A/N: I'm so glad that the feedback I have been receiving are so positive! Thank you so much for all the reviews! I sure hope I can live up the expectations you all have.
And thank you to everyone who is still letting me use the character(s) they submitted. I will do my best to have each character in at least two chapters!
Disclaimer: I own nothing
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Chapter 1: Day One, Daybreak
Though their view of the sky was mostly obstructed by forest's flora, the stars twinkled brightly in between the thick leaves of the trees as they walked by. The midnight black sky that they were so used to seeing for the past few hours began to lighten, the faded colors of pink and orange slowly creeping across the heavens above. Kaldur had found himself looking up for the better part of their trip, the beauty of the night entangling him in her web of darkness and mystery. As much as he loved Atlantis, his submerged homeland, he couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of his adopted home. Never had he seen such colors underneath the ocean's surface before. He and his companions had been walking for the past four hours, but Kaldur felt no stress in his body. A cool northern wind brushed against his face, whispering promises of peace and tranquility to him as he traversed the forest ground.
However, the same could not be said for his companions.
"Are we there yet, Aqualad?" Robin whined. "We've been walking for four hours."
Kaldur glimpsed down at the directions he held, the incandescent glow of the moon affording him the ability to read the parchment.
"I am afraid not," Aqualad responded, his tone soft yet authoritative. The fifteen year old boy sighed, clearly frustrated by Aqualad's answer.
"I just don't see why we're stuck babysitting these girls. I mean, why us?"
"In most cultures, guarding royalty is considered an honor. Besides, Megan, Kid Flash, and Superboy are in the midst of a mission in Hong Kong, while Artemis is currently in Star Citywith Green Arrow investigating the recent activities of Bull's had no one else to deploy but us."
The third companion, who had been silent since the beginning of their trek, scoffed loudly at the Atlantean's statement.
"Let us be grateful that Red Arrow was willing to accompany us," the eighteen year old amended, realizing his friend's sensitivity toward the subject of Artemis.
The red-haired boy scowled, but it went unnoticed in the dark. "Whatever."
A silence descended upon the three boys, and no one attempted small talk as they continued to trudge through the thicket. More colors began to appear in the sky, and the birds were once again singing their song. The forest around them became more visible by the minute.
The sun was rising. Kaldur stopped walking.
He held up his hand, signaling to his partners that they were at the designated point. Red Arrow and Robin stopped in their tracks, eyeing the area in which they stood.
"There's nothing here," Robin stated curiously.
"Are we sure the instructions the Batman gave you are legit?" Red Arrow inquired suspiciously. Ever since he parted company with his mentor, being back on team was not the archer's cup of tea. Were it up to him, he would've left right then and there, the smell of a trap lingering in the morning air. But he noticed both Robin and Aqualad made no move to depart. Bound by his word, the hotheaded teen remained, none too pleased with the situation at hand.
Kaldur nodded. "Batman did not seem concerned that the information he was given could lead us astray. This must be th—"
The breaking of twigs interrupted the teen mid-sentence. In a heartbeat, each boy whirled around, facing the source of the sound. Red Arrow, who was the closest to the source, was the first to react. His arrow shot out in front of him, creating and elegant arch as it zoomed toward the lone figure that seemed to materialize out of the trees. With what seemed like speed that could rival that of Kid Flash, the mysterious person managed to dodge the arrow and deliver a sidekick to Red Arrow's chest, causing him to collapse onto the ground.
Kaldur and Robin rushed to their fallen comrade's aid, the adrenaline coursing through their bodies. While Kaldur knelt down to assess Red Arrow's condition, the Boy Wonder ran toward their attacker, who he realized as he approached, was female. Once he was within range, the raven-haired teen jumped into the air, throwing several batarangs at the assailant. Though his aim was true, she avoided each and every batarang with a series of backhand springs. Not deterred by her skill, Robin charged at her once more.
With Kaldur's help, Red Arrow was able to stand back up. Quickly nodding to his aquatic friend in thanks, the redheaded boy joined in the fray. Aqualad followed pursuit, withdrawing his twin water-bearers. Water gushed out, a blade forming a blade that extended out of each hilt. He prepared to attack, but hesitated as he watched the melee before him.
Robin and the woman were engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and from what Kaldur could see, they were evenly matched. Robin would get in a few good kicks and strikes, but the woman in turn would hit him as well. It was a standstill and strategically, Kaldur saw only one option.
He waited, watching the two fighters closely as they circled each other. After several minutes of observation, Aqualad saw his opening as the enemy turned her back to him. He sprinted toward them, his blades out. Out of the corner of his eye, Robin saw his teammate approach. Dodging the woman's fist, Robin managed to land spinning heel kick to her face, causing the woman to stumble back a few paces, momentarily dazing her.
It was all Kaldur needed. As the woman tried to regain her equilibrium, he raised his blades, allowing gravity to assist him as he attacked her. She flew backwards until she collided with a tree. Before anyone can react, an arrow soared toward her, suddenly opening up and encompassing her in a net.
She was trapped. The three friends slowly approached her, their guard up. As they peered into her face, they did not see anger and hatred. Rather, to their astonishment, a bemused expression was on her face, her dark blue eyes twinkling in delight.
"Worthy opponents, you three are," she said, almost as if she were relieved. The boys looked each other in confusion.
"I do not understand what you were expecting from this battle," Kaldur explained in bewilderment.
The pale girl smiled enigmatically. "You come looking for the kingdom of Ebesya, do you not?"
Robin blinked in surprise. "Actually, yeah. Who…who are you?"
"I am Jane. I have been sent on behalf of King Caeros to retrieve you. Now, I ask that you remove this net, for we have very little time." Kaldur stepped forward, reaching his hand out to help extract the girl from the net's clutches.
"Whoa, wait a minute! How can we trust her? She attacked us!" Red Arrow exclaimed, the disbelief evident in his voice.
"We cannot, not yet." Aqualad looked at his two friends. "Be on your guard."
The two boys tensed, readying their respective weapons as Kaldur helped the woman out of the net. Once she was free, Jane did not attack. Rather, she wordlessly turned on her heel and began walking deeper into the forest. Robin shrugged at the older heroes and darted into the forest as well, his thirst for answers quelling all suspicions he initially held. Warily, Red Arrow also entered the forest with Kaldur right behind him, unsure of what he thought of this girl.
They didn't walk very far, a mere fifty yards from what Robin could gauge. Jane suddenly stopped in front of tree. On the outside, it did not appear to be an extraordinary tree. It was decidedly oak, the size, leaf type, and bark consistent with that particular tree type. Bearing no distinguishable features, Robin watched the young woman closely; unable to figure out what she planned to do. The young sleuth did not have to wait long for his answer.
The dark-blonde placed a single hand on the tree.
"Diyefin."
Robin studied the tree, and thought he saw the slightest shimmer surround it. On the verge of dismissing the notion, Jane placed her free hand on his shoulder.
"Go."
He eyed the woman strangely. But before he could say anything, he was shoved toward the tree, the momentum he gathered from the girl's touch propelling him involuntarily. Robin closed his eyes, anticipating a painful impact.
He felt none. Curious, he opened his eyes, and he saw that the oak tree was no longer in front of him. Robin glanced behind him, and noticed that the oak was not behind him, either.
"Where are we?" Red Arrow inquired, looking around at new area they found themselves in. Kaldur studied the area as well, taking in the scenery. From the looks on his comrades' faces, they too had never seen place like this one either.
Jane appeared next to Robin, not paying attention to the land before her. Instead, she turned to three adolescents and gestured grandly.
"Welcome to Ebeysa."
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A/N: So…what did you think? I really hope you liked it, fantasy is so not my forte. So please let me know if you liked it or if you know of any way I can improve. Like I said, this type of writing style is sort of weak for me, but I really want to improve! Thank you for reading, and I'm anxious to hear what you think! The princesses will probably be introduced in the next chapter, and if not, then by chapter three most definitely!
Special thanks to Ranger Sage for the character Jane! I hope you liked how I wrote her! She'll be in the next chapter, so let me know what I can do to improve!
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