Chapter 40
Zuko squinted on the paper at his desk, the recently opened window allowing painful sunlight to illuminate the room. He sighed as he inspected the letter. With any luck, the counsel would postpone the coronation for just a little bit – just long enough for them to get home.
That was, of course, assuming any of them had actually gotten pregnant. Sure, there had been a lot of opportunities, but they hadn't done enough to statistically get a child – he would need to do a few more rounds before that happened. They just didn't have time.
He rolled up the scroll and sealed it with some wax. Hopefully Lu Ten had a messenger hawk he could use. Stretching, he leaned back to relieve his sore muscles.
To his surprise, his hair brushed against a woman's chest. He turned around to find Kya smiling.
She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Good morning."
Zuko gave her a half-smile. "Good to see you awake."
Kya smiled wryly, brushing some hair from his face. "You were certainly no help to that. By the looks of it, I was out for quite some time."
Zuko chuckled, glancing to the morning sun. "Yeah… I would've woken you up, but it seemed like you could use the rest."
Kya's brows furrowed in concern. "I think you need more rest than me."
Zuko shrugged. "Honestly, I'm feeling just fine. Those herbs you used were magical."
Kya raised an eyebrow. "Fine? Are you sure? You've been putting yourself through a lot lately. Don't you need some rest?"
Zuko pondered on that for a moment. "No, I'm good. Sort of tired, but I think I'll manage until we're on the boat."
Kya winced. "How many times did you do it last night?"
Zuko sighed. "Just one round while you were asleep. I'm going to be really embarrassed if this failed," he added, gesturing to the scroll. "I've already announced that one of you is pregnant."
Kya started to protest, but Zuko held up his hand. "It's not like it will matter much if I'm caught lying. Not compared to the other consequences."
They fell quiet, considering on the effects of the war. Though neither had ever been near the front lines, both had heard and seen enough destruction to last for centuries.
Kya cleared her throat. "Are you up for one last go?"
Zuko groaned. "I don't know about that. It usually takes a few hours to get through everyone. Besides, I…" He trailed off as she looked at him, his words dying in his throat.
Her sapphire eyes gazed at him patiently. In an instant, her meaning was clear. "Uh, yeah, I think I probably could."
She smiled. "Good."
Zuko reached up to meet her as she descended onto his lap. Her hands settled on his chest as his arms wrapped around her. He could faintly smell her morning breath, and her hair was incredibly messy. She was dressed in her traditional Water Tribe garments, which were wrinkled and uncared for. Neither of them had showered or bathed in several days.
Zuko didn't mind at all. If anything, he loved Kya's natural beauty, without the addition of makeup or careful planning. She seemed sincere. Since the beginning, she had been nothing but sincere with him.
Her hands cupped his face as he moved up to kiss her, unrushed for once. They were surrounded once more by beautiful silence, a testament to their love. Neither had to say a word, yet the world was held in their eyes.
Zuko moved a hand behind her head, softly pulling her deeper against him. Her hands moved away from him, down to where she began undressing once more. Clearly, she hadn't planned on doing it so soon. Somehow that made him feel even better about this.
Her parka fell to the floor as Zuko lifted her and spun, gently setting her on the desk in only her undergarments. She cupped his face once more, guiding him back until she laid back on the desk. Zuko braced himself on his elbows to keep from crushing her.
Fortunately, he had been too busy to fully dress. He quickly discarded his robe, but stopped her from removing her undergarments. "Don't bother," he murmured, tucking the central strand of her lower garment aside. She smiled into kissing him again.
The penetration came naturally, painlessly. He slid in, more comfortable inside of her than not. She was familiar now, soft and loving. He had been so scared and foolish that first night. This was much better, both now familiar of each other's bodies.
He slid in and out in time with their breathing, which had matched at some point during their kiss. He breathed in as she breathed out. In. Out. In the back of his mind, Zuko thought of what his Uncle had said about the water tribes, ruled by Twi and La. Push and Pull.
Kya's hands squeezed around the back of his neck tightly, and he held back a grunt. A single squeak came from his wife as she came, his milk flowing into her easily. There had been no planning, no thought. They had come in tandem.
Zuko pulled from the kiss, but he kept himself buried in her. Her eyes fluttered open, a look of absolute joy on her face. She kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
They stayed that way for several seconds, both refusing to pull away. Her head buried into the crook of his shoulder as he lazily traced her name into her back. K-Y-A. He traced it over and over, ingraining it into his mind.
A loud knock from downstairs pulled them from their blissful moment. They looked at each other one last time before Zuko left to answer.
Ty Lee barreled into Zuko, her arms wrapping around him tightly. "Zuko!"
Zuko sat there, stunned for a moment before returning the hug. "Ty Lee? What are you doing here? We're leaving in like an hour!"
She pulled back and Zuko finally got a good look at her. In the last couple of months, her stomach had swollen, now nearly noticeable to someone who wasn't looking for it. His child. He shook his head. He couldn't think about that now.
Ty Lee beamed at him. "Don't you want to know if anyone's pregnant? Come on!" She raced up the stairs towards the bedrooms.
Zuko chased after her. "You can find out? Now?"
Ty Lee's presence and entrance quickly woke up the other tributes, still dressed in their robes. Suki, still naked, quickly pulled up her blanket instinctively. All eyes settled on Ty Lee, flickering between her clearly pregnant form and Zuko.
Kya entered from behind, still in her undergarments. "What's going on?"
Ty Lee giggled and pulled out a small weed from her satchel. "We can find out if someone's pregnant? Whoever we think is most likely, we just feed them and then they go to the bathroom. If your pee is red, congratulations!"
Kya gaped as she took the weed in her hand. "How did you get this? Only the highest herbalists are allowed to…"
Ty Lee waved her hand. "I snuck one out after I got exiled." Kya opened her mouth to question her, but Ty Lee just huffed. "Enough questions, who should we test it on?"
Zuko grimaced. "Just one?" He looked around the room. "I don't even know where to start." Any of them could be pregnant, really. "How can we just pick one?"
Kya sighed. "She's right. It won't divide farther than that." She inspected the weed. "However… We may be able do something a little better with it."
Suki perked up. "Like what?"
Kya hesitated. "It dissolves in intestinal fluid and reacts to the hormones present in a pregnant woman's body. Some hormones are released the moment the egg is fertilized," she explained. "Ingestion is the most typical way to tell, but…"
"We could all pee on it," June interjected. Kya nodded. "If any of us have those proteins, it will turn the entire urine red. It will dissolve in about a minute, though."
Ty Lee walked to the kitchen to retrieve a small bowl. "No time to lose, right? Everybody strip."
With a few disgusted looks, the women shed their robes. Hesitantly, Katara approached the bowl. Kya stood next to her. "Remember, after it gets wet, it will only last less than a minute. Also, if there isn't enough urine it won't work. Give it what you have."
Katara took a deep breath. Suki walked to the other side of the bowl, with Mai finishing the circle. Kya squeezed into Katara, pushing everyone tightly together around the bowl to make room for June. "On the count of three. One, two…"
Since the fluid ran straight down, the girls packed in tighter as they began peeing. A lot of it just trickled down their legs, but reasonable portions seeped into the bowl. Within a few seconds, the bowl was half full with their pee, the weed already dissolving.
Ty Lee passed a towel around as they all watched the bowl anxiously. Katara wiped down her legs in disgust. She was certain some of that pee wasn't hers.
Screams of delight sounded as the yellow fluid began darkening, a pinkish hue slowly coming out. Katara and Suki immediately leapt for Zuko, who lifted and spun them as he yelled. The room erupted into chaos as the news hit. They did it!
A familiar voice cut through the clamor, silencing them immediately. All eyes turned back.
"Pity," Azula pouted, inspecting her nails.
"I hate killing pregnant women."
Zuko's stomach tightened as several guards quickly strode into the room. No, not guards. They didn't wear the palace armor. Assassins.
He glanced around. There were roughly a dozen, plus his sister. Without any weapons, he didn't like their odds. "What do you want, Azula? How did you find us?"
Azula scoffed, lazily strolling into the room. "You really are an idiot sometimes, Zuzu. Unfortunately, I'm not here for you." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "So who's the lucky woman?"
The room went silent as everyone glanced at each other. Ty Lee piped up. "We don't really know yet, we just know someone is."
June snapped her head to glare at Ty Lee. That was the wrong answer.
Azula raised her eyebrows. "Is that so? I guess that means-"
Kya stepped forward. "I'm pregnant. Trust me, my mother explained the feeling very well." She bowed her head. "I'm sure of it."
Azula seemed disinterested. "Huh." She kicked Kya aside, her foot making a loud crack on Kya's cheek. Kya crumpled to the side.
Zuko growled and lunged forward, but he was intercepted by two of the large men. They locked onto his shoulders from behind, effectively immobilizing him. Katara cried out and rushed to her mother, and the guards didn't try to stop her. Fortunately, they also didn't try to stop June.
Azula blocked June's first strike with some difficulty. In only a moment, she jabbed forward into June's throat, forcing a choked cry. With a single swipe of her legs, June was on the ground. Other guards came to pin her as well.
Azula brushed a single strand of hair from her face. "Someone has some fire in her," Azula quipped. "How about you go first, since you seem so eager."
Zuko snarled, the guards straining to hold him. But they knew what they were doing, and the hold held. "Azula, you so much as touch her and I'll-"
"You'll what, brother?" Azula smirked. "Torch me? With what bending?"
Zuko gritted his teeth. "Bold words from someone I scarred for life."
To many of the people in the room, this was news. Azula just rolled her eyes. "Always two steps behind yourself, Zuzu." To Zuko's horror, she slid off one sleeve and turned around. Beautiful, pale, unscarred flesh met his eyes where only a few years prior he had seen hideous black burns. "But how…?"
Azula slipped her sleeve back on. "You really didn't think you could actually hurt me? It was all a ploy," she sounded out slowly, "To get you off of the throne. Until Uncle actually evaded the assassins, that is."
Zuko shook his head. "You did this… on purpose?" That was the last straw. Summoning every ounce of rage within him, he focused his energy and breathed forward.
His gut strained with a familiar sinking sensation, not even a spark coming out. Azula sighed patronizingly. "Poor Zuko, even with all of the pain in the world you're still too weak."
She turned to face June, who was glaring at her from the floor. The rest of the women had been grabbed after the little incident. "Now where were we?" Azula grinned. "Ah, yes." She raised her hand, a blue streak of flame tracing behind it.
Zuko tried to calm his mind. Iroh had warned him that the herbalists were very good. But every type of firebending passed through different channels. Lightning was unaffected. If he could just calm down…
But he couldn't. Even Kya was in danger, and that wasn't the right kind of calm he needed. She made him passive, content, not impassionate and controlled. Come to think of it, he had never been in much control. It just wasn't in his nature.
Uncle had often said that you can't control lightning, you can only act as its guide. Screw that! He didn't have time for that! He knew in that moment that he could never master lightning. Even just a week into his harem he had immense trouble. They had all touched him much deeper than that now.
A heat began to boil in his veins as Azula raised her arm, her back towards him. There it was! Deep in his gut, he felt a different flame arise, more powerful than anything he had ever experienced. If anything could control lightning, he could.
Suki had been watching Zuko carefully throughout the experience. The moment he looked up, she knew what he was going to try to do. She quickly threw the guard holding her, surprising her with her warrior background. She leapt forward as another assassin went to intercept her, but not before she had knocked back one of the guards holding her husband.
With a roar, Zuko fired a blast of lightning right into Azula's shoulder, where she should have been already scarred. She had only turned just slightly in the second that had passed, just enough for Zuko to hear the sincere scream of pain and surprise as she tumbled to the ground, clothing blazing.
Zuko stood for a moment, stunned. That wasn't lightning. A fire more colorful and vibrant than any he had seen before had erupted from his fingers. Dragon fire.
Before anyone could react, Zuko was tackled to the ground. He struggled, trying to muster more flame, but they pinned him quickly. Even with his face pinned to the floor, he watched as two men moved to help Azula, who had already doused his flame.
She was furious, but badly wounded. "Fine," she snarled, "You think you're a bender? Die like one!"
Zuko closed his eyes as the bolt of lightning shot towards him. But it never landed.
Mai crashed to the ground, trembling as the lightning jolted her. "MAI!" Zuko screamed, struggling against his captors. They shifted to dodge the flames that erupted from his mouth. "MAI!"
Azula's eyes became concerned and hurt for a moment, but she shook it away. "Her choice means nothing."
"Wrong!" Toph bellowed as the entire house came crashing down around them.
Zuko's last thought was of his wives.
Final chapter next chapter! Unless y'all don't review
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