Deadly Beautiful (SuperCorp Medieval AU)

Part 20

comments make me write more!!!

or the one where Kara is working too hard and Lena is adorable/concerned

     Lena could clearly see Kara felt more confident, though significantly more tired as well when they met up again for lunch. She was concerned Kara might even fall asleep while they were eating.

"Did you learn a lot?" Lena asked her as she sipped her tea.

"Enough to leave me sore all over." Kara groaned, sitting with perfect posture despite her pain. Lena could see more than one welt developing across her good arm... or used to be considered her good arm. She debated for a moment whether or not it would be appropriate to give her lord uncle a scolding for the bruising. "How about you, my lady?"

"I've been going over the way different farmers and their crops impact our economy." Lena said, her eyes lighting up as she began to fill Kara in on everything she had gone over. Kara found it captivating, the way Lena talked about things most would have found incredibly boring. Kara couldn't fully enjoy Lena's ramblings, however, because J'onn's words continued to echo in her mind.

Kara hadn't gotten the chance to ask her tutor what he had meant by his words about her sister at the end of their session. Alex Danvers had always been something of a handful, but she was brilliant as well. The two of those facts put together made her as a dangerous member of their small town, though all she had really ever wanted to do was help people. Kara wished she had been able to protect Alex and been there to see her become the strong woman Kara knew she could be. She would do better this time.

One of the only times Kara hadn't been around to keep an eye on her older sister. Someone had put her sister in position to be framed for a murder, and before she was able to do a thing about it, Alex had been arrested and dragged away. Now somehow, her sister knew where Kara was and how to get her family crest pendant to her. Though a lord no less. She didn't know how to feel.

Lena had no been talking for a long minute but Kara did not seem to have noticed. SHe was instead staring off into space with a concerned expression. Kara was usually sunny and bright as opposed to how perturbed she seemed right then. Lena sat back and waited for the moment to be over as opposed to bringing up the fact Kara was no longer paying any attention to her. She wanted to ask what was wrong but Kara kept thinking back to what Maggie had said about Sam and how she didn't want the same thing to happen to Kara.

Lena knew for sure that something was very off with Kara and had been for a while now. It seemed as though it had begun around the same time as Kara had sustained her injury or maybe when they had spent the night together. Lena hadn't thought about whether or not the experience would make Kara uncomfortable. It didn't explain everything but Lena felt as though it had to hold some truth. Maybe in some ways, Kara's confidence or ego or something had been damaged after she had been stabbed.

"Oh, sorry, Lena. I got a bit distracted for a moment there. You were saying?" Kara said with a short shake of her head when she realized how she had been spaced out.

"It's alright, I know you must be exhausted." Lena's tone was kind and understanding as the blonde massaged at her eyes with the heels of her hands.

"I'm okay, really. You know I am not going to leave you alone under any circumstances." Kara scoffed.

"Especially when I am only just getting any good with my left hand. If anyone thinks you are vulnerable because of my injury then they have something else coming to them." Kara's grin was so charming and forced it broke Lena's heart a little.

"Maybe we should go and take a nap for a few hours. After having worked so hard, you should really rest your injuries. You'll be useless to me if you wear yourself down to the bone." Lena teased not unkindly. She stood and offered Kara her hand despite the action being somewhat against protocol.

Lena led Kara back to their rooms and waited for her guard to do another sweep of the rooms. Kara insisted upon it now, usually in tandem with a posted guard at the door in the hall. The princess accepted it graciously but was concerned for Kara. As much as the blonde hated to let Lena out of her sight, it made Lena nervous as well. She never felt quite as safe with anyone else.

"You're all good, my lady. Go ahead and get settled, I'll be right in." Kara said softly. Lena gave Kara a look but did as she was told. The blonde slumped against the wall in almost exactly the same spot where she had fallen when stabbed. Kara took deep breaths and attempted to settle her racing heartbeat. For some reason, she wanted desperately to tell Lena everything., but knew for sure she never could. It took her a minute to pull herself together but quickly put on a brave face.

"Would you like me to help you into a nightgown?" Lena asked, already wearing her own.

"If you don't mind." Kara said almost shyly. Lena followed her into the adjoining room and took note of the wince and slight sheen of cold sweat across her face. She slid the soft blue material over Kara's head as gently as possible. Kara had bled through her bandage and her skin was clammy to the touch. Lena could see a faint outline of every muscle in her abdomen, shoulders, and back.

While she was more than mildly impressed and very attracted to her guard, Lena was also very worried that the blonde might be pushing herself too hard. WIthout scolding or nagging, no matter how much she wanted to, Lena peeled away the dressing, cleaned the wound and placed a new bandage on it. Kara slid into a clean nightgown and into bed before Lena even left the room.