Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Justice League or DC Comics characters and/or material. Trust me, if I did Wonderbat would've been a thing much sooner.
The Queen's Wrath
Alfred Pennyworth was in what he considered his personal sanctuary inside of Wayne Manor: the kitchen. Every single appliance and cooking utensil down to the luxurious silver utensils used by the residents of the manor were placed and stored exactly where Alfred wanted them to be. Out of all the rooms in the manor, this was the only one in which the master of the house did not have any say as to where a certain piece of furniture should go. Alfred believed that it was only fair, as Bruce had his own sanctuary down in that cave below the manor.
At the moment, Alfred was preparing a light meal for the master of the house. It was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and on this nice summer day the sun was still high in the Gotham sky. Bruce had just come home from his daily job of being the CEO of Wayne Enterprises.
Although Bruce portrayed his public persona as a dim-witted fool, Alfred was proud that Bruce at least made sure that his family's business was always taken care of. In the 10 years that Bruce had taken over as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, he turned it into the world's leading technological company, giving them a total networth of over a trillion dollars. Being the CEO, Bruce obviously took home a decent amount of this profit, but a portion of it was put to either charity organizations or to his nighttime activities.
Since Bruce had just arrived home from his meetings, Alfred knew that Bruce would go workout for a couple of hours, as was his schedule for the past few years. He would then review cases that he was currently investigating, trying to pick out little details that almost everyone but him would surely miss. Then, after performing his pre-patrol routine, he would set out to keep the citizens of Gotham safe throughout the night, not arriving home until around 2 am. Alfred tried his best to fit in meals for Bruce, as the only ones he would eat were just small portions throughout the day.
After preparing the small meal, Alfred decided that he would just give it to Bruce in the cave, as it was unlikely he would actually come upstairs and eat it in the kitchen like a normal person would. Then again, everyone that has passed through this household has never been truly 'normal,' as they have either been crime fighters, the wealthy, or the occasional eco-terrorists and cat burglars. Alfred was thankful that Bruce's days of dating known criminals had been over for a few years now.
While he always wanted the man he loved as a son to settle down and have a family, he wished that it would be with someone who actually loves Bruce fully, not just a single piece of him. Talia was only concerned with the Bat, as she always tried to persuade him into taking over as the head of the League of Assassins. Selina seemed to only be concerned with the Bruce Wayne side of him, as she made it clear in the past that she did not follow the same viewpoint as Batman does on his quest to save Gotham, believing that the city was a lost cause.
Alfred thought that the day in which Bruce would finally spend his time with the love of his life would never come, that was until a certain Princess of the Amazons made herself known.
Not too long after Batman had joined the Justice League, Alfred started to notice something different about Bruce. Sure, Bruce still had a large focus on Gotham, but it seemed that his attention was being divided to something else. There were many times when Alfred would ask Bruce about his current cases, and it would seem as if he had only the slightest idea of what he was talking about.
At first, this concerned Alfred, as he thought that the darkness that Bruce worked in was finally getting to him. However, it would seem that his fears were for nothing once Bruce requested him to order a $50,000 ancient book about the mythical Amazons in order to "research the sincerity of Wonder Woman's word."
Bruce had obviously spent time doing background checks on other members of the league, as was in his paranoid nature. However, those checks usually lasted around 1-2 weeks, with him learning only as much as he needed to know in order to conclude if he could trust his new teammates. His research of the new Amazon had taken almost 2 months of his spare time.
Compared to the basically-level knowledge of information that Bruce gained about his new teammates, his fascination with and attraction to the Amazon was clearly noticeable by Alfred. Bruce made it his job to find out everything he could about the Princess, claiming that he was just trying to make sure she was as innocent as she appeared to be.
Over the next year and a half, Alfred would rarely hear about a Justice League mission that did not involve the Princess. Bruce would always be talking about how "Diana did this" or "Diana did that," and it amused Alfred as to how blind his ward was in regard to his feelings towards the Amazon. It was clear as day to Alfred that Bruce was in love with Diana, and Alfred was more than overjoyed when he noticed a similar longing in the Amazon's eyes when he met her for the first time during the Thanagarian invasion.
Alfred would subtly try and push Bruce to finally act on his feelings that they clearly both shared - even other members of the Justice League noticing the strong bond between the two - however his comments were always either ignored or responded to with "I'm too busy." Alfred's heart always sank when his attempts were refuted.
He knew Bruce was scared of opening his heart again after all of the heartbreak he had dealt with, but Alfred knew that if anyone could give him the happiness that he wholeheartedly deserves, the Amazon Princess would be the person to do it. Walking down into the depth of the cave, a small smile appeared on Alfred's face as he thought of the events that have occurred during the past few months.
A few months ago, a new and exciting development took place between Bruce and the Princess. To this day, Alfred does not know what certainly propelled these events to take place, but whatever it was he thanks whatever higher-being there is out there. Alfred was performing his normal tasks around the cave, such as cleaning the area that housed the Batcomputer and restocking the infirmary with the necessary supplies in case Bruce returned home with any injuries.
It was early in the morning, around 4am, and Bruce still had not returned home from a mission he was called out on by the Justice League. From the Batsuit's internal sensors and trackers, Alfred knew the mission took place in Gotham, but shortly after the trackers and sensors were manually turned off. Alfred was not worried about this, as Bruce does this often whenever he has to perform special missions or when he simply does not want the League to know where he is. In addition, Alfred had separate protocols he could enable in case of an emergency that would turn the suit's tracker back on.
As Alfred was having this little thought process, the teleporters fired up, informing him that Bruce had returned home. To Alfred's surprise, he was not alone on the teleporter. Standing next to him was Diana, and seeing the large smile on her face made Alfred almost jump for joy. However, his proper etiquette would not allow him to perform such an action. It did not restrict him, however, from having a smile and a twinkle in his eye.
Bruce asking Alfred to prepare a meal for him and Diana was all the confirmation Alfred needed that Bruce and Diana's relationship had finally progressed into something more than teammates. Since that day, Diana has been spending a considerable amount of time at the Manor, and the house has never felt more alive.
The impact that Diana's presence has on the Batclan is something that Alfred thought he would never see again. Dick had started coming back to the manor, and he and Bruce are on much better terms than when he first left off in order to become Nightwing. Barbara and Tim are also much more willing to spend time with Bruce, as he was impacted the most by the wonderful Princess.
It seemed that the dark shroud that covered Bruce was lifted right off his shoulders, setting him free from the darkness that was pulling him into the abyss. Sure he still has his "issues," but they are much more manageable now with Diana in his life.
It definitely seemed that Diana was also resolving her own "issues" as well whenever she came over to the manor, and Alfred was glad Bruce invested into soundproofing his bedroom only a couple of weeks after they started dating.
As Alfred rounded the corner, he placed the tray containing the meal he just made up on the desk in front of the large monitors used to access the Batcomputer. Looking around, he noticed that Bruce was not in his normal workout spot, making Alfred wonder where he was.
Silently slipping around the cave, he noticed a large form sitting on a bench outside of the showers in a pair of workout shorts and a t-shirt. He noticed that Bruce was on the phone with someone, and although Alfred respects Bruce's privacy, curiosity got the better of him and he decided to listen to their conversation.
"Yeah I think that's a great idea," Bruce said to whoever he was talking to on the phone. Seeing the smile on his face immediately told Alfred that it was indeed Miss Diana he was talking too.
"Princess, you sold me on the idea as soon as you said the name. Wayne Charities would love to start a Women's Suffrage Charity, and with you as it's head it is sure to get support quickly... yeah, definitely... ok me too... bye." Bruce then ended the call and set his phone down to the side of him, grabbing his towel and drying his hair. Seeing that Bruce was finished with his call, Alfred decided to make his presence known.
"Master Bruce, your midday meal is waiting for you at your desk," Alfred informed him.
"Thank you, Alfred. Also I need you to do me a favor—"
"I will immediately start working on the preparations for the charity event, Master Bruce," Alfred knowingly replied with a small smirk, cutting off Bruce.
Bruce looked at Alfred with a grin and chuckled. "You are always one step ahead of me, Alfred."
"And don't you forget it," Alfred replied. As he turned around to walk back up the stairs, the doorbell rang. Both Bruce and Alfred looked at each other, waiting for the other to inform them that they were expecting someone today. When both stayed silent, they started to question who could be at the door.
"That's strange, the yard sensors did not pick up anyone walking up the pathway," Bruce said, breaking the silence.
"I shall go check the front door and see who is there, Master Bruce," Alfred replied.
Bruce looked at Alfred with a concerned expression. "Maybe I should come with you Alfred. I mean for all we know, Bane could be at the door right now."
"If I may say, Master Bruce, you did not learn all your skills from your trips around the world. I believe that I can fully take care of myself," Alfred sternly replied. At this remark, Bruce knew that it was best to back down.
Bruce did not question Alfred's skill, as he could easily take down Bruce if he wanted to. It was just the unknown factors that worried Bruce. Not being in control of everything tended to get to him, and right now not knowing who was on the other side of the door was worrisome. He wanted to check the Batcomputer, but right now it was in the middle of a security update that Lucis just produced. Bruce silently cursed at himself under his breath, as it was just his luck that something would come up while the computer was updating. Bruce nodded to Alfred, the latter turning and heading towards the staircase to go investigate who was at the front door of Wayne Manor.
While waiting for Alfred to come back down, Bruce's mind started to wander where it has usually gone these past couple of years: to Diana, his Princess. His. Just the thought that he finally shares a connection with Diana in being more than teammates and friends, but instead as lovers makes Bruce's heart swell up with joy and love, along with those lingering fears.
With her in his life, although those fears are still present he now can tap them down, especially when she jokingly tells him that those fears he has are irrational when compared to a goddess. He had never met someone as enchanting as the Amazon Princess. She immediately captured his attention when her long, toned legs in those red boots he absolutely adores landed on the cliffside during the Martian Invasion those 2 years ago.
He was taken aback by the feelings he was experiencing with her, wondering if she emitted some type of pheromone similar to Poison Ivy's that made him attracted to her. Deep down he knew that was not true, as it would be impossible for anyone to not be attracted to her.
She is beauty personified, with her outer beauty only being rivaled by the inner beauty that she showers onto those she cares about. She has such a loving heart, allowing her to be the symbol of truth and love, but also a feisty side that comes out at certain times.
Bruce had tried his best to stop himself from falling in love with her, but he knew his efforts would eventually be in vain. It was only a matter of time before the Amazon Princess would break down the walls he put up in order to protect his heart from any more loss.
Bruce smiled to himself as he remembered the day in which his walls were truly broken down by the Princess. It started out like any other mission. He was on stakeout by the Iceberg Lounge with Diana, as they were alerted by J'onn that Intergang might be in Gotham. Shortly after some bantering between the two, he noticed Diana out of the corner of his eye look down at all the couples on the street.
When she quickly gazed back over to him, he could see the lingering want she had in her eyes. She had never been shy about her feelings towards Bruce, and he knew it was only a matter of time before she eventually just came down to the Batcave and beat him senseless until he got his head straight about the two of them. Once she asked him about spending time with someone he cares for, he gave her the three reasons.
Bruce cringes now whenever he thinks of them, both because of how stupid and cowardly they sound now and how Diana likes to bring them up as a joke throughout these past few months they've been dating; a running joke between the two of them which he is always on the receiving end of.
When Circe revealed herself and turned Diana to a pig, Bruce felt as if his world was collapsing. He did everything he could in order to bring her back, recruiting Zatanna and a few other minor leaguers to get her back. After tracking down Circe, she gave Bruce the option to save Diana by giving up his pride, which he immediately took. Looking back on it now, Bruce would have given anything to save his Princess, even revealing his identity if it would save her.
As soon as Zatanna said that Diana was changed back, he immediately requested a teleportation to the Watchtower, arriving the same time that Diana arrived back. The relief he felt at seeing her whole again was immense. Walking down the hallway together, she said that she did not remember the entire ordeal of being a pig, but she did remember Bruce singing for her, as she hummed the song while she walked down the hallway.
Her now knowing the true extent of his feelings was the final blow to his walls, as he then chased after her, following her to her quarters and finally consummating a full 2 years of pent up desires between the two of them.
It was the most passionate moment of Bruce's life, with him finally giving into feelings that he thought he could simply bury down and hide. Diana brought out something in him that he did not even think he was capable of anymore. Bruce had figured out long ago that he was in love with Diana, but he always told himself that it was for the better that he would, and could, do nothing about it.
That night, Bruce decided that he could and would be with Diana, as she was strong and stubborn enough in order to deal with his many issues.
Bruce flushes with arousal as he thinks back to the night when they gave into their love for each other, with Diana giving herself up to him. He was the first man she had ever made love with, and he was going to make damn sure that she not only enjoyed herself, but that he would be the first and last man to ever make love with her as well.
He was astonished at how beautiful she was, with her accented curves and perfect figure. They made love hours into the night, and the only reason they stopped was because Bruce had to be back at the manor in order to update his files before he could get some sleep.
He saw the disappointment in Diana's eyes, and without thinking he invited her to the manor. Bruce decided at that moment to do whatever deemed necessary in order for her to make the angelic smile that adorned her face stay there for the rest of his life.
From that moment, they dated in secret for about a month until they decided (in reality Diana forced Bruce) to tell the founders of the league that they were together. Flash seemed like he wanted to make a joke, but the glare he received from Batman made him reconsider. Hawkgirl and Green Lantern both shared a look, saying "It's about time." J'onn congratulated the couple for finally acting on their feelings.
What almost made Bruce laugh was the way that Superman's jaw basically hit the floor. He was both shocked and embarrassed that he did not see the attraction that his two best friends shared. Once he finally recovered from the shock, he congratulated both of them and quickly gave Bruce and Diana a hug, which Bruce got out of as soon as he could.
The past 4 months of being together have been the best months of Bruce's life. He felt as if the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders, allowing him to feel a satisfaction he hasn't felt since he was a kid. Diana has become an intricate part of his life, and he never wants to let her go. They have been very intimate, sharing things with each other that they have never told anyone else. Bruce could not imagine his life without her in it.
"Um, Sir. It would be best if you come to the main foyer. You have a few guests here that need to meet with you," Alfred voiced over the intercom system with an almost pleading tone, snapping Bruce out of his reviere. The tone in which Alfred delivered his message caused the hairs of Bruce's neck to rise, so he decided to go upstairs and investigate.
He considered grabbing a utility belt, but he did not think that one would be necessary since Alfred did not sound as if he was in danger. It seemed that there was just something important that needed to be known to Bruce.
Briskly walking up the stairs from the cave that leads back to the Manor, Bruce heard some type of yelling coming from the main foyer.
"Listen little man! If the master of this house is not here within the next moment, I shall personally hold you responsible for all of the violations that he has committed!" a strong female voice rang through the halls.
"Your Majesty, I have just contacted Master Bruce. He shall be up soon. There is no need for any violence," Alfred replied smoothly, but with a slight hint of worry in his voice.
Your Majesty?
Bruce stopped dead in his tracks. He thought he recognized the voice down the hall, but that title said by Alfred gave Bruce the final piece to the puzzle of the identity of this unknown guest:
Queen Hippolyta.
Bruce was now regretting not grabbing a utility belt, as he believed that this conversation could turn violent at any minute. He assumed that he knew why she was here; he was courting her daughter after all.
He hoped that she was at least here just to see if Bruce was honorable enough for Diana, but from the tone he heard her speak in, he could tell that she was not here for a pleasant conversation. He quickly hit a button on his watch, opening a personal channel that connected him to Diana's commlink.
"Batman to Wonder Woman."
"Wonder Woman here, is there something you need?"
"I might need you to transport to the cave in about 10 minutes if I do not respond. There could be a situation going on."
"Bruce, is everything ok? What's going on?" Diana asked, not even trying to hide the worry in her voice.
"For the moment everything is fine, Princess. Just trust me and only come down here if I do not make contact." Bruce replied evenly.
There was a short pause on the other side of the line, making Bruce wonder if she was just going to ignore his request and teleport straight down anyway. It was something Diana did very often.
"Fine, I'll wait. But contact me if anything goes wrong."
"Deal. Batman out."
Bruce arrived in the main foyer and silently cursed under his breath. There, right next to Alfred, was the Queen of the Amazons just inside his front door. Flanking her were 6 members of her personal Honorary Guard. Bruce quickly looked around the foyer, taking into consideration the best place to grab a weapon if the situation turned violent.
"Your Majesty," Bruce said with a slight bow, "it is a surprise to see you here. Is there anything that I need to be aware of?"
Hippolyta looked over at the man that her daughter had chosen to be a mate. She was not surprised that he was extremely handsome, as her daughter would never choose a lesser man to be her mate. He was tall, around 6'2" (188cm) or 6'3" (190.5cm) if she had to guess. He was only wearing a thin black t-shirt and shorts, and it was easy to see the muscle that was protruding through the shirt. He looked to be more muscular than Superman was. His aura screamed arrogance and confidence. She heard one of her honor guard's breath hitch as Bruce walked in, and Hippolyta gave a quick glare toward her guard's direction.
A few months ago she received a message from Aphrodite telling her that her daughter has chosen a mate in Man's World, giving up her purity for a mortal. This enraged Hippolyta, as she believed that her daughter was potentially taken advantage of like she and the rest of the Amazons were under the wrath of Hercules. She asked Aphrodite to allow her the knowledge of the man that Diana had chosen.
Learning that it was Bruce Wayne did not settle her fears at all. She wanted to come to Gotham earlier, but a development on Themyscira held her back. Her daughter had told her about all the members of the Justice League when she attended Superman's funeral, but the information she received the most about was Wayne.
He was known to the public as a fool, apparently having a guise in order to lure people away from what he did at night. The fact that he used women as a means to an end did nothing to settle Hippolyta's rage, however learning about how he witnessed his parents being murder in front of his eyes at an early age allowed Hippolyta to have some sympathy for him at first.
She remembered the dark hero that Diana brought when saving Themyscira from Felix Faust, and she did have to admit that she was impressed at how well he fought. Diana told her that he was the best combatant and fighter there was in Man's World, and he even, to Hippolyta's shock, bested Diana in the majority of the times that they sparred.
The way Diana spoke of Bruce was not lost on Hippolyta, and it was easy to tell that she was attracted to Bruce. She hoped that it was just that: a passing attraction. However, the events that have taken place in the past few months proved her wrong.
"Are you Bruce Wayne? The man currently courting my daughter?" Hippolyta demanded.
"Yes, I am your majesty. Is there a reason why you are here—"
"Guards! Bring me the man that defiled your princess!" Hippolyta ordered her honor guard.
'Well, that went great,' Bruce thought in his head. He thought that he might be able to talk the queen down from trying to put his head on a pike. From his current scenario of the 5 Amazons advancing on him and one standing guard on Alfred, he quickly realized that he was going to have to defend himself or end up in an Amazonian court.
"Alfred, do not engage. Let me handle them," Bruce told Alfred as he slowly backed down the hallway, keeping his Amazonian advisories in his line of sight.
"As you wish, sir" Alfred replied, unfazed that an Amazon Honorary Guard was both attacking Bruce and watching him.
Queen Hippolyta followed behind her guard, as she wanted to see the true skill of this man that her daughter decided to court. Although she sincerely believed that this one mortal man could not even take on a single Amazon from her honor guard, the fact that he bested Diana multiple times caused her to bring enough guards to end this quickly. She wanted to get in and out so her daughter would not catch wind of this. 'Diana does not realize how foul men are,' Hippolyta reasoned in her head, 'I thank the goddesses she was not around during our enslavement by Hercules.'
Bruce realized that he was in trouble. From the looks of it, he recognized three of the five Amazons about to attack him. The one carrying the longsword is Philippus, the Amazon that personally trained Diana. He knew that besides Diana, she was probably the best combatant the Amazons had, hence why she earned her position as general.
The red-haired Amazon carrying two short swords was Artemis. Bruce knew from Diana that she had a short temper, and she was brash in her attacks. The last Amazon Bruce recognized was Mala, one of Diana's greatest friends on Themyscira. She was a skilled combatant, but what made her different is that she had the intelligence and strategic nature that many Amazons lacked. She was holding a weapon that looked similar to Philippus's.
The other two Amazons were carrying short swords, and the one watching Alfred had not drawn her weapon yet. Bruce noticed Queen Hippolyta following her guard as they tried to capture him.
'So she wishes to test me?' Bruce thought with a smirk. He knew that in just hand-to-hand combat he could beat all of his attackers. The only issue is that at the moment they were armed, and he was not. Trying not to be too obvious, Bruce was slowly leading the Amazons to the dojo that was a part of the mansion. He would not be able to access the cave, so the weapons in there would have to do.
Slowly walking backwards in a defensive stance down the hallway, he knew it was only a matter of time before the guards decided to attack him, especially if he learned anything about Amazonian training from Diana. They were the first ones to attack, usually putting their opponents on the defensive.
Bruce actually wanted this to happen, as he knew that the Amazons probably had more stamina than him due to their mythological nature. Having him on the defensive would require less stamina, allowing him to channel his attacks for when the time was opportune.
Sure enough, when Bruce was only two rooms away from the dojo, one of the unknown Amazon guards lost her patience. To Bruce's delight, she was the only one that attacked. She rushed him with her short sword, and analyzing her form Bruce knew what he had to do.
The Queen smirked as she watched one of her honorary guards rush this mortal man. She wanted to return to her kingdom as quickly as possible, and she was relieved that her guard finally decided to end this once and for all.
Or so she thought. As soon as the Amazon reached Bruce, intending to stab him in his upper arm in order to get him to yield, he moved with surprising speed for a mortal of his size to the side, grabbing the Amazon's arm as she passed. In a blink of an eye, he hit a nerve ending in her wrist, making her drop the sword she was carrying. Quickly kicking her in the back of the knee, she dropped to the ground where he then hit her both in the head and at a pressure point in her neck, effectively rendering her unconscious. Bruce then let her fully fall to the ground and looked on to the rest of his attackers, wanting to see their reaction.
He was not disappointed. The four honorary guards and the Queen stood there shocked. They could not believe that a member from the Queen's honorary guard was taken out that quickly by not only a man, but a mortal nonetheless. This quickly put all five of them on the defensive, even the Queen.
Using their shock as a temporary distraction, Bruce finished his pace to the dojo, quickly grabbing one of the wooden practice swords that he used to train with. He only hoped that they would hold up against the real swords the Amazons were using.
Both shocked and enraged that her sister was taken down by this man, Artemis decided to attack next. She quickly rushed after Bruce, the other Amazons in tow, finding him now in a defensive posture with some type of wooden sword.
"You disgusting pig of a man! First you defile our Princess, then you embarrass a member of the Queen's honor guard! I shall personally rip your head off and stick it on a pike even if it's the last thing I do!" Artemis's voice boomed in the dojo, pointing her two short swords at Bruce.
Bruce smirked to himself. 'She's letting her emotions affect her in battle. Good,' Bruce thought in his head. Diana mentioned how she was able to beat Artemis many times due to simply provoking her enough until she made a mistake. Bruce had not even said a word yet and she already was expressing her emotions clearly, giving him an advantage he would work with.
Bruce watched as Artemis quickly closed the distance between the two of them. She took a swipe towards his head, which he quickly blocked with his wooden katana. However, he knew that this left his lower left open, which he was counting on. Sure enough, Artemis took a swing at his left abdomen, which Bruce quickly reacted to by hitting her forearm down and knocking her short sword out of her right hand.
Artemis then backed up in order to stabilize herself, but Bruce did not give her a chance. He began performing various different sword fighting techniques on the Amazon, making her quickly go on the defensive. However, she still never recovered from Bruce's disarmament of her right hand, and eventually he was able to land a hit with the back of his sword to her head, knocking her out. He then hit a pressure point in her neck to make sure she stayed down when she woke up.
Hippolyta was now somewhat worried. This man had impressive skill, as he easily took down Artemis. She could definitely see now how he was able to best Diana when they sparred. He used many different fighting techniques that she had never seen before, and it was clear that her Amazons could not take him on one at a time.
"Mala! Demitria! Bring me this man on his knees!" Hippolyta ordered her guard. Mala and the other Amazonian guard, who Bruce now knew was Demitria, attacked at once, while Philippus stayed back and observed the attack. Mala was timing her attacks well, but Demitria was coming full speed at Bruce, requiring him to give his attention to her.
He went to block a swipe to his head, but Mala came around and quickly sliced Bruce on his left arm, causing him to grunt. Just from the feel of it, he knew that it was probably a decent cut. However, he had no time to think about it as Demitria went for another swipe at his right arm, which Bruce quickly blocked. He decided that he was done being on the defensive, and quickly isolated Demitria by herself. In a matter of strikes, he quickly disarmed her and knocked her out cold.
He barely had time to roll to the slide in order to avoid Mala's axe swing she attempted on Bruce, and they quickly started locking swords. Bruce had to admit that Mala was very skilled, as she kept a good pace with him. She landed a sword swipe to hit chest, which somehow only made a large hole in his shirt without drawing blood.
She seemed to predict his attacks, making Bruce realize that he would have to use a different technique if he wanted to take her out. With one hand, Bruce swiped at Mala's left shoulder causing her to block with her sword. However, as Bruce predicted, this left the majority of her lower right side open. Using his free hand, Bruce quickly landed a few jabs to Mala's ribs, causing her to lose her posture. Bruce quickly took the initiative and began a series of attacks, putting Mala on the defensive. However, Bruce's skill and speed outmatched Mala, and she was quickly subdued.
Hippolyta was now enraged. This mortal man had taken out the majority of her honor guard. She was supposed to quickly come here, bring the man back to Themyscira, and put him on trial for defiling her daughter. Now it seemed that he had the advantage, as the only two Amazons left standing were Philippus and herself.
Hippolyta could see why Diana decided to mate with this man. He was probably the most skilled fighter she had ever seen. He seemed to have a drive unlike anything else as well. Even with the odds being very badly against him, it seemed as if he welcomed the challenge of taking on the Queen's Honorary Guard. However, these attributes did nothing to diminish Hippolyta's belief that Bruce should be nowhere near her daughter ever again.
Bruce looked over at Hippolyta and noticed her angered expression. He smirked to himself, proud that he was able to keep the Queen of the Amazons surprised. He looked over and noticed that Philippus was preparing her attack, however she seemed to be much more cautious than the other Amazons were. Bruce knew that this would be his hardest adversary. This was the general that personally trained Diana. Although Bruce won the majority of their sparring matches, he did not usually come out on top without taking a good amount of hits, some that left him sore for days.
Bruce decided to take a different approach with her. Usually when he sparred with Diana, he allowed her to throw the first punch. This time, Bruce decided to go on the offensive and cause the Amazon to use her defenses. He quickly attacked, swinging his katana purposely to see if Philippus let her defenses down anywhere. However, from what he could tell she held her form extremely well, not giving him an opening to exploit.
They continued to trade blows, with Bruce landing a few jabs with his left hand and Philippus landing a kick to Bruce's shin. They eventually both disarmed each other, and were forced into hand-to-hand combat. Bruce was relieved that he was able to disarm Philippus, as it was clear that she was the better swordsman compared to him.
He knew he probably could have lasted a while, but she would eventually have beaten him. In hand-to-hand combat, Bruce knew he had the advantage, as he had learned the Amazon's techniques through Diana. Although Bruce took many hits, some he knew would leave large bruises, he started to slowly push Philippus on the defensive, landing more blows on her than she could block.
He mixed in a few of his fighting techniques, and with a quick kick-sweep he knocked her onto her back. He quickly got behind her and put her into a chokehold, angling his body so she could not land any punches on him. It took a considerable amount of his strength to keep her down, but eventually she was out cold.
Bruce was out of breath. He did not think that fighting the entirety of Joker's gang had ever made him this tired before. However, he kept his breathing regulated, as he did not want to look weak in front of Diana's mother. He quickly got up and slowly walked to Hippolyta, watching as she cautiously put a hand on her sword.
Right before Hippolyta thought Bruce was about to attack, he immediately bent down to bow in front of her, surprising the Queen yet again.
"Your Majesty, I believed that our conversation at my front door was interrupted. Would you care to continue it?" Bruce said in his deep baritone voice, not bothering to hide his amusement of the situation.
Hippolyta looked at Bruce in shock. He held a manner of respect to her, as if he did not just single-handedly defeat the Queen's Honorary Guard that she ordered to capture him by any means necessary. He looked like he took a good amount of hits, as the bruises and the gash on his arm gave away the extent of the damage he took. However, he acted as if nothing happened. After watching how skilled of a warrior Bruce was, she realized that he actually earned a measure of her respect.
This revelation shocked Hippolyta. A man, a mortal one no less, earning her respect? Although his aura spelled arogrance, it was noticeable that he had a caring nature to him, making sure that he did not inflict any wounds that would fatally hurt those that he attacked. He was known to be the distanced member of the league, but to Hippolyta she did not see how that could be.
His actions here showed her that he would do what was necessary in order to protect himself and those around him. She wondered why he distanced himself from others with this caring nature of his. He was one big mystery, and it intrigued Hippolyta. She wondered if that's what her daughter saw in him as well.
"Arise, Bruce Wayne. Your actions here have spoken for you. It is clear you are a great warrior, one of the best that I have seen if I am to be honest. When I heard of your reputation about using women as a means to an end, I will not lie and tell you that I ignored it. I was most displeased."
"Your majesty, if I may say, that reputation was fabricated in order to protect those I care for. None of those stories were true and—" Bruce started to speak before he was interrupted by Hippolyta raising her hand.
"You do not have to explain yourself to me. My daughter had told me a lot about you. She told me that you are a great warrior of Man's World, one of if not the best it has to offer. She said that while you distance yourself from others, you are the most caring out of all of them. At first I did not believe her, but your actions today proved otherwise. You have earned my respect"
Bruce was shocked at Hippolyta's response. He thought that after he defeated her guard she would personally try and take him to Themyscira, and he did not really want to injure her in any way that would upset Diana. The fact that Hippolyta respected him was also a surprise, as Diana had told him of her hatred of men.
"Although you have earned my respect, I still am against you seeing my daughter. She is the princess of the Amazons, and she does not need a man to—"
"Mother!"
Hippolyta slightly cringed at the sound of the voice coming from behind her, knowing that her daughter had just caught her red handed. She looked towards Bruce and saw the small smile that adorned his face. She was about to make a comment about Bruce contacting Diana when her daughter spoke again.
"I know what you're thinking, Mother, and you aren't going to blame Bruce for contacting me. What are you doing here?" Diana demanded in her regal tone. She looked around the room and was surprised to see a majority of the Amazon Honorary Guard unconscious around the dojo. She saw the one unconscious guard that Alfred had taken out and the one in the hall, but she assumed that they were the only ones. Looking at Bruce and his ripped shirt plus the injuries he had, she immediately became angry.
"Mother! Don't tell me you did what I think you did!" Diana said, the anger apparent on her beautiful face.
"My sun and stars, I was just merely testing you mate. I had to make sure he was worthy enough of the Princess of the Amazons," Hippolyta reasoned.
"Do you not trust my judgment? I think that I would know if someone was deserving enough of me, and Bruce is more than that. He is my equal in almost every way, and where one has a fault, the other is superior. He is more than deserving of me, and... I love him."
Diana's declaration of love for him to her mother made Bruce swell up with love. Contrary to what Diana said, he did not believe that he deserved her, but he was going to make sure that he would give her everything he had and then some. He locked eyes with Diana, and he could see the truth behind her words. He was positive that she could also see the love in his eyes, if the way her anger disappeared and was replaced with a smile that could make angels jealous being any indication.
Hippolyta looked between her daughter and the man she had chosen, and she recognized the love the two shared. It seems as if they were connected spiritually, as they seemed to emit an aura around the both of them when they were in the same room. Seeing the connection between the two, she realized that she was foolish in ever questioning her daughter's judgment. The love they shared for each other was clear, and she was happy that her daughter at least found some type of happiness in Man's World. She watched as Bruce walked over to Diana and gave her a hug using his non-injured arm.
"Very well, Diana. I see the connection between the two of you is strong, and I am sorry that I did not trust your judgement. Bruce is a fine man, and I hope that he makes you happy."
"I will do everything in my power to make sure she is taken care of, your Majesty," Bruce promised.
"You know I am an Amazon? I don't need you to take care of me," Diana replied with a warning tone, her eyes narrowing as they locked onto Bruce's.
"I'm not sure Princess, should we tell your mother about the time you were turned into a pig?" Bruce countered with a smirk.
"A pig? What is he talking about Diana?" Hippolyta asked, concerned over what happened to her daughter.
"It's nothing, mother. Bruce just has an attribute of telling stories." Diana replied while subtly elbowing Bruce in his ribs.
"Well now listen here..." Bruce began.
As Bruce and Diana started to jokingly bicker back and forth, Hippolyta shook her head in amusement. She could clearly see how much they cared for one another, and that brought another thought to her head.
"Well, now that you are with a man Diana, I guess I should warn you two about waiting a bit to give me a grandchild."
Bruce and Diana immediately stopped talking, and the shocked and embarrassed face they both gave Hippolyta made her do something she has not done since Diana was a little girl:
She laughed out loud.
The End