Author's note: Hey, guess who's back with a new story! :D. Ah, I've been so excited to post this one. The action for one thing has been something I've loved writing. Plus, we get to return to some old characters, and some new ones :). Hope you enjoy!

The young, blue yordle left the throne room through a large side entrance with a sigh. Sometimes, Poppy mused, being an ambassador was harder than being a warrior. All too often in her duties representing Bandle City here, the seventeen-year-old had to employ all her willpower to politely converse with some of the noblemen. However, courteously interacting with the conceited aristocrats wasn't the only difficulty; the city-state's overzealous set of strict rules and regulations had also proved difficult to navigate. Even now, over a year later, the yordle still had trouble getting her head around all the formalities of the Demacian court.

The blue girl wilted at the thought: over a year. It was hard to believe sometimes how long it had been since that day. Especially when the wound from her father's death still felt so raw and new. People supposedly said that the pain eventually diminished; but for Poppy that didn't seem remotely true. Every day, every hour, she carried the burden of her sorrow – though few knew it.

She'd absentmindedly stopped in front of one of the many giant statues lining the Demacian Hall of Heroes, staring unseeing at the chiselled features as she dwelled deep in thought.

"Of all the statues you could have chosen, I find it ironic you chose to look at this one," a familiar voice spoke behind her.

Poppy nodded in greeting to the old general as he joined her.

"The keeper of Orlon's hammer and the hero of Demacia, that's what they called her. The young yordle travelled around Demacia when it was a new city-state, protecting its citizens. The stories say she was humble, steadfast and determined. In many ways she reminds me of you."

Poppy stared at the statue before her, actually taking it in. She noted the twin top-knots, the strong chin and the determined expression the yordle wore, as if the statue truly was ready to easily use the massive hammer that she carried. Other details also stood out to her. Though the smooth alabaster stone still towered above them, looking at it now, the girl did notice that she was smaller than many of the other statues – though still not as small as a yordle should be. "That's the tallest yordle I've ever seen. And the manliest."

Florom laughed, "Yes. Apparently, for many years no one knew who the mysterious hero was – not even the young hero herself – and the stories of her deeds were exaggerated to the point no one could believe a mere yordle girl was truly the legend heard of. Unfortunately, the only surviving monuments are of the rumoured hero, so this is all we have to remember her by. Even if the legends tell us the truth about who she really was."

Shaking her head, the female commented, "It always amazes me just how many underestimate yordles because of their small size and friendly nature. It's usually their last mistake." Poppy fully turned to the general, "It's good to see you Berell, but something tells me you didn't come all the way to the palace just to talk about old legends."

"No," he confirmed. Turning from the statue, the serious general met the smaller yordle's gaze. "I had a favour to ask of you."

The seventeen-year-old gestured for him to continue.

"I hear you are planning to head back to Bandle City for a while," the general started off.

"It's been a while since I've been home," she said simply.

The grey-bearded man nodded, "We recently had an anonymous tip that some Noxian assassins are planning to target the Lord and Lady Spiritmight on their way home to Jandelle. It very well could be nothing, but they would rather not take that chance. The couple already have their own guards, but I know it would ease their minds tremendously if a warrior of your prowess accompanied them."

It wasn't a compliment; it was a fact. Despite being an ambassador, Poppy had proven her skill as a warrior by handing many of the Demacian royal troops their asses in a training session and even going toe-to-toe with Garen Crownguard, one of city-state's best warriors.

The yordle was more focused on another point however, "I thought Galio was going with them?"

"Yes," the general conceded. "As is Shyvana, but that has not eased their concerns due to their, urm – nature." He sighed. "You know as well as I do that many Demacians are still uncomfortable with their presence as they are unaccustomed to their – individuality."

"You mean the fact that they're not human or yordle," Poppy stated bluntly. "They should get over it."

Florom gave her a wry smile, "I wish they would, then they would stop nagging me. But I cannot change their minds on this issue. Please Poppy."

The girl sighed, "Alright. I will go."

The general gave her a relieved smile, grasping her hand, "Thank you Poppy. When you get back from Bandle, you should come over for dinner. It's been much too long."

"I'll hold you to that," the yordle agreed before she left to go pack.

Poppy did not mind the detour as much as she made out; particularly as she had not seen Galio in many months. So, when she saw his large blue form by the palace gates, she greeted him with a rare, warm smile.

He returned it just as openly, "Hello Poppy. How have you been?"

"Can't complain," she shrugged. "You?"

"I have been well. Though I have missed your companionship. It will be nice to catch up."

"Yes, it will be," Poppy agreed.

She turned to regard the rest of their company: almost everyone else was still gathering supplies for the trip – with the exception of Shyvana. The tall half-dragon was standing impatiently by the door while the bustling Demacians gave her a wide berth. Catching Poppy's gaze with her fierce yellow eyes, the woman gave the yordle a brief nod which Poppy returned.

While the blue girl had no qualms with her, many of the Demacian court were still adjusting to the presence of the strange, fiery creature Prince Jarvan had returned from his quest a couple of months ago with. A few years ago, such an event would never have occurred, but the prince had changed after his botched initiation had caused him to be captured by the Noxian Executioner, Urgot. His redemption quest had changed him further, bringing back a mature man who'd quelled the objections about his unorthodox decision and making Shyvana a permanent part of his elite guard. And so the nobility respected his decision, if only barely.

Directing the servants and soldiers was the short, but still well-built form of Lord Spiritmight while his plump wife stood nearby, watching the proceedings.

With a sigh, Poppy left Galio to politely introduce herself to the pair. "Good morning, Lord and Lady Spiritmight. I take it you have been advised on my accompaniment on your journey."

The couple greeted her warmly, shaking her outstretched hand vigorously. "Yes," Lord Spiritmight confirmed. "Thank you for taking the time to accompany us."

"It is good to know we will have a reliable, normal warrior to defend us should those Noxian ruffians try something," his wife continued, sending Shyvana and Galio a distrustful look as she spoke.

Poppy didn't comment, and simply excused herself, thankful the pair would be in the carriage for most of the trip. She had no doubt whom the nobles would find the only acceptable company this trip and did not think her patience would last if she had to put up with those types of comments the entire way.

Soon enough the preparations were complete and the company rode out of the city. They travelled in an organised formation; the Spiritmight's carriage remaining in the centre, with the Demacian guards surrounding it. On point ahead, stalked Shyvana; the half-dragon was far enough away that her scent did not spook the horses, but close enough to react to trouble should it arise. The tall redhead had no mount, but that did little to stop her keeping pace ahead. Galio and Poppy brought up the rear; the stone golem humorously talking to the uncomfortable yordle as she got used to the pony beneath her.

The day passed calmly as the crew travelled at a steady pace south. True to her intuition, whenever the company halted to rest, Lady Spiritmight latched onto the serious yordle (much to Galio's amusement) to chat to while her husband inspected their troops and Shyvana scouted the area, before they moved on. Thankfully, the friction stayed at a minimum as the noble couple gave the half-dragon a wide berth, but Poppy knew it wouldn't last.

Sure enough, that night the friction between them came to a head. They had been eating around the campfire when Lord Spiritmight once more made a snide comment about the nonhuman.

"I'm surprised by how much ground we covered today. I thought we'd only cover half as much, considering the horses' aversion to some people."

With a snarl, Shyvana's short resolve snapped. Gripping him by the front of his shirt, the irate woman lifted the terrified man off the ground.

"Let's get one thing straight," her yellow eyes burned into him. "It was my decision to come. I wanted to spend some time out of the city and out amoungst the natural beauty of this land. And the only reason I accompanied you is because Prince Jarvan asked me personally to. He was worried about the threat to his mother's family, so I obliged to take care of you. But make no mistake: if you make one more underhanded comment about me that you think I don't understand, I'll rip a piece out of you myself. After all, Jarvan asked me to make sure you made it back to your home alive. He didn't specify in how many pieces."

The nervous guards looked at Poppy for direction.

"Aren't you going to do something?" one of them asked.

The blue yordle snorted, "No. He got what was coming to him." She smirked. "But you're more than welcome to try and separate them."

As expected, the half a dozen soldiers looked at the fierce half-dragon and backed away.

"That's what I thought," the yordle commented.

They needn't have bothered; a second later Shyvana dropped the terrified noble before scaling the nearest tree to sleep. Spiritmight picked himself up, pretending his hands weren't shaking, before he escorted his wife to their tent.

Poppy awoke early the next morning, joining the vigilant gargoyle as the sun rose.

"Good morning Poppy," Galio greeted her. "How did you sleep?"

"As well as one can while travelling," the yordle responded.

The azure, stone golem gave her a pointed look; he had seen the girl tossing and turning in her sleep last night.

She looked away. "It's been a while since I've travelled this route," she admitted. "How was watch?"

The stone giant took the change of subject graciously, turning to regard the brilliant hues of pink and gold that flooded the clearing as he spoke, "Uneventful, thankfully. Shyvana is up already."

"I'm not surprised," the yordle commented.

The conversation lapsed into comfortable silence as they continued to watch the sunrise. Soon enough however, the silence was broken as the rest of the company began to stir and the duo was required to join the morning preparations. As they worked, Poppy noted that Lord Spiritmight kept a safe distance from the half-dragon.

The travelling pace was smoother and quicker than the day before, though the positions were the same. It wasn't until the afternoon that something major occurred.

They had just rounded a bend in the road when Shyvana met them, body tense. "There is a log down across the road ahead," she told them. "I smell a trap."

"A log down?" the head of the soldiers scoffed. "That's the most common trick in the book."

"That may be," Galio spoke up. "But it is also very effective if caught unprepared as it forces you into a corner. We should proceed with caution."

The company started up again at a normal pace but stayed closer together. Sure enough a large downed oak blocking the road soon came into view. As they approached it, Poppy discretely scanned their surroundings. She could not see much through the thick foliage, however, her straining ears did pick up the quiet sounds of rustling around them.

The company soon drew to a stop, unsure of what to do as the horses skittishly pranced, unnerved by the tension in the air and the closeness of Shyvana. Poppy dismounted, loosening her father's hammer, when a familiar sound caused her to freeze in her tracks.

Galio, however, did not hesitate, rushing towards the soldiers and throwing a wing up just in time to shield them from the rain of arrows that suddenly appeared.

One soldier, not close enough to the golem, went down quickly with an arrow sticking out of his helmet. But the stone gargoyle's quick reflexes had saved the lives of at least four others.

Shyvana swiftly sprung into action, bull rushing the spot the arrows came from as she deflected the majority of the incoming projectiles with her crimson armguards. A large Noxian with an axe appeared from the shrubbery as the indigo woman drew close, swinging the large weapon at her head. The half-dragon caught the handle as it fell, ripping the weapon from the man's hands without batting an eyelid. He looked at her, terror forming in his eyes as a demonic grin split her face, yellow eyes glowing before she struck; her hands snaking up fast, before she snapped his neck.

More figures began to appear, striking fast and deadly from the surrounding forest. Three solders went down in fast succession before Poppy pulled herself from her frozen state. Shyvana was tearing through their attackers in a frenzy while Galio stayed on the defence, protecting the solders where he could. However, their company was vastly outnumbered and the soldiers were going down fast. They needed her help. Now was not the time to get caught up in the past, she had to act.

Due to her short stature, she hadn't been spotted yet, so using that advantage, she sprung up at the Noxian swinging at a nearby soldier's back. The hammer collided with the man's side, sending him catapulting away with the force of the hit. Poppy turned away before he'd hit the ground, catching the Demacian's grateful nod as she turned back to the second assassin that had started towards her.

She deflected the sword swipe with her hammer, pulling the weapon downwards before she pushed in close and kicked downwards with force. The man's kneecap shattered from the kick causing him to pull back with a howl of pain. That was all the opportunity Poppy needed to send her hammer up into the curled Noxian's face, crushing his skull as the man toppled over.

A sound from behind the yordle had her spinning, only to stop as Galio blocked the incoming arrow.

"Watch your back," he said simply, before taking out the female diving at them with a sword. Poppy nodded her thanks and the golem moved on.

Casting a quick eye over the battlefield, the blue teen noticed one assassin deftly making his way to the carriage. With a yell she shot forward, planting herself between the warrior and the nobles.

"Little yordle, you might want to move," the man warned her.

Poppy however just tightened her grip on Whomper and widened her stance.

"Suit yourself." He lunged forward but Poppy caught his sword thrust with her hammer, their weapons interlocking as they struggled to get the upper hand.

The Noxian looked at her thoughtfully. "I know you," he spoke as they broke apart.

Poppy swung at the assassin. "I've been told I leave a big impression."

The man dove out of the way, the hammer just missing the edge of his cloak as it struck the ground and leaving a large dent. His laughter sounded as he rolled back to his feet. "Yes I remember now: your father had the same bravado the last time we met. It didn't last long."

Poppy faltered, hammer slowing in its swing. "You."

Dun dun dun! Huh, what is it with Poppy arcs and cliffhangers? Let me know what you think :).

Skullion123: Aw, I'm glad you think my writing brings the characters to life :). If there's one thing that I want to do it's that. I love Veigar and Lulu and I can't wait to introduce them, but it is going to be a while sorry :(. But, there will be another yordle showing up before you know it ;).