The sound of a baby crying broke the stillness. A doctor with graying salt and pepper hair handed off the newborn to an attending nurse.

He had been called into a noblewoman's home. The woman was on her deathbed, and it was apparent from the moment he arrived that she would not survive the childbirth. The birth had been much too fast, and there had been massive bleeding as a result. When he handed the noblewoman her new son, she had smiled weakly and said "His eyes are just like his father's…"

The doctor was very curious who that father was, as the baby boy had very distinct amber eyes. everyone in the fire nation knew that almost nobody except members of the royal family ever had amber eyes. Unfortunately, he knew there was no time to ask about it. The woman's breathing was becoming erratic, and her skin was an unhealthy pale shade. "Milady, do you have a name for your son?" he asked as gently as possible.

The noblewoman only continued to smile at her son, but in a very weak voice muttered "His name is Aizon, after his father..." Only a few moments later she gave a final gasp, and stopped breathing. As if sensing her passing the newly christened Aizon began to cry.

The doctor had then handed off the baby to a nurse and gave a sad sigh. It wasn't the first time he had seen a mother die in childbirth, but it never got any easier for him. He had spent the next hour doing paperwork, and there was a lot of it since someone had died, and someone had been born at the same time.

When he came back to check on the boy, he was shocked to see royal guards swarming the place. His jaw dropped when he saw Aizon being forcibly taken away from the nurses, their protests falling on deaf ears. He marched up to one the guards who seemed to be in charge. "What is the meaning of this? Where are you taking that boy?" The guard issued a few more orders before turning to the doctor. The guard looked him up and down, and noticed the scroll he had just spent the past hour writing up. It was summarily ripped out from under his arm. The masked man spent a few moments examining it before nodding. "This seems to be in order. Your services are no longer needed here anymore doctor. Speak of this to no one."

The doctor was once more shocked. So shocked, he only gaped and stared at the man as he and the rest of the guards left the house, forming a protective ring around the guard carrying the boy..

Finally getting his wits about him, he ran after them. "Wait!" he called. They only paused for a moment. Their leader said something, and they all saluted before continuing on. When the doctor finally caught up to the man, he was panting hard, and bent over putting his hands to his knees. Knowing he was pushing his luck, he asked between big gulps of air, "Y.. you never answered my question." He finally caught his breath and looked up at the guard. "And what question was that, Doctor?" he asked in an amused voice. The doctor finally stood fully erect and asked once more "Where are you taking the boy?" Despite not being able to see the guard's face, he got the distinct feeling he was smirking at him. "Why doctor, I would have thought that was obvious. Prince Aizon is being taken to the royal palace." The doctor promptly fainted.

10 years later

Prince Aizon had grown up in the southern wing of the royal palace, where extended members of the royal family stayed. It turned out that Fire lord Azulon had remarried in secret. Apparently wary of his son Ozai's scheming, he had vied to have another son as a replacement. Once Aizon had been born, he had made him third in line to the throne, after Iroh and his son Lu ten, by royal decree. But only few months later, Iroh had returned home in disgrace, giving up the siege of Ba Sing Se after his son Lu ten had been killed in the battle. Shortly thereafter, Fire Lord Azulon had died mysteriously, with Ozai succeeding him since Aizon was too young to rule.

One of his first orders as Fire Lord had been to reorder the royal line of succession, placing the heirs to the throne in order of their birth date. The reason given for this decree was "to restore the birthright of the first born." Ironic since Ozai himself was second born, but the people accepted it. Of course, the more clever people saw it for what it was, positioning Ozai's children to succeed him, and getting Aizon out of their way. But they were in the minority, most people never questioned the Fire Lord since his word was law.

To Ozai's frustration though, Aizon didn't just go away. He was a powerful firebender. The fire sages pronounced him to be an extraordinary prodigy, with many comparing him to his father Azulon. Even worse, they considered him to be even more powerful than his daughter Azula, a prodigy in her own right. The similarities between Aizon and Azula didn't stop there, and most people assumed them to be twins of a sort.

Both Azula and Aizon produced strangely colored flames, with Azula making blue fire and Aizon making green respectively. They both had a cunning streak a mile wide, and were constantly tormenting Zuko, his first born son and heir to the throne. They even looked similar, with identical golden amber eyes and shimmering jet black hair. But there were subtle differences if one paid close enough attention.

Most obviously, Aizon was a much more quieter, soft spoken child. A true child genius, he always seemed to be thinking about something, with his head far off in the clouds. Azula, on the other hand, was much more focused and single minded. Once Iroh had gotten the two of them to play each other in Pai Sho, and even Ozai had been impressed. Azula had executed what looked like a perfect attacking offensive strategy that he been sure would win, but the game had ended in a draw. Rematch after rematch ended the same way. Just when it seemed like Azula would win, Aizon's pieces seemed to flow like water into a position to perfectly block her victory. Strangely, Azula was not upset by this like he had expected her to be. If anything, the duo seemed even closer afterwards.

And what a frightening duo they made. They seemed to play off each other's weakness. When Aizon seemed hesitant to put a plan into action, Azula was a natural leader. And when Azula wanted to sharpen her firebending skills, she would spar with Aizon. Yes, they were certainly worth keeping an eye on. He brought his mind back to the present and refocused in on the war room meeting among fire nation generals.

One of the generals had just made a rather interesting proposal about a bait and switch maneuver with the 41st division, a division full of new recruits. Ozai was just about to weigh in on the idea when his son Zuko spoke up in protest. Ozai had almost forgot he was there. "You can't just sacrifice an entire division like that!" The impetuous boy exclaimed. The flames around his throne roared with his anger. It was time this boy learned a lesson.

A/N: Hi all! Please review!