The Traitor Princess

Book 2: Earth | Chapter 27 - Prologue

"Eziri..." a soft voice echoed all around her. She stood in a misty fog only lit by the moonlight. "Eziri..."

Eziri looked all around her but couldn't see anything. The fog was so dense she could barely even see her own hands.

"Eziri." The voice came from right behind her. She spun around and came face to face with the white-haired princess.

"Yue?" Eziri whispered. Yue gave her a soft smile then faded into the fog. "No! Wait!" Eziri ran with no destination in sight. "Yue! Come back!" She frantically searched the fog around her but couldn't see anything. "Yue!"

—

Eziri sat up straight in her hammock and struggled to breathe. She placed her hand on her chest and focused on evening out her ragged breaths. It was just a dream. She told herself.

She hopped down out of her hammock and made her way to the deck of the ship. She stood along the railing and looked up at the moon. Its bright glow illuminated the night. Eziri looked down at the water and sighed.

Every time she fell asleep, Yue would haunt her dreams. She couldn't decide what she hated worse: the terror she felt from the dreams about her father, or the grief and guilt she felt from her dreams about Yue. Both were awful in their own way.

"Can't sleep?" Eziri turned her head and saw Katara walking over. She shook her head and turned her attention back to the waves. "Is it Yue?"

Eziri felt her eyes burn with unshed tears. She stiffly nodded.

"I'm sorry. Yue seemed like a really great person."

"She was." Eziri whispered.

Katara but her lip, unsure if she really wanted to say what was on her mind. She thought it over and decided to speak up.

"Eziri, it wasn't Sokka's—"

"Shut up!" Eziri snapped. "I don't want to talk about this." Eziri stormed off and left Katara alone by the railing. Sokka poked his head out once she was gone.

"She's going to hate me forever." Sokka shuffled over to his sister and leaned his elbows on the railing

"She doesn't hate you." Sokka gave her an unimpressed look. "Okay, maybe she hates you a little." Sokka rolled his eyes. "But she's just grieving. She'll come to her senses sooner or later."

"Katara, she won't even look at me."

"Just give her some time. She can't stay angry forever."

Sokka scoffed. "Have you seen her family? I'm pretty sure anger is their favorite emotion." Eziri hadn't spoken to Sokka since the night Yue sacrificed herself. She blamed him for what happened and it was tearing Sokka apart. She wouldn't even look at him, let alone be in the same room with him. She was his best friend, the girl he'd been pining after for weeks, and she couldn't even stand the sight of him.

—

The next morning, Aang, Katara, and Sokka sat on deck eating breakfast together. Eziri had grabbed her own and isolated herself; something she was doing more and more.

"How much longer until we're in the Earth Kingdom?" Aang asked. Sokka was looking over the map in front of him.

"Hm...I think we should be there by tomorrow."

"Are you excited to see Bumi again?" Aang nodded at Katara. "I wonder how long it'll take you to learn earthbending. I mean, you picked up waterbending pretty quickly."

Their conversation was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. The trio turned around and saw Eziri standing awkwardly.

"Um, I've decided that I'm no longer going to travel with you guys."

"What?!" Aang screeched.

"Just let me finish." Eziri shifted her weight nervously. "When we arrive in the Earth Kingdom, I'm gonna go on my own. Aang, I'm still willing to teach you firebending. I'll send you a letter with my location once I find somewhere permanent to stay. When you're finished learning earthbending just send a hawk and we'll resume your training."

Aang stood and started shaking his head. "No. No, you can't leave."

"I'm sorry, Aang. I think it's best if I'm on my own for a while."

"Ezi, please." Aang begged. Eziri looked away from him. She knew one look at those big, gray eyes would be enough to break her resolve. She faced away from them and spoke over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. It's already decided." She left her three friends in stunned silence.

Aang plopped back onto the deck and tried his best not to cry.

"She...she can't be serious." Katara said in disbelief.

"I think she is." Sokka said sadly.

–

Eziri avoided her friends for the remainder of their journey. On the inside, she was wrecked about leaving. She loved her friends more than she could ever express and she truly didn't want to leave them. However, she didn't feel like herself. She couldn't get the events at the North Pole out of her mind. It was affecting her deeply and she knew her judgment was off. Her mind was clouded with grief and anger; she was just one big emotional bomb waiting to explode. It would make her a liability to the group. She didn't want to put anyone at risk while she was still struggling so she needed to get away and recover on her own.

Eziri quietly packed her belongings in the morning before her friends woke up. She walked up to the deck and patiently waited for them to reach land.

"Can I talk to you?" Eziri stiffened at the sound of Sokka's voice. She didn't acknowledge him, just stayed rooted to her spot, staring out at the waves. Sokka's footsteps approached and he leaned against the railing beside her.

"Y-you don't have to say anything. I just..." Sokka sighed. "I don't want you to leave because of me. Honestly, it'd probably be better if I left. I mean, besides being Aang's teacher, you're the best person to protect them if they get into trouble. So I guess I just...What I'm saying is..." Sokka took a deep breath. "Please stay. I'll leave when we get to shore. I can always find my dad and join his fleet or something. But you....You should stay with them." Sokka looked at Eziri, hoping for a response. She didn't say anything, so he pushed himself off the railing and started to walk away.

"I can't." Sokka turned back around and furrowed his brow. He couldn't help the way his heart skipped a beat at the fact that she finally spoke to him.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I..." Eziri's lip quivered and she tried to keep control of her emotions. "I need to be alone."

Sokka didn't understand what she meant. He just thought she was making up an excuse. He knew she was really leaving because of him. But he would do anything to get her to stay.

"Can you at least stick around until we get to Omashu?" Eziri opened her mouth to speak but Sokka beat her to it. "I mean, it'll be easier for you to leave from the city. You can find some means of travel and get a proper map..." Sokka trailed off. "Just...stay until we get to Omashu. If you still want to leave when we get there, then I won't stop you."

Eziri looked down and considered what he said. She hated to admit it, but Sokka was right. She had few resources and no direction in mind. She could at least prepare for her journey in Omashu. It would be much easier to leave then. She turned her head slightly to the side and gave a swift nod.

Sokka couldn't help the small smile that crept on his face. "Okay...Omashu." He said quietly. He had so much more he wanted to say to her, but he decided to leave her alone. He didn't want to push his luck. 

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A/N: Yay book 2! Told you I wouldn't make ya wait too long :)

Thanks for reading!