The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Eighteen

The night had blanketed the forest in darkness by the time Sokka gave up trying to find his friends. He had nothing to worry about though... right? After all, Aang was the avatar, and Orzala was one of the most powerful earthbenders he knew.

Not that he would ever tell her that.

It was a long, dreary walk back to the village. The boy's legs ached from the mad dash he had made through the forest, and he had half a mind to find a cozy cave to curl up in and rest. He knew Katara would be frantic, though, and he didn't want to add to her list of people or things to worry about.

His heart weighed heavy in his chest as the night's events replayed in his mind. He had failed her. He had managed to lose both Aang and Orzala, and it wasn't like he could use any bending to track them down. Sokka felt utterly useless.

The faint outline of the village border seemed black against the trees, and it only caused more dread to build up in his chest. He wasn't ready to face Katara- he wasn't ready to tell her that he'd lost their friends. But fate had never been on his side, and Katara was waiting for him at the town's entrance. Still, he couldn't help but smile slightly when her face lit up.

"Sokka!" She cried, darting forward and flinging herself onto him. He let out a quiet laugh, returning his sister's embrace. She pulled back, flashing him a lopsided grin before glancing around behind him. "Where's Aang and Orzala?" Her eyes dimmed slightly as Sokka's expression turned grim. "Where are they?" She asked again, sadness creeping into her voice.

"I don't know," he admitted, staring back into the forest regretfully. "I was right behind them and then they were just... gone. There was no trail or anything." Katara's blue orbs grew, gaze darting back to the forest. She set her jaw, not allowing herself to think negatively, and pulled her brother around to face her again.

"They'll be fine," she told him, her voice firm as she forced a smile to her lips. "They can take care of themselves. I'm sure they're on their way back right now. And when they get here, we'll be waiting here to greet them." She received a timid nod from Sokka, who also forced a small smile onto his face. She was right, of course.

The siblings shared one last embrace before returning to sit by the village wall, eyes eargly searching the trees for any sign of the missing half of their group.

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Orzala was not on her way back. She had no idea where she was, save that she was inside an enemy temple. She had to admit, though, it was a pretty nice temple.

That being said, for somewhere so nice, why did it seem deserted?

The air around her was silent, save for the soft patter of her feet as she explored the vast hallways. The princess allowed her eyes to wonder the extravagant gold colomns that lined the walls, running her fingertips gingerly over the structures as her lips parted in awe.

"This is amazing," she breathed, a small smile now gracing her face.

A loud clang! errupted around the corner, causing the girl to jump and her head to whip toward the noise. Her whole body tensed as she caught sight of the shadow creeping through the hall and she quickly dove behind a colomn.

Orzala carefully peeked around her barrier, her jade eyes bulging when she caught sight of a man less than half a foot away. His dull eyes seemed to be looking straight at her, and she felt her heart squeeze in fear.

The man seemed dazed, but he quickly shook his head, causing his red Fire Nation garb to quiver around him. Orzala's breath caught in her throat as he began to advance, and she quickly ducked back into cover. She found herself mumbling a silent plea to any spirit that could hear her, just praying to let her escape alive. Just to let her see her friends once more.