She knew she would have to talk to him more, and get over the fact that he had lied about who he was to her, but for today she could be mad. She decided to give herself this first day to avoid speaking to him whenever possible, to stay annoyed - but tomorrow she would have to get over it. Tomorrow the peace negotiations began, and she needed to be able to communicate properly with him - despite their history. She couldn't quite explain why it bothered her so much, as it was not like they had had a long acquaintance or anything. Kara told herself it was because she had put her career and life on the line for someone who had not trusted her enough with his true name. But if she was being honest with herself, he did have a logical reason for concealing who he was. Still, it bothered her.
Kara reached her room and collapsed onto her bed. She knew there were several forms waiting for her approval and signature on her nightstand, but currently she needed to take a moment for herself. So she layed back on her pillows and stared up at her ceiling, planning on just taking a moment to breathe and relax herself.
She awoke two hours later to a furious knock on her door. "Oh no," she said to herself as she jumped off her bed. She took the briefest of glances in the mirror to make sure she did not look too disheveled before opening the door to an angry Uncle Non.
"Your files are late, and we need them to plan for tomorrow's meetings," Non informed her. He had never been a fan of Kara's, and he certainly never tried to hide it unless Aunt Astra, his wife, was around.
"I know, I'm very sorry, sir. I'll have them sent in promptly. I was just looking them over once more before signing them," Kara lied. She hated lying, but it was sometimes the only way to deal with Non and his rage.
"You have until I reach the meeting room to sign and send them in," he said before turning and walking away.
Kara heaved a sigh. Non was right to be angry with her, and she was frustrated with herself for allowing such a thing to happen. Her first day on the job, nonetheless. Quickly, she glanced over the files and signed her name before sending the virtual files off to the high council.
It was almost time for dinner already, so she decided to get ready to leave. While she was changing, a note arrived informing her that she was to escort Prince Mon-El to the dinning hall. She let out a long groan at the thought of having to deal with the prince all night.
"It is what it is, I suppose," Kara told herself, resigned to her duties.
She finished getting dressed and headed towards Mon-El's chambers. When she arrived she rapted on his door and tried to take a relaxing breath before he slid the door open. "I'm your escort to dinner, it seems," Kara informed him when he came out.
"Wonderful, we can talk, and you can't run off this time," Mon-El said with a somewhat playful smirk.
"Great," Kara replied with some bitterness.
"Come on, how can you hate me that much already?" Mon-El asked as he donned his jacket and stepped out to follow her down the corridor. His guards were right behind him. "What did I do that was so offensive to you?"
"You lied to me."
"And you didn't? You didn't tell me you were a peace negotiator; you led me to believe you were just a common soldier too."
"That's because three days ago, I was just a common captain. I was just promoted when I returned to camp after saving your life," Kara informed him.
There was a moment's pause as they walked. "I only lied to protect myself, not because I meant any harm to you."
It took a few moments for Kara to dismantle her pride enough to respond with, "I know."
Mon-El stopped walking and crossed his arms. "Why won't you look at me then?"
Kara took a deep breath and turned to face him. "I don't know, take your pick. Because having you here puts me at risk of being court marshalled for helping the enemy on a battlefield? Or because your deception irks me in a way I can't quite explain? Either way please, just let me be."
Mon-El dropped his arms and lowered his head in a look of defeat, "Alright. I'm sorry."
They walked the rest of the way to the dining hall in an almost-awkward silence. When they arrived at the hall however, chatter was heard from outside, though it grew quiet upon their entrance. Kryptonian leaders sat on either side of the dining table, all with rather guarded expressions on their faces. Mon-El and Kara took the two available seats and the meal and discussion slowly resumed.
The prince's guards stood near Mon-El's chair, which was of course across from Kara's. It seemed she was not going to get her day of anger, not with Mon-El beside her and the council's eyes on them all night. The air in the room was stiff, to say the least, but Kara was hungry enough to ignore it.
"So, are you finding your accommodations suitable?" Mag-Num asked as he dabbed remnants of food from his lips with one of the silky napkins. He was another council member and a constant thorn in Alura's side, according to Astra. Her aunt had attempted to give a rundown of all the council members to Kara before the Daxam ship arrived, and had explained most of them, but not in grave detail. Thus, Kara knew to be suspicious of him, since he supposedly was hard on her mother, and would likely not warm to her either. But Kara was unsure of the reason why Mag-Num and Alura did not get along.
"Oh, yes, they're just fine, thank you," Mon-El said, around a mouthful of food. Kara wondered if his politics were any better than his eating habits, which were clearly lacking. She heard the prince's guard clear his throat, likely trying to remind the wayward prince of his manners - a little late, if you asked her.
"Well, I apologize if it doesn't live up to your high standards as a prince of Daxam. But here most of our resources have been redirected to the war and relief efforts," Kan Fen-Ze said in a rather bitter tone. She was older than the other council members and, like most, had lost nearly everything to the war. She was also a slightly distant relative of Kara's; though she had only ever met her once or twice as a child, since most contact with the House of Ze, Astrid and Alura's family, was cut off upon Alura's acceptance into the House of El. From what Kara remembered of her distant aunt, she had never been a very nice or courteous person.
"Of course," Mon-El said, clearly uncomfortable at the insinuation that he looked down upon Kryptonian hospitality. "I hope we can try to put an end to such necessary sacrifices soon," he added.
Kan opened her mouth to say something more, but Kara quickly cut her off by saying, "As do we all, thank you. But talks of politics should be saved for tomorrow at the meetings, don't we all agree?"
The others nodded in agreement, and Kan Fen-Ze gave a stiff nod before returning to her meal in dissatisfaction. Mon-El gave Kara a grateful look, but she ignored it. She had not done it for him, but for her people. The peace talks needed to be successful, and Kan was clearly going to be a liability if she kept up her current mood when the talks began.
Everyone seemed to return to their private conversations with each other after that, and Kara kept her eyes on her plate or the conversations around her, pointedly avoiding eye-contact with Mon-El. She could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to meet them and risk encouraging him to start a conversation between them.
When the meal was over, and everyone rose to leave however, he caught her at the door and asked for help to find his way back to her room. She reluctantly agreed, knowing she needed to appear gracious in front of the other council members - even if she really wanted to strangle Mon-El for cornering her. Together they walked once more down the halls, towards his chambers, with his guard trailing behind them.
"Thanks for saving me from the Inquisitor back there," he finally said, when they were out of earshot of the other council members.
Kara shrugged. "Figured we didn't need you putting your foot in your mouth just yet, if we could avoid it."
Mon-El gave a laugh. "Well, I suppose you're right about that. Still, I appreciate it."
She nodded and kept quiet for a few moments. Then she tentatively said, "I hope you won't take it too personally tomorrow, if more members are as defensive as Kan Fen-Ze was tonight. I'm not saying they will be, but if they are, it's simply because we're all tired and hurt from being at war for so long. So please, don't hold it against us all."
Mon-El seemed a bit taken aback by her statement. "We are here to discuss peace, and we've all been hurt badly by this long war. I'm not here to attack anyone, and I would expect the same from the council."
Nodding and putting up a hand in apology, she said, "Of course. I hope we can all agree peacefully on a solution that will work for us all. All I ask is that you have patience with everyone tomorrow, because negotiating peace isn't going to be easy."
"I don't need you to tell me how to do my job," he said hotly.
"I'm not," she said, growing frustrated herself. "I'm just saying-"
"How I should do my job tomorrow. I have my orders, and I plan to follow them. Maybe you should go talk to your own people, and convince them to be cordial tomorrow, instead of cornering me."
They'd reached his chambers then, and he stalked into his room without another word or glance, closing the door rather rudely behind him. Kara sighed and almost moved to knock on the door, to attempt to smooth things over. But the guards came to stand by the door and gave her a warning glance. It wasn't a glance that told her to leave, necessarily, but one that said it might be a bad idea to push the prince any further tonight. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and nodded a good night to the guards before stalking off to her own chambers.
Mon-El flopped onto his bed, knowing full well that Gareth would be coming in any minute to give him a scolding for speaking to a Kryptonian council member as he had. And sure enough, a few moments later, Gareth came into the room. Instead of saying anything, however, the tall guard just crossed his arms and stared down at Mon-El, laid out on his bed.
"What?" Mon-El said, innocently. "She was being rude! With her huge Kryptonian ego, thinking she knows best."
"Because in this particular situation, she does," was the only response.
Mon-El let out a groan. "Well, why doesn't she just go to her own people to warn them?"
Gareth raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Rolling his eyes, Gareth said in a rather condescending tone, "Because she probably knows she can't convince them to change, but she might be able to alter your opinion."
Mon-El sat up and tossed his arms in the air, letting them drop dramatically into his lap. "But isn't that deceptive? She's trying to trick me into following her lead!"
"Sir, do you really think she intends on manipulating you?"
Mon-El considered for a moment, and resigned to a pout. "No, not really."
Gareth nodded, an air of superiority surrounding him.
"What does it matter anyway, since my parents clearly have no intention of actually making peace. They just want a surrender, which isn't likely to happen. Kryptonians are too proud for that."
The taller man once more just lifted an eyebrow, waiting for Mon-El to come to the correct answer on his own.
After a minute of deliberation, Mon-El realised that he was on his own here. "I could do it anyway, since they aren't exactly here to discuss it themselves. But who's to say they won't just break any deal I make with the Kryptonians?"
"You'll have to answer that yourself, sir."
Falling backwards onto the bed once more, Mon-El let out a frustrated groan. "Why does it have to be me?"
"Because you are the prince, sir." There seemed to be a hint of amusement in Gareth's voice.
"Well, I'd rather not be."
"Get some rest, sir. I suspect it will be a busy day tomorrow."
Mon-El waved a hand in dismissal to his friend, lifting his head just as the door closed behind Gareth.
It took him a moment to orientate himself and to realize he was back on the battlefield with Bo-Den; the smoke clogging the air and making it hard to see more than a foot in front of him. Between the clamor of fighting ringing in his ears, and the dust and smoke filling his lungs, Mon-El could barely focus on what Bo was shouting into his ear.
Mon-El cursed himself for convincing his bodyguard and friend to bring him here, to the center of the fray. It was an idiotic idea, he realized now, just a little belated. He'd wanted to see what it was like, thinking it might be a fun adventure for them. His parents had kept him quite closed off from the war, and he'd never complained about it, but it had made him romanticise what the fighting would be like. And now he'd come to the battle, with his best friend, and could barely think because of all the noise and destruction and smoke surrounding them.
"We need to move, sire," Bo shouted into Mon-El's ear, a hand on his back as they both leaned over, trying to avoid the flying dirt around them. "Please, let's go back."
Mon-El nodded, and turned to follow his friend back to the pod they had taken here. They'd left the pod back in the canyon, a fair distance away from the fighting, and Mon-El had no idea how to get back, but trusted that Bo would. They were barely on the edge of the battlefield, and yet the air was thick with dirt and smoke from blasting guns that blew up the ground beneath the feet of soldiers, tearing people apart and scattering them across the rocks of the desert. Mon-El was horrified at the carnage before him, and now understood why his parents had shielded this side of the war from him-despite his being far old enough to run a legion himself.
He kept a hand on Bo's back, so as to not lose him in the fray, and stepped carefully around rocks and limbs. They were just coming out of the smoke, and to the base of the canyon when something grabbed Mon-El's leg, nearly tripping him. He turned and realized that it was a dying soldier, his stomach sliced and blood pooling around him as he clutched Mon-El's leg, pleading for help. Mon-El stood in shock, unsure of what to do, he had a desire to help the man, who wore the Daxam uniform, but he had no experience in medicine, nor had he much experience with blood in general. The sight sickened him, in all honesty, and he felt his stomach churn at the horrific realization that this was happening to soldiers all around them.
"I'm sorry," Mon-El was about to say, but Bo stepped in between them suddenly and pushed the soldier away with his boot, causing him to cry out in pain. "Leave him," Bo instructed before guiding Mon-El away.
He felt a pang of guilt at leaving the soldier, but he brushed the feeling away, and focused again on following Bo into and through the canyon. Once inside the canyon, the noise of the battlefield became muffled and distant. There were less bodies in the ravines, but there were clear signs of previous battles being fought there, as unnatural holes and marks in the walls and rocks had clearly been made by Daxamite and Kryptonian weapons.
They picked their way through the crevices and ravines, and although they all looked the same to Mon-El, Bo seemed to know where he was going. The area seemed abandoned to Mon-El as they had not come across anyone on their way through before, but Bo kept his weapon out, ready to strike at every turn. Suddenly though, as they started to turn a corner, a shot rang out. Bo shoved Mon-El backwards against the red rockwall, making him hiss as a sharp piece dug into the middle of his back.
Bo hushed him as he crouched forward towards the edge of the wall, weapon ready to fire. Everything suddenly seemed quiet, and Mon-El had a sudden urge to crack a joke, despite the tense situation. Or perhaps because of the tense situation, as he had never been very good with them. Still, he resisted the urge and tried to focus on the sounds around them, like Bo was doing.
It was a difficult process, to focus and keep his mind on one solid thing when so much was happening. He could still feel the grip of the dying soldier on his leg, and smell the blood and dust from the battlefield. And now he was waiting behind his guard, possibly about to die at the hands of a Kryptonian soldier. His parents would certainly be cross with him about that. Dying out in a field, on a planet he wasn't supposed to be on, just because he was curious. Certainly a fitting end for him though.
There was a crunch of dirt and rocks under a foot just around the corner, and Bo held a hand up to tell Mon-El to remain where he was. Then the guard stepped quickly out from behind their hiding spot, his weapon up and pointed, and the sound of shots firing rang out.
Mon-El flung forward, nearly pitching himself off the bed. A scream was locked in his throat as the sound of the blasters continued to ring in his ears. After a moment of icey fear paralyzing him, he realized where he was. In bed, out of the canyon, and safe. Sweat was rolling down his back and chest, and it made him shiver.
A dream, just a dream.
He glanced at the timepiece beside the bed and collapsed back onto the pillows and sheets. There was still another two hours before he needed to be presentable. He wondered vaguely if Gareth would be able to get him any alcohol at this hour, or at least some company. The bed seemed cold and lonely now, and he didn't think he'd be able to fall back asleep anytime soon anyway. With a shrug he got up and went to the door that led to Gareth's side chambers. He knocked, wondering idly if Gareth would be awake yet. The man rarely seemed to sleep, being that he was always up and ready long before Mon-El and long after Mon-El had fallen asleep most nights. But presumably that was simply Gareth's job, and he seemed to enjoy it enough.
There was a noise behind the door, and then it swung open as Gareth greeted him. Mon-El was only mildly surprised to see him fully dressed in his blue Daxam royal guard uniform, his hair combed and styled for the day. "Sir, is everything alright?" He seemed genuinely worried, probably because Mon-El was never awake this early. Usually he had to be dragged out of bed at the last possible second.
Waving a hand dismissively at the note of concern, Mon-El said simply, "I'm not that tired right now. Do you think there's any alcohol or company available at this hour?"
A look of surprise and maybe some disapproval flashed across Gareth's face. He fixed his expression quickly, however, and considered Mon-El's inquiry. "I'm not certain that there is this morning, sir. I don't believe the Kryptonian embassy has interest in such things and likely won't have any in the building. But I can of course see to it by tonight, as I am certain there is some of both to find in this city."
Mon-El nodded, though his shoulders dropped slightly in disappointment. "Of course, thank you, Gareth." He smirked up at his friend. "Now go back to sleep, Overachiever, we still have two hours until the meetings start." Waving another hand in dismissal, he turned back to his own room to return to his bed alone.
Kara adjusted the belt around her waist, and tried to remember to breathe as she stared her reflection down. Absently, she touched the House of El sigil that was pressed into her white dress in the middle of her chest. The dress hung fairly loosely around her shoulders, and extended to the floor in sheer white folds. But the almost translucent sleeves were slightly tight around her arms, making her movements more restricted than she liked. It had been her favorite dress before she joined the military, but she hadn't realized how different her body had become from being a soldier. Her torso was slimmer, but her arms were now strong and less delicate under her sleeves. She would have to search for some better fitting clothes after today. But for now, it would have to do.
"You are going to do just fine, just trust yourself," she instructed the reflection in the glass with as much conviction as she could muster. Despite being raised around politicians and scientists, Kara had never had any real experiences with them. Since she joined the war, she acted as a soldier, not a delegate like she was going to be today. "You can do this." With one last nod of reassurance to the figure in the mirror, Kara spinned on her heel and headed out of her room and down the hall to the first peace meeting.
When she entered the circular hall, three of the other four Kryptonian council members were already inside. Kara had been in the hall only once before, as a child accompanying her mother who was a silent representative at the time. Now, the Global Room was reserved for special occasions, and was off limits to anyone who didn't require access to it. At least, since they had been at war, that was the case.
It was a large hall that had five circular podiums built into the middle of the room, in a circular fashion. Behind each podium were several rows of seats for silent representatives, people who were there to offer advice when asked, and who would later report to their guilds or cities what had transpired in the room. They were essentially the audience and record keepers, while the five in the center were the actual ones to make the decisions and discuss the matters at hand. Normally the speakers were chosen carefully from the silent representatives, but given the gravity of this particular discussion, the council had apparently decided it fit to bring in an outsider - Kara. The other members were experienced in such delegations, but she was not, and felt how unqualified they all thought she was - and she was inclined to agree with them.
Taking another deep breath to calm her nerves, she stepped further into the room, it buzzed with noise as all the representatives and delegates talked amongst themselves. Kara certainly felt left out in the large room, but was happy to see her mother and aunt together, and she picked her way through the crowd to them.
"It certainly is busy in here," Kara remarked, embracing her mother and aunt in a warm and welcoming hug. At least with them here, she knew she had people on her side - even if it was only two.
"Well, none of the representatives were going to miss this meeting, that's for sure," was Alura's response. She tucked a piece of hair behind Kara's ear and cupped her daughter's face lovingly. "It's nice to have you here with us though."
"Agreed," Astra said with a smile.
It was nice to see her aunt and mother getting along, for they had always had their differences. But they did stand by one another when it really mattered, Kara thought, and now was certainly a time that mattered. They all needed to be united to make the best of these meetings and hopefully bring an end to the war.
"Oh, here comes the Daxamite," Alura noted, nodding her head towards the door.
Turning around, Kara saw the prince coming into the room, clearly surprised by how many Kryptonians he was suddenly facing in the large room. His two guards walked closely behind him, and Kara saw the taller one whisper something to Mon-El. His clothes were formal and elegant, a dark blue jacket and pants. She noticed too that he wore what she could only assume was a royal sash across his chest. It was white, with a solid blue stripe running down the center, and had a flourishing seal where the ends met and rested on his hip.
When Kan Fen-Ze saw the prince, she called the meeting to order. Kara watched as all the people standing about and chatting suddenly moved in a swarm, like a flock of birds, into their seperate places among the stands. Kara and the five other delegates moved into their own places on the podiums, and Kan motioned for Mon-El to move into the center before them.
The room fell completely silent then, all eyes were on the prince. Kara couldn't help but have some sympathy for the prince, who had to be intimidated by his current position. It was as if he was on trial, standing before all of them looking down on him as they were. But if he was scared, he hid it well. His face remained blank, his hands clasped loosely behind him as he stepped forward and into place on his own podium. His guards remained just a little behind him, both clearly ready to defend their prince if anyone thought to threaten his safety.
"Our planets have been at war for a long time, and it's time we find a solution to end the fighting." Kan spoke clearly and her voice echoed and was amplified through the large room. "Is there anything you'd like say first, Prince of Daxam?"
"Well, you call me Prince Mon-El or just sir, if you like. Prince of Daxam might get a bit tiring," he said with a smirk and tilt of his head. Kara suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "But I would like to say that I too," he continued in more serious tone. "Hope we can come to an agreement. Our worlds have indeed been fighting for far too long."
"Do you have a proposal for us?"
"I do," he began, pulling a tablet from his jacket. Taking a breath, he started to read it aloud to his audience. Everyone listened as he described what turned out to be various demands. Krypton would share its natural resources with Daxam until theirs were restored. Kryptonians were not to ever set foot on Daxam again, at risk of enslavement. Krypton would elect a new leader, one approved by the Daxam Royals. "Recompense to Daxam families who had lost a child to th-"
"Are you here to simply list ridiculous demands, or offer a settlement agreement?" Kan asked incredulously, raising a hand to stop Mon-El's reading.
Kara thought he looked very tired suddenly, as if he didn't want to be reading the list anymore than the Kryptonian council wanted to hear it. "These are the instructions I have, Ma'am."
It was Astra that spoke up then, though Kan had clearly intended to give her own response. "Are you prepared to listen to our requirements for peace?"
Mon-El seemed to hesitate, but nodded. "I would be happy to hear them. Please," he motioned for her to explain them.
Alura then read from their own list, with almost the same ridiculous demands, Kara thought. However, it was understandable that Krypton wanted such recompense after the war had taken such a toll on their planet and resources. Daxam had not seen more than a handful of battles on its soil, but Krypton had suffered from years of war.
"Surely we can come to a compromise together," Kara said hopefully when Alura was done. Her mother shot her a serious look, one she had seen numerous times growing up. It was the signal for her to be silent and let the adults talk. She tried to not take it personally, but it hurt to receive such a look when she was supposed to be representing their people as well.
"We would require recompense for the damage and destruction to our planet over the years, as well as the toll this war has taken on our people," Astra told Mon-El.
He nodded, but had a mocking smile on his face. Kara couldn't help but shake her head at how casual he was being in such an important meeting. "And Daxam naturally requires the same, so-" he stopped short as his eyes rested on Kara. She was doing her best to shoot daggers at him with her eyes, desperately attempting to shut him up and make him willing to bend for peace.
He'd been about to give a smart remark, but in seeing Kara's desperate and rather frustrated glare, he stopped short. Her face was rather cute when it was in such a pout, he thought. But it also reminded him of what she had told him before on the battlefield, People want to believe they have no power, but they do. It is just a matter of having the courage to do something with what you have been given. He took a breath, and tried to think of a way to swing this conversation back on the right track. His mother and father had given him orders to list Daxam's peace demands, but they hadn't exactly told him not to hear other offers. Not in so many words, anyway.
Clasping his hands together to bring his audience back to attention, he said, "It sounds like we all desire recompense for the damage our worlds have taken during the war. I'd like for us to reach an agreement however, one that can satisfy us both."
The council members nodded in reluctant agreement, and the discussion began once again. They argued back and forth for nearly an hour, struggling to make any compromise that would satisfy either side. Mon-El started to wonder if it was even possible for them to reach an agreement, after all their worlds had been at each other's throats for centuries. The Kryptonians were a stubborn race. Still, he had to try, they all did.
After nearly two hours of arguing in circles and not coming to a single agreement, Kan raised her hand and spoke up. "We are making no advances here, let's break and reconvene in twenty minutes. Perhaps then some of us will be more capable of compromise." The last comment was directed at Mon-El with a painfully obvious glare of warning.
"A wonderful idea," Mon-El said, bowing respectfully and pointedly ignoring Kan's remark.
The creak of people rising from benches echoed through the hall as everyone began to file out and into the corridors. Mon-El looked for Kara, but she had been engulfed by the crowd, unable to be seen. "Sir, shall we return to your chambers?" Gareth asked from behind.
Hesitating, Mon-El glanced about for the blonde Kryptonian once more. Not finding her, he reluctantly agreed and let Gareth lead the way through the crowd and halls. Once they were out of earshot of the Kryptonians, Gareth turned to say, "I looked into your request from this morning, by the way, Sir. There aren't a lot of options, I'm sad to say. However, I am happy to secure one or more of them for you tonight. Here are their profiles." He handed Mon-El a holocrystal with a handful of profiles on it, most were women, but there were two males listed as well. None were Kryptonian - hardly surprising, as they were such a prudish race. Giving only a cursory glance at the profiles, Mon-El selected a Valeronian girl that seemed attractive enough to distract him tonight, before passing the holocrystal back to Gareth.
"Thank you for seeing to it, Gareth."
"My pleasure, Sir," the guard said, slipping the holocrystal back into his pocket.
"But we have to be willing to compromise too," Kara protested. She'd been listening to her mother and aunt school her about how to handle the rest of the peace meeting for the last ten minutes. She'd hoped to catch Mon-El, but had been immediately pulled aside by her family when Kan released them from the hall. From what Kara could tell, there was no intention on either side to truly reach a peace agreement. "We can't just give demands like them."
"Of course, my dear, but we can't allow them to be released without some payment for the damage and trauma our planet and people have suffered over the years either," Alura informed Kara with a rather patronizing hand on her shoulder.
"What do you mean 'be released'?"
Alura hesitated, glancing to her sister for help.
"We just mean they need to be held accountable, that's all," was Astra's response. "We all want this war to come to an end, the only question is how it will end."
"Let's hope without any further violence," Kara said indignantly.
"Of course."
Kara could tell they were keeping something from her, and she resented them for continuing to treat her as if she were still a child. Alura had a motherly hand on Kara's shoulder. It was probably supposed to be comforting, but it came off to Kara as demeaning and she shrugged it off. Hurt flashed across Alura's face, but she recovered her stoic but sympathetic look quickly. She waved a dismissive hand as she said, "Besides, I would think you would have a greater desire for recompense, since you even spent some time on the battlefield."
"That's exactly why we need to have these negotiations be successful. Because I've seen first hand the destruction and suffering this war is causing for our people." Kara took a step backwards and turned towards her aunt. "I would think you at least would have an understanding of that as well, Aunt Astra."
"Of course, but let Kan and the rest of us lead the negotiations, we've been preparing for this for some time now," Astra said in a soothing voice, clearly trying to pacify Kara as well.
That's when it clicked for her. They didn't bring her in for her prowess on the field or in representing those she had been fighting with. They brought her in because they assumed she'd be easily manipulated. That her anger towards the Daxamites would have grown on the battlefield, rather than tempered her beliefs. She hated them still, they were a terrible race of drug addicted jerks, of course. But she also knew it was time they stopped this war, before it destroyed both of their cultures and races.
She focused on her mother and aunt, looking at them with a new sense of betrayal and mistrust she had never really felt towards them before. She wanted to call them out on their deception, to ask them why they would treat her like she was still a child. "Sure," was all she said, however.
When the negotiations began again, Kara remained silent as Kan tore Mon-El apart. He did his best to stand his own ground, and to make his own opinions heard, but Kan would have none of it. For the first time in a long time, Kara felt ashamed of her people, of her leaders. Glancing behind her, she could tell the other representatives in the room were caught in the fervor of Kan's rhetoric. None of them seemed to question the woman's harsh treatment of the Daxamite representative, who was here for peace negotiations. It was disheartening to see them act in such a way, was all she could think.
After taking a verbal beating from the nasty woman for nearly two more hours, Mon-El finally had had enough. He raised his hands up in surrender and declared he was done. "I have heard enough for today. I will contact my planet and relay what has happened here today," he told them all. To his surprise, his voice came out sounding sure, because he simply felt exhausted and defeated.
"Very well. Return here tomorrow morning to continue our debate." Kan said it not as a request, but as a demand. For having invited him here, the Kryptonians certainly seemed set on making this treaty fall apart.
"Of course," he said, bowing slightly. "Please excuse me." He walked briskly out of the room before anymore could be said, his guards falling quickly in step behind him. "Well that was a disaster," he told Gareth as they started down the hall to their quarters. He could hear the shuffling of feet and murmuring conversations growing behind him as the Kryptonians began filing out of the great hall.
"I wou-" Gareth began, but stopped abruptly as Kara swung into Mon-El's vision, stepping in front of Mon-El.
"We need to talk," she said, slightly breathless but clearly determined, her face set in a rather cute pout that was probably meant to be intimidating. It reminded him of the angry face that a young hundr made when you took its favorite toy away.
Mon-El shrugged and went to move past her but she stepped in his way again. He let out a frustrated sigh. "What, now you want to talk? You seemed awfully quiet in there today. Whatever happened to making use of the power you're given and all that crap?" That made the determined look on her face falter slightly. "Yeah. I think we're done talking for today. Maybe tomorrow, Princess."
"Princess? I'm not a princess! And you and I need to talk privately."
"I need a drink and my bed, but I don't need to talk to you," he said, pushing past her. He turned after a few steps however with a smirk to say, "See you tomorrow, Princess."
Turning back around and walking on, he heard Gareth make a disapproving sound.
"What?" Mon-El asked with his most innocent voice.
"Is it really wise to antagonize your one ally here?"
Mon-El scoffed. "I don't know that I'd call her an ally."
"She's the closest one to it."
He couldn't argue that, especially after today. Turning to give Gareth a smirk however, he reminded the guard, "I have you, though."
Gareth just glared at him.
"Ugh, it was funny, okay?"
The guard mumbled something about how funny it would be tomorrow, but Mon-El ignored it and kept walking.
Talking to his parents had been a waste of time. He relayed what had happened during the negotiations, and they seemed little surprised. "Of course the Kryptonians made their own demands without any intention of bending to ours, what else did you expect?" his mother had said in her bitter cold tone, reminding him once more how naive he was.
"Can I offer them something at least, to maybe save these negotiations and our people?" Mon-El asked.
"We gave you our instructions before you left here, and those instructions have not changed. If the Kryptonians don't want to give, then they can continue to receive our forces on the battlefield." Rhea had ended the call abruptly then, before Mon-El could respond. He flopped backwards on the bed and let out a groan, covering his face with his arms.
"Well, I tried," he told Gareth when the guard stepped forward.
"Would you like me to call the woman in, sir?"
Mon-El lifted an arm off his face to eye Gareth. "Did you manage to find any ale?"
"I did not. But I did bring a few bottles with us, just in case. I retrieved them from the ship earlier today." He pulled a bottle and a single glass from behind his back, the sneaky bugger.
"You never disappoint, Gareth," Mon-El declared as he sat up and greedly accepted the bottle, waving the glass away. He took a long swig from the glass, letting the sharp taste of alcohol chase all the day's stress away. "Definitely call the girl."
The noise from the blaster echoed through the canyon, and Mon-El couldn't tell if there had been more than one shot because of the way the sound bounced off the red rock walls around them. His mind leaped to various conclusions: what if Bo was shot, and he had to find his way back to the ship alone? What if the other soldier killed Mon-El? What if he was taken captive?
But after only a few moments, the echoing shots ceased and Mon-El risked looking out to see what had happened. The site before him was less dramatic than he'd imagined, but it was still an unpleasant one. There were a handful of long dead Kryptonian soldiers, and one with fresh blood pooling around him - presumably the one Bo had just shot. But to Mon-El's horror, Bo was collapsed on the ground as well. Rushing over to his friend, he fell to the ground beside his head, panicked.
"Bo, what do I do?" he asked frantically, his hands fluttering over Bo's body, unsure of where to touch or how to help. There was a clear scorch mark from the Kryptonian gun on his chest, and it stunk of burnt flesh and cloth. The wound didn't look deep, but it was still clearly severe.
"Don't worry about me," Bo managed to say, attempting to bring a hand up to wave him away, but ended up wincing and hissing in pain.
"Last time I checked your skin wasn't supposed to be black and red on your chest." The fabric of his shirt had been burnt into his flesh, leaving threads of fabric woven into his burnt chest. Mon-El was certain he'd never seen anything so horrifying - even the carnage of the battlefield he'd just been at was easier to digest than the sight of his injured friend before him. "Tell me what to do, please."
Bo's eyes were struggling to stay open, as his breathing became more ragged with every intake. "Leave me, find the pod. Go."
"I can't just leave you." Mon-El made to pick Bo up, but before he could get his arm under his friend's head, Bo put a hand up to stop him.
His movements were slow and wavering, almost as if he were drunk, like the time he'd convinced Bo to play a drinking game with him. They'd sloshed around Mon-El's room at the end of the night, singing songs so loudly that his mother had sent more guards to silence them. Bo'd been punished for it, but it had been fun all the same. Mon-El wished more than anything they could be back there, in the safety of the citadel where his parent's rath was the only thing to fear.
"Leave," Bo instructed him again. When Mon-El shook his head and made no movement to leave, Bo dropped his head back and tried to sigh, which turned into a painful sounding cough. "Please, I'm already dead. You're the prince, so save yourself." He pressed his weapon into Mon-El's hand and feebly attempted to push the prince away.
With deep reluctance and hesitation, Mon-El placed a hand on his only friend's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, I-"
"Just go, you idiot. And try not to get in any more trouble, as hard as I'm sure that'll be for you."
Rising and pushing the feelings of panic and despair down, Mon-El turned to find his way back to the pod. He had a lot of skill in repressing his feelings by now, but it was always harder when he was sober, as he was now. He focused on his breathing and tried to remember the way back to the pod. He came to a divide in the canyon and struggled to recall which way he should be going. Randomly deciding, he went veered to the left, but suddenly heard movement coming towards him. He tried to duck behind some coverage but there was none, and before he knew what had happened his leg buckled underneath him with a sudden pain like he'd never felt before.
He shot up straight in bed, a cold sweat covering his skin and making him shiver. It took a moment before he realized where he was. A hand rested on his shoulder as the woman beside him sat up drowsily, asking if he was alright.
"What? Yeah, fine, fine," He mumbled, leaning back into the sheets. He turned to pull her body tightly against his as he breathed in the sent of her hair and kissed her neck, taking it in like a drug, needing to focus on something, anything else. He wrapped his arms around her and clung to her, hoping desperately that if he focused enough on her that it would expel the memory out of his mind and body.