Author's note: I don't know about you, but I have been so curious to know more about what happened to Sara after the Amazo went down. There are just so many unanswered questions! How did Nyssa find her? How did she start up with the League? How did she and Nyssa get together? Why did she stay away from home for so long? Hopefully the Arrow writers will eventually tell us all of these things, but until then, I decided to create the story myself. I guess this could be considered a prequel to my last fic - The Canary Returns - which is all about how Sara did not die in the season 3 premier, but instead created a plan to fake her death to help put certain things in motion. I won't give more away here - you'll just have to go read it... Enjoy!

Sara slowly felt herself returning to consciousness. Her body ached all over. After a few moments she was aware of quieted voices in the room. It was a man and a woman and Sara was pretty sure they were speaking about her.

"Do you really think your father will let her stay? You know the League doesn't take prisoners, and since when did you start keeping pets?"

"She is not a pet."

"Then what is she? She certainly isn't a fighter. She's barely alive."

"And that's precisely why I had to take her. I couldn't leave her there to die."

"Couldn't leave her there to die?" The man scoffed. "Since when has the Heir to the Demon had a soft spot?"

"This is none of your concern, Al Ow-Al. I will deal with her and my father. Leave me."

When the man called Al Ow-Al left, the woman glanced in Sara's direction and noticed she was moving. Sara's vision was clear again and she felt frightened when she saw this fierce-looking woman clad in red and black leather with one hand on the hilt of a very long sword. Sara gasped and clutched her blanket close to her.

"Where am I? What are you going to do to me?" She tried to sound brave but knew it wasn't convincing.

The woman's expression was unreadable as she took in the frail girl before her. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure yet what to do with you. But as for your first question, you are in Nanda Parbat."

Sara was confused. She definitely couldn't remember ever learning about a place with that name. She bolted upright as she suddenly remembered everything from the island... Slade. Ivo. Mirakuru. The Amazo. Oliver. "Where are my friends? What happened to me?"

The woman dropped her head. "We found no other survivors. I truly am sorry."

Sara looked away and her heart felt heavy as she considered the very possible reality that no one else had made it through the night.

She pulled up a stool next to Sara's bed and sat down. "My men and I had just finished... conducting some business off of a nearby Chinese coast, and when we saw the smoke from the torpedo's explosion we came to investigate. When we arrived we found nothing but death, debris, and you."

Sara didn't bother trying to stem the tears that silently rolled down her cheek. She buried her face in her hands. "Oh, Ollie!" He had been brave and had done so much to keep her safe and get them home.

"Who is Ollie?" the woman asked.

Sara used her sleeve to wipe her eyes. "Oliver. He was my... He and I..."

"You loved him."

"Yes."

The woman nodded. "I am very sorry for your loss. I have seen the pain that inflicts."

Sara met her gaze. "Have you lost someone you loved?"

She shook her head. "No, because I have not allowed myself to love. I care for my father, but I have not loved anyone. I will not have that kind of weakness in my life." She surprised herself by how much she was telling this person she didn't even know.

Sara tilted her head in curiosity at the woman's response. "Sounds like a pretty lonely life. What's your name? I'm Sara."

"It's good to meet you, Sara," she replied with an amused smile as she shook her outstretched hand. "I am Nyssa."

"Nyssa," Sara repeated. "That's a beautiful name. One I've never heard before."

Nyssa quickly cleared her throat and stood up. She was thrown off guard by how easy it was for her to converse with this total stranger. And more than that, she actually wanted to get to know Sara. Nyssa had never spoken aloud about her personal vow not to love, and she felt like she could confide a lot more in this woman whom she knew absolutely nothing about besides her name. Nyssa didn't even know if her father would allow Sara to live, so there was no logical reason for her to form anything close to attachment to this newcomer. Her voice immediately returned to its formal, neutral tone. "I'll go make sure some food and water is brought in to you. You must be starving."

Sara was surprised at how quickly the conversation had ended. Did she somehow upset this woman? She certainly hoped not, especially since she had a feeling Nyssa was the only reason she was alive right now.

Nyssa returned several hours later. Sara lifted her head from a book she had been given to help her pass the time. She smiled when she saw who it was. "Nyssa, I'm glad you're here. I've only interacted with a couple other people around here and they will hardly speak with me."

Nyssa's voice was barely audible. "I probably shouldn't either."

Sara furrowed her eyebrows. "Why not? What is this place, Nyssa? Don't misunderstand me, I will forever be grateful to you for saving me, but I'm starting to feel like a prisoner. I'm pretty sure that if I asked to leave this place - or even this room - the answer would be no."

Nyssa nodded and responded coolly, "Your assumption is correct."

Sara felt panic rising inside her. "But why? Have I done something wrong? Why are you keeping me here like this?"

Nyssa sighed. "Because, girl, we aren't some random group of fishermen who happened upon you. We are an elite league of highly-skilled persons who do not often bring in outsiders. We never do, in fact."

Sara's eyes widened as she was trying to make sense of what she was hearing. "Are you in trouble for saving me?"

Nyssa was quiet for a moment before responding. "Not in trouble, but my actions have been scrutinized by my comrades."

"I don't have to stay here, Nyssa. And honestly I would love to leave as soon as I can. I've been away from my family for over a year and a half and I'm sure they think I've been dead all this time. I need to go home and see them again."

Nyssa didn't mask her shock at this revelation. "Your family believes you to be dead? And for the nearly two years? Why? What happened to you that left you stranded on that God-forsaken island?"

Sara smiled. "Now who has all the questions? I'm afraid I need to be just as evasive with my answers as you have been. Let's just say I have been fighting for my life every day since I left home and somehow I keep getting lucky enough to be saved." Her expression became more serious and she looked Nyssa in the eye. "Is that luck going to continue here?"

Nyssa started pacing around the room in silence, taking in what she had learned about this girl. She was starting to feel again what she had felt earlier with her and she didn't like it. It was completely foreign and unfamiliar for her to take a liking to another person.

"That is not for me to decide."

Sara was beginning to feel very frustrated with this woman. "Then who makes the decisions around here? I demand to speak with them."

Again Nyssa was amazed and amused with this girl. "Well, you certainly have spunk. I'll give you that."

This infuriated Sara. "Are you mocking me? I've been through too much and fought too hard to survive these past two years just be killed by some 'elite league of highly-skilled persons'. What is that even supposed to mean?" She looked Nyssa up and down. "You're high-class business people with an affinity for leather and long swords?"

Nyssa let out a short laugh in spite of herself. "Not quite. And I was not mocking you. You have spirit and strength in you that is admirable in such a situation. I must leave you for now, but I will return soon and should be able to tell you more then."

Sara just shrugged. "Fine. But do you have anything else I can read?"

Nyssa reached the door and turned. A smile tugged at her lips. "You mean you aren't enjoying The Art of War? Sun Tzu truly was a phenomenal strategist. It will serve you well to read that book."

"It will serve me well as long as I survive my time as a prisoner here. That's what you mean. And isn't this book thousands of years old?"

"Yes, approximately 2,500 years old, so the fact that it's still in print today should attest to its worth. My favorite section is chapter eight: 'Variations and Adaptability'. It focuses on the need for flexibility in an army's responses and explains how to respond to shifting circumstances successfully. I think you'll find it to be especially applicable very soon." Nyssa paused, and then said thoughtfully, "And I have to admit the text is much richer in its native tongue, but English will suffice for you for now. If you stick around long enough I just might teach you Chinese and you'll see what I mean."

"You know Chinese? And you would teach me?" Sara laughed and shook her head. "I won't even pretend to understand your cryptic messages, but alright. I'll read it. And I'm holding you to your word - I expect some answers when you return."

Nyssa's eyebrows raised. "A bit demanding considering your current situation, but I should be able to meet those demands. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," Sara replied with a grin.

Nyssa quickly left and locked the door behind her. Her eyebrows instantly furrowed as she tried to make sense of this girl. Who was she? She had never met anyone like her before. And when was the last time someone had actually told her 'good night'? Sara thought she was enigmatic, but Nyssa felt the exact same way about her. There was so much she wanted to ask her, and she found herself wishing they could actually get to know each other. This left Nyssa feeling agitated and unnerved as she made her way to her room. Maybe she felt some sympathy for this poor girl because she was nearly dead when she found her, and it sounded like she had endured some terrible things the past couple years, but Nyssa had met people in far more dire conditions than this before... So what made this girl so different? Why did Nyssa care at all if she lived or died? She did admire her determination to live, and it might just be enough to help her survive her evaluation. Nyssa decided she would tell her father in the morning what she had learned about the girl in the hopes that it would help sway his decision to preserve her life.