or the one where we begin to deal before the end
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Kara left Lena to tend to Sam. She felt rather useless and in the way. She had a fighter's hands, much too rough for healing. When Lena found her again, she was sitting in a rough-hewn and uncomfortable looking desk chair with a small notebook and pencil out, cleaning her sword.
"Are you alright, love?" Lena asked, sitting on the bed across from her.
"Yeah, I just felt kind of in the way and useless." Kara said as she wiped the weapon down and sheathed it again, setting it to the side. "I figured I would take the moment to excuse myself. I am glad to see Samantha is doing well."
"Me too, but I would still have liked to have you with me. I generally prefer your presence to a lack of your company. I love you, Kara, and you are welcome at my side no matter where I am or what I may be doing." Lean leaned forward, her eyes earnest and sincere. Kara moved to sit beside her.
"I will bear that in mind, thank you, Lena." Kara leaned slightly into her. In reply, Lena reached up and played with the loose blonde hair.
"I wonder how Lex is reacting to all of this. His lie about marrying Sam is at stake and his prisoners were all set loose in the palace to wreak havoc... a brilliant improvisation on your part." Lena said in a proud tone. "I know you do not care for the violence you must commit, but I am proud of you nonetheless, Kara."
"It is not necessarily the violence, Lena, it was the state Lex left those prisoners in. They were all dying or they were dead and just had not realized it yet. I could see their ribs and spots of sickness on their skin. No one deserves that... except him, maybe." Kara flopped back onto the bed, flat on her back. "A lot of the other gladiators would get illnesses like that. I, uhm, I caught a few... 'bugs' myself."
"Are you okay now, though? You are well?" Lena looked suddenly very concerned, propping herself up on one arm to look down into Kara's face.
"Yeah, I think I am all good. It has been a year and a bit." Kara shrugs the concern off a bit. She finds she rather enjoys the feeling of Lena worrying about her. It is not something she is used to. Alex certainly used to worry, but that had to dissipate after Kara sold herself into the life of the gladiator, She had given up the worry and it was probably one of the hardest choices of her life. If she had not done so, it certainly would have driven her batty. "If it were not for my hearty constitution, I am certain I would not have lived."
Lena smiles back. It was weak but held enough meaning to touch Kara's heart. The young queen laid down as well and turned on her side to look her in the face. She placed the palm of her hand over Kara's heart just so she could feel it beat.
"Do you think those prisoners you loosed will spread sickness? I bet they decimated the poor palace. I may hate the king but I still have an affection for the building itself. I am most certain he will keep it under wraps. An incident like that is terribly embarrassing for any ruler." Lena scoffed.
"You know what else ought to be embarrassing?" Kara sat up suddenly, looking as though she had come to some sort of epiphany.
Lena sat up slowly as she tried to keep up with Kara's train of thought. "What ought to be embarrassing?" she looked to Kara in confusion.
"Losing your fucking bride shortly before the wedding. We literally nabbed her right out from under his nose. One would think word would get around right? Like 'hey, keep an eye out if you see my fiancee wandering about and please send her back to me.' Would you think?" Kara asked.
"He is much too proud for that, is he not? Do you think he would go straight for the cover-up?" Lena asked her eyes lighting up. "Would he go so far as to hold a whole farce of a wedding... without Sam even being present?"
"You would know better than I. He is your brother after all." Kara says. "The fake wedding would make for an excellent cover for an infiltration. We could do disguises again. They worked well last time and we would no longer have to worry about putting Samantha at risk."
Lena saw Kara's eyes set a fire for a moment as she thought about all of the possibilities. It seemed to the young queen Kara had found her calling in tactics and planning. She liked seeing her in her element without also having to see her in danger with a sword in her grasp. "That makes sense. Should we bring it up with Alex, and see what she thinks?" Lena askes, equally excited now.
"Yeah. Maybe we ought to wait until she is done with Samantha, but she has a very good mind for these things. I may be biased, but I think my elder sister is actually quite brilliant." Kara said with a small grin. There was more than a hint of hero worship to her tone.
"Oh, you are definitely biased, my dear. It is totally alright and understandable, though." Lena patted Kara's shoulder.
"Biased for no one so much as you, my dear." Kara made a pass at the raven-haired woman and though it was a poor one, Lena found herself quite charmed.
"Gods, you are lucky you are cute." Lena chuckled and kissed Kara softly but fiercely for a long moment. The blonde's long hair was still loose from her night of sleep and her previous bath. The smell of the cleansing oils Lena had used drifted to her nose and were still quite lovely. She tangled her fingers amongst the silken soft golden strands.
"Gods, I truly am." Kara mumbled back softly against Lena's lips and they both laughed softly, mouths brushing as the young ruler pressed back against Kara. She was pliant and firm all at once as Lena continued onward until she had Kara lying down again and drawing Lena closer over her.
Kara waited for Lena to arrange herself comfortably before twisting her fingers amongst black strands of hair and undoing the knots there and the ones along the back of Lena's gown.