Erosion

Chapter Thirty-seven

After over a year of siege, the Earth Kingdom people's grasp on the ethereal concept known as hope had been tenuous at best. Iroh's weapons, although only operational for less than a full day, had destroyed more than just buildings and lives. They had done damage far greater than the crack that ran in a jagged fashion down the wall.

Before, the people had at least been secure in the knowledge that the curtain wall of Ba Sing Sei would keep them safe, that all they had to do was hold on until help arrived; now, that security was gone. Anko could see it in their faces. These were proud people, survivors of decades of war, refugees from other areas of the Kingdom. When the Fire Nation forces had first charged Ba Sing Sei, the people had temporarily panicked. But then, after things had settled down a bit, they had become resolute. But it was a false resilience, born off the erroneous notion that the wall and the green-clad soldiers that patrolled it would keep them safe. The bombardment that had come over the wall had eliminated more than a storage depot of oil and the infirmary; in the ashes of the ruins, in the remnants of the burnt out buildings was the hope of the people. It was gone.

Perhaps that was why the three weeks that followed the attack were so cold. Perhaps without the flame of the enduring human spirit, no warmth could exist. Or maybe they had used up all their luck on the blind shot that had destroyed the last Fire Nation weapon. Anko didn't know. All she knew was that the timing couldn't have been worse.

The temperatures stayed in the sub-zero levels day after day after day; even the sun looked like it was shivering as it made its all too quick journey through the sky. Over a year's worth of food rationing had left the people weak in body, the surprise attack over the wall had stolen their strength of spirit; so was it any wonder that the cold snap was the final blow?

The people of Ba Sing Sei were dying. At first the healers had waved it off as being a natural occurrence for this time of year, just a normal outbreak of the flu. But after the first victims began getting worse instead of getting better, after more and more people fell sick, the word 'plague' began to be whispered here and there. The level of panic and despair began to rise. Citizens barricaded themselves in their homes and avoided each other. At a time when the people of Ba Sing Sei should have been rallying strength through unity, they were isolating themselves.

General Anko was not a person prone to panicking. The healers had assured her that there was no plague. The citizens were simply weak, too weak in body and spirit to survive even a simple illness. As people began to succumb to the sickness, as the bodies began to pile up in a morgue already full to the brim, Anko once again found herself pleading to General Mito for some help. When he and his retinue of soldiers had met with her wearing masks that covered their mouths and noses, Anko knew it was a lost cause. She tried anyways.

"We need more rations, and I don't mean rice. We need vegetables and fruit: real food. Advance it to us now and you can take it out of our summer rations."

The elder General snorted; looked at her disdainfully with his green-grey eyes. "Come now, General Anko. What kind of fool do you take me for? It is unlikely that the outer ring will survive until summer. I would be throwing the food away. No, you are lucky to be receiving rations at all. In my opinion it is a waste. We should have expelled all non-combatants from the outer ring months ago and saved the rations for the soldiers. It is only by the grace of Prince Yuki that your precious citizens are eating at all."

"Then at least give us some more medicinal herbs. We're almost out of ginger root and…"

"No, out of the question. It is time for you to face reality and recognize the role that you and your 'people' are playing here. You like games, right? Then you should understand that all of you in the outer ring are merely pawns, being used to keep the important pieces safe. The civilians, the refugees who came to suck off the teat of King Yosho's generosity, are less than pawns. They are distracting you from your primary goal of protecting the inner city."

He started to pace back and forth, a forefinger forcefully jabbing at the air to emphasize the important points. "This is why you never should have risen above the rank of Captain. This… this attitude of yours, this… refusal to see the big picture. Your actions at Uji and Xan-Si were shameful. On both occasions you jeopardized simple, clear-cut victories in order to play hero, to save the lives of people whose existences are meaningless in the big picture. You just don't seem to get it. Some people's lives have more value than others. It is a harsh truth, but there it is. Your ideology is a danger to the entire Earth Kingdom and now it is a danger to Ba Sing Sei. Well, you will learn your place, General Anko and you will learn it now. From now on, I order you to save the medicinal herbs for soldiers only."

"You can't give me orders!"

"Of course I can. Your promotion to General skipped several ranks. It was the foolish act of a dying man. Amongst the other Generals, you are the lowest of the low. You will obey me. And if not… well, go ahead and save the civilians at the cost of your own soldier's lives. When the outer ring falls, everybody will know where the blame lies."

General Anko stared at the man, the familiar sensation of hatred and disgust washing over her. Behind the mask that covered his mouth and nose, she knew he was smirking. And yet… and yet, there wasn't a thing she could do about it. She wasn't going to be able to persuade him with words, she had nothing to barter with and she couldn't force him.

A pawn. Maybe he's right. Maybe that's what I've been all along. I've certainly never felt more useless. "I request an audience with Price Yuki," she said softly in a resigned voice. The result was predictable.

"Out of the question. He is the last direct heir to the royal blood. We cannot risk his being infected by the outer ring's disease."

Anko didn't bother to argue. In the past she would have; she would have stood in self-righteous fury and at least verbally dressed the man down. But now… there didn't seem to be much of a point. The young General stood there, her heart and mind struggling to find a way to victory. Then, without a further word, she departed.

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It had become her favorite place of refuge. She sat on top of the battlements, nestled between two merlons, right next to the crack that ran down the outer wall. It was peaceful here; of course, Ba Sing Sei was a very quiet place nowadays. The other Earth Kingdom soldiers tended to avoid this area of the wall, save when their patrols made it necessary. They passed by in a wordless, hurried manner, perhaps sensing that the crack represented the beginning of the end for their city. They all did.

The frigid cold would have bothered her once, but Anko was having a hard time remembering 'warm'. The sun gradually set, casting the world into more appropriate darker hues. Blues and purples gave way to black. She didn't move. Dark and quiet matched her somber mood.

Her mind picked over her rapidly decreasing options and one incredibly difficult choice. The taste of blood stained her mouth as she chewed the chapped skin of her lower lip. Was her true duty to the people of Ba Sing Sei or to the symbol the city itself represented? General Zhen had been adamant that the capital was a symbol of hope and strength to the entire Earth Kingdom. That made it more important than the other cities she had defended, the ones where she had put the people first. But preserving the city at the cost of its people went against everything she believed in.

If… I surrender to Iroh, he'll let the citizens go; I'm almost sure of it. Maybe even the average soldiers too; it's not like he has an abundance of personnel to guard us all. Or… he might put us to death… She shifted slightly under the weight of the gloomy thought. I can't sacrifice soldiers' lives to preserve civilians. The problem is that I have nothing to barter with, save the outer city and as soon as I offer that, the Dragon will know how close he is to victory, eliminating the value of my offer. It's no good.

I could admit that Mito is right, even if it is for all the wrong reasons. Play my role as a good little dog and keep the city safe, no matter what it costs. I can't ignore the possibility that if Ba Sing Sei falls, the Earth Kingdom might follow. When measured by those stakes, what are the lives of a few hundred people?

There were footsteps approaching. Anko could feel the very faint vibrations even through the frozen limestone. She became motionless, preferring not to be disturbed. But the footsteps stopped and she knew without looking who was standing behind her.

"You're not thinking of jumping, are you?" Captain Pyron's familiar voice had a joking tone to it, although it also carried more than its usual amount of worry.

"Why, there's a thought! How simple. Why didn't I think of that?" Anko winced slightly as the harsh, sarcastic words echoed into the night. It was unfair of her to take her frustration out on her most loyal supporter. There was silence, and for a moment Anko thought he would leave. For a moment she hoped that he would. Let him go back to Satsuna and a warm house with kind people. Her world of darkness was not meant for visitors.

Instead he leaned against the battlements; she could picture the slight smile as his voice took on a slow drawl. "You know, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's true, you just paid Hachi one hell of a compliment."

Anko snorted softly. Pyron always seemed to know just what to say.

"So… I take it your meeting with General Mito went as well as you expected?"

"Oh even better. He wants us to save the medicinal herbs for soldiers only. Let the rest die. Hard to believe he's still single, huh?"

Silence. Pyron shifted his weight a little. He didn't ask the obvious question. He waited patiently. In the end, he was rewarded.

"I… can't see it," the young General whispered. "I keep trying, but I can't see it. A path to victory, a way out; I'm not even sure if one exists anymore. I thought that if I could just stalemate General Iroh, it would be victory enough, but it isn't. Everyday we sit here, our supplies grow sparser and more people die. My grandfather always used to say that people should have sense enough to know when they can't win. In a game, it is considered bad manners to play past that point and waste everyone's time. Better to admit defeat and try anew than to fight futilely. But this isn't a game and I don't even know what constitutes a victory anymore. I feel… thin."

"Well… we could all use a few good meals." Pyron cleared his throat as Anko made no response to his joke. "So… what you're saying is… that you've run out of hope?"

Just the barest of shrugs served as his answer.

"You know, Ahn, you have a real gift when it comes to seeing the actualities of battle. There have been times when you've managed victories that I never saw the possibility of and in ways that I would never have imagined. It's a great skill; but sometimes I think that you're so caught up in the realities that you forget the intangibles. Er… what I mean to say is: I can't see the things that you can. Maybe that's why I still have hope. You never know; Iroh might decide to pack up and leave tomorrow."

Anko gave an unladylike snort. "Why would he do that?"

"Doesn't matter, the possibility exists. Or maybe tomorrow the Avatar will return and bring an end to the war."

"Pyron, the Avatar has been gone since my great-grandfather's time."

"All the more reason that tomorrow might be his day. You see? You can't give up, Anko. There are things going on in this world all the time. And do you know what gives me the most hope? You. King Bumi and King Yosho weren't wrong. You started off as a farm girl from nowhere and now you are a full ranking General. I'm convinced that the only reason Iroh is still outside these walls is because the Omashu Fox is guarding the inside of them. And that's no lie."

Anko sighed and stared out into the darkness. Her loyal Captain meant well, but that was part of the problem. Everyone depended on her, had faith in her, and she had nothing left to have faith in. Anko could remember when her father died; her grandfather's advice had been to take things one day at a time. "Sometimes, he said, "that's all we can do." It had been good advice, and it had gotten the young girl through those difficult times, but here in Ba Sing Sei, things were different. Despite Pyron's cheerful words, Anko knew that the Dragon of the West wouldn't just pack up and leave tomorrow and the Avatar wouldn't just show up out of the blue to save them all. The problem with treading water is that eventually one gets tuckered out, and when that happens, the inevitable occurs. After over a year of enduring the siege, Anko's strength was flagging; and with the crack in the wall and the continual suffering of the people, she was going to have to start swimming in one direction or another pretty soon.

"There's an herbalist institute located in the mountains, about two days travel from here on foot. But I can't figure out a way of getting a couple of hundred sick and emancipated people safely out of the city. We have no mounts and with the ground frozen we'd be at a serious disadvantage." The General shook her head. "No matter what angle I try, I come up with the same results: our utter defeat. Pretty sad for someone known as the "Fox" General, huh?"

Pyron patted her shoulder, a move reminiscent to their long ago days of teacher and trainee. "I have faith in you, Ahn, just like Hachi did. The answer will come. You are the Omashu Fox. This is the role you were meant to play. Just… don't let it wear you down so much, okay? We can't have you getting sick too. In fact, why don't you get down from there and we'll go enjoy a cup of tea in front of a nice, warm fire. Satsuna's parents gave me a packet of black tea that I've been saving for a special occasion. What do you say?"

Anko stirred in her perch, brows furrowing down as she thought about it. She didn't really want to go, but Pyron was trying so hard and staring out into space wasn't getting her any closer to an answer. I wonder if he would be so confident in me if Satsuna fell ill.

She swung her legs back in and twisted around so they made contact with the solid walkway. Blood started to circulate sluggishly and she winced as it did; apparently she had been sitting for too long. Slowly she stood; Pyron shaking his head at her in classic big-brother style.

"Honestly," he muttered, "one would think that you wanted frostbite."

Anko was about to retort when a soldier came running up to them. "General Anko," he panted, "thank goodness I've found you!" Breathlessly, the man produced a tiny message scroll. Anko accepted it, raising her eyebrow at the Earth Kingdom soldier as she did so.

"It was just delivered by owl-bat, sir."

"Hm." Anko eyed the green wax seal, grateful for the torch that the soldier had brought with him. She carefully opened the scroll, so small that it fit in the palm of one hand. Only two simple sentences were inside, but the contents were enough to make her break out in a wide smile as her audience looked on curiously. "Has anyone else seen this?" she questioned.

"Just me and my squad. You're the first person to read it."

"What is it?"

Anko gave her loyal Captain a genuine smile. "A miracle… in a way, but only if I play it right. I'm going to have to take a rain-check on that tea. There's something I have to do."

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"Sorry General; no one from the outside gets in. Those are General Mito's orders."

"I'm sorry too, Sergeant, because that wasn't a request. I require an audience with Prince Yuki and I demand that it takes place now. Stand aside." Anko's voice resonated with a General's authority. Standing at her full height, with the layers of clothes she was wearing bulking her frame out somewhat, the Omashu Fox was an imposing figure. Combined that with the determination and will that she had found anew and the soldiers guarding the gate to the inner keep never had a chance.

"Um… we'll need to ask General Mito… sir. If you'd just wait a moment?"

Anko's hand darted through the iron portcullis that separated them, grabbing hold of the front of the Sergeant's coat and pulling him tight against the cold metal bars. "Inform General Mito if you must," she hissed, "but in the meantime, let me in. I am a General; I have news for Prince Yuki and the only thing I am sick of is being treated like a second class citizen. Now… Open This Gate."

She released the soldier's clothes and was instantly granted entrance to the inner keep. One of the men ran off to inform General Mito. Anko frowned, but said nothing. She hadn't really expected to keep the man away from the negotiations, although that would have made her job a lot easier. Tucked in a pocket of her inner most layer was her trump card: the key to saving the city and the people both, or at least giving each of them a fighting chance. But first she needed Prince Yuki's cooperation.

She followed one of the gate-guards to the entrance of the pagoda-like palace. She hadn't seen the boy but briefly since her first arrival at Ba Sing Sei. The Prince had always impressed her with his concern for his people, but after over a year of being under his cousin's influence, who knew what the child would be like? The young General's career as the leader of a mobile unit hadn't given her much time to become familiar with kids, so she was a little nervous. And the stakes! The stakes she was playing for had never been higher. Still, this was a game that she could win or lose by her own skills, unlike the siege that had been stalemate after stalemate. And the Omashu Fox was determined to win.

The warmth of the palace hit her like a physical force. She was left under the supervision of the palace guards while a page was dispatched to arrange the meeting. Starting to sweat, she began to shed layers, reveling in the retreat of the cold that had taken up residence in her bones. The palace guards eyed her warily and inched away from her as she moved about in an impatient manner just shy of a pace. Well aware of the rumors of 'plague' that had made their rounds in both the outer and inner city, Anko felt a perverse kind of pleasure when an errant cough on her behalf caused the guards to nearly jump out of their skins. Fortunately her wait was of short duration. She was ushered down the winding corridors, not to the throne room, but to a much smaller conference room. Prince Yuki was already sitting there; he rose as she entered, a pleasant smile on his young face.

Anko bowed low. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, your Highness."

The young Prince's soft voice was a striking contrast to her own raspy articulation. "The pleasure is mine, General Anko. My cousin has been telling me that you are incapable of holding the outer ring. I hope that you are here to tell me that this is untrue."

Anko rose from her bow, her eyes darting sideways as the door to the room burst open and a pissed-off General Mito came barreling in. Before he could utter a word, she spoke loudly enough to cut off the protestations that were surely on their way. "General Mito is absolutely correct. The situation in the outer ring has reached a critical point. The people are dying, Prince Yuki, and there isn't enough food or medicine to take care of them." Mito's mouth slammed shut; he eyed her suspiciously. "I believe, Prince Yuki, that the time has come to remove the infected civilians from Ba Sing Sei." she concluded.

The young boy looked crestfallen. "My cousin… has been telling me this for some time now… but I always believed that you, the Omashu Fox, would be able to keep the people safe and defend the outer wall. Now you are telling me that my people must be sacrificed?"

Anko gave him a gentle smile. "Not sacrificed, no; but saved. They can be saved, Prince Yuki, but I need your help and that of the esteemed General Mito, of course."

"What are you going on about, Anko? Stop wasting our time by speaking in riddles. Out with it!"

The dark-haired woman resisted the urge to smirk at the man. In her pocket, her hand gripped the small message scroll tightly. "There is an herbalist institute located in the mountains not far from here. I believe that I can convince General Iroh to allow our sick people safe passage to the institute, but I will have to meet with him face to face in order to do so."

General Mito scoffed. "Desperation has made you stupid. What could you possibly have to offer the Fire Nation in exchange for their safe passage?" His grey-green eyes suddenly lit up. "It's the outer ring, isn't it?" He cackled at his apparent victory. "You've come here to suggest that we surrender the outer city. See cousin, I told you that she couldn't handle it. Your esteemed father, the spirits rest him, was obviously very ill when he promoted her to the rank of General. I warned him, as I have tried to warn you, that she wasn't up to the task…"

"On the contrary, General Mito, I believe that both the people and the outer city can be saved. What I have to offer Iroh is something more… intangible. But I don't have the authority to offer it on my own."

With a triumphant smile, Anko produced the communiqué that had been hiding in her pocket. "This is my plan…"