The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Sixteen

A gasp left Katara, and Orzala immediately fell into her bending stance. Her stony eyes bore into the man, daring him to take a step closer. He paid her no mind, however.

"Who the hell are you?!" Sokka scrambled up and had raced to their side within a second, boomerang drawn. The old man gave no answers. He only approached Aang with an awestruck gaze.

"When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible," the old man rambled, pushing past Sokka and Orzala's barrier to face the airbender. "But those markings... are you the avatar, child?"

Aang frowned for a moment, his gaze flitting back to Katara. She gave him a reassuring nod, and he smiled. "I am." Relief washed over the man.

"My village desperately needs your help!"

The avatar furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, glancing back at his friends. Orzala remained unemotional, a stern, defensive sheild on her face, but Katara nodded quickly. "My help? What could I possibly do?" The old man didn't answer, only turning to walk back the way he had come.

Orzala became flabbergasted, lifting her arms as if to say what everyone else was thinking: what the hell? She turned to the others. "Are we seriously about to follow this guy? We don't even know who he is or what he wants!" But Aang and Katara had already gathered their things, chasing after the man. Orzala turned to Sokka, who looked mildly concerned. "Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this is nuts."

The boy only shrugged, and with a sigh, he began following after the others as well. Orzala prickled slightly at the action. What was it about her that made it so hard to trust? She had established herself amongst their group within the previous weeks, and Sokka still placed little trust in her. Yet he was willing to follow after this man blindly with no information at all except "I need help." She scoffed aloud, making the boy turn back to her in confusion. She shook her head, storming past him with a scowl.

The walk was not long. The little village resided a couple hundred yards inside the tree line, and Orzala couldn't help but think about how lucky these people had been to just miss the wrath of the Fire Nation. That was, until she saw the state of the village inside its walls. A small gasp escaped her as she surveyed the wreckage of homes and shops all around them.

"What happened here?"

They were led into a large building, which Orzala assumed was the town hall. They were met with murmurs and wide eyes, and the princess instinctively drew closer to Sokka. She wasn't used to such attention. Hell, hardly anyone knew she was alive- and to have all these eyes on her all of the sudden was unsettling. Orzala's movements did not go unnoticed by the water tribe boy, but he didn't question it. Instead, he placed himself in front of her, sheilding her from view, and she gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks," she whispered to him, and her voice was so quiet that he almost missed it. He gave a short nod, trying to hide the surprise he felt at her words.

"This young person is the avatar!" The old man cheered, and the murmurs grew monstrously. If all eyes hadn't been on them before, they definitely were now. Orzala's chest seemed to tighten as a man approached them, dawning a hopeful expression on his face.

"So the rumors of your return are true! It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence."

Aang and the man bowed respectively toward each other. The princess wrinkled her nose at the interaction. "Nice to meet you, too." An awkward beat passed, and Sokka and Orzala shared a look. "Is there something I can help you with?" The man, whom Orzala figured was the leader, frowned.

"I'm not sure..."

"Our village is in a crisis! He's our only hope!" The old man cut in, and the leader bowed his head in shame.

"For the last few days at sunset, a spirit monster comes and attacks our village." Katara frowned, turning to look at the slow-setting sun behind them. Orzala did the same, and her stomach began to churn uneasily. "He is Hei Bai. The black and white spirit."

"Why is it attacking you?" Orzala asked, stepping out from behind Sokka to face the men. They only shook their heads.

"We do not know. But each of the past three nights he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful as the winter solstace draws near." Her heart dropped at the mention.

"What happens then?" Katara asked, and Orzala turned to her, worry creeping into her features.

"On the solstace, the line between the spirit world and the natural world is," she waved her hand, trying to think of the right word, "blurred. Spirits will be able to pass freely between the two."

The town leader shook his head. "Hei Bai is already causing devastation and destruction. Once the solstace is here, there is no telling what could happen."

"What is it exactly that you want me to do?" Aang asked, feeling a flicker of anxiety building in his stomach.

"Who better to solve a crisis between our world and the spirit world than the avatar himself? You are the great bridge between man and spirits." Orzala's eyebrows flew, and she whipped around to Sokka.

"He's not ready for that!" She hissed to him quietly, the fear evident on her face now. The boy felt his heart clench as he met her gaze and observed the small shake of her hands. He frowned, reaching out to grip her shoulders. "He'll be fine." Orzala still didn't seem convinced as she craned her neck back to look at Aang, but Sokka turned her to face him again gently.

"Seriously. He'll be fine. I promise." He felt her shoulders relax slightly under his grip, and she flashed him a tiny, worried smile. She nodded.

"Ok." He didn't know what came over him, but before he could process it, he was pulling the girl into a loose hug, resting his chin atop her head. And he strangely... didn't hate the feeling of her against his chest. Or the feeling of her arms snaking around his middle.

To say Orzala was surprised by the action was an understatement, but she was grateful. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, relishing in the small comfort he had provided her. But their moment was broken when they noticed Katara and Aang walking into a separate room. With a sigh, Orzala broke away, making sure to avoid eye contact with the boy. As they approached, Katara shot her a weird look but didn't comment, opting instead to focus on Aang. "You seem a little unsure about this, Aang."

The airbender scoffed as Sokka joined the girls by the window. "Yeah, that might be because I don't know anything about the spirit world." The three exchanged astonsihed looks before Orzala began to panic slightly.

"I told you!" She said to Sokka, throwing a pointed finger in his face. He only shook his head and shoved her hand away, turning to Aang again.

"So can you help these people or not?" Aang shrugged, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of the world had just been placed on top of them. And it kind of had.

"I have to try, don't I? Maybe what I have to do will just come to me." He flashed a hesitant smile, and Katara couldn't help but return it.

"I think you can do it, Aang."

"Yeaaah. We're all gonna get eaten by a spirit moster."

"Sokka!"