Hey Guys I know I normally update on Wednesday but I've been very busy. Life has gotten crazy. One of my grandparents died and classes and life. The reason I've been able to post as many chapters as I have recently is because I pre wrote some chapters. But luckily ideas are still flowing for this story so don't worry I will continue to update.

And as always I want to thank every one of my readers from the bottom of my heart. I started this story for my own enjoyment and you guys just have shown so much support and positivity. And to my Beta Mrs. Thor Odinson.

I don't own Arrow.

Letonlee: You're welcome! I also love getting a shout out from authors when I review stories. So I figured I'd do it too because I enjoy it so much! I'm so glad you liked chapter 12. I hope you'll like chapter 13.

Orthankg1: Thanks! And you are very nice for reviewing! ;) Hope you like this chapter as well!

The Other Queen – 13

Chapter 13

Lian Yu 2007

It was early in the morning when Victoria's nightmares awoke her from her sleep. She was outside doing some warm ups when she heard footsteps from behind her. Instinctually she pulled out her pocket knife and waited to meet her intruder head on. When she turned around she saw that the intruder was no other than Slade Wilson standing a foot in front of her.

"Easy Toria, it's only me," he reassured her, raising his hands up in the air.

Carefully she put her knife back into place and pocketed it once more. With a smile, she continued to do different warm ups as Slade watched in amusement. Silently he made note of how feminine she looked with her wide hips and breasts that swelled out, giving her a petite hourglass figure. He tried to not openly stare at her but instead decided to break the silence between them.

"If it makes you feel any better your reaction time has gotten a lot better these last few months," Slade praised her.

"Is that so?' Victoria asked coyly.

Slade chuckled and decided it would be a good time as any to start his daily stretches as well. Victoria tried to focus all her attention to her own as not to be distracted by her companion. She managed to be doing fine till she had finished and she happened to notice how he was flexing his arm muscles, making sure that he wouldn't cause any unneeded injures to himself. She really loved the fact that his arms were large and his shoulders were huge as opposed to his small waist. Making up her mind that it was the best figure a man could have. Victoria tried to look away before he caught her but one more look to Slade she noticed that he had a giant grin and that he had indeed caught her checking him out.

"Like what you see, Toria?" Slade asked with a teasing smile.

Victoria hide a blush and continued to act as though she was warming up until she felt all her muscles relax. After she got into a position to run. Her goal was to run a solid mile and return with enough time for breakfast. She was about to take off when she felt a presence besides her and she fought a smile when she noticed it was Slade.

"Mind if I join you?" Slade asked. In his usual sexy accent, Victoria noted.

"Sure," Victoria replied with a smile.

Slade flashed her a winning smile and without another word started to run ahead of her with speed. He chuckled as he looked over his shoulder to see her with a shocked/annoyed face as she raced after him. He firmly believed she looked the cutest when she was annoyed and continued at a fast pace to stay ahead of her in their little unspoken race.

Victoria smiled as she was catching up to her racing companion. She loved the feel of the humid air rushing across her face and smelling the lingering rain that cling to the trees. It feels so good to be alive, she thought as she rushed past the trees swiftly and felt the tall grass beneath her feet. Ahead of her Slade still was racing in front of her but turned his head towards her and she swore she heard him let out a small chuckle before focusing on his path once more.

Finally, they had been running for a while when they saw their camp nearing in the distance when Victoria's luck seemed to turn and she was closing the distance between herself and Slade. The two ran hard watching the other when Slade ran into the wreckage before Victoria but only by a few inches. Both were breathing hard and doubled over, placing their hands on their knees.

"That… that was the best run I've had in a long time," Slade remarked when he had managed to catch some of his breath.

"What were you two running a marathon?" Oliver asked clearly annoyed.

"I wouldn't call it that, more like a friendly race," Slade corrected.

Victoria rolled her eyes and playfully pushed Slade's arm, "You're just happy I went easy on you."

Slade replied with a full belly laugh, that in turned made Victoria smile from ear-to-ear. Without thinking he placed a strong arm around her waist and hugged her to his side. Neither really seemed to notice the romantic gesture until Oliver looked away as to give them some space. Victoria was disappointed when Slade's warmth left her side and he continued more into the camp, leaving her by the entrance. She closely watched his face and was relieved when she didn't see a face of discontent only some sort of indescribable face. Gosh, why did men have to be so confusing? she thought with annoyance. Looking over at Shado she noticed the Asian woman eyeing the two of them from where she was starting the fire and saw that she was smiling. So, must not be a bad face that Slade was making, Victoria reasoned.

Heading to the fire, she helped Shado place dry logs onto the fire and got a nice fire burning as Slade brought over the two small animals that he had caught for their breakfast the night before. It was routine by now and it didn't bother her one bit. It was strange how much things could change in a matter of months. Shado also help clean the birds and they placed them on a long stick for Oliver to place across the fire and turned it so that it would evenly be cooked. Victoria smiled when she thought of how her vegetarian nineteen-year-old self would have been disgusted by the way she ate meat every single day for every single meal here on the island. How life had changed for her in so many ways.

"What are you smiling about?" Slade asked as he heard her laugh.

"I was just thinking of how the vegetarian me would have been applauded by the fact I eat meat 24/7 here," Victoria replied honestly.

"You were a vegetarian?" Shado remarked.

"Why did you decided to do that?" Slade asked curiously.

"I didn't like the fact I was eating some sort of thing that was once truly alive. I don't know, it made me uncomfortable that I was eating a cow or a pig or a chicken. It was easy for a while I loved so many things with cheese like pizza and different creamy sauces with my pasta. I went four straight months before I couldn't take it anymore and had to have a hamburger. They have always been my weakness. You want to be on my good side just get me a Big Belly Burger," Victoria explained. "Have you ever had a Big Belly Burger, Slade?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Well that's the first place we are going when we get home. It's amazing the mixture of complete unhealthiness and how amazingly delicious it is."

Slade out right laughed at this statement and silently made note to get her a Big Belly Burger if/when they ever made if off this island. He watched her with interest when she stopped laughing and a frown spread across. What's wrong? he longed to ask her. She saw his concern face and forced a smile in his direction. He huffed with annoyance, wishing she'd cut the crap and tell him what was up, or at least feel comfortable enough to just look upset around him. He wasn't the kind of guy that teased someone when they were genuinely unhappy about something. But he returned her fake smile for one of his own.

He sat in silence as Oliver chuckled and talked to Shado. It didn't take a lot to notice that the kid had a thing for the Asian beauty. He just prayed it wouldn't end up like Oliver's last relationship, last thing they needed was a romance drama while they were stuck on this island. He couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Shado grin big at something Oliver said. Yeah hopefully the kid doesn't mess something up. They kind of look cute together. Of course, he'd never admit it to Oliver or Shado though. Let them think I disapprove for a while longer. Makes things more interesting.

#

Days passed slowly, Victoria noticed how much slower after the threat of Fyers was no longer hanging over their heads. They had managed to get a few useful items from Fyers camp here and there. And Slade and Shado were busy training Oliver. Victoria thought it was kind of useless but enjoyed watching her Australian knock her brother on his ass.

It was early afternoon one day when Victoria had finish her morning exercises and was sitting with Shado eating their lunch together. While Slade continued to show Oliver how to build up muscle. He had pulled off his shirt and was doing some pullups on 'the bar' as Victoria had given to calling it. Victoria had to admit she enjoyed when she saw just how muscular Slade looked. He had defined pectorals and had strong, defined biceps. Everything about him just screamed male and she was coming to terms with the fact that she desired him.

"I'm about to head to Fyers' camp if you want to join me?" Shado asked pulling Victoria from her thoughts.

"What?"

Shado chuckled when she realized what Victoria had been paying more attention to.

"I am going to Fyers' camp, do you want join me?" Shado repeated.

"Nah, Slade was going to show me a few new moves," Victoria replied.

Shado chuckled and smiled with amusement at Victoria's response. Of course, Slade would be the reason she couldn't go. At least Victoria was predictable.

#

Carefully, Shado walked through Fyers camp, it was mostly covered in ash and it still smell like everything was burnt. She made it to a not so badly cooked tent and looked inside to see if anything could be saved. Slowly she looked through creates and found a proximity detector. She smiled to see that it only required a few minor adjustments and adding a few parts and it would be ready for use. She and Oliver could fix it up in no time. Her face spread effortlessly into a smile at the thought of the playboy millionaire, he wasn't the strongest or bravest man she had ever known but he had a big heart. One she hoped would grow in time. This island was changing him, she could see it. By now she had heard enough stories from Victoria to know that he wasn't as always caring or as loyal as he was now. But people grew up, learned lessons, matured. And she could clearly see it was changing for the better in the case of Oliver Queen.

She had noticed the growing romance with Slade and Victoria, very glad for them, that they had found someone to care for on this island. She wondered if/when they got off this island what it would mean for them. It wasn't a real secret that Slade loved Victoria, it just glowed on his face. But she highly doubted he had told her yet. Men and their damn pride, she thought with a chuckle.

So, she torn her thoughts away from the others and continued to search the camp. After a while she found a few supplies that she placed in the pockets of her green, leather hood that her father use to wear. It was oddly comforting to her to wear it, given the fact that it had belonged to her dear Baba, like she was carrying a piece of him with her. Not wanting to dwell on melancholy thoughts and searched yet another tent in the camp. She found nothing usefully and was thinking she should head back before the others got worried. Checking to make sure all her finds were still in her pockets she started heading to the camp.

As she was walking through the destroyed camp she knew that she should feel at least a little bit sorry for the bastards that had captured her and her friends but she couldn't find it within herself to feel sorry. They had done horrible things to them and now they were dead because of it. Maybe that made her heartless but she couldn't spend all her time worrying about the fact that the assholes had died. Someone was going to have to make it out of that battle alive and she had been glad that it was her and her friends. For a minute her thoughts wondered to Fyers unbidden, he had called the order to kidnap her, the one who had shot her baba in the head. Her jaw tightened at the thought. If Oliver had spared him she was sure she would have killed him very slowly. Maybe it was good that he had then, she wouldn't want to lose her humanity over that worthless piece of shit. Breath, she reminded herself. Her father wouldn't have wanted her to get caught up in her thoughts of revenge. "Everything breath," she could hear her father's voice saying. A bittersweet smile appeared on her face and she felt her eyes start to water. Pinching the bridge of her nose, not wanting to cry.

She continued into the woods and slowly took in a deep breath of the fresh air, the air damp and cold from the showers the night before. Life wasn't so bad, she thought with contentment. Just then a hand covered her mouth and she was pushed up against a firm body. Her brain started to panic and she fought to get away from her captor only to be held closer and a sword was pressed to her throat. She turned to the side of her head carefully and saw that the figure behind her wore a mask of black and yellow, just like Slade's. She remembered a man like that in Fyers' camp. A name wasn't coming to mind but he had often watched her like a hawk, making sure she didn't escape. Winterdall or Wintergreen, something of the like. She tried to gulp down the lump in her throat. Don't panic, breath. She looked straight ahead and placed her face into an unreadable expression, she didn't want him knowing she was afraid.

"What have we got here?" the man growled in an Australian accent.

"What do you want?" Shado replied.

"I want you and your little friends to stay away from me."

"And if we don't?"

"Lady, I don't think you want to start a war on this island. You leave me alone I'll leave you alone, understood?"

Shado didn't response to which he pressed the sword closer into her neck. She could feel him drawing the tiniest bit of blood.

"Fine!" she replied at last.

"You make sure to deliver my message to Slade and that little girlfriend of his, okay?" he demanded holding her tighter to him.

"Alright, alright. I'll tell them!"

And just like that he let her go. She turned around while also taking out her knife to find that he was already out of sight. Damn! How did he move that fast?

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