King of the Amazons

Chapter 3: Meeting Hippolyta

Exiting the torch lit palace, we exited the palace's main entrance and the sun blinded me for only a moment. After that, I gazed upon a utopia upon the island paradise I had landed on several days prior. About several days ago, I was wondering if life was worth living, now I'm starting to wonder if everything up to this point was a test and this be my reward.

Before me and Princess Alexandra was the city that shined brighter than Rome ever could have and as beautiful as the women who lived within it's walls. My face had the look of wow on it and I was in a state of excitement, so much so that it was like I was dreaming. "Are you alright?" she asked me as I snapped out of my trance, "Yeah, I was just...entranced by the city built by women" I said. She smiled and turned to the city, "It is quite a spectacle to beheld" she said.

"This is a perfect sketch just waiting to be made" I said to her. "You think so?" She asked me, "I know so" I replied to her as I got out my sketchbook and opened it to a fresh page. With my pencil, I began sketching out the view as I gazed upon Themyscira's beauty. Within several hours, I had completed my sketch and had begun my job of going over the lines with a pen so if it was wet, the graphite on my pencil wouldn't come off.

As I closed my sketchbook, I got up and found myself sorrounded by Amazon guards. "Is there something wrong ladies?" I asked them curiously. 2 of them grabbed my arms and made me drop my sketchbook on the ground, pulling me up. "What is the meaning of this?" I demanded to know, "Silence! You will speak when spoken to!" the lead guard said. "Take him to the queen" she said as the guards did as she asked and brought me into the palace throne room.

As I was being dragged, I saw the queen on the throne being fanned by a subject and sipping from a golden chalice. She was very beautiful as all other Amazons were and physically fit. I was thrown to the ground and on my knees. "Diana, where did this man come from?" Hippolyta said to the brunette who ordered for me to be taken to the queen. "We found him on the palace grounds milady" Diana said to Hippolyta. Hippolyta rose from her throne and approached me, "Who are you and why are you here?" she asked me.

"My name is Steven Prince and I was shipwrecked" I said to her truthfully, "What do you do Steven?" she asked me, "I'm an artist" I replied to her. "What kind of art?" She asked me, "Mostly sketches, I have a sketchbook outside" I said. "It's right here milady" another woman said while handing Hippolyta my sketchbook. She opened it to see if my claim was accurate and sure enough, she nodded her head. "Impressive, your works that are" she said to me, "Thank you your majesty" I replied to her.

It was then that she got to the sketch of Themyscira and turned to me, "You sketched Themyscira" she said to me. "That I did and I wish to sketch more if I am permitted milady" I replied. "Can you paint as well?" she asked me, "Yes I can" I replied, "Well perhaps you can provide a service to me, in exchange for your stay here" she said to me. "What might that be milady?" I asked curiously, "Perhaps you can create a portrait" She said.

"Of you milady?" I asked, "Yes and if it is to my liking, I will allow for you to stay for as long as you need to" she said to me. I was a bit surprised that the queen of the Amazons permitted this on me, as no man set on the island before. "I shall do so with honor milady" I said to her and she smiled at my accepting of her offer. After this, I was taken into a room away from Alexandra and closely guarded, but despite the lack of company, I decided to get some rest, I felt I was going to need it.