Knight of Wonder
Act I
Scene 3: Triumph
Themyscira had not seen a triumph like this since Diana was a little girl. All she could recall from that event were hazy images of golden banners, cheering crowds and the stifling heat of the noonday sun. In a way, this triumph was not all that different, except for the fact that she actually had a role to play in it.
The little girl that clung to the skirts of a nearby spectator reminded Diana intensely of herself at that age. She quickly looked away from the pair and over to the four enormous, white horses that were pulling her chariot. Behind her stood her good friend Zola, whispering reminders of her mortality to her to prevent the splendor of this moment going to Diana's head. In front of them, in a gilded cage, the chained and defeated Hades sat glowering as the wheels on the cage bore him ever closer to his prison.
That prison was located in the underworld, and if Diana had her way he would be there now, languishing in the eternal fire of his own malicious design. It had been Hippolyta's insistence that the people of Themyscira have a chance to witness their nation's victory over the forces of Hell first hand that had swayed Diana. She had always been cautious, but she had yet to deny her mother's wishes when it came to statecraft.
The chariot pulled into the gleaming white forum where Amazonian warriors held the crowd back as they stood in a neat phalanx encircling the square, their golden shields interlocking to form a near seamless wall. There the procession came to a halt and Diana dismounted. She approached the steps of the palace at a slow pace, though not for lack of a sense of urgency since it was her heavy, newly polished silver armor that weighed her down.
The silver hawk carved in her breastplate reflected the white sunlight into her eyes as Diana removed her winged helmet and made a brief bow before the assembled governing elite of Themyscira that stood in a line on the steps above. Hippolyta was among them, and she held out her hand and silenced the crowd with a wave. At length, Diana spoke. "Noble matrons of Themyscira, elected members of the senate, I bring before you in chains, the enemy of our people."
Hades glowered at the ground outside his cage as Diana's pronouncement echoed around the temples and trading houses of the forum, swelling the hearts of the women assembled there.
"He has stood with arms of war against us, and in so doing has met the defeat of all who oppose great Themyscira," Diana bellowed on. "I bring him before you now to face your wise justice."
There was a long pause before Hippolyta broke from the ranks of her fellow matrons. Stepping forward and making a sweeping gesture she responded, "Diana, venerable goddess of war, sentinel of our people, the matrons of Themyscira recognize you and look with favor upon your victorious return. You are welcome here, as is your gift of Themyscira's defeated foe. We shall deal out the proper justice to him in due course, but for now, ascend these steps and give us your counsel, for we much desire your wisdom in this… and many other affairs."
The cage carrying Hades began to rattle away as Diana gave another bow of respect to the matrons before she began to ascend the steps to join them inside the palace. A quartet of trumpeters blew a loud call and the remaining members of the triumphal procession proceeded to march off in good order while the crowd roared its approval.
Inside the palace, the air was much cooler. Diana set her helmet on a nearby table just before she embraced Hippolyta who said to her with great relief, "Noble daughter you've no idea how much good it does it to see you again."
"I know mother, although perhaps I was more certain of my return than you were," Diana said with a smirk as the two broke apart.
Hippolyta's face was stern. "Those are the words of a naïve girl," she chastised. "I had hoped that this time you might learn something of the seriousness of war."
Diana's expression grew suddenly fierce. "Do not presume that I know nothing of war, mother," she fired back. "I have seen more conflicts than you have and the seriousness of each of them is not lost upon me. I merely rejoice at seeing my mother again and seek to give words of reassurance. You might do well to heed them."
"I will heed such words when there are no more wars to fight," Hippolyta coolly responded as she removed the laurels and pins of her office and set them on a tray bourn by an attendant. Then she beckoned Diana to follow her as she slowly walked out to the palace courtyard; a vast green space with large hedges, a twisting stone walkway and a large, weeping Hera carved of marble and set in the center of the space.
"You know as well as I that there will always be another war to fight," Diana said as she regretfully set foot back in the sunlight. As her armor reflected the sunlight again, Diana did a bit of her own reflection on how just a few days ago this same armor was almost in ruins. She had Zola to thank for its current presentable state. Diana looked back at the short, blond haired woman who stood at the edge of the courtyard at a respectful distance from her and her mother. Diana motioned for Zola to stay where she was and Zola gave a quick nod of acknowledgement.
"Themyscira's enemies are many," Hippolyta said. "We have always known this. You have merely delivered a flesh wound to the body of evil that surrounds us."
"And yet if I did not rise to do so, then that evil would likely consume us," Diana pointed out.
"You are right, of course," Hippolyta said with a weary sigh. "And yet, I wish it was not you who had to bear this burden… well it makes no difference what I think. You have done Themyscira proud today, my daughter, and the evidence of that is written on the hearts of all the women out there who cheer your name."
Diana looked at her mother with wide eyes before looking away anxiously. Rare were words of approval from Hippolyta, and when they came, they were enough to make Diana feel as though she could take flight. She only wished it didn't take so much toil to get such brief approval from a woman Diana viewed as a role model and paragon of wisdom.
"Still, as I said, Themyscira's enemies abound," Hippolyta said as her voice returned to its usual, business tone. She cast a glance back at Zola before she looked back at her daughter and informed her, "Word has reached me of a conspiracy involving your friend back there."
Diana cocked a skeptic eyebrow. "Zola?" she whispered back. "What has she gotten herself mixed up in this time?"
Hippolyta shook her head. "Not here," she whispered tersely before she shepherded Diana to a dark corner of the courtyard. They passed under small archways that lead to a door flanked on either side by two gold liveried guards. One of the guards swung the door open and Diana and Hippolyta passed into a long, tiled hallway lined with busts of the former rulers of Themyscira.
As the door banged shut behind them, Diana heard her mother say, "Word has reached me that Hephaestus is purchasing the male children of the Amazons in exchange for weapons… and Zola is the arbitrator of the arrangement."
The look on Diana's face was one of incredulity as she asked, "Why would such an arrangement even be necessary? The war with Hades is over so we've no more need for weapons, and I can't possibly see what Hephaestus would want with the male children of our people."
"In the case of Hephaestus, your guess is as good as mine," Hippolyta conceded. "But as for Zola, I can think of a few reasons as to why she might want to stockpile weapons…"
Diana walked in front of her mother, spun around and stopped. She fixed her with a piercing look as she declared, "I would be willing to personally vogue for Zola. She knows our customs as well as any, and I seriously doubt she would become involved in such an underhanded deal. The Zola I know is better than that. We have been friends for many years now."
"And that is precisely the reason why you are not to become involved in the affair," Hippolyta said as she waved a dismissive hand at her daughter. She brushed passed Diana and glided over to a nearby door which she proceeded to unlock with a key hidden in the folds of her flowing white garb. "I just thought it was a courtesy to notify you of the inquiry into your friend's activities. Do not make me regret it," Hipployta warned her daughter severely. She then swung the door open and beckoned her daughter to continue following her.
The mixed emotions were frothing inside Diana as she entered her mother's cavernous office chambers. On the one hand, there was her loyalty to Zola that was the unshakable loyalty of any warrior to another. The stresses of battle brought people together in a way no other event in life could, and Diana doubted she could set those feelings aside for the sake of due process. On the other hand, there was Diana's commitment to justice, and deep down she knew she could not deny her mother's wish, or the wishes of the Amazonian inquisition in carrying out what was necessary to protect the state of Themyscira.
"There is another matter which requires your attention," Hippolyta said as she swept across the room and took a seat at her vast, polished wood desk. "A matter which everyone feels you are uniquely qualified to handle."
A look of confusion briefly passed over Diana's face before her mother gestured to the corner of the room. Out of the shadows stepped a tall, muscular, ebony skinned man in the black and green uniform of the Lantern Corps.
"John!" Diana exclaimed upon realizing the identity of this particular Lantern. He struck an imposing figure as he stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, the square of his black goateed jaw set in a resolute expression, and the gray of his gaze lending a sense of purpose. No wonder Shayera was so besotted with him Diana thought to herself flippantly.
"Lantern John Stewart has come to us with dire news regarding Earth," Hippolyta announced.
Diana's look became grave as she asked her friend, "What news do you bring? Is there some threat to Earth that we don't know about yet?"
John shook his bald head and said, "It's one we don't know about yet, but I'm assembling the other members of the league and telling them to meet at the Watchtower. You're only one of a lot of stops I've got to make today."
John sounded weary as he said this and it was not lost on Diana who asked, "Who have you contacted so far?"
"So far, just Flash and J'onn. We've tried getting ahold of Batman but he's not picking up," John answered.
Diana smirked. Oh Bruce she thought. Ever the loner. Then she asked aloud, "What about Clark?"
"He's in a meeting with the President right now, which is why I'm currently taking the time to come to you," John informed.
Diana shifted her weight, crossed her arms and asked, "And just what is this new threat that you need to have all of us at the Watchtower so soon."
"Not long ago, the Lanterns on Oa started getting strange deep space readings on their monitors. After sending some Lanterns to figure out the source, they discovered that the readings were coming from a series of slip space jumps being made by an invasion fleet. After calculating their trajectory, we were able to backtrack them to their planet of origin… Apokolips."
Diana's eyes narrowed. "Darkseid," she growled. "How did his fleet make it passed New Genesis without Highfather taking notice?"
"That's just it," John said. "We don't really know. I'm heading there next to ask Highfather myself."
"And you know that Darkseid's forces are headed for Earth?" Diana asked as she eased her stance.
"Given his last known location and his history with us, where else would he be headed?" John asked with light sarcasm.
"And you're planning on going to New Genesis next instead of warning Clark?" Diana asked urgently.
John smiled and said, "Actually I was going to ask you a favor…"
Sorry for being a bit late. Next one up shortly!