Whirlwind [Avatar Aang]

☁Chapter Seventeen☁

The sun had set hours ago, yet it was still warm outside in the dark sky. Nazadori and Aang's legs dangled over the edge of the mail system, and she leaned back on her hands to gaze up at the moon and the stars shining down on them. Her heart already felt so much lighter up here in the sky with an amazing boy by her side. 

Aang and Nazadori remained silent for the longest time. She was grateful that he didn't say anything to her because she probably would have lost her mind if he asked her how she was doing or what was going on in her head. Right now, she didn't even know what was going on, let alone how she could explain to Aang everything. It was better for her to think things through. 

A sweet breeze blew through the air, ruffling her hair that she pulled out of the bun it was in during the feast. She glanced over at Aang and saw his right hand raised, his fingers wiggling slightly. A small smile spread across her face at the sight of him airbending, and he caught her eye, smiling, too. There was something dark in his eyes, though, something that matched the dark dragon curling up in the pit of her stomach. 

He dropped his hands to his sides, gently brushing against her bare arm. In the dark of the night, she felt her cheeks heat up. She couldn't focus on her feelings for him. No, she was too caught up in her swirling emotions about the feast they just came from and how people were believing the rumors about her. 

"The food was good," Aang said, making her laugh. Of all the things he could have talked about, he chose the food. "We chose amazing food."

"I'm glad you thought so," she said, shaking her head. She wasn't sure how he was able to joke about things when they were both drowning in dark feelings. "Everything else was a disaster, though."

"My friends like you, too," Aang said, continuing on with his happy speech. He nudged her shoulder with his, a sly grin on his face. "They think you're going to be an amazing queen."

"They're the only ones, Aang."

Aang shook his head, looking back out at the city that lay beneath their feet. Nazadori followed his gaze and saw lanterns lit up as people walked home. Their cheers rose up even though they were far away, and her heart hammered against her chest. "I think there are people that think you're the one for the job," he said, and Nazadori glanced at him. His head was cocked to the side, his gray eyes clouded over. "People thought I wasn't going to save the world because I ran away from my duties. I had to show people that I could do it, that I had it within myself to save the world. For a while there, I lost who I was, but I was reminded along the way who I was."

"How'd you remember who you were?"

Aang's smile turned sad. "I had an airbending teacher that was my best friend and mentor," he said, wriggling his fingers again. A small breeze blew through her hair, pulling her closer to his side. Her back was starting to hurt from hunching over, but she didn't want to leave his presence just yet. "His name was Gyatso. He told me that I had it within me to be the Avatar, that I was kind, peaceful, and a leader. I lost my way during my journey a few years ago, but his words came back to me through my new friends." He turned toward her and said, "You need to remember who you are, Nazadori."

Her eyes pricked with hot tears as a memory of Bumi resurfaced. For a moment there, she was transported back to the palace. Bumi and Nazadori were talking about the school system there in Omashu when he turned toward her and said those exact words. She wasn't sure what prompted him to say that. Maybe it had something to do with the way she lashed out at everyone. Or the time when she believed all the lies people said about her at school -- about how she wasn't a citizen of Omashu, about how she wasn't related to her family. She had forgotten about that conversation until Aang said it.