Chapter 2

2 Months Later

"Your Majesty here are the death warrants for the day." Lord Luthor approached the King with the parchments in hand. The King looked up at the additional voice in the room and held his hand out for the papers.

"How many will die today?" The King asked running a hand through his thick wavy locks. Life of a King wasn't supposed to be so dull, filled with sentencing deaths and listening to peasants beg for more food, money, shelter, or work. The King had come into his crown at the young age of fifteen when his father died. Luckily he had the assistance of his advisors to help him in his endeavors.

"Twelve your Majesty, eight heretics, two traitors, and two thieves." Luthor spoke.

"Why put the heretics to death, why not simply burn their writings?" King Clark questioned Lord Luthor before he placed the quill in the inkpot.

"Your Majesty if they are allowed to live they are liable to spread their heresy throughout the realm and poison the minds of the people." Luthor spoke with conviction.

The King remained silent for a time, contemplating the words of his trusted friend. Finally he nodded softly and signed his name on the death warrants. Lord Luthor bowed and began to make his way out of the room. "Wait Luthor!"

"Your Majesty?"

"Where are Lord Wayne and Lord Queen? I have something I'd like to bring to their attention and they seem to have disappeared." The King questioned. He stood from his seat and took a step towards Lord Luthor, "And a King should never be ignorant to what his council is up to."

Luthor swallowed unknowingly as the King was an intimidating man, six foot five and built like a warrior, and nodded his head. "I do believe they are scowering the realm for lost men to recruit to our royal army for training. A lost man will do anything for survival, and they will listen and believe whatever we tell them. They're not better than dogs."

"Ah, so the two of them have agreed to you and Lord Zod's plan to expand the royal army. It is about time, the two of them along with Olsen can be so conservative sometimes." The King shook his head.

"That's why you have Lord Zod and myself, to counter that rose colored world those three seem to want to live in." Lord Luthor spoke.

The King grinned and chuckled softly. "Don't flatter yourself Lord Luthor. You do not rule me, yourself, Lord Zod, and the others are there for council, I make all the final decisions. Or has my title of King suddenly been revoked?"

"It has not my King."

"Good, now that I've signed the death warrants, it's time for me to go play." Clark grinned devilishly before dismissing Lord Luthor. Luthor bowed before turning to exit the room, a sly smile on his face as he left the King alone.

"Two months Oliver!" Bruce groaned. "Two months since we've been on this journey and we have yet to find who we're looking for. If we won't get back to the palace soon the King is going to grow suspicious."

"The King believes we're out rounding up lost men for the army, which Lord James is doing for us. He will not grow suspicious, especially since with us out of the way Zod and Luthor have more time to manipulate him." Oliver spoke confidently. "But I will not lie, I would like to find the woman soon."

The towns we've been going to the past few weeks have been filled with people from the Shadow Lands, the King is not likely to love a Shadow Cat." Bruce advised.

"No, the shadow cats are more to your liking Lord Bruce. You like a woman with darker features." Oliver teased as he saw a town coming up on the horizon. "Perhaps a Shadow Lands girl is what we'll need, they're notorious for being independent and strong willed, which while may be tougher for us to initially break down the walls of, she'll need to be strong with the King."

"The longer we search for this woman the more I worry about this plan." Bruce shook his head. "We're dealing with matters of the heart here, and the heart can betray the brain in a second."

"We'll make sure that doesn't happen." Oliver said stoically. "Since when did you become one to worry, isn't that my job?"

"Shut up." Bruce growled as they crossed into the town market and saw a young dark haired woman shove a perverted merchant away from her. Oliver and Bruce listened in to their war of words when Oliver turned to Bruce.

"I think we've found our girl." Oliver smiled brightly.

"What? Oliver she's filthy." Bruce examined the girl.

"What did you expect? That we were going to find a princess to be apart of our plan?" Oliver gave the feisty girl a once over. He promptly dismounted off his horse. "I don't know, a little scrubbing, some style and manners, I think she could be quite beautiful. Now come on, you grab the merchant."

Bruce glanced at the young woman who had just publically insulted the slimy merchant. Before anything could get out of hand he hopped off his horse and quickly put the man to the ground in the name of the King. After looking at her a second time, perhaps Bruce could see the beauty as well.

Lois came across a town market with a sigh of relief. She hadn't come across a town in a few days and had been living off some berries she had found in the forest. She was far away from the farm she had left months ago, and she only had a few near escapes from the masters men trying to bring her back to that hell. The last town Lois had seen was a week or so ago, she had stayed a few nights in a house of ill repute, the Madam took pity on her and offered her a bed.

Lois reached in the pockets of her dress and pulled out one silver coin, it was her last bit of money. She didn't know what she would do once it was gone. Taking a deep breath Lois walked into the town looking at the different stands hoping to find some food that would last her a few days.

"Fish here! Fresh flayed fish!" "Lamb chops!" "Cow ribs!" "Vegetables here! Right from the fertile soils of the coast."

Lois listened to all the merchants and knew she couldn't purchase anything that she had to cook, as she had no access to a stove. She could build a fire but the meats would be too expensive. Lois walked up to the man selling bundles of vegetables, at least those wouldn't go bad so quickly and would last her a while. The merchant watched her carefully as she held up her silver coin.

"How much could I get for this?" Lois asked him.

The middle aged merchant stood up off his stool and came around to the front next to Lois. He pointed to a small bushel of vegetables, "That."

Lois sighed, "That's all? But…"

"Well maybe I could make an exception for you pretty one." The merchant grinned as he wrapped his arm around her, running his hand over her backside. Lois grimaced and pushed him away from her forcefully.

"Keep your hands off me!" Lois shouted causing the market to still and direct all their eyes on her.

"You little b*tch! I'll have you hanged for that!" The merchant rushed towards her.

"For what? Denying you? Something I'm sure your cursed wife does every day of her life? Maybe you should learn how to respect a woman!" Lois taunted him, she knew she had gone too far when he raised his hand, covering the sun for a moment. Lois' eyes widened and then closed tightly as she waited for the blow to strike. But it never came.

When she opened her eyes the middle aged merchant was on his back with his arms up, a tall dark man standing over him with a sword placed at his neck. Lois looked up to see a young, lean blonde man standing above her. "Are you alright?"

He offered her his hand which Lois tentatively took and stood on her feet. "I am, thank you."

The blonde man looked around at the townspeople staring at the three of them. He set his jaw before speaking. "Do you all have nothing better to do then stand around and watch us? Go about your business!" They quickly continued their work and shopping as if nothing had happened.

Lois noticed she was still in the blonde man's grasp before she pulled away and began walking out of the market place. "Wait," he called after her, "You never got your vegetables."

"I'll find something in the woods, it's better I save my money anyway." Lois said not even turning around.

"Why don't you come with my friend and I?" The man appeared next to her.

"I… I can't do that. I'm no whore." Lois shook her head, brushing a fallen frizzy strand of hair out of her face.

"I never said you were. Come on. At the very least we will buy you a hot meal, you look starved." The man offered causing Lois to stop in her tracks.

"And your intentions are pure?" Lois questioned looking up at him.

The man only laughed, "Well I never said that. But come on, let's not worry about that now."

Alright so there's chapter 2! What did you all think? Loved it? Hated it? Questions? Ideas? Suggestions? Leave me some comments and let me know! You know I feed off your guys' feedback!