Kingdom of Krypton
Noon
The grand meeting hall of The Kingdom of Krypton was composed of a large auditorium space with a raised platform situated in its center. The whole of the congregation of the people crowded around it in a large circle, with only standing room left as they prepared to observe and witness the proceedings. There was constant low commotion as everyone spoke in private and group conversations, all awaiting the beginning of this judgement meeting.
These recently instituted meetings for the judgements concerning affairs of The Kingdom were quite a novelty for the people. King Zod and Queen Faora had never listened to the concerns of the people and had not once even allowed them to observe any decisions which they made. Everyone had known years ago that Prince Kal-El would be a better king than his father Zod, but they hadn't expected that he would turn to be this good of a benefactor. The ways in which he chose to run his kingdom were becoming a joy to all.
In the center of the meeting hall, the northern end of the raised platform was dominated by a large round table, with some of the members of The League of Justice seated around it, including Baron Deathstroke and Leader Lobo. At its head, King Kal-El spoke privately with The Knight, the bond of their friendship obvious and evident. The other chairs at the table were for the other leaders of tribes and territories to observe the proceedings.
While still conversing with The Knight, King Kal-El took notice of three specific figures approaching the southern end of the platform. Lord Luthor and Zatanna were walking with a particular warrior between them, his posture bent low and trying to make himself discreet despite the fact that his height made him tower over most of those around him.
He was known as Victor Stone. Those whom had fought beside him in battle simply called him Stone, as he was known for his strength, valor and steadfastness in the face of adversity. He officially held the title of Kingdom Herald.
In the melee which had taken place during the night of the assassinations of King Zod and Queen Faora, Stone had fought the strange intruders valiantly, protecting the lives of several townspeople caught unawares. His body had literally been torn apart by the mysterious weapons used against him. Only the unique combination of the intellectual medical machinations of Lord Luthor and the arcane mystical magic of Zatanna had been able to save Stone's life by grafting metal partitions onto what was left of his physique. His survival was nearly miraculous, but he sadly now considered himself to be disfigured. He was still wearing the same war garments he'd had before his body had been changed, and they now fit him oddly, only adding to his extremely unusual appearance.
As the trio reached the edge of the platform, Zatanna stopped and stared at King Kal-El with a forlorn gaze. Being gracious, Kal nodded to her, thanking her for the incredible work she had wrought in saving Stone's life. After a long moment, she bowed to him, then walked over to stand in the front rows of the congregation.
Only Stone and Luthor walked up the short staircase onto the platform. Lord Luthor took his place at the far end of the round table opposite King Kal-El, while Stone walked toward a seat two chairs away. Both of them acknowledged The King with a short bow.
"How do you feel, Stone?" King Kal-El asked, beckoning him to approach.
"Still very uncertain, My Lord," Stone answered. "They have to work on my … parts … continually. I … I have come to accept my resignation as Herald of The Kingdom."
"What?" frowned King Kal-El. "Why would I want you to leave your position?"
"My … My appearance," Stone said with his head held low. "I … scare the people now. They won't want to see me anymore."
"Stone, my friend, give them time. They shall come to love you as before," King Kal-El said calmly. "There shall be no resignation."
"But, My King," Stone said with trepidation in his voice before looking over to The Knight. "Knighted One, surely you must agree with me. It's for the good of the people. Please persuade him."
"The King has spoken, Stone," The Knight said without hesitation. "I suggest you prepare to resume your duties."
"Sit by my side, my friend," said King Kal-El, before he once again turned to look off to his right side behind him.
"That's only the fiftieth time you've turned to await their entrance, Kal-El," Bruce said, calmly looking over official documents and starting to pass some of them over to Stone. "Staring isn't going to make her arrive any sooner. Ms. Selina will bring them promptly."
"I don't doubt your skills as a master investigator, Bruce," King Kal-El said with a smile. "However, are you suggesting that I'm awaiting someone in particular?"
"My King," Stone said as he leaned over in a comical conspiratorial lowered voice. "Rumor has it that you have a leader in the running for your bride. Zatanna couldn't stop whining about it as she and Lord Luthor were checking my injuries before the meeting here. They say you favor The Themysciran Princess Diana."
As if on cue, the crowd off to the right side in back of the northern end of the raised platform began to part, and a small line of women began to strut through the side of the congregation. All six were dressed in startlingly beautiful and colorfully ornate dresses. Each and every single one of them appeared to be a very viable choice for queen of a kingdom.
Side by side at the head of the procession, walked Miss Selina and Primary Designer Miss Mari Jiwe McCabe. Miss Mari was the daughter of the king of one of the most distant tribal regions, and she had come to King Kal-El to visit The Krypton Kingdom on behalf of her father. Upon her arrival, she had come bearing some of the most elegant and useful garments for the royal family that anyone had ever seen. Having enjoyed garment making in her tribe, it was discovered that Mari had quite an aptitude for it with the advanced technology of the empire, and Miss Selina had quickly requested that The King give her the rank of Primary Designer to take charge of all clothing for all the masses of people.
Walking closely behind them were Princess Diana, Lady Maxima, Karen and Kara. All of them wore attire which were adorned in their trademark colors. They were visions of pure feminine loveliness.
However, after taking notice of each one of them, Kal's eyes were unable to turn away from the sight of Princess Diana. It wasn't just the breathtakingly well filled out dress which Ms. Mari had designed for her, although staring at her in it did really get his blood moving, but more so the way she carried herself with such a regal air without being conceited. She seemed to be the epitome of grace, courage, power and wisdom, making her quite The Wonder.
He was staring.
"Could you be any more obvious?" Bruce asked sarcastically.
"Was I staring?" Kal asked with a grin as he finally looked away.
"Not really," Stone followed the humor of his two comrades. "I don't even need the one good eye that's left to see how hard you were staring."
"King Kal-El, the women will require seating," said Bruce.
"Flash!" King Kal-El called loudly.
In a breeze of wind, Wally stood beside the table with a gentlemanly bow.
"At your service, My King," he answered.
"Go see your friend Hal the cook and have him donate some chairs from his special event pantry," ordered The King. "The ladies will need seats. Please hurry."
"You should give me a challenge sometime," grumbled Wally with a grin.
In twelve seconds, six chairs were positioned lining the podium behind The King's chair.
King Kal-El didn't bother to thank him, already knowing that Wally would have shot back to the food preparation stable to joke with Hal the cook about the fact he had taken the chairs before asking.
Reaching the small staircase leading up to the raised platform, Selina stopped walking and let the other ladies past her.
"Knight!" she called quietly. "Knight! Your services are needed."
Always catching her voice even when she gave the softest cry, Bruce was at the edge of the podium almost instantly.
"How may I be of assistance, My Lady?" he spoke firmly.
"I'm still a little dizzy from that blow earlier this morning," she told him, holding out her hand for him to take as she gingerly placed a heel on the first step. "I need your arm. Help me up."
Without a moment's hesitation, Bruce had not only taken Selina's hand, but had slipped down the steps to slide his arm around her waist and hold her close. As they walked up the steps side by side together, Selina smiled inwardly. If this was the kind of attention she got when she was injured, she would have to make a regular practice of having Maxima or Diana knock her around some more. Oh yes, she was going to milk this for all it was worth.
As Bruce guided Selina to take her seat in the first chair placement, King Kal-El called out to Ms. Mari.
"Ms. Mari," he said politely. "A moment, please."
Walking past Bruce and Selina, Mari held a lengthy glance of jealous longing for the obvious passion they had between them before she stepped over to give Kal a courteous bow.
"Your Majesty?" she said in acknowledgement.
"Please tell me, have you met my Kingdom Herald Mr. Victor Stone? He's so important that I simply cannot run the government without him."
"I have heard of him, Great King," Mari answered. "Miss Selina recently told me of his incredibly valiant efforts. I'm very pleased to make his acquaintance."
"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Mari," Stone said as he held his head low, hoping that she wouldn't look at his face.
"He is need of new garments, an entirely new wardrobe in fact, and I will personally finance whatever charge you may require," said The King.
"My Lord," Stone said incredulously. "I cannot allow you to … I do not need …"
"I would be delighted, O King!" Mari interrupted Stone. "May I address The Herald?"
"He's all yours," Kal said with a smile, before glancing over at Miss Selina, who returned his look with a knowing wink.
"It's very nice to meet you, Vic," Mari said confidently as she stepped over to sit in the vacant seat beside him, sweetly sweeping the lower part of her long yellow dress across his legs in their closeness. "You mind if I speak with you for a moment?"
He was taken aback by the name she had called him. No one had ever addressed him by his first name. It felt intimately enticing and endearing.
"Ms. Mari," Stone began quickly and shyly. "You don't have to go to any trouble for me. The King is simply concerned about my being disfigured and …"
"I'm a dressmaker, Vic," she told him with playful exasperation. "I adore fashion and design. Doing anything for you is not trouble at all. By the way, you're not disfigured, you're just very unique from anyone else. Now, I'm going to prepare you a full wardrobe order, and I'm going to include some of my personal preferences."
"Your personal preferences?"
"You were a handsome man before you sacrificed your body to save those townspeople, Victor, and you still are. That act you did was really heroic, and to me, it only made you even more attractive. I'm not going to design clothes you can hide behind. Your … change … has only made your body as physically powerful as your heroic heart."
"Heroic? Me?" Stone said incredulously. "Believe me, you don't know what's going on with me now. No one knows. I .. I'm kind of struggling with … with just being human."
"Actually," said Mari, leaning in closer to him with a barely audible whisper. "I have certain abilities which I keep concealed from everyone else. They're animalistic, and sometimes, they get a little out of control. Since you're struggling with your humanity, I think you and I have a lot more in common than you know. Maybe we can work on dealing with our situations together."
"I … I'd … like that," stammered Stone.
"Well, I'm going to schedule to work on your new garments as my last client very late this evening. I don't usually do this, but I'm going to have to strip you down to take your measurements precisely. It will probably take some time, so, you may as well bring me dinner and join me," Mari said sweetly.
"I'll … do that," he whispered shyly.
"It's a date then," Mari told him to his surprise.
With a tender pat on his thigh, Mari placed a chaste kiss on his cheek before turning to walk over and sit beside Miss Selina.
Stone's mouth hung open as he watched Mari sashay away. He was absolutely speechless. When he had first seen his appearance in a mirror after the destruction of his body, he had felt as if no one would ever be able to even look at him again. He had thought he would end up a lonely hermit. And now, here was this stunning spectacularly gorgeous woman seeming to come on to him. Well, just the fact that she had decided to speak to him instead of running away gave him hope.
"Stone, please read the first agenda," King Kal-El said, interrupting his new fixation on the lovely Mari.
With hesitation, Stone stood slowly and cleared his throat. He looked back over at Mari, and she gave him a little nod. Just this small gesture from her strengthened his confidence as he raised his voice to speak.
"Citizens of Krypton, please come to order!" he said after a long moment. The people closest to the raised area had already begun to quiet down at the second he stood, staring in awe at his appearance, and the crowds in the back quickly followed suit as well. "Our first judgement is concerning the four prisoners from the Darkseid Empire captured within our borders."
"Bring them forward," called The Knight.
At his words, Knightwing and The Outsiders escorted four fugitives firmly secured in bindings from the farthest side of the auditorium. They were grotesque warriors, and each of them had reputations widely known as deadly killers. Although restrained, they stood proud and defiant.
"They were captured in the act of stealthily searching through our kingdom attempting to steal samples of the technology we enjoy here," continued Stone. "Each of these beings are known murderers for Darkseid, all of them having butchered hundreds of individuals on and off battlefields. They must be judged. Great King?" he said as he sat down.
"Kingdom, I shall now listen to the advisement of my League of Justice. Knight, your thoughts first," said King Kal-El.
"Life imprisonment, King," The Knight said firmly. "They should be incarcerated permanently. Eventually, if their empire continues to expand upon our hemisphere, we'll have to deal with their soldiers and probably imprison far more of them as well."
"Noted. Thank you, Knight," said The King. "Lord Luthor."
"I say, cut them down!" Lord Luthor hollered with emphasis. "We need to send a message of war to the territories that follow Darkseid. We should kill them where they stand."
"We're not at war yet, Luthor," King Kal-El said calmly. "Our ultimate hope would be to come to some kind of truce with them, and eventually teach them the ways of peace instead of war. Baron Deathstroke, your opinion."
"We should interrogate them, then cut them up, and send the parts back to their empire piece by piece," said Baron Deathstroke, as he calmly used a huge razor sharp short sword blade to cut apples into thin slices to eat. "Striking terror into their army will begin a mental degradation which will give us an advantage in battle and lead to our eventual physical victory. What do you say, King?"
"Diplomacy over degradation, Baron Deathstroke. Leader Lobo?"
"I say we trade them into slavery on the black market," he answered immediately, lighting another one of his cigars as he spoke. "They should fetch a good price. If we interrogate them like Deathstroke said, we could sell their information, too."
King Kal-El lowered his head. He sighed in frustration. This wasn't the kind of kingdom he wanted to create. These people were still too trapped in the mindset of brutality which often accompanied the desperation of survival. Yet, he remained steadfast in his determination to bring all of them together in peace in the land. He rubbed his furrowed brow. Then, he raised his voice.
"Princess Diana, Princess of all Themyscira," he spoke loudly, making certain to emphasize her title and authority. "What do you think?"
The auditorium fell dead silent. All of the constant little murmurings which intermittently floated over the crowd abruptly ceased. The proverbial pin drop could be heard.
Staring at Kal from behind, Diana's brow furrowed. She was taken by surprise. It was completely unexpected of him to call upon her like this.
After a long tense moment, King Kal-El slowly turned his chair to the side to stare over at her. An expressive look passed between the two of them. In his gaze, Kal let Diana know that he was putting himself on the line. What he had just done was unexpected and unusual, and could cause the leaders of the territories to turn against him, setting back his agenda of unity for all.
After the look passed between them, Diana spoke firmly.
"If war is the intention, then war should be prepared for. If peace is the objective, then peace must be shown. The prisoners should be released, with a clear and pointed message. They should be shown mercy, so that mercy can be understood. And, they should be given a warning, so that war can be understood."
At her words, all was silent. No one spoke. No one moved.
Then, suddenly, King Kal-El abruptly stood to his feet, the sound of his chair sliding out from under him loud and jarring in the quiet hanging over the auditorium. Floating up over the table, he slowly soared over it toward the southern end of the platform. His eyes began to glow with a deep red hue as he hovered in the air.
Lord Luthor leaned back in his chair with a smug smile, pleased that he had influenced The King to follow his directions.
The citizens on both sides of the platform began to step backwards, crowding and bunching together as they watched the movement of their powerful King.
The minions of Darkseid, although known in their native lands as fearsome warriors, bowed and cowered in fear of King Kal-El.
With a massive thunder, red light burst forth from The King's eyes. The Darkseid warriors hollered, believing their miserable existences to finally have been brought to an end. In front of them, the beams from Kal's eyes cut a large horizontal fissure into the earth, and more heat shot upward as a small chasm opened. There was the searing light and burning fire of scolding hot magma beneath them, and they were standing only a few feet from the edge. The harsh intensity of the elements washed over them.
When King Kal-El spoke, his voice seemed to echo and reverberate around the auditorium.
"Warriors of Darkseid, hear my words! Tell your Master that no intrusions into The Kingdom of Krypton shall be tolerated! Any further such actions will be deemed as acts of war! If he wishes a truce between our peoples, it will be granted. However, should he choose war, he will be sent to the depths of Hell!"
After a long moment passed, still cowering in fear and terror, the fugitives realized they were still alive.
"Release them!" King Kal-El ordered.
Knightwing and The Outsiders removed the bindings from the prisoners. With trepidation in their eyes, all four of them quickly began to scurry away as fast as they could. They were afraid to even look back at The King as they ran.
"Outsiders, mount up!" Knightwing called loudly.
His words directed his well trained team expertly. Some of the Outsiders moved right up beside the fugitives, taking their places to escort the dangerous warriors until they were some distance away to make certain that they were unable to harm anyone or anything. Knightwing motioned for Robin, his most trusted trainee under The Knight, to remain by his side.
As Darkseid's warriors hurried their way out of the auditorium, King Kal-El calmly turned and began to walk back toward his chair. As he passed, Luthor stood up in outrage.
"King Kal-El!" he shouted angrily. "This is madness. I demand we slay them immediately."
King Kal-El stopped walking. Without saying a word, he slowly and menacingly looked over his shoulder toward Luthor … with his eyes glowing.
Luthor sat back down.
As The King continued back to his chair to sit, all was silent around him. Kal sat down, knowing what his people would need. They were frightened, and he wanted to uplift them. With a charismatic smile, Kal placed a hand on his chin as if uncertain while he spoke loudly.
"It seems that we have something of a mess here," he said to his people, motioning toward the gaping chasm. "Whatever shall we do? I think we need … a very fast man … to help us!"
The crowd burst into joyous cheers and claps. The people shouted and whistled, thrilled and enthralled by their King. They hung on his every word.
"I now call him Flash! Come forward!" he called.
In complete awe, Diana stared at the proceedings before her. She focused on the happiness of the crowds of people surrounding her. She literally couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her mother and her Amazon sisters had always taught her that all men were evil. Yet here, in this man Kal, stood a beacon … a lighthouse … of hope. Not only was he fair and just, but he truly cared for his people, and they loved him in return. The bond was strong, real and genuine. Maybe, just maybe, this one man could indeed bring peace to the entire world. And, for some reason, she had been brought into his sphere of life.
Making a show of himself, The Flash spun around the outer edge of the platform in super speed to create a wind flowing over the crowd for effect, then he stopped in a flamboyant bow before The King.
"Flash! At your service!" he called loudly.
"I think we should give him a challenge this time!" Kal said with a smile. "What do the people of Krypton say?"
The crowd instantly started to shout various responses, loving the show of Their King.
"Ten minutes!"
"No, he's too fast for that!"
"It's a big pit!"
"Five minutes!
"Three minutes!"
"Let's see," said Kal. "We'll give him … thirty seconds! Count him down, Krypton!
The crowd burst into near thunderous applause.
"Three! Two! One! Go!" the people hollered in disjointed unison.
A red blur spun around on the ground in front of the people. Deliberate gusts of wind blew over the masses near the front of the podium. Dust and dirt flew upward, making the people hoot and holler, being thrilled by the display before them. The congregation crowded together toward the southern end of the platform as the few seconds passed, joyously jockeying for position to get better vantage points to watch The Flash.
"Speak, Krypton!" called King Kal-El. "At five!"
"Four!" the people began.
The winds began to intensify. The clouds of dust started to dissipate. The crowds surged forward playfully. Amazingingly, the deep chasm had been completely repaired with a protective cover and mounds of gravel on top of it.
"Three!"
Suddenly, Leader Lobo's chair was snatched out from under him so fast that he hovered in the air before dropping to bounce off the platform on his backside, his cigar flying up in the air with his impact.
"Two!"
Flash was sitting in Lobo's chair holding his cigar with a comical imitation of Lobo's scowl. He immediately started coughing from the nasty smoke, frowning as he looked around at the crowd. He was finished early, playing with the people. Thunderous applause rose from all sides of the platform.
King Kal-El clapped, and the rest of the entire congregation followed suit, cheering and hollering. Flash stood and bowed emphatically, making faces at Leader Lobo as Lobo walked over to angrily snatch back his chair, making the crowd laugh even more. With a final cordial gesture to The King, Flash smiled and then as his last trick, he moved so fast that he literally disappeared.
"Stone, call the next order of business to judgement," King Kal-El said as he ceased clapping and lowered his hands.
The commotion of the crowd began to settle, and Stone gave them a few moments to gather back into their viewing places. They moved quickly, once again completely interested in the proceedings of their kingdom business. Then, Stone spoke loudly.
"Kingdom of Krypton!" he said. "Next judgement: the issue of the child."
At his words, the congregation quickly quieted. Most of the people already knew some of the details of the case before them, but all were concerned about what would be presented before The King and how he would judge. There were very few commotions among the crowd as they watched intently.
"Bring them forward!" called The Knight.
Immediately, Knightwing and Robin began to escort two men down to stand before the platform. Both of the men were dressed in work clothes, obviously toilers of the fields. The two of them refused to look over at each other, although both stood before the platform with postures of contricity. The held their heads down in deference to their king.
"These men stand under one of the worst charges … that of the injury of an infant."
At Stone's grave words, the entire congregation fell deathly silent.
"Both men were involved in a year long feud. This dispute eventually culminated in the burning down of one of their homes. The young child was inside at the time."
As he said this, a screeching cry of anguish outburst from a middle aged woman standing in the second row. Several fellow citizens immediately put their arms around her to comfort the woman and hold her up, as it seemed for a moment as if she may faint. She was undoubtedly the mother of the young infant.
"Continue, Stone," said The Knight.
"This matter and all evidence pertaining to it have been personally investigated and verified by The Knight himself along with his team of Outsiders. It is true. There must be judgement."
"Great King Kal-El, I know what must be done with them!" Lord Luthor said quickly. "I decree …"
"Hold, Lord Luthor," King Kal-El commanded calmly with a slight raise of his hand. "The heart of this matter is a matter of heart. It shall be decided by the women of our kingdom. Miss Selina, what do you think?"
There was a short pause of silence. The crowd turned toward their Headmistress, the sadness on her face clear and evident. When she spoke, her voice cracked with heartbrokenness.
"They should be put in prison," she said in a low voice. "Their crime is … despicable. The keys to their cells should be thrown away, so they'll never get out."
"Thank you, Headmistress," King Kal-El said solemnly. "I'm sure much of Krypton shares your sentiments. Now …," he said with a pause.
Sitting beside Selina, Diana began to lean forward and open her mouth. Expecting this, Kal shook his head slightly in denial of her. Diana's eyes widened in surprised exasperation.
"Lady Maxima?" King Kal-El said calmly.
"O Great King of Krypton, Champion of all Earth, Dictator of the universe, and Ruler of my heart, I salute you!" Maxima burst forth gaudily, boldly standing to her feet with a loud stomp of her high heels which reverberated in the previous silence of the auditorium.
Watching her display, King Kal-El had to remember not to put his hand on his forehead in embarrassment. Giving no respect to the solemn moment the congregation had been in the midst of, Maxima's blaring voice was so striking that she literally jarred most of the people out of their quiet reverie. Everyone was taken aback.
"Is she always this over the top?" Mari leaned over to whisper to Selina as she stared up at Maxima with a frown.
"Just with anything involving King Kal-El. Believe it or not, she's actually a fairly decent girl. She only acts like this over him," answered Selina.
"When … I mean, if, O Sovereign Sultan of my sanctity … I, Lady Maxima of Almerac, become your bride and queen of your kingdom, I would decree that these men be put to death! They have harmed life, therefore theirs should be taken! Our kingdom cannot tolerate sin such as this!" she shouted.
"Thank you, Lady Maxima," King Kal-El said quietly, unable to completely conceal the displeasure in his voice.
"However!" Lady Maxima said, just a little lower and with at least a touch of humility as she heard Kal's tone. "If My King Kal-El, O Perfect Procreator of our precious progeny, is somewhat displeased, the men could simply be maimed for life. I know that My Dear Lord is intent on creating a kingdom of peace, and, as Queen, it would therefore be encumbered upon me to maintain and uphold such peace. So, just cutting off a limb or two could be sufficient punishment, I suppose. As your Queen I would … do that … for you," she ended, contritely trying to figure out how to get her high heels out of her mouth.
"Lady Maxima of Almerac, thank you," King Kal-El said again.
Comically, there was a momentary pause as the crowd looked on in stunned silence. Maxima was a tough act to follow. Everyone took a breath.
As Maxima, finally, sat back down, Diana leaned forward again. Instantly catching her motion, Kal again shook his head. The heat of Diana's scowl started to burn a hole through him. Kal looked away and leaned back in his seat, knowing that he had accomplished his mission.
Diana couldn't believe the audacity of this king. First, he would call on her unexpectedly, then deny her when she had something to say which would solve this entire judgement. He could be absolutely infuriating.
Kal kept himself from grinning. He now knew Princess Diana. Oh yes, after the Eros elixir last night, he knew her very well. He knew things about her which she had never shared with either her closest friends or even her mother.
And, he knew how to get her all hot and bothered.
Being a Princess, she was accustomed to always having most anything she had ever desired, more so than she had ever realized. Denying her when she was proactive would surely set her ablaze.
"Miss Karen?" he called.
"They should undoubtedly be sentenced to permanent life in the military, My Lord," said Miss Karen. "It will teach them to value life. Then, they will respect it properly."
"Well evaluated, Miss Karen," he told her. "Miss Kara?"
"Continuous community service and hard labor for both of them! Let them work to help others until they are beyond exhaustion," she recommended with a youthful anger. "That will teach them a lesson."
"Very fitting," King Kal-El commended. "Noted for consideration. Now, Princess Diana of all the lands of Themyscira, please give us the benefit of your thoughts, opinions and beliefs."
Diana paused, simply staring at Kal.
Some of the onlookers standing near the northern end of the raised platform had caught the subtle exchanges between The Princess and The King. They laughed loudly on her behalf. To them, it seemed as if she were opposing him with respect and subtlety, as a true Queen may do her King.
King Kal-El didn't miss their laughter. He smiled inwardly with them, taking note of the fact that without even trying to do so, Princess Diana had indeed endeared herself to the people, and to himself as well. As Diana finally began to answer, he and the people hung on her every word.
"A judgement has been neglected here, Kal," Diana said boldly.
All heads snapped to attention. In her exasperation over his treatment of her, Diana had mistakenly forgotten to maintain the protocol and formality with which the meeting had previously been conducted. The crowd was stunned. No one had ever addressed The King as "Kal" before. All eyes noticed the chemistry and familiarity between the two of them.
More so than what she had called him, King Kal-El was far more concerned with what she had said. So, The Princess was attempting to upstage him. He grinned with overconfidence.
"Really, Diana?" he said, so completely focused on her that he too forgot to address her formally. "How so? Please enlighten us?"
"The one at the center of all this," she answered him. "I hereby relinquish my advisement to the mother of the child. She should be allowed to speak."
The auditorium was silent once again. The wisdom of The Princess had outshown everyone. And, she had upstaged The King.
Inwardly, King Kal-El admonished himself for not having thought of this sooner. He looked over at The Knight as he rubbed his chin in thought. The Knight didn't respond or show any emotion at all. However, Kal had learned to read his friend's expressions. Bruce was just as surprised as he was.
After a moment, Kal stood. With a calm steadfast demeanor, he slowly walked past the round table to the southern edge of the platform. With sympathy in his eyes, he looked to where the mother stood in the second row of the congregation.
"Ma'am," he said respectfully. "Do you wish to speak?"
"If … If I may, My King," she said with pleading eyes.
"Step forward," he told her.
As Knightwing and Robin quickly moved over to take each side of the mother to escort her toward the platform, Kal motioned them away. Walking down the steps himself, some members of the congregation gasped as they watched him. Taking hold of the mother's arm, Kal personally guided her up the steps and onto the platform. The crowd marvelled at a king which would lift up the common person like this.
"My King, I … I don't know what to say," the grieving mother said to him meekly.
"We all share in your pain," King Kal-El said kindly. "We're with you and support you. Address the people. Simply speak from your heart."
"My … My name is Ruth," she said. "Now, my husband Ori and his best friend Olin have known each other for nearly twenty years. When they started fighting over where the borders of our lands were, I knew it would only end in trouble, but … I never expected something like this. To everybody listening, I say, stop the violence. In the end, it's never worth it."
There were low claps and cheers at her words, the entire crowd in full agreement.
"I … I don't want my husband and his best friend to be punished. What I want … is for the two of them to be locked in a room together for a month," she said as she glared at her husband. "Then … Then, they'll remember their friendship. Then, maybe all our lives can get back to the way we were."
"It shall be done as you request," The King said loudly. "Knight, make it so."
"Place them in the upper prison, where they can have some measure of comfort, and in the same cell," The Knight said to Robin and Knightwing.
"Stone, conclude," said The King.
"Citizens! This ends today's judgement meetings," Stone announced with a loud voice. "May blessings be with you!"
With good natured conversing and commotion, the crowd began to disperse. The usual cadre of dignitaries, emissaries and visitors started to make their way over to King Kal-El, most of them wanting to discuss submitting their territories to him or trying to barter ways to procure some of the advanced Kryptonian technology. As King Kal-El walked back around the table, he hoped to have a word with The Princess. However, she and Miss Mari were joyfully comparing notes about Mari's creating a wardrobe line for Diana since she hadn't brought any clothing from Themyscira as the two of them walked off the platform. However, he did have a secondary plan.
"Miss Selina, a moment please," called King Kal-El.
"Yes, My King," said Selina, turning to face Kal with her lips curled into a slight smirk. "Knight, please keep the crowds distant so I may speak to Our King private in private."
The Knight held up his hand to halt the crowd gathering toward King Kal-El. He began to answer some of their questions about the kingdom to keep them occupied. Miss Selina stood very close to Kal as the two of them kept their voices low.
"Miss Selina, I was hoping you would do me …,"
"... a favor," she interrupted him.
"Yes, well, I desire a …,"
" … private meeting," Selina comically finished his sentence for him.
"With …"
"... The Princess," she smiled.
"Do you think you could …,"
"... arrange it," Selina grinned.
Kal smiled as he dropped his head in a quiet bashful laugh.
"Is it that obvious?" he asked.
"You didn't interrogate Maxima during her first night here," said Selina. "And I'm quite sure that your father King Zod would have wanted you to. There's … a glow in your eyes … which wasn't there before she came."
"Thank you … for your help, Miss Selina," King Kal-El said meaningfully.
"Oh, don't think this favor is free," Selina laughed, intentionally lightening the warm mood between them. "I desire something in return."
"The Knight?" he smiled.
"Is it that obvious?" Selina smiled, reminding him of his own words.
"Only every single time the two of you are together."
"Yes, well," Selina began coquettishly. "All I ask, is that you leave Knightwing in charge of security tonight so that Bruce and I won't be disturbed when he searches my quarters again this evening."
"It shall be done as you wish," King Kal-El said, barely able to hold back a bright smile at Selina's burning hot flames of passion. "Now, about that private meeting …"
"Why don't you go spend the late evening with your Mother Kent," she whispered in his ear as she placed a kiss on his cheek before she turned and began to saunter away. "And, don't forget to take a walk in the tall colored trees out behind the main garden. I hear there are some … wonderful … sights to see hidden inside them."
