Amid the burning buildings of Ba Sing Se's lower ring, a seasoned, battle-hardened man stumbled blindly through the streets. General Iroh paid no attention to where his feet carried him; he was too lost in his own sadness. Lu Ten…his son…gone. The proud warrior didn't bother trying to hold back the tears that spilled from his eyes. He had been a soldier for almost two decades, and never had he felt pain like he did in that moment. First his wife was lost giving birth to their boy, now he'd lost his only child. And why? Because of his own damned stubbornness. He'd kept up this foolish invasion for 600 days now, and the closest they had gotten to breaching this fortress of a city was the damned lower ring. His foolish pride refused to let him admit defeat, and now karma had finally made him pay.
So blinded was Iroh by his grief that he nearly didn't hear the ear piercing scream of a young woman shatter the night silence. The horrible noise shook him from his thoughts, making him realize he had stumbled into the lower market. Iroh tried to focus and see where the scream came from, and bolted in her direction when she cried out a second time. The general weaved through the streets like a man possessed, his only thought being to save this woman. As Iroh rounded one final corner, he came across a squad of his fire nation soldiers. He started their way to ask where they heard the scream come from…until he saw the two corpses at their feet. A man and woman, most likely married, lay dead at the men's feet, the husband covered in burn marks from head to toe and the wife bloody and bruised with her clothing torn and scattered on the ground, showing that she had unbelievably suffered a fate far worse than her husband. Iroh retched at the scene, overwhelmed by the brutality these soldiers, HIS soldiers, had displayed. This atrocity would not stand.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" the irate commander roared at them, "WHERE IN SOZIN'S NAME IS YOUR HONOR?!" The squad fell in to rank and saluted the General as he stomped towards them. Each soldier seemed to wither under the cold stare before one, the commanding officer, finally spoke up.
"A-apologies, General. Prince Ozai commanded all soldiers to take no prisoners, especially with fire nation defectors. We were under orders to be particularly brutal to defecting Firebenders, such as these two, as to send a message." For the second time in as many minutes, Iroh felt as if he would be sick. He had known for some years that Ozai was a monster to his core, but this was excessive even for him.
"Tell me, soldier, do you and your men believe these people deserve this treatment?" The lieutenant hesitated before giving his answer, apparently terrified he would say the wrong thing.
"General, I don't claim to have any love for those who leave the embrace of the Fire Nation…but I have two young children of my own. I don't want them to see their father as a man who tortured and raped those who opposed his leaders." Iroh breathed a sigh of relief at the young man's words, coupled with the obvious agreement of his men. Perhaps there was hope for his country yet.
"I apologize for the brutality my brother has forced you and your men to perform as of late, Lieutenant. Take your men and go back to the barracks. Spread the word: by the Order of General Iroh Agni, the excessive brutality and execution of surrendering citizens, defectors or not, stops now. Any future instances will be dealt with severely." The soldiers bowed and made a hasty retreat, leaving Iroh once again with only his thoughts.
As soon as his men had disappeared, Iroh knelt down beside the dead couple and said a small prayer, hoping they had found peace in the spirit world. A lifelong soldier, he was no stranger to the loss of life, but the intentional execution of innocent civilians was barbarism he had never seen before. As he prayed, the faint cry of a baby caught his attention. Springing to his feet, Iroh rushed into the thankfully untouched house belonging to the dead family. The general tore through every room looking for the child before finally coming to the nursery. There, twisting and kicking in a homemade crib, lay an adorable baby boy, crying his eyes out. Out of paternal instinct, Iroh gently walked over to the crib and picked the boy up, slowly rocking to calm the child's fears. At the feeling of human contact, the boy immediately quieted and nuzzled into Iroh's arms, looking at the old warrior with large, golden eyes.
"A Firebender!" Iroh inwardly cursed, "An innocent firebender child left to die because a monster considered his parents traitors." He shook his head in disgust; when had his brother become this lost? What happened to the honor that had mattered so much to his family for generations? Had they stooped so low as to allow babes to die in their cribs? His morbid thoughts were slowly erased as he looked down at the boy again, who had nestled comfortably into the general's powerful chest before falling into a peaceful slumber. No, this one would not die; Iroh would make sure of that. This child would live and thrive.
"You will not replace the son I have lost, little one, but I will do my best to be the father you deserve. I failed Lu Ten, and that will haunt me all my days, but I swear before the gods of all men that I will not fail you." With these words, Iroh gathered what little he could carry for the child, concealing what he could under his cloak to deflect at least some suspicion, and began his way back to his tent. Halfway back, the child began to stir, cooing in the arms of the brawny general. Iroh couldn't stop the smile that came across his face even if he'd wanted to. He was grateful for the temporary reprieve from his recent woes. He affectionately gave the babe his rough finger, receiving a strong squeeze and a sweet giggle in return.
"Quite the grip you have, young one. I wonder what your name is." Iroh looked at the boy closely, as if the baby would just spit it out for him. He started thinking of appropriate names, trying to see which he felt "fit" the best. Absentmindedly, he began to think of the stories his father, Fire Lord Azulon, would tell him and his brother as children of famous warriors. This thought process reminded him of his favorite, a tale of a famed warrior in their lineage rumored to be the first and greatest firebender to ever walk among the four kingdoms.
"Yuudai…Your name will be Yuudai."