Chapter 40: Calculations
Despite his bubbling anxiety for how the next several minutes would play out, Amaruq, who was currently in the prayer room of the Moon Temple with Hakoda, admired the temple's beauty and infrastructure. The tribesman found no practical reason behind why Hakoda would be uncomfortable within a work of such stunning majesty and architecture representing the moon and ocean in several unique ways. The Southern chief, though, was simmering from embarrassment and impatience, for in spite of his arrival, Sokka was still trying to find ways to keep close to the Akna. Not to mention the angayok hadn't wanted to visit the temple again ever since the truth about the Akna was revealed, so he found himself seated with his back facing the altar, unable to stop imagining the filthy scene that must have taken place at the steps of that very altar over twenty years ago— the North's cursed child— praised by Osha and her associates to this very moment— having been doused in the rawness of birth in a way that the tribe would characterize as polluting the sacred sanctum. Such a scene was reserved for the eyes of midwives, not the gods or a cohort of priests.
"I told you to stop and finish listening to what the guy was saying before jumping to conclusions," Amaruq scolded his brother-in-law while exploring the pagoda, referring to their encounter with a bystander who happened to give them some information during their search for the prince.
"I saw the prince and the princess with a couple of Revivalists. There's a wedding at the Moon Temple right now..."
And based on that tiny amount of information, Hakoda had assumed the worst, having expected his son to jump the river and wife up the Akna in the heat of the moment.
"Now look what happened," Amaruq went on, "You made a fool of yourself at someone else's wedding."
But the chief was, after all, still reeling back from the dream that woke him hours before: the dream of that wild Akna— covered head to toe in colors, her hair and face indistinguishable, her appearance echoing how she was the night they'd first seen her with his son— taking Sokka's hand, luring him away with a laugh alone. The chief was deprived of reassurance when he awoke to find his son not in the estate at three hours past midnight. "I'd rather be embarrassed than have Sokka take the wrong step."
But no matter how many rationales Hakoda gave, they would never be enough to quell the tides of Sokka's own embarrassment. At present, the prince was hanging around the newlyweds, who were given an opportunity to relax considering the interruption wasn't intended for their wedding, but in spite of his best attempts at looking unperturbed, the young warrior felt like the biggest loser in front of everyone. It had become obvious to everyone in the building at the particular moment of Hakoda's slip of tongue that the chief had mistaken the wedding couple to be Sokka and Yue rather than Qaasan and Iska, and his reaction was a blatant dismay of such a reality, which made even the most merciless Revivalist jokesters keep their mouths shut.
And not to mention that Hakoda's presence made the Revivalist men— specifically those from the South— step into the shadows so they wouldn't be recognized; despite being the long-lost Southerners that the South was anxiously waiting for, the overall situation they were in demanded that they keep out of the way for a little while longer. Explaining everything to Hakoda didn't seem feasible at this very moment, nor would a wrong step be beneficial for their families here and back down South.
But even so, they opted to spill the truth if it helped the prince's case.
"We were having such a good time," Ujaraq said, "We didn't keep track of the time. I'm sure Chief Hakoda will understand, but if he ends up bothering you too much, you can tell him about us. He might have a lot of questions, but…"
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna say anything," Sokka said, sporting a smile towards the newlyweds despite his words being directed to his friend, "This is a conversation you guys should have in the South where it's not risky."
Kanguq frowned, being reminded of his and Sayen's conversation with the princess earlier and the reality of the impending separation from the North.
"Besides, I'm not a child," Sokka added. "I don't have a curfew. If anything, he shouldn't have barged in like that."
And as they kept talking, a curious Junguk caught sight of the new necklace that Sokka harbored around his neck: a white conch, which oddly resembled the necklace that Junguk noticed around the princess's neck as she was healing one of Ikunna's boys at the shelters a day ago.
The newlyweds were eventually set to be escorted out of the temple by a couple of Northern Revivalists, who had arranged for the couple's lodging.
"We wish Sister Kuunnguaq was here," Qaasan said as Iska reached forward to hug the princess.
"If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have had the courage to come this far," the new bride spoke, smiling at Yue, "Please convey our warmest regards to her, Princess. We can't thank her enough."
"I'll let her know, don't worry," the dronningi assured.
"Though if you tell the princess, you don't have to tell anyone else," the prince added, earning a nudge to his arm from Yue, "I mean, since they're good friends and all."
"Of course, we can't thank you and our dronningi enough, too," Qaasan said to Sokka, "We will always be grateful to all of you, Your Highnesses. We don't know how we can ever repay—"
"You can repay us by being happy," Yue told them. "Take care of each other and make up for all the time that has been lost."
From there, Yue decided to indulge in a proper send-off for the grateful couple, figuring her distraction would give Sokka a moment to catch up with his father and clear up some of the confusion. Sokka wanted to join her instead, but another moment's worth of delay would likely cause more awkwardness than was already present.
"You've been by my side all night," Yue had said to him, "You need to sleep."
"I'm okay, dronningi, I'm used to staying up." Grinning, "Must be a Wolf-Moon thing."
"Even if you want to stay up further, you can always do so at the estate," she chuckled, "Aren't you getting bored of me by now?"
"What, no! I'm never bored of you, dronningi! If anything, I worry if you're getting bored of me."
She cast him a smile, her hand resting on his shoulder, the touch sending warm flutters through his stomach, "You know, even if we haven't known each other for long at all... I've been at my happiest every time I was with you. You have the energy to captivate everyone whenever you walk into a room. You're a vital teammate, Sokka. You bring lots of fun with you wherever you go. And I wish you nothing but joy in your life. Much more joy than you've given me."
The most abrasive parts of him nearly teared up, his body feeling as if it was floating among the clouds.
"Sokka...no matter what happens, always stand your ground for what you believe in. Because I know you are in the right. And even if we're literally Poles apart, I will have hope for the Water Tribe knowing I'm not the only one who's fighting the right fight…"
To which his bliss was interrupted for a moment, "Of course, Your Highness...but...don't make it sound like we're saying goodbye or anything."
Masking her knowingness with a smile, "I wasn't. Well, I didn't mean to anyway. I was just letting you know." And after shrugging off the heaviness of the conversation, "Now go take a breather. I don't want your dad to be more worried than he already is. At least go talk to him. Tell him everything's okay."
He forced a reluctant smile and nodded before watching her leave. He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but he felt a surge of longing within him. Battling the feeling, he headed for the prayer room, and when he was sure the princess was out of the building and occupied by the send-off preparations, he dropped the last of his pleasant demeanor and barged inside in frustration, glaring at his father, "'Leader of sin?' Really?"
"Yeah, that was a rather undignified move," Amaruq frowned at his brother-in-law, his admonition completely ignored by the chief, who stubbornly stood his ground.
"Aren't you ashamed to be saying that about the person who saved our tribe?" Sokka hissed.
Hakoda got up from the pelts, giving him a look of utter disapproval. "Well you're clearly not ashamed to still be sticking the hip of a woman this late at night with no fear of what society would say, so..."
"Just go home, Dad," Sokka huffed, "Don't make it worse."
"Then let's go—"
"I still have stuff to do!"
"Still?" Hakoda glowered, "Sokka, you've been up nearly all night—!"
"I'll be there soon—!"
"No, you won't. She'll take you off on another adventure to save the poor and needy, and you'll wag your tail and follow her around for the rest of the night. Not like there's much of a night left—"
"Keep it down, Hakoda, someone's gonna hear you," Amaruq cautioned, "Sokka said he'll be back, so let's go—"
"Do you even realize what time it is?" Hakoda swatted Amaruq's hand away and continued questioning Sokka, "It's four hours past midnight! Another two hours, and it will be moonset—"
"I know that! I wasn't doing anything morally reprehensible! We got carried away with the—!"
"Save your excuses for later," Hakoda grabbed Sokka's arm, "You're coming with me right now—"
"Fifteen minutes!" Sokka yanked his arm away. "Fifteen more minutes—"
"Fifteen more minutes! What earth-shattering responsibility do you have that'll take up fifteen minutes of your life?" Hakoda demanded.
"I'll say goodnight to the princess—!"
"And that'll take fifteen whole minutes—?"
"He needs to think of an excuse to leave so abruptly, doesn't he?" Amaruq snapped.
"What excuse do you need at this hour?" the chief said, incredulous, "The entire tribe is asleep right now—"
"Leave the boy alone, Hakoda, he said he'll be here. He's not a child—"
"He's certainly acting like one—"
"You're the one who's unnecessarily throwing a tantrum," Amaruq accused. "You waited two whole hours. You can't wait for fifteen more minutes?"
To which Hakoda could do nothing but acquiesce, dismay written all over his face, "I'll wait outside, then. I'm not going to stand in this place any longer—"
"If you want me to come with you, you are gonna stay put," Sokka scowled, "I don't want you advertising your hate here."
Clearly displeased by his son's attitude, "Alright. Five minutes, then."
"I said fiftee—!"
"Five more minutes, Sokka. That's all you get if you don't want me to make a scene—"
"Fine!" Sokka threw his hands up in exasperation, earning a helpless look from his uncle. The prince took a deep breath to calm himself, heading towards the door...but a particular thought made him stop. He turned around and made his way back to his father, "It would be proper to at least say hello to Her Highness. Since you're here and you clearly have no intention of coming back here."
"And if I feel conflicted about doing that?"
"You don't want to talk to her? You don't even want to thank her?"
"And why would I?"
"Oh gee, I don't know, maybe because she only changed our lives for the better!"
"Honestly, I think it's for the best that your father doesn't talk to her," Amaruq said, obviously disapproving of Hakoda's demeanor, "But I'll be more than happy to meet her. I've been wanting to meet her, actually."
Sokka still gave his father an expectant look, which Hakoda completely ignored, lost in a conflicting mixture of disgust and gratitude. The prince sighed, dropping his glower for a moment as he croaked, "Please, Dad. She's so sweet and innocent and compassionate. There's not a single life form out there that she doesn't care about."
Amaruq and Hakoda had never witnessed Sokka speak so softly, so carefully about someone, and while that only confirmed the prince's feelings and earned a look of knowing acceptance from Amaruq, Hakoda could only grow more and more uncomfortable.
"Why the fuck are you hanging onto pointless religious yakshit? She doesn't deserve this! After everything she's done for—!"
"Stop wasting your time with that overdone speech and hurry up with whatever you're going to be doing," Hakoda sat back down on the pelts, refusing to look at his son, "The more you waste time, the greater the chances are of me losing my patience. There are certain secrets you don't want me saying out loud—"
"Alright, that's enough," Amaruq turned to a horrified Sokka, "Hurry up, son. For the princess's sake. We'll talk about this when we get back."
The young warrior felt sick to his stomach from his father's warning. He couldn't resist the words that left his lips then and there: "You know, I used to wonder how in the world you could ever be related to Pakku. You know, 'cause there are times he can be a dick while you're just chill with a lot more things. Turns out I don't have to wonder anymore. You're your dad's son."
Glaring at the blatant disrespect he received— and that, too, over a woman who was essentially a stranger— Hakoda barked, "Attack the bloodline all you want, but don't forget that you're a part of it, too."
"Well Universe give me strength." And he stormed out. Why did he even bother? And since when did the chief become so unlikeable? Two days ago, he was his sweet and caring father. Someone Sokka aspired to emulate in character, skill, and leadership...well, save for the man's inability to accept certain things given his status as a conservative tribesman. But how could the man behave this way in the name of religion? With the excuse of petty stereotypes that never accomplished anything but pointless discrimination? Never had Sokka's budding hopes and fantasies, having so quickly surpassed the limits of logic or mere attraction, been so threatened.
"If I insist I want to be the way I am, then your parents would not like me anymore after that...From there on, there would only be regrets."
Sayen refused to leave the dronningi's side— out of concern even if not for the sake of further security. The princess held an air of energy about her that was very similar to Kuunnguaq's, which thankfully Sayen didn't suspect to be something beyond the influence of a teacher on a student. The duo, despite pretending as if nothing had happened, were nevertheless wary of the separation that would come with many Revivalists' move to the South.
"Iska tells me that Kuunnguaq told her to be selfish," the Revivalist mused. "I don't understand why Kuunnguaq can't follow her own advice. And why you can't follow it, either, dronningi."
"But I am being selfish," Yue told her. "I care about the safety of all of you and your families to the point where I'm not willing to listen to what you have to say. Though ideally, your family should be more important to you than me, so I don't see what the problem is here exactly..."
"Kuunnguaq is family," Sayen said. "The Revivalist sisters are family. You are family, too."
And Yue's attempts at being casual in spite of a burdened conversation fell apart, a strong tug at her heart dimming her smile beneath her mask. Of course, it had been a fairly easy decision for Yue to make regarding their relocation because she was obstinate about the safety of her friends, but that didn't mean it was easy for her to deal with the emptiness she would feel in the North once her friends leave for the other end of the world. It was difficult to embrace the satisfaction that they were safe without battling the nostalgia that would hit when they leave.
Nevertheless, she was the princess, responsible for millions of tribefolk and the moral compass they would leave for their posterity, and she wasn't going to think of anything else. And given her primary status as a prized target, it was best that she had fewer people by her side. This was not supposed to be an issue about her own feelings.
"But if you don't want to hear that argument...If you want to be alone that bad," Sayen huffed, "Just know that no matter how hard you try, you can't send Kuunguaq away. She won't budge. Everyone knows this."
"I'm aware," Yue said. "That's why Kuunnguaq is staying."
"I don't know if I should feel relieved that you have each other or worried about your shared rashness," came the scoff. "A lot of her instincts have rubbed off on you. You're both overwhelmingly involved when it comes to helping people."
A knowing smile tinged with irony.
"At least keep the prince close to you."
Blinking, "Sorry?"
"Brother Sokka seems to be the loyal type."
Yue sighed, "You're willing to say that even after you've seen how angry his father was?"
"This isn't about Chief Hakoda," the Revivalist pointed out. "This is about the prince wanting to be by your side by his own volition. He was the one who'd been wanting to be your bodyguard. He'd been throwing himself over you since the beginning."
"I don't see why people need to label that as affection when it could easily be gratitude."
"So you'd risk your life to return a favor?"
"If a situation demanded it, I think most people would."
"And yet, we can't do the same. For you. Or Kuunnguaq for that matter, but at least I know her enough to say she can be crazy at times with her extreme I'll-handle-this-alone vibes," Sayen stood up, her eyes remaining on the princess, "You are willing to lay down your life for a crucial cause, and we can't do that?"
"Well it appears I'm a hypocrite," Yue let out a dry chuckle, "Who would've guessed?"
"It's not all fun and games, Princess." Her eyes softened with more concern, "Please seriously consider Prince Sokka's companionship."
Despite the jostling of the prince's pendant against her chest, which served as a reminder of the arrangement sealed in silence, she looked at Sayen with raised eyebrows, "Companionship?"
"Yeah, I said it," Sayen said resolutely.
"I don't think matchmaking is very appropriate at this moment—"
"He's constantly with you on all of your missions. He supports everything you do so long as he's involved. He cares for you. Why else would he be with you all night? Why else would he stay with you the entire time you've been sick?"
"Why must someone be my husband in order to care for me?"
"That's not my point. Well, not entirely. This isn't an issue about gender, per se. Someone who cares deeply for you will naturally make sure nothing happens to you. Now I'm not saying only a husband can care for you, but who else are you letting near you? And what else is he to you?"
"A friend. Just like the rest of you," she answered, incredulous. "It hasn't even been a week since he came here, and you're implying that he has those kinds of feelings for me? Are you expecting me to believe in the fairytale that love has no logic?"
"That's not what I mean. Everyone can clearly see how he seems to be into you, so—"
"Frankly, I don't want to waste my time thinking about those kinds of things." Because essentially, she was just waiting for her high, conjured up by the conjugal atmosphere, to come blasting back down to the planet. "You know, you're starting to sound a lot like my father. This is his same exact argument in favor of my marriage."
"It's not entirely the same. Your father wants a man to look after you. Sokka is a man, yes, but that's not as crucial as him actually caring for you. I'm not just saying this for no reason. I'm saying this because I've seen him care for you." Her hand resting on the princess's shoulder, "Dronningi, we might joke all day about Kuunnguaq and her marriage, but at the end of the day, we all know that she's an enigma. She won't let people near her. But I strongly advise you to not be like her."
Yue stood up, her back facing Sayen, "This isn't about me trying to emulate Kuunnguaq. I'm just reminding myself that there's very little to expect in a world where 'fear at first abuse' is more common than 'love at first sight'. And even if there's a hypothetical opportunity for something beyond friendship, I…I'm a target, Lady Sayen, don't you understand? That's the only reason why I'm sending you all away. The same reason why Kuunnguaq wants you all out of here." Swallowing, "Even if you are family."
Sayen, too, felt a painful tug at her heart. "You know, Kuunnguaq was the one who got us all married. Aren't we living happily right before your eyes? And if you want to get into the conversation about targets, we're all targets to Khasiq's administration, too, so why should we leave for the Sou—?"
"It's not the same. You all have someone to call the face of your group. Even if she doesn't consider herself a Revivalist. And millions of tribefolk have me to call the potential face of the tribe. Essentially, Kuunnguaq and I are not different. That's why we need to be left alone."
"So does this mean he's going to get the same treatment we're getting? Even after he insisted he's not leaving you?"
"If you don't trust that everyone else will be safe, and if you want to send them away, then by all means, you're free to do that. You have that authority. But I'm not going anywhere. Just wanted to make this clear."
Yue didn't answer as she trampled over the saccharine warmth that threatened to overtake her. Sayen did not need an answer, though, for her to understand: it seemed to her as if Kuunnguaq and the princess were sisters more than friends with how similar their priorities were.
"I take it you won't look for replacements, either? You never wanted a bodyguard to begin with," Sayen sighed. "Are you at least going to consider someone else for the ethics ministry?"
The princess shook her head. "I know of no one else who can do justice to those roles."
While many Southern Revivalists still hung in the shadows, the Northern women were gathered out in the open, huddled around the princess. As soon as Sokka stepped back into the hallway, trying to wipe the trepidation off of his face, Yue approached him, having been the first to notice his entry.
"Is everything okay, isumataq?"
Melting from her look alone, he sported a smile, "Yeah, of course. My dad wants me home, that's all."
"I'll talk to your father for you. Tell him it's not your fault—"
"No, it's okay," Sokka assured. "He's not mad anyway, he was just worried." A scoff disguised as a chuckle, "Apparently he still thinks I'm a kid who needs to be babysat."
"Age isn't a factor. Even parents of grown men see their children as babies," she smiled, but in spite of her remark, she was obviously aware of the real situation. The air was thick enough to suggest that Chief Hakoda was not at all pleased.
"Isumataq, I don't want to cause any more misunderstandings. Allow me to speak with your father for a minute."
Sayen looked up at them, a cautious look in her eyes.
"There's nothing to misunderstand," Sokka told Yue, glazed with panic, "We were all having fun with our friends and forgot the time. It'll be okay, really—!"
"It's always good to clear misunderstandings. Besides, I'd like to meet your father."
Sokka felt a persistent knot in his chest. "Your Highness…"
She seemed to understand the reason behind his hesitance, "I will tolerate whatever he thinks of me," she lowered her voice so their conversation wouldn't be heard, "It's only proper that I introduce myself to him." By which she meant officially, for she already met the isumataq's family at the Moon Temple before in the guise of the caretaker. "At least for the purpose of maintaining harmony between our tribes."
By now, the surrounding Southern Revivalists became nervous, having heard Sokka's protests. Aput broke the silence, "I'll admit to asking Sokka to help us out, Princess, before you speak with the chief—"
"That won't be necessary," Yue said to the Revivalists. "I will have this taken care of. You may go home now."
"We still need to clean up anyway, Your Highness—"
"From what I understand, this temple has a caretaker, yes? She'll take care of everything. You're all free to go home."
The Revivalists couldn't say much to the stubborn princess as she made her way down the hallway leading to the prayer room, followed closely behind by a clearly worried Sokka as he attempted (and failed) to maintain his cool and kept trying to usher her away. He looked back at his friends, relieved to take note of an unspoken promise: If anything goes wrong, we'll be here.
When the door to the prayer room opened, Hakoda immediately got up from his seat, turning to his son with raised eyebrows and a tone of slight mockery, "Well? Have you said your 'goodnights'?"
Sokka glared at him, gesturing to him to keep quiet as he stepped inside. He moved aside, revealing that there was someone behind him: the masked princess, her snowy robes— though appearing quite ordinary— glimmered beneath the shafts of moonlight that occasionally spilled from the cracks in the black-marble ceiling.
Amaruq's caution, while still present, was overtaken by a wide smile, his eyes twinkling with respect as he noticed that the princess was, indeed, sporting ordinary attire. That the news of her trading away her valuables to nourish the tribe was true. Hakoda, though, was mortified, taking a few steps back, for instead of seeing a princess in white robes, he was repeatedly stricken with the image of a child bathed in the blood of its origin.
"One should never be in contact with those who have broken the laws of purity," Pakku's face appeared in the back of the chief's mind, "Otherwise, their ill fate will rub off on us."
Sokka, unable to tear his eyes away from the princess, swallowed and attempted a smile, "Dronningi, this is my dad, Chief Hakoda of the South."
Yue bowed in greeting, her eyes crinkled from her smile, "It is an honor to finally meet you, Honorable Angayok."
Hakoda, paling, said nothing. Amaruq, in an attempt to cover up the awkwardness, unknowingly instilled more awkwardness with a nervous laugh, "My buddy's shocked to see you, that's all, Princess," nudging Hakoda more roughly than intended, "I know how highly you speak of the North's dronningi, Hacky."
Though Yue could definitely see beneath the facade they were trying to construct. Sokka joined in the chuckles long enough to nudge his uncle with a whisper, "Okay, that's enough." Turning to the princess as he gestured to his uncle next, "And this is Uncle Amaruq."
The princess bowed again, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Amaruq. And a hearty congrats to you. I hear your son is engaged."
"Thank you, Princess," the man bowed back. "And the honor is all ours. We've all been dying to meet you. What you have done for the South is more than what we can put to words."
"I didn't do much. I'm just glad to see you're all doing well." With a grin, "Isumataq Sokka tells me much about you, Mr. Amaruq."
"Good things, hopefully."
"Of course. I hear you're the most fun person on the planet."
"Aw, shucks," the man chuckled. "He's not wrong, though. I tell you what, Princess. If you don't have any important plans for tomorrow, why don't we all hang out sometime? My wife and son and his fiancée would love to meet you as well. My wife can make her famous kelp cake."
"That sounds very lovely."
Hakoda glared at Amaruq with a huff of impatience, earning which had not gone unnoticed by the princess. Sokka wiped the sweat away from his forehead.
"I see that you are not using any kind of support for your leg, angayok," Yue said to Hakoda. "I'm glad the medicines are working."
"He had been using the oils that you've sent, Princess," Amaruq explained. "The arctic eucalyptus extract is his favorite."
"Ah, yes, it smells wonderful," Yue nodded. "When inhaled, it has several medicinal properties. It's a pain-reliever, too."
"The North is in good hands, I see," Amaruq said good-naturedly, "Having a leader who's also a world-class healer is a rare gift."
Sokka was thankful that his uncle was doing as much as he could to make the interaction seem as friendly as possible, but the tension was persistent. Hakoda hadn't spoken a single word, let alone made eye contact with the princess even once. The chief himself felt pangs of guilt tug at him, for the woman was obviously very kind. His abrasive side stepped in quickly, however, trying to get him to think of the situation in a way that was in line with Pakku's reasoning. The strange combination of pity and guilt was overridden by the reminder that this was the woman who stole her respectable son's attention at four hours past midnight and made him help out in marrying another respectable man off to a spoiled woman.
"Sokka, we are leaving this instant," the chieftain said abruptly, cutting off the friendly exchange.
"Hakoda," Amaruq frowned, "After so long, we're finally able to meet the princess. You did always say you wanted to express your gratitude..."
Which did nothing to help the situation. "It's nearly four and a half hours past midnight. Enough time has been wasted already."
And Yue realized that further small-talk wouldn't be beneficial. Deciding to jump straight to the point, "Angayok, I want to apologi—"
"There's nothing to apologize for, dronningi," Sokka stopped her. "If anything, I'm sorry that my dad's being an absolute jerk for some reason—"
"Enough talking," Hakoda pulled Sokka along, stopped by Amaruq, who kept trying to calm him down.
"I'm so sorry about this," Sokka told the princess, repeatedly trying to reach for her hand as he was being dragged away, "We'll meet tomorrow, yeah?"
"No you won't," Hakoda said. "It's my fault for forcing you to come to the North, I admit it. Now let's go."
Yue reached for Sokka's outstretched hand, "Prince Sokka—"
"Don't touch my son!"
The sharp command made Yue jump and sent her hand reeling away from the prince milliseconds later. Sokka and Amaruq were also surprised by his blatantly harsh tone with the isumataq yanking his arm away, anger etched onto his face. The door to the prayer room opened— ajar at first with Junguk, Imona, and Sanka peeking in with alarmed faces, then fully cast open with several Revivalists checking in on the situation.
"What's going on here—?"
Yue held her hand up, silencing Sanka and gesturing for the Revivalists to stay back.
"Dad, you need to stop this," Sokka glared, "This is getting out of hand—!"
"Your life is getting out of hand," the man told his son sternly, "You're not worried about that?"
Amaruq tried to drag his brother-in-law to the exit, "Hakoda, we are leaving right now—"
"You stay out of this, Amaruq!" Hakoda yelled, "This does not concern you! This is about my son!"
The tribesman stepped back, embittered by the comment.
"Angayok, please, calm down," Yue began, "I can understand your anger. I want to apologize—"
"Just because you helped out the South, don't expect us all to fall at your feet and ruin our reputation with our own hands," Hakoda frowned. "I have tolerated you and my son wandering off to different villages in the name of tours and circling brothels 'in the name of justice,' but enough is enough."
"Dad—!"
"It's difficult to find a suitable woman for him already," he ignored Sokka's screeches, "But by the Spirits' grace, say I'm lucky enough to marry him off to a suitable, respectable woman one day. If his wife comes up to us at four hours past midday and asks us where he's gone in the middle of the night...I don't want to have to tell her that he's with you and risk having the tribe label my son as a casanova!"
"Casa…! Dad, stop it!" Sokka raged, a look of horrible offense on his face, "If you talk to Her Highness that way one more time, I—!"
"What, you'll do what?" Hakoda challenged. "You're upset I'm talking to her this way, but don't you know this isn't the way you should talk to your dad in public?"
"Please, gentlemen," Yue attempted to pacify them, "I don't want to come between you—"
"Enough of the drama," the chieftain interrupted her, "Don't act like you care so much. I can't have my son running around you and the impure places you're visiting in the name of false justice."
False justice. Yue, despite not saying anything in retaliation, nevertheless narrowed her eyes.
"From now on, my son will no longer be your bodyguard," Hakoda announced. "I understand that there was some sort of risk involved in your decision to send us aid— either that or maybe this is all a trick— but don't expect my son to come running to the battlefield for your sake. Do understand that I'm being patient with you only because you have helped us out."
"I never agreed to this!" Sokka howled, cut off yet again.
"That being said, your Southern Revival Project is no longer going to be necessary," the chief added. "Our neighboring allies have reached out to us with promises to help us out of our plight. We don't need to rely on the mercy of the North's blasphemous leader—"
"Uncle Hakoda, we've heard enough."
The sharp voice belonged to Kanguq, who couldn't help himself as he barged inside, followed by the other Revivalists, particularly those of the South who sprung out in defense of the princess. Yue, her eyes wide, shook her head, gesturing to them to go back, but they stood their ground and faced the chieftain, the prayer chamber quickly being filled with swishing black uniforms.
Hakoda would've shot back another comment of retaliation had it not been for the sudden pause in his being at one crucial recognition: Most of the male warriors were highly familiar. As if suspicious that he was seeing things in the middle of his sleepless daze, he cast a look at Amaruq, who also held an inkling of suspicion in his gaze.
"K-Kanguq?" Hakoda said, zeroing in on the man at the very front. "Kanguq, is that you?"
The said tribesman, in spite of his frown, gave a nod, "Yes, Chief."
"Kanguq…" Hakoda's arms settled on the tribesman's shoulder, his wide eyes observing the man's face more closely and confirming, "Kanguq, where...how...you're alive?" Jerking his head to the side and looking at many of the other men, "And that's Ujarak, isn't it? And Aput and Muktuq…"
The angayok found that he could name so many other tribesmen, repeatedly recalling how the younger tribesmen were but sixteen-year-old boys when he last saw them. And then, towards the back of the group were his good friends.
"And that's Khamingka and...Ingimak?"
"That's me alright, Hakoda," Old Man Ingimak admitted.
"You're alive…! You're all alive!" The man was then brought out of his trance as he was reminded of the fact that they were all clad in black— Revivalist black— "But...what...what are you all doing here? In the North? The entire South...your folks back home...they've...we've all been thinking the worst has happened to all of you! And you're here?
In spite of their relative silence, the chief still tried to gather as many facts and potential possibilities as he could, trying to piece everything together in his mind.
"Why didn't you come back home?" he demanded. "We thought you were lost...or worse…But you're here and you're alive! And you're Revivalists?!" Grasping his head with his palm, "Spirits have mercy…Did these people force you into this?!"
"No one forced them into anything," Sokka piped up in defense. "Don't look for more reasons to be disrespectful to their leader or to the princess."
"So you knew about this?" Hakoda looked to his son, "And you didn't tell me? These were the people you have been hanging out with, and you didn't care to tell me? About any of this? About our men, about our—"
"We were the ones who told him not to say anything," Siluk interjected.
"Obviously because your leader didn't want you asking for help or coming back to the South," Hakoda said, "Because if you leave, who else is going to take her hits for a mediocre cause—?"
"Chief," came Aput's firm voice, "Please don't jump to conclusions. Pay your respects to the Revivalist Mission, and be sure to give our leader and our princess the respect they deserve."
"Brother Aput—"
"Please, Your Highness, let me speak," Aput told the princess as he kept his eyes on Hakoda, "Uncle Hakoda, I'm the one who asked for Sokka's help. If you need someone to blame, then blame me."
"Nevermind the blame," Hakoda told him, a stern look on his face, "Is this what you've been doing all this time you were in hiding? Committing blasphemy in these robes? The Revivalist Mission...it all may sound regal and fancy, but do you even know what you're doing? Are you aware of the consequences of what you're doing?"
"What are we doing, Chief?" Muktuq asked. "We're trying to provide people with better lives."
"Oh," Hakoda frowned, "You all think this? So your Lady and this princess," pointing to Yue, "have gotten you all fooled into thinking they're keeping you safe when they really trapped you here—"
"I told you not another word against the princess!" Sokka clenched his fists as he glowered at his father.
"Kuunnguaq, is the one who saved us," Narujan said. "Without her, we wouldn't have formed our own families and made a life for ourselves—"
"So you're saying you got married? To these women?" he gestured to the Revivalist women who, in spite of taking offense, had bore it all patiently, knowing fully well whose sexist presence they were in. "And without the consent of your parents? To think the prides of the South were lured into blasphemy by women—"
"Watch your words, Chief," Kanguq frowned, his hand wrapped firmly around Sayen's.
"Hakoda, you're crossing the line," Amaruq also warned. "Don't shed your dignity."
"You think I'm going to shed my dignity when our men married into such sinful lineages?" By now, it seemed as if Pakku's philosophies took over the man's body entirely. "Your Lady sure knows how to organize bait—"
"Not another word against Kuunnguaq, or our Revivalist daughters, Hakoda," Ingimak glared, "If anything, we should be down on their knees, thanking them for everything they've done to keep us alive under Khasiq's regime."
"Of course they'd keep our men alive," the Southern chief scoffed, "It's the only way they can attract mates. Especially if they and their Lady are as pure as Khasiq's brothel girls—"
"ENOUGH!" Sokka howled, standing defensively in front of the Revivalists sisters as he faced his incensed father, "Don't say another word, Chief," his voice oozing with warning, "Go home."
"Our Lady has been like a mother to us, for your information," Siluk growled, keeping his glare on the Southern chieftain, "And we will not just stand by and let you say whatever you want about her."
"Our Lady has been like a mother to us..." Yue felt a rush of emotion overwhelm her. She swallowed and looked away, fighting back the tiny traces of moisture in her eyes.
"Nor will we stand by and take everything you have to say about our partners and our families," Kanguq bellowed. "Yes, we were in an impossible position to come back home, but it's not because we were forced to stay here by the mission or by our Lady. We have chosen to become a part of this mission. We hold our heads up with pride over our goal to get past people of narrow minds to provide the underprivileged with better lives."
"That's what your Lady has you convinced into thinking you're doing," Hakoda muttered, shaking his head, "But one thing is for sure. The South has been thinking of all of you as heroes. If they find out you wedded the North's impure residues—"
To which even a patient Yue couldn't help furrowing her eyebrows in a bloodshot glare, Impure residues?
"—the tribe will be ashamed to call you its children," Hakoda finished. "I'd rather you stay here than set foot down South and disappoint your honorable families—"
"No matter what you say or do, you can't stop them from coming to the South, Angayok Hakoda," came Yue's steady reply. "Their return to their homeland is inevitable. In fact, the time has come."
The Revivalists cast the princess curious looks, save for Sayen and Kanguq, who braced themselves for the announcement.
"I will be passing an executive order in the next hour or so announcing the relocation of several Revivalist families to the Southern Water Tribe," the princess told the chieftain. "And I would like to make it very clear to everyone in this building that petty differences and tantrums are not going to get in the way of my orders. No discimination will be tolerated against our citizens."
Several Revivalists gasped. Hakoda's glare froze in her direction, and as his son stepped defensively in front of the princess, his glare seemed to seep through Sokka's soul.
"Princess—!" Sanka began.
"The circumstances here are too dangerous," Yue cut off all possible arguments against her decision as she faced the Revivalists, "Many of you will be boarding the cargo ships to the South by the end of this week." Pulling out a scroll from the folds of her robe, she placed it on the steps of the altar, "If your name is in this list, I advise you to start packing."
Several panicking Southern Revivalists reached for the scroll, Siluk being the one to ultimately unfurl the scroll and skim over its contents with the others looming over his shoulder to look over the names.
"So you want the danger to spread to the South, too?" Hakoda asked the princess, responding with a dry chuckle as he theorized what he thought was happening, "You wanted to have us all convinced of your compassion, but really you wanted to divert Khasiq's attention to the South. So you can fulfill all of your motives—"
"I told you not to push it!" Sokka insisted, turning to Amaruq, "Uncle, please, take him out of here—!"
"I'm not leaving until I find out what really is going on," Hakoda kept standing his ground as he questioned the princess, "This was your plan all along, wasn't it?"
"I have no plan or motive in mind, Chief Hakoda," Yue told him, still exercising great patience while the chaos among the dismayed Revivalists still went on. "I am only looking out for—"
"You think you're going to convince us all with your act of care and concern?" Hakoda scoffed with incredulity, "This is the kind of woman that chief raised—"
"The nerve you have to slander against Chief Arnook?" Khamingka shot back, but before he could go on, the princess's raised hand silenced everyone in the prayer room.
Sokka glanced at the princess with his chest pounding nearly hundreds of times per minute. He gulped down the lump in his burning throat as the princess openly glared at the people currently crammed in the room.
"From here onwards, I will handle the conversation," she announced, turning to the Revivalists, "Dismissed."
"But Princess—"
"This is an order," she raised her voice. "Your further opinion on this matter is not needed."
Tensions were high as all the Revivalists eventually filed out of the prayer room and made their way out of the Moon Temple— of course, only after trying (and failing) to earn the princess's attention. The reality of separation fell upon them intensely as they all clawed at the scroll determining their fate.
Imona, however, was fuming too much to accept any sort of uncertainty on the matter; she hid behind a pillar in the distance, earning the attention of Junguk, who kept trying to convince her to leave.
"I need to hear what happens," Imona insisted, prompting a helpless Junguk to hide with her.
"I'd like us to have a civilized conversation now, angayok, if you don't mind," Yue spoke, the patience in her voice sucked away by the force of Hakoda's accusations and insults against the Revivalist brothers and sisters.
Sokka brushed away the torrents of perspiration taking over him as he watched the princess take on a fierce look. Hakoda, unmoved, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I don't have anything else to say to someone of your status—"
"What exactly did you think your son and I were doing in those brothels, angayok?"
A pregnant pause settled in. The oceans in the princess's baby blue eyes were untamed and demanding of an answer. Junguk and Imona looked on at the spectacle with widened eyes from their place behind the pillar.
"Princess, he doesn't mean any of what he said today," Amaruq began, "Sometimes, Hakoda can just be—"
"I would like to speak my mind, Mr. Amaruq," Yue raised her eyebrows, "May I do that?"
To which Amaruq backed away and shut his mouth, a worried look taking over him as he cast a mute glance at Sokka. Neither of them felt good about where this was going to go.
"What did you think your son and I were doing there?" Yue asked the chieftain again.
"What would I think? My son isn't the type to consort with strangers that way."
"Oh really? Surely you didn't make such a big scene today with absolutely nothing in mind." Crossing her arms, "What did you think, Chief Hakoda? Did you think your son and I were having sex? Did you think we were hard at work trying to make you a grandfather?"
"Great Spirits!" Hakoda covered his ears, his glare intensifying, but it was no match to the embers that were burning in the princess's bloodshot oceans.
"Do you think I'm some sort of animal in heat, angayok?" the princess continued, "That I'll spread my legs for just anyone? Because if you do, you're clearly mistaken."
Imona and Junguk froze, for her tone was clearly angry now.
"You better watch that tongue of yours if you want to call yourself a princess—!"
"You were the one who crossed the line, mind you!" Yue pointed an accusing finger at the chieftain, making the three men nearly jump. "Is this a hobby of you honorable tribesmen? Assuming every woman who's not born into your family is a slut? Because you've been doing it for centuries!"
Her voice picked up several octaves, taking on a ferocity that made Sokka's blood run cold. The prince gulped, feeling everything fall apart around him. Even so, he croaked with a voice thick with guilt and desperation, "Princess, I'm so sorry," he walked up to her, choking out further, "I'm sorry my dad's being a big jerk right now. Please, give me a chance, I'll get him out of here, I—!"
But she silenced him by holding her hand up, her glare not leaving Hakoda's. Amaruq chewed on his bottom lip, his pulse frozen with a degree of intimidation. Sokka felt the knot in his throat expand and become tighter, trapping his voice in his throat.
"I am tired of forcing myself to give respect where it's not due," she muttered, "and I am tired of sitting like a children's doll and letting this idiocy unfold like my sisters who have tolerated this for generations for Spirits-know-why." With what would likely be described as a snarl had her mask been down, "What's on your mind, Chief Hakoda? Spit it out. You think my Revivalist sisters are temptresses? You think Sister Iska and the other sisters we've rescued are temptresses? That's the idea behind your disappointment, isn't it?"
"Those women may not be temptresses, but they were certainly defiled," Hakoda barked, "And they are unworthy for reputable marriages—"
"So they're reprehensible? They are to be held responsible for what several groups of uncivilized excuses of men have been doing to our kind? They're reprehensible for being helpless?"
Hakoda didn't answer, only shooting glares in her direction.
"We're reprehensible for supporting the Moon Temple, I'm reprehensible for being in charge," she went on, "Lady is by far the most morally corrupt, of course, for refusing to admit that your kind is at the top of the food chain or whatever. But then we have the Akna, and she's on a whole other level of blasphemy, isn't she? 'The cursed child of the North'?"
Sokka panicked, getting ready to shut Hakoda's mouth if anything about the Akna came forth from his lips.
"You see it as the pollution of sanctity, yes? You didn't ever think that maybe, just maybe, the Spirits of life and strength, credited with the creation of this very universe, likely wouldn't fear a woman's body and the miracles it brings? You think penises—"
Hakoda and Amaruq gasped at the word.
"—are the only pieces of the divine left on earth? You don't stop and think, 'Oh, wait, women have something called vaginas—"
"Oh, Spirits, have mercy—!"
"—that are just as crucial to existence?' Such expansive thinking is clearly too advanced for a discriminatory regime like yours, yes?" And seeing that the older men were still flushed beet-red at the words denoting genitalia, she added with sarcasm dripping from her voice, "Pardon my ignorance, but aren't they called penises and vaginas? It's basic science."
Imona and Junguk glanced at each other with widened eyes. The flustered chieftain, after taking a moment to gather himself together, shot back, "I understand this is a temple of debauchery, but how dare you act without an ounce of respect in the presence of your guests—!"
"It is because I had immense respect for you that I arranged for your arrival to the best of my abilities and made sure not a single one of Khasiq's puppets laid a hand on you," she retaliated, "And it is because I'm still holding onto a degree of respect that I am not addressing you so informally in front of everyone and decided to spare you from humiliation. But I warn you not to take advantage of my pacifism, angayok."
"Oh, so is the powerful princess of the North threatening us right now?"
"Frankly, I wouldn't waste any of my threats on people like you," she said, the look in her eyes embittered. "Since people like you claim to be the best fathers, the best brothers, the best uncles, the best men, people like me want to look up to you and do our very best not to fall into the pitfall of hatred. Because we think we have good role models by our side. But you're making it extremely difficult. You think rape is something to laugh about? You think hearing about assault is boring? You think it will render you impure? You have the audacity to accuse those helpless women? Why, I did not realize that even issues that are plaguing our society need to be packaged like entertainment before they're announced to the public! I can't believe I was foolish enough to think I owed you an explanation! There's no way you would understand, would you? You flipped the tables on me when you found out I sympathize with the Moon Temple. Though I shouldn't be surprised. This is, after all, coming from a family that passed a lifelong prison sentence against a poor Southern woman who had breastfed her own child in public. For, may I quote, 'being a temptation for the tribal youth.'"
Amaruq and Hakoda widened their eyes, unaware that the princess would be at all knowledgeable of the South's history.
Scoffing, "I get voyeurism is a real concern, but if people like you can't tell the difference between seduction and nourishment…everything you see in this universe, no matter how pure, will always seem like it's worth purifying even more. The relationship between even a mother and her child will appear scandalous. And if people like you are leaders… If anything, you're the reason why I fear for the Water Tribe and the world in general."
Hakoda clenched his fists, "As if you deem yourself the purest of the pure!"
"If you think that's supposed to make me feel horrible about myself, it doesn't, Chief. I know I most certainly did not live all 23 years of my life for your appreciation and approval," she shot back. "We didn't leave the protection of our mothers' wombs and enter this world just to be called curses and seductresses and 'impure residues.' Last I checked, if it wasn't for our kind's 'impure residues', you wouldn't even exist."
"Your arrogance will be your downfall—!"
"And if you label the most basic amount of self-respect a human can have as arrogance, there's nothing anyone can ever do to help you. Not like I care. I'm well aware that you can't digest the fact that I refuse to marry into a non-Northern family and take on their family name. Isn't that one of your key insults? My refusal to be submissive? Well allow me to explain it to you in a way you will understand." Shooting him a look that suggested they were already-conquered goners, "As the mother of this tribe, I need to care for my children, for La is my faithful husband and protector."
"La belongs to Tui," Hakoda insisted, "Any more heretical nonsense like this, and you will have to answer to the Great Spirit in hell—"
"Even better!" she said, exasperated, "I shall rule hell with La. At least there, I can see his justice in action."
As if Hakoda wasn't disgusted by her already, the truth of her origin dangling at his lips and barely held back by the glare his son kept giving him.
"Let me say one more thing," she said. "You actually helped yourself with Southern revival. I was moved by Prince Sokka's letter and sent whatever resources I could. The credit goes entirely to him, and Spirits know he's one of the rare sources of pride for the Water Tribe. So don't entertain this nonsense that I out of my compassion reached out to the helpless South, and don't use this as a reason to reject the Southern Revival Project. Because no matter what happens, I am not going to stop my shipments to the South. I am not going to let your people starve, and if you have what it takes to be called a chieftain, you will not snatch away food from the hungry folk of your own tribe over your petty insecurities and fragile ego."
"Oh my goodness," Imona whispered, she and her husband both captivated by the princess's vibrance.
"Your son is my inspiration in the least," Yue said. "A good friend and mentor at the most. You don't need to rush to marry him off because of your fears. That man has carried your tribe on his back, and he has the right to decide how he wants to live his life. To assume that he is a casanova is an insult to his sincerity."
"Oh? And are you sure this isn't just an attempt of yours to grab him in your clutches—?"
"I assure you that there is nothing for you to worry about in terms of a hypothetical marriage between me and your son. I'd much rather be a ruler in my own home and a mother to my people than be the slave of another's household."
"Mother of the tribe, huh? Just wait until the tribe finds out you're a street chil—"
"STOP! STOP IT, JUST STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Sokka roared, cutting off the chieftain's reveal, his voice seeming to nearly shake the prayer room and even cause a slight tremble of the altar.
Yue, still firm and unyielding in her harshness, answered Hakoda's questioning look, "Don't you worry. I don't need anyone in your family to get tangled up in my business. Even if I'm driven to the streets in the worst possible circumstances, I won't need a thing from you or your family. And mark my words, angayok. No matter how crazy things get— say a grand tsunami strikes us out of the face of the earth, and the monsoon rains batter down on us and wipe out the entire human race, and somehow your family and mine are the only ones left on earth in the ironic hands of fate— and if you are looking for a bride for your son even then, and if the only other way to repopulate the human race was for me to sleep with your son...I will still not spare a single glance of expectation in your son's direction. In fact, I'd rather slice my own throat. And Spirits forbid the day your family, for whatever reason, comes to me begging for such a cause because karma is real, and I've seen it at work."
To which Sokka felt his heart being crushed to millions of pieces. "Princess—"
"From now onwards, I don't need anyone to serve as my bodyguard," she hissed. "I did not ask for one in the first place. I'll die a happy woman knowing people are tending to their own duties in their own parts of the world."
Amaruq gave his nephew a look of great concern, the devastation on the young warrior's face so apparent that it was a surprise as to how it continued to evade the princess's observation. Junguk, too, could note the exact expression on the prince's face even from several feet away; at first, Junguk seemed to be confused. The prince made it seem as if he was taken with Kuunnguaq. Now, it was obvious he had feelings for the princess.
By sheer contrast, Hakoda was relieved by the assurance, answering with an arrogant, "Thank you for the confirmation."
"And thank you for gracing our temple with your presence," and she gestured to the exit in her sweeping rage, not caring to spare them a passing glance, "You may leave now."
"Gladly." Hakoda grabbed hold of a numb Sokka's hand with one arm and reached for the sword at his son's built with his other hand. He threw the space sword down in front of the princess, her gift hitting the black marble floor, and even before Sokka could reach it, the Southern chief yanked him away with a strong tug at his arm.
"Princess!" Sokka choked out, slipping out of his dad's grip as he ran back to the princess, "Princess, please, I—!"
But she wasn't willing to listen, her back turned to the trio of men, Amaruq and Hakoda reaching for Sokka, Amaruq with the intention of calming him down and Hakoda with the intention of dragging him out of the "sinful" building.
"Princess, please! Give me a chance! I'm not like my dad, please—!"
The two tribesmen managed to bring him down the steps of the temple before the princess closed the door abruptly, remaining inside. She leaned against the doors and sank to her knees, a highly conflicted look on her face as the prince's Dronningi! Dronningi! continued to reverberate through the marble hallways.
Imona and Junguk watched on, unsure of how to react to the situation, but their jumbled reactions were overcome by sheer shock as the princess, thinking of herself to be alone, pushed herself up and threw aside her mask and veil in a fit of rage, revealing her Tui-esque face and letting her long white locks seek freedom and swivel over her back and waist. She cast away her white robe, the inside of which was sheer black, resembling the sheen of her Kuunnguaq persona's dark robes. Her clothes beneath the robe resembled a maid's uniform, slightly torn in a few places, the maids' sash at her waist covered as she wrapped the robe around her waist like a jacket. She got to work on cleaning the prayer room, kneeling down to pick up the fallen flowers and torn paper lanterns.
In that moment, the universe seemed to piece together several identities into one, revealing the face of the North's greatest mysteries— no, mystery. And as if this revelation wasn't enough, bouncing against the beautiful princess's chest was a La pendant— the La pendant that unmistakably belonged to the prince.
"Why would you do that?!" Sokka howled as he threw something aside, not caring who he woke up in the wee hours in his rage, "How heartless does a person have to be?! Thanks to you, my job is gone, and my chances of marrying the princess are nonexistent!"
"They were nonexistent from the start!" Hakoda barked back, "You heard her and her arrogance—!"
"Self-respect is the term!"
"There he goes," Hakoda threw his arms up, exasperated, "That woman insulted me like there was no tomorrow, and you, being my son, chose to stand with her instead!"
"Hakoda, calm down—"
"Do you know what he did?" he told his wife, ignoring her requests to settle down, "He screamed like a hyena-bat whenever I was talking but was as quiet as a polar bear-sloth whenever she hammered her points away in my face. He was, in fact, begging her to let him be beside her as her bodyguard—!"
"Because she was in the right! About everything!" Sokka hollered.
"Spirits, this has gone too far," Hakoda muttered, facepalming, "That's it. We are leaving the North—"
"NO!" Sokka ended up throwing something else, the glass piece striking the walls of the estate, "I am not leaving. No matter what happens." Gulping as he glared daggers at his father, "She's sending all of her allies away. I can't leave her like this. I won't."
"Well if you won't, then you have the honor of cheering her up after I tell her where her place really lies in the North. A street child left to starve! Even sewer-rats are better off!"
"AAGH!" The prince growled and threw yet another object, "No matter what you say, she's a queen, damn you! Our QUEEN! ATANIVUT!" And he stormed his way to his room, slamming the door to a close behind him.
Ivaneq, who had been observing the argument from afar, went after the prince. Hakoda, muttering something beneath his breath, retreated to his own room. Katara rubbed her head, displeased by the outcome of the circumstances as she took a groggy Kohana back to bed, and in the meantime, everyone else retired to their respective rooms. Those who remained in the hallway were Kya and Amaruq, both brother and sister basking in the tense quiet.
Kya couldn't help herself as she softly made her way to her son's room. She peeked through the door and saw him facing the image of the "Revivalist Tui." The look on his face was defeated. He was not alone, though; Ivaneq had managed to gain access, sitting beside the prince as he tried to calm him down.
"I wish you didn't come running up to them to tell them what you heard that night," a bitter Sokka told Ivaneq, obviously referring to the truth of the princess's origin that Ivaneq stumbled upon. "I wish you were more loyal to her than you were to us."
Kya sighed and closed the door, eyeing her brother. "I don't like seeing him like this. What should we do? What can we do? Had he chosen any other woman, we would've been okay..."
"Here's an idea: accept the princess for who she is and welcome her to the family without all this discriminatory yakshit," Amaruq said. "If Sokka was my son, I wouldn't be wasting all this time to get him hitched to the girl he loves. Think about it, Kya. He carried the tribe on his back since he was fourteen. It's time he started thinking for himself, don't you think? Have you ever thought about what he wanted?"
Kya could not answer to that.
"And you know what I don't understand at all?" Amaruq added. "You pressured him to get married because you trusted that he'd provide for a wife and children even in the South's economic crisis, but you don't trust that he'd find a suitable life partner for himself?"
"Water Tribe tradition says that we are to traditionally look for a suitable woman—"
"Under different circumstances, you and Hakoda can abide in tradition and find a woman for him, but you won't be able to find anyone like the princess. She had the energy of a goddess back there. She was sweet and kind, too, until your husband blew it!"
"Not everyone can be like you, Amaruq," Kya snapped, "Free and without discipline—"
"I'm not asking you to be like me, Kya. I'm asking you two to be decent human beings and think for a moment. Hakoda called her a leader of sin. What sin is she the leader of exactly? Providing a new, happy life for the oppressed and disadvantaged? Providing freedom to chained women? Showing those daughters that love and companionship are not lost to them after the nightmare they've been through?" Crossing his arms, "If you want to believe your little prophecy that Sokka's the incarnation of La, then get with the times and understand what justice really is. You'll see why he favors the princess so much."
A conflicted look crossed the chieftess's face.
"Don't commit the sin of thinking you can tame the Goddess like everyone else, Kya," Amaruq warned his sister. "It seems to me that our tribes are suffering to pay the price for that kind of mindset."
Beneath the first rays of the rising sun, an excited professor-of-anthropology-turned-journalist raced his way to his igloo office, several notes and inks and quills sloshing within his bag. He caught sight of his assistants, who were surprised to see him come to work so early in the morning. "Professor? You're early today—"
"It's never too early to get started on a sensational article, colleagues!" he burst inside the igloo and began dispersing his notes over an empty table. The man's face was lit aglow with excitement, which served to increase the assistants' curiosity.
"What kind of sensation did you run into today, sir?" asked another assistant. "Surely it can't top our article about the princess—"
"This one is also about the princess, my good man," Zei grinned, "And may I just say she's a saber-lioness!"
Professor Zei was not the only one to take advantage of such a sensation, however; within his newly-provided chambers, which were in close proximity to the White Lotus Quarters, Khasiq was diligently listening as his henchmen narrated to him the bits and pieces they gathered from the gossipping maids. Despite not knowing all of the details, the Nationalist leader knew just enough to get the wheels in his head to turn.
"So there has been a confrontation between Chief Hakoda and the princess, which obviously implies a falling out between her and the Southern prince," he mused, "Interesting indeed."
"We are only informing you of this matter, Master," said one of the henchmen, "Although we're not sure how this would pertain to the situation we have at hand."
"What's not to understand? The logic is quite simple actually." Khasiq leaned back against the pelt cushions of his ice-crafted rocking chair, "Suppose a cat-deer and a rabbit-mouse live in the same igloo. If anything happens to the mouse, who is most likely going to be blamed?"
"Uh...the cat-deer, sir. Chances are, it most likely attacked its prey and had its kill."
"But what if it's the polar bear dog who's the real killer? He's just not suspected because his leash is cast around a pole to keep him in place, and the chances of the unrestrained cat-deer going for the kill are greater." With a victorious leer, "In this situation, the princess is obviously the rabbit-mouse. I identify with the polar bear dog..."
"And Hakoda is the cat-deer," a henchman finished. "So all we need to do now is draw blood but keep our hands clean. No one will suspect us if we toss the blame onto Hakoda."
And even before the mission began, Khasiq could taste the victory. "If I recall correctly, don't we have a partial lunar eclipse tomorrow?"
The knock on her bedroom door prompted Yue to quickly hide the paper she was looking at under her pillows. Clearing her throat, she slipped out of bed and opened the door, surprised to see that it wasn't any servant but her father. Then again, she probably shouldn't be too surprised; the look on Arnook's face, although strangely calm, still implied that he knew of what had transpired. Likely by word of the maids' mouths, for there were several who were rotating shifts in the Crescent Moon Estate and the palace.
Yue stepped aside to let him in, and he took a seat at her study corner of the room. With a voice surprisingly gentle and unperturbed, "Uinngaven, taqqiqalaaq?" Are you sleepy, Little Moon? "It's already sunrise. You've been up all night."
Princess Yue wasn't one for small-talk at the moment, still glazed over by the haze of the earlier confrontation. "You heard what happened, didn't you?" she asked with all frankness, "So why pretend you're not worried?"
Arnook only smiled, "I'm really not worried. I know La isn't going to lose you in any circumstance. Why would this be any different?"
With a flare of annoyance, "Wake up to the reality, Chief. You can't sleep in the clouds and think people like that would ever accept me as a part of their family." Glaring at the ground, "Just as I can't imagine spending another second with them."
Arnook had to admit that he'd never seen his daughter be this riled up before. In spite of his limited time with her over the years, he knew she wasn't one for confrontation, and yet, here she was. "They really had you all worked up, didn't they?"
"To be fair, the uncle was nice."
"And Sokka?"
"Why would he offend me? It was just the chief."
The Northern chief nodded, musing, "Hakoda must have been pretty rude, then. Usually you're very gentle and patient—"
"You expect me to just stand there and do nothing when he was spitting out all that nonsense? Insulting those poor women and my Revivalist brothers and sisters. As if that's not enough, he had the audacity to speak ill about my father. The nerve he has!"
That part, Arnook didn't know of or expect. From his previous experience in a conversation with Hakoda, at the tug of the right levers, the Southern chief's abrasiveness escalated very quickly. It was likely that he must have said something about him. But the fact that Arnook was now seeing— and for the first time, really— his daughter getting very defensive over him...it made him feel as if he did something right about letting her know how much he cared for her. If only the secret of her origin was trampled for good so that he didn't have to be anxious for the fateful day of her finding out— if she finds out.
"I'm tired of bowing to ignorant people," she was pacing the room right now, trying to calm herself. "This isn't a matter of small differences. This is a matter of being human. We can disagree over which type of prune is good for a stew and which left to take at the third glacier in the middle ring outskirts, but if we disagree over who deserves to have equal rights, then it's out of the game for me."
"Sokka is not like the chief, though," Arnook told her. "Why did you have to dismiss him from his position? What, you don't like him, either, after everything his father said—?"
"I never said I didn't like Sokka." And as she caught the knowing look in her father's eyes, she added quickly, "As a friend, I mean. This isn't about me liking or not liking him. I wasn't the one who actually wanted him to leave. But circumstances…" she shook her head with a weary look, "Nevermind that. There's no reason to be discussing any of this right now. It's over and done with, and I'm highly sure the prince would want nothing to do with me anymore."
And after taking one keen look at his daughter, Arnook found a lot of things falling into place, "You wanted him to stop running after you. That's part of the reason why you did this."
Frowning, "Why do you say that?"
"Why wouldn't I say that?" he stood up from his seat, "I know you've heard worse. You're Kuunnguaq after all. And I know you've dealt with people who said pretty much the same things. I'm not saying you weren't at all offended, but you had a reason for not controlling your anger. You had a specific reason for letting it out. You wanted him to stop risking things for you."
She gave him a look as if wondering how he was able to read her so quickly, but he only replied with, "I've started to familiarize myself with your little calculations."
With a huff, "Think what you want, but I really was angry. If anything, this incident just confirms that this match isn't going to work out. It would be best if you stopped clinging to the man any further under the pretext that I'm Tui or that he's La."
Unwavering, his arms crossed with confidence, "He'll still come for you, I know it."
A dry, incredulous laugh later, "No, he won't. Not after what happened."
"The prince isn't going to let go of his feelings—"
"Why do you keep pushing this narrative?" she frowned. "He doesn't have feelings for me! I might be your daughter, but that doesn't mean you're obligated to make me feel hopeful about something that will never work out."
"Are you hoping it will work out then—?"
"No!" with a groan and a facepalm, "Think about it, Chief. What man would come back for someone who spoke to his own father the way I did? What human being would dare to interact with someone who accused their parents? I know for a fact that I never want to see Chief Hakoda's face ever again."
"Sokka hasn't said a word to you to stop. He let you say everything you needed to say. He only kept apologizing to you. If he supported his father, why didn't he defend him? Because he knows his father is in the wrong. Because he knows you are right and is willing to support you—"
"I don't need anyone's support. I never asked for it. He could've been quiet the entire time out of obligation."
Oh boy. "I've never seen you like this…"
"I'm not always smiles and social justice," she snapped, "And they got to see that, too. Prince Sokka isn't going to throw away his pride and defense for his family for me. He shouldn't."
"But he knows his parents are in the wrong. Why would this be a question of pride? La finds his pride in rebuking those who are wrong—"
"Don't hold onto superstitions, Chief, they will get you absolutely nowhere."
He only gave her a knowing smile, which did nothing but irritate her further. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You can't run from love, my daughter."
"It's not love!"
Still smiling, "Just you wait. He will come running back to you."
She gave up on arguing at that moment, taking a deep breath, "That's ridiculous. And even if he does come back, it will be out of gratitude or obligation. Nothing more."
"Will you take him back if he does?" And when she raised her eyebrows, "Take him back for his positions, I mean—"
"You said it yourself. I didn't want him taking risks. So why would I take him back?"
"Because you like him—"
"I don't!"
"I know you have a habit of keeping away from people you care about." And although he didn't say anything beyond the critical point he made and merely listened to the princess's jumbled defenses, he was no fool as to not see the Southern prince's comical painting of his daughter that was currently lying beneath her pillow.