The night had blanketed the forest in darkness by the time Sokka gave up trying to find his friends. He had nothing to worry about though... right? After all, Aang was the avatar, and Orzala was one of the most powerful earthbenders he knew.
Not that he would ever tell her that.
It was a long, dreary walk back to the village. The boy's legs ached from the mad dash he had made through the forest, and he had half a mind to find a cozy cave to curl up in and rest. He knew Katara would be frantic, though, and he didn't want to add to her list of people or things to worry about.
His heart weighed heavy in his chest as the night's events replayed in his mind. He had failed her. He had managed to lose both Aang and Orzala, and it wasn't like he could use any bending to track them down. Sokka felt utterly useless.
The faint outline of the village border seemed black against the trees, and it only caused more dread to build up in his chest. He wasn't ready to face Katara- he wasn't ready to tell her that he'd lost their friends. But fate had never been on his side, and Katara was waiting for him at the town's entrance. Still, he couldn't help but smile slightly when her face lit up.
"Sokka!" She cried, darting forward and flinging herself onto him. He let out a quiet laugh, returning his sister's embrace. She pulled back, flashing him a lopsided grin before glancing around behind him. "Where's Aang and Orzala?" Her eyes dimmed slightly as Sokka's expression turned grim. "Where are they?" She asked again, sadness creeping into her voice.
"I don't know," he admitted, staring back into the forest regretfully. "I was right behind them and then they were just... gone. There was no trail or anything." Katara's blue orbs grew, gaze darting back to the forest. She set her jaw, not allowing herself to think negatively, and pulled her brother around to face her again.
"They'll be fine," she told him, her voice firm as she forced a smile to her lips. "They can take care of themselves. I'm sure they're on their way back right now. And when they get here, we'll be waiting here to greet them." She received a timid nod from Sokka, who also forced a small smile onto his face. She was right, of course.
The siblings shared one last embrace before returning to sit by the village wall, eyes eargly searching the trees for any sign of the missing half of their group.
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Orzala was not on her way back. She had no idea where she was, save that she was inside an enemy temple. She had to admit, though, it was a pretty nice temple.
That being said, for somewhere so nice, why did it seem deserted?
The air around her was silent, save for the soft patter of her feet as she explored the vast hallways. The princess allowed her eyes to wonder the extravagant gold colomns that lined the walls, running her fingertips gingerly over the structures as her lips parted in awe.
"This is amazing," she breathed, a small smile now gracing her face.
A loud clang! errupted around the corner, causing the girl to jump and her head to whip toward the noise. Her whole body tensed as she caught sight of the shadow creeping through the hall and she quickly dove behind a colomn.
Orzala carefully peeked around her barrier, her jade eyes bulging when she caught sight of a man less than half a foot away. His dull eyes seemed to be looking straight at her, and she felt her heart squeeze in fear.
The man seemed dazed, but he quickly shook his head, causing his red Fire Nation garb to quiver around him. Orzala's breath caught in her throat as he began to advance, and she quickly ducked back into cover. She found herself mumbling a silent plea to any spirit that could hear her, just praying to let her escape alive. Just to let her see her friends once more.
The princess was confused, however, when the man waltzed right past her, paying her no mind. With her eyebrows raised in confusion, she cautiously stood, watching the man stride down the hall and around the corner. A relieved scoff escaped her.
"Orzala."
A silent scream escaped her, and the girl scrambled behind her post once more. Her wild eyes darted around the temple hall, searching for the source of the voice. She found no one— only the grand colomns stood around her. Her heart began to pick up once more.
"Hello?" She called quietly, anxiety building in her chest as she looked in the direction that the man had went earlier. Perhaps he had seen her? "Is anyone there?" No reply. With a huff, Orzala stood tall, shaling her hands slightly to rid herself of the tremors that shook them. "Aang? Strange old man I just saw?"
When she was met with silence again, her shoulders slumped, and she slowly crept down the hall. "How do you know me?" Her voice was louder now, and she was sure that anyone could hear her now. If there were guards in the temple, they would surely be on their way to her now.
An ominous chuckle resonated through the hall, and Orzala spun around. "Fear not, child. I do not wish you harm."
"Then why hide in the shadows like a coward?"
"I do not hide, Orzala, you simply wish not to see." Orzala was thoroughly confused at this point, eyebrow raised as she looked around the hall once more.
"No, I'm pretty sure I would like to see you. I definitely would like to know when a fire ball is about to be thrown at me." The voice chuckled again. Orzala's eyes darted to the end of the hallway, and she determined that it had to be where the voice was coming from. Setting her jaw, she sprinted down the hall, flying around the corner to find...
Nothing. Her face fell, and her lips pressed together in a thin line. "Where are you?!" She bellowed, beyond caring about anyone coming after her. "Come out and face me!" The building fell silent once more, and she tugged at her braid in frustration. With a shake of her head, she turned once more, and her gaze caught an entrance to another room across from her.
"Huh." Orzala began to tiptoe into the room, green eyes darting about for a sign of the voice. She froze when she met the golden eyes of a statue, her spine stiffening as realization dawned upon her.
"Avatar Roku?"
"Hello, Orzala." The princess's head snapped to the side, and she was met with the smile of the old man from earlier. Her mouth gaped as she stared at him, unable to process what she was seeing.
"What?"
He chuckled again, turning to walk away, but this time Orzala was quick to follow. "Wait!" The former avatar did nothing of the sort, striding quickly outside of the temple with the princess in tow. Orzala's green eyes widened as she realized that the sky had darkened and night had fallen upon them. In her shock, she fumbled, and when she searched for the avatar once more, she found herself alone. A frustrated scream tore from her throat, and she quickly ran to the garden that she had seen him disappear into.
"Roku!" She pushed her way through the thick bamboo that encompassed the garden, hissing slightly as the wood scraped at her skin. "Avatar Roku, please come back!" Orzala felt her eyes sting and her throat tightened as she held back a cry. "Please, I don't know where I am! I need to find my friends."
A sudden calm overwhelmed her, and his voice rang out once more, seemingly right in front of her. "It's alright, child. We'll meet again soon." The princess scoffed, the calm turning to a slight anger.
"Well, I don't need you soon, I need you now." With that, she began shoving her way through the bamboo once more. "Roku!"
One final shove, and she had made it through the bamboo. She laughed slightly, dusting herself off before lifting her eyes to look for the avatar. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Orzala!" She was thrown back as pair of arms embraced her. Her green gaze fell on a familiar boomerang, and her lips immediately split into a wide grin. She threw her arms around the boy in front of her, holding him just as tightly. The boy pulled back, blue eyes sparkling happily as he took her face in his hands. "Oh, thank the spirits!"
A watery laugh escaped her, and she lifted her hands to grasp his wrists. "Hi, Sokka."
"Orzala!" Two more sets of arms embraced her, and she laughed happily.
"What happened?"
Aang pulled away from her, flashing a lopsided grin. "You were stuck in the spirit world for tweny four hours! How do you feel? Are you ok?" The princess's face fell slowly in realization, and she shuddered slightly.
"I'm fine," she said, her gaze drifting to the trees. "Although, it didn't feel nearly that long..."
"Thank you, avatar." Orzala let out a scream, whipping around in her bending stance, only to find the leader of the village. She frowned, straightening and crossing her arms.
"I've had enough of creepy old men sneaking up on me for one day," she grumbled, making the others furrow their eyebrows. They didn't question it, though.
"If only there were some way for us to repay you for what you've done."
"You could give us some supplies," Sokka deadpanned, and Orzala nodded in agreement.
"And some money!" She quipped, earning an elbow in the ribs from Katara. "What? We need stuff!" The old man chuckled before walking away to retrieve their things. The three kids turned to Aang.
"I'm so proud of you, Aang!" Katara gushed, making Orzala roll her eyes slightly. "You figured out what to do all on your own." The avatar frowned, making the princess furrow her eyebrows.
"Actually, I did have a little help. And there's something else." The boy frowned, looking away from them.
"What is it?"
"When I was in the spirit world, I couldn't talk to Roku, but I think I found a way to contact his spirit."
"Wait, you couldn't talk to Roku?" Orzala questioned, her confusion growing. Shouldn't Aang of all people be able to talk to his past life? And if the avatar couldn't talk to Roku, why had she been able to do so? Aang shook his head, and the girl felt a dark dread begin to bubble in her stomach at the thought.
"There's a temple on a crescent-shaped island, and if I go there on the solstice, I should be able to speak with him." Orzala frowned, but Katara and Sokka seemed ecstatic.
"That's great!"
"Creepy, but great."
Katara frowned suddenly.' "But, Aang, the solstice is tomorrow!"
"Yeah, and there's one more problem. The island is in the Fire Nation."
Orzala growned, placing her face into her hands. "Of course it is."