Chapter 22
Diana and Kara walked along the paths of the island at sunset. All the Amazons were preparing for battle. To avoid suspicion, everyone was given Amazon clothing and armor to blend in. Kara idolized Diana and she barely saw her these days now that her mother was preparing for her to take the throne. Diana was done training to be warrior, now her training to be a queen had begun.
Kara felt the breeze across her face and it blew her hair back. She had missed the way the ocean smelled here but she did not miss being surrounded by the all the water. "What is on your mind, Kara?" Diana asked as they walked.
"How desperately I want this war to be over… to marry Milton… to grow old with him." Kara said. Diana put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I feel the same way about Steven… but we cannot be married until I ascend the throne and give him permission to live with me on the island… and that could be years from now but he is willing to wait for me." Diana said.
"I am sorry." Kara said and turned to look at her. "My problems seem so small now." Diana rubbed Kara's shoulder.
"Love, especially marriage, is not easy but I do enjoy a challenge." Diana said and Kara smiled. "So are you sure you know nothing of this mysterious woman Kal is courting?" She asked and they began walking again.
"He has never been this secretive about a woman. He introduced me to Alicia right after he began courting her but this one… I do not even know her name. This is unlike him for we tell each other just about everything." Kara replied.
"I am sure he has a good reason for keeping this from you but if not… I can get the truth out of him." Diana said and pounded her fist in his hand. Kara smiled and shook her head.
"I will take it under advisement but I am sure he will tell me when he is ready to. He always has." Kara said and Diana nodded.
"It is good to know you have learned some patience, at last." Diana said and they laughed again. The deep bellow of the large horn at the highest peak on the island interrupted their laughter. The two women looked at one another and began to run to the nearest clearing. They ran up a hill and looked to the horizon.
Dozens of battle ships came into view in an endless line of ships. They were miles away but they could make out their shapes. "Hera, be merciful." Diana said softly. Their horses were down the hill so they ran back down. They jumped on top of their horses and raced back to the palace.
Everyone was already assembling for battle when they reached the Amazonian Palace. They pulled the reins back and jumped down onto the ground before their horses made a complete stop. They ran up the stairs to the palace and ran to the throne room.
Diana pushed opened the doors to the throne room. "Mother!" Diana called and she saw her mother putting on her gold-plated armor.
"Diana, how long before they reach our shores?" Hippolyta asked. She placed her battle crown on her brow and began retrieving her weapons.
"With the wind… dawn." Diana replied breathing heavily.
"Good. The army will be assembled long before then. You two rest and then prepare for battle." Hippolyta said and they nodded. They hurried off to their chambers to prepare.
Lex watched from the bow of his flag ship and smiled as the island came into view. Sir John Corben walked up to him and bowed. "Your Majesty, with the wind, we shall reach the island at dawn. What are your orders?" Corben asked.
Lex took a deep breath, turned around, and crossed his arms. "When the men reach the shore, you will sneak onto the island to find the stone and bring it back to me." Lex said and Corben nodded. Corben bowed and was starting to walk away. "And John…" Corben stopped. "Do not fail me." Corben walked away with the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.
Back in Smallville
Kal-El and Carter went over battle plans while waiting for Bruce to arrive with his forces from Gotham. "What is the plan once Bruce arrives?" Carter asked.
"Hopefully we will take the camp and will be able to march onto to Argos City, where the Atlantian fleet will be waiting for us. When we arrive they will attack the city by sea." Kal-El pointed out on the map Lois gave him of Genesis. "Every city serves as an outpost for the army and if we destroy all of them then the army is crippled."
"I take it you received this from your spy." Carter said regarding to the new detailed map of Genesis.
"Yes. She has given us the vulnerabilities of every city, including Metropolis; as well as hidden armories in these towns. Soldiers are ordered to retreat to these towns, get the arms, and then ambush the incoming army." Kal-El said.
"So we attack the armories so they will be an army without weapons and there will be little resistance as we march onto the capital city." Carter said and Kal-El nodded. "You do not plan to march there with your entire army, do you?"
"No, you have taught me better than that. Half of my army will remain to protect Krypton in case Lex has the same plan as us but I doubt he will. He is obsessed with finding the stones so he will only focus on those for now. However, if he does have the same plan he will not be able to carry it out." Kal-El said.
"I agree. The Amazons will butcher Luthor's half the army, leaving his kingdom defenseless. Lane's army is well trained but too few soldiers once all our armies become one." Carter said.
"Arthur, Oliver, Bruce, Diana, and we may be leaving with only half of our armies but this will be the greatest invading army the world has ever seen. Genesis will be conquered in less than a month if all goes as planned." Kal-El said.
Kal-El rubbed his chin and could feel the coarse hair forming into a beard. He had not shaved or cut his hair in weeks. Carter looked just as bad for he had not trimmed his beard or hair in weeks as well. He noticed the specks of white hair growing in Carter's beard.
"What is bothering you? Oliver and Diana would be gloating about this invasion. Bruce would most likely sulk in the shadows like he always does." Carter said.
Kal-El crossed his arms and walked to the window. The sun was almost set and he could see only the smoke from the wreckage of bombardments. "What next? What happens after we take Metropolis? I see no victory. All I can imagine only a long trail of bodies that I know will haunt me."
"To be honest… I do not know. Peter could take the throne and there could be peace." Carter said but Kal-El continued to stare out the window. Carter got up and stood next to his student. "And perhaps you could marry Lois." Carter said.
"Will she be enough? Will she be able to love someone as haunted as me?" Kal-El asked somberly.
"Enough of this… Clark." Carter said and that got his attention. "I have seen a great deal of men go down this road and lose everything they held dear. I do not want to see it happen to you as well." Carter placed his hands on Clark's shoulders. "One thing I do know is that men like us are nothing without the women we love. They bring us up when we are down thus making us feel like kings."
Clark grinned but only for a moment. "I have never wanted something or someone so much but I do not even know if we can ever be together." Clark said. Carter took a seat and motioned for Clark to do the same.
"Let me tell you a story. My father was always away on different war campaigns. He was away for so long that my mother found comfort in the arms of another man… a general in my father's army. My father found out. He was so furious and hurt that he wished they were dead. A few days after he said this, my mother and her lover were found dead… poisoned. His chief advisor ordered their death hoping to please my father... I was the one who found them and that was the first and the last time I ever saw my father cry. He died by his own hand that same day so he could be with my mother in the next life." Carter explained.
"I am sorry." Clark said sympathetically.
"I was twenty-one years of age when I took the throne with Shiera by my side. I made it my duty to give back what my family had taken by force. And when I became a father, I made it my duty to always be there for Shiera and Hector since my father was not there for my mother and I. I was there when Hector first walked, spoke, and fell from his colt. And I never left Shiera's side when she was wounded in battle a year ago. And there has been no other women but her." Carter said.
"I only want what you and Shiera have. It is all I ever wanted." Clark said.
"Then do not doubt what you and Lois have. Perhaps I judged your relationship too soon but I now believed that she is your soul mate. She is the woman who will make you into the man… and king you were meant to be." Carter said and Kal-El stared off to the enemy camp, where he knew she was waiting for him.
The Amazons stood outside the Amazonian Palace waiting for Queen Hippolyta and Princess Diana at first light. The Kryptonians stood with them waiting for Princess Kara but they were still disguised in Amazonian armor. The sun was rising and the bellow sound of the horn filled the air. The ships were nearing the beach.
Queen Hippolyta, Diana, Shiera, Dinah, and Kara came out onto the front steps of the palace and everyone saluted below by crossing their weapons over their hearts. "Amazons, we face another threat. A threat that is not to be underestimated but they have underestimated us. No army, no matter how large or small, can truly defeat us. If we can stand, then we can fight!" Hippolyta said and everyone cheered below. "Diana…" She motioned for Diana to come forward.
"My mother is right. No army has ever conquered us and no army shall ever conquer us when we stand together. Our marching will shake the earth, our arrows and spears will fill the sky, and the ringing of our swords will shake the enemy with fear. If we know anything, we most definitely know the art of war so believe me when I say we can break this army here!" Diana raised her sword in the air.
All the women cheered as they raised their weapons in the air. Dinah made sure her mask was on tight, Shiera placed her helm over her head, and everyone else put on their helms. Their leaders jumped on top of their horses and the Amazons and Kryptonians began to march.
They knew Luthor would try to surround the island so they had all the preparations for a land and sea assault. The first ship was almost to the shore and the Amazons were waiting in the shelter of the trees. The plan was to pick them off with archers until they got passed the beach, where they would be waiting patiently.
Once all the soldiers were off the first ships, Artemis, the Queen's personal bodyguard and a respected commander in her army, signaled to fire. Volleys of arrows flews from their bows and penetrated the armor of dozens of soldiers, who fell screaming in pain.
More and more ships were reaching the shore on all sides of the island. They kept bringing down as many soldiers as they could but soon there were overwhelming numbers and they were running low on arrows. Artemis signaled for the archers to fall back with the rest of the army.
The archers ran through the trees and met the rest of the army. "They are coming, Your Majesty." Artemis said breathing heavily and grabbed a spear from an Amazon.
"So it begins." Hippolyta said and they could hear the shouting of Genesis soldiers. They were charging and she smiled. "Amazons!" She cried and they all took battle positions. Artemis took a deep breath and took a battle stance next to Hippolyta.
Little did they know but the Genesis soldiers were charging into a trap. Once they entered the clearing, dozens of shoulders fell down a crevice deep into the earth. Some soldiers stopped but others bumped into them making them fall into the crevice. The sounds of their screams echoed in the jungle.
A soldier noticed where the crevice stopped and the soldiers began to go around. Diana and Shiera both cracked their necks as the soldiers came closer. Shiera readied her mace as everyone else readied their swords and shields. Kara twirled her sword and took a battle stance. "This is where the fun begins." Shiera said and Diana smiled at her friend.
"Volley one!" Hippolyta ordered and spears flew through the air hitting multiple soldiers. "Volley two!" She ordered and more spears flew through the air. The soldiers soon stopped and took cover giving them the perfect opportunity to charge. "Charge!"
The Amazons charged the enemies soldiers and by the time they looked up, the Amazons were already upon them.
Clark lay flowers down on Jonathan's grave in his full armor. "I never wanted to say good-bye. I am trying to bury my guilt, my doubts, my questions but I can no longer rely on you and Jor-El… I need to stand alone. It will be better for everyone even though… even though I miss you so much." Clark kneeled down before the grave.
"It is like I am on a cliff standing on the edge and where I am looking is beyond where you have been before… beyond where Jor-El has been. As much as I value all you have given me, I need to go beyond where you can guide me so I can become the king I need to be." Clark placed his hand on top of his headstone.
Clark stood and picked up her helm off the ground and down the other side, he saw someone fixing up the fence surrounding the Kent Farm. This was confusing because he sent all the farmhands away when the fighting became more intense. He turned around and noticed his bodyguards were preoccupied. He took the short window of opportunity to see who was down there.
As he walked closer, the man looked so familiar and then he looked too familiar making him drop his helm. "Father?" Clark asked. Jonathan Kent turned around and smiled.
"Chores, Clark… work keeps a man honest. You have to protect the things you work hard to build." Jonathan said. Jonathan was as he remembered him. Jonathan's hair stopped above his shoulders and he was developing a beard. He was just slightly taller than Clark and his smile was so calming.
"Are you real?" Clark asked. Jonathan put his tools down and stood up. "I missed you." He said sadly.
"I never stopped watching after you, Clark." Jonathan said.
"Then you must be disappointed. I have not grown into the man you raised me to be." Clark said sadly, his eyes filling with tears.
"No, you have not." Jonathan placed his hands on his shoulders. "You have grown into so much more… and I am proud of you, Clark." Jonathan said and Clark flashed a small grin.
"That is one father I can make proud." Clark said.
"When did this start again? I have told you time and time again that you do not need to live up to Jor-El's legacy. You need to be your own man or your anger would only boil over." Jonathan said.
"But that is just it. I took my anger out on people… all the men I have killed in battle… and more than anything I want kill one man instead of a thousand... Lex." Clark took off his gloves and threw them to the ground.
"We all are confronted with trials, son, but the true measure of a man is how he chooses to react in the face of the trials." Jonathan said.
"You never had this problem." Clark said.
"Son, I was far away from perfect. I could never control my own anger and I let it grow inside of me. It was my fury that drove me to kill another man but instead it killed me." Jonathan took off his work gloves.
"Lionel? You were just doing what you thought was right." Clark said.
"We cannot make excuses for the dark stains on our hearts, son." Jonathan said.
"I do not even know how I got to this place." Clark said.
Jonathan placed his hands on his shoulders. "We all have to make sacrifices and every time we do, we lose a piece of ourselves." Clark walked out of his grasp and leaned over the fence. "And you have sacrificed more than anyone. It is easy to let resentment grow inside but it has to come out somewhere.
"I feel like every time I do something right, I do something wrong… Most times I think it would be easier if you were here." Clark said.
"Not a day goes by that I do not regret not being here for you, your mother and your brother. I would do anything, give anything for a second chance to get it right. You have that second chance, son. You could be the greatest king this realm has ever known." Jonathan said
"I cannot be as great a king as Jor-El was." Clark said.
"You are not Jor-El but your own man! You have prove that to the world and most importantly, yourself." Jonathan kissed Clark's forehead and he could feel the coarse hair from his goatee. Jonathan walked away and picked up his work gloves. "You are going to be tested now more than ever. It is not going to be easy, son, but I have faith in you." Jonathan said and smiled.
Clark grinned and looked the other way for just a second. "Tell me what to do, father." Clark said but Jonathan was gone. He looked around for him but all he saw was the Red Shard knights running down the hill to him. He sighed and picked up his mail gloves.
"Your Majesty, please do not wonder off without us." One of them said anxiously, scanning the perimeter.
"Forgive me. I just needed to have a conversation with my… Never mind." He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Are you alright, Your Majesty?"
"Fine. I am fine." Kal-El picked up his helm where he dropped it and held it under his arm. "Back to Kent Castle." He ordered and they marched back to the castle.
I noticed some links to the pictures in my profile were not working. I fixed them so they shouldn't be a problem now. Also, new pic of the crown of the Queen of Krypton. I met to add it with Chapter 18 but I forgot. The action is on its way :-)