Hi everyone! Since it took me so long to post the last chapter I decided to post this one as soon as I could write it. Hope you enjoy it and please review! Once again I do not own DC comics, Justice League, or any of its characters.
I had just told Bruce that my mother was planning something when Korinna barged in. "Queen Hippolyta would like to speak to the both of you in her throne room. I am here to escort you." I flashed Bruce a look that was clearly an 'I told you so'. If Korinna knew that Bruce came to my room, my mother definitely would. This was going to be interesting.
Bruce and I stayed silent as we trailed Korinna through the palace and the two guards who had stood on either side of my door fell into step behind us. The quiet made the walk of only a few minutes awkward. The only thing that broke the tension was the encouraging smile that Korinna flashed me before letting us into the throne room. The throne room, like most of our rooms on Themyscira was open to balconies all around. All the bronze braziers placed between the structural columns were lit dousing the room in a mellow glow as well as providing some warmth against the cool night air. Mother sat on her throne and Philippus was to her left. As soon as the doors were shut behind us and the rear guards stationed themselves in front, Korinna took her place on the right.
My mother stood and took the few steps off the dais, coming to a stop before Bruce. "What is your name, Mortal?" Bruce performed a slight bow before speaking. "My name is Bruce Wayne, your majesty." I'm guessing the look my mother gave him was the most blase reaction he had ever received upon someone hearing his name. Everyone in Man's World had heard of the marvelous Bruce Wayne.
"Well, Bruce Wayne, you have passed the first test so we will not immediately execute you." I snickered. "Imagine that...Bruce Wayne passed a test. Call the Gotham Herald! They won't ever believe it." That definitely earned me a dirty look. "That may be so, but you had a chance to escape and yet you used it to go to my daughter and not to flee the island. You have earned the right to live. For now. As for you my daughter..." Her eyes softened as they rested on me. "I issue you only the judgement that our goddesses have already proclaimed. Whichever you choose will be your punishment. I have seen how you struggle with the decision, you suffer more choosing than you will by me issuing further decrees. You have two weeks and at the end of that time you shall give us your decision.
"As for you, Mr. Wayne, you are still under our watchful eyes. An execution could still be arranged. You may have full reign of the island, other than private rooms and homes, but a guard must be with you both at all times. Any attempts at escape, including losing your guards, will result in execution. Do I make myself clear?" I frowned. Mother was being awfully strict, but I had truly backed her into a corner this time. I had pushed her time and again and finally I had worked my way into a problem that gave my mother no choice on how to deal with me. "Yes, Mother. We understand."
Her blue eyes, so like mine, finally lost all their hardness. "Today has been a long day and we all need some rest. Goodnight." Bruce and I turned to leave when she spoke again. "Oh, and Mr. Wayne..." He stopped in his tracks with a sigh. "I'd like you to remember that while you are here that Diana is not only the Princess here, but my daughter as well. If I ever catch you in her chambers again I will not be pleased." With that my mother dismissed us and I sought my bed with a heavy heart. I had already made my decision, and neither Mother nor the goddesses were going to like it. At least I would have two weeks of calm before the storm.
I was rudely woken the next morning first by a pounding on my bedroom door and then by Ourania, who was my assigned guard for the day, telling me that the 'dog' requested my presence on the training grounds. I blinked open my eyes, fighting the sleep that was trying to reclaim me. "What time is it, Ourania?" The woman scoffed. "It's not even daybreak, your highness. Do you want me to have Medeia bring him back to his room?"
My limbs were heavy as I disentangled them from my sheets and began to dress. "No, I will join him on the grounds." I did not don my Wonder Woman armor, but instead one of the short togas our women normally used for training. I fixed my hair into a quick braid and slid on my sandals before turning back to Ourania. "Are you ready?" My old friend fingered her spear. "Are you seriously going to run to him when he beckons, Diana?"
"I'm not running to him. He wants to train. I enjoy training with him. If there was something I didn't want to do, he wouldn't be able to force me. We were taught for the last centuries that all men were pigs. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that all men are angels, but there are some who come pretty close. Bruce has his dark moments, and there are times that he tries to tell me how I should live my life, but he respects me enough to let me make the final decisions myself. It was my decision to bring him here, but he would never leave me. Does that make sense?" Ourania just shook her head as she led me from the room.
I found Bruce in one of the training arenas, stretching in the center. He had left all the weapons on the racks that lined the perimeter and had removed his shoes. He was no longer wearing his thermal under armor from the batsuit, but a toga. I was actually quite surprised we had a toga here that was made for a male of his stature, but I pushed the thought aside as he noticed my entrance. "Morning, Diana. Are you ready to begin your training?" I began to unlace my sandals with a smirk. "Begin, Bruce? I've been training in this arena all my life. I think you are underestimating me." I met him in the center and began to stretch as well.
"I'm not doubting that you have had training. I am only saying that you have been training with your powers. Fighting without your abilities is another thing entirely. When you fight you automatically go for the heavy hits, relying on your strength to batter your opponent. Now that your strength is gone you are going to have to change your entire fighting style. You will need to improve your stamina, speed, and precision. Instead of just plowing forward and landing a punch you will need to evade and have a strategy." He must not have liked my expression because he quickly continued his explanation. "I'm not saying you are a bull-headed fighter like Clark who only thinks in terms of his muscles, but you have gotten reliant on your abilities."
I tossed my hair behind my shoulder. "Bring it on! I'm ready." I was not ready. Bruce feigned a sweep to my legs before rushing me. Before I had a chance to land from my leap he had used my body weight against me, tumbling me over his shoulder and flat onto my back. "Fine!" I wheezed, trying to urge the wind back into my lungs. "Perhaps I do need to adjust to my body's new response times." With my powers things had been so effortless. I guess I never realized how much of my dexterity stemmed from them.
When I sat up Bruce was on the ground struggling to breathe as Ourania shoved her sandal into his throat. "How dare you attack the Princess! You are going to die for that insult!" I scrambled to my feet. "By the goddesses, Ourania, we are just training. Stand down!" Ourania didn't even budge. "He thinks he has the right!?" Ourania reached for her sword. "Ourania, what did you think we were going to be doing here? Painting? A little game of discus? You knew this morning what we came to do!
"I need him, Ourania. He is training me because, like you already know, I do not have my abilities. If anyone can get me battle ready it will be that man. Trust me, if he showed you any ill will he would not be on the ground under your sandal. You would be feeling a few new broken bones. Now, I would like to return to my training session and I would like my boyfriend in one piece for that. If you please..." I gestured for her to move and with one kick to the his side, she stepped away from the dark knight with an angry glare. "I will be watching you closely, dog. "Once she was safely back on the sidelines I helped Bruce to his feet. "Sorry about her. She's a little intense. Are you ready to go back to beating me with your hands tied behind your back?" That earned me a grin. "I've been waiting for you to ask."
That night I stumbled through dinner with bumps and bruises in places I didn't even know I had. What made it even worse was the fact that I managed to land a hit on Bruce only about twice. Losing my powers had shown me how reliant I was on them...as Bruce had already stated. Maybe it was a good for me to see how hard it was to battle without them. Bruce and I had sparred more than once during our downtime on the Watchtower and he had managed to hold his own. Without abilities. No wonder the criminals of Gotham feared him.
So, while I fought to raise my fork to my mouth, Bruce happily feasted on the meal provided to us looking way too pleased with himself. "Don't get cocky! I'll beat you eventually." Bruce stood and gathered his now empty plate before leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. "I'll be waiting in the arena the same time tomorrow. Good night." I snuck a glance over at Ourania who either seemed to miss Bruce's display of affection or chose to ignore it. Either way it seemed to make the day's harsh training worth it. "Goodnight, Bruce. See you in the morning."
The first week was brutal. Bruce pushed me as far as I could go and, while I dreaded getting up in the morning to get my butt kicked, I knew it was for the best. Mother pretty much left us to ourselves other than passing greetings which made me wonder how often she truly spied on us. Ourania and Medeia had somewhat grown accustomed to our routine and were less likely to get involved. There was only a single occasion when I feared for Bruce and that was on the second night when he had kissed me goodnight. It was a simple peck on the cheek as he had done the first night, but judging by Ourania's reaction she had definitely missed the original performance.
My sisters were slowly adapting to his presence, however, whether they liked it or not. The last few mornings when Ourania and I joined Bruce and Medeia in the arena for morning training I had caught Medeia in deep conversation, asking about the world outside and how it had changed since she had left it. A couple of times Ourania had even forgot to refer to him as a dog. By the end of the week I had managed to beat Bruce almost as many times as he had beaten me. Life was floating by so smoothly I could almost put all the problems behind me, that is until my mother joined us for breakfast. It was the first day of our second week and I had rose and dressed for training only for Ourania to announce that Mother required Bruce and I to join her for breakfast. She ushered me into the dining hall where I was the last to arrive.
Mother appeared cool and collected. She was enveloped in flowing lavender robes and wore her crown. Bruce was dressed in the same white toga he had worn that first day and he looked neither upset nor at ease.
"Diana, my love, how wonderful for you to finally join us. Please, sit." I sat next to Bruce with a half-smile on my face. "Good morning, Mother. I trust you slept well. Are you and Bruce having a nice chat?" Her smile was somewhat forced. "I suppose."
Breakfast, like most things on Themyscira was wonderful. We were served a mix of bread, cheese, fruit, and wine that made me reminiscent of my childhood. It didn't help that Mother kept making plans for things that she knew would never come to pass such as horseback rides through the forest, days spent swimming on the beaches, and creating gorgeous gowns for ourselves and our sisters. What was glaringly obvious was the lack of Bruce in these plans. She was clearly letting me know what her opinion was on my impending decision.
Finally the conversation reached a lull and I used it to include Bruce in the conversation. "I know how you feel about people meddling in your city, but I have an idea. I like working at the embassy and that's not going to change, but I keep thinking about your villains. They are all very..." Bruce snorted.
"Insane? They are insane, Diana. They are insane past the point of therapy. Even worse they are considered criminally insane." I nodded, conceding the point. "I was trying to state it more politely, but that's where I was heading. Anyway, you say that they are past the point of therapy, but has anyone actually tried? I understand some of them might not be able to be helped such as Joker or the Scarecrow, but surely the Mad Hatter or Poison Ivy or Mr. Freeze can be rehabilitated." Bruce's features grew grim and he no longer oozed the easy-going aura he had projected over the past week.
"You are developing a false sense of security, Diana. Yes, they need help and ,yes, I wish they could all be magically cured of their insanity, but it's not going to happen. Just because Mad Hatter escapes less often than the Joker does not mean he's any less violent or deranged, just that he had more patience for his jail cell. I love that you care, Diana, I truly do. I love that you want to save them, but the last psychiatrist who was idealistic and tried to fix them now cartwheels around in a clown suit and calls herself Harley Quinn. I don't want you to end up like her."
This stunned me. Harley Quinn used to be a doctor? "What happened to her?" We spent so much time fighting these criminals in their crazy outfits with their psychotic plans it was easy to forget they were once human beings with a real life. "Her name was Harleen Quinzel. I happened to be there at Arkham on her first day. She never really trusted me, but she was so enthusiastic about helping those around her. She wanted them to get better, she truly did. While the rest of the Asylum sought just to keep them sedated and contained, Harleen wanted her patients to improve and eventually be released.
"She floated around the Asylum, working with this patient and that until the Joker caught her eye, or should I say she caught his. He played her from day one and she fell head first, eager to help him. After only a few months he had managed to convince her that he was god and she decided that she would follow him to the ends of the earth. I've heard the interview tapes, it's quite disturbing the level of intimacy the Joker can project. You could almost believe he cared about her. I'm sure you know how long that lasted."
A bitter taste filled my mouth. I knew quite well. "I just want to make a difference, Bruce. Why don't we start with Harley. She was good once, surely she can be again. If we removed her from the Joker's orbit, maybe she could start to heal." Bruce sighed. "It's been tried. The Joker might not like her or even want her around, but the minute I try to take her off his hands he goes ballistic. He will come for her no matter what." I had completely forgotten about my mother until she spoke. "Why doesn't Diana bring her here?" In that single sentence my mother had floored me.
"Mother, you yourself said that any outside contact was forbidden. I was just almost executed for bringing home my boyfriend and yet you want me to bring a criminal that has her own maniacal stalker to Paradise Island? I am confused." Mother set down her silverware and folded her hands in front of her on the table. "This island was created as a refuge for women who were abused my mankind. If this girl is being mistreated by her...whomever this Joker is...then she is welcomed here. This island is under the protection of the goddesses and this Joker will never find it. Bring her here and we will make her well. Surely you have no objections to that, Bruce."
The surprises kept coming. Now my mother was on a first name basis with my boyfriend? The more I thought about her idea, however, it made sense. I could see that Bruce was starting to like the idea as well. "I can't guarantee she won't try to harm you. She believes herself in love with him and will do anything to get back to him including hurting herself and those around her. She will probably be violent when she first arrives." Mother nodded. "I understand." When she turned to me she had tears in her eyes.
"Speaking of deluding ourselves, I have been fooling myself. Diana, I see how much you care for this man. I have seen how persistently and lovingly he has trained you this week so that you may continue doing the work you love. I know deep in my heart that you are going to return with him. I am not going to stop you. My only wish is that you stay here for your remaining week. According to the goddesses decree if you return to Man's World with your "boyfriend", as you call him, then I will never see you again. I would like to spend this time with you."
Tears welled in my eyes and I clambered up from my seat to pull her into a hug. "Of course, Mother. I wouldn't have it any other way."
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