Quiver and Crown // KateLena

Stained Glass

"Can't believe we have to do this again," Yelena mumbled as she laced up her gown in the mirror. She was happy to be wearing fine clothes again, tired of the worn green shirt and simple brown pants she borrowed from Kate in the Plains, but she had hoped her return to fine society would not have been for this occasion.

"I know," Natasha said, polishing her leather shoes. The oldest princess appeared better, a week of sleep in a place other than a dungeon floor doing her wonders. "But what you did, getting King Thor's help, storming the castle, Mom would be so damn proud."

"She'd be proud of you too. Taking over her kingdom like she wanted."

"Yeah..." Natasha frowned. "Anyway, how's that knight of yours?"

"She's alright, thanks to Wanda. I don't know what kind of sorcery she used in that balm, but it worked. I have no doubt she saved Kate's life."

"The only magic that woman uses is medicine." Natasha smiled gently at the thought of her fiancée, then eyed her sister. "How long you and Bishop been together?"

"We're that obvious, huh?"

"Yelena, you've slept in her infirmary bed for a week."

"Okay, fair." Yelena double checked her braids, assuring every piece was in place before heading for the hall. "I'm going to go retrieve my knight, I'll see you soon."

Natasha followed her out, giving a reassuring squeeze to her shoulder. "I'm gonna go get that apothecary of mine. See you."

Feeling lighter than she should on the day of her mother's funeral, Yelena bounded down the long hallway to the infirmary. The knowledge that Kate was alive, that her home was safe, and that Pietro would never see the light of day again attributed to her serenity. Justice, or as much justice as could be achieved, was served.

"You're looking well today," Yelena smiled, patting Kate's thigh as she sat down at the foot of the infirmary mattress.

"You come to finally break me out?" Kate asked with a dopey grin, bandages around her left hand and abdomen. She still could not clearly remember how she sustained such a serious injury, but somewhere in the fray someone had a really big axe and a really mean swing. Or perhaps it was a sword... a dagger, maybe?

"Kate?" Yelena prompted softly, calling the other woman back to earth.

"How'd I get hurt, Lena? Everything is so fuzzy. I feel like I slept for a month."

"It'll come back in time, I'm sure. But maybe you're better off not knowing, love."

"I'm kind of over battling," she mused, head lolling back comfortably on her pillow. "When I was a kid, before I was a knight, I thought fighters were so cool, so brave. We are really cool and really brave, of course, but it's hard."

"I can imagine. That sword of yours carries a lot of weight, and not just in the metal."

"Yes, it takes strength to swing it... and even more regret to swing again."

"Be easy on yourself, my love. You're emotional, you're recovering. There's a lot going on, you must be gentler."

"You take care of all the gentle these days." Kate took Yelena's hand in her bandaged one. "Thank you for taking care of me. You could've been doing a million other things, but you always checked up on me."

"How could I do anything else when you care for me so well?" Yelena shifted closer, placing a sweet kiss on Kate's sweat-beaded forehead before standing, hand still intertwined. "Do you think you can walk today? Come with me?"

"Of course. Today of all days, baby, of course."

Steeling herself, Kate pushed herself up from the mattress with all her strength, leaning heavily on Yelena. Her abdomen burned, something in her leg ached, as did her head, but slowly, the pair made for the chapel.

"I've got you," Yelena whispered as Kate wobbled. "I won't let you fall."

"They're doing Clint's first, right?" Kate inquired through tight teeth.

"Yes, it's sort of a big funeral for all the fallen, but the warriors go first, and we end with... the queen."

Kate squeezed one of Yelena's hands. "This is a new age for the kingdom, Yelena. The end of a painful era, starting over into something great, maybe something better."

"Yes. Once Natasha is coronated, I'm hoping we can put this all behind us for the most part."

"You'll be pretty busy, huh? Second in command?"

"Not too busy."

"Better not be. I spent six years away from you and then dropped into a war." Stopping the walk, Kate kissed Yelena's neck briefly, making the blonde suck in a breath, blushing. "I want you all to myself now, princess."

"And you'll have me," Yelena promised as the pair approached the chapel door. "Now behave. This is a somber occasion."

"Of course, of course. These funerals just lose their sting after so many, though."

"I'm sorry, my knight. You've lost too many." Yelena tucked a piece of Kate's hair behind her ear, voice lowering as the two took their seats at the front aside Natasha and Wanda. "Just know he was proud of you. I know he was."

Kate nodded in appreciation as the ceremony began, but quickly zoned off into dreamland. The drugs and concoctions Wanda whipped up were more than strong, and on this occasion, she was glad to have a built in escape. After losing so many so young, Kate felt as though she lived in this chapel, with its stained glass windows and rock hard pews. The unfortunate familiarity somehow brought comfort today, though, as even after so many funerals, Kate Bishop was alright. She could recover, she could rebound, she could improve.

After a little while, Yelena nudged her, and Kate came to her senses enough to realize someone asked her to say a few words about Clint. Uninhibited with a mix of pain and medicine, Kate stood uneasily and turned back to address the crowd.

"Well, how do I describe a man so great with so little time? How do I summarize decades in a few moments? Clint was a towering figure, a gigantic presence... a force larger than life." She paused, wringing her bandaged hand. "Clint was just one knight, but he represented the best of us. Honorable, patient, kind, always willing to help. He took me in when I had nothing, molded a broken girl into a half decent warrior. He taught me everything I know, and I miss him every second." She was crying now, but not ashamed. "I know we all miss him."

Exhausted, Kate collapsed back onto the bench, head resting on Yelena's shoulder. More people spoke, but Kate did not hear them. Eventually, condolences for the queen were expressed, and Natasha was simply too distraught to speak, so Yelena rose and spoke to the audience with elegance and poise.

"Many of you knew Queen Melina," the blonde started. "Perhaps you were a knight to her, a baker, or a blacksmith. Perhaps you simply knew her as the queen, as your monarch and ruler. But I knew was privileged enough to call her my mother. She was a kind woman, much more so than her demeanor ever gave away. She braided my hair every day, helped me pick out gowns for parties, was never one to shy away from gossip." The audience indulged in a laugh, and Yelena did as well. "Though she is gone, her influence is not. The libraries she started, the parks she built, the academy that bears her name. That is my mother. That is your queen. Long may she reign."

The crowd dispersed after Yelena's remarks, the ending so final and fitting that the vigil concluded, white doves flying freely through several opened windows. Kate watched them for as long as she could, enamored with their gliding flight before they disappeared into clouds.

"That was beautiful," Wanda said, arm firmly around a still sniffling Natasha. "You two... just incredible."

"Thanks, doc," Kate said, now standing and leaning on the blonde. "What do you say we get me back to bed, my princess?"

"I think that's a good idea." Yelena tossed a question over her shoulder as she turned to leave, "hey, Nat? Will you be ready for tomorrow?"

"What, my coronation?" Natasha sighed deeply, shaking her head. "About that, Lena... we need to talk."

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Okay, so this book is winding down, I only have two chapters left I think.

Question- do you guys want more WandaNat or KateLena after I finish this?

Possibilities- gardener!Nat x widow!Wanda, poet!Wanda x muse!Nat, Barista!Yelena x student!Kate or something else?