3 months after the Noxus Invasion of Ionia.
"I understand Ionia is in danger, but there is not much I can do about it. I need my men to keep my people safe. I can't just send them off to help you and leave my land undefended."
The words Zelos heard were the ones he was dreading the most. Without Demacia's help, Ionia would most likely fall to another invasion from Noxus. Zelos is not one to give up quickly, but he is also knows which battles he can and can't win. Rather than spending time on a lost cause, he figured it would be best to spend time on things he can control, like preparing his people for the worst. What a waste of a month.
"I understand" muttered Zelos, the pain in his voice evident. He walked out of Jarvan IV's court feeling defeated and hopeless. Walking out of the palace, he noticed how heavy the security was, and couldn't help wondering why some of the soldiers could not be spared. Now on the street, he began walking towards the inn he was staying at, trying to figure out how to break the bad news to his sister, Irelia.
When Zelos got back to his room, his sister was not there. Odd, he thought. She has no diplomatic missions here, why would she be gone. Zelos sat down on his bed and gave out a sigh. Now he had to wait for his sister to come back before he could go back to Ionia. Zelos walked outside and saw a lavish city with more more resources than Ionia will ever have. How can Jarvan say he has no one to send when there are this many people about. Zelos decided to walk around a bit to get a feel for the city. He felt hungry, so he decided to go to the market district to get something to eat. When he arrived there, he saw hundreds of people and dozens of stores and stalls, all offering some sort of product or service. He decided on a bar, he could use a beer or two after the events of today. He sat down at the bar, and ordered a drink. Looking around as he waited, he couldn't help but notice a table in the corner. A girl and a man were sitting at it eating a meal, and the girl looked suspiciously like Irelia. Intrigued, Zelos took his drink and walked over, as he approached, he realized the girl was his sister. Then who is the man?
"Irelia." The word almost made her jump.
"What are you doing here."
"Umm..." Irelia began to respond. "I was um, just getting some food..."
"Who's your friend?" asked a skeptical Zelos.
"My name is Garen" responded the man. "May I ask who you are?"
"I am Zelos, Irelia's brother. Why did you come here without telling me Irelia?"
"Why are you asking so many questions Zelos!"
Zelos was taken aback by his sisters sudden anger. What did he say to make her angry.
"Stop being so protective of me! I've been in more battles than you! I don't need you to constantly be looking out for me."
"Calm down Irelia." The voice came from Garen. "Your brother is just worried about your safety. You are the only family he has, he doesn't want anything to happen to you."
"Yeah, bu..." Irelia began.
"There's nothing else to say about it. He cares about your safety."
Irelia sat in silence, staring at the ground.
Did she just listen to him? Why doesn't she ever listen to me?
"Thank you for those words Garen, im suprised she listened to you."
"Why is that?"
"She never listens to anyone" laughed Zelos. "Not even me."
Garen smiled a bit and took a sip of his beer.
"Irelia, it's time to go. I'll tell you what happened, but we need to get back to Ionia."
"But Zelos, I want to stay longer" said a saddened Irelia.
"We need you in case of an attack" Zelos said softly.
"Noxus will not attack for a while, and I feel like I should be here for longer. If things get bad, I will be closer to people that can support us." Irelia said back.
Zelos know it was true, but he couldn't help but feel Irelia wouldn't tell him the real reason she wanted to stay.
