Chapter Text
The queen of Thorul was cruel and ruthless, utterly dark, manipulative and bloody, with no concern for the feelings of others, nor empathy for the people around her, not even her own people, or so everyone says, what outsiders, unfamiliar with her people and her kingdom, think they know. Even though she does nothing more than loving and protecting her people.
And that includes fighting along the side of her warrior as an equal. She was not one to abandon her people and much less to let them lose to those disgusting Kryptonians.
And right now, much to Lena's chagrin, her mortal enemy is lying on one of the stretchers in her kingdom's infirmary, her eyes closed relaxedly, without a care in the world, completely passed out at her mercy, Lena could simply end this pointless war that has been going on for years, a war far older than Lena herself. All it would take would be to take her brightest dagger and bury it in the neck of the soon-to-be-queen princess of Krypton. Just a few seconds of her time would be enough to end a decade-long struggle. And she considers it, she really does, twirling the dagger in her hands, watching her blonde foe's throat, her chest rise and fall with controlled breathing, when suddenly her eyes snap open and she sees Lena, unsettled.
The queen startled and dropped the dagger, they both heard the metal bounce against the floor. The raven-haired woman hides it under her foot, putting her dress over the knife as fast as she could. The blonde, still disorientated, ignored the sound.
"W-who are you? Why am I here? What did you do to me?" The blonde asks, trying to get up, but she can't, the pain in her ribs preventing her from doing so.
Well… her ribs and everything else. She feels as if she went to hell and back. And she did.
"Easy" Lena demands softly, deciding how to play this hand "you fell off your horse, those sudden movements aren't going to help your two fractured ribs," she tells her.
It was definitely more than a couple broken ribs.
For the black-haired it was no small thing that the blonde would ask who she was, it meant that the huge bump on Kara's head was much more than just a scrape, it could be a good thing. An advantage. Maybe victory didn’t include more death, suffering and blood.
"Why am I here? Who are you?" The woman repeated her questions, starting to get anxious.
Lena was shocked that she didn't know that, they had both fought against each other so many times with near-death experiences on both sides, but always something failed, always the universe decided to give them another chance. The universe was really a funny thing.
And that was just what the universe was doing now. Giving this monster another chance.
"I'm Lena," she said simply, the blonde tried to remember how that name was relevant to her life, but she couldn't.
"I-I, I, I can't remember" she apologized.
This was no small thing, it was not something to take swiftly, Kara Zor-El didn’t know who Lena was. Her mortal enemy couldn’t tell her apart from a simple peasant. This was the greatest thing to happen since the ambush of september 22th two years ago. The memory made her smile.
Kara’s head throbbing painfully, but as she looked into those deep green eyes she saw only hope "b-but I know I can trust you, I feel it in my heart."
She felt what now? Oh darling no, you are gonna regret that.
Lena frowns, which only worries Kara, shouldn't she trust this woman? But then... that smile, Lena, Kara thought, the name fitted her. The black-haired woman gave her the brightest smile Kara has ever seen, or that she can remember given the case…
"Of course you can trust me, we're friends," she said, her smile soft "i just worry about your state right now, you are seriously hurt"
Kara returned the sweet smile.
Her friend Lena.
Her smile replaced by a deep frown, Lena stomped harder on the dagger under her foot. Ready to reach out for it if the blonde made any sudden moves.
"I-I don't remember who I am," the blonde said in an overwhelmed whisper, "I don't remember where I come from."
Lena tried with all her might not to roll her eyes, it just kept getting better and better. She felt victory so close she almost came, power was a big aphrodisiac to her.
"Your name is Linda Lee" Lena invented on the spot "You are a servant of the kingdom, more specifically my personal attendant" Lena gives her a devious smile "You wash my clothes and clean my chambers, you dedicate your life to fulfilling every task I give you without a single complaint"
Kara seemed surprised by the woman's words.
"I thought we were friends" confusion is obvious on the princess' face.
"We are, but that doesn't mean you're skipping work" she laughed "now get better darling, I need my sweet friend by my side again, I'll send someone to bring you some food" and winking at her as she made her way out of the room, but then she turned around "And Linda?"
"Yes?"
"Be a good girl and behave" Lena left the room “I will send someone to make you company”
Lena walked out of there with her big puffy dress, specifically made for her to use around the castle. As soon as she walked through the door the smile was wiped off her face and she looked at her guard James with a frown on her face.
"I want her surveilled at all times now, never to be left alone, don't let her lift a finger without notifying me first" she gave him and obscure look "and if she ask anything about herself or this kingdom you are not allowed to respond, none of you are"
"Do you want her to be taken care of?" the man asked. Ready to put out his sword, Lena rolled her eyes annoyed, he was so loyal to her it was disgusting. She loved it.
"No, I want her alive" said the queen, considering sourly the situation "send Samantha to the throne room, I need her advice" with that, she disappeared into the corridors of the great castle, the only sound was her shoes connecting with the hard marmol.
Samantha Arias was the most important member of her royal council, always available to answer any doubts the queen might have, ready to answer any questions that might be on her mind. Lena began to speak the moment the slender brunette stepped through the massive doors of the room.
"You probably would like to know Krypton's baby heir is alive," she said bitterly, startling the woman, "I dropped the damn princess of Krypton off a cliff, no less that the highest and rockiest i could find, and she doesn't seem to have more than a couple of broken ribs and a bad concussion, it's as if she was made out of steel, she has no more than a scratch but... apparently, her memory is lost," she muttered thoughtfully "and now she has woken up, I told her we're friends, that she works for me, I've given the order to keep her alive, I'm sure Alura and Zor-El will give their lives for the precious life of their only heir, I think we'll regain the lost territory" Lena got up and started to walk around the room ignoring the surprised look on the other woman eyes "What do you think about all this, should I believe she has lost her memory, or trust that she has done it to infiltrate in my castle and kill us all while we sleep?" Lena looked at her expectantly, her green eyes sharp and dark.
"You threw her off a cliff? Your majesty..." she said in surprise "that woman shouldn't even be able to tell what happened to her."
She can't. Lena thought.
"If you believe that keeping her in the kingdom with a false past until the conflict with the enemy kingdom is resolved is the best course of action, then so do I." The brunette said vehemently, "Still, I must warn you, it's a risky move, having the princess means a future attack..."
"Only if the Kryptonians ever find out the truth, from now on she is Linda Lee, servant of the kingdom, and if things were to change then I would kill her, unleashing the full fury of my people down on her and the kingdom of Krypton."
"Y-your majesty" Sam frowned in displeasure "with all due respect, you should check to see if her memory really is gone, if she manages to deceive you..."
"She won't" The black-haired woman assured "thank you for your advice Samantha, I'm sure your wisdom will be of great help" she dismissed the woman.
---
The princess of Krypton had been at the castle for almost a week now, her memory still hadn't returned and Lena was enjoying it way too much.
She could have never imagined that having your enemy serve you and do everything you want would be so fun, and the fact that the Kryptonian made everything with a huge smile on her face just made everything a thousand times funnier to Lena.
"Linda, how about you giving me that massage we talked about?" Lena said, did it sound like a suggestion? Yes. Was it a suggestion? No, not in the least.
Kara's eyes shone with curiosity.
"Of course Lena , I..."
"No, no" Lena said in a calculated tone "What did we talk about darling?" She sing-songned.
"I-I have to call you my queen... even though we are good friends"
"And what else darling?"
"And I can't touch or talk to you unless you start the conversation because it is disrespectful," Kara said with a frown.
"Very good" She praised, looking at Kara with a smile "Now, the massage?" She demanded.
The blonde walked her way through the room to the queen of Thorul, then got behind her and positioned her hands on the women's shoulders.
"Uh-uh" Lena gave her a wicked smile and pointed with her chin to her feet. Moving the toes happily.
Kara closed her eyes behind her, it was pretty obvious to her that her title as the queen's friend was nothing more than a one-sided thing, she was only there to please the black-haired woman and not to do anything else.
"You're such a good friend Kara" Lena said with a pleased grunt as the girl massaged the soles of her feet. Kicking Kryptonians asses always left her so tired.
----
Lena kept silent as she saw the blonde organizing her dresses and separating the one she would be wearing that day, a beautiful maroon dress with golden details. Kara looked at her in marvel, the brunette fought to keep her eyes from rolling.
"I have to admit it, this is the most hallucinating dress i have ever seen… well i don't remember anything about the past, my past, but i just know this is the most beautiful dress i will ever see" Kara stated with sparks in her eyes.
Lena looked at her amused, Kara did have nice dresses, she remembered the one she saw while attacking on her 18th birthday, she did have some even betters that hers —not that Lena would ever admit that to her— she looked over the window, stupid memory-less princess.
"Yes" Lena said instead.
Kara has been playing the role of her maid for over a week now, foot massages, clothes cleaning, and some other things that weren't as relevant. Kara didn't serve the black-haired woman her food —Lena did not trust her with that— and she also didn't wake her up in the mornings. She wasn't going to be at a disadvantage if all of the sudden the blonde got her memory back and decided to cut her throat while she slept. Kara just served her in the afternoon after Lena got her lunch and resolved the matters of the palace, in the meantime in the morning the guards kept her in watch, she didn't have permission to be outside of her room, whoever decided otherwise was immediately sentenced to death by guillotine. This was a dangerous enemy of the kingdom, even if Lena took her out to play around just for her own amusement. And to Lena's joy the most important thing she did in almost a week was wash her sheets and polishing her boots.
"I just wonder, you know" Kara said "being in such a beautiful dress, it must be feel like a dream"
More like a burden, Lena thought.
"Lena…" the blonde said relaxed looking at the ceiling, but rapidly changing her posture as she saw the queen's eyes hard and unforgiving "m-my queen" she corrected herself "may i ask you a question?" She looked at her curiously.
Lena considered answering the girl's doubts, did she have more important things to do? Yes. Did she need a good laugh? Also yes.
"Ask as you please darling, let's see what's happening on that head of yours" she said with a pleased smile, knowing that she wasn't going to tell anything close to the truth, what amusing little game she got from all this situation.
The princess smiled, grateful to the queen for the attention and comfort she was giving her in all this mess. She was her savior.
"Thank you, your majesty…"
"Your queen," Lena corrected.
"T-that's what i said"
"Humor me K-Linda" she said, retracing her error.
"Uhm, yes my queen" she said with a frown and a bow "As i was saying, i was wondering… I have lost my memory and forgotten every single thing about my life before the accident, and the only thing I have known since then is… you, only you, and- and I know that I can trust you with this, I see it when I look you in the eyes…" Kara rambled, looking at the dresses she still was trying to organize "but I have to wonder: do I have a family? Do I have a father, or a mother maybe? Siblings perhaps?" She looked so lost and so small "Do I have a lover? Do I have children?" Her distress increased, Lena felt a ugly feeling creeping up in her guts "Do i even like kids? Do I like Men? I am- do i?" Kara sounded like she was about to panic, but Lena didn't let the ugly feeling get up her chest.
"You don't, both your parents are dead" she said but the hurt look crossing the blonde's face was enough to get the feeling installed on her chest "b-but you have a sister… Her name is Alex" she said.
Why would you do that? That's your bloody enemy, you idiot. You can't show weakness.
"Do i?" Kara sounded surprised.
"Yes, you do," Lena confirmed.
"Do I have a partner?" She said, her face showing her hope for it.
"Uhm, no" she said, She wasn't going to give her any reason to want to escape and she wasn't going to keep pitying her "you're way too ugly for that… and extremely poor, no man would ever like you" she said "plus, no one likes blondes, nor servants for the matter, no, no, you'll die alone"
"But-but i thought everyone was supposed to have a happy ending" the Princess protested.
"Not you, obviously" she said irritated, a little of her sour tone escaped in her voice "what kind of woman is so muscular? No one is attracted to that" she attacked her, burning in her envy "those abs and those arms? No, no, those aren't worthy of a good man, those show how much you work… cleaning and- and washing, your hands ruined with those horrible callouses, those show how dispensable you're" Lenas was being deliberately cruel but for what's worth this was her enemy she was talking to "i am saying this as a friend Linda, you know it? Right" she asked falsely.
"O-of course my queen, i wouldn't dare to think otherwise" the blonde claimed and hanged the last of the dresses onto the closet "i apologize, i shouldn't have asked"
"It's okay, you're a fool servant, you're not here because of your thinking" she said dismissively.
"My queen?" Kara asked tentatively "you mentioned a sister… Where is she? I-I mean if she isn't here and, well, and i have lost my memory, isn't she worried about me?" the girl kept making herself smaller in her place as she said "doesn't she care for me?"
Lena thought about the answer. Now this was an opportunity.
"Of course she is, but she is not here at the Capital right now, she is in a crusade, but she has been notified of your accident and has set her back here as we speak, she should present herself in the kingdom in a few days" Lena promised.
The only problem now was finding a warrior strong enough that wouldn't kill her as soon as she saw her. After all, Kara Zor-El was Thorul's number one enemy.