols, which came crashing together with a loud, secure bang from just a few feet away. The dronningi and isumataq nearly crashed into each other, barely stopping themselves and holding onto their respective halves for support.
Moments later, the trio in the Moon Temple took in the sight: a large, magnificent idol, half Tui and half La, their corresponding colors lodged in their chest, their shared physique glowing beneath the sweeping early rays of the sun. La struck the familiar giving pose of his open palm curved and outstretched, especially with his status as the Water Tribe's nourishing ocean. And then there was Tui, who had command over the seas and storms, her power evidenced by the lightning-like design of the sword that hung at her sash. The androgynous idol bore a smile that seemed to reach the ends of the earth, as if the Spirits were caught in euphoria from their union.
This was the idol in its entirety that nourished the Akna, Yue reminded herself, taking a seat right next to it in the inner sanctum, captivated by joy and mute fascination over the Spirits' — Spirit's— complete body after over two decades of being ripped apart. Years of imagining what this idol would look like while the Tui half was secured away, years of seeing the idol's pitiful state at the Great Temple each day, the way it broke apart from the half manufactured by Khasiq's administration and repeatedly banged against the floor of the Great Temple…it felt good to see the idol be more secure. More happy, if that was even possible for a stone.
"What exactly happened?" Sokka asked Kunuku. "I thought the Great Temple was, you know, invested in this idol? Unless they deliberately threw it out so it wouldn't be harmed by the fire—?"
"The fire was started for the purpose of burning La," Kunuku said, evoking an alarmed reaction from the duo. "You see, a majority of us priests have a spiritual investment in La, but Khasiq and his men purely have business interests. They use La for their benefit, and if they don't see the benefit anymore, they toss La aside or destroy it if it brings about a benefit. They're not religious; they're businessmen, essentially, using religion as a tool."
"Why did they want to destroy La?" Yue asked. "Surely it can't be that they think the idol is impure or anything. At least now, of all times."
"Yeah, hasn't it been, like, twenty-three years since they took it?" Sokka frowned. "What made them want to get rid of it?"
It was then that Priest Kunuku told them of what happened just hours before: Khasiq's tantrum, the accident that ended up with La's dagger piercing through Khasiq's arm twice, the black marble dousing itself in the perpetrator's blood as if it had performed a great sacrifice for itself. Yue was left wide-eyed.
"Khasiq was pissed off, naturally. He never really cared for the statue itself; he just tolerated it because people were attracted to it. That's why he spent a few coins making a cheap alternative half for it. So people would pay to have their services in front of it. After what happened today, he was enraged and decided to get rid of it."
It had happened overnight; in the throes of his anger, Khasiq, who was writhing in pain at a healing hut while his arm was being stitched up without a drop of sedation given to him, had ordered his men to cover the carpets, pelts, tapestries, and curtains in the building with highly-flammable whale oil, light those materials afire, and let the place burn down and consume the statue with it.
"We had no way of knowing any of this was happening," Kunuku said, "But just a few hours ago, I had a dream where the Goddess spoke to me. I didn't see her in my dream; in fact, all I could see was a blinding light. But I did hear her voice. Very soft and gentle…actually a lot like yours, ma'am."
Yue blinked in surprise, not having expected the comparison, and she noticed Sokka flashing a knowing smile in her direction. She raised her eyebrows at his implications, Haha.
"...but anyway, Tui was trying to wake me up. She told me to run to the Great Temple." Softening his eyes, "She told me that La needed my help. I didn't understand anything, but I remember suddenly waking up. My wife thought I was crazy when I told her, but I just had to go back to the temple and see for myself."
As he approached the temple premises, he had realized that the other priests had also rushed over from their homes, bemoaning the loss of their only source of income as well as the alleged loss of their beloved La. Khasiq's men had prevented them from going inside and saving the statue. Kunuku, however, remained unnoticed by the others.
"The Goddess herself showed me the way," Kunuku said, his eyes glazed over with piety as he described how he went in through a particularly flooded back entrance, the area constantly having been deluged with harsh rushes of water. The wild laps and floods had miraculously sustained La, drenching him repeatedly and preventing the flames from reaching him. Kunuku had taken the opportunity to snatch the idol out of the building, also being drenched and sustained to where he wouldn't burn, but with several people realizing there was a person inside the building, movement started rushing in his direction. Kunuku had no choice but to toss La into the water before he could get caught, and in front of Khasiq's men, he acted as if all hope was lost, bemoaning the loss of the idol.
"Of course, one thing to take note of is that it's not like Khasiq wouldn't have had plans of demolishing the temple even if his incident with La hadn't happened," Kunuku added. "Khasiq did have some plans up his sleeve."
And it was mainly because services in the temple had gone down drastically, so the Nationalist leader couldn't overprice as many people as he wanted to regarding the rituals. Not to mention the scandal with Kinji, who was actually affiliated with the Great Temple; ever since word spread regarding his fraudulent "spirituality" and his horrific death, many people were put off by the Great Temple in general, thus affecting turnout. Khasiq kept increasing the prices for the rituals, aiming for the relatively few wealthy Nationalist families who attended the temple services regardless. It wouldn't have been a bad plan had Khasiq still had access to his other sources of income, i.e. his political status, his underground trafficking arrangements, the clubs and brothels he'd maintained. With all of his activities stripped away and his political status threatened under the White Lotus investigations, he had no other place to turn to for money other than the Great Temple, the funds from which were completely inadequate.
"It had to have been a part of his plan to destroy or severely damage the temple," Kunuku said. "So he would have an excuse to extract more donations and funds. The wealthy families would give all they had, basically, to help restore the temple to its 'glory.'"
"That building certainly was intricate. Beyond anything ever constructed in the North," Yue noted.
"Well to restore the building to that intricacy, the plan would be to claim it takes trillions of gold pieces and pressure people into donating," Sokka said.
"Exactly. And donations would be treated as tickets to heaven, basically. Those who gave the most money for the restoration efforts would have their sins pardoned, and they would have the grace of La at their fingertips." Scoffing, "Doesn't matter what kind of people they are. As long as they're rich and they contribute to the temple's reconstruction." Shrugging, "At least, that was probably his plan. It probably didn't cross his mind initially to destroy the statue itself; he could've still made up something about La being the only one not burned. He could've opened up services again on the side, maybe could've kept the statue in a separate building for the time being while the actual temple was slowly 'reconstructed.' But like I said, after La Himself stabbed Khasiq twice, that man wanted to get rid of La for good. It wouldn't hurt him; he'd just try to raise more money from people and say it's for a new idol. Draw sympathy from people, use it to further his ideology somehow."
"The Nationalist Association will start a whole drama now that every speck of the place is nothing but ash," Sokka said, "But as far as I can guess, he'll just put on a show invoking sympathy. Like you said, he'll take advantage of naive believers so he can extract money from them, but in the end, he's not really gonna rebuild that place. He'll just come up with one excuse or another to keep taking money from people. Gonna act like he's all helpless. He'll most definitely blame our dronningi for this, but I won't give him a chance to do that." Crossing his arms, "Another thing. He'll use this as a way of getting the White Lotus to give him another chance. Since the White Lotus doesn't meddle with religious affairs. At least, that's what I've been told in the scrolls they sent me. Khasiq could be out doing more than he's been able to do these past few days if he makes a strong argument that he's needed to help secure funds for the tribe's religious needs."
"Those are all good points," Kunuku nodded.
Yue turned to Kunuku, "What about the other priests? They're jobless now."
"Yeah, not everyone's exactly sure of what to do. The Nationalists said we'd have to make 'temporary' arrangements, that if Khasiq wants us back, we would have to go back to work at the new temple after it's built. But as Brother Sokka pointed out, that temple will never get rebuilt. Khasiq is obviously going to pocket all the money. Many of the priests, though, have connections with the other temples in the area. They'll likely secure positions there. I know there are at least four temples in the outer sector that could use helping hands. The other people I know are older and were nearing retirement anyway, and they have children and grandchildren who can provide for them."
"And what about you?" Sokka asked him.
"I don't know. I'm relatively new to this area if you can't already tell, and I don't have that many connections. Even if those priests request the temples to try to hire me, there won't be a guarantee that I'll keep whatever position I get forever." Sighing, "I'll try to look for another job. All that matters is that I'll no longer have anything to do with that hellhole those people called a temple. We hated it there. I might not have been there long, but every second, the other priests and I felt like we were betraying the Spirits, and there was absolutely nothing that we could do. We don't even know how our necks are still attached to our heads at this point."
The young man took a deep breath and turned to look at the complete idol. "I learned from the other priests that Khasiq's accident with La wasn't a new type of occurrence. Well, Khasiq himself wasn't usually the victim, but ever since La was taken from the Moon Temple, he had apparently been protesting one way or another in subtle ways. Every day, he rattled that altar he had there. No matter how stable the platform was. Every day he kept falling down; he never stuck to his manufactured black half no matter how many magnets were put in. One year, he somehow fell hard enough to slam through the ice stairs and tore up the pelt carpet with his dagger. Another year, he fell so hard that he rattled one of the water pipes right under the ice, and the entire temple flooded. And ever since that pipe burst, the pipes beside it had burst one by one until all the pipes were replaced. It apparently took a whole year to get that process finished."
"Yeah, I remember," Yue said.
"Then you'd know. One way or another every year, there were apparently certain accidents that ended up happening." Kunuku cast a smile in the idol's direction, "I don't find it to be a surprise, though. I really believe this idol is alive in ways we can't explain. I mean, look how well-behaved he is right now. No rattling the altar every five seconds, no falling and breaking the floor every three seconds."
The La half seemed to smile more brightly than Kunuku remembered.
"I'm very glad that La found his way to his other Half. I was afraid he left us for good when I had to let him go in the water, but he simply swam home. Perhaps he arranged to have all of this happen so he could finally escape that prison and be happy with Tui."
It was Yue's turn to cast a knowing look at Sokka, for the warrior was also staring at the idol, his eyes squinting a little as he studied it. The warrior then saw the princess observing him with much amusement. "What?"
"No need to force yourself to listen to all this," she chuckled. "I'm sure you think this conversation is a load of nonsense. Why not go home and catch up on some sleep?"
With a frown, "Hey, don't just assume things, Baby Blue, I'm actually invested in this right now."
"Are you sure? This idea of statues being alive, being excited to be with each other," she said with a teasing smile, "There's no scientific basis for these inferences, is there? Other than our feeble human projections working on pieces of stone?"
"Hey, we all do that with different things. I'm attached to my boomerang in a similar way. It's not human, but I still believe it always comes back to look out for me."
"It's okay, isumataq, you don't have to try too hard," Kunuku chuckled, "Every tribesman and his mama know that you're not religious. You're lucky you're born on the Solstice; people think La is critiquing Himself."
"A low self-esteem La, huh? Is that how you believers look at it?" he feigned a scoff, "So if I wasn't born on a certain day at a certain time, I would've been pelted to death with stones for disbelief?"
"Chances of that are highly unlikely, by the way," Yue pointed out. "You're a man, therefore you're more useful to society, apparently. People will try to brainwash you into becoming pious, even if that takes up the rest of their lives. But even if some punishment was to take place, you wouldn't be alone because I'd probably be right there with you. You would've been pelted for disbelief, and I would've been burned at the stake for heresy."
"Well we're not as bad as someone even a piece of stone wants to stab to death," the isumataq said, reverting back to Khasiq and the incident. "If you ask me, I say it served that fucker right. I mean, after all he's done. Someone's gotta beat his ass at some point."
His language sparked a rather shocked look from Kunuku. The young man looked around at the temple walls, giving a blank look to the grand idol before blinking, "Uh…this is a temple, Brother Sokka…"
"So what? Your La's not just in this temple. He's in me, too. In all of us, supposedly."
"Oh…uh…of course…" And upon seeing the caretaker's eyes crinkle from a forming smile at his response, Kunuku let out the breath he'd been holding, reminded of the liberality of this place, "I forget the rules here are more laxed…"
"I wouldn't explicitly say colorful language is allowed here," Yue said, "I'm cool with it, personally, but our angakkuit get highly upset."
"Yeah, you don't wanna mess with them," Sokka said, teetering on annoyance at the thought of them, "They're a pain in the blubber sometimes."
Yue noticed how the young priest, despite being attentive to the conversation, repeatedly got distracted. He looked around and marveled silently at the structure of the temple, caught up in its beauty.
"By the way, Brother Kunuku, I have an offer for you. That is, only if you think it's worth your time and energy."
Which earned Kunuku's attention immediately, "Oh…I'll be glad to hear it."
"I could talk to our angakkuit and arrange something to where you can work here. If you're interested."
The man was pleasantly surprised, "Me? Here?"
"Would you be open to that?
Would the angakkuit be open to that? Sokka wondered.
"I suggested this because the position, if you choose to accept it, will likely be permanent given our shortage of priests. Our temple isn't exactly on top of the list of dream religious jobs. I doubt it's even on the list, so it's not like there's much of a competition for you to worry about. With respect to salary, we don't charge for our services, so you may be wondering how we get revenue. We don't. The Moon Temple is not really a business in that way; we rely on the portions we're assigned by the Loyalist Religious Center Funds as well as any additional donations given to us to meet the needs and expenses of maintaining the premesis. We rely on those funds and donations to pay our staff as well."
"By the way, Her Highness did increase the funding that would go to all temples and pagodas," Sokka interjected.
"Yes, I heard that," Kunuku nodded.
"We also recently received a generous donation from Isumataq Sokka here," Yue pointed out, earning a smile from the warrior, "So we were able to adjust the pay scale a little bit." Turning back to Kunuku, "Osha does not take salaries. She only partakes offerings made to La and sustains herself with them. I myself work here for free; I'm a caretaker, but Osha lets me in on several things, so that's how I know these things. The angakkuit get paid, though, but they've never expected too much since the beginning; they have family members who work, and they're mostly here for the experience and affirmation, so it kind of balances out like that. So if you were to accept this position, Brother Kunuku, your pay would come from those same funds. As long as it's not anything too outrageous, we will likely satisfy the starting amount you have in mind."
It wasn't burdensome in the least to offer a position like that, Yue added, for this was also a necessity for the Moon Temple itself.
"You see, many of our angakkuit have their own families to look after," she explained. "Some of them have small babies to care for. I know at least two of our angakkuit have been on maternity leave and will be for another month. So obviously, some people won't have the chance to work some shifts all the time. Now there are free babysitting services for angakkuit who may want to bring their children here, and it's typically open to other people who may want to benefit from those services because why not? I'm usually in charge of those services, by the way, but I've been super busy lately, so Osha and some of the angakkuit have graciously handled some of my shifts despite the inconvenience. The plan as of now is to give the angakkuit a bit of a breather until we find someone to help out with the babysitting services. You know, give the angakkuit some time to sort things out in their homes and watch their children there. That way the number of children to watch won't be extremely high. You won't be forced to babysit if you don't want to, but we could still use some helping hands."
With regard to experience, it wasn't much of a big deal so long as there was good faith effort.
"There's not one right way to do a ritual. There are people who will seriously disagree with this, but the Moon Temple recognizes good faith diversity," Yue said. "We will not be at your heels to supervise or dictate how you will perform certain rituals. Besides, you're an established priest, and you've completed your training and seem to have command over scripture. We do have certain scriptures we reject and certain we accept. Some texts and mythologies have morally problematic undertones, so we don't regard them. Either that or we reinterpret them altogether. Some texts we completely rule out, some we change up the wordings, some sentences we delete from prayer. But learning about our specific scriptural canon will be part of the process of adjusting here. Hopefully it won't be too burdensome. If you accept, of course."
For Kunuku, who did not expect much to begin with, this was certainly a grand offer. It was also drastically different in environment from other temples and especially the Grand Temple given there was a degree of freedom for once.
"All this being said, I do want you to take some time and think about this before you decide," Yue cautioned. "I'm aware that Khasiq tends to have issues with people who previously worked for him suddenly drifting out of his self-proclaimed 'regime'. But I do believe that with you, it's not as risky because you're new here, and he doesn't know too much about you to decide if you'll be a good ally or not. And you haven't been exposed to the political environment here as much, so it would be less of a blow for him if you, being a newcomer, chose to be involved with us. It would be more serious, I'd imagine, if the other priests, who have worked for him for a very long time, suddenly shift sides."
This was not to say that there's no risk at all, which was the reason behind her degree of hesitance and her reluctance to extend this offer to the other priests.
"But it's not like I'll gloss over their requests if they really, truly want to join…even though the angakkuit might not be happy with people who've been loyal to the Great Temple for a much longer time and have endorsed its problematic teachings. I know it's something those priests couldn't help, but the angakkuit won't be as understanding. So, bottom line, safety is definitely a concern; by being involved with us, you'll be perceived as an opposer of Khasiq. Even if not necessarily an ally of the princess per se. I say this because many people applied to shift to her jurisdiction in the last few days, but that's not necessarily because they support her. It's because Khasiq's laws are dictatorial. Even if you don't support the princess, if you agree to work here, you will fall under the protections and laws of her jurisdiction. You will also be provided housing in a Revivalist-majority neighborhood. For safety reasons." Taking a deep breath, "These are a couple of important things to consider. It's up to you to decide."
It did not take very long for Kunuku to respond, for he'd been weighing his options of quitting his position at the Great Temple even before the fire. "Even if I didn't have the protections of our dronningi's jurisdiction, I would still have been honored to accept the position. Tui and La have watched over me and my family, and I know they will continue to do so, so I'm not afraid. And I do consider myself to be a supporter of Her Highness; I know she worked very hard to track down those brothels. Several innocent women have been saved." Sighing, "Although I do still wonder if the angakkuit will be okay with having me join. I, too, worked for Khasiq, after all, even if not for very long. I also understand the angakkuit are all women here."
"Well there was a time when it was just men here," Sokka pointed out.
"Yeah, of course. I just…"
"It's not like you're trying to confiscate the temple from Osha and the angakkuit," the isumataq reasoned. "Why should you be worried about that?"
"Well even if that's not one of the concerns on their end of the deal…" Kunuku failed to properly articulate the rest of his concern.
"If you feel uncomfortable about it being all women and you being the only guy—"
"I'm not worried about that, actually. I have seven sisters and several nieces, so I kind of grew up in a women-majority household. The angakkuit will be like sisters to me. It's just that…given the situation in the Water Tribe right now, I just wonder how they will react to having me join…"
"I think that won't be a problem, Brother Kunuku. You seem pretty trustworthy. And besides, because of you, our La came back to us. Accepting you isn't going to be a problem for them."
Smiling, "I appreciate that, but I am aware that things aren't looking too great. If it makes them feel more comfortable, I'll work in the mornings when there are a lot of people around. It'll also be personally convenient for me."
"If that's what you personally prefer, I don't see how that can't be arranged," Yue said. "How much are you expecting for your salary?"
"Enough to feed a family of seven. Me, my wife, our kids, my brother, his wife, and their son."
"You have children?"
"Twin daughters, actually," his face lit up. "Just born last month."
"Awwww," she smiled joyfully.
"And one other thing, ma'am. My sister-in-law may be able to help you out with the babysitting situation. She really loves children. I'm sure she'll love to take a couple of shifts."
"Well that's great! We'd love to meet her sometime soon. I tell you what, if you can, please stop by this evening for your official acceptance scroll and bring your sister-in-law with you. We'll make sure that you're all taken care of, and we'll have the housing situation arranged as soon as possible."
"But I haven't been accepted yet, ma'am," the priest chuckled in spite of his growing excitement.
"Priestess Osha and I go way back. I know she won't say no. I also put up quite the fight, so the angakkuit typically don't argue with me," she beamed. "I will have everything finalized by five hours past midday today, so be sure to stop by."
"This is such great news!" Kunuku stood up, bowing to the isumataq and dronningi, "Thank you both so much—"
"It was all her," the prince pointed to Yue, who also received a deep bow in gratitude.
"Thank you, ma'am. Thank you very much, Sister…?"
"Yue," she moved aside her mask and smiled. "Welcome to the Moon Temple community."
There was no doubt as to the beauty of this generous caretaker, but what shocked Kunuku beyond comprehension was when the woman, lost in the hustle of work as she tended to the returned idol, cast aside her headscarf, revealing her white hair. A leaving Kunuku, who had turned his head in an attempt to thank her once more, felt all awareness fleeing him. As it happened to all pious tribefolk whenever they catch sight of Yue, the world stopped entirely for him, leaving him a mess of goosebumps and awe. He immediately recalled the anecdote that the senior priest had told him last night: of the beautiful white-haired, fair-complexioned woman who had helped him out a couple of years ago. He wondered if this was the woman that the senior priest had seen and bowed to.
Kunuku would've screamed out the confirmation of his faith, would've sprawled out into a bow of worship in his loyalty to the replica of Tui's appearance, but the prince's hand found its way around the young priest's shoulder, holding him upright. The isumataq sighed, giving the caretaker a dreamy look.
"She looks exactly like Tui, doesn't she?"
Kunuku gawked at Sokka, then at the occupied caretaker, and then back at the swooning La incarnate. The Spirits are definitely among us.
The angakkuit couldn't keep themselves from swooning over the return of La, and after spending a long time admiring the completed idol, they set out to fetch more flowers and offerings for the rituals they planned to pamper the deities with. Osha, all-knowing that she strangely was, kept her bliss contained to a wide smile she bore on her face.
"It seems the Spirits are in even more of a hurry than before," she had said mysteriously. "We need to ride their shifting tides."
Osha had additionally told Yue that she would arrange for the hiring of Kunuku and his sister-in-law, assuring the princess that she would convince the angakkuit over the same. She was also insistent on having a special ceremony planned for the Spirits after midnight tonight. It was supposedly a ritual "reenacting their wedding," in honor of La's return.
"And I will see you both then," she had told the dronningi and isumataq. "We can't have the ceremony without either of you."
It was a ceremony that Yue was looking forward to, and it was all for the best, she believed. Inviting diverse participants one day at a time, commemorating the revival of an inclusive image, fostering an integrated community in which people would at the very least appreciate the inclusive image even if not flat-out worship it as a deity.
Wishing for the best, the dronningi placed a cup of yak milk in La's waiting palm, thus continuing the traditional ritual that had been stopped since the idol was taken. It was hard to imagine that the last time La was given this offering in this very premises, the Akna had been here. Now, Yue felt that though the temple still lacked the Akna's presence, the spirit of nourishment and sustenance, the very essence of life that was La, was all the more strengthened with the idol's return.
"I really believe this idol is alive in ways we can't explain."
She folded her hands before the idol and let her eyes fall to a close. Obviously I wouldn't want anyone to be in the Akna's situation. Abandoned and left to starvation. But if there are such unfortunate people out there, please continue to nourish them.
And moments later, a deepened voice responded with the subtle undertone of a soft, wolf-like growl, "Don't worry. I shall grant all of your wishes, faithful human."
She opened her eyes and saw the isumataq, who was resting his elbow on the idol, watching her with a grin.
"I was having a believer's moment."
"I was, too," he defended. "I'm La after all. Gotta look out for my devotees."
Despite her amusement, she held a curious intent in her gaze following the strike of a quick observation. "Come here for a moment," she pulled him next to the La side of the idol and took a look at both him and the idol with great scrutiny. "Huh…"
"What?"
"I never realized how much your face resembles La's," she mused. "It didn't occur to me until I saw you two right next to each other. No wonder you seemed so familiar when I first met you."
"Well look at that," he observed the La side, also noting that to be the same reason La was familiar to him, too, "No wonder La's so good-lookin.'"
Which evoked a giggle from her, "I suppose."
"So it's settled then. You're Tui and I'm La."
"Here we go again," she said, refuting his conclusion with, "Even if you happen to be La, how in the world can I be Tui? Your statement sounds like a believer's subjective declaration. We need science here. A reasonable hypothesis."
"But I am being reasonable," he said.
"Tui is the moon. Forget miracles and powers; can science explain how the same moon can be in two places at once?"
"Of course! One in the sky, one reflected in the water."
"That's…I mean…a reflection's not the actual moon, though—"
"But it's a second reference to the same exact object."
"Well…if I was Tui, why would I admire and worship myself? Wouldn't that be a bit meta? How can science explain that?"
"Well, a wise lady named Kuunnguaq once said in her ninth speech that from a physics standpoint, we're all really greater compositions of the same small building blocks that make up the rest of the universe. Through humans, the universe is really in the process of realizing, experiencing, and basically worshipping itself."
"You actually remember that?" she blinked, "I can't even remember what I ate for lunch yesterday."
"You know I have a deep appreciation for poetry." With a victorious grin at the resulting grin on her lips, "Just admit it, dronningi. Us Wolf-Mooners need to stick together, don't you think? Why not just settle down with me instead of going through all this contract nonsense? It's still possible that you'll fall in love with me down the road."
Shaking her head, "You know, I recall you saying you're not one for things like spirits and romance, but it seems that's all we've been talking about all day." Flashing him a look, "Are you sure you weren't ever interested?"
"You can only be attracted to something if someone makes it seem attractive." Shrugging, "I wonder if it's because you have a way of making everything sound like rainbows and auroras, dronningi?
She fumbled with her mask and covered her face, looking away— a defense of sorts to hide the wild blush that followed.
The belief that things were looking up was what kept Ahnah in good spirits, and it was only confirmed by the fact that after a good night's sleep— devoid of all complications, floating in a feeling of optimal strength and health— in her own home, cuddled up against the love of her life, the chieftess awoke to Arnook's lips on her forehead and the smiling faces of Yue and Sokka waiting for her just outside of the leaders' royal chamber. It warmed the ataniq's heart to see that Sokka was persistent in staying by her daughter's side and also had plenty of new jokes to keep up the smiles on everyone's faces; he seemed far more excited today than he had seemed yesterday, and the same could be said for her daughter.
Furthermore, the good cheer around her prompted Ahnah to feel full-fledged excitement over the wedding compared to the previous day. She raved on about the wedding plans, how they don't have much time left to do all the planning they needed to do. She was running around and being more active than usual all morning. And upon seeing her excitement and rejuvenated spirit, Arnook opened up as well, submitting himself to the joy of having his daughter married in just a few days. The proud parents, though aware that they were to keep from jumping off the walls if Ahnah's arrival was to remain confidential, nevertheless lost themselves to planning out the perfect venue and decor and the perfect attire for the couple-to-be, spilling details about their own wedding, which they secretly wanted to see replicated at the grand Nansei ceremony.
The need for seeing their daughter in grand apparel resulted in the leaders' outpouring of recommendations, particularly Ahnah's insistence that Yue try on the chieftess's own jewelry, which Arnook claimed to have long destroyed to the world but had actually kept locked away and intact from Khasiq's prying eyes all this time. Diamonds to silver, platinum to gold, velvets to lotus silks, varnished accessories to glistening robes, Ahnah wanted to see her daughter rock every style, don every artifact of ornamentation.
Of course, Yue was less enthusiastic about the idea. Part of the reason why was nervousness; this wasn't a real marriage anyway, and she had wanted to not think about it until after the Conferences were over, until they started for Nansei. However, the fact that her parents' excitement was starting to create the illusion that it was a real marriage…she had to remind herself that it was just a play on her mind, a construction of reality. She was being overly anxious about this and needed to disassociate from this environment.
"Our panik has a habit of relinquishing expensive things," Arnook tattled to his wife, evoking a frown from the chieftess, "I tell her all the time not to sacrifice what she has, but she never listens. She gives it all away just because there's bound to be some unfortunate, destitute person out there who may not have all the comforts she does. How do you think she has a treasury amounting to so much and counting? She sold her belongings and luxuries, all of the assets I had set aside for her."
Ahnah gave her daughter a horrified look, "Paniga! How could you be so reckless?!"
"It was reckless, but it was for the welfare of the tribe—" Sokka began.
"I know you want to support your wife all day long, ningauk, but becoming a near beggar for the tribe isn't thinking about the tribe's welfare!" she chided.
The princess blinked, sharing an awkward look with the flushed prince.
"The last hope I have for her are my own assets," Arnook crossed his arms, "May the Spirits grant her the discretion to not sell those off, too."
"Oh, Yue," Ahnah shook her head, sighing, "You're a princess. You shouldn't be like this."
"Sit her down and give her a talk, if you can," the chief told his wife, "Because she's not going to listen to me anytime soon. Kids these days, I swear."
"You probably shouldn't be complaining about 'kids these days' to me, honey, I've been asleep for twenty-three years—"
"Don't joke about yourself like that," Arnook frowned.
"Oh lighten up, you," and the chieftess then grasped her daughter's palm with one hand, grabbing the jewel-box with the other, "Come with me, paniga."
"But anaana—"
"No buts—"
"Actually, we, uh…we kind of had something planned for right around this time," Sokka interceded, hoping to reduce the princess's awkwardness, "Right, Your Highness?"
"Yes, yes we did—"
"Save all of your rendezvous until after the wedding," Ahnah interrupted.
"I-It's supposed to be a political event, ukuagek," Sokka clarified with a wild blush that rivaled the princess's.
"Well that can be postponed," the chieftess dragged her daughter with her, "I need to teach my daughter how to be a proper dronningi."
"This one's a family heirloom from my mother's side," the chieftess draped a platinum necklace of great interest around Yue's neck, its pendant glistening from the way the morning light lit up the black gemstone at its center. "And then we have this hairpin made of lapis lazuli," the ataniq took down the weaves of the princess's hair and slipped the pin through them, "Oh, and then these bangles…" she trailed off, noticing that Yue was wearing a set of colorful bangles with clumsy crescent-moons on them. "You were wearing these since yesterday, paniga. Do you like them that much?"
"Oh, these. They're gifts. Prince Sokka spent much time and effort into making them."
"Ah," Ahnah smiled, revoking her intention of replacing them with the bangles she had picked out. "You can definitely tell he has worked hard on them." Scooting the isumataq's gifts up her arm, "Alright then. Just wear these bangles along with Sokka's," and the chieftess slipped her bangles onto her daughter's wrists. They were a perfect fit much to the chieftess's delight. "You know, my mother gave these bangles to me for my wedding, paniga. In fact, nearly everything I have belongs to your grandmother. She passed them down to me," running her hand over Yue's, "And now, this collection is all yours."
"Anaana, this isn't necessary," Yue began. "These are all yours. They're reminders of your home. Why give them away?"
"I'm not giving my jewelry away to a stranger or anything! I'm giving it to my daughter." Taking her seat beside Yue, tilting her head so the princess could see herself in the mirror before her, "Don't you see? You look so beautiful," Ahnah nearly squeed. "This is the least bit of luxury a princess should have."
Turning to her mother, "You keep saying I'm beautiful, but you're forgetting that I got my beauty from you." The dronningi unhooked the platinum necklace from her neck, stood up, and slipped it around her mother's neck, "So stop thinking you're old or that you should give these away. You're still young."
And while her daughter admired the way the necklace glistened around Ahnah's neck, the chieftess herself felt love and pain welling up in her eyes as she fixated her gaze on Yue.
"If you still want me to wear them, I will. For the wedding only. For your satisfaction," Yue clarified. "But in the grand scheme of things, we're sharing these at the most. We're not at the 'passing down' stage yet, and we won't be for another fifty years or so."
Ahnah let out a combination of a chuckle and a choked cry, bringing her daughter in for a hug. Why couldn't you have been born to me? the ataniq inwardly demanded, tears slipping down her face.
"Anaana?" But Yue's concern was instead greeted with a tighter hug. Truthfully, the chieftess never could figure out if the Spirits blessed her or punished her. By bringing Yue into their lives, there was no doubt that the Spirits had blessed the royal couple. The single day the couple had spent with the incarnated Tui all those years ago, it was a day filled with fear. Nevertheless, the chief and chieftess had kept the infant in their arms, kept themselves locked inside the Moon Temple through the entirety of that chaotic day, which the chieftess refused to think about. A demolished temple following the aftermath of a compassionate event in history, labeled otherwise by the patriarchs of the nation as a "historically impure" misfortune. The adorable newborn, completely undeserving of anything less than pure love, filled with warmth and life as she was cuddled against her new parents, the hiccups of her cries quieting into soft whimpers. Granted, little Yue had supposedly opened her eyes to first see the La idol that sustained her, but she had spent a considerable amount of time watching Arnook and Ahnah's lovestruck faces with those big, baby-blue eyes of hers.
They had spent that entire day thinking of names, ultimately remaining undecided. And then the little moments— Yue's tiny fingers grasping Arnook's thumb, her small head full of white hair nuzzled against her chest, her other small fist tapping against the chieftess's breast, an experience so divine that Ahnah felt her bosom might as well have filled up with milk with a primal instinct to nourish. It made the ecstatic parents dare to dream of a future with all three of them remaining strong and together. To bask in the parenthood that they were to fully embrace…
But the horrible punishments that followed proved to have greater weight considering the circumstances of the tribe, the situations that brought about separation. At least Arnook got to be in the same building as the princess even if he couldn't see her so easily. Ahnah, though surviving her injuries from long ago, was left in a comatose state, reliving that single day, hoping and fantasizing moments of Yue's childhood in dreams, locked away in a healing hut at the edge of the Northern Water Tribe-Earth Kingdom border.
And not to mention the consistent fear that— one day, somehow, somewhere, through someone— Yue might find out the truth. That fear plagued them to this very moment. It never made sense to Ahnah as to why Yue wasn't born to her. Why the incarnate Tui decided to take birth from a despicable woman who couldn't care any less about her.
That heartless bitch, she seethed, her maternal instincts transitioning into pure rage for Yue's biological mother, Spirits damn her. She left my precious baby to starve. She's no mother, she's a monster. Yue is mine. My own. The chieftess shook from the sob that escaped.
"Anaana, are you okay?"
"Yes, yes, I am," she took a moment to dry her face, smiling at her worried daughter in assurance, "Alright, as you said, we'll be sharing these, but you're the one getting married at the end of the week, so right now, I need you to try on everything." She gestured to a set of black earrings nearby, "Try these on next. See how they look."
"You try them on," Yue challenged. "And just you wait. When everyone sees you with these on, they're going to think you're my sister instead of my mother."
"I appreciate what you're trying to do, paniga, but just because you say I'm young doesn't make me feel young."
"You know what will make you feel young again? Having a baby," Yue gave her a mischievous smile, "The healers say you've recovered more quickly in the past few days than the average person would in a month. Ataata's also putting more effort into his appearance now. So if you two are…oh, I don't know, feeling ambitious…"
The chieftess gave her a blank, flushed look, initially shocked that her soft-spoken daughter didn't turn out to be so soft-spoken after all, "What did you just say to me, young lady?"
"Nothing, just that if it's not too burdensome, I would appreciate a sibling. I mean, it's not impossible; Chieftess Kya is only a year older than you, and she's a couple of weeks along with her fourth—"
"Paniga, what in the world—?"
"I'm being serious. Do you know how lonely it was without having someone I could boss around or play with?" Smirking widely, "Surely you and ataata can arrange someone like that."
"Says the person who should've had her own children by now!" the ataniq's face reddened to near-impossible shades of crimson, "Why worry about a lonely life when you got yourself a fiancé who's ready to marry you? If it's children you want, go ask Sokka!"
Fighting back her own flush, "Well you're not old enough to be a grandmother! There, I said it."
"I—"
"I'm not pressuring you or anything, but I did see you get hopeful for a split second, so don't even try to deny it, Honorable Ataniq."
Though that spark of hope was more longing and disappointment than anything else. Ahnah bit her lip, "If it really was an easy process, then maybe…We got lucky with you, paniga, but otherwise…we're basically not as blessed. We have you, and that's more than enough for us."
"I'm not sure how it was over twenty years ago, but there are more medications now than there ever were before—"
"We're not having this conversation!"
"Why are you so embarrassed?" the princess laughed at Ahnah's shocked expression. "We're like good friends, aren't we—?"
"You're my daughter, you shouldn't be giving me advice!"
"I'm just saying. Water Tribe culture always makes room for new additions to the family tree. And we've made great strides in medicine—"
"Well that's not going to help—"
"You can't say that without trying. There have been countless couples who have had difficulty conceiving for many years, and they ended up successful afterwards."
Very funny, Goddess. You won't let me care for you in your infancy, but you'll give me a child now of all times? "Alright, enough of this," Ahnah flushed. "You're my daughter, not my doctor. Especially not my gynecologist. I have a wedding to plan right now, I can't be thinking about all of this."
"So you'll think about it after the wedding—"
"I never said that."
But Yue, who considered herself a people person and had overseen countless patients throughout her young life, did not fail to recognize the gleam of intrigue in her mother's eyes. With a smile, "I'll have a couple of tonics arranged by the end of the week, then—"
"Quiet!"
"Take them only when you feel ready, of course, no pressure—"
"Spirits, that's enough—!"
"It'll likely be twice a day, preferably an hour before doing the deed—"
"Yue!"
"What? It's not like you and ataata have anything else to do for the next year—"
"Oh, heavens!" followed by a smack of a nearby pillow against the giggling princess, who evaded Ahnah's grasp and ran through the room with the embarrassed chieftess at her heels. "Get back here, you wild thing you!"
Arnook and Sokka were occupied in conversation when from the corner of his eye, the isumataq saw Imona nearly charging towards them, rage painted on her face. He stopped mid-sentence and stood up. Arnook turned and saw who Sokka was looking at, asking him, "Who is she?"
"Yue's friend," came the reply as the prince approached her, "Sister Imona, is everything okay—?"
"Where's the princess?" Imona demanded, completely ignoring the prince and directing her snarl towards Arnook, "Where is she and what did you do with her?"
Caught off guard by the utter rudeness in the woman's tone, "Are you aware of who you're speaking so disrespectfully to—?"
"I'm aware that I'm speaking to a man who doesn't have the guts to do anything about it," she snapped. "A man so removed from reality that he has no idea his daughter was almost killed last night, and like a fool, he's licking the ground walked on by her attempted murderer. You think I'm afraid of someone like you?"
To which Arnook froze, all color on his face fading away. His palms quivered; he cast a mute look of inquiry at Sokka, panicking further when he saw not refutation but nervousness instead, "What...?"
Sokka, with his eyes widened to impossible expanses, "Sister Imona, please calm down, can we talk about this in private—"
"Was there an incident?" Arnook demanded.
"Chief—"
"Sokka, was there an incident?!"
"I'll explain everything later, Chief, just please—"
"You keep your damn mouth shut," Imona hissed at the Southern prince, "I knew there was something fishy about you, I KNEW it! But our naive dronningi is too won over by your actions in the South to realize your true colors. And may I just say what a grand performance you've put on all this time. Acting like you give every fuck you have!"
Exercising great patience, "I don't know what you're talking about, Sister—"
"Don't call me that, you pathetic fuck!"
"Show your respect!" Arnook bellowed, "I don't care how close of a friend you are to my daughter, but I won't have you raise your voice against the prince. Do you know the consequences of slandering against a member of royalty—?"
"A member of royalty?!" giving an incredulous scoff, "This guy tried to murder your daughter!"
All this time, Arnook and Sokka were under the impression that she was referring to Khasiq when she referred to the princess's "attempted murderer," but this sudden false accusation caught them— especially Sokka— completely off guard. "What? What are you…? Me?"
Arnook, too, appeared confused, his heart rate nevertheless picking up the pace, "What on earth…?"
"Imona!" came a cry from a near distance. Several men and women sporting dark blue Revivalist robes were standing a short distance away. The one who called out to Imona, however, was racing up to her, his presence surprising the chieftain. Arnook faintly recognized the man to be Khasiq's son.
"You… Khasiq's your father, isn't he?" Arnook flared.
"No, Khasiq's a monster, and Junguk is the brother our dronningi never had," Sokka defended.
"I'm so sorry about this, Sokka," Junguk told the prince, turning to Arnook next, "Your Highness, my wife is mistaken about something, that's why she's overreacting—"
"Overreacting? You heard the testimonies!" Imona said to her husband before turning to the Revivalists behind them, "You all did!" Pointing an accusing finger at the isumataq, "This man is a cheat! He and his parents tried to take the princess's life!"
"Sister, you're mistaken!" Kanguq called.
"Prince Sokka wouldn't do that!" vouched another Revivalist. "Neither would his parents!"
"There has to be a misunderstanding!" said another.
Sokka shook his head fervently, "I don't know what you're all saying," turning to Imona, "What testimonies? Why would I—?!"
"What was the incident?!" Arnook nearly howled, turning to Sokka, "Sokka, what is she talking about?! What happened to my daughter—?!"
"What in the name of the Spirits is going on here?" a deep voice interrupted the group. Ivaneq, accompanied by a masked Yue, stepped out, both of them wearing looks of inquiry on their faces.
"Imona?" the princess turned to the feisty tribeswoman and her husband, "Junguk?" And upon spotting the Revivalists behind them, "Didn't you all leave for the South yet?"
To which they only stared back at her, somehow different and appearing more… attentive? Concerned, perhaps?
"Princess!" Imona sighed in relief and threw her arms around the princess, catching Yue off guard. The last time she checked, Imona knew her in her persona as the princess for barely a few days, and now, she had no qualms about hugging the princess the way she did when Yue donned her Kuunguaq persona.
"We need to get out of here," Imona said to her firmly, glaring at the chief and prince, "We need to get away from these monsters."
The confusion on Yue's face fell away with Arnook's broken look, the worry and fear in his eyes tearing him apart from the inside, "Was there an attempt on your life that I don't know about?!"
Ivaneq widened his eyes and gawked at the princess. Yue gulped, sharing a look with Sokka, who was about to say something before Arnook demanded, "Princess, I swear, if you don't tell me what exactly is going on—"
"I'll explain later, I really will—"
"Later—?! Paniga, you are going to tell us, and you're going to tell us now—"
"She probably would've told you if you gave a shit about her since the beginning!" Imona butted in, grabbing the princess's hand with a boldness that rivaled that of the tribe's patron spirits.
"You dare raise your voice against the chieftain?" Ivaneq stepped forward.
"Imona, stop it!" Junguk brought his seething wife behind him, wearing a look of infinite apology for the royals as he stood in front of his wife protectively, "I'm so, so sorry about this—"
But even as he raved on, Imona's killer glare didn't leave Sokka's direction, nor did her protective grasp of Yue's hand. The entire time, Arnook was looking at his daughter, questions bubbling up in his infuriated gaze, but Yue only responded by gesturing to the room, indicating that the chieftess was there and was to be carefully regarded.
"Ivaneq, please—"
"I'll let you know everything, sir," Ivaneq promised the chief.
Giving Yue a brief look while still addressing the Northern assistant, "Also, postpone the press conference, Ivaneq. The princess is not to meet with any outsiders under strict protocol for today. If Zei protests, throw him in prison." And with a heavy heart and a no-doubt heightened heart rate, the chief stepped back into the room, the mind-numbing drumbeat of anxiety that he'd hoped to never again experience roaring back in his ears with full force.
The meeting chamber reverberated from the details that Junguk spilled forth. Supposedly, the Revivalists, who were begrudgingly awaiting the ship intended to set course to the South, found that they couldn't go against the princess's orders to leave after learning that she had been attacked last night. Their suspicions had naturally been on Khasiq although they didn't understand why he would be stupid enough to plan something despite being currently held under investigation. Upon interrogation, however, the captured men, who all held a Southern Water Tribe accent (some of which were pulled off, some of which were obviously fake) alleged that they were hired by a furious Chief Hakoda, who had supposedly sent them to "take care of" the princess so that she wouldn't "come near the family" ever again. Given the fake nature of the accents and the high probability that this was all a setup by Khasiq, the Revivalists didn't believe any of the men. However, Imona had been hell-bent on blaming the prince and his father, citing the insensitive comments that Hakoda had made to the princess; the Revivalists, though having been sent away in the middle of that argument, had nevertheless been present for the way Hakoda disrespectfully addressed the princess. Even then, the group believed that Hakoda would never do such a thing and that this was all Khasiq's doing.
Furthering Imona's belief, however, was the fact that a few men, who had disguised themselves as guards, entered the prison premises and had apparently attempted to kill one of the arrested men. Imona had reasoned that Khasiq wouldn't have a motive for sending people to kill off his own men. She concluded that therefore, the arrested men had nothing to do with Khasiq, that such a move by Khasiq would be too stupid in the first place given he was under the White Lotus's watch, and that Hakoda likely sent the imposters so they could finish off the arrested men that he himself sent so they could be silenced.
The Revivalists felt that was still a stretch, but Imona had surprised them by later revealing the rest of the argument at the Moon Temple.
Yue stood up from her seat, eyeing the Revivalists in alarm, and yet, they continued to look at her in a manner that was more loyal and insistent than usual. She turned to Imona, "How did you know? Were you eavesdropping?"
"Yes," Imona admitted, "And I dragged Junguk with me, but that's only because we were afraid of what would happen." Glaring at Sokka, "It's him. He's the mastermind behind the attack, I know it!"
"I would never hurt the princess!" Sokka flared.
"Those idiots testified that they were sent by him and his father, Princess—!"
"Prince Sokka saved my life, Imona," Yue told her with a resolute look. "Thankfully he and the Gentleman thwarted the danger in time. They're the reasons why I'm standing here right now. If the isumataq meant to harm me, why would he consistently be looking out for me?"
"Because he's trying to win your support so he can stab you in the back! You heard his father and their family views. They don't respect you—"
"Don't go above and beyond in your imagination," Yue told her. "It may be the case that Chief Hakoda doesn't like me, but that's our personal issue, and it's not subject to others' unrelated interpretations. Chief Hakoda is not someone to go to the extent you're accusing him of. To think he would do such a thing is a grave insult to our sister tribe." Turning to the Revivalists, "You all know that Prince Sokka was never at fault. This is just a conspiracy formulated by Khasiq. He's playing all the tricks he has in his sleeve."
"We're aware of that, Your Highness," Kanguq said, "But it seems Sister Imona is having a hard time understanding that Prince Sokka is trustworthy."
"You keep blaming Khasiq," Imona said to the princess, "And that could very well be true, but I fail to understand why he would initiate an attack while he's under the White Lotus's watch, why he'd take the trouble to send his men to attack you and then send another group of men to finish off the men who attacked you."
"Because he's already arranged for something to make the White Lotus not be suspicious of him," Yue told her, extending her response to everyone else as well, "Do any of you know who's responsible for the burning of the Great Temple? It's Khasiq."
"Khasiq?" Sayen frowned, "But why would he do that?"
"Because I tore down every one of his illegal income sources. With no brothels to run, no trafficking, no respected reputation in the political sector, he had only that temple left. Destroying it would mean fundraising and pocketing the funds. And guess what? Even if he destroyed the temple, he's going to make sure word doesn't get out that it was him." Turning back to Imona, "Wouldn't that be an easy tactic for him? Do something people wouldn't expect him to do, then shift the blame away from him and profit from that? He did the same exact thing by sending those men. If the White lotus turned to him with suspicion because of course it would, he'd just tell them that he's reeling back from the tragedy at the temple, that he had nothing to do with the attack. Killing off the men was to make sure they don't have a chance of telling the truth and so that people wouldn't be suspicious of him. It would all give weight to his actual plan of shifting the blame to Chief Hakoda."
After her share of the details were made public, everyone else gawked at her whereas Imona still glared in Sokka's direction.
"Isumataq Sokka has helped me out in ways no one ever has," Yue said. "He has shown nothing but care and loyalty and deep friendship. A mere allegation raised by Khasiq's men isn't going to change the respect I have for him." Turning to Imona, "I understand you're worried, and I know that it's hard for you to accept people right away, but I'll have you know that I won't have anyone judge his character."
Sokka swallowed, the burden on his chest lifting and leaving behind relief.
"And let me just say that I'm not dumb," Yue turned to the Revivalists, "I know you all used this as an excuse to stay behind. But let me tell you this: If it really is true that I treated you all as a mother would treat her children, you will listen to what I say and be on your way instead of imagining things or being willing to lay down your lives."
"It's because you're like another mother to us that we refuse to abandon you," Sanka told her. "The rest of us know this is a setup by Khasiq, and there's no doubt that we trust no one but Prince Sokka to do justice to this bodyguard position, but we are still not willing to leave you. You may be our leader, but that doesn't mean you have the authority to choose how we want to live our lives."
"So you're just going to go against my orders like that?"
"What, did you think convincing us to leave would be as easy as switching characters?" Sayen interjected.
And at that, Yue froze, her eyes growing wide. Sokka gawked at the Revivalists, also shocked.
"What…what are you talking about—" but Yue was cut off when Imona stepped forward and took off her headscarf and mask, revealing Yue to the group members, who had all been dying to catch a glimpse of her face ever since Imona raved to them about Yue, who she really was, what her deepest truths were with regard to her change of personas.
And needless to say, they were not disappointed in the very least. Tears filled many gazes as they took in the sight of their leader, princess, and servant friend. Three different identities merged into one.
"Looking like a goddess doesn't count as an adequate security measure," Imona said, being one of the first to recover. "You may look like Tui. You may even be Tui. And even if you prove to us that you're immortal, we're not leaving your side. Don't you get it? All this time you've been with us and deliberately didn't say anything. You turned us all into fools for the sake of keeping us alive all these years. You split your life into different directions just so we could all live peacefully with our families. You protected us, dammit! And we're not allowed to do even a fraction of that protecting in return?!"
Yue turned away, feeling entirely and utterly exposed.
"We'll be careful, Kuunnguaq…Princess…" Sayen choked out. "We'll have more guards around the mansion. We'll think twice about every step we take before moving forward. We promise you we'll be alive and with you. But we can't have you be attacked again. You're family to us, Kuunguaq, you can't just drive us away and expect us to be happy!"
The frown on Yue's face did not change. Without a word, she stepped out of the room, throwing the hood of her cloak over her head.
"Kuunnguaq!"
"Princess!"
Their voices ceased to follow her after a while, but the prince's footsteps were right behind her all the way.
"I have no idea how they figured it all out. I promise."
Yue lifted her arm from above her forehead and looked at Sokka, "I know it wasn't you. Imona was on my toes. Somehow she figured it out. I just don't know how."
Swallowing, "Why didn't you tell me?
"About what?"
"That those idiots who attacked you said they were sent by me and my dad?"
"Because it was nonsense, and I didn't believe them," she said in a matter-of-fact manner. "Your father might be sexist, but he wouldn't go that far. He's not the type of person to do that." Adding further, "You wouldn't go that far, either. Even if you hated me, you wouldn't have done something like that."
"And why would I hate you, huh?" he frowned.
"I'm not saying you do. I'm just telling you that you and your family have nothing to do with this. This is all a conspiracy on Khasiq's end. He's targeting you and your family because he thinks I'm dumb enough to believe whatever blame gets thrown at you. That I would fire you after that. And with you out of the palace, it would be easier for him to get to me."
Sokka said nothing but definitely lost himself in thought. She seemed to read him for a moment before saying, "I would've said this even if I didn't know about his plans to destroy the Great Temple. I know you're not that kind of person, and I also trust that your father isn't someone who's willing to take the life of someone he hates." With a dry chuckle, "Besides, the hate he has for me is rather strange. He appreciates my appearance, but he also hates me so much that he doesn't even want to waste his time hating me. That would mean he has to think about me. And when he thinks about me, he's reminded of the Moon Temple, the fact that I support the Akna. And then he ends up thinking about the Akna, who's supposedly his worst nightmare."
It made Sokka feel disgusted with his household as a whole because she was exactly right. "I really don't think the same way he does, dronningi—"
"Sokka, why are you explaining yourself to me right now? I know."
He didn't say anything, still chewing on his lower lip, anger and helplessness swimming in his frown.
Yue took a deep breath and sat up on her pelt cushion, patting the space next to her. He joined her, wearing a miserable look, "Dronningi, I would never hurt you, I really—"
The hand on his shoulder urged him to stop. "Sokka…I'm never going to forget how you came looking for me last night. Even with that horrible stab wound." A worried frown, "I might not be able to reveal to the world that you're the Gentleman because that would put you in a vulnerable position. But I do know that if it wasn't for you, things could've ended very badly. I wouldn't have been alive to meet my mother, that's for sure—"
"Don't talk like that," he stopped her. "I'm just glad you're okay."
She smiled at him, ruffling his hair with her palm, "If you ever feel doubtful of whether I trust you or not— honestly, I hope you never have doubts about that, but if you find that you do— just remember that I wouldn't have agreed to our arrangement if I didn't trust you." With a sigh, "If I'm willing to play this kind of pretend with someone…just know that it would require a lot of trust. Because at this point, it's safe to say that what I fear more than death itself sometimes is marriage"
The last part was definitely not something he wanted to hear, but he nevertheless appreciated that she was comfortable with him. It was definitely a start, right?
Aang and Katara were not sure why they were summoned so urgently by Chief Arnook, but they knew it had to be for an important reason. When they were secretly introduced to Chieftess Ahnah, they figured this was the reason why they were called in. They had no idea, however, that this was only the less-shocking revelation during their visit.
"If it's a matter of confidentiality, you can completely trust us, Chief," Aang said.
"It would be our honor to do whatever is necessary to keep Ataniq Ahnah safe," Katara followed.
"That's the least of my worries right now, Daughter," Ahnah said, giving Arnook a brief look before turning to the duo, "We need your cooperation with something highly important. This concerns my daughter's future…but also your brother's."
"Did Sokka do something that…?" Aang began.
"No, no. It's just…you both know of how he and Yue are both engaged, right?"
Katara frowned worriedly, "Are you saying you want to cancel it?"
"No," Arnook took a deep breath. "I'm saying we should get them married right away. As in tonight. What do you say?"
A/N: Long chapter, but I had to set things up!