Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.
AN: Yeah, I think this is the quickest I have ever updated a story. I just couldn't wait. I am kinda proud of this part of the story, so I hope you'll enjoy it as well. If you can, let me know if you're enjoying this as well. Thanks ever so much! The following scenes occurred to me early in the writing of this story, so it has indeed been a long couple of months before I could share them with you. Enjoy!
Previously:
Something was trying to break through her frozen brain. Something wasn't quite right. Felicity shook her head, trying to clear the fuzziness in her brain and she didn't know why.
Her eyes widened as she finally remembered. Looking at her watch, she wasn't surprised to see the time was 5pm. Not mid-morning, which she had thought upon awakening. She tried to recall what the last thing she remembered was.
Lunch. Eating lunch, when suddenly things felt weird, and then went dark.
They were drugged. And now Oliver was missing.
Felicity attempted to think rationally about this. Why did she suddenly panic because Oliver wasn't by her side, nor did he leave a note informing her where he went? And just because she had felt weird after lunch doesn't necessarily mean they had been drugged. Maybe they weren't drugged after all. Perhaps she had only fallen asleep because of all the stress of the past few days and Oliver had carried her to bed. She again rushed to the bedroom and looked around. Still finding nothing she rushed back into the study.
Flinging herself onto the sofa, Felicity attempted to get her rapid breathing under control. She closed her eyes and attempted to clear her mind of all anxiety. Opening them again when that didn't work, she made herself review everything she knew. She started with….lunch….then waking up mid-afternoon.
Nope. Any way she looked at it none of this looked good. Not at all.
She rushed to the door, flung it open and walked out into the hallway. Turning to the guard on her right, she demanded, "Where is he? Where is my husband?"
"Ma'am, I must ask you to return to your room." The man had taken a step back from her, but still presented an imposing sight to Felicity. She, however, wouldn't be deterred.
Using her loud, scary voice she asked, "No. Where. Is. My. Husband?"
"I cannot answer that."
"I demand I speak to Ra's right now," Felicity said, as she smartly turned and began to walk quickly down the hallway. She only walked five steps before she was grabbed by the arm.
"Mrs. Queen, you cannot do that."
Felicity, feeling anger she had never known, had the strength and the element of surprise in her favor to successfully pull her arm out of the man's grasp. "You do NOT tell me what to do. I demand…" swallowing hard, she forced herself to say the words showing respect of Ra's' position, "I demand an audience with Ra's. Now."
Another guard approached the one Felicity was talking to and whispered in his ear. The man nodded and turned back to Felicity. "You may have an audience with him after all. Follow us."
She was quickly led through several hallways and into a room she hadn't been in before. Ra's was sitting at the end of the room, in a low-back chair. He rose as Felicity approached him.
"Where is he, Ra's? Where is Oliver?"
"He has begun his initiation."
Felicity tried to keep breathing without hacking. She met the eyes of the most evil man she'd ever known, and couldn't determine the meaning of the look within their dark brown depths. She forced out her next question.
"Initiation? What does that mean?" She knew she failed in her attempt to keep her voice completely steady. She also hated how passive and weak she sounded. Damn my nonworking brain-mouth filter.
"Your husband has now begun the transition to become Ra's. He will be gone for three weeks."
Felicity shook her head in disbelief. "Wha….at?"
"The time is needed for the vestiges of his old life to be stripped away, leaving only Wareeth al Ghul."
"Who?"
"It's Arabic for Heir to the Demon. From now on there is no longer Oliver Queen. He will now be known as Al Sah-him. The Arrow. Until his transformation into Ra's al Ghul is complete."
"Why didn't you tell us this was happening? Why just take him away from me?"
"Why should I? It is meant to be, and I answer to no one. I have no obligation to warn you of my intentions. In anything."
Felicity was stunned at the cruelty of such behavior. And his arrogance.
"What you appear not to comprehend, Mrs. Queen, is I am essentially the ruler of this small kingdom. As such I can do whatever I want. Without explanation. Or permission. "
"And without common courtesy as well."
"Courtesy doesn't apply to tribal leaders."
"So that's what you consider yourself as? A tribal leader? Last time I checked this was the twenty-first century." Felicity gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Maybe I should watch what my temper better. I may not have a head in a few minutes.
"You would best be warned to watch your tongue, Mrs. Queen. I have tolerated your insubordinance thus far only because Wareeth hadn't begun his initiation. However, things will now change."
Felicity was beginning to rethink her strategy of confronting Ra's. Yesterday she had been afraid of what was in store for them, but looking into this man's eyes and only seeing evil, she realized she and Oliver really had no idea of the magnitude of evil they were indeed now facing.
"If you think you can't live under such 'antiquated' ideas, I'll gladly arrange your transportation back to Starling City," Ra's said, with an apparently patient look upon his face and a small smile on his lips.
Her head spinning, Felicity was having difficulty processing all that had transpired since she woken alone in their bed. Ra's had led them to believe he was accepting of their marriage, but then he takes away her husband without warning and basically attempts to maneuver her into abandoning Oliver and returning home. That is, if it was truly what he was offering. For all she knew, if she said she wanted to leave, he could very easily have her killed along the way. On the other hand, if he truly meant it as a legitimate offer, if she'd leave, she could return to Starling, rally the troops and get Oliver out of here. Considering brainwashing now was appearing to be part of the deal, she desperately wanted Oliver out of here. ASAP. Her heart cried out in protest of the second option.
"And leave Oliver to face your brainwashing alone? Hell no! Speaking of brainwashing, that wasn't something we agreed to."
Ra's laughed and shook his head. "You are indeed a delight, Mrs. Queen. You remind me of a Chihuahua who thinks it's a pit bull." Leaning forward, Ra's was close enough to Felicity she felt his hot breath as he exhaled.
"Never forget. Mrs. Queen. You are only a Chihuahua, but I'm really a pit bull here in Nanda Parbat." He sat back in his chair and looked down his nose at her. "I suggest you retire to your room now to rest. You will join me for breakfast tomorrow morning and we will discuss many topics, including my expectations for your continued stay here."
A guard appeared at her side. "You are dismissed."
Felicity was about to protest but stopped by the combination of the guard's hand on her arm leading her away and by the look upon Ra's' face.
Barely holding herself together, Felicity made it back to their suite before the sobs began to escape from her. She ran into their bedroom, threw herself on the bed, buried her face in the luxurious thick pillow and let the tears flow.
She had never been so frightened in all her life. Not for herself, but for the most wonderful man she was hoping to call her husband for a very long time. Preferably until they were both old and gray. Very old and gray. She was suddenly afraid she wouldn't have the opportunity to do so.
A thought crashed through her subconscious. Ever the computer geek, for some reason she hadn't looked at her tablet since they had landed. Granted, she'd been distracted by some pretty heavy situations, ones not requiring technological support. But still. She went to the satchel where she stored her electrical devices, and found it empty. Except for a note.
Dear Mrs. Queen,
For the duration of your stay here in Nanda Parbat, I must ask you to not use your tablet or any other computing device. Your devices have been confiscated and will be returned to you upon your departure.
Felicity couldn't believe Ra's would have such audacity to just take away her tablet. She threw the satchel across the room in anger and became more frustrated when it barely hit the wall and fell in a miserable heap.
~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~
Suddenly he was wet. And cold. Very cold. He didn't know what had awakened him. He was then hit with another barrage of water, then comprehension occurred. However before he could react, he was then the recipient of several swift kicks to the stomach as he became aware of lying on his side on a dirt floor.
Opening his eyes, he only saw boots at first. He struggled to a sitting position, his head spinning as he attempted to regain his balance. Before he could, he received a punch which sent him flying back, hitting the back of his head on the dirt floor.
He didn't know why it was so difficult for him to regain some sense of balance. He looked up from lying on his back to see the blurry features of Ra's al Ghul hovering over him.
"Get up."
"That's what I've been trying to do, but you're not helping." For that remark, he received another kick to the stomach. He tried to bring his hands out in front of him to defend himself, but he finally realized they were tied behind his back. He closed his eyes and shook his head in another attempt to clear both his mind and his vision, and opened them again. Just in time for two sets of hands to drag him up to a standing position. Oliver registered a guard on either side of him with a firm grip on his arms. Of course, being dragged up set off another wave of dizziness before he could see clearly.
He managed to form words to a question despite the nausea and pain. "What's the meaning of this, Ra's? Is this how you treat your heir? Why?"
"Your initiation begins today, Mr. Queen. All vestiges of your old self have to be torn away so you can be rebuilt into the image of Ra's."
"And this includes pain, torture, and beatings?"
Ra's extended his hand, gathered momentum, and slapped Oliver hard, sending his head painfully back as the two guards let go of him as well. Oliver fell backwards, hitting his head hard on the ground. His ears ringing, Oliver attempted to sit up again to focus on Ra's in order to bestow upon him a characteristic Arrow glare. Which wasn't too successful, due to Oliver's inability to see the man in front of him clearly. Instead he saw three images of him.
"Whatever it takes to instill within you respect and obedience."
"Why is all this necessary?"
"Because you, my dear Mr. Queen, are a very stubborn man indeed. And crafty. How could I ever really trust you truly becoming my heir? I can't. So, by the time we're finished, there wouldn't be any Oliver Queen to interfere with the carrying out of your duties."
"My word isn't sufficient for you?"
"No, Mr. Queen, it isn't. Like I said, you are a very stubborn, very clever man. It is why I wanted you as my heir in the first place. You have great talents, and you should use them for the League." Ra's bestowed upon Oliver an especially evil smile. "Not in your foolish attempts to save your city. However, you also have an absurdly strong morality. Which you cannot have as Ra's."
"It wouldn't work. Others have attempted to brainwash me and failed."
"Don't make me laugh, Mr. Queen. There is no comparing me to either ARGUS or the Bratva." Leaning down, Ra's grasped Oliver's chin and forced Oliver's head up to meet his gaze. "Hear me good, boy. By the end of your initiation, Oliver Queen will no longer exist."
Letting go of his chin with a flourish, Ra's straightened, turned smartly and left the room. Oliver was too weak to hold himself up and instead fell back onto the ground once more. He attempted to sort through the rattled thoughts to figure out what was happening. How did he end up in this room? The last thing he remembered...the last thing he could recall...was lunch with Felicity. He thought the chicken had tasted a little off, tasting of saffron when the recipe looked like it would instead be cinnamon chicken, but...
Felicity! He pushed himself into a sitting position and immediately was hit by another wave of dizziness. Did anything happen to her? Would Ra's hurt her as well? He struggled against his bonds without any success and reprimanded himself. How could he forget to ask about her well-being, the love of his life? He shook herself. He barely had time to recall his own name in between the kicks and punches he received from Ra's. Ra's had only stayed to torment him for such a short time and then left, leaving no time for his scrambled brain to catch up.
Despite his concern for Felicity, Oliver was overwhelmed with such dizziness he couldn't dispel. He wondered if he was now being gassed, for the change in his alertness was so abrupt. However, before he could explore the topic more, he fell into unconsciousness.
AN: Hmm…not so good. For either Mr. or Mrs. Queen. Hopefully I wouldn't make you wait too long. Please, if you may, let me know what you think of this. Thanks ever so much!
