Deadly Beautiful (SuperCorp Medieval AU)

Part 32

 the one where Kara is a very clever girl, you can't always get what you want, and Lena is confused...again  

Kara heard the boots thumping on the path before she saw the soldiers. She had the sound of their marching ingrained in her mind from the many hours she had spent in the training grounds. It had to be at least three men. They were close; far too close for her to be comfortable with. Before they had any chances to recognize any members of the part, Kara used the hand of Lena's she already held to pull the woman in front her and between herself and Winn.

Lena cried out a little and spun to face Kara in response. Her hand not currently in Kara's possession flew up to the warrior's shoulder to steady herself. Lena found herself quickly captivated by the steady and serious blue eyes. Kara's other arm shot out quickly to pull Winn in, but instead of pulling him into their embrace, she grasps his shoulder and shoves him into the dirt at her feet.

Confusion is plain in Lena's eyes and Winn lets out a series of muffled curses as she eats dust and dirt. The force sends the nasty stuff into his eyes, nose, and mouth.

Kara releases him now that she has him where she wants him and pushes Lena's face into her shoulder and chest. She begins to yell and cuss at Winn, though she calls him by a false name Lena does not recognize, everything muffled by the way Kara was squashing her head and hair. Kara, still protecting Lena, feigns a kick at Winn's exposed side. He seems to catch on to what was going on then and cried out in impressively faked pain. Lena was incredibly confused but continued to cling to Kara as though the other woman were her life-line.

Kara's panic had begun to subside mildly as the small group of men passed with a chuckle and seemingly no care for whatever drama the three unknown figure had going on. She continued until they were out of sight and earshot. When they were gone, she released Lena's head and wrapped both arms around the dark-haired girl's waist and shoulders loosely, no longer squeezing but embracing her lightly instead. Kara gasped for quick breaths as she attempted to reassure herself once more that all was well.

Winn stood to his feet, once again the odd man out. He could not quite figure out where to look as he wiped the blood away from the small scrape on his chin. To his surprise, Kara looked up and grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. He met her eyes and she mouthed a silent 'thank you' to him. Winn nodded to her, no explanation or conversation necessary.

When everyone seemed to have recovered somewhat, Lena forced herself to pull away.

"I feel like I have missed something. I knew we were almost seen, but why was all of this charade necessary?" she asked, feeling put out at not having been a part of the plan. Lena was not a fan of surprises.

"You are easily one of the most recognizable faces in all the land. I had to hide you, and I needed to do so quickly. Those were King's men and would have known you and the Young Lord Schott here as well and it would have looked odd for me to be standing here, holding the both of you. With him on the ground, and you against my chest, we had a narrative I could play out. It all came together quite easily from there." Kara's face seemed worn and tired, though concern still glittered in her eyes. Lena could also tell she was rather proud of herself and her quick thinking as well.

"It was quite brilliant, really. Just by the look on her face, after I looked up and saw their boots coming towards us, I could tell what she was getting at. Plus, if this scars, I could come out looking quite dashing, do you not think?" Winn wiggled his eyebrows, acting almost as though the whole thing had been one fun adventure.

"You played your part fantastically." Kara praised him as a grin spread across her face as well. "If the lordship does not end up working out, you have a future with an actor's troupe."

Lena was rather disgusted by their excitement.

"You know this will not work a second time. One of you might actually get hurt, or Kara will not be quick enough on her feet. Any number of terrible things could happen, we could not say. We need a better plan, or disguises or something. More importantly, we should get moving." she tried to be patient, but the way familiar way the two were acting now got under her skin. The shock had passed and Lena was left with the truth that they were the subject of a kingdom-wide man-hunt.

Kara and Winn sobered at that. The young man cleared his throat, shoved his hands into his pockets and took the lead once more. Lena felt the slightest hint of guilt and followed, arms crossed over her chest. She could not bring herself to even look at Kara.

Lena could not place where the sudden surge of anger and meanness had come from. Maybe it had been the camaraderie between Winn and Kara or the adoring puppy look he had given the blonde. Worse, it could have been the fact that for a split second, Lena had thought Kara had been about to kiss her, and Lena had wanted her to.