Chapter Text
Slumping against a tree at the edge of the clearing, Lin clutched her leg, flinching at the pain radiating from the wound hidden beneath her cloak. The deep gash on her thigh throbbed with every step, it was as if fire was licking up her side. It was growing harder to mask the limp in her stride.
Smoke curled up from the chimneys of the houses ahead, indicating the occupants were home. Lin gritted her teeth, forcing her legs to move forward as gravel crunched under her boots. She had managed to make it out of the village and through the woods undetected, and she damn well was going to reach the healing hut without Kya seeing her and before she collapsed.
As she limped along the edge of the clearing, using the trees for support, an all too familiar voice cut through the air.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in!” Her annoying neighbor called out from his garden, a smirk tugging at his lips as he wiped his hands on a rag.
Lin turned toward him, shooting him a glare as she gestured for him to ‘shut up’ before her girlfriend heard him and came out to investigate. Yet she miscalculated, because the moment she faced him, the sun shone on her just right.
The warlock’s brows furrowed, his smirk fading away as he took in her irregularly slouched posture. His gaze trailed down her form, pausing at the hand clutching her thigh, lingering on the tear in her brown trousers. But that wasn’t what set off warning bells in his mind. It was the blood pulsing out from under her palm.
The rag slipped from between his fingers, hitting the ground without a second thought.
“Ugh, Kya!” He yelled, his voice tinged with panic. “We got a bleeder!”
Lin groaned, dropping her head in defeat. The last person she wanted to know about this was Kya. She didn’t want to worry her about this, it was just a scratch.
The front door opened, and Kya emerged with a curious tilt of her head. “What did you do now?”
Bumi pointed to the edge of the woods.
Her gaze landed on a dishiveled Lin. Her expression brightened at the sight of her, yet when her eyes caught the blood seeping from between Lin’s fingers, she didn’t hesitate.
She sprinted toward her, the hem of her skirt fluttering in the wind as strands of hair came loose from her low bun. Her features were etched with concern.
“Kya, I’m fine.” Lin rasped as she grew near, trying to reassure her, but the hoarseness in her voice betrayed the lie.
The healer scuffed, “Sure you are,” she muttered, slipping an arm around the carpenter’s waist. “Come on.”
“I said I’m fin–“
“Oh, hush.” Kya snapped, but there was no bite in her tone, just worry. “You’re bleeding through your trousers, Lin.”
Before she could open her mouth and protest again, Bumi had jogged over and looped her arm over his shoulder. Together, the siblings half-carried, half-dragged her toward the healing hut behind the cottage.
Lin hated every second of it. She hated being carried, the feeling of weakness that overtook her, but any energy she had to fight them off vanished with the last of her adrenaline.
Bumi kicked the door open, receiving an annoyed glare from his sister at the boot print left behind.
She led them through the door, guiding them towards the right, where they gently eased Lin onto the exam table. Causing her to groan as she settled against it.
“Bumi.” Kya said over her shoulder while reaching for the pitcher of water, “Thank you. Now, out.”
“But I-“
“Out.”
He huffed before leaving dramatically, throwing his arms up in the air and muttering under his breath about being underappreciated in times of crisis.
The healer rolled her eyes as she pulled the curtain closed for privacy. When she turned, she found her partner trying to sit up.
“Lie down.” She said, while pressing gently on her shoulder. “Don’t make me have to strap you to the table.”
Lin grunted but eased herself back, wincing at the pull on her wound. She turned her head, watching Kya cut away the fabric of her trousers. She grimaced at the fact that her favorite pants were now nothing other than blood-soaked scraps of linen.
Kya, noticing her facial expression, simpky patted her hip, “I’ll buy you a new pair. These were getting ratty anyway,” she said, earning a soft, amused huff from the other woman as she examined the wound.
Her eyes narrowed at the depth of the gash. It wasn’t deep enough to be life-threatening, but just enough to clearly hurt like the dickens.
She reached behind her, grabbed a bottle of wine, and set it next to Lin’s knee. Then she proceeded to unwrap the makeshift tourniquet. Once done, she braced her one hand on her partner’s hip and grabbed the bottle.
“Wanna tell me how this happened?”
The carpenter looked at her and then the wine bottle, recognizing it as a way to distract her. Instead of answering, she clenched her jaw and nodded her head before gripping the edge of the table.
The healer sighed before pouring the wine onto the wound. The body below her tensed, lifting slightly off the table, causing blood to escape the wound from the movement. Kya put down the bottle and grabbed linens to apply pressure over the gash. Giving her partner an expectant look as they wait for the bleeding to abate.
Lin didn’t answer right away. She inhaled, trying to calm herself and ease the tension from her body.
“I saw her.”
Kya’s eyes widened as her hands stilled, “Suyin?”
Lin nodded once, turning her head, her gaze landing on the shelves lining the wall. “She was in the village. Walking with her husband, I think. She looked…” her breath hitched as Kya wiped at the wound. “…sad. Haunted almost.”
Kya didn’t say anything, not wanting to pressure her. She reached for the poppy seeds to make tea, which would help alleviate the pain. Although before she could, a steaming cup appeared next to the jar. Sending a silent thanks to her brother, she turned with it in her hand and helped her girlfriend drink it.
Once done, she started to gather the supplies she’d need to suture the wound shut as Lin continued.
“I was across the square when I saw her. At first, I froze, but then I noticed a man trailing behind her with a blade hidden in his sleeve.” She paused, a thoughtful look on her face. ”Even after everything, I couldn’t let her get hurt. I walked over and pushed her out of the way when he struck, and got hit me in the leg instead. The guards caught on and took him away.”
Kya’s hands froze above the table as she was about to place her supplies down. “Did she recognize you?”
“No,” Lin stated, her voice quiet. “She tried to help me get up. Reached out her hand, but I… shoved her away. Then stalked off.”
“Why?” Kya asked softly as she removed the linen.
Lin let out a heavy sigh before responding. “I may have wanted to protect her, but I wasn’t ready to see her.”
Kya nodded, giving her calf a reassuring squeeze. After all, she knew the feeling, she had similar struggles with her own younger brother.
The silence settled between them. The healer knew that her girlfriend was feeling exposed and didn’t know what to do in this situation. She’d usually go split firewood until she’d work off her emotions, but in this case, she was trapped on the table. Nowhere to go as Kya threaded the needle.
Once she was done, she grabbed a thick, folded cloth from the bowl. She took a few steps over and stood by Lin’s head. With her free hand, she brushed the damp cloth across the carpenter’s forehead.
“Alright, no more sad topics,” Kya said softly.
Lin offered her a faint smile, “Thank you, Love.”
The healer smiled before leaning down and kissing her forehead. “But I’m going to need to distract you for this next part.”
The carpenter scoffed lightly. “Go ahead. Just not one of Bumi’s crazy elf stories.”
Kya chuckled. “No. I’ll tell you about Korra.”
Lin arched a brow. “Your niece?”
Kya hummed softly, her face softening into a kind of warmth the other woman didn’t see often in this world. One that was full of pride and deeply tender.
“Bite down on this,” she said, holding out a rolled-up cloth.
“Is it clean?” the other woman asked, eyeing it warily after grabbing the healer’s wrist.
The pointed glare she received from her girlfriend shut her up. She let her place the rag between her teeth without further complaint.
The healer sat down, taking the needle in her hand, and began the first stitch. “She’s a storm, that one. Managed to get stuck out in a blizzard as a kid and bonded with a white wolf pup. Named her Naga. Now she rides her through the tundra like a mythical warrior out of legend.”
Lin tilted her head, interested in what was being shared despite the pain. She’d flinch every time she felt the needle puncture her skin, but didn’t pull away.
Kya would send her apologetic looks but kept going nonetheless. “Apparently, a little while back, she got engaged,” the healer added, unable to keep the smile out of her voice. “Remember that letter I got?” At her girlfriend’s nod, she continued. “Well, it was about the engineer she managed to snag from the east. Her name is Asami Sato. She had gone up north with her father on business, met Korra, and… well, never left. Now, Hiroshi jokes about how he lost a daughter to the snow,” she said, finishing up with the last suture.
Lin reached up and removed the rag from her mouth once the stitching was done. “Does Hiroshi know about the engagement?”
A huff escaped Kya’s lips as she applied bandages. “From my understanding, no. He thinks his daughter stayed up there to help with construction. He’s going to be in for a rude awakening next time he visits.”
They both shared a laugh, imagining the man’s face when he finds out, as the healer finished bandaging the carpenter’s leg.
When she was done, Lin swung her legs over the side of the table and sighed. “I always thought the legends of the northern warrior women were just bedtime stories.”
“They’re real,” Kya said as she cleaned up. “Just rare. Korra is a living legend.” Pride shining in her eyes.
Lin followed her movements, knowing she’d get banished to the floor if she tried to get up on her own. “Sounds like a story someone should sculpt,” she murmured.
Kya looked over her shoulder, taking in the slightly drowsy look in her partner’s eyes, and smiled. “Maybe someone will,” she said softly, putting the last things she had used away on the shelf. She helped Lin into the house, deciding to postpone the blood cleanup or, better yet, make Bumi do it.
Later that night, long after Kya had gone to bed and the house had gone still. Lin sat up, leaning against the headboard, with a sketchbook in her lap. Her fingertips were covered in charcoal as she drew a rough outline of a woman with wild hair, bow drawn tight mid hunt, with a monstrous yet regal beast beside her.
She knew for now all she could do was sketch, after that’s all her Kya would allow.
But Lin’s hands itched with inspiration. She needed to sculpt and couldn’t wait to walk or hobble over to her workshop to do just that.
Although she’d wait a few days, if only to avoid Kya’s wrath.
Maybe.