Scene 54 - Undercover: Part III
Ada's green eyes widened and her eyebrows were raised quite high that they disappeared behind her fringe, "So both of you are really superheroes from the Justice League?" Brianna nodded and floated off the carpet to showcase her powers before setting herself down again, "Aqualad and I decided that it would be best to let you in on the secret as well. We don't want you to get hurt unknowingly."
Looking at his friend's look of shock, Leon walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, "It will be alright, Ada. I'm the target so you'll be quite safe."
She nodded and exhaled, "Brianna is both a princess and a superheroine… that is a very unique combination. I am honoured to have you as my first friend with powers. You too, Aqualad."
Kaldur gave a small nod while the brunette replied, "Thank you, Ada. Shall we move on to showing me your home?"
The princess stood up from her chair and smoothed her skirt, "Of course. I do have this gymnasium area for my own use. Maybe you and Kaldur can teach me a few tricks?"
Ember laughed, "As long all the curtains are closed and no one else is watching." The young adults left Ada's bedroom and toured around the palace. Being on a mountain, the air was crisp and fresh and the view was certainly a wonderful sight to behold. It almost felt like they were living straight out of a fantasy novel. They walked through the ballroom, library, banquet room, gardens, and they were all very exquisite and vintage. Strolling over to a building with modern architecture, Ada opened the door to reveal a spacious gym with an empty floor space on one side and gym equipment on the other.
"My parents insist that we keep fit just in case we have to make a quick escape." Ada said candidly as she locked the doors behind them.
Kaldur then removed his jacket and placed it on the chair before turning to Brianna to ask, "Shall we show them some movements?" The brunette nodded and pulled off her coat as well, "Maneuver seven?"
The blonde Atlantean smiled and walked over to the middle of the floor before sliding his legs apart and cupping his hands in front of his body. "Ready?" Ember asked and Aqualad nodded. The girl stepped backwards and broke off into a run before leaping into his palms and being thrown up into the air.
Brianna did a couple of somersaults before landing on the floor gracefully. She heard applause and both of them showed off a little more with cartwheeling, spinning kicks, and restraining holds. In the last set, Ember stumbled just a bit before regaining her balance and both men rushed to her with concern and asked simultaneously, "Are you alright?"
The brunette gave them a smile, "I am fine." She then managed to pull Kaldur to the floor with the distraction and proclaimed cheekily, "I win."
The Atlantean laughed and stood up to brush some dust off his pants. Leon bit his lip nervously and shifted his gaze to the side. In an attempt to diffuse the awkwardness, Ada stepped forth eagerly, "That was amazing! The royal guards do teach us self-defense techniques but nothing this thrilling!"
Ember replied, "I can teach you simple disarming moves depending on which direction the assailant has held you." She then proceeded to restrain Ada from the back with her arms trapped in front of her chest before saying, "Now, I want you to shrink yourself down and then quickly expand with your arms spreading outwards."
The princess did as she was told and when she pushed her arm outwards, the force was against Brianna's arms and the pyro had no choice but to let go. "When you're free, just run and don't look back." Ember added on and Ada asked, "What if my hands are down and not up?"
Kaldur, who was overhearing the conversation replied, "You lift your leg up and stomp down hard on their foot. The pain usually makes them release their hold on you." Brianna nodded, "Don't forget your joints are quite sharp and has a lot of strength."
She demonstrated by suddenly aiming the top of her wrist against Leon's jaw but stopping before she actually hit him, "If you do it quickly, this will hurt badly when there is impact. Bone against bone is usually very painful."
They then spent time teaching the royals how to escape from positions and it was quite a fun lesson. Leon kept observing Brianna from the side and couldn't help but admire her infectious enthusiasm. Kaldur had to ask him a few times to focus before the prince got the moves right. Soon, it was time for them to part and the Atlantean held up Brianna's coat for her as she wore them snugly, "Thanks."
When the superpowered couple boarded the helicopter and flew away, Ada turned towards her friend and said, "It seems both of them like each other but they aren't saying it…"
Leon just kept quiet and pretended to be interested in the flowers.
"It seems you have feelings for her as well," The green eyed princess pressed on and the redhead finally spoke, "Perhaps I do… This is all so strange. I just met her for a short period of time and I can't help it. This isn't rational."
Ada shrugged, "Love never is. You should tell her how you feel. Women aren't mind readers you know."
Leon nodded, "I know but she has such great chemistry and friendship with Kaldur'ahm. Can't you see it?"
The princess sighed and looked at her childhood companion, "Leon Daniel Hartwick, you have never been afraid of anything in your life. They're just friends. Even if Brianna doesn't reciprocate, you should just let her know so you won't regret not telling her."
Every time she used his full name, he knew she was annoyed with him and he looked into her emerald colored eyes and saw encouragement in there.
"I guess I will tell her at the February charity ball…" He whispered and Ada broke into a smile, "That's the Prince Leon I know."
The ball was held on a mountain resort to highlight climate change and the effect it had ordinary people. Already, extreme weather changes were happening through various parts of the world. Some nations experienced scorching heat waves while others underwent bitter snow storms. What both had in common was the displacement of people as they sought safe haven and not everybody could afford that. They organized the charity ball to help fund the necessities for the victims.
Brianna who was clad in a green gown was dancing with Prince Leon who wore a stunning navy blue suit. She was familiar with all his movements and they moved together in harmony. Kaldur watched her from the sides and Ada observed the Atlantean's reaction. All the green eyed princess could see was fond softness in his eyes. Ember moved into the last eight steps of the dance and when the movements were completed, the couple were met with applause.
"You are a natural, Princess Brianna," Another royal commented on the side lines and the brunette accepted the praise humbly, "I have Prince Leon to thank for being a splendid instructor."
Just then, a loud rumble echoed through the room and the lights shook. A few of the people exclaimed in alarm. The floor began to shake and people stumbled. The doors burst opened to reveal a waiter, "Avalanche! Everyone run!" He beckoned everyone towards the main exit of the ballroom and there was a wave of panic as many screamed and ran. Brianna caught sight of Kaldur for a split second before Leon grabbed her hand to pull her away to safety. The Atlantean immediately grabbed Ada's arm and made their escape as well. Throngs of people fled the resort and went in separate directions, away from the mountain's slope.
There was another loud crashing noise followed by the sound of what was akin to rushing waves. Brianna and Leon were in a wooded area when they listened to the avalanche make their way towards them. Too many trees were in the way and getting crushed by all the timber was not a good way to go. Seeing that there was no one around them, Ember flew upwards and grabbed Leon by his armpits to pull them out of the raging path of snow. It was a good thing he was not as built and heavy like the rest of her teammates but he still packed some weight. For some unexplainable reason, the brunette's instincts told her to fly upwards towards the top of the mountain.
She miscalculated though and they were hit by a small wave of snow. Still holding tightly to Leon's hand, she pushed them onto their backs. "Stay calm and swim the backstroke!" It was no use fighting against the snow and trying to fly out, it would waste her energy on looking after the prince. The couple continued to swim and after a few moments, the snow appeared to settle down. Ember immediately unleashed some fire to melt the area around them and she pulled herself up to her feet and extended a hand to help the red head up. At their vantage point, the resort was completely buried and the sun was setting quickly.
"Aqualad, can you hear me?" Ember whispered into her ear piece and heard nothing but silence. Fear gripped her heart but she had to set those thoughts aside as they had to find shelter fast before the cold would take them.
Kaldur had much better luck as snow was essentially water and he used his water bearers to convert them into a protective water shield to surround himself and Ada. He struggled to maintain the barrier as the snow kept coming and crashing loudly against the water. Thoughts of his family, teammates and… Brianna kept his motivation up and after a few very tense minutes, the loud impact of snow against water died down. Trying to peer out of the shield, he saw nothing but snow around them. Going by luck, he told Ada to cling onto him as he moved the shield upwards and hoped he was heading to the surface.
His sense of direction was right and they finally saw the purple sky. When he was at a safe height, he broke the water shield and panted heavily, his energy was drained. Ada looked around and spotted an opening in the mountainside, "Aqualad, we should head to that cave for safety." The Atlantean nodded as the princess helped him up to his feet and they walked briskly towards safety.
Brianna and Leon found a cave as well and to their luck, they found a few abandoned logs in the cave. The brunette pushed them all together and lit them on fire with her powers. Finally, they found shelter and warmth and she dropped to her knees, all worn out. Leon removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, "Are you alright?"
Ember nodded, "Yes. It's a good thing someone camped here once. We should set off when the sun rises." Ember then attempted to communicate with the Watchtower but all she could hear was static. "The weather is interfering with our signals…"
Her earpiece suddenly cackled to life, "Ember, this is Aqualad, do you read me?"
Brianna pressed a finger to her ear and replied, "I hear you. Leon and I are hiding out in a cave. Are you alright?" She could hear a sigh of relief on the other end before the blonde Atlantean responded, "Princess Ada and I are safe as well. We are hiding out in a cave too and I think we might be close by if we are able to contact each other. I tried calling the Watchtower earlier but reception is very poor. Let's re-group in the morning and in the meantime, get some rest and take care."
A small smile graced her face, "You too, Kaldur. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, the transmission ended and she relaxed against the cave wall. The adrenaline rush began to wear off and she could feel the cold seeping in. Brianna immediately began to meditate to conserve her warmth.
Leon watched her with concern and said, "You're going to get hypothermia."
The brunette shook her head, "It's a technique I learned over the years, it helps the warmth spread through my body. You should stay close to the fire too." The red-headed nodded and sat beside her next to the flames. It was a good thing he wore thermal wear underneath his suit but it still worried him that the girl beside him wasn't all bundled up.
With a spark of electricity, Kaldur set the wood on fire and he peeled off his shirt and jacket to reveal his superhero suit. He then handed his clothes over to Ada who put on the extra clothing eagerly. "Won't you be cold?" The green-eyed royal asked worriedly and the blonde shook his head, "I am used to it. It is much colder in Atlantis. You should stay close to the fire."
Ada nodded and her stomach rumbled a little loudly. "Sorry about that," The princess blushed with embarrassment and to her delight, Aqualad pulled out an energy bar from his pocket and handed it to Ada. "Something I picked up from my teammates." In reality, it was a memory to Kid Flash but it was practical too.
Ada broke the bar in half and offered the other portion to the Atlantean before slowly chewing on her food. There was a bit of awkward silence before she spoke, "You're in love with Brianna, are you not?" Aqualad was stunned by her question and swallowed bits of his energy bar.
"Why do you ask?" He replied, not wanting to answer the question. "Leon is interested in her. If you're in love with her, you should tell her before he does," Ada said quietly.
Kaldur spoke up reluctantly, "She knows how I feel about her… We dated for a while but there was a mission… it had complications and we… broke up. It took her a while to finally accept my friendship again. I don't want to jeopardize it with my feelings."
There was a sigh from Ada, "I must be a love guru now. Like I told Leon, you should just tell her how you feel or you'll regret it. You shouldn't be afraid of rejection. After all, you told her you loved her once, I'm sure you can tell her again."
Her words rang true and he sighed as well, "Maybe…"
In the other cave, Leon pulled out a bar of chocolate from his jacket pocket and presented it to Brianna. "I was going to give this to you after the ball…"
The brunette accepted the sweet treat with a smile, "Thank you."
Like Ada, she broke the snack in half as well and gave the other half to her companion. Leon accepted it and blurted out, "I like you more than a friend, Brianna."
Brown eyes widened and Ember blushed, "Oh."
The red head's blue eyes narrowed with sadness. That was not the reaction he was hoping for. Brianna could see the hurt on his face and she apologized, "I am sorry, Leon. I don't feel the same way. I apologize if my actions led you on. I-"
The prince then interrupted her, "Please, say no more. You were already in love with Kaldur before you met me. I should have seen it coming, it was so clear…"
Her breath hitched in her throat at his observation. Was she in love with him? Had the flames been rekindled? She was comfortable with him, yes, but she saw it as friendship and nothing more. But why then, was she so afraid just now when she thought he was dead? "You should tell him how you feel," Leon said gently and Brianna exhaled loudly and buried her head deeper into her knees.
"I don't fe- I don't… know." She finished lamely and went on to apologize once more.
"Brianna please, stop saying you're sorry. I accept it. There was nothing to forgive in the first place. I was just taking a leap of faith and confessing. If I didn't tell you how I felt, I might have regretted it but after telling you, a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Even if I did not get the response I wanted, I still feel relieved." Leon grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes sincerely. Seeing how close they were, he pulled back and gave her space. "Besides, Kaldur'ahm is a really good man. I give you my blessings."
The brunette could only give him a small smile as she finished the rest of her chocolate, "We should conserve energy and sleep." She propped herself against the cave wall and Leon sat next to her for warmth.
"Good night, Brianna."
Back in Kaldur's cave, Ada was placing his jacket on the cave floor and sitting on it. She didn't want to ruin such a good coat but he gave his consent and their priority now was to stay alive instead of making sure their clothing stayed presentable. "Good night, Princess Ada." The Atlantean said and the royal returned her greeting. All would be well in the morning.
"I'm going to shoot out some flame as a flare, tell me if you can see it," Brianna spoke into her ear piece the next morning as they walked around the outside of the cave. The snow from the avalanche had settled like concrete in front of them and they weren't so sure where the resort was any more. Their only clue was the pine tree forest which granted them a general direction on where it was located. Hopefully the rescue party would start their search soon. Ember shot out a long stream of fire and Kaldur replied, "I see you. I'm a little bit down to your right."
The Atlantean had already put his shirt back on; he didn't want anyone seeing his superhero suit just in case but Ada still wore his jacket for warmth and protection. Brianna gently picked Leon up and flew over to the other couple to re-group. Both royals embraced each other while Ember and Aqualad just traded greetings. "We should attempt to head back to the resort, I'm sure people are looking for us."
There was a bit of laughter heard from somewhere above them, "Oh, I have been looking for you. It is kind of hard to flush out rats and catch them, don't you think?" Duchess Vespa's voice was heard and she was a little bit above them with five of her bodyguards on the slope.
Brianna frowned, "You caused the avalanche?!"
The Bialyan girl replied haughtily, "So what if I did? Leon has been avoiding me for far too long. It's time for me to get what I want."
Author's Note: It is now February 2018 in the YJ world.
A lot to take in this chapter isn't it? Leon confesses, Brianna rejects, Ada confronts Kaldur about his feelings, Kal is reluctant, Brianna is confused. Why must love be so hard?!
But they have to set their personal lives aside to continue on with the mission. Vespa really has picked up a few tricks from her aunt.
I didn't make Leon a cliche jerky prince. I really wanted him to be a genuine good guy and gentleman. He has been brought up well. ;)
As for how realistic the avalanche was, let's just say it's the cartoon comic world where things work differently. I know you are to stay calm and gently swim backstroke if you get caught in the snow. Other than that, I apologize if it was depicated inaccurately. =/
To murdercrowther: Yup, he knows to take it slow.
To Molly Grace 16: Thanks! Indeed she does.
To Cloudysmile: Yay, have an internet cookie! I wrote some short fics of my fav couple from the RE series do check them out if you're interested. :)
To Eszra: I adore your puns, have a cookie too. I have wrote one shots about my fav characters from the game so if you're interested in that ship, feel free to read them. :D