Chapter - 10
It was late evening by the time Kara got ready for the ball and went to say goodnight to Kal-El. The young boy had once again visited the Prince's dragon and taken a ride on it. This time Kal-El, along with Hal-An, flew all the way to the mountains and returned with many great stories to tell. He was tired and ready to go bed by the time Kara had to leave for the ball. Placing a gentle kiss on his forehead and tucking him in, Kara stepped out of her cousin's room to see Bar-Van waiting for her.
She noticed that he wore a traditional Kryptonian noble suit in blue, darker than hers. It suited Bar-Van. He stood talking to Winn and Cis. When he turned around, he gave her a bright smile and held his arm out for her. She slipped her arm into his and they made their way downstairs, Winn trailing them quietly. Cis had taken Hal-An's place guarding young Kal-El tonight.
As the three walked into the ballroom, they noticed they were probably the last ones to arrive.
"Who are all those people?" Bar-Van asked Winn, nodding towards a group of alien-looking people who stood in the corner, wearing fine attires, showing off their riches. A blue-skinned woman caught his eye. She was beautiful, dressed in a golden ball gown, her dark red hair pulled up in a neat bun.
"Princess Kressdi and her people from the planet Scichi," Winn replied. "Quite the beauty, isn't she? She has her eyes on the throne."
Kara's eyes narrowed when she noticed Princess Kressdi eyeing someone. Her gaze followed to see who it was. Dressed in the most exquisite crimson royal robes, Prince Mon-El stood greeting his guests. He seemed polite with all of them, but one woman stopped by and didn't curtsy in front of him. Instead she placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his cheeks. Mon-El smiled and kissed her cheek as well and held his arm out for her and led her towards the dance floor.
"Lots of neighbors," Bar-van said, looking around.
Winn nodded. "Princesses from the neighboring star systems. It's the Crown Prince's twenty-fifth year, so they are looking for a bride for him. One of these women will be the future Queen of Daxam. So, the Prince has to dance with all these pretty ladies and well… spend time with them, to get to know them well."
Kara rolled her eyes hearing that. Grabbing onto Bar-Van's hand, she turned to Winn. "Winn, I think you should go mingle. We are off to the dance floor. And you may take the evening off. As long as I'm with my family, I'm in no danger."
Winn's eyes lit up when he heard that. Thanking Kara, he walked away towards the food table happily.
Bar-Van grinned and led Kara to the dance floor. He noticed that the Daxamite danced a little differently, but he preferred the Kryptonian version. So did Kara. So he grabbed both her hands and started to sway. The music had changed seeing the two Kryptonians dance to a different rhythm, in a different pace. It was fast and they were both enjoying themselves.
Kara's eyes fell on the Prince, who looked displeased as she danced with Bar-Van. She chose to ignore him, despite her eyes falling on the woman who stood very close to him, whispering in his ears.
"Do you think he's already chosen his bride?" Bar-Van asked, looking at the Prince dance with a beautiful young woman with curly, light brown hair, wearing a lighter red ball gown.
"There are many Princesses here today. And sadly it's not his decision to make. His parents will choose a bride for him," Kara replied. "Look, there's Princess Qlenn from Iyclite. We vacationed there, remember?"
"The planet with lots of crystals! Yes, I remember. I'm guessing it's very warm here for the Princess of Iyclite."
Kara chuckled heartily. Just then someone tapped her shoulder and she turned around to see Zora and Hal-An. Giving her friend a quick hug, Kara let Zora pull her to the side.
"Have you seen the guests?" the Daxamite asked, as her fiancé stood talking to Bar-Van, before excusing himself and making his way towards the Prince. To Kara's surprise, Hal-An bowed to both the Prince and the lady he was dancing with.
"Royals, most of them, from various planets," Kara replied. "I've seen them. Are the ladies here to win over the Prince?"
Zora let out an awkward chuckle. "He's dancing with Princess Cait instead of all the other Princesses waiting for him. He's clearly showing his displeasure about this whole arrangement of getting him married. Have you greeted the King yet?"
"No, not yet."
"Maybe we should," Bar-Van said, joining the ladies. "We will be back soon, Zora."
The Daxamite smiled and went to take a seat next to Winn, who was busy eating and talking with his mouth full. Kara and Bar-Van greeted the King and the Queen and headed back to join Zora and Winn. Bar-Van was asked to step out for a minute by his mother. He followed her out without a question.
As Kara plopped into the chair next to Zora, she asked her, "Which planet is Princess Cait from?"
"Daxam, of course. She's Prince Ean's younger sister. Mon-El's cousin," Zora replied. "They live in the Wolford castle, because only the Sovereign can reside at the Algand castle. Mon-El is very close to Princess Cait. He often goes to her for advices. Mostly political ones. But she's a dragon rider too. Another passion they share."
"Well, I really thought she was one of the potential brides." Zora smiled when she saw Kara letting out a sigh of relief. When she felt someone standing in front of them, she looked up to see it was Mon-El.
"Your Highness," Zora greeted with a curtsy.
"Sit. You shouldn't be up on your feet for long." Mon-El gently pushed her back in her chair. His attention shifted towards Kara as he held his hand out for her and asked, "May I have this dance, Lady Kara?"
Kara wasn't surprised. Her mother had already told her that she couldn't say no. And knowing Allura's eyes would be on her, Kara gave in and slipped her hand in his. Mon-El led her to the dance floor and slipped his hand over her waist, pulling her closer.
"We Kryptonians never dance this close," Kara said, her cheeks reddening a little.
"But we Daxamites believe that there shouldn't be any space when you dance with someone you like," the Prince shot back with a smirk.
Kara frowned lightly. "Shouldn't you be dancing with the Princesses?"
"Well, none of them entertain me as much as you do, Lady Kara."
"Entertain?! What do you mean by that?"
The Prince let out a small chuckle and pulled her even closer. She could feel his breath fan her forehead. "You're crinkling again," he said softly. "And your temper… it is rather amusing to watch you react to everything I do. But your jealous is so cute."
"Cute?!"
Mon-El couldn't stop grinning at this young woman. "Yes, you were jealous of seeing me talk to the other ladies. And you didn't even spare me when I danced with my cousin!"
"In my defense, I didn't know she was your cousin." Kara looked away, her eyes falling on her mother, who stood looking at her keenly. She averted her gaze and it fell on Bar-Van dancing with Princess Cait. He was teaching the Princess the Daxamite dance, and she seemed to be enjoying herself.
"Oh look! Your friend is getting along with the Princess. How nice!" Mon-El genuinely looked happy seeing Bar-Van get along with Princess Cait. Since the Kryptonian had landed on Daxam, he wasn't happy by just how close he was with Kara.
"Pray tell, have you spoken to each and every Princess who has come to this ball?" Kara asked out of curiosity.
"I greeted them all. I have no wish to speak with any of them any more than that."
"But you will have to marry one of these women, Your Highness. Shouldn't you at least get to know them?"
Mon-El grimaced. "So you know about that? About my arranged marriage to one of these beautiful ladies?"
Kara shrugged. "If it makes you feel any better, every marriage on Krypton is arranged. We don't get a say. One day they tell us who our mate is and then… we are expected to marry them. And those who go against the utmost rules of Krypton… well, you already know what happened to my uncle Jor-El and aunt Lara."
The Prince nodded quietly. When he didn't speak, Kara said, "But it's not like you are losing anything, are you? Even if you have an arranged marriage, I'm sure the mistress stays."
Mon-El smirked hearing that. "Yes, no one gets to say no to me having mistresses. But that doesn't mean I will. Even if I never love the woman I marry, I wouldn't be taking any mistresses behind her back. In the eyes of Rao, it is a sin. And I do not wish to go against Rao."
"Never thought you were the religious kind. And I feel sorry for the woman who has to marry you. You don't even want to give her a chance. You have already made up your mind that there would be no love." Kara winced when she felt Mon-El's grip on her waist tighten. "Let me go!" she sneered. "Let me go or else I will scream."
Mon-El stepped away from her and saw her head out of the side doors towards the gardens. He looked around to see that some of his people were drunk. He didn't want Kara going out alone when he knew his people could be dangerous to her and her guard was inebriated as well. He decided to let Winn get away with this once. He didn't want to ask Hal-An to babysit Kara knowing her friend wanted to spend time with Zora. Knowing he had to make sure she was safe, he followed Kara out a few minutes later.
Mon-El walked out to see that Kara wasn't going into the gardens, instead she was letting the faint light of the moon guide her towards the ruins of Aldax fort, the place where Dax-Am himself lived. It was destroyed during the very first war with Krypton ages ago. In place of Aldax, his forefathers built Algand. A castle ten times bigger than Aldax, one that was heavily guarded, yet the young Kryptonian managed to escape without anyone noticing. Even though Aldax was never rebuilt, a monument of Dax-Am took its place in the middle of the old courtyard thanks to his great-grandfather. And to see the young Kryptonian looking at the statue of the man who had left her planet and founded Daxam, Mon-El wondered what was going on in Kara's mind.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Mon-El asked, causing Kara to jump and turn around in horror. She calmed down when she noticed who it was. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to scare you."
"What is this place? Is this… Dax-Am? He looks a lot like you!"
"That's Lord Dax-Am, yes. I am his descendant, it shouldn't be a surprise if I look like the Father of our Homeland."
Kara gave him a small nod. "But why is your family name Gand, not Am?"
"Because Lord Dax-Am had one son, who had only one daughter. She married Fed Gand, an honorable soldier, who was born on Daxam. A true Daxamite. When Lord Dax-Am died, the people of Daxam wanted a ruler; they chose Fed Gand, who had gotten his father-in-law's blessing to rule. He was a great King. Someone I have always heard great stories about. And one thing I know is, Fed Gand loved his wife more than life itself. He died for her. Died saving her life. Now that is love, Lady Kara. Just to be tied in a bond because of duty… that's not a good foundation of any loving marriage, at least not on Daxam. Look at my parents. Married because of a duty. They barely speak to each other unless there's a matter of state that's to be discussed. I haven't seen them spend so much time together in years. But I know they only put up with each other for the sake of appearance."
"Then why don't you try and bring a change? You deserve to be with someone you love! You managed to appeal to the court and banned drugs. Why can't you do the same and appeal to the King to let you choose your own bride."
A sad smile played on Mon-El's face as he brushed the single golden strand from Kara's face. She stiffened when she felt him brush her cheek with the back of his hand. Moving closer, with his lips almost touching hers, he said, "What do you know about love, my lady?"
A/N: Things are gonna heat up so much in the next chapter! And do you think Mon-El will go along with this whole arranged marriage thing?
Oh! The characters of Winn, Cisco and Caitlin... Wrote those for my buddy Ricky!
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