Al Nisr (the Eagle)

"Malcolm we need to talk."

The father of Tommy waved his hand and the two sat down, James sat down.

"What can I do for you?"

"Mom is dating Walter Steele," James said. "Oliver is lost, Dad is lost, Thea is swimming in drugs, and I don't want to end that way."

"Okay?"

"I know a little about you, when your wife died you went somewhere and came back," James paused. "Different"

"I went to a place called Nanda Parbat and there I met a man who gave me guidance, more than that he gave me the courage to fight for what I believed in." Malcolm paused, "he taught me that if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely."

"What do you become?"

"A Legend James."

James nodded his head. He was given instructions on how to get to Kathmandu, he was told to a find a blue flower at the base of the mountain, which he did. When he got to the mountain itself he looked up, covering his eyes.

"Shit."

He sighed.

"Well Jesus walked on water."

He walked forwards and made his way up.

It took the day to get halfway, he climbed during most of the night as well, using the flames from the torches to guide his way.

James slipped and hit a ridge and fell onto the ground and groaned, rolling over and sighing in desperation, it was so cold.

"Impossible."

And then, just like the Empire Strikes Back, Malcolm walked over to James and knelt down over him and smiled. He knew that Malcolm wasn't there and that it was his dying mind playing tricks on him, but he couldn't help but look up, it felt so real.

"So you give up?"

"Y-yes."

"Just like that?"

"Y-yes," James' teeth chattered.

"I made the climb and so did many others before you, it's possible, or are you willing to give up on your dream, your vision for Starling City?"

"I..."

"Will you abandon their hope? Can you not feel their desperation? Will evil and corruption forever rule the city? Have you forgotten?!?"

"N-no."

And then out of sheer mental willpower, James pushed himself off the ground and carried on, pushing himself harder and faster, gripping the slopes, his vision became clearer than ever before and for the first time he felt himself using, all of his senses, looking beyond them. He reached the top, pulling himself over the edge of the cliff and pulled himself up. He collapsed onto the top and rolled over, thankful for those rock climbing lessons he had taken. He watched the sun rise and smiled, shivering, James went over and banged on the temple doors until they creaked open.

He walked into the old temple, looking around and suddenly found himself surrounded by swords, blades razor sharp and ready to kill, James held up his hands.

"I come here seeking a man called Ra's al Ghul."

"Wait."

The Ninjas for that was what they were froze.

"Why have you come here?" The voice said, clearly curious, James couldn't make out where the voice was coming from as it seemed to come from all around him.

"I come from Malcolm Merlyn the one you call."

"Al Sa-Her," The man said from the shadows. "The Magician."

"Yes."

"Why did he send you?"

"He believed that you could help me find my way again."

"He has sent you to death."

"Then I shall be reborn into fire."

The man studied James and his determination. He smiled and stepped out of the shadows, James paused, not exactly what he had been expecting. The man was wearing a grey suit, black shirt and tie and had greying hair a goatee. He would fit in well in Starling cities decadence.

"I am Ducard."

James bowed.

"You show respect."

"I am in your home," James said.

The man studied him.

"Very well," he walked up to James. "Prove yourself worthy."

"W-what?"

Ducard lashed out and punched James, shocking him, he went for another blow but James blocked this one, fists threw against each other, the other dodging and ducking the blows. The two fought hard, as the silent ninjas, the deadly assassins of the night, watched curiously, while Ducard was a master of the art, it was obvious that James was not. They lashed out, fists a blur, feet clashing in blocks and attacks. Both men feinted; both men ducked blows, Ducard, blocked blows as James, emboldened and filled with rage pressed on.

He never saw the blow coming, Ducard struck him in the solar plexus, knocking the wind from him and landing him squarely on the floor. James crawled and grunted as Ducard hit him in the ribs.

"You might consider this unfair, you will complain about the wrongness of this, that we have no honor. You would be right."

Ducard kicked him and James rolled away, wincing, "then what is the point in this?"

"Why have you come here?"

"To learn how to fight, to learn how to use my anger against the criminals of my city, to teach those that have failed it a lesson they won't forget."

"A worthy cause if you are up for it, the point of this is to teach you, to show you how said criminals think, to understand the beast, is to be able to beat the beast, and it is also to teach you that Death is not considerate, or fair. And make no mistake- today, death is your opponent."

"So then I am to be trained?"

Ducard paused in his onslaught and studied James for a moment.

"Maybe there is hope for you yet."

"Doubtful."

Ducard turned whipping his leg in a fearsome roundhouse kick, aimed straight at James's neck, but James blocked the kick with the lateral movement of his forearm, he blocked the kick by crossing his forearms into an X then grabbed Ducard's leg when as the other man overextended and dropped Ducard onto his ass. James stared at Ducard, eyes ablaze. James rose to his feet and assumed a defensive stance, as Ducard recovered smoothly then struck again. James blocked and parried the move, driving his body through the pain and into a series of skilled and fluid moves.

"Tiger Crane," Ducard noted, "Ju Jitsu... Skilled. But this is not a dance - facing death you learn the truth."

"And what is," he blocked a blow. "The truth?"

Ducard head butted James in the cheek, staggering him back in time to receive a kick to the stomach. "The truth is, you are weak and alone and scared, you are nothing, you are pitiful, a coward and that you ran away."

James surged forwards, he never saw the foot that went into his nuts and James dropped to the floor groaning and dry heaving. James groaned and looked up, darkness creeping around the edges of his vision, eyes blurring, he looked at the silhouette of a man, the figure in the darkness and imagined death had come for him again.

"Am I in hell?"

"Not yet Mister Queen," the voice said, "Not yet."

James closed his eyes.