starsandsea (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
starsandsea) wrote2009-10-04 06:51 pm
starsandsea) wrote2009-10-04 06:51 pm
Entry tags:
Fic: The Cacophony of Bats Wings (9/13)
Title: The Cacophony of Bats Wings (9/13)
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairing: Bruce/Kal, Harvey, Diana
Word Count: 1568
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: Previous parts can be found here. Betaed by the lovely![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mithen! :)
It had been six days. Six days of hiding, six days of watching the mercenaries, gathering intelligence. Six days of waiting.
Fortunately, the mercenaries had not moved in those days. But then, it had been snowing, and a bitter wind had blown. They did not know the terrain; it would have been pure stupidity for them to have advanced.
But now, at last, they had got word from the scouts. One of Bruce's and one of Dick's men had met, sharing information. Dick had met up with Jason and Cassandra, and they were ready to move. With a force of nearly two thousand men. It seemed the people of Bludhaven were ready to fight to protect their homes after all.
But there had been no word from any of the scouts of any soldiers approaching from Metropolis. Had something had happened to Kal? Were they under attack as well? Bruce bit his lip in concern, and shivered in his cold armour at a cruel gust of wind.
They could wait no longer, regardless of if there was any aid coming from Metropolis or not. The mercenaries were making preparations to move themselves into Gotham proper, while the weather was clear.
They could not let that happen. Dick, Jason and Cass were already moving forward from the south. Bruce and his men would come from the east. Hopefully, the mercenaries would be surprised, and fall back, until the looming mountains trapped them in. Hopefully. It was less than ideal, but it was all they could do, with less than four thousand men.
Bruce stifled a sigh as he put his helmet on. But, he had to admit to himself, deep down in his heart, it was better than endless rounds of paperwork. He had missed this even more than he had realized. He strapped his sword on, then strode out of his tent.
The men were ready and waiting. Some would remain here, to guard the camp, and, if it came to the worst, bring word to Barbara, Tim and Stephy, Alfred, Leslie and Lucius of their defeat.
Bruce mounted his horse. He would do everything in his power to ensure it did not come to that. Harvey came up to his side on his own horse, and Bruce nodded at him.
"I'll see you later," Harvey smiled at him, a small lifting of his lips, but his eyes were shadowed.
"Yes," Bruce nodded.
Gordon gave the order, and with Bruce, The Dark Knight, the King, leading them, they went forth to battle.
*****
It was chaos. Bruce had lost sight of Gordon and Harvey a long time ago, and his horse. They had surprised the mercenaries, yes. That part of the plan had worked perfectly. But they had been surprised in return at how large their number were. Reinforcements must have arrived during the night.
Dick, Jason and Cassandra had brought their men up from the south. That had worked as well. But they were hopelessly outnumbered.
Bruce dodged another vicious blow. They kept aiming for him, of course, if they killed him they would almost certainly win the battle. Bruce wished he had said goodbye to Kal properly, to his brothers and sisters, left them letters of farewell, at least.
He did not want to kill the mercenaries, he was trying to only wound them, and he was paying for it. He slipped on the wet ground, the snow having turned to slush under so many feet, of both men and horses. A sword arced down, catching the weak sunlight and glinting. Bruce just managed to block it as the horns sounded.
For a moment, the fighting stopped, as everyone tried to understand what was going on. Bruce quickly regained his footing, disarmed and knocked out his opponent, then frowned at what he saw.
From the north, soldiers were coming. Even from this distance, he could tell that most of them were women. He squinted at the banner, recognising it in the back of his mind.... The new soldiers were led by a woman with dark hair, clad in red and blue and gold.
More horns sounded, this time from the west. Bruce jerked, quickly turning his attention away from the north. He had heard those horns almost every single day for four years. Metropolis. They appeared, as the soldiers from the north had done, over a small hill. The weak sunlight glinted off their armour, and at their head...
Bruce's heart leaped. Kal. Kal! The horns sounded again, the forces from Metropolis and the north crashed down the hills, and the battle resumed once more.
*****
Bruce fought his way to Kal's side, desperate to be beside his lover once more. There were guards around Kal, defending him, but they were slowly getting separated. The mercenaries were panicking, not expecting such reinforcements, not on their unprotected flanks. Now the numbers were even, a fair fight at last.
Bruce finally reached Kal's side, blocking an ax with his sword that would have hewn his lover's head in two, disarming the mercenary, then hitting him on the head with the pommel of his sword, making him fall to the ground.
Kal turned, and looked at him, slightly wide eyed, and Bruce realized suddenly that Kal had no idea it was him in the armour. He was not sure how far the tales of The Dark Knight had spread, but he gathered in most of them his identity was not known. He had started that deliberately, so he would not be treated like a Prince, just another warrior, when he began his time leading the soldiers of Gotham. But his fame had spread until The Dark Knight, as he became named, was just as well known as Crown Prince Bruce Wayne of Gotham. He had never told Kal he and The Dark Knight were one and the same, it had simply never come up.
But all those thoughts and realizations were swept away as he saw Kal's eyes. He could not stop himself from breathing his name. "Kal."
Somehow, over the din of the battle, Kal heard, his eyes going wide. "Bruce?"
And then Bruce did something incredibly stupid. He took his helmet off. Kal did the same, and they kissed passionately as the battle raged around them.
They were both panting, gasping for air once they broke apart. "Bruce." Kal said his name again, and Bruce could not stop himself from smiling. But he carefully put his helmet back on, Kal echoing his movements after blinking for a second.
"Kal!" A woman's voice called out, clear and joyous. The woman who had been leading the other force, from the north. She was not wearing a helmet; her hair was flowing free and spots of blood were on her face. But her eyes were alight with blue flame, and a fierce smile was on her lips.
"Diana," Kal said, inclining his head, then turned to him. Bruce could hear the smile in his voice. "Bruce, this is Diana, Princess of Themyscira. Diana, this is Bruce, the King-"
His introduction was cut off by mercenaries sweeping forward around them. Diana laughed, and Bruce felt something in him resonant at the sound. "It is nice to met you! Kal has told me a lot about you. We will have to talk later!"
Bruce just nodded, but that seemed to be enough for her. She moved on, cutting a path through the mercenaries, making Bruce blink at the quickness of it. He looked around. Kal's back was against his own. He was not sure where Dick or Jason or Cass were. Or Harvey and Gordon. He hoped they were safe.
The leaders of the mercenaries started calling for a retreat, causing a great roar to go up, whether from the mercenaries or the allies in triumph, he was not sure. But the mercenaries were desperate now: this was not the way they had planed this to go. And when men were desperate they became their most dangerous.
Bruce was moving forward when there was an explosion to his left. He staggered, the force of it knocking many to their feet. Kal's arm went about him, steadying them both. They looked to their left - the battle had been silenced by the blast. But Bruce felt a chill run through him, a shiver going down his spine.
He started to make his way towards where the blast had come from, Kal following him, calling out for him to wait. The mercenaries were pushing him back, moving in the opposite direction. They were in full retreat now, but Bruce... He knew he had to get to where the blast had been. Something was calling him there.
He was completely cut off from Kal as the flow of men grew greater, but at least they were not fighting him. Many men, both mercenaries and allies were on the ground, some not moving, others holding their heads, or other body parts. But something was calling Bruce closer still, until he was at the very centre of the blast.
A lone solder lay face down in the melted snow. Harvey.
Bruce knelt by his side, dropping his sword, then very carefully rolled his friend's limp body over. And gasped in horror at what he saw. "Harvey!"
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairing: Bruce/Kal, Harvey, Diana
Word Count: 1568
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: Previous parts can be found here. Betaed by the lovely
mithen! :)It had been six days. Six days of hiding, six days of watching the mercenaries, gathering intelligence. Six days of waiting.
Fortunately, the mercenaries had not moved in those days. But then, it had been snowing, and a bitter wind had blown. They did not know the terrain; it would have been pure stupidity for them to have advanced.
But now, at last, they had got word from the scouts. One of Bruce's and one of Dick's men had met, sharing information. Dick had met up with Jason and Cassandra, and they were ready to move. With a force of nearly two thousand men. It seemed the people of Bludhaven were ready to fight to protect their homes after all.
But there had been no word from any of the scouts of any soldiers approaching from Metropolis. Had something had happened to Kal? Were they under attack as well? Bruce bit his lip in concern, and shivered in his cold armour at a cruel gust of wind.
They could wait no longer, regardless of if there was any aid coming from Metropolis or not. The mercenaries were making preparations to move themselves into Gotham proper, while the weather was clear.
They could not let that happen. Dick, Jason and Cass were already moving forward from the south. Bruce and his men would come from the east. Hopefully, the mercenaries would be surprised, and fall back, until the looming mountains trapped them in. Hopefully. It was less than ideal, but it was all they could do, with less than four thousand men.
Bruce stifled a sigh as he put his helmet on. But, he had to admit to himself, deep down in his heart, it was better than endless rounds of paperwork. He had missed this even more than he had realized. He strapped his sword on, then strode out of his tent.
The men were ready and waiting. Some would remain here, to guard the camp, and, if it came to the worst, bring word to Barbara, Tim and Stephy, Alfred, Leslie and Lucius of their defeat.
Bruce mounted his horse. He would do everything in his power to ensure it did not come to that. Harvey came up to his side on his own horse, and Bruce nodded at him.
"I'll see you later," Harvey smiled at him, a small lifting of his lips, but his eyes were shadowed.
"Yes," Bruce nodded.
Gordon gave the order, and with Bruce, The Dark Knight, the King, leading them, they went forth to battle.
*****
It was chaos. Bruce had lost sight of Gordon and Harvey a long time ago, and his horse. They had surprised the mercenaries, yes. That part of the plan had worked perfectly. But they had been surprised in return at how large their number were. Reinforcements must have arrived during the night.
Dick, Jason and Cassandra had brought their men up from the south. That had worked as well. But they were hopelessly outnumbered.
Bruce dodged another vicious blow. They kept aiming for him, of course, if they killed him they would almost certainly win the battle. Bruce wished he had said goodbye to Kal properly, to his brothers and sisters, left them letters of farewell, at least.
He did not want to kill the mercenaries, he was trying to only wound them, and he was paying for it. He slipped on the wet ground, the snow having turned to slush under so many feet, of both men and horses. A sword arced down, catching the weak sunlight and glinting. Bruce just managed to block it as the horns sounded.
For a moment, the fighting stopped, as everyone tried to understand what was going on. Bruce quickly regained his footing, disarmed and knocked out his opponent, then frowned at what he saw.
From the north, soldiers were coming. Even from this distance, he could tell that most of them were women. He squinted at the banner, recognising it in the back of his mind.... The new soldiers were led by a woman with dark hair, clad in red and blue and gold.
More horns sounded, this time from the west. Bruce jerked, quickly turning his attention away from the north. He had heard those horns almost every single day for four years. Metropolis. They appeared, as the soldiers from the north had done, over a small hill. The weak sunlight glinted off their armour, and at their head...
Bruce's heart leaped. Kal. Kal! The horns sounded again, the forces from Metropolis and the north crashed down the hills, and the battle resumed once more.
*****
Bruce fought his way to Kal's side, desperate to be beside his lover once more. There were guards around Kal, defending him, but they were slowly getting separated. The mercenaries were panicking, not expecting such reinforcements, not on their unprotected flanks. Now the numbers were even, a fair fight at last.
Bruce finally reached Kal's side, blocking an ax with his sword that would have hewn his lover's head in two, disarming the mercenary, then hitting him on the head with the pommel of his sword, making him fall to the ground.
Kal turned, and looked at him, slightly wide eyed, and Bruce realized suddenly that Kal had no idea it was him in the armour. He was not sure how far the tales of The Dark Knight had spread, but he gathered in most of them his identity was not known. He had started that deliberately, so he would not be treated like a Prince, just another warrior, when he began his time leading the soldiers of Gotham. But his fame had spread until The Dark Knight, as he became named, was just as well known as Crown Prince Bruce Wayne of Gotham. He had never told Kal he and The Dark Knight were one and the same, it had simply never come up.
But all those thoughts and realizations were swept away as he saw Kal's eyes. He could not stop himself from breathing his name. "Kal."
Somehow, over the din of the battle, Kal heard, his eyes going wide. "Bruce?"
And then Bruce did something incredibly stupid. He took his helmet off. Kal did the same, and they kissed passionately as the battle raged around them.
They were both panting, gasping for air once they broke apart. "Bruce." Kal said his name again, and Bruce could not stop himself from smiling. But he carefully put his helmet back on, Kal echoing his movements after blinking for a second.
"Kal!" A woman's voice called out, clear and joyous. The woman who had been leading the other force, from the north. She was not wearing a helmet; her hair was flowing free and spots of blood were on her face. But her eyes were alight with blue flame, and a fierce smile was on her lips.
"Diana," Kal said, inclining his head, then turned to him. Bruce could hear the smile in his voice. "Bruce, this is Diana, Princess of Themyscira. Diana, this is Bruce, the King-"
His introduction was cut off by mercenaries sweeping forward around them. Diana laughed, and Bruce felt something in him resonant at the sound. "It is nice to met you! Kal has told me a lot about you. We will have to talk later!"
Bruce just nodded, but that seemed to be enough for her. She moved on, cutting a path through the mercenaries, making Bruce blink at the quickness of it. He looked around. Kal's back was against his own. He was not sure where Dick or Jason or Cass were. Or Harvey and Gordon. He hoped they were safe.
The leaders of the mercenaries started calling for a retreat, causing a great roar to go up, whether from the mercenaries or the allies in triumph, he was not sure. But the mercenaries were desperate now: this was not the way they had planed this to go. And when men were desperate they became their most dangerous.
Bruce was moving forward when there was an explosion to his left. He staggered, the force of it knocking many to their feet. Kal's arm went about him, steadying them both. They looked to their left - the battle had been silenced by the blast. But Bruce felt a chill run through him, a shiver going down his spine.
He started to make his way towards where the blast had come from, Kal following him, calling out for him to wait. The mercenaries were pushing him back, moving in the opposite direction. They were in full retreat now, but Bruce... He knew he had to get to where the blast had been. Something was calling him there.
He was completely cut off from Kal as the flow of men grew greater, but at least they were not fighting him. Many men, both mercenaries and allies were on the ground, some not moving, others holding their heads, or other body parts. But something was calling Bruce closer still, until he was at the very centre of the blast.
A lone solder lay face down in the melted snow. Harvey.
Bruce knelt by his side, dropping his sword, then very carefully rolled his friend's limp body over. And gasped in horror at what he saw. "Harvey!"