Book One Finale

"You are the one they call June."

June stiffens slightly, her cup raised to her lips and the alcohol within on the tip of her tongue. But at the mention of her name and that oh so confident tone that came with it, June sets the cup down and licks her lips. Only then does she turn around to take in the man who'd simply walked up to her and named her in the middle of the relatively empty tavern she was currently staying at.

She was a woman who'd built a reputation as one of the best bounty hunters in the world. Skilled, experienced, and insanely expensive, it was safe to say June was confident and self-assured. She'd earned the right, as far as she was concerned. And yet… and yet, no amount of confidence could prepare one for coming face to face with the Fire Nation's new Fire Lord and his sister. June's nostrils flare as she makes eye contact with one of the most powerful men in the world.

"… Fire Lord Zuko. Bit off the beaten path, aren't you?"

She keeps her tone quiet. No one hears her but the pair standing before her. The Fire Lord is not dressed up, and neither is his sister, meaning they're trying to travel relatively incognito. But at the same time, neither is truly trying to hide who they are. That sort of confidence… now that, June can respect. Zuko's smile strengthens a bit and he rolls a shoulder in a half-shrug.

"To track you down, it seems one has to go off the beaten path, Bounty Hunter June. It's good that you know who I am. It will make this easier."

June lifts a brow at that, already regaining her equilibrium. So, the Fire Lord had walked into the tavern she was staying at to speak with her. So what? She could handle this. It was probably just another job, another client. That made it a lot easier to put in its own little box. Grabbing up her cup, June takes another swig of its contents and then smacks her lips, smiling coyly.

"And what can the great bounty hunter June do for you? What brings you to me, Fire Lord?"

At his side, Princess Azula bristles slightly. June's casual attitude clearly rubs the other woman the wrong way. Zuko though, stays calm and collected as he answers bluntly.

"Zhao. I know that you recently took a job from him. He's using you to track down the Avatar, yes?"

June's eyes widen almost imperceptibly. Ah. This just became a lot more complicated than she wanted it to be. Even she knew the animosity that existed between the Fire Lord and the demoted Captain. Zhao's exile and subsequent mission to find the Avatar had circulated through the Fire Nation and even into the occupied Earth Nation beyond. She would have to tread very carefully here…

"… That is correct, Fire Lord. What of it?"

Zuko's smile widens a bit more.

"I wish to hire you as well. You will track Zhao's movements instead and report his intentions and his actions back to me. I want you to be my eyes and ears on the inside of his little hunt."

That… was pretty much exactly what she'd feared. She was now caught between the Fire Lord and one of his Captain's. Under most circumstances, June would go with the higher authority every time. But that was before one factored in her pride as a professional. Still, that left the poor bounty hunter with the unenviable task of saying no to the Fire Lord. Grimacing slightly, June takes another swig of her drink.

"Can't do it."

Heh, the words just slipped out, in the end. Now she just had to stand by them, even with the Princess suddenly looking murderous beside her brother.

"Excuse me?! Did you just refuse the Fire Lord?! How dare yo-!"

Zuko's hand comes up, silencing Azula before she can really get going.

"Azula. Dear sister, I'm sure the bounty hunter has an acceptable reason for this slight. Let's hear her out."

June swallows thickly, as Zuko's pleasant smile and piercing eyes look down at her. The contradiction of his face fills her with more trepidation than Azula's anger ever could. The bounty hunter knows anger. She can handle anger, even turn it to her advantage. But this… this young Fire Lord is a very dangerous individual indeed.

"I… have a reputation to uphold. Surely you understand, Fire Lord. If I am found to be double-crossing my clients, no matter who is paying me, my reputation will go to shit. So long as I am working for Zhao, I cannot also work against him. That's the code I live by."

To her hesitant relief, Zuko slowly nods in response. Then, his eyes flicker to the drink clutched in her hand.

"Tell me, bounty hunter. Do you respect me?"

There's a weight to the question and it almost hits June like a train. She's happy she's already sitting down.

"Of course, Fire Lord."

Zuko grins ruefully, almost self-deprecatingly as he shakes his head back and forth.

"You respect my position. You respect the mantle of Fire Lord. But do you respect the man who bears it? Do you respect ME? Be honest now. I promise I won't let Azula burn you alive."

June's gaze flickers to the smoldering young woman at the Fire Lord's side. The anger is still there, but then, June can deal with anger. This though… she doesn't know what game the Fire Lord is playing, but in the end, she goes with honesty, looking him right in the eye as she answers his question bluntly.

"You are but a boy. A whelping. I don't know enough about you to respect you."

Zuko's grins grows wider still.

"As I thought. Then how about a wager, bounty hunter? In this moment, I am not the Fire Lord. I am but a boy, as you say, trying to prove himself a man. Perhaps then… a drinking contest? You and I, right here, right now. If you win, you will have gained a favor from the Fire Lord, to be cashed in at any time, for any reason. Someone such as yourself, may very well need such a favor if you ever find your head on a Fire Nation chopping block, yes?"

June could definitely see the value in having one free 'anything' from the Fire Lord himself. Not that she ever intended to get caught or end up on a chopping block. No, she could use the favor for something more valuable, so long as she kept her wits about her. And yet, June had not gotten to where she was by being reckless or foolhardy.

"… And if you win? What would you demand of me in return?"

Zuko just smirks.

"If I win, you will end all of your current contracts. You will become MY bounty hunter. You will work for me and me alone, and you will serve at MY discretion."

A shiver runs down June's spine. The way this boy looks at her… keeping her chin up to show she will not be cowed, June's eyes flash as she smiles coyly.

"Three favors."

"You dare to try and-!"

Once again, Azula's outburst is cut off by her brother. June licks her lips as she glances between the pair. Zuko is still smiling though.

"Three favors?"

Nodding, the bounty hunter keeps her gaze resolute.

"The wager must be equal. One favor from the Fire Lord is not equal to a life of servitude. Three… that's more like it."

Zuko chuckles darkly at that, before pulling out a chair and sitting down at her table right then and there.

"Very well. Three favors it is. Shall we begin?"

In that moment, June had this feeling in her gut, the same sort of feeling she got whenever it felt like she was walking right into a trap. Normally, the bounty hunter wouldn't ignore such a gut-feeling. One didn't survive in her line of work by doing so. But her pride was on the line here. She had to prove herself superior to this boy who thought he could command her service with nothing but a smile and those hungry eyes of his.

June would not fall here. She would not.

-x-X-x-

"Wake up, slut! Time to face the day~"

June's eyes snap open and she immediately sits up, shivering slightly as cold morning air wafts in from the slated windows nearby, sliding over her naked form. Her nipples grow erect, even as she looks up into the sadistic eyes of the Princess, Azula staring back down at her with a wicked grin on her face.

It'd been another one of those dreams. She'd lost that little wager and bad, the drinking game ending with her actually throwing herself at the Fire Lord, not to attack him… but to try and drunkenly seduce him. He'd just been so handsome, so calm, so poised after so much fucking liquor. Not her proudest moment, to be sure.

And now it'd led her here. Carefully, June lowers her eyes to the ground as Azula snickers and attaches the leash to the collar around the disgraced bounty hunter's neck. When the Princess tugs, June follows, crawling on her hands and knees, out of the Princess' bedroom and down the hall to where the Fire Lord sleeps. On this morning, there's no one in the Fire Lord's quarters save Zuko himself. The young man is asleep, when Azula leads her to the bed in silence.

The Princess doesn't have to say a word. June knows her duty. Naked and collared like some sort of pet, the woman crawls under the sheets, her nostrils flaring at the scent of Zuko's morning lust. His cock stands up straight beneath the blankets covering his equally naked form, and June licks her lips as she bumps her face into it, breathing in his musk before beginning to lay kisses all along his throbbing, pulsating length.

It was shameful, just how needy she'd become after only a few weeks of training. Zuko's cock though… it was something else. Addictive might not have been the right word for it, but something close to that was certainly applicable. It helped that she'd lost the bet, to be fair. The humiliation that she'd been put through… it was easy to see it as 'all part of the job', at least at first.

She was to be Zuko's personal bounty hunter and serve at HIS discretion. Obviously, her shameful attempts at seduction near the end of their drinking contest had given the young man ideas for just what that latter part could mean. And since she'd planted those thoughts in his mind, it was only right that she satisfy the boy.

That was what the bounty hunter had told herself the first time this had happened. The Fire Lord had put his sister in charge of her 'training' and Azula had taken to it like a fish to water. Not that Zuko was absent at all. Both women ended up servicing the young Fire Lord almost daily, and June got a nice view of just how fucked up the Fire Nation's ruling family truly was.

And now she was a part of that. A part of all of that. Licking and lapping at the Fire Lord's cock, June feels Zuko stirring, slowly waking up. But then, that was the point of a morning blowjob as a wake-up call, in the end. Moving her mouth up his length, the disgraced bounty hunter slips her lips over Zuko's cockhead, and begins to bob up and down his shaft, taking more and more of him into her mouth.

Eventually, a familiar set of fingers splays across the top of her head, as an awake Zuko slips his digits into her hair before gripping down. He takes control after that, and it takes every ounce of June's self-control not to reach down between her legs and touch herself. Even as her body, conditioned to respond to the Fire Lord's dominance, gets hotter and hotter, June focuses only at the task at hand, pleasuring Zuko's member with her mouth and tongue.

Her lips suction down along his length and her tongue swirls across the underside of his shaft. Eventually, June begins to swallow as she takes him down her throat, but Zuko is simply too big, too thick for her to properly deep-throat him for long. That doesn't stop the Fire Lord from taking his pleasure from her, face-fucking her right then and there in his own bed, even as June's eyes water with unshed tears.

"Gagkh! Gagkh! Gagkh!"

Thankfully, it's early morning and Zuko's releases never take long at this time of day. The young man cums within minutes, and June is sure to swallow every last drop as she crouches beneath the blankets, still hidden from view. That is, until Azula pulls them back, revealing their naked forms to the open air. Zuko just smirks, while June freezes up.

"So, brother, how did she do?"

Chuckling, the Fire Lord let's go of his pet's hair, and June slips back off of his cock as she comes up on her knees, her hands moving to her lap in a picture-perfect vision of subservience.

"Not bad, sister. Not bad at all. She's come along quite nicely. Isn't that right, Pet? Are you pleased with your progress?"

What a question to ask. The worst part was, she wasn't displeased, like she really should have been. The weeks of training and conditioning had gotten to the proud woman. She was not so proud anymore.

"… I am pleased if my master is pleased, Great Fire Lord."

Azula smiles smugly at that, while Zuko just laughs.

"Good answer, pet! Well then, I think you've earned a reward. Would you like that? A reward?"

June stiffens at that. A reward… heh, the sort of rewards Zuko 'gave' her were not rewards she would have ever accepted from any client before him. But then, that was the point, wasn't it? Zuko wasn't just any other client. The Fire Lord owned her, mind, body, and soul. And in truth? Deep down inside, June DID want the reward he said she'd 'earned'. She wanted it very much.

Slowly, the naked woman turns around, facing away from the Fire Lord on the bed. Still kneeling, she prostrates herself, pressing her face down into the mattress and lifting her hips high into the air, even as she reaches back beneath her body to spread her pussy lips wide. Glancing backwards as best she can, she sees the smoldering lust in Zuko's eyes. She sees his cock, still hard and covered in her saliva, ready for Round Two.

Biting her lower lip, June says the words that she knows the Fire Lord expects to hear.

"Please, Master. P-Please give your pet her w-well-earned reward."

Zuko holds out a hand, and Azula passes the long leash that she'd been holding all of this time into it. Slowly, the young Fire Lord wraps the leash around his hand, and even partially up his forearm. He moves forward at the same time, closing the distance between them until the remaining leash is taut, tugging ever so slightly at the collar currently encircling her neck.

June's breath quickens with anticipation as she begins to pant needily. She doesn't have to wait long though, as Zuko isn't one for foreplay, especially after a woman, be it her or any other, begs him to fuck them in such a delicious manner. The Fire Lord's cock fills his pet bounty hunter's cunt, and June can only moan loudly and wantonly as her conditioned body finally gets what it's been wanting.

Zuko's dick feels amazing, even as it stretches her out, even as her pussy walls in turn try to clench down hard around it. Nothing she can do can stop his onslaught though, as the virile young man quickly picks up the pace, pounding away inside of her. His prick rams up against the entrance of her womb, and then rams right through her weakened cervix like it has many a time before then.

She's never felt fuller. Never felt more fulfilled either. June's mouth hangs open, and she pants and groans between mewling moans that leave her lips, even as her unfocused eyes stare at the far wall. Zuko's grip on her leash leaves her head up off the bed, her back arching like a particularly satisfied sex kitten as his hips smack into her ass, time and time again. Its everything June never knew she wanted, and then some.

Her first orgasm hits, and she cries out loudly, vocally expressing her pleasure.

"Y-Yes! Yes Master! Fuck me, fuck me, fuck meeee!!!"

Not one ounce of the proud, self-assured bounty hunter remains. Her confidence has been shattered and rebuilt to be tied directly to the approval of the Fire Lord and his sister. Zuko and Azula are her owners now, and the pair have reshaped her into a pet that they can be proud of. June's own pride was a small price to pay for something like that, now that she's been conditioned to see things from their perspective.

"Ugh, you're such a noisy little slut. If you're going to shout, put that mouth of yours to better use."

Quite suddenly, the Princess is before her. June's eyes go wide as Azula kneels on the bed, her own dripping wet cunt completely exposed. With a sadistic glint in her gaze, the Princess reaches forward and grabs a fistful of June's black hair, pulling the bounty hunter into her ready and waiting snatch. What her mistress wants from her is clear, and June quickly gets to work, licking and lapping at Azula's cunt, even as Zuko fucks her with deep, powerful, world-shattering strokes of his massive cock.

The pleasure is too much for her, as usual. June shudders and shakes as she's used by the pair of siblings. In this moment, she is nothing but their toy. Nothing but their pet. Caught between the Fire Lord and his sister, June submits to their whims, to their pleasure… and she loves every last second of the coupling as a result. Orgasm after orgasm hits the disgraced bounty hunter. Azula cums on her tongue more than once, leaving June's face covered in her pussy juices.

Finally though, Zuko's thrusting becomes erratic. His bliss-creating member begins to piston in and out of June's squeezing, milking cunt all the more wildly. And then he cums, and June's eyes go wide before rolling up in her head as she orgasms explosively one last time from the sensation of her master's seed pumping into her womb. The Fire Lord himself is filling her with white, hot, sticky cum, and there's not much June can do, or even wants to do, but lie there and take every last drop.

Zuko pulls out of her with a grunt and drops her leash to the bed. A moment later, Azula pulls away from her as well, letting her face fall forward onto the mattress. June lays there, face down and ass up in the air, with her Fire Lord's seed leaking from betwixt her thighs, even as the sounds of her master and mistress copulating fill the air behind her. Azula is a needy lover, but Zuko is quite capable of controlling her, just like he controls everything else. In the end, the Princess ends up right beside June, taking his dick nice and deep, time and time again.

When June comes back to her senses, she simply slips a hand down between her legs and begins to finger herself to the sight, completely and utterly content with her new lot and life. She was a pet, a toy, a plaything… but she was the Fire Lord's… and that in itself was worthy enough for her.

-x-X-x-

June walks with purpose down the hallway, passing by Fire Nation soldiers who all stop to give her appreciative looks as she strides past. The bounty hunter smirks slightly, even as she puts just a bit of sway in her step. They could look, if they wanted. But they would never get to touch, nor would they see what lay beneath her tight-fitting garments.

Of course, it's all an act, in the end. This isn't who she is anymore. It's a façade now, nothing more. But for the time being, June has to play to the reputation she developed before coming into the Fire Lord's employ. She's the world's best bounty hunter, and that doesn't change simply because she only serves one client… one man now.

Coming to a stop in front of her destination, June licks her lips, schools her features, and knocks politely. That at least, wasn't something the old June would have done. When the door opens a moment later, she strides in confidently, and comes to a stop in the middle of the room, even as it closes behind her almost immediately.

She feels a bit of relief at the sight of just her master sitting behind his desk. There's no one else in the room, as far as she can see. With that in mind, June immediately begins to strip. Her tight-fitting clothing comes off, peeled away from her beautiful, slender form inch by inch. When she's done, she's wearing nothing but the choker around her neck… which, when she's no longer wearing her clothes, looks a lot more like the collar it truly is.

Slowly, June descends to her knees, head bowed and eyes to the floor as she places her hands on her lap.

"Master."

Its said in a breathy tone, and she tenses up when she hears Zuko stand. But she does not look to him, even as he walks around his desk and approaches her. Only when his fingers touch her chin and he lifts her head up does June acquiesce, looking into his eyes as he stares down at her with a smile on his face.

"Why beloved pet. Report."

June shudders in orgasmic delight at hearing his voice, at hearing him praise her. Ah, but she does have a report to give. Her duties extend beyond the bedchamber, ever since her training there was completed. Licking her lips, June answers dutifully and concisely.

"Zhao is on the move. His men have tracked the Avatar to the North Pole. He intends to put his plans into action. He is… he is insane. What he plans… it threatens everything, master."

Zuko's eyes flash at that, and his lips thin.

"Tell me, pet. Tell me what that fool of a man intends to do now."

Looking up into her master's eyes with utter loyalty and devotion in her own gaze, June begins to do just that. The Fire Lord has to know everything she does if he's to stop Zhao. The mad man would doom them all if allowed to accomplish his goals. And yet, June wasn't afraid. Being in her master's presence, the beautiful woman knew instinctively that it would be alright. Zuko would stop Zhao. There was no doubt in her mind that he would do so. He was her everything. She couldn't imagine him failing.

-x-X-x-

"You can't do this! You just can't!"

Zuko lifts a single brow as he stands straight and stoic on the deck of his flagship. Before him, Captain Zhao rants and raves, actual spittle flying from his mouth. The Captain's ship sits beside Zuko's small and unassuming.

"Can't I? You forget yourself, Captain. I am the Fire Lord, am I not? My word is final. My decrees, sacrosanct. You will fall in line. Or you will be removed from your command."

Zhao forcibly calms him down at that, but his hands remain clenched into fists at his sides as he grits his teeth.

"You're the one who gave me this impossible task! I am supposed to bring in the Avatar! Me! It was to be my path to redemption! And now you bring forth this fleet of yours, to stymy me?! Where is the fairness in this act? How am I supposed to accomplish my impossible task when you sabotage me at every turn?"

Zuko scoffs openly at that, even as amusement runs rampant through the Fire Nation soldiers that are watching their very open, very blatant confrontation. Zhao has no friends here. And after his increasing desperation these last few months, he has no friends on his own ship, either. The man had tried to ignore Zuko's summons at first, but his communication officer had spread the message around the ship, leading to a near-mutiny before Zhao had finally acquiesced and presented himself before his Fire Lord.

The younger man had no intention of bringing that up though. It wasn't necessary, Zhao was already beaten. And now he would play one final part in Zuko's plans.

"I have not sabotaged you. Nor have I stymied you. You are the one who has failed ME, Captain. I set you to find and bring the Avatar back to me. Low and behold, you have found the Avatar. WHY have you repeatedly failed to bring her back to me? A young female air bender, with two water tribe children at her side?! Where is the challenge, Captain?! Where is the excuse for your continued FAILURE?!"

Zuko is shouting by the end, his voice clear and disapproving as he glares down Zhao. In full Fire Lord regalia, he knows he can be quite intimidating. Considering the way much of Zhao's anger flees to be replaced by fear, he's certainly succeeding in intimidation right now.

"… F-Fire Lord, please. I… I just need a bit more time. Allow me and my men to infiltrate the Northern Water Tribe. A-Allow us to extract the Avatar before you begin these… these peace talks! Once they start, the Avatar will be lost to us forever!"

So very dramatic. Forever? Zuko can't help but laugh inwardly at that. If he wanted, he could probably ensnare the Avatar in a trap that she would never escape from in days. After all, he still had the mother to the Avatar's companions. It would be so very easy. But no. That was not Zuko's design. He had other intentions for the Avatar. They did not necessarily involve force.

"No. Your time is up, Captain Zhao. You will keep your current rank and command. You will join your ship to my fleet escort and follow us to the North Pole. There, I will make overtures towards an alliance with the Northern Water Tribe, and you? You will keep your head down and your mouth shut, you miserable failure of a man. You are lucky that I am a forgiving Lord. My sister advised you be strung up by your entrails to the prow of your ship, and your second be promoted to take your place."

Zhao's eyes flash to where Azula stands off to the side. Zuko's sister grins savagely and picks at her sharpened nails. Slowly, the Captain looks back to his Fire Lord, and bows low at the waist.

"Thank you, great Fire Lord, for your mercy… I shall of course obey."

"Good. Get off my ship."

The Captain flees and Zuko watches him go. Of course, the young Fire Lord had not missed the underlying nature to Zhao's tone. It was clear that the other man thought he had. It was obvious that Zhao thought the world of himself, and no one else. The idiot couldn't possibly believe that his plans might have been found out. And now that he knew there was no escaping it, Zhao would no doubt adjust and use the cover of Zuko's talks with the Northern Water Tribe's leaders to carry out his true goals.

That was fine. It was in fact exactly what Zuko wanted. The good Captain would walk right to his death, and Zuko would profit from it, in the end. One final use for a useless waste of space.

-x-X-x-

The atmosphere in the room was quite… frigid. No pun intended. Zuko smiles inwardly, but outwardly he remains perfectly composed, stoic as he kneels there in the middle of what, in all honesty, is basically a glorified igloo. A rather large one to be fair, but a building made of ice and nothing else, nonetheless. His sister sits at his side, and his honor guard is arrayed behind him.

Kneeling across the way is the current Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, a man who went by the name Arnook. There are other men seated beside him, but Zuko focuses his attention solely on the closest thing to a peer that he might find in this place. The water tribe warriors arrayed behind their Chief are even less worthy of his attention.

From what his spies had told him, there'd been something of a panic amongst the people of the Northern Water Tribe when word of his fleet had first reached them. It had been eighty-five long years since they'd last had to repel the Fire Nation from their shores. Zuko's grandfather, and his father after him, had both given up on bringing the fortress that was the Northern Water Tribe's capital to heel.

There had been rumblings that Zuko was intending to finish what his predecessors never could. That fear however, had quickly become confusion when the young Fire Lord sent forth messengers asking for peace talks and negotiations. There had been some distrust as well, and communications had continued back and forth for weeks as Zuko parked his massive fleet right on the Northern Water Tribe's doorstep, but in the end, this meeting had finally happened.

The young Fire Lord was now in the belly of the beast. He was confident he could escape if need be. Just as he was confident that, worst come to worst, his fleet would launch an all-out attack on the Water Tribe Capital in order to save him if it came to that. As such, his calm, composed look truly wasn't all that faked. He was fairly relaxed, as he knelt there in the silence and the cold.

Finally, Chief Arnook speaks.

"What do you want?"

Not the politest way to start negotiations, but not the rudest either. Zuko smiles slightly and inclines his head towards the Water Tribe Chief respectfully.

"I want what all of us want. I want peace. More than that, I would see our two peoples grow closer together. I would like to form an alliance, one of mutual trust and mutual protection, as we bring the world together."

There are murmurings and whispers among the men at Arnook's sides. The Chief himself frowns deeply, his arms crossed over his chest. Eventually though, he answers.

"You speak of peace, but your armies still strike at the Earth Kingdom. You speak of peace, but it was your great-grandfather who started this war."

"My great-grandfather is dead. His crimes are his own, just as my grandfather's and father's crimes are THEIR own. I am Fire Lord Zuko, not Fire Lord Sozin, Azulon, or Ozai. Their reigns ended with their deaths. Mine has just begun. The Earth Kingdom is fractured. I will not deny the part that my forefathers played in that. It is my duty as Fire Lord to bring together the scattered peoples of the Earth Nation, under a rule that will benefit them, that will prove very prosperous for them."

Zuko pauses for a second, and then continues.

"I will unite this world and bring an end to the war. You, Chief Arnook, are an intelligent man. You are wise and experienced. And I am sure you are quite weary. Your people fear the next attack from my nation, do they not? The only reason you are talking with me is because of that fear. I am offering an end to it. The Water Tribes need not fear the Fire Nation any longer. We will be allies, bound by blood from this moment on."

Arnook's nostrils flare at that.

"Yes. The other part of your proposal. You would marry my daughter to secure this… marriage alliance of yours. My daughter, who is already betrothed to another man."

The corner of Zuko's mouth turns up slightly.

"Betrothals can be broken. And in such times as these, I would argue this one should be broken, to make way for a better tomorrow."

"And what of your fears?"

Those words do not come from Zuko or Arnook. Instead, an aged, grey-haired man at Arnook's side speaks up, stroking his beard as he stares at the young Fire Lord. Zuko moves his gaze from the Water Tribe Chief to the man next to him when Arnook does so first, his eyebrows raised.

"And who are you?"

The old man bristles at that, baring his teeth.

"I am Pakku, a waterbending master. I teach our warriors how to waterbend, and I know why you have come here with open hands instead of closed fists. You are afraid of us. Water has always been fire's greatest weakness. Your armies have never succeeded in assailing our capital. Your benders cannot beat our benders, even with great odds in your favor! You fear us, and you seek to control that which you fear. But the Northern Water Tribe cannot be controlled, anymore than the oceans themselves."

It's clear that the old master's words are having an effect on those around them. Zuko smiles slightly, even as inwardly, he can't help but be annoyed. The old man was assuming an awful lot about Zuko's 'fears'. Still, the young Fire Lord was not so easily cowed.

"I am afraid."

Silence, as his words ring out through the room. All eyes turn to the young man in surprise. Zuko smiles.

"But not of you. I am afraid that our world will never escape war. I am afraid that the divisions we have set between ourselves, solely because of where we live or what element we can bend, will leave us split apart forevermore. I do not fear you for your waterbending, Master Pakku. In the end, you are just a man. Your ignorance, your prejudice, and your inability to see past your own experiences threaten me far more than your meager skills."

Pakku's eyes widen in outrage, as gasps sound out around the room. Zuko continues to smile placidly, waiting for the waterbending master's reaction. But it never comes, interrupted instead by yet ANOTHER voice from the water tribe men arrayed before him.

"Then you will have no trouble accepting my challenge!"

A young man, closer to Zuko's age, steps forward. Arnook's eyes widen in shock, but before he can stand, Pakku stops him. Intrigued now, Zuko slowly rises from his kneeling position.

"And who… are you?"

The young man thumps a fist against his chest.

"I am Hahn! I am the betrothed of Princess Yue, the same betrothal you claim should be nullified. If you wish to test your skills against a true waterbender, I'm all yours! Let us fight, and we shall see just which element is the stronger!"

Zuko chuckles, even as he surreptitiously gauges the mood of the room. While Chief Arnook is clearly angry over Hahn's outburst, the rest of the water tribe men seem fairly approving of the thought of a fight. No doubt, they wished to see Zuko put in his place. Pakku leans in and whispers in Arnook's ear, and seeing the change come over the Chief's face, Zuko makes his decision, smiling wider still as he takes a step forward into the large, empty center of the meeting room, where Hahn already stands.

"Very well. I accept your challenge, so long as your Chief approves."

Put on the spot as he is and seeing the same approval around the room that Zuko did, Arnook grudgingly nods his agreement. With that out of the way, the young Fire Lord splits his regal robes apart and shucks them off of his shoulders, letting the garment pool to the ground as he steps away from it. Wearing nothing but a pair of pants, one might think the young man was cold… but Zuko's heart blazed with fire. He was never cold.

Hahn steps forward as well, and the pair meet a few paces from each other in the center of the chamber, now turned into an impromptu dueling ring. Hahn's hands are clenched into fists, while Zuko's are loose and open. At the same time, Hahn's teeth grit together, while Zuko smiles pleasantly.

"Feel free to strike the first blow, Hahn, betrothed of Princess Yue. I'm in no rush."

With a growl and a shout, the young waterbender moves. He opens with shooting his fists forward, the ice rising up from beneath them to try and slam into Zuko's exposed chest, a blow that could very well have ended the fight then and there if Zuko were weaker, and if it'd connected. It's a commons earthbending technique, but Hahn's ability to ice bend is certainly a testament to his skill.

Zuko's leg comes up in a flaming roundhouse kick, and his fire melts the ice coming towards him in an instant, allowing him to stand his ground without taking the hit. And then the fun really begins, as Hahn proves himself to be a fairly capable warrior by immediately turning the water on his opponent. It was obvious that the young man expected his first move to fail, and then turned Zuko's firebending against him by using the melted ice to strike once more.

The young Fire Lord dodges, and then he has to keep dodging. Judging by the cheers coming from the water tribe side of the room, it looks as if Hahn has him on the run from the outside of the duel. But Zuko is barely winded, as he spins this way and that, leaping through the air. He doesn't shoot any fire at his opponent. Instead, he aims at Hahn's feet with small bursts of blue flames. The waterbender darts back, but the ice beneath them slowly becomes more and more melted, more and more watery.

Eventually, they're fighting in a pool a foot deep, carved into the ice floor beneath them as Zuko continues his acrobatics, even in an environment far more dangerous to him than before. Every ounce of water is Hahn's to command after all, and the young man does so with relish, aiming to bring the increasingly soaked Fire Lord down once and for all.

Zuko never takes a serious hit, even as he prepares the battlefield for his eventual victory. In the end, it all comes down to one final blow, not even properly directed in Hahn's direction. But then, to be fair if Zuko directed it towards the waterbender, it would no doubt kill him. Instead, the young Fire Lord propels himself through the air, dodging every last water whip that Hahn is sending his way. And then his arms move, and static fills the air.

A moment later, his fingertip, lightning arcing off of it, touches the water that Hahns stands in even then. The lightning races through the conducting water, and slams into the poor waterbender in an instant, sending him into the pool as he shakes and spasms, his eyes rolled back in his head. Zuko immediately cancels out the lightning a moment later, instead redirecting it back through his body and out his other arm, landing with a splash in the pool of water and pointing his fingers up towards the ceiling of the igloo.

The lightning strike leaves his fingertips and lances out through the ice ceiling over their heads. A few inches of ice melts away instantly as the lightning passes through it to discharge harmlessly into the sky above, but the building itself maintains its integrity. Zuko is barely breathing heavily as he straightens up, water tribesmen rushing forward to pull Hahn from the water before the electrocuted young man can drown.

Slowly, Zuko turns his gaze towards the shocked waterbending master who'd questioned him, who'd called him afraid. He stares into Pakku's surprised face.

"Fire beats ice. Water beats fire. Lightning beats water. But at the end of the day, we're all still benders, still people. It is not the element we control, but how we use it, what we do with our time on this world. I intend to use my time on this world very wisely indeed. Can you say you've done the same, Master Pakku?"

The old man stiffens at the insult, but before he can say anything, Arnook steps forward.

"You have proved your point well enough, Fire Lord Zuko. However, while Hahns has lost his betrothal to my daughter through his reckless actions, that does not mean I will simply hand her over to you, like meat at market. Your marriage proposal is denied."

"What?! You would deny my brother his just rew-!"

Zuko cuts his sister off with a raised hand, as Azula rises to her feet, clearly incensed. Zuko on the other hand, is as calm as ever as he smiles placidly and bows his head towards the Water Tribe Chief.

"I accept your judgement, Chief Arnook. You are a good man, and an even better leader. If it's all the same to you, I would still like to remain for a time, as your guest. An alliance between our peoples may not be possible at this current juncture, but at the very least, perhaps a truce and a trade agreement could still be worked out."

There's a pause as the room falls silent. Finally though, Arnook nods his head in agreement.

"Very well. I will assign you an escort and a set of rooms for the duration of your stay in our capital. Let it not be said that the Northern Water Tribe is inhospitable. As far as trade agreements are concerned… we will talk soon."

Zuko smiles and bows his head in agreement, before allowing himself, his sister, and his honor guard to be led away to their new accommodations. At this point, all the young Fire Lord needed was time. Zhao would make his move, and when he did, Zuko would be there to stop him. Until then, he had a little while to kill. Perhaps… perhaps it was time for him to meet with the Avatar.

-x-X-x-

"Thank you, for agreeing to meet with me."

The room they inevitably meet in is a lot smaller than the meeting chamber that he spoke with the Water Tribe Chief in. This one is even more of an igloo than the previous. Zuko sits alone this time, out of his robes, and without his sister or his honor guard. Azula had protested, but Zuko had simply smiled and sent the young woman on her way. She would not disobey him, in the end. His word was law.

Now it was just him, the Avatar, and Kya's children.

"You have our mother, you monster! We didn't have a choice!"

That was the male one. Sokka, if Zuko was remembering correctly. Keeping the smile on his face, Zuko looks to the furious young man.

"It is true that Kya remains at my side. She does so by choice. She serves me, by choice. She is healthy and hale in my employ. I am sure that her letters have adequately explained that much."

It's Katara who speaks next.

"You're only here because of those letters, aren't you? To think, you would stoop so low as to read personal correspondence like that!"

Zuko rolls his eyes. Of course, he read Kya's letters. More often than not, he didn't even have to. The woman herself told him everything she put in her letters to her children, and everything she got back in the letters they wrote in return. In this case however, Katara was actually wrong.

"No. I knew you were here, yes, but you were not my only reason for coming to the Northern Water Tribe. And it was not Kya that betrayed you to me. You are not as stealthy, nor as subtle as you might think. Captain Zhao is how I knew you were here."

Sokka bristles once more.

"And that's another thing! You sicked Zhao on us! He's only hunting Aang on YOUR orders in the first place!"

At having her name mentioned, the Avatar fidgets slightly in place, seeming a little out of sorts. Zuko glances to the young woman. She's rather beautiful, in a multitude of ways. With wavy brown hair atop her head, and surprisingly generous curves, she stands out. But she also seems surprisingly shy. Zuko wonders just why that is. He also wonders just how she would be in bed. Would she be a freak in the sheets, like some of the quiet ones were, or would she be a mewling submissive?

He was interested in finding out, but now was not the time. Letting out a sigh, Zuko rubs the bridge of his nose.

"I exiled Zhao from my court and set him to an impossible task because I could not simply kill him so soon after taking up the mantle of Fire Lord. The man was always a menace, unfit to lead. But he'd risen through the ranks with my father's favor. I was making an effort to remove him bloodlessly. How was I supposed to know that the Avatar would wake up so soon after? Regardless, he has failed at every turn, has he not? Your ability to evade him, and your skill at humiliating him, has given me the reason I need to tear him away from his hunt. He will no longer pursue you. He won't be doing much of anything, any time soon."

That brings the trio up short for a moment. Zuko smiles as Kya's children, both spitfires, try to find something to say. When they can't in any reasonable length of time, he fills the void with his own voice.

"I must admit, I was surprised to see none of you in meeting chamber. One would think that Chief Arnook would appreciate the advice of the Avatar."

Aang flinches, and Katara and Sokka glance at each other over the girl's head. Katara works her jaw for a moment before answering.

"Its because Aang is a woman, like me. The Northern Water Tribe is sexist. The only reason that bastard Pakku was even willing to teach Aang was because she was also the Avatar. He's outright refused to teach me."

Sokka grunts and picks at his teeth.

"They offered me a seat in the room, but I wasn't about to go in there without my sister or Aang. Bunch of assholes."

Zuko inclines his head slightly, hiding his smile. He'd thought it was something like that.

"I see. That's unfortunate. And makes the fact that I brought my sister to the negotiations all the more amusing. I was wondering why some of the water tribesmen looked a bit more constipated than usual."

That startles an actual bark of laughter from the beautiful Avatar, who until that point, had been silent. Her laughter causes all eyes to fall upon her, and when she sees this, Aang swallows and shrinks in a little on herself. Zuko frowns, but before he can say anything, the Avatar seems to find a bit more life as she straightens up, which does absolutely lovely things to her chest. When she finally speaks, its in a quiet but clear tone.

"… Why?"

Zuko lifts a brow at that.

"Why? Why what?"

Emboldened by his reaction, Aang looks into his eyes, the female Avatar frowning slightly.

"Why do you continue the war, if you're not a bad guy? Katara and Sokka let me read their mother's letters. She likes you, a lot. They think its all a lie, but I don't think so. So why? Why do you still march your armies into the Earth Kingdom? Why show up with a fleet at the Water Tribe's doorstep?"

Zuko considers the young Avatar for a moment. Honestly, he wasn't sure what he'd expected from her, but this really wasn't it. He would have to adjust his expectations and work fluidly within this new reality. Smiling slightly, Zuko rolls his shoulders.

"The war continues, so that it can end, my dear Avatar."

Before any of the trio can have another outburst, Zuko holds up a hand, cutting them off.

"Allow me to explain. If I were to announce the war was over tomorrow, several things would happen very rapidly. First, my people in the Fire Nation, specifically the capital, would question me. They would lose faith in my leadership. My great-grandfather, grandfather, and father built their rule on the inherent right to conquer this world. Second, the Earth Nation would react, and there would be untold bloodshed while my soldiers retreated from their lands. The Fire Nation citizens who have settled in the lands we've taken would be killed to the last by over-zealous Earth Kingdom soldiers."

Zuko pauses and takes a deep breath.

"I do not intend to go down that path. I came to the Northern Water Tribe in order to seek peace, not war. I continue the battles in the Earth Kingdom to finish the war there, so that I may bring peace and prosperity to ALL people who live within the borders of my Fire Nation. I will fix the mistakes of my predecessors. I will bring peace to this world. Even if it's the last thing I do."

The Avatar seems struck speechless by his impassioned words. Kya's children are apparently in the same boat, as they stare. Zuko smiles self-deprecatingly, and shrugs as he continues.

"I have promised your mother that I will ensure your safety. While you three are certainly capable enough on your own, I have been there, in small ways, all along your journey. If I wished to capture or imprison any of you, I could have done so easily by this point. But I do not wish to strip your freedom from you. Your mother misses you both very much. And the Avatar will always have a place in my court. However, something tells me none of you are quite ready for that yet. Are you?"

Aang, Katara, and Sokka all exchange glances, seemingly communicating silently as they stare at one another. In the end, Sokka crosses his arms over his chest and sets his jaw resolutely.

"No. We're not."

Neither of his female companions contradict him, and Zuko bows his head in acceptance of their decision.

"Very well. I understand, even if I might not necessarily approve. Until we meet again, I wish you three the best of luck in your future endeavors."

"Even if we decide to fight you?"

That comes from Aang, the Avatar's slender fingers curled into fists in her lap as she stares at Zuko with turmoil clear in her eyes. Zuko just smiles.

"I'm a good judge of character. If you choose to fight me, I imagine you will have your reasons. In the end, you cannot fight progress. The world is moving on. The war will come to an end. I would like it if you three joined me in ensuring an end to the bloodshed. But if necessary, I can work around even you, Avatar Aang."

With those words, Zuko stands up.

"It was a pleasure meeting all of you. Goodbye."

They watch him go, conflicted, confused, and distrusting of his intentions. That was fine though, Zuko had every intention of proving his words prophetic by the end of all of this. And he had every intention of bringing all three under his wing, one way or another. The Avatar, Kya's children… they belonged with him. With his people. They would figure that out eventually, Zuko was sure of it.

For now, he had a mad man to prepare for.

-x-X-x-

To say Princess Yue was conflicted would be the understatement of the century. The white-haired girl was absolutely beside herself. Tears drip down her beautiful face, as she kneels at the edge of the Spirit Oasis' pond. In the water below, Tui and La, the Moon and Ocean Spirits, swirl around in the form of two koi fish. They were the reason she was here, both in this moment and in fact in every moment. It was through them that her life had been saved when she was just a babe.

Normally, they gave her a certain measure of peace, even on the worst of days. But not today. Today, Yue was too conflicted, too confused to properly find her calm, her center. She was… it was all just too strange. Her betrothal had ended. The Fire Lord himself had come to their capital and played a part in it, from what she'd been told.

Yue wasn't sure how to feel about it all. She wasn't sure if she'd ever truly loved Hahn. It was a political marriage in the end. But then, this young Fire Lord wanted the same, supposedly. Her father had denied him… and Yue wasn't sure how to feel about that either. She'd seen the new Fire Lord, Zuko, in passing. He was handsome enough, and he had a smile that drew her gaze, she was a little ashamed to admit.

The rumors she'd heard about the young man… some were strange, some were bad. They said that he was a monster, that his smile was a trap. They also said he was much more peaceful than his father and grandfather and great-grandfather. Supposedly, Zuko had come to end the animosity between the Fire Nation and the Northern Water Tribe.

After so many years… Yue simply wasn't sure what to think. Luckily, she didn't have to worry about it too much. In the end it would be up to her father to make any deals with the young Fire Lord. Her duty was to marry whoever her father chose. Her duty was to her tribe. It was-

"Hm, I wasn't expecting anyone to be here. But I suppose if it were to be anyone, it would be you, wouldn't it."

The Princess whirls around, eyes wide at the sudden unfamiliar male voice behind her. She freezes up at the sight of a controlled flame inches from her face.

"Don't. Move."

The man controlling the flame, his fist pointed at her head, has a wicked, evil grin on his bearded face. Yue shivers, but does as she's told, remaining absolutely still, even as his eyes flicker past her to the pond behind her.

"Do you know who I am?"

"N-No…"

The man lets out a bark of laughter, bitter and resentment filling the noise as he shakes his head.

"Of course not. You should, but that bastard of a boy… he ruined my life. I should be ADMIRAL by now! If not for that upstart brat! Hell, I should be Fire Lord instead of him! Maybe after today, I WILL be!"

"W-What… what do you want?! There's nothing for you here!"

Another laugh, this one filled more with cruelty and dark malice.

"Oh, you're wrong about that Princess. There is indeed something for me here. My name is Zhao, and I have come for something of great value. The greatest value of all."

Yue shakes a bit, eyes wide with fear, even as Zhao moves around her, keeping the concentrated flame in her face all the while, even as he looks into the koi pond at the black and white fish swimming in the water depths.

"Finally… after so many years, I've finally arrived at this point. All these setbacks, all the insults and humiliation I had to endure… all of it makes this moment even sweeter."

"What… what are you going to do?!"

Zhao looks back at her and grins viciously.

"What do you think, Princess? You have here the Moon and Ocean Spirit, in the living flesh. One might think that the Ocean Spirit is where you waterbenders get your powers, but I know better. The full moon is when you are strongest. I will kill the Moon Spirit and strip your waterbending away. The Fire Nation fleet waiting outside this city… once they realize what has happened, they will realize how WEAK that idiot boy is! They will flock to my banner, and we will conquer your pathetic little tribe in the name of the Fire Nation! MY Fire Natio-urrkk!!"

Yue's eyes go wider still, even as the flame held to her face sputters out. She'd already been horrified by Zhao's words, but now she finds herself staring at the face of a dying man as blood drips from Zhao's mouth, the katana sticking out of the front of his chest slick with his lifeblood. He's been skewered right through.

Slowly, the sword withdraws. Zhao turns around, before stumbling to his knees. Yue stares, bewildered, at the masked swordsman, the blue demonic mask on his face making him look more spirit than human. But Yue knew better, touched by the spirits as she was. She knew this was simply a man… a man who'd saved not only her, but everyone if Zhao's claims were to be believed.

"Y-You! Blue Spirit, d-damn you! I will not have it end like this!"

Zhao begins to leverage himself up off the ground, only to find the blade of the katana, still slick with his blood, pressed up against the underside of his throat. Slowly, the frozen firebender turns his head to look his executioner in the eye.

"H-Hah… fine then, kill me now. My death… will only make me a martyr. Even that brat won't be able to keep the peace, once I'm found dead in the Spirit Oasis, right next to the Princess herself!"

Yue's eyes go wide at that. Is he right? Would his death provoke war that not even the young Fire Lord could stop? Before she can say anything however, the 'Blue Spirit' reaches up with his free hand, and slowly pulls his mask over her head. As Yue expected, it is not a true spirit, but a man. What she was not expecting was Zuko's smiling face behind the mask. Neither was Zhao, judging by the way the man's blood drains from his features.

"Y-You! N-No… all this time, it was YOU!"

Where before, Zhao had sounded infuriated, this time the man sounds absolutely terrified. Zuko's smile widens slightly, and he inclines his head towards the defeated man at his feet.

"Yes. It was. And as for whether or not I'll be able to keep the peace once you're gone…"

Pausing, Zuko glances over at Yue, a rueful smile on his laps.

"I think I'll manage."

And then he swings up. Yue flinches, but none of the blood gets on her, even as Zhao's head detaches from his shoulders and rolls across the grass. She looks away, horrified and sick to her stomach… but also quite relieved. The Fire Lord… he'd saved her life. He'd saved the Moon Spirit as well. He'd saved her people, even though he had to have heard, had to have already KNOWN Zhao's plans! The young firebender could have let the mad man go through with it… but he hadn't.

Yue… truly wasn't sure what to feel about that. But when the young man flicks away his sword and falls to his knees beside her, holding her to his chest and comforting her… she can't help but relax into his warm embrace. Her ear pressed up against his breast, she hears his heart beating, feels the heat of his core… and it completely and utterly puts her at peace, all of her fears, all of her terror and worries and stress simply melting away.

They're eventually found like that, with Zhao's headless body next to them, and Yue in Zuko's arms. Needless to say, the reaction is… not small.

-x-X-x-

Yue had to admit, after their discovery and subsequent questioning, things had moved surprisingly quickly. Yue had collaborated Zuko's story. The Fire Lord had explained Zhao's insanity, and how he'd found out about the man's true plans at the last moment, forced to race through the city to stop him from carrying out his mad scheme.

Once the true gravity of the situation was known to her father and the others, there was a sense of… shock throughout the tribe. How close had they come to not just their doom, but a world changed forever by the loss of the Moon? The Spirit Oasis' guards had not been enough. Yue had almost lost her life to the deranged Fire Nation soldier.

And at the end of the day, they owed everything to the young Fire Lord, who had killed one of his own simply to save them, to save the world from terrible imbalance. In all honesty, Yue wasn't that surprised when her father ultimately brought back up the idea of a marriage alliance between their two peoples. Zuko had been happy to accept the offer, and Yue had actually been a little excited by the prospect.

Of course, excitement had nothing on fears and wedding day jitters. Still, she'd managed to get through the massive ceremony. Fire Nation on one side, Northern Water Tribe on the other. She and the young Fire Lord, married by water tribe traditions in the sight of the moon. And now she and Zuko had been escorted back to the Spirit Oasis and left to their own devices.

This… this was the part that Yue wasn't so sure about. But it was necessary, supposedly. She stood now with Zuko in the very same clearing where she'd watched him kill a man. But she did not fear him… no, more than anything else, Yue feared what was to come next.

"… Yue."

His voice is soft, as he steps up to her. Both of them wear their heavy garments, regal clothing for their special day. Reaching out, Zuko takes her chin gently in hand, and leans in to kiss her tenderly. Much like the kiss he'd given her in front of everyone else, this is gentle… or at least, it starts out that way. Unlike the kiss at the end of the marriage ceremony, this kiss continues, ultimately becoming something more as time goes on.

Yue can't help but melt into Zuko's experienced embrace. The man is a good kisser… no, more than that, he is an EXCELLENT kisser. To be fair, the young woman had never so much as kissed a boy before the wedding ceremony earlier. Not even Hahn. But right now, she's certainly enjoying the lip lock with her new husband, even as he holds her close, his hands sliding up and down her back.

Then, his fingers begin to work at the ties binding her wedding dress together. Yue tenses at that… but in the end, that's what they're here for, isn't it? Blushing profusely, the white-haired beauty allows Zuko to slowly pull her multi-layered dress apart, removing it from her piece by piece. Eventually, she decides she's not going to be some helpless bystander at her own wedding night, not like she was when Zhao had held her at flame-point.

The Water Tribe Princess bites her lower lip as she begins to work at Zuko's robes as well. The young Fire Lord doesn't try to stop her, as she reciprocates, and the pair slowly strip one another down. Finally, they stand before each other wearing nothing, not a stitch of cloth. Yue takes a step back from Zuko, and simply looks at the young man, truly looks at him as her eyes trail up and down his body.

He's… he's gorgeous, though in all honesty she doesn't have much frame of reference. Still, the Fire Lord is well-built, his shoulders broad and muscular, his abs showing out of his abdomen. He's well-defined, chiseled almost in appearance… and between his legs hangs what can only be a man's genitals. The member is mostly flaccid still, and yet, its larger than she could ever have imagined… larger than she could see fitting inside of her, as well.

Belatedly, Yue realizes that Zuko is doing the same with her, trailing his eyes over her beautiful form, the slope of her breasts, the width of her hips. Blushing under that gaze, Yue becomes more self-conscious, wrapping an arm across her chest and grabbing at her other arm as she stands there and fidgets. Zuko, as if sensing the question in her thoughts, grins at her.

"You're beautiful."

Yue's blush explodes, growing ten times redder, but before she can stammer out a response and make a fool of herself, he's there, taking her up in his arms, holding her close and kissing her heatedly. Yue likes that. Kissing feels almost familiar now. Of course, the growing, hardening length pressing against her from below doesn't feel nearly as familiar. Yue squirms in place, enjoying the kissing, but fearing the massive, thickening shaft between Zuko's legs.

Soon, his cock is pressed up between HER legs, the length of it rubbing against her pussy lips, even as she stands on her tip toes to kiss him. It… it feels strange, but a good kind of strange. She's enjoying it, certainly more than she thought she would. In the end, when Zuko finally pulls away from her, Yue is actually disappointed more than anything else.

But he doesn't fully leave her, his hand slipping into hers and his fingers intertwining with her fingers. Then, he turns towards the oasis.

"Shall we?"

Biting her lower lip, Yue can't help but nod. It's… it's funny, how he's calmer about what they're about to do than she is. She's spent so much of her life up here, at the oasis. But perhaps that's the point. Regardless, when he walks her towards the pond edge, Yue allows him to guide her into the water. They move deeper into the pond, and the koi fish, the Ocean and Moon Spirits, slide to the outer rims, still swirling in a circle, but now around them as they take up the pond's center.

Zuko goes to his knees in the shallow water, and Yue doesn't resist when he pulls her down. Her legs slide up along his sides, and a moment later she feels it, as the tip of his member presses against her slit. Yue's breath hitches, and she looks down into Zuko's eyes, his face nestled between her breasts. Zuko gives her a reassuring smile, even as he holds her close.

"Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright."

Funnily enough, Yue believes him, in that moment. The young man is the Fire Lord, leader of a nation that had caused untold pain and suffering to the world. But… but Zuko wasn't his predecessors. He was not his father, nor his grandfather. He was… he was kind, and generous, and caring. He was everything Yue had always wanted to find in a man.

Zuko sinks her down on his cock without warning, but as her purity breaks, he stops immediately, letting her adjust to the first bit of his thick cock, pushed up inside of her as it was. Yue gasps in pain, and then gasps some more at the sheer fullness of just having a couple of inches of his member buried in her. After a few moments then, she's able to calm herself, able to adjust to the strange feeling of penetration. When Zuko looks up into her eyes questioningly, Yue bites her lower lip and nods her consent.

The young man lets her fall further, and then pulls her up to do it all over again. And just like that, they're making love. It's not his first time, Yue has to believe that. He's just… he's too good at this. The white-haired girl has no idea what its supposed to normally feel like, but this is bliss, pure unadulterated bliss. A cry of pleasure leaves Yui's lips, and she tilts her head back, even as she holds Zuko close to her buxom bosom. The Fire Lord in turn worships her breasts, even as he runs his hands down her back, cupping her ass with one and the small of her back with the other.

In a way, she rides him. In another, he bounces her up and down along his shaft. All in all, the water they consummate their marriage in makes it easy for her to rise up off his length, while his muscles make it easy for him to pull her down again. Yue pants, and moans, and mewls. Her inner walls clench and squeeze and grip at his member. Eventually, she reaches climax, and as her first ever orgasm rips through her body, the sheltered Water Tribe Princess realizes that she's in love with her new husband.

Looking down into his eyes with her face flushed and her lips parted, Yue endeavors to tell him as much.

"L-Love… love you."

Zuko's answering grin is like a light in the darkness, as he holds her a bit tighter, his movements becoming slightly more urgent.

"Mm, love you too, my darling Princess. Here it comes. Get ready."

Blinking, Yue looks down between them. His cock is pulsating, throbbing, but she doesn't fully understand. And then she does. Whatever it is, Zuko lets it out within her. His white, hot seed fills her womb, pumping directly into her most sacred of places. The sensation is strange… and overwhelmingly pleasurable. Yue's jaw drops open even further, and her eyes go wide as her pupils dilate. She lets out a loud, wanton moan as their new marriage is fully consummated in the eyes of the spirits.

A few moments later, and they're both out of the water, laid back on the soft grass surrounding the pond. Yue can feel the liquid inside of her, can feel the gift he's left her. As she rests her head on his chest, the Princess can't help but run a hand over her abdomen.

"That was… that was amazing, Zuko."

A chuckle reverberates through the young Fire Lord's chest, and he runs his fingers through her white locks.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Yue. Our marriage may be one of political necessity, but never think that I won't treat you with love and kindness. You are my wife now, Princess. We will always have each other, in better and in worse."

His words fill her with a sense of peace… but also a longing that Yue can barely put into words. Leveraging herself up, the young woman stares into her new husband's eyes, even as Zuko looks back at her inquisitively, an eyebrow lifted questioningly. Nibbling at her lower lip for a moment, Yue then grins.

"I want… I want you to show me more."

Zuko's eyes spark with meaning, but he still plays coy as he grins wickedly.

"Oh? What could the Princess mean by that?"

Yue blushes and beats a weak fist against her husband's chest for teasing her. But it's obvious he'll just keep doing so if she doesn't change the tempo. Even though on the inside, it's incredibly mortifying, on the outside, Yue puts on her most salacious grin, as she leans in and whispers to him.

"I want you to take me, and fuck me, husband mine. Pleasure me and show me how to pleasure you in turn. Teach me all you know. I want to experience ALL of it."

Zuko's grin is gone now, replaced by something indescribably hungry as he stares at her with hooded eyes.

"… Are you sure, Yue?"

Still biting her lower lip, Yue nods her head resolutely.

"I've never been surer of anything in my life, husband mine."

A moment later, she's on her back and Zuko is over her, his hands on her ankles and her legs pushed up and spread wide as he brings her to the limits of her flexibility right then and there. Yue gasps as the young Fire Lord penetrates her once more, and then she moans and moans loudly as Zuko does exactly what she asked of him.

They're there for a long time. Zuko has a LOT to show her. And Yue? Yue is happy to soak up every bit of the carnal knowledge that her new husband can offer her. The beautiful, sheltered Princess has experienced an awakening… and she's not about to go back to the meek, scared girl she was before.

Never again.

-x-X-x-

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