Broken Birds

Chapter Twenty Three - The True Ruler

Nyssa's POV:

As soon as my father stood from his throne, I signalled for Oliver to attack. He ran towards Ra's Al Ghul and tackled him to the ground. They both fought ruthlessly, swinging well aimed punches towards each other. My father flipped off the floor and stood upright with his fists raised.

"What is the meaning of this" he yelled. "You cannot force me to marry the one I do not love. You are no longer fit to rule over Nanda Parbat" I replied as his face filled with fury. He quickly reached for his sword, his palm resting at the empty belt at his waist.

My father swiftly turned to Oliver who held the sacred sword to the throat of Ra's Al Ghul. He slowly raised his hands above his head as Oliver pulled the blade back, preparing to stab my father. But he was too fast, he caught the blade between his hands as soon as it arrived an inch away from his pale skin.

He twisted to the side and kicked Oliver in the jaw, snatching the sword from him. I passed him my own blade as they continued to fight. The other assassins watched as it was customary to not involve yourself in a fight of Ra's Al Ghul.

The men continued to fight, until my father swiped his blade across Oliver's abdomen, making him step back in pain, clutching his stomach. My sword dropped from his hand as he looked up at me. "Nyssa, he's too strong", he said as he watched my father menacingly walk towards us with his sword raised.

I swiftly picked mine off the floor and lunged towards him, skilfully attacking him. He defended all my attacks at a rapid pace as we continued to spare. He began to tire as my attacks became faster and targeted towards the gaps in his armour.

My blade eventually pierced the gap under his breastplate, leaving a small wound in his upper torso. He gasped as he stepped back, the anger emanating on his face. He quickly grabbed onto Sara's shoulder who was sneaking closer to our fight.

My father held onto her with a tight grip as he brought the sword to her throat. "Stand down or I shall kill your beloved" he exclaimed. Oliver yelled out, trying to protect Sara but I knew as soon as I saw her, there was nothing I could do.

There was nothing I could do because Sara was strong enough to escape my father. I made eye contact with her, slowly nodding, telling her I knew she could prove herself to all the assassins before her.

She twisted her arm and slowly pulled the bo-staff from her back. Once she held it, she turned it upwards and smacked it into my fathers face. Once he had released her, she continued her swift attacks, pushing him further back as he struggled to maintain her pace.

Eventually, he began to defend with a greater fury. His sword swung in a controlled manner, avoiding all her deadly blows. He then pushed the flat side of his blade to her throat, slowly pushing down. Sara looked up at me then back down at my father and let out a scream.

This scream was unlike any I had ever heard. The windows shattered as the tables shook. My father released her, kneeling to the floor as blood ran from his ears. Sara looked at me in shock before collapsing to the ground from exhaustion.

My father stepped over her fallen body and charged towards me. "Nyssa Al Ghul, you will stop this or I shall kill you", he said as he pointed his sword towards me. We began to spare once more, our blades clanking against each other, leaving the sound of metal ringing throughout the throne room.

We continued to fight as I proceeded to slide my sword into all the gaps of his armour, slowly weakening him as the wounds became unbearable. Suddenly, I struck the hilt of my sword against his head, making him fall to the ground. I looked down at my father, kneeling before me.

"You are no ruler" I said to him as his eyes widened. I held my sword to his throat, "I shall no longer fear you and Nanda Parbat will no longer be ruled by a tyrant." I pressed the sword against his skin, a trickle of blood running down his neck. "Goodbye, Ra's Al Ghul, the head of the demon". I slowly pushed down on the sword, piercing it into his throat.

His dark eyes looked up at mine as a thick trail of blood ran from his mouth. I pulled the sword from his throat as blood gushed, he fell to the floor. I knelt down and pulled the dragon ring from his finger, the ring that the ruler of Nanda Parbat wore.

I walked towards Oliver who was helping Sara stand and presented him with the ring. "By the League of Assassins law, you are Ra's Al Ghul" I said. He smiled as he asked "is there a law saying I can make someone else ruler". I nodded slowly as he passed me the ring again. "Nyssa Al Ghul, the head of the demon" he said as he slid the ring onto my index finger. The assassins surrounding me knelt down, their eyes on the floor. 

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Sara's POV: a few months later

I smiled at Nyssa as we lay in bed. "So do I get called 'your highness', now?" I asked with a smile. "Absolutely, I think that's necessary" she said with a grin as she pulled me closer. "I wish we could stay like this forever" I said as I stretched my limbs. "Me too" she said as she left a gentle kiss on my forehead and stood up to put on her armour and cape.

We walked down to the throne room together as she sat in her seat. She gave me a knowing glance as she gestured to the throne directly next to her. "My queen" she said as I sat in the throne. She interlocked our hands as a group of assassins entered the room, awaiting our orders.