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"Not all those who wander are lost."

― Gandalf, (The Fellowship of the Ring)

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< {Paradise Islands, aka, Themyscira} >  

< (Omniscient POV) >  

A certain Amazon was strolling along the beach with an annoyed expression on her face, the cool sea breeze slowly ruffling her beautiful back hair. With each step, irritation simmered out from beneath her composed facade.

"Why don't they understand that I am not a young girl anymore, that I am ready to shoulder my responsibilities? *Sigh* I wish Mother wasn't so adamant in her decisions. Why does she have to treat me like a child all the time? Even Antiope thinks that I am ready to do more than just train all the time." The woman thought dejectedly as her mother's overprotectiveness grated on her nerves, burning a desire in her for greater autonomy in her own life while her teacher's reluctance to assign her more responsibilities only added to fueling her frustration further. 

"Wait, what's that?" She muttered after suddenly noticing a huge chunk of steel lying on the sand. It looked like it was a part of some big ship that got destroyed. "Could it be that this thing is perhaps from the world of men?" The woman asked herself curiously as she remembered a few of the outlandish stories that some of her sisters had told her about the giant iron ships that men used to ride in the outside world.

A few seconds of looking at the giant block of iron was all it took for her to lose control of her own curiosity and slowly move toward the wreckage. Her better judgment was telling her to inform her mother about the wreck and bring a few more of her sisters to investigate it instead of taking a risk and doing it alone.

But again, she was never one to be afraid of risks. She knew that if she were to involve anyone else in this and if the news were to spread and reach her mother, she would no longer be allowed to explore the debris that she had herself found. She would lose her only chance to see something from the outside world, even if it is just some ruins. So, she wisely decided against going back and instead advanced towards the rubble to investigate herself. 

Approaching the wreckage, she discerned that the fragments of the 'ship' were not just merely fractured but rendered utterly useless and completely inoperable, most probably from recurrent lightning strikes. Certain sections of the wreckage appeared so extensively scorched that one might even speculate this might have incurred the wrath of the gods themselves for some reason. "By Hera, did Zeus himself strike down the ship in his wrath?" She could not help but exclaim. 

"What is that strange drumming sound? Wait, Is that... a heartbeat?" She murmured, perplexed by the weak rhythmic throb echoing softly through the air, persisting with an unwavering tenacity. 

She was soon able to swiftly discern the source of the sound emanating from deep within the rubble and, without hesitation, began to quickly move the broken pieces of metal in an attempt to unearth the individual. She herself didn't know if she was doing it to save the person's life or just to satisfy her curiosity. 

Within moments, she was successful in dislodging the debris with her inhumane strength, revealing the charred form of an unfamiliar figure. While appearing quite 'human' just like her, the being's physique, however, diverged notably from the familiar physical features of her sisters she was used to seeing. It possessed a bulkier physique with very clearly defined muscles and a strangely charming face that seemed to attract her despite how badly it was burnt.

"Is this supposed to be a... man? Hmm, if he is, he doesn't seem to be that dangerous, not even nearly as scary or brutal as Mother described them to be in her stories... However, I wonder what that thing between his legs is." She wondered aloud curiously while thoroughly checking out the man's naked body. "Maybe I can ask him... but going by how badly injured he is, there is little chance he would be recovering anytime soon. Also, I doubt Mother would even agree to spare his life, much less let him inside to let him heal."

Once again, she found herself taken aback, for as soon as she spoke, she observed another remarkable detail. The man's body was undergoing a rapid healing process, a feat beyond the capabilities of most Amazons. Even she, who was stronger than most general Amazons, would require at least a few days to recover from such grievous injuries. 

The healing process was so fast, that his wounds which were there mere moments ago seared and barely held together, were now mended swiftly, transforming him from a piece of naked charred flesh to a naked charming man with a handsome visage within minutes.

'I have never seen somebody heal that quickly. Not even the unique humans in sister Helena's stories during the great war in the men's world were able to heal themselves that quickly from their injuries. Maybe, he is special.' She thought while watching him begin to squirm around in his sleep as he seemed to slowly come out from his slumber. 'So, he is finally waking up, huh?' 

Within a few more moments, the man stirred tiredly, his eyelids fluttering open to reveal his vibrant eyes. Blinking groggily, he took in his surroundings before his gaze settled on the beautiful woman standing in front of him. Instantly, his eyes widened as his gaze settled on her thighs and muscles.

"Hello there," He greeted her with a weak smile. "Does it hurt?" The man asked while observing her body.

"What? Why would I be hurt, stranger? You are the one who appeared on this beach in a completely burned condition, aren't you?" She questioned; her confusion evident as she subconsciously began to feel her face with her hands to see if anything was wrong with her.

"I meant, did it hurt while falling from heaven? Because you sure do look like a goddess," the stranger replied, attempting to flirt with her although unfortunately, she didn't realize that he was actually flirting.

"Thank you for your compliment, stranger, but no, I did not fall from Heaven, nor am I a goddess. I am Princess Diana, a mortal much like you and this island is the only home I have ever known," The woman responded, her uncertainty palpable. "But who are you, and how did you get past the barrier?" she demanded, her tone shifting instantly to seriousness despite its previous friendliness.   

"Hmm? I am Bruce Wayne from Gotham... It's a city in the United States... You have never heard of it, have you?" Bruce questioned after he noticed a confused expression on Diana's face which she simply answered with a side-to-side movement of her head. "Where... where am I?" he managed to croak out, his mind still groggy from the entire ordeal.

"You're on Paradise Island, the home of the Amazons," Diana explained, her tone light but informative. "And it seems you've had quite the journey. Maybe, your ship was caught in a storm, and well, here you are.

The man's eyes widened in realization as he attempted to sit up. As the man took in his surroundings, his gaze lingered on Diana, his mind coming to some sort of understanding.

'As expected, encountering a Princess named Diana on a strange unfamiliar island, ignorant of other nations within the DC universe, was a slim possibility. I should have expected this the moment I saw her in her hot medieval armor.' He thought to himself with a sigh. He immediately tried to look up his location in his smart bracelet, but unfortunately, before he could do so, he noticed that his bracelet looked more like a piece of burnt trash than a functional gadget. 

'I sure hope that the women in this version of the Amazons aren't as big man-haters as some of the extreme ones I heard of existing in the DC multiverse, otherwise, I am royally fucked.' He concluded as he failed to switch on his bracelet or even summon Cortana.

The electromagnetic magical thunderstorm storm hadn't just wrecked his plane and burnt him to a crisp but also rendered most of his gadgets useless. Not just his bat tool and his thought-scrambling pendant, but even the latest bulletproof suit he made for himself after being inspired by John Wick was conspicuously absent. 

'Anyway, I need to get out of here before her mother discovers me and sentences me to death. They probably wouldn't take kindly to me once they hear my honest thoughts about their sinful bodies. Warrior women were always my weakness after all. I even failed to stop myself from flirting with Diana, so I am not going to blindly place my hope in the off chance that I'll be able to somehow magically resist the power of their lassos.' I decided in my mind. 'But before that...,'

"Hey princess, would you happen to have some food on you?" 

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(A/N: Does this Wonder Woman look too young to you guys? I think her look on the original book cover might have been better.)

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