28th Day, 4th Moon, Year of the Dragon (Azulon 65)
It may be Lu Ten's birthday, but I feel as though I am the one who received the best of the gifts—Zuko finally called me Mama! It happened during supper. I grant that he did it in response to Lu Ten's encouragement rather than mine, but he looked right at me when he said it, and that's proof enough for me that he knew what he was saying. I'm afraid my reaction was embarrassingly ebullient; I laughed and swept Zuko up in my arms, right in front of the party guests! Fortunately, I was able to contain my glee quickly, and the Fire Lord said nothing but "His first word, I presume?" before getting things back on track.
Lu Ten loved the pikes; in fact, unless I am mistaken, he is in the training arena practicing with the wooden one right now. They were not the only weapons he received, but I can say with some satisfaction that they were the only ones sized for his use, with the exception of the sword given to him by the Duke of Minchu, which I can only surmise is purely ceremonial since it seems to be more enamel than steel. Ornaments are not of much interest to a nine-year-old boy, but he was polite and thanked the Duke—and all the others who gave him similarly decorative things—in the correct fashion.
Everything, however, was overshadowed by the magnificent surprise that Iroh sent: a live Earth Kingdom ostrich-horse, captured from some colonel or other in battle and shipped back to the capitol at an expense surely known only to Agni. Before today, I had never seen one, and it is altogether amazing to me that anyone can ride such a creature without it falling over—with only two legs, it seems quite precarious compared to a rhino or mongoose-dragon. Indeed, Iroh's accompanying letter instructed Lu Ten not to try riding it until we can find someone who already knows how, to teach him. But it is a well-behaved animal that will take fruit from a person's hand if it is offered. Lu Ten has named it Tsuchi.
Soon enough, of course, we shall have to begin preparing for Zuko's first birthday. With any luck, by then he will have learned more words, or even started walking!