The Dragon Princess {𝖠𝖳𝖫𝖠}

𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦-𝘐𝘴-𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦

🔥Miozomi POV🔥

Chapter: 1 Epi: 11

"And so the blazing fire question is..does the avatar need a Fire bending teacher now?"

Katara stood beside me beneath the shade of a tall redwood, her eyes fixed on a wooden bulletin board nailed crookedly to the trunk.

I, meanwhile, was buried in one of the old travel journals, or rather, pretending to be.

My mind kept drifting, circling back to that awful moment on the beach. The bruised look in Aang's eyes, the constant aches in my chest, I hate it.

But I lifted my head when Katara spoke.

"This might be useful," she murmured, brushing her fingers over the circular map pinned in the center. "Could help us navigate the area."

I stepped forward, blinking as the scent of smoke and spices drifted in from the valley. Familiar... and unsettling.

"This... doesn't feel right," I muttered.

Before Katara could answer, Sokka barreled into view with Aang trotting behind him.

"Any menus on this thing?" Sokka asked hopefully.

"I bet we can find food in town!" Aang added.

I leaned closer to a faded red poster, reading aloud: "'Fire Day Festival.'... Fire Nation culture exhibits, jugglers, benders, magicians—basically all the things Firelord Ozai would call 'peasant distractions'."

Aang lit up like a lantern. "This would be perfect for studying firebending!"

A small sting pricked my ribs. Right. He doesn't need me, or he never needed me in the first place.. I wonder why I'm even here.

Sokka tugged another poster from the board and held it out. "Uh... yeah, genius, but maybe look at this first."

Aang blinked at it and smiled. "Hey!That's me!"

"It's a wanted poster," Sokka hissed. "This is bad!"

Katara exhaled. "We should keep moving."

"But this might be my only chance to watch a real firebending master up close," Aang insisted, eyes flicking from Katara... to Sokka... landing on me last, almost pleading.

I didn't look back. My gaze drifted to the crimson rooftops of the village below, a knot forming behind my ribs.

Katara finally sighed. "I guess... we could check it out."

I snapped my book shut. "Wait, seriously? You all want to stroll into a Fire Nation town? Firelord Ozai's town?Where any guard could drag you to the capital the moment they recognize any of you?"

They froze, and Katara walked closer, touched my arm gently. "We'll wear disguises. And the moment something feels wrong, we leave."

"Yeah," Sokka muttered, "cause we're so good at leaving before trouble happens."

I huffed, because he was right and glanced at Aang. He held my gaze just a little too long, uncertainty softening the edges of his smile.

A look that said: 'I want to earn back your trust... even if I don't know how yet'.

"...Fine," I said quietly, adjusting my scarf on my head. "But the second someone even mentions the Fire Lord, we vanish."

Aang's shoulders eased — relieved, grateful, and I felt my heart twitch, traitorous thing.