My Name is Oliver Queen: The Nyssa Edition
A collection of missing or extended scenes focusing on Nyssa's arc from the Arrow Season 3 finale.
He had known from the beginning it wouldn't be easy.
He knew he would be tortured and conditioned. He knew he would have to kill and serve without question. He knew he would be sacrificing the love and trust of those closest to him.
He never once thought he would end up married to Nyssa al Ghul.
As Oliver navigated the halls of Nanda Parbat, still wearing his ceremonial garb from the wedding, he wondered if he had the strength for this last remaining hurdle. Ra's had made it abundantly clear what he expected, and Oliver was to be left alone with Nyssa for the first time since they fought on that rooftop.
Following the ceremony, his bride had grown unsettlingly withdrawn. Her venomous glower had faded to a dazed numbness, and she had simply stared at the food placed in front of her, no longer seeming to possess the defiance to wave the servants off. Preoccupied by talk of preparations for the following day, Ra's scarcely paid his daughter a second thought when she weakly requested leave from the table.
It was only a short time later that Oliver did the same.
Arriving at the door to his destination, he was greeted deferentially by the pair of sentries standing guard. Nodding in acknowledgment, Oliver drew in a deep breath. Of all the challenges he had faced as Al Sah-him, the one awaiting him on the other side of that door was by far the most daunting. Steeling himself, he stepped past the sentries and through the portal. Two more guards kept vigilant watch immediately within, and Oliver withheld a sigh; the Demon's Daughter had not been allowed a moment of privacy since she was taken prisoner days before. He ignored them and made his way deeper into the chamber.
Through the flickering light of the room's many candles, he could see Nyssa on the balcony, staring off into the night. She had already traded her wedding gown for something decidedly more practical, and her hair was free of it previous styling and ruffling lightly in the breeze.
He sent a quiet command over his shoulder. "You can go now. All of you."
To his relief, all four sentries bowed their heads and vacated their posts, the last of them respectfully closing the door. With a decisive motion, Oliver slid the lock bar into place.
This was not an encounter he wanted interrupted.
He silently crossed the room, approaching his new wife with as much caution as one might a cornered animal. Nyssa had yet to acknowledge him, but even through the darkness shrouding the balcony, he saw it clear as day.
She was shaking.
Much like the tears that had welled in her eyes when they stood at the altar, the sight caused him genuine remorse for the true Heir to the Demon to be so defeated. He drew breath to speak, but she cut him off with all but a snarl.
"Get out."
Without thinking, Oliver reached out a hand and touched her arm, hoping to prompt her to look at him. "Nyssa—"
The punch came faster than he could react to, landing solidly against his jaw and knocking him backwards. Not stopping there, Nyssa locked her hands around the back of his neck, wrenched him downward, and brought her knee sharply up into his stomach. She then pivoted behind him as he heaved for breath and constricted her arms around his throat, further cutting off his air.
"Nyssa!" he gasped, barely able to form the word. "Nyssa, wait! I'm not going to hurt you!"
"On that we agree," she returned darkly.
She adjusted her grip, and Oliver felt the pressure shift from his wind pipe to his cervical spine. A little more force, and his neck would snap. Taking advantage of the opportunity to speak with greater ease, he quickly made his point.
"Ra's will use the Alpha-Omega to destroy Starling City!"
The assassin, however, was unmoved. "Why do you tell me what I already know?"
"Because I want you to help me stop him."
That gave Nyssa pause, and her hold loosened a fraction. "And I should trust the man who left his friends to die."
"They've been inoculated against the virus," Oliver revealed. "They'll be fine." The pressure on his neck weakened a tiny bit more, spurring him on. "I had to prove my loyalty to Ra's, had to make him believe Oliver Queen was dead, but all this will be for nothing if I don't stop him. Then the others really will die."
Nyssa was quiet for a few seconds. Then, "Pretend for a moment I believe you. Give reason for me to betray my father on your behalf."
"You already betrayed him when you stole the Alpha-Omega." Her grip grew suddenly slack. Whether in shock at the accusation or because he hit a nerve, it was hard to tell. "You took it for a reason, Nyssa. You have a second chance to keep it from being used."
"Killing you would serve equal purpose," the woman asserted, her arms tensing in subtle reminder that she could—and would—follow through. "Father would have no more reason to attack Starling without you to succeed him."
"He would see you dead for it."
"No. He would do far worse," she assured him grimly.
Despite Nyssa's threat of death—and knowing it likely still loomed over him—Oliver knew he was getting through to her. "I understand your anger with me," he told her softly, "but I had just as little choice in this as you did. He ran my sister through with a sword."
"And she survived. A wonder she is not in line to become the next Ra's al Ghul."
The bitter sarcasm seemed to cap off Nyssa's hostility, and she finally released him. Cautiously, Oliver turned to face her and waited for her to speak. When she did, the previous edge to her tone was replaced by weariness.
"You haven't given me an answer. Stopping the Demon's Head will take nothing short of killing him. What reason do I have to aid you in the attempt?"
"Because if you don't, you'll never be free of him."
"I was never meant to be free," she told him with desolate certainty. She shook her head, her expression shadowed by conflict. "I will not deny I have dreamt of the day I might end his life…but he is my father."
"After what he's forced you to do, what he's threatened you with?" Oliver challenged. "Nyssa, any man who does that to his own daughter is no father. I know you know that."
She let the statement pass without retort. "And if we fail? You should know by now, sooner or later Ra's al Ghul always gets what he wants."
"Not this time. Not if we work together, if we trust each other. Ra's made a mistake forcing us together, one I would take advantage of." At her silence, Oliver entreated her one final time. "Nyssa, please. Help me save my city."
She didn't answer. Instead, she brushed past him and returned to the balcony. It had been a risk to reveal his intent to her, he knew. Nyssa had only to go to her father, and Oliver would have no more façade to hide behind, no further shows of loyalty to offset suspicion. Nevertheless, it was a risk that had to be taken; Nyssa was the wildcard he couldn't leave to chance.
After several minutes without response, Oliver was ready to concede and leave Nyssa to her thoughts. Then, he heard her sigh.
"What's your plan?"
