Damien wasn't particularly fond of having a broken arm. Or broken limbs in general, but his lack of reaction to the injuries earned him praise, so it was worth it. It was a normal night with his mother, having trained ruthlessly the hours before to test his new skills. Just turning 6, more was expected of him to prove his worth to the league, and Damian never disappointed. That being known, the young assassin was unnerved when both of their presence was requested by the highest authority known amongst the organization.
His mother nor him said a word as they made their way to the demon's chamber, falling on their knees immediately upon entering. Ra's al Ghul faced away from his daughter and grandson, his eyes gazing elsewhere in excitement. "Seven hundred years I've done everything within my power to prepare earth for its purge. Humanity grows ever vain in worthless indulgences with the planet reeking of sickness in return. Damian, you will be the heir to the league when my time in power ends. You will stand by my side when the war is hard fought and won."
Damian didn't speak, knowing to wait for a command to do so. His grandfather continued.
"We have resources dedicated to the pursuit of our cause from all over the world, with our armies growing stronger by the minute. Alone, it would take many more millennium to go against every foe out there….which is why today, is the beginning of a prosperous era."
Mother and son glanced at one another silently; this was news to both. Didn't the Al Ghuls work relatively alone, and proudly so? Ra seemed to hear their silent question.
"Two weeks ago, a key alley to the league arrived on earth. They will be raised under a watchful eye by a previous member until such time where we intervene." Ra looked to Damian at last. "Speak"
"Why would we let an outsider be by our side? Why not just use them as we do countless others? What can they do that we can't?!" he immediately snapped, tempted to stand up at this ridiculous notion for help. Help? For crying out loud, they were master assassins! He was up to par with his mother already, let alone what he would accomplish a few years down the line. Expecting a punishment for raising his voice, he was surprised that Ra merely smiled.
"They possess creatures of forgotten magic even the strongest man cannot hope to overcome. As you rise to power, my grandson, so will she. Side by side, your destinies will intertwine as you watch the world burn anew."
…..
Marella stared at her plate of eggs and bacon, scrunching her nose at the smell. She hadn't eaten when she first arrived, and that wasn't supposed to change now. Will was insistent on getting her up to speed with normal activities kids would do, and that apparently involved eating. Two months living with the three men and things were beginning to look a bit more normal. Her vocabulary increased a decent amount, but that was all that came naturally to her. No odd intelligence boost, no super strength, and no growth spurt. Dick reminded her of that last one plenty enough.
"Do I have to?" Breakfast just didn't appeal to her, but she did begin losing weight around two weeks ago, meaning food was becoming more and more of a necessity.
"You look like a stick," Dick shook his head in mock disappointment. "One minute outside and the wind would kill you before anyone else can. Buut, I could always have an extra bite!" he tried taking one of the bacon pieces by jumping over her, nearly knocking the table in the process, but Marella had picked up her plate while sidestepping to the right. Dick laid sprawled over the kitchen table with an incredulous look.
"You stink" she snorted, sticking her tongue. Will looked entirely done with the situation already, and the clock read 8 am. Did he sign up for this? He questioned his ability to manage two children that could care less about authority when Slade wasn't around.
"If we can avoid ruining the dining room for a day, I'd like to get back to the serious matter at hand," he gave a pointed look at Richard, content to see him mumble an apology before getting off. "Dear, you need to start eating if what your father said is true, or else we'll be dealing with far worse than disliking bacon and eggs, which mind you are quite enjoyable when I make them!".
Marella sighed; she knew it was inevitable, but the thought of eating really did put her off. With an accepting but annoyed nod, she sat back down and picked at the eggs first.
"And no feeding them to those boys either!"
She rolled her eyes. That was one time! Will had been trying to get her to eat three weeks before when the dragons were seated with them as well. Slade wasn't present at the time, and the old man turned away just enough for her to shove the plate over, where the growing beasts were more than happy to oblige. Seeing the plate doused in slobber, another plate was set in its place, this time with the guests staying put in her room.
They hadn't grown much since they arrived home with her despite their diet. Little bodies with an unmatched appetite, and it took a solid day or so to figure out they would only eat cooked meals, preferably meat. Little bits a day, though they whined frequently for more. Neither adult knew what to do should the dragons grow larger and start demanding larger portions, but based on their lack of growth, no one thought much of it.
Marella started picking at her food again, taking small bites of the eggs. Dick was recovering from his failed landing, rubbing injured hips. Will had gone back to the kitchen, leaving both chaotic children to their own activities. "You still stink"
"Yeah, yeah….." he grumbled, having a seat beside her. Slade was nowhere to be seen once again; he made an effort to be present as much as possible, but unless it was for training purposes or something of the like, there wasn't much the man could do. Rephrase that, didn't want to. When he had first brought Richard years ago, things were different in raising the boy. The mission had more leeway opportunities to form a strong bond with one another, but times changed.
Okay, she ate enough for one morning. The eggs were gone, but the bacon was untouched, and no way was she letting Dick at them. "Daimon!" The door to her room opened, a hyper green boy trotting as fast as they could on two little claws, whining eagerly to his mother. Marella smiled, tossing two generous pieces on the floor.
"You, told me they didn't have names?" Dick questioned over the sounds of happy munching below them.
She shrugs, a normal reaction for nearly anything asked of her. "I remembered this morning"
"Remembered? Where you came from, you mean?"
"No, but I just…..remembered," and that was the truth. She didn't know where she came from, her earliest memories being when Slade found her all alone. Sometimes she dreamed quite vivid scenarios involving the dragons and other people, but it always rendered fuzzy once awake. The only thing that stood out from her latest ones were the names of her children; Ishral, Daimon and Fargliv. It was a start, she supposed.
"Hey, that's cool! Come here, Daimon!" Dick went to give the green dragon a firm pat but reared with a yelp when it bit his hand instead. "OW!"
"He likes his food," she snickered at the sight, taking his right hand gently before applying a semi-sterile napkin over the small wound. He fumed but kept quiet so Will wouldn't hear them. Old man was just starting to warm up to the mythic trio after heavily detesting the idea of 'harboring demons of old'. That was mainly because of their love of his food, which always earned points with him.
"And my hand," he cringed in slight pain over the napkin, having a much more rougher texture than appreciated. "Dad is gonna have questions, you know,"
"Tell Slade you fell. You do that a lot." Marella couldn't call him dad, not with their lack of a relationship. Only things she knew about the man was that he had a mission, Dick approved of said mission, it involved bloodshed, and he was good at many forms of combat. She spied on a training session or two before being caught, given the reason "she's too young" and that was that. Like Dick was that much older!
"Fell and got two puncture wounds," he raised a brow. "He isn't an idiot."
"I wouldn't know," she mumbled as Daimon started climbing her leg. She picked the squirming boy before it used its claws on her and caused more unnecessary wounds. "Can't I train with you at least? I want to learn! I wanna be useful, too, not just some stranger here," her words grew quieter until it was a mere whisper at the end. From what little she did understand is that Dick was brought here because of a tragic accident, not that he'd elaborate, but also because of potential. Had it been anyone else, he would have ended up somewhere safe and away from this place, so why was she another exception? Her dragons were all that came to mind, and that made her bitter. Why would she want to fight a threat she knew nothing about, for someone she hardly saw?
In her mundane thoughts, Dick had come around to give her a firm hug. He wished dad could bond with her more, to make her see how special both were in making the world a better place. "I'm sure he'll let you train with us soon, then I can kick your butt without getting in trouble!" he teased, hoping to cheer her up. It didn't stop her worries, but for Dick? She smiled back and nodded.
"Not if Daimon gets you first"
"You wouldn't-"
"Daimon!"
"WILL!" he shrieked in laughter, running away from the confused green child. Marella ran after him, making flapping motions with her hands. "The dragon will catch you, Dick! Nowhere to run!"
"You look goofy like that!" he easily jumped over the table and chairs, avoiding falling this time. Marealla couldn't match his fluid movements, but that didn't stop her from trying.
"Shut up!"
"Am I interrupting something?"
Both children froze at the voice, scrambling to look innocent in front of a bemused Slade. He stood with his infamous suit on, helmet tucked under his right arm.
"Nope!"
"No sir!"
Both children spoke at the same time, Dick with both hands behind his back to hide the bite marks. Either Slade didn't notice or didn't care at that moment; for certain the latter, if anyone knew him.
Too long he tried ignoring the fact that there was an extra occupant in the safehouse due to his uncertainty of her potential, but he couldn't wait any longer. It was time to see if his suspicions were correct.
"Marella," he addressed her, earning a surprised stare. It was rare he spoke directly to her. "Enough time has passed since you first arrived, albeit it's only been three months, but Dick may have let slip your eagerness to begin training as soon as possible"
A bright red blush graced the boy's cheeks.
"I'm not an orphanage, nor a charity case man. I took you in for the potential to make a difference in Gotham. Many will claim us as horrific 'villains' with heinous 'world domination' plans. What we do does involve acts that may be, unpleasant, but the end result is always worth it. My job is to teach you about the reality of the world, and the everchanging morals of society that hinder true progression. To achieve what's best for everyone, we do what we do. Its not beautiful, its not glorious, its not even heroic. We merely do what's right, even if others don't see it that way."
Slade bent on one knee to be at eve level with Marella specifically whom struggled to comprehend his speech.
"You're young and in need of guidance. I've worked with Richard to teach him all I know, and I want to formally extend that offer to you as well." The man placed both hands on her shoulders, squeezing slightly.
"Will you train with us? Do you pledge to fight by my side when you prove yourself ready? When war becomes inevitable and cities turn to trenches, where will you be?"
She couldn't believe her ears; Slade was offering a chance to prove her worth! Everything he said, its what she was waiting for, right? Oh, he'll see what she's capable of. Marella didn't quite understand the principles of death or saving the world or whatever, but she was sure she'd learn along the way.
With a brilliant grin and upright posture, the newest trainee responded with full confidence and eagerness. "With my dragons by your side!".
….
Hey everyone! Please leave a review if you're enjoying this so far. Haven't had any yet,but figured a few chapters with an intro might help out with that. Let me know if you'd like me to keep writing this series! Any comments would be appreciated.