Chapter 61: Pride, Warmth, and Truth

The Water Tribe's obsession with procreation, coursing through the veins of each citizen in place of blood, reared its seductive head as preparations for the consummation night began with great urgency. The dronningi and isumataq became the centers of attention, having been dragged to opposite ends of the palace and privately harassed since the past hour by various eager servants regarding which scents the young leaders should bathe in, which perfumes they should be doused with, which silks they should wear and in what ways they should wear them to, as one of the maidservants put it, "accentuate areas of interest." Additionally, fertility rituals, set to take place beforehand, were also being planned.

It was during this time that Katara and Aang approached Sokka with a firm resolution, presenting the issue as carefully as they could after making sure the servants gave them their privacy.

"This is your chance, Sokka," Katara told him. "You get the opportunity to have a private conversation with her. You get to stay with her in the same room, and no one's going to disturb you. I'd say this is the chance for you to tell her the truth about who she is."

"Katara—"

"We can't keep this hidden forever," Aang jumped in. "We might've been able to if her dad wasn't an Air Nomad, but that's not the case. Just think about it, Sokka; what are you gonna do if you two confess and treat this marriage as being real in the near future? What if you two have airbending children? It will freak her out."

"I'll think of something," Sokka said, his answer not at all satisfactory.

"Sokka, she was asking me about those beads earlier," Aang said, "This is getting serious."

"When?" Sokka said, alarmed, "She didn't ask in front of me!"

"Well she asked me just a few minutes ago while you were out here. Apparently, she had spoken to Priestess Osha earlier, and Osha told her that I have the beads."

"What did you say?"

"I told her I sent them to Gyatso for investigation and that I'll keep her informed if I hear anything back."

"Did you say anything to Gyatso?"

"No, I didn't tell him anything other than to investigate."

"Then just tell Yue you didn't hear anything back. You don't have to hear anything back ever. But I'm not telling her anything."

"Sokka!"

"Guys, she was terrified yesterday," the prince said, "She's even saying she'll step down from the throne if that's the case. 'Cause she doesn't want to deceive people."

"What?" Katara and Aang widened their eyes.

"It took me forever to convince her that nothing and no one wil be taken away from her," Sokka told them, softening his eyes. "I can't put her through that pain. I won't."

"What are we going to do then?" Katara asked, "She'll find out one way or another—"

"No, she won't," Sokka said. "I'll make up some story about our side of the family having an airbender in the bloodline and that no one talks about them. We can say they were disowned or something but that we have a bit of airbender blood in us. Air Nomad and Water Tribe alliances are very common after all."

"And how are you going to explain an entire household full of nonbenders and waterbenders?"

"We can say it was many years ago and that people haven't seen airbenders be born with so many waterbenders outnumbering them in the family."

"That might be sufficient if you tell her that— if she believes you, that is— but you can't lie about our family history to our own family, genius," the master waterbender frowned. "You need to recognize that everything's gonna start spiraling down. And what about your position down South? I'm rooting for you and Yue all the way, but you know what the outcome is going to be if you and Yue have a baby with air bending blood."

"Your grandfather already doesn't want the Akna to be a part of the family. We won't tell him that she's the Akna, of course, and we won't tell him about this, either, but if our niece or nephew starts making mini-tornadoes, everyone's gonna give Yue weird looks."

"And just as a heads up, there are going be people who will talk all kinds of nonsense," Katara said. "Like they did about Mom. You might be able to spin a story to calm her down temporarily, but one, she's not an idiot and two, you can't avoid the South forever."

And although they were bringing up valid points, Sokka couldn't help but think with his heart rather than his sense of reason.

"Sokka, if you want to have a relationship with her, and if you want to take your relationship to the next step, you need to prepare her," Aang said. "I know you two would want a family. Yes, I know, it's not going to be an easy or pleasant experience by any means if she finds out the truth now, but it will save a lot of heartache in the future."

"You have to understand. We can't run the risk of her going through the kind of torture that Mom went through—"

"I'm not making the mistakes that Dad made. He kept Mom in that kind of environment for too long. Even if he didn't know it was toxic. But I'll be staying behind in the North. Yue never wanted to leave the North anyway."

"You can't just say that," Katara insisted, "You also have to think about what this would mean for your position as the next chief."

"It's not too big of an issue if you rule from here," Aang said, "But the thing is, if your grandfather doesn't agree—"

"Then I won't end up being chief."

"You say it so easily," Katara frowned worriedly.

"What's there to worry about? I served the South, and I'll continue doing so in other ways. I'm not the only heir; you're next in line. You're voluntarily marrying an airbender, but Aang's an all-rounder as the Avatar, so that's an exception—"

"That still doesn't mean I solely have the ability to pass down Water Tribe blood. That's coming from Katara's side. We'd both be in a similar situation."

"I never stood a chance with the throne anyway," Katara said, "I'm technically eligible, but Pakku would rather have a guy take over that responsibility. You know it."

"Pakku's ego is all in his dick," the isumataq glared.

"I don't want the South, besides," Katara said. "I want freedom. I want to be able to travel with Aang. But you…everyone's hopes are set on you."

"You know what the beauty about this is, Katara? We have Ko-bear! If we teach him the right things, he'll make a great chieftain. And if he finds love in someone who's not Water Tribe, we have the new baby that's on the way, right?" Shrugging, "Though if that baby grows up and ends up with someone not from the Water Tribe, I wouldn't know what to make of that situation."

"Kohana and the new baby are always going to be considered, but…Sokka, you're the firstborn son. You were the most awaited son. Their hopes have always been on you. They want to see you on the throne."

"Then they should know that I would want to see my child on the throne, too, one day," he said. "Having airbending blood isn't sinful. My wife is perfect the way she is, and my children are gonna be perfect the way they turn out. There's no doubt about that. But I can't disclose this. It will break her heart and ruin her peace."

"Sokka, you're letting your feelings get in the way of thinking this through—"

"I will go to hell and back to cover this up however I can," he reiterated firmly. "I'm a simple man with simple needs, and I know my priorities. If there's even a slight chance of discrimination against my wife and children, I don't want the throne. I'll be happy to train Kohana, and he'll take care of the South. I'll still contribute to the South but just in different ways. No further discussions necessary."

Akluviq and Kheera, rejuvenated by the princess's approval yet severely crunched by time, prepared for an immediate sky bison ride around the city, diving into their surveillance of the city from a bird's eye view first. From there, they would traverse the city via gondola before interacting with the public directly. The isumataq was selected to accompany them and provide insight into his and the princess's activities and policy revisions that helped shape the tribe as it is present day. The plan was for the group to be back by moonset, just in time for the isumataq to prepare for the eventful night.

There was yet another duty to take care of; as it turned out, word was already sent to Arnook and Ahnah regarding the possibility of consummation. The leadership council notified the chief and chieftess even before having the conversation with Yue about it.

"But I hadn't given you my approval. I could have refused," Yue raised her eyebrows, "How overconfident, Mr. Akluviq."

"No, Your Highness, it's desperation," the man told her. "The entire tribe is desperate, and your parents are desperate. We are all waiting for good things to happen for you, and we were determined to take these steps. That's why as soon as we heard what happened, we reached out to your parents."

"You didn't tell them about the attack, did you—?"

"No, no, of course not!" Kheera assured her. "We didn't wish to stress them out with the news. Especially with the chieftess now being pregnant."

"If anything, we wish to keep them happy. They are very excited for tonight. They aren't aware of the expedited coronation, though; that's something we need to talk to them about. I know they will be ecstatic to learn they can come back and stay with you for good."

Yue frowned, "I don't know if it's a good idea to have them here…"

"They insisted they want to be present. They had honestly been planning to visit and spend time with you for your birthday on the solstice. We didn't tell them about the coronation, though, just the consummation."

"But the situation here is…"

"Khasiq is imprisoned, and much of his influence is suppressed."

"That doesn't mean there's no danger," the dronningi said, disconcerted as she thought back to the discussion she had with Niqquq.

"But you do realize that the world must know that your mother is alive," Kheera pointed out, "And that your parents are doing well and are even expecting twins. All of this will happen with security of course; all of your safety is our number one priority."

"Not to mention you have a gem of a husband who is constantly looking out for them, Princess," Akluviq noted. "He treats them as if they're his own parents. I mean, flying across the world to check on in-laws? There are very few people who do that. Very few men."

"You keep talking about what an asset he is to us," she said, averting her gaze, "But what about his wants? His needs? He's inevitably going to leave us."

"What?"

"I mean that he has to go home at some point," she said, adding, "To convince his parents. They don't know we're married after all."

"Oh, that," the duo sighed in relief. "We were afraid you were talking about something else."

"We can't take this lightly," she pressed. "I honestly don't feel great about a traditional consummation without his parents knowing or approving…" With a frown, "And I know they aren't going to approve."

"What's not to approve, Your Highness? Any parent would want what's best for their children. Chief Hakoda and Chieftess Kya wanted Sokka to marry before the full moon six months prior, and they'll be happy to know that he did according to the demands of his birth chart. Their greatest fear was that he would be a loner, and now they don't have to worry about that."

"They need to realize that their son's happiness is what matters the most," Kheera said. "Sokka is very much happy and in love with you. You are most deserving of this position; they should be honored to be your in-laws." Placing her hand on Yue's shoulder, "Anyhow, I advise you to not think about these things. You have reached the end of your strife. You've always wanted to be a mother, yes? Well now, this is your chance to create your own little world with the man you love. Everything else is insignificant."

Their conversation was interrupted as Aang and Katara approached them, led by a hasty Sokka. The trio attempted to appear normal, refusing to show the weight of their earlier conversation on their faces, but when Sokka was informed of his duty (and his duty only) to accompany the leadership council members, he did not look very pleased.

"The auspicious timings for today are around midnight," Akluviq said. "The fertility rituals will start then. Right now it's twenty minutes 'till an hour past midday. This means we have a little over eleven hours left." Turning to Aang, "Do you think we can bring the chief and chieftess here by sky bison in that time?"

"I think it's doable if you fly nonstop," Aang said. "My friend, Chodha, came here to visit last week. I'm sure he'll be glad to bring his sky bison."

"I'll go with him and bring them here," Ivaneq volunteered. "I don't have too much to do anyway, and my assistants can take care of everything in the meantime."

"I got a message from Gyatso," Aang said. "He said he's coming with Piandao and Jeong Jeong to visit in an hour or so. They want to talk to me about something. But I'll have Sokka steer Appa around the city." The Avatar turned to the isumataq, "You're up for that, right?"

"Why can't Katara go instead?" Sokka frowned, "Appa likes her more than he likes me anyway!"

Appa groaned from outside in response.

"Not true…well, maybe true," Katara chuckled, "But I can't just leave at will. I have to teach class today."

"Can't you give your students a day off for today?"

"Sokka, I wasn't the one who was traveling with Yue all day every day," the master waterbender remarked. "You know more things about policy changes and all that. You should be the one taking charge."

"But—!"

"Your Highness, please convince him one way or another," Akluviq said to Yue, "We're running out of time."

Aang and Katara left the room, hand in hand on their way to their respective duties while Ivaneq, Akluviq, and Kheera left to discuss further matters, leaving only Yue and Sokka in the chamber. The dronningi took his hand and led him to a seat on the pelts, keeping her hand on his back to calm him. He reached into his sheath and pulled out today's quota of moonflowers, "I meant to give this to you earlier."

She took them from him, ruffling his wolf tail with an appreciative smile before adorning the flowers in her hair.

"Is everything okay?"

She turned to him, "Hm?"

"You seem a little…distracted by something. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just… trying to process the coronation being so early and the consummation…"

"Even before this, you were thinking seriously about something. I went to the Moon Temple for you, and Sister Akeqah said you seemed upset. The aunties in the kitchen were saying that, too."

"It's not like that, I just…" she trailed off, feeling his warm hand settle on her forehead, a worried look in his sharp blue eyes that cooled into relief. "You don't have a fever of anything."

"Sokka, I'm fine."

Moving his hand away, resting it on her shoulder instead, "Did anything upsetting happen?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Are you still thinking about what that idiot said yesterday—?"

"No, no."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm very sure. I've just…I've been thinking about the future is all. It's been weighing on my mind recently. And with the coronation coming so early…" Taking a deep breath, "It's necessary, and I specifically requested it to be a day earlier than they expected, but I still feel anxious."

"You should be happy," he told her. "You've always wanted this. You'll make history as the chieftess. The most important thing is that your parents can stay here with us now. You and your parents finally have a chance to be the family you always wanted to be. We'll all be happy and together."

With us. We'll all be happy and together. She didn't know that such simple words could cause tsunamis of longing to burst through her. Even now, this man didn't have any intention of leaving, and for that, she wasn't sure if she should be grateful or afraid.

"And up next is being the Moon Temple's next priestess. Your dream is right at your doorstep!"

"Even after all of this?"

"Why not? I told you, you can have it all!"

"I can't juggle so many things at once."

"Actually, I'd say priestesshood and chiefdom aren't mutually exclusive. They might even be the same."

"The same?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "In one of your speeches, you said that ritual is nothing but service with a pure heart…That the greatest ritual that can ever be performed is service to humanity. Your ritual to La is through your social service. The angakkuit see La in a piece of stone, but you see La in society. The most efficient way you can serve La is by taking your position on the throne and continuing to do more great things."

"That's certainly a good way of looking at it," she smiled, finding her attraction to him obvious in that moment, but in her struggle to cope with her inner turmoil, she directed the conversation to him, "Alright, enough of my praise. What's your deal? Any reason you're pissed right now?"

He was about to answer but paused as if thinking of a better way to go about this. Letting go of the breath he'd been holding, "Do you not feel comfortable coming with us or…are you not feeling well?"

"It's not that. I just…I don't feel comfortable with all the questions they're asking, honestly."

"I'll tell 'em to shut the hell up."

"I think that's only going to backfire on us," she said. "Besides, I'm too tired to travel. I've been tired all day for some reason."

"You should've slept in," he said softly only to widen his eyes, his cheeks tinted a dark crimson, "Not like…not with me…not in the same room as me, I only meant—"

"I know what you meant," she flushed, looking at him, "Why don't you want to go?"

"I just don't." Sighing, "It's hard to explain, but…it feels…very weird…not having you beside me."

She felt a jump in her chest, "Weird?"

"It felt weird yesterday, too. I know I left 'cause I had to, but…the entire time…I can't explain it, really… other than the fact that I was going crazy without you."

Ignoring the subtle confession in his words, "We've been traveling together on a ship for several months straight. The farthest we've been away from each other is, what, seven feet? The distance from my bunker to yours?" she tried to rationalize, twiddling with her fingers, flutters crowding her stomach, "We've gotten used to being a unit. I guess it's bound to feel weird when we're on separate missions. And on top of that, you're worried because of what happened yesterday."

"I don't want to leave you here," he said, turning to her, "I'm terrified."

"Sokka, I'm not invincible, but I'm also not defenseless."

"I'm not saying you're defenseless. You're a powerful bender, and I know you can hold your own, but some idiots take advantage of your kindness. I'm not at all saying it's a bad thing that your focus is on helping other people, but…" he glared at the ground, racked with anger and fear, "That fucking idiot. You were trying to help him without even knowing who he was…"

"Sokka, it's okay. And I don't want you to blame yourself for yesterday. I admit it's my fault, I should've been more alert—"

"It's not your fault!"

"Okay okay," she couldn't help chuckling, "It's not my fault, and it's not yours. It's that imposter's fault entirely. Happy?"

Crossing his arms, "It's still not helping my nerves. I don't trust anyone at this point. I'm a skeptical piece of shit, dronningi, it's hard enough for me to trust people as it is—"

"Hey. Don't talk about yourself like that." Reaching for his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, "Things like this just happen sometimes. I made it out fine, didn't I? Didn't you make it back just in time?"

"Well there shouldn't even be a 'just in time' scenario. You shouldn't even be in that situation."

"I'll be fine, Sokka. My only plans for today are to spend some time with the senior sentries and to go straight to my room and sleep after that. I was wanting to talk to Monk Gyatso about something anyway."

Indeed, Gyatso, Piandao, and Jeong Jeong were repositories of great wisdom and humor. They truly cared for the princess like fathers would a daughter, and their company and affection really lightened her mood.

Then again, there was something to watch out for. If Yue inquired Gyatso about the beads, and if Gyatso happened to give anything away…even if not now but when he actually has the chance to investigate…

Fuck.

"But I really would like you to be the one leading this," she told him, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Sokka, this is a chance for them to see the fruits of my efforts. There's no one I trust more than you to show them. Your takes are honest, and your intuition is priceless. Plus you've been with me for everything we've done."

"There's no one I trust more than you." He nodded, his chest swelling with love, "I'll do everything in my power to have it finalized. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't. That's why I chose you."

"What if Akluviq asks me other kinds of questions?" he asked. "Like…you know…" Heat raiding his face, "how intimate we're being or…things like that…?"

"Tell them whatever you want, I don't mind," she said. "Just be sure to tell me what you told them afterward. If I say one thing about something and you say something totally different about the same thing, they'll be suspicious. Whatever we tell them has to be the same. Of course, it also shouldn't sound rehearsed."

"Right, we need to find a balance," he nodded. "Just making sure. I don't wanna screw it up, ya know? I can be an idiot sometimes—"

"You're so critical of yourself," she interrupted him, a frown of disapproval on her face, "So mean. I don't like it one bit."

He gazed at her with lidded eyes, caught in the scent of her flower-adorned hair as she neatly tucked a few strands of his hair back into his wolf tail, "I don't want my Sokka putting himself down."

My Sokka. A thrill went up his spine, moving him, more so as she kissed his cheek, her lips lingering a bit longer than usual against his skin. He beamed, and his eyes might as well have morphed into hearts.

"Be safe," she whispered.

His arms wrapped themselves around her, "Be careful. I don't feel comfortable leaving at all…"

"Oh my Spirits, Sokka, please, I'll be fine. You're not even leaving the city! You will literally be flying right above me, and I'll be stalking you from down here."

He laughed, his lips planting a kiss on her forehead, the smile on his face marred with Akluviq's screech, "Are you ready to go, isumataq?"

Sokka grumbled, "Wait 'till Aang brings Appa—!"

"Appa's right outside, isumataq, let's go!"

He let loose an exasperated breath, "Fuck," as Yue giggled at him, finding herself drawn, utterly lost in him.

"Let yourself feel. Let yourself love freely and without fear."

"What could be said of what you and he share? Isn't that loyalty at its finest?"

"Hey…"

"Yeah?"

Her ever-active sense of pride raised its eyebrows at her for what she was about to suggest, but she was pacified by the rustle of his crumpled love note— a token of his sheer vulnerability— as it shifted in her pocket.

"Remember when you said six months ago that…if justice required it, you'd be willing to, um… kiss me…again…?"

He looked at her, wide-eyed, "Uh…yeah, yeah, I did…B-But I didn't mean it in any kind of disrespectful way, I swear, I—!"

"I know, I know," she couldn't help a flare of amusement, "I just wanted to ask if… if you still feel that way…"

"H-Huh?"

"Do you still feel comfortable with…" flushing darkly, "doing that?"

He didn't seem to believe what she was saying at first but eventually felt a shift in his pulse, a leap of excitement in his chest, "Y-Yeah…Do you want us to…?"

"I mean…last time at the wedding, we…We've done it before, and we've been professional about it, you know…?"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh…"

"And…I get the feeling that Akluviq and Kheera aren't really buying into the yakshit we're spinning."

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded vigorously, "I'm getting that vibe, too, honestly…"

"That's why…that's why I want t-to…try something…" And when she cast him a look, he was nearly a goner, "Do you think…?"

Blinking, "I'm all yours."

Her face turning beet-red to match his, "Okay…"

"Okay…"

"Okay."

His mouth going dry, "So, uh…should we do a practice one first or…?" Rubbing the back of his head, "Actually…can I have a minute? I need to, uh…"

"If you don't want to, we don't have to—"

"No, I want to…" he gaped at her, wondering if he sounded too eager, but he was only greeted with an amused little smile, "I just have to, uh…prepare…"

He started rising from his seat only for her hand to wrap around his wrist, her eyebrows raised, "Prepare?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Why do you need to prepare?"

"Because… well…I just want to make sure…I mean last time, I had a bit of notice so I had the chance to—"

"Prince Sokka!" Akluviq's hurried footsteps could be heard coming down the corridor leading to their chamber, signifying his coming closer, "Please, we're already at an hour past midday, we need to—"

Either Yue possessively pulled the isumataq into her arms or he willingly fell into them or both, but the relief following the gentle meeting of their lips was nothing short of blissful, savoring the tastes they missed, the tastes that had lingered in the back of their minds all these months, ripping relieved moans from them.

"La is a feast. Partake of him."

She leaned into the kiss, greeted with eagerness from his end as the nature of their contact took a longing turn. Her hands traversed to his hair, clutching his locks, pulling him further in. Had they been of this world at that moment, and had the Arctic winds not been swooping through the windows and bleating in their ears, they would've heard Akluviq skidding to a halt by the door, a squeak of surprise leaving him.

"Oh… I'll, uh…I'll wait another minute…" and he quickly went back the way he came without further comment.

As if his permission even mattered. The duo was busy desperately seeking a rhythm like maddened desert travelers collapsing into an oasis. Sokka felt every ounce of his self-consciousness burning away from molten passion, which he poured abundantly into the contact, and as for Yue, the delightful scent of the ocean emanating from his warmth made auroras bloom in the turbulent tundra of her heart.

Never once did this moment seem blasphemous to Yue even with her inhibitions. Never once did the obstacles in their path ever cross her mind. Just the sweet delicacy of his skin, careful pressure and gentle presses.

The need for air drove their lips apart. Panting, they stared at one another for a moment before averting their gazes, unsure if this really happened.

"You, uh…you did well," Yue cleared her throat, "Thank you…for your cooperation…"

Catching his breath and licking his lips, "Yeah…anytime…"

The footsteps returned, this time more tentative, and again, Yue pulled Sokka back against her, their lips colliding. One of his hands now settled on her waist and pulled her closer, lips seeking purchase again.

"Uh…Prince Sokka, we're ready when you aohhkay…" and yet again, he retreated, embarrassed.

They pulled away more quickly this time, yet to recover from earlier. Sokka gave a breathless laugh, unable to fight off his grin.

"Sorry…" she panted, "I felt…just in case…"

"No, no, don't apologize," his forehead touched hers, "That was very needed…t-to not cause suspicion, I mean…"

They stayed like that for a while, calming themselves, his hands holding hers.

"If you think we need to…again," his voice rumbled, "You don't have to ask."

She nodded, "You don't have to ask, either. They're going to be here for a few days. During this time…these kinds of gestures are welcome…"

That piqued his interest, "Gestures?"

"Gestures."

"Gestures…" slowly nodding, "Sounds like a plan."

"Okay."

"Okay." And another moment later, "Uh…Can we define gestures…?"

"Yeah…um…well, kissing is permitted…Anywhere on the face. Hands are fine. Hand-holding is also fine."

"What about when…oh, I don't know, if we're sitting together anywhere and…maybe they expect me to put my arm around you or something…?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Over the shoulders or…" averting her gaze, "Around the waist is allowed."

"Oh…okay…" he held back a smile, "What about nicknames?"

"Nicknames?"

"Yeah. Romantic nicknames. Terms of endearment, too, maybe? S-So it'll be more believable…"

"Sure. Whatever it takes to act like a normal couple in front of them. Whatever that would entail…well, minus the more intense things, obviously."

"Okay," he nodded, "Sounds good." And after waiting for her to completely catch her breath, "Yue?"

"Hm?"

"I mean…if we're gonna be doing this…I think it's helpful to practice…" biting his lip, "Don't you think?"

"I just told you that you don't have to ask."

When Akluviq walked in with resolute firmness, he saw that the young couple was still going at their liplock. He sighed, "Alright, I'm sorry, Your Highnesses, but—"

"Give us a minute, sheesh!" Sokka broke away from his wife only to find his way back to her inviting lips.

"Alright, last time," the leadership councilman shook his head and waited just outside the chamber, "You have one minute!"

"Ah, damn," Sokka whispered, "I was hoping he'd give us more chances…"

She laughed between kisses as they went in for one more, then another, then more.

"You know, you still haven't taken up on my offer," he murmured with a ray of hope, "Riding a sky bison is pretty fun."

"Another time for sure—mmm…" she moaned.

"Appa's a ten-ton fluffy buddy, he's not gonna be inconvenienced by you…"

"Another time, really."

"You always say that," he whined, "It's not animal cruelty, Madame Righteousness. I carry you to your room when you're tired. Would that be considered human cruelty?"

"That's different."

"Not too different. We're all animals, you do know that."

"Fine, don't carry me anymore then—"

"That's not what I'm saying," he whispered, his breath lingering at her lips.

"I'll ride with you," she breathed. "Just not now."

"Alright, no more chances," Akluviq said, "Prince Sokka, please, get up."

The duo stood up, and Sokka leaned in for another kiss, this time more gentle than passionate. "I'll see you soon, baby."

Her face grew warm as she nodded, "Be safe, baby."

He begrudgingly stepped back, catching sight of Aang and briefly running over to him, whispering his fears in the monk's ear.

"I'll make sure she doesn't get the beads," Aang nodded, "Don't worry."

The Southern prince followed Akluviq but nevertheless kept his head turned to face the princess. The isumataq gave her a giddy grin, and as she answered with a teasing beckon, he was unable to help himself, suddenly rushing over to her in a bout of passion, meeting her with another series of kisses on her cheeks and forehead and lips. Aang, who hadn't witnessed the displays of affection earlier, dropped his jaw at the sight.

Kheera laughed in amusement as her husband huffed, "Prince Sokka, please!"

Eventually, Akluviq ended up dragging the Southern prince with him, not letting go of him until they both climbed atop Appa. The isumataq's lovestruck expression didn't leave the blushing princess, and he waved even as they soared into the sky. She pulled her mask back over her face and waved back, her eyes shining brilliantly like full moons.

Gyatso, Piandao, and Jeong Jeong were seated with the Avatar in the leisure chamber, taking turns fiddling with the beads that Aang so hurriedly sent to them. Gyatso, in particular, was curious, for even now, the Avatar was in a hurry. Aang's objective, however, was to get this conversation over with before Yue decided to join them, and to prepare, he had told the guards outside the temporary estate to be on the lookout for the princess and announce her arrival at all costs.

"What is so special about these beads, Aang?" Gyatso finally asked, "Such that you wanted me to immediately begin the investigation? And why are you in a rush? Is everything alright, sishya?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, Gyatso…"

"Do these beads belong to a notorious criminal, perhaps?" Gyatso probed further. "Maybe one that's disguised as a monk? You were never too interested in meeting the higher ranking monks, and these beads indicate monkhood of the highest degree."

Aang was not sure if he should let the sentries in on the secret, but he knew it was certainly very helpful if he did. The young airbender feared Yue would begin her own investigation attempts given her curiosity, and it would not take long for her to approach the sentries one of these days for that purpose. Informing them would allow them to be aware of what information to disclose and what not to disclose, especially given Sokka's adamant stance on keeping the truth a secret from her.

"These beads," eyeing the object of interest now sitting in Gyatso's hands, "They belong to Yue's father."

"Arnook?" Jeong Jeong asked.

"Why would he have Air Nomad beads?" Piandao wondered, "Do they belong to a nomad friend of his?"

"These belong to her biological father," Aang clarified, "Not Arnook."

"What are you saying?" the three sentries asked simultaneously.

"Well…You know how everyone here knows about but doesn't ever talk about the Akna?"

Piandao widened his eyes, "Are you saying the dronningi…?"

Aang nodded. "Yes. She's the Akna, apparently. She's not Arnook and Ahnah's biological daughter."

Shocked gazes peered back at him, unable to digest the truth so quickly.

"Her mother was a Water Tribe woman who was cheated by her husband, an Air Nomad," Aang said. "The man, knowing he had a vow of celibacy to fulfill as he promised to his guru, still promised the woman that he would stand by her to the very end only to abandon her a few months after marriage. The woman eventually gave birth to a baby girl at the Moon Temple but abandoned the baby out of vengeance. Chief Arnook and Chieftess Ahnah saw the baby and adopted her. The rest, we know." Turning to Gyatso, "I thought maybe you would be able to find that Air Nomad with these beads. Since they only belong to a select number of high-ranking monks."

"I can't believe it," Jeong Jeong shook his head, "The princess looks very much like Ahnah, though."

"It's a very helpful coincidence," Aang said, "But the princess obviously gets her skin tone from her biological father. And who knows, maybe she resembles her real mother more than she does Chieftess Ahnah."

"Does the dronningi know about this?" Gyatso asked worriedly.

"No, she doesn't."

"When did you find this all out anyway?" Jeong Jeong questioned.

"I've sort of known that Yue was the Akna for a long time. I'm not the only one; Katara, Sokka, Ivaneq, Priestess Osha, and also Chief Hakoda and Chieftess Kya. And now you three. No one else knows about this. Sokka was the first to find out, actually. He didn't tell anyone, but somehow the rest of them found out. Katara told me after she knew."

"If his parents knew, did you all know this when we were here last time?" Piandao asked.

"Yeah, but we didn't have any idea on who her parents could be. We just assumed they were both from the Water Tribe. It wasn't a matter of importance, and we thought it would be a truth to easily cover up. But yesterday, we found out her father was actually an Air Nomad."

Aang relayed to them the events that transpired, what Osha had revealed and how her testimony proved the man was in imposter. Nevertheless, regardless of them all covering this up as an issue of false propaganda, the truth was that Yue was not actually a princess by blood even though she is now the face of the tribe's greatest hope.

"You do know that she has a chance of having airbenders for children," Gyatso said. "And even if she does not have airbenders for children, her children will carry that blood. She might have grandchildren or great-grandchildren who are airbenders one day."

"And even if none of her immediate successors are airbenders, what if they are born with grey or brown eyes?" Jeong Jeong noted. "All of this cannot be juggled with. As tragic as it is, Sokka really should've told her the truth a long time ago."

"Of course, telling her the truth does not mean revealing it to everyone or telling her to step down. If anything, it is keeping her informed of who she is and empowering her to stay on this path," Jeong Jeong said. "The discrimination that the Akna faces is idiotic and pointless, a product of superstition furthered by sexist authorities. Even she is aware of that."

"But Sokka can't bring himself to tell her. He worships the ground she walks on. He doesn't want to see her heartbroken."

"I know it's upsetting, but either way you slice it, this can't be hidden forever," Piandao said.

"But he's being stubborn. He's insisting that we not say anything. And what's also alarming is Yue's sense of ethics. She's apparently saying she wants to relinquish the throne if it turns out that she's the Akna. She doesn't want to deceive the people on such a large scale."

"She can't just relinquish the throne like that," Jeong Jeong frowned, "This place needs her!"

"She's apparently saying she'll look out for the tribe in other ways, but not as the chieftess if it's not her place."

"Oh dear," Gyatso shook his head, "What will become of this community if she relinquishes her duties that way?"

"If we tell her just how much she's needed, she won't relinquish the throne," Piandao said. "She cares too much about the country to make a devastating move like that."

"I agree, but right now her fears are outweighing her sense of empowerment. People really look down on the Akna and for no reason at all other than those ridiculous purity laws. Yue's afraid that she will be cast away from the North for good. She doesn't want to leave everything she knows and loves."

"But that won't happen if we keep quiet about this," Piandao pointed out. "She has no reason to fear if no one says anything…though it appears Khasiq might be behind the incident."

Aang sighed, "I'll talk to Sokka again. I'll keep talking to him. What's needed is a good conversation. A hopeful conversation. But for now, I think it's best if we keep silent."

"But what is to be done about the man if and when we find him?" Gyatso asked his pupil, gesturing to the beads, "If she knows the truth, she would probably be curious to meet that man."

"I don't know. Maybe she would be curious. Then again, Yue is a very prideful person. To this day, she feels strongly about avoiding Sokka's parents. There hasn't been a single word of exchange between her and them." Shrugging, "I don't know if she would want to involve herself with people who never wanted her."

Sokka's jubilance and his persistent search of his wife was met with longing, and later, alarm at the fact that she was nowhere to be found. He was eager to see her and had traversed the areas she told him she would likely be in, but she was neither in her room sleeping nor at the meeting and leisure chambers with the White Lotus sentries.

"She didn't come see you?" Sokka internally panicked as Aang shook his head, "I thought she told you she'll come see you guys!"

"She did, and I told the guards to be on the lookout for her and announce if she came. I thought maybe she was sleeping. She did say she was really tired."

"But she's not in her room…"

The guards outside of the estate that Gyatso and the White Lotus sentries were currently in stated that they never saw the princess. There were only servants walking to and fro, occasionally bringing several refreshments to the sentries.

And at the mention of "servants," Sokka asked, "Did you see someone assigned the number eight?"

"Number Eight? I don't remember—"

"Yes, yes, I've seen Number Eight," a second guard answered, nudging the man, "Remember she picked up the spear you dropped?"

"Oh, yes, I remember! But what would Number Eight have to do with—?"

"Where did she go?" Sokka pried desperately, "Did she come back out?"

"She didn't come out this way. She might've left from the other entrance."

From there, Sokka raced to the second entrance, and the guards there, while confirming that she left, had no idea where she could've gone next.

"We didn't see anyone with the Number Eight on their uniform," Piandao confirmed, "So if she came disguised, she never met with us."

"Oh no, oh Spirits," Akluviq gulped, "We need to find her before her parents get here! The chief will slaughter me for taking her bodyguard with me if anything happens to—!"

"Nothing's gonna happen so SHUT YOUR DAMN BLUBBERHOLE!" Sokka yelled, making the man jump back, startled. "This is all YOUR fault!"

"Sokka!" Aang intervened, "Calm down—!"

"I knew I should've stayed behind!"

"Sh'ell be fine! W-We haven't even checked the kitchens yet," Katara sputtered, "Maybe she was caught up doing something. She does have a habit of taking up people's shifts without notice, right?"

They scrambled through the royal kitchen, asking everyone they knew of Yue's whereabouts.

"When I last saw her, she went to take tea and refreshments to the White Lotus sentries," the senior maid told them, "And she hasn't been back since."

"She didn't come back?" Sokka felt a jolt in his heart.

"No. I thought maybe her shift ended early."

"She's not babysitting or anything?" Aang asked. "She didn't say anything else to you about what she was doing next or what she'd been doing?"

"No, sir, she just came up to me and asked me if she can take the refreshments to the White Lotus sentries, and I just agreed."

And everyone could see the dread unfold on Sokka's face, draining the color out of him.

"Sokka, she'll be fine, son," Piandao told him, "We'll find her."

"You know how she is," Gyatso said. "She is likely out there helping someone in need."

"I'll have the junior lotuses make a search," Jeong Jeong said. "They'll find her in no time—"

"Please, let's hold off on that for another hour," Aang suggested. "I have a feeling we'll find her. If we don't find her in an hour, we'll declare an emergency. We haven't checked many places anyway."

Despite his crippling anxiety, Sokka didn't completely lose hope, clinging to two other likely locations of interest. The group split up, taking respective regions of the palace and opting to ring the citadel gong in the event any of them found the princess, and in the meantime, Sokka proceeded to the Moon Temple. He found that by the time he reached it, the temple was closed and locked. He banged on the doors anyway, calling out her name, and he even peered through hidden windows, finding the inside of the palace to be dark from what he could see. In the very least, he'd hoped to see Osha make an appearance at some point so he could ask the all-knowing priestess of the dronningi's whereabouts, but several minutes of waiting did nothing. The building remained empty, and Osha never came.

From there, he ran all the way to the Spirit Oasis, banging its doors in hopes that she would open them, but she never came. Following that, he made another desperate attempt, racing all the way to Ilannak's Igloo at the edge of the former middle ring.

"Have you seen Yue?" the isumataq panted and nearly collapsed on top of the worried restaurant owner, who had to hold him upright.

"What's the matter, Wang Fire? You don't look so good—"

"Yue," he breathed, "Here?"

"No, we haven't seen her," Mitena shook her head, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just… I just came from somenwere and I was wondering…"

"Are you okay, lad?"

"Yeah…Hey, if you run into her, could you tell her to come to the palace? The princess has been asking for her…" but he didn't explain anything further, mumbling his thanks before taking off, his overwhelming dread consuming him. He broke into a cold sweat, his world spinning as he saw Katara and Aang racing towards him in the distance, the looks on their faces indicating that they didn't have any luck, either.

"She's not here, either," Sokka's voice cracked.

"Where else could she be?" Aang frowned in worry.

"I don't know, I looked everywhere…This is my fifth round around the city since I got here," Sokka brushed the sweat off of his brow, "I knew I shouldn't have gone today, I kept telling everyone! I'm an idiot, I'm such an idiot!"

"It's okay, Sokka, she'll be fine," Katara told him. "Is there any place you haven't checked? Think calmly…"

"The only other place would be the Jungqiran Forest…" he trailed off, suddenly struck by a suggestion. He ran without explanation, followed closely by Aang and Katara. They headed to the forbidden southern wing, nearly tripping over caution signs as they approached the southernmost top of the wing: the swing set where the prince and princess would meet up whenever they craved a temporary escape from the palace bustle.

"Spirits," the prince whimpered as he did not see her there, either.

"The only other place would be the woods," he shook, taking a quick look at the moon above, basking in its light. His eyes fell to a close. Please. Be there for me, please.

The trio took off through the thick fog, eyes alert for any sign of a person or torch in the dark of the forest, their only source of light being the flame in the Avatar's palms and the clarity they had stemming from Katara's maneuvering of the fog. Sokka was adamant about searching every nook and every edge of the forest four to five times over. It wasn't until they searched a third of the entire area that the trio was stopped by a piercing howl. Sokka turned in the direction of the howl, and within the blink of an eye, he saw a blitz of gray charging at him from behind the trees, piercing through the fog and revealing itself to be a wolf— a member of the pack Sokka and Yue had befriended.

Sokka knelt to meet the wolf's height, and the beast's feral agitation turned into focus, maybe even a sense of purpose as it hurriedly approached him.

"You don't happen to know where she is, do you?" he asked. The wolf merely grabbed the ends of his pants with its canines and tugged.

"I think he's telling us to follow him," Katara said, and within moments, the wolf took off, taking the trio deep into the neck of the forest. Sokka cursed his tears for blurring his vision as he charged ahead, but somehow he was able to make out her form in the far distance even through the chaos of his anxious senses. She was unconscious in the snow, surrounded by the wolves of the pack, the beasts huddled around her, their nudges failing to wake her up.

"Yue!"

In a second's time, he skidded to the ground beside her, lifting her head into his lap as the wolves moved aside, "Yue! Yue, wake up! Yue, please!" How long had she been here?! His hand flew to her forehead, flinching back, her body nearly burning from the rise in her temperature, "Oh Spirits, oh Universe!" He wasted no time picking her up, piercing his glare throught the dark to see his sister catching up, "Katara, over here, KATARA!"

Yugoda looked up from her old notes and eyed the isumataq, who was sitting at Yue's bedside, adjusting the blankets over her to make sure she is kept warm. "Her temperature was higher this time than it was last time, but thankfully, she recovered much more quickly this time."

Sokka nodded in acknowledgment, feeling Yue forehead for the hundredth time. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved that she wasn't burning up anymore or worried that she was now cold to the touch. "She's still shivering…"

"The effects of being outside for so long are now starting to kick in," Yugoda said. "That's why there's shivering even with temperature fluctuation. But she's only mildly hypothermic. It's a blessing she's a waterbender and able to tolerate colder temperatures. We don't know how long she's been out there, but it could've been a lot worse. Further delay would've been life threatening." And upon seeing his miserable look, "Don't worry, it happens. We're tribefolk, Prince Sokka. And it's only a mild case; it can be treated. We'll get through this, okay?"

He nodded, "I'll start another fire," and gestured to the second fireplace in the room. "That should help, right?"

"Yes, that will make a huge difference."

As Sokka got to work, Yugoda's assistant stepped into the room, a worn-out look on her face, "The White Lotus sentries are demanding updates on the princess's health, ma'am. I've done everything I can to keep them calm."

"No injuries. She likely passed out due to her fever. It's psychogenic, but it's been resolved. Her temperature went down a little, though; she was probably outside for a while. She'll be fine as long as the fires are going. Remember, this information is all confidential, not to be disclosed to parties other than them. If they have any more questions, I'll be outside in a few minutes to answer them."

"They want to see her," the assistant said. "Are they allowed to?"

"The less people in the room, the better. We need to give her space and let her rest. Only immediate caretakers need to be present."

"What if her parents get here? The chief and chieftess will demand to see her."

"They can have a look for two minutes or so, but only one person gets to stay in the room. Sokka has been a huge help; the chief will panic too much, and the chieftess is pregnant. Hopefully you can tell my preference."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Also, it is best if the chief and chieftess do not know about the hypothermia just yet. It will needlessly worry them. The princess is doing much better anyhow."

The assistant nodded and stepped back out to relay the message. Yugoda shifted her focus back to the young isumataq, who remained quiet and shaken as he sat beside the princess again.

"I can sense you blaming yourself all the way from here, Prince Sokka."

He swallowed, "I shouldn't have left."

"Some things happen no matter how careful we are. You weren't negligent. Besides, she's a grown woman, not a child for you to constantly monitor her. We can only thank the Spirits that we found her in time."

"But it still happened I wasn't here."

"No, it happened because of stress. Or maybe distress. We don't know exactly what happened that caused this, but we must remember that she has a habit of helping others and doing her own thing. Who knows what she'd seen or witnessed. Where she wandered off or what made her change her plan."

He looked back at her sleeping form, "She was fine earlier. I'd been worried 'cause people said she was acting distant. I even checked to make sure she didn't have a fever before I left, and she was perfectly fine."

"I believe you," Yugoda said. "Don't worry, she'll be okay."

But it didn't abate his own stress, "I'd been so careful…all this time, I…"

"I know. The crew tells me all about the foot rubs and laughs and dinners. It's because of everything you did for her that she got through this so quickly. The last time I saw her, she was a bony thing. Now, she's healthy and has more strength in her bones. She's been happier lately, too, I hear."

He gulped, brushing at his eyes as the older woman approached him, her wrinkly hand on the young man's shoulder. "You did good, Sokka. You did really good. You were as diligent as a mother wolf…" her wrinkly smile slightly waning, "And I don't mean to be a bigot, but I didn't expect this level of care to even be possible from a man in times like these…"

His gaze went back to her, "She's still shivering…"

"You just started the second fire. Give it some time."

"Is there anything else that can be done? I can get some extra blankets."

"No, we have plenty here, I think…But I tell you what. You two are married anyway. Skin-to-skin contact can be a big help, and body heat is a very good source of warmth. It's also a good way to lower stress levels. It will help her recover faster."

"Yeah, I heard that, too," he said. "That's why I've been holding her hand. I've been rubbing her hands and feet to get some friction going."

"I mean… that helps, I'm not saying it doesn't, but you can also take off your shirt and get under the covers. Keep her close to you as best as you can. That's typically what is meant by skin-to-skin. Ideally, you should both be nude for maximum heat transfer, but that's more advanced and not always necessary for mild cases."

"...B-But…"

Noting his conflicting concern and hesitation, "Society sexualizes everything, Prince Sokka, but the fact is, human touch is a very primal kind of medicine. It isn't just for pleasure; it's also for survival and bonding. You are not her sexual partner in this moment; you are her healer. There's no sin in this."

"Yeah…but when she wakes up, she might…"

"She's your wife."

"Yeah, but she could still…misunderstand…"

"She's also a healer, she's aware of this stuff," Yugoda chuckled. "I think she can put two and two together. The fires, the blankets, the thick curtains, Princess Katara bending the windows shut."

Within moments, he slipped beneath the covers. Without peeking beneath them, he moved his arm gently around her and scooted closer to her. He felt the soft skin of her bare back barely hugging the loose robe around her. His fingers lightly brushed against the loosened knot of her chest bindings. He pulled her closer and let her rest against the expanse of his chest, making sure the blanket covered the two of them.

Yugoda picked up her notes and her bag, "I'll be back in a little while. Keep her warm."

Yue was not alarmingly cold, he noted, but there was very little heat between the covers other than his own. He scooted just a little closer, this time their stomachs touching, the thinly-covered globes of her breasts resting against his chest. He felt as if her heartbeat was pulsing through his body, their necklaces lacing together. She breathed softly against him, her shivering slowly becoming less frequent as the chill of her skin simmered, mingling with his heat. She shifted closer in her deep sleep, huddling against any heat she could sense, an agitated look on her face.

He kissed her forehead, "I'm here, dronningi. I'm here."

She awoke in the middle of the night to sauna-like heat and solitude. At least, she thought it was solitude but was disproved when she heard the water running in the bathroom. She slowly pulled herself up, brushing away the sweat from her brows. She threw her covers off of her, taking note of how she was wearing a different tunic than she remembered wearing. She would've been alarmed about it had she not noticed the widespread emphasis on trapping as much heat as possible in the room, including the sealed window and the thick pelts and curtains. She was also reminded of feeling chilled to the bone moments before her vision turned black…

She sighed, moving the curtains aside, using her bending to melt the seals and reopen the window. The cool air and ventilation brought with them waves of sweet relief.

"You're awake."

She turned to see Sokka stepping out of the bathroom, a look of relief taking over him, and seconds later, his arms were wrapped around her, leaving a kiss on her temple.

"How do you feel?" his hand flew to her head, his eyes widening, "Why are you so warm again—?"

"I'm hot and sweaty," she clarified. "This isn't fever heat, it's heat because of…well, heat."

"Oh… well that's good…?"

Looking at the surroundings again, "Hypothermia, huh?"

"It was mild," he said. "Your fever went down quickly but your temperature also went down a little, so…"

She nodded but let her gaze linger for just a moment on the bare expanse of his chest before looking back at him as if in question.

"So, uh…Yugoda told me to, uh…is snuggle the right word…? Maybe not, but, uh…well, she called it heat transfer…You know what I'm saying, right?"

"Yes…"

"You're okay with it?" he blinked, "I mean, I couldn't ask when I should've, but…"

She nodded. "You were only trying to help."

"Yeah…okay…" He dabbed away the sweat collecting at his upper lip and reached for his tunic that lay on the side, "You want me to put one of the fires out?"

She shook her head, staring at the tundra outside of the window, "The window's open. I think it'll be enough."

His hands settled on her shoulders as he made her sit on the bed, joining her after getting the glass of water he'd saved for her. "Yugoda told you to stay in bed."

"Hm…" she took a sip of the water and set the cup aside, not leaving her gaze from the window. The distant look in her eyes worried him. Earlier that day, she just seemed like she was thinking hard about something. Now she appeared as if she was so… lost.

"How did you end up in the forest?" he asked, letting his concern loose, his dialect transitioning into Nagaran so their conversation would remain undeciphered in the event anyone eavesdropped. "I felt like my heart stopped when I saw you there all alone and cold and…with no one there to notice... Do you know how worried I was? What were you even doing there?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat and shrugged, looking away from the tundra, away from him. "I didn't really know I was there. I was just walking and thinking about something. I didn't see where I was going… All I remember is having the worst headache of my life…being really cold…and the next thing I know, I got here somehow."

His hand reached for her temples in an effort to massage them, but she moved his hand aside, "Not now, I meant earlier."

"Did you see anything upsetting?" he asked gently, "Anything like…like violence? Anyone hurt or anything…?"

She shook her head.

"Were there any idiots misbehaving with women? Did you beat 'em up? You can vent your frustration out, I won't be offended. I'll join in if you want. 'Guys are jeeerks!'"

Normally that would bring a laugh out of her, but it didn't this time. Sokka sighed; maybe it was a more serious gender violence issue. Maybe she wanted to talk to someone else about it.

"Your mom and dad are here," he said. "Do you want to see them? Talk to them, maybe? They've been really worried about you. They spent some time here earlier, but you were sleeping."

"My parents are not here," came her solemn reply.

"Yes, they are!" he squeaked, "They came like three hours ago. Ivaneq said he'd bring them here, remember?"

She shook her head but said nothing.

"Okay, if you don't want to talk about it with them, then at least say hi. I'll call them in. You've been saying you missed them."

"Let them sleep. I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"You're their daughter. Why would you be an inconvenience? They were waiting for you to wake up—"

"How much longer are you going to hide it, Sokka? How much longer are you going to keep holding this inside of you and suffering over it?" And she looked at him, her eyes bloodshot, glazed with simmering moisture. "I'm not their daughter. I'm not the princess," her voice broke, "I'm the Akna."

"Are you seriously still holding onto what that imposter said?!" he panicked, "Yue, that's not the truth—!"

"I heard everything, Sokka," she said firmly. "Aang and the sentries were talking about it."

He stiffened, gawking in helplessness. Everything made sense to him then; she must've heard their conversation when she went to the estate to meet with them. She went in as a servant, so there was no way the guards could've announced her arrival, no way for the sentries to change the topic in time. And needless to say that she was shaken. Completely justified in appearing so lost. "Y-Your Highness—"

"Don't call me that," she shook her head.

"Yue…Yue, please—"

"You should've told me," she rasped. "You were apparently the first person who knew other than the chief and Khasiq… Why didn't you tell me…?"

"Do what you can to protect her from the truth, but remember. Our Akna figuring out her past is just as natural as you falling for her."

"I couldn't," he choked out, moisture raiding his gaze, "How could I? I can't handle seeing you like this…seeing you in pain…"

Fighting back her tears, "Well I found out the truth, so tell me the finer details now, at least. Tell me everything you know. You wouldn't be hurting me any more…"

"I promise you, Chief Arnook. I will do everything in my power to keep Her Highness safe and happy." He shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I…I made a promise in blood to the chief and chieftess that I—"

"That you what?"

"That I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy," he turned to her, spreading his feelings out in his crimson gaze.

"Well I can't be happy if I have to live in lies my entire life. I can't be safe if my enemies know truths that I should but don't," she pointed out. "Sokka, to this moment, I consider you the only person I can truly trust with my life. I'm not wrong in my judgment, am I?"

He shook his head, letting a tear escape.

"If you have ever truly honored and respected me in all of our time together so far…you are going to be real and raw with me right now. And you are not going to hold any detail back."

And that was what tipped the scale. Against his wish, he hesitantly relayed to her all that he knew. From the day he first found out about her past to their parents' desperation to keep their daughter close to them, from Khasiq's awareness of the truth to the slip of Ivaneq's tongue that turned Sokka's parents completely off from requesting an alliance of their two families.

"Well no wonder," she muttered, "They weren't disgusted in me because I supported the Akna. They were disgusted in me because I was the Akna, and that's a lot worse."

"Yue—"

"No wonder your parents were terrified. They were afraid you would lead yourself into a trap. They were so afraid you were gonna marry me and bring me to their doorstep. They obviously believed I'd bring disease and infertility and death—"

"Yue, please—"

"It's the truth, that's what they really believe, right?" she pressed, feeling her own heart shatter to pieces, "Sokka, if the people down South are believing these things, won't the people here believe them just as strongly if not more?"

"And so what if they do? Why would that matter? People believe all kinds of yakshit, but we can't believe them and think of ourselves as worthless!"

"Don't be mistaken, Sokka, I don't believe in any of the purity yakshit people are into…but does that mean it would be okay for me to deceive my people at large like this? I may have been okay with certain deceptions if they were for a good purpose, but I can't bring myself to operate on a false identity. That's too far… I cannot assume an influential position when my people hate me and can't accept me for who I am. It's a blow to my ethics…a blow to my pride…" her voice broke again, "Do you really think I should be okay with this deception? Answer me not as my ikkingut but as my ethics minister."

Sokka took a deep breath, "You wanna know what I really think? I think you're putting the public on a really high pedestal right now. And let me tell you right now, Yue, they won't be able to handle standing on top of it."

She furrowed her eyebrows, seeking a further explanation.

"The idea that the people know exactly what they want is flawed because humans are crazy and dumb and can be easily deluded. All we need is someone who sprouts all kinds of nonsense, all kinds of hate, and there are gonna be people who follow that person. Like Khasiq; that man and his ideologies are detrimental to society, but why did he and does he still have mass following? Because the public at large is not always capable fo taking decisions that are good. That's why anarchy is never entertained. And that's why sometimes, little deceptions are not enough to really benefit the community. Large-scale deception is necessary for large-scale change."

And in the case of bloodlines and temples and purity rituals, their people were deluded in such a way.

"Now I'm not saying we're superior to everyone else because we're also human beings, and there may have been times where we made dumb decisions or were easily influenced, but I'm saying this in your case because I've seen the results of your work unfold."

Indeed, he had seen the impacts her decisions had on the tribe's situation. He'd seen so much positive change…and he'd shown it all to Akluviq and Kheera. And the excitement and relief he had seen on their faces was priceless.

"You should be proud of who you are, Yue. You should own every bit of who and what you are. But you should also transcend it. Your past is an important part of you, but it's not all you are. You are Kuunnguaq, you are Yuesanga. You are born a leader. The only thing that seems to be tripping you up is that you are a truth that this place isn't ready for. You said it yourself to me the week I first got here; you and I are pieces of the truth this country isn't ready for."

And one example that he had of such truths ahead of their time is that of bloodhealing.

"We're living in a time where it's taboo and shouldn't even be spoken of," Sokka said. "You use it, and you don't give a disclaimer to people when you're using it to heal them, but you saved countless lives by doing it. It's good, but the public isn't ready to hear it yet. Even if it's for their own benefit. That's why the ability needs to be practiced in secret."

The fact that she was the Akna was the same way.

"People don't know about you, but you did so much for them, for the society we're living in. The tribe isn't ready for this truth. but it does need you. Very much." He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "Not being accepted by a bunch of lunatics is not a blow to your pride, Yue. At least, I don't believe it is. Knowing that you are beyond what they think of you, holding your head up high…that feels like pride to me. You are beyond what anyone can think of you; there is so much more that you want to do, and there is so much more that only you can do. And you will do all those things. All we need to do is keep quiet and lower the public's pedestal."

She pondered over everything he said, but she was still conflicted.

"You're over hre worried about making a false imipression, but I honestly don't see it as one," Sokka told her with utmost sincerity. "Bloodlines don't make princesses, Yue; loyalty to the nation does. Just because you're not part of the Kharsaq bloodline doesn't mean you're not a princess. Yes, you may have been born to an Air Nomad, but you are rooted to this land just as much as all of us are. For the sake of your people, you've toiled long hours in places you never needed to be in. You washed floors and cleaned rugs, walked and ran and jumped the ice until your feet got blisters…Yue, look me in the eye and tell me that's not loyalty. Look at me and tell me you're not a princess."

She trampled her bottom lip.

"You are the princess of the North. And you are the nunaatip anaana. And I know that you are the only one who's gonna do justice to every sense of the term because you've always looked after this tribe like it was your child. Would you abandon it just because you're not connected to the bloodline? And what message would that leave for the sisters of the tribe?"

Message?

"The tribe doesn't see you just as the daughter of Chief Arnook. The tribe sees you as a force. You are an empowering symbol, Yue. You are the face of Tui that this tribe needs to see. And you need to claim that throne and make your mark, not step down because people who don't know better are gonna believe in dumb stereotypes."

"But I'm still terrified," Yue admitted with a whimper. "I'm terrified that I'll lose the North and everyone I know. I can't…I can't lose this place…I can't be driven away form it—"

"You won't," Sokka assured her, "Why would you?"

"If the truth goes out—"

"It won't." Cupping her face, "The North will always be yours. The Moon Temple will always be yours. From those rusty sewage pipes you had replaced near Ilannak's Igloo to this very room we're in, this entire palace and every centimeter of it…it all belongs to you. You've earned the love and loyalty of this place…the love and loyalty of all of us. I know it's not easy, and I know it feels like it's going against what you believe, but please, trust me when I say there's a greater purpose for this. Relinquishing the position and sacrificing the throne just to appease the insane masses…it's not worth it. Not at all."

His hands reached for hers and gave them a squeeze, "And I know it's going to take some time to let this sink in, too, but I promise you, nothing has changed, Yue," he said in an outpour of gentleness and affection. "Our love and care for you hasn't changed. Akluviq is onto his shenanigans; he talks about rules, but he sure as hell shoved a lot of them under the rug. He's willing to start a new bloodline with little to no consideration. And for who? For you. Yue, you're the most awaited daughter of Arnook and Ahnah. You brought them joy, don't you see that Ukuagek was crying buckets of tears earlier thinking something horrible happened, and silak completely lost his marbles and was about to murder Akluviq for preparing for all this when you were sick—"

She couldn't hold back her tears this time, her hand flying to her mouth as she tried to trap her sobs. It had been far too long, too many years since she cried in front of another person, or dare she say, at all. She had never allowed herself to be this vulnerable in front of others, trapping her rage and pain if at least to motivate herself from keeping up the fight, but she couldn't stop the flow of love, sorrow, and fear in this moment. She wanted to leave, wanted to burst out an excuse, maybe throw out the word "meditate" at least, stay completely hidden, but she found his hand stopping her, intertwining with hers, his eyes just as damp but firm with resolve.

"It's not good to hold it in, Yue."

She didn't resist, submitting to the invitation of his arms, letting herself cry and shake through the long, cathartic night. She wasn't sure how to diges the fact that her life as she knew it had never truly been. How to contain the fear that it never will be.