"Did he explain why we are here?" Zareeb asked.

"Routine checks," Nyssa explained getting out of the helicopter.

"No one survives here."

"I know, but you never know what you'll find."

Nyssa drew her blade and explored the island with her comrades, taking a moment look up in the trees for anyone hiding. She walked further, spotting a flash of blue. She walked a bit closer and saw a human form slumped on the ground. Nearing them, Nyssa knelt down next to an unconscious woman. She turned her over onto her back and checked her pulse.

"She's alive." She told one of her partners.

"Take her or leave her?"

"Take her, she'll make a good recruit." She shrugged.

Nyssa pulled her over her shoulder into a fireman's carry and brought her to the helicopter. She strapped her up and waited for her to wake up. Time passed as Nyssa watched her slowly gain consciousness. After pulling down her mask, she smiled at her and handed her a flask of water.

"Where am I?" She asked Nyssa, looking around the room. "Who are you?"

"You're on your way to safety, I am Nyssa al Ghul."

She looked at her saviour with fragile ice blue eyes that had been worn with darkened circles around them, "I'm Sara Lance." She answered shakily, unscrewing the top of the flask.

"How did you end up on the island?"

"The Amazo," Sara whispered, taking a sip. She glanced up at Nyssa and continued. "It's a ship where they tested on humans."

"What do you mean?"

"They tested human strength serums on prisoners."

"Did they-"

"No, they didn't test any on me. I was spared and helped him test others." She explained, and quickly added, "It was the only way I could survive." Nyssa nodded and handed her a small ration. "Where are we going?"

"Nanda Parbat."

"Where-"

"Don't worry."

"Are you one of Oliver's friends?"

"Oliver?"

"Nevermind."

"It will be a while, I recommend you get some rest."

Sara nodded and handed back the flask, and finishing off the bit of food she had in her hand. She closed her eyes and pulled her knees up to her chest. Nyssa gazed at her, watching as her face relaxed and she slipped into slumber. She glanced at Zareeb, then back to Sara.

"I guess it wasn't a fruitless endeavour," Nyssa smirked, switching to her Arabic.

"Let's first see how she fares before you say anything like that."

Nyssa nodded and checked her watch. "Take her to the cell and I will inform Ra's."

"Of course."

"I wonder how long she was there?"

"I don't know." He answered flatly. "Just lucky that we found her now rather than later. I hate getting dead meat on my shoes."

"Cheerful."

Sara opened her eyes to a cold dark room where two guards were standing watch. There was a dish of food and a flask. She got up and walked over to the meal and began to eat. She heard the guards speak to one another in an unfamiliar language. Sara finished the bland food quickly as she heard the door click. One of the guards stood in the opening, his hood and mask on. His voice was muffled, but in a thick accent, he commanded Sara to follow them.

They walked down the short corridor and stopped at a pair of doors. One guard pushed them open and walked her in. The low lights revealed a dirt room in the shape of a pentagram. People in masks and hoods lined the room, complete silence except for the scrapping steps from Sara. The guards turned her to a wall and pushed her to her knees. She looked up, coming face to face with an older man with dark hair and wrinkled skin. He was dressed in red and black unlike the others in their pure shadowy cloaks. He wore a sash of green and gold with black decals. Two more guards walked in and dragged a man in, setting him next to Sara. The other prisoner had pure ginger hair and wide brown eyes. His hair was almost as long as Sara's, but fell down and framed his gaunt face. The enthroned man stood up and spoke in an unfamiliar language, the same as her saviour and the guards. He then looks at his prisoners.

"You will fight, the winner is freed from their cell." He nodded. "Hand to hand combat, a game of wits and strength. Begin when you are ready." He finished in an almost casual tone.

Sara looked at him then to the other prisoner before looking back at her captor. She heard the man next to her slide across the floor and try to attack her. She slipped out of the way and watched him eat dirt.

She stood up and backed away from him, watching him quickly gain his ground again and walk towards her.

His hands came up to his face as he tried to punch Sara. She dodged the first but got hit by the second one that landed in her side.

Sara doubled over and punched him in the stomach, backing away quickly. She watched as he manically stood up straight and got closer again.

He furrowed his brows and went to attack again. Sara kicked him in the leg, making it snap straight and force him to the ground.

Sara got on top of him and continuously punched him in the face until his blood coated her knuckles. He covered his face as she moved down to his chest, hearing a rib break.

She stood up and backed away.

"Good, now finish him." She heard her captor command.

She looked at him and shook her head. "I will not kill."

"Why?"

"Because it's not what I do."

"Fine. Talia, please finish the fight."

Whirrrzzzz. Shunk.

Sara turned around to her opponent, surprised to find an arrow sticking out of the bottom of his jaw. She whipped around, coming face to face with her saviour. Her eyes were calm and rested, but her mask hid her nose and mouth, covering any other emotions.

"You will learn to appreciate the beauty of death. My other daughter, Nyssa, will guide you through your training." He explained. "Welcome to the League of Shadows, Sara Lance."

Nyssa grabbed Sara's arm and walked her out an open archway and up two flights of stairs without a word. Her hands were strong and rough, gripping Sara's forearm. She had very strong and sure steps up the old worn rock steeps. Nyssa never glanced back, only walked until they got to a room at the end of the chamber of doors and tables. She turned around and removed her mask. In the low lights, Sara could see the small knicks and scars in her skin, slashes across her cheeks and jaws from years before that had almost healed. She looked into Sara's eyes then glanced away and placed her hand on a door.

"This is your room, I am next to you here." She said pointing to another door. "There is still much time in the day, so we will begin training."

"I didn't know you were his daughter." She stated with a silent answer. "What is the league of assassins?" Sara continued as they walked up a set of stairs until they got a relief of a large dragon encircled around an emblem of Arabic. "Why did you bring me here?" Nyssa opened the door, leading to a beautiful mountainside. "Where are we?"

Nyssa turned around and pulled down her mask. "Stop talking, you must find peace with yourself. You need to find the beauty in silence before you can train."

"I don't want to be here," Sara told her.

"Either you train or my father uses you for tests just like that man you defeated."

Sara nodded and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"Good. Follow me."

Nyssa pulled off her hood and continued walked out from between the high walls of rock on either side of the entrance and followed a trail. Sara just silently walked next to her, millions of questions on her tongue, but kept her silence.

She realized as they walked through the greenery, how much she despised and feared silence. All throughout her life, she covered any negative emotion she had with clubs, music, booze, and whatever else she felt like doing. Very rarely did she just stop and try to think about her life. Sara was always in motion and used it as an excuse to run away and lie to her parents. She was so afraid of silence, but now Sara had to deal with herself.

Nyssa always enjoyed this path. It was so beautiful and it felt like home. Her father would take her and Talia on this path all the time when they were much younger to train them, and now she did the same for her apprentices.

She found that this trail did something to her pupils. Something about it cleared their minds and helped them focus on themselves and their surroundings.

They turned a corner by a lightning charred tree and walked by a creek.

Nyssa glanced at Sara, watching how she bit her tongue and took slower breaths. She enjoyed studying her. The way her eyes darted around to path at every detail and her reactions to her own mind. It was always interesting to watch her pupils as they embraced the silence and inevitably their mind and spirit. Though, again, there was just something about Sara that made Nyssa feel a bit more curious than she should have been.

Sara looked over at Nyssa, then darted her eyes back to the flora around them. She did enjoy the silence, but she really wanted to know more about these people. They took another turn around the road and began back towards the conclave.

On the way back, Nyssa pulled the mask back over her mouth, fixing the folds. She looked over at Sara before pulling her hood back over to hide her hair. Sara then realized Nyssa had to keep face and hide any humanity she had just like the others, the humanity that she showed Sara. The vulnerability she offered Sara when they first met and on their walk.

Nyssa opened the door and they walked to the entrance hall. Still in silence Sara followed her down the stairs to the second tier where the housing was. They walked to the corner where their rooms met.

"Wait here." Nyssa requested, walking into her room, returning in moments with a staff and a bundle of clothes. "Wear these tomorrow but leave the jo staff in your room."

Sara nodded and took them. Nyssa slid her arm out and opened the door for her. As she watched her close the door behind her, Nyssa couldn't help but feel a connection to Sara, something about her made her feel… different than usual.