Lady Diana: Knight

By superninja

A JLA Elseworlds fantasy, Animated Series style.

All characters belong to Warner Bros./DC Comics. This story is not intended for profit.

***

They walked through the forest in silence, the horses lost to them, and no path back to the trail they had left earlier.

Diana grumbled trying to divest herself of whatever that creature had bathed her in. The burning sensation was lesser now, but it had left her skin with a pink tint.

"This is hopeless," said O'Brien. "And I'm tired of walking. I vote we camp for the night."

She turned and scowled at him, as Bat Man watched her out of the corner of his eye with amusement.

Pushing forward into the forest, they reached a small pool reflecting the stars above them. Bat Man saw Diana stare at it longingly, and voiced his opinion that they set up camp nearby.

As O'Brien tied off the horses, Diana nodded at Bat Man, and headed back towards the water, relishing the feel its cool shallow depths would have on her skin.

He gave a silent reply, and grabbed O'Brien roughly by the collar as he made his way to follow her.

"She might have some trouble reaching her back," O'Brien paused. "It's a tough spot! C'mon!"

Bat Man glared back at him as the clown shuffled off to start a fire, muttering to himself.

***

Bat Man and O'Brien finished off their spare dinner in silence. O'Brien turned his flask upside down sorrowfully. Finding it without a drop left, he groaned and put it back in his side pocket.

"She's been gone an awful while," O'Brien started in. "Maybe I should check on�"

Bat Man quickly hushed him, as a murmur of voices floated towards them. Slowly, it became audible:

"Let's go," Bat Man said, rising to his feet. O'Brien just stared at him dumbfounded, but scrambled to his feet when he realized his only company would be the fire.

***

"Hal!" Bat Man said, approaching the entourage of men in deep green robes, each holding a glowing green lantern before them. Phosphorescent insects floated inside the lantern's bellies. The chanting ended as their leader approached the dark knight.

"Bat Man!" The other man said, drawing back his cloak, revealing a wide, bright grin. Besides being all together handsome, the most outstanding feature was the graying hair at his temples.

The two men shook hands, and Hal glanced over at O'Brien, who was keeping a safe distance.

"Who's your friend?"

"That's O'Brien," Bat Man said curtly. "We have one other travelling with us as well�" he started.

"Ah, yes," Hal said smoothly. "The lovely creature in the pool."

O'Brien smirked as Bat Man exchanged a glance with Hal.

"No worry," said Hal. "Kyle is keeping her company. One our youngest and brightest."

"Let's go retrieve her, shall we?" Bat Man said, heading towards the direction of the pool.

***

"Tell me your true name," he said, with an impish grin.

Diana smiled back at him, her arms resting on the rock that jutted out over the pool, kicking her legs to keep her afloat.

" I like having the advantage, Kyle. But tell me more about the Green Lantern Order."

"You're lucky we came along," said the young man, easing himself down from a crouch into a sitting position, his legs dangling over the sides of the rock, but carefully avoiding her hands. "You really looked lost."

His lantern sat to the side of them illuminating everything in a green glow.

"We are lost, friend," she answered.

"Not anymore," he smiled. "We help those lost in the Great Forest, or those who venture in willingly, unaware of the danger. Then we guide them to the nearest town, or try to set them on the right path. Whatever."

"We're headed for Lexumburg," she stated.

"There are so few travelers like yourself that come into the forest," said Kyle wistfully, propping his chin up on his hand, his gaze never losing Diana's.

She laughed into the night air.

Bat Man surveyed the scene as they walked towards the pool.

"I like him already," he said sarcastically to Hal.

"Give the kid a break," Hal whispered. "It's rare that we see her like in this forest. We're a monastic order. I don't know if poor Kyle is going to make it."

"You think?" O'Brien retorted.

"Kyle!" Hal said, raising his hand in a gesture and announcing himself as they made their way down to the water.

Kyle offered a dismayed reply standing at attention with his lantern. Diana fished about in the water, surveying the new faces as their lanterns swayed with their movements.

The Green Lantern Order filed into the nook, and Bat Man glanced briefly at Diana, but lost some of his concern when he saw she seemed quite at ease. Calm and collected, as no doubt befit her warrior nature.

A moment of silence followed, with most of the Green Lantern Order evading their eyes.

"I just need a moment," Diana said, realizing they were waiting on her to join them.

Bat Man grabbed Hal's arm. "Maybe we should give her a little..."

He didn't have time to finish, as Diana rose from the water and headed towards her robes.

Everyone turned away. Except for Kyle and O'Brien.

"Hal," Kyle said. "This is what you meant when you said the 'hard part', right?"

Bat Man groaned into his gauntlet as Hal began to chuckle.

"I'm good."

Bat Man grabbed O'Brien bodily and swiveled him away from Diana.

***

Diana quietly followed the procession through the forest, politely avoiding Kyle's awkward gaze, which would quickly turn away if Bat Man made any sudden movements.

Bat Man had said nothing to Kyle, but she was beginning to think that his icy glare was one of the more powerful weapons in his arsenal.

"What's that?" said O'Brien nervously, looking into the darkness off the forest path (barely suited to be named as such).

The Lantern Order ground to a halt as several members broke away from the group, heading towards the noise that had caught the clown's attention, their lanterns held high in hand.

"What are they looking for?" Diana asked Hal with a low voice.

"The Great Forest is filled with dangers, although getting lost in it being the foremost among travelers."

The men disappeared among the trees, their lantern light fading, and the sound of rustling reached their ears, followed by a long silence.

Bat Man exchanged a wary look with Hal, but they were both soon put at ease when the men emerged and made their way back down to them.

"Only brother boar, foraging for dinner," one of them reported to Hal with a quick laugh.

Hal waved his hand, and they resumed their weary tread through the forest.

"Should I even bother asking what it might've been?" squeaked O'Brien.

Diana was also curious to hear Hal answer this question. The woman they had crossed paths with earlier made her wonder if there were more sinister creatures waiting to make themselves known to them.

"I suppose it could've been a werewolf, or a rogue elf. Perhaps just a benevolent spirit drawn to our lantern light."

O'Brien looked faint.

"What are the properties of your lantern, that they can drive away darkness and draw lost souls to you?"

Hal smiled warmly back at Diana, feeling that she was a kindred spirit. It was rare to find others in this land that understood magic - especially in these times.

"I'll explain everything when we reach our hut," he said mysteriously.

***

It was hardly a hut. More like a hut at the foot of a vast fortress that made its home in the towering trees above.

Diana was fascinated by their building methods, but her view was cut off as they walked through the hut, which housed vast numbers of the phosphorescent insects that were kept within their lanterns. She thought that this must be their hive, of sorts.

Calls and whistles came from above, and a wicker basket was lowered to the ground from a hole in the roof towards the back of the hut.

A perpetual grin was spread across Diana's face as they walked across the suspended bridges that linked each of the buildings to each other, lit by the light of the insects flying about them in a holding pattern. They cast their shadows over the planks of the walkway in the dark of the forest, twinkling like a miniature universe around them. Was there a symbiotic relationship between the Lantern Order and the creatures that served them?

Regardless of her warrior's instincts asking her to analyze the structure of their fortress, their capabilities, she felt at home for the first time in Man's World - this was a magical place.

She looked over at Bat Man, who seemed not to notice the surroundings at all. Diana suspected he had been here before.

Unlike O'Brien, who seemed to be in a wondrous awe, although not entirely understanding the world-within-a-world he had been welcomed into.

"Welcome to our home," Hal said, as they reached the third hut, and pulled back the heavy green drapery that hung over the entrance.

***

"Let me show you more of our hut," Hal said, as he finished the last of his food.

Diana wanted to laugh at his use of the paltry word, but looked over at O'Brien, who had passed out from eating so much. Like herself, the Green Lantern Order didn't eat the flesh of animals. Surprisingly, O'Brien had stuffed himself on it. Perhaps because his inquiries into wine had been met with confused stares.

She rose to join Hal, who was already on his feet, his hood and cape discarded, leaving him with the green tunic of a unique design. Like the rest of the Order, it was a weave of plant material, treated to withstand the elements, but dyed to give off a slick green sheen.

"Would you care to join us Bat Man?" Hal offered.

Bat Man stared at Diana, as she tried to read his features. While he seemed comfortable in his surroundings, it was clear to her by his expression that he felt out of place. When he told them to go on without him, she knew that his knowledge of magic, and his acceptance of it, were two different things.

The thought was unsettling.