Book 2: Shadow

The day after they'd defeated Azruphel, Korra and Asami were treated to a subdued victory dinner. It was mostly a celebration of the necromancer being killed, but the innkeeper winked knowingly at Korra when she gave them free meals for the rest of their stay.

If they'd failed and died, Gondor would have been blamed for anything bad that had happened and their bodies would have been used in whatever strange rituals the necromancer had planned. But Korra's vision had returned and the people here could finally step out of the shadow long cast by Sauron. They had a path forward. Korra was content with that. Maybe when Gondor came to the east, this town would be welcoming.

That night, Korra danced with the innkeeper and the innkeeper's daughter. She danced with the old man from the South who told everyone stories of Khand and the city the mysterious cat-queen Beruthiel had hailed from. She danced with his handsome son, whose eyes held mysteries. She danced with the children who flocked to Asami's feet for her toys and magic tricks. But most importantly of all, she danced with Asami. When she danced with Asami it was like nothing else mattered. Simply the two of them taking steps together, as old as time.

It was well past the witching hour when they finally stumbled into their room. Copious amounts of ale had gotten to Korra. Asami had counted at least three mugs as well as a glass of wine. She'd imbibed an extra glass or two herself, and felt somewhat tipsy. It was an interesting feeling, she'd honestly not drank that heavily in a single night since before the first rising of the Sun.

Korra tripped over her feet a little, twisting around and landing on her back on the bed. She lifted her foot and laughed. "My boots stuck!"

"You haven't even tried to take it off."

"No, no Asami. You have to… you have to trust me. Asami. Trust me. Asami, it's stuck. Trust me." Korra pushed at the heel with her other foot. "Stuck. I'm going to be stuck in this boot unless we can cut it off."

That suddenly gave her an idea, and she sat up. "Thas it!"

Not nearly drunk enough for this, Asami grabbed her wrist before Korra could reach for her sword. "You're not cutting your boot off."

Flushed with drink and happiness, Korra looked up at Asami. She wrapped her other arm around her waist and fell back again, pulling Asami on top of her. "You're so smart."

Soft laughter rippled through Asami, and she nuzzled the side of Korra's neck. She was gone far enough to not feel nervous, or fear. But Korra was more ale than blood at the moment, so Asami kept her face away from Korra's.

Tangling her fingers in Asami's hair, Korra kissed her jaw sloppily. "Pretty too. Anyone ever tell you your eyes shine like beryls in the sun?"

The tugging in her hair made Asami tilt her head back. She shivered, "Korra, you're whittled and yet that's the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Thas me, romantical." The murmur of Korra's lips against Asami's throat was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Korra sat up, the motion forcing Asami to shift around in her lap. She looked at her, truly looked at her. Asami was beautiful, her hair like waves of midnight and her mouth parted. The way Asami looked at her made Korra feel like she'd be devoured if she let her. And did she ever want to let her.

Leaning in, Korra's lips would have crashed into Asami's if the elf hadn't turned her head at the last moment. Instead, she kissed Asami's cheek, then went with it and kissed her ear, eliciting a sound that lit a furnace in Korra's center. She kissed there again, then nipped and flicked her tongue.

It was too much for her. Dazed, Asami pulled herself from Korra's lap and staggered to the far wall. Korra watched her go, blinking away unwanted tears. Somehow, this hurt worse than any outright rejection might have. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No...no, you did nothing wrong. There's just too much drink in us. You. Mostly in you." If Asami didn't stop this now she'd never forgive herself. Her head was swimming from ale and wine and she wanted nothing more than to fold back into Korra's arms and taste her lips.

"I dreams about you. Dreamed. Had dreams. " Korra stumbled over the words as they came out in an intoxicated rush. "Your eyes, your voice. Asami. You were at a...at a forge. And you looked at me. Through...through me into me. You're always so sad, Asami."

"I'll tell you everything, someday. I'm sure you've guessed some of it." Asami knelt in front of Korra, then helped her tug her boots off. "You need to sleep this off."

Korra looked at her again, then wiped her eyes. "Only if you stay."

"I won't leave you tonight," Asami promised.

Watching her undress, Korra was suddenly overcome with exhaustion. She slid over so Asami could join her, then rolled onto her side. She felt Asami spoon against her, and just as she drifted into a haze felt warm, soft lips against her shoulder.

Korra didn't remember much after the dancing, though a profound ache remained in her chest most of the next day. They left shortly after dawn, the day after the day of the celebration due to a hangover that had left Korra in bed until late afternoon.

It was a long road to Khand in the south and they would have to divert their path around some jagged hills. Asami was quiet as they rode.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong."

"People only say that when something is wrong," Korra pointed out.

Asami turned her head, hair whipping as she did so. If Korra didn't remember, Asami wasn't going to embarrass her by talking about it. "I'm okay, really. If something was wrong, I would tell you."

"Is this about the other night? Did I act foolish?" Korra wracked her brain, trying to remember what she'd done, but most of it was a blank. She could recall dancing with Asami, then Asami curled up against her. And something about her boots. "...did something happen?"

"You danced, you wanted to cut your boots off your feet, then we went to bed." Was it lying if one omitted part of the truth?

Horrified, Korra asked, "Went to bed, or went to bed?"

"We slept, nothing more." Asami covered her face with one hand.

Korra lowered her head, watching Naga's ears flick back and forth. "Okay, that's good. We're going to be together for months, I'd hate it to be awkward."

"Yes," Asami smiled. "Good."

Returning the smile with a sly look, Korra said, "Besides, if such a night were to happen, I'd like to remember it."

"If you need that much liquid courage, such a night will never happen." Asami's voice was firm, yet gentle. Needing some space, she kicked her horse into a gallop.

"Naga, why do I keep making her run away from me?"

Naga whinnied, shaking her head.

"You're right. Elves are very strange." She watched as Asami disappeared into the distance, before starting to follow. "Somehow I don't think she's really running from me, but something else."

At Naga's snort, Korra laughed. "Or that's just wishful thinking."

She kept Asami in sight but hung back, allowing her time to have her thoughts to herself. It was probably good for them to have time to themselves at least. Korra could remember more than a few times Rangers had tried to bite each others' heads off after prolonged excursions together.

After a few hours, Asami waited for Korra to catch up, and fell in next to her. She glanced at Korra, but couldn't find the words she needed to say.

"I'm sorry."

"What? What for?"

"Whatever I did to upset you." It wasn't easy for Korra to apologize like this, but it was already starting to bother her and it would get worse if she let it be.

A sad smile on her face, Asami shook her head. "Oh, Korra...I wasn't upset at you."

"This isn't the first time you've up and ran on me," Korra said. "I want to know what I'm doing wrong so I can stop doing it."

Looking off towards the West, Asami searched for the right words. Even when she had them, she was reluctant to say them. "You're brave, Korra. Bold and beautiful and so very true. I wasn't ready for my destiny to be so tied up with yours, yet here we are and it's too late."

"Too late for what?" Korra brought Naga to a stop, and swung off of her. She waited for Asami to turn around and come down from her horse as well. "You're my friend and I knew we'd get on the moment I saw you. We're alone out here, just us and it'll be months before we see a familiar face."

Korra cupped Asami's cheek. "What are you so afraid of?"

If this was love, Asami wasn't sure she wanted it. It hurt, like an open wound in her chest. She wasn't mortal, and she didn't have the choice to be one. What would happen to her when Korra passed away? She was too stubborn to fade away, she hoped. Asami knew she'd feel that pain whether or not Korra ever knew about it. "I think that you'd hate me, if you knew me."

"I know you're Noldor. I know you crossed the Helcaraxe, and you fought in the Wars of the First Age. I can guess at other things because of that, but I'd rather you tell me them yourself. I can promise I'd never hate you."

"I saw a good place to camp, down the road." Asami turned her head away from Korra, then grabbed her horse's reins. "We can talk then."