a little death ✹ ZUKO

𝟬𝟬𝟰 Her Departure

Chapter Four
HER DEPARTURE

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FEIFEI made a promise with Prince Yichen to find him in the future, and that moment has arrived. She is determined to find him, as well as her father, no matter the obstacles she may face.

She moves about her bedroom, gathering all the essentials for her upcoming journey with the Avatar and his friends to the Northern Water Tribe, where they'll be learning waterbending. She hastily stuffs her belongings──clothes, books, and scrolls──into her messenger bags. She's brought along two small bags: one for her clothing and the other for her reading materials.

Next, she heads to the reading room at the end of the hall, where Ruyi usually plans training sessions for the warriors. Without much deliberation, she hastily packs the room's contents. She grabs whatever she can, stuffing all the waterbending scrolls into her bag. Those scrolls had been sitting untouched in the reading room for months, but she figures they might come in handy on her adventure.

The room is in disarray when she exits. Parchments, books, brush pens, and ink bottles litter the floor haphazardly. She pays little mind to the mess, her focus on the urgency of her departure. Aang and the others are already waiting for her at their temporary residence.

As Feifei approaches the entrance door of her house, she lets out a startled scream upon seeing her mother standing on the porch. In the moonlight, her mother appears almost like a floating ghost, clad in a yellow Hanfu that gleams white.

"Mother!" Feifei exclaims, her face lighting up. "You weren't at the grand feast. Where were you?"

"The king's a bit of a lunatic, why would I be there?" her mother replies with a chuckle. "His greed for wealth is otherworldly, and I am saddened to see that our people are blindly worshipping him like dogs . . ."

Feifei gasps at the harsh words. "Mother! How could you!"

"You and I both know it's true," her mother retorts, raising an eyebrow haughtily. She then places a hand on Feifei's shoulder and leads her toward the gate. "Your father must be proud of who you've become, little Feifei . . . and your sister . . . I don't know if she can be saved from this island."

"I thought you didn't believe that Father is still out there," Feifei says to her mother, her voice tinged with confusion.

The mother raps her daughter on the arm, scolding her like a little kid. Feifei lets out a yelp of pain and rubs her arm.

"When did I say that?" the mother asks, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"B-Because you never talk about Father anymore! So, I thought you believe he di──" Feifei is cut off short when she receives another rap from her mother. "Ow, stop that!"

"Just because I never talk about your father anymore, it doesn't mean I don't believe he's still out there fighting for the greater good!" The mother shakes her head, more in disappointment than anger, at her daughter's assumption. Perhaps her daughter is right, she considers, for not discussing her husband anymore. "Let's not waste any more of your time now, Feifei . . . I have something to give you. Avatar Suijin asked me to give it to you . . ."

Feifei's eyes widen at the mention of Suijin's name. "A-Avatar Suijin?! How?!"

"Her spirit sometimes roams around the mountains during the full moon," the mother reveals before smiling. "And I can see spirits, you see... that's why I'm always at the mountains, befriending the spirits that roam there. They're very kind and interesting, really."