Ipomoeas In His Sheath

by WaterLily95

Everyone else figured it out when his boomerang started smelling like moonflowers instead of hoarded seal jerky. AU. Slowburn Sokka/Yue

18. Masquerade

Chapter 18: Masquerade

"Get away!" a figure called out to her amid the mist that spilled from the mountaintops. "Little River, get out of here! Little River, my Tui! My Tui, get away!"

Yue gasped and sat up in bed, her entire body shaking. She looked around her, realizing that she wasn't in the treacherous mountain terrain and chaos in her nightmare but in the warmth and stillness of her bed. She took deep breaths, trying to get her recurring nightmare out of her mind. Not again. Swinging her legs to the side of the bed, she proceeded to the washroom and splashed some water on her face to relax. Pleasant thoughts. Think pleasant thoughts.

These days, she didn't sleep well thanks to the stress that was ravaging her body and the heightened memories of the past. Of course, stress was not at all new for the young princess, who had shattered many boundaries years ago and crafted for herself a secret life of her own that she strove to protect constantly. An outsider would never understand her predicament, thinking she likely had all the attention and comforts in the world given her status, but this was not the case.

As far back as Yue could remember, she could only picture in her mind the darkness of her lonely bedroom, veiled ayahs who spent time with her long enough to bathe her and tend to her, nothing more and nothing less. She would later learn that these ladies were given orders to keep their distance and limit her diet to only vegetarian meals; the person who supposedly gave these orders and the purpose of such protocol was never revealed. But these memories were all a blur for the most part, and those ladies, too, had disappeared when she reached five years or so and was old enough to bathe and use the bathroom on her own. Nevertheless, the orders from the mysterious authority went on uninterrupted, and these orders dictated Yue's life. Her earliest, clearest memory consisted of being in contact with a private tutor, whose face she had never seen given the lady's masks and veils. Yue wasn't seen, either, given her own masks and veils that disconnected her from others. The tutor, too, didn't last beyond two years, so Yue's limited knowledge of reading, writing, arithmetic, and formal etiquette was to be built on by herself from then on, surrounded by books provided to her by unknown shadows that left them outside of her chamber. These mysterious figures were also responsible for leaving her dinners outside as well.

The Forbidden Chamber had remained dark and unnoticed by the tribe over the years, lit up only by sunlight or moonlight that wafted in and the limited torches that kept her company. Ghost stories and tales of evil spirits were concocted likely by the mysterious figures to cover for the laughs and the solitary plays that sometimes rang through the chamber's walls, but those instances were rare given that Yue was mostly a quiet child. With not a friend to call her own, she took solace in the birds and penguins that flew into the halls or crawled in through the windows. She sought love and parental affection in the moon in the sky and the ocean that overflowed into the canals outside— entities which her earliest books introduced to her as Mother Tui and Father La. These Spirits were her friends; they were in her as they were in all things, all people, and she had grown to love them through the stories in her books, so much so that when she was given meat for the first time, she remembered throwing a tantrum and breaking into cries, casting the meal aside and weeping for the animals and their inner Spirits that were killed.

That was probably the only time she ever expressed anything in front of them, and the figures didn't bring her meat again after that. They still never saw her or were seen by her, never stepped in to check on her as they knew she could never leave. They merely tapped on the door to mark the arrival of food and ended up bolting down the window so she couldn't think of escaping. These mysterious shadows were the only other signs of life that Yue was aware of. Well, there was one other person: every few months or so, she would see the face of a man— the only face she ever saw in her childhood— a man who claimed to be her father yet told her to address him as Chief Arnook. The masked ayahs around her had told her in her early childhood that Arnook was a very important person in her life. But for such an important person, Chief Arnook was never around her very much. Perhaps he thought the world that she never knew was more important.

At eight years of age, Yue was a prodigy, given her very early introduction to the intellectual arts. An avid reader, a thoughtful writer for her age, a curious seeker, an aimless wanderer lost in the worlds presented in her books. Abandoned she was, gifted with hours upon hours, countless days and months of quiet. The only thing she had no idea what to do about, however, was the way her hand motions sometimes caused icicles on the walls or repaired the ice cracks. She remembered being so terrified and didn't dare expose her "scary powers," but it was out of her subconscious fear for her sanity and a need to see and connect with the world beyond the dark walls of the Forbidden Chamber that led to her very first escape attempt one day. Her scary powers managed to slice an opening in the wall that directly opened up to the outside world, the waters of the ocean washing her feet.

From then on, she didn't look back. Having memorized the schedules of when the masked figures would come and what times of the year her father would come to see her, Yue developed a rigorous schedule over the years. So much had happened as she grew, balancing the experience she encountered. She learned about the world and developed her bending and healing abilities under the influence of two different masters, one of them being Osha. And as she learned more and more about the world, she balanced her alter-egos and the new spheres of influence that rippled with them, all while knowing that if she was caught, she would never have this chance again. Not once had she ever been caught, thanks to the grace of the Spirits, but she did leave in fear of getting caught every day of her life.

It seemed that these past several weeks, however, her fears intensified given her increased duties and responsibilities. It all began with her discovery of the North's intercepted correspondence. One of the things about being a servant— a female servant, especially— in a place like the North's palace is that one is too insignificant, too useless to be deemed as an actual threat, likened to a spiderfly on the wall, the only difference being that a spiderfly had the freedom to buzz whereas she didn't even have the chance to breathe without permission. That's why in spite of the authorities' secrecy and the efforts they made to keep their meetings private, they still didn't question wherever she went or whenever she happened to show up at their meeting sites, so long as she was veiled up and had a tray of tea or a straw broom or something in her hands. That turned out to be a plus for her when one fine day after she offered to cover a fellow servant's shift, she swept her way over the lush carpets through an unfamiliar corridor (and that, too, in the part of the palace that marked Khasiq's residence). She imagined that such a place would usually be heavily guarded, but at that particular time, it was empty for a reason that eluded her. She came across a room that resembled a storage closet— why would a storage closet be right next to Khasiq's study?

After thoroughly surveying the area and sensing the absolute emptiness of the place, she took the chance to step in. She had discovered that it was a small library— Khasiq's personal library, in fact, hence different from the existing royal library that she spent her nights in. It was a pivotal discovery, no doubt. While she hadn't stayed there so long with the return of the guards, she snuck back in around midnight by crafting a path through the icy walls. After exhaustive observation, she came across shelves upon shelves of scrolls and papers addressed to Arnook, all of them hoarded and neglected. She found out so much with letter after letter expressing issues that she both knew and didn't know, but it wasn't until Yue stumbled upon a particularly thick scroll canister addressed to Arnook by one Prince Sokka from the sister tribe that she realized what the North had been missing out on other than the neglected cries of their citizens; the outcry of the sister tribe. That, too, from five years ago.

It was because of that very letter from the prince that Yue was inspired to embrace her identity as a princess to the fullest, which meant facing her biggest challenge: going public. Yue was aware of the tensions her father felt. She was aware of what a huge risk it would be to her life. But now, with the Global Conferences being set in the North, there was no better time to come out of hiding than this since all the world leaders, political and spiritual— especially the Avatar— were going to be present. Khasiq wouldn't dare expose and endanger his kingdom of hate by acting hastily to get rid of a revealed princess when powerful world leaders were here.

Everything happened in a whim from there: her emptying the shelves of neglected correspondence and storing the intercepted letters in her secret study within the walls, her expressing to her father that she could no longer remain a secret if she wanted to carry out her ideas for the revival of the South, Arnook pressuring her into leaving for the Earth Kingdom in secret to enter an alliance with a "prince" whose name she didn't know, and then the "groom" and his "family" turning out to be traffickers who sold women in Ba Sing Se's streets to prominent brothels. Just when she escaped and was looking to recover from that scare, her identity as well as the imposter incident was made public to the world thanks to a curious Ba Sing Se professor. And that was when Yue gave out her first orders as the princess of the Northern Water Tribe, realizing that from now on, another of her many duties included balancing her restricted public life with the one she crafted in private. She had to tread carefully from now on; if Arnook knew of her private freedoms, he would for sure restrict her even more, and her sanity would melt behind more walls.

While all of these things worked their exhaustive effects on her, tonight, the knowledge that there was one person out there who discovered most of her identity was what made her so vigilant.

When did he even find out? How?

She has crafted her world so secretly, so carefully, switching between servant and activist, having just recently added "princess" as a separate category. The trials she had gone through these years, the lessons she had learned, the past that she had nourished, the secrets she swore to never share. She feared these would be taken from her...though a part of her had a strong feeling that the man who spent his entire life providing for his tribe likely wasn't like that. He had gratitude. And it was obvious.

"Now that we have the economic crisis dealt with— thanks to Her Highness of course…"

"In the name of the North's princess, the upholder of civilizations."

He was certainly Empathetic about the current situation.

"I'm going to do everything in my power to make it better for the mothers and sisters in our country."

And he might also have respect for her.

"Being royalty might have its perks, like not going for days on end without food. But the annoying thing is, everyone ends up being really formal with you. Like they look at you just for your position and not for who you are. And if I'm feeling this way just in these few days of actually living like a prince, I can't imagine how Her Highness must have felt to not even have this kind of social interaction...if she was kept a secret from her own people."

Not to mention, he expressed that he would want to be her bodyguard, too— something she doesn't see herself ever agreeing to but recognized as a token of his respect.

"The princess saved millions from starvation, I would know. She's not going to be a burden for anyone. If she accepts, the prince himself would be honored to serve as her bodyguard."

Sighing, she climbed back into her bed, her mind running through the moments she shared with the prince of the South. Even though she was internally panicking a little bit, she had to admit that Prince Sokka was... sweet. Very sweet. And very understanding. Chivalrous, no doubt. Funny, too— he was very funny. In the past two days, ever since he set foot in the North and spent time with her, she had probably laughed more than she did in so many years put together. Thinking about his silly jokes, just remembering his voice was sending giggles through her, making her stress disappear completely.

And most of all, he wanted to be her friend.

"I didn't tell you who I was because I wanted to be your friend."

"I know you probably didn't want me to know, Your Highness, and I don't expect to be told everything or be given all the details and things. But I want you to sleep peacefully tonight thinking of me as a good friend."

But does this prince really think he can make her laugh away all her worries? A part of her wondered if it would be foolish of her to believe that he was truly willing to help. It could just be an "in the moment" kind of rhetoric. Not that she wanted him to get involved anyway.

"I'm willing to help you in any way you'd want me to. Even if that means being quiet. You can trust me, Princess. Your secrets are safe with me."

She shook her head. No, she didn't need help. She just needed him to live his life. It was bad enough that he butted heads with the Fire Nation royals. Things could get very messy if he butted heads with Khasiq next. And escaping Khasiq's wrath was not as easy as making a joke.

And yet...yet...

"You're a blessing yourself, Princess Yue."

Nope, she was definitely not getting her sleep tonight.

---

Despite the time candles sparking at three hours past midnight, Katara felt too giddy for sleep. Even though she was completely still beneath her covers, she felt like her body was still moving to and fro, dancing away as she had with Aang in the ballroom. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes, but it was becoming really difficult to get her mind to stop wandering. The only picture she had in her mind was of bright eyes the color of storm clouds, a grin that mimicked a twelve-year-old's, and tattooed hands lacing gently with hers.

She eventually pulled her covers off and got up from her bed, wandering down the corridor for a glass of water, but she was surprised to see torches flickering from her older brother's room next door. The door to his room was open, too. She peeked in and saw him writing away, smilingly murmuring a recitation to himself as he moved his brush across the page with caution. Next to him on the bed were several sheets of paper, and beside them was a stack of papers with dried ink formed too neatly to be arranged by her brother. What in the world…?

"Sokka? I thought you were asleep."

"...woke up."

"How long have you been up?"

"A few hours."

"I thought you were going to train with Master Piandao early in the morning. You need to get your sleep."

"Oh... yeah," he kept on writing and grinning, not looking up, "I forgot about that."

Her hands flew to her hips. "Wow, thanks, Katara, for being the best sister ever and reminding me before I lose face."

"You're welcome."

She sighed, stepping in and glancing at all the papers, "What is all this?" It wasn't until she skimmed over them that she realized. "The Water Tribe Code of Ethics," she read over the papers in the thick stack of pages, too, "The Chieftain Code, Warrior Code, Public Code...Sokka, what are you doing?"

"Writing down the Code."

"I can see that. I meant why."

He shrugged, completely failing to be as nonchalant as he had hoped and lapsing into a dopey little grin. "No reason."

"So you're telling me you gave up your sleep to write down the entire Code of Ethics, and you're being all smiley about it for no reason at all?"

"Sis, I'm trying to focus! Go to sleep, alright?" He finished a page and set it aside carefully, immediately getting to work on the next one. "I need to give a copy of the Code to somebody."

"Who?"

"Just someone. Now go to sleep!"

She raised her eyebrows. "Is it Yue?"

His eyes widened, and his frame froze in place. He whipped his head in his sister's direction, jaw dropping, "W-W-What?"

"Yue," she said again. "Did she ask you for this or something?"

"What? No! Who's that? I don't know who that is!"

"The 'beautiful young girl' with white hair who came to your dreams since you'd obviously been following her around and swooning over her ever since we got here? Yeah, that girl."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Sure you don't."

He sighed and dropped his head, "How did you find out?"

"Well let's just say that you're not the only one with a brain around here." She pointed to the painting on the wall and the space beside it, which bore the name Yue. "You disappear from the ball and return with heart-eyes, and out of nowhere, you name this painting after a girl—"

"I named it after the moon!" he defended lamely. "'Yue' means moon!"

"Not to mention, you had been all smiley and swoony about a girl all yesterday morning, and you followed her around just to give her scarves back, and now you're on the same level of swooniness. I know you have morals and wouldn't be after different women at once...at least, I'm assuming..."

He frowned. "I'm a man of honor, thank you very much."

"Exactly," she crossed her arms. "If it's only one girl you're after, it has to be her. Yue."

"Yeah, it is all one person, but we're just friends."

"Oh yeah, of course. She's just a friend who makes you swoon an unhealthy amount."

"Alright, enough! Just let me work in peace, will ya?"

She smirked, knowing she was right. "The only thing I have yet to figure out is why she'd ask you to write down the Code of Ethics—"

"She didn't ask me, I'm just doing it for her."

"You know, copying down a lawbook isn't going to win a girl over—"

"There's no copy of the full Code in the North, so she asked me to recite it to her so she can write it down, but I'm writing it for her instead 'cause I don't want her hands to get sore. Happy?"

"Wow, that's actually overly nice of you," she shook her head in disbelief. "Who would've thought?"

"Stop distracting me. Instead of doing all this detective work, go to sleep." He gave a sleazy smirk, "You must be tired since you and Aang barely had the time to breathe."

That certainly got her distracted for a moment. "Well Aang is a very good dancer," she pointed out. "You should've seen him."

"I did. He was tearing up the palace. You certainly had a good time, didn't you, sis?"

"Everyone has a good time with Aang."

"Right."

Katara smiled to herself, not realizing that she was voicing her thought aloud as she said, "He's going to take me on a sky bison ride with him tomorrow morning."

"He has a sky bison?"

"He's an airbender, what did you expect?" Katara's smile widened, "His name is Appa. He's so sweet."

"Do Mom and Dad know about this sky bison ride?" he raised his eyebrows.

"I'm sure they'd be okay with it."

"So they don't know about it?"

"They trust Aang, I know they'd be okay with it," she frowned defensively.

"If you say so," he chuckled, reaching for a bag on his bedside table and handing it to his sister. "Here, give this to Mom later. It's for the new baby."

Katara peeked into the bag curiously, a pleasant gasp leaving her lips. "Awwwwww!" She reached in and pulled out the small pairs of mittens and socks. "They're so cute!" She raised an eyebrow, "You got this?"

"You know I don't know this kind of stuff. Yue got them."

"Wow, that's so sweet of her!"

"Yeah," he grinned to himself again, knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs, rocking back and forth on the bed as he gushed, "She's really sweet. And kind and beautiful." He peered out of the window, sighing as he looked at the vibrant moon above. "Like the moon. Like Tui, if Tui was real." Why can't she just be Tui, hm?

"Well if you of all people are talking so positively about a woman, then she must be someone special, white hair and all," Katara nudged her brother, "I'd like to meet her one day. Though I guess this means things aren't meant to work out between you and the princess, after all..."

Sokka frowned and looked at her, about to burst out something in the defensive before realizing that such an act would only make his sister suspicious. It seems, however, that Katara had a teasing little grin on her face as she said it, almost as if she was taunting her brother.

"Oh well," Katara shrugged, "This Yue seems interesting," she stood up and started to make her way out. "I won't tell Mom and Dad if you forget I ever said anything about a sky bison ride with Aang."

For once, his sister made a deal that he wasn't going to outright refuse at first.

---

Following a strike of Sokka's space sword, Kuzon landed on the pelts, his own sword knocked out of his hand and sent flying against the icy wall. The young firebender nodded, impressed at his opponent. "Well, you definitely got the stuff if you're able to disable me this quickly."

Sokka gave a tired but pleased grin and brandished his space sword into its sheath, extending his hand to help up his friend. Kohana, who had insisted on sitting in for the lesson, cheered and clapped for his brother. Sokka also earned nods of approval from Piandao's fellow students— Princes Zuko and Lu Ten. Lu Ten was obviously aglow following his reunion with Song and their private activities in the night, so this was the first time Sokka had seen him be his charismatic self. Accompanying Lu Ten was his Earth Kingdom friend, Sensu, and Sensu's excited little brother, ten-year-old Lee, who quickly became friends with Kohana.

"You're quite resourceful, Sokka," Piandao noted, getting up from his seat. "And you've developed a unique style. Possibly because you're combining the skills you've learned from your warrior training down South."

"That's okay, right?"

"Master Piandao would have pointed out beforehand if it wasn't," Sensu smiled. "I'm like that, too. I draw my skills from what I learned in my training in the Earth Kingdom."

"Yep," Lu Ten agreed. "You see, Sokka, the thing with these older folk of the White Lotus Society is that—"

"Old?" Piandao raised an eyebrow. "You may talk about your father all you want, Prince Lu Ten, but I am your master."

"Older doesn't necessarily mean old old, Master," Lu Ten chuckled, turning back to the tribesman, "But as I was saying, the members of the White Lotus are all about integrating wisdom from the other nations, so any improvisation of other cultural arts is highly welcomed."

"Yeah," Zuko smiled, "Uncle has been thinking about integrating Earth Kingdom culture into our own family, thanks to my cousin over here."

"Oh? Then I'm assuming Lu Ten finally told him about Lady Song?" Sokka asked.

"Yes," Lu Ten beamed.

"And that's why our boy has finally stopped sulking around and is now making jokes on his elders," Kuzon nudged his friend.

"It's okay, Master," Kohana tapped Piandao's shoulder, "Sokka's old, too."

"I'm not old!" Sokka squeaked.

"But you always say your back hurts and stuff," the boy said innocently.

"Looks like the mouse-cat's finally out of the bag," Kuzon teased as the men laughed and ruffled Kohana's hair.

"I think it's because he's been travelling all over the world," Lee said. "You said you've been all over the world, right, Brother Sokka?"

"Yeah, Sokka's been all over the wide world!" Kohana spread his small arms wide. "He went to places like Whale's Tale Island—"

"It's Whaletail Island, buddy," Sokka smiled.

"—and Oshamu—"

"That's Omashu—"

"— and he also went to Kishoyi Island!"

"He means Kyoshi Island," the Southern prince said, earning more laughs.

"So you learned a lot of tricks from those places, too, Brother Sokka?" Lee asked, his eyes lighting up in fascination.

"Just here and there, sport, not too much. Though I will say I trained with the Kyoshi Warriors for a few days."

"Oh yes, we've been hearing of them constantly thanks to Haru," Kuzon said.

"Why? Does he wanna learn, too?"

"Actually, he has a bit of a crush on their leader," Lu Ten said. "Lady Suki, I believe?"

"Interesting," Sokka smiled. "I think they'll be good together."

"Looks like you, Pipsqueak, the Duke, and I are the only single ones left, Sokka," Kuzon said. "Everybody else is running after the ladies."

"A bunch of saps," Sokka snorted, "Am I right?"

"Haha," Zuko huffed.

"But Sokka, you're getting married, too, remember?" Kohana said. "Mommy and Daddy said they'll talk to Chief Arnook and ask him if you and the princess—!"

"Woah there!" Sokka wrapped a hand around his brother's mouth and lifted him into his arms, chuckling nervously. "Don't mind him, guys, he has no idea what he's talking about!"

But everyone just gawked at him, occasionally sharing amused looks. Piandao was especially surprised, though not in a bad way considering the latest conversations he'd been having with Arnook regarding the princess.

The sound of rumbling stomachs filled the room and broke the awkward silence. Piandao turned to Kohana and Lee and smiled. "Looks like our young warriors are hungry for breakfast."

"I can wait until we're done with the next lesson," Lee said.

"Yeah, me too, me too!" Kohana jumped up and down. "I wanna paint now! Can we do the painting lesson now, Master?"

"Seems to me like your brother will be an artist before he becomes a swordsman," Piandao smiled at Sokka. "Very well, let's go to the gardens. We'll have our final lesson for the day there."

As they transitioned into the snow gardens, Sokka was vigilant. He kept looking around him, kept scrutinizing the looks the masked servants gave him as they passed by. He wondered if he'd spot a familiar pair of baby blue eyes, and he hoped his exhaustion wouldn't fail him.

Of course, this did not go unnoticed by Piandao. He raised his eyebrows at his newest student. "Are you looking for someone, Sokka?"

"Huh?" Sokka snapped out of his thoughts. "No, Master. Just looking around. Nice, uh... architecture."

"Do you plan to have your palace in the South constructed similar to this?"

"My dad's gonna decide all that," he said.

Piandao nodded, occasionally casting a look behind him and watching his students tease Kohana and Lee. The little tribesboy was currently in Sensu's arms while Zuko had Lee perched on top of his shoulders. The master smiled, ruminating over Kohana's outburst from earlier.

"Are your parents really considering forming an alliance with Chief Arnook, Sokka?"

Sokka widened his eyes and laughed nervously, "Eh, you know how it is with parents who want their children hitched as quickly as possible. It's common for Water Tribe parents, especially, to blabber a million things. They don't really mean them, I'm sure…"

"Oh," Piandao nodded slowly. "Well even if it was true, it wouldn't have been such a bad idea."

"You think so?"

And the master swordsman didn't fail to recognize the hope in the tribesman's voice. "Well yes, of course. The princess is very kind, very gentle. She will make a good daughter-in-law, I'm sure. Why, if I had a son, I would have definitely asked Arnook to accept him as his son-in-law."

"Oh."

"But never mind that," Piandao sighed knowingly. "It's probably for the best that you're not interested in these kinds of things. You have to concentrate on your training."

"Yeah…" though Sokka didn't look too happy about agreeing to it.

"I would say you're advanced already from what I've seen you do. You must've trained yourself quite diligently, too; you fought well for someone who's sleep deprived."

"Guess I'm just used to it," Sokka shrugged. "There were days I didn't sleep at all 'cause I was out hunting."

"But that was before," Piandao pointed out. "The South is doing a lot better. What is keeping you up now?"

Sokka thought for a moment, looking back at his friends and making sure they were occupied by conversation before asking, "Master...do you know if Chief Arnook is...going to choose a bodyguard for the princess?"

That certainly intrigued the master swordsman. "Do you want to recommend someone for the job?"

"Actually, I thought...maybe I could…"

"You want to be her bodyguard?"

"I...yes, Master."

Piandao looked surprised as the tribesman fumbled to come up with an explanation despite clearly failing.

"You know something, Sokka? The chief has actually asked me if I would recommend any of my advanced students for the task."

"He...he did?" Sokka asked.

"Yes, but he doesn't seem to know that you are interested. I do think you're capable. Though you can use a little more work on swordplay—"

"I'll work hard, Master."

Piandao had never been so amused. "I'm assuming you don't have a problem with this...? A leader-to-be normally wouldn't accept the role of a bodyguard for another leader-to-be—"

"It's the least I can do for everything she's done for us."

"Hm...I suppose it could speak to Arnook on your behalf. It does not have to be for long anyway. The chief is thinking of fixing another alliance for the princess by the time the Global Conferences are over. It's a good thing many young leaders are here for the conferences this year."

"A-Another alliance?"

"Well yes. Since her alliance with Prince Lu Ten is severed. Ozai threw quite the tantrum. Fire Lord Iroh was quite disappointed at first."

"Hopefully this doesn't affect Her Highness's Black Lotus plans…? Fire Lord Iroh wouldn't back out of it, right…?"

"If we were that selfish, we wouldn't be part of the White Lotus, would we, Sokka?"

"I didn't mean it that way…"

He laughed goodnaturedly. "I will think about recommending you to Chief Arnook, but I must tell you that the princess will likely refuse your help. Chief Arnook and I may recruit capable candidates all we want, but the princess is quite stubborn."

---

Before they entered the gardens, Piandao tied blindfolds around Sokka, Kuzon, Sensu, Lu Ten, and Zuko, and he led them outside to different parts of the garden with Lee and Sensu trailing behind them. Sokka opted to choose a spot by himself and wandered away from the group, feeling his way around the tiny sprinklers, drenched by their pouring showers. He felt his way around the bushes, too, passing by the fragrances of arctic jasmines and ocean lilies. He then came upon the fragrance he'd probably never forget in his lifetime: ipomoea buds set to bloom under the moonlight tonight. The sound of a water fountain also greeted him, sending a smile across his face. Piandao's footsteps trailed behind him.

"Is this your spot, Sokka?"

He nodded, and Piandao untied the blindfold. The Southern prince only had a second to take everything in before the master swordsman turned him around and sat him down on a pelt. He laid out before him brushes, inks, and parchment. "Now paint it. Don't peak."

Sokka could not see everyone else given how far he'd wandered into the ipomoea grove, so he got to work on painting the bushes. And the flowers, of course. Sweet-fragranced Arctic moonflower buds, bathed by the early morning light, leaning onto each other, teasing him with glimpses of the whiteness that was soon to bloom. A blossom that would come to life beneath moonlight. Like a moon-blessed princess coming into light, winning the hearts of millions of starving tribefolk...

Focus, Socks, focus.

He smiled to himself and looked back at the little sprinklers that didn't shoot in his direction anymore, the glass-like icy path that reflected the surroundings of the snow garden and the sun-bathed glimmers of icy poles. The inks trailed messily across his page, travelling and merging into other inky streams. Sokka had the idea of drawing a colorful aurora, which would mean his painting would have to be at night, but Master Piandao certainly wouldn't call out his creative genius in such a bad way, right? So now the parchment was filled with colored pigments. The page was adorned in brazen dark indigo merging into the dark corners of the parchment. Tiny blobs of paint indicated stars, and a poorly drawn white circle in one corner resembled the moon. Then came the blues and the greens, the pinks and the purples. The same colors that had danced their way into certain baby blue oceans last night, lighting up a smile beneath dark face veils and coloring delightfully bright skin…

Sokka, seriously, get it together. Don't be a sap.

He tried to concentrate on anything and everything else as he painted. The chirping of the penguin-sparrows, the touch of the wind, the fragrance of the ipomoeas, the glaring empty white space in the very middle of the parchment...

"Over here, Princess?"

"Yes, right here, thank you."

His ears perked up. Is that Yue? But drat, it was coming from behind him. Sure, Piandao wasn't here right now, but Sokka couldn't possibly fail such a simple exercise and lose the opportunity of being Her Highness's possible bodyguard if she so allowed him to have the honor—

"Your Highness, at least have something to eat first."

Without a second thought, he whipped himself around. He moved aside some of the ipomoea plants, and in the distance, he spotted her. She was covered in masks and veils and heavy silk robes, all in white, but it was her nevertheless, he could tell; the voice was unmistakably hers as was her smooth gait, and she moved with grace. Like a river of milk rippling amid the snow. There was a servant woman behind her, carrying a plate of cakes and bread with one hand, holding out a small bun to the princess with the other. Sagging in the snow beside them were several small cages, and within the cages were glimpses of flapping wings and eager beaks slipping through the bars.

"You may leave it there, Kincha," the princess said, kneeling down next to a cage and fiddling with its lock, "I will help myself."

"How will I know if you are really going to eat it, Your Highness?"

"You don't trust me?" she asked the servant lightheartedly.

"The chief told us to make sure you had your meal, Your Highness."

"So he told you not to trust me," Yue finally managed to open the lock, a task that would've been easy with a little waterbending if she hadn't been trying to convince others that she was a nonbender princess. "Well tell him I said this. He can't expect to make me happy by gifting me caged animals and pretending that my plans don't exist," and she reached into the opened cage, ushering out two little penguin-sparrows.

"Your Highness, be careful, they'll fly away."

But it seems that's exactly what the princess wanted. She coaxed the birds into her palms and then into the air, watching the pair flap their wings and take off.

"Your Highness, those birds are for your new menagerie!" the servant gasped.

"But I did not ask for a menagerie, Kincha," the princess said, baby blue eyes visibly brightening.

Sokka's gaze trailed from the princess to the birds, watching them soar freely above. The birds quickly circled back to the princess, however, when they saw that she had spread a few crumbs of bread on the ice, and they perched down on the ground, waddling over to the crumbs and filling their small bellies. In the meantime, Sokka's hand worked quickly, filling the blank space in his parchment.

"The hefty prices spent on that menagerie could've been used for more useful things," Yue looked up at the servant, "like your raise."

The servant softened her eyes. "Princess…"

"There are so many workers in need of adequate pay," the Northern princess worked to open the next cage. "That is a more important issue compared to all these 'gifts' for my appeasement. If the chieftain really wants me happy, then he should consider approving those proposals." With that, she released more birds into the air and grabbed hold of another bun from the plate, scattering more bread crumbs against the ice.

"Will you do me a favor, Kincha? Please tell the overseers of the menagerie to make arrangements to escort the animals back into the wild."

"Even the panda tortoises?"

"Even the panda tortoises."

"But Your Highness, the chief will be very angry when he hears about this!"

"If he asks, tell him I'm only looking out for him," the princess said. "Who knows, what if there's a father panda tortoise out there in the Káínaa Sea who's seething with fury that his daughter was taken from him for my menagerie? Maybe he was planning to marry her off today, and she ended up getting caught by our guards because she strayed too far from home to escape the alliance. Turns out her father is the chief of the panda tortoise kingdom, and he's telling his entire panda tortoise army to come invade the capital city so he can get his daughter back, possibly apologize to her for not seeing her point of view."

"I don't know if our nation can handle such a war," the servant laughed and bowed. "I'll do my best to convince him. Please tell me you'll eat, Your Highness."

"Maybe."

"I'm serious, Princess, you must eat."

Yue chuckled and waved at the servant, but she didn't touch the food. She did not bend or take off her veils even in solitude; she was certainly careful about the possibility of exposure. She peered into the cage that she had just now freed, noticing that the little white bird inside of it was timid, apparently not wanting to move forward and take off like its comrades.

"You're not going to come out, are you?" she asked. "Why would you want to be trapped in there?" She managed to lure the bird out with a bread crumb. "There's a whole world out here, come see it!"

Sokka smiled to himself and sighed. With his painting now complete, he nestled his face in his hands as he lay on his stomach and rested on his elbows. So many questions swirled around in his mind. When did she first get a glimpse of the outside world? He imagined she had to have been highly sheltered. When did she secure a job at the Moon Temple? What was her history with the Revivalist Association? Who was her waterbending teacher? Was it one person or different people? Where did she learn to shift lightning out of the way like that? Why was she running with the lie that she was a nonbending princess?

"Look what we have here, gentlemen!"

"SHHH!" Sokka turned around only to jump out of his thoughts, spotting a grinning Kuzon. The firebender snatched the warrior's painting."

"Hey, Kuzon, give it here—!"

"Poor Master Piandao," Kuzon tried holding it out of Sokka's reach, laughing at the flustered tribesman, "Thinking of you to be a highly advanced student—!"

"Give it to me!"

"But he doesn't know he's dealing with a loverboy!"

"As if you guys aren't drooling over your ladies!"

"Oh, but at least we're honest and open about it!" Kuzon kept holding the painting away from his friend, "Wait, does this mean the princess of the North your lady, loverboy?"

"That's not what I meant!" Sokka flushed.

"Oh yeah, that's right, Kohana said your parents are considering the princess as your future wife—"

"Give me my painting, Kuzon—!"

"No can do! I gotta show off this artwork to the rest of the world!" He started running towards the other students with the painting, and although Sokka was at his heels, he failed to retrieve the painting from the firebender.

"Kuzon, what is going on?" Sensu asked, puzzled by Kuzon and Sokka nearly rolling around on the ice in trying to retain their grip over the painting. "What on earth?"

"You guys wanna see Sokka's painting of the princess of the North—?"

"Kuzon, you better hand it over!" Sokka squeaked.

"He was sitting over there doodling her instead of the landscape," Kuzon handed Zuko the painting, "Deliberately ignoring all the rules and turning around to see the view," he laughed, pushing Sokka beside him and joining the others as they leaned in and looked at the painting. Lu Ten and Sensu were the first to crack, trying to hide their laughs. Zuko blinked several times and eyed the parchment in visible confusion. Lee and Kohana, who joined in the scrutinizing circle, tried to figure out which was what in the painting as if it were a game.

"And what's this?" Kuzon pointed to the sky in the painting, "Is it nighttime now, Prince Sokka?"

"Of course it is!" Lu Ten pointed to the actual sky and the sun that cast its rays over them, "You thought that was the sun? It's actually the moon disguised as the sun!"

"Yep, the sky is definitely dark and colorful," Zuko looked around him at the bright, clear day sky, a small teasing grin on his face.

"Never mind the aurora and the night sky, look at the lovely princess in white in the center!" Kuzon pointed to the very center of the painting.

"Is that really a princess? It doesn't even look like a girl to me," Zuko leaned in closer to the painting. "Looks more like a walking white postbox."

"Sadly, that's what a lot of people are saying the princess basically is," Kuzon sighed. "Having to cover herself up, not being allowed to speak or go anywhere she wants or hold meetings with people of high rank other than her council. A walking postbox she seems to be."

Sokka glared. "Hey now, don't talk about her like that."

"Okay, okay," Kuzon held his hands up. "Just saying what the servants have been saying."

Some servants, the Southern prince gnawed the inside of his cheek.

"The princess in this drawing is just a bunch of sticks connected to a circle and a pole coming out of it," Sensu said.

"And what's this white triangle…?" Zuko traced the shape on the parchment.

"I think that's supposed to be a white dress, Cousin," Lu Ten laughed.

"Why are the lights on top of her?" Lee asked.

"Either she's gotta be flying in the sky or the lights are coming down from the sky," Zuko wondered.

"Did you run out of space in the sky, Sokka?" Sensu chuckled, causing Sokka to flush further in embarrassment.

"Don't you guys know what real art is? Don't you see what I see?" Kuzon said. "The princess is wearing all white, but she wants to express herself, so he added a little color to show that she has feelings."

"I thought she spilled her royal cosmetics set all over herself."

"The colors of the aurora are reflecting on Her Highness!" Sokka sputtered, snatching the painting away from them.

"Ohhh!"

"That makes sense."

"That's all good, but what's with that moustache?" Sensu pointed out, leaning over Sokka's shoulder and pointing to a horizontal line on the drawing's face. "And why is it on top of her nose?"

"That's not a moustache!" Sokka said. "That's her mask covering up most of her face—!"

"Then why did you paint it black? And why can we see her smiling through her mask? Is it a transparent mask?"

"Men, what is going on?" Piandao's voice interrupted them. "Sokka, are you finished? Let me see it."

"Look at what the newest student is doing, Master!" Kuzon snatched the painting again and waved it in front of Piandao, who then took the painting and observed it with a look of scrutiny. While the others were doubling over in laughter, the master maintained a straight face.

"You added an aurora," Piandao remarked simply.

Sokka gulped. "Is that okay?"

"He added a lady, too, Master," Lu Ten laughed.

When Piandao took notice of the poorly-drawn stick figure in white, he raised his eyebrows, his look seeming to indicate that he recognized the figure from its all-white robes. He looked up at Sokka, but before he could say anything, he looked over the Southern prince's shoulder and caught sight of the subject of the painting, wearing all white and spending time with a flock of birds. "Princess?"

Sokka nearly shrieked as he turned around, spotting the princess in clear sight in the distance. Having sensed the presence of being watched, Yue, whose attention had remained on the birds surrounding her, turned around and spotted them. Piandao made his way forward, and instead of continuing to behave like silly hooligans, the men straightened themselves into a stiff walking posture. Kuzon grinned and dragged Sokka along, though it wasn't long before the prince jogged up to the front where Piandao was. The young tribesman's chest vibrated from the fierce pounding from within.

"Master Piandao, what a surprise," the princess said pleasantly and greeted the group with a bow, keeping her gaze on the floor. Everyone bowed lower out of greater respect with Sokka bowing the lowest. In a flash of amusement, the princess bowed even lower than him, and to top that, Sokka sprawled out on the ice, nearly in prayer fashion. The princess held in her giggle, but there was a twinkle in her eyes that he took note of and gushed over internally.

"I think that's enough, Prince Sokka," Sensu tapped the tribesman on the shoulder and helped him up. The Southerner's lightheadedness returned when her baby blue oceans blinked at him. He nearly toppled over, held up by Piandao.

"S-Sorry, Your Highness, ma'am," he panted, "Didn't get my sleep…"

"It's alright," she chuckled, bowing again. "It's wonderful to officially meet you, Prince Sokka."

As if she hadn't even met him before. "T-The mine is all pleasure...s-sorry, sorry, I mean, the pleasure is all mine, Your Highness," he bowed lower, almost in a comical fashion, and he was held back by Kuzon before he went overboard with his bowing again and fell over.

The princess's gaze flew to the sword that dangled at the Southerner's belt. "Is the sword to your liking, Prince Sokka?"

"Yes, ma'am, I love it," he beamed, eyes soft. "It hasn't left my sight since the day I got it. I can't thank you enough for a beautiful gift."

"Until science has my back in the future, I'll just be the weird tribeswoman with the mismatched color dynamics…"

"It's not weird, it's beautiful. You're very beautiful."

The princess flushed beneath her veil at the memory. "I'm glad you like it."

"He's been swooning all over that sword ever since he joined us for his first lesson," Kuzon said.

Yue chuckled, making the Southerner's sheepish grin widen. "It's good to hear that he's learning from such a capable master."

"You're being very kind, Princess," Piandao smiled. "It is very good to see you here, by the way. We were not expecting you to be here this morning. That's why we took the liberty to have our class exercise here."

"I was not expecting to see you all here, either, Master," she said. "Or Brothers Lu Ten, Zuko, and Sensu, for that matter," she bowed in the men's direction.

"Good to see you, too, Princess," Sensu smiled, pulling his brother along, "This is my little brother."

"What is your name, sweetie?" Yue asked the boy.

"Lee," the boy grinned at her with all of his crooked teeth.

"Lee," her eyes smiled. "It's quite a unique name."

"Back in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, it's not," Lee sighed. "Lee is a very common name. I know twenty other Lees at my schoolhouse."

"But it's unique for someone from the Water Tribe," she said lightly. "I've never met a Lee before."

"I've never met a princess who was nice before. I thought you'd be like Azula," Lee said in all frankness, causing a nervous little laugh to escape Zuko and Lu Ten. Sensu shook his head and covered his brother's mouth.

The princess then turned to Kohana. "And who is this?"

Kohana hid behind his big brother and held onto his parka tightly. As if Sokka had the willpower to stand still with how he was attracted to the princess like the ocean reaching desperately for the moon. He nudged his little brother forward. "Ko-bear, go say hi."

Kohana smiled shyly at the princess and peeked out at her but still had his arms wrapped around his brother. "Hi Princess Tui…"

"My name is not Tui, sweetie," the princess laughed.

"Our mom says you're basically Tui, Your Highness," Sokka admitted. "You've helped us like no one else would. We're always grateful for that."

The princess was silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "That's...that's very sweet of you…" She ruffled the little boy's hair, "What is your name, sweetheart?"

"Kohana."

"Kohana, hm? A cute name for a cute little prince." She reached for a few wrapped pastries on the plate beside her and gave two of them to Kohana, handing the other two to Lee. Kohana unabashedly started to unwrap the cakes and stuff them into his mouth.

"You should eat, too, Your Highness," Sokka said, ignoring the amused looks that he got form everyone else at his words.

"I was expecting you to be meeting with your council this morning," Piandao asked her.

"I was supposed to, yes," Yue briefly looked at Sokka, "I was supposed to be meeting with other people as well."

"But you will get to meet her. Tomorrow, most likely."

"I will?"

"I kind of told her about your extensive knowledge of the Warrior Code."

Sokka's smile widened, and he straightened his chest up, pride flickering in his eyes.

"But all of my plans have been put on hold by His Majesty, the chief," Yue said. "He does not wish for me to meet with anyone at this time."

"I see." For what reason, Piandao was careful not to ask. Sokka, on the other hand, felt his pride quickly deflate, his hands still tingling with jolts of pain and soreness from working nonstop all night to transcribe the entire Code from memory. It was not the disappointment of losing sleep or overworking his muscles; rather, it was the disappointment of not having a reason to meet with Yue in her princess persona.

"I wonder why she refers to the chief as the chief. She could've just referred to him as 'Father,'" Kuzon whispered to Lu Ten, who nudged him to be quiet.

"Hopefully I can resume my plans tomorrow," the princess said. "Until then, I have to keep busy some other way."

"I'm hoping whatever issue there is will be resolved, Princess."

"Thank you, Master," Yue bowed one last time. "It was wonderful to see all of you. I should probably be moving on. I don't want to interrupt your class—"

"May I say you actually brightened our class today, Princess," Kuzon nudged Sokka, snickering at his panicking friend. "It appears the esteemed prince of the South has painted a picture of you during our painting lesson today—"

"No, no, I...I was...I was painting the scenery and…"

"She happened to be in the way?"

Yue blinked, her hands folding together, her sleeves closing over her palms, "I'm very sorry to have ruined your lesson—"

"Not at all, Princess, it was quite a treat for all of us," Sensu laughed. "Come on, Sokka, show her your masterpiece!"

Seeing the Southern prince fumble for an excuse and turn as red as a tomato, the princess said calmly, "I was not aware that you were an artist, Prince Sokka." A smile beneath her face veil, "I would love to see what you have worked on, if you don't mind."

"I think he's more of a pre-beginner," Lu Ten said. "Come on, Socks, don't be modest."

With a flush, Sokka looked to a calm Piandao, who simply handed the tribesman's painting over to the princess. She unfurled it and took in what anyone else would say to be the abomination that was Sokka's lack of control of hand movements. Sokka wanted to bury himself alive beneath the ice that they were standing on, but the princess didn't laugh like the others. She seemed to be smiling— she always seemed to be smiling.

"This is very sweet," she said, looking up at the prince. "I have never been painted before."

"You may have it, if you like," Piandao said, stealing an amused glance at the mellowed tribesman.

"May I?"

"O-O-Of course," Sokka's lips bobbed up and down.

"Thank you," she bowed. "I'm honored to have met you, Prince Sokka, and I am honored to have been an unlikely subject of your painting. I will be going now—"

"Princess, before you go," Piandao stepped forward, "May Prince Sokka and I speak with you for a moment in private?"

---

Lu Ten ended up leading the others towards the palace for the breakfast feast, and soon enough, it was only the Yue, Sokka, and Piandao. Yue felt her palms getting sweaty; the prince of the South said he wouldn't say anything to anyone, so why…?

"My students may appear to be goofy, but they are highly trained, Princess," Piandao said. "And I'm sure you are not surprised by this, but your father has entrusted me with the duty of selecting one of them to be your bodyguard and a few others as backup security."

Oh. "Yes, he seems very invested in that," she let go of the breath she'd been holding. "Are you saying you have your recommendations ready, Master?"

"Only if you approve, Your Highness," Sokka said.

Yue briefly made eye contact with him before turning back to Piandao. "I am thankful to have so many people concerned for my welfare, but I expressed before that I do not have plans of having a bodyguard appointed for me."

"Princess, you know of the situation here," Piandao said. "You are aware that the situation is only under control thanks to all the world leaders being here at this point in time. My students have been training for many years, and I believe they are qualified to help you at all times, even after the conferences are over."

"I highly doubt my brothers from the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom would be willing to follow around a walking postbox of a princess in the Arctic twenty-four hours a day," she chuckled.

Sokka softened his gaze. Did she hear those people talking? "Don't say that, Your Highness. Anyone would be lucky to have your company."

Yue looked away, focusing her gaze on the moonflower plants nearby. Warmth seeped into her chest. "You're a blessing yourself, Princess Yue."

"That's why I was wondering if you'd consider someone from the Water Tribe, Princess. Someone who is from your own culture, someone who is not exhausted by ice and snow," Piandao placed his hand on the prince's shoulder. "For a position that requires such loyalty, it is always good to have someone who has respect and genuine gratitude for you. Prince Sokka is a capable warrior, and he himself has asked for this opportunity. I know he will be sincere."

The princess blinked at Sokka, who gulped down his nervousness and looked back at her hopefully.

"Anyone would feel very safe in the hands of such strong, capable men such as your students, Master Piandao, and while Prince Sokka has not been your student for very long, I have heard of all that he is capable of. I am confident that he is more than capable, but I hope you both understand when I say that it would be an uncomfortable experience for me."

Piandao sighed, having expected this.

"Your Highness, I want to clarify something," Sokka began. "I'm not trying to say that I am invincible enough to be a bodyguard, and I'm certainly not saying that you are incapable or constantly in need of protecting. I am not underestimating your strength."

"I am not underestimating your strength." The princess sighed, fiddling with her fingers beneath her sweeping sleeves.

"Your Highness, even the Avatar, the most powerful person on the planet, has an entire organization dedicated to protecting him. Master Piandao is a part of it, and he himself has security of his own. All of this is not because the Avatar is weak or that Master Piandao is weak, and it's not for the purpose of hindering their freedom."

"I understand that, Prince Sokka."

"So please don't think of me as a bodyguard," Sokka added. "Think of me as a friend. An ally. I will be more than happy to help you with your plans in any way I can...if you want me to…"

"The princess saved millions from starvation, I would know. She's not going to be a burden for anyone. If she accepts, the prince himself would be honored to serve as her bodyguard." Yue shook her head. "I consider you as a great friend, but I am against such an arrangement for a variety of reasons, not just one. You are capable, and I'm aware of that, but it would be even better if you utilized your strengths to protect and uplift the South instead of getting into big risks for my sake."

Sincerity flared in his sharp blue eyes, "I don't want you to worry about what will happen to me. I'll be sure to be careful—"

"We can never be too careful, right?"

"Exactly," he said. "We can never be too careful. That's why I'd like to be next to you at all times…a-as a friend, I mean..."

Yue took a deep breath and stood up. "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but having a bodyguard is just not something I see myself doing. It would not be…" she searched for an excuse, "...proper."

"Your Highness, my friend, Lady Suki of Kyoshi Island, is also a capable warrior," Sokka offered.

"I hear she is the leader of Kyoshi Island—"

"She trains many ladies, too, even if she has to stay behind as the leader. If you feel uncomfortable about having a male bodyguard, then may I recommend the Kyoshi Warriors to—?"

"A cage is a cage no matter what color it is or what substance it is made out of. Likewise, gender is but an attribute; a bodyguard is a bodyguard no matter what." She looked to him, "I would like to be a free bird, Honorable Isumataq, not a caged one."

"Khasiq is like a prickle snake with years of experience...And she's a hatchling still learning to use her wings. She better fly her way through the political arena before the snake slithers over. Such a bold move will cost her her life." Sokka frowned in worry.

"I should be going now. It was an honor speaking to the two of you," Yue bowed to them. Turning to the prince, "Forgive me if I have said anything out of turn, Prince Sokka. I hope you understand that I did not help the South to expect your service in return. I want you to be happy, and I want only the best for the South."

He swallowed and nodded, bowing lower. "You should eat, Your Highness. You haven't eaten."

"Likewise."

The prince watched her leave, not noticing Piandao's look of serious consideration in his direction.

---

Sokka skipped breakfast and wandered through the palace instead, hoping to spot Yue. He had started to memorize the various parts of the palace, but he was not successful in finding her. He didn't see her anywhere, and he found out upon inquiry that she wasn't one of the cooks for the Air Nomad feast that morning. She wasn't at the Moon Temple, either, he learned by asking around the temple-goers; he decided he wasn't going to put up with those angakkuit.

Maybe she's really gonna stay indoors, Sokka thought. Maybe she was being heavily guarded and didn't have a way to escape, or maybe she was busy speaking to her council members about those proposals that she mentioned earlier to her servant. Something was up, and even someone like Piandao steered clear of meddling in that issue.

It's not fair, he sighed. I was gonna meet her today. What's with Arnook poking his nose in all her plans like this? The princess clearly had a wonderful vision for the North, and the reason behind her asking about the Code was a noble one, too. Did Arnook find out about that, maybe? Did he not approve of the princess meeting him?

And why does she have to be so stubborn? Could she not see that her life was in danger? Yes, he understood that it could be her frustration of not being able to do anything before and her drive to do something now, but if what everyone is saying is correct, Khasiq wasn't going to stop until he got the throne, and he seemed like he'd be the type to do anything to make that happen, even if it means harming the princess. Besides, she was posing as a nonbender; if she was public about her abilities, then she could be defending herself with her bending, right? But even that wasn't possible given the stupid rules in the past that forbid women from learning to fight. If people found out that she was such a powerful bender from the start, and that, too, before the rules were changed to open up fighting to women, people would hurl too many questions in her direction. Questions she might not be ready to answer.

What Sokka felt he needed to do now was convince the princess, both that she should be able to trust him and that she should rely on someone— even if not him, though he certainly would like to play the part— until the dangers die down, but she likely wasn't going convinced. He realized he wouldn't be able to persuade her if he didn't know about her completely, if he didn't know about her moral compass as much as he should. That's where the Revivalist Association would come in handy. That's why he was determined to find out more about her persona as Lady.

---

"You said you wanted to see us immediately, Sokka," said Kanguq. "Is everything alright?"

The warrior didn't answer to that, his tired appearance convincing them that questioning him wouldn't be feasible at the moment. "I'd like to know more about your leader. If possible, I'd like to know everything I can about her," he said, turning to Lady Sayen. "You mentioned that this was a conversation to be held in private. That's why I reached out."

"Is there a reason why you're this interested?" Kanguq asked him. "You seem pretty...serious…"

"I just...want to figure out some things," he said. "Try to orient myself in the situation in the North. Hearing about Lady's context and her vision will help answer some of my questions, I feel."

Sayen hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Alright, Brother Sokka, but before I tell you about Lady, I need to tell you about someone else." She looked up. "Our former master, Hama."

Someone who abhorred the mere thought abusing a sacred ancient art like waterbending for the purposes of ending life wouldn't have stuck around any longer to listen to what Sayen and Kanguq had to say about Hama, a terrorist and inventor of bloodbending who happened to be the former master of many of the women who made up the Revivalist group and the only waterbending teacher for girls at the time. In spite of his abrasiveness and his lack of bending abilities, Sokka was not any less of a caring individual and would've ended the meeting right then and there, but what kept him glued to his seat was the genuine truth of compassion that he had witnessed in the princess's company, a stark contrast to whatever Hama symbolized. It was for Yue's sake that he didn't jolt away.

"Your master was a terrorist?" he asked Sayen, his voice barely a whisper.

Kanguq squeezed his wife's hand in reassurance before before looking straight at Sokka, "They did not know her at all when they met her. How could they have known that she was a terrorist?"

Turned out that Hama was many things. A misandrist. An extremist. A bloodbender. But before she was all of those things, she was a victim. Hama was a Southerner from a small-scale village who moved to the North several decades ago, long before the Northern ports closed to outside groups and the economic destitution in the South had kicked off. During her lifetime, Hama had been sexually assaulted. Twice. And those events had likely traumatized her. Her parents, ashamed to have a "soiled daughter" in the household and consistently in fear of society's judgement, had kicked her out for good.

In those circumstances of hopelessness, Hama had chosen the path of vengeance from there, traveling through the treacherous Northern mountains to Spirits-knew-where, only to return many years later to the capital as an older woman, secretly a master waterbender. Where she learned waterbending in a place like the North, who her influencers, mentors or teachers were, no one would ever know, but the North would recognize a significant decline of its population of men in the following months, the disappearances always reported once the full moons had passed. The men would be found deep within the snow forests, their arteries and veins having exploded from the inside, having bled to death overnight beneath the full moon. The paranoid tribefolk, while struggling to protect the men in their families, took to thinking that it was a vengeful spirit who was probably doing all of this.

Of course, all of this was not initially known to a group of young, hopeful girls— seven to ten years of age, blessed with waterbending yet having their abilities underdeveloped, mostly ignorant of the North's dangers and threats given their innocence— who were to enroll as Hama's students for her private waterbending lessons later on.

"Everyone was familiar with her as the aunty down the street," Sayen explained, "To the tribefolk, she was just a normal old woman. That poor old lady who didn't have a family, who just wanted to spend time with children so she didn't have to wallow in her depression and loneliness. And to us, only to us, she was a great waterbender."

And a highly skilled waterbender at that. Unlike what Northern families and societies preached, Hama insisted that women should learn waterbending, and that, too, for the purpose of defense and combat. To little Sayen and her friends, she was a hero— she who somehow mastered the same art that was flowing within them but was never public about her abilities or opinions.

"We were obviously tempted; we couldn't kill our desires to develop the magic at our fingertips," Sayen said. "We thought she truly was someone aspiring for change, for the chance to empower young girls. There was no way of us knowing she was a bloodbender deep down or that she was responsible for luring men into the snow forests and crushing their veins from the inside."

Hama had promised them that she would turn them into master waterbenders. That, too, for free. Repeatedly, she had warned them of the dangers that lay ahead for women who weren't armed and vigilant at all times, but she would only be able to teach them if they kept the lessons a secret. And they didn't feel the need to question her. They wanted what the male benders their age were able to accomplish.

"It was a desperate decision," Amka said. "Violence against women had been so much worse back then and even before that during the days when we were born. We had to consider ourselves lucky that our families didn't abandon us for being born as girls. Khasiq's power was still at its peak, and there was lingering unrest the years following Chieftess Ahnah's demise."

"And with Khasiq's government issuing attacks against Tui-worshippers, we felt it was crucial to develop our skills," Sayen followed. "We found a leader in Hama. We had to do what we could to protect ourselves, our bodies, our loved ones, our faith, our Tui."

They practiced their bending during daylight. Hama, having been in charge of watching over the girls, took them with her every day in the name of picking flowers for the temple altars, and she trained them in the secrecy of the snowy meadows on the outskirts of the outer ring, in an abandoned home on the edge of the mountainside. Those were the days when the mandate had started for women in the lower rings to start wearing masks if they were to have any business in the inner sector, and most of the girls' parents had been servants at the palace during that time, which meant the masking rules had applied to their mothers, especially.

"It's the government's way of handling rape culture and violence against women," Sanka huffed. "Having the woman cover herself, including her face, but not having the balls to tell the abusers to keep it in their pants. Like the men have the license to do whatever they want and that we're free real estate."

But Hama didn't hide her identity when she was with the girls. She didn't need to with everyone continuing to think that it was a spirit that was stealing innocent men away. Her outward persona was just that of an old lady who treated the children with great patience and kindness and babysat them while their parents were working. She was like another grandmother to them. The days passed by smoothly and excitedly from there with the young girls getting better and better at their abilities.

"It was on one such day that she came," Amka said, lost in thought. "Kuunnguaq."

"Kuunnguaq?"

That was apparently what they all called her and still call her to this day. It means "rivulet" or "small stream," but Hama had always translated it as "Little River" in the common tongue and addressed the girl as such. They never knew Kuunnguaq's real name.

"We never saw her face because she was always masked up," Sanka said. "All we know is that she was eight years old when she joined our lessons. We always assumed she was a servant girl, but we never knew for certain what her childhood was like or whose daughter she could be."

Sokka nodded slowly, processing the information. "What was she like?"

"Her first several months with us, she was quiet," Sayen said. "Spoke only when she needed to."

Hama had apparently been very concerned for "Little River" when she first joined them. The girl did not speak very much, the only exception being the plants or the little polar rabbits and panda tortoises and such animals whenever she thought she wasn't being noticed. She did not mix with the children; she often kept to herself. She used to flinch when people touched her or got close to her. She didn't make eye contact, almost as if she was afraid of speaking to people. Most importantly, she always kept herself covered up.

Hama had noticed all of this, obviously, and she had been so worried that the girl was being abused by someone. Little River had mentioned that she had a father, and Hama, being suspicious of all men, held fears about the girl's father possibly abusing her. The girl never spoke much to confirm any of Hama's doubts, and she seemed to be a disturbed child, as if she didn't know the world all too well, and her mute fascination with several things that were otherwise considered normal for the average person made Hama think that the girl was sheltered an unhealthy amount. But it cannot be denied that Little River was gifted. Gifted gifted. She was intelligent and picked up on her lessons quite efficiently, having quickly caught up to the lessons that the mainstream class was learning. She was a really good bender, too.

"Little River had so much potential to master all the lessons that Hama taught us, but she had the restraint that Hama never had. Maybe a little too much restraint," Sayen sighed. "Little River is quite sensitive like that."

"Sensitive?"

"Highly sensitive," Sanka said. "She could not stand other forms of life being harmed or abused. She claimed we would be hurting the Spirits inside of them. There had been days when Hama would make us manipulate the water in the plants, and the plants would die as a result of that. We would never know of her secret activities until much later, but those kinds of exercises were sneak peeks, I suppose, of what she would try to make us do later. And Little River could never participate in those kinds of lessons."

She would claim she had trouble feeling the push and pull in the plants. It would surprise them all how such a good bender had trouble maneuvering the water in the plants."

"It was a full moon one night, and Hama was out, as always. On her way back, she checked our training site for something, apparently, and she saw that Little River was there, bawling beside the dead flowers, frantically trying to revive them. Little River actually utilized the technique to revive the flowers we experimented on earlier rather than extracting the life out of them. It was the first time Hama had ever seen her emote."

Ever since finding out about this, Hama gave Little River lots of love and attention. She told the rest of the girls to be kind to her, too, and even consulted a mind specialist to try to pry information about her childhood. No one could ever figure out who she was, what her childhood was like, or why she was the way she was, but after a few years, the girl eventually warmed up to them. She and the students became lifelong comrades with Sayen claiming to be her best friend.

Even when various responsibilities caught up to them as they got older, they continued to meet albeit at tighter schedules. They were careful to avoid waterbending in public so they wouldn't be seen with suspicion. But their lessons had nevertheless fallen behind as Hama had stopped giving them exercises having to do with manipulating living things, mostly out of her love and extra care for Little River.

"If it wasn't for her, Hama would've turned us into monsters a long time go," Sanka said. "She would've had no qualms against resuming our plant-maneuvering lessons and taking them to the next level. That's how absorbed she was in her affection for Kuunnguaq. She loved her so much that she would spend time with her, tell her stories, give her a few extra cakes in the afternoons. She wouldn't even concentrate on the lessons for the day."

"We like to think that maybe if Hama wasn't so blinded by her rage, she would've officially adopted Little River as her own," Sayen mused. "But she clung to hatred. So much so that she spent so much of her time worrying about Kuunnguaq for not being assertive. There were times when Hama got angry with her, called her spineless for being so gentle."

"We began to see a different side to Hama then. She discouraged us from interacting with boys or having relationships with them. Of course, we knew from the start that she didn't like men; she had always hated it when we talked about La and said that Tui was the only Spirit there ever was."

Hama's excuse for this hatred and defensiveness stemmed from her philosophy that they must do everything they could to survive and protect their loved ones, but Little River always interpreted that teaching as healing and saving loved ones rather than attacking if need be. So when Hama began to hesitantly teach them about manipulating water inside of plants— animals, too, this time— Little River didn't understand that as controlling the animals but rather helping them drive out disease from their bodies. She had already been learning healing from another master by that point, so she was integrating her other teacher's lessons. The teacher, of course, was never known, and it wasn't important considering there were plenty of healers to teach women to heal.

"She learned healing from someone else?" Sokka asked.

"Yes. Hama was a good waterbender, but she couldn't heal to save her life. Several other students had been learning from other healers, too, so it wasn't that important."

It was during one of their lessons that "shit finally hit," as Amka described it. A man had broken into their isolated training site and tried to steal some food.

"He wasn't trying to hurt us or anything. He just broke into the kitchen for some food. He seemed like he was very poor," Sayen grimaced at the memory that hit her next. "That was when we saw Hama bloodbend for the first time. We thought the man was convulsing or something, but he was moving to Hama's every will, following the movements of her hands. She was ruthless, Brother Sokka, absolutely ruthless..."

Kanguq comforted his wife by placing his hand over her shoulder.

"Hama had bloodbended him without mercy," Sanka swallowed. "It was so gruesome that blood had been coming out from his nose and ears and mouth. Everyone had been terrified. It was sick and nauseating just hearing her talk about what she did afterwards."

"What happened to Yu...your Lady, I mean?" Sokka asked. "What did she do?"

"What any horrified person would do in that situation. Run for her life. She ran towards the mountains, and Hama went after her."

"I was the only one who went after the two of them," Sayen said. "I looked for them for hours. It was soon nightfall, and the moon was full. I finally managed to find Kuunnguaq passed out in the snow. She was nearly frozen."

"We later learned that Hama was captured while she was trying to find Kuunnguaq. Khasiq's men had found her. They were originally looking for the spirit that was killing the men but felt her bloodbend them to try to escape. Somebody somehow blocked her chi, and they killed her on the spot. Stabbed her to death. In her last moments, Hama was screaming for Tui."

"Kuunnguaq must have seen the murder happen before her eyes; she was never the same after that. It took her a year to recover from that depression."

Sokka jolted out of his chair. "That's...I don't...I don't know what to say, I..." He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing as he tried to imagine the scene.

"In the meantime, Khasiq used Hama's death as a way of gathering increased popularity in the North," Amka frowned. "People began to support him since he managed to capture and kill a horrible terrorist. He used this victory to preach against teaching women waterbending."

The girls who had been traumatized by Hama's death couldn't forget her or her horrors. They couldn't decide what to think of her: years' worth of love and affection pitted against her horrid actions that were revealed in the weeks following her demise. They hated what she did, but somewhere deep within them had grown a great fear; the environment of the North was toxic for many women, and it was that toxicity that had consumed Hama whole and made the pendulum swing to the opposite extreme. Hama could've been a loving person. She could've been a role model if she had just decided to teach waterbending the way a normal master would. If she hadn't embraced the art of bloodbending, if she hadn't been poisoned by the need for revenge, maybe even if her parents hadn't abandoned her after learning she was assaulted.

This was what inspired Little River's ideas for social service missions and societal consciousness, and the group didn't look back from there. At the age of fourteen, Little River publicly spoke out against a Nationalist's discriminatory speech, and from there, she attracted much attention to the missions and herself, healing the sick, offering waterbending training in secret to interested parties that came to join the cause later on, breaking the chains of the oppressed through various nonviolent means, eventually earning the epithet Lady of the Mist from the masses. From there, the girls referred to themselves as the Revivalists, and soon enough, their group would develop into something that Lady never wanted it to turn into in the first place, Sokka realized: a political movement that stood in direct opposition against all things Nationalist, causing a nuance-less rift within society and wrongly looping innocent orthodox religious groups under Khasiq's toxic spheres of influence.

"Are you a Revivalist?"

"No. I don't identify myself with any political affiliation. I just go with whatever's the right thing to do, whether a Nationalist proposes it or a Revivalist. I like to have everyone in my circle."

He could imagine why else she would dread such an outcome: she did not like conflict, and the one thing she probably never wanted was for the city to be divided in half.

"To this day, we can't help but think of how Hama could've easily bloodbended Kuunnguaq instead of spending so much time looking for her, but she didn't. She chose to run after her and take that risk, and she faced her doom. That's how much Hama loved Kuunnguaq. Like her own. If only Hama had been shown some love and comfort in her past, maybe she would've lived a life free of this hatred. Of course, she probably would've had to find a different drive for learning waterbending and teaching it, but…" Sayen shook her head. "What am I doing? I'm not defending her, I wouldn't, I...it's complicated...She's a horrible person, Brother Sokka, but she taught us everything we know..."

"It's okay, Sayen," Kanguq rubbed her back. "You don't have to say anything else if you don't want to."

Sokka sighed. "I get it, sisters, I do. It's...awful. What Hama did was awful, but what turned her into that monster? Khasiq's influence and the poisonous environment he created."

"It all began with his attack on Tui," Kanguq glared at the ground. "Tearing down the symbol of Tui means much more than taking an image out of all the tapestries or making one less idol for the temples. It is equal to the degradation of our mothers, sisters, daughters. It is equal to the destruction of their dignities. It takes away from the divinity of their very being." Kanguq looked up at his friend, "A nation that actively seeks to harm our friends and loved ones in the name of discrimination is a nation that will surely turn into dust by La's wrath. That's why we must do everything we can to bring Khasiq down."

Sokka's agreement was shown through the determined fire in his eyes.

"I know you were probably here to learn more about Kuunnguaq herself," Sayen said, "but as we already told you, we don't know too much about her personal life or her childhood. All we know comes from he conversations she'd had with us. She was a fairly private person."

"Though there is one other person who might know more about Kuunnguaq," Amka said. "Her name is Imona. She's a mind-specialist from a nearby village."

"She's been a good friend of Lady since our missions began, and she's been doing all she can to reduce her stress levels. We have a feeling that as a healer, she knows more information than we might ever know."

Sokka answered with a nod, knowing he was going to need a lot more time to process all of this, but his first priority right now was getting a hold of Yue. Where could she be right now?