Chapter 29: I Know My Loyalties

He gripped onto the bars of the massive metal gate belonging to the men's district, and he cast a longing gaze across the river, on the other side of which was another gate belonging to the women's district. He searched tirelessly. Where is she?

Moments later, he saw her. Yue, the face of Tui in all of her glory, was looking back at him from behind the women's gate, glowing brighter than the moon with an expectant smile tugging at her lips. He gave a relieved laugh, waving excitedly. She answered with a swift beckon: Over here, isumataq.

And it was all he needed. Looking both ways, he got on his knees, blending himself in the shadows, a task made easy thanks to his black attire. He crawled over to a particular angle, shoved his hands into the ice, and began to dig as fast as he could until he opened up the tunnel he'd covered up in haste. He burrowed through it until he went a good distance, and as he clawed his way out of the snow and peeked out, he saw that he was mere centimeters away from the body of the river. He submerged not with grace but with exuberance, keeping beneath the water so he wouldn't be seen. And there, waiting for him, hovering just beneath the surface was his dronningi.

They swam towards one another in haste. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along, and he let her take the lead from there. They charged through the river, staying under the surface with the aid of a bubble that she'd bent around them to trap out the water and keep in the air, allowing for them to breathe. They bobbed up to the surface only when they were inside the outer wall of the women's sector, washing up on the canals.

"Hey, I think I see someone."

"You do?"

"Who's there?"

There were torches flaring in the distance, belonging to a few guardswomen who were out patrolling, so Yue grabbed Sokka's hand and pulled him along, encasing the two of them in clouds of mist while bending their clothes dry. Before they knew it, they were slipping through walls parted with her bending, sliding through tunnels sculpted underneath the ice, and she led him to a particular black marble temple just to the left of the block they'd washed up in. They hurried up the temple stairs; Yue fumbled with the keys, and they eventually tumbled inside, closing the door shut behind them. They raced into the love chamber, sealing the entrance shut, and they leaned against the door, locked in each other's arms, finding warmth from each other's body heat.

"I don't see anyone out here," the voices rang from outside. "I doubt anyone else would go in at this point. Besides, it's a black marble building. You need keys to open it, and the keys are with the priestess."

"There's no way."

"This might've been a trick of the light instead."

"Likely. Plus we're running on one hour of sleep."

"Eh, there's nothing here, let's go."

Sokka and Yue huddled against the wall in time for any and all traces of footsteps to dissipate outside. The torches were not lit in the chamber, but the moonlight was generous, lighting up their eager faces. Her gentle hands cupped his face, and his hands held hers. His cheek leaned into her palm, and his eyes fluttered to a close. "Dronningi…"

"Some strong man," she teased in spite of her soft smile, "You melt so easily."

"Anyone has to melt when they're next to Tui."

"Is that so?" she raised her eyebrows, "I wonder if that's why the Water Tribe is so cold. Since the moon is so far away."

"Nah. We naturally gotta keep cool," flashing her a smirk, "'Cause our Tui's so hot."

"Oh wow."

It was a weird feeling that he felt leaping within him. As if they'd escaped like this a thousand times, and yet, this was still their first.

"You've heard of the Book of Union, haven't you?" her hand sieved through his hair, undoing his wolf tail, "Do you know the very first verse?"

Blushing at the mention but puffing up his chest with one of the few Angkaran chants that came to memory, "Minnisi quu ae'ilaniyaat. Adhu nini kimeli quraliat. Unda ami innaagiya, chingugi tse'la a'Tui u'Laat."

"'The Spirits are made from play,'" her warm breath teased his lips as she translated, "'When the very first humans did not know how to make love, Tui and La advised them to tickle each other. So that everything else will come naturally from there…'"

He beamed, his forehead meeting hers, "Are you suggesting I tickle you?"

"I'm not suggesting anything."

"Oh really?" Smiling wickedly, his fingers dribbled against her sides, making her giggle and shriek in his grasp. Her arms settled around his neck, and his hands became still as she set her warm palms over his chest, smoothing out his tunic.

"I need to get back before sunrise."

"I know," he sighed, looking around. "Why do we need to live so separately? This isn't how humans are meant to live. Why can't we just...leave? Go someplace else in the North?"

"What will we do if we leave?"

His hand rested against her cheek, "We could get married."

Trying not to show her surprise, "That word is forbidden here, and you know it. Besides, marriage is for saps and unrealistic optimists." Smirking, "We're forever youth, aren't we? We should be free."

Frowning, "That's what I thought before."

"And now?"

"I'm freer than ever when I'm with you."

A flare of seriousness shot through for a moment. "You really want us to?" her voice lowered, "Get married, I mean."

"You don't want us to?" came the worried query.

"Well, I still need to confirm if you're a serial killer or not. I'll need a couple of decades to figure it out."

"Princess," he whined.

"Oh, I know. We can run away when we're ninety-something." Grinning, "That way if you are a serial killer, you won't have the strength to raise your axe at me."

"Oh come on! I'm being serious..."

She chuckled at his restlessness. "I suppose it's worth giving a chance."

For a solid minute, the light from the moon entered its peak, and she folded herself on top of him, leaning against him as he pressed his back to the marble wall. He felt a little funny— overheated and feverish— and not in a bad way but...in a way that made him curious. Nervous. Dizzy. Like the world was about to burst into chaotic bliss at her lips and he was simultaneously moments and light-years away from them. His eyelids were stuck between closing and tearing themselves open and apart so they'd never have to blink and miss the sight of her.

"Are we just going to stand here tonight, isumataq?"

His breath hitched in his throat, a curious finger tracing her bottom lip, sweat drenching him beneath his tunic, "Yue…I..."

SPLASH!

"AAAHH!" Sokka jolted awake with a choked holler-turned-gasp as the sensation of cold water chilled him to the bone for a mind-numbing moment. He sat up in bed immediately, flushed to the core but most definitely confused. "What the heck?!"

Two more bucketfuls followed, freezing him in place as he heaved heavy breaths and gulped for air. Howls of laughter erupted right beside him, but his brain didn't care to process whose laughter it was; after realizing that everything that happened until now was only a dream, and after having lost track of the pleasing, heated daze he'd felt moments before, he was reminded of how he fell asleep last night. His thoughts flew straight to the memory of the princess's friendship kiss, and he glanced at his left hand, breathing in relief when he felt that it was still dry inside. He then remembered the book that he'd been reading and scrambled for it, placing it atop the table beside him, trying to shake the water off of it and blink the water away from his eyes. "Katara, what's wrong with you?! Assaulting people with your magic water early in the morning!"

"Sokka!"

"It's me, Sok-bear!"

Sok-bear? That was what Uncle Amaruq called him. And the voice before that...it sounded a lot like Kiguk's. As Sokka's vision cleared little by little, he saw that standing before him wasn't his sister but a rather large figure with bulky shoulders and a wild grin, holding a large bucket in his hands— indeed the very man who Sokka had mentioned to the princess last night. Standing next to him were Kohana, who was jumping and waving around a smaller bucket that he had in his hands, as well as their cousin Kiguk— now a young man, likely of marrying age— who was also holding a bucket. The trio laughed at the shivering warrior.

"YEAH! You got him good, guys!" Kohana hollered.

"Isn't that right, little man?" the older man guffawed, sharing a high-five with the child as Kiguk picked up Kohana and balanced him atop his shoulders.

"Uncle Amaruq?!" Sokka blinked, his eyes wide. "Kiguk!"

"You better believe it, kiddo, Uncle Amaruq's in the house!"

And as soon as he said that, Ki'ma, Kya, Katara, and Hakoda appeared by the door, laughing as the Southern prince still tried to gather himself together.

"What on earth were you even doing with that pillow, Sokka?" Kiguk snorted, gesturing to the small white pillow that Sokka had his face shoved in moments before, "There's drool all over it. Vermillion, too."

"He probably had a dream about eating marshmallow-rolls. The kiddo's always been a fan of those," Amaruq shook his head in amusement and looked over to his sister and brother-in-law, "Some things never change, eh?"

"No, not really!"

For some reason, Sokka was feeling quite flushed and jittery, maybe even embarrassed and not from the jokes, that is. Feeling sorry for her brother and also having known about his vermillion ordeal, Katara bent the water off of him and the book that he'd fallen asleep with, allowing him to calm down a little as the chilling cold lifted.

"Uncle— mpphh!" the prince's voice was muffled as Amaruq brought him into a squeezing hug at last, holding him in a wrestling grip and messing up his hair, "It's great to see you, my boy!"

"Mmmphr phm phm phphm phmm?" What're you guys doing here?

"I heard about everything that happened down South!" the man finally let his nephew go, allowing Kiguk to share a fistbump with his cousin, "And I wanted to see all of you as soon as I could. It's been years! Well, I've seen you quite a bit, Mr. Travel Bug," he poked Sokka, "but I just had to see my sister and the rest of the family! And the only way I could do that was by coming here."

Ki'ma smiled as she stepped in and walked over to him. "You've grown taller since the last time I saw you, Sokka." She handed him a small box, "Care for your favorite seal jerky crisps?"

It was the strangest sight for Amaruq to see; usually Sokka devoured the seal jerky crisps at once, but today he seemed occupied by something else, for he simply took the box, gave his aunt a big smile and a word of thanks, and hugged her, saying, "It's great to see you, too Auntie Ki'ma."

"Since when did you get so mature, Sokka?" Amaruq chuckled at the warrior, who simply looked at him as if he didn't know what he meant. "Usually you eat the whole thing in one bite."

"Mature? Him? Please," Katara chimed in, "He still can't eat his five-flavor soup without spilling half of it over himself. We're having to use old Kohana's bibs on him."

Everyone erupted in laughter much to the warrior's chagrin, and while he would normally shrug off the jokes and laughter with a snarky remark of some sort, a grumpy grunt or even a comedic rebuttal, he simply let the embarrassment soak in. This did not go unnoticed by Amaruq, who also confirmed that something about Sokka was different this time around. "Say, you don't seem that excited to see me, Sokka."

"What? No, I am!"

"Of course he is," Katara sighed, her arms crossed, "Everyone knows he's your favorite in our household."

"Nonsense, you were always my favorite, Kat-bear," Amaruq patted her shoulder. "Plus, you can actually kick butt!"

"Hey, I can kick butt, too!" Sokka retorted.

"And me tooooo!" Kohana wiggled from his place on Kiguk's shoulders.

"Kohana's a better warrior than I am, that for sure," Katara chuckled.

"Alright, Ko-bear's the best warrior here, and after him, it's Katara, but after that, we have another powerful warrior," Amaruq gestured to his sister's stomach, "somewhere in here…And then it's Sokka."

"Okay okay, everyone, more jokes later," Hakoda chuckled, "Let's have breakfast. It's been several years since we last had a meal together. Sokka, freshen up and come down to join us. Amaruq, I saved you a seat next to mine."

And with that, everyone left Sokka's room one by one with the exception of Amaruq. The man gave his nephew a quizzical look as the prince, who didn't see his uncle stay behind, turned his back to him. The prince slowly eased his glove off of his left hand. To this moment, he could still feel the tingle of her soft lips against his skin, his face burning and blooming with color.

That was a close one, he sighed, smiling at his hand, I'm never washing you off.

"Sokka?"

"Gah!" he nearly fell backward.

"Sokka, it's me, son."

"Oh, hey, Uncle... I thought you went to eat…" He quickly turned around, shoved the glove back over his hand, and distracted himself by fiddling over the book that he'd fallen asleep with, checking to see if its condition was still good and marking a particular page as the point where he left off.

"Say, what book were you reading—?"

"Nothing!" Sokka said quickly, shutting the book, "Nothing at all, nothing interesting. Just, uh... just something boring. Not worth our time."

Amaruq raised his eyebrows, "But it seemed like it was worth your time—"

"Nah, it's just something I had to study for… something…"

The older tribesman wasn't ignorant as to not see the gloved hand that Sokka was trying so hard to hide, "Where did your other glove go?"

"Huh? O-Oh," Sokka brought his gloved hand to his chest defensively, "It probably fell down somewhere, yeah…"

"Something wrong with your hand?"

"Nope, it's absolutely perfect the way it is. Now let's go eat, I'm starving!"

The reunion between Kya and her brother had overcome its touchy phase when the prince had still been asleep, but the Southern chieftess became a bit emotional every now and then. She and her brother didn't leave each other's sides, continuously engaged in conversation until the Avatar came to visit and caught their attention. Kiguk found that Avatar Aang's company was quite interesting given it was extremely informal and even child-like; the monk liked to talk more about games and the many different animals he'd met and ridden instead of serious world-breaking matters, almost as if he was a normal human being.

"Have you ever ridden a hopping llama before?" the airbender asked.

"Yeah, they're super wild."

"I know, right?" Aang grinned. "I wanna ride one again the next time I go." Turning to Katara, "Maybe we can go together this time."

Kiguk raised his eyebrows at his cousin and the monk, finding that they didn't look away from each other or break their grins until he snapped his fingers.

"All of us," Aang covered a bit later than when it actually mattered, "I meant all of us."

The estate was filled with laughter in just a short time, paving the way for moments when new friendships were formed and forgotten relations came back into the light.

Of course, Sokka could've been part of the whole deal if he hadn't been occupied. He had attempted to leave as soon as he rushed down from his minute-long shower (did he actually shower in the first place?), having doused himself with lots of cologne and a fancy tunic. Of course, he knew he was going to be way too early, and there were chances that the princess was still asleep; she had been quite exhausted on their way back yesterday, and they had discussed that today would be the perfect day for her to sleep in for once given the temple cleaning was already finished and that she would have to take it easy anyway so people would be convinced of the "effect" the "horrible incident" had on her. The Southern prince told himself that he would wait, though, until she woke up, for he was too excited to keep still. It was going to be at least thirty minutes before he could actually get to the palace anyway; as Piandao was conducting the investigation on Khasiq today, he had instructed his student beforehand to practice swordplay with Kuzon in the western courtyard. A stern Hakoda, however, was intent on stopping Sokka from leaving, urging him to stay through the breakfast arrangements and share the meal with family, not be rude by choosing to be absent. The prince had been antsy ever since, using every reason possible to try to leave, claiming repeatedly that it was "urgent business," but Hakoda wouldn't have it.

"I thought you said you were starving, Sok-bear," Amaruq said. "Where are you off to?"

"Uh...work…"

"Work? Here?"

"I thought you all were going to be here for just a few days," Ki'ma pointed out.

"Oh we are, Sister Ki'ma," Hakoda said. "But you see, Sokka's been getting into a bit of trouble lately with Khasiq's authorities. The other day, he got into a fight with them at the Moon Temple over something silly—"

"It wasn't silly," Sokka frowned.

"—but it was still pretty bad and resulted in a few broken noses…"

Amaruq grinned in amusement, "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"It was disrespectful and a real offense to the Spirits to be fighting on holy ground," Kya said, shaking her head at her brother's rebellious craze, "That's why we told him to keep himself distracted. Thanks to the Spirits, Master Piandao of the Fire Nation decided to take him under his wing these few days."

"Piandao? Does he train warriors?"

"He's a famous swordmaster. It is extremely difficult for someone to be accepted as his student, but he easily decided to train Sokka," Kya boasted of her son. "Sokka also decided to spend some time at the palace and learn the ways of leadership with Chief Arnook. The man has taken quite a liking to him."

"So these are just some things he'll keep himself busy with until we leave in a few days."

Until we leave in a few days. Sokka looked away, his frown deepening.

"Internship for chiefdom, eh? And additional skills practice. Good to see you thinking about your leadership career more seriously, Sok-bear."

But Amaruq's pride wasn't necessarily returned to the fullest extent by the others, and that was when the tribesman took note of the unspoken tension in the air, looking from Sokka to Kya and Hakoda. Something screamed to Amaruq that this wasn't just about Sokka's political career, but he didn't say anything of the observation, though, simply keeping it in the back of his mind for later.

From there, Sokka didn't join many additional interactions, and Amaruq found it extremely odd that his nephew, instead of following him around like he normally did every time they were within the same vicinity, was now sitting by himself, lost in a book that he didn't care to give many details about. Sokka wasn't much of a reader of fiction and other such works as much as he is a reader of maps and manuals, but here he was today, sometimes flushing beet-red and hastily skipping over (and sometimes peeking inside) the pages, sometimes involuntarily grinning with the pages he didn't skip, sometimes frowning and holding a deep disturbance within him.

"What's your brother up to, Katara?" Amaruq eventually asked.

"A friend of his let him borrow a few books and short stories. He's been reading them ever since."

"What books?"

"They're about different social issues. Gender inequality, fake holy practices, discrimination against eunuchs and the lower class. They're all really good."

"You've read them, too?"

"Of course."

"I didn't think they would sell these books under the current administration," came the curious query.

Lowering her voice to whisper, "They're not. These are banned books. Mom and Dad don't know, by the way."

"Of course they don't. You think they'd be this chill if they did?" Turning back to his nephew in the distance, "What's the one he's reading right now? It's called My Other Half."

"I didn't see that one with the others," Katara said. "Maybe it's a new book."

After observing his nephew a minute more, noting the rare smile that took over his face and the small laugh of amusement that might confirm him to be a fake Sokka instead of a real one, Amaruq asked his niece, "Is your brother seeing anyone lately?"

With widened eyes, "What?"

"He doesn't really go about trying to catch girls' attention, but right now, he's…he's acting really weird…"

Katara did not want to make things more complicated than they already seemed to be with their parents on one side, her and Sokka on the other, and Uncle Amaruq expected to choose the more liberal side of the deal, which wouldn't be very fitting for a family that just got back together. "Ummm...not that I know of, why?"

Shaking his head, "Nothing, just curious."

The servants eventually had arranged for a perfect Water Tribe breakfast, and everyone gathered around. Sokka, on the other hand, seemed to be unsure if he should pass the time smiling and blushing idiotically to himself or staring at the time candles with his leg itching to flee the place when given the chance.

"Sure would be nice if Sokka could join us for once," Amaruq sighed. "He's become quite busy."

"It's nothing like that." Sokka slipped his book into the large pocket of his cloak and engaged in conversation, "So you guys came here all the way from Jinghu?"

"Yeah. You see, the princess of the North is kind of famously known in Jinghu," Kiguk explained. "Our local authorities consult Ba Sing Se officials quite often for trading matters. Word spread quickly about a Northern Water Tribe princess whose existence was never known until a few weeks ago."

"Apparently she shook the world by calling for cooperation from several different places," Amaruq said. "She sent in quite a few expensive gifts to many rulers and government officials, including the Earth King and the King of Omashu, to name a few. In return, she requested aid for our tribe."

"She sent gifts?" Hakoda asked. "We did not know that."

"Of course she did!"

"Yeah," Sokka confirmed, "Everything added up to about twenty million gold pieces."

"Twenty million?"

"Twenty million?!"

"Twenty freaking million…?"

"How do you know this?" Amaruq asked.

"I did my research. I also found out that it was from her share in Chief Arnook's personal treasury." Sokka looked over to his parents, "She spent it all just for us."

Hakoda and Kya knew very well what their son was trying to do by making sure they heard these things. It made them all the more guilty for refusing his choice because the princess had been genuinely looking out for them all this time. She was perfect albeit the fact that she was born in the temple. It did not even matter to them that Arnook wasn't her biological father; all they could think about was her origin, her past that so clearly defied the purity laws, a past that juxtaposed the many years they'd dedicated to preserving some of the most important traditions.

"Contaminating sacred ground with bodily filth is simply unacceptable," Pakku's voice still rang clearly through their minds. "And it is a great disservice to the Spirits, who favor and are inherent within discipline. That is why only a man is fit to tend to the idols. Women are subject to various kinds of discharge given their holy duty to procreate. They are emotional messes given their nature. They are not inauspicious in the least, for a woman's cycle and ability to love are gifts from Tui, but women are still not fit to serve at the temple. They must tend to their husbands in place of the gods. Their temples are the birthing rooms and the homes of their in-laws, and the fruits of their prayers are their children, for within every man and every child are the very Tui and La that a man worships in the temple."

"The princess of the North is very generous," Kiguk smiled. "I've heard many good things about her."

"Oh she's amazing, I tell you, an absolute joy—!" Sokka was cut short by the look that Hakoda and Kya gave him, so he fell silent, playing with the food on his plate.

Amaruq sighed, steering the conversation elsewhere with, "So Kiguk wants to get married."

Everyone turned to the young man, who confirmed Amaruq's words with a smile on his face and a nod in the direction of a curious Hakoda. "There's this girl that I met in Jinghu," the young tribesman said. "Chen's her name. She and her family are gonna be here, actually. Later this evening, maybe. They said they were coming behind us."

"And you didn't bother telling us that first thing?" Kya demanded, simultaneously getting excited.

"So it's serious," Hakoda noted.

"Yeah," Kiguk blushed a little, "I kind of...love her...very much..."

"Does she kind of love you very much, too?" Aang teased, drawing soft laughs from those around him.

"Yeah," Kiguk's smile widened, "She does."

"Did you propose to her first?" Katara asked.

"Yeah. I made her a betrothal necklace," he was practically glowing with love and pride at this point, "The pendant's made from jade and sapphire."

"Nice."

"Awesome!"

"Is she a tribeswoman?" Kya asked.

"No, she's an Earth Kingdomer," Amaruq said. "We all like her very much. She's delightful. Smart, kind, very respectful of our family. She's interested in Water Tribe culture as much as Kiguk is in Earth Kingdom traditions. I know they will be a perfect fit for each other."

"This is also the perfect time according to Water Tribe custom," Ki'ma said. "Kiguk turned sixteen just last year."

"We're very happy for you, Kiguk," Hakoda smiled at his nephew, "Congratulations."

"We're very proud of you, sweetie," Kya followed. "At least you decided to get married at the right time."

And Katara and Sokka shared a brief look, knowing this was most definitely a jab at them. They could already hear the conversation that would take place between their parents afterwards: Even Kiguk is getting married, and our children are nearly a decade late, oh Tui and La!

"Are Chen's parents approving of this alliance?" Hakoda asked. "Well, obviously they are, right, if they're coming all the way up here?"

"Oh absolutely. They're actually our best friends and neighbors. They live right down the street from us, and there's not a day we don't hang out together."

"We're planning on buying a much bigger house in a few months," Kiguk said. "Since Dad's a well-known architect and Mom's in politics, they have their own connections. I'm sure we'll get a good house for a reasonable price. And after that, we're all gonna move in together."

"All of you as in you, Chen, and your parents?" Katara asked.

"And Chen's parents," Kiguk said much to everyone's surprise. "Chen is very attached to her family, and I'm very attached to mine, and since everyone gets along so well, we'll all be living together. It'll be a good arrangement, too, since Chen's parents are much older; this way, they won't be left alone."

"It's really cool that you're thinking about your girlfriend's interests," Sokka told his cousin. "That's something we lack in the Water Tribe in general."

There was a pause that lingered in the air, especially among the adults. Kiguk, however, held a big smile on his face and nodded in agreement.

"I'm guessing the wedding's coming up, then," Aang said, dissipating the awkwardness.

"As soon as we buy the house, we'll have the wedding. We decided to have two different ceremonies. The Earth Kingdom ceremony will be at the Tara Earth Goddess Temple in downtown Jinghu, and the Water Tribe ceremony will be at the Southern Water Tribe."

"That's wonderful!" Kya said. "So you're coming to visit the South again?"

"The village is going to be very excited to hear this," Hakoda beamed at his brother-in-law.

"We're coming over there only because Chen and her family were interested in learning more about our heritage," Amaruq said. "I know your father won't care to attend the wedding, Hakoda, but the invitation still stands if he chooses to grace us with his presence. Whatever he does is perfectly fine, but all I ask is that he doesn't sabotage it."

Hakoda sighed, "I know you're still upset with him, but for the most part, he hasn't been acting up that much in recent years. He's still weighed down from what Katara did to get rid of a few laws and learn waterbending several years ago—"

"Atta girl," Amaruq beamed at his niece in pride.

"But as I was saying, he's being able to bear with everything better—"

"He will go on a rampage about how Chen isn't just moving in with us," the man said, "And I am not about to have that old man hurt my daughter-in-law's sentiments. Chen is like a daughter to me, and I'm not having anyone of your father's disposition spoil her happiness."

"The Khunsha incident was a very long time ago, Amaruq," Kya began. "Families go through certain nasty fights, but they get over them eventually—"

"This is an issue of my honor and pride, sister," the man said. "I defend a fellow sister, and he straight-up accuses me of having an affair with her!"

"So that's what happened?" Sokka blinked.

"That poor lady was like another Kya to me, and your grandfather knew it, that man. Sokka, how would you feel if your sister's father-in-law accused you of cheating on your wife?"

"First of all, I would never marry into a family like that, to begin with," Katara piped in.

"Hypothetically speaking—"

"No, that's never gonna happen, Uncle, not even hypothetically."

Hakoda sighed. "Leave it in the past, won't you, Amaruq? You know my father was raised in a different time under different circumstances. And I want you to know that just because he said it doesn't mean he really thinks it. Everyone in the tribe knows about you, and they all know you'd never actually do something like that. Even Khunsha's husband disapproved of what he said—"

"Of course he would because he's in his right mind! Your father has nothing better to do than accuse the people he gets mad at and ruin their lives."

"Preach it, Uncle Amaruq," Katara said.

"He's the type to think every man and every woman in the tribe are going at it with each other behind their spouses' backs! Him and his Spirit-forsaken brain. If I'd known he had a habit like this, I wouldn't have even pissed in his direction after getting my sister hitched to you—"

Kohana giggled from his seat as he stuffed a few cakes into his mouth.

"I'll have him apologize to you—"

"I'm not stupid, Hakoda, I know he's never gonna apologize. And even if he miraculously does, he can shove that apology up his own ass—"

"Amaruq, that's enough," Kya covered Kohana's ears. "This conversation is over."

"You need to calm down, dear," Ki'ma told her husband, "Not in front of the children."

"I swore in front of him all the time when he was little," he gestured to his son, "and he turned out fine."

"Maybe it's because he takes after Lady Ki'ma," Aang joked, defusing the situation. "Thank the Spirits."

Following laughter and more lighthearted conversations, it was decided that they will all celebrate the occasion of Kiguk's engagement as soon as his fiancée and her family arrive.

"And hopefully Sokka or Katara are gonna be next in line during the wedding season," Amaruq said. "Time ran out seven years ago if you wanted a Water Tribe spouse."

"I'm in no hurry," Katara said, "And I don't care if the guy's Water Tribe or not."

It was a statement that involuntarily brought a hopeful smile to Aang's face. A smile that Sokka definitely noticed.

"And you, Sokka?" Kiguk asked. "You're the one who's way past the traditional marriage age. You might as well settle down with a lady from the other three nations."

"I feel like everything happens at a certain time." Turning to his aunt and uncle, "I mean, how convenient is it that your daughter-in-law was literally in your same neighborhood the entire time? You never know how things will turn out." Sokka shrugged, "Maybe my future wife is right around this block of ice."

Right around this block of ice. "We will find a nice woman for him," Hakoda answered. "You know how he's not supposed to marry just anyone, Amaruq."

"That Wolf Moon nonsense again?" the tribesman rolled his eyes and turned to his nephew, "At this rate, if you rely on your folks, they won't even let you hold hands with a lady. Your best bet is finding a nice girl on your own and eloping with her."

Sokka chuckled. Kya frowned, "Amaruq."

"It was a joke, sis, relax."

The time candles sparked seven hours past midnight just then, and an agitated Sokka finally got up from his seat, the food on his plate largely untouched in spite of him claiming that he was starving, "I gotta go, too, guys, see ya soon!" And he took off, his hand wrapped around the handle of his sword.

"Hey, Kiguk, you wanna come with us to see the North?" Katara asked.

"We'll even show you the most romantic spots for you to take Chen," Aang offered. "I've been here a while to study waterbending, so I know the place quite well."

"Sounds great!" Kiguk jumped up, "Let's go!"

"I wanna go play with Lee and Brother Sensu," Kohana announced. "Mommy, can I go?"

"Uncle Ivaneq will be here soon, sweetie. He'll take you."

As soon as the youth cleared out of the room and Kohana temporarily occupied himself with inks, paints, and parchments in the leisure room, Ki'ma took a deep breath and addressed the Southern leaders, keeping her voice low, "So who's the lucky woman?"

"What?" Hakoda blinked. "What woman? What are you talking about, Sister?"

"Are your noses that stuffed up to notice the oceans of cologne that Sokka's wearing?" Amaruq asked.

"He has professional work," Hakoda attempted to cover the observation, "So naturally he doesn't want to smell like seal jerky—"

"You think I can't recognize that look on your son's face?" the tribesman turned to Hakoda, "That's the exact look you gave my sister when you came to our house to grovel in front of my parents for her hand in marriage."

"There's nothing like that with Sokka," Kya said sternly. "If there was, we would know about it."

Amaruq said nothing, playing with his last noodle on his plate. He looked out of the window beside them, staring at the courtyard that came to view. After a moment of slight amusement, "And if you look to your left, you'll see a lovestruck Water Tribe man snorting in all the flowers in the garden, strutting about like a wolf looking for a companion during mating season."

And as everyone turned to look out of the window, they saw the Southern prince plucking several moonflowers and packing them neatly in his boomerang sheath, a dopey smile on his face.

"How are things looking, Ishuqan?"

The assistant took a seat beside Nuqao, "There still might be a chance, sir."

Plotting via word of mouth was all that Nuqao, Ishuqan, and the other Nationalists could do at this point given their inability to pass orders or carry out tasks. Khasiq had been taken in by the Order of the White Lotus for investigation, a move that no Nationalist had seen coming. Moreover, who would've guessed that when the Southern prince ran around screaming loyalty to Arnook's daughter, he actually meant it?

"It's just a matter of attraction," Khasiq had told them so confidently. "They're both young and deprived of sex after all. Why would the prince actually care if he's hell-bent on his tribe being ignored for decades? And even if he did care, it wouldn't be anything more than a romantic interest. The most that would happen is their marriage, and that won't be affecting us in any way because if she does marry him, her priority will be for the South, the land of her in-laws. She will be reduced from a chieftess to just a wife of the chieftain. That there might not seem like a significant difference but trust me, it is everything."

Of course, this was all before the Southern prince's involvement proved to be more than some superficial infatuation as proved in such a vehement way last night. This was all before Lady and her Revivalist team gained a likely ally in the form of a masked stranger who caused Kinji's downfall and threatened to end Khasiq's life next. Everything crashed down in front of the prominent Nationalists and proved them wrong, topped by Khasiq's secret woe with realizing that he was still not in a position to spill the tea regarding the origin of Arnook's foster daughter; he would not be taken seriously thanks to this grim call for an investigation that suddenly wrapped around his neck like a noose.

Even so, Khasiq was not an idiot, for he had already planted the seeds required to diminish the princess's popularity.

"Things aren't up to a good start for the princess, sir," Ishuqan elaborated. "The finance advisor resigned late last night, and after him, five other general cabinet members have resigned."

"Five?" Nuqao seemed surprised.

"And an additional two today, if we're lucky. Master Khasiq's ways are certainly successful."

Indeed, Khasiq had decided to strike the right kinds of people to bring about the princess's potential downfall. His first target: the economically advantaged members of the cabinet.

"Yesterday, the princess sold her belongings," Khasiq had addressed the general cabinet. "Today, she will sell any remaining assets of hers. And tomorrow? Where will she get her funding for all kinds of ridiculous things she's planning to do for a bunch of yakshit-smelling peasants?" Pointing to them, "From your monthly pay. It won't be long before she uses up every last copper piece for a peasant's meal, and when she runs out— she will— and once she fails to find more things to sell, she will come for your money next."

Then the middle-class workers, and among them, especially the ones who snagged prestigious positions. "She will start to raise taxes and take away from your plates to fill the stomachs of those commoners. You may think she would be doing the same, but you're all forgetting that she is the daughter of Arnook. If she sells every last copper piece, she will still have a place to go home to. She will have plenty of servants who make sure she will never know the pain of hunger. But what about all of you? Once the tariffs start skyrocketing, once your businesses start seeing losses from how much the princess's administration will suck away from you, you and your families will be left on the streets!"

Hence, Khasiq's motto regarding the princess's regime-to-be was simple. "It's all for the poor, my friends. There will be nothing left for the rest of us."

"Master Khasiq is truly a genius," Ishuqan said. "He was able to turn away the most loyal employees. These employees who have just resigned have been working here for several years, sir, and if they walked out, you can see how popular the princess really is, how much more popular she is going to get."

Nuqao gave a dry laugh, "Poor thing. She wants to sacrifice everything she has. She doesn't seem to know she'll soon end up in the very streets she's fighting for."