George returned to the dining room with a guest.
Diana of Themyscira.
Arthur had risen from his chair, his expression shifting from surprise to something more guarded. Raven remained seated, her hand still wrapped around her teacup, her eyes fixed on the Amazon princess.
Diana's smile was warm. "Arthur. Raven. I hope I am not interrupting."
Raven's cheeks flushed just slightly. "No, not at all."
Arthur's lips curved. "You are, actually. But it's fine, you are a friend afterall, Diana." He gestured at the table. "Join us. George already made plenty of food, as you can see."
Diana's laugh was a warm, genuine sound. "I see that. George's reputation precedes him, Kara praises him alot." She moved to take a seat, her armor creaking softly as she settled into the chair. "Thank you for your hospitality."
George appeared beside her, a fresh cup of tea already in hand. "For you, Miss Diana. Earl Grey, with a touch of honey."
Diana's eyebrow rose. "You remembered my pick from last time? During the celebration Arthur hosted here?"
"I remember everything, Miss Diana." George's smile was serene. "It is one of my many talents."
Arthur settled back into his chair, his eyes fixed on Diana. "So," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "What brings you here?"
Diana took a sip of her tea, her eyes closing briefly in appreciation. Then she set the cup down, her expression shifting to something more serious.
"How are you both doing?" she asked. "After everything that has happened?"
Raven's hand found Arthur's under the table. "We're fine," she said. "Tired. But fine."
Arthur nodded. "It's been eventful yes, but I'm doing okay."
Diana's smile was understanding. "I can imagine." She paused, her fingers tracing the edge of her teacup. "But I didn't come here just to check on you. I came because of what you encountered in that dungeon in Greece."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Grail."
"Yes." Diana's voice hardened. "Her."
Raven's grip on Arthur's hand tightened. "She is still on my mind," she said, her voice carrying a note of frustration. "She managed to escape us. Took a dragon corpse with her, we simply know that she serves Darkseid and nothing more."
Arthur's eyes found Diana's. "Did you learn anything?"
Diana nodded slowly. "Yes. I went back to Themyscira, I consulted the ancient texts, spoke with my mother, and learned quite a bit about her." She paused. "For starters, she was born the same time as I was. But she was raised and trained in secret. She also fled Themyscira a long time ago and was never seen again."
Arthur and Raven exchanged glances.
Diana's jaw tightened. "Her appearance in that dungeon makes it the only time she has been seen since then." Her voice hardened. "I feel like defeating her is my responsibility. She is one of my people, even if she is the daughter of Darkseid. She is dangerous, a very skilled and strong fighter, I've also heard that she doesn't exactly have any sort of affection for him... so the fact that she is serving him is not quite clear to me."
She met Arthur's eyes.
"I don't wish to burden you with anymore battles, Arthur. You have already cleaned up a mess made by the Gods some time ago." Her voice was quiet, earnest. "Please allow me to take care of her if she ever appears."
Arthur's eyebrow rose. "Are you saying that if I ever see her again, I shouldn't attack her on sight, and let you do the job for me?"
Diana shook her head. "I am saying that if she ever appears again on Earth, I will be there myself. Naturally, if she attacks you or tries to harm anyone, you are free to stop her." Her eyes met his. "But be sure that I will be there as well. I am sorry, but this is my responsibility as an amazonian warrior."
Arthur was silent for a long moment.
Then he nodded slowly. "I understand. But I don't think Grail will appear again anytime soon. My Shadow Lanterns are observing the forces of Apokolips across the sectors. There have been no sightings of her, or any of the New Gods that serve Darkseid. They have been very quiet."
Raven's voice was flat. "They are preparing something."
Diana's eyes narrowed. "You said she took a dragon corpse, right?"
Arthur nodded. "She did. Bruce also mentioned that they could make weapons out of it. Or study its unique biology and try to weaponize it." His voice hardened. "Either way, it was a mistake to let her escape like that. She took me by surprise, no one would have anticipated someone like that to appear inside a dungeon." He paused. "That's why I told Bruce to pass on a command to all the Hunters. If they ever see certain individuals like that, they are to leave the dungeons and call upon the Justice League."
Diana rose from her chair.
"I am sorry for taking your time," she said. "This is all I wanted to ask of you, Arthur."
Raven's voice carried a note of surprise. "Leaving already?"
Diana's smile was warm, but tired. "Duty calls. As you know it already."
George walked towards the doorway, "I will accompany you outside, Miss Diana."
Diana inclined her head. "Thank you, George."
She turned to Arthur and Raven one last time. "Be safe, both of you. I have a feeling that the coming days will be difficult."
Arthur's voice was quiet. "We will."
Diana walked toward the door, George falling into step beside her.
Arthur watched her go.
Then he sighed, Raven's hand found his. "Seems like a burden she carries. A member of her own people, being the daughter of Darkseid and all." She paused. "In a way, I understand exactly how she feels."
Arthur was silent for a moment.
Then he turned to her, his expression shifting to something lighter. "Do you have plans for the day?"
Raven's smile was sharp, knowing. "I do. And I even have other plans for our enemies, one that you'll like."
Arthur's eyebrow rose. "Oh?"
Raven's smile widened. "Let's go see Kara first."
.
.
.
.
Fortress of Solitude -
Kara Zor-El sat on a crystalline bench, her legs curled beneath her, a half-eaten tub of whatever she was eating balanced on her knee. She had been staring at the same spot on the wall for the past ten minutes, her mind drifting through thoughts she had been trying to avoid for weeks.
The robot, one of Clark's many automated servants moved through the chamber, its optical sensors glowing with soft blue light. It paused beside her, its head tilting with mechanical curiosity.
"Kara Zor-El," it said, its voice a pleasant monotone. "You have a visitor."
Kara blinked. "A visitor?"
She turned.
Arthur stood at the entrance of the chamber, his hands in his pockets, his violet eyes were soft, his smile genuine, his presence a comfort that Kara hadn't realized she had been craving.
"Hi," he said.
Kara's tub fell.
It hit the crystalline floor with a soft thud, its contents splattering across the polished surface. Kara didn't notice. Her eyes were fixed on Arthur, her mouth slightly open, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest.
"Arthur..." Her voice was barely a whisper.
She rose from the bench, her legs unsteady, her hands trembling at her sides. She took a step toward him, then another and then she was running, closing the distance between them in a blur.
She threw her arms around him.
Arthur caught her, his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her close. She buried her face in his chest, her shoulders shaking with something that might have been laughter or tears or both.
"Why didn't you come sooner?" she murmured into his chest, her voice muffled.
Arthur's hand moved to her hair, stroking it gently. "Well," he said in gentle humor. "you confined yourself here because you felt like you had become a burden. I didn't want to intrude on whatever was going on inside that head of yours."
He pointed a finger at her forehead.
Kara pulled back just enough to look at him, her eyes red-rimmed. "I.."
"I gave you the freedom to clear your mind," Arthur continued, his voice soft. "And besides, you were with Clark. I wasn't worried."
"That's..." She buried her face in his chest again, her voice muffled. "You are correct. As usual.."
Arthur's arms tightened around her.
"Well, look at that," a voice said from the corner. "Kara admitting defeat."
Kara's head snapped up.
Raven sat in a crystalline chair near the wall, her legs crossed, her lips were curved into a smug smile.
"Raven!" Kara's voice carried a note of surprise. "You are here too!"
Raven rose from the chair, walking toward them. "I wouldn't miss it." Her eyes swept over Kara, cataloguing her appearance. "Besides, you look fine to me. A bit messy, but nothing unusual about you."
Kara's laugh was watery, but genuine. "Oh, shut up..."
Arthur's hand moved to Kara's abdomen. His eyes glowed faintly with enhanced vision, scanning her form.
"Both of you are healthy," he said, "That's a relief."
Kara's hand covered his. "Well, even Kal didn't allow me to do much. He kept telling me to rest."
Raven's smile widened. "By the looks of it, it won't be long for the little one to arrive."
Kara's cheeks flushed. "Raven!"
Arthur's laugh was warm. "When that time comes," he said, his voice growing more serious, "I want you to be in my own realm. The World of Eternal Slumber, there, you will be safer."
Kara's eyes narrowed. "Are you suggesting that I would deliver my child in a shadow realm?"
Arthur's hands raised in a placating gesture. "We won't have to if everything is fine. Just in case..."
Kara's expression shifted, the humor fading. "What? Did something happen? Are we on the verge of annihilation?"
She joked.
But both Arthur and Raven were silent.
Kara's eyes widened.
Her hand fell from Arthur's.
"You..." Her voice was quiet, barely a whisper. "You fought the other Monarchs without me, haven't you?"
Arthur's jaw tightened.
"Yes."
Kara's hand rose to her mouth. "Arthur..."
"They're gone," he said quietly. "All of them. Except the Dragon Monarch."
Kara stared at him.
Her eyes searched his face, looking for wounds, for pain, for anything that would tell her how much he had suffered. She saw the exhaustion in his eyes, the lingering traces of battles fought and won.
She pulled him into another hug, tighter this time, more desperate.
"Idiot," she whispered into his chest. "You absolute idiot! I said I would fight beside you!"
Arthur's arms wrapped around her. "You did, but I'm never truly alone in battles."
/-\
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