Scene 14 - Origins: Part III
Her mind was just so hazy and clouded. It felt like she was attempting to move through a dense fog but she kept returning back to square one with no progress. Brianna was totally lost as she wandered around aimlessly. She could faintly hear whispers of words and she tried locating the source to no avail.
Something warm and soothing landed on her forehead and she looked up but there was nothing there. Wake up… The fatherly voice that helped her earlier was back again. Brianna, you're in safe hands now. Just wake up…
Realizing that she was in a dream, she willed herself to open her eyes but her eyelids felt like they were weighed down by a ton of rocks. Brianna groaned with frustration and forced her way through the lethargy and finally gained consciousness. Her mother was there, stroking her hair and her family and friends were nearby.
"Sweetie, you're finally awake. Thank goodness." Mrs Dian heaved a sigh of relief and Brianna looked at the cave surroundings. Her body still felt rather heavy and she felt something soft stuck to her face.
"I… can't move!" The brunette cried out before her father and stepped into view, "It's alright, honey. It's just the sedatives and painkillers doing their work."
Her younger brother, Alexander, followed shortly behind the elder Mr Dian and looked at her worriedly.
"What?" Brianna said, a little confused.
The Team stepped into view and Kaldur'ahm spoke, "You were injured badly, Brianna. Do you remember that?"
The teen looked away and her memory stirred briefly. There were rapid flashes of action packed fights and a middle aged woman's face kept appearing. The scenes in her memories grew stronger and more realistic with each passing second that she blinked rapidly and quickly tore her mind away from those dreaded flashbacks. "Y… yes. Charlene said I was a princess and attempted to take my fire away. The… Guardian of Adrinz helped me defeat her. Wait, where is she?!" Brianna yelled angrily as she struggled to sit up.
"Calm down, Bri. You're still hurt." Mrs Dian pressed a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder before Robin replied, "She has been captured and awaiting her sentence along with the rest of the cult."
"Cult?"
Mr Dian sighed before sitting on the edge of the bed. "I think I should start explaining…" There was a slight pause as he gathered his thoughts before continuing, "We are indeed descended from Adrinz royalty and the flame is granted by the Guardian which is passed down to the oldest child of each generation… When your uncle died a couple of years ago, I knew the fire would be transferred to you and I contacted Captain Atom, an old family friend, to help train you."
The drugs were slowly wearing off and Brianna managed to sit up, noticing the bandages on her arm and thigh. "I see… And you chose not to tell me…"
Looking at his daughter's face, Mr Dian said, "We were going to tell you when you turned twenty-one. It has been tradition to do so. I think that was a mistake. We should have explained your powers immediately…"
"How does Charlene and her 'friends' come into play? She said one of our great-grandfathers kicked them out." The brunette asked suspiciously and moved her limbs, making sure they weren't broken. Only her right shoulder felt a little sore but otherwise, it still had movement.
"The cult was formed on Adrinz long ago and they studied the Adrinz Fire and its power. However, they grew corrupted. Initially, they attempted to steal the flame through discreet methods but the king was wise and knew their intentions so he expelled them for treason. They continued to thrive through devious means."
Brianna frowned, "That means she lied about her people starving to death. I guess she lied about the murders too."
Miss Martian widened her eyes and asked timidly, "Murders?"
"She said 'the hunters' who were in search for the flame killed many innocent people who descended from Adrinz. I felt so guilty because of that," The pyro replied darkly.
The Boy Wonder stepped in with a hologram above his wrist, "There have been no records of suspicious murders by any cults. Charlene and the entire group have all been rounded up and interrogated. Upon investigation, we discovered the truth and their only target was you."
A small bubble of relief flooded her chest. "That's good…"
Her mother left her side and retrieved a bag, pulling out a moderately sized chest. "Your father and I were going to give this to you when you became an adult." She opened the box and inside was a small but beautiful jewelled crown.
"It's the family heirloom. The next in line is presented with the crown when they reach adulthood. Only the true heir to the throne can wear it." Mr Dian explained and took the crown to demonstrate. The moment it rested on his head, the crown seemingly flew off and he caught it before it hit the ground. Then, he gently placed it on his daughter's head where it remained.
"So I really am a princess?" Brianna said with disbelief and shock as she took the crown off and examined it closely.
Her father nodded his head, "Indeed. You can still revive the throne if you want to. Our ancestor merely moved his throne and 'kingdom' to a modest house. We are still technically, a surviving monarchy."
The brunette girl bit her lip with uncertainty before returning the crown back into the chest, "I'll think about it but for now, we should keep this safe."
Mrs Dian nodded before saying, "We'll leave you alone with your friends now. They look rather eager to talk to you." The family walked out of the infirmary with the treasure box and the team flocked to her like bees to honey.
"I am so glad you pulled through." Artemis said before M'gann placed an arm around Brianna, "Me too. You were badly injured."
Zatanna pulled out a bunch of flowers out of nowhere, "Get well soon, Brianna."
"Thanks guys." She reached up to twirl a strand of her hair but realized that her locks were shorter than it was. "What happened to my hair?!"
Robin quickly intervened, "Your eyes and hair were on fire and it seems the flames gave you a haircut…"
Wally added on, "You still look gorgeous, don't worry!"
M'gann handed a mirror to Brianna and she stared long and hard into her face. Half of it was covered with in bandages and her left eye was still slightly swollen. She noticed that her hair was now a bob cut and the length reached her jaw line. "This is... interesting," The pyro murmured and Artemis gently took the mirror away, "You'll make a full recovery. Don't worry about it."
"You should have seen yourself, flames all over and Kaldur was so brave in restraining you," Batman's protégé mentioned the fact casually and Brianna looked at the Atlantean in new light, her heart touched and the sensation was warming her up. All the memories of them together quickly raced in her mind and she realized her true feelings for Kaldur'ahm. The glance did not go unnoticed and M'gann secretly linked everyone up except the two of them.
Let's leave them alone. Miss Martian said telepathically as she gave the couple a knowing smile, "We'll catch up with you later, Brianna. I think Kaldur'ahm needs to de-brief you." The rest of the teens shuffled out of the room, leaving Aqualad and Ember alone.
The blonde boy rolled his eyes, "I didn't tell them to do that…"
Brianna chuckled and asked, "So… you restrained me? Isn't fire your weakness?"
The Atlantean nodded before replying, "Yes but you were injured and bleeding. I didn't want my friend hurt any further…"
Deciding that now was the perfect moment, Brianna reached out and grabbed Kaldur'ahm's hand gently. "I think we can be more than friends…"
Upon hearing that, Kaldur's heart burst with joy and he kissed her hand, "I'm glad." He reached up to stroke her hair and cheek before proclaiming, "You're still beautiful."
The brunette smiled even wider, "Thank you. You're handsome too." They continued to stare at each other quietly and the Atlantean kissed her hand one more time.
"When you're recovered, let's go on a date."
"I would love to." Brianna replied and gave his cheek a tender smooch, "We'll kiss properly when I'm healed."
That made Kaldur'ahm blush and he laughed nervously, "Alright."
He left the room to let her have time to herself and it was obvious to the team that the couple were officially together as Kaldur appeared to be glowing. Love was a beautiful sight to behold.
Author's Note: Whoo, they're finally together! Also, I've written the last chapter for this story but don't worry, there will be a lot more chapters I have to write before we get to the end so I'll be around for a long while.
To Eszra: Thanks for the comment! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^_^