The Empresses Quest

A warm, soft sunlight from the wide window in Katara's room. She sat up and stretched arching her back. The air was heavy with the smell of unknown herbs, different from the mixed scent from the healing huts' scents, and the house was quite quiet. Katara got to her feet with another stretch and slipped out of the room. The front room was as empty and abandoned as it was the previous day.

"Ai?" She called looking around herself.

"In here" replied her voice. It came from behind the door of the room next to Katara's. She opened the door and crept around the corer of the room. It was another wooden-walled room with the weird warm floor. There was one small window that was covered by a ratty, grey silk and the walls were lined with shelves containing herbs, scrolls, bottles, containers and artefacts of unknown uses. In the centre of the room was a cabinet with several smallish statues of what appeared to be Aztec goddesses. A simple, unmade cot was pushed into the corner nearest the window and a pulled back curtain would normally divide it from the rest of the room. Ai was at the other end of the room huddled in front of a long bench. She turned around momentarily and smiled at Katara. Balanced on her nose was a pare of glass goggles that wrapped round most of her face. At that time, she was sorting out one of her medicines. "Good morning, Katara. You better go and get yourself straightened out, as soon as I'm finished we're going on a tour of the island and then we have been summoned to see the empress." Katara looked up to the eighteen year old whych and nodded with a slight grin.

"Ok, Ai." She smiled.

Moilah Island was a very beautiful place The land was well balanced between woodland and farmland, with a white sanded beach circling it. The people were well populated between all of the nations and bloods, including air benders, much to Katara's amazement. They used their talents for more convenient things and lively habits than fighting. The main city Teh had two training arenas, one for benders and one for non-benders. Katara was ushered by Ai all over the city and the best part of Moilah, skimming past farms and homes, halls and healing areas. They past a few temples as well, Ai told her of some of the goddesses that the Aztecs worshiped and how as well as they went. It was all quite interesting As they passed a giant sundial, Ai cast a quick glance at it and gasped loudly.

"Oh, my. we've better head towards the palace or we'll be late. I got a little carried away." Ai cried out. She grabbed Katara's wrist lightly and cantered towards the grand palace that resembled one of the temples, but much taller. The two skidded to a halt before the huge doors of the grand palace and Ai sorted her outfit and hair out. "We are here on decree of her blessedness, Empress Nila." One of the guards on top of the tall posts nodded and pulled on a rope that aloud the door to swing calmly open. Ai walked faster ahead of Katara without so much of a thanks. Just before Katara skimmed past the gate, she gave a nod of appreciation to the guard, who nodded back in acknowledgement. Empress Nila was a beautiful woman who looked around thirty years old. Her silver-streaked blond hair hung down just past her hips. She had pale skin and bright blue eyes. The only thing she wore was an extravagant crown made of banana tree leaves and wood. The higher up in royalty a person was, the less she wore, so that is why the queen wore only a crown. Ai and Katara stood before her. Ai suddenly swooped down onto one knee and folded one hand over it. "Your grace. We are here as you summoned."

"You want me to what?!?!?!" Katara exclaimed, getting to her feet.

"Katara, it is in the interest of Moilah and ending the war." the beautiful queen told her calmly. She was expecting the young bender to seduce the Fire Lord until she could get close enough to knock him out and bring him back to Moilah Island. Katara wouldn't have had a problem with it if the Fire Lord wasn't twice her age. "No, you have it all wrong Katara. That Fire Lord died of wounds given to him by the Avatar. The young Zuko is Fire Lord now, as his father dieing will." That only relaxed Katara slightly.

"But he hates me..." Katara told her quietly. From a dark door behind Nila, a lady in black stepped out and fluttered her dust wings.

"Not really. I have seen that he clearly has really strong and positive feelings for you." Ai looked over the winged woman quickly.

"You're a Succubus, aren't you?" She asks boldly. The lady nodded her black haired head with a proud smile. "By the looks of things one that feeds of love, passion and pleasure." She nods again.

"Tec's the name."

"Yes, well enough introduction time!" snapped Katara. Both women looked at her in silence.

"Whych Ai? You shall teach Katara how to be seductive. Tec shall assist you" Ai nodded at the empress, but Tec was a little less willing.

"Me! Why can't she do it alone! She taught all those other girls!" Yelped Tec. The queen looked down her nose at the yellow eyed demon.

"Because you know what interests the young Fire Lord. Besides, when they travel to the Fire Nation, they will need your skills to get there." Snapped the queen, getting to her feet. Tec muttered something inaudible and crossed her arms in strop. "You are dismissed now." Ai and Tec then bowed again and dragged Katara out behind them.

The three women were in the middle of a pretty clearing behind Ai's home.

"To master the walk, your knees must be kept together, allow your hips to swing freely." Instructed Ai, demonstrating the walk. "Now you try it Katara. No wiggle your hips a little more."

"What like this?" Katara playfully wiggled her hips like she was a worm, provoking fits of laughter from Tec. Ai shook her head with a slight, lopsided grin. She pulled from a nearby tree, a brush of buds on thin vines and held it up to Katara. "What's that?"

"Ostrich Horse tail." she informed her flatly. Katara gasps loudly "Its not real tail, later in the year, these will all bud out into beautiful flowers. Now take off your skirt and tie it around your hips." Katara did as she was told, blushing all the while. "Now use the tail as a brush. Sweep the floor with it, and your hips should get that right action. That's it! You've got it!" Katara through a bright smile over her shoulder at Ai and continued to practice. "All that's left now is packing and going! This is going to be a flash."

Moilah is surrounded by a ring of whirlpools and an outer ring of huge, inevitable rock spikes. When the Aztecs wish to travel to land, they take a barge to the rock spikes. Water benders temporarily stop the whirlpools and a ship hidden inside on of the larger spikes. The ship was a normal Earth Kingdom merchant ship with a very simple appeal. Nothing could stand out on it. Katara, Ai and Tec weren't the only girls on the ship. Several other ladies that had been trained in sailing accompanied them. With use of a combination of water bending and air bending, they made it to the mainland that holds the city where the Fire Lord lived in a matter of days. Ai was standing on the beach on the edge of the fire nation looking annoyed up at the ship.

"You could have at least dropped us closer to the city, Linnana!" She yelled up to the captain as they prepared to leave.

"No, sorry, Ai. They wouldn't have let us that far in." She apologises down to them. "Besides, some of the women are ready for children." Ai grunts in irritation and slings her pack onto her shoulders. Around her hips was a pack that contained spells, potions and unknown artefacts. The pack on her pack was not very big either.

"Come on, ladies. We better get going. Its going to take a few days at least to get there." She shot an angry glance up to the ship on the last note. With that, the trio set off into the forest by the beach, leaving the ship behind them.

A/N: Yeah, this is where it starts to heat up. Next chapter there will be more exiting stuff, more humor too.

Chapter three: To the City of the Fire Lord