The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Twenty-Seven

To say their landing was rough would be an understatement. Once they had reached the valley, Katara had rolled to a stop on the ground. Sokka and Orzala, however, had been dropped into the lake. The elder boy threw a glare to Aang before reaching for Orzala and hauling her from the water. He squeezed her shoulders gently, silently asking if she was ok. She gave him a short nod.

"I used to kind of look up to pirates," Aang conceded, flashing a worried look toward his friends as they waded out of the water. "But those guys were terrible." Sokka nodded, frowning as he pulled his bag from his shoulder. His sister only smirked though.

"I know! That's why I took this!" Orzala whirled around to face the girl, jade eyes widening as she caught sight of the waterbending scroll from before. Aang hopped up from his spot on a nearby rock, his face contorting in shock.

"No way!"

"Katara, are you out of your mind?!"

"Isn't it great?" The brunette gushed, face split with a wide smile. Orzala shook her head, her gaze flashing to an angry Sokka.

"No wonder they were trying to hack us up! You stole their waterbending scroll!" He glowered at his sister with disapproval, but she seemed completely oblivious.

"I prefer to think of it as high-risk trading!" She mocked, and Aang began to laugh.

"Good one, Katara!" The avatar chirped, but he mouth snapped shut when he saw the glare that Orzala threw his way.

"Don't encourage this, Aang." Katara turned to the elder two, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Sokka, Orzala, where do you think they got it? They stole it from a waterbender!" The girl brought the scroll close to her chest, and hurt flashed over her features as the earthbender shook her head.

"And you just stooped to their level, Katara! You're just as bad as them!"

"It doesn't matter where they got it! You put all of our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes!" Sokka scolded, throwing his hands up for emphasis. Katara scowled at the two, suddenly turning angry.

"These are real waterbending forms! You know how crucial it is for Aang to learn waterbending!"

"But you didn't steal the scroll for Aang, Katara. Your motives were entirely selfish," Orzala pointed out, and the waterbender's scowl deepened. Sokka scoffed, pulling the princess back and away from them.

"Whatever." Orzala frowned as he pulled her away, casting a glance at the angry girl behind them. A sigh escaped her, and she finally turned her attention to Sokka. He cocked an eyebrow at her as they walked.

"I can't believe she would do that," The princess confessed, tucking a strand of onyx hair behind her ear. "She's normally so sweet and collected. This seems very out of character..." The boy only shrugged, looking back at their friends. He jutted his chin in their direction, and Orzala turned to see Katara and Aang reading through the scroll.

"This should be interesting," he quipped, plopping down on a rock to watch. When the girl only stood by, he sighed, pulling her to sit next to him. Orzala, caught off guard, fell into him, her back resting heavily against his chest. She felt her face heat up, eyes darting to look up at him, but he paid her no mind. He only looked ahead at Katara. His arm wound around her waist, keeping her steady against him.

Orzala shifted awkwardly, but didn't object. Instead, she cast her gaze toward the waterbender. Katara was instructing Aang to hold the scroll up for her to see, and Orzala let out a huff. But she couldn't help but laugh quietly when Katara's bending backfired, leaving her with wounded pride and a red mark on her forehead.