The Forgotten Princess (SokkaxOC)

i. VI

Azami P.o.V.

As Aang kept dragging her through the old temple, Azami kept looking around, memories swirling in her head of monks and lemurs, filling the place with life. Seeing the place so empty, so lifeless... it bothered her, to say the least. 

Behind them, she saw the two water tribe siblings having some kind of argument. Before she could try and eavesdrop on them - which of course she would never do - Aang called over to them.

"Hey! Guys! I want you to meet somebody!" Aang yelled excitedly.

Sokka and Katara came running over. "Who's that?"

Azami looked up at the statue, before smiling. "Monk Gyatso," she replied. "One of, if not the greatest airbenders in the world. He's Aang's mentor."

Aang nodded. "He taught me everything I know." The young Avatar seemed lost in fond memories, before he bowed to the statue, a downcast look on his face.

Katara reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You must miss him."

"Yeah," he muttered, before walking up into a nearby hallway.

The waterbender looked confused. "Where are you going?"

He looked back over his shoulder, pausing only a moment. "The air temple sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet."

Azami and the two siblings all shared a look of confusion, before they followed him up into the temple. As they got closer to a large set of doors near the end of the hallway, Katara voiced the obvious statement they were all thinking. "But Aang... no one could have survived in there for a hundred years."

"It's not impossible," Aang reasoned. "Azami and I both survived that long in the iceberg, and she didn't even have the Avatar State to keep her alive."

"Good point," Katara admitted.

"The Avatar what now?" Sokka asked.

"When my eyes and tattoos glow," Aang explained. "I don't really know much about it, but Gyatso said it was apparently supposed to keep me alive. Besides, think about it, you guys. Whoever's in there might be able to help me figure out this Avatar thing!"

Sokka got a bit of a crazed look in his eyes. "And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious, cured, meats!"

The boy ran straight at the door, faceplanting himself right into it. Azami just facepalmed, unable to believe that someone his age could be so moronic and immature. "I don't suppose you have a key?" Sokka asked.

Aang smirked at him. "The key, Sokka, is airbending." Aang got into his stance, before pushing outwards with both of his arms, a blast of air emitting from each one and entering the blowholes on the door. As the air channeled through the tubes, the three locks turned outwards, air blasting through them, before the door swung inwards.

"Hello?" Aang called out into the dark room. "Anyone home?"

The gaang was met with complete silence, so they decided to enter the room.

Zuko P.o.V.

"So, a 12-year-old boy bested you and your firebenders, and captured our lost princess in the process," Zhao mocked. Zuko was stuck in a chair, listening to the commander go on and on about his failures. "You're more pathetic than I thought."

"I underestimated him once," Zuko snapped. "But it will not happen again."

Zhao simply stood still, facing away from him. "No it will not. Because you won't have a second chance."