I was so surprised that Kara was kicking my ass as we fought. She had already punched me a bunch of times and added in kicks for good measure. I had a hard time trying to predict her next move, even using Presence, because her flow of Presence didn't change when her tactics did.

Kara swung her sword at my head and I leaned back to avoid it, used Presence to brace myself and created a box of energy to lean on, then kicked out with both feet. My unorthodox attack completely threw her off balance and she grunted as one of my feet connected with her stomach.

There! I thought as her guard dropped and gave me an opening. I swung my sword towards her hand to disable her Light sword and she let it drop to the floor and held her hand out as she used Presence Hand to catch my Light sword.

“Surprise.” Kara said and used her free hand to make another Presence Hand and pushed. I flipped backwards off of my solid energy box and landed on the floor. She started to lunge for me again, then her legs impacted my invisible energy box and she tripped over it and fell on top of me. Fortunately, we both had our swords out to strike and not in close to defend, so neither of us were hurt by them. That didn't mean we didn't get hurt, however.

“Ooowwww.” Kara moaned in pain as she rolled off of me and deactivated her Light sword. We had bumped foreheads and her legs had hit the box of solid energy pretty hard. I sat up as I deactivated my own Light sword and turned to check her. My own slight injuries completely forgotten.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked.

“No.” Kara said and touched her forehead. “That really hurt.”

“Well, everyone tells me that I have a hard head.” I joked.

“You really do.” Kara chuckled and then moaned in pain again. I put a hand over her forehead and she looked at me. “What are you doing?”

“Shh.” I said and closed my eyes as I eased a little bit of Presence into her forehead where a small bump was starting to form. “No concussion or blood pooling.” I said and moved my hand out of the way. “I need to check your legs.”

“I'm fine.” Kara said and tried to sit up, and I put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“If you've broken anything, you could hurt yourself more if you try to move.” I said and she laid back down.

“What did I hit, anyway?” Kara asked as I lifted her robes to see the damage.

“One of my solid energy boxes.” I said as I absorbed it and then hovered my hand over her knees and legs. “I don't think anything's damaged; but, you're going to have some nice bruises tomorrow.”

“Wait... did you say solid energy boxes?” Kara asked. “What are those?”

“It's just something I discovered I could make when I was a kid.” I said absently and then I saw some blood start to seep through one of her beige pant legs. “I was wrong. You are hurt.” I said and picked her up in a princess carry, with an arm behind her back and one under her knees.

“Ow! Wait! What are you doing?” Kara asked, a little frantically.

“Hold on.” I said and covered us in Presence as she put her arms around my neck. I took a deep breath and let the flow of Presence assist me in holding her steady, then I used the Presence Run ability and took off at full speed. Kara's grip around my neck tightened as I ran from the building and avoided colliding with several people, just barely missed a troop transport as it landed, then I ran all the way over to the medical bay.

“What can I do for you?” The droid behind the desk asked when I stopped in front of it.

“Multiple contusions from an energy-based impact on the knees and shins, with a secondary impact on the front cranium.” I said. “Possible soreness and general damage from a fight, and also falling onto a hard surface with a mitigating obstacle in between.”

The droid looked at my face and then at Kara's. If droids had the ability to smile, this one would have done it. “You were the obstacle.” It asked, and I nodded. “Right this way.” It said and rolled out from behind the desk and through a set of free-swinging double doors. I carried Kara and followed the droid through the doors and down a short hallway, then we entered an examination room.

“Put her on the table.” The droid said and its arms split as several different tools came out of them. “Are you able to remove your clothing?” It asked Kara.

“Mostly.” Kara said and looked at me.

“I can wait outside.” I said, and she shook her head.

“I told you that you need to stay by my side unless I send you on a task.”

“You could...”

“Take off my clothes.” Kara ordered, and her face flushed a little red. I sighed in resignation and untied her belt with her weapon on it and tied it around my own waist, then I took off her robes and folded them before setting them on a nearby chair. I then took off her pants very carefully, and let the flow of Presence guide my hands to avoid the damage. Her eyes widened as she felt me do that, then she took a deep breath and held her arms up above her head.

“Your top, too?” I asked, and both she and the droid nodded. I grabbed the bottom edge and eased it up to her chest, then our eyes met. Kara looked very vulnerable, so I closed my eyes and let Presence guide my hands again. Since I had my Detect Presence ability active all the time, I could still see, and she visibly relaxed when I hadn't tried to take advantage of the situation to stare at her chest.

“Step back, please.” The droid said, and I stepped back towards the wall to let it work and kept my eyes closed. Kara winced as the droid injected her with something to numb her legs, and then she sighed in relief.

I thought she was hamming it up to get sympathy from me; but, she really is in pain. I thought in surprise. I didn't say anything as the droid tended to her knee and shin wounds, one of which was quite a deep gash. The droid picked up a thick pad with some glowing blue liquid in it, applied it to the wound and wrapped a bandage around it.

“Make sure you leave that on for at least twelve hours to let the wound close over and heal.” The droid said, then it checked Kara over and found all of the budding bruises that had started to form all over her body. It applied antiseptic gel on all of the spots. “You need some bed rest and you are to relax.” It said. “No exercising for a day. No work for two days. No fighting for three days.”

There was a beeping sound and the droid changed needles.

“The council has been notified of the situation.” The droid said. “A mild sedative has been approved to help you sleep.” It said and poked Kara's arm with the needle.

“Hey, I... I didn't... want... hee hee.”

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“Appropriate reaction to anaesthetic and sedative combination confirmed.” The droid said and turned to me. “Help her dress and take her home.”

“But...”

“You can open your eyes. I have covered her mammary glands with a cloth.”

I opened my eyes and held in my sigh as the small cloth barely covered Kara's nipples.

“Dress me!” Kara said and giggled as she lifted her arms over her head. I slipped her top on fairly easily, even with having to pull it down over her fairly large chest and move the cloth out of the way at the same time. She put her arms around my neck and pulled me in close.

“You're so handsome.” Kara said and giggled again.

“I... ah... need to put on your pants.”

“Ha ha! I'm not wearing pants!” Kara let my neck go and looked down at her bare legs. “Hey!” She exclaimed and pointed to the med-pack on her shin. “I have a boo boo!”

“Yes, you do.” I said and eased her pants on. I was grateful that they were super-stretchy, because they slid up and over the bulky pack easily. I helped her sit up to put her robes on her, and she hugged me tightly.

“You're so sweet!” Kara exclaimed and then giggled. “You're also really bad.” She said and let me go as I set the robes over her shoulders. “No one likes you very much.”

“That was the point.” I said and didn't bother giving her her belt back and kept it on my waist.

“What? Don't joke!” Kara said and took my hand. “You just need to stop tricking people and they'll like you more.”

“I do that so they won't like me.”

“Oh.” Kara said and looked at me with one wide eye and one squinted eye. “I'm glad I'm not like them, then.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, curious.

“I really like you, silly.” Kara said and let my hand go, then she opened her arms. “Carry me, my prince!”

“I can just get a...”

“Carry. Me.” Kara said sternly and squinted both eyes at me this time. I sighed and picked her up in a princess carry, and she held on tightly to me and snuggled her head into my neck.

“If she needs more sedative to help with sleeping it off, give her this.” The droid said and handed me a small vial. I didn't have a hand free, so it dropped it into the pocket of my robes. “Only a few drops for each hour, or the whole vial for twelve full hours.”

“Thank you.” I said.

“You are welcome.” The droid said. “Have a nice day.”

I carried Kara out of the medical bay and covered us in Presence, then used it to push both the light and sound of us away and into the ground. It was an advanced Stealth technique and I probably shouldn't be using it in such a fashion; but, who was going to complain about it if they couldn't see me doing it?

I chuckled at that thought and Kara moaned a little. “How are you feeling?”

“Like my dreams have come true, my prince.” Kara said. She had her eyes closed and still had her head tucked into my neck.

“Don't get me confused with your dreams, Kara.” I cautioned her. “It won't end well.”

“Nonsense.” Kara said and gave my neck a kiss. “A princess needs her prince.”

I rolled my eyes at her spouting nonsense and took her back to her apartment and laid her down on the bed, then I gently pulled her arms apart to free myself from her grip around my neck.

“N-no... don't... don't go.” Kara said, her eyes half-closed.

“I just need to get you changed for bed.”

“Bed!” Kara's eyes opened wide and looked at me. “Yes, bed!”

I quickly took off her robes and set them aside, then took off her pants.

“My top, too.” Kara said and tried to raise her arms. They got about halfway and flopped back down. “Tired.”

“Yes, you're very sleepy.” I said and eased her top up and was about to unveil her chest when her hand shot out and slapped my face.

“Don't look!” Kara said.

“Sorry.” I said and closed my eyes.

“That's better.” Kara said and I took her top off the rest of the way, then her hand reached up and gently stroked the spot on my face that she had slapped. “I didn't hurt you, did I?”

“No.” I said right away.

“Thank the Goddess.” Kara said and sighed. “She finally granted my wish, and the last thing I want to do is hurt my prince.”

I held in my chuckle at her delusion and grabbed her pyjamas, still with my eyes closed, then quickly dressed her. Once she was covered I opened my eyes and I saw that she had watched me the whole time and she gave me a huge warm smile. I got her settled under the blanket and she closed her eyes.

“Kara.”

“Hmm?”

“Why do you keep calling me your prince?”

“Because you're my prince.” Kara said. “I've been looking for you... ever since I saw... that head of dirty blonde hair... years... ago.”

“But why?”

“I told you.” Kara said and let out a long breath of air. “I'm a princess and you're my prince.”

“What exactly are you going to do to your prince?”

Kara giggled, still with her eyes closed. “That's not something... a lady is supposed... to say.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“If he knew... how much I cared about him... and... and...”

“And what?”

“I want... what's best for... foooo.” Kara sighed and fell asleep.

Unable to guess what 'fooo' meant, I got changed myself and climbed into bed, then made sure that I stayed on my side like I had the night before. I watched her for quite some time and I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until I woke up the next morning... with Kara snuggled up to my chest and her head rested on my shoulder. Her face was completely peaceful as she slowly breathed in and out like only a truly sleeping person could achieve.

I was tempted to shake her and complain about what she was doing, then changed my mind. It's my fault she's in this condition. I thought. The only one I can realistically be angry at is myself.

So, with that resolved in my head, I relaxed and didn't try to push her away.

The doc-bot said she needed lots of rest, and since I can't go anywhere with out her permission, I'm stuck here for as long as she is. I thought, then Kara stirred a little. I laid there and waited for an outburst from her, and instead she fumbled around and found my arm on that side and hugged it to herself like a blanket, despite already being under a blanket. She rubbed her face on my shoulder a little, then sighed in contentment.

Now I was trapped and couldn't get away, even if I tried to. I had no choice but to stay. So, I closed my eyes and used a mental technique to put myself into a partial meditative state and went back to sleep.

*

Kara woke up around noon and was surrounded by warmth. Her whole body tingled and she wallowed the flow of Presence from her prince. She always felt energized when near him, and she had vowed that she would always be by his side. She loved him very much and felt that they were destined to be together, and she would do anything to make it happen. She could never tell him that, though.

Kara hugged his finely toned muscled arm to her chest as she turned onto her side, then tried to snuggle in close and bent her knees, which pulled on the healing wounds and hurt. A lot. She gasped in pain and opened her eyes, only to realize that it wasn't a dream. She really had Ullir's arm clutched to her chest and it was pressed tightly between her breasts. Her face burned from embarrassment and she let go of it immediately.

Kara was about to yell and holler at him for taking advantage of her, then she noticed that he was asleep and that she was on his side of the bed. That made her think about Ullir's comment the day before about her waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

I even told him that I did! Kara thought as her face went to an even deeper red, then she took stock of her injuries. With just a touch of Presence, she let it flow around her and found all of the damage she had suffered, from both the fight and her fall. He started out not doing well, since he hadn't had any real practical experience with real fighting. After only a few minutes, he was actually defending and countering my attacks. She thought in surprise. He could be a really great fighter one day.

Kara got lost in her thoughts for several minutes, then she realized that she was still on Ullir's side of the bed and he hadn't tried to rebuke her or push her away, or even stopped her from holding him.

Maybe he... he might actually... Kara shook her head. No, that would be too much to ask so soon. She thought. I haven't moulded him into a perfect man yet! She carefully put her arms back around his arm and hugged it to her chest again. I missed my opportunity the first time when you were taken away from me as a child, my prince. She thought, then her emotions became adamant. I won't miss it this time!

Kara indulged in her fantasy of him already being her perfect man and closed her eyes, then sighed contentedly and went back to sleep.

*

I was only in a meditative state while I slept, so I could keep a keen eye out for Kara and make sure she didn't hurt herself by rolling around or something. What I hadn't expected was her to wake up and let me go. I was about to ask her how she was, when she used Presence to check herself, then she took hold of my arm again and hugged it tightly as she went back to sleep.

I thought about telling her that I wasn't a teddy bear and she shouldn't be holding me like that, then I thought about her actually wanting to hold onto me. Unlike the night before, where she was pretty much drugged up to her eyeballs and acted like she was drunk, she didn't seem like that at all today.

She is voluntarily pressing her chest against me, and it does feel really nice... and warm... and soft... I thought, then shook my head mentally. I can't think like that. She's trying to change me into a loyal Order member, and that is never going to happen!

Unfortunately, I still couldn't say anything to her, because it was my fault that she was hurt like she was. I held in my sigh and figured I could let her indulge in her prince fantasy for another little while. Neither of us were going anywhere for another day, at least, so I kept my eyes closed and went back into a meditative sleep.