"Let's go."
The hushed voices are what brought Sokka from his sleep. He sat up, rubbing his eyes blearily, and glanced expectantly toward Orzala. It wouldn't have been the first time she woke in the middle of the night. The boy's eyebrows furrowed, however, when they fell upon her sleeping figure.
Sokka's head snapped to the side as quiet footsteps tapped on the deck. He picked himself up, creeping to the flap and peeking around it. His eyes widened when he saw six figures leaving, and he quickly turned and whacked Orzala. The girl let out a small shriek, shooting up from her spot and looking around wildly.
When her eyes landed on Sokka, she scowled, rearing back and punching his shoulder. "What the heck, dude?" She hissed, and he couldn't help but laugh.
"Come on. I saw someone leaving the camp. We need to follow them." Orzala shot him an irritated look, but she stood anyway, glaring at him as she walked out of the hut. Sokka only released another chuckle, sweeping up his boomerang and club and rushing after her.
They jumped down together, eyes narrowing as they watched the gang load up a wagon. Orzala rested her hand against the tree beside her as she balanced on a limb. "Is that the blasting jelly?" She asked quietly, and Sokka gave her a small shrug.
"Come on." He jumped down as the group began to move, motioning the princess down with a wave of his hand. A small huff left the girl's lips, but she jumped down, wincing as her feet connected harshly with the ground. She didn't have time to recover, as Jet and his jockeys were already disappearing into the forest ahead.
The two rushed through the brush, making sure to stay hidden within the treeline, and Orzala felt her stomach drop when they came to a stop at a cliffside. She peered through the bushes, frowning, and Sokka gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Her breath caught as Jet began to speak.
"Now listen. You are not to blow the dam until I give the signal." The princess slapped a hand over her lips, a small gasp escaping her at the boy's command. Sokka glanced to her, eyes wide. "If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive."
"But what about the people in the town? Won't they get wiped out, too?" The little boy, the Duke, asked, sounded conflicted. Jet shook his head, walking forward and placing a hand on the little boy's shoulder.
"Look, Duke, that's the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation." Orzala grit her teeth, fists clenching at her side so hard that they burned. "Now don't blow the dam until I give the signal. Got it?"
Sokka tensed beside the princess, eyes narrowing as he began to rise. However, he stopped his movements when he heard a rustling in the bushes beside him. His gaze darted to Orzala, who still hadn't moved from her spot, and his eyes widened. Before he could warn her though, a sharp pain shot through his skull as he was jerked up by his ponytail.
Orzala whipped around at Sokka's pained cry, tensing as she saw Pipsqueak grip the boy tightly. She readied herself to fight, but she felt her knees crumple beneath her as something sliced through her side. A ragged breath left her lips, and her green eyes darted up to see Smellerbee with a knife at her throat. The girl smirked down at her.
"Where do you think you're going?" Orzala's face hardened, and she made to stand, but another shot of pain tore through her side at the action. A shaky hand hovered over her wound, and she frowned as she looked at the severity of it. Smellerbee didn't waste any time to grasp her shoulder, hauling her up and dragging her toward Jet.
Sokka was already there, clutching his shoulder as he glared at the boy. "Sokka, Orzala. I'm glad you decided to join us." The warrior's eyes flashed to his companion, blue eyes turning icy as he saw the blood that stained her side. Sokka whirled on Jet, a glower on his face as he confronted him.
"I heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town," he snarled, forcing himself to his feet so he could approach Orzala. He knelt next to her, pulling her bloodied hand away from her side and examining the cut. His eyes darted to hers, asking her silently if she was alright. She gave a small nod.
"Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation."
"There are people living there, Jet! Mothers and fathers and children!" Sokka was livid now, shooting up and stalking toward the boy. Pipsqueak grabbed him, throwing him back harshly to keep him away from their leader.
"We can't win without making some sacrifices."
"You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire!"
"Because they don't understand the demands of war. Not like you and I do!" Sokka let out a scoff, glancing back to Orzala in a 'can you believe this guy?' fashion. She only rolled her eyes.
"I do understand. I understand that there's nothing you won't do to get what you want." Jet frowned, shaking his head and pulling the piece of barley from his teeth for the first time since Orzala had met him.
"I was hoping you'd have an open mind. But I can see you've made your choice." Sokka cocked an eyebrow, confusion washing over his face. His confusion turned to fury when Orzala released a pained grunt behind him. He tried to whirl around, but his wrists were caught by Jet's hook swords. The boy strained to look over his shoulder toward his friend, but all he saw was Pipsqueak.
The large man gripped his arms, pulling them back and tying them together. "I can't let you warn Katara and Aang. Take them for a walk. A long walk."
"You can't do this!" Orzala cried, pulling against Smellerbee as she tied her hands tightly behind her back. Jet only smirked, walking toward her and gripping her chin with his fingers. The princess scowled, ripping away from his grip.
"Cheer up, Orzala. We're gonna win a great victory against the Fire Nation today." The two were pulled away, and Orzala felt her heart drop as she watched Jet walk back in the direction of the camp. She saw Sokka's shoulders droop beside her, and flashed him a tiny, defeated smile.
"I'm sure they'll figure it out." He closed his eyes, shaking his head at her as they were pushed along through the forest. They flashed back open as she groaned though, immediately growing concerned. His blue gaze fixed on her bleeding side before turning back to glare at Smellerbee.
"Do you have any supplies? Gauze or cloth or something? She's going to bleed out because of you." The girl's face fell, just slightly, and she shook her head. Her expression turned hard once again, and she shoved Sokka forward.
"Come on, move along." The boy glared back at her.
"Are you alright?" He asked Orzala quietly, fiddling with the rope that bound his hands. A small, triumphant smile crossed his lips as he untied the knot, but he didn't act. Instead, he focused back on Orzala, whose lips were turned in a pain grimace. Still, she nodded.
"I've had worse." A frown tugged his lips down.
"How can you just stand by and do nothing while Jet wipes out a whole town?"
"Hey, listen, Sokka, Jet's a great leader. We follow what he says and things always turn out ok." The Water Tribe boy looked around the forest, face contorting mischievously when he saw the Fire Nation traps that had captured Momo.
"If that's how Jet leads, he's got a lot to learn!" He took a sudden mad dash toward the traps, and Smellerbee and Pipsqueak quickly followed after them. Orzala only cocked a brow, plopping down against a tree and waiting. A proud smile lit up her face when she saw the two shoot up into the trees.
"While you two are up there, you might want to practice your knot work." Sokka called with a smirk, showing them his freed hands. As they grumbled above him, he rushed back toward Orzala, quickly untying her hands. She breathed a small thank you as he hauled her up, wrapping a gentle arm around her waist to steady her.
"We need to warn them," she said quietly, blinking away the tiredness that suddenly overcame her. Sokka flashed her a worried glance, but nodded, heading in the direction of the town. "What are we doing?" The girl asked. "Aang and Katara are the other way."
"We won't make it. My gut is telling me to go to the town. Do you trust me?" Orzala looked up at him, and a tense beat passed. His eyes pleaded with her, and she sighed.
"Yeah, I trust you, Water Boy. Now let's go."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They had rushed back to the hideout, quickly mounting Appa and flying toward the town. As they flew, Sokka sat beside Orzala, dressing her wound as quick as possible. She winced, and he shot her an apologetic smile as he finished up.
"You've got to stop getting hurt."
"We've been over this, wise guy. Stop getting in danger and I won't have to protect your asses twenty-four seven." The boy let out a small chuckle, brushing a hair behind her ear and helping her to stand.
"I want you to stay here with Appa. Have him ready to go so we can get out of here fast and find Aang and Katara." Orzala frowned.
"Why can't you stay here and I go warn the village?"
"If I recall correctly, you have a bad slash on your side and I just carried you the majority of the way to the hideout. You're staying." The princess pouted slightly, and Sokka sighed, ruffling her hair. "Zala, I just don't want you to get stuck there when the dam breaks. Do this for me, please?" He gripped her shoulders, and she sighed, nodding.
A small smile was exchanged, and then he was gone.
Orzala found herself dozing off as she waited. But after a while, she jumped up as people began filing out of the town. Her face broke into a large grin. Sokka emerged last, rushing over to her and hopping onto Appa. He settled beside her, releasing a deep breath as he took the reins.
When they found their friends, Orzala couldn't help but laugh. Katara had frozen Jet to a tree, and the boy was rambling on. "This was a victory, Katara. Remember that. The Fire Nation is gone, and this valley is safe." Sokka let out a scoff beside her.
"It will be safe. Without you." The three turned to them, eyes widening. Aang and Katara smiled up at them happily.
"Sokka! Orzala!"
"I warned the villagers of your plan just in time." Jet went into a rage at that. "At first, they didn't believe me. The Fire Nation soldiers assumed I was a spy. But one man vouched for me: the old man that you attacked. He urged them to trust me, and we got everyone out in time."
"Sokka, you fool! We could have freed this valley!"
"Who would be free?" Orzala snapped, her deadly gaze locking on the boy as she shifted beside Sokka. "Everyone would be dead."
"You traitors!"
"No, Jet. You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people." Orzala's eyes snapped to the boy beside her, and she felt her chest swell with pride at his words.
"Katara, please help me!" Orzala looked to her friend, turning angry when she saw the tears that welled in her blue eyes. She hopped down, ignoring Sokka's protests, and fell into her bending stance. She smirked slightly as Jet's eyes widened, shifting her foot and kicking upwards. A collective 'ooh' rang out behind her as a rock shot up, hitting the boy in the privates.
Satsified, she whipped around, dark hair flipping as she did so, and grabbed Katara's arm. "Bye, Jet," she called happily, pulling the girl up behind her and onto Appa.