Chapter 66: The Akna's Husband
"To clarify, she is not telling us to reveal the part about her being the Akna," Akluviq whispered after managing to sit the panicking isumataq down, trying to come down from his own shock as he spoke. "But she does want us to reveal to the public that she's adopted. That she was born to an Air monk and a Northern tribeswoman."
"No one knows the Akna bears airbender blood," Kheera said. "Not even the chief and chieftess knew this until Osha revealed the information to them a couple of days ago. That's why the princess insists this announcement isn't going to affect her wish to stay in the country. Even if it may drastically change her future."
The prince in exasperated helplessness, "Where is she?"
"She's with Ataniq. She won't let her out of her sight."
"At least she's not alone," he sighed. "I don't understand…What even happened?! How did it even come down to this conversation? Did she just tell the chief and chieftess on her own? Did someone say something to her—?!"
"We don't know what happened, isumataq. We were not there for that conversation, and no one told us of anything leading up to that conversation," Kheera said. "Angayok suddenly sent for us, and by the time we went to the meeting chambers, we saw him there with Ataniq and the dronningi."
"They all looked very shaken," Akluviq said, bearing a weary frown, "And I was very worried just by the lack of energy in the room. Initially we thought— Spirits forbid— something happened to any of them or maybe you. Since you were bloodbent. We just stood there in silence before the chief looked me in the eye and told me to make this announcement."
"We don't know how she found out," Kheera added. "We know nothing about what discussions went on. The chief was entirely against having this announcement made, but the princess was persistent, it seemed. You know how she gets."
"So…what's going to happen next…?" Sokka asked, petrified.
Akluviq shrugged, leaning back in his chair, utterly muted by helplessness, "Who knows? If this news goes out, the conservatives are not going to be happy. They tolerated many of her policies on the sole basis that she is Arnook's flesh and blood. There were so many of them she helped on personal levels, too, but they're not going to see all that."
"It's not fair," Kheera grimaced. "The chief and chieftess wanted to raise that child with so much love and affection. They wanted to give her everything. They risked their lives just to keep her. But everything they'd hoped for her… it was all stripped away with a single truth. Those cultural ministers are not going to see things like parental bonds and heartbreak; they'll try to send her out of the palace. Away from the chief and chieftess—"
"They can't do that! She's their daughter! They adopted her!" Sokka burst.
"Actually, she's not even that. Legally, at least. A formal adoption ritual was never performed."
Sokka frowned, "But… silak once told me that he and ukuagek spent several hours with her at the temple. I assumed they had the ritual…"
"We never got the chance to carry it out. Arnook and Ahnah did not think it was necessary. Their intention was for the world to never know that she is not theirs…and they themselves didn't want to entertain the fact that she did not come from them. They refused to adopt."
"It's just a ritual. Why is it important? It's the intent to adopt that would matter anyway," Sokka said with the utmost vehemence. "Think of this on practical terms. The chief and chieftess knew the moment they saw Yue that she was going to be their heir no matter what happened. They named her as their successor in all of their documents. They had been accumulating all of their assets so they can pass them over to her. The chief had already set aside some of his assets in her name and was visibly displeased when she disposed of everything she had. Not to mention the chieftess even passed her royal jewels onto Yue. And the very reason why they were keeping this truth from her is so she'd never have to find out that she's not theirs."
"There are some things that are just too important for us to abandon so easily, isumataq. Call it religious or ritualistic or maybe a biological response, but these things must be done. Just as you and the princess made the promise to protect and be loyal to each other in front of the sacred fire— albeit through a marital bond— so do the chief and chieftess have to make a promise before the sacred fire that the child they're welcoming into the bloodline will be given utmost love, care, and respect."
And Sokka could not lie that despite his aversion to pointless rituals, he nevertheless felt that biological response during his and Yue's marriage. His entire being standing at attention, drawn to the fire, drawn to her, his subconscious embedding the memory forever into him.
"They loved her so much to the point of not even entertaining the idea that she's not theirs biologically," Kheera said. "It just makes everything happening now more and more frustrating. Why did she have to find out? Why couldn't she have just been born to people who were both Water Tribe? Why couldn't she have just been born to Arnook and Ahnah? They all deserved that…"
Sokka frowned, "Every time I asked the chief what exactly happened, he was always hesitant. And this isn't something I'm going to ask the chieftess since she faced the brunt of this, but…" Turning to Akluviq, "What exactly happened? What happened the night they found Yue? Why was ukuagek injured?"
And after many moments of hesitation, Akluviq finally caved in. Hey conveyed to the prince that Arnook and Ahnah had significant problems conceiving. Several ministers and personnel had unfortunately yet expectedly placed the blame on Ahnah, and talks of finding another woman for Arnook circulated the palace, warranting outrage from the chieftain and disorder within the royal court. Arnook had fired several people from his administration who suggested such a thing at that time.
"Arnook and Ahnah believed they lost their fertility battle for good, and it was troublesome because Khasiq was ready to make his moves as the advisor since he was convinced they wouldn't have an heir," Kheera said. "But it wasn't entirely about heirs; Arnook and Ahnah were very much in love, and they wanted to start a family. They were about to give up all hope when a shaman came specifically to visit them one day. In front of Khasiq, the shaman told the chief and chieftess that they will be blessed with three children, but they would have to be patient to enjoy the fruits of their loyalty."
"Khasiq did not think much of it back then. Frankly none of us did," Akluviq admitted. "We thought it was a bunch of nonsense that shaman was spilling for the sake of money. But that shaman had never been wrong about anyone else, supposedly. The talk on the streets was that he had a gift."
But the chieftess was down in Spirits by then; she did not believe the fancy talk, and with the cultural ministers' overbearing attitudes Khasiq's subtle ridicule, which would no doubt make her lose patience with him, she opted to stay away from everything. People no longer saw her step out of her personal wing of the palace, and the only person to enter and leave on a regular basis was the chief.
Two years later, perhaps an hour before solstice midnight, Tui had appeared to Arnook and Ahnah in their dreams. The Spirit had told them that she was going to be born soon in the Moon Temple and that she had chosen them to raise her. She told them to go to the temple the next afternoon.
"Arnook and Ahnah informed me immediately," Akluviq said. "And they told me to bring some clothes for the child. I met them at the Moon Temple that afternoon…"
"By the Spirits, she is absolutely beautiful…divine…" Akluviq said softly as he and his wife approached the new parents. Arnook and Ahnah were filled with bliss as they held the bundle of life in their arms. Ahnah had taken to feeding the baby warm yak milk, having wrapped the child in layers of blankets while Arnook thumbed the child's tiny fist. The chieftain beamed more brightly as the goddess's baby blue eyes blinked at him.
"But the child looks malnourished," Kheera said worriedly.
"She was abandoned here by her birth mother," came the voice of Osha, who had stepped out to greet them, "She was left to starve overnight. La's milk had sustained her."
Kheera and Akluviq turned to the Aninnialuk idol, surprised to see that the wrist of the hand that typically held the milk offering had indeed severed in two.
"How did the statue's hand break?" Akluviq asked, puzzled.
"It was La's will, and it happened," came Osha's response, which did nothing to ease their doubts.
"We're not talking about this any further," Ahnah said with a degree of fierceness that no one had seen in her before, "From now on, no one mentions the past. She is ours now."
"We are her birth parents," Arnook said. "And this will be the truth as far as the world is concerned. What happens here today can never leave this building."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Arnook's attention flew to the bag that was slung over Akluviq's shoulder. The tribesman handed Arnook the bag, I brought the clothes you asked for. They are all fit for a princess, I assure you."
And the chief and chieftess's faces both lit up. Arnook sieved through the expensive baby items chosen so meticulously for the new princess, lost along with his wife in the moment of pure joy, bantering with her over which dress would be perfect, which mittens would be cozy, which parka would be the warmest yet least overbearing, which snow boots would fit her feet snugly.
"We'll just have to let her decide for herself," Ahnah seated the child upright in her lap, rubbing and patting the baby's back to get her to burp, "What do you like, my darling? What do you like the most?"
The baby goddess, meanwhile, kept looking back over to the Aninnialuk idol, waving her fist in its direction.
"Chief, I understand why you wouldn't want the world to know about this," Akluviq began hesitantly. "And that's perfectly fine. But we still need to perform the adoption ritual."
"I just told you that she is ours," Arnook glared at him in annoyance. "What part of let's never speak of this do you not understand, Akluviq?"
"Sir, this ritual will be sealing your bond with your little Tui forever. Legally, too. You should be happy to—"
"If anything, it is a reminder of what happened here," Ahnah said. "If we adopt her, it will be like admitting she was not ours, to begin with. And that's not necessary."
"The Goddess said it Herself in our dreams that she has chosen us," Arnook insisted. "There's no ritual that's greater of an authority than the Goddess Herself. Besides, no one will ever know. Rituals are for society; it's to let others know that this is our child now. But if we're going to say she's ours and live by that, such a ritual is not necessary."
"Our Tui is the successor to the Kharsaq bloodline. She is of our flesh and blood…" Ahnah placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead, praising the infant and showering more kisses of glee as the baby let out a burp.
"Actually, we are of her flesh and blood. The Goddess is the origin of us all," Arnook said. "There is no question about blood and bloodlines."
"If you're going to tell the tribe that she's yours, you would have to say that you and the chieftess were expecting all along," Kheera reasoned. "What are you going to say to that, Your Majesty?"
The question made Arnook pause with thought for a moment, tugging at his sense of reason in the midst of his emotion, but Ahnah replied, "I've been away from the public the past few years, haven't I? I can say I was recently pregnant and that we've kept the news private."
"But—"
"We can figure everything out later. Just let us have this moment. Please."
"Arnook and Ahnah did not come back to the palace for several hours after that," Akluviq said. "Kheera and I left early to not cause suspicion, but they stayed behind with the princess. The chief missed several meetings of the day, and by the time it was night, people began to panic, thinking something happened to him. I sent a message to Osha in secret to send the chief back, at least."
But unfortunately, that was the night Khasiq seized the chance to end the chieftess, having been informed by an assassin of her presence at the Moon Temple. The shaman's predictions about Khasiq had turned out to be true, and the advisor feared his access to the throne would be usurped by the chief and chieftess's three future children. He hired an assassin to end the chieftess's life.
The attack happened when the chief was on his way back to the palace. He managed to take on some of the men and realized what was happening, heading back to the Moon Temple. By then, the assassin had reached the temple and was banging against the doors for entry. Ahnah had escaped through the back door with Yue, and she and the chief fled.
"The men found them, and to protect the child, they had to split up. The chieftess did not make it very far; the assassin had followed her in the struggle and struck a heavy blow to her head with his spiked club. By the time I found the chief, the look on his face… and the chieftess lying there, oh Spirits…she lost so much blood that day…"
Sokka responded with a look of absolute horror.
"After seeing his wife in that condition, Arnook became a changed man. His worries and woes, anxiety…everything went through the ceiling. That man had no intention of hiding his daughter from the world at first, but after that moment…he didn't want his daughter to ever experience—"
"You don't have to say it," Sokka flinched.
"The Spirits were merciful," Kheera whispered. "The chieftess may have been in a coma, but at least she is here now and is given another chance at life. But even so, she couldn't avoid the heartbreak."
Sokka swallowed the lump in his throat, "Silak and ukuagek's suffering may have been enough to silence you, and my love for the dronningi may be enough to keep my ass quiet, but the dronningi's love for the country is such that she won't keep about this." Closing his eyes, "At least it's a half-truth. Thank the Spirits it's just a half-truth."
The conversation was interrupted by Ivaneq, who held a troubled look on his face as he hurried into the meeting room. "Brother Sokka, the Chief wants to see you immediately."
Ahnah's grip, despite its tremble, was strong around her daughter, who was at present lying with her head in her mother's lap. The chieftess had drenched Yue's shoulder entirely with tears. Yue's efforts to calm her were draining, and the princess could do nothing but let her own tears flow.
"Who would believe us if they knew the truth, huh?" Ahnah rasped, her voice breaking. "You and I look exactly the same. Just look at the mirror."
"Anaana…"
Ahnah dried her face and tilted her daughter's face so that she was facing the mirror, and she knelt down to her level, positioning her face next to hers. "Would anyone believe that you are not mine, paniga?"
"Anaana, I—"
"You are mine," Ahnah said fiercely. "You are ours. So why…?"
"But how long will these lies go unchallenged? This isn't totally an issue about me being righteous. As bad as I would feel for taking a legally undeserved position, I have other reasons."
Ahnah paused as Yue got up from her mother's lap, eyeing her with a firm look, "I'm not doing this because I feel that you are not my parents. I am not doing this so that I can get away from you or find my own way or leave you. And I am not doing this to find the people who are responsible for my existence. I don't have a habit of reaching out to people who have rejected me. Granted, the man who helped create me probably does not know about me to reject me, necessarily, but he was dead to me the moment he left his wife behind…and everything that would've come with her…"
Ahnah closed her eyes, suppressing a sob, unable to imagine the destitute condition Yue had been in upon her birth.
"That man…he threw away the life he could've had. And that woman…she threw away the bond we could've had. But one's trash is another's treasure—"
"Don't call yourself that!"
Yue dried her eyes, "You and ataata risked your lives and sanities for my safety. You and ataata refuse to hear me talk about myself in a demeaning way. The pain you endured wasn't short of the pain a mother would feel as she's giving birth…perhaps the pain you endured was more than that." Holding her mother's hands tightly, "Those people threw me away, but you and ataata saw me as a blessing. As far as I'm concerned, you and ataata are my mother and father. My only mother and father. You both are all I have left in this world…" her hand briefly brushing against Ahnah's protruding stomach, "Other than these two…and other than Sokka."
Ahnah let out a combination of joyful laughter and numbing sorrow, bringing her daughter close and kissing her forehead. She wept and wept, pleading with the Spirits give her strength.
"As ashamed as I am to have come from them, I am proud to belong to you and ataata. I am proud to be a child of the North. And if I can help it, I never want to meet those people, wherever they may be, however they are. I will grovel for the people I love, but the day I beg for people's affections is the day I consider myself dead—"
Ahnah shook her head, stopping her daughter there with a hand to her lips. Yue moved her hand aside, "Anaana…I am a Waterbender, and I look like you, and the weirdness of my appearance allows me to pass off as Tui on earth. That's enough for you to say I'm yours to the world, and no one will question my parentage…" Swallowing, "But… the thing is…I want to be a mom."
The words struck a chord in Ahnah's heart.
"I can feel it in my bones, in my blood," Yue whispered, her eyes closed, "I want to be a mom. I want to adopt, but I also want my own children. And if my biological child— my flesh and blood— is born an airbender, and if I am married to a man of pure Water Tribe descent, and if the world does not know that I have airbender blood in me… I will be called a whore. And my child will be called something else…"
Ahnah widened her eyes.
"I already know one way people would want to cover this up: marry me to an airbender." Shaking her head, "But if I'm meant to have children with anyone, I want it to be with the man I love. And I want my children to be loved and respected by society… just as you want the same thing for me…"
And despite the fact that Ahnah had been waiting to hear these words from her daughter all this time— the revelation that her panik and ningauk had their affections reciprocated— it broke the chieftess's heart that this was how it had to be revealed.
"You want to know how I really heard about the attack? I was running away. For good."
To which Ahnah stiffened, "What?!"
"I didn't know what to do," Yue bit her lip. "All I knew was that if I was around all of you…I wouldn't be able to suppress the fact that I wanted a family. Being with Sokka, seeing the love he has for me unfold with every minute, the way he provides for all of my needs…the way he makes me laugh, the way he keeps me nourished in body and spirit…it made me envision a life with him. Being around you makes me want to be as good of a mom as you, and being around ataata makes me want to be as strong as him. The strength he had for going through each day, living with the anxiety that anything could happen to me…"
"And why is that bad?" Ahnah demanded.
"Because the only real way for me to hide the truth about my parentage forever is to not have biological children at all…And the only way I could stop Sokka from being disowned…just because he loves the Akna…"
"Spirits…!"
"And I really thought I could do it, but—"
"Paniga," Ahnah stopped her, fierce and firm, epiphany striking her like lightning. Replacing her sorrow was the ferocious instinct to protect her daughter, the simmering determination to provide her with every form of happiness possible.
"Don't do that to yourself. I swear, if you do that to yourself, I…" Holding Yue's face in her hands, "Dearest…I did not want to be your mother so I can snatch motherhood away from you. The moment I saw you, your father and I fell in love with you, with the idea of us being a family. And that includes seeing you be happy with the person you love, seeing you have a family of your own… And yes, the situation with Sokka's family is complicated, and they're all jerks with no souls who value prestige over their own son and sincere hearts in love…But I know it's not going to get in the way. That boy is La, and that boy's love for you is true, and your father and I know he will never forsake you. Your father and I are never forsaking you." Bringing Yue into her arms in a hug, "I'm not letting anyone take away your right to be a mother. I'm not letting the world spit in the faces of you and my future grandchildren the way they spat at me. And if this announcement is the only way, then so be it."
Yue returned the hug, resting her head against Ahnah's shoulder. The chieftess smoothed her long white hair, "This is not going to be easy. This will be one hell of a fight. But I'm not letting anyone throw your happiness under the sleigh. This is a promise."
And granted, this announcement would have consequences. Knowing the nature of the conservatives who still reigned the ministerial board, they were going to do whatever it took.
"If only this was easy..." Ahnah rasped, "If only there was a way... there will be consequences to this."
"La has always looked out for me," the princess mumbled, her eyes closing. "Whatever He wills, I know it's for my own good."
Akluviq set off to make the announcement official, having no choice but to go ahead with the task and not present delays. Sokka, in the meantime, gave moral support to the chieftain with his presence. The older man was close to breaking down, but Sokka reached out and placed his hand over the chieftain's shoulder, firm in his words, "Yue's love for you and ukuagek has not changed by any means, silak. You know how she is. She's concerned with the ethical dilemmas and consequences of these kinds of things. She told me many times that she wants to live her life in truth. That's the only reason behind this."
"But that would mean her losing the throne. Her righteousness is driving her into the streets, and I…I can do nothing…" Clearing his throat, looking away, "Why, Spirits, why couldn't she have been born to us?"
"Anyone can be the leader of a nation through bloodline, but people like Yue are born leaders. Their compassion earns them the right to rule," Sokka said. "You and I aren't just going to stand there and watch her birthright be taken away from her just because she's only half Water Tribe."
"What should we do, then? Is there anything we can do? Akluviq is making the announcement as we speak…"
"Let him," Sokka said. "We can hold a nationwide election to counter those effects."
Arnook frowned, "What?"
"I know an election is not traditionally the way we do things, but I really think it's necessary," Sokka said. "We aren't gonna let her give up on the throne, and wants the public to be informed. So let's have it both ways. Let's have the public make an informed decision. The entire North— all villages, provinces, island territories— will be taking part in this, and their votes will decide what will happen next. I know their votes will seal her place on the throne."
The whole process will most definitely not be finished in time for the solstice as it will take at least two months — one month on a miraculous level— to send in the appropriate information and gather input from the Water Tribe's numerous territories even with priority correspondences, but the wait would be worth it. Overall, there would be three options on the ballots. The first option is for Arnook and Ahnah to continue to occupy the throne. Once their twins reached the age of sixteen (or older at the leaders' discretion), they would be installed as co-rulers on the throne after marrying and having their first child, assuming the Heir Policy would not be outlawed under Arnook's regime.
The second option will be for Arnook and Ahnah to hand over the throne to Yue for a period of twenty years— just long enough for the twins to reach sixteen, marry, and secure heirs in the remaining time. Then, they will take over as the North's leaders because by then, the circumstances won't require emergency enthronement, and the Heir Policy will kick back in. This would be a consequence, of course, of Yue being unable to change the rule in her interim period, but at least all of Arnook's children will have seen the light of leadership.
The third option— the one most desired and the one Sokka is most optimistic about— is for the dronningi, as Arnook and Ahnah's legally adopted daughter following the proper adoption rituals, to be welcomed into the "bloodline" as the first child of Arnook and Ahnah of Kharsaq lineage. That way, she can be the chieftess and her progeny will succeed her even if she is not of actual Kharsaq blood.
"I'm telling you this will work," Sokka insisted. "I trust that the people will choose her, and I trust they will choose her as your adopted firstborn."
But Arnook had gotten nervous simply by hearing the first two options. "And how do you know that?"
"She went around the entire North and personally visited every leader and every local chiefly authority. The efforts she took have won people over. Everyone's gonna be sympathetic to her plans of bettering the nation, and they'll be more than willing to accept her as the chieftess."
"But how can you be so sure? So far that just sounds like speculation. There's so much uncertainty, here, ningauk."
"I've been consistently with her through everything she did, through every mission to every province, every village. I've seen local leaders and lay people alike, how they respond to her compassion and outreach. The people love her, Chief. I'm confident that the votes will be in our favor."
But Arnook, racked with fear and guilt and anxiety, shook his head, "I can't go through with this."
"It doesn't hurt to give it a shot—"
"I've been the chief of this hellhole for many years, Sokka, and not once has conservative influence allowed revolutionary changes to thrive. The only reason those damned ministers tolerate my daughter is on the sole basis that she's my flesh and blood. The only desired action was to keep this secret hidden, but it's too late…"
"You just don't have enough faith that the people will choose her," Sokka frowned.
"I'm sorry, Sokka, but I know you're only saying this because you're blinded by your affections," Arnook said. "Take a step back, and you'll be able to take in the reality of the situation."
"I'm not just saying this because I love her. I'm saying this because of her leadership capabilities. And I don't mean to sound rude, but you weren't the one traveling with her day and night, twenty-four hours, seven days a week for her Northern Trail Project. I've seen everything she's done from close-up. I'm not just spinning some tiger-bull crap. I mean, Akluviq cut the nine-month time limit short because he was so won over by what she did and the effects of her regime—"
"I don't want to take any more chances breaking her heart," Arnook insisted. "Besides, what proof do we have that people will vote for her?"
"So the tribe won't think it's in its best interest to choose someone who singlehandedly warded off the bloodbenders and wiped out the threat of Khasiq?"
"I don't know. Maybe they will, and maybe they won't, but I can't operate on uncertainty right now."
"Chief, you don't understand—"
"Instead of being concerned for my daughter's throne, look into yours, first, son," Arnook cut him off. The man then reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out a scroll. "This came in this morning. It's from your father."
Sokka felt a defensive lurch in his chest, "What the fuck does he want now?!"
"Clarity…" he placed the scroll before the isumataq, "I really did not want to mention it to you because I knew you still needed to heal from the last explosive scroll from the South, but if I don't tell you even now…" shaking his head, "You're putting forth so much effort in trying to preserve her leadership. It's only fair that you get a chance to preserve yours."
Sokka refused to read the scroll, standing there for several minutes with an anxious look.
"It's not as bad as Pakku's letter," Arnook assured, "But it's not anything we're dying to hear."
Sokka wanted to throw the scroll away without reading it at first, but Arnook was patiently waiting for him. When the warrior still refused to budge, the chieftain sighed, explaining the contents in brief. "Basically he apologized for Pakku's letter. He said your family had no intentions of revealing the truth. But Pakku is looking to cut you out of the bloodline and the candidacy, and no one wants that. Everyone is asking to have your marriage annulled for 'the betterment of our children's futures and careers.'"
Sokka still refused to read the note, casting it aside on the table, impatience and rage sprawled in his gaze.
"Even if you choose to preserve the marriage, the South will not recognize Yue as your wife, and it will not recognize any children you have as being legitimate," Arnook said. "You will lose access to your assets. Your candidacy will end. And because Daughter Katara will be marrying Avatar Aang, their children will not be of pure Water Tribe blood. It is not a political alliance, either, to be justified. Kohana will be named as the new candidate."
"That's fine by me, Chief—"
"Sokka," Arnook firmly turned his son-in-law so that he was facing him. "You and Katara are no less than Yue to me. I think of you two as my own."
"Chief—"
"This is an issue concerning both of your futures. They completely disregarded Katara, and they're looking to trample all over you. I'm not having it." Swallowing, "I've tried to avoid this, Sokka, I really did. This was the other reason why I wanted you to go immediately. But Yue refused to have you leave."
Blinking at him in surprise, "She did…?"
"I don't understand," Arnook pressed. "Why are you wanting to wait? The coronation date is drawing near, paniga. There is no threat of Khasiq, either."
Yue did not give a clear answer other than, "Because I'm not ready." Arnook and Ahnah ignored the ebbing concern in their hearts, urging her with their own reasons.
"You need to give a public appearance at some point, paniga," Ahnah said.
"And we need to start making preparations," Arnook followed. "I even have Sokka going to the South to tell his parents."
Yue frowned, looking up, "What?"
"It's time we told Sokka's parents about your marriage. We waited this long to finalize the date for your coronation, but now, it's time they knew." Arnook sighed, "I spoke to Sokka. He will go to the South to tell his folks the truth, and he will stay there until they give their okay. He can catch the next cargo ship and come back. It's simple."
Yue slowly rose from her seat, eyeing her parents with a frown. "He agreed to this…?"
"He was able to understand the dire need for this trip," Ahnah said. "I know that him leaving is something none of us want, but he needs to go for the sake of your marriage."
"That's why I've decided to arrange for his departure tomorrow," Arnook supplied.
"Tomorrow?"
"Since he's feeling better—"
"That's what you think!" she stopped him, desperation filling her gaze, "He was bloodbent less than twenty-four hours ago. He needs to rest—!"
"He can rest on the way there. I've arranged for a cruiser. He will have his own bunker and everything—"
"And who's going to heal him?" she demanded.
"I will personally request Yugoda and other capable healers to accompany Sokka until he recovers. They will bring medications with them as necessary."
Clearly the princess was not pleased.
"If you two are going to live happy lives without worrying about anything else, then he must go, paniga—"
"Sokka's not going," she insisted. "He clearly feels inconvenienced going there. It's best not to force him."
Her parents frowned at the response, knowing what keeping the man behind would entail. "I know you will miss him, but we can't just sit back, dearest," Ahnah said. "We can't hide your marriage forever. Someone's going to have to talk to them—"
"No, that's not necessary. Even if he goes and tries to convince them, they're not going to accept me. It would be a waste of time."
"So we should go through with the coronation without them knowing?" Arnook demanded. "We will have to announce Sokka as the Chieftain-Consort. Now that Khasiq is dead and a majority of the extreme Nationalists are rounded up, you won't have a good excuse for keeping your marriage private. Akluviq will go crazy if you're coronated as a single woman—"
"There needs to be a coronation first."
"Are you wanting to postpone?" Ahnah asked. "Paniga, even if you wanted to postpone the public appearance or the coronation itself, we can't keep hiding your marriage to Sokka forever—"
"Even if he goes there, they won't accept me, and we all know this," Yue blurted out. "As Pakku said himself, even if I go as far as having a child with Sokka, I'll only be seen as his whore. A woman he pity-fucks. Not his wife. So what's the point?"
Heartbreak was written in their wide eyes as they rose from their seats this time, unleashing the woes they'd tried their hardest to keep contained.
"I can't keep this going any further," she rasped. "I know. I know I'm the Akna, and I know that you know I'm aware of the truth."
"There may be nothing left for me to do as far as her future at this point…" A tear slipped, "But I have it in my power to stop you from losing everything." Turning to his surprised ningauk, "You don't have to go, Sokka. You don't even have to write to them right now. I'll do all the writing. Just tell me what I should say. What I should do…"
Sokka dried his eyes, grabbing the scroll that he'd tossed aside, "It's really simple, Chief. The next time you receive a letter from the South that's specifically sent by the royals, this is all you gotta do." He held the scroll up in front of his father-in-law before throwing it into the fire that roared in the fireplace.
"Son, that's—!"
"You don't even have to read it."
"But Sokka, that's—!"
"Don't you know what I feel for her, silak?" the Southern prince hissed. "What else is it going to take for you to understand where I'm coming from?"
Arnook looked at the young isumataq in fear and distress, unable to answer him with anything other than fumbled protests.
"You said you wanted proof, right? That people are willing to vote for Yue. I'll get it for you." And with that, Sokka stormed out of the chamber.
"If only there's one little secret, one minor detail that would grab the tribefolk's attention," Zei sighed, wandering aimlessly on the sidewalks as the public, formerly engaged in chatter and conversation, retired to their homes for the night. The subject of every conversation had been the princess— former princess, at least. But that was old news by now, not the subject of a new sensational matter that Zei was seeking.
The servants' word of mouth leaked all additional information necessary to trigger ample amounts of drama. The explosive truths that crept quietly within the walls were these: Chieftess Ahnah was alive and well; pregnant, in fact, with twins. The princess did not have Kharsaq blood in her; rather, she was adopted and had recently realized this fact. The question that the royals were grappling with now was the fate of the tribe— more specifically, the identity of the next ruler, for the princess was not worthy of the throne. To say that everyone was shocked out of their wits was an understatement, and several other reporters had beaten Zei to the publication of these facts.
To think these people did not know about the princess until my article, the man thought, taking a seat on the sidewalk. Who would've even known?
It was then under the light of the moon that a shimmering object caught his eye with its immaculate sheen. Zei turned to the source of the sheen, his eyes widening as he caught sight of someone traversing the night in a pristine white mask, which bore a dark circle on the forehead area. The figure escaped Zei's sight not necessarily with the intention of hiding from him but out of the figure's stealthy initiative.
But how easily the remaining mystery of the North fell in his sight. "Excuse me!" Zei called, whipping out a noteback from his satchel, "Hey! You're Kinji's slayer, aren't you?!"
By the time dawn hit, Imona was racing out into the western courtyard of the palace, relieved to see Sokka heading inside with a determined look in his eyes. She did not waste time asking questions, instead voicing her paramount concerns.
"There's been a meeting going on since the past three hours," she told him. "The chief and chieftess are in there with Yue and several other people. There's a whole-ass assembly in there."
"What's going on?" he frowned worriedly.
"Everything's been a shitshow since this morning. In the middle of the night, several cultural ministers knocked on the princess's door and confiscated the chieftess's royal jewels from her. They asked her to pay a penalty of twenty million gold pieces for wearing a few of them for your wedding."
"WHAT?!"
"A couple of days ago, the princess pledge fifty percent of her personal treasury for natural purposes. They drew that amount from her and transferred the remaining half to the national treasury."
"The remaining fifty percent is for the maintenance of the Black Lotus!" Sokka burst. "This is unacceptable!"
"I don't know. They're starting to loot everything in her personal treasury for various things. There was yelling and screaming, and no one's letting anyone in or out of the meeting room. I have a bad feeling about this."
In the meanwhile, the subjects of the meeting—the Loyalists, Neo-Nationalists, nonpartisans, maids and servants, members of both Yue's and Arnook's cabinets with the strange exception of prominent Revivalists— all had some question to ask, some comment to make, some vehement reaction to exhibit. They all huddled around the devastated angayok and ataniq while Yue kept her distance, not speaking a word to anyone in the room. Arnook and Ahnah struggled considerably to keep up strong personas, traversing the polar planes of others' sympathy and anger.
"Sir, I have an adopted child myself," Eiji told the chieftain, soft yet careful in his tone, "And I know the struggle you are going through."
"We can cover this up. We can have her marry an airbender," spoke an older Loyalist tribesman, "That way, even if she has an airbending child, no one will suspect anything."
Yue glared at the man, her hand clenching the armrest of her seat.
"I can't do that," Arnook said firmly.
"Sure you can. She's yet to be married anyway. There is no better option! Surely she can find a monk who is willing to stay behind for her. There are plenty of fish in the sea."
"My daughter is against that decision, and her views will be respected," Ahnah persisted.
"Your Majesty, you have to understand. It's not too late," the older man kept urging, "We can say there's a misinterpretation of the news. Say she's actually marrying an airbender but the press twisted the news around. This is as convenient and believable as it can get—"
"How would you twist something like this around to that extent?" Arnook questioned, "And my daughter is not marrying an airbender."
Sighing, "There is no other option, Chief. We can't just say you or the chieftess have an airbender in your family and call it a day. Both of your bloodlines were traced very carefully. And this is public information."
"Yes, and I regret that," Arnook mumbled.
"There is still a chance, Chief. There is no other way we can cover this up!"
"I don't want anything to be covered up, Honorable Minister Luqak," Yue said firmly. "I want my people to know the truth."
"Covering things up won't be necessary anyway," hissed a Neo-Nationalist minister upon his barging through the doors, followed by a few others who shared in his fury. The minister slammed a news pamphlet on the table in front of Arnook and Ahnah. And on the front of the pamphlet was a painting of the princess's face from close up, now fully exposed to the world. Whoever the artist was, they had been meticulously chosen by a reporter who wasn't Zei for once. The image of the princess was truly divine: her long white hair waving behind her, baby blue eyes piercing the viewer, unparalleled beauty sculpting her features. It was as if Tui came to life on the page.
Gasps escaped the lips of those who had never had the luxury of ever seeing her face, each minister, cabinet member, and administrator struggling to catch an adequate glimpse, then gawking back at the veiled princess. One of the other ministers who had accompanied the angry one rolled his eyes and set a thick stack of pamphlets on the table, allowing everyone else to grab one and see the princess for themselves.
"This is our princess?!"
"This isn't a human, this has to be the Goddess Herself!"
"My my…"
"You are so beautiful, Your Highness…"
"What a beauty…"
"Do you really look like this?!"
And the princess, finding it to be of no more use, removed her veil, revealing her appearance to the world officially. Several people were understandably smitten, several pious and screeching, some others who fainted. Arnook, however, could only zoom in on the title of the pamphlet, which ripped his soul out of his body and tore it to pieces: A Servant of the People: The Secret Life of Social Reformer and Psuedo-Princess Yuesanga.
"Citizens have been raving about the beauty of the princess," another minister said after eventually snapping out of his drooling stares at the princess, "But a surprising number of sources identify her as Yuesanga, a maidservant who worked as, quote,' a cook in the royal kitchen by day, a babysitter by afternoon, a sweeper by evening, and a cleaner at the Moon Temple by midnight.'" Handing Arnook a copy of the pamphlet, "Check page one."
To which Arnook looked alarmed and puzzled all at once, fumbling to the first page and skimming the contents of the article. Ahnah gasped, shaken to see her beautiful daughter painted meticulously on the page, depicted as doing hard labor.
"The people are acting like they have midnight sun madness in the streets, yelling her name like hooligans. The press is on a euphoric high right now."
"The senior maids are going crazy according to page four," another minister added, "They kept referring to her as Number Eight and gave anecdotes about her randomly agreeing to take their shifts. There's a literal riot going on in the royal kitchen as we speak."
"The angakkuit at the Moon Temple know her, too," said another. "There's a lot of belief out there that she's going to be Priestess Osha's successor."
"And check out page seven. Some man named Ilannak described her as his 'sister from another mother.' She regularly visited him and his wife and helped out at their restaurant some days."
Tui and La, have mercy on me, please, Arnook prayed internally, his chest lurching painfully at the artwork that accompanied the article. Paintings of his daughter living her life as a normal peasant, taking to various tasks in servant uniforms. His heart broke. This is not how I wanted her to live.
And Yue, who could read the mix of emotions on her parents' faces, could say or do nothing, letting the truths unfold as she stared at her image on the pamphlet.
"Several other men identified her as the notorious 'old witch' who spun stories about being forever young to avoid their romantic advancements. She went around telling them she was more than a hundred years old and repeatedly took beauty enhancement surgeries in Ba Sing Se to replace her internal organs and perpetually 'look and feel young.' Literally had men peeing their pants; are you going to expect a woman like this to marry?"
And the chief and chieftess were exhausted beyond repair, devastated beyond rejuvenation. They could only protest in mute silence, drowning from the realization that the princess they sought to raise with much love and expense bestowed poverty upon herself. That this was the life she lived in secret.
"She served food at the very feasts she held for the poor on a regular basis. She cleaned the dishes they ate out of. All those guests we had for the Global Conferences? Yeah, she changed out the sheets of all the guests regularly and did housekeeping work for them in her spare time. And if she had extra time on her hands, she'd babysit the servants' snobby children, wipe their noses and butts. Disgusting!"
"I wonder if she ever really lived as a princess," yet another minister piped in, shaking his head in disapproval, "Even when she was thought to be a princess, she lived as a peasant!"
"A large portion of the money she accumulated went to feeding the beggars down every street," huffed another.
"That woman does not know how to run a country. She's too cowardly to chop heads off and calls it 'mercy,' yet she has the audacity to construct family rooms in the middle of nowhere so women can feed their babies. Women should whip out their breasts in the sanctity of their bedrooms, not in the streets! What exactly is she trying to do with all of this?"
"Obviously encourage women to go out and debase themselves. I mean, she's already got our women to attend those 'training' classes or whatever."
"The focus she put on human rights is ridiculous. If only she put at least two percent of that in maintaining the treasury through means other than selling her stuff. Ten percent of her entire assets went to compensating eunichs. Seriously, why would compensation be necessary for men who voluntarily sacrificed their phalluses and fathering capabilities to La? She's making it sound like they've been through some grave injustice! We designed this program for low-income tribesmen to help them provide for their families, and they signed up for this on their own!"
"As if that's not enough, she outlawed the program altogether along with many of our ancient practices. Increased restrictions on hunting. Mixing up the sectors to get rid of hierarchies." The minister's voice went to a whisper, "My new neighbor in the first sector is a bladesmith who used to live in the third sector. What the fuck? He has no right to be within five hundred feet of my residence, that filthy peasant!"
"Seems like she would rather us lose all sense of dignity and go around wearing torn clothes and sweeping the streets like her. Seriously, even the local chiefs and chieftesses wear clothes fancier than hers. We went around saying she's the future chieftess of Agna Qel'a, dammit, and even in that powerful position, she wandered around in cheap calico, got rid of her belongings, sold her prized possessions for a treasury damned to serve pointless charities."
"She's an embarrassment to us all, but we tolerated her yakshit on the sole basis that she was yours," an administrator pointed accusingly at a trembling, devastated Arnook, who relied solely on willpower to keep himself quiet, "And you? You deceived all of us, Chief."
"By the grace of the Spirits, Chieftess Ahnah is alive and is carrying your children," spoke up the minister who had brought in the pamphlets, "There is no greater blessing for you than this, Chief." Pointing to the princess, "For the love of the Spirits, forsake this embarrassment you call a daughter and place your real children on the throne. A street peasant can never safeguard the throne—"
"DO NOT CALL MY CHILD A STREET PEASANT!" Arnook raged, his patience snapping as he shot up from the throne. Heat seemed to blaze in his eyes, nearly lighting his tears afire.
"She is our firstborn! She is ours! The Goddess confirmed this! And no matter what you imbeciles have to say about this, THIS IS THE TRUTH!" Ahnah followed, disregarding Healer Yugoda's efforts in getting her to calm down.
Yue fumbled to dry her eyes, "Your Majesties—"
"GET OUT OF MY PALACE!" Arnook shook at the ministers. "I better not see you again. And if I do, THAT MOMENT WILL BE YOUR LAST!"
The ministers and administrators huffed, unamused by his outbursts and the chieftess's meltdown as they continued to run their mouths.
"You have no right to tell us to get out of here, Chief. Just as you have no right to keep street-children in the palace." Glaring at the princess, "Your precious daughter should be the ones to pack her bags. The royal palace has no obligation to provide shelter to orphans."
The assembled administrators widened their eyes. Several Revivalists roared in disapproval, ready to charge forward and tackle the ministers, but the princess restrained them by raising her hand. She seemed to have expected such an announcement, showing no surprise, but Arnook and Ahnah couldn't tolerate it.
"She is here at our bidding! You might not recognize her as the princess, but she is our daughter and has every right to be here!" Ahnah screeched, sending the entire chamber nearly shaking with her outburst.
"It's not enough to yell at everyone else for your lack of preparations, honorable leaders. If you wanted to save her position so bad, you should've married her off to an airbender or at least made her keep her mouth shut."
"Some obsession they have with that foolish girl," another minister rolled his eyes. "The Water Tribe does not need a half-breed's hand controlling it, and it really doesn't need an Air Nomad's mercy. At this rate, she'll run out of every copper piece she has, and she'll have to start whoring herself around to gain another buck—"
A sharp hand found its way across the minister's face, jolting his heart, tossing his being in a wave of pain. The minister screeched as he hit the side of the door, blood dripping from his mouth as he fell on top of a nearby ice table. The table was subsequently sliced in half as a powerful leg jammed onto his back and pressed him against the ice, ripping a howl of pain out of the minister as he hit the floor.
"ANOTHER WORD ABOUT OUR DRONNINGI, AND I'LL RIP YOU APART!" Sokka roared.
The ministers cowered at the isumataq's strength, the victim of his wrath backing away, terror raiding his being as he saw the prince's eyes teeter on the brink of pure darkness. Arnook and Ahnah let their devastations overwhelm them.
"Isumataq!" Yue raced over to him, trying to hold him back.
"You will not disrespect the leader of the nation and expect to get away with it—!" the Southern prince hissed.
"The leader of what nation? Certainly not the North!" shouted an administrator from behind the fallen man, showcasing false courage as he swayed in proximity to a bulky minister while yapping on, "She has no right to even be standing here—!"
"On what grounds?" Sokka demanded, "That she's not legally a princess? That she's not anyone of importance?" He pulled out copies of a pamphlet from the folds of his robes and slammed them on a table, "Guess you haven't seen the latest pamphlet, have you?"
A minister stepped forward and grabbed one, his eyes widening immediately upon reading the title. He gawked at the princess for a moment before backing away. Arnook rushed forth and grabbed another copy, surprised by the heading. Yue couldn't hold back her curiosity at that point; she grabbed the pamphlet in her father's hand, skimming over the cover. It was a picture of her, half of her face resembling her true appearance, the othe half being her black Revivalist mask. She froze.
Yuesanga and Kuunnguaq — Reconstructing the Secret Identities and Philosophies of the North's Princess
"You heard it here, folks!" Sokka held up another copy, "Dronningi Yue is Kuunnguaq! Social reformer, leader of the Revivalist Mission, unofficial leader and protector of the North under the terrible reign of Khasiq!"
One could feel the respect sweeping through the room as the members of the assembly all rose to their feet, fixing their gazes on the princess. Nearly all of them had their experiences with the famous Kuunnguaq, the elusive guardian of the North. For some, she restored their health. For others, their family members. For some, she provided jobs, and for others, food. Whatever the cause, her invisible hand was there to provide like the warmth of Tui. And as Yue was made the center of all attention in a matter of seconds, her entire life, which she'd kept tucked away in the darkness of the North's nights, came to the forefront.
"You're lying!" the cowardly administrator screeched at the prince.
"He's not lying!" came the voice of Kanguk, who utilized the chance to step in. "Princess Yue is our Lady. She's the vision behind our social mission. Our safety protocol advised us against revealing her all this time."
"There's no way—!"
"I've got the whole tribe here to prove it," Sokka yanked aside all the pelt curtains in the room, the glass windows giving way to the hordes of people gathered outside of the palace, increasing in number as they chanted away.
"KUUNNGUAQ! KUUNNGUAQ! KUUNNGUAQ!"
Yue, still stupefied by the truths that had spilled, eyed the scene through the glass, and at the sight of her, the crowd went crazy. Among them were several people she knew, several she had recognized from the throes of everyday life. The maids she'd grown up around and learned housework from, the friends she'd made, the Revivalists, the sisters she had rescued from Khasiq's brothels.
"Yue!"
"Kuunnguaq!"
"Princess Yue!"
"Tuiup paninga!"
The tribe opened up like a moonflower in bloom at the sight of the princess. Ahnah and Arnook approached the glass, looking down at the crowd, standing beside their daughter in infinite pride.
"VICTORY TO KUUNNGUAQ!" came the chants, "UPHOLDER OF CIVILIZATIONS!"
Sokka turned to Arnook, "Is this enough proof for you?"
To which the chief dried his eyes and nodded, hope lighting up his gaze.
Sokka cast a smug look at the ministers, who stepped back as he stepped forward, "To get to Kuunnguaq, you're all gonna have to go through all of them," pointing to the people, "And to get to them, you're gonna have to go through me. Take one step forward, and you will have made the greatest mistake of your lives. Your performances are done here, now get the fuck out."
"Even if she is Kuunnguaq, she doesn't automatically rise to princess status, if that's what you're wondering!" a cultural minister yelled. "No matter who she is, nothing will change the fact that her blood does not carry the divine right to rule—!"
"The people get to decide that, mind you," Sokka glared.
"This isn't the South for you to have elections on a whim," another minister mocked.
"You're acting like the chief will do whatever the fuck you say. You think you have what it takes to make decisions around here?"
"Who do you think you are to command the chief?"
"And who do you think you are to raise your hand against members of the royal court?! You might be the heir to the Southern throne, but even you started off as a peasant—!"
"Not another word of disrespect AGAINST MY HUSBAND!" Yue broke her silence, stepping in front of the isumataq, her glare piercing through the ministers as their startled forms tumbled back. The words that left her lips caused the entire assembly to gawk at her in complete shock— over the fact that the marriage already happened, at least, for no one was necessarily caught off guard by the romantic nature of their relationship. Sokka himself was astonished to hear her admit the truth in public, tossed in an ocean of warmth and love, of belonging and acceptance.
"Oh my Spirits…" Minister Luqak turned to Arnook, taking note of the spark of pride in the chieftain's eyes before eyeing the princess, "You married the isumataq?"
Yue tore off her arm wrap and unwound Sokka's. Her hand laced with his and held up their touching wrists, revealing to the world the unmistakable markings of Yin and Yang, her fair skin housing La's half as his dark skin harboring Tui's half.
"She doesn't even have a necklace—!" the minister trailed off as he saw the prince's talisman dangling from the princess's neck, matched oddly by the princess's famed conch necklace that rested against his chest.
Over the course of the next several hours, the silenced members of the assembly went on to find their voices and chatter amongst themselves as Ivaneq took to preparing the ballots. The chaos of the meeting spread and rendered the Northern royals exhausted on a mental, physical, maybe even spiritual level. The cultural ministers still put up a strong fight on not allowing the princess to stay within the palace, pressing that she re-enter only after the results of the election proved to be in her favor. Arnook and Ahnah protested, yet, it was Sokka who suggested that perhaps this distance would be therapeutic following all that took place. It was decided that Yue would stay in the Crescent Moon Estate along with the isumataq until the results came in.
"They're really not happy about this," Aang said, worn out from convincing the Northern leaders. "The chief and chieftess are inconsolable. They're only able to keep it together because you're with Yue."
"But it's necessary, and Yue agreed to it," Sokka said. "The longer she's there, the more she'll have to endure. I'm not having her go through that shit."
"So much had happened just because they found out she was adopted," Katara mused, "Just imagine how it would've been if they knew the whole truth…"
"I don't even want to think about it," Sokka croaked, his hand fisting through his hair. "It's so ironic. One one end of the spectrum you see how deeply someone can love a child that did not come from them…and on the other end, you have biological parents and grandparents get ready to disown your ass for honor and prestige." Shaking his head, "Angayok and Ataniq don't deserve any of the terrible stuff that's happening to them right now. Silak looked me in the eye, Katara, and he said that he thinks of you and me like his own."
"Yeah…for a second, he reminded me of Dad…in a good way, I mean." The Southern princess cleared her throat and brushed at her eyes, "Are you sure you thought this through? Ending your candidacy is…irreversible, Sokka…"
Sokka answered with great patience, "For the last time, sis, yes. Yes, I did. You don't see me complaining over the fact that you don't want to be the next candidate."
"Well it doesn't help that she's marrying an airbender, I suppose," Aang noted.
Katara brushed her hand over Aang's tattooed one, intertwining her fingers with his, "I was never given deference anyway, Sweetie. Being a bender would've gotten me somewhere, but I'm a woman."
"I can't imagine anything that's dumber than that. You're the most amazing person I know, Sweetie—"
"We're not gathered here for your oogies, this is serious."
Katara rolled her eyes, disregarding her brother's overbearing strictness, "As I was saying, anything is better than being the chieftess of the South. I've been trapped indoors far too long. I want to have a life."
"Well that's how it is for me, too. I'm a human being, not his puppet," Sokka said. "And I won't make the mistake Dad made by going back to Pakku even after all the shit that happened, even after Mom was harrassed so much. Who in his right mind would even consider going back?"
"He had to for Gran Gran's sake."
Sokka huffed, leaning back against the pelts on his chair.
"I'm not going to sit here and say you're making the wrong decision. Your loyalty to Yue is impeccable," Katara said. "But I did want to ask because…didn't you want chiefdom at some point?"
Shrugging, "I don't know if I wanted it. I knew it was a responsibility. I always knew it was coming up."
"You've prepared for it your whole life."
"That's not the same as wanting to prepare for it my whole life," he said. "I don't know if I really wanted it, Katara; that decision was made by other people on my behalf. People just assumed things, made decisions according to birth charts and horoscopes, all that dumb stuff. I mean…I like being there for people. I like being relied on. But they didn't choose me for me. As soon as I was born, whatever kind of guy I was gonna be, I was still a guy and the firstborn. Otherwise, I wouldn't get anywhere with my disbelieving ass. But the people here…" His eyes grew soft, "Yue always appreciated me for me. All the angakkuit, some of the Revivalists…Some of them were skeptical, but then they accepted me, and now I feel like I belong here."
"I know. I get that."
"For once, I'm making an important decision on my own," he said. "I want this, I'm sure of it. Katara, you don't get it. The high I felt when she said I was her husband in front of all those people…"
"Yue is very cautious, very careful," Aang said. "She wouldn't have revealed it on her own if she didn't mean it…considering she knows the consequences of that kind of reveal. Honestly I was worried she'd end things under the circumstances because that's the kind of arrangement you two had, but…what she said today was a pleasant surprise."
"Yeah," Katara said, a small smile on her lips, "I really think that's a win for you."
"I'll consider it a win the moment I counter Pakku's effects," Sokka said determinedly, worn by the eventful day. "That imbecile is not about to snatch everything away from Yue and get away with it."
"I've seen the faces of the princess and of Kuunnguaq," spoke Kinji's Slayer, "They are one and the same."
"Are you sure?" Zei asked.
"I dare you to have them both stand in the same room with no masks. You'll see for yourself; they have the same attributes. They believe the same things. They are both world-class healers and fighters. They are one and the same."
"But what reason would the princess have for hiding this truth? For saying she is different from Kuunnguaq? Didn't she say she was a student of Kuunnguaq?"
"If there is anything that the princess did not want to be known for in her Kuunnguaq persona, it was being identified with Revivalism. The princess never expected Revivalism to be a political ideology, but as it steadily became one, she sought to distinguish herself from it. She could not abandon her mission and her connections with those who relied on her, but she did not want to be seen as a biased figure."
"You seem to be very invested in this, and you mirrored her in many ways. Are you Kuunnguaq's lover?"
"I'm not out to pursue romance."
"Then?"
"I'm only being selfish."
"Selfish?"
"I respect Kuunnguaq because I naturally support her message. Having a family member who is oppressed by society for no reason…Kuunnguaq gives me hope. Kuunnguaq is a symbol of radical acceptance, and if there's anything I want to happen in the world, if there's anything I can point to and say it's the purpose of all she does, it's fostering compassion and belonging."
"What do you mean? Is a family member of yours a member of an oppressed group?"
"That's what that's gotta mean."
"Who is it? Your family member…?"
"Someone very close to me."
"Obviously…" But there was no response, "Sorry, sorry, I won't pry you further. It's just…it's so strange to hear that about you."
"I'm a human being, too. I'm not some monster with a white mask for a face."
"And yet, we know so little about you. You've been wandering the North and doing your own thing. Sometimes it seems like you're competing with Kuunnguaq for justice, and at other times, it seems like you're aiding her. Who even are you, good sir? Are you just a citizen rebelling against the forces that oppress the people you love? After all, there's a very real possibility that you could even be a Revivalist in disguise. You haven't even shown us your face."
"I don't care what the people think, and I don't care about being seen. Naturally my loyalty goes to people who look to liberate my loved ones. I have every reason to support the princess given her extensive social service, and I have no reason to engage in false propaganda. I am drawn to the princess's compassion and philosophy. The love she has for her people is nothing short of maternal and devotional, and I am drawn to her work because she's Kuunnguaq. Not because I will get something in return after helping her take the throne."
"Who would you say you are then? In relation to her? An admirer? A brother figure? A guardian? You say you're not on a pursuit of romance; would you consider yourself attracted to her?"
"I best identify myself as a truth that the Water Tribe isn't ready for."
"What does that mean?"
With a rare twinkle in his eyes, "I'm the Akna's husband."
"What?"
The Gentleman stood up and began to walk away, but Zei was persistent. He ran beside the man, grabbing his shoulder, "You married the Akna?"
"Yes."
"Did you know about her past before—?"
"Yes."
"And you're okay with it?"
"You make it sound like she committed genocide or something." The Gentleman looked up at the stars, at the moon, the way its light bounced atop the ripples of the ocean, "I have no belief for the yakshit that's keeping our people caged. If anything, the story of the Akna is a testament to the compassion that exists in the universe. If there's any mission I have left in me, it's to counteract all the shit she received by her own home and her own people with all the love that's possible in the universe. Even if I have to scoop it up myself."
Zei did not say anything for a few moments, moved by the man's words, letting him express freely.
"I think no one said it better than Kuunnguaq did in one of her speeches. 'The moon provides light to all, and the ocean provides nourishment to all. They do so freely and without expectation, without discrimination, whether that be someone rich or poor, man or woman, old or young. If we are to call ourselves children of the moon and ocean, why discriminate?'"
"Yes…" Zei smiled, "Why discriminate?"
"So you see, my man, I'm just being selfish. All I want is to be part of a world where my wife can also be an active part. I want to be part of a world without the Spirit-damned laws of purity that are trampling our sisters and burying us all alive. And if that world is only possible under Kuunnguaq's reign…I'll make it happen. If it means killing one Kinji or a million, if it means wearing one mask or a million."
Zei found that he did not have anything to ask other than, "Who are you, man? Who the hell are you? Can I at least see you?"
"What's in a face? I took pity on you and gave you an hour of my time."
"But—"
"The day the tribe welcomes her with respect, honor, and love, that's the day you will see our faces. That's the day the whole tribe will see our faces. And until then…it'll just be the two of us in our own blasphemous world."
"There was no other way."
Yue quickly dried her drenched face and bent away the tears that dripped on the page. She tore her eeys away from the seminal pamphlet that secured her identity to the public, seeing the isumataq stand by the entrance to the balcony.
"Or maybe there was another way, but I couldn't think of one," he mused as he stepped out into the light, having brought a warm cloak that he draped around her shoulder. "I thought about approaching Kanguk or someone so they'd reveal this first, but I didn't think people would easily buy it because they could easily assume the Revivalists are lying to keep you on the throne. That's why I had to take this route. Answer a mystery with a mystery."
She only gave a brief nod of acknowledgment, trying to calm her racing heart.
"I know you probably wanted to keep this a secret, but if the tribe is going to make this decision on the merits, they need to fully know everything you did for the North…even if they don't know other details."
Tucking the pamphlet in the pocket of her robe, "Sooner or later, they probably would've figured it out anyway. I only worry about how your family will react to you announcing you're the Akna's husband. Even if you said it as the Gentleman."
"Well ingan sema," his hand held onto hers, his thumb absentmindedly tracing his marking on her hand, which seemed to glow brightly beneath the abundant waves of moonlight. He could still note the princess's worry, helplessly adding, "And don't look at me like that, okay? Like I'm the butt of the situation. You're in this situation because of me, too."
"You should've really said ingan sema to my father's decision to send you back," she turned away, "Instead of not putting a fight."
"He thought it was the best course of action…"
Crossing her arms in a burst of defiance, "Are you married to me or my father?"
"Well that depends," he scooted closer to her, leaning against the railing of the balcony. "Are you married to me or Pakku?"
"If I was married to Pakku, I wouldn't break the ice and call you my husband in front of the most important members of the administration."
He felt it difficult to keep a straight face, trampling his bottom lip, the gentle grip on her hand tightening. "Not another word of disrespect against my husband!" And just thinking of that made him feel too many feelings.
"Back there… when you said I'm your husband…" there was a giddily-proud jump in his shaking voice, but he kept his gaze lowered, controlled, "Are you okay with people knowing?"
She turned to face the sleeping tribe, not answering for a long moment, her heart lurching back and forth.
"Don't worry. I know I told you how I feel, but I'm not in any rush to have an answer from you. This isn't about that," came his disclaimer. "I just want to know if you're comfortable with people knowing…and what that would mean, if you have some kind of new plan or if we're going to have to do more pretending…things like that..." Taking a deep breath, "In fact… if you don't ever want to give me an answer, that's fine, too. If you don't want to label what we have, that's okay."
Frowning as she looked down at the waters of the canals, spotting her reflection and the look of yearning that raided the prince's face, "You don't understand."
"No, see that's the thing. I think I do understand." Treading his words carefully, "I know you won't say this to my face if it's true, but… it could be very possible that you don't want someone who will do what…what your biological father did… when he left… You could very possibly be skeptical of me…"
Her frown deepened, "Are you saying I'm doubting you?"
"No. I just…I can see why a relationship would be scary. Because I'm in a somewhat similar situation as he is… right? I mean, granted I'm not a monk, and I don't attend lectures about 'detachment' and shit, and I don't identify myself as that kind of jerk…" a scoff, "but the universe hates me enough to project me in a way where I have to 'choose'…between you and the highly righteous men who raised me… And you know what my choice is, but that just makes the anxiety worse for you, doesn't it…? The uncertainty that maybe I'd go back and forth?"
"Sokka, I—"
"I don't want you to have to experience that uncertainty," he insisted. "After today, I've been able to really think about things in a different perspective. Seeing the struggle you and your parents went through today… It was horrible. And it all happened because of a man who was irresponsible. You were always careful to avoid relationships and things because you didn't want an insensitive jerk to ruin everything… and even though what happened today is an issue between you and your parents, a man still managed to screw that up… And as a man…I don't have any kind of concrete proof to show I'm not that kind of horrible person…because feelings are issues that science and charts and maps won't have answers to." With a ragged breath, "It's okay if you don't feel comfortable. It's okay if you don't feel that certainty around me. And it's perfectly okay if you need more time or if you don't want to think about this at all."
Her heart softened, "No, Sokka—"
"It's okay. You don't have to say anything, okay? I just want you to know that I'm still here. I'm always gonna be here…And I'm not letting my love drag you into the streets. Just get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
The floodgates burst open. She grabbed his hand as he was leaving and tugged him back towards her, pulling him into her arms as her lips sought a desperate purchase of his. Every inch of his body was drenched in warmth and heat, tears slipping down his face. His palms flew to her face, pulling her in for a deeper kiss, matching the desperation of a weary desert traveller collapsing into an abundant oasis.
She was unable to stop the bursts of love that left her lips as she kissed his face all over, repeatedly returning to his lips, unable to consistently keep their lips together with the sobs of sheer relief that escaped them both. Her hands thumbing away the sweat at his jaw, holding him close, feeling his heart beating wildly.
"Spirits," he breathed, his restraint having let loose, his hands holding hers.
"I do love you," she breathed against his lips. "A lot. Fuck, I love you so much…"
The look he gave her was nothing short of bliss, a choked cry of joy letting loose, but he was caught off guard by her glare, "I mean, how stupid do you think I am? To compare you to someone like him? You think I made that announcement for no reason?"
"I didn't mean—"
"I kept hesitating. I couldn't take it, but I knew I had to keep my mouth shut. I wanted you to at least have the legal right to be the chief of the North by the time I confessed because I sure as hell wasn't going to let my love drag you into the streets—"
He silenced her, bringing their lips back together. For the longest time, they basked in the other's presence, breathing in the other's warmth beneath the chilling moon.
"No matter what happens, you'll have me," he rasped, smoothing his hand over her hair. "Inaamiya."
Kissing his forehead, "Iya inaami."