By the end of that year, Damian had completed his training at the fort and so had Jason. By then, it had been three years since Jay's death and his family was still not aware that he had been resurrected.

He had chosen not to go back after being persuaded by Talia to stay and help her out for some time. She was planning to put him as the Commander of her troop because she had other plans for Veruna.

So she promised Jason that once he had helped her out, he would be free to leave the League and there would be no strings attached to that offer. Jason agreed on the condition that the League would never interfere with him again once he left.

On the other hand, Talia knew the time had come for her to put her plan into action. But before that, she needed to take some precautions.

Deathstroke had been getting more and more difficult for her to handle as the mercenary only wanted his end of the deal. So he was no longer willing to wait and if Talia caused any obstacle for him, he could easily change sides.

She couldn't take that risk so she had to speed things up on her end. Or else, he would attack nevertheless and she would be unprepared to fight back and stand her ground.

She couldn't risk losing the League to him as well, she was already paying a heavy price for the guarantee of her being able to covet the throne her father possessed.

Talia had come up to the turrets, thinking about the unstable future that she could see in glimpses as a lot was not under her control yet. She was playing a deadly game of chess and she knew she would have to give sacrifices.

But she wanted to save those who she could, especially those who were innocent and had no hand in the war she was about to cause.

"My Lady, you called for me?"

Veruna's voice shook her out of her thoughts and she turned to see her. "Yes, I did."

Talia's eyes focused on the beautiful woman she had fallen for and a pang of hurt coursed through her veins again. She knew she couldn't be with Veruna for a million reasons but the most prominent of them was that she loved someone else.

A few years back, if she had been told to choose, she would have been selfish and kept Veruna to herself, beheading any competition that arose. But in all the time that had passed, she had found out the difference between love and infatuation.

She loved her and was not just infatuated with her.

Loving someone meant being able to let them go if they could not remain happy in that relationship. Loving someone meant not being selfish.

"My Lady?" Veruna stepped closer, alarmed to see her eyes welling up.

She did not know whether it was due to the cold or if something had hurt Talia Al Ghul so much so that she had tears in her eyes.

She hadn't seen her like that before and it worried her. The most upset she had ever seen Talia was when Ra's threatened her to stay in line or he would take away her title. But right then, it didn't feel as if she was upset due to her father.

"Vera, I will ask you a question and I want you to reply honestly," she reached forward, taking her hands in her own in a gentle grip, "promise me."

She promised, reminding her that she had never before lied to her either. 

"Tell me, if you had the choice, would you leave the League and go to live with that peasant family?"

She stiffened, not ready for that question, "but my Lady, it's impossible. I am bound to the League and I serve you. I can not even think of that."

"I am giving you the choice right now, my dear," her grip tightened ever so slightly, "and you can be selfish... You should. You've always laid your life on the line for me. But I want you to take this decision thinking about yourself first."

Veruna didn't understand why Talia was all of a sudden making such a generous offer. She was rooted to the spot in shock.

"Answer me, Vera. Please."

"But the League... And Master..."

"I will look after everything," her emerald eyes held a promise and the sincerity in those irises caught her off guard.

It made her feel something terrible was about to happen and Talia could foresee it. There was no other explanation Veruna could have because she didn't know that her Lady could go to the extent of betraying her own father.

"My Lady, what is going on?" She asked in a shaky voice, "why are you saying things that are absurd? I can not leave you."

"You can," she repeated, letting go of her hands at last, "you should. I don't want to keep leaching onto you like a parasite. You have every right to live your life in freedom."

For some reason, those words brought tears to Veruna's eyes as well. Freedom was a concept that she hadn't ever dared to dream about. Yet there was Talia, her Lady, urging her to reach out and grasp it in her thin fingers.

"You still haven't given me an answer," Talia spoke up.

"I... I don't know what to say..."

"You want to be free, don't you?" She asked softly, closing the gap between them as she brought her close into a hug, "then be free. Go to him."

That embrace felt like a final farewell as if Talia had already made up her mind, regardless of what answer Veruna gave to her.

With her that close to her, she felt as if Talia's heart was shaking within her chest, her eyes filled with a haunting sadness as if it was hurting her to let her go. But the smile she put on her face made her halt, not knowing what to choose.

When it came to her, Veruna had always chosen whatever her Lady ordered her to do so. And right then she was herself ordering her to be free, to go to the man she loved and leave the chains of the League of Assassins.

"I don't understand..."

"Don't be worried, I know what I am doing," she broke the embrace, wiping the tears away from Veruna's cheeks, "I heard you and Dusan talking that night on the turrets and ever since then I have been thinking about it a lot."

"You heard us?" She looked alarmed for a second but seeing that there was no malice in Talia's words, she took in a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Yes. And Dusan's right, I should have given you this choice a long time ago. I have been selfish with you, Vera. I shouldn't have done that."

Veruna felt as if she was dreaming. There was no way it could be reality.

But Talia's next words confirmed it for her, "he loves you a lot. Prince or not, I don't think he will ever let you be sad. You deserve someone to care for you that much and you definitely deserve to be with the one you love."

Veruna had been shocked to silence as she watched Talia resume, that sadness turning into a wave of calm that engulfed the unpredictable woman in front of her.

"No one knows about him yet but he shouldn't be here. Ask him to take you and his family back to Persia," she whispered in a low urgent tone, not wanting them to be overheard, "I will make all the arrangements."

Talia's hand gently patted her cheek as she stepped back to leave. She had not gotten a direct answer from Veruna but she understood that the woman might never be able to tell her.

But before she could leave, her heart stilled as she felt Veruna's arms wrap around her gently, her head resting against her shoulder. 

"Thank you," she breathed, "I will forever be in debt to you for this kindness..."

Talia recovered from the shock, hands reaching up to rest on her back. Her heart felt like it would break but she had never before seen her Vera so invulnerably relieved.

And seeing her right then made her think that she had taken the right decision. She had to stop being selfish and let her go for the sake of her happiness.

"No more debts, my dear. I am only doing what I should have done a long time ago."

***