Profession

Time out on the island

The trip was long enough that I was able to relax, the sail full with the breeze, the boat traffic thinning out once we got a few kilometers out onto the sea, but not so long that I got bored. Thyra didn't care much for the sea, so she took a nap. I enjoyed the coolness and shade from the Mist that concealed the islands, and when we came out the other side, the sun wasn't as fierce. When we reached the dock, Queen Hippolyta was waiting with Menalippe and Epione, and there were riding horses as well as a horse with a cart. Thyra gave herself a good shake as I tied up, and we walked toward the waiting committee.

"Welcome, Lysippe," Hippolyta said, but her smile faded as she took a look at me. "What has happened to your face?" she asked, frowning. She kissed my good cheek, though, and stroked Thyra's fur.

"That was Derinoe," I said, wilting a bit. I'd known I'd have to explain when I got here, but actually doing it was going to be harder than I'd thought. Menalippe sighed.

"Let us collect Lysippe's containers, and we can hear about this after," she said firmly, and the Amazons helped me get the cartons and my suitcase into the cart. Thyra ran alongside as we cantered to the city, slowing down once hooves met the cobblestone streets. At the palace, I took my suitcase and Epione said she'd take the boxes to the house of healing, where I could come and instruct them later. My purse and suitcase were taken away by another Amazon, although I did retrieve my presents first, and we went to Hippolyta's office. Antiope joined us a few minutes later, and I distributed the candy I'd brought along with some other small gifts; vividly hand-painted silk scarves, some hand-made steel and crystal hairpins, some bath bombs.  They sniffed the last present, commenting on the light scents that were exotic to them, and I explained how to use them.

"Tell us of this cut on your face," Antiope said, leaning toward me. "It is far too ragged to be made by a weapon."

"No, just a diamond ring," I muttered, then gave them as unbiased an account as I could manage. It took some doing, I was still resentful. They had questions that I answered, including what I knew of the consequences awaiting her in New York at the board meeting. That in itself didn't mean much to them, but they did understand the gravity of what Tabby had told me.

"I hardly know what to make of this," the queen said, and her face was both aghast and puzzled. "How a sister could turn on the other like that." She and Antiope exchanged a look that was completely baffled. "And that Diana has allowed the enmity to reach such a point. Do you have any of your pictures that we could see of this wedding?"

"I wasn't asked to shoot it, and I don't do weddings anyway, but I did get a couple of pictures on the sly in the cathedral." Derinoe had once specifically instructed me not to take pictures, pointing out that I was not the photographer, but almost all the guests had snapped their own images, and I'd figured that I was entitled to as much as any other guest. I brought them up on my communicator, letting my grandmother advance through the six images that showed Derinoe walking down the aisle (from the back), her and Grant at the altar, being blessed by the Episcopalian priest, the blessing of Aphrodite, the kiss, and when the couple turned to come back up the aisle. I had to explain the procedure for the wedding, and there was some silence.

"What on earth is she wearing?" Antiope asked. "It is so ornate, so much, the eye turns from the bride herself."

"It is ornate, even by the standards of the modern wedding industrial complex," I conceded. "But it was what she demanded, and Uncle Steve worked really hard to make it happen for her." And I had to explain about couture and ateliers and the time it took to comply with the requirements that Derinoe had continued to make.

"It must be very costly," Antiope said critically. "When will she wear it again? I cannot imagine that there will be many opportunities, although perhaps there are, in your society."