"Put it all on me, and set me free;
Take it all, there's nothing left for me."
- "Flatline" by TC
It was a fine afternoon in Demacia. Drops of sunshine soaked the white and red rose bushes in the garden of the House of Vayne. It was the season for roses to bloom again, the tender leaves and newborn branches received the morning dew with shimmering joy. Shauna Vayne, the older sister of Louisa Vayne and daughter to the Duke and Duchess, took on tasks that were not meant for her once again, because she would rather sweat and labor with the other servants than sitting in her room and study the old and boring runic language. With each bush she pruned and watered, a little seed of happiness was planted in her heart. She enjoyed being one with the nature and being equal with her servants. It felt modest, and that was the way of life she had preferred.
The servants, on the other hand, were quite terrified by her actions. They knew they couldn't stop their Lady from working in the fields, so they all feared for the worst if their master, the Duke, happened to witness this absurdness and punish them for it. "Lady Vayne," At times a brave soul would approach her, "Please return and rest in your room; we can handle the work here, if master Vayne sees you-"
"-Then Father will have to talk to me about it, not you." Shauna would then smile at her loyal servant, hoping to reassure them with her words, "You have nothing to worry about besides getting pricked by one of these beautiful little things." The servant would turn, saying nothing more after muttering appreciation, and return to work aside their Lady. Shauna knew her father's schedule and favorite routes, so she was fairly confident in her earlier reassurance. She could just slip out of the garden before sunset, when the Duke would return from the royal court of the Lightshields.
Unlike her sister Louisa, she had never thought nor aspired to be wed into the royal family one day and, perhaps, become the Queen of Demacia. Power and fame was tempting, but nothing was as enticing as the idea of owning herself a small land and ranch, providing for herself as well as for the community. Life in solitude wasn't meant for someone like her, but she preferred it. An upper class Demacian woman was expected to prosper, expected to be loyal to the Crown and "play her part" in political situations, should they arise; because of this, regular ball invitations and visits to the court had became a part of her life. The Duke had asked her before to dress up for ceremonies and balls so some nice gentlemen would recognize her, but Shauna always left the prettiest dresses for Louisa and attend with a mundane one instead. She loved Louisa, and she wanted nothing but the best for her little sister.
A ball was to happen this night, and as usual Shauna helped her sister gussy up before managing herself. When they arrived at the royal palace, the sentinels announced their House loudly before leading them into the brilliant hall to be enveloped by the joyous, elegant atmosphere. The sisters followed their parents to greet the King and Queen, both felt slightly nervous. Shauna took Louisa's hand and squeezed it gently to remind her of the proper etiquettes. Be calm, She was trying to communicate with her sibling through thoughts, You'll impress them.
The Duke and Duchess bowed at the King and paid their respects before it was the sisters' turn. When King Jarvan III saw the two, he turned to the Duke and complimented, "Your daughters are beautiful, Duke Vayne. It flatters me to see how much they have grown."
"Your grace, it is an honor." The Duke lowered his head, hiding a proud smile.
"Shauna and…Louisa, I remember." The King continued, now watching the two girls admiringly, "My son, Jarvan IV, is joining us tonight as well. Perhaps you would like to go see him, for fine company." He chuckled and shifted in his throne, glancing over at his Queen, who threw him a subtle smile. "I hope you and your family enjoy the ball."
Shauna was about to bow, but she was pulled by her sister as Louisa did a hurried curtsy. They left the King and proceeded to mingle with the crowd, which then Louisa finally confessed to her. "We are going to meet the Prince!" Her eyes were glittering with excitement, cheeks pulled up by a grin and flushing. Shauna could feel her sister's hand sweating a little. "Oh, Shauna… I can't wait to see him."
"And what if he is to be lame, blind, and somehow physically defected?" Shauna was joking, but only saying it loud enough for Louisa to hear. Louisa frowned at the careless joke and retorted, "Prince Jarvan is a fine man, he even went to war and led the army last Fall."
"Mhm. Yes he did." Shauna smiled playfully, "More reason for him to be lame, blind, and physically defected."
"Oh you." Louisa gave up on defending for her Prince and began to look around the hall for him, dragging Shauna behind. She ran into a guest in the process, who wore a red coat, with his face hidden beneath a heavy hood. The man held Louisa's shoulders and stopped her.
"Watch where you are going, Lady."
"Forgive me, my lord." Louisa grew accustomed to the title, assuming the man was one of the King's important guests. "Have you seen the Prince around?"
Shauna observed the man quietly as her sister talked with him. The hood obscured his face, but every now and then she would sense something strange about him. It felt like he did not belong.
"The Prince was talking to the gentleman over there earlier, perhaps you can find him there." The man pointed them the direction and stepped aside. "Have a pleasant evening, my Ladies."
"Thank you, my lord, I haven't caught your name yet." Louisa insisted. Shauna looked at her sister and wondered if she felt the same curiosity about this man. The man paused before giving them a name, almost reluctantly, "It's Alexander of Kalamanda."
Alexander of Kalamanda. Shauna recited the name in her head and memorized it before carrying the conversation on, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alexander. May I ask what you role you play in tonight's ball?" She stepped next to her sister and inquired when her eyes met his; She was stunned to find those eyes as red as the roses she had picked. It had a deep color, most unnatural one, too.
"I am the King's counselor in Kalamanda and its surrounding areas. I've came to arrange an agreement on a land that had much dispute through the years." He explained smoothly, and the way he delivered it felt rehearsed. Shauna picked out the funny accentuation of some of the words he used; this man was definitely not from around Demacia. She doubted the credibility of his identity, but played cool.
"And you, my Ladies?..."
"Shauna Vayne. This is my sister Louisa. I suppose you know why we are here."
"Of course, Lady Vayne. I've heard about your family a long time ago." His smile was like mercury, attractive yet indefinable in nature. Something behind that smile alerted Shauna, but she hoped that her hunch was wrong.
As she was busy observing him, Alexander surprised her when he took her hand and left a quick kiss on it. She retracted it from his grasp immediately after, a mixture of embarrassment and shock on her face. "Pardon me, Lady Vayne… I could not resist."
"It's…fine, Alexander." She forgot about Louisa's presence until the latter tugged on her dress lightly. "Ahem, yes. I hope you enjoy the evening as well. See you around." Shauna mentally sighed at her clumsy reply and took off with Louisa hurriedly. She resisted the urge to turn back and look.
"Shauna?"
"Yes?" She felt Louisa's eyes on her.
"He likes you." Her sister chuckled.
"Perhaps. But that has nothing to do with me."
"Oh come on, it has everything to do with you! The way he looked at you and kissed your hand?" Louisa was about to explode, she knew it, so she quickly hushed her sister with a finger on her lips.
"We can talk about this when we go home tonight. Not now."
Who is this man? She repeated the question in her head, promising to learn more about him should their paths cross again.
As the night went on, guests began to leave the palace to return to their homes. Shauna was standing beneath one of the massive paintings, appreciating its beauty in silence. It was a portrait of a noble lady, whose name, as noted on the tag below, was Lady Cynthia of Freljord. Shauna traced the outline of the woman's luxurious robes with her eyes, thinking to herself while waiting for her sister's return.
"Ah, Lady Cynthia. Gregory did a fine job on her." The comment broke Shauna's concentration as she looked to the intruder.
"It's you again." Alexander from Kalamanda, or so he claimed. Why hasn't he left yet?
"Forgive me, I saw you all alone and volunteered to keep you company, Lady Vayne."
"I don't need your company." Her words might have been harsh, but truth was she was uncomfortable around him; It felt like he was up to something. She turned to observe the painting again.
Alexander was speechless for a while, but he quickly formed a reply. "Lady Cynthia… Do you know about her? The famous Avarosan princess of Freljord?"
Of course she knew, but Shauna wasn't in the mood to banter with the stranger, so she kept silent. Perhaps this will finally turn him away, She thought, but was proved wrong when he began again.
"…She was exiled for quite a long time after the Crown was seized by the Winter's Claw. The Claws tried to prove her progenies illegitimate, but they had failed. And now you have Queen Ashe; rightful heir to the Avarosan throne."
"…She will not be the true Queen, as long as her opponents live." Shauna added lightly, growing tired of the man's rambling. "If you would excuse me, Alexander."
She walked away to look for Louisa, putting distance between her and Alexander as fast as possible before she ran into her sister, who smiled delightfully upon seeing Shauna.
"Prince Jarvan was so kind… Shauna, he…" Louisa lowered her voice to whispering, "He asked to see me tomorrow at noon."
"That's…wonderful." She smiled at Louisa. The sudden proposal surprised her too, but it made her happy that Louisa would have a chance to get closer to the Prince. "Seems like he's taken interest in you."
"N-No, he can't be." Louisa denied, though her blushing cheeks proved otherwise. "Let's go home?"
Shauna sighed and took her sister's hand. "Don't worry. Show him your loyalty and ability to be a reliable friend. Nothing can go wrong."
Insomnia found its way to her again. Hours after saying goodnight to Louisa, Shauna still couldn't sleep. Wrinkles crawled the surface of the bed sheet from her restless turning. Sometimes she could hear a crack in her room, other times complete silence. She grumbled and turned again to look at the window; the clouds were catching up to the moon slowly, perhaps a rain would help her sleep, but to wait is to test her patience.
Then, the familiar hunger struck. Dammit, She put her hands around her stomach as she curled up from the ache, How long has it been this time?
She knew it will only get worse if she doesn't take care of it soon, but her options were limited. As much as she hated doing so, she found the string next to her bed and pulled it gently three times before letting go. Then, she sat in the bed and waited.
This was the patience she must possess, because even the slightest distraction will make her lose control. She dared not to imagine the consequence.
Her door opened soon as the Duke stepped in. He didn't say anything and went straight to her side and handed her a glass. She could see his eyes in the dark, the pool of blue reflected fatherly love as she smiled and traded the glass with a kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you, father."
"Can't sleep?"
She took a sip from the glass and nodded. Swallowing the liquid made her feel much, much better.
"It will happen. More frequently too." The Duke explained and caressed her hair as she drank. "Tell me, who was that man wearing the hood?"
Shauna finished the glass and gave it back to her father. "He called himself Alexander, of Kalamanda. We only exchanged our names." Memories of him came back to her. She knew there was something suspicious about him, it seemed that her father had noticed, too.
"Alexander of Kalamanda? And what of his purpose in the court, other than attending the ball?"
"To arrange an agreement on a piece of land." She licked her lips and bit on it, a habit of hers when in deep thought.
"I have never heard of an Alexander all my years in the court." The Duke furrowed his brows and stood up. "Be vigilant."
As he left, Shauna lay back in her bed and pondered about this Alexander. She could tell he wasn't from here… was he a spy then? There were no concrete evidence to prove so. More importantly, she couldn't understand why he had taken such great interest in her.
She hoped it was only attraction and not about their family secret.
The drink helped her as she began to feel drowsy. Too much thoughts, she was tired of them. Perhaps it was time to try and sleep.
She closed her eyes and breathed steadily, soon falling asleep.