Chapter Fve: New Friendships at the Market
The next few weeks following the Ball went by without much action. Kira was displeased to find out that Yen had been recently initiated into the Fire Lord's army, but all he told her was that he was defending his Nation. Kira and Yen fought constantly, but it always ended in Yen apologizing to his soon-to-be-bride and buying her something expensive. This bothered Kira slightly that he thought he could buy her off, although she always forgave Yen.
The day was warm, only slightly warmer than usual, and Kira was once again seated on her favourite chair swing by the pond. However, much to Kira's dismay, her favourite Fire Lilies had stopped blooming and regular white lilies were planted in their place. She looked down at the replacement flowers and sighed softly. Kira supposed that regular lilies were just as nice, but she missed the bright red and pink combination that the Fire Lilies brought.
"You really like it out here, don't you?" Yen said as he walked up behind Kira and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Darling, you're freezing." He removed her robe and put it around her, then walked around to the front of the swing, sitting down next her. Kira pulled the robe off of her and smiled politely.
"Thank you, but I'm not cold." Kira spoke through gritted teeth. Ever since they met, Yen had been treating Kira like some fragile piece of glass. She wasn't as weak as she looked, and she had been taking care of herself most of her life. That wasn't about to change. Yen sighed and frustration and put the robe on her again.
"Wear it. I don't want you ill." He insisted with a little more force. Kira pushed his hand away and threw the robe on the ground.
"I said I wasn't cold." Kira stood up and walked away, groaning when she heard Yen stand up and follow her. "What do you want, Yen?"
"Where are you going?" Yen demanded when he finally caught up with her at the palace door. She ignored him and turned her head so that she wasn't looking at him. Yen growled and roughly grabbed Kira's upper arm, forcing her to stop. Kira let out a soft yelp of surprise, and then a whimper as pushed her against the nearest wall. "I asked you a question."
"I'm going to the market! Now, get off." Kira squirmed to pull her arm free, but Yen tightened his grip. She winced and closed her eyes.
"Ask nicely." Yen smirked evilly. Kira pushed him with her free arm in an attempt to get him off of her, earning her a slap across the face. Kira gasped as her head snapped to the side and her hand covered her red cheek. Yen had always yelled at her and even bruised her arms or wrists from holding to tightly, but he had never hit her. Yen smiled and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "Remember that next time." He said before he walked away.
Kira stared after him, completely shocked. She didn't know what to do, or what to say. She looked at her arm where Yen had grabbed her and saw that a hand-shaped bruise was forming. She sighed and pulled her sleeve back over her arm to hide it, then stood up and started walking. When she was nearly out of the palace, she saw a guard walking towards her. He stopped, as did she, and bowed his head.
"Tell my father I'll be at the market for the day." Kira instructed him as she kept walking. The guard cleared his throat and she stopped to look at him. "Is there a problem? I gave you an order."
"No problem, Princess. It's only that Master Yen has given us specific orders not to let you go wandering out of the palace alone. If you'd like, I can fetch you a servant to-"
"Excuse me, but I don't believe you were hired to take orders from anyone besides my father, my sister, or myself." Kira interrupted, narrowing his eyes at the guard, who bowed again.
"My apologies, Your Highness. But your father agreed. And if you fail to bring along a servant, I'm going to have to report this to him." The guard stood firm, his voice stern. Kira's hands glowed with fire and she sneered. "I am sorry, Princess."
"Very well. I'll find a servant on my own." Kira walked away angrily, muttering curses under her breath. If she had to bring someone with her, it might as well be someone she could stand. Kira searched the palace impatiently, until finally, her eyes caught sight of Sokka, stringing up freshly washed laundry. She smiled and walked over to him, poking him from behind. Sokka spun around and grinned down at Kira.
"What can I do for you, Princess?" He asked sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest. Kira giggled as he rolled his eyes, waiting for Kira to say something.
"How would you like to get out of the palace for awhile and go explore the town?" Kira blinked her eyes innocently and smiled brightly.
"What's the catch?" Sokka knew there was something more the situation. He wasn't completely stupid. Kira sighed.
"Because of my stupid fiancé, I can't leave the palace without someone going with me, and you're the only one in this place that I can actually tolerate being around." She explained, hoping Sokka wouldn't ask too many questions. After a moment of thinking, Sokka smiled and nodded.
"Why not? And it would be nice to see something other than this place." Sokka hung the last of the clothes and dried his hands on a rag. He held out his arm and Kira giggled, taking it. They walked out of the palace, arm in arm. Kira was the first to speak.
"So have you been taking care of yourself? I don't want my best servant unable to tend to my every need." She joked, laughing. Sokka looked at her and glared playfully. Then he laughed as well.
"I've gotten into a few fights with the other servants when it comes to who answers your sisters calls, but that's about it."
"Hmm… Maybe I'll have to take it upon myself to fix that problem." Kira commented as they reached the town. Kira pulled up the hood of her robe and pushed her hair inside the hood.
"What are you planning in that evil little head of yours?" Sokka asked, smirking. Kira laughed and squeezed Sokka's arm a little.
"Don't you worry about that. Just trust me." Kira said as she fixed her hood.
"What's with the hood. You can't tell me that you're cold."
"No. It's to hide. Unless you want people crowding around us just to get a glimpse of the princess." Kira rolled her eyes.
"I bet if they had to do all the chores for you like I do, they wouldn't be so happy to see you." Sokka joked, sticking his tongue out at Kira.
"Oh, you-!" Kira hit him playfully in the arm and laughed. He stuck his tongue out at her and ran, urging her to chase him. She did, running after him. They dodged the random people on the streets and Kira finally caught Sokka, poking his arm before she turned right and ran down another street. Sokka skidded to a halt and then began to run after her. She was fast, but Sokka was faster. He would catch her soon enough. Kira could feel Sokka getting closer to her, so she suddenly took a right turn, running down an alley way. Before Sokka could realize she went down the alley, he had already passed it. No matter. He would cut her off.
Kira looked over her shoulder and smiled in triumph to see that he wasn't following her. Kira looked forward just in time to see a very tall, built man that looked middle-aged step right in front of her. She collided with the man and fell onto her back. She winced as she pulled herself up, repeatedly apologizing. "I am so sorry, sir. I should've watched where I was going." Her cheeks turned red from embarrassment and she went to walk away. The man growled and grabbed Kira's wrist, pointing at the ground with his other hand.
"Look what you did, you stupid girl." Kira looked at where the man was pointing and saw the remains of a white and gold vase that she assumed she knocked out of his hands upon collision.
"I'm really sorry about that." Kira said again, getting a little nervous when the man's grip got tighter.
"You will pay for another vase for me." He demanded. Kira opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"What's going on here?" Sokka asked, his eyes locked on the man that was holding Kira's wrist. He reached over and pushed the man's hand away, making him let go of Kira. Then Sokka pulled Kira to his side.
"This little brat broke my wife's vase." The man explained.
"There's no need to be rude, sir. I'm sure my sister didn't mean it." Sokka pushed the hair out of his face and took Kira's hand, squeezing it. Without warning, he ran past the man, pulling Kira behind him. At first, Kira was surprised, but then she laughed as she and Sokka wove through people. They could hear the man running behind them, and they had to get away somehow. Kira looked at Sokka for ideas, and he smirked, pulling Kira down a different street. They changed directions a few times, trying to lose the man. Sokka saw an secluded alleyway and pulled Kira into it. They pressed their backs against the wall, panting silently. Kira secretly peaked her head out just enough to see the man look around in confusion, and then eventually storm off in a huff.
"That was awesome!" Kira whispered excitedly, laughing. Sokka laughed as well and nodded in agreement.
"I never knew you'd be able to run that fast." He commented as his breathing became normal again.
"There's a lot you don't know about me." Kira took his hand and found a quiet little tea shop not far from where they were. She walked in first, with Sokka closely behind here. They found an empty table in the very back of the shop and sat down. "So are you enjoying your day away from chores and rules?"
"This is the most fun day I've had since my capture." Sokka sighed happily. Kira giggled and raised her hand to call over a waitress. Her cape slipped off her arm and Sokka caught a glimpse of the bruise that Yen gave her earlier. He kept quiet about it while they placed their orders, but he knew he had to ask. "Where did that bruise on your arm come from?"
As soon as he asked, Kira's face fell. Her eyes shifted nervously. "Must've gotten it from that guy back there."
"Funny.. I didn't see him grab your upper arm." Sokka raised an eyebrow. Kira quickly pulled her robe over her arm and looked away.
"Just forget it." Before Sokka could ask more questions, the waitress brought over their tea and biscuits. Kira handed her a few gold pieces and smiled as she walked away. Sokka decided to let the situation go and ask her about it later. While they drank and ate, they talked casually. Sokka told Kira about the adventures that he and his friends had, and in turn, Kira told him stories from her life. They laughed over the small things and sympathized over the sad things.
Before they knew it, the owner of the shop came over to them and told them that it was time for them to close. Kira and Sokka walked out of the shop, arms linked, still laughing.
"Did you really stop Jet from flooding a Fire Nation city?" Kira asked, very impressed. Sokka smiled proudly.
"Well, I couldn't let him hurt innocent people just because they were from the Fire Nation. They aren't all bad, you know?" He looked at her and winked, making her laugh.
"We should probably get back to the palace." Kira looked around the nearly deserted streets. It had already gotten dark and Kira looked up at the clear sky. Sokka saw that Kira wasn't paying attention, so he smirked and scooped her up bridal-style. She squealed in surprise and put her arms around Sokka's neck as he spun her around. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I think I'm carrying you. I mean, you look so tired, Your Highness. It's my job to make the Princess as comfortable as possible." Sokka said sarcastically. He laughed and carried her out of the city. Once they got to the palace, Sokka set her down and Kira smiled. "Well, thank you for one of the best days of my time here."
"And thank you for treating me like an actual human being instead of just a princess." Kira smiled gratefully and briefly touched Sokka's arm before retreating up the stairs to her room. She was glad Sokka was her friend.
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And there you have it. Yet another chapter. This one was fun to write.