Chief Arnook sat in the palace main room, surveying over the vast amount of papers and such out in front of him. It wasn't amusing, but he needed to do something to keep his mind off the fact that another suitor was entertaining his daughter right now. He prayed to Agni that she would actually find young Lord Hahn to her liking.
The doors behind him suddenly swung open with a loud bang and pounding footsteps barged into the room. Arnook spun around in shock to see a flustered—and not to mention soaking wet Hahn making his way towards the exit with a servant behind him, luggage in tow.
"I've never been so...insulted before in my life!" he was spattering as he stormed by Arnook.
"Oh Lord Hahn, you aren't leaving are you?" Arnook hurried after the young man in desperation.
Hahn snorted and wiped away the water off his face with his sleeve. "Good luck marrying her off!" he said, and with that stormed off again out the huge doors, revealing also a huge tear in the back of his pants.
"Oh no..." Arnook ran his hand across his now sweaty brow and turned to face the still-open courtyard doors. "Yue! Yue!" He dashed out the gates to where his daughter sat out at the fountain with her friends, Katara and Toph, sprinkling some feed for some baby turtle ducks.
"Don't crowd now." Her father heard her say as he neared. "There's plenty for everyone."
Arnook sighed as he approached and stopped for a moment to watch Yue as she stroked the soft feathers of one of the tiny animals. She was a beautiful girl, about sixteen, and had her mother's caring and thoughtful attitudes, yet why did she have to be so demanding when it came to suitors?
"Yue, I must speak to you now!" he called out to her as he approached, but was abruptly stopped as a rock was chucked past him.
"Toph!" He glared at his daughter's young blind friend.
"Sorry Chief Arnook, I couldn't exactly see well since my feet are in the water." apologized Toph as she swung her feet back in forth in the pond and scattered more seeds as little turtle ducks gathered around her.
Yue giggled and looked back to Arnook. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about Father?" she asked.
Arnook gave her a look as if to say "You know what I mean."
Yue's smile abruptly disappeared. "Oh, you mean Hahn." She absentmindedly looked away. "I'm sorry about that."
"That was nearly the sixth suitor who came close to a proposal!" Arnook frowned at the princess. "What happened this time? Why was Lord Hahn all wet? And could one of you possibly tell me why...his pants were slightly discarded?"
All three girls sitting on the fountain edge and glanced at each other and then at the ground. No one said anything for about five minutes, until Yue broke the silence.
"We were just playing a game with him, Father." she said.
"What kind of game, prey tell?"
"A...dodging-the-elements game?"
"What...oh." Arnook shook his head in annoyance. "You mean the same one you played with Warrior Haru when he visited?"
"It was different this time! At least Hahn didn't leave in bandages like Haru did." The princess frowned and looked down at the water.
"He looked like a drowned platypus bear." whispered Katara to Toph, both girls laughing at the smart remark the water bender had given, but quickly stopped and covered up their laughing with weird coughs as they noticed Chief Arnook was not amused by their joke.
"Girls, I'm going to have you ask you to leave. I need to have a private conversation with my daughter." he said, maintaining a calm tone.
As the young girls got up to leave, Arnook took a seat beside his daughter who was still staring face down at the water. He didn't want to say anything to her, as he was still angered by her rejection of another suitor, but, he had to say something. The same thing he had told her every time.
"Yue...you must stop rejecting each suitor who comes calling on you." he said to her. "You know the law of our country, by the time of your next birthday..."
"I must be married so I can take the throne." Yue finished her father's sentence and stroked her fingers lightly in the fountain water. "I know, I know." She scooped up a handful of feed from a bag nearby and tossed it to a baby turtle duck that was near the edge searching for dinner. She then looked dreamily off into the distance and smiled. "If I do marry...I want it to be for love."
"Yue..." Arnook's voice trailed off as he thought carefully of what to say. "I won't be around forever. And I just want to make sure you are taken care of and provided for, please understand that."
Yue held out her hand as a little turtle duck climbed into it. "But can't you understand Father? My whole life I've been trapped inside this place and not allowed to go anywhere. I haven't made any friends!"
"Then what does that make us?" came Katara's voice from out of nowhere. She and Toph poked their heads around from the wall where they had been standing.
Yue chuckled softly. "Except for Katara and Toph." she said loud enough so that they could hear her. "But other than that..."
"Yue, I understand completely, but you are a princess of the Northern Water Tribe. And as princess—"
"Well maybe I don't want to be a princess anymore!" In anger, Yue slapped at the water in the fountain, scaring away the baby turtle ducks.
Arnook grumbled and got up from his seat on fountain rim and strode off upset. "Agni forbid you have any daughters!" he snapped to Toph and Katara as he passed them.
The two girls waited for him to go by and then headed back to their friend who was still sitting on the fountain sadly, her head bent and tears could be made coming down her face.
"That went well." Toph remarked as she sat down beside the crying princess.
"Don't bother, I know what you are trying to say." Yue wiped a tear from her eye and stifled back the choking in her voice. "It happens every time. He just doesn't understand."
Katara sympathetically wrapped her arm around her friend. "Give your father some space Yue, I'm sure he understands but just wants what is best for you."
"I know he does, but I just wish I could make decisions myself for once." said Yue. "I mean, my whole life it's been 'Yue do this this' or 'Yue do that'. It's painful."
"And I share that pain." added Toph, as she was also from a powerful and rich family with overprotective parents. "But I'm not the one being forced to get married." "Neither am I. But just remember, we're here for you, Yue." added Katara.
Yue brushed back a stray lock of hair and sighed. She loved her friends dearly, and was grateful for their concern, but none of that made her feel any better at the moment. In fact, she was becoming worried. What if she never did pick a suitor? Then her father would have to pick one. He might pick someone not likeable.
Why think about it now, she thought. I can't stay here. Not another moment.
Meanwhile, Chief Arnook was back in his throne room in pondering of the events that had just taken place. He was debating whether or not he was being too soft on his daughter. He needed to be more firm. Yes, he should be firm. The next time a suitor showed up, that would the lucky man. But what if Yue disapproved?
Right as he was thinking on these troubles, a shadow formed over him. He looked up in fright but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was only his royal advisor, Ozai.
"Oh Ozai, just the person I wanted to see." He got up from his throne with a heavy sigh. "I'm in desperate need of your advice."
"Whatever you ask of me, my liege." Ozai said, taking a graceful bow.
"It's this suitor business. Yue is being very picky and I don't know what to do, the sixth suitor just left recently. And I thought with you being the genius you are, could come up with a solution of such?"
"That is dreadful. " A smile curved Ozai's lips upward. "I may yet be able to be of service to you, Chief. But before I do, I must ask something of you."
"Anything. Name your price."
"In order to get the best results in your problem, it would require use of your royal ring."
"The ring?" Chief Arnook took a glance down at the shimmering sapphire ring on his finger. "I don't know, it's been in our family for generations...and I couldn't possibly..."
"It is necessary to find the princess a suitor." Ozai took out a large gold staff that's head resembled a dragon from behind his robes and leaned it towards the Water Tribe Chief. Its beady red eyes stared straight into Arnook's, thus causing the man to become hypnotized.
"Yes, it is necessary..." he said in a daze.
"Don't worry my lord, I assure you everything will be fine." continued Ozai, still holding the staff forward.
"Everything will be fine..." Arnook repeated the last half of the sentence.
"Now, the ring if you will?" Ozai held out his hand expectantly.
"The ring? Oh, oh yes, the ring." Still in a trance, Arnook slipped the beautiful ring off his finger and handed it to his advisor. "Whatever you say."
Ozai pulled back his staff and snatched the ring out of Arnook's hand and dropped it into his pocket. "I am grateful, chief. Now, as I go find a solution to this problem, how about to go back to your maps?"
"Yes, that sounds...good." As Arnook went back to the long table covered with rolled up pieces of paper and maps, Ozai headed out to the courtyards where Azula was waiting patiently.
"Well Father? Did you get it?" she asked with excitement as he approached.
Ozai smiled deviously and slipped out the ring from his pocket. The two walked into the palace corridors until coming to a large tapestry draped across the wall. Ozai drew it back to reveal a small hole in the wall. Taking a deep breath, Ozai then released a shot of fire from his mouth and the flame went right through the hole, framing one of the panels in the wall beyond. The panel slid back and to the right, revealing a secret passage, in the passage was a winding staircase made of stone which he and Azula walked down.
"Finally, we shall know who this diamond in the rough is." gloated Ozai as they went.
"It will be a good thing, and then we won't have to put up with that Water Tribe Chief and that snotty princess anymore." agreed Azula. "Once we get hold of the lamp that is."
"Yes daughter, then I shall be the ruler, and then you shall be the princess. Everything will be as we ever dreamed it." As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Ozai and his daughter both let out rings of chilling laughter that echoed to the top of the staircase.