**Coal Island. Residence of the Fire Lord's family. Ursa's chambers.**
Seated in a woven chair was one of the most beautiful women of the entire Fire Nation, who, despite her age, could easily rival younger maidens. As she combed her long, dark hair, the woman seemed lost in thought, her mind far away. Her slightly furrowed brows did not diminish her natural beauty but only hinted at the worries gnawing at her…
"Every time you tell yourself, enough, stop, don't do it, and every time you break your own promises…" thought Ursa, sinking deeper into the familiar, sweet feeling called "love." It was something she had only experienced in her youth, when she was about to marry Ikem.
"He probably thinks I'm a fallen woman, allowing myself such debauchery…" she began to dwell on another unpleasant thought.
"If only Mother were here, she'd surely give me some sound advice," another fleeting thought crossed her mind. "No, I can't write to them! That's not why I've stayed silent for so many years. I don't want them dragged into palace intrigues or to become victims of these rotten people!"
"Everything is so complicated," she sighed, the words escaping with a weary breath.
Setting aside the comb, she once again tried on her evening gown, specially brought for the traditional family theater outing.
She knew well that in many political marriages, mutual feelings didn't always develop. In such cases, husbands often took non-bending partners, and sometimes wives did the same, though with men, provided their families were powerful enough to prevent their husbands from dictating terms. The main thing was for her to bear him a male heir, and after that, they simply needed to keep their extramarital affairs discreet, presenting a happy and prosperous family to the public.
"I've fulfilled my duty, right? So maybe I can live a little for myself?" she thought uncertainly, assessing her figure in the gown. "It wasn't for nothing that I started exercising," she noted with satisfaction, acknowledging her obvious progress.
"Dimmed lights, the last row, just the two of us…" Ursa had already forgotten her warnings, fully imagining how their theater outing would unfold, with their usual private box reserved.
Uninvited, memories of the first day he had touched her with his fingers flooded her mind. She immediately felt a pleasant tingling in her already moistening core, forcing her to change her underwear again. She hadn't thought that even without true intimacy, such a strong effect was possible. It could become an addiction…
Though it was to be expected from a woman who, in all her years, had known only one position—and even that during the act itself—and wasn't particularly eager to engage with her partner.
* * *
**Wan. Coal Island. The same day.**
The theater was packed to the rafters; after all, local performances were wildly popular, and this was their peak season. Our seats were right in the center, on a raised platform, subtly showcasing our status.
Azula and Zuko sat in the row below us, while the guards were scattered throughout the hall. Only the four of us sat in the private box. Five minutes later, the lights dimmed, leaving only the stage illuminated. Soon, a dashing man with stylish sideburns and gleaming eyes stepped onto the stage.
"For the first time on this stage, and in the entire Fire Nation, the love story of Oma and Shu will be performed! Their true feelings shattered the chains of centuries-old hatred between their clans!" he began, his well-trained voice modulating with emotion. "I won't keep you waiting… Let's begin!" he concluded quickly, to polite applause.
It would be interesting to see how the Fire Nation interpreted this play. I'd already seen it in the Earth Kingdom, but I doubted it would be identical here. After all, the cast and mindset were different.
"Finally, something new," Zuko muttered quietly, tired of watching the same performances every year.
The backstory of the conflict began, and soon the main characters appeared. I must admit, the acting was superb, though I'm not much of a critic—I usually enjoy everything. With no cinemas in this world, as they say, even a non-bender is a master in their absence…
Before a third of the performance had passed, I felt Ursa lean her head on my shoulder, gently taking my hand. The hint was clear: don't forget the romance of the back row…
Glancing around cautiously, I saw most of the audience engrossed in the unfolding drama on stage. No one was looking up, and even if they had, the darkness would have obscured any view.
Turning to Ursa, I met her expectant gaze and slightly parted lips. As our eyes locked, our faces slowly drew closer. Unable to hold my gaze, Ursa closed her eyes, blinking rapidly.
Soon, our lips met in a tender first kiss. Time seemed to pause for a moment, and my heart raced as if ignited by fire…
It clearly wasn't enough, so gently cupping her chin and brushing aside a stray strand of hair, I claimed her lips again, this time using my tongue.
"I'm so bad," Ursa breathed heavily, "Dreaming of another man and doing such indecent things right in front of my children," she continued, with a hint of self-reproach.
"The blame is mine too," I replied, admiring her flushed face, "But the heart wants what it wants," I finished, resuming our interrupted activity with fervor.
Ursa responded just as passionately, her mischievous fingers making their way to my lower companion.
"I want to please you too," she explained, pulling out my ready-for-battle soldier. "So big," she exclaimed, impressed at the sight.
Without another word, she began moving her hand, but soon realized she'd need the other one too. The background music and loud voices on stage drowned out any telltale sounds. Otherwise, they might have noticed the Fire Lord's wife eagerly pleasuring another man.
Before long, my hands took on a life of their own. One slipped into her partially exposed cleavage, briefly fondling her breast before moving further. Finding her nipple, I gently stimulated it. The other hand went much further, like a cunning snake, sliding under her gown. Even her panties couldn't stop it.
Her already familiar folds were quite moist, so without further preparation, my fingers slipped inside.
I managed to muffle her almost-escaped moan with a rough kiss. Ursa's hand sped up, spurred by my actions. Parting her gown slightly, I gained access to her snow-white, delectable-looking breasts.
The hand that had been teasing her breast was now in her mouth, two fingers securely plugging any sudden, loud, and unwanted moans. Ursa, her mind already clouded by lust, began eagerly licking my fingers.
My lips took turns kissing her upper assets. Occasionally, I used my teeth, leaving a trail of marks leading to her perkily erect nipples. Pressing against her left nipple, I began suckling it skillfully, hoping somewhere in my twisted soul to taste the essence of life.
Her reaction was swift. My fingers, now seemingly at home inside her, were clenched tightly as warm streams of her love juices flowed over them. Her fingers gripped my member just as tightly.
"Give me a second," she gasped, pausing briefly.
Within half a minute, she resumed her movements with renewed vigor. Soon, I finished too, coating her hands with my thick seed.
"Here, take this," she whispered, pulling small towels from her bag.
"Prepared," I thought, "So it was all planned in advance."
Five minutes later, intermission was announced. Guests eagerly discussed what they'd seen, while others ordered food. Ursa did her best to compose herself, but simply lacked the strength to get up and move.
"Go buy yourselves something," she handed money to her children, comfortably lounging in her seat.
"One more round after the break," I whispered, placing my hand on her knee once the children had left.
"Mmm," Ursa hummed affirmatively, content.
After a brief pause, the story continued, and so did our games…
In the time allotted, Ursa had two more moments of release, with a break in between, as she simply wasn't ready to continue. I managed to finish once more.
Still, Jun and Dria had shown me just how tight and gripping a woman's core could be, so the work of simple, though tender, hands wasn't as thrilling. I'd take tight holes and mouths any day.
Having sufficiently quenched our passions, we spent the last five minutes chatting calmly.
"I hope I haven't fallen in your eyes," she suddenly said.
"Why would I see you that way?" I asked.
"Well, it's been less than six months, and I'm already pursuing my children's tutor, with a living husband no less," she began listing. "And also…"
"Shh," I placed a finger on her lips, "In my eyes, I see a beautiful woman simply searching for her love, and that's what matters."
"Wan," she said my name tenderly, leaning in and gently kissing my lips and face. "We must never show our relationship! I don't want to lose you. If someone finds out, they might harm you…"
"Everything will be fine," I reassured her, stroking her face, "For now, we'll just go with the flow, and we'll see what happens. Later, you'll learn about my plans and stop worrying so much."
The remaining days of the holidays followed a similar pattern. Each day was filled with various events. Ursa and I managed to play a few more times, though without crossing the line. The guards were vigilant, and Ursa, despite her openness, wasn't yet ready to take the final step. I'm in no rush, so I'm not pushing. We'll get there eventually.
"Now it's almost a full year of studying," Azula said glumly, watching the shrinking silhouette of Coal Island.
"Tell me about it," Zuko agreed, equally unhappy, "I'd rather train with Teacher Wan and Dayku…"
Dayku was Zuko's combat instructor, not quite on par with Piandao, but a very strong warrior with his own achievements.
"You'll still come back on weekends," I ruffled their hair, "And I haven't excused you from my assignments," I continued more menacingly.
As Azula told me, their Academy has a six-day school week, with the last class on Saturday ending at lunchtime. So they could be back at the Palace by evening. Occasionally, they'd be kept for events, but that wasn't frequent.
Sensing the impending separation, Azula seemed unable to get enough of my company, following me around the ship like a little shadow. Ursa joked, "A rival is growing," not realizing the joke would later become truth…
For now, we watched the amusing performance of Zuko and Azula acting out the roles of Oma and Shu. They shouldn't have bothered their mother; now they're reaping what they've sown…
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