Chapter 30: The People's Princess
Sayen was surprised to see Prince Sokka racing towards the princess's study, wearing a goofy grin on his face and an extensive amount of cologne, defying all expectations of professionalism. He was not greeted with much of a cheer, though, for the prominent Revivalist held a burdened look on her face as if she was weighed down by something. The prince ended up slowing down his enthusiastic gait.
"Is everything okay?" he asked, nearly breathless.
"Yes, everything's fine..." the Revivalist raised her eyebrows, "You're here two hours early."
"Yeah. Just wanting to make sure everything's going good. Is Her Highness awake?"
"She's—"
"If not, that's totally okay, I'll just wait. She needs her sleep, ya know?" And after reminding himself that he probably needed to be serious if he wanted everyone to believe that the incident last night was truly stressful, he soured his face a little bit, "I imagine she's still recovering from what happened yesterday. Her Highness needs all the rest she can get."
"She's been awake," Sayen said. "She had a few matters to deal with, so she's been up for a while. She's currently in a meeting with the general council members."
"Oh…" Damn, I knew I should've gotten up earlier. "I didn't know Her Highness started her day so early." Not to mention they came back to the palace quite late last night.
"She normally doesn't, but today's an exception. Yesterday morning following the official count of her treasury, she passed a few executive orders, and she met with her cabinet members early this morning to discuss the progress of those orders—"
"Wait, she already met with her cabinet members? This early?"
"Well, there's also been a situation that drew a bit of attention," Sayen said, her weary look returning and rousing suspicion from the prince, "and the Global Conferences are no trivial matter, either, since they're moved up to tomorrow for security purposes, meaning there's very little time to organize everything. Not to mention she's giving her first-ever presentation tomorrow."
"Really?" he said, genuinely surprised, "To be honest, I can't believe the chief agreed to such a thing since he's...you know, overprotective and stuff…"
"Yes, it's definitely hard to believe," the Revivalist frowned skeptically, "But it's been confirmed by the administration that she will personally be launching the Black Lotus Project tomorrow. It's quite a large initiative calling on the collaboration of many world leaders. Her Highness will also be inviting prominent persons of influence for membership, particularly into the Women's Defense branch." And after looking around to make sure no one else was nearby and lowering her voice, "I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but I hear that Princess Katara might be on that list."
"Well that's awesome!" came his excited squeal. "Seriously, it's quite an honor. I know my baby sister's gonna go nuts with her first real leadership role. In a good way, of course. And to think Her Highness's finally getting the limelight she deserves tomorrow. I know she's gonna do great!"
"If that's the only thing she had to worry about, it would've been great, but the North is also hosting the conferences this year, so we need to be on top of the game. She specifically said she will not rest until everything goes by smoothly."
"I'm sure that won't be a problem for Her Highness since she's always on top of the game. I just hope she's not too stressed out. She's supposed to be taking it easy." SIghing, "If I'd known, I would've been here earlier…"
"You look like you've gotten little to no sleep last night— obviously since you brought her back quite late. And you were all set to be here earlier anyway? You're her bodyguard, not her healer, isumataq. You are not required to guard her all day."
"I consider myself her caretaker. It's a very crucial responsibility."
The Revivalist appeared slightly amused. "You know, Brother Sokka, to this very moment, it appalls me how easily you've won Chief Arnook over. The princess, too, seems to trust you with her life. Our Kuunnguaq is quite taken with you, too. And this is, what, only your fourth day in the North? You have that charm about you, I suppose."
He laughed awkwardly, shrugging, "Guess I'm just lucky."
They were interrupted by the clanging of several boots against the icy floor. Four people were hurrying out of the nearest hallway followed by several other people— ministers, councilmen, people of the like. Sokka ended up recognizing three of the four people who first stepped out; they were none other than the trio who first welcomed the Southern royals to the North on behalf of the princess— Eiji Hang, Rin Quiang, and Revivalist vice-chairman Daughter Ting Yun.
"Mr. Bohai," Eiji called out to the fourth man who was trying to get away from them, "Mr. Bohai, please, reconsider—"
"I've left my badge at my workstation," the man interrupted him, not caring to stop. Former workstation. My resignation is official. Please let your princess know."
Sokka turned to Sayen, wordlessly asking her what the deal was, but she didn't respond, looking back to the trio with a look of worry and disappointment. The trio, who happened to notice Sokka then, immediately bowed in greeting.
"Oh, Isumataq Sokka, it's good to see you," Rin greeted.
"Good to see you guys, too," he bowed back. "Is Her Highness…?"
"Our apologies. The princess does not wish to see anyone at this time," Ting said. "She also told us to tell you to have the day off when you get here."
"Day off?" he asked. "Today's my first day on the job."
"Yes, well... she said she has some things to take care of."
The Southern warrior frowned, "Alright, there's something that none of you are not telling me, and I feel like I have the right to know. If at least for the purposes of safeguarding Her Highness." Crossing his arms, "What's going on?"
"There's been an increasing number of resignations under the princess's administration," Eiji said finally. "Mr. Bohai is the ninth person to walk out in less than twenty-four hours."
"What?"
"Yesterday alone, six people resigned from their positions in the general cabinet, which is ideally a Loyalist venue," Ting explained. "Among the resignees was the chief financial advisor. It's a big deal since they've all been working here for several years and have lots of experience."
"If the finance advisor position is a big deal...I'd say I'm pretty good at math…"
"We're pretty good at math, too, isumataq," Daughter Ting gave a dry chuckle at his suggestion, "But how many positions is anyone going to fill? The count is getting bigger by the hour. Just this morning, three more people from her cabinet walked out," and pointing in the direction of the man who just left, "Mr. Bohai being the third. And unfortunately, many other members seemed unsure about their positions, too, based on the meeting we just walked out of."
Furrowing his eyebrows in worry, "But why?"
"Khasiq and his men are going around telling all kinds of lies about the princess's administration to every politician they see," Sayen said. "That the princess would cut their wages, take from their assets, raise taxes to fund for her executive orders—"
"Why would she raise taxes when she's got her own personal treasury with, what, practically six times the amount that's in the national treasury?" Sokka retorted.
"Make it ten or twelve times," Rin said. "Not all of her assets have been counted yet. But it does not matter, though. Khasiq's propaganda is focused on what will happen after the money runs out."
"Then there you go! There's no reason to think it'll all run out that quickly."
"They think the princess is using it irrationally for the sake of the disadvantaged."
"But she has a backup, though: the Black Lotus funds."
"They don't feel confident about the Black Lotus Project. Since her alliance with Prince Lu Ten has been broken and displeased Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. Many councilmen think it's not looking too good for the project."
"That incident wasn't Her Highness's fault! She took the blame to bail me out," Sokka said vehemently. "And Fire Lord Iroh would never withdraw his support over personal issues. He's not part of the White Lotus Society for no reason."
"You're definitely right about all those things, but it's just the nature of rumors sometimes," Ting sighed. "All logic flies out the window, all details and context become insignificant."
"These kinds of things have become normal here, but what's so alarming this time around is basically people's lack of trust in the princess and her plans," Eiji said. "Even though she's had her cabinet and council all set up, people have still been skeptical about her abilities given she's a woman."
"Yep," Rin gave a look of disapproval, "Mr. Bohai was so honorable enough to give the typical women-can't-lead speech just a few minutes ago and go on a rampage about the princess having no understanding of money and how it works. And right after that, he had the audacity to accept the benefits he still has."
"What benefits?" Sayen frowned, "He resigned."
"Well the princess told him he still has access to the palace babysitting services that the princess herself started funding two weeks ago. Since his wife is a full-time healer and he's a politician."
"How is the princess taking all of this in?" came the Southern prince's anxious inquiry.
"Surprisingly very well. She didn't bat an eye," Eiji said.
"I'd imagine she'd be startled, in the very least," Rin mused. "Imagine having lived your entire life hiding in...basically a place the tribe knew only as a haunted house. With likely no communication from outsiders. Just to sit through a lecture that boils your blood and act like nothing happened. She probably didn't know how to react to it."
"Poor dronningi, she must be emotionally numb at this point," Eiji shook his head. "Yeah, she has the largest treasury in probably all of leadership history, but things have been going wrong for her more often than not. She was still recovering from the Earth Kingdom imposter incident, but then another imposter kidnaps her yesterday, La damn him—"
The Southern prince nearly choked on his own spit, looking away.
"—and she has lost nearly ten important supporters in less than twenty-four hours. She might not have proper training, but she's clearly trying her best. Consulting books and past history and whatnot."
"Her Highness doesn't need sympathy right now as much as she needs trust," Sokka said after a moment of thought. "My guess is that she knew this would happen beforehand. That's probably why she wasn't too shocked. Either that or she doesn't seem to count on these people, so she actually doesn't care."
"But they're Loyalists."
"Why does it matter? Dronningi isn't keeping people close based on their political backgrounds anyhow. She wants all types of people to be in her cabinet, right?"
"You have a point, isumataq, but still, they're Loyalists," Sayen said, "meaning they're all about supporting the chieftain and his bloodline. They are not looking to throw her out of power like Khasiq is. And if they're walking out...things aren't exactly looking up…"
And sitting uncomfortably at the pit of the prince's stomach was the thought about how those Loyalists would really feel if word got out the princess was not Arnook's biological daughter. "Well those Loyalists are not exactly living up to their name if they're not supporting the chief's daughter and are literally walking out just on the basis of idiotic gender assumptions. The princess is smarter than we all think. I'm sure she has a backup plan or something."
"Well if she does, she's certainly not telling anyone or openly acting on it," Sayen sighed.
"Just give it some time. I have a feeling things will be looking up." Sokka looked over in the direction of the corridor from where the meeting attendees just walked out, "Can I at least go see her? It'll be from afar. I know she probably doesn't want to see anyone, but...it's just...I don't want it to seem like I came here for nothing…"
"She's not exactly in a cheerful mood," Ting said. "And besides, Chief Arnook was heading over there a minute ago."
"It's okay," Sayen said, looking at the prince, "The princess seems to trust you based on last night's events. You're welcome to try to talk to her."
"I know it's upsetting to see so many people leave at once…" Arnook looked at his foster daughter, "but what you need to do now is convince them that their fears won't become realities."
"Convince them?"
"Yes, convince them."
Keeping her eyebrows raised but her voice low and controlled, "I am not the least bit upset, Your Highness. I have pride. I am not going to grovel before people of their kind of disposition. If they don't have the trust, and if they want to walk out so desperately, they are free to do so, and I am free to not want them in my cabinet after that."
"I'm not telling you to grovel," Arnook clarified, "I'm saying it would be best if you keep them close. Don't take their comments so seriously."
"This is by no means a personal issue. If I want to bring about change in the tribe, I'm going to need a team of people who are willing to see that change manifest. I have a vision for the tribe, and I need people with open minds to help me carry it out." Taking a deep breath and looking away, "Anyone would want to have people with common sense in their teams, after all."
"You're saying they lack common sense?"
"That has to be the case if the administration has grossly miscalculated my intentions," she said without reservation. "I have every right to give away what's on my plate to disadvantaged people, but I have no right to take things from other people's plates and give them away. Likewise, I have every right to use the money gained from selling my personal possessions, but I have no right whatsoever to cut employees' salaries in half and take from their assets. People with even a basic amount of common sense would be able to know this instead of assuming things and resigning from their positions." Huffing and letting a flare of annoyance shoot through, "To this moment, I believe it's a great thing that those people walked out. I don't want anyone like them in the general cabinet."
"Who else do you think you're going to find if not those Loyalists who won't think about assassinating you?!" Arnook exclaimed. "How can you be so stubborn, Princess?"
"The Water Tribe has the second largest population in the world, climate limitations and other things considered, and that says a lot about the resilience of our people to survive and weather through anything," Yue said. "You think I won't be able to find even a few people who have at least an ounce of humanity and compassion in them to weather through this propaganda nonsense?"
"No, you won't. Not as long as Khasiq is alive and well and working through his people and propaganda." He sighed in distress, "It took years for me to build the trust of those Loyalists, and now they…"
Yue's displeasure would've been clearly visible if her masks and veils didn't hide her from the world. "There are children starving in the streets, working more hours than their bodies can withstand instead of going to schoolhouses. There are women being trafficked and forcibly sold to Khasiq's adult entertainment clubs, and those Loyalists that you're clinging to so much have done absolutely nothing about this. Yes, they are sparing our lives for once, but they're compromising the futures of the people. They're making no efforts whatsoever to even talk to the Order of the White Lotus or the International Branch of Humanitarian Affairs."
"Are you saying they're incompetent?"
"I could say a lot more about people who are indirectly supporting Khasiq's adult entertainment clubs at the expense of people who are left jobless and homeless," she said in a matter-of-fact manner. "They're saying my orders are wasting money, but what about their generous contributions to those clubs? Loyalist, Revivalist, Nationalist— these labels are pointless. Spirits know that these honorable politicians are slobbering over those poor abused women like hyena-bats in a rut—"
"They are highly experienced men, Princess. They are most likely waiting for the right moment to strike—"
"Starving citizens cannot wait, Chief. One must truly know the value of hunger before judging others' stomachs and telling them to wait." Glaring at the ground, "I mean, I really don't understand. I haven't done something morally reprehensible for people to walk out like that. I simply sent out a stimulus of ten thousand silver pieces to people in need—"
"Ten thousand silver pieces is too much—"
"According to my calculations, it is sufficient to meet their basic needs for at least four months, a timeframe in which the Black Lotus Project will hopefully get launched and officially start to meet their additional needs. And it appalls me to see how much of an issue this has become."
"Of course it will become an issue," Arnook told her. "The more sincere you are in politics, the more enemies you will make. The political arena is not safe, Princess. I'm not saying this because you are a woman. I'm saying this because it's true for anyone. You have no choice but to play the game at some point."
Yue shook her head, still unable to fathom the ridiculousness of the situation. "Your Loyalists over there are sitting in their seats, telling me the same exact thing." And after making eye contact with the chief for once, "I'm not here to be a politician or to play any sort of game. I'm here to be a servant of the people. One shouldn't have to play games to make sure their people eat three times a day—"
"Alright, alright," Arnook cut her off, holding his hands up in defense, "I can't argue with you anymore. Do as you wish. But please, for the love of the Spirits, just don't go on those hunger strikes again."
The tension still lingered in the air, but at least Yue was able to somewhat breathe away her accumulating stress.
"You might not tell me about the meeting," Arnook had softened his voice by now, "but at least tell me what happened this morning."
She hadn't been expecting that to be the next question. "Nothing happened this morning, Your Highness."
"I know there's something else that's on your mind," the chief said. "Something else happened, and you're not telling me. Lady Ting Yun was especially worried about you when she walked out of the meeting, and Lady Sayen isn't keen on telling me either—"
"I have everything under control. Just trust me on this."
Taking a deep breath, he stood up from his seat and walked closer to her, making sure his gait was gentle and suggestive of his care and concern, but he stopped midway when he noted how she flinched beneath her sweeping robes. Her palm flew straight to her mask that didn't need straightening in the first place. An additional cautious step forward made her stand up this time.
"I'm your father, Princess," Arnook sighed, his hand reaching for her shoulder, but she took a few steps back, her eyebrows furrowing beneath her face veil.
"I apologize, but I don't feel comfortable saying anything, Your Highness."
Arnook kept feeling a painful jab in his chest every time his daughter addressed him with his title. He admitted deep down that he was partially— if not entirely— to blame for this, given his fear of bonding with a daughter whose existence had to be kept a secret at all costs. Perhaps if he had spent a bit more time for her, this wouldn't have been an issue, but what was he to do if Tui's mercy extended only to the point of growing up within his home and not accepting him as her father? "Sokka should be here any minute... If you'd like to tell him—"
"Prince Sokka has a life that does not revolve around me. He didn't come to the North to wait on me hand and foot. And besides, this is not something I'd be comfortable telling a man."
Worriedly, "Shall I call the healer? Would you rather tell her?"
"She thinks the solution to everything is weight loss, and I'd very much like it if she doesn't cut my rations more than she already did. I need the energy to sit through the Global Conferences."
"She won't, she…" he trailed off helplessly, "Yue, please, my dear, I can't take this anxiety—"
"No one has physically misbehaved with me. I can tell you that. Now please stop worrying. This isn't something I'm comfortable telling anyone."
"It helps if you tell someone—"
"There's nothing that meditation, incense, and a cup of moonroot tea cannot fix," she said more firmly. "This isn't a big deal, really. I don't want to cause drama."
"This isn't drama, it's a question of my daughter's safety and respect, and if you think lighting incense to statues of the Spirits will fix the situation for you, then—"
"I have handled everything by myself in my life up until now, honorable angayok," she clutched the side of her tunic with one hand, "A tiny incident such as this is no different."
The chieftain froze and stared at her for a long moment, caught off guard. Swallowing hard in attempts to suppress the painful lurch in his chest, I did what I could to protect you, Princess. But the words never slipped out of his mouth.
"You've heard the story of the tribesboy who cried wolf, haven't you? The boy claimed he was being attacked by a wolf but was never serious?. Every time his father came back for him, there was nothing there. And in the end when the wolf really did come to claim his life, no one came to his rescue." The princess eyed him resolutely, "Everyone knows the lesson to not jest about certain matters, to not lie so compulsively, but no one talks about the what-if of the situation: what if the father really went back the fourth time?"
"You don't understand, Your Highness, they were trying to—!"
"No more excuses! You're just trying to stay behind in the North! That Earth Kingdom prince is truly a gentleman. He was willing to accept you for you and ask no further questions. How do you have the heart to accuse him of such horrendous actions?! Just to get out of this alliance—!"
"He's no prince, he's an imposter! They work for the Ba Sing Se brothels—!"
"Enough, Princess!"
Arnook's bloodshot eyes turned blurry from the onslaught of burning guilt.
"If you truly want to be a parent, you need to go back every time your child cries wolf, sir," Yue said, her voice turning calm once more. "Just in case. Not see it as a waste of time." A sigh, "Of course, I can't blame you entirely for this. What else is a puppet of intoxication to do?"
Unable to stand another moment in the same room as her, he saw himself out. Not out of anger but consuming guilt. He dabbed at his moistened eyes and stepped out of the meeting chambers, pausing in his step only upon seeing the Southern prince, who had apparently been listening with an expression encompassing conflict and unbridled concern.
"This is the price I have to pay…" gulp, "for locking her away from the world."
Sokka took a deep breath, watching the chief pitifully take a sip out of the container of intoxicant. "I can go talk to her."
"...not going to come around..." another sip, "Just let...let her have her space for now." He looked at the prince with bleary eyes, "Something happened, Sokka. I have a strong feeling…"
"I'll find out what happened. I'm sure Sayen and the others know. They're just not telling us."
With a weak nod and an exasperated huff, the Northerner tossed aside the empty bottle, reaching for another one.
"Chief, you've had too many—"
"No, I haven't—"
"Yes, you have," Sokka stopped the chief's hand firmly, a glare on his face. "You do realize this is the reason why Her Highness is upset with you. And she has every right to be!"
Arnook did not even bother to argue. Why would he if it was the truth?
"I know what you're thinking," the man said, staring at the intoxicant that was just out of reach, "It would've been nice if I paid her at least half as much attention as I'm giving this."
And he was not wrong. At the moment, Sokka was doing his very best not to snap at the man, simultaneously held back by a tugging reminder that at this point, the chief had neither courage nor willpower.
"I've tried and I've tried, but I haven't been able to be a true father to her… Been made into a...what did she say...a 'puppet of intoxication'... yes…" Grasping his head in his hands, "Every step I took was being counted and tracked. Some nights I thought I'd go crazy. Looking at the moon, knowing Tui is in the 'possessed' building in the eastern wing...But...this was all I could do…"
The Southerner took a deep breath and tugged at the tribesman's arm, "You need to relax, Chief—"
"You know, to this day, she addresses me only as a chieftain," Arnook slurred as the young isumataq pulled him up from his seat. "I salute—" he nearly tumbled forward had Sokka not caught him, "—her pride…" and the man let go of Sokka, crashing onto the bed.
"Chief, be careful—"
"'m fine…"
"I'll call a healer—"
"No," he rolled over until he was on his back and pointed to the table beside him, "Get me...tonic…liver support..."
"This one?" Sokka reached for a container on the table, labeled with a piece of paper that held a few instructions. He measured the appropriate amount with the utensil beside it and gave it to Arnook, who gulped it down.
"Caretaker…"
"What?"
"Moon Temple...caretaker…"
Widening his eyes, "What about her?"
"You know her?"
"Uh...no, not really, why would I know her? I just know there's a caretaker at the Moon Temple."
"She's my healer...gives me medicines every week..." the man sighed deeply and settled against the pillows, "Sweet child. Never even seen her face…"
Sokka stared at the container, eyes softening. He could hear the chief mumbling something incomprehensible into his pillow as he slowly drifted into sleep.
"Yue…my sweet child...Yue…"
The prince pulled the covers over the chieftain, glancing briefly at his shaken form and brushing back the tears that leaked from the man's closed eyes.
"It's not the end of the world, Chief. The princess does care about you."
"What exactly happened?"
Sayen and Ting found their conversation interrupted by the Southern prince, who took his seat beside them. And judging by the look on his face, he wasn't willing to take no as an answer to his question.
"You two are always with Her Highness according to what I've been hearing around here. You know that something else happened this morning. As an ally of Her Highness, I need to know what that is."
"Prince Sokka, the princess told us to not to—"
"The chief is beating himself up over not knowing and so am I, to be honest."
"It's really not a big deal, so don't stress over it—"
"Then just say what it is if it's not something to worry about." Raising his eyebrows at their lack of response, "Unless if it is."
They still appeared unsure.
"I promise you I'm a mature listener," he said. "We're all adults here. And what we're about to discuss is only for the benefit of Her Highness. I'm not just an outsider, you know. So please."
And by judging the sincere look on the prince's face, they found that they couldn't refuse the request. "During her first meeting with the cabinet members this morning, the princess found out about the resignations that took place since yesterday afternoon," Ting began. "It was a pretty rough meeting, too. The resignees gave rather baseless 'critiques,' by which I mean just more sexist yakshit spewing out of their mouths in the name of criticism."
"The princess didn't react at all," Sayen followed. "And right after the meeting, she said she needed to be somewhere and that she'll be back in time for the next meeting. We offered to go with her, but she said she'd rather have no one follow her."
"We were worried about her, so we followed her without her knowing. Just to make sure everything's okay…"
"You see that, Ishuqan? Our princess is the epitome of fairness and compassion."
Nuqao's voice permeated through the corridor that the princess was passing through. Her feet came to a stop, and she looked in their direction, spotting them lounging beside the decorative pillars a little ways away.
"Yes indeed, sir," the assistant drawled. "Our princess has a very big heart."
"Oh yes. She'll do absolutely anything to make sure the people are doing well."
"Anything?"
"Anything." Nuqao leered, "Our princess is soooo great that she won't stop at selling her possessions."
"What are you saying, sir?"
"I'm saying that if it means the people in our tribe are well off, our compassionate princess would even sell her body next. Would she not?"
Yue's frown manifested into a glare in their direction, but with all forms of her expression hidden beneath an infuriating veil, they were not the least bit intimidated and continued to laugh about like deranged gorilla-spiders.
"Think of how much people would pay to fuck a princess. There would be a very high demand for that sort of thing, wouldn't it?"
"She could bargain for a hefty price. The men who can pay her the highest amounts can get the most out of her services."
"Now that would be a successful business strategy."
"YOU BASTARDS!" came a terrorizing shriek that belonged to Lady Sayen. She lunged out of the shadows, having grabbed a spear that was on display beside her, but a horrified Yue grabbed her arm and held her back.
"Sayen, please, calm down—!"
"You hear what those imbeciles are saying about you, Princess?!" Ting followed, bending icy daggers in her hands.
"They're just words, ladies, they mean nothing. Now stand down."
The two Revivalists glowered in the direction of the amused Nationalists before being dragged away by their ever-patient leader. To their dismay, however, the Nationalists trailed behind them, following the women wherever they went.
"I imagine it would also be very comfortable for the princess to forego that cheap calico, Ishuqan," Nuqao simpered. "How expensive it is to wear clothing. She could simply wander the North bare as the day she was born and not have to worry about expenses on robes and sarashis."
"It would make for good advertising for her business, too."
"Ignore," the princess told the Revivalists, swallowing her own discomfort.
"And it won't be a one-time thing, either. See, if you sell your possessions once, they're gone forever, but you can sell your services over and over and over."
"You're right! Say, would you pay to fuck the princess, sir?"
"I would have no choice but to do so. You see, I care so much about the poor. I'll donate what I can."
The Revivalist women were getting really restless at that point, so the princess turned back in the direction of the two Nationalists, "It would behoove the two of you to spend your time and energy somewhere useful instead of following us around. I might tolerate your behavior, but my friends here are not so passive."
"Relax, Princess, we're only trying to help you raise funds for your executive orders!" the assistant taunted her. "In fact, I even have a suggestion for you." Turning to his superior, "What do you think of the 'one night, one village' policy, sir? You think it'll do for her?"
"Actually, make it 'one night, one neighborhood.' Oh, and you should charge less for returning customers, Princess. That way, they'd get more bang for their buck!"
"The princess had so much restraint, I tell you," Sayen winced, sharing a look with Ting. "She told us not to tell anyone or make this an issue, but she didn't say a single word after what happened."
"Yeah, she was like a stone throughout the whole second meeting…" Ting trailed off as a loud slap against the ice table shook its surface, resulting in cracks that threatened to split the table in two. The fuming prince was torpedoing out of the chamber, his fists clenched.
"Prince Sokka? Where are you going?"
"Prince Sokka, wait! Isumataq!"
Ringing through the northern wing were several shrieks that stopped all the bustling in the palace. The commotion eventually reached the princess; one minute, she was basking in calm, warmth, and fragrant incense in the solitude of her room, and in the next minute, she was rushing out of her study, led by a frantic servant. Moments later, she was standing in front of Eiji, Rin, Ting, and Sayen; they had apparently dragged the angry isumataq away from the northern wing, where Khasiq's unfortunate assistants were discovered writhing on the ground, folding their palms over their mouths in agony. The Southern prince had no sign of remorse on his face, much less any other expression apart from a proud, lazy grin of greeting that stretched upon his lips at the sight of the princess.
"What happened?" she asked him. "Did they try to hurt you or something? Insult you?"
"Actually, this was all a reaction to them insulting you, Princess," Eiji said.
"Say what now?" the princess turned to Sokka, "What did you…?"
"Well for starters, I didn't do anything," he held his hands up in defense, "The pieces of your Spirits in me did all the work."
Not pleased with the answer, she turned to everyone else. They took up the story one by one, starting with Sayen and Ting, who admitted to explaining what happened that morning to the prince. From there, chaos had ensued.
"And that's when we found our isumataq...er…"
"Say it like it is, my man," Sokka said, turning to the princess next, "I shoved a flaming chopstick in each of their mouths, no big deal—"
"No big deal?" the princess widened her eyes.
"Second-degree burns as confirmed by the healers," Eiji added, "No other injuries apart from that, Princess."
"Oh Spirits...Where are they now?"
"Still crying like little bitches in the infirmary."
"Sayen—"
"Oh come on, Princess, this is clearly a punishment from the Spirits," Sayen huffed. "I don't remember a time Khasiq's idiots weren't yapping away all kinds of shit with their mouths. Even sewer-beetles wouldn't last a day on their tongues."
"Sayen, please, I'm asking about their progress."
"They won't be able to talk for several weeks, in the very least, Princess," Ting told her. "They'll also have to survive on cool liquids for a while."
"They have to be careful, too, according to what the healers are saying," Rin followed. "If they don't care for their tongues properly, the chances of catching an infection are higher, and if that happens...well, they won't have their tongues anymore."
"Oh no," Yue's frown deepened with worry, "This is bad."
"There's no threat to their lives, Princess, they'll make it," Rin assured. "If anything, they'll have to give their mouths a bit of a rest, and that's frankly something everyone needs them to do."
"Besides, it's karma," Ting said. "That's what they get for calling Tui all kinds of things over the years."
The princess was not convinced, "It's still my fault they're like this. I will personally cover for all of their expenses in the infirmary, and I'll visit them as soon as possible to express my apologies—"
"Your Highness, if you have any respect for me, you will not apologize for what happened, and you will not concern yourself with what they deserved to have happen to them," Sokka said. "It's not your fault. Those cretins needed this. And if somebody has to be blamed, it's me. I should've been on duty sooner. Maybe then I could've shut them up." Turning to the others, "I take sole responsibility for what happened as the princess's bodyguard, and I will gladly point to the terms and conditions I was adhering to in the bodyguard handbook if those imbeciles decide they want to come at me."
The surrounding cabinet members found themselves secretly entertained, wondering if the prince's actions were really a result of his duty or if they actually oscillated between protectiveness and admiration for the princess, but needless to say that the princess was not amused. "Prince Sokka, may I speak to you privately in my study?"
"Yes, ma'am."
As they made their way over to her study, Yue kept wondering why on earth the prince was smiling with such pride even in a situation that would've gotten him in trouble had it not been for the fact that he was her bodyguard. And when they were finally alone in an environment where she could pull her veils aside and not worry about being seen, she found that she couldn't express complete sternness with him.
"Prince Sokka—"
"I got you something, Baby Blue," he slung his sheath over to his front and reached into them, pulling out a coveted bunch of ipomoeas. He held them out in front of her, the grin on his face widening.
"You think flowers are going to cover up what happened?"
"No, but…"
She crossed her arms, her disapproval prompting him to put the flowers away in disappointment, "What is going on, isumataq? Why are you getting yourself into trouble for my sake?"
"It's not for your sake. Someone needs to slap some sense into those people at some point."
"And you thought this was the best way? Seriously, isumataq, how can you not be affected by this even a little bit?"
"Because I know I did the right thing, dronningi. If those idiots got the ass-whooping they needed when they first started going down the wrong ice rink, then maybe they wouldn't have been in this situation."
"Even if what they said was unacceptable, they are still free to say whatever they want about me, and I'm no dictator to—"
"Would you say this same thing if they trash-talked someone else like that? Would you let them off the hook so easily?"
"There would have been consequences that did not involve burning their mouths, that's for sure."
"Just be happy that I didn't directly cut off their tongues as the Code would suggest, Princess—"
"And why would you do that?" she asked, incredulous. "I am not asking you to defend me, isumataq. Did I ever ask you to defend me?" Taking a deep breath, "I didn't appoint you to be my knight. I liked that you let me be myself. I wanted a friend for once. That's the only selfish reason behind why I agreed to this."
"It's because I'm your friend that I wish to defend you. Even after they heal, those imbeciles won't be using their mouths to throw insults ever again. Especially not in your direction." Leaning against the nearest table, "My first advice as your ethics minister: certain punishments work wonders if they're used correctly on toxic people."
"I haven't appointed you as the ethics minister yet—"
"My parents were more than thrilled that I'm taking up this position, by the way. They think it'll be a great internship of sorts." Yes, it was a lie, but he wasn't going to let anything screw up this opportunity. "Alright, dronningi, think about it this way. You're a fan of your Spirits, aren't you? Don't you know that what goes around comes back around in some form? The universe is a big ol' karmic boomerang! I slap people across the face, I get slapped in the face. An idiot crosses the line with indecent behavior, his ass gets handed to him. Two blubber-suckers draw the last straw with their idiotic comments, somebody shoves burning chopsticks down their throats. It's all good, really!"
Still frowning, "We can sit here and talk about ethics all day long, but what I need you to understand first and foremost is that it is not your job to defend me from what other people are thinking or saying about me. Especially in ways that put your reputation at risk. I was not physically attacked. Therefore, you did not have to do what you did."
"You wanna talk ethics, Princess? Let's do it." Giving her a knowing look, "Back at the Multicultural Feast the other day, why did you defend me so publicly? Back when I was just an acquaintance?"
"Because everyone is entitled to respect, and you did not deserve that kind of unfair treatment."
"Bingo," came his reply. "I did the same thing. The only difference is that this is my innun i'La way of handling things."
Indeed, she still disapproved of what happened, but a bold part of her admitted that she was not sure if she was distracted by him or...dare she say, drawn to him. It was probably the smile tugging at his lips, the memory of the thrill she felt in his company last night, the righteous anger that, granted, should've been expressed differently, or even the promise of raw, delightful mischief in his sharp blue eyes... Not to mention the distinct smell of ocean and musk that swirled around her, exuding with his close proximity...or perhaps it was a mixture of all of the above...
"Besides," he breathed, "I told you before that I have a habit of defending the people I really care about. This includes the women in my life."
Raising her eyebrows, "Are you saying I'm... one of the women in your life?"
Blinking as his "suave streak" came to an abrupt pause, "Uh...I mean...of course…" his hand flew to the back of his head, his face reddening, "I mean that you're the princess and did so much for the South and are the soon-to-be chieftess, so of course you'll be a huge part of my life. Lives. As in all of our lives, I mean," chuckling awkwardly, "Why would I have more than one life all at once, isn't that silly—?"
"I think I get what you're saying."
Though she resisted the urge to grin, a smirk tugged at his bottom lip, "Is that a smile I see—?"
"What? No, I—"
"You're smiling, Princess—"
"No, there is nothing smiley about what happened today, Prince Sokka, and I'm really hoping that this will not happen again—"
"Princess?"
Yue couldn't have felt luckier than she did at that moment when Sokka quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her face from the view of a servant who barged into her study without notice. She scrambled to pull up her mask. Sokka frowned at the servant, "You gotta knock, my guy!"
"My apologies, Your Highnesses, I was in a hurry," the servant bowed several times, "There's someone here to see you, Princess."
"You know, these flowers aren't going to smell themselves," Sokka said, sniffing the inside of his sheath as he struggled to keep up with the princess.
"I haven't forgotten your performance in these ten seconds, isumataq," came the reply.
"But you don't' have to let it ruin your mood for the rest of the day, right?"
"What can possibly uplift my mood now after— hey, we have a tiny visitor…"
She was referring to one of the guests, specifically a chubby baby— likely a year old or maybe older by a few months— settled in the arms of who appeared to be an old man from afar.
"Are you sure nothing can cheer you up, dronningi?" Sokka teased Yue, finding it very amusing to see her attention repeatedly bouncing over to the baby. He could see that she was squeeing from behind her veils, the joy in her eyes obvious. In fact, she even picked up her pace, her excitement evident in her every step.
"We will talk about this matter later."
"As you wish, Princess."
The old man, when seen more closely, actually looked quite malnourished. It was a wonder how he was able to carry anything, let alone a baby with his aged frame appearing so bony, almost as if his arms would break from the child's weight. The man was looking as if he was caught off guard as he listened to a servant explain the different refreshments that the princess had wanted prepared for her guest. As he heard additional footsteps, the man turned in the direction of the princess and her bodyguard.
Only he didn't seem to think she was the princess given her rather ordinary attire. "Prince Sokka of the South, it is an honor to meet you," the man greeted Sokka, "Is Her Highness on her way, sir?"
"Actually, this is she," he gestured to Yue, "Her Grace, the lovely Princess of the Northern Water Tribe."
"Oh...Your Grace, I'm so sorry. My name is Kirugan," the old man attempted to bow in spite of the difficulty presented by him carrying the child, but Yue stopped his efforts.
"It's alright, good sir. I'm not a fan of these kinds of formalities." Turning to the prince, "My friend here is a bit ambitious with titles."
"You're too kind, Your Grace," the prince flashed her an impossibly wide grin in response.
"You may just call me 'Princess," Yue told the old man. "Unfortunately, I cannot reveal my name due to security purposes. I hope you don't mind. Please, have a seat." Her smile widened as she directed her attention to the baby, "And look who else is here," she said in a cutesy tone. "What's your name, sweet boy?"
"This is my grandson, Your Highness," the man told her. "Kur'i'tui is his name."
"Kur'i'tui," she repeated, "'A blessing from Tui.' You've got a very cool name there, sweetie." She held the baby's chubby hand, giggling in delight as he gripped her finger very tightly and babbled something to her.
The man seemed quite taken aback by the princess's behavior, which was a stark contrast to the egotistical Khasiq, who usually went as far as shoving the poor folk out of his way as he rode the Northern sidewalks on his yakhorse. Khasiq wouldn't have even allowed people like Kirugan inside of the palace, and here was the princess, offering him refreshments, a fancy pelt-cushioned seat, and respect by using the formal tone with him in conversation.
Yue, after taking another look at the old man's condition, softened her gaze, "Pardon me, sir, but you're looking quite thin, and I don't think refreshments will do. We can discuss the reason for your visit after you eat a good meal." Turning to the servant lady beside them, "Can you please escort our guest to the royal dining area and arrange for his lunch?"
"It's alright, Your Highness—"
"Oh, right, I apologize, you would probably want to be close to your grandson."
"It's not that, Your Highness, I'm actually—"
"Bring the meal up here, if you will please," she told the servant. "Oh, and for our most important guest," she thumbed the baby's cheek, "please bring in some mashed kale and moonpeach pulp." She smiled at the old man, "I hear it's very good for children. Would it be alright if he had some?"
"Sure, Y-Your Highness, of course…"
The servant hurried away, and in the meantime, the princess held the refreshments out to the man, "Help yourself in the meantime."
"I can hold your grandson in the meantime," Sokka offered, earning a look of playful envy from the princess. "Alright, warrior boy, come to Uncle Sokka," and he picked the baby up, supporting him with his bulky build, simultaneously shooting a smirk in the princess's direction, "There ya go!"
The old man noted how the Southern prince was in a cheerful disposition around her, how their interaction was very fun-loving and friendly, not at all resembling the stiff, forced formalities that he had expected from people of such high status. It continued to appall him.
The baby continued to babble something to Yue, staring at her with his big blue eyes, and she kept squeeing all over him. "Oh, he's so precious!" Turning to the man, "May I hold him?"
"Believe me, she really wants to," Sokka chuckled.
The man seemed surprised that the princess would want anything to do with people of such low status as them, "Y-Yes...yes, Princess, of course."
Yue took the child into her arms, adopting a soft sway in her posture as the baby settled in her grip, continuing to look at her (or rather, the masks that covered her face). He reached for her mask, trying (and failing) to pull it out of the way. Amused by his determination, she began to walk around while holding him against her.
"You're a beautiful baby, you know that?" she said to him, sofly poking his belly. He giggled and waved his arms, making the princess laugh gleefully, "You like that, don't you?" And after turning around to where they couldn't see her, she held onto her mask, "You wanna see me, don't you? You wanna see me?"
Kur'i'tui cooed and reached for her mask.
"Alright, brace yourself. One...two...three…" and pulling her mask down while facing away from their view, "whalefeet!"
The baby laughed hard and reached for her face, only to become confused as she pulled up her mask again. "Okay, one more time. One...two...three...whalefeet!" And more giggles chimed through, resulting in the princess trailing kisses over him.
Sokka beamed at Yue, feeling his chest fill up with joy even as he realized he truly was a helpless goner in her presence.
"So it's true," the old man mused, noticing on the princess's attire the cheap material that made up what would have otherwise been poly silk luxury, "she really did renounce expensive things..."
"Of course she did," Sokka told Kirugan, "because she cares more about the tribe and its people." Turning back to the princess with admiration in his gaze, "A princess like her won't come again."
And forming on the man's face was a look of abundant hope coupled with sheer remorse. He didn't touch the food that the servant brought in, simply watching the Southern prince and Northern princess fuss over his grandson. Sokka set him in his lap as Yue fed the child all sorts of dishes fit for a baby prince.
"You want a cake, sweetie?" Yue asked.
"It tastes sweet," Sokka told him, "You like sweet things, little man?"
"Come on, just a little bit, just a little...there you are!"
"Mmmm, that tastes good, doesn't it?"
And Kirugan couldn't take the sight anymore. Such excessive compassion was sitting before him, and his guilty heart couldn't take it. "For the past few days, my grandson didn't even have enough milk to drink, Your Highnesses," he confessed. "We had no food at home. And if his mother doesn't eat, how can she feed him her milk?"
His words caught the leaders' attention.
"Princess, I make two copper pieces per hour as an armorer," the man told her, his voice breaking. "It was never enough to meet the family expenses, but my son was able to work and provide. After he got injured, he was ordered bedrest for several months and ended up losing his job. We were struggling to eat at least once a day, and on top of that, we were about to lose our house because of our debts…" tears trailed down the man's eyes, "All I kept wondering these past few days is what would happen to our family if we lost the only roof we had. Out in the streets in the Arctic, of all places. Your Highness, it was hell. We decided to end our lives," looking up at her with bloodshot eyes, "This morning, I used my last three copper pieces to buy seal-rat poison for us to drink. It would've all been over had we not received a sum of ten thousand silver pieces…!"
By now, the shocked prince and princess were both standing up with Yue holding the baby close to her. Both leaders listened as the man regurgitated every bit of his pain. Kirugan wiped at his eyes but failed to stop his tears as he went on, "I had no faith in you, Princess. I doubted you because you were a woman. But you have saved our family. With your money, we were able to eat, pay off our debts and make our igloo ours for good." Gesturing to his grandson, "And that boy did not starve to death."
Yue hugged the child close to her, rubbing his little back as he licked at the cream that was sticking to his tiny fingers.
"I have forsaken Mother Tui in her worship, but she hasn't forsaken us," the old man told her, "She has come to us in your form, Princess." And he fell to his knees in front of her, letting his sobs take over his helpless, bony form.
"Sir...sir, please, I didn't do much, I just—"
"We all feel horrible for doubting your leadership—"
"It's alright, sir, I understand—"
"We can't ever repay you, Princess!" he cried and cried, his tears nearly soaking up the ice. "Our family would've been dead on the streets if it wasn't for you, Princess!"
"Oh dear...Sir, nothing's going to happen to your family. It's okay...please, sir, don't cry, don't bow, please…" What do I do now? "I can use a little help here, Prince So—" and she trailed off, quite surprised to see the prince frozen beside her, tiny traces of moisture in his own eyes. "Isumataq, are you crying?"
"Huh? What?" he stepped back into reality and turned around, quickly dabbing at his face, "Who told you that? I'm not crying!"
"Sokka…"
"I'm okay, I'm okay, really," he sniffed and knelt forward, bringing the man back up to his feet, "Alright, sir, I get it, I do, but Her Highness doesn't like it when people bow to her." Another sniff followed by the clearing of his throat, "Why not bless her instead?"
"How can I possibly bless Her Highness?" the man choked out, "I'm just a commoner…"
"You're older than her, aren't you? So you can bless her. Like so…" and Sokka turned to Yue, "'Oh, Great princess of the North, or should I say, Tui on earth, may the Spirits and the universe grant you lots of happiness and a ver long, healthy life. May you reign as the best chieftess in the history of the entire world, and may you always be happy no matter how chaotic the world gets…'"
Yue felt heat rush up to her face from beneath her mask.
"'...and may you meet a great guy who will support you with everything you do...that is,'" sporting a cautious look, "'if you want a husband, I mean, there's no force in it or anything but you get my point...And if you would like a companion, may he preferably be someone funny so he can make you smile and laugh all the time because you have the most beautiful laugh I've ever been blessed to hear, by the Spirits—'"
"Okay, I think that's more than enough," she began but was quickly cut off.
"'...and I hope you have awesome, amazing children who take after you and make the world a better place...and again, this is only if you want to have kids, no pressure, although any guy would be lucky to father your children, but anyway—'"
"Prince Sokka, I think your point has been made—"
"'And most importantly, may you forgive your bodyguard for defending your name and bashing up Khasiq's shitholes,'" sporting a somewhat sheepish look, "'because he only had good intentions behind doing so and hates it when people insult you, so...so yeah...may all of this happen…'"
Yue gazed at the smiling prince with a wild blush and a rare grin on her face, all of it hidden beneath her mask. The old man, clearly given plenty of time to recover as the leaders basked in the air of bashful mirth about them, managed a tiny smile, "What he said. May the Goddess grant you all of that, Your Highness." Dabbing away his tears, "Your Highness, I shouldn't be asking more from you, but I can't help it."
"Please don't hesitate, good sir."
"My daughter-in-law is a genius, you see. I was against her going to work all this time, but I knew she was a genius. She was the one who managed our household budget in our troubling times…"
At that, Sokka and Yue gave him surprised looks. With a rejuvenated spirit, Yue asked him, "Is she good with finances?"
"Her gifts are Tui-given, Princess." Giving Yue a hopeful look, "I was wondering if there is a way you can help her get a nice job. She said she is willing to work."
And with all the pride and joy in the world, Yue promised, "I know of a job right here in the palace. Right under my wing. Top security will be provided. The monthly wage is twenty-eight thousand silver pieces. Work hours are from nine hours past midnight to five hours past midday with breaks offered in between. The palace offers top-tier babysitting services, too, if she'd like someone to watch over Kur'i'tui. Do you think she would like that?"
"Oh Tui, oh dear Tui, this is all so wonderful! Princess, there is no greater honor!"
Sokka and Yue shared triumphant looks, wordlessly celebrating. We have our new financial advisor!
Old Man Kirugan took his well-fed grandson and left with high spirits and a hopeful smile. He would be the first of many people, Yue believed, to both corrode their previous discriminatory views— as evidenced by Kirugan's remorse and newfound willingness to send the women in his household to work— and to view the princess's executive orders in a positive light. It was to see that kind of happiness in many disadvantaged people that she began her efforts, and it was both inspiring and revitalizing to know that even if there were people willing to come forth and support her. The key to selecting her candidates rested in the North's untouched demographic: women. Numerous geniuses like Kirugan's daughter-in-law, confined to their homes instead of being allowed to soar with value and freedom. The princess just couldn't wait to start recruiting, knowing that there were plenty more Neo-Loyalists in the making.
But now, she had someone else that she needed to tend to first: Sokka. Speaking of which, the man was rather bashful in his demeanor at the moment, rubbing the back of his head, "You'd be a really great mom."
Blinking at him in surprise, "Pardon?"
"You'd be a great mom, Princess...A-And I don't mean that in an offensive way, I mean you're kind and caring and—"
"Prince Sokka, I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle more praise coming from you ever again," she cut him off, chuckling nevertheless, "And in all honesty, I think you'd be a great dad, too."
"I would?"
"Why not? You're fun, protective. Emotional, too, apparently…"
Holding his head up high, "It was a moment of weakness, Princess, it will never happen again." Sighing, "It's just...that poor man and…And you were just so kind…" Swallowing down a persistent lump in his throat, "I just love you so much, dronningi."
And the startled gasps of the lingering maids knocked some sense into him. With wide eyes, "No, nononono, that's not what I mean, Princess, I mean I really like you as a leader—!"
"Calm down, isumataq, I get it," she chuckled, relieving everyone in the chamber from their duties for the day. She let her mask slip in their solitude. "You know, your flowers aren't going to sniff themselves."
He perked up at the comment and reached for his sheath, ushering out the impeccable white flowers. She took them from him, whiffing the unmistakable fragrance. "They smell really nice." Smiling at him, "You smell nice, too."
"I do?" he squeaked.
"Of course," and she ruffled his hair. "Say, did you have breakfast this morning?"
"Nope."
"Really?"
"I mean...I ate, like, one noodle 'cause my mom forced me to have breakfast with Uncle Amaruq— he came to visit by the way with his family and boy, do I have news for you, Princess—but I could eat more, you know? A growing man has to eat!"
"A grown man has to eat, too, Sokka," her bell-like laughter soothed his spirit, "I have some snacks in my office."
"Or we can eat out," he whispered. "If you're done with everything, for now, we can go to the Moon Temple. It's about time we got started on your flute lessons."
Looking around to make sure there was no sight of everyone else, "We could…" Then frowning in realization, "You just need an excuse to buy me food, don't you?"
"Dronningi, you've done so much for us! We can never repay—!"
"Alright alright, don't start!"
A/N: Sorry for the long chapter. Until next time!