AN: Thanks for the reviews and happy new year. Here's another flashback chapter, this time focusing on Helena's sword training, which is virtually very similar to the training her father undertook. Also, I enjoyed writing the first part of this chapter, but I feel the second part isn't all that great. That's just me personally.

-X-

Seventeen-year-old Helena stared out the window of their private plane as it descended towards the country of Iceland and she was in awe of the frozen island. Her father was beside her, bundled in warm clothing, along with the bladed gauntlets he'd worn during his time in the League of Shadows. He had brought his daughter out here to further test her skills, just like Ra's al Ghul had done. He had even brought a pair of swords with him for the training. At first, Selina had questioned Bruce about why he was taking Helena so far away from home for a simple day or two of training, but Bruce had told his wife that it worked well for him and it would better prepare his daughter. To that, Selina asked if he was thinking about their daughter taking up their legacy in Gotham and Bruce quickly denied it. He didn't want his children to go anywhere near Gotham or even contemplate taking up his role. He just wanted his children to be able to take care of themselves in any situation and if that meant flying to Iceland and making his daughter battle him on the ice, then so be it. Helena and Damian still didn't know about his role as Batman, but Bruce knew it was only a matter of time. They were too clever for their own good sometimes and it wouldn't be long before they figured it out. Even though the only things he kept were the gauntlets from his League days and a small box of batarangs, they would find them and question him. Bruce had managed to save himself with the gauntlets, explaining to his daughter that he had travelled the world and joined the League, learning everything that he was now passing onto her, and that he left because he didn't agree with their methods, but he was yet to tell her about Batman. Again, he knew it was only a matter of time, as the plane started to descend.

Five hours later, Bruce and Helena had arrived at the Vatnajökull Lake via snowmobile. Having been preparing himself for this very moment, Bruce had grown out a small beard and his hair, although they were almost as white as the snow around them, but he didn't let that slow him down. Age wouldn't be a hindrance to him as long as he could help it. It was just mostly the injuries he suffered over the years, but thankfully, there was medicine for that. They allowed him to move around without the use of a cane and once that started happening from last year, he had put himself through his own training, even going into sessions with Ted Grant, just so he could keep up with his children, and not just in terms of training them. Damian was part of the soccer team and Bruce did his best to play games with his son, while helping Helena with her field hockey. Thankfully, Selina took over for the gymnastics.

"So, are you ready to begin?" Bruce asked.

He had removed most of his outer clothing for ease of movement and knowing that his body would warm up despite the cold conditions. Helena had done the same, tying her hair into a ponytail and gripped her sword like she had been taught. She had been trained in the arts of swordplay and now Bruce was about to test her on how much she learnt. Like him, she was wearing a pair of bladed gauntlets, ones custom-made for her.

"I'm ready," Helena said, spinning the sword around one-handed and Bruce smirked.

This was a whole sense a déjà vu for him, but one with a role reversal. Here he was, now the teacher, about to train his daughter, the student. If only Ra's could see him now.

Helena moved first, bringing the sword towards her father's head and he easily deflected the blow, slicing for his daughter's neck, but she blocked and pushed his blade away, taking a step back to even out her weight upon the ice. Cracks could be heard as they stepped around each other, testing the thickness beneath their feet, as the echo of falling glaciers reverberated around them. Helena crouched low, trying to look for a weak point in her father's guard, but she was quickly forced onto the defensive when he came at her, surprising her with his speed and she fought back his attack, but her sword got caught in his gauntlet and Bruce sliced for her head, but she blocked with her own gauntlet. Never missing a beat, Bruce then slung Helena to the ice and she rolled away from him, getting to one knee as her father lowered his sword.

"You're doing alright," he said, "But I thought you'd be better. Are you not paying attention?"

"I pay close enough," Helena said, getting to her feet.

"Close enough isn't going to save you," Bruce said as he rushed his daughter with another flurry of masterful stokes, "Where's your fire, Helena? Show me your determination."

"I always have determination."

She deflected his sword and aimed at his chest, but he caught it with both gauntlets, trapping her sword, before taking it from her and tossing it behind him. Without giving her a moment after disarming her, Bruce went into another volley and Helena used her gauntlets to defend herself, forced across the ice and away from her weapon, cracks appearing beneath their feet. Smacking Bruce's sword aside, Helena darted past her father, rolling under the blade and she slid along the ice on her knees to retrieve her sword and he had a small smirk on his face from the memory of doing something similar, but he quickly removed the smile, focusing on his daughter as she came at him, this time going on the offensive against him. However, Bruce refused to give up his ground and Helena was forced to undertake another tactic as her father danced around her. Bruce parried an attempted thrust at his stomach, pushing Helena's sword up against her body and when she blocked her own blade, he gave her a small shove and she slid along the ice, using her bladed gauntlet to stop herself and get up.

"You're starting to get better," Bruce said, "You've got to watch your balance, because if you're not careful, your opponent will use it against you. That's why we're out here."

He looked so casual with his guard down that Helena decided to try and take advantage of it, hoping to catch him off-guard. Moving at her father, she swung her sword, but to her frustration, he had actually been prepared for her, easily repelling her attack, as the ice continued to crack around them. Wanting to beat her father, Helena pressed her assault, striking harder against her father's sword and when he took a step back to block her sword, she snapped her foot out, knocking him to the ice and she aimed her sword at his face.

"I win," Helena said triumphantly.

"As my teacher told me, always mind your surroundings," Bruce said.

In a similar manner to what Ra's al Ghul had done to him, Bruce tapped the ice beside her foot with his sword, breaking it open and Helena plunged into the icy water below.

-X-

Helena shivered as she sat in front of the fire in their cabin, rubbing her arms in an effort to get warm, a thick towel around her shoulders, as Bruce gave her a mug of hot chocolate, complete with a marshmallow, just how she liked it, as he sat on the couch, watching her.

"Rub your chest, Helena," he said, "Your arms will take care of themselves."

"How do you know about all this?" Helena asked, sipping her hot chocolate.

"I told you. I travelled the world and joined the League," Bruce said, "While we didn't agree on certain things, they helped me a lot. Gave me purpose."

"Yeah, and what did you do with your skills when you left? Surely you didn't just travel the world, and train with the League just for kicks? You must have put them to use."

Bruce paused for a moment, contemplating if he should tell her or not. He knew he would have to tell her one day, that he couldn't keep the secret from her forever.

"I did. I returned home to Gotham after seven years away and used my new abilities to fight crime," Bruce said, staring into the fire as memories resurfaced, "I was Batman."

Helena forgot her cold as she spun around to face her father.

"No way! Really? You were Batman. Was the role passed on to you or did you create him?"

"I created him. Using the resources of Wayne Enterprises, I became a formidable adversary for crime and the Mob," Bruce said, looking at his daughter now, "But it wasn't without loss."

A memory of Rachel's smiling face came to Bruce and he quickly quelled the heartache he had suffered following her death. He had spent long enough mourning her and had now come to grips with it. He had moved on, let his past go and turned to the future with Selina.

"So, what happened? Why did you leave?" Helena asked.

"There's something you should know," Bruce said, "I am not Thomas Bertinelli. I am Bruce Wayne. I used to own Wayne Enterprises. I was considered the Prince of Gotham."

"So, wait, what? So what's my real name?"

"Helena Wayne. It's on your birth certificate. Listen to me first, Helena, before you say anything. Your mother and I, we chose to leave Gotham behind. We wanted a new life and the only way we could have that was if we had fake lives."

"Basically, you and Mom have lied to us our whole lives?" Helena asked, anger starting to creep into her tone and Bruce sighed.

"No. we didn't lie to you. We just never told you the full story of our pasts and there is a good reason for that. When you were born, we knew it was more important than ever to let you live a life without the scrutiny we faced, especially myself. Initially, I didn't want to train you, to let you live a normal life, but I knew if something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself. Please, Helena, don't be mad at me or your mother. We've always had your best interest at heart," Bruce said.

"This is a little bit too much to take in," Helena said, "But when we get back home, you, me and Mom are going to sit down and have a good talk about this."

"And we will tell you everything. Come on, it's getting late. We should go to bed."

"If it's alright, I'd like to sit here for a little longer. Absorb what you've told me."

She wasn't completely looking at him, as if she was feeling betrayed and Bruce felt the sting, but he had brought it upon himself. Regardless, he kissed her atop her head.

"I love you, Helena," he said, then started to walk away.

"I love you too, Dad," she said softly, but he heard her, "No matter who you are."

-X-