Heir to the Throne
Book 1: Dawn of the Demon
Prologue
He stayed in the shadows watching the castle from the top of a tree. He noticed two guards at the gate and two in each tower on the corners of the castle. He needed to get inside. He threw a smoke pellet at the guards guarding the gate. He leaped into the direction of the first guard. As the second looked in the direction of which the smoke pellet came, he was knocked off balance by a sweep kick. Once on the ground, he was subdued. The guards looked down to see what would emerge when the smoked cleared. As it did, they saw nothing. Suddenly the door to the tower opened up. The guards reached for their swords but they were too late. The boy at the door leaped and threw two shuriken hitting two guards. As they went down he attacked the final guard with his sword. The guard was good, but he was better. He ran forward, did a back flip off the wall and kicked the guard in the face. Rendering him unconscious.
Now that he was inside the castle it was time for him to accomplish his objective: get to the throne room and assassinate the head of the castle. Ra's al Ghul. When he made it into the throne room he was caught by surprise. Although he did find someone on the throne, it was not the demon. It was Talia. "You have done well. Much better than I had expected." She said. There was something about the way she said it. Something was wrong. As he thought about this, a man leaped from above him preparing to drive a fatal blow with his sword. The boy dodged the attack just before the sword hit him. He looked at the man who attacked him. "Ra's." The boy said. Ra's gave the boy a mischievous smile then attacked. The boy drew his sword and blocked the attack. He attempted a sweep kick but Ra's effortlessly dodged with a back flip. As he landed he noticed three shuriken flying in his direction. While dodging each with his sword, he noticed a smoke pellet in the boy's hand. Ra's leapt forward as the pellet went off. The boy attempted to attack Ra's from behind but was swept off his feet by a kick from Ra's, When the smoke cleared the boy was on the ground with a sword pointed at his chest.
"Sloppy, but an efficient attempt." said Ra's.
"I apologize, grandfather. Next time I swear there will be no mistakes." Said the boy as he knelt before Ra's.
"There will not be a next time." Said the demon. The boy looked worried.
"But grandfather, I am sure that I will.." Said the boy before he was cut off by his mother.
"Damian! " Said Talia, who got up from the throne to let her father sit. Damian fell silent, bowing his head in shame. He knew that calling like that was disrespectful.
"There will not be a next time because I feel you are ready. Your mother and I both agree." Said Ra's. Damian raised his head in both joy and disbelief. "I am sending you after the sidekicks of those who have stood in my way. Specifically the sidekick of one whom I had once could have taken my throne. They call him, Robin. His leader, Batman, once showed me the same potential I see in you, Damian. But now, he is a threat. I want you to take away someone who is close to him. But he will not be alone. I am more than sure that he is no match for you, but his friends may be an issue. Deal with them in whatever way you please. Your mission starts tomorrow. Go and rest, we will see you off in the morning."
"Thank you, grandfather." Damian said as he stood up, bowed to Ra's, and went off to his room. Ra's glanced over at Talia who had a worried look on her face. "You feel that I should have told him." Ra's said knowingly.
"Yes, he has a right to know." Talia said staring at her father.
"Knowing would have only clouded his judgment. He's better off not knowing." Ra's had known his daughter would express this concern for her sons awareness but had hoped it would not be today.
"What would happen if Bruce found out?" Talia asked with concerned.
"Then it would be too late." Ra's said reassuringly.