Chapter 78: Kohana's Wedding

"One more bite."

"I'm full, ataata!"

"Come on, little lady, one more," Sokka caught Yuka before she could run off to her toys and plopped a small dumpling into her mouth. "Now where's Yura?"

"She's over here," Ahiga whispered, pointing under the table.

"I guess she doesn't want any dessert," Yue drawled, smiling knowingly at the rustle beneath the table and a burst of, "I do, I do, I do— mm!"

"There we go," Sokka chuckled, wiping the princess's mouth clean before letting her bombard the plate of little pastries in her mother's hands. Using that moment of distraction from his father's supervision, Ahuma quickly airbent the spinach on his plate onto Ahanu's.

"Hey, I already ate mine!" Ahanu protested. "Ahuma, stop doing that!"

"That's not mine, I ate mine—!"

"We've been over this, buddy," Sokka patiently placed the spinach back in Ahuma's plate, "Don't airbend your food onto other people's plates. Finish the whole thing."

Yue looming over Ahote and Ahiga's plates, "You two didn't touch your carrots yet."

"But anaana—"

"No buts, wolf pups," the chieftain said. "Those carrots better be in your belly in the next ten minutes."

"Anaana, do we still have the spicy pickled noodles from last night?" Ummi asked, finding the current noodles on her plate to be rather bland.

"Ummi, no spicy food, love, I told you this."

"But—!"

"You had a stomach ache all night. You need to take it easy for a while."

"I know it sucks, Ums, but just for today, okay?" Sokka encouraged.

"And tomorrow," Yue clarified.

"Tomorrow, too?" Ummi whined.

"I did warn you not to eat that chili soup, paniga."

"Yeah, she did warn you, sport," Sokka conceded. "But hey, it's not all bad! You can have extra sweets to make up for the lack of spice!"

"YES!"

"Ooh, ooh! Can we do that, too?!" Ahote pushed his plate aside. "I won't eat spicy noodles tonight!"

"I want some more cakes, too!" Yura exclaimed.

"Woah woah, I didn't agree to this," Yue raised her eyebrows. "Too much sweets can also cause a stomach ache."

"Oh come on, it's just for two days, anaana, please please pleeaaase?"

"We'll talk about this later. Everyone finish your meals first."

When the children finished and retreated to play, the chieftess cast a look at the doorway, musing aloud, "Kohana hasn't eaten yet."

"I'll bring him down here," Sokka said, heading over to his brother's room. He found Kohana sitting with blankets wrapped around him, staring out of the window at the chaos of a raging blizzard.

"Ko-bear? You okay?"

Kohana merely nodded.

"You wanna come down to eat?"

"Yeah, I will. In a second."

Sensing that he was still deep in thought, Sokka took a seat beside him, his hand on the young man's shoulder, "Is everything really okay?" The chief then spotted a few scrolls that were cast aside on the bed, "What's all this?" And upon seeing that they were mostly portraits of young Water Tribe women and noticing the Southern seal on each of the scrolls, his tone turned serious, "They want you to pick someone out, huh?"

"Yeah…but I don't wanna deal with this yet. Not until I get my career settled..."

"Then tell them that," Sokka said, perplexed, "Just say you don't wanna think about this right now. This is why you're upset?"

"I'm not upset about this."

"Well something's clearly on your mind."

The tribesman looked at Sokka with a kind of weariness that seemed beyond the teen's years. It caught the chieftain off guard for a moment. "You know how we talked about…the future of the South yesterday?"

"I thought you didn't want to talk about any of this," Sokka said. "We don't need to talk about this right now if you don't want to. You said you wanted more time, and we get it. Don't worry too much."

"It's not that I'm worried. I just… Sokka, I don't wanna let you down."

With a surprised blink, "What?"

"I don't want to disappoint you, Sokka," Kohana said, "But I really can't do this whole…chiefdom thing."

"Kohana, you're not letting anyone down. No one's disappointed. Don't think about yourself like that," the chief assured. "If you really don't want this, then there's no pressure at all, okay?"

"Then let me sign off on something to make it official," the Southern isumataq insisted. "Some document saying I'm not the prince-regent anymore."

Sokka gave him a long look, "Ko-bear…I don't understand why you're rushing. What's making you feel so sure about this? Is there something you need to tell us?"

"I don't understand why I need to keep waiting," Kohana countered. "Katara said she never had interest in chiefdom since the beginning, and no one questioned her. And you didn't take two years to shove your relinquishment and disownment papers down those councilmen's throats all those years ago. You didn't take two years to make all those sacrifices and break from the bloodline."

"Are you saying you want to break from the bloodline?"

Answering his surprised look with a frustrated huff, "I don't know. I just know that if having royal blood makes things complicated for me, then I don't need to be part of that royal blood. I wanna live my own life peacefully. I don't wanna be the prince-regent. I wanna live a simple life here, and I don't get why that's so hard for everyone to understand."

Okay, there really is something he's not telling me, the angayok thought but approached the issue carefully, "Kohana, I get it, I really do. But you have to keep in mind that I was twenty-four when I made those decisions. You're sixteen. With age comes experience and understanding and thinking ahead. I'm not at all saying you're incapable of making decisions and understanding long-term consequences just because you're sixteen. I mean that seeing more of your life will give you more insight. We're not making you wait until you're twenty-four, are we? It's just two years, until you turn eighteen."

Kohana lost himself in thought again. Sokka kept a close eye on his expression, adding, "That being said…age isn't the only thing. Something's gotta really drive us to make that decision immediately." In Katara's case, she was consistent in her position. Ever since she mastered waterbending at fourteen, she was very vocal about bringing change in her own, hands-on way instead of ruling a sexist tribe that would never pass any of her proposed laws. She singlehandedly rallied up a lot of women in the tribe to try to condemn the purity laws. She didn't get very far back then, but she caused a significant ruckus and had legitimate reasons for losing faith in chiefdom."

"So you're saying my reasons aren't legitimate?"

"I'm saying they're speculative right now. There's no immediate harm, is there? You can generally relinquish chiefdom, but there's no specific reason for you to be rushing about it, right?" Noting his perturbed look, "…unless there's something you need to tell me…"

Kohana shook his head despite still being unsure.

"Look…the other thing about all this procedure talk is…well, your ukuaq and I…we don't want you ever to look back at your life and regret not taking the time to think over your decision. I don't want you ever looking back and thinking we didn't give you a proper chance or…or that we took your rights away from you when you're still so young without allowing you to revisit your decision. We don't want a dumb position getting in between all of us—"

"Sokka, that's never gonna happen," Kohana said with great vehemence, "I'd never think badly about you or ukuaq!"

"We know you won't, but this is just protocol. Just in case. We want to give you the chance to change your mind if you want to. You never know what will happen that can make you see the world differently." Again granting him a look of reassurance, "But we do want you to know that we're not at all gonna make you change your mind or try to influence you in any way. You're still young, and you're still learning. Take advantage of that instead of signing away every document you see. We promise you, whatever decision you take in two years, we'll respect it…again, unless you have something to tell me…"

Kohana still didn't reveal anything but nodded along to his logic, "I understand. I'll be happy to wait."

He's a stubborn one, the chieftain thought, opting against forcing the prince's feelings out. "Another thing. You said earlier that I made sacrifices. But I didn't."

"Of course you did. You let go of the throne."

Shaking his head, "For something to be a sacrifice, you need to give up something highly valuable because some other thing is much more important. But that's not what happened in my case. I broke away from a toxic atmosphere. That's not sacrifice, that's basic survival and self-preservation. There's nothing valuable about a throne that rips your loved ones away from you. There's nothing more overrated than a position of power that gives you everything but what you really need." Swallowing, "I lost many nights of sleep and rest to keep the South going. For the people I thought were family. And how do I get repaid? With a murder attempt on the love of my life and a bunch of papers ousting me if I held onto her. And as it all unfolded in front of my eyes…it made me realize that all those years I grew up with your parents, I was…really probably nothing but a dog that played fetch. Just bringing things home and hoping for morsels of love. I myself had no value. In the end, I was just…an infected appendage that had to be cut off."

"Sokka, don't say that. That can't be true," Kohana frowned.

"But it is. Your parents' real son was prestige, and to protect him, they didn't even bat an eye at the idea of disowning me. And in response, I didn't even bat an eye at the idea of leaving. But your ukuaq… It's a way different story with her." Tearing at his lip, "She was trying to protect me when that monster attacked. She was putting her life on the line to save me…That's what sacrifices is, Kohana." His voice breaking, "The worst could've happened…"

Kohana softened his eyes as he caught the tears in his brother's gaze, "Sokka, I'm sorry, wasn't trying to—"

"I know," he dried his eyes, shoving away the horrid flashbacks, "The bottom line is that I didn't sacrifice anything. I left your parents for good. I saved myself by breaking away. That's why I shoved those papers down those councilmen's throats and never looked back."

"Well I need you to know that I won't be sacrificing anything, either, by letting go of that throne," Kohana said carefully. "The South is nothing but pure suffering even now. You're strong, and you're a Wolf-Moonite, and you were able to rectify that situation somehow and process that incident. But if that happened to me… I don't think I could take it, Sokka. Not at all."

Sokka again found himself trying to piece together the situation that Kohana was hellbent on not telling him, but the prince had to be in love, he just had to be, Sokka knew it—

"Sokka…I know you're not a fan of this idea, but…what if there really was some way you and ukuaq can be the official leaders of the South? Without having to go there and without having to ever meet with them face-to-face? If there was a way…would you guys do it?"

Kohana expected annoyance or frustration, but Sokka exhibited none of those, only stating patiently, "We promised to care for both tribes even if we're the leaders of just one. We're never gonna abandon the South. We'll always be looking over it. But in terms of ruling it… that, too, permanently…"

"Even if you have no contact with them whatsoever?"

"Apart from the fact that it would be Karuna's position if you stick with relinquishment, I have a big family I need to be looking out for. It goes without saying that we're taking zero risks."

"Sokka, I'd never suggest anything that would put you guys at risk—"

"I know, Ko-bear, I get it."

"But I do wanna know…what if there comes a point when Karuna doesn't want the throne, either? What should we do then?"

The chief wasn't sure he had an answer to that question. At least, nothing other than an unsatisfactory, "We'll see." Shifting the topic elsewhere, "Have you thought about what you want to do in the future, then? If you don't wanna be the chief?"

"I could teach waterbending."

"Nice. You're a master now, so the next step is learning the trade. I'm sure you can find a position as an apprentice."

"Actually, I've looked into some opportunities. Master Inqun on Pinguq Street is opening up a new school. I figured I could work as his assistant."

"Then go for it, champ!" the chief clapped the prince's back, "Look, Ko-bear, whatever you decide, we just wanna see you happy. Don't think about anything else other than what you wanna do, okay?"

"Yeah," Kohana nodded, a great burden lifting from his chest, "Okay."


Sokka kept an arm around her waist as she settled in his lap, their forms entangled and perched atop the bathroom counter. She softly dragged her water-coated palm over his jaw, having sharpened the water tendril as if it were a blunt tip as she carefully trimmed his beard. She tilted his face for a better angle, the water gently nipping away the small hairs. Occasionally he snuck in a kiss or two, brushing away the little hairs that stuck to her bathrobe.

"Careful," Yue warned, "The water's sharp."

"Eh," he shrugged.

"You'll hurt yourself," she frowned, "Let me focus, I'm almost done." She snipped off a few uneven hairs, blowing away some that were stuck to his upper lip before pulling away, examining her work, "I think it's good now. What do you think?"

"I trust your judgment, nalligima."

"No, wait, I missed a spot— mmmffhnnhhn!"

He stole another abrupt kiss in the meantime, accompanied by a generous squeeze of her rear beneath her robe, sending her shrieking at the move. A small nick was left behind on his chin, but it didn't mar the devious little grin on his lips.

"Every single time," she flushed, quickly healing the cut before scraping off the last few hairs on his skin.

"Hey, you're not gonna kiss it better?"

"Oh, silly me, how could I forget?" she said, amused as he closed his eyes and leaned forward with an expectant grin. It was his turn to yelp, however, when she bit his chin instead.

"Hey!"

She jumped down from the counter with a laugh as he chased her into their steaming bath. She bent a tendril into the tiny fire, filling the room with more steam. They became more comfortable in the water, peeling off their robes and the stress of the day's work as they cuddled by the edge of the tub.

"Now I need more kisses to feel better, Chieftess," he insisted.

"Fair enough," she grinned, planting ample kisses on his chin and jaw. "Too bad we can't kiss the South better and call it a day."

"We'll need to extend the aid to buy some time."

"We also can't keep forcing them to lead if they genuinely don't want to," she said, referring to Kya and Hakoda. "The tribefolk would never want leaders who don't care anymore or have given up. And we can't force Kohana to accept the position if he's not ready for it or if he really doesn't want it. He needs to be happy, and the people need someone who will put their heart and soul into this."

"Mm."

"We've already tried having Ivaneq write to them. I wish I could say writing to them will fix things, but they're being very stubborn about this."

"It's all just nonsense from their end," he huffed. "They don't have a valid claim. They just want the attention. They're trying to victimize themselves to create some kind of sympathy. Remorse, my ass. You think their crimes deserve repentance?"

Yue stroked his arm to calm him, "Whatever their reasons are, if they keep this up, the South will end up taking the hit. We're obviously not going to sit around and let them hurt the South like that, but…"

"Whatever kind of ruckus they wanna cause, we're not meeting with anyone from the South. We can send Ivaneq as a representative to the South with plenty of security if he's up for it. He can take care of their problems to the extent he can and communicate the more complicated issues to us through correspondence. And besides, if they don't have it in them to stay in power until the next leader is ready, they have to find a substitute. That burden is entirely on them." Wearing a resolute look, "No matter what ends up happening, by no means is the South not going to have a ruler."

"Until then, Kohana has the time he asked for. We'll have to see what he says."

"He's gotta be seeing someone," Sokka said. "Remember when he said he would rather settle down and have a normal life?"

"Yeah…"

"And earlier when we talked…he was very concerned about not going through what we did. And he didn't seem psyched about matchmaking. It could be because he has a particular girl in mind. You heard the maids yesterday; he's been hanging out at the Ahusiq Healing Hut. What if he's interested in someone there?"

"If that's really the case, I'm not sure why he's holding back on telling us. He knows we would be happy for him."

"That's what I don't get, either. We may need to look into this."

"Or we could wait a little longer," she suggested. "See if he tells us on his own. What if he really is wanting to wait until he gets this issue sorted out?"

"I told him there's no need to feel pressured. I also kept asking him if he wanted to tell me anything that was bothering him. He didn't say anything."

"He could be attracted to someone like you said, but it's probably not serious enough to tell anyone about it yet. Maybe it's one-sided. Maybe he's still figuring things out. Maybe he really does want to focus on being a waterbending master before acting on said attraction or something."

"Well whatever the situation really is, if he changes his mind in these few years, he will be chieftain, and if not, then he won't be forced to be one. But I'm really starting to think it's a situation where the girl he's seeing is not going to be accepted under the backward laws in the South. It could be a reason for his hesitation. Why else would he be so afraid of going through what we did?"

"If that is the situation, and if he still rejects the throne wholeheartedly, then we need to respect that," Yue said. "That will leave six more years for Karuna to turn sixteen and be eligible for chiefdom. And even if there's a concern about tensions between the two willing candidates— I don't think it will get to that point, but hypothetically speaking— there's no prohibition on Kohana and Karuna ruling jointly. Joint leadership hasn't quite been done before, but it's not forbidden by the rules. They even make note of it."

"Yeah, that's a possibility," he mused. "But either way we slice it, we'll need an interim until either Kohana or Karuna or both ascend the throne."

"Do you have anyone you would recommend for the interim position?"

Thinking hard for a moment, "Bato is experienced. He's seen it all. But he doesn't want to rule according to his affidavit. Technically any of our Southern friends here would be eligible; Kanguq was born in the South and grew up there for a while. But I worry about their family since Sayen is a Revivalist, as are the rest of the sisters." Frowning, "The South may be ready for change, but the candidates themselves shouldn't be at risk. I don't feel confident in anyone from the new Southern Council just yet."

"We could look at the Southern Council appointees themselves to ease tensions. A local who won't upset the balance too much. They're all new appointees, and we know nothing about them. They can be interviewed."

"In that case, I think you should interview them," Yue said. "It's a matter of choosing the interim leader and a reliable right hand for Kohana or Karuna or both, whoever steps up. You're the right choice for that task."

"What's this 'you' stuff you speak of, Chieftess? You mean 'us.'"

"I don't know if the South would want a non-Southerner helping make that determination. It'll just be…unnecessary meddling in Southern affairs by Northern authority—"

"But that's what this already is," he pointed out. "I'm the chieftain of the North unnecessarily meddling in Southern leadership issues."

"You were supposed to be chieftain of the South, though."

Furrowing his eyebrows, "Is this your way of 'giving back what I lost' or something like that? I thought I told you not to think like that—"

"No, no, that's not what this is about," she reassured. "I like to think the integrity of the South would be preserved if an all-Southern team handled this. That's the only reason."

"Well I like to think we're a unit, and if you're not interested, I'm not interested."

"Fine, fine," she acquiesced. "Don't take drastic decisions. We'll both interview the appointees."

There remained, however, the daunting question of the existence of some kind of system until they chose an appointee. It would be neverending efforts upon efforts, which would certainly exhaust them given the supervision that would still be needed over the chosen appointee."

"Some system's gotta be in place until we choose," Sokka said wearily. "The only other alternative would be some sort of arrangement for the administration of the state without taking up chiefdom. Simple aid isn't gonna be enough."

"It all sounds convoluted, don't you think? Putting a temporary system in place until we get an interim, who's just going to be a temporary leader." Looking up at him, "If there was a way for us to not meet with the Southern leaders and avoid a coronation…would you agree to be the interim?"

He gave her a curious look.

"Just think about it practically. We can interview people all day long, but no one's going to have the South's best interests at heart more than you. It'll be a waste of time and energy trying to fish for someone reliable and knowledgeable, especially if it involves looking through new and inexperienced appointees. It'll take months just to verify their identities and civil and criminal records."

"But Provision One specifically says—"

"It may be the most cited provision, but it's not the only provision we need to focus on. Provision Seventeen specifically says that an interim leader does not need to follow all protocols required of a main leader if he or she is appointed in a time of crisis that demands immediate action and leadership decisions. Nowhere in this section does it say an interim has to be coronated in the homeland under these kinds of emergency circumstances. This is because a coronation would not be possible or would present delay or hardship in exigent circumstances like war or financial crises. Reading this together with Provision One, it's more or less an exception. We can say that the financial crisis in the South is the emergency behind the interim leader's appointment, and immediate decisions need to be made. We can't waste time on a coronation or a formal meeting with the other side if immediate action is in the afflicted tribe's best interest."

He was still cast with a degree of uncertainty. Under no circumstances was he exposing their family to the Southern royals, but who knew what challenges to that resolve would linger even with these loopholes.

"We can supervise without really being involved this way," Yue coaxed him. "Plus, it'll be a kind of compromise between us and the other side." Given Kya and Hakoda's fervent demands that Sokka and Yue assume the throne officially. "It'll keep them off our backs for a good while. And in the meantime, we as the interims have the opportunity to change regressive laws."

"I'm listening."

"Kohana's fears are genuine, nalligima. Whether he's in a relationship or not, he knows what's up. It really is scary for a royal to raise a family peacefully in the South after that rampage, and if anything, he's being smart about this by thinking this through. But we can step in without literally stepping in and try to change that landscape. Make it safe for Kohana or Karuna down the road with legal reform. When the time comes, we can pass the position down to them confidently and not have to worry about any dangers to their well-being, and they'll be equally confident in taking up their duties. We can work with them in their first few years until they can steer the responsibilities on their own." Her hand resting on his shoulder, "This way, we don't have to take a deep dive into Southern politics for ourselves, and we don't ever have to set foot in the South at any time, but we can exert enough influence to make it better for your brothers. Whoever steps up for the job."

"It all sounds great, but… how are we gonna keep out and still exert influence…?"

"That's not a big deal." With a teasing flare in her eyes, she circled his right nipple, pleased as his tension winded down with every stroke, "Assume this is the North," and traversing over to the left, "And assume this is the South."

"Mm," he murmured, his interest further piqued.

"We can put our own system in place, send a good number of our representatives from here," again circling his right nipple, "to over here," her fingers swimming over to his left pec.

"Hm," he breathed, marveling the bite of her lower lip as he fondled her right breast, "So assuming this is the North, we can expand our existing agencies with Southern wings in each, send representatives as you said," planting a kiss on her left areola, "until the South's infrastructure improves, and the Southern Council gets back on its feet."

She gave a pleased smile, sinking her lips into his neck, feeling his breath grow heavier with desire, "So what do you think?"

"It's fine by me if the Leadership Council buys the exigent circumstance argument. If not, then we're sticking to interviewing the appointees. Or at least putting some people in charge of interviewing them."

"Sounds good to me."

He pulled back for a moment, "But what are we gonna do if Kohana doesn't want the throne and Karuna doesn't, either? We can't be interims forever. Plus, the rules say the interim becomes the official leader if there's no one else worthy of the position. Who else would be worthy of leading the South?"

"Well…we have a minimum of six years to think of a solution for that."

"Six years, hm…"

"Mmhm."

"Well then," letting her envelop him in her arms, "We got time."


Despite the initial challenges that the interim chiefdom of the South brought to their hands-on/hands-off approach, the Northern leaders found their groove eventually without compromising family time. And for some reason, Kohana found it utterly fascinating today to see the chief and chieftess pamper their children. There was a tender glaze in the prince's eyes as he appeared to observe every interaction Sokka had with the kids. Initial nervousness was slowly replaced by a soft little smile like never before, a joyful little skip in his heart. His chest swelled up with a new kind of love when he played board games with the children, watching them swarm on top of their mother and father, and eventually fall asleep, having sprawled all over them like a litter of moose-lion cubs snuggling against every inch of their parents they could find. Sokka, too, had momentarily dozed off with a content smile on his face, woken only by his rumbling stomach and Yue's gentle kiss, reminding him to eat.

"Alright, my loves, bedtime," the chieftess coaxed the children out of their sleep. "Let's go inside."

"Sleep in your beds, wolf pups, come on," Sokka propped them up one by one and kissed them goodnight. "Happy dreams."

"'Night, ataata. 'Night, Uncle Ko-Ko."

Kohana beamed, "Goodnight, kiddos."

By the time Yue guided the children inside to tuck them in, the chief took up the task of putting the toys away.

"I'll clean this up," Kohana offered. "You can start serving everything."

"Good call, Ko-bear," the chief immediately took to preparing the platters for Yue, Kohana, and himself.

"Can you not call me Ko-bear? I'm not a baby anymore, I'm seventeen."

The chief gave him an amused look, "Grow a full beard first, little brother, and then we'll talk."

"Haha," Kohana rolled his eyes, continuing to gather the toys into the trunk in the corner.

"You look like you haven't slept in years," the prince told his brother, adding when he received a shrug in response, "But…you also look very happy."

"Well yeah, I am happy," came a matter-of-fact answer.

"You really love being a dad, huh?"

A wide smile bloomed on the chieftain's lips, "Yep."

"And you're a pretty good one at that."

"Good? You take that back. I'm an awesome dad."

"I guess that's why you and ukuaq love popping out multiples every few years."

"Hey," Sokka flushed.

"Seriously, you guys are on your way to earning a world record at this rate," the prince laughed as he proceeded to pick up the game pieces that were hurled across the room.

"What's with you today?" Sokka raised his eyebrows, "You're all smiley."

"Nothing. Same as usual."

"Yeah?" he observed the young man for another moment, finding it rather interesting that Kohana subtly studied every toy he picked up and grinned to himself when he thought Sokka wasn't watching. "You seem to be happy, too, about something. Happiness is better when shared, don't you think?"

Especially since Kohana seemed to be having a lot of secrets lately. The prince, however, didn't say much other than, "I'm just happy with where I am right now," he said vaguely. "No particular reason."

A few more minutes of silence later, Yue joined them in their preparations, and the trio finally sat down to eat. Kohana played with his food for a long while, only taking a few bites at a time.

"I'm just happy…No particular reason." Sokka would've taken Kohana's word for it had the prince not averted eye contact immediately. "You know, good or bad, you can tell us anything, Kohana, you know that."

Yue stopped midchew, sharing a wordless conversation with her husband before watching Kohana's reaction. The young man merely said, "Yeah, I know." Though for a split moment, that comment did seem to get to him. He had contemplated for a long moment, itching to speak, overcome by love and pride and a degree of nervousness, but some shift in his thoughts occurred, and in a matter of a few seconds, he tucked away the plethora of emotions swirling in his gaze. In a low tone.

Sokka turned to his wife, Didn't you see that? And he earned a nod in response.

"So, uh…" Kohana cleared his throat, "What's your secret?"

"Huh?"

"What's the secret to being an awesome dad?"

Sokka blinked, "Why the sudden curiosity?"

"Uh…no reason." And upon seeing his brother gawk at him, he said with a bit of annoyance, "What? I'm just curious."

"Nothing wrong with curiosity, is there?" Yue said, signaling her husband to tuck his obvious inquisitiveness away for a moment. He gave a subtle nod, turning back to the prince. "Well…there's no equation or code to help you figure out parenting. I learned a lot along the way. I'm still learning. But the important thing is the right foundation."

"Foundation? What's that?"

"To love your kids selflessly and with all your heart. To want only the best for them. To always be there for them. And if you try to do all of these things sincerely, you're on the right track."

"Well yeah, that's super obvious," Kohana said, unsatisfied by the answer.

"What, you need specifics, too?"

He didn't answer, lost in thought for another moment.

"It shouldn't be impossible for you to figure out the little details, Kohana," Yue smiled, steering the conversation and wondering if reassurance was what the prince was looking for…as interesting as it was for him to be thinking about these things right now. "I see how you are around your nieces and nephews. And I know they love their Uncle Ko-Ko, and I know their Uncle Ko-Ko loves them. And I also know their Uncle Ko-Ko is very patient with them even if he doesn't always like being called Ko-Ko, and he's always looking out for them and supervising them. For what it's worth, I think you'll make an awesome dad, too."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah, definitely."

A pleased Kohana tried not to show too much elation as he retreated calmly to his room following dinner.

"You see that? You see what I'm talking about? Something's definitely up," Sokka said to his wife.

"It's certainly interesting," Yue mused, "Though it could be that he's naturally thinking about settling down. He's been doing well at his new position anyhow."

"But why jump straight to fatherhood?"

"Maybe that's something he's really concerned about. Once he takes the leap of faith, parenthood is next, right?"

"Why can't he just tell us what's on his mind?" Sokka frowned, "I can tell he's been seeing someone. It's been four years since I've had this hunch, and it's driving me crazy. I'm trying to be the bigger person here by not investigating behind his back and not prying into his privacy."

"Just give him a little more time. The more patient we are with him, the better chances we'll have of him telling us everything."

He took a deep breath, "I guess…it's not too weird for him to think about these things. He's been comfortable in his apprenticeship."

"And remember he was talking to us the other day about starting his own school to teach kids basic waterbending."

"He did say he didn't want to think about marriage until he has his career in order," Sokka ruminated. "And he wasn't born yesterday. He's a year past cultural marrying age, and tribesmen around his age have a kid by seventeen. Five of his other friends got married in the past two years, and four senior apprentices had babies this past year."

"See? It's not totally out of the blue," she reasoned. "Maybe these events are making him think these things through. Maybe he wants to settle down now."

"I guess that makes sense."

"How about we try to approach him about this tomorrow?" she suggested. "We can start off being general. Ask him his thoughts on marriage and children. Casually ask him if there's anyone he's taken a liking to. The calmer we are about this, the better and more thorough the responses will be."

He nodded, "Yeah. That sounds good."


Deep in the heart of a small igloo, situated at the edge of what was formerly the middle sector, a young couple floated down from the high of gentle lovemaking, their lips actively pursuing each other in the afterglow. In the throes of passion, Kohana settled against the sheets as the tribeswoman in his arms curled up against him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, their forms entangled beneath the covers. She gazed at him, the heat of the moment tampered by distant worry; even after four years of friendship and courtship, including a year of physical intimacy, it had taken a while for her to accept the mere sight of the Southern prince-regent in her humble abode, but to imagine them living here, cultivating a life here as a normal couple when their statuses were so far apart…it was still something she needed to get used to. But by the Spirits, if his kisses didn't melt away her inhibitions and uncertainties. He pulled back with a reassuring smile and placed a kiss on top of her head.

The time candles sparked four hours past midday, nearly making them jump. The little smiles on their faces ebbed away.

"You need to go back to the palace," she said. "Before someone sees you."

He frowned, "Just a few more minutes. I don't want to leave. Especially not now."

"Kohana, I told you, if anyone finds out…"

He snuggled against the valley between her breasts, "How much longer do we need to sneak in and out like this in the middle of the night?" His nose brushed against the soft ribbon around her neck, "And how much longer do we need to keep this hidden? It's been eight months."

"Just for a few more days," she mumbled, running her fingers over the carved pendant near her throat.

"We can't keep this hidden, though, for long," his hand settled on her flat belly.

Her eyes softened. "I know how badly you want us to go public, 'Hana, but everything has been complicated. The tribe would never keep quiet about the Southern prince-regent and his fiancée, and my parents would find out. You know how I feel about them."

"And you know how I feel about mine," he mumbled, trying not to show his dejection, "But it's been four years." And with one milestone or another, ranging from Kunya having to complete healing school to Kohana finishing his training, from a "focus on career" to a distracting apprenticeship, they had plenty of excuses on their plate to keep their secrets. The truth, however, was not so much that these were the actual reasons for their silence; the reality was much more complicated.

"It won't be for long this time, my love," Kunya cupped his face. "It's only until we figure things out and—"

"We already did, though," he said softly. "I told Sokka about the idea for my waterbending school, and he said he'll oversee the construction. I went ahead and applied for that waterbending teacher position in the meantime so we can have a steady income until the school's finished. The starting salary is two thousand silver pieces a month. In six weeks, they'll increase it by another thousand silver pieces. You're bringing in three thousand silver pieces with that healing position until maternity leave. By the time the baby gets here, we'll have enough saved. We can make this work."

"Does anyone else know about you applying? For the teaching position, I mean."

"No. I told the employer I was applying as Kohana, not as the chief's brother. I told him I wanna stand on my own two feet. He was impressed with me, and he really liked my waterbending demonstration. I should be getting the confirmation letter in two days."

"That's good," she nodded against his chest.

"Sokka wouldn't be against me applying, but he might ask why I need a job this badly when I could just wait until the construction's over…but he's already a little suspicious—"

"He is?"

"He doesn't know it's you. And he doesn't know we're pregnant." Frowning, "And I can't say anything to him without causing more suspicion…and without giving away anything about us."

Sensing his guilt, "I know how close you are with them, and I'm sorry for making us wait so long—"

"It's not you," he assured her. "It's the circumstances. The waiting period hasn't helped…" lacing his fingers with hers, "And I know your relationship with your parents is complicated. It's just… sooner or later they'll have to find out, right? They'll have to know once we're married."

"Yes, of course, but that's only after we're married." Shaking her head, "We can't take any risks with them beforehand."

"Are you sure it won't help if I show up and talk to your parents with a job in hand and a school on the way?"

But she didn't say anything to that, wearing a perturbed look, her arm cradling her stomach protectively at every mention of her parents. "Hana…my parents would never honor a man they didn't arrange for me. Even if you stand at their doorstep with a job, even if you're the baby's dad. They're so traumatized by what happened to my aunt that they have no respect for marriages that aren't arranged. No matter how respected or noble the person may be. They arranged matches for my older brothers, and they'll be especially sensitive in my case since they named me after my aunt. If I go up to them now and tell them about us, they will never agree."

Smoothing her hair out of her face, "You never did tell me what happened to your aunt."

Holding onto him tightly as if she would be pried away from him otherwise, "Aunt Kunya fell in love with someone. My parents and grandparents didn't approve of the man she married and cut all ties with her when she eloped. The guy ended up leaving her after getting her pregnant. My aunt came back and apologized, but they wouldn't let her back into the family until she gave up her baby. She abandoned the baby for their love and trust, but she ended up going insane. Lived the rest of her days in pure hell and eventually drowned."

"That's terrible!" came the prince's horror.

"My parents actually met my abandoned cousin several years ago. They told her the truth."

"Do you know who she is?"

"I don't. My parents wouldn't talk about her. She apparently wanted nothing to do with us— which is completely understandable— and they wanted to honor that. She's doing well for herself, so that's good."

Kohana thought for a moment before suggesting, "What if we find out who she is and tell her how much she's honored by your family? How much they regret what they did? It won't change what happened to your aunt, but bringing her daughter back into your parents' lives might change their outlook a little bit."

"That's not happening, 'Hana," Kunya shook her head. "Forgiveness is likely not on the table for my cousin. I don't expect her to forgive my parents anyway. What happened to her was terrible and unjust, and if she wants to keep them out of her life, she deserves that. And it's useless to try to change my parents right now. It's only going to put us on hold for several years."

"No no, we can't have that," he laid his head beside her belly.

"I'd assume my parents had learned from their mistakes after all this," she ran her hand through his dark locks, "I don't know how their experience changed them and to what extent. But I do know they continue to be skeptical of love marriages and would much rather prefer arranged marriages."

"Not all men abandon their wife and child like that," Kohana frowned. "Not all men are monsters."

"Yeah, but for some reason, that's the lesson my parents decided to draw from their experience. I know who you are, 'Hana, and I trust you with my life, but I don't believe they'll agree to our wedding. No matter how good and righteous you are as a person." Gazing into his eyes, "But what they think doesn't matter to me. I love you. Instead of telling them and having them actively try to ruin our time together, I'd much rather they don't know until we figure things out and get married. I want to go public about us as much as you do, but if they get involved in our lives before we have a chance to get married—"

"Then we'll get married. Right now if you want."

"What about that waiting period?"

"The baby's not gonna wait," he insisted. "There really is nothing else to figure out, baby. I'm staying here in the North with you. I'll take you to Sokka and ukuaq right now if you want and tell 'em about us. I'll confirm that I'm not interested in chiefdom. I'm gonna be a dad, that's reason enough to expedite the process, right? The responsibility will pass to Karuna. He'll make a great chief as long as he doesn't turn out like Pakku."

"I'm sure your brother thought the same thing about you when he relinquished the Southern throne."

"Well, it's true. Anyone can be a good chief or chieftess as long as they don't turn out like that maniacal monster."

Kunya still seemed very unsure of herself, pulling the sheets up to cover her nudity as she sat up. The prince joined her, planting a kiss on her cheek, "It's going to be okay, really. I want this. I want you. I'm really happy with where we are now. Sokka and ukuaq will respect my decision. They just wanted me to take some time before officially saying it. It's been a year already, so it's not like I didn't take any time at all. This will work, I know it."

"They're so concerned about the waiting period because this is a big deal," she said. "If you back out, your brother and ukuaq will be in charge of the South until Karuna becomes of age, but they are still only interims."

"They'll figure something out," he assured. "We don't have to worry about it."

"But Kohana, this is chiefdom." Playing with her fingers, "Are you sure you want to give up that life for—?"

"And why wouldn't I?" he asked. "So what if it's chiefdom? Family's more important in every universe there is. Besides, my parents don't even want this for me. Why pick a fight with them?"

"But you've been training for this. Not even your parents can deny that."

"Sokka trained for it ever since he was little. It didn't work out, did it?"

"He still ended up being a chieftain, though. The official chief of the North and the interim chief of the South."

"Darn. If only there was an eastern or western Water Tribe that we could pick and rule," Kohana chuckled, but his joke didn't earn a laugh, only deep concern.

"I'm not trying to say I wanna rule anything," he told her in all seriousness. "And I need you to know that even if ukuaq didn't get to be the chieftess of the North, Sokka would never have regretted his decision because he values love over power. I want the same thing, Kunya. If Sokka can let Southern chiefdom go, and if Katara can reject it and want nothing to do with it, why can't I do the same thing? I love you and our baby more than a dumb throne, you know this! What you're not about to do now is try to convince me otherwise even after we came this far."

She sighed, "I know, I…I just…"

"I would suggest that we send my parents over to yours to arrange this if your parents like arranged marriages so much. We could act like we don't know each other in front of them and skip our way to a happy wedding and then tell everyone the truth. But my parents are the last people any family would want to see at their doorstep," Kohana said with great distress in his tone. "I would send my brother and ukuaq along, but that doesn't seem fair and would put a lot of pressure on your parents to say yes to them even if they might actually not like the alliance. Of course, my brother and ukuaq would never force anyone, but the pressure's still gonna be there, right?"

"You're so considerate about my parents. They don't deserve it." Blinking up at him, "Tell me what your parents like and don't like, 'Hana. I'll do what I can to impress them."

"That's not how things should be. They should love and accept you for you. You shouldn't have to be someone you're not. And I can't have us be anywhere near them. I can't have heart attacks every minute over what they'll do to us." The look in his eyes turned cold for a moment, "Pakku didn't hesitate to try to kill a days-old baby because of his dumb beliefs. Karuna wouldn't be here today if that maniac had succeeded. Pakku might be dead now, but… We can't possibly raise a family in a place like the South. The South's old rules are in the process of being repealed, thanks to Sokka and ukuaq, but illegalizing horrible laws that went untouched for decades doesn't guarantee immediate safety. I'm not putting our family through that kind of risk."

"But what's gonna happen if Karuna falls in love, too, one day? With someone your parents wouldn't like? And what if he's terrified of taking the throne then, too? What's going to be the fate of the South?"

Kohana let out a dry chuckle, "Oh wow. Mom and Dad don't have any more kids. At that point, Sokka will probably end up picking someone to lead the South, but I still highly doubt he and ukuaq will take matters into their own hands…as long as that stupid provision's still there. Sokka likely wouldn't mind being chieftain. He just doesn't wanna meet with my parents, and he doesn't want to go back to the South, not even for a coronation. He doesn't want any risks."

"Is there no other loophole to that dumb provision?"

"There has to be. At least, I want to think there is since there was one for interim chiefhood," he said. "I bet if I convince Akluviq to do something about this, he'll find that loophole or agree to ignore the provision altogether. Sokka and ukuaq shouldn't be forced to meet with my parents after something like that… But as far as we're concerned, I told them I'm not interested. Chiefdom is a burden I can't handle. And on top of that, Pakku's honor killing attempts… Who knows who'll take that path next with the Southern government pretending like it never happened? It's too dangerous…"

Holding her hand, "Kunya, I don't want a future that doesn't have you and our baby in it. We've been hiding for four years, but we can't hide anymore. We can't hide a pregnancy." Cupping her cheek, "Just say the word, and we could get married tonight if you want. Right now. The Moon Temple is still open. We can tell Sokka and ukuaq. Ukuaq is a high priestess, she'll easily have an angakkuq get us married in a heartbeat."

Kunya thought for a moment, leaning against his shoulder, drawing little circles on his wrist. "Should…should we talk to them tomorrow? Maybe ask them to get us married before any of this goes public?"

"Of course," he said, several burdens lifting off of him at once, hope and excitement swirling in hsi gaze, "I'll take you to the palace first thing in the morning."

She sank further into his arms, basking in his warmth.

"Happiness is better when shared." Kohana smiled, whispering happily as he cuddled his lover, "By this time tomorrow, we'll finally be married, and we can finally tell the world that we're gonna be parents."

The time candles were persistent in their sparks, not letting them have the brief reprieve they needed. Kunya swallowed, "It'll be sunrise soon."

"Don't make me go," he said, his arms wrapping around her middle. "I don't want to leave you two."

"It's just for tonight." She brushed away a tear, bearing a hopeful smile, "We'll be married by this time tomorrow, and we won't have anything to worry about."


Kohana left the palace as soon as the sun came up, supposedly in a jubilant mood according to the servants… only to return by himself late in the afternoon, trying and failing to hide whatever pain was suddenly boiling and searing his heart. He merely said "allergies" when asked about his crimson eyes, and he shrugged off his sniffles with the same excuse albeit not caring for a healing session. He was strangely withdrawn from everyone, including his beloved nieces and nephews, and he had retreated to his room well before lunch, claiming a lack of appetite.

Sokka and Yue, who had been wanting to speak with him all morning, were not naive as to not notice the radical change and put all their inquiries on hold, but they were even more alarmed by the maids' commentary: Kohana repeatedly breaking down in dark corridors and empty hallways away from prying eyes and ears, his face as pale as a ghost, his entire being seemingly on edge.

Luck proved to be on the leaders' side, for seconds before the pained tribesman could consume the contents of a seal-rat poison container, Yue melted the tribesman's icy bedroom door and smashed the container aside with a shriek. "Kohana!"

"Kohana, what the hell?!" Sokka burst, pulling the prince away from the spilled poison, "What are you doing?!"

The young man burst into tears and fell into Sokka's arms, shaking with every sob that racked his body and spirit.

"Get away from my daughter!" Natsiq tossed Kohana out of the igloo, raging as he closed the door behind him, preventing Kunya from stepping out. The young tribeswoman screamed and kicked at the door, barely held back by her mother.

"This isn't fair! We're engaged!" Kohana cried, "And that's my baby—!"

"And so what?"

Incredulous, "What do you mean 'so what'?! You can't take my family away from me!"

"But it's okay for you to put my family in danger for your stupid happily ever after?!" Natsiq yelled. "The last thing we need is for your parents to come breaking down our doors for taking their precious prince away from their precious throne!"

"You don't understand! I relinquished the throne!" Kohana whimpered, "My parents don't even want me on the throne—!"

"Cut the yakshit! Who do you take me for?!"

"It's true! I'm staying right here in the North! Right here with Kunya! I'm not taking up the Southern throne! I'm even opening a school here soon!" Drying his tears, "Please, give me a chance. I don't care about the throne, I just want—!"

"If I give you a chance, my daughter will end up soaked in blood in the middle of the tundra! Is that what you want?!"

"No, no, I—!"

"Your cursed family tried to rid the world of Chieftess Yue despite everything she's done to make sure your tribe and your family didn't end up in the streets. If such a goddess didn't escape their wrath, I can't expect my daughter to," Natsiq faltered, his own tears escaping, "I'm not just going to stand around and let your sinful parents aim their flying pitchforks at my baby girl!"

"Please don't say that," Kohana croaked, "I know my parents are the problem. I'll break away from the bloodline, too! Just like my brother! And I won't look back! I'll even bring you the relinquishment papers and sign 'em right in front of you! I'll do whatever it takes to protect Kunya and our baby—"

"Break away from the bloodline, eh? Oh, how wonderful! You think you're like your brother? An incarnation of La to do something that noble?" he snapped. "If anything, your idiocy would be enough of a reason for your parents to end our lineage!"

"They don't even have entry in the North!" Kohana shook, "I swear on the Spirits, Mr. Natsiq. Kunya and I are not leaving the North! I'll protect Kunya and our baby with my life! Not every man is a traitor—!"

"What's to say you won't run off and leave my daughter in the dust?"

"A man who's really in love would never abandon the love of his life and his child—"

"Off with this love nonsense!" the older tribesman bellowed. "No one in your cursed bloodline deserves to love or have a family. As long as your family is alive, parents of daughters in the entirety of the Water Tribe can never peacefully sleep at night. If I was La, I would've sterilized all of you so your bloodline would end for good!"

Kohana's attempts to convince Natsiq further were marred by the prince's sobs and Kunya's screams from inside. The older tribesman didn't give a care in the world for the lovers' distress, repeatedly shoving Kohana away with every attempt the prince made to go back inside.

"I don't care how righteous you are. I care about my daughter being alive and away from the abomination that is your family. It's disgraceful enough that our first grandchild has your blood."

"Just listen to me, please! I won't let anything happen to Kunya—!"

"If you really want what's best for Kunya and the baby, you will walk out of their lives right now and never, ever look back," Natsiq glared into the prince's soul. "We won't tell anyone the baby's yours. We'll move far away and live our lives without disturbing your reign. But if you continue to torture us like this with all of your love nonsense… We'll have no choice but to get rid of the one connection holding you two together."

Kohana widened his eyes in horror.

"You have a throne to sit on, so go sit on it instead of throwing us under the sleigh." Swallowing hard, "We never wanted to commit the sin of separating a mother from her child ever again, but if it means my daughter will be spared from your horrid parents… I won't hesitate to protect my child by killing yours—"

Kohana roared, the blood in his body soaring furiously through his boiling veins as he let go of his reluctance to use force. He grabbed Natsiq by his tunic, shoving him into the snow. He froze the man in the snow and bolted for the door as Kunya howled his name. Natsiq, too, let go of his hesitation to use his bending against the prince and unfroze himself. He managed to grab the prince by the hood of his parka, yanking him away from the igloo and propelling him across the snow with a thick tendril of water. Through the glaze of his tears, he glared at the older tribesman.

"GET LOST!" Natsiq roared. "If you want that baby to live, then get the hell out of our sight and never come back!"


"Do you really think we would take an innocent life?" Natsiq said as his bawling daughter refused to let him and Lusa anywhere near her, "We just said that so he would leave, paniga. Why would I do that to my own grandchild? Do I look like Pakku—?"

"You might as well be another Pakku!" she shrieked, shoving his hand away from her shoulder, her arms wrapped around her stomach. "Get away from me!"

The tribesman shuddered, "I don't care what you think of me, but I'm not going to sit here and watch you marry the son of those monsters." Turning to Lusa, "We're leaving right now. Pack her bags—"

"I'm not leaving!" Kunya bellowed, throwing whatever she could find across the room in her rage.

"We're doing this for your own good, Kunya," Lusa tried to calm her daughter, "Please, paniga, listen to us. This is best for you and the baby—"

"He's what's best for us!"

Natsiq fumed, "How many times do we need to tell you? It's not safe for you to be with him—!"

"You think I feel safe around you right now?!" she hollered. "Why do you think I came to healing school here? Why do you think I was working here?! Away from you?!"

Which left the couple stunned, their hearts shattering. "Kunya…"

"The audacity you have to think you know what's best for us after everything you did to Aunt Kunya and my cousin," she hissed.

"We made a mistake with your aunt, we admit it!" Lusa exclaimed, "But we're not going to let you put yourself in danger for someone like him! His parents are going to come after you and the baby—!"

"He kept telling you we won't go near them! Do you not understand?!"

"You don't need to go near them! They will go to the ends of the earth to hunt you down! They're MONSTERS—!"

A forceful rapping at the door caught their attention. The parents froze in place, but Kunya, who had been holding onto rays of hope, shrieked Kohana's name.

"Open up," the rapping came again, this time accompanied by a stern feminine voice. "By order of Chieftess Yue."

Kunya shoved her parents aside and threw herself at the door, sobbing with relief as she saw the chief and chieftess.

"Chieftess Yue," the young tribeswoman couldn't resist holding onto Yue as tightly as she could, unable to note through her tears the stark resemblance she bore to the Northern leader. Yue kept her hand on the trembling woman's shoulder, gesturing to a sobbing Kohana who was waiting behind them.

"'Hana!"

"Kunya!" Kohana caught her in his arms, the lovers locked in a fierce kiss. Natsiq and Lusa remained glued to their spots in the meantime, moving only to bow to the glaring chieftess.

"Y-Your Majesties," Natsiq began.

"It is against Northern Water Tribe law to restrain a major against her will," Sokka glowered.

"She is my daughter. I was only looking out for her—"

"No matter who she is, she is past cultural and legal marrying age and is of sound mind to give consent and make her own decisions," Yue said. "With or without your blessing, she will be married to Prince Kohana in the next hour." Turning to the guards beside her, "Take him into custody."

"What? But why?!" Lusa exclaimed.

"For presenting a threat to the safety of a pregnant woman," Sokka followed. "Your husband will be in the custody of law enforcement for forty-eight hours for investigative purposes. If it's determined that there's no real threat, he will be released."

"But I wasn't really going to—!"

"Anything you have to say, you can say it at the palace in forty-eight hours."


Beneath the bright crescent moon, the Moon Temple glimmered in waves of moonlight, but the glow on Kunya and Kohana's faces shone even brighter. Impromptu wedding preparations were hurriedly carried out by the angakkuit. A last-minute feast was being arranged in honor of the wedding— though most of the sweets were quickly being consumed by the children to celebrate Uncle Ko-Ko and their new "Aunt Ku-Ku," and the promise of more sweets incentivized them to be well-behaved throughout the ceremony. Amaruq and Arnook took to making Kohana presentable for the ceremony while Ki'ma and Ahnah bedecked Kunya with their jewels. By the time the lovers took their seats before the sacred matrimonial fire, Osha had readied the materials for the ceremony; contrary to the expectation that Yue, being the high priestess, would take the reins of the ceremony, the leader of the North embraced her status as chieftess and instead kept a watchful eye over the event along with her husband, requesting Osha to expedite the process.

"We need to make sure Kohana's parents are notified about all of this," Yue said.

Sokka's gaze darkened, "It's because of his parents, too, that Kohana's having to get married like this instead of having a formal ceremony fit for an isumataq."

"That may be true, but Kohana is still their son. They need to know about this."

"We can worry about that in the morning," he said, his concern directed at her, "Tell me, are you doing okay?"

"Of course, my love. Why?"

"It's gotta be overwhelming, isn't it?" he said, looking back at the groom and bride, "Who would've guessed that the woman Kohana fell in love with is Natsiq's daughter? We thought they were far away from us and wouldn't ever get involved, and here we are…"

Kunya, who was able to focus on her surroundings with the crisis having averted, now got the chance to really look at Yue. The Northern chieftess was the spitting image of the bride's late aunt, save for the differences in complexion and hair color. Yue, who was equally curious, didn't show her curiosity, simply giving the nervous girl a smile of reassurance.

"She came here for healing school apparently," the chieftess told her husband. "She doesn't know that I'm the one her aunt abandoned."

"Are you still gonna keep this a secret from her?" he asked.

The chieftess shrugged, "I honestly don't know."

Holding his wife's hand, "You sure you still wanna talk to Natsiq and Lusa? After they're out of investigative custody? I can do the talking if you want, nalligima."

"It's fine, Sokka. As much as I never wanted to see their faces again, I can't let that get in the way of keeping Kohana and Kunya together." Looking at the couple, "Those two are innocent and deeply in love and expecting. They're in a vulnerable position, and they can't be held accountable for the actions of their parents. I can't imagine how hurt Ko-bear must've been to be told he doesn't deserve love and family. And Kunya…she couldn't stop trembling even after we took her away from her parents. She was so worried for the baby. She kept begging me not to send her back to her parents because she didn't want to end up like her aunt…"

Kunya and Kohana were still holding hands as tightly as they could, the rituals passing by like eternities in their sheer yearning for one another.

"They might be young, but they're sincere and loyal," Yue said. "They deserve happiness, and I need to do what I can to make sure that happens. Even if it means sitting Natsiq and Lusa down and telling them to get with it or get lost."

Sokka squeezed his wife's hand. "You know I'm gonna be there with you."

She nodded. "I know."

The time finally came when the couple's inaamiyas were exchanged and their wedding was sealed with an eager kiss, earning cheers among the family members. The couple found bliss in each other's arms, brushing away each other's longing tears with further kisses, the euphoric prince whisking his bride into his arms and spinning her around. Eventually, their giddy looks turned to the chief and chieftess, who smiled back, relieved to see the couple at their happiest.


"At least you signed the relinquishment papers in front of them," Akluviq told the chieftain, handing him the said papers. "Kohana will be signing his thousands of miles away."

Sokka looked through the documents, saying somberly, "This is his decision. I've given him plenty of chances to change his mind, but now I know the actual situation and realize where his priorities really are. And I'm not about to disrespect that and make him wait longer."

Following the grand feast and before the couple retreated for their wedding night, Sokka and Yue approached them with Akluviq. The head of the Leadership Council explained to Kohana the contents of the documents, and when Kohana approved, he handed the papers to the chief and chieftess, whose signatures were a must as interim Southern rulers witnessing the prince-regent's decision. Sokka and Yue quickly signed the papers before jointly handing them to Kohana.

"We told you we would respect any decision you took," Sokka said.

Kohana nodded, wasting no time in grabbing a quill and relinquishing his status with confident strokes of his brush.

"As of now, you are no longer the prince of the South," Akluviq said, "but by virtue of being the blood-relative of Chieftain Sokka, you remain the prince of the North."

And with that, Kohana let out a huge sigh of relief and gratitude. Akluviq left, promising to notify the South as quickly and carefully as possible.

"Are you happy now?" Sokka asked his brother.

"Yeah," Kohana brushed back his overwhelmed tears and nodded, glancing at Sokka and Yue, "Are you two mad at me?"

"Of course not, Kohana—"

"No, man, we're elated that you decided to keep all the pain and suffering to yourself and wanted to ingest rat poison to solve all your problems!" Sokka rasped even as Yue gestured for him to be calm. "Who needs a doting older brother and ukuaq? It's not like they'll care or do something about the situation! And it's not like they're the chief and chieftess of the entire tribe and have enough influence to get you two married the day you got engaged eight whole months ago!"

Noting the devastation on his brother's face, "I'm sorry, Sokka, I—"

"The Kohana I grew up with had a habit of throwing a tantrum in the middle of the Arctic whenever he wanted something. Look at you now, all grown up, hiding things and contemplating suicide." The chieftain turned away, distressed, "I can't believe you didn't tell us anything. You could've just told us this was the reason why you're scared of chiefdom in the South. It's one thing if you didn't tell your parents 'cause they're monsters. You didn't wanna tell us, either? Do we mean anything to you?"

"Please don't misunderstand him," Kunya interjected meekly, "It's not his fault, ningauk." Brother-in-law. "It's mine. Kohana had been wanting to tell you both about our relationship all these years. He wanted you two to be the first to know that we're going to be parents. But I was scared of the truth going out. For the longest time, I wanted our relationship to be kept a secret. I was terrified my parents would find out and go crazy like they did today. I didn't want to lose him. And then there were the complications with figuring out the next ruler of the South. I thought it was best to wait until after the time you gave him ran out…but we can't possibly hide a baby in the meantime..."

"I'm glad my niece or nephew set you two straight," the chieftain said. "But it shouldn't take a pregnancy for you to tell us the truth. Hiding the truth and ending your lives like you mean nothing to us is not gonna help." Still glaring at Kohana, "If your ukuaq didn't make it in time, we would've lost you!"

Kohana hugged his brother, lost in tears, "I'm sorry. I was…I was terrified and…I thought I lost Kunya and the baby forever."

Sokka let his frown drop, letting out a ragged breath as he brushed away his own tears, "Kohana, you need to be strong. You're gonna be a dad. You can't be there for Kunya and the baby if you don't take care of yourself." Turning to Kunya, "And communicate. For the love of the universe, please communicate what you want. Why beat around the bush when we're here to help? We only want you two to be happy. We're not blob monsters."

Kunya nodded and took to hugging the chieftess, a joyful tear escaping and mingling against the chieftess's cloak. "Thank you, angaju," she croaked. "Thank you for everything."

Angaju. Though surprised by the gesture, Yue granted her a smile, looking past the bitter truth that was sitting stubbornly behind their shared appearance, "Love each other and be happy. Everything's going to be okay. I promise."


A/N: Only two or so chapters to go. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported this fic over the years. Happy Holidays :)

Translation fun fact: "ningauk" means both son-in-law and brother-in-law