WHAT WAS MY DADDY LIKE?
A/N: In my humble opinion, 7x16 was a terrific episode! I really liked the idea that Nyssa got to train Mia as she grew up (instead of my initial and hesitant hunch that Black Siren, the only other person who knew about the existence of Olicity's daughter, might have been the one). So, I used that important arc in this chapter. This chapter is told mostly from her and Mia's POVs. Hope you like it!
Chapter 2: NYSSA
Mia loved it when Aunt Nyssa came for her week-long visits. At least there was one more person that she could interact with in their isolated house in the woods in the fringes of a little-known town. And it wasn't just because her "aunt" had an intriguing foreign accent, an odd outfit of drab colors that looked more suitable for a grown man than a beautiful dark-haired woman, and an aura of mystery about her that piqued Mia's curiosity. It was because Aunt Nyssa could fight a lot like her father.
Nyssa had come for her first visit a few months after Mia's fourth birthday. Her mom had introduced her to Mia as a very good friend of hers and her dad's, someone who had fought alongside the Green Arrow a number of times against villains that wanted to hurt innocent people. Nyssa initially just wanted Mia to call her by her first name because she and Felicity had decided that it was too complicated for the little girl to understand what the rest of her Arabic name and title literally meant. Later on, their relationship as mentor-trainer and apprentice had developed quite well, and eventually, it had become a more personal relationship. Mia had come to think of Nyssa as family, thus calling her an aunt even if they were not related by blood.
Technically, Nyssa was Mia's father's first wife by League law and tradition, but Felicity absolutely did not want to confuse her daughter with that very negligible complication in the history of their relationship with Oliver, so she decided that Mia did not need to know that detail. Felicity's relationship with Nyssa had been rocky in the past, especially when the woman insisted on calling Oliver her "husband" even when they were already together just to tease her painfully. Yet, after what Nyssa had tried to do to help Roy and Thea in a desperate time of trouble, and because of her willingness to keep Mia a secret from everyone else and to equip their daughter with the necessary skills to protect herself from danger, Felicity's friendship with Nyssa had grown. Nyssa had been welcomed into Felicity and Mia's very small family, among the handful that knew of the little girl's existence.
For the last eight years, Nyssa had come to live with them for a week at a time, usually every two months, but always longer during summertime. Felicity had asked her to teach Mia how to develop the kind of physical fitness needed to be able to learn how to fight like her father. Nyssa had Mia learn gymnastics and stunts to develop her agility, flexibility, and muscular strength. Together they would run for miles to and from the town proper and also on rugged terrain in the woods. Gradually, Mia's training progressed to learning the proper fighting stance and then to both defensive and offensive positions and attacks. Nyssa had made sure that the girl mastered self-defense skills and hand-to-hand combat first before they moved on to using weapons. Of course, Mia was no match against the veteran assassin, but Nyssa had always taught the girl how to take a fall with pride and how to take blows without really hurting herself. And oh, Mia had had her fair share of being knocked down countless times through the years.
On one particular day when Mia was twelve, training with her Aunt Nyssa had been very discouraging. Mia had difficulty focusing and had ended up on the ground a number of times. The girl was nursing a sprained ankle, a splinter in her toe, and a bruise on her cheek. Nyssa offered, not just an ice pack for her ache, but more so, a warm, friendly conversation. She told Mia about how her own father had trained her growing up, how hard her father made her work, how many times she had fallen and been injured, and how she had set her mind and heart to be the best warrior she can be in the tradition of her people. She had spared her teenage apprentice of the gory details of how she had succeeded in her goal, but Mia had gotten the gist of the motivational pep talk, and a small, shy smile had begun to blossom on her freckled face.
Nyssa then invited Mia into her room to show her something that she and Felicity had been meaning to show her when the time was right. She pulled out a large, rectangular, wooden crate from under her bed and opened it, revealing a sleek, black compound bow that was red at both ends, and several matching arrows attached to its side instead of stored in a separate quiver.
Mia's eyed widened and her mouth gaped open in awe as she took in a deep breath through her mouth. "Is that… Is that for me?" the girl asked, her hands itching to take the weapon out of the crate.
"Someday, when you are ready, it will be yours," Nyssa replied somberly in her signature accent.
"It looks a bit different from what my dad used to carry," Mia remarked, carefully observing the weapon that lay on top of several sacks in the crate. "With this one, I won't need a quiver strapped to my back. That is so… cool."
Nyssa's lips turned up for a smile. It was so refreshing to train a young protégé like Mia, innocent and untainted by the evils of this world. Mia was the first person she had to train that wasn't supposed to be a mercenary or a cold-blooded murderer.
"You've been working very hard, Mia," Nyssa complimented her. "And if you keep at it with a single-minded purpose, you will soon be able to fight just as skillfully as your father. I'm sure he would have been proud."
There was a moment of silence that passed between them, and then Mia looked up at her mentor. "Tell me more about my father."
Nyssa's brows crinkled together in a frown. She wondered what else she could tell the girl about Oliver Queen that Felicity Smoak hadn't already shared with her own daughter. She honestly did not know what to say.
"Please, Aunt Nyssa," Mia implored, this time with more warmth and less of the formality towards a mentor. "Tell me what my daddy was like."
Nyssa placed an arm around Mia's shoulder and led her to the bed. She motioned for them to sit down.
Looking at the Green Arrow's daughter with sincere eyes, she told Mia, "Oliver Queen was… an extraordinary man. When I first met him, I considered him an enemy, a threat. I thought that he was going to come between me and a person I loved very deeply. When my beloved was killed, I blamed him for getting in the way of my vengeance against the murderer. I could not understand why he would protect the life of a guilty, wretched human being, especially since I knew that he had had it in him to eliminate wicked people who refused to change their ways. Later on, however, I realized that he had resolved to find another way to get justice, one that did not involve killing out of revenge. I still did not understand it or accept it, seeing it as a sign of weakness. But eventually, I came to see it as his strength. That resolve not to take a life unless it was absolutely necessary to save another's had become his pathway towards the light, towards becoming a better man, an inspiration to many, including your mother. The truth is, your father became an inspiration even to me. As I look back, I believe it was his example that moved me to disband a secret organization of assassins that I used to lead and find better ways to make a difference in this broken world."
Mia sighed. "I don't think I've ever heard you speak that much at one time, Aunt Nyssa," she teased, grateful that her mentor had agreed to open up about her father.
That was the first time that Nyssa had broken out into a chuckle in front of her. "You might be right about that," she responded with a smile. "I hope my answer to your question did not disappoint."
"No, it didn't. Actually, some of the things you said are like what my mom tells me about my dad. She says that my dad was a vigilante and a hero. She tells me stories of the team of vigilantes that he used to lead before I was born. Did you know them?"
"Oh yes, I did. They were a brave group of vigilantes who wanted to save Star City. I had the privilege of fighting alongside them a few times. You should be proud of them, and of your father who inspired them to fight, of the blood of heroism that runs through your veins."
"I'm not a hero," was Mia's curt and sharp response. "I'm hiding out here, in the middle of nowhere, with my mom who constantly nags me about being around strangers and being extra careful of threats. I haven't been anywhere else except this miserable town with a zero crime rate. How can I be a hero if I'm always afraid of dangers that might not even exist?"
"Mia, your mother knows exactly what she is talking about. Being the child of the Green Arrow is a serious matter. There are people who do not honor your father's legacy, people who want to undo the good he has done and thwart it. You have to be ready to defend yourself when the time comes. I trust Felicity, which is why I have agreed to prepare you for when that time comes. I truly hope it never does, for your sake and hers," Nyssa explained.
"Do you think I'll ever be as good a fighter as my dad?" Mia asked once again.
"That is entirely up to you."
Mia looked away from her aunt and fixed her gaze on the crate where the black bow and arrows were kept. She stared at it with such intensity that made her mentor think of how to end their conversation on a positive note.
"Mia," Nyssa said, "your father was an honorable man. He understood the cost of saving people's lives and protecting the people he loved, and he was willing to make the necessary sacrifices in order to do just that. Your mother understands that, too." Nyssa took Mia's hand in hers and added, "You are young, and I know that you are still trying to discover who you really are. I do hope that you find yourself and your life's purpose in all this. But whatever you do, never forget who your father was, and what he did so that you could live your life as you were destined to."
Mia simply looked down at their joined hands. She was yet unsure of what she believed. She wanted to take all of it in and believe, especially because everything her aunt had just told her was consistent with what her mother has ever told her through the years. Nevertheless, her world was too small for her liking, and she was convinced that she needed to see the bigger picture before she truly bought into these heroic tales of crime-fighting vigilantes that were supposed to be her legacy. So, she settled for the most polite response.
"Thanks, Aunt Nyssa," she said.
Nyssa smiled, stood up, and tugged at Mia to do so as well. They heard Felicity calling them to dinner. "Coming, Mom," Mia yelled. They left the bedroom and joined Felicity in the kitchen.
Tomorrow they would again start training at dawn.
A/N: Your thoughts? The next chapter will focus on Mia and William's relationship.