A disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: Last Airbender. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko do. I just happen to be a fan of the series who is making a fanfic about it. Only Aizen is mine.

March, 86 AG

"So these are my cousins? They're small." The eleven year old Lu Ten commented, getting a nice chuckle from his father Iroh, a small smile from Ursa, and an unamused look from Ozai. Ursa is holding Azula in her arms and Zuko stands by her while Aizen stands next to his father.

"They're supposed to be that small, son. You were that small when you were their ages too." Iroh corrects his son. Lu Ten, a curious boy, goes over and pokes Zuko's cheek, getting a pout from the toddler. He then tries to poke Azula as well, but Azula bites his probing finger, making Lu Ten yelp before yanking his hand back and moving closer to his dad.

"Azula, please, no biting your cousin..." Ursa sighs while commenting on her daughter's horrible biting habit. Azula seems to have picked up the habit of biting people. Not objects. People. Many servants can attest to the baby girl having baby teeth that sink into them in one way or another. It had definitely made nursing her a pain. Anybody who has held her or gotten close has been bitten by her, even Zuko. The only exception to the rule seems to be Aizen, who she just curiously touches with her tiny hands whenever he gets close.

"That one's mean, dad..." Lu Ten complains to his father, who just pats his head with a smile. Aizen hears this and looks between Azula and Lu Ten.

"Azu sorwy. She not mean harm." Aizen says. Being only a year odd months, you wouldn't think he'd be able to say many words. But he listens well, and has steadily been learning to say new words rather quickly. Ozai doesn't admit to being proud, but he is.

"Well, if she bit me, she did mean harm..." Lu Ten mutters, Iroh turning to his brother while not showing his smile to his son.

"Your children are coming along well, Ozai. All of them." Iroh tells his younger brother. Ozai's eyes flicker to each of his kids before turning to his brother again.

"Indeed, Iroh." He says. If his brother believes all three of his kids are doing well, who is he to deny the compliment? Let him think all three are coming out equally well.

More words are spoken between the brothers, but a messenger interrupts and tells Iroh that Azulon requests his presence. Iroh apologizes for having to leave hastily, promising his brother and his wife to bring some tea next time. Ozai just grunts at this while Ursa smiles.

"Your Brother's title of 'Dragon of the West' doesn't seem to suit him." She comments idly, wincing as Azula bites into her arm. She personally thought "Lord of Tea" fitted him more.

"You haven't seen him on the battlefield or in the strategy room." Ozai simply says before he turns away, leaving his wife and kids to do whatever as he requests a servant to warm up a bath. Ursa just has her two sons walk near her to her room, the two following without prompt.

"Lu Ten got bit by Azula. Why does she not bite you, Aizen?" Zuko questions his younger brother halfway to their mother's room. Aizen doesn't even hesitate in answering.

"Azu loves me. I love Azu. She won't hurt me." Aizen says with such innocence and certainty that Ursa smiles at the answer, which falters a bit as Zuko asks a question better left unanswered-

"Then why does she bite me and momma?"

August, 86 AG

Many nobles socialize throughout the palace at a banquet held by Prince Ozai. A rare type of event indeed, as Ozai never attempts to hold such social events under normal circumstances. He claims it's for the continued health of all of children and decided to hold it on his second son's birthday, who had just turned two years old. Azulon had chose not to attend (as usual) while Iroh had been sent away for a while, leaving only Ozai, his wife, children, and Lu Ten to represent the royal family at the event. Lu Ten was happy socializing with the other kids his age, something he can't do often as he is privately tutored by his Father and some historians and bending professionals instead of going to school. Such is the price of being prime in line for the throne, though he doesn't know that part.

Ozai is talking to some of the more higher nobles at the event, putting on an expression that someone might mistake for interest, when he's really just drinking a sip of his finely made wine every once in a while and listening for anything that he can use for his benefit. Ursa is talking to other noble ladies, some of them gossiping about their husbands or interesting things they've heard from their servants. They know a lot of things, not surprising with all the free time they get along with their social status. Zuko, Aizen, and Azula are all next to each other, Zuko holding his younger brother's hand while Aizen holds Azula's. The act made some of the other nobles comment on the adorableness of the situation, Zuko blushing at the attention he usually doesn't get, Aizen mainly ignoring the strangers, and Azula seems to want to burn some of them in response (she got over biting when her fire appeared), but a squeeze from Aizen stops her.

Aizen looks around the room, searching for his father and mother, but pausing as he sees the banquet table. He sees something he's never seen before on the table. He looks at the pushy nobles around him and his siblings before he starts to walk to the table, pulling his brother and sister along with him. Zuko lets out a noise of surprise of his younger brother suddenly pulling him while Azula just follows without question. He gets to the table and lets go of Zuko's hand to reach upwards, but being two, he didn't really have any way of reaching the table. A servant sees the young princes's struggle and walks toward the siblings.

"What is it you request, prince?" You wouldn't think a servant would be respectful to a two year old, but being royal makes such things hard to forget that if he makes the child sad, his father could send him to the colonies (however unlikely that may seem). Aizen looks up at the servant and points at the object of his attention on the table. The servant looks at the child as he points at...

"You want some cake?" The servant questions. The cake was originally a type of food made by commoners which kept getting made in higher qualities and it had just started to be made by the royal family chefs and bakers. This was the first time the food was served at a banquet. Most nobles ignored the food as they still saw it as commoner food, but some had taken a slice and appreciated the taste.

The child nods, and the servant looks at the cake before shrugging. Who was he to deny the little prince his curiosity of the food? He reached towards the table, grabbed the nearby knife, and cut a piece of the cake off, putting it on a plate before handing it to the child with a fork. Aizen took the plate in both his hands now and stared at the cake. His siblings were even looking at the cake, wondering what had enchanted Aizen so much. Aizen grabbed the fork and stabbed into the cake, getting a small piece and raising it to his mouth.

Ozai's eyes started to wonder from the noble he 'talked' too, having paid enough attention to know he had nothing more he needed. His eyes search the room and he sees his three children by the banquet table, seeing Aizen just finishing the food he could recall being known as 'cake'. At first his son did nothing after the last bite. Then he smiled. then he opened his mouth.

Some of the nobles around the banquet table jumped when they heard a burp, followed by fire coming out a two year old's mouth. Zuko's eyes widened at his brother. Ursa put a hand to her mouth. Ozai's mouth turned to a frown at such a display in public. And Aizen...

"Cake is good." He says to the adults watching.

Laughter. Ozai sees the Nobles, their children, and even the servants having a good laugh at the comment from his second son. Not the type of laughing that one does to somebody who fails. The type of laugh that one would have from a joke. They're not laughing at his son, but with him. He didn't humiliate himself in front of the rest of the nobles, but somehow he turned burping fire into a nice spectacle that brought joy. Fire Breathing, something that is a technique that most firebenders can never do, something his brother got quite famous for... and his son just did it by accident at the age of two.

Ozai walked to his children, his other son letting out a shocked 'dad!' that he paid little attention too. He looked to Aizen.

"Your Fire Bending skills are improving, Aizen. Good job." He praises his son. Aizen looks to his dad with a smile.

"Thanks, dad." Aizen says, grabbing a hold of Zuko and Azula's hand again after putting down his plate. He pauses, then turns his eyes back to his father. "Cake is good. Can we have more?"

Over the next few months, Cake gained a greater following for the Nobles, which trickled down to the commoners in the Fire Nation Capital. This eventually led to a shop specifically for cakes to be opened, taking requests from all. This all started because the Royal Family suddenly had more of a demand for cakes. And those increased cakes went to the children of the royal family, eventually to Iroh, Ursa, and even Ozai and Azulon. All started because Aizen had saw and tasted cake at a banquet.

Zuko: 3 years, 2 months.

Aizen: 2 years.

Azula: A year and 1 month.