Whirlwind [Avatar Aang]

☁Chapter Five☁

Today was the day -- finally. King Bumi's official state funeral was today, and Nazadori was prepared to put her beloved king to rest. All the leaders and monarchs had traveled to Omashu to pay respects to Bumi, the wonderful man who was king of Omashu for so long. The only person that hadn't come yet was the Earth King, which was fine with Nazadori since he was busy running the rest of the Earth Kingdom. 

The Avatar and Fire Lord arrived earlier in the day, being the last two to join the private ceremony. Nazadori already knew that the Fire Lord was a handsome man since she had seen posters of his face all over the city after his coronation, but she wasn't expecting the Avatar to be so . . . quiet. In a good way, of course. He was quiet for obvious reasons, and she could sense his pain about the death of his oldest friend. Out of the corner of her eye to the left, she saw the Avatar sitting next to the Fire Lord, sitting as tall as he could, staring dead ahead. The Avatar's handsome face was drawn into a frown, and Nazadori was drawn back to the service as the two Grand Lectors sang an old Earth Kingdom hymn.

Nazadori's mind wandered as she stared at the earthen casket in front of her, trying not to sob in front of all the men of the world. The city was ready for the bigger funeral later. Over the past couple of days, the guards and messengers sent out messages to the people of Omashu, alerting them about the official funeral for King Bumi. They knew the ritual: put out their best products, like flowers and food, especially jennamite as it was King Bumi's favorite candy, to offer to their neighbors and friends to help them during the mourning process. Everyone would work together to grieve their fallen king while also helping each other remain happy because that was what King Bumi would have wanted for them.

The two Grand Lectors finished their hymns, and a small clapping sounded through the small prayer chamber. Nazadori listened as Gazon and the two Grand Lectors went through the private funeral process in the inner prayer chamber that they had added after the Fire Nation were pushed out of the palace, with them praying over Bumi's cold and decaying body and them talking about how Bumi was one of the greatest monarchs Omashu ever had. This was the end of the private ceremony, where only the leaders and monarchs of the world (and the members of the White Lotus) could attend. The public funeral would happen later in front of the people of Omashu with the Grand Lectors leading it.

"Dearly beloved, thank you all for gathering here today," Gazon said, with the two Grand Lectors standing at his side, at the front of the congregation of the most important people of the world. "King Bumi was a vital figure in the Earth Kingdom's history and in the Hundred Year's War. Thank you all for being able to join us and to remember the special King Bumi. Now that the service is officially concluded, we will move to the reception room where there are refreshments. After that, the advisors, Grand Lectors, and I will lead the public service if any of you are interested in attending that."

She watched as the Grand Lectors and Gazon bowed in sync. Nazadori bowed her head solemnly, quickly bringing her hands up to swipe away rouge tears that fell down her cheeks. Once she started crying, though, she couldn't stop. Her throat was raw with her previously unshed tears, and she sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to calm her aching heart. Lifting her head, she looked at Gazon to see him nodding toward the congregation. The men slowly stood up, quietly conversing with each other.

Nazadori glanced down the aisle and saw Avatar Aang, his shoulders hunched together. Fire Lord Zuko had moved away from him, embracing the leader of the White Lotus -- Iroh, his uncle. Her eyes focused back on Aang, and she noticed a few tears rolling down his cheeks at the sight of Bumi's earthen coffin, but he had a small smile on his face, presumably remembering the good times they had together. She assumed she looked the same because she had been crying during the private service, too. It was such an emotional moment for her because this told her that this was actually happening, that Bumi was actually dead.