A/N: **TW** There is an example of an anxiety attack in this chapter (bracketed by *AA*). It's not too detailed.

Hope you all enjoy what I do with the characters in this chapter and let me know what you think.

Word Count: 3805

3. Searching the Lake (A Very Stray Princess)

Azula sat on her throne in the bridge. The ship, with a tank train held below, was completely and hauntingly silent. The usual bantering and bickering of her two friends to distract her from the many voices threatening to overcome her absent.

They'd left in the early hours of the morning after her talk with her father, brother and friends. That had been days ago now, and the relentlessness of travel and the voices meant she was, once again, extremely fatigued.

She was having the previously unknown feeling of thinking that she could've been nicer to Ty Lee. The princess had never felt like that. Usually, her standard fear she created in her friends barely caused her any ill feelings whatsoever.

This time, she felt terrible. And the voices in her head were letting her have it.

She deserves to fear you. She's hiding things from you. She's just trying to be your friend. Is she not your friend?

The traitorously soft and delicate voice, siding with Ty Lee, was beginning to win out. And it was just making the pounding in her head that much worse. Luckily, the ship stopping at the south end of the West Lake gave her something to distract herself with. They were positioned just east of the Great Divide, close enough for a few days journey scouring the shoreline in between there and the Serpent's Pass. Azula remembered the little Kyoshi Warrior girl saying something about meeting Percy there, and it was the only real lead she had.

"I'll be travelling alone, with a mongoose dragon. You will wait here. If I am needed, you will either send a messenger hawk, or fire a cannon high into the air over the lake."

The captain, and most of the crew surrounding her, paused.

"Do you really think that wise, Princess?"

She could feel him shaking as he asked that. Thankfully, it wasn't the same idiotic captain she'd had previously, but she didn't like him questioning her decision and her intelligence.

"Would you like to repeat that, captain? Because I've heard that if you do, there's a lake monster that will readily swallow you whole."

Leaving the threat hanging in the air, she made for the tank train housing her ride. The soldiers surrounding it parted ways, quickly and satisfactorily. Her mongoose lizard seemed happy to leave the cell it was in, and she leapt up onto her saddle.

"Open the ramp, I shall return soon."

She gestured nonchalantly for them to do so. As the ramp clanked to the floor, she kicked her steed into motion and began to search the surroundings of the lake. Tied to the back of it were a set of supplies, tent and food, fit for any royal.

Azula began methodically making her way around the nooks and crannies of the lake. Something in her gut was telling her that he or a clue to his whereabouts could be found there, and she was following it without a second thought. By the time she'd made it around halfway to the pass, by her estimation, the sun was beginning to set.

Not wanting to potentially fight a waterbender at night, with the moon on his side and by a huge lake, she decided it was best to stop for the day.

The princess set about making herself a campsite. That turned out to be much harder than she'd initially expected.

Stupid tent, with the stupid pegs. This is why you need to bring servants with you. It's not royal to do it yourself.

The deep voice seemed to be feeding off her anger quite comfortably.

Throwing her stuff to the ground, tying mongoose lizard to a tree, she nearly sent a blast of fire at the sack. Catching herself in the nick of time, she spun and sent her blast into the lake itself. Watching the steam rise from it gave her a certain calm.

Well, it's not like I was going to be able to sleep anyway.

The threat of marriage and the questions of what she was going to do with the waterbender she was tracking hanging over her head like a bad storm.

So, instead of attempting to put up a tent in the fading light, she pulled some kindling from the surrounding forest and set herself up a little fire. It was certainly much easier to light than the tent was to build.

As the night progressed, and her thoughts delved deeper and deeper into the situation she'd been plunged into, Azula began to see a face forming in the fire. The longer she looked at it, the more she thought she saw her father's harsh golden eyes bearing down on her. Those eyes that held such strength and power, the ones she wanted to make proud.

Looking down at her hands, she realised they were shaking and fiddling with her nails. Her pristine nails. Picking at her hand, scratching herself with them. Clenching her palms.

I've got to stop this.

The princess turned away from the warmth to look out to the big expanse of the lake. She'd forgotten just how big it looked since she'd been here last. Granted, the last time here had been under different circumstances.

Although to the same end… surprisingly.

She looked to the water just a few feet in front of her, only to see yet another face staring up at her. This time, however, it was her mother's. Once more, it appeared on the thin, mirror-like sheen of the lake, with the moon high above her shoulder.

As soon as Azula heard the humming, her eyes began to droop again. She decided enough was enough. The firebender wouldn't sit and deal with all this going on. Not in addition to the voices screaming at her for her past decisions, or future decisions. Or pretty much everything. And especially not for the traitor who thinks I'm a monster.

She spent the rest of the night practicing firebending forms, and her perfection of them. Azula hadn't forgotten how her fire hadn't turned blue around Percy, nor had she forgotten the lack of perfection she'd had when last fighting him.

Not actually creating any fire, the blue was a little too distinctive in such a dark environment, she toiled away. Before she knew it, due to the annoying voices keeping her company, along with Lo and Li's instructions echoing in her head, the sun rose on the new day.

Quickly, and not to lose any time, she threw her stuff back in her sack, before untying the lizard. The princess then returned to her searching.

In the scorching sun south of the lake, she began to slow her progress. Stopping for water every now and then, also reminding herself that she should probably feed the lizard, she kept going.

Just when the mountains of the Serpent's Pass began looming over her, much larger, with woods off to her right, she heard the clanging of something up ahead.

Azula slowed down her ride, before jumping off quietly and tying it up again. As she was moving closer to the sound, a tree fell from in front of her. Moving quickly, she hid behind a gaggle of bushes. Whoever it was, they weren't exactly being quiet about their position. Maybe it's not Percy then. That was before she heard the voice.

"I know. I know. I'll make you a room too. Alright?"

That's his voice! She forced herself to remain awake. Azula despised how even just hearing him seemed to make her sleepy. Like the still waters of the pond, or the crashing of waves on the side of the lake. Well, he's talking to someone. Maybe this might be a bit difficult.

Azula waited for the reply, needing more information before she went into a potential fight. She got nothing, although she did hear some chittering and squawking that sounded somewhat familiar. Oh, don't tell me…

Peaking between the branches, making as little sound as she could, she spied the thing she'd been trying to find. Only, what he was doing just puzzled her completely. Her face contorted in confusion. Her eyes wide in disbelief.

There was a clearing, near a cave, that had a raised platform of compacted earth with steps leading up to it. There were a few logs strung together and held by who-knows-what that seemed to be the beginnings of a wall.

And of course, he's talking to that ostrich horse. As though he could understand it! She did remember him blatantly ignoring the topic when she'd questioned him so long ago, although it had been more of a question to show how stupid he was being talking to an animal.

But what surprised her more, was that he was standing over a tree stump, swinging what looked to be a makeshift axe, and chopping wood into long sections. Sections very similar to the ones that stood like a wall. The axe seemed to be held together with reeds.

Azula found it hard to connect this man, with the one who'd created a storm in the catacombs, destroying an army of earthbenders. He seemed overwhelmingly normal, and peaceful. With his ragged earth kingdom robes she'd seen him in at Ba Sing Se, and the axe, he wouldn't at all be out of place in any of the now conquered rural Earth Kingdom towns.

Without realising, she had drifted into the clearing with light footsteps. Approaching the waterbender in a sort of trance. Not even the ostrich horse had recognised her presence, and she kept going. The princess was only a dozen or so yards away from the two before she decided maybe she should make her presence known.

Kill him. It would be so easy. It would make your father so proud. NO! We need answers. We also need, we need…

She found herself grabbing at insignificant reasons to not kill him, which surprised her even more.

The princess looked at him, noticing how relaxed and unguarded his posture was. He obviously hadn't noticed her and she felt slightly proud.

"What are you doing?" She said.

Azula meant it more scathingly, but it came out as amused. Much to the annoyance of the deeper voice.

Percy leapt into the air. Well, at least I know I can startle him if I want. He turned to her in a very tense way. His muscles were coiled, poised and ready to attack or defend himself. It was contrasted by the casualness of how Azula was holding herself, desperately pushing away the need to slouch due to tiredness.

She heard the ostrich horse squawk at her, not appearing to like her arrival at all.

"Princess." He hissed, in the scathing tone that she'd wanted to use on him before.

And oh how she hated it. The venom in that one word ripped at every fibre of her mind, pulling itself apart in the need to have him take back what he'd said. Azula tried not to show how affected she was by it.

"Yes?"

Azula wondered what exactly had him speaking to her like that. Before, even after taking all of Ba Sing Se, even after locking him in a cell, he still hadn't spoken to her like that. Brashly, yes. Rudely, yes. Unbecoming of a peasant. Yes. But never like that.

"You killed a child!" He yelled at her, answering her question in just the way she didn't want.

All the regretful emotions and cracks that had built up just flushed open. Her eyes twitched and she just knew pain shone through. Azula also knew Percy saw it, based on his hesitation to attack her. But that was at the back of the princess' mind at the moment.

Her heart pounded, faster and more irregularly. Her clenched fists dug her nails into her palms, drawing some blood. Not that she noticed. Azula felt like she could collapse at any moment, so she did the only thing she could think of.

She turned and ran. Up the shoreline and into the denser forest, leaving behind a confused man and his ostrich horse.

Percy just stood there. He knew what he saw. Despite the indignant shouting from his ostrich horse, he couldn't help but be confused.

'She scares me. You said she killed a kid? I'm not surprised. She seems like the type.' Percy looked at his companion with a raised eyebrow. 'What? Evil bitchy princess.'

Percy shook his head at her.

'I'm just saying.'

He was once again reminded why he'd searched his surroundings for any kind of soap-equivalent to wash out her mouth.

It was nearing midday, and he had been in a comfortable rhythm of building his new lodging before the princess' arrival. This was around the time he'd usually take a break from construction and either do some hunting, or exploring the lake. The activities distracting himself from his thoughts and allowing him to process them respectively. At least, in the week or so he'd spent by the lakeside that's how he'd used his time.

He'd been able to compartmentalise some of his situation as well. Being in a new world, with the loss of his girlfriend and then all the drama and questing to and in Ba Sing Se, he was thankful he had this time. Not to mention coming to terms with the battle he'd fought below the city. He still saw the Dai Li sometimes in his sleep, haunting him. But Azula just had to interrupt that. Right when he was distracted by those memories and Hei the ostrich horse.

Now though, he was curious. What was the princess doing here, and why wasn't she trying to kill him? He'd assumed the answer to the first question was in the second question, to kill him. But that clearly hadn't happened. And he'd definitely seen the pain and regret in her eyes. It wasn't dissimilar to the concern he'd seen in her gaze back in the cells of Ba Sing Se.

Percy decided it was in his best interest, and would satiate his curiosity, if he were to follow the path of the obviously disturbed princess. So that's what he did. Following the traipsing footmarks of her royal boots down the shoreline and into the thicker forest along the water's edge. He was trailed cautiously by his still unnamed ostrich horse, who trotted along a few feet behind him. She seemed to be the more intelligent of the two, as Percy realised he wasn't really attempting any kind of stealth or subtlety.

Something told him he wouldn't exactly need it though.

After a few minutes, the footsteps looked to be moving, or more likely stumbling, in a zigzag pattern across the ground. Not too long after that, Percy heard the quick and laboured breathing of Azula. It didn't take too long for him to diagnose the situation.

She's having… an anxiety attack? He was genuinely surprised by that. She didn't seem the type to have something like that. Although, granted, it could really happen to anyone. And she wasn't exactly the self-assured princess he'd met in Omashu.

As he approached, a lot more callously than he'd done with his friends back at camp who'd had them often, not to mention Annabeth, she heard him and her gaze snapped straight to his figure.

"Get away from me!" She lashed out, flinging her arm in an arc, creating a similar shape in fire.

Right as Percy was dragging water out of the lake to protect himself, his ostrich horse jumped in the way. He was so surprised by it that he almost forgot that he had to protect the both of them now. Just in time, water collapsed around the arc of fire, fizzling it out into nothing but steam.

Percy heard the princess mutter, "Stupid loyal ostrich horse." As she turned away from him.

Interesting. She is quite loyal, isn't she? He looked at her quite proudly.

"Good girl." He muttered to her, stroking her neck as he went passed. Percy then turned his eyes on the princess.

She was turtling, pulling her legs close in together and shuddering. Her eyes were completely unfocused and sweat beaded down her forehead. Azula's hands shook, and it looked as though she was desperately trying to hold them together, to stop them from doing just that.

So that is what triggered it? The kid? The princess does have a conscience. I think I know exactly who's responsible for trying to destroy it though.

Understanding what it was, he just turned and sat down against a tree opposite her. His ostrich horse coming and sitting curled up beside him, keeping a wary eye on the princess for him. Not that it was necessary, he was already watching her carefully. And she wasn't getting better any time soon.

"I find it helpful to focus on my breathing. And to take deep breaths." He said calmly, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

He could feel the heated glare on him, but Percy didn't react. It wouldn't do anything to help at this stage. And she'd either accept his help, or reject it and be stuck in the attack until she figured out her own way out. He was just going to sit there.

The demigod just began counting out loud. Doing so methodically, from 1 and slowly working his way up. A way he'd practiced with Annabeth post-Tartarus, and then helped some of their worse off friends. It didn't always work, but it was usually a good start.

Whilst he was counting, finding it very therapeutic and almost nostalgic, wow, what does that say about me that I'm finding nostalgia and homesickness in anxiety attacks, he began to think of the animal curled up next to him.

She was extremely loyal, so much so that she stayed by the lake for so long without him returning. Granted that could've been for the food, or it could've been because she really enjoyed swearing at him profusely. An argument could be made that, in a similar way to Blackjack, saving her from the bad situation she was in meant she felt indebted to him. But Percy didn't think so. He was starting to appreciate just how loyal she was to him.

She did follow the whole tank train after I was recaptured too. Maybe she could be called loyalty. His mind threw back to the general on the wall of Ba Sing Se, and his terrible Na Sing Se joke that he didn't get. Well, if they can name things after traits, why can't I?

Now, he didn't want to call her 'loyalty'. That seemed a bit too on the nose, especially after the 'Hope' experience. But these people used a language that he didn't understand, and he was feeling particularly petty after spending so much time looking at their odd letters. Now, what about loyalty in a language they don't understand? He laughed to himself. It was stupid, but he liked it.

The only other language he knew was Ancient Greek. Well, Eusebeia was the closest he could think of. The Ancient Greek concept of loyalty. But he didn't particularly like that for his ostrich horse. She didn't seem like an Eusebeia. Much too nice a name for her.

He was saved by his fatal flaw though. Not the actual application of it, but hearing about it so often. He remembered a time when Annabeth had been randomly looking up the Greek translation of his flaw, just to get on his nerves one day. He'd been particularly annoying to her, and she'd gotten back at him in kind.

He stopped counting, realising he was well into the fifties. Percy looked over to the princess to see her breathing had calmed a lot. It was mostly deeper and she wasn't shaking as much.

The demigod looked over to his loyal steed.

"Afosiosi." That got her attention. The ostrich horse looked at him. "For your name. What about Afosiosi?"

Her beak jutted out proudly and she ruffled her feathers happily, curling further into his side. Clearly she likes the name then. Percy thought with a smile. He looked up to the sky. The sun shone brightly through the scattering of leaves above them but he could see the blue vastness of it quite easily. The blonde halo of the sun reminded him of his past love and he could almost see her smiling down at him.

"So you'll be able to annoy me for a little longer." He whispered up to the sky. His hand went to the back of the newly named Afosiosi and he patted her some more.

I'm probably going to have to shorten that to something. Fosi? Siosi? Sio? Si? Eh I'll figure it out.

As he lazily petted Siosi, Percy looked back over to the princess. She was no longer curled up into a ball, and was just looking at him confusedly.

Oh how I do enjoy that face of hers.

Deciding that his time was better spent elsewhere, and that the princess didn't deserve any kind of sympathy, he got up to leave. Azula had, for all intents and purposes, killed Aang. He'd been dead, before that 'spirit water' had saved him.

Percy still wasn't sure what had happened there. Probably something to do with the Avatar.

He felt Azula's eyes on him, as he and Siosi trotted back towards his burgeoning home.

The princess really didn't know what to do. She sat by the edge of the water, with the tree at her back, watching the man who'd stopped her from collapsing in on herself. Or at least, that's what it felt like.

She hadn't had a feeling like that before, ever. And she absolutely hated it. Every bit of it. From all the voices overcoming her, to the uncontrollable shaking, to the heart palpitations that made her feel like she was going to explode. Everything that just happened made Azula both terrified and confused. The two things she most hated being.

The loss of control over her own body was startling. She'd never heard of anyone having any such problems. Especially not any kind of royal. And Percy seemed experienced in them. How? What were they? What could she do to stop them?! Did they… do they make me less deserving of being the Fire Lord?

She felt the beginnings of it start to return. Azula decided that it might be best not to think about that last part if it was going to make her feel that way again.

Begrudgingly, she realised she was going to have to get more answers from the annoying waterbender who'd decided to help her out.

Just in case it happens again… yeah. Only that reason.

A/N: Slightly short chapter this one. The beginnings of the external breakdown of Azula. Also got the name for the ostrich horse now, thank you to WildMan98 for that. Had to find an appropriate story reason for the name, and I think it suits her. Percy, with his experience and understanding I feel had an appropriate reaction to the meeting whilst still being his usual kind person. Also had a bit more of Azula's mindset on all the problems that are piling themselves around her. And Percy is learning more about what she's actually struggling with. Hope you enjoyed!

Some review replies:

CRUDEN: His roots will spread in the world, much like his friendships. Hope you enjoy what I do with all of them as they're becoming the reasons he's accepting his place in the different world.

WildMan98: Thank you! And for the name too. Percy will continue to surprise people, including Azula with his Poseidon-ish powers.

A-gods-flame: I feel like they are kinda the 'golden trio' of atla too, but there are a whole bunch of reasons. First and foremost in this chapter being that I don't think Azula would've been as open to showing that kind of vulnerability if she still had her friends with her. The lack of any connection to the Fire Nation is what I think is most important to her growth. Plus a whole bunch of other reasons. Percy will interact with more and more of the characters that he's met as we continue, but for now, he's by the lake.
Thank you and you stay safe too

6to17: You're very close, but just slightly off. I like that it's coming across through my writing though. There are more than two, just thought I should say without spoiling. And whenever there is no description of the italicised voice, it's just her 'own' voice. The traitorous/soft/gentle voice though, that is the manifestation of someone else's voice, much like the bold is.

HellRaiderS/Iamironman15/Jctherebel/Death Fury: Thank you all, and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.

Gabe1234: I'm happy you liked it. Azula's arc continues a bit further in this. You're answers will come very soon, without spoiling anything, you're quite close. Where she's slipping though, that's definitely going to be decided by what's to come. Hope you enjoyed this new chapter!

thickneck: Well I hope you liked what I ended up doing with it. It happened to be none of what you thought, which I think is good, love to at least surprise people in a good way when writing. Keeps you on your toes. It wasn't as much a philosophical talk as it was a psychological understanding. Hope you enjoy what I continue to do with the characters!

As always, hope you enjoyed and next chapter will be out just as soon.

-PS