A Tangled Web part eighteen!
Ok, I finally got this done and beta-ed! Poor Kawaii Lyn is taking a much deserved vacation, so Smillaraaq graciously (I begged.) agreed to look this over for me. Thanks hon!!
And with no further ado, I bring you... dun dun dun... A Tangled Web part 18!!!! Let the reviewing commence!! LOL!!
Warnings: This is pretty spicy (Would it be here if it wasn't?) and um... sorry, but there will be a character death.
Hold on to your hats.... and it's not over yet....
Part eighteen: Conflagration
Zhao was overjoyed. Surprisingly the monks had spoken the truth and after a bit of “friendly” persuasion the nearby peasant tribe gave them a guide. He took a deep, satisfied breath. He had reached his goal. A large globe of ice stood tall and shining before him. It was nearly opaque but you could still make out a child-sized yellow shape and a more massive creamy white one behind him.
“Melt it! But use caution, the Avatar is not to be injured.”
Several soldiers took stances and streamed fire at the frozen sphere. Zhao watched as the Air Nomad was slowly revealed. Exhilaration filled him. The rewards for this success would be monumental. He was already second in command; if something were to happen to the Fire Lord he could easily step in, assume the throne and reign until the infant heir reached maturity. That is if he reached maturity.
He smirked at the thought of all his dreams coming true, until his musings were interrupted by a horrible cracking sound followed by a blinding flash of white light that formed a pillar reaching to the heavens. When he could see again, he noticed the globe had melted to the point that the Avatar could be extracted. And to his amazement he saw a young boy with glowing arrow tattoos rise from the center of the ice.
Then everything went to hell.
Weakened by the heat, the thick base of ice began to separate as the soldiers stepped from the boats onto the floe. And then to his horror, the Avatar suddenly toppled over into the frigid water. He did not hear the desperate screams of his men or their cries for help as they sunk beneath the waves. He cared little for their lives. No, he only heard his dreams shattering.
Eventually, his remaining men pulled the boy from the water, but it was already too late.
The Avatar was dead.
OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO
Zuko was too excited to meditate. He sat on the bench and tried to calm his fidgeting. The garden looked so pretty to him today and he strongly suspected he was smiling widely. He should be more embarrassed about that but he wasn’t. Katara would be coming soon and he couldn’t wait to see her. Their time together was fast becoming the high point of his day. How he had managed to keep his hands off her he didn’t know; but for the first time in a many years a woman was more to him than something to be used and then tossed away. She amazed him, challenged him. She made him rethink his life, made him wonder if there was more to his world than what he had. He should have been afraid of these feelings and at first he was, but now? Now, he didn’t know how to feel. He had wanted many things in his life and now he wanted something else.
He wanted to change.
“Well Zuzu, you seem to be in a good mood today.” Azula’s voice poured over him like viscous honey, startling him. He must have really been lost in thought to not have noticed her before. He usually could sense her the moment she entered his space. He quickly schooled his features and looked at her, as she approached from his right.
“And if I am?” He raised a slim eyebrow.
“I would hope that means that you have some good news for me. You have been a bit… closemouthed this last week or so. I was beginning to wonder if you’d forgotten me. Or our deal.” Her eyes narrowed.
“I haven’t forgotten. It’s just taking a little longer than expected.”
“Hmmm. We don’t have much time left, you realize.” Azula stepped behind him and slid her hands over his shoulders and under the open collar of his shirt, caressing his skin. A familiar heat began to fill him.
He cleared his throat. “I’m aware of that. Things are… going well.”
She leaned near to him, her hot breath brushing his ear. “They better be, Zuko.” A shiver ran down his spine. He felt the slick touch of her tongue on his jaw and his eyes fluttered shut.
“Azula…” His heart was pounding.
She circled the bench and perched on his lap. “Do you remember what I promised you if you succeed? Perhaps, you need a reminder.” She pulled his head down and kissed him. There was a certain desperation to her kiss that surprised him but he gave it little thought.
Reflexively, he wrapped his arms around her. Her hand slipped between their bodies and trailed over the burgeoning hardness beneath his pants. He moaned against her mouth, pleasure swamping him. This felt so good and he’d wanted her for so long; but at the same time, a small niggling feeling of unease blossomed in him. Something wasn’t right. Azula tasted like a rich dessert, but he found himself craving the simple taste of fresh berries instead. The movements of her hands, while undeniably skilled and arousing, were not the light tentative caresses he longed for. His body shuddered as she outlined his rigid flesh with knowledgeable fingers, the rhythmic strokes causing his mind to fuzz over. He could not keep from kissing her deeper, hunger overriding any lingering feeling of doubt. Zuko lifted her from his lap and pulled her thighs around his hips. The touch of her heat against his aching body was making him crazy. He was so lost in the red haze of desire that he did not hear the light footfalls coming down the path to the garden.
OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO
Katara was in a great mood, and knew that it was entirely due to a certain handsome prince. She giggled when she thought about it. Zuko was hardly the handsome prince from all of her childhood fairytales... although at times like this she let herself fantasize about what it would have been like to be his betrothed instead of Zhao’s. She was still chuckling at her fanciful imagination when she reached the garden.
What she saw there stopped her dead in her tracks, her laughter fading like the warmth of the sun in winter. Sitting not twenty feet from her was the prince, his head thrown back with eyes closed. His tunic was open, his ivory skin flushed with passion, breathless sounds of pleasure escaping his parted lips. For a moment she couldn’t move, the sight was so mesmerizing. He was beautiful. The girl straddling his lap had her face in his throat; her dress hiked up to her hips, exposing a long line of pale thigh. He was cupping her bottom in his hands, rocking her against him.
How… how could he do this to me? Her eyes burned with tears.
She must have made a noise of some sort because the girl lifted her head. Katara felt the tiny hairs at the base of her neck stand on end. No. That can’t be…
Writhing on Zuko’s lap was someone she never would have imagined in her worst nightmares.
His sister, Princess Azula.
“Gods…” Her choked voice must have gotten through to him because he looked over at her, his eyes widening almost comically with shock.
“Katara?”
The sound of his husky voice galvanized her into action; she turned and ran. She could hear the pounding of his pursuing feet, could hear his shouts, but she did not stop until she reached the safety of her chambers.
End part eighteen.
A/N It has come to my attention that people were left very curious as to Azula's reaction to Zuko's actions in the last chapter.... I hope this was adequately answered here... *snicker*