Author: Ashley
Title: Contractually Yours
Rating: M - Mature
Part: 4/?
Pairing: Mon-El and Kara Danvers (Zor-El)
Word Count: 3,940
Summary: Long ago, the Daxamites chased the Kryptonians off of their shared world. They were forced to live on a nearby moon. That Kryptonian moon is now running out of resources, while the Daxamites' planet is becoming a wasteland. The Royal Families have decided to come together in a truce to help everyone live better lives; a truce made with a signed contract involving their children; a contract that the children have no say in. Arranged Marriage Karamel AU.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supergirl, DC Comics or anything related to such things. The ideas, dialogue and plot points of this AU were inspired by the show, but they are my own. Plagiarism isn't nice. Please don't steal my ideas.
A/N: Hi everyone!
Thanks for coming back for another chapter. It's longer than the last one, but it'll be a "little" upsetting for Kara. Oops.
The formatting of this website makes the Law Clerk in me cringe, but anyways, I think it's about time we all got a look at this Contract, don't you think?
Chapter Four: Making Sacrifices
Day One (Continued)
Kara and her parents stood on the doorstep of the Daxamite Palace as Zor-El reached out to ring the doorbell and notify the Royal Family of their arrival. They had been buzzed in through the front gate and Kara had spent the whole walk to the door of the Palace with her jaw dropped. Who needed this much land on their property? They didn't have to wait long at the door before a young girl around Kara's age pulled it open.
"Your Majesties," she greeted with a slight bow. "Welcome to Daxam." She stepped aside. "Please come in. The King and Queen are ready to meet with you."
"Thank you, Miss," Zor-El nodded as he gestured for Kara and Alura to step inside first.
"I'm sorry," Kara said sympathetically to the young girl, but she only furrowed her eyebrows confusedly in response. "You're one of their slaves," Kara nodded at her and the girl's gaze drifted to the floor.
"Kara-" Alura started.
"What?" Kara shrugged. "We all know what the Maaldorians do on Slaver's Moon, don't we?" She began moving further into the foyer of the giant home. "How much do we want to bet that that's where she was found? Where she was held after she had been taken from her family?"
"I apologize if my daughter is upsetting you," Zor-El told the girl. "Please just take us to the Daxamites," he glared at Kara. "She will keep her judgments to herself."
"Not judgments," Kara corrected. "Just facts."
"Shhh," Alura shushed her daughter, her hand wrapping around her waist as she moved her toward where the servant was leading them.
They entered a large rectangular room, a long, thin table stretched out across the middle. The King and Queen stood at the doorway and Mon-El sat at the table, arms crossed in front of him, eyes staring down at the stacks of papers on the tabletop.
When his parents spoke in greeting, Mon-El's eyes left the table and flicked up to the visitors who had just entered. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he noticed Kara. His back straightened, his arms uncrossed and his eyes widened briefly as they landed on her. His gaze drifted up and down her body as he clearly took in her appearance. Was this her? The girl he was supposed to marry?
Kara's gaze connected with Mon-El's briefly before she watched his eyes flick up and down her form. Well, despite the fact that he was a Daxamite, at least their son was attractive; dark hair, grey eyes, light stubble along his jaw. She could stare at his pretty face while their parents dealt with whatever signing business this meeting was all about. He continued to watch her as they moved further into the room. "Ugh, look at him," Kara whispered to her mother. "How he's looking at me? He can't even trust me standing here in his home." Alura glanced over at the boy, her own eyes widening slightly as she watched him watch Kara.
"Oh, honey, I'm sure that's not what it is," she told her as she released her.
She knew why he was watching her; taking in her appearance so boldly. He must have already read the terms of the contract and was now gauging what he'd been promised.
Lar Gand and Rhea both nodded at the Kryptonians, Lar Gand stretching his hand out in reference to the table behind them. "Shall we sit?"
"Thank you for inviting us into your home," Alura said politely as the families both sat down at the long table. "It's lovely."
Kara looked around the room. It was a conference room it seemed like; perfect for this situation, she supposed, though she couldn't figure out why they needed a room like this in their home in the first place. How many contracts did these people sign that they needed an entire giant room to execute them? She looked back at Mon-El. And why did their son keep staring at her like that?
"Thank you for agreeing to the terms so quickly. I feel like we'll make great progress for both our races with this contract," Rhea returned, but it sounded a lot more formal and business-like rather than pleasant.
"I assume your son has read the terms?" Zor-El questioned, his eyes flicking to Mon-El who sat across from Kara. Mon-El scoffed loudly at his words, obviously in disagreement of said terms.
"He has. He's signed them as of mere moments ago and he's aware of what is expected of him," Lar Gand nodded before looking over at his son.
"Kara hasn't had a chance to review the terms as of yet. She was not present during the signing before we returned the documents to you."
Rhea pushed one of the copies of the signed agreement toward Kara. "Then please, Princess Kara, review the conditions so that we may get along with your signing of them." Rhea was smiling at her, but it made Kara uncomfortable. There was something almost sinister about the look she was giving her. Her eyes moved to Lar Gand who smiled back at her; a little more pleasant than his wife and she cracked a small, polite smile at him in return. When her eyes moved to their son again, he cocked an eyebrow at her as he grinned. Knowing he was a Daxamite, she found his gesture almost suggestive, but due to their familial loathing, she figured he was just referencing the likely ridiculous terms of the contract. Her eyes drifted down to the cover page in front of her.
Contract of Marriage.
Kara chuckled lightly. "Is this some kind of joke?" she asked and Mon-El laughed loudly at her unknowing repetition of his words; an obnoxious, sarcastic sound that made her eyebrows furrow. Her eyes moved back to Rhea who continued to have the same nearly evil grin on her face. "Who's getting married?" she questioned as her eyes flicked to her parents', but they wouldn't connect with her. They continued to stare down at the table in front of them. Kara flipped open the cover page as her eyes scanned the words in front of her briefly.
She felt her breath catch in her throat, a lump quickly forming that made it difficult to swallow.
"Father?" she questioned as she felt tears starting to burn at the backs of her eyes. "Mother? What is this?"
"It's a contract, sweetheart," Alura said softly, her voice cracking as she clearly fought back her own tears.
"A contract for marriage," Kara stated in disbelief. "For me and…" her eyes moved and connected with Mon-El's and he grinned back at her. "And him."
"Princess Kara, please read the terms so that we may move forward with the signing," Rhea spoke clearly, her voice firm.
Kara shook her head. "This is absurd. Absolutely absurd."
"Told you," Mon-El laughed, leaning back in his chair, elbow resting along the back edge. "She may be Kryptonian, but she's not a complete idiot."
She didn't even have the energy to glare at the Daxamite; her heart pounding uncomfortably fast in her chest as she continued to shake her head. "I'm not signing this," she said, looking up at Rhea. She turned to her parents. "I'm not signing this!" she suddenly shouted as she rushed to stand, her chair flying backwards and to the floor before she raced out of the room.
"Kara!" Alura called out to her daughter, but she was already gone, headed for the front door of the Palace. She turned to the Daxamites. "One moment. I'll bring her back. Zor-El?" she questioned, indicating that he should follow her out.
They found her pacing on the front steps of the property, hastily walking back and forth.
"Kara, darling," Alura pleaded with her. "Come back inside. You need to sign the contract."
"Do you hear yourself?" she questioned loudly. "You need me to sign a contract that forces me to marry that…that Daxamite!? Are you insane? We hate them! Why in Rao's name would you be forcing me to marry him? Of all things in this universe, Mother, why would I have to marry him?"
"Kara," her father started softly. "This is a contract that's going to provide our people with a better way of life. Please come inside and read the terms. Once you do, you'll understand," he insisted.
"How is me getting married going to help our people? That doesn't even make sense!" she shouted at him.
"Kara," Alura placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, stopping her frantic pacing, but Kara wouldn't connect their gaze. "This marriage is going to unite our people. The terms include that the Daxamites allow our people to move to Daxam and cohabitate again. You know about our situation on Krypton. The moon is dying. We need to leave and this is where we can come. This is where we can start over. Where we can be safe. Please just come back inside and read the terms. You'll see that this is what's best for our people."
Kara's eyes were teary when she finally looked up at her mother. "What about what's best for me?"
"I know this is a lot to place on your shoulders, Kara, but we all must make sacrifices for our people," she continued. "This is yours."
"Yeah? Well what are you two sacrificing? I don't see you two sacrificing anything," she huffed angrily at them.
"My sweet girl, we'll be losing you," Alura's voice cracked with the statement.
"Mama, why are you doing this to me?" Kara asked through tears, her foot stomping petulantly on the ground beneath her.
"Please, Kara. This is hard on us, too. Please don't make it harder." She pulled her daughter in for a hug, her arms wrapping tightly around the girl who refused to do the same.
Kara felt her father's hand stroking through her hair. "Let's go inside and read the contract. The agreement is already binding. You are only required to read the terms and sign to show that you understand them. Unfortunately, the decision has already been made."
"Father, I'm not a child," she angrily stated as she pulled away from the both of them. "I'm supposed to be making my own decisions. How dare you both go off and decide the rest of my life for me." She angrily wiped at her eyes. "I want to go home," she stated firmly.
Alura steeled her face. "Kara Zor-El, you're going to go back into that home, apologize to that family for making a scene, and you are going to sign that contract as required."
"You two are disgusting. I can't believe you're forcing me to do this." She shook her head as she turned back to enter the Palace again. "I'm going to sign that ridiculous agreement and then find a way to break it. But what I'm not going to do, is apologize to those….those heathens…uncivilized…repulsive…" she continued to mutter as she moved back into the Palace and returned to the room she had run from.
Zor-El turned to Alura, his thumbs wiping at the tears threatening to start falling from her eyes. "She'll understand," he nodded at her. "It'll take some time, but she'll understand."
Kara returned to the conference room and sat down in her chair without a word or a glance at the Daxamites.
"I apologize on behalf of my daughter for her outburst," Zor-El stated quietly. "I believe we're ready to review the terms."
"So the Princess is ready to be a grown up and follow through with her responsibilities?" Mon-El cracked. Kara glared angrily at him and was ready to throw the pen on the table right at his face.
"Princess, please read the terms and sign where indicated on the final page." Rhea slid the secondary copy toward her. "Both copies, please."
Kara sniffled slightly before she looked down at the first line at the top of the page of the contract in front of her.
Section 1: Introduction
I. This agreement is entered into by Prince Mon-El Gand of Daxam (herein "Prince Mon-El") and Princess Kara Zor-El of Krypton (herein "Princess Kara"):
II. Also same is entered into in a congenial nature by both King Lar Gand and Queen Rhea of Daxam (herein "Royal Family of Daxam") and King Zor-El and Queen Alura of Krypton (herein "Royal Family of Krypton") and their people respectively.
III. This contract becomes binding with the signatures of the betrothed's parental units, that being four (4) signatures.
IV. The above parties enter into this agreement having fully read and understood the terms and conditions of the pending nuptials set to occur six (6) months from the signing date of this agreement. All parties involved understand that only those situations listed in Section 4 (I) of this agreement will nullify same.
Section 2: Pre-Marriage Terms
I. Prince Mon-El and Princess Kara will wed in a ceremony organized and led by the Royal Family of Daxam and the Royal Family of Krypton jointly. From the date of signing the contract to the date of said Wedding, the following conditions must be met:
a. Prince Mon-El will present Princess Kara with a silver band representing the upcoming union to be worn on the third finger of her left hand. Prince Mon-El will wear an identical band on the third finger of his left hand;
b. Princess Kara will immediately upon completion of signing leave planet Krypton and live with the Royal Family of Daxam under the same roof as Prince Mon-El;
c. Prince Mon-El and Princess Kara must refer to each other only as fiancée and fiancé in public respectively; and
d. Prince Mon-El and Princess Kara will attend all gatherings, parties and celebrations held at the residence of the Royal Family of Daxam and otherwise exclusively as a couple.
II. During the pre-marriage phase, the Royal Family of Krypton will begin to move their people to Daxam. With the assistance of the Royal Family of Daxam, proper housing will be provided to the Kryptonians and reasonable allocation of resources for living will be provided to same.
III. Princess Kara will be introduced into Daxamite society with a celebration held at the residence of the Royal Family of Daxam where the news of the marriage will be formally announced. The Date, Time and any change in Location for said celebration will be determined by the Royal Family of Daxam.
Section 3: Union of Marriage
I. Prince Mon-El and Princess Kara will wed on Daxam in front of guests chosen by the respective Royal Families.
II. During the marriage ceremony, the silver bands on the engaged parties' left hands will be exchanged for courtship rings; similar gold bands representing the completed union.
III. Upon completion of the marriage ceremony, Prince Mon-El and Princess Kara will live together on Daxam in a single home, that being the residence of the Royal Family of Daxam.
IV. Prince Mon-El and Princess Kara must consummate the marriage.
V. Prince Mon-El and Princess Kara must naturally produce at least one (1) Daxatonian heir to represent the coming together of both the Daxamite and Kryptonian races in a truce. No scientific reproduction is permissible in order to ensure that said heir remains truly half Daxamite and half Kryptonian.
Section 4: Nullification of Contract
I. This contract agreed upon by those noted in Section 1 (I) and (II) will only be nullified in the following situations:
a. The death of either Prince Mon-El and/or Princess Kara (by non-suspicious means);
b. Significant physical, mental or emotional abuse between married parties;
c. Proven adultery or infidelity committed by Princess Kara solely; and/or
d. Failure to conceive a Daxatonian heir within six (6) months of the wedding date.
II. Upon nullification, a new Kryptonian female will be chosen as a replacement for Prince Mon-El.
Section 5: Promises of the Married Parties
I. Prince Mon-El and Princess Kara, by entering into the agreed upon marriage, have also agreed to:
a. Protect each other from harm in terms of physical safety and financial stability;
b. Respect both Royal Families and their wishes regarding the marriage;
c. Share each other's assets and liabilities, whether permanent or temporary; and
d. Not restrict each other's desires to live a fulfilling and enriched life the way they see fit, whether that be according to Daxamite or Kryptonian customs.
Section 6: Responsibilities of the Royal Families
I. The Daxamites will continue to provide an enriching and joyful life to their people and must welcome the Kryptonians back to Daxam (formerly Minerva).
II. The Kryptonian people must work on rebuilding Daxam up to standards equivalent to or greater than previously held on Minerva.
III. The Royal Family of Daxam and the Royal Family of Krypton must continue to cohabitate and live peacefully on Daxam and encourage their people to behave in the same manner.
a. Should a member of either the Daxamite or Kryptonian race not continue to cohabitate peacefully with all members of Daxam, the responsible Royal Family will ensure that said person is dealt with according to the laws they follow as a people.
Section 7: Conclusion
I. This agreement cannot be modified.
II. This agreement will take effect immediately upon the completed signing of the six (6) parties involved in same.
Section 8: Signatures
I. The following parties involved in this agreement as listed below will sign where indicated:
a. King Lar Gand of Daxam;
b. Queen Rhea of Daxam;
c. King Zor-El of Krypton;
d. Queen Alura of Krypton;
e. Prince Mon-El Gand of Daxam; and
f. Princess Kara Zor-El of Krypton.
Kara thought she was going to pass out.
Her throat had run dry, her knees were weak and her whole body was trembling, though with anger or fear she wasn't sure. She'd read the whole agreement, but certain words kept repeating through her brain, making her stomach clench and her head spin.
Leave Krypton.
Live with the Royal Family of Daxam.
Consummate the marriage.
Daxatonian heir.
This agreement cannot be modified.
"I don't think I can sign this," Kara said quietly through the tears grabbing at her throat.
"The decision's already been made for us, Princess," Mon-El sighed loudly. "I'm contractually yours…you're contractually mine. If you sign, you're stuck here. If you don't sign, they're obviously not letting you leave either."
Kara's teary eyes lifted and met Mon-El's.
"We're screwed," he said simply as he looked at her.
"Are any of the terms unclear, Kara?" Zor-El asked gently.
Kara shook her head. "No, I just don't want to do them."
"You don't actually have a say, Princess," Rhea shrugged. "The marriage is an important symbol, but the heir is crucial in order to truly bring our people together."
Kara stared at the words on the paper. Consummate the marriage. Daxatonian heir.
"I thought there was a way to produce a child without…" she trailed off.
"Sex?" Mon-El chuckled from across the table as he shook his head. "You Kryptonians are such prudes."
"I'm glad you find this so funny," she suddenly spat. "Do you really care so little about your own life? You've had these papers merely a few hours and you've given in and signed already…without even knowing who I am or what I look like or anything about me?"
"I will say," he started as he leaned back in his chair again. "You're not what I expected…at all."
Kara cocked an eyebrow at him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Rhea interrupted them both, "Physical copulation is required to conceive this heir because our technology cannot yet successfully combine Daxamite and Kryptonian DNA. This is the only way to ensure both sets of DNA are combined 50/50."
"This is ridiculous," Kara shook her head. "Six months? Isn't that a little fast? How are we going to plan a whole wedding?"
"The wedding will be planned by us, sweetheart," Alura stated. "You won't have to worry about that."
"Oh, what a relief!" Kara shouted sarcastically. "My own forced wedding and I'm not even required to plan it." She looked back at the contract. "And I have to have a baby within six months of the wedding? That definitely seems too fast."
"Only to conceive. You may physically have the baby after the six month period is up," Rhea provided.
"Oh, wow. Well, thank you for your considerate offering."
"You can start trying now, should you wish," Rhea continued.
Kara laughed loudly, exaggeratedly, at the woman's suggestion before covering her mouth with her hand to suppress the noise. "No, thank you," she stated firmly.
Rhea grinned that nearly creepy grin again. "Princess, my son is a Daxamite. He won't need six months. He'll be all over you in six minutes."
Kara shivered in response and tried to push back the tears that threatened to spring to her eyes once again. She turned to her mother. "This…this is the family you want me to be a part of?"
"Kara…" Alura tried, but she'd run out of words to support their decision.
"Kara," Lar Gand started. "You're required to sign to contract and the terms are non-negotiable. Please do so and we can move forward with the preparations."
"I can't believe this is happening," she said as she picked up the pen from the table top. "I'll never be able to forgive you for doing this to me."
"Kara, please," Alura's voice cracked.
She signed her name on the indicated line on both copies before sliding them forcefully along the table over at Rhea. "Satisfied?" she asked and Rhea nodded with a grin.
"Very much so."
"Well, I guess you two should be leaving then," she said to her parents before standing. "Since you've decided to abandon me here and all."
Alura stood with her. "Kara-"
"I assume you'll be packing and sending my things."
"I-"
"I'm sure you'll have to go over the 'house rules' or whatever, but can someone show me to my new room. I'd like to be by myself for a while."
"Kara, we're-"
Kara held up a finger toward her mother. "I swear to Rao if you say you're sorry right now…I just…I don't want to hear it." Her voice started to grow in volume as she was suddenly filled with anger and was ready to lash out. "You decided to throw your daughter to the Daxamites. You're forcing me to live with our enemy. A family that I've never met before today. Marry a man who I have no interest in."
"Ouch," she heard Mon-El say quietly behind her as he dramatically held a hand to his chest, but she ignored him.
"You're making me live with these people for the rest of my life all because you weren't smart enough or creative enough or clever enough or whatever enough to think of any other way to help our people." She shook her head as she felt the tears rushing back. "I'm ready for you to leave." She turned back to the Daxamites. "Where the hell is my room!?"
"I'll take her," Mon-El stated as he stood from him chair. He moved toward her. "Right this way, Princess."
"Stop calling me that," she muttered angrily.
"Isn't that what you are?" he asked as he held his arm out, gesturing for her to walk through the doorway. "A Princess?"
She rolled her eyes as she moved to leave the room.
"We'll send Alex with your things tomorrow, Kara," Zor-El said shortly before she walked out. She paused for a moment as she tried to keep her lower lip from trembling.
"Goodbye," she said quietly as she left.
A/N: Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what you think. Please leave a review or come chat on Twitter!
Twitter: _ashleymaria_