Chapter 5
A/N- Thanks again for the reviews guys. Don't forget to check out my second story A Knight, A Warrior and Venomous Love. If you love action, mystery, thrills, plot twists and angry lovers-to-be, then it's the story for you!
Themyscira
Bruce and Artemis walked through the massive entrance to Queen Hippolyta's palace. Around the edges of the great hall were statues of the various Greek Gods and Goddesses. Bruce could recognize some of them easily because he had met them a few years ago. He stopped at a statue of an armoured God, whose face was completely invisible due to the helmet he was wearing.
"Ares," muttered Artemis from behind Bruce.
"He was manipulating everyone from the start," Bruce quietly replied.
Artemis placed a hand on his shoulder. "you mustn't blame yourself for things that were out of your control. It will only serve to destroy you," she comforted.
Bruce straightened himself, then looked at Artemis. "You're right," he said. "Now, let's talk to the queen."
Artemis nodded, then gestured for Bruce to follow her. "This way," she said.
Stopping at the entrance to the throne room, Artemis turned to face Bruce. "This is as far as I can go," Artemis told him. "I will wait for you outside." Bruce nodded in affirmation, then proceeded inside the throne room. Once inside, he couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the room. The white marble had been carved in intricate detail, almost as if gods themselves built the palace for the queen. Bruce acknowledged the beautiful queen seated on her throne. As a token of reverence to her presence, Bruce removed his cowl and bowed before Hippolyta.
"Rise, Dark Knight," ordered Hippolyta. Bruce took her in Hippolyta's appearance as he stood. She was extremely beautiful, much like the rest of the women who dwelt on Themyscira. Diana looked almost exactly like her mother, although Hippolyta had blonde hair and her body was slightly more slender. She wore a simple toga, although the crown she wore was anything but.
"What is it I can do for you, Mister Wayne?" asked Hippolyta.
"You can tell me where my child is," answered Bruce firmly. Hippolyta looked taken aback, but then sighed.
"I feared this day would come," Hippolyta murmured. She stood up, then called for a guard. A short, yet muscular woman clad in greek armour rushed into the room. She bowed.
"Yes, my Queen?"
"Bring Aella to me at once, tell her she has a visitor," Hippolyta answered.
"At once," the guard bowed before sneaking a curious glance in Bruce's direction. Bruce took note of the expression with interest. Looking back at the Queen, Bruce's hard expression softened.
"Aella?" he asked.
"The name of an Amazon warrior murdered by Heracles," answered Hippolyta.
"It means whirlwind," Bruce stated. "Why give her that name?"
"You will have to wait and find out, Wayne."
The guard returned with Artemis behind her. Bruce could see some small feet closely behind Artemis, obviously hiding from the attention.
"Leave us," Hippolyta ordered. The guard left quickly.
"It's okay, your father is here," whispered Artemis to the small person behind her. Hippolyta walked towards Artemis, beckoning the child to stand between the two women. Bruce eyed them suspiciously, almost regretting having come to Themyscira in the first place.
"Bruce, meet your daughter, Aella," Artemis announced. Bruce detected a mixture of excitement and worry in her voice, causing him to grow nervous.
Hippolyta pushed the child forward gently, and Bruce gasped when she came into his view.
She was almost a carbon copy of Diana, albeit a smaller version. Her long raven locks cascaded down to her waist, almost shining in the light from the room. Her fair skin was exactly like Diana's, as was her nose and overall frame. Bruce took a step forward and noticed some of his own features. Her eyes were the same cold blue as his. She had a stronger jawline than Diana's as well, though her cheeks still had a little baby fat on them. Bruce's heart leapt at the sight of his and Diana's daughter, and he instantly fell in love with her.
Aella walked forward shyly though determined. Bruce took note of the keen intellect that shone in her eyes, much like her father.
"Hello Aella," Bruce said in a monotone voice, despite feeling joy at meeting his child.
"Hello Father," Aella replied. "Where is Mother? I have not seen her in a while."
"She's..." Bruce hesitated then looked up at Hippolyta angrily. "You didn't tell her?" he demanded.
Hippolyta shook her head. "We felt that Aella did not need to know about her mother's situation until she was old enough," she answered.
Bruce eyed the Queen furiously. "You mean you were waiting for Diana to come home so you wouldn't have to tell her the truth?"
"No, Bruce. We felt that she didn't need-"
"Need what? The distraction? You would rather have lied to your granddaughter to keep the truth hidden from her like you kept the truth of Diana's father hidden?" growled Bruce.
"Watch yourself, Dark Knight. You are in no position to threaten me," warned Hippolyta.
"I have every position to threaten you, Your Highness. Have you been filling Aella's mind with lies abut what her mother has been doing for the past 6 years? Telling her she's out saving the world when in reality she's subjugating it to her will? I'm taking my daughter home, Hippolyta, because I can't seem to trust you with her." Bruce went to grab Aella, but she took a step back out of his reach.
"No, Father. I want to stay here," she said. Bruce wanted to argue, but couldn't bear it to distance himself further from his daughter. His shoulders' slumped slightly as he sighed heavily.
"Fine. But we're going for a walk. You need to know the truth about your parents." He held out his hand for her to take, pleading inwardly that she would. Aella turned to look at her grandmother and aunt for confirmation, and they both nodded their heads. Smiling, Aella grabbed her dad's hand and they marched out of the palace.
Watching them leave, Artemis looked worried. "Do you think she'll leave Themyscira with Bruce?" she asked.
Hippolyta sighed. "I do not know, but it is her choice to make."
XXX
Bruce and Aella were both silent as they made their way to the beach. The trip was beginning to feel awkward until they reached the sand. Bruce looked down at his daughter.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"I'm six and a half," Aella replied. Bruce counted off the years and months in his head. Makes sense, he thought.
"Do you know why I haven't come to see you?" Bruce said. Aella looked up at him with admiration, making Bruce's heart start pounding faster.
"You've been out saving the world with Mother. At least, that's what Grandmother and Aunt Artemis told me," answered Aella. Bruce looked at her sadly.
"They told you the truth. At least, part of it," said Bruce.
"Part of it? I do not understand," questioned Aella. Bruce didn't say anything until they came across a dead tree, which had washed ashore many years ago. Bruce picked up Aella and sat her down on the log, then sat beside her.
"Mother used to take me to sit on this log as well before she left," whispered Aella.
"I proposed to her right here," replied Bruce.
"I know, Mother told me every time we came here."
Bruce looked at her, surprised at what she just said.
"She did? What else did she say to you about me?" he asked skeptically.
Aella shrugged. "Mother didn't talk about you much, but when she did, it was always good things."
"Go on," Bruce urged. He needed to know why Diana had betrayed him, and he felt that their daughter was the key to unlocking her secrets.
"She said you were a fearsome warrior likes the War God Ares, who could inspire terror into the hearts of your enemies. She told me you were a guardian of a city called Gotham and you had never lost a battle in your life. You were a great leader and many people looked up to you, especially Mother. She loved you dearly," Aella finished.
Bruce looked incredulously at his daughter. She was only 6 years old and could speak perfect English and seemed to understand a lot of what she saw and heard.
"Did she ever say why she left me?" Bruce questioned. Aella looked at him with sadness.
"She said she left because she was worried that you wouldn't love me, that you weren't ready to raise a child because of your mission. Then she left because she said she was going to help make a world where you didn't need to continue your work, and then you would have time to take care of Mother and I." Aella raised a hand and wiped a stray tear from her father's eye, which he hadn't even noticed had fallen down his cheek.
"It that true?" Aella asked. Bruce tried his best to smile, but his expression turned into a scowl as he looked towards the beach.
"Partly. Your Mother's intentions were good, but the way she enacted upon that dream wasn't right. She forced peace and order onto the world."
"Did it work?"
"For a time, yes," he answered. Aella thought for a moment. Bruce couldn't help but smile at the way Aella's brows scrunched together while she was thinking, exactly the same way Diana's eyebrows move when she's thinking hard or concentrating.
"I do not see why that is such a bad thing, Father. She brought peace to the world," Aella finally said. Bruce frowned.
"She may have brought peace, but people weren't happy. Humans don't like to be forced to do something, but the things your Mother did made them too scared to resist. Do you understand that?"
"I think so," Aella as she slowly nodded her head. "What did Mother do?" she asked.
"I don't think you want to know, Aella," responded Bruce. "She did some bad things."
"Father, I may be small but I have already heard of the terrible things Heracles did to my aunts before they moved to Themyscira," Aella said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Bruce sighed. "She killed a lot of good people, including friends, in order to accomplish her goals. She tried to kill me more than once too," he explained.
"Why would Mother try to kill you Father? Were you not on the same side as her?"
"No. I was on the other team, the one that fought for the freedom of humanity and the agency we deserve. But I almost lost the war against you Mother and Superman."
"How did you win Father?"
"I brought help from another world. One where the heroes of Earth hadn't made the same mistakes we did." Aella seemed to understand what Bruce was saying. Aella moved closer to Bruce and gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek.
"I am glad to have met you, Father. You were my hero," she said quietly. Bruce smiled widely at his daughter and pulled her in closer. He watched the sun beginning to dip under the horizon, surprised at how long they had been on the beach for. Releasing Aella, he picked her up from the log and put her down on the sand.
"Come on, we should be heading back. Your grandmother must be getting worried about you being out with the Big Bad Bat," he joked. Aella looked up at him questioningly.
"Never mind. I'll tell you later," he muttered. Diana didn't teach her that? All the kids know about the Big Bad Bat, Bruce thought, slightly embarrassed with himself.
As they walked back home, Aella pulled on his hand.
"Father, those other heroes you talked about? Where did they go?" she asked.
"Home," he quietly answered.
After notes.
I think it's time I answered some questions, don't you think my friends?
Guest- I know, I hated Diana in Injustice as well. Though to be honest it almost made me hate the shipping of Batman/Wonder Woman. Thank goodness Prime Earth WW showed up and kicked her butt.
Yuvraj576- Thank you very much! No I am not Indian I'm actually from New Zealand, but my mother can cook up some pretty mean as Indian food!
Carl- Yes I had originally planned on doing that as well but I thought it would have been better if we explored the consequences of Diana's actions in the present and how that affects Bruce if they were a couple.
TheOkWriter- Yeah I get annoyed when some people make stories but make up their own thing even if it's set in a certain continuity. Year Four of Injustice is my favourite because it explores the Greek Gods and especially Ares, who's one of my favourite villains in the DC universe. I actually named my dog after him.
ALEKILE- Well I hope you recover fast my friend because there's going to be more awesome (maybe you tell me if it is) things happening!
romeosami7- Hahahaha I'm sorry! Btw it's actually cruel mister *wink*
Thanks again guys and don't forget to check out my other story!
