The Prison - Robin x Raven

The Prison

Its been many years since I left Wayne Manor. Before I left I was very much a prisoner in my own home. Scared of the world but now I am set free. I will miss Alfred... Bruce even... but I needed to get out of there to spread my wings.

Now that I have been free to explore and learn about this world and this life. I have experienced and learned much since I left and while it would have been nice to have a guide Bruce and Alfred's lessons have helped me on my journey in little but meaningful ways. I have learned about myself and learned about others. Mostly I have learned about love and how it freed me from the prison of my own making. 

So I roam the world. A world of possibility mostly choosing my path to whatever new adventure may come usually fighting some new evil. I have met many allies. Shared many good times and adventures. I follow the path laid out in front of me. Trying to do good wherever I can. Though never taking time to do good for myself. Its almost as if I still carry my prison with me.

One day on patrol I saw a strange fog appear in an alley. I decided to investigate.

As I got closer to the fog is when I heard the faint sound of someone speaking. I was drawn to the sound. I cannot explain why at the time but I needed to find out for myself what was causing it. As I walked into the fog the sounds grow louder though ever so slightly. As if they were muffled. As I came out of the fog I realized I was no longer in the city. I think I was transported to another dimension! I saw a castle shrouded in darkness as there was no sun. The light came from these strange orbs that floated beside the path. I decided to keep walking forward to the bottom of the castle. I looked up at this fortress that had large and imposing walls.

I walked around the base of the castle and found no door. There was not a single entrance and the walls would take quite some effort to scale. It was almost as it was built from the inside out and to keep others from coming in.

I decided to try to scale the walls so I could find the source of the sounds I had been following. It took some time but I finally got to the top and dropped down inside the walls. The halls were empty and devoid of anything but the cold stones they were built with but the sounds grew louder the more I walked towards the center of the castle. What I found surprised me. It was a young woman sitting on a makeshift throne inside a prison cell. Her hands and feet bound by shackles to the throne. She wore a hood and cloak of deep purple. I could not see her eyes but tears were ever so slowly streaming down her cheeks and soft words came from her pursed lips. Her clothing appeared to just be black and covered her torso. Her skin appeared to be gray. I was so curious about her as I had been drawn to this realm but her words.

I walked to the door of her cell only to find it had no handle or lock. I stood there for some time wondering if there was a lever to open the door. The young woman still had not noticed my presence. I guess she never expected anyone to try and gain entry. I tried jostling the door to see if I could force it open and it was then she looked up at me. Her eyes met mine. Her eyes were as purple as her cloak and hood. She had what looked like a ruby in her forehead. But those eyes. In that instant I saw something in her. Something special that I rarely seen in another person.

"Why are you here.... Please leave... Please look away. No one should see someone so unfit and unworthy as I. You should go while you still can. Before something terrible happens" she said in a low and defeated tone. Like the sounds that drew me to this place there was something about her that made me stay. Maybe because it reminded me so much of how it was for me to grow up in a large place that was like a prison but there was something in her eyes I could not shake. As they say the eyes are windows to the soul and I could see so much in that moment I saw her eyes for the first time. I needed to know more.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"No one... I am no one..." She replied devoid of any emotion.

I decided I would stay with young woman and talk with her. Just talk. Maybe by just having a conversation with her I would learn more about her and why she is in this place. So I spoke about my journey, and my past. She seemed to at least tolerate my presence. Over time slowly her head would lift and make more eye contact with me. This went on for days. Weeks. Months. I tried to figure out why she was in a cell in her own castle.