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Dragon's prey	By : ajj77sunhawk Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Slash - Male/Male > Sokka/Zuko Views: 20843 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
The bad humour of the threats on another site (luckly this iste is not affected) did feed a writers block that I have been having and slowed down the process,...
Thanks for all the support – and this has not yet been edited by my super Beta, will repost after.
Oh fair warning – you may want to kill me at the end of this – and the chappie is the beginning point in response to the votes I took a LONG time ago. Thanks for voting – and by he way the decision is I have to make a tie breaker cause it was too close. :P So I'll keep you guessing.

This has been edited by super beta BrukelFlesch, thanks for you patience :)

Read – review and enjoy

Chapter 20 : Freezing... cold... so cold

Zuko stood discussing matters of state with the ministers; it took a great deal of tact, patience and stamina to put up with the ridiculous wiles of court. Speaking to badgerfrogs on the whole was much more rewarding. Initially, with the Dragon Spirit and fear clawing at him, court had been unbearable, but now knowing that he had Sokka to return to – knowing that after the ceremony Sokka would be with him – helped the Fire Lord put up witt the nonsense, and he was slowly beginning to appreciate the mental gymnastics.

The Avatar and Katara had been gone for a week, and it was a week to the unification ceremony; things should have been wonderful, but—as usual—something had gone wrong. Zuko winced as he remembered the farce that had taken place two days ago. Damn it, he had hurt Sokka – again. The look in his Prey's had been a look Zuko never wanted to see on Sokka's face again...but how was he to avoid it?

He was the Fire Lord – he needed to have children. He knew it, Sokka knew it, and so, at Sokka's urging, they had brought in the concubines. Sokka had chosen one of the more beautiful but older women to be the possible bearer of their children. The woman named Akila was soft-spoken, graceful, and had a core of practicality that was, well, intimidating. She was the 9th child in a family with 17 children; she wanted a comfortable life. She could take care of children, but having looked after her younger siblings, she had no real attachment to the young nor did she particularly want a child of her own. She loved the idea of being the bearer of the next Fire Lord and having the security of it, but she was more than willing to have someone else raise a child of hers. Her bloodlines were impeccable, and she and Zuko had gotten on well in the past. Zuko had very much approved of Sokka's choice.

That night everything had been planned, Akila had joined them in their evening meal and the atmosphere was comfortable and anticipatory. Sokka had been at his entertaining best, joking and keeping the food, drink, and words flowing.

A little intoxicated, the three of them adjourned to the bed chambers, Zuko first pulling Sokka to him and kissing him thoroughly. Akila felt herself flush at the sight; her Lord's Prey moved with a sensuousness that she could only envy. Desire rose in her as she felt blood pool in her abdomen. Her nipples beneath the sheer red cloth hardened in anticipation.

Zuko raised his head from Sokka and stretched out a hand towards Akila, which she eagerly grasped. Releasing Sokka, Zuko pulled her to him. His body hard from Sokka's presence, he kissed the soft lips, – their texture and taste so different from Sokka's. Her lips were sweet, warm, skilled, and inviting.

It was a good kiss, but it was a pale comparison to the fire and addictive taste of Sokka's.

How was he supposed to be satisfied with a weak drink after having tasted the most intoxicating and rich spirit in the world?

He felt the urge to push her away and go back to taking only the best, but he refrained: he knew his duty. He could not short-change the Fire Nation because of his own whims.

He could sense Sokka near him, and it was enough to keep his body functioning. Zuko deliberately focused on his duty at hand, and moved away from her lips to kiss her cheek and neck. He began removing her clothing, and Akila, being well-versed in the ways of the flesh, assisted, eager to feel the Fire Lord inside her. Soon they were both naked on the bed.

To make sure she was ready and prepared, Zuko kissed his way down to her breasts, his mind planning how best to keep her interested and how to go about the whole business in an expedient manner. He recalled that she enjoyed it when he had nuzzled against her full breasts and proceeded to do so. She shuddered in reaction, curling her fingers into Zuko’s dark hair. His hand worked its way down to test her readiness; she moaned in heated response and pressed closer to his warmth. She was wet and open. Zuko positioned himself and began a slow, easy penetration as she wrapped her legs around him in invitation.

Akila felt the warmth of the Fire Lord move within her; it felt good. She shuddered and tossed her head on the pillows, her eyes half open, wanting to see her Lord. Then she went cold, all the heat of the Fire Lord left her. “My Lord, stop!” she whispered urgently, unwrapping herself from Zuko and feeling a small twinge of disappointment when he immediately pulled away, almost unaffected by the act.

Zuko looked at Akila in surprise as he immediately pulled back on her words. He was stunned to see tears in her eyes as she pointed to the side. Zuko spun around and to his horror Sokka was standing with military control on the side of the bed, his back to them, his hands pressed tight to his ears. Zuko scrambled off the bed, Akila forgotten. He spun Sokka around.

Sokka’s eyes were blank and devoid of anything resembling joy, all the laughter and life earlier had been replaced with an echoing, haunted emptiness. Instead of radiating cooling warmth, the warrior was cold as ice, like he had retreated to a dark place in himself. His body seemed brittle, ready to shatter at any moment.

“Sokka!” Zuko shook the warrior urgently, relief flooding him as consciousness returned to the blue eyes. Zuko wrapped his arms around Sokka and held him close.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Sokka whispered brokenly. “I thought I could, but I can’t. I can’t watch you with someone else, I can’t...bear it. Hearing it, seeing it… Please, please let me go to another room. Please, Zuko, I can’t be here, I’m not strong enough. I know you need her, I know this needs to be done, but...please, Zuko, don’t make me watch this.”

“Sokka!” Zuko whispered helplessly, tears that Sokka could not shed clouding Zuko’s eyes. Zuko cursed the spirits – cursed the universe, for putting him in a position where those he loved were getting hurt. “Sokka, I can’t without you, and I WON’T if it hurts you like this.”

“NO! You have to, you are the Fire Lord: you HAVE to! I-I will…but—” Sokka tried to get back his earlier determination and failed miserably. His face twisting in agony, he pressed close into the crook of Zuko’s neck.

Zuko stroked Sokka’s back comfortingly. “Sokka, it’s alright, there is still plenty of time. We are rushing things. We don’t have to have an heir now; we can wait a few years. We have time. Please, Sokka, I’m the one at fault, I am the one who is sorry. I am the one not strong enough to do what I have to do without you! I am so sorry, Sokka. It is my weakness, not yours, that is hurting you.”

The young couple held each other tight, comforting and being comforted in return.

Finally they pulled apart, and rather sheepishly both turned to Akila, who was now dressed and sitting primly on the side of the bed. She had a rather mushy look on her face, one that said, “Awww, you are so cute,” and the Fire Lord and Sokka felt themselves blush under the idolatrous stare.

Then Zuko, realizing that he was the only one still stark naked, went red all over as he grabbed his robe and hastily pulled it on.

“Akila, I’m sorr—,” Sokka began, but he was cut off when she stood and then gracefully knelt before him.

“Lord Sokka, it is I that must apologize for causing you pain. You are dear to us all, my Lord; forgive me for not noticing your pain earlier.” Akila’s words rang with sincerity and Sokka felt his jaw come unhinged.

“B-b-buh,” Sokka stammered intelligently.

“No buts, my Lord. The Fire Lord speaks true; it is you who are dear to us. The heirs can come later. It is most important that Lord Sokka is happy in the Fire Nation.” The Lady spoke firmly as she stood and nodded at the both of them, and Zuko smiled at the show of loyalty.

“Thank you,” Zuko and Sokka said together. She smiled and bowed before she quietly left. Both men were impressed by her fortitude and bearing, and extremely grateful for her tact in what could easily have been a painful and (more) embarrassing situation.

The Fire Lord and his Prey did not make love that night; instead they sat close to each other and spoke in soft tones of inconsequential things until they fell asleep in each other’s arms. Sokka rose with the sun, and it was he that initiated sex, possessively touching Zuko, mapping the pale skin and making the Fire Lord his again.

Zuko shook his head from the rather pleasant memory of the morning, snapping his attention back to the court. He had not really lied: they had time, and Zuko could easily postpone having a child for five or even ten years, but while those in the army and castle – secure beneath the wings of the Wolf-Hawk – were more than willing to wait, the average Fire Nation citizen was still uncertain and insecure in the country’s leadership. They needed to see an heir to the throne, or unrest could easily stir among them. After so many years of war and insecurity, his people deserved all the comfort they could get.

Zuko felt caught. He knew that if word got around to Sokka of the people’s unhappiness, he would swallow his own needs and do whatever it took to ensure Zuko had his heir. The Fire Lord did not want to put his blue-eyed wonder in that situation, but he had a sinking feeling that short of keeping Sokka forever in the Prey’s quarters, as soon as Sokka mingled with the common folk he would realize his people’s worries. Zuko would put money on Sokka finding out the day after the ceremony; his blasted warrior was just too smart. Try as he might, Zuko could not come up with a way to protect Sokka from the fears and talk of the commoners. Worse, there was no way for Zuko to protect Sokka from Sokka’s own sense of honor and responsibility. If Sokka insisted, Zuko knew he would not have the will to deny him. That was the power of the Prey, after all.

In the end it was the Prey who caught and owned the Dragon. Zuko sighed again. It was ironic that he was the Fire Lord but in this situation he was the most powerless one. His people and his Prey were the hands that controlled his destiny.

Bah! On top of all the emotional upheaval, Zuko, much to his disgust, had developed an almost constant low-grade headache. The healers had deemed nothing physically wrong with him, and had – with what looked suspiciously like smirks to him – suggested the headache was caused more from the stress and anticipation of the upcoming ceremony than anything. A common occurrence among grooms, they assured him. Since he never noticed the headache when the delicious tanned body was in his sight, Zuko had to give that theory some credence.

A year ago—hell, truth be told, until that incident on the battlements—his people would have been too afraid of the reaction of the Fire Spirit to make such disrespectful suggestions to him, even as a joke. That they dared do so now showed how much he had changed. His father would never have allowed such a casual observation to be thrown at him. Zuko examined his own reactions and was pleased to see that while he was slightly irritated at the teasing, he was for the most part relieved that his people were no longer so afraid of him. They were accepting him not just as a king but as a man and a fellow member of the Fire Nation. It was a good feeling.

It was getting late in the day, and court was slowly winding down, when Fire Lord Zuko, in the middle of making a judgment, suddenly went silent. His eyes staring into space, a blast of furnace-like heat engulfed the throne room and then vanished, leaving behind a deadly chill in the air. Zuko cried out in shock and sank to his knees as the strength suddenly drained from him.

For the first time since he had been to the Poles in the search of the Avatar, Zuko felt a chill that invaded his very bones. He sat actually shivering, and for a second his mind was caught by the novelty of the sensation. Since the Fire Spirit had taken residence in him, he had never felt freezing cold.

The Fire Spirit!

As quickly as it came, the attack of cold receded and warmth flooded Zuko—warmth, not the raging heat.

Zuko felt a wave a relief. The Spirit had not left him or died, it was still inside him – but somehow further away. It was not eating his own blood – the bond was still strong – but distant, much easier to control. The bond was no longer killing him in its desire for fuel. Zuko did not understand it; the unification had not taken place. What had drained the excess energy so?

As expected a part of him felt relief and freedom, but surprising even himself a greater part of him felt it was wrong. He actually want the Fire Spirit back to normal; this calming of the flame within felt wrong.

What in the name of the spirits had just happened?

Zuko felt confused and lost, and then a word rang in his head—Sokka—and his confusion faded as fear took its place. He was on his feet and running before the gathered courtiers recollected their wits enough to check if the Fire Lord was well.

In the Prey's room, on top of carpets made by numerous textures and thread, a lone figure lay sprawled out. A deathly silence filled the usually warm space.

--tbc--

Okay, yes, I am evil. :P What can I say? Take guesses as to what is going on please. The story can go a couple of ways from here – and I am kinda open to ideas and making small changes, so please review.
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Dragon's prey