Deadly Beautiful (SuperCorp Medieval AU)

Part 42

The one where... is this a DATE???

Kara offered the Princess her arm as they met on the dirt road outside of the tavern. Lena was dressed in a simple but beautiful frock she had borrowed. Long silken hair was loose around her shoulders and Kara fought to keep herself from reaching out to feel. The borrowed dress was a deep blue color that made Lena look even paler as was the fashion.

Kara was certainly not pale. Her skin had taken on a golden tint after spending time in the sun. Her hair had lightened as well, Lena noticed. Streaks were nearly white blonde and pinned in an intricate braid to the back of Kara's head to form a spiral of hair.

When Lena had stepped out to find her, the other woman had been staring up at the cloudless sky. Kara had appeared to almost be lounging against the wall. Her sword was on one hip, hanging in its scabbard like she was born with it there, in a new brown leather belt much nicer than the one she usually wore. One of the blue dress shirts Lena had ordered made fit tightly across strong shoulders and tucked snugly into brown breeches. While waiting for Kara to notice her arrival, Lena used the moment to admire her.

"Lena, you are radiant." Kara said, taking her arm as they walked towards the small town's weekend open market area.

"You have spent too much time around courtiers with me." Lena laughed, bringing a blush to Kara's face.

"I... want to do this right, and to do right by you." Kara's expression was concerned and nervous. "I know nothing of how you may expect to be courted or even if you have been courted in earnest before. I certainly have not been."

Something inside of Lena melted and warmed at Kara's words. She tugged at her date's arm to stop and pulled a pale purple flower from the wildflowers growing alongside the path they walked. She smiled at Kara's confusion and reached around to tuck the long stem in amongst the tight braids. If Lena had to guess, she would say they were Maggie's work. Kara went an even deeper shade of pink.

Lena stepped back to admire her work. Her hands ran down Kara's arms as she did so, a wholly self-indulgent action, just because she knew she could.

"Beautiful." She murmured, only just loudly enough for Kara to hear.

"Yes, it is. Thank you." Kara replied, missing the point and not even noticing it fly over her head. The beautiful blonde was somewhat oblivious.

"I meant you and you know it. Cut the false humility, you gorgeous oaf." Lena scoffed. "You are a near perfect specimen of humanity. Stand a bit straighter and own how awesome you are."

Kara's eyes widened as they fell into step again. She had never thought to view herself in that sort of a light before. Kara knew she had put on some muscle since she was a young woman, and that her curves had somewhat filled out, but she would never have described herself as attractive. The way Lena looked at her now led her to believe this was not necessarily the truth of the matter. She had thought the muscle and strong jaw-line made her look too masculine.

"You have many wonderful traits not involving your looks, but yeah. I do enjoy looking at you." Lena chuckled. She wished she could get herself to shut up, but found the still mildly confused look on Kara's face adorable.

"I just find you to be altogether wonderful." Kara finally decided to reply. "I could no more choose a favorite of your traits than I could choose a star out of the sky."

Lena could not come up with anything to say in response. Instead, she chose to grab a careful hold on Kara's shoulder and pushed up to kiss her cheek as they were about to enter the market square. Kara accepted the action with a sheepish grin, eliciting a giggle from Lena. They continued on through the tent shops and glanced over the wares, bought snacks and made the most of the time they had to enjoy one another's company.

"Oh, this would look wonderful on you." Lena said with a cute little gasp as she grabbed something off of a mannequin and held it up for Kara to see.

She held the cloth up to Kara's shoulders and eyed it expertly. The color of material was a deep red that automatically drew the eye in a manner Kara generally did not appreciate, but for some reason, she wanted to wrap her hands in it and curl up underneath. The shiny silver clasps were finely made though not overly ornate. The garment was beautiful and Kara loved the cape on sight for a reason she could not rightly articulate.

"A wise choice indeed, ma'am. The cloth is one common to Kryptonese warriors and is reinforced with a thin wire when made. It is said to repel even the strongest of blades." the salesman said in a seedy tone.

Kara scoffed. If he could not pronounce or even get the correct term for her people, he must surely not know what he was talking about. Lena placed a reassuring hand on the small of Kara's back when she felt the other woman tense beside of her.

"Shall we put that to the test then? Kara will strike a blow at it and if it cuts, we will pay you the damages and be on our way. If it works we will buy it off of you. Agreeable?" Lena asked with a smile in her voice.

"Too generous an offer to turn down." he took the cape and laid it across the mannequin Lena had snatched it from.

"Back away a bit, please. I would not want to accidentally wound anyone." Kara said in a rather official tone Lena found impressive. Teaching had had a good effect on her. Her confidence seemed boosted significantly.

Kara rotated the hilt in her hand once before bringing the blade up into an arc to strike the material. The impact sent a reverberation through the gladius and up her arm. Kara sheathed the weapon and shook the limb out before leaning to check the area she had struck. The vendor and Lena craned their necks as well. The sword had left only the barest hint of a dent in the material, much to everyone's shock. Kara lifted the cape and shook it out before checking both sides again.

"Amazing. We will take it." Lena announced and stepped away to haggle with the man.

Kara swung the cape around to fall across her back and shoulders. She fastened the cape at her collar bones. It was noticeably heavier than any she had put on before but felt otherwise perfect. Kara blushed to herself slightly, she felt like a kid playing dress-up in these nice clothes and fancy cape, with a beautiful woman on her arm. None of it felt real to her, almost as though she were living someone else's life.

"Perfect," Lena said when she returned and saw Kara with it on. "It seems fitting to get you something nice given your promotion and your freedom. I think you look lovely."

"Thank you, Lena. Shall we continue to look around or are you content to head on?" Kara asked feeling oddly formal and embarrassed.

"Let us head on. I kind of want another sweet roll, if you do not mind another stop." Lena grinned at how flustered Kara seemed and smoothed the red cape out over her shoulders, enjoying the texture and the feel of Kara's muscles beneath her hands. Lena pulled her lip in between her teeth and stared into Kara's crystal blue eyes. Kara noted Lena's had gone dark, her pupils reacting to the surge of feelings inside of her. "It really looks good on you."

"We can continue this back at our room if you like." Kara offered, her voice low. She slid her arm around Lena's waist and pulled her in close to her side and guided her away.

"I think I would like that very much." Lena replied with a smile that made Kara's insides melt with heat.