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Izumi was awakened in the middle of the night by one of the palace nurses. They had come after days without rest, when she had finally fallen asleep in her parents’ chambers, little Ursa snuggled beside her, and Iroh hugging her from behind. A word didn’t have to be uttered for her to know that her mother was gone.
Iroh was also stirred by the light commotion and knew immediately what had happened to his grandmother. “I’ll stay with Ursa,” he spoke steadily, but the tears threatening to stream down his face said otherwise.
Placing a quick, chaste kiss on both her children, she slipped out of the room, wiping away the tears that streamed down her face as she made her final walk to the palace infirmary. It was a walk she had taken far too many times in the months leading up to this moment, a walk that made her stomach twist and chest tighten. Izumi prayed to Agni that she would never have to make that walk again.
She found her father standing by her bedside, his shoulders hanging defeatedly. His expression was somber, eyes wet with tears. They didn’t have to speak to each other, their expressions had said enough.
Carefully, she crept up to the bed, Zuko stepping aside to give her some space. Izumi felt her legs weaken as she let herself fall to her knees.
“No,” she croaked, letting her head rest beside her mother’s clammy hand, grasping at the silk blankets as she muffled a sob. “Don’t go…”
Mai felt small movements at the foot of the bed, followed by muffled giggles as a small lump formed beneath the blankets. It was late into the night, and Zuko fast asleep beside her. She had remained awake, however, heavily invested in a book she had found in the library.
“Who’s there?” she asked softly, a small smile forming on her lips.
More giggles ensued as the small lump under the covers crept closer.
“Is that Druk?” she questioned playfully, nudging the unknown creature with her knee. The small lump released a faint little growl, as they inched their way up to Mai’s waist.
“Hmm,” the Firelady pondered for a moment, placing her book down in her lap. “Don’t tell me we have a big rat running around.”
“Boo!” Izumi popped her head out from under the covers, her raven hair sticking up in all sorts of places from the static. Mai yelped, pretending to be shocked by the little critter that managed to infiltrate her room.
The young princess laughed, under the impression that she had successfully spooked her mother. “I got you, Mommy!”
“You certainly did,” Mai responded with a lighthearted smile, ruffling her daughter’s hair even more. “What are you doing up, Turtle?”
Izumi’s face faltered slightly, as she took her place against Mai’s side. “I couldn’t sleep again.”
There were many nights where the princess seemed to struggle with finding sleep. Even as a baby, there were many times where Mai, Zuko, or both were up into the early hours of the morning, trying to get Izumi to sleep.
Mai sighed, taking note of the small darkened bags beneath the child’s eyes. Izumi noticed her concerned gaze and gave her an assuring smile. “What are you doing up?”
The Firelady’s face softened, as she wrapped her arm around her little girl and pulled her close. “Reading this book I found at the library,” she explained, bringing up her knees to rest the old leather-bound book against. Izumi welcomed her mother’s embrace, scooting closer to her side and resting her head on her breast.
“What’s it about?” she peered at the pages curiously, trying to read the large words that were scribbled down. She was barely five and prided herself on learning how to read big words such as “warrior” and “avatar”, but the script on the pages seemed to elude her.
“Constellations,” the Firelady responded.
“What are con-sternations?”
Mai chuckled softly, endeared at the little princess’s pronunciation attempt. “Constellations are the shapes made up by the stars. Like here,” she pointed to a picture of a group of stars, connected to form shapes that faintly resembled two fish. “These stars make up the constellations Tui and La.”
Izumi leaned closer, growing more intrigued. “Is there a dragon con-sterlation?”
Mai flipped the pages of the book, before settling it on a large illustration of the night sky. “That big constellation right there is Ran and that little constellation below them is Shaw.”
“The firebending masters...” she spoke with awe. Izumi loved dragons and was especially obsessed with the two great firebenders, Ran and Shaw. Pictures and tapestries were hung up in her room of the two dragons, along with her own smaller original drawings. They were celebrities in her eyes.
The little princess got to her knees, bouncing with excitement. “Can we go outside and see them?” she begged, clasping her hands together. “Please, please, please Mom?”
Beside them Zuko stirred, mumbling something incoherent before resuming his soft snores.
Mai smirked, bringing a slender finger to her lips. She closed the book and placed it carefully on the nightstand before cautiously moving her legs over the edge of the mattress. Izumi smiled mischievously, also bringing her finger to her lips, and quietly slipped off the bed to follow her.
Together, they snuck out to the balcony where they were met with an expansive view of the capital city. Dim lights flickered in the distance, the only few signs of activity in the otherwise quiet streets. Above them was the large field of stars, stretched across a dark blue canvas.
Mai lifted Izumi onto her hip, grunting slightly at how much heavier she had gotten. It didn’t feel too long ago that she had barely weighed a feather in Mai’s arms, and now, she was practically growing out of them.
“Where’s Ran and Shaw?” Izumi questioned enthusiastically.
“Look at the moon,” Mai instructed, lifting a graceful arm to guide her. “Now look slightly above and to the right.”
Izumi copied her instructions, lifting her own arm to follow her mother’s. She pressed her cheek against Mai’s, trying to see what she saw.
“See that bright star? That’s the North Star and the tip of Ran’s tail. Follow it and you’ll find his wings and legs,” she spoke.
The princess furrowed her brow as she struggled to find the image. It was hard to find the shape amongst the plethora of other stars that were scattered across the sky. “I think...I think I see it! I see it, Mommy!”
Mai chuckled at her enthusiasm, planting a soft kiss on her daughter’s cheek.
“And I see Shaw!” her face glowed brighter than the moon, her eyes twinkling with childish wonder. “Show me more! I want to see all the constellations!”
“Of course, Izumi.”
Time flew as Mai explained all the constellations she knew, before going on to explain how the brighter stars were other planets floating far away, and even told her the story of the moon and how Uncle Sokka had the opportunity to meet her. All the time, Izumi listened intently, watching with stars in her own eyes.
“What about all the other stars that aren’t planets or constellations?” the princess questioned.
Mai followed her daughter’s gaze, eyes pursuing across the millions of flickering dots in the sky. “My grandfather once told me that when someone passes, their soul goes to this magical place in the sky, and the stars are their windows so that they can watch over all of us.”
“Wow,” she gasped, thinking of all the people that were watching over them at that moment.
“So whenever you feel alone, all you have to do is look up and you’ll find a friend,” Mai spoke softly, her eyes settling on her star-struck daughter.
Izumi turned to face her mother, a wide smile on her lips. She wrapped her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. “I love you, Mommy,” she whispered.
“I love you, Izumi.”
The night after the funeral, Izumi remained awake, standing on the same balcony she had with her mother so many years ago. She could still remember where the great constellations of Ran and Shaw were located, the bright North Star shining at the tip of Ran’s tail. Tui and La were further South, the two torn lovers Oma, and Shu close beside them.
As Izumi gazed upon the wide expanse of stars above her, she had never felt more lost. Her mother provided direction in her life, a calm and steady hand through the tumultuous tests and trials of being a princess and adult. There was never a moment where Mai wasn’t there to guide her- to answer her questions, or calm her from her anxieties. What would she do now that she was gone?
“Whenever you feel alone, all you have to do is look up and you’ll find a friend.” Her mother’s words echoed in her memory.
Oh, how she wished she could go back to that night where she was filled with nothing but childish wonder; Where it seemed to be just her and her mom, gazing in awe at the wonders of the universe above. She would give anything to hear her voice just one more time, teaching her about the stars all over again.
Izumi knew now that stars were nothing but giant balls of light burning billions of miles away. But a part of her wished that maybe, just maybe, her mother was out there, looking down through one of those many windows.
As she gripped the old leather-bound book in her hands, she heard Iroh stir from inside.
“Mother,” he rasped sitting up in bed. His normally neatly combed hair was sticking up in all sorts of places, his eyes drooping from lack of sleep. “What are you doing up?”
Izumi’s face softened, as she walked back into the room. She handed the old book to her son, who eyed it curiously as he began investigating the same pages Izumi had investigated all those years ago.
“Ursa,” she whispered, gently nudging the sleeping child beside him. The little five-year-old slowly opened her eyes, wiping the small dribbles of drool that trailed from the corner of her lip.
“Come outside, both of you. I want to show you something.”