The Knight and the Amazon

2

The unknown woman had been cleaned, her injuries tended. Alfred had set up a bed in the guest rooms and found her a clean button-up shirt and briefs belonging to Bruce to change her into. She was now lying in said bed, oblivious to the world. The whole time they had been treating her, she hadn't even stirred. For a moment, they had almost believed her dead, but her pulse was strong, though irregular, and monitors showed REM activity. She was unconscious but not too far gone, and Leslie was optimistic at her recovery.

It did help that she seemed to have some self-healing power. By the time the doctor had arrived, most of her minor burns had closed, leaving Leslie just enough time to ensure their proper healing and give a few indications on how they should keep an eye on her.

What Bruce wanted now was to figure who the hell she was, and where did she come from. She wasn't a Green Lantern, definitively didn't fit the Kryptonian criteria in the wardrobe department. Unless she was a shapeshifter like J'onn, he would tend to consider her human –or metahuman –but couldn't take his supposition as an absolute certainty.

Out of options, he switched on his phone and checked the news. Paused at the headline. A strange phenomenon had occurred over Europe; a bright light, like a huge and silent explosion, had been spotted at large of the coast. Witnesses reported the sky had brightened for a full five minutes, as if suddenly embraced by flames, before returning to normal only minutes after. Plenty of pictures from amateurs or specialists had surged on the web of what appeared to be a huge firestorm surging from the ocean. Bruce immediately reached for his com.

"Batman to Watchtower."

"Watchtower to Batman, Superman speaking."

It was Clark's shift. Perfect. He was used to Bruce's odd requests and wouldn't question him too much.

"What happened over Europe these past hours? I just saw the news." he demanded, not bothering with niceties.

"You're up late –or early," his friend quipped, but turned serious fast enough. "We have no idea. The sensors recorded a high spike of energy but we couldn't see anything. The sky flamed up in seconds –which was rather impressive by the way –but it didn't spread far. Heat sensors went wild but honestly, it's like a huge volcano erupted under an invisible dome and spit out fire."

Not quite fire, Bruce thought, glancing at the still sleeping woman. It could explain the burns, but not the lashes and bruises. She had been fighting for her life, if the gash on her collarbone –clearly weapon induced –meant anything.

It took him a few seconds to realize Clark was still talking.

"-sent GL and Shayera to investigate. They should be back shortly. I'll forward their reports to you right away."

"Do that," Bruce replied briskly. The situation didn't require his immediate presence; for the time being, he would wait. "Batman out."

He cut the line before waiting for Clark's reply and resumed his contemplation of the unconscious woman. He should have told Clark about her; should have transported her to the Watchtower to protect his identity. But something inexplicable held him back. A small voice had whispered in the back of his mind: 'don't send her away yet'. And he trusted his instincts.

She truly was eerily beautiful, like a creature born out of perfection. Even under the covers, the lines of her hourglass body stood out and the stillness of her face reminded him slightly of Sleeping Beauty. He indulged a split second of contemplation at kissing her during her sleep. Would she wake up? Would she enjoy it? hate it? in that case, would he even survive the encounter? She was built like a warrior with hard muscles and tall bone structure and bore the wounds of a warrior. He had a feeling she would punch him through the wall, should she found his actions unwarranted.

Bruce shifted his attention on a safer territory; her armor. Upon arrival, they had to remove her clothes to start cleaning her injuries and hadn't paid much thought to them. Leslie had divested her from the rest and set them aside. At first glance, the bustier and breastplate looked perfectly normal. The fabric stood out by remaining intact in spite of the burns on the woman's skin and couldn't be torn by any tool he tried.

The more interesting part of her paraphernalia was, in his opinion, the bracelets. Perfectly intact too, though marks of time could be noted in some places, and impossible to remove. Leslie had tried. Alfred had tried. Dick had tried. He had tried, to no avail. They wouldn't be unleashed or slipped out and Bruce couldn't exactly identify the metal they had been made in. He would have thought of silver mixed with another material, but couldn't pinpoint what. The diadem and breastplate had gone through the same examination; gold, with some added unknown material. They were all forged by hand, that much he knew for sure, no industrial machine could infuse the…life he felt within when he touched them.

So many questions ran through his mind with so little answers…Patience was his best virtue, but sometimes, he wished things went faster.

"She hasn't awakened yet?"

Bruce looked up as Dick peeked into the room.

"Leslie diagnosed she should open her eyes within the next forty-eight hours," he replied. The sun was rising in the afar. He glanced at his watch. Seven AM. "I have a meeting at Wayne Enterprises at nine that I cannot delegate," he announced. "Can you delay your return a few days just in case?"

The younger man shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Sure, I'll manage. Go work to finance all your expensive toys; I'll keep an eye on Princess Aurora here." Apparently, he wasn't the only one drawing a parallel with Sleeping Beauty. "You'll be the second to know when she opens her eyes."

Only then Bruce rose from his seat and stepped closer to the unconscious form. The former injury on her collarbone was still visible but in good path of recovery and the worse burn marks almost faded. The beautiful face remained still as stone.

Who are you? he asked her silently. What have you gone through?

His fingers itched to trace the contour of her face but in the presence of his ward, he held back.

"The second she stirs, call me," he ordered again before leaving the room without much more of a farewell. He had a busy day ahead of him.

TKATA

She woke up with a quiet gasp, her body burning and senses in a mess. The first thing she noted were the silky sheets surrounding her. Then, the sunlight through closed eyelids. The breathing of a human being somewhere on her left made her uneasy. Her hand slowly crept around the mattress quietly, seeking for…for what exactly? She opened her eyes. The walls of the room were painted in soft hues of green. The ceiling was white. Her throat felt incredibly dry. When she raised her hand to her neck, she felt the soft fabric of a bandage covering it.

"I wouldn't advise you to touch it. Your face was spared but you were heavily injured there. Given your healing rate though, you should be able to speak again in the next few days."

She jumped, startled, and turned her head: a stranger dressed in a white shirt and black pants was sitting on a chair nearby, holding a book. Dark-haired, stone face, large in a stocky way. A man, her brain supplied.

She instinctively bristled and tried to sit.

"Don't move," he ordered, raising from his seat and stepping towards her. She flinched at his approach but felt too weak to manage a proper escape. The man halted his progression, his hands raised slightly to indicate he meant no harm.

"If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it by now," he announced. His voice didn't sound threatening, but not quite soft either. "You heal fast, but you've been unconscious for thirty hours; you need to take it easy."

She didn't lower her guard. He was a man. He couldn't be trusted. Her body hurt everywhere, but she would force it to comply to her commands if needed. The man sighed heavily and ran a hand in his short hair.

"Do you understand me at least?" She waited a few seconds before nodding once. That seemed to relieve him. "Good. Are you hungry?" She considered his question. Nodded again. Her stomach wasn't particularly screaming for food, but it wouldn't hurt to have it filled. And it was as he said; he had plenty of opportunity to harm her before. "I'll be back shortly with…something. Please don't try to run away."

She watched him slowly step away, never quite turning his back to her even as he closed the door behind. An odd thought crossed her mind: could it be he was as wary of her that she was of him? Had he never seen a woman before? She brushed the thought away with a smirk; he was a man, of course he had seen women before. If only his mother. Or his wife. Did he have a wife? Or wives? One or many daughters? Her mother-

She suddenly stiffened as an odd thought fell upon her. Who was her mother? She had a mother, right? The word itself evoked warmth and love, the shadow of a smile on a hidden face, a mouth wording sentences she couldn't hear...

Her heartbeat accelerated. Something was wrong. Something was dead wrong. She couldn't remember her own mother and-

What was her name?

Her head felt light and dizzy. She shut her eyes close and rubbed her temple.

Stay calm, she ordered herself. Panicking will lead you nowhere.

But the further she explored her memories and came up with nothing, the closer she came to snapping. Her mind felt like a blank state with no people, no places, nothing to fill it with. How could she even understand the man's language? Why did she distrust him for just being a man? Where did those instincts come from?

She wanted to scream, but her sore throat barely allowed her to groan. She felt tears of frustration build behind her eyes and wiped them away before they could fall. She was so tired and angry and confused and where was she?

Her legs shook as she moved them over the mattress. The coolness of the wooden floor made her shiver, but she managed to stand and slowly toddle towards the window. She barely pushed the curtain aside and peeked through. A huge patch of green greeted her and she had to rub her eyes to shoo away the sudden brightness. The sun was high up –she assumed around eleven in the morning- the grass of the lawn was flat and well-kept, huge animal-shaped bushes seemed to animate the path cutting through all and thick trees bordered the far end-

Her legs suddenly failed her and she stumbled backward with a yelp. She never hit the solid ground. Instead, she found herself held flush against a larger, warmer body and her face buried flat against a strong chest.

"What did I tell about taking it easy!"

She stiffened, annoyed with herself: she had overestimated the strength of her legs, the man had to save from a bad fall, and…his hold on her was surprisingly gentle for someone so big and he…smelt good. The last thought startled her so much she didn't protest when he lifted her effortlessly and deposited her on the vacated bed. He was strong too, she added to her mental list. When he pulled back, blue eyes met blue eyes and for a brief second, her heartbeat accelerated again. This time, it had nothing to do with anger, but the beautiful cerulean irises bordered with a hint of golden focused on her. The line of his mouth tight and leaning downwards, which brought her attention to the symmetry of his face, the angular chin, slightly crooked nose –as if it had been broken a few times before. On second thought, he looked quite handsome, for a man.

"Don't do that again," he ordered, his voice a low growl in the back of his throat. She thought his pupils had dilated slightly but he turned away before she could confirm it. Instead, he picked up a tray which carried a bowl of soup and some bread. "Start slowly. If you're still hungry I'll bring you more. But you need to rest right now. Understood?"

His voice held a dry, bossy hint she resented, but she merely accepted the food and started eating wordlessly. A few bites later, he was still standing there, watching her. She sent him a glare: was he going to stand by her side all day? He rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"I'll be back to take the dish. Just leave it on the side. And rest."

He left the room without another word. She waited until the door was closed to resume eating. Thoughts were swirling in her mind; she still felt confused and angry, but her body still felt sore and her head hurt. Perhaps a little rest would do her some good after all. The man was right, she admitted reluctantly; she was vulnerable right now and until she could move on her own, she would be nothing more but a burden. Perhaps that was why he insisted she healed fast; she was an obligation. He had tended to her injuries because he must have pitied her and then he'd kick her out once she was strong enough. For some reason, she didn't feel particularly satisfied by that conclusion.

She suddenly realized she didn't even know his name.

I'll ask him when he returns, she thought absentmindedly. Yes, when he'd return. After she'd rest.

TKATA

Bruce nearly slammed the door on his way out. What was that stubborn woman thinking, leaving her bed while still recovering? And nearly hurting herself all over again. Thank god he was in the room when it happened. And she hadn't even heard him come in! Was she that careless?

"So, how is Aurora?"

Dick was spread on the couch, nursing a cut he had earned the past night from patrolling and had yet the time to tend to. Bruce sighed in frustration.

"Eating," he replied dryly. He pulled out his phone and switched the surveillance camera hidden in her room. The live feed showed her gnawing on her bread now, the bowl of soup clean. She looked exhausted and deep in thoughts. "She's still weak."

"How is she healing?"

"The burns on her arms are nearly all gone. No more superficial cuts left." The large gash on her collarbone was nothing more but a fading scar now. Her healing process was truly extraordinary and intriguing. "She needs rest most than anything," he concluded.

"What will you do with her now?" Dick inquired. "I mean, you don't usually keep a stranger under your roof to begin with. I thought you'd send her straight to the Watchtower."

"And tell them what?" Bruce snapped. "That I found a woman in Bruce Wayne's lawn? I might as well show with no cowl on."

"And it's better to confine her in the manor?"

"I can keep a closer eye on her here. It'll be easier to figure out if she's a threat or not."

Dick hummed, unconvinced. Bruce ignored him and glanced back at his phone. The woman had set the trail aside and was currently lying on her side, her right hand caressing the bracelet on her left forearm. Her eyes were closed, her lips tightly pressed together. He cut the feed and put his phone back in his pocket with a sigh. Now was not the time to play the voyeur; she was clearly upset, she could use some privacy. He could always interrogate her later.

Only then he realized Dick was staring at him with a slight smirk on his face.

"What?"

"She really is good-looking," his ward pointed out uselessly.

No kidding.

"So what?"

"It's perfectly understandable that you'd like to keep her close by for…you know, other reasons," Dick added with a wink.

"One, she is not an animal," Bruce rattled, annoyed. "Two, even if she is beautiful," One of the most gorgeous women I've ever met. "It's not ethical to attempt something when she is clearly emotionally distressed. Three, she might be a-"

"I was kidding!" Dick claimed and threw his hands in the air. "Just kidding. You need to learn to take joke sometimes." Bruce remained unmoved. "Right. I'll be in my room. Sleeping. 'Cause I'm only human and I need sleep too." As if to emphasize his point, Dick yawned deeply. "Have fun watching Aurora."

Bruce's scowled deepened.

"That's not her name, stop calling her that."

"How do you know?" Dick teased back and waved on his way out. "See you later, charmer."

TKATA

She was standing on an island, on a beautiful beach facing the sea. Night had fallen and the starry sky seemed to surround her. She closed her eyes, sensed the salty air, the felt her feet deep in the sand, the humidity of vegetation in her back.

And suddenly, she was no longer alone.

'…rn aro…'

A familiar voice, somehow. She opened her eyes on the endless sea.

'…na! T...roun…'

She closed her eyes again, inhaled and exhaled. So peaceful…

'…eas…'

The wind started to rise and whistle in her ears. It became stronger by the second, almost violent. She winced as a strand of hair came to whip her face.

'..ana! Pl…'

The voice was becoming desperate. She turned around and-

A sea of endless bodies. Fires burning the ground. Blood tainting everything. She was wearing a red and blue armor and her loyal bracelets. A sword appeared in her right hand, a shield in her left, a crown on her forehead. A cruel laugh rose in the afar, rising shivers down her spine. She wanted to flee, but her feet wouldn't move.

'…no D…'

The voice came from her right side. A human shade was running in her direction, calling for her.

'…ind y…'

She watched, frozen, as the unidentifiable shadow came closer. A feeling of dread overwhelmed her as a hand reached out for her.

'…find you,' the voice –female, young, familiar –shouted. The sounds were too loud. She covered her ears and closed her eyes to escape it –escape everything. 'We'll-'

And everything went black.