The Test of a True Hero
They were no longer riders but knights of the Red Shard. They put on their dark gray enameled breast and back plate over their black hauberks, and their sword belts. Kal-El appeared before them. He wore his dark gray enameled breast and back plate, sword belt, and red cape bearing his House crest. His knights knelt.
"Rise. Christopher Kent, come." Chris stood, came forward, and knelt. The knights stood in the background. Kal-El drew his sword. He put the sword tip down onto the ground and wrapped his hands around the sword grip. "Christopher Kent, do you swear to safeguard this kingdom and its people from all enemies whether they be foreign or Kryptonian, to follow our knight's code, and to do no wrong?"
"I pledge my sword and my body to the safeguard of this kingdom and its peoples from all enemies whether they be foreign or Kryptonian and to follow the knight's code and to do no wrong. This I swear on my honor of my House and my life." Christopher said.
"Then I dub thee…" Kal-El lightly tapped both his shoulders with the tip of his sword. "Sir Christopher Kent, knight of Krypton. Now rise a knight." Christopher rose and the knights cheered.
Kal-El put away his sword and held up both his hands for silence. "Sir Thor-Us, Lady Raya, Sir Christopher, watch the Royal Army. Knights…to battle!" They launched themselves in the air heading for Xan.
Sir Thor-Us, Raya, and Christopher lay prone hidden in the grass outside the city of Erkol. "They doubled the guard around the wall but it is quiet inside." Christopher said.
"He is right. I hear nothing." Thor-Us said.
They all squinted their eyes and used their x-ray vision to see through the solid stone. They saw people and a garrison of more than a hundred men. All the war machines had been left behind and every ship had only a crew of a dozen sailors aboard. "What? We would have seen them march!" Chris exclaimed.
"They must have left before light and used the hills to mask their march. We have to get to Xan and now!" Raya said.
"Kryptonians!" A Zoner yelled awaking the others, who quickly grabbed their brigandines and weapons. The House of El's banner came into sight as the Royal Army halted in perfect formation. Zod & Ursa ran out of their pavilion. Zod wore only breeches and Ursa wore only a fur robe. Zod growled and they ran back inside the pavilion for their armor.
"What in the name of the gods is keeping Davis?" Zod said as Ursa helped him put on his back and breast plate.
"I knew we should not have put so much faith in your bastard. We need to hold them off." Ursa said. She then grabbed her black brigandine.
"I know!" Zod snapped. He sheathed his longsword and left the pavilion. "Wave the flag of truce and form up!"
Milton Fine looked at the army forming up through a lens and tube. Then he saw them waving a flag of truce. "It appears they wish to discuss terms, my queen." Milton said.
"Sir Cam-Zel, we shall ride out to meet them." Lois said.
"Is that wise, my lady? Kal-El was slain without mercy under such a flag." Kara Fine warned.
"Trust me. I know what I am doing." Lois said. She dug her knees into her war stallion and rode forward with twenty-five Red Shard knights.
Their personal guards halted while Lois and Zod met on the field. They remained mounted. "Zod." Lois said coldly.
"Your Grace." Zod said smugly, as if there being there did not concern him at all.
"I shall speak plainly. Lay down your weapons and surrender to me and I may just spare your life." Lois said.
Zod sucked in some air and smirked. "You have fire in you. I admire that. Your husband warned me about you, did you know that? He said to me that you would sever my manhood before piercing my heart." He said.
Lois smirked. "Do not tempt me. You deserve a thousand deaths for your treachery and crimes against this kingdom." She said.
"A pity you did not surrender to me when you had the chance, Your Grace," saying her title mockingly. "I would have shared my bed with you for a time. We could have had some fun before I planned to banish you to the Phantom Zone so that you may join your husband." Zod said.
"What?" Lois asked. She barely heard herself say the word. She could feel her heart starting to pound in her chest.
"Oh, yes. Giving him a quick death would bring me satisfaction but only for a short time. He had to suffer for the injustice done to me by his father and his House so I banished him to the Phantom Zone. And he is suffering a fate worse than death. My son is seeing to that." Zod said and smirked arrogantly.
"You…" Lois tightened her grips on the reins. Zod then discretely pulled out his Phantom Zone crystal.
Before anyone could react, the crystal exploded in his hand. He screamed in pain and his horse panicked. It took off without him. He was knocked off its back and onto the hard ground. The small explosion frightened Lois's stallion as well and she was knocked from its back. Then men in the armor of knights of the Red Shard appeared in the sky.
A Zoner grabbed Zod and hoisted him up onto his horse. As they were riding away, a blur knocked both men from the horse and the horse took off without them. The Zoner was dead, his neck broken. The knights landed in between Lois and Zod. Then another man swiftly landed in front of the knights. Lois gasped at the familiar S crest on his red cape. "ZOD!" Kal-El yelled and his voice echoed for miles.
"The king! The king lives!" Was whispered among the army but they remained in formation. Milton and Kara exchanged shocked glances. Nox-Van was expressionless.
"You knew!" Kara snapped.
Nox-Van glanced at her just for a moment. "We must stay back for the king's plan to succeed," was all he said.
"Get the queen away from here!" Kal-El commanded over his shoulder to the knights who accompanied Lois, without taking his eyes off Zod.
"Clark!" Lois called for him. A Red Shard knight named Drax-On wrapped his arm around her waist and hoisted her up onto his saddle. He rode off with the other mounted knights.
Zod's hand healed and he stood opening and closing his hand twice. "Kal-El." Zod hissed.
"Zod." Kal-El said coldly.
Lois and the knights return to the middle flank of the army. A soldier had gotten hold of her war stallion and she mounted the horse. "You knew." Lois said to Nox-Van coldly.
"I was commanded by the king to hold my tongue. And I did." Nox-Van said. "I hope Your Majesty can forgive me."
"We shall speak of this later, General." Lois said coldly. Nox-Van nodded once.
"I do not know how you escaped the Zone but you were safer where you were." Zod said.
"So I have been told." Kal-El said. Then, Zod nodded once towards Ursa.
"CHARGE!" Ursa cried and the Zoner army charged.
"We have to help him!" Lois exclaimed when she saw the Zoner army charging.
"Forgive me, my queen, but His Majesty commands us to stay back." Nox-Van said.
Kal-El smirked. He looked over his shoulder and gave his knights a single nod. His knights began running around the Zoner army in super speed in a perfect circle creating a dark gray tornado. The Zoners screamed as they were sucked up the funnel. Zod yelled and drew his sword. He charged Kal-El.
Kal-El removed his cape, drew his own sword and blocked the blow in the blink of an eye. He spun around Zod and slashed at his backside. Zod ducked and took a battle stance. Kal-El twirled his sword and waited. Zod was impatient. He super sped toward Kal-El and he merely stepped out of Zod's path. He held out his foot and tripped him. Zod's used his hands to break his fall.
"Fight, you coward!" Zod screamed. He got back up and made furious slashes at Kal-El, who easily dodged each one effortlessly with his super speed. Kal-El spun around Zod again and kicked him above his right kidney. Zod groaned and fell forward.
"If we do it your way, Zod, you may just win. And we cannot have that, can we." Kal-El said.
"Your father was the greatest warrior I had ever seen but he fought my way and all it took was seeing your mother bleeding on the ground. The only time the great Jor-El ever lost control. He put up a good fight but there was no greater pleasure than watching my sword enter and leave his body." Zod said. Kal-El's eyes were filled with anger. "I wonder if you are just like your father in that way as well."
Zod turned around towards Lois and his eyes grew red. "NO!" Kal-El screamed and pivoted his foot ready to super speed to Lois.
The beams of Zod's heat vision moved swiftly. The Red Shard knights protecting her were not fast enough. Then Raya appeared in front of her and took the full force of the beams. She screamed in great agony but she stood her ground. She dropped to her knees and fell back. Thor-Us then appeared and scooped her up before disappearing in a blur.
Kal-El bared his teeth and yelled. He charged Zod. Zod got what he wanted but Kal-El was faster and stronger than him since he was blessed by the actual crystal instead of by blood contact. His slashes were quick and furious and Zod's blocks were wearing down. In a furious slash, Kal-El cut Zod's left arm. The wound was deep and bleeding. Zod held his sword in his right hand.
Their swords locked. "You cannot stop me! I shall return twice as strong and the throne will be mine!" Zod yelled.
"If you speaking of Davis…" He ducked under Zod's swing and hit him under the chin with his sword pommel. Zod fell back on the ground. Kal-El then thrust his sword into his gut. Zod groaned. The wound was not fatal, it was only meant to weaken him. Kal-El kicked away Zod's sword and stood over him. "You shall be disappointed. Your son is dead and his army decimated. I saw to that." Kal-El said.
"You slew my son!" Zod groaned. "I will not go back!"
"You were right about one thing. There is no greater pleasure than seeing my sword enter…" Kal-El pulled the sword out and Zod yelled out in pain. "and leaving your body. And you will go back and you shall stay in the Zone with me as your warden." He then punched Zod unconscious.
Kal-El sheathed his sword. Then he pulled out the new Phantom Zone crystal and threw it high up in the air with his super strength but not too high. There was a flash of bright light that stung the eyes of the Kryptonian army. A portal opened up in the sky and hundreds of thousands of screaming Zoners were sucked inside it through the funnel of the man-made tornado.
"By the gods!" Lois swore softly as the army watched in amazement.
"The portal pulls in all who are close to it. His Majesty wished for only Zoners to pass through, not Kryptonians!" Nox-Van yelled over the screams of the Zoners.
In a matter of moments, every Zoner was sucked into the portal and his knights super sped away to get clear. Kal-El grabbed Zod's right ankle and began effortlessly dragging him under the portal. Zod's eyes suddenly shot open and he silently drew the dagger off his belt. Zod then stabbed Kal-El's right leg above the ankle. Kal-El yelled out in pain and fell down to one knee. The blade of the dagger was obviously made of Kryptium. Zod tried to stab his throat but Kal-El grabbed his wrists. Zod was putting his weight on pushing the dagger closer to Kal-El but it barely budged.
"I will not go back without killing you first. And with no warden, I shall find another way to escape in time. And the woman you love, your heirs, and all that you love shall kneel before Zod!" Zod cried.
"No, father. He shall not be your warden." Christopher then appeared. He pulled Zod off Kal-El and Zod when flying a few feet from them, dropping his dagger. "I shall."
Zod got back up and drew his dirk. "You dare defy your own father!" Zod yelled.
"Yes." Christopher said. They super sped towards one another and there was a shockwave when they collided. The ground shook for a moment and Zod lay on the ground unconscious.
"Chris!" Kal-El cried.
"I cannot let you do this. This kingdom needs you more than I. And he is my father and that makes him my responsibility." Christopher said.
"No!" Kal-El cried.
"Thor-Us." Chris said and Thor-Us swiftly appeared. He took hold of Kal-El and began pulling him away to safety.
"No! Release me! Chris!" Kal-El called for him.
Chris looked over at Lois. "Chris." She said softly.
"Thank you for all you have done for me…father. It is time I do something for you." Chris said. Zod was getting back up. Chris backhanded him across the face. He grabbed Zod by the shoulders and then launched them through the air. They flew through the portal and then it closed.
"CHRIS!" Kal-El screamed but it was too late. The portal was closed and not a single Zoner remained. And the boy he raised as his own son was gone with them.
Thor-Us was still holding onto him. "Forgive, my king, but we swore an oath to protect you. We could not stand by and watch you do this." Thor-Us said.
"Release me." Kal-El said somberly and defeated. Thor-Us released him and took a few steps back.
"Kal-El!" Tam-Or cried. His knights were huddled around something, no, someone. Kal-El and Thor-Us rushed over to them. He was still limping from the stab wound in his leg so he had to lean on Thor-Us.
"Raya." Kal-El said. Raya was lying on the ground. Kal-El and Tam-Or knelt beside her.
"My king." Raya said weakly.
"You know better than to call me that." Kal-El said. She grinned slightly. Kal-El peeled back the piece of cloth over her wounds and he knew at once that they were not healing.
"Kal-El, I…We did our duty." Raya said weakly.
"Yes and gallantly… You knew what Chris was going to do?" Kal-El asked.
"He heard you and Tam-Or speaking about you becoming the new warden. He came to me and Thor-Us to help him. We could not let you do it. You are like a father to him. You would have tried to stop him if we told you. I hope you can forgive us. I hope you can forgive me." Kal-El took her hand as any brother would a sister. "You are the king. That is your destiny as this was his." Kal-El simply nodded. "Is the queen alright?" Raya asked weakly.
"Yes." Kal-El said.
"Good, good… It has been my honor serving Your Majesty. To fight by your side and call you my friend." Raya said.
"The honor was mine to know such a valiant knight and loyal friend such as you." Kal-El said. Raya grinned and in a quiet gasp, she took her last breath. Kal-El closed her eyes. Thor-Us helped him up. "She was a daughter and a knight of Krypton. We shall honor her as such." Four knights picked up her body and carried her on their shoulders. Tam-Or picked up her sword. Two by two, the knights followed as they carried her away.
Kal-El put Raya's sword in her hand. The knights poured oil over her body. The sun turned red and Kal-El used his heat vision to light the pyre.
Lois soon walked up to him. "Lois…" Kal-El said. Lois then punched him while wearing a Kryptium gauntlet. He fell down to the ground. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and massaged his jaw. Then Lois walked away.
Tam-Or held out his hand and helped him out. "My wife did that to me once but she was not wearing a gauntlet at the time." Tam-Or said as Kal-El continued to massage his jaw. Kal-El sighed. He stayed with his knights until the pyre was ashes.
Bruce stood on the south tower of his castle. Kal-El landed behind him. "Congratulations on your victory but I understand that great sacrifices had to be made." Bruce said and turned around to face him. Kal-El somberly nodded. "Chris shall be fine. You have taught him well." He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Lois?"
"Will not speak to me. I cannot lose her again, Bruce." Kal-El said.
"And you will not. Be patient. She just lost another child. And you will win her back all over again like you always do. You two are meant to be." Bruce said and Kal-El nodded. "Now, this is what you are here for." Bruce removed from his person the Crystal of Knowledge.
"I can never thank you enough for all you have done for me." Kal-El said.
"I have only done what you would have done for me. Now go be with your family. They need you now more than ever." Bruce said and Kal-El nodded. They gripped forearms and embraced.
Erkol, Some Days Later
Kal-El and knights stood in the Great Hall of the castle of the Bothgr. They wore leather doublets, trousers, and sword belts. They each held a goblet of wine in hand.
"For one year, we have fought together not as a king and his knights but as brothers-in-arms. Our crusade has had many victories but not without sacrifice. Zod is defeated and once again banished to the Phantom Zone, and with the grace of the gods, for all time. And yet we are here to honor those who are no longer here to sup with us. But as my father once said: The test of a true hero is to struggle with feelings of loss and overcome them, and not to avoid them."
"We shall mourn Lady Raya for a time and we shall always pray that the gods shall watch over Sir Christopher in his heavy burden. They are the very models of what knights should be and are. And may their sacrifice never be forgotten. To Lady Raya and to Sir Christopher!" Kal-El raised his goblet.
"To Lady Raya and to Sir Christopher." They chanted and they all took a sip of the sweet Kryptonian wine. They then all put their goblets down.
"Now, you have all served me well. And I am proud that you used the powers of the crystal only for good. But now your time with such a responsibility is over." Kal-El said and removed the Crystal of Knowledge from a pouch on his sword belt. He raised the crystal and there was a bright, blue light. The knights knew at once that they were powerless.
"Are you finished in here?" The knights turned around and kneeled. Lois approached them.
"Yes." Kal-El said. "Leave us."
The knights stood and left muttering, "My queen."
Kal-El put the crystal away. "Lois, we need to speak." He said.
"And just what am I supposed to say…? I mourned you. I bore you two more children. I have done all I promised you if you should fall in battle. Now we have lost another son and I find out that you have been alive this whole time. That you were here the whole time. What am I supposed to say?" Lois said coldly. Kal-El could not bear to look her in the eye. "There is nothing you can say to change my feelings on this. I only came to tell you that the ships are ready to set sail or we can march with the troops."
Kal-El sighed. "Perhaps we should march with the troops so the people can see with their own eyes that I live." Kal-El said.
"I agree. I shall give the captains leave to sail." Lois turned her back to him.
"Lois, I had no choice. I did this because I love you. I love our family, my people. And you know this. But I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. And allow us to make up for lost time." Kal-El said. Lois sighed and then left the Hall. Kal-El pulled out Chris's letter again. He and Lois had opened it last night when J'onn had given it to them.
To my most loving family, I know you all imagined a different life for me but this is something I must do. I can never thank you enough for the wonderful life you have given me. You taught me more than the skills I possess. You taught me to love, show mercy, and to do my duty. And it is a man's duty to protect his family and so I must protect you all from my own murderous kin. You all are my true family in my heart. And I can only hope that this sacrifice shall not be in vain. Father has returned and he shall take care of you as I have done these past months. I know you do not want me to go and I do not wish to leave you but I believe I have found my true destiny.
Conner, watch after the girls and the boy. You have to protect them until they can learn to protect themselves. And remember, speed as well as strength when wielding a sword. I have faith in you, little brother. Kara Kal-El, do not weep for long. Find cheer and be happy for my sake. I know you shall grow to be a fine Kryptonian woman.
Mother, I hope you can forgive my rash decision. You and Father now have each other once again so I know I can leave. You are strong. You have always been strong. Do not fall apart again. I could not bear it and neither could Father, nor the children. Be the strong and stubborn woman you are.
Father, I know you are disappointed in me but it is for the best. Zod is my father and thus my responsibility. You taught me of duty and honor so I must do this. You are the only father I have ever known and I shall never forget all you have done for me. I love you all. Farewell. Christopher