Chapter 1: Al Sah-him
"Ra's is a title greater than one man. Wing Ta Leo Wo Chey. A tale to be told...begins thus."
- Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul was not a man to be taken lightly, for he was the head of the demon, and he had spent many years making criminals pay for their misdeeds. Murders, rapist, terrorist, and any other who sought to do harm to the innocent, although not everyone thought of him as a protector of the innocent. No, instead they saw him as the leader of the League of Assassins and took that meaning to heart. Yet he had not lived for over a hundred years on the beliefs of others, no he had his own beliefs on the matter.
Now, however, he found his interest drawn to another matter entirely, one that was brought to him by his very own daughter. They had been brought from the island of Lian Yu, half dead from days without either food nor water. Ra's knelt over the male survivor, his old eyes studying everything about the boy, and his gaze finally settled upon the piece of cloth that was clutched in his hands. The fabric was a deep green color, almost the color of the forest, and it looked tattered from much use. After taking the cloth from him, Ra's discovered that it was actually a hood, a green hood, and it apparently held some value to the boy.
"See that their injuries are treated and their strength returned," Ra's ordered before his swiftly left the stone room, the green hood clutched in his felt hand and his robes fluttering as he moved about like a phantom.
Five years later, Ra's observed the training of his men from the balcony overlooking the indoors training field. All around them were torches to light the dark caves and the sounds of men and women fighting could be heard echoing through the fortresses long tunnels. This was a sight that Ra's had come to expect, every single day they were to hone their skills, and every single day they would push their limits. However, Ra's was not a man to kill for failure in training, less all those before him would have died many years ago.
Standing out amongst his many warriors was one who had shown great promise, someone who had caught the gaze of Ra's al Ghul. He wore the typical garb of a league member except for a hood, instead of a cowl, and a mask that only covered the lower part of his face. Like all others, he was trained to use every type of weapon imaginable, yet he prefered the bow to a blade, something of which only few before him had ever done. He had been brought to Ra's and accepted his offer. It was only later that his old life was burned away and he became the man he was today, he became Al Sah-him.
"Father," Nyssa al Ghul, heir to the demon, said as she stopped right next to Ra's, observing the people who had sworn their lives to the League of Assassins.
"Deliver to Al Sah-him his final task," Ra's ordered, his gaze never leaving the man in question.
Nodding, Nyssa nocked an arrow into her bow, pulled back the string, took aim, and released the string with a snap. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the arrow launched forward, ripping through the air at high speeds, as it's target slowly began to turn. Ra's watched as Al Sah-him's sword wielding arm missed the arrow completely but his empty hand came around and caught the arrow, stopping it dead in its tracks. In an instant all the training stopped and their attention was turned to their master and his daughter.
Without a second thought Nyssa jumped over the stone railing, firing another arrow in mid air, and landed just in time for her own arrow to be shot right back at her. Al Sah-him stood across from Nyssa al Ghul heir to the demon, with his sword sheathed and one of his own arrows aimed right at her heart. Ra's didn't even need to give the command for the duel to continue, the tension was high and the two combatants would only lose focus from the sound of his voice.
In a split second Al Sah-him released his arrow, knowing it would be blocked by Nyssa, and drew his Chinese Dao from its sheath. In a flurry of motion, the two combatants met with a clang of swords and the duel truly began. Their movements were blurs that almost none could follow and each blow was meant to end their opponent's lives. This was not a simple test, this was meant to show Al Sah-him's loyalty to Ra's, to show that he would kill any without hesitation, if so ordered.
"Your skills with a blade have improved, if only a little," Nyssa taunted as they broke apart and began to circle one another, waiting for the precise moment to strike.
When that window of opportunity presented itself, Nyssa struck without hesitation or mercy, with her bow striking Al Sah-him across the face and her sword slicing into his side. A normal man would have felt a pain like no other, but those of the league were taught that pain was optional. The hooded man proved these teachings to be true when he ignored the wound and instead grabbed Nyssa by the throat. From Nyssa's point of view she was suddenly hoisted up into the air, oxygen being cut from her lungs, and ruthlessly slammed back down to the ground. Al Sah-him's blade was raised above his head, pointed down to end her life quickly, before it came down with a righteous vengeance. Or so it would have if it were not caught by Ra's al Ghul himself, who was actually smiling at the display.
"Good, very good, you strike without hesitation," Ra's praised as he released Al Sah-him's arm and allowed his daughter to get back to her feet, her own mask covering the flush of embarrassment from being bested in front of so many league members.
"Follow me," Ra's commanded before turning to walk even deeper into the complex maze of hallways that have made up his home for more than a hundred years.
Without question, both Nyssa and Al Sah-him followed the master of the League of Assassins with only the former knowing what awaited them at their destination. As they walked through the dimly lit hallways, with flickering torches being their only sources of light, the sound of many league members could be heard from each of the rooms. When they didn't sleep they trained, when they didn't train they are on missions, and any spare time they had they would eat. This process repeated itself every day, to keep them at the peak of their physical and mental skill.
"When you came to us, nearly five years ago to the day, you were a broken man and so I gave you a choice. You chose to hone yourself into the perfect tool of justice and the league has helped you do so. Ever test before you has been passed, every enemy that stood in your way has found death, and you have proven your loyalty to me time and time again," said Ra's as they walked into a room that Al Sah-him could honestly say he had never seen before, but he decided it best not to voice this fact.
"Ever since the first Ra's al Ghul, who existed well before my time, there have been four of the league that stood above the rest. They have shown greater skill than any others in their midst and have an unwavering loyalty to the league and what it stands for. These men became known as the league's horsemen, for they take on the personas of Conquest, War, Famine, and Death," Ra's explained as they walked deeper into the chamber and stopped before a shrine dedicated to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
"Not long ago I had allowed the horsemen to reform, for one cannot exist without the others, but that man left us. Now I see before me a chance to reform the four horsemen, for there is much work to be done. I wish for you to lead them, Al Sah-him, by taking on the mantle of Conquest and leading them to burn out the injustice of the world," with that said, Ra's turned to face his hooded assassin, a smile on his face.
"If you wish it to be so," said Al Sah-him, speaking for the first time that entire day, as he lowered his hood and removed the mask that covered the lower half of his face.
"When you came to me you were Oliver Queen and became Al Sah-him. Now you will become the embodiment of conquest itself, leading war, famine, and death into battle against the evils of the world. Return here when the moon reaches its highest point in the sky, it is then that the four horsemen shall properly return," Ra's commanded before turning back to face the shrine, not even needing to command Nyssa and Al Sah-him to leave, for they did so on their own.
"Congratulations, you are the first my father has taken an interest in for a very long time, I do not envy you," said Nyssa as she walked side by side with her father's new favored assassin, something of which came with as many burdens as it did privileges.
"I do as commanded," was Al Sah-him's only response but Nyssa just met his eyes with an annoyed glare.
"And if he told you to strike down Ta-er al-Safar?" Nyssa asked, causing Al Sah-him to pause mid step and send her his own glare, but he didn't answer.
After a few moments of trying to stare each other down, Nyssa and Al Sah-him moved on down the many hallways, both seeming to be going to the same place. Not many league members are paired with the same partner twice, to prove that they could work together no matter who they were assigned to, but being the daughter of the demon had it's advantages. Nyssa was able to pick who she wanted on her team, for each mission, and they had proven to be one of the best under the demon's command. Nyssa al Ghul, Ta-er al-Safar, and Al Sah-him were the best of the league, proving time and time again that nothing could stand in their way once a mission had begun. As such a close bond had formed between the three of them, a bond that Ra's didn't necessarily approve of but allowed to remain, if only to teach his daughter a valuable lesson.
Once the pair arrived in yet another section of the mountainside palace, they found a blond haired woman, dressed in non league cloths, kicking the living shit out of the newer recruits. This woman was once known as Sara Lance, only to be reborn as Ta-er al-Safar. If Al Sah-him had not agreed to stay with the league then Nyssa believed Ta-er al-Safar would not be the woman she was today. The both of them survived hell on earth and had come out stronger than ever before, only to be broken and remade by the League of Assassins.
"Nyssa?" Ta-er al-Safar asked in surprise, while she was holding a new recruit in a headlock, before everyone back away at the sight of the demon's daughter.
"Playing with the new recruits I see," said Nyssa, observing the several recruits that currently lay passed out on the ground, proof that Ta-er al-Safar was not one to be trifled with.
"Al-Owal requested my assistance in their training, believing that another experienced member would give them a better insight as to how diverse the league really is," the once known Sara explained as another person walked into the large training room, with Sara letting her captive go.
"I believe I said that I wanted you to show them that the league is not as unchanging as some would believe. I did not expect for you to knock out so many of them within the first thirty minutes of my absence," said Al-Owal, a sword strapped to his side and his arms behind his back.
"She has always been one to surprise those who put limitations on her," said Nyssa, a gentle smile forming on her lips as she placed a hand on Ta-er al-Safar's shoulder.
"And what of you, Al Sah-him, what are your thoughts on the matter?" Al-Owal inquired, turning everyone's attention to the silent archer.
"They cannot learn unless they feel the pain of defeat, if they wish to survive then they all must have the will to do so. Anything less and they're not fit to be one of us," said the silent archer, five years of league tradition and philosophy having been pounded into his skull.
"Ah, truth in its purest form. You, out of all others, have benefited the most from my teaching."
"As pleasant a conversation this is, we wish to steal Ta-er al-Safar from your services, if it isn't too much of an inconvenience?" Nyssa inquired, although it wasn't really a question when coming from the daughter of the demon.
"Of course."
Without another word being set between them, the team of three left the training room and began to travel up several stairs. Within a matter of moments, all three of them were standing on the very top of Nanda Parbat. It was not an uncommon sight to find them up there, watching the stars on cloudless nights, for it was the only place where tradition did not hold them so tightly and they were away from prying eyes.
"Things are going to change now, I can feel it in my bones," Oliver finally spoke; though his eyes never left the bright stars above him.
"It doesn't matter in the slightest, we will attain victory no matter what stands in our way, nothing can stop us when we are together," Nyssa's words spoke true, nothing had ever stopped them when they were together.
This was a known fact, for the three of them were unstoppable when tasked with the same mission.
Later, once the moon had reached its highest point in the night sky, Al Sah-him and Nyssa Al Ghul knelt before the Head of the Demon. Ra's himself, still garbed in his traditional robes, watched as four branding irons slowly began to glow in the firepit that separated him from the other two. No one else was present in the room and no large ceremony was to be held, as to keep the identity of the horsemen a secret from the rest of the League.
"The man I spoke of, who had once held the title of Death, has shamed himself and brought dishonor to his former position. Nyssa, my daughter, I give this title to you and charge you with the honor of killing this man; bring death to him. Al Sah-him, who wishes to destroy those that corrupt and kill his former home, I charge you with the honor of conquering this evil with unyielding resolve," Ra's spoke before the doors leading to the chamber suddenly opened and Oliver could hear the faint sound of two individuals walking up behind them.
Oliver caught sight of Sara as she knelt down on his left hand side, with a man known as Sarab kneeling down on Nyssa's right. Oliver had suspected Sara to become one of the horsemen, seeing as the tree of them worked well together, but the sight of Sarab was slightly more unexpected.
"Sarab, a man that gave me a plague as payment for my teachings, you shall help Conquest and Death by becoming Famine, a slow and painful death that starves those unfortunate enough to catch it's gaze. Ta-er al-Safar, who has stood as Al Sah-him's companion, shall aid Conquest by becoming war, the very thing we of the League declared on those who commit evil in the world," Ra's continued as he moved around the firepit and stood in front those that he had chosen, mostly looking down at Oliver.
"Oliver Queen, who became Al Sah-him. Nyssa al Ghul, my daughter. Sara Lance, reborn as Ta-er al-Safar. Maseo Yamashiro, who cast off his mortal self and became Sarab. Remove your armor and receive the mark of the horsemen," all four of them did so without hesitation, including Nyssa; for Ra's al Ghul had commanded it.
Ra's grabbed the first branding iron, from the fire, and revealed it the be a simple circle with a line through the middle of it, to which he pressed right over Oliver's heart. Next came Nyssa, whose brand came in the form of a triangle with a cross connected at its base. Sara's was more complicated, with a half circle above a full one and a cross at the base. Finally there was Sarab, whose symbol was a simple circle with a line going vertical through it, but also a horizontal one jutting out from the vertical one.
None of them so much as flinched when the glowing pieces of metal touched their skin, adding yet another scar to the many they already had, and this made Ra's proud.
"You knelt before me as my agents of the League, now rise as my Horsemen."