Title: We Could Be Immortals
Author: QueencestQueen
Pairings: Oliver/Thea (aka Queencest and/or Tholiver)
Rating: PG (or K+, depending on the rating system.)
Summary: Set Post "Nanda Parbat." Ra's raises the incentives of his offer and Oliver must make a choice that will change both his and Thea's lives forever.
Dedicated to: my Queencest soulmate, J, who suffers through my obsession with these two with a smile! I love you, girl!
Notes/Warnings:
- Italicized words are thoughts.
Disclaimer:
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of this author. This author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended
Thea could feel her bones bruising beneath her skin, her blood rushing in her ears as she laid upon the hard floor of the training room. She reached up and knocked the sharp tip of the blade away from her neck. She rose slowly, acutely aware of her body and all its minute pains.
"You need to find a balance," Nyssa said with no infliction in her voice, "between the logical, cold, moves you've been taught and the recklessness of your emotions." Her eyes were hard as she stared Thea down. The younger woman felt small, stupid, and insignificant under the older woman's freezing gaze. "If you don't find balance, you'll either be too predictable or too irrational and you'll end up dead."
There was silence following that statement. Is she waiting for me to say something? Thea wondered, having no idea how she was supposed to respond to such a thing. It seemed like one of those statements that needed no follow up and yet... Yet Nyssa was staring at her expectantly, not even breaking eye contact to sheath her sword. Thea put her own sword away in its scabbard too. Her arm was bleeding a little, but she didn't pay it any mind. It was the cost of training under the former Heir to the Demon and she was okay with the price.
Being with the League was like living in a convent while attending a boarding school for ninjas in hell. It took her only a week to figure that out. She was getting used to waking up with the sun these days and her trainings with the other new members, while brutal in intensity, were liberating in a way. None of her instructors looked at her and saw someone to be protected; no, they looked at her and saw her as a future weapon. The hardest lessons were the ones that were just between her and Nyssa. That woman fought with an intensity that sometimes stunned Thea and, unlike everyone else she trained with, Nyssa gave her no warning or instruction in the typical fashion. She just came at Thea, often out of nowhere, and went at her like Thea was hell bent on destroying Nyssa. Once or twice, Nyssa had almost killed the younger woman and it was only Thea's frantic shouts that had snapped the former heir out of her headspace back into reality. It was intense and often Thea ended up bruised and bloodied, but she was learning quickly.
The hardest part of being in the League so far was, oddly enough, in the mess hall. On the first night she faced a crowded room full of silent assassins and she was the unknown, the new girl. It didn't help when the others found out she was the second to the former Heir to the Demon; whether or not their reactions could be classified as jealous, the others were certainly unhappy about Nyssa's choice. While she couldn't exactly understand the things they were saying, because everyone else spoke some weird language that Thea didn't know, she could hear the tone that they used and that was all she needed to understand. They were all pissed that she, a new girl with zero time in the League, got to be trained personally by the daughter of the Demon. They didn't understand why Nyssa waste would her time with a blank slate like Thea. The younger girl didn't quite understand that herself, but she wasn't about to look that particular horse in the mouth.
There was no part of being in the League that allowed for personality of any kind. Her room, for example, was the barest room that she'd ever seen, though she'd hid her true feelings when Nyssa had walked her into it. The white room was smaller than her closet had been at the Queen mansion. There was a single twin bed with a lone blanket and dresser beside it. That was it. Thea had wanted to dress the room up, make it hers just a little, but she didn't think the League would appreciate that. It wouldn't bother her so much, but unfortunately the nightly hours were never-ending and she stared at the stucco walls for far too long. Her thoughts often got stuck on one subject: Oliver.
Two weeks. Thea hadn't seen her brother in two weeks and she'd been trying. They were, after all, living in the lair of a group of people who used to, and maybe still do, want them dead. She was justified in her concerns. She'd scanned every crowd she merged with in the hallways and her eyes swept the dining hall every time she entered it, but there was no trace of Oliver anywhere. The thought had occurred to her that perhaps Ra's' offer had been a lie to lower Oliver's guard. She'd banished the thought quickly; there was too much going on in her life for Thea to let her mind run away with her. So, the younger girl simply buried herself in all her trainings and fought as hard as she could. She would come out the other side of this thing stronger, better than ever. She would become strong enough to work with Oliver in the long run. She would protect everyone in her life to the best of her new abilities. It would all work out in the end. She would make sure of that.
There was a loud clearing of a throat, interrupting the silent staring contest between the women. Nyssa turned her dark eyes towards the intruder and Thea watched as the man shrunk under the gaze. Man, I need to learn how she does that, Thea thought, as the man stammered through his explanation, "I'm s-sorry to i-interrupt, misses, but the Demon has summoned you, Lady Nyssa." The older woman nodded and the man disappeared as quickly as he'd come, but Thea's green eyes were focused on her teacher. While Nyssa had said nothing about being replaced, the younger woman knew that she had to be struggling. Who wouldn't be upset about that?
Nyssa set her sword down in its rack with careful motions. No one took weapons with them when they met with Ra's. Apparently, it was a sign of respect or something. Thea just assumed it was one of those little things of the League that she didn't understand just yet. The younger woman placed her sword down as well, preparing to head back to her room now that her training was completed for the day.
"Follow me."
"Me?" She asked, looking about the room for anyone else that her teacher could be talking to. There was no one else. Nyssa turned her dark eyes to Thea then in a look that basically called her a moron. "Right, me. Okay."
With a swish of clothes and the air of the entitled, Nyssa headed towards the door, pulling it open and Thea was hot on her heels. Together the two women ventured down hallway after endless hallway until Thea couldn't remember how it was they got where they were. That's probably the point, she realized as Nyssa turned half a step to face her when they came to a stop outside a door that almost completely disappeared into the wall it was a part of. She wouldn't even have noticed it if she'd not been guided to it. "Do not speak unless spoken to. Do not make eye contact with anyone inside this room." Nyssa paused briefly, eyes narrowing in consideration, "You are to be only an observer, nothing more."
Thea nodded solemnly, her brain abuzz with the possibilities about what awaited them. The door was opened from the inside and Nyssa walked in, her back ever so slightly straighter and her head held just a touch higher. Thea admired her ability to appear strong all the time. She was only two steps behind the elder woman, keeping her gaze averted as she was instructed. It would reflect badly on both her and Nyssa if Thea broke the rules so soon after becoming a second. Still, even with her green gaze turned towards the ground, Thea could tell that there were six people standing in a half circle around the chair where, she assumed, Ra's al Ghul sat. She could see the legs of an oak table between Nyssa and her father.
"You summoned me." Nyssa said, breaking the silence of the room.
"I did." Ra's said simply, "We've been tasked once more."
"Who?"
Thea frowned down at the hard floor below her feet. Do they think they're going to get charged per word or something? The way that they spoke to each other was so…brief, so deliberate. It was so alien to Thea. She'd never spoken to her father, to Robert, like that. They were so cold with each other. Why? By the time the youngest of the Queens tuned back into the discussion going on around her, she'd missed the answer to Nyssa's question.
"-and my Heir suggested that you would be the best for this task, daughter."
Thea froze in the shadow of her teacher. He's just throwing it in her face now. It made her want to grumble in the other woman's defense. Seriously? That's just cold. Nyssa was more than capable of taking care of herself and if, she wanted to defend herself against the man's backhanded comments, she would do so.
"I will not fail you, father." There was a few moments of silence and then, "May my second accompany me?" It was a question, but it did not sound like much of one to the casual observer. Thea's eyes shot up out of surprise, but she quick to lower them, the rules still bouncing around her brain. She'd only been Nyssa's student for two weeks; why is she offering this? The question burned on the tip of her tongue, but she was not allowed to question Nyssa, especially not in front of others...or so she assumed anyway.
Silence descended once more and her eager ears picked up on the faintest of whispers. Is that Ollie? Thea wondered, but didn't dare to raise her eyes again. She'd been lucky enough not to get caught the first time; it was a risk best not taken twice. She fought to hear more, to confirm that it was in fact her missing-in-action older brother, but the sound faded away and Thea's ears were left ringing as silence descended yet again.
After two more agonizing beats of her heart, the Demon answered, "If it will not hinder your mission, your second may accompany you." Nyssa's shoulders shifted a fraction and soon the group gathered tighter around the table to discuss the upcoming mission. Thea didn't understand everything that was said, but she caught enough of the basics. Soon enough, she was parting ways with Nyssa to pack her 'Go' bag.
The hallways were a bit trickier all by herself then she had anticipated. All of them were the same bland beige color and there was nothing for her to use to distinguish one hallway from the next. Just as she was about to admit defeat and simply take a seat in the empty hallway to await the next passerby, a hand grasped her elbow. Startled, she turned, already prepared to lash out in defense of herself, but the sight of her brother at her side stopped the action.
"Lost?" He asked, a small smile tugging on the corners of his mouth and Thea nodded. With no further words exchanged between them, Oliver led her out of the maze of hallways and back to her room in mere minutes.
"Thanks." She said softly as she took out her key and unlocked the door to her bedroom. It was then that it occurred to her. He knew exactly which room was hers and yet she hadn't seen in two weeks. If he knew where I was, why didn't he… She had so many questions; this whole League of Assassins thing was definitely something that warranted discussion, but they'd had no time to do that. She'd been under the assumption that his absence from her life was because he didn't know where to find her and that he too had been weary of inquiring after her for fear of showing weakness. Yet he'd known where she was and still he had not come. Why?
"Love what you've done with the place." He joked as he followed her inside the bland room that she was forced to call her own. She ignored his comment, in no mood for jokes at the moment. Why didn't he come to talk to me? Is he so busy playing Heir that he doesn't have the time?
Frustrated with herself and how easily distracted he made her, Thea shook off the petty feelings and set about doing what she needed. After all, she had a go bag to put together and an assassin to meet up with. Definitely don't want to keep Nyssa waiting. Thea bent down, reaching under her bed to pull out the duffel bag that she'd been given on her first night. A cursory glance at the contents confirmed that the few items that had come inside of it were still there before the youngest Queen began to place two black outfits inside the bag. "Thea," Oliver said, reaching out and grabbing her wrist before she could zip it shut, "say no."
"What?"
"Tell Nyssa you can't go."
Thea huffed and tugged the zipper closed, "I couldn't, even if I wanted to, which I don't. She took a risk on me, Oliver, I can't let her down."
He made a noise of frustration and snatched the bag from her hands. "I don't trust her, Speedy, and you shouldn't either."
"Why?" She asked, a bitter taste on her tongue, "Because she dares to believe in me?"
Now, he looked genuinely confused, "What?"
"Nothing, never mind."
"No." Oliver said, deliberately holding the bag out of her reach, "I want to know what you mean."
Thea really didn't want to talk about this, not now most certainly and likely not ever. She hadn't even meant to say it aloud; she'd just lost control of her emotions for a moment. Damn it. "You just…why did it take you so long tell me your secret? You told nearly everyone else in the world before me, why? Why can't you see that I've grown up? I'm not that fragile little girl anymore." A slow breath escaped her lips, "Why can't you see me for who I am?"
Oliver's face morphed in front of her eyes from one of confusion to one of pain. Thea cringed at the sight of such an expression and grabbed the bag that he'd let loose after her explanation. She lifted the bag to rest behind her shoulder and made her way out of the room. She had a teacher to meet.
"That's not why." His voice was quiet in the stillness of the room and brought a halt to her departing steps. "Thea, that's not why I don't trust Nyssa." He turned then and suddenly crossed the room so he was standing in the doorway. She didn't move to look at him, but she didn't really need to do so. She would always be able to read his expressions and their meanings without having to see them.
"I know." Her voice was equally soft. There could always be people lurking nearby, awaiting weakness; she was aware of that, but she couldn't let Oliver wear that hurt look for too long. "I just-"
He cut her off, "I know." The two echoed words brought a small smile to her lips. "We'll talk later, after you get back, okay?" She nodded and noted the way that his hands twitched at his sides. Is he dying for a hug too? She wondered, the feeling so strong in her that she had to hold as still as stone to avoid doing so. It wouldn't be…acceptable to hug in the hallway. "Be careful, Speedy."
"I always am." She said before heading off to the designated meeting place. He literally has the worst timing in the history of mankind. That thought made her chuckle as she pulled open the double doors and the sunlight hit her face. Time to face the real world for the first time in fourteen days.
A/N: Short chapter, I know, but I wanted to get it posted before tonight's episode so...