Chapter 9
Kal-El flinched as the physician cleaned the long cut on his arm. "Forgive me, Your Majesty." He said.
"Carry on. You do not need to apologize." Kal-El said.
The physician proceeded to wrap a bandage around the cut. "Finished, Your Majesty."
"Good. Now you can proceed to finish mending the rest of my men." Kal-El said. The physician bowed and then left the room. Kal-El then grabbed his white shirt and put it on. He put on a black vest over his shirt. He left the room with his six bodyguards in tow while he fastened his sword belt. "Where is Captain Lane?" He asked putting back on his sword as they walked.
"Captain Lane is being held in the prisoner quarters under guard, Your Majesty." Captain Ak-Var replied.
"Good. We will remain here until the reinforcements arrive from Daxam in no more than two days." Kal-El said and turned a corner. He saw Peter waiting for him. "Peter, what are doing here? Is everything well in Kandor?" He asked worried.
"May I speak to Your Majesty in private? It is of great importance." Peter said. He motioned for the king to head to his quarters. Peter wore a brown hooded cloak over his dark blue gambeson and pants, black boots, and his sword.
They entered Kal-El's quarters. Kal-El had a wave of nostalgia as he remembered sleeping in this room as a boy but he had to focus on the business at hand. He motioned for his guards to leave and they did. "Now what is this all about, Pete?" He asked.
Peter looked around the room and then whispered, "It is safe to come out now." Peter held out his hand. A hand appeared and held Peter's. A cloaked figure then appeared from around the corner. Kal-El had his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it. "Your Majesty, I would like to present to you the leader of the resistance…Chloe Sullivan."
She lowered the hood of her cloak. She had short blonde hair and she wore all black shirt and pants, and a sword at her side. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty." She gave a quick bow.
"Chloe?" Clark asked surprised.
"Hello Clark." She replied and smiled. Clark immediately walked up and hugged her tightly. She hugged him too. "Not so tight, Clark. You might choke me back to the dead." She joked.
He broke the embrace but kept his hands on her shoulders. "I just cannot believe that you are alive. They said you were killed in the Battle of Smallville with your parents and Alicia. I thought I would never see you again." He said.
"I am sorry that I have kept you in the dark for so long but it was necessary. And do not be mad at Peter. I told him to keep this secret from you until I was ready." Chloe replied.
"I am just so happy to see you. And somehow I am not surprised that you are the leader of the Resistance because all I have heard are ghost stories about you." Clark said.
"Now that you bring up the Resistance, we should return to the matter at hand and finishing becoming reacquainted later." Chloe said. Clark motioned to a chair and they both sat down across from each other. "Now you are probably wondering why I asked you to spare Lois Lane."
"The thought may have crossed my mind." Clark replied and Peter scoffed. Clark shot him a dirty look and then gave Chloe a quick grin.
"The answer is simple, really. Lois Lane is my cousin…the daughter of my father's older sister." Chloe stated. Clark was surprised for the third time this day. Peter also made a shocked expression.
"She is your cousin? Is this the cousin, Lois that ran off with that soldier some years ago?" He asked.
"The one and the same. Also, my uncle found them before they were married just to be clear. He so badly wanted to prevent a scandal." Chloe said.
"I'm sure. If she is your cousin, then why is she serving Luthor?" Clark asked.
"Lois and my uncle are under the impression that my family and I were assassinated by Kryptonian soldiers two years ago. As a matter of fact it was our murders that prompted General Lane to march onto Smallville." Chloe said and scoffed.
"I see that you are not dead so there must be some story behind that." Clark said.
"You know that it was no secret that the one ally Luthor needed for his war campaign against Krypton was my uncle. My uncle could easily raise an army against him or for him… so in the middle of the night, assassins dressed like Kryptonians came and murdered my mother and father. I barely escaped and I soon learned that Samuel and Lois pledged their loyalty to Luthor. I went on to gather war deserters and warriors of conquered villages to form the Resistance." Chloe explained.
"And no one, not even your family, is aware that you are in fact alive and the leader of the Resistance?" Clark asked rubbing his chin.
"Yes and I would appreciate that you keep Lois in the dark for as long as possible. I want to reveal myself to her on my own terms. If she does find out that I am still alive, she will find a way to escape and return to Genesis to demand an explanation from Luthor, who without hesitation will have her executed for treason." Chloe said.
"I understand. I will question her and you have my word that she will not suffer from any form of torture." Clark held up his hand as he made this promise. "While she is being questioned, she will be kept in Kandor. When you choose to reveal yourself to her, I will have her moved to my family's Fortress of Solitude."
"Thank you, Clark. In time, my cousin may prove to be of some use to the Resistance. Unfortunately, our spy in Luthor's court was discovered last month. It was difficult but we managed to get him out of Metropolis." Chloe pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"May I ask who?" Clark asked.
"Well since it is no longer a secret… our spy was James Olsen." Chloe said.
"Luthor's personal painter for the royal family? Impressive." Clark said.
"Thank you. He is safe in city of Argos for now. I am to meet him there after I leave here. He managed to get some new information about Luthor's hidden armories before being discovered." Chloe said.
Chloe stood and Clark stood as well. "I can have some of my best bodyguards escort you from Smallville, if you wish." Clark said.
"I can take care of myself. You know I trained with Dinah…but I thank you for the offer." Chloe said and patted the hilt of her sword at her side.
"Very well, then I hope Rao will grant you a safe journey." Clark said and hugged his childhood friend. He did not know when he would see her again.
Two days later, the reinforcements from Daxam finally arrived. Kal-El had finished putting on the last of his armor when there was a knock on his door. "Enter." He said and Ak-Var entered the room. His captain kneeled and revealed an annoyed expression. "Is Captain Lane being a problem again?" He asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. She requests…actually she demands that her armor be returned to her for the journey to Kandor." Ak-Var explained.
Kal-El shook his head. "Only return her chest armor to her. The rest will remain with you and tell her that there will be no compromises." He ordered. Ak-Var bowed and left his quarters.
The groom helped Kal-El put on his cape and he held his helm underneath his arm. Kal-El grabbed his mail gauntlets and left his chambers.
Kal-El and the last of the Red Shard entered the courtyard to the back entrance of the stronghold. "Kneel!" The knights kneeled and Kal-El nodded at them. He mounted his horse and Lois rolled her eyes.
Lois Lane was already on a horse and her chest armor gleamed in the sunlight. He hands were tied to the saddle and a knight held onto the reins. "I see His Majesty finally graces us with his presence." Lois remarked.
Kal-El felt a wave of anger and annoyance but he remained calm. "You should show me some respect because in Kandor I will be the only one protecting you while the people and the Council scream for your death." Kal-El said coldly and Lois smirked. "Return her helm to her, Captain Ak-Var. We should hide the fact that she is female because the Council can be…difficult." Kal-El moved to the front of the convoy.
A knight put her helm on her but kept the visor up. He then moved her horse so that she was behind Kal-El and Ak-Var at the front. Kal-El placed his helm on when he saw her behind him. He lowered the visor and gave his horse a kick.
In two days time, they arrived at Kryptonopolis. They halted in front of Fine Manor and Fine and Kara exited to greet them. Before entering the city, they lowered Lois's visor so no one could see her face. Everyone in the city gave her cold stares.
Lane and her guards went on to the prisoner quarters as Kal-El removed his helm and greeted his cousin. "Congratulations are in order for your victory, Kal-El." Kara said and hugged him.
"Well, I have quite a surprise for you later this evening involving Captain Lane." Kal-El said as they ascended up the stairs to the mansion entrance.
"Kal-El, may we speak in private after you have settled in for the night?" Kara whispered and he knew it be of great importance.
"Of course. We may speak privately after dinner." Kal-El lifted her chin with his index finger and she smiled.
Dinner was being prepared when Kal-El and Kara exited the manor. They were going to the prisoner quarters. Soldiers and knights kneeled as they walked past. A man was about to announce his presence but Kal-El shook his head.
They walked to the cell at the end of the corridor, where two knights of the Red Shard stood guard. Kal-El motioned for them to leave. They bowed and went to the far end of the corridor. "Princess Kara Zor-El, I present to you Captain Lois Lane of the Mad Dogs." Kal-El said and Kara looked at him confused when he said Lois.
Lois leaned forward into the light with her fingers interlocked. "Kara Zor-El? I have heard of you." Lois said.
"I was aware of Luthor's disapproval of female soldiers but now I see a female knight before my eyes besides myself." Kara said and leaned against the bars.
"Let me guess, you were knighted because your cousin is the king and has named you next in line for the throne." Lois judged.
"I see you were not joking about that mouth, Kal-El." Kara said and Lois was surprised that he allowed her to call him by his name. "If you must know, I was knighted as a commendation for my service in the Second Battle of Kryptonopolis. My cousin may have knighted me but I earned my knighthood, just like you." Kara said calmly.
Lois tilted her head to the side. "Then I am sorry to have judged you so quickly." Lois said expressionless and Kara nodded in return.
"Come cousin, dinner is about to be served. Don't worry, Captain, I will see that something is prepared for you." Kal-El said with his arms crossed. The two then left the corridor and knights reentered to guard her.