Asami decided that she preferred riding with Jinora in the wagon rather than attempting to make small talk with Korra on horseback. With their feelings very much still out in the open, it made things more difficult to ride behind her astride Naga. Now, if she wrapped her arms around Korra's middle and rested her face into her back, they both knew it was not a fear of riding that made her hold tight. And after a few days on the road to Zaofu, they had yet to talk any further on what they planned to do about their feelings.
With a sigh, Asami leaned against Jinora. "It's not fair," she groaned, watching Korra's shoulders shift with every step her horse. "It's been three days, how long does she need?"
Jinora laughed and leaned back against her. They rode alongside Kai, who was learning how to handle the reins. "I'd guess you consider her worth the wait, or you'd be pining over someone else by now."
"Thank you for that vote of confidence," said Asami. She frowned and went back to watching Korra ride. Sleeping at night was the hardest part, knowing that Korra was only a few feet away, and then remembering that Jinora was in their tent as well, putting a halt to any fantasies she managed to briefly entertain.
"Not that I don't enjoy our conversations," Jinora began, "but I think we've spent the better part of this journey observing Korra's backside and making idle chatter about it. You should really do something about this. I fear Kai might grow jealous."
"What?" the young man asked. He turned in his seat and grinned over at them. "Are you kidding? This is hilarious. How else am I going to amuse myself on this trip?" He looked forward with a grin. "Besides, I think I've discovered quite a few new clever descriptors for Knight-Commander's various body parts."
"Descriptors that she'll never hear if you want to live," said Asami.
"Kai, be kind," Jinora said. "I promise it's in your best interests."
Kai and kept his eyes on the road. "Of course, my lady."
Asami groaned as she caught sight of Korra again. Even though she wore her armor as they rode, Asami still remembered how her body felt when it pressed close against her. "Is it possible to be so angry at someone and smitten by them all at once?"
"It's not as if Korra doesn't know about how you feel. The two of you could just talk this out." Jinora had suggested this more than once. This particular conversation had become one of the ways they idly passed time.
"Korra would rather suffer quietly until she can't remember if I actually do feel anything for her." Asami grinned. "And talking with Korra is about as effective as having a conversation with a tree. Perhaps I should just talk to her next time wearing nothing but a smithing apron. She'd listen then."
"I don't think she would," Jinora said, laughing despite the blush crawling up her cheeks. Kai began laughing so hard that he started coughing.
Korra looked back at them. "Is everything alright?" she asked.
"Fine!" the three of them called back. With a nod, Korra turned to Mako and Bolin and continued whatever conversation they were having.
"What do you suppose those three talk about all day?" Asami asked.
"Maybe the same stuff we talk about," said Kai with a shrug.
Asami laughed. "Korra would never. She's too noble."
Korra turned her attention back to Bolin. "What do you think they were talking about?"
Bolin smiled and shrugged. "Well, if our conversation is any indication, they're probably talking about you."
"Me?"
"Don't act so surprised." Mako glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "We finished talking about our battle plans ages ago, after that all you talked about was Asami."
Korra frowned and anxiously shifted in her saddle. "Well if you didn't like the topic, you could have said so."
Bolin laughed. "And why would we do that? If it weren't for the mounting tension between you, it'd be cute."
"Cute?" Korra asked, a scowl settling on her lips. She leaned over Naga and patted the horse gently. "I'm not cute, right girl?" When she looked up again, she caught both knights staring at her. "Well?"
Mako blushed and cleared his throat. "Not at all, Knight-Commander." He went back to staring at the road. "But it seems unfair to shut Asami out if you're going to spend every day talking about her."
Korra chose not to reply, and focused on the road once again. As the reached the crest of the next hill, she spotted a small caravan further along the road. "What could that be?" she asked, raising a hand to shadow her eyes from the sun. It was a group of no more than ten people, if she had to guess. Their two large wagons had been pulled to the side of the road.
"Perhaps they had an accident?" Bolin asked. "That horse doesn't look too happy." He pointed to one of the mares that had been unhitched from the wagons. The horse paced nervously and backed away from anyone that tried to approach it.
"Pay attention, everyone," Korra called back to the wagon. "There appears to be a group of travelers on the road."
"Where?" Jinora asked. Kai pointed out the group ahead, and Korra looked toward the caravan again. This was the first group of travelers they had seen. Anyone to pass them before had been a single rider, a messenger racing information between kingdoms.
"What are they doing out here?" Mako asked.
Bolin shrugged. "Well, we could always stop and ask. And if they're in trouble, it's our knightly duty to help!"
Mako groaned and Korra rolled her eyes. "We do have urgent business. We'll stop to make sure it's not an emergency, nothing more."
"Knight-Commander, it might be a trap," Mako interjected.
Korra shook her head. "I doubt it. Zaheer seems to be targeting nobility and royalty, not peasants."
"Knight-Commander, I think that they might be Nomads," Jinora said.
"Nomads? You mean fellow mages?" Korra asked.
"Well it is likely that not everyone there is gifted with magic, but yes. My father used to travel around the world before he settled down with my mother. He's told me many stories of his travels in caravans such as these," Jinora continued.
"Maybe they'd have information about Zaheer?" Asami suggested.
"Fine, but we should approach carefully," Korra said at last. As they drew closer, the caravaners waved at them. A young woman walked forward to greet them, her dark hair and deep green eyes somehow looked familiar to Korra.
"Greetings!" she called.
"Greetings," Korra called back. "I am Knight-Commander Korra of the Water Kingdom."
"Knight-Commander, I am Opal, newest member of this caravan of Nomads."
"Are you in need of assistance?" Korra glanced at the other people milling around the wagons. They had stopped what they were doing and regarded her curiously.
"One of our horses has thrown a shoe." Opal gestured toward the horse that tugged against its handler's reins.
"I could help with that," Asami said from behind Korra.
"I don't know that we have time to stop and-" Korra began.
"We can't just leave them here," Asami interrupted. "They'd be an easy target for bandits. Please Korra, it's a simple thing, I'll just need to get a fire going."
Korra shook her head. "Asami we need to intercept Zaheer before-"
"Zaheer?" Opal interjected. "Big, scary bald man with a scar just here?" Opal traced a finger across her left eyebrow.
"You've seen him?" Korra asked.
Opal nodded back along the road. "We passed him and his group when we left Zaofu. Why?"
"Were they headed to Zaofu?" Mako asked.
"I don't know, they didn't really seem interested in stopping to talk with us." Opal frowned. "Is Zaofu in danger? My family lives there."
"We don't really know for sure," Korra said. "But that's where we were headed."
Asami climbed down from the wagon. "Korra, let me help them with their horse. You can use the time to ask about Zaheer. I think our team could use a rest anyways."
"We're so tired!" Kai called out. Korra glared at him and he laughed nervously. "Not that I would ever challenge your authority, Knight-Commander."
Korra snorted and shook her head. "All right. We'll stop as long as it takes for you to help with the horse's...shoe." She dismounted, taking Naga's reins in her hands. "But we can't linger too long, not if Zaheer is already past Zaofu."
Asami gave Korra a mock curtsey. "Then I shall work swiftly, Knight-Commander." She walked away, leaving Korra with the sinking feeling she had done something wrong. With a sigh, she began unpacking the equipment to set up camp for the evening. She was grateful to take her armor off at last and changed into a clean shirt and pants. She took her time organizing their supplies in order to put off her inevitable talk with Asami. Finally, she could put it off no longer and she headed to the edge of the camp where a large fire was burning.
The biggest struggle of fixing the horseshoe was keeping a hot enough fire going. She turned her face from the rising flames. Without a proper forge to channel the heat, nothing shielded her from the flame. Asami looked up from her work when she heard the sounds of footsteps. Korra hesitated a fair distance away.
"I thought maybe I could lend a hand?" Korra offered.
Asami nodded as she repositioned the shoe in the fire. "If you could chop the firewood I could focus on smithing."
"No problem." Korra walked over to the stump with an ax lodged in it. "It'll feel good to swing this around."
Asami glanced up from her work. She immediately regretted it. Korra stood with the ax in her grip, the sleeveless shirt she wore revealing well-defined muscles. "Feeling anxious?" she asked.
"Just...restless." Korra swung the ax, neatly splitting the wood in two.
Asami looked away. "Because of Zaheer?"
"Yes." Korra swung again. "But...also because of you...or us, I guess."
"Are you ready to talk about it?" Asami asked. Just concentrate on the fire. You'll ruin the shoe if you gawk at her muscles.
She grunted as she hefted the ax again. She could avoid looking, but nothing could block out the soft noises Korra made as she worked. Asami swallowed and shook her head. Korra spoke, "This is probably the only time we're going to have alone, so we should."
"You want to start? or should I?"
Korra paused. She worked silently, save for the small sounds she made every time she swung the ax. Finally, she said, "I'm sorry."
Asami laughed. Korra had muttered the word so softly that Asami wondered if she feared someone might overhear. "What was that? I'm not sure I heard you right, it sounded like 'I'm sorry.'"
"Asami…" Korra sighed. "I guess I deserved that."
She pulled the horseshoe from the fire and examined it closely before placing it back in the heat. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just so frustrated."
"Frustrated?"
"Korra I've had feelings for you for years. Then, when it finally seemed like you returned them, it's snatched away from me."
"Years?" She could feel Korra staring. "I had no idea."
Asami smiled. "I know." She turned back to her work. "I just want to give us a chance, Korra."
"Even if it ends badly?"
Asami shook her head. "Should the fear of what might happen keep us from something wonderful?"
"I would never forgive myself if I hurt you Asami."
"No one goes through life without hurting anyone. All we can do is recognize when it happens and try to work through it."
"And that's what you want?"
"I want to try, Korra." Asami hesitated. "Do you?"
"I don't know what I can give you, if I can give anything," Korra said. "I want to take things slowly, I want to do this right. You deserve someone to court you properly."
"Korra, we can go as slow as you'd like. I'm honestly just happy you're speaking to me again." Asami walked to Korra and gathered a bundle of wood to put on the fire. Korra paused her work. "Thanks again, Korra, for helping me with all the firewood."
Korra looked up. "Oh yeah, no problem." She lifted the bottom of her shirt to wipe off her face, revealing her firm stomach. "It's really not a problem." the words were muffled by her shirt.
Asami knew she was staring. Her eyes followed the lines of the well-defined muscles. "No, it's a huge...um..." The logs she held slipped from her grasp and tumbled to the ground. Spirits help me.
"Asami. are you okay?" Korra asked.
"Fine." Asami took a deep breath to collect herself. "I'm fine." The smug smile on Korra's face was almost too much for Asami to take. She picked up the logs and carried them back over to the fire, carefully adding them to the pile. If that's how you want to be. Asami wiped her brow and took a moment to loosen the ties on the neck of her shirt, revealing a little more cleavage. She could feel Korra staring at her as she leaned over the horseshoe to work.
"Asami…" Korra's voice sounded strained. She looked up to meet her darkened eyes. She wanted to drop what she was doing and pull Korra into the kiss she had been longing for, but the sound of footsteps reminded her of where they were. Kai jogged into view.
"Guys, come on, you're going to be late for dinner," he said. Asami sighed and offered Korra a smile. I guess we'll have to continue this later.
A/N: Thank you, everyone, for your support of this story. We love the fan art and the comments that everyone leaves. You might recognize part of this chapter from one of Ozkit's headcanon sketches from early on. We had to incorporate it eventually! And speaking of Ozkit, go check out that tumblr blog for some fantastic illustrations to accompany the story!
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