Three

Chapter 2 - Oliver Queen is dead

Chapter 2 - Oliver Queen is dead 

AN - As a reminder, we left Oliver's angsty POV to find out what's been happening since he left Starling City to battle Ra's! 

DISCLAIMER: Nope, no legal claim but I will accept ownership as a Christmas gift! 

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Thea hadn't heard from her brother in over a day so she went to the only people who she thought knew more about her brother than she did. She went to Verdant to find Roy, Felicity and John. She walked in and saw all three standing by the bar with another man in front of them. No one looked at her so she paused and watched the scene unfold. 

"Oliver Queen is dead." Sarab bowed slightly and looked down as he handed his old friend's clothes to the blond woman. As he felt her hands take the garments, he looked up and met her eyes. He saw the same pain reflected there that had shattered him years ago. It was the devastating pain of love lost. Mesmerized, he stared into her eyes even as he heard a woman scream behind him. 

Roy moved quickly across the room to Thea who had screamed her denial then dropped silently to kneel on the floor. He had given his word to Oliver and Roy was determined to keep it and protect Thea. However, he was surprised when she spun away then kicked him back before she ran across the room toward Felicity. 

Thea was fixated on seeing whatever the man had given Felicity and then she planned to force him to tell her where her brother was. She didn't expect to find a sword at her throat as the man prevented her from getting to the other woman. Gasping, she came to a sudden stop. 

Holding the brown haired girl back, Sarab did not speak. Instead he angled his body so that he could still see both men as well as both girls. For a moment, he felt like torn - he again felt like a man living by two names. He had thought that he had buried Maseo but Oliver Queen had brought back many of his memories. The blond girl before him though brought back the feelings. It was easy to see that she had loved Oliver just as he had loved Tatsu. 

Diggle moved to stand just ahead of Felicity as he stared Ra's al Ghul's messenger. He couldn't focus on what message the man brought but instead on whether or not he was a threat to Oliver's family, to Team Arrow or to Starling City. 

Felicity knew everything had happened quickly - Thea's scream, Roy's attempt to comfort her, the League assassin's sword stopping Thea, and even Diggle moving to protect her but it all seemed hazy, blurry, and slow. All that she could see clearly were the clothes in her hands, clothes that she recognized as belonging to Oliver. She continued to stare at them even after the room quieted. 

It was Thea who broke the silence but no one moved as she spoke as quietly and calmly as she could. 

"Oliver is my brother...he was my big brother. I buried an empty casket once but I won't do it again. I need to see him. Tell me where he is."  

Thea had never wanted to feel pain again and her father had helped with that. Her emotions seemed to have lessened with each morning she woken up in Corto Maltese, each day she picked up her sword and trained until her pain had become a distant memory. There were not only days that she didn't feel pain but there were days that she didn't feel anything at all and days that she didn't even remember. She had felt very little since starting her father's training...until she had heard the stranger's words. Her hands now trembled with the fear, her breath caught in her throat, as it seemed that waves of pain battered her mind and body, even her heart.  

Curiously unmoved by the girl's words Sarab still lowered his weapon out of respect for his old friend. Oliver had spoken of a sister and the love he had for his family so he could not dishonor that memory by killing the girl. However, he did ignore her to focus again on the blond who still stared at the clothes. 

"The blood feud with Starling City ended with Oliver's blood. Your city is safe - we are leaving." That was the extent of the message he had been asked to deliver but still he lingered. 

"We need Oliver - tell me where he is, where his body is." Felicity's voice was calm even though tension held her body stiff, defiant.  

"Felicity." Diggle spoke softly as he moved closer to his friend. There were no tears in her eyes but he could still feel her pain, a pain that he shared and understood. He wasn't surprised when Roy also moved to stand next to her. 

"I need to see him, I have something I need to tell him." Felicity finally looked away from the clothes she still held gently in her arms as she met the assassin's eyes once again. She thought that she saw sympathy but she didn't bother to try and understand, she could only focus on the job she had to do. She had to speak to Oliver one last time. 

Sarab found that he couldn't ignore the pain or determination radiating from Oliver's woman and after a single moment, his decision was made to share a League secret. 

"The duel took place on consecrated League ground. There were those who care for the grounds and bury those who die with honor. Oliver died with honor - he fought well. The Demon Head prayed for his release and Oliver would have been tended by the guardians of our land." 

Diggle and Roy both nodded in acknowledgement of his words but Felicity continued to stare. Sarab nodded once and turned to leave but her words stopped him. 

"Please, I need to see Oliver. I will do anything you ask." 

Again violating League traditions, Sarab turned and moved close enough to whisper the coordinates of the graves to Felicity. He then gave her the words that he knew from experience were cold comfort but they were all that he had. 

"Oliver was a good warrior...he was a good man." 

Felicity watched as the man left but again she was unable to move. She finally understood how Oliver had acted after Sara's death - she couldn't break down or mourn, she had things to get done. She hadn't known Oliver when they had declared him dead after the Gambit but she knew Oliver now. He never gave up without a fight so she couldn't either. She would find his body and bring him home to his family, his city where he belonged. 

"I have the coordinates - we need a plan." Felicity turned to head down stairs to the Arrow Cave. Even the thought of the name Oliver hated couldn't bring a smile to her face. She could only focus on the task ahead of her. 

"Felicity, I want him back too but the duel location is more than just remote." It was Diggle who had spoken as he placed a hand on Felicity's shoulder to stop her movement. 

Thea was still immobile even though there was no sword pointed at her throat. She watched as Felicity didn't even acknowledge Diggle but she did stop and hug something to her chest. When Felicity lowered her arms and walked by her, Thea realized that she was cradling Oliver's clothes. A sob burst from her throat as she collapsed onto the floor, unable to stand the pain. 

Felicity turned and watched heart wrenching sobs shake Thea's body. The girl was Oliver's sister and it was time that she understood what that meant. Her voice was commanding when she addressed the crying girl. 

"Stand up, Thea. You are coming with us - we have to make plans to get your brother back."  

Diggle and Roy exchanged a look as Felicity moved again toward their hidden headquarters. 

"Uh Felicity...um." Roy wasn't sure how to stop his friend as her expression wasn't one that he recognized even after all they had been through together. This wasn't the woman who he had held when Sara had died, this woman was controlled, determined...just like Oliver had been. 

Diggle had always known that Felicity and Oliver were more alike than even they realized and the woman standing so strongly, so proudly in front of them was the perfect fit for the Arrow. He would have her back and support whatever decision she made. 

Felicity looked deliberately at Roy then Diggle before she turned to see Thea staring at her. Her voice remained calm, determined as she spoke. 

"Roy, before we bury Thea's brother, she needs to know who he actually was. She needs to understand him as we understood him. We don't have much time - let's go."