Broken Birds

Chapter Seven - My Beloved

Sara's POV:

Nyssa and I continued to train during the remaining days before Ra's Al Ghul's deadline. The day had finally come and Nyssa was helping me prepare for the fight. We hadn't spoken about what had happened a few days ago, we spent most our time training.

Nyssa strapped my armour around my torso and nodded at my determined face. She wiped the hair from my face and said "Sara, you are capable, do not underestimate your abilities, I will be there." I wrapped my arms around Nyssa's waist and pulled her into my embrace, my face comfortably resting against her shoulder. She whispered "you are not a broken bird, you are strong." I smiled "like a canary?" She laughed gently "sure, like a canary."

A sharp knock at the door broke our moment as Nyssa rushed to open the door. Two men dressed in dark clothing and hoods entered. They both bowed deeply before Nyssa. One of them stood up and announced "Ra's Al Ghul requests your presence." I quickly nodded and followed the men, Nyssa closely behind us.

We entered the large throne room and watched as the head of the demon slowly descended the steps to his throne. He clapped his hands together as his voice boomed "today is the fight to determine the fate of young Sara Lance. If she loses, my daughter will end her life. I have chosen the assassin to battle her." He smirked towards me and yelled out "she will have the honour of battling Ra's Al Ghul."

Nyssa turned deathly pale as Sarab removed her fathers cloak. He turned towards me and asked "Sara what weapon do you wish to fight with?" My mouth went dry as I weakly stated "a bo-staff." He nodded "yes, an amateur weapon for, well an amateur." I angrily picked up the staff and prepared my stance. I looked over at Nyssa as her gaze nervously shifted between her father and I.

Ra's Al Ghul stared down at me, weaponless, waiting for my attack. I swiftly charged towards him preparing to strike. As my staff came down towards him, he caught my weapon in his bare hand. A chilling crunch came from the bones in his hand, but he carelessly flicked the bo-staff towards me. I fell back as he attacked me, he stopped when the end of the staff was pointed against my throat.

He looked over at Sarab, nodding. Sarab handed Nyssa a small blade and led her towards me. Her father glared at her with a clenched jaw and yelled "do it, child." Nyssa shakily held the blade against my throat. Her dark eyes desperately found mine and she shook her head. "I cannot kill her," she said.

Ra's Al Ghul angrily looked towards her and asked "why not?" She pulled the blade away from me and stuttered "b-because she is m-my beloved." Her father's eyes went wide as they frantically looked towards me and back at Nyssa.

He looked around the room and yelled "everyone leave, now. Sarab, stay." Everyone quickly left, leaving Nyssa, Sarab, her father and I in the large throne room.

He picked up the fallen dagger and pointed it at Nyssa and asked "my heir allowed love to infect her power?" She stumbled back and quietly said "I cannot control my heart's desire. I am not weakened by my beloved, she provides me with the strength to live." Ra's threw the dagger, piercing Nyssa's cape, restraining her to the wall.

"Enough, my child. I chose you as my heir, I gave you that honour and you let some stray take any morsel of power left in you. You're a pathetic excuse of an heir. I cannot allow you to weaken the league, Sarab is my heir." Nyssa's eyes began to water as she listened to her father's harsh words.

She yelled back "Sarab was married, he had a son. Clearly he is weakened by love just as much as I am." Ra's slowly walked towards Nyssa, pulled the dagger out of her cloak. He loudly stated "Sarab has no love in his heart. It is true that when he was Maseo Yamashiro, he married the woman who bore his son. But, he watched the cruel world rip his son from him as he held him in his arms until his last breath. As for his wife, their love did not survive the death of their child, their legacy. Now I watch you, my daughter and I ashamed of considering you a legacy."

Tears ran down Nyssa's face as her dark eyes glistened, she looked down at the floor not wanting to meet her father's eyes. He gripped her chin and slowly said "today I take the honour of heir to the demon from you. But now as I watch how weak you have become I take the title daughter of the demon from you. You and your beloved are exiled from Nanda Parbat, leave before I decide to kill you both."

Nyssa quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me from the floor as we walked out of the throne room and collected our things.

We walked away from the large stone castle, hidden among the mountains. "Where are we going?" I asked Nyssa as I shivered from the cold. She took off her cape and wrapped it around my shoulders as she said "higher up in the mountains, I have a small hut."

I nodded as we continued to walk up the snowy path. We finally arrived at a small wooden house. It looked like it had been years since someone had been in here. Nyssa unscrewed the hilt of her sword and pulled out a small key. She unlocked the heavy wooden door and entered.

It was a small house with wooden walls and a tiny fire pit. There was a bed and a small kitchen. She turned to me as she placed our bags on the floor. I shyly looked up at her dark eyes as I whispered "Nyssa, I'm sorry I failed you, this is all my fault."

She shook her head and quickly pulled me into her embrace. "No, Sara, my father manipulated us," she whispered back to me. I nodded and rested my head against her shoulder. I slowly exhaled and asked "Nyssa, what's a beloved?" She quickly pulled back, her dark eyes searching mine.

She slowly sighed and said "it is someone you would kill for, someone who is the better half of oneself. It is the person you would live a miserable life for, just to see them smile one last time." I leant in and kissed her, I whispered "did you mean it when you called me that?" She held my waist and pulled me closer "of course, my beloved, I would do anything to hear your laugh once more."

I smiled and softly kissed her again. After a few minutes Nyssa pulled back and sighed "we must devise a plan to destroy my father." I nodded and said "wouldn't it be easier to go after Sarab, your father is too powerful. Besides, if you banish Sarab from Nanda Parbat, wouldn't that make you heir to the demon again?" She smiled brightly, "have I ever told you how incredibly smart you are?"

She then sat at the small wooden table and served us both a bowl of stew. "Now we must prepare to attack the forces of Nanda Parbat," she said, darkly.