The main road of Themyscira was filled by a barrage of hooves on the cobblestone beneath them, maintaining a moderate but not hurried pace, as the six horses made their way toward one of the largest towers in the city, which belonged to the Queen of the Amazons. Her Majesty's five royal advisors, who composed what essentially was her cabinet, were somewhat distressed as they rode. Everywhere they went they were turning heads, not because it was unusual for them to be assembled and to be riding through the city, but rather because of their dress: they were garbed in full combat gear, down to their armored headpieces. Some of them even had their swords drawn and their shields brandished. The question was, where was the danger?
A/N: I'm naming them all something different because you're high if you think I remember all their names. Not to mention, this is my AU, essentially, so it can technically have different characters.
The group traveled in a triangular shape with the point facing the direction in which they were traveling, and an irritated sigh came from the one on the middle right as she looked over her shoulder. "No, Eurydice. For the last time, we cannot just simply rush blindly into adversity without making any mention of this to Hippolyta. Not only is that irresponsible and potentially dangerous, but it is also a direct offense against the code of conduct that you swore by," Seong Mina spat curtly, before turning back around and continuing to ride in her place. The woman to whom she was speaking was quiet, as she truly didn't have a response to what she had just been reminded of. At least, not one that made sense and could further her position.
The back left, Xianghua, shifted uncomfortably in her saddle. "I agree, however I don't like this. I don't like any of this," she cautiously replied to the middle right, looking out over the cliff that they were circling past, out over the water and the smaller islands that floated in the area of the sea that was still inside of the barrier, the signature green moss creeping lazily down the rocks found therein. "Something like this has never happened before. For all we know, this could be a time-sensitive matter, and it might be foolish to waste any more time than we already have. As much as I hate to say it, I think that our best and perhaps only course of action may be to investigate before the situation is blown out of proportion."
The front cleared her throat, slowing her pace a bit, and therefore causing the other mounted warriors to match her speed. She turned around in her saddle, her white horse continuing to clop lazily forward despite the lack of indication of direction, as though it had some instinctive idea of where they were going. In all fairness, it had been to their current destination several times in the past. "If there truly is any such situation for us to have to concern ourselves with, then I assure you that it would be foolish to charge toward the issue without gathering any information prior. As it stands, the six of us are the only ones on the island who are aware of this present… problem," she said after meticulously searching for the word. "As such, if we were to get ourselves killed, that would leave the remainder of the island sleeping in the face of an oncoming sneak attack," she concluded, looking over the faces in front of her.
"But Cassandra," the back middle interjected once her unofficial superior had finished speaking, "you don't really mean to suggest that this is Ares' doing, do you? If it is, then shouldn't we have the entirety of the army on high alert, so that we can fend off his assault?"
"Sophitia please," the final, the middle left spoke for her leader, "if it was truly Ares, don't you think that not only we but also our fellow Amazons would be able to feel it?" Cassandra looked at the middle left, Taki, and then turned around, seemingly satisfied with the direction of the conversation that her underling had decided to select. "It clearly is nothing more than some extraneous activity that can be investigated and dealt with quickly. It will be fine; there is no sense in disturbing the peace for what could and likely is nothing."
Sophitia fell silent once more, but she didn't seem entirely convinced. There was something amiss, of that she was certain.
"You can stop trying to hide, Diana, I know you're there," Cassandra proclaimed from the front of the pack without turning her head once more. Instead she just continued to face forward, leaving the remainder of the group to all frown and confusion and look around. It didn't take but a few seconds to locate a disgruntled Amazon on foot who had been following the group, a hood drawn low over her face perhaps to conceal her identity and perhaps to make her less likely to be noticed. Regardless of which it was, however, it clearly hadn't worked.
Evidently somewhat glad to have been 'caught,' Diana immediately ripped the hood from her head, revealing her to the rest of the group and the surrounding areas. Perhaps that's why they had been collecting odd glances; they were being tailed, and it wasn't apparent that they knew that it was the case.
"What are you all discussing? Have you found an enemy to be vanquished? Is it truly the work of Ares," she questioned excitedly, allowing her hatred of the god of war to get in the way of her judgment for the first and far from the last time, following up on the conversation she had been snooping in on as opposed to minding her own business as she should have.
Sophitia looked uncomfortable once more, but Taki was the first to speak up and did so for the negative. "Don't be ridiculous, dear, Ares cannot get to us here. This is clearly nothing more than a fluke, and is nothing to worry about," she said, and caught a glimpse of the Amazon Princess, and realized that she had tagged onto the conversation after they had discussed what exactly 'it' was. As such, she clarified: "There have been a number of huge ships that have skirted the barrier. Usually, as you are aware, we cannot see out and the outside cannot see in. Recently, however, by one of the main waterfalls there can be seen phantasmic, translucent images slowly crawling past. They make foreign noises, and then disappear once more."
Diana's eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks, the group of horses continuing on and ignoring her. A flame of passion, of excitement, of fear had been lit in her eyes, and it was clear that she had set herself up with an agenda. Concerned looks were cast back at her by four of the six as they continued on toward the girl's mother, but Taki and Cassandra didn't seem disturbed in the slightest.
After staring for another few seconds, Diana took off toward the waterfall in question, intending to see this for herself.
"Shouldn't we tell her not to go there," Eurydice questioned toward the group with a wrinkled brow.
"Do not worry, Eurydice," Cassandra said from the head, "She is an intelligent young woman. She knows better than to go past the barrier. Nothing can happen to her as long as she stays on the island."
Still, though, four sets of eyes followed the girl as she dashed toward the cliffs. The steady clop of the horses the only sound.