Hello everyone! Sorry for such a long hiatus, it was unintentional. I hope you enjoy the next chapter and all reviews are welcome! I do want to say that a reader brought up that I was moving along Bruce and Diana's relationship too quickly and I wanted to say that I have been basing it off of certain events already having happened in the animated series. These events are namely the events of Maid of Honor, Star-crossed, and This Little Piggy. I'm not really using them in season order but I am pulling events from them and treating them as cannon for the story. Sorry for the confusion. Anyway...I do not own DC Comics, the Justice League, or any of their characters. Enjoy!


"What are we facing, Princess?" I glanced through the plane's window and scanned our surroundings. "Nothing good. That group surrounding the plane is my mother's top squadron. It consists of ten of her best warriors trained in hand to hand combat, swordplay, and close quarters misdirection."

Bruce chuckled grimly. "Sounds like the group that trained me. They called themselves the League of Assassins." I ignored the comment for the time being but filed the information away for later. "They have been training since my mother guided my people away from Man to protect this island in the event that invaders attack. They will be anxiously waiting for a struggle." A loud baying filled the air and Bruce's senses went on high alert. "What are those?!" He pointed toward a pack of wolves that were twice the size of their natural counterparts. "Those are Artemis' hounds. They were gifted to the Amazons by the goddess herself. The wolves are known to be merciless once they catch the scent of their prey. Nothing ever escapes their hunt." I gestured toward the cliffs surrounding the beach.

"If you look closely there are numerous blinds in the rough where our archers take their posts. My mother is usually up there as well, giving orders." I watched as Bruce keyed in his suit's heat sensors toward the rocky slopes. The grass grew tall and in large clumps around low-lying trees. It would provide ample cover for my mother's warriors and very few battle strategies recommended attacking from the lower ground. "There are over twenty troops just up on the cliff. Any suggestions, Princess?"

Even if we could manage to dispatch the band around the plane we would be shot from above. Bruce may have some protection from the arrows due to his Kevlar armor, but I would be a walking target. The odds were not in our favor. "Let me go out alone. If only I disembark my mother might at least arrest us until we explain. If my sisters see you they will shoot to kill. It's not a great idea, but it's the only one I can think of." He had yet to draw his cowl over his eyes so I could observe his wariness.
"In the name of Hippolyta, I command you to give yourselves up to the warriors of Themyscira. You are now our prisoners." I took a deep breath, not giving him any time to debate. "That's my que."


Every step down the Batplane's boarding ramp felt colossal. I was filled with a strange mix of excitement and dread. Would my mother's face be stony and disheartening? Or would there be joy as she welcomed home her prodigal child? Would my sisters have missed my company? Or would they now despise the very one they called friend? I couldn't help but feel that this might be one of those situations where when someone leaves you say you'll miss them always, but after they're gone they slowly fade from your thoughts and into your memories. Was I now just a memory of their former princess?

The moment I descended enough for them to see my face I felt more than heard the collective gasp that then drove the island into silence. Even the Hounds of Artemis quieted their bellowing. My mother was the first to speak. She had made her way down the cliffs on the back of her horse, Callidora, to meet me on the warm sand. Her body was language was stony and unforgiving, but her eyes were wet. I made my way to her, but her warriors blocked my path.

"Hello, Mother. I have missed you." The way she gazed down on me made me feel like I was twelve again, having been caught creating some sort of mischief. "Diana, Exiled Princess of Themyscira, you have broken the conditions of your banishment. Your presence here demands that I sentence you to death. Why have you returned?"
My mouth moved for a few moments before words stumbled past my lips. "The goddesses have taken away their blessings from me. Man's World is facing a threat from one of our goddesses and now I have no way to prevent their downfall."

"They are their own downfall. Man's World is none of our concern." I took a step closer to plead my case but two of her warriors, Iola and Korinna, shoved me back. "Am I still your concern? The goddesses have issued me an ultimatum. Either I remain mortal and stay in Man's World as property or I return to you never to leave again." My mother shrugged. "So come home and make recompense for your sins. Then we will welcome you back with open arms and you can be free from this curse." She made it sound so easy...if only that were true. "I can't turn my back on the people I protect, Mother. There are thousands of people, not only men but women and children and well, who need saving. Every life I save makes a difference." My mother's horse shimmied in the warm sand, momentarily grabbing my thoughts. "Man's World has other heroes. Surely they can make do."

I took a deep breath. Were all mothers so infuriating or only my own? "And what about me, Mother? How am I supposed to live with myself? Either way my conscience suffers. If I choose Man's World I am torn away from this part of my life. Yes, I am banished but I still have...had... my gifts and carry you all in my heart. I may have to train harder and think smarter if I return but I can still make a difference. If I choose to become permanently mortal all my hopes of eventually coming home are dashed. I will never be able to speak to any of you ever again.

"If I choose Themyscira, I am going to be responsible for the deaths of possibly thousands of people. Every mission I go on with the Justice League I am making a difference. It would be prideful to say that the League couldn't get on without me, because they would, but how many lives would be lost? If I am home with you I would get my immortality back and the blessings of the goddesses but what good would they be if I was squandering them on training with my sisters here on this island?"

Mother's eyes narrowed and her grip on her reins tightened. "If the blessings that our patron goddesses bestowed on you are making such a difference in Man's World why were they removed from you? Surely our goddesses would be proud to boast of such feats." Her gaze looked right through me and I knew that she suspected the reason. "The goddesses claim my attention has become divided."

"Divided, Diana? And how, pray tell, is that?" All the eyes of my sisters rested upon me and my heart thumped wildly in my ears. "I-I have fallen in love with a man." If the silence that had fallen through the ranks earlier seemed unnerving the sudden roar that enveloped them now seemed downright distressing. The loudest was when Artemis' hounds started baying once more and...having glanced the slight swish of a cape behind me, I knew what it was. Bruce had come to take a closer look and while he was certainly deceptive enough not to be apprehended by even my mother's best warriors, nothing would escape the hounds. "My queen, someone else seems to be on board!" I fingered the katana's hilt, preparing myself for whatever was about to occur.

My mother's eyes never left mine. "Iola, place Diana under arrest. Korinna, take Medeia and Ourania and bring out whomever is on that plane." Her voice rose, steady and commanding. "Come out peacefully or Diana will be held responsible for every injury placed upon my soldiers." I groaned inwardly. My mother was calculating, but not cruel. She wouldn't inflict punishment on another for crimes they didn't themselves commit. But Bruce wouldn't know that for sure. A hush fell over the gathered company that only broke when the Dark Knight quietly strode down the ramp, flanked by my mother's guards. Her eyes flashed angrily.

"You brought a man to the island! Have you completely betrayed your heritage!? Seize him! I want this abomination shackled and taken to the cells. I will pass judgement on him after my daughter's fate has been determined." As soon as Korinna, Medeia, and Ourania left with Bruce my mother motioned Iola to move me forward. "I hope the goddesses are merciful, Diana, for your sake and mine."


My mother lead me to my old bedchambers. It was just as I had left it. The room was open in the Mediterranean style with turquoise accents. Every part of the room was comfortable and breezy. My eyes settled on my balcony with interest only for Mother to clear her throat. "I posted guards outside on the ground with orders to keep you up here. You tried that one too many times as a child for me to fall for it now. I am going to make sure that your...uninvited guest...is taken well care of." She started to leave the room before turning back to me. "Diana, I've missed you more than I can say but you shouldn't have returned. I have laws to uphold, my daughter. What am I supposed to do now?"

I spent my free time becoming re-acquainted with my room. I had been pushing back my homesickness for years now and to be home once more was divine. Even if I had been forced home. I closed my eyes and took in the scent of the Hyacinths in my mother's garden, the feel of the ocean in the distance, and the sound of my sisters sparring in the training grounds. I was off in my own little world for hours before I heard noises coming from my balcony. Imagine my surprise when Bruce slipped into my room. In the hours I had been lost inside my thoughts it had grown dark outside and the noises of the day had slipped away. "Bruce! You can't be here! My mother will be back any time now! There are so many things that could go wrong right now if they find you here."
"They won't."
"How did you even get in here? Mother has guards posted on the ground outside."
"I took the rooftops. When they searched me they removed my cowl and utility belt but they don't understand the technology in my suit. I was able to stash a small wire in the lining to pick the shackles. Besides, they were watching for someone to climb down, not come in." I longed to believe him, but thoughts spiraled. This was too easy. "My mother is cunning, she wouldn't have allowed you to escape that chamber unless she wanted you to."
Bruce gave me a hard look. "Are you doubting my agility and deception?" I ran a hand through my hair worriedly. "Any time or any place else I wouldn't even dream of doubting you, but this is my mother and I know her just well. Nothing happens on this island without her knowledge. Trust me. If you are here, she already knows. She is planning something."


Hippolyta stared at her closest advisors, remembering ruefully when her daughter used to be present at these meetings and not the cause of them. Well, not usually. She had gathered them in her throne room, fearful of what the outcome would be. Philippus was one of the first to speak as soon as the queen saw her self settled onto her throne. "The law demands an execution. First of the traitor, then of the man she brought before us." Korinna shook her head. "Philippus, this is our sister of which we speak. Our princess. She would not betray us. If she brought a man to our island then he is worthy of our trust."

"Trust! If she was to be trusted she wouldn't be mortal. That man has tainted her thoughts. If we let this slide the others will begin to form their own ideas. The outside world is not safe and if we let them believe that it is alright to come and go as we please then we will have new dangers. Our island will more than likely be discovered and if there is no recompense for bringing a man to the island we will be turning our backs on our own beliefs. Do you not remember what caused our downfall? If the goddesses hadn't had mercy on us we would still be slaves. We have fought too hard for our freedom to let Man's World thrust us back into the past. Fine, you still wish to show our princess respect. I say we slaughter the man before the whole of our people and make it known that that is what happens to men on this island."
Korinna stepped closer to Philippus. "And what of Diana? You say you are willing to concede and show her respect. How do you propose we do that?"

"After she is reminded how men are supposed to be handled, we deliver her to the cell he now defiles and make that her permanent home. In a few centuries, if she is freed from his spell, she may return to us as a sister." Hippolyta stood from her throne and made her way to the balcony that gave her a clear view of her daughter's room. Diana had changed while she away. The old Diana, though stubborn and willing to go to any lengths to get her way, would never have went against her own goddesses. That was one line that she would never cross...at least not without good reason.

"And you, Korinna? Is that how you believe my daughter should be dealt with as well?" Korinna bowed slightly before speaking. "Your majesty, as I have stated, I do believe that Diana has good reason for bringing this man to our island. Diana has been more than a princess to us, she has been a friend and a sister. The Diana I know would never intentionally put us in harm's way. I suggest that we...turn the other way. Let the man escape his cell and see what he does. If he intends to flee without her we execute him without any mercy.
"If he doesn't attempt to flee without her I suggest we keep the pair of them alive for a fortnight. That is ample time for the man to show his true colors. Diana insists that the world outside is different. Let the man prove that." Hippolyta turned to the woman. Korinna had trained with her daughter for years. Her red hair, green eyes, and light skin tone had been quite the interesting spectacle in ancient Greece. Her mother had come from a far off land, a prisoner of war who had been bought by a merchant who found her exotic. "You still have yet to speak of my daughter, Korinna."

"I believe the princess should be pardoned. The goddesses have already given her an ultimatum. When she chooses the judgement will already be made by those with more power than us. You will be free to abide by their wishes with a clean conscience. Diana is my friend. I do not wish her to be executed, but I think the goddesses have already put in their votes on the matter." With another hasty glance to her daughter's bedchambers, Hippolyta returned to her throne. "Philippus, I respect your views, but I will agree with Korinna on this matter. I am not willingly going to execute my own daughter, and if I kill her lover without proper cause I will lose her even if she stays. Let the man loose and we will observe the outcome. As for my daughter, she will remain under the judgement that our goddesses have already provided." Korinna hid a grin, but Philippus scowled.

Philippus was as dark as Korinna was fair. Like Korinna's mother, Philippus had been a slave of war. She had been brought out of the desert as a child and forced to serve many masters in many forms over her lifetime. She was not as forgiving of Man's World as Korinna with reasonable cause. "Philippus, make no mistake. If this man shows any signs of treachery, I will spare him no mercy." Philippus tightened her grip on her sword. "I will await the order, my queen."


Alrightie everyone that's it! Hopefully now that I worked my way out of that dead end that I wrote myself into there won't be another one.(Like that's going to happen lol) Anyway hope you all enjoyed and I hope that you will review.