Disclaimer: Same as always.
Rating: Ditto.
Dusk was approaching as Hawkgirl and her two companions reached what had to be the Queen's residence. "She is not using her outside throne as of now," one of the women explained. "At times she chooses to reside inside the palace."
The palace was an enormous, sprawling edifice, made of white cedar that sparkled in the sunlight and filled the air with a sharp, sweet scent. The architecture of the building, though impressive, was startlingly simple, and striking.
The place was completely surrounded with tall, strong palm trees that sported large, wide leaves, shrouding the entire building in shade, a perfect protection from the island's tropical heat. When they reached the entrance, they turned and led Hawkgirl into a marble-floored alcove directly to the right, then motioned her to an ornately carved gold bench.
"Sit," they said.
Hawkgirl narrowed her eyes. "I think that it would be best that I see her highness immeadiatly."
'Impossible," one of the women said promptly. "You must be announced, then received in order-"
"The nature of my news is such that it cannot wait." Hawkgirl insisted.
The two confrenced for a moment in Greek. Then the second woman turned to her.
"I am not sure you will be able to see her today," she said. "But perhaps, tomorrow-"
Hawkgirl couldn't take it anymore. With one well-timed shove, she pushed past the guards and burst into the palace. She looked around, saw a pair of intricately carved ebony-and-ivory doors, and pushed through them impatiently.
Then she stopped short.
She had burst into the throne room.
In a few brief seconds, she took in an ancient-Egyptian-style mosaic floor, heavily embroidered wall hangings, and ivory and marble statues of the Greek gods, all placed on golden stands in various parts of the room.
The spicy, heady scent of incense filled the air, and soft music was playing in the background. It came from a young girl draped in translucent white silk, seated in a corner, playing the lyre, almost a piece of living art herself.
Other young women dressed much the same milled about the room, obviously servants. Some bore trays and goblets, others sang softly in unison with the lyre player, others sprinkled wild rose petals on the floor, filling the air with a heady scent that mingled pleasantly with the incense. They seemed to add to the serenity of the room instead of take away from it.
Hawkgirl focused on a series of marble steps leading upward to a simply, almost crudely carved ivory throne, draped in dark red silk. The slender, tanned woman who sat on it was dressed in a long garment of delicate white folds, supplemented by light armor. It was clear that she was quite tall, even while seated, and a mass of thick, silken blonde hair was piled atop her head, held in place by a turquoise-studded gold comb.
Her face was delicate in features and her skin was for the most part unlined- she could have been anywhere from thirty to sixty years of age. The expression in her slanted, heavily-lashed blue eyes was both steely and strong. She fixed these eyes on Hawkgirl, who froze. The guards who had been flanking her burst into the room in pursuit, then immeadiately prostrated when they saw her.
Hippolyta.
The queen of Amazons raised one long, elegant hand, and all movement in the room stopped.
Hawkgirl dumbly dropped to one knee. That was the only thing to be done. She inclined her head, respectfully.
When the Queen spoke, it was after several seconds. "Who are you and how did you burst in here?"
"My name is Shayera, your highness," Hawkgirl replied, her eyes still fixed on the floor. She was normally never this subservient- but the woman simply commanded respect.
"Get up."
Hawkgirl did so.
"Why are you here and did you find this place? You are not human," she said, observing Hawkgirl's wings.
"No, madam. I am Thangerian by birth."
The woman leaned back in her chair. "Thangerian. A race of strong warriors, many of them women." She nodded in approval. "So, Thangerian Shayera, what brings you here?"
"I am a member of the Justice League." A cloud covered the woman's face when this was said, but she didn't interrupt. "I bring news of your daughter, Princess Diana of Theymiscira." She reached into her shirt and pulled out Diana's bracelets, holding them up for the queen to see.
When Diana's name was mentioned, a collective gasp flew through the room, and all eyes went to the Queen.
Hawkgirl saw the flash of surprise in the woman's eyes, but it was quickly hidden. "I have no daughter," she said, dismissively. The room seemed to take in a collective breath. "The Diana of you speak is of no relation to me."
Shocked, Hawkgirl opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced by Hippolyta's raised hand. "However," she said, "since you made this journey, I will be glad to entertain you and ask you to remain for the evening. It would be an honor to entertain one in the Justice League. Helen," she commanded a young girl to her left, "please show the Thangerian to one of our finest chambers, and have her join me in an hour to eat."
Her tone allowed no argument. Hawkgirl was shown to a large, airy chamber and left alone with a basin of warm, scented water and a loose, white robe. A maid was inside as well, but Hawkgirl sent her away. She needed to call Batman. Quickly, she activated her commlink.
"Batman here."
Why did he always have to sound like James Bond on the commlink? "Batman, I'm here, but the Queen seems to want to hear nothing that has to do with Diana."
Batman sighed. "I expected as much. Were you sent away?"
Hawkgirl shook her head. "No. the Queen wants me to have dinner with her privately and stay here for the night."
"Good. Try to approach her when you are alone."
"Affirmative."
Batman clicked off.
Hawkgirl sighed and turned off her commlink, then turned. And screamed. The servant girl who she asked to leave was standing in the corner, holding a stack of what looked to be linen towels.
"What is wrong with you?" screamed Hawkgirl, half-sick from the adrenaline rush. "I asked you to leave!"
The girl looked unpeturbed. "The Queen wished to know if you found everything to your liking."
"Oh. Well, um, yes."
"Would you like to use the baths before you change for your evening meal?"
"I'm not changing for anything. Just give me water to wash my face."
"Very well," the girl said, raising one delicate eyebrow, taking in Hawkgirl's dusty costume, hands and face. Hawkgirl ignored her, splashed water on her face, hands and arms, then wiped them with a towel. She was ready. "Take me to the queen." She would go as she was.
The girl nodded. "Please come with me," she said formally, after clearing away the dirty water and towels. She led Hawkgirl back outside and in the direction of the throne room, taking her to the left this time. They reached a door identical to that of the throne room, and the girl pushed the door open, and gestured for Hawkgirl to walk in.
The interior of the room was brightly lit by oil lamps that lit every corner of the room. A low table and heavily embroidered, tasseled cushions were its only furniture. Queen Hippolyta was reclined on the more ornate of the two cushions. She gestured for Hawkgirl to sit.
"I find a small, private dining room rather calm and pleasing," she said, dipping her fingers into a bowl of scented water and removing the lid from a large, steaming dish in the middle of the table. Under the lid was a delicious-smelling dish featuring slices of slivered beef and vegetables, a rich, sweet-and-spicy sauce drizzled over the top.
"I specifically instructed that no fowl was to be served at this meal, due to your heritage," Hippolyta said generously. "Please, eat."
Hawkgirl, who was more famished than she would like to admit, dug into the meal heartily. Hippolyta's servers kept her plate overflowing, and her cup filled with a sweet, spicy, honeyed liquid that truly was fit for a queen.
Hippolyta waited till the edge was taken off their hunger before sending her servants from the room. When they left, she sat up straight; her easy, relaxed countenance disappeared, and was replaced with a look of deep concern.
"What news do you have of my daughter, Thangerian?"
Shayera swallowed the mouthful of food she had and shot the queen a surprised look. "I thought-"
"You must understand," the queen interrupted, "that I made a decree for my daughter to forever be banished from these lands, because of her actions in bringing the male members of your team to Themyscira. In order to maintain my status as queen, I had to act….a certain way in front of my subjects this afternoon." She looked down. "The duties of a ruler are not always pleasant."
"I can imagine, considering that you had to banish your own daughter, and then pretend not to care for her," Hawkgirl said, dryly.
Hippolyta reached for a slice of slivered peach and bit into it. "You cannot possibly understand," she said dismissively. "Now, what news do you have of my daughter?"
Hawkgirl took a deep breath. How should she phrase this? "I have been sent to bring you the announcement of the birth of your grandchild, Timeus Loannes."
Everything that Hawkgirl had been through up until that point was duly rewarded by the look on Hippolyta's face. The woman went completely white, and dropped the piece of bread that she had been holding. Hawkgirl belatedly wondered if they should have asked a servant to stay and attend to the queen. I hope the woman doesn't faint.
When Hippolyta found her voice, it came out as little more than a hoarse whisper. "Impossible."
"It's true," Hawkgirl said. "Diana gave birth to a son six months ago."
"But…that's impossible!" Hippolyta sputtered. "It hasn't been up to nine months since I saw her last, and she certainly was not with child at that time! And the father- who is he? My daughter would never consent to having relations with a man if she knew it could result in a child, and-"
Shayera sighed. "It seems impossible, but it's true. Let me explain….."
It took Shayera a full twenty minutes to relay the entire story, as she had heard it form Batman. When she finished, her throat was dry. She reached for the goblet at her side and took a sip of the honeyed wine.
Hippolyta was still in shock. "So….." she said, low, "My daughter was transported by Vandal Savage to be part of an experiment to create…the perfect human?"
Hawkgirl nodded. "He planned to bring both her and her son back to our current timeline when he was grown….and use him to clone a race of superhumans with Amazon strength."
"And the child was fathered by…."
"John Stewart, a member of our team and a senior member of the Green Lantern Corps. It was a forced conception. They had no romantic relationship before the incident." It was amazing, how easily the words flowed form her lips. She didn't feel angry, or sad, or even numb anymore. She felt cool, calm, encased in ice, as if a cool-headed alien had somehow invaded her body and taken over, doing all the talking for her.
Hippolyta sank back onto her cushion. Hawkgirl suspected she couldn't hold herself up anymore.
Finally, she spoke. "Why did you choose to inform me?" she looked her in the eye. "I have not exactly been…the ideal mother."
Hawkgirl nodded. "Well, according to Diana, you were instrumental in helping she and the GL return home." She played with the few shards of beef left on her plate. "A version of you existed in that timeline, apparently- and Diana think that you might be able to provide clues as to where Vandal is now."
Hippolyta shook her head, as if to clear it. "Of course I will return with you," she replied. "I wish to see her, and her child…..my grandchild. But…." She hesitated. "I don't know how I would be able to help you."
Hawkgirl shrugged. "I don know, either," she said.
The two women sat in silence for a moment. Then Hippolyta rose, once again a tall, elegant figure. "If you don't mind, Thangerian, I would prefer that we leave tonight."
Hawkgirl rose as well, wiping her hands.
"I quite agree with you," she said.
