Diana called the Maids, "Tell me more of your Master!'
Almost as soon as Diana had called, two maids entered her room. They curtsied and then waited for Diana to speak.
“Tell me about your ruler this Doom,” Diana tried to inflect as much disgust into his name as she could.
“Your majesty,” the younger maid said, “He is seen as a villain by the rest of the world, but to the people of Latveria his is our ruler and has worked so hard to bring us peace and stability.”
“What?” Diana was in shock.
“Latveria has always been on the outside of much of Europe. It stood alone between the Turks and the Christian Empires, then we found ourselves in a losing side of World War one. During the Second World War, our leaders were allied with Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco. Like Franco our leaders stayed out of the war, but in the aftermath like Spain we were pariahs and what was worse is that we found ourselves on the border between the West and the Communist Blocks. In many ways our post War became like the Weimar Republic. For many years the Soviets and their puppets sent guerillas to defeat us. Only after Doom took power did the last of those terrorists get destroyed. To continue the parallels to the history of the Weimar Republic, Lord Doom brought peace and prosperity back to Latveria only after the brutal suppression of interal enemies. Unlike Hitler, there was no racist agenda behind his campaigns internal or external.”
“Hitler was evil!” Diana snapped.
“The big differences between Hitler and Churchill was Hitler wanted to establish his empire and was driven by racism,” The maid said, “Churchill took control of his pre-made empire and didn’t need to relly on racism to motivate his followers.”
Diana took a seat a chair.
“What money and technology he brings in he puts into our markets,” The maid continued, “He keeps nothing for himself…”
Diana looked around at the opulent furniture.
“If I might be so bold Your Majesty,” The maid started, “How old are you?”
“I was born sometime in the 1400’s,” Diana admitted.
“That chair and bed were made before the first Crusade,” The maid said, “But your phone there, that was made by my brother. The charger was designed by my eldest sister.”
“Your eldest sister?” Diana asked, “How many children did your parents have?”
“Four three daughters and one son,” the Maid said.
“Are most things made here in Latveria?” Diana asked.
“Almost, by law we import knowledge and means to make things,” The maid said, “we are always hiring teacher from abroad.”
“And how did you get this job?” Diana asked.
“I was best at my mandatory eight in school so I was hired by the Castle for when we have international guest,” The Maid said.
“Mandatory Eight?” Diana asked.
“Eight languages,” The maid said, “I speak Latverian, English, French, Japanese, Arabic, Russian, Guoyu Chinese and Hindu.”
“Take me to Doom!”
*
Doom didn’t look back at the maid and Diana as they entered.
“I am sure that my staff’s lack of hatred for me must be infuriating,” Doom said as he finally turned around.
There was a long pause.
“You are a vile horrific pustule on the face of humanity and should be put to death on the grounds your very existence is a crime against humanity!”
“I see Themyscra would join seven eights of the UN general assembly,” Doom noted with a joking tone.
Diana sneered at Doom.
“Well I am sure we can use the medieval solution and hire a boyfriend for you,” Doom said, “Or would you prefer a girlfriend?”
“YOU REALLY DON’T SEE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE DO YOU?” Diana shrieked.
“You are a hero and an immortal,” Doom started, “While you have been the loser in minor skirmishes you have always come out the victor in the long run. This is the first time you have been faced with real defeat. The anger in you is seething out every pore of your skin right now. The fact that the castle staff doesn’t hate me is just making you more and more angry! The very worst thing of all is that every time you want to strike me down, bash my brains in or do some other fatal thing to me you can’t. Your god’s stay you hand. And that betrayal by them is the worst bit of all!”
Diana began to shake with anger, then she went calm.
“I can still do this!” she snorted and then spit into Doom’s masked face, She then turned and walked away, “Maids find me sweat pants and sweat shirts for a woman six feet tall and four hundred pound! sI don’t want him to have the pleasure of watching my body!”
*
It was almost midnight when Diana felt someone tapping on her head.
“Hermes?” Diana confirmed the messenger of the gods was waking her.
“Gab hold and hold on for dear life!” The god ordered.
Diana wrapped her hands around his neck.
“Not what I meant!”
Diana sighed and then wrapped her arms around his torso.
In the blink Diana felt herself be dragged throw space and maybe even time and fell to the stone floor in the court of Zeus.
“My lord!” Diana kneeled before Zeus.
“Children of Olympus, I will hear your case!” Zeus said.
A dark haired man in a short green toga and leather sandals stepped forward.
“My lord I am Hercules, Demi-god by birth and raised to minor godhood by the King of the Gods,” Hercules spoke.
“I know my own son!” Zeus yawned, “Get on with it.”
Diana was conflicted, she had been raised to hate the name Hercules like all Amazons, but he was calling the pantheon together to defend her?
“My lord, a mortal has abducted and enslaved a Child of Olympus! What’s more,” Hercules spoke sharply as he gestured to Diana, “The Gods have abandoned her.”
“Do you have a statement to make Hera?” Zeus asked his wife to his right.
“The challenge was legitimate and Diana’s lose was not due to trickery. Doom may be a barbarian,” Hera said, “But this way, Diana will be crowned Queen of a kingdom and have a family. A fitting reward for a warrior is it not?”
“What do you have to say Diana?” Zeus addressed the Amazon.
“King Zeus,” Diana said, “I acted as I could with honor and I am being punished for it. Doom stole me from my world, black mailed me into accepting his challenge and cheated during the challenge.”
“What do you have to say Athena?” Zeus looked to the war gods.
“She showed a complete lack of tactics and technique,” Athena dismissed her fight earlier, “She could not think her way out of the fight and when she went to fight she had forget all of her training as a warrior.”
“Ares, what do you have to say?” Zeus called on the other war god.
“She showed Great Spirit,” Ares said, “Even with her Olympic strength she put up a fight, and only lost because she was too severely handicapped.”
“I decree,” Zeus stood up, “I hold your hand bound against Doom, you will marry him in the morning Diana. So long as Doom lives you will be his queen Diana. Should any of the Gods wish to offer you means to make your duties more tolerable I will not interfere with those designs.”
Diana noticed Zeus looking at Aphrodite. She shuttered. Hercules and Ares walked up to her.
“I know that on another world the Amazons were just, but please know that Hippolyta was a villain here and I only acted in defense of others,” Hercules was almost apologetic to Diana, “Know this there are many valiant heroes on this world that will not stand for your imprisonment!”
Ares gave Hercules a long dark stare before speaking.
“Do not worry,” Ares said, “The pet murderer will gather his allies to your cause. I can call in a few less then valiant heroes to come to your aid as well.”
Ares held a scrying sphere with two men in the view; one a man in a black shirt with a white skull on it was slitting the throat of another wearing body armor and gangster colors.
“I am in Bizzaro land,” Diana sputtered, “My allies are my enemies and my enemies are my allies!”
“I know that the version of me on your world has rather harsh with you,” Ares admitted, “I am another version of myself and I have no ill intentions towards you.”