Chapter One: Exodus

Five long years full of pain, torture, loss, and death plagued the minds of the two men on the island of Lian Yu. The night the Gambit went down felt like a lifetime ago but at the same time it felt like it was yesterday.

A single fishing boat was just off the coast of the island, three quarters of a mile away from the two hooded men's positions as they traversed the island as quickly as possible. The men did everything they could to reach the beach quickly.

The area around them was pure green, just like the older man's clothing, making it difficult to see him. Even the younger of the two wearing the dark crimson red outfit was having a rather difficult time keeping an eye on him as they weaved their way through the forest. The air reeked of sea salt, with an underlying must beneath it.

"How much further?" the youngest of the two asked as they reached the tree line, removing his hood revealing seventeen, possibly eighteen-year-old Harry Potter. The man in the green removed his hood as well revealing a long-haired Oliver Queen with exhausted eyes.

"Not much further. We should be there in just a minute; you're sure that you saw a boat nearby?" Oliver asked as the two hopped down to the edge of the rocky beach.

"Yeah, I'm sure I saw one. I know what a boat looks like," Harry scoffed at him as they now reached the water. Oliver could now see the fishing boat that Harry had seen just a few minutes earlier. Harry patted him on the back, laughing lightly. "You know, I think there's a saying that goes with this situation, but it eludes me."

"I'm sorry for doubting you," Oliver sighed, turning his head over to him. "Do you want to do it?" Harry gave a sly smirk before pulling the bow off of his back and an arrow from his quiver that had a dampened cloth wrapped around it. Oliver lit the cloth on fire, before with a resounding swoosh, the teen shot the arrow across the beach right into a wooden pile lined in gunpowder and gasoline that created an explosion strong enough to catch the boat's attention.

"Bullseye," Harry chuckled dryly as the two ran to the explosion site as the boat started to come to shore to investigate.

"You ready to go home?"

"Been ready for five years Ollie."

For five years they had suffered a fate worse than death, being forced to survive in a primitive state against modern odds. The only thing that kept them ahead of their enemies was their wits and the skills that they had acquired here on the island. Everything they had learned molded them into the men they were today. As the men from the boat arrived and saw the two survivors of the Queen's Gambit, the archers knew they were going home, and one step closer to honoring Robert Queen's dying wish.

The two sat in silence on the boat as they drank some water while Harry held a small dingy book bag that had rips and tears, dirt, and blood on it, containing a phone, two photos and a book full of names inside.

"You still have my things in there?" Oliver asked as Harry was already pulling the photo of Laurel and the book full of names out.

"Yeah. How long until we get back do you think?"

"A couple days. What do you plan on doing when we get back?"

"Help with the List, and before you even consider saying anything, I'm not going to talk to them because it's better for them to think I'm dead. Besides, the less attention from the Ministry the better," Harry answered. "What about you, I take it you're going to see Laurel?"

"I don't know, probably. Things are certainly going to be interesting when we get back home."

"Oh yeah," Harry laughed lightly, laying his head back against the pillow he'd been given by the fishermen, gazing up at the sky. "Hey, if I fall asleep will you wake me up when we're back in civilization?"

"Only if you wake me up when we're back in Starling City."

"Haha yeah, sure thing smart ass."

Night fell upon them as Harry laid there gazing up at the sky. His fingers were wrapped around the arrowhead necklace he'd been wearing for three years, lost in the memories of the past. He missed her so much. It still felt like it was yesterday that Harry failed to save her. Her dying scream still haunted his dreams to this day.

Oliver opened his eyes, turning to see the teen playing with the arrowhead in his hand and frowned. "Thinking about Sara?"

"Yeah... among other things," Harry answered monotonously. Oliver didn't need to hear him say what was on his mind, just the arrowhead in his hand told him exactly what he was thinking about.

"She saved your life... saved both of our lives. I know you think you could have saved her if you'd been just a few seconds faster, but there was nothing you could do."

"You say that now, but I wasn't completely there, you know? I was in two completely different places when it happened. I just keep thinking to myself that maybe, I don't know, maybe if I had just listened and stayed quiet for just a few more minutes that she could have made it out of there alive, that's all."

"The Mirakuru didn't help matters, you couldn't control it."

Then why did it feel like I was in complete control? "I know... it's just something that keeps me up at night."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Oliver sighed, looking back up to the sky. "Looking back, thinking about how much you did wrong, how you should have done things."

"Like Laurel?"

"Yeah, like Laurel... among other things."

Silence fell over the boat as they watched the night sky, and after a couple hours, the noise of boats honking in the distance brought Oliver out of his thoughts. He sat up and saw the coastal city's horizon in view, smiling at the sight. Poking Harry's arm, the teen groaned as he opened his eyes.

"What?" he asked sleepily.

"You told me to wake you up when we were back in civilization. Well... there's land," Oliver pointed towards the city as Harry wiped the sleep from his eyes and sat up. The light beard Harry had grown itched as he climbed to his feet.

"For a minute there I wasn't sure we'd get back..." Harry stated, stretching his arms while Oliver reached into his pocket to pull out some scissors.

"Hey, want a haircut?"

"Oh yeah, but not from you." Harry chuckled. "Last time you cut my hair I had to go with a buzz cut for two months, remember?"

"You'll never let me live that one down, will you?"

"Not a chance."

AN: Hey there everyone, just wanted to let you know in advance that if you'd like to join the official "Arsenalverse" discord server you can do so here:

dis cord . gg / Av2v4Z2PsN

you'll get instant notifications about new chapters, inside look at up and coming segments, and more. Still it's a small server at the moment but we're looking to grow it in the coming months! Hope to see you there!