(DC Multiverse Adventures)
"-even with his parties and his playboy act-"
Zoya starts chuckling out of nowhere then proceeds to laugh quietly.
Dick looks at her. "What?"
She shakes her head. "Nothing."
"No, what?" He presses.
She pressed her lips tog...
Summary: Ra's explains why Zoya is his favorite child
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The air in Nanda Parbat hung thick with incense, the faint crackle of torches filling the silence between them. Oliver Queen stood before Ra's al Ghul, his stance tense but his voice steady as he sought clarity.
"You threatened her life," Oliver said, the words heavy with curiosity rather than accusation. "Why? If she's your favorite child, why put her in danger?"
Ra's tilted his head, studying Oliver as if weighing how much to reveal. "Because sometimes, the strongest bonds must be tested."
Oliver's brows furrowed, his gaze intent on Ra's. "But Zoya... she's different. I've seen it. She doesn't belong in the shadows like the rest of us. Why?"
Ra's allowed a faint smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You perceive more than most." He turned, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed out over the moonlit courtyard.
He sighed, the shadows of memory clouding his features.
"When Zoya was born, she was such a fragile thing. So frail that her very breath seemed too weak to survive. Her mother, loved her with a depth that defied all our doctrines, all our teachings. And when it became clear that Zoya would not survive, she did what no one else could—what no one else would dare to do."
"The Lazarus Pit," Oliver whispered, the weight of the realization sinking in.
Ra's nodded, his gaze distant as he spoke. "In her desperation, Zoya's mother took her to the waters, knowing the cost. The act itself was a violation of everything we believe in, a sacrilege. She risked her own life to save our daughter, knowing that she would likely be condemned for it."
Oliver swallowed hard, imagining the scene—how a mother's love could drive her to such an act of defiance. "Her mother was executed?"
Ra's looked at him, his eyes clouded with something like sorrow. "Yes. But her sacrifice ensured Zoya's survival, and something more. The Lazarus Pit gave her life, but it did not alter her essence. Where most who emerge from the Pit are twisted, broken by the darkness that seeps into their souls, Zoya remained... whole. Her humanity, her spirit, everything."
Oliver listened in silence, the pieces of Zoya's life falling into place. He could see now why Ra's held her in such regard—not because of her potential as a weapon or a tool, but because of something far rarer: her purity.
Ra's continued, his voice softening. "She is incorruptible. Walking among us, but not one of us. She is more. She inspires such loyalty in some and defiance in others. It is what makes her both a symbol and a threat."
Oliver's gaze didn't waver. "A threat?"
"To everything the League has built," Ra's explained. "She is the impossible made real, a symbol of hope that undermines control and obedience. For Nyssa, Zoya represents what could be lost if she does not accept her destiny. The threat to Zoya's life was not about cruelty—it was about awakening purpose."
Oliver's mind raced as he absorbed Ra's words. "So, it wasn't just about Nyssa marrying me. It was about reminding her of what's at stake."
"Precisely," Ra's said, turning to face Oliver, his expression unreadable. "Zoya is far more than she understands herself to be. Her strength is not of the body but of the soul, and that strength has the power to reshape the world—or destroy it."
"So why couldn't she be the Heir instead?"
Ra's looks at Oliver with a faint smirk, unfazed by the question. He pauses for a beat, then responds in his usual calm tone.
"She's not ruthless enough."
Oliver narrows his eyes, but doesn't press further.
