The Jaded Princess - A Sokka Love Story

Chapter Forty-Four

Orzala never went to find Aang. Instead, she wandered the forest alone. Her mind was racing, much like the beat of her heart, and to be quite honest, she was surprised that neither had exploded yet. Her thin fingers trembled as she walked, and her eyes skimmed every tree.

Orzala was terrified.

All her life she had learned to hate the Fire Nation— to hate her own father— and now a part of it was resting inside of her. She didn't know what to think.

What would Sokka think?

The princess's chest suddenly felt empty. Her head throbbed and her eyes stung at the thought. What would he think? He hated the Fire Nation. He'd made that rather clear over the past few months. If he learned that she'd been hiding that part of her all along...

Would he hate her?

Orzala tugged harshly on her raven hair, biting her lip to keep from crying out. She couldn't bear it if he did. She couldn't bear to lose the only friends she ever had. 

Her fist flew before she could stop herself, colliding harshly with the rough bark of the tree next to her. A quiet hiss left the girl's lips, and she shook her hand to admonish the pain. Sizzling filled her ears, and her dark eyes flew to the trunk where her fist had landed moments ago. Her eyes bulged at the embers that lined where her hand had laid.

A strangled gasp left the girl's lips, her gaze darting to her pale hands in fear. She stumbled back, away from any evidence of her new power, shaking her head as she examined her fingers. It was only then that she realized they were glowing, much like a dying fire in the dark.

Her vision blurred with unshed tears, and she quickly turned on her heel, bolting in the direction of the ocean. Orzala didn't know how far or long she ran, but when her eyes rested on the water ahead, a watery laugh left her lips. The princess skidded to her knees in the sand, ignoring the burn of it as it scraped at her skin, and thrust her hands into the water. Her lips trembled as steam rose from the cool water.

Orzala cautiously lifted her hands once the steam subsided, observing them and trying to control the shaking of her limbs.

"Orzala?"

Her head whipped to the side, eyes frightfully wide as they locked onto Aang. She hadn't even noticed the boy perched upon the bow of the ship. She fell back, holding her hands up defensively. "I didn't know, I swear!"

Aang's heart wrenched in his chest as he hopped down, approaching his friend slowly. The guilt was eating him alive as he reached down and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. The boy knelt beside her, flashing a sad smile. "No. But I did."

Her muffled cries stopped as she stared at him, features contorting in confusion before she threw out her fist and punched his shoulder roughly. "You fucking bastard!" She bellowed, cheeks burning red. "You knew this whole time?!" He wouldn't meet her gaze. Instead, he rubbed his shoulder numbly, staring down at the sand.

Orzala's face fell when she began to think back. "Aang, you've known since Roku's temple! How could you not tell me this?! This is important. You should've told me! I'm dangerous!"

The boy glared at her now, shaking his head rapidly as he gripped her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace. "You're not dangerous, Orzala. You just have to learn how to control it now that you know." She stilled against him, and he felt her begin to shake once more. His grip tightened around her.

"What if I can't? Aunt Wu-- she said I'd be your doom, Aang. I couldn't live with myself..."

The avatar shushed her quickly, his hand curling on the back of her head as he pressed her into his shoulder. Her shoulders shook roughly now as she sobbed against him, and he pursed his lips tightly. "You won't be. I trust you."

She pushed away from him, wiping her watery cheeks and shaking her head. "How can you trust me if I can't even trust myself?"

"Because I know you, Zala." The girl sniffled, raising an expectant eyebrow toward him. He gave a week chuckle, sitting down beside her and pulling her into his side once more. "You're courageous. You're brave. You're scary and powerful as hell." She tensed at this, shooting him a concerned glance and making his smile grow. He rubbed her shoulder gently. "And you're the most loyal person I've ever met. I know that if any of us were in trouble, you'd be the first to throw yourself into the fire to help us. I have no doubt about that in my mind."

They exchanged minute smiles before Aang stood, holding out a hand for her to grasp. The princess took it, stumbling to her feet as he pulled her up. She stumbled forward, wrapping her arms around the boy's neck in a loose hug. "How do you always know what to say?" She mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder. He laughed.

"I guess it comes with the job," he quipped, pulling back to shoot her a sly grin. Orzala responded with a shove, and he stumbled back with a grin. "Come on, princess. We should probably get back to the others." She scoffed, but took his arm nonetheless and followed him into the trees.

The were silent for a bit, and happily so, until Orzala began to frown again. "Aang?" He hummed, shooting her a small grin. "Do they know?" His grin fell, and he shook his head slowly. Orzala's heart sunk in her chest, and she gave a grim nod. "Can we keep this between us, then? I know Katara would understand, but Sokka... he'd probably kill me on the spot."

"He'd come around," Aang reassured, but the princess was not convinced. After all, it'd taken her months to earn the boy's trust in the first place, and now that she was undeniably part Fire Nation... there would be no regaining his trust this time. There was no way of hiding. Still, she would as long as she could. She couldn't go back to how it was before. 

Their friendship meant everything to her.

She wouldn't risk it for the sake of her father.

No. No matter that she could feel that part of her bursting from its cage in her chest, or that she could feel the fire pulsing through her veins like electricity. For as long as she could, she would remain Orzala, Princess of Omashu. Granddaughter only to the king. Sandbender. Earthbender. 

For now, there was no fire in her blood.

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Author's note

Hello, loves :)

I'm sorry for my lack of updates recently. A lot has been going on and it's been admittedly to find time to sit down and find the energy to write. I apologize for that. But what do you think about Orzala's decision? Should she come clean?

Um, also, I'm completely late to this but THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR 10K READS!!!! This really means the world to me and I hope you're enjoying the story. I hope that you all have a great rest of your week, and as always, thank you for your love and support.

Love, Liz