Marriage arrangement documents
compiled by the High Council of Krypton and Daxam, in the presence of King Lar and Queen Rhea
for
House of El of Krypton & the Royal House of Gand of Daxam
She froze. Reading the words over and over again made the situation much worse. She could feel the worry with which her mother was looking at her, but she didn't have the courage to look up from the paper. She was scared of what that paper truly meant. With shaking hands, she found the courage to turn the page.
At its second writing.
Those four words on the white paper made her even more scared and confused. Hundreds of questions were running around in her head. She was trembling. A part of her knew what the paper meant for her family, but looking up at her parents, her mind created a reply that would probably make her feel calmer.
"You know that Kal is still too young to marry, right?" the tone in her voice could give it all away: she was not only scared but also terrified. Her parents, noticing her half-joking tone, left a short laugh through their lips.
Kara turned the page and she came face to face with a note:
This contract has been updated to meet the needs of the Peace Treaty between Daxam and Krypton.
As its first writing, the contract is to support the connection that is to be created between the planets, Daxam and Krypton.
She bit her lower lip and reread the note at least three times. 'As its first writing' was the sentence that was running through Kara's head at the speed of light. She lifted a hand from the pile of papers and massaged her scalp still wetting and biting her lips. What was the real meaning of it all?
She could feel her parents' eyes on her. She wanted to have a comeback, but she was frozen.
"What?... What do you mean by 'At its second writing.'?" She could feel her own voice shaking, her whole world on the verge of collapsing. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
The soothing voice of her mother broke the silence. "I need you to read it all first and then we will answer any questions you have." Kara bit her lower lip again and wetted her lips, feeling anxious.
She gave her parents one last look and with trembling hands, she flipped the page and started reading. The room fell into silence again, nobody daring to say another thing.
Section 1: INTRODUCTION
The contract is to be applied only to the male heir of The Royal Gand Family of Daxam, Mon-El Gand, and the female heir of the House of El of Krypton, Kara Zor-El.
The contract will only be valid after the signatures of the senior members of the significant houses are present. Only four (4) signatures are to be present if the two heirs are under the age of 18. In the case that only one/ both of the contracting-parties are legally adults, their signature/signatures is/are to be present in their significant places.
In the case of the annulation of the peace treaty, before the wedding, this contract will remain active.
This contract has been compiled by the High Council of Krypton and Daxam, in the presence of the Royal Family of Daxam.
By signing this contract, all the contracting-parties have agreed to the terms and conditions of this act and the leaderships of both planets have declared the peace treaty available.
This act nor its components are to be shared with people outside the council, the most trusted staff and security.
This act can be changed only after the matrimonial union by the High Council of Daxam and Krypton in the presence of King Mon-El and Queen Kara of Daxam.
Section 2: BEFORE THE UNION
Before the matrimonial union, the betrothed couple:
Will be able to travel to each other's planets to attend special occasions that will nutrify the image of both the treaty and the union.
Kara Zor-El is to be able to finish her studies in interplanetary law at the Central University of Argo City.
The betrothed couple are to be both seen in public wearing silver bands that show their following union.
During the time of this section, the first part of the treaty will take place:
Both Kryptonian and Daxamian troops will head back for their planets.
Daxam will send the first ship with the needed supplies to stable Krypton's core.
Krypton is to present the Royal family of Daxam with the research.
In the last two months before the union, Kara Zor-El is to start moving completely on Daxam and prepare for her royal duties as Queen and her duties as a wife.
Section 3: THE UNION
The union is to combine both aspects of the Kryptonian and Daxamian wedding.
Two legal unions shall take place, one on Krypton and one of Daxam.
The Daxamian Wedding will also include the legal union by the Daxamian Law.
The Kryptonian wedding will take place in Kandor City, in front of guests chosen by both families. It will also take place two weeks before the Daxamian wedding.
The Daxamian wedding is not to take place in a private environment. It will take place in the Royal Cathedral in the capital of Daxam, Daxlor or Daxam City.
During the Kryptonian wedding, the couple is to exchange the bracelets that will show their union and the daxamite heir of the Royal Family is to take part in the ranking ceremony, becoming part of the House of El.
During the Daxamian wedding, the silver bands will be replaced by golden ones. Also, they will perform the ring bonding ceremony.
Section 4: AFTER THE UNION
All the following points are to show the public that the nations of Daxam and Krypton are at peace.
The newlywed will be given a house both on Daxam, in Daxam City/Daxlor and Krypton, Argo City or Kandor City.
The House of El coat of arms is to be combined to the Gand coat of arms after Kara Zor-El ascension to the Daxamian throne.
The spouses are to consummate the marriage. One (1) Daxtonian heir is to be conceived through natural ways in the first year of the marriage, no scientific way is accepted in order of achieving an heir that is truly half of both races. The following are to be conceived in a way chosen by the parents.
The spouses are to be present at every High Council of Krypton discussion, as well as Treaty updates after their ascensions to the throne.
Section 5: THE ANNULATION
This Act is to be annulled only in the following situations:
In the one year before the union of Mon-El and Kara, if the peace treaty is annulled, this contract is too.
One of them treason to the royal family or against the other, an illegal act that could harm the safety of either one of the privy families and spouses.
If the female contractor is to be found to have a relationship outside the union, until a time chosen by the spouses.
Failure to conceive an heir in the first year after the Daxamian wedding.
The act is not to be annulled in case the original is to be lost or destroyed. Both privy families will have a copy, as well as the High Councils of both Daxam and Krypton. The act is to be presently attached to the Treaty.
If this document is to be annulled, before the matrimonial union, because of one of the situations above, the treaty is to be annulled and rewritten, so to fit that situation.
Section 6: RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONTRACTING-PARTIES
The Peace Treaty act is not to be violated.
Kara Zor-El is not to be harmed in any way on Daxam either Kryptonian soil. The person is to be judged by both the laws of Daxam and Krypton. In more aggravated situations, this act will be broken as well as the peace treaty
Mon-El Gand is not to be harmed on either Krypton nor Daxam. The accuser is to be judged by the laws of both planets. In a more aggravated situation, it will result in this document being broken as well as the treaty.
The supply and information exchange to take place according to the Peace Treaty and its uploads.
If either of the spouses is to die, the terms of both contracts are to be reconsidered.
Section 7: CONCLUSION
This Act, from the moment it is signed by all the adult members of the contracting-parties, can only be modified by the High Council of both planets in the presence of King Mon-El and Queen Kara of Daxam.
This agreement can be considered an annexe to the Peace Treaty.
This contract will take effect immediately upon the validation of both the peace treaty and the presence of all the signatures of the alive senior members of the privy families.
Section 8: SIGNATURES
King Lar Gand of Daxam:
Queen Rhea Gand of Daxam:
Zor-El:
Alura Zor-El:
Only if the contracting-parties are the legal age of 18, this part shall be completed:
Mon-El Gand of Daxam:
Kara Zor-El:
By the end of it all, Kara's head was spinning. She was trying to swallow what was left of her own saliva, which miraculously disappeared during the reading. Her eyes were full of tears and with determination, she never thought she could have closed the act and while she was rising from her place, she dropped the papers on the table. A small thud filled the air and it was followed by her angry steps. She made her way to the curtained windows and hugged herself. She admired the way the sun was setting and the faces of the rankless running through the streets of Argo City, some going home from work, some with kids at their side.
She was a 21-year-old woman. She knew that by at least the age of 25 she would have to be married and wait for her first child, that would be artificially created in the birthing matrix. She always thought she would marry because of love.
Her teary eyes were on her right hand, while the left one was still placed in a way that she could get some comfort. She looked at the ring on the ring finger. A gift. A promise ring. She felt a tear coming down her cheek when she remembered the words of her boyfriend, Jams-Ol, or how she liked to call him: James.
"Happy Birthday, baby," she heard his voice echo through the apartment the moment she closed the front door. She smiled while she took off her shoes. Turned to take off her jacket and out of nowhere, her waist was covered by a pair of strong arms.
She was pampered with kisses all over her face and neck and giggles were leaving through her lips. In the arms of the man she fell in love with, Kara felt at ease. She turned into the embrace and interlaced her arms after his neck and smiled brightly at him. He kissed her slowly and they twirled in the hallway, heading to the living room.
The sunlight was bathing the room, she fell asleep so many times, laughed so many times. He pecked both her cheeks two times, three times and she started giggling again. "I want to give you your gift now. Is that all right?" his deep voice, right into her ear made her smile again. She felt like she was on a cloud in his arms. The light of the red sun warmed her skin with its touch. The only thing she dared to do, not to disturb the feeling alike flying she was having, was to nod at him, a huge smile still plastered on her face. He could bet on thousands of credits that she was the sun in person, a daughter of Rao Himself, a goddess, just by looking at her smile and breathing her flowery scent in.
He broke the embrace and disappeared, heading to his bedroom. Coming back, not more than five minutes later, he had a wrapped up box in his hand. The gift was smaller than the surface of his hand. He smiled at her again and gave her his gift, right after capturing her lips in a kiss.
With the gift now in hand, Kara took out the red ribbon and then opened the box. She came face to face to the most beautiful ring she had ever laid her eyes on. The blonde woman could feel the way the diamond was smiling at her in a knowing and joking manner. She had no idea what to think of the gift. But the way the gold and the silver were embracing each other under the diamond, made her shiver. Her brain was running at one thousand kilometres per second and her breath had been lost at some point too.
"I promise you, that I will love you forever," he said in an almost whisper. She didn't think the words through, she was too caught up in a moment and all that could leave her lips was a heartful "I love you too." while tears of happiness were rolling slowly down her reddened cheeks. His fingers were fast enough to catch most of those tears and right after she was pulled into a warm and loving hug by her lover.
She had no idea what the true meaning of that ring was. He had never mentioned its true meaning. He had not offered it to her while he was down on one knee, with a loving speech prepared and a huge smile on his face. A speech that was finished with a sentence that could change her life entirely. 'Will you marry me?' She never heard it coming from him and she had only realised that then.
"We wanted to propose, didn't he?" was released from her trembling lips into the silent room. She turned in the direction of her parents and she met the calming eyes of her mother. "You knew that he wanted to do it, didn't you?" the bitterness, just like poison, was into the air at last.
"He asked for your hand in marriage." her father spoke. Kara froze again. "I wanted... We wanted... to say 'yes' because we knew that he was worthy of it. But... we couldn't, we had a duty and a problem on our hands, a problem that could have harmed your life too. A problem that we promised to solve." Kara tried to swallow what was left of her saliva, but her mouth was dry.
"More than a decade ago," her mother came in. "we knew that Krypton was on the verge of exploding. You were only ten at the time." the mother wetted her lips and interlaced her hands on the table before her, trying to find the strength to tell her child a story that became reality for their family. "We had some plans already in the making, but they weren't finished and we were out of time. We knew that in the following two years, we would be doomed either way. One of the plans was to send you and Kal on a planet far away from here, on Earth. And another was to create a shield that would spare our city. We had no time to finish the shield and I could not make myself send you away. And then we found something out from one of our ambassadors on Daxam." Kara, still standing by the windows, was gripping the flesh of her arms, somehow in anger, but also in pain. She had no idea that she was so close to losing her family or her life.
Alura paused and looked at her husband for strength. With his warm hand now covering her cold and sweaty ones, the mother continued her story. "The Queen was looking for a possible future wife for her only son. Unfortunately, the previous one died in a fire. We knew that Daxam could help us, but we weren't interested to link ourselves to a planet like Daxam in any way, but we needed to. We were going to die. The Queen only wanted someone of noble race, someone who would bring her family even more power somehow. And we did it, we sent her a letter, in which we explained that we, the House of El of Krypton, were interested in linking ourselves to the Royal Family of Daxam. After a lot of discussion with the High Council and not so many letters with the Queen, or possibly her advisors, we scheduled a meeting in Daxam City."
"I remember... you left for a business trip for around two weeks and I stayed with Uncle Jor-El and Lara. She was pregnant at the time. I remember being so fascinated by the fact that she was actually pregnant. I was following her around the house and most of the time staring at her womb like it was the treasure at the end of a rainbow." she was playing with the ring on her finger at that moment and smiling at the memory.
"That was when we met with the Royal Family, yes. We wanted to bring you with us, with the hope that you would make some kind of connection with the prince, but we couldn't... bringing you with us meant that you would have to grow up faster than normal, you were- are supposed to somehow save all of us by being part of this arrangement." a pregnant pause filled the air. "I just wanted you to live your life the way you wanted before you had to be sucked into all of this." the daughter was at a loss of words.
"And a week before your birthday that boy came to us, a ring in hand and asked for your hand in marriage. Even though we wanted to... we couldn't, we have a duty to our planet. And I would prefer knowing you alive, but hating guts, than dead or lost somewhere far away from here." Both pairs of eyes, filled with tears, met and on her pale cheeks, Kara started to have slim trickles dancing their way down.
The daughter nodded, somehow accepting her fate, but still having a part of her heart damaged from the moment she had found out that she could've been preparing for a wedding at that moment. She was still on a road with that destination, but at the altar she was not awaited by a man with chocolate skin and amber eyes that made her feel at home, she was awaited by a man with icy gray eyes and fair skin, who she knew nothing more than the fact that he was a hard-core smoker and the king of a whole planet. Kara was not happy with the situation she was in, but she knew that she had no choice but to comply. For her safety, for her parents' safety, for her planet. For everyone's safety.
"For our safety." left her mouth in the form of a whisper, just as another tear fell down her cheek.