Author's Note: I hope the last chapter didn't come across as too sappy. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 2: It's a Long Long Way to Ba Sing Se

"It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, but the girls in the city, they look so pretty..." Iroh sang softly as he placed the kettle on the fire. "And they kiss so sweet, you really got to meet the girls from Ba Sing Se..."

It was a foolish song to sing now, the general supposed. It was not a long, long way to Ba Sing Se; as a matter of fact, they had succeeded in breaching the outer wall this afternoon. But the tune was pleasant, and it reminded Iroh of the early days of the campaign. His men had sung it as they marched, day after day.

The journey to the Earth Kingdom capital had been a long one, and the siege had been long as well. The men seldom sang now, and when they did it was always a song from home. But they were finally being rewarded for their efforts. Impenetrable City had proven to be a misnomer, and the Fire Nation finally had a foothold for their invasion. The general could not help but smile as he poured tea for himself and the captain. He placed the cups on the table.

"To victory," said Iroh, and drank slowly, savoring the taste. The captain downed his cup quickly.

"We could never have done it without your superior leadership, General," said the captain. "It is a pity that so many Earth Kingdom lives had to be lost before we made it through. Why can't they realize that submitting to Fire Nation rule will bring the ultimate prosperity for their land?"

"Good question," said Iroh, examining the knife the Earth Kingdom general had presented to him upon surrendering. He placed it on the table, so that the captain could see the inscription: Never give up without a fight. "These Earth Benders are stubborn, like their element. We cannot hold the fact that they are ignorant of the joy that the Fire Nation will bring their land against them. More tea?"

"They will soon be cured of such notions, regardless," the captain said, handing Iroh his cup. "And once Ba Sing Se is ours, the rest of the Earth Kingdom will soon follow."

"And then," said Iroh, "I can go back home, and I can play Pai Sho every day!" He chuckled warmly. "I am glad my son is finally old enough to serve in the military. It always pained me greatly to leave him behind. Now, he is serving under me in the fourth division." He took the letter his boy had sent him from his desk and showed it to the captain.

General Iroh, the letter read, I will see you again when victory is obtained. Your loyal son, Lu Ten.

"You must be proud, General Iroh. Lu Ten has proven himself to be a very capable soldier."

"So proud," said Iroh. "So proud to see my son helping the Fire Nation to unite the world under one banner, and usher in an age of lasting peace." He picked up the dagger from the table and examined it once again. "You know, captain, the general wept when he surrendered to me. My heart ached for him." He took a sip of tea. "But," said Iroh triumphantly, "he will weep tears of joy once he sees how much greater the Fire Nation will make this city!" Iroh filled both cups of tea again.

"To the fire nation!" said the general. Both men drank deeply.


Iroh sat in his tent, pouring over the reports the messenger hawks brought him from the front line. His men were making short work of the city's lower ring. Tomorrow would be the siege's six-hundredth day, and at the rate things were going, it might very well be its last. Iroh brought his teacup to his lips.

Suddenly, a soldier burst into the tent. "General Iroh! The fourth division has been ambushed and are being massacred! They have requested our immediate help!"

Two syllables were the only thought in Iroh's mind: Lu Ten. The general threw his teacup to the ground, shattering it.

"We have no time to waste," said the Dragon of the West.


The general and his forces traveled as quickly as they could; however, since dragons were no longer used in military matters, the Fire Nation army was not noted for being particularly swift on land. Iroh himself road at their head, spurring his rhino, continually urging it to go faster. In his mind's eye he saw only one thing: his son's face.

He saw it as it was now, handsome, strong, so different from the little boy he had once rocked in his arms and sang to sleep. So different from the crying baby who had come into the world even as his mother departed it. So different from the child who had so often chased him up the hill at home in a game of war, inevitably pouncing on his father and collapsing into a fit of giggles in the grass. The face of his beloved Lu Ten.

He urged his komodo rhino further on, and the beast clambered onto a fallen pillar, and there, in front of Iroh and his forces, were the Fire Nation soldiers, in the midst of at least one hundred Earthbenders. Countless bodies lay crushed beneath a massive boulder. Those who remained showed no sign of stopping their fight, but being so vastly outnumbered, they would not last long without aid.

The human mind is a cruel thing. It is not content to leave a tragedy where it happened. It will carry it, perhaps forever, turning the tragedy over and over, examining it from every angle, wondering what could have been done differently, if such a thing could have been prevented. Iroh would often remember this day, wondering if just one action would have prevented what happened next. But the Fates are cruel.

Just as the rhino made it over the pillar, sixth Earthbenders raised another gargantuan boulder from the ground, moving it overtop of a Fire Nation soldier engaged in battle. Iroh saw his son turn, see the boulder, and then, with a cry, push the other soldier out of its path. The boulder dropped, crushing Lu Ten, and crushing Iroh's heart. Their eyes met, even as the light in them was extinguished.

It all happened in an instant. There was no time for anyone to do anything.

With an inhuman roar, Iroh leaped from the back of the rhino, flames billowing from every inch of his skin. With a ferocious spinning kick, he sent an arc of white flame cutting through the flesh of the six Earthbenders who had dropped the boulder. They died instantly.

"Lord Agni," murmured the captain as he watched the scene from atop the pillar. "Get out of the way!" he called urgently to the few remaining Firebenders.

Iroh took no notice of the captain or anyone else. One by one, every Earthbender was engulfed in flame, begging for mercy as they were devoured by the might of the Dragon of the West.