Kya passed between the men and heard the doors boom closed behind her. She looked around the room. It was impressive. It was large too. There were fires burning in golden bowls in all four corners. Candles adorned paper lanterns on the ceiling. A large round red sheeted bed with a dramatic canopy stood in the center of the room. There were stiff wooden chairs and soft lounging couches. A large window stared out at a interior garden. And a massive mural of a fire bender standing below a comet adorned the opposite wall.
On a low table sat a tankard. A large red clay pitcher, a tea pot and three smaller tea cups. Kya grinned in delight.
"Wonderful. All has been set up." Ursa lead Kya to the low table and kneeled on a large overstuffed silk cushion. Kya sat down on a cushion across from Ursa. Ursa cleared her throat and looked meaningfully towards a bare patch of the floor.
"That is my husbands seat Kya. This time I will permit it. But never commit an accident like that before us." Kya quickly slipped off of the comfortable seat and onto the bare patch of cold marble. A chill went through her. She stiffened and licked her lips. Her head felt light and her core tight. Her mind was still reeling from the events that had lead to here.
The attack on the village, Katara and her being captured, the ship journey, the bathroom filled with steam, the presentation to the Fire Lord and his family. And now here she was. Seated across from the Lady Ursa in a room that she had never even thought of before now.
Ursa smiled as she pushed the tankard over towards Kya.
"Drink this. All of this." Ursa prompted. Kya looked down into the tankard. The thick smell wafted over her. If there was one thing that could be said of the fire nation it was that they enjoyed things being noticeable. Kya wrinkled her nose. The tankard was as long as her wrist to elbow, and as round as her fists held together. It was filled to the brim with a thick white liquid. Milk from some animal, with thick cheese curds floating around, and a thick cover of sugar powdered on the top. A long slimy trail of milk dripped down the side of the tankard. Dripping over Kya's fingers.
"Don't make me ask twice." Ursa said pointedly. Kya placed the lip of the glass to her lips and took a sip. The flavor was thick and heady and vaguely smokey. A cheese curl splashed against her lip. She pushed it away with her tongue. She lowered the tankard and looked at Ursa. Ursa frowned and shook her head warningly.
"I said drink it. All of it." Kya gulped and took a deep trembling breath. Centering herself. She put the tankard to her lips and took a bigger pull. She coughed as some of the cheese entered her mouth and she felt it slide down her throat. The milk was thick and hot, heated before being brought to her. She felt her throat begin to bulge. She began to lower the thick wooden tankard.
A bit of pressure on the bottom of the wood forced her to stop. Kya flicked her eyes open and looked up at Ursa. Ursa stood over her with a forceful look on her face. She did not lord over Kya. But she did stand above the other woman. The tankard remained firmly attached to Kya's lips.
"I said all of it. I mean all of it." Kya felt her throat spasm and she coughed. A bit of milk dripped down her chest, over her chin, she continued to drink. Chugging down more and more. The milk slowly turned into a fondue cheese like mixture until it resulted in the gritty overly sweet sugar. Her tongue probed, attempting to break the thick ball of sugar and salt and milk and cheese up into a more reasonable size. She gagged and finally swallowed the rest down. Only when Ursa was fully assured that the tankard was empty did she remove her finger. Kya's arms strained before she slammed the tankard down onto the table.
Kya gasped and coughed. Wiping her face and lips and chin with the back of one hand. Her eyes watered from the full steamy taste that stuck to her mouth, her tongue, her lips, and to her very nostrils. Ursa tutted before she picked up the pitcher and poured more of the chokingly thick concoction into the tankard.
"Well you simply must learn how to swallow. Here. Drink more. Finish it without my help this time." Ursa sat back down across from Kya with a little proud grin. Kya looked at her glass. A bit of steam was coming up from the warm drink sitting in front of her. Ursa poured herself a small cup of tea and began to daintiliy sip. She raised a warning eyebrow. Kya took a deep breath.
She snatched up the tankard. With both hands this time. She pressed it to her lips. Her eyes closed up and she began to chug. Leaning her head back and slurping as hard as she could. The milk and fat and cheese and sugar slid down her mouth. Leaving a thick film of taste behind. She toes curled in her uncomfortable shoes. Her hair stood on end. Her breath came quick. Some of the drink dripped down her nose. A small river worth dripped down her chin. There was just too much!
She finished the second tankard and placed it down. Panting. Her hair was sticky with sweat. She stared purposefully at Ursa. Ursa frowned and tutted again. Like a mother disciplining a child.
"Do not look at me like that." Kya glanced away. Ashamed. Her eyes looked towards the bed, the wall, the window. Her breasts heaved in their small tight bindings. She licked her lips. Some sugar had collected on her upper lip. She swallowed it with a dry click.
Ursa pushed the tankard and the pitcher over to Kya and waited silently. Kya picked up the pitcher and poured the last of the drink into the tankard. She took a deep breath. This stuff was going down. She had to choke it down. Even if it humiliated her. She had to choke it down.
She picked up the tankard in her shaking hands. Her shoulders trembling. Every inch of her rejecting the possibility of drinking more of the foul stuff.
"Wait." Ursa said holding up a hand. Kya paused. The drink halfway to her lips.
"Not in that. In this." Ursa leaned over and came back up holding a pet bowl. It was round and squat. And had no real lip or anywhere that Kya could rest her lips. Kya gulped as Ursa placed the bowl on the table.
"Please…." Kya mumbled out.
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