Story: Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride (chapter 2)

Authors: Allaine

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Chapter 2

Chapter 2

        Princess Audrey - no, Queen, or was she either now? - banged on the doors of her bedroom one last futile time before she spun away and lurched toward the bed, her head reeling.

        Her father . . . Vandal . . . poison . . . the space station . . .

        If she were the mere party girl that many people were content to believe her to be, she might have curled into a fetal position right then and not moved for hours. But Audrey, princess or not, was more than that. As Diana had said, she could be serious when she needed to be.

        Diana - her insides crawled with shame even as she mentally asked herself "What would Wonder Woman do?"

        First, she would take stock of the situation.

        Her new husband, Vandal Savage the Third, had turned out to be Vandal Savage the First. She had always referred to Vandal as a "much older man", but now she would laugh at that if the situation were not so grimly unfunny. Vandal claimed to be tens of thousands of years old, and from the way she'd seen those scratches on his cheek vanish, not one minute after she put them there, she halfway believed him.

        Whether he was immortal or not wasn't the issue. What mattered was that he was Prince of Kasnia, by virtue of his marriage to Audrey, and sat on the Kasnian throne now that her father was hopelessly paralyzed. A condition Vandal was responsible for, having admitted to poisoning her father.

        The remaining sense of panic was burned away by a new sensation, a burning anger at what Vandal had done to her family.

        Worst of all, however, was the fact that Vandal had hijacked the international space station, equipping it with some sort of rail gun that could attract, aim, and fire asteroids at Earth. Even if his mad plan failed, Audrey realized that the ensuing war would destroy her country and its people.

        Unless he could be stopped before he went too far.

        And he _could_ have been stopped if she'd listened to Diana. Perhaps not at the wedding - Vandal had given Diana no time to talk as he cunningly blasted her into unconsciousness. But there had been the scene in Diana's cell. Angry words had been exchanged. Audrey had dismissed her as a "raving lunatic". As it turned out, the Kasnian princess was the insane one.

        _Are you insane?_

        The words Diana had said to her at the base of the Eiffel Tower crept unbidden into her mind, and she winced at the memory. She'd told Diana that very night that she trusted the heroine. Was her trust so easily given and taken away?

        She couldn't do this on her own. Damn him, Vandal had her own soldiers following his orders, not hers. Part of this, she knew, was Kasnia's long history of male rulers. True, there had been a few queens, but in this part of Europe, the queen's role generally was birthing the next king. That was why she'd been promised to Vandal, wasn't it? But Audrey suspected it had more to do with Vandal himself, and that bizarre Colonel Vox. They had swayed her army's allegiance.

        If she and Kasnia both survived this, she wondered if she could have any faith in her men again. Perhaps . . . the only person you could really have faith in was another woman.

        And just because the door was locked didn't mean she couldn't leave. This castle was centuries old, and her father - she permitted herself a solitary tear for him, and she promised herself she would find the antidote to the poison that had felled him - had learned long ago that locking the bedroom door wasn't enough to keep his wild child in.

        Darting over to the wall, it was a simple thing to push the false stone and slip through the entrance that appeared behind the tapestry. Audrey slipped through and disappeared.

____________________________

        It would have surprised both women to know that they were thinking remarkably similar things at that moment. For her part, Wonder Woman was silent as she hung suspended from the wall in her dungeon cell. The metal that encased her hands was too strong even for her. Evidently Savage had been prepared for the arrival of someone like her.

        Diana cursed herself. Great Hera certainly wouldn't help an Amazon like her, one that charged blindly into a situation without thinking, and got herself into a total mess. What had she been _doing_? How could she have expected Audrey to believe her, after she'd wrecked three Kasnian jets and hurled a tank through the wall of the church where Audrey was being married?!

        And she didn't have proof, either. She had only suspicions. Diana had asked Audrey if Kasnia had any involvement in the recent technology thefts, and she had denied it. Diana had believed her too, but now she saw the flaw in her questioning. What if Kasnia was stealing technology on Vandal Savage's orders, not Audrey's father's?

        Diana still felt a hatred for Savage since her unplanned excursion back to World War II, and now it burned twice as hotly. He was going to plunge the world into yet another war, and this would be worst of all, but one definite loser would be Kasnia and poor, sweet Audrey.

        Sweet Audrey . . . that was why she'd flown after her. She'd felt a connection between the two, and on some level, Diana had thought Audrey would take her at her word. She said she trusted Diana, didn't she? When Diana told her Colonel Vox had tried to kill her, wouldn't that be enough?

        Diana had lashed out at her earlier, but really, she couldn't blame Audrey. She was the one who stormed in like a madwoman. She couldn't really have expected Audrey to believe her after they'd only known each other for a day or two, even though the princess had called her friend and invited her to join her bridal party. Could she? Then why had Audrey's rejection hurt her so?

        No one had told her what Savage was up to, but she knew it couldn't be good. The Justice League would have to handle it without her, for now. At least Batman knew where she was. They'd find her sooner or later.

        If Savage didn't do something first.

        Her head dropped. No wonder she felt so alone.

__________________________

        Batman more than knew where she was. Without her JLA communicator, she couldn't know that he was hiding above her, not more than ten yards away. He would have acted sooner, but there were several men guarding her, and so he'd waited for an opportunity. That had not come, and from what he was hearing from Green Lantern, the Martian Manhunter, and the Flash, they would need Wonder Woman very soon.

        He'd moved from his original hiding place, and he drew a special batarang from his belt, one that would explode a few moments after it made impact. It would distract the guards, and this was little different from a half-dozen henchmen in an abandoned warehouse.

        As he prepared to throw, however, something happened. He heard the footsteps on the stone floor, and he knew it was a woman. And only one woman could be down here at a time like this. The Princess - who Wonder Woman had suggested in her hotel room wasn't all that bad, but who struck him as a stupid young woman with her head wedged firmly in the sand - had returned.

        Perhaps she'd grown accustomed to the idea of being married to the ruler of the world. All the shopping she liked.

        Princess Audrey marched up to the head of the detail. "Sergeant," she said imperiously.

        Batman could see Wonder Woman's head rise.

        The sergeant stiffened. "Yes, your Majesty."

        "And don't you forget it," she said coyly, but could the Batman detect a hint of nerves underlying her words? That perhaps she was glad to hear the words "your Majesty" leaving his lips? "My husband has received word that the Justice League will be mounting another attack on the castle. Apparently this little snake was only a feint."

        Batman was puzzled. He knew there was no attack.

        "Therefore your services are required upstairs," she went on. "The prince wishes to reinforce his men on the walls, and so you will be needed in the control room."

        Now he knew, and he revised his opinion of the princess slightly upward.

        "But your Majesty . . ." the sergeant blustered.

        Audrey arched an eyebrow. "You disobey me? Your Queen? Who brings you an order from the acting King?"

        That had broken the soldier, and he dutifully left with his men. Audrey had reassured him with the observation that Wonder Woman couldn't escape, men or no men. She'd made as if to follow, but she remained behind.

        Then the princess took a rifle from the wall and went over to Wonder Woman's cell. "Hello, Diana," she said calmly.

        "Princess," Diana replied.

        "Are we no longer on a first-name basis?" Audrey asked.

        "I'm just a lunatic," Wonder Woman said. "And you're the ruler of Kasnia. I doubt I'm still on your list of people to go clubbing with."

        "True," Audrey answered. "You're not really an expert on fun, aren't you? Although you were a good student the other night." She paused. "I thought you were a good friend too."

        Diana glared at her. "I was," she retorted. "And sometimes a friend has to tell you what you don't want to hear."

        Audrey brought the rifle up so that it was pointing at Diana's chest. "You're the first person who wasn't afraid to," she said.

        Alarmed, Batman pulled out a bolo that would immobilize the Princess' arms, but he would have to get into position first.

        Diana remained impassive. "Is this how you repay me?" she asked softly.

        "Yes."

        Shifting her aim slightly, Audrey blasted the lock off of Diana's cell door. Dropping the firearm, she pulled the door open and hurried inside.

        "Audrey?" Diana asked uncertainly, her surprise evident.

        Audrey glanced at the special bonds holding Diana's hands in place. Then she looked back at the Amazon, and Diana could see the remorse in her eyes. "Now I know why you were the only bridesmaid I could call a friend. I seem to treat my friends in the most beastly ways. Diana, can you ever forgive me?"

        "There's nothing to forgive," Diana said, flushing as she felt warmth rushing into her face. "I went about it so completely wrong . . ."

        "Diana, please," Audrey interrupted her. "I told you I trusted you, something I never even said to my - husband." She pronounced the last word with a great deal of malice. "I betrayed us both tonight."

        "I realize this is a feminine moment, but could you let someone who knows what he's doing unlock those?"

        Audrey gasped and spun around. "Where did you come from?" she asked the Batman.

        "And how long have you been there?" Wonder Woman added, frowning.

        "Long enough that I would have saved you out of pure boredom if the princess hadn't shown up," Batman said neutrally as he managed to free Diana's right hand within seconds.

        "Don't forget, you're speaking to an Amazon," Audrey said coolly, folding her arms. "They don't need men to save them. And men are only interested in themselves."

        "We're not all as bad as Vandal Savage," Batman responded as he worked on Diana's other hand. "Just like not all women are as good as Wonder Woman," he added with a touch of apology.

        "I'd already figured the latter part out," Audrey replied, smiling at Diana.

        Diana smiled as well, and as Batman told her the shocking details about what Savage was up to, she swore that he would be stopped, as much for Audrey and her country as for anything else.

__________________________________

        ***"You've got a great deal of rebuilding to do," Diana observed. It was perhaps a trifle unnecessary, since they were standing together in the ruins of the Kasnian palace. It had been completely leveled by an incoming meteor, courtesy of Vandal Savage's mass driver. Of course, Savage hadn't intended to smash his own castle. That had been Batman's doing. Wonder Woman now knew that his intended target had been Paris, and she was very glad that Savage was annihilated in the blast, buried under tons of stone and metal.

        "I never liked the palace anyway. Drafty," Audrey replied lightly. She moved to a higher point. "But maybe now there's a chance for me and Kasnia to make a new start," she mused.

        Diana watched her and thought it more than likely.

        Their discussion was halted by the emergence of Vandal Savage from the rubble, however. Diana watched in horror as the war criminal stood up from an explosion he never should have survived, and escaped from a grave he never should have dug out of. As his bones appeared to snap back into place, she realized that Savage had some sort of tremendous healing factor, and perhaps this explained how he could resemble his grandfather so closely. Because he was his grandfather.

        "Seize that thing!" Audrey ordered, pointing in revulsion at Savage. And this time, her men obeyed her.

        "I don't know how you survived," she continued, approaching Savage. She was so small compared to him, but she had complete control. "But I promise that you'll pay for your crimes in full."

        Unbelievably, Savage was more than able to respond. "Do your worst, child," he sneered. "I'm immortal. I can't be killed."

        That explained a lot, Diana thought.

        Audrey thought of her father, raised an eyebrow, and smiled wickedly. "We'll see." She watched as they took him away.

        Diana moved to speak to her again, but Batman appeared next to her. Wonder Woman looked at him and decided she wanted to speak to Audrey alone. "You know," she said to him, "we never did get to finish our dance."

        Batman had absolutely no expression. "I don't know what you're talking about," he finally replied.

        "If you say so," Diana said.***

        He turned and left, and she smiled. Evidently it was a conversation he didn't want to continue. She hoped he realized she would never tell anyone that he was Bruce Wayne.

        She caught up with Audrey. "What are you going to do with him?" she asked.

        "For one thing," Audrey answered, "I hope to extract from him the nature of the poison he gave my father. Perhaps there is an antidote. In the meantime, he says he can't be killed. But who said anything about killing him? Let's see how he enjoys 25,000 years in prison."

        The princess looked around and saw they were basically alone. "Why didn't you go with the Batman?" she asked.

        "I'm not finished with you," Wonder Woman said.

        Audrey looked away, ashamed.

        "No, wait," Diana continued, realizing the princess had misinterpreted her words. "I didn't mean to suggest I was angry. I'm really not, Audrey. It doesn't matter what happened before. What matters is you came back."

        "If I'd listened to you sooner, a lot of this might not have happened," Audrey said softly.

        "I made mistakes too," Diana told her. "Look, either we can blame ourselves, we can blame each other, or we can put it behind us. I say we put it behind us. How about you?"

        Audrey nodded after a moment. "All right, Diana." She sighed. "You said that sometimes friends have to tell each other things they don't want to hear, right?"

        "That's right."

        "What is going to happen to Kasnia over the next few days, Diana?"

        Diana had already considered this. "The space station has been destroyed. Kasnia handled much of the financing, so that's not a big deal. But three American ships were destroyed by that first meteor, Audrey." She put her hand on Audrey's shoulder. "Dozens of American sailors lost their lives. The United States is going to want something in return. I would suggest giving them Savage. Let them try him as a war criminal, which he is. You may also have to grant the U.S. some other form of concessions."

        Audrey clenched a fist. "They can have him - after I've had a few days to deal with him." Then she reached up and squeezed the hand Diana still had on her shoulder. "This is going to be a very hard time. Thank you, Diana. I . . ."

        "What?" Diana asked.

        " . . . I need you," Audrey whispered.

        Diana's eyes widened. "You what?"

        Audrey turned around so that Diana's hand fell away. "You saw what happened tonight," she said. "My fiancée was a psychopath. My own soldiers obeyed his commands, not mine. My father cannot move or speak." She folded her arms as if she were cold. Perhaps she was, for she was outside and not dressed very warmly, but Diana suspected it had little to do with the temperature. "I feel very alone right now, and now more than ever, you are the only person I can trust." She winced even as she said the words. "I realize you must think of me as such a liar when I've showed how little my trust is worth . . ."

        "Audrey, stop," Diana said, taking her hand again. "I thought we agreed to put that behind us. And I think your trust is a thing of great value. But I would be a poor choice for an advisor."

        "You're a princess too," Audrey reminded her.

        Diana sighed. "Can you promise not to repeat what I'm about to tell you?" she asked.

        "Of course. We're keeping each other's secrets already, after all."

        "Last year I was expelled from my homeland," Diana said quietly. "I broke one of Themiscyra's oldest laws, and for that my own mother was forced to disinherit me and order me never to return." She looked away, her eyes sad. "I've only seen her once since then. So I would be a poor role model."

        "You're also Wonder Woman," Audrey said stubbornly. "You're a hero, and no matter what you did on your island, you still know what it's like to be a princess. Diana, I have complete faith in your guidance. And I don't just want an advisor. I need a friend. It will be very lonely, not being able to trust my own government. I'm a veritable Amazon myself, because I no longer have complete confidence in the men around me! And you were right the other day. We are more alike than I realized. I lost my mother too, you know."

        Diana closed her eyes. "For a JLA member to become affiliated with the Kasnian government . . ."

        "I'm not asking you to become our new Foreign Minister!" Audrey interjected. "The world doesn't have t to know. You can help me in what they call your 'unofficial capacity'." She took Diana's other hand. "Please," she said desperately. "I showed you how to have a good time. Now you have to show me how to lead. I don't think I can do it alone."

        Looking into her pleading eyes, Diana knew she couldn't say no to her. There was something about Audrey that spoke to her, and she realized it wasn't just about helping her. She really wanted to spend more time with her.

        A lot more.

        "All right," Diana whispered. "I'll do it."

        Yesterday Audrey might have kicked up her heels and cheered. Tonight she just exhaled and smiled in relief. "Thank you, Diana. I knew I could count on you." She turned around. "But I think I'd better be getting back. I need to take the reins and see what is happening."

        "And I'd better check in with the Justice League," Wonder Woman replied.

        Princess Audrey - Queen Audrey, she now thought with more confidence - looked back at her. "Will you come tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

        "If I'm not saving the world, yes," Diana promised her. She grinned. "And maybe even if I am."

        Audrey laughed. "Even I'm not worth that much," she said. She stood on her tiptoes, gave Diana a friendly peck on the cheek, and left.

        Diana put a finger to her cheek. "Maybe you are," she murmured.

        To be continued . . .

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