ATLA Little Bender

Omashu

After Katara and Sokka fell into a 'light nap' at the back of Appa's saddle she began to weep. Elaria was well aware that they could hear her but she couldn't prevent the damn from breaking. She sobbed until there were no tears left for her to release. Aang clutching onto her tightly once more; this time Elaria didn't know if it was for himself at no longer being alone, or for her. The two of them were sitting at Appa's head, where Aang had placed them both when he ascended into the skies once more. 

 They weren't friends, even if he argued that they were but now...  they had common ground. Her denial was trashed along with her hopes that this was a horrible nightmare. 

She continued to hope in vain that any moment Marla, the woman she saw as her mother while growing up in the Palace, would comfort her. Sing their song, and lull her to sleep against her comfortable bed in the palace. She strongly longed for Marla's arms to be wrapped around her instead of Aang's but the boy continued to hold her until she stopped sobbing and every time she remembered that she was on Appa's head with him she would threaten to break all over.

There were no words to describe the immense feeling of loss she felt. Her entire life had been a lie, she has been groomed to be the future Empress, teachings about the glory of Sozin embedded in her skull, to give her the inspiration and wisdom to complete his mission along with her family. 

Yet it was all a lie, what else did she not know? Elaria wanted to feel rage, the heat of the fire to burn every single person who toyed with her but she knew she could never do it. It was never something she could be. Always be a disappointing Regina. As those thoughts burned the tether to her reality Elaria lost her energy to fight Aang and Sokka. Day descended into the night and she sat still on Appa.

She refused to move for hours and Aang hadn't forced her to talk. He spoke to Katara and Sokka about their next destination before the tense silence overcame them and they were forced to retreat into their 'light naps.' Elaria was happy about it. She no longer had to do her best to ignore the pity in the female waterbenders' gaze. Elaria despised that look. She was meant to be as intimidating as her cousin Azula, she was meant to bring love and fear. To rule with compassion and strength, but she was weak, a lost lady without a spine. The equivalent of a leaf being trembling from the wind.

Something that apparently she could bend...

Elaria blankly stared at her hands, willing repeatedly for nothing to come out, but each cursed time a small gust of air would ruffle her dark hair. Pushing the strands upwards as Appa made flew and made a gap from her life. When she stopped sobbing Aang allowed her to rest against the saddle; he moved back to Appa's head. What would they think of her? What about her people? Her eyes wandered to the stars, praying that her ancestors watching her would not turn their favor. 

"The Earth Kindom City of Omashu!" Aang excitedly spoke, "Wow I haven't been here since I was a kid," The following morning found the group had stopped at the top of a grassy hill looking down on the pyramid structured city. He spread his arms as he spoke, "I used to come here all the time to visit my friend Bumi," Aang was glancing at Elaria every so often. Ever since she, embarrassingly, cried in his arms not once but twice, he seemed to think that they were on the same page. That she would stay with them and learn airbending. The issue was however that she never needed to know how to bend and she would never need to know. As a royal she would be protected, and as Empress guards would always surround her should she need to leave the capital. That didn't help you this time did it?

This was a setback, but she didn't need to know airbending, it was not part of her growing up and would not come forth in the future. 

Elaria still planned to return to the Fire Nation, but she wouldn't go back to Zuko. Not when his path was so intertwined to Aang's. She glanced at Omashu, the city was unique, almost beautiful but she was biased to the wonderful structures and architecture of her home. The green that lined the roofs looked awkward to her, and the surrounding walls seemed pointless when Omashu was surrounded by a gorge. Sokka and Katara however were impressed; not that she could blame them when she thought about the village they hailed from.