Asami held the reins loosely. The horses were well trained and they were only taking a moderate pace, favoring stamina over speed. Despite Korra leading the way, and being as far away from Asami as physically possible, Asami found herself watching her as she rode. Jinora nudged Asami playfully.
"Hey, you'd better pay attention or you'll drive the team off the road," she whispered.
Asami laughed. "Please, these horses would do just fine without me. They're so used to following the road, I think I'll have the most difficulty getting them to stop." Her smile faded as her attention turned back to Korra.
"I'd accuse you of staring at her backside, but I don't even think you can see that from here," Kai piped up from behind her.
Asami turned and swatted him upside the head. "Oh like you're one to talk." Kai blushed and sank back down among the contents of the wagon. "If it weren't for my blacksmith skills, I'd have thought Tenzin sent me to be your chaperone." Jinora blushed as well. Well that made them be quiet. The silence was short-lived as Kai spoke again.
"Is she still not talking to you?" he asked softly.
"Unless you count her yelling at me before we left, no." Asami gripped the reins tighter. "Honestly, I thought someone would have told her. I never meant for it to be sprung on her like that."
"She's worried about you, you know?" Kai said. He shifted until he was able to rest his arms on the back of her seat. "She's not actually mad."
"I just want her to talk to me about things instead of just deciding."
Kai laughed. "She's the Knight-Commander, Asami. That's her job." He poked her shoulder. "And like it or not, you're under her command now."
I wish I was under her - Asami took a deep breath and pushed the thought away. "She can't just order me around. I'm not one of her knights."
"I think that might be the problem," Jinora said.
"How do you mean?"
Jinora hesitated. "Before we left, she said something...I don't know if it's my place to-"
"Please, Jinora."
"She said there were things out there that she couldn't protect you from...things you can't fight."
"Things I can't…" Asami frowned. Something pulled at her memory. She remembered the night at the ball, standing on the balcony with Korra. Sometimes...sometimes I'll dream the battles over and over.
"Why such a frown, mi'lady?" Bolin had slowed his horse so that he rode alongside the wagon.
"Lost in thought." Asami made herself smile. "It must be a special torment for you to have to ride next to the two of them." She nodded towards Mako and Korra.
Bolin sighed. "I'd have better conversations with stones. Regardless..." He glanced up at Korra for a moment before continuing. "How is the mission coming along?"
"Mission?" Asami asked. She did not trust the small grin Bolin offered.
"Your mission." He winked.
"I don't…" Asami looked to Jinora, hoping she would offer some enlightenment. Jinora only shrugged, however.
"The quest for Korra's heart," Bolin hissed.
"The quest for Korra's trousers…" Kai muttered.
Asami smacked him again. "Stop that, all of you." Bolin frowned and opened his mouth to argue but Asami interrupted him. "No, I mean it. You all need to let Korra and I work this out." She glanced up at Korra again. "If she'll talk to me."
Korra kept her eyes focused on the road. Mako rode beside her, his gaze directly on the road. After Bolin fell back with the wagon, Mako finally spoke.
"So...did you want to talk about it, Knight-Commander?" Mako asked.
"Talk about what?" Korra snapped.
"Asami," Mako said softly. "Even you can't be that dense."
Korra stiffened in the saddle, her grip on Naga's reins tightening. "That's none of your business."
"Isn't it? She's my friend." Mako hesitated. "I thought after the ball, that you two were...you know."
"No, we're not." Korra resisted the urge to gallop ahead of the group.
"Why not?" Mako asked.
Korra sighed. "Why is everyone so determined that we become a couple?"
Mako shrugged, the hard line of his features softening as he considered the question. Mako was known for being one of the more serious knights simply for his demeanor. Korra had learned to recognize the emotions hidden under the severe looks. He was concerned. "It's obvious that she has feelings for you...Do you not return them?"
Korra fixed her gaze to the road ahead. "It doesn't matter…"
"Really? I am fairly certain that it does."
"Mako…" Korra made a frustrated noise. "Do you remember why we broke up?"
"Because we couldn't spend five minutes together without arguing?"
"And what did we argue about?"
Mako was quiet for a moment before he answered. "The rebellion, how to handle it."
"Is it so wrong of me to try to keep Asami from being dragged into a war?" Korra shook her head. "She has no idea what warfare can be like, what it can do to a person."
"Maybe if you'd talked with her about it instead of ordering her around, she wouldn't have needed to follow you out here."
"You're saying this is my fault?" She glared at him.
"I'm saying that you two need to talk. Like adults." He raised a brow at her. "Unless you think you're going to spend the entire mission talking to only me."
Korra gave him a small grin. "I don't think either of us can handle that."
Asami was grateful when Korra finally announced that they were making camp for the evening. She and Jinora tied the horses to a nearby tree and unpacked as Korra and Mako started to set up the two tents. Bolin and Kai went to gather firewood. Asami tried not to think about how cramped it would be to have three people to a tent. She also tried not to think of how uncomfortable it would be to lie so close to Korra every night.
No one talked much through dinner except Kai and Jinora who chatted aimlessly. He asked her for stories about the constellations, and she gave him some. They lay back on the grass-strewn plain, Kai resting his head against Jinora's shoulder as she pointed out different stars and related their stories. Bolin scooted closer and gave her his rapt attention. Mako remained where he was, but Asami could tell he listened. Korra, on the other hand, sat far away from her, staring into the fire with a surly, far-off expression. her brow had knit together, and her choppy hair fell around her face in a disheveled way.
"What about those?" Kai asked.
"Those are the Lovers," Jinora said. Asami glanced over at the young mage to see a smile tugging at her lips. "You want to hear their story? It's a little sad."
"I'm always up for a good romance!" said Bolin.
Jinora chuckled but still waited for Kai to nod. She glanced over at Asami. "Well?" she asked.
With a sigh, Asami nodded. "Don't let me come in the way of a good story."
Jinora nodded and glanced back up at the stars. "Those." She pointed at a tight cluster of pinpricks in the sky. The whole night was a splattered canvas. Asami did not know how Jinora so easily picked out shapes from the mess. "Are the stars that chart our story. There were two lovers, forbidden from one another. A war divided their people." She pointed out a cluster of stars. "And a mountain kept them apart."
Bolin cried out, "I see it!" Asami chuckled at his enthusiasm. Some might mistake Bolin for an oaf, but she knew he acted like a child more in the interest of lightening the mood.
"They did not let this come between their love, however."
Asami glanced over at Korra, but she still stared fixedly at the fire.
"They found ways to meet in secret so that neither of their clans would find them. no matter how the war raged on, they always found a way." Jinora paused for a moment. A stillness had fallen over everyone. "But one day, one of the lovers perished in the war. Their other half, furious, released a display of power on the battlefield that left both clans stunned and terrified. Some say it was magic, some say brute strength. Whatever it was, it was enough to make the clans call a truce. They finally found peace together, but not until after a heavy price had been paid."
She stopped, and the hushed silence held onto them for a moment longer. Then, Bolin said, "That story was sadder than I thought it would be."
Jinora nodded. "It's a tragedy."
Asami heard the crunch of gravel and looked over to see Korra standing up. "I'm going to bed," she muttered, turning away before anyone could respond.
Asami watched her go for a moment before turning to Jinora. "Is that really how the story goes?" she asked.
Jinora nodded. "That's why I asked if I should tell it."
With a groan, Asami got to her feet. "I think I should go talk to her," she said. No one replied as she walked to the tent. She pulled aside the flap and crawled inside, finding Korra curled up in a blanket, her back to the entrance. "Korra?" she asked.
"I'm trying to sleep, Asami."
She moved to sit next to Korra, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know. I just wanted to say something, then I'll go to sleep as well." Korra shrugged her shoulder against her hand, but she kept it there. She thought of what she wanted to say, but could not summon the right words, so she said, "Fun story, huh?"
"It was a stupid story," Korra muttered.
"Why is that?" Asami asked. She felt Korra shift against her again, and scooted back as she sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.
"They put themselves and everyone else in danger, just to try and be together." Korra would not even look at her. "One of them died, and the other...the other just couldn't handle it."
Asami reached out and touched Korra's arm. She could feel the muscles bunched tightly just under the surface. "It's just a story," she said.
"Yeah?" Korra sniffed and rubbed a hand over her eyes. "Well, I don't want it to be ours, Asami."
"Korra, I'm not going to die-"
"What about me?" Korra finally looked at her. The darkness of the tent hid her tears, but Asami knew they were there. "You can't make that promise to me, just as much as I can't promise my safety to you. Asami…" She felt Korra shudder. "What if I'm the one that dies? What if you're left to grieve? I don't...I don't…" Words gave way to broken sobs. Korra buried her face in her arms, muffling the noise.
Asami pulled Korra into her arms. "Korra," she whispered, cradling her head with a gentle hand. "Korra, I know you're worried." She wanted to say everything would be all right, but she did not know if that was true. For once, she felt just as much worry as Korra. "And...you have every right to be worried. I know I can't understand what war is like. But...this is something you cannot protect me from. And I cannot protect you from it either." Korra still shook and shuddered in her arms. "I won't ask anything of you, Korra. I did not come on this journey to force us together." She felt tears stain her neck as Korra pressed into her. "I came because I believe in what you're doing, and I believe you deserve all the help you can get." She hesitated a moment before continuing. "I...never wanted my presence to cause you this pain."
They sat in the darkness together, Asami holding Korra tightly while her sobs subsided. When they were little more than shivers, when the darkness and the silence of the night pressed on them so tightly that she thought they might lose themselves in it, she heard Korra whisper, "You don't."
A/N Hey everyone! I had a great time on stream on Friday. I love all the pictures you guys are making based off the mini-game of Hot Hoof we've been playing. Keep up the good work! Keep tagging Michelle and I in them, we think they are awesome! For those of you who don't know what we're talking about, come see on Fridays at 5pm Pacific time on the twitch channel Luraline. And yes, this is a reference to the story of Omashu. SECRET TUNNEL! ~Sy