The sound of Noxus Prime was far from foreign to her, even though she was less than ten years old. The clanging of metal, the arguing late at night, the utter silence when all were sleeping. The cycle was almost unnerving.
She still stayed up, however, for now it was something stranger- her father had permitted her to accompany a war band, so long as he was present, to witness Noxian strength in its finest form. Reading and hearing of powerful deeds was one thing- watching them happen was another, and she had insisted that she learn how to fight like a Noxian instead of being restricted to politics, regardless of her handicap.
In a sense, it had brought her respect. In another, some grieved their loss before it had happened.
She opened the window of the cart, looking at the sky as the sound of horse and soldier footsteps merged and rhymed. She reached with her hands, pulling her legs up to tuck under her as she leaned against it, watching the changing night. She was so entranced that she barely noticed her father riding higher up the convoy until it was far too late.
"Dahlia, you should be sleeping. You cannot focus if you are not rested."
"Father, I have never been out of the capital. Please- I will pay extra attention in the morning, even take notes!"
"Notes are useless in combat."
"... if you are truly sure I should rest, I will, father. I just wanted to watch the sky where no torch nor fire could dim the stars."
"... leave your window open. We must be fearless, not stupid, my child- and fighting without rest is on the latter spectrum of things."
"Have you been reading, father? You don't usually speak so eloquently."
"And a child doesn't taunt their father very often," retorted the general, earning a snort of laughter from his daughter. She shifted, sprawling out upon her makeshift bed of a cot once more as her father cast a glance inside.
He had a plan for his daughter, once she was old enough to hold a blade while restricted. If one could fight with a handicap, then they would only be more fearsome when that handicap was removed; the daughter of Darius would never be someone whose name would be cast as a joke. For now, however, she was young; he felt a need to preserve her as long as he could, give her the time to learn that he did not have. She was already strong.
Little did she know that he saw her as a leader, a child that could turn Noxus against itself if she wished. One capable of leading without fetters to magic to survive, one capable of fighting with strength she earned.
He wouldn't live to see the day. He knew it would come anyway.