Chapter 10: How They Were All Very Busy

"With all due respect, my queen, don't you think it would be better to start AFTER breakfast?" Artemis suggested.

"Luthor's been gone who knows how long, the sooner I get out of here the better," Hippolyta told her. "I need to find Diana before he does. If Luthor finds her first, I'll never forgive myself."

"Understood, my queen," Artemis responded.

"I will take King Harold with me. You stay here with Donna," Hippolyta ordered. "Someone needs to make sure that nothing happens to her while I'm gone."

"Of course, my queen," Artemis replied.

"Clark's the true king of Metropolis?" Diana asked.

"Yes he is," Bruce said. "I'll tell you the full story but first, we need to move. The man who shot me earlier this morning will no doubt alert his friends and we can't take on that many." Diana nodded. Diana packed up the medical stuff while Bruce put his armor back on. They then quickly got onto Bruce's horse, and headed off towards a small farm town called Smallville.

"Your majesty," one of his commander said as soon as he saw Luthor approaching. "We were not expecting you sir."

"Never mind that, have you found anything?" Luthor demanded. He shook his head.

"No my king," his commander said. "And we've been searching this place since last night. Nothing. Who ever took her, didn't leave a trail."

"Have your men reported anything unusually in this area?" Luthor asked.

"The men are just now coming in to report," the commander informed him. "There from everywhere with ten miles of this area." As if on cue, several men on horses appeared.

"Report," the commander instructed.

"Nothing sir," one man said.

"It was silent in my quatrain," another one said. Another man had his horse at top speed to meet them.

"Sir, sir! I saw two people on the old battlefield earlier this morning," he reported.

"Describe them," Luthor ordered.

"One of them was covered in black knight's armor and he had a helmet on and a long black cape," he informed them. "The other one was woman. Long black hair, wearing a long blue dress, and was…"

"Surprisingly tall?" Luthor guessed.

"Yes," the man said. Luthor grinned.

"This is turning out better than I had hoped," Luthor said. He turned to the man. "Lead the way." He turned to his commander. "When we get there have your men scan out for 5 miles around it. They couldn't have gotten far."

"Of course, your majesty," the commander responded. "But how is it a good thing that she's with the Dark Knight?"

"Because I can "rescue" her and blame some else," Luthor said. "Also I get rid of one of my problems at the same time. So what should it be for our Dark Knight? The stake, the stocks, hanging, or beheading?"

"So how is Clark still alive if he's the true king of Metropolis?" Diana asked. "Wouldn't Luthor have killed all future heirs?"

"He would've if he had known that Clark was still alive," Bruce said. "But he didn't know and neither did his father. Lex Luthor's father was one of Jor-el's nobles that grew power hunger. So he allied the other nobles against Jor-el and to over throw him. But before he could, Jor-el had given his infant son, Kal, to an old friend of his, Jonathan Kent. So that if anything happened to him, his son would still live. Jonathan renamed him Clark to protect his identity. But before he died, Jor-el gave him a sign of his birth. The sword of the house of El. That way when the time came for Clark to take back the throne, he would have proof his lineage to show the nobles."

"Why didn't he take it with him when he left with Lois?" Diana asked.

"Because he didn't know about it then," Bruce said. "His parents hadn't told him about his lineage before he left. They were planning on telling him the next day but Clark had already left."

"Why didn't they tell him?" Diana asked.

"I don't know," Bruce admitted. "I believe it would be better to ask them that when we get there."

"Your majesty, I've found their campsite!" a man said. But there was nothing there.

"But where are they?" Luthor muttered.

"They must know we were coming and fled, your majesty," the commander answered.

"Your majesty! I've found horse tracks," a man said.

"And I've found one of your horses," said another.

"Good work," Luthor said. "Now follow that trail."

Bruce and Diana arrived at the Kents' house the next morning. Bruce knocked on their door and it was opened by Mrs. Kent. She smiled.

"It's a honor to finally meet you," Mrs. Kent said. She let them in and closed the door behind them. "Oh, and who's your companion?"

"I'm Diana, Mrs. Kent," Diana told her. She held out her hand and Mrs. Kent shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Diana," Mrs. Kent said. "Now what brings you two here?"

"We're here for the sword," Bruce informed her. "Do you know where it is?"

"I don't but Jonathan does," she told him. "Jonathan!" Jonathan Kent entered the room and smiled.

"You want the sword?" he asked. Bruce nodded. "Follow me." He did and they left the house.

"Would you like something to eat?" Mrs. Kent asked. "I have a few thing left over from breakfast." Diana nodded. Mrs. Kent went to the kitchen and brought back some food. Diana ate it whole-heartedly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Kent," Diana said.

"Please, call me Martha," she said. "I insist."

"May I ask you something?" Diana asked.

"Of course," Martha responded. "What is it?"

"Why didn't you tell Clark about his lineage?" Diana asked. Martha hesitated and sighed.

"Because we wanted to keep him," she said. "We loved him so much that we couldn't bear the idea of losing him. You know, half of the people who join the Resistance die and…we had hoped that if we didn't tell him, he'd stay. But when Lois came and told him about it, we knew there was no hope of him staying with us. So on his 21st birthday we planned on telling him, but he left before we could. When we found out Kara was joining, we sent with her a letter explaining everything about his lineage."

"Why didn't Kara bring the sword?" Diana asked.

"Because here it's a death sentence for a woman to carry a sword," Martha told her. "Lex's father's idea. Before then it was just surprising for a woman to carry a sword. Not illegal. Going back to what I was saying about earlier about why we didn't tell Clark. My dear, until you become a mother you won't understand why parents don't tell their children everything. You want to protect them from the cruel world. That's probably why your mother didn't let you outside your castle. She loved you so much and she knows that the world is a dangerous place so she tried to keep you from it."

"I guess your right," Diana said. "Hey! Wait a minute! How did you know I lived in a castle?" Martha smiled.

"The dress," Martha said. "If you want to, you could borrow one of my dresses. It's not much but it'll be easier to get around in. AND it should help you blend in easier."

"Thank you! Oh, I mean…may I?" Diana asked. Martha chuckled.

"Yes, you may," Martha responded. They went to Martha and Jonathan's room and Diana selected a simple peasant dress. Martha was outside the room waiting when the men had returned.

"Mrs. Kent…" Bruce began.

"Martha, please," she said.

"Mrs K…Martha. Do you know where Diana is?" Bruce asked. "We need to get moving."

"She's just changing into one of my old dresses," Martha told him. When Diana came out Bruce's jaw almost dropped. The dress wasn't the nicest thing in the world, but it fit and suited her perfectly. In his mind, she looked more lovely in that dress than in her blue gown.

"Do you have the sword?" Diana asked. "Bruce?" That snapped him out of his trance.

"Yes, I do," Bruce answered. "We'd better get going. The sooner we get this to Clark the better."

"Would you like something to eat before you go?" Martha asked. Bruce shook his head.

"Thank you for your offer, but we need to this to Clark and then I've got to take Diana home," Bruce said. Diana gave a surprised look. "You have to go back to your mother sooner rather then later. The longer you're here the more likely Luthor will catch up to us. And I'd bet that his reward for finding you is you."

"Alright," Diana said. "But AFTER we deliver the sword." Bruce nodded and they left the Kents' place and headed towards Resistance's headquarters.

"Your majesty, the trail has gone cold," a man said. "It's a well traveled road and there's a fork up ahead. There's no way to know which way they went."

"Very clever," Luthor muttered.

"Shall I have my men split up to see which way they went?" the commander asked.

"No," Luthor told him. "We'll catch him another day. I have other matters to attend to."

"How long before we reach the castle?" Diana asked.

"A day and a half at best with the way we're going," Bruce said. "We'll have to be more careful since Luthor is now searching for you. We'll go the back ways but it'll take time."

"Your majesty?!" a man questioned as Hippolyta approached on horseback. "We weren't expecting you."

"Is this where Luthor stopped yesterday?" Hippolyta asked.

"Yes, your majesty," he told her. "It's an old jail and it's a known hide-out of the Metropolis Barbarians." Hippolyta dismounted and walked towards it to investigate it. She went up to the men.

"Have you found anything?" she asked them.

"Just this, your majesty," one of them said. He pulled out Diana's crown from his bag.

"I'll find you, Diana," Hippolyta muttered. "If it's the last thing I do. And whoever took you, will rue the day they messed with Themiscyra."