That night, Diana could not bring herself to eat. The sight of the white bowl of rice only reminded her of the laborers in the fields.
"Why are you not eating?" Princess Karen asked, noticing her daughter's pale face.
Diana frowned. She wanted to complain about what she had witnessed in the fields and the Hall of Justice earlier, but remembering her brother's words, she bit her tongue.
"Are you feeling unwell?" her mother asked again, smiling kindly. Diana, usually a chatterbox, rarely kept anything to herself.
"Yes, a little breathless," Diana said at last. She knew her mother would pester her otherwise. Still, she wanted more chances to leave the palace. She hoped to see the young boy again; perhaps to slip him some money.
"Summon the royal physicians," Princess Karen ordered at once.
Eliza cast a side glance at his sister. He knew she was perfectly fine; she was merely unable to let go of what she had seen that day. But in their world, the strong preyed upon the weak, and Steward Sma could not be punished for doing his duty.
A steward of the Water Tribe could never be brought down because of the unarmed.
The royal physician arrived shortly and examined Diana.
"Your Highness, the young miss simply needs some rest," he said with a respectful bow.
Princess Karen frowned, her gaze lingering on her daughter, who had yet to raise a single spoonful to her lips. How could that be called fine?
"Mother, she's alright. She played outside the palace today and must still be too excited to eat," Eliza said, trying to reassure her.
Karen studied her daughter for a moment longer. She could guess Diana was unhappy about something, but seeing her unwilling to speak, she relented.
"Since you need to rest, return to your courtyard," Princess Karen said.
Diana rose, bowed properly, and left the hall. Eliza followed her after bowing in turn.
"I'll have the kitchens send you some snacks. Eat something later. Don't let strange ideas upset you," Eliza said gently. He worried she might suffer a stomachache if she skipped her meal.
"Strange ideas?" Diana muttered, clearly frustrated. "He stole money that wasn't his and wasn't even punished."
"He was fined half a month's wages," Eliza corrected calmly.
"Is that punishment?" Diana argued. "Won't he just cut the workers' pay again to make it up?"
Eliza frowned.
"In this world, power means everything. You've been sheltered, so you don't understand. Even though he's just a steward, he belongs to the Water Tribe. How can we punish one of our own over the unarmed?" he explained patiently.
Diana pursed her lips, swallowing the retort burning on her tongue. The steward was paid for his work; why did he need to steal from those who could barely survive?
"Eat your snacks later. I'll find another chance to take you out again," Eliza said when he saw she no longer argued.
"Alright," Diana murmured.
---
A few days later, Eliza again brought Diana out of the palace. She insisted on visiting the rice fields, hoping to see the mother and son and make sure they were well.
She also wanted to stay nearby to stop Steward Sma from stealing from the unarmed again.
But she did not find them. Nor did she know who to ask.
Seeing her standing nearby, Steward Sma did not dare to shortchange the workers that day.
The unarmed laborers were overjoyed to find their wages paid in full, but Diana still felt a bit disappointed. Yet, seeing the happy faces of the unarmed comforted her.
After that, Diana visited the rice fields every few days until after the rice harvest, but she never saw the boy again. The unarmed also noticed that whenever she was present, they received their full wages. Though none dared speak to Diana, they showed their gratitude with discreet bows whenever they received their pay.
Their gestures were subtle, but Steward Sma noticed them.
At first, he had been furious. But when he realized Diana didn't appear every day and that he could still cheat a little when she wasn't around, he accepted it with grudging peace.
Word soon spread among the unarmed about a beautiful and kind Water Tribe girl.
Many guessed she was a royal, but whether she was or not, to men dying of thirst, even a single drop of kindness was a river.
Time passed swiftly. Days turned into months, months into years.
Three years flew by in a blink.
The image of the young boy and his mother faded from Diana's memory.
She grew busier with her lessons and duties, and rarely visited the fields anymore.
The Water Tribe basked in its peace and luxury, blissfully unaware of the storm gathering at their borders.
---
That winter evening, the Water Tribe gathered to celebrate the end of the year in the royal palace.
The kingdom was ablaze with colors, the halls filled with singing, dancing, drinking, and merrymaking.
Until fire broke out at the military barracks.
The news struck the palace like a thunderclap.
"Are the Fire Tribe rebelling again?" King Ura roared, his voice echoing through the hall. His gaze sharpened, falling suspiciously on his son-in-law.
"Father, I am still here, my tribe would not dare attack," his son in-law , David replied when he saw his gaze resting on him.
Hearing his response, king Ura was still suspicious. After all, Dave has spent over twenty years in the water tribe. What if his people decided to give up on him?
"Your Majesty, it does not appear to be the work of the Fire Nation," the man delivering the news said in a trembling voice. He felt it was a pity that the king did not let him finish reporting before he started making guesses.
"Not the Fire Nation? Then who?" King Ura demanded.
But even as he spoke, a dreadful thought struck him, making his heart lurch.
"It can't be... are those people back?" he whispered.
The hall fell into a heavy silence.
"Impossible!" an elder finally said, his voice skeptical. "The last time a dragon-blood was seen was over five hundred years ago!"
"If not them... then who?" the king muttered.
No one had an answer.
Only a deep, gnawing fear hung in the air, chilling the warmth of the celebrations.
"Bring the records, we must carefully consider the situation," king Ura instructed after the prolong silence.