The cost of kindness

The march back into the city was silent, somber. With the apprehension of the fallen Amazons who attacked the queen successful, their prisoners were led back into the city walls where hundreds of their sisters looked up in silent shame at what they had become away from prying eyes. The shackled harpies shambled one step at a time on clawed pinions, clumsily like a grounded hawk not used to the ground. Some so far gone they moved on all fours, hissing back at the guards who eyed their movements and kept them marching into the city.

Eyeing their queen break off from the patrol she brought with her to head towards a bench where the man and his son sat, being coddled by their record keeper and princess, Aello hissed with rage to see the woman take off her helmet and pull the man to her in a sympathetic embrace. Kneeling to do the same for the child as if he were her own flesh and blood.

“Weakling…” She hissed again. “She is NOT our queen!”

“You’ve proven that long before we marched into the woods to flush you out Aello.” Phillipus retorted sternly, raising her mace to pull the harpy’s attention away from her queen consoling the Thracy family and up to her stunning visage. “The queen has decided you were be detained until we can determine how to best address your current madness.”

“Madness?” Screeched Ocypete, raising her shackled claws furiously up in the air. “The only madness is the lot of you pampering to that man-thing and his spawn… That and the betrayal of THIS one.”

Turning her hateful gaze over to Alkyone, the harpy was strangely glib the entire journey back into the city proper. Looking around the streets to the hundreds of amazons watching them being marched in with curious indifference as she played with her talons bound in shackles. Realising she was being addressed, the former general of Hippolyta’s armies shrugged with what could only be described as a smirk.

“Pff… You’re only saying that because I gave you a bear hug, honestly something tells me you needed a few hundred of those living here… Either that or a stiff drink, AM I RIGHT LADIES?” Looking over to the rest of the royal guard giving her a stoic look of nonresponse, Alkyone returned her gaze back to Aello and Ocypete with a chuckle. “Yeah, they know.”

Leaving her charge to join her queen, Phillipus took her own helmet off to kneel in front of the child, resting a hand at his shoulder before standing to do the same for his father.

“You have my deepest sympathies Mr. Thracy.” Stated Hippolyta, handing her shield and spear to one of her guards as Diana stepped over to stand shoulder to shoulder with her mother. “

Looking out over to where the harpies were being escorted, Gary held his son closed while Alexa stood behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder with a gentle squeeze that made him wince a sad smile back to her before he turned his attention to the queen of Themyscira.

“What’s going to happen to them?”

Looking over her shoulder to the harpies being paraded down the streets to the royal palace, the Queen straightened herself as she raised her chin and narrowed her eyes. Feeling her daughter rest a hand over her shoulder, the queen’s stern gaze softened as Diana nodded to her to answer.

“They have betrayed my commands and killed your father when I offered you all safety. As written in our laws, they will be detained and questioned before a ruling will be made.” Noticing a group of amazons approach them, the queen turned her attention to them as they bowed.

“My Queen…” Spoke the brunette woman, she and the others wearing attire denoting them of the Bana-Mighdall tribe. “Is our sister Artemis amongst the… The afflicted?”

“Artemis?” Asked Diana, looking back at the harpies being marched towards the palace, but not recognising the amazon among them, not that she could with how far gone they had all become. “She was amongst our sisters?”

Looking back to her patrol, Phillipus shook her head. “We did not see her with Aello or Ocypete, we gathered who we could after their surrender when we faced them in the forests.”

“We did not see her amongst those who attacked our queen, nor was she at the encampment.”

“There may be a chance she has been restored like the others.” Opined Diana, offering the Bana-Mighdall some hope in their lost sister at arms. “I shall have guards search for her on the island.”

A gesture from Wonder Woman was enough for three nearby guards to stamp their spears to the ground and run off, seeing the relief of the other tribe members, Diana bowed in return and went back to the conversation between her mother and Mr. Thracy. Hearing that the queen was offering funeral arrangements for Phin Thracy, much to both Diana and Mr. Thracy’s surprise, her mother cupped Gary’s face in her hands and kissed him on the forehead.

“You have my deepest sympathies Mr. Thracy, nothing I say can undo the harm that has come to you or your family. I wish only to offer your father an honourable funeral for saving my life.” Looking to her daughter once more, Hippolyta folded her hands in front of her. “I believe my daughter has still offered her room for you to sleep in for tonight.”

“Actually…” Alexa cut in, holding Gary’s hand in hers with a gentle squeeze of her fingers. “I offered for Mr. Thracy and his son to rest in MY quarters for tonight.” At that the woman shivered as her skin appeared softer, her eyes more vibrant and her hair more luxurious, making Alexa blush when she realised what happened.

Seeing her record keeper grip at the man’s hand, Hippolyta smiled. “We shall arrange your father’s funeral tonight.”

*

With the last of the harpies essentially herded into the dungeon, the iron gate closed shut with the guards all leaving save for two to keep an eye on the harpies cooped up. Huddled together and snapping at each other like animals, the leaders of the harpies hissed and hunched to sit where they could.

“Thisss… This is all YOUR fault!” Accused Ocypete, pointing a crooking talon back at Alkyone who simply shrugged with a grin.

“Yeah… SURE it is, keep tellin yourself that gorgeous. I’M not the one who tried to kill an innocent family and the queen of the Amazons for… Reasons.” Alkyone jested in a thick Brooklyn accent, elbowing the harpy next to her with a smirk. “Still love that faceplant she got back in the woods. Do you always make a habit of stickin your foot in yer mouth in front of people who can take ya?”

Narrowing her eyes, Ocypete and the others drew their attention to Alkyone, who now leaned back in her seat with her arms crossed and one leg draped over the other clumsily as her avian body allowed.

“You… You are NOT Alkyone!”

Pointing with a wink, Boston grinned. “Nope.”

Aello stood, pointing an accusing talon at the harpy. “YOU are the one who cursed us into these forms!”

“Two for two, good to see you’re catching on quick.”

“It is because of YOU! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO TURNED US ALL INTO…”

“I wish…” Stated Boston, silencing the screeching protests of the harpies dead in their tracks. “That the Amazons appeared as beautiful or as hideous as the deeds they perform.”

Still met with silence, Boston’s grin was gone, his red eyes stern as he looked to everyone there.

“Did it really take you all this long to figure it out?” Spreading his arms out, the harpy looked around seeing scowls of blind fury left silent as he continued. “Slowly turning into a damned turkey every time you inflicted pain and misery still wasn’t enough for you all to realise that ‘hmm, maybe acting like a Karen demanding the supervisor as a way of life just isn’t working?” Eyeing them all again and still seeing stunned silence, Boston got up on his pinions and folded his wings behind his back. “You know what the funniest part of this all is? All you had to do was be kind, just kind. It costs you nothing and you get so much back in return.”

Blinking and looking around sharply, Alkyone got to her feet, confused.

“What? Where are we? How did we get here?!”

Licking at her talon to clean it, Aello narrowed her eyes.

“How indeed… Sister.”