Artemis of Themiscyra was a renowned fighter, a loyal soldier, and a fearless warrior. She was one of the best Amazons that ever existed. She was a perfect example for her people, a beacon in which they could rely on and aspire themselves to become better women. Queen Hippolyta knew all this, hence she made Artemis the tutor of her only daughter, Diana, when she became an adolescent. Artemis was bound to teach her to fight, to wield a sword, and to fire an arrow. Thanks to her exceptional teaching and to the Princess's own spectacular qualities, Diana grew up to be an exquisite fighter, soldier, and a suitable heir for her queen mother.

And now, that this time had come, the time when Diana wore the Crown of the Amazons, Artemis couldn't be more proud for her student and niece.

That morning, although, when she got a call from Queen Diana to go and meet her to the Throne Room, she was very curious and suspicious of her intentions to do so.

For Artemis knew that the Queen, the only Amazon who left Themiscyra to go and live with the distasteful men for almost six years, would never throw her memories from Man's World away and, maybe, the undeniably strong bonds that she had formed with them might make her leave her homeland again and return to them. She didn't even want to think about about that possibility but she knew that -unfortunately- it would always exist.

As soon as she entered the Throne Room, her red hair flowing into the mild breeze, she noticed her Queen, wearing a golden tunic and a pair of sandals, looking as flawless as ever.

She's Gods's work after all, Artemis thought with pride for her loyal liege.

Diana rose her sapphire eyes and spotted her Captain of The Queensguard -she had named her herself the day she was crowned. A genuine smile lit up her face and she approached her gracefully.

"Good morning, Your Highness."

"Oh, for the sake of Hera, Artemis, there's no need to call me 'Your Highness'!" Diana exclaimed exasperatingly. "I'm just Diana. You've been calling me that since I was a little girl. Why should you change it now that I am Queen?"

Artemis kept her stoic expression to her face, trying to suppress a smirk of enjoyment that threatened to appear.

"I am sorry, your Highness, but it is a matter of good manners," she replied kindly.

Diana felt a pitch of nostalgia hitting her all of a sudden. This incredibly formal address of Artemis to her, could not but remind of a certain British butler. However, she just rolled her eyes, putting the memory to the back of her head with all the rest.

"May I know the reason of my presence here?" Artemis asked with a good amount of wonder.

Queen Diana sighed and went back to sit upon her throne.

"I think there is something you should be aware of," the Queen of the Amazons started.

"And that is?" Artemis urged her.

"There is a piece of paper," Diana answered quietly. "I found it on the beach some hours ago."

She produced a piece of paper from the back of her throne and handed it to the redhead with half-trembling hands. The latter took it and unfolded it. It was a simple, white paper, decorated with purple and pink roses, adorned with lace embroideries and the letters looked fine and neat.

The honor of your presence is requested at the wedding of Wallace Rudolph West and Linda Jasmine Park.

Sunday, the Twenty-eighth of July, Two Thousand Twenty-seven at half past six in the afternoon.

The Bay Gardens of Mt. Addision
1278 Mountain Lane

Artemis rose her eyes from the paper back to her Queen in a mixed expression of emotion and disbelief.

"What is this, your Highness?"

Diana took a deep breath before answering.

"This is a wedding invitation that was brought here for me," she explained.

"How do you know it's for you? It could be just a piece of paper that..."

"It's not," The Queen cut her off curtly. "If it was it'd be soaked in water but it's completely drained. I know it's for me because I know both the groom and the bride. He was one of my colleagues and friends."

Artemis took a moment to study her queen's body language, trying to understand and guess the outcome of this conversation.

"Please, your Highness, don't you tell me that you really considering attending that wedding."

"I haven't decided yet," Diana replied with a hint of honesty. "But, anyway, I will be the one to decide it. Not you. Not any other."

Her voice was so adamant, so determined. It reminded Artemis of Hippolyta, her former queen.

She rose her head and her green eyes met the blue eyes of her Queen.
"You know, your Highness, no matter what you decide, my loyalty to you will not lower. You are my Queen, and I am bound to you forever."

She did mean what she said. Every word of it. Diana didn't need to use the Lasso of Hestia to make sure of it.

"I thank you for that, Artemis," she said warmly. "You are dismissed."

The Captain of the Queensguard bowed respectively to her, turned around, and left the Throne Room in silence.

Diana was at last left alone to think about what she was going to do.

Her brain was telling her that she had to fold the invitation, burn it, and forget about it for good. It was for the best of her and her people. Themiscyra needed its sovereign, and she needed to forget.

Her heart, though, was telling her to accept the invitation, prepare for the wedding, and attend it with a suitable gift for the couple. It was a sign from the Gods. A sign which indicated that she had to go back to Man's World. Maybe they had need of her. Maybe there was a new threat looming over them and she had to join them to save the Earth once again. Maybe she just missed them too badly and she was looking for an excuse to leave and see them again; see him again.

The Queen of the Amazons let out a deep sigh and buried her face in her hands. That was going to be a Hell of a day, trying to quote Wally who'd said something like that twelve years ago.

Oh Wally...

He was actually getting married after all those years of circling Linda Park without even managing to ask her out on a real date. And now she had gotten their wedding invitation.

Wallace Rudolph West. She never knew that he had a middle name, let alone that this name was Rudolph. It was a silly name; and at the same time unbelievably cute. Just like the man who bore it.

He had invited her to his wedding. She wanted to refuse. She had to refuse. She must refuse. It was her duty to refuse.

It was also her duty, that night when she left Themiscyra to fight for Mankind, to stay there and leave them all to die.

When the sun set into the uniquely blue sky of Greece, Diana had made up her mind irreversibly.

She went to the Temple of Athena. She found the sacred armor and weapons and took them again.

She returned to the Palace and wrote a parchment for Artemis. This time she was going to make things right and not leave chaos behind her. When she finished writing it, she placed it on her wooden desk and prepared to leave Themiscyra once again.

She put her Wonder Woman costume on a leather sack that she carried and dressed up in the only 'modern' clothes she had kept from Man's World.

She prepared to take off, like the last time. She threw one last look to her dormant homeland and hovered to the air before starting flying to the sky, under countless stars and a silver moon.

After ten whole years of absence, she was finally going back.

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At last I updated! Sorry for making you wait so long.

~~So, who's ready for Justice League??? Well, I definitely am.~~

Anyway, see you in the next chapter which hopefully will come out next month!