The Officer And The Princess

Prologue: The Battle Of Wan Hill

The Sun shined high in the sky, a warm breeze blowing over the hill, it would be a perfect day if it wasn't for the constant explosions kicking up dirt and the shouts of men as they laid dying that surrounded Second Lieutenant Sung Yang. The only thing standing between him and joining his comrades was the Jian he held in his right hand, the Black Armor of a Fire Nation Ranger and the fact he wasn't making it easy for those on the top of the to get a clear shot.

The battle had been going on for five days  already, the Fire Nations 41st, 3rd and 22nd Infantry Divisions and the 109th Ranger Battalion having to fight literally uphill. The Earth Kingdoms 5th Army had entrenched itself on the top of a hill giving them a clear line of sight though calling it a hill was an understatement, it was more of a small mountain with enough Earth Benders and Artillery to level a city.  In those five days each time the Fire Nation had been pushed back over and over with each defeat the Earth Kingdom grew bolder and more fierce in their defense. On the other side of the coin with Each Defeat High General Kang became angrier and angrier, deploying more of his reserves and telling his men that if they came back down before the hill was taken he would personally kill them, morale was at a low point even lower than what Sung had seen at the Battle of Kretin Valley if that was even possible.

"SPREAD OUT!" Someone shouted from further up the charge. Looking up Lieutenant Yang saw a massive Boulder flying down faster than he would of liked. Sung dived to the side hitting the ground hard and rolling into a crater, just in time for the Boulder to hit the ground knocking over a dozen men into the air flailing and screaming before they touched down silent.

He started coughing  as he rose to his feet, dazed as Bells rung in his ears. He flinched feeling a hand on his shoulder guard. Turing his head he saw a a much older man than him holding a similar sword in his hand, mouthing something incoherent. "L-Are you-Kay" Sung stared at him in Confusion Turing his head back of the hill as a barrage of pebbles pelted the Solider's dozens at a time going at a fast enough speed to break through their armor. "LIEUTENANT ARE YOU OKAY?" The man shouted much clearer this time.

That man was Staff Sergeant Lee Quin, twenty year Veteran of the Fire Nation Army, and Sungs platoon Leader. Sung had served with the man almost two years and through more battles than he could count. Sung was thankful to have an experienced Non Commissioned Officer helping to lead a Platoon. "I'm fine" Sung shouted over the sounds of battle "Just a...little winded"

"Lieutenant Colonel Shin is dead!" Quin shouted back "Passed his body on the way up here" shin had been one hell of an Officer and an amazing Ranger, Sung could recall some years ago during a skirmish a few miles from the Great Divide The Lieutenant Colonel had single handedly killed five Earth Benders on his own without seeming to break a sweat. His death pained Sung, the man had always seemed invincible, there was no time to mourn him though.

"Who's the ranking officer now?" Sung responded flinching again as another explosion sounded off too close for comfort pelting him with tiny bits of Earth. "Damn I can barely hear myself!"

"I don't know sir, you're the first officer I ran into on this side of the hill!" That wasn't that much of a surprise, this battle wasn't being fought in tight formation, it was being fought with massive human waves it was a simple tactic designed to overwhelm your opponents defenses. Simple but deadly to those conducting it, with the amount of dead bodies covering the ground Turing what grass was left crimson. Sung and Lee were some of the only ones remaining from the first wave, this was at least wave three of today. The terrain was uneven and the defenders unwavering making it hell to climb, how Sung had been able to make it this far was by Luck alone, skill had nothing to do with a blind charge such as this.

"we need to keep moving!" Sung shouted pausing to look back up the hill, from where he stood he was over a hundred yards to the Summit, towards the left was a well sized cliff lip that could conceal troops, not enough to take the hill but enough to start. "Rally the men left and tell them to start heading for that cliff" he raised his Jian pointing the blade forward."we're going to take pressure off the left flank!"