Yo, here's the next chapter. And so no one gets confused I'm changing the dates so there's more time until Aang has to fight the Fire Lord. More time will make more sense for how this and the next chapter or two will go. Anyway, please enjoy!

Appa landed out of sight on the island that hosted the infamous prison, Boiling Rock. Azula had agreed to rescue Suki in exchange for the deal she and the Avatar had made. Personally, she didn't really care about the girl in question. It was just part of the agreement she made to help her attain the throne.

Gracefully she slid down Appa's side and landed firmly on the ground. She turned back to see the three staring at her suspiciously and truthfully, she couldn't blame them. She would be skeptical if she made a deal with a clone of herself too.

In a tone that bordered on overconfidence, Azula told her plan to them. "Avatar, you and your misfits will wait here until I return with the girl. It should only be an hour or so. Maybe two at most. Are we clear?"

The only thing that was clear to the three of them was that they couldn't really trust Azula. Not after everything that had happened. They weren't currently enemies but that could change at any moment. Sokka was the first to respond to her.

"So how exactly are you going to get her? You expect to just walk in and they'll hand her to you?"

"Yes." Azula replied curtly without a hint of hesitation. Seeing the slack jawed expression that all three gave her, she decided to explain in a little more detail in a self-assured manner. "I'm the princess of the Fire Nation. They'll do as I say. And don't worry; my own ambition to sit on the throne is greater than my loyalty to my father. I'm not going to betray you."

Aang's eyebrow twitched a little from her how she tried to reassure them. "Right…" Aang said in disbelief. "If you're not back here in two hours, or we see people coming, we're going to assume you betrayed us and we're leaving."

In response Azula waved them off, acting like there wasn't anything to worry about. "Whatever you say, Avatar. I won't dawdle. I'll be back soon with the girl." As she finished her sentence, she began walking away from the group towards the prison.

She knew they were watching her as she walked away, waiting to see if she would break out in a full run to escape. The thought did cross her mind but was quickly banished. Azula didn't expect them to trust her, but she was going to help them. Not because it was the right thing to do but because she was simply setting the game up so she would come out the winner no matter who won between her father and the Avatar.

After about fifteen minutes, she managed to hike her way to the only staircase on the small volcanic island. Reaching the top only took another few minutes of walking until the guards spotted her.

Both of the guards looked at her slightly confused before one asked, "Aren't you the daughter of the Fire Lord, Princess Azula? What are you doing here?"

Her lips curled into a coy grin from the recognition. The sound of footsteps traveled to her ears until another man stepped in between the two guards. Azula recognized him as Mai's uncle. He gave her a surprised look before becoming neutral.

"Yes, what is the daughter of the Fire Lord doing here, at my humble prison?"

The man was the warden of the prison; that much she knew. What she also knew was that he had a passion or better yet, a downright obsession with preventing prisoners from escaping. Azula almost laughed at the irony; he was going to help her free one of his prisoners.

Instead she kept up her usual demeanor and replied, "I'm here for a prisoner. You are going to release her to me and I'll be on my way. Please do hurry, because I have other matters to attend to."

The warden stared at her a few moments before nodding reluctantly to her. "Alright, please follow me." He walked over to the cable car that was the only way down into the prisoner in the middle of the volcano. Azula followed with a triumphant smirk from getting her way.

As the cable car crossed the lake of boiling water surround the prison, the warden began to speak boastfully about it. "This is the most secure prison in the Fire Nation. Many have tried to escape. None have succeeded." He turned to see that Azula was barely paying attention to him and yet he continued.

"We house all sorts of criminals. From common thieves to deserters... We even have prisoners of war and of course our own… traitors." The warden glanced at Azula as he finished his boasting to see that she still wasn't listening.

Scratching his chin he looked at her and commented, "I had thought that you were captured by the Avatar."

That caught her attention, as her eyes shifted over to match his stare. With her arms crossed she replied sharply, "I was. But I escaped. This prisoner will help me find them."

The warden continued staring at her without any emotion before shrugging. "Well I'm glad you escaped. We received word from the Fire Lord about that nasty situation. We already interrogated a few prisoners that knew the Avatar to see if they could disclose any useful information about his whereabouts."

This time, Azula shrugged before responding. "I'm fine now. Let's just get this over with so I can leave this hellhole."

The cable car stopped as it arrived at the prison's main door. The warden continued to stare at her a few more moments before nodding. "Glad you're safe… Princess. Just follow me and you shall leave shortly."

Azula nodded as she followed him through the doors. He walked down the hallway and led her to an office with a clerk filing some paperwork. "I'm afraid I have other matters to attend. Our clerk here will help you find the paperwork for the prisoner you seek." The warden stepped by the clerk and whispered something into his ears, causing his eyes to widen and him to stare at Azula. Quickly he nodded and the warden left the two alone.

Azula watched him leave and rolled her eyes. That man is so proud of his little rock. How pitiful that he takes so much joy out ruling over these prisoners with an iron fist. But I suppose it's expected of someone who has never had a taste of royalty. He's just a pawn on a board that I'm going to rule.

Glancing at the clerk made her roll her eyes again. Bet he told him I'm the princess of the Fire Nation. This guy is just staring at me. Fear or respect? I don't really care… As long as he knows his place. Coughing into her hand to alert the man in front of her she spoke, "Are you going to find the information for my prisoner or not?"

The man's eyes grew wide before he began to nod furiously. "Y-yes! Sorry, I didn't think this would ever happen!"

Again a smirk crossed her face from the recognition. "Yes, I suppose lowborn such as you would be in reverence of royalty." Azula's tone shifted from pretention to one of irritation. "Get over it and hurry up, I don't have all day. The prisoner's name is Suki."

The clerk nodded frightened from Azula's change of demeanor and began shifting through files rapidly. A few minutes passed before he spoke. "Yes… Yes here we go. Suki from Kyoshi Island, Earth Kingdom. Got it." He stood up with the prisoner's papers and handed them to Azula.

"Just need you to sign on the dotted lines on those first three pages."

Azula nodded as she signed the papers to take Suki into her custody. The clerk took them and point at the door. "The guards will take you to her. Sh-she's out in the yard," he said nervously.

She looked at him with a raised brow. This coward seems nervous. I guess I just radiate an aura that is meant to be feared and respected. With a roll of her eyes she turned away from the clerk and stepped back into the hallway. Outside the door were several guards who led her outside to the yard.

The guards formed a protective sphere around her, with three in front and three more behind her. Guess the warden doesn't want to take any chances with my safety. Whatever makes him feel better I suppose.

Finally the lead guard opened a door as rays of light flooded the hallway. Azula stepped out to see the yard that the prisoners were all either standing or sitting in. Her predatory eyes began searching through the crowd before she caught sight of Suki. Raising her finger she pointed, "That's her. Bring her so I can leave."

Two of the guards nodded and marched over to where Suki was leaning against a wall. Confusion was evident on her face as they practically dragged her over to Azula. Suki looked at Azula before her expression turned to anger. "You…"

In a mocking gesture, Azula used her hand to flip her hair back. "Yes, it's me. You're in my custody now. So be a dear and don't struggle while we leave."

At that moment she heard footsteps behind her, causing her to turn and see the warden step beside her. "Yes. You can finally leave… By the way, where will my guards escort you and your prisoner to? There haven't been any boats at our only dock on the island all day…"

Thinking quickly Azula responded, "We came in covertly on another part of the island. I didn't want to chance the Avatar seeing me arrive here and leave with one of his comrades." Azula mentally scolded herself for the absurdity of the excuse. Why didn't I think of that? Of course he'd wonder how I got here.

A few tense seconds passed as the warden glared at Azula suspiciously. She tried to look indifferent, but a bead of sweat began to form on Azula's forehead because she thought he was on to her ruse. Time went by agonizingly slow until he sighed.

"I suppose you're right, Princess. Enemies could be an anywhere. Can't chance any potential threats."

He fell for it. What a fool. I have to remember to replace him when I become Fire Lord.

The warden stepped between Suki and Azula with a distant look on his face as he scratched his chin. With a shrug he addressed his men. "Well, as I instructed you earlier, take the prisoner."

"That is quite alright. I can manage her alone." Azula said. She didn't want them to follow her to her getaway, the flying bison. That and see that she was cooperating with the Avatar for the time being.

Spinning around the warden looked at Azula with a skeptical eye. "Yes, I understand. Don't want to attract attention from any flying bison, would we?" He then motioned to the guards who responded instantly. The two guards holding Suki threw her back towards the crowd of people as two behind Azula each grabbed one of her arms and pulled them behind her back.

In a startled and angry tone she hissed, "What are you doing? My father will have your head!"

The warden just looked at her indifferently, as if she was no different than any of the other prisoners. In a patronizing fashion he replied, "Yes, your father, the Fire Lord… I think he would be surprised to see you working with the Avatar."

She struggled against the two men holding her as she tried to break their grasps. "Are you insane? I'm not working with the Avatar!"

The warden simply held up his hand to silence her. "Just stop. You're lying. My men spotted you before you even landed. We saw you conversing with the Avatar atop that wretched beast."

Azula glared daggers at the man for being caught. What she thought would be a walk in the park was her actually walking into a trap. "You knew." Azula said bitterly.

This time the warden smiled from the omission. "As we speak some of my men are racing over to capture the Avatar. It won't be long now."

A split moment passed as Azula sulked down in defeat. However, it did not last long as she stood tall with a snarled grin on her face. "Well it appears you bested me warden. Yes I agreed to help the Avatar because he captured me. Now you have me so there is no need to help him anymore."

Her grin passed as she saw a sadistic grin go from ear to ear on his face. "I don't know what's more disturbing. One, you think I'm that foolish? Or two, you are telling the truth and I'll have to tell your father that your loyalty isn't committed fully to him; that you changed sides even for a moment. Or three, which I think is the likely case. You're playing both sides to attain something."

Azula returned a scowl at him that made his smile larger. "That's it, isn't it? Hit the nail on the head. But I wonder… What more could a princess want that she doesn't already have? I would guess it's the throne?"

Hearing the accusations towards her made her snap as she pulled an arm free and dropped herself to throw the other guard over her shoulder. More guards came to quell her, not giving her an inch to firebend. As she continued to grapple for her freedom, the warden continued.

"You're really defensive. Must be some truth in my words. We're going to put you in a cell until we hear back from the Fire Lord. Not sure what he'll do though. You may be his daughter but you are a traitor. Oh well. Guards, take her to a single cell."

Aang lay on his back lazily watching the clouds above. Azula hadn't been gone long but he was still worried. Worried that she would betray them and not help Suki get out. A part of him wanted her to get caught though, just so she would be punished. He wasn't proud of the idea but he accepted it as his true feelings.

If it was just to break out random people, he would probably tell the guards himself. He felt ashamed that he resented and held so much bitterness towards Azula and her family but it was because of Katara. If they hadn't been so brutal… Aang felt like something in him broke that night and knew that he might not ever be the same.

The voice of Toph rocked him out of his thoughts. "Guys! There's a bunch of guys coming our way. I think Azula backstabbed us."

Both Sokka and Toph climbed up onto Appa, angry for the betrayal.

"Told you we couldn't trust her Aang. Now we'll never get Suki." Sokka said intensely.

Aang just nodded in agreement. He wanted to see the good in Azula and give her a chance. Even if her brother killed Katara. She had only agreed to train him for her own personal gain, but that was a step in the right direction away from her father. Perhaps some people can't change or atone…

With a heavy heart Aang commanded Appa to take them into the sky. They flew up high rapidly to escape whatever danger was coming their way. Appa flew up and over the volcano so they could see the prison themselves. They were high enough to avoid any potential danger, but low enough to see the people in the courtyard of the prison.

Sokka peaked over and his jaw dropped, prompting Aang to go over to him to look as well. His jaw dropped two, confusing Toph.

"Guys, what are you seeing? What is it?"

Gulping in astonishment, Sokka managed to say, "A-Azula?"

"Azula what?" Toph said impatiently.

With his eyes as large as saucers, Aang finished Sokka's sentence. "Azula is struggling against the guards…"

At that moment, Azula looked up and locked eyes with Aang. Their stare seemed to go for eons before Appa took them out of sight. Aang sat in the saddle a few moments before placing his face in his hands.

"She didn't betray us… I was wrong…"

Toph sat and pondered what she heard for a few minutes before replying, "Can't believe she kept her word… What do we do now? We can't just leave her and Suki there."

Sokka pinched the bridge of his nose thinking intently. Azula being captured complicated the rescue mission to get Suki. He knew that the Fire Nation now knew they wanted to rescue her and would probably make it more difficult to save her. He didn't really care that Azula got caught, but now they needed a new plan.

"We have to go back and save Suki. I can't leave her here." Sokka said with steel in his voice.

With a nod, Aang agreed. "We get her back. And Azula too. We might not like her but she's the only one that can teach me firebending. And we just saw her get taken down. She didn't betray us. If she's willing to continue our agreement, we'll save her too."

The three agreed that they would go back and figure out a plan, no matter how long it would take. They wouldn't leave Suki to rot in there or Azula to go back to the Fire Nation capital before she could teach Aang firebending.

Sitting in silence, Aang thought to himself. I kind of wanted her to get caught… Now Suki's stuck in there and she didn't betray us. I wished this on her… I'm a lousy person. Dang it.

Azula struggled against the guards as they grappled with her. A shadow cast itself in front of her, drawing her attention to the sky. As she looked up she saw the Avatar and his friends atop the flying bison, looking at her.

In that moment of hesitation, the guards slammed her to the ground trying to restrain her. Azula felt her nose start bleeding from being slammed into the ground face first. Luckily her nose wasn't broken but she was still furious.

Another look up and she locked eyes with Aang. Subconsciously she continued to resist the guards subduing her but she wasn't focused on them at all. Azula could only stare into the eyes that looked like they were full of guilt, surprise, and what looked like shame.

Only a few seconds passed but those seconds seemed like hours to her before he disappeared out of sight. At that point there was a guard on each of her limbs holding her down. She knew when she was defeated, but that didn't mean she liked it.

Finally done struggling the warden walked away and said, "Take her to her cell. Cuff her so she can't retaliate."

The guards nodded as each kept their grip on her limbs and hoisted her up. They carried her away into cell blocks, not allowing her to walk. Her screams and threats made them extra cautious and they wouldn't give her the chance to kill them. One guard followed behind with cuffs for her hands and ankles so she couldn't attempt to fight her way out.

They eventually reached a door and they opened it. The guards then held her down while the one with the shackles handcuffed her hands behind her back along with ankles cuffed together. Satisfied the man gave the others a thumbs up, prompting them to throw her into the very small cramped cell.

Again she landed face first causing her nose to start bleeding again. Azula wiggled her way up to a sitting position and tilted her head back to stop the bleeding. Just when she thought her day couldn't get any worse she realized she was in the tiniest room she had ever been in.

It had a mat on the floor to sleep on and a toilet in the corner. That was it. Enough room to lay down and sort of move freely. Never had she been locked in a cell but she could tell it was an isolation cell. For her own safety from other prisoners or because the warden didn't like her, either way she was angry.

The grime on the walls and ceiling disgusted her but what got to Azula most was that she was shackled again. A few minutes passed as she struggled to break free of her chains but all she did was hurt herself as the shackles dug into her skin. She kicked the wall with both her feet before slumping down in defeat.

Azula realized she wasn't going to escape so she began to think. Her father would be furious, that much she was sure of. However how angry she had no idea. At worse she would be banished like her brother Zuko was. At best she would be out of his good graces for quite a while.

All she could do was sit and wait for whatever would happen. No one bothered her throughout the day as she waited alone in her cell. The only sounds she heard was the occasional guard passing by or a prisoner yelling in agony in another cell.

Night descended upon the prison and Azula lay down on the mat to try to get some sleep. Not that it was a restful sleep. She snorted in agitation as she rolled on her side. The mat was more for decoration than comfort. That and her arms were shackled behind her back. Not the most comfortable position to be in.

Eventually her eyelids became heavy and she managed to fall asleep. It was a restless sleep as she tumbled and turned through the night, ending her first day at the prison.

Day 2

When she awoke she could feel the bags under her eyes. Again she managed to sit up to stare at the wall of her cell yet again. All Azula could do was sit and try to remain calm as time ticked by. She just sat and bottled her rage as it boiled inside her.

Hours passed and she sat in silence thinking of a way to talk her way out of her father's anger when he found out. Eventually a hatch at the bottom of the door slid open and a tray of food, if one could call it that slid in. Azula glanced at it for a few seconds before grunting in agitation.

"You expect me to eat this slop? I'm the princess of the Fire Nation. I demand something that's edible."

To her surprise a hatch slid open at the top of the door to reveal the warden's face. "That's the finest cuisine for one as noble as you, Princess."

The two glared at each other a few moments before Azula relented. She knew she wasn't going to get anything better but that was fine with her. She planned to get her revenge on the man when she got out.

"Take off these shackles and give me a spoon to eat whatever this is. And when am I getting out? My father won't be in the best of moods when he finds out how I was treated." Azula said coolly.

The warden snorted smugly before he responded. "We sent a messenger hawk. It should be back tomorrow with what to do with you. And no, I won't unshackle you. You'll have to eat it like any other traitor would." He closed the hatch and walked away, finished with the conversation.

Azula gritted her teeth as she glared at the hatch. Eventually she yelled out in anger before kicking the wall with her feet again. She glanced at the slop and grumbled in disgust. The warden was trying to humiliate her by making her eat like an animal. He wouldn't have that and refused to play his game. Instead she chose to wait until she was free to eat. That warden will pay when I get out. Mark my words…

Day 3

Like the day before she was left alone in her cell for hours. Also like the day before another tray of something some sick person called food was slid in. Again Azula refused to lower herself and eat it like an animal. Unlike yesterday she had to use the restroom.

She shuffled over to the disgusting toilet in the corner and managed to pull her pants down to use is. After some difficulty she was able to finish her business and felt like she needed a hot bath afterwards. This only added to the rage building inside her that she promised herself she would release upon the warden when she was free.

Day 5

The hatch at the top of the door slid open to reveal the warden's face. Azula seethed as she stared into his eyes furious about her living conditions. She would be angrier but her energy was low from her refusal to eat the slop they gave her. "News from my father?"

The warden stared in disgust as he stared at her. "Oh yes. The Fire Lord replied to our message yesterday. Wanted to give her a good night sleep before your punishment began."

"My punishment? What are you blabbering about you incompetent fool?" Azula asked incredulously.

A laugh escaped the warden's throat, finding her confusion amusing. "Yes, your punishment. He stated that you lied about the Avatar's death." To add emphasis he added air quotes as he continued, "You were captured by the Avatar."

Azula tried to interrupt, "I was captured you fool!"

Again the warden laughed at her defiance. "Whether or not you planned it from the start is irrelevant. What does matter is that you conspired with the Avatar. Unfortunately for you, your father's leniency is up. To teach you a lesson about loyalty, your father deemed that you will remain here until I see fit."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Father wouldn't just leave me here to rot.

The warden laughed harder as he saw the distress on her face. He expected her to react as such and found joy in seeing his prediction come true. "Don't look so distraught, prisoner. I'm sure after your father finishes conquering the rest of the Earth Kingdom he'll have time to deal with you. Until then you're mine."

Azula began kicking and screaming, no longer able to form a coherent sentence. Never had she felt so much rage in her life. Never had she been that blinded with rage. The warden shook his head in disappointment.

"For one as honorable as you, I would think that you would behave more nobly. Oh well, you'll learn soon enough. Guards…"

The door opened as a few guards squeezed into the room. They picked her up struggling to keep a hold of her as she squirmed in their arms. Marching down the hallway they dragged her as she kicked and screamed.

Eventually they reached a doorway and threw her into a large room. The warden stepped in with several more guards and shook his head at her.

"You can't act like that while you're an occupant of my prison."

"I'll kill you!" Azula screamed in fury.

The warden shook his head and began to chastise her. "Now, now. That's unbecoming of you prisoner. This is the where we bring in all new prisoners and get them acclimated for my prison." He turned his attention to the guards and continued. "Guards, you know what to do, and don't give her an inch to move. She's probably one of the most talented firebenders in the Fire Nation."

The guards nodded and surrounded Azula. They each grabbed a limb as another one took off her shackles. Another pressed his full weight on her back. She tried to struggle but couldn't with all the people keeping her restrained.

Slowly they undressed her as she struggled harder on the ground. Eventually the guards won the struggle and managed to strip her down. Once undressed, they used a few shackles that were chained to the ceiling and cuffed her again.

When Azula's arms were fully secure they let go only to see her try to rush towards the warden. She only made it less than a foot before she ran out of slack on the chains. Azula seethed and snarled at the warden.

"Calm yourself prisoner. No need to act unruly. We just need to make sure you aren't carrying anything that would contaminate the prison. Fleas and such."

She pulled at the chains even though she knew she couldn't break out of them as she rebutted, "You know I don't have fleas like a commoner!"

The warden shrugged at her comment. "Traitors could have anything. We can't be too sure." As he finished the other guards began to throw buckets of water at her to cleanse of her whatever filth they thought she was covered in.

All she could do was stand as they threw several more buckets of water at her. When she thought they were down they threw one more into her face before stepping over to her to and grabbing her arms. The guards unshackled her and put on the prisoner rags all the others wore. Then again they shackled her arms behind her back.

Azula glared at the warden as he bore a smug grin on his face. She exhausted all the hateful words she could and simply scowled at the man. Seeing that she had no more threats to throw at him he began to speak to her.

"Now that you're clean and dressed accordingly, I'm going to tell you how this place operates for the duration of your stay."

In a cold calculating tone she replied, "When I get out of here, you will be the first one I kill."

The warden scowled and then nodded to one of the guards. For a second the guard hesitated before accepting the order. He punched Azula in the gut, knocking the wind out of her.

As she gasped for air the warden continued. "That's the first thing. Do not make threats towards me, the guards or any of the prisoners. Second you will listen to any and all orders any guard give you. Third, this is my domain. You are a guest here and I am you warden. Any firebending and you go in the cooler."

Beginning to recover Azula spat out, "You'll pay for that."

Instantly one of the guards backhanded her in the face much to her surprise. This time she barked at the offending guard. "I'll have your head too."

That time the guard didn't hold back as he punched her squarely in her eye. Azula vison became fuzzy for a second as the impact of the punch actually dazed her.

The warden merely shook his head at her. "It's okay. You'll learn soon enough. Guards, take her to an isolation cell. Next time I won't be so lenient and you will go in the cooler." With that he walked away leaving her with the guards.

Wasting no time the guards dragged her down the hallway back to her cell they first held her in. Tossing her like a ragdoll they threw her head first. Yet again she landed face first on the ground causing a gash on her forehead.

Before Azula could threaten the guards again they slammed the door leaving her alone in the cell. Slowly she rolled over and sat up against the wall. Blood trailed down her face from the gash but she didn't pay it any attention.

How could father just leave me here? He didn't imprison Zuko, he just banished him. Then again I did conspire against him… That warden thinks he can break me, little does he know. I'll bide my time and once I'm out, he will die.

Then her thoughts took a turn. I looked right in the Avatar's eyes as he left me here. He abandoned me too… Not that I'm that surprised. He'll get his though. As soon as father lets me out, I'm going to make the Avatar pay for leaving me. At least he didn't treat me like an actual prisoner when he captured me... Father has never been this upset with me. He won't keep me in here long… Will he?