A/N: First of all, I apologize for how long this chapter took. Finals took priority, and Azula just kind of doesn't like me writing her or something, as she was being difficult. Secondly, the new episode on Friday may have made this story impossible…so it's AU now but I don't care. I like it anyway, and I'm going to finish it. Also, I'm stubbornly sticking to my spellings for the names of Azula's friends. I know technically they are Ty Lee and Mei, but I like Tai Li and Mae better. That is all.

Chapter 3: Azula's Dilemma

"Katara! KATARA!"

Zuko looked up at Sokka's yell, seeing the situation on the bridge for the first time. All he could see was Sokka hanging there and screaming his sister's name into the chasm below him. It took him a second to process what it meant.

He glanced over at Aang to see the young Avatar had frozen in place, his breathing coming in short ragged gasps as he stared at the bridge with wide eyes. One of the archers that he'd been fighting lifted his weapon to attack him, but as his weapon got close Aang's tattoos and eyes began to glow.

"Great," Zuko muttered, ducking at the last second as a sudden blast of wind began to move the air around him. Several of the archers that had been attacking him were knocked instantly to the ground as the young Avatar began to lash out at them with his airbending. Zuko frowned and glanced over at the bridge. It was swinging in the sudden wind, but Sokka didn't seem to be making any effort to get off before the rope he was holding snapped. He appeared to still be yelling, even though Zuko couldn't hear him anymore.

"Aang!" Zuko yelled. "Stop! You're going to make it worse!"

Aang, who was now attacking the remaining archers, didn't seem to hear him at all. Zuko groaned inwardly and looked around. He saw one of the fallen archers had a rope attached to his belt. Crawling over, he grabbed it and knotted it around his waist. He then tied it around a near-by-tree, and struggled to make his way through the crosswinds.

Once he'd reached the edge of the canyon, he swung around so he was inching along the top of the bridge, hands on the rope and feet on the now vertical wood, and looking down into the mist below. The bridge was swinging wildly beneath him, and Zuko had to hold on with a white-knuckle grip.

"You better appreciate this, peasant," Zuko growled through his teeth. Moving a little at a time, Zuko inched over to where Sokka was still barely hanging.

Zuko shifted his weight slightly, tightening his hold on the rope with his right hand, and lowering his left down toward the boy beneath him.

"Take my hand," Zuko yelled down.

"Katara, no!" Was the only response he got. Whether it was because Sokka couldn't hear him over the wind or because he was too lost in the moment to pay attention to him, Zuko didn't know.

"Peasant," he snapped, leaning down as far as he dared. "I'm trying to save you again. Take my hand!"

Sokka didn't respond at all this time, and his hand slid a few centimeters down the rope. Angry now, Zuko made an attempt to grab onto the other boy's ponytail.

"Sokka! Take. My. Hand!"

That got Sokka's attention. He looked genuinely surprised to see Zuko as he looked up at the older boy.

"Take it," Zuko said, stretching his fingers down. Almost numbly, Sokka reached up with his uninjured limb and took hold of Zuko's hand. As soon as their hands locked, the wind died down. Zuko glanced over to see Aang, now alone, collapse onto his knees.

Zuko pulled Sokka up, and together the two boys climbed back across. Once they were on solid ground, Sokka sat down heavily and pulled his knees up to his chest.

"What happened?" Zuko demanded as Momo ran over to Sokka and gently nuzzled the boy's hand with his head. "What where you thinking? I told you that bridge was dangerous! I told you it wouldn't hold! I told you we had to hurry! What where you doing still on it?"

"Zuko, stop," Aang demanded, looking at Sokka with some distress. Zuko took a good look for the first time too, and was a bit taken a back when he was that Sokka's eyes were closed tight, and tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"It's all my fault. I couldn't save her. I couldn't hold on."

Aang looked up at Zuko tearfully as well, and Zuko sighed. Running his hand through his hair, the fire bending teen finally looked at Aang evenly.

"Nothing is for sure yet. Can you fly down there and look for her?"

Aang nodded, grabbing his glider and running toward the edge.

A few miles down stream, where the canyon tapered off into a low valley, a small tent was set up beside a tree. Underneath the tree knelt a girl in red armor, her dark hair pulled back away from her face.

Princess Azula of the fire nation was meditating as she watched the golden dawn light reflected on the river. She took a deep breath in through her nose, and exhaled quietly through her mouth. It was a standard exercise, but she found it helpful in the early morning to gather her strength for the day.

Why don't I have them yet? I've been searching since spring, and I do not have the Avatar, my uncle, or my…

"Surprise!"

Azula didn't jump, or show any outward sign that Tai Li had startled her, but her heart was racing a bit as her amber eyes snapped open to meet the grey eyes of her friend.

"Good morning, Tai Li," Azula said, forcing a smile onto her face. "Why are you up so early?"

"Mae and I are going to make you breakfast," Tai Li said with a grin. "Because we know what day it is."

"Oh really," Azula said dryly, deciding to play along. "And what day is that?"

Tai Li grinned at her, "why it's your sixteen birthday! Surely you haven't forgotten."

Azula had forgotten. Completely. With having to track everyone, she wasn't sure what day of the week it was, never mind what day of the month. Not, of course, that she would let anyone know that.

"I haven't forgotten," she said confidently. "I just didn't feel the need to bring it up."

"Why wouldn't you?" Mae asked, walking over to the pair. "If we were in the Fire Nation today, you'd be having a big celebration right now. A breakfast truly worthy of the Princess of the Fire nation as she comes of age."

That's right, Azula thought bitterly. I'm of marrying age now. I'll bet the noble men are most disappointed I'm not there to have my father choose my husband. Zuko always said he'd have to approve the choice…

The thought of her brother stopped Azula's thoughts instantly. She had long ago trained herself to do that- after Zuko's banishment when the Fire Lord had told her to forget everything he'd ever done for her. Told her that the nice things Zuko had done had all been an act so he could later convince her to over throw the Fire Lord.

She would not betray her father. Never.

"I'll go get some water," Tai Li said, jumping to her feet, "and we'll have boiled eggs for breakfast. Doesn't that sound great?"

Azula and Mae didn't respond, but Tai Li didn't seem to expect them to. She walked over to the tent and picked up the bucket before heading toward the river's edge.

"I apologize that there aren't greater festivities for today, Princess Azula," Mae said, looking over at her companion. Azula smiled slightly at her.

"It's alright, Mae. We'll have all the festivities we need when we capture my brother and the Avatar."

Before Mae could respond to that, Tai Li let out a squeal.

"There's someone in the water!"

Mae and Azula both looked over at their energetic friend in time to see her wading into the water to get whatever she had seen. Azula looked at Mae, who simply shrugged.

They watched as Tai Li grabbed something they couldn't see clearly and dragged it toward the shore. Narrowing her eyes against the early morning light that was trickling into the valley, Azula managed to make out a long brown braid and a blue dress.

"It's the girl that travels with the Avatar," she said, getting to her feet and walking toward the shoreline as Tai Li dragged the limp girl onto the sand.

"Is she dead?" Tai Li asked, shaking the excess water out of her chestnut locks.

Azula reached down, her fingers expertly searching for a pulse. She found it, though it was weak. She shook her head at Tai Li. "She's alive, but barely."

"What do you want us to do with her?" Mae asked, reaching into her robe to pull out a dagger. Tai Li held up a hand to stop her.

"She might know where the Avatar is."

"The Avatar wouldn't have let her get into a state like this," Mae pointed out reasonably. "They must have split up."

"We won't know for sure until she wakes up," Azula said, standing up and walking back toward her spot under the tree. "Tie her up, but be sure that she's comfortable. It'll be much easier if she's…cooperative."

Zuko sighed mentally as he saw Aang approaching them again. The look on the monk's face meant anything but good news. He stepped back from the edge so Aang could land. Aang folded up his glider with a one handed spin before walking slowly over to Sokka. Zuko could see his eyes were red from crying as he knelt in front of the water tribe teen.

"Sokka?" He whispered, his grey eyes seeking the other boy's. Sokka looked up blurrily, his eyes not seeming to really focus on Aang. Aang bit his lip and stuck out his hand. Zuko could see blue ribbon sticking out the sides of his clench fist as he laid it in Sokka's palm. "I'm sorry…this was all I could find."

Aang pulled back his hand to reveal Katara's necklace now lying softly on Sokka's palm. Sokka didn't say anything as he clenched his fist around it, though fresh tears came to his eyes.

Zuko swallowed, looking up at the sky for a moment before walking over to Sokka's side and kneeling down beside him. "We need to move on. We have a mission we have to complete."

Sokka said nothing, and made no motion to move, so Aang spoke up softly.

"It's what Katara would have wanted."

Sokka looked at his closed fist before nodding and trying to stand. No sooner had he stood, however, than he swayed on his feet. Zuko reached out a hand to steady him, and pulled back when it in came in contact with something wet, warm, and sticky. He looked down at his hand to find it was covered in blood.

Surprised, he looked at Sokka before pulling Sokka's arm toward him. He hadn't seen it earlier, but there was clearly a deep gash on Sokka's arm near his shoulder. A deep gash that had the skin around it starting to turn black.

"Aang," Zuko said with forced calm. "I need one of the arrows they were shooting at us."

Confused, but knowing better than to question the Fire Prince, Aang ran a few feet away and got an intact arrow. He brought it to Zuko, who took it from him carefully. Running his fingers across the flat part of the arrow's head, Zuko pulled his fingers away to find them coated in a black powder.

"Poison," he said, bending down to wipe his fingers on the grass. "Just a little of this stuff will knock down a tiger-eagle. We need to get him to a village. Now."