Previously on Contractually Bound:
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 Kal felt himself growing ever more withdrawn from the conversation.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.
***
On The Long Road, Take Small Steps
Lois awoke before Kal did. She quickly dressed herself for the day and carefully applied her makeup. She knew that she would be expected to attend the meals and that the Elders would be there. As a result, she would be expected to look her best. From all that she had been told in preparation for this sordid marriage, the Elders and the Supreme Lord rarely stopped working during the day. Even meal times were utilized to discuss matters of the utmost importance. Satisfied with the way she looked, Lois padded to the living room.
Kal was still asleep on the couch. The blankets were half hanging off him and he lay sprawled on his stomach. His head was turned to one side, though the pillow had fallen to the floor. Fasa was laying stretched out on Kal's upper back, and his head was resting on Kal's exposed cheek. Neither of them stirred at Lois' presence in the room. Fasa's paw twitched once or twice, as did his nose, but he was only engrossed in a dream.
Despite herself, Lois cracked a small smile. She couldn't deny that the sight was heartwarming. And any man that would allow an animal to sleep on his face like that couldn't be all bad, could he? At the very least, she was now sure that Kal hadn't lied to her. It was obvious that the cat hadn't been some ploy to get her to trust him. And yet, it wasn't enough to change her mind about things. She still had every intention of finding a way out of this marriage.
And she still found herself funneling her anger towards the prince. Some part of her recognized that she was being a little unfair. He was simply the only accessible target that she had. She couldn't take out her anger on the Supreme Lord. And her father was now miles away, wrapped up in his laboratory work; of that, she was certain. Did he even miss her? Lois doubted it. He'd barely acknowledged her existence when she'd been living at home with him. He was always too busy with his work and his mistresses.
But, as she stared down at the sleeping man on the couch, a thought came to her. Perhaps she would watch Kal more closely. Perhaps he wasn't the spoiled little rich boy that she had anticipated being married to. Though she hadn't known him long, he hadn't actually done or said anything that remotely matched what she would have considered a spoiled prince to do. She knew, however, that it could all be an act. Time would tell. He would either remain the same cordial young man she'd been exposed to thus far, or he would grow bored of the act that he was putting on and show his true colors. She knew that she had all the time in the world. She could sit and watch and wait.
Kal began to stir and Lois quickly back-pedaled out of the room. She had only enough time to see Kal smile in his half awake state and reach up to pet Fasa's head. She fled to the safety of the bedroom and took a seat in the plush reclining chair that stood by the window. Lois nervously picked up her book and pretended to read. A few minutes later, she heard Kal shuffle to the doorway. She looked up when he knocked on the open door.
"Good morning," he offered, as politely as he could. He rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes and yawned.
"Good morning," Lois said, keeping her voice flat and neutral.
"Sleep well?" Kal asked.
"Well enough."
"I just need a minute to grab some clothes," Kal said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Oh...go right ahead."
"Thanks."
Kal quickly grabbed an outfit and went off to get changed. As he pulled on his shirt, he couldn't help but to feel a little hopeful. He and Lois had just had a small conversation and she hadn't taken her anger out on him. Granted, it hadn't been much of a conversation, but it was a start. In his mind, he could hear his father's voice. The Supreme Lord was fond of the saying "on the long road, take small steps." And a lifetime of being married to Lois was certainly going to be a long road. Even a baby step like the successful conversation that they had just shared was a step in the right direction. Or, at least, Kal hoped it was.
He took his time as he shaved and then dressed for the day. His thoughts kept spinning back to Lois. How could he ensure that they continued to have peaceful exchanges? Would breakfast be any less awkward than dinner had been the night before? Had there been some turning point for Lois, where she had decided not to act as if Kal was the bad guy? He shook his head as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He simply didn't know. And that held a certain amount of uneasiness for him. He wished he knew how to handle this situation.
Finally deciding that he could no longer hide out in his bathroom, Kal exited and knocked on the bedroom door again. Lois set aside her book once more. She looked at him expectantly.
"Can I come in?" Kal asked.
Lois shrugged. "It's your room."
"No," Kal said, shaking his head, "it's not my room anymore. It's yours."
He wanted to add that maybe one day it would be theirs, a place that they shared equally, but he held his tongue. A thought like that would only infuriate Lois. Lois looked at him a moment, as though trying to determine if he was making a joke.
"Come in," she said at last.
Kal did as he was bid. He sat shyly on the edge of the bed, facing Lois as she sat in the chair. He ran his hand through his hair, looking for a place to begin.
"I, uh, thought you might like to know what will probably happen today," he said finally, dropping his eyes to the room's thick beige carpeting.
"Oh?"
Kal nodded, encouraged when Lois failed to explode at him. "We'll be expected to have breakfast in the main hall. The Elders will most likely be there. There will probably be some discussion about some matter or another. Then my father, Ching, and I will go to the main receiving hall. Once a week, we hear petitions from the commoners and lesser nobles. Depending on how many we have, we could be there all day. So I won't see you for lunch. We'll all be together again at dinner, then the rest of the night we'll all get some free time."
"So...I'm expected to do...what, exactly?"
"Nothing," Kal said. "You'll have all day to yourself. I can arrange for Jak, my personal attendant, to take you into the city if you'd like. Jai and Zara won't be hearing the petitions, so they'll be around if you want some company."
"Why won't they be hearing petitions?"
"Jai isn't a full-blooded prince, and therefore can never ascend to the throne. The law doesn't explicitly forbid him from hearing petitions, but the Elders frown on his presence. So he almost never sits in with us. And Zara is a woman. The law actually does forbid her to sit in on the petitions."
Kal saw Lois' color rise in anger even before she spoke. He held his breath, knowing that she was about to explode.
"That's ridiculous!" she said, fairly fuming. "She'll be the Supreme Lord's wife one day, when Ching ascends the throne."
Kal nodded, surprised that, for once, she wasn't finding a way to blame him. It was true that Lois' voice had risen and that she was angry, but he could tell, just by the way that she held herself, that she was furious at the situation, and not with him. Grateful for that fact, Kal pressed on.
"I know. And I agree. But the way that the laws are now, Zara will never have any true power. Ching and I both hate it. Our hope is to one day change the laws. We'd like to see equality...for men and women, for trueborn children and those who aren't."
"I thought you said that the Elders were pretty stubborn."
"That's true, but Ching and I hope to influence future decisions on who else is initiated into the Council. If we can do that, we can hopefully find others who believe as we do. If we can successfully fill enough positions with like-minded individuals, then we can one day amend and change the existing laws. It'll take us probably all of our lives, but we feel that strongly about it."
"Why...why are you telling me all of this?" Lois looked at Kal as though she thought his confessions suspicious.
"I...just thought that you'd like to know. I didn't want you to think that I was abandoning you this afternoon. And that...well...the circumstances aren't exactly as I would like them to be."
"That isn't what I meant." She shook her head. "I mean, why tell me about all of your future plans?"
Kal shrugged. "You're my wife, whether you and I like this marriage or not. You are my equal. From the moment that I said my vows, I also pledged to withhold no secrets from you. Lois, I want you to know everything there is to know about me. I don't want you to feel like there's a part of me that is hidden from you. And, I need you to know all of my plans, my thoughts, my beliefs, my hopes for Krypton's future. There is a very real possibility that we'll never find a loophole to get out of this contract that our fathers forged. And one day, I will be helping Ching run this planet. I can't do that without all of the support that I can get. My hope is that we can be friends, and that I'll have your support when I need it. You've proven to me just now that you hold some of the same ideals that I do."
Lois nodded, thoughtful. She glanced at the clock on Kal's bedside table as she sought something to look at. She wasn't sure that she wanted to look at her husband at the moment. She wasn't sure that she even could. For Kal's part, he kept his eyes fixed on the floor.
"I guess we'd better get going," she said at last, her voice sounding somehow uncertain in the wake of all Kal had just divulged. "It wouldn't be proper to show up late."
Kal nodded silently, though he wondered what Lois felt about his confession.
Once more, they walked through the palace halls together. Kal's spirits were much higher than the previous day. Though Lois had become angry when he'd explained things about Zara and Jai, she hadn't directed her fury at him. It was a huge relief to him, though he dared not hope too much that things would soon be patched between them. He'd actually been thrilled that Lois had been upset over Zara's lack of power. He felt the same way over the disparity between the way that Krypton treated its men and women. Though Kal knew that he'd never ascend the throne, it had become one of his personal projects to one day influence a change in the laws. In some ways, he actually enjoyed the challenge that it presented.
Kal found himself more intrigued by his wife than ever before. Before, he'd only found himself attracted to her looks. Now, perhaps, he could find himself attracted to her mind too. He wanted to tell Lois this. He really did. But he couldn't find the words. And it was too soon for him to know much about the stranger who shared his living quarters. He knew that he'd have to find some way of breaking past her defensive walls and getting to really know her. He just had no idea how he might accomplish that.
They were the last to arrive at breakfast. Already, Jor-El and the Elders were deep in conversation about a potential new trade route with a distant planet. Kal personally didn't like the idea. The Algonians had products that might be useful to Krypton, but he just didn't trust the people. They were a harsh, warlike race of beings. Kal feared that accepting them as trading partners would make the planet vulnerable to them. He found himself lending his opinions to the discussion, though it put him at odds with several of the Elders, including Trey. Kal shook his head to himself. Trey was a good man and extremely intelligent, but far too trusting sometimes. One day, his blind faith would cause trouble; Kal was certain of that.
After breakfast was over, Kal only had a few minutes to speak with Lois in private. She declined his offer to go into the city, even though Zara offered to go with her. Kal sighed. Lois was still resisting any inclination that she might have towards growing more comfortable with her situation and surroundings.
For her part, Zara did her best to try and engage Lois in conversation, but Lois claimed a headache and headed back to her rooms. Kal only hoped that Lois would change her mind. He thought that perhaps Zara had the best chance of getting his wife to open up. Wasn't that part of what female friendships were about? Telling each other things that they would never tell a man? Helping one another through their personal problems? Kal chewed his lower lip in thought as he followed his father and the Elders to the main receiving hall to hear the week's petitions.
Once in the wide, long room, Kal barely glanced at the various marble busts and rich tapestries that adorned the walls. He didn't take note of the thick red carpet that ran down the center of the room, or of the exquisite details that were worked into it with gold and silver thread. He simply took his seat at Jor-El's left hand, while Ching sat on the right. The Elders took their seats in a series of raised benches off to the left side of the room. A silver bell was struck, and one of the young servants entered the room. He bowed before the Supreme Lord and the two princes, then begged permission to bring in the week's petitioners. Jor-El nodded, and the young man hurried to open the wide doors to allow the nobles and commoners in.
As usual, the noblemen and noblewomen were the first to have their petitions heard. Kal always disliked this part of the process. All of the nobles had such petty problems. This lord broke his oath to send money to that lady's cause. This lord accused that lord of cheating while dueling. This lady sought a way to ensure that that lord pledged his son to marry her daughter. It disgusted Kal. He felt it to be a waste of time. The commoners were the ones who usually truly needed the help. There were always disputes over land boundaries or those seeking justice against some thief. Occasionally, there were impassioned pleas for work. One of those arose this morning.
A young man of perhaps fifteen presented himself to the Supreme Lord. His parents, he said, were dead, and he had a twin sister to look after. He'd tried in vain to find work, but no one would give the young orphan a chance. Was there any way that the Supreme Lord could help them? Jor-El rubbed his chin in thought.
"You look like a strong boy," Kal offered.
"Thank you, my lord. I am. I can work hard."
"How old are you?"
"I'll be sixteen in two months, my lord."
"We could train him to join the palace security," Kal said to his father. "You know that Bilan Hend'son could always use more on his staff. He's forever mentioning it."
Jor-El nodded. "A wise suggestion." To the boy, he said, "Do you believe that you could handle the responsibilities that are inherent in such a position?"
The young man nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord. I will not let you down. I swear it."
"That is good. Report to my Chief of Security. Gen Arry here will take you to him."
The young man bowed deeply, still uttering his thanks. He did not stop until Gen Arry, one of the top security officers, led him from the room to report to the Chief of the Palace Security.
Another petitioner stepped forward. Kal tried to pay attention. But as the hours progressed and the line of petitioners continued to move, he found himself losing focus from time to time.
He wondered what Lois was up to. Had she changed her mind? Was she spending time with Zara? With Jai? He doubted that she was with his younger brother. She'd looked positively furious when she'd discovered that Jai opted to utilize the services of the palace concubines. He decided that she was probably avoiding Jai. Or had she possibly changed her mind about going into the city? He'd given her Jak's number so that she could contact him if she chose to spend the day out. Or was she holed up in his...their...personal chambers?
He wished that he could go to her and possibly continue the process of melting the titanic block of ice that was between them. But he couldn't leave, not even when the silver bell rang again, indicating an hour's break to eat lunch. There just wasn't enough time. Instead, Kal distractedly munched on his sandwich.
"You seem to be in slightly better spirits today," Jor-El observed.
Kal shrugged. "A little."
"Things getting better with Lois?"
Kal shot a look at the Elders, but the men were all deeply engrossed in their own conversations. He shrugged again.
"Not much," he said, choosing his words carefully. "We talked a little today and didn't wind up in a fight. So...I guess things are a little better."
"That's better than nothing," Ching said, trying to be helpful.
"I know. I just wish that things could get better, faster."
"Patience," Jor-El reminded him. "On the long road..."
"...take small steps. Yeah, I know."
"She didn't seem all that keen on getting to know Zara," Ching said, thinking aloud.
Kal nodded. "I think she's trying to make herself dislike everyone and everything. She doesn't have another outlet for her frustrations."
The young prince went silent as his own words echoed in his mind.
Was that why Lois kept lashing out at him? Was she forcing herself to hate him just because she felt as though she had no other power in their relationship? Was it because he was the safest, and only, attainable target? Perhaps he should stop feeling sorry for himself. Perhaps he should stop taking her anger personally. Maybe she would grow tired of trying to hate him and come to be more open to forming a potential friendship with him, at the very least. He thought that he could live with that.
"Kal?" Ching asked. "Hello? Krypton to Kal...are you there?"
Kal shook his head, scattering his thoughts. "Huh? What?"
"Are you okay? You just completely spaced out on us."
"Sorry. I got lost in my own thoughts," Kal apologized.
"Let me guess. It was unfamiliar territory?" Ching teased him.
Kal laughed, and gave his brother a light punch in the arm. "You would know about that better than I would, bro."
Jor-El tolerantly shook his head as he watched the antics between his two oldest children.
Soon, the bell rang again and more petitioners entered the chamber. Kal once again did his best to keep focused, and for the better part of the afternoon session, he was successful. But as the afternoon wore on, he once again found his mind wandering. He was almost eager to see Lois again. He still wasn't sure what he could say or do to help her get more comfortable around him, but he was determined to find some way of doing that. When the last of the petitioners had been heard, dealt with, and escorted back out, Kal breathed a sigh of relief. He stood and stretched, working the kinks out of his body from having sat in one position for too long. That was always the worst part of the process for him. He'd much rather be on the move - working out in the gym, or walking in the gardens, or any number of other physical activities.
He wished that he had time now to take a quick walk, but it was almost time for dinner. He would only have enough time to try and find Lois. He walked through the palace with Ching, glad for the company. They spoke together in low voices, subdued from the long hours of sitting at court. Ching offered his brother a smile as they reached Kal's chambers.
"Good luck," he said, knowing that Kal and Lois still had plenty to work through. "See you in a bit."
"Thanks."
Kal opened the door to his living quarters. As always, Fasa greeted him at the door, rubbing against his legs and meowing. Kal bent down and scratched the cat behind the ears, then straightened.
"Lois?" he called out.
"In the living room," she said.
Kal swiftly covered the distance and found Lois alone. She was watching the video screen. A very old movie was playing and Lois did not shift her gaze from it. Kal flopped into one of the armchairs, watching Lois. The movie came to an end and Lois turned the screen off. She seemed indecisive as to whether or not she was going to speak. Kal rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes, sitting in the main hall and listening to the petitions felt like it drained his energy. Today had been one of those days, as there had been a few particularly hairy situations to deal with.
"So," Kal asked, cautiously, "what did you wind up doing today?"
"Nothing much," Lois said in clipped tones. "I watched some old movies that I haven't seen in a while."
"Alone?"
Lois fixed him with a cold stare. "No, I invited all of Krypton to come in and watch with me."
"I just thought that maybe you would have wanted some company, that's all."
"I wasn't in the mood, okay?"
Kal put his hands up in a pacifying gesture. "Okay. I didn't mean anything by it."
But Lois' anger seemed to have been once more fueled. It was as if she was trying to make up for lost ground from the civil conversation they had shared that morning. Kal's heart sank again. His plan to find some common ground with Lois was dashed before he could even figure out how to implement it. He waited for the inevitable, and Lois didn't disappoint.
"No, don't give me that. You meant something by that remark. So, come on. Man up and spit it out."
"I really didn't mean anything by it. I just thought that maybe you were...I dunno. A little lonely? I mean, you've been uprooted from everything that you knew and stuck here. That can't be easy. I know that I would be feeling lonely, if it had happened to me."
Lois' eyes flashed in anger. Kal slumped his shoulders in defeat. Before she could argue back, he stood and crossed to the windows. He looked out over the gardens that he so dearly loved and wished again that his mother was still around. Maybe she would know what to say or do to help smooth out his relationship with Lois.
The wall clock chimed softly. Kal looked up and sighed. It was time for dinner. But his appetite had fled.
Lois was quiet at dinner, as she had been at every meal so far. So was Kal. He spoke very little, even though his brothers did their best to pull him out of his shell. Ching, in particular, looked worried at the sudden change in Kal. Kal ate even less than he spoke. He felt badly about how things were going with Lois. It made him feel slightly ill, if he were to be perfectly honest. He pushed around the food on his plate. Finally, dinner was over and he could leave the dining hall.
He was grateful when Lois went to bed early. Then he swiftly changed into his workout clothes. He again strapped his music player to his left arm, put in the earphones, then blasted the music to drown out the rest of the world. Straight down to the gym he went, nearly running in his desire to get to that sweet haven of his. He'd always found working out to be a great way to funnel his frustrations into something proactive. It was as though the more sweat that poured from his body, the lighter he felt emotionally, as though it purged both physical and mental toxins from his body. It helped him to focus his thoughts when he needed to, or transported him away from his problems, depending on how he channeled his thoughts.
On this night, Kal simply focused his anger and frustration into movement. A well-worn punching bag received some of his pent-up frustration. He wasn't a violent man by any means, but it felt good to work his muscles and focus only on his movements and the sensations that his body felt in response. It felt good to feel the burning in his muscles as he worked them. For three long hours, Kal moved from machine to machine, working every part of his body until his entire being was exhausted and his bad knee was on fire. He staggered back to his rooms, threw himself into the shower, then promptly passed out on the couch.
What he did not know was that Lois heard him when he returned. She hadn't been sleeping all that well in the unfamiliar setting, and had been jarred awake when Kal slipped into the room to grab some fresh clothes, though he'd been as quiet as possible. Her curiosity was peaked. Just where had Kal been? She thought it likely that he'd been visiting the concubines. For some inexplicable reason, the idea infuriated her. True, she knew that she had told him in no uncertain terms that she didn't care who he invited into his bed, or whose bed he climbed into. But that hadn't really been the truth. She wanted nothing to do with the prince, but yet, she also didn't want anyone else to be able to lay any sort of claim to him. Was it just possessiveness on her part?
She admitted to herself that it might be. But she also knew that it also stemmed from the anger she'd always held towards her father. Not only had he traded her life away for a chance to climb the social ladder, but he'd never been a faithful man to his own wife. Lois blamed him for her mother's depression and drinking problems, though she knew that the latter had started even before Samm had begun his affairs with some of the other lower born noblewomen. It simply galled her that the young prince was so like her own father. She wanted to cry, but she refused to allow herself to do so. A better idea formed in her mind instead. She'd trap Kal in his lie that he never visited the concubines. She'd keep an eye out. If Kal continued to disappear, she would start to shadow his movements at night and expose him for that cad that he was. Smiling to herself for the first time in weeks, Lois dropped off to sleep.
To Be Continued...
