I had no love for my title: 'Dragon of the West.' A title given to those who would gladly hunt a dying race for prestige and glory. Not one of the better aspects of our nation, but, at the very least it is over now. I am the last Dragon, for better or worse. It's dangerous to think to much on the truth of my title lest I betray the truth and reveal the state of my alleged victims. No. I must not think of it. The last of the dragons are dead at my hands. That is all there is to say regarding it.
We were fools. We should've adopted the skills of the dragons, not shunned them. We should have trained the dragons, not hunted them. The Earth Kingdom would have fallen decades ago if we hadn't been so stubborn as to hunt those whose views of firebending differed those imposed by my father and his father before him. Fire Imperialist we were called. A compliment to those within our lands, a vile insult from those without. We've made many mistakes throughout our history. We've outcasted those who could've been allies, we've killed and destroyed that which could've been assets.
Things will change, eventually. Ba Sign Se is nowhere need falling, but it will. And when it does, there will be peace and I will be next in line. I can mend the relationships we've destroyed, find allies who we've previously exiled. I can help by brother's children, Raava knows they need it. They're young, but far more powerful than Ozai gives them credit for. He sees Azula as a weapon, but she's only a little girl. She needs somebody to love her and nurture her. Ursa, as wonderful a sister in law as she is, is prone to choosing favorites. She's in no means a happy marriage, and it's none of my business, but Azula needs her care and attention as much as Zuko does. And Zuko. I cannot tolerate the way my own brother treats him. His own heir and he treats him like an unwanted pet. He goes so far as to say for all to hear that "Azula was born lucky and Zuko was lucky to be born." My nephew needs guidance. He needs a proper father.
I want to believe that I've been a good father. It's been hard, however, ever since I lost his mother. I've done my best and I can see when I look at my son that I've raised a brilliant and strong young man. I couldn't be prouder of him. I worry for him, however. As brilliant as he is, he, like everyone, is not invulnerable. He gives himself and his battalion the most dangerous objectives and while he always succeeds, I cannot help but worry that every mission of his will be his last. If there is anything I can improve on when it comes to fathering, it is faith. I need to have more faith and confidence in my son who has never done anything to qualify my fears in the time he's been alive.
We stopped the artillery fire a few days ago. There was no point continuing. A change in strategy was required and we were only digging the Earth Benders deeper into their fortifications. That wouldn't be good for us whatsoever when it came time to assault the city.
We've still had no communications with the 5th Corps. I knew they had to have arrived. Even if they were late by weeks, which I wouldn't put past their new Lieutenant General, he couldn't have been this late. I've sent ravens, but none have returned. Lu Ten believes that the Earth Kingdom has seized our listening post between our two camps and is trapping the entire passageway, waiting for unsuspecting scouts to fall victim to them. I've considered sending men north to head northeast around the northern side of the wall, but we know that the mountains are occupied by Earth Benders and it would be a suicide mission for anyone who attempted it. That and the Water Tribe raiders on the coast, it would be a waste of good men. Under the cover of night, maybe a mobile group could get past the wall and the water tribe, but the mountains, no, that was unavoidable, and anyone who went through there, was as good as dead.
"General!" one of my guards announced as he entered my tent, raising my attention from the map of Ba Sing Se and its surrounding area. "Major general Lu Ten wishes to see you."
I didn't need to hear why. If my son wanted to see me, he didn't even have to go through my guards. "Let him in."
The guard nodded and exited the tent, followed by Lu Ten who entered seconds after. "Father." He said with the same fake formality that he never learned to improve upon since he was a kid and he would address me in the most formal way possible, breaking into laughter soon after."
"Son." I replied, mimicking his failed formal tone.
And much as he did as he was a child, he broke first, chuckling, losing the façade. "How goes the siege."
"It doesn't."
"Because we lack reinforcements?"
"Because we lack communication with our reinforcements. They're there, ready to fight, but we have no way to communicate with them. To coordinate our movements."
"It's like I said. You need to reconsider. Let me lead my battalion to the listening post and we can overwhelm whoever is holding it and restore communications."
"Absolutely not! That's precisely what they want us to do. If you lead your men there, you are all dead!" I hadn't realized the harshness and edge to my voice, but my son did, yet, he persisted. He was too brave for his own good.
"You've sent scouts and small fireteams. If we take the bulk of our men, we can overwhelm them with ease or, if we're lucky, send them scurrying off before there's even a fight."
"If you're lucky. Only a fool bases strategy off a luck."
My son ignored the accidental implication of him being a fool, but rather submitted, asking "Then what do we do? Every day we waste here debating our next move, our enemy strengthens, and the assault of the city will be that much more bloody. Is that what we want? More death than we need?"
I knew at this point he was trying to provoke a response. To get an answer. I wasn't sure I had one. I couldn't see a way to counter the Earth Kingdom without putting thousands of my men at risk. Except. Maybe going east wasn't the solution. Maybe going north was the answer, but there was the Earth Kingdom in the mountains. No progress would be made as long as they were there. The Earth Benders there had turned those mountains into an unpassable passageway, but they could be driven out.
"There is one way."
"What is it, father?"
"Take as much of our artillery as you need and your battalion. Rain fire on the mountains and drive out the enemy. They will flee. When they do, you send as many scouts as you can through the mountains to the north with the same message."
"Yes sir. Message being?"
"We're still alive. And we want to know if they are too."