"There's no more — blanok?" Zuko says, standing in front of the cupboard. He has been getting his own food for the last few days. Water, he gets from Yue. Melting snow is an arduous task and he can't as effectively get the ash out of it. He hates the taste of ash and it only serves as a reminder of his nation and their defeat not too long ago.
Yue giggles. "I think you mean bannock?"
"… Bannock. Yes, that's what I mean." Zuko intones, eyes glancing to the side. He has figured out that Yue didn't mean to make fun of him, but can't help feeling sensitive.
"I'll fill up some water glasses and then it's time for me to get supplies again. Anything you want?"
Zuko is surprised that she bothered to ask. "More bannock?"
Yue laughs again. "I was already planning on that. I'll get more flavours this time if Mrs. Huemodo has them."
"… Thanks." Zuko says, making a bit of an effort. It feels wrong. Yue stills for a moment, almost imperceptibly.
"You're welcome," she says, warmth flooding her voice. Zuko leaves the kitchen area abruptly, brushing past her. He lays down on top of his blankets. A few minutes later he hears the door open, and then close, footsteps leading away.
Yue leaves her thick royal overcoat by the spirit oasis and and pulls her hair into a low braid. She smooths the loose strands behind her ears. She loved her hair, but it was a bit too recognizable. Walking through the city, there are more people just walking around, doing errands. Much more of the rebuilding has been completed. Yue's heart pangs. She wonders if she — or Tui, really — would have had the power to rebuild everything much faster. Almost definitely. Mrs. Huemodo is out when Yue passes. She will come back later.
There is a backdoor to the palace. Yue finds it and slips through. She finds that the council is meeting. They don't know that she is alive, so Yue creeps past the guard to her parents chambers. And Yue waits, and waits, and waits…
A/N: I can't make Yue waiting sound interesting so just imagine that she like meditated and thought of old memories and how things had changed blah blah blah for a few hours until her parents come to their chambers after the council meetings and whatever Yue's mother was doing. They don't actually name her in the show, which is why I've named her here (I briefly mentioned her in the first chapter) and will try to give her some characterization and thoughts etc etc
The door slides open. It makes a "shhhh" sound because it is made of snow, somehow. And ice, probably. The author of this fic isn't an engineer. Kellora steps in, Chief Arnook behind her.
"Daughter!" She cries, running towards Yue, taking her in her arms. Yue firmly embraces her back. "I've missed you in your absence."
"As have I," says Chief Arnook, Yue's father, wrapping his arms around his family. Yue squeezes her eyes tight.
"Are you here to stay?' Kellora asks, pulling back a little.
"… Not yet. I'm sorry." Yue says. Her mother sighs but nods in understanding.
"Do you at least have time to ease Zivraq's worries? As well as his son's, Hahn?"
The reminder settles into Yue's mind. She tenses as she realizes she feels Tui is against it.
(Spirits don't marry. We bond.)
I can't say no right now, Yue thinks, not outright.
"I will talk to them," Yue says. "But I don't know how marriage would work, as I am fused with Tui now."
The Chief thinks for a moment. "One day, perhaps, you will ascend to the spirit world. But for now, you are here, with us, and we need you to carry on our legacy for a new generation of waterbenders." He refers to bearing children with Hahn so that their first male child will be chief after him.
Yue doesn't know how to disagree. Tui does. Tui doesn't push Yue to in that moment, knowing that Yue is trying her best.
"Okay." Yue smiles weakly.
"Excellent. I will call for them, as well as for Ukoni and Kunadu, they will be happy to see you and they can fix your hair."
Too soon, Kellora draws away from her daughter. "I will walk with you to your chambers." She says. Arnook squeezes Yue's shoulder before leaving to call for Zivraq, Hahn, Ukoni, and Kunadu.
A/N: Quick side note, I completely forgot that igloos exist and the shelter that Yue and Zuko are staying in would most likely be one of those *facepalms*. Ahh just something to change whenever I go through and thoroughly edit this fic lmao
Ukoni and Kunadu enter the princesses chambers. They barely manage to politely bow before embracing Yue like she was much younger again. Yue embraces them tightly.
"Oh, we knew you were alive. You had to be!" Ukoni exclaimed.
"I'm sorry I left," Yue says.
"No need to apologize. You did whatever you had to," Kunadu tells her.
"Though, perhaps if you could have avoided worrying your poor mother sick, that would have been appreciated. Eh?" Ukoni glances at Kellora, who smiles.
"Yes, that would have been nice," she says.
"I will keep that in mind," Yue grins.
Yue's hair is brushed and styled meticulously after her mother leaves them. Yue feels like she had been put back into the role of Princess of the Norther Water Tribe, and it did not seem so right any more. Tui was buried somewhere inside of her, made small. Yue stares at herself in the mirror as Ukoni and Kunadu carefully scrape away the dead skin under her cuticles, filing away the length into neat ovals.
"Daughter, Zivraq and Hahn are waiting in the council's meeting room." Arnook leans into her room.
"I am coming," Yue says. Kunadu was only just fussing with her hair. Yue stands and embraces Ukoni and Kunadu before following her father. Ukoni and Kunadu fall into step behind her like nothing had changed.
Zivraq is tapping his foot against the floor. Hahn is staring at the ceiling. It spells a picture: impatience.
"I apologize for the delay… and circumstances, but here is Yue!" Arnook apologizes to the father-son pair.
"Yes…" Zivraq says drily. "At least, she is here now, my son's lovely fiancée." He lightly bows to Yue, as does Hahn. Yue is not required to bow to them, but seeing as she had inconvenienced them and her father, she thinks it best to offer that to them.
"I apologize as well for the circumstances," Yue says. "Things have been rather complicated lately."
"How?" Hahn asks, scoffing. Yue's eyes widen. Arnook laughs awkwardly, trying to relieve the tension Hahn caused. He claps a hand onto his back.
"Well, during the invasion Yue was captured, briefly. We managed to get her back, but unfortunately she was gravely injured and we did not want to worry everyone with that news."
Hahn's gaze shifts to Yue. "It was probably that southern jerk, Sokka, was it? Who let you be captured by the Fire Nation. He should have had no assignment after I kicked him off of my pack. The Ice-Wolves should have stayed with only my hand-picked Ice-Wolves."
"It wasn't Sokka's fault!" Yue exlaims, a bit too harshly. She didn't need the reminder that he probably thought that he let her die.
"What Yue means to say, is that no one is at fault here. We all tried our best." Arnook attempts to smooth things over.
Hahn laughs. "Sure. Whatever you say." Yue's eyes narrow but she doesn't say anything further.
"What is important is that you young ones are engaged and will marry soon, yes?" Zivraq asks, raising his eyebrows pointedly.
"Yes, a celebration is in order and what better than one celebrating new life, and our youth?" Chief Arnook agrees. Yue remains silent. "Once rebuilding is complete and we can celebrate properly, it shall be done."
Zivraq nods in agreement, nudging Hahn to do the same.
The Chief claps his hands together. "Excellent!"
Chief Arnook and Zivraq then decide that it would be prudent to show Yue and Hahn to the citizens of the water tribe that evening at the banquet. It would be relatively simple, but ideal for raising morale and proving it to themselves that they would be okay. The Avatar had just been there! Like water, they would be fluid and adapt to the oncoming hardships and survive. That was what was important. Yue doesn't feel ready for a banquet, but did admit to herself that she wished to see her people again, to bring them hope. Tui shifted inside of her. Having lived in the Northern Water Tribe for so long, Tui had grown an affinity to the people and did not like to see them suffer. Tui and La had helped the Avatar send out the Fire Nation, had they not?
Yue's thoughts drift to Zuko as she walks with Hahn, whose father had decided that the pair must "re-connect" in order to put their best foot forwards with the tribe. Yue didn't tell Zuko how long she would be gone for, so he would most likely assume that she would be back in a few hours. It had already been a few hours and as every second ticked he could be growing suspicious. Or anxious, if Yue dared to hope. Yue was quite sure that Zuko still hated her, and was only being civil as long as Yue was helpful to him and he had no way out of the arctic land. It was too bad, seeing as she felt like she was starting to get attached to the angry prince. They could have been friends, perhaps, in another life. If there was a world in which there was no war, diplomatic trips could have brought them together. Alas, that was not the case.
"And so, that's why I was unable to kill the guy," Hahn explains how it was not his fault at all that he was thrown overboard the Fire Nation ship he had boarded with the intention of assassinating their commander.
"Zhao, wasn't it?" Yue chimes in. She remembers Sokka describing him.
"Something like that, it doesn't really matter." Hahn brushes off Yue's comment. Yue makes sure not to sigh audibly.
"Sounds like you had an exciting battle," Yue comments. "I mostly helped with the injured."
"If your father had listened to me we wouldn't have had any injured. A princess shouldn't be reduced to helping the weak."
"Well, I don't think that the children could help being… weak," Yue offers a soft rebuttal.
"I suppose." Hahn sighs. "So how did the Fire Nation grab you?"
Yue blinks. She was not a practiced liar, mostly because she never lied. "— I was going back to the palace because the battle was worsening and they told me to leave in case the healer's area was overrun, that's when we came across a group of Fire Nation soldiers and they they thought I looked important so they attacked us and managed to subdue my guards and drag me off towards their ship."
"You shoudn't have been out there." Hahn shakes his head, looking at Yue out of the corner of his eye.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have left in the first place, the healers didn't get overrun."
Hahn looks sharply at Yue. "And what do you know of battle and avoiding capture?"
Yue looks down. Considering she is fused with a spirit milennia old… she knows a great deal more than Hahn does. She considers telling Hahn that this was also his first battle, but decides against it. She must keep him happy, above her own hurt feelings.
"Next battle, I will listen to your advice," she says. Hahn nods in approval, chest puffing out a bit too much.
"As long as we are clear on that," Hahn says. "I will see you at the banquet in a bit?" He asks.
"Yes. I am happy to display our perseverence to my people."
"Our people, yes." Hahn bows too quickly to truly be respectful before leaving. Yue lets it slide.
The banquet is simple. There are no performers, only food eaten in solemn appreciation for the life lost and the life still breathing. There are scrapes and bruises visible on everyone. Bandaged appendages are common, blistering red burn marks peaking out from the edges. Somehow, despite all this, they smile when they see Yue. She asks constantly for them to not bow to her, to not stress themselves, to let her bow deeply to them for all they've given and all they've managed to protect. She bows lowest for the children.
Hahn doesn't follow her example, gaining a few curious glances from the people. Yue tries to ignore him, the boy standing beside her, too close. He tries to guide her, his hand on her lower back. Yue tries not to stiffen when he does so, but can't help a bit of a grimace from reaching her face. She rejoins her parents, sitting cross-legged. Hahn is seated next to her, having been formally introduced as her fiancé and future chief or father of the chief, depending on Yue's father's lifespan.
The banquet ends relatively early into the night. People are tired, and need their rest. Yue thanks everyone as they leave, bowing to them all once again. Most won't not bow back, but have compromised by perhaps not bowing as much as they normally would. A child gives Yue a drawing, which Yue happily recieves, kneeling onto the floor to embrace them as they — with enough reckless abandon to embarass their mother — jump into her arms. Yue just laughs and squeezes them tight, telling them that she loves their artwork.
Yue thanks Ukoni and Kunadu before dismissing them for the night, telling them that they should be with their families during this time. She talks with Dorak briefly before he leaves. She tells him that she does not need him to bend her kayak through the city like usual, that his work rebuilding the city is important and that they need such talented benders. Lastly, she thanks Hahn and his parents for coming. Her shoulders begin to slouch once everyone has left the banquet hall.
"My beautiful daughter, I believe it did the people a world of good to see you safe and with Hahn," Chief Arnook says, hand on her shoulders.
"It was wonderful to see them, and to talk with them again. It sounds like rebuilding is going quite well, all things considered," Yue remarks.
"Yes, it is going well," he says. "Though, it would be nice if Hahn would help out more…" he mutters. Yue doesn't comment. Kellora walks over to the pair and hugs Yue briefly.
"Can you stay tonight?" She asks.
Yue looks down. "No, I have.. things to do still."
Kellora sighs. "I am proud of you, you know that, right?"
"Yes, and I am grateful for it." Yue feels awkward. Yes, she is still figuring out things with Tui, but she is also helping to heal Zuko, the enemy prince. Her father would most certainly love to have the Fire Lord's son as a hostage. He won't find out about Zuko though, not if she can help it.
Yue needs food, soap, more bandages, an antiseptic cream, processed blubber for the oil lamp, and a razor. The razor is for Zuko's head, since he presumably shaves it. Yue doesn't know if he would still want to, due to the cold in the arctic, but grabs it anways. Everyone has gone home, so she has no reason to sneak around through the kitchen pantry or healers stores. Only her family is inside the palace as well and a few guards are posted outside as a precautionary measure.
Yue says farewell to her parents before slipping out the back door she came in and making her way to the spirit oasis where she retrieves her thick overcoat and makes her way up the tall ladder to reach the land behind the Water Tribe city.
Yue doesn't notice the prying eyes that saw her slip into the spirit oasis and then followed to see her climbing up the ladder.
Yue doesn't notice Hahn, but Hahn notices her.
A/N: Cliffhanger alert! I'm so sorry... not :D
So this is a longer chapter. I was going to make it even longer but I'm already a day late so I figured I'd just end it on a juicy cliffhanger. The plot is moving again and we're going to see what Hahn does next and then what Yue does!
As always, please let me know what you think! I really enjoy reading comments and it's motivation to continue writing this every week!