The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Katara sighed dreamily, drawing the princess's attention once more. "Isn't it nice to know your future?" Orzala's lips drooped, thinking back to Aunt Wu's words. A shudder ran down her spine.

"Yeah, Katara." Her voice sounded far off as she spoke, and she pulled away from the girl quickly, turning on her heel and walking toward the village square. The group frowned, following after their dark-haired princess.

At first, they had lost her amongst the growing crowd of people. Sokka felt his heart clench in concern as he searched for the girl. It was Aang who found her-- and only after he had blown himself high enough above everyone to see. Orzala had weaved her way to the heart of the crowd.

"What do you think she heard?" Katara whispered to her brother, figuring he might know. After all, he knew Orzala best. The two had grown rather close over the past months, and it was rare that they didn't know what was going on in the other's head. 

Sokka only shook his head. "I have no idea. She won't talk to me." The siblings frowned to one another, their concern growing as they walked on. After pushing and shoving through countless vilagers, the three finally reached Orzala. Katara quickly moved to her side, looping her arm through the princess's and resting her head on her shoulder, while Sokka laced his fingers with hers.

"What's with the sky?" Aang asked from beside them, mimicking the villagers as they glanced up at the clouds.

"We're waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village."

"That cloud kind of looks like a fluffy bunny!" The bald boy pointed out, making the girls smile. The villager beside them was less amused, however.

"You better hope that not a bunny!" The man exclaimed, waving a bony finger in the boy's face. "The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction!" Sokka cocked an eyebrow at the words.

"Do you even hear yourself?" He deadpanned, earning another scoff.

"The cloud reading will tell us if Mount Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt!" A woman piped up from ahead, motioning toward the giant volcano that rose over the village.

"We used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves. But ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago, we have a tradition of not doing that."

"I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy old woman's superstition!" Katara darted around Orzala, grasping Sokka's shoulders and pulling him away from the man. Orzala only facepalmed.

"Shh!" Katara hissed, delivering a sharp whack to the back of his head. "She's coming." The crowd parted as the fortune teller approached, her yellow robes swaying behind her with the wind. Cheers erupted around them, making Sokka scowl once more. Orzala's attention was drawn to the little girl from earlier-- Meng-- as she waltzed up to Aang with a shy smile.

"Hey, Aang!" She heard the girl say, laughing as Meng grabbed his arm. "Don't you think that cloud looks like a flower, huh?" The airbender shot the young girl an odd look before hesitantly agreeing. An awkward beat passed before he shoved Meng away and turned toward Katara.

"Hey, Katara! Don't you think that cloud looks like a flower?" He asked, but Katara only shushed him, her eager eyes only focused on Aunt Wu. The princess turned to watch the old woman, her stomach twisting with anxiety as Aunt Wu lifted her hands to the sky.

The fortune teller pulled a scroll from her robes as she examined the clouds. "Bending arrow cloud-- good crops this year. Nice, big harvest! Wavy moon-shaped cloud, let's see. Going to be a great year for twins." Orzala chuckled as two kids exclaimed joyously. "And a cumulus cloud with a twisty nub coming off the end of it-- the village will not be destroyed by the volcano this year!"

The crowd around them erupted into cheers. Orzala turned toward Aang and Katara with a smile, only to find a depressed airbender and no Katara. Her smile faded as she walked to Aang, and she wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder. Sokka huffed beside them, turning and storming off into the crowd. Aang shared a look with the princess, and they let out a sigh before following.

"I can't believe all these saps," Sokka was muttering, glaring at the villagers as he stomped past. "Someone needs to scream some sense at them."

"And who would that be? You?" Orzala joked, knocking his ribs with her elbow. He let out a small noise of pain, pouting at her as she snorted.

"They seem happy, Sokka," Aang observed, to which Sokka let out another scoff.

"Not for long," he sang. "I'm gonna prove that Aunt Wu's predictions are nonsense!" His blue eyes darted toward a man in red shoes, and a smirk sprang to the Water Tribe boy's lips. "Hey, you! I bet Aunt Wu told you to wear those red shoes, didn't she?" He interrogated, grasping the villager by the shirt. Orzala facepalmed beside him, shaking her head in embarrassment. 

The man seemed unphased, however, and a bright smile graced his face. "Yeah! She said I'd be wearing red shoes when I met the love of my life."

"Uh-huh," Sokka agreed, uninterested. And how many times have you worn those shoes since you got that fortune?"

"Every day!"

Sokka's eye twitched. "Well then of course it's going to come true!" He raged, breathing heavily as he glared at the man. The villager's smile grew and he grasped Sokka's arms happily.

"Really? You think so? I'm so excited!" The villager cheered as he walked away. Sokka growled in frustration, kicking a rock away. That rock hit a duck, which came flying angrily at Sokka, pecking at his wolf's tail in it's fury. The boy let out a small scream, swatting the creature away.

Aang and Orzala sighed, looking on with concern. "It's going to be a long day," the princess breathed, following the crawling boy reluctantly.