The Officer And The Princess

Chapter 29

A strong breeze passed over Sung as he walked down a single lane foot path in the Earth Kingdom Country side. Birds could be heard singing somewhere in the distance creating a chorus of music. Even with the Sun high in the sky the air itself felt cooler compared to the Fire Nation. In Two years Sung had marched at least the length of the continent at least once during his time in the Regular Army and later the Rangers, even now it amazed him how many diffrent climates could be found in the country. He hadn't seen it himself but from what he had heard from other Solider's the Northern most tip of the kingdom which was closest to the North pole it snowed in the Winter. Snow was as alien to a warm blooded Fire Nation Citizen as the Ocean was to an Earthbender. Back home even during the "Winter" Months it felt like Summer, He recalled the first time he had seen snow back during Zhaos failed Invasion of the North. If it wasn't for the Waterbenders throwing frozen water at them Sung would have liked to see what it was like to make a snow angel or build a snowman. Maybe after the War was over Sung could go back North and do those things or at the very least have a chance to enjoy somewhere that wasn't filled with people who would very much like to see his head on a pike.

In the distance Sung could see what was the beginning of a canyon. Perfect place for an ambush. He immediately thought back to the days he spent in a canyon much like this one fighting off wave after wave of Earth Kingdom troops, Those memories shook his up so much that he hesitated to even enter of fear of never coming back out. Two years had passed and Sung could still hear the screams of dying men. The only thing that seemed to keeping him going was what he could see just over the rolling hills. The massive wall of Ba Sing Se. even miles away from the outskirts the wall was still the perfect landmark, if his calculations were correct Azula and her friends should already be on their way to the city via the Bay.

"Come on Sung..." He said out loud taking his first steps into the canyon "you're not a coward." As he moved further into the canyon he felt a flood of Anxiety that he didn't feel too often. It called to him telling him to run to hide, to do something! But he ignored the Voice that had saved him so many times before. Looking down at the sandy ground beneath his boots, he took notice of the large number of tracks varying in size going in the same direction he was. He noted that some of the tracks were consistent with shoes and boots while some were bare footed. but none looked military. He come to that conclusion not because of the varying foot gear but because they were disorganized, not like an Army on the march. Another thing gave it a way to him, some of the tracks were very small, like tracks made by children. If the directions he was given were true he shouldn't be too far from the entrance of the Bay.

Sung had walked for about thirty minutes the Sun had long since vanished behind the hills shading the ground. It made it cool in the Canyon, Sung had to admit it was nice to be in the shade for once. Swallowing, he felt that his throat was dry as a desert, Sung cursed himself for not packing water. He could hear his old Captain from the Rangers now cussing him out for not preparing himself properly. Adding to that he could think of an Instructor or five from the Military Academy who would have something to say about his predicament as well. "Cadet Yang, where is your water Gourd?!" He could hear Master Sergeant Roshi bellow in a voice that never ceased to put the fear of Goddess into him. Roshi had been a veteran of over Five Combat Tours since he was Eighteen. A rumor had spread among the Cadets in his class that he had once killed a Earth Kingdom General and his four guards with nothing but a sharpened chopstick, Weather the story was true or not didn't matter he was one tough and mean son of a bitch either way who demanded nothing less then perfection from all those under his command. The Cadets hated him and he knew it and lived for it. Sung had always figured he did everything in his power to make his Cadets angry so they could later take out that aggression on the Enemy. One thing was for sure, if one man in his platoons screwed up they all screwed up.