The Fox and The Hound

Kal lay on his bed in the room that Diana had put him in. He didn't have to do any training today or work around the island as far as he knew. Supposedly the amazons allowed the male students to have a day off every once in awhile. Kal thought they gave them all a day off because they had other duties to attend to. A few hours ago he listened to some women talking amongst themselves and he had heard that there was some kind of ceremony with the Queen and Diana tonight. He could only assume that is why the students were released from their daily activities. He didn't mind the day off, but he had been here for almost two weeks now.

Kal started to notice that within the past two weeks that Diana was not talking to him and seemed to be ignoring him. He also noticed that she was nowhere to be found whenever he was on the training grounds. He didn't really understand why she was being so distant. He wasn't one to be rude and listen in on Diana when she was with her mother or by herself in the gardens studying, but sometimes he just couldn't help it and he rather enjoyed using his powers on earth as he wasn't able to on Krypton.

Suddenly a knock came to his door and he got up and opened the door. It was one of the amazons, she was rather short and blonde but well built just like the rest of the women on Themyscira.

With no apparent expression she brought forward a piece of paper towards Kal. "Your majesty this is for you, from Princess Diana." She bowed as he took the small folded up piece of paper from the woman.

"What is this?" He asked curiously as she was walking away from his doorway.

She stopped and turned around, "I do not know your majesty. Have a good evening." She nodded and continued down the hall. As she rounded the corner Kal watched her leave then his eyes glanced down to the paper in his hand. Slowly closing the door he made his way to the bed and sat down carefully opening the folded paper.

If it was from Diana like the woman said it must be important. Surely it wasn't meant for everyone as she had a woman come hand deliver it to him. If it was an announcement a horn would be heard and everyone would receive a more proper delivery handed to them in a scroll at their doors. He could only assumed that Diana wanted to talk to him. Hopefully so, he thought.

Kal saw the note was handwritten. She has very lovely handwriting, he thought with a smile gracing his face.

Kal,

I am sorry I have been very distant as of late. My mother told me to keep my distance from you and not to be around you too much. She threatened to revoke my position as the international program's coordinator.

I could not refuse as the program is international and approved by the council. I hope you understand and perhaps I will find the answer to her worries soon enough. Tonight is the celebration of my mother's birthday and she does not like to make a fuss about it. She persists that the island not throw a party for her, but myself and others always throw her a party every year even if she dislikes the idea.

I have personally invited you as you are royalty and part of the world council. Sorry for the late announcement, but I gave everyone the day off. The celebration starts after sunset.

Hope to see you later tonight,

Diana

Kal set the note aside and rubbed the back of his head. The Queen's birthday, he thought. This was a first for him. On Krypton they celebrated birthdays as well, but his parents were also indifferent about their birthdays. He didn't think too much about his either.

Diana invited him to a royal celebration and luckily he did bring with him his royal attire, but it wasn't for ceremonies like this. He didn't know what to wear to these kinds of functions here, but he felt that it would be strange if he showed up in his Kryptonian attire. It would make him feel awkward with all the women around him. Looking at the drapes near the window he suddenly had an idea and grinned.

Diana was in her room putting earrings on and fixing her hair for tonight. She was not going to be late like last year at her mother's birthday party. Tonight she wore a green long gown with a golden belt at her small waist. Standing up looking in her full length mirror she touched her waist making final adjustments. Her gown had two large slits on the sides exposing her long toned legs.

Finally smiling at her appearance she head out of her bedroom and made her way into the throne room for the ceremony. As she walked down the hallway she saw many amazons bow at her and she smiled at them and said hello to them all.

Arriving in the throne room she saw her mother was talking with Phillipus, of course. She glanced around and saw everyone was showing up on time, but in fact it was about thirty minutes early for the party would begin. She took a glass of wine off one of the tables and slowly sipped looking around and could not see Kal anywhere in the room full of women. She mostly towered over everyone so it was easy for her to see over a large crowd, but this time it proved quite difficult.

"Diana I see..." Mala tapped Diana's arm and she flinched almost spilling her glass of her wine. "Sorry I didn't meant to scare you!" The amazon giggled.

Diana cleared her throat, "you are fine. Sorry for being so jumpy." she sipped from her glass once more still looking in the crowd.

"I hope your mother likes her party tonight. The royal guard and I have planned something special for her," Mala smiled and folded her arms. She waited for a response from Diana but didn't get one.

"Are you alright, Diana?"

Diana stopped looking around and turned to look at Mala. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked if you were alright."

"Oh," Diana sipped her wine again, "yes I'm grand," she glanced around the room once more. She then handed her drink to her friend. "Could you hold this for me?"

"Um, sure, Diana," Mala took the glass from the princess very confused at her behavior. "Diana why are you acting so strange?" She quietly asked herself.

Diana made her way through the crowd of women easily and went outside to the entrance of the palace. It was getting close to sunset now and he still was not here. She watched as everyone walked inside the palace wearing their finest gowns and had their hair beautifully done. She smiled and nodded as everyone came inside.

Perhaps he will not attend, Diana thought.

Half an hour after the sun had set Kal was still in his suite and the room was candlelit. One thing he did appreciate was light and Themyscira was not known for having electricity like Krypton did. Maybe he could provide that for the amazons and their lives would be so much easier at night. One skill he did acquire on Themyscira was the ability to sew clothing. He had read about it in books on Krypton as he studied earth long before the two planets were opened to one another. He picked up the skill within the hour of learning it, but it was entirely different from how clothing was produced on Krypton. Clothes were made by a computer and were finished within less than a minute. Kal admired these amazons for designing and sewing their own clothes for everyday wear, formal and battle wear.

Finally finishing the piece he stood up and got out of his clothes and put on his creation. He had seen the male gods in the books he read on Themyscira and their clothes seemed very easy to construct. Memorizing the style and structure he was able to make a toga like attire from the drapes in his bedroom. Hopefully Diana would appreciate this as he was trying to show respect and appreciation for her culture. He smiled exiting his room and heading to the palace for the Queen's birthday.

After Diana finished her toast in honor of her mother's birthday everyone cheered and joined in drinking their wine and engaged in conversation. She stepped down from the dais and was stopped by her mother's hand on her upper arm.

"Diana, thank you for throwing this party for me. I know how I say I dislike celebrating my birthday every year, but I appreciate the planning you do for it." Hippolyta smiled.

Diana smiled in return, "I will gladly do it every year mother and it will always be even more magnificent than the last." Both exchanged hugs. "I shall fetch some more wine," she took her mother's glass and made her way to the tables filled with drink and food.

Kal stepped into the palace and had never seen so many beautiful women all at once in the same room! He scanned the room looking for Diana and saw her easily. Her hair in a braid down her back and wearing a green gown. He hoped that his appearance wouldn't startle any of the amazons, but most seemed more interested in their wine. He was listening to conversations and some wanted to go see the males after the ceremony.

He made his way to the tables and tapped Diana on the shoulder.

"I am almost done, one moment," Diana said filling the glasses to the rim with red wine.

"That is a lovely shade of green on you, princess."

Diana recognized that voice and she held her breath. Turning around with the glasses in her hands she gasped as she saw what he was wearing.

"Gods, Kal!"

Kal looked down at his clothing and felt like he had done something so horrible. Oh Rao, she hates it.

"Did I do something wrong? I knew I should have made it a little longer in the front, but I was just going off what I saw in the books."

"you look..."

Kal sighed, "horrible? Look, I don't wear this style of clothing. Perhaps if I were more bronzed like you it might look a little more appealing especially on my legs."

Diana was almost at a loss of words. He truly looked like a Greek god. His body could rival Hercules and all other Olympians. She was amazed that he did not appear in his usual Kryptonian wear or even the clothing that the amazons provided for all the students.

"Wonderful," she finally said aloud as her eyes scanned over his body once more.

Kal smiled at her response and her dazed look on her face. "A compliment for you is so unusual. I must cherish it forever," he said with a smile putting his hand on his chest in mocking admiration.

Diana smirked, "Have you made this yourself, Kal?"

He nodded.

"How did you find such beautiful fabric in such a short amount of time?" she set the glasses down on the table and touched the fabric with her fingertips.

He came very close to her face and she did not back away but she was very cautious of what he was doing. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "they are the drapes from my suite."

Diana stifled a laugh as he backed away from her ear. "How resourceful of you."

She started to look around and saw some of the women were looking their way and she left the glasses and took Kal by the hand and lead him down the hallway away from the prying eyes. He didn't seem to mind and followed casually.

"So this quite the party you have put together here, princess."

She nodded, "I do it every year even though my mother dislikes it. We all know she enjoys it and does not want to admit it."

"I read your letter earlier today and was wondering why you had been ignoring me for the past two weeks and now I see why."

Diana sighed, "I apologize for that. My mother's word is important, even though sometimes I disapprove of her rules and occasionally disobey her."

"Occasionally?" Kal smiled smugly as he teased her.

She shook her head, "Okay, most of the time but, that's all I'm going to admit to," she smiled.

Both made their way outside in the royal gardens as the celebration carried on without them in the room. Diana was sure that she would not be missed and they took a walk in the exotic garden.

Kal was admiring the candles lit in the garden's pathways and the gorgeous trees and flowers surrounding them. "your island is very stunning, Diana."

"Thank you. Maybe someday I will be able to travel to your home and experience your culture."

"I doubt you will be impressed by it. Your culture is far superior even though it lacks modern technology. Something I could never get used to. I envy your gardens and the bond you and your amazon sisters have with each other." He admitted and they kept walking further into the large garden.

There was silence between them for a few moments until Diana stopped and gestured for them to sit on a stone bench in the most lit part of the garden. He did not hesitate and sat a reasonable distance from Diana. She inched her way closer to him and although he noticed he did not make it aware to the princess.

"I have been studying a lot in the library this week. Ever since I knew my mother had a sister and that she was in charge of the Bana Amazons I could not let it just go in the back of my mind. I made it necessary to find information on Themyscira before the split with my mother and her sister, Antiope."

"Did you find anything worthwhile?" he asked genuinely.

Diana nodded. "I did find something, but it was not much. I spent all my free time in the library searching for hours for a little bit of information. I found out that my mother and her sister did get along, but what I did not know is that my mother had allowed men on the island. The little information I found did not reveal much about why my mother did this. It also said that Antiope split herself off from my mother and other amazons as well. After that I did not find anything else. It is so strange."

"Strange indeed," Kal agreed. "Maybe your mother revised the scrolls and books in the library so that her sister would never be studied about."

Diana couldn't wrap that logic around her head. "But...why would she do that?"

He shrugged, "You are asking the wrong person, Diana. From what I can tell and you don't have to take this into consideration, but I believe Antiope did something to your mother and therefore maybe that is why she is not spoken of and why she is no longer here. See Diana, you have to look at the evidence and make a theory. Your mother is Queen and her sister was also Queen apparently. One of them did something horrible to the other and that is why there can only be one ruler."

Diana couldn't help but laugh at his explanation, but she did think his theory was correct. "You sound like a true scientist. You are definitely from Krypton."

Kal didn't know whether that was a compliment or an insult but he decided not to say anything and just accept it as a compliment.

Moving on he added, "I suggest that there is more going on between your mother and sister than what lies in your island's library."

"Where do suggest I find out more information? I cannot simply tell my mother. She obviously kept this secret from me for a reason. Something horrible must have happened between them." Diana shook her head as these thoughts were swimming in her head.

"My father always taught me to be a theorist. Anything can be plausible if you find the right facts. I will help you find out what happened to your aunt."

Diana smiled. A moment of silence passed. She was getting more curious as she was spending more time with Kal. Although she hadn't known him for that long she felt like she could trust him and she actually got along with him despite his joking attitude sometimes. She felt like her tense personality was balanced when she was with him.

"Why did you decide to make that toga, Kal? Are you trying to impress me?" she mused.

Kal blushed and didn't make eye contact with the princess. "Would it be rude of me to say yes?"

Diana chuckled and crossed one leg over the other, "Maybe, but I will let it slide just this once, for you only, Kryptonian."

"What would you say if I had said no?" Kal teased with a grin.

"Then I'd call you a liar. Everyone knows I am very desirable."

Kal busted out laughing and Diana frowned folding her arms. He caught his breath, "desirable is not the word I'd use." He cleared his throat and stared at the slightly irritated amazon princess.

"Enlighten me then, Kal. If I am not desirable to you or to any other man in the universe, what am I?"

Kal sat and waited to respond. This could be a trap he thought, but he knew if he didn't answer she'd keep asking. She had a problem with patience. Typical princess pain-in-the-ass syndrome that he knew all too well back on Krypton with Zod and Ursa's eldest daughter.

"If I am to be honest, which I'm going to be, I'd say you are irate, stubborn, impatient, intense, spoiled," he paused once he saw Diana's eye color change to a dark green. "But also beautiful not just on the outside but on the inside. You have a kind heart and do not show it very often. How's that? How did I do? Did I pass the test?" He joked.

Diana nudged him as her temper simmered down and she relaxed.

"You think of me as kind?" Diana asked in a soft voice.

He nodded, "on Krypton we do not display emotions like you and your sisters do here. I am not like my parents or any other Kryptonian on my planet. They are all too serious sometimes and do not know how to laugh. Here I am allowed to jest and be myself. Something I am unable to do back home. You may be a bit unreasonable at times, but you have a kind heart. I can sense it." He smiled.

"My sisters used to tell me stories of how horrible the men were when they came to Themyscira long before I was born. They never told me too much, but I had the feeling that men did more than just misbehave themselves with my sisters. I have been kept in the dark about my people's past and it bothers me. I am the youngest amazon here while others are thousands of years old. Perhaps I shall learn to laugh a bit especially when I am around you and remind my sisters to join in as well."

Kal and Diana locked eyes for awhile and then he turned away as he didn't want to get too uncomfortable staring at her. Kal had to remind himself that she was a princess and a virgin as well. He too had never had sex before, but he didn't want to tell her that otherwise the conversation could get awkward again like it did before at Bengal village. He enjoyed spending time with her and the more time they spent together he realized that Diana was not such a hardass as she claimed to be. Sure she had to be authoritative but she was very nice, actually. He also liked teasing her a lot which he didn't get to do to the Kryptonian princesses back home. She didn't give him weird looks but instead she joined in the teasing game, but sometimes he wondered if she would randomly attack him. He would never know about her.

"Kal may I ask a question?"

"I am all ears," he leaned in and she smiled at his light silly attitude.

"You came all the way here to learn about my people's culture and how my island works, correct?" She saw him nod. "But why didn't you just come as yourself instead of auditioning for a spot in the Themsyciran student program?"

Kal was careful with his words, "is it so wrong of me to get the whole experience, princess? If I came here as a Kryptonian prince then I would not get to experience everything that the other men do."

"I see," Diana nodded her head and looked around at the garden surrounding them. "You are a really awful liar, Kal-El." She turned her head quickly and he blinked in shock at her retort.

"You're calling me a liar?"

"Yes in fact I am!" Diana put her hands on her hips with a smirk on her face. He could tell that she was teasing him.

He mocked her putting his hands on his hips as well. "Alright you're right. I didn't come here just for the culture and experience as a student."

Diana's heart skipped a beat and she bated his response which felt like it was taking forever.

"I also came for the exotic food and wine," he smiled at her and she rolled her eyes smacking his arm. "Ouch, you might want to be careful of your strength, princess." He rubbed his arm. Surely he was playing up the pain as it didn't really hurt but she can hit pretty hard.

"You are incorrigible. I don't know what I am going to do with you." Diana jokingly shook her head.

Kal was admiring Diana's smile and she had smiled a lot since he had came here. He enjoyed looking at her smile and how stunning it was. Her smile lit up a room opposed to her stale serious face she made ninety percent of the time.

"How long will you be staying on Themyscira? The program is at least a year long, but I understand if you have other obligations. Royal duties can be a pain sometimes."

He agreed with her on that note. "I didn't exactly tell my parents how long I'd be away. In fact I left spontaneously while I was sparring with my mother. If my parents need me I am sure they will contact me or your mother. Is she still sour about us spending time together?"

She sighed at that last sentence he said, "It is because she distrusts men and fears that you will become infatuated with me."

"How could anyone be infatuated with you?" He said sarcastically. "My mother has said the same thing to me. She wants to set me up with one of the Kryptonian princesses and she really loves the Zod family, but I doubt anything will come of it. Their eldest daughter really does not like me or at least that's what I think."

Diana didn't think that arranged marriages happened on Krypton and inside she felt a twinge as he spoke of marrying a princess from his home planet.

"Have you kissed her?" Diana asked out of the blue.

Kal was caught off guard at this question. "Um, no I have not kissed her."

"You have never kissed any woman before?" she continued on with the questioning. Her curious mind was getting the best of her now.

"Well...no I have not." He was starting to feel uncomfortable now. "Have you? I mean...not a woman. A man of course. Never mind forget that question. Wow, this is...wow. You are really hard to have a decent conversation with sometimes you know that?" He nervously smiled and tried not to make direct eye contact with her.

"Have you ever wondered what it feels like?" Diana scooted closer to him feeling her body warm up instantly as she moved in closer to his body.

He didn't want to scoot away from her because if he did he would fall off the bench. He wasn't exactly sure what she was getting at right now.

"I've read about it. Seen it before a couple of times."

"Reading and seeing are two different things compared to the actual deed."

AN: I decided to make this chapter a more conversational one between Diana and Kal. I wanted to them to connect on a different level. I will spring something intense later on in the story. Wonder what will happen next? ;) Enjoy and feedback is appreciated :)