Title: Hope Is The Only Thing Stronger Than Fear
Fandom: Arrow
Characters: Nyssa al Ghul, Sara Lance
Pairings: Nyssa al Ghul/Sara Lance
Rating: PG-13
Length: 612
Content Notes: PTSD, Dissociation, Implied Rape, Mention of Torture. Takes place before When I See Your Smile
Author Notes: Written for Challenge 237: Amnesty 39, Challenge 47: Teaching, and Challenge 128: Floating at fan_flashworks, as well as Challenge 172: Bridge at femslashficlets
Summary: Nyssa teaches Sara how to find her way back home when she is at sea.


Nyssa walked out on the deck to see Sara looking out at the waves that were rocking the ship. But as she got closer, she could tell something was wrong. Sara's hands were tightly gripping the railing as if she was afraid of falling into the water below. Nyssa called out to her, "Sara?"

Sara didn't respond. Nyssa grew more concerned and walked up next to her. When she reached her, Nyssa saw that Sara was staring off into the distance with glassy eyes. Slowly, Nyssa reached out and unclasped Sara's hands from the railing, holding them in her own. "Sara. You are not on The Amazo anymore. Ivo and his crew will not hurt you ever again. I rescued you and brought you here, to the Nanda Parbat. You are safe here."

Gradually, Sara came back to herself. She blinked as she took in her surroundings. "Nyssa?"

"Yes. I am here. Where did you go?"

Sara looked down at her hands, which were still being held by Nyssa's. "I... I was floating on a piece of debris from the Gambit until The Amazo found me. The crew threw me into a cell until they were... ready for me. Dr. Ivo... He protected me, but I had to help him with his research by torturing his prisoners."

Sara's whole body was exuding fear. Her eyes met Nyssa's again, searching for an answer. "How can I let go of my past when I keep reliving it?"

Nyssa already knew that Sara was strong, she would be joining the League after all, but she couldn't help herself from wanting to protect Sara from her fears. "By overcoming your fear. Come."

Nyssa led Sara to the bridge. "Do you know what the Big Dipper looks like?" Sara nodded. "Good. Merak and Dubhe are the stars on the side opposite the handle. Following them in the direction of the Big Dipper's mouth will lead you to Polaris, or the North Star. Polaris is the brightest star in the Little Dipper. Can you see it?"

It did not take long for Sara to follow Nyssa's instructions and find the star. "Yes."

"This star is called Polaris because it appears within a degree of the Celestial North Pole and does not appear to change location in the sky. Heading towards it will take you North." Nyssa picked up an object lying on a nearby table. "You can also use a sextant to find your latitude by determining the angle between Polaris's position and the northern horizon. This angle measure is the same as your latitude north of the equator. Read the angle off the curved section."

Sara took the sextant from Nyssa and looked through the scope. "The angle is around 40 degrees, so we are around 40 degrees latitude."

Nyssa nodded, "That is correct, Sara. If you find yourself in a situation without a sextant, you can approximate the angle by extending your fist out towards the horizon. Stack your fists on top of each other until you reach Polaris. Each fist is approximately 10 degrees of angle measure."

Sara extended her fists in front of her and found the same angle measurement as before. "That is enough for tonight Sara. There are other methods for navigating by the stars, however they require different environments. I will teach them to you in time."

Sara looked out at the ocean relieved that she will never be lost at sea again. She turned back to her new teacher with gratefulness shining in her eyes, "Thank you, Nyssa."

"A life within the League is a life spent mostly at sea. It is only right that you learn to navigate it."