From Part 24 ...
After they had eaten and worked through every dispute on the much-diminished pile, Kal walked Lois to the Concubine Quarters for the second to last time.
At her door, Kal kissed her. “Good night, my Lois. The only thing giving me strength to leave is the knowledge I only have to do this one more time.”
Lois released him from her hold. “Good night, my Kal,” she said. “I love you.”
“I love you,” he said. “Whatever happens, I will always love you, Lois.”
Part 25
Lucy Lane could feel the incongruous cocktail of emotions push insistently up her throat.
She exhaled a steadying breath and lifted her misty eyes from the flowers she carried.
Never had she experienced such joyful contentment mixed with such wretched heartache.
The melodic tones of the celebrant fell softly on her ears.
“... until death do you part?”
“I do.”
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Lord Nor glared at his half-eaten breakfast.
Kal-El had called yet another unscheduled Cabinet Meeting. Nor guessed it was about water. Yesterday he had heard that the two working drills had been dismantled and were being re-established in new locations.
In Nor’s estimation, it represented a desperate last-ditch effort to salvage a plan that had been nonsensical from the beginning.
He didn’t care either way. If they found water, he would be saved from having to attempt to resolve the predicament.
If they didn’t – it wasn’t his failure. And as the Supreme Ruler, his personal water supply would be assured as long as there remained a drop of moisture on the planet.
The Supreme Ruler of New Krypton. Nor closed his eyes and savoured the imminent cessation to the years of waiting and torturous restraint.
He had intended to spend the morning meticulously finalising every detail pertaining to the execution of his plan. It was so close, he could taste it.
Instead, he had to attend the Cabinet Meeting. Another one.
Nor didn’t want to go.
More than that, he didn’t want another day – not even another minute – of being subject to the whims of Kal-El.
With an irritated glance to the clock, Nor pushed aside the remains of his breakfast and with surly resentment headed for the Supreme Ruler’s buildings.
As he approached the sentries at the door, he felt his mood lift.
Very soon, it wouldn’t be Kal-El they were sworn to protect, but Nor-Dur.
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Nor watched with detached indifference as Ching and Yent settled themselves into their seats. Now they were assembled, a message would be sent to the Supreme Ruler informing him his Cabinet was ready for his presence.
The rigid hierarchical structure had always irked Nor. The clear inference that Kal-El’s time was of greater value than his wedged in his gullet like a pointy bone.
When he, Nor, was the Supreme Ruler, there would be minimal Cabinet Meetings. Nor would make the decisions and consultation would be a relic from another time.
Kal-El walked in and Nor stood, dutifully, with Ching and Yent. They waited while Kal-El seated himself.
Then they sat.
As was his habit, Nor studied the demeanour of Kal-El. The Supreme Ruler had been noticeably less reserved since the arrival of the alien woman. This morning however, Nor could discern little.
He smothered a sigh. Surely even a punctilious robot such as Kal-El must be weary of the topic of water by now.
The Supreme Ruler cleared his throat. “I called this Meeting to inform you that tomorrow I will take my fourth concubine, the alien woman called Lois, as my wife.”
Nor felt his heart stumble through a beat, but was confident his surprise did not reach his face. Tomorrow, he thought, his excitement building. Tomorrow. Could he possibly ...?
“Is it your intention to annul your current marriage?” Ching asked.
“No,” Kal-El replied.
“From which of your wives will the heir come?” Yent asked.
“When there is an announcement regarding an heir, I will inform my Cabinet prior to a Report,” Kal-El said. His eyes rounded the room, pausing at each face. “My wife will be afforded all the rights and privileges that are due her as the wife of the Supreme Ruler.”
“And the Lady Za?” Ching said.
Nor felt the rise of his annoyance at Ching’s puerile naiveté.
“The Lady Za’s position will remain unchanged,” Kal-El said. He waited, respectful as always, and with the air of one who knows his authority, but it sat upon his shoulders with a confidence that was new.
It had to be that alien woman, Nor decided. Probably Kal-El had bedded her. Or more likely, she’d bedded him.
Now Kal-El planned to take her as his wife.
Tomorrow.
Unless ...
Unless Nor chose tomorrow as the day he took what was rightfully his.
Could it be done?
Nor was confident everything was ready.
With a surge of exhilaration that did not come close to touching the set of his face, Nor decided that tomorrow *would* be his day.
Tomorrow.
His day was almost here.
A further tantalising possibility wormed through Nor’s mind. Until this moment, he’d had no plans for the alien wench – once he’d concluded she could not threaten his future, he had dismissed her completely. But now it dawned on him that dealing astutely with her would be a choice way to drive home the totality of Kal-El’s downfall.
It would be fitting retribution for every wasted minute Nor had spent in these meaningless meetings.
“I feel this is an insult to the Lady Za,” Ching said.
Ching’s vexation sat unhidden on his face. The man was devoid of even the simplest understanding of tactical combat. He probably imagined he would continue to be privy to Nor’s plans ... would be rewarded for his years of faithful compliance.
No, Nor decided. Ching needed to be taught a valuable life lesson. The lesson that only a fool permits himself the luxury of trust.
The meeting over, Kal-El stood. The three Regal Nobles stood. They watched in subservient silence as the Supreme Ruler left the room.
Nor hurried away without bothering to speak to Yent and Ching. He knew what they would say. Yent would spout an obscure incident from history that was relevant only in the pettiness of his mind and Ching would again expose his callowness for all to see.
Nor had no patience for either of them.
Which mattered not, because very soon he, Nor, would take the position that was rightfully his – the Supreme Ruler of South Krypton.
And Ching and Yent would be reduced to being the casualties of progress. Alive – assuming they had the good sense not to oppose him - but devoid of power. And, if they did not realise how very disposable they were, they, and their families, would disappear from the Kryptonian landscape with the necessary expedience.
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Kal returned to his bedroom, barely able to restrain his stride to anything remotely dignified. Would she be in his room?
He’d come to relish the anticipation of seeing her. It wasn’t quite as good as the actual moment she filled his vision, but the delectable hope laced with the sobering possibility she would be elsewhere had become a drug he regularly devoured.
His joy swept him forward now – not only because he was perhaps merely seconds from seeing her, but because very soon he would be free to spend every night with her.
Kal paused at his door. Then, unable to endure a second more of the sweet suspense, he entered his room and the bundle of his excitement exploded into a thousand drops of pure happiness.
She stood and turned to him and her smile intensified every good feeling within him. “Kal,” she said.
Within two steps, she was in his arms. He tightened her against him, loving her smallness and softness and the sweet aroma of her shampoo and the way her arms perched on his shoulders as her hands lay on his neck.
“I have informed my Cabinet,” Kal told her. “Now I will talk with Tek when he brings our lunch and inform the people at an Extraordinary Report this afternoon.”
Lois withdrew enough to look into his face. “What did the cabinet say?”
“There was very little they could say,” Kal replied. “I am the Supreme Ruler. I have chosen to marry.”
“Is it really that simple?” Lois said.
“Yes.”
“Did Nor say anything?”
“Not one word.”
“Did anyone ask about Za?”
“Ching did. He asked if that marriage will be annulled.”
“And you told him it wouldn’t be?”
“Yes.”
A knock sounded on the bedroom door and both Kal and Lois turned to it. “Who can that be?” Lois asked. “Tek usually walks right in and everyone else signals with the light.”
“You are the only person who knocks,” Kal said. He kissed her lightly before turning his head towards the door. “Enter,” he called.
Tek walked in with their lunch.
Kal felt Lois ease back as if she were expecting them to separate. He increased his pressure a small amount – not enough to hold her there if she wanted to leave, but enough to let her know he was quite content to be found holding her.
He felt her relax into his chest and a smile formed on his mouth. “Thank you, Tek,” he said. “Please return after we have eaten – there is a matter we wish to discuss with you.”
“Yes, Sir,” Tek said. His attention turned to Lois. “Your name doesn’t translate easily,” he said. “But I need to call you something.”
Lois hesitated, then looked to Kal for help.
“Why don’t you call her ‘Lady’?” Kal suggested.
“Lady,” Tek repeated. “Is that satisfactory to you?” he asked Lois.
“Yes,” Lois said.
Tek’s eyes volleyed between them. “Sir, Lady,” he said and turned to leave the room.
Before Tek had gone, Kal had lifted Lois’s chin with a gentle upwards pressure and had joined his mouth to hers. He kissed her slowly, revelling in every single trace of contact.
When he finished, she was smiling. “You don’t mind Tek seeing us like this?” she asked.
“I think the fact that he knocked for the first time ever says he is hardly going to be surprised to discover the Supreme Ruler in the arms of the woman he loves.”
Her smile widened – filling him again with the joy of her.
More than anything, Kal wanted to resume kissing her. More than resume, he wanted to go further than he ever had. There was so much he ached to do – to explore her mouth with his tongue and her body with his hands. Resisting every instinct, Kal released her and took the chair and their lunch to the bed. “We should decide how we wish to direct Tek with regards to our Marriage Ceremony,” he said.
“What is usual for New Krypton?” Lois asked.
“I don’t know,” Kal said. “I have attended only one Marriage Ceremony and that was when I married Za.”
“You didn’t go when Tek married Riz?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“The Supreme Ruler usually maintains separateness from his people.”
“Did Ked tell you that?”
“Yes.”
Lois deftly loaded some vegetable onto her stick. “Have you ever wondered if that is the best way to rule?” she asked. “Ever thought that if the people knew you a little more as a person as well as their leader, that could be a good situation for everyone?”
“*I* didn’t know me as a person,” Kal said.
He hadn’t meant to dismay her, but he could see the sadness gather in the depths of her brown eyes. “Well, *I* know you as a person,” she said. “And I love everything I know.”
Kal let loose a deep breath of contentment. He loved this woman so much sometimes it hurt – in the most wonderful way. “I love you,” he said solemnly.
She responded with her smile. “In my culture on Earth, the people to be married make vows to each other.”
“Are there standard vows, or does each person say words from the heart?”
“There are standard vows, but people are free to choose to say whatever they wish.”
“I would like to speak from my heart,” Kal said.
“I would like to also.”
They shared a smile. “Once we have spoken, Tek will declare that our marriage constitutes a legal contract and I will sign my agreement that I freely take you as my wife.”
Lois’s eyes shot up from the plate. “Do I sign?” she asked and her voice had hardened a little.
“In this Marriage Ceremony, you do,” Kal declared.
“But the woman usually doesn’t?” she persisted.
“Not usually,” Kal admitted, hoping this wouldn’t cause any problems.
Her annoyance hadn’t abated. “You know, Kal,” Lois said. “There are some things about New Krypton that I really hate.”
He could see this perturbed her and decided it would be best to give her the chance to express her irritation. Certainly today was preferable to tomorrow for this conversation. “What exactly?” he probed, careful to keep any defensiveness from his tone.
“The way women are thought to be inferior,” she said. “The way men control their lives. The way they can be taken, just like cattle. In fact, it’s worse than cattle because as least you have to pay for cows.”
Kal waited long enough to give her the chance to continue if she wished. He took her hand in his and raised it and let his lips play over her skin of her wrist. “You know what this planet needs?” he asked.
“I have a few ideas,” she said, still snarky.
He looked up at her. “It needs a strong, intelligent woman who has a lot of influence with the Supreme Ruler,” he said, hoping it would draw a smile from her.
It took a moment for his comment to have the desired result, but when it did, her smile was worth the wait. Kal kissed her wrist and then began a slow journey along the ridge at the base of her thumb. “You think there is a chance we could change some of these things?” Lois asked.
“We can try,” Kal said. “Together, we are more than enough.”
Her smile blossomed. “Yes,” she agreed. She slowly reclaimed her hand and reached for their food. “I asked Riz to come to our marriage ceremony. Is that all right?”
“Yes.”
“Will anyone else be there?”
“It is traditional for the Regal Nobles to be in attendance, but it is not a legal requirement, so I didn’t extend an invitation.”
“Good,” Lois said. She considered for a moment. “Although I’m not totally against the idea of meeting Nor – but not at our marriage ceremony. I saw him at the Reports, but have never actually spoken to him.”
“Why do you want to meet him?” Kal asked.
“Because I want to find out more about what he is up to.”
Kal couldn’t find a non-inflammatory way to state that he doubted Nor would simply supply the details of his plan – if he had one – to Lois.
He didn’t need to. With a beguiling grin, she said, “You don’t think he’d confide in me?”
Kal wasn’t sure whether to go with honesty or tact.
Lois laughed. “It’s OK, Kal. There were plenty on Earth who didn’t really want to talk with me either.”
Kal sensed that Lois had found ways to discover what she wanted to know, regardless of the wishes of others.
“There will be Riz and Tek and you and me?” she said.
“Yes.”
“Do children ever go to a marriage ceremony?”
“No, never.”
“Is that a law?”
“No.”
“Can Riz bring Dom and Kip?”
The idea of children being at a marriage ceremony – indeed an official ceremony of any sort – was so new and unfamiliar, Kal couldn’t respond for a moment. “Uhm ...”
“Do you have any specific objections? As the groom, not as the Supreme Ruler?”
Kal knew he was going to have to disappoint her. “Lois,” he said, hoping he would be able to soften the blow. “I’m sorry, but we can’t have horses; none survived the Transition and they are now extinct.”
She stared at him with no comprehension at all. “Horses?” she said.
“Grooms attend to horses,” he said.
Lois leant back and her shoulders shook as her laughter burst forth. Kal enjoyed every second it took her to regain control. He felt himself grinning widely even though he had not the slightest understanding of what she had found so humorous.
“I didn’t mean to make a joke,” he said when Lois’s laughter had reduced to a quiet gurgle.
She wiped the moisture from her eyes and managed to snuff out the last of her laughter. “A marriage ceremony is called a wedding,” she explained, still grinning. “The woman is called the bride and the man is called the bridegroom. Sometimes that is shortened to just groom. It doesn’t mean there has to be horses.”
“You don’t mind about the horses?” Kal deduced.
“I don’t mind about the horses,” Lois said, still grinning. “Our wedding will be wonderful.”
“Our wedding,” Kal mused, allowing the unfamiliar word to wash across his tongue. “My bride.”
She smiled. “Tomorrow,” she reminded him unnecessarily.
An entire avalanche of joy and impatience and thrilling expectation thundered through Kal. “Tomorrow,” he repeated with such longing, his voice shook.
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They told Tek of their plans and the time was set.
Ten o’clock tomorrow morning.
In Kal’s chambers.
Lois could barely contain her excitement as she crossed the courtyard. She didn’t know the protocol, but she intended to tell Bel and each of the other three concubines of her forthcoming marriage ceremony before Kal announced it at the Extraordinary Report.
She suspected it wasn’t usual for a wife of the Supreme Ruler to maintain friendships with his concubines and other women, but Lois had no intention of locking herself away in Kal’s buildings. In fact, she was determined to expand her circle of friends.
The reaction to her news was surprisingly positive. Bel offered to help Lois prepare in the morning. Ard asked if that meant there would be no drawings required of her tomorrow. Jib seemed pleased – if in a somewhat stilted manner. And Mo asked if it were permissible to write stories for adults. And could they include a marriage ceremony?
“Mo,” Lois said. “Those stories are called romances and they are some of my favourite ones to read.”
“After it is finished, may I read it to you?” Mo asked shyly.
Despite her excitement at having a fellow-writer, Lois felt a shaft of sadness. Mo would never have the opportunity to experience her own love story. “I certainly want you to read it to me,” Lois said. Even as she spoke, Lois made a vow to try to find a way for Mo and Jib and all the other concubines and unloved wives to have a greater say in their own lives.
Lois had wondered if she should invite them to her wedding. Had they shown the slightest interest in attending, Lois would have issued the invitation, but none did.
As Lois neared her own room, she had a sudden thought. She swung around and returned to Ard’s room. Ard opened the door. “You have a new book?” she asked.
Lois smiled. “No, Ard, but there are some pictures I want you to draw for me.”
Her clear blue eyes shone with innocent joy. “Good.”
“I want you to come to my marriage ceremony tomorrow and when you come back to your room, I’d like you to draw pictures of what you saw.”
“I can draw people?” Ard asked.
Lois was unsure if this prospect pleased Ard or daunted her. “I would like you to.”
“I've never thought of drawing people,” Ard said. “I only thought of drawing trees and flowers and sky.”
“Have you ever drawn water?” Lois asked, remembering some of the beautiful seascapes from Earth.
Ard's joy died. “Water is bad,” she said.
Lois took a moment to comprehend, then with a sinking feeling, remembered that Ard’s father, Kip, had died in the ocean. Lois reached for her hand and held it with a gentle touch. “I’m sorry, Ard,” she said. “I forgot about how your father died.”
“How could you know how my father died?” Ard asked. “You weren’t here then.”
“People have told me what a wonderful man your father was and how sad it is that he died.”
“The ugly man pushed him into the water and I never saw him again.”
Lois’s heart stopped, bombarded by both the information and the stark sadness in the words of a daughter who still mourned the father she loved. “How do you know?” Lois asked, more gently than she had ever framed a question before.
“I drew pictures for my father.”
“I’m sure that made him very happy.”
“Yes. But he went to work before the light comes every morning.”
“Did you follow him?”
“Yes,” Ard said as if admitting to a transgression. “I had finished a picture for him and I wanted to give it to him but he had already gone, so I followed him.”
“And you saw what happened?” Lois asked, unable to stop herself.
“Yes. The ugly man went to my father and they talked and then the ugly man pushed my father and he fell into the water.”
“Have you seen the ugly man again?”
“Yes. He is at the Reports.” Ard’s eyes lifted to the balcony. “But he doesn’t speak.”
“What did you do after your father was pushed?”
“I ran towards the ugly man to tell him he was bad, but he ran away.” Ard looked past Lois, her eyes loaded with loss. “My father did not come home again,” she said.
Lois drew Ard into her arms and held her. She’d expected Ard to draw away or stiffen, but she did neither. Her arms remained at her side, but she didn’t seem to be uncomfortable in Lois’s embrace. Lois drew back and looked into Ard’s eyes. “I’m so sad about what happened to your father.”
“I am sad too,” Ard said.
“Did you ever tell anyone what you saw?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because if they knew I followed my father, I would be in trouble.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Lois said. “You did nothing wrong at all.”
“I will come now and draw the pictures for you,” Ard said.
“Not now,” Lois said. “Tomorrow. I will come and get you and we will go together.” She smiled gently. “Is that all right?”
“Yes.”
After a quick parting hug, Lois crossed to her room. She felt the beginning of tears, but they were quickly aborted by her smouldering anger.
She was sure the ugly man was Nor.
He had caused so much heartache.
He *would* pay, she vowed.
She would build the case against him. She would find incontrovertible proof. She would change laws if necessary.
She would find a way to bring justice for Mo and Jib and Ard and Tek and anyone else hurt by Nor’s atrocities.
She would ensure he would *never* be the Supreme Ruler.
And she’d do in ways far more explicit than merely having a baby.
