Chapter 34
He was exhausted by the time he reached the shores of Themyscira, but Diana's pulse was still there, faint as it was though.
"Philipus! Donna!" Arthur called for the most trusted general Diana had during the war, one who had urged peace and inquiry over the war preached by Pentisilla, and for Diana's sister, Donna, who was ruling as regent while Diana was in exile.
"Philipus! Donna!" he screamed their names a second time, now coming to shore, knowing his presence would alert the population quickly, but not caring. There were very few circumstances where men were allowed on Themyscira, the last time being when Diana and Arthur were to be wed. "Someone!"
"A man!" he heard a voice call, likely a sentry posted to guard the shores.
He's legs felt heavy as he waded towards the shore, the water coming down from his waist, his knees, then to his ankles.
"He calls for the General and Regent!" he heard the reply. "Go fetch them, quickly!"
The world was thundering with each breath, each step, each heart beat; the exhaustion was beginning to settle in. He couldn't keep going much longer.
"What is he carrying?"
The urge to sink to his knees was uncompromising, but he fought through, forcing a foot in front of the other, step after step, he slowly slogged forward.
"It looks like a body?"
Feet away from the base of a sharp hill where the sentry was posted a top, it was too much. Arthur's knees hit the sand, but he refused to let Diana's body go. He continued to hold his former love, an arm supporting her shoulders, the other under her knees. Her legs shook limply as he hit the sand.
"It's Orin of Atlantis!" Someone finally recognized him.
"Great Hera! It's Diana!" The alarm bells began to ring and Arthur felt a split second of relief followed up by a sickening panic. He hadn't thought about it, but the natural assumption the Amazons were likely to make was that Arthur was responsible for the Queen's current condition, and while he felt someone responsible for the situation, he hadn't caused most of the damage, at least not under his own compulsion.
"Circe," he managed to croak out as Philipus came to him, followed quickly by Donna. "Diana..." he groaned, the lights starting to go dim. He was relieved at the appearance of these two; surely Diana had shared their conversations with these two, her closest advisor and her sister. They would know that he hadn't caused this, that Diana had actively tried to mend their relationship, and even while Arthur had been openly hostile towards her, he hadn't shown any signs of aggression, he hadn't threatened her safety or the safety of the Amazons. And of course, she would have warned Donna of the possibility she would have to abdicate the throne in the event that their plan to get rid of Triton hadn't worked.
"Alexa, take the Queen to Antiope," Donna ordered one of the sentry guards, a thick woman who nodded and easily, but with extreme tenderness and care, took Diana into her arms and disappeared, taking the queen to a distant healer somewhere on the island.
"Orin," Donna crouched in front of him, resting a hand on his back and one on his chest, her dark hair falling into her eyes as he looked at her, trying to get him to look at him. His eyes barely registered the younger Amazon, noting only the incredible resemblance to Diana when she was younger. "Aquaman!" she called, her voice sounding louder, even though she seemed further away.
The world swirled around him and then went dark as Arthur passed out in Donna's arms.
"What in Gaea's name is this about?" Philipus asked, crouching next to the now unconscious Orin, helping Donna get him to his feet.
"I do not know, Philipus," Donna whispered. "But Diana had told me several days ago that she was worried Circe had resurfaced."
"Did he not mention the witch's name?" Philipus, who had been Hippolyta's general before serving her daughter in the great war, was familiar with the witch known as Circe and the evil's that she was capable of in the name of revenge on Hippolyta. "Would she go that far as to attack Hippolyta's daughter?"
There was a moment between the two women, a silence and a look that said they both knew that Circe would sink that low without a second's hesitation, but what did Arthur have to do with this?
"We will have to get the full story from Diana when she wakes up," Donna spoke softly. "For the time being, perhaps we should make sure Orin is taken care of."
"But he cannot remain on the island," Philipus commented, her brows furrowing at the thought of treating a male on the island, in the healing temples no less. Adding to the risk was that it was Arthur, leader of the Atlantian armies. He had led a raid on the island, as well as on New Themyscira, and was a bitter enemy of most of the Amazons whose wounds from the war were still fresh. She didn't mention that to Donna, she didn't have to.
"The Island, then?" she suggested, not having to clarify that she meant Exile, the island the Goddess Aphrodite herself raised from the depths to serve as a love nest for the royal couple.
"I believe that is the best choice of actions," the dark skinned general agreed. "Can you fly him there? I will go to the healing temple and ask for Antiope to send a healer to watch over him."
Donna nodded and took over the possession of Arthur's body, picking his body up in much the same manner he had been carrying Diana, taking off from the ground gently, keeping a careful eye on her charge while she watched Philipus dash off behind the sentry shuttling Diana to the temple.