Love in the Knight

Worth the Risk

Korra woke up earlier than she would have liked on an average day. The stars were still out, dusting the dark sky in specs of bright white. Why did the princess have to wake up so early? Sometime last night one of the older guards had brought the knight her daily schedule for the week. According to page one of seven, Korra needed to be awake and ready before Asami stepped out of her door this morning. She had managed to get a meager 2 hours asleep, but her body was still tired from the escapade last night. What she would give for just another hour. Nobody should even be up before the sun is in the sky. Mornings truly were evil.

She had been given a highly detailed schedule that told her when the princess would wake, eat, sleep, travel, etc. Overall, it looked like a nightmare. Asami’s daily, and more than likely yearly, schedule was exactly the same day in and day out. Wake at five in the morning. Get dressed by five thirty. Eat breakfast at six. Leave her room for her studies at six thirty until ten a.m. That was just her morning. The list was essentially seven pages of the same list for the whole week besides minor adjustments to her study schedule or training times. There were rows and rows of things that Asami needed to complete before she could go to bed each night. It sounded insufferable.

The princesses' life was cut, polished, refined, and laid out for her without room for negotiation. It was essentially the same thing everyday with no variety. One thing stuck out to her the most though. Between studying, eating, traveling, and sleeping, there was never any free space of time on the paper. Every single slot was filled with some activity or another. From the moment Asami woke to the moment she fell asleep she was constantly moving and pushing herself with no room for pause. She was either fulfilling some royal responsibility or studying for hours. Where was the time on this schedule for Asami to just be….Asami? Not a princess, not a student, not an inventor. Just, Asami. She wasn't a machine, she was a young woman. She should be going out and having fun, sneaking off and staying out late. Where was the time that Asami could be free to do whatever she pleased with no rush to get there? Time where she didn't have to meet standards and she wasn't expected to be perfect. 

Days like today were supposedly a special exception. Korra assumed her father just didn’t know that Asami was leaving to escort the knight to the markets. If he did, he would more than likely be furious with his daughter getting so close to someone of Korra’s position. Royals shouldn’t even really speak to their guards, let alone accompany them on their travels. It was supposed to be the other way around, Korra should be following Asami to the ends of the Earth. But she certainly wasn't going to complain if Asami wanted to join her. The good news was that Asami accompanying her to view the town's stalls meant that Korra could keep a close eye on the princess. 

Korra knew Asami wasn't helpless. She definitely wasn't some damsel in distress. Asami could hold her own in battle if need be considering she had multiple self defense classes packing her already tight schedule. However, that didn't stop Korra from worrying about her. Korra had been raised on the notion that her job was to protect Asami. Fight for the royal family, and defend them at all costs. Do what  was necessary to keep them alive. Not only had the notion been scarred into her very core, but there was a distinct need for Korra to protect Asami. She could feel it every time she was around the princess. As if losing Asami would kill Korra herself. 

There was history between the two, short lived as it was. The distance between them never did fully eradicate Korra's desire to be around the young woman. Her possessiveness had come back full force the moment she saw Asami enter that booth again the other day. She would not let anyone hurt Asami. They wouldn't touch a single hair on her head so long as Korra was around. 

She slid out of bed and began to dress for her trip to the town center. She really didn't want to shop around at the market. She already felt guilty enough that the princess had covered her room from top to bottom in traditional southern decor. It was a large gesture that didn't go underappreciated by Korra. Nobody had ever taken care of her like that. Not since she had left her home. The material possessions that Asami had gifted her with her room were already making her feel culpable. A shopping spree today only made the ever present feeling ten times worse.