And now our first story begins and on Earth-7. I hope you all enjoy this.
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What If Oliver Never Rescued Malcolm After Thea Turned The Latter Over To The League Part 1?
Earth-7
Southern Italy: Apennine Mountain Range
Formerly Abandoned League Base
As the sun rose over the horizon and cast a crimson glow across the receding darkness which gave way to the growing light of the morning, its bright rays filtered through the window of a building in which two equally nude occupants lay sleeping in a luxurious bed with both yellow silken sheets and a burgundy duvet wrapped around them.
Eventually the sunlight through the window began to rouse one of the two occupants, both female, from her slumber and she slowly lifted herself and ended up perched up and resting on her side while wrapping the sheets tighter around her waist.
Her name was Dinah Laurel Lance, the former ADA of Star City and once its legendary and beloved hero known as the Black Canary, and from where she lay she looked out through the window and watched the sunrise with an appreciative smile, her brown hair cascading across her shoulders.
A part of her anticipated what would transpire today since everything she and the woman currently beside her had planned, worked toward, and paid for with sweat and blood was finally about to culminate and in what they hoped to be their victory. On the other hand she felt apprehensive since their opponent was a force to be reckoned with, including when he was once on their side which was something that felt like a lifetime ago and in ways was actually true, and significantly more now.
A part of her could not believe it had only been a little over two years ago when everything descended into chaos and everyone and everything she'd loved had been wrenched from her. For her it still felt like it was only yesterday. And worst of all it was conducted at the hands of the man she'd be facing tonight, made even worse due to the fact he had once been the love of her life.
Her musings were then interrupted by the other woman, the latter's raven locks cascading around her own shoulders, lying behind her who lifted herself up and wrapped her own tan arms around Laurel.
"What's on your mind pretty bird?" asked the woman, known as Nyssa Ratko, or A'l Ghul, who was the former heir to the League Of Assassins and the mentor, friend and now only friend, and current lover of Laurel, while she pressed gentle sucking kisses along the latter's collar and neck.
Laurel leaned her neck to the side as she enjoyed her girlfriend's ministrations.
"Only all that led us to this point in our lives and the commencement of the final part of our plan tonight," she answered honestly. "Though I cannot help but fear something might go wrong".
Nyssa ceased her ministrations for a moment and looked at her worriedly in response which Laurel noticed and quickly attempted to clarify.
"It's not paranoia. I'm confident in what we're going to do tonight and I trust you implicitly. Plus all of our victories over the past year has helped me maintain that confidence and given me high hopes as to our chances of winning tonight. It's just that this is Ra's we're facing, a true warrior and former best friend and love of mine who's been trained in the ways of the League and added to his training over the five years he was away, he may very well be the deadliest man in the world now," she explained while sighing before continuing.
"And even though you've trained longer than him and since you were a small child Nyssa I've nonetheless seen him beat you many times back when he was on the right side and even before he received his full League training. Do you even believe we have a chance to actually defeat him?"
Nyssa pursed her lips together, brow furrowed in concern while understanding where her former student and current love was coming from. After considering her words, she then spoke up once more in an attempt to assuage Laurel's fears.
"Your fears are valid beloved and I understand fully where they are coming from. And you raise some very good points and especially regarding Ra's. Plus there is of course the possibility that things can go south and the final aspect of our mission could be jeopardized since none of us are infallible.
"But what you must also consider is that we've already come this far and while there have been obstacles and despite them resulting in some setbacks including multiple losses on our end, we've still managed to accumulate significant gains which has brought us to this final moment. And yes our enemy has beaten me quite a few times back in the day but that was only because I was overly emotional at times and therefore unintentionally allowed said emotions to cloud my judgment.
"But the stakes are high now and especially in reclaiming my birthright and so I cannot afford to let emotions preside over me when I'm on the battlefield and I've done all I can to ensure they're reigned in while also instructing you as to how to do the same. And together I trust we'll have our victory.
"And just as you've said but I've trained far longer than our opponent has and since I was only slightly older than a toddler. And while he may now be full League in body and mind, I am full League in not only body and mind but also heart and soul having been born into that world. In many ways I was even like my father, the original Ra's, until your sister and then yourself helped me to claim my humanity and empathy.
"Therefore while nothing in life is set in stone, whether it'd be victory or defeat, I implore you to trust and believe in me, in us, and have faith that what we hope to gain will be met with success and that together we can accomplish what we wish. Are you with me?"
Laurel listened quietly to all Nyssa said and allowed the latter's words to wash over her as they operated as a soothing balm eradicating any lingering doubts and fears from her mind. Smiling gently, she turned her head towards her lover and cupped her chin.
"Yes Nyssa, I am with you, both tonight and always. And your words helped further strengthen my confidence for what's to come. I love you," she replied to her and then leaned forwards and pressed her lips to Nyssa's in a soft kiss which the latter reciprocated, smiling against her lips, until their mouths opened and their kiss deepened. Soon the kiss ceased and they rested their foreheads together.
"I love you to beloved," Nyssa returned warmly and they remained in that position before parting and removing themselves from the bed.
"Race you to the showers?" Laurel smirked.
"Catch me if you can," Nyssa grinned and then took off with Laurel chasing after her. As the latter chased her lover to the showers, a part of her mind drifted back to the moment when events were set in motion that would turn the current Ra's A'l Ghul, formerly Oliver Queen and the heroic protector of their city known as the Arrow, into the man he now was and led to her entire world being ripped asunder:
Laurel had stood stunned at Thea's confession regarding the circumstances surrounding the murder of the former's sister Sara, but knew she couldn't fault the younger woman considering her mind had not been her own and could only place blame upon the one ultimately responsible.
"If Merlyn drugged you, then it wasn't your fault," she'd replied to Thea in an attempt to assuage her of blame though giving her the business over working with Malcolm while Thea explained it was due to the League's threat. After which Laurel had gone on to give her advice on how to move forward saying, "What happened wasn't your fault Thea because it wasn't your decision. If you want to make this right, what you do from now on, that is". And Theo had gone on to take her words to heart though not in a way Laurel had expected concerning Malcolm.
Something which was later discovered when she'd gone to confront Malcolm in an attempt to kill him before Nyssa had suddenly appeared from the shadows with a small contingent of League guards who'd seized and removed Malcolm from the site while restraining Laurel from interfering. Laurel would soon learn that Thea had contacted Nyssa and turned Malcolm over to the League princess in an attempt to remove the danger Ra's posed to her brother and the city while being furious with her so called father over using her as a pawn in his games.
Laurel remembered that Oliver had been shocked at first but after briefly contemplating decided it was perhaps for the best since it appeared Ra's was only after Malcolm and so if he had him then he would remove his attention from their city. And so he decided not to attempt a rescue of Malcolm from the League which his entire team, Laurel included, welcomed and believing the city was finally safe. Little had they known how wrong they were or the ramifications of his decision.
It would turn out that Ra's was not through with Oliver and Laurel would hear that he'd made contact with Oliver once more and revealed he'd appointed him to become the next Ra's due to Oliver having survived his sword and that Oliver after a bit had refused to acquiesce. What followed had been a brutal campaign to force his hand by means of Ra's sending operatives to conduct a false flag operation by slaying multiple citizens, the guilty and the innocent, before culminating in an attack against a large group of innocent people and the assassination of the mayor and pinning all of it upon Oliver, turning the city against him.
And the charge against Oliver was led by Laurel's father, police captain Quentin Lance, who'd once been a close ally but turned on him due to his and Laurel's keeping Sara's death secret from him and causing him to use the false accusations against Oliver as his incentive to exact severe police pressure against him and the team. It also included him outing Oliver as the Arrow due to Ra's leaking it to him, increasing the pressure.
Another young hero, team member, and good friend of Laurel's named Roy Harper, who was dating Thea, would move to take the fall for Oliver and eventually fake his death with help from the team and someone else before going into exile.
Ra's however was not through yet for after having smashed his operations, work as the Arrow, and legacy into smithereens, he'd next came after Thea and mortally wounded her which would force Oliver's hand by using the waters of a special pit known as the Lazarus Pit, believed to heal the most grievous wounds and sometimes revive the dead, to save his sister. But Oliver could only use it if he submitted to Ra's and his intentions for the former.
With no choice Oliver had surrendered and once Thea was healed then transported back home, Oliver had been brainwashed, conditioned, indoctrinated, and molded into the new heir by Ra's with a combination of special techniques used by the League. The result was the loss of Oliver's empathy, humanity, and everything that defined him as he was transformed into a purely ruthless, entirely cold, and lethal warrior extremely loyal to the ways of the League, its plans for the world, and his anticipation for when he'd ascend to the throne as the next Ra's.
During all of this Laurel had ended up drawing closer to Nyssa and ended up forming a bond with her, a bond which had grown and strengthened over time. Nyssa had also taken Laurel under her wing and had trained and helped her hone her skills. In the present day Laurel would wonder from time to time if that's when she'd begun to develop feelings for the other woman beyond friendship and even if she hadn't known or recognized it.
Laurel would soon inform Nyssa as to Oliver being with the League which Nyssa in turn revealed that it meant her life was now forfeit. And that was proven when Oliver was sent after and attempted to capture her before Laurel with Diggle had saved her. Then things would further escalate when the former hero kidnapped Diggle's wife which forced Nyssa to surrender to him followed by a brief fight between Team Arrow and the League before Nyssa was taken.
Following this would be the end of everything in that the League, led by Oliver and Ra's, launched an assault upon Starling City by unleashing a powerfully lethal virus known as the alpha and omega which caught Team Arrow and the city off guard. The horror that followed led to the city's decimation and the deaths of all of its inhabitants including her father, the rest of her teammates and friends, and even Thea while Laurel herself had been infected and soon the darkness had claimed her.
Soon however she'd found herself awakening, to her shock, Nyssa's beautiful face and smile. Shocked because she'd assumed the latter was dead.
Nyssa however, who'd turned out to still be very much alive, would later explain to her that after having been taken to Nanda Parbat her father had decided she was worth more alive than dead and had forced her to be wed to Oliver. Then sometime after the ceremony had been concluded she'd been taken with Oliver and her father to Star City when they'd rained down destruction upon it while keeping her under guard.
Nyssa however had broken free of the guards keeping an eye on her while the rest of the League soldiers unleashed the virus across the city and she'd been searching for the rest of Team Arrow when she'd come across Laurel's motionless form and hurrying to her had seen she was dead. And so she'd taken her body, making sure to steer clear of the rest of the League present, and high jacking the plane used to transport her, Ra's, and Oliver to Star City had flown them back to Nanda Parbat where she'd used the Lazarus Pit to revive Laurel.
Following that she'd next quickly taken them to a group called the White Cresent and a representative of theirs named Tatsu Yamashiro had, after a fierce fight between Nyssa and Tatsu until Tatsu, having seen how much Laurel meant to Nyssa, granted her permission to use a certain elixir to counteract the negative effects of the pit on Laurel, stabilizing her mind.
Laurel had listened to the story and was filled with gratitude towards the other woman though was brought to tears and filled with devastation upon hearing that her friends and father were all dead and worse but at the hands of someone she'd once loved more than anything. And not just them but everyone else in the city.
At that moment she'd never felt more alone than she did then until Nyssa had quickly wrapped her up in her arms and assured her she wasn't alone but that she had and would always have her and they'd face whatever came next together. For they may have lost all that was most precious to them but together they had all they needed.
They'd later hear the news that Ra's was dead, having decided shortly after Star City was destroyed it was time for his legacy to be passed on. And so Oliver had killed him in a second trial by combat which Ra's had initiated and allowed the former to arise victorious and once Ra's was dead, Oliver officially became the new Ra's A'l Ghul and consolidated his control over the League.
Laurel and Nyssa on their part traveled across the world over most of the following year, staying under the League's radar though in very rare instances using their skills to help people in dire need and to take down a few of the most dangerous mob heads worldwide. As time past, their subconscious feelings towards each other only continued to strengthen until they eventually realized there was something deeper than friendship though both procrastinated on making the first move out of fear towards betraying Sara's memory.
They couldn't resist the magnetic pool towards each other however and ended up falling into bed together in a night of passion and after two glasses of red wine. The next morning was a bit awkward at first but after they'd had time to properly process what'd transpired between them they'd decided there was no more point in ignoring their feelings and attraction towards each other and that Sara would've wanted them to be happy. And since then and after having lost everything they'd been the happiest they'd ever were.
Following a year of bliss between them, Nyssa had decided she wasn't going to stand by and continue allowing herself to be bereft of what was taken from her and decided to take back her birthright. Laurel on her part had fully supported her decision to fight back and was eager to take the battle to the current Ra's, deciding that her Oliver was dead while desperately wanting to avenge everything all of those she'd lost.
With the two of them on the same page and discovering that Nyssa had a significant number of loyalists throughout the League, they began laying the groundwork for their campaign while most of the loyalists secretly snuck away from the bases and made their way to the base in the Apennines where Nyssa and Laurel currently resided. The ones stationed within the central base in Nanda Parbat were ordered by Nyssa to remain there however for when the time came while a few others remained within the other bases for the time being as part of the plan.
The next year saw Laurel and Nyssa with their forces, Laurel having been appointed as second in command, launching a targeted campaign against Oliver and his faction. They attacked and took control of multiple bases worldwide with their followers inside of those bases smoothing the way for them during each attack and allowing them to make quick work of Oliver's people and to secure each base.
Sadly many of those within Nyssa's faction had died during those operations since her enemies would not give up without a fight though her people who'd been killed managed to take many of their opponents with them.
In light of what was happening Oliver had pulled back his assassins from the other bases and moved them in and around Nanda Parbat since its security was of the utmost importance. He also launched an inquisition among his people to try and root out any of Nyssa's people, using torture among his methods, and things had been heating up which Mesi Natifah, a black skinned assassin and Nyssa's third in command and most loyal follower stationed inside of Nanda Parbat, had informed her of.
Laurel and Nyssa knew this meant they needed to speed up their plans and once they'd taken control over all of the remaining bases worldwide they'd prepared for the final aspect of their plan. To launch an all-out assault against Nanda Parbat from all sides while Mesi and the others inside would launch an uprising against Oliver once the assault commenced. And that left them where they were now.
Back in the present and once they'd concluded their shower together followed by breakfast, Laurel and Nyssa had gathered together in the area they'd designated as their war room and their forces present with them stood around them in the room. Nyssa was dressed in her League garb while Laurel was dressed in her Black Canary uniform and stood beside Nyssa as the former, standing regally and her presence commanding attention, addressed everyone.
"Tonight, once the sun has set, Nanda Parbat shall be ours once more," she proclaimed loudly and clearly with conviction while everyone present cheered at her words and Laurel gave her girlfriend a proud smile, anticipating what was to come.
To Be Continued
A/N What do you all think so far? While this is set on another Earth it still following canon until the deviation and I hope this scenario is making sense or can be seen as possible.
Originally I was going to have Oliver's post Ra's introspection be within this chapter but decided to save it for Part 2 of this arc.
As you can see but if Oliver hadn't rescued Malcolm, Ra's would've still gotten what he wanted one way or another, Malcolm would not have been present to give Oliver whatever he needed to resist Ra's brainwashing him, and in turn Team Arrow wouldn't need to go to Nanda Parbat since they'd been unaware of the virus's threat to their city and would've been caught off guard.
I did find myself coming across a stumbling block which was how Laurel would've still been alive since she'd have also succumbed to the virus and I should've thought of that. And so I had Nyssa revive her with the Lazarus Pit and while I know she'd refused to even use it for Sara, this version is slightly different from her Earth Prime doppelganger.
Plus I think it could be realistic since considering she'd lost so much already in the span of a few months with Sara, her birthright, and nearly her chance of real happiness due to being forced to marry Oliver, she couldn't bear to lose yet one more thing and so she decided to bring Laurel back.
Until the next chapter or my next posting, have a great day.
