Chapter 77: Prince Regent

The Northern leaders leaned forward and kissed their oldest goodnight. Afterward, they checked on their sons in the next room, tucking in the exhausted six-year-olds. Before long, the duo quietly slipped into their own chamber. The twins were asleep in their cradles, so the parents were careful to avoid making noise, settling on a group of pelts and looking out of the window at the sleeping tribe.

Sokka held Yue close in muted shakenness, and she kept her hand on his shoulder the entire time, occasionally rubbing his back. These were small ways to keep his tense spirits rooted and grounded, especially given how he completely lost his temper earlier during the hearing of a recent case — a case of Akna-hate, to be specific. A deranged tribesman had somehow been convinced that his wife was the Akna in disguise, and ignoring all logic and all revelations several years prior with regard to the Gentleman's status as the Akna's husband, the criminal had been determined to burn the woman and their three young children alive— a horror thwarted by the patrolling security guards.

The perpetrator's thinking made no sense, but it had definitely shaken the foundations of peace that were only recently paved in the tribe. While the attempt itself had enraged the chief and chieftess, the perpetrator had raved during the hearing of his "divinely-inspired duty" to rid the tribe of impurity and had framed himself as a hero for being willing to sacrifice his own wife and children for that purpose. Needless to say, the chieftain's eyes had glared a stark black with every invocation the criminal made to La to justify his actions, and the prophesied Ocean Spirit's chilling roars resulted in several priests gathering with pounds of vermillion flying through the chamber, several guards with Tui talismans attempting to hold Sokka back from charging at the perpetrator with his spiked whip, panicking ministers sending for Yue's immediate presence.

Now, though, Sokka was significantly more calm. His pulse was no longer erratic but as rhythmic as the waves beneath the content moon.

"Remember when I authorized immediate protective measures for a woman and her children two weeks ago?"

He nodded.

"That was for this case."

"So you knew about this?" he frowned. "You didn't say anything about it to me. I thought we promised we're not gonna keep anything from each other!"

"I wasn't trying to keep this a secret forever. We both know how you get around my due dates, and I wanted to tell you after the twins got here. I didn't want you to be so stressed out about this. If I'd known you were going to hear this case today, I would've told you about it beforehand and prepared you."

He sank further into her arms, several concerns hitting him at once. He knew it was just one incident in all these years. It was just one crazy idiot. Luckily, no one was hurt, and the criminal was arrested in time. The chief also knew that the tribe had so many more people supporting progress now. The Akna Initiative is so popular with vast increases in approval ratings for the organization.

But it's so terrifying what some people were still thinking. Even after everything they were doing. Of course, he didn't voice this aloud, not wanting to send Yue into a panic.

"The way that idiot tried to just…There's no logic to this whatsoever! Isn't it established that the Akna is married to the Gentleman? Why would she disguise herself and marry that idiot and have kids with him? It's irrational!"

"That's why he's insane," Yue said. "You didn't let anything happen to that family, Sokka. You should be relieved that justice caught up to him, not tear the tribunal apart."

"Well yeah, but…I just lost it, nalligima, I…" All he could think about was Yue and the kids because Spirits, their family was so vulnerable. Seven kids under eight, the youngest barely one week into their lives. These were more reasons, more factors fueling Sokka's devastation. "How can anyone try to do that to their wife and kids?"

Yue kissed away a bead of sweat, a palm resting against his cheek, absently thumbing over his stubble, "It's okay, baby. Everyone is safe. We did come into this knowing change won't happen overnight. All we can do is keep doing what we're doing to bring more changes."

They held each other for a long time, trying not to dwell on what-ifs, trying not to think about the testimonies— those written and stated in person— of the aggrieved mother who swore in the name of the Spirits that she wasn't the Akna. Her cries of being spared, her pleas of letting her and her children live peacefully in the North— the only home she knew— and her rights to dignity and not being falsely branded as a "woman of sin and impurity." These testimonies still weighed heavily on their minds, nagging them persistently, reminding them of the horrors around them, the stubborn caveman mentalities that survived in the tribe.

"It never fails to surprise me how common it is for people to just wipe out their families because of dumb attitudes."

She knew he was referencing Pakku's actions from years ago. "I don't think it's that common. The people we run into just happen to be like that. That's our luck." Frowning, "If I had admitted to the tribe who I really was years ago… that family probably wouldn't have been in this situation."

Alarmed, "Don't do that, nalligima, don't think like that."

"I don't mean anything by it, I'm just wondering what would've happened—"

"Well I don't want you thinking like that. Not even hypothetically. This isn't your fault."

"I know."

Squeezing her hand, frowning at the persisting chaos in her eyes, "Baby, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing. I've just been thinking about something for the past few days. After everything that's happened with this case… I was just thinking maybe…maybe the Akna needs to be laid to rest once and for all."

With a horrified look, "What?"

"Don't panic, my love, just hear me out. All I mean by that is convincing the tribe that the Akna no longer exists. Faking a death—"

"But why would—?!"

"I told you not to panic," she said patiently. "Look, we can't have women and children constantly bearing the brunt of this paranoia if it gets worse. I know this is only one case in a span of a decade, but if appropriate action wasn't taken at the right time, think about what would've happened to that woman and her children."

The chieftain paled.

"These attitudes are not going away overnight. There are still people who highly disapprove of all this. It's a decreasing minority but…All it takes is one person. All it takes is another Khasiq, and the tribe will face the danger of going backward again." This fuss exists only if the Akna is alive, right? There can only be a hunt if there's something to be hunted." Holding his hand, "That's why we need to convince the tribe that the Akna is dead. Make it seem like she was discovered and killed by a radical group—"

"We don't need to do that," he shook his head vehemently, "We don't have to do anything like that. We'll think of something else. We'll find another way. We can pass more laws, increase protections for families—"

"We've seen change, Sokka, but it's still not to the point where the Akna can roam free in public. We both know the reality of the situation. It's going to be a couple more generations until the Akna is accepted as a normal member of society. There's nothing else that can be done. These attitudes have been around for centuries."

"What about the consequences of making this move?" he asked her. "Think of what dumb extremists would think if we do this. They would think of this as a victory for their idiocy. They would think that 'La' somehow 'finally punished' the Akna somehow for her 'heretical existence' and other nonsense like that. Generations of idiots using religion to pit people against each other…like you said, these attitudes are not going to be wiped out in just a few years." His irises just barely teetering on the verge of turning black, "It would absolutely destroy La if people think he's responsible for this!"

Yue thought for a moment, slowly nodding in acknowledgment, but she stood by her resolve. "I get it, I do. And even if we say the Akna fled the North, instead, people are going to think she's out there, and they'll just divert their targets from tribeswomen to other women. As long as the Akna is alive, she will continue to be a sore spot for extremists. We need to keep educating people, and we can only do that if we keep our people safe, first. We can't have extremists' constant scrutiny constantly preying on them." Turning to him, "That's why we can approach this a little differently. If the statement that the Akna was killed by extremists gives the extremists a ray of hope…Then she won't be killed, necessarily. We could frame this as suicide—"

"Yue," he shook, squeezing her hand, "How could you just…? Do you know what you're doing to me right now?"

Swells of love ebbed in her heart as his heartbreak. She cupped his cheeks, occasionally peppered his face with kisses, whispering soft assurances.

"Sweetie, this is just what we're going to tell the world," she breathed. "And it's not like I want to do this. Supporters of the Akna might be tolerated, but the Akna herself will not be. Not right now, at least. That's why we need to do this. We need to do this in such a way that no innocent family is ever burdened by extremists." She assured him further with, "There's no need for you to be worried about this. It's just another alias I'm getting rid of, nothing more than that."

"But it doesn't feel right. This isn't right. The Akna shouldn't have to…not be around… for there to be peace in the tribe. People should accept every part of you."

"Sokka, I don't care if anyone else ever accepts me for who I really am. All I know is that I have you. And that's more than enough for me. All I care about is all of us being safe, being together." Resting her head on his shoulder, her arm wrapped around his, "It would be unrealistic for me to publicly announce who I am and expect everyone in the tribe to still keep me on the throne. The tribe was heavily wounded by Khasiq's rule, and it's just now recovering. I don't want to rub salt on that wound."

"But—"

"All I need is for the people I love most in this world to know who I am and for them to accept me for who I am. I'm happy and loved and fulfilled when I'm with you. And if I had a choice, I wouldn't be suggesting this idea in the first place. But I can't have innocent people suffer these atrocities because of me. I don't want anyone to keep guessing who exactly the hidden Akna could be and targeting innocent people under false conclusions. I don't want radical people ever figuring out it's me…and I definitely don't want them thinking about targeting our family." Moisture glazing her eyes, "Think about the kids, Sokka. We need to do this for the kids."

He stiffened in fear, his gaze flying to the twins and then toward the children's chambers. The undeniable realities behind Yue's observations crippled further protests, tugging ferociously at his heart.

"If the Akna really has to go," he turned to her, "She's not going alone. The Gentleman is going with her. Today, it was an innocent woman and her kids. Tomorrow, it'll be an innocent man."

"No one has attacked the Gentleman thus far," she pointed out.

"You think it won't happen?"

"Kinji's Slayer is quite popular with many people even if he consorted with an infidel—"

"So what now, only you can kill off your alias and I can't?" he huffed with a hurt glare. "The Akna is never gonna be alone. I'm going down this road with you. I told you this on day one."

She couldn't protest, locking her lips with his in a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

When they ran this suggestion by Arnook and Ahnah the next day, the former Northern leaders were horrified, but they acquiesced for the same reasons that made Sokka cave in: they would never tolerate any risk to their family and the people of the tribe. Amaruq and Ki'ma were alerted before they could panic, and they, too, came to accept with great difficulty.

Ivaneq acted with great speed after taking the time to process his given orders. In the wee hours of the night, he shakily conjured a fake suicide note under the chief and chieftess's direction. He then put together various unwanted items, wrapped them all collectively in sheets, and molded the figures to somewhat resemble human bodies. He dragged the figures to the citadel, grabbed a torch, and lit them ablaze. Bright flames burned in the center of the tribe, and pounding citadel gongs chilled the bones of those who were abruptly woken from sleep. Within minutes, many tribefolk circled the burning "corpses," recoiling at the horror. The Gentleman's mask, half-burnt, stuck out from the side, steadily continuing to be eaten away by the flames, his rage and passion captured in the contents of the suicide note nailed to the news board.

We had believed that there was hope for us in our homeland. That one day, we would be accepted by our community, and the tribe would be safe enough for us to start a family. But after the horrors we have recently witnessed, we realize that hoping for acceptance — in this lifetime, at least— is wishful thinking. We can no longer go on like this, especially if innocent lives are taken because of us. We would rather be together in death and beyond in the compassionate refuge of the Spirits.

From the warmth and comfort of their quarters, Sokka and Yue caught a glimpse of the smoke that reached the skies near the citadel, chaos unfolding in the tribe. They squeezed each other's hands tightly as the tribe's "infidel lovers" burned through the night.

"There's always a possibility that someone might find out if this is all written down. That's why instead of sending a scroll, I came all the way here to tell you this in person. So you won't freak out."

Kya managed a nod. Hakoda let out the breath he had been holding for a long time, "So they're really okay?"

"Yes," Amaruq said for the twentieth time in his brief visit. "This was just for the public. It was the best way for them to draw attention away from the Akna for good."

"The attack in that case was only against the supposed Akna, though," Chunta observed. "I don't understand why the Gentleman also had to—"

"You know how sensitive Sokka is about these things. He insisted that she not be alone in this. And besides, it would only be a matter of time before people came after Kinji's slayer, too, in some form. He felt this was necessary for him, too."

Hakoda let out another sigh, "We would give anything to see them. See for ourselves that they're safe and sound."

"You know you can't do that," Amaruq frowned.

"They have the large family and happy life that they've always wanted. Why else would he be afraid of us?" Kya asked brokenly. "Is time still not healing them?"

"With each passing day, he's only becoming more and more intolerant of any and all discussions about you two." With an uncomfortable huff, "They don't say your names even accidentally, guys. You have to understand."

"His heart is still hardened, I suppose," Chunta lamented.

"It's actually the opposite. He's softened considerably, especially when it comes to his family. And that's what makes him all the more alarming when he's provoked. He will do anything to make sure nothing comes near the chieftess and the kids, and any mention of the South is to be handled with great care around him."

The dejected look on the Southern leaders' faces did nothing to change Amaruq's answer. "I know it's upsetting, sis, but you can't still expect Sokka to interact with you two or come back after everything. He's living his life, and you should honor that. You should instead be focusing on preparing Kohana for his responsibilities when he comes home from his studies."

Indeed, it had been a while since the Southern leaders had last seen Kohana; the environment in the South proved to be desolate, and when Kohana finished part of his training and schooling in the South, he decided to transfer to a school up North. For the past several years, he had remained in his older brother's care, only visiting the South for extended holidays. With Sokka and Yue as his sifus, he had improved considerably in combat and waterbending. Having excelled in his secondary schooling, he was now being prepared for chiefdom under the Northern leaders' tutelage, attending meetings and hearings and sitting in on council sessions.

"Sokka, Yue, and I are thinking of taking Kohana ice-dodging next year," Amaruq said. "I know tradition says your father should take you, but Kohana will be in the North when his fourteenth birthday rolls around next year. The boy really wants to go with his brother and ukuaq, and they've been practicing very often."

"Oh," Hakoda tried not to appear too pained, "I see…"

"Kohana wanted me to tell you he'll go ice-dodging with you, too, when he comes to visit the South next year."

The Southern chief gave a contemplative sigh in response, "I wasn't able to take Sokka ice-dodging because of my accident all those years ago. He just jumped right into the trading missions. I thought I could take Kohana, at least…"

"It's not a big deal. Older brothers take younger brothers ice-dodging all the time.

"Kohana might not be your oldest son, but he is in the legal sense; I think it's best if you got into the habit of accepting that reality and preparing him for the throne starting now," Amaruq advised. "Time is flying, and it won't be long before he turns sixteen and becomes eligible to get married and eventually lead the South."

The gist of his argument was clear. There was no point in the Southern leaders trying to fix the past. It was an impossible task. The least they could do was let the Northern leaders live in peace and give their younger sons the latitude they couldn't give their oldest.

The respect the people of the South once held for Hakoda and Kya had crumbled — even if it didn't seem that way on the surface. There were no obvious signs, nor were there blatant instances of disrespect, but the Southern leaders were not clueless. There had been a wistful longing among the tribefolk for the disbelieving prince they had known and loved, whose birth had been so richly celebrated in the past that his persisting current status as an exile and his subsequent exit from the family altogether left behind a bitter aftertaste. Over time, this longing morphed into quiet frustrations and annoyances, expressed mostly among the more simple folk, who narrated stories after stories of the Northern chief and his loving family, how the entirety of the North was squeeing and gushing over the young dronningiit and isumataat, how the South was deprived of that opportunity to squee and gush. Eight years into this separation, and there was only despondency left in the pungent Southern air.

The hope of Sokka's return flickered again among exhausted souls when finally — finally — Pakku had breathed his last, the sinner's life sucked out of his body mid-scream in the throes of his never-ending pain in the midst of his cell. Many people in the tribe celebrated, taking a breath of fresh air as if a curse had been finally lifted from their ailing tribe. Some wondered if Sokka would consider making a trip to the South, provided that the South would lift its ban on his entry, especially with Pakku now physically gone and the Council having basically been dissolved by lack of popularity and authority, but even months into Pakku's passing, not a word of reaction from the Northern leaders reached the South.

Exhausted souls abandoned all hopes and availed themselves of the comfort of Prince Kohana's approaching reign, but when the tribe began to settle into this reality, Bato and Chunta received a great deal of shock from the Southern royals.

"We have decided to relinquish the throne," Hakoda cast them a sullen, lifeless stare, "We have deemed our bloodline to be unfit for leadership."

"What?" Bato nearly exclaimed at his friend's announcement, "But Prince Kohana—!"

"Our bloodline is cutting ties with royalty," Kya reiterated. "Send word to the leaders of the North to take immediate responsibility."

"Psst. Ahiga only has three more yellows to go."

"Three?" Ahote whispered.

"Yep," Sokka nodded, "He's on your tail, wolf pup, be careful." The chieftain then turned to Ahuma, briefly skimming over the "forts" on his side of the game board, "Ahote has four purple forts, sport. Ahanu has six blues. You gotta build at least three more whites if you wanna catch up—"

"Ataata! Don't tell him how much I have," Ahote whined.

"You can't be on everybody's team," Ahanu said. "You said you're on Yuka and Yura's team!"

"I'm on their team because they don't know their colors and numbers yet," the chief explained as the seven-month-olds occupied themselves with their soft toys in their cradles.

"You need to be on the same team for the rest of the game, ataata," Ummi said, picking a red "fort" to build in her kingdom, "That means you only gotta be on Yuka and Yura's team and not tell people what everybody has."

"But you're all my wolf pups, I can't pick and choose! I want all of my babies to win!"

"I'm not a baby, I'm seven and a half!" Ummi exclaimed.

"You say that like you're thirty or something, panikuluk," he swarmed his oldest with a big hug and rained kisses on her cheek before tackling his sons. By the time the door to their chamber opened and Yue stepped in, accompanied by Imona and Sayen, she was amused by the sight of her husband's wild hair pointing in all directions, little game pieces and color cards tangled in dark locks, his weight no match for the tiny army overpowering him.

"We were just playing Color Kingdoms," Sokka grinned.

"More like making a mess," she laughed, nearly knocked over as Ummi and the boys hurried over to her, huddling against her frame.

"We need to get this cleaned up, wolf pups," she kissed them.

"We'll help 'em," Imona knelt down to pick up the fallen "forts", "You two do your thing."

Yue shared a look of solid seriousness with her husband that quickly had them retreating to their bedchamber with the hungry twins in hand.

"Are you okay, baby? Is everything okay?" he switched dialects, helping position the twins at her bosom, "How was the meeting?"

"Everything's fine, and the meeting went well," she assured, pulling out a scroll from her sleeve before nursing the infants, "We have a message from the South, though."

"About what?" he treaded cautiously.

"It's nothing to panic over, stay calm," she said, gesturing to the scroll, "Chunta wrote this to Ivaneq. There have been quite a few issues in the South that haven't been fixed. The Southern Council had to shut down again last week."

"They had a government shutdown just three months ago," he frowned.

"Financial concerns are on the rise again."

"If they had effective leadership, they wouldn't have repeated financial concerns," he said in disapproval, "And if it's assistance they really need, they don't seem to have the least amount of common sense to ask for it."

"Public image-wise, things have not been going well for the Southern leaders."

"No surprise there. They're avoiding all Global Conferences again for a reason."

"But they seem to have had enough of the humiliation. That's why they're wanting to officially cut ties with their royal positions."

Which really got his attention. "What?"

"They're saying they are unable to continue with Southern leadership, but that's not necessarily the bad part." Wearing a look of concern, "They specifically requested that our bloodline take over."

"Woah woah, our bloodline? Are they saying they…?"

"They aren't just saying they're quitting, basically. They don't want their bloodline to, quote, 'continue serving the royal mission.'"

"What the hell is their problem?" he fumed as he then took the initiative to sieve through the scroll, "Are they insane? Granting their proposal would override Kohana's status as the prince regent! They don't have any reasons for this listed here, either!"

"They think they're unworthy—"

"And they are, but Kohana isn't," he nearly growled. "Kohana is their next chieftain! He's next in line, and he's been training for this. And they have the gall to try to oust him from his position just like that?"

"Stay calm, sweetie. None of this is official. They didn't make this announcement public yet. Major decisions like this can't be taken by just one tribe."

Glaring at the ground, "I wonder if they're cutting him off because he was training here with us—"

"If that was the problem, they wouldn't specifically be requesting us to take over the South," Yue said. "And they would've listed their issues in the grievance notice. But they didn't provide any of the 'good cause' reasons in Provision One."

"Of course not," he huffed, "Because this is just another one of their ways of trying to get our attention. They're trying to look for a loophole to come in contact with us in a way we can't say no. If you ask me, they're actually in direct violation of Provision One in the Water Tribe Laws." He grabbed a book from their nearby bookshelf and sieved to the page of interest. "When the South was first created and recognized as a separate division of the Water Tribe, Provision One specifically had several requirements listed before the leader of one tribe can take control over the other. The leader of one tribe cannot automatically transfer the responsibility of his or her entire tribe to a Northern authority without cause, and the only exception to this rule is if there's an intermarriage of Northern and Southern leaders." Which was thrown out of the window the moment Sokka signed the relinquishment papers, so for legal purposes, he wouldn't fall under a member of Southern leadership even if he married a Northern leader. "So everything else requires good cause."

"That's the way I remember it," Yue nodded, skimming over the provision. For one, if the leaders of one tribal division were incapacitated or deceased and their heir wasn't old enough for the throne, and if there were no available candidates for interim leadership in the home tribe, be they family members or popular officials, then the leader of the second division would be permitted to step in for an interim leadership position until the heir came of age. If the leaders of one division were barren or were deceased without an heir, and if they had no family member or worthy candidate for leadership at home, these would be vital causes for the Northern leaders to take permanent control over the South. None of these good causes were met in the present situation given Hakoda and Kya were alive and well and had three (legal) children to fulfill the role of chiefdom. With Katara's option of opting out, Kohana and Karuna were left as the candidates with Kohana being the oldest and the current prince regent. There was no justification for Sokka and Yue to take over, especially with the relinquishment papers severing Sokka's status as a Southern leader.

"These safeguards were written by a Southern majority of legal drafters. The Southern leaders, especially, can't just throw their hands up and say they're unworthy and expect us to immediately take responsibility over the South," Yue said. "And look down here. It says that any decision taken in line with the above-stated causes requires a physical meeting of the Northern and Southern officials — the leaders themselves, if they are alive, or their representatives— and the terms of the leadership transfer must be written down and signed by both parties in the presence of one another. The 'in the presence' language clearly indicates a physical meeting, not a series of letters of agreement or anything. And in the event that the leader of one division is declared chieftain or chieftess of the other division, they must be coronated in the other division before securing its throne."

It was obviously not something the chieftain was happy to hear, his face distraught from the mere thought of those possibilities. On top of that, this was not just a provision they could change at will despite their leadership status; all amendments regarding the leadership of both tribes must have the agreement of both divisions' leaders and, again, in each other's presence. Any decision contrary to this arrangement would dishonor and undermine the integrity and harmony of the sister tribes.

"The South and North might be different divisions, but they're very interconnected. If the South is without a ruler, then it's the North's responsibility to fill in that void when necessary. This is the sentiment the South leaders are using to come see you and possibly take you to the South for a visit. And they seem to think disqualifying the entire bloodline will do the trick," Yue noted, finding the twins asleep on her bosom.

"Nothing they ever do will get us back on the Southern train, and they would be fools to expect that from us after everything," Sokka hissed, helping gently tuck the twins in for their nap, "They need to stop this idiocy, stop toying with Kohana's career and the lives of millions of Southern tribefolk who need stability and effective leadership."

Placing kisses on the infants' foreheads, he whispered, "Aru 'mingen urannatima. The sins of the parents don't pass to the young. Just because the Southern leaders are idiots doesn't mean Kohana will turn into one. Ever since he was six, he was with us the most, and he's grown up on the values we taught him. There's no legitimate cause for concern here other than them wanting attention. If they were shameless enough to lead the South for nearly eight years after that atrocity, certainly they're shameless enough to lead for at least two more years. Kohana will be sixteen then and will be eligible for the throne by law. They don't have it in them to be good leaders, but he does, and they should honor that instead of making this all personal."

"It would be good if we talked to Kohana about this," Yue said.

"Ko-bear doesn't know about any of this yet, right?"

"I don't think he does, but it wouldn't be good if he finds out through someone else and gets the wrong idea."

"He knows we're not after the Southern throne, and he wouldn't misunderstand us, but it's still best if we talk this out," the chief agreed.

"We need to approach this carefully, though," Yue said. "We don't want him to feel betrayed by what his parents have suggested."

"He needs to know their true colors, too, at some point," Sokka huffed. "It's for his own good if he stops trusting those snakes. We don't have a duty to preserve his relationship with them, nalligima. We just need to do what's best for him."

Yue sighed at his outburst but spoke nothing of it, adding instead, "If I'm being honest, I don't think Kohana's paying much attention to his upcoming duties at the moment. He's not even thinking about chiefdom. He's skipped the past four council sessions, and he's zoning out often in his waterbending lessons. Could it be that he's distracted by something?"

"Yeah, I noticed that, too," Sokka nodded. "He was like this last week, too, when we took him ice-dodging. Do you think maybe he knew about this beforehand and is upset? You think they blabbered something about it to him when he last visited them?"

"He hasn't behaved any differently with us. If something was bothering him, he wouldn't be so…well, jovial. At least, I wouldn't think…"

It was true. While Kohana wasn't running around the tribe with his menagerie, he was still vibrant and good-natured. He repeatedly insisted that he hang out with his friends and would disappear for nearly half a day in the name of sledding, canoe races, sky bison races, and skating.

"He still has two years to go," Yue pointed out. "He probably just wants to enjoy himself and not think about all this. Maybe it's stressing him, and he needs a break."

"If it's a break he needs, why can't he just tell us? He knows we're chill."

"Maybe he's just nervous. We can sit him down and explain the situation to him, but we also need to let him know there's no pressure if it's stressing him out."

Glaring at the scroll, "Is there anything we can do to stall this nonsense in the meantime?"

Yue glanced over the rule once more and delved into the additional commentary, "It says here that in emergency situations, we have the latitude to basically do anything that 'respects the independence of the sister tribe.' This includes things like sending aid, diplomats, experts."

"So basically what you did for the Southern Revival Project," he said, formulating in his mind, "Since they haven't tried aid yet, we can send aid and delay our response for one year. See if the South is picking back up within that time. If the South is doing better in this one-year interval, then we don't have to respond at all."

"That sounds good," Yue agreed. "Sometimes, the lack of morale in tribefolk will make leaders feel inefficient, and it could be that they feel too guilty to ask for aid—"

"Nalligima, if they were capable of feeling guilt, they wouldn't have done what they did even after you handed them prosperity on a silver platter and saved Karuna's life," he frowned. "And even if they did miraculously have an inkling of guilt, that shouldn't excuse them from asking aid. This is about the people, not them and their Spirit-damned feelings."

"It is about the people," she said, her hand settling over his to bring down his impassioned state, "Disqualifying one's own bloodline is a radical move. There are a number of things we can keep trying in the meantime. Don't worry about this, my love."

"Whatever it takes to get them off our backs," he sighed, squeezing her hand, "They're not coming anywhere near us and the kids."

It seemed Sokka and Yue had more of a reaction to this news than Kohana himself did. The boy didn't say anything as they told him all that they knew; he simply listened and gave them a nod of acknowledgment every now and then.

"We just wanna drive home the fact that they're looking to disqualify the bloodline, and we can't have that if you want to be the chief. You understand that, don't you?"

Kohana nodded, "Yeah, Sokka, I understand. But you guys took care of it, right? I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"For now, yeah, but you need to understand that the sooner you step up, the sooner there will be an answer to the unstable conditions in the South," the chieftain said, a turbulent wave crashing in the oceans of his eyes. "They're pulling all the dumbest moves possible. We need to stay alert."

Kohana didn't answer, lost in thought, an equally uncomfortable look on his face. It did not go unnoticed by the chief, who placed his hand over the boy's shoulder, "Kohana?"

"Huh?"

"Everything okay?"

"We know it's a lot for you to take in," Yue said worriedly. "Are you okay, Ko-bear?"

"I'm okay," Kohana nodded.

"You probably weren't expecting this from them, were you?" Sokka said. "I know they're being idiots about this, Ko-bear, but we promise, we're not gonna let them snatch anything away from you. You're the chief of the South, and that's not gonna change—"

"I'm not worried about that at all, Sokka," Kohana gave Sokka a knowing look, "I know why they did this, and honestly, I'm not hurt by it." Because even Kohana knew that Kya and Hakoda just wanted what everyone wanted: Sokka and Yue being crowned the chief and chieftess of the South. Of course, even saying that possibility rendered his older brother sensitive and with great reason. "I just…I don't wanna think about these things right now, guys…"

"Are you scared?" Sokka asked. "You know you can tell us anything, buddy."

"No," Kohana shook his head, but the Northern leaders didn't buy his denial. "Well…I don't know… I don't really know what I'm feeling about this. It's all a bit too much for me right now."

"We did notice you've been distracted," Sokka pointed out, but the response he received to his comment was unexpected: Kohana blushed, quickly averting of his gaze, a spark in his eyes. Sokka eyed his brother with scrutiny and a degree of amusement.

"I guess I'm just stressed from studies. I mean…my exams are over, but I'm trying to de-stress myself, you know?"

"Yeah, that's stress alright," the chief said with raised eyebrows, Kohana's face reddening further.

"It's okay, Ko-bear, we completely understand. You worked really hard on wrapping up your studies, and you want some free time. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that." Yue cast Kohana a reassuring look, not seeming to notice what Sokka had, "We're not trying to put any kind of pressure on you. We're telling you these things because we think of you as our own, and we want only the best for you in terms of your career. We don't ever want you to feel like your position is threatened in any way."

"As long as you guys are with me, I'm not gonna feel threatened in any way, ukuaq," he smiled.

"That's good to hear," she smiled back. "Now go have fun, and don't worry too much. We just wanted to keep you informed about this, and we want you to know that if there's anything you want to talk to us about or if there's anything you want to know, you can always approach us. Everything will be okay, I promise."

He nodded. "Y-Yeah, of course."

When Kohana left, Sokka immediately burst, "He's seeing someone."

"What?" Yue blinked.

"It's all clicking now." The hints of cologne, the crimson blooms on the boy's cheeks, the disappearing for hours at a time, the dazed look in his eyes, the playing with his food and the little smiles for no apparent reason. "Kohana's got a crush. That's my theory."

"You can't just assume that's why he's distracted. He's a kid. He just wants to have fun."

"Yes, and that's not wrong, but think about it. It's not a negative distraction. He's not moping around. He's skipping out on things and spending time with 'friends.' He's been spacy and gushy for no reason. I'm telling you, love brings out a lot in a guy."

"It's going to take a lot more than that to convince me our sweet and innocent Kohana is seeing someone," Yue folded her arms. "I think you're reading into this a little too much."

"He's not the same six-year-old who came with me to the North for the first time."

"So what now, you're going to go full Dad-mode on him?"

"Of course not. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just saying I'm spotting the signs." With a little smile, "All the feelings that I felt when I was around you."

"You were also swooning for no reason and turning nocturnal for my sake," she noted with an amused grin of her own.

"The consequences of loving a goddess," he wrapped his arm around her waist, earning a playful roll of her eyes and a peck to his lips.

"Well when it gets to that point with him, I'll believe it."

"It's almost midnight!"

Hushed whispers and giggles transitioned to pure silence when many sets of footsteps, clad in pajamas, fumbled out of the kitchen in their Nansei guesthouse. The moonlit floor creaked from excited jumps and cautious tiptoes. Sokka was not part of this secret mission, his loud snores ringing throughout the home, but little did he know that the footsteps were headed toward him. The organized chaos eventually culminated in Yue's quiet, "Three…two…one!"

"HAPPY ATAATA'S DAY!"

"Gah!" Sokka nearly tumbled out of bed, his surprise melting into a wide grin and a good-natured guffaw as his family swarmed on top of him.

"Appy bah-day, ataata!" Yura clapped, the eighteen-month-old waddling up to him.

"It's happy ataata's day, sis," Ahanu corrected with a laugh.

"Appy ataata!"

"Appy ataata," Yuka climbed onto his stomach, the twin girls earning laughs from their siblings.

Sokka chuckled and swept all of his children into his arms like a gentle wave, "Thank you, thank you, my wolf pups. I love you guys sooooo much!" Planting kisses on each of their cheeks, "Mmmuuaaah!"

"Hey, what about me? I organized all of this," Yue feigned a pout, bombarded by a fierce kiss to her lips that nearly sent her staggering back. She laughed and swooped her arm around his neck, "Happy ataata's day, my love."

"I love you," he said breathlessly, eyes shimmering.

"I love you, too—"

"Oogies!"

"Ugh!"

"Yuck!"

"Oogie oogie oogie oogie—!"

"Okay okay," the parents pulled away, chuckling.

"The cake's ready!" Ummi tugged him by the hand. "Come on, ataata!"

"Cake, cake!" Yura and Yuka chanted, jumping up and down with their pigtails flying wildly.

"Cake at midnight?" Sokka smirked at his wife.

"Among other things. It's a party, after all."

"Still not part of the protocol, is it? And it's way past bedtime."

"I made an exception for today."

"Well no wonder the crowd's so excited—"

"Cut the cake, ataata!" Ahote pulled him by his shirt.

"It's gonna melt, we gotta hurry!" Ahiga cried, grabbing the other end of the chief's shirt and pulling.

"In this fine Arctic weather?" Sokka peeked out at the chilling cold, chuckling as an impatient Ahuma and Ahanu climbed on top of the bed and tried to push him off, ultimately perching on top of each of his shoulders. "Okay okay, I'm coming!"

He let himself be dragged by the children to the leisure room, his arms occupied from holding Yuka and Yura. A large rectangular cake, a platter of assorted pastries, and other sweets and salty snacks awaited on the table in the center, accompanied by a card and two wrapped presents.

"I'll get the knife—!"

"No no no, Ums, I'll get it," the chieftain set his youngest down on the table and stopped Ummi, reaching for the knife himself, "No one touches the knife, wolf pups, you'll hurt yourselves."

Moments later, claps rang through the room as Sokka took to cutting little pieces of the cake.

"Yaay!"

"Happy Ataata's Day!"

"Suppise!" Yuka exclaimed fervently, bringing more laughs out of the others.

"Alright, babies first," the chieftain fed the twins small pieces, their faces lighting up as they grabbed more icing with their tiny fists.

"No no, my loves, no messes," Yue shuffled them away from the cake, earning shrieks of protest.

"I want some cake, too!"

"Me, too—!"

"Wait, wait, everybody one at a time," Sokka said, feeding each of the children a piece and earning high-pitched squeals and enraptured Mmms. When it was Yue's turn for a piece, she was surprised by large handfuls of icing smeared fully against both of her cheeks.

"Hey!"

The relative calm in the room erupted again as several little fingers found their way into the thick icing and smeared the palettes of blue and green all over the room and each other. Several chaotic minutes later, Yue found herself toppling over her husband, both of them pinned down by the cake-covered dronningiit and isumataat.

"Okay okay, that's enough," Yue giggled, "We still need to give ataata his presents."

Under their mother's direction, the little princes and princesses waterbent (or airbent) themselves and their nonbending siblings clean of their icing messes. They then presented the gushing Northern chief with his gift.

"This one is from the kids," Yue said.

"Ataata bowl!" Yuka jumped.

"Shhh! That was supposed to be a surprise, sis!" Ahote exclaimed.

"Oopsie."

"It's okay, wolf pups," Sokka smiled, reaching inside to find that it was, indeed, a new bowl with the words 'Best Ataata Ever!' painted on it, likely by Ummi given how she mirrored her mother's calligraphy.

"Since they broke your special curd puff bowl," Yue explained.

"Awww," he knelt down and drowned them in kisses, "Thank you, wolf pups, I love it! This bowl is definitely better than the last one!"

"Cake!" Yura tugged at her mother's sleeve, "Anaana, cake!"

"Fine, cake time," Yue chuckled, "But it's straight to bed after that."

Within minutes, the children were seated in the adjacent hallway atop pelt couches, digging into their cake slices. Some of them had helped themselves to generous servings of other snacks, collectively supervising everything that the twins were plopping into their mouths.

"Have I ever told you you're the best?" Sokka wrapped his arms around his wife, his lips scooping an ample amount of icing on her cheek before planting a kiss.

"Only every day," she laughed, a small gasp leaving her as he sank his lips into her neck, licking away a remnant of icing.

"Not now, the kids are right there," she nudged him, prying his wandering hand away from her rear. She reached for the other present that lingered on the table. "This is from me, by the way."

"Mm," he took a whiff of the fragrant package, prying it open to reveal a small bottle of cologne. "Wow, this smells really nice."

"You better have that on you later."

"Yes, ma'am," he promised, a flutter in his chest, "I say we also try out the massage oils I got you for anaana's day."

Stealing a kiss and a nibble on his lower lip, "I don't see why not."

"No, they wanted the cookie, ataata," Ahanu said. "Ummi's lying!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!" Ahuma sang, earning Ahote and Ahiga's laughs.

"He planned this," Ummi said, "I heard Ahanu telling Yuka to ask you for a cookie so he doesn't look like he's stealing one—"

"No, she's lying—!"

"Cookie! Cookie!" Yuka chanted.

"Me cookie, too!" Yura followed.

"Hey, hey," Sokka held his hands up, catching a glimpse of Amaruq and Arnook, who were chuckling at his plight, "If everybody behaves, everybody gets a cookie—"

"Two cookies!"

"Please please please?"

"Fine, two cookies. And if everybody's on their best behavior, we'll go to the ice park tomorrow—"

"YEAH!"

And as Sokka handed two cookies to each of the older children, Yura held her arms up, "Ataata, me up!"

"Me up, too!" Yuka followed.

Arnook laughed, "I think your ataata needs a break, inngutagaat." My grandchildren. "I'll pick one of you up—"

"Ataata up!" the twins persisted.

Sokka couldn't help a little smile, simultaneously picking them up in his arms as they reached into the cookie jar and helped themselves to two cookies each.

"They just had cookies about an hour ago," noted Yue, who had just then stepped into the room.

"They were about to tear your husband's hair out, ukuagek," Amaruq laughed, earning a sheepish look from the chieftain.

"Fine, but no more cookies for today," Yue insisted. "You're all eating way too much." With a quick look at her husband, her voice dropping to a low whisper, "Sweetie, you have a minute?"

"Yeah, baby."

"Closet."

Oh. His face bloomed pink, "Yeah…" Clearing his throat as he addressed the children, "Okay, everybody behave. The Gramps are in charge."

Moments later, they were propped up against each other in their bedroom closet, the chieftain's lips latching onto hers hungrily, one hand flying effortlessly around her waist to pick her up as the other worked to sink into her blouse.

"Wait, wait, Sokka, put me down."

He obeyed, blinking at her, "Oh, I thought we…"

"I actually needed to tell you something," she straightened her blouse, her face crimson.

"Are you pregnant?"

"Is that all you can think about?" she flushed further.

"What? I thought since we…you know…"

"Well that's not what I had in mind," she cleared her throat. "I just wanted to remind you that Kohana's turning sixteen next week."

"I got his present ready."

"And we need to talk to him about his coronation. Preferably the day after his birthday so he can enjoy himself."

"Of course, I remember," the vibrance in his eyes dimmed, "We didn't say anything for two years. We need to figure all this out."

Especially with Kya and Hakoda's pleas to be let free of the sheer burden that was chiefdom and their utter insistence that their bloodline be disqualified— desperate attempts to try to get a glimpse of their oldest son and his family, everyone knew at this point. Sokka and Yue had extended the aid to the South for another year, both in efforts to help the South and to keep the Southern leaders from coming in contact with them. The situation in the South had improved, but the Southern leaders were persistent. Not to mention the tensions that seemed to simmer between them and Kohana since the young tribesman hadn't made a single trip home in two years and barely wrote to his parents. And if anything, Kohana's silence was aggravating Sokka's anxiety.

"I was thinking we can get Katara and Aang to pitch into the conversation," Yue suggested. "They're coming to visit anyway, and they've been curious about the situation, too. Maybe if there's anything Kohana would rather tell them than us. He's very close with Aang, after all."

Sokka nodded, "I think that's a good call. Whatever it takes to get this sorted out."

Kohana dropped the tendril of water in his control and bent the sweat off of his forehead with a flick of his wrist. He subsequently bowed in respect, earning pleased nods from Katara and Yue.

"Yeah, Kohana!" Karuna cheered and clapped. He tugged at his oldest brother, "Sokka, you should fight him next!"

"I think he's had enough for today, sport," Sokka said, smiling ahead, "That was some quality waterbending there, Ko-bear."

Kohana grinned and jumped off of the icy arena, immediately earning the licks of his huskies and their pups. His lemur and sky bison showered affection on him next, also covering him with licks. Karuna nearly jumped the young tribesman next, and the Southern prince-regent laughed and extended his arms as Karuna hugged him.

"Hey, Amu-mu's here," the adolescent grinned as he spotted Aang sitting near Sokka; the Avatar was holding his and Katara's youngest— five-month-old Amala, who was currently asleep. Kohana bent the huskies' slobber and the rest of the sweat off of his body and quickly washed his hands before hurrying over in gentle strides to his niece.

"Amu-mu," he chuckled, "When did you get here?"

"She was just saying her uncle's gotten better at training," Aang nudged the young tribesman, "You've got the skills of a true chieftain. Don't you think so, Sokka?"

"You said it," the chief nodded.

Kohana's smile dwindled a little as he sat next to the Avatar, holding his baby niece, "Eh…"

Katara and Yue made their way over to them. The Northern chieftess shared a look with her husband, who then looked to his sister. Katara gave them subtle nod before clearing her throat, "We need to talk about some things, Ko-bear."

"Yeah yeah, chiefdom," he straightened Amala's blanket around her, "Boring."

"Boring?" Katara frowned, "This is important."

"Kohana, you know how we told you about all the plans we had in place for the South," Yue told him. "The South has responded well to our aid."

"That's great, ukuaq. No need to worry when you guys are here."

Sokka frowned, "Kohana, you need to start thinking about your future. You said you didn't want to think about this just yet, and we gave you two years."

"Can I have a couple more years?"

Sokka wasn't moved. "I think it's best if we revisit this now, buddy." Scooting to where he was sitting next to him, "Look, all we wanna know is how you're feeling about this right now. Is there something bothering you that you wanna tell us about? Are you afraid of the position or something? You think you can't do it or you're not ready?"

"Are you frustrated because of Mom and Dad?" Katara asked. "What is it, Kohana? Tell us."

Kohana handed a squirming Amala back to Aang before folding his hands defensively, "If I'm being really honest with you guys…I don't think it's a bad idea to not make me the chief…"

His words shocked them all. Sokka sputtered, "You don't wanna be the chief?"

"I…I don't know."

"You've been preparing for it for several years, Kohana," Yue said. "Are you saying you did all of this even if you didn't want it? We didn't force you, did we—?"

"No, no," Kohana softened his eyes, "Nobody forced me, ukuaq. I just…I realized it might not be right for me."

"But why do you think that?" Katara pried.

"I just…I've been able to think and see everything more clearly lately. I don't know if I'm ready for that sort of responsibility. I don't know if I'll ever be ready." Addressing his sister, "If you're so invested in Southern politics, why don't you do it?" Turning to Aang, "It would be cool to be the Avatar and the chief of a tribe."

"You know that's not what I want," the waterbending master frowned.

"As much as I don't mind doing what I can to help the Water Tribe, being the chief of the South doesn't seem to be the solution," Aang mused. "My duty is to all nations, and it might become a conflict if I become the chief of one specific division of a nation. If Katara wanted to be the chieftess, I would've let her taken the lead and stayed away from making crucial decisions, but if she doesn't want to handle those matters, there's nothing I can do by myself."

Kohana turned to his older brother, "Then why don't you do it? Face it, Sokka, everybody wants you and ukuaq to take the Southern throne. That's why all this is happening. You're already the leaders here, and you two have basically been keeping the South alive."

Turbulence returned to the Northern chieftain's eyes. Having noted his tense form, Yue rested her hand on his shoulder, "Ko-bear, you know how your brother and I feel about that—"

"You don't have to ever set foot in the South," Kohana said. "You can just rule from here. We can think of a way to get you guys coronated without making you go to the South. I'll personally talk to Akluviq. See if there's a way to bypass that dumb law—"

"Leave me and your ukuaq out of this, okay?" Sokka said patiently. "Let's not make hasty decisions. If you need more time, then just say it. You can do this only when you're ready."

Kohana shook his head, "No, Sokka, that's not gonna help. I just can't do this, guys, please." A troubled look crossed his face as he allowed himself to be vulnerable for a moment, "The South is…a lot. I still think about Karuna almost being hurt all those years ago. I still think about that horror…"

The adults around him softened in understanding at his confession.

"The South might be safe, but it certainly doesn't feel safe. It's hopeless and haunted and depressing and backwards. They haven't changed a lot of old rules that need to be changed."

"But you have a chance to make the differences that they didn't," Sokka told him. "And I understand that it seems scary, but it's not gonna be scary for you. Everyone in the South loves you, Ko-bear. No one's gonna even think of hurting you. Not to mention that monster is now dead and the old Southern Council is obselete."

"It doesn't matter. I don't wanna screw things up. Maybe I just wanna settle down and live a simple life. Not have heart attacks over failing to protect the people I care about…"

Sokka briefly wondered if the mystery woman that made his brother's heart soar was the reason behind Kohana's hesitation, but he didn't address it, deciding a private conversation would likely be appropriate for that.

"You guys relinquished chiefdom so easily," Kohana said. "Why can't I?"

"It's not that you can't. You're kinda young to be making that decision yourself right now," Katara said.

"But I'm old enough to run a country?" he asked, incredulous.

"You aren't gonna do it by yourself, obviously," Sokka said. "Bato and several others are gonna be immediately there to give you advice. And if you ever need help, you can always ask me and your ukuaq."

"Instead of giving an inexperienced person advice and watching him screw things over, why can't you do it?" Kohana still pressed. "You prepared your whole life for this, didn't you? Memorizing entire codes of law and literally sustaining the tribe with trading trips."

And despite the level of extreme discomfort Sokka kept experiencing every time Kohana made that suggestion, he maintained patience, surprised to see the worn, devastated look on the younger tribesman's face.

"Sokka, you're my big brother. Signing a couple of papers might mean you're not Mom and Dad's legal son anymore, but it doesn't mean you're not my brother anymore, does it? 'Cause I've always felt weird about taking the throne when you and Katara are here. I thought I could get over it, but…it's always been tradition that the younger siblings take the throne only if the older siblings died or something…"

"Oh, Ko-bear," Katara wrapped an arm around him, her eyes softening.

Sokka took a deep breath, his hands settling on Kohana's shoulders, "Ko-bear, I am your brother, and that's never gonna change, okay?"

"Then you need to be chief, and ukuaq needs to be the chieftess. If it wasn't for her, there wouldn't have been a South. Ideally you would want this, too, don't you? For the folks back home to recognize her for everything she's done for them? The same way people here recognized you?"

Kohana was not wrong by a longshot, but all that flickered before Sokka's eyes was the image of his family, juxtaposed by the horrific blood-bathed tundra that they had left behind. He briefly looked to his wife, the past several years of bliss playing out before him, the happy life they had cultivated and nourished… and despite his deepest desire to indeed make sure the South recognized Yue, the safety of their family far surpassed that in importance.

"If people had any regard for that to begin with, we wouldn't be in this situation now, would we, Ko-bear?" Sokka turned to his brother, a vehement breath leaving him.

"We ended up being the leaders of the North even if not the South," Yue said. "The Spirits did not deprive us of that destiny. We just ended up fulfilling it in a different way."

"But it still feels weird to me, and…I'm scared," Kohana confessed. "I don't wanna have to go back and constantly worry about flying pitchforks, you know?"

Which was a very understandable fear that didn't fail to make the Northern chief stiffen in place and squeeze his wife's hand.

"And lineage rules make it a big deal—"

"This isn't about lineage rules," Sokka said. "The person in charge needs to be someone who's actually respected by the community. It's hard to feel loved when your own folks discarded you because you decided to love and be loved."

Katara and Kohana shared troubled looks but stayed close to their older brother, each placing a warm hand over his own.

"The reason why your ukuaq is the chieftess here is not lineage," Sokka told his brother. "She's genuinely loved and respected by the people for everything she's done for them. Their love for her is so significant that all the lineage rules flew out of the window. That is the relationship between a nunaatip anaana and the tribe… and that's not necessarily the kind of relationship I can keep having with the people of the South. Not anymore, at least. Not after what happened to your ukuaq."

"The North loves your brother, too," Yue took her seat beside Sokka. "Even the pickiest ministers who typically raise North-South differences treat him with great respect. We have earned our places here, Kohana, and we are very happy. But as your brother said, the South is a different story when it comes to us." Looking at Katara, "Your sister, on the other hand, is loved by all even with her rebellious nature. She had always wanted to train our tribeswomen, and she challenged many people at home for it. She's very respectable in the South, but this is genuinely not something she's invested in. We wouldn't be coming to you if we had any indication that she wanted this."

Kohana gulped.

"We know the South genuinely loves you, and we know that no one would ever try to hurt you. No one tried to hurt your brother, either, in fact. Those pitchforks had been flying at me, not him—"

"That doesn't make it any less horrible," Sokka winced.

"Yes, yes, I know, but it still says something, doesn't it?" Yue said. "Your parents would never blame any flaws on the people who came from them. Your grandfather didn't hesitate to try to wipe out his own people, but your parents are not like that. Despite how undesirable your tribe thought it was to have a disbeliever for a future leader, your parents never let that cloud their love for him. They were never angry with him for it, and they never abandoned him for it." Frowning, "Things only got complicated when I came into the picture."

Kohana brushed away a bead of sweat.

"Look, Ko-bear, we know you. We know the kind of man you're becoming, and we know you're on the right track to becoming a great chieftain. You need experience, yes, but all of us do when we start off, right? I didn't know what I was doing when the tribe first found out about me. I just made decisions that I thought were right even if they were highly unpopular. And I can assure you that after all the experimentations I have done, no one is going to think any of your decisions are as unpopular as mine were." Holding his hand in reassurance, "Nothing's gonna happen to you. If it wasn't safe for you, why would we ever come to you for this?"

The prince-regent's discomfort remained, but he said nothing of it, feeling his older brother's gaze rest on him with scrutiny.

"If you want to wait a little more before officially taking up your duties, then you can do that. Take all the time you need. Be the prince regent for as long as you want. Your brother and I will try to buy you more time. How about two more years?"

Kohana sighed, "I'm not sure…"

"If you really don't want this position at all, no one here is going to force you into chiefdom. This is a promise," Yue said. "Just take some time to think about this one more time, okay?"

"Ukuaq, I—"

"It's okay if you still tell us the same thing after the two years are up, and if you stand by your decision, we will wait another six years until Karuna becomes of age and takes on the responsibility," she assured. "But remember. Once you give up the throne, it'll be hard to undo that decision. And we don't want you making a decision that you'll regret later after you've actually gained knowledge and experience and feel like you can do this."

Kohana nodded, "Alright. Sounds good to me."

When everyone dispersed, Kohana sighed and leaned against the ice bench. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a satin ribbon, the center of which glistened from the sphere of a glittering sapphire.