Chapter Text
"Father?"
"Ah…Detective…"
"Captain," Lance snaps at the man sitting in front of him.
"Captain," Ra's acknowledges with a nod and continues, "It looks like my daughter is here. Do you mind if I go speak with her? She's probably worried."
Lance nods his assent as Ra's stands to greet Felicity in the hallway, confused by her sudden appearance. He walks through the spacious hallway he and the other guests at the Four Seasons had been gathered in for questioning, eyeing his men and his daughter Nyssa, surrounded by policemen taking notes from the corner of his eye, he continues to walk the straight line to his daughter. He's surprised when she steps around him, ignoring his spread arms and with barely a nod in acknowledgement she makes her way back to where he came from.
"What's going on, Captain Lance?" He hears her ask the Captain he had spoken with, as he slides in behind her to observe the exchange.
"Actually I was wondering if…?" Quentin Lance's eyes drift over to the man now standing behind the woman he's come to consider a daughter in the years he's known her, surprised by the sudden appearance of his witness.
"Wait, Felicity is your daughter?" He directs to Ra's, remembering the reason for the departure of the man.
"Yes Captain she is. If I may, how do the two of you know each other?"
Felicity looks at her father strangely. She knows it's not possible that he doesn't know that Captain Lance is Sara Lance's father, her eyes search his face trying to understand the play, when it dawns on her that her father is here playing a part, a part in which he isn't the leader to of an organization of highly dangerous assassins but just a simple father, in town to meet his daughter.
"Felicity here is a friend of my daughters…"
"Sara Lance," Ra's acknowledges with a nod, his mask firmly in place.
"Yes. How do you…"
"I just met her last night while meeting with Felicity in fact. Well dare I say it's good to meet the father of my daughter's very good friend," Ra's says enthusiastically extending his hand towards the Captain, displaying a smile she knows he perfected long before he even met her mother, a smile that makes the face of the aged man before her transform into something normal from the soulless assassin he's known to be.
"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Smoak," Lance returns, shaking the man's hand in greeting. "I presume your father called you here as well then Felicity."
"No, actually I am here because I got a call from you."
"Ah yes I had, but it can wait. Be with your father for right now, while I go check what my people are up to."
Ra's immediately steps in front of the advancing man, stopping him midstep, a questioning look plastered believingly on his face, he asks, "Why did you call my daughter, Captain Lance? She isn't an officer of the law nor is she a forensic scientist?"
A sheepish look crosses over Lance's face as he debates the best way to deflect the question that the father standing before him had presented to him. Uncomfortably he clears his throat grasping for excuses that his mind is too slow to produce. Seeing the Captains dilemma and taking pity on the man, Felicity comes to his rescue, "How are you, Father? I hear there was a murder…" Felicity ends the sentence eyeing her father meaningfully.
Taking this as his cue Quentin Lance makes his escape not thinking twice about the looks exchanged between the father daughter duo. Her eyebrows raised, arms folded she waits for her father to answer her unspoken question. "Why do you assume, my dear Talia that this is my doing? It could have been anyone…" Ra's spoke not discarding the mask he had donned in front of the Captain.
"Because it's…you," she says waving her hand towards her father.
"Oh but my sweet there are other assassins in this building as well."
"Sure father any one of them could have done this too," at her father's answering smirk she continues, "if they had the desire to die an early and unsavory death for exposing you and League unnecessarily, yeah they would have."
"You wound me my darling." Felicity looked at her father tiredly, unimpressed by the front he refused to put down in front of her, his idea of a joke. Her father had never been a joking man, always too intense and serious to crack jokes just to make his daughters laugh, to run around the compound of their home playing hide and seek or have tea parties with pink frill table covers and dolls. She remembered how he had struggled to connect with her for the first month of her sudden reappearance in his life. Always feeling out of his depths around a light, happy-go-lucky girl who was never interested in the art of fighting and weaponry, her kidnapping had opened doors that had allowed him to bond with his youngest.
"Father please stop this and let's go. We need to talk."
"I have heard that last phrase never ends well for the opposite party. So no, let's stay here a while more, I want to witness the workings of the Starling City's Finest. It's really interesting." Rolling her eyes at her father's obvious deflection and sarcasm she pulls on his hand.
"Oh darling let's stay for another minute, the fun hasn't even started yet."
That stopped Felicity in her attempts to drag her father away to have a talk. As the implications of his last statement started to register Felicity's eyes widened, "What have you done?" Felicity asked narrowing her eyes at the man.
"Me? Nothing…my loyal servants on the other hand didn't appreciate the gall of the man lying outside."
"Father…"
"As I said my sweet, my people didn't approve of the insolence of the man.شيئابهالقيامالىاضطررت (I had nothing to do with it)." Ra's assured his daughter. "Although I must say, I am curious to see how their little prank is going to work," Ra's finishes with a smirk, all semblance of normality gone from his face replaced by his true visage. As the last word leaves the mouth of the assassin radio crackles sound around the hallway as a scared and confused voice comes over the device of the surrounding law enforcement officers, "Captain you have to come see this," the voice says timidly.
Sparing a confused yet heated look to her father she follows the rapid gait of Captain Lance and his officers out the back of the hallway into the lobby, using the back door they venture out to where a congregation of forensic personnel stand stunned surrounding an area that Felicity surmises is their crime scene. As she nears the site she observes a few officers emptying their stomachs contents on the side of the street. The rapidly decomposing body of the victim stops her in her track as soon as it comes into view surprising her and the other new arrivals.
"Everyone clear out now, and get CDC down here. Go! Go! Go!" Lance barks at his men and women, breaking out of his trance.
The rushing of the bodies past her wakes Felicity from her stupor, gagging at the stench of the once whole man, Felicity rushes away from the scene in an attempt to gather herself once again. Once in control of her rolling stomach, Felicity returns by the Captains side. "Who was he, Captain?" she asks the man in a small voice.
"Henri Ducard. His prints showed up on every database known to man; FBI, CIA, DGSE of France, Interpol and my personal favorite…ARGUS."
The name had brought pause to all of Felicity's senses. She remembered, as she stood still, the French man from the office, the gray of his hair, the silky tint of his voice, his cold grey eyes and the chill of his charming smile, it seemed surreal now that the broad imposing man she met was nothing but a puddle of goo on a pavement on one of Starling's busiest streets.
"Ms. Smoak, I think now would be a good time to call him."
"Oh you don't have to worry about that. I already have," a voice bellowed from behind them. Turning around to eye the now present Ra's Al Ghul whose statement caused both of them to voice their questions simultaneously.
"Who do you think we were about to call?"
"The Arrow of course, Captain Lance…who else? After all he is a very good friend of my daughters and I am sure he will be happy to help you. And my dear Talia," at the name Lance turned his confused frown towards Felicity, "كلماكانعليالقيامبههوالتتابعإلىالكناريأننيتأخذكبعيدا،أنكنتلمقابلتيبلديجناحالفندقوسأكونعلىاستعدادلاتخاذابنةلقدغابكثيرامعيفي(all I had to do was relay to the Canary that I was taking you away, that you were to meet me at my hotel suite and I would be ready to take the daughter I have missed so much back with me.)"
"...والد(Father…)"
Before she could continue, two zip lines had zoomed over their heads securing themselves in the concrete of the opposite building, as a red and green figure slid down to stand in front of her, arrows notched immediately in the direction of her father and the assassins surrounding him. The Canary made her way beside her teammates somersaulting her way down from the nearest rooftops her Bo Staff out, ready for a fight. Rubbing her temples in irritation, Felicity pushed her way forward from between her overprotective teammates. Once she had finally managed to break out, she stood before them, her arms folded legs apart in defiance.
"Father what did you do?"
"كانكلماعنديمنالرجالفعلتبلديالحلوةتاليامنحهمايستحق(My sweet Talia, all my men did was give him what he deserved.)"
"وماالذييستحقهالأب؟ (And what is it that he deserved father?)" Felicity asked, ignoring the surprised tilt of Quentin Lance's head at her fluent use of Arabic.
"،سألعنه،وقدمرجاليلهEbola (Ebola, he asked for it and my men gave it to him.)"
"كنتقتلتهلأنهطلبشيئامنأنت؟(You killed him because he asked something of you?)"
"أوهلالاحبيبي،أناقتلتهلأنهكانغاللابتزازلي(Oh no no darling, I killed him because he had the gall to blackmail me.)"
"ماذاكانالأبابتزازلك؟الأفضلمنذلكماقالانهابتزازلك؟(Why would he blackmail you father? Better yet what would he blackmail you with?)"
"لايهمالآنيفعلبلديالحلو؟(It doesn't matter now does it my sweet?)"
" وهويفعل،فيالواقع(It does, actually.)"
Sighing in exasperation Ra's looked behind her towards her friends, before he continued in English, "The man tried to blackmail me to get the virus that is at the moment eating away at him. He threatened the life of my children and so I did what was right, I killed the man who had the gall to stand up to me, look me in the eyes and threaten my family."
"So you are confessing to this man's murder," Lance interjected. "Wow you just made my job real easy buster," he finished sardonically.
"Dad shut up," Sara hissed from the corner of her mouth.
"Oh no dear Canary let your father speak. He is after all one of the only honorable men left in this city's law enforcement. It would be disrespectful to him and the work he's done for your city if he doesn't speak up. I wouldn't want him to hold back on account of me just like I taught my daughters never to."
"What's going on here?" Lance exploded now confused with the exchange between the people surrounding him.
"Dad…not now," Sara hissed once again.
"He knows who you are?"
"He knows who all of them are Captain Lance," Nyssa answered entering the scene through the shadows. Taking her place beside her sister she continued, "This is why he's here."
"What?" Lance asked still confused.
"Later Captain Lance…"
"No let's share with the class my dear. It's rude to leave people out, I have taught you better than that," Ra's interrupted his youngest, mock admonishing her.
" الأب،لا(Father, no!)"
"Oh my dear, you are being…what do you kids say, ahhh a buzz kill…"
"Father would you please stop with the theatrics it unnerves me more than your true self."
Laughing Ra's acquiesced, "كمايحلولكابنتي(As you wish my dear daughter.)" He walked towards the group this time making his way to Quentin Lance, "Pardon me Captain, we weren't introduced properly the first time," Ra's said extending his hand, his soulless smile adorning the dark face of the assassin Felicity had learnt to relate with early on in her life, "I am Ra's Al Ghul, The leader of the League of Assassins and the father of Talia Al Ghul who you happen to know as a Ms. Felicity Smoak."
Quentin Lance stood shocked for a moment before his features twisted in an expression of anger so fierce it distorted the handsome features of his face to an uncomfortable degree. He exclaimed as soon as he found his voice, "You are Ra's Al Ghul, you…"
"Dad don't, please. It won't do any of us any good if you lose your temper now."
"Listen to your daughter Captain Lance, she is a smart woman," Ra's taunted the fuming man, "So back to the real reason we are gathered here. Arrow, I believe you have something to say to me?"
"Go to hell…"
"I am the ruler of hell, my dear man," Ra's laughed, "I don't need to go there." His face turned serious the dark glint back in his eyes, as he spoke in a calm but graveled voice, "We are here because Canary asked me in respect of her servitude to me to give you a chance. A chance to do what may I ask?"
"Captain Lance you may want to leave now," Oliver directed with gritted teeth to Quentin Lance without glancing towards the man, his eyes remaining fixed on the figure of the imposing man in front of him.
"I would rather stay here, actually."
"NOW, Captain. Believe me you don't want to be here for this."
As Quentin Lance reluctantly walked away, the group relaxed a little to let Oliver and Ra's talk. The assassin in question spoke up, "What do you want Arrow…or should I call you Oliver?"
"I want you to leave this city and leave my team and family behind. Last time Felicity spoke with you and you did not listen, this time you will deal with me," Oliver continued, not once showing the effect that the assassin knowing his real identity had on him.
"Oh but that's not happening. I don't know what you have heard of me boy, but I never let anyone take away what is rightfully mine."
"No one's taking anything away from you. Felicity wants to stay, she stays."
"And you are going to stop me?" Ra's sneered. "Look behind you Oliver Queen, that man had the audacity to be as insolent as you, and here he is now nothing more than a puddle."
"All I want Ra's, is for you to leave. This is my city, my people and my family you are targeting. And just as you said no one threatens my family."
"So it seems we are at a bit of an impasse. How about we solve it our way then, what say you Arrow?"
At Ra's' words Felicity's head snapped in the direction of her father, "What…no!" she exclaimed indignantly. Stepping forward towards the man she exclaimed, "This is getting ridiculous. Father you are acting like a five year old child who did not get the toy he wanted."
“Did she just call her father, the Ra’s Al Ghul, a child?!” Sara whispered incredulously to Roy. Felicity whipped her head around to Sara, sending her a glare that earned her a palms up gesture in surrender in return and a snort from Roy, while Nyssa still stood quietly on the sidelines watching the scene unfold in front of her.
"But…"
"No, buts father, there will be no fighting whatsoever."
"She was always this fiery, did you know," Ra's directed to Oliver with a proud smile, his face losing the dark glint for a moment. "Her fire is what makes her such a beautiful and fierce warrior," cupping his daughters left cheek he dropped a chaste kiss on her temple before sighing, " أحبكياتالياالقليل(I love you, my little Talia) but I cannot and will not acknowledge your request…"
"It wasn't a request…" Felicity bit out through gritted teeth and tight lips.
"Your beloved Arrow asked for a fight and that's what he shall get," Ra's interrupted.
"Father…" at her father's answering glare Felicity finally backed away from the man but did not give up, making her way this time to Oliver she tried to placate him, "Oliver, please stop this madness. This, what you are doing is suicide."
"I would listen to her if I were you, Ollie," Sara sided quietly with Felicity.
Nodding her head in gratitude to her friend Felicity returned her attention to the man covered in green leather, looking the love of her life in the eye, she continued softly, "I can't lose you, no matter what. And this, this will break me…please don't do this Oliver."
"There is no other way Felicity."
"There is always another way."
"Not this time," he replied back just as defiantly.
Sighing she tried once again, "Oliver…"
"No, I have to do this, for you, for our team and for this city."
"What do you think will happen to this city if you die Oliver? Or to your team and family or to me?"
"I won't die…"
"You are going up against Ra's Al Ghul, Oliver…don't take it so lightly. I believe in you, I trust you but I fear my father. I have seen him kill and I can't let you be one of his casualties, I won't."
"Do you remember all that you said to me to keep me going through when Slade took everything away from me?"
"Some of it, yes," Felicity acknowledged quietly.
"Felicity," He said, his voice lowering to a soft whisper as he looked her in the eyes, "if there's anything I know it's that your faith and belief in me are absolute. I will never understand why…why you believe in me as much as you do, but I have learnt to accept it, to embrace it," he shifted from one foot to the other sighing, momentarily averting his eyes from hers before returning them back home, "I learnt not to doubt you, to believe in you, and that's all your doing. I never thought I could trust someone as much as I trust you and Diggle, and now Roy and Sara too. That was you, Felicity. You never feared…all you did was believe that I will get us through another disaster whatever it maybe. Do you think you can do that once again for me?"
Felicity nodded silently unable to break her gaze away from the intensity of his, her eyes now wet from unshed tears. Clearing his throat to gain back the attention of his daughter, Ra's spoke, "It's time you moved, darling."
She looked over her shoulder to her father before averting her gaze back to the hood covered face of the man she loves. His domino mask blackened his eyes but the light shining through them sent warmth running through her body. Standing on her tip toes she stared him in the eyes and very deliberately drew closer, she placed a chaste kiss on his lips her left hand snaking around to his nape. Her eyelids now closed, foreheads resting against each others, their breaths mingled as she whispered, "I believe in you."
Stepping away she saw the blinding smile now spread across her hero's face. Returning the smile in equal she once again turned to her father, approaching him with determined steps she pulled the stoic man in an embrace, relaxing a moment in the safety his arms still provided her, Felicity whispered, "I love him father and I love you too." Stepping away she let a tear fall as she contemplated what her life would be with either man gone. Taking a deep breath she put forth her final request to the men she loved, "There will be no killing. Whatever the outcome I won't lose either of you. This is all I ask of you now, please." At their nods of acknowledgement she moved away, ready to let the two sides of her family fight against each other.
The two Alphas circled each other, sizing one another, waiting for the other to strike first. Moving away to the sidelines Felicity held her sisters hands seeking warmth, asking her silently to ground her to this moment. Roy and Sara still stood protectively beside her, ready to interject if needed. Her father's followers dispersed into a circle around the warring alphas, turning the blocked street of Starling into an arena.
Her heart leapt to her throat as the two men charged at each other, tired with the waiting game, their matching snarls raising goose bumps on her skin. She watched mesmerized as they flew into a complicated dance of hand to hand, tripping the other in an effort to one up their opponent. She watched as her father sliced his sword though the chest of the man who owned her heart, his painful howl sending shivers down her spine, ripping her heart right out her chest.
Oliver didn't hold back, ignoring the pain burning through his chest he whirled around facing his back to the assassin as he stuck the tail of his bow in the man's stomach, raising his left fist as he faced him again he delivered a two punch uppercut before he was blocked successfully and slammed onto his back. He stuck his legs out in the air pushing them on the ground, using the generated momentum to stand back on his feet and charging with arrows flying towards his opponent.
Deflecting the arrows, and ducking out of their way Ra's charged back, his sword ready to slice through the man's skin once again, but this time Oliver was ready. He ducked out of the way, slamming his elbow into Ra's' lower back he threw the man off balance. Ra's (being a very skilled fighter) didn't remain unsteady for long, gained his footing back in two steps and re-engaged his opponent in hand to hand.
Choking his windpipe, now in control of their grueling match, he waited for the young man to yield, to give up, to do anything that showed how truly weak he was. But the man didn't flinch, two pumps of his body while holding onto his arms the man had used the force produced to weaken his hold on him. Turning in his arms Oliver bashed his fore head against his disorienting them both.
But keeping his footing in check Oliver pivoted on his right foot to deliver a roundhouse kick to the man's temple confounding him further. Ra's, confounded and stumbling, charged at his opponent with the confidence and gait of a seasoned fighter, rotating in a one eighty degree angle he slammed his right elbow into the Arrows face, gaining the same advantage as the other man; the advantage of a disoriented opponent.
The fight unfolding in front of her eyes scared Felicity. Looking beside her she observed the calm demeanor of her sister, returning her eyes to the fighting forms in front of her she noted the expressions of rage on the men fighting for her. Her brain now worked a mile a minute trying to grasp at a concrete reason for all the pandemonium around her. The chaos dulled to a blur in her mind's eye as memories slammed into her, from the first defense lesson with her father, to the first mission with Oliver, her father's encouraging words after a particularly bad day of training to Oliver's whispered reassurances and words of love...shaking herself out everything came crashing around her as she focused back in on the fight to watch the two most important men in her life fight for a place in hers.
"ENOUGH!" Before she could register it the word had bellowed out of her mouth, anguish at seeing her loved ones in such pain because of her seeping into her voice, bringing a standstill to the chaos that had reigned not a moment ago. She breathed hard as she walked towards the now silently warring duo.
"Felicity…" Oliver's voice sounding breathy floated to her. She raised her palm to stop his next words as she stepped in between the two. Gathering her wits she finally spoke, her voice a soft timber, the strength of the woman giving way to the love she felt for the two men, "I know I said I won't interfere, but this is madness, and I can't stand on the sidelines and watch the most important men in my life attempt to kill each other." She once again stopped Oliver with a look when she saw him open his mouth, getting ready to talk, "I…I can't watch this. It's hurting me more than you two realize to see you both hurt so much."
"Father…" she said turning her body towards the man who brought her into this world, "I love you and Nyssa with all of my heart, you are my blood…"
"And so you should come with us…" The man pleaded quietly with his daughter, dropping the assassin in favor for the father for his youngest.
"But Oliver is my heart," she continued smiling sadly at her father, willing him to understand why she couldn't let him hurt the man anymore.
"قلبلايفعلشيئاولكنتجعلكضعيفا،ياعزيزتيتاليا(The heart does nothing but make you weak, my dear Talia.)"
"لاأبمايفعلههوحقاتعطيكالقوة (No father what it really does is give you strength,)" Felicity defied.
"Talia…"
"Father, I love you; you and Nyssa are a part of me and always will be. I can't see you hurting just as much as I can't see Oliver hurting. You are my family."
Turning around, not waiting for her father to respond she faced the now smiling face of Oliver, smiling shyly in return she continues, "I do love you Oliver and you and this team have become my family away from family. But I do have a duty that until now I had ignored." Seeing Oliver's confused frown, she proceeds to explain, "In all my talk of home and heart and blood, I forgot the most important factor in it all, my duty. My duty as a daughter and sister, it's something I ignored all these years…I ran away from it. But I won't anymore, I can't."
"Felicity…no," Oliver interjected urgently, attempting to change the decision he knew she had taken.
"Oliver, I have to do this. They are my family, and it's time I stop running away from them. My duty is to them not the league, but I still have to pay my dues. I have to go back to be with them, even if for awhile."
Oliver hearing her words felt his body slump in defeat. Soft hands on his cheek, urging him to look back up urged him to face the woman who was breaking his heart once again, "Hey," she whispered softly, a smile in her voice, "I will come back, I promise. My true home is here with you," Felicity said looking into the blue depths that had stolen her heart, never to be returned again, "I will come back…think about it as if I have gone away to visit family, which isn't far from the truth." She smiled tentatively at Oliver before continuing, "I will be back before you know it, right beside you, fighting."
After a contemplative pause, Oliver nodded, understanding her want to be with her family, offering her a smile to show his compliance. Turning back to her shocked father she said, "I'm ready father, to come with you but I won't stay." She proceeded to the man taking his hands in hers as she continued softly, "My home is here. Do you understand?"
Ra's nodded, proud of his daughter once again. "I understand my darling. All I want is my daughter back."
Smiling in response to her father's statement she said, "And you have her." Slipping her hand out of her father's she moved to Roy. Gathering the younger man in her arms she whispered to him, "Will you do me a favor? Look after him for me." At his answering nod she smiled before adding, "Get Digg to help you, he's not an easy man to take care of on your own." Laughing at her words Roy released her.
Beaming at the gathered group she directed at her sister and Sara, "I think I can pull off being both Talia and Felicity flawlessly, what do you think?"
Chuckling Sara replied, "I think you can do anything you set your mind to, Smoak."
Smiling at Sara's praise Felicity turned back to Oliver; she looked him over with a smile. Walking over Oliver pulled her in his arms, crushing her to his chest and burying his face in her hair, he breathed her in. After a silent moment where she held onto him as strongly as him, he whispered, "So about that date…?"
And Felicity chuckled in response while internally reassuring herself that things really could work out and everything and everyone she cared about would be alright.
"HARDER!" Grunts followed the exclamation, sounds of flesh hitting flesh, taped hands rough against the skin, high top boxing shoes throwing out an even rhythm on the concrete below.
"Concentrate, Girl…move your feet!" the man opposite her instructed.
"Straighten your spine…"
"Don't stand so stiff…let your whole body move"
Each of the above exclamations was met by action. Forehead creasing in concentration the girl's petite frame moved as instructed, throwing punches at her opponent, learning and improving in the process. Using the balls of her feet she moved around her opponent, her right fist positioned by the chin protecting her head while the left threw punches at the man.
She changed her stance immediately after seeing an opening when her opponent moved closer, grounding her left foot in the front as she brought her right foot back. Bending her right knee at the back, she lowered her right shoulder, dropping the right side of her body in a semi-crouch, and brought her left fist up by the chin to protect her head. Rotating her hips forward, pushing on the ball of her back foot, she brought her right fist up, her right arm staying close to her body as she brought it up in a semi-circle to deliver a perfect Uppercut, hitting her opponent she spun on her left heel to deliver a kick but the man caught onto her raised ankle having recovered quickly from the surprise of his opponents jab, he used her momentum against her as he pulled onto the caught ankle making her loose her balance.
The girl landed on the mats panting, wisps of hair sticking to her forehead in a sweaty mess, her strength waned from hours of training, her breaths coming hard bringing tears of exertion to her eyes, her limbs felt heavy now as she lay still on the mat staring up at the ceiling. She startled up when she heard the man bellow, "You are not done yet…GET UP!"
"I’m tired…"
"That is a sign of weakness…you never tire, if you want to be a fighter you never tire. That's the first rule."
"I thought the first rule was 'Don't get killed'," she exclaimed in a breathy voice.
"If you don't get tired, you don't get killed. Now GET UP!"
"No…I'm done."
"You are done when I say you're done…"
"But…"
"NO buts. You told me you were done being weak, that you needed to learn to fight, fight for yourself and to avenge all those who were taken away from you, well to do that you need to fight…so GET UP!"
"Alright, alright…I'm up." the girl panted out.
"Good girl…lets go for target practice shall we…" the man ordered calmly as he walked out the side door to the room they were in. Sighing in acquiescence she followed the tall figure out to the compound where various targets had been placed, both stationary and moving. She still hadn't hit the bull's-eye but she believed it wouldn't be long before she would be able to practice with the moving targets.
At her companions command, the brunette picked up her classic recurve bow. Notching an arrow, she whispered the words he taught her under her breath, "Breathe. Aim. Fire," before she let the arrow loose and watched as it flew towards the target embedding itself in the bull's-eye for the first time. A cry of victory left her lips as the man stationed behind, observing her praised her, "Very good Thea…now let's see if you can do it again."