The smoke clung to Kal’s throat, as the moat of fire continued to scorch all around the castle. Some would consider it a bad omen, and others would think of it as a sign of hope.

His heart clenched as he looked into his betrothed’s worried eyes, the crackle of dancing embers was the musical accompaniment to what felt like the crescendo of his whole life. “The Lands of El is the safest for you to be at right now,” he tried to reason, both their fingers intertwined. “Your parents need not to worry. I’ll keep you safe, I swear.”

The words were a lie, and they knew it. The threat of Protex and the shapeshifters hung heavy in the air — And the morale of the people, both noble and common folk, had fallen victim to the uncertain clutches of anxiety. But Kal-El himself had been too worried and too weary to think of the intricacies of politics as of late when literally everything was held at stake. The three great kingdoms found themselves in an uneasy alliance by circumstance alone. But if the Earth was destined to go up in flames in the end? Then he understood that dying on foreign soil amongst near strangers was a terrible fate to bestow upon anyone. It’s no wonder that his future in-laws were worried and wanted their child back home in their own dominion, to die with both dignity and familiarity if the Gods willed it.

He knows he’s being selfish right now, but Kal can’t find it in himself to just let go. For once, he’s feeling and acting as petulant as others expected of him. His father, the former king was dead. The poorly hidden tears of Zala and the etched lines of worry he sees in his mother’s face, become more and more noticeable with each passing day, and there is much work to be had with Bruce and Diana.

“Do you know that I don’t do this for myself? That you’re the reason I go through all of this?” he implored, the grip of his fingers tightening ever so slightly as he begged for them not to leave. “I would burn the world to bring some heat to you if you ever asked of me.”