Okay. Not that I need a single other supercorp au idea, BUT.
I'm listening to A Thousand Ships, which is basically the fall of Troy from the fictional perspective of the women involved. There's a significant focus on the Trojan royal ladies, and it's making me think of Kara being in an Odysseus role (minus the family waiting at home), on the night of the final attack on the city. She and her men surge into the citadel, only to find every room empty-- all the remaining survivors have gathered in the great hall, at the bidding of the last surviving royal: Lena.
Lena rises when Kara and her soldiers burst in, and calmly places herself between her people and the enemy their men have been fighting for a decade.
"We have no weapons," she says with a firm, smooth voice. "You may have this city, and all its riches-- all I ask in return is that you spare my people's lives."
Kara's men, and the men of other heroes who have now joined them, jeer at the supplication. But Kara locks eyes with this princess, and sees something familiar gazing back at her-- the same calm Kara feels before entering the battle, the cool resignation to whatever fate the gods have decided for her. Responsibility, too. The burden of lives depending on you, and the willingness to do anything to protect them.
A lieutenant-- one of Mon-el's-- steps forward with a derisive grin, and grips the princess by the arm to wrench her from her feet-- only to freeze when Kara barks an order.
"STOP!" she bellows, assuming the tone every soldier jumps to obey-- that of a general, one who expects to be followed, and therefore always is.
The lieutenant, for all that he is not one of hers, drops the woman's arm as though she were hot coal. He slinks back to his unit, only barely managing to keep his chin high and proud, as though he hasn't just been scolded like a wayward child.
Kara steps forward then, sheathing her sword to reach up with both hands and remove her plumed helmet. She tucks it under her right arm, and faces the princess, addressing her as one leader to another.
"Your people shall survive this night," Kara says, binding herself and the army around her in her oath. "You have my word."
The princess releases a silent breath. "Thank you."
"But you are now spoils of war," Kara continues. "I can offer no protection once our bounty has been divided amongst the generals. Your fates will soon belong to your masters."
The princess nods. "We understand. We will not resist."
Kara surveys the crowd huddled behind the princess, and notes that the only men amongst them are very young or very old, and all servants, by their garb. None noble, and none of fighting age. Had the men all perished? Was there an ambush lurking within the city walls?
Or had the men all fled, leaving their women to become slaves?
Kara sets her jaw, then gestures for her lieutenant. "Scour the remainder of the citadel, and then the city. Remain on your guard-- kill any who wield a weapon."
"And if we find any who don't bear arms, General?"
Kara meets the gaze of the princess once more.
Her lieutenant confirms an affirmative, and returns to the crowd to start assigning quadrants to each unit. Kara knows that Mon-el would take issue with her interfering with his man, but she remains unconcerned.
"You will remain here until collected," she informs the princess.
The princess nods her understanding, still as tall and resolute as she's been since the Greeks first entered the hall.
Placing her helmet back on her head, Kara turns and sweeps from the hall. With her men now in motion, tasked with their assigned searches, there is little to distract Kara from the way the princess lurks at the edge of her thoughts, with her calm capitulation and graceful bearing.
Was it all a trick? Kara doesn't think so. All she had seen in the statured woman was the desire to protect what remained of her people, even knowing that doing so meant scattering them to the winds once they were claimed as slaves and taken to whatever faraway land their new kings called home.
Compelling, Kara decides. As she returns to the city streets, she resolves to speak with the princess once more. Spoils would be claimed in two days' time-- though Kara had been able to secure a favorable fate for the princess and her people this night, she will be powerless to secure as much for them all come that fateful dawn.
But, perhaps a few, she may. Even if it's just one-- the image of the proud princess flashes across her mind-- just one may be enough to clean some of the blood of this war from her hands.
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2087
