Azara moved to collect some water to put out the fire as Aang and Katara gathered their belongings. Sokka remained in his sleeping bag next to the campfire. Azara could hear Katara warning Aang about what they might find at the Southern Air Temple, the fact that the Fire Nation had wiped out the airbenders nearly one hundred years ago weighing on all of them.

No one really wanted to be the one to tell Aang explicitly that he was more than likely the last and only airbender left. As Azara poured the water onto the burning embers, Aang jumped down from Appa's head. "Wake up, Sokka! Air Temple, here we come!"

"Ugh, sleep now. Temple later," Sokka mumbled, rolling over and away from Aang. Azara and Katara finished packing their supplies as Aang picked up a stick, walking back over to Sokka's sleeping bag.

"Sokka! Wake up! There's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!" Aang feigned concern, moving the stick up and down Sokka's sleeping bag, freaking out the Water Tribe boy.

"Get it off! Get it off!" Azara hid a laugh behind her hand as Sokka jumped up with his sleeping bag, eventually tripping and falling forwards into the dirt.

"Great! You're awake! Let's go!" Aang called, turning around to hop up onto Appa. A few moments later, Appa took off and they were flying through the air towards the Southern Air Temple.

Azara glanced around at the mountains as Aang excitedly chattered with Katara about the Southern Air Temple. Looking away, Azara thought about the scene they would likely find. She was well aware of how her great grandfather Sozin had sent the Fire Nation Army to wipe out the airbenders, every last one of them. She was told from her very first lesson that Sozin had ushered in a new era of prosperity for the Fire Nation, but conveniently left out the suffering and trauma inflicted on other nations.

Azara glanced up as Sokka complained about being hungry. In the short period of time the four of them had been travelling together, Sokka had not been shy about sharing his distaste for the Fire Nation, and by extension Azara. Katara never said anything directly to her, but she was sure that she didn't necessarily trust her completely either. She was personally not surprised or severely torn up about it, but it made her wonder how Aang would react to her after discovering the truth about the airbenders.

When she had asked her uncle where else she would run to, she was not lying when she believed there was literally no other place on the planet. She was the Fire Nation princess, the descendant of generations of Fire Lords who had nearly burned the world to the ground, committed genocide against the airbenders, and numerous other crimes that Azara was not even aware of. She wouldn't be surprised if the Fire Nation had caused Sokka and Katara pain, especially given the way Sokka was acting.

Sighing, Azara sat cross-legged at the back of the saddle and started to control her breathing to calm her thoughts. Resting her hands on her knees, Azara took a deep breath and let it out, focusing on her balance and posture. Sokka raised an eyebrow at her as he turned around.

"What is she doing?" Katara asked, looking back at Azara as she continued to meditate.

"Probably some Fire Nation mind control trick," Sokka scoffed, glaring at her.

"Despite the fact that you're trying so hard to talk inconspicuously, I can still hear you," Azara stated, opening her eyes slowly with a deadpan expression on her face. "And it's not a mind control trick, it's called meditation."

"You meditate?" Aang questioned, turning around with surprise on his face.

"Of course! The first few weeks of my firebending training was nearly all meditation-based," Azara explained, causing Sokka to roll his eyes. Katara elbowed him in the shoulder as Aang suddenly stood up, pointing towards a mountain in the distance.

"There it is! The Southern Air Temple," Aang smiled, acting like a giddy child. Azara had to remind herself that Aang, despite being the Avatar, was just a child. They all were. Aang pulled Appa's reins towards a small clearing at the base of the settlement. Azara hopped off Appa's back, rubbing his side in appreciation, causing the bison to nudge her.

"Let's make this quick, I'm hungry," Sokka complained, holding his stomach.

"You're always hungry," Azara dismissed, walking past him.

"And you're always moody," he responded, causing Azara to turn around and face him.

"Look I dealt with another grumpy teenage boy for two years straight, I'm not continuing the streak," Azara stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Whatever," Sokka huffed, pushing past her. Azara rolled her eyes before walking in step with Katara up the hill. Aang stopped at the edge of the cliff, staring down at a courtyard.

"That's where the bison used to graze and that's where the monks would mediate. And over there's where my friends and I played air ball," Aang sighed painfully, reminiscing in the past glory of the Southern Air Temple. Azara stared down sadly at the abandoned fields, imaging generations of giddy airbenders running around the area.

"So, this air ball, how do you play?" Sokka asked, stepping forward to try and improve Aang's mood. Aang smiled and dragged Sokka away towards several wooden poles.

"You guys joining?" Aang questioned, looking over his shoulder.

"No, no, you guys have fun!" Azara shook her head, a small smile on her face. Katara led the way around the field as Aang and Sokka prepared for the game.

"What do you think about this place?" Katara inquired, causing Azara to sigh and stare up at the Air Temple.

"I think we're about to find something we don't want to," Azara stated as Katara gasped, pointing to a Fire Nation helmet. Azara recognized it immediately, but Katara covered it with snow before Aang could have the chance to see it.

"He'll have to find out eventually," Azara sighed, staring down at the snow.

"I know, but until then—" Katara's statement was cut off when something heavy crashed into Azara, sending her into the snowbank. Yelling out, Azara turned around to see Sokka laying on her back, the wind knocked out of him from Aang's strike.

"Get off of me!" Azara yelled, trying to move him off of her.

"Give me a second!" Sokka hissed back as he tried to stand up, glaring back at Azara. Aang hurried over to help Sokka up as Katara held out a hand to Azara. Brushing off the snow from her coat, Azara glared at Sokka as he did the same. He opened his mouth to say something, but Katara pushed her brother towards the Air Temple.

Sighing and shaking her head from the remaining snow, Azara walked at the back of the group as Aang led the way up to the temple. She stared up at the structure, amazed at the spires. Stopping for a moment, Azara looked around at the abandoned temple, her thoughts straying to the pain her great grandfather had caused the Air Nation.

Closing her eyes, Azara turned back and followed Aang, Katara, and Sokka, who had stopped in front of a statue of a meditating monk. "Hey guys! I want you to meet somebody!" Aang called, standing in front of the statue with a smile on his face.

"Who's that?"

"Monk Gyatso! The greatest airbender in the world. He taught me everything I know," Aang explained, bowing respectfully in front of the statue.

"You must miss him," Katara spoke softly, placing a hand on his shoulder as he straightened.

"Yeah," he sighed, before walking around the statue and climbing the stairs into the temple.

"Where are you going?"

"The air temple sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet," Aang stated with a determined tone, before walking confidently into the temple. Sokka and Katara shared a concerned look as Azara moved to follow after him, the siblings pulling up the rear.

Turning a corner, Azara stared up at a large door with an intricate design, the Air Nation symbol carved into wood. "But Aang, no one could have survived in there for a hundred years," Katara pointed out as Aang stood in front of the door.

"It's not impossible. I survived in the iceberg for that long," Aang shrugged as Azara nodded.

"He does have a point," she conceded, knowing that it was still highly unlikely that anyone had survived in there for that long. But, anything to do with the Avatar seemed to defy expectations.

"Whoever's in there might help figure out this Avatar thing!" Aang exclaimed, starting to look excited to finally learn what was behind the doors.

"And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious cured meat," Sokka added as Katara and Azara shot him annoyed looks. Sokka ran forwards, trying to open the door, but it would not budge.

"Maybe you have to pull, not push," Azara drawled sarcastically as Sokka grew frustrated at the door, turning to glare at her.

"You don't happen to have a key, do you?" Sokka asked, looking to Aang.

"The key, Sokka, is airbending," Aang responded, getting into an airbending stance. Aang took a deep breath before steppings forwards. He sent two blasts of air into the tubes at the base of the door, causing the three circles in the design to flip around, blowing the air out. The door split and opened, revealing a dark room. "Hello? Anyone home?" Aang called, walking into the dark room.