Kingdom of Krypton

Sonrise

All of the kingdom was in mourning.

Most of the citizens of the southern region had witnessed the falling of the dark citadel, standing in the safety of a great distance. All of them knew, without being told, that the well known courage of Their Great King would have led him to be in the epicenter of any attack in order to protect them.

When the stronghold had appeared, the townspeople had been terrorized. Then, as it had collapsed, the last of the spider creatures had faded back out of existence.

They knew they had been saved.

They also knew that the price of their salvation had been his life.

Many of them dropped to their knees in prayer. Others sobbed openly where they stood. Some even started to walk toward the debris following after Flash, Hal and the others which had protected them.

"The King is dead! Long live the new king!" Lord Luthor's voice suddenly shouted over the silence.

All eyes turned to him, exactly as he'd intended. Luthor knew that now was the time to seize the power over the kingdom which he had long awaited. The best way to consolidate control was with a declaration, and he had already chosen his scapegoat.

"Arrest Zatanna now!" he yelled.

"What? On what charge?" Zatanna screamed in surprise. "I've done no wrong!"

"Black magic is behind this! You're a practitioner of the dark arts!" affirmed Luthor. "Take her!"

At his command, several of his minions from his technology provinces, clad in metal suits similar to his own, roughly took hold of Zatanna's arms. She struggled against them, but they were far too physically strong for her small feminine frame. Most of the townspeople stared on, now in more fear and mistrust of her than ever before.

"Unhand me!" she screamed helplessly.

"You will be put on trial, and then burned at the stake," Luthor said with a dark cruelty in his tone. "The King is no longer here to protect you. When you're dead, all the secrets of your sorcery will belong to me."

Zatanna stopped fighting. In his voice, she had heard her fate. She knew that nothing in the mock trial would be fair, and because of her inclination, she would be found guilty.

Luthor and his men, along with Deathstroke and Lobo, quickly led Zatanna away. A large majority of the gathering townspeople followed, unwittingly starting to fall under the umbrella of Luthor as the new king. Only The League and a small remnant stayed behind to watch the burning of the dark citadel.

All hope seemed lost.

Then, barely visible through the smoke, soot and humidity, there came movement emerging from the far side of the fire …

A lone figure …

No. Three …

Actually, four, with one carrying another …

They had all survived.

Hope had returned.

Princess Diana held both her arms around King Kal-El's waist as his arm lay over her shoulders, helping him walk slowly. Beside them, The Knight carried Miss Selina in his arms, cradling her limp body against him protectively. All eyes of the citizens focused on King Kal-El.

The King looked as if he had literally been to Hell and back. He was covered with cuts, tears and severe bruising, as if the dark forces of the crumbling citadel had somehow attempted to destroy his body from within, and had nearly torn him apart. He was only barely conscious. Still, he yet lived, but from his appearance no one was sure for how long.

"Kal-El!" screamed Kara as she rushed over quickly.

"King Kal-El!" yelled Karen as she followed close behind.

"Keep your distance!" The Knight hollered loudly, continuing to move hurriedly through the crowd gathering around them. "Dark forces have poisoned The King. As long as His life is endangered, I trust none of you."

"We must help him," said Stone.

"What do you need us to do?" asked Knightwing as he and his cadre hurried over.

"The Princess will lead us," Knight said quickly.

"We must get him to his fortress," Diana spoke loudly and urgently, firmly taking command of the entire situation. "Our adversaries may attempt another attack upon him while we are weakened. Make us a way through the people. Let's move. On my lead."

Instantly, The League responded to Diana's commands. Falling into step with the four of them, they formed a small circle as they hurriedly neared the inner city. They did not take flight nor move too quickly for the sake of Kal-El's injuries, yet all of them diligently kept watch for signs of further attack.

As they neared the fortress and larger crowds of the townspeople caught sight of Their King, an intense hush fell over all the land.

Most of the entire kingdom dropped to their knees where they had stood, bowing in fervent prayer to God.

Eventually, as The League moved through the city, even those ahead of them were already on their knees praying.

As the group reached the entrance of the fortress, they split into a protective circle surrounding its perimeter. The core four continued on with Knightwing close behind.

"No one gets in here, at all costs," Bruce said to Richard. "Do you understand?"

"They'll have to walk over us to set one foot down," Richard said firmly. "What about you?"

"Selina and I will guard the lowest level as the last line of defense," answered Bruce, not fully comprehending what had just been asked of him.

Staring at young Richard, Selina saw the softness behind his tough eyes. He was so much like Bruce, but not as cold, dark and hardened. In battle, any moment could be one's last, and she decided to take it upon herself to remind Bruce of this.

"We'll be fine," said Selina, slipping out of Bruce's arms to give Richard a gentle hug before ruffling his hair playfully. "You just make sure nothing happens to you or the other children until Mommy and Daddy get back."

Bruce started to follow after Kal and Diana, but then turned back around to stare at Richard. There was a pause. The moment held.

Bruce couldn't help but think of the unique family relations which had been the staple of his life. Having watched his parents die, his father's aide Alfred had raised him. Their relationship had morphed from father and son to brother and brother. Now, this excellent young man, whom Bruce had raised, had proven to be the best measure of a man which could be attained.

As best he could through the dark emptiness within him, Bruce reached out.

"Be safe, Old Chum," he said meaningfully, extending his hand.

Richard paused, took his hand, and then drew him in for a strong hug. This moment had been years long in the making, and it held. Then, the two men parted and turned from one another without another word, back to business.

"Brucie," Selina said sternly as Bruce stepped over to once again take her injured frame in his arms. "A handshake for your son? Is that all? Really?"

"Mommy and Daddy? Really?" Bruce grumbled as he lifted her.

"Oh, you noticed that," Selina whispered sweetly as he carried her over to Kal and Diana.

"Jor-El, initiate lockdown program Gates of Heaven," Kal's voice commanded quietly.

At his words, the central entranceway of the fortress began to close and all security measures were implemented.

"Kal?" Diana called, so surprised at his being coherent that she stopped walking for a moment. "Can you hear me?"

"Jor-El," Kal said again, out of breath as he seemed to ignore Diana. "Activate program Queen Mother voice identification. Record authentication now," Kal said, still not answering Diana. "Authorization code: Last Son Bride."

"Kal?" Diana called his name again. "How are you feeling?"

"Protocol complete," Jor-El's voice said. "Bride recognition confirmed. All access granted."

"My apologies, Diana," Kal said, leaning in close to her. "I couldn't take the chance of you saying no. Just in case, I don't survive the night."

"Kal? What did you just do?" asked Diana.

"I suspect that the entire fortress will now only respond to your commands, Princess," Bruce said as he and Selina reached them.

"Why, Kal?" Diana asked quietly.

"You are The Princess of Themyscira, destined to someday become The Queen, groomed for leadership. It may fall upon you to also lead Krypton, in my stead," he answered her.

Diana paused as she stared at him, contemplating the full depth of what he was asking of her.

"Can you save him?" asked Selina, reaching out to take hold of Diana's right arm as hard as she could, squeezing with all her might in her focused intensity.

"I … I don't know. I'm not certain," Diana faltered in a low voice. "It will require the deepest intimacy, and I … I …"

"Promise me," Selina said gravely, her eyes intent and pleading. "Promise me, and all of Krypton, Gotham and the world, that you will do any and every thing possible to bring him back. Promise me now."

"On my life, you have my word," Diana said sternly.

Selina nodded to her, and Diana returned it with one of her own.

"Jor-El, take us to three," said Diana.

At her words, the floor beneath Kal and Diana sectioned off in a triangle and then began to raise upward as a platform.

"Princess Diana," Jor-El's voice called to her. "Kal-El's condition is grave. His recovery would be aided if the fortress were in settings for full lighted recovery."

"Do it quickly," affirmed Diana.

At her command, the fortress immediately began to reconfigure quietly. The walls and floors disappeared into a beautiful pure whiteness, seeming to fade out of existence completely. Every surface was modified on a molecular level to refract the light of The Son rise on the horizon.

Bruce and Selina watched, hoping that Kal and Diana would come back completely healed, as they seemed to disappear up into Heaven ...