An Ocean of Fire- Supercorp AU

26- A Garden on The Edge

Nerves were coursing through Lena like tiny pulses of lightning, and it was starting to become more and more apparent that she had survived quite an ordeal yesterday. It felt almost as if her bones themselves were aching, and exhaustion pressed heavily into her shoulders.

Kara had disappeared for the morning, as she had hoped, but not without many furtive glances back and numerous reassurances by Alex that Lena would be alright.

She had claimed preparations for Lena's gift, which sent her stomach twisting in a whole new set of knots - but she chose instead to focus on the task at hand.

And she tried not to study too deeply the implications of how important this had suddenly become to her.

Lena paced along the smooth cobblestone path outside of the enormous glass doors that lead to their sitting room, her brow creasing with anxiety as she watched the palace groundskeepers work. Her arms crossed tightly in front of her, and it felt like rocks were forming in the back of her neck.

"Princess." Alex called from her seat inside the sitting room. "Why don't you come have a seat? The groundskeepers apprentice for many years before they're allowed to touch a single flower petal. They can handle this."

Lena shook her head, not even bothering to glance over her shoulder in Alex's direction.

"No, I would very much like to watch."

She could hear Alex sigh a groan of long-suffering, followed by the sounds of shuffling and faint straining. A few moments later, the auburn-haired knight was at her side, rubbing a hand absentmindedly over her belly. She surveyed the land before them and blew out a long breath.

"Wow. This looks amazing, Lena."

The Luthorian Princess stopped pacing for a moment, emerald green eyes tracing over this space that had become sacred to her.

In just a few short hours, dozens of groundskeepers and their apprentices had utterly transformed it.

Where there was a long, rolling expanse of green grass before - framed by a pale blue sky and cerulean ocean in the distance and soaring white walls to the side - was now a tranquil, inviting oasis.

A large, arching pergola had been erected over the cobblestones, stretching from one side of the doors to the other. It was framed in dark wood and the bases were surrounded by cream and grey stones, invoking the design of the arena that Lena was entranced with. It was tall - Lena had taken extra precautions to ensure that nothing would block the incredible view of the sea - and the keepers had woven rich green vines through it that would produce fragrant white and purple flowers in the spring.

Matching trellises had been raised halfway up the walls on either side, covered in the same thick, green snaking vines. Waving ferns and short shrubs lined the edges, and a small half-circle of rose bushes on the right side surrounded newly-placed cobblestones, topped with a stone table, benches, and several potted trees that provided shade from the brilliant sun. A circle had been sunken in to one side and carefully lined with dark stones - perfectly suited to contain a fire on chilly nights. Cords of firewood has been stacked neatly beside it. A large, empty expanse of grass in front of the doors to Kara's room had been left untouched, to allow the warrior room for her morning routine.

Small clusters of flowering bushes dotted the rest of the space in even, careful rows - specifically designed to allow for several species of flowers to bloom in every season. The last touch - which the groundskeepers were assembling now - was a small fountain that would bubble with fresh water. It was surrounded by a ledge, and Lena was secretly hoping it would attract more of Krypton's colorful avian population.

A hand slipped into the crook of her elbow and squeezed. She smiled and turned, expecting to see Alex, but was stunned to find that its owner was Alura. She stammered and hurried to incline her head.

"Your highness, I didn't realize you were coming today."

"I have been, admittedly, very busy these past few weeks." Alura smiled at her. "But I must say, there's nothing like watching your only daughter's potential assassination to make you slow down and take a moment."

Lena let out a breath slowly, nodding with a far-off look in her eyes.

"Yes, I can certainly understand the sentiment."

The hand on her arm squeezed, and Alura pulled her gently into the grass to stroll through the groundskeepers as they quietly worked.

"On that line, I believe thanks are in order, Princess."

A strange sense of panic seized Lena's chest. Alura caught the look in her eyes and pulled her up short, reaching down to clasp Lena's clammy hand between hers. Lena rushed to speak.

"Please, your highness, I was simply doing what anyone would have done. What Kara would have done."

The Queen's eyes narrowed shrewdly, a glimmer of amusement flickering through them so quickly it was as if it had never happened.

"You're right, Princess. It is what Kara would have done."

Lena nodded, hoping that the way her hand trembled wasn't noticeable.

"But it isn't what anyone would have done." She caught Lena's wide, stressed-out gaze and held it steadily.

"I will not admit that I understand what is transpiring between you and Princess Zor-El. I understand the need for your relationship from a political stand point, and I commend you on your dedication to that task. Causing others to believe that you are naught but young lovers is the safest road to travel right now."

Lena's heart hammered in her chest, and it felt suddenly as if the vines surrounding them were beginning to snake around her throat.

"But I have noticed the way you interact with each other when the public is not present - at family meals, or walking through the courtyard. Trust that I know that my daughter is beautiful - I have seen brokenhearted knights and scholars alike follow her through the palace like ducklings."

The internal monologue rambling through Lena's head right now was urging her to find somewhere to sit, immediately. Strong hands seemed to sense her weak knees and Alura squeezed her wrist gently, acknowledging the roiling anxiety in Lena's eyes.

"I only mean to say that I am beginning to believe that there is something quite extraordinary happening here. There are pieces of this puzzle that haven't quite been adding up, and no matter how much conventional knowledge and logic we throw at it, nothing sticks."

The softer words of reassurance slowed the quick pulse in Lena's wrist, and she took in a shaky breath. A groundskeeper slipped behind them with a large piece of trellis, forcing them to step aside - and out of the center of that moment. It gave Lena a precious few seconds to catch her breath and attempt to dislodge herself from the spinning wheel that her brain had become.

She wiped her hands on the front of her trousers, and when her eyes met Alura's again, the older woman's were full of quiet, cautious questioning.

"When you are ready, I would love to have a conversation with you regarding your lineage- or at least, what you can remember of it. I believe that the key to solving some of these mysteries is determining who your real mother is."

The world came to a stop - including Lena's hammering heart. Despite the chilly air, her body suddenly felt sweaty - and the internal monologue shifted from urging her to find a chair to urging her to flee at once.

"I... I'm not sure what you're referring to, your highness."

Her spine stiffened and her eyes darted to the sides, measuring the distance between them and the ears of the laboring groundskeepers. Alura watched her with interest.

"It is not a secret to me or Zor-El that there is a question of your heritage. We are unconcerned, for our part - Krypton does not bear interest in "pure" bloodlines, because the mark of El tends to overpower all others. It is, however, exceedingly pertinent to a set of your duties and responsibilities for Day Five of this festival and the duration of your marriage, Princess."

Clever blue eyes pinned her down for a long stretch of silence, and Lena was finally forced to fully face her.

"What would you like to know?"