Author's Disclaimer: I don't own a thing belonging to "Avatar: The last Airbender" :P Nothing! Naaaathing.
Author's notes: And Azula baby mama thrown down part two! Zuko and Ty Lee might wind up wearing some of dinner as it were…. Oh, and abit more Azula, ahem, alone time. Enjoy :P
Maraghoul: hehe your wording down on Zuko makes me giddy. Yes apparently he can only hope :P
QueenTyzula: here you go! Enjoy, enjoy :P
Harley Quinn Davidson: oh, that may come about some time…. (cough cough).
CharlieBarrow: heeh Azula playing drill sergeant is too much fun :P Glad you approve. And yes, I know exactly what to name this child.
"Stoking the Fire"
Chapter twenty-eight "The Truth"
Ty Lee ate very little; more than enough to feed her child and placate the nervous Fire Lord, but enough so that any scraps left on her plate couldn't be used as a lobbing weapon. Ying shifted behind her elbow. Ty Lee knew she would protect her, but suddenly the concubine found herself casting her gaze at Mai's wide sleeves.
She was prone to hiding knives in them and she feared she was now.
Mai had finished eating, easing in her chair as if the cushioned back was uncomfortable. She sighed.
"So, you two have news. Spill it," she ordered. Zuko signaled for the servants to take the dishes up. He dismissed them with a wave of the hand. Only Ying and Tsung remained and Ying raised her eyes to find Tsung staring longingly at her. Just as quickly as she noticed it, Tsung looked away.
Zuko cleared his throat. "In a moment, Mai. Let's check all corners, shall we?" This he directed at the Kyoshi Warriors. They began checking crevices in the corners and in the large pieces of furniture in the royal bedchambers. Mai's eyebrow raised high as she watched her husband work with them.
There was a low murmur at the apartment front door and it opened to emit Suki. She noted the search for hidden ears and helped without asking. Ty Lee tried to rise from her chair and grunted. Ying dashed over and helped her stand. Ty Lee pressed a hand to the small of her back and smiled in thanks.
Zuko murmured to Suki and Tsung, eyes going as ever to Ty Lee's condition. Mai tried not to bristle.
"Okay…..we should be fine," he said. "Tsung, will you guard the door outside?"
Tsung gave a bow and left the others, those who already knew the secret of Ty Lee's baby, alone in the sitting room. The front door closed and Suki gestured for Mai to take a seat on the stone floor in the center of the room. Zuko sat cross-legged across from her and reached to help Ty Lee lower herself down. She shifted her legs uncomfortably and flashed a look of worry to him. Zuko gave a low smile to assure her.
If things went badly, Ty Lee wouldn't be able to get up quickly. She was slightly terrified. Ying sat on the ground slightly in front of Ty Lee. Her shoulders untensed slightly.
Zuko cleared his throat. "I want to start off that I'm sorry I didn't let you in on this at the start. I should have. When I was announcing Ty Lee as my concubine, I should have told you then…"
Mai waited, hands folded in her lap. Her golden eyes narrowed. "What is it?" She honestly was confused. It had hurt terribly Zuko had to find a suitable concubine and it hurt even more when he landed on her friend. She waited. She watched her husband's throat dart as he swallowed.
"Well….when the Head Fire Sage told me we were incompatible, I had to think around it. I came upon Ty Lee while she was dealing with a problem….and took responsibility for it," Zuko said. Mai frowned. He was still being vague and it was pissing her off.
"What happened? I know she had to fight Azula off her but she's okay," Mai turned to the pregnant woman, frowning. "Azula was captured again."
"But you know she slipped her restraints and attacked Zuko on her way out of the palace. I told her what Zuko proposed to me," Ty Lee said softly. "I had just found out and told Zuko. He asked me to help him. But Azula didn't know that I was already…well…" Mai didn't understand until Ty Lee's hand settled on the swell of her belly.
"But…but…..you….you said it was yours!" Mai turned to Zuko with a scowl. "You chose Ty Lee as your concubine and she got pregnant!"
"She was already pregnant," Zuko said gently. "With Azula's pup. And I think the Head Fire Sage is wrong. I think the problem he diagnosed for us is solely at my door. YOU were able to get pregnant, after all."
Mai flushed, but banished her shame. "Azula's?!" she gaped at Ty Lee. As she processed that news, she faltered.
"But why?!" she demanded. "Why take Ty Lee's baby?"
"I need an heir," Zuko said pragmatically. He patted Ty Lee's hand, but kept away from her. "At least the child has royal blood. It will be easily passed as mine."
Understanding, confusion and anger warred across Mai's features. She stammered. Suki knelt beside her, concerned. Zuko tensed visibly.
"Oh, knock it off, you guys! I'm not going to throw knives at you! Yet…." Mai growled. She leaned forward, long black hair falling over one shoulder. "If you needed to do this, you could have just told me! You could have told me…."
Zuko's lips pressed into a sad line. He leaned forward and clasped his hand over his wife's. "You're right. I should have. I am so, so sorry we didn't tell you right away…."
Ty Lee knew what he was apologizing for. If they'd told Mai, she wouldn't have left the royal palace, she would have never sought out Azula for a revenge fuck, would never have belied the Head Fire Sage's prognosis with her pregnancy, never would have lost it…. The circle of hurt was hopefully ended. At least, the vast majority of it…..
Mai let him touch her, then she jerked her hands away. "FINE. So, Ty isn't pregnant with your pup and she's giving it to you." The look of hurt she darted between them was palpable. "Why did you have to sleep together? Why?"
The question wasn't yelled but Zuko and Ty Lee winced as if it had been. They shared a look and it burned jealousy throughout Mai's being. She seethed noticeably.
"It wasn't to hurt you, Mai," Ty Lee insisted. "The Fire Sages demanded to view our…first joining." She finished lamely what was a phrase that had obviously come from the Fire Sages, not her. Mai frowned at her.
"You let me think you were sleeping with Zuko to have his child. You have both wronged me."
Suki winced behind Mai, but kept her tongue. Zuko was grateful.
"We did," Zuko admitted. "I'm sorry….I would have kept away from Ty, but the Fire Sages said for her to be my concubine, they had to witness….that."
He and Ty Lee both blushed a fine red, no doubt recalling a very enjoyable evening. Mai glowered at them.
"But you obviously kept sleeping together. You didn't have to," she retorted. Zuko coughed and scratched his red cheek with one finger.
"No….we didn't," he admitted. Ty Lee's heart bled for him. It was a horrible situation to be caught in. She wouldn't say she was sorry for the sex itself. She and Zuko had had a good time.
"Are you going to still?" Mai couldn't keep from asking. Her heart wrenched and twisted. Zuko and Ty Lee shared a look and it set Mai's heart seething again.
"I don't know. That depends on all of us, I suppose. And the roles we're taking in raising Ty's child," Zuko said as gently as he could.
"Oh, we'll discuss that in great detail," Mai snapped. The fire in her eyes said 'hell no'. Zuko's heart lurched.
"You're the Fire Lady, Mai," Ty Lee said gently. "You're as much my baby's mother as I am."
Mai's lips pressed together and she looked as if she were about to cry. "So what, both of us share Zuko? Raise your baby and fairy tale endings for all? It's not as easy as all that."
"I agree," Ty Lee murmured. Zuko shifted on the floor.
"But at least you know," Zuko said. "I don't have to remind you this can only be kept between all of us. Ying and Suki were there when we saw the midwife."
Mai flushed with anger. "Suki and Ying?!... Fine. I understand your rule depends on this. You never had to doubt my loyalty to the crown."
'Yes, but whose crown when you were chasing Azula,' Zuko thought bitterly. He bit his lip to keep the words from erupting. The old anger flared but he had already shown that to Mai. Now wasn't the time.
"Please, Mai. For all of its life, the child must believe it's mine," Zuko pleaded. "For all our sakes, you have to keep this secret forever." Suki tensed.
Mai's eyes flashed to him. "I SAID FINE."
Zuko and Ty Lee had to trust she'd keep the secret. She had to! Worry stabbed Zuko's stomach and he tried not to wince openly.
"Well… now that you know, what now?" Suki dared to ask. Mai flashed her angry eyes over to her as well.
"I thought you were my friend. I suppose Zuko was your friend first," she accused. Suki flushed with shame and looked aside.
"I'll keep your little secret. Oh, my little schemers, how you've dug us all a fine hole," Mai griped. She stood up, robes flowing, and paced back and forth. Suki dodged her path.
Zuko knelt up, concerned. "Mai….."
"Don't come near me. Not right now," Mai warned. Ty Lee's mouth turned upside down in sadness. She held Ying's hand and was hoisted up to her feet.
"I'm so sorry, Mai. You should have known from the start," she said sweetly. Mai frowned angrily at her. Bitter tears pricked the corner of her eyes. She scrubbed them away.
"Yes, I should have. You should have told me, and YOU," Mai turned to Zuko on that word, "Should have trusted me!"
Zuko winced as if slapped. "Yes….I should have, my love."
"Save your sweet nothings," Mai snapped. "Well, you still have one pregnant partner. I'm sure you'll want to dote on her."
Mai gave a mocking bob of a bow and stalked to the front door of the sitting room. Obviously, she was going to leave for her family's apartment. Suki cast an anguished look to Zuko and ran after her.
Zuko's legs almost buckled. Then he noticed Ty Lee looking ghostly pale. He helped lead her to a sofa and sat her down. "It'll be okay….she knows. And we can all work together one day."
"Working together is one thing. She may never be my friend again. And your marriage…." Ty Lee fretted. Zuko clasped her hands gently in his.
"Don't worry about me. I'll do my best to win her back," he murmured. Ty Lee wanted to embrace him, then kept her hands to herself.
"I know you will…..can I ask you something?"
"Anything. What is it?" Zuko asked earnestly. Ty Lee's lip quivered.
"Can I at least have a hug? I do miss you, Zu," she admitted. Her emotions were on high during the third trimester and she was on edge with the events of the day. Zuko knelt up and wrapped his arms gently around her.
"Of course you can…oh Ty, I'm so sorry. I should have told her from the start," he admitted. Ty Lee clasped him, rubbing her chin against his shoulder.
'Just as I should have told Azula….. ' she thought with sorrow. Her ex-lover's brother held her, smiling gently. He kissed a tear from her eye gently.
"Don't cry. I'm still here for you." What that entailed was yet to be decided, but Ty Lee couldn't have sex while she was this huge to save her life. She couldn't focus on the needs of her body.
"Thank you, Zu," she said. Zuko rocked her gently. He relaxed when Ty Lee's chi melded around the corners of his. At the gentler moments like this, he wondered if Ty Lee would want to be marked by him. It wasn't unheard of for alphas to have more than one mate, and he knew where his feelings were considering his pregnant concubine. But he knew Ty Lee didn't love him that way. She cared, but love?
She probably still loved his sister who was a criminal to the crown. Zuko closed his eyes against Ty Lee's hair.
"Owww it's acting up again," Ty Lee complained. She pulled a face, rubbing her cheek against Zuko's shoulder. Zuko slid a hand between them and rubbed her belly. The baby kicked fiercely and he had to smile.
"He'll be here soon, won't he?" Zuko asked. He was pleased when Ty Lee smiled. He crooned softly down to her belly. The baby kicked again.
"It could be a girl. It could be more than one or two. Multiple births DO run in my family," she commented. Ty Lee laid her hand over his. Zuko began to sweat.
"One is enough," he pleaded. Ty Lee gave a sly smile.
"I doubt that's in your control," she teased. Zuko beamed when she leaned up and kissed his cheek. He needed to shave by next morning.
Ying straightened the sitting room as the two held each other. Zuko talked softly down to Ty Lee's belly, feeling the baby kick in response.
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Azula paced back and forth in her borrowed bedchamber, cursing under her breath. She had remained shifted all afternoon, and drilling the soldiers hadn't made it go down. She was throbbing and irate, as memories of dreams she didn't want to have invaded her waking thoughts. The hot silk of Ty Lee's walls as she clung to her, her shaft throbbing as she was encased tightly…..the beautiful moans she had pulled from Ty Lee's throat as she rutted her to exhaustion. She should have claimed her!
"Damn her…. damn her!" Azula muttered under her breath. She sighed and leaned against the hearth with one shoulder. Her long fingers unlaced her trousers. "Maybe now you'll go away…." She muttered to her cock as she took it in hand.
She began stroking, trying to think of the last pretty servant girl she had bedded. That had been a few days ago, but she wouldn't let anyone stay in her bed. Bad enough she had loved pressing against Ty Lee's back after they had collapsed to exhaustion… Loved? Love was for weak fools!
"Fuck her," Azula muttered. "Fuck her!" She stroked harder and harder, regrettably thinking back over the litany of positions they had shared. One of the servant girls that had been offered her had been in heat and it had taken a great amount of willpower to turn her away.
She couldn't get ensnared in another girl's heat….
Azula grunted as spurts of come shot from her cock. She aimed for the fireplace and the cold embers of the hearth.
"Just hurry up…..go down!" she cursed her cock. It throbbed in her hand, the head swelling after her long ejaculation. She leaned against the stones, panting.
"Snow has to go away some time. I'm coming for you, Zuzu," Azula muttered. She relaced back up and went in search of a wash basin to clean her hands. As her still hard cock throbbed in her trousers, Azula went in search of a servant.
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Mai watched her mother knitting from under her lowered eyebrows. Lady Michi kept her calm, but for once, Mai wished she wouldn't. Well, she wished that a lot. One of the more notable times she'd lost her demure demeanor was when she'd made the decision to leave her father. THAT had been a display worthy of remembrance.
Tom-Tom read to her from a scroll, sounding out the characters slowly. Mai wrapped her arm around his shoulder and leaned against him.
"I wouldn't be remiss if you stayed with Lord Zuko. Your brother and I can wait for your time," Lady Michi said gently. Mai sighed. It hurt when her mother was nice. It made her want to lower her defensive walls and that only made her angry.
"I know, Mother," Mai said. Tom-Tom leaned into her and faltered on a word. Mai helped him sound it out.
"Go on, dear. Your husband has to….be feeling the loss too," Michi said softly. Mai sighed. She kissed her brother's head and turned to her mother. Michi was surprised when her tall daughter leaned down for a hug.
"Thanks, Mother," she said. She couldn't tell her the secret of why she was even further bothered, but at least she could be in the presence of those that had laid a huge secret at her door.
"Bye, sis!" Tom-Tom called. Mai smiled at her brother. She took Tsung with her. The Kyoshi Warrior was more trusted with her over the weeks and had been with her through the darkest times. Mai was certain she was her friend.
"I've noticed you looking at Ying when we visited Ty Lee," Mai said. "You two grew up together, didn't you?"
Tsung blinked and the tall girl blushed. "Yes…..and we once shared a bed during one of her heats…"
Mai raised an eyebrow. "I should have guessed. Have you tried to mend things with her?"
"She's taking care of Ty Lee…. Suki let her be her right-hand woman," Tsung said. Mai smiled wryly.
"I should have known we were in the same boat."
"Just a walk, my lady? Or do you want to find the Fire Lord?" Tsung asked.
"Fire Lord," Mai muttered. Tsung escorted her. Some of the palace servants were scraping ice off of the sitting room windows so the guests and royals could peer out and see the gardens. The snow blanketed the trees outside with pure white.
There was still a fear that Azula's lackeys were about and possibly could be in plain sight, maybe even folding linen in a sitting room they passed. But Mai pressed on, fingering a knife in her long sleeve.
Before she could head to Ty Lee's chambers, she bumped right into Zuko himself. He had Suki and another Kyoshi Warrior in tow. Zuko looked surprised, and the women tensed. But he gave a soft smile.
"On your way to the sauna, Mai? It's a cold day," he said. Mai shook her head.
"My mother thought you'd need my company. Do you?" she asked plaintively.
Zuko nodded slowly. "Your mother is a wise lady," he said.
Mai kept pace slowly with her husband. They bypassed the sitting room that held the bad memories of her revealing her pregnancy, and on their way to the royal bedchamber.
Zuko stopped the Kyoshi Warriors from coming inside too. "We'll be okay. Please, stay on guard."
Suki smiled. "Of course."
When the door closed, Zuko turned to his wife. He couldn't help scanning his eyes up and down. Her belly looked positively flat beneath the robes and he suddenly felt very sad. Mai touched his arm.
"It wasn't your fault, Zuko. Stop looking like that," she said. Zuko gently folded Mai into his arms.
"I'm so sad for you. It was your baby," he said simply. Unbidden, tears filled Mai's eyes. The physical loss in her body made her feel slightly dizzy; physically sad. Zuko was relieved when Mai clutched his back and leaned into his chest.
"I love you, Mai," Zuko said softly. Mai sniffled against his chest but didn't say it back.
"I'm still mad at you and Ty Lee," Mai warned. Zuko nodded against her head.
"I know."
"I don't know when I'll stop being angry at you," she admitted. Zuko rubbed her back.
"That's okay. I'll be there for you when you're not. Or if you are," Zuko said carefully. Mai frowned against his chest.
"You'll be with Ty Lee. You have to mask her baby's chi signature, don't you?"
Zuko sighed. "Yes. You could talk to the baby, too, Mai. The baby will be yours as well."
"Maybe…." Mai still sounded downcast. Without her own pregnancy, she didn't want to be around Ty Lee while she was carrying her child. Azula's child! It wasn't even Zuko's and he had to, no, he NEEDED to dote on the both of them to pass off that he had an heir. Not to mention masking his sister's chi stamp that must be all over the child….
The palace intrigues made Mai's head spin and she closed her eyes against Zuko's tunic front. He rubbed the back of her head gently. Mai hoped that one day she would be able to forgive him.
Right that moment as they stood before the window of their sitting room, heavy snowflakes lightening the room with its stark white, Mai couldn't see how.
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Azula paused, breath steaming in front of her. She ducked into the folds of her cloak, pulling the hood lower over her brow. She paused at the edge of Lady Sachiko's icy fields. Her golden eyes darted, dancing off the icicles that glistened in the low sunlight. A crunch sounded to her rear, but Azula didn't tense.
Zirin stepped up beside her princess, breath forming in the extreme cold. "I take it you've calmed down," was her greeting. Azula made an off-hand grunt.
"You're a beta, Zirin. You don't know what it's like to have sex on your mind and your cock ready," Azula murmured. Zirin didn't blush. She merely raised a thin eyebrow.
"If it means you're half distracted most of the times, I'd rather not have that problem," Zirin admitted.
Azula snickered. "Sometimes the problem can be pleasurable….."
"I'll take your word for it," Zirin said dryly. "Want to say what's on your mind or are you through punishing the soldiers for the winter delay?"
"They chose to be imperial soldiers. I will push them however I see fit," Azula declared. Zirin was glad to see her old confidence; at her best, Azula oozed charisma that anyone would follow. She had already seen her at her worst, after all….
"It does pass the time," Zirin murmured. "Can't let them languish in a tent in the lady's courtyard for a few months."
"Hmm," Azula agreed.
"My princess, if I may be so bold as to ask; it isn't the capital post that has you riled up, is it?" Zirin asked. Azula's eyes narrowed. What she hinted at were the articles in the post about the progress of Ty Lee's pregnancy and the soon-to-be birth of her brother's heir. Her eyes slit, vision narrowing in a sudden ping of stress.
"Zuzu's ahead of our game. He knows the birth of an heir will placate most anyone of those fickle nobles," Azula muttered. Zirin pressed further.
'Yes, it will…. Does it trouble you to read about Ty Lee with another?"
Azula growled. Steam rose from her clenched fists. The snowflakes that fell on her heated skin melted rapidly. "Watch yourself, Zirin. We may be allies, but that doesn't make us friends," Azula warned.
Zirin watched her impassively. "You will have to concede that she's out of your reach. Ty Lee…. Unless you plan on claiming all of Zuko's assets once you kill him."
Azula tried not to let it show on her face she'd already pondered that possibility. Fights between alphas over a mate weren't unheard of, nor claiming the fallen alpha's omega as one's own after such a fight ended in one's death.
"I think that would depend on her. If she mouths off, she can meet the same demise," Azula drawled. Zirin sighed.
"Azula, you can fool most anyone, but I know this Ty Lee has a drastic hold on your heart. I don't think you'd be able to kill her even if she asked it of you."
Azula turned and blasted a stream of fire into the cold winter sky. She hissed. "I can and I will if I have to! No one holds sway over me. Let alone Fire Lord Azula."
That was the answer Zirin wanted, but the fervent darting of Azula's eyes told another story. "I hope you'll stick to your convictions."
"Stick to your own," Azula swore. She ducked into her cloak and stalked across the icy fields toward the trees of the forest's edge. Zirin sighed.
"Where are you going?" she called.
"Away. Can't a girl think?" Azula yelled back. She disappeared around one thick oak tree and Zirin stood, waiting. Her breath steamed in front of her and as the time went by, she hunkered on her heels in the snow.
Azula may not think she needed her, or anyone, but Zirin would wait.
End for now
End notes: Well, well, our princess seems to be having a major problem lately. What will happen? Stay tuned!
Most sincerely,
Pen 2/9/2017