The Last One (young justice/robin)

23. welcome back

Themyscira
January 1, 17:00
Five Years Later

The sound of swords clashing filled the air.

"I will miss having a worthy opponent on this island," Artemis laughed. Despite how friendly her words were, the swing of her sword was quite deadly. I lunged back just in time to avoid losing a chunk of my nose, before I dropped to the floor, swinging a leg that swept her feet from beneath her.

"Great Hera!" she whined. "I hate when you do that."

"I'll miss you too," I laughed, helping her up.

"We will have to resume this competition when you return," Artemis clapped me roughly on the shoulder. "Assuming you come back at all."

"You said that the last time."

"Because you are not the first example of an Amazon consumed by man's world." Artemis knowingly turned to our audience. "Before you, Diana was my most formidable opponent."

"A greater duty called, Artemis."

"If you say so."

"Well then why don't you come with us?" I suggested. "See man's world for yourself."

"Believe me, Irena, if I was interested in man's world, I would have left centuries ago," she laughed as Queen Hippolyta herself approached with several servants trailing behind her.

Instantly, Artemis, Diana and I got on a knee, bowing our heads out of respect.

"Rise," Hippolyta smiled.

"Mother," Diana kissed her cheek, as we got back to our feet.

"Today is a day of celebration," Hippolyta smiled. "We mark the end of one of our own Amazon's long journey."

"You speak too fondly of me."

"Hardly," Artemis hit me on the shoulder again, making me stagger a step.

"Before you and my daughter depart, the Amazons and I would like to bestow upon you gifts for your journey back into man's world."

Artemis walked past me, taking an ornate box from one of the servants and opening it for me.  Inside was a headpiece just like hers, a gleaming steel. "Headpieces such as these are only for the most fit of warriors," she placed it in my hair. "I suppose you qualify."

"And from the queen herself," Diana added, opening another box, "Bracers, to remind you that you lead your own journey. And that no one shall stop you from fulfilling your destiny." The bracelets were made of the same metal as the headpiece, they slid past my hands for a perfect fit.

"The last gift is from me," Diana smiled. There was no box, but one of the servants handed her two bars of steel. "Think of it as a lasso of your own."

She placed the bars in my hand, letting me observe what they could really do. With the swing of my arms they extended into long cords of plated steel. When I gripped down hard enough on the handle, the plates flattened out into a smooth line. "It's incredible," I said in awe.

Diana put a hand on my shoulder, "Are you sure you're ready?"

I knew she was hesitant; I was too. We'd tried this before and it didn't work.

After my first year staying in Themyscira, I went home and rejoined the team. I stayed for two years and fell into all sorts of bad habits, lost all the progress I'd made. I lost someone very important to me and got my heart broken at the same time.

After that, I spent the past two years distancing myself from the team. I didn't keep in touch, didn't keep a phone or write letters. To everyone I had known, I became a ghost. A ghost to everyone except the Wests, who I couldn't bring myself to abandon. I was there for every holiday, berated by Wally and Artemis to see the team, but I never listened.