The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Twenty-Four

Orzala's cold gaze was fixed on Commander Zhao and his soldiers. They stood in front of the sanctuary doors, prepared to incinerate a twelve-year-old kid. She shook her head and felt the ground beneath her with her shoe-clad foot. Perhaps if I concentrate hard enough...

Her thoughts were cut short when a blue light engulfed the room, and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to block the painful hue out. Sokka and Katara began to struggle on each side of her, and she forced herself to look up at the door. Her heart dropped.

The doors creaked open, revealing a set of glowing blue eyes. "No! Aang!" Katara's cry pierced the girl's ears, and she took a deep breath as the soldiers sent an onslaught of fire toward their friend. With a grunt, she thrust her foot up as much as she could, and it came down with a loud bang! Her eyes shot to the soldiers, who were now stumbling back as a result of the ground giving way where they had once stood. A proud smile tugged at her lips, but it faded into awe as she looked up and saw...

"Roku!" The past avatar was now controlling the fire that had been meant to kill Aang, and with a powerful thrust of his fist, the flames came hurdling back toward the soldiers. A scream tore from her lips as the fire overwhelmed them, but she was surprised when she felt the weight of chains against her chest disintegrate. Orzala snapped her attention back to the avatar. He glared dangerously at the Fire Sages, and she felt her heart stop. "He's going to destroy the temple," she breathed in realization, eyes darting back to her friends.

"We have to get out of here!" Shyu told them, but they only shook their heads, turning back to their friend.

"Not without Aang!" Katara shouted, struggling to be heard over the commotion around them. Orzala jumped as Roku bent a large crack into the temple floor, eyes widening as a huge spout of lava erupted from it. The building began to crumble around them, but she paid no mind to it. Instead, she broke away from Sokka's grip and pushed through the wind toward Roku.

The avatar's gaze turned toward the princess, and the lava died down as he shot her a small smile. She ignored the calls of her friends behind her. Her eyes were locked with the eerie blue of Roku's, and she set her jaw as she approached him.

"How do you know me?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she stopped in front of him. His towering form shook his head, bowing slightly. "Why can I speak to you?"

"You will have your answers soon enough, Orzala. I haven't enough time to tell you all you wish to know." The raven-haired girl scowled up at him, anger bubbling in her chest.

"Does Aang know?" The avatar paused, his frown deepening the wrinkles of his forehead. He gave her no response, however, only shutting his eyes with a deep sigh. Orzala gasped as the wind around them began to pick up once more. Smoke rushed toward his figure, and she let out a shout of frustration.

"Farewell, Orzala," Roku's voice echoed, and when the smoke cleared, she was met with the crumpling figure of Aang. The princess rushed forward, narrowly catching him as he fell. Katara and Sokka dashed to help, hoisting the boy's arms over their shoulders and pulling him from Orzala's grasp.

"We got your back," Sokka told him, and Aang shot them all a grin.

"Thanks, where's Shyu?" Orzala shook her head, eyes scanning the room for any sign of the sage.

"I don't know, but we have to go. The temple is bound to collapse at any second." The avatar gave a short nod, pushing away from his friends and bounding across the room for the stairs. The others followed after him closely, but a gasp left each of them when they realized that the staircase was submerged in lava. Orzala's throat tightened when she realized that the hot liquid was still inching up the structure and toward them. "Ok, so not that way."

The princess backed away, her eyes locking on the gaping hole that now resided in the wall. "There!" She pointed quickly, bolting toward the hole. She was forced to stop short when she realized that there was no way down. Her gaze darted to Sokka, and she grasped his arm tightly. "Any more bright ideas, water boy? We could use one right about now."

The boy scanned the room, but shook his head sadly. "I got nothing." Orzala growled in frustration, her mind racing as she attempted to think of something.  A loud roar echoed through the temple, and the princess's eyes snapped up to see Appa and Momo flying toward him. Her face split into a wide grin, and she quickly ushered her friends forward and onto the roof.

As they scrambled onto the bison, Orzala felt the structure beneath her rumble unsteadily, and her eyes bulged in fear. "Go!" She shouted, and her friends looked at her in confusion. "Go!" She bellowed again, bending her knees and closing her eyes as she felt the structure beneath her. Relief filled her as she sensed a bit of earth beneath her feet, and the princess snapped her eyes open to find Appa.

The bison hovered a couple feet away, along with her wide-eyed friends. Orzala set her jaw, twisting her hands and thrusting outward. Just as the building gave way, she felt rock beneath her feet, propelling her forward. The rock could only go so far, though, and she found herself mid-air. A silent scream escaped her lips as she fell through the air, and her heart jerked rapidly as a hand groped for her own.

The girl's green eyes snapped up to meet blue, and she laughed in relief. Sokka smiled down at her, and Aang quickly joined him, reaching for her other hand. The two hoisted her up and onto the saddle, and no sooner than she had slumped down, Katara had thrown her arms around her. The princess giggled, returning the hug gratefully.

But she didn't miss the guilty look the avatar sent her way.