My arm still wrapped around her neck as I squeezed tightly. My body released my seed deep inside her.
Softening up my grip I heard Katara's panting body as mine did the same.
"Just admit you stole it... and I could stop tomorrow," I whispered in he...
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Five months later Noon
"Fire Lady Mai, it has been a rather quiet few months since the royal wedding. Would we hear the sounds of little feet in the palace soon?" A noblewoman named An-Ni asked as she sat amongst the table. Her posture was sharp and deliberate, her pink-colored cheeks lifted in a knowing smirk at her own question.
The late noon sun spread across the royal garden, bathing everything in a warm golden glow. Thin plumes of steam rose from the porcelain teacups, curling softly in the still air. Beyond the table, cherry trees swayed gently, their blossoms drifting toward the marble tiles where the noblewomen sat. Servants lingered at the edges, silent and still as carved statues, pouring fresh jasmine tea.
Among the many elite families of the Fire Nation, Mai had become painfully aware of the rumors that drifted like smoke through every hall and whispered meeting. Each day, her suspicion deepened about who had leaked such private things. Being Fire Lady was not the life she had imagined. Zuko had grown distant, unreachable, as though he had left her behind that very first morning. By tradition, a Fire Lord remained with his bride for three nights after the wedding, yet Zuko had vanished before the first sunrise, leaving the marriage untouched and her heart hollow.
Mai's sharp eyes swept across the long rectangular table, her back straight as the sunlight glinted off her dark hair and the deep red silk of her gown. She had invited the members of elite wives for afternoon tea as Fire Ladies before her had done, keeping the formality alive even if her heart was far from it. The chatter of the women was light and artificial, but beneath it, Mai could feel the sting of their curiosity.
"Perhaps," she replied softly, lifting her tea cup with a regal grace.
"I was just surprised the Fire Lord let you leave the marital chambers practically hours after the wedding!" An-Ni teased, her voice sing-song sweet with cruelty. The other wives giggled among themselves, the sound like tiny cracks in the calm afternoon. "I couldn't help but wonder!" she added, her eyes glinting with mischief.
Mai lowered her cup slowly, her expression calm but her eyes cold. The sunlight flickered across her pale face as her words fell, deliberate and sharp. "Unlike so many of your husbands," she said, her tone even, "mine is responsible for the lives of many. And many lives could be turned upside down with a single word."
The laughter died. The garden fell silent except for the faint hum of cicadas in the heat. An-Ni's color drained, her gaze dropping to her tea. The other women stared down at their saucers, afraid to move or breathe.
Mai rose suddenly, her chair scraping against the marble as the hem of her gown swept around her legs. "This is finished," she said quietly, the frustration in her voice trembling just beneath control. Her long attire trailed behind her as she turned to leave, the fire-red embroidery on her sleeves catching the sun like living flame. The women watched her go, fear and shame mingling in their faces as they realized they may have crossed the Fire Lady herself.
