A Princess' Destiny ✘ZUKO ✘

12

It was later that day in the early morning Soana, Yuri, and Reid went to the market. The kiosk stands were filled to the edge with fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts. Soana had her focus on the vegetables and fruits while Yuri and Reid had their eyes on the meat at the butcher's shop.

Soana saw the mouthwatering looks the mother and son had before she got their attention.
"Go ahead. Pick out what you want."

"I want the pork!" Reid cheered.

"Reid!" Yuri scolded then turned to Soana.
"Honey, I don't think we should take from you."

"Yuri, it's fine. Really. You and Reid must eat something tonight. The empty bellies have starved for too long."

"I understand, but your generosity is very overwhelming. I don't want you to provide for me."

"Don't think of it as providing. Think of it as a gift for letting me stay with you."

Yuri slumped in defeat.

"Momma! Could you make Char Siu?"

"Oh, Reid," Yuri sighed then looked to Soana who nodded with a smirk.

"What does it call for?"

Yuri took a deep breath to explain.
"Pork, obviously, soy sauce, salt -we have at home-, sugar -we also have if someone didn't get into it-."
She looked at her son who let his eyes wander off purposely.

"Okay!" Soana grinned and stared to gather the pork and soy sauce at the butcher's kiosk.

After paying a silver piece for the meat and sauce, Soana gave it to Yuri and started to venture to the vegetable stand where she grabbed a stem of broccoli.

"Gross!" Reid coughed.

Yuri gave her son the side eye and nudged him slightly with her elbow.
"You need to eat your vegetables."

Soana giggled and paid for the broccoli and an armful of other fruits and vegetables using another silver piece. After the grocery trip, the three of them went home with their arms full and Soana's money sack a bit lighter.

"I promise after I get a job, I'll pay you back every cent!" Yuri swore.

"Don't!" Soana protested.

"Hey, Soana?" Reid stopped walking and pointed to a news board near the center of the market square.
"Isn't that you?"

The princess turned her head a saw something that she thought she would never see again. It was a portrait of her, but it was when she had long hair and braids entangled together.

失踪 的公主
MISSING PRINCESS

Soana read the title as Yuri was reading the description.
"Betrothed to Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, a bender of water, healer." She muttered the parts she found surprising. "Reward will be given for a safe return by the order of Firelord Ozai."

Yuri turned back to Soana and frowned.
"You're the princess, aren't you? And be truthful."

Her stomach dropped as she looked around to see if anyone was listening.
"I am." She admitted to Yuri.
"But you have to understand why I left the North Pole. As if a betrothal to the prince of the Fire Nation wasn't bad enough but drew first blood from my last suitor."

"In a way I do understand." she said, staring off in the distance and seeing a bunch of people coming in.
"Walk with me. It's starting to get crowded here."

Yuri started walking with Reid's hand in hers.

Soana knitted her brows and walked after the mother and son.
"You're not mad?"

Yuri shook her head.
"Why would I? You're running away from a betrothal that could ruin your life. Prince Zuko is the banished prince for a reason, so I don't blame you one bit. I should've done the same as you long ago, so I did not have to marry my husband.

"I thought you loved your husband?"

Yuri sighed.
"I do," She looked around cautiously.
"We can't talk about this here. Home is just up ahead."

After walking the rest of the way into the refugee camp, the three housemates made it to the house where Yuri quickly shut the doors and windows for more privacy.

When she shut the last window, she went to Soana while Reid went to his stuffed platypus bear.
"I love my husband very much. I still do, but at the time I chose my son's safety over him, so he forced me and Reid out of our village."

Both took the groceries to the kitchen where they would unload the baskets and set the food on the wooden counters.

"I thought you said the Fire Nation forced you out?"

Yuri nodded.
"They did."

It was at that moment, Soana pieced together the puzzle.
"Reid's father is with the Fire Nation."

Yuri nodded again and covered her mouth with her hand.
"I love him so much as a person, but I couldn't stand the fact he was the captain of the domestic forces group who forced us out, so when the day came, I left with everyone and brought Reid. He still sends letters to Ba Sing Se in hopes we get them, but we never reply. I'm still too disgusted. He made us leave because we chose the safety of my people rather than his nation."

"He sounds like a jerk." Soana said.

"He is, but he's my jerk and Reid's father." She said, putting her hands on her waist.
"Not only does Reid look like him, constantly reminding me of what he looks like, but there's another burden for me. Reid has inherited not only his father's looks but also his fire bending."

Soana widened her eyes.
"Reid is a fire bender?" She whisper-shouted.
"If anyone of the guards here sees any kind of fire bending or smoke cloud, Reid is immediately suspected as a spy no matter the age!"

"I didn't know about this until a few months ago when he nearly set fire to the house. Now he can control it perfectly. Promise. He has these techniques he uses."

She stammered when she saw Soana's face displaying a look of disbelief.

"Your grace, highness, majesty, uhm," Yuri started to curtsy, but Soana shook her hand.

"Don't do that. As of right now I'm a regular person to you and I'm sure regular people don't curtsy for just anyone."

Soana stopped Yuri.

"Yeah, but you're not a regular person. You are Princess Soana of the Northern Water Tribe. You were born as a princess for a purpose."

"Don't put that in my head, Yuri. Being a princess does have its perks but there's more bad things than good."

"How?" Yuri asked, not believing that the life of a royal could seem so terrible.

"You know. Betrothals, next in line to lead a nation you're not ready to lead, finding out certain things that make you want to tear everything apart but you can't so you have to keep your composure."

Yuri sealed her lips shut but Soana carried on.

"I was always told a princess shouldn't hold grudges, but ever since I found out my betrothed, Prince Zuko, killed my first love, I couldn't stand to look at him. I hated him; but not only did I hate him. I also hated the sound of my name being 'Fire Queen Soana of the Fire Nation', so I packed my things and left the North Pole to get away from that life."

By this time Soana had tears welding at her waterline.

Yuri's motherly instinct had set in when she saw the sixteen-year old's tears starting to stream from their ducts.

"Soana," Yuri cooed and brought the princess into her embrace.

"Please, don't turn me in. I don't want to go back."

"I'm not going to tell." Yuri patted her back.

"And I won't either." Soana whispered.

She felt a push against her leg and knew it was just Reid tackling her with a hug.

"Neither will I!" He grinned, snuggling his face into the princess' waist. "We will help you, Soana!"