The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Six

Orzala felt free for the first time in her life as they soared high above the clouds. A laugh escaped the raven-haired girl as she peered off to the side. Her lanky fingers gripped Appa's saddle tightly as she viewed the world below. Everything is so beautiful, she thought to herself.

She turned to Aang suddenly, a contagious smile across her lips. "Is this what freedom feels like?" She asked, making the boy laugh.

"Flying is pretty great, isn't it?" Katara mused, sidling up beside her new friend. The two exchanged a smile. "Sokka didn't believe Appa could fly, ya know." Orzala's eyes drifted to the eldest boy, an eyebrow raised. His blue eyes flitted up to hers, but he only shrugged before looking away again. Her smile slowly fell.

Sokka had barely spoken a word to her since she had joined their crew three days ago, and it rubbed her the wrong way. Katara had explained that he had never been very trusting, but surely she should have earned a bit more than the occasional calculating glare?

Katara frowned as Orzala's shoulders slumped, her mood visibly falling. The brunette had to admit, Sokka was being more skeptical than usual, and even she didn't understand. With a sigh, she stood, making her way over toward Aang. "Hey."

The bald boy turned, a bright smile on his lips. "Hey, Katara! What's up?"

"We've been flying for a while. Do you think we should land and try to find some food?" At that moment, Aang's stomach rumbled loudly, and the two chuckled together. "That sounds like a good plan." As Aang steered Appa downward, Katara turned toward her new friend with a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.

"Hey, Orzala," she called loudly, smirking as both the girl and her brother turned. "We're going down to look for food. Usually Sokka scouts everything out, but he never finds anything good-" she ignored the shout of protest her brother made. "Why don't you go with him to find food? You know, help out?"

Sokka glared dangerously at Katara, and this didn't go unnoticed by the princess. Her gaze dropped to her boots, and she suddenly found her laces very interesting. "I-I don't know, Katara..."

"Yeah, Katara. I'll be fine on my own." Orzala couldn't help but wince at the sharp tone the boy held. She sighed, and looked up at Katara with a shrug. The brunette looked less than happy. "Is there another way I could help out? I don't want to abuse your hospitality, so I would like to help in some way."

"No, I really think Sokka could use the help," Katara spoke, her tone just as sharp as her brother's. The two siblings exchanged a glare. A tense moment passed before Sokka finally shrugged.

"Whatever. Fine."

He pretended not to notice the small smile that crossed Orzala's face.

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Sokka didn't like the fact they had picked up someone new. Hell, he still had his doubts about Aang. And he was the avatar!

The water tribe boy didn't like that Orzala was made of secrets. He didn't like that no one knew he existed, and he didn't like how she shied away from anything involving her past. Sure, she was Bumi's granddaughter, but they didn't know that much about Bumi, either.

Sokka didn't like her.

"Stop looking at her like that!"

He let out a silent scream, arms flailing as he tried to get away from the voice. When he locked eyes with Katara, he frowned. "You're looking at her like she's Fire Nation or something." Sokka raised an eyebrow, his icy blue eyes focusing back on Orzala as she laughed with Aang.

"It's a possibility," he mumbled, rubbing his chin. Katara looked at him, unimpressed, before whacking him on the back of the head. "OW!" Sokka pouted, holding his head.

"She's an Earth Kingdom princess, wise guy!" He shook his head, glancing towards the girl. His eyes widened when her green gaze met his, and he quickly glanced away. He turned, reaching to get his pack off Appa's saddle.

"She's a mystery, Katara, and she's hiding something. The girl is literally a secret. We don't know anything about her!"

Katara frowned. He wasn't exactly wrong. They all had a lot of unanswered questions, but they had only known her for a couple of days. She shook her head. Surely he's just being protective, as usual. "You also thought Aang was Fire Nation," she pointed out, making him slump slightly.

"Let's just get this over with," the boy grumbled, adjusting his pack so the strap sat snuggly upon his shoulder. "If I die, I blame you." With that, he started walking into the forest, with only a quick glance over his shoulder. "Keep up, princess!" He called, making Orzala gasp. She darted toward Appa, scrambling to get her own bag so she could follow. Before she could chase after him, however, Katara grabbed her arm.

The waterbender offered her a little smile. "He'll warm up to you," she said, nodding toward Sokka's disappearing form. "He doesn't trust easy. Don't let him get to you." Orzala furrowed her eyebrows, but nodded.

"Thanks, Katara. I'll try to keep that in mind." And with that, she took off as well.