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Krypton: Year 2128 of the ninth cycle (or September 1987)
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The Royal library proved to be a wealth of information, once Lois learned to operate the many computers. Zin had been very helpful in that aspect. The young woman had also proven to be an invaluable friend. She'd told no one the various things Lois pulled up on the computers.
And some of those things had proven to be very informative.
She'd been stunned when the first hologram of Jor-El appeared above the staging board. She'd watched in amazement as the former ruler of Krypton talked to his wife and students inside his lab. Lois had always heard that Jor had been a tyrant, a monster. He was the man responsible for the first attempt by Kryptonians to take over Earth. Yet, the many things she learned in the library began to contradict that belief.
She moved from scientific records on to state's records. The history of Krypton was presented in great detail. It appeared that the very first person to begin recording data was a man named Ki-El, Kal's great grandfather, four times removed. Power had rested inside the House of El for over six hundred years! Ki had been the first person to deem it necessary to have one authority in charge, citing that the masses had grown uncontrollable. Ki had hand picked the first Council to oversee his rule and from there, the many strange traditions had been adopted by the various leaders over the years.
Lor-El had been the one to establish the birth marriage law, even though many had already adopted that tradition. Lor, Ki's son, feared that if power did not stay within his house, his father's carefully constructed control would be lost. Later, it was another El leader who made it legal for Lords to have concubines, thus ensuring continued reign for many years to come. It was Kal's great grandfather Zon who passed the law making it impossible for a concubine's child to be First Lord. He did so to keep peace inside his house. It seemed his wife had sired him five sons that weren't appreciative that some day they could be replaced by one of his ten sons from his various concubines.
Then there had been Zor. He'd set many trends in his time. Much more compassionate than any other El, Zor regarded his subjects as priceless and took care of them accordingly. The population loved Zor and never failed to show it. Gifts were sent to the Palace on a regular basis, and many agreed to dedicate their lives and that of their future generations to service of the House of El. Zor had been the first El, or Lord for that matter, in many years to take only one concubine into his house, even though his wife failed to give him but one son. Of course, Jor had been that son and Ti-El was the son of his concubine. With Zor, the idea that one could have a blissful relationship with one's wife had been born. He'd proclaimed to be partial to his wife, that being the reason he hadn't taken any more concubines.
Lois had been impressed with Zor. And after watching the many holograms, she could easily see the difference between him and the earlier leaders. She also saw the same compassion when she watched the images of Jor. That led her to the transcripts of the arrest and trial of the esteemed leader.
Brow furrowed, she sank back against her chair. After three days of viewing and reviewing... something didn’t add up. She'd studied his scientific logs over and over. Jor had worked from his youth to discover other life in the universe. Why would he have given the order for such destruction?
Too tired to look further, Lois slowly logged out of all the data bases in preparation to call it a night. She'd spent every waking moment inside the library since the day in the garden with Kal. Her naturally suspicious nature told her there was more to her new surroundings that met the eyes, and she'd been determined to discover what it was. Yet, her research had only left her with more questions.
Why was there an El that was so much different than the rest? Did that difference extend to his son? Even though others proclaimed otherwise? Did it extend to his grandson at all?
She thought about Kal as she made her way toward her chamber. She hadn't seen very much of him since that day in the garden. He worked even longer hours than he had before, on what she'd give anything to know. When she had seen him, he'd been... friendly, asking after her health and comfort. He'd even smiled!
She'd also seen less of Ti-El lately. Zin had told her that the Lord had been away a good bit. He'd traveled to the province over which he'd sat before moving into the Palace to take care of the Royal brothers.
Lois thought that a bit odd. According to Zin, advisors had always kept Ti apprised of the state of his province. The whole situation gave her an uneasy feeling.
Lois would give anything for these people to be Earthlings. Earthlings would talk, tell secrets they knew. But the Kryptonians were fiercely loyal. Or extremely scared of repercussions should any information they might divulge become known. Probably a bit of both, Lois reckoned as she turned the corner toward the wing where her chamber was located.
She came to halt when shouts pierced the solitude around her.
"Why was I not informed that you were making a trip to Earth?"
The voice belonged to Ti and he was standing toe to toe with Kal.
"I did not realize I had to inform you of my actions!" Kal's voice left little to doubt that he was a bit frustrated.
"I should know of something like this," Ti countered.
"Why? Why is it so important that you know everything I do?"
Yes, why was that, Ti? Lois wondered as she awaited the older Lord's reply.
"Kal," Ti began in a calmer voice. "I am your uncle, and you have been my responsibility for many years. Don't expect me to just turn that off because you've become a man."
"I understand your concern, but this trip is a state matter. I would have said good-bye before we departed."
"A good-bye? Is that all I get for the years of training and hard work I've poured into yours and your brother's education?"
There was a long silence before Kal's calm voice penetrated the air. "This conversation is over," he stated flatly, then strode away from Ti toward his chamber.
Lois pressed herself against the wall, behind a large piece of furniture. After a moment, she could hear Ti's fast stride as he hurried in the other direction. Then Kal barked an order to a passing servant.
"Send Zara to the bridal chamber!"
"Yes, Milord."
When the swoosh of Kal's chamber doors were heard, Lois finally let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. It took a moment for her to comprehend the strange feelings threatening to overwhelm her.
Just a few days earlier Kal had asked her to share his chambers. If she had agreed, would he still have continued to have relations with his wife? Would he have left her to go the *bridal* chamber? Or would he have simply had Zara sent to his chamber? With her there? Was that done? And what about the caregiver? She knew about that, too. It was impossible to share a house with someone and not know the comings and goings, even if it was nearly impossible to obtain information from those around her.
So, who was she to him? If not his concubine in the strictest sense, and why was she...asking these questions?! They were none of her business. And she was just as glad to stay in the library, stay on her own... unbothered. Uncalled for...
It wasn’t as if his offer to her, to share his chamber, which didn’t even extend to his wife, made them...exclusive. Stupid. She’d done the research. “Exclusive” wasn’t a concept among Kryptonian royalty.
“And why the heck haven’t I ever seen that woman?” Lois asked aloud. The First Lady was never seen, seldom talked about. Why was that?
Why did she care? She huffed in frustration and hurried to close herself inside her chambers. Maybe a hot bath and a good night’s sleep would help sort all of her very mixed emotions out.
++
Kal sighed heavily as he sat on the edge of the large bridal bed, his arms resting on his knees. He’d been with Zara for the last half hour, but had been unable to stay interested. He’d finally just given up.
Now he sat, too tired to even be frustrated. And confused. Why had he sent for Zara in the first place? Intimacy with his wife was the last thing he wanted tonight. He glanced around the large room and wondered why he came to this room to have relations with his wife. There were times he'd go to her chamber, but never had she been to his. And he realized that he really didn't want her there either. Why was that? Before he could answer, she was speaking.
“Milord, should I do something for you?” Zara asked him as she leaned on an elbow behind him.
Kal shifted and patted her arm. “No. I have a lot on my mind. I think I'll rest now.”
“Yes, Milord.” Zara eased from the bed, slipped into her robe, and stepped through the doors. Outside, she leaned against the corridor wall and took a deep breath before continuing toward her room.
Inside the chamber, Kal finally admitted the real reason he had been unable to perform. His mind kept drifting back to his argument with his uncle. Did Ti know something he didn’t? Could the older man possibly know anything about what was going on back on Earth? Since the day they’d argued over Lois in the state room, something Kal had told Ti kept coming to mind. He’d told Ti that Lois had forced him to do something he should have done for himself long ago. That something was think for himself. He’d begun to do just that. He’d started to look around him, watching those in his service. What he saw unsettled him.
Lord Ti conducted himself inside the Palace with an air of supremacy. His arrogance shown through in his treatment of others. He was a cold, unfeeling man who ordered those around him into service for his pleasure and wouldn’t stand for error. Is that how Kal had been taught to act? To deal with others? Moreover, was that how he wanted to act?
He was about to answer that question when a guard requested permission to enter chambers. Kal covered himself, then granted the request.
“Milord, your presence is requested in the communications room.”
“What is it?”
“It appears there has been a crime.”
“What?” Kal was surprised. There hadn’t been crimes on Krypton in decades. What could have happened? He quickly dressed and made his way into the communications room. “What has happened?”
“A caregiver, Milord. It appears she’s disappeared,” answered one of the guards.
“What do you mean?” Kal stepped up to review the dispatch from the night’s events.
“She was not in quarters when called upon by a Lord. He sent a guard to investigate and found her chambers in shambles and blood everywhere.”
Kal’s eyes held the shock he felt. Someone had intentionally attacked a woman? Such actions were unheard of. There had not been an outright act of homicide in over a century. The price for a crime like that was just too high.
“Who is the woman?”
“Mi-Lay, Milord.”
This time the shock was unbelievable. Mi-Lay was the caregiver the Lord himself had spent time with, the only one. “Assemble a team and find her.”
“Yes, Milord.”
Suddenly another thought struck Kal. He dropped the electronic device he held and hurried from the room. He didn’t stop until he'd reached Lois’ chamber. He burst through the door, startling her from her sleep.
Lois watched as Kal bent to rest his hands on his knees, heaving to catch his breath as relief washed over him. When he'd heard Mi-Lay was the one who was missing, possibly hurt, his mind automatically...
“You scared me to death!”
When Kal could speak, he straightened and moved to the side of the bed. “It was not my intention.” He sat and reached out to take her hands, needing to reassure himself that she was indeed all right. “Are you well?”
“Ah, yes," she stammered, seemingly surprised by his actions. "I have a hard time believing you woke me up in the middle of the night to ask if I was *well,*" Lois said, skeptically.
“There has been an incident.” He continued to hold onto her hands, just to protect her, he argued internally.
“An incident?”
“Yes. A caregiver has gone missing, believed hurt."
“What?!” Lois, too, was shocked because things like that didn’t usually occur on Krypton.
Kal squeezed the small hands he held, suddenly aware of the effect she was having on him. “I want you to stay in my chamber tonight.” And the need to protect her raged within him.
“Is that necessary?”
“It’s that or a guard. Of course, there’s always one outside my door.” When her brows furrowed in protest, Kal went on. “This time I insist. You are my responsibility and if anything happened to you…” He stopped when her eyes widened and his words reached his own ears.
Lois' expression changed and she said, softly, “I would prefer the guard.”
Kal squeezed her hands once more, then smiled. It seemed he had started doing that a lot lately and realized it felt good, especially sharing it with her.
Lois stared at him for a long moment before she spoke. "I think I like seeing you smile."
Kal released her hands and stood. “I think I like doing it,” he whispered. “Miss Lane, the guard will be necessary until this whole mess is cleared up. On this I can not waver.” He'd smoothed his features, once again projecting the rigid First Lord.
“Okay. I’ll be good.”
“Very good. Sleep well.” He bobbed his head and left her alone again. In the corridor, he called for a guard and remained outside her door until the man arrived. “I am assigning you to guard Miss Lane. You are to treat her as if she was the First Lady,” he told the bewildered young man.
“Yes, Milord.” The guard bowed and settled into his new position just outside Lois' door.
Kal reluctantly left to oversee the formation of the investigation team. He needed to be sure competent, dependable men were assembled to find out what had happened to Mi-Lay.
Of all the caregivers, Kal felt uneasy that the one and only woman he'd summoned was the one missing. For that reason, he'd needed to make sure Lois was protected. He didn’t have to bother with Zara’s safety because she was protected at all times anyway, but Lois wasn't.
Again, he'd sprung into action to protect the audacious little woman from Earth. What had she done to him? Everything he'd ever known had been turned upside down. And although the onslaught of so many new and varying emotions was overwhelming, Kal realized that maybe he wasn't averse to the change.
++
Kal stared out over the water, his hands folded behind his back, his mind on the past few days' events. He liked coming to this place, he thought idly. Standing on the cliff above the ocean was one of many beautiful places on Krypton. It was quiet here. The air lightly touched his face and the sound of the surf hitting the rocks had a calming effort. It wasn't often the First Lord had ever needed calming, but today he did.
Mi-Lay’s body had been found a short distance from her living quarters. She’d been beaten and her throat slashed. Never before had Kal seen anything so gruesome. Even during the war he’d been sheltered from the deadly results of the fighting. He’d been sickened by the sight of the woman lying on the table in the physician’s laboratory. Who could have possibly done something so horrible?
“Milord,” interrupted the voice of Ti as he stepped to Kal’s side. “Your transport to Earth awaits.”
Kal nodded briefly before turning in silence to leave the cliff. He’d barely spoken to anyone since the dawn when Mi-Lay had been discovered. His mind raced with questions and few too few answers. He slipped into his transport to head for his ship to Earth.
++
Ti watched until the Lord had disappeared, then he smiled broadly. Soon the First Lord would be no more. The wretched little boy had possessed the gall to bite the hand that fed him, so Ti had formed yet more plans for his dear nephew. Ching would make a better First Lord anyway. His mind was weak and more easily manipulated.
++
The driver of Kal’s transport had been surprised when the Lord ordered him back to the Palace. He was told to enter through the east gate, reserved for entries into the Palace when one didn’t want to be noticed. Kal stepped from the transport and made his way inside. He called for Ching to meet him inside his chambers.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on the Royal transport to Earth?” Ching asked as he entered the room.
“How quickly can enough supplies be transferred to one of the smaller crafts? I will only need enough for a small guard. Fifty at the most. Also, I will be taking along Miss Lane.”
“What? Why the change?” Ching asked, clearly confused.
“Let’s just say I have worries about this trip unless we do this.”
Ching settled for his brother's vague answer. “I can have a vessel ready to go by the time you can gather Miss Lane and make it to the hangar.”
“Ching, I want the most trusted guard aboard that vessel and no one should know more than they need to, especially Ti-El.”
“Ti? Kal?”
“I will explain, but until I do, I need you to trust me on this one. And Ching, while I’m away, double Zara’s guard. She is not to be left alone, even inside her chamber.”
“Yes, Kal. I’ll do whatever you wish, and I'll watch over the First Lady personally.”
“Thank you, my brother.” Kal clapped him on the shoulder and left to find Lois. She was inside her chamber working on a communication draft to be sent to her father aboard the Royal transport. She looked up at Kal when he came in.
“I was going to ask after you before you left.” She eased from the desk chair and approached him with the paper she held. “I wanted to know if you’d deliver this to my father while you were on Earth?”
“Why don’t you deliver it yourself?”
“What?” Lois’ hand was frozen in mid-air.
“Gather your things. You’re going with me.” Kal stepped back to the door to summon Lois’ attendant to help her pack.
“Are you serious?” Lois asked in disbelief.
“Yes. Now hurry.” Kal turned her around and gave her a small push. "I'll wait just outside the door." With that, Kal stepped into the corridor as even more questions plagued him. His uneasiness had almost reached epic proportions. The sooner he departed, the better.
++
It only took Lois a few moments to gather her things because the things there were not hers. She was positive this trip would only be a visit, but there was no way she was going to take anything that wasn't hers to begin with. She packed what little clothes she’d been allowed to bring from Earth, her books, and took the toiletries the attendant held for her.
“Be well, milady,” the woman told her.
“Thank you.” Lois would miss this woman. She’d been almost like a mother to her young miss these past few months. An offered smile later, Lois was almost running to keep pace with Kal’s gait.
With any luck, she thought as they hurried toward the transport, they'd be on Earth a really long time.
They exited the Palace via the private entrance, boarded the transport, and raced to the hangar. Ching was there, a smaller vessel manned and ready to launch. The younger brother stood on the platform just outside the entrance to the ship.
“All is ready, Milord. Miss Lane.” Ching bobbed his head to the woman before focusing on his brother.
“No one is to know this vessel has launched until I’m out of range to be intercepted," Kal instructed Ching. "We will travel at warp speed so we can reach Earth in as short a time as possible. Also, have the communication lines monitored. It would be beneficial if Lord Ran did not know I was coming until I’ve gotten there.”
“Done,” Ching assured his brother. “I shall be awaiting your return.”
“It’s imperative things are taken care of here,” Kal told him. “Have the Royal transport inspected. Report your findings to me only. I will receive communication from you and no one else. Make sure to scramble the transmissions though, and do not inform anyone when you are about to contact me.”
“Understood.” Ching clasped his brother’s hand in the only show of affection ever openly witnessed on Krypton. “Be well, Milord.”
“And you, my brother.” Kal bobbed his head and entered the ship. Lois bowed slightly as she passed Ching and settled next to Kal for take off, where they’d be confined until they acclimated themselves to the speed at which they’d travel. She wasn't sure what he'd meant outside, but she wasn't going to question this trip. When she'd arrived on Krypton, and then was made Kal's concubine, she was certain the next year would be the longest, most miserable year of her life. This trip meant everything to her, even if she didn't fully understand why the First Lord would take her along and not his wife.
More to keep me occupied, Lois thought as the force of their launch took over. She closed her eyes and let images of home fill her mind.
++
A smaller vessel would only take two weeks time to reach Earth. Kal spent the first week in conference with his small guard. Lois assumed he was debriefing them on what would be expected of them once the ship reached Earth. She really didn't see him a lot until the second week. Because of their close confines, she was forced to notice things she hadn't before.
Kal was obviously distraught over everything that had happened. He spent a great deal of time just staring off into space. And when he wasn't doing that, he was exercising. She guessed it was his way of dealing with things.
And it was during that time Lois also began to look at Kal a bit differently. It hadn't rushed over her in a sudden moment of clarity or hit her like a ton of bricks, but she did realize that Kal was also a man. A very human, very vulnerable man. She could sense his confusion, his frustration, even his pain. His eyes held constant questions as he seemingly struggled to figure them out. Her heart reached out to him, offering comfort in a way she could never voice.
How could she feel that way? The Kryptonian First Lord held power over her world, ultimately over her. He held the power to destroy life as she knew it. He was arrogant, stern, and unfeeling. Yet, she couldn't stop the pull she felt to him.
Yes, she admitted, he was attractive as well. Very attractive. She'd practically drooled all over herself when she'd discovered him exercising without a shirt on one morning. But what really drew her to Kal was something inside him. It was as if a part of her recognized something buried so deeply within him that no one knew it was there.
So, why did she? Why did she have to look at Kal with compassion? Why did her heart reach out to his? And why didn't she try to stop it?
