Hooray I'm back at this again. Just some quick FYI. The lines between sentences and paragraphs are supposed to represent a change of setting. Other than that, as always thank you and enjoy the story.
Briar Rose always looked forward to this part of her walks in the forest. It's when he would show up. Her mysterious friend who would walk with her and talk with her. She could never make out his face, but he always would tell her that he was a prince in a nearby kingdom, not that it mattered to Briar Rose, she was content with being a peasant and was just glad to have a friend to converse with. It was however an added bonus. Alas their walk was coming to an end much to her bemusement. This is when he would take her into his powerful but gentle arms. And just as they were going into each other for a kiss, they were suddenly interrupted by loud series of screeches. Both looking up with a mix of fear and awe they could see a massive swarm of bats flying just above the forest canopy.
"Rose, time to get up dear!" A sweet but commanding voice called out, startling her awake from her pleasant if unusual dream.
"Ohhh; ooh be down in a minute Aunt Fauna." She moaned with after a surprised yelp as she wiped her eyes to get the sleeping feeling out of them.
"Dear are you all right up there?" Another voice called down from downstairs with concern.
"Yes Aunt Merryweather, I was just sleeping so deeply I was just startled that's all." She replied to her 'aunt'.
"Another dream about him again, what could it all mean and why were bats there this time; how bizarre." She muttered to herself as she steadily got out of bed. Picking up a brush from her vanity table to brush her long golden locks and went to the window and threw it open and inhaled the fresh morning air as she pushed her curious thoughts aside to accommodate a new day. Gazing out at the woods she began humming a little tune to herself as she began brushing her bouncy golden hair. The dreams were becoming more and more frequent. It was always the same she go out for her regular excursions into the woods to visit her animal friends of the forest and he would show up unexpectedly. Initially she dismissed these dreams as nothing more than a manifestation of her desires to get out and see the world and meet some people. Especially someone she could share a loving relationship with like the folktales her aunts would read to her as a child. But their recurring frequency had forced her to reconsider the possibility that something far more fantastical was at play. She recalled reading somewhere that if you dream a dream more than once it sure to come true. Well she certainly dreamt it more than once. In fact she would say she has had that same dream almost every night for the last few weeks. Before she could contemplate further, her thoughts were interrupted by two songbirds tweeting as she brushed her. "Well, hello there." She said happily to her two feathered friends.
The two birds chirped excitedly at Briar Rose who an amazing ability to empathize and understand the forest creatures that had been her only companions in all of her fifteen going on sixteen years. "I will be out in a moment." She said to the two birds with a smile.
"Rose, hurry up dear, breakfast is almost ready." Another one of her aunts called.
"In a moment Aunt Flora." Rose replied while rolling her eyes in response to her aunt's impatience. Putting her minor frustrations with her guardians aside she winked at her bird companions and twirled away from the window humming her little tune as she went about making her bed which the two little birds happily straightened out her coverings. Briar gleefully danced her way behind a curtain to get changed. Over the top came the purple nightgown, reaching into her closet she picked out her peasant dress. Once her morning routine was done for she flounced downstairs
"There you are!" Merryweather said with a hint of exasperation from the table.
"My apologies but it is such a nice morning, I wanted enjoy it." Rose replied politely as she sat down to have her breakfast with her three guardians.
"Well at any rate, there is much to do today." Flora began authoritatively. "We need to clean the cottage and pick berries to stock up on food." She explained to the group as they all enjoyed their meal.
"I'll pick the berries, if that is all-right?" Briar offered.
"Of course it will, thank you dear." Flora answered.
The group ate in comfortable silence until they were finished. When the dishes were done being cleaned, Rose put her purple shawl over her head and got her basket to go out into the woods for her errands. "I won't be long." She told her aunts.
"Don't worry Rose take your time and be careful of strangers as always." Fauna tenderly but firmly replied.
"I will." Briar Rose said with a loving smile, before she went out the door down the path towards and into the woods, out of sight.
When Rose disappeared in the forest, the three sweet old ladies looked at each other knowingly. Their smiles slowly dissipate into somber expressions. "Tomorrow." Merryweather sighed to her sisters sadly.
"Yes." Fauna sniffed wiping away a tear.
"Now, now let's not get all sour we still have today and tomorrow we celebrate, we are just going to make these final days count." Flora assured through her own cracking voice with Fauna and Merryweather reluctantly agreeing.
Batman stood erect in the mysterious forest when he tapped his cowls communicator. "Batman to Cyborg, can you read me?"
"Loud and clear Batman." Victor Stone answered.
"I'm on the Island, I need you to scan for any EMF spikes." The Dark Knight immediately requested of Cyborg.
"EMF readings?" Cyborg asked, bewildered.
"Electromagnetic field readings, it's how we tracked Maleficent in Gotham." Batman explained
"Understood, give me a minute." Cyborg replied. After only a few moments Bruce heard a frustrated sigh. "Damn!"
"What is it?" Batman asked abruptly with concern.
"Batman, EMF readings are fluctuating all over this island, it's like the whole island is alive, I'm sorry but I can't give you a definitive location on her." Cyborg regretfully explained.
Batman clinched his fist and gritted his teeth upon hearing the news but still managed to keep his composure. "Understood, keep the comms open, I'll be in touch."
"Good luck Batman."
"All right back to basics." Batman muttered to himself when he got off with Cyborg, knowing that if he was to find Maleficent was going to take good old fashion detective work. Kneeling down he tapped his gauntlets keypad. Immediately a holographic image of the map was projected. "Barbara said the mountain in the southern region of the island could be a castle, but she wasn't certain." Batman said to himself, highlighting the structure in question. "Even if I was certain this was her hideout, going in would be certain suicide; she may be weak against physical attacks but she heals too fast for me to take any meaningful advantage of it." Batman then zoomed in on the urban center Oracle was able to identify from the satellite image she hacked. "My best bet to find any information on her is the city in the central hub of the island." Bruce thought hopefully as he quickly calculated the walk from his current location. "A days, maybe two days walk at least." Batman decided it would be wise to remove his gear and move about incognito. He figured it would be wise to gather information in disguise and went about removing his armor, cowl, gauntlets and cape. Once his suit had been removed and gathered in his cape, Bruce went into his utility belt, removed a fake mustache and began to hike north as he tapped his comms again. "Batman to Commissioner Gordon, come in."
"Gordon here, any luck with Maleficent Batman?" Gordon asked in reply, eager for any updates on the search for the dark fairy who had put his daughter in a magical slumber.
"Not yet, I'm headed towards the urban center of the island to gather clues; what's the situation in Gotham?" Bruce asked.
"It didn't take long for everyone to take advantage of the situation; Black Mask, Scarface and Penguin are already fighting for control of the Cauldron, Two-Face has begun raiding Banks in the Fashion District, and Anarchy is throwing molotov's in the Diamond District." Commissioner Gordon explained as calmly as he could of the chaos already hitting Gotham.
"What about Arkham and Blackgate?" Batman inquired, fearing the worst out of the hated asylum and prison.
"I've called in every available officer and beefed up security at Arkham and Blackgate, they're not a problem, yet." Gordon elaborated with cautious optimism.
"Understood, keep me posted, I'll be in touch."
"We're managing okay so far; just find Maleficent Bruce, please." Jim practically pleaded. He was worried about Barbara. Of course he was. Everyone in the family was. Bruce himself included.
"Just take care of Gotham Jim, I'll find Maleficent and we're going to wake Barbara, I promise." Batman assured sternly as he continued to march through the woods.
"I will, and thanks Bruce, take care." With that Gordon cut out.
Batman then made one more call with his comms. "Quinn come in." He called the former clown princess of crime.
"Is that you B-man?" Harley squawked absent mindedly over the comms.
"Who else would it be?" Bruce lightly snarled in frustration at Harley's cluelessness.
"Yeah I recognize that snarl, what's up Bats?" Quinn replied sarcastically.
"How's Barbara?" Batman asked solemnly not really expecting anything but wanted to check in regardless.
"She's still doing the world's greatest Rip Van Winkle impression; don't worry though she's as snug as bug; totally comfy." Harley answered while looking at Barbara who lay in her bed in peaceful repose. "Any luck finding the witch?"
"Not yet, I'm on her trail now, just keep an eye on Barbara and report any changes to me." Batman ordered firmly.
"Will do, and B-man, it uh…it means a lot to me you know, that your… your trusting me to take care of Babs, thanks" Harley said, her voice cracking a bit.
"If anything happens, call me Harley." Batman gently but sternly said after a moment of tense silence and got off with Harley and with that he continued his march north as the sun rose over the horizon.
Briar Rose strolled daintily through the forest coming to random bushes to pick berries. She was coming up to her favorite spot when she cleared her throat to call out to her forest friends. There she belt out the loveliest soprano that could be heard for miles around. The first to come out was a little chipmunk who scurried up to her where Briar took it into her hand and brought it up to her face where the woodland creature gave her an affectionate small peck on her cheek for which she released him where he would help awaken the rest of the animals of the forest.
Batman had been hiking through the dense woods when he suddenly heard a faint sound in the distance. Bruce stopped to make out the ethereal sound. It sounded like a woman singing. "Singing, out here?" Bruce thought in consideration to the isolation of his location. Figuring he needed to get a read out on the people who lived here, Bruce turned in the direction of the singing.
Briar Rose was continuing her playful romp through the forest as she was joined by more forest creatures who gathered to greet their longtime human companion. Belting out another gorgeous soprano, a grey and brown owl flew down with a few berries in his beak that Briar gratefully accepted as she continued to collect more berries with the assistance. "I wonder, I wonder, I wonder why each little bird has a someone, to sing to, sweet things to, a gay little love melody?" She serenated to her friendly woodland companions as she went about her chore.
Batman was nearing a clearing where the singing was getting louder. Looking to the forest canopy he figured he could maintain stealth cover easier in the trees. He took out his grappling gun and fired at a sturdy tree branch which pulled him up instantly. Getting a wide, clear view of the clearing he was able to make a young blonde woman seemingly frolicking and singing amongst animals?
"I wonder, I wonder if my heart keeps singing, will my go winging to someone who'll find me. And bring back a love song to me?" The young blonde finished her and settled down on tree stump as her animal friends gathered around.
"Animal empathy, similar to Wonder Woman's, maybe even full communication." Thought Bruce as he observed the girl.
"Oh dear, will I ever leave this forest?" She asked her companions that gathered around with a forlorn expression as a squirrel jumped into her lap. "Will they ever let me make any friends?"
The owl flew to her side with a hoot that sounded like 'who.'
"Aunt Flora, Aunt Fauna, Aunt Merryweather." The blonde explained with a non-challans shrug. "I love them so, but they behave so strangely sometimes almost as if they're hiding something." She elaborated further a green songbird sitting on branch looked over at the tree next to him and noticed an unusually dark shadow brooding there. Fearfully, the bird flew down to alert the group that they were being watched. "Goodness, whatever is the matter!" Briar Rose exclaimed when the bird flew around her head. The other animals squeaked and chirped at the bird until he motioned to tree above them, pointing out the foreboding shadow. Immediately all of Briar's animal friends began motioning for her to look up into said tree which she did. To her shock she saw what was causing the commotion. "Oh!"
Bruce scowled when he knew he was made. It was hardly the first time he had his cover blown. But that was during his first few years as Batman. What would the rest of the team think when they find out he'd been discovered by a blithely innocent girl who admittedly can seemingly communicate with animals and possibly nature which might make his stealth skills moot.
"I know you there." The girl with surprising gentle firmness called out to Batman. "Don't be afraid, please come out!" She called again with much less sternness.
"I'm not afraid." Bruce bluntly answered in deep baritone voice.
So yay I'm back working on this. So finally the heroes of Sleeping Beauty and Batman finally meet. If you're enjoying this story by all means review and share ideas if you have any. Thank you again for your readership.
