Chapter Text
** Italics means they're speaking in Kryptonian
Kara is forced out of the familiar darkness of sleep when the pod she's in jolts violently. Her eyes fly open and she grips the seat beneath her tightly at the sight before her. She's made it to Earth, and it’s beautiful in a different way than Krypton is… was. She tries not to think about her dead planet and her parents as the pod accelerates toward the ground.
Kara doesn’t dare to take her eyes off of the planet in front of her. It’s a mixture of blues and greens-well at least from she can see through the fire licking at the window. She's going too fast towards the ground. The pit in her stomach grows as she realizes she's going to crash. Kara's about to accept it, accept that her death is inevitable, just like her planet’s, just like her people’s when she remembers Kal-El. He's the whole reason she was sent here. She can't leave him alone on a strange planet.
“We are going too fast towards the ground.” She says desperately as she watches the ground come closer and closer.
“Fear not, Kara Zor-El.” The mainframe says in a monotone voice. “Adjusting speed.”
Kara breathes a sigh of relief as their descent visibly slows, but even with the Kryptonian technology, the mainframe can't slow them down enough for a smooth landing.
The pod smashes into the ground hard enough for her to nearly smack her head on the control panel. Kara stays in the pod for a moment, taking everything in. She made it to Earth. She survived.
The pod doesn’t let her dwell on everything which Kara is thankful for since she doesn’t want her first moments on Earth to consist of her crying over what she's lost. The glass part lifts with a hiss and she hesitantly stands. The white smoke billowing around the pod makes it difficult to see anything of this new planet.
Kara steps out of the pod onto the ground, still warm from the pod’s impact. She studies her pod for a moment with a frown, knowing it will take some repairs in order for it to be able to fly again. Kara hears movement and looks up, squinting against the smoke. Her vision sharpens and she can make out a figure coming closer, walking slowly like they're cautious about approaching her.
They come close enough for her to see them and she steps back with a gasp. He was wearing the symbol of the House of El on his chest. Had another survived? She had never seen this man before.
“Who are you? Why do you wear the symbol of the House of El?” Kara demands, not letting her voice waver with fear or hope.
“I am Kal-El.” The man says with a friendly smile.
“Kal?” She breathes, studying him once more. “It cannot be you. You were a baby when we left Krypton.”
“Kara Zor-El,” the mainframe interrupts, making Kara flinch at the unexpected sound. “We were thrown off course by the shock wave of Krypton’s explosion. The pod was thrown into the Phantom Zone and trapped for twenty four Earth years before it gathered enough energy to propel itself out.” Kara slumps against the side of the pod, staring blankly at the green ground beneath her feet. She had lost twenty four years? She failed her family, failed to take care of Kal-El like she had promised… “Unknown being, do you consent to a scan?”
“Yes.”
A green light emits from the control panel and quickly scans the man. The mainframe speaks moments after the scan is completed. “Species: Kryptonian. Name: Kal-El, cousin to Kara Zor-El. No threat detected. Shutting down.”
The sound of the mainframe powering down snaps Kara out of her daze. She looks up at Kal-El in disbelief, unable to think of anything to say to him.
He gives her a soft smile and places a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You are young, Kara. You are still physically thirteen.” Kal-El clenches his jaw and looks away. “I cannot take care of you in the way you need.”
“So I must live alone in this strange world?” Kara asks.
“No, I know someone who might be willing to take you in. You will have to learn to act like a human in order to survive. Not all of the humans who inhabit this planet like aliens being among them.”
Kara nods, remembering how her mother warned her of that. “I am aware.”
“Good. If you are ready, I can take you to the people who may take you in. The language humans speak is much different than our language. You will not be able to understand them at first.”
Kara takes a deep breath and nods to him. “I am ready.”
Kal-El gently picks her up and holds her against his chest. With his other hand, he easily picks up the pod and Kara’s eyes widen. Her mother had been right when she said they would be stronger and have extraordinary powers on Earth.
Kara yelps in surprise when she sees his feet leave the ground. She looks up at Kal-El as they slowly float up higher. “We can fly on this planet?”
“We can,” he confirms with a quiet chuckle. She clings to him as he starts flying faster towards wherever they're going. “I will hide your pod before we arrive just in case they are not as hospitable as I think they will be.”
Kara nods, not taking her eyes off of the ground flying past them. She takes in her new home with awe, seeing plants she had never heard of and animals she had never dreamed could exist. She nearly shrieks in shock when she sees a flying, winged beast flying lazy towards them. Kal-El dodges it easily and the creature seemed wholly uncaring that they were hurtling towards it.
“What was that?” Kara asks.
“That was a… there is no Kryptonian word for it. It is called a ‘bird.’”
“What a fascinating creature,” Kara breathes. “Are there many of them here?”
She can feel Kal-El’s laughter as his chest moves with the sound. “There are many of them, yes. And we are getting close, little cousin. I will land soon to hide the pod.”
“I am not little!” Kara protests.
“You are little to me, little cousin.” She can hear the teasing in his voice and huffs at him.
Kal-El lands near a small cave, a hole that is the perfect size to hold her pod in the side of a steep hill. He sets her down on a nearby cliff to properly hide the pod. Kara watches as he quickly hides the entrance and covers the pod itself with a thin coat of dirt and rocks to disguise it. Kara picks at the green strands sprouting from the ground, studying them intently as she waits for him to finish.
He picks her up again and flies them even faster than before. When he slows down, Kara can focus her eyesight enough to see what they're headed towards. It’s an oddly shaped building on the top of a hill made almost entirely of large stones.
“What is that?”
“A castle. It is where the monarchs of this kingdom live.”
Kara nods, wondering who in there they are going to be meeting with.
He lands in front of a large wall that goes around the castle like a stone barrier. He sets her down and she walks with him on a stone path towards a break in the wall. There are two people in some sort of metal armor and sticks with points in their hands. One turns towards them as they get closer and she flinches, moving closer to Kal.
They speak to him in an odd language and she frowns, cocking her head and trying to make sense of the nonsensical sounds. Kara frowns but can't understand a thing they say. The person Kal has been talking to nods to him and then heads toward the castle with Kal following behind them. Kara hurries behind him, taking in the sights around her. The stone path is lined with carvings of creatures and the beings that inhabit this planet. She cannot help her fascination and pauses to stare a few times, causing her to have to run to catch up to Kal.
Large wooden doors are opened for them by another set of people in metal. They walk through a high ceilinged hall lined with paintings of some of Earth’s inhabitants with jewels and funny hats on their heads. A person sees them and rushes away from them, making Kara's steps falter. Did they scare the person? She asks Kal and relaxes slightly when he gives her a kind smile.
“He just went ahead to tell the Queen we are coming.” He tells her.
Kara nods slowly. She understands the concept of Queens and Kings, she just never dreamed she would be anywhere near them, let alone meet one, which she assumes they will be doing. She nervously smooths her white dress, pleased when she notices that the small pieces of dirt comes off with a brush of her fingers.
They keep going straight until they reach a large room that is mainly empty except for three big chairs that must be thrones against the opposite wall and a rectangular to the side near the thrones. The one chair in the middle is the most lavish, with the ones on either side of it are slightly less magnificent and slightly smaller, but still spectacular in their own rights. They seem almost tailored to specific humans and their personalities with the way the wood is intricately cut.
They wait at the entrance of the room, Kara trying (and failing) to hide her nervousness. She shifts in place and keeps her eyes on the beautiful red carpet beneath their feet leading up to the thrones. Three people enter through a hallway on the right side of them, flanked by what can only be guards. The guards settle in place easily, like they have done so a hundred times before and lead the three up to the thrones.
Kara takes a moment to study each person, hoping it will at least slightly ease her anxiety. A smiling, kind looking man sits to the left of the center throne, looking at her with unbridled interest. There is a young, scowling girl on the right that does not look like she is much older than Kara wearing shorts and a shirt that is still wet with sweat. The woman who must be the Queen is sitting regally in the center looks her over curiously before turning her attention to Kal. She gestures and Kal walks forward, quietly telling her to follow him. They stop at the steps before the thrones.
Kal bows to her and hastily Kara copies him. They rise when Kal gets some verbal cue to do so from the Queen.
“Not that it isn’t good to see you Superman, but what are you doing here? Usually when you want to meet with us, you make sure to send a messenger ahead to tell us.” The Queen asks. Kara shifts again, the fact that she cannot understand their language making her more uneasy and anxious.
“This is my cousin, Kara.” Kal says, making her perk up at the sound of her name. “She just landed on Earth and I can't take care of her. The only ones I can think of that I trust to are you.” He explains their situation as the trio listen, their faces twisting with sympathy for the young alien girl with too much on her shoulders.
“She is your cousin?” The man asks, leaning forward. “Does she have the same abilities as you?”
“I don’t know, she just got here and I immediately took her to you.” Kal says. “Please, will you take her in?”
“We must discuss it. Give us a moment.” The Queen says and Kal nods in understanding.
They may have helped him when he was figuring out his powers and they may be good friends and better allies, but this is a rather large favor he's asking of them.
He walks back to the entrance to the room with Kara, who looks at him curiously. “They are discussing it now, whether they will take you in.”
Kara nods and looks over at the family with wide eyes. These are the people her cousin wants to leave her with? A royal family? She is no stranger to being high in a hierarchy, being from the Great House of El, but being royalty is another thing entirely.
They speak their foreign tongue, their voices just loud enough to reach Kara's ears, though she cannot understand a word they are saying. She focuses on their body language and the tones of their voices instead. The young woman seems to be pleading with the Queen, who looks hesitant. Kara cannot tell if she is pleading for her to say yes or say no. The man chimes in and the women both stop look at him with calm understanding in their eyes.
Kara wonders what he said to make them respond like that and is on the verge of asking Kal, who is looking at her with sympathy for some reason, when the Queen speaks loud enough that Kara knows they are meant to hear. With a gesture of Kal’s hand as he moves towards them, she understands that they want them to approach again.
Have they already made their decision? Kara fiddles with her fingers and avoids their gazes. In her thirteen year life (well, if she does not include her time in the Phantom Zone), she has seen very few decisions made this quickly, and none of them have been good news for her or for her planet.
A hand on her shoulder makes her head snap up at the sudden touch, looking at the three people in front of her.
“They said yes,” Kal-El murmurs gratefully. “They are going to introduce themselves now.”
“Will you stay?” Kara asks hopefully.
Kal frowns and Kara tries not to show how much that reaction makes her throat close up and the pit in her stomach grows a little more. “No, I cannot. I am sorry, Kara. I have my own life to get back to in another city. I am a hero there, I help people. I cannot stay away for long. I have a job and a girlfriend to get back to. I promise that I will visit when I can, and send letters when I cannot.”
Kara nods and turns her attention to the three people now standing in front of their thrones, smiling down at her. Even the young woman is smiling at her, a small one that she returns.
“Eliza Danvers,” the Queen greets her with an outstretched hand. Kara presses her palm against the Queen’s hesitantly and Kara gives her a shy grin when she laughs. She enunciates it and repeats her name again and Kara hesitantly says it to her, making her smile even wider.
“Jeremiah Danvers,” the man introduces himself with the same gesture.
He seems just as amused as the Queen was when she presses her palm to his, wondering if she is doing this wrong somehow and if they find it too endearing to correct her. He repeats it like Eliza did and beams proudly at her when she stumbles over the pronunciation of his name.
The young woman is the last of them to introduce herself and surprises Kara by throwing her arms around her instead of the palm greeting. She pulls away and her smile is slightly bigger than before.
“Alex Danvers. I’m your new big sister!” She says enthusiastically.
Kara doesn’t understand what she says after the now familiar name ‘Danvers.’ She wonders why they all have it in their names. Perhaps it is a way of discerning Houses like they did on Krypton. She does not mind when Alex stays by her side while the others talk in a language she does not understand.
“Superman, we need you to write down your powers and at what age you started to develop them,” Eliza says. “We will need to be prepared.”
A man rushes up to Kal and hands him paper on a clipboard, a quill, and ink.
“Of course,” Kal agrees. “Here is my address and a device that I created that will immediately contact me in case there is ever an emergency.”
“Fascinating. How does it work?” Jeremiah asks, studying the device.
“I am not entirely sure. I had a friend assist me in making it.” Kal says honestly.
“There is a room being prepared for you both, hers across from Alex’s and yours in your usual room. Will you be staying here long?” Eliza asks before they can get lost in talking about science and technology.
“No, not long. I have to get back to Metropolis soon. I plan on staying for two nights, making sure Kara settles in.” Kara perks up at her name and looks at them curiously. “Kara, they will teach you about Earth and how to live on this planet, as well as how to speak their language. Jeremiah has been developing a book that translates Kryptonian into their language.”
“He can speak Kryptonian?” Kara asks, surprised.
“Not well,” Kal-El laughs. “I am going to get your pod so they can put it in storage. Will you be okay with them?”
Kara nods, not trusting her voice to betray her fears and concerns about being alone with them so soon. They are kind while Kal is gone, with Jeremiah asking her in crude Kryptonian whether she is hungry. When she nods, he rushes off and comes back with a plate full of food that she has never seen before. She eats it cautiously at first with the odd utensils they provide her, but when she realizes that it is good and that she is hungry, eats it all quickly enough to make Alex gape at her.
Jeremiah laughs happily and has a guard run off, coming back with another plateful of food. Kara gradually gets more used to their presence and when Kal comes back, he grins when he sees that she is relaxing.
True to his word, Kal stays for as long as he can before his worries about his city outweigh his concerns about his cousin, who has been doing surprisingly well.
She is smarter than he expected and has picked up English faster than he thought possible. Already, after just three days, she can have basic stilted conversations with the Danvers’ and understands more about this world. He doesn’t hide how proud he is of her when she gets something right. She feels like the little sister he never knew he wanted. Kara's already learning about how much the yellow sun increases her powers; she had discovered her strength on her first day when she accidentally ground a spoon into dust. Alex has been helping her a lot; from teaching her to control her powers to helping her learn English to helping her understand the Earth and the Kingdom they live in.
She knows now that they are in the Danvers Kingdom and that Kingdoms around here are usually named after the last name of the ruling family. She knows that the Danvers Kingdom was the first to be openly pro-alien and accepting of alien refugees. She knows that Alex is a Squire training under the head of their military, J’onn J’onzz, who was the first openly alien person in the military fifty years ago after the Danvers family announced themselves as pro-alien.
And now the time has come for Kal to leave, after staying one more day than he intended to, and Kara is clinging to him in front of the castle’s main entrance. The Danvers family is nearby in the gardens Eliza carefully maintains, watching them.
She's not crying but somehow that fact makes it worse. He wishes he could be there for her like she promised to be there for him but he just… he just can't. Kal isn’t ready for that level of responsibility, he isn’t as strong as she is and he's nearly twice her age. “This is not goodbye, Kara.” He murmurs, hoping his words will make her feel at least a little bit better. “This is ‘see you later.’”
After another few minutes of hugging, Kara loosens her tight grip on Kal (he would never complain about a tight hug, though he is starting to think she might grow to become stronger than him). She lets him go with a sniffle and he smiles sadly down at her before taking off towards Metropolis.