A/N :
ATTENTION!!
Make sure you've read the previous chapters (28 and 29). Some of you guys were confused and asked who's who and why certain events never took place. I updated twice last week soooo make sure you've read both before continuing lol
Now enjoyyy!!!!
xoxo
~*~
"Let's do it," I said quietly as I stared on my feet, not at the view of Lotus City and the institute.
"What?" Hendery asked.
"Run off, to a nice place somewhere. You and I, we can make it." I said.
It sounds mad when I say it out loud, but I meant every word I said.
Hendery didn't say anything afterward, he just kept silent.
"With my brothers too." I added.
And still no response.
I looked over to him who was lying his back on the huge tree we were under. His eyes stare into the air in front of him, not the view.
After he was treated by Lucas because of his injuries from helping the ambush of the monsters, he was so restless. Victor kept pressuring him into talking and he seemed to be so bothered by it. That was why I brought him here up the hill, away from the crowd.
He is like me, we both hate the crowd.
Then he blinked as if he just realized that I was talking to him.
"What?" He asked innocently.
"I said, we can run away to wherever we want. And be away from all of this madness."
Hendery knitted his eyebrows together. "What about your brothers?"
"We can take them with us."
"But they will only be in more danger."
"I can't leave them."
"Nowhere is safe, Juli. We all have to stick together—to survive." Hendery said.
"Do you know why the monsters were here?" I asked.
Hendery kept his silence again.
I sighed, "you can't keep me in the dark forever. You know that, right?"
Hendery was staring at the air in front of him, his eyes were lifeless. I don't even think he was enjoying the beautiful view.
"This is a very stupid question, but are you okay?"
Hendery still didn't respond.
I shook his arm gently. "Hendery, I'm very worried."
"You know that I will never hurt you, right?" Hendery suddenly snapped out of his own thoughts.
He is not okay. He looks and sounds like not himself.
And the worse part is, I don't know what to do. I am so bad at words. I don't want to pressure him into telling me stuff he doesn't want to talk about.
But I had no choice.
"Why would I think you'd hurt me?"
Hendery looked away from me after that question.
"Just tell me," I said gently. "Is it... is it because I'm the Avatar?" My heart felt like it skipped a beat after saying that.
At that statement, Hendery's eyes widened in shock.
"Hendery, come on. You saw me waterbending...when I helped Jaemin."
"Juli— I—"
I never wanted to be the princess, or the Avatar.
I didn't know that there was supposed to be only one who can control all of the four elements. I didn't know what being the lost princess of the Fire Nation means. I didn't know a terrible crime that I had, or my family had committed, and I have to be punished for it.
Hendery froze at my words.
I breathed in, "I didn't know so much thing, and I still don't know so much."
"I'm so sorry, Juli."
"What are you apologizing for??"
Hendery rubbed his face, then his head in frustration.
"Did you know that the monsters were coming?"
"No, no." He mumbled. "Why would I know that?"
"Did you... let them in here?"
Hendery's head jolted back from his palms and he looked at me like I was mad.
"Hendery... Taeyong sensed the same dark energy on you that Ms. Daisy had when she was being controlled."
"Juli, I beg you, you need to stop this now!" Hendery said in panic.
"Why?? I'm trying to help you here!"
"You're not aware of what you're actually doing right now." He said and his eyes started to water. "I'm scared of what she's going to do if anyone finds out." He whispered as his lips were shaking.
So Taeyong was right.
He is the dark witch's puppet.
I took his hand and squeezed it, hoping somehow it would make him relaxed a bit.
"Taeyong broke your connection with her while Lucas was treating you, temporarily. It will wear off in the next couple of hours." I said.
Hendery's breath became steadier.
"It's okay now," I wiped his fallen tears from his cheeks. "We're alone here, for now."
"I'm so sorry." Hendery pulled me into a hug.
I was frozen, I couldn't move.
I patted his back trying to calm him down.
"I swear I didn't know that she would send the two monsters." He said. "I swear, please believe me."
"Shh... I do, Hendery. And I believe," I pulled away and cupped his cheek. "You will never hurt me. But you have to tell me what's going on, who is that dark witch?"
"She isn't happy about the attack." He said. "I can feel that more is about to come."
"What do you mean?"
"She's going to make sure that everyone will know about you," Hendery said, his voice coming out as a whisper, like he was afraid if someone was eavesdropping. "If the next monster fails to kill you."
"Why??"
"So that everyone will kill you for her."
There is one way to take back the Fire Nation, Jennie once told me.
It was me, the price. My head. The dark witch wants me dead.
But why? Why does she hate the royal family so much?
Why did she do any of this? Why did she took over the Fire Nation??
"Why would she want me dead?"
Hendery's gaze shifted away from me. "Everyone believes there was a deal made by the royal family, your parents, and the dark witch. But no one knows what it was, except for them."
What deal??
I got up from the ground. My breaths started to be out of control.
What the fuck did I do to deserve this? It's like the the past that you never knew existed is suddenly chasing after you.
After your head.
First the Olympians think I stole something from them, now the entire bending world will gladly kill me because it will set the Fire Nation free.
What the hell did my parents do??
"This is all fucking insane," the strangled cry slipped out of my mouth. "And I can't fucking remember anything!!"
"Juli—"
"Were my parents bad people, Hendery?" I said before he got his hand to me.
"They weren't the greatest rulers, but they were certainly good people."
"How do you know that? That they were good."
I waited, and waited, for him to answer. But he never did.
And that is what makes me certain, that I have to find my own answer.
I started to walk away.
"Juli, where are you going?"
"Come on, let's get back to the town."
~
Lotus City remained cheerful and lively even at a time like this.
The people here are trying to lighten up the mood for the students who were attacked in the institute. People were dancing, and singing, and the night market is packed as usual.
We should've been at Dinning Hall at this time. Eating dinner, and dance at the end.
I could smell the flaming fire flakes as we passed by the night market. The spiciness pierced through my nose and made me tear up a bit.
We went over to the medical tents, and Hendery decided that he would wait for me outside.
There were only a few students left inside, who were all unconscious. And I couldn't see the injured anywhere now.
It was Lucas. He healed almost everyone.
Is this really what the power of waterbending hold?
I scanned the unconscious bodies one by one as I passed, and found Suho, one of the tag team that I fought during the Level test, being one of them.
I did this. They were all hurt because of me. And Lucas fixed it for me.
Taeyong too. Dareia, and the demigods.
And all I did was nothing. I contributed and helped nothing.
I am probably the most useless Avatar in the history of Avatar.
Unless you're the Avatar, who can save us from this mess, Dareia words suddenly echoed in my mind.
So the Avatar was supposed to save the day. But I just stayed back, watching my friends and other people do the work for me.
"Hey,"
Lucas greeted me and I looked at him in surprise.
"You okay there? Can I help you with something?" Lucas said, as he eyed me with concern.
"No," I said. "I—"
I studied him carefully. He looked pale, and he was sweating, despite the weather being a bit chilly.
He had outworked himself. He needs to rest.
"Oh," he let out a deep, long sigh. "Excuse me, it has been a long day for me." He breathed in sharply, "speaking of which, how's Hendery doing?"
He knows.
He knows everything.
Taeyong trusted him that's why he let him interfered with Hendery's treatment.
He even knows that I am the Avatar. After he found out I expected him to freak out, or attack me and bring me outside so he can let people to finish it, but he didn't. He smiled at me, and his eyes sparked with something I would never expect people to have after finding out the truth: hope.
He then pulled me into a hug, excited to have finally meet the Avatar.
But I wasn't as excited as he was, my heart shrank seeing him reacting like that, even though I am so glad to know that he isn't out there hunting for my head.
I just couldn't bare the fact that I had put hope in someone.
I cannot help them.
If I were truly a princess, I would give myself in, to the dark witch. I would sacrifice myself for what is best for the nation.
That is what a princess should do.
But I can't. I am a coward.
"He is okay." I replied.
Lucas bent down a bit to catch my eyes, then he put his hand on my shoulder. "What is it Juli?"
"Can you..." I sighed. "Can you teach me how to heal?"
Lucas grinned and chuckled lightly as he stepped back away from me a bit.
"You shouldn't be that nervous. I would gladly help you."
I smiled back at him.
Lucas' eyes wandered behind me and I followed his gaze.
A white haired guy's head peeked through the curtains and let himself into the tent.
It was Taeyong. He made his way to where we were at.
"So, did Hendery say anything?"
I nodded. "He said... more is coming."
Taeyong closed his eyes shut in frustration.
"He said... there will be another attack."
"We have to tell the Councils." Taeyong said.
"And expose Hendery? No way!"
"Then what do you suggest we do!?"
Then we heard people shouting outside the tent. It made Taeyong and me stop our argument and the three of us decided to check it out.
I got out and immediately found Hendery standing next to the exit of the tent. He was watching the crowd who had gathered not far from the medical tent.
The crowd was circling a giant rock that a student was standing on. The student's eyebrows knitted together like he was furious.
I guess I found the one who was yelling earlier.
"—there's no denying that this is all the Dark Witch's doings." He yelled furiously.
The crowd gasped in shock and whispered around.
I looked over to Hendery, his eyes bored into the guy on the rock.
"And you know what that means..." the guy said. "That means that the princess is here, among us."
Do not panic.
Do not. Panic, I told myself.
It's only a matter of time, before everyone finds out.
Maybe this is the time to be who I really am, to fulfill one of my duties, and that is as a princess.
By surrendering myself. So the Fire Nation will be free, and the people can go back home.
I didn't realize that I was slowly stepping forward to the crowd, before Taeyong caught my wrist to prevent me.
I breathed in sharply and looked at him.
His eyes were screaming no, don't do it.
I swallowed hard and stepped back to where I was.
Then I felt like I was being watched. Like people were pointing their eyes on me, but I knew that no one except the people who I were standing next to, knew about me.
But the feeling was still lingering.
Then a certain purple hair caught my attention, as it stood out from the crowd.
Yuta was boring his eyes into mine. When I returned the gaze, he didn't look away.
Has he figured it out?
~*~
A/N:
There will probably more updates until this weekend.
Oh it's snowing so much here and our classes got cancelled!!! I'M HAPPY 😆
Btw can you guys guess who are my two bias from nct 🌚
CHEERS!!