Azula's mornings are filled with diplomatic tasks and constant work nowadays. That was the price of power - once fully attained, the simple pleasures in life disappeared. Gone were her lazy mornings sunbathing naked, though she still made time in her schedule for training and perfecting her body. Most of her days were spent in war and trade talks, or facing her constituents and allies, an endless marathon of political intrigue that she could not escape. Almost everything she did now had a specific purpose, a drive towards the future, otherwise she acted on impulse. In the evening came freedom, when she was allowed to be a beast.
In many ways, Fire Lord Azula's reign and mannerisms could be described as bestial; underneath her armor her hair was usually ferociously unkempt, worn long and ragged, tied back during military affairs. That trend spread amongst her people in recent times, giving birth to a collection of wild-haired, imperious warriors who worshipped their Fire Lord utterly.
Her large, round council-room was searing hot, making all but the most formidable benders present sweat. An elegant bonfire, twisting high into the sky, was tended to by three black-clad maidens with large, elegant fans. They danced around the pillar, coaxing the lashes of flame higher at times, lower at others.
Each of her five advisors, Lo and Li among them, sat at a distance away from each other around the ring. Azula sat on her comfortable throne opposite the entrance passageway, her seat raised and highly decorated. The seat might have been comfortable, but she was in formal armor, and even had her long, dense cloak on. She preferred to have more skin out, but she was less intimidating that way. Aside from her, and her council of five Fire Nation vassals, everyone else sat on a floor-pillow, or made themself comfortable by other means. There were about three dozen people present, a dozen of her usual court staff, the rest visitors from outside, and there were more at the great chamber doors.
It was an open council meeting; usually the people she saw were sifted through by her many attendants and officials, but a few days during the month she had no choice but to face the common man. On Sacred Hearth Day, the day she struck her father down, the "pillars of the community" were invited to offer their thanks, a gift along with it, and in exchange Azula might hear out whatever plight they were facing. That was today.
At either side of Azula's throne sat a sweet-faced Earth Nation lady, playing gentle music that eased her mind. Remarkably, Azula didn't just have an eye for destruction - she had quite the imagination when it came to how she wanted her people to serve her. Under her rule, women prospered in ways unfounded in previous decades; high positions in every society could be won now, at least for the superiors of the Earth and Fire Nation who had bent knee, for the rest of womankind - and humanity itself- paid a terrible price, suffering the despair of the conquered, of the destroyed, at the hands of the mightiest.
Azula's nation was no longer filled with the men that brought softness home to their mothers and daughters. They were men of war, stripped of much of the kindness they'd once known, in exchange for a hunger to grow, expand; they did it all for their family, their legacy, so they told themselves. Most were just sheep that needed direction, that was the truth about humanity.
She knew her people well, and no matter what they thought, she did serve them to the extent that her office required. She could not force them to thrive, and some were mere trash to be crushed under the feet of the others, but they were hers.
Proof of her steady approval with the population, at least with those that counted, was that the Capital Island citizens were extremely excited about one project she'd put into place. Under her orders, the people had begun to erect a massive statue of her three most important moments: her Agni Kai with Zuko, the day she teamed up with her father against Aang, and her "final battle" against Ozai himself. Art at such a size was truly ambitious, that was why Fire Lord Azula craved it so strongly, aside from the mountain of jobs it provided the people.
Each version of herself was carved to wear different armor, the three massive figures pressed back-to-back, away from each other and facing their opponent. Against her father, Azula was mid-palm strike toward the man's chest; she'd killed him by crumpling his ribcage, her blows vicious, unexpected, and final. Against the Avatar, a double strike; fusing lightning and fire she'd stood side-by-side with her father and killed that airbender boy, final hope of the world against the Fire Nation's might. The third construction of herself was striking out her fist in a vicious fiery blow against Zuko. The statue, nearing completion already and nearly 100 ft in height, was standing at the center of Capital City. All around it, thousands toiled away, dragging boulders from the nearby volcanic mountains.
There were earthbenders present in the city, not even counting the slaves, and she could have them aid the project and haul rocks with ease, but it was far better to have her own non-bender workers do it for a few days' worth of meal coin – months' worth of work, coin for those willing to work hard for it. The value of physical labor came in the breaking of worker's resolve, not in the actual tasks being allotted, or fair distribution…
If they found working with rocks too meaningless, they'd of course spot the flyers she had up regarding recruitment into her ranks. Worker resolve was watched very carefully. It was okay to be ambitious, but to fall behind was unacceptable. An elite group of Dai Li watched over the laborers, making sure they worked, and did so enthusiastically.
Sometimes, those who represented their so-called workers dared drag their snivel faced brats behind them as they appealed to her, like today. This was the twenty-second person today. Visitors came from all over the Fire Islands, each with their own claims for aid or coin.
Banu Pishu, the aging landowner next to address her was a man with many thousands of bushels to his name and only one worn-out looking wife (he lacked the merit required to legally take on another). He was a huge, broad man, bald, with a big beard, a deep farmer's tan darkening his ruddy skin. He tucked his arms under his hefty stomach. He came to court fairly often, and his clothes barely fit him, not because of size, but because of shoddy craftsmanship despite his despicable amount of wealth. He was greedy, he paid as little taxes as possible, gave as little tribute as possible, yet asked so much. The mustached lord grimaced as he gestured with his hands, his fish-like lips moving this way and that, saying words Azula didn't care about.
She sat with her hand on the side of her face, head tilted, pale lips pursed together.
"The heat is unbearable this season, our crops are drying out!" After providing some shoddy documents attempting to prove his farmstead's inability to keep up their output at the rate they were without some form of aquatic assistance, he got to his knees, groveling, "My Lord, fairest of them all, won't you please send us another waterbender slave? P-Perhaps a handful? Female, maybe? They tend to work more delicately…" His voice echoed around the chamber, which Azula had constructed specially to carry voices. His was particularly shrill, she regretted the architectural direction she'd given the builder now.
Such nuisances. As if the beautiful slaves of the frozen lands could afford to be wasted on farms and petty labor when they were so much better at more "delicate" work. Did they not realize that their beautiful island had survived for ages without the use of waterbenders? Sure, the war had been hard on the fertile, tropical land they called home, but the recovery was steady.
The truth was, they'd all gotten used to the comfort of having a legion of waterbenders to work their wonders on the farms, instead of having to work on the irrigation and structure of the land themselves. Now, fat and lazy, they wanted to steal her woman stock.
She purchased waterbenders in abundance, always hoping she might catch the bitch of the Avatar, and either way, those shattered, conquered people served wonderfully as breeding fodder, both for males and females, and many were great at singing, dancing, and all kinds of tasks.
But of course, Banu Pishu knew all this, that was why he was asking for them, and she had a feeling by the way this man was speaking, his tone and the way he cast his big, bulging wet eyes about, that he wasn't being honest about his intentions.
She smirked. "I can spare no more waterbenders. You already have three, all strong young men. You need no others."
Azula eyed the disappointed man in front of her. His reaction was interesting. She cocked her head and sat forward in her throne. The room grew hushed, then a frenetic whisper began to spread across the vast donut-shaped chamber.
"Forget your pathetic excuse, tell me… the real reason you desire a waterbender, is it not Fireseed?"
The man's eyes widened, then he lowered his head. "...Yes."
Azula nodded slowly and swept her eyes along the brats currently present. Despite being worn-out, his woman produced fair-faced brats, didn't she? He was a greedy pig. She glanced left at her favorite advisor for his input.
Shin Hua was her most loyal man. He'd quickly risen in the ranks during the latter years of the war and was now her right hand. They were of a similar mind in many ways, yet he'd managed to avoid her paranoid, malice-filled side, sensitive to her moods and making sure each of her needs were met. It had been he who led the group of men who turned on her father and his few loyal vassals, and it had also been Shin Hua who offered her the best advice when she most needed it.
Shin Hua had the kind of militant, tactical mind seen once every few centuries, and would've died a lesser official under her father's reign. Shin Hua was in his late fifties, yet had no wives or children of his own, no family of his own; by the way he acted, he likely saw Azula as an extension of himself, a kind of adopted daughter. She'd been against the bond, at first, but he'd served her with ruthless efficiency. After two years, Azula could safely say he was the only one she trusted, and even that, just barely.
"This man, Banu Pishu, he's a good one." The old man nodded, his hands threaded together like leathery, wrinkled ropes, "He may not be a bender, may not have fought in the military during the wars, and never has, but he kept everything stable at home… That being said… the fact and the matter is he is not a bender, nor in the military."
Azula smiled, pleased. "Fireseed. Do you know what the Fire in the Edict of Fireseed stands for, my foolish vassal?"
Banu quivered; forehead now nearly pressed to the floor. "Forgive my indignance! It was shameless to request such a boon!"
Shin Hua huffed. "Well, don't interrupt the Fire Lord in your fright now! Ill manners once again, you must change your ways, and fast, boy."
The fat lord wiped his huge hand across his sweaty forehead, sighing. Azula was very amused, and she continued with her lecture. The warlord, her regal, sharp maroon armor embracing her powerful form, seemed to vibrate with her passion as she spoke, fumes of smoke leaving the mouth opening of her helmet, which hid most of her face except her chin and mouth. She stood up and walked up to the young sons of one of Azula's favorite vassals.
"Tell me, young one, the answer to my question." She'd called on him because he was paying rapt attention, his posture stiff, as if attending a drilling event. He was a bender, his father a military-man, as well as a great master of flame and hand-to-hand fighter.
"The Fire… stands for the soul of our nation," the boy said immediately, proudly, puffing his chest out. "Those who fight for our land, those who burn our enemies, they earn the right to proliferate in a way beyond their wildest dreams."
The short list of rules was written by Azula herself. Under Fireseed, the top-tier benders of the Fire Nation, who were the strongest members of the military and Azula's most loyal allies, could take as many wives as they wished from whomever they wanted. She encouraged unions of all kinds and personally made sure that all her top men had at least two bender women who were bent to their will. Her political advisors and lower-tier officials had initially opposed this "cross-contamination," but after they acquired their own share of women-slaves from the various lands they had conquered, they quickly changed their minds. The result would be a generation of strong benders serving the Fire Nation, benders of all kinds, and all under her control. Unlike her predecessors, tradition would not hold Azula back; her empire would one day have benders of all kinds.
"The boy knows the rules. So why don't you, Lord Pishu?"
Banu licked his lips nervously. "I would've served in the military if I didn't have other responsibilities…"
"I don't care what you would have done, my fat friend, I care what you didn't do… and you didn't serve your nation in any remarkable capacity during the war that would deem you worthy of the mark. You are denied Fireseed…"
"The right decision!" "The audacity of some people…" Lo and Li hooted like gossipy old owls. Banu walked out with his family, defeated. A selfish man - she gave a subtle nod to Shin. He would have his lands redistributed soon, his bloodline "dispersed." There was nothing special about the man, and he would learn that the hard way.
Another old man was next in line to speak with her. His face was familiar, lord Pun-something-or-other. His dull voice annoyed her as much as Banu's shrill one had. His words bounced into one ear and out the other without much effect on her. "The slums are too filthy, couldn't a little more of the imperial budget be allotted towards a public bathhouse for the people?" etc., etc.
"My lord… r-regarding the issue of the bathhouses," Li spoke up from her seat to Azula's immediate left, "Chao Punsuan was quite right. They are dying off in heaps, the poor districts are flooded with disease…"
"I say we gather a small group of our most efficient soldiers, go through the slums - house by house, and wipe out anyone that so much as coughs in our men's direction." Shin input without her asking.
The second of her three male advisors, Tojiro, nodded vigorously and bared his yellow, decaying teeth in a grimace-like smile. An entirely unpleasant man with sunken eyes and a long white beard; the bald dome of his head shining with sweat and giving him an odd, waxy look. "Lord Shin is correct, your honor. You must not baby the rabble; it will just give them ideas. We must learn from our ancestors, not follow their path. A public bathhouse is utterly ridiculous... Our resources are better allotted elsewhere. Those fit to survive will do so, I say we ignore the matter entirely."
Azula smiled as she cast her gaze around her ring of advisors, toying with the many possibilities in her mind. Lo and Li seemed horrified that she hadn't outright objected to the two patriarchs' suggestions; they were the only softness left in the empire, and only because she was quite fond of them, though she was loath to admit it.
"F-Fire Lord Azula, surely you see how that is madness! To kill the poor-"
"Well, they're going to die anyway. We should stop them from taking others down with them," Shin argued. The old man grinned wide. "Besides, it's been months since any sort of serious battle or scuffle has occurred. They grow bored."
"So feed them to their own people like scraps to a beast?" Lo shook her head, "F-Fire Lord Azula, they might not be…"
"The most desirable citizens, but they are a part of the Fire Nation itself. Please, you mustn't allow Shin's callous thinking to color your judgment!"
But Azula was barely paying attention. She let the three argue amongst themself, her mind wandering to the woman trapped beneath the stone under her feet.
Mai… What was she doing right now? Was she asleep? Or was she trapped in torturous consciousness, wondering when Azula might return next? Her armor suddenly felt tight. She wanted to couple with the woman again. It was like an itch. Whenever she grew aggravated or annoyed, the urge to excuse herself to the dungeons became next to unbearable. She let Shin Hua handle the rest of the public affairs, only offering input when necessary.
As each man walked off, either denied or fortunate enough to gain the support of the Fire Lord, she found herself growing far more impatient, far more annoyed.
As for the hundreds of peasants that came to her with their miniscule issues, she could care even less. The goal was not to bathe those filthy, drunken slobs that dwelled in the worst parts of the Capital City. Wasting food, resources, on the likes of them was pointless when it was better for them to die off and make room for the next batch.
Sometimes, Azula regretted taking on the mantle of power. However, whenever a servant annoyed her or messed up her favorite meals, she ordered their heads to be chopped off. In those moments, she remembered why she coveted her title so strongly.
Finally, the last of the appeals were heard, and only her council and guardsmen were present. Azula resisted the urge to slump back and sigh - such an outward display of her drained state of mind would hardly be suitable. She stood up, brushing her cape out straight, and then noticed Shin Hua was raising himself as well, elegant gold silk robes dragging across the floor as he came closer.
"Forgive me, Fire Lord, but there is one more person who wishes to see you." Shin Hua approached her; the old man had the oddest expression on his wizened face. On edge, Azula steeled her body into a combat posture, and he raised her hand, murmuring, "Be soothed, my liege, I am no threat. I came close so that we might have some privacy from prying ears."
Exhaling heavily, Azula glanced at the wall of faces around her - each of her council were watching with hawkish intent, Li and Lo seeming oddly spritely at that moment for their old age. It seemed this next visitor had been a hot topic.
Shin Hua tucked his hands into his sleeves, and murmured very gently, "The next will be hard for you, but you must find your balance, my lord. We have news of the girl."
Azula's mind immediately conjured up an image of Katara, her mind lingering on the thought of the avatar's mate, and then drifting to the more likely target. Ty Lee. It didn't seem Shin was particularly happy about whatever this matter was about. Wary, she nodded numbly and gestured for the doors to be opened. A familiar face waltzed in, happy as can be. It felt like she'd been gut punched; her heart ached, and Azula's jaw locked, pursed lips twisting into a scowl. The face beside the familiar face was also one she recognized; it was one of her "public health officials" - Suhan, and his wife, one of those wretched sisters of Ty Lee.
Suhan was young, but he had one of the coldest, calculating minds she'd ever seen. He was also the most watchful man she'd met, always aware of his surroundings and the mentalities of the people around himself. It was he who dealt with Dai Li in the district which he had jurisdiction over, a huge strip of farmland, forests, and fields that bordered the main portion of the city. He'd served her well and been justly rewarded. But even such a strong ally couldn't overpower the way the girl's face filled Azula with a dark, cold rage.
If she had her way, she might murder this echo of the one she'd lost. As it was, she lowered her head in reverence, offering Azula a shy, slow smile, completely unaware of the storm that loitered behind Azula's amber, gleaming gaze. She wore her hair completely different from Ty Lee, and she was a lot rounder from lack of physical activity, but there were certain striking similarities. In many ways they were identical…
The armor-clad Fire Lord licked her lips, "Lord Suhan, it's been a long time. What's this about?"
The man swallowed. "I hope I haven't come at a bad time, my lord, but after I confirmed a suspicion, I knew that I had to bring the matter to you." Azula, worn out after the train of people she'd faced all morning, merely nodded, and he continued. She let the rest of the conversation carry out this way, stone-faced, though her eyes were like lightning; and Suhan could see that clearly for himself. The more he spoke, the more nervous he became.
"I bought a fresh drove for one of my farms, and as I was walking back through the region with my cattleman, I saw the strangest sight. A figure, standing before my wife's old house. I didn't think anything of it, at first, at least not outright, so I moved to pass. I thought it was the woman with us, my man's wife, who asked a question regarding what had happened at that place, but I soon realized it was the stranger. It seemed like she hadn't been there in a long time."
Azula's blood felt like it was boiling, and her heart raced. Azula didn't show it aside from the eyes, but she'd ignited to life internally. Her exhaustion was completely cast aside. There was no doubt about it. Suhan was rarely wrong about his premonitions about people, it was why she had him as a public official despite his youth: it was Ty Lee. It had to be. She could hear Lo and Li murmuring amongst themselves.
"I answered all her questions honestly, but she didn't react quite right, she just walked away, and she moved like she was barely holding herself together, trembling, clearly horrified by the knowledge of your glorious executions. That was odd enough, but the more I thought about it, the more the encounter pressed on my mind. Her voice had been very, very familiar, and when I went home to my wife-"
He pressed Ty Lee's sister forward now, "-I had her repeat the phrases I'd heard from that girl in a similar likeness. Ty Liu, show the Fire Lord…" Ty Liu's face didn't show a fragment of discord, of her own conscious thought; most of the sisters were incapable of that now after Earth Kingdom conditioning. Her expression was an oddly bright, cheery mask as she nodded eagerly.
"Right away, husband," she purred, and in a cheery voice, disturbingly like Ty Lee's, Ty Liu began to speak, "Who used to live here? What crime did they commit?"
Azula froze instantly. Any remaining semblance of doubt died away now. Ty Liu stared blankly after she asked the supposed questions, her head slightly cocked, her smile oddly unpleasant.
"That voice! It's the traitor!" Lo suddenly shrieked.
"She's returned to the island!" Li nodded, her jowls bouncing, "there's no doubt about it!"
Azula placed a palm on Ty Liu's cheek; there were faults in the design of people's minds of course. Not even years of conditioning with that secret order could make a perfect husk, but Ty Liu was close to perfection. Ty Liu did not care where Fireseed came from, she just cared that it was touching her and near; she nuzzled into the Fire Lord's hand like a kitten craving milk. Azula's body, still throbbing at the voice that had brought her soul back to life, was burning with vigor. Her cock strained beneath her armor, thankfully hidden from sight.
'A shame she's not with child.' Azula thought, placing a hand on Ty Liu's belly. She wasn't seeing the sister; in her eyes, it was Ty Lee standing there, Ty Lee she was touching; after all, it had been Ty Lee that she heard. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of that traitor.
"You were right to come to me with this."
"It's her then?" Suhan asked, "I thought it might be, but-"
"It's her." Azula cut in coldly. "Where is she now? What direction did she travel?"
"Toward the center city, my lord."
"Lo, Li, make sure you question this man extensively.'
Suhan seemed confused. "Where are you going my lord? You don't want to ask me the questions yourself?"
The truth was that the sight of Ty Liu was making Azula unable to cope, but she managed to fake a smile. "I have an investigation of my own that I need to orchestrate now, anything you want to tell me, direct at my advisors. And worry not, you will be rewarded."
Shin Hua kept in step behind her, but the moment they crossed the vast spider web of chambers that led away from the meeting room, he sped up and kept pace right beside her, "Steady yourself, Azula," he suggested gently, and Azula's eyes flashed as she glowered at him.
"Steady myself? After years, she's finally here. How can I keep calm?"
"'How' doesn't matter. You simply must."
Shin's advice rang with truth, as always. It took everything in Azula, but as they stepped out onto the palace grounds, the breeze stroking her heated skin, she exhaled heavily and let the ecstatic rush of energy go. This was no time to be eager like a child, she had to go about this in a smart way. Ty Lee had managed to evade captivity for two years; she'd escaped Boiling Rock - she was a smart one. If Azula wasn't careful, the bitch was going to get away again, and she wasn't going to let that happen.
"I just can't believe it's her. I had a dream about her recently…" Azula said softly, "I want to break her beneath me more than a starved man desires water."
"You are worse than a starved man without water, this woman has chained your urge to seed, and now she's here. With the harvest festival approaching in a month, it's surely a sign. Imagine what it would mean if the people were to see you break her just like that other traitor." He sounded absolutely delighted.
He was right that without Ty Lee next to her, Azula had no urge to breed. When it came to choosing a mate, her advisors had no say in the matter. Lo and Li still offered their invasive opinions, but they couldn't interfere directly. It was her critical weakness as ruler, and one of the few things even her higher-up officials gossiped about; it was odd, after all, for the Fire Lord to only have one wife - stripped of her fertility in a brutal fashion- and no others, and yet have soldiers and officials with a handful of wives. It omitted a kind of unspoken lack of vitality, but that was going to change.
"Do you have a plan to find her, my Lord, or shall I make one myself? I have a few ideas."
Azula grinned. "There's no need… you're right about the festival. It's representative of the fertility of our land, a timeless tradition." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the fresh island air filling her lungs. All around them, the broad rim of the volcano their capital was built into stood tall and strong, a natural fortification. She would have all the ports watched by a secret task force, the cities, highways, and villages patrolled… but she wouldn't specify just who she was looking for. Her mind had already constructed a plan. "The people talk about my lack of wives; they're alarmed by it."
"With the Edict of Fireseed, many thought you hungered for the elite women of the Fire Nation for yourself. That you would bury yourself in three hundred wives and concubines, spreading your heavenly seed, but instead…"
"Instead, I can't stomach the thought of having a child with anyone…"
"Anyone but her. You want what you want, Fire Lord, there is no need to question it. The time has come to take it. To better answer your question, yes… there is an air of unease across all the island chain, concerns that you are unable to have a child yourself."
Azula smirked. "Have the Dai Li spread a rumor among the people, they're superstitious. Mai is the cause of my lack of vitality, as is Ty Lee. The specifics aren't important. Until both traitors have been broken, my bloodline will not prosper. Ask for volunteers to leave the island to go out searching for her, pay them fairly, build up the spirit of vengeance - remind people of the losses we endured in the final years of the war. I want vague echoes of a special performance by Fire Lady Mai on the day of the Harvest."
Shin grinned, "You are planning something truly wicked, aren't you?"
Azula laughed. "Wicked, perhaps, but efficient. I won't bother actually looking for Ty Lee. She'll come running to me, the way she always has."
Her main advisor's long, bushy eyebrows rose high on his forehead. His eyes widened with a sense of realization. "I-I see your vision now…"
"Ty Lee betrayed me for Mai the first time… let's see just how far she's willing to go for her precious Mai this time."
A few hours after Azula received the news, she dragged Mai out of the dungeons for once, and put her on display for her war council.
This was nothing compared to what was to come, but Mai could hardly handle it. She hated it when others watched them, but she was helpless to stop their mating. After easily breaking down her resistances, Azula pulled the elegant woman into her lap, making sure everybody who wanted to had a nice view of the activities. Once inside, Azula steadily thrust up into her so-called wife. The disgraced woman claimed she didn't want to do this, and yet the pale, pink head of Azula's cock pushed deep into Mai's glistening folds with a loud schlick everytime she thrust. The sound, the sight, the look on Mai's face, made everyone excited, a frenetic hunger spreading across the room.
Azula smirked. The armored woman seemed supremely confident, cold face awash with bliss as she worked her dick inside inch after inch with careless abandon. "You're really living it up right now, all while whining. I like that about you, truly... they like it, too."
The warriors did. Wild-haired, they sat mutely, entranced.
"N-No," Mai gasped out, head thrashing back and forth in denial of the violation, then her pale lips squeezed shut as - with an audible slick sound- Azula's cock forced its way all the way inside, her testes resting hot and ready against her soaked entrance, full of potent cum ready to come spilling out.
The room was filled with a harsh silence, the only sounds the excited, bated breath of all those spectating and the actual act itself.
The Fire Lord didn't care about being gentle, or making Mai feel good, as she slammed their crotches together hard and fast. With every stab of her cock, it was clear Azula wanted to ruin Mai, and wanted to paint the woman's insides with herself. Azula raised a hand and swatted Mai's right arsecheek, loving the way the pale skin was stained red in seconds. Slap, slap, between each thrust she lightly spanked the dark-haired woman, driving her hips up hard, fast- Mai rolled her hips, took her so-called wife in deep, wet noises announcing just how much she enjoyed every knock of Azula's cock against her womb. Finally, letting out a harsh scream, Mai came…
It was a messy orgasm. With a wet rush, her pussy erupted all over Azula's cock. Glistening squirt soaked the porcelain length, which continued to slam into her soaked hole, further increasing the noises, the wetness, the depravity of it all. Mai's expression morphed from the aroused mask it was to something completely inhuman, obscene. Her tongue rolled out and, panting and drooling, Mai began to ride the cock that she was supposed to not want.
Azula sat back, satisfied with herself, a huge grin on her beautiful, maddened face. The Fire Lord was beyond amused. 'I've broken the bitch so well she'll serve me all on her own.' And serve her Mai did.
Soaking in the stares of the many warmongering men in the room who saw her as nothing but flesh to be warped by the Fire Lord's hands, Mai accepted her position - the way she always did. Tears flowing down her cheeks, the once regal woman became exactly what Azula shaped her to be and hated herself for it.
"That's my good girl," Azula whispered in her ear, and Mai's clit throbbed. "You know… we have a special guest today, and you didn't even notice. How about you show her how pretty you look when you cum all over me?"
Mai's eyes widened. Her foggy, half-focused gaze swept around the familiar, long room, taking in every face and - There.
An impossibility. An illusion. A fake. A thousand different excuses and other potential outcomes flooded through Mai's mind, all rejecting the truth. Ty Lee Ty Lee Ty Lee…
'T-Ty Lee is here. Ty Lee is… watching me…' Screaming, Mai came all over again…
"A round of applause for our Fire Lady," Azula called out in a cool, clipped tone, and the ministers and warlords voiced their approval, many stroking the bulges beneath their robes or shifting in their now too-tight armor.
The sight, the sound, the feelings... void of pain, just pure, embarrassing pleasure, it was all too much. Her eyes slid shut, and they did not open again.
The last thing Mai heard was, "Poor thing. She got so excited; she didn't even realize it was the bitch's sister...my thanks for joining the party on such short notice, Lord Suhan." Azula said something else, but those words faded away as Mai's world went dark.
Ty Lee was face to face with Azula. Not the real Azula, a fake one, a fake trio actually - carved out of stone. The gargantuan statue of the female warlord stared out at the city with a stern, imperious gaze. Each had a different expression, but the evil eyes never changed. No matter where you went in the city now, you saw it, the workers at the base and higher levels like ants. Ty Lee had been in the city for a few weeks now. She'd established a small base to work out of for herself, finding work in a small shop with an attic they didn't mind her renting. She was trying to find the one other possible agent in the city, a man who wrote to them from the capital, but all the "sweet spots" Katara had told her about around the city seemingly hadn't been visited by him for a long time. Either his position was compromised, or he was lying low right now. While out searching for him, subtle hints (the symbol of the resistance was tattooed on his shoulder), she heard whispers of all kinds of news, until one day a conversation took place that she couldn't ignore. Something that chilled her to the bone.
She wasn't sure who the first person to speak was, but she heard her name. Not the first time, but this was different. "Didja hear? Lady Ty Lee is on the Fire Islands again."
Hearing her name, the acrobat froze. Of course, they didn't recognize her, but she was wary, nonetheless. They'd found out about her. She didn't know how, there was no way of knowing, but she had noticed the distinct increase in the number of soldiers around the city since she'd arrived, the murmurs of her name in dark places. They roamed around at all times of the day and night.
"Lady who?" A man spat on the floor. "Not a lady, that traitor. A sow."
Some listening people passing by laughed in agreement.
A woman working a nearby fruit stand apparently had a lot to say on the matter too. "She and that other evil woman are the reason our beautiful Fire Lord can't create an heir… they cursed her. But evil can't stay away forever. She's returned, and the Fire Lord will finally give her just what she deserves!"
Ty Lee wanted to scream, to sob. Why did she deserve any of what they claimed she did? Was killing her family not enough?
"To betray our great lord… I almost can't believe it!" The fruit merchant sighed as she stared up at the huge, stone statue, her cheeks rosy. "To be that close to the Fire Lord… to have been able to reach out and touch her and feel all that greatness… and to throw it all away. And for what?"
"Aye." The man grunted. "I think you're right… about them being the problem. They were always a trio, that's what everyone says, and when they realized she was unstoppable, Mai grew jealous of her. She realized the people would never accept Zuko as leader so long as Azula was alive, so they stabbed her in the back…"
Gossipy bastards, weren't they? People weaved together stories that were awfully convenient.
"Ty Lee loved the Fire Lord," she said loudly, boldly, "but she didn't have a choice. She had to betray Azula…"
A hush scattered around the mass of city-goers. No one was quite sure where the voice had come from. A guard listening in stepped closer, adjusting the spear in his grip.
She wasn't sure what she expected, but a random, grungy old man started nodding, sinking his rotten teeth into a juicy fruit. By the looks of him, his back crooked and covered in a harness, he was one of the stone-haulers. "Aye, that's what I heard too. That Zuko forced them both to betray her…"
"I always wondered why Azula spared her," The first man grunted, "aside from Fireseed… especially when Fire Lady Mai was revealed to be unable to have a child."
"She loved them both. Her brother turned them against her. I'm telling you," The stone hauler wheezed, swallowing down a wad of sticky fruit.
"Until they both have been dealt with, the Fire Lord will know no balance. Her poor heart must be broken… I pity our great ruler… but she'll overcome it, she always does."
A warmth flowed in the air whenever people spoke about the Fire Lord, even the worker who had all the reason in the world to complain about Azula. Ty Lee looked at all their faces; they were everyday people, but they really believed in their ruler, that she was doing the right thing for them. Ty Lee shook her head, the disconnected, meaningless sentences they'd strung together weaving their way into her head.
Her fault that Azula was unable to have a child? Mai's fault? What did that mean? They almost spoke about her like she had some kind of mystical power, like she'd woven a spell on the Fire Lord and rendered her unable to seed someone. Ty Lee had never done anything to Azula, ever. Her so-called treachery was so powerful because Azula knew it was a long-time coming and had been too arrogant to believe Ty Lee would get the guts to do it.
Staring up at the three-faced statue now, towering high above her, Ty Lee could merely smile.
"Will you all be attending the Harvest Festival? Didja hear, Fire Lady Mai will be performing a fertility ritual with the Fire Lord! Can you believe it?" A dark-skinned man asked. By his complexion, he was from the Earth Nation, and the longer Ty Lee looked at him the more unsettled she became. She realized why quite quickly: she knew him. She recognized him from just a few years ago, when he'd stood among his brothers in the Earth Nation. Even without his round, broad hat and robes, he was recognizable. A member of the Dai Li.
She didn't dare walk off now, but she was too frightened to respond immediately. Her mind raced. She'd known these evil men were in service in the Earth Kingdom, but Azula was using them on the Fire Islands as well? The woman was truly despicable. It explained the glossy eyes of the rock-hauler, who was now happily nodding and talking about how he was "very much looking forward to the festivities!", before returning to work along with the cluster of sweaty men resting around him.
Ty Lee managed an "Of course" and shuffled off as well, darting down a nearby street. She hoped the man didn't notice her presence. She tried to calm down, and managed to after a few deep, heavy breaths. This wasn't any worse than finding out about her family; if she could handle that, she could handle anything… From this angle she could not see the statue, she was facing away from it - but as Ty Lee worked her way back to her one-room above the shop, she felt Azula's gaze on her every step of the way. They were playing a game with each other, she realized. If the Fire Lord wanted to, if she knew Ty Lee was near, she could order every house stripped and searched… but she didn't do that. In fact, despite rumors of her presence, it seemed like no one was actively looking for her. They were working around each other. Maybe that Dai Li agent knew who she was before he even approached. The Fire Nation woman glanced behind herself, and just barely saw a shadow disappear down a nearby alley, and she knew she was exactly right about her guess. She was being followed. How long had that been happening? She'd been out of it these past few weeks, but she'd thought she was aware of her surroundings… Apparently, she was wrong.
But something was off. If she wasn't noticed, why wasn't she being dragged into the palace? Maybe that meant Azula was practically daring her to come out, and setting the stage for it: the Harvest Festival, a week and a half away: a single day of the year devoted to celebrating the tropical, lush islands that were their home, the prosperity of the land itself and the many beings living on it…
Azula wanted to make a show out of it, apparently. Ty Lee would take joy in denying her that. She'd turn herself in tomorrow. It didn't seem like she was going to be able to find her ally anyways, Azula seemingly had eyes all over.
Even when she made it home, murmuring a hasty goodnight to the shopkeeper, she didn't feel safe. She accepted the modest meal he offered, a meat bun with some rice and a savory sauce, and scurried up to her bedroom, closing the door firmly shut behind her and pulling the curtains shut. She set a floor pillow down, sat down on it, and inhaled deeply. She raised her arms, pressing her hands together in a meditative gesture, letting the air flow in and out of her. If she'd been born a bender, she surely would've been an airbender, because meditation, the type of breathed that soothed, came naturally to her.
She was as sure of herself as ever. Maybe, just maybe, she was going to save Mai from whatever "ritual" she was being forced to participate in. She at least had to try.
Yet there was an itch at the back of her mind, whispering 'Don't fool yourself.'
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-Shaboobamon
