The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Fifteen

A couple days had passed since they had escaped the rig. Orzala's wounds had begun healing nicely, and she was regaining more energy everyday. At first, Sokka had been acting like a real mother hen, always checking her wounds and checking on her and making sure she didn't do anything too strenuous.

It had been a welcome change from his cold attitude upon their meeting.

However, as Orzala got better, he seemed to be returning back to his cold, calculating demeanor. It honestly upset her. She had thought she had found a friend in him at last. That being said, he wasn't completely rude, like he had first been.

Today, they found themselves in the sky once more, back on their path to the North Pole. "Why is it so important that we get Aang to the North Pole?" Orzala had asked, not knowing much of the legend of the avatar.

"According to legend, Aang has to learn to bend all of the elements in a specific order. Since he's an airbender, obviously air will come first," Katara had explained. "He's already mastered that. Now, he has to learn water, and then earth, then fire."

It had seemed simple enough. Katara was the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, and she was far from mastering her element, so obviously she couldn't teach Aang. Orzala began to wonder if Aang would turn to her for earthbending training, and immediately shot down the thought. That would be disastrous, she had told herself. And she would be sure to tell Aang that, too.

Katara sighed happily beside her, pulling the princess from her thoughts. The brunette was looking at the clouds below them wistfully. "Those clouds look so soft, don't they? Like you could jump down and land on a big, soft, cottony heap."

Sokka looked over, eyebrow raised. "Maybe you should give it a try," He told her, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Orzala sent him a soft glare, and he rolled his eyes.

"You're hilarious."

Aang popped up suddenly, a wide grin spliting his face. "I will!" And he jumped off, his laughter echoing through the vast sky. The other three scrambled to the saddle's side to look for him as he disappeared into the white abyss. They didn't notice him fly up behind them. "Turns out clouds are made of water!" The three jumped, turning to face the soaking boy.

"Aang, I've already told you not to scare me like that!" The boy shot Orzala a sheepish smile, but didn't apologize. Instead, he opted to air-dry himself. The three glared at Aang until Katara caught a flash of black in the corner of her eye.

Her blood ran cold as she took in the black, sooty forest below them. "What is that?"

The gang moved to the front of the saddle in an attempt to get a better look. Sokka frowned. "It looks like a scar." Silence ensued as they stared ahead, and Orzala shook her head.

"We should check it out," she told them, her voice dangerously low. Aang nodded slowly, quickly moving to grab Appa's reigns and guide him downward. As the group dismounted, they were astonished by the deafening silence around them.

"Listen," Sokka prompted. Orzala did as she was told, straining to hear a single sound from the barren land. For a moment, she was sure that her hearing had left her. "It's so quiet. There's no life anywhere." Katara's eyes drifted to Aang who was up ahead, fists clenched as he surveyed the scorched forest.

"Aang, are you ok?" She called. No response. A frown tugged at her lips.

Orzala gasped as she saw thousand of footprints among the soot. "Fire Nation!" Sokka growled low as he put the pieces together. "Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for-"

He was quickly cut off as Katara shushed him. He turned to her, a frown dragging his lips down. "What? I'm not allowed to be angry?" He whisper yelled, before his eyes turned to Aang. His face fell as he watched the airbender sink to his knees.

"Why would anyone want to do this?" The air nomad asked, his voice coming out broken. Orzala felt her heart squeeze at the pure anguish in his voice, and she walked forward, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder and giving him a sad smile. "How could I let this happen?" Her lips fell into a frown, and she lowered herself into a crouch beside him.

"This is not your fault. This doesn't have anything to do with you." He shook his head.

"Yes it does. It's the avatar's job to protect nature- but I don't know how to do my job." The princess had no words, so opted instead to pull the boy into her. With a sigh, he rested his head against her shoulder in an attempt to find any small comfort. She set her chin atop his head, giving the others a sad look.

"That's why were going to the North Pole," Katara piped up, coming to stand beside them, "to find you a teacher." The boy pulled away from Orzala's embrace, placing his face into his hands.

"Yeah, a water bending teacher. But there's no one who can teach me how to be the avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me." Sokka raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"The avatar before you? He died over a hundred years ago, how is he supposed to help you?"

"I don't know."

Katara looked away, growing a little disheartened until she noticed several acorns sprawled amongst the ash. Orzala noticed them too, hopping up and following Katara to grab a few.

"Aaaang, are you ready to be cheered up?" Orzala sang as Katara handed her two acorns with a smile.

"No."

Katara scoffed, throwing an acorn at the boy's head. "Ow!" He exclaimed, turning to the two. "How is the supposed to cheer me up?" Sokka guffawed from his spot.

"It sure cheered me up." Orzala chucked an acorn at him, hitting him right between the eyes and sending him flailing to the ground. He sat up quickly, a billow of soot following him as he rubbed the spot. "Ok, I deserved that."

"Yeah, you did." She couldn't help the chuckle that pushed past her lips as she observed the black cloud that hovered around him. "I believe your attitude is manifesting itself, Sokka." His eyebrows shot up as he looked around him, frantically waving away the soot. After a moment, he gave up, opting instead to cross his arms with a pout.

Katara shook her head, laughing slightly at the two as she made her way over to Aang. "Do you see these acorns?" She asked, revealing her handful of the nuts. "They're everywhere, Aang. That means the forest will grow back!" A small smile slowly rose to the boys lips at the revelation. "Every one of these will be a tall oak tree some day, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back!"

He took an acorn from her before clutching her hand tightly with his own. "Thank you, Katara." She returned his smile, and the group shared a happy silence.

That was, until Orzala saw the man heading toward them, only a few feet away.