Star Crossed

Chapter 15

The blond man turned around, a painful smile on his face. "Your Highness, you should have known better than coming back here when you know this place isn't safe for you or your friends."

"It is really you, Lord Dax-Am?" Mon-El walked towards him and looked at the bench the man sat on. When the man gestured him to a take a seat, Mon-El nodded and sat down. "Why is it always night in here?"

"The night is ceaseless at the fort. So, is my life, Son," Dax-Am said in a grave voice.

Mon-El couldn't help but sigh. When he had been little, he had accidentally gotten lost here while he was exploring the place with Princess and Cait and their other cousins. The others were found very soon, but Mon-El had spent few hours here, trying to find a way out. It had been good many years ago, when he last saw this man, who hadn't aged a day since then. At first Mon-El had thought that the man was a guard, but only when he grew up to see the founder of Daxam's face on books and statues, he knew whom he had met.

"But why? Surely you would have passed through the veil when you died."

Dax-Am shook his head. "I reached the veil. I saw my dearest Aida on the other side, but as I reached out to her, I found myself here. At this courtyard, sitting right here and looking at the moon that never changes. And I looked like the man I was the time I showed my beloved wife this courtyard. Not the old, weary man."

"They say you made a beautiful courtyard for your wife. Is it this one?" Mon-El asked, not a bit bothered by the fact he was having a conversation with the spirit of his forefather.

"Yes. This was a part of our home. I did have help building it, but the biggest challenge was to keep this a secret from her. She loved it the minute she saw this place. Spent hours here after that day."

"Forgive me, my lord, but I do feel there is something wrong going around here. You have to go past the veil. You must have spent ages here... I cannot imagine how lonely it gets here."

"It does, Your Highness. But this is my penance for all the sins I committed. My biggest one was to settle down here with Aida, making others leave Krypton as well. I am the reason all those bloody wars were fought. Did you know we lost almost fifty Daxamites to one Kryptonian just because of the weapons they possess? I never wished for this to happen. I love Krypton as much as I love Daxam. Never had I imagined I would be leaving my two homes to fight for everything that is wrong in the eyes of Rao. And I do not see how I can escape my fate, Son. I feel I will be here as long as peace isn't just a word spoken out loud, but a faith we practice... on both Daxam and Krypton."

"Then I'm sure you will be free soon, my lord! You met Lady Kara earlier... she's here with her family to sign a peace treaty. There will be no more wars, Lord Dax-Am. There will be only peace... and your freedom."

The man let out a small chuckle. "Dear boy, do you really think two seals on a piece of paper will free me from my penance? Many have come, promising peace. Many have fought, in search of the same peace. There hasn't been a war for great many years, yet I am still here. I feel Rao will not let me move on till peace becomes absolute."

"I'm going to be King," Mon-El stated. "There will be only peace then, Lord Dax-Am. I give you my word. Having the privilege to meet our Kryptonian allies and to get to know them, I can safely say that I will not let any of my people harm any Kryptonian. And I will protect my people from any harm that touches them."

"Young Prince, there was a boy I knew growing old. He dreamt of doing great many things. He was considered a real Daxamite since he was born here of two Daxamite parents. This boy lived up to his word. He created an empire, ruled above all but never made anyone feel as if they were beneath him. And he died protecting my dearest granddaughter. He was Fed Gand. And peace was all he had wished for as well."