Stegro's Arrowverse - Heir #01 - The Heir's Arrival (Heir Apparent Prologue)

December 06, 2018, 02:03:31 PM

The Heir's Arrival

"Welcome home, Al Sah-him," Ra's al Ghul said warmly as the assassin approached him, two men in chains being dragged in behind him. "I see your mission was successful."

"It was," Al Sah-him confirmed as he turned and stepped behind the two men. “The target was eliminated and we retrieved these two for questioning.”

“Very good,” Ra’s said as he stepped forward to stare down at the two men. “You know who I am so I will only ask this once. Tell me where she is.”

“We don’t know,” one man responded immediately, desperation in his voice.

“And if you did?” Ra’s wondered.

“We would tell you,” the other man declared adamantly. “If we knew where she was, we would tell you. We owe nothing to her. Please, we don’t want to die.”

“I believe you,” Ra’s said as he looked behind the two men and nodded. Al Sah-him didn’t pause as he drew his dagger and plunged it into the neck of the first man, almost removing his head with the heavy blade. He pulled it free before bringing his arm across and stabbing the inch-long spike on the hilt into the carotid artery of the second man. Both men gagged as their bodies fell forward, their life’s blood draining out onto the stone beneath them. “Still no closer.

“We will find her,” Al Sah-him stated calmly, still holding the bloody knife.

“But what havoc will she wreak beforehand?” Ra’s asked idly. He looked at Al Sah-him and noticed he seemed distracted. “What troubles you Al Sah-him?”

“Dreams containing memories,” Al Sah-him admitted after a pause. He had embraced the life of an Assassin but every so often, and more so of late, memories of his former life surfaced in his dreams to plague him.

“Memories of what?” Ra’s asked his finest student. He could guess what those memories were, as they had discussed them at length when he had first arrived and began his training, but he wanted to hear what Al Sah-him said.

"Memories of the past. Memories of another man and the burden placed upon him by his father," Al Sah-him disclosed monetonely. "Memories of a city in pain."

"You refer to the notebook that contained a list of names," Ra's said calmly. "A notebook that Robert Queen owned and his son had with him when he arrived here."

"I do, master," Al Sah-him replied.

"And what do you plan on doing about these dreams?" Ra's asked curiously. "Do you wish to return to Starling City?"

"My loyalty is to the league," Al Sah-him stated emphatically.

"That is not what I asked," Ra's countered deftly, his eyes matching his calm tone. "Do you wish to return to Starling City?"

"I believe a part of me does," Al Sah-him confessed, shame filtering into his voice.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of my son," Ra's consoled as he stepped up to stand before his student. "Ibn Sirin once wrote there are three types of dreams. There are ones about truth; there are ones about desire, and there are ones about temptation."

"I don't know which type my dreams are," Al Sah-him said.

"I believe that they hold a little of each," Ra's offered sagely. "The truth of the corruption of Starling City and the evil contained within it. The desire of your past self using the skills you now possess to rid it of this evil. And the temptation of what returning home could bring; reuniting with a family who have long thought their son dead."

"I would not need to see them," Al Sah-him heged, hoping he sounded more confident then he felt. At Ra's words about his family, images of an older woman and a young girl had flickered through his mind. "They wouldn't look like that now. It's been over 4 years."

"No, you wouldn't. But you might," Ra's said simply, as if pointing out an obvious fact. He said nothing as he turned and walked back towards the pit, appearing deep in thought. Al Sah-him, not having been dismissed, stood in silence. "There is opportunity here," Ra's observed as he turned and started walking back. "The world is changing and with it, so must the League. The shadows where we dwell lesson with each passing year and one day they may cease to exist altogether. We must prepare for that day."

"Master?" Al Sah-him asked, confused at his teacher's words.

"One day, I will no longer be Ra's al Ghul and I would see the league continue on for more years than it has already. To do that, we must adapt to the world. Instead of hiding in the shadows between civilisation, we hide in the shadows created by civilisation itself," Ra's proclaimed grandly as he stopped in front of Al Sah-him. "I think it is time you returned to Starling City."

"And he won't be going alone," a strong feminine voice called from behind before Al Sah-him could respond. "Where my beloved goes, so do I."

"I would expect nothing less from my daughter," Ra's said as he watched Nyssa step around the rapidly cooling bodies on the stone floor and stop beside her husband. "He will need your support in this."

"Your command?" Al Sah-him asked calmly, knowing better than to argue with his wife when she had clearly made up her mind.

"You will return to Starling City and you will rid it of the corruption, crime, evil and the death that follows. Your methods are your own," Ra's commanded. "I would insult you by limiting your options during such a grand undertaking."

"You honour me," Al Sah-him thanked.

"But know this. This crusade is yours. The league will not assist you in this endeavor," Ra's revealed as he stepped back to look at his son and daughter. "Nyssa, Warith al Ghul and Al Sah-him, Ibn al Ghul; you have your crusade. Now it is time for you to depart; Lian Yu awaits. It is time for Oliver Queen to arise from purgatory and rejoin the world."