Sweet Sacrifice

by WonderCat

It was another peaceful day on Themyscira. The sun above the island shined a brilliant gold, bathing the island and all its inhabitants in its warming rays. The sky, so blue and clear, was filled with birds singing songs of happiness and love. Below them, the sea was filled with fish and sea mammals alike, basking in the warmth and happiness of the day. Whales and dolphins leaped from the water, ecstasy clear in their movements. The inhabitants of the land were no different than their neighbors. Laughter in all forms could be heard throughout the island as human and animal alike frolicked while enjoying the day. Yet there was one among all the inhabitants of this small area that did not celebrate, that did not rejoice in the sheer beauty and peacefulness of the day. Instead she remained at a distance from her friends, watching in silence. Looking to the clear blue sky, she could see the birds dancing in the air, their sweet songs like a dagger to her heart. Lowering her eyes, she turned and walked away from the scene in silence, keeping close to the shadows that, in her sadness, seemed her only comfort. Taking the longest route so as to avoid all the merry goers, she returned to her own dark chambers. The decorative sconces adorning the walls remained unlit as she collapsed on the bed, her arms wrapped around the pillow her face became buried in. She remained like this for a while, her thoughts a jumbled net of sadness. She was the daughter of a great queen; the champion of her gods and her people; she had everything she could ever need or want, yet she remained unhappy. She was not always unhappy, only sometimes…like when the birds sang of their love, be it love for a mate or for life itself, it was still love. Sometimes she thought that of all the blessings she was bestowed at her birth, the ability to speak with animals was often the most annoying. Animals, birds especially, were such simple creatures…they did not see all of the complicated things that humans did. They did not have all of the worries that humans have. They lived only for survival and for the enjoyment of that survival. When they were happy, they were happy, and when they were sad, they were sad. They had no mixture or uncertainty. When they were in love, they were in love, and they let everyone know. They did not bother with hiding their love—they thought that unnatural and ridiculous. She knew this for fact, as she had once asked a poll of creatures, who only laughed at her question as though it were the queerest thing in existence. Yes, sometimes communicating with beasts could be a curse…but far worse a curse was to love and not be loved in return. Unrequited love, she had begged the goddess Aphrodite to take it away, to let her just live and be happy with her friends. She had prayed to have all these feelings taken away…the loneliness that kept her up at night even when she was surrounded by friends and family…the desire to be held that could not be quenched by a friendly embrace…the lust that burned within her like a wild fire that threatens to burn everything in its path… She buried her face deeper in the pillow. Why did she have to feel these things? When the goddess had refused to remove these feelings, she had tried to ease them herself…To ease her loneliness, she surrounded herself with friends, but that did not work. She turned to others for comfort then…to Bruce and Arthur…but neither of them was able to help her. She still felt lonely even when she was wrapped in their arms, and the fire that burned within her…It was fanned, but not expelled, and she could not bring herself to join with them, for even as they held her, she knew that they would be unable to extinguish her feelings. She tried others as well, but to no avail. There was only one that could ease these pains within her, only one that could pull the dagger from her heart and heal its wounds. There was only one that, by his mere presence in the room, made her feel less alone; whose embrace threatens to satiate her desires…but it is only the embrace of a friend and his presence at a distance that he gives, and that is not enough to satisfy her needs. No, there is no satisfaction in these things, they serve only as a giant fan, fanning the flames of her lust…driving the dagger deeper into her heart, which already threatens to burst...She let her tears fall, soaking the pillow she clung to for comfort.