Chapter 76: Love, Longing Part 2
"I can't believe this," Amaruq huffed at his sister, "Sending a letter through the Akna Initiative Helpline? What were you thinking? It took us all forever to calm Sokka down ever since he read it!"
"The agency responds to all suffering mothers, doesn't it?" Kya said quietly, embittered by the distant, professional, and rather cold rejection letter she received with Ivaneq's signature — though the draft itself was written by the obviously enraged Northern chieftain. Kya had learned by word of mouth that Sokka didn't usually take to writing these response letters, usually letting Yue take the reins on these matters or at least having her sign off on his drafts. Hence the reason why the Southern chieftess wanted to reach out in the first place, hoping that as a mother herself, Yue would understand where Kya was coming from — a possibility that even Kya wasn't all the way certain of given the gruesome nature of what had happened to Yue.
It seemed, however, that Sokka wasn't going to let Kya have the honor of getting a letter written or signed by the Northern chieftess. Moreover, he had vehemently written in this particular letter that Kya did not fall in the class of "victims" whose injuries were meant to be redressed, especially "in light of the abhorring circumstances that permanently severed the personal ties between the Northern and Southern royal families."
"What did you even think a letter would achieve?" Amaruq demanded his sister. "You think it's going to wipe out everything that happened? You think it's going to turn back time? They want nothing to do with you or Hakoda, sis. Why can't you understand that?"
"You think I'm purposely causing a scene here? I am an aggrieved mother! I have every right to petition for justice under that agency! Sokka is my son—!"
"No, he is my son. The papers—"
"Forget the papers! He came from me!" Kya swallowed a sob, "I'm not trying to hurt them, Amaruq. Please. I just want to see my grandchildren. I want to see Ummi and the boys and show them all the love I have in me. I want to see Sokka and Yue be happy—"
"Well they're not going to be happy every time you pester them like this! He's not just your son, Kya, and he's not just my son. He's a husband and a father. He has five kids under five, he can't afford to take risks. Ever since Ummi was born, Yue and Sokka have completely steered away from risk-taking. They've taken even more precautions after the boys were born. They don't even directly hunt criminals anymore. Everything they do is through agencies and representatives."
It was no secret that the Northern chief and chieftess had long shifted their focus from embarking on bold missions to preserving their family, a goal further aided by the stable social condition of the North and the outpour of support for the Black Lotus. The leaders implemented numerous administrative changes to suit their goal and fostered the growth of several committees tasked with keeping the peace, weeding out insincere members and appointing those who were more competent.
And if there was anything they were most directly involved in, it was continued service to the children they frequently spend time with at the orphanage. The initial decision to adopt one of them presented an issue of having to choose a favorite among them, so instead, the leaders looked after the needs of all of the children as if they were their very own, offering equal love and support. Of course, the Northern Ataniq and Angayok had always been unorthodox in many of their methods, so these initiatives didn't come off as total surprises, but if anything, the point of all of these changes and the shift to a more family-focused lifestyle, while originally part of the couple's plans, were favored further due to the horror they had faced in the South.
"They can't afford to lose what they almost lost before, Kya," Amaruq pressed. "And it would behoove you to recognize that."
"So that's all I ever was? A risk?" she asked. "And that's all I'll ever be? Well guess what! I wasn't the one running around with a pitchfork! Take a moment and remind your chief this!"
Despite acknowledging his sister's anguish, Amaruq knew there was nothing he could do. The moment Sokka canceled the Akhein trip, Amaruq knew the Northern chief was too far gone.
"It takes years to build trust, but it takes seconds just to break it," the tribesman said to his sister. "And often, it's impossible to bring that trust back. You might not have been the one running around with the pitchfork, but you and Kanna have unknowingly put her in a vulnerable position. If this was just an issue of trash-talking, then Yue would've found a way for reconciliation for yours and Sokka's sake. She was the one who wanted to come down here and heal Karuna, after all. But what happened was so much more than that. And let me tell you right now, Kya, if anything had happened to Yue that night… if the Spirits had taken her away from the mortal world that night…Sokka would've followed her. And there would be no reason for you to worry about seeing their children right now…or seeing him."
Kya shuddered.
"I'm not exaggerating. Those two are inseparable. And they would understandably be highly upset with all of you. So not only would circumstances make you a risk; they make you a threat. And you need to understand that."
A threat? Kya sank down to a pelted chair, gripping the armrest tightly.
"I've tried and tried to sit him down and explain to him how remorseful you all are, but he refuses to hear any of it to this very moment. We should understand just by his not coming to Akhein for Kanna's cremation ritual. He refuses to get it wrong again, Kya, he's never going to trust you. He needs to think about his family, and I think he's very justified in doing what he must to protect them. So do not attempt to contact him or Yue. And if you can't stop yourself no matter what, don't reach out with self-pity, at least. It's not worth it, and it's only making him more mad. And please, for the love of the Spirits, do not attempt to abuse the system. This helpline is for those with genuine claims and who need immediate assistance. So stay put." Huffing, "Besides, it's not like he's your only child. You were able to see Tenzin and cuddle with him and everything—"
"Is that supposed to mean Sokka and his children don't matter to me? He is my firstborn—"
"But not your only. And this isn't just me being a jackass. Wasn't that the reasoning behind why your husband so easily relinquished Sokka's birthright? If Sokka was your only child, you wouldn't have given him up so easily, would you?"
The Southern chieftess gave him a devastated look.
"Why relinquish his birthright and why regret it?" Amaruq asked dryly. "You could've just accepted his choice to begin with. You would've been cuddling with his children by now."
"And Mommy Koala-Sloth and Daddy Koala-Sloth and their little baby koala-sloths lived happily ever after. The end." Yue smiled down at her daughter and sons, who were huddled on the bed beside her. "Okay, my loves, time to sleep."
Collective yawns followed. Ummi was already fast asleep in her mother's lap, her mouth and brand new protective talisman both sticky with icing from the cake she devoured recently. The icing smeared against the chieftess's ceremonial white robes, which Yue had donned for the children's protection ritual at the Moon Temple earlier.
"She's making a mess," Yue noted. Sokka chuckled, brushing the icing away from Ummi's mouth. "Ums? Ummi-bear. You gotta sleep properly, okay?"
Toddler princes Ahiga, Ahanu, Ahote, and Ahuma took to swarming their mother in the meantime, tugging at her shirt.
"Milk!"
"Milky!"
"No, loves, not tonight. It's time to sleep."
They wailed and fussed for another minute more before reluctantly burrowing beneath the blankets— well, save for a restless Ahiga, who tried to climb out of bed so he could reach for another picture book on the table, held back only by his father's strong, gentle grasp.
"Go-beaws, ataata! Go-beaws!" Ahiga said, blinking at Sokka. "Beaws!"
"No gopher-bears tonight, sport. We'll read that one tomorrow," he tried to tuck the little boy in.
"No!"
"Ataata, beaws!" Ahuma joined in with Ahanu and Ahote following suit, "Go-beaws!"
"Tomorrow, we'll read three stories, including the gopher-bears story," Yue said, managing to settle down the boys.
"Yes, we will," Sokka confirmed, "Now everybody shush. Sleepy time. Tey-Tey, don't rub that in your eyes, buddy," he brought Ahote's small hand away from his forehead before he could smear the ceremonial pigment into his eyes.
"I think we can wipe it off now," Yue mused to which Sokka brushed the pigment off the children's foreheads. The chieftess subsequently kissed each of the toddlers, whispering a short prayer of protection before, "Sleep tight, my wolf pups. Happy dreams."
Sokka followed suit, punctuating his kisses with, "Nalligivagit." I love you.
"Nalligigavit," Ummi mumbled.
"Nagigivagi…"
"Nallgi…!"
"Nagi-vagi…"
"Nagilligi…"
The Northern leaders chuckled at the flawless pronunciations as the eventful day quickly took their children into slumber. Sokka slowly carried Ummi to her own bed adjacent to the boys'.
"Ataata," she mumbled through the haze of incoming sleep, "Mr. Cuddles…"
"Right here on the bed," he handed her the elephant-turtle plush at the edge of the bed.
"Is Blob-Blob under the bed?"
"No blob monsters, wolf pup, I just checked," he said, tucking her in. "I'll be right here, okay?"
"Okay," she snuggled against him with Mr. Cuddles tucked under her arm. Sokka sat beside her, stroking her hair until she sank deeper into sleep.
Yue eventually slipped out of bed, careful to not wake the princes with her movements. She picked up the fancy overcoats that they had tossed onto the ground earlier, retreating to the closet to place them neatly back on the shelves. The dull ache traversing her shoulders was quickly soothed by warm palms, pressing skillfully to relieve her of the tension in her muscles.
"You're exhausted," came a kiss to her cheek.
"Mm," she snaked her arms around him appreciatively, laying her head against his chest. "They're still sleeping?"
"Yep. We had it easy today, thank the universe."
"They're so fussy."
"But that's to be expected." Especially since they were currently being weaned. "I mean, I'd be pissed, too. Your milk is good stuff, Chieftess—"
"Sokka!" she nudged him, flushed crimson.
"What? You let me try it, remember—?"
"Don't scream that to the world!" she clamped her hand over his mouth, earning chuckles at her embarrassment. He wrapped his arms around her. "Fine, but seriously, it's been much easier with the boys than it was with Ummi," he noted.
"For sure. Ummi was very stubborn."
She let him untie the sash of her outer ceremonial robe and slide it off of her as he continued to press at her shoulders and arms. Occasional kisses to her temple followed, his voice rumbling softly against her skin, "What's on your mind, nalligima?"
No matter how much she improved on keeping her discomfort hidden away, he had mastered reading into the distracted glaze in her eyes, the subtle squeeze of longing whenever she embraced him.
"Maybe we shouldn't have sent that letter to the South," she admitted.
The mirth in his eyes dimmed, "She was the one who started this, and we just did what should be done."
"In hindsight, we could've ignored it, though," she looked up at him, "It might've been less…confrontational."
"If we ignore it, we'll keep getting useless letters from them like this," he explained. "We can't have undeserving people clogging up the Initiative correspondence system, right? We gotta put the foot down at some point."
"Yes, you're right… but…"
Brushing her hair out of her eyes, "Nalligima, are you really feeling bad about this?"
She shrugged, "I honestly don't know. Things don't seem to be as black and white anymore."
"If this wasn't our situation, you wouldn't be thinking this hard. If there was a couple out there, and the wife was… seriously injured by the in-laws…" he frowned as he phrased it, "and the in-laws wanted to see them and the grandkids years later…you wouldn't let that happen, would you?"
"No, of course not—"
"Then it's settled. Case closed."
Sighing brokenly, "I clearly don't want them near us, and I don't want them interacting with us. I get scared just thinking about them with the kids nearby. But the thing is… Chieftess Kya is still a mom."
"Well according to the papers, she's not mine," he frowned, raided by quiet rage, "Not anymore."
"Papers can't cover up the truth. Whether we like it or not. And as a mom myself… I can't just ignore that part of who she is."
"Are you really feeling sorry for her right now?" he asked, incredulous and worried, "Nalligima, empathy isn't what we need. How are you saying all this after everything that happened? Have you forgotten that night? And all the filth they said to our faces?"
"I know, I remember. I can never forget. And I'm still furious, I am," she insisted, disgust filling her gaze at the memory of her last conversation with Kya, "I'll do anything to keep the kids away from them at all costs. I'm their mom, and I have every right… But you're her son—"
"Yue—"
"I keep telling you to think about this, Sokka. They never hurt you," she let slip in a raw moment, "They were never trying to hurt you. They weren't trying to hurt me either, that was someone else's insanity at work there, and they had no idea this would all happen—"
"But it wasn't exactly auroras and moonlight with them, was it?"
"For what it's worth, it's not like they didn't want you to have a family," she turned away, uncomfortable with her own logic, twiddling with her fingers. "They didn't want you having one with me—"
"So that justifies it?"
"I'm not saying it justifies it—"
"And how are those two not equally horrific outcomes? Even when I made it clear to them that everything I do, it was gonna be with you? And I really don't understand why you're feeling so bad about this—"
"Because I don't want to entertain the thought of keeping you away from her. It feels wrong," she said, her voice breaking as she admitted, "She asked me how I would feel if I couldn't see our children…I don't ever want to be in a situation like that. I can't imagine our lives without them…"
"Yue," he cupped her cheek, thumbing away a slipping tear, asking gently, "Why would we ever be in that situation? We're never gonna run after our kids with pitchforks and relinquishment papers."
"I know we won't."
"Then there's no need to be scared. It's a dumb letter, baby, don't take it so seriously."
"But karma is real—"
"Karma is real. That's why she's going through what she is," he said calmly. "Yue, why would you think of all people, you'll go through all that? You put yourself at risk to save Karuna. You put yourself at risk to give them a chance to talk things out with me and come to a resolution. Why would you ever feel like the universe would take our kids away from us? Why would you ever think you stole me away?"
"Oh, I don't know," she huffed, "Because I'm the reason you're not their prince anymore and will never be their chief. I'm the reason you didn't go to Akhein—"
"Oh my Spirits, is this about the relinquishment again?"
She said nothing about the observation, turning away.
"Alright, time for our annual talk," he sighed.
"Annual?"
"They find a way to ruin our peace almost every year, and we end up talking about this almost every time," he clarified, holding both of her hands, "As I always say, the relinquishment had nothing to do with you. They made the decision to threaten me with it. Hakoda and the council members insisted they wouldn't recognize our marriage if I remained as their prince. I was enraged, and I signed those papers because if I was no longer a prince, I wouldn't have to worry about meeting all their dumb requirements. And that's all there is to it. It was over right then and there. This is the whole truth."
She said nothing, still lost in her thoughts, the conflicted glaze in her eyes persistent.
"Love, look at me," he tilted her face, kissing away her tears, "You're the best mom I know. You're perfect. And I'm telling you, we're never gonna be in the kind of situation they're in right now. And you're not keeping me away from her, okay? I don't ever want you to think that. It's my decision to have nothing to do with them. It was my decision to make sure they never enter the North, and it's my conscious choice to stay here and out of their sight. I do get a say in all this, right?"
"Of course."
"You're thinking as a mom, and I'm thinking as a dad. That's the only difference here," he told her. "I'm terrified to think about them, too. Even if anyone mentions them in passing, I lose my shit. You know this more than anyone else. If I close my eyes and even try to picture them right now, all I'm gonna see is that horrible tundra again…Where everyone just stood around and watched when you were in unbearable pain…" Swallowing the lump in his throat, "Time isn't going to change what I'm feeling. In fact, I get angrier with each passing day because if anything had gone wrong that night… we wouldn't be here like this with the kids."
The chieftess softened her eyes, overwhelming love exacerbating the longing in her heart.
"You said you wanted nothing to do with your birth mom's family or your birth dad, and every one of us respects that decision. We don't question it. But when it comes to me and the South…why can't people see I'm being serious about this?"
"We do respect your decisions, love," she said. "But I need you to know that I had nothing to lose when I made my decision. I didn't know the man responsible for my existence, and I didn't want to. And that woman…nothing anyone says is going to change the fact that she abandoned me. Even if she ended up regretting it. And I've accepted that reality, and all of my complicated feelings about it have gone down the drain. But Chief Hakoda and Chieftess Kya…they're not strangers to you. Strangers walking out of our lives means nothing because they were never part of our lives, to begin with—"
"And you're exactly right. Kya and Hakoda were never strangers to me. I grew up in that household. I loved them with all of my heart. I worked my ass off for everyone there…and that's why it hurts so much to be stabbed in the back like this."
"They love you, too, in their own way, Sokka," she said. "We can't deny that—"
"Well even if that's true…I don't know if I want that kind of destructive love. I don't even want to call that love." Holding back an angry huff, "I'll never forget. They called you and our babies sins. They were all willing to treat you and our kids as second-class citizens while I held the title of future chief. And even if I did become chief, I wouldn't have been authorized to proudly declare you as the chieftess. I wouldn't even legally be able to say you're my wife. And our kids wouldn't have had standing to take the throne after me since our marriage wouldn't be recognized. You think I was gonna sit through all that yakshit and watch you all get treated like dirt? For a dumb throne? You think that would make me happy?"
She shook her head.
"If they really cared and if they really loved, they wouldn't have insulted our relationship like that. And if she really cared and loved, she wouldn't have tried to convince you to leave and break my heart."
"It's not like I was gonna do that," she frowned.
"I know," bringing their foreheads together, "But my point is, it hurts worse if you're hurt by the people you know than the people you don't really know. That's why keeping them out means everything to me. I'm not about to let them come near us, and it's only natural for me to feel that way on my own volition." Holding her by her shoulders, "From now on, I don't ever want you to open any letter that comes from the South. Even if it comes through the Initiative helpline — which it no longer should, but if it still does somehow— I don't want you reading it. And I don't want you to think you're keeping me away from anything or anyone. I'm perfectly happy and complete when I'm here with you and the kids. You know this."
"I know you're happy here," she said, "But just for a moment, I thought maybe you'd miss—"
"No buts," he said. "They're monsters, and monsters are never missed. Don't empathize with them. It's because you empathized with them that I almost lost you." His voice broke at the memory but was firm with resolve as he looked her in the eyes, "I'm not gonna lose any of you. I'm not gonna keep relying on miracles…even though we had one save our asses last time."
"I'm not gonna lose any of you."
"It's just a dumb letter, okay? Don't take it to heart."
She nodded, "Yeah…"
He pecked her lips sweetly, "I love you so much."
"I love you so much, too."
They leaned in for a longer, more tender kiss only to be interrupted with Ummi's abrupt, "Oogies! Eeugh!" followed by four sets of giggles. The couple scrambled to turn around, welcomed by more chants of "Oogie oogie oogie!"
"Hey, what are you wolf pups still doing up?" Sokka said as the boys laughed and jumped up and down.
"Anaana, my Tui and La!" Ummi shuffled over to her mother, showing her Yin-Yang talisman that she somehow froze in her sleep. She also dragged her stuffed animal with her, "Mr. Cuddles is all wet!"
The chieftess swiftly melted the ice and bent the water away from the toy, easing Ummi's agitation. She brought her into her arms, "Alright, sweetie, let's get you tucked back in."
"Go-beaws!" Ahiga bounced up and down, running out of the closet and stepping back in with the storybook of his interest, earning chants of agreement from his brothers. "Go-beaws!"
"No more stories for tonight, wolf pups, we gotta go to bed—"
"Pleeeaase, ataata?" Ummi blinked, pleading with her big blue eyes.
"Pease, pease!" the boys followed.
"Persuasive, aren't we?" The chieftain shared an amused smile with his wife before caving in, "Alright, kiddos," taking the book, "but then it's back to bed!"
It was certainly an ambitious idea to gather all the children in the extended Northern royal family for a group portrait, followed closely by a larger family portrait for Yue and Sokka's eighth marriage anniversary. Just the previous day, the chieftess and chieftain embarked on the task of getting their portraits drawn with all the children in the orphanage. Today, the focus was on the chaos erupting in the palace. Along with the dronningi and isumataat, followed by Yue's brothers, Kanut and Kajuq, as well as Sokka's brothers, Kohana and Karuna, the other children in attendance constituted Kiguk and Chen's sons— six-year-old Wei and two-year-old Kova— and Aang and Katara's sons— four-year-old Tenzin and one-year-old Akumik.
It was a seemingly impossible task to get all of these children situated for a tedious portrait session, but it was a healthy challenge given this project had been put off for quite a while now. While Arnook and Amaruq took to situating the scene of the portrait, Ahnah and Ki'ma engaged themselves with babysitting Aang and Katara's children and Kiguk and Chen's youngest as the parents fumbled to get ready. Yue, in the meantime, was busy in her and Sokka's chambers, getting the children to snack on some fruit before the tedious hour of sitting still.
"Angaju!" Kanut tugged on his sister's sleeve, accidentally smearing onto her sleeve some of the yogurt he was currently eating, "Ahote got my shoe!"
Wiping the yogurt off of his hands, "Your shoe?"
"Mine!" Ahote screeched, "It's mine!"
"You have two right-foot shoes, Tey-Tey Bear," Yue told her son calmly, properly situating the shoes before him, "See? Both of them go on this foot."
"Ohhhh…" the little prince looked around for his missing shoe before his mother checked under the bed and retrieved it.
"Here it is," she said. "So give Uncle Kanut his shoe back."
Ahote placed Kanut's shoe in front of him.
"Now apologize and give him a hug."
The boy obeyed, giving Kanut a hug, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"Good job, boys. Did you finish your fruit cups?"
"Mhm!"
"Yeah, I did."
"What about you," turning to Ahota, "Where's your yogurt?"
The boy sheepishly pointed to the bed where the yogurt had spilled, "But I cleaned it up!"
The prince certainly did make an effort at cleaning up the mess, which had only resulted in him smearing the yogurt all over the bed and worsening it. Yue let out a laugh at the irony and kissed the children, "Alright, you two, no more messes. If you sit tight and behave, we'll get creampuffs after the painting session—"
"Yaaaayyy!"
Before Yue had the chance to clean the mess up properly, Ahanu's shrill hollers of protest caught her attention. The prince had taken his pants off, casting it to the side.
"Ahanu," she rushed over to him, "Did you spill your juice on your pants?"
"No, anaana."
"Then why did you take them off—?"
"They're ugly!"
"Ugly? But these are brand new! You said you liked them yesterday—"
"It's okay, ukuaq. If he doesn't want 'em, I'll wear 'em," Kohana jumped in, giving Ahuma a knowing look, "They're only the coolest pants ever."
"Oh really?" Yue said, observing her son's reaction as he blinked at the pants with renewed interest.
"Yeah, they're the latest fashion! All the cool kids are wearing them in the South nowadays."
"You don't say?"
"Yep!" Kohana reached for the pants only for Ahanu to grab them, mumbling defensively, "But these are small for you."
"I don't care," Kohana shrugged, "I'll find a way to fit into them. I'm gonna be the coolest kid in the portrait today."
Ahanu looked from his mother to his uncle a few times before holding his pants away from Kohana's repeated reach. "They're my pants!" He held them to his chest as he looked up at his mother, "I wanna be cool, too!"
"But you said you didn't like them—"
"I want it, I want it!" he said, hastily trying to put the pants back on.
"You're wearing them inside out now, sweetie," Yue laughed, helping him shimmy back into them properly.
"Do I look cool now, anaana?"
"So cool, my baby," she kissed his forehead, "You're a superstar. Now go be a good boy and finish your fruit bowl and yogurt."
"Okay!" And he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "Lub you!"
"I love you, too, Nu-Nu Bear," she hugged him back, chuckling as he ran over to his fruit bowl. She hugged Kohana next, "Thank you, Ko-bear, you're the best."
"Any time, ukuaq," he smiled. "I'll check on Sokka now. See if he needs my help."
And judging by her husband's cajoling coming from the bathroom, she chuckled. "He probably will."
When Kohana wandered over to the bathroom, he did all he could to not burst out laughing at the fate of his older brother. Ummi, Ahuma, and Ahiga were sitting on the counter. Sokka's hair was a mess, woven into very messy attempts at braids with little flowers and pink ribbons tying the "braids" together, suggesting this was very likely Ummi's work. As if that wasn't enough, Ahuma and Ahiga were occupied with smearing lotion and powder on Sokka's face, each taking charge of a cheek and dabbing layers upon layers on his skin. They would occasionally bicker over the contents in their hands only for Sokka to jump in with, "Hey, hey, no fighting. Ahu-hu, you're in charge of the lotion, and Agi-gi, you're in charge of the powder. No changes to this plan, got it?"
"Wow," Kohana chuckled, "You look ridiculous, Sokka."
"Thanks, Ko-bear," the chieftain drawled with a sigh, but he was otherwise not minding the mess they were making of him and the bathroom. He was only relieved to have given his sons something to keep themselves busy with as he took great care to neatly weave flowers into his daughter's hair, keeping them in place with little clips.
"Ataata, I want that one next," Ummi pointed to a fuschia clip that matched her sparkling fuschia dress.
"This one?"
"Yeah."
"Good choice paniga!" he praised, reaching for a purple ribbon as he sealed her braid. "Alright, you think you're ready?"
"Yeah!"
"You sure?"
"Yep yep—" a gasp, "Oh no, ataata, look!" she gestured to her dress, where a bit of powder was smeared against the sash at her waist. Attempts at wiping it off didn't bode well, whitening the pink sash.
"Oh, that's nothing to worry about," he quickly looked through the shelves, "Aha!" He managed to find a pink flowery bow and clipped it to her sash, covering the stain. "There we go, good as new!"
"Yay!"
"Alright, Ums," he helped her off of the counter, "Let's get you out of here before—"
"Ataata!" Ahiga whined, "He's putting lotion on me!"
"No I'm not!"
"Okay, settle down, wolf pups," Sokka took the lotion and powder away, placing them on a shelf out of the boys' reach.
"But I didn't do anything!" Ahiga whined.
"It's time to get you two cleaned up anyway," he took off the boys' messy overcoats, relieved that their fancier clothes underneath were intact.
"Wow, that's smart," Kohana nodded at his brother in approval.
"It's the only way," he said, quickly washing the boys' hands. "Now hold still, kiddos, wolf-tail time— gaahh!"
"Aah!" Ummi squealed as they were all bombarded by water balloons suddenly shooting from the direction of the entrance. The culprits were Karuna, Tenzin, and Kajuq, who were cheering and laughing at the attack originally meant for Ahuma and Ahiga, all the while flaunting their toy water cannons. Sokka, though, had splayed his arms out to do everything he could to keep the children's outfits intact for the picture, taking the brunt of the hit. Kohana, Ummi, and her brothers burst out laughing.
"Okay, that's enough! Everybody— ow!"
Ahuma and Ahiga let out war cries as they jumped right on Sokka's back simultaneously, tackling the three boys. The chief managed to grab the cannons out of the way in the tussle.
"Get back here!" he eventually scooped all five of their tiny frames into his strong arms at once, laughing as they giggled and squealed and kicked to escape. He placed them all on top of the counter.
"Okay, listen up, kiddos. No one is coming down until everyone has their wolf-tails—"
"But I gotta pee!"
"Yeah, me too! Really really bad!"
The chief sighed, "Okay, who else needs to go?"
"Me! I do!"
"I have to go noooowwww!"
"Oopsie," Ahiga scooted into the corner, his pants completely drenched.
"Eeeww!"
"Ew ew ew!"
"Yuck!"
"Everybody shush," Sokka set the boys down one by one save for Ahiga, for whom he began running a bath. "If everybody behaves, we'll get creamed ice after the painting session. Understood?"
"YEAH!"
"Creamed ice!"
"I want mango—!"
"Everyone can get what they want if they behave. Now come on, single file line for potty breaks!" Picking up Ahiga, "And let's get you in the bath, buddy."
A half-hour later, the chief and chieftess succeeded in leaving the children under the care of Aang, Katara, Chen, and Kiguk, who decided to take the kids for a ride on Appa until the court painters assembled. The chieftain closed the door, letting out the breath he'd been holding, finally taking a moment to wipe off the lotion that was dripping from his face. He turned to his wife, who was sprawled out on the bed exhaustedly, blobs of yogurt glued to her hair.
"In a bit of a pickle, I see," he said.
"I let the yogurt take me," she mumbled, pulling herself up. Moments later, she was tossing him into the shower and joining him, amused by the mess that was made of him.
"It is impossible getting all of our wolf pups situated perfectly," she laughed.
"At least it finally happened," he simply said, sighing. "I promised them creamed ice."
"I promised them creampuffs."
"Get ready for a sugar rush," he chuckled as she smoothed out his hair beneath the rush of water, liberating his locks from the confines of hair loopies and clips and flowers.
"I thought I did your hair first."
"Ummi wanted to do my hair, too," he wore a soft grin, "I couldn't say no."
"Of course you couldn't," she smiled. "I guess I'll have to do it again." She took a moment to disrobe, tossing aside her tunic and pants, which were previously drenched from Ahanu spilling his peach juice all over her earlier. She helped him out of his clothes, which were also drenched, though previously with bathwater and spilled nail paint. She melted and bent away the chaos on his hair and face as well as the paint on his nails, simultaneously extracting the peach juice and blobs of yogurt from her hair.
"You honestly look like you need a nap, baby."
"No way!" he protested, peeling off their intimate articles of clothing. "I'm not wasting our valuable anniversary time sleeping. I made so many plans!"
"Plans?"
"Of course," he took some soap in his hands and brushed his fingers through her hair, massaging as he traversed down, "I have everything set up for tonight."
She leaned back against him, the soap in her hair lathering his chest as the shower drenched them in its simmer. "Did you?"
"Our folks are down for watching the kids," his soapy hands paused at her shoulders, making little circles on her skin. "I told silak about the paperwork. He'll be denying the reimbursement charges, signing off on the budget approval scrolls, tearing that new factory contract to pieces, approving the transfer of funds to the orphanage, sanctioning that representative in the seventh district."
"Coal mining case?"
"That's the one."
"What about—?"
"Ahiga needs to sleep at the edge or he'll get antsy. Ahote needs his special blankie. If Ahuma sneezes in his sleep, he's gonna fly at least two feet off the bed, so they'll need to keep an eye on him. Ahanu might wet the bed, so they're prepared for that. Last but not least, Ummikins needs to have Mr. Cuddles with her or she can't sleep. They know the deal."
"I'm impressed," she leaned into his neck and planted a sweet kiss, her eyes lidded as she blinked at him, "Well done, isumataq."
A thrill jolted up his spine, exciting his senses, but before he could capture her lips, she slipped behind him, working his shoulders and back in a light massage. He sighed, the tension in his muscles leaving his back.
"Okay," he breathed, "Now onto more serious business."
Her hands reached up to brush some soap through his hair. "Serious?"
"Yes, very serious," his eyes glistened with enthusiasm and adoration as he turned, gently pressing her against the wall as he massaged her waist with his soapy palms.
"As you know, the universe is…uh…well, balanced, right?"
Blinking, "Um, yes?"
"But back there when I was running around the boys…I realized just how imbalanced we are as a group. And it just breaks my heart to see that."
"What are you referring to?"
"Ummi! Our Ummi's all left out!" he said. "With everybody's kids here, I counted twelve boys and only one girl! That's, what, around ninety-two percent boys? It's just not fair, don't you think?"
"Well yeah, it is kind of unfair," she agreed, "But Aang and Katara said they'll try for a girl in a few years—"
"But that's in a few years! Something needs to be done before then. You know I'm all about empowering women."
"Yes, you are," a hint of a smile flashing on her lips. "Well what do you think we should do about it now? To rectify the situation?"
And despite all of his buildup to this moment, he blushed a stark crimson, "Well…you think maybe…" Rubbing the back of his neck like a frantic lover trying to propose, "Maybe…"
"Maybe…?"
"Maybe we can… have another…?"
"Chief," she brushed the soap down his chest, her voice laced with a tease, "Do you even hear yourself?"
"The world needs more Yues, Chieftess," he said. "And I need to do my part to make it happen."
"I thought you did the first time around."
"The kiddos need a baby sister. Baby sisters are important! Especially to our little Ummi. Plus, with a baby around them, they'll learn to be gentle."
"Is that right?"
"Yes." With a playful scoff, "Don't act like you don't want this. You were the one who said you were open to one more!"
"Did I? When?"
"A couple of months ago! Imona was like, 'Oh, you two are trying to make a whole new tribe, aren't ya?' and you just smiled. I saw that."
"Smiling is evidence to you?" she kept teasing, "Not very strong on our arguments, are we?"
"When Sayen said, 'Are you guys done yet?' and you said, 'Well, maybe one more down the road.' I heard that."
"When was this?"
"At the boys' fifth birthday party!" he said. "And yesterday. When we found that glitter dress that Ummi never got to wear and is clearly never gonna fit into? I said, 'It's okay, we can give it away 'cause she has a lot of glitter dresses' and you were like, 'No no, let's save it for the future just in case.' And I was like 'Really?' And then you gave me that look…"
"And what look was that?"
He pulled her flush up against his body, heat flaring through their bodies, "The 'let's make a baby' look."
"You're sure you're not reading into this too much?" she held back a grin, a spark in her eyes.
"I know that look."
"Do you?"
"Very much," he pecked her lips, lathering soap over her breasts and drinking in the gasp that left her mouth. He caught the scent of her arousal, his manhood twitching in anticipation, "You know what I think? I didn't see that dress anywhere in all these years, and suddenly it shows up out of nowhere?" Sucking at her lower lip, "I wouldn't be surprised if you put that there on purpose…"
"Now why would I take to these shenanigans when I can just ask you directly like before?"
"Because you wanted me to buckle first. And I did," he said with a devious grin, "I'm sure your pride's satisfied by now."
"Well I wasn't the only one playing tricks," came her flustered confession against the smile on his lips, "Now it all makes sense. Why you bought those pink baby moccasins and kept saying you'll give them away as a gift but never did. You were taunting me with those."
"It's just more fun that way," he laughed, whispering in her ear, "And you know what else? We have a full moon tonight."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Smirking, "I know it's your window."
With a wild flush, "You did your research."
"Of course I did."
"Well did you do your research on the possibility of this baby also being a boy?"
"But what if it's a girl?" he gazed at her with polar-puppy eyes.
"Twelve boys and two girls in the entire household? Still not a fair ratio. Unless if it's two or three or even four girls this time around."
"Four again?" he widened his eyes.
"Anything can happen," she pointed out. "I'm just preparing you."
"Well…while that would be intense, I'm banking on the fact that quadruplets back to back is not a common occurrence."
"It's not. But…what if we are that fertile?"
He tried to hide the upward tug at the corner of his mouth but failed, wearing a dopey look on his face, "I mean…"
"Wow, Imona was right," she raised her eyebrows, "You do love knocking me up—"
"It takes both hands to clap!" he said, flustered.
"And that's exactly why you're lucky," she bit his lip, her eyes closing, her breath hitching as his hands began to roam, "We'll talk more about all the research you did. Tonight."
"We don't have to wait that long," his hard heat pressing deliciously between her legs. "Fuck," came a whimper, "You're wet, baby."
"W-We have a court painting session in an hour," she gasped out even as she wrapped one leg around his waist.
"That's plenty of time," he guided her into his lap, relieved moans leaving them as he lodged himself inside of her.
"We've got to be crazy," she arched her back, earning a laugh that rumbled through the valley between her breasts, "You just realized that, Chieftess?"
"It's twins this time! Dronningiit Yuka and Yura!" exclaimed a Southern servant. "And we're getting twenty thousand gold pieces as a stimulus this time!"
"Well, no need to apply for that loan anymore," her fellow servant beamed. "Wow, Chief Sokka really meant it when he said he wanted a family with Ataniq Yue."
"It's a shame his folks never respected his decision. Otherwise, we would've been able to see our little dronningiit and isumataat at least once."
"Our chief and chieftess don't deserve to see those babies if you ask me," a third servant scoffed.
"Oh, of course not. I think everyone can agree on that."
The ghost of a smile, which briefly played on Kya's lips, turned to dust at the comment. She rushed away from the kitchen, seeking privacy in her study. She leaned against a tapestry with a heavy burden in her heart, not even daring to eye the Southern chieftain, who was doing his best to hide the pamphlet before she could see it. He couldn't hide, however, his own longing that had softened him over the years.
"Do you…still want to try mailing the gifts—?"
"Don't bother. They're only going to send it right back." She tossed aside Kanna's portrait in a fit of rage, not caring even if it lit ablaze as it tumbled into the nearby flames.