Asami couldn't even manage a smile at the familiar position she had taken: riding behind Korra with her arms around her waist. She was tired. The physical exertion and emotional toll were finally catching up with her. She was grateful they rode at a moderate pace to keep from wearing out the horses. Otherwise she was not certain she could have held on. Though her body was tired, her mind was racing. How had their campsite been found? Why had they been imprisoned by Earth Kingdom citizens? How did Suyin know where they were?

Suyin Beifong. She tried not to stare at the woman riding beside them. She could see the resemblance to Opal. And those are her sons. Asami glanced between Suyin and her two sons. Their clothing was abnormal for heavy combat. What armor they wore was padded leather, and though she saw at least one knife on each of them, there were far too many parts of the outfits designed to conceal weaponry. As much as she was grateful to Suyin for her hand in their escape, somehow she still felt wary. Lin said she was a spymaster. She definitely looks the part.

The sun began to creep over the horizon and Asami realized they were much farther into Earth Kingdom territory than she initially thought. Looking around, she recognized none of the sprawling fields or distant mountain ranges.

War was not a stranger to the kingdom, at least. She saw wreckage from abandoned siege equipment along the roadside, and though they rode through prime farmland, she saw no evidence of efforts to work the soil. The fields had gone feral, returning to grasslands. "Do you know of any battles fought here?" Asami asked, leaning in close to Korra.

She shifted in the saddle, her cheek nearly brushing Asami. "Lots of bandit activity before the Queen passed," she said, then added more softly "I hear Zaofu separated from the Earth Kingdom without...agreement."

"Will it be a problem that we went there?" Asami asked. "People could take it as a sign that you're allying with them."

"I'd rather ally with them than the people who threw me in a cellar," Korra muttered.

Asami sighed. "Fair point." The rest of the ride was mostly silent. Though she had a million questions, and Korra likely did as well, she just wanted to take a bath and change her clothes.

Korra was grateful when she saw the city on the horizon. The approach to Zaufu was impressive. The massive outer walls loomed before them. There had not been a successful campaign against Zaofu in known history. To her credit, Suyin was a very skilled diplomat, and usually resolved issues peacefully, but Korra had heard rumors that Su was also a skilled warrior. She had no desire to find out.

They led the horses to the stables. Korra dismounted and then helped Asami down. She gasped. There was a large cut across Asami's brow.

"Asami!" Korra reached up to touch it but stopped, not wanting to hurt her. "Why didn't you say anything?" Korra hadn't had time, or light, to see Asami when they were escaping, now that she could look at her properly, she could see the cuts and bruises.

Asami shook her head. "Korra, it's not that bad."

Her chest constricted tightly even though she tried to breathe. She was hurt and you didn't notice. She got hurt because of you. "You need a healer."

Asami chuckled softly. "I need a bath."

Korra frowned. "Asami…"

"Korra!" Kai threw himself against Korra, nearly knocking her over.

"Kai," Korra wheezed. "I'm injured, please let go."

He immediately jumped back. "Sorry Knight-Commander."

"Where are the others?" Korra glanced behind him, bracing herself for Bolin's hug.

Kai's smile fell. "They didn't tell you?"

She stomach felt like lead. "Tell me what?"

Kai couldn't meet her eyes. "They were captured by the Red Lotus."

Korra hated meetings. She hated sitting there talking about things when she wanted to be out there doing something. Kai had related his escape. Jinora had provided the cover while he slipped away for help. That must have been hard for him. He had hidden in the shadows and followed the Red Lotus for as long as he could. Then he practically ran the whole way to Zaofu for help. How long was I out? It worried her that she had no memory of what happened prior to waking up in the cell with Asami. Asami… She was worried. Asami had seemed in a daze ever since they arrived at the city. When she was no longer trapped in a meeting with Suyin, she wanted to find Asami and make sure she was alright. As it was, she had to listen to report after report that basically said the same thing. No one knew where they had taken everyone. Even though Kai's information helped them narrow it down, they had yet to locate the Red Lotus hideout.

"I hate to be the one to say this," Suyin began. "But why wouldn't they just kill Mako and Bolin? Why capture them?"

"Because they want something, or someone." Korra frowned. "If I had to guess, they want me. It's likely that they can't reach my father and went after me because they knew I wouldn't have the protection of the castle." Her frown deepened into a scowl. "But that raises the question of how did they find us? Not many knew of our plan, much less our route."

"Who was in the meeting when you discussed your plans?" Suyin asked.

"Besides my father and myself? We talked with Lin, who suggested we come here. At the initial meeting though there was Tenzin, Prince Wu and…" Korra clenched her fists. "Kuvira."

Suyin's eyes widened. "General Kuvira?" She looked genuinely surprised.

"That smug little...I'd wager she let our location 'accidentally' slip to gain favor in with the Earth Kingdom." Korra knew there was something about that woman she didn't like.

Suyin shook her head. "No, Kuvira wouldn't do that."

"Have you met the woman? She made it very clear that she hates me. Maybe she didn't tip off the Red Lotus," Korra conceded. "But I'll bet my horse that's how the Earth Kingdom rebels found us."

"No!" Suyin slammed her hand down on the table. "Kuvira wouldn't do that."

Korra crossed her arms. "Why are you so sure?"

Suyin narrowed her eyes. "She's my daughter!"

Of all the things she was expecting to hear, that was not it. "She's a Beifong?" Ancestors how many of them are there?

"Not technically, no." Suyin rubbed her brow. "We never legally adopted her, but I raised her as one of my own."

Korra threw her hands up. "Are you suggesting Tenzin is trying to kill his own daughter? Or that my father would-"

"No," Suyin interrupted. "And Wu is useless."

"Surely not Lin?" Korra thought it over. True, she and Lin had their differences, but both of them just wanted to keep the kingdom safe.

"My sister has always held duty beyond anything else." The words were tinged with bitterness. "No, I don't think Lin could do something like that."

"Then what? They just happened to find us?" Korra shook her head again. "I don't think so, Su."

Suyin stroked her chin thoughtfully. "But what could Kuvira possibly gain?"

Realization struck her. "The people."

"What?"

"The favor of the people." Korra gritted her teeth. Why didn't I see it before? "I am pretty much considered the enemy of the Earth Kingdom citizens. Their government cannot outright attack me. That would risk war with my father. But if some rebel forces just happened to kidnap me while I was on a dangerous mission, then they get what they want. Whoever supplied them with that information would be seen as a hero. A hero that might be a better ruler than a useless sniveling nephew?"

Su's eyes darkened. "You think she means to take over?"

Korra nodded. "I think she'd seize the opportunity if it presented itself. So she passed on some information to the rebels, and it would be likely one of them had connections with the Red Lotus."

Suyin sagged into her chair, she looked tired. "This is a mess."

Korra rubbed her temple. "If we can't find them soon, they'll likely contact us. Probably for a trade."

"For you." It wasn't a question.

It was really the only option. "For me."

"And you plan on going through with it?" Suyin shook her head.

"If we can't find them in the meantime, yes." Korra stood from the table. "I know my father. He won't negotiate, not even for me." Her hand went to the necklace under her shirt. Asami is going to kill me. "I'll trade my life, for the others."

"Unless you are determined to throw your life away," Suyin began. "We should come up with some kind of rescue plan as well as a contingency plan if the trade goes badly."

Korra smiled. She was starting to like Su. "I'm all ears."

Asami was glad that the Beifongs had a private bath. She had not been looking forward to a bunch of people chatting, or children running about. When she opened the door she was taken aback by the opulence of it. The room had sheer green cloth draped around it, accenting the intricate mosaic tile on the floor. The bath itself was built into the floor, and she assumed was heated from underneath. She set the clothes Suyin had provided on a nearby bench. She shed her regular clothes and sighed. It felt good to be out of the them. She slowly lowered herself into the water, letting the warmth ease the ache in her muscles. She groaned and leaned against the wall of the bath.

Just when it seemed like things were going to be alright, they found out that the others were taken captive. Suyin had assured them that her network of spies were already hard at work trying to locate the Red Lotus, but the Earth Kingdom was vast and they did not know how much time the boys and Jinora had.

Asami took a breath and sank beneath the water. For a moment she stayed submerged. It was nice to listen to the muted sounds of the water. It felt like a different world. Images from the battle at the campsite and the escape flashed through her mind. Korra disappearing into the night. Her body on the ground. An assassin rushing toward them. She strikes out. She gasped as she broke the surface. She tried to calm her racing heart. You didn't kill anyone, just incapacitated. She gripped the side of the tub, the warm tile grounding her in reality.

A knock on the door startled her. "Asami?" It was Korra, her voice muffled through the door. "Are you in there?"

Even though Korra couldn't see her, she lowered herself so that the water covered her body. "Yes, did you need something?"

There was a moment of hesitation. "Can I come in?"

Asami's eyes widened. "Um...I'm not-"

"I won't look. I just...I need to talk to you." The words were spoken in a rush, as if she wanted to say them before losing courage.

"Alright," she said. She watched the door open. Korra slipped inside, keeping her back to the tub. She sat cross legged on the floor, facing away from Asami.

"I'm sorry about this," Korra murmured.

Asami sighed and let herself relax again. Of course Korra would not try anything dubious. Her honor would not let her. "Don't apologize. I'm actually glad you're here."

"Truely?"

"I think everything is starting to catch up with me," she admitted. She did not elaborate on the thought right away. She remained quiet, waiting to see if Korra would prompt her or fill the silence in some way. She just sat there, instead, waiting patiently. She explained further, "I know it's nothing compared to what you're going through...but I've never attacked anyone like that before."

"I don't know about that. I can remember a few times you've put me in my place."

Asami shook her head even though Korra couldn't see it. "I was so angry, Korra. I wanted to kill them. They hurt you, and I wanted to make them hurt."

"Asami…" The way Korra spoke her name made her heart swell. "It's not easy. They can train you, and train you all they like, but they can't teach you about that. I know it doesn't mean much now, but you didn't kill them. You were able to hold back that rage, and that is a sign of strength."

"Is that how you feel when you fight?" Asami asked.

"I used to." Korra's words were soft. "I remember feeling rage that had no limits. It's easy when you're blindly fighting in a battle. You don't have to look too closely at what you're doing. I remember killing my first soldier, face to face. I remember seeing the look in his eyes as he knew he was about to die. That kind of thing seems to dampen the rage a little."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Asami asked.

She saw Korra's shoulders shrug. "Partly. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

There was something else, something important. Asami could feel it. "And?"

She could see Korra's body tense. "Go over a plan."

Her heart dropped. "Why do I feel like I'm going to hate it?"

Korra sighed. "Because you will."