A.N. Happy New Years everyone! As I said before, this isn't an abandoned story, I'm just cycling through mental health shit, lack of inspiration, and trying to deal with my actual life. But I had a few chapters done so hope you guys enjoy them!

Also, on a more serious note, I've seen two cases of this story being posted on other sites without my permission and I just want to say that THIS IS THE ONLY WEBSITE I'M POSTING THIS STORY ON. ANY OTHER COPY OF THIS STORY IS STOLEN AND SHOULD BE REPORTED. IF I EVENTUALLY CROSSPOST THIS ON ANOTHER SITE, I WILL NOTE THAT IN THE DESCRIPTION.

Now, please enjoy the Book 3 chapters that I've managed to summon the inspiration to actually write! I wrote this whole chapter to "Talking to the Moon" by Bruno Mars (slowed + reverb) if anyone was interested in setting the mood.

Sokka walked through the Earth Kingdom Palace, which was empty except for himself. He didn't know where he was going, only that his feet seemed to choose a path for him all on their own. As he walked through a set of grand doors, he found himself standing above a courtyard. Glancing around the space, Sokka's eyes fell on a familiar figure, who was standing alone in front of a fountain.

Tears filled his eyes as the figure spun around, her red painted lips curving into a wide smile as the moonlight reflected off her bright gold irises. "Azara," he breathed out as she waved up at him, the night breeze fluttering through her long dark hair.

"There you are," she giggled as Sokka turned to sprint down the stairs. Reaching her side, Sokka pulled her to his chest and into a crushing hug. Azara wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he buried his face into her long hair. "What's up with you?" she teased, rubbing his back soothingly.

Pulling back for a moment, Sokka cupped her cheeks with his hands, searching for any sign of harm or pain on her face. "You . . . I thought . . . you were," Sokka stammered out as Azara tilted her head to the side, her smile lowering as she stared up at him in worry.

Lifting a lone finger to Sokka's lips, Azara applied light pressure, which stopped his ramblings. "Shh, I'm here, Sokka. I'm right here," she whispered out, reaching up to caress his cheek, and wiping a tear away with the pad of her thumb. "I love you, Sokka."

"I love you too, Azara."

Sokka leaned down, crashing their lips together as he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her tightly against himself. His other hand slid up to her hair as Azara held his face with her hands, smiling contentedly into their kiss. He pulled away after a moment, a wide smile on his face and a thousand words on the tip of his tongue.

But the smile dropped from his lips, shattering on the floor, as he stared in front of him. Azara had disappeared. Slipped straight from his arms.

Whipping around, Sokka looked frantically for any sign of her. "Azara? Azara!" he called, his heart starting to beat out of his chest. "Azara!"

"Sokka!" he heard from behind him. Spinning around, Sokka peered into the shadows for any sign of his girlfriend.

"Azara?!" he yelled again, running towards the shadows. The sound of a sharp scream piercing the air caused him to quicken his pace, running desperately into the darkness. "Azara!" Sokka screamed at the top of his lungs before he was thrown back suddenly.

Grunting as he landed on his back, Sokka rolled onto his side as Azula and Zuko, who was wearing his old ponytail, stepped out of the shadows. The two siblings wore similar glares as they set their sights on him. While Azula smirked cruelly down at him, Zuko snarled, his fists clenched at his sides.

"If only you could have saved her," Azula drawled, tilting her head to the side as another piercing scream shattered the air. Sokka clenched his eyes shut, tears dripping down his cheeks as he struggled to get up to his feet. "You hear that, Sokka? That's the sound of your failure. Horrible, isn't it?" Azula continued, her smirk widening as she saw Sokka struggling.

Sokka strained, trying to get off the floor, but he found himself powerless to move. To even speak in that moment. He was completely and utterly powerless. As another scream from Azara rattled Sokka to his core, Zuko took a step forward.

"You couldn't save her at the North Pole. And you couldn't save her in Ba Sing Se," Zuko spat as Sokka glared murderously up at the Fire Nation prince. "You're not worthy! You're pathetic! A stupid nonbender who couldn't even protect the girl you love!"

"Sokka!" Azara cried, the darkness parting in front of Sokka so that he could see her hunched over. Her once clean and styled hair was knotted and matted around her face. Her clothes were torn and dirty as she struggled to stand. She yelled out as she pulled on the chains around her wrists.

"Azara!" Sokka shouted back, finally able to find his voice.

"Sokka! You have to help me!" Azara screamed, tears streaming down her face as she stopped her struggling for a moment and turned to face him. "Please!" Suddenly a hand shot out from the shadows behind her, grabbing her arm forcefully. Azara screamed again, struggling against their hold as she was tugged further into the darkness. "Sokka! Sokka! Help!"

"Azara!" Sokka shouted, trying to get to his feet. Yelling out in frustration, Sokka withered on the ground, trying to break away from the invisible chains that seemed to hold him down. "Azara, I'm coming! Just hold on!"

As Sokka looked up again, Zuko stepped in front of him, blocking the last glances he had of Azara. Raising a fist, Zuko smirked down at the Water Tribe boy. "You'll never see her again," Zuko taunted as Sokka continued to struggle. "You failed, Sokka."

A cold chuckle from the shadows caused Sokka to pause his struggling. Staring up through the darkness, Sokka spotted the Fire Lord appearing through the shadows, a cruel smirk drawn across his face. He pulled Azara along with him, who struggled in his hold.

"You'll never see him again," Ozai cackled to Azara before he turned for the shadows again, keeping his tight hold on Azara. She thrashed in her father's hold, but the chains and her father's grip were unrelenting.

"Sokka! Sokka, please! Help! Sokka, I need you!" Azara screeched as Sokka reached out for her again, more tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Azara!" he shouted before Zuko yelled out, throwing a ball of flames down at him.

Sokka gasped out, sitting up in bed. Breathing heavily, Sokka grabbed his face with his hands as he tried to calm down. Trying to regulate his breathing, Sokka leaned forwards, his hair falling in his face. He wiped the sweat beading on his brow before running a shaking hand through his dark hair.

After a moment, Sokka sat up straighter and wiped the tear tracks from his cheeks before turning and placing his feet on the cold metal floor. Sliding out of bed, Sokka reached for the Fire Navy uniform he had claimed. He tied his hair up into a top knot and out of his face before moving to leave.

Opening the door to his room quietly, so as to not wake up the people around him, Sokka slipped out into the cool hallway. He breathed in and out slowly, relishing in the cool air. It wasn't biting South Pole cold, but it would have to do. Heat and his nightmares just seemed to go hand in hand, especially since they all ended with him getting a fireball to the face.

He reached the guard's station. Rifling through the supplies stacked on the desk, Sokka pulled out a scope before making his way out to the deck. He stepped over to the railing, lifting the scope to his blue eye and looking around the water for any sign of passing Fire Navy ships. They hadn't had any trouble with passing ships so far, but one couldn't drop their guard. Not with the Fire Nation.

The light from the moon illuminated the dark circles forming under his eyes as he stared up at the moon, his mind clearly away from the present. He thought about the night he had had a similar nightmare after the whole North Pole disaster. But, unlike that night, Azara wasn't sitting up on deck, safe and alive.

Lowering his head, Sokka let a single tear slip from his eye, slide down his nose, and drop down into the foamy sea below. Slamming a fist into the railing, Sokka took a steadying breath before bringing the scope back up to his eye, scanning for any other potential threats.

Bato stared down at Sokka from the helm, a concerned look in his eye. The door behind him opened, causing Bato to turn around to face Hakoda, who had just returned from managing the shift change on board.

"Alright, I think everyone should be in their proper positions," Hakoda announced, setting his helmet on the table.

"Not everyone," Bato corrected as Hakoda raised an eyebrow before walking over. Staring down at the deck, Hakoda sighed when he spotted Sokka leaning on the railing of the ship, staring up at the moon. "This is the fifth night in a row," Bato reminded Hakoda, who nodded silently. "At this point, I'm waiting for him to collapse on us."

"I'll talk to him," Hakoda spoke softly, turning to head down to the deck.

As he completed another scan, Sokka lowered his scope when the door to the deck opened. He turned around, wondering who else would be out here at this hour. Spotting his father walking over, Sokka relaxed before turning away.

"You should get some rest, Sokka. It's late," Hakoda called, walking over to stand beside his son.

"I'm not tired," Sokka replied, glancing up at the moon. Hakoda stared at his son with concern, noting the purple color under Sokka's eyes and the slight shake to his shoulders.

"A man needs his rest," Hakoda stated as Sokka nodded, but didn't move to head inside. Instead, he just stared up at the moon, his mind clearly elsewhere in that moment.

Hakoda glanced up at the moon for a moment before turning back to his son, a knowing look in his eyes. "Sokka, it's not your fault—"

"—Don't," Sokka cut him off. Rubbing the side of his face, Sokka stared back up at the moon. "Katara already gave me that speech."

"Your sister's right, Sokka," Hakoda tried again. He could see Sokka bundling up all his emotions on the inside, but it was clearly taking its toll on him. "You shouldn't blame yourself. You did everything you could."

"But that's just it!" Sokka growled, gripping the railing so hard his knuckles were turning white. "I do everything I can, and I still fail! I still lose her in the end," he sighed, releasing his hold on the railing as he bowed his head. "I thought I was doing the right thing, letting Katara and Aang go after her, and look what happened because of it."

"You made a decision," Hakoda agreed, placing his hand on Sokka's shoulder. "You have to make decisions in life, and certainly in war. And you decided on one that you thought was the right one, the one that would help everyone in the end. And that's what matters, Sokka. You tried with everything in your power to get her back."

Sokka scoffed, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter because at the end of the day, she's still not here. She's probably locked up on some stupid Fire Navy ship heading straight to that horrible place and . . ." Sokka couldn't finish his sentence, glaring at the water instead. "I couldn't save her. Again."

Hakoda nodded at Sokka's admission, Katara having informed him earlier about Azara's sacrifice for the Moon Spirit at the North Pole. And about how she stayed behind in the Catacombs to make sure Katara and Aang got away successfully.

"You see her in your dreams, don't you?" Hakoda asked quietly, turning to his son. Sokka didn't reply verbally, but the subtle clench of his jaw told Hakoda what he needed to know. Pausing and turning to stare up at the moon, Hakoda glanced at Sokka out of the corner of his eye. "You see her and . . . there's nothing you can do to stop it." It was a rhetorical statement.

Sokka stared silently up at the moon, but closed his eyes, nodding sadly in response. Hakoda stood in silence with Sokka for a moment before replying. "You know I was the same way when we lost your mother."

Sokka didn't like to remember the days following his mother's death.

He remembered the whole village looked lost, wandering around as if they couldn't believe what had happened had happened. Sokka remembered the huge gaping void his mother's death had left in the village, even if he couldn't remember her face.

He remembered how Katara appeared the vision of strength on the outside but whimpered and cried for their mother at night when she thought everyone else was asleep. He remembered the pitiful looks he got as he trudged through the village, lowering his head so that he wouldn't have to meet anyone's eyes. He remembered the way his father, the strongest man he knew, appeared to have the life sucked out of him, aging years in a matter of days.

"I didn't want to sleep. I didn't want to eat. I didn't even want to breathe," Hakoda continued, glancing at Sokka out of the corner of his eye as he spoke. "It took me a long time to want to do anything. And even then, if I didn't have you and Katara to think about, I don't know how long it would have taken me to recover from that."

Hakoda paused before turning to face Sokka, resting a comforting hand on Sokka's shoulder. "I want you to know, Sokka, that I'm here for you if you want to talk about her. Or even if you just want someone to sit with you out here at night. Whatever you need, I'm here. But you need to rest at some point, son. You need your strength."

Sokka nodded, looking away for a moment, before returning his gaze to his father's. A few tears built up behind his eyelids before he found the strength to speak. "I don't know what to do," Sokka stated shakily as Hakoda squeezed his shoulder.

"You don't know what to do about what?" Hakoda asked gently as a tear slipped down Sokka's cheek.

"I don't know what to do," Sokka repeated, wiping the tear away. Hakoda rushed forwards, enveloping his son in a tight hug. "They're going to hurt her, Dad. I know they are. And there's nothing I can do to stop it. I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't save her," Sokka sobbed as Hakoda held his son to his chest.

Pulling away for a moment, Sokka stared up at his dad. "Her father permanently scarred her brother on his face for talking out of turn at a war meeting when he was thirteen. What do you think he's going to do to her for committing treason?" Sokka choked out as Hakoda found himself suddenly at a loss for words.

Sure, he knew that the Fire Lord was a horrible man who was responsible for dramatic suffering across the world and in Hakoda's own family and tribe. But what kind of monster would do that to his own family? To his own son? And for something as little as talking out of turn?

"She'll be alright, Sokka. From what you told me, she's an incredibly strong woman. She'll figure something out until we can get there to help her," Hakoda tried to reassure his son.

"She shouldn't have to be that strong," Sokka whispered out as Hakoda held him tightly.

"No, she shouldn't have to be," Hakoda agreed, staring down at his son with concern. "None of you kids should have to be."

*|*|*|*|*

Azara stared out the window of her cage, leaning against the cool metal as the ship rocked along. Based on the amount of time they had been travelling, she knew that they were getting close to the Fire Nation capital. To her own personal nightmare.

Looking down at her hands, Azara lifted her left wrist up slightly, the gold band shifting along her arm as she did so. Tears filled her eyes as they landed on the cactus charm swinging from the band. Lowering her head, Azara let the tears dribble down her cheeks before staring up at the moon again. She thought over something quietly in her mind before finally finding her voice.

"I never really believed in any of the stories my mom told us," Azara admitted to the moon, before pausing, and shaking her head. "You're talking to the moon, Azara. You're losing your mind." Azara looked away for a moment, before sighing and turning back to the moon. Well, she didn't have anything else to do and hadn't had anyone to talk to for days. Maybe she was going crazy.

"I doubt you're there, Moon Spirit. After all, you're supposed to be a fish in the North Pole just swimming around. You're welcome for that by the way," Azara added gruffly, a deadpan expression falling over her face.

Sobering after a moment, Azara looked back up at the moon. "But my mom used to tell us stories about how you would deliver messages to people separated from each other." The moonlight reflected off her golden irises before Azara closed her eyes, Sokka's face appearing in her mind. Opening her eyes, Azara stared up at the moon again.

"Maybe you could deliver one for me. For old time's sake."

*|*|*|*|*

Sokka stared out at the moon, another day having gone by where he tried to sleep, only to wake up from another nightmare. He didn't turn around as the door to the deck swung open and a set of footsteps shuffled across the metal towards him.

"Sokka? What are you doing up?" Katara called, causing Sokka to turn and lock eyes with his little sister.

"I couldn't sleep," Sokka admitted, glancing at the moon before turning back to Katara. "What are you doing up?"

"I was trying to heal Aang under the Full Moon," Katara replied, moving to stand next to her brother as they both stared up at the moon.

"And?"

"He still hasn't woken up," Katara sighed, causing Sokka to nod solemnly.

He could see the toll Aang's lack of recovery had taken on Katara. Sokka knew Katara was skipping meals, skipping her sleep, to spend time healing Aang, who didn't appear to be getting better no matter what she tried.

"He will, Katara," Sokka spoke confidently as Katara smiled sadly at her brother.

A moment of comfortable silence passed between the siblings as they were caught up with their own thoughts before Katara turned back to her brother. "What are you doing out here? Just staring at the moon?" she asked as Sokka glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Thinking," Sokka shrugged, before staring back up at the moon. "Azara told me this story about the moon once."

The princess snuck out one night from the palace and met a man. They fell in love. But, when the princess's father found out that she was sneaking out to see the man, he had the man taken far away and locked the princess in the palace. Then, one night, the Moon Spirit went to the princess. The princess asked the Moon Spirit to bring a message to the man and they obliged. So, the princess and the man were able to communicate back and forth through the moon, no matter where they were imprisoned. And, through the help of the Moon Spirit, they were eventually reunited.

"I guess I was just . . ."

Sokka lowered his head as he willed the tears to stay behind his eyelids. He was tired of crying. He was tired of these sleepless nights. He was tired of his racing thoughts conjuring up every possible way the Fire Lord could torture Azara. He just wanted her safe and back in his arms and away from her stupid family.

"We'll get her back, Sokka," Katara stated, grabbing her brother's shoulder with her hand.

"What if we're too late? What if we don't find her in time and something bad happens? Something bad always happens!" Sokka huffed, throwing off Katara's hand as he paced around the deck, his hands gripping his hair in frustration.

Katara quietly lowered her hands, gripping them in front of her, and looking away as Sokka continued to pace. "I'm sorry, Sokka," Katara nearly whispered out, but her statement caused Sokka to pause and turn around to face his sister.

"What are you apologizing for?" Sokka questioned, looking at Katara with confusion.

Katara looked up at Sokka with unshed tears in her eyes. "I left Azara behind in Ba Sing Se. It's my fault she's gone! She told me to go, to save Aang, but now I can't even heal him!" Katara replied, tears dripping from her eyes as Sokka rushed forwards to envelope his sister in a tight hug, tears coming to his own eyes.

"You're doing everything you can," Sokka assured his sister as they held onto each other. Resting his chin on Katara's head, Sokka stared up at the moon again. "Besides, knowing Azara, she sacrificed herself so that we could fight another day." Sokka paused, his thoughts drifting back to the North Pole for a moment. "Though, I'd really prefer that she'd stop doing that," Sokka sighed as Katara pulled back, placing a comforting hand on Sokka's shoulder.

"We'll get her back, Sokka," Katara repeated, a determined look in her eye. "Her sacrifice won't be for nothing."

"No, no it won't," Sokka agreed, staring back up at the moon. "I won't let it."

*|*|*|*|*

Azara kneeled in her chains with her head bowed as she felt the ship dock. Glancing up at the moon for a moment, Azara glared in front of her as the iron cage was thrust open, several guards standing in front of her, their faces hidden by their masks.

"The Fire Lord has requested the disgraced princess be properly bound during her transportation to her cell so she can't escape," an officer ordered the guards, who stepped forwards.

They unlocked her chains from the floor of her cage and yanked her up into a standing position. Another soldier moved forwards, a muzzle of sorts in his hands. Azara glared down at the device as it was secured around her mouth to prevent her from firebending. Heavy shackles were placed around her ankles before she was pulled out of her cage.

A guard stood on each side of her, dragging her along between them like she was dead weight towards a waiting carriage. After a short ride from the dock to the prison she would likely spend the rest of her days in, however little that number was, Azara found herself staring into a small and dingy cell.

The guards unlocked her ankles and hands before pushing her forward into the cell. She fell to her knees as the door to the cell slammed shut behind her. Azara glared back at them from the ground, but the guards simply shuffled out of the room, not sparing her a second glance.

Sitting down properly on the ground, Azara raised her hands to the back of her head to undo the muzzle. She tossed it out of the cell before standing up and walking over to the small window. Gripping the bars tightly, Azara pulled herself up as she tried to get a glimpse of the world outside her little cell.

However, before she could even attempt a thorough look, the door to her cell room was thrown open. Azara dropped back to the ground, spinning around to glare at the warden. He smirked as he approached, two guards flanking his sides. Standing with his hands crossed over his chest, the warden narrowed his eyes at her.

"I hope you're finding your cell satisfactory, Your Highness," the warden spoke, clearly enjoying the change in the power dynamic. Azara didn't say anything, merely glaring at him with a gaze that could easily melt metal.

"Nothing to say?" the warden hummed as Azara remained silent, glancing between the three guards. "Very well," the warden huffed as Azara shifted her glare back to him. "Don't worry, Princess Azara, you won't have to deal with us lowly prison guards for much longer. Your execution date has already been set."

He had hoped to catch a glimpse of fear in Azara's eyes, but the gold reflecting back at him only showed unwavering anger and not an ounce of fear. Growling in frustration, the warden took another step forward towards the cell bars. "But that date can be moved up swiftly, should you not behave in your cell."

Azara remained silent, glaring at the warden as he huffed in frustration. "Fine, rot in here then. We'll see you in a week." The warden and his two guards shuffled out of the room with the door slamming shut behind them.

With them gone, Azara turned back to the window, jumping up and pulling herself up to the window again. Staring up at the moon, Azara's golden eyes caught the moonlight for a moment. She seemed to think something over before lowering herself back down to the ground gently.

Sitting down in the corner of her cell, Azara stared down at the golden band around her wrist. Smiling painfully as she ran a finger over the cactus charm, Azara glanced back up at the moon. "Thank you," she whispered out, her hands resting in her lap.

Moving to turn in for the night, Azara laid out on the small mat provided to her. Laying her head down on the hard pillow, Azara was about to close her eyes and drift off to sleep when she got a sudden headache. Holding her head, Azara clenched her jaw in pain.

"Azara . . ." a voice rasped, causing Azara to sit up suddenly.

"Who's there?" she demanded, glancing around the cell. Nothing moved, and she didn't even dare breathe for a moment as she looked around. Shaking her head, Azara rubbed her temple where the sudden pain had reduced down to a dull ache. "You're just imagining things, Azara," she told herself, shaking her head. "Just get some sleep. You're just stir-crazy."

Without another word, Azara laid down on the mat and drifted off to sleep.

A.N. Just a few things about Book 3 to note before reading further!

1. Book 3 is going to definitely be a darker book than Book 2 or Book 1. However, everything dark or mature that is covered in my version of Book 3 is nothing that ATLA doesn't deal with or address in canon. For example, ATLA covers child abuse with Zuko, which is also addressed in my book. That being said, here's some additional warnings for Book 3 in particular to watch out for:

Potential trigger warnings that are covered/mentioned: child abuse, strong language, violence, mental health issues, light gore, suggestive themes, mental manipulation/brainwashing, abusive relationships, arranged marriages, familial infighting/problems

However, there is absolutely NO sexual abuse or explicit content in this story. Just for the record since some people have asked. The characters are underage, and I just won't write that stuff for them.

I'm not your parent or guardian, but please read at your level of comfort y'all, especially if you are underage! Chapter warnings will be put in place if I feel they're necessary, but please comment if you feel that I'm missing stuff.

2. There will be a bit a skipping around in the beginning, so not every episode of Book 3 will be covered like they were in Books 1 and 2. The chapter titles may be a bit off as a result. Double chapter titles may also pop up to try and clear up the timeline.

3. This symbol (*|*|*|*|*) indicates that the perspective changed like if the story is jumping from Azara back to the Gaang or vice versa.

4. Go check out the lovely ScribbleBee's fanart of Azara on their page!

5. Now that business is out of the way—just a few questions for my lovely readers:

Anyone have a guess as to who the mysterious voice is?

Any OC or other characters from Book 1 or Book 2 in particular that you're interested in seeing again?

Anything else you guys are expecting from Book 3? 

Thank you to everyone for reading this far! Would not be this far along with the story if I didn't have your support! And enjoy the rest of the story!