The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Forty-Three

Aang hadn't uttered a word after Orzala's confession. Instead, he had rested his head on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her abdomen in an attempt to not only comfort the princess, but to comfort himself as well. There was an intense dread that was building in his chest, weighing him down like a boulder.

Orzala had rested her head against his own. She had fallen asleep a while ago, and her soft breath fanned against him as she breathed. Aang's gray eyes were fixated on a wiry strand of her black hair that flowed with every exhale. 

Sokka and Katara were still talking animatedly with Bato, much to the avatar's frustration. He was sure at this point that if he and Orzala disappeared, they wouldn't even notice. The idea angered him, and he tensed next to the princess. She grumbled sleepily at the action, shifting away from him and sliding down the wall. He held his breath-- this had been the first time she had slept soundly in days-- and released a sigh of relief as she settle once more.

Sokka let out a loud exclamation from his spot by the fire, and Aang's head whipped back in their direction. Bato was smiling widely at the siblings, and Aang's frown deepened as he tried to listen to the conversation once more.

"Any day now," Bato was saying, and Aang's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Your father said they'd send a message when they found a rendezvous point. "If you wait here until the message arrives, you can come with me and see your father again."

"It's been over two years since we've seen dad! That would be incredible!" Sokka flashed a boyish grin toward his sister. Excitement lit up his features. "Katara!"

"I do really miss him. It would be great to see dad." Aang felt his heart plummet in his chest, and he quickly pushed himself up. He darted out of the room before anyone could notice, and the click of the door jarred Orzala from her sleep.

 She opened her eyes, blinking blearily as she peered around the room. Her dark eyebrows furrowed when she realized that Aang was absent.

"I'm not sure when word will arrive, but when it does, you'll be the first to know." Her attention snapped to Bato, eyes widening a fraction. The siblings were smiling brighter than she'd ever seen, and herr heart clenched in her chest.

"What word?" She asked, pushing herself up and walking over toward the group. Their eyes snapped to her, bulging as if forgetting she was there. Orzala folded her arms across her chest, glaring pointedly at the two siblings as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Bato is waiting for a message from father! He said we can go with him!" Orzala felt the blood drain from her face at those words, and she couldn't contain the sadness that overcame her.

"Oh," she breathed, her green gaze falling to the floor as she took in the information. The girl quickly turned away, attempting to steady her breathing and bury the sorrow building inside of her. 

Sokka jumped from his spot, hurrying over to the girl with concern. "Hey," he cooed, grabbing her shoulders gently to spin her around. Her watery green eyes flashed to his own for a moment, but she looked away as another wave washed over her. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, forcing a smile to her lips. "Nothing. That's fantastic." His brows furrowed as he looked at her, and he pursed his lips.

"Yeah, it would be. But we're not going." Sokka watched as her face brightened slightly, but she quickly pushed it away, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Why not?" He let out a small chuckle, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he turned back to Bato. 

"It would be great, but we can't. We have to take Aang to the North Pole first." The princess allowed a minute smile to creep to her lips at those words, a new admiration swelling in her chest as she gazed at the boy. His blue eyes drifted back to the girl, and he flashed a small grin toward her, tightening his grip around her shoulders. Orzala let out a happy sigh, resting her head against his shoulder.

"He's right. Even if we had time to wait for the message, who knows how far we would have to travel? We don't have time for a long detour." Bato's lips curled into a sad smile as Katara spoke, but he nodded.

"I'm sure your father would understand and be proud that his children are helping the avatar."

The Water Tribe siblings beamed at him, and Orzala couldn't help but smile herself. Still, her mind kept drifting to Aang, and she pulled away from Sokka as her face fell once more. He looked at her, confused, but she waved him off with a forced grin. "I need to go look at something. I'll be back shortly."

Before any questions could be asked, Orzala strode out of the room. To say they were confused was an understatement, but the siblings had gotten used to her odd behavior. As she shut the door, she allowed herself to frown as she scanned the dark courtyard. The frown deepened when she realized there was no sign of Aang.

A flash of white moved in the corner of her eye, and the princess turned to see the Superior staring at her with an expectant smile. "Superior?" When the elder said nothing, Orzala cocked a brow, making her way over to the woman. "Have you seen Aang?"

"The avatar left a few moments ago, Durga."

"Oh, ok, thanks--" Orzala paused, confusion washing over her as she turned back to the woman. "What did you just call me?"

"The Durga. You are her, are you not?" Orzala's eyes widened at the statement, and she stared at the woman blankly. She shook her head.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Superior."

"Of course you do! You're a part of the prophecy: the dual-bender meant to assist the avatar in the battle against the Fire Nation!"

The princess laughed at that, relief flooding her veins. "Oh, no. I'm not a dual-bender. That's not even possible." This time, the woman's eyes widened, and she reached to grab Orzala's wrist. The girl stiffened as her bony fingers found her pulse point, and the Superior furrowed her eyebrows.

"It is you," the elder deadpanned, her eyes drifting up to Orzala's. "I feel the fire in your veins, young one. It flows through you. It is a part of you. And there's no escaping it."

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Author's note

Well. I'm pretty sure a lot of you have come to this conclusion on your own by this point, but hey-- Zala's a dual-bender! Surprise?

Now that she knows, how do you think she's going to react? How do you think the other's will react?

You're also probably wondering about this "Durga" thing, right? Well I did some research, and the avatar is actually a diety of Hindu mythology, and I've always wanted Orzala to be a part of something bigger... so I looked into some more Hindu mythology (which I loveeeee-- any kind of mythology is fascinating to me) and I read about a Goddess called Durga. She's described as a fierce warrior goddess: "the destroyer of evil", but she can also be kind and nurturing, and I just thought that fit Orzala's character so well. What do you guys think?

Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Sorry that it's a little shorter than usual, but so much happened and I didn't want to cram a lot more into it and throw so much at you at once. I hope your are all having a wonderful week, and as always, thanks for all your love and support!! Happy reading!

Love, Liz