The Assassin's Girlfriend

Arrow: The Assassin's Girlfriend

The following storyline takes place after Arrow season 3, and features an alternative take on events.

*

Nyssa Al Ghul gave a sigh as she sat in the large leather chair. In front of her was a large oak table with a large tome laid out before her. The large book contained the ledgers for the League of Assassins. It turned out that running a secret organization full of top-notch assassins was very expensive, and her father's attack on Starling City had cost the League a good number of its regular clients. The corrupt politicians and organized criminal elements of the world wanted the League to serve their interests, and that required some degree of discretion- not ninjas laying siege to a major American city. Of course, it had never been Ras Al Ghul's plan to make the League a true mercenary organization. The profits from assassination work had merely been a means to an end for Ras Al Ghul. His true objective had been to change the world.

The room around Nyssa was dim, lit only by occasional candles. While the Demon's Head had not been truly against modern technology, he preferred to rely on more antiquated means of doing things, and Nyssa had found herself adopting some of her father's habits. Other times she took pride in defying his traditions, however. For example, the chair she was now sitting in? Her father had used a wooden one with no back or seat cushioning. She had taken perverse pleasure in ordering that uncomfortable thing smashed to bits.

The scrape of something on stone from behind her caught Nyssa's attention. Her mind immediately located the source of the disturbance- an oval stone window behind her. The scraping was likely from the boot of a nocturnal visitor perched at the opening. Given how high up the tower Nyssa was in, Nyssa was surprised that the intruder had scaled it.

Turning toward the intruder, Nyssa simply said, "If you're here to kill me, you're going to be disappointed." The intruder was dressed in ninja garb, a hood and face mask covering all but her eyes. And it was definitely a woman, she could tell. At her hips were two metal escrima sticks. An assassin who favored blunt weapons? Odd.

She squinted in the faint light. Was that a wisp of blonde hair escaping the mask. "Sara?" Nyssa asked, her tone incredulous.

The "assassin" removed her mask, revealing the face of Sara Lance, her former lover. "Your security sucks, love." The smirk on her face quickly morphed to a look of worry.

"You were spotted, I just told my people to stand ready but not engage unless attacked. If Merlyn wants to take me out, he'll bring an army," Nyssa replied. Sara studied the other woman, trying to figure out if she was being honest or just trying to salvage her pride. She eventually gave up and simply let the matter go with a nod.

Nyssa moved over to the other woman and put her hands on her cheeks, pulling her in for a long kiss on the lips. Sara gave a low moan of enjoyment and pressed her body against the brunette.

When Nyssa pulled back, she was panting a bit and grinning from ear to ear. "I've missed that," she admitted.

Sarah smirked. "We'll see about scheduling some time in for that before I leave again for Star City." She paused. "You could come with. This is your father's legacy, Nyssa. It doesn't have to be yours as well."

"I can't abandon the League of Shadows, Sara. You know that. Especially since Oliver refuses to assist in killing Merlyn and getting him out of the picture permanently," she grumbled. "And you could just as easily come back into the fold with us."

"I can't," Sara said quietly.

Nyssa nodded reluctantly, having anticipated the answer. "It seems we are at an impasse. Why did you come here, Sara? Are you a messenger from Oliver? Is this a long-distance 'booty-call?' Or are you here as a spy?" Her voice turned harder as she voiced that last possibility, not wanting to believe it- but she and Sara did indeed have conflicting interests.

"None of the above, but especially not the last," Sara said, looking hurt. "Team Arrow agreed to let you be as long as the League remained out of Starling City and didn't do anything drastic." She reached out to stroke Nyssa's cheek. "Can't a woman just miss you, Nyssa?"

Nyssa closed her eyes and pulled Sara in for a hug. "How long are you here for, my canary?"

"I've got a week," Sara replied, pulling away. She glanced down at what Nyssa had been so engrossed in earlier. "The League's financial records?"

Nyssa looked tired as she nodded. "Everything falls to me, now, Sara. If I want to keep the League out of Merlyn's hands, I need to show strong leadership. If my people begin to feel like I do not know what I am doing..."

Sara put her hands on Nyssa's shoulders and silenced her with a kiss. "What you need to do now is get some sleep."

"Oh, and where are you planning on sleeping, then?" Nyssa teased.

"Right beside you. As I recall, the Daughter of the Demon is secretly a cuddler," Sara teased back.

"Oh? And you presume I still have a place in my bed for you? I am the new Ra's Al Ghul, after all. There are plenty of women in the League who would all to willing to join me in bed, even if they consider themselves straight," Nyssa countered. That was one hundred percent true, as a matter of fact.

For just a moment, Nyssa saw Sara's confidence falter. "Is there anyone sharing your bed right this moment?" Sara asked.

"Not right this moment," Nyssa admitted. Her hand stroked Sara's blonde lockes. "But there is a certain former assassin of ours that I am looking forward to having my way with."

Sara snorted. "You're welcome to try." She smirked.

***

Nyssa kicked open the door to her room, once her father's room, as she and Sara stumbed inside, their lips and hands constantly exploring and re-familiarizing themselves with the feel of the other woman. It didn't take long before Nyssa pushed Sara onto the bed.

Sara lifted the bedsheet. "Silk sheets and an actual mattress? I figured your dad would sleep on stone or something."

Nyssa's lips drew into a smile. "I may have made a few improvements. But enough talk of my father. She began to work on undressing Sara. Sara herself was very familiar with where all the clasps were on Nyssa's League leather armor, and had the other woman undressed first, though only by a few seconds.

Nyssa touched Sara's domino mask. "You realize this completely fails at hiding your identity, right?"

Sara silenced the other woman with a kiss. Nyssa decided to leave the mask on her. It made her feel like she was making love to some charming nefarious highwaywoman. A more feminine version of Robin Hood.

Sara's hand groped at Nyssa's sex and the fine black hairs there. She smirked. "Seems someone is already slick for me."

"Then you had better get some fingers inside me," growled Nyssa. Her hands found Sara's sex and it was soon her turn to smirk. "Besides, it seems I am not the only one."

"Patience," Sara chided her, kissing Nyssa's neck. "I need to savor this." Her hand moved across Nyssa's inner thigh and upward, coming across the other woman's toned stomach.

Nyssa's hands meanwhile, traveled across Sara's ass, caressing it gently. She allowed herself to spend several minutes just caressing Sara's buns before moving her hands up across Sara's back, across a variety of different scars.

They both had a lot of those. It was impossible not to, in this line of work, even if you were good at what you did. You learned to wear them as badges of honor, and each one told a story. Many of those stories had already been told, but not all of them.

Sara's tongue flicked at Nyssa's nipples, disrupting her train of thought. Nyssa gave a small gasp, her hands moving to Sara's own breasts and lightly running her hands over them. She enjoyed playing with those orbs for a few minutes, but knew Sara well enough to tell that this was not enough for her. And she wanted to see Sara cum. She inserted two fingers into Sara's hot channel, and it was Sara's turn to gasp.

It didn't take her long. Nyssa withdrew her fingers and licked up Sara's cream. She smirked. "That didn't take long."

Sara gave a sheepish smile. "I've been busy. I guess both our sex lives have suffered as of late. Let's fix that." She gently spread Nyssa's legs and positioned her mouth right at the damp, hot entrance to Nyssa's sex.

Nyssa herself was torn between the desire to get off herself and a desire to feast on Sara's cum straight from the source. The assassin made a mental note to herself that they needed to pull a 69 position before the night was over. It was only fair.

Then she was distracted by the first lick of Sara's tongue across her moist slit. At first, for a couple minutes, she just did that, until Nyssa whimpered for more. Then Sara spread her pussy wide open and dived in with gusto, using all the techniques Nyssa had taught her. Her motions turned to thrusting her tongue as deep into Nyssa's pussy as she could. As she heard Nyssa's moans grow louder, and her nails ran along Sara's back, Sara began to pay more attention to Nyssa's clit, causing Nyssa to try and push her farther into her sex. When Sara began to suck long and hard at Nyssa's love button, eventually even bringing in just a hint of teeth, Nyssa exploded in her mouth, and Sara eagerly licked up every bit of Nyssa's cum. Nyssa brought Sara's face to hers, admiring how her lover's face now glistened with her own juices. She passionately kissed Sara's lips, not minding the taste of her own cum at all.

"Breather?" Nyssa asked as she pulled away.

"Did I tire you out already?" Sara teased.

"Please," Nyssa retorted. "I'm just a bit sensitive at the moment. Besides," she said, running her hand through Sara's blonde tresses, "as I recall, you're a big fan of pillow talk."

Sara snuggled against her lover. "There was a time that you were the only one I could talk to."

"Does it make me a bad person that I wish we had that relationship again?" Nyssa asked.

Sara glanced at her lover. She seemed to be genuinely asking. "I think that we were both alone at that time, and needed someone to turn to," she told her, aware that she was not answering the question. "Speaking of our relationship, though...I hear you keep calling Oliver "Beloved husband or something like that."

Nyssa gave a savage grin. "Fear not, Beloved Canary." She kissed Sara on the forehead. "I just like to make Felicity squirm."

They both gave a laugh at that.

That was when the gunfire and explosions started. The two ninja lovers turned to one another. "Merlyn," they said simultaneously. They quickly began dressing, handing each other clothes. Within a few seconds, the door burst open, and one of Nyssa's female assassins burst in.

"Ra's Al Ghul," she said, kneeling and averting her eyes as she clutched a fist to her breast. "Assassins have infiltrated the island! We must get you to safety!"

Nyssa simply continued finishing dressing at the interruption, not seeming the least bit uncomfortable with one of her underlings noting her dressing. Sara, however, was slightly more modest, and turned away to finish suiting up.

Nyssa slung her quiver over one shoulder and attached her scimitar to her belt. "Then we should move with due haste. Ready, Sara?" The blonde former assassin nodded, her metal batons clutched in each hand.

To Sara's surprise, Nyssa moved toward the bed and pushed a loose brick in the stone wall. "Wow, how original," Sara muttered as the wall slid to the side.

"With your permission, Ra's Al Ghul, I will take the lead," the assassin said, and Nyssa nodded, following behind the other woman, with Sara taking up the rear. They began to wind down a narrow stairwell with torch sconces spaced at intervals on the stone walls. Sara was pleased to note the wall slid back into position not long after they ventured into the passageway. The assassin took a torch and led the way. She stopped, however, as the corridor became even narrower, the walls bending inward so that each woman would have to turn sideways to pass through.

"Why are you stopping?" Nyssa hissed to the woman in front. "Do you hear something?"

"Death to the imposter!" the assassin shouted. She pulled a knife from her belt. "Long live the true Ra's Al Ghul!"

Only Nyssa's quick reflexes saved her from death. Unable to draw her scimitar in the tight confines of the tunnel, Nyssa blocked the assassin's strike with her bare hand, pushing the assassin's wrist to the side so that the dagger scratched into the stone wall. Sara could only grit her teeth in frustration. Nyssa was between her and the assassin, and there was no way to maneuver into position with the tunnel so narrow. Nyssa was on her own.

In such confines, the fight between Nyssa and the traitorous assassin was an ugly, inelegant thing, resolved more with brute strength than skill. It ended when Nyssa managed to drive the assassin's own dagger into her throat. The assassin staggered back, clutching at her ruined throat in an attempt to stem the bleeding.

"Like I said earlier, you need better security," Sara said.

Nyssa shook her head sadly as the assassin slumped to the floor and went still, her lifeblood pouring out over the stones. "I thought I could trust Lydia. She'd always been a supporter of me. But...sexism runs deep in the League. I may be the Heir to the Demon, but many of the League's older, more powerful members believe it more important that the Ra's Al Ghul has a cock," she spat.

"Think, Nyssa. What's next?" Sara asked, encouraging her ex-lover to keep a level head.

Nyssa sighed. "We continue on. This passage leads to the castle exterior. We're re-positioning ourselves, not retreating, Sara. It's bad form for a leader to retreat when her stronghold is invaded. Not unless absolutely necessary. She grinned. "And it will probably be less work fighting off these invaders than rowing to the next inhabitable island." The brunette began to lead the way forward confidently.

"So, just to be clear...we split off from a small army of your followers so that we can attack the enemy by ourselves?"

"From the rear, yes. The intruders will think they have already cleared the exterior. Their attention will be on deeper within the castle as they approach my quarters. We take out any sentries they may have left behind to hold the area, then make our way back to my quarters to the thick of the fighting."

They continued onward, spiraling downward for some time until the passageway ended in rough stone. However, a wooden ladder nearby led to a trapdoor near the surface. Sara moved ahead, glad for the opportunity to finally be out of the dim, narrow confines of the tunnel.

The trapdoor, it turned out, opened less than a foot away from the castle's outer walls. Sara clamored out, followed quickly by Nyssa. Sure enough, there was no sign of movement. The enemy had already swept through here- but not without paying a heavy price. Bodies of both the intruders and the defending black-clad assassins were spread out across the exterior of the castle, and she anticipated more would be found as they made their way back to the courtyard.

Sara moved over to one of the fallen intruders. He had a black outfit with Kevlar body armor, and his face was covered by a ski mask. She searched the body, inspecting his equipment and looking for any personal items. "High quality gear, nothing that gives a clue to his identity," Sara concluded after a minute. "Professional mercenaries?"

Nyssa nodded her agreement. "Why use his own men when he can pay for disposable soldiers? Merlyn has the income. I suspect the whole assault was a diversion, with the main goal being to allow Lydia to isolate me, or perhaps kill me in the chaos of battle."

Sara nodded, taking the submachine gun off the dead merc and handing his handgun to Nyssa. Nyssa also took two flashbang grenades from the corpse, and the two women crept back into the castle's courtyard.

The League of Assassins had taken the brunt of the casualties here. Sure, the League's personnel were highly trained, but they relied primarily on scimitars and compound bows. Offensively, when attacking from stealth, such tactics could work even in the twenty-first century. Defense was a whole different ball game.

Two of the intruders stood guard over the open portcullis leading into the keep. Sara took them out with two quick shots to the head, the silencer attached to the submachine gun ensuring that the other mercenaries would not be aware of their companions' deaths.

Sara was pleasantly surprised by how well the League assassins were holding their own when they got back inside the keep. Much of the fighting was still contained on the lower levels of the keep, but she caught sight of a few mercenaries on a stairway near Nyssa's bedroom, being held off by Nyssa's elite guard. Nyssa's bodyguards were either completely unaware that Nyssa was no longer in her quarters, or they were completely committed to keeping up the ruse that she was- a small pile of corpses was piling up near the top of the stairwell.

Nyssa gave a feral grin as she caught sight of three League assassins fighting in close quarters against a group of five mercenaries. She ran up to one and cut deep into the back of his neck with her scimitar, then spun to sever the throat of another mercenary before the intruders could even process that a new threat had landed among them. Sara kicked a combat knife out of the hands of another mercenary, and a nearby League assassin took advantage of the opening, stabbing a dagger several times into an opening in his body armor.

Catching sight of their leader, the League assassins rallied once more, and the mercenaries near Nyssa's bedchambers were pushed back. Nyssa and Sara bounded up the stairway, flanking the remaining three mercenaries, who were having trouble defending themselves in such tight quarters while flanked. Sara's batons hit the mercenaries' unprotected thighs, knees, and faces, leaving them staggered and disoriented. Two of Nyssa's bodyguards took advantage, finishing the mercenaries off.

The last one had the sense to run, leaping over the stairway and landing on a dining table. Nyssa calmly drew her bow and shot him in the leg. As he collapsed, one of Nyssa's bodyguards grabbed him, asking who he worked for in Arabic and English. The mercenary only grinned, and white foam poured out of his mouth. He began to choke, and the assassin dropped the mercenary in disgust.

"Cyanide tablet," he reported in disgust.

Nyssa nodded. "Confirmation of who hired him would be desirable...but it is not necessary. Few people even know of the existence of this island. This was definitely Merlyn's work. We must retaliate in kind."

"I'll inform Ollie," Sara said.

"I can handle this on my own," Nyssa bristled.

"I hate to sound like a bitch, Nyssa...but no, you can't." Assassins tensed at this, but Nyssa held up a gloved hand to stay their blades.

"They almost got to you in your stronghold. And what if Merlyn is operating out of Star City again? You can't bring your forces in there. You agreed to it. Ollie needs to know that Merlyn is on the move. He's no fan of Merlyn's, either."

Nyssa looked down. "My father wouldn't have needed assistance," she mumbled. "This could make me look weak, causing more defections to Merlyn's side from my own people."

Sara put her hand on Nyssa's shoulder. "You're not your father. You've never been, Nyssa. That's not a fault," she told her quietly. "You have the opportunity to be better than him. And your people need to accept that you may not make decisions like him."

She cupped Nyssa's cheek. "Your father taught us the value of self-reliance. But there's also value in friendship. In having people to turn to. You know this, Nyssa. When I washed ashore years ago, you protected me and loved me because you were alone, Nyssa. Neither of us have to be alone."