The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Forty-Eight

"How about you, little lady?" The brunette glanced up to see the bender looking at her expectantly, and a small gasp left her lips. She backed away, shaking her head slightly. "Aw, she's shy. Let's give her some encouragement, folks!" The crowd around them began to cheer, and a little Fire Nation boy pushed her forward. With a sigh, she reluctantly went on stage.

"Aww, that could've been me," Aang pouted, and Orzala whacked him on the back of the head softly. "Yes, that could've been the avatar, in obvious airbender clothing, in the middle of a Fire Nation demonstration with all eyes on him. That would've been so smart." Although she couldn't see his face, she knew he was glaring at her as he crossed his arms.

"This next trick is called 'Taming the Dragon'! You will be my captured princess," The firebender told Katara, pulling her into a seat and wrapping a ribbon around her. He then waved his hands, forming a dragon from the fire above them. Katara's eyes widened as the fire shot down toward her. The bender sent the beast away with another wave of his arms.

"Don't worry, young maiden! I will tame this fiery beast!" The firebender sent out a stream of fire at the dragon, pretending to try and rope the beast in. Aang fidgeted nervously in his spot, making Orzala glance at him. "It's too strong! I can't hold it!"

 Aang rushed forward, anxiety buling in his chest. "We gotta help her!" Sokka quickly stepped in front of him, resting a hand on his shoulder to hold him back. "No, we don't want to cause a scene." Orzala nodded in agreement, pulling down her mask to flash the boy a reassuring grin. "Yeah, he's just acting, Aang. Katara will be fine." The boy stilled for a moment, worried eyes fixated on Katara.

"The rope-- it's breaking!" With that, the fire dragon hurtled toward Katara. The girl let out a small scream, and Aang broke away from Sokka, darting onto the stage and sending a gust of air at the fire. It quickly dissipated, and the firebender fell back in surprise.

"Hey, are you trying to upstage me kid?" Aang frowned, and Orzala quickly joined him on stage, scrambling to grab his mask that had fallen off in the turmoil. The crowd began to boo as Aang smiled, dancing and ignoring Orzala as she urged him to put his mask on once more. Sokka joined them, untying Katara and pulling her up.

"Hey, that kid's the avatar!" Orzala's jade eyes darkened as she glared out into the crowd, and everyone fell silent. Her deadly gaze drifted to the Fire Nation soldiers that had turned toward them, weapons bared as they forced their way through the crowd.

"Time to go," she growled, snatching Aang's elbow and tugging him along behind her. Before they could go far, however, a voice stopped them.

"Follow me!" Orzala turned, eyeing the hooded man angrily. "I can get you out of here," he promised, and the girl let out an angry sigh, closing her eyes and nodding. She glared behind her, motioning for the others to follow as she ran after the stranger. The man turned, throwing a bomb to prevent the soldiers from following them.

Orzala's anger only seemed to grow as they ran through the village, dodging people and carts as they went. She threw a glance behind her, eyes bulging slightly as the soldiers behind them grew in numbers. She extended her hand, clenching her fist and pulling down forcefully. A wide smirk tugged at her lips as the buildings above them crumbled, blocking the soldiers way.

"I'm calling Appa!" Aang exclaimed, pulling out his bison whistling and blowing on it forcefully.

"I really hope that thing actually works," Sokka grumbled.

"This way!" Their savior called, leading them down another ally. They came to a halt, however, when several Fire Nation soldiers moved to block their way. "Ok, not this way." The man produced another bomb from his cloak, tossing it toward the soldiers and knocking them off their feet.

They backtracked, hurrying down another ally. This one, however, led to a dead end. If looks could kill, the stranger would be dead on the ground from how Orzala was glaring at him. He turned quickly, shielding the kids behind him as more soldiers began to approach. Orzala fell into her stance, preparing to fight their way out if needed, until a loud roar erupted above them Her gaze shot up, and a large smile jumped to her lips.

"Appa! Down here!" The sky bison descended, chasing the soldiers away and sending a blast of air at them. They flew back, and by the time they had recovered, the group had already flown away. Before they got too far, the stranger set off another bomb, throwing it into the firework storage below them.

The building set fire, causing all the fireworks to shoot off at once. The kids sent the man a grin as he pulled down his hood. "Nice touch setting off the fireworks," Aang complimented, and Sokka nodded in agreement.

"You seem to really know your explosives."

The man nodded cautiously, turning to face them. "I'm familiar." Orzala quickly jumped up, moving to stand in front of the others as she glared at the man. Sokka hopped up, standing beside her and looking at the man in disbelief.

"You're a Fire Nation soldier!"

"Was. My name is Chey. I would like to help you."