His throat was a blowtorch from the punch to the larynx; gasping for breath, he knelt at the feet of Ra's Al Ghul in the bone chilling snow. As the cold wind blew over them at the edge of the cliff, Oliver knew. This was it. No going back and cheating death again like he had done cat-like for the last eight years. The odds were stacked against him and his confidence was not going to save him. What did he tell Barry? "I have tactical planning." Well, the best-laid plans were of no use here now.
Ra's hooked a calloused, crooked finger under his chin, tilting the young blue eyes upward toward his ancient dark brown ones, "Consider this an honorable exit." And with a powerful jab, like lightening, the blade pierced Oliver's chest like a knife through butter, the blade shattering bone.
The taste of hot iron and salt rocketed past Queen's lips as the sword blade sheared his lung and splintered his ribs. Disbelief of death coming, rocked him forward onto the blade further then Ra's retracted the weapon with an evil hiss, cutting more flesh. Oliver wavered like a reed in the wind, so close to breaking and still not believing it was actually happening to him.
Ra's began to chant the ancient prayer for the fallen, "Forgive and have mercy upon him."
Oliver's breath began to catch in his chest as blood filled the vacuum. His father's bearded face appeared before him for a second and then disappeared just as quickly.
"Excuse and pardon him." Ra's continued in a somber tone, as if he knew he just killed an innocent man, "Make honorable his reception."
Queen's chest muscles began to spasm irregularly as they tried to keep him upright in the bitter cold. Blood poured forth in frothy bubbles, as he swayed back and forth, kneeling in the slushy snow. He began to see his mother. In his chest, his heart hammered against the plunging blood pressure, but it was wasted effort. He knew what was coming even if his heart didn't. The sound in his ears was a dull roar of astonishment that he had truly lived his last day.
"Protect him from the punishment of the grave." Ghul continued, and Queen blinked, Thea filled his fading vision.
"And the torment of the fire." Ra's sighed resignedly as if he was tired of killing.
The last thing Oliver saw was Felicity. Her perfect blonde hair it its ponytail, sometimes curled, and down long like a river of gold. The always shocking, yet complimentary, pink shade of lipstick. Her rectangular glasses that perched on her face and made her the most beautiful nerd in the world. He heard her babbling voice like angels to his ears. Even when she was mad at him, or scared or full of joy, her voice was music to him.
The last thing he felt was her lips on his. The taste of her was so fresh and innocent. He loved her. He loved her in ways that he loved no woman before. Laurel was a childhood crush turned into a bad idea. Sara was a yearning for his past but not a path to the future. His philandering days were all a long line of selfish endeavors.
Felicity had tread places where grown men feared to walk and hung on like a hellcat. She faced death with him. When he asked her to do amazing things she did the impossible. Felicity did miracles for him he never asked her to. She truly was his everything.
As the boot of Ra's Al Ghul shoved him roughly off the cliff to the abyss below, he had nothing but her memory to cling to. Memories don't float, but as Oliver fell downward through the icy air, he felt like he was flying with her: flying home. Felictity Smoak was the last thing on his mind. It was the last gift he could give her. He had given her his most precious gift; his life.