Note: Sorry I haven't been like updating like crazy as I did within the first week of this fic. Life has been crazy busy, and I haven't been able to get to writing like I want to. Also, sorry about like the millions of errors in this fic- especially last chapter. That will just serve as a reminder to myself never to edit a story on my phone while on my daily bus commute (mobile editing is so wonky).

Korra walked through the corridors of the east wing. The sun broke out and hit the pillars- casting long shadows in the golden morning light. Korra tiptoed to her room in the heady bliss she experienced since she woke up. Mornings just became not so evil. They were perfect. That time of day where things could feel so dreamlike and still be real.

"I wonder what Korra is doing up at this hour," Desna said.

Korra turned around. She couldn't see where her cousin anywhere in the hallway.

"Desna? Iluq?" Korra said.

Desna and Iluq's shadows casted onto the marble floors. Their long shadowy forms created an image that unsettled Korra.

"I wonder if father knows that Korra likes to sneak outside of the palace," Iluq said.

"I wonder if father knows that Korra likes to play at night," Desna said.

"Does Korra know that the books say nothing?" Iluq said.

"There is no way of getting back bending after it has been taken," Desna said.

"Come out here! You guys think you're so clever," Korra said.

The twins' soft and low chuckle permeated through the air and stuck there. Their words trapped inside of Korra's mind. How would they know about the books?

"Korra?"

The laughing stopped suddenly. Unalaq had entered the east wing. Korra turned around to greet him. He smiled at Korra and hugged her. She wondered if he noticed that Desna and Iluq were creeping behind the pillars. Worse, she hoped he hadn't heard any of what they were talking about.

"I wonder why my niece is wide awake at such a time. Your father told me that you hated mornings," Unalaq said.

"I was just taking a walk. I woke up and couldn't fall asleep. So I walked around the city," Korra said.

"Ah… Well the city does look beautiful at daybreak. I used to do the same when I was a younger man. It's good that you're here though because I wanted to talk to you," Unalaq said.

"Really?"

"Well why wouldn't I?"

"Oh… no reason. It's just surprising. You're a very busy person."

"Well I do have time this morning, and I've caught you at the right moment."

"Well… how about we talk somewhere more private than here?"

"That sounds good to me."

Korra and Unalaq walked to Unalaq's private library. The room was often occupied by Unalaq- so much so that Unalaq smelled like it. There were only a few lamps and lush chairs outside of the many books that lined the walled. Korra sat on a burgundy velvet chair and looked around at the books. She thought about how Noatak would probably love this room. Unalaq tied back the curtains to shower the room in sunlight before he went back to sit in the chair beside Korra's.

"Councilman Hahn hasn't stopped talking to me about getting you more acquainted with Northern Water Tribe society. He seems very… enthusiastic over your romantic life. It's interesting to say the least," Unalaq said.

Unalaq slouched in his chair and sighed.

"As much as I disagree with Councilman Hahn though, I think Chu is a fine man," Unalaq said.

"He seems to be a really nice person," Korra said.

"I think he would make a fine husband for Iluq," Unalaq said.

"Even though he's… you know… kind of a puppet to his father?"

Unalaq smiled and softly chuckled at Korra's words. This is exactly why he wanted to talk to Korra. He knew she would be very honest in her opinion of Chu. Her opinion wouldn't change his though. Unalaq would allow Chu to marry Iluq simply because he thought Chu was a good antithesis to his daughter- a very nice and sweet boy.

Unalaq was very much aware of what was said about Desna and Iluq when he was not around. He admitted that part of their temperament was his fault. Ever since his wife died giving birth to Desna and Iluq, he wanted to protect his children from everything. At the same time, Unalaq knew he had a duty as the Northern Water Tribe chief and needed to devote his time to the people. He was lucky that the tribe council took care of most of the work, but he still didn't have enough time to commit to being a better parent. Instead, there were lots of governesses and nannies. He thought most of them were perfect, but something about the twins caused each and everyone of them to quit within months of their hire. Unalaq's attempts to teach them himself caused him to go into fits of pain and sickness from the stress of all of his duties catching up to him. He was never quite sure if it really was stress like the healers said or if it was that strange creeping feeling there was something wrong about his children.

"I may not care for Councilman Hahn's politics, but I think his son is a good person. I want what's best for Iluq," Unalaq said.

"What does Iluq think of Chu?" Korra said.

"I don't know. She doesn't tell me much of anything… Would you be interested in some tea?' Unalaq said.

Korra nodded. Her uncle walked over by the door and pushed a button down. He tapped the button in code to message staff. Korra ignored this and thought about her uncle's diversion from the topic at hand. She knew her uncle cared for her cousins, but he also seemed rather smart in how he understood the situation regarding Councilman Hahn. The weeks at the palace let her sink in ten years worth of Northern Water Tribe politics in a short amount of time. She dined with enough of these politicians to get a decent outlook of the situation her uncle was in. Even though the people loved her uncle, powerful members from the tribe council resented him. Maybe it was Unalaq's concern of the welfare of his people or his desire to have good relationships with the other nations or the fact that he didn't answer to the demands made by the mobs like the Black Squalls or the Red Tide. It forced Unalaq in a political dance of appeasement and compromise that he didn't want to be partner to.

"Have you given any thought to what Councilman Hahn suggested? I understand if you haven't, but if you remain here, you'll have to consider it eventually. There will only be so many months or maybe years of you avoiding marriage. It won't be just Councilman Hahn pressuring you. Probably the entire council and eventually the city," Unalaq said.

Korra shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn't expect her uncle to change the subject back to her.

"I suggest that if you know of an eligible bachelor that you're interested in, to tell hell him to just do it so you can put any possible gossip to rest," Unalaq said.

In a perfect world, Korra would answer that she in fact did know of a man to marry and would tell her uncle all about Noatak. However, she understood that even without his past as a notorious Republic City terrorist, Noatak's current living situation would make him a less than acceptable suggestion. He was a fisherman. That alone would set the capital city of the Northern Water Tribe aflame. His paler skin would be the talk of gossip too- only Water Tribe people from Republic City looked like that or Water Tribe people of mixed heritage. Despite that, women would probably like how traditionally handsome he was for a Water Tribe man, and men would respect his physical work. This was all conjecture though. Korra knew it wouldn't even the idea wouldn't even make it to that point.

"It's okay if you don't. I wouldn't expect you to. All the men you've been acquainted to here have been councilman and military men. They don't strike me as the kind of men for you," Unalaq said.

"What do you mean?" Korra said.

"I mean… you are just like your father. You don't want to be held to the strings of a society like this. Why else do you think your father and mother left this city?" Unalaq said.

"Mom always said that they ran off because they were in love," Korra said.

"That's very much true."

"Grandfather didn't like Mom either."

"He wanted your dad to marry someone else, but your father was already in love with Senna. And you know your father. He's very stubborn. That's where you get that from."

"Grandfather died shortly after. Right?"

"He died before you were born. Then I became chief shortly after."

"You weren't married though."

"I wasn't."

A soft knock came from the door. A servant opened the door and entered with a tray of jasmine tea. She set the tray down on the small table between Korra and Unalaq's chairs. Korra watched the servant as she poured hot tea into the cups. Korra compared the white and blue porcelain cups with the plain cups that Noatak owned. Noatak's tea set was not much different from this one. They were made with the same craftsmanship as the set in front of her- sturdy porcelain that kept delicateness about it. Korra guessed that if Noatak probably spent his hard earned money on anything, it probably would be on well-made tea set. She took her cup and sipped slowly. She savored this cup of tea with its floral and earthy notes. It unsurprisingly tasted better than the bitter melon tea she drank earlier.

"I had a lot of pressure to get married and have children when I became chief. I resented that when I was younger, but I understood that the council was well meaning," Unalaq said.

"Did they pick out your wife?" Korra said.

"They did… I didn't really have much time to get to know any women outside of my given circle. So I didn't have much to choose from outside of the suggestions made by the council. I liked Sura well enough though," Unalaq said.

"What was she like?"

"To me she was very beautiful. She was actually the only child of an admiral I knew very well. She was very smart and very serious, but I liked her laugh. So I did everything I could to make her laugh and smile. I proposed to her soon after I met her, and we were married the next month."

"So… were you in love with her?"

"I would like to think so, but it's hard to say when things felt… rushed. I didn't have time to fall in love with her like I would have preferred. Instead, we had pressure right away to have children. So our relationship didn't grow the way it probably should have- especially considering our difficulty with having children. It was a couple of years after we were married before Sura was pregnant. Then she died giving birth to Desna and Iluq. So it's hard for me to say I loved her like your father loves your mother. I didn't really get the chance to love her."

Unalaq poured another cup of tea and drank it with a sad and wistful look on his face. Korra never knew her aunt. She only knew Sura from the picture that Unalaq kept of her in his office. Sura didn't really strike Korra as being rather pretty, and it was obvious that she was who Desna and Iluq took after. She had eyes that stared right into your soul, but her small smile turned her eyes into a sleepy gaze. She could tell why her uncle liked her smile.

"I hope you find someone you can love," Unalaq said.

"Even if it's complicated?" Korra said.

"Sometimes that's how love goes."

Korra smiled. Love would always be complicated for her.