Everyone knew his father was Superman now, everyone knew who he was, and that he was also a part of the royal family. He'd gotten a lot of texts from people he'd barely spoken to since school had finished, asking all sorts of things. How strong was he? Could he fly? Could he get his dad to sign something for them? Girls had messaged him as well as guys propositioning him. It had all been very odd. Then the letter from the palace had come and he'd hopped on a plane and landed in London. Avoiding the press, though they'd found out eventually. He'd given some little thing to the press, then gotten on with things. Met his cousins, said hello to his great-uncle and now, now was the moment he'd known was coming.
Now was the moment he officially became a Royal Duke, with the title and the coronet to boot. Dressed in the red outfit of an officer of the British army, he stepped forward as his name was called out. "The Right Honourable, Jonathan Kent, Earl of Warwick." The hall was long, and the walk seemed to take forever, his father was there, in the crowd, with Aunt Lucy and Sophie and their family. Jonathan nodded and kept walking, he stopped at the steps to the throne and kneeled. "Her Majesty the Queen will now present the facts of office to the right honourable earl."
Jonathan looked up and smiled as his great-grandmother smiled at him. She took a breath and then in a voice that reminded him of long nights long ago, spoke. "We do feel that in light of recent events and in recognition of the courage demonstrated by our great-grandson, the Right Honourable Earl of Warwick, it is appropriate that we do raise him toward the proper peerage benefitting his rank and according him the proper titles and honours due his station." The Queen stood then, walked down the steps and stopped. She placed the sash of the Order of the Garter over his head. "We name you the one thousandth knight of the Our Most Venerable Order of the Garter." The Queen then pinned the garter to his dress. She continued. "We see fit to raise you from Earl to Duke, to bear by letters patent the styling of His Royal Highness, and we do confer onto you, for services rendered in fighting that most horrible of persons, the Cross of Victoria." The medal was pinned to his coat, and the Queen took the coronet from the Earl Marischal, Aunt Lucy's father in law. The coronet was placed atop his head, three prongs and a red backing. The Queen spoke once more. "Do you accept the responsibilities and duties that come with this title? Do you accept the duties that are now yours as a citizen of our nation and kingdom?"
Jonathan still couldn't believe that he was now properly a citizen of Britain, he knew that meant he wouldn't be able to travel to states as often as he would perhaps have liked. But Dad had said he was going to be based here for some time, so that was okay. Jonathan cleared his throat and said. "I accept them and swear before you, my Queen and with God as my witness that I shall endeavour to uphold the constitution and the vows of royalty as best as to my ability."
The Queen nodded. She then proclaimed. "With this right, you are now His Royal Highness, the Duke of Warwick, with the right of residency within the palaces of our most beneficial stature, as well as Warwick Castle and the associated lands and titles and incomes. Finally, there is the matter of knighthood." Here the Queen took Saint Edward's sword Cortana and tapped him lightly on either shoulder, saying as she did so. "I proclaim you, Sir Jonathan, knight of the Most Venerable Order of the Garter, Duke of Warwick and Keeper of Warwick Castle." There was a pause as the Queen handed the sword back to the Earl Marischal, then she gestured for the Lord High Constable to come forward.
Jonathan looked at the man, and felt his heart stutter. There was something familiar about the man, his eyes, something about the eyes. What it was he wasn't sure but there was a nagging there. The Queen took a badge from the man, and something passed between them, it was minute, but Jonathan saw it all the same. He heard a change in pulse. He looked up as the Queen said. "We are tied to the British Armed Forces as surely as the sun rises and sets. They defend our freedoms and our sanctity. And so, it is with great pride that we name you Colonel of the British Army." Jonathan rose slightly and turned, allowing the badge of two diamonds beneath St Edward's crown to be placed against his arm. He moved down and kneeled once more. "You are now a member of this family, in word as well as blood. Rise and be acclaimed."
Jonathan rose and bowed before the court. "Long Live His Royal Highness The Duke of Warwick." Cried the herald.
"Long Live His Royal Highness The Duke of Warwick." Came the cry in response.
Jonathan turned bowed, and kissed his great-grandmother's hand. He then stood to attention as the Queen walked down the steps, he took her arm and walked with her into the grand dining room. There, they were seated, he to her right, her husband, the Prince Consort to her left. Dad was seated three down from him. but the Lord High Constable was sat between them, and Jonathan couldn't shake the feeling. "Gan gan, who is that man?" He asked nodding toward the Constable.
The Queen looked up and said. "That my dear boy, is Joseph Chamberlain, Earl of Beaconsfield."
"Was here the last time I came?" Jonathan asked, trying to figure out where he'd seen the man before.
"Oh no, he was away somewhere. In the States I think." The Queen replied. Jonathan nodded but he couldn't shake the feeling he'd seen the man before. Food was served though and so he put that thought to the side and started eating.
As they ate, and the music started playing, Jonathan felt himself get more relaxed, the tendrils weren't there, and for the first time in a long time he felt comfortable. Perhaps spending more time in London would be better than being in Metropolis with all those memories. Plus, he could actually do something worthwhile instead of sitting around feeling useless. He already had several charities he wanted to become patron of, and he was scheduled to tour the UK for a few weeks as well. As he thought on that, he turned to his great-grandfather and asked. "Do you think they will mind if I give a speech in Parliament when it reopens?"
His great-grandfather, a man who had served in Second World War and then during the great scuffle, laughed. "My dear boy, I think you could tell them to go piss themselves and they would. Since your father came out as Superman, they have all been dying to meet you."
Jonathan blushed. "Really? Why?"
"The answer to that should be obvious." His great-grandfather responded. "They are terrified of your father and they are convinced that something is going to happen."
Jonathan snorted, but said nothing. He kept eating, and then when he was finished with the starters, he looked around, he locked eyes with the High Constable, and for a moment his heart raced. Something about him seemed familiar. The High Constable turned to talk to some woman, with a shock of blonde hair. Jonathan got up and made his way over, but before he could get there properly, his great uncle came up to him. "Are you prepared for the spectacle tomorrow?"
Jonathan grinned as he saw the grin appear on his great uncle's face he knew there'd be some sort of prank planned. "As ready as I can be, uncle. Are you?"
"Oh most definitely." The Prince of Wales replied before walking on.
Jonathan continued on his path, but as he went to sit down next to the Lord High Constable, he found that the man and the woman he'd been talking to had gone. Instead he sat down next to his father, who was deep in discussion with Aunt Lucy about something. "You know it's true, there will be a reckoning, and now Jonathan is officially a member of the royal family, Matthews will come."
"And when he comes, I will be ready. I won't let him hurt my son, or my family." Dad replied firmly.
Jonathan was about to speak, when he saw the constable, the man was hovering near one of the side doors, staring at him. Jonathan got up and walked through the throngs of people. He got to the door but the man had disappeared. He opened the door, and listened very closely to the sounds, he tuned out the voices, the rustling of forks and plates, and heard footsteps down the way. He moved through the open doorway and closed it behind him. he followed the sound, turning left, then right, then through another door. He walked passed a portrait of King Richard the Second, through another doorway, and then stopped. He'd lost the sound of the footsteps, he listened closely, but before he could do anything he heard giggling. "I didn't think you'd show. But my puddin was right."
Jonathan turned and flinched. Harley Quinn was standing right in front of him holding a kryptonite hammer. "What….what are you doing here?"
He didn't hear a response, instead he saw her literally disappear. In her place was a figure cloaked in darkness, shrouded in shadow, and with haunting eyes. "You know this is the greatest tragedy. So many people are going to have to die for this. I hope you appreciate just how much pain that is going to cause."
"What? Why?" Jonathan stuttered. He couldn't move the kryptonite was still affecting him somehow.
The figure laughed. "Oh don't worry, you will know soon enough. And once the fight at Arkham has happened, you will know precisely why so many must die, and why the war that is coming is necessary. Tell me something, Your Royal Highness, do you believe in destiny?"
Jonathan stepped forward, ignoring the pain in his body. "Who the bloody hell are you?"
The figure laughed. "I am both the past and the future. The present, well my present self is currently bent on doing something quite foolish. But you see it must happen, and so it shall." Jonathan stopped moving as he heard a clock tick. "Ah, you've heard it. I propose you make your way back to the dining room." The figure disappeared. Jonathan stopped feeling pain and managed to speed back to the dining room, where everyone was still talking and smiling. He wasn't sure what was about to happen, but the Lord High Constable was missing.
Suddenly, the Queen spoke. "Jonathan, would you be a dear and get an old woman her glasses please? They're in my rooms."
Jonathan nodded, he sped up toward the Queen's rooms and looked around, he couldn't see any glasses, he sped up and down the rooms once, twice, thrice and even a fourth time and couldn't find them. that was when he heard someone whisper. "It is time."
"Time for what?" He asked aloud. But there was no response, instead there was the sound of the clock chiming, followed by the loudest bang he had ever heard. He got thrown out into the ground below. He blinked and sped into the palace as the explosions continued. He couldn't find his dad, but he got as many people out as he could, he kept doing that, going in and going out until he was sure everyone was out. He found his dad as the palace burned around them. "Did you get everyone?"
His dad said nothing the ground shook, then his dad turned to him. "I couldn't get to the others, to the Queen, or to the Prince of Wales, there was something preventing me from getting to them."
Jonathan stared at his father and said. "I'll try." He sped through into the fire, and as he got to the dining room, the figure was back, its eyes staring at him.
"You cannot save them. it is done." The figure said.
"You're lying." Jonathan pushed through the barrier, though it made him scream. He got to his great-grandmother and held her. "Gan-gan."
She looked at him. "You, you must protect our home. They are coming."
"Who? Who are coming?" Jonathan asked.
His great-grandmother didn't respond, he heard her heart stop. He was not sure how long he was there for, simply holding her body, but at some point someone came and took her away, he blinked and blinked, and tears didn't come. He stood as Aunt Lucy and her husband the new Duke of Norfolk kneeled before him. Jonathan stared at them as they kneeled and said. "The Queen is dead, Long Live the King." He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd failed, again. He looked at his dad, and his dad was kneeling as well, or rather his head was bowed, Jonathan was confused. What the hell was going on?