A/N: This story is set roughly six months after the events of The Burning Ring, so about five and a half years after the Hundred Years War. As always, expect some NSFW scenes between Katara and Azula, though not as many as in The Burning Ring. Admittedly, we do have one of those in the very first chapter. :)
Chapter 1
Mo Ce Sea
Fire Lord Zuko reclined on the bed in the captain's quarters of his private pleasure yacht, smiling contently as he observed his girlfriend working out nearby. Ty Lee was busy doing some light stretching exercises to keep herself in top shape, and Zuko once again remarked on the remarkable, almost supernatural limberness of the girl, as she went through one complicated position after another without even breaking sweat. Of course, capturing Zuko's attention was also the fact that Ty Lee was currently wearing very little in the way of clothing, the girl perfectly aware of the effect she was having on her boyfriend.
They had been together for more than a year by now, still having to keep their relationship away from the public eye, although increasingly more and more people at the royal court had become aware of their involvement. Zuko didn't give a damn about what anyone at the court said or thought about their affair. All he knew that the past year had been the best in his life. Not only just because he and Ty Lee had gotten together, but also because his sister was once again a part of his life, and their relationship was blossoming.
As for Ty Lee… it still surprised him that he hadn't realized how the girl he had known for more than ten years, since his early childhood, had the potential to become his dream girlfriend. Truly, Ty Lee had everything Zuko wanted and needed. She possessed an impeccable physique, divine dexterity combined with pleasantly soft and supple curves, a delight to explore in the privacy of their bedroom. But more importantly, Ty Lee's optimism and cheerfulness seemed impossible to extinguish. After a hard day of dealing with the Fire Nation courtiers, returning back to Ty Lee waiting for him in his quarters, seeing her goofy, loving smile, the devoted and trusting look in her eyes… it was everything he needed to keep going.
Having decided that she had done enough exercising, Ty Lee eventually returned to the bed and cuddled up against Zuko, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder, looking up at him. "You've had this awfully serious look on your face ever since we left Republic City," she remarked thoughtfully. Zuko mumbled something noncommittal in response. "You're going to spring your surprise on the court, aren't you?"
"It's about time," Zuko sighed. "I've delayed it for far too long already. It's not fair to you, not fair to us. My honor demands-…"
"Always the honorable one, my sweet honey bear," Ty Lee giggled, lovingly cupping her boyfriend's cheek. "I really wish you would have shared the plan with Azula before setting things in motion, though. What if something-…"
"Nothing will go wrong, Ty Lee, trust me," Zuko smiled reassuringly at her. The smile did not reflect his true feelings on the matter, however. Deep down, he was concerned. "I just don't want Azula and Katara to get swept up in this internal matter of the Fire Nation court."
"I don't know… I think Azula would have been really useful when dealing with the courtiers," Ty Lee appeared unconvinced. "Fire Nation court… more like a pit of snakes."
Zuko chuckled, despite himself, reaching out to kiss Ty Lee's brow. "Pit of snakes sounds about right, but… let's not concern ourselves with them right now," he grinned, moving to pluck a kiss from her full, sensuous lips.
"Oh? And what else would you rather do right now?" Ty Lee asked teasingly.
"I think I'll just show you instead," Zuko smirked, pulling her into his arms and starting to kiss her fiercely. However, before they could get any further with their amorous exploits, there was a loud crash, and the ship seemed to come to a sudden standstill, nearly throwing the couple right out of the bed.
"What was that?" Ty Lee gasped worriedly, looking at Zuko with concern.
"Beats me… we're way out in the middle of the sea, there should be nothing for us to hit," Zuko replied, unable to hide the nervousness from creeping into his voice. "Wait here, kitten, while I go investigate. And don't worry, I'm sure it's nothing…"
Republic City
Over the past six months, Katara and Azula had grown and settled into their roles in Republic City. It was a place they had by now come to truly regard as their new home. Before their paths had joined, their respective journeys had been very different. While Katara's star had been on the rise, lauded everywhere she went as a heroine of the Great War, Azula's fall from grace had been equally spectacular, but for all the wrong reasons. They had both endured difficult childhoods, each in their own way, marred by traumatic experiences that had left lasting scars. For the past five years, their lives had been put through a rollercoaster of changes, and the two girls had both wondered how they would react to a calm and peaceful settling down, worried that they might soon become restless. Much to their shared relief, these fears never materialized, and both Katara and Azula thrived and flourished in this new, nurturing environment.
Katara was still kept busy at the Republic City general hospital. Her staff at the ward of waterbending healing was by now well trained and required only very light supervision. She had trained her fellow benders well and they were now able to handle nearly every situation they faced, which in turn allowed Katara to explore other avenues and continue to grow professionally.
At Katara's humble request, Yagoda had sent her most trusted and skilled pupil, Amira, to train Katara in all the techniques which the waterbenders of the North employed when treating ailments of the mind. Amira had stayed at their Republic City mansion with Katara and Azula for almost four months, during which Katara had absorbed all the knowledge of the other healer like a greedy sponge. These lessons included techniques used in conversation to make the patient relax and share their experiences and emotions, and also special waterbending exercises, mostly useful for clearing blocked chakra pathways. Katara also had the best ever test subject in Azula, the princess delighted when she could combine spending time with her girlfriend with helping Katara better herself at something she took very seriously.
And indeed, if Katara was going to become a well-respected mental therapist, she wanted to make sure that she had all the best tools at her disposal so that she would always be prepared to assist those in need of her help. Apart from all the things already on her plate, Katara had recently began serious studies in herbalism. She was busy devouring what little books on topic there were, jotting down notes on promising herbal concoctions that could be of use in her new field of work. In addition, together with Azula, they had begun to spend their weekends by touring the countryside and seeking out the old wise women of the local villages, trying to learn from their experience in employing herbal medicine. All in all, Katara was absolutely engrossed with her new career path.
Meanwhile, Azula was still having a great deal of fun toying with her political opponents on the Republic City council. Frustrated by his inability to push through his own agendas, Aang's appearances in the council chambers had started to become less and less regular. Perhaps it was also because of the realization that Azula's relationship with Katara was perfectly stable, and there was next to no chance of Katara jumping back into his arms. Whatever his true reasons were, Aang was slowly returning to his wandering Air Nomad ways, visiting the air temples, seeing to their restoration and tending to his steadily growing cult of tofu-loving Avatar worshippers.
The Earth Kingdom leadership was becoming very frustrated with the inability of their diplomats to handle Azula. King Kuei had even written a tearful letter to Zuko, almost begging him to replace Azula with someone else, but the Fire Lord had merely chuckled at the suggestion, taking the letter as a sign that Azula was doing a very effective job protecting the interests of the Fire Nation. Meanwhile, the Earth Kingdom kept swapping their councilors in a revolving door policy, hoping that at least one of them would be able to deal with Azula... all to no avail. Kuei had even sent Lao Wan, the irritating and disrespectful investigator who had annoyed both Azula and Katara back in Ba Sing Se. Azula had taken almost perverse enjoyment in sending the woman back to the Earth Kingdom capital in tears and near complete nervous breakdown.
There had been developments regarding the latest Northern Water Tribe appointment to the council. For some reason, Chieftain Arnook had thought it would be a good idea to send a slippery womanizer by the name of Hahn to serve on the council. Azula had developed an instant dislike for the young man, but even she was surprised at the amount of hatred that Sokka expressed towards Hahn, Katara's brother taking Hahn's appointment as a personal insult because of their past confrontations involving the late Princess Yue. This had created a natural alliance between Azula and Sokka with them both working together to discredit and bring down Hahn. With their mission ending in resounding success and resulting in Hahn packing his bags and slinking back to the North Pole, Azula and Sokka developed something of a bond. As a result, much to his sister's delight, Sokka was now a regular guest at their manor, a development also aided by Aang's lengthy absences.
When it came to their respective families, progress was slow. Katara was delighted to have Sokka firmly on her side again, but she missed being in touch with her father and Gran-Gran. She exchanged messages through Sokka, but when the return messages always contained the question whether she was still together with Azula, it just didn't help in maintaining a close and supportive relationship.
Azula's relationship with her mother was gradually improving. They had met only once since agreeing to work together to rebuild their relationship, during Azula and Katara's visit to Caldera City for the celebrations of summer solstice. Azula and Ursa had sat down for a lengthy talk, the air was cleared even further, and the regular correspondence between them seemed to be helping. Azula also regularly exchanged letters with Kiyi, her younger half-sister quickly becoming very fond of Azula. Kiyi's letters often included her drawings of Azula and Katara, charming little doodles that hinted at some very serious talent underneath.
Zuko and Ty Lee continued their visits to Republic City as often as twice every month, and the four of them had become very close. Zuko was still working on his secret plan to free himself from the arranged marriage he had so unwisely become entangled in, remaining frustratingly tightlipped about his plans. Ty Lee, in the meanwhile, appeared unconcerned and kept insisting to her royal boyfriend that she didn't want him to take any unnecessary risks on her behalf. The two of them often brought with them touching gifts for Azula and Katara, gestures of gratitude for intruding upon them so often, even if the two girls continued to insist that they were always happy to see Zuko and Ty Lee visiting them.
The gift that Ty Lee had brought them recently had been truly amazing, and would see much use in the months and years to come... at least Katara thought so, as she lay on their bed fully naked. Her hands were tied to the bedposts as she eagerly observed a fierce looking Kyoshi Warrior approaching her, disapproval etched on her beautifully painted face. It was only when the golden eyes of the Kyoshi Warrior met Katara's cerulean orbs, was the waterbender able to recognize her girlfriend dressed up in the full Kyoshi Warrior garb, an amazing and irresistibly sexy sight to her eyes.
"Well, well... what do we have here? An impertinent and misbehaving little water peasant?" Azula drawled imperiously as she approached the bed. Katara was amazed by how convincing the princess appeared when assuming the dominant role in their encounters. In the early days of their relationship, Katara had been the one doing all the leading, but ever so slowly, Azula had become more and more assertive during their role-playing. They still enjoyed mixing the roles up now and then, and Katara was most definitely interested in donning the Kyoshi Warrior garb in the future herself, face paint and all. "What shall we do with the likes of you?" Azula pondered with a twisted grin on her lips.
"I humbly submit myself to the mercy of the honorable princess," Katara breathed out. She felt all a flush with heat from the mere appearance of her beloved, the way she carried herself, the way she spoke.
"Did you have my permission to speak? Why should I tolerate such disrespect from a lowly peasant wench?" Azula glared at her. "I should have you punished, unless... unless there's a way you could put your pretty little mouth to a better use..."
"Whatever the princess desires," Katara managed humbly, watching as Azula climbed into the bed, lifting her kimono upwards as she positioned herself on top of Katara, with the waterbender's head trapped between Azula's thighs.
"There, a much better use for your tongue," Azula growled softly as she lowered her hips slightly, bare flesh hovering just above Katara's eager mouth. She let out a strangled moan as Katara reared her head slightly, bringing her lips in contact with Azula's soaked folds, starting to work on pleasuring her already heavily aroused girlfriend.
Normally, when she pleasured Azula like this, Katara's arms would be free and she would use them to hold Azula's hips tightly in place, aligning them just the way Katara wanted it. She would also be able to plunge her fingers deep inside Azula to help get her off when that sacred edge began to draw near. Now, with her arms tied to the bedposts, the task of satisfying Azula became much harder, although Katara was absolutely determined not to let her princess down. She had to keep her head reared, with her neck slightly craned, and strain was slowly starting to set in, causing some discomfort. Still, Katara pressed on relentlessly, inspired by Azula's reaction to her efforts. The telltale signs were starting to show, the desperation in Azula's moans, the way tremors began to run through her hips as she ground herself more and more insistently against Katara's mouth.
And then, right before Katara's aching neck was completely seized by cramps, Azula finally shuddered and a fresh coat of wetness hit Katara's chin as the princess surrendered to a powerful orgasm, sagging weakly forward against the headboard of their queen-sized bed.
"Fuck... that was fucking amazing..." she slowly climbed off Katara's face, her legs still trembling. "What I meant to say..." the princess caught herself before completely slipping out of character. "You performed adequately, pet," she leaned downwards to press a deep and lingering kiss against Katara's puckered lips. "In fact, I am feeling magnanimous enough to provide you with relief of your own."
"Spirits... please, I beg you, princess. I need it so much," Katara whispered. She didn't even have to think about staying in character to say these words. The whole experience had left her in a desperate need to get off, or else she felt she might suffer from spontaneous combustion.
"Remember, you don't get to tell me what to do, peasant," Azula grinned wickedly, her painted face settling between Katara's parted legs. "Maybe I'll give you the relief you crave... or maybe I'll just tease you without giving you what you want." She made a first exploratory lick at Katara's soaked folds, coming away with her chin coated and glistening. "Oh, and I can see how badly you want to get off..."
Katara whimpered as Azula truly set to her task, silently praying that her girlfriend wouldn't be as cruel as to drag things out too much before making her come. Unfortunately, Azula seemed to be in a merciless mood tonight, because that was exactly what she seemed intent on doing. The princess was taking an extraordinary amount of delight from bringing Katara to the edge of a powerful orgasm and then frustratingly stopping before tipping her over, ignoring Katara's desperate pleas and mewls.
All of this teasing was gradually working Katara up into quite the state. She was becoming so desperate to come that genuine tears were by now streaming down her face. Katara was so worked up that for a moment she even forgot the agreed upon safe-word she was supposed to utter if she felt that Azula was taking things too far. Fortunately, her mind somehow cleared from the fog of pleasure for a moment, allowing her to cry out. "Firelily!" Katara gasped in a broken voice.
Azula's response was immediate. Her left arm slid onto Katara's stomach to keep it pressed down, while she prevented Katara from lifting her hips up in the air by using her own bodyweight. The fingers of Azula's right hand plunged straight into Katara's slick wetness, picking up a relentless rhythm. Within a matter of moments, it was all over. Katara's world exploded as black spots danced before her eyes, and for a long while she could do nothing but to just scream until her throat became raw.
When Katara finally came back to, Azula had settled by her side in the bed, having cut the restraints keeping her hands tied to the bedposts. The princess reached out, wiping the wetness away from Katara's cheeks. Her facial expression was harder to read with the Kyoshi Warrior face paint, but something in her eyes spoke of guilt. "Why didn't you call out earlier?" Azula whispered to her. "Now I feel like I've caused you discomfort, and I never want to do that."
"Oh... don't worry, Firelily," Katara smiled weakly at her girlfriend. "A little bit of suffering was definitely worth the reward."
"So, everything is fine?" Azula still needed to be certain.
"Trust me, babe, that was amazing," Katara smiled at her princess.
"Yeah, it was insanely good for me as well," Azula admitted with a smile. "Damn, we really owe Ty Lee big time. This is like the best gift ever."
"I could not agree more," Katara chuckled, feeling content and blissful. "We need to figure out a gift for her in return... any idea what she might like?"
"I don't know, anything that's pink?" Azula shrugged. "Oh, or do you mean something she could... share with Zuko? I can't really see my brother being much into role-playing. He's probably too shy and awkward to give voice to his fantasies."
"I'm sure Ty Lee knows how to get him to unwind," Katara smiled. "From how she knew that we'd find a good use for the Kyoshi Warrior garb, I'm pretty sure she's familiar with that sort of role-playing."
"Right... so maybe you could gift her one of your waterbender robes," Azula suggested with a naughty grin on her lips. "Then they can role-play Zuko kidnapping the last Southern Tribe waterbender and having his way with her."
"Azula!" Katara exclaimed, red-faced. "That would be incredibly inappropriate!"
"Still worth a suggestion, just to see the outrage on your face," Azula laughed.
"Sometimes I feel like I'm letting you get away with way too much wicked teasing," Katara mock-glared at her girlfriend. "Anyway, you should probably take off the outfit. And remove the face paint while you're at it. Or else I'll start to feel as if I'm cuddling with Ty Lee..."
"Right... because the two of us are so alike," Azula snorted at her, but eventually did as she was told, slipping out of the gorgeous and intricate armored kimono, sitting down by the mirror fully naked and starting to remove the delicate face paint.
As Katara was patiently waiting for the princess to rejoin her in the bed, she was suddenly surprised by the heavy sound of the doorbell echoing throughout the entire estate. This was a very surprising turn of the events, considering the lateness of the hour. The guards at the gates would not be admitting any visitors unless Azula or Katara had previously instructed them to do so. The only reason why they would be disturbed so late in the evening would be a rare emergency.
"Would you get that, Kat?" Azula asked, sounding slightly nervous. "I can't show my face right now, not even to the guards."
"Of course, I'll go and see what it's all about," Katara quickly draped the nightgown around her shoulders, all but running out of their bedroom and down the flight of stairs to the main floor of the estate.
When Katara returned to their bedroom a few minutes later, her steps were shaky and her entire frame was gripped by shivers. "The guards... passed a message from the Fire Nation embassy," she managed in a trembling voice. "Zula, you... you might want to sit down..."
"Kat, I am sitting down," Azula snapped impatiently, growing increasingly nervous herself. "Just tell me what's going on!"
"It's Zuko and Ty Lee... they never arrived in the Capital City," Katara managed, watching Azula's eyes widening from the shocking news. "They found the remains of what appears to be Zuko's ship near the outer archipelago... and they presume that Zuko and Ty Lee are gone..."
Azula stared at her in disbelief for the longest time, before letting out a scream of anguish.