BMWW and all other DC characters are not mine. I have also lifted quotes/info from various sources, paraphrased, made references to movies/tv shows, etc. All done to help me progress this story. I'll try my best to give credit to all of them but I do apologize if I miss some. Thank you to my meta errr... beta editlady617. And thank you everybody for reading my story and giving me feedback. This story would not have gone this far without your kind reviews. :)
Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. But though lovers be lost, love shall not. And death shall have no dominion.*
– Alexa's diary
October 1151 AD
CHAPTER 3
Diana tossed and turned. It had been hours since she took her turn at patrol but sleep evaded her. Too many thoughts were tumbling inside her head – her complicated relationship with Bryce, the disappearance of Sir Walter. Bryce was still out there persistently watching out for the group, alternating between patrolling on ground and stalking from the treetops. The stubborn man simply refused to take his turn at rest. Moreover, her intuition told her that something bad was going to happen and try as she might, she could not quell the feeling of foreboding. Finally, after several hours, Diana succumbed to fitful slumber.
Morning came but it did not bring any sign of the missing knight. Diana watched Bryce speak softly to Henry and Oliver. The two knights nodded gravely and set out on foot. She rose and slowly made her way toward the earl.
"Take Henry's horse and get ready to ride," he told her without preamble. The corners of his eyes were tight with worry and lack of sleep. But his haggard face also held a look of unwavering resolve, his entire body radiating a readiness that reminded Diana of a predator waiting to pounce on his prey – or more fittingly, a lion expecting to defend his den from unknown attackers.
As soon as everyone was ready, Bryce arranged them into a loose diamond formation with Alexa and Richard in the center. He took the lead, of course, and Clarence and Jonathan automatically fell behind to his right and left, respectively.
"Take up the rearguard, Diana," Bryce's tone was soft yet firm, a command delivered like a polite request.
Diana almost smiled at his strategy. Had he told her to stay behind him for her own safety, she would have protested vigorously. Charging her with the defensive position of the rearguard meant that she was relatively safe from a frontal attack but it also meant that he trusted her enough to guard his back. The significance was not at all lost to Diana. It confirmed to her that he indeed cared enough to want to keep her away from harm but that he also respected her enough not to underestimate her abilities.
By mid afternoon, they came upon a small glade near a tributary of one of the many rivers that traversed the Black Forest and Bryce signalled for a stop. The group dismounted and Richard and Alexa led the horses to the bubbling stream for a drink.
"We wait for Oliver and Henry here," Bryce announced.
"An easily defendable place to set camp," Clarence agreed.
Several minutes later, Oliver appeared. "Lord Bryce, we've found something," he reported. "You might want to see it for yourself."
Bryce sent a look to Jonathan. The normally tacit knight stood up from where he was sitting and tipped his head, acquiescing to the quiet command. "I'll see to the Lady Alexa and young Richard."
Bryce, Diana and Clarence followed Oliver deeper into the forest until they came upon Henry.
"I've found the tracks of six men," Henry explained briskly. "One of them was – is – Walter."
"You are… certain?" While not a stranger to the art of tracking, Diana found the knight's skills uncanny.
"Aye, my lady," Henry smiled. He started walking around, pointing out several scratches at the base of some trees. "These marks were made by boots' spurs. The time when these marks were made coincides with the time Walter disappeared. And see here…" He knelt down and pried something out of one of the gashes in the tree's gnarly roots. He held up a small golden rowel.
"Golden spurs are forbidden to anyone save for a knight," Bryce explained when he saw Diana's questioning look.
"And the height is just about right," Henry continued. "The depth of the footprints is consistent with Walter's weight as well."
"These are signs of a struggle," Oliver added and pointed to several areas on the ground around them. "It would also seem that Walter was trying to lead them away from the path we were taking."
"Several yards into that area," Henry explained further, pointing toward the northeast. "The six sets of prints become five. It is my opinion that Walter was overpowered and carried away."
"Is he alive?" Diana asked, worried for the happy-go-lucky knight.
"While there are several traces of blood, there is not enough to indicate that he acquired a fatal wound so he should be," Henry deduced. "Why bother carrying him otherwise?"
"They took him hostage," Bryce concluded. "Whoever 'they' may be."
"Aye, my lord," Henry concurred. "It would seem so."
"The why remains to be seen," Bryce murmured, rubbing his jaw.
"What now?" Clarence asked Bryce.
"We wait until night fall."
"What is taking him so long?" Diana paced the campfire. Immediately at sundown, Bryce ventured alone into the unknown to investigate what they were up against. It had been hours since he left.
"Do not worry yourself overmuch, Lady Diana," Clarence tried to soothe her. He gestured at the blackness that surrounded them. "In this, Lord Bryce is at his element. I have yet to meet the person who can best him when it comes to stealth and reconnaissance."
"Somebody should've gone with him at least," Diana insisted.
Oliver gave her a reassuring grin. "He works best alone, my lady – most of the time anyway."
"But this time, I'm going to need all the help I can get."
Everybody jumped at the disembodied voice that came out of nowhere and drew their weapons before they realized it was their leader. He threw back the hood of his cloak when he stepped out from the shadows. He was wearing his black, snug-fitting, quilted gambeson and woolen hose, opting to forego his bulky mail and plate armor so as to make no noise whilst he gathered information. His dark clothes melded so well with his shadowy surroundings that his head seemed to float on thin air.
"Now, do you understand what I meant when I said he was in his element?" Clarence sheathed his sword, giving Diana a sheepish look.
"The trail led me to the encampment of a small army," Bryce informed them grimly. "One hundred and fifty men as far as I can tell… quite possibly more."
"Who leads them?" Henry asked.
"Hamon FitzRobert," Bryce answered flatly.
Oliver gave a low whistle. "Empress Maude's nephew?"
"A coincidence, my lord?" Jonathan queried but the look on his face said he knew otherwise.
Bryce shook his head in confirmation of Jonathan's suspicions. His features turned harder, eyes colder. "I overheard Hamon mention Lorin's name. I do not think he is here but apparently, my dear brother wants me dead so he can take over my estates and for that, he has pledged loyalty to the Empress."
"That treacherous, two-faced bastard!" Clarence cursed under his breath. "Begging your pardon, my ladies." The mild-mannered knight apologized for the use of profanity in front of the women.
"What of Walter?" Diana brought the focus back to the more pressing matter.
Bryce's intense gaze softened somewhat when he looked at her. "I was able to get close enough to see him being held under guard in a tent right in the middle of the camp."
"How are we going to free him?"
"I can bring him out," Bryce raised his hand when he saw that Diana about to object against his implication that he could single-handedly traipse into the midst of a hundred hostile soldiers to rescue his friend. He gave his knights an encompassing look. "I am hoping that he will be fit enough for stealth but I doubt it. If we're seen…"
"We'll provide a distraction," Clarence stated without hesitation. The other knights nodded their agreement. The four quickly dispersed to make their preparations.
"Diana, you need not get yourself involved in this," Bryce turned to her. "You should – "
"Stay and fight," Diana interjected, lifting her chin stubbornly, daring him to contradict her.
Bryce closed his eyes and took a deep breath, visibly struggling with himself. Finally, he met her resolute gaze. He tried once again to dissuade her. "I need you to stay behind and guard – "
"No," Diana shook her head vehemently. "That 'honor of the rearguard' ploy is not going to work this time, Bryce. Have Alexa and Richard travel on to Staufen now and tell them not to stop until they've reached its safety. I am going with you and that is final."
"You do not understand the gravity of what you're asking me to do," his voice shook with barely leashed emotion. "Demand anything from me but this, Diana." If something ever happened to you…
"And if our roles were reversed?" Diana persevered. "Would you leave if I told you to?"
He stood staring at her, unable to argue against her logic. Left with nothing else to do, he grabbed her by the nape and planted a hard, devouring kiss on her lips. Diana clung to him and returned his kiss with equal intensity in a desperate attempt to express all the feelings that they shared for each other. One kiss, one bittersweet kiss to reconcile centuries of emotion in a fleeting heartbeat.
"Princess..." he whispered against her lips. He froze.
Diana's eyes flew open. "What did you call me?"
"I..." Bryce blinked in confusion. "I... I'm sorry... I don't know where that came from... God in heaven, please don't think that I'm thinking of another while I'm -"
"No, I know you're not," Diana whispered. She cradled his face in her hands. At least he remembers that much... "I know what you mean... and nothing could be more right."
"Diana, I..." Bryce rested his forehead on hers, breathing hard. His hesitation was palpable. "Whatever happens to me, know that I… I – "
"Don't," Diana choked, pressing a finger against his firm lips. A superstitious part of her was afraid that if he professed his love now, it would only lead to disaster. She blinked rapidly trying to fight back the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. "You don't have to tell me now. Tell me later. Tell me when this is all over."
Bryce nodded in understanding. He straightened and composed his features.
"Never give up."
Her lips quivered into a smile at his reference to the Spartan code. "Never surrender."
Bryce cunningly timed their incursion an hour after midnight – halfway through the third watch – when the perimeter guards were the least alert and those who slept were in the middle of deep slumber. The six fighters crept side by side up a rise so small that it can be barely called a hill. Bryce gestured down to a large clearing in the trees.
"Walter is inside that one," Bryce pointed out a pale blur of the tent in the middle of the encampment, his voice the barest of whispers. "I will enter it from the north. Clarence, Diana, you move in from the east. Jon and Henry, take the west. Oliver, cover us from the south. If Walter is injured, I will get him on one of the horses there." He pointed to the horse lines by the outer edges of the camp.
"Once you get into your positions," he continued with his instructions. "Give me a slow count of three hundred then start moving in. Take out as many as you can and as silently as possible. That should even the odds. Once somebody raises the alarm, we fight our way out then split up. We could rendezvous at Staufen but they'll expect us to do that, as it is the nearest town. So don't make your way there. We would not want the innocents besieged if it can be helped. Follow that star, instead," Bryce pointed to a red star twinkling in the nighttime sky. "Keep following it until you reach the coast. I will find you."
"Honor to serve, my lord," Clarence clasped Bryce's forearm. "For Walter."
"For Walter," the others murmured in accord.
"Have a care," Bryce gave one final warning before they went their separate ways. His narrowed eyes roamed the treetops. "There's… something else… someone else… prowling the night. And I am not certain if they be friend or foe."
Diana crept silently, working methodically with Clarence, almost not daring to breathe for fear of being discovered too soon. A part of her quailed at having to take the lives of so many men, but she forced herself to ignore the feeling.
This is for Walter, she reminded herself, pressing her lips together in a grim line. What needs to be done, must be done.
This was war – having casualties was an unfortunate but unavoidable consequence. She tried to ease her conscience by telling herself that had it been the other way around, these men would show her no mercy, they would give her no quarter. She thought back to the atrocities that befell the Amazons more than a millennia ago. Once, they were a peaceful nation, living side by side in harmony and unity with men and the neighboring tribes. Aside from the capital Themyscira, her ancestors founded thriving cities and temples of Smyrna, Sinope, Cyme and many others. But man's greed for power was poison. It drove him to betray. It drove him to conquer. Those who died instantly were the lucky ones for they did not have to suffer long. Most were doomed to be raped, tortured and left for dead. Those who survived were forced into a life of servitude as slaves. Only a handful escaped. Some things may have changed for the better over the centuries, Diana thought. But some things have not. And until it does, if I have to kill in order to defend, then so be it.
It still left a bitter taste in her mouth, however. Never hold yourself back, she heard Artemis' disdainful voice in her head.
"THE PRISONER HAS ESCAPED!"
"INTRUDERS!"
"SOUND THE ALARM!"
Diana heard Clarence curse succinctly as they were discovered. In the initial chaos and confusion that erupted, it was easy for the duo to disarm and incapacitate the enemy but as soon as the soldiers found their bearings, the carnage truly began.
Diana drew her sword and rushed forward with a fierce battle cry, effectively drawing the attention to herself. Many paused, surprised to see a woman who evidently wanted to engage in combat with men who not only outsized her but also outnumbered her. Their hesitation cost them their lives. Diana was able to strike down five men before the other soldiers were spurred into action.
Clarence was right alongside her, swinging his mighty broadsword. With each powerful stroke, men fell like twigs against his sharp blade. In the opposite end of the camp, she saw Jonathan and Henry do the same. The deafening clash and clang of steel was interspersed with shouts of rage and screams of agony. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw arrows from Oliver's bow zip through the night to find their marks on their enemies' bodies.
"IT'S THE LORD OF THE BATS! KILL HIM!"
Diana whirled around in time to see Bryce hoist a weakened Walter up onto a horse, giving the animal a hard slap on the rump, setting him off on a wild gallop into the woods. Her eyes widened with alarm when she saw at least twenty soldiers converge on Bryce, brandishing their swords with a vengeance. Determinedly, Diana began to hack a path toward him. She felt like she was in a nightmare, one where her feet were stuck in a quagmire.
Never had she seen a more heart stopping display of combat prowess as Bryce met his enemies head on – his attacks a perfect combination of quick reflexes and unbridled strength. He had such incredible skill with the sword that he took down ten of his opponents before they finally overpowered him. Diana's blood ran cold when the rest of the men piled on top of him, thrusting down with their swords over and over again.
"Great Hera!" the earnest plea for help flew from her lips. "Give me strength!"
As if the goddess heard her, she felt a surge of power race through her veins, suffusing her muscles, granting her added energy and strength. She plowed savagely through those who stood between her and Bryce. Miraculously, she saw him spring up from the heap that crushed him, blue eyes flashing, lips curled in a rictus snarl. Blood was running down the sides of his face and neck, his gambeson torn in numerous places. He held his sword high over his head and with a wordless yell, swung it in a wide arc, slicing through several enemies at once.
"Archers!" Clarence yelled out a warning.
Diana spun, scanning her surroundings and quickly noted that five bows were aimed at Bryce from five different directions. The archers loosed.
"Bryce!" she screamed running toward him. And because there was no other way to protect him from the incoming arrows, Diana flung herself in front of him.
Diana gasped as the first arrow pierced clean through the flesh of her unarmored shoulder, the sharp head imbedding itself halfway into the thick muscles of Bryce's chest. Had she not shielded him with her own body, the arrow would have stabbed him straight in the heart.
"Diana!" Bryce froze when he heard the awful thud of three more arrows lodging mercilessly into her back, another hitting her in back of the thigh.
Diana strained for breath, hands convulsing around Bryce's shoulders. "Bryce…"
"Get her out of here!" Clarence roared, cleaving two of his opponents.
Heedless of his own pain, Bryce tore the arrow free from his chest. He lifted Diana onto his arms and ran clumsily toward the protection of the dense forest. He dimly noted that Clarence, Jonathan and Henry had moved into a semi-circle, fighting side by side, valorously covering their escape, buying them time. Even Oliver had come down from his perch to fight with his sword instead of his bow. Bryce ran awkwardly, each jarring step he took wrung a soft groan from Diana. He ran and ran, lungs burning, wounds screaming, heart gripped in a terror that he had never felt before. Each second felt like hours and Diana was growing very heavy, a dead weight in his arms.
She's just fainted, Bryce tried to fight down his panic. She not… She could not be… He could not bring himself to think of the worst. Injured as he was and carrying his beloved burden, he knew that he would never be able to outrun the army behind him. His eyes searched the darkness, desperately looking for a place that might afford them even a small measure of safety, long enough for him to check on her.
"Sire!"
Bryce whirled around at the loud hiss behind him. He saw Richard wildly beckoning at him. He ran to his squire, half relieved that the lad did not follow his orders to travel on to Staufen. He slid down the small ravine hidden by large roots and fallen tree trunks.
"Diana!" Alexa gasped at the sight of her unconscious friend.
"Quickly, Richard," Bryce ordered. He sighed with relief when Diana moaned softly as Richard tugged at the arrowhead firmly but carefully.
"Hold on, Diana," Bryce whispered urgently, ignoring the pain from his own wounds.
"The arrowheads are barbed, milord," Richard told him. "We cannot possibly pull them out without causing further harm. And pushing them through…" the lad trailed off, afraid to voice out the worst.
'Twould only make her bleed to death without the immediate aid from a healer, a small voice told Bryce. Dread settled in the pit of his stomach upon the realization that Diana had sustained fatal injuries. That she did it to save him…
Bryce's hand trembled when he grasped the arrowhead protruding from Diana's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Princess…" with a deft twist of his wrist, he broke the shaft.
"Please," he whispered achingly, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He cradled her in his arms, rocking her like a baby. "Stay with me…"
Blessedly, Diana's eyes fluttered open. She lifted a hand to touch his face, her fingertips barely grazing his jaw. "You're safe…"
Bryce swallowed convulsively, covering her hand with his, pressing it hard against his cheek and trying to infuse what remained of his own strength into her. "Because of you."
"You're… alright…" her breath came in painful, labored gasps. "That is… all… that… matters…"
"No," Bryce turned his head, kissing her palm. "What matters is that you stay alive. Do you hear me, Diana? I need you to stay alive. I need you…"
She gave him a sad smile. "Kiss me…"
Bryce dipped his head, responding to her request. He pressed his lips softly against to hers. The contact brought out a small sigh of joy from Diana. Don't go… don't leave me… his heart whispered. And at that moment, he fully embraced his feelings for her. I love you… he lifted his head, intending to tell her but suddenly, Diana went slack in his arms, head falling back on her shoulders.
"No…" His hand roved her beloved face, fingers reverently caressing her cheeks, her nose, her eyes, her lips. He grabbed her limp wrist, urgently feeling for a pulse. There was none. He shook his head in denial. "No… No. No. No. Diana wake up. For the love of God, please wake up."
"Don't die," he pleaded hoarsely, burying his face into her hair as despair wrapped around his chest like a vise and then very slowly, very deliberately, squeezed his heart until he found it difficult to breathe. Never had he experienced this kind of excruciating pain before.
"Don't. Die." The tears that he had been valiantly holding at bay finally broke through the dam of his control. Please, God, he prayed fervently. His hunched shoulders shook with silent sobs. I'll do anything… Just give me one more chance to look into her eyes so I can tell her… Please… I beg you… Richard and Alexa looked away, overwhelmed with the intensity of his grief.
But his prayer remained unanswered. He stroked her cheek tenderly with his hand. Having seen countless of men perish in battle, Bryce was well acquainted with the face of death. As the soul departed from the body, it would leave nothing behind save for an ashen gray husk devoid of all vitality and life. But it seemed that even death would dare not touch Diana's beauty. Her skin remained smooth, cheeks flushed, lips redder than the reddest rose. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully in his arms. He gazed down upon her, unconsciously memorizing every feature.
I never told her, he thought in anguish. I should have told her.
The sound of running feet and clanging armor penetrated the fog of his heartache and sorrow. He lifted his head, eyes narrowing with a murderous glare. Gently, he set Diana's limp body down and stood up, scrubbed his face free of the tears, jaws set with grim determination.
Alexa's hand shot out and gripped his wrist with a strength borne of desperation and fear. "My lord…" she whispered, shaking her head, green eyes beseeching him to stand down. "Please…"
Bryce pulled his arm firmly from Alexa's grasp. Alexa hugged herself, taking an involuntary step backward, shivering from the expression on his granite face. He looked more terrifying than the nocturnal creature he was named after. He emanated a spine-chilling aura of danger… of violence… of death. There was something raw and primal lurking in those glacial blue eyes of his – a promise of rage yearning to be unleashed, a promise of absolute retribution.
Wordlessly, Bryce climbed up the ravine and disappeared into the night.
Themyscira
Diana stared at the pieces of shattered glass by her feet. "How?"
"As you know, your powers have not yet been fully unlocked, Diana," Alexa told her as gently as she could. "Instead of healing, your body entered a state of suspended animation. Your injuries were extensive. It took all of Epione's healing skills – and more – to bring you back. A mere mortal could not have survived."
"Bryce thinks I'm dead?" Diana whispered. "How… how did we get here?"
"Artemis convinced him to let us bring your body home."
Diana's brows furrowed in confusion. "Artemis?"
"She has been following us all along," Alexa explained.
"She was what?!" Diana stood up in fury, swaying a little, still weak from her brush with death. "And she did not lift a finger to help?!"
"She did, Diana," Alexa replied. "She came out of nowhere when all seemed lost. Without her, none of us would have survived. And even then, we lost Sir Jonathan and Sir Clarence." Her lower lip trembled when she spoke the names of the two valiant knights. "The rest were… were gravely injured."
"Bryce?" Diana looked at her friend in alarm.
"He lives," Alexa answered simply, wisely deciding that it would be best not to tell her distraught friend that the earl himself had a tenuous hold on life. His injuries were so severe that Alexa was afraid he would not make it. He had fought like a demon possessed, an enraged man consumed by vengeance, one who no longer cared if he lived or died.
"I… I should go to him…" Diana paced.
"And do what, sister?" Alexa's eyes shone with sympathy. But her emerald gaze also bore the harsh light of reality. "Explain to him that you are the princess of the mythical Amazons imbued with immortality by the gods of Olympus? The world is not yet ready to accept our secret."
Diana sat down heavily onto the bed, defeated. She cradled her head in her hands, staring blankly at the floor, not knowing what to do. She felt numb. Empty.
"Here," Alexa said softly. Diana looked up when she heard the scrape of a sword being unsheathed. "He… he asked that you be buried with this."
The rays of sunlight rippled along the age-old xiphos making the original Greek inscription stand out distinctly. A lone tear slid down Diana's cheek when she read it.
My love is eternal.
A/N:
*The "Alexa's diary" quote in this chapter came from two writers: Kahlil Gibran and Dylan Thomas. "Alexa's diary" is a personal/secret journal and NOT an official entry in the Amazon chronicles because… well, writing about the Princess' love life and publishing it for all to see is just not done. LOL
Xiphos – a short sword used by Spartan warriors
Epione – the Amazons' chief healer (as per WW wiki)
Many have asked who Sir Henry is… Truth be told, I, myself, was not too sure of who I wanted Henry (and Jonathan) to be! LOL… I just wanted 5 fighters to represent a medieval Justice League (Bryce and Diana make 7) and it's kinda hard to create a medieval counterpart for the ring-wielding Green Lantern (and a shape shifting telepath Martian). That's why I shied away from writing too much about them and focused more on the easier to write and readily recognized Clark, Wally and Ollie. So, Henry may have been John Stewart or Hal Jordan. Take your pick ;)
Harold Robert Bryce Wainwright and this timeline were inspired by an Earth-One character, Harold Wayne. The DC Wikia entry goes: "In the waning days of the Crusades, a man named Harold served as the first lord of Waynemoor Castle in Northern England until he died, childless and unmarried, at which point his brother Lorin took over the estate. Centuries later, it was discovered by Lorin's descendant – Bruce Wayne, the Batman – that Harold was actually murdered by Lorin."