Author's note: this is officially the chapter I worked the hardest at. I count on your reviews and support, as I feel this is the BEST one I did as of late. Dark Empress is BACK as a writer. Special thanks to Bloodsong, LadyDeb1970 and Die Astra as artists who continue to amaze and inspire me!
Enjoy and review. The Dark Archer kicks Major ass in this one!
Emily was ready to jump up and have a go at Nyssa, but Malcolm held her shoulder firmly, keeping her sitting on the couch and stood up, retrieving his own bow and quiver from the floor.
He made his way into the corridor, facing Nyssa eventually. He knew where Diggle had put Talia's body, from the words the military man had unnoticeably whispered to him at one point and Merlyn indicated the way down the corridor.
Nyssa and Talia had never been really close, always competing for their father's approval.
But blood was blood, and she came to Starling to retrieve her sister's body as soon as one of the warriors who had not entered Merlyn Mansion during the fight with Talia had escaped and returned to Nanda Parbat, knowing his mistress must have been killed, and informed Ra's and her.
Malcolm opened the door and let Nyssa into the room, turning on the light. Diggle had laid Talia on the bed in one of the guest rooms downstairs. Nyssa approached and looked down at her sister, not really feeling any emotions.
Talia was crueler than even a trained warrior like Nyssa could accept, had been jealous of her, her status as the Heir to the Demon, Ra's al Ghul, jealous of her relationship with Sara and had come to torture Merlyn and his closest allies all on her own, without alerting anyone, contacted by someone who called her, named Moira. But blood was blood.
"Who killed her?" Nyssa asked, looking at Merlyn, who was still standing in the doorway. One of her minions came in, slowly picked the body and carried it out. He was not a warrior, just one of the servants of Nyssa's.
Malcolm waited till he was out.
"I did." – he admitted, levelly, expecting her to draw her bow.
He found himself surprised as Nyssa made no move like this, but looked him straight in the eye instead and asked:
"Why?"
"She threatened me and mine, and she would not let go. She tortured all of us… my son, my beloved and my friends. I had no other choice." He hoped the word "Beloved" would resonate with Nyssa.
He explained the circumstances, not expecting it would do much, preparing for death yet again, for which time now in recent days? He had lost count.
Nyssa drew her bow and Malcolm braced himself. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Or bow, in this case.
But Nyssa suddenly lowered hers and the shot he expected never came. She just sat down on the bed and caressed the pillow on which her sister had lain, then let go .
His eyes met hers, questioningly.
"You and her both violated the League rules, in your own different ways." she said, standing up. "But even if you still wear our uniform, you had been released." – Nyssa said in a low growl.
Suddenly, they were startled by a phone ringing. It was Malcolm's cell. He pulled it out of his pocket in a flash. It was a private number, so he did not know whom he was dealing with as he clicked the answer button and put the phone to his ear.
"It's Sara Lance. I got your number from Oliver a while ago." She was curt. "I know Nyssa Al Ghul already is, or should be at your house soon. Hand the phone to her if she is there."
He wordlessly held out the phone to Nyssa.
"Sara?" – she said after a beat, surprise clear in her voice.
He did not hear the conversation between the two women, but after Nyssa clicked off, she stared levelly at him, nodded curtly, threw the phone back at him and then left the room and the Mansion, front door slamming after her.
He had no idea what would come after this. But he didn't feel he could hope for no retaliation from Ra's.
He stood there, staring at the bed Talia's body had laid in. Yet another chain of events HE had started that ended in death. He found himself moving forward and making the bed, straightening the sheets and putting the blanket perfectly on top. When he was finished, it looked as if nothing had ever happened.
That was how Oliver Queen found him, having had woken up by the front door being kicked open, then slammed shut again after some time. He had made his way downstairs and walked to the brightly lit room where he knew Diggle had left Talia's body.
He stopped as he saw Malcolm standing there, staring at the freshly made-up bed, no dead body in sight.
"Did you have her moved somewhere?"- he asked, surprised.
"Nyssa was here and took Talia away."
Oliver noticed the Dark Archer's tight grip on his bow and that he was wearing his quiver, but clearly no arrows had been shot.
Oliver turned speechless for a moment, then asked in a shocked voice: "What happened?"
"She came here to retrieve her sister's body." Malcolm said, flatly. "I told her it was me that killed her."
"Wh…" Oliver grabbed the other man by the arm and turned him forcefully, looking straight into those steely blue eyes. "How are you even still alive?"
Malcolm weighed his words, knowing that what he was about to say would impact Oliver in a major way. Sara had been the boy's lover and then left with Nyssa. "I think at some point, she decided her sister had deserved her own fate, and then…"
He took a deep breath.
"Sara called her and said something that made her run out."
Oliver gasped when he heard the name, then stayed quiet, processing the information. Sara…
Malcolm stared through the window, then at the bed. He couldn't stand to be in this room no longer.
He walked up and grabbed Oliver's arm swiftly. "Let's get out of here." he said, leading the still shocked boy out, turning the light off before he shut the door.
They slowly made their way to the living room. Emily and Caress were clearly upstairs somewhere, the girl must have heard Nyssa going out and heard the two men speak, so she had realized Malcolm was safe and decided to give Oliver and her love their privacy. Malcolm heard her and Felicity's voice speaking in aunt Sophia's room upstairs and realized with relief that Nyssa had not met her on her way out and had not done anything to her. He laid his bow and took off his quiver, laying them by the couch, ready to be used. Oliver did the same, on his side of the couch. Malcolm sat, grabbed the carafe and poured them both drinks.
Oliver downed his in a few gulps, starting to shake slightly.
"Ra's will be coming for me, Oliver. Very soon." Malcolm said, the pain in his chest rising again.
"I told you I would not let you die." – the boy said swiftly. He had met many opponents on the island, people who were so cruel. Merlyn had no idea of them, but Oliver knew he couldn't leave him and all the people in this house at Ra's al Ghul's mercy. Besides, he found himself starting to care for Malcolm, twisted as the man was. He saw the way he was changing into a person he had not expected to see in him when he had first learned what he was.
"You have not met Ra's, you have no idea what he can be like, and it would be better if you escaped before he arrives. It would be best if all of you escaped." – The Dark Archer said, his hand briefly indicating the upstairs rooms, the pain in his chest rising again.
"I'm not going anywhere. It will be all right. I will help. Ra's Al Ghul will not get to any of us" Oliver said with determination he had not even believed he had in himself. Maybe he was learning from the man beside him?
Then Oliver held out his arm, shifting closer and Malcolm leaned in, tired, accepting the comfort the younger man offered. They fell asleep there, holding on to each other like this, hoping for the best.
About 6 am in the morning, Merlyn's phone rang, waking up the men.
Malcolm looked at the caller ID and saw it was Thea. His heart almost collapsed. What if she was in danger? She was supposed to be safe at the Merlyn Global penthouse, with bodyguards all around her, safer than here. "Thea?!" He almost shouted into the phone, purposefully using her name to let Oliver know who it was.
"Are you all right?" – he asked, trying to make his voice softer.
"No I AM NOT." The girl screamed. "I'm bored to death, as lovely as your penthouse is, 'DAD', I'm sick of being locked up here, kept from going anywhere by your bodyguards."
Malcolm knew he had a quick decision to make. He heard she had had a drink or two from the bar in the office and could be a tad unpredictable now. Heck, she was unpredictable even when fully sober. He weighed his choices fast, and decided. If the League and Ra's could get to his house, they could surely get to his penthouse as well. The incident with Deadshot months ago proved it was not as inaccessible as he had thought.
At least here, his daughter would not be alone, but by his side. "Thea." he said levelly. "Please wait a second more." He jumped up and ran to the room Diggle was staying in. The man was woken up by the sharp knocking on his door, but as a warrior, he was used to such incidents and to standing ready at a moment's notice. He was a bit surprised as Malcolm Merlyn walked in, his phone held closely to his ear. "Just one more second, darling." – Malcolm said into the phone, then lowered it a bit.
"Mr. Diggle, I need a favor from you. I need to retrieve my daughter safely from my company's building. Can you arrange for an armored transport? I need her brought here PERFECTLY safe, considering all that has been going on lately."
Diggle racked his mind for a second, then nodded. He whipped out his phone and called one of his military contacts.
"Hi, Steve. I need a helicopter at Merlyn Global roof in Starling to retrieve a person in danger. Can you make it?" He asked the military pilot he had come to know and trust years ago.
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, we are having a bit of a break here, so I can make it. How soon?"
"NOW." The man on the line did not need to be told twice and Diggle heard the faint sounds of the him moving and running out of the building.
"On my way, NOW. The Merlyn Global building roof?" Who am I to pick up?"
"A girl, Thea Queen."
"Will be there in ten minutes."
He nodded at Malcolm and the man lifted the phone back to his ear. "Thea, a man in a helicopter is coming to get you as we speak. You must go out to the roof. Ask one of the bodyguards for directions, they have been instructed how to get there, but stay on the line with me, I will tell you how to get there if they should fail. Don't disconnect till you are in the helicopter. And for a moment, give the phone to one of the bodyguards."
"Ok." Thea turned to the nearest bodyguard and said. "Malcolm Merlyn wants to speak to you."
The man grabbed the phone from her and asked swiftly. "Mr. Merlyn?"
He listened to the instructions after the businessman first identified him with a security password. "Yes, yes, sir, I understand." – he handed the phone back to Thea.
"Dear, he is going to get you to the roof, but like I said, stay on the line with me until you reach the helicopter." Malcolm said.
"Ok."
Thea grabbed her backpack and then the bodyguard's hand as they ran out of the room. Malcolm heard the noise of them running up the staircase as he waited eagerly to hear his daughter's voice again. He dismissed the pain in his chest, a swift glance alerting him to Oliver picking up his bow and quiver and moving to stand at his side.
It seemed like an eternity, but he finally heard the noise of the helicopter landing on the roof and Thea climbing in.
"It's here, I'm on my way." Thea said to her father and clicked off.
Diggle re-dialled the pilot seconds after this. "How long till you get to Merlyn Mansion?" He had to act quickly, while the man was still in range.
"Ten minutes."
"Ok, move fast, strap her in well and be here ASAP." Diggle said in a steely voice and disconnected.
It was agony to Malcolm, waiting. The helicopter finally landed on the Mansion lawn. The noise had clearly woken the people in the house, but Diggle ran upstairs and screamed. "It's all okay, just go to your bathrooms, we have a WELCOME visitor this time."
That seemed to calm them and make them go about their business. Diggle heard showers start. Oliver stood by Malcolm's side and they both ran out, breathing with relief as Thea exited the helicopter safely.
She hugged Oliver first, collapsing into him.
"Ollie." She said, tenderly.
Then it was Malcolm's turn and he did not know what to expect. He approached a few steps, but stopped, the pain in his chest rising now, more than it ever had before.
Thea stood in place after Oliver moved away, taking her time, looking at the mansion and the grounds. It was a different style than the Queen Manor, but the same size and as impressive.
Malcolm restrained his urge to run up and just hug her.
She slowly walked up to him. "Hi, 'DAD.'" She said ironically and it sounded too much like Talia, both for Oliver and Malcolm. This was disturbing.
Malcolm could hold out no longer. His chest was bursting and he ran up to his daughter and grabbed her in a hug. He held Thea tightly, her stiff restraint clear to him, but he still held on tightly.
The warmth radiating from her father surprised Thea, and she found herself finally leaning into his embrace.
Merlyn swore to himself he would not let his actions make her become like Talia, and softly turned her in his arms, as the three of them started walking towards the house, Oliver in front.
They walked in, and Thea started looking around with curiosity. Malcolm and Oliver stood back, letting her take it all in.
"To the right. That's the living room." Merlyn instructed softly.
Thea walked on and stared, her gaze catching the picture of Malcolm, Rebecca and Tommy of all things. She walked over and picked it up, now seeing her real father as she had never seen him before. So warm, so happy. Malcolm had sat down on the couch, as Oliver stood by bows laid by the side.
"Could you bring some food from the fridge?" – he asked the boy, who threw him a questioning glance
"A salad for Thea, maybe." He had no idea what teenage girls ate as of late, so he had to guess. She put down the picture and slowly walked up to sit down next to him.
Malcolm poured her some wine that had been left on the table.
"I prefer the whiskey." She said, clearly already a little drunk from whatever she had chosen from the bar at the Merlyn Global penthouse. He considered it for a while, but then took the carafe and poured both of them a drink.
"Oliver! " – Thea surprised Malcolm by asking her brother if there was more food in the house.
"Yeah, I think there is. Spaghetti, steaks, salads, some cake."
"Could you bring me some spaghetti?" She asked, and Malcolm allowed himself a small smile that she had an appetite.
Oliver was thoughtful enough to bring them all a portion of the food, the fridge was now bursting with meals, also cake and fruit Felicity and Emily had ordered thoughtfully.
The three of them went to sit at the table as Oliver put the plates there. Thea dived into her spaghetti with gusto, but Oliver saw Malcolm seemed to have less appetite and kept eating more slowly. The Vigilante dug into his food and the three of them ate in companionable silence.
"Thank you." Malcolm said as he finished his meal and put his napkin down with perfect savoir vivre style on his plate. Thea had finished way before then and had ran to the side table to down the rest of her drink.
Oliver saw it was a time for the now long- awaited father-daughter conversation, so he removed the plates from the table and put them into the dishwasher in the kitchen, deciding to make himself scarce.
"Thea." Malcolm began, but the girl stopped him by bursting out laughing and leaning giddily on the couch as far away from him as she could get. "What, 'DAD'?" She asked sarcastically, her smile disturbingly reminding him of Talia's.
He grabbed her head and almost forced her to drink a small bottle of water that had been left on the table, aiming to sober her up a bit. He could not BEAR to have her becoming like Talia. She drank the water and went quiet for some time. He turned his hawk eye Merlyn gaze on her and she found herself shocked.
"You will not be like HER. Because that is what I keep seeing right now and I will not let it happen." He said, his voice steely, the Dark Archer fully in place, even without his costume, but she noticed the bow and arrows by the couch. She knew he had met Talia.
"So what, you are going to shoot me if I do not behave?" – she asked and Malcolm stared at her, wondering why his daughter would even think this. Then he realized the monster she knew him for and the pain in his chest rose again.
He moved over closer to her, touched her arm briefly, his chest finally bursting with pain he could not control any longer. He collapsed onto the couch, sobbing. "Child… I never wanted to cause you this much pain. And yet I keep doing it. To everyone." Images of Thea, Tommy, Talia, Oliver, Moira, Emily kept flashing in his mind.
The Dark Archer had never cried like this before. A warrior, a killer… murderer like him never cried.
He did not dare to grasp or even touch Thea's hand but she did it for him, finally accepting the fact who her REAL father was. She leaned into him, tired both from her ordeals, the too many drinks she had had this night, the longing for warmth and the realization of the love she slowly began feeling for the man who had worked so hard to rescue her today. Who now lay sobbing by her side.
Her real father. Then Thea collapsed, sobbing with him, as he tentatively pulled her into an embrace. The warmth radiating from him seemed to have melted the ice Talia's actions had put in her heart.
Tears fell freely that night as both of them completely allowed themselves to let go, and enter a new dimension, where no League, no Death, no one but father and daughter existed.
As Thea's sobs slowly subsided, and she seemed to be falling asleep, Malcolm gathered her into an ever deeper embrace, making sure she was comfortable enough to at least take a nap. His back straightened as he sat there, in this embrace, his hands caressing her face for a moment, then resting around her arms. He threw a sharp glance to the side to make sure his bow and arrows were still lying there, ready to be used. No damn member of the League, or even Ra's Al Ghul himself would stumble into this house this night and threaten anyone.
Morning sun started to rise and Malcolm Merlyn was still sitting there, watching over his daughter and everyone in the house, listening for the softest sound of disturbance. He felt his heart freeze again, but this time only for enemies. No one would again touch so much as a hair of the ones he loved.
As Thea seemed to be deep in her tired sleep, he rose ever so softly and slowly, picked up his bow, arrows and donned his Dark Archer clothes, then walked upstairs and made sure everyone was still resting and safe.
His senses seemed to hit an extra level of alertness. Tommy and Oliver were asleep in one room, and Felicity and Emily had stayed in a suite next to them, Emily holding Sophia, Felicity resting the other bed , Diggle in a suite next to them.
Everything seemed enhanced to the Archer, he heard every sigh, every soft whisper they made in their dreams. He decided to go down and bring the sleeping Thea upstairs as well, laying her softly on the second bed in Diggle's room. The military man woke up and asked:
"Is something wrong?"
Merlyn's enhanced hearing did not detect anything, but he did not want to take any risks.
"Please guard her." He said quietly but firmly into the man's ear.
"I will," Diggle whispered back as he rose, picked up his gun and said next to the girl.
Malcolm walked back downstairs, his bow firmly in his hand, and strolled cautiously out, closing the battered front door softly behind him. He hid in some bushes, his chest squeezing in the knowledge someone from the League would be approaching soon, his senses still at an alert like they never had been before.
He heard many cars passing and kept waiting, his ingrained patience returning.
Then a van stopped slowly and quietly by the house. He knew who it was before the League warriors jumped out and Merlyn's chest squeezed yet again as Ra's Al Ghul himself emerged slowly after them. They started to get close to the front door, but Malcolm rose up from the bushes and approached them. He waited as Ra's walked up to him, his warriors placing themselves in a circle, surrounding Merlyn.
"I heard of the violation of the Code you have committed." – Ra's said leisurely, but not giving any moment of relief to the Dark Archer he had created.
"I did what needed to be done to clear this city of filth. I was released, I am no longer a slave to your RULES!" – Merlyn spat out.
"Yes, you are. The League Code can never be broken, even by those 'released.''" The man said, leisurely, making Malcolm realize his release had in truth been a façade.
"And now you will pay for breaking them." Ra's said, a smile on his face. "Here, gathered around you, you see my best warriors. You know some of them. You killed Talia, but she had been disobedient to me too, so maybe she deserved it. Regardless, you are about to pay for that as well. But I will offer you a deal. Fight all these warriors and win, and then you and your loved ones will truly be released and allowed to live."
He made a swift movement with his head and Malcolm noticed with shock that some of Ra's Al Ghul's warriors had sneaked around the back and now stood holding everyone who had resided in the house with their hands tied behind their back. Swords, knives and Katana's drawn close to their throats. Standing there to face their fate and forced to watch his, prevented from helping in any way, even if they had wanted or could.
Meanwhile, a storm had started and it was raining for a while now, unnoticed by all the people who were focused on something else, making the ground more slippery and the sky even more menacing.
The Dark Archer grabbed his bow tighter in his hands, made sure he had his dagger and darts strapped to his sleeve and walked into the middle of the circle of warriors.
Silence reigned for a while as nobody moved, the members of the League spreading strategically around him.
He turned suddenly, aimed and quickly shot dead the first few who came at him. Then it was a close battle, he hit some of them in the throat with his bow, killing instantly, no arrows needed. He kicked out with his leg and downed another warrior, using the slippery ground and turning in a flash to kick another in the chest.
Four remained. Merlyn noticed one of the warrior's he had downed had lost his Katana so he grabbed it swiftly as it was falling from the man's hand and cut the neck of one other, then slashed yet another one in the chest, run around to the next and the blade took the legs from under him. The remaining League warrior got cut down with the blade as well.
The whole hostage group forgot the men holding them as they watched the Dark Archer at his best, killing everyone in a battle for all their lives.
Merlyn moved to the ground to retrieve his bow, still holding the Katana.
Instead of approaching Ra's, he ran up to the hostages and went on another killing spree, cutting down the warriors holding them one by one, Katana, darts and dagger at work, releasing his loved ones and friends one by one. Diggle and Oliver helped a little after they were untied, using their martial arts skills, killing quite a few.
Before Ra's could blink, all of his warriors were dead and the Dark Archer approached him.
"Now, can they be released? He bowed as a warrior would with respect to his master.
"Yes, you have earned your freedom and theirs." The man said, proud to have reached his aim.
Over-confident, Malcolm thought with despise, as he started walking back to the hostages. His eyes caught Emily's briefly and he turned back slowly.
Suddenly, the Katana went through Al Ghul's chest as Malcolm whipped it out from his side and pushed it forward with the speed of light, watching his former teacher die and collapse.
All the hostages gasped in surprise, but then found themselves feeling a relief of sorts.
"No killing or threatening me and mine anymore." Malcolm said, standing over the man, stone cold, as he pulled the Katana out of his former masters' chest, wiped it casually against the body, threw it away, retrieved his bow and turned to walk up back to all of them.
The Dark Archer was back. Stronger than ever.