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Chapter 10 (ImFanci)
As Diana and Kal knelt before the Queen, they were promptly joined by the Dark Knight, James, and Patrick. The Dark Knight sighed with discomfort as he knelt next to Kal-El. Queen Hippolyta looked at those kneeling before her. Diana was at the forefront. Krypto sat obediently between Diana and Kal-El. She called for all of them to rise. Kal-El assisted the Dark Knight to his feet as the Queen took the few steps down the dais and walked towards her daughter. Mother and daughter looked at each other for a moment.
Shifting her gaze from her daughter’s face to the four men standing with her, Hippolyta said, “Princess Diana, I am relieved that you have returned home safely. You may make the introductions, but you must convince me why we Elves should welcome these other men when the order was to only bring back the Champion of Kandor.”
Diana inwardly winced at her mother’s formal tone with her. There was also a hint of underlying iciness in her voice and Diana knew that her mother was still upset with her leaving Themyscira. With a clear voice, she answered, “My Queen, I present Kal-El, whom you witnessed proving himself as the Champion of Kandor. The Dark Knight is a comrade of Kal-El’s. We found him injured and unconscious from an attack on his entourage, and I could not in good conscious leave him to die. James is Kal-El’s squire. He has also been given the duty of protecting the library of Guildhall that contains a number of books of magic. And Patrick O’Brien is a Shape-Shifter who is sworn to serve us when the need arises.”
Hippolyta gave cursory glances to James and Patrick, and moved to stand in front of Kal-El and the Dark Knight. The Dark Knight was standing of his own will-power but she could see that he was admirably masking the pain and discomfort. Good, she thought, he’s not some whelp of a man. And neither is this Kal-El who matched Diana, our own Champion, in combat. Directing her question to the Dark Knight, “What is your true name?”
Without hesitation, he answered, “I am Bruce, Lord of Wayne within the kingdom of Gotamworth, your Majesty. It is my honor to be in your presence.”
Kal-El, James, and Patrick let out gasps of surprise.
James spoke up, “But you can’t be the Lord of Wayne. From what I’ve heard, he is just a selfish cad who amuses himself with wenching and debauchery.”
“Aye, that be true. Tis said that he also likes to hide in seclusion. And that he veils his face behind a mask he often wore to hide some disfigurement,” Patrick added.
The Elves looked disapprovingly at the two men for their outbursts. James and Patrick saw fit to keep the rest of their comments to themselves.
Ignoring those comments, Bruce continued, “Your Majesty, it was necessary for my true identity to remain hidden as long as possible. Gotamworth is filled with corrupted lords, and my lands are surrounded by lands that they own. I had to maintain a false appearance of apathy to protect the good people of Wayne, else they would have found ways of punishing me through my people for wanting to aid King Gordon in ending centuries of corruption.”
It was Kal-El who next spoke, “So during all the times we fought together in the Crusades, the Lord of Wayne was indisposed?”
“He took a very long holiday,” Bruce answered.
Kal thought it was certainly a day full of surprises. First Diana, now Bruce. He understood why the Dark Knight had kept to himself. The lives and needs of the people under his protection mattered more than his own comfort.
Once again, the Queen spoke, “Now that we have determined who you really are, Lord of Wayne, you are also welcomed to Themyscira. The squire and the Shape-Shifter can also stay. I suppose the squires growing skills in magic and the Shape-Shifter’s abilities may, in time, be of usefulness for their companions. Kal-El, Knight of Kandor, your importance has still not been revealed to us in its entirety, but we welcome you as an honored guest.”
My importance hasn’t been revealed to me at all, he thought disagreeably, but said, “Thank you, your Majesty. It is also my honor to finally meet and serve the Queen of the Elves on this fated quest,” Kal bowed his head out of respect.
Hippolyta’s lips twitched ever so slightly at the man’s words. There was nothing but sincerity in his voice. She was pleased that he seemed to be a humble man despite his status of a champion.
“Mother, you must know that the fate of Kandor is not our only concern.” Diana began to give Hippolyta a recount of all that has been learned of the fates of the other kingdoms of the realm. She also informed her of the evil deeds of the suspected Warlords and the supposed Emperor who has been behind all this.
“Diana, the troubles of man do not concern us. We Elves have lived in quiet piece for thousands of years. We have been blessed with mystical forces that have kept evil at bay for centuries.”
“When all that is left in all that is good in this realm, Themyscira is the only kingdom left standing against the oncoming darkness. The only logical conclusion is that Themyscira will be the final target for conquest, and even the magic that surrounds us will not be able to protect us.” Diana let out a sigh and continued, “We need to organize and strengthen our numbers. We need to prepare for a war that must be fought if we are going to survive and succeed. We need an alliance with man. If the knights who were sworn to protect those kingdoms are not dead or imprisoned, then they have disbanded and are in hiding. If we are to defeat the evil Warlords and this Emperor, then we will need all the allies we can gather. I believe that Kal, Bruce, James, and even Patrick, will be able to help us accomplish this alliance.”
During the entire exchange, the men stood in amazement at the speech the Elven Princess gave her mother. All were silently impressed. Even Patrick who wanted to protest that he simply did not want to get involved in battle, also came to realize that if he wanted a life without fear, he would have to fight for it. When they were asked by Hippolyta if they concurred with Diana’s reasoning, the men unanimously agreed.
The wise Queen already knew that her daughter was right. With a heavy sigh and a nod, Hippolyta answered, “This matter must be brought before the High Council for I alone cannot make this decision that will affect the immortal lives of many of our people.” Hippolyta instructs her staff standing nearby orders to make accommodations ready for their new allies. Turning back to Diana, Hippolyta spoke to her the way any mother is set to scold a child, “Princess, as you have disobeyed my orders and brought back troubling news, it is only fitting that you not follow us to the Council room. I will take these men to see the High Council and will see to it that they realize the severity of the events outside our kingdom.”
As the group left Diana to stand where she was, she pursed her full lips in frustration. Kal glanced back at her, and tried to convey a look of empathy. Turning on her heel, Diana stomped towards her room.
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Diana did not like to wait. After several minutes of pacing about her room, she gave up. It was drawing close to dinner and so Diana took a much needed bath.
She found herself relaxing somewhat as she enjoyed the warmth of her bath. Her mind drifted off to this day’s earlier events – especially the ones involved Kal. She did not realize when she simply started calling him Kal instead of his full name. First, they carried an argument as he released his frustrations on her. Next, he kissed her until she was breathless and left her staring after him as he abruptly stopped and walked away. Then, they engaged in an exhilarating sword fight that neither one of them was declared a winner. She truly enjoyed the sparring and found that she was pleased to know they were equally skilled. As their sparring ended, she felt a fleeting urge to run up to him and kiss him for a replay of the kiss they shared. She flushed as she remembered that consuming kiss. And yet, it somewhat bothered her that he had changed his tone and addressed her so formally by calling her Princess. She snapped out of reverie and ended her bath. She needed to find out about the High Council’s decision.
As soon as she was fully dressed, a knock sounded at the door, and Hippolyta entered her room. Her mother briefed her on the meeting, and the Council had resigned themselves to agree with Diana’s recommendation. They would all convene the next day to plan and strategize, so Hippolyta sent the men to the guests’ quarters to freshen for dinner.
“Mother, I am truly sorry for leaving against your orders, but I need you to know that I did it because of who you have raised me to be. I hope you can forgive me.” Diana searched her mother’s eyes for reassurance.
Hippolyta smiled sadly, “Yes, I forgive you. And I’m also very proud of you.” And Hippolyta hugged her daughter. “I need to freshen up. I’ll meet you in the dining hall.” She pressed a quick kiss on Diana’s forehead, released her, and walked out of the room.
Diana needed to see for herself that the men were indeed given comfortable accommodations in the wing of the palace that housed guests. More precisely, she wanted to see Kal, and to ask him why he kissed her earlier. A bark echoed from one of the rooms, as if Krypto was calling out to her to find him. She smiled at how much she had come to enjoy the dog’s company. She knocked on the door that the bark came from. She heard what sounded like a muffled “Yes,” and assumed it was her permission to enter.
As she opened the door, she heard Kal tell Krypto, “Yes, you will get your dinner, too,” and stopped in her tracks as she came into his room.
Krypto, who was sitting and impatiently wagging his tail at his master, cocked his head to the side when he saw Diana enter the room. He stayed where he was, still looking up pitifully at Kal.
Kal stood in front of her, wearing a wrap about his hips as he was using another cloth to dry his hair. It was apparent that he just finished his bath. The sight of his well-muscled, well-formed, still damp bare torso caused her to stare with an open-mouth. She swallowed what little saliva she had, and averted her eyes from that magnificent body to his blue eyes. He looked surprised to see Diana standing there. She could also see that he found her staring amusing.
Trying not to look uncomfortable, she said, “I was just checking to see if you were settled in your room. Dinner is ready.” Diana quickly left his room. As soon as the door shut behind her, she let out an uncharacteristic sigh. Diana did not have the option of lusting after a man, and tried to erase what she had just seen from her memory as she made her way to the dining hall.
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Bruce was the only guest not present for dinner as he needed rest and treatment to fully heal from his wounds. Epione, their healer, was given charge of his care.
Despite having unfamiliar guests at dinner, conversation among them all came to a minimum. News had quickly spread that the Elves would enter a war that was inevitable, so the mood in the hall was somber, lacking the gaiety that was normally present during such festivities. Only Patrick was the exception as he made audible sounds as he marveled at the plentiful food served and unabashedly took in his fill.
Hippolyta politely directed questions to Kal about himself, Kandor, and what he knew about the other kingdoms of the realm. As Kal courteously answered the Queen, she noticed that his eyes occasionally glanced in her daughter’s direction. Her daughter was an exceptionally beautiful young woman, and it was not unexpected that he, and other men, would be drawn to that beauty. What did surprise, and disturb her somewhat, was catching Diana gazing at Kal-El. Hippolyta hoped that Diana’s attention on Kal-El was merely caused by her admiration of their earlier showcase of skills with the sword.
Towards the end of dinner, the Queen and the other Elves found themselves listening intently to Kal’s retelling of one of his adventures. Not only had he impressed them with his swordsmanship, but also with his deliverance of telling a tale. Feigning weariness, Diana excused herself and left the dining hall. Kal’s gaze followed her retreating form.
She had amazed him during their sparring earlier that afternoon. The eloquent speech she presented to her mother was nothing less than admirable. And he could not forget kissing her. Kal had not expected that she would respond with equal fervor. He sensed that she was equally attracted to him when she walked into his room and saw her reaction to him at his near naked state.
She had looked lovely tonight wearing a crimson gown. The gold tiara she also wore was not only a symbol of her royal status, but it also served as a reminder that he could not pursue and court her. He was so used to seeing her in her armor that he could not take his eyes off her all evening.
Kal had also grown accustomed to their late evening conversations. He decided that they needed to continue their ritual if they were going to be fighting side by side during the upcoming war. He knew it was a lame excuse, but he felt it was the only way he could spend any time with her since she was out of his league and betrothed to another.
Politely excusing himself from the dining hall, he made his way down the hallway that eventually split the guest quarters from the resident quarters. The resident wing split again. Taking a guess, he headed down a hallway to his right and stopped in front of the nearest door. Hearing movements behind the door, he knocked and prayed he had the right room.
To his embarrassment, Phillipus, the General of the Queen’s royal guards, answered the door. Recovering quickly, Kal said, “Oh, my apologies. I thought this was the Princess’ room. I need to have her word with her of great importance”.
Against her better judgment, Phillipus replied, “The Princess’ quarters is at the end of this hallway.” Her steely eyes still on Kal-El as he turned in the direction she indicated, Phillipus added, “Know that I am fast on my feet and ready to strike if the need calls for it.”
Kal nodded in acknowledgement that he understood Phillipus had every intention of killing him if he hurt Diana. The closer he got to Diana’s quarters, the more eager he became to see her. He was thoroughly prepared to tell her that he had enjoyed their late evening conversations and wanted to see if she wanted to take a walk with him. He was certainly not prepared for the vision before him as Diana opened the door.
It appeared that she was actually readying for bed. He apparently forgot that Elves were known to not be inhibited about their bodies as humans were. Diana wore a thin, ivory silk robe. It left nothing to the imagination as the light silk clung to her every curve. Kal lost all train of thought and his mouth was suddenly very dry. He found that the rest of his body was also involuntarily reacting to her. He finally tore his gaze away from her stunning body to look at her stunning face, and mentally pushed away all the lustful thoughts that had sprung into his mind.
Struggling with his inner conflicting emotions, all he managed to say to Diana was, “Um…I wanted to tell you good night…See you in the morning.” Before he could change his mind, he turned and quickly walked away, leaving Diana confused and curious about his behavior.
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