Zuko
We were flying for a little while and my heart was already aching to see Sam. I regretted coming along. But she was right. I had to attend this. I did worry about her. I watched the Fire Nation as it shrunk in the distance. It was then that I felt a hand on my shoulder and I knew it was Iroh.
"She will be alright, Zuko. Don't worry."
"I am worried. The last time I left her alone she got kidnapped, tortured and almost killed."
"Yes, but that threat is over now. She is safe."
"I keep trying to remind myself of that." Uncle smiled at me and looked at the Fire Nation.
"It's a beautiful sight to see." Iroh said. I nodded. We flew in silence for most of the flight. I was too preoccupied with Sam to be able to hold down a conversation. I think the others were concerned about the Earth Queen. We already knew what we were going to do.
If we had gone on foot and ship, this trip would have taken several weeks but on Appa, it was just a few hours. Appa landed in the palace grounds. Iroh would return to his tea shop once we took care of Kia. He wanted to be there in case we needed back up.
We all entered the palace and found the queen in the throne room. She was surprised to see us. She looked over at us and her eyes fell on me. She scowled and glared at me. I smirked. She hated me. And I loved it.
"Well, if it isn't Fire Lord Zuko. Tell me, how is your wife doing?" she asked. I glared at her. "Doing well after my men were done with her, I'm sure." I gritted my teeth and stepped forward but Aang held me back.
"She's baiting you, Zuko." I stopped and regained composure.
"She sends her regards. We aren't here to talk about my marriage though. Are we, guys?" Aang stepped forward.
"Your reign is over, Kia. Step down peacefully and we can get this over with quickly."
"I don't think that will be happening today." She made a hand signal and her Dai Li agents started flanking us on all sides.
We were ready for them. An agent came running at me with a bolder in tow. I firebended at him and diverted the boulder. I firebended at his feet and he fell backwards. I heard footsteps from behind me and turned to see a boulder flying at my face. Toph quickly turned it to dust. The fight continued as I looked over and saw Kia escaping out the door.
"She's getting away!" I yelled and followed her. Aang followed close behind. She weaved through the hallways but we were able to keep pace with her. Finally, we ran outside into a courtyard. What was this? A rock garden? She had two more Dai Li agents out there who were launching rocks at us. Aang was able to block them and I fire blasted them and blew them back. Aang was fighting the attacks and I moved in to take out the source. I firebended at the agent who had targeted me and it threw him back against the wall, knocking him out. I rushed the other agent and he became distracted by me and Aang quickly blew him back with airbending. Then he quickly encased Kia in earth, preventing her from running away. The rest of my friends came running into the courtyard and smiled when they saw Kia was captured.
"Like I said, your reign is over, Kia. The rightful King will be taking his place." At that moment, Appa and Hakoda came riding in with the new King, Luk.
"Kia, it's so good to see you again." Luk said. I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. He turned to the Dai Li agents who were rising to their feet, "Who do you serve?"
They bowed to him and declared, "you, your majesty." Fortunately, they served the power and that wasn't Kia anymore.
"Good, then arrest Kia and put her in a high security prison cell." I hoped it would be the same as Sam's cell. That would be poetic justice. She was arrested and taken away. Luckily she wasn't a bender so her arrest went smoothly.
After all of the formalities were taken care of we ended up spending two nights in the Earth Kingdom Palace. Since the threat was over, Iroh went back to his apartment. I hated leaving him and my heart always clenched every time I did. I didn't know when we would see each other again. There were many things to go over, many changes to be made and since everyone was here, it made sense to discuss it.
The next morning though, we boarded Appa and headed back to the Fire Nation. This whole mission went more smoothly than I thought it would, so I would be returning home tonight. I couldn't wait. I worried about Sam being alone and I was excited to see her. Appa landed in the courtyard of the palace and I climbed off of him. I said good bye to everyone and headed off to find Sam.
Sam
It had been two days since Zuko left and I managed to keep busy. Nights were hard. I didn't really sleep without him in bed with me. I was tired, but I kept pushing through the documents and scrolls. I had met with the council yesterday and now I was going over their propositions. I knew I wouldn't really sleep until he returned home anyway.
It was almost dinner time when I heard the door to the office open. I was surprised because no one just walked in - they always knocked first. Unless it was…I looked up and there he stood. In front of me. My heart burst with joy at seeing him. This was the first time we had been separated since the incident. Although I was confident (mostly) that I would be safe while he was gone, I didn't feel totally at ease without him here. I hadn't realized how accustomed to his presence I had become during my time here.
I ran over to him and threw my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist, lifted me off the ground and hugged me tight. Almost too tight but I didn't mention it. I didn't care. I couldn't contain my joy. I kissed him on his lips then all over his face. He laughed and then buried his face in my neck. He went to pull away but I didn't let go. I wrapped my legs around his body and his hands shifted to my waist. He lifted his head and looked at me. I had been thinking about him for two days. I wanted him. Badly. I felt I could this time. This time it felt…different. I reached down and started undoing his armor. He put his hand on mine, stopping me.
"Sam, are you sure you are ready for this?" I could hear the hesitation in his voice. He didn't want to be disappointed again either. I nodded and kissed his lips. "Are you sure?" I sighed.
"Zuko, I have not seen you, heard your voice, smelled you, touched you for two days. And then you come waltzing in here after all that time in your travel armor. Don't you know what you do to me when you wear that?" Zuko's brow furrowed in consideration but he decided to roll with it. He finally smirked at my comment.
"If I had known, I'd have worn it more often." he mused. I finally started working on his armor again and, this time, he didn't stop me. I untied the strings under his arms and undid the straps, lifting it over his head, revealing his undershirt. Because of his armor, this shirt was form fitting and it turned me on even more.
"Oh, Zuko. What do you do to me?" I said running my hands over his well-defined muscles, "My God, you turn me on." He walked us over to his desk and I kicked the door closed as we passed it. He sat me down and his hands explored my body. I reached down and worked on his pants. I worked them down and slid them so they rested at his feet.
Fortunately, for us, I was wearing a lounging gown today so he hiked it up to my waist and I opened my legs and wrapped them around him again, pulling him in. I looked down and saw he was already fully aroused. Obviously, I wasn't the only one who was turned on. He reached down to guide himself in side me and I shifted my body to accept him, one arm around his shoulders and the other propping myself up.
Finally, this was happening. After almost two long months, and after being tortured in more ways than one, and after being traumatized into not even being able to pleasure my husband, finally, we were doing this. I could feel my body lubricating itself, ready for him. His arousal made contact with me and finally slid inside. We both gasped at the connection. I kept my legs around him and pulled myself closer to him, urging him in deeper. Feeling him inside me felt like the best thing in the whole world.
Turned out afterward, we had another round in us which we enjoyed on the floor. This time I straddled him and allowed myself to pleasure him. Something he had been so patiently waiting for although I knew he desperately wanted. It warmed my heart knowing I could finally repay him for being such a wonderful and understanding man. My husband.
When we finally finished, the second time, we laid on the cold floor in each other's arms. We didn't care. We were happy together. Happy to see each other after two days apart. And happy that we finally were able to find each other again. Zuko stirred and started to stand. I glared at him for ruining the moment. He chuckled and put his pants on. He opened the door, walked back over to me and picked me up in a bridal carry. He walked us back to our bedroom. I guessed we weren't eating tonight. I wasn't hungry anyway. At least, not for food. He laid me down on the bed and walked over to his side. He kicked off his boots and took off his clothes and went to put on his sleeping pants when I stopped him.
"Leave them off." I said as I lifted my gown over my head. He walked over to the bed, crawled in and scooched over to me. He laid down on his back and I joined him, my head on his shoulder. I ran my fingers over his chest playing with his hair.
"Are you…ok?" He asked me.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Was that…ok?"
"You mean…earlier?" He nodded, "God, Zuko, you have no idea how 'ok' that was." he smiled.
"Good. It was more than 'ok' for me too." he smiled. I laughed. "I told you we would get there if you were just patient with yourself. I'm proud of you."
"Why, because I finally let you make love to me?" It was meant as a joke but I thought it came out as more sarcastic. He furrowed his brow and looked away. I placed my hand on his face and ran my thumb along his scar. "Sorry. That came out wrong." He looked back at me and smiled.
"No, I'm proud of you because you overcame the trauma those animals did to you." During the months of my recovery, Zuko had decided all of the Society members would remain in prison indefinitely. Not that I ever doubted he would but I was glad they would see justice. "I'm proud of you for finding the strength to not let them control you, my Fire Lily." I smiled and snuggled in closer to him. I liked this nickname he had been using the past few months.
I realized, that this was what I lived for. Moments like this. Him and I. Together. Loving each other. When I first came to the Fire Nation all those months ago, I never thought I would actually be happy. I knew I liked Zuko, but I never thought I would love him. But being here with him, in this place of love and peace, I knew this was where I belonged. Forever and for always.
The End
I hope you enjoyed the story! Feel free to leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
Do you want to know what actually happened to Mai?
Do you want to know how Zuko and Sam met?
Do you want to know what happens next in their story?
Check out the sequel, The Ties That Bind Us.
