Roku was not able to meet with the Avatar until the morning, after one of the many guards showed him to his bunk, allowing him to take some much needed rest. He was living temporarily in one of the guard barracks on the compound until more permanent housing could be allocated, which the young firebender didn't mind. He was also fed alongside the guards, in the mess area, though he tended to keep to himself, in an effort to avoid talking about his past.

From what he could tell, only the guard at the embassy had been told the young Prince's identity, and he planned on keeping it that way. Too many people knowing that he was the son of Fire Lord Izumi could cause unwanted attention to be directed at the compound's newest arrival, and this was something he would prefer to avoid if at all possible.

He was sitting alone on one of the many mess hall benches, wolfing down his warm breakfast and thinking about how grateful he was that there were clothes warmer than his own that fit him available inside the compound when the Avatar entered the room. The assembled guards had mixed reactions, with some calling out greeting and others merely going back to their meals.

Roku, on the other hand, froze. He had not really thought through how he should interact with the Avatar, and while he had been around dignitaries and various other important people all his life, he had never met someone as important as the bridge between the human and spirit worlds.

How should I behave? he asked himself, staring at his breakfast like one might stare at an encyclopedia, hoping it would provide answers. Formally? She didn't seem particularly formal yesterday, but that may change around different people. Casually? That may send the wrong message. I should definitely sit straighter. Maybe she's not even here for me, maybe she's here to grab breakfast. Yeah, breakfast, that makes sense. It is breakfast time. And the food isn't half bad, I suppose…

As she turned to the food counter, Roku exhaled a breath he did not know he was holding. If the Avatar was just here for food, he reasoned, she would have no reason to speak to him, and that would allow him to further analyze the best approach to be taken when conversing with someone as important as the Avatar.

Alas, much to his consternation, the blue-clad Southern Water Tribe bender was not just in the mess hall for a meal. As she scanned the room, her eyes lit upon the figure sitting in the corner of the bench furthest from everyone else and she smiled, walking towards the newcomer with a slight smile on her face.

Korra set her tray down heavily on the wooden table, sitting opposite the startled firebender before grinning at him.

"I'm Korra. I take it that you're to be my new sparring partner?"

"Roku." he looked up from his breakfast, abandoning his eating utensils and standing so he could bow in front of the Avatar. "You would be correct."

"Oh no you don't!" she exclaimed in reply gesturing for the firebender to take a seat. "None of that bowing stuff."

"Errr, if you say so." Roku frowned, but sat down all the same. "I suppose you'll be wondering who I am."

"Not if you don't want me to." she paused, before grinning at him. "All that really matters, in the end, is that you can firebend well enough to be my sparring partner. Can you?"

"I guess that remains to be determined." the incognito Prince shrugged, leaning back before realizing that he was sitting on a bench. "Though I think I wouldn't be here if I wasn't any good."

"Well, then we should probably find out!" she stood, her meal forgotten. "Let's go spar!"

"Hold on a minute," Roku stopped the excited Avatar before she could run off. "I've got a few questions for you. And neither of us have finished our breakfast."

"Fine, we can wait." Korra grumbled, sitting back down and picking up her chopsticks. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, how long have you been training?" he began, finishing up the last of his meal. "Which of the elements have you learned to use? What are your preferred elements? How good are you at sparring? What sort of protective gear would we wear? What elements do you usually spar with? Wh-"

"Woah there, slow down." Korra interrupted, laughing at the slew of questions. "I can only answer so many things at a time."

"Well, we aren't in a rush, are we?"

"No, I suppose we aren't." she sighed. "Well, I've been training for quite a while now, ever since I was a young girl. I can bend water, earth, and fire, but not yet air, and I prefer water and fire bending. And as for protective gear, the Order makes me wear padded gear to avoid serious injury, and I'd imagine they'd have you do the same."

"Well, that sounds good to me. Though," he sighed, "I suppose you'll be wanting to ask me a few questions?"

"I can think of a few." the Avatar stood, having apparently eaten her fill. "But you can answer them while we walk to the sparring arena. No sense in wasting time in the mess hall."

Roku nodded, standing next to Korra as they walked towards the door together. He marveled as to how well the exchange had gone, despite his initial awkwardness, and was amazed at the amount of energy his newfound friend had so early in the morning.

As they stepped out into the harsh morning light, he sighed, steeling himself in preparation for the incoming questions.

"So, what do you want to know about me?"

"Well, who exactly are you would probably be a good start."

"I guess that makes sense." he paused for a moment, thinking about what would be best to reveal to the Avatar and what would be prudent to omit. "Well, I was born and raised in Capital City, in the Fire Nation. Lived there for all my life, though not by choice. My father was in the military, now retired, and my mother is a diplomat. I found out about the opportunity to come here because of her job, and I would rather travel than end up as a diplomat or a fire sage or even in the military. All too rigid for me, not enough personal freedom."

The Prince paused again, thinking over what he had just said. He had made sure to omit any mention of what his mother actually did in the Royal Palace, and the fact that his father was a rather high-ranking general.

It'd be easier for everyone involved if I left that bit out. he decided. Who my parents are doesn't matter now. Who I am as a person, now that's what's relevant.

"Wow. Sounds a lot more exciting than growing up here." Korra gestured at the surrounding ice walls and the watch towers that accompanied them. "I'm not exactly allowed a lot of personal freedom."

"They don't even let you explore the city?"

"They do, sometimes, but the Order of the White Lotus isn't exactly keen on me wandering about." Now it was the Avatar's turn to sigh, and she did with a small shrug. "Somehow I doubt that this is what Aang had in mind when he told them to keep the next Avatar safe. There's a such thing as being too safe, you know?"

"Yeah, definitely." Roku strongly agreed with this sentiment. "I have had similar issues with my parents in the past, though they've never tried to built walled fortresses to keep me in one place."

The firebender realized that this was not exactly true. From a young age the Prince had been confined to the palace, and had only been allowed to wander the city on his own when his parents and firebending tutor deemed him capable enough to defend himself.

"I wish they would just let me go." Korra continued angrily. "I want to travel, explore the world, meet new people, that sort of thing. Instead I'm locked up in this… this prison!"

The young Avatar punctuated this last statement with an angry gesture, causing a small burst of flame to issue from her hands. Roku raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I can't help you escape. But, I can tell you what it's like."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can tell you what it's like out there" he gestured to the sky. "The world outside these ice walls. Outside this compound. Outside even the Southern Water Tribe. I may not have traveled as much as some, but I've certainly seen some fascinating bits of the world, and I figure you may be interested in hearing about them."

"That does sound interesting. But first, I think it's time we have our first good sparring match!"

They had reached a small storage hut, several dozen meters away from the main arena. The Avatar opened the small door and removed two sets of protective gear, tossing one to her opponent.

"Put that on." she smirked. "Wouldn't want you getting hurt, now would we?"

"As much as I appreciated your concern," grinned Roku. "It's your own well being I'd be worried about if I were you."

"I'd be worried if you were as good as you say you are" Korra shot back, putting on her helmet. "But somehow I doubt that'll be the case."

"I suppose we'll just have to see, now won't we?"

They had made it to the sparring ring now and were moving to the opposite sides of the field. It was covered in red cloth, likely to prevent snow from being a major issue while sparring, and Roku was reminded of the red carpet that covered the floors of much of the Palace at home.

Upon reaching opposite ends of the square ring, both combatants began moving diagonally both towards each other and slightly to their right, each attempting to circle the other.

"I'll even limit myself to one element!" Korra shouted. "I'll even let you pick which one!"

"Fire, obviously." Roku shouted back. "That should even out the odds!"

"Good choice." the Avatar said to herself, before she launched herself towards her opponent with a burst of fire, signaling the start of their fight.

The opponent in question anticipated her move, as he had seen her prepare for the lunge, and was able to dodge to the side even as Korra kicked toward where he had stood only seconds before. In response to the attempted strike, Roku punched twice, a quick one-two, sending two small fireballs hurtling towards his adversary.

It was then that the Avatar jumped, leaping high into the air with the assistance of another burst of flame. She used the additional height to her advantage, kicking downwards and sending a great jet of flame towards the other firebender, who was forced to leap to the side. Rolling into a crouch as he landed, the young bender was able to kick out at his foe's legs as he landed in an attempt to throw her off balance.

To his surprise, it worked. The combination of being forced to concentrate on landing successfully and avoiding the additional threat of the second attack caused Korra to land off balance, and though it only took her a few moments to regain it, that was enough for Roku. By the time his adversary had gotten her fists in front of her body in a blocking position, the young firebender was already sending bursts of flame towards her, in the form of a quick series of punches followed up by a roundhouse kick.

Yet despite this flurry of strikes, the Avatar still stood tall, dodging and blocking each and every burst of heat. The opposing bender was amazed at his opponent's ability to avoid each and every attack, but still he pressed his advantage.

Surely at some point she will miss one of them. he thought to himself. Nobody can last forever. Maybe I should try something else…

Instead of continuing the series of rapid fire, smaller attacks, Roku decided to change his approach. He kicked a large scything arc of fire at Korra, before following it up with a steady stream of flame. The technique proved ineffective, however, as the young Avatar was able to leap up and over the flames, dodging the burst again with the assistance of her own firebending. The jump allowed her to sail up and over the confused firebender opposing her and she was able to land behind him, allowing her to kick a single blast of flame into his back.

The attack was completely successful. Roku was blasted forward several meters due to the intensity of the attack, and he sailed off the edge of the elevated sparring platform and into a snow drift. He sat there for a moment, fire resistant clothes and protective gear smoldering, and enjoyed how soft the snow felt. After a moment the exhausted firebender turned over and stared up at the shockingly blue sky, free from clouds or other obstructions.

Despite his initial inability to cope with the colder weather, the firebender found himself enjoying the cold climate. He found that the crisp, fresh weather was refreshing, and he did not mind the accompanying cold. In fact, he almost forgot the reason he was in this particular until the Avatar stood over him, offering a hand to pull him from his prone position. He accepted, and she pulled him to his feet.

"Well, I guess that settles it." Korra grinned. "I'm the better bender."

"Hah! Only because I wasn't prepared." Roku retorted. "Once we get ourselves a proper firebender sparring ring, then you'll see."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself to feel better, Roku." she laughed. "But it seems to me that you're just making excuses."

"Not excuses, just viable factors that contributed to my loss!"

"Mmmmhmmm. Whatever you say. Though," Korra paused, giving the firebender a sidelong glance, "You did put up a good fight. Most of the people I've sparred with recently have been rather easy to defeat. They fought well, but not for long. You must've had a good teacher."

"One of the best." replied Roku. "Maybe you'll meet him one day."

He did not tell his friend that he had been taught by none other than Lord Zuko, his grandfather. The elderly man was a master firebender, and though he was often particularly busy for his age, he had always had time to help further his grandson's firebending skills. It was he who had encouraged Roku to make the trip to the South Pole, and the young man was very grateful for all his grandfather had done for him.

"He taught you well. You almost had me there for a moment, before your little slip up."

"He certainly did." agreed the young bender. "He certainly did."

They stopped at the same storage closet they had taken the training equipment from and returned the helmets and protective pads, each a little more scuffed and scorched than before but altogether undamaged. After the gear had been secured, Roku turned to his new friend.

"So, what exactly do you do around here when you aren't sparring?" he asked.

"Well, not much to be honest." the Avatar sighed. "I've got afternoon tutoring, mostly about the history of the various Avatars and that sort of thing, as well as training for new bending techniques. But beyond that, not much. Sometimes I can convince them to let me go to the city for a day or two, like during the Glacier Spirits Festival, but it's never really long enough to do anything interesting."

"That's a shame." replied the firebender. "You must have friends, though, right? You'd go mad if you were completely alone."

"Naga!" Korra visibly brightened, and she began running towards the large animal kennels on the far side of the compound. "How could I forget Naga?"

"Who?" Roku asked, running to catch up with the Avatar.

"Naga!" she slowed to a jog, allowing the firebender to catch up. "She's my best friend!"

"Yes, but who is she?" queried the confused bender.

"Naga is a polar bear dog." answered Korra. "She's my animal companion."

"Ah. That would explain the fact that we are running towards the animal pens."

The Avatar merely laughed as they entered the kennel. It was sunken into the ground, built into the side of the east wall of the compound, with a metal fence to keep the apparently rather large creature in its enclosure. The enclosure itself was spacious, with wooden supports keeping the icy roof at bay, hay for bedding, a large igloo house and an elevated circular nest-type structure. In the center of the room was a massive polar bear dog, sitting and cheerfully wagging its one and a half meter long tail.

"Naga!" called out Korra as she ran to the gigantic animal, hugging it around its broad chest. Naga panted and licked the Avatar's face, before abruptly turning her head as Roku stepped off the last icy step and into the circular room.

"Naga, this is Roku. He's friendly, so try not to eat him."

The large, fluffy creature walked slowly towards the newcomer, sniffing at him with her large snout, before coming to a stop only inches before the young firebender's face. Despite the fact that he was pretty sure the Avatar was joking about Naga eating him, Roku still decided that it would be best to stay completely still and avoid antagonizing the creature. After a long moment, the polar bear dog sat on her hind legs, regarding the firebender in a more relaxed manner before licking his face, her massive tongue drenching the Prince's face and messing up his hair. As Korra burst into laughter, he stood stock still in shock, surprised at the display of friendliness from the massive animal.

"I think… I think she likes you." the Avatar said between fits of laughter.

"Really?" responded the newcomer as he wiped his face on the sleeve of his parka. "What tipped you off?"

"Usually she's much more reserved." said Korra once her laughter subsided. "But I guess you're different. Man, you should've seen the look on your face!"

"I'd like to see you act all stoic when an animal that bulky and intimidating licks your face." frowned Roku. "I could've sworn she was going to eat me."

"Well, she hasn't eaten anyone yet." she jested. "You could have been the first, but I figured that was unlikely."

"Well, I'm glad you figured correctly."

"What can I say, I'm good at judging Naga's moods." the Avatar smiled. "What do you say we go out and play with her for a bit? I think she gets lonely in this pen of hers."

"As long as she doesn't eat me, I think that'd be fine."

"I can't promise anything, but somehow I doubt she plans on eating you."

"Yeah, that's what they always say," groused Roku as they left the pen with Naga in tow. "but that doesn't mean they're telling the truth."

Author's Note: Here's the second chapter! I know these aren't particularly long, but for some reason I prefer shorter chapters released within short intervals. This is likely because seeing that people read what I wrote, and views always go up when more is added to the story. On a related note, I think this chapter is far better than its predecessor (I suppose I just needed to get into the writing groove) and flows much better, instead of the slow, kinda painful writing of the first chapter.

Also, I tried to write Korra as realistically as possible, or at least as close to the character she is/was at the beginning of season one, i.e. talented, but immature and a bit arrogant. Not sure if I achieved that, but I certainly tried. Also: worry not, you Korrasami/Makorra/(other ships I forgot)! I don't plan on having Roku be much of a participant in the love triangles/squares/geometric shapes that are a part of the first season. He will date certain characters in the future (assuming I continue writing past season 1) but for now, canon relationships are canon.

Anyways, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! As always, subscribe, favorite, leave a review, or just enjoy the story!