I gazed at the mirror-like surface of the lake, reflecting the overcast sky, and couldn't fathom by what miracle we, General Iroh's army, had managed to cross the Serpent's Pass. Everything was against us: the strong wind, the wet and thus extremely slippery path, the enemy army right on our heels…
The King of Omashu was not deterred by his forced swim. He and his fighters emerged from the water and tried to organize a crossing using Earthbending. They succeeded. But his satisfied smile vanished when the crossing, which he had just stepped onto, was obliterated for a second time. And it wasn't another bolt of Lightning from General Iroh. Our commander was also surprised by the stone bridge's sudden disappearance. The enormous head of a sea serpent emerged from the water. Unexpectedly, the enemy suddenly had other concerns.
Iroh claimed that the sea serpent, despite its habitat, was favorable to the Fire Nation. It did not pursue us. It never once attacked the section of the pass General Iroh's soldiers were traversing. It didn't even show itself near us. All its attention was focused on King Bumi and his soldiers.
I didn't expect to encounter a massive sea serpent in this pass. I should pay closer attention to the names of places in this world. I'll keep that in mind for the future.
The wind blew through the crevices in my armor, cooling my body with a pleasant chill. I removed my mask, and then my helmet entirely, to wipe the sweat-stained grime from my face. And not just sweat. The helmet wasn't mine. I had taken it from a corpse who, it turned out, had a head injury…
My eyes were heavy with sleep. The march through the pass lasted just under a day. The journey usually takes people a day and a half, but General Iroh's army completed it in less time. We simply didn't sleep. There was nowhere to. Besides, no one wanted to test how long the sea serpent would remain benevolent toward Fire Nation soldiers.
I was about to lie down, follow the example of others, and get a couple of hours of sleep, when two bodies crashing into me abruptly banished all drowsiness. My arms were instantly twisted, and my palms turned toward the sky so I couldn't harm anyone with jets of flame. Leaping directly onto the feet of my opponents, which sent a sharp pain through my arm joints, I fired jets of flame from my heels. The opponents screamed and loosened their grip, which I immediately exploited by sharply yanking my arms free.
I began to be surrounded by Firebenders. Moreover, these were not ordinary soldiers, but General Iroh's officers. Dark determination and readiness for action showed on their faces. I deliberately smirked, trying to anger the enemy with my expression, and beckoned them forward, inviting them to start first.
The provocation worked. The bender standing directly in front of me shot a stream of flame, which I managed to dodge. I rushed at him and forced him to double over in pain with a series of strikes. Before the other benders could react, I put him in a lock and brought my palm up to his face. The hint was clear: if they moved, I would fry their friend. In the tense silence, I tried to figure out what was going on. There was no obvious reason for attacking me…
Someone on the side tried to quickly close the distance to me, but he was knocked out by a accurately thrown stone. Officers don't like wearing helmets. Several benders appeared near me, starting to cover me. Squinting at them for a fraction of a second, I recognized the group by familiar scratches on their armor: Prince Lu Ten's team had stepped in to defend me.
"Do you even realize whose defense you're taking?" The firebender in my grasp tried to pull his face away from my palm, but he failed. I twisted him only more painfully. "Aaargh!"
"You're protecting the man," another officer spoke up, "who is responsible for the death of your commander! Prince Lu Ten!"
"Long cannot be guilty of the Prince's death," even through the mask that muffled the voice, I recognized the speaker. It was Min. One of the veterans of General Iroh's army who had recently served under Lu Ten.
"Then why is he alive and the Prince is not? Soldier, remind him what a personal bodyguard is supposed to do?"
"Protect his lord until the last breath," the officers and soldiers of Lu Ten's group heard a familiar voice and instantly froze, not daring to utter a sound. "Lu Ten told me how many times Long saved him, risking his own life… I doubt he would have acted differently on the walls of Ba Sing Se… This time, Long simply didn't make it…" Iroh said with bitterness in his voice and barely contained a tear. "If you have so much energy, Captain Uta, then replace the guards and let them rest. Dismissed."
"Yes, General," the officers and ordinary fighters responded almost instantly, but it was clear that the conflict, even with Iroh's intervention, was not resolved. The officer corps of his army blamed me for Lu Ten's death.
Only I remained near Iroh. I suddenly remembered what I had been meaning to do for some time, but the right moment was only now. Dropping to one knee, I bowed my head.
"Please forgive me, General Iroh, for failing to protect Prince Lu Ten."
"Stand up, Long…" The strength in the General's voice was gone, unlike when he first spoke. The grief of losing his son and exhaustion were seeping into it more and more. Iroh seemed to have aged during the retreat. My eye caught the first grey hairs on his face and beard. The General's back was hunched, as if the weight of the circumstances that had fallen upon him no longer allowed him to stand straight. "I told you, I don't blame you for Lu Ten's death. I believe you defended him until your last breath, had you the chance…"
*********
Iroh hadn't recovered from one tragedy before news of the Fire Lord's death reached him. Rumor had it that he died quietly, completely without suffering. Many assumed that Iroh was also saddened that Azulon appointed his younger son, Prince Ozai, as heir on his deathbed, but I don't believe that truly troubled the General. In my opinion, he didn't care about the title of Fire Lord. The death of loved ones was the only thing concerning the General at the moment.
For several days, Iroh was darker than the clouds on the day Lu Ten died, but then… he underwent a radical change. The old expression returned to his face. His body did not seem as tense as before, although it still concealed the power of one of the strongest Firebenders.
In every spare moment, Iroh began to drink jasmine tea and immerse himself in thought. I don't know what plans the General was harboring. He told me nothing, though he kept me close to him to visibly demonstrate his faith in me to his officers, and my non-involvement in Lu Ten's death.
"Do you play Pai Sho, Long?" Iroh once asked me, turning a white tile with the image of a lotus in his hand.
"I don't even know the rules of that game, General," I shook my head, while Iroh produced a game board from somewhere and began setting up the tiles.
"A pity… it's a good game that brings peace and an understanding of one's opponent. I started playing around your age. Incidentally, King Bumi also turned out to be an avid Pai Sho player."
"Is that how you managed to understand him and slip away, taking your army with you?" I chuckled as I asked the question.
"Who knows…" Iroh chuckled in response, stroking his beard. "Don't you want to learn the game?"
"Forgive me, General, but I'd prefer to guard you."
"Guard me?" The General looked at me and skeptically raised an eyebrow. All I could do was sigh and sit down at the table, asking for permission first.
"Long, are you sure you've never played Pai Sho before?" the General looked at me with surprise. "Your strategy… novices don't play like that."
"I am familiar with several similar games…" I replied, moving a tile under the measured glow of the candles in Iroh's tent.
"Perhaps I will even invite you to join the club of lovers of this game someday, Long… But it's still too early. You are young, Long. Young and fiery, although you hide your temperament superbly behind an unemotional expression, but Pai Sho, a game of it with you, has told me everything about you, Long…"
The next day, when General Iroh's army arrived at a port city that was part of the Fire Nation colony, the Prince decided to shock his soldiers. Iroh announced that, with the permission of Fire Lord Ozai, he was relinquishing his authority as General, retiring from service. We, his army, would be disbanded and sent to units in need of replenishment. Of course, the General offered one more option to his loyal soldiers: to also retire. To end their service right here and now without any repercussions.
Many soldiers, after the nearly two-year siege of Ba Sing Se and the recent bloody battles where they lost friends, comrades, and even family members, did not wish to continue their service. If Iroh hadn't allowed them to retire, some would certainly have attempted to desert. They would probably have joined the rebellious General Jeong Jeong. Iroh prevented that.
I myself never thought of leaving the service. The army was currently the only available place where the few officers, out of the goodness of their hearts, could teach me bending practices. I saw no other options. Moreover, Iroh gave a good gift to the members of Lu Ten's group. He gave each of us a letter of recommendation from him. It opened many doors for us, as Iroh was not only a General but also a Prince of the Fire Nation.
Many doors, but not all. I requested a transfer to the Capital garrison, to the elite guard that protects the Fire Lord's palace, but my petition was not approved. It seems the current government doesn't trust me. Like some of General Iroh's officers, they probably believe that I am the one who allowed Prince Lu Ten to die, and therefore won't let me get close to the palace walls again, let alone become, for example, Princess Azula's bodyguard.
A shame. I had plans for her. Since the Princess's training was taken seriously before my departure, there was a high chance that she knew many bending secrets that I, as her bodyguard, could simply observe. I will have to earn the Fire Lord's trust to get into the palace…
The former General himself embarked on a journey. Just like an ordinary person. He simply took a few belongings and left in the middle of the night, not wanting to trouble his soldiers with worries about him. Only his highest-ranking officers and I knew that Iroh had left the port city. But the destination he was heading for was known only to me.
Iroh wanted to enter the Spirit World and search for his son there. The General considered taking me with him, but, as far as I understood, he didn't like something about my personality that he detected during our game of Pai Sho…
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