Intoxicating Desires | T. Al Ghul ✔

[05]

Ra's Al Ghul did not interfere in Talia's matters again but that was partially due to the fact that his son Dusan had come to Nanda Parbat and as a result, he got busier than earlier.

Dusan Al Ghul was Talia's biological brother but the two apparently did not get along well with each other. He had been managing the League's secondary base in Cape Town along with Nyssa, who he seemed to favor more as compared to his sister.

But right then he had come to visit the League's primary base and Ra's was occupied enough to leave his daughter be for the time being.

Every person associated with the League of Assassins knew that Dusan should have been the rightful successor to the Demon Head as he was the eldest son and deserved the title. But Ra's hadn't chosen him his successor on the basis of a very futile reason.

Dusan was born an albino hence he had porcelain skin, light eyes and equally light hair. His appearance was strikingly different from the rest of them and that somehow led to him not being chosen as the successor.

Ra's thought that his existence alone was a threat and giving him the leadership of the League could result in a divide being created among the assassins. So he chose Talia as his successor.

Unlike Talia, Dusan did not want that title and responsibility either so he made no fuss when told that she would be the Demon's Head successor instead of him. Contrarily, Talia saw him as a rival at first but with time they resolved that misunderstanding.

Still, as he was usually at Cape Town, the two never got to interact much and it gave rise to the rumors that the siblings opposed each other.

Usually, whenever Dusan came to visit and it happened quite rarely, Ra's would have to make sure that his son did not become the cause of any further disturbance. Deep down, he had that realization that he hadn't treated his son well and the man could strike back at him.

So he was always making sure that no such situation arose.

Dusan had returned from a hunting trip in the forest and took his horse to the stable himself. He reined in his horse and unfastened the cowhide bag that contained the fresh hunt he had brought with him.

He often did his tasks by himself, making it clear to the others that they were not obligated to tend to him. He was an Al Ghul but probably the most down-to-earth of them all, perhaps due to the fact that he knew what it felt like to be treated as an inferior.

Unlike other members of his family, he was much more considerate towards the servants and the other members of the League. That nature of his had garnered him a lot of support which was an alarming situation for Ra's lest his son decided to stand up against him.

He had tied up his horse and was about to leave the stables when he caught sight of a familiar face.

"Veruna," he called out and the woman turned to face him, surprised to see him there.

"Master Dusan! When did you return?" A smile had broken out on her face as she left her task and stepped closer to him.

"This morning though I had headed straight to the forest," he replied, handing her the bag containing his hunt, "we don't get to hunt like this back in Cape Town."

"It's good to have you back," she remarked, her stature much more relaxed and friendly towards him.

Dusan had played the role of an elder brother to both Talia and Veruna. And as he was kind towards them even then as that aspect of his personality couldn't change, Veruna felt at ease around him.

"How's Talia doing?"

"My Lady has been doing well," she replied, that trace of respect returning in her tone as she was mentioning the successor to the Demon Head, "she would be delighted to see you."