I'm glad so many people are enjoying this. Hope you like this chapter.
"We're here! We're here! We're here!" A blur rushed past Kon-el, Prince of Krypton, ruffling his hair. He blew at the long dark curl falling in his eyes and glared when it refused to move. He would have glared at his travelling companion but said companion was rather hard to find when rushing about excitedly. The grass on the wide plain was flattened and a rather large amount was still caught up in the slipstream of the young man.
"Bart," Kon snapped as the human shaped whirlwind passed him by again, sending his rearranged hair into disarray once again.
"If I may interrupt," the elderly man travelling with the two boys was smiling at the situation. Reaching out, he snagged Bart as he rushed past in another circle and held him off the ground. Bart scowled, but quailed under the older man's gaze. "What have I told you about controlling yourself?"
"Lots of things," Bart replied, crossing his arms in a sulk.
"You have to conduct yourself in a proper manner once we enter Krypton Bart. You can't have the older lords looking down on you all the time – many have already formed a bad impression of you. You're growing up and have many responsibilities; you cannot afford to act like a child all the time."
"I'm just having fun Max," the tousle-haired boy whined.
Max Mercury, designated keeper of the youngest lord of Keystone, Bart Allen, tried his hardest not to sigh and continued looking stern. Bart fidgeted under his gaze. "Not everything is about fun, Bart," he lectured patiently. Knowing that nothing would really get through to the wide-eyed boy he dropped him and finished with, "At least try not to irritate too many people while here."
"Sure thing." With a roll of his eyes he was off again, Kon cursing him in a steady stream of words. Max finally gave in to the urge to sigh. This was a long vacation.
He kept one eye on Bart and the other on his companion. The prince had been quite for most of the journey. It was unusual – Kon wasn't one to keep things to himself and Max wasn't even sure he knew what the word nervous meant. Yet here he was, quiet and pensive, a frown creasing his face and his lower lip red from his nibbling. He supposed it was to be expected. Kon was to be married within the month.
He couldn't really blame the boy snapping at Bart like that – even someone as patient as Max got annoyed with him quite frequently – and Kon wasn't really in the best of moods right now. Without warning he grabbed the boy on his next pass around, hair and clothing in complete disarray and flew up.
"Stay still or I drop you," he hissed.
Bart grumbled. "Fine." Once he was back on the ground he stuck his tongue out at Kon. "Tim's never threatened to splatter me on the ground."
"Because Tim doesn't have to. Not only does he have infinite patience, you could imagine the things he would do to you if you annoyed him in your nightmares." Kon turned away and ran his fingers through his hair.
Bart wasn't stupid, far from it in fact, he just realised that he didn't need to always use his amazing mental powers for every little thing. Right now he decided they might come in handy. "Are you feeling well Kon?"
Kon just looked at him for a moment before turning away, his shoulders slumping. "Yeah," he sighed. "Come on, I want to get home before dusk." He took to the air, ruffling Bart's hair with his hand as he passed.
Max didn't completely understand everything that went on underneath their words just then, but he could take a good guess. Smiling, he paced the boys as they made their way to Metropolis in the distance. This latest trip had been rather enlightening, but he was still curious about one thing.
Timothy Drake, young lord of Gotham and close friend to both Bart and Kon, had not joined the boys on this trip. Max had met him once while he was staying with Bart for a time and was highly impressed by the young boy. He knew the three boys had forged a close friendship despite all manner of differences, but had few opportunities to witness the dynamics between all three of them.
Watching the two boys just in front of him he hoped that the Robin was a little more mature than his friends – he wasn't sure if many more cities would survive Kon and Bart roaming unchecked. One would think with Kon's wedding coming up they'd act a little different.
Still, the rueful gaze crossing Kon's face every time he caught and teased Bart reinforced the realisation that they were still young – if only for a little while longer.
Kon-el could barely contain himself as he rushed towards the palace. After almost half a year abroad travelling the many countries of the realm, he was finally home.
As they had arrived sooner than expected there was no ceremony to welcome them here, which was fine by the young Prince. He'd had enough ceremony and pomp when visiting the other Lords and Ladies of the realm. Bart was staring up at the palace in awe, as he had done ever since the first time he'd visited and Max was watching them fondly.
Kon rather liked the old man, he was stern, but a very pleasant companion. Anyone could see how much he adored Bart and Bart had made it very clear how much he returned the feelings without actually saying anything of the sort. Kon could recall nearly every rant and grumble Bart had indulged in about the man, but both he and Tim knew how lost the boy would be without him. They worried about it sometimes. Bart was an affectionate boy, but he got too attached to people sometimes.
A wide grin crossed the Kryptonian's face, cutting into his contemplations, as he spotted a familiar face at the entrance to the palace. "Jimmy!" He raced up the stairs and nearly knocked the redhead over with an excited tackle.
"Kon!" Jimmy's voice was choked and Kon released him, looking sheepish. Jimmy coughed and collected himself, straightening his clothing and glaring slightly at the Prince before grinning and giving him an enthusiastic hug.
Finally coming to his senses, the Lord Chancellor of Krypton pulled away and regained his professional bearing. "It's good to see you have returned my Prince."
Kon made a face at the title, but understood the importance of protocol. "I'm pleased to be back. Has anything happened during my absence?"
"There was nothing noteworthy until a few weeks ago. The League was called together."
Kon stared. "The League?"
"Perhaps you should discuss this with our King." Jimmy glanced over Kon's shoulder and straightened. "My Lord Bart," he bowed. "Master Mercury."
Bart waved while Max returned the bow. "Lord James."
Jimmy made a face at that, but seeing the twinkle in Max's eyes, smiled. "I'll show you to your rooms then?"
"Has Wally arrived yet?" Max asked.
"Just two days ago. He's with the King. Would you like me to take you to them instead?"
"Please. I have to inform him of my arrival."
"Of course."
"I'll take Bart to his rooms," Kon interrupted. "I'll talk with Kal once he's done."
"Of course. A number of other guests have arrived. Some of your companions are already gathered in the West courtyard."
"Really?" Kon and Bart both smiled at this. "Give my apologies to Kal then, I might not see him for a while." The two lordlings dashed off, the two men watching amusedly.
Bart didn't have much time to admire the palace this time as he and Kon rushed through the wide corridors. They startled a few servants and guests as they headed towards the west wing. Kon had a rather large set of rooms for himself and guests. Tim and Bart had their own rooms in his apartment, much like he did in theirs in Gotham and Keystone. All of his friends had stayed in his apartments so many times that the rooms already had been designated theirs by the staff. He and Bart dashed through his personal reception room and down the right corridor to put away their luggage. The girls' rooms were to the left. There were only three, two bedrooms and a joined sitting room. Kon had offered them all rooms each when they stayed, but they preferred to stay together. Girls were often strange creatures.
Kon's room had a balcony that joined onto both Bart and Tim's rooms. It ran around to the girl's sitting room, lining the private west courtyard. It, like the rooms, had been designed as Kon's unofficial private garden. The only other people who had direct access to it were the Royal Family and their personal servants. Kal generally preferred to use the spacious North garden at the back of the palace for his gatherings.
Looking down from the railing outside his room Kon grinned seeing Slobo, Anita and Greta already sitting in their favourite spot beneath the natural canopy of oaks. In a rush of wind Bart passed by him and dashed down the staircase while Kon didn't bother with the stairs and flew down to greet his friends.
Slobo was looking disgruntled – probably from the unexpected hug given by Bart and greeted Kon with a quick handshake. Anita bowed mockingly before grinning and giving him a tight squeeze. After a long embrace from Bart, Greta hugged him warmly and kissed his cheek. Kon was a true social creature, being away from his friends for so long was hard. Bart had been with him for about two months and Tim for the first month of his travels, but there was just something about being surrounded by his friends that really made him feel warm inside.
Settling down beside the young Voodun priestess, Kon smiled and joined in the conversation, truly enjoying catching up with his friends again.
A long entourage wound its way through the streets of Metropolis as dusk began to settle. At its head were four of the most powerful figures in the realm. The Thymescran party had travelled from Gotham with the Dark Knight and his company. Diana, Queen of Thymescra and her heir apparent Donna Troy talked animatedly with Richard Grayson, Lord Nightwing, while Bruce Wayne, the Dark Knight of Gotham kept a close eye out for suspicious actions. Quite a number of higher lords and ladies followed closely including Lady Selina, consort to the Dark Knight and the Countess Cain who rode alongside Jason Todd, Lord Talon.
Bringing up the rear however were two smaller figures. One appeared rather reluctant to continue further towards their destination while the other was held onto his arm tightly and talked in low serious tones.
"… And you have to remember to complain about the dresses every so often unless I tell you otherwise. Cassie does like some of her gowns, just not many. She gets a little annoyed with formalities. Oh, try to act like you're a little nervous so that people will steer the conversation towards your wedding – that's a safe enough topic. Greta and 'Nita will pick up immediately that you're not Cassie if they get you alone for too long. Even I don't know everything Cassie talks with them about in private."
"Cissie," Tim held up his hands, attempting to dislodge the girl's grip as he did so. "I'm well aware of Cassie's idiosyncrasies and tastes. She likes the low-cut blue gown most of all and despises the pastel yellow, she always fidgets with her cuffs when ceremonies drag on. I'm informed of most of the topics that may come up in conversation and know not to let Greta and 'Neets corner me for too long." He smiled faintly. "I have done this before, but now you're starting to make me paranoid."
"You weren't before?" Cissie shook her head, her hair settling back onto her shoulders perfectly. Even Tim was envious about that particular ability of hers. "Never mind. Is the flight ring working?"
Tim took a breath and hovered an inch off the floor. "I'll get better with practice," he assured her. "I doubt I'll have too many opportunities to use it though. Once or twice should be enough to convince people."
"All right, let's take one more look at you to make sure everything else is convincing." Cissie took a step back and glanced over Tim's body with narrowed eyes. He was a little thicker in the thigh area than Cassie was, but Kon wouldn't dare mention that. The padding around the hips was perfect – Tim was quite skinny after all. His hands were smooth – they had to be for his job, but the extra moisturising he'd been doing made his slightly darkened skin tone far more realistic. He actually looked healthier now that it was obvious he'd been out in the sunlight. Shoulders were a little wide, but that could be explained away – Cassie had been training with Artemis for quite a while now. His eyes were a lighter blue, exactly Cassie's colour, and the makeup he used accented his eyes and cheeks in a different way to his own. It was quite artistic. There was only one thing slightly off.
"We're going to have to add colour to your hair every few days I think," Cissie mused, inspecting the roots of his hair. "But we can't do it too often or it will cause damage."
"I hope it won't cause too much, my hair is already too dry," Tim muttered.
Cissie blinked. "Wow, you actually sounded like a girl then." Tim glared and she laughed. "You're going to have to stop doing that too. Cassie's glares aren't quite that intimidating. You've get her voice perfect too though and the way she stands." She pursed her lips in sudden thought. "Your intense voyeuristic tendencies can be classified as sociopathic you know."
Tim shifted his stance to match hers and in her exact timbre replied, "And your neurotic perfectionism is almost as bad as mine."
Cissie shuddered. "That is so creepy, never do that again."
With a quick grin Tim shifted back into character again. "So, do I pass the test yet?
"Not quite." Without warning, she suddenly grasped at the front of his fitted tunic and fixed up his breasts. Grinning at his furious blush she said, "You really have to be careful of those, they're the first thing Kon will notice." Tim turned away in mortification so she decided to add one last jab, "How did you know Cassie's exact measurements anyway?"
"Cissie!" His strangled yell, drew far too much attention from the rest of the group and Tim hid his face, glaring at his companion. "You're enjoying this far too much," he hissed.
"You wouldn't believe how much," she smirked.
Grumbling, Tim was for once glad they were so close to their destination – there was only so much teasing he could put up with. He'd already been through so much with Jason and Dick, but he'd be around Cissie for most of his stay and he couldn't retaliate. Well, not too harshly anyway, he wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to continue the ruse without Cissie's help. He doubted he would have been able to keep this from her as they would be staying in the same room, however bringing her into the plan had a strategic importance too. Were anything unexpected to crop up her help in covering for him would be invaluable. Plus, even with all his research and natural skills she still knew more about being a girl than he did.
They entered the main palace courtyard and servants appeared to take baggage away while the Lord Chancellor greeted each Lord and Lady formally before inviting them into the throne room to greet the King. Jimmy didn't blink as Tim walked past. Tim wasn't too surprised by that – fooling his friends would be the true test of his disguise.
The throne room was at the very end of the entrance hall and was made almost entirely of crystal spiring up into the sky. Though no sunlight now remained to cast rainbow refractions across the chamber, wide chandeliers kept the room bathed in a warm light. Quite a few of the higher nobles of the realm were still with the King and Queen of Krypton talking informally. As the new procession entered that talk stopped and formality resumed.
"My Lord King and Queen," Jimmy began, bow sweeping and low. "I present The Dark Knight of Gotham and Diana, Queen of Thymescra." The two approached side by side their escorts falling into place behind them in rank.
Tim moved up behind Donna, standing beside Jason. The boy who had been like a brother to him didn't glance his way. For all his teasing Jason had earned his place among Gotham's finest for a reason. Both Jason and Dick had been let in on the plan to aid in their search for the man who hired the assassin. While altogether possible they would have discovered the ruse anyway, the added incentive of finding him before he put out another hit and killed their "little brother" was sure to bring out the best of their abilities.
He felt Kal's searching gaze as he was presented to the royal couple. Smiling at the surprise in his eyes, Tim curtseyed, murmuring, "Your Majesties."
Kal waved him up and a faint smile crossed his face. "Dear Cassandra, you look radiant."
Tim's blush wasn't completely put on. Though hidden well, even Kal was not above teasing him. He could feel Jason's amusement though saw nothing on his face. "You flatter me your Majesty."
"He doesn't," Lois, Queen of Krypton interjected. "He speaks the truth my dear." Lois' remark was so sincere Tim couldn't help but take a little pride in it. He curtseyed again and moved on so the rest of the party could be presented.
The introductions and formalities went on for some time. Though it was interesting to see Lady Selina presented.
"Ah, so this is the infamous Lady Selina," Kal mused, glancing in Bruce's direction once the luscious beauty had approached the dais. "Bruce has told me almost nothing about you, which immediately had me intrigued by the small mention he did make."
Selina nodded her head, a sly grin crossing her face. It was amusing to see the way Bruce squirmed at the look. "Sir Wayne has never been one for words I've noticed," she commented in her soft voice. "Thus, one must pay far more attention to his actions while conversing, your Majesty. I've learned many things about Lord Bruce without him making a sound." Kal's cough caused another smirk to appear on the lady's lips as she curtseyed and moved away. Bruce's glare was for once almost ineffectual against the chuckling around the room. Tim tried not to grin outright.
Once the ceremony had been done with Kal and Lois descended their thrones and mingled with their guests, greeting them properly. Catching Cissie's eye Tim nodded her over as he made his way towards the King talking with Bruce and Diana. Cissie paled as she realised just where Tim was heading, but stuck with him anyway.
Coughing lightly to get their attention, Tim bowed his head slightly. "Forgive my intrusion my lieges, but –"
"You're wondering about Kon," Kal deduced. Tim nodded. "My young cousin has decided to remove himself from this evening's ceremonies in favour of entertaining his guests." Kal scowled. "Of course that is no excuse for not greeting his betrothed."
Tim rolled his eyes. "If I expected anything different from him I'd wonder if I were feeling well. If I may be excused," Tim turned to Diana first, as Cassie always did and waited for her nod before turning to Kal and receiving his permission. "Thank you my lieges." Grabbing Cissie's hand Tim used the flight ring the League had loaned him to float and fly off through the Hall. Cassie often forgot propriety when excited about something, so it, and the fact that he was flying, helped his disguise. Cissie's shock and annoyance at the action was only icing on the cake.
"You can stop now," Cissie hissed at him once they left the main hallway. Tim thought about it, then thought about how fun flying actually was when you were in control rather than being dragged along by someone else. Grinning at her, he sped up as they flew through the corridors.
Luckily for them everyone was gathered around the throne room, and few people were in the hallways. They managed to startle a servant or two before they arrived at the door to Kon's reception room. It was only at the door that Tim stopped.
"Do I look presentable?" he asked Cissie once she'd straightened herself up.
She debated not answering out of spite, but knew that wasn't an option right now. She fixed his hair and straightened his tunic and over-robes. "Don't do that often," she glared. Tim smirked at her and she pushed away from him in a huff and glanced at the doors nervously. "So, this is it."
Tim swallowed. "Guess so."
"You ready?"
"I have to be." Steeling himself, Tim pushed against the doors and he and Cissie entered the room.
Can I just say, I really enjoy writing cliff-hangers.
