From Part 10 ...
Kal didn’t want Lois to go to her room. He wanted her to stay with him. He was willing to sleep on the chair. He just didn’t want her to leave him.
But how could he tell her that?
He was still trying to form the words when Lois approached him. She put her hand on his shoulder and reached up and kissed his cheek.
It was quick. Very quick. Too quick.
“Good night, Kal,” she said. Then she walked to his door.
“Good night, Lois,” Kal replied.
“See you for breakfast?”
“Yes.”
She walked out and shut the door.
She’d gone.
He’d wanted her to stay.
But a little part of her had stayed with him. Her kiss. Kal could feel the aftermath of her touch on his cheek.
Tomorrow morning, he decided, when Lois first came through his door, he was going to walk right up to her, put his hand on her shoulder and touch his mouth to her cheek.
It was definitely time *he* kissed *her*.
Part 11
Lois hurried across the courtyard, shivering as the chilly night air contrasted sharply with the warmth of Kal’s bedroom.
As she reached her door, Lois heard a noise behind her. She turned. A tall figure – her immediate impression suggested he was male - emerged from the first room on the other side. Ard’s room.
He quietly shut the door and, within a few steps, was swallowed by the darkness.
Lois crept to the end of the quarters and peeped into the courtyard. It was empty. She was sure he hadn’t gone into Kal’s building ... so he must have gone out of the gates.
She wanted to follow him.
Lois Lane, Daily Planet, would not have hesitated.
But Lois Lane, unemployed alien on New Krypton, did.
Other than the ever-present, perpetually-mute sentries guarding Kal’s building, there was no one in sight. Could she ask them?
Would they reply? If the alien asked them who had been in the room of the Supreme Ruler’s concubine, would they give her the information she sought?
No, she decided. They would stare ahead as if she were invisible.
Lois turned back to her room, half-formed theories pulsing through her mind. What *could* a man be doing in Ard’s room? Late at night?
Other than the obvious.
She was fairly sure that Jib and Mo were not concubines in the sense she understood the word. Sure also, that Kal’s motivation for taking them had been compassion, not the desire for more sexual partners.
But ... how would he respond if he knew another man had been visiting his first concubine?
*Did* he know?
Would he care?
Did the people assume Kal had intimacy with his concubines?
If this became public, would Kal be openly shamed?
Would he be forced – under Kryptonian Law – to take action?
What was the punishment for consorting with another man’s concubine? The *Supreme Ruler’s* concubine?
Lois shivered and decided she would say nothing of this to Kal. Not until she knew more.
But she *would* find out more.
A whole lot more.
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The next morning, Kal paced the length of his room.
He hadn’t slept well.
She would be here soon.
He’d been too tense to sleep.
He was going to kiss her.
That’s why he couldn’t sleep.
He was going to kiss Lois.
He’d felt like this only once before – the morning of his Investiture. He remembered the strange entanglements in his stomach and how he’d been unable to control the propensity to jump at the slightest sound.
On that morning, so long ago, he had taken the globe from the shelf and as he’d held it, his father’s voice had spoken to him.
Spoken wisdom and guidance and belief – words that had filled him with the confidence he’d needed to lead New Krypton.
But now there was no globe and no words from his father.
And he wasn’t sure his father would have guidance for this situation anyway.
Kal was going to kiss an Earth woman.
Had Jor-El kissed his wife, La? Did Jor-El hurt when La left him?
Or was their marriage like his to Za?
Empty and meaningless with only one objective – one objective which, so far, had eluded them.
A knock sounded on the door and Kal’s heart erupted. It had to be Lois. No one else came to his bedroom.
He strode to the door, trying to be purposeful, but not too eager. He opened it and there she was, already smiling in welcome. Kal stilled, wanting a moment to just look at her. He could watch her all day – particularly when she was smiling – and never grow tired of it.
“Good morning, Kal,” she said.
“Good morning, Lois,” Kal replied. He moved back to let her in. When she’d passed, he quickly closed the door and, his heart threatening to rocket out of his chest, he took the two steps needed to bring him within touching distance of her. He put his hand on her shoulder and dropped a kiss on her cheek.
His aim was a little wayward – he got closer to her nose than he had intended – but he’d done it. Now he had to wait to see if she ran away.
She didn’t.
She smiled at him.
“Was it all right that I did that?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Kal’s nervous tension unravelled on a deep breath. “Good.”
“If it hadn’t been all right, what did you think I would do?”
“Leave me.”
“I can’t leave you,” Lois said. “I have nowhere to go.”
Is that why she stayed? “You could go to your room in the Concubine Quarters.”
“Oh, you mean leave your bedroom?”
“Yes.”
“I won’t leave you, Kal,” Lois said. “Not unless you ask me too.”
Kal smiled as he felt the last dregs of his nervousness drain away. “I’ll get our breakfast,” he said.
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Lois re-read ‘Sharing Lunch’ as she waited for Kal. She already had an idea for today’s book. Today the story was going to be about a girl and a boy – playing. Somehow, she had to inject some life into this planet ... and she may as well begin with the children. She began to jot a few notes.
Kal swung into the room with one bowl and one glass. He positioned the chair and sat down, motioning for her to sit on the bed.
Lois did.
He handed her the spoon, grinning widely.
Grinning like he knew something she didn’t.
Lois studied him, reflecting on how quickly she had developed the ability to read the nuances of his expression. Maybe that was a testament to how much time she had spent looking at him.
Or maybe he wasn’t quite so inexpressive any more. Maybe he was copying her.
Because there was nothing subtle about this grin.
Lois smiled. “What’s going on?”
His grin widened. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
“Then eat.”
Lois filled the spoon, then hesitated, again looking at Kal.
“Eat it,” he encouraged.
He was trying to hide his smile! Lois could see the ripple of tension in his cheek as he struggled to keep his mouth straight.
“Eat,” he said.
She didn’t want to eat. She wanted to stare at him ... at his not-quite-concealed grin ... at the glint of amusement in his brown eyes. “What have you done?” she asked, knowing her attempt at severity was hopelessly lost in her enjoyment of his cheerfulness.
“I got us breakfast,” he said with a level of contrived innocence that raised her suspicions and escalated her enchantment.
She took it to her mouth and sampled a little from the end of the spoon.
It was sweet! It tasted like the oatmeal her mom had cooked for her. No milk, but it was close enough to be a taste of home.
Lois took the rest of the spoonful into her mouth.
“Do you like it?” Kal asked eagerly.
“It’s delicious,” she told him. “Did you order this?”
His grin deepened, birthing a dimple in his left cheek. “I thought you’d like sweet oatmeal.”
“Thank you, Kal. Have some.”
His grin faded fast.
“You don’t like it?” Lois guessed.
“It’s awful.”
“How do you know?” she challenged. “You haven’t tasted it.”
“I had it yesterday.”
Yesterday. When she hadn’t come to Kal’s room for breakfast. Lois groaned. “I’m sorry I didn’t come yesterday.”
His grin was back. “You’re here now.”
“Thank you, Kal,” Lois said. “That is so sweet.”
“Having sugar put in something always makes it sweet.”
Lois chuckled. “I didn’t mean the oatmeal,” she said. “I meant you.”
His eyebrows floated up. “*I’m* sweet?”
“Very,” she said, smiling. “Thank you.”
He loaded his spoon, but then let it plop back into the oatmeal. “Are there any other ways of saying ‘thank you’?”
His eyes were sparkling ... almost like his thoughts had rocketed ahead and found her answer highly amusing. “Sometimes we shorten it to ‘thanks’.”
“Is there an action that means ‘thank you’?” Kal asked. “Instead of a word?”
“What sort of action?”
Kal smoothed his smile, but could do nothing about the fun sparking in his eyes. “A kiss maybe?” he suggested. “Or a hug?”
Lois grinned. “Yes, those actions can mean ‘thank you’.”
“We will have sweet oatmeal again tomorrow,” he promised.
Lois laughed as her heart overflowed. To say she had never met anyone quite like Kal was clearly the absolute truth. To say she was more completely captivated with him than anyone she had ever met was also the truth. She loved him.
But she had no way of knowing if they had any possibility of a future. She wasn’t even sure if what she felt was explainable to a Kryptonian.
*And* he was married.
She pushed away that thought. For now, she was sharing breakfast with the man who filled her heart. Thinking ahead to the uncertainties of the future would only spoil the perfection of the present. “Have some,” she said. “You may develop a taste for it.”
“I doubt it.”
“Stranger things have happened,” she said.
“Yes,” he agreed, his eyes shining as they settled in hers.
They shared a smile.
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They ate the oatmeal in silence ... a comfortable silence at first ... but then Lois sensed Kal’s growing pre-occupation and his good humour diminishing with every mouthful of oatmeal.
He couldn’t dislike it *that* much, surely. Lois wondered if the lurking threat of revenge killings was what had doused his mood.
“Lois?”
She looked up quickly from the blue drink. “Yes?”
“Today is the first day of the month,” he said.
Clearly that was significant. “Meaning?”
“I have to Present the Monthly Report.”
This was another meeting? “OK.”
“You have to go the Report,” Kal said.
“Me?” Lois squeaked.
“Everyone has to go,” Kal said. “It’s in the courtyard. You must wear the long, white gown. You must stand next to C3. Once the Report is over, my household leaves first. If you follow C3, you will know what to do.”
“What do you have to do?”
“I give the Report.”
“Is that what is concerning you?”
The tension through Kal’s jaw eased. “You know what I’m feeling again?”
Lois smiled. “I know you’re worried about something.”
“I hope my words today will avert disaster.”
Lois held out her hand and Kal took it in his. “What can I do?” she asked.
“Once the Report is over, you have no further official duties. It starts the hour after noon. I’ll send orders to C3 that she is to come to your room and show you what to do.”
“Thank you.”
“Today is a long day of ceremony and meetings,” Kal said. “I’m not sure if I will see you again until breakfast tomorrow.”
“I’ll be fine,” Lois assured him, even as disappointment flooded through her. “I will write my new story.”
“I’ll have your lunch sent here. After you have eaten, you will need to go to your room to dress for the Report.”
“OK, thanks.”
Kal drained the glass and stood. He hesitated, uncomfortable. “You have to go now,” he said self-consciously. “I have to change my clothes.”
“Oh.” Lois stood. “I didn’t realise. Sorry.”
“Come back here in half an hour to write your story.”
“All right.” She moved towards the door.
“Lois!”
She turned. “Yes?”
“I need you to hug me.”
She stepped to him and held him close until she felt a measure of relaxation ease through his massive shoulders. She withdrew and put her hand on his cheek. “Are you all right?”
His brown eyes were soft with sadness. “I don’t want to be away from you all day.”
“I will miss you too.” Lois dropped a kissed on his cheek and left him – while she still could.
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Back in her room, Lois sat down to wait out the thirty minutes. She had left her paper and pencil in Kal’s room, but that was all right, because her mind was too full and in too much disarray to be productive. She needed to think.
Think about Kal.
He’d ordered sweet oatmeal for her.
He’d kissed her when she had walked into his bedroom. She was sure he had planned it. It had surprised her ... and rattled the rhythm of her heart. His touch on her shoulder had left the fiery imprint of his hand.
She was in love with the man. With his heart, his kindness, his integrity.
But his body was driving her crazy.
Holding him – gaining a full appreciation of his breadth, his strength – she felt protected and safe. And wanton. She wanted him.
But he was married – although it was a sham of a marriage.
And she *was* his concubine. Whatever that meant on this strange planet.
But the harrowing reality was – he wasn’t hers.
She had no claim on him. She was fifth in line behind a wife and three other concubines.
He could never be hers.
And that thought shredded her heart.
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Half an hour later, Lois was in Kal’s room working on her new story. It was going to be longer and more involved than the first one. This time there was a boy and a girl – playing hopscotch. Lois intended to incorporate basic instructions for the game into the story. Then, if the Kryptonian kids could find a twig to draw some lines in the dirt and a couple of stones or similar, they could, maybe, have some fun.
When Tek came in with her lunch, Lois was ready for him. “Tek,” she said before he had the chance to leave.
“Yes.”
“How old are your children?”
“Six years and three years.”
Lois smiled. Tek didn’t respond. “On my planet, we make books and give them to our children,” Lois said. “In the books are stories – made up tales – about other children. We read these books to our children.”
His look said he didn’t understand. And he wanted to get out as quickly as possible.
“Look at this,” Lois said. She picked up her first book. “Sharing Lunch,” she said, as she showed him the cover. Then, reading from her notes and turning the pages, she told Tek the story of the two boys.
He stared, clearly unsure what to say.
“Can you read, Tek?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Lois held the book towards him. “Take this, Tek,” she told him. “Read it to your children. If they enjoy it, I will make them another one.”
Without a word, he took the book and left the room.
Lois ate her lunch, still writing and editing her story.
It kept her mind from Kal.
Kal – whom she missed.
Kal – whom she loved.
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Kal’s shoulders lifted with a deep breath.
He glanced through his speech one final time. He had five minutes before the Report was due to start.
Lois would be there, amongst his people, awaiting his appearance.
He knew there was very little chance he would see her again today. The Report was the pivotal event in a day of ritualistic ceremonies and meetings.
Kal had long wondered what they achieved.
Today, he simply didn’t want to do it.
He wanted to be with Lois.
And he also wanted to check again with the parents of the murdered boy. Wanted to ensure their thoughts had moved past retaliation.
But instead, he was chained by the demands of tradition.
Kal heard a step behind him and turned to see Tek. “Ready, Sir?” Tek asked.
“Yes.”
Tek held out his hand. It contained a small vial, filled with a colourless fluid. “This is for you, Sir.”
Kal took it. “What is it?” he asked.
“It is cologne. My wife makes it.” Tek took it back, removed the cork and held it up. “Smell it.”
Kal did. It was pleasant ... spicy. “I should put on some now?”
“Not now, Sir,” Tek said. “Later.”
“Later?”
Tek re-corked it and replaced it in Kal’s hand. “The ladies like it, Sir.”
Kal felt his smile begin to wander across his face and forcibly suppressed it. “Than –.” He quickly chopped off the word that had sprung to his lips. “I will use some later.”
With neither word nor gesture, Tek turned and limped from the room.
Seconds later, Kal was joined by the three Regal Nobles – Lord Nor, Lord Yent and Lord Ching.
Kal checked the clock.
It was time.
Yent opened the double doors.
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Lois stood at the end of the line - next to Mo - in the courtyard.
Bel was at the other end.
Then came someone Lois didn’t know ... C1, she assumed. Ard ... the first concubine ... the one who’d had a male guest last night.
Ard was tall and had a lithe sleekness that couldn’t be hidden even by the shapelessness of her white gown. She emanated an ethereal beauty that was completely mesmerising. She was stunning ... a face of classical perfection, flawless translucent skin, a charming mouth, a pert nose.
Jealousy – hot and acid – burned through Lois’s insides.
Could any man resist Ard’s charms?
Was that why Kal had taken her as his concubine? She was C1 – she’d been taken first. How old did the Supreme Ruler have to be to take a concubine?
What about the man who had come out of Ard’s room last night? How did he fit into the scenario? Was it because of him that Ard no longer went ‘over yonder’?
Or did she?
Lois forced her eyes away.
Next to Ard was Jib. Then Mo. Then her.
It was like being displayed.
Lois shifted uncomfortably.
People continued to come through the gates; men and women – no children though. Lois was stunned to see so many people. Her impression of New Krypton beyond Kal’s gates was of a ghost town ... lifeless, deserted, stagnant. She estimated there were hundreds here now. Possibly four hundred. Maybe more.
Yet, despite the number of people, they were deathly quiet.
There were no murmurings and very little movement other than the new arrivals as they found a place to stand at the back of the crowd. No one turned to greet anyone.
And the atmosphere was sombre.
Then Lois sensed every head lift towards the balcony above them – Kal’s balcony.
The door opened. Three men emerged – men she didn’t know. They were dressed as Kal dressed – dark pants and a hip-length jacket.
Then came Kal.
It took every ounce of Lois’s self-control to remain standing. Her knees had turned to mush and her head was doing an impersonation of a helium balloon.
Kal.
He was dressed – from his shoulders down – in a black outfit. On his chest was a large blue ‘S’ – the same design as the one branded on her right hand.
The outfit was *tight*.
Body-hugging tight.
And shiny.
And very, very revealing.
It squeezed so tightly around his chest, Lois could trace the definition of individual muscles. She could see the rounded strength of his shoulders, could see the way they dipped into the bulges of his biceps. She could see the outline of his rib cage, could almost count his ribs. She could see the undulations of his stomach.
Her eyes dropped lower and Lois gasped.
If she’d had any doubts about the Kryptonian male being fundamentally the same as the Earth male, those doubts had just been obliterated. The lower portion of the black suit clung just as tightly, just as revealingly as the top half.
Lois rammed her eyes shut.
She swallowed. Once, twice, three times.
Eventually, she recovered enough to risk another look. Kal raised his clenched fist to his chest and thudded it against the ‘S’ on the black suit. Everyone in the crowd – and the three men alongside Kal on the balcony – responded with an open right hand to the chest. Lois hurriedly copied.
Then, as if by an unheard, secret signal, the hands dropped. Lois’s did too.
“Fellow Kryptonians,” Kal began.
The silence was eerie. Lois would not have believed that so many people could maintain such silence. There was no coughing, no clearing of throats. Just silence.
“Last week, a space craft crash-landed on our planet,” Kal said. His voice was deeper than normal. More distant. Official. Steeled with authority. “The space craft came from a planet called Earth and contained a single survivor. I have questioned the survivor and concluded she represents no threat to our people. Her arrival on New Krypton was not planned. It is unlikely that any of her fellow travellers survived. She will continue to live among us.”
Lois had expected people to turn to her and stare. They didn’t. Not one. Not even the slightest suggestion of a movement.
“We have begun drilling into the ground in search of water.” Kal continued. “You will see this machinery and hear it working during daylight hours. It is a safe procedure and will not have any unwanted side-effects. You are commanded to stay at least twenty yards from the drilling operations.”
Lois wondered if this was going to be a lengthy proceeding. Her throat ached to swallow. But so heavy was the silence, she didn’t dare.
Her eyes had begun to sting – a result of her unblinking efforts to affix them – rigidly - to Kal’s face.
“I remind you that our natural surroundings present us with very difficult challenges as we strive to build a prosperous and peaceful future for our children,” Kal said. “These challenges may seem unconquerable at times, but I remind you that by working together, we will overcome the difficulties and achieve the goals set by our forefathers when they were forced to leave Krypton. I implore you to concentrate on our common challenges and to commit to working together.”
These people had a remarkable ability to maintain absolute stillness and complete silence.
“My wife and I have no announcement regarding an heir.”
With that Kal turned, giving Lois – and everyone else – a full view of his firm, black, shiny butt. Lois gasped again. This time she was less successful in suppressing it to silence.
The three men on the balcony turned and followed Kal into the building. The double doors shut.
Still the people didn’t move. Lois wondered if there was a Part Two.
Then Lois saw Ard turn and walk regally towards the concubine quarters. Jib followed, then Mo. Lois fell into line and walked past Bel, then heard Bel walking behind her. Ard went into the first room, Jib went into the second room, Mo into the third. Lois went into her room.
Once inside, she let out a deep, deep breath.
Staying completely motionless was exhausting. Lois stretched, trying to ease the tension from her body. She changed out of the white gown and into a grey one.
How long would it take for the crowd to disperse?
She didn’t dare even peek out of her room yet. She couldn’t hear any movement outside, but she really didn’t want to walk into the courtyard until she was sure they had gone.
Which meant there was nothing to do except think about Kal.
And *that* black suit.
Lois’s heart roared into overdrive.
His body was sculpted perfection.
And on display.
Covered only by thin black material that instead of concealing, seemed to accentuate every curve.
Every ... breath-taking ... curve.
Was that why they called him the *Supreme* Ruler?
Lois gulped again.
Did he mind?
Was he uncomfortable?
He’d been embarrassed when she’d walked in on him and caught him jacketless. Yet this afternoon he had stood before his people with only a stretched black film of material between him and complete exposure.
Had he done it so often, he didn’t even think about it anymore?
Was it the clothing that had contributed to his tension this morning, or the importance of his message, or simply having to face his people?
Lois thought about his final line – ‘My wife and I have no announcement regarding an heir.’
He said he’d married his wife ten winters ago. Tek had told her Kal had no children. Did that mean Kal had made that announcement every month for the past ten years?
But why was it necessary to announce it? If Kal saw his wife once a year at the Nobility Convention, how could they hope to conceive? And did they even make love anyway?
More and more, Lois was thinking they didn’t. Hadn’t. Ever.
So why announce there was no coming heir?
Was Kal deliberately not allowing his wife the chance to conceive, yet pretending to his people that there was a possibility of an heir?
That seemed out of character for Kal. Totally out of character.
Could it be possible he didn’t *know* how an heir could be conceived?
Surely not.
Tek knew.
Kal was an intelligent, educated man.
It wasn’t possible he didn’t know.
So why did he see his wife just once a year? Yet announce publically she wasn’t pregnant?
Were the people hoping for an heir? Did they know how infrequently their Supreme Ruler saw his wife?
Was there something wrong with his wife? Was she disabled? Sickly? Old? Young? Had she been at the report?
Was Kal hoping for an heir?
Did he want a child?
For himself? Or for his people?
Was it his heart? Or his duty?
Did he feel he had failed his people by not providing one?
But if that were the case, wouldn’t he be in his wife’s bedroom every chance he got?
Given how he looked, why didn’t his wife have Kal in her bedroom every night?
If she, Lois, were Kal’s wife, there would not be separate houses.
Nor separate bedrooms.
Nor separate beds.
If she, Lois, were Kal’s wife, she was absolutely certain there would be nothing left over for the concubines.
Nothing.
