Hey everyone, I am back.
Sorry for the prolonged delay.
I have been having some writers block with the latest chapters and it has been taking me longer than usual to write.
I want to send a shout out to all who have favorited, followed and reviewed my story in the last two weeks.
As always, please continue to favorite, follow and review!
If you see any spelling errors please let me know.
Thanks!
In the Royal Tent – Chapter Fifty
Elle lay on her back with her head resting on Azula's cushion while she relaxed with headphones on her ears.
A muffled music floated into the night air while she held a book over her head with finger pressing into her lip.
In the corner of the royal tent sat a small torch lamp that provided just enough light to read comfortably.
That was when the princess stepped into the flap of the tent.
Azula entered with a refined smile adorning her lips while she quickly took notice of the music playing in her tent.
And curiously enough…the girl was reading a book.
Add to the fact that her pet had her back turned to her.
A truly devious smile curved onto her red lips while she quietly walked forward only for her brow to quirk upward in amusement when her handmaid began singing to herself.
And somewhere deep inside her frozen heart she couldn't help but find her young girlfriend's voice…soothing.
"Well, I know it's kinda late. I hope I didn't wake you. But what I gotta say can't wait. I know you'd understand. Every time I tried to tell you. The words just came out wrong. So, I'll have to say I love you in a song." Elle sang to herself with a cheerful smile on her lips before she turned the page of her novel.
All the while unaware that her mistress was staring down at her with her amber golden eyes flashing in a hint of strange emotion.
The princess stood unmoving with her fists falling down to her womanly hips while she listened with the barest hint of pink on her regal cheeks.
'She's…singing about me.' Azula thought with a strangely subdued smile on her lips while her fingers grazed the sides of her red pants in something akin to a haze.
"Yeah, I know it's kinda strange. Every time I'm near you. I just run out of things to say. I know you'd understand. Every time I tried to tell you. The words just came out wrong. So, I'll have to say I love you in a song." Elle sung to her lonesome or so she thought with a love-struck flush on her youthful cheeks.
And she never even had the faintest idea that she was singing a live performance for her taken aback mistress.
Azula peered down at her handmaid with her strict eyes conveying a gaze of fondness that was for her girlfriend alone.
All while she listened in a captivated silence as her singing pet neared the end of her little song.
"Every time the time was right. All the words just came out wrong. So, I'll have to say I love you in a song. Yeah, I know it's kinda late. Hope I didn't wake you. But there's something I just gotta say. Know you'd understand. Every time I tried to tell you. The words just came out wrong. So, I'll have to say I love you in a song…" Elle trailed off in a love-struck sigh while she read her book only to blush as she found herself unable to focus on anything but her mistress.
In that moment the princess quietly plopped down behind her handmaid with her full lips curving into a strangely moved smile while she silently twirled a hand in her ebony tresses.
Her callous amber golden eyes honed in on her pet's lovely hair before she inexplicably found herself reaching down to pet the smaller girl's hair.
To her amusement the serving girl didn't notice her presence until her palm lowered into her pet's golden hair.
"Aah!" Elle squeaked in a startled voice only to find the strong hand held her down just as her amber eyes widened when she caught sight of Azula's seated form towering over her.
"Calm yourself little peasant. It's me." Azula assured with a sophisticated smile still gracing her cheeks while her fingers already began dancing through her surprised pet's hair.
"M-Mistress! Y-you scared me! For a moment I thought that someone dangerous had snuck up on me!" Elle cried out with a childlike pout while pointed boots loomed in her line of vision while her mistress's icy eyes now narrowed down at her.
"You forget the nature of the company that you keep Elle! I am more dangerous than your little mind could ever fathom!" Azula shouted with a pompous huff as she glared down at her handmaid's gulping face.
"Sumimasen Azula-sama! But you aren't dangerous to me…because I know that you would never hurt me…ow!" Elle yelped after she recoiled when a finger sharply flicked her forehead while Azula sat rolling her eyes over her.
"You would do well to remember that even you are not exempt from my wrath!" Azula boasted with a haughty flip of her hair just as she reached out to get another drink of her liquor while Elle sulked on the floor.
"T-that hurt…" Elle whined with a hand nursing her face while her mistress snorted through her nostrils as she gazed down at her.
"Please Elle. It was just a flick." Azula stated with another roll of her eyes but she found herself unable to resist gazing down at her pet to verify that the girl was uninjured.
It was absurd to think that it has come to a point where she was so taken by this peasant that she finds herself fussing over the girl like a mother would her own child!
"So…were you listening the entire time?" Elle pondered just as she dropped her head onto the princess's soft thigh while she listened to Azula take a graceful drink of her liquor.
All the while she relaxed like a kitten in her mistress's lap when the princess's palm began to pet her hair once more.
"I was…" Azula spoke with a sliver of pink on her royal cheeks while her crimson lips began to curl into yet another smile just as she petted the smaller girl's head.
"O-oh I didn't know." Elle murmured in a lovable voice just as her book dropped from her hand while she melted under her princess's skilled hand.
"Why does that not surprise me? Is…that a song that you like to listen to?" Azula questioned in turn with a shake of her head before she set her bottle down while she held her serving girl's face against her thigh.
The girl was going to be her wife one day.
So, it was a strategic move to get to know her as much as she could.
"Yeah…it's Jim Croce! My mom…liked his music…" Elle answered in a reminiscent voice with her hands taking her headphones off her ears while Azula quirked a curious brow above her.
"I see…" Azula commented as she leaned back while she pulled the smaller girl into her toned arms with her fingers still fiddling about in her girlfriend's hair.
"Oh…. Azula-sama…" Elle mumbled in a love-struck voice as the back of her head pressed into her girlfriend's pillowy chest while she felt hot air wash against her tickling neck.
"I want to hear more…sing me another." Azula purred in the shorter girl's ear while she wrapped her arms around her gasping pet's chest.
"S-sing you another Princess?" Elle stuttered in an adorably timid voice while Azula smirked at her from over her shoulder.
"You heard me little peasant. I demand that you sing for me." Azula ordered with a charming smile on her red lips while Elle blushed from where she sat against her breasts.
"If you say so Azula-sama…then I will do so." Elle spoke with a bashful smile while Azula brushed the hair from her eyes.
"Now that…is what I like to hear." Azula stated with a trace of fondness lacing her callous voice while she steadied her young girlfriend in her lap.
And not a moment later Elle pressed a button on her mp3 player before a surprisingly fitting song began to softly play in the tent once more.
And soon Azula found herself sitting there with her hardened eyes softening ever so marginally when Elle began to sing along with the music.
"Like the pine trees lining the winding road. I got a name; I got a name. Like the singing bird and the croaking toad. I got a name; I got a name. And I carry it with me like my daddy did. But I'm living the dream that he kept hid. Movin' me down the highway, rollin' me down the highway. Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by." Elle sang over the music with a carefree smile on her lips while Azula listened in an increasingly captivated silence.
The princess sat back with an uncharacteristically soothed expression in her amber golden eyes while she stared down at her young friend's happy face as the girl hummed to her music.
"Like the north wind whistlin' down the sky. I got a song; I got a song. Like the whippoorwill and the baby's cry. I got a song; I got a song. And I carry it with me and I sing it loud. If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud. Movin' me down the highway, rollin' me down the highway. Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by." Elle sung with a gleeful grin as she snuggled against her girlfriend's warm chest while the firebender's arms pulled her in closer.
It was no small wonder why the girl liked this particular singer so much.
It contrasted with the girl's whimsical ideas about 'flow' quite well.
"And I'm gonna go there free." Elle sang in a joyful voice while she beamed up at Azula only for the princess to release a smug snort.
"No, my pet. No, you will not." Azula taunted with her breath washing against Elle's reddened cheek while her handmaid reclined in her well-muscled arms.
And for a moment she almost thought that she had tripped up the girl's tune.
But to Elle's credit she continued on to the finale.
"Like the fool I am and I'll always be. I got a dream; I got a dream. They can change their minds but they can't change me. I got a dream; I got a dream. Oh, I know I could share it if you'd want me to. If you're goin' my way, I'll go with you. Movin' me down the highway, rollin' me down the highway. Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by." Elle sung with an endearing blush just as the music ended in her ears while amber golden eyes peered back at her from mere inches away.
"That was pleasant Elle. You did well." Azula remarked with her lips curving upward into a mesmerizing smile while her young girlfriend peered up at her with taken aback amber eyes.
"R-really?" Elle asked in a voice of low self-worth while she numbly removed her headphones from her ears.
Only for her music player to drop from her hands while her cheeks turned as red as a tomato when found herself being pulled to the floor of the tent.
Their bodies landed side by side while she gazed back at the princess's gorgeous face just as Azula began to stroke her cheek once more.
"Foolish peasant. You should know by now that I do not offer compliments so tepidly." Azula sighed with a charming smile on her full lips while she peered back into her serving girl's emotional amber eyes.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama…" Elle murmured with a gentle smile only to giggle sweetly while Azula exhaled against her cheek.
"Oh peasant. Wherever would you be without me?" Azula purred with a fond shake of her head before she pressed her red lips into her pet's quivering cheek.
"I-I would be lost without you to rule over me Princess…" Elle admitted in a shy voice with a gulp while Azula's lips lingered against her skin.
"So, you would dear. That's why it's best if I subjugate your little life." Azula remarked with a confident smirk while Elle cracked a radiant smile over her words.
"Please do Azula-sama! I like living in submission to you!" Elle cried out in a cheerful voice while her princess lounged beside her with a pleased smirk growing onto her red lips.
She shivered wonderfully when her mistress ran her finger along her lip with her captivating aura making her tremble in anticipation.
Only for domineering amber golden eyes to narrow back at her in such a way that she could feel herself melting under her demanding stare.
"Stand up peasant! I demand that you attend to my needs!" Azula bellowed in a tyrannical voice with a snap of her fingers only for her smug smirk to grow even larger when her girlfriend sprang to her feet in a panic.
Now that she just adored.
Watching this lovely girl take such delight in serving her every desire was just beyond delightful.
And to her great gratification she found herself gazing up at her little handmaid as she hastily bowed at the hip.
"Yes, Mistress Azula! If you say stand then I stand!" Elle cheered with bounce in her step while she bent over in a bow that had Azula smiling up at her.
"Look at you…such a good girl." Azula cooed after rolling over onto her belly as she twirled a finger in her ebony hair while she propped her chin up in her other hand.
She just couldn't help but smile in a strangely softened manner over her innocent handmaid's eagerness to bow before her.
"I-I am so glad that you think so Azula-sama. How…how may I serve you?" Elle stuttered with her head inclined in a show of reverence while her mistress placed her cushion beneath her elbows.
Only for another demanding snap of the princess's two fingers to draw her attention to the older girl pointing over her shoulder at her booted feet lazily pointing into the air.
"It is time that you make good on your offer to give me that massage. Get to it…now." Azula ordered with a pompous smirk while her amber golden eyes observed in amusement when her pet sprung forward on command.
"My princess wants a massage and I shall see it done!" Elle yelled out in a jubilant voice before she quickly seated herself behind Azula's dangling boots.
And then she reached out to grasp a hold of the one on the left while she began tugging it off with a bashful smile on her face.
"Start with my feet and work your way…upward. But only if you want to. I would hate to overwork you." Azula commented in a haughty voice with a playful smile on her lips while she gazed over her shoulder at her handmaid obediently pulling off her boot.
"Oh no! You never overwork me Azula-sama…you are always so considerate of my lung condition…arigatou." Elle assured with a bashful shade of pink overtaking her cheeks just as she slid the boot free from her mistress's stocking covered foot.
Azula now glanced over her shoulder with her callous amber golden eyes expressing a rare margin of concern for the girl's wellbeing.
"Of course, I don't. You certainly are a pampered little pet…although that reminds me. Are you…going to be okay without your breathing machine?" Azula pondered in an aloof voice while she watched her little handmaid yank off her second boot.
Her two stocking covered feet now hung before her serving girl's face while she observed in satisfaction as her young girlfriend began sliding off her stockings.
"I-I should be alright…as long as I abstain from anymore long walks. I trust you to take care of me Azula-sama." Elle mumbled with an adorable blush on her cheeks when the princess's bare toes now wiggled before her face.
"For the remainder of our time here this tent will serve as your cage. If I am not with you…you are not allowed to roam out of view of my tent. Is that understood peasant?" Azula remarked with a controlling smile on her red lips while her toes brushed against her pet's gulping cheek.
"O-okay Princess. If you think it so then it must be so." Elle agreed in a lovable voice with her shaky fingers pulling off the second stocking while her love-struck amber eyes followed after her girlfriend's wiggling toes like a transfixed kitten.
"That's my girl. So good." Azula cooed with a fond sigh while she relaxed when her handmaid's soft hands began to massage her bare sole.
"O-oh Azula-sama." Elle swooned with an innocent smile before she hugged Azula's bare foot to her cheek while amber golden eyes observed her in delight.
"Hm. You like that?" Azula questioned in a silken voice with her chin resting upon her fist while a refined smile grew onto her lips.
"I-I do. I know it's weird…sumimasen…" Elle answered in a voice of uncertainty while she briefly gazed away in shame.
And although Azula wouldn't have cared if it was anyone else.
Strangely she found herself almost frowning over how self-conscious her young girlfriend tended to be.
"Please. It isn't weird in the least. There is nothing shameful in it, Elle. It's just human nature." Azula reassured with a confident smile while her toes still hung near her handmaid's adorably spellbound eyes.
"I-it isn't?" Elle queried as she chewed on her lip while Azula's freshly washed foot lingered upon her blushing skin.
"No. I for one just adore watching you fawn over my feet. By all means…carry on dear." Azula purred with a captivating smirk that only grew larger when she felt two lips press into the underside of her sole.
Just the best pet indeed.
"I…love you Azula-sama." Elle declared in a heartfelt voice with a gentle smile on her face as she briefly hugged her mistress's warm foot.
"I know Elle. I know. And I…like you too peasant…as in really, really like you." Azula confessed with the tiniest hint of pink on her cheeks while she brushed her bangs from her eyes.
"We're two peas in a pod Azula-sama! We're inseparable." Elle exclaimed with a joyful countenance while her hands began to massage Azula's foot once more.
"So we are. And nothing can stand against us." Azula spoke with a sophisticated smirk while her fingertip pressed into the underside of her chin.
"That's right Princess! We're a team you and I!" Elle cheered with a speedy nod while her palms kneaded the older girl's bare sole.
"Just think about it! With my evolved bending and your Component, we will dominate this entire world! Our enemies' despair will only serve as fuel to quench our flames! And then we will reign for all time!" Azula announced with a violent grin while the lone blue flame in the tent suddenly lit up into an even brighter fire.
Silence reigned in the tent for the briefest of seconds while Elle sat gazing on in humor behind her.
But even so!
She loved listening to her princess talk about conquest and domination!
She really did!
"And then we will bring world peace and love to all!" Elle shouted with a cheerful grin while she happily nodded as her hands continued rubbing her girlfriend's foot.
The princess turned to glance back at her with a deadpan expression now in her amber golden eyes only to find herself sighing fondly under her breath.
"Childish peasant." Azula snorted with a regal roll of her eyes while Elle beamed back at her.
"That's so Azula-sama!" Elle exclaimed as she giggled softly while strict eyes peered back at her.
"Elle." Azula began in a curious voice while she took delight in how her pretty handmaid peeked back at her with bright amber eyes.
"Yes Princess?" Elle asked in a dutiful voice with her fingertips kneading Azula's warm foot while her girlfriend brushed the hair from her eyes in a manner that made her heart speed up.
"I see that you were reading a book…from your homeland by the look of it." Azula commented in a thoughtful voice while she gazed down at the cover with a brow raising in mild interest.
"Oh! That's H.G. Wells! I was only able to fit a few books in my backpack and since I needed to take several educational books with me…that meant that I could only bring two fiction novels. So, this was one of the two that I brought." Elle cried out with excitement in her voice while her mistress lazily sprawled out on her belly.
"H.G. Wells? Only two fiction novels? What was it about this one that made you choose it over any other book?" Azula inquired with an elegant curve of her brows before she found herself opening it in her curiosity.
The one nagging thought that wouldn't leave her mind was that Elle spoke the same verbal language as her.
Yet the girl wrote and read a style of written language that was completely foreign to the Fire Nation.
It was so strange and baffling. Just how do the people of Elle's homeland share such a strikingly similar verbal language?
It was an intriguing detail indeed. One that most certainly warranted further investigation.
In the meantime.
Perhaps this book was just what she needs to completely master the writings of Elle's people.
"He's a very famous author! He died long before my time. He wrote many science fiction novels and I find them to be really fascinating. I chose that one because it has six of his most famous stories. I figure that it would keep me entertained for some time." Elle admitted with a happy nod while Azula turned a page in a thoughtful silence.
"Science fiction?" Azula answered with a turn of her head while Elle leaned forward to peer over her sloping back.
"Yeah! My Earth isn't spiritual like your Earth Azula-sama. Throughout much of the history of my homeland. The things that you regard as everyday life…humans throughout history in my world have commonly called that fantasy. Fantastic creatures like dragons have long since been regarded as nothing more than a subject of fiction." Elle explained in a helpful voice while she sat rubbing the bare sole of the princess's foot.
"How interesting…our two Earths really are completely different." Azula stated as she gazed down at the rather old paperback book with a piqued amber golden eye.
"Throughout most of our history anyhow." Elle muttered vaguely just as Azula gazed back at her.
"What do you mean by that?" Azula queried in an ever-sharp voice only for her brow to raise higher when her handmaid just shook her head.
"Nothing. Anyhow! Science fiction isn't quite the same as the fantasy genre. It's different." Elle spoke in a soft voice while she returned her focus to her mistress's soft foot.
"Is it now Elle?" Azula replied in an attentive voice while she gazed at her pet in amusement.
The girl just diverted the subject.
But she decided that she would let it slide.
Her pet was a well-behaved girl. And because of that she will allow a small lie every now and then.
"It sure is Mistress. You see dragons and wizards fall under the fantasy genre. Because throughout history they are largely regarded by all humanity as impossible fairy tales. But science fiction on the other hand is based in imagined subjects of future technological advancement. Things that may not be possible now but may ten thousand years from now." Elle informed in an enthralled voice while she nodded in excitement with her amber eyes still peering down at Azula's foot.
Being the brilliant woman that she was.
Azula understood what the girl was trying to say.
"I understand. Your science fiction is a fantasy image of the future." Azula commented with her cold eyes staring down at the title of the first story.
The Time Machine.
"That's right! Time travel! Life on other planets! Science fiction proposes that the impossible may be possible! And H.G. Well's books are the most classic science fiction there is!" Elle piped in a childishly delighted voice while she listened to her mistress's smooth chuckle float into her ears.
"I gathered as much Elle…from the title of this first book. Have you read it?" Azula pondered in a strangely content voice with a soft smirk on her lips as she turned another page.
"I have Princess!" Elle cried out as she leaned down with her face above Azula's curvaceous legs while her palms continued dutifully rubbing the bare foot against her chest.
An even deeper shade of pink appeared on her cheeks when she found her eyes guiltily gazing up Azula's womanly thighs clad in red pant leggings.
Only to find her eyes drawn to the princess's round posterior more than anything else.
Something that Azula took notice of all too quickly.
"Are you enjoying the view pet?" Azula asked in a knowing voice with a graceful smile while she turned her head to peer back at her handmaid's adorably reddened face.
"I-I uh I d-didn't mean to." Elle stuttered in a jumbled voice with her words dying in her throat only for her older girlfriend to sigh under her breath.
"If I had a problem with you looking…then I wouldn't have given you such a generous view. But enough about my flawless ass. Tell me about this story." Azula remarked in an ever-sanguine voice while she gazed over her shoulder at her young girlfriend's confuddled face.
"W-well the Time Machine is the only one that I have gotten to read yet. It's about a man traveling over 800,000 years into the future." Elle answered with a bright smile form where she knelt over Azula's sprawled out legs.
"Hm. 800,000 years. That is quite a long time." Azula spoke with her callous amber golden eyes reading the first few pages while she continued to dangle her feet in the air.
"It sure is Azula-sama. There the Time Traveler meets the Eloi. A group of people who are…uh unusually small, childlike…vegetarians…" Elle trailed off with a blush on her cheeks while her princess gazed back at her in obvious amusement.
"Is that so Tiger Monkey? These…Eloi sound like distant family of yours." Azula taunted with a smug smirk while her handmaid turned even redder under her stare
"T-that's unfair Azula-sama. I can't help it that I grow small…" Elle mumbled in a pitiful voice only for Azula to roll her eyes over her shoulder.
"Quit moping Elle and continue with your story." Azula ordered in a sterner voice while she watched her handmaid grin once more.
"Yes Azula-sama! The Eloi are a gentle but naïve people. Their existence is seemingly without worry. They eat fruits that they seemingly gain with ease. And they don't even farm. It is eventually revealed that the reason for this is that…the Eloi are cattle for the Morlocks." Elle revealed in an animated voice while her fingertips still massaged the sole of the princess's foot.
Azula's cold eyes glanced up from the book with a small flicker of surprise in her gaze.
It was a darker story than she was expecting a girl like Elle to read.
"The Morlocks?" Azula questioned with evident intrigue in her voice as she relaxed while her petite handmaid massaged the underside of her foot.
"Yeah. The Morlocks are the second group of people. They are primitive, almost monstrous apelike people that live underground. They hate the light and they only come up to devour the Eloi at night." Elle stated in a helpful voice while Azula listened in growing interest.
"And these Eloi are too stupid to even try to fight back." Azula scoffed in understanding while she finally closed the book shut.
"Basically. The Time Traveler eventually theorizes that the once privileged group of wealthy people…like you and my oneesans became the Eloi. After 800,000 years of having their needs catered to by the lower classes…they became weak and ineffective. And he likewise theorized that the long trodden on working class became the sunlight fearing Morlocks. Interesting isn't it!" Elle with a radiant smile while she still sat before the older girl's dangling bare feet.
Azula quirked an intrigued brow while she mulled over her handmaid's explanation with an amused smirk on her crimson lips.
"I suppose so. I confess that you have aroused my curiosity with this…science fiction book." Azula responded after setting the book down before she resumed her prior resting place on her cushion.
"I'll lend it to you if you want to read it sometime Princess!" Elle chirped with her palms grasping her girlfriend's foot while Azula's red lips curved into a pleased smile.
"Lend it to me? Foolish peasant. A master doesn't have to ask her pet for permission to read what already belongs to her." Azula huffed with a spoiled wave of her hand while Elle still smiled as she massaged her feet.
"I know! But I love you so much Azula-sama I just want you to know that I will share my things with you." Elle stated in an innocent voice that earned her another a sighing glance.
"I will keep that in mind Elle…which reminds me. Did you enjoy those comics that I bought you?" Azula conversed in a still attentive voice while she held her chin up in her open palm.
She could have mocked how her handmaid didn't possess any belongings of worth other than one old coin.
But strangely didn't.
"Oh! I did! I had some trouble making out the words but I was able to figure it out." Elle exclaimed in a thrilled voice just as she reached for the other foot while Azula observed a thoughtful smirk on her regal lips.
"Would you like for me to teach you how to read and write in Fire Nation writing?" Azula inquired in a silken purr while she gazed over her shoulder at her young girlfriend's adorably eager face.
"I-I would like that very much Azula-sama." Elle stammered in a bashful voice as she averted her eyes from her mistress's captivating stare while she propped the other foot up in her lap.
Only to be snapped from her reverie when the regal woman suddenly snapped her fingers and pointed down at her sloping back.
"Then I will purchase you ample reading material on our return. Now massage my back!" Azula spoke in a beyond entitled voice with a wave of her hand.
To her delight that was all it took for her handmaid to scurry forward like a trained puppy.
"Wakarimashita Azula-sama!" Elle cheered with innocence in her voice before she knelt before the beautiful princess's shirt covered back.
"Well what are you waiting for peasant?" Azula snorted in a spoiled voice with a smug smirk on her lips only to watch in satisfaction when Elle began frantically bowing her head.
"Sumimasen! But I…don't understand." Elle answered in a submissive voice with her head inclined in a show of absolute respect while the older girl gazed at her in puzzlement.
"What don't you understand? I want you to massage my back." Azula asked flatly while her pet began to fumble with her shirt.
"W-with your shirt on or do you want me to p-pull it up?" Elle requested in an endearing stutter that Azula just adored.
Only for her eyes to nearly fall out of her head when Azula began pulling her shirt over her head while lovely lips curved into a truly mesmerizing smirk.
"Without. You may begin now dear." Azula commented with a sophisticated smile before she carelessly tossed her shirt over her shoulder.
Only for her victorious smirk to grow even bigger when her red shirt landed over her sputtering handmaid's head.
"Y-yes A-Azula-sama." Elle squeaked in a muffled voice with her nervous hands removing the shirt from her head while the older girl watched her in unhidden amusement.
"You are so adorable peasant." Azula spoke with a charming smile on her full lips just as her formal shirt went flying over her handmaid's shoulder.
Her crimson lips only grew into an even greater smile when her young girlfriend now peered down at her naked back with her little mouth ajar in awe.
"A-and you…have the body of a goddess…my F-Fire Queen." Elle stammered with her thumbs twiddling while Azula's lips curled into a beyond gratified smirk.
"That's because I am a goddess! And you would do well to remember that girl!" Azula barked with a conceited smirk while she felt trembling hands begin to touch her warm back.
"That's so…Azula-sama. The goddess of the Fire Nation." Elle declared in a reverent voice with a timid smile while she took to kneading her mistress's spine.
The princess's eyes lit up in approval over the beyond pleasing praise while she surveyed her submissive girl with a haughty smirk.
"Of course, I am. And you are my little worshiper." Azula scoffed in a supremely arrogant voice while she gazed over her shoulder at the smaller girl massaging her upper back.
"Can I ask you something Princess?" Elle pondered with her hands already rubbing the mighty woman's back while Azula's eyebrows rose into a curious expression.
"What is it Elle?" Azula answered in a content voice with her face resting on her folded arms while Elle bit her lip over her shoulder.
"I…have heard you speak of your father…and your brother. But never your mother." Elle spoke in an uncertain voice only to regret it a moment later when her girlfriend's good mood vanished into a rotten tempered scowl.
"For good reason." Azula hissed in an aggravated voice while she glared off at the tent wall with soft hands briefly trembling against her skin.
Yet she knew better than to punish her young companion just for asking.
"Sumimasen Azula-sama." Elle muttered in a guilty voice while she listened to Azula grunt under her breath.
"She abandoned me and my brother a long time ago." Azula admitted in a resentful undertone while stared down at her with saddened amber eyes.
"Oh. I…see." Elle stated in a remorseful voice with her hands still gliding across her girlfriend's back.
"She said goodbye to my brother…but not to me. She didn't say a word to me." Azula grumbled with something akin to pain in her eyes while her handmaid listened in a taken aback silence.
And for once the teenage girl sat quietly while the older girl angrily swallowed the lump that was in her throat.
"My mother called me a monster." Azula confessed with her eyes flashing in an unseen emotion while her bangs hung over her skin.
The young handmaid's mouth dropped open as soon as she heard those heartbreaking words.
The princess stared off at the tent wall with ruthless amber golden eyes only to turn her head around in surprise when she felt small arms latch around her neck.
"Oh Azula-sama. She was wrong…you are not a monster." Elle assured in a compassionate voice with her face buried in Azula's dark hair while she clung to the taken aback older woman's neck.
"Soft hearted peasant." Azula grunted as she rolled over with her cold eyes staring down at her little handmaid curling up upon her open breasts.
There was something about this peasant girl.
Even after all of this time she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
How…did she manage to get this deep into her heart?
"How can anyone who has done so much for me be a monster?" Elle asked in a gentle voice with her chin propped up on her girlfriend's soft breast while a strong arm snaked around her back.
"Easily. I…like you servant…but be assured that I am a monster." Azula insisted in a colder voice with her muscular arms wrapping around her handmaid while she held her girlfriend in her arms.
Only to be taken by surprise when the girl gazed back from where she lay on her breasts with a look of anger in her eyes.
"No! You are not! To say that you are is narrow minded!" Elle exclaimed with her smile giving way to a frown while Azula gazed at her in puzzlement.
"Narrow minded?" Azula found herself replying with her reaching out to cup her young girlfriend's trembling cheek.
This girl really was too soft for her own good.
"Yes. There are all kinds of people out there Azula-sama…from all different walks of life. Some grow up different than others. But that doesn't make them monsters. You…have good in you. I know so. Because I have seen it." Elle explained with a speedy nod while she touched the hand tracing her cheek.
"Is that right?" Azula sighed with a fond shake of her head while her foul temper began to ebb under her young companion's tender touch.
"It is Mistress. To call such people monsters…just because they grow up different than the rest is small minded. We are all human…each one of us." Elle spoke in a loving voice with her hand grasping ahold of Azula's own while she gazed into her mistress's calming amber golden eyes.
"I hurt people. And yet you are so confident that I am not a monster. Why?" Azula questioned with rare confusion in her strict voice while the peasant girl pressed her face into the crook of her naked neck.
"You are a wartime princess…are you not? You are fighting to bring victory to your people. What you do you do for them. Isn't that, right?" Elle queried in turn while her princess glanced down at her in increased bafflement.
"And your point is?" Azula pondered in a smooth voice with her handmaid already beginning to cuddle into her warm body.
How audacious she thought with a snort.
The girl was already trying to pass out on her when she hasn't even finished massage her back!
"You don't hunt and kill people for pleasure…. that's what real monsters do. Rape and murder…all for a twisted sense of joy that they gain from watching their victim die. In my homeland we call people like that serial killers. But that isn't you Azula-sama." Elle declared with a returning smile while Azula listened in grudging fascination.
"Mhm. No. I don't hunt and murder peasant girls for the thrill of it. Yet." Azula boasted with a cruel roll of her eyes while she stared down at the tiny girl hiding her face in her neck.
"Then you are not a monster…my Fire Queen." Elle concluded in a warm voice before she kissed the underside of her mistress's neck while a strong hand lowered into her hair.
"That's my peasant…ever loyal to your mistress." Azula purred with her palm now petting Elle's blushing head while she sighed as she stretched out.
"T-that's so my mistress." Elle agreed in a bashful voice with a giggle while Azula's stern hand briefly petted her hair.
Now that the princess just could not resist smiling over.
Not a second later two fingers loudly snapped above the young handmaid's head while the princess watched with smug amber golden eyes when her pet sat up in a fretful panic.
"Get back to work peasant! I demand that you finish my massage!" Azula barked with a haughty huff before she rolled back over onto her bare belly while she propped her smirking face up on her fist once more.
As she observed in sadistic delight when the girl hurriedly bent over her naked back with her dainty hands massaging her once again.
"Yes Azula-sama! You can count on me! Because I am your loyal girl!" Elle cried out before she bowed her head in a show of respect while a smile of approval grew on the princess 's lips.
"Believe me dear I know. You are…. the best pet that I could ask for." Azula conceded in a spoiled sigh while she relaxed when gentle hands began to knead her lower back.
"Don't you worry Azula-sama! We may not have our mothers anymore but we have each other. I'll always be here for you." Elle announced in a kind hearted voice with her amber eyes peering down at the slope of her mistress's back.
And even though she couldn't see it.
The princess was now staring down at her from over her shoulder with a rare expression of moved emotion in her cold eyes.
"Your words please me peasant. In recognition of your devotion, I will always keep you by my side." Azula remarked with a pleased smirk on her full lips while her handmaid beamed back at her.
"Arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama!" Elle cheered with sweet laughter lacing her voice while she happily worked on her girlfriend's-tired muscles.
Azula just fell into her cushion with a content sigh escaping her red lips.
Indeed.
There was much to like about this peasant girl of hers.
About forty-five minutes later.
The princess lazily lounged with a mildly intoxicated look in her dominant amber golden eyes while her little girlfriend still knelt massaging her back.
She set down her liquor bottle while she released another sigh before she turned to gaze back at her submissive girl.
Her handmaid had not once lost her smile in the entire time that she has been serving her needs.
And with a devious smirk on her lips she decided that now was time to put the girl to the test.
"Go lower dear." Azula ordered in a controlling voice with a smug look in her eyes while her handmaid smiled back at her.
"If you say go lower Mistress! Then I go lower!" Elle chirped with her palms massaging the woman's lower back while she tried her hardest not to look at Azula's round posterior that now rested near her head.
"Go even lower." Azula spoke with her fingertip pressing into her lip while her pet's face turned red as she gazed up at her.
"B-but if I go l-lower then I will be…" Elle trailed off in an overwhelmed voice only to find herself gulping when a hand pushed her down.
She dropped with a squeak only to find herself turning as red as a tomato when her face landed on her girlfriend's pant covered ass cheek.
"Massaging my ass. You may begin now Elle." Azula taunted with a sadistic smile that only grew when she felt her handmaid push her face off her round posterior in an adorable panic.
"P-please show me m-mercy Azula-sama. I d-don't know if I can handle this." Elle stuttered in a confuddled voice with her thumbs twiddling as she peered down at the woman's shapely behind in a spellbound trance.
"Hm. Let me think about it…no." Azula drawled in a silken voice with her love-struck handmaid's shoulders now slumping like a disciplined puppy.
And if you asked her it was just too adorable that the girl was becoming so jumbled over being ordered to rub her ass.
"I-I um uh." Elle blurted out in a confused voice only for the flames in the lantern to jump inside its cage.
"Are you defying me servant!" Azula bellowed in a terrifying voice of feigned anger while her smirk grew by tenfold when Elle dropped down onto her knees on command.
"S-sumimasen Azula-sama!" Elle whimpered with a deep blush on her cheeks just as her hands touched Azula's round backside.
"It's just a massage Elle. It's not like it's going to bite you." Azula snorted in an amused voice only to find herself smiling when the girl's soft hands took to rubbing her rear.
"I-I know." Elle muttered with a timid countenance while her nervous hands moved across the princess's beautiful posterior.
"Do you like that Elle?" Azula purred in a mesmerizing voice with her lips pursing into a smirk while Elle turned an embarrassed shade of red.
"I…I do Azula-sama." Elle admitted with an abashed expression while she listened to Azula's devious chuckle flow into her ears.
"Then by all means continue. I am your girlfriend Elle. You should get used to touching my body." Azula commanded with her face laying down in her folded arms while she sighed when the girl's touch sent a jolt of pleasure down her spine.
But even so she knew that she would have to wait until her girlfriend was sixteen.
But at least she had her much-needed moment of release in the springs earlier.
It will just have to suffice for now.
"Yes…Princess." Elle spoke with an ever-present blush while her eyes remained glued to her girlfriend's clothed posterior.
Azula just smirked before she propped her head up on her arm while another sigh escaped her lips.
There were no words for how content she was right now.
Just none.
About twenty minutes later.
After several minutes of sleepy yawning Elle turned her head to find herself being pulled up by the neck of her short-sleeved shirt.
"That is enough for tonight Elle. Our expedition continues tomorrow and I need you well rested." Azula instructed with a charming smile while her shorter girlfriend dropped down yawning beside her.
"As you say…. Azula-sama." Elle yawned with a hand over her mouth while she pulled her t-shirt over her shoulders.
The princess watched with a pleased amber golden gaze just as she plopped down on her back beside her similarly half naked girlfriend.
"Let's go to bed Elle." Azula said with a fond look in her eyes while Elle's smaller body began to curl up in her arms.
"Azula-sama?" Elle mumbled while strong arms pulled her into a powerful embrace.
"Hm?" Azula answered in a lazy voice with her amber golden eyes peering down at the petite serving girl laying against her nude breasts.
"T-those spiders aren't going to crawl into our tent, are they?" Elle inquired in a mousy voice while she averted her eyes with a blush when Azula cast her an incredulous glance.
A look that plainly conveyed you have got to be kidding me.
"Are you serious Elle? That's what you're worried about?" Azula groaned with a purposeful roll of her eyes while the sleepy girl shrunk under her annoyed gaze.
"W-will you put some torches burning around the tent to ward them away?" Elle requested as she chewed her lip while she listened to her girlfriend groan in aggravation.
"Ugh. This is pitiful. You do know that don't you?" Azula remarked with her amber golden eyes glaring down at her pouting serving girl in her arms.
"I…know b-but I would feel more comfortable sleeping if you surrounded me with your bending while I slept." Elle mumbled with another yawn escaping her lips while Azula now smiled down at her in approval.
And then she found herself smiling in appreciation when the princess wordlessly pushed herself up from the tent floor.
"What am I ever going to do with you Elle? But so be it…" Azula trailed off with a shake of her head while she stood up.
But even so.
She couldn't help but feel pleased over her handmaid's innocent request.
The girl craved her dominance so terribly that she went so far as to plead her to surround her with her bending as she sleeps.
"Arigatou…Azula-sama…" Elle murmured in a loud yawn while she peered after her mistress's tall form stepping through the flap of their tent.
A few short minutes later a distant blue light could now be seen through the dark fabric of the royal tent.
The teenage girl lay on her side while she now cast a grateful smile at the princess now sitting back down beside her.
And then with a mere flick of her hand the flame inside their lamp promptly died out while she plopped down on her back.
Only to reach out to greedily pull her drowsy handmaid into her strong arms while she stared down at the yawning girl with a possessive gaze.
"Oh peasant." Azula sighed in a fond voice with a charming smile on her lips while her pet crawled into her arms.
"My…dominant." Elle spoke in a barely perceivable voice before she burrowed into her girlfriend's open breasts while Azula held her against her boson.
"That's right little lady." Azula replied in a fond voice with a content smile on her lips while she wrapped her arms around Elle's naked back.
"A-Azula-sama." Elle muttered in a drowsy yawn while her eyes began to close just as the firebender's hands held onto the back of her head.
"Humph. The Avatar doesn't stand a chance against us Elle. Our victory is inevitable." Azula commented in a confident voice while she crushed her serving girl against her warm bosom.
Only for the sound of adorable snoring to resonate into her ears not a moment later.
Her handmaid now slept with her face buried in her breasts while she peacefully snored in her sleep.
And Azula now observed her with a strangely subdued smile on her regal lips.
"My Elle…" Azula spoke in a quiet voice with her hands grasping onto Elle's head while the girl released another soft snore against her naked breast.
Her head sunk into her pillow while she cradled her handmaid in her arms with a possessive smile still adorning her regal lips.
"I…confess that I am falling in love with you peasant." Azula admitted in a prideful voice just as she herself closed her eyes while she protectively held her snoring girlfriend in her breasts.
And then the powerful Crown Princess of the Fire Nation began to relax with her young girlfriend in her arms.
And soon enough Azula fell asleep with her lips entrenched into a soft smirk while she cradled Elle's snoring face against her bare breasts.
And the two slept soundly for the better part of three hours.
Only for the princess's amber golden eyes to snap in alarm when she heard a fearful whimper emanate from the girl in her arms.
Which was followed shortly by a soft cough that soon had her brows furrowing in frustration.
And then a plea.
"N-no…please don't…kill my mother." Elle pleaded in her sleep while Azula listened closely with her amber golden eyes hardening in a cold glare.
'This man…Strados…I am going to kill him.' Azula thought with her nostrils releasing a puff of blue fire while pulled her trembling girlfriend's face back into her breasts.
And just when her eyes began to close once more.
They reopened instantaneously when her young companion suddenly jolted away with a piercing scream.
A scream that was so loud that she knew awoke Mai and Ty Lee judging by the sound of tent flap opening in the distance.
"Mother! No! No!" Elle shouted in a panic-stricken voice while she panted with her eyes wide in terror only to find herself gazing not at her mother's killer.
But her girlfriend's wrathful scowling face.
And then she broke down in a sob in the princess's arms while the princess now sat holding her in her lap.
"Azula? Is…she okay?" Ty Lee questioned from outside the tent with a concerned countenance while she listened to the sound of crying from inside the tent.
Mai stood silent with her tawny eyes softening as she listened to the sobs with a look of anger in her eyes.
They had both heard the girl cry out for her mother.
It was painfully apparent what caused her young friend's frightened cries.
"She…had a nightmare! Just leave us be!" Azula barked with a hand on the back of her sobbing servant's head while she held the crying girl into the crook of her neck.
The two noblewomen women exchanged a sympathetic glance before turned away to return to their own tent.
While a tear dripped down Ty Lee's cheek when she heard the girl cry out for her mother and father.
"H-he shot my mother. They k-killed my parents. I m-miss them. I miss them so much." Elle wailed with tears streaming down her cheek while she retreated into Azula's body for comfort.
"I know Elle. I know." Azula growled while she lay back down with Elle still sobbing against her naked breast.
As her strong arms held the crying girl closely into her bare chest.
"Shush. Elle…shush." Azula purred in her best attempt at comfort with a hand on the back of her handmaid's plush head.
"Y-yes Princess." Elle sniffled with tears in her eyes just as she felt the princess's chin press down into her hair.
Only for her eyes to widen mere seconds later when a light puff of air was released by the princess's nostrils against her forehead.
"There…there. It will be alright my pet. I own you now." Azula whispered over her whimpering handmaid while she held the smaller girl against her neck.
"Azula-sama…my dominant." Elle murmured in a needy voice with her wet eyes closing once more while she retreated back into Azula's breasts.
"Go to sleep now Elle. Fear not…if anyone touches you, I will burn them to ashes." Azula snarled with a possessive hand clamping down on the back of her pet's head while the girl's damp face hid between her breasts.
And then she held her saddened handmaid in her arms for some time.
And after twenty or so minutes.
She finally heard the girl snoring against her breast once more.
Her full lips were pursed into a tight scowl while she held her snoring girlfriend's wet face into her breasts.
If anyone ever tries to hurt this one again…
Then they will find themselves regretting it in their death throes.
Yes indeed.
And that was a promise.
AN:
This is going to be a short afterword. So, let's get to it.
The two songs sung by Elle were I'll Have To Say I Love You In a Song, and I Got a Name, both by Jim Croce.
And as stated, the book Elle was reading was The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.
We're nearing the end of the island arc, half of which was more about Team Azula spending going through personal issues than the island itself.
Next chapter will be another break from Azula and Elle. We'll check in with Zuko, Iroh, Toph, Aang, Sokka, Katara and the wrest of the White Lotus. An important new character will be introduced next chapter.
After after that, we'll get back to Azula and Elle. And then we will conclude the plot on the island with two more chapters. So, we're just about finished on the island, and then we'll begin the Fire Mountain Arc.
So, stay tuned next time.
Chapter fifty-one! Reconvene and Retreat.