It was cloudy in the Hindu Kush mountain ranges when Oliver Queen and the Ghost finally reached Nanda Parbat. The Arrow couldn't help thinking that this was the first bit of good luck that he had run across since Team Arrow had decided on undertaking a suicide mission to Nanda Parbat in an effort to resurrect Nyssa al Ghul, Rebecca and Tommy Merlyn. Although that mission had been partially successful, since the Canary had been able to convince the Demon to resurrect his daughter using the Lazarus Pit, pretty much every other aspect of Team Arrow's last visit to Nanda Parbat had been a disaster. Isabel had been killed, Sara Lance had been captured, and the Arrow had been forced to abandon Rebecca's body to the ocean in order to secure even the dimmest hope of resurrecting the Midnight Sentinel, and his unborn child, in the future. In short, it had been a very bad day.
But now, finally, things seemed to be going the emerald archer's way. Felicity had just reported five minutes ago that Barry Allen had already accomplished that Oliver had asked him to do for this mission, using Queen Consolidated resources that the blonde billionaire had made it easy for the Flash to secure. This good news was slightly dampened by the fact that Felicity had informed the Arrow that Thea had gone ballistic when she found out that Oliver had taken off without her and Roy, and that Thea was now refusing to talk to Felicity who had known what Oliver was planning to do.
But the Arrow chose not to focus on that negative turn of events, and instead focus on the fact that the cloud cover over Nanda Parbat provided plenty of camouflage for the stealth cargo jet that Oliver was piloting, for most of the descent towards the League of Assassins' base. Therefore, the Arrow didn't need to engage the craft's invisibility mode until he was a mere 30 seconds from the ground. Even so, Oliver Queen knew that he needed to be cautious now. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes on this mission. There had been far too many mistakes on his last mission to Nanda Parbat, after all. And the stakes were a lot higher now. Therefore, the Arrow kept the Ghost's invisibility mode engaged for five whole minutes. The archer counted down every second, all 300 of them, as he edged the grounded stealth jet as close as he could towards the League of Assassins' base.
Finally, the Arrow's five minutes of invisibility ran out. Just the Arrow finished navigating the cargo jet as far as it could safely travel over the rocky mountain terrain, Oliver simultaneously brought the aircraft to a complete stop and disengaged the craft's invisibility mode. Then the green clad hero calmly exited the vehicle and started walking through the snow that had begun falling several minutes ago. In the midst of his determination to complete his objective, he didn't even feel the cold.
If the Arrow was nervous at the prospect of the course of action he was undertaking, or the events he and Barry Allen had already set in motion, he did not show it. On the contrary, the emerald archer seemed to possess and ice-cold demeanor as he started calmly walking through snow ½ inch thick towards the League of Assassins' base. As Oliver calmly walked towards the place he believed his friend was being held, however, he was distinctly aware of two things. One, he was, for all intents and purposes, unarmed at the moment. And two, there were many assassin scouts, two of which the Arrow had spotted already, and the blonde man was sure, several that he would not spot unless they came out of their hiding, which were watching him now. Despite his feigned calm demeanor, both of these facts made him nervous. However, the Batman's words were still ringing in the Arrow's head, reassuring the archer that his present course of action was not as mad as it appeared to be.
According to Bruce Wayne's words concerning Ra's and the League, nobody in the League of Assassins would be killing the Arrow just yet, for a number of reasons. First, the League generally frowned upon killing an unarmed opponent unless it was absolutely necessary to do so, especially an individual that approached a member of the League in peace. Second, Ra's al Ghul would want to know more about how "the Ghost" had allowed the Arrow to reach Nanda Parbat before any member of the League of Assassins could spot him. And finally, the Demon would want to know why Oliver had returned, alone and unarmed, to Nanda Parbat after his entire team had lost a battle with the League of Assassins. Therefore, the Arrow knew (or at least, hoped), that there was a good chance that the Demon himself would want to speak to the Arrow before he tried to kill him.
The Arrow was not disappointed. When Oliver Queen finally reached the League's base, when the vigilante was only 12 paces from the front steps of the main compound, the mountain ranges around him seemed to come alive with movement, as over a dozen scouts came out of their hiding places in the Hindu Kush mountain ranges, while at least two dozen more assassins rushed out of the compound itself. After that happened, all of these assassins, clad in black hoods, cowls, clothes and armor had the Arrow completely surrounded within less than a minute. And then, last of all, the Demon himself walked out of the building and approached the Arrow.
At first glance, the man that approached the Arrow did not look all that impressive. Although, Oliver could tell that the apparently middle aged man, with his dark eyes, even darker hair, mustache, goatee, and untamed stubble on the side of his face, was muscular, even under his robes, the Arrow would hazard to guess that the Demon was not as well-built as he was. Furthermore, as Ra's al Ghul drew closer to Oliver, it quickly became apparent that the Demon was slightly shorter than the Arrow. However, despite the man's unremarkable appearance, and the fact that Oliver had never meet Ra's al Ghul before, several things about the man who was now in front of him gave his identity away before the older man uttered a single word. For instance, the Demon was the only assassin present who was not currently wearing a hood or a cowl, and while the man's armor was black, like that of his underlings, his robe was a mixture of black and gold, and it was held together by a gold-colored sash. None of these differences where what bothered Oliver Queen right now, though. What bothered the Arrow was that Ra's had an intense look in his eyes that Oliver had only seen in the gaze three other people: Malcolm Merlyn, Slade Wilson, and sometimes, his own eyes when the Arrow looked in the mirror. It was the gaze of an experienced killer.
That gaze did not falter when the Demon stopped only a foot away from Oliver Queen, although that look was mixed with a hint of amusement in the old man's eyes now. "So here you are! At last, I finally get to meet the fabled Arrow that Ta-er al-Asfer would not stop talking about for over a year! I didn't think I would ever get the chance to properly introduce myself to you, but since you finally decided to be honorable and talk to me face to face, like a man, I shall do so now. My name…the only name that has any meaning for me, is Ra's al Ghul, as you have probably guessed by now. And your name…is Oliver Queen!"
The Arrow just nodded at the revelation that the Demon already knew his identity. At the moment, the how's and why's of Ra's possessing that knowledge did not matter to the hero. The important thing was that the Demon knew who he was. Therefore, deciding his disguise was unnecessary, the Arrow pulled his hood back and started to take the green mask off of his face in a nonchalant manner. "So it is. Just so you know…" Oliver casually looked at the timer on the small black device in his right sleeve as he took his mask off. "We have a little less than five minutes to have this conversation. So I suggest that we both skip the theatrics now."
The Demon smirked. "Is that a threat, Mr. Queen?"
The emerald archer still had a stoic, serious look on his face. "No. Just an observation. You see…A friend of mine has already littered your entire compound, and the surrounding mountain ranges, with high grade explosives. These explosives were placed in several strategic locations, and if they are not disarmed within the next four and a half minutes or so, most of this mountain range will be falling down upon our heads shortly, and your entire compound, including the Lazarus Pit and all of the scrolls and tomes that your organization has recorded all of its history and knowledge on, will be blown to bits and lost forever. And believe me, your men will never be able to find all of the bombs and disarm them in time"
The Arrow's thoughts briefly drifted back to the instructions that he had left the Flash via Felicity, which Barry Allen had assured Oliver he had carried out to the letter. The Arrow had told the Flash to run all the way to Nanda Parbat, place bombs that the Flash would "steal" from Queen Consolidate's Applied Science's Division, in very specific places which he had marked on some blueprints of the League's base and the mountain ranges of Nanda Parbat. He had also told the Flash to "place the explosives as precisely as you can, but whatever you do, don't stop moving. Because you are just as slow as everyone else when you are standing still…"
Several assassins started to move towards Oliver and Ra's positions, but the Demon held up his hand, stopping them all, before he turned back towards the Arrow with a serious look on his face. "I think you are bluffing. You are trying to get whatever it is you want from me by lying."
The Arrow remained stone faced. "I'm not lying. And you're wasting time."
Ra's al Ghul raised his eyebrow skeptically, although Oliver could see there was a little fear in the older man's eyes now. "Really? If what you are saying is true, within five minutes, everyone here will be dead. And that would include you."
The Arrow pulled the device out of his right sleeve. "Yes. And that will happen in 3 minutes, 43 seconds, actually. Unless you do what I say. See for yourself."
Ra's Al Ghul carefully took the device that Oliver handed to him. The Demon noted that the device he was now holding had several buttons, with various numbers, letters, and symbols on them, as well as a digital timer which was counting down. Sure enough, there were now less than 3.5 minutes before the timer reached zero. The older man paid more attention this time when the blonde man spoke. "Some things are worth dying for, Ra's. I don't want things to happen that way, but if dying and taking you with me is the only way I can protect my friends and family from the League, so be it! Or…you could do what I ask you to and nobody has to die today. I can still input the code in the device you are holding, a code which only I know, and disarm the bombs. The choice is yours."
The Demon examined the Arrow's face carefully for a long moment, decided the man was telling the truth, and then nodded. "Very well. I would hear your demands, then."
The Arrow nodded. "First, you will take my friends, family, and loved ones off of the League's kill list and tell all of your men that no harm is to come to the Queen family and their friends."
The Demon sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Done. What else?"
The Arrow listed his second demand. "You will release Sara Lance from wherever you have imprisoned her. If you have killed her, you will agree to revive her with the Lazarus Pit and…"
Ra's shook his head and interrupted Oliver. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Oliver." Seeing that the Arrow was about to open his mouth to protest, the Demon quickly added. "I cannot do that because Ta-er al-Asfer has already escaped from Nanda Parbat with the aid of my disgraced daughter, Nyssa. And since your friend has stolen my daughter away from me and convinced her to disgrace my name, I will not, even under threat of death, take Nyssa and Ta-er al-Asfer off my kill list. Now, I'm sure you have other demands. You should quickly name those as well."
The Arrow reluctantly nodded while trying not to show his surprise at the fact that Nyssa and Sara had already run of together. "Fine. You will resurrect Tommy Merlyn and Isabel Rochev, whom one of your men killed. Their bodies are in the aircraft I came in. You will then grant all three of us a safe passage back to Starling City."
The Demon stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You know, I understand why you would risk your life for a good friend. Many of the men who serve me are like brothers to me, and I would risk my life for any one of them. But I never thought a man as strong as you would be willing to risk your life over a woman. What is that western expression? There are plenty of other fish in the sea…"
Oliver tried and failed not to grimace in anger, but he quickly recovered himself, and decided to frame his situation in a way that the older man could understand it. "Isabel was pregnant with my child, Ra's, and I want both of them back! Her and the baby!"
Ra's nodded. "I see. That does change things. I already know what it means to love a child, although I warn you that love just makes it all the more painful when that child betrays you. And I suppose you know what it is to love a child as well, since you already have a son, an heir, back home in Starling City."
The Demon paced around Oliver for several seconds while the Arrow waited for the older man's verdict. Finally, the dark haired man spoke again. "I will bring back Tommy Merlyn for you. However…I do not wish to resurrect Isabel Rochev for two reasons. One, I do not believe it is fair that I should lose all of my children, one, my son Nathaniel, to a fire, my oldest daughter, Talia, to a battle with a woman named Selina Kyle that left her body too maimed to be revived by the Lazarus Pitt, and my youngest, Nyssa, to betrayal, and you be allowed to have your unborn child back. My second, and much more important reason, is this. No pregnant woman has been brought back with the Lazarus Pit before, and I'm not sure what will happen to your offspring if Isabel is resurrected. Your child may live again, or they may stay dead, come back half dead, or come back as some sort of abomination. I just don't know. And I do not wish to risk some abomination being born in the Lazarus Pit while I still hold the title of Ra's al Ghul!"
Oliver shook his head. "That's your problem, not mine. You will revive Isabel, or we will all die. If the baby stays dead…then at least I tried to revive him or her, and I will have Miss Rochev back. If the baby lives, I will love him or her no matter how they turn out. But I am not leaving Nanda Parbat without Isabel. Live or die. It's your choice."
The Demon sighed again while noting that there was only a little over a minute left on the timer. "Unfortunately, Oliver, I have already told my men I would not resurrect Isabel, and I cannot risk the respect of my men by going back on my word. That could lead to anarchy within the League. However…in order to spare this fortress, and I my men, I will grant you a compromise. I will challenge you to single combat. A fight to the death, according to the League's rules. Since you already have me at somewhat of a disadvantage in the negotiations department, I will agree to take your family and friends, except for Ta-er al-Asfer, off my kill list, no matter the outcome. Since I am feeling somewhat generous at the moment, and because I admire your conviction, I will also agree to resurrect Tommy Merlyn and have him escorted back to Starling City. But…."
The Demon smirked. "Isabel will only be resurrected if you kill me in single combat. I give my word of honor, in the hearing of all of my men, that this, and all of my other promises, will be done if you slay me. Otherwise, Miss Rochev and your child will remain dead, and you will, obviously, be dead as well. Oh, and in that case, the League will, of course, relieve you of your fantastic invisible jet. That air craft would make a fine addition to the League's fleet. But, I should warn you, Oliver. I have been alive for over three centuries, and in all of that time, I have only been bested in combat once, by a man who has much more experience fighting according to the League's ways than you ever will. Unfortunately, the Batman lacked the stomach to do what was necessary and strike me down. As a consequence, I am still standing here today. And you will most likely die soon. For you are no Batman. However, in exchange for this deal, you will still be required to disarm the bombs, then tell me where they are. Do we have a deal?"
Oliver took the device that the Demon handed back to him, saw that there was only ten seconds left on the timer, and quickly agree to Ra's condition. "It's a deal." The Arrow then quickly inputted the long code, which consisted of a string of numbers representing Connor's, then Isabel's, then last of all, Oliver's own birthdays, disengaging all of the bombs.
The Demon smiled at took the device back from Oliver. "Good. In five minutes, you will be taken to the traditional dueling grounds near the side of this mountain. Right now, you will now give the locations of every single bomb that your ally, the Flash, I assume, placed around Nanda Parbat, to one of my most trusted men." Ra's gestured toward a particular assassin who pulled back his black hood, revealing the face of Oliver's old friend from Hong Kong, Maseo Yamashiro!
Oliver just managed to hold back a gasp as Ra's gloated. "I believe you are already familiar with Sarab, the Phantom, although I believe he still went by the name Maseo Yamashiro when you last saw him. Isn't that correct, Sarab?"
The Asian man bowed toward the Demon. "Yes, Ra's al Ghul. But that was a lifetime ago. I am only a shadow, a phantom of the man I was then. The man before you know now exists only to serve the League of Assassins, and to kill evil wherever I find it."
The Demon only nodded before walking away, but the smile on the older man's face gave away that he was pleased by Sarab's answer. The Japanese man then turned to Oliver Queen with a serious expression on his face. "I need the locations of the bombs you had placed in and around Nanda Parbat now, Oliver."
Oliver nodded. "Of course." Oliver then proceeded to tell Sarab, in very precise details, where the bombs around the compound and mountain ranges were located. While Sarab was leading the Arrow to the dueling grounds, Oliver decided to use what may be his last moments to talk to his old friend. "I was wondering…why did you come here, to the League of Assassins, Maseo? Does Tatsu know you are here? I'm sure your wife would want to know you are still alive…"
The Japanese man shook his head and spoke in a grave tone as he continued walking. "I told you. I am no longer Maseo Yamashiro. My name is Sarab now. The League made me choose a new name when they gave me purpose, a way to channel my grief and pain by killing the unjust. When I adopted the League's purpose, I swore to put aside all other ties to other people that may get in the way of my commitment to the Assassins. Maseo had a wife, Maseo had friends. Once upon a time, Maseo had a child. Sarab only has, only needs, the League of Assassins. And make no mistake, Oliver Queen, it is Sarab you are talking to now. I will warn you that when you fight the Demon today, I will not step in to help you if the battle starts to go badly for you. And if you die, I will not cry for you."
The Japanese assassin stopped walking when they reached an area outside that was near the edge of the mountain Nanda Parbat was on top of top. This area, which now had numerous assassins standing on either side of, was coated with almost ½ inch more snow than the area outside the compound, and only a solitary, small weapons rack stood near one side of the snowy area to mark this as the dueling grounds that Ra's al Ghul had spoken of. Somewhat unnecessarily, Sarab said. "This is it. Take off any armor and weapons you may have on your person and choose your weapons. Ra's Al Ghul will choose a weapon after you do. But Oliver…." Sarab whispered this part, but his words nearly succeeded in making the Arrow smile. "I will not be upset if you win, either."
Oliver nodded, then stripped all of his Arrow gear and clothing, apart from his pants and underwear, just as the currently half naked Demon had already done. The Arrow then approached the weapons rack, carefully examined each weapon, and then turned toward Ra's, who was standing by the side of the cliff, waiting for his opponent to choose his weapons. "I do not wish to fight you with any of these weapons. I would prefer to use another weapon of my own choosing."
The Demon turned towards Oliver with a raised eyebrow of interest. Nobody, in the history of the League of Assassins, had ever turned down the weapons presented to them for a duel. "Oh, and what would you choose as a weapon then?"
Oliver shrugged. "A bow and a quiver of arrows, of course."
Ra's al Ghul smirked. "I'm afraid that is out of the question, Mr. Queen. All duels conducted according to League rules must be conducted face to face. That way, the victor can look his opponent in the eye when he kills him. Besides, I am not too proud to say that I am a bit rusty with a bow, or fighting against people wielding one, and that if your skills with that weapon are half as good as I hear they are, you would almost definitely beat me in single combat if I let you choose that as your weapon. That hardly seems fair, now does it? No, I'm afraid you will need to choose weapons from the selections provided, Arrow."
The blonde man nodded, then turned back to the weapons rack and selected his second choice of weaponry for this duel, two straight swords that were similar to the ones that Isabel had been training him to use for over a month, although the Arrow had already possessed some experience fighting with swords before that. The older, dark haired man, seeing the Arrow carefully weighing the blades in his hands and take a few expert-level practice swings with the twin blades, decided to forgo his usual policy of starting a duel without a weapon and instead chose a single curved longsword of his own. The assassins around Ra's and the Arrow started talking loudly among themselves when they saw this, for they knew that the Demon had only chosen to use a starter weapon against one combatant in a duel before, and the Demon had then lost in combat to the Batman almost two years ago, although the challenger had refused to kill Ra's al Ghul afterward.
But Oliver Queen did not know the reason that the crowd of assassins around the dueling area were excited right now. Nor did he care. The Arrow blocked out the crowd, the snow falling on his bare chest, and all other distractions as his world shrunk to include only himself, the Demon, and the immediate surroundings around both men, even while the Arrow remembered the Bat's advice about fighting the Demon. And soon, the battle was under way.
Surprisingly, it was Ra's al Ghul who attacked first, as the Demon finally grew tired of waiting for Oliver Queen to make the first move after 30 seconds. What was even more surprising, for Oliver and everyone else, however, was how easily the Arrow was able to deflect the first forward running stroke of the older man's sword with one of his own blades. And even though the Arrow had to remind himself not to get to cocky, or congratulate himself too much, for deflecting one attack, that small early victory did manage to replace some of the Arrow's previous nervousness with confidence.
Oliver reminded himself that, although the Demon was a much more experienced fighter than he was, and he was fighting on his own turf, he, Oliver Queen, held all the other advantages in this fight. Despite the advantages the Lazarus Pit gave Ra's al Ghul, after all, Oliver was still younger and stronger. Furthermore, as the Arrow had reminded himself while fighting the Dark Archer days earlier, he had more to fight for, including a family that loved him and that he needed to come home to, and a best friend, girlfriend, and child that he needed to resurrect. Also, from the way the Demon was holding his sword now, it had been at least a couple of years since the older man had needed to fight with a blade. And that meant that, despite his experience, Ra's al Ghul was rustier with a blade than Oliver was.
Even so, it quickly became evident that, despite the other advantages the Arrow had in this fight, it quickly became apparent that the Demon was a much more experienced swordsman that Oliver Queen, as the younger man soon discovered while the older one unleashed a flurry of unpredictable attacks from a multitude of different sword fighting disciplines, and the Arrow continued feinting or dodging those attacks, as the fight continued to drag on. However, armed with his own combat experiences, hands on training from Isabel, and Batman's advice about fighting Ra's al Ghul (Oliver acknowledged that he had violated Batman's first rule about fighting Ra's al Ghul already, which was "Don't fight Ra's al Ghul if you can avoid it", but he choose not to think about that right now), the Arrow was still, somehow, able to keep up with the Demon's unpredictable attacks for the next five minutes, and both opponents were too focused on each other's movements to say one word, much less lines of witty banter.
True, Ra's al Ghul did manage to relieve Oliver of one of his weapons, which was lost over the mountainside, when the Demon slashed the Arrow's hand at the two minute mark of the battle, but the blonde man was able to quickly recover, since he had only lost the use of his non-dominant hand for the time being, and he was able to retaliate by slashing a deep wound into the Demon's left side. After that, the battle continued for another 3 minutes, with both fighters wounded and only using one blade.
It was clear that the battle was coming to a close by the five minute mark, however, as both fighters were now clearly exhausted, Oliver from trying to keep up with the Ra's unpredictable attacks, and the Demon due to the wound in his side. So it came as no surprise to anyone watching the battle that the fight ended after exactly 5 minutes and 15 seconds. But the way the battle ended was a surprise to absolutely everyone present.
It was during those last few, precious seconds that the Demon, in a last ditch effort to beat the Arrow, put his sword in one hand, then started sending his other hand, in the form of a fist, towards the Arrow's head…before feinting at the last half second and twisting his body towards Oliver so that he could plunge his sword into the Arrow's chest!
Time seemed to almost stand still for Oliver, while his mind processed a great deal of information very quickly, although not on a conscious level. The good news was, the Arrow was able to see the Demon's sneak attack coming, although it was only because of the advice that Batman had given him about fighting Ra's al Ghul earlier that day that Oliver had even known to look for that particular move. The bad news was, without the use of his non-dominant hand, the Arrow knew he had no chance of deflecting the Demon's sneak attack at this point. So instead, Oliver's subconscious mind decided to do something else…
So what happened, at least on a conscious level, at the end of the epic fight was this: Ra's al Ghul feinted with his fist, then thrust his sword at Oliver Queen's chest with his other arm. At the same time, the Arrow pushed his own sword through the air towards the Demons' chest. And thus, at the end of the long fight between the Demon and the Arrow, the longest recorded duel in the League of Assassin's history, Oliver Queen and Ra's al Ghul impaled each other, with both men putting a blade in the other's heart!
The Demon, being the older and more worn of the two men, was the first to fall onto the snowy ground, but the Arrow found himself following suite within 10 seconds. As Oliver bled out onto the snow (although the Demon had been dead before he even hit the ground), the Arrow's last thought was: 'I'm so sorry, Isabel! I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to beat Ra's al Ghul, and that I failed you and our child!'
Before Oliver even opened his eyes, he knew that he was in a place that was bright. He could tell this because he could see white light even through his closed eyelids. At first, the light seemed so bright to the Arrow he did not wish to open his eyes, but then a familiar voice, one that Oliver knew he was not mistaken about the source of this time, quickly changed the emerald archer's mind. "You should open up your eyes now, son. We don't have much time. Not anymore."
When the Arrow opened his eyes, he realized that both he, and the man sitting next to him, who had spoken to Oliver with a voice that spoke of weariness and regret, were seated on folding chairs on a beach, and that both of them had fishing poles in their hands. Oliver Queen couldn't stop himself from staring at the man seated next to him for several seconds. The archer immediately knew who the gray-eyed man was, but he looked younger than Oliver had ever seen him. The man had no wrinkles on his face, as he had before, due to a combination of age, stress, and multiple regrets, and his hair, as well as his beard, were blonde like Oliver's, without any hints of gray or white. In fact, if he were pressed to guess how old the man looked, the Arrow would have said that Robert Queen currently looked like he was no older than his son.
Finally, after several seconds, Robert Queen laughed at the shocked look on his son's face, causing Oliver to remember himself and looked away as his dad spoke. "Yes, when I was told you were coming here, I thought you might have that expression on your face when you saw me!" The "older" man smiled. "It's good to see you again, Oliver."
The Arrow, who had been in a similar strange situation before in the "white void" with the multiple versions of him, just nodded. "It's good to see you too, dad. But, um…where, exactly, are we, and who told you I was coming here? I know you died, and…"
Oliver sighed. "I guess I died too. So I'm guessing this is heaven or…"
Robert shook his head and interrupted his son. "We really don't have time for those kinds of questions right now, Oliver. You aren't staying here, and you will be gone soon. But no…this isn't heaven. I'm not a good enough man to go there, at least not yet. And as far as who told me you were coming here…that would take far too long to explain…"
The archer had a worried look on his face. "Damn it! You weren't sent to hell, were you?! I mean, I know you did some things that weren't right, but still! You did all that work, trying to save the Glades, and then you gave your life to save mine…"
The Queen patriarch interrupted his son with a laugh as he waved his hand around at his and Oliver's present surroundings. "Does this look like hell to you, Oliver?"
The Arrow took a closer look at his present environment. The sky above him was bluer than any sky Oliver had ever seen, and the sand beneath his feet, which Oliver now realized was soft and warm, was a deeper, purer white than Oliver had ever seen on any object. But the most breathtaking aspect of Oliver's surrounding was that the water in front of him, which both Robert and Oliver Queen had fishing lines in at the moment, was the clearest water that Oliver had ever seen, and yet, somehow, the water was still blue, and it's reflection in the sunlight made it look like the surface of the water was composed of pure crystal. Furthermore, the water, for Oliver knew not whether he was looking at an ocean or very large lake, was teaming with fish of every conceivable shape, size, and color, many of which Oliver had never seen or heard of before.
The Queen patriarch did not wait for an answer to his rhetorical question before he spoke. "No, this isn't hell. I wouldn't call it purgatory either, although if you know what purgatory is, you'll have a good idea of what happens to souls in this place. I'm being prepared for something…better. Exactly what that is, I couldn't say. I just…sort of, feel it. All I know is, while I'm here, I can enjoy many amazing sights and sounds, almost anything, but I am denied the pleasures of the flesh, such as food and drink, which I no longer need, and I am not usually allowed the company of other people, although an exception was made for your brief sojourn here. There are no men here for me to try to dominate, no women for me to…" Robert coughed. "Well, you know."
Oliver nodded. He knew about his father's affairs all too well, but he didn't feel he had a right to say anything about them because of his own dishonorable dealings with women. The bearded man began talking again. "But anyway, as a visitor to this place, you are not bound by such limitations. Here, drink this…"Robert handed his son a glass bottle with no label that was just as clear as the water in front of the two men, which contained an amber liquid that looked like refined bronze. As Oliver was taking a sip, the older man sighed. "I envy you right now, son. I am told that is the best beer anyone has ever tasted."
Oliver only nodded his head emphatically to acknowledge his father's words as his tongue was hit by an explosion of flavor that was beyond description. All the Arrow knew was that it was, indeed, the best beer he had ever had. The Queen patriarch continued speaking. "As I said, you will not be here long. I do not know the details. I do not know if you are having a near death experience, or if you are actually dead and you will come back from that somehow, I have no idea. All I know is, pretty soon, you will go back to the world you came from. The world of the living. But before our brief time together here is over, I wanted to take you fishing, as I promised to do for you multiple times when you were younger…a promise I kept breaking because I kept myself too busy with the wrong things. But I have the chance to remedy that now. Speaking of which, you may want to reel in that big blue fish that is on the end of your line right now."
Putting the refreshing alcoholic drink down, Oliver saw that there was indeed, a very large fish tugging at the edge of his fishing line. It took almost two minutes, but after a lot of grunting and pulling on Oliver's part, with the help of some helpful advice from his father, the Arrow finally pulled in the biggest, bluest fish that Oliver had ever seen. After the younger Queen was finally able to reel in the fish, which had golden eyes, large fins, and scales that where a such a light blue that the word "turquoise" didn't do them justice, and put in a nearby container, the two Queen men started laughing as the elder man spoke. "We won't be able to cook that fish, I'm afraid. Nothing in this place dies or feels pain. But I'm glad I was able to have this moment here with you before you go back to the world of the living."
Oliver nodded thoughtfully. "So, if I'm going to come back to life, or whatever…I suppose there is no sense in asking you whether any of this is actually real or just something in my head."
Robert Queen chuckled, but there was a serious look in his eyes as he did so. "None whatsoever."
The Arrow frowned. "Then could I at least ask you, if I survive getting stabbed in the chest somehow…do Isabel and Tommy…."
Robert frowned as soon as the name "Isabel" was mentioned, and quickly interrupted his son's words. "They will be fine, as well your unborn child. She will be beautiful when she grows up by the way. But more importantly, she will be intelligent, talented, and very important. Connor, her half-brother, will be important too. I can't tell you much more than that, because I have not been made privy to many details, and I have been told that the living should not know too much about the future anyway. But the dead?" Robert shrugged. "Sometimes we just, know things…"
The Queen patriarch seemed lost in his own world for a moment before he decided to speak again. "I am already very proud of everything they will accomplish by the time all is said and done, just as I am proud of you. I am just sorry that I will never get to meet my grandchildren while they are still alive…"
"Me too." Oliver nodded his head, but he spoke in a tone of disbelief now. "But…You're proud of me? Why? I've done so many bad things, especially with women, made so many mistakes, I even failed to stop the Undertaking. And after all that business with Isabel…"
The Queen patriarch had a serious look on his face now. "Now see here, Oliver Jonas Queen! You were not responsible for the Undertaking, your mother was absolutely right about that! I never actually thought you'd be able to stop it, Oliver! I just wanted you to take legal action against those responsible after it was over! I never dreamed you would become a hero and save so many lives! You have far exceeded my expectations in almost every way, son! And I could not be more proud of you! Furthermore, as far as your dealings with women go…First of all, I know you have already put that part of your past behind you, so I don't feel the need to discuss that at length now. Also, I knew I wasn't a very good example to you when you were growing up, with all my affairs, and the way I would use women when I was alive…"
This time it was Oliver who interrupted his father. "Don't. Just don't. I know you made your own mistakes, but you were a good father despite them. My mistakes, with women, and with everything else, were my own. You are not responsible for..,"
"No, I'm not." The bearded man agreed. "I'm not responsible for you, Oliver, but I am responsible towards you. I'm responsible for neglecting you while you were growing up, while allowing your mother to give you everything you wanted all the time. I'm responsible for setting you a bad example when it came to relating to women. And I'm responsible for letting you get on that boat with Sara instead of telling you to stay in school and not to cheat on Laurel. That is what I'm responsible for! Also…"
Oliver could only nod at his father's words so far, since there was little in them that he could dispute. The younger man was visibly surprised, however, when the Queen patriarch began laughing. Seeing the look on his son's face, the "older" man quickly explained himself. "I'm sorry, I know you probably won't find this nearly as funny as I do, but I suppose after being dead so long, I see things differently and…I just find it humorous that you were afraid I would be ashamed of you concerning your relationship to Isabel. Quite frankly, I was afraid the situation would be quite the reverse, actually. You haven't done anything wrong when it comes to that woman, Oliver! I did! And you are not, at all responsible for anything that happened between me and that poor girl all those years ago!"
Both Oliver and Robert had turned towards the water at this point, since the two men were unable to meet each other's gaze while such an awkward conversation was taking place. The Queen patriarch sighed. "Besides, I brought nothing but darkness and pain into that woman's life. I used her. Used her like I used your mother, and every other woman that I've ever known. I was careless with all of them, but my past dealings with Isabel are among my greatest regrets. She was so innocent when I first saw her, innocent and lonely. And I took advantage of that loneliness to make her do what I wanted. And, as a result, I brought a lot of pain upon my family, and Isabel's heart and mind were shattered, I thought, irreparably. But then you came along and changed all that."
Oliver risked a side glance at his father now while the later continued to speak in an awkward tone. "I thought I had damned her, Oliver. Damned Miss Rochev to a dark path that could only end in her doom. But then you saved her. And I'm far from ashamed of that. Like I said, I'm proud of you Oliver. I asked you to right my wrongs, before I died, and you have done a masterful job at that, and so much more, since then. I'll admit, I didn't imagine at the time that part of that would be helping Isabel heal, but…" The Queen patriarch shrugged. "Like I said, I'm not ashamed of your dealings with her, which have, as much as they possibly could have, righted the wrongs I did to Isabel. If anything, you should be ashamed of how I dealt with that poor woman behind your poor mother's back."
Oliver coughed awkwardly. "Yeah. About that. I don't think I'm a good enough man to judge you for any of that, dad. But…I have to ask, did you care about Isabel at all? After everything that happened, everything that Isabel said you did for her, you almost leaving my mother for her… I don't know, maybe it's not my place to ask that, but after all of the ways that the result of that affair affected me, almost causing our family to lose Queen Consolidated and get killed…."
Robert nodded as his son let his words hang in the air meaningfully before the older man responded. "No. I understand why you are asking that question. I'm afraid I don't have a simple answer for you, though. I was…fond of Isabel, because she looked up to me, cared about me, and she was so innocent and lonely at the time, but…no, I did not love her the way that you do. I wasn't in love with her, as you are. Like I said, I was careless with her. I tried to use my intern to escape my failing marriage to your mother…a marriage which was largely failing because of my own actions…."
The older man looked down in shame. "I have so many things I want to apologize for, so much wrong that I will never fully be able to atone for. And I am sorry for all the ways those wrong actions have made you, my family, and Isabel suffer. But you, Oliver, are a much better man than I ever was, and I'm very proud of you, don't you ever forget that!"
The younger man nodded. "Well, I for one, forgive you. And thank you for telling me…all of that. I appreciate it. I just don't know how I will be able to tell anyone about what I've seen here with you, or about seeing you again."
Robert shook his head. "What you've seen and heard today was only for you, do you understand? You and you alone. I would rather that you did not speak to Thea, Moira, or Isabel about anything you've experienced in this place. I will talk to them myself when their time comes to pass from the world of the living, one way or another. Speaking of which, I suddenly get the feeling that your time here is almost up, Oliver. I wanted to let you know, before you go back…I love you, son."
Oliver smiled, but he did not try to hug his father. He and Robert had never been very big on the whole "hugging" thing, after all. "I love you too, dad! But, I have to ask since I'm here, before I go…Do you have any advice for me before I go back?"
Robert stared off into the distance again for several seconds. "Yes. As I said, I can see a little bit of the future sometimes. I'm sorry son, I know you have already been through some rough times, but there will be even more troubles ahead for you. There is nothing I can do about that except to assure you that if you keep the people you love close to you, and continue to keep them safe, you will be alright."
Oliver nodded as the light around him that seemed to emanate from this place grew brighter, and he spoke just before the while grew blinding. "I will do that then."
It was somewhat dark when Oliver Queen remembered opening his eyes again, but the sight that the Arrow beheld now put everything he had seen when he was talking to his dad to shame. From the look of his surroundings, the archer was back in his room in the Queen mansion, which had the lights turned down low, lying down in his own bed. But this strange turn of events was not what held Oliver's attention at the moment. No, the sight of a certain brunette girl that he had crossed the world for twice, a woman who was currently asleep on a foldout chair that had been placed in one of the corners of Oliver's room was the only thing Oliver could bring himself to look at this moment.
Isabel Rochev's hair was currently tussled and wild looking, the blue dress she was wearing was wrinkled as if she had been wearing it for several days, there were small bags under the woman's eyes as if she hadn't been getting enough sleep, and she was obviously not wearing any makeup at the moment. Furthermore, the woman was snoring loudly (which, as far as Oliver knew, was a first for the brunette). But none of these "imperfections" bothered Oliver, because to him, the sight of Isabel, flaws and all, was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, and her snores sounded like music to the Arrow's ears. Because the brunette's snores, and the falling of her drably dressed chest, meant that she was breathing. And that meant that Isabel was alive!
Oliver continued to sit up in his bed for several minutes, staring in wonder at his beautiful, amazing, but most of all alive! Girlfriend. So transfixed was he by the sight of Isabel alive in his bedroom that he did not even notice his mother enter the room five minutes after woke up until the Queen matriarch decided to speak softly after watching her son for almost a minute. "Welcome back, Oliver! From the way you are looking at Isabel now, I'm guessing your memories have finally returned!"
Oliver quickly looked at his smiling mother before turning his gaze back to Isabel. "I lost my memory? What happened, mom! The last thing I remember, Ra's al Ghul and I were stabbing each other in the chest in Nanda Parbat, and then….here I am, awake in my own bedroom!"
Moira shook her head. "It's a long story, Oliver. The only thing you need to know right now is that the League of Assassins' brought you, Isabel and Tommy back from the dead after your duel with Ra's al Ghul and brought all three of you, and your jet, back here…"
But the Arrow interrupted his mother now while shaking his head. "I don't understand! I didn't beat the Demon in a duel outright! Why did they bring all three of us back?! Did they bring Ra's al Ghul back from the dead, too?! Are we all still in danger?!"
The blonde middle aged women frowned, then smiled. "No, Oliver, we're not in danger at the moment, and the Assassins won't be bringing the man you killed back. I was told they cremated his body, actually. However, I suspect all of our lives are about to get far more complicated very soon. But you don't have to worry about that just yet. You should rest."
Oliver ignored his mother. "What about Tommy? And have you heard any news about Sara, yet? Are she and Nyssa safe? How is my son, and…"
Moira frowned, interrupting her son. "That is a lot questions, Oliver, but I will answer them as best as I can. Tommy is, amazingly, alive again. He's still confused, and his memories are spotty at the moment, but he is at Laurel's apartment right now, and she is taking care of him"
Oliver nodded while smiling. That was just as it should be. Moira kept speaking. We received a message, via a black arrow with a letter that someone shot at our door, from Sara shortly after you left for Nanda Parbat a second time. We received a second one yesterday. They are both doing fine, but they say they do not want to be found just yet. Your son is also fine, although a bit shaken by everything that has happened since Christmas, even after we took you advice and pulled some strings so that Anna could visit with him for a while. Connor was especially confused after you and Isabel were brought back to the Queen Mansion. You didn't remember anything that happened after getting back from the island at that time and, Isabel was also confused then, you see."
Oliver made a mental note to have a long talk with his son about everything that happened later as his mom continued talking "Miss Rochev didn't remember Connor at all, and she still looked upon me and Thea with anger and suspicion. I was told that she was worse than that when she was first resurrected. She was apparently trying to get away from the assassins during the first minute or so after she was resurrected, and she kept raving about having to get to Slade Wilson, but then…"
"But then, with my enhanced senses, I felt our baby, growing inside me." Isabel, who had woken up without Oliver or Moira noticing. The brunette, who was now rising from her chair, was crying tears of joy as she rushed over to hug Oliver on the bed. "I felt our child, Oliver, and I remembered you, and how much I love you! I didn't remember much else until almost a day later, when I apologized to your family, especially Connor, for how I had behaved when I didn't remember all they had done for me. I was a pretty horrid house guest, to be honest…"
Moira shook her head gently. "And Thea and I told you, there is nothing to apologize for, you weren't yourself at that time! Besides…"
The Queen matriarch addressed Oliver, looking at her son over his girlfriend's shoulder now, since Isabel wouldn't let go of the emerald archer out of her hug yet. "Isabel was there for you pretty much the entire time after you got resurrected, even though you didn't even know her name over the past few days. I'm told that she kept watch over you the entire way home, and she wouldn't leave your side even when you yelled that you didn't know who she was and that she needed to go away. Even then, Miss Rochev wouldn't leave your side for more than five minutes at a time."
Oliver looked at Isabel in wonder after she finally let go of him. "Really? You did all of that for me even when I was threatening you and telling you to go away? Why?!"
Isabel smiled. "Because I knew you weren't yourself at the time, but I loved you anyway, just like you loved me when I was at my worst, and….I knew that I wanted to be there when the real Oliver Queen came back! I'm so glad you are okay! There is so much you need to know, but right now I just want to remind you that I love you, Oliver!"
The Arrow smiled. "I love you too, Isabel!"
Taking that as her cue to leave, a smiling Moira Queen, who was just happy that all of her children and grandchildren were safely home, quickly left the room before Isabel and Oliver started kissing, a sweet innocent motion that soon turned into a make-out session that lasted nearly five minutes before Isabel finally pulled away and smacked Oliver in the arm hard and said. "And don't you ever go dying on me again while trying to save my life, Oliver!"
The blonde billionaire shook his head and smiled. "I'll only promise that if you can promise never to risk your life for mine."
Isabel's face fell a little. "Actually, that may be an easier promise for me to make than you might think, Oliver. You see…"
But Oliver and Isabel's discussion was soon cut short when a Japanese man clad in full League of Assassins gear, a man who Oliver soon recognized was Sarab, formerly known as Maseo, opened the door into the room and cleared his throat. "I hope I am not interrupting anything, master, but your absence from Nanda Parbat has been a long one, and some of your assassins are starting to get restless with inactivity. Now that you have regained your faculties, we must know what your orders for us are."
Oliver looked from Sarab to Isabel in confusion. "What is he talking about Isabel? Why is Sarab calling me master and asking for orders for 'my assassins?' What is going on?"
The hazel-eyed woman sighed. "Sarab explained it to me while they were bringing us here. The League of Assassins had a prophecy, a prophecy that was made when the man that you killed became Ra's al Ghul over a century ago. That prophecy stated that a man would come who would be wounded by the Demon's blade, and then that man himself would kill Ra's al Ghul. Then that man would become the next Ra's al Ghul. That's why the League of Assassins brought you back from the dead, Oliver! You fulfilled their prophecy!"
Oliver looked back and forth between Isabel and Sarab for several seconds as the full implications of Isabel's words sank in. "What are you two saying, exactly?!"
Sarab bowed low to the ground, below the top of Oliver's bed, then presented the blonde man with a certain diamond ring. "You are now Ra's al Ghul, The Demon! I am at your command, sire, as is the League of Assassins! What are your orders now, master?!"
AN: So here we are, at the end of another chapter! As always, I would like to thank all of my readers, especially those of you who were kind enough to leave a review on my last chapter, including, in no particular order: Pootamis, Troll99, highlander348, and Phillipe363! Your input and continued support are greatly appreciated!
First of all, I would just like to apologize now for the long section featuring Robert Queen, when I had previously stated that he would not be in this story again. When I made that promise, I had forgotten that this weird father and son conversation (if it actually happened at all) was coming up, and felt that, for the sake of the story, and for Oliver to experience some closure over his father's death, that conversation still needed to be posted! Again, I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to mislead any of you!
Second, I hope that you are all happy about the return of Isabel, and with her, Olibel! Rest assured, however, that Isabel's (and her baby's) death and resurrection had a purpose to them, as those events caused many changes which you will soon discover!
Third, I hope you liked some of the twists in this chapter, including how the Arrow's fight scene with Ra's al Ghul ended, and Oliver now being named the next Ra's al Ghul! Originally, I was not going to have the Arrow kill the Demon, because I consider Ra's to be more of a Batman villain, and I was going to have Bruce deal with him. But as the story went on, after Isabel and her baby were killed, I realized that I wanted Oliver to kill Ra's now! Even so, however, I wanted to respect DC comics, and Batman movie lore by having the Batman have a hand in the Demon's ultimate downfall, and by having Bruce be the only person who had beat the Demon in single combat outright. But please tell me, what do you think of these decisions concerning how Ra's Al Ghul was dispatched!?
And finally, dear readers, thank you again for all of your support and input! I hope you liked the chapter, but please let me know what you honestly think of it! And a huge thank you goes out to my beta-reader, without whom the reader reception to my fanfics would be colder than Nanda Parbat! Your help is greatly appreciated!
Until next time, I am…
-supercode