Chapter 55

As soon as they left the clearing where they'd seen the cheetah boa take their quarry, the spell broke.

Despite herself, Azula turned skittish, embarrassed about the way she'd grabbed the captain, and unable to bridge the habitual gap between her body and his. They spent the rest of the morning hiking, looking for game, but it was too late in the season: the jackalope that the cheetah boa had eaten was the last one they found.

They still enjoyed the forest, and each other's company, talking endlessly in their usual friendly way, even holding hands most of the time. She must have been exhausted from the high emotions of those two incredible kisses, and from her night lying still and awake, self-consciously emanating heat in Raiden's arms, because she fell asleep on his shoulder while he drove them back to the palace. Then, unfortunately, the unlucky passing of a guard had ruined their goodnight, so that all they could do was agree to meet at her rooms at seven the next evening.

Azula slept deeply that night, and woke late, smiling broadly as soon as she remembered. The day's meetings and training sessions were canceled; she was still supposed to be sick. Zeitakuna and his family were leaving the palace in the afternoon, and she had no wish to bid them farewell. Her mother could handle them. She wondered what Ursa would think of this new romance. The dowager Fire Lady was no snob; she would be open to her daughter courting a guard. If she knew how Raiden had argued for Azula to reestablish contact with her mother, she would surely thank him.

To fill the hours before her date, Azula summoned Peony and asked for a comprehensive array of beauty treatments. The maid began by washing her hair in the long fountain.

"Tell me about first dates, Peony," the Fire Lord requested. "The best one and the worst one you've ever been on."

The talkative stylist first wistfully recounted a night with a soldier who brought flowers, complimented her mother, danced well, paid for an expensive dinner, did everything right, even kissed her softly under the moonlight…but then got called to the front before he could accompany Peony on a second evening. Then she told about a boy who would not shut up about his new automobile, and besides, smelled like a moo-sow. The young women laughed together, as the maid finished washing Azula's hair and began to towel it dry. Then they moved to a table, where Peony began painting the Fire Lord's nails with her usual red polish.

Azula decided to try to glean some advice from these stories. "What should a girl do, to make sure a first date turns into a second, and a third?"

"I suppose she should make her interest clear. Flirt and be charming. A kiss isn't always strictly necessary, but it certainly can't hurt." The maid looked up from her work and cut a knowing sidelong glance at her mistress. "Why do you ask, Azula?"

"I'm about to have my first date tonight," she explained, suppressing her smile. "With Captain Raiden. But keep that quiet, mind you. I don't know if he wants our relationship to be public or not." She felt a little tingle at that word, relationship.

Peony started, almost smudging the polish on Azula's thumb. "I thought you and the captain were…already together."

"What?"

"You spend so much time together. Rumors have paired the two of you for….quite a while."

"Really! What do they say?"

"Just that you're well suited. That he looks at you like you hang the stars. But the rumors were wrong?"

"Until yesterday, they were."

"Oooooh, what happened yesterday?"

Azula could not restrain her grin anymore at the thought. "We went on a hunting trip together and he kissed me."

"And tonight he's coming here for a date. How sweet!" Then Peony paused. "Is it really your first date ever?

"Yes," her mistress admitted, blushing a little.

"I suppose you weren't allowed to do such things when you were crown princess," Peony realized. "And as Fire Lord you've been too busy."

"Exactly," Azula agreed, passing over her foolish engagement and infatuation with Aang. "I wasn't really looking for a partner, but the captain caught my eye."

"Of course he did! With that hair, and those shoulders! He's dreamy." The girl caught herself. "If you don't mind my saying so, my lord."

"It's fine, Peony." She waved away the girl's nervousness, utterly unthreatened. "It's certainly convenient that such an attractive young man happened to be right under my nose. And that he's already proven capable of supporting my reign with sound advice and…his sturdy presence." Her voice softened at the thought of the unassuming support Raiden had always offered her.

"Captain Raiden has a bit of a reputation with women," Peony cautioned.

"I'm aware."

"He used to see a new girl every week. Of course, all that was quite a while ago. I follow the gossip quite closely, and I haven't heard of him dating anyone since he broke up with Akane."

"Yes. He's much more…experienced than I am."

"Are you nervous about that?"

"Not really." She had already decided to follow the captain's lead, both because of her ignorance, and out of respect for his position. "He's a good teacher."

"I'm sure he is," Peony said, switching from one hand to the other. "Would you like me to pass on the best relationship advice I ever received?"

"Tell me."

"It's best to decide for yourself how far you want things to go beforehand, rather than leaving the decision until you're in the heat of things."

That did seem like a good idea. Azula had thought about sex—of course she had—given her passionate attraction to the captain, and the night they had already spent in the same bed.

She recalled the advice Li and Lo had given her before her planned wedding, telling her what to expect when she was alone with her husband, even how to give and receive pleasure. She had repressed her discomfort with the old women to get the information she needed, but their descriptions were not the same as experience.

She couldn't help feeling incredibly curious about sex. She doubted it could possibly live up to all the hype. But then she remembered those two kisses, and the way they had knocked her senseless. Raiden had much exceeded her expectations, and she had been dreaming about kissing him for a while. If sex with him was the same, could she even handle it? A large part of her was eager to find out. He was older and had dated lots of women; perhaps he would expect it. Why not? There was no point in waiting, since she couldn't get caught pregnant.

But more importantly, she did not want to pressure him, and repeat the mistakes she had made with Aang. She resolved again to put his comfort first and leave it up to him. Peony was right, it was best to consider these matters ahead of time.

"Very wise counsel," she agreed.

Her hair and nails finished, Azula and Peony went through her entire wardrobe, searching for the perfect outfit. It felt silly to wear anything too fancy or fussy, just for dinner in her room, but she also wanted Raiden to see that she cared enough to present him with her best. She wanted to feel attractive, even sexy, but was unsure exactly how much of her body to reveal. They considered training clothes, formal robes, several kimonos, and the wrap skirt she'd worn on Ember Island. Finally she found a silk set with matching top, jacket, and loose pants. The embroidery marked it as expensive, but the fit was comfortable, and the shirt showed skin at her chest and midriff. She could decide to keep the jacket on, or take it off, to reveal more.

Before she put the outfit on, Azula made a point of selecting her prettiest undergarments.

She asked Peony for subtle makeup, with clear glossy balm on her lips instead of the dark stain she usually wore for formal events. The red color reminded her painfully of her silly ruse on that balcony. And besides, it was a bad choice for the amount of kissing she hoped to do.

Peony left when the kitchen servants began bringing in the food on trays and setting up her table. The musicians came next, and she directed them to set up in the neighboring room, where they could be heard but not seen. She spent the final minutes pacing, heating and reheating the food.

Then, at exactly seven, there was a knock at her door.

Author's Note: Please leave me a review! I'll update in a week. Happy Halloween to those who celebrate!