A year had passed after Soana's departure from Ba Sing Se. like before, she felt alone again in her captivity-like glacier that happened to be her home.
Although she had Gato and Sueh to keep her company, it wasn't enough. She missed her adventures and the group, but mostly she missed Zuko's company.
To pass the time, Soana would try to do anything in her power to keep her mind off of the Fire Lord. She helped Gato train Ula to survive in the cold, she would practice her waterbending with Master Pakku but that was before he left to go to the South Pole to marry Katara's grandmother.
However, on most days she would practice her waterbending with scrolls found in the palace library, but she couldn't concentrate enough. Her mind had been racing with thoughts so bad that Master Pakku's loud, demanding tone was the only thing that could drown them out, but now that he was gone, she felt bothered.
Nowadays she would help Sueh practice her warrior training at the harbor, but this time a rule had been applied to make things easier for her.
"You should feel lucky that I'm going easy on you." Soana said, cockily.
Sueh twirled her sword and smirked. "Easy how? I'm still letting you use your waterbending. Just no fancy forms. Like ice."
"Whatever you say, oh warrior." Soana chuckled, getting into her fighting stance.
Sueh raised her sword and lunged to get a running start at Soana. The princess was quick to bend the snow from a nearby mound and form it into a water whip.
"Hey!" Sueh grunted, moving away from the whip. "Seriously, Soana?"
"What? You said no ice?"
Sueh grew frustrated and blocked each stinging whip by cutting the line ferociously. By the time she finished chopping it, Soana needed more, but she didn't get the chance before Sueh's foot kicked into the princess' stomach.
"Oof!" Soana landed on a mound of freezing, white snow.
She wiped the fluffy snow off of her cheeks, making her face become flushed and slightly wet.
Sueh laughed, going to the princess. "If that was easy, I'd hate to see what hard looks like." She pointed out as she reached her hand out.
"Believe me. You don't want to know." She grunted as she grasped onto Sueh's mitten covered hands and pulled herself onto her feet.
Soana inhaled a deep breath before flicking her hand to bend a line of snow to cover Sueh's parka in it.
"That's cheating!" Sueh informed as she wiped the snow off her shoulders.
"It wasn't frozen though." Soana chimed.
She giggled before Sueh grabbed a clump from her hood then jumped, smashing it over the princess' head.
"There." Sueh smirked.
They both cackled before they saw a figure heading towards them.
"Giant ostrich horse coming through!" Gato announced as he attempted to yield Ula by the reigns.
She honked loudly as Sueh backed away from the rampaging animal, leaving Soana the only one able to come to Gato's rescue.
"Ula, darling." Soana cooed.
Ignoring Gato's harsh pulling on the reigns, Ula turned and honked in the direction of Soana and nearly threw the earthbender off of her back.
"Woah, Ula!" Gato shrieked before the ostrich horse halted in front of Soana.
The princess smiled at the animal, petting her feathered neck as Gato appeared from the back.
"Show off." He narrowed his eyes.
"It's a gift." She smirked. "What're you doing to the poor girl? You shouldn't put such a strain on a living being especially if they're about to lay eggs."
"Eggs."
He hummed, closing his eyes for a second before opening them again.
"If they're not fertile, can I eat them?" Gato raised his brow.
Soana cringed.
"You disgust me."
"It was just a question." He chuckled.
"Oh yeah. A royal messenger stopped at the stables with letters from the team. He told me to give this to you."
Gato reached into his water tribe parka and pulled out a stack of letters from the inside pocket.
He handed the stack down to Soana as Sueh approached them.
"Any for me?" She asked.
"A few from Sokka and Suki. You got a couple from Iroh, Yuri, and that white lotus guy named Piandao."
"Great." Sueh muttered as Gato handed over her letters from his parka.
"I got a few from Sokka and Toph. I got only one letter from Zuko." He informed.
"Since when can Toph write? I thought she was blind." Sueh questioned.
"There are people out there who can write a letter for you, Sueh." He rolled his eyes and opened a letter from Toph.
He chuckled while reading it.
"Toph opened her own metalbending academy. Maybe after I master lavabending with real lava I could pay her a visit."
Sueh made kissing noises, making Soana giggle.
"Ha. Ha." Gato said slowly. "I don't see Toph like that. She's twelve."
"For now." Soana smirked. "Like I told Sueh after she met Piandao, love has no boundaries."
"Whatever." Gato huffed. "Toph's a nice girl, but I have my heart set on someone else."
The two girls hummed with curiosity.
"Who is the lucky one?" Sueh asked.
"Or should I say the one who is doomed to be in the sights of Gato."
Gato smirked, ignoring Sueh's last comment.
"You remember that girl Zuko went out with in Ba Sing Se the same night we did?" He asked Soana.
"Jin?" Soana raises her brows.
He nodded slowly.
"Yeah. I was seeing her before the Fire Nation seized Ba Sing Se, but then everything got put on hold after I was sent to Boiling Rock. I haven't seen her since, and I'm sort of scared to write to her now."
Soana sighed.
"Gato, if you have your heart set on her and only her, then you need to tell her. If not, you'll be wasting your time, pining over what could've been."
Gato huffed and shoved the letters back into his parka.
"You're right." He said, grabbing the reigns of Ula's halter.
"I'm going to tell her how I feel." He stated then paused. "Would it be frowned upon if I made a betrothal necklace for her?"
Soana and Sueh looked at each other and hesitated to answer.
"It wouldn't be frowned upon if you offered?" Soana shrugged.
He cocked his head and thought for a minute.
"I'll ask her. There's no harm in asking." He inhaled deeply. "Spirits, help me."
Gato then turned Ula around and snapped the reigns to make Ula gallop, but she only sprinted away towards the palace, making her owner repeatedly tell her to slow down.
Sueh chuckled.
"I'm gonna head home and read my letters."
Soana sent her a small grin and nodded.
"Okay."
"See ya later, Soana!" Sueh grinned, starting to jog away in the direction towards her family's home.
At the harbor, Soana stood by herself, hearing nothing but the movement of water nearby.
Looking at the stack she found the first one being from Katara. She untied the ribbon that secured the stack together and found a spot along the edge of the harbor to read it.
Dear Soana,
Although it's been only a year it has felt like ages since you left Ba Sing Se. Aang and I are here with Sokka to devise a plan with the Earth King to establish peace among the Fire Nation colonies with Zuko's help. At first, everything was settling very well until Zuko had a change in heart, but only because the citizens made him think differently. All in all, we have come to an agreement of creating a new city made for any bender from around. It's going to be amazing.
How are things at the North Pole? I hope everyone is doing alright since the last time we were there. I miss the cold if I'm being truthful. The warmth of Ba Sing Se can get very tiring especially after being there for a month.
Anyways, I hope Sueh and Gato are treating you well, and I hope your father has been treating you like the brave waterbender you are.
Write back soon!
Sincerely, Katara.
Hey Soana,
I'll admit. With you being gone the team has went their separate ways except for Sokka, Katara, Zuko, and I. I'm not one to write letters, so I'll make this short and sweet.
When I was a kid one hundred years ago, I used to penguin sled a lot, and it was fun. That's the first thing I did when I met Katara. We went penguin sledding and it was very exhilarating.
What I'm trying to say is you should go penguin sledding with Sueh and Gato if you haven't yet. It's so much fun!
I have to tend to my Avatar duties now, but write back please!
-Aang
P.s.
Katara made me write to you because even though I can't express it with words, I miss you being with us.
Soana giggled after reading Aang and Katara's letters before she opened the one from Yuri.
Dearest, Soana,
Time has been fairly kind to Reid and I during our stay in the Northwest. Although the area has the hustle of Ba Sing Se's city life, it has the acceptance of firebenders which I'm thankful for because of Reid.
After inheriting his father's royalties, my son had enrolled himself in a Fire Nation academy and is training to master firebending with an instructor Zuko has sent from the capital.
Not only has Reid been doing fine, but I have as well after applying myself as an assistant for a middle class family. Reid is very fond of their daughter and little boy, so it makes it easier for me to watch them play while doing my job.
Reid and I are very happy which is very odd since hardly anyone else is. By anyone else, I mean the current Fire Lord. Zuko sends me letters to ask how Reid's training is going with the instructor, but it's very bland and he asks about you in each letter, however, I don't always know your current situation since the royal messenger service is very time consuming.
Anyways, please write to Zuko. He seems oppressed due to your absence.
Sincerely,
Reid & Yuri.
Soana sighed loudly with the feeling of her heart fluttering out of her chest as she held the last letter.
It was from Zuko.
She took in an unsteady breath as she ripped open the letter and unfolded the pages.
Princess,
I understand that your time away has been very peaceful. Almost as peaceful as the world has been lately. Except the world doesn't smile brightly like you.
I have been transferring from the Capital to Ba Sing Se for some time since your departure, and I plan to head home to sort out some things with the current state of my Nation after the drastic problems we have faced due to my poor choices. Along the way I plan on making a stop at the North Pole, so I can see how you, Sueh, and Gato are settling in. Not only that, but Aang and I also have a proposal for you.
It's more than likely by the time you get this letter I'll be arriving in less than a day, knowing how slow the royal messenger can be at times. It's absolutely dreadful. I knew I should've sent this by messenger hawk.
Anyways, what I wanted to say was I'll see you soon, and I hope that you will be as hopeful to see me again. We have much to talk about.
- Zuko
Her chest tightened.
Zuko was coming very soon, and with the last minute notice it only made her heart flip and her stomach twist to the point where she felt sick.
"Oh, spirits." She muttered, jumping from her seat on the dock and running towards the palace.
•
"Gato!" Soana screamed, practically bursting down her door.
Gato flinched at his writing desk adjacent of the door. When he did, he spilled blue ink all over the paper and wood, making he cringe and turn to the princess.
"Seriously, Soana! Privacy is a privilege, and I think I've earned it by this point!" Gato glared.
"Go away!"
"Don't write to Jin just yet!" The princess urged.
He rolled his eyes.
"Why? I have to get this to the royal messenger as soon as I can. You know how long it takes for messages to go through."
"You can put it off for a few minutes. I'll even fetch a new jar of ink and fresh sheets of paper for the trouble." Soana bit her lip in hope.
He bit the inside of his cheek and reluctantly agreed.
"Fine."
The princess drew in a deep breath and walked towards Gato's desk with Zuko's letter.
"In one of my letters from Zuko, he said he was coming to the North Pole very soon."
"How long is that?"
Soana smiled timidly.
"In less than a day."
His eyes widened as he inhaled deeply.
"Have you told your father about this visit?"
"I happened to not find the time considering he's currently in a meeting with his advisors." Soana said.
Gato frowned.
"We've only been here for a year, and I know your father doesn't like things happening unexpectedly."
Soana hummed.
"Do I have to?"
"If you don't, then I will." Gato retorted.
"Stop stalling and tell him before he goes ballistic from an unexpected guest arriving."