Fic: Rainbow’s Freedom (The Jewel In The Crown Arc) (24/31)
Title: Rainbow’s Freedom (The Jewel In The Crown Arc) (24/31)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters: (this chapter): Lex/Jamie, Hal/Steve/Diana
Series Notes: In the 23rd century, Earth is a technologically-advanced society that practices the ancient institution of slavery. The House Of Wayne travels off-world to the planet of Jovara on an important mission, and lovers Clark and Bruce learn more about their Master/slave dynamic through the eyes of this exotic culture. Meanwhile, Hal and Steve attempt to aid Diana and the Amazons to finally break free of their centuries-long enslavement on Paradise Island. The entire series can be found here.
Genres: AU, Drama, Slavefic
Challenge Category: Section E (Slavefic)
Rating: (this chapter): G
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Summary: Lex and Jamie meet Hal and Steve and newcomer Diana at Boston’s Museum Of Fine Arts.
Date Of Completion (First Draft): May 9, 2009
Date Of Posting: April 18, 2010
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 1518
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Entered into the 2010 DCU Fic/Art Bondage Challenge.
"Amazons were a myth, but one that spoke to male desires and fears."
Professor Helen Karpekilis
Conference on Ancient Greece
Boston, Massachusetts
22-C.E.
XXIV
MYTHS
“What a beautiful exhibit.”
Steve turned and smiled. “Hello, Lex! What brings you to Boston?”
“Business, but I decided to mix in a little pleasure here at the Museum Of Fine Arts.” He looked with interest at Diana. “And who might this be?” He smiled a hello at Hal, who nodded, his hand on Diana’s shoulder. Jamie stood a little behind Lex, dark glasses hiding his eyes but a shy smile lighting up his face.
“This is Diana Prince,” Steve said. “She’s visiting from Greece.”
“Delighted,” Lex said, shaking Diana’s hand. She had a firm grip. He wished he could see her eyes behind her dark glasses.
“So you are interested in the Amazon exhibit?” Diana asked.
“It’s beautiful art.” The group strolled to the exhibit hall. “I always appreciate beauty.”
Statutes filled the hall of beautiful women in Warrior regalia and wielding swords and shields.
“Impressive,” Lex observed. He went closer to study a statue. “They are really amazing. I wonder if they ever really existed?”
“So you think they were real?” Steve asked, he and his friends exchanging looks.
“They might be. The ancient sources suggest that Amazons existed, but there isn’t definitive proof. It’s a fascinating concept: a society of warrior women.”
“They were more than just warriors,” Diana said.
“Oh, admittedly.” They passed the statuary to view busts and cases of jewelry and other artifacts. “These objects depict the Amazon myths. Alexander the Great wanted to explore the myths, and a woman claiming to be an Amazon entered his camp while he was in Persia. He had to hustle her out of there.”
“She was not an Amazon.” Diana looked at a gold necklace set with lapis lazuli.
“Oh?”
“An Amazon would not fear, even an entire camp full of men.”
Amused, Lex said, “You sound certain of that, Ms. Prince.”
She looked at him. “I am.”
Lex smirked and moved on with Jamie to the next case.
“So the Mists worked well,” Diana said in a low voice. She pulled her long sleeves tighter over her bracelets.
“Looks like,” Hal said. “We really are the only people in the world who remember your people’s existence.”
“Yes.”
“Diana, how will you explain those bracelets?” Steve asked worriedly.
“I will think of something.” She sighed. “I cannot remove the Bracelets of Submission. It would not be…advisable.”
Steve shivered. Diana had hinted of the disaster that would befall her and anyone around her if her bracelets were removed. He grasped Diana’s hand, and she gave him a grateful smile.
They re-joined Lex and Jamie, the Luthor scion admiring a bust.
“This is supposed to be Hippolyta, legendary Queen of the Amazons. What a magnificent woman.”
Steve squeezed Diana’s hand as he said, “She looks like a true leader.”
“Hmm.”
The artist had captured Hippolyta’s beauty, her hair stylized as she wore a jeweled tiara. The slight tilt of her chin matched the determination in her eyes. She wore a choker set with a large diamond, both pieces of jewelry a clever addition to the marble bust.
“Speaking of royalty, have you heard from the Prince of Gotham lately?” asked Steve.
Lex laughed. “I’d say he’s too busy hobnobbing with is fellow bluebloods to deign to contact we peons.”
“A Luthor a peon? Nonsense,” Hal scoffed.
Lex smirked. “True.” He studied a ceremonial sword hung on the wall. “Would you care to join me for dinner tonight? I’m not returning to Metropolis until tomorrow.”
The trio silently communicated amongst themselves and Steve said, “”That’d be great, Lex. Thanks.”
“I’ll send a car around for you. Six-thirty?”
“We’ll be waiting.”
On the way home the trio stopped at the library. Diana checked the books on Amazon lore. No mention of their true history were contained in their pages, nor was there any information on-line to refute that Amazons were a myth. Relieved, Diana quietly went home with her lovers.
& & & & & &
Lex nodded at the sommelier’s suggestion. The sommelier bowed slightly and left for the wine cellar.
The Omni Parker House was the oldest continuously-operated restaurant in America, famous for their creation of Parker House rolls and Boston Cream Pie. The building had survived since 1855, upgraded with modernities, but if the walls could talk…
Jamie sat next to him, a smile on his face.
“What are you smiling at?”
“You’re intrigued by that woman.”
“I am.” Lex brushed his fingers over Jamie’s thigh. “She’s not an ordinary woman.”
“Should I be jealous?”
Lex smiled. “First off, Steve and Hal are pretty protective of her, and secondly, my heart is elsewhere, my Prize.”
Jamie beamed, Lex’s heart filling, and he grasped his slave’s hand. He squeezed, Jamie’s happiness pleasing him.
His father would consider him a fool, but what better choice than Jamie? The man was beautiful, loyal, and Lex was certain that the blond loved him.
He had never been loved in any way before, except by his mother.
"Are you all right, Lex?”
“Yes.” He squeezed Jamie’s hand. No one had ever bothered to read his moods before, unless they were trying to get the upper hand. “I’m fine.”
Jamie smiled.
Hal, Steve, and Diana arrived, more than a few heads turning at the statuesque beauty of the Greek woman. He couldn’t blame them.
She was gorgeous in a way that turned those heads, not just beauty but a sense of power beneath the lovely smile and fashionable dress. She wore tiny crystal earrings and a teardrop necklace, long sleeves covering her arms, the hem of her dress just above her knees. The simple white dress was certainly flattering.
Her dark hair was loose and flowing, and she was wearing very little make-up. She wore tinted glasses but they looked cool on her.
She really was amazing.
“I took the liberty of ordering our appetizers and wine to start us off,” said Lex.
“Sounds good,” said Hal. He and Steve flanked Diana as they took their seats.
“I really like this city. It has a very different vibe from Metropolis. Certainly a different one from Gotham.”
“Definitely! That city is crazy.”
Lex laughed. “Good thing Bruce isn’t here to hear you say that.”
“I’m not worried.” Hal flashed a grin. “He could be right here and I’d still say it.”
Steve snorted. “Easy to say with him half a galaxy away.”
“You exaggerate, my friend. Jovara isn’t that far away.”
Steve smirked and Lex noticed Diana’s amusement. “So how did you meet these two reprobates?” Lex asked her.
“Steve crashed off the island I live on in the Mediterranean. A friend and I found him and nursed him back to health.”
“Oh, that’s right. You were missing for a week last year,” Lex said to Steve.
“Yes.”
“Right around the time you went missing in the Outer Rim.” Lex inclined his head toward Hal.
“Exactly.” Hal sipped his icewater.
“Crashing down from the sky. How romantic.”
Steve laughed. “It was certainly unusual.”
“No kidding.” Lex took a roll from the basket the waitress brought. She smiled and went to the next table. “That’s the stuff of legend.”
“Oh, yes,” Diana nodded.
Lex was amused. “You believe in legends?”
“Of course. Life is legendary itself.”
“That’s an interesting view.”
“It is the only view to make life interesting.” Diana lifted her water glass and smiled.
“So you two hit if off?” Lex deliberately did not say ‘fall in love’. He wasn’t quite sure of the dynamics here. He knew that Steve and Hal were lovers. He wasn’t sure how Diana fit in. Was she enamored of Steve? Hal? Or both? Was she coming between the lovers? “Is that why you came to America?”
“Yes and yes.”
The sommelier arrived, poured a taste in Lex’s glass, and Lex sampled it. He nodded, and the man poured for everyone.
Diana sipped her wine. “A fine vintage.”
“Yes. The Parker House is extraordinary with its wine cellar.”
“I love the old ‘feel’ of this place. It speaks of history.”
“This restaurant has seen a lot of it.”
The appetizers arrived. Lex knew that Hal and Steve had no objection to Jamie sitting at the table. He carefully observed Diana as Jamie took an appetizer for his plate.
Diana didn’t object. In fact, she smiled at Jamie and he smiled back shyly.
“How do you find America?” Lex asked.
“An interesting place. Full of energy and promise. Freedom is part of your fabric here…or at least for some of you.”
“Ah.” Lex ate a tapa. “Do you have Abolitionist leanings, Ms. Prince?”
“Diana, please.” She drank her wine. “And, yes, I do.”
“Is there a strong Abolitionist Movement in Greece?”
“No, but I am not aware of any country with a truly strong Movement.” She smiled. “But there is always hope.”
Lex laughed. “Yes.” He brushed his thigh against Jamie’s under the table. “There is always that.”
Diana raised her glass. “To Hope.”
“To Hope,” they all echoed, clinking their glasses.
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters: (this chapter): Lex/Jamie, Hal/Steve/Diana
Series Notes: In the 23rd century, Earth is a technologically-advanced society that practices the ancient institution of slavery. The House Of Wayne travels off-world to the planet of Jovara on an important mission, and lovers Clark and Bruce learn more about their Master/slave dynamic through the eyes of this exotic culture. Meanwhile, Hal and Steve attempt to aid Diana and the Amazons to finally break free of their centuries-long enslavement on Paradise Island. The entire series can be found here.
Genres: AU, Drama, Slavefic
Challenge Category: Section E (Slavefic)
Rating: (this chapter): G
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Summary: Lex and Jamie meet Hal and Steve and newcomer Diana at Boston’s Museum Of Fine Arts.
Date Of Completion (First Draft): May 9, 2009
Date Of Posting: April 18, 2010
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 1518
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Entered into the 2010 DCU Fic/Art Bondage Challenge.
"Amazons were a myth, but one that spoke to male desires and fears."
Professor Helen Karpekilis
Conference on Ancient Greece
Boston, Massachusetts
22-C.E.
XXIV
MYTHS
“What a beautiful exhibit.”
Steve turned and smiled. “Hello, Lex! What brings you to Boston?”
“Business, but I decided to mix in a little pleasure here at the Museum Of Fine Arts.” He looked with interest at Diana. “And who might this be?” He smiled a hello at Hal, who nodded, his hand on Diana’s shoulder. Jamie stood a little behind Lex, dark glasses hiding his eyes but a shy smile lighting up his face.
“This is Diana Prince,” Steve said. “She’s visiting from Greece.”
“Delighted,” Lex said, shaking Diana’s hand. She had a firm grip. He wished he could see her eyes behind her dark glasses.
“So you are interested in the Amazon exhibit?” Diana asked.
“It’s beautiful art.” The group strolled to the exhibit hall. “I always appreciate beauty.”
Statutes filled the hall of beautiful women in Warrior regalia and wielding swords and shields.
“Impressive,” Lex observed. He went closer to study a statue. “They are really amazing. I wonder if they ever really existed?”
“So you think they were real?” Steve asked, he and his friends exchanging looks.
“They might be. The ancient sources suggest that Amazons existed, but there isn’t definitive proof. It’s a fascinating concept: a society of warrior women.”
“They were more than just warriors,” Diana said.
“Oh, admittedly.” They passed the statuary to view busts and cases of jewelry and other artifacts. “These objects depict the Amazon myths. Alexander the Great wanted to explore the myths, and a woman claiming to be an Amazon entered his camp while he was in Persia. He had to hustle her out of there.”
“She was not an Amazon.” Diana looked at a gold necklace set with lapis lazuli.
“Oh?”
“An Amazon would not fear, even an entire camp full of men.”
Amused, Lex said, “You sound certain of that, Ms. Prince.”
She looked at him. “I am.”
Lex smirked and moved on with Jamie to the next case.
“So the Mists worked well,” Diana said in a low voice. She pulled her long sleeves tighter over her bracelets.
“Looks like,” Hal said. “We really are the only people in the world who remember your people’s existence.”
“Yes.”
“Diana, how will you explain those bracelets?” Steve asked worriedly.
“I will think of something.” She sighed. “I cannot remove the Bracelets of Submission. It would not be…advisable.”
Steve shivered. Diana had hinted of the disaster that would befall her and anyone around her if her bracelets were removed. He grasped Diana’s hand, and she gave him a grateful smile.
They re-joined Lex and Jamie, the Luthor scion admiring a bust.
“This is supposed to be Hippolyta, legendary Queen of the Amazons. What a magnificent woman.”
Steve squeezed Diana’s hand as he said, “She looks like a true leader.”
“Hmm.”
The artist had captured Hippolyta’s beauty, her hair stylized as she wore a jeweled tiara. The slight tilt of her chin matched the determination in her eyes. She wore a choker set with a large diamond, both pieces of jewelry a clever addition to the marble bust.
“Speaking of royalty, have you heard from the Prince of Gotham lately?” asked Steve.
Lex laughed. “I’d say he’s too busy hobnobbing with is fellow bluebloods to deign to contact we peons.”
“A Luthor a peon? Nonsense,” Hal scoffed.
Lex smirked. “True.” He studied a ceremonial sword hung on the wall. “Would you care to join me for dinner tonight? I’m not returning to Metropolis until tomorrow.”
The trio silently communicated amongst themselves and Steve said, “”That’d be great, Lex. Thanks.”
“I’ll send a car around for you. Six-thirty?”
“We’ll be waiting.”
On the way home the trio stopped at the library. Diana checked the books on Amazon lore. No mention of their true history were contained in their pages, nor was there any information on-line to refute that Amazons were a myth. Relieved, Diana quietly went home with her lovers.
& & & & & &
Lex nodded at the sommelier’s suggestion. The sommelier bowed slightly and left for the wine cellar.
The Omni Parker House was the oldest continuously-operated restaurant in America, famous for their creation of Parker House rolls and Boston Cream Pie. The building had survived since 1855, upgraded with modernities, but if the walls could talk…
Jamie sat next to him, a smile on his face.
“What are you smiling at?”
“You’re intrigued by that woman.”
“I am.” Lex brushed his fingers over Jamie’s thigh. “She’s not an ordinary woman.”
“Should I be jealous?”
Lex smiled. “First off, Steve and Hal are pretty protective of her, and secondly, my heart is elsewhere, my Prize.”
Jamie beamed, Lex’s heart filling, and he grasped his slave’s hand. He squeezed, Jamie’s happiness pleasing him.
His father would consider him a fool, but what better choice than Jamie? The man was beautiful, loyal, and Lex was certain that the blond loved him.
He had never been loved in any way before, except by his mother.
"Are you all right, Lex?”
“Yes.” He squeezed Jamie’s hand. No one had ever bothered to read his moods before, unless they were trying to get the upper hand. “I’m fine.”
Jamie smiled.
Hal, Steve, and Diana arrived, more than a few heads turning at the statuesque beauty of the Greek woman. He couldn’t blame them.
She was gorgeous in a way that turned those heads, not just beauty but a sense of power beneath the lovely smile and fashionable dress. She wore tiny crystal earrings and a teardrop necklace, long sleeves covering her arms, the hem of her dress just above her knees. The simple white dress was certainly flattering.
Her dark hair was loose and flowing, and she was wearing very little make-up. She wore tinted glasses but they looked cool on her.
She really was amazing.
“I took the liberty of ordering our appetizers and wine to start us off,” said Lex.
“Sounds good,” said Hal. He and Steve flanked Diana as they took their seats.
“I really like this city. It has a very different vibe from Metropolis. Certainly a different one from Gotham.”
“Definitely! That city is crazy.”
Lex laughed. “Good thing Bruce isn’t here to hear you say that.”
“I’m not worried.” Hal flashed a grin. “He could be right here and I’d still say it.”
Steve snorted. “Easy to say with him half a galaxy away.”
“You exaggerate, my friend. Jovara isn’t that far away.”
Steve smirked and Lex noticed Diana’s amusement. “So how did you meet these two reprobates?” Lex asked her.
“Steve crashed off the island I live on in the Mediterranean. A friend and I found him and nursed him back to health.”
“Oh, that’s right. You were missing for a week last year,” Lex said to Steve.
“Yes.”
“Right around the time you went missing in the Outer Rim.” Lex inclined his head toward Hal.
“Exactly.” Hal sipped his icewater.
“Crashing down from the sky. How romantic.”
Steve laughed. “It was certainly unusual.”
“No kidding.” Lex took a roll from the basket the waitress brought. She smiled and went to the next table. “That’s the stuff of legend.”
“Oh, yes,” Diana nodded.
Lex was amused. “You believe in legends?”
“Of course. Life is legendary itself.”
“That’s an interesting view.”
“It is the only view to make life interesting.” Diana lifted her water glass and smiled.
“So you two hit if off?” Lex deliberately did not say ‘fall in love’. He wasn’t quite sure of the dynamics here. He knew that Steve and Hal were lovers. He wasn’t sure how Diana fit in. Was she enamored of Steve? Hal? Or both? Was she coming between the lovers? “Is that why you came to America?”
“Yes and yes.”
The sommelier arrived, poured a taste in Lex’s glass, and Lex sampled it. He nodded, and the man poured for everyone.
Diana sipped her wine. “A fine vintage.”
“Yes. The Parker House is extraordinary with its wine cellar.”
“I love the old ‘feel’ of this place. It speaks of history.”
“This restaurant has seen a lot of it.”
The appetizers arrived. Lex knew that Hal and Steve had no objection to Jamie sitting at the table. He carefully observed Diana as Jamie took an appetizer for his plate.
Diana didn’t object. In fact, she smiled at Jamie and he smiled back shyly.
“How do you find America?” Lex asked.
“An interesting place. Full of energy and promise. Freedom is part of your fabric here…or at least for some of you.”
“Ah.” Lex ate a tapa. “Do you have Abolitionist leanings, Ms. Prince?”
“Diana, please.” She drank her wine. “And, yes, I do.”
“Is there a strong Abolitionist Movement in Greece?”
“No, but I am not aware of any country with a truly strong Movement.” She smiled. “But there is always hope.”
Lex laughed. “Yes.” He brushed his thigh against Jamie’s under the table. “There is always that.”
Diana raised her glass. “To Hope.”
“To Hope,” they all echoed, clinking their glasses.