Deadly Beautiful (SuperCorp Medieval AU)

Part 61

or the one where nothing is okay

"Kara! Are you okay?!" Lena asked, catching up with her and quickly falling to her knees, kneeling beside her. As soon as she was next to Kara, she realized the younger woman was crying, and Lena could safely assume it was because of the pain, but not that of her injuries.

"Winn..." Kara's voice was nothing but a pained squeak as she forced her way to her feet despite the clearly horrific wound and struggled until she got to her fallen friend's side. "Winslow Schott, no, you have to be okay. You have to get up. I need you."

Lex jerked forward at the women's approach, attempting to break out of James' stiff iron grip and make a grab for his sister. His growl was animalistic and ferocious, pain and hate clear in his sky blue eyes. They should have been beautiful but were plainly marred.

"Get down and shut up. Your time here is over." James put a foot in the back of Lex's knee and forced the fallen king to the ground on his knees. Lex only grunted and spat at James' feet.

Lena barely noticed, her attention purely focused on Kara, their grief, and their fallen compatriot.

"He is gone, my love." Lena choked out. "I am so sorry."

She wrapped her arms around Kara from behind as her sobs quieted. The warrior leaned back into her, closing Winn's eyes gently, and arranging his limbs to seem a bit more natural. With a torn section of her sleeve, Kara wiped the blood from his mouth and pulled the blade from his abdomen. She threw it viciously to the side, then bent to break the fletching off the back of the bolt in her calf with a wince. That done, she grasped the other side and with a cry of pain, pulled the rest of the arrow from her leg.

Kara pulled herself from Lena's grasp and sluggishly made her way to her feet. Her face was a pained mask of fury, tear tracks clearing the grime covering her face. Lena felt her breath leave her body as Kara lurched to the kneeling Lex and slammed her elbow into his temple, her good foot's heel meeting his abdomen with a solid 'thump'.

"He was a better man than you will ever be, you sick fuck." Kara spat as she stumbled back, barely able to remain on her feet.

Lex leaned as far forward as James would allow and coughed heavily, glaring and sneering. He bled from his nose and a dark bruise was beginning to form on one side of his face from the impact of Kara's blow. He looked rough and seemed even possibly worse off than Kara.

"Does anyone know what happened to Winn?" Lena asked in a gentle tone, moving to assist Kara in standing.

"Lex grabbed a blade from a fallen soldier and got him before anyone could do anything.. I only just managed to subdue him before he could get away." James' voice was hoarse and pained as well. He was clearly bleeding from a deep gash on his shoulder, there was a slice to his forearm as well. "Is that not right, you cowardly bastard?!"

Alex joined them, plainly exhausted, a rapier and a loaded crossbow in hand.

"Kara, let me look at that for you." Alex immediately rushed to her sister and began to treat her injury. As she did so, Lena supported the majority of Kara's weight and glanced around.

The beaten and battered forces of Lena's small army had assembled below the dais, staring up expectantly at Lena and company. They were bright-eyed, though bleeding and bruised. Slightly behind them, the crown soldiers who had submitted to the superior forces gathered, unease clear upon their faces.

"We reign victorious. I take pride in having known those lost, and those who still stand with me will forever have my gratitude. On this most solemn of nights, I say we arrange our fallen and we sleep; regain our strength. Tomorrow, we will begin the hard work." Lena took a breath and spoke in an authoritative but still emotional voice.

With Kara's leg patched up, Alex began to move on to the other wounded members of their forces who had been wounded.

"Your Highness, what would you like for me to do with him?" James asked, dragging Lex Luthor behind him.

"Throw him in the dungeons and I will make a formal announcement in the morning. I am tired, James. I did not fight but I was terrified and unable to do anything to assist." Lena's eyes were heavy and now that he looked closely, exhaustion was plain on her face. "Anyway, thank you for everything and for all of your help, James Olsen."

"You are most welcome, my Queen. I will find assistance and stand guard over him myself for the night." his smile was kind but distant.

"Thank you, again. Have Alex take a look at those injuries when you can. If at all possible, I intend to find my way to my room and sleep. I fear I will not be of any use here for the moment." Lena said again, listless until Vazquez rushed up to support her. Kara once again was sadly resting beside Winn's lifeless body's side.

Softly as though from a great distance, Lena could hear Kara praying over him. The words, though they were not clear, sounded old and heavy; important in a way Lena did not understand. She did not want to disturb the grieving woman, so she grasped her shoulder tightly for a moment and headed up the stairs, Vazquez at her side to guard.