A Princess' Destiny ✘ZUKO ✘

8

"I'm sorry we don't have any other clothes, but you'll have to make do with those,"

Teo said bashfully to Soana.

She was fully awake. Although the pounding in her mind was very irritating, she forced herself to get out of bed and join Teo, his dad, and the rest of their colony who had made the Northern Air temple their new home.

"It's quite alright, Teo. As long as I'm not running around in my undergarments or freezing to death."

Soana chuckled.

The rest of the colony sat in fours with ten tables surrounding them including the one she sat with Teo and his dad, who calls himself the mechanist.

In front of each person sat a plate with a selected amount of food. Three slices of fruit, nuts, a slice of bread, and a cup of water.

Soana had never really had fruit or tree nuts when she lived in the Northern Water Tribe. Food was scarce ever since her father had been trading with the Fire Nation. Even when she did have the privilege of having fruit and nuts, it was frozen or rotten. This would be the first taste of fresh fruit and nuts she had had in her life.

She quickly picked an apple slice and popped it into her mouth only to sigh at the sweet juices that tickled her tastebuds and made her mouth water.

Biscuits and hot porridge were now a thing of the past.

"Soana?"

She heard the mechanist ask.

She hummed back with a mouthful of chewed apple.

"Have you decided whether you stay with us or not?"

The question was interesting. The people in this colony were genuinely nice, and Soana felt grateful, but she had to keep going.

She did not know if Zuko or her father was hot on her trail or not.

"I don't know, actually." she muttered, swallowing.

"Don't get me wrong. You and your colony are very kind and helpful, but I can't stay in one place for too long."

Teo tilted his head.

"Why not? You are not on the run, are you?"

Soana stammered at the question.

The machinist let out a hearty laugh.

"He's only joking." He then cleared his throat to make himself more serious.

"But you don't have to leave if you don't want to. You can stay with us. If you happened to be on the run, we could always protect you. Especially if it's from the Fire Nation."

Soana's brows rose.

"Wait, you're not with the Fire Nation?"

"No!" The mechanist scoffed.

Teo sighed.

"They took our home away from us, all of us." He gestured to everyone sitting at their tables, eating, and chatting with sincere smiles.

"The soldiers forced everyone out of our village, and we had to inhabit this air temple because we had nowhere else to go."

"That's terrible." She frowned.

"We manage. We feel more at home here than we did anywhere else, so it's no big deal, I guess."

Soana took a deep breath and looked in between Teo and the mechanist.

"I am forever in your debt. If you ever need anything, your wish is my command. We are allies now."

Teo nodded while the mechanist narrowed his eyes.

"You speak like a royal."

Soana chuckled nervously as she remarked.

"And you're an inventor who acts like a clown. Need I say more?"

Teo and the mechanist let out a similar laugh.

Soana grinned softly and grabbed her second slice of apple to eat.

She could get used to this.

"I see your point." The mechanist chuckled then took a sip of his water.

"But you still never answered. Are you staying or going?"

Soana sighed.

"I have to go, unfortunately, to Ba Sing Se."

They both nodded.

"Ba Sing Se is beautiful, but it's not the kindest journey. You will encounter many dangerous people." Teo warned.

She nodded.

"I'm from the Northern Water Tribe. I can take care of myself."

She hovered her hand over her cup of water and bended it out similar to a snake being hypnotized by its charmer.

Teo chuckled, excited to see someone bending water.

"That's cool!" He spoke.

"But you know what's even more cool?"

"What?" Soana lowered the water back in the cup.

"The ride that brought you here. Do you know what a glider is?"

•

On the Fire Nation ship, Zuko stood tall at the bow while Iroh slowly walked towards him from behind.

The uncle could see his nephew's mental state was practically slipping through his fingers. Even Iroh knew Zuko needed to let go of Soana if he genuinely loved her.

"What do you want, Uncle?" Zuko said impatiently.

Iroh sighed slowly.
"You're losing strength by standing there, Prince Zuko."

"So, what!" Zuko barked.

"You need to sleep. You have not slept at all since she left the North Pole. Come now, the ship will keep its course to the South Pole."

Zuko whipped around and clenched his jaw.
"I don't need to sleep! Someone must keep a lookout!"

Iroh could see his nephew barely able to keep his eyes open.
"How are you to look out for her if your eyelids are heavy?"

The nephew grumbled under his breath then looked back to the sea where there was no unambiguous evidence of Soana.

"Zuko," Iroh said in a soothing voice.
"Why don't you go to your room and catch some sleep."

"I can't."

"But Zuko,"

"I said I can't!"

Iroh looked at the metal floor of the ship, disappointed by how determined his nephew was to find Soana.

Instead of trying to persuade him, he turned on his heel and left Zuko in the frigid wind of the sea before he said a sentence loud enough for his nephew to hear.
"If you love something, set it free. If it was meant to be then she will come back to you."

When Iroh disappeared to head towards his room, Zuko furrowed his brows and turned sour in the face.

He did not want to listen to his uncle. The only words he wanted to listen to were Arnook's when he told the prince that most people from the North tribe go to the South Pole to escape their lives.

Although there was no trace of Soana heading that way, Zuko immediately took the course without turning back.

What he did not know was that he had been sent on a chase that would lead him to the discovery of the last airbender, also known as the avatar.