Prince Namjoon griped his head as he read another scroll with no results. He had sent his people out across all continents, the ones that were able to blend in and didn’t have Water Tribe characteristics, but so far it had been in vain. It seemed like there was no place in the world the Fire Nation hadn’t placed their greasy hands on.

He reviewed another scroll, this one a bit more promising. It said Ba Sing Se seemed to be the last strong hold against the Fire Nation. There were two sturdy walls surrounding the city and both of them still stood strong. He recalled the Earth King who was a bit of a flipped coin. No one ever knew what they would get that day. Sometimes he seemed crazed, but there were other times where that insanity turned into brilliance. For all Namjoon knew he would be turned into the Fire Nation. The man was just that unpredictable.

The Earth King had been in power for so many years that he had outlived many of his sons. One of his grandson’s was in line for the throne. A sickly young man that was prone to fits if he didn’t get his way. It was best not to involve royalty. Not when the stakes were so high. He would not gamble with his people’s lives. There were too few already.

One of the first things Namjoon did upon seizing power was have them start building boats. They took every piece of wood they could find with the Fire Nation finally leaving. They even tore apart some of the houses inside the cavern to make them. He wondered why his father never told him of this place, but he supposed it was for the best. He may have ended up telling the Fire Prince under threat of torture. Not knowing had paid off.

Blue eyes.

It was the bane of all his troubles now. Before that trait had been something the Northern Water Tribe valued, but now it was what would get them killed. It wouldn't be so simple as blending in with the Earth Kingdom. Around half of his people had blue eyes and he could not abandon them. He had to work this out somehow. 

A lot of the oldest families with the most powerful benders had ocean eyes. His father’s had been a dark brown while his mother had a crystalline blue. Like the river that once ran through the streets of the capital.

His father had been an up and coming general during his grandfather’s reign, and his grandfather had seen something in his father that made him think his father would make a good king. The nobles were outraged when they found out the only heir would be marrying someone without a of nobility in his blood. They only calmed once his father began proving himself.

He thought about Adarshini of the Southern Water Tribe. She would have worked something out by now. She was a brilliant strategist. He’d tried thinking like her before, but it was impossible. The bottom line was he wasn’t her and he never would be. Jimin’s words had come to haunt him; that he wasn’t even half of what Darshi was and he was a measly tradeoff. That may be true, but Namjoon was all that was left to rule them. He could only do his best and hope it was enough.

He blew out the candle light, having enough of paperwork for the day. It wasn’t getting him anywhere. Instead, he decided to look over the remainder of his troops. To his surprise many of the Southern Water Tribe warriors had decided to join his army. He didn’t think they would with how they felt about him, but perhaps they realized just how close the Water Tribes as a whole were from being extinguished. Hoseok was the head of his army just like before, although something seemed to be troubling him. Whenever Namjoon asked about it he would never explain, trying to act like everything was fine. Namjoon wasn’t sure what that was about, but he did miss being able to talk to his friend. He’d tried to figure it out, thinking maybe something had happened once Namjoon was taken to change Hoseok, but so far nothing.

Ruling was difficult. Doing so may have changed Hoseok.

His eyes fell on Jimin and he studied him. He was on the shorter side, but the stubbornness in his eyes made up for that. He wasn’t the type to let something hold him back, and appeared to have good leadership qualities. Jimin had never tried to hide the fact he was a fire bender. It made people around him nervous, as if he were a spy for the outside. Because of that he didn’t think Jimin would ever be more than the common soldier. At least Jungkook was doing well. He was the representative for the Southern Water Tribe and was appointed Sergeant, one rank higher than the regular soldier. Jungkook seemed happy enough with that, although still confronted Jimin from time to time for advice.

Hoseok noticed Namjoon and his expression darkened, stiffening before shouting another order at the troops which they returned with a rallying cry. Namjoon winced, unable to hold back the hurt to see how much their relationship had changed. He missed being able to talk to Hoseok. He was one of the few people Namjoon could trust to tell anything, but now something had changed and Namjoon didn’t know how to fix that.

Hoseok had stuck up for him when the nobles tried to discredit Namjoon by saying he abandoned his tribe. Hoseok silenced any calls for treason and took care of his people with him gone. Namjoon was thankful, but he still couldn’t help but miss what they used to have.

His eyes met Jimin’s. The fire bender's blue eyes widening before becoming carefully blank. Namjoon gestured for him to come over, which he did so reluctantly.

“When will you be getting the elders?”

Namjoon sighed. Being established as Chief didn’t seem to have an effect on the Jimin. He was still as pushy as ever, something Namjoon couldn’t bring himself to fix.

“I’m not sure. At this point they’re safer where they are.” When Jimin continued to look unimpressed, he elaborated, “Once we find a safe place I’ll fetch them. You can hold me to my word.”

Jimin didn’t appear completely convinced, but held his tongue. Namjoon stretched his shoulders, trying to work the kinks out of them. “My family from the Southern Water Tribe,” he pressed, the reason he had brought the younger over. “Are they here?”

Jimin flinched, throat bobbing. “Perhaps.”

“How many of them? There’s only one, right?”

“Only one survived,” he confirmed.

He studied the soldiers of the Southern Water Tribe, searching for any familiar characteristics. He figured by now all those traits prized by the Northern Water Tribe would be gone. They would be third generation, making them his second or third cousin. He wasn’t sure exactly. For all he knew it could be one of the girls. Hirami looked as if she may have the delicate nose his mother had, the soft cheekbones that made her overall features sweet and demure.

“Who?” When Jimin seemed reluctant to say, he continued, “I should at least know who my family is. I have no one. Perhaps I can have a good relationship with them.”

Jimin’s brows rose, a strange look on his face. “So if I tell you all you plan to do is try and reconnect those family ties? Even though your aunt was banished off the family tree?”

“I can reestablish them,” he said confidently. “If something happens to me it would be good to have a backup. If they’re good at ruling they should be second in line for the throne.” It would help the gap between the Southern and Northern Tribe to see the two working together also. Any hope in survival rested in them becoming one. The South had the knowhow on all the fighting tactics of the Fire Nation. They were seasoned warriors, and at this point didn’t have much more they could lose. Making them into one tribe could only do good.

“You don’t want the truth.” Jimin studied his people, a melancholy tinge to his eyes. “Sometimes lies are better.”

“They’re not. I just want to know.” Jimin remained tight lipped and Namjoon sighed. “Is it a boy or girl?”

“Male?” Jimin’s answer was as much a question as his own.

“A good warrior?”

Namjoon eyed Jungkook. He could pass for nobility with the right styling and a change in personality. He was too rough spoken at this time though.

“No one has ever said such.”

“Leadership qualities,” he pressed.

Jimin rolled his eyes. “This seems awfully like an interview for someone who only wants to have family.”

“Well my family is not a simple one,” Namjoon grumbled, annoy with Jimin’s constant heckling. “I’m royalty. I can’t establish someone as part of my family if I don’t think it will be good for the tribe.”

Jimin’s eyes flashed, a snarl on his lips. “Well take this then! Your only family is a bastard whose mother was by a fire bender in times of war! How is that for propriety? You can take it and shove it up your pristine !” Before Namjoon could answer he marched off, fists clenched at his sides. The soldiers beside him squirmed, waiting for their prince’s reaction.

Namjoon frowned, blinking back with a flinch as he took in the fire bender and understood what he was saying.

Jimin was his cousin.

He stumbled back towards his office, struggling to make sense of it all. He let out a bitter laugh as he realized why Jimin was always so angry with him. He had been the family member Namjoon abandoned to die. He was close with