A/N: This is the first fanfic I post, and I'm a little nervous. English is not my first language, and I apologise for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy it! :)
The sound of the waves crashing into the shore broke the silence of the quiet morning. Antiope's horse walked slowly and calmly, as if the stallion knew that there was no imminent danger ahead. And there wasn't, Antiope just wanted to go for a ride before breakfast. And she found the beautiful beaches of Themyschira rather soothing. Old habits were difficult to forget and waking up before sunrise was one of them, which really annoyed Menalippe. I just want to wake up next to you, she had told Antiope a thousand times. But the General couldn't help it, the warrior inside her was always restless even though she knew that they were safe in Themyschira. She would have to make it up to her lover later, she thought with a wicked smile stretching her lips.
A sudden noise broke her current line of thought. It sounded like the crying from a baby, but Antiope knew that it was impossible. The only baby there was in the whole island was her nephew Diana, and she was with her mother Hippolyta. Nevertheless, she forced her horse into a faster pace and followed the sound to find its source.
When she found it, she couldn't believe her eyes: there was a small basket on the shore and inside of it there was what it looked like a little baby. She dismounted and approached the basket cautiously. Instinctively, she put a hand on the hilt of her sword. When she got close enough she confirmed that there was indeed a baby in the basket. It was crying angrily and punching the air with its little fists. Antiope kneeled on the shore's sand and pick the baby up carefully. She discovered that a blanket was the only thing covering it and after further inspection she found out that the baby was in fact female. There were no notes or other objects in the basket, there was no way for Antiope to know where did the baby come from. She turned her eyes to the blue ocean searching for a boat, but she found nothing. The baby started crying louder and Antiope turned her attention to the small bundle in her arms.
"It's okay, it's okay…" she murmured trying to calm down the little girl. As soon as she started talking, the baby stopped crying and stared at her with wide blue eyes. She couldn't be older than Diana, and Antiope knew that a baby that young wouldn't survive long without her mother.
What am I going to do with her? She asked herself. She sighed and stroked the baby's cheek softly. She frowned when her fingertips touched something that wasn't soft baby skin. She looked at the baby's face closer and discovered a strange dark stain on her left cheek. She touched it again, it's surface was hard and cooler than the skin surrounding it. It was probably just a birthmark, she thought to herself without giving it further importance. She had more pressing matters to attend, deciding what to do with the baby for example.
Finally, she decided that the smartest thing to do would be talking to her sister Hyppolita. The Amazon queen would know what to do. She carefully put the baby in the basket again and picked it up. Getting on her horse while hugging the basket close to her chest wasn't easy, but Antiope managed to do it rather quickly. She made sure the basket wouldn't fell off before riding as fast as she could back to the Amazon village. The stallion obeyed her orders without hesitation, galloping at an incredible speed through the green fields that surrounded the small village. Antiope slowed down a little bit when she arrived at the village, the streets so busy that she had to be careful not to run over anyone. At last, she arrived at the palace gates. She slowly dismounted, her attention completely focused on the baby's wellbeing, and gave her stallion's reigns to one of the Amazons that took care of the queen's horses. The Amazons guarding the doors saluted her with respect and let her in, not without giving the basket she was carrying a curious glance.
Antiope found her sister in her private quarters with a sleeping Diana in her arms. Her hair was golden as the crown that rested upon her head.
"My Queen" she bowed her head in respect.
"Antiope!" the queen smiled brightly at her "I didn't expect you to come so early."
"I need your opinion on a matter" she said with a serious tone completely different to Hippolyta's joyful one.
"What matter?" the Queen asked and she hugged Diana closer to her chest in a protective manner.
Antiope brought the basket to her sister and showed her what was inside. The baby observed both women curiously. Hippolyta's eyes widened with surprise and she stared at Antiope in disbelief.
"I've found her in one of our beaches, alone" Antiope explained "she could be the survivor of a ship wreck, but it's just an assumption. Though I know one thing for sure: she's from Man's World"
The Queen stayed in silence, probably thinking about the General's words. Finally, she looked up to Antiope with a decisive look in her eyes.
"I think we can both agree on the fact that she is not a menace" the Queen sighed "but this matters very little, after all without her mother her chances of survival are almost minimal"
Antiope nodded and looked down at the baby with sadness in her eyes. The little girl stared back at her, completely unaware of what was happening around her.
"Although" said Hippolyta drawing Antiope's attention back to her "if someone took care of her, maybe she would live"
The Queen gave Antiope a meaningful glare. Antiope stared back at her in shock.
"Sister, are you sure?" Antiope asked in disbelief.
"We can't just let her die" Hippolyta said matter-of-factly "and there is no other amazon who I trust more than you. Of course, I understand it is a great responsibility and if it is all too much I'm sure I can find someone else…"
"No, I'll do it" said Antiope firmly and she hugged the basket closer to her chest.
"Good" Hippolyta smiled but her face turned quickly into a worried frown "don't you think that… maybe…"
"Maybe?" Antiope repeated confused
"A last gift from the gods" she said, as if talking to herself "a companion for Diana"
Antiope remained silent, not sure of what to say. The gods had already given Themyschira to the Amazons and it had been a very generous gift. It seemed a little odd to receive another present, especially if it was a baby as old as Diana. Maybe the gods were sending them a message. But what message?
"It doesn't really matter" said Hippolyta after seeing that her General wasn't going to say anything "the gods have their reasons, and we should not question their actions. Antiope, you shall leave. I'm sure you must be really impatient to tell Menalippe the news"
"Yes, my Queen" Antiope bowed her head in respect before leaving the chamber, the basket close to her heart. The truth was she had forgotten about her lover, and now after the Queen's words she was starting to panic. Why had she accepted such a big responsibility? How was she supposed to raise a child? And what terrified her most: how would Mena react?
She walked quickly to her home while her mind was buzzing with hundreds of questions. Fortunately, as she was the Queen's General, the house where she and Mena lived was not far from the palace. She entered the small house without knocking on the door, her eyes immediately searching for Menalippe.
"My love, you're home!" greeted a cheerful voice. Immediately after a tall Amazon with black hair tied in a braid ran to Antiope. She suddenly stopped when she saw what the blonde amazon was carrying.
"I found her on the shore" Antiope explained to a confused Menalippe "the Queen has asked me to raise her. With you"
Antiope anxiously waited for her lover's reaction. Menalippe bit her lip in a thoughtful manner and walked to where Antiope was standing. She stared into the amazon's eyes before looking at the baby inside the basket. She carefully took her in her arms and a small smiled appeared on her lips.
"She is beautiful, don't you think?" Menalippe asked while gently rocking the baby "although she has a strange birthmark on her cheek"
Antiope stared at her in shock, she surely wasn't expecting that reaction. She shook her head and put the basket on the ground before approaching Menalippe.
"The Queen thinks she is a last gift from the gods" Antiope said.
"And what do you think?" Mena asked turning her head to stare at Antiope.
"I don't know" the General admitted "she comes from Man's World, but is impossible to know how did she arrive to Themyschira"
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore. She is an Amazon now" said Menallipe confidently and she added with whisper "our little Amazon"
Antiope fell in silence once again. Her life had taken a completely unexpected turn and her mind was still trying to fully understand it.
"We should give her a name" she finally said.
"What about… Ariadne?" asked Menalippe.
"Ariadne" repeated Antiope "the woman that helped Theseus kill the Minotaur"
"The name of a warrior"