Thursday, December 8, A Week Since My Birthday, 66 AG,

Father called me to Throne Room today. I became quite worried when he summoned me himself rather than sending an envoy. Had he discovered I had, by accident of course, exposed my ankles before my maid's son - whom is of fourteen years of age? That was a most inappropriate and embarrassing moment indeed.

But no, my father's true purpose in calling me to his Throne Room will be revealed as follows.

I followed him closely until meeting the center of the room. I held my head down and my hands clasped nervously in front of me, waiting for him to take his place on his throne. My fingers grew sweaty and my heart began to pound a little harder. I had never been afraid of my father, but this night felt ominous for some reason. I dared to lift my eyes up to look about the room. It was the same as I remembered it from the few times I had been there before; tall walls made entirely of ice, built by the waterbenders of our tribe many years ago, carved most intricately to resemble the many symbols of our culture, with three icy thrones erected before me. The smallest throne, on the farthest right, is mine, and the one furthest left is that of my late mother, may she rest on peace. And of course, in the center and largest throne sat my father, the Chief, who looked down on me with great pride.

Wait...pride?

I was then confused. If I had done something wrong, why should he be proud?

"Relax, daughter," he said gently, noticing my discomfort.

I obeyed by loosening up my shoulders, letting out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding, and raising my head to look at him. He was sitting tall, proud, and smiling at me warmly, as if he was looking at a young woman, but seeing a young girl. I had seen this look many times before, though at that moment it seemed much stronger.

"Congratulations, Yue," he continued when he saw that I was no longer so tense. He must have seen a rather quizzical look on my face, for he laughed jovially and explained, "Yue, Princess of the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, my only daughter and heir to the throne, today it has been decided to whom you shall be wed!"

His announcement struck me like a hammer to the chest. The day had come! He had made his decision! "Wed, Father? Forgive my confusion, but...should I not be sixteen before I marry?"

"Of course, Yue, of course!" he answered immediately. "Within the year you shall turn sixteen, and as a royal marriage takes time to prepare, it must be planned far in advance. You shall not even be proposed to until the time is right. So for now, be at ease."

"I, I see."

"Yue...," he said softly, "You seem unsettled. Is there something wrong?"

I tensed again. "N-no, Father. You could say that I am a tad...nervous. I trust your judgement, yet I worry if I will love whomever you name for me."

So as not to hurt me, my father chuckled lightly. "Yue, you have not even met the boy."

"That is true," I replied, gaining some strength in both body and voice, "But that is why I worry. How can we speak of marriage before I have yet to meet he whom I shall supposedly spend the rest of my life with?"

Father laid his narrow chin on his fist and raised an eyebrow at my sudden shift in demeanor. "Then you shall meet him." He nodded, then held his hand out to the side of him and curled his fingers to call someone to him. Out from behind a long curtain stepped a man not quite ten years older than my father. He was tall and muscular, with a serious face. I recognised him as our tribe's War Chief. "Yue, you remember Chief Hontok," recalled my father.

"Uh, yes sir. Nice to see you again, sir," I answered politely. My eyes flicked between the two men and the floor as I dipped into a graceful curtsy. What was this meeting all about? For what reason would the Chief be involved in my marriage?

"I have met with every man in this kingdom," Father continued, "and out of every one of them, I found that Chief Hontok has raised the most suitable son, the boy most worthy of your hand."

Inwardly I breathed a sigh of relief, and besides that, my heart fluttered a bit. The Chief's son was rumored to be a very handsome and successful young man. Perhaps this arrangement would work.

"My son, Hahn," Hontok began, "Is the highest ranking Commander in my fleet - and that is not because of his affiliation with me. He is more skilled with most Water Tribe weapons than any soldier I've seen yet. He is strong in both body and mind, and will make a wonderful husband, Your Highness." He finished with a courteous wave of his hand and tip of his head.

"Of course, sir," I said softly.

"Now, daughter, as you have suggested, you shall meet Hahn. Hahn my boy!" called my father, motioning again. "Come here and meet your future bride."

From behind the curtain stepped a boy about my age, maybe a year older, whose rumors served to be true; he was rather dashing. He was slightly taller than I, with a square chin, a short nose, and serious, but very beautiful, shining blue eyes. And his smile...so broad, so sincere, so bright. He revealed his teeth when he smiled, a very attractive quality in my opinion. And his hair, dark ebony in color, hung just off the nape of his neck. The top section was pulled back into a short ponytail, known as a Warrior Wolf Tail, and two sections of hair were left down to frame his face. His skin was a lighter brown than most of the Water Tribe men that I have met, and I like that that quality was slightly different. He was dressed formally, almost in a sort of uniform, but less official - if that makes sense. It suited him well, pardon my pun.

"Your Majesty," said Hahn admiringly, sweeping into a gallant bow. "It is an honor - and, a pleasure - to make your acquaintance."

So not only was he handsome, he was truly charming. My heart thudded a little faster. My hands grew increasingly hot. My head felt too much too light. I dipped into another mannerly curtsy. "The pleasure is all mine, Sir Hahn."

"No, please, none of that formality. Call me Hahn if you desire."

"As you wish...Hahn," I entertained, trying to contain my excitement. I only hoped that my blush wasn't noticeable. "And you may call me, simply, Yue."

"If that is what you please, My Lad- ah, Yue," he corrected himself.

My father smiled suspiciously. He knew me well enough to know that I was pleased with his decision. "Well!" he declared. "Now that you two have properly met, perhaps we should, as Hahn proposed, excuse the formalities. Let us partake in a stroll around the Kalala Ice Sculpture Gardens."

Again my heart jumped for joy. Kalala's gardens are truly lovely; the sculptures, each individually and intricately crafted, spread across the Northern Courtyard to portray a series of events throughout our history. And Kalala herself is special too. She is one of the few female Waterbenders of our tribe who does not use her power to be a healer. That in and of itself is an amazing feat; she had to fight to prove herself professional enough to work as an artist, and she did. She was seventeen then. She is twenty two now, and has made over one hundred exquisite individual sculptures.

And another thing about Kalala: she is the closest person I have to a friend. Despite our age difference, she was always my inspiration. She would let me sit and watch her carve her pieces both by bending and by hand, and explained how each piece fit into the scene as well as in history. Now she is almost a sort of mother figure to me. Her caring nature and spunky, defiant spirit are two qualities that I wish I could balance out in my own life.

But today was just the four of us: Hahn and me and our fathers. It was a tad disappointing that Kalala would not join us, but I did enjoy the idea of taking a romantic walk with Hahn - even if the Chiefs were following at a distance. Even though I knew the way to the Northern Courtyard better than almost anyone, I allowed Hahn to take the lead. He is so strong, so brave to protect me, even though we are more safe within these palace walls than anywhere else on this Earth. Upon arriving in the courtyard, Hahn slowed his pace so he was able to keep in stride with me. Our fathers lagged far behind us, so we were free to speak our minds as we chose to. I looked up at Hahn and gazed deep into his eyes. His eyes really did seem to shine; they shone with confidence and what I hoped was love. Taking my hand into his, he looked down at me, and decided to speak.

"Yue," he began, "an unusual and interesting name."

"Why...thank you," I acknowledged. It was unclear to me whether or not he meant for his comment to be a compliment or an insult, so it only seemed appropriate that I thank him for his honest opinion.

Hahn must have sensed my confusion and was quick to remedy him remark. "Don't feel as though I don't like it. On the contrary, it is very lovely. It suits you well. I only meant that I was curious as to where it came from?"

"Oh!" I exclaimed, understanding his purpose. "Well, it was inspired by God. That was the name by which He told my parents to call me. In our ancient language, the term 'Yue' means 'moon.'"

"How fascinating," he explained.

"And how about you?" I asked in return. "Your name must have come from somewhere."

"Oh, uh, not so much. It was simply a name my parents liked."

I did not understand his discomfort, but I refrained from prying. I was sure that, since I would be seeing a lot of him starting then, I would find out eventually.

The rest of our evening together was quite whimsical, and as I walked back to my bedchamber I felt as if I was walking on air. Hahn...his name echoes through my mind as I start to fall asleep. His image is ingrained in me now, I see him when I close my eyes. His dark hair, his shining eyes, his broad, warm smile. It makes me want to dance just thinking of him. Perhaps I shall dream of him tonight, though, I should have to fall asleep to do this. So I will. I shall write more in the coming days.

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Kat: Soooo, sounds like someone's pretty head-over-heels for Hahn! But is Hahn really eveything he seems to be? Find out as the story progresses!

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So...um...I think in the series Chief Arnook, Yue's father, is also the head of the military, but I changed this to have a greater importance for Hahn's lineage.

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Okay, sort-of spoiler here. The name Yue is actually Japanese for moon. And I looked up Hahn as well, and I found it very fitting for him. In German his name means rooster!