Rescued: A Nyssara Story

Chapter 4

NYSSA: I walk briskly to where my father has summoned me. I open the door, enter, and kneel before him on his throne. I speak in our tongue, Arabic.

"I have been summoned by you, Father?"

"Yes, my child, you have. I've summoned you to discuss your mission on Lian Yu," he says seriously.

"Have I done something wrong, Father?"

"You brought a stray here into our establishment without my knowing. You should not have brought that American here."

"But Father, you told me not what the mission was. You were very unspecific."

"You have put yourself and The League in a very uncomfortable situation. We must kill the girl before she acquires too much information about where she is. I regret to inform you that your attempt to revive her was a waste."

I stand there in a bit of a panic within but do not show it externally. "You are going to kill her?"

"No. You are. She is your responsibility."

"But Father, she has done nothing wrong."

"The only person who has done wrong here is you, child. Now, do as I demand and eradicate this girl. Then you will not be further distracted by her."

I don't want to kill the girl. I am not a savage that kills the innocent. "What if she joins The League under my supervision and training?"

He scoffs at me. "That fragile little bird?"

"Yes, Father. I will train her myself. She does not need to be a waste."

"You speak largely of this girl and yourself," he says doubtingly.

"Father, let me try."

He pauses. "Very well. You have a month to heal her and to train her. She must exhibit that she is capable of fighting and killing."

I bow to him. "Thank you, Father. I will not let you down." I leave the room with very mixed feelings.

RA'S AL GHUL: It is all falling into place now. Ta-er al-Sahfer is finally here, as she told me she would be back in 1960 when she is a time traveler. Now, she's a baby bird with broken wings but with what I've seen in my past and her future, she will become an extraordinary member of The League. I counted on the fact that Nyssa would not kill her. She cares. She cares for the weak and the innocent, even if I have tried to teach her otherwise. Now it is in Nyssa's hands to convince her to join us and then Sara Lance will be no more. The Yellow Bird will rise and fight for me!

NYSSA: I enter back into my bedchambers to find Sara rifling through my bedside cupboard. She hastily reverts back to sitting in the bed.

"May I ask what you were looking for?"

"I got bored..." she says trailing off.

"I was not gone for very long," I say as I close the door and walk towards her.

"Sorry," she says blankly.

I glance at the clock hanging on the wall across from me. It is nearly time to train with the new League initiates.

"Do you have somewhere else to be?" she asks me with an annoyed tone.

"In a bit," I say ignoring her annoyance with me. "How are you feeling?"

"Annoyed," she says blankly.

"I meant physically."

She relaxes in the bed. "A lot better than I felt a few days ago," she smiles slightly. "Thanks to you," she says as she looks down at her hands.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," I say as I glance at the empty tray on the table. "And I am also glad to see that your appetite remains intact," I say as I take the tray and set it outside the door for a servant to pick up.

"I haven't had real food in like a year. I've missed it."

"You were on that island for a year?"

"Mhm. I was on a boat trip and it sank. I was marooned there and rescued, sort of. Then I was with some bad people for a while. Then, I was on another boat and that one sank, too. That's how I got so injured."

I stand there a bit astonished. "You do not seem to have much luck with boats, do you?"

"Yeah," she chuckles softly.

Just then, a league member knocks on my door and speaks in Arabic.

"Nyssa. Training time."

"Go on. I will meet you there." I say back.

Sara sits up. "Hey, what language is that?"

I turn back to Sara. "It is Arabic. It is the tongue we use here."

"And are you going to tell me where 'here' is?"

I sit down at the foot of the bed. "Sara, I have brought you to a very dangerous place with very dangerous people, including myself. I should not have done that and I realize my fault now. Now that you are here, you should know exactly where you are."

"Alright?"

"You are in a place called Nanda Parbat. This is where a highly secret organization called 'The League of Assassins' is housed and trained under the rule of a very powerful man, my father, Ra's al Ghul, which translates to 'The Head of the Demon.'"

"Assassins? You can't expect me to believe that," she says skeptically.

"Well, you said you were bored, yes? Care to come with me? You can see for yourself what we do here," I say as I rise from the bed.

"Go with you where?"

"It is time for me to help train some of the new members here," I say as I offer my hand to help her up. "I'll take you to where we train."

She sits up still perplexed. I bend down to her. "Wrap your arms around me. I will carry you."

"What? You don't have a wheel chair around here or something?" she says jokingly as she wraps her arms around my neck.

"Wheel chairs are for those who are weak and this is a place where weakness is not tolerated," I tell her seriously. "You will soon find that out."

I lift her in my arms and I carry her out the door.