Dominion

Kal-El grabbed hold of the bars of his cell above him. He began his morning routine. He slowly did pull-ups groaning with each one he did. His stab wound on his left side was not fully healed yet but he had to be prepared. It took him longer than usual with his injury but he did 50 pull-ups. He lowered himself down to the ground and cracked his neck.

He touched his neck and felt it bare. Where is it? "King of the cage!" Someone called. Kal-El growled and turned toward his cell door. "You fight today." His jailer said grinning, his eyes were bloodthirsty. Kal-El saw his locket dangling around the Zoner's neck.

"Still wagering that I shall fall this time?" Kal-El asked cocky as he put on his shirt. The jailer growled and tried to strike him with a cudgel. Kal-El caught his wrist and twisted it until he heard it break. The jailer fell back screaming in pain. "You might want to see the physician…and this is mine."

Kal-El took the locket from around his neck and stepped over him while putting on a black leather cuirass over his red leather gambeson and he put on a dark red woolen cape. He could still hear the jailer's screams of pain.

He walked through the halls until he reached a gate. "Here is the undefeated and insolent king of the cage…KAL-EL!" The gate was raised and Kal-El stepped into the arena. The Zoners cheered, bloodthirsty. Kal-El ignored them. "And the challenger, the feared slayer of warriors…TITAN!"

The other gate was raised and a bald man a head taller and bigger in muscle than Kal-El entered the arena. He thrust his fists in the air and the Zoners cheered. He yelled bloodthirsty as Kal-El was stood still, expressionless. "Time to die." He said to Kal-El and the Zoners cheered. Kal-El began circling around Titan, sizing him up.

Kal-El quickly looked around the arena: no weapons. They wanted them to fight hand to hand first before they threw down the weapons. He could hear the Zoners wagering who would win, so far they were all betting on Titan. Kal-El was happy to disappoint them. The Zoner in command, a man called Baern, gave the signal for them to fight. He now sat on the grotesque throne.

Titan charged Kal-El, who quickly dodged him. Titan barely stopped in time before colliding with the wall. Kal-El got up behind him and gave him 2 kidney shots. Titans yelled in pain and quickly backhanded Kal-El across the face. He was thrown back and he could taste blood. Titan tried to stomp him and he rolled out of the way.

He kicked Titan's knee making him yell out in pain again. Titan's size was his weakness. Titan dropped to one knee. Kal-El then kneed him in the chest. When Titan was on all fours, he kneed his nose, breaking it. He tried to kick Titan in the ribs but he grabbed his ankle making Kal-El fall back. Then two short swords fell into the arena.

Kal-El tried to crawl to the sword but Titan had a good hold on his ankle. Kal-El then turned his head toward Titan and kicked his broken nose. His grip loosened and Kal-El wiggled out. He took hold of both swords as Titan rose to his feet. Kal-El took a battle stance. Titan growled and then Kal-El charged him.

Titan dodged his first two slashes but Kal-El was able to cut his left upper arm. Titan grabbed hold of his left wrist and head bunted him. Kal-El fell back; Titan's blood from his broken nose was now on his face.

A wooden spike popped out of a contraption of Titan's right wrist. Kal-El was dazed but he stood and picked up a sword. Kal-El deflected Titan's thrusts and slashes with the spike. Titan then grabbed hold of the sword by the blade. Kal-El could not even get the sword to budge. Blood ran down Titan's arm from the blade cutting into the skin of his hand but he ignored it. He then pushed Kal-El back.

Kal-El quickly stumbled back as Titan tossed the sword away. He then thrust his spike aiming for Kal-El's head. He grabbed Titan's wrist with both hands and struggled to hold it back. For a moment, Kal-El closed his eyes. Clark, come to bed. Kal-El opened his eyes, which were now filled with anger and determination.

With a yell, he pushed Titan back. He backhanded Titan with all his strength and heel kicked him in the gut making Titan bend over in pain. Then Kal-El elbowed him at the base of his neck. Titan dropped down to all fours. Kal-El then kicked him in the ribs, cracking a few. He took a step back panting. Titan slowly stood and charged him with what strength he had left.

Kal-El ducked under his blow and spun around to uppercut him. Titan stumbled back. Kal-El then grabbed him by the forearm and twisted his arm until the spike stabbed Titan in the chest. It grew deadly quiet. Titan's breathing was labored. Kal-El took a step back as Titan started coughing up blood. Titan then grinned and said, "Good fight." He fell back, dead.

Kal-El looked up to the silent audience. Titan was their best fighter. "Are you not entertained?! Is this not why you are here?!" Captain Baern nodded once and two big brutish-looking men entered the arena. "Do you not grow tired of this?" Kal-El asked them. One smirked before knocking him unconscious with a cudgel.

"Clark, come to bed. All that can wait until the morrow." Lois said. Clark grinned at her and put the parchments away in a box and locked it. He arose from the table. He took off his robe and his shirt. He knelt at her bedside and rested his arms on the bed. They grinned at each other. Lois caressed his cheek.

Clark ran the back of his hand down her cheek. "Are you well? You are warm to the touch." He said and Lois smiled.

"I am better than well." Lois sat up, took his hand, and kissed his knuckles. "Oh, my love…I am with child." Clark's face lit up.

"A child?" He asked and Lois nodded smiling. "Our first child. A child!" He exclaimed. He threw his arms around her and hoisted her up from the bed both of them laughing and then they kissed.

Kal-El was awakened by the sound of hushed voices. He slowly sat up, his head killing him. He saw his jailer walking slowly up to his cell with his arm in a sling. Kal-El immediately got up just in case he was here for payback. That's when he saw the light from the jailer's torch reflect off something: a blade.

The jailer opened the cell and entered. He was at sword point. Most of his captor's face was covered with a gray scarf. The captor then struck the jailer with the sword pommel and he fell unconscious. "Who are you?" Kal-El demanded. He then looked at the sword. "Red Shard."

The knight pulled down the scarf down to her chin. "Raya!" The two gripped forearms and embraced.

"We heard whispers you were here. I saw you fight and sent for the others." Raya said. She presented him her sword.

"No." Kal-El said. He picked up the jailer's cudgel. "I shall find another sword in time. Where are the others?"

"Waiting for our signal not far from here. And we found your father's portal but it is under heavy guard." Raya said.

"One thing at a time." He said as Raya used her foot to turn over the unconscious jailer. She then stripped him off his clothing. She tossed him his brigandine and cloak.

"Put those on." She said. He kicked his leather cuirass aside and changed into the brigandine. "Help me." She grabbed the jailer by one arm and he grabbed him by the other arm. They dragged him to the far end of the cell. The jailer moaned and began to stir.

Kal-El grabbed him by the collar of his soiled shirt and punched him, putting his weight on it. The jailer was out cold once more. Raya then bound his hands to the cell bars, bound his feet, and then gagged him. "How long before they come looking for you?" Raya asked.

"Most times, they give me four or five days to heal after every fight but they may come looking for him sooner than that." Kal-El said.

"Then we must hurry." She tossed him a gray scarf. He put the cloak on and wrapped the scarf around his head so only his eyes and the bridge of his nose could be seen. They exited the cell and Raya locked it.

Kal-El did not know how they did it but they were soon out of the camp and walking up and down dunes. He then heard swords being drawn and he grabbed the cudgel but Raya grabbed his arm. She whistled a bird song like tune. "Stand down. It is Raya." A hushed voice said. They went around the dune and saw the rest of the knights.

Like Raya, they wore stolen brigandines, cloaks, and scarves around their heads to hide and to protect their faces from the wind. They sheathed their swords and hid them under this cloaks. The red and silver hilts were not subtle in the Zone. "Sire." Tam-Or lowered his scarf from over his mouth.

"Tam-Or!" They gripped forearms. Tam-Or's beard was much thicker now and his uncut hair stopped near his shoulders. "I have never been more pleased to see you." Kal-El said.

"And you, Sire. Now, we must get as far as we can from here. We may have found a second portal out of here." Tam-Or said.

"What? How is that possible?" Kal-El asked.

"It looks like it was built here on Zor-El's command. We must hurry, Sire. Captain Baern has his men looking for it with commands to destroy it." Tam-Or said.

"Then why are we still standing here! We must hurry." Kal-El said. Tam-Or then handed him a sword belt. "Where is the knight this sword belongs to?" Tam-Or shook his head. "Rao grant him peace." He put on the belt and concealed the sword under his cloak. They put their scarves back up and began walking south.

The patrols were easy to spot and they easily hid from the patrols by hiding behind the dunes. They slept no more than two hours and there was always a watch when they slept. The patrols grew fewer the further south they went. But they took no chances just in case this was some kind of trap.

Some days later

They approached a dry fjord that led to the cave-like structure that housed his uncle's portal. Kal-El led the group as they approached the entrance at a nice, cautious pace. The only sounds they heard were their own breathing and their boots crunching on the sand and rocks.

Kal-El frequently glanced up at the two cliff sides keeping his hand on the grip of his sword. He then held up his hand motioning for them to halt. He saw rocks and dust fall from the right side and he immediately drew his sword. "AMBUSH!" He yelled. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Zoners appeared on both cliff sides.

Only a handful of Zoners were armed with bows and arrows. The rest held an assortment of weapons and those without weapons wielded rocks. Three knights fell, hit with arrows. "FORM UP!" Tam-Or commanded. The knights formed up into three lines. The first line held up the shields to protect their legs. The second protected their upper bodies and the third their heads. "Stay close to me, Sire."

They slowly moved backwards in rhythm making their way to the cave. Kal-El saw Baern giving commands on the left cliff side and then he and some men disappeared. "They are coming for us." He told Tam-Or, who nodded once.

"FASTER!" Tam-Or ordered. They picked up the pace but they were still in rhythm. A stray rock then hit Kal-El in the shoulder making him fall, groaning in pain. "Raya." Raya broke off from the group and went for Kal-El.

"I am fine." Kal-El said and quickly got back up. An arrow flew past her head. She grabbed him and held her shield up to protect them from the archers and rocks.

They finally made it to the entrance of the cave. "HOLD!" Tam-Or said and the knights halted.

"No." Kal-El whispered. The altar to trigger the portal was buried under rocks. "They must have gotten here before us. Help me." He began pulling the rocks off of the altar praying that it was still intact. Raya dropped her shield and sword and began helping him.

"You two help the king. The rest of you, we must hold them until Kal-El opens the portal." Tam-Or got back in formation with the other knights. Two knights broke off, sheathed their swords, dropped their shields, and began helping them remove the rubble.

"NO PRISONERS!" They heard shouted in the distance.

"No matter what happens… No matter what hordes they bring down on us, we are knights of the Red Shard. We will not fall easily. We will honor our sacred oath to protect the king…until death." Tam-Or said. The knights banged the pommels of their swords once against their shields in unison.

Baern was leading the charge with dozens of Zoners behind him. "Hold!" Tam-Or shouted.

Kal-El heard the two forces collide behind him but he continued to focus on removing the rocks. Soon he could see some of the crest of the House of El. He threw off the last of the rocks, wiped off some dust, and smiled. The altar was intact.

Raya drew a dagger and cut his right hand before he could protest. He groaned and she placed his hand on the altar. The crest began to glow. Raya was then tackled by Baern. "Raya!" Kal-El screamed and he heard the cries of pain from his knights. He turned around to see the line had been broken and they were being overrun before they all were sucked into the portal.

Kal-El's eyes shot open and he gasped. He took in a deep breath and was panting. He could feel dirt underneath him. His vision was blurred and the only thing he could hear was his own heart pounding in his ears. He could make out a bright light and green. A lot of green. He shut his eyes tight and took in two deep breaths. He slowly opened his eyes.

Corn. The green was stalks of corn. But corn cannot be that tall, he thought. Kal-El raised his head slightly and looked around. He was in a crater, larger and deeper than the one he had found Bar-El in, but he was not alone.

He was surrounded by the bodies of his knights and a handful of Zoners. He began breathing through his nose to remain calm. He was alone now. They were all supposed to make it out together. They were all supposed to get home.

He raised himself up into a sitting position and that is when he felt something: the pommel of a sword. He turned to his right and saw a Red Shard sword beside him. He grabbed its grip, stuck the tip of the blade into the ground, and hoisted himself up. He clumsily stood wielding the longsword. He looked up at the yellow sun. He tilted his head to the side and used his super hearing to see if anyone was near. All was quiet except for some animals. He removed his cloak and brigandine. Not far from him was Tam-Or.

He rushed to his side and listened for his heartbeat. There was none. He lowered his head and closed Tam-Or's eyes with his fingers. Kal-El then began checking to see if any of his knights were still alive. But each one he examined was dead either stabbed, clubbed, or both. He bowed his head at every dead knight he found and closed their eyes if they were still open.

He was checking on another knight when he heard someone say weakly, "Kal-El."

He looked up and saw Raya. "Raya!" A dead Baern lay on top of her, her sword thrust deep in his gut. In one swift motion, Kal-El grabbed the dead Zoner by the collar and tossed him aside. "Raya," Kal-El said softly.

He then noticed the dagger buried so deep in her side that all he saw was the hilt. The wound was still bleeding. He then noticed that Raya was lying in a pool of her own blood. He kept a straight face so not to alarm her. "How bad is it?" Raya asked weakly. She coughed and blood ran down her chin.

"Only a scratch." Kal-El lied.

"Liar…but thank you." Raya said weakly and with a small grin. "My sword." Kal-El nodded once and stood. He put his right foot on Baern's chest, one hand around the sword's grip, and pulled the sword out of his gut easily. He then wiped off most of the blood on the Baern's cloak. He went back to Raya.

Kal-El flipped the sword so he was now holding it carefully under its crossguard. He rested the pommel by Raya's right palm. She blindly ran her fingers over the silver star on the round pommel and down to the grip. She grabbed hold of the grip and brought it up to her chest letting the pommel rest over her heart.

Raya took a deep, labored breath. "It has been my honor to serve you and fight by your side, my king." She said. Kal-El took her left hand.

"The honor has truly been mine, Lady it has been an honor to call you my friend." Kal-El said.

"And mine... Are we home?" Raya asked. Kal-El nodded.

"Yes, we are home." He answered softly. Raya grinned.

Then her grin slowly faded and her head fell back as she sighed her last breath. Kal-El tilted his back for a few moments to hold back the tears he could feel coming. He took a breath, closed her eyes with his fingers, and lowered his head.

Then he heard coughing behind him. Kal-El raised his head and looked over his shoulder. A Zoner was still alive, barely, but alive. Kal-El began breathing heavily out of anger. He picked up his sword and walked up to the Zoner, who was chuckling. Kal-El tightened his grip around the sword.

"Enjoy your freedom whilst you can, usurper." The Zoner chuckled weakly and coughed up some blood. "Zod will come for you. He will destroy everything you hold dear and only then will he kill you." He chuckled some more and then coughed up some more blood.

Kal-El crouched besides the dying Zoner and grabbed hold of his throat with his left hand. The Zoner gasped and tried to remove his hand but with little effect. "Then I shall enjoy my freedom whilst you lay here and die waiting for help that shall never come." The Zoner's grin faded and Kal-El stood.

"You cannot just leave me here. You are the king of Krypton!" The Zoner yelled. In a blink of an eye, Kal-El and the bodies of all his knights were gone as the Zoner screamed.

Kal-El lay Raya down on the large funeral pyre he had built for his fallen knights. It would not be a proper ceremony but it would suffice. He laid her sword on her chest and placed her hands around its grip. He did this with all his knights and their swords. He brushed off a stray strand of blond hair from her face.

He had built the pyre away from any farms to prevent a blaze. He poured some scented oil he had found in the ruins of a temple not far from here on the bodies. They appeared only to be sleeping. "Rao, grant them peace and the hope that one day we shall meet again in the next life." Kal-El whispered. He walked up a small hill and turned to face the pyre. His eyes turned red and pyre caught fire. The fire rose up and the sweet scent of the oil filled the air.

"My lady," a sentry called. Kara Fine turned and the sentry pointed to a pillar of rising smoke.

"What?" Kara grabbed a lens and tube. She looked through the lens but all she saw was smoke. "By Rao!" She swore. "Gather up a regiment! Zoners are burning our fields!" She said. A knight nodded once and rushed off to carry her out her command.

Kal-El was watching the pyre burn when he heard the neighing of horses. He used his super hearing to listen to horses approaching from the east. He turned and used his super vision to zoom in on the riders. He saw the crest of Zod on their brigandines and he gritted his teeth. He drew his sword and disappeared in a blur.

The Zoner leading the horsemen raised his hand up signaling them to halt. Something did not feel right. Then he felt a breeze on the back of his neck and then the sound of his men falling from their horses. He turned around quickly to see all his men dead on the ground, their throats slit. Before he could draw his sword, a hand came out of nowhere and pulled him from his horse.

Kal-El pinned the Zoner to the ground and held his blade against his throat. "Where is here?" He asked fiercely but the Zoner clamped his jaw shut. With his left hand, Kal-El broke the Zoner's right arm. The Zoner screamed out in pain. "Now, where is here or must I break more of your bones?!"

"Kansas! Just outside Smallville." The Zoner said grunting and breathing through the pain.

"Smallville?" Kal-El whispered. "Why is Zod here? How is he even here? He was in Urrika." Kal-El demanded.

"Are you mad…? Zod has not been in Urrika for years. He sits on his throne in Kryptonopolis." The Zoner said.

"What…? Why Kryptonopolis and not Kandor?" Kal-El demanded.

"You are mad!" The Zoner said. Kal-El broke his right leg just by squeezing it with his super strength. The Zoner screamed again. The scream echoed throughout the fields.

Kara motioned for the regiment to halt. They had all heard the scream. She nodded once to the captain accompanying her and they all drew their swords.

"You have another arm and another leg so speak!" Kal-El warned.

The Zoner was breathing heavily. "Kandor is no more. Zod had it burned to the ground years ago! Stop for the love of Rao!" The Zoner cried. Years? He thought. Kal-El then heard more horsemen approaching from the west and this distracted him. The Zoner pulled out a dagger and stabbed Kal-El in the side.

Kal-El knew immediately the blade was made from Kryptium. Kal-El swiftly slit the Zoner's throat and rolled off of him. He dropped his sword, pulled out the dagger, and pressed his hands down on the wound. His breathing was labored and his vision was blurring. He tried to fight the wave of exhaustion he now felt but it was a losing battle. Everything around him went black.

Kara, some Red Shard knights and a group of cavalrymen rode up to the pyre. Then they saw the dead Zoners. "What in the name of Rao could have done this?" A knight asked.

"Not what but who." Kara said. She dismounted her horse.

"My lady, I do not think it wise…" But Kara did not listen so the few Red Shard knights with her dismounted as well.

Kara approached two men lying on the ground. One was surly dead for his throat had been cut but not the other. There was something familiar about him and she could see that he had been stabbed. He had a full thick beard and his unkempt hair. (Think Henry Cavill when we 1st see him in Man of Steel)

She knelt down beside the stranger and placed her hand on his chest. His chest slightly rose and then went back down. "This one lives and he is not of Zod's army. Bring him back with us. He needs a physician." Kara commanded. She continued to stare at the stranger's face. Where had she seen him before? Perhaps he was one of Lois's spies.

"He bears the sword of a knight of the Red Shard." A knight said.

"With so many knights killed or captured, he probably found it or stole it. Get him on one of their horses." Kara commanded. Two knights hoisted up the stranger and laid him over a riderless horse.

Emil Hamilton's head was killing him. He had drunk too much wine again last night. He examined the stranger's wound and sighed not knowing if there was much he could do. He took out a small sgian dubh and cut a long slit down the middle of his shirt. He turned away to grab some herbs when he saw something out of the corner of his eye: a healed slash wound on the upper torso.

"What?" He muttered. Emil pulled out a lens from inside his robes and took a closer look at the healed wound. Despite all the new wounds on his body, Emil recognized that scar from anywhere, especially since he was the one who treated it. "This cannot be…"

Emil then grabbed the stranger's left arm. It had some new healed wounds as well but the long vertical cut on the upper arm stood out. He then grabbed his right arm, once again ignoring the new wounds. "My God!" He swore under his breath.

Emil then saw his fresh wound was gone, and only some blood remained. He dropped the lens and rushed to the door. He opened the door. "Where is the Duchess?" He asked the knight standing guard, urgently.

"In War Council in the Great…" The knight did not even finish his sentence before Emil took off for the Great Hall.

"This supply convoy is a decoy. The real one will take this road. We will have men waiting for them here, here, and…" Kara was standing over a map with a group of knights when Emil burst in the Great Hall. She wore a blue doublet, black trousers, and a sword belt.

"My lady! My lady!" Emil was out of breath. Kara quickly approached him. She put her hands on his shoulders.

"Breathe, Emil, breathe." Kara said. Emil took a few deep breaths. "Better. Now what is it?"

"The king…" Emil started.

"What about him?" Kara asked.

"The king is the stranger. The stranger is the king. It is Kal-El." He said softly.

"Leave us." Kara commanded. The knights bowed and they all left the Great Hall. When they were alone, "Emil…have you been drinking again?" She asked concerned.

"What? No. No. I swear that the stranger you brought back is the king." Emil said.

"Emil…Kal-El is dead. He has been dead these past…" Kara said.

"He has 3 scars on his body I have only seen on Kal-El: the slash mark on his chest; the cut on his left arm from when he met the queen; and the cut on his right arm surrounded by pale green veins from Sir John Corben's poisoned blade." He said counting off the scars on his fingers.

The mention of the last scar got Kara's attention. "Surrounded by pale green veins… You are certain?"

"You have to see it with your own eyes to believe it." He said.

"Then I shall. Take me to him." Kara said.

Kal-El slowly opened his eyes. He felt something soft beneath him and when his vision cleared, he saw a stone ceiling. He raised his head to see a long slit down his shirt. He slowly sat up and looked around. He was in a bedchamber for sure. He swung his legs over to the side of the bed and stood. He walked to a nearby window and saw Smallville. So that Zoner spoke the truth.

He used his super vision to get a closer look at the wall. Sentries patrolled the wall. Its battlements were armed with cannons and catapults were on the ground. Archers patrolled the wall as well. From the view, he knew he had to be in the Small Castle. Its battlements were guarded by Red Shard knights but he did not recognize them. They were all young and new faces. From the first tower, hung the banner of the House of El. From the second tower, hung the Kryptonian flag.

He then heard hurried footsteps coming up the stairs. He immediately went for his sword only to realize it was not there. Oh course they would take it. "This way, Kara." He heard. He knew that voice. The door opened. Emil and Kara entered the bedchamber but they were not as he remembered them.

Kara's hair now stopped at the middle of her neck. It was a pale blond now. She had a horizontal, jagged scar on her left cheek. Emil now had a full beard and had gained some weight. His hair was longer, unkempt, and now a lighter brown with a long gray streak. And they both had lines from aging on their faces.

"Kara? Emil?" He asked softly.

Through the slit in his shirt, Kara could see the slash on his chest. "Kal-El." She whispered. She then threw her arms around him and they embraced. "I thought you were dead." She pulled away and caressed his face. "You have not aged."

"And you have." Kal-El said confused.

"Where have you been?" She asked.

He pulled away from her and turned his back to them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and sighed. "Zod's crystal did not vanquish us as you all believed. It banished us to the Phantom Zone for ten long months. We fought everyday to get out."

"Your knights?" Kara asked. Kal-El turned to face them and he shook his head somberly. "The burning pyre we found was for them." He nodded. "I am sorry… You say you were there for ten months?"

"Yes but why does that matter? Where is Lois? Where are my children?" He asked urgently.

"Away warring. They have been gone for some weeks." Kara said.

"What? They are children. They have no place on the field of battle." Kal-El said sternly.

"Sire…it may have been ten months for you but it has been far longer here for us." Emil said.

"How much longer?" Kal-El asked and they hesitated. "How much?" He asked more forcefully this time.

"It may have been ten months for you, Kal-El… But it has been ten years for us." Kara said.