Whirlwind [Avatar Aang]

☁Chapter Two☁

"Rude."

Before Nazadori could answer, she heard the front door slam open. Hurrying down the hallway, she sighed when she saw her brother carrying a bag full of vegetables into the house, setting it on the table that was low to the floor. Her mother floated into the house, gently shutting the door behind her. She looked right at Nazadori, who ducked back into the hallway, her heart racing in her chest. 

"They're back," Mava said like Nazadori didn't just watch the rest of their family enter the house. Sneaking a glance over at her older sister, Nazadori saw her staring at her with her dark green eyes. "You said you will tell us about your big news once they got back, and they're back now."

"I know, I know," she said, closing her eyes as she rested her head against the earthen wall. She sucked in a deep breath as her mind ran through all the possibilities of what she could do, like run away right then or pray to the spirits that she would melt through the floor. None of those things happened, so she said, "Go out there and distract them for a minute."

"But --"

"Please."

Mava left without another word, leaving Nazadori in the empty hallway. She opened her eyes, and she had the strongest urge to run away from everything. That'd be easier, right? For Nazadori, it would, but then she would live the city without a queen, and she couldn't do that. She pictured Bumi in her mind's eye, and he was grinning at her, looking like the man that found her in the streets so long ago. She had to do this -- for him. Only for him.

Pushing off of the wall, she slowly walked into the other room. Belang and Mava were sitting at the low table, eating lychee nuts that were in a small wooden bowl. Mother was putting the other food away in the kitchen. Nazadori cleared her throat, and the three of them glanced over at her. Mava gave her a small but encouraging nod, which was what Nazadori needed right then. 

"I have some news," she said softly. Mother motioned toward her, so she walked more into the room, but she didn't sit down with the rest of them besides her mother. Instead, she stood there, holding her hands in front of her body, staring at the three of them. Her cheeks heated up as they all stared at her expectantly. "Right, I have to tell you."

"What is it, honey?" Mother asked, cocking her head to the side. "What's wrong?"

"Um, Bumi is dead," Nazadori said, suddenly emotional. The advisors had all agreed that they wouldn't tell the public yet about the death of their beloved king. It was too soon for those closest to him, and those that weren't in the city were notified of his death so that they can clear their schedule for the upcoming funeral. She personally wrote the letter to the Avatar. But the public didn't know yet, not until the beginning of the funeral procession which was happening tomorrow. But she couldn't just not tell her family, not during one of the hardest times of her life. Seeing the shocked faces of her family hurt her deeply to the core, and it was all she could do to hold it together. "I was there when he died, and then the advisors told me that I . . ." She hesitated for a second. "I am going to be the next queen of Omashu."

For a second there, the three of them started at her, sadness and surprise fighting on their faces. Nazadori understood how they were feeling because she never thought in a million years that she would be queen of her home. It looked like her siblings thought the same way because Baleng said, "You're going to be queen? Who in their right mind would choose you?"

Nazadori swallowed hard, anger pushing her sadness away. "Bumi chose me," she snapped, balling her hands at her sides. "I get that you think I might not be the best choice, but at least you could be happy for me."

"I am happy," Baleng said, holding his hands up while Mava and Mother glared at him, "but I'm confused. Why were you chosen?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I'm going to be queen, and I don't have a say in that." Mother looked over at Nazadori with a look she couldn't read. She let out a sigh, shaking her head. She said, "We're going to start Bumi's funeral procession tomorrow, and I'd like you guys to come with me. I'm going to walk with the procession with the other advisors, but we're not going to tell the public who the next monarch is going to be."