Chapter 27: When Time Stopped

They washed up on the shore near the walls that surrounded the lower ring several minutes ago, panting and gasping for breath as they fumbled with the arm wraps that tied Yue's hands and feet together, but ever since their escape, Yue had been laughing and clapping, nearly glowing with sheer joy.

"That was truly amazing!" she said for probably the thirtieth time, her smile reaching both ends of the earth, "Oh this is so wonderful, it's all so wonderful!"

And the entire time, Sokka was watching her with a grin that would've torn his face apart, for he was floating above the waters of inexplicable pride for having contributed to her joy. He felt that Yue always expressed herself very beautifully; there would be the initial hesitation rooted in years of being deprived of self-expression, and when given the right amount of encouragement, she would open up like a moonflower blooming in the solitude of the night. And this time, it was no different; though hesitant and flustered over the excitement bubbling within her, gradually, she began laughing without a care in the world, without the need for covering her mouth as proper— useless— protocol would demand. Like an excited little kid, she jumped up and down in the snow, squealing to the winds as she replayed the scene in her mind. "Oh my goodness!"

"You gotta scream louder than that, Princess," he chuckled, eventually standing up and facing the vast, lonely tundra as he demonstrated, "WOOOOOOOOH! DRONNINGI!" Princess!

"Sokka, someone might hear us!"

"There's no one here," he gently nudged her, "Come on, Baby Blue, it's refreshing!"

Deciding to give it a try, she turned to face the tundra with a timid look, "Woooo...!"

"Louder!"

"Woohoo!"

"Even louder!"

"WOOOOHOOOOOOO!"

"WOOHOOHOOOOOO YEAH!" And cupping his palms around his mouth, his voice reverberating through the tundra, "FUCK YOU, HAHN!"

She cast him a curious look, letting a giggle escape, shrugging as if to ask why?, and he answered sheepishly, "Sorry."

"It's not enough that you beat up the guy?"

"He's an arrogant blubbernose, Princess, he deserves this."

"What did he do to make you that angry?"

"He exists, that's what. What a disrespectful snob. I mean seriously!"

She shook her head in amusement, breathless, her palms bracing themselves on her knees as she tried to tame her excitement from what just happened. It wasn't working out, obviously, with how she was still chuckling incredulously to herself. "I'm still so excited. You know, just about an hour ago, I challenged Khasiq. I told him that if La is on my side, he would not let this marriage happen no matter what." Grinning, "You know how we believers get when we're proven right."

Smiling, "As long as he makes sure you're happy, your La's a friend of mine."

They quickly grew tired from their hollers into the distance and settled back in the snow, trying to catch their breaths, flashing each other smiles every now and then.

"The chief might be really worried," Yue mused as an afterthought. "If only I had a way to send him a message and tell him I'm safe."

"Actually, your dad knows about this."

"He does?" widening her eyes, "Wait, you asked him permission to kidnap me?"

"It was more like a heads up. So he wouldn't panic," he told her. "I kind of spilled some of the beans beforehand. I also told him we'll wait in the Spirit Oasis for a few hours. He told me that only you have the keys to that place, and I figured it would be the perfect spot because people wouldn't think to look for a criminal in there."

"He seemed too nervous for someone who knew, though."

"I didn't tell him all the specifics. I just told him that I plan to take you away from the scene. He didn't know how it would play out, so that's probably why he was so nervous. And he was probably freaking out because Khasiq tried to turn it into an instant marriage type of deal."

"The chief still could've told me about this instead of making me worry for the past hour."

"What's a surprise if you already know it?" he wiggled his eyebrows. "It would be kind of underwhelming if you knew the whole thing. If you weren't so worried, you probably wouldn't have challenged Khasiq, and your La would've missed out on the chance to prove he's your ally. Plus, you wouldn't be as excited as you are now."

"Now that...is true…" and with that, she trailed off, feeling herself flush for a reason she couldn't name, feeling her heartbeat pick up its pace. No one had ever done something like this for her before; no one had ever taken this much of a risk just to make sure she got what she wanted. She could never truly say that she shared this kind of friendship with someone who was so willing to bust her out of an uncomfortable situation. It was touching and fun and exhilarating all at the same time. "This was a very grand gesture, Sokka, no doubt about it."

"There will be plenty more where that came from if you agree to marry me, dronningi," he teased.

"Very funny."

"Don't tell me you're rejecting me again!"

"Alright, enough jokes," she said, sitting upright in the snow, "Now will you please tell me your thought process? Why exactly did you think a kidnapping was the best idea?"

"Because it's the finishing piece to the puzzle." He scooted closer to her. "I wanted it to be this way so I can credit Khasiq with the kidnapping."

"Khasiq?"

And he explained to her how throwing the blame on her political rival would be a way of preventing the man from doing anything else contrary to her liking, especially in the presence of many esteemed officials and high-ranking officers and White Lotus sentries.

"You asked me last time how Khasiq is going to sit still even if this plan fails, but I had this move planned out to where it will paralyze him for good 'cause the White Lotus will come to know about this," Sokka said. "The advantage here is that yours truly is a soon-to-be White Lotus member, so I'll make sure they know. And they'll do what they need to make sure there are people in the North to keep watch over the humanitarian crisis."

What all of this further meant was that if anything did happen contrary to her well-being, people would be automatically suspicious of Khasiq whether he caused it or not. And since Khasiq wouldn't dare risk leaving a negative impression for the Avatar and his associates, he would have no way of doing anything involving her from now on; keeping calm would be his only option if he didn't want anyone to be suspicious of him, which meant that his game would be pretty much on hold, if not over until further notice. On the other hand, Sokka's alias as the Gentleman will forever leave a mark of fear on him; Khasiq, being the cause of a crime he didn't commit for once, would fear the Gentleman's wrath, for the Gentleman had established himself as an enemy of Khasiq's administration (maybe even as an ally or sympathizer of the chieftain's Loyalists and the Revivalist mission). Overall, Khasiq would be cornered by many different rivals— the princess backed by the Prince of the South; Lady along with her possible sympathizer, the Gentleman; the Revivalists, Arnook's Loyalists, and to an indirect extent, the Avatar and his associates.

Yet another reason why a kidnapping seemed appropriate was that if the tribe knew she was "kidnapped," they would think that Arnook is not arranging a man for her because of the bad luck that she faced with both imposters during her matchmaking sessions (the legitimate Earth Kingdom imposter case and the "imposter" who kidnapped her tonight).

"You also told me that people would be suspicious if the chief stops looking for matches for you," Sokka said, "But after this incident, he could justify his lack of involvement in finding you a good husband with his lack of trust in eligible men." Furthermore, it would be a way of keeping to the idea of Sokka being her "suitor" and of her being "taken" and simultaneously not publicizing the issue.

"I'm sorry for taking slight advantage of what previously happened with those Earth Kingdom posters," Sokka began, "But I felt that it would help with—"

"No offense taken, I completely understand," Yue said, briefly stepping out of her fascination. "In fact, I would've done the same thing, used the same excuse if I had to. What matters the most here is stalling any and all prospects of marriage, and so far, this is the perfect reason. Though I do have one more question." Turning towards him, "If Khasiq is the one who organized the event tonight, why would he have me kidnapped and ruin his own plan?"

"Because you have the treasury. You could bribe his servants if necessary. Well, even if you don't bribe them, they'll jump ships anyway for your money. So there's no way he would trust his servants to carry out his plan to the fullest right after the palace went crazy from your treasury announcement. And especially with Kinji's death, Khasiq was likely insecure about what the future looked like for him, and he couldn't afford another loss. We can say that's why he had to take matters into his own hands. Besides, this event was just so people won't be suspicious of him. We could say that his actual intention was to kidnap you and get rid of you so he could secure the throne for himself."

And an impressed Yue grinned to herself, putting all the pieces in her head. Prince Sokka certainly had it in him to plan something both simple and simultaneously elaborate. "You're the smartest person I've ever come across, no lie."

Beaming at her, "Being in the company of greatness helps with that."

And he was intrigued by the traces of crimson on her face, which she so effectively dealt with by looking away to avoid any awkwardness. Deep, deep down, Yue admitted to herself that she'd never been so quickly won over by one's intelligence, never been this impressed with anyone in such a short time. "Why didn't you just tell me about all of this before?"

"'Cause then you'll be like, 'Oh, isumataq, you can't possibly do this for me!'"

She laughed at his squeaky impersonation, "I don't sound like that."

"Maybe not, but you'd certainly say something like that," he said knowingly. "You were the one who told me to not take up this fake fiancé scheme, and you were all ready to tell your dad the truth, so you'd obviously refuse. I needed to do what I could to make sure such a wonderful scheme wouldn't fail."

Smirking, "You certainly proved yourself to be devious."

"Not as much as you are, but I try."

"Me? Devious? But I'm so sweet and innocent."

"Oh yeah? Then how do you know so much about kidnapping? Even for someone who watches a lot of plays? Unless if you did kidnap someone? You know, as Kuunnguaq?" He leaned back against the snow, resting on his elbows. "Any adventures I should know about, Baby Blue?"

"I never kidnapped anyone. I would only restrain criminals, and my team would hand them over to the authorities," she said. "And as far as the details go, you know I was in prison yesterday, right? Well I was talking to this lady who dognapped someone's polar bear dog."

"Yeah, that woman who was badmouthing you," he frowned a little at the memory.

"I believe the phrase is 'being skeptical of a newcomer,'" Yue defended her newfound friend, "Anyhow, she gave me a lot of details, maybe a bit more than I needed to know. And they just happened to come in handy tonight." Sighing as she looked at the water, "I wonder if she's released yet. Yesterday was supposed to be the last day of her sentence. And if her boyfriend was able to quit today, they probably would've left by now. Poor things, they suffered quite a bit."

He felt a wave of warmth tug at his heart. "The North is extremely lucky, Princess Yue. Without a leader like you, it probably wouldn't even have a future to look forward to. You do so much even for people who don't respect you."

With a spark in her eyes, "Isn't that how leaders are supposed to be?"

"Well yeah, but it's not always easy to be motivated with so many people not having faith in you." And the universe knew just how many times Sokka was nearly ready to snap back down South with so many people, including people like Pakku, judging nearly every step of his, everything he did, everything he believed and didn't believe.

"You shouldn't let Sister Imona talk about you like she did," Sokka told Yue. "Even if she doesn't know it's you."

Clearly he was referring to when Imona voiced her own skepticism for the princess. "She thinks I'm a coward for not appointing a war minister," Yue said. "She's also going through severe second-hand embarrassment that I sold my belongings to acquire status. She thinks it's a 'woman sacrifices everything for others' lesson that I'm leaving people with." Shrugging, "But I prefer to think of it as an individual choice. Even if it seems a bit extreme."

"You're not a fan of violence, and that's understandable. Commendable, even. I don't see what's exactly wrong with that. I mean, it may be important to have someone oversee things like the military, but still…"

"Exactly. A minister who is in charge of military authorities is important, and I can't just disperse these duties to anyone else. I wouldn't even if that was an option." Because she was waiting for the right kind of person, she told him. The right kind of person who was truly knowledgeable and deserving of the position she was planning to establish in lieu of a war minister.

"A new position?"

She nodded. "A minister of ethics. The duties of this position don't just include having authority over the military; the person who takes this position must be willing to provide advice to the leader whenever necessary." And this advice could be for securing apt punishments for crimes, adhering to or amending the justice system as necessary, taking whichever course of action that is needed to maintain their peaceful relations with other nations and simultaneously tackling domestic issues with an attitude of both compassion and necessary assertiveness. To qualify for this position, one would have to have strong ethical foundations and must be extremely knowledgeable about law codes and similar documents. The candidate needs to be unbiased and considerate of all approaches, and they need to be really good at communicating with people, for they will be managing a diverse team and would be working with all of the other ministers on an occasional basis.

"To be very honest, this is really just me brainstorming. I'm not sure if my idea will easily materialize. But the main reason why I wanted to establish a position like this is...well for one, I don't like to use force for every single thing. That's something that Khasiq's administration would do." Looking at him, "And if I'm being more open and honest, I got this idea after our conversation earlier. You know, after what happened with Kinji." By which she meant their discussion on the different leadership philosophies.

"I might be the princess, and I might be the one who ultimately has to make the decisions, but I can't just rely on myself and my own intuitions. I'm still new to all of this, and I don't know much about the world outside of the North and our situation here. And most importantly, I struggle with carrying out certain punishments...and that's kind of bad if I'm trying to get rid of the existing corruption." She briefly lost herself in thought, "I need someone who's really knowledgeable to help guide me and give me advice. I need training in certain kinds of things. And I don't have anyone to train me in these matters. I'm just a princess who's apparently better off being trained to please a man. You know, even before I created this position, I still wanted to help myself in some way. That's why I wanted you to explain the Code to me and give me your insights. You were knowledgeable about the Code in ways that many of Khasiq's supporters would never be."

There was a bitterness in her tone that struck a chord within Sokka. It was so unfair for someone of such passion like Yue to be robbed of all the resources that would support her endeavors. And on top of that, the Southern prince didn't think a ruler could be this self-aware. Whether it was in his tribe or in governments elsewhere, he had only ever been exposed to leaders' haughtiness in their abilities or their silent struggles. Open conversations had not been possibilities in the South with Pakku's "conquer-or-die" kind of rhetoric.

"This position doesn't have to be forever. Just until I get a grip on how things really work, how I should think through diverse cases and scenarios. The candidate doesn't have to have traveled but should be aware of what else is going on in the world, must be respectful of all kinds of people." Ultimately, the leader makes the decision, but the minister of ethics has a very important role that is very "up there" with the role of the chieftain or chieftess.

"That being said, I can't just trust anyone for this job. I've seen more corrupt politicians than genuine servants of the country." Shrugging, "We just don't have more people like you around these parts, isumataq."

"Are you saying I'd be good for a position like that?" he asked, giddiness coursing through him.

"Well, you were the inspiration behind the role of the ethics minister. And I really liked our conversation. All I could think about ever since was you…"

"Really?

And she trailed off, realizing it probably meant something different from what she was actually trying to say. He, too, was giving her a look that teetered between smugness and excitement. "I mean...It's not like that. I mean that you left a very good impression on me. You know the codes so well and you know the world so well…But it shouldn't be you, Prince Sokka, I'm sure of that."

"Why not?"

"Is it not obvious? You're the prince. You have other duties. And I already told you that I'm not willing to put you in any kind of risk."

"If you have the freedom to take risks for our country, then I do, too," he told her. "But I know nothing is going to happen to me because that's how much influence you have right now."

Indeed, a large majority of people who supported Khasiq were involved because either they were forced to be or because they needed the money. Sokka figured this out when he infiltrated the prison yesterday. The head eunuchs were basically hypocrites; they tried to go easy on Kinji's case so the women in their households would be left alone, but behind those actions was fear. They feared Khasiq. But now with the princess's treasury being established, they were bound to jump ships. On her side, there was a promise of higher salaries, top-notch security, and a guarantee for their lives and their families.

"You just need to say the word and they'll be down on their knees ready to serve you. With your influence, they'll start turning on Khasiq himself. I can see it happening."

But Yue still was not convinced. She was definitely not protesting as much but was still hesitating. "It would be insulting to have your rank be degraded like that, don't you think? Going from a prince to a minister?"

"Is this even you talking, Princess?" he said softly. "Since when did you or I care about ranks? And if we're talking about reputations, maybe even egos…" he looked up at her, "If you became a cleaner for our country, then why can't I be a minister?"

And Yue found that she couldn't respond to that comment.

"I like your offer, and you have some great ideas. Who knows, I just might stay. After all, as a future leader, I need to do my research. Learn from the best, you know?"

"I'm sure Khasiq would be happy to take you as his student. As long as you don't turn against him."

"Haha."

"Alright, alright," chuckling softly, "Give me some time to think about this, won't you?"

"No problem."

Moonlight washed over the two of them, spreading itself out over the eager waters. It was not a full moon tonight, but somehow, everything seemed so much brighter for them in each other's presence.

"You know you completely messed up my sleep schedule, right?" she teased, crossing her arms. "By letting me doze off for that long?"

"The night's not over yet, Princess," he said. "We'll be sure to have so much fun that you'll be tired enough for another good eight hours of sleep."

"Will we?"

"At the Glacier Festival we will."

"The Glacier Festival?" she stood up, "But that's in Jungannat!"

"It's not too far from here, is it? Paradise Falls is close to Jungannat, too, since it's in Gungham. We have a couple of hours to waste anyway, so why not?"

"We could run into your parents or other officials. They could be touring right now."

"Actually, the schedule said my parents will be on their way back right now. They could already be home. We have nothing to worry about."

"But…"

"Come on, Princess, it'll be fun! We could take a gondola. We could see more of the North. I heard there's gonna be quite a few game booths there. There are many restaurants down there, too. We could get dinner."

A part of Yue seemed unsure. "Well...it all sounds great, but it's just...I've never left the capital. I've never had the chance to travel to even the neighboring villages."

"We could explore it all together," he offered hopefully. "You trust me, don't you?"

Blinking up at him, "Yes. Yes, I do."

"Then why worry? I promise I'm not leaving your side." Smirking, "The princess of the North has spent so much time planning such fun tours. It would be a shame if we don't go and enjoy ourselves at the fair and the falls."

"Oh really?" she raised her eyebrows.

"And I don't know any other Northerner to go with. I don't know anyone else who's as kind and patient and fun…"

Feeling several skips in her heartbeat but excited all the same, Yue beamed, "Then let's go!"

"I'll pay for the tickets," Sokka said quickly.

"No, it's okay, I got it—"

"No, really, I got it! It's your money anyway!"

"Isumataq, my North, my rules—"

"Dronningi!" came an exaggerated cry tinged with hyperbolic patriotism that would've attracted the attention of the surrounding tribefolk had it been even a single octave higher, "You've done so much for our tribe, I can't possibly let you do more for me—!"

"Okay okay, don't start," the princess yielded, shaking her head at the pleased prince, "Just don't blow our covers."

"If you let me take care of everything tonight, I'll consider it."

And off they went. For a place that was home to one of the grandest fairs in the North, Jungannat Village was small. It was also rightfully crowded, for swarms of people were flocking there to enjoy what the festivities had to offer. From the musicians in the streets to the performers around each block, the environment was vibrant, rumbling with the rhythms of beating drums, sizzling from the fires that radiated from performers' tongues, chilling from the Northern air and the flavored ice treats.

There were numerous game booths lined up similar to stalls in a bazaar. There were all sorts of activities— bender-centric and nonbender-centric— involving passive events like instant portrait painting, sleigh-riding, viewing of short plays, and the more active events involving water shooting, color-throwing, and ice-bubble blowing. There were endless prizes waiting to be claimed from firing fake arrows, tossing rings and boomerangs, or whacking with snowballs. There were even small playing fields constructed atop frozen ice, namely for mini-tournaments for sports like freeze-ball, wrestling, even yak racing. There was not a single event that went by unnoticed, especially with the aid of enthusiastic hosts trying to gather the attention of the spectators from their respective booths. Thousands of tribefolk, whether it be free singles, best buddies, couples in love, families with children, or senior citizens, were joined by additional hundreds from the tours arranged from the capital; they all took it upon themselves to indulge, fully immersed in the activities whenever they were not caught hogging the lines for the food stalls.

"There's so much to do," Yue noted in excitement, "I don't even know where to start! Mr. Wang, pick an activity."

"Baby Blue, this is your night. You pick first."

"But you're our honored guest."

"You know what they say. Ladies first."

Her arms flew to her waist. "Are you trying to say that we ladies can't handle being last?"

With a frantic look, "No, no, that's not what I was trying to say, I'd never say anything like—!"

She laughed at his spastic worry, "Relax, it was a joke."

They eventually decided to start things off with various sleigh-rides, crazed and exhilarated from the Arctic winds that whipped through their cloaks and caps, bracing onto each other even as they toppled into the snow afterwards. Finding that their shaky legs could barely keep from melting into puddles at their feet, they sat through a few plays next. Sokka, who was fairly knowledgeable about various cultures given his extensive travels, was quick to analyze the cultural inaccuracies in plays that were set in places other than the Water Tribe."

"And there are no dreamcatchers there, either," he noted during a play supposedly set in Omashu. "The folks there use creeping crystals as talismans."

"Creeping crystals?"

"Yeah. The mineral's officially called jennamite or rock candy. Comes in blues and greens and purples like an aurora. It glows in the dark, too."

"Woah."

"It apparently grows super fast when it touches organisms, though, so it has to be enclosed by something like a box or be embedded in some kind of pendant. Otherwise it'll cover you up and suffocate you completely."

Apart from that, Sokka was also gifted in observing the technical aspects of the plays and the efforts made to carry out each effect. He also had his gripes, however.

"I mean the effects were pretty decent, but it would've been nice if the main characters actually had a few lines for themselves," Sokka rolled his eyes. "The cabbage merchant might've had his cabbages destroyed, but he was pretty much the star of the play with all the lines he kept hogging. Like, the good guy would go on a rant about saving the girl from the kidnappers and getting revenge on the evil guy, and then the cabbage guy pops in with, 'What about my cabbages?!'"

"The poor guy was letting out all of his frustrations through that role," Yue said.

"I know, right? It's like he was actually a cabbage merchant in the past or something. He didn't just play that role, he lived it. If you ask me, this play should be called 'Revenge of the Cabbage' instead of 'Blood and Sword.'"

Laughing, "Well how would you make it better if you were the writer?"

"First off, I'd make the male lead a bit more interesting. He was so typical and boring. No personality, no love for food, nothing! The guy next to me was literally drooling on my shoulder every time the hero talked. If it were up to me, I'd humanize the hero, give him a sword for a hand or something."

"A sword for a hand?" she said, amused.

"Fits the original title much more than the cabbage guy, that's for sure," he said. "And the female lead, I'd have her be a warrior a little longer. Notice how she was fighting only before she hooked up with the hero, and after that, she was a damsel in distress and didn't even fight back when she was kidnapped. Kind of like her abilities exist just for the main guy's entertainment and pleasure and not when they're actually needed."

"Exactly."

"And that scene when he slapped her just because she went somewhere without telling him? I mean, I get that you were worried, but gosh, man, you can't just slap her. It's basically saying she's your property and that she can't go anywhere without your permission—"

"Oh my Spirits, yes!" she jumped up, "Finally, someone who gets it!"

"And then everybody plays it off like it's an expression of his love and all that and justify it by saying the evil guy was ready to kill her if she went anywhere by herself. Like dude, she was chopping heads off before you started dating her. If I was the one writing, I'd have her reject his entitled ass and shove his sword hand up his own hole before he could raise his hand at her. Abusing your girlfriend and calling it 'love' isn't sexy."

And it was then that Yue gave him the title of "Master of Roasting Plays" given his reviews and critiques, which she found to be absolutely hilarious and simultaneously insightful.

They tried their hands at several games next. Yue's precise aims during the water-shooting games were the closest Sokka has gotten yet to seeing her in action (apart from directing Azula's lightning away a few days ago) considering she was a pacifist, but by Spirits, she had a way of attracting the Southern prince to everything she did, even if it was something as simple as picking up a water-shooter. He marveled everything about her, every time she opened up more and more, like her smugness whenever she won the games, her compassionate smile with every prize she gave away to children disappointed with their losses.

And perhaps her greatest enthusiasm yet came from the prospect of them moving over to the henna booth.

"I've always wanted my hands decorated with henna," she said, her eyes alight with child-like excitement and wonder as she watched the artist paint her bright palms in a deep blue dye, "but I never got the chance to." And she would talk about how the other maids would have theirs painted for weddings and birthdays, even during some new-moon nights when henna artists visited the aristocratic families in the inner ring. The maids often left Yue to finish some of their chores for them, and due to one reason or another, she never managed to get the opportunity to express her own interest. It was then that Sokka realized how pitiful her condition had been as a locked-away princess, for even back down South, the women, in spite of their economic conditions, nevertheless had access to such arts with the abundance of Arctic pigments and henna plants.

"Well today's the day," he smiled at her, opting to feed her some of her flavored ice while she let her hands get painted. "And it looks perfect on you."

"And once it dries in a few hours, all you'll need are some bangles to complete the look, Miss," the lady said as she meticulously drew the designs over Yue's palm. "I know there's a bangle stall nearby, but I suggest you get them from somewhere else. The bangles here are cheap in price and quality; they'll break easily, and the shards will stab your skin in an instant."

"That's okay," Yue shrugged, "I don't need bangles right now."

"You shouldn't say things like that, Baby Blue," Sokka said knowingly. "Who knows, maybe the universe is waiting to give you some bangles."

"The universe?"

With twinkling eyes, "Why not?"

"Only three copper pieces and a date of birth, ladies and gentlemen, and you'll get to know your future!"

Sokka flat-out expressed his disdain for fortunetelling nonsense, but Yue felt bad for the poor fortuneteller who obviously wasn't drawing any customer's attention, so she ended up humoring him and offered him three copper pieces.

"Alright, Miss, when's your birthday?"

"Year of the Rabbit-Seal, the twentieth day of the fifth month."

And after fiddling with his joss sticks and chanting some kind of gibberish, "You are going to have a wonderful life ahead of you, Miss! You will be a true blessing to your in-laws!"

And after hearing a few more exaggerated praises, she chuckled as she made her way away from the booth, "Seems he's telling everyone the same thing."

"Of course he is," Sokka huffed. "It's a waste of money."

"I know, but that poor man probably has a family to feed. Why not spare him a few coins?"

Just when he felt she couldn't melt him any further. "Say, dronningi," he eyed her curiously, "is your birthday really during the Year of the Rabbit-Seal? That was, what, twenty-five or twenty-six years ago? You said you were twenty-three like me."

"I would never trust a stranger with my actual birthday," she said. "That's why I told him that."

"So it's gotta be during the Year of the Wolf Moon, then."

"Yep." And she didn't care to elaborate.

"Well what day was it?" he asked. "What month?"

"Hey, isumataq, they're selling kale cookies over there, if you want some—"

"Cookies later," he stopped in his tracks, "When's your birthday?"

"Why would you even be interested—?"

"Because I just am."

Sighing, "Fine. Wolf Moon, winter solstice, midnight. Happy?"

He blinked, eyes wide. Just like me. Even the time was identical. "Midnight? You said midnight, right?"

"Mhm," she resumed their walk, "The chief might not have named me, but he did tell me when I was born."

Catching up to her, "So you really are Tui. The Wolf Moon is a sacred time, dronningi."

"It seems odd that you'd mention that. You know, being a disbeliever and all."

"Eh, just what people around me say," he said, trying to be nonchalant but really feeling his pulse pound in anticipation, "What about you? Do you believe in those oracles and stuff?"

"Honestly, I don't care for it too much," she said. "It's fun to think about, but Tui and La are in everyone. Anyone can be Tui-like and anyone can be La-like, so why elevate just certain people? Tui and La certainly aren't limited to two people." Shrugging, "People have their fantasies, but it seems to me that this kind of 'prophecy' will cause more problems than bring solutions. You can't put pressure on only two people in the entire tribe to be perfect. You should encourage everyone in your community that they're inherently good and capable."

And Sokka didn't want to admit that he was disappointed because even if he didn't care to elevate himself as an incarnation, if such a "prophecy" meant companionship with the princess, he may have wanted people to believe in such a thing. Besides, anyone would believe that Yue was the prophesied Tui. Then again, he admired her approach as well.

"The chief got so tired of me saying this over and over that he gave up on finding my prophesied "match" a long time ago," Yue said, "but he still firmly believes that this is the reason why I'm not getting matched to anyone."

"Compatibility issues, huh?"

"Right."

"Well that's what he thinks. 'Cause he doesn't know your schemes."

She smirked in reply.

"You've never been curious?" he asked her. "About the other Wolf Moon person out there? You know, if the prophecy was true?"

"Every once in a while, I'd be curious, but wherever that poor Wolf Moon guy is, I wouldn't want to put that kind of pressure on him. Just because we share a birthday doesn't mean we're absolutely perfect for each other, prophecy or not. He has his own life, I have my own. We could be completely different people, who knows?"

He processed her reply and nodded slowly as if brooding over it. A moment later, "Looks like you've rejected me yet again."

"Hm?"

"I'm the Wolf Moon guy."

She paused in her step. "Excuse me?"

"Wolf Moon, winter solstice, midnight," Smiling at her, "We share a birthday, dronningi."

There was a particularly addictive drumbeat that was keeping the tribefolk enraptured at the center of the fair, and tearing up the sidewalks were street performers. They danced and jumped and whistled and whooped while the musicians hung out nearby, drums strapped to their bellies as they pounded away. Some of the tribefolk opted to join the dancers, forgetting themselves, beign cheered on by their loved ones. Yue stood in the crowd and clapped along with the audience, tapping her feet to the rhythm. That is, until she felt a nudge from the sly Southern prince.

"Mumirumavit, dronningi?" Do you want to dance, princess?

"No thanks."

"Why? You'd rather dance when you think no one's watching?"

Frowning defensively, "Prince Sokka, you will not see me dance again anytime soon."

"Oh come on, I enjoy your dances! You even taught me a few moves, remember?"

"Still," she crossed her arms and looked away, "I'm not in the mood."

"Right," he said though having observed her feet tapping along to the music, "You know, those suitors were horrible, and I don't have to be the bride to know that. You gotta let out your frustration."

"And who told you I was frustrated?"

"I could tell by the look on your face from earlier."

"What look?"

"That 'I'm so done' look."

"Even if I was frustrated, I have no reason to still be thinking about all that, isumataq," she assured. "I'm having a great time."

"Still. If you have any bit of it left, this will be like an outlet." Looking at her, "Let yourself go, Princess. Tonight, you're not gonna have anything bottled up."

Tonight, you're not gonna have anything bottled up. She didn't say anything for a moment, only lost in thought. Usually she meditated whenever she felt frustrated, but she didn't get the chance tonight. Some part of her was still being tugged the wrong way given the persistent memories of what happened earlier.

"Poise and perfection are overrated," he grinned, "Why not be wild and free for once?"

That definitely brought a smile out of her. "It all sounds great, but it's too embarrassing."

"It's more embarrassing when people know it's you," he said. "But luckily we have very convenient solutions for that."

"Do we?"

He shuffled over to a nearby color-throwing stall and grabbed hold of several containers of pigments, sneaking them into the folds of his robes. The curious princess followed him only to be pulled aside to an empty corner. The prince took the liberty to smear a bunch of color over himself, dumping half of each color onto himself and pouring the rest over her.

"Isumataq," she laughed, "What are you doing?"

"This way, people won't know it's us!" He smeared some more color over himself, bathing his hair in blues and greens before handing her the remaining color, "People will never recognize you after all this. Just go with it, Princess, you won't regret it!"

Minutes later, the drums began picking up the pace, and a "couple" was spotted freestyling down the sidewalk, jumping into the dance. The audience watched in amusement and clapped along to the beat, cheering them on. Soon enough, more people joined in the fun. Men and women, children and older folk. Yue felt the beat take over her body as she let herself loose. For the first few minutes, she hesitated in spite of her movements, but eventually, she lost all the care in the world.

The celebration reached its peak when a familiar-looking woman in traditional wedding attire, her arms linked with a man— likely her eunuch boyfriend and now-likely-husband— waved at Yue from afar. "Tui-girl!"

"Tanara!"

Tanara pulled her man along, and they both meandered through the crowd. Before long, the ex-prisoner threw her arms around Yue.

"Guess what, Tui-girl! I'm married now!"

"Guess what! My marriage is ruined!"

They laughed and screamed in excitement and danced together with joy as Sokka and Tanara's husband grinned at the excited women.

"Congrats on the wedding, my man," Sokka clapped the man's back.

"Thanks, Brother! I have to say this wouldn't have been possible without the princess!"

The night rolled on as Sokka and Yue continued to lose themselves. Sokka ended up getting more colors, and in a bout of untamed excitement, he threw them in the air. This inspired a lot of others to do the same, and in a matter of minutes, the dancing grew more fast-paced and chaotically joyful. Yue was having the time of her life at this point, and it somehow brought her immense comfort to see that the prince was with her, smirking and mirroring her movements, urging her to awaken the wild within her. She laughed away every bit of her nervousness, eventually tearing off her mesh screen and mask that she kept handy and throwing them to the side, not caring if they got trampled over. As a matter of fact, a weird satisfaction filled her heart. The Arctic winds roared through her blood, and her pulse surged through her in a fierce pounding rhythm. She let the dyes in the air soak and color her white hair, concealing her identity as she became one with the crowd and yet distinctively her own person.

"Poise and perfection are overrated. Why not be wild and free for once?"

"How does it feel, Baby Blue?"

"Great!" Another breathless laugh, "I can't explain it, but it feels exhilarating!"

"That's the Spirit!"

Sokka's own high was briefly interrupted by a tribesman who laughed at his moves. "Hey champ, what's that supposed to be? The deranged monkey-sloth?"

"That happens to be the shuffling penguin," Yue interceded, her eyebrows raised at the man. "You're not keeping up with the latest trends very well, are you?"

"What? O-Of course I am!" And the man stepped back, immediately beginning to mimic the Southern prince's movements. Several others began joining in, too.

"Don't let them step over you, isumataq," she nudged his grinning form, trying to pull him into a tightly-knit circle of dancers, but he only panted and stood in place, indicating that he needed a minute to catch his breath. She shrugged and kept dancing, claiming the night as her own as he watched on with fascination.

"I never thought I'd see you dance so openly, big brother."

And Sokka felt his heart stop for a moment as he gawked behind him, finding himself face to face with a highly amused Katara and Aang. In the Avatar's arms was Kohana, who was snoring over the monk's shoulder.

"Katara, Aang, what are you guys…!" Sokka sputtered, struggling for words, "How did you…? When did you get here?!"

"Hush up!" Katara hissed.

"Don't worry, we'll stay hidden," Aang assured.

"But I'm still going to see the princess—"

"Katara, be quiet—!"

"Or should I say, my future sister-in-law," Katara pushed her brother out of the way, ignoring his fumbling. "Is that her? Ukuaq Yue?" Sister-in-law Yue?

A flushed Sokka stared wide-eyed from his sister and friend to Yue. Yue was unrecognizable beneath the rain of colors, and she was still lost in her own world. She didn't seem to notice the master waterbender or the Avatar, both of whom were getting completely drenched in the colors and hence didn't stand out in spite of their statuses. Nevertheless, Katara's lips curled upward, for she noted the bliss of self-love and feminine pride radiating in what she could see of the Northern princess. The Southern princess smirked at her brother. "I love her already."

"We were supposed to have left three hours ago, Ivaneq."

"I apologize it's taking so long, sir," the Northerner said to the Southern chief. "We had some issues with the steamer, but we should be ready to go in about a few minutes."

Hakoda nodded, casting a look at his wife who was sitting beside him. He was curious to see the scrutinous look on her face as she looked ahead at a crowd of people engaged in what looked like a color-throwing dance party of sorts, wild and messy in its impression as it tainted the icy sidewalk across from the Southern leaders with color. "What is it, Kya?"

"Hakoda," she pointed to the area that was catching her attention, "Don't you think that looks like Katara?"

"What? Why would Katara be here? She said she and Kohana would stay behind with Sokka. They were going to spend time with Avatar Aang."

"I see them, too," Kya frowned, "Look closely."

Hakoda squinted his eyes in the direction of the dance party before zooming in on a couple of familiar-looking figures. They closely resembled his son and daughter. Hakoda would've shrugged off the observation had it not been for Avatar Aang's extremely noticeable bald head with Nomad tattoos, and Hakoda probably would've ignored that, too, and thought of him to be another airbender had it not been for the unmistakable presence of Kohana; the young boy was clapping his hands and cheering as he sat on top of a dancing Aang's shoulders and laughed at some of his sister's moves. Sokka was at least a few feet away from Katara, Aang, and Kohana, but he was not alone; next to him was a woman with very long hair that was messy and let-down. Like everyone else, she was completely covered in colors, so she wasn't recognizable, but it couldn't be more clear that she was dancing with their son. And Sokka was dancing back. He had a dopey grin on his face as he looked at the woman, appearing as if he was caught in awe. Enraptured. Entranced. Quite clearly, he was having a great time, and never had Hakoda and Kya ever seen him like this.

"What are they all doing here?" Kya wondered.

"They probably came here by flying bison or something to have fun," Hakoda tried to piece everything together in his mind. "Sokka's obviously feeling much better."

"But who's that girl next to him?"

As the seconds went by, it became very clear to the Southern chief and chieftess that their son and the woman had to be quite close given their joyful dispositions around each other. Sokka didn't display his expected awkwardness around her; in fact, he seemed to be the one encouraging her, occasionally throwing more colors in her direction, even smearing some on her cheek. The party was crowded, and several people were running into them, pushing her against him, and he caught her in his arms, whispering something to her to which she nodded. They laughed away the awkwardness like it was nothing, and Aang and Katara smiled the incident away like it was nothing.

But to a highly surprised Hakoda and Kya, nothing about this situation was "like nothing." What on earth were their children doing dancing like hooligans out in the streets with the Avatar and...Spirits-knew-who?

A/N: So dronningi actually means "queen" in Kalaallisut (I had a hard time finding the word for "princess"), but I still wanted to use dronningi anyway to denote "a female leader of a nation/country" (and I suppose it makes somewhat sense in this context because Yue would be the chieftess, and Sokka is addressing her this way because she's bound to be the leader. Just a note on translation for people who are interested: translations won't always be direct given the vast, blatant cultural differences between the predominately Asian-inspired fantasy that is ATLA and the real world. Obviously I'm not trying to mirror the cultures exactly because ATLA itself didn't do so, but I'm still doing as much research as is available to me when it comes to languages, so if anyone would like to correct me on some of the translations, I'd be happy to incorporate those corrections.

Anyhow, thanks for reading!