Chapter 23
The sun had set and it would have been pitch black if it weren't for the fires in the enemy camp. The full regiment of the Red Shard and more reinforcements led by General Milton Fine arrived late last night along with Bruce's half of the Gotham Army. They were all at the Kent Castle going over the plan to take the Smallville Fortress and preparing for battle.
Bruce wore dark gray chest armor with the symbol of a bat on the front; he wore his steel vambraces painted black on his wrists, and a black knight's cape. His helm was on the table with ears like a bat on the sides.
Carter wore his gold chest armor with his red knight's cape. He was sharpening one of his daggers just in case he lost track of his mace again but he doubt that would happen. His helm rested next to Bruce's. Kal-El's helm rested next to Carter's.
"Quietly kill the sentries and the soldiers in the camp. The rest within the castle walls will be too drugged to fight so we spare them." Kal-El said. He wore his gray armor with his red knight's cape. Underneath his armor, he wore a blue gambeson.
"What do we do with the men we spare?" Bruce asked roughly. He stood straight with his arms crossed.
"Take their weapons and armor, and then hold them in the prisoner quarters under guard. Then you, Ak-Var, will take our best knights and dress as enemy soldiers. In the morning you depart to destroy all these armories." Kal-El said and Ak-Var nodded. "Ak-Var will send word to us when he has destroyed the chosen armory and then we will attack that city. Ak-Var will do his best to make sure that word does not reach Metropolis of the incoming invasion."
Everyone nodded. "Might I ask how you were able to drug most of the soldiers in the camp?" Bruce asked.
Kal-El sighed. "If you must know, I have a spy in the enemy camp. This spy has given us everything we need to plan this invasion." He answered.
"You are putting a lot of faith in just this one person. Can we trust this spy?" Bruce asked.
"You have not changed, Bruce. You still do not trust anyone... not even me and I was the best man at your wedding." Kal-El said shaking his head.
"I trust you but I do not trust those around you." Bruce said roughly and Carter flashed him a look. "Carter is an exception." He said and Carter nodded but Kal-El flashed him a look. Bruce sighed. "And the rest of our justice league, of course."
"We have not called ourselves that in years. Those were good times. In those days, we had no hunger for war… except Diana and Shiera, of course." Kal-El said and smiled.
"Watch what you say about my wife." Carter warned. "And I thought we called ourselves the justice society?" He asked stroking his beard.
"I believe it was league." Kal-El said.
"Well that is not how I remember it." Carter said.
"Well that is how we remember it." Kal-El said pointing to him and Bruce.
"Can we return to the business at hand?" Bruce said.
"Why so serious, Bruce?" Kal-El asked and Carter grinned. Bruce just rolled his eyes and sighed.
"We are planning a massive invasion of Genesis but we first must take the enemy camp or this plan will never succeed. That is why I am so serious… That and I want to go home to my expecting wife and my young daughter." Bruce said and they nodded. Selena had told Bruce she was with child weeks before Gotham entered the war.
"And I wish to be reunited with my wife and my young son as well. You are not alone in this, Bruce. We all have families to return to." Carter said.
"I may not have a wife and child like you both but we will all be going home to our families. I promise you that... I only wish I could say the same of that of our soldiers." Kal-El said.
"If this invasion succeeds, they will have not died in vain." Carter said and Bruce agreed. "Remember what I told you." Carter said pointing to his chest, where Lois's ring was hanging from his neck. Kal-El nodded as Bruce tried to interpret what they were talking about.
"Alright..." Kal-El said and took a deep breath. "We have all left people we trust completely in charge of our kingdoms until we return so now we can focus on the invasion." Kal-El said and there was a knock at the door. "Yes?"
Lieutenant Cam-Zel entered the room and bowed. "All is quiet in the enemy camp. We are prepared to attack on your command, Your Majesty." He said. Kal-El nodded to Carter and Bruce. They left their helms and chest armor in the room.
Once they were outside, they mounted their horses as their troops bowed. Everyone was ordered to wear only their gambesons so they could silently sneak into the enemy camp. "Bruce, Carter and I will attack from the valley…
"And I will flank them from the hills. I remember the plan." Bruce said and gave his horse a kick. His soldiers followed him on foot.
Kal-El shook his head and Carter chuckled softly. They both gave their horses a kick and went in different direction than Bruce. Once they were hidden in the valley, Carter and Kal-El dismounted and tied their horses to some trees.
They grabbed their shields and drew their swords. Kal-El could make out the outline of a hawk on Carter's shield as they quietly walked towards the camp. They crouched when the camp came into sight and they noticed the sentries.
Kal-El nodded and Ak-Var motioned for the archers to aim. Once all the sentries were in sight, Ak-Var signaled for them to fire. The sentries groaned as the arrows penetrated the weak areas of their armor and they were dead before they hit the ground.
Kal-El held his finger up to his lips signaling them to be quiet and everyone nodded that they understood. Carter cracked his neck and placed his mace back against his hip. He had a sheathed dagger on his hip and he drew the dagger. Kal-El signaled them to move forward.
They began to creep into the camp quietly stepping over the sentries' bodies. The soldiers were sleeping soundly as they spread throughout the camp. They could hear the muffled groans of their soldiers killing the soldiers while they still slept. Kal-El, Carter, and the Red Shard made their way to the castle.
Lois promised that most of the soldiers and knights inside the castle walls would be too drugged to fight. The drawbridge was down and they quietly entered the courtyard while Bruce's men scaled the back wall. The guards were unconscious at the entrance so they quietly tied them up and gagged them. Kal-El noticed Bruce's men kill the few sentries left on castle walls.
Once it was all clear in the courtyard, Kal-El motioned for his men to enter the castle. The great metal doors opened loudly and the guards inside were immediately shot with crossbows. Their armor sent a ringing sound throughout the castle when their bodies hit the floor. The sound awoke the entire castle.
Knights shot up in their beds but their vision was blurred and their legs were numb. They tried to stand but ended up falling out of their beds. Some even tried to crawl to their armor but their arms and legs were dead weight. Kryptonian and Gotham soldiers searched room to room and subdued everyone they found.
Lois Lane awoke to the yelling within the castle and she could feel the effects of the drugs. To avoid suspicion on herself, she had drunk one goblet of wine while everyone else drank at least two or more. Her senses were not completely dull and she had most of the feeling in her legs but her feet were completely numb.
She swung her legs over the bed but she fell to the ground when she tried to stand. To make it look even more convincing, she began crawling to her sword and shield. She had her left hand on the hilt of her sword when soldiers burst into her chambers. They forced her left hand off her the hilt and bound her hands behind her back.
Bruce regrouped with Carter and Kal-El in the main hall. Kal-El took a deep breath. "Your Majesties, the castle is ours." Ak-Var said. The men began to cheer as their leaders walked passed them.
Two Red Shard knights dragged Lois and presented her to them once they ascended the stairs. "Captain… or should I say Commander, we meet again." Kal-El said. Lois held her head up high and she clamped her mouth shut as her men watched her.
"The pleasure is all yours." She said coldly and Kal-El ran his hand through his shaggy hair.
"Nice to see you have not changed." Kal-El said sarcastic. "Put her with the rest of the prisoners but she marches with us in three days." The two knights holding her bowed but they gave strange looks to one another. "I doubt your father will attack us if you are with us." He said to make an excuse for her.
"And here I thought you had just missed the pleasure of my company." Lois remarked. Kal-El grinned and motioned for the knights to take her away.
"Captain Ak-Var, signal General Fine at the Kent Castle to let him know the castle is ours." Kal-El ordered and Ak-Var bowed before walking off to the entrance to one of the towers.
Ak-Var grabbed a torch and stood on the highest tower of the Small Castle. He lit a Genesis flag on fire and began to wave it in the air in view of the Kent Castle. Fine watched the castle from a telescope and he saw the signal. "We have taken the castle!" He shouted and the men cheered. He lowered the telescope and smiled.
The sun rose and Kal-El lay in his bed wide awake. He had been awake for half of the night thinking about the future. He again thought about what Carter had said to him about marrying Lois and to let her be an anchor of happiness, not misery, for him.
Kal-El immediately rose from his bed and grabbed his shirt. He opened the door and said, "Send for Captain Ak-Var." He ordered and closed the door. After thinking about it all night, he now knew what he wanted.
There was a knock on the door and Ak-Var entered wearing the armor of a Genesis knight. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Are you and the men ready for departure?" Kal-El asked.
"Yes, we are. We were actually about to depart when you sent for me. Is something wrong?" Ak-Var asked.
"No. All is well. I only wanted to wish you luck and hope that Rao grants you victory, my friend." Kal-El said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty… Kal-El." Ak-Var said with a grin.
"And if all goes well… I will bestow on you the honor of becoming the new Commander of the Red Shard." Kal-El said and Ak-Var's jaw dropped slightly. "Do not say anything, my friend. You have earned it." Ak-Var bowed and Kal-El bowed his head. "Now go. You have quite a journey ahead of you." Ak-Var left the room.
Kal-El wondered the halls until he found himself at the door to Carter's chambers. His bodyguards positioned themselves against the walls as they waited for him to move again. Kal-El held up his fist but hesitated. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
He did not hear anything so he knocked harder. He heard movement inside and disgruntled mumbling making him regret waking up Carter. "Yes?" Carter grumbled and Kal-El entered just as Carter was putting on his shirt.
Carter had an old battle wound on his lower back from when he was stabbed in a duel. After he was stabbed was when he started only wearing chest armor and he switched to a mace instead of a sword.
Carter flexed his arms and his muscles before he turned around. "Did we have a meeting?" He asked and ruffled his untidy hair as if it would make it more presentable.
"No…" Kal-El said and he ran his hand over his face. "I am going to ask Lois for her hand." He blurted out and Carter froze. "I am telling you this because you are one of the only people who know about us." Carter flashed a nervous smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "Am I making a mistake?" He asked nervously.
"No. If anyone deserves happiness, it is you… But do you think it is a wise to ask for a woman's hand in marriage without telling the people who care about you? You wrote to me and Shiera before you asked for Alicia and Lana's hand. By Horus, you wrote to all of us!" Carter said.
Clark sat down and held his head in his hands. He then ran his hands through his hair and sat up. "By Rao! Must everything be so complicated?"
"It is a time of war and war complicates everything we believe to be simple. I of all people should know this." Carter said and took a seat next to him. "All that matters is… do you love her?"
"Yes… more than I have loved any woman. I cannot stand being away from her and I feel whole when she is with me. My greatest fear is losing her." Clark said.
"That is exactly how I feel with Shiera… and I guarantee it that is also how Oliver feels with Dinah and Bruce with Selena. Even Diana plans to marry a commander in my own army." Carter said and Clark grinned.
"Arthur and Mera." Clark said and Carter nodded. "Kara and Milton." Clark said under his breath.
Carter nodded and then he was deeply confused. "Milton? Milton Fine? General Milton Fine… the Duke of Daxam?" Carter asked thinking if he repeated his name over and over it would sink in but the shock remained.
"Yes, they wish to marry. I gave them my blessing some time ago… but the condition was that I be allowed to marry first." Carter grimaced when he said that. "I would not have said it if I had known I would find Lois… I want Kara to be happy and I know I want to make Lois happy." Clark said.
"You cannot rush into a marriage just so your cousin can be allowed to marry the man she loves. Marriage is more complicated and sacred than that." Carter said and smacked Clark on the back of the head.
"Ow!" He exclaimed and his bodyguards rushed into the room with their swords drawn. "I am fine. There is no need for alarm." He said and they put away their swords. He motioned for them to leave and they exited in single file.
"These men are a bit too serious. They would be mistaken for Gotham knights." Carter said laughing and soon Clark was laughing as well.
They stopped laughing and sat in silence for a moment. "When this war is over, I am going to ask Lois to marry me… with or without my friends' blessings." Clark said.
"It is your decision. Without their blessing, they may not like it. However, when they see that she is a good influence on you and that you are truly in love… they will grow to love her in time as we have come to love you, Clark. We are from different lands and kingdoms but we are a family." Carter said.
"Thank you, Carter. I really needed to hear all this." Clark said.
"I said I would be always be there for you for anything. Of course, just do not tell Oliver or Bruce of what I have said in this conversation." Carter said.
"We never had this conversation." Clark said and Carter patted his shoulder.
"Good man." Carter said.
Clark and Lois walked arm in arm through the fields of the Kent Farm. Carter was covering for them by saying that Kal-El was interrogating Commander Lane one last time before their departure and did not wished to be disturbed.
"I worked these fields with my father and brother almost every day before I went away to war. He used to tell us that work kept a man honest and that a man has to protect the things he works hard to build." Clark said.
"It sounds like the Duke and my father would have gotten along nicely." Lois said and Clark smiled.
"Growing up here, I never believed I was really a prince. I thought it was just a bedtime story until my uncle died. And my mother told me my true name once more. Prince Kal Jonathan Clark Seyg-El, Duke of Kandor." Clark said.
"It is a strong name for a king." Lois said.
"I always preferred Clark Kent. That is why I went by that name when I was a soldier. It was a relief to not be referred as 'Your Royal Highness' for a whole year before… before knights of the Red Shard came for me when my father was dying." Clark said and Lois rubbed his arm. "And I had to accept my destiny, although I had tried to run from it for so long."
"You were not the only one who wanted a normal life. It was difficult growing up with my father being the general of the king's army." Lois said.
"Did the soldiers run away whenever you came near?" Clark joked and Lois smacked his arm but she smiled.
"Actually, yes… all except Wes. Even though we did not marry, we remained friends. I even was a guest to his wedding to a woman who I could have mistaken for me." Lois said and Clark grinned. "I wish we could stay like this." She said and Clark kissed her hand.
"There is nothing I want more." Clark said and Lois rested her head on his shoulder as they continued to walk. "This war will be over in a matter of weeks and I promise you that everything will be different." Clark said.
They stopped and she turned to look at him. Lois caressed his face and he leaned down to kiss her passionately. They wrapped their arms around one another forgetting the world around them. Clark heard a horse neigh and he quickly broke off the kiss to see Oliver riding off.
The fighting continued on Themyscira far into the night. The Amazons ambushed the invaders from all sides because they knew the land. A field of bodies covered the ground and soldiers tripped over the bodies of their own while Amazons just walked on top of them.
With most of the Amazons distracted by battle, John Corben found his way to the Amazonian Palace. The Palace was mainly deserted except for the women guarding the stone. Corben snuck up behind one and snapped her neck. The other guard drew her sword but too late because Corben stabbed her in the heart with his dagger.
Then Corben noticed something. All the veins in her neck became green, along with the rest of her body. He looked deep into her terrified eyes. "Kryptonian…" He hissed and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. He removed his dagger and she fell dead. He wiped off the blood on her arm and walked into the antechamber.
In the middle of the room, the stone lay on an altar in a glass case. Corben used the hilt of his dagger to smash the glass. He picked up the Stone of Air and marveled at it. He carefully placed the stone in a red pouch and cautiously exited the palace.
Kara slew another Genesis soldier when the low bellow of a horn could be heard throughout the woods. "That is not ours!" Diana yelled over the noise. The Genesis soldiers began to run back in the direction of the ships. The Amazons began to chase them back to their ships.
Kara took off her helmet. "Diana, something does not feel right." She said and they ran to some horses nearby. Dinah and Shiera followed them and they raced back to the palace. Kara made it back first and she jumped off her horse. She ran as fast as she could to the antechamber. She paused when she saw the bodies and she ran to the Kryptonian. "Tara!" She exclaimed.
Kara knew she was dead so she closed Tara's eyes and noticed that all her veins were green. "Hera!" Diana exclaimed. "What could have done this?"
"A rare poison that is fatal to Kryptonians… There is only one man who dips his blades and arrows in this poison… John Corben." Kara said fiercely. Kara and Diana saw the door to the antechamber ajar so they ran in. Diana ran to the altar but Kara stopped when she saw the empty case. "By Rao!" She swore.
"They are leaving. That was not what I call an invasion so why would they just…" Hippolyta said outside of the antechamber but she paused when she saw the bodies. "Hera, grant them peace." She whispered as she kneeled before the dead Amazon. "The stone?"
"It is gone, mother." Diana said and Hippolyta closed her eyes. "The battle was a diversion."
"A clever diversion but their victory will be short lived when their home is conquered." Hippolyta said and stood. She walked to Diana. "Let them run. Let Alexander believe he has won. At dawn, you sail with the Kryptonians and your army to join the others in the invasion of Genesis."
"Yes, mother. I promise they will suffer for what they have done to our people." Diana said and Hippolyta nodded.
"Tonight, we honor and burn our dead." Hipployta said placing a hand on Diana's shoulder. "Tomorrow, we will deal with the dead soldiers after you set sail." Diana nodded. "I wish I could say that today was a victory."
"It was neither a victory nor a defeat, Hippolyta. Today was the beginning of the end." Shiera said. They could see the ships sailing away from the balcony of the antechamber. "But yes… Let them relish in their victory for it will be their downfall." Shiera said.
A video of what my co-writer and I got inspiration for the Battle of Themyscira in my profile. Enjoy!