The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Thirty-Four

But then, when I was starting to feel better, something worse happened. They decided that Gyatso and I needed to be separated, and told me I was to be sent to the Eastern Air Temple to complete my training."

"That's awful, Aang."

"It is. I don't know what to say." Orzala reached out to him, but he tore away and stood, suddenly getting angry.

"How could they do that to me? They wanted to take away everything I knew and everyone I loved!" The air picked up around them, and Orzala's wide eyes shot to the boy. The blue tattoos that ran along his arms and head began to glow an eerie white, and the flames of the fire stirred and danced with the wind. A startled gasp escaped Katara when the cinders and ash flowed toward her.

"Woah! Hot cinders!" Aang paused, whirling around to see the girls' frightened faces, and his shoulders slumped.

"I'm sorry I got so mad," he whispered, returning to his spot beside Orzala. This time when she reached out to him, he leaned into her touch, resting his head on her shoulder. Her hand stroked his shoulder in a soothing manner, and she peered down at him sadly.

"You have every right to be angry," she told him, resting her cheek against his head, and Katara nodded in agreement. "Especially after the monks sent you away like that." Aang tensed against her.

"Well, that's not exactly what happened. I was afraid and confused, and I didn't know what to do. I never saw Gyatso again. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in your arms after you found me in the iceberg."

"You ran away," Katara breathed, eyes widening as the information sank in.

"And then the Fire Nation attacked our temple. My people needed me and I wasn't there to help."

"You don't know what would have-"

Orzala was cut off as Aang suddenly pushed her away, and her eyes bulged as she caught herself. "The world needed me and I wasn't there to help!" The boy yelled, burying his face in his hands.

"Aang-"

"The fisherman was right. I did turn my back on the world."

"You're being too hard on yourself. Even if you did run away, I think it was meant to be. If you had stayed you would've been killed along with all the other airbenders," Katara reassured.

"You don't know that."

"I know it's meant to be this way. The world need you now. You give people hope." Aang slowly lifted his head, a small smile coming to his lips as he looked to his friends.

"Help! Oh, please help!" Orzala jumped at the sudden cry, hopping to her feet as a frantic figure approached them. Katara rushed to the old woman, attempting to comfort her, and Orzala realized that this was the fish hauler from before.

"It's ok, you're safe!" 

"But my husband isn't." Orzala's heart sunk, and she rushed to the cliffside to peer out at the ocean. She whipped around to the woman, a graveness overtaking her features.

"Where's Sokka?"

"They haven't returned. They should have been back by now, and this storm is becoming a typhoon! They're stuck out at sea!" Orzala clenched her fists, storming past the group and climbing onto Appa. She glared down at the others expectantly.

"Well? Are we going to find your idiot of a brother or not? I need to slap him."

"I'm going to find them!" Aang told the woman, rushing to Appa and gathering the reins as Katara followed. The old woman plopped down, shaking her head.

"I'm staying here." Orzala rolled her eyes, but didn't object as they headed out. The princess jumped as thunder clapped above them, the noise loud enough to rattle her brain and throw her head into her hands. The rain was ice against her skin, but she didn't care. All she cared about was finding Sokka, so she pried her head from her grasp and squinted into the distance.

"Where are they?" Katara yelled, wincing as a burst of lightning erupted beside them. A shriek escaped Orzala, and she fell back against the saddle. And it seemed the spirits were not on their side that day, because immediately after, a monstrous wave began to build in front of them. Appa skim the surface of the ocean, and Aang hurriedly pulled him upward.

"Come on, Appa!" The bison scaled the wave, but not fast enough. The force of water began to come down on them, and Orzala clung tightly to the saddle and braced for impact. 

It never came, though. The girl's eyes flung open when she felt a burst of wind, settling on Aang in awe as he blasted through the wave. Relief flooded her chest, and she released a breathy laugh. Aang gasped ahead of her, pointing into the distance and glancing back to her.

"The boat! There!" The boy urged Appa faster.

"Sokka!" The Water Tribe boy whipped around at Orzala's voice, a wide smile gracing his face as he spotted them. Aang steered Appa beside the vessel, hopping off after he handed the reins to the princess.

A bolt of lightning shot down suddenly, striking the mast of the ship. Orzala's heart jumped to her throat and her breath caught as the wooden pole began to fall, heading straight for her friends. Aang acted quick, using his bending to slice the wood in half. It barely missed Sokka and the old man. Still, Orzala found herself thanking the spirits.

The princess slung a soppy strand of black from her face, holding the reins with her teeth as she tied her hair back. Her jade eyes followed Aang as he instructed Sokka, and she urged the bison forward and toward the boat. As the airbender began to run for them, Orzala sprang up, landing in the saddle just as Aang reclaimed his own position.

The avatar pulled Appa back, jerking Sokka and the fisherman into the air. Orzala grabbed the rope that tied them, yanking them toward her. They fell (both of them screaming) beside her with a thud. But the boy still mustered up a tired smile for her- one that she gladly returned.

At least, she returned it until she noticed the massive wave rising behind them. She set her jaw. She knew they wouldn't be escaping this one.

The water crashed down on them like a giant boulder, clashing with their skin and causing Orzala's hairs to stand on end. As she went under, she felt a warmth grasp her hand tightly, and she grasped it back.

And then it went black.