DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, nor am I in any way affiliated with the show, or with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. This story is purely for entertainment purposes.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who patiently awaited this next chapter, and a special thank you to all who followed, favorited, and/or took the time to feed the Review Junkie. ;) And speaking of, to clarkfan325: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying so far. :) To the person who left a Guest review: I'm sorry that you feel that way. But the scene between Kal-El and Maxima actually serves a purpose. Several, in fact. So, I just ask that you just please bear with me because I assure you, the story gets a lot better from here on out. :)
EDIT: The scene between Kal-El and Maxima in chapter one has now been shortened (though, the original scene is still intact for the time being over at AO3). Also, I've gone back and tried to make Kal-El more sympathetic in this chapter, as it was pointed out to me that I'd made it seem like Kal-El was going to keep carrying on his little 'affair' with Maxima.
The following morning, Kal-El awoke with Maxima curled up against him, her head pillowed on one of his pecs while one shapely leg was entwined with his. Careful not to disturb her, he slipped out of bed, washed his face in a basin on the other side of the room, and dressed. He left the redhead still sleeping, though instructed one of the guards to escort her back to the ship once she'd awoken and gotten dressed.
He then headed to the dining hall, which he found empty except for servants in the process of setting out food. As they passed him, they mumbled formal salutations in his direction.
Sauntering over to the table, he studied the enticing but foreign offerings. Before he would've chosen something, though, a familiar, feminine voice suggested coolly, "Try the strawberries."
He turned to find Lois standing in the entryway, an unreadable expression on her face.
She approached, adding, "They're delicious this time of year."
One corner of his mouth turned up, and he saluted her in Kryptonian fashion, "Princess."
"Prince Kal-El. I trust you slept well."
"Yes, thank you. You?"
"I slept just fine. Thank you for asking." She answered him not so much politely as excessively formal.
He'd thought from their interactions the previous day that they'd already moved past that, which is why he regarded her strangely for a moment, before finally dismissing her tone with a shake of his head.
He then scanned the table, as he started to ask, "So, which ones are the — ?"
Before he could complete that thought, though, Lois picked up the red fruit and offered it to him, holding it between her thumb and first two fingers.
"I take it strawberries aren't native to Krypton?" she inquired.
He shook his head, glancing back down at the table as he replied, "Most of this fare isn't."
"Well, just don't eat the green part, and you should be fine."
She again offered him the strawberry, and this time, he accepted it. Leaning forward, he placed his hand gently over hers, and took a bite.
Was he imagining things, or did she shiver from the contact?
"Hmm," he opined, straightening even as he savored the luscious fruit, "you were right, that is delicious."
"See? I told you." She quickly busied herself with discarding the rest of the strawberry in favor of grabbing one for herself, and otherwise avoided prolonged and direct eye contact.
He watched her a moment, reminded of the silent promise he'd made to Kara just the day before.
He began, "Listen, Lois, I'm glad we're alone because there's something I need to speak with you about."
"Oh?" Her detached demeanor was back in place.
He continued on, though. Or, at least, he tried to. Right at that moment, Lois's parents and sisters filed into the room, as did Kara, Zod, and Dru.
Sighing in resignation, Kal-El said, "It looks like we'll have to continue this some other time."
"As you wish," she replied indifferently, moving to have a seat.
Before Kal-El could've followed suit, Kara and Zod approached. Dru, meanwhile, went to sit with Lois, who beckoned him over.
Kara asked urgently, "Did you tell her?"
"I didn't get the chance."
"I was afraid of that. You need to find a way to tell her, and soon. The fate of our entire world hinges on this."
"You're not helping," he informed her, scowling.
With that, he turned and joined the others at the table, followed by his cousin and Zod.
At the head of the table was, of course, King Jonathan, with Queen Martha to his right and Princess Chloe on his left. Next to Chloe was Lois, with Dru on her other side and General Zod situated next to him. On the opposite side of the table, Princess Lana sat next to her mother, with Kal-El taking the seat on Lana's other side as he wanted to keep himself as close to Lois as possible. Finally, Lady Kara chose to sit beside her cousin, directly opposite Zod.
As they broke their fast, Jonathan announced, "Prince Kal-El, you may be happy to know that a messenger is on his way to each of the provinces as we speak. I assigned the fastest runner in the kingdom to the task, so the nobles should all receive word before nightfall."
Beaming all around the table, he then added excitedly, "Once the nobles arrive, we'll hold a masked ball in honor of our new Kryptonian friends. Everyone from the ship is invited!"
"That's very kind of you, Your Highness," Kara told him. "Though, I wonder, what does one wear to a...masked ball?"
"You don't have balls on Krypton?" Lana asked, interested.
When Kara shook her head in response, Lana proceeded to explain, "Well, a masked ball is just like a regular ball in that there's dancing and you get to dress up. The only difference is that with a masked ball, you have to wear a costume and cover your face with a mask."
Martha quickly assured her guests, "If you'd like, we can have a tailor work with you on your costumes."
The Kryptonians all thanked the queen.
Then, Chloe gleefully informed them, "There's also going to be games. Lois, Lana, and I will each get to pick out one man from the crowd for a special dance and a kiss, and we can only go by his costume. There's also a prize for the best costume."
"That sounds like fun," Kara opined, smiling warmly.
Kal-El, however, was a bit more apprehensive, given that he possessed a dislike of costumes. He did concede, though, that the game Chloe had described seemed to have merit.
Just then, Dru spoke up, asking Lois enthusiastically, "Do you know what your costume will be?"
She considered a moment, before replying, "I think I'll dress up as the moon."
"Forgive me, Princess Lois, but how can you dress as the moon?"
"You'll just have to wait and see," she teased, her eyes sparkling with good humor.
However, she looked up and her eyes happened to fall upon Kal-El, and they quickly lost their sparkle.
"In that case," Dru declared, blissfully ignorant as to any tension in the room, "I think I'll be the moon too. That is, if you don't mind us matching, Lois?"
Suddenly, Kal-El was struck with a brilliant idea, one unintentionally given him by Dru. In return, he silently thanked the general's son.
"No, I don't mind that, Dru," she assured the boy, her smile returning.
Kal-El decided then and there, Lois is a beautiful woman, to be sure, but when she smiles, her beauty shines brighter even than the yellow sun.
All of a sudden, the prince was jolted from his thoughts by the sound of Lois's voice; she was excusing herself to go for a walk.
Before she left, though, she reassured Dru with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll be back this afternoon to give you that tour that I promised."
With that, Kal-El watched her go. Then, with a quick glance at Kara and being as polite as he could, he excused himself as well, intent on catching up to Lois. He knew that what he had to speak with her about was much too important to wait.
...
After leaving the palace and wandering around for approximately twenty minutes, Kal-El couldn't find any sign of Lois, nor could he find anyone who had seen her. A servant had informed him she'd left the palace, while one of the guards had directed him down the wooded path he was currently on.
Frustrated that the trail had gone cold, he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, forcing his other senses to focus on the one he sought. His superhuman hearing picked up a sigh that seemed somehow familiar to him, while a breeze blew through him, carrying with it a scent he'd already grown accustomed to.
Opening his eyes, he noticed some tall grass just up ahead. He soundlessly approached, then carefully parted some of the grass, finding a small lake and Lois standing at the edge of it, her back to him. As he watched her, she slipped out of her dress and underclothes, baring her beauty to nature.
He respectfully averted his gaze, but not before catching a glimpse of her well-formed hips and buttocks. As he kept his eyes from darting back to the beautiful stranger before him, he heard her submerse herself in the water. Then, once it was safe for him to look again, he stepped forward onto the lake shore.
He watched her swim lazily forward a moment, before finally announcing his presence, "Ahem."
"Prince Kal-El!" She spun quickly in the water, nearly jumping out of it.
"I'm sorry, Princess, did I startle you?"
"What are you doing here?!" she demanded indignantly. "Did you follow me?!"
"In a manner of speaking. As I've told you, there's something I need to discuss with you."
"Well, your timing leaves a lot to be desired! Do you think we could possibly discuss it at a time when I'm not naked?!"
"If you'd like, I could join you," he offered, though he knew full well what her answer would be.
Sure enough, she glared hotly at him, as if daring him to see what would happen if he tried it.
The people of Earth, Kal-El knew, viewed sex differently from Kryptonians. Much like humans, Kal-El's people fell in love and had families all the time, but on the whole, they took a more practical view of sexuality. They placed little, if any, emphasis on saving oneself for the marriage bed, and nudity wasn't considered quite as shameful.
"So, you said you had something to discuss with me?" she asked, irritated.
"Yes, but first, I must ask: what have I done to offend you, Princess? We seemed to be getting along so well just yesterday, yet today you've been trying your best to avoid me. And when we have spoken, you've been as cold as you accused me of being."
Lois studied him a moment, briefly weighing her options. Finally, she realized she may as well go ahead and come clean.
With a reluctant sigh, she admitted, "I saw a woman in your quarters last night."
He scoffed softly, as if he actually found her confession amusing, "I knew I heard someone spying on me."
"You actually heard me? But how?"
"When under a yellow sun, my people and I possess certain abilities; enhanced hearing is just one of many. But rest assured, Princess, you have no cause to be jealous. The woman you saw was merely a Kryptonian concubine, a professional caregiver that highborn men sometimes use to relieve stress."
"I know what a concubine is," she snapped at him. "I just didn't realize Kryptonians were in the habit of...using them."
"Oh, yes, it's an ancient custom going back centuries, though some choose to forgo it. My father, for instance; he wanted only to share his bed with my mother."
"How nice for him," she muttered. Then, slipping back into the mask of indifference, she inquired, "I do wonder, Prince Kal-El, how your intended bride feels about you fraternizing with concubines?"
"I'm so glad that you brought that up, since that's actually what I wanted to speak with you about. I wanted you to know that once the nobles arrive and negotiations get underway, I fully intend to ask for your hand."
She was completely taken aback, her cool exterior forgotten, "Wh— As in marriage?!"
"Yes."
"But, but I thought you were already engaged!"
"She's in love with someone else, as I've said. Besides, the only way for our two kingdoms to merge successfully is with a marriage, if for no other reason than that most of my people wouldn't accept you or your father as their ruler. I know you're a smart woman; surely you had to have realized that."
She seemed to be considering that. Then, calming down somewhat, she countered, "Kal-El, I'm sure you're a nice guy and all, but we hardly know each other."
"I know, and I don't want to force you into a marriage, which is why I'm telling you of my intentions beforehand. But, Lois, so much is at stake here. Kara and I wouldn't have traveled all this way if there were no other solution."
For a while, Lois was quiet. Then, finally, she answered slowly, "Alright. I will take your proposal into consideration. I can't promise that I'll accept, but I will at least consider it."
"Thank you, Lois. That's all that I ask."
The next moment lapsed in awkward silence. Finally, Lois cleared her throat, and asked, "Was there anything else? Because I should probably be getting back soon to give Dru that tour I promised him."
"You're very good with him, you know," Kal-El remarked, gazing at her meaningfully.
She immediately caught on as to his meaning, and her indignation returned. Swimming a bit towards the shore, she stood in the shallow end of the lake, her arms folded over her breasts in such a way as to conceal them from his gaze while the water itself obscured her below the waist. For one so modest, it was clearly a dramatic gesture made in the heat of the moment.
"Look, Kal-El," she fumed, "let's make one thing perfectly plain. Even assuming I do accept your proposal, I refuse to be your broodmare!"
"My what?" His eyebrows knit in confusion.
"Broodmare. It's a female horse that's used solely for breeding, but it's also what we call a woman whose only purpose in life is to bear children."
"No, you misunderstand me," he insisted. "Yes, I hope our union produces children, and yes, it pleases me that you'd be an excellent mother. But I wouldn't think of you as a, a broodmare. You'd be my wife, my queen...my equal."
"Oh." Instantly, Lois's stance relaxed, though her arms remained crossed over her breasts. Her cheeks flushed, but otherwise she gave away no sign of her embarrassment. "I'd had no idea Kryptonians were so...progressive. I wish more men on this world thought as you and your people do."
"Yes, it's one reason we Kryptonians make such excellent husbands." He then lowered the pitch of his voice, and added seductively, "One of many."
He knew his best chance at making a marriage with Lois work, or even getting her to marry him in the first place and save his people, was to woo her. Hence, the sales pitch.
Without missing a beat, though, she retorted, "Oh, yes, I saw you practicing your 'husbandly duties' with Maxima last night."
"I already explained that, she was just providing me with some stress relief. She means nothing to me. I was planning on forsaking her once you'd agreed to be my wife, but if she bothers you so much, I can have her sent away immediately. You'd have only to say the word."
Trying for aloof, Lois shrugged, "You're free to do as you wish. It makes no difference to me."
Kal-El, however, knew better.
She then added, "At any rate, I really should be getting back. So, would you be so kind as to turn around so I can get dressed? Even if I accept your proposal, you're still not allowed to see all of me until the wedding night."
"Something to look forward to then," he told her with a hint of a smirk, even as he obliged her.
With his back to her, he heard the sound of the water sloshing as she emerged from the lake, then the rustle of fabric as she snatched up her clothes from the ground and put them back on.
Once she was decent, she moved to stand in front of him. She looked nervous, as if she had something to say and it wasn't easy for her.
Sure enough, she told him, "I just wanted to thank you, Kal-El. For taking me into consideration, for giving me a choice. Not many would do that."
"You are very much welcome, Princess."
Then, tentatively, Lois gave him a quick peck on the cheek in gratitude. He smiled lopsidedly at the gesture, while she tried her best not to make eye contact.
Eventually, she turned to leave, and her shyness turned quickly to annoyance as he called cheekily after her, "If that's what it takes to get a kiss on the cheek, then what would I have to do to earn one on the lips?"
She stopped in her tracks long enough to call back over her shoulder, "Don't push it, Kal-El!"
That only served to deepen his smile as she traipsed off in the direction of the palace.
TO BE CONTINUED...