Previously on Contractually Bound:
Kal gaped. How had he once again become the recipient of Lois' anger? He hadn't done anything wrong! Jai was the one who'd invited a concubine in to share his bed, not Kal. But Lois was taking it out on him anyway.
"I don't have a harem," he said, defending himself.
"Uh-huh."
"I swear! Ching and I don't believe in the practice. He's very devoted to Zara. And I just find the whole idea abhorrent."
"Riiiight."
"I'm telling you the truth!"
"And why should I believe anything that you have to say?"
"Lois, why would I lie to you?"
"To placate me. To make yourself feel better. Look, I don't really care. You could father a child with every woman on Krypton for all that I care. Just stay away from me."
Lois took off down the hall in the direction of Kal's rooms, leaving him standing stunned in the hallway. His fists balled up as he struggled not to scream out his frustration. Everything had finally started to smooth out while he was showing Lois around. And now, the peace had been shattered like a plate of fragile glass. And it had all been because he'd had the bad luck of nearing Jai's chambers as his brother had sent one of the concubines on their way. All hope for getting on Lois' good side vanished from Kal's heart. He turned away from the direction that Lois had gone and strode from the palace, out into the howling wind. He jogged quickly to the rose gardens, collapsed on a bench, and let his pent up tears fall.
***
Storm, Thy Name Is Lois
Kal remained in the rose garden until late in the afternoon. The usually comforting setting did nothing to alleviate his grief. He kept thinking about Lois. It was clear that she hated him. And Kal had no idea how to change her mind. She didn't have to love him, or even like him. But he wished that they could at least find a common ground; a place where they could both be on civil terms. He hated the fact that he kept inadvertently making her mad. But what was he supposed to do? Not talk at all? Kal hung his head as fresh tears stung his eyes.
He didn't hear anyone approaching. He didn't see the figure as it rounded the corner and entered the boundary between the lilies and the rose gardens. He was far too wrapped up in his own feelings of utter despair and hopelessness.
"Kal?"
The young prince groaned. The last thing he wanted to do was to talk to anyone, least of all his father. His father was the reason why he was in this mess to begin with.
"Son, what are you doing out here?"
Kal quickly wiped away the evidence of his crying as his father came nearer. His tears made him feel like a child. He didn't want his father to see them; it was far too embarrassing. He cleared his throat and moved over so that Jor-El could sit on the bench as well. Kal sighed as Jor-El sat.
"Son? What's wrong?" The Supreme Lord placed a comforting hand on Kal's back.
"Everything," Kal admitted in a voice so soft that it could barely be heard above the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind.
"That's quite a lot," Jor-El said gently. "How about we narrow it down a bit?"
"Lois hates me."
"I'm sure that's not true."
"It is true, Dad. I can't seem to do anything right by her. Everything I say and do makes her mad. I don't know what to do."
Jor-El nodded. "You need to be patient. Remember, it's not just your world that changed overnight. Hers changed too, and even more dramatically. She's living in a new place where she doesn't know anyone. She's had to leave both family and friends behind."
"I know that. And I've been trying to help her adjust. But it's like she doesn't want me to do that. It's like she prefers to stay mad at me, even though this wasn't my fault. She's already asked me to find a way out of our contract."
"I see."
"This is a disaster, Dad."
Jor-El smiled tenderly at his son. "It may seem like that now, but give it time."
"I'm trying to. I really am. But...we're both miserable. I'm sorry, Dad. But I agree with Lois. Is there a way to get out of this? Some way that we can pretend at a marriage for some acceptable length of time and then quietly end it? Some way that won't bring shame to either of our Houses?"
Jor-El shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, son, but the law is the law. All marriage contracts between noble houses are unbreakable. You know that as well as I do."
"Then I wish I was a commoner. At least they have some freedom to marry who they wish." Kal's voice was harsh and bitter.
"Well, like it or not, you are a prince of Krypton and nothing can change that." Jor-El's voice sounded weary, as though he too, was shouldering Kal's grief.
"The price of privilege," Kal sighed. "Just...tell me. What am I supposed to do? Tell me how to fix this and I will do it."
Jor-El sighed as well. "I don't know. Every woman is different. Zara could hardly wait for the marriage ceremony that bound her to Ching. Your mother and I had only met a handful of times before our wedding day. She came to me as a shy young woman. It took her a few months before she was at ease living in the palace. Perhaps Lois just needs some time."
"It's not that Lois is shy," Kal said, remembering full well the depth of her angry rants. "I think she honestly hates everything about this situation."
"You must learn to ignore the anger. Look past the words that she says. Find out what it is that she really wants and needs."
"She wants her freedom."
"She is no prisoner."
Kal shook his head. "There may not be chains or bars holding her here, but this marriage might as well be a prison, to both of us."
The Supreme Lord seemed to have nothing to say to that. A silence fell between father and son. Only the wind and the rustling leaves made any noise. Even the birds had gone mute before the impending storm. Kal wasn't sure whether to be grateful for the silence, or if it made things even worse. He stared into the distance, trying to figure out what to do next. Finally, he could take the quiet no longer.
"So, were you looking for me?" Kal asked. "Is that why you came out here?"
Jor-El shook his head. "No. But like you and your brothers, I sometimes come here when I want some time alone to think. You mother's spirit is strong in this place." He quickly gestured to the surrounding section of the gardens. "How I wish she was here now."
"Me too," Kal agreed. "I feel like she would know what to do. And I miss her."
"So do I. She would have been very proud of the man you've become, Kal. I hope you know that."
"You think so?"
"I know so. You remind me of her in a lot of ways. Your smile is hers, as is your gentle nature. She was just like you in the way that she dealt with the palace staff and the common people. She knew each of them by name, and that of their families. She'd stop a courier to ask how his wife and infant child were, or she'd visit the kitchen to check on the cook whose mother was ill."
"I remember a little of that," Kal admitted. "There's so much that I never really paid that much attention to, back then. I wish that I had. But I remember everything from the times when it was just Mom, Ching, Jai, and me, out in these gardens. Mom would read to us or tell us stories. I remember thinking how lucky we were. I knew that other children of nobles often didn't get to spend much time with their parents. They used to tell us how their nursemaids were their sole caretakers in many cases. There was always a lot of resentment behind that. In fact, I think that's why Lord Nor is so...intense. So I was always grateful that you and Mom spent as much time with us as you possibly could, and that Marthe was only there to help you raise us, not to do the whole job for you."
A light drizzle began as Kal finished speaking. He looked up and squinted against the drops as he examined the sky. The clouds looked even blacker and more ominous than they had that morning. He frowned. He'd have to go back inside, and that meant facing Lois. Had she cooled off by now? He hoped so. He wasn't sure that he could handle another one of her angry tirades.
"We'd better head indoors," Jor-El said, as he too studied the sky. "Unfortunately, I have work to attend to. I'll catch up with you and Lois at dinner. I hear that Jon is making your favorite meal tonight."
Kal nodded, but he inwardly dreaded the meal. Things were awkward enough between Lois and himself. He could only imagine what a family dinner was going to be like. He knew that he wouldn't have to worry about keeping up appearances before the Elders. They had been given the day off, and would not be dining with the royal family that night. Kal was infinitely glad of that fact.
The prince dejectedly walked through the white marble halls of the palace, slowly working his way back to his own rooms. He groaned as he caught sight of Ching and Jai walking together. They were coming his way, and Kal had no opportunity to avoid them. Jai, at the very least, was looking much better than he had a few hours ago, though he did not look quite back to normal yet. Kal knew from the smiles on their faces that they were going to stop him to talk. He wasn't in the mood, but at least it would delay the inevitable. Anything was more welcome than facing his wife at the moment.
"Kal! You dog! How was the wedding night?" Jai asked him, slapping him on the back and with a suggestive wink.
"Not good," Kal said, shrugging out of his brother's touch.
Jai frowned. "I told you that you should have gotten in some practice with Catira. How badly did you disappoint your bride?" His tone told Kal that he was trying to crack a joke, but it fell flat on Kal's depressed mood.
"Jai, stop," Kal snapped, his voice a little harder than he'd meant it to be.
Jai sobered a little, as though Kal had physically slapped him. "What happened, bro?"
Kal quickly filled his brothers in on the rough start that he and Lois had made of things, though he didn't go into too much detail. They both nodded sympathetically as he briefly recounted his plight. Ching sighed.
"That's rough," he told Kal. "Anything I can do to help?"
Kal shook his head. "Nothing that I can think of. Unfortunately, this is one thing that I need to handle on my own. I just don't know where to begin."
"Well, hanging around here won't get anything accomplished," Ching said.
Kal frowned. "You sound a lot like Dad sometimes, you know that?"
Ching shrugged. "Yes, actually. I believe that you and Jai have made that quite clear to me in the past."
"Ching's right though," Jai offered. "You should go talk to her. And, Kal, good luck. I mean it. I hate seeing you upset."
"Thanks," Kal said, nodding. "I appreciate that. Well, here goes nothing."
With that, he strode off down the hall. He did not look back at his brothers as they stood there watching his progress. When Kal finally reached his own rooms, he hesitated for a moment before the door, then resolutely grasped the knob and entered. Fasa came running, meowing a greeting as he came. Kal smiled a thin little smile and picked the cat up. He kissed the tabby's head.
"Hey, buddy," he said to the cat. "Miss me?"
Fasa only purred in response and rubbed his head against his master's chin. Kal bent back down and placed the cat on the floor again. He wandered into the living room, and found Lois on the couch. She had a small selection of trunks around her and she was going through them. She looked up and fixed Kal with a cold stare as he entered the room.
"Have a nice time with your concubines?" she asked, as she pawed through a trunk filled with books.
"I told you. I don't believe in the practice," Kal said, sighing. He padded over to the other side of the room and sat in an armchair. "I don't want to argue about it. You can believe me or not. But I'm telling you the truth." He paused for a moment before adding, "What's in the trunks?"
"My father's servants brought some of my things up while you were...doing whatever it was that you were doing."
"Did you need..." Kal paused and corrected himself. "Did you want any help unpacking? I made some space for your stuff in my closets and dresser. And there's plenty of room on my bookshelves."
"No," Lois said, closing the trunk of books. "I'm leaving most of this stuff packed. It'll cut down on what I need to repack when I figure out a way to get out of this marriage."
"Lois," Kal said, his voice gentle and pleading. "I was in the gardens this morning after we...separated in the hallway. While I was out there, I talked with my father. I begged him for a way to end this. There is no loophole, no way, to put an end to this. I'm sorry."
"Don't give me that. He's the Supreme Lord. He can do whatever he pleases."
"No, he can't," Kal said. "The law is the law. The Elders will never let him change it. They have to approve of major changes like that. He can't just write a new law, or erase an existing one, just to suit his own needs...or those of his children."
Lois glared at him and said nothing.
"I'm sorry," Kal said after a moment, fully aware that he was repeating himself. "I really am."
"Sorry for yourself, I'll bet."
"No," Kal replied, shaking his head. "For you."
"What do you mean, for me?" Lois' voice had an edge to it that warned that Kal was treading on dangerous ground.
"I can't stand seeing people be unhappy. And usually I can try to find a way to change that. But this time, there's nothing that I can do. I want to see you be happy. And I don't want you to hate me."
Lois sighed and leaned back into the couch cushions. "I don't exactly hate you."
Kal blinked in surprise, but Lois refused to elaborate any further. He cleared his throat.
"Well, for the record, I don't hate you either," he offered.
Lois nodded, but said nothing. Kal sighed softly. Fasa jumped up on his lap, purring. As the orange tabby settled himself down, Kal stroked the animal's back in a thoughtful manner. At least, he thought wryly, the cat still liked him. Lois hadn't admitted to liking him at all, but not exactly hating him was a start, he supposed.
"So what's the deal with the cat?" Lois asked, a few minutes later. "Did you buy him hoping that it would make you seem like a nice guy? Because a guy with an animal can't possibly be a bad guy?"
Lois' question felt like a slap in the face.
"Of course not!" Kal said, offended. "Fasa's been my buddy for almost five years now."
Lois arched her eyebrow and Kal pressed on.
"My brothers and I were in the city. We make trips in quite often. Well, one summer day five years ago, we were kind of wandering aimlessly when we came across this alley and Jai made us stop. He said that he thought that he heard something. We listened, and after a minute, Ching and I could hear it too. These little plaintive mews were coming from behind some crates. We went over to have a look and found three little kittens weakly crawling around their mother. She was dead. It looked like she'd been gone for a day or so. The kittens weren't weaned yet. In fact, they were so young that they had probably only just opened their eyes within the week. I picked up Fasa."
Kal scratched the cat behind his ears. Fasa contentedly closed his eyes and continued to purr.
"He was dirty and half starved, and he was covered in fleas. But it was his eyes that really got to me. They seemed to be pleading for help. I decided right there to take him home and nurse him back to health, with every intention of keeping him around. I was instantly in love with him. My brothers felt the same way about the other two kittens. Ching took the grey female and Zara named her Thalia, after the mythological warrior woman who'd overcome incredible odds. She said that it was a fitting name for a kitten who'd lost her mother so young. Jai chose the male calico, and named him Zarthax, after the giant of the old tales, because he was the smallest kitten of the group. Like my brothers, I've always had a thing for the stars and the stories that go along with the constellations. And I've always been partial to the tale of Fasa, so the choice in names was easy for me."
"So you found a couple of kittens and decided to make yourselves feel good by rescuing them. Then I guess you dumped them on some unsuspecting servant to care for them until they were well enough. Well, aren't you the big hero?"
Kal gaped and shook his head. "Not at all. We cared for the kittens ourselves. For weeks we were all short on sleep, waking every few hours to feed them until they were old enough to eat on their own. And, well, for the last five years, we've been rewarded a thousand times over by the affection these cats have given us in return. I couldn't imagine my life without Fasa. He's kind of like my child in a way."
"Yes, well, I'm sure these cats are very lucky and all. But there are thousands more out there that you haven't saved."
"Lois," Kal gaped again. "Why are you trying to make me out to be the bad guy here? You're the one who asked about my cat. And yes, I know that I can't personally save them all. There are plenty of cats and dogs and all sorts of animals out there that need help. That's why Ching, Jai, and I got our father to increase funding to the planet's shelters. But I guess you wouldn't understand that. You seem to only want to see the negative side of things."
Kal stood, placing his cat on the floor as he did so. His hand passed through his hair as he turned away from the beautiful, infuriating woman sitting on the couch.
"Where are you going?" Lois demanded.
"To get freshened up for dinner. My father expects us both to be there."
"I'm not going," she said determinedly.
"You know what, Lois? That's fine. I don't care. You do whatever you want."
Kal strode to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Fresh tears pricked his eyes and he wiped them angrily away. Why did this woman affect him so deeply? If another nobleman or noblewoman had spoken to him in such a manner, it would have rolled right off Kal's back, like drops of rain water. But everything was different with Lois. And he was starting to hate that fact. So he vented all of his frustration into the hot tears that spilled out of his eyes and raced down his cheeks until he had no more left to give. Then he washed his face and straightened his clothing. His eyes were a little red from crying, but he thought that he looked passable. At length, he squared his shoulders and exited the bathroom.
When he emerged, he found that Lois had changed into clothing more fitting for dinner. She had combed out her dark, shoulder length hair and was sitting in the living room in one of the armchairs. Fasa was on her lap, and she absently stroked his back. Her gaze was fixed to the windows. Beyond the glass, the rain fell in a light, silver sheet while the heavy black clouds raced by overhead. Kal sat in the other armchair, opposite from Lois. She did not break her stare. She did not speak to him. That was just fine with Kal. He sat in silence, listening to the patter of the rain on the windows. Silence was better than facing Lois' wrath.
Eventually, it came time for them to make their way to the dining room. Kal silently guided Lois through the halls. Dinner was even more uncomfortable than Kal imagined it would be. Lois said next to nothing, and when she did speak, it was not to him. She wouldn't even look in his direction. Kal felt himself growing ever more withdrawn from the conversation. Even Jai was subdued, as he still battled the last remnants of his hangover. When the meal was finished, Kal wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved. On the one hand, he was out of his family's scrutiny. On the other, he was once again alone with Lois. He was determined not to say anything. If he didn't speak, she couldn't twist his words on him.
Not another word passed between them for the rest of the evening. Lois went to bed early, taking along one of her books. Kal made up the couch for his bed again and turned his video monitor on. He put the sound as low as he could while still being able to hear it, and tuned into his favorite sport. He silently cheered on his favorite team, the Red Suns, though they did not win the game, losing by a paltry eleven points. It was late when Kal finally crawled beneath the sheets and slept, with only Fasa to keep him company.
To Be Continued...
