Chapter 8: Northward
The steamer arranged for the chief's family was about to depart very soon. It would coincide with the departure of a few cruisers of the other nations, all of which are also headed for the Global Conference in the North. It was estimated that they would reach their destination in one week thanks to having enough amenities for a nearly nonstop trip as well as efficient waterbenders (plenty within each ship) to speed the journey along. The rest of the international ships, however, would remain in Southern premises for the Revival Project that was to send its representatives to other Southern villages, all left under the care of Kanna and Pakku, who have become the official bosses of the South in the temporary absence of the chief and chieftess. As figures of authority, they were already caught up in organizing their new hectic schedule and speaking with the security officers prepared to accompany Hakoda and family. In the meantime, Katara and Kya were focused on getting all of their belongings into the ships (to think of how much their modest luggage tripled overnight). As all such preparations were being made and seas of tribesmen swerved onto the docks, Ivaneq and the other Northern delegates approached the Southern chief.
"We need to depart soon, Chief Hakoda."
"Yes, yes, of course." The chief looked around for his oldest son and saw that he was several feet away. The prince was stepping away from the crowd and heading in the direction opposite of the docks, wrapping a hand around his space sword at his belt. "Sokka! We need to get on board!"
"Just a minute!" Sokka hurried his way to the igloo for the umpteenth time, tossing out the excuse that he forgot something. He hoped that this time around, there won't be anyone there with nearly the entire city situated around the ships. Fortunately, not even a servant was to be seen.
Perfect.
He raced over to the room towards the eastern corner and spilled into the sitting area, where several mats and pelts were stacked to one side while others were spread over an ice bench. He took a moment to look around, and after double-checking to make sure he was alone, he knelt down beneath the hanging pelt cushions and reached for a box. Gran Gran's sewing box.
"Alright, Socks, let's do this."
It was the only gift idea he could think of after spending several wee hours of the morning wondering what the princess might like. It wasn't like they had anything considerably nice independent of what was brought in from the North and other places, and the only thing that the South really possessed at this point was the arts and crafts sector in its decades-long efforts to sell artwork to neighboring cities. So the young warrior had eventually decided on bracelet-making. It didn't help, however, that Kya and Kanna had already been up and about, waking up the household for the big trip before he could sneak out, sieve through Gran Gran's box, and take his time reviewing the procedures. Bracelet-making wasn't an impossible task, was it? He used to watch Aunt Nagara and other women make bracelets when he was much younger, and it didn't seem to be so complicated despite him never attempting it. He did pick up on a little bit of weaving, though, since he helped make baskets before his trading missions. Despite his fondness for crafts, the people around him generally didn't recognize his self-proclaimed expertise. Claiming his style was "unique" as they tried holding back their laughter, they ended up snickering away his creativity no matter the extent of his efforts. After his first voyage, he found that he had neither the time nor the convenience to prove them wrong and fix his dyslexic agenda.
But for once, he didn't let those things bother him. His ego, too, was accommodating such developments. She got him a really nice gift, so why not return the favor? There's nothing wrong with being nice. And it wasn't like he would have the chance to give the gift directly to her despite his curiosity; protocol meant that no one would be allowed to go near her, and any gifts must most likely be sent to her via servant upon servant upon guard upon security official upon trusted servant.
He broke into the box and realized to his dismay that there was nothing in it save for a few loose pieces of string. "Hey, where's the stuff?" He looked around the bench and saw nothing, but he did spot a fairly large trunk placed in the opposite corner of the room. He lifted the lid, realizing that the sewing materials made up the entire trunk. How was it possible for a sewing kit to become so complicated overnight?
The princess. Of course.
It seemed that the trunk was specialized for sewing material purposes, for it held several different compartments contrary to the regular single-compartment trunk used to hold other items. The large central compartment in this trunk was reserved for craft scrolls, instruction pamphlets, and several tiny, thick booklets housing different design ideas. Apart from that were four other sections, each one lavishly divided to fit the materials under four "collections"— Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomad collections. So many varieties of beads and threads and silks, clips and clasps and hooks, needles of many different sizes, chains and pendants.
On one level, it felt off-putting that he was making her a gift from the very luxuries she had arranged for, but he still valued the thoughtfulness in making something by oneself rather than spending very few seconds at a bazaar picking something out from a crowded stall. On another level, he knew close to nothing about this woman, so where was the guarantee that she'll like what he chose to do? Which kind of beads would she favor? White would match her robes, at least, but what color would she like the most? No one must have asked her such things if they didn't even know of her. No guarantee that they'll ask her now, either, with so many rules and regulations.
"Bet they don't even ask her about her favorite food," he mumbled, distracted by thought. "What if all she got was food she didn't like and no one knew it? Could she tell people if she didn't like it? Did the servants even know about her when they brought her food all these years? Or were they just told to leave random food by some door twice a day? What if she got hungry in the middle of the night or something? What if she wanted a snack—?"
Stop rambling and do the job.
Right. He quickly skimmed through one of the craft books and eyed the different designs. Some floral, some resembling waterfalls, some like full moons or crescents (particularly the Water Tribe collection). There were several kinds of beads made of wood (supposedly from basil trees) and tinted in saffron dyes, denoting Air Nomad influence. So many ideas for a simple bracelet. The beads were all so pretty-looking, and he hadn't been prepared for this.
Ugh, I don't have time for this.
So he grabbed hold of the entire trunk, deciding to take it with him and bear the pain of lugging it around. "Sorry, Gran, but this is for a good cause—"
"IN THE NAME OF LA!"
"AAH!" The warrior toppled backward over the chest, its rough edges grazing against his side. Looming over him with a wolf mask was his little brother accompanied by Isuq and Ping. Both smiled at the brothers in amusement.
"Ha, I got you!" Kohana laughed in Sokka's face.
"You guys trying to give me a heart attack?!" The prince caught his breath and scrambled up, trying to hide the trunk with his body. Isuq raised an eyebrow, earning a sheepish chuckle from the prince in response.
"I thought you said sewing was for girls," Kohana blinked innocently, trying to take a look at the box behind his brother's legs. "What are you doing with Gran-Gran's needle box—?"
"Nothing, nothing at all," Sokka insisted. "This isn't even her sewing box. It's a different one."
"A different sewing box?" Isuq teased.
"No, just a different box."
"Did the princess give you a big box for stuff, too?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Well what's in it—?"
"Nothing," Sokka jumped onto the trunk defensively before his brother could get his hands on it. "Just some important things..."
"Oh, like loin cloths?"
Ping and Isuq burst out laughing, clapping the little boy on the back.
"As a matter of fact, no," Sokka huffed out his embarrassment as he saw Bato step in. "I step out for one second and the entire tribe comes following me."
"Your father's worried you've changed your mind," Bato said. "Would be good to keep an eye on you until you get on the ship."
"Why would I back out?"
"Then what on earth are you doing here when you should be on the ship?"
"Just getting his loin cloths packed, sir," Ping said and laughed with Isuq, both of them jabbed in their sides seconds later by the flushed prince. Bato shook his head in annoyance.
"I understand that underwear is important, boys, but we've got another problem." The older tribesman turned to Kohana. "They're not going to have room for your pets, Ko-bear. It's not convenient to have too many animals on board."
"No!" Kohana pouted. "I'm not going anywhere without them!"
"I thought Ivaneq had something arranged," said Ping. "I can check on it if needed, sir."
"No need for that," Bato said. "Hakoda doesn't want the boy to be spoiled."
"But I wanna take them with me! Pleasepleaseplease?" The little boy tugged on his brother's sleeve. "Please, Sokka, do something."
"Bearcub, we really don't have the space for your menagerie. Why can't you just leave them here where it's convenient? They'll be safe here, too."
"But what if they forget me?"
"That's ridiculous. We'll only be away for a couple of weeks."
"But I only got them yesterday. They might forget me. And they'll be lonely. Uncle Bato and Gran-Gran and Gramp-Gramp will be too busy to play with them."
"He's right," Bato said. "Your grandparents and I have way too much on our hands. We won't be walking around the igloo cleaning husky and bison poop all day. Either one of you is going to stay behind to take care of Kohana and his zoo, or you'll find a way to take him and the animals with you."
"Who'd be too busy for their own grandkids?" Sokka frowned. While he did feel reassured that extensive security was arranged for them, it still felt uncomfortable tagging along his little brother to the North at this point in time, especially considering the politics which were ready to explode in their faces. It was never too late to leave the kid here where it was safer.
"He can stay with us until you get back," Isuq offered. "My wife can make his favorite seaweed rolls, and he and the kids can have fun. I'll be around to take him sledding."
"Sounds great," Sokka said. "Wanna stay with Uncle Isuq, kiddo?"
"But I wanna go to the North!" Kohana said, clearly adamant. "I never get to go anywhere! I never get anything I want!"
"Here we go," Isuq shook his head.
"Well decide on something quickly, boys, we don't have time." Bato handed a bag to Ping and gestured him and Isuq to follow, and the trio walked out.
"Sokka, get me some intense," Kohana said.
"What?"
"Intense. You know those long stick thingies that Mommy lights up?"
"You mean 'incense?'"
"Yeah, that. If I put some of that near Tui and La and pray really hard, they can help us."
The warrior sighed in annoyance but grabbed a few incense sticks anyway.
"I wanna do it, I wanna—"
"No, you'll burn yourself." He lit the incense and placed it near the shrine with as much nonchalance as he could manage. "A bunch of statues aren't gonna help solve the problem, kiddo."
"But Tui and La are inside of them! And they listen to us."
"There's nothing inside of them. It's just black and white marble, nothing else."
"But the moon and ocean are real. Wolves are real, koi fish are real."
"Yeah, but just as nature, not spirits. Everything's a science, buddy, science. Everything has a scientific reason to be there. No mystical elements about it."
"But everybody says—"
"Well they don't know, alright? There are no such things as Tui and La. So we shouldn't be standing around and wasting our time—"
"Then let's get going, boys." Kya was standing at the door, her arms crossed, her foot tapping impatiently. An amused Ivaneq accompanied her, carrying the remaining luggage on his back.
"Mommy, Sokka said that Tui and La were stupid and aren't real and stuff," Kohana said.
"Hey, I never said 'stupid'—"
"And he said everybody else is stupid, too, for talking to Them and asking Them things. He said that we're all losers."
"I never said—!"
"Praise be to La, the Water Tribe's voice of reason," Ivaneq smiled. "It looks like your son has too much of La within him, Mother Kya." The Northern official set a few bags on the ground and walked over to Kohana, picking the boy up into his arms. "Don't worry, little prince, your prayers are answered. We've got special compartments for your animal friends."
"So they're coming, too?!"
"Of course." He turned to Sokka. "You have nothing to worry about. We have a huge chamber reserved for the huskies as well as a few caretakers. The sky bison, however, will have to fly. Some of the monks offered to take Kohana along and teach him some things about the bison. Princess Katara will be joining them, too, I hear; she's quite ecstatic about it. Mother Kya also gave her permission."
"Yay!" Kohana beamed at his older brother. "I told you the Spirits are real, I told you."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Thanks, Ivaneq."
The Northerner carried the little prince out of the igloo, leaving a stern Kya in Sokka's presence. "At this point, I don't care what you think about our religion, Sokka, but keep in mind that the princess might be religious. Don't go around blabbering these things to her."
"Mom, I didn't really say—" he paused, and for the third time that day, he nearly fell backward after letting the words sink in. "The princess? We're meeting the princess?"
Kya blinked at his surprise. "Well...hopefully, yes…"
"B-B-But I thought...but I thought she wasn't allowed to—"
"Your father's doing everything he can to arrange for a gathering with Chief Arnook and a few of his assistants. If Arnook permits, she may be able to join us."
"So…" Sensing his curiosity betraying his nonchalance, he cleared his throat and asked with a straighter face, "So we're really meeting the princess, huh?"
Kya was tempted to flash her son a bemused smirk, but it wasn't possible with her lingering sternness and, quite frankly, her worry. Everyone in the household was excited about the prospect of having Sokka and the princess be united in matrimony, and it was nice to see that her son was visibly excited to see her despite his efforts to cover it up, but it was worth taking into account the possibility of radical difference between her son's nonbelief and the princess's apparent religiosity. "Sokka, as your parents, your father and I are used to your nonbelief. As your home, the entire South is used to your nonbelief. But the North is not like that. They are more religious than we are. You'll see for yourself; it's a rather different place. Religious sites and monuments all over the area, not just a pagoda in the center of the village like us."
"I understand that, Mom, but I—"
"You won't be forced to do any rituals if you don't want to, okay? But you definitely shouldn't make a habit of openly voicing your opinions. So either you learn to keep your mouth shut, or you opt out of joining us at the gathering, but the first option seems to be better since you're obviously interested—"
"Not interested interested," he mumbled. "I'm just... curious. "
"Well whatever it is, being considerate is the least you can do, if not for the North, then at least for someone who went through a lot to give us all of this." She sighed. "I don't know all the specifics, but I keep hearing it wasn't easy for the princess to get this project launched. We should respect that."
Yet again, a part of his abrasiveness thawed with reference to the princess. He was aware that he was being more concerned with this than was probably necessary, but it couldn't be helped thanks to all the articles he read and had jammed in the pockets of his coat for further reading.
It's just a matter of gratitude, he told himself.
"Is that your grandmother's sewing trunk?"
"Huh?" He eyed the trunk and quickly threw a pelt over it. "N-No, why would I have her stuff? I got this trunk for my own stuff. I put Gran Gran's sewing trunk in her room. It was in the way. I actually ran into it earlier and kind of jammed my foot against it, so I—"
"Alright alright, let's get to the ships."
By the time they reached the ships, and everyone was on board with Kohana and Katara waving down excitedly from their sky bison, almost the entire village tried to situate itself on the docks to witness what would be the South's first successful journey to the North after so many years. Standing at the front of the crowd near the closest open bowspirit was Chunta. Sokka greeted him with crossed arms and the usual look lingering between skepticism and an odd friendship of sorts, but the shaman didn't back down from his smugness.
"You might have them under your spell, but you won't be fooling me anytime soon," Sokka told him.
"Of course not, but you must admit that I was right, Prince," he said. "You can't say I did so with no calculation at all."
"Pseudo-calculations."
"If you say so." The shaman's smile widened. "I have a feeling it will be quite a while before you and Princess Katara come back to the South, but I know you won't be returning by yourselves."
Sokka frowned. "We'll be back in a few weeks."
"Your parents and the little one will, but something about yours and Katara's birth charts is telling me you'll be staying in the North much longer. Who knows, it may even be beneficial that you stay."
What on earth did he mean by that?
"I wish you the best of luck. Careful with those craft materials. They're your grandmother's prized possessions."
The prince's flushed face said it all.
A strained middle-aged Northerner stuffed his mouth with the intoxicant that he reeked of. In his drunken daze, he knocked off a few documents from his table and fell onto a pelt, some of his drink spilling onto his tunic. To compensate, he helped himself to some more, finding it increasingly difficult to curb his addiction despite the efforts he'd taken as of recent. He wasn't about to achieve anything by letting go of the drink now, anyway, so he discarded the small empty cup in his hands.
"Fuck it."
He reached for a much larger container only to accidentally knock it down as well. A disappointed groan escaped him, and his hands flew to his head in attempts to drive out the splitting ache. It wasn't until a set of footsteps approached his dark, Spirit-forsaken room. In front of his blurry vision stepped a tall, agile figure, who set a few bottles of gin in front of him.
"Thank…" The man rolling on the floor reached for the bottles and immediately cracked one open. "Thank you...Khasiq…"
The Nationalist gave a half-hearted sigh and watched the Northern chief empty the first bottle within seconds. "Take your time, my friend," he said, his deep voice laced with venom. "I don't want you passing out. Not just yet."
Arnook threw the bottle to the corner of the room and watched it splinter into pieces the same way he had turned to pieces a long time ago. He opened another container and buried his lips in it, but he slowed down this time, feeling Khasiq's slits of eyes focus on him with lingering questions. Arnook knew very well what their conversation will be about, so he took a moment to steady himself before whispering, "She's not my own."
"I know. Of course she's not." Khasiq walked closer to him and then stepped around him. "You and I are very close friends, aren't we? I would know everything about you. Especially if you had an heir."
Arnook gulped as Khasiq began kicking empty bottles aside. He took a seat next to the chief and took hold of a bottle. "You know, throughout the past twenty three years, you've never done anything without telling me." He took several sips and gave a dry chuckle. "I don't know where in La's Hell you managed to smuggle in a baby. A baby. A baby girl at that. The question is why. Why do you have her? Who on earth is this so-called 'princess?' The nonexistent 'Tui' who descended from the Spirit World?"
It was amazing how calmly Khasiq managed to ask him these things. A false calm, of course.
"Ahnah and I visited the pagoda the night before her passing," Arnook admitted. "We found the child abandoned on the steps of the Sacred Temple." Most likely because the infant was born a girl. It would've been really difficult for her parents to protect her from the chaos what formed the darkest time in Northern history: female infanticide. A horror that Khasiq himself had been a proponent of. Furthermore, a girl would not be of use and would have to be married off in the future whereas a boy would inherit the household and pass down the name of the family.
"Since we didn't have children, Ahnah wanted to raise the child. She loved her instantly." Arnook dared to look up at Khasiq, speaking sincerely. "I took responsibility for the child only because my wife wanted to raise her. It was Ahnah's last wish...I couldn't ignore it. That's all there is to it, Khasiq."
But Khasiq wasn't buying that explanation so easily. Sure, Arnook's status went from potential threat to somewhat of a harmless pet that ate every biscuit he threw at it, but even so, there could be a reason behind raising a child secretly. There could be the danger of going against the custom of lineage to restore a rightful leader to the throne. Anything seemed possible now with the Revivalists on the rise. "If you had told me she was Ahnah's last wish and nothing more than that, I wouldn't have harmed her. Why did you keep her from me, my friend?"
Because after the killing of girls declined in popularity, the torture of girls took its place, young teenage girls included. And Arnook knew the number of girls who had been killed upon Khasiq's sheets upon being kidnapped from their homes, upon being lured away from the kitchens and forcefully taken. Arnook may have been helpless in preventing such horrors, but he was certainly no fool; his adopted child, beautiful as she became upon reaching womanhood as if she was the Spirit of the Moon walking the earth, would've been no less of an object of desire for the Nationalist. Of course, Arnook would never voice these things aloud. "I was only looking out for you," he croaked. "I didn't want people to see her as the potential candidate for the throne. I didn't want people thinking she's your rival. If the Revivalists found out, they would've found someone to support."
"But why would she be my competition? You would tell the entire world that she's not really yours, wouldn't you? Peasants are not qualified for chiefdom."
Silence, and it wasn't a smart move on Arnook's part. Khasiq's eyes darkened as he asked again, "Wouldn't you?"
"I...I…"
"Does she know that she's not yours at the moment?" Khasiq slightly raised his voice. "Or is she consciously breaking tradition by trying to assert herself as next in line for the throne? Damn it, Arnook, speak up!"
"She does not know." Arnook shook his head. "I...I couldn't bring myself to tell her..."
"And why is that? Do you ever intend on telling her?"
Tears threatened to slip down the chief's face. He blocked them with a fierce squint of his eyes as he chugged down the contents of another bottle. "I've never had the chance to...actually treat her as if she was my daughter…I figured I'd spare her the pain of her past, at least."
It was a miracle how Khasiq refrained from glaring at what he believed was the chief's complete, emotion-driven idiocy. "She'll have to know at some point that she was abandoned," he said. "Unless you plan on going against all customs and handing the throne over to her—"
"No, not at all. I will marry her off."
"You've tried, apparently, and you've failed," Khasiq huffed.
"There's proof that those men were criminals, Khasiq—"
"Would you rather that woman be a prostitute or a corpse?"
Rage did nothing for a man dead to all reaction. Arnook could do nothing but stare at his reflection in the broken glass pieces, more tears forming.
"If she lives, at least she can lead a life. A pathetic one, but it would still be life," Khasiq said, throwing his finished bottle to the ground, adding onto the collection of broken glass. "A peasant does not deserve a warrior or a prince, Arnook. The class of nobles shouldn't mix with the lower members of society anyway. So what's your problem? Marry her off to the first man you see and let her live her life. Your wife wanted her raised in the palace, and lo and behold, she was." Khasiq grabbed hold of the chief by his cloak, looking into the distressed man's eyes. "But that's all. That peasant shouldn't expect anything more or anything less. Stop yourself before you grant her anymore luxuries. Next time, you are going to force her back in that carriage no matter what happens."
"Alright. I-I need some time. Please. I need to arrange her marriage in a way that people won't notice."
Khasiq let go of the chief. "That good-for-nothing anthropologist. Thanks to him, the entire world knows."
"T-That's why we need to be more c-careful from now on," Arnook said. "Otherwise people will blame you. And...and the Global Conference. We can't possibly make a move at this time. The Avatar and all other major leaders will be attending."
"Yes...You're right…"
"I will fix something," Arnook hiccuped, "But until then, I need you to please, please keep this between just the two of us. I will send her away as soon as I can. You can have the throne. You can have it all. You've always had it all." He bowed in front of the Nationalist in plea. "Please. Spare her."
Khasiq gave the man a pathetic look before sighing and kicking the man's hands away from his feet. "Alright then. Though half of our problems will be obliterated if you just tell her the fucking truth in the first place, I understand that you're a destroyed soul. I don't know if it's possible for you to go on with your life with yet another broken heart, and I understand that exposing the truth would be a constant reminder for you of your infertility. I'm sure even you wouldn't want to be known as the man who couldn't father a child." Another huff. "A chief who was impotent in all fields. How sad."
Arnook swallowed everything down, not saying a word but continuously pleading with his eyes, Please spare her.
"And besides, she's a woman, not a threat," Khasiq said. "Why should I cower over in fear of her?"
"Yes...you have nothing to fear. You are the leader. I promise you."
Khasiq gave a nod before heading to the nearest window, staring up at the dark sky. "Let me say this, Arnook. If that peasant gets in the way of my hunt...it will end really badly."
"I will marry her off at any cost."
"Good, because I'd much rather people not call her a princess regent. She might've climbed her way up to make the laws, but she'll always be a pawn in my hand." Another sickening chuckle. "But it's still quite interesting what a peasant can do under the illusion that she will run a country as the future chieftess. So let her have her fun until she leaves. It's amusing to watch."
Fear still continued to flicker in the chief's pleading gaze.
"No matter who she chooses to be in her council or how much support she gives to the Revivalists, I still have the upper hand. But at any rate, I'm not going to waste my time on her. She's not my target." Khasiq trampled the reflecting moonlight with his boots. "My only female target is Lady. I will not sleep peacefully until the moment I slit her throat."
Sokka decided to make bangles of all colors instead of a single bracelet. One reason was that he couldn't bring himself to choose among the many different varieties what would be the most beautiful of all combinations. From the kind of color to the type of beads to the style of weaving, he couldn't make up his mind, so why not arrange for a variety of choices so she could pick the one(s) she liked? Just one problem, though; it was hard to position the wires in a perfect circular format, and he refused to give in and ask his mother for help, and after several hours of locking himself up in his cabin with the excuse of "sleep" and still failing, he decided to take a break. He hid the materials under the sheets under his pillow and slid the trunk of sewing supplies beneath his bed before stepping out of his cabin.
He realized it was nightfall as he made his way down the corridor, and by the time he entered the center of the ship, he was greeted by several upbeat attendants, who were in their own corner, sharing drinks.
"Everyone's gathered at the main deck if you'd like to join them, sir," an attendant told him. "Dinner's ready as well. I can have the servants send it up front."
So he went up to the main deck, taking note of everyone who had gathered around. And it was a lot of people, too. The sparks from the nearby time candles indicated it was seven hours past midday, which meant a full eighteen hours of travel as of yet. Despite that, it seemed as if time didn't pass at all, for everyone was wrapped up in excitement and gossip. Kohana and Katara, who'd been caught up in air travel the entire day, had only recently stepped on board, and a few monks had joined them, deciding to let their bison rest for the night. Surrounding Kohana, of course, was his baby sky bison, Nuwiya, his lemur, Ku'zi, and his army of huskies.
"This is Sesi, the mommy husky, and this is Nanuq, the daddy husky," the little prince introduced his pets to the monks. "And these are their pups, Mukluq, Nukka, and Miska."
"How nice, you have the entire family with you," a monk said.
"My brother said we can only get one, but if I only get one husky, the family won't be together."
"How right you are, little one," the monk smiled. "You have a compassionate little prince, Chief Hakoda."
"Or maybe just an overambitious one," Hakoda chuckled. "I'm just surprised that my father allowed so many animals into our house."
Gentle laughter flowed through the air as Hakoda looked and saw his older son casting a small smile towards the assembled crowd. "Sokka, come join us."
Towards the middle of the circle were a few monks who bowed at the prince in greeting. Kya smiled up at him and gestured him to join them. Everyone tried scooting over so that he could fit in the small space, but Sokka simply shrugged and remained towards the back. Eventually he was greeted by Ivaneq accompanied by a servant who brought food for the two of them, and both tribesmen took their seats in the back as the others went on with their conversations.
"You've had a long nap."
"Yeah. Just tired."
"I can imagine. I heard you'd been working hard before we arrived, and right afterwards, you were running around with us to different meetings. Barely a day later, you find yourself on a ship."
"It's not too bad, actually. And I was supposed to be on a ship anyway," Sokka told him. "We were actually headed to Ba Sing Se to have an audience with the Earth King about a possible mining contract."
"Yes, your father mentioned that. You had plans to go alone, I heard. And through the Serpent's Pass, of all places. Quite adventurous, aren't you?"
"Eh, I guess. But I won't have to make the trip now thanks to the Earth Kingdom representatives and the contract agreements. In a way, it's still really hard to believe this is happening."
Ivaneq nodded and looked around at everyone else. "That's pretty much how it is for everyone, I'd say. It's so unexpected how the four nations came together this way."
They ate in silence, mostly listening to nearby conversations, laughing along to a few jokes. Hakoda would've pulled his son into the conversation, given that Sokka was one of the best storytellers around and was gifted in jokes like him, but he and Kya were obviously pleased to see that Sokka was warming up to the Northerners and, dare they add, was growing increasingly comfortable around them. So they left the two tribesmen to converse.
"Brother Ivaneq, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"I heard you guys paid off Lee and Donghai and all of our other creditors, and I'm grateful for that, but...I also know I've never told anyone about debts or anything," Sokka said. "I don't remember mentioning that in my letter to the North, either...or did I?"
"No, you didn't."
"Then how did the princess know about it?"
"She didn't really know about it," Ivaneq said. "She kind of guessed it would happen given your situation, and she told us to be alert. It just so happened that it was a big deal, after all, to the extent that Lee was threatening to seize your property, I heard."
"Yeah…" Sokka briefly pondered something before asking quietly, "Any updates?"
"On…?"
"What the princess is up to. What's the situation like? Do you know?"
"Whatever the situation is like, she took special care to arrange security for all of you. I'm sure you won't be affected."
"No, that's...that's not what I mean. I'm talking about her. What is the situation looking like for her?"
Ivaneq gave him a look. "Well, with regard to everything that's happening, I'm sure she's not looking for your help, to be honest."
"So she gets to take the risks while we sit back and enjoy what we get?" Sokka frowned. "I didn't realize that the North was in such a risky position. She...she'll be okay, right?"
The Northerner blinked, rather surprised by the prince's sudden care and sensitivity. "She'll be safe during the period of the Global Conference. That, I can tell you. With so many international officials there along with the Avatar, it will be hard for anyone to attack a figure of authority that easily without facing serious repercussions. After the conferences...that's when we're going to have to tighten up security."
"But one possible option was hiring a bodyguard, right? Zhi and Ping briefly mentioned it."
"Turns out that's not going to work so easily. There was brief discussion about it at the meeting we attended before coming down South, and a few female representatives on behalf of the princess said she didn't favor arrangements like that. She doesn't want to put others at risk for her sake. But obviously, the chief would want her to have some form of security, especially if she's wanting to get really involved. Sooner or later, it will become so complicated that Chief Arnook will be looking to marry her off. He already tried it once, and at the most, he'll wait for a month, two months maximum for her to step out of the shock from that mishap with those imposters. And then he'll start looking for suitors again."
Sokka's frown deepened.
"And what I'm about to tell you is insider information," Ivaneq lowered his voice. "Not many people know this yet."
"I'll keep my mouth shut."
"I'm also telling you because you might be interested as a soon-to-be inductee of the White Lotus."
That definitely caught his attention.
"So apparently, there have been talks with officials who will soon be in charge of establishing the White Lotus, and the princess supposedly has plans to launch a sister organization: the Black Lotus."
"The Black Lotus?"
"So this is the plan. The White Lotus headquarters will be based in the Southern Water Tribe—"
"The South?"
"It was a plan suggested by Iroh himself, actually. Apparently there are many communal riots in the Fire Nation capital, so securing it there wouldn't be a good idea. Plus, the South has also been a historically isolated place relative to the North. The North has had trading agreements with the other nations, but the South was always on its own. This is one way to get it back in the communications sector."
Which was not a bad idea considering the attention that the South has lost over the years.
"The essence of the White Lotus will be its focus on sharing ancient knowledge from all four nations with all four nations. Wisdom and the arts, especially, so this would include philosophy, truth, and beauty. There will be a great emphasis on multiculturalism and pluralistic attitudes. There is also an emphasized goal of protecting the Avatar at all costs."
"And the Black Lotus?"
"It will be based in the Northern Water Tribe. It will also have multicultural emphasis, but it will be more of a call for justice around the world. It's a liberation movement extensively backed by the Revivalists and focusing on human and animal rights as well as ecological concerns. I feel like the Air Nomads will be especially interested with that. Pretty ironic for the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation; they're the more industrial nations. But there will be significant response from them as well, especially with regard to social class issues and low qualities of living in certain areas."
"Politically, though, the establishment of the Black Lotus seems to be a major move," Sokka said.
"You're right. Especially for someone as inexperienced as the princess. This means the Revivalist Party will have support from international leaders, and that is key because with international support, the Revivalists'...sorry, the Black Lotuses...will have the agency to do what they want to do without fearing attacks from the Nationalists. Some of the people who are going to be a part of the White Lotus will be the same authorities who oversee the North's relations with more conservative countries. Because they have a common mission to support and provide and security for the Avatar, they will be united for a common cause regardless of conservative and liberal stances. If it really works out to where the Black Lotus and White Lotus have an extremely strong alliance, it basically means that the Revivalist Party will have a strong point of stability and verification. Overall, this all looks really good for the North and South since now they will be the headquarters of what will most likely be the largest international groups as of yet. And did I mention that the princess intends to open this organization up to members of other nations just like Iroh? In fact, the princess herself wrote about her plans to the Fire Lord. Without anyone knowing. That's why Iroh would like to have her marry his son, Lu Ten. It all revolves around common interests and alliances."
Again, a part of Sokka felt irked about the possibility of the princess marrying into the Fire Nation. "So I'm guessing the princess will be the Grand Lotus for the Black Lotus Society?"
"It's hard to say, but anyhow, the proposals for both the White and Black Lotus organizations will be publicized during the Global Conference. I feel that the princess should be able to introduce her plans if she was the mastermind behind it. I know it will be impossible to have Lady, the Revivalist hero, speak at the event. The only times anyone can see her are new moon nights during her speeches. And even then, no one can really see her with her black mask. She will never make such a public appearance on such a grand scale...well, unless the princess invites her to the council...which is highly unlikely because if it was possible, it would've happened by now."
"It seems to me that not even the Revivalists themselves have contact with Lady. How can she attend the Global Conference?"
"That's exactly it," Ivaneq said. "But my overall guess is that in the least, if she agrees, Lady will be the Grand Black Lotus. I say 'if' because she's technically the leader of the Revivalist Party, but she stays out of sight other than for her annual speeches. And she's not the president; she doesn't seem to have a say in who to appoint, either."
"So she's crucial, but she's more like a hidden insider."
"Yes, and that's how it's always been. Lady could be anyone, really. Anyone with a low profile. Someone you wouldn't think of, maybe. Or even someone who's obvious for the role but doesn't publically announce it. So if Lady doesn't want the Grand Lotus position, either the princess will take over, which won't be favored by Arnook at all since he wants her to basically be nonexistent, or she will grant the position to a senior Revivalist member or have Daughter Sayen fill in the seat. I still think it would be honorable to let the princess speak at the conference regardless of who becomes Grand Lotus, but that's looking to be unlikely. Daughter Sayen will most likely introduce the proposal for the Black Lotus, and a Fire Nation correspondent will be in charge of introducing the White Lotus proposal." A pause. "And lots of Fire Nation crewman are discussing the likely possibility of Iroh asking Arnook to join hands as in-laws at the meeting."
"If Iroh's really as good of a Fire Lord as people say he is, he won't mix up his support for the Black Lotus with his hope for having the princess as his daughter-in-law," Sokka said sternly. "The princess shouldn't have to marry Lu Ten if she doesn't want to."
Ivaneq raised his eyebrows. "Lu Ten is an eligible bachelor, many say."
"This isn't about eligibility. The princess can't possibly move away from her homeland."
"Well, yes, that's definitely true. She doesn't intend on leaving the North...But what if this plan is to ensure that Iroh is involved with the White Lotus and the Black Lotus to such an extent? What if both Lotus societies are intertwined with the alliance? That's what worries me. I don't think the princess is going to like such a deal, but if it means the Revivalist Party can have strong support...and if it means there's a chance that there's a possibility for change...for the good…I don't know if she'll still be opposed to the idea. But there are also millions of rumors about Lu Ten and his relationship with an Earth Kingdom woman, so that adds another layer to this…"
Sokka huffed, setting his emptied food tray to the side. He leaned against the ship and thought for a long moment. "Did the princess ask Lady to join her council?"
"No, not yet."
"But you would think the princess can have access since she's the regent. And she's publicly supporting the Revivalists enough to give them a platform in the Black Lotus movement. And you're saying they haven't really met…"
"Well they haven't. Not that we know of."
Sokka gave the Northerner a curious look. "How outrageous would it be if the princess was actually Lady?"
Except for the voices which drowned out their conversation, Ivaneq and Sokka grew completely silent after that. Ivaneq thought for a moment before frowning and shaking his head. "That's highly unlikely."
"How? Think about it. If the princess's past is completely unknown, and if Lady's past is completely unknown...where's the evidence to say they can't be the same person?"
"The princess was never allowed outside of the palace in her entire life until Arnook intended to send her away."
"You never know. What if there were certain moments…? Moments when she escaped to explore the world and came back just in time. Played it cool…"
"Still sounds like a bit of a stretch. And I'm sure she wasn't ignored by her own father to the extent of spending entire days and nights completely by herself."
"You'd think that if Arnook really cared that much, he would spend enough time with her that he would be willing to see her side of the argument for whatever it may be. I know I wouldn't want a father who ignores my side of the argument. Especially if someone was trying to sell me away to some remote village near Ba Sing Se."
"Well I'm sure she was still highly guarded—"
"By highly religious guards who had no idea that she existed? You think they wouldn't be curious if they were told to guard a random door in the eastern portion of the palace? Especially with rumors about spirits haunting the place?" Sokka certainly was adamant about this. "I don't think there were any guards," he said softly. "I don't think there was...really anyone at all. She must have been very alone."
Yet again, Ivaneq showcased his amusement as Sokka tried to shake away his visible concern. "And, uh...considering everything she's doing...if anything, it's clear she wants to be really involved. Someone like her must definitely not have been okay with staying locked up in a room for twenty four hours. Not a psychologically beneficial move."
"So you're saying she sneaks out every new moon night and gives speeches as Lady? You're saying a nonbender who was confined to a building all of her life suddenly gains bending powers every time she wanders about as Lady? You're saying that someone who had no access to waterbending training whatsoever somehow perfected the art to the extent of being a world-class healer? The stories you hear about Lady's healing will convince you for sure that that woman is not like anyone has ever seen. And if the princess really was a bender, why would she hide her bending abilities? Wouldn't her bending in public be a way of her saying she doesn't need to be protected like a fragile doll because she can defend herself?" Ivaneq was certainly satisfied with the lack of immediate response. "So in conclusion, your theory is still quite a stretch."
Sokka, though, was still quite determined. "Say what you want. Maybe we don't have all the details yet, but I still don't think it's impossible."