Disclaimer: If you've made it this far, you know the drill by now.

Too Much To Ask

Elysian Fields, NY

"You took her into battle without my permission!" Devlin yelled at Kent.

"It was time. Why do you think the Overseers told Khyrran to find away to move your wedding up?" Kent asked.

Devlin stared speechless. He turned and went to the door of the study. "KHYRRAN!"

She came barreling down the hall and into his study, crashing into his retreating backside. "What?"

"Why didn't you tell me that they had taken you into a battle?" he demanded.

"It was more like a skirmish, Dev."

"A fight's a fight, Khy."

She looked past her brother to Kent. "See I told you."

Kent laughed. "Point proven. Devlin, she passed her last test. The only thing left is for her to make a decision." He may have been looking at Devlin, but that statement was meant solely for Khyrran. "I'll be in touch." Kent vanished.

"Did you get hurt?"

"Not really. I mean nothing worse than sparring with you guys."

Devlin sighed. "Fine. Would you like to explain Kent's comment about moving my wedding date?"

"Damn it, Kent," she whispered.

"I heard that."

"Ummmmmm…uhhhhhh…"

"The truth."

"Kamara told me that you and Grace had waited long enough to get married. So, I was supposed to, and I quote 'Stop acting like a spoiled child and act like a Guardian'. So I told you tow a little lie and here we are two weeks later and you guys are married," she rushed out.

"Did she tell you why?"

"Nope. Though I am assuming it was so I could experience a battle…skirmish…fight without you hovering over me."

Devlin sighed. "Fine. What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"I have a session with Jace and I think that Dawn is going to teach me some Mann'ahoian poison antidotes."

"Sounds good."

"I'll see you and Grace at dinner, okay? I gotta go," she said. Khyrran gave him a hug and was out the door.

'Some things never change.'

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"Concentrate. The sword should be engulfed in flames by now," Jason Blood said.

"Explain to me why I need to be able to make a sword catch fire," Khyrran said. This little exercise had been going on for over and hour. Khyrran couldn't get the sword to light.

"Some enemies can only be defeated by the Fire Sword. Since I am the Guardian of Fire and have possession of it, you need to be able conjure one in case I am not able to join the fight."

"Oh. Well in that case, I guess I should get this down." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and directed her thoughts to her fingers, which were wrapped around the hilt of her sword.

"Excellent." Jason's voice penetrated the buzzing in her ears. Khyrran didn't need to open her eyes to feel the heat radiating from the weapon. "You can stop now," he chuckled.

"Hey, at least we know that I can hold on to it, unlike some of my other talents," she said thinking of the time she tried to transport Arthur's throne from Atlantis to Jason's living room. One word for that lesson: Disaster, with a capitol 'D'.

"True. That is all I have for you today."

"How much longer is this going to continue? Not that I don't love the four training sessions a day, but really how much longer?" she asked.

"Your cross-over training will continue until I think you no longer need it."

"Spiffy and when will that be?"

"When you can successfully cast spells in the heat of battle. When you can separate into two consciousnesses and forge magic while protecting your body. If I must absolutely put a time limit, about a year from now," he said, finally answering her question.

"Cool. Thanks, Jace. Same time tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Later." Khyrran whited herself out about fourteen miles from the house. She spent a few minutes stretching, then took off at a steady pace. It was a ritual, one she had done every day after her session with Jace, since she was twelve. It gave her time to think. The topic varied depending on what was happening in her life. And as it had been since three months ago, today's topic was the dream. Idan had told her that no one could help her choose her path. But the dream had become more and more disturbing as time went on. Her birthday was fast approaching and Khyrran wondered if this was too much to ask a child of fifteen. She knew that ultimately it was her choice. 'But if it is my choice then why send the dream?' She was through the gate and almost to the house when it hit her: it was sent by one of her ancestors. It had to be; there wasn't any other explanation. Khyrran burst into the house.

"DEVLIN!"

"Library, Jinx," he hollered back.

"This is a prophecy!"

"What in the world are you talking about?" Devlin asked.

"This, the dream, me becoming an Empress. It's an ancient prophecy!" she cried.

"Khyrran, there has never been a prophecy given that wasn't fulfilled in two decades or less," he said.

"Are you absolutely positive about that? 100-sell-your-soul-to-the-devil-if-your-wrong-absolutely-positive?" she asked.

"Sell my soul to the devil? Where do you come up with this stuff?"

"Answer the question, Devlin."

"No, I am not 100 positive but 99.8 sure. The only one who knows the truth is Idan."

"Then we're going to Mankato."

"I am kinda busy right now."

"Devlin, this could be the answer to no more nightmares."

"Grace!"

The blonde woman poked her head into the library. "Yeah? Hey, you're back," she said to Khyrran.

"We need to go to Mankato. This one," he nodded to the fidgeting teen, "thinks she has figured out the dream riddle."

"Good. I'll keep your absence under wraps."

"Thanks, Grace!" Khyrran hugged her sister-in-law.

"You're welcome. Now get going," she said.

They arrived at Mankato to a full audience with the Overseers. All seven of them stood on the dais. Khyrran curtsied, Devlin bowed and Kamara bid them to rise. But Idan was the one who stepped forward.

"Congratulations, you have out that it is a prophecy in itself," he said. Idan raised his hands and brought the Eye of Second Sight down from the rafters. "Khyrran, touch the eye."

She closed her eyes and touched the swirling vortex in the center of the silver eye. When she opened them, she was alone in the Great Hall, even the Eye was no where to be seen. "Hello?" Her voice echoed throughout the high ceiling. When she received no answer, Khyrran got a mischievous smile on her face. With no one to stop her, she began to poke her nose into things she normally wasn't allowed. The large cupboard that held rare poisons and antidotes. The chest she suspected held the glass orbs that held the Guardians, but instead held ancient weapons.

"We can't do that, Anthanasuis," Kamara said. She came into the Great Hall, the Overseer of Earth hot on her heels. Khyrran backed away from the suit of armor on the far side of the hall and tucked herself into the old throne chair next to it, at first to keep from getting in trouble then so they would continue to talk without seeing her.

"Kamara, that… squid thing just kidnapped the Guardians and the entire royal family of Mann'ahoia! Explain to me why we can't go get them back!"

Idan was the one who answered as he entered the Great Hall. "Because they are out of our reach. Not that it matters at this point, but their lines were going to die out in the next two generations anyway. We have no choice but to go back to the original Guardians lines."

"In case you haven't noticed THEY BETRAYED US! That's why the honor of being Guardians was stripped from their descendents. Not to mention their lines are gone," Anthanasuis practically yelled.

"We have no choice but to switch it back. These two planets cannot survive without the protection of the Guardians."

"You sound too confidant. The others are backing you in this aren't they? Why wasn't I informed?"

"You choose not to attend the meeting. I believe you told Mahala that you didn't need to attend," Kamara pointed out. Anthanasuis glared at them both and stalked from the hall. "That's just what we need right now, a power struggle," she muttered.

"Oh this is nothing. Wait until he discovers the original Guardian of Mann'ahoia had a daughter and we've been hiding her on Avalon," Idan said. "And that you now lead the Overseers."

"He had to know that the fall of Camelot was going to be the end of Earth was over. It was supposed to be temporary. Atlantis' rule was only a thousand years. Man's rule was over three."

"Yes, but a natural disaster ended Atlantis' rule."

"True," she sighed. "What about the other Guardians?"

"I think the granddaughter is going to have to repopulate the Guardians."

"I don't think that she is going to willingly bear a child to five different men."

"It's her destiny and it will be only four."

"Four?"

"The new King of Atlantis, the nephew of the Guardian of Air, the son of the Guardian of Fire and one of the more intelligent men from Earth will give her twins, a boy to guard Earth and a daughter to guard Mann'ahoia," Idan explained.

Kamara caught on immediately. "A blending of the new and old lines. This could work."

"What do you mean 'could'? It will work. But at the same time it will cause a power struggle, splitting the Guardians and the countries of Mann'ahoia."

"Can we do anything to change that?" Kamara asked, hopefully.

"No, unfortunately, well at least not for another millennia and a half."

"Excuse me?"

"Okay well, 1,512 years to be exact. But the Empress that takes the throne then will have a choice. If she takes the her birthright, then all will be well. If she doesn't then the people will destroy themselves and evil will run both planets."

The scene began to fade and Khyrran found herself in the currant Great Hall. Idan lifted the Eye back into the rafters.

"That thing is the bomb! Can I have one?" Khyrran asked.

"No," Idan, Kamara, and Devlin said in unison.

"You guys suck." She turned to Devlin "I thought one of my ancestors made the prophecy?"

"The original prophecy was made by one of your ancestors. The one you just saw was made by the Guardian that disappeared. She vanished before it could be carried to the Hall of Records. Since I am the Overseer of Time, I recorded it into the Hall and made it one of my own. Did this help?"

"I think. But it still doesn't explain why I am told to jump off a ravine in the dream-vision thingy," she said.

"It wasn't supposed to."

"Oh well aren't you just a bundle of help," Khyrran replied, sarcastically.

"The answers are right in front of you. All you have to do is ask the right question."

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Khyrran came storming out of the library, muttering curses and cursing. She slammed into the training room and worked out her frustrations on the mat. Grace happened to be in the hallway to witness the teen's strange behavior. She walked through the door Khyrran had bolted out of to find her husband. "What in the world was that all about?"

"Would you believe they didn't help her out much?" Devlin asked.

"Actually, that sounds par for the course."

Devlin snorted. "They showed her the prophecy that caused the dream, but they won't explain what certain aspects of it mean."

"That seems kind of cruel," Grace said. Devlin agreed. "So what's next?"

"It's all in Khyrran's department."

Khyrran's department wasn't doing so well. She didn't say a word at all the rest of the night, which of course captured Gail and Howard's attention. When they asked what was wrong she just shook her head. Gail and Devlin did their best to distract them, not that it worked, but they tried and Khyrran was grateful. The answers were right in front of her; she just had to ask the right question. Idan's clue wasn't helping. She climbed into bed that night, hoping that the dream would haunt her sleep as it had so many times in the past.

Khyrran found herself at the edge of the ravine…again. She could hear the demons, could feel the loss of the other Guardians, and could patiently wait for the voice.

'Jump.' There it was, drifting soft as a breeze across her hearing.

"Why?" she whispered back, careful not to give her position away.

The voice hesitated as if it wasn't prepared for the question. 'Destiny lies at the end.'

Now it was Khyrran's turn to hesitate. Jumping meant she would die. The noise behind her grew louder, so she sat on the edge of the ravine. It reminded her of Gulliver's Ravine in Smallville and the talk she and Clark had. "This is where I learned I could fly." Maybe jumping wasn't suicide, but escape. She might be able to make it to the other side. Khyrran stood up… and was immediately spotted. It was now or never time. She backed up a few steps and gave a running leap. For a second it seemed she would make it. But it quickly became obvious that foolish hope was to be denied. She fell through the damning darkness. After what felt like an eternity, she hit the bottom and was greeted by the woman in white.

'See I told you jumping was your salvation,' she said.

"I am aware of that now, but it didn't make sense. Why would falling to my death be a salvation?"

'For you it isn't…it is a sacrifice. For the people of Earth and Mann'ahoia it is salvation. If you take the throne you are telling the people of Mann'ahoia that you are committed to saving them, that you are willing to give your life to the cause that your ancestors did,' she replied.

"So what I am giving up my life to Mann'ahoia? I am sacrificing my hopes and dreams?"

'Your hopes and dreams aren't yet established. You are young and don't really know what you want out of life. But no, you are not sacrificing any of those things. Your life and your destiny are bound to the planet."
"That sucks."

'It is better than the alternative.'

"Which is what exactly?"

'Should you deny your birthright; you will lead an army of demons to Earth, conquer the planet, and usher in the darkest time in the history of this solar system. Eventually you will bring the Conqueror into existence and the Universe will fall to him." With that, she vanished.

Khyrran sat up in bed. If the dream wasn't disturbing enough the truths it revealed were just plain wrong. What in the world would make the Overseers think that one of the good guys could possibly bring the source of all evil into existence? And what would make them think she would be the one to do it. Khyrran glanced at the clock. She had slept later than usual; Devlin and Grace were at breakfast by now. She got dressed and hurried downstairs. She had some major questions and only two people could answer them, neither of which were in that house.

"The dream was a combination of vision and prophecy. It was designed to show me what Idan said would happen, but the dream was also showing me what would happen should I not fulfill the prophecy," Khyrran announced, coming into the kitchen. Devlin, Grace, Jet and Dawn were sitting at the breakfast nook, discussing that very subject.

"And let me guess, that something was bad?" Grace asked.

"I knew I liked her for a reason. Yeah, it usually is. Kent or Jace told me that the fall of Camelot was due to one of the knights not fulfilling a prophecy made by Merlin. Leaving a prophecy unfulfilled is like leaving the gates between the planets unprotected. One is just asking for all sorts of trouble when that happens. Anyway I am going to Mankato," she replied.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Devlin asked.

"No, thanks. This is something I have to do alone."

Kamara was waiting on the dais when Khyrran arrived. "You have made your decision."

"Yes, I am willingly accepting my birthright."

"Excellent."

"I do have a few questions."
"That is understandable. Go ahead."

"Who was the woman in white?"

"She is one of the fates, the future one I think. I forget her name."

"One of the Fates, like from Greek Mythology?"

"It's not mythology. They actually exist. In fact the gods of Olympus owe allegiance to you."

"Oh that is too cool. Am I going to have to move to Mann'ahoia?"

Kamara laughed. "No, but you will be expected to keep a close eye on your people. Your main goal is to unite the planet. There are rough times ahead; your people need to have complete confidence in you."

"Spiffy. Anything else I need to know?"

"Not at this time. We will be having these discussions more often as you take power from the council. There is one thing you do need to keep in mind. What you say is law, so think before you speak. Magic is a literal thing and doesn't always do what it is supposed to."

Khyrran thanked her and went back home. Her fifteenth birthday was less than a month away. They had a lot to accomplish in that time.

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Of course, due to Murphy's Law, nothing ever happens the way it is supposed to. The Guardians were called to look into a strange signal that had been picked up by Mann'ahoian intelligence. Before they could investigate, however the signal became visible in the form of a space ship, in the middle of Canyon Park, outside Metropolis. And the first person it made contact with was Lex Luthor. Khyrran was infuriated. The man had some sort of nerve. First, he tried to sell weapons to terrorists, then he tried to kill Clark. Khyrran decided to pay her big brother a visit after he met with the strange ship.

Clark stood on his balcony watching the sun set. His meeting with Brainiac had been interesting, to say the least. The orb of Krypton quickly replaced the machine as his main interest. It held everything he ever wanted to know about his home planet. Brainiac's proposal to explore the universe was worth thinking about, but what about the people of Earth? He couldn't just up and leave.

"Sure you could. I got your back," Khyrran said, appearing next to him. "If it's what you truly want to do, then do it."

"I'm not sure," Clark replied, not even phased that she appeared out of nowhere. "There's something about that machine that I don't trust."

"Gee, could it be his partnership with Luthor?" she asked, sarcastically.

"Probably. There's something else about that ship that bothers me that has nothing to do with Luthor."

"Just be careful, Clark. Luthor can't be trusted. Speaking of Baldy, what did you do with the Kryptonite that was in his museum?"

"Is there anything you don't know?" he asked, laughing. "I chucked it into outer space."

"Darn, I wanted to study it."

"Sorry, kid. That stuff has, hopefully, been sucked into a black hole by now. So what brings you to my balcony?"

"Brainiac. I wanted to get your take on that ship. It is causing the Mann'ahoian council some major paranoia."

"And they want you and the other Guardians to demolish it," he finished for her.

"Yep. I can't wait to boot those yahoos out of power. I can't believe that people have survived this long with those nuts in charge."

"How much longer before that happens?"

"My birthday is a week away and the coronation is the day after. You're coming, right? No, wait, scratch that you can't, I forgot," she said.

"I can't? Why not?"

"Mann'ahoia sits under a red sun. According to your little box thing, this yellow sun gives you your powers. Putting you back under a red might make them disappear. And let's face it, the world needs Superman."

"You think so huh?"

"No, I know so," Khyrran said, giving Clark a hug.

"Thanks Jinx."

"Anytime, I gotta go. Let me know how your meeting with the freak show goes."

As it turned out Clark didn't have to tell Khyrran about his trip to the spaceship. Superman discovered that Brainiac had destroyed all the planets that he had collected information on. Except Krypton, that one he just let explode. In a fit of rage, assumable at the loss of life, Superman attacked Brainiac. The machine had been connected to Luthor's network, effectively shutting down all of the weapons the billionaire had placed all around the ship. As Brainiac started to download 'Earth', Superman cut off the connection. The second Luthor's men regained control of the system they opened fire on the ship. Superman managed to save the orb containing the memories of Krypton before the ship burst into flames. And of course the entire thing was caught by TV cameras. Well, what they could see from the outside of the ship.

The destruction of Brainiac's ship greatly relieved the ruling council of Mann'ahoia, even if their people didn't do it. Preparations for Khyrran's coronation were in full swing. Devlin found away for Clark to be able to attend her coronation and even found away to keep Gail and Howard from questioning their absence. It wouldn't be practical for them to find out just what their children were doing when Devlin had managed to keep it a secret for 28 years. The coronation went off with out a hitch (major surprises there) and Khyrran promptly passed out as soon as the darn thing was over (no surprises there).

Needless to say, things were about to get interesting.

A/N: Yeah forgot this... how who knows? Yeah Khyrran is an Empress. Yeah nothing exciting going on in that department yet. Poor girl. Shoutout to stormcloud-23 for being the only person to review chapter 8. You get a cookie! (:) There it is! So folks read enjoy review... and if you didn't enjoy that's ok too.

Loves much