A gigantic fleet of Fire Navy ships lies under Zhao's command. Broiler room workers fire up the engines at his behest and huge plumes of black smoke and ash and soot spill out of the ships, creating a suffocating smog for miles around. Nearly all wildlife swam well away from the forboding ships. The clanging of metal and burning of coal hurts their ears and made it hard to breathe, even under the water. Zhao stands proudly at the helm of the largest ship, Iroh behind him.
"My fleet is ready. Set a course for the Northern Water Tribe."
Yue steps confidently towards her father, her attendants in step behind her as usual. He is discussing something with his spiritual advisor Nokkon. Yue first bows respectfully towards Nokkon, as he is technically the highest regarded person in the Northern Water Tribe, not the Chief. Then she bows towards her father. They both bow back.
"Nokkon," Yue begins, suddenly a bit nervous, but steeling herself to pull through with her wishes. "If I could borrow father for a minute?" Nokkon smiles and bows again.
"Of course, Princess. We will talk later," he says to her father. They both bow to Nokkon again as he leaves the pair.
"What's this about, Yue?"
"About my betrothal..." Yue begins. "I would like to ask that the wedding isn't too soon. I do not think that it is right that we might take away from fighting the war when its end is nearing, with the Avatar returning."
"My sweet daughter. I understand your trepidation. But you must remember that with the war potentially reaching its end... the risks increase that something may... happen and in that case, the tribe needs a Chief."
"Yes, I understand father, and I'm not asking for a long time... just a little more than what I have now." Yue presses her lips together. She had not thought of that and was saddened that her father already had. But he was the Chief, he had to know such things.
"I will try to honour your request as best I can but remember that we must do what is best for the tribe." The Chief warns.
"Of course. Please think about my request." Yue pleads. Her father's eyes soften. They bow to each other and Yue returns to her room.
"I think that I will just study in my room until supper. You may go for now." Yue dismisses Ukoni and Kunadu who bow before leaving. Yue sinks down to the floor and closes her eyes. Her eyes well up with tears but she does not let them fall. No, this wasn't worth her tears. She leans her head against the door and looks upwards. Tui, La, give me the strength to serve my people as a true Water Tribe Princess. She stays there for a while before deciding enough was enough. Yue rises from the ground and walks to her private porch. Meditation always made her feel better and would help her sort out her thoughts and emotions. She settles into a cross-legged seated position on the floor and closes her eyes...
Zuko turns over roughly as Shozu just would not stop blabbering on like a curly-tailed bluenose about spirits know what. Zuko shoves his head further under the blankets.
"I'm going to sleep," he announces.
"Alrighty then. Even though I was in the middle of a pretty exciting story about the last time I bought a shirt... hey do you want me to wake you up tomorrow? I can, you know. I wake up early. And whenever I hear a noise. I don't sleep as much as I should, according to my mother. And also my last couple of bunkmates now that I think of it..." Shozu drones on. Zuko sincerely wishes he had a pair of earplugs so that he didn't need to hear another word out of Shozu's mouth. Or even Zhao's. Zuko was part of the guard to his meeting room that afternoon and had to listen to him act all sorry and regretful that he hadn't been able to rescue Zuko from his so-called "awful fiery death". Zuko's temperature rises just thinking about it.
Tomorrow. Zuko relaxes as he lets the thought sink through his mind. Tomorrow, we reach the North Pole and I will finally fulfill my destiny. That day he had finally felt like he had been successfully integrated into the ship and no one gave him weird glances or forgot his name. Lee. Also, he had found out from listening to the captain of the ship that they would be at the North Pole tomorrow. Most likely by noon. Zuko had instantly begun figuring out his plot to escape the ship unseen. This was a challenge as not only he would have to escape, but he had to make sure that while rearranging guard times he didn't accidentally bump into a member of his crew that Zhao had apparently taken all onto his personal ship. Zuko clenches his jaw. He didn't know how he would get into the city, but he would worry about that later. For now, he just had to worry about getting off the ship the following day by making sure no guards were around as he stole a lifeboat and paddled off to beat Zhao and return home.
Yue leans on the handrail overlooking the canal. The water is still as it reflects the moon perfectly. Yue can't help but admire its beauty even as her guilt about her betrothal seeps back into her. She hunches over as she hears footsteps run up the winding staircase. Sokka —he was so sweet, how could she do this to him?— slides up next to her.
"Hi, Princess Yue." He sticks out a hand. Yue looks at it. It's a... carving of a... bear? Just a bear? "I made you something. I carved it myself."
"It's a bear," she states.
"Actually, it's a fish, see it has a fin." Sokka happily explains, though a bit embarrassed by his carving skills. He was much better with a boomerang.
"Oh." Yue blinks. She can't even recognize a fish right. She can't hold back her feelings as the guilt and shame courses into her. "I'm sorry! I made a mistake. I shouldn't have asked you to come here!" Yue breaks down as she turns and runs from Sokka. Her shoes crunch on the snow as she runs all the way back to her room. She prays that the servants don't talk and she isn't questioned about it tomorrow. She throws herself into bed and sobs until she falls asleep.
The next morning holds meetings and discussions on her father's council. She is more reserved than she usually is and if her father notices, he doesn't mention it. She is thankful. Yue holds a piece of snow in her hands and focuses on the cold as the day grows long into the night. It melts and runs down her hands. So little, that no one can see. She squeezes her hand tightly and the last droplet of water runs down her hand. Now all she is is cold. Stop being so melodramatic, Yue.
"Chief, Princess, the Avatar and Master Pakku demand a meeting. Apparently, there was some kind of dispute about training his friend." Yue perks her ears up at the guard's words.
"Hmm. Very well. Show them in," her father says. Yue shifts slightly next to her father and the tribe's council members. They are all kneeling on the raised dais at the front of the grand throne room. The daily business had nearly been done and they were about to move onto the implications that the Avatar being there might hold. The young pacifist could bring the war closer to them.
The guards stationed at the end of the throne room open the large doors. The Avatar, the southern girl, Sokka, and Pakku storm in. They must be protesting against the rules. They look quite freshly angry despite training happening early in the morning and the current time being much later in the afternoon -evening, almost.
"Chief Arnook." The Avatar bows. Master Pakku and the southern girl bow as well. "I was showing Katara some waterbender moves that I learned today and —!"
"Disrespected me and our entire culture," Pakku finishes dryly. The council members titter. Master Pakku was held in high esteem and while he was the Avatar... tradition was tradition for a reason. What reason? Yue thinks briefly. She looks at Sokka, who is standing next to his sister and the Avatar. What reason...
"I had thought that me teaching Katara would be different from asking Master Pakku to do it himself. I was not trying to be disrespectful."
"Yeah, Aang didn't mean it! And he still needs to master waterbending and now Pakku won't even teach him!" Katara steps forward, still heated. Master Pakku seems resolute, stonily staring ahead. The Water Tribe is adaptable and flexible... except when it comes to tradition.
"What do you want me to do? Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?" Chief Arnook says.
"Yes - please!" Katara pleads.
"I suspect he might change his mind if you swallow your pride and apologize to him." Yue glances at Pakku, she can't see a visible change in his face but she suspects he agrees with her father's words. Katara hates the idea of apologizing. She looks to Aang and then back at Master Pakku.
"Fine."
Master Pakku smiles smugly. "I'm waiting, little girl." Wrong move, Yue thinks.
"No! No way am I apologizing to a sour old man like you!" Katara snaps. Her hands ball up into fists and she slams them down, the ice floor cracks under her along with the pots of water at each end of the dais the council along with Yue and her father sat on. The water spills out of them, flooding across the floor.
"Uh, Katara..." The young Avatar has noticed and anxiously tries to bring down his friends temper.
"I'll be outside - if you're man enough to fight me!" Katara challenges, before storming outside. Yue gasps along with the other council members. Did she really just—? Seems to be their collective thought.
"I'm sure she didn't mean that," Aang says hastily, attempting to de-escalate the situation.
"Yeh, I think she did." Sokka shrugs. Yue doesn't doubt him. He ought to know his sister and with the look on Katara's face as she left, Yue knows what that meant. The pair turn and take off after Katara.
Outside, Yue waits at the top of the second flight of stairs with her father and the council as Pakku ambles down the rest of the way. He pointedly ignores Katara, who has removed her outer coat in preparation.
"So, you decided to show up?" Pakku continues walking. "Aren't you gonna fight?" Katara demands.
"Go back to the healing hits with the other women where you belong." At this, Katara angrily draws a long thin whip of water out of the ground and snakes it out, hitting Pakku squarely on his neck. He stops and turns towards the girl.
"Fine. You want to learn to fight so bad, study closely!" He shouts as he bends a large stream of water straight at her. Katara leaps through it, freezing it into tiny ice daggers that cut into the ground. Pakku bends more water and creates a ringed wall around the two of them, forcing Katara closer.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you!" Pakku mocks. Katara grits her teeth and swings out an arm, knocking the water off course and out of her way where it hits Sokka, knocking him backwards. Yue forgets herself and runs after him. He had slammed into a wall and was rubbing his forehead when she reached him.
"Are you all right?!" She asks.
"Huh? OH, oh yeahhh, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." He refuses her help getting up, turning his face away from her. "How's Katara doing?" He asks. Yue looks back and sees her almost manage to knock Pakku down.
"She's doing good. Really well, actually."
"Well, when Katara wants to do something, she does it." Sokka sighs. They walk back to where they were standing before. Yue feels a bit awkward being so close to the young man, but she thinks she likes it. She hates herself for it. She looks back at the fighting, and sees it coming to a close as Pakku traps Katara in a mess of ice spikes.
"This fight is over." Pakku walks past Katara.
"Come back here! I'm not finished yet!" Katara yells.
"Yes, you are." Pakku says, before stopping suddenly and bending over. He picks something up off the ground. Yue squints. It's a betrothal necklace. Yue's hand unconsciously goes to the one around her neck.
"This is my necklace!" Pakku exclaims in wonderment. But Pakku isn't married, is he? Yue thinks. Engaged at one point though.
"No, it's not, it's mine! Give it back!"
"I made this sixty years ago - for the love of my life." Pakku sounds far away. The ice that is entrapping Katara melts. "For Kana."
"My Gran-Gran was supposed to marry you?"
Pakku gazes down at the necklace. "I carved this necklace for your grandmother when we got engaged. I thought we would have a long, happy life together. I loved her."
"But she didn't love you, did she? It was an arranged marriage." At arranged marriage Yue's eyes well up.
"Gran-Gran wouldn't let your tribe's stupid customs run her life. That's why she left. It must have taken a lot of courage." Yue bursts out in tears and takes off.
Tears stream down her face as she tears through the city. Sobbing, she barely manages to find her way. Suddenly it all comes down on her. Marriage to Hahn and her heart being torn in two between her people and Sokka. It had been so clear earlier! Why did everything have to be all these shades of grey with no clear lines anywhere! Yue hears footsteps approach and she closes her eyes tight.
"What do you want from me?" Everyone wanted something from her. Power, her hand, to be perfect... it just never ended.
"Nothing. I just want you to know, I think you're beautiful... and, I never thought a girl like you would even notice a guy like me." Sokka began.
"You don't understand." She couldn't, she just couldn't, lead him on anymore.
"No, no see, that's the thing. I think I do understand now. You're a princess, and I... I'm just a southern peasant," he says sadly. No, no no! That wasn't it!
"No, Sokka..."
"It's okay. You don't have to say anything." Sokka turns to leave. "I'll see ya around, okay?" Yue feels her heart stop as she grabs Sokka and kisses him. She tries not to lean into the kiss, even as his lips are soft and inviting. She pulls away at the last second and looks away, not trusting herself to look him in the eye.
"Okay, now I'm really confused! Happy - but confused!" Sokka says, shocked. Sokka's hands clutch hers.
"I do like you! A lot. But, we can't be together - and not for the reason you think. It's because..." Yue suppresses a shudder as she pulls down the collar of her coat to reveal her betrothal necklace. "I'm engaged. I'm sorry!" Yue runs away again like a coward until she gets back to her room where she cries until there's nothing left inside. How could this get any worse?
Iroh and Zhao stand on deck. Zhao grips the metal handrail as the wind whips at his face like it's trying to protect the Northern Water Tribe from the large fleet of Fire Nation ships under his control. All of them waiting for his command as he goes with the Fire Lord's blessing. Zuko's previous crew all under his command. Zhao had had them be assigned to his ship personally. He wanted to see their faces and imagine Zuko snarling and filled with rage as he captures the Avatar —Zuko's prize— and takes him before the Fire Lord and seals the boy's fate to being exiled, banished from the Fire Nation forever. Perhaps dying young out on the great ocean where oh, oh so many accidents happen. Iroh's mouth is set in a hard line behind Zhao as if he knows his thoughts and itches for betrayal.
"My fleet is ready. Set a course for the Northern Water Tribe." Zhao commands. Iroh doesn't bow before leaving his side to inform the helmsman. He prays for Zuko as the ocean seems to roar as all the Fire Navy ships fire up their engines. The dense, black fog around the ships grows denser, choking out the sun.