Nyssa al Ghul, assassin, warrior, Heir to the Demon, a woman, but not just any woman, a woman in love. Heaven knows there weren't many people in her life that approved of her relationship with the Canary. She had faced foes more deadly than the Devil himself, but never before had she felt as nervous as she did today. Today was the day she would ask Sara's father, Captain Lance for his daughter's hand in marriage.
The brunette knocked on Quentin's front door and stepped back, waiting for him to open it. In less than five minutes, he opened the door. Instantaneously, his face fell when he saw his daughter's girlfriend's face.
"Sara isn't home," he told her, before making a move to close the door,
"I know," she replied, "I came to talk to you."
The Captain raised his eyebrows, and moved over to let her in, "I guess you should come in then."
The pair sat down in the lounge, facing each other. Nyssa was obviously nervous, though Quentin couldn't put his finger on why. Had something happened to Sara that he didn't know about? Had they broken up? He hoped they had.
"Mister Lance. I am going to ask you a question, and before you outright deny my request, would you please 'hear me out' as Sara would say,"
Quentin nodded, his lips quirking up at the reference to his daughter's way of speaking.
"As you know, probably all too well. I love your daughter with all my heart, and as long as I have the power, I will never let any harm come to her. I-" she was cut off by the man,
"Just get to the point Nyssa, I have a pounding headache, and I just want to go back to bed," he grumbled.
Nyssa took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Quentin noticed her hesitation, which was unsettling to say the least. He had never seen her look this nervous.
"I came here today," she paused, "To ask for your blessing to ask for Sara's hand in marriage." She looked him in the eye, silently willing him to say yes.
"No." His voice was final and her heart dropped to her stomach.
"Captain Lance, please," her voice was small, begging him to change his mind,
"No, not until I am absolutely sure my Baby girl will be happy to spend the rest of her life with you."
Nyssa looked at him blankly, not able to comprehend what he just said.
"I'm sure you can let yourself out," with that he got up and went upstairs.
Nyssa sat by herself for a few minutes, contemplating what she did wrong. She couldn't think of anything she said to offend him, she was polite, she asked nicely. She racked her brain, trying to make sense of why he said no.
Meanwhile, Quentin was lying in his bed smiling to himself, now he would really see what Nyssa al Ghul was made of!
Nyssa eventually decided to get out of the house and headed straight to her and Sara's shared apartment. She knew that Sara wouldn't be home for at least a few hours, so she could have some time to herself.
When she arrived home, Nyssa walked into their small office and sat down at the desk. She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and began jotting down everything she could do to possibly convince Sara's father to agree to her marrying her Beloved.
Plan A: Tell him their story
Plan B: Show him their scrapbook (Yes, they have a scrapbook)
Plan C: Take him out to a nice dinner and explain to him again how much she loves Sara and would do anything for her.
Plan D: Just propose anyway. (She hoped it wouldn't come to that)
Nyssa nodded approvingly at her short list of plans, and shoved the little paper in her pocket. The mission would start tomorrow. The assassin stood up to go the kitchen to make some tea when she walked smack bang into Sara.
"Ooomph! Sara! I was not expecting you home for quite some time!"
Sara chuckled at the look of confusion on her girlfriend's face.
"Not that I'm not happy to see you," Nyssa, who was still pressed up close to Sara, told her,
Sara leaned forward, "Then give me a proper hello," she kissed Nyssa lightly.
"Hello Darling," Nyssa purred against her lips. "How was your day?" she asked her.
"It was okay," Sara told her, dragging her to the kitchen, "Nothing your cooking and a cup of tea can't fix."
Nyssa smiled at her girlfriend, she looked so beautiful in the dim kitchen light, so flawless, so carefree, so Sara. The blonde noticed her staring,
"D'ya like the view?" she wiggled her eyebrows, and took a step towards Nyssa.
"The most beautiful sight on the planet," the brunette assured her, capturing Sara's lips with hers.
"Mmm," Sara reluctantly pulled away, "Later, right now I need food!" she practically bounced toward the kitchen, and Nyssa happily followed.
Nyssa sat on the couch with Sara's head resting on her lap, deep in thought. What was she going to do if Sara's father kept saying no? She didn't want to marry Sara against his will, but she couldn't bear to live in a world where she isn't with Sara for her whole life.
"Hard day?" Sara asked, noticing the frown on Nyssa's face,
The latter chuckled, even though her heart sank at the question, "You could say that, I came across a-not-at-all-unexpected challenge."
"Anything I can help with?" the blonde looked up at her with childlike eyes,
"Not that I can think of Beloved."
The next day, Nyssa was determined to change Captain Lance's view on her relationship with Sara, and hopefully get him to change his mind on her proposal. She had prepared her speech and all, ready to tell him her's and Sara's story. Excluding the blood and gore of course.
She walked determinedly up to the door, scrapbook in hand, and knocked, waiting patiently for a grumpy Captain to answer the door. When he finally arrived, she heard him grumble something under his breath before opening the door.
"Look, we aren't doing this ag-" he began to say before Nyssa stopped him,
"Captain Lance, please hear what I have to say," she asked him,
"Fine. Come in, I guess," he let her walk past him and smirked when she couldn't see him. So far, she was passing this test with flying colours.
Nyssa sat down on the couch, and waited for Quentin to do the same....on a different couch of course. But before she could finish, he disappeared into the kitchen and came back out with two cups of tea. Maybe he didn't dislike her so much after all.
"Chai, with some honey, just the way you like it--or so Sara tells me," he set the cup down gently on the side table next to her,
"Thank you very much," she took a sip of it, "It's absolutely delicious!"
"You're welcome. I think I already know why you came here Nyssa. My answer is-" she cut him off.
"I would like to tell you a story Mr. Lance, a story of how your daughter and I met. Perhaps that will change your mind?" she didn't give him time to protest before starting her story.
"My father had sent me, along with several of his men to look over a disturbance that occurred on the shores of Lian Yiu, the island where Sara was marooned. You see, she had been on a boat, with a scientist that did medical experiments, with a miracle drug, that made people stronger, faster, and my father wanted that serum. The boat had exploded, leaving the scientist's work obsolete."
"I arrived at the wreck three days after the explosion. My men deemed the search for any form of the drug useless. But I insisted that we at least look for survivors who maybe had information on how to recreate it. We found a few men, and were about to leave, when I saw something stirring in the water far off. I told my men to row the boat in that direction, to see what it was."
"Upon our arrival, I saw that there was a girl floating on a piece of wood from the wreck. Barely alive, but even still, I thought she was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on. From that moment on, I knew that Sara was something special, she was something worth fighting for. She had a will to live, like no other." Nyssa paused,
"I lifted her up from the wreck myself, my men said we should leave her for dead, or I should kill her myself. You see, they thought she would be weak, I did not. She looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes of hers, and I promised her I would let no harm come to her, and swore if any man lay a hand on her, they would suffer my father's wrath. Little did they know, my father would be resentful of me bringing her home." Nyssa stopped talking, to take a sip of her tea.
"He despised the fact that I brought a starved and weak American into the League of Assassins, so he pushed her, harder than I have ever seen him push anyone, other than myself. But she did not fold, she came out stronger. She adopted my motto, The strongest metal is forged in the hottest fire, and while she faced many trials, she did not once give up. She came out stronger. Your daughter is something special Captain Lance."
He smiled at Nyssa's kind words.
"I remember the first time one of my father's men tried to take advantage of her I-"
"It happened more than once?" Quentin's voice was laced thick with concern,
Nyssa nodded sadly, but then chuckled, "They never got that far though." She continued with her story.
"As I was saying, I killed him before he had a chance to realize what was going on. I protected Sara with every fibre of my being without a second thought." Nyssa thought about what she was about to say next and smiled.
"I remember the first time she faced the Demon's Head. She had not been at the League long, two days perhaps. She was still weak, yet inside, she was the strongest person I met. My father killed a man, right in front of her, as a demonstration of his power. Do you know what she did?" she waited for a reply,
Quentin shook his head, surprisingly engulfed in the story being told by his daughter's girlfriend.
"She laughed! This young girl, barely clinging on to life, had the audacity to laugh at the Demon. I remember fearing for her life, terrified of what my father would do to her. He did not make any immediate move to hurt her, he actually looked rather impressed. He told me she was strong, and so he trained her brutally. But I remember hearing her laugh, and never wanting her to stop. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. I think that was the moment I realized I had feelings for her. The beautiful Canary that would steal my heart."
"I did not mean to fall in love with Sara, and I tried, I tried so hard not to, trust me. But, how could I not? Sara brought a light to my life that I had never experienced before. I was taught that love was a weakness, and love got you killed. But Sara, she taught me that love was a strength, she became my strength." Nyssa paused to compose herself, "Captain Lance, I love your daughter with all my heart and soul, and I would like to spend the rest of my life with her. But I cannot do that unless I have your approval and your blessing." Nyssa ended her story and waited for a reply.
The man blinked a few times, "N-"
Nyssa was so terrified of his answer being a no, that she stopped him from saying the rest of that sentence. Handing him the folder she had been holding on to tightly, she sat back and let him look through the photographs.
"This is a scrapbook of mine and Sara's happiest moments together," she smiled at the pictures,
"I didn't peg you for a scrapbooking type," he smirked,
"It was Sara's idea," she chuckled, "But I have grown to quite enjoy it."
When Quentin had finished leafing through the book, he handed it back to Nyssa.
"Well, I think that's awfully sweet Nyssa," he told her, "But it isn't finished."
The look of confusion on her face caused him to laugh.
"The scrapbook, it isn't finished. Not yet at least," he stopped for a second, "When you two get married, I want to see a picture of you in there. Do you understand me?" he tried to sound firm, but he couldn't help but smile when Nyssa still didn't understand what he was saying. "You passed the test!" still nothing, "You have my blessing Nyssa!" he clarified.
Her face immediately broke out into a larger-than-life smile, as she practically jumped on top of him to hug him. "I promise Captain Lance, I will never let any harm come to Sara, and I will never, ever, leave her side."
Quentin stiffened momentarily, but hugged her back, "That's good to hear." he patted her back. "Now go find some romantic way to propose!" he shooed her out of the house.
Before she left, he pulled her into another hug, "I couldn't be happier. And Nyssa?" she looked up at him, "We're family now, you can call me Quentin, or Dad, you know, whatever you're comfortable with," he smiled warmly at her as he enveloped her in another bone-crushing hug.
"Thank you," she breathed out.
Nyssa hurried home, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. On her way, she picked up a box of rose petals, and the best champagne she could find. When the assassin returned home, she cooked a simple meal, and a chocolate souffle for dessert, and set the table. Lastly, she sprinkled the rose petals everywhere.
She didn't get dressed into anything fancy, just a pair of jeans and her favourite red and black t-shirt that Sara had brought for her. Everything was simple, but it was special, and that's all Nyssa wanted.
She sat on their bed, holding the small, velvet box in her hand. She was nervous, but she was more excited. Excited that she could have the opportunity to spend the rest of her life with the woman she loved. She chuckled to herself when she thought of how they met, under such awful circumstances. Yet now, they were strong, and their love would never fade.
Nyssa was snapped out of her reverie when she heard the door open. She quickly shoved the box in her pocket and went to meet Sara, who was standing in the doorway, looking very confused.
"What's all this?" she asked,
"Do I need a reason to spoil my girlfriend?" Nyssa chuckled.
"Definitely not!" Sara said, pulling Nyssa in for a kiss.
When they parted, Nyssa told her, "Come on, the food it going to get cold!" she grabbed her girlfriend by the hand and led her to their small dining room.
Sara tucked into the meal immediately, "Mmmm, Babe this is delicious!" she said, her mouth half full of food,
"I'm glad you think so, but I do wish you wouldn't talk with your mouth full Beloved," Nyssa chided her.
"Sorry," Sara swallowed her food.
When time for dessert came, Nyssa excused herself to go and get the souffle (And psyche herself up) She stood in the kitchen, and took a deep breath as she grabbed the glasses, the champagne and the souffles.
She walked into the room, and Sara was waiting patiently, but fiddling with a serviette, she looked nervous...which didn't make sense.
Nyssa set the dessert and bottle on the table and sat down across from Sara, who was smiling at her,
"Ooooh Nys! Chocolate souffle and champagne! If you keep up all this, I just might have to kiss you," she cooed,
"I would not object Beloved," Nyssa smiled radiantly at her.
The pair ate dessert mostly in silence. Partly because Nyssa was nervous, and partly because it was so delicious. When Nyssa noticed that they had both finished, she leaned over the table and took Sara's hand in hers.
Sara looked confusedly at her, "Babe?"
Nyssa smiled reassuringly, "Sara. I love you with all my heart and soul. You are my world, and I don't know where I would be if I didn't have you in my life. I'd follow you to the ends of the earth and back if you so desired. I would give my life in order for you to keep yours. I love you so, so much. I cannot imagine living a life without you in it. I guess what I'm trying to say is," Nyssa stood up and got down on one knee in front of Sara as she held the ring box in her hand, tears flowing freely out of her eyes, "Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife Sara Lance?"
"Yes! YES YES YES! A thousand times yes!" Sara lurched forward and kissed Nyssa desperately.
Nyssa melted into it, the feeling of Sara's lips against hers causing her blood to course faster through her veins. Her head began to spin as Sara's fingers became entwined in her hair. She pulled Sara's body closer to hers, one hand at the small of the other's back, the other on the side of her face. Sara's smell was intoxicating, drawing her in, making her lightheaded. She never wanted to let go of this moment, it felt surreal. Here she was, kissing the woman she loved, her fiancee, never had she thought she would be so lucky.
Sara pulled away, breathing heavily, and she laughed! A full-on laugh. Nyssa looked at her, puzzled as to the cause of her fiancee's delirium (It felt so good to say fiancee!) But her heart skipped a beat, just as it did the day she first heard it.
"What is it Beloved?" Nyssa asked,
"I just," Sara paused to get her breath back, "I just can't believe you got to do it first!"
Sara laughed again as she pulled a box out of her pocket, and knelt in front of Nyssa, "Look, I had a speech prepared and everything, and I'm not letting it go to waste," she looked at Nyssa who was letting the tears roll freely. "I remember the first day I met you. You told me that you would never let any harm come to me, and you've done good on that promise. Right from the beginning, you were my light, my hope, my beacon, guiding the way when I couldn't see, carrying me when I was weak. You are my light in the darkness, my day and my night. I don't ever want to have to sleep one night without you by my side." She paused and smiled, "I just like hanging out with you, all the time. All those times that you didn't leave, it's been occurring to me, I'd like to hang out with you, for my whole life,"
"Did you just quote Taylor Swift?" Nyssa laughed,
"Yes," Sara sniffled, "Now sshh, I'm not done," she smirked at the brunette, "Nyssa al Ghul, I know I already said yes, and you asked. But will you marry me?" Sara held the box out to her.
"I don't believe there is any answer but 'Yes' Beloved," this time it was Nyssa who engaged the kiss. If it were possible, this time around, it was more full of love and passion than it had been the last time. Sara's lips tasted like chocolate, and she smelled of a mixture of strawberries and vanilla. Nyssa moaned as Sara pulled at the short strands of hair near the base of her neck. Sara smiled against her lips at the reaction she pulled out of Nyssa.
"Should we exchange rings? Or what?" Sara joked,
"Yes," Nyssa smiled brightly at her, "Yes we should."
Nyssa took Sara's hand in hers and gently slipped the ring onto her finger, and Sara repeated the action. The both of them took a minute to inspect their rings, Nyssa had carved a canary and the words "My Beloved, my precious Canary," inscribed in Arabic on the ring. Sara smiled at the sentiment. Meanwhile, Sara had the words, "Our love runs true as an arrow," along with a small carving of an arrow.
They both choked back tears as they placed the rings on their fingers again and leaned in for yet another kiss. When their lips were practically touching, someone knocked on their door.
Sara groaned, "Really?"
Nyssa chuckled, "Well, let's go see who it is."
Nyssa and Sara intertwined their fingers with the other's, as they walked to the door. They opened it to find the entire Team Arrow, as well as Captain Lance standing outside their door, beaming like idiots.
"Did you do it? Oh my gosh, I hope you did. 'Cause if you didn't this would be very awkward, us pitching up here uninvited and all. I-" Felicity was cut off from her ramble by Oliver putting a hand on her arm and pointing to the rings on the newly-engaged couple's fingers. "Oh! Spectacular! I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO HAPPY FOR YOU GUYS!!!" Felicity launched herself at them and wrapped them in a bear-hug.
"Thank you Felicity!" Sara managed, smiling widely, "But you're crushing my fiancee!"
Felicity pulled back, "Oh my word! Nyssa, I'm so sorry! But congrats!" she smiled widely at the brunette assassin.
Next was Sara's Dad, who was fighting back tears of joy, "I'm so happy for you Baby Girl!" he wrapped her in a hug, "Nyssa, I know she'll be good for you. You are two are going to live long and happy lived together. Okay?" he was full-on crying now.
"Yes Dad, I have no doubt about that," Sara told him, her eyes red.
The rest of the crew said their congratulations quickly, so they could give the couple their own space, which they were both grateful for.
Later that night, the pair lay on their bed, Nyssa carding her fingers through Sara's blonde tresses. She thought about how she never imagined this level of happiness possible. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face, and neither could Sara.
"I love you Habibti," Nyssa said, pulling Sara towards her for a kiss,
"I love you more," Sara told her against her lips,
"I love you most," Nyssa finished, and Sara smiled.