Chapter 30

4 Years after the Hundred Year War
Agna Qel'a, Northern Tribe capital

While Azula had read plenty about the capital of the North, Agna Qel'a, and had heard enough from Katara to know what to expect, the reality of seeing the icy metropolis for the first time still took her breath away. There was something undeniably grand and majestic about Agna Qel'a, reminding her a little of the Fire Nation capital, only instead of being built inside a volcanic caldera, the Northern capital was built into a caldera carved out of pure ice.

The capital's magnificent structures made of solid ice were certainly grand, but to Azula, the most remarkable feature of Agna Qel'a was its system of interconnected water canals, crisscrossing the entire city. Azula could immediately see and appreciate its strategic usefulness for both defense of the city and convenient means of transportation, not to mention it being very pleasing to the eye. With the Fire Nation airship reaching Agna Qel'a in the early hours of the evening, the entire city was illuminated by countless oil lamps using seal blubber, giving the canals a particularly romantic appearance. Having noticed that quite a few young couples were enjoying picturesque boat trips around the canals, Azula quickly added this activity on her list of things to do, certain that it would not be too difficult to convince Katara to join in.

Following their arrival, a grand reception had been thrown for the Fire Nation guests at the Royal Palace of the Northern Tribe. It was nowhere near in size to the palace she had been raised in, but still, there was an impressive grandeur and intricacy about it. The Chieftain of the Northern Tribe, a mild mannered man by the name of Arnook, spoke like an old acquaintance with Katara and Zuko, clearly on good terms with them both. He had acted friendly when greeting Azula, and she had not noticed any hostility from his court during the reception, not even any hushed whispers. Perhaps it made sense, there were not many places in the world where people didn't have some kind of personal grudge against her, but Agna Qel'a was one of these places. The people might not have been overall thrilled about the Fire Nation, but the name spoken with vigorous hatred was that of Admiral Zhao, and not of Princess Azula.

Azula suspected that following the news that she and Katara were coming to stay with the Northern Tribe, Chieftain Arnook had already passed down instructions that she was to be treated with respect, simply because the Chieftain was very interested in maintaining good relationship with the Fire Nation. As a result, everyone who spoke with her appeared kind and supportive, and it made Azula feel rather odd, since she was so used to either being feared or reviled. Katara had also introduced her to the woman who would oversee her healing, an elderly waterbender by the name of Yagoda. Azula had not yet made her mind up about the woman, remaining guarded in their initial conversation.

The reception flew by quickly as Azula remained at all times sitting next to Katara and listening to her and Zuko discussing various matters with Chief Arnook, mostly various restoration projects that her brother was squandering the Fire Nation funds on, guided by the collective guilt of an entire nation that had lost the war. Azula's attention was split between listening to the conversations around her and sampling the various dishes on offer, wondering if the Water Tribe cuisine truly was as revolting as reported by some of the outsiders who had sampled it. To Azula's surprise and relief, it wasn't so bad that she had to fear starvation. If only it had been properly seasoned, then the plentiful offerings of various meats, fish and some more exotic offerings of the sea, would actually be tolerable. Alas, improving the dishes with proper spices during a royal reception would definitely be considered a major faux pas moment, so Azula resigned herself to for now remain content with chewing through boring and bland offerings.

As the reception slowly drew to a close, Azula was delighted to learn that Chieftain Arnook had agreed to extend his hospitality to her and Katara by offering them private quarters at the Royal Palace. This was great news, because not only did she get to share a room with Katara, but the palace would certainly offer far more comforts than any other building in the capital. And in this uncomfortably chilly place, Azula was desperate to find every little bit of civilized comfort. Once they had been escorted to their room following the closure of the proceedings, Azula had been pleasantly surprised to walk into a reasonably well furnished room, when she had already reconciled herself with the idea of sleeping on an icy cot.

"So, what do you think so far?" Katara asked when they had finally been left alone to settle into their new shared quarters. "This isn't at all bad, is it? You wouldn't get all this at the South Pole," she pointed at the beds and the rest of the simple furniture.

"This seems... an improvement over what I had expected. And feared," Azula nodded in agreement, turning to inspect the furniture a little closer. "Well, this is odd," she remarked, feeling a little confused.

"What is odd?" Katara asked.

"I thought that they would have to trade for furniture, so I expected this to be new, bought after the war had ended," Azula explained. "But this furniture is actually quite old..."

"Ah," Katara smiled knowingly. "I think I can explain. There's an ancient forested grove, not too far from here, rich in spiritual energy. It is forbidden to cut trees there, however, from time to time, expeditions from Agna Qel'a will go there to gather fallen trees and branches. Or... maybe it's made out of salvage from those countless Fire Nation ships that Aang smashed while breaking the siege..."

"Yes... for someone who had moral scruples about taking the life of someone who so richly deserved it, like my father, your ex-boyfriend certainly didn't seem to care about sending hundreds upon hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers to their watery graves," Azula rolled her eyes.

"I... hadn't thought about it like that," Katara blinked, looking surprised. "Spirits, I wish I had thought of it when Aang was shouting at me how I didn't understand his great moral dilemma when it came to dealing with the Fire Lord."

"Well, it's not worth thinking about it now," Azula shrugged as she perched down on the bed she had chosen as hers. It was not exactly soft, but it was better than nothing. She knew that cold would make everything far more uncomfortable than the hard mattress.

"I'm not going to insist that you undress fully before going to bed," Katara smiled, having correctly guessed her thoughts. "But at least take off that parka. Leave the rest on."

"Right," Azula muttered, glancing at the pile of soft furs at the feet of her bed. They looked enticing, almost urging her to curl up in them comfortingly. "Well, since apparently fireplaces aren't a thing here, I guess I'll just use my bending to increase my body temperature."

"Try not to do that, Zula," Katara shook her head. "It still consumes your energy to do so. It would be better if you tried to get used to the cold. It's not going to take too long, I promise. I had the same troubles getting used to Fire Nation heat, but after a couple of weeks it stopped bothering me too much."

"Mhm," Azula grumbled, reluctantly having to agree that Katara's words made sense. Still, there was no harm in employing her bending now and then, like when warming the uncomfortably cold bed. Of course, there was another way to make things more palatable for her. "I don't suppose we could..." she began, looking expectantly at her girlfriend.

"Push our beds together to share some body heat?" Katara winked at her. Agni, she really could read her like an open book at times. "The palace servants will be absolutely scandalized... so let's do it!" she giggled excitedly, and in short order they had transformed the room, creating a double bed instead of two singles. "Shall we get tucked it?" Katara asked then. "It's been a long day..."

"Yes, let's," Azula yawned. As per Katara's suggestion, she quickly shed her parka and then buried herself in the pile of furs before the cold caught up with her, a pair of golden eyes peering out from the furs and watching Katara's every movement. The waterbender grinned at her, slowly beginning to undress, first taking off her parka, then shedding her undercoat and thick trousers, but not quite stripping down to her underwear as she turned to crawl into the bed.

"Oh, were you hoping that I was going to sleep naked?" Katara chuckled, probably having spotted some light disappointment in Azula's eyes. "I don't mind the cold one bit, but even I'm not that adventurous," she added, starting to burrow under Azula's pile of furs, eventually managing to press up against the princess. "Comfortable?" she asked.

"Well, I am now," Azula smirked, leaning in and capturing Katara's lips in a hungry kiss. "Although with how you were boasting about not fearing the cold, I still think it's shameful that you are sleeping with so many clothes on."

"Shameful, is it?" Katara laughed, a beautiful sound to Azula's ears. "Well, tomorrow morning I'll want your help to make me a hot shower. I'm not going to be wearing any clothes then," she added with a teasing wink.

"Oh..." Azula felt her cheeks becoming very warm. "I might want one of those showers myself..."

"Well, then now we both have something to look forward to, yes?" Katara grinned, then becoming a little more serious. "So, tomorrow you'll be starting with Yagoda. How do you feel?" she asked softly.

"You'll be there as well, right?" Azula asked, suddenly feeling very insecure.

"If Yagoda thinks it's a good idea," Katara smiled. "There's nothing to fear from Yagoda. She's a very kind and understanding woman, much wiser and more experienced healer than I am."

"It's not Yagoda I fear," Azula ground out.

"Then what is it you fear?" Katara asked. "Talk to me, Zula."

"I fear myself, Kat," Azula admitted reluctantly. "Everyone was so... nice and welcoming tonight, so much so that it didn't feel real. What if... what if that all changes as soon as Zuko leaves? I'm worried that someone might provoke me into blowing up at them. I fear that Yagoda might ask me something that makes me angry... I don't know, maybe I'm being too hard on myself, but..."

"That you are mindful of this possibility simply tells me how much you care about not slipping back into your old ways," Katara smiled at her, soft and encouraging. "I believe that you'll cope with this magnificently, Azula, just like you've coped with everything so far. I know that you'll do me proud."

"How can you have so much faith in me when my own mother had none?" Azula asked, her voice cracking as she spoke.

"Because that's what my heart tells me," Katara replied earnestly. "My heart insists to have faith in you, Azula." At those words, the pair wrapped their arms around each other, embracing warmly and comfortably, soon finding sleep in each other's arms.

Two weeks later, Azula's healing process was progressing well, even though it was not at all what the princess had imagined it would be like. She had thought that Yagoda would spend hours upon hours digging into her past, stirring up all those painful memories, and examining the complete dysfunctional mess that was the royal family. But there had been none of that, in fact, Yagoda spent surprisingly little time conversing with her, and when she did so, they mostly talked about mundane things, the old woman telling her various tales about life in the North, occasionally stopping to ask for her opinion on this or that.

Her healing seemed to mostly consist of getting involved into many practical activities, starting from mundane tasks and ending with rather dangerous ventures. Azula was relieved that Yagoda had allowed Katara to always remain by her side, and it made the whole arrangement much more palatable. In truth Azula was actually enjoying herself, even when they were tasked to perform some mundane chores around the palace. The worst part had probably been working in the palace kitchen, together with Katara and other Water Tribe women, stuck elbow deep in fish guts. Normally, Azula would have been tempted to set the entire kitchen on fire for such indignity, but somehow, simply having Katara working side by side with her, being able to exchange the occasional glance, it all made even the most disgusting task an enjoyable experience.

Then there were other activities, like the three day long trek across the icy glacier west of Agna Qel'a, assisting with a supply delivery to a remote village that had recently sent out a call for aid. Azula had quickly come to fear and respect the icy wasteland outside the walls of the capital. It became very clear to Azula that if left alone on the glacier, she would perish within a day. If Katara had not been with her on the journey, that realization alone would have likely sent Azula into a panic attack, but with her girlfriend supporting her and making sure that she was coping with the difficult conditions, Azula somehow made it through that challenging ordeal, afterwards feeling very proud of herself.

Earlier today, together with Katara, they had taken a small sailboat out of Agna Qel'a, heading out on a journey along the coast. It had seemed like a lovely and picturesque trip at first, but of course, nothing was simple in the North. Soon enough, they had come across a field of icebergs, and Katara had led them straight through it, explaining that this so called ice dodging was actually a rite of passage for young boys of the Southern Tribe. Azula had decided that it was a completely suicidal foolishness, but with Katara taking no for an answer, the only thing the princess could do was to keep a cool head and follow Katara's calm and clear instructions to guide them through the choppy waters. Once they had passed through safely, Azula had become careless while celebrating their success, only to be slammed by the mainsail's boom and thrown overboard. Katara had used her bending to quickly pull her back into the boat, and she had dried herself with her own firebending, but it had still been an unpleasant experience and they had decided to return to the capital following the incident.

Now, Azula found herself wrapped in a pile of furs in her bed, sipping from a cup of delicious steaming tea that Katara had just prepared for her, making good use of her uncle's gift. The unpleasant sensations of being thrown into icy water were all but forgotten by now, especially when Katara crawled into the bed with her. "All better?" Katara smiled at her. Azula nodded emphatically, continuing to sip the delicious ginseng tea. "So, what do you think about Yagoda's methods thus far? They're certainly unconventional, aren't they?"

"Yes, I often don't understand what she's trying to achieve," Azula nodded.

"Well, what purpose do you think her tasks serve?" Katara asked.

"I... guess all those activities would... teach me that it's alright to rely on others?" Azula ventured.

"True, but it's more than that, Zula," Katara smiled at her. "They also teach you to become someone that others can rely on. This morning, we would not have made it through that field of icebergs if you hadn't followed my instructions so dependably."

"That makes sense," Azula nodded. "I suppose I didn't fail at that. It was only later that I got slammed by the mainsail."

"Don't worry about it, Zula. That sort of thing could have happened to anyone," Katara grinned. "By the way, what do you think about your conversations with Yagoda?"

"I don't mind them," Azula shrugged. "She's speaking with me like with a normal person and she doesn't make me feel like I'm there because something is wrong with me. I'm glad she doesn't try to dig too much into my past."

"You know why that is?" Katara asked. Azula shook her head. "I think Yagoda suspects that if she tried to get you open up that way, she would probably not get honest answers from you, am I correct?" Azula nodded quickly. "I suspect that she is trying to understand your frame of mind from discussing simple, mundane things with you."

"I guess she's not entirely dumb, then," Azula shrugged. Katara gave her a frown. "Fine, fine... I don't mind Yagoda. She's alright," Azula sighed.

"That's better, I knew you had it in you to say something nice about her," Katara chuckled. "Anyway, are you feeling warm now?"

"A little bit warmer," Azula frowned.

"But not warm enough, hmm? Let's fix that, shall we?" Katara quickly slipped under Azula's pile of furs, cuddling up to the princess to share her body heat. "There, that should do it," she added with a smile.

"Definitely better," Azula nodded. "Stupid cold," she muttered. "How do people here even... you know, procreate?"

"Oh, you won't believe what sort of things go on under the furs, Azula," Katara laughed.

"Ugh, that does not sound at all romantic," Azula grimaced.

"We are under a pile of furs right now," Katara pointed out. "Are you saying this isn't romantic?"

"Well..." Azula blushed heatedly. "We're not doing anything, are we?"

"But we could be..." Katara winked at her, Azula feeling pure, incinerating fire igniting in her core. The past two weeks had been… difficult. Because of the lack of privacy she hadn't been able to find even some quick relief from all the tension that had been building up inside of her. When Katara began to kiss her, Azula felt like she was about to combust at any moment, but in a way the princess felt even more frustrated, because she could not reach that sweet threshold without some extra stimulation. "You are so incredibly tense, I can just feel you are about to snap," Katara whispered to her as they broke their kiss. "Do you want me to give you some privacy for a few minutes?" she asked. Then the waterbender blushed in a deep shade of red. "Or... I could help you out... if you'd like that."

"What do you mean?" Azula asked in a trembling voice, even if she knew perfectly what Katara had meant, she simply could quite believe what she was hearing. It was something she had craved so much, had longed for since first admitting of having become addicted to Katara's maddeningly soft touch.

"I don't want to push you into too much too soon, Zula," Katara whispered to her. "If you're ready for it, I'd love to give you the relief that I can sense you need."

While this was everything that Azula had been dreaming of ever since they had gotten together in Ba Sin Se, she still could not deny how frightening it all felt when she was confronted with the reality of the physical part of their relationship. She was not shy about offering her body to Katara, she knew the waterbender desired her, she could tell that by how Katara admired her with lust in her cerulean eyes during their shared morning showers. But this was yet another, even deeper layer of opening herself emotionally to someone else... and it was not an easy step to take, regardless of how much she wanted it. Still, Katara was her girlfriend... and Azula knew that she was supposed to take that step at some point, or else their relationship just wouldn't make sense.

"Azula, do you trust me to take good care of you?" Katara must have sensed her doubts as she asked the princess with earnest and loving stare in her cerulean eyes.

"I do," Azula whispered hotly. "Please, Kat... take care of me. I need it," she almost begged, her beloved reacting instantly. With their lips locked in a passionate kiss, Katara's right hand slipped inside of her clothes, untangling one layer after another, until it came to rest against the flat plane of her stomach. Azula began to moan into Katara's mouth as the waterbender took her sweet time, torturously slowly moving her hand downwards. A deeper moan escaped Azula's throat as she shyly parted her legs, allowing Katara complete and unhindered access which the waterbender used moments later, her warm palm finally cupping Azula's sex.

"Spirits, you're soaking wet for me, and I haven't even done anything," Katara gasped in surprise. "You've been repressing yourself for way too long, Zula. Never again," she smiled while Azula blushed heatedly, drowning in the loving expression on Katara's face as she observed her lover through half-lidded eyes. "This isn't going to take long at all, is it?" Katara whispered to her.

Azula wanted to say something to prove Katara wrong. She was determined to hold on for as long as she could before succumbing to Katara's touch, but at the same time, she realized that it was pointless to fight her deepest need. As Katara's soft fingertip settled on her swollen clit, Azula almost fell over the edge from that initial sensation, forgetting to breathe. A few more circular motions of Katara's finger, and Azula was moaning incoherently, sliding lower to kiss and nibble upon Katara's exposed neck. It was all over embarrassingly quickly, as cleansing fire erupted in her core, sending tremors throughout her entire body, bringing with them the desperately sought relief. Azula slammed her legs back together, trapping Katara's palm against her soaked sex, sobbing out her orgasm against Katara's chest, feeling her lover's free hand affectionately entangled in her hair, pulling Azula tightly against her chest.

"You're so beautiful when you come like that," Katara whispered to her, Azula slowly coming down from her incredible high.

"Don't... you want me to... repay you with the same?" Azula had finally recovered enough to ask.

"I do, but I'm not in a desperate need," Katara smiled, leaning in to kiss Azula's sweaty brow. "There will be time for that later. This was all about me taking care of you, Zula. I'm very happy to just leave it at that. I think you could do with some rest, now. It's been an entertaining day."

"I'll say," Azula sighed, feeling exhausted. She looked up at her girlfriend. "That was amazing, Katara," she whispered, her heart soaring at how happy the waterbender looked from her words. Azula briefly considered saying something else, something involving the l-word... but she did not feel fully ready for that just yet. Soon, very soon, she would give voice to what she had already admitted to herself... that she was in love with Katara.