Chapter 31
4 Years after the Hundred Year War
Agna Qel'a, Northern Tribe capital
Following their first act of sexual intimacy, Katara still made sure not to plow straight ahead and set all caution aside, because Azula was still clearly somewhat nervous about the whole thing and needed constant encouragement. And it wasn't as if Katara herself was hugely experienced in her previous relationships, there hadn't been much more than kissing in any of those past encounters. She had already gone further than that with Azula on that one occasion, and the following evenings saw more kissing, cuddling and heavy petting which left them both happy, but still yearning for more.
Still, while it was clear that they both thirsted to go further, go all the way, Katara made sure to hold them both back. She had her own romantic notion of their first time truly being together as something very special, and for that she wanted to think of some way to both impress Azula and make her comfortable. After a lot of thinking on Katara's part, she finally came up with a daring idea that she desperately hoped would get Azula intrigued.
First, however, she needed to wait for Azula to return to their quarters. The princess had become fond of a certain little task around the royal palace. As soon as it became dark outside, Azula would walk around the palace's corridors, great halls and courtyards, using her firebending to light all the many sconces, candles and oil lamps. She had also managed to attract a small group of palace's servant boys who loved to follow her around during this undertaking. Katara had to smile every time when she thought about Azula having Water Tribe fanboys of her own. These kids around the age of ten to twelve had been too young during the time of Fire Nation invasion to truly comprehend what was happening, and now they were simply drawn to this beautiful and exotic pale-skinned young woman from a faraway land.
When Azula finally returned to their quarters, she made a beeline straight for their improvised double bed, stopping only to shed her Fire Nation colored parka before ducking under the furs to join Katara. The princess looked to be in an energetic mood tonight as she launched an instant amorous assault upon Katara, and it took all of the waterbender's willpower to overcome her reluctance to part with Azula's smothering kisses. "Hold on for just a moment, Zula," she eventually managed to utter, Azula halting and giving her a perplexed stare. "Oh, don't worry, I was enjoying myself, but you see… I actually had something planned for us this evening."
"Hmm… you have made plans?" Azula drawled teasingly. "Now I'm intrigued…"
"I wanted to show you something," Katara smiled, slowly disentangling from both Azula and the pile of furs. "It's close by. We can get there from the palace's inner courtyard." Looking intrigued, Azula also got out of the bed, ready to follow Katara as she grabbed her parka. "Also, Azula… you're way overdressed for where we are going. It's going to be very warm in there."
"Wait, there's some place where it's perfectly warm and I've been freezing my butt up here in this ice palace?" Azula blinked at her. "Let's move in there!"
Katara had to chuckle at that mental image. "I don't think that people of the Northern Water Tribe would appreciate us occupying their most sacred sanctuary and treating it as our dwelling," she laughed.
"We're sneaking into the most sacred sanctuary of our hosts, huh?" Azula remarked innocently. "But it's alright for us to make out in there?"
"…maybe?" Katara blushed heatedly. She should have realized that Azula would guess her intentions a mile away. She wasn't exactly subtle about them. "You don't think we should do it?" she asked, seeking to clarify.
"Are you kidding? It would be absolutely scandalous!" Azula giggled. "Let's do it!" She quickly shed some layers of her clothing before pulling the parka back on, then tugging insistently on Katara's arm. "Come on, you have to show me this place right away! Is it guarded?"
"I don't think so," Katara shook her head as they stepped out into the palace hallways, silent and empty at this late hour. "This place is only accessible going through the palace, and Chief Arnook usually doesn't invite people he can't trust into staying."
"Well, I doubt he trusts me all that much, but he certainly does trust you," Azula smiled at her, allowing Katara to lead her through the palace corridors, and then outside into the inner courtyard, Katara retracing her steps from memory as she led her girlfriend up to the small wooden door, sealing entrance into the hidden cove. "You know… I was wondering what was hidden behind this door," the princess remarked thoughtfully.
"You'll see in a moment," Katara spoke eagerly, opening the doors and stepping inside, leading Azula down deeper into the cavern, until its surprising interior opened to the princess' eyes, a lush, verdant oasis of the greenest grass and some scarce shrubs surrounding a pond of clear, glistening water. "I was amazed to see this place for the first time… it's amazing that it even exists in the North."
"I'll say… and you're right, it's so warm down here!" Azula exclaimed, looking delighted at what she was seeing. "Why is it so warm?"
"Apparently, it is because of a great concentration of spiritual energy or something like that," Katara shrugged. "I can't really sense that myself, but it definitely affected Aang very strongly and he was able to enter the Spirit World very easily here. So, I suppose it must be true that the spiritual energy here is very strong."
"I guess so," Azula replied, looking to have lost interest in the explanation. "I don't particularly care about all this spirituality nonsense."
"Yes, it was more Aang's thing than it has ever been mine," Katara nodded in agreement. She then sat down in the deep, lush grass, pulling off her parka and spreading it across the grass. "Give me your parka, Zula. Let's make a cozy little nest for ourselves here," she smiled at her princess.
Azula seemed to be hesitating a little. "What if someone comes in?" she asked, slightly worriedly.
"Don't be silly, why would anyone come in here so late in the evening?" Katara shook her head.
"For the same reason we snuck in here?" Azula pointed out.
"No way, people of the Northern Tribe would never be so disrespectful," Katara winked at her girlfriend. "It's only us who would dare to do something like that. Now come on," she reached out, tugging on Azula's parka, helping the princess to divest it. Then she splayed it out in the grass next to her parka, creating a soft and cozy impromptu bed for them both, Azula quickly taking place at her side.
"It feels so good to be out of those heavy clothes and still feel perfectly comfortable," Azula sighed in contentment, remaining only lightly dressed, same as Katara.
"Well…" Katara winked at her. "The idea is to feel even more comfortable once we've shed all of our clothes…"
Azula drew a deep and steadying breath as she leaned back to rest on her elbows. "Agni, I want this with you, Kat," she sighed wistfully. "And I'm very nervous, but... not as nervous as I thought I would be. There's something about this place, something soothing, tranquil."
"I can feel it too," Katara replied as she lay on her side, turning to face Azula, admiring the peaceful look on the delicately beautiful face of her girlfriend. "Lay back all the way, Zula," she whispered softly.
Azula turned to look at her. "Shouldn't it be my turn to take care of you?" she asked with heat in her cheeks.
"You'll get your turn soon enough," Katara smiled at her. "For now, I just want you to lay back, relax and let me take the lead." It surprised Katara herself that in this relationship with Azula, someone with such fearsome reputation, she'd be the one taking so much of the initiative. But that was before she had truly understood the slew of insecurities hidden behind Azula's painstakingly crafted mask and cultivated image of herself.
"Well, I'm not going to say no to that offer," Azula replied, doing as she was told, allowing Katara to take the lead.
Katara paused, considering where to begin. The light robe that Azula had worn under her parka needed to be shed first, that much was certain. Katara slid her palm across Azula's taut stomach, feeling her abdominal muscles tense at the contact as Katara's fingers settled on the sash holding Azula's robe together, quickly undoing it. Ever so gently, she tugged on the robe, revealing a stretch of naked skin underneath, interrupted only by Azula's underwear.
Katara continued by slowly slipping the robe off from Azula's left shoulder, then leaning in and starting to trace feather light kisses along the pristine alabaster skin, making her way towards Azula's breasts with agonizing slowness that left the princess whimper in frustration. Katara slowly pushed the robes off from Azula's right shoulder as well, exposing the princess down to her midriff. When it came to removing Azula's bra, Katara's eyes lit with an ingenious, wicked idea, as she collected traces of perspiration that had broken along Azula's skin, using it to bend her claws of ice, easily cutting through the cloth of Azula's bra and letting it fall by the wayside, leaving the princess' breasts on full display.
"Ah!" Azula gasped in surprise. "You ruined my bra!"
"I'll buy you a new one," Katara smirked, absolutely enjoying the reaction of the princess. "Just be advised, I plan to do the same when I get down to your panties," she added with a wicked grin, loving the way Azula turned a deep shade of red, struggling to hold back a moan from that mental image alone.
Katara forced herself away from observing Azula's reactions, returning her attention to the partially nude body of the princess. If Katara had been some breast-obsessed adolescent male, she perhaps would have remarked that Azula's breasts were a little on the smallish side, but to her, such a thought did not even occur. They were as beautiful to her as any other part of Azula's impeccable body. And she loved the responsiveness, it did not even require direct contact with Azula's nipples to make them fully erect and stiff, all she needed to do was to trace the outline of Azula's breasts with her kisses. Before moving downward, she allowed herself to indulge for a while, suckling on Azula's sensitive nipples in turn, worrying them in her mouth, nibbling at the stiff points with her teeth until Azula's moans reached the higher pitch that she longed to hear.
Pushing the robe further and further apart until it slid away completely, Katara's lips slowly traversed the taut plane of Azula's stomach, the waterbender absolutely loving the way her girlfriend's muscles rippled in perfect response to every teasing kiss against her skin. While still kissing Azula's stomach, Katara ran her palm downwards, repeating the same trick as before, the ice claws snipping away Azula's panties, leaving her fully exposed to Katara's eyes. Azula still kept her legs tightly pressed together, however, an endearing last bastion of her shyness for Katara to conquer.
Under the assault of constant caresses, Azula slowly began to part her legs, and Katara used the opportunity to push her thighs fully apart. The view that opened to her eyes made her heart race like mad, the way Azula's folds were glistening with wetness so invitingly, like a treasure trove asking to be plundered. "Babe, you're so wet," Katara whispered, struggling to contain her own arousal. "So wet for me..."
"Only for you, Kat..." Azula moaned, aching to be touched... and then crying out with disbelief and frustration when Katara pulled away and rose to her feet. "Wh-what?" the princess glared at her confusingly, but not for long, when Katara merely grinned back at her and then allowed her waterbender's robe to slip from her shoulders, revealing herself to be completely nude underneath, having discarded her undergarments while waiting for Azula at the palace.
"I thought you said you were eager to take care of me?" Katara winked at her girlfriend, enjoying the teasing game way too much.
"I did say that, but still... that was evil, Katara," Azula shook her head in disbelief. "And looks like you had this all planned, too. Here I was looking forward to... unwrapping you like a gift."
"Oh?" Katara asked, Azula's words stoking her arousal even further. "That sounds like a very specific fantasy involving my sarashi wraps..."
"Maybe it is..." Azula winked at her.
"We'll make sure to fulfill it for you, Zula," Katara promised, then dropping back down to her knees and eventually coming to rest on her side next to Azula. "I'm yours to explore, my princess," she whispered huskily and invitingly.
Azula leaned in, a little hesitantly, and their lips met in a searing kiss. The lingering kiss felt lovely, but Katara began to suspect that Azula was too hesitant to move beyond kissing her and needed additional encouragement. So, Katara broke the kiss and then took Azula's hand in hers, placing her girlfriend's palm against her chest and slowly starting to lead it down towards her breasts. Azula seemed to be grateful for the guidance, but when Katara tried to push her to move past her breasts, Azula made a frustrated little mewl and refused to move on, eager to show more attention to Katara's breasts.
Katara threw her head backwards and let a soft moan escape her mouth as she felt Azula's clever touch explore the softness of her supple breasts, cupping and lightly squeezing them, running the impossibly soft pad of her thumb over her nipples until they became as hard as pebbles. While Azula's attention to her breasts seemed almost boyish, Katara was still happy to allow her girlfriend to indulge. Even though she craved a more direct stimulation to her burning core, the way Azula played with her breasts while their mouths were locked in frantic kissing, it all stoked the fire in her higher and higher.
Eventually, Katara could not endure her frustrations any longer, pulling Azula's hand away from her breasts and guiding it all the way along her stomach and further downwards. Parting her legs, Katara pressed Azula's probing hand against her own soaked folds, smiling as her lover gasped at the wetness that had gathered there. "Yes, Zula... I'm just as wet for you as you are for me," she whispered to her princess.
Azula seemed to be a little overcome by everything that was happening, losing herself in the ocean of swirling emotions, having gone to near complete standstill. Realizing that her girlfriend needed to be reassured about what she was doing all the way, Katara reached out to whisper in her ear, as she at the same time removed Azula's palm from her soaked center. "Relax, Zula, and breathe deeply. Just follow the same motions as when you're pleasuring yourself... it's easy," she soothed. Her clit was so swollen, peeking out from its protective little hood, and she knew that Azula wouldn't even need to do much to get her off quickly.
The princess seemed to take great encouragement from her words, spurred back into action as her delightfully soft fingertip settled so perfectly against Katara's clit, starting to tease her ever so gently. Katara immediately began to moan loudly, unable to keep herself in check as Azula did not exactly hold back, threatening to send her over the edge right away. Katara's hands seized Azula's shoulders in an iron grip as she slammed her lips against Azula's, starting to moan desperately in her lover's mouth.
Azula must have realized that she was offering too much stimulation too quickly, and slowed down the circular motions of her finger, and it allowed Katara to hold on and retain a measure of control over her senses, but not for too long. No matter how hard she tried to prevent the sacred edge from approaching, she could not stop her core from igniting from Azula's touch. She pulled away from Azula's mouth, just as the first powerful tremor was about to rock her trembling frame. "Babe, you're going to make me..." she gasped, and then the orgasm slammed her with its full force, reducing her to incoherent moans. "Come..." Katara managed in-between her gasps and cries as she rode out her orgasm.
"Don't stop, Zula... keep going..." she managed, sensing that Azula was about to pull her finger away from her clit. At her encouragement, the princess kept at it, making Katara crest from one peak to the next, and only when she could take no more, did Katara reach to seize Azula's wrist and break off the pleasurable contact.
"Spirits," Katara gasped as she leaned in and gave Azula a wet and sloppy kiss that left them both breathless. "That was... amazing," she managed. Her heart suddenly felt so full, overflowing, forcing out her next words before she could truly consider their meaning. "I love you, princess. I don't know how it happened, but I love you so very much," she whispered, feeling Azula tense slightly beneath her and making Katara instantly worried that she had said too much, but when she looked into Azula's golden orbs, she saw nothing but love reflected back at her.
"I've wanted to tell you the same for a while now," Azula confessed softly. "I love you, Katara. I didn't think I would ever know how to love anyone but myself, and yet... I know that I love you."
They kissed again, their mutual confession making the kiss sweeter than any that had come before. It was far from their last kiss that night, and it was only many hours later that they made their way back to the royal palace, completely satisfied and exhausted. The dawn was just starting to break when the couple finally fell asleep in their room, tightly embraced under a pile of furs.
When the following morning nobody made any comments about their indiscretion, and there were no accusations about their sordid coupling defiling the sacred Spirit Oasis, Katara had started to feel relieved that they might have possibly gotten away with it. However, following Azula's session with Yagoda later in the day, just as she and Azula were about to leave, the old healer called out to Katara, asking her to remain behind while Azula left the healing huts.
"Katara, I have noticed the bond between you and Azula growing and strengthening by the day," Yagoda began, as diplomatic as ever. "While I have some concerns, I also find it touching and beautiful to observe. I understand that as certain feelings grow, it can sometimes be hard to keep yourselves in check."
"Umm… I suppose so?" Katara managed, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of her stomach as she could not stop herself from blushing.
"Well, I simply wanted to remind you that the Spirit Oasis is a place of great spiritual importance and reverence to our people," Yagoda said, looking a little uncomfortable herself. "However, perhaps it should not be used for the… ah, purpose, for which it was used last night. If you understand my meaning…"
"I, ah… it won't happen again, I promise," Katara gulped, feeling her face burning so hot that she briefly worried she might spontaneously combust. "It's just that… Azula is struggling with the cold and I thought… but you're right, we won't do that again. I'm really sorry…"
"An apology is not necessary. I simply ask you to be more mindful in the future," Yagoda smiled at her. "Remember that it was a Fire Nation admiral who committed the gravest of crimes in the Spirit Oasis. For many of the Northern Tribe, the presence of another Fire Nation citizen in the Spirit Oasis might feel offensive by itself, although I do not share this opinion. Azula had nothing to do with those events."
"Of course, I understand," Katara said quietly, staring at her feet, feeling rather ashamed. "I admit, I got carried away… but it won't happen again, I promise."
"I believe you, Katara. You're a good girl," Yagoda nodded at her, then making a shooing gesture at her. "Now, scoot. The princess must be getting impatient waiting for you."
Katara nodded and thanked Yagoda one more time before leaving the healing huts and catching up with Azula, waiting for her outside. The princess gave her a look that seemed part concerned, part amused. "We got busted, didn't we?" she asked.
"Oh yes, we certainly did," Katara sighed. "No more making out in the Spirit Oasis, I'm afraid…"
"That's a shame," Azula sighed wistfully, but the sadness did not last long, a smile soon gracing her cheeks again. "But I think a pile of furs should do just as well, don't you?"
"I'm sure we can make it work, Zula," Katara chuckled, reaching out to kiss her girlfriend. "A pile of furs it shall be, then."