OK so i know a lot of people say that Antiope and Menalippe are sisters but I still think they're a couple so I've written them as such in this fic. If you don't like that then don't read it. It's not like they get up to anything...it's just fluff!
"Oh Diana, you're the most beautiful girl on the whole Island" Antiope said playfully, lifting the little girl above her head and making her squeal with delight
"Ahem!" Menalippe declared, clearing her throat in an obvious way
"Well, after you of course" Antiope said looking at her beloved.
"You flatter me, but I know I don't compare with our princess". Menalippe said with a smile, looking between her lover and her niece.
The three of them were sat on the beach together, Antiope, Menalippe and little Diana who was now nearly two years old. She could say many words and toddle a few steps, but mostly she would babble happily at everything and everyone. She was a very happy little girl but a very demanding one, which was why Antiope and Menalippe had her to themselves on this glorious day. They wanted to give Queen Hippolyta a break for a few hours, not that she didn't love her daughter dearly, but sometimes even a queen needs time off. Besides, the couple loved taking Diana out with them. She was a lovely child and basically treated them as if they two more mothers. She couldn't quite manage to say their names properly yet, but every time she saw one of them her little face would light up and she would beg to be picked up by them. Having them both take her out of the palace to play was a true joy for the little one.
"Want splash splash!" Diana babbled, pointing to the sea
"Alright then, let's go and play in the water" Antiope said to Diana, picking the girl up into her arms. "Are you coming?" she asked Menalippe"
"Oh no you take her, I'm happy here" the other woman said, stretching out on the sand.
Diana waved to Menalippe over Antiopes shoulder as she was carried off by her aunt and Menalippe blew a kiss to the beautiful little girl. To say she was a spoiled child would be unfair to her, of course she was spoiled, she was the only child on the island and every woman there just fawned over her. Even earlier that day as Antiope and Menalippe were taking her through the marketplace they were stopped by nearly everyone as they wanted to say hello to Diana, give her a kiss or give her something to play with. One of the bakers even wrapped up several honey cakes for her as she knew she loved those sweet little pastries. Diana had shoved one into her mouth as Menalippe had picked her up and carried her on her shoulders, making her squeal with delight as she was high above everyone else. She loved the attention, even still in nappies she could smile or flutter her eyelids at anyone and they would do her bidding, she was a true princess.
As she watched little Diana splash her feet in the water and squeal in fake terror as the tide seemed to chase her back on to the sand Menalippe felt warm and contented inside. It was a rare day that Antiope would take time away from her army, but Diana was one of the few things that could drag her away from her duty. She was a very loving aunt and a devoted sister and Menalippe knew she would always be in fourth place after Antiopes duty to the queen, her niece, and even her army. But they loved each other, it was obvious to everyone. Hippolyta was the first to know of their relationship and as Queen she had given them her blessing.
"You make her happy Menalippe; any fool can see that" Hippolyta had told her, "Please treat her well".
"I will my queen" Menalippe had said back to her.
Menalippe laughed as she watched Antiope playing with her niece, they were so adorable together. Even though Antiope made no secret about her desire to train the little girl to be a future warrior she knew that time wasn't now, the child couldn't even talk properly yet. For now Diana was just her precious niece and she would treasure her just as such. Menalippe knew there was tension between the general and the queen over Dianas future. Hippolyta was too blinded with her love and her fears to see Diana as anything other than her little girl, but Antiope knew what she was and how she came to be and she knew that if the God of war were to return then Diana would need to be trained just as any warrior before her.
When Antiope brought her back to the sand Diana toddled up to Menalippe and thrust a seashell up to her face. "Ah!" the little girl exclaimed.
"Is this for me?" Menalippe asked her, and Diana nodded and smiled "Thank you my beautiful girl" she said, taking the pretty shell from her and pulling her in for a kiss, to which Diana squealed happily and Menalippe started bouncing her in her lap, making her laugh even more.
Antiope sat down next to the two, watching two of her favourite girls playing happily together. "She'll be able to start swimming soon, she loves the water already". The general said
"Would you like that Diana? Would you like to learn to swim" Menalippe asked the little girl who had wriggled out of her lap and was crawling in the sand.
"Yes!" the little girl shrieked. "splash like fish!"
"Someday soon I'll teach you, I promise" Antiope told her
Diana played happily in the soft sand a few feet away from her aunts, digging into it with her hands and throwing fistfuls of it around her whilst the two women watched on. Menalippe had laid her head on Antiopes shoulder and their hands were entwined, showing their intimacy in their own private way.
"Do you think Hippolyta will ever let you train her?" Menalippe asked the general, knowing of her reluctance for Diana to be a warrior.
"She has to" Antiope said, looking to Diana. "I know she'll resist but she knows what Diana is, just as we do. She needs to be ready."
"For when he returns" Menalippe added, knowing the terror that would bring.
Antiope nodded, looking away into the distance, tears forming in her eyes. "There's too much of Zeus in the child, I can see that already. Hippolyta denies it but I know she can see it, she's too blinded by motherhood to see what could be".
"She only wants to protect her" Menalippe told her
"As do I!" Antiope snapped "but hiding her won't keep her safe forever. She won't be protected if she cannot fight and if he finds her he'll destroy her. I can't let that happen" she said, a tear falling down her cheek.
"Sssh my love" Menalippe said, stroking her face gently.
"I know how precious she is, believe me I do" Antiope said, wiping away her tears "But she's so much more than just a child".
"She has your blood in her veins too Antiope, and the heart of an amazon" Menalippe told her, cupping her face and making her look at her "She belongs to no God, she belongs to us. We'll make sure she grows up strong like her sisters".
"Yes we will" Antiope said, kissing Menalippe on the lips. She already knew that if Hippolyta forbade training then she would teach Diana to fight anyway, in secret if she had to. Even if she had to defy her own sister, her own queen….well, so be it. That was what she would vow to do to protect her niece.
As the next hour passed on the beach Diana began to get a little restless and cranky, especially after she had an accident in her nappy. Antiope changed her and she was a little happier after she was put into a clean dry nappy again, but after that she crawled into her aunt's lap and tugged at the front of her leathers.
"Want milk" Diana said
"Milk? I don't have milk little one" Antiope told her. Hippolyta was still nursing her and little Diana was too young to know that not all woman could provide her with milk.
"Want milk!" Diana repeated with more force, confused at the fact that Antiope wouldn't open the front of her clothing to let Diana suckle. She began to get upset at this lack of access and started wailing.
"We should take her back to the palace" Menalippe said, gathering up their things.
"Don't cry little one" Antiope said standing up with Diana in her arms, "We'll take you back to your mother…..do you want mama?" she asked the baby girl
"Mama….." Diana sniffled. "Mama milk"
As the trio headed back to the palace to find Hippolyta little Diana kept sniffling, she was tired and needed a nap, perhaps they had kept her out too long, they had just lost track of the time sitting out on the lovely beach, it was no one's fault, it had just happened, but Diana lay her head on Antiopes shoulder and pouted anyway, the poor tired little baby.
When they arrived they found Hippolyta on a balcony looking out over her great island, she turned when she heard the three come out to her "Hello sisters, hello my little one" she said to Diana who reached out her arms to her mother.
"I'm afraid we kept her away too long, now she's unhappy" Antiope told her sister, passing the girl to her mother.
"Mama milk" Diana whimpered, making Hippolyta's heart break a little to hear her sad little voice
"Do you want milk? Alright my love you can have milk" She said, kissing the little girls forehead. "Stay, please" she said addressing the two women "Have some wine"
There was a table laid out with a pitcher of wine and goblets so Antiope and Menalippe helped themselves whilst Hippolyta sat down with Diana, she opened her loose robes and the little girl began suckling hungrily. "Gently Diana" Hippolyta said to her, but the little girl paid no heed and kept drinking. Hippolyta patted her back and clutched her close as she supped before turning her attention to her sister and Menalippe.
"She really is beautiful my queen" Menalippe said about Diana "And such a joy to be around"
"Thank you, I think so too" Hippolyta said smiling at Menalippe. "Though not as much when she's crying all night, or wet, or sucking my milk dry, but….I think she's worth it. Aren't you little one?" She said to Diana who was still too lost in drinking milk to pay attention to the conversation.
"She'll make you so proud someday Hippolyta" Antiope said giving her sister a knowing look. One that Hippolyta knew all too well, she knew she was already planning on training her to be a warrior.
Diana was soon full of milk and satisfied once again so she rested her head on her mother's chest and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep surrounded by the three women who loved her the most.
"She makes me proud every day" Hippolyta said, fingers softly stroking her daughter's hair.