The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Help me get this boat back in the water so we can get out of here!" The four of them struggled to push the large ship, hope fading when it didn't budge.

"We need a team of rhinos to budge this ship."

"A team of rhinos, or two waterbenders." They turned to Aang, who was smiling at Katara. She sent him a sheepish nod, and they went to work, pulling and pushing the tide until the boat was afloat. "Everybody in!"

The group quickly boarded the ship, attempting to make it down the river and out of sight before they were caught. But as they looked back behind them, Orzala groaned. The pirates had commandeered Zuko's boat and were already hot on their trail. "Why can't something just go right for once!"

"Sokka, can't you make this thing go any faster?"

"I don't know how! This thing wasn't built by the Water Tribe!" Orzala's gaze flitted to the ship beside them, and she scowled at the pirates who were swinging over. She lifted the blade from earlier, eyeing it skeptically before she shrugged.

"Might as well try it out. What better practice than fighting pirates?"

She jumped as a thump sounded next to her, hurriedly readying her blade and facing her opponent. The pirate only laughed, falling into stance and placing his large blade against her own. The princess's eyes widened. "En garde, little girl."

Orzala was saved, however, when a wave overtook the boat, washing the man away from her. She whirled around, gaze locking on Aang. The airbender sent her a smile before moving on. The girl shook her head. Now that that was handled, her wild eyes searched the ship for Sokka, and they darkened when she found him.

Her feet beat heavily against the deck as she ran, flying up the steps and toward the boy- and the pirates who held him. Before she could change her mind, she began attacking the larger man, feet and fists flying faster than he could process. It had little to no effect on him, though, and he turned to glare at her dangerously.

She let out a nervous laugh, but it caught in her throat as the pirate threw a fist back at her. She narrowly dodged the blow, eyes bulging as she looked at the man's hand. "Ok, that was close. You could hurt someone like that." The man growled, dropping Sokka to follow her as she darted away. She ignored the concern that shot through her as the boy let out a shriek of pain.

The princess darted around a corner, casting a quick glance behind her to make sure she was being followed. A smirk crawled to her lips, and she quickly ducked out of sight as the pirate came into view. The man looked around wildly, and his anger was visible. Orzala shrunk back as he grew closer, taking a deep breath as she prepared herself. He came to stop beside her, oblivious to her presence.

Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she stood, shifting her weight between her feet, and just as the man turned to her- his black eyes widening when they locked with her own- she shot forward. The princess's foot connected harshly with his chest, and in his surprise, he stumbled back. Right over the rail and off the ship.

A shocked laugh tore from her throat. "Yes! Ok, did anyone see that?!" She called, pumping her fists into the air in excitement. Her celebration was cut short by a screech, and she frowned. "Oh," she mumbled, grimacing. "Right. I'm supposed to be saving Sokka. Again." She huffed, running in the direction of the commotion. 

She didn't know what she expected when she rounded the corner, but she wasn't expecting to see Sokka on the ground, unmoving. A pang shot through her heart as she ran to him, dropping to a crouch beside him and resting a hand on his cheek. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern, but a relieved sigh left her as he grimaced. His eyes fluttered open, and Orzala's breath left her momentarily as his icy gaze met her own. She forced a smile to her lips. He did the same.

"Are you ok?" She asked, wrapping a slender hand around his arm and pulling him to sit up. He let out a pained groan, but nodded, leaning against her heavily as he stood. The boy peered down at her, and Orzala was taken back by the intensity of his stare. Her eyebrow shot up as he lifted a hand to her cheek, tilting her head up so she would meet his gaze.

"Orzala-"

"Aang, look!" His sister's cry cut him off, and Sokka huffed as he looked in the direction that she was pointing. 

"Oh, spirits," he heard Orzala breathe, and he squeezed her arm lightly. A shing of a sword reached the boy's ears, and his head snapped to the side to see one last pirate. It was the pirate they had met back at the market, and his sword was pointed directly at Aang. The airbender was oblivious to the danger, apparently, because instead of defending himself, he pulled out his bison whistle and blew into the broken contraption.

Sokka was quick to move as the pirate recovered from the initial shock, and the boy swiftly disarmed him, sending him off the boat with a kick to the head. He turned to Aang, exasperated. "Are you out of your mind!? This is no time for flute practice!"

The airbender ignored him, though, rushing to Katara and staring at the waterfall that awaited them. Katara set her jaw, facing Aang. "We can stop the boat! Together, Aang! Push and pull the water!" As the two benders fought against the current, Orzala joined them, wide eyes focused on the sight ahead. "It's working! It's slowing down!" The boat began to turn, stopping right before they toppled over the edge. "We're doing it!"

Before they could be relieved, a dark figure moved in the corner of Sokka's eye. He turned, a gasp leaving him as he noticed the Fire Nation ship heading straight for them. "We have another problem!"

The ship plowed into them roughly, turning the pirate ship on it's side and pushing it toward the edge. Orzala gripped Sokka's arm tightly as they fell toward the edge, eyes snapping shut as they began to freefall. The princess braced herself for the icy embrace of the water below, but it never came. Instead, she collided with a hard surface, and she opened her eyes to find herself on Appa's saddle. A crazed laugh left her lips, and she smiled over to the others.

"I knew a bison whistle would come in handy!" Aang exclaimed. "Thanks, Appa."

"Yeah," Sokka drawled, slouching back against the saddle. "We owe you one." The creature growled beneath them, and Orzala sighed. She slumped against Sokka, head resting gently on his shoulder. She had yet to let go of his arm, but he didn't mind.

"Aang, I still owe you an apology," Katara piped up, wringing her hands in shame. She refused to meet the boy's eyes. "You were just so good at waterbending without really trying. I go to competitive that I put us all in danger. I'm sorry."

"That's ok, Katara."

"Besides, who needs that stupid scroll anyway?" Sokka sent Orzala a smirk, and she cocked an eyebrow as he reached into his shirt. The three kids' eyes widened as they saw the scroll. He waved it around proudly.

"The scroll!" Katara exclaimed, reaching for the parchment, but Sokka quickly pulled it away. He shot her a look.

"First, what did you learn?"

"Stealing is wrong," she conceded, snatching the scroll happily from her brother. She smirked over at him. "Unless it's from pirates!" Orzala and Aang bust into laughter, but Sokka only frowned.

"Good one, Katara!"

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Author's note

Hey guys! So this chapter has been revised. I reread it and I didn't think that Orzala had been portrayed really well, so here we are: better and longer than before! Thanks as always for your support! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!

Love,Liz