Author' Disclaimer: I don't own anything belonging to "Avatar: the last Airbender!" Nada thing.
Author's Notes: Azula's been noted to have been missing from some of my last few chapters. Here's some extra Azula despite the events coming in this chapter. Enjoy!
QueenTyzula: Okay okay you know which part you inspired me to keep with. Enjoy my friend :P And yes the extra long scene with Azula is for you.
Maraghoul: here it is, the birth of the heir! Thanks again for bouncing the main core ideas of this story around with me :P
CharlieBarrow: And it's here! Enjoy :P
Harley Quinn Davidson: What Ty will do will come about sooner than later :P Just wait.
"Stoking the fire"
Chapter thirty "Birth of the heir"
"What's wrong, Ty Lee?" Zuko asked.
Ty Lee shifted uncomfortably and let the Fire Lord help adjust her seat on the couch. Her feet churned uselessly until she was righted like a downed ant-beetle.
"I'm huge, I just want to give birth already, and I want my body back," Ty Lee complained. It may have sounded selfish, but it was the truth. She had to pee all the time as the child pressed on her bladder, and to get up and down required Ying or Zuko or Suki's help at all times. She felt sheltered under their protection, but it was disconcerting to be at the physical mercy of her friends.
She was so used to being in tight control of her flexible body and to be ungainly and slow was slightly terrifying in its own way. Zuko set his scroll down and took her hands, helping her stand at her frantic gestures.
"Washroom?" he asked. Ty Lee nodded rapidly and he helped walk her to the toilet. Zuko averted his gaze as Ty Lee adjusted her casual robe and sat down on the seat. She peed rapidly and sighed with relief.
"Spirits, it never ends. I spend half the days and nights in here!" she griped. Zuko waited for her to flush and leaned against the sink as she washed her hands.
"It will all be over soon. Soon the baby will be here. That in itself is what we both want," he said soothingly. Ty Lee grasped his forearm and let him lead her back to the sofa. Ying sidled into the room with a tray of tea for everyone.
"I just saw Lady Mai," Ying reported. Ty Lee looked flustered and agitated, hands fluttering to her wide belly. Zuko waited. "She sends her best and hopes all is well with the baby…"
Ty Lee snorted, uncharacteristically riled up at the end of her pregnancy. "I doubt it. But tell her thank you."
Zuko sat on the floor, cloak streaming around him. He picked up one of her swollen feet and rubbed gently.
"Okay, I could get used to this," Ty Lee managed to joke. Ying sat at her side and smiled. Zuko pumped his pheromones out in careful waves, allowing Ty Lee to soak in his chi signature as she relaxed. Since they hadn't lain together for a few weeks, it was all he could do. When the baby was born, it could be covered more easily by touch and proximity.
"Please do," Zuko said gently. Ying was ready to relax when Ty Lee shifted her hips again. She laid her hand on her friend's protruding belly and rubbed gently.
"Wow, it's moving so much. It can't wait to come out, too, Ty," Ying said encouragingly. Ty Lee gave a watery smile.
"Zuko," Ty Lee said loudly. The Fire Lord blinked up at her from his cross-legged position in front of her on the floor.
"Yes, Ty?" he asked. Ty Lee gave a small grimace and shifted her hips again. Her hands fluttered, not knowing where to land.
"If it came down to it…if Azula were to full-out storm the palace…would you truly hurt her?"
'Would you kill her?' was the question that she had wanted to ask. But the possibility was too dark and she wanted to banish the notion. Zuko blinked, processing his reactions. The neutral look on his face slammed terror through the expectant mother.
"That depends. If she tries to hurt me or my family, I won't hold back," he said as gently as he could. But a hard light filled his eyes. Ty Lee shifted uncomfortably. For an instant, she was scared of the Fire Lord's reaction. She knew Zuko, knew his gentle and passionate side, but just for an instant…she wanted to swing her feet away from him and walk to the bedroom away from the harsh look on his face.
"But she's your sister. Your lady mother would be so sad if something were…."
If something were to happen. To her or Zuko. Zuko nodded, eyes downcast.
"Winter is still heavily upon us. We won't know anything for a couple of months at least. Don't worry about any battles, Ty Lee. Have our child and let me handle everything."
Anxiety roiled through Ty Lee's heart. As it did these days, pure love for her child's sire surged through her and she had to fight to keep from gasping aloud.
'Oh, Zuko, you have no idea how I'm worrying about it….' She thought to herself. Zuko sensed her inner conflict and sat on her other side on the sofa. He gave Ying a silent pleading look and she went to her bedroom, shutting the door.
Zuko gently turned Ty Lee's chin to his. He leaned to kiss her softly. For an instant, Ty Lee melted into his kiss, used to his soft surges of passion. Azula's flashing golden eyes shone at her in her memory and she faltered. Zuko gently held her cheek, deepening the kiss.
Despite herself, their familiar touches eased Ty Lee to relax against him. Her heavier breasts pressed into his chest as she clung to his neck. She deepened the kiss, fingers twining in the shorter hairs at the base of Zuko's neck. His kisses moved from her lips to her upturned throat. Ty Lee relaxed, then tensed when Zuko opened his mouth, his teeth grazing the soft skin of her throat. Her fingers fisted his hair suddenly.
"Zuko," she gasped. The Fire Lord raised his head. Sadness was in his eyes but he kissed her softly. Ty Lee clung to his neck.
"We never talked about….mating marks," Zuko made himself say it. "When the baby's born…. Would you consider it?"
Ty Lee's heart thudded hard. Azula….
"I…." she faltered. Zuko gave a sad smile.
"Please, don't say anything. Not right now," Zuko pleaded. "Just… I promised you would have a place at my side and I meant it."
Ty Lee buried her face against Zuko's tunic front, shielding her eyes from his. If she didn't, he would see her conflict, would know her thoughts….Ty Lee ran her hands up and down his back, trying to soothe his agitated chi.
"I know, Zu," she said softly. When she lifted her head to kiss him again, she kept her eyes closed to keep her thoughts from being broadcast. Zuko kissed her gently. When the baby kicked between them, he laughed.
Ty Lee rubbed her palm against his cheek, trying to soothe him in return. She smiled softly, placating the Fire Lord's troubling reaction. But her mind churned in ways to assess and repair the situation.
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Zirin stepped outside of Lady Sachiko's courtyard. Azula was sparring with ten of the soldiers. She wanted them to attack her all at once, but fear of damaging a royal was instilled through them and they waited one at a time.
Azula arched a high back kick, flames streaming from her boot. A woman soldier went down hard on her back. She growled at the fidgeting soldiers.
"What did I say?" she snapped. "Attack me!"
The men and women tensed, then charged all at once. Azula executed a series of flawless springs and kicks, that she belatedly remembered learning with Ty Lee. She growled and flung her leg in a chopping kick straight down from her head. Her boot landed full on the man's face in front of her and he went sprawling across the snow. A loud 'umph!" escaped his lips and his head fell heavily onto the white cobblestones.
Zirin waited, left eyebrow raising. Azula panted, catching her breath, fists clenched. She retracted her blue flames and waited for her right-hand woman to approach. "I thought it was too cold for you," Azula taunted.
Zirin shrugged. "We should spar sometime. But you would put me on my ass."
"I would," Azula agreed. They strode to the edge of the courtyard and to the icy fields beyond the manor estate. The soldiers picked themselves up behind them. "This can't all last forever."
"I'm glad to see you're still being productive," Zirin said dryly. "We all followed you here to see you on the Fire throne one day. Don't give up."
"I should be telling all you that," Azula drawled. She sat on a low stone wall on the property line, pulling one knee up to her chest. She watched the white flakes with slowly blinking eyes. "Alittle bit of snow and ice and we're stuck here with ourselves."
Zirin remained standing beside her princess. "We are…."
She cast her gaze to the ice-covered trees at the edge of the field. Azula seemed to want to take afternoon walks out there for some reason, cold or not. She did it daily before dusk. Whatever spirits she was chasing in her mind's eye, she wouldn't dare to say, but Zirin hazarded it had to do with the concubine she had once lavished lust and passion on.
The post from the capital still came in irregular intervals because of the weather, but the news still put Azula in quite the mood. Zirin could tell the difference between her apathy and true rages. The concubine Ty Lee was heavily pregnant and her birthing time had to be near. She had a feeling the post after the birth of Zuko's heir would be a long article indeed.
"We'll move out once the ice begins to melt," Azula drawled. She stood abruptly, brushing snow from her pants legs. "I'm going for a walk."
"Take your cloak at least," Zirin said. She handed over the long article of clothing and Azula sighed, ducking into the folds.
"Now leave me," Azula ordered. Zirin nodded her head and watched the cloaked princess stalk across the icy fields for the trees.
Once behind the trunks and shielded by the white leafy bowers of the first few trees, Azula relaxed. She made her way past several twisted old oaks, feeling more and more insulated. She was far from her soldiers and followers and, for a change, could wallow in better memories even if they kept cropping up annoyingly in her dreams the past few weeks.
Ty Lee's lithe body, naked and pale, pressed up against one of the ice-encrusted tree trunks. Azula's cock, thick and surging, pressing inside of her, for warmth from the cold and to make her hers once more….. the soft cries beside her ear as Azula hissed against the tree trunk behind Ty Lee's head.
Azula hunkered on her heels and leaned back under one of the snowy trees. She tilted her head back, gazing up into the blighted iced-over branches above. Not just the sex alone, but the closeness… of pushing hard inside the woman she wanted to make her hers…..not just for a tryst but for always.
Love was for fools. But she was the world's biggest fool for falling to it. Azula growled and clenched her hands into fists on her thighs. "I don't want her," she said aloud to the slowly falling snow flakes. "Love is for fools…."
The sound of her voice was odd in the serene stillness of the wintry forest. Azula scowled as dusk came slowly on, painting the forest in shades of blue and purple. Soon it would be full out dark, and only the snow and ice would reflect any light from the moon overhead. She'd better get back to Sachiko's.
When she stormed the palace….after she killed Zuzu and took his place on the throne….either Ty Lee could agree to being taken on by the new Fire Lord….or the whole place could burn to the ground.
Azula hissed, blue flames erupted from her mouth as she made her way to the courtyard. Her soldiers were preparing the evening meal for themselves on cook fires and several saluted and snapped bows in her direction. Azula stalked inside, threw her cloak to a servant, and retreated to Sachiko's son's borrowed bedchamber. Inside, she commanded a bath to be drawn. As the water was collected into a large granite tub pulled in for her use, Azula undressed, handing her icy clothing to one of the girls. She sparked a large plume of fire in her fist and heated the water to almost boiling. Azula stood, unabashed about her nakedness, as she watched the water heat up.
Azula climbed in almost immediately. One of the girls set to scrubbing her back as another poured scented oils into her hair and began washing the damp black tresses. Azula felt her cock shift and stir beneath the water. The warm hands on her had inspired her body to move from the dark thoughts she carried to the forest each day.
After she was rinsed and relaxing in the tub, Azula beckoned with two fingers to one of the servant girls. "Undress," she ordered.
The girl hesitantly opened her tunic and slid out of her pants, eyes downcast. Oh ho, a shy one. Things were looking up.
Azula helped the girl into the tub and collected her onto her lap. Her cock stood straight up between them. "Do you feel that?" she asked, eyes slit as she gazed into the servant's face.
A large blush erupted along the girl's face. "Y-yes, princess…" she murmured. Azula held the back of her neck firmly in one hand.
"You did that. Now get on me already. I need release," Azula commanded. The blunt words made the girl blush even more, but Azula was through with placating anyone else. She helped hurry the girl along and thrust upward into clinging satin. She sighed with appreciation against the girl's shoulder. The servant braced her hands on either side of the tub's edge behind Azula's shoulders and the princess moved her along at a hard pace.
The other servant girl finished laying out fresh clothing for Azula and beat a hasty retreat. When she returned with a tray of dinner and sake, Azula was climaxing. She grunted with pleasure, slamming up into the girl with hard strokes. The girl fluttered over her surging length, clutching at her. Azula buried her face between her breasts, allowing herself to be milked. Once she was done, she pulled at the girl's hips, indicating she was done.
"Get off me," she growled. The girl scrambled to obey, her thighs shaking as she climbed off of Azula's cock. Azula lay back in the hot water, feeling all tension finally leave her. Her pale legs floated languidly in the steaming bath as she rested her head on the tub's edge.
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Ty Lee could barely sleep. She was so pregnant, and the ice storms seemed to keep her awake with their blighting whiteness. Zuko stayed with her nightly out of concern, and in case she went into labor in the early hours. That morning, she woke so early the sun hadn't risen. Grey clouds roiled outside of the bedroom windows. She gasped, sitting up.
Zuko rubbed his cheek against the mattress and sat up groggily. He was shirtless and he reached for her on reflex. "Are you okay?" he gasped, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Ty Lee was about to tell him yes, that she was just going to the washroom, when a sharp pang hit her middle. She gasped with pain, hands going to her belly. Zuko's eyes widened suddenly and he laid his hands over hers hurriedly.
"Are you…." He asked. Ty Lee was about to tell him no; she'd had false labor pains a few weeks earlier that had terrified both of them, but had moved past it. But there was no denying she had just started labor at a cold and early hour in the dead of winter.
"I-I guess….. oh, spirits, that hurts….." Ty Lee complained. Zuko scrambled up, sliding into his clothes in a hurry. He began shouting for Ying and once she materialized instantly, he commanded her to fetch the healers and bring them to their chambers.
"It's not coming out right this second," Ty Lee managed to say as she gasped over the end of her first contractions. "Your mother said she'd been in labor for hours before you were born."
"We still need to be ready," Zuko said urgently. He began rushing around the room, tidying up odds and ends. He helped secure Ty Lee's bedrobe and fluffed several pillows behind her back. Ty Lee lay back, watching the Fire Lord with a wry smile on her lips. "Most mothers-to-be aren't this nonchalant, are they?"
"We'll ask your mom. I guess she'll be coming in to help," Ty Lee relaxed against the pillows. She grimaced as another pang hit her middle. "And now I have to pee…. please help me, Zu."
"Of course," Zuko said. He helped Ty Lee rise to her feet and led her to the washroom. After she'd done her business and washed up, Ty Lee barely made it back to the bed as the healers came, Lord Iroh, Noren and Lady Ursa in tow. Ty Lee greeted them with a wry smile but Zuko looked positively panicked.
"Mother! Thank the spirits you're here," he stammered. Ursa helped the healers lay out their tools and instruments.
"You men can visit for awhile. Once the baby's on its way, you'll need to leave," she commanded. Iroh and Noren nodded, giving Ty Lee their best. Ty Lee arched against the pillows as Zuko rubbed her feet and one of the healers assessed the chi around her round belly.
"First contractions…. We could be in it for awhile," one of the old men said. Ty Lee shrugged, smiling at the earnest look in Zuko's eyes. She could almost forget the startling answer he'd given concerning his sister…almost….
"We're here, Fire Lord," Suki said. She came in with Ying and Zuko flashed a smile of thanks to the Kyoshi Warriors.
"Thanks, Suki."
"Could you please bring some water? We'll need to boil it for our tools," one of the healers suggested to Suki. She nodded and took off at a run. Ying sat on Ty Lee's other side, combing out her hair.
Ty Lee's water broke shortly after breakfast had been ordered and despite the mess, she was still able to nibble on her simple dumplings. The pain of the contractions kept on and off for hours as she had guessed, and Ursa offered her advice as the healers pushed Ty Lee's chi to more relaxed waves. The child's chi roiled during the contractions and as Ty Lee gasped in pain, Zuko and Ying could feel it react to them. The two shared a glance, but held onto Ty Lee's hands.
Once the concubine was dilated enough and the contractions came in shorter intervals, the men were pushed out beside the healers and the only other people allowed were Ursa, the father to be, Suki and Ying. Ty Lee found herself crying with pain as she tried to push at the healer's command. Zuko wiped the sweat from her brow with a rag and his golden eyes were heavy with apology.
"You can do it, Ty….come on…" he urged.
"We're here with you, Ty…..just another push, and it'll be over," Ying encouraged. Ty Lee's grip on their hands was sweaty, and she almost let go out of exhaustion. Both Zuko and Ying held onto her. Zuko felt Ying wash her chi in as comforting a circle as she could over the exhausted expectant mother. He found himself doing the same, surging his chi over Ty Lee and trying to lift her spirit. She blinked exhausted eyes at him and panted.
"Oh, she's doing so well," Ursa commented somewhere along the bed. Ty Lee could only focus on Zuko's golden eyes. Eyes the same color as Azula's….. "Push, Ty Lee. It's almost here…."
The healers grunted from between Ty Lee's spread legs. "Tools… yes….forceps…."
Ty Lee fell against Zuko's shoulder as she collapsed from another push. At least her efforts were repaid with the sharp cry of an indignant infant. The healers and Ursa were talking happily near her feet, the sharp squalls of the baby rising over their tones. Zuko and Ying craned their heads to look. The baby was held up on high, as if presented to the capital in the first moments of its life. The small old man that held it was beaming as if he'd given birth himself.
"A girl, Fire Lord. A princess," he grinned around his long white beard. The child squalled, squirming in his large hands.
Zuko's eyes dipped between the child's wriggling damp legs. He grinned and kissed Ty Lee's forehead. She leaned gratefully against his strength, not even minding that it was the wrong sibling cradling her. Right that moment, she needed his support. "A girl, Ty. Just look at her!"
Ty Lee did look. Tears streamed down her face as sheer emotion rocked her shaking body. The infant's soft head was lined with fine black hairs; she knew the scrunched eyes would be golden once opened. True, she looked similar to Zuko, but the resemblance to its true sire was so startling it made Ty Lee want to weep.
Pure happiness welled in her heart though and Ying clasped her left hand, beaming. "She's so beautiful," she said to her friend. Ty Lee nodded. The healers made to cut the umbilical cord, but Zuko hastened from her side.
"I'll do it," he said and no one would tell him no. With a spark of fire between his fingertips, the Fire Lord severed the cord from the infant's belly. The healers and his mother hurried to wrap her in red cloths and she was laid on Ty Lee's chest. Zuko ran back to her side. He laid one large hand along the princess' back. Ty Lee smiled down at the child.
"Hi there…. hi," she croaked. "What shall she be named, Zu?"
Zuko kissed her cheek again, and her temple. His waves of love surged through Ty Lee and tears welled in her eyes again. "Izumi," he decided. "Princess Izumi."
"That's a fine name, Zuko," Ursa beamed at her son. He grinned back at her. Ty Lee noted he pumped his pheromones out in steady pulses over the infant sprawled on her chest. Her fingers touched his scarred face. She leaned up to kiss him and Zuko happily kissed her back. Seeing the tears in his eyes made Ty Lee hope she was doing the right thing.
"Izumi….so pretty," Ty Lee whispered. Zuko's eyes welled with love.
"You did it, Ty. Thank you," he whispered. He leaned to kiss her again. The baby began snuffling and cried out again. "Oh, listen to her!"
"She needs to be cleaned. Let us take her a moment…." The healers gently lifted the wrapped infant from them and made their way to the basin of warm water set up along the vanity. Ty Lee craned to sit up and watch. Zuko helped her sit, letting her lean against him.
"She's okay, she's right there…. Damn, Ty, I'm so happy," he confessed. Ty Lee slung an arm around his neck and pressed her brow against his shoulder.
"Me too," she said. The look of joy Zuko gave her made her heart lurch, even though she WAS happy for him.
"Welcome, little princess," Ursa said softly as she helped wash her grandchild. The infant's clenched fists waved as she wailed her discomfort. Soon she was dried and wrapped again in red blankets. Ty Lee took her into her arms gratefully. The infant's eyes fluttered open and closed.
Ying dared a look and shared a knowing look with Zuko. "She has your eyes," she said.
Ursa laughed. "She does!" With Ty Lee cleaned and covered, the men and Kiyi were let in momentarily. Ty Lee and Zuko accepted their congratulations and Kiyi knelt on the bed to gaze at her niece.
Ty Lee's heart surged in spurts of love. 'Azula, you're a sire. Our daughter's been born….' But she didn't know if she'd ever say those words aloud. She leaned against Zuko's strength and let him cradle her and Izumi. To everyone but those who were privy to the knowledge otherwise, the Fire Lord had welcomed his child into the world with his concubine at his side.
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"The Fire Lord's baby has been born," Lady Michi said. Mai grunted. Tom-Tom clung to his sister's hand and craned to look up at her sullen expression.
"That's good news, right? We should tell him congratulations," the young boy said earnestly. Mai squeezed his hand.
"We will. We will, Tom-Tom…."
"Can we go now?" the boy was insistent on seeing Zuko. Mai sighed.
"Yes….I suppose Ty Lee is receiving visitors still."
"Yes, let's see them," Michi said excitedly. Tsung, as always, was on duty with them. She flanked the three nobles as they made their way through the bustling palace. The council lords they passed were going over article samples for the announcement of the baby's birth, and grinning from ear to ear. The servants even had an evident bounce in their step, picked up by the joy of the royal family's new arrival.
At the door to the concubine's apartments, Kyoshi Warriors were on guard. And of course; one of their own had just given birth. Mai gave a slight smile to Yoshiko. "May we see Ty Lee and the Fire Lord?" Michi asked.
Yoshiko and the Kyoshi Warriors bowed to Mai. "Of course…."
Mai had to reflect that her title did grant her a lot of her wishes, but some, and the double doors were opened. Lord Iroh was doing some kind of writing activity with Kiyi in the main sitting room and beamed at Mai and her family.
"It's a girl," he said happily. "Go on, Ty Lee's still seeing people."
Mai nodded, trying to keep her stomach from falling to her feet. Her mother knocked once and they were admitted into the bedchamber. A few of the old bearded healers still fizzled around the room, tidying up, cleaning up linen from the baby and keeping an eye on the tired mother and Fire Lord.
Izumi had just finished her first feeding and Ty Lee and Zuko were busy patting her tiny back gently. The infant belched and Ursa nodded from the foot of the bed. Everyone looked up as Mai paused in the doorway.
"Mai, you came," Zuko said gently. His eyes lit up for his wife. He wanted to share the happiness…. after all, Izumi was going to be her child, too. Ty Lee gave a gentle smile, cradling Izumi to her chest. She leaned back against her mountain of pillows.
"Do you want to see her?" she asked. Mai found herself drifting closer, eyes going down to the bundle in Ty Lee's arms. She noted the tuft of black hair, similar to Zuko, but Azula also had that same black hair…. And the flashing golden eyes the infant opened to her. Still, the same as Zuko's, but he and Azula had the same color eyes…..
Mai met Ty Lee's eyes and then her husband's. "Congratulations," she said coolly. The Fire Lord and Ty Lee shared a maddeningly calm look between them, communicating silently without words. It made Mai seethe.
"Congratulations, Lord Zuko! She's beautiful," Michi gushed. She wasn't wrong. Azula's beautiful and sharp features combined with Ty Lee's natural beauty were quite a combination. Tom-Tom peered close and smiled shyly at Zuko.
"Congratulations," he said. Zuko smiled softly at his in-laws.
"Thank you," he said. He wanted to ask Mai if she wanted to hold Izumi, but he didn't want to alarm Ty Lee. Besides, they had the child's whole life for Mai to become acclimated to her.
Ty Lee did surprise him by making the gesture first. "Do you want to hold her, Mai? My parents already put their hands on her; I'd rather Izumi have a better presence around her."
Mai's heart turned over. Ty Lee's gesture made her want to cry and throw things all at once. Her hands ached to hold the princess, to hold a baby after losing hers. Zuko's eyes softened to both women. His large hand settled over Izumi's back. His fingertips played with the black tufts of hair at the back of the baby's neck.
"No…. thank you," Mai murmured. Ty Lee's eyes softened to her friend. She settled back with Izumi on her chest, rubbing her back. The baby's small feet twitched on Ty Lee. Zuko seemed enraptured alright. Mai suddenly wished it were her in Ty Lee's place badly that she could taste bile at the back of her throat. She kept her dignity and bobbed a bow to her husband. "Have a good evening…"
"We're in for it at present," Zuko agreed. Mai gave a wry smile and left, her family in tow. To say she wasn't sad was an understatement. But she was happy Zuko's heir problem was solved. If everyone kept quiet it was….
The baby began crying as Mai left and sadness moved through her body.
End for now
End notes: And yes the baby is future Fire Lord Izumi :P Puts a spin on that whole royal family dynamic don't it?
Most sincerely, pen
2/20/2017