A Princess' Destiny ✘ZUKO ✘

8

"I'm sorry we don't have any other clothes, but you'll have to make do with those,"

Teo said almost bashfully to Soana.

She was fully awake. Although the pounding in her mind was very irritating, she forced herself to get out of bed and join Teo, his dad, and the rest of their colony who had made the Northern Air temple their new home.

"It's quite alright, Teo. As long as I'm not running around in my undergarments or freezing to death."

Soana chuckled.

The rest of the colony sat in fours with nearly ten tables surrounding them including the one she sat with Teo and his dad, who calls himself the mechanist.

In front of each person sat a plate with a selected amount of food. Three slices of fruit, tree nuts, a slice of bread, and a cup of water.

Soana had never really had fruit or tree nuts when she lived in the Northern Water Tribe. Food was scarce ever since her father had been trading with the Fire Nation. Even when she did have the privilege of having fruit and nuts, it was frozen or rotten. This would be the first taste of fresh fruit and nuts she's had in her life.

She quickly picked an apple slice and popped it into her mouth only to sigh at the sweet juices that tickled her tastebuds and made her mouth water.

Biscuits and hot porridge were now a thing of the past.

"Soana?"

She heard the mechanist ask.

She hummed back with a mouthful of chewed apple.

"Have you decided whether you stay with us or not?"

The question was very interesting. The people in this colony were very nice, and Soana felt grateful, but she had to keep going.

She didn't know if Zuko or her father was hot on her trail or not.

"I don't know, actually." She muttered, swallowing.

"Don't get me wrong. You and your colony are very kind and helpful, but I can't stay in one place for too long."

Teo tilted his head.

"Why not? You're not on the run, are you?"

Soana stammered at the question.

The machinist let out a hearty laugh.

"He's only joking." He then cleared his throat to make himself more serious.

"But you don't have to leave if you don't want to. You can stay with us. If you happened to be on the run, we could always protect you. Especially if it's from the Fire Nation."

Soana's brows rose.

"Wait, you're not with the Fire Nation?"

"No!" The mechanist scoffed.

Teo sighed.

"They took our home away from us, all of us." He gestured to everyone sitting at their tables, eating, and chatting with sincere smiles.

"The soldiers forced everyone out of our village, and we had to inhabit this air temple because we had nowhere else to go."

"That's terrible." She frowned.

"We manage. We feel more at home here than we did anywhere else, so it's no big deal, I guess."

Soana took a deep breath and looked in between Teo and the mechanist.

"I am forever in your debt. If you ever need anything, your wish is my command. We are allies now."

Teo nodded while the mechanist narrowed his eyes.