Three: In Which Wild Oats Yield Rare Flowers

Iroh knew the district of Ba Sing Se he needed to get to. He dashed out into the streets purposefully, ignoring the light drizzle that was starting. Once in the healer's district he stopped, wondering how he would find the person he was looking for. There were at least two buildings with signs that said bone-setter, but he was not sure which one it could be until he saw a small design on one of the signs – a white lotus near the bottom right. It was a small shop tucked between a herbalist and an unmarked building and Iroh was relieved to see that a lamp was burning inside and they had not closed for the day yet. He went inside, coming into an empty waiting room, and approached a desk. Behind the desk was a green curtained doorway, presumably leading to the room where the bone-bender worked. Quite suddenly a child climbed up onto the desk from behind it, a little girl around eight years old. She was dark-haired, fair-skinned, and had striking gold eyes. Iroh was startled for a moment, feeling like he was no longer in Ba Sing Se; she looked more like a fire nation daughter than an earth nation daughter.

"Hullo! What can I do for you?"

"Hello there. Is the doctor in? It's very urgent."

"Just a moment." The girl hopped off the desk and stuck her head through the curtains, yelling "MO~M! Someone's here to see you!"

She climbed back onto the desk just as a woman walked through the curtains, still in the process of pinning her dark brown hair out of her face.

"Jasmine," she said to the child, "just come in and get me next time. There was no need to yell."

"He said it's urgent!" she jabbed a finger at Iroh.

The woman immediately looked to Iroh, but did not see him in pain. Then she looked at his face, her own expression becoming puzzled. "Have we met before?"

"Years ago. You knew me then as General Iroh, Lu Ten's father."

A hand went to her mouth. "Oh! Of course. I remember now. We met once or twice before... before the seige ended... and Lu Ten..."

Well, when they met the second time she had been half-naked and in the process of sneaking out a window... Iroh just smiled and nodded. The last time they'd met had been at Lu Ten's funeral service which she had snuck into the fire nation just to attend. She and Iroh had talked about him over tea and he'd provided her with an escort back to the city. She had not mentioned a child, but...

"What brings you to Ba Sing Se?" She asked.

"I am here with my exiled nephew. He is called Li here... and in public I must be called Mushi."

"Mushi?" exclaimed Jasmine, laughing, "That's a funny name."

"The rude child is my daughter, Jasmine, and my name is Ming Shu."

"Thank you for reminding me, it's been a few years. Both are very pretty names for very pretty ladies."

"You are as much a rascal as your son was."

Iroh laughed heartily, "Maybe. My nephew and I work at a tea shop down in the Maji district, but soon we will have our own teashop in the inner ring."

"That sounds exciting."

"Yes, it is. Only... my nephew is very ill right now, and I would prefer not to risk revealing our identities by seeking a healer."

Ming Shu glanced around to make sure no one was listening, "Exiled fire nation is still fire nation?"

Iroh nodded, "That seems to be how it goes here in Ba Sing Se."

"So you came to me?"

"I don't know if you can help, but I'm low on options..."

She nodded briskly and motioned for him to follow her into the back room. "Give me a few moments to pack my bag... what are his symptoms?"

Iroh followed her into the inner sanctum, a comfortable, windowless room that smelled of herbs with a high bed in the middle. "High fever, delirium, and a cough."

"Hmm... alright, some of these then..." she dropped a couple of herb jars into her bag and tossed a yellow child-sized cloak at Jasmine. "Put this on dear, you're coming along."

"Yay! House call!"

She pulled her bag shut, "Let's go."

Iroh led them out into the street. Ming Shu opened an umbrella and walked next to him, her step quick and light.

Ahead of them Jasmine flew like a yellow bird, running from one puddle to the next, cloak flowing behind her. Lamplight glimmered on wet road and they rushed along.

Iroh soon asked the question that was on both of their minds: "Is she Lu Ten's?"

"Yes. Yes, Jasmine is Lu Ten's child."

"So I have a granddaughter."

Ming Shu gave Iroh a smile that warmed him to the core, "You do."

"I will tell her once I've gained some trust."

"I have had dreams of a white lotus opening."

"A white lotus opening...?"

"Yes."

They had breached the outer wall of Ba Sing Se and nearly taken the city. It would not be long now and General Iroh's destiny would be fulfilled. He breathed fire at the soldiers in front of him, crying, "Tell the Earth King that the Dragon of the West is coming for him!"

There was a fatal flaw to their plans, however; they had not expected the Dai Li to be in the palace, and only in the palace; however, quite suddenly the walls were moving, stone closing in.

"Earth-benders!"

They continued to fight through the shifting stone walls and flying boulders. Iroh frowned: too many soldiers were falling, he didn't like this. Where was Lu Ten?

"Mukin," he said to his right-hand guard, "Go find my Lu Ten. Make sure he's safe."

"Yes sir."

"Everyone else, retreat to the wall! We will regroup later."

The words "retreat to the wall" echoed from one soldier to the next; someone sounded a horn, two short blows which meant to retreat to the last safe point and go into defensive/recovery mode. Already they'd done this before, when the earth-benders had proven too much while taking the outside wall, but they had returned and taken it later. War was not as clear cut win/loose as the history books make it out to be; it was made up of many small battles which went different ways, and there was no shame in retreating when you had miscalculated.

Iroh disarmed a Dai Li soldier, sending the man onto his back and unconscious with a well-placed kick. He then turned around to retreat himself and was met with a sight that would forever be blazed onto the inside of his eyelids: Mukin, through a haze of smoke and flames that licked a thatched fence, carrying Lu Ten's limp body. At first Iroh thought he was merely injured, but when he saw Mukin's expression the terrifying truth began to sink in.

"I found him under a boulder, sir."

Iroh silently checked his son over, feeling for a breath or pulse or any sign of life.

"General Iroh sir?"

A boulder flew directly over their heads, causing Mukin to duck, and smashed nearby. Iroh stood still, silent even as battle continued to rage around him.

"General Iroh?"

Lu Ten was already cooling.

"Iroh?"

He looked up to Mukin and said in a gravelly voice, "Bring him, we're retreating."

"Here we are." Iroh stopped at the stairway, motioning for Ming Shu and Jasmine to head up. He opened the apartment door and was right away greeted by Jin.

"Hello Jin, I brought the healer here. Ming Shu and her daughter, Jasmine. Jin's a friend of Li's who has been watching him."

"Nice to meet you. Li's sleeping still, if you can call it sleeping... he's really burning up."

"I will examine him right away then." said Ming Shu, "Can I order you both around a little?"

"Anything for my nephew."

"What can I do?"

"Jin, heat up some water for tea and get some fresh cold water as well. Jasmine can help you."

"Right!" Jin picked up the bucket and led Jasmine outside. She had a little sister and so she knew that this assignment also involved keeping the little girl out of the way while the grown-ups were working.

"Iroh, come in here with me and tell me when this first started. I need details."