Chapter 1: One Small Step for One Small Girl
A/N: Alright, I've decided to break this into two perspectives and two different characters. The first perspective will progress in an increasingly dark manor. The other perspective will contain a bit more romance and will serve as a chaser for the first as I plan to make her portion become increasingly dark (Basically what this means is you get 2 chapters for the price of one). I'm going to keep most characters personalities fairly accurate, based on their lore and personal play experience in the actual game. It'll be rated M for extreme violence, adult themes, and sex. The two perspective will cross but only for moments, it's basically two different stories unfolding at the same time. Also, that means if you don't like one, you can read just the other. Also, I slightly changed the way the battle work for the sake of the story. Bear with me on it.
She shuddered a little from the cold as she walked towards the Institute of War. Her parents, Gregori Hastur and Amoline Hastur had been brutally murdered by Swain for deserting the Noxian military, however she had no knowledge of this. Before Swain's assassins' murdered the family, they hid their young girl in the last place Swain would think to look, they sent her to the League of Legends to train and become strong enough to one day avenge their name. The Hastur family was known as a powerful family, especially when it came to arcane ability, and the young girl was no exception. At a very young age she had tamed and a shadow bear through her arcane powers and spellbound the fierce animal to a mere stuffed animal, which was held tightly in her hand.
"Tibbers," she whispered quietly but her voice began to increase in volume from excitement, "we're here. Can you believe me made it? We're actually at the institute, its going to be so much fun!"
Although she was excited, she was also very nervous as she had no idea where she was going to go. She walked towards the front gate where a large crocodile-or alligator? Annie wasn't sure, and couldn't discern the difference even as she closed in on the creature.
"My, my. What do we have here?" snarled the butcher of the sands, Renekton, "Why have you come to thisInstitute? Speak quick young girl, or my teeth will rip you to shreds without a second thought."
Annie was surprised by his hostility, but responded quickly and energetically, "Hi, I'm Annie, and this is TIbbers!"
Just as Renekton was about to retort, his nostrils caught a scent and he immediately snapped to attention, "High Councilor Mandrake!" he exclaimed.
The High Councilor looked at Renekton with contempt, "Threatening little girls are we Renekton? I thought you were supposed to be a mighty God from another demension."
"I was, well I am,I-uh." Renekton's voice trailed off in embarrassment.
Annie watched the exchange with laughter, and unable to contain herself anymore giggled loudly, much to the bewilderment of both other parties, "Is something funny little girl?" the councilor asked, her eyebrows raising slightly.
Annie smiled wide, "You're both really funny. I like you, my name's Annie, what's yours?"
The councilor stared at her for a moment, then said one word, "Hastur." It was neither a statement nor a question.
Annie nodded, and the councilor's expression changed, "So, the time has finally come when you arrive at the institute. Follow me, I'll get your room and have one of the young summoners give you a tour of the institute."
Annie smiled brightly and skipped past Renekton, who glanced at her with a look of contempt, humming lightly to herself. The Institute was a giant structure, bigger than any Annie had ever seen before. She was amazed at the large steps, the marble pillars, and the giant, double doors that made up the front entrance She tried to take in everything at once, but there was so much. Her eyes filled with all the beautiful things in the structure. The suits of armor that lined the grand foyer of the building. The staircase that broke off into two different directions and lead to somewhere Annie couldn't see. Annie hoped she would get to go up the stairs, but unfortunately, the Hig Councilor turned right and opened the door to a large dining hall. As the doors open, the amount of noise was deafening to Annie. There were people of all shapes and sizes; there were yordles, humans, a cute bear that looked like Tibbers but with a lot more armor, and even other creatures. The sheer diversity of the room was enough to send Annie's mind spinning at a dizzying rate.
The High Councilor turned to her, "I would suggest getting a meal, after you finish, a summoner will be waiting outside to show you to your room."
Annie nodded her head, still bewildered by everything. However, when her stomach began to grumble, she quickly headed over to the buffet-style end of the cafeteria. She saw so many different foods; there were meats, and vegetables, and strange fruit she had never seen before but probably came from the kumungu jungles. However, as she skipped down the aisle she saw them; sandwiches, and not just any kind of sandwich, a grilled cheese. That was her favorite and she made a beeline for them. She grabbed two of them and turned around. She had no idea where she was going to sit. She noticed that bear again and decided to sit with him, since he was sitting all alone.
She skipped to the table and as she put her plate down and climbed onto the seat, but as she did so she noticed the entire room get noticeably quieter, but she paid no mind and continued eating her sandwich without a second thought. After she had finished half of it, she looked up and noticed that the bear was staring at her, his head cocked slightly to the side and his teeth slightly visible.
"Hi!" Annie said cheerfully, "I'm Annie, what's your name?"
The bear didn't respond at first, and as Annie looked over her shoulder she noticed a lot of people were staring at their table. She blushed a little, fearing she had done something wrong by sitting with him, "I'm sorry," Annie said sadly, "was someone else sitting here? One time someone tried to sit where my bear was," she lifted Tibbers up for the bear to see, "and he didn't like that. It took a lot of petting to get him to calm down. If you want, I could pet you too."
The bear's head cocked to the other side, and more of his teeth began to bear, in what Annie realized was a smile, the bear laughed, a deep, low sound that would frighten most, "Little girl, you are a funny one. My name is Volibear. Leader of the Ursine tribe and the thunder's roar."
Annie smiled, she had made a new friend. "Hi Volibear! You should meet my bear, his name is Tibbers," and as she held him up Volibear smiled at the young girl.
"Perhaps one day I shall," he said, and grabbed the piece of meat he was eating and tore a huge hunk of of it, "you must be new to the league little one. Only the Freljordian alliance leaders sit here. Although I do not know where Ashe or Sejuani are. But I'll let you sit here today, for I am the most generous of all the Ursine."
Annie was thankful, and the two continued eating in silence. Although Volibear was intimidating at first, she reminded her immensely of Tibbers. TIbbers was also very hostile at first, but the two quickly became friends. After she finished her meal, she quickly rushed out of the dining hall, remembering what the High Councilor had said about a summoner coming to meet her.
THere was a large cluster of summoners standing outside the dinig hall, so the summoner that was supposed to take care of Annie was lost to her. Annie finally came up with a brilliant idea to jump up and down screaming, "I'm here! I'm Annie! Where are you mister summoner!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a girl, that looked a little older than herself with bright gold locks of hair flowing. The girl noticed her, and the two met eyes for a moment. Finally the summoner found her and calmly introduced himself, "Hi, my name is Meril. I'm supposed to show you to the living quarters, but I don't happen to know your alliance. I'm not sure which one you'd want to pair with. W have many different quarters. There are the Bandle City, BIlgewater, Demacian, Freljordian, Ionian, Noxian, Piltoverian, and Zaun quarters. I don't know which you prefer, if you could inform me of your alliance I'd love to take you to your quarters."
Annie thought for a moment, there were so many options to chose from. Freljord was Volibear's home and he's really nice, but she didn't know anyone else. As she was about to say the Freljord she remembered that Tristana hailed from Bandle City. Excitedly she blurted out, "Bundle City!"
Meril smiled, "Very well, let's head to the Bundle City quarters."
Quite excitedly, Annie followed Meril up the large staircase she had seen earlier. Annie couldn't resist running her hand on the soft, red carpet on the floor. It felt so soft, and reminded her of Tibber's fur when the two would play together. Annie followed Meril down a long corridor and glanced at all the empty rooms. There were many people in rooms, some summoners, some not. Annie didn't understand everything about this place, but it everyone seemed so relaxed and calm. She was glad her parents decided to send her here. She still wondered why they sent her away so quickly, but she hoped they would come visit her soon. She already missed them.
The two finally reached the Bundle City quarters, and Meril showed her her room and briskly left, leaving Annie alone. Annie had no idea what to do now. She noticed a bathroom and decided to take a quick bath. As she removed her skirt and shirt, she turned the water on and watched the bath slowly fill up. SHe quickly turned around, "Tibbers! I almost forgot, do you want tot take a bath with me?"
She quickly grabbed him and the two submerged themselves in the water. Annie felt relaxed from the soothing water on her pale, light skin. After cleaning herself, she put on the extra clothes that were in her backpack, a different colored skirt, and her red t-shirt with Tibber's face on it. She opened her door and ran directly into Tristana.
The two fell back from each other, Tristana quickly growled, "Teemo you idiot! Watch where you-" but stopped when she noticed who she had knocked over, "Annie?! What brings you to the league? Are you here to watch me kick butt in my match tomorrow?"
Annie had no idea what she was talking about, but responded, "Tristana! Long time no see! I've missed you these past few months. So has Tibbers!"
Tristana smiled, "I see you're still lugging around that old bear, when are you going to outgrow him," she said jokingly. "anyway, I have to go polish my gun, buuuut, I'll introduce you to some of my buddies."
Annie nodded her head, "Okay, sounds like fun."
Tristana walked down the corridor a little further and opened the door to a large room, filled with all sorts of leisure activities. There were multiple couches, arranged around a warm fireplace. There was a fridge as well as other odd yordle indoor games, the likes of which Annie has never seen again. She turned her head and noticed a large mechanized suit, equipped with a flamethrower.
Tristana, noticing her gaze, smiled, "That's Rumble's. He's a really talented mechanist."
Had Annie not been so naive, she might have noticed the blush plastered on Tristana's face, but as she hadn't she smiled, "That's really cool!"
Suddenly, Tristana's mood changed, "Annie. Do you know what happens here in the league?"
"Not really, no."
"They summon us to a place called Summoner's Rift and we all fight to keep wars from ravaging the lands. You being here means you're going to have to fight soon too. The summoners don't let people stay here for free."
Annie nodded her head, very seriously, but suddenly broke in a huge smile, "Well I have TIbbers! He can fight for me!"
Tristana face palmed, "No, you have to fight yourself."
Annie smiled lightly, "I think I can handle that," a fireball slowly forming in her hand as she finished her sentence.
Tristana was surprised by her increased ability, as last time they had been together she couldn't control her fire abilities yet. The pair stood there calmly, as a summoner walked in the room, obviously searching for Annie. "Young Annie, I have been informed by the High Councilor that you do not yet know how the league is run. She has sent me down to explain everything to you," the summoner motioned for Annie to sit on the couch as she continued to explain the general concept, "Basically people such as myself and Meril will summon you to an area known as Summoner's Rift. You will be accompanied by four other champions, and will fight against five champions on the other side of the rift. Once all 5 of the opposing champions have been killed your team wins, and you receive benefits within the institute. All champions fight twice daily, and you will have to begin next week if you wish to stay here."
Annie's eyebrow raised, "But what happens when someone is killed?"
The summoner smiled, "How to put this simply. There is a lot of magic involved, but basically think of it as pretend. It's like you're pretend fighting each other, as we summoned you, you're physical body will remain here at the institute, but your essence and being will be placed into an inanimate vessel, which will take the exact form of your body in this dimension...but in that dimension..."
As her voice trailed off, Annie's eyes lit up, "So it's like pretend!"
The summoner nodded, "Well, I guess you could say that. Anyway you must be tired from all that running around today, I will leave you alone for the rest of the night, but tomorrow we asses your abilities, and begin your training into the League."
Chapter 2: The Light that Shines the Brightest
She had heard a few champions would be coming in today and as she stood at the top of the grand staircase, she saw the first of four champions that were scheduled to move in throughout this week. The young girl she noticed had bright red hair, and was wearing a little red skirt. In her hand she clutched a teddy bear, I didn't realize we let children fight in the league now, the girl wondered, bewildered as to why such a young girl was in the league. The girl jumped up and down screaming that her name was Annie, which surprised the watcher. She shrugged, turned and headed up the staircase to the Demacian quarters.
As she approached the Demacian quarters, Garen stopped her, "Luxanna. Jarven IV was looking for you, he said it was a pressing matter."
Lux sighed and nodded her head in acknowledgement. Jarven always has some sort of pressing matter. As Lux approached his quarters, she sensed another presence in Jarven's room. As she opened the door, she was surprised to find the queen of the Freljord, Ashe talking to Jarven IV. The two glanced at Lux as she walked in.
"Glad you could make it," Jarven started, "we are having a bit of a problem."
"I heard," Lux responded, her eyes darting from Jarven to Ashe.
"As you know, this is Ashe, leader of one of the largest tribes in the Freljord. We have a large problem, as Ashe was recently called back to her home village. Apparently her guidance is needed, and while there are a few alliances within the Freljord we were tipped off by a reliable source that there are two assassin squadrons who are planning to stop Ashe from reaching her homeland. The first belongs to Trundle, and the second a Noxian squad. I've agreed to help her in exchange for their alliance against the Noxians. However, most of our champions that are here..."
"There specialties don't fall in counter-assassination missions?" Lux finished slyly, "So let me guess, you want me to protect the queen here as she makes her way to the Freljord?"
"Precisely, Ashe will brief you further before you departure tomorrow. I would suggest gathering supplies and preparing for the long journey. You leave in two days."
"Yes sir." Lux said, he tone shifting back to her militant roots, as she quickly scampered out of the room.
"She seems to be a talented girl," Ashe said slyly, "she's very cute as well."
Jarven shrugged, "That's not very queen-like of you to say."
Lux quickly ran to Xin Zhao's room to tell him the news. "Xin I get to go on a very important mission!"
Xin looked up from his spear and smiled at her, "Very good. What is it? Hunting a demon? Countering a Noxian assassination squad?"
Lux smiled brightly, the white of her teeth shining luminously against her pale skin, "Exactly right."
"My little firefly," Xin said standing and walking towards her, "How you have grown." He leaned forward and lightly kissed her.
Lux frowned slightly and pulled away, "I don't like it when you call me firefly."
Xin sighed, "One of Demacia's greatest assassins is unable of feeling proper affection."
"It's not that, its just. We've been together for awhile, but you still treat me like I'm so much younger than you."
"Because you are younger than me. I don't understand what the problem is."
"Ugh," Lux said annoyed, "I want you to treat me like the Demacian specialist I am. I've been able to control light itself, yet you won't give me the respect I deserve."
Xin sighed heavily, "Young one. I know we have been together only a short while, but you must understand I've seen the trials of war for a much longer time than you, and as such I am a entitled to treat you this way. We are still together."
"Yea...maybe not for long," Lux growled lowly as she turned and left his room. She was annoyed at Xin, for being in a relationship with her he was so rigid and not a very good lover. her annoyance radiated as she walked down the hall towards her room, well at least I'll get to take a break and go on a mission. Getting some time away would be a nice change of pace. She laid down in her bed, her mind a swirl of emotions and thoughts, and her last thought before she drifted to sleep was of Ashe.
A/N: That's the end of chapter 2. It's slightly shorter than 1, but feel free to leave me your thoughts on it. I'll upload the next one in the near future. Feel free to throw out characters you want me to include. If they are good enough I'll include them.