Bruce: Chapter 27

"Thank you Master Kent, that will do quite nicely," Alfred called out as Clark set the large table down. It was the morning of Clark's departure for King's Landing, and Alfred had seen fit to use their guest's special strength for some rearrangements. As Bruce walked into the massive library of Wayne Castle, all of the tables were in different spots than they once were.

Most of the books remained untouched. Over the years, the rows and rows of books turned to walls of dust and gray. On the far wall however, over the fireplace, was a blanket of white. It stood twice as tall as Bruce, and was as long as he was tall. The dust here was not as thick as it was on the shelves of books, but the once pure white sheet had grayed over the years. A few holes could be seen across the sheet, where moths had eaten their way through. Bruce knew what laid behind it, a portrait of his parents, but he couldn't bring himself to look at it yet.

"Alfred, I was not aware that servants needed guests to do their duties in their stead," Bruce remarked with a smirk.

Clark chuckled as Alfred replied, "I'm afraid my strength is not what it once was, Master Bruce. Perhaps when I was your age I could manage such as feat as lifting these tables, but not now." Clark walked over to meet Bruce and added, "But since he has lost some of that valuable strength, I agreed to lend a hand."

"Ah yes, well, I think Alfred has had enough time with you. Your horse and provisions are ready."

Bruce had offered to give Clark a carriage out of the city, but Clark said there was no need. He had walked countless leagues over the course of his life, and assured a simple horse would be enough. "Well, goodbye Alfred," Clark raised a hand.

Alfred shook it and returned with a smile. "You're a good man, Clark, I hope you find what it is you're searching for in King's Landing."

As the two of them passed through the doors and out into the courtyard they were greeted with the bright unforgiving light of the sun. It was a clear day, as clear as any that had been in Gotham in a long while. Only a single shadow swept across the ground, a shadow that Dick sprinted after. Bruce was glad that Dick's pet had found its way back into the sky, it would surely lift the boy's spirits after Arya leaving.

Dick ran over and embraced Clark in a quick hug when he saw the broad shouldered stranger approach. Clark knelt and ruffled the boy's hair, "One last time?" The boy grinned widely and shook his head.

Clark took a step back, grabbed the boy under the shoulders, and hurled him up into the air. Dick must have flown up at least a dozen feet, nearly colliding with Nightwing, before falling back to the earth. Clark caught him with ease and set him back on his feet.

As the stranger Bruce had known for such a short time but had already grown to trust a great deal mounted his horse, he offered out a hand. Clark's brow raised in surprise before he clasped his hand against it, "Didn't take you as the type for lordly courtesy, much less personal contact, my lord."

"Well I dust my manners off from time to time. Granted with your righteous need to always be the charming prince with your manners and your etiquette, I still come up short," Bruce replied with a small grin.

Clark turned his horse to face the castle gates as he replied, "Yes, well, we can't all brood in a cave and forget what makes us mortal. Some of us have to be the one with the gentle smile reminding people not all's bad in the world."

Bruce smacked Clark's horse on the rear making it spur forward. He called out, "Aye, well let me know how that goes, my friend."

Clark chuckled as he passed under the gateway and shouted back, "I will! Oh, and Selina sends her regards!"

Selina…? It had been some time since he had laid eyes on her. Not since the night Arya had been kidnapped. She had not left his thoughts though. As Bruce watched Clark ride over the crest of the hill and out of sight, Bruce decided it was time to revisit the matter.

"Oh wonderful news Master Bruce! The Lord of Gotham out and about with such a revered member of the city's community," Alfred exclaimed two nights later when Bruce told him of his idea.

"Alfred, each day you remind me of how I should find a woman to be with, wed, and start a family with and now that I say I plan on visiting a woman you throw mockery in my face? Also of note, it won't be the Lord of Gotham paying her a visit this night."

Alfred smiled and shook his head, "I had planned on a, well how to put this delicately, a noble woman. I hear the Martell's have quite a few lovely women to choose from, or Margary Tyrell in Highgarden, perhaps even Lord M-" Bruce cut him off with a raise of his hand.

"Wedding one of the Sand Vipers? Ha! I have better chance of wedding a bear. And the Tyrell girl is but what, thirteen?"

His servant sighed, "My apologies Ser, I should have known that a man as unusual as yourself would find a woman of matching…unusualness."

Bruce chuckled as he turned back to his mirror to adjust his waistcoat. "I'm simply going to visit Alfred, not wed her. She's a whore, remember?"

As Alfred opened the door to leave he replied, "Ah, of course you would make a point of stating her former life as a whore, and not her current life as a wanted, convicted, and almost executed thief. Have a good evening, Master Bruce."

Once fully armored, Bruce rode out into the night. He tied his horse a few blocks away, and crept across the rooftops and in through Selina's second floor window. He was instantly greeted with a horde of cats, mewing and whining for food, but their mother was absent. Out plundering surely. Bruce took the opportune time to gain more insight into this mysterious fellow creature of the night's life.

The upper floor held bed chambers and guest chambers, and seemed to be the only two rooms frequently used. The first floor held the kitchen, an additional room full of old ovens, and a storage closet that was missing the thick layers of dust the rest of the floor had. Clark's meaning grows clearer now. He failed to mention he remained with Selina before visiting me.

All the while, Selina's brood of cats followed him as if he were an over-sized mouse. Weary of his presence, but at the same time drawn to it. One youngling in particular, black as night with eyes as vividly emerald as wildfire, was prone to brush up against his legs purring. Bruce picked the creature up and gazed into its jeweled eyes. He was never one for pets, but with Selina's cats, Dick's hawk, and the Stark's wolves, perhaps some animal companionship might do him some good.

As he ascended up the stairs he heard the window panes fluttering. Quickly, he reached the second floor and hid himself amongst the shadows of the nearest corner.

As Selina opened the wooden panes, moonlight flooded into the room. A sack was tied to her hip, with a bust of an eagle forged in gold clasped in her hand. She quickly entered into the room and closed the windows behind her. She let out a large sigh and quickly stripped her leather top off. As she turned to face her wardrobe she suddenly froze, as if the room had turned to ice in the single beat of a heart. "I know you're here, where, I know not, but I can feel your presence like a dog smells a bitch in heat," she addressed to the room.

Bruce stepped forward. She turned to face him, her breasts bare, and a look of contempt stricken on her face. "What do you want?"

"To apologize, I-"

"You are an ass. You save my life, then imprison me, kiss me, and then use me like your information whore and only come and go when you need something. Well I sir, have no need of you, you may leave," she said passingly with a swat of her hand. She tossed the purse of coins to her bed and took up the whip in the other as she shrugged out of her black leather leggings. She was nude now, and determined to act as if Bruce was not there.

Bruce took a step forward and reached his arm out to her. She whirled on him and with a crack of her whip his arm was held tightly in its grip. He slowly pulled back on his arm, not giving into her threat. "Release me Selina, I mean no ill intent."

"Ha, if I had a silver dragon for every time I heard those words from a man. Now go," she ordered once more.

"Not until I have my say," Bruce replied.

"Hmph, as you wish." She lowered her stance and like a strike of lightning pulled on the whip pulling Bruce towards her. Still donning her boots, she gave a high kick at his chin, sending him crashing into her bed. A searing line of pain shot through Bruce as the heel opened a cut from nostril to jawline. She leapt on top of him, crouched over him with one heel flexibly reaching up to gently push its point into his neck.

"Why must you be so stubborn? Is this how you get all of your women? Oh right, a Night's Watchmen gets more pussy then you," she said with a smug grin. Despite being fully nude, her mask remained on. As did her boots, the pain in his neck reminded him.

Without a word Bruce grabbed her by the ankle and spun, bringing her down on top of him. She struggled to slap him but he quickly grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her assault. "You will listen."

She grunted, "Your armor's cold against my tits."

"Can you think of nothing else but-" Before he could continue she gently raised two fingers to his lips with her other hand. "Your eyes, they look, no, I'm mistaken."

Bruce realized that a sliver of moonlight was cast into the room from the gap between the window panes and cast a light across his helmeted face. "What?"

"No it's nothing, continue on with your little rant," she rolled her eyes, not struggling to get up.

"As I was saying, I-" This time she interrupted him once more, but with a kiss that came as quickly and deeply as a thunderous storm at sea. Bruce made no move to stop her, but his mind raced. The kiss brought him back to a time when he was happy, all those years ago, with another beautiful woman on top of him. It was as if the memories had slapped him across the face, and their burning could be felt in his chest. But then the cold wall of his duties and life as Batman rose up to quench the fires. No I shouldn't do this, I can't do this.

Selina felt his hesitation, and leaned back as she rolled her eyes and groaned in irritation. "Will you put your little honorable virgin façade on hold for a moment and just enjoy something for once in your cold, lonely life?"

Before Bruce could reply, she took up his hand in hers and brought it to her face. She brought the palm of his gloved hand against her cheek and gazed into his eyes. Bruce's hand brushed down, towards the mask's buckle beneath her chin. She quickly grabbed his hand and tittered, "Ah ah ah, masks stay on." She dove back in to kiss him.

Bruce's eye for detail poured over every last corner of his surroundings as his senses were flooded by his blood rising. Her scent, lilac, mixed with sweat from her night spent running across rooftops. Her hair, that tawny shine of her hair glowing in the moonlight. The room smelled of dust and cats, but in the moment his senses were flooded with her. Her scent, her touch, her taste.

The next few hours flew by like seconds. His chest plate and armorings littered the floor, his boots and cape resting beside the bed. By the time Bruce stirred from his sleep, he was wearing nothing but his helmet and the boiled leather jerkin against his chest. Selina's head was against his chest, her arm cast across his stomach. He slowly withdrew from her grasp and dressed himself. As silently as he had come, he returned back to the night. The entire ride home his head fluttered with fevered thoughts of what had just transpired, what it meant, what it could mean.

When he returned to the cave only Lucius was there to greet him.

"Fun night?" Lucius asked with a chuckle.

"Not sure."

Before Bruce could say anymore, Alfred raced down the pathway with his footsteps echoing long before he came into view. A look of terror on his face. "Alfred, what happened?"

Alfred held up a scrap of parchment for Bruce to read. "Just arrived from one of Gordon's men, Master Bruce. Lord Tywin is a day's ride from Gotham, with an army numbering in the thousands."

Richard: Chapter 19

"You are remaining here," Bruce ordered.

"What's the point of being your ward if half the time you're ordering me to stay? What would've happened if I stayed when Arya was kidnapped, huh? She never would've been saved," Dick retorted with a snort.

Bruce spun on him, glaring down at him through the slits in his helm. "You will stay here. This isn't a dozen unexpecting thugs for hire. This is Tywin Lannister and his armies. You will not find glory or a little girl to save here Dick, you'll only bring your life to a quick end. Now stay here."

Bruce buckled the last sack onto his horse and mounted. He had returned briefly in the night only to receive word of Lord Tywin's coming and immediately return to the city. When he returned from that venture, he quickly set Lucius to the task of forging as many throwing knives, smoke capsules, poison darts, and other assorted items as he could in the short span of time they could spare. With his sacks packed and strapped in, Bruce was as ready as he would ever be to face an army.

The master turned his horse to his servant, standing ever faithful even with death at their gates. "Alfred, should we fail…you know what to do."

"Yes, Master Bruce."

Bruce gave his servant a nod, and gazed out and around the cave for what could possibly be the last time. He kicked his heels into his horse, and spurred it out into the maze of tunnels leading to the city.

"Alfred, what did he mean?"

Alfred stood staring at the tunnel Bruce had just disappeared through. He gave a great sigh before replying, "There is one tunnel in particular in that maze out there that leads down to the shore. There is a boat there waiting for us, one we are to take out to the Shield Islands should Tywin take the city."

"But why? If Bruce dies, the Lord of Gotham will be dead, even if no one else should know it. If they unmask the body, they'll know soon enough." No, I shouldn't think like that…but he faces thousands. How is he to win against such odds? Even it is true, and Batman can face a thousand men without falling, how will he fight ten times that number?

Alfred's gaze finally fell from the tunnel, as he turned to look down upon Dick. "No, my boy, the Lord of Gotham would not be dead. The former one, yes, but not you."

Dick did not understand Alfred's meaning as he cocked an eyebrow. "Bruce has no heirs. As his ward, should he fall, you are the rightful heir to Gotham," Alfred made clear.

Dick's eyes widened in shock. "Me!? I'm but a circus boy. I wasn't raised in nobility like Bruce. I wasn't bred to be a lord. I was trained to be a rope dancer, an acrobat!"

Alfred managed a small, light hearted smile. "Bruce was not raised to be a lord. Bruce was raised to be a boy. To play knight, to hear stories, to have his parents heed every whim or cry or plea. Then, Bruce was raised to be a killer, an assassin, someone who every lord from the southernmost corner of Dorne to the northernmost corner of Essos should fear, but would never know a name to strike terror. He was never raised to rule. He knows how to kill a man in dozens of different manners and fashions, he knows what mixtures will make a man sleep, and which will make his eyes bleed from his skull, he knows what bones affect others in the body, but he does not know a shimmer of a stone about ruling."

"Then what makes you think he can defeat Tywin?"

Alfred's smile grew. "Because when the moment is right, when the pressure mounts on his shoulders like mountains to a point that would break any other man, then Bruce can lead like no other. He could command armies if he set his mind to it, but of course he never would. Only when Gotham needed him to, as it does now…Well, there's nothing more we can do here. Master Richard, retire to your chambers if you would."

"But Alfred…" Dick slowly strived to protest.

"No Master Richard, retire, if you please," Alfred said, remaining with a stiff lip.

Dick looked to Lucius in his corner for assistance, but the Summer Islander gave a solemn nod. He spoke, "This battle isn't the same sort as the last time you struck out on your own against Bruce's orders. Tywin's presence here means something else on a whole higher scale than some thugs stealing a little girl, even if it was a Stark girl. Stay, lad, stay and live to fight another day."

Dick was defeated. He returned to his chambers with his head hung low. Nightwing stood staring at him from inside his cage. Dick opened his arms and glared at the bird. "What would you have me do? Disobey all of their orders? This isn't like last time, Tywin's men are much more menacing than those foolish sellswords. What else can I do? I'm a boy, I don't stir blood in the hearts of men nor strike fear in them, I'm useless."

His head collapsed in his arms, he was out of ideas and had lost sight of what his purpose was. Then he heard a fluttering in Nightwing's cage. He looked up through his fingers at his bird. The hawk was standing, gazing at the boy, with its wings spread and flapping. Clark's words echoed in his head. Any man can earn his right to fly amongst the stars. Dick stood from his bed, the path before him laid clear.

James: Chapter 24

"Looks like it's the night you and I always feared would come. The night death comes knocking at our doorstep. Looks like you got into a nasty scrap," James had told him when Batman finally arrived.

It was well into the night, only an hour or two from dawn. Tywin was expected to arrive with his armies by nightfall. This could very well be James' last day on this earth.

Batman had arrived soon enough, he always did when trouble brewed. A thin cut carved its way across his face from his nose to his jaw. James figured it was earned from some thug with a knife.

James' men were rounding the city, getting any able bodied man they could find and putting a sword in their hand. James had nearly twelve hundred recruits still in training, and almost six hundred fully fledged City Watchmen at his disposal. If they could find but two centuries of volunteers, they would have two thousand men to pit against Tywin's thousands upon thousands. And the Batman, however many men he is worth, James reminded himself.

"Do we have a plan?" James questioned after a moment of silence. Batman stared out the window. "Gotham's walls have never been breached by a conqueror, and they won't be now. Have a man every hundred feet along the wall. Send no riders out, if Tywin plans to have at this city, he'll have to come to the wall sooner or later. When he does, congregate your men. Get as much training in with bows as you can today."

"And should Tywin's men break through? Archery won't be enough to stop that flood of crimson armor and blood, neither will you," James stated solemnly.

Batman's head snapped around as he glared into James' eyes. "This city will not FALL!" He roared. The noise was enough to beckon attention, as a few moments later Sarah burst into the room sword in hand. She froze in fear within seconds, her eyes wide as she stared at James' guest. James turned back to raise a hand to pause her, but Batman's gaze never left his face. "I will return in a few hours, I need time to prepare." He leapt out the window and out of sight.

James turned back around to face Sarah. She stuttered, "James, y-you've been working with him? But he's-"

"He's what? A vigilante? An outlaw? The rest of the damn kingdom can brand him what they want, but to me that man is the only way I can keep this city sane and above water. No one else has come to my aid. Not Lord Wayne, not the King, not even our damn liege lord your glorious Lord Tyrell. None of them can see fit to get off their asses and do something for my city. So yes, fuck all of them. If I need to bend the law and help an outlaw that would do more good for my city in a day than any of those lords could in ten years, then you're damn right I'm going to work with him. My city's on the verge of being decimated, and at this moment I will take any bloody help I can get. Now do you have a problem with that Lady Essen?" James shouted, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

Sarah's jaw stood strong, her eyes determinedly staring into his. Within the next moment her lips were against James', in a fleeting kiss. As she pulled back, James' lips instantly fell cold. "Not at all, Ser."

They thundered down the stairs as James shouted out orders. "Bullock, I want a head count on the hour of any willing souls we can add to our cause! Polk, get me every smith in the city working on arrowheads and swords for our men! And will someone get me a damn list of every recruit we have!"

Bullock ran up with a long piece of parchment. "Here Ser, anythin' else you need?"

"A miracle Harv', I could damn well do with a miracle right now."

James and Sarah took to the streets. They headed West towards Gotham Bay, seeing if any sellswords were at port that could be convinced with coin to stand with the city. Any honorable knight surely wouldn't have enlisted ruthless sellswords to assist them in battle, but as James' house words echoed, duty comes before honor.

As they neared the bay, one of James' men rode out to meet them. "Garret, what is it?"

"Ships, Ser, ships the likes of which I've never seen, about to make port," the young man said with amazement in his eyes. "Take me to them."

They rode out through the gates and down the long, twisting boardwalks until they hit the end of the wooden pathways bridging onto the sea. The port was just beginning to teem with life as the sun slowly rose in the distance. Opposite the sun rising in the East, were three massive sails set against the dimming starry sky of the night above the sea. They were close enough now that James could see the sails were plain, and as they grew closer still James could see a mermaid wielding a trident on one bow, a dragon roaring on another, and on the final one, a woman covered in armor holding a sword straight forward, right at Gotham.

"Could be another whaler vessel, or a trader out of Essos. Or perhaps, another cock for the gods to fuck us with on both sides."

As the ships grew closer to port, James could see how massive the ships truly were. They were nearly half a ship longer than any cog he had ever seen. Their deck was high, preventing James from seeing any of the crew members as they made port. Lines were thrown down, but still no crew mate could be witnessed. He had four of his men and some sailors tie off the ship, but all hands rested on their sword hilts just for safe measure. The sails had no marking or sigil struck on them. So the threat of Ironborn raiders was hopefully not present.

James called out to the deck of the first ship, with the sword wielding woman at her front. "This is James Gordon of the Gotham City Watch. I have given you leave to come to port here, but only on the condition that you and your men intend this city no harm!"

There was no response. James waited a few more minutes, and was about to give the order to call for his men for a forcible search of the ship, when a large plank bridge fell to the boardwalk from the ship's deck.

Words could not do justice to the sight James was greeted with next. Striding down the bridge was not the creeping figure of a high seas pirate, or the lurking shadow of a Greyjoy captain, but the strong feminine stride of a woman. She was clad in a crimson breastplate with golden trims at its top. Silver forearm guards were strapped at her wrists, as well as a dark blue leather skirt with silver studs and crimson red boots. Her eyes were a bright sapphire-like hue of blue, with raven black hair reaching halfway down her back. A golden tiara held her hair back, a red star laid in its center.

Armor clad women followed her in two rows. They also wore leather studded skirts but had golden breast plates, gauntlets and boots. Each one of them wore a helmet with a long upraised edge running from behind their heads and jutting out over their faces. Each of them had a sword at their waist and a spear in their hands. First Tywin, and now we are to be ass ended by women invaders, how cruel the gods are.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Ser Gordon. There are no men in this crew. And we mean you no ill will, in fact, we are here to give aid," the strange woman said. She had a feminine air about her, but the bare skin of her upper chest and arms revealed a hidden muscularity that James dare not trifle with.

"Who are you? The lot of you?"

"I am Princess Diana from the island kingdom of Themyscara. We are the Amazons, and we are here to help you defend your city."