Author's Disclaimer: I don't own a thing belonging to "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Not a darn thing!
Author's Notes: Dun dun DUN! Here we goooooo! (Peter Pan voice) Are you excited? Cause I am! 😝
Maraghoul: Many thanks to our discussions in pm, and for the bones of what's to come. Thanks again for the support and the ideas!
QueenTyzula: Many many thanks for the pm's and nudges of inspiration. This one's for you!
CharlieBarrow: Further talk about chi signatures for the baby idea comes from you. Thanks again, Charlie B!
Harley Quinn Davidson: I'd say it's a possibility…. ^_^
NeverFoundandLost: Well your question is definitely a possibility….stay tuned to find out :P
"Stoking the Fire"
Chapter thirty-six "Searching"
The going was as rough as the terrain. Hours from the capital, rougher villages and towns sprawled out over wide expanses of icy forest and the dirt paths that connected them. Ty Lee had camped beneath a large tree her first night, with a small cook fire to keep her warm. The second day was just as cold as the first and her breath steamed in front of her on each exhale. She had woken with her breasts full and aching. Opening her coats and tunic to unwind her breast band was foolhardy in the cold weather; but Ty Lee had to pump the milk out.
The memory of her daughter's small mouth feeding from her brought tears to her eyes. Ty Lee sniffled and poured the pumped milk onto the snow.
'What a waste,' she couldn't help lamenting. When she walked into the next village, the snow fell heavier and Ty Lee shivered. She had heard rumors around the royal council that Lord Shun was a dissenter of Lord Zuko's rule, so she had been heading toward his manor. Lord Shun's estate was maybe a few day's hike away, but Ty Lee was chilled to the bone. She needed to find shelter inside for the night at the very least.
Ty Lee's breasts reacted to the sound of a baby crying, held by a fussing woman.
"Brother, we need to find a wet nurse. He's not taking the goat-cow's milk!" she worried. Her brother sighed.
"Where are we going to find one? All of the mothers in the village haven't given birth for a few years. No one here has any breast milk!" he growled. His sister covered the squalling infant with her shawl.
Ty Lee was ready to move on. She would find the local inn and take a warm room for the night. But her nipples began to leak, as her body reacted to the baby's cries. She sighed.
"Come on…" she cursed her body. The patch of wetness on the front of her tunic spread as the infant wailed.
"Excuse me…."she gently interrupted. "But I have milk available….my baby…" she faltered and her words trailing off gave the siblings the wrong idea.
"Oh, you poor dear," the woman said. "You lost your baby. What do you say, Toshiko?"
"Please," Toshiko pleaded "You can stay at our home, and we'll feed you. Please help my son."
"Alright," Ty Lee agreed. The two led her to a hut and Ty Lee was only too glad to accept their baby into her arms. Ty Lee gave a sigh as he latched onto her nipple and began to feed. At least the pressure in her breasts would be lessened; but Izumi….tears pricked Ty Lee's eyes.
The sister set a cup of tea beside Ty Lee and clasped her arm. "You poor dear….thank you for helping, though."
"I can only stay tonight," Ty Lee swiped a tear from her eye with the back of her wrist. Her heart hurt horribly as the boy wriggled tiny legs inside the crook of her arm. "He's beautiful. His mother?..."
Toshiko tapped one fist on his knee. He kept his eyes averted from Ty Lee's breasts. "She died in the birthing bed. We're all alone here…."
Ty Lee felt terrible. She had ostensibly abandoned her daughter….no, focus on her sire….she had to find Azula…..and these kind people were suffering as well. She couldn't stay with them. She hoped they would be alright once she left. Looking down into the boy's scrunched up face gave her heart fits. No, they needed help.
"You can sleep here, by the hearth," the sister rolled out a futon for Ty Lee. She put a few more logs of wood onto the fire. "What's your name, by the way?"
"…Ty," Ty Lee said. It was half her name, but she winced, remembering how Zuko had used it as his personal nickname for her. Same as Ying had…. Extreme guilt washed over her. The baby moved his mouth from her nipple. Ty Lee accepted a rag from the woman and burped the infant. The sister moved closer and helped adjust Ty Lee's tunic.
"Thank you again, Ty." She sheepishly smiled. "I don't know what we're going to do when you leave. The winter's been a bad one."
"We'll get by," her brother said gruffly. He appeared to be thinking. "Maybe I could buy some of our neighbor's cow-pig's milk…."
Ty Lee handed the sleepy boy back to his aunt. The siblings set a small meal out and they ate quietly. The woman slept stretched out beside Ty Lee. She felt terrible she had effectively taken the woman's bedding. But as she lay her head on her pack and gazed into the fire, Ty Lee formulated her plan.
She had to leave tomorrow morning. She'd continue further east toward the village where Lord Shun's manor was. And hopefully she would find more clues as to Azula's whereabouts.
Funny, the gleaming gold and orange flames reminded her of Zuko's firebending. Zuko….. Ty Lee felt guilty and she closed her eyes.
She hoped he would forgive her. She hoped she would be alive that he COULD forgive her….
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"Have you seen this woman?" Suki held out the large frame in her gloved hands. Sokka had made two images with his wondrous machine, and one of them remained hanging in a frame on a wall in the royal palace. Zuko had ordered the other frame brought so the villagers they encountered would know Ty Lee's face.
The bent farmer shook his head. "No…is she a lady?" he asked. Suki nodded.
"She's the heir's mother. If you or anyone have seen her, you should report to your local magistrate," Suki said. The man nodded.
Suki climbed back into the saddle atop her lizard. The creature waited, and took off with a slight kick of her heels. She joined the other Kyoshi Warriors, the frame balanced against her. Her formation met up with the royal soldiers ahead, headed by Lord Zuko.
Zuko looked exhausted. They had been riding and searching for clear on a day straight with no rest or sleep. They had all barely managed to grab a few bites to eat in the saddle and Suki wondered how long they would go without sleep before Zuko collapsed. Suki rode up alongside Zuko and reached out. She grasped his wrist gauntlet as his eyes began to close.
"Zuko, we all need to rest. YOU need to rest," she said gently. Zuko's anguished golden eyes met hers.
"But we haven't found a trail…the snow…." The corners of Zuko's mouth worked up and down. "I can't…."
"You have to. You're the Fire Lord," Suki urged. "It's going on two days with no sleep. What good are we going to be to Ty Lee if we're not rested?"
The Fire Lord's shoulders rose and fell. "Fine. Let's head to an inn."
The local inn they had commandeered struggled to house him and all the Kyoshi Warriors and his imperial soldiers. Their lizards were taken to the stables and Zuko found himself in a large room with all the women. Everyone ate from the trays the inn keeper brought to them. Zuko forced himself to take a few bites when Suki waved her chopsticks at him.
"You're not much good to us if you don't get your strength, Zuko," Suki said gently. "Eat. PLEASE."
Ying's wide eyes met his and she urged him to take a bite. Zuko ate slowly. His helmet sat beside his leg on the floor, and his topknot was half-fastened. He ran the fingers of his left hand through his bangs and sighed.
"Does the village have a messenger hawk station?" he asked. Tsung got to her feet.
"I can ask," she offered. Zuko nodded.
"Please," he urged. Tsung scraped the rest of her noodles into her mouth and set her bowl down. She rose to her feet and bowed, exiting the large room. Zuko sighed and looked around at the assembled Kyoshi Warriors. "We should leave at first light….get plenty of rest."
Suki got to her feet, following Zuko out of the room. He made his way to the private room he had asked for. "Do you need any company?" she asked. Zuko was so cold, inside and out. His lower half gave a surge of warmth as he stared at his beautiful friend and her red lips. He shook himself out of his exhausted fugue.
"Let's have a night cap. And then I should try to sleep….I am so fucking worried, Suki! What if something happens to her? You know what my sister's capable of…" Zuko worried. Suki clasped his sleeve as they settled into the small room. She rolled out the bedding on the floor for him. Rising, Suki helped Zuko with his armor. She was glad to extend this small bit of kindness, even if he forced her out of his room after one drink, no intimacy intended.
She was his friend. If she could ease the pain and worry from his eyes, she would. Zuko took out his top knot. Down to his under tunic and trousers, he sat down cross-legged and poured a glass of sake for the both of them. "I am lucky to have a good friend like you," he vowed.
Suki nodded and clinked her glass against his. They drank slowly. Zuko sighed as he set his glass down. There was a knock at the door.
"Enter," he said.
Tsung poked in and bowed. "There IS a local messenger hawk station. Shall I show you where?"
"Yes," Zuko said, pulling his cloak back around his shoulders. He pulled his helmet on, but left the rest of the armor where it was. "I need to send a message back to Mai."
"I'll go with you," Suki offered. The three made their way to the swirling snow in the dirt streets. Inside the local station, the couple who owned the shop gave him parchment and a quill and a dish of ink. Zuko worked the edge of the quill into the ink and began writing a string of characters along the parchment. He blew on the letter once he was done.
"We'll wait here until it dries," he said to the smiling couple. "I'll set the royal seal into the wax." A ring with the royal fire insignia was on his right hand. It flashed in the candle light. The hawks in cages squawked as the couple laid the parchment out straight to better dry.
"Of course, my lord! And consider this message free, on the house," the wife offered. Zuko gave a small smile.
"Thank you," he said.
Once the letter had dried, he rolled the paper into a scroll and the husband melted a seal from a block of sealing wax. Zuko pressed his ring into the wax covering his letter, leaving the fire symbol imbedded in the hot wax. He sighed.
"Please send this to the royal palace. Thank you," he said. The couple bowed to him.
Back at the inn, Zuko sighed as he entered his small room. "Good night…."
"Good night, Zuko," Suki said. She entered the large room with all of the Kyoshi Warriors. "Alright, ladies, let's start winding down. The Fire Lord will want us all up at dawn."
"You got it, Suki," one of the warriors said. Everyone had their bedding unrolled and were undressing to their under shifts. The wash bowl in the corner was slightly murky from several girls washing their faces. Suki sighed. A quick application of their white foundation with just the lipstick would be acceptable in their fast traveling. She took her gloves off and washed her face.
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"Xong sent this message," Zirin held up the scrap of parchment. Azula perked, noting their plant's name.
"Great," she drawled. She took the paper and scanned the characters. "And Mitsuko?"
"The two of them are working around the palace, listening to rumors. They're waiting for instructions if you have any," Zirin said. Azula tapped the paper to her chin.
"We'll be at the palace in a fortnight," Azula vowed. "Damn this snow…." She gazed out of one of the high windows of Lord Satsu's estate. The lord had been surprised but welcomed them readily. His manor was large enough to room all of her soldiers and Azula had taken one of the largest guest chambers. Her Kemurikage had the second smallest chamber beside her.
"It won't keep us here forever. Shall we wait a few days?" Zirin murmured. Azula sighed raggedly.
"Fuck it all if we have to," she cursed. "Let's see how the terrain is in the morning."
"We'll go when you order it," Zirin said.
"Good," Azula drawled. She stalked into her bed chamber and sat down. One of the servants knelt to unlace her boots.
"I suppose you'll have your entertainment tonight," Zirin said dryly. Azula raised her eyebrow at her. The servant girl was pretty enough, but a quick sniff made her clamp down.
"Are you nearing your heat?" she growled, taking the girl's chin in her hand. The girl gave a shaky nod. Her pheromones danced crazily, stoked by Azula's aggressiveness. Her sweetness hit Zirin in the face as well, affecting her lust even though she was a beta.
"Y'yes…." The girl murmured. Azula shoved her chin and the girl fell hard.
"Get out of here. And send someone else who's not going to be desperate to paw for my cock," she ordered. Her boots off, she crossed one stocking foot across her knee.
The girl gave a low bow and backed out of the room. Zirin leaned against the hearth, eyebrow raised.
"I really should ask you to abstain from sex and keep that energy for the assault," she suggested. Azula stretched her arms above her head.
"Try and tell me that and you'll be eating those words," she said casually. Zirin nodded.
"Of course," she said dryly. "Well, I'll call in another girl for you."
"Get one for yourself," Azula gave a predatory grin. She leaned back in the chair, knees spread.
Zirin left.
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The next morning, Ty Lee fed the baby boy. He sucked hard, making the ache in her breasts more bearable. At least she wouldn't have to pump her milk until that night. The thought made her soul weary. She had a child! She had left her…the constant guilt dragged her spirit. She sighed, giving the aunt the wrong impression. She was under the idea that Ty Lee had lost her infant. Why else would she be traveling in the dead of winter?
"Here….take care of him…" Ty Lee murmured, handing the boy back after she burped him. The aunt rocked him and wrapped him in a sling.
"We can't thank you enough," the woman declared. "If there's anything we can do for you…"
"Actually, you can. Take this to your local magistrate….or the capital," Ty Lee said. She took a piece of parchment out of her pack and a quill and inkpot. She scrawled a few lines down and handed the paper to the siblings. They looked at the paper and each other.
"We can't read very well," Toshiko admitted. "But the local magistrate could read it for us, I suppose."
"He or she will," Ty Lee agreed. She was almost glad they couldn't read it off hand. It was a noble pardon, granting an allowance of food to the small family that had harbored her safety. She didn't sign with her first name, but with her father's surname. "I must be going…."
"We don't know your story or why you're traveling in winter," Toshiko said, taking his son from his sister. "But if you're traveling back this way, we'd love to house you again. And the baby would like that too."
"I will," Ty Lee said, heart hammering. She wondered if she would be able to come BACK this way. She pulled on her coats and hood and wrapped her hands in her thick mittens. Outside the hut, she bowed to the siblings, fist in her palm. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"Come back soon!" the woman waved. Toshiko waved the baby's hand to her. Ty Lee pushed on past the village to the snowy dirt path leading through the woods.
She reached the village housing Lord Shun's estate in two days. Ty Lee made a rough camp at the edge of the forest surrounding the hills and the village. One of Mai's family's estates was here. Odd she would think of that. She wondered if she could break in and use a room there. The estate would be uninhabited with the Fire Lady and her family back in the capital.
The next day, Ty Lee woke, breath steaming. She wished she were a bender just so she could use the heat of firebending to warm her chi. She felt frozen inside and out. Again, as she made a simple breakfast over her small camp fire, she had to pump her breasts for milk. Ty Lee winced as she had to expose her breasts to the cold, and worked hurriedly. She sighed and wound her breast band back around herself and shrugged into her tunic and coats.
"Dammit! It's so cold," she cursed. Ty Lee packed up her cooking utensils and kicked snow onto the camp fire. She skirted the edges of the village and headed to the high hills where Mai's family's estate was. Just as she thought; there was no one on guard at the main gates. She followed the gate further down and climbed over it into the inner courtyard. Silence. She found an unopen window along the side of the manor and climbed through. Ty Lee landed on one knee, finding her balance again. The estate was dark and slightly dusty.
Well, there would be food stuffs she could raid, a nice warm bedroom once she collected fire wood for the hearth inside, and lanterns for light. She'd risk just one lantern so as not to arouse the neighbor's suspicion.
Ty Lee felt even more guilty that she had found comfortable lodging. She couldn't stop thinking of her child, of Zuko, Mai, Suki and Ying. The constant guilt washed over her. She swallowed its palpable presence.
"Okay….now to spy on Shun's place…" she muttered. Ty Lee didn't know what she could simply pick up by spying. But she had to try. The thought that Azula could be inside Shun's sent a thrill of excitement through her. Her quest could very well be at an end.
Ty Lee found a slat through the fence surrounding Shun's courtyard. She didn't spot any Kemurikage, but they could very well be those women in plain tunics and clothes she had glimpsed walking past. Those purple and black cloaks had to be stifling even in the cold.
"Finally, we hear back from Azula!" A shrill voice called. Ty Lee all but jumped out of her skin. She pressed one eye back to the slat. A skinny lord with a long beard, possibly Lord Shun himself, stalked into the courtyard waving a piece of parchment.
Another thin man with an even longer beard, streaked with grey, followed him. "Really, Shun, enough with the theatrics."
"I can't help it! I'm just so excited! Azula says she's on the way here…. Commanding we house her forces. Of course, that won't be a problem," Lord Shun smiled proudly. The other lord sighed raggedly.
"Yes, yes, expect a royal prize for your hospitality. But what about her state of mind? She's been more erratic than well, normal."
Ty Lee's heart beat a staccato rhythm. Azula….she was coming here…. And with a force of men and women? She had to send the news on to Zuko somehow….but….
'Oh, Azula, aside from fucking Mai, you haven't been lax,' Ty Lee thought bitterly. The sudden spike of ire startled her. Ty Lee settled in the shrubbery along her side of the fence and kept watch, listening for any more tidbits of information. As dusk settled, her breath steamed and Ty Lee once more wished she were a bender. She felt utterly frozen. She skirted to the edge of the village, climbed the high icy hills towards Mai's family's manor, and climbed over the courtyard wall again. Nobody was present at the estate, but you never knew if someone was keeping watch on the front walk way.
Back inside, Ty Lee felt her way around the front entry way to a closet. Inside she did find a few lanterns. She retraced back to where she'd left her pack earlier, and found her fire crystals. She struck a light inside the lantern, and backtracked to the front door. She made sure the latch was secure and the way was locked before carrying her lantern aloft and padding down the hallways to the bedrooms. The house was unheated and Ty Lee swore she could see her breath even inside the walls. She sneezed, feeling chilled.
Ty Lee felt slighty sweaty, but taking a bath would be an odyssey. There were no firebenders around to adjust the temperature of the water. If she did bathe soon, it would be cold. As cold as her life at that moment, looking around at the dark slightly dusty hallways of the Fire Lady's family's manor. Ty Lee sneezed in the cold air, pulling the collar of her coat up and ducking her nose into it.
She found a dark bedchamber in the back, where lantern light and hearth firelight wouldn't be easily noticed from the front gates. Luckily, the servants who had kept this chamber before packing up the house for the capital had supplied an ample stack of firewood beside the stone fire place. Ty Lee set a few logs in and knelt quickly, striking her fire crystals.
Soon she had a good blaze going and she sat cross-legged near the stones, holding her bare hands over the fire. Suddenly, the chill of the day wracked her thin body and Ty Lee shook, teeth chattering loudly. She hugged herself, longing for a friendly embrace, even Zuko's at that moment.
But no, focus on the moment. She had left him, left her daughter…Izumi…. Ty Lee's heart felt slain if she focused on her child's face. She had to focus on waiting for Azula to return to Lord Shun's. With an ample regiment of soldiers under her command? That couldn't be good news for Zuko's reign. Somehow, Ty Lee had to get a messenger hawk to the capital. She could address it to Mai and use Zuko's nickname so the servants receiving the messages wouldn't be inclined to think it was a prank.
Ty Lee wouldn't be so lax as to not help her once lover…..once lover….Ty Lee felt horrible for leaving him. But she was in love with Azula. Whether that love killed her was up to Azula. She was erratic at best, psychotic enraged at worst. But she had shown she had a certain affection for her…..if nothing else, would it work to Ty Lee's advantage?
The dark thoughts swirled around the acrobat's mind as she huddled before the fire. After feeding another log to the fire to keep it going, she lifted the lantern and padded to the kitchen. She found some packaged noodles and took it to the bedchamber, intending to heat it over the hearth itself. No use messing up Mai's kitchen.
After settling the noodles into her own cooking container, Ty Lee set it over the fire and reached into her pack. She found a new tunic and exchanged tops. She pulled the scuffed boots off her worn feet and massaged her toes through her heavy socks.
Soon, the room was heated by the fire in the hearth and Ty Lee felt comfortable enough to turn down the covers on the wide bed at the other end of the room. It felt so strange to be back in relative comfort and Ty Lee was assuaged by guilt again as she remembered how soft Zuko's face was when he slept. For that matter, Azula looked the same way. She should focus on that.
She was so close to finding her…..what would she do to gain her attention? Any word or greeting was bound to lead to a fight or attack….but maybe Azula loved her as much as she loved her. Perhaps she could be reasoned with…..
'Yeah, and Fire Lord Ozai was a model father to her and Zuko,' Ty Lee thought sarcastically. She said a silent prayer to the spirits to watch over her daughter, and also Zuko and Mai. She pulled the covers up over her head and huddled in the ball of warmth. Finally, she felt safe enough to close her eyes and get some true rest.
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Mai had no way of knowing Ty Lee was hiding out in one of her family's estates. She had her days and nights full caring for her stepdaughter. Izumi was still feeding every few hours at night, so one of the wet nurses slept in the bedroom with her. It was strange to stay in Ty Lee's apartments, but all the baby's things were there and Mai had no way of knowing if the mother would be recovered.
Zuko was still gone, and it was going on four days now. She had no idea where he and the Kyoshi Warriors were, but luckily she had received a letter with a messenger hawk.
He had stated the village they had last looked and had given her his love, as well as asking her to kiss Izumi for him. Mai had done just that, cradling her stepdaughter in both arms. The infant gurgled. Mai had no idea if Izumi even knew who she was, aside from a warm pair of arms that did NOT offer milk, but her daughter smiled when she saw her now. Aside from Ty Lee's disappearance and her husband's venture to search for her, her days were very happy with that fact.
"Looks like you're doing well with your husband's child," Lady Michi offered. Mai raised an eyebrow as her brother collected a few pink ghastly blankets that Ty Lee had the gall to pick out. Mai made a mental note to have a set of regal red blankets sewn for the heir, but shook her head at her mother.
"She's my child too," she said. And she felt it was true. Michi stroked the infant's tiny balled up fist. Izumi gurgled.
"I'm happy for you, Mai. One door closes, another opens," she said softly. Mai regarded her mother with a look that was finally not exasperation.
'What's happening with THAT? Guess I'm growing up,' Mai thought to herself. She gave a small smile.
"I guess it does," she admitted.
"She is so cute," Tom-Tom smiled. He grinned down into the baby's wide golden eyes. Mai cradled her sling in her left arm and ruffled her brother's black hair with the other hand.
"S 'r you, kid," she said. Tom-Tom batted at her hand.
"Okay, okay, sis," he said. Mai tucked the edge of the tunic inside the sling, and wrapped it further around Izumi's lower body. It was Zuko's and hadn't been washed; she had wrapped it inside the sling to coat Izumi with as much of his scent as was available while he was gone. Izumi settled into it easily, absorbing the faint scent of her so-called father.
Lady Ursa, Noren and Kiyi knocked to be permitted into the concubine's apartments, and Mai reluctantly handed Izumi over to her grandparents and aunt. Lady Ursa was pulled out momentarily by Lord Iroh asking a moment of her time. As Mai tidied up some of the baby's cloths and blankets around the sitting room, she glimpsed through the half open door Iroh clasping Ursa's hands in his. It seemed an intimate gesture that was not just polite chivalry and Mai's eyebrow arched high.
'Well well well, Iroh, you old hound dog,' she thought to herself. A small smirk plastered Mai's lips as she sat beside Kiyi and helped instruct her how to cradle the infant. When Ursa rejoined them, Mai gave no inclination of what she had seen.
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"The snow's letting up. We'll be able to make good time," Zirin said at Azula's elbow. Azula grinned madly to her out of her peripheral vision and marched faster. The Kemurikage and soldiers were hard-pressed to catch up.
"Indeed," Azula said. "We'll be to Shun's in a few days, and from there, a few days to the capital. I'll be on the Fire throne within a fortnight."
Zirin hoped she was right. Today the princess seemed to be riding a manic high, and it had stayed with them, giving the illusion of high spirits. But when they camped for the night, Zirin often woke to hear Azula cry out or whimper in her sleep. Once she had even uttered the concubine's name aloud, and had woken, angry and frustrated.
"Let's hope," Zirin had the heart to mutter under her breath. Azula flashed her a sharp look from her peripheral vision.
"Hope is for fools, Zirin. I WILL sit the Fire throne. So lighten up," she gave a haughty laugh. For an instant, Zirin was taken in by her natural charisma and easy words. But she was not a casual soldier; she knew the tell-tale lines of cautious hurt in her princess' golden eyes.
Even across the Fire islands, the concubine was fucking up Azula's mind. Zirin sighed. She'd have to keep a closer eye on her princess and make certain the assault went as planned. She had placed her life and everything she had in Azula's hands. It wouldn't do to fail.
Azula, for her part, was doing better emotionally. When she was bending, or moving her body, or fucking, she usually was quite in control of herself. Her mother's face didn't haunt her. Nor the memory of being sheathed inside Ty Lee…..
'Fuck her,' Azula seethed to herself. 'She can take Zuzu's knot all she wants. I'll fuck her up or kill her when I take the palace….She'll either beg for me or die at my feet.'
The thought still put a lead ball in Azula's stomach, despite herself. Did she really want Ty Lee dead? Despite being a fantastic fuck, she was the only person Azula had encountered in her life that she could stomach to be around for more than a fortnight. All the fawning servants served her well in their own way, but Azula saw them as merely objects.
Ty Lee was more of a person to her selfish eyes. The very idea of her round with someone else's pup put a pit in Azula's stomach. She marched faster, steam rising from her cloak as she circulated her bending, warming herself. Not just someone else's, her own brother!
Zuzu would rue the day he touched what had been hers. Azula didn't even care that Ty Lee had given him her consent. They had BOTH betrayed her. And what was betraying in nature had to be dealt with. Ozai's old lessons resounded through Azula's mind, despite herself. She hadn't seen her father since before Hira'a, hadn't even wanted to see him again now, but his words still caused a rift in her deepest psyche.
Azula knew he had to be right about the lesson about betrayal, and weakness. The constant reminder was on Zuzu's face, after all.
Azula exhaled evenly, blue flames flickering from her mouth. She tilted her head slightly up to watch the white snowflakes dancing and falling around them. Ty Lee had danced and spun that gracefully…. The Fire princess growled and banished the thought.
End for now
End notes: And we press on 😝 Meeting face to face again soon….very soon! Stay strong, my lovelies. Like it, smash that button and do that review thing!
Most sincerely, pen
3/28/2017