Zuko x OC : The Phoenix Princess

Chapter 10

Katara was wondering around the streets of Ba Sing Se, trying to find some food that she could afford. They, always, have to have provisions in case they had to leave from a place unexpectedly, since they were targeted from the Fire Nation. As she made a turn to a rather abandoned alley, she saw a girl lying on the ground trying to get up. She rushed to her side trying to see if she was hurt. 

"Please..help..me" the girl repeated over and over until she passed out

Katara couldn't just leave her there, she obviously needed help. So, Katara took her on her back and started making her way back to the house they were staying at, as fast as she could, the provisions long forgotten. When she reached the house, she knocked on the door with her foot, already too excausted to stand up by carrying the girl all the way from the market to the house. Her brother, Sokka, opened the door. 

"Oh my God, Katara! Who-, What is that?!" he exclaimed with a shocked expresion while moving his hands around. 

"Please, Sokka, take her. I can't hold her anymore!" Katara said with an ergent tone. By the time she finished her sentence, Aang was at the door, taking the girl from Katara's hands and laying her on one of the beds. Katara sat down near the table trying to catch her breath, her arms and legs aching. 

"Katara, who is this?" Aang asked once she had calmed down 

"I found on the street, she kept saying that she needed help and then she passed out. I couldn't just leave her!" Katara said 

"Greeaatt, now we are helping random people too!! Like we don't have enouph problems, already!" Sokka said

"What part of 'she needed help' did you not understand, Sokka?" Katara said, glaring at her brother with crossed arms

"I think we should leave her for now, when she wakes up we can ask her our questions" Toph suggested. They agreed, and continued on with their jobs. Aang went o the market for the supplies, since Katara was going to examine the girl in case she had any injuries and Sokka kept drawing the flyers for Appa. 

It was early morning and Aria started to open her eyes. She sat up on the bed trying to understand better her surroundings. She was in a house she did not recognise and started panicking for the fact that she did not know how she got here. The events of her arrival on Ba Sing Se came rushing all at once making her head hurt. The last thing she remembers is a blue blur in front of her.

"Hey, are you feeling ok?" she heard a voice near her. Aria jumped and turned her head aroound abruptly making her head hurt even more. The girl with the blue dress seemed to notice her pained expression, as she stood up approaching her.

"Don't worry, I am going to try and make your headache better" she said and held a hand with glowing water close to her head. With huge eyes and a mouth shaped in an 'o', Aria stared at her while feeling her headache leaving 

"You are a waterbender" it was more of a statement than a question

Katara laughed a little and she nodded her head confirming Aria's statement. Once she was finished, Aria looked at the rest of the group in curiosity. Aang seeing the confusion on her face decided to introduce everyone to make her feel a little less on edge.

"Hello, you probably hane a lot of questions. So , we are going to try and answer some. By the way the girl who healed you is Katara, she was the one who brought you to us as well. This is her brother Sokka, this is Toph and I am Aang. Oh and this is momo" the boy with the tattoo on his head said. Aria looked at everyone once again trying to get all the information in her head. They seemed like good people and they probably they ment no harm. Aria relaxed a little, a big sigh leaving her, not realising she had been holding her breath. 

" I am Aria and thank you so much for helping me" Aria said with the most genuine smile she could master

"It's nice to meet you Aria, but I have to ask you. How did you end up in this state?" Sokka said, with a little suspicion.

Aria's heart started racing again. Should she tell them? What if they rat her out?

"It's ok, we promise we won't hurt you you are safe here" Aang told her with a smile. Something about him made Aria feeled relaxed. Like she could feel that he was honest with her and that she could trust them. Aria took a big breath trying to calm herself 

"Ok, I will tell you, but please. Don't tell anyone" the pleading voice and scared eyes of Aria was enouph to make them nod. A silent promise that they will not do such thing. And so Aria started telling her story. Who she is , where she comes from ,what she wants to do. There were a few interaptions from a freaked out Sokka once he heard that she was from the Fire Nation, but statement from Toph that she was no threat was enouph to silence him. Once she finished her story silent tears were running down her face, all the emotions overwelming her. Worried faces stared back at her trying to figure out a way to meke her feel better. 

"So, you are a phoenix firebender. Do you know how to firebend?" Toph asked in hopes she can distract Aria and make her stop crying.

" Y-yeah, I do. Although it was forbidden to use this type of bending, Lia tought me how to do it. All I know is thanks to her." Aria said with a sad smile

"Who's Lia?" asked Sokka

"Oh, she is a phoenix spirit. She appeared one time in the beach near my house, and she told me that she wanted to teach me how to bend and I accepted" Aria explained 

"Wait, wait you said a spirit?! Wow, how was it talking to her? What did she look like? Can I talk to her?" Aang asked, excited to hear about the phoenix spirit

"W-well, she is bossy and strict but a really good instructor. And no I don't think you can talk to her. We actually haven't talk in some time" Aria said 

"Ooohh, and I really wanted to meet her" Aang complained 

"How come you believe in spirits? Most people don't" Aria asked curiously

"Of course I believe in them! I am the bridge between them and us after all!" Aang said with a proud smile on his face 

"Wait, what? What are you talking about? The only one that can talk to spirits is the avatar.." Aria slowly stopped talking once realisation hit her. Aang realising he just exposed himself rubbed his hand on the back of his head with an embarrased smile on his face. 

"Aang! You can't just tell every person you meet that you are the avatar!" Sokka yelled while facepalming rather dramatically. 

After her shock, and realising who she has in front of her, Aria felt a new hope rising within her. She felt as if everything is going to be alright.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Thank you for surviving..Avatar Aang" Aria said with a big greatful smile on her face that brought smiles on the others' faces too. 

After explaining to Aria a little bit more about them and what they have been through up until now, they decided to let Aria rest some more, since tiredness had started getting to her again. After she fell asleep, the rest of the group had a chance to talk about what they learned about Aria. 

"Her story is really sad. She has nowhere to go, she is banished from her own Nation thanks to that jerk Firelord." Toph said with a sad expression, pressing her legs close to her.

"Call me paranoid but I can't easily trust people from the Fire Nation" Sokka said 

"This is different Sokka, she is as much of a vistim of this war as the rest of the world" Katara explained to her borther

"We don't know if she is telling the truth-" Sokka started but got interupted by Toph

"She is. I felt the ground around her the whole time she was talking. There is no way she is lying" she said with assurance

" I suggest we let her heal up completely and then we canthink of what we are going to do. Right now, we have to find Appa first." Aang said with a pained expression in the mention of their missing bison. They all agreed with that and continued on with their day, while checking on Aria from time to time.