Korra was only six years old when Fire Lord Zuko came to visit the Southern Water Tribe. The idea was that the retired fire lord would teach the Avatar about the culture of the fire nation and fire bending basics. Unfortunately for Korra, the plan hit a hitch.
Zuko was bringing his grandson.
At first, Korra was excited at the prospect of having another kid her age around. But as soon as she discovered that he was five years her senior, she knew he would be a pampered fire nation prince. He would have manners. And anyone with manners wouldn't want to go penguin sledding with her or play pranks on Katara. Instead, he'd probably just practice firebending and talk about boring history every day.
She was practicing her waterbending with Katara when the ship docked and a messenger was sent to them. Korra had been reshaping water under Katara's instruction, shifting it around fluidly, when the white lotus guard approached her. Korra held the water suspended in the air, huffing indignantly at the intrusion. Katara motioned for him to approach.
"Forgive me, Master Katara," he said, "But Fire Lord Zuko and Prince Iroh have just docked in the bay, and I'm sure they would love to see you and the young Avatar," he said with a bow in her direction.
Korra dropped the water and squealed excitedly at the thought of meeting the Fire Lord. Katara chuckled and reached for Korra's hand. Korra all but dragged Katara to the docks, following the White Lotus Guard and chattering excitedly. Katara's face was lit up with a smile as she saw the metal ship, anchored on the dock.
Fire Lord Zuko walked regally down the gangplank, his hair more white than grey now. He walked to directly to Katara and bowed to her. Before he could get a word out Katara ran to him, pulling him into a fierce hug, which he returned immediately, a smile on his wrinkled face.
"It's good to see you too, Katara," the fire lord chuckled. Her forwardness with him was something he was used to by now, and her lack of adherence to protocol had long since been understood by him. Katara just held him tighter.
"I've missed you so much, it's been so long," she said, pulling away from him. As Katara pulled away from him, she noticed a silhouette on the ship, standing up ramrod straight. Zuko noticed her gaze and turned around to call to his grandson. "Iroh, come down and meet our hosts!" he called jovially.
Prince Iroh of the fire nation descended the gangplank, trying not to shiver in the arctic air. He was a Prince of the Fire Nation, and Princes did not shiver, no matter how cold it was. He stopped in front of Katara, bowing deeply. "Master Katara, it is an honor to meet you. I've heard so many wonderful things about you," he said politely.
He didn't see the small girl hiding behind Katara, forming large snowballs. He didn't see her arm move until it was pulled back and the snowball arched gracefully, hitting him squarely in the face. Avatar Korra squealed, putting together another snowball while Prince Iroh stood in shock. He shook the snow off his face, looking for the instigator. His gaze landed on a small, dark-haired girl in a blue park. He stood dumbstruck, unsure of how to react to the Avatar's antics.
It was Zuko who shoved him kindly, laughing all the while. "This must be Avatar Korra," he said kindly. Zuko knelt down to be eye level with young girl, who strode up to him boldly, a snowball in hand.
"I am," she said brashly. "Got a problem with that?" she said archly.
Zuko smiled at her willfulness and obstinacy. How this girl was the next incarnation of Avatar Aang was beyond him, but he saw the same fire in her eyes that Katara was often known for. "Not at all," he said. "I'm Fire Lord Zuko, and it's an honor to meet you," he said with an incline of his head in her direction.
"Fire Lord Zuko?" she asked, her voice full of awe and amazement. "Master Katara has told me so much about you and your adventures! Will you teach me how to firebend like the dragons taught you?" Korra stood up on her tiptoes, her voice excited. She had to keep herself from dancing with excitement. Katara put an arm around her shoulder to keep her from imploding and bombarding Zuko with questions.
He shook his head. "No, not much. I believe most of your teaching will come from my grandson, Iroh. Iroh, would you please introduce yourself." He gestured to his grandson who stood up ramrod straight, despite the wetness of his red jacket.
Korra pouted and looked Iroh up and down, unimpressed. Iroh smiled, using all of his formal training in diplomacy. He was going to need a lot of patience to deal with this headstrong girl.
"I'm Prince Iroh II, and it is an honor to train you, Avatar Korra." Zuko nudged Iroh, and Iroh sighed, grabbing Korra's hand. He kissed it quickly, annoyed at having to obey formal protocol with a six year old girl that had just thrown snowballs at him.
The avatar gave him a look of annoyance and said, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You want to spar or something? I haven't fought anyone in a while and I bet I could beat you." Iroh looked to his grandfather for guidance, but Zuko merely nodded at him while Katara smirked at her boldness.
Korra took his pause as a yes and grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the docks. Iroh trudge along unhappily, following the younger girl. It's going to be a long month, he thought to himself.
"She's a lot like you, you know," Zuko said, arching his eyebrow. Katara shot him a look and shoved him slightly.
"I'm still a Master Waterbender, Sparky, and you are surrounded in snow." Zuko laughed and put his arm out for her to take, which she took gingerly. They walked arm-in-arm, following behind the Avatar and Prince.
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Iroh was surprised at how well Korra was trained. The girl was only six, but she was holding her own in their sparring match. Every time he sent a burst of flame in her direction, she blocked it with snow, and several times a wall of Earth.
"You already know Earthbending?" he called in between breaths.
Korra took a defensive stance, her pulse elevated. This was one of the hardest sparring matches she'd ever been in. The white Lotus members were always afraid they would hurt her so they hardly presented a challenge. But this time, she had to pull out all the stops in their match. "Enough, but I haven't had a formal teacher yet," she answered.
Iroh lept forward, an arc of fire flying from his foot in a swipe, which Korra dodged. In doing so, she pitched to her left and stumbled. Her foot slid on some ice she had previously frozen and she skidded across the floor. She fell straight on her butt, the breath knocked out of her. She looked up in surprise, tears forming around her eyes. Iroh ran forward, holding his hands out to her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice full of concern. Sure, she was annoying, but he didn't want her getting hurt.
Her gaze took on their previous fire and she looked at him defiantly. "I'm fine!" she said, reaching for his hand. He pulled her up, but her weight set him off balance, sending him backwards. Korra lost her grip, sliding again and falling to her right. Both kids looked at each other, their eyes wide. And then Korra let out a loud laugh that soon had the Fire Nation Prince laughing with her. They had tears forming in their eyes as their bodies shook with laughter. After a moment, Iroh cleared his throat.
"Well, that was a good match. How about we call it a draw?" he asked, ever the gentleman. If Iroh really wanted, he could've beaten the younger girl, but he had no desire to destroy her passion for bending.
"You're just saying that because you know I would've won," Korra cried indignantly, her hands on the ground, pushing herself to a standing position. Iroh stood up with her, straightening his clothes.
"Are not," replied.
"Are too!"
"Are not! It doesn't matter, we both lost anyway," he said, looking at the patch of ice. She noticed where his gaze was a giggled. "Yeah, I guess we did. But next time, I will be victorious!" she said loudly. She headed toward the door of the training facility, and turned back towards him. "You coming or not?"
Iroh nodded and followed her out the door. If nothing else, Korra was going to keep him on his toes. And Iroh was ready to rise to the challenge.
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Korra cried when Iroh and Fire Lord Zuko left to return to the Fire Nation. She hid her face in Katara's skirts, resolving to let nobody see her cry. She was a big girl, and big girls didn't cry.
But Iroh was her new best friend, besides Naga, of course. And now he was leaving, and she didn't know when he would come back.
Zuko and Katara exchanged looks over the young Avatar's sad expression, and Iroh's forlorn look. He looked at the metal ship reluctantly, and towards the younger girl with obvious affection. They had been inseparable during the month, constantly sparring, penguin sledding, and acting like children. Iroh had never had so much fun in his life, and he doubted he would have that kind of fun back home. Here, he wasn't the Prince of the Fire Nation. Here, he was Iroh, Korra's teacher and best friend.
During the farewell, he addressed Korra directly. "Korra, why are you so sad?"
"I'm not sad," she answered, rubbing her eyes.
"Korra, it's okay to be sad sometimes." She looked at him, her eyes large and round. "Really?" she asked.
"Really Really." He held open his arms to her and she ran into them, hugging him fiercely.
"Promise you'll come visit again? Naga and I will miss you," she said into his shoulder.
Iroh patted her back, releasing her from his grip. He crouched down a bit to be exactly eye level with her. "Upon my honor," he said, causing her to smile.
"I'm holding you too that, you know."
Iroh laughed. "I hope you do." Iroh then straightened and bowed to Katara, his expression changing to one of complete decorum. "Master Katara, thank you for having me here. It has been a wonderful experience to stay with you this month."
Zuko smiled proudly at his grandson, while Katara smiled and thanked him for teaching Korra. She extended an invitation for them to return whenever they could. They would always be welcome in the South Pole. Zuko nodded and hugged Katara goodbye, and Korra jumped up into the Fire Lord's arms to hug him cheerfully. Zuko loved her courage and knew she would make a great avatar one day. He set her down on the ground, heading toward the ship with Iroh. They waved goodbye as the ship sailed off until they were out of sight.
There was a moment of silence until Katara reminded Korra of her training. "I know," Korra replied. "I just wish Iroh was here to teach me, I miss him already," she whined.
Katara grabbed the Avatar's hand, pulling her towards the healing hut for her lessons. "Come on little one, we've got a lot of work to do."
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It was five years before he was able to return to the Water Tribe. His mother let him go just after he enlisted to join the United Forces. Fire Lord Zuko did not accompany him, and he instead, went with his new recruits. He was to be a Captain in the United Forces, with his own crew and ship. And his first stop was the South Pole to check the progress of avatar Korra's training.
When his ship approached the docks, he noticed a shape moving in the water with alarming speed. His men were afraid of the approaching figure, but Iroh knew exactly who it was. Only one person was brave enough to swim in the Arctic Sea towards the approaching ship.
He was not surprised when she flew onto the deck of his ship from a column of water she had bent. She efficiently bent the water from her hair and off her clothes, splashing some of the soldiers nearby, who groaned in protest.
Her blue eyes searched for the familiar face of the Fire Nation Prince. She scanned the men, looking for the telltale golden eyes and proud look.
"Looking for someone?" A deep voice behind her said questioningly.
Korra turned around and sprinted towards the Captain, throwing her arms around his neck. She almost tackled him to the ground, but he caught himself, putting an arm around her as well. "I missed you too, Korra," he said kindly.
She pulled away, looking him up and down. "You're so much taller," she remarked. "You've grown up."
Iroh laughed heartily. "That tends to happen Korra, You've grown a bit yourself too." Korra beamed at the compliment. She had grown a lot taller since they had last seen each other. "How is your training going?"
Korra sighed. "It's alright. But the white Lotus can be really boring." Her eyes sparkled mischievously, "But I think my firebending could use some practice."
Iroh broke into a wide grin. "We'll have to see what we can do about that."
And just like that, they were children again. He wasn't a Prince, or the Captain of the ship. And she was no longer the Avatar. They spent the day catching up and ice fishing, much to Korra's delight. The ship docked and the men prepare for the journey ahead of them.
It wasn't until that night, when they sat around a bonfire, when she asked the question that was on the tip of her tongue the whole day. "How long until you leave again?" she asked him quietly. She pulled her knees up to her chest, fiddling with her braid.
There was a moment of silence while Iroh decided on what to say. He finally decided with the truth. "A week." he answered, his eyes trained on the fire. She stared into the fire, the smoke burning her eyes.
"I guess that doesn't give me a lot of time to beat you in a match," she responded.
Iroh's glum expression broke into a wide grin. He was expecting her to respond bitterly, but that wasn't who Korra was. Korra always looked every situation in the face. She adapted, just like her element, finding the path of least resistance. And when that path didn't exist, she forged her own. "I guess it doesn't," he quipped. "And you're going to need all the time you can get."
She shoved him into the snow, laughing at his surprised expression. "Remember, pretty boy, you're in my territory now!" Korra stood up laughing, running toward the training arena. Iroh ran after her, his feet knowing exactly where to go. He had missed her childishness. She was only eleven, still a child in many ways. But he could see her beginning to transform into an adult, one who would one day do amazing things as the Avatar. But today, she was a kid, and his best friend, and he wasn't going to let her beat him again.
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Okay, so Korroh fic that I just wrote up. It's going to be a series, and I have really high hopes for it. I'm usually a Makorra shipper, but I do really like this pairing too. I love reviews and the people that leave them! :)