NOTE: 12/07/2017
CHAPTER EDITED: A HUGEEE thanks to onnikyla, "onni," for sparing me some lifetime and trying to get this chapter somewhat decent. We got it fixed as much as we could because onni also isn't a native English speaker, but onni gets it better than me, anyways. So, we fixed what we found. Sorry for the inconveniences. I've also got the chapter "fattier." It's relatively the same, but I just changed some words that I didn't like and improved some narration lacking here and there.
I also changed the first Author's Note. I was a little overwhelming.
…
Hello, I'm Martín. I'm not a native English speaker, so I decided to use this story as practice and, of course, for fun. Expect really horrid grammatical mistakes here and there. I get better later in the chapters, I promise.
If you see any issue, PLEASE make me to know to it! Thank you!
1. Everybody's fool
Lux walked down the Demacian streets with a steady step, avoiding people occasionally and apologizing whenever she bumped into someone. Her bright smile never faltered, shining in every corner and making her cheery mood very visible. Instead of her usual silvery armor she was wearing a light orange dress that swung gracefully in the breeze. She wore a nice pair of white heels, walking through dense crowd without any trouble. Her face was covered with blush and lipstick, which she didn't normally use, that made her look like an angel, a very cute angel.
The mass of people quickly led her walk towards the park in the middle of the city, a perfect place for her quest, allowing her to pretend to be just enjoying the day and harshly telling everyone to not disturb her in any way. It had been one of her favorite places ever since she was a toddler, when the only thing that mattered were her toys and the beautiful light that followed her to everywhere. She was in one of her best moods in months, and that meant that she didn't want to be bothered by anybody. Unfortunately, that was something people didn't seem to understand. Ignoring the curious gazes from fans and strangers alike, she made her way to a bench below a beautiful flowered tree. She sat down with grace on the wood and set her back comfortably between the curves of the bench. She sighed slowly, feeling safe, and smiled one more time, looking up to the beauty of the place, her mind wandered between unimportant and dark things that always lingered in the back of her mind, and back to the thing that really mattered.
Her date would be there any minute.
Thinking about the serenity felt weird, almost unnatural. She was actually partly proud about living her life in a way her mother would call "correct", never even dating anyone. That's why having a date was completely out of place. She just didn't have time for it. Lux had always done what she was told to, ready to satisfy whoever's wish. It was in her blood, printed forcefully deep into her brain. Either to obey orders from her superiors or either to attend any demand from the League, mostly the summoning stuff on the Fields of Justice. In fact, she felt wrong when Ezreal, all of the sudden, asked her to hang out in a… flirty way. It was spontaneous and very casual, from her point of view. It surprised her. And the whole thing between this and her actual life situation made unable to remember her last time she dedicated some time to herself, just forget everything and live in the moment, to stop thinking for some time and doing things like these. That big, sad bubble that was surrounding her had suddenly fallen apart, leaving her into a sea of feelings, feelings that she was unable to recognize. The light mage was really surprised. She had never even flirted with someone, neither had she ever broken any rules. She couldn't even remember the last time she had ice cream! Maybe when the League offered it as a dessert in the dining hall...?
Well, the ice-cream didn't really matter right now.
"Everyone is thinking that we are a couple. So why not give us a chance?" were the words that she was remembering over and over, the words Ezreal said to her. It was like an old mantra that sorted every though in her head. And just like that, he asked her out. It wasn't the best choice words for someone to use to ask a girl out, not quite, but it was good enough for her. He asked because he wanted to try.
Lux liked the thought of having accepted because she wanted to try it, too. Not because someone ordered her to do it, or for the good of someone, no. It wasn't something that bas bugging all the way back on her mind. She did it because she never went on a date with someone in her whole life. As bad it sounds, it is how it is.
And it wasn't the first time she was asked something like that. Her peaceful life (the most peaceful possible life when you are learning the arts of magic 12 hours a day) with her brother, was taken aback by a wave of marriage proposals when she turned thirteen years old, many of them having political agendas behind them, irremediably involving her. As if that weren't enough, she discovered that her brother was going to be sent away from her to the endless war between Noxus and Demacia. The thought of not seeing her brother and marrying a filthy stranger scared her. But against all odds, every proposal was rejected, her family shooing them without any apparent reason. Everyone was surprised when they found out, she especially. At least she was saved from marriage, and Lux foolishly believed that her family loved her and respected her decision. Now she knew that it was done because she already had a place in the military thanks to her prodigious intelligence and aptitude in combat, oh, and because their parents expect the same from her and her brother. She grew up as an emotionless child, almost brainwashed by her own country. That was an obscure stage in her life, but the League helped her embrace her past years after. That was a sad memory she is still trying to erase. It was hard.
She was completely unhappy with how she had lived her life, her control vanishing quickly as time went by. Every teen or adult should have at least one date; it was her right. It doesn't matter that she was a little late, right? That's why she accepted Ezreal's proposal. It wasn't her fault that her parents dumped her into the first military program they found, and she had an uncaring brother who only cares about Demacia. The constant need to risk herself to ensure Demacia's safety was slowly driving her insane. That's the other reason she joined the League. To be as far away as possible from Demacia and her parents, and to rebuild his relationship with Garen. But that was an ongoing process, a very slow one…
"It doesn't matter right now. I didn't have choice," she thought, trying to cheer herself up and to shoo away her dark thoughts.
One's first date was something very important for a girl or at least it was something a lot of people had told her. Lux didn't know if she was supposed to feel nervous or not, never have done like this before. Some info had leaked from Janna, her friend from the League. She was the only friend she ever had, not so experienced as Lux portrayed her, but still better than any kind of date info she could ever think of. Janna sometimes talked about this Ekko guy, and how he was "cute when blushing," and also she liked to hang out with him. At least she had a crush on someone. Lux was probably the only weirdo out here who hasn't ever experienced the slightest taste of what it's called "love."
Lux secretly looked up to her, growing in a place like Zaun and being as so kind and polite, and pretty, and well-mannered. If Janna talked about dates, she had been in one. If she could do it, Lux could as well.
Her skills in this sort of thing, however, are a total disaster, never caring to learn and not paying any attention of it since ever. She could handle almost everything that could happen, like a murder attempt in the middle of the street or crazy people starting to kill everyone out of blue, but a date…? That… was something completely new.
A few minutes were enough for her to make herself insecure, her questioning nature taking the worse out of her. She was Lux, she was never insecure. She's got superior tactics for EVERYTHING. But there she was, afraid of a date. Something she would've laughed at long time ago. What if she messes up everything? What if she does something that embarrasses her in front of Ezreal? What would Janna do?!
Blurry thoughts took over her wellbeing and she started to panic. "When you are nervous, try to count to ten and…" …Janna's words vanished.
She lost control of herself, her gut ordering to her to run away from the impending disaster. As she sharply stood up from the bench, making sure to keep a hand on her dress to avoid any accident, her escape was ruined when her ears picked up someone calling her. She turned her head to the silhouette of a familiar champion approaching in the distance steadily.
Ezreal confidently strode towards her, holding a bouquet of white roses in his hand. Lux's heart fluttered a bit self-consciously. The guy was attracting glances from a lot of every kind of women, looking at him with an awestruck expression and goo goo eyes, wondering where that man came from and who the lucky lady was. Lux noticed the amusing look on their faces; onlookers now jealous and envious of her, seeing the blonde approach her. She smiled at him softly and took her time inspecting his outfit, inner grading it. He was fairly normal, just wearing some tight blue jeans and a nerd T-shirt that said something about museums. On top of that he wore a black leather jacket and a cool pair of yellow sneakers. She liked his outfit, and she wouldn't hide that she was expecting something more pretentious and more... Ezreallistic? She noted that he wasn't wearing his gauntlet. That was completely breathtaking. She knew his gauntlet was like another extension of his body.
When Ezreal stopped right in front of her firmly, she wasn't greeted with the usual cocky smirk he wore on his face practically every time she had a glimpse of him, instead there was just a normal, warm smile. And it was just for her; there was the embarrassing again. She smiled, too. At last, after a long silence of staring, he spoke.
"You look beautiful with that dress. I like it," he said softly with what seemed an honest compliment, the slightest tone of hesitance on his voice. Lux's cheeks blushed just a little, ignoring what her calculative mind locked on. That only contributed to make Ezreal's smile only bigger, if that was possible, in a pretty way. Lux cursed herself for acting like a lovestruck teen. But again, wasn't this what she wanted? "This is for you," he rushed a bit, making Lux to turn her glance below and watch him stretching out his arm to give her the bouquet. She counted exactly 12 roses. "I didn't know if you liked roses, but I picked the white ones. The lady from the store told me that means purity and innocence. It reminded me of you."
Lux was about to put on the dumbest expression she had, but she wasn't the best spy of Demacia for no reason. Her excitement only showed as another of her bright smiles as she received the gift carefully. Her hands clutched the roses like they could break at any moment. The lovely smell flooded her nose. He believed that she was innocent. That was so sweet.
"Thank you, they are beautiful," she admitted, deeply staring at them, never having a gift like that from anyone. A void in her head alerted something and her smile quickly left her face when she remembered she didn't get anything for him. "Oh no I didn't bring you anything!" she cried. Ezreal raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised with the outburst. "I'm really sorry!"
Ezreal just chuckled at her antics, getting her somewhat confused. Did she just say something wrong? Has she started already with her dumbness on the matter?! He walked to her side and pulled Lux closer to him. That only served to make her jump in response to the sudden act. The light mage looked at him with eyes wide open, asking silently what he was doing.
"Don't worry about it, I'm the one who is buying things here," he assured, making Lux shrug in embarrassment. She avoided his eyes for a moment. "After all, you are my special date, aren't you?"
Lux smiled a little and relaxed. She leaned a little into Ezreal's shoulder, enjoying the comfortable, friendly warmth that spread on her skin.
"I guess so," she agreed, barely. "Um… Shall we go? I don't want to waste the day; it is beautiful."
Ezreal smiled and nodded quickly, slightly brushing her shoulder. They both started to walk to the opposite direction to where Lux came from in a slow, comfortable pace. Lux enjoyed some moments the sunlight washing everything before she turned her head to Ezreal to quickly strike up some idle chitchat.
After talking for a few minutes, they decided to go to buy some ice cream. Lux was veryinsistent about it and almost came up with a report of why they should so. Ezreal was completely fine with that, afraid of triggering her wrath. The girl quickly looked around suspiciously and, before even the people started to recognize them again, she casted a quick but effective illusion to bend the light surrounding them to avoid any unwelcomed gazes with a little wag of her hand. To the others, they look like just another couple waking in the park, not two famous champions from the League.
As time went by, Lux learned that Ezreal liked to talk, a lot. He talked about his job, his expeditions, his treasures, his family, his friends (not that he had that much), but mostly, about himself. However, it was very different to what the things he said in the League. In any moment he didn't sound cocky or pretentious, he was just telling her things about him with the best intentions, trying to get her to know him. She talked sometimes and answered some of his questions about her life, like her favorite color (which was yellow), and her hobbies. She surprised him when she said that she likes to sing, and that sometimes she spares some time to improve on it. However, after a little demonstration from Lux, where she tried to sing her own version of Demacia's National Anthem, Ezreal tried to tell her as kindly as possible that she was pretty good, but still had a long way to go. The light mage snickered and just laughed. Ezreal didn't try to talk about her family, and she was thankful for that.
They stopped at the ice cream stand after some minutes walking, Ezreal greeted the sir on the other side and beckoned her to pick. She pointed to her favorite flavors of ice-cream: vanilla and chocolate. Ezreal was right when he tried to guess which her most liked flavor was, and he hit vanilla, but he confessed that he didn't expect her like to chocolate. She found it strange, but it was forgotten quickly when the sweet flavor took over her tongue. The boy picked only strawberry and paid for both. They started to walk again, now with Lux having her attention divided between her food and her date, amusing Ezreal. They walked for a full hour, talking and joking non-stop, being extremely easy to do so.
Lux was having the time of her life she didn't have long time ago. So this is what she has been missing those years! If every date is like this, she is more than willingly to go out every time Ezreal asks her. It was so much fun, so different to anything similar she had tried before. They learned things about each other, making Lux feel great to know more about him. She knew those unnecessary details about someone, and not those kinds of details that she was ordered to know.
Eventually, they both finished their ice creams. Lux made sure that he was looking away and discreetly sucked her fingers, extracting any rest of ice cream that could have remained swiftly. Finally, the couple dropped the napkins in a nearby trash can. Lux sighed with a full stomach and repressed a burp, her body protested and she ignored it. That'd be unladylike.
"Do you like movies?" he asked her suddenly, looking eye contact.
Lux eyes perked up, looking at him with interest, her mind working to the speed of the light, telling the unworthy information that, again, she was unable to remember the last time she watched a movie, too. However, this time no thoughts come to her more time than necessary. Ezreal was asking her to do it now.
"I love them," she answered, not completely honestly, but he didn't have to know that. She did love the movies she picked, but saying that would screw up the whole ambient.
Ezreal smiled to her. He grabbed Lux's hand and started to walk, dragging her with him kindly. That only served to make Lux blush in nervousness once more. Recovering fast, she started to walk again at his side, trying to not let her face be seen. He slipped out from his pocket a pair of tickets to one of the latest successful movie, My Immortal. She watched him, not knowing if she needed to feel surprised or not, almost starting to chirp in excitement. He was taking her to a romantic movie? A guy? Lux had never felt so eager to watch a movie in her whole life. And how in the world did she know about the movie? She might have pried into someone else's conversation, but it didn't matter right now.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw the cinema in the distance. Lux quickly rushed to the entrance, dragging Ezreal along. Ezreal swallowed his complaints and quickly gave the tickets to the ticket clerk, who only smiled at the couple and allowed them to go in. Lux whizzed through the double doors, rushing to find auditorium 2, her task being hampered by the people passing by. Ezreal took the opportunity to walk to the shop and buy some popcorn and drinks for them to enjoy. After paying for everything, he sought out his date, which was impatiently waiting next to the entrance of the room their movie was going to be shown in. He smiled sheepishly and walked straight to her side, giving to her a box of popcorn. The blonde gratefully accepted it with a smile and rushed him to get in. Climbing a little staircase, they were greeted by an almost-empty room. The only people there were very far away from them, seated down comfortably and waiting to the movie to roll. Maybe they were almost alone because the golden time of the movie was already over. When did she hear that conversation, anyways?
Lux feel a little nervous of not having anyone close to them, but the fear quickly subsided. They selected a random row of chairs and sat down.
My Immortal was a story about two lovers in an impossible relationship. The girl's parents opposed their love because the boy was from a humble family. From the first scene where the couple fell in love on first sight, the movie develops into a tragic drama. Lux found it very cliché, but still enjoyed it. Deeply, she wished something like that happened to her. Not the bad things but the romantic ones.
As the movie went by maybe too quickly, Lux experimented how Ezreal's mood changed back and forth in sync with the scenes. One particularly sad appeared on screen and she could've sworn that he was holding back tears. With an extremely amused expression, Lux paid him some glances as the heartbreaking scene stroke.
"Forget about your family, Amy!" the boy, Ben, pleaded to her dramatically, reaching up for her pale hands and pulling them on his. "Your family won't understand our love. They're blind."
"I can't just forget them, Ben," Amy said, her eyes unnerving Lux with how powerful and sad they looked. She did like her blue ones, but Amy's were flawless. "I can't turn them away… Ben… I'm sorry… They just want the best for me… Ours would never work."
Then, Amy broke free from her lover's grasp walked away from him, getting back into the forest where her family's mansion was. Ben watched her with tears in his eyes and with one of the most heartbreaking expression Lux had ever seen on a man. She almost crushed her popcorn as she saw Ezreal cry the tiniest tear down his cheek, feeling like some kind of experiment just succeed. He soon noticed it and quickly wiped the tear away, cleared his throat, trying to be as manly possible, but failing miserably due to his still red eyes.
"Don't worry Ez, I'm not telling anyone." Lux whispered with a smile, smiling dryly at him.
He only scowled at her amused face, turning his head away to hide his blush.
Lux loved every second of the movie. After many twists, the lovers ended fleeing together in order to be happy, far away from every accusing eye, right on a forgotten paramo. Turns out that Ben knew how to get by in every kind of situation. Their families never found them.
Seeing how even they can success, very deep in her mind she toyed with the idea of flee away with someone. To run away from her responsibilities and to get some needed peace on her life. That idea was destroyed almost an instant later, her mind sense of responsibility calling her insane. She'll get executed by her own nation as a traitor. She was upset she even thought of it.
As the credits rolled they both left their seats and walked out of the cinema. Once outside, Lux warily eyed Ezreal, wondering what else he would have up his sleeve. She was eager.
By a gesture of a hand, he told her to follow him. Lux nodded, and they started walking again. She watched the sky in silence. The sun slowly approached the horizon, giving way to the moon. Lux silently questioned where they were going. But for now, she enjoyed the environment and people passing by, trying to figure their lives out just for fun.
As time went by, she noted how the people surrounding the suddenly started to change, rich folk walking all around them; all of them going the same direction as the couple. Her mind quickly deducted they were headed to a rich area of the city.
"Where are we going?" she asked, watching a big, beautiful carriage pass by. Lux recognized it as a carriage from one of the noblest family in Demacia, just a couple of steps below of them.
"It's a surprise" he answered with a complicit smile.
Lux's eyes narrowed. She didn't like surprises at all. That was mostly because almost all of the surprises she'd ever received were negative. She stopped her paranoid mind from straying off tracks. She was sure Ezreal would let nothing bad happen.
He raised his hand, offering it to Lux again. She accepted it with a smile, going to his side happily. When they crossed one street to the right quickly, trying to no get on the way of the carriages and wagons, the city was suddenly filled with an astonishing sight. Every single person showed off sickening money out from their appearances, and even some did power. Lux was glad that she was hid on the spell otherwise she'd be instantly recognized. She liked the thought of being part of something trivial, just being one of the dozens of people there, even if she wasn't the same 'kind' of person. It makes her feel normal. Ezreal being there with her makes her feel normal. Not a killer-mage-spy from her country.
She just kept walking, until Ezreal suddenly stopped, she almost continuing past him thanks to being lost in thought. Lux recovered fast and smiled shyly. He chuckled a little but let it go.
"We're here," he said, signaling to something in front of him. Lux followed his finger and what she saw almost made her to fall to her knees. Above from the enormous doors and below of the building name, was written in big, golden words "TONIGHT: SONA BUVELLE LIVE".
They were in the city's theatre, Ars Demacia.
The light mage managed to hold onto Ezreal arm, catching it just in time to avoid falling to the ground. Her mouth was open wide in amazement, her eyes reading the billboard over and over and over… Ezreal laughed loudly, forcing her to return to the realm of the living and making her blush horribly, this time being unable to hold back.
"Oh God, you look like the tomato I ate yesterday," he mocked her shamelessly.
Lux growled at him, sending invisible daggers at his head. She released his hand and crossed her arms in annoyance.
"Oh common, your face was pretty hilarious" he tried to convince her, without success. "Ok, fine, fine. I'm sorry for picking on you, okay? But you owe me one for what happened in the cinema. Don't you remember?
Lux tried really hard to stay angry at him, but he was right. Reluctantly, she undid her angry face and stared at Ezreal blankly. He gave her back the same stare, the two of them having a stare contest, neither wanting to lose. After a couple of seconds, Lux sighed in defeat and smiled a little.
"Alright," she said. "I forgive you, but just this time."
Ezreal smiled again and started to search something in his pockets. When he let her to see two tickets to the big show of tonight, Lux seemed to completely forget everything.
"Where did you get those?!" She screamed with a high pitched-voice. "I can only dream of getting those if I sell my kidney!"
"Let's just say… I know somebody. He gave 'em to me," he answered. Lux gave him a glaze flooded with suspicion, but the sight of the tickets was enough to shut her down.
She could almost feel her ears trembling with the thought of hearing Sona's music again, only having heard it three times in her whole life. One was in the super rare concert that she made long, long time ago in the middle of the street, Lux being lucky to be there. The second time was when she played in one of the many important parties between nobles. And the last time was when she played in the League when she joined.
The girl found herself having the same expectation, no matter the time.
"I've heard that you are 'The Biggest Fan' of Sona," he said, Lux smiled in embarrassment. She made it clear very occasionally "So I thought that this maybe will be a nice present for you."
If before she felt bad for not gave nothing to Ezreal, now she felt completely hopeless. He was taking her to a damn Sona concert! How could she possible make up for it?! There wasn't anything in the world she could give him to repay!
"And don't worry too much about it" he said, as if he was reading her thoughts. "You don't have to give me anything to make up for it". Lux frowned, clearly not agreeing with his words.
"But…!" she tried to speak.
"I said no," he interrupted her with a firm tone. Lux pouted at him stubbornly, but nodded reluctantly. "Good. Let's go in".
The theatre had an entry with a granite path, surrounded by a big fence engraved full of beautiful spirals. The area was adorned by elegant and big trees and flowers of every kind of Demacian color. The lights that came from light posts danced around the people, making the place almost magical. Lux's eyes were moving around, trying to see and remember everything. The only time she visited this place was when she graduated from the Magic Academy. Her parents promised her, if she was able to manage to do it with the highest grades (she needed to get herself a GOOD spot in military) they all would hang out at the place. That was one of the two presents she can remember her parents gave her, the other one being her magic staff. Obviously, it wasn't Sona who was playing in the stage that time, but Lux loved it anyway. Coming back again felt great.
The guards at the entry quickly allowed the nobles and rich families pass through their own private pathway. In the other hand for the other people, they carefully checked everyone's tickets, watching them and making sure that they weren't imposters. When Lux and Ezreal were done, they were finally allowed to get in.
A woman gathered people around her and requested everyone to follow her to the auditorium the concert would take place in. Lux looked around her in awe as she walked above the red carpet that took over the middle of the room. Ten pairs of white marble pillars with different decorations were holding up the roof. The walls were a perfect combination between white and brown and big windows let in the last rays of light from the sunset. The staircase that was in the middle of the room led to the various rooms meant for different purposes. Lux didn't remember the theatre like this, it was much better than the last time!
The woman guided them to the main auditorium, which only made Lux's amazement bigger. The amphitheater was astonishing. Surrounding a circular stage in the middle of the room, were dozens of rows of chairs in a semi-circle, making the room very similar to the foyer and the same time not. Higher up were the expensive seats, already occupied by important people, waiting patiently to everything to be set in place.
Ezreal whispered her something about find their seats. Lux merely nodded, her glance focused in the dome above of them. It was almost fully made of stained glass, with thousands of colors symbolizing Demacia and its relationship with art.
Lux sat down absently, her date only glanced at her and smiled, amused by her reaction. The murmurs that were surrounding them stopped almost immediately when the lights in the room faded a little. Lux snapped out of her thoughts and watched the stage with interest. A single light was projected to the middle of it as someone walked towards the end of it. She quickly recognized it as Sona and her instrument floating in front of her. The environment was filled with expectation as she prepared herself.
She didn't make any signal that she was about to start. Instead, she just smiled to everyone and started playing her Etwahl. Before the sound could even be registered by Lux's ears, she closed her eyes. A second later she disconnected from the world.
During the hour, Lux's mind was filled with her most happy memories.
….
Inevitably, the night had already arrived as they walked out of the theatre. The usual bustling sounds were silenced by the moon, washing everyone with its light. Lux was walking alongside Ezreal in a solitary street, the smile that the concert left on her never faltering.
"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you to home?" he asked worried. Lux smiled and shook her head.
"Don't worry, I can take care of myself," she answered kindly.
He smiled, troubled, his silence being the answer. They walked a couple of minutes, enjoying the silence and the sight of Demacia in the night. They watched as everyone closed their stores, said goodbye to each other and finished what business they had yet to do. In the distance Lux saw the beginning of the private neighborhood she lived in, and slowed down a bit. Ezreal imitated her as well.
"Thank you, I really enjoyed the date," she said softly.
"It's no big deal, I already told you are my special date!" he said chuckling.
Lux smiled and a hesitant expression showed on her face seconds later. They stared at each other for five second before Lux leaned slightly to him. Ezreal's eyes widened in expectance of what was going to happen, but his hopes were washed away as Lux only kissed his cheek. He blushed a little. She stood straight again and smiled.
"I'll see you later, okay? Goodbye" she said and then, she turned around and started to walk away.
"Wait!" He cried and grabbed her by her wrist.
Lux stopped and looked at Ezreal, surprised.
"Will we be going out again?" he asked hopefully, his eyes shining.
Something knocked inside Lux. Her face suddenly went expressionless, carefully watching Ezreal, trying so hard to find something wrong in him, something that could possible harm her... Her raw instincts that saved her countless times took control of her. He saw her with confusion at how she changed, but didn't say anything.
But when she could not find more than friendliness and honesty, she showed her most bright smile, the smile that was hidden years.
"Of course! Call me whenever you want!" she told him happily.
Ezreal looked at her, swearing that for a moment a strange light seemed to surround them. He knew about her special magic, but he didn't know what she can really do. He smiled; he doesn't give a damn about it. Lux turned around and started to walk to her house in the middle of the night. She didn't see the loving smile Ezreal gave her before he started walking in the opposite direction.
In a matter of minutes, Ezreal's absence was almost painfully noticeable. Her normal, little dark world returned to her with the force of a thousand tons. She looked at the white roses in her arm, not having been aware of them for the whole date thanks to the fun she had had. She smiled dryly, remembering the words he told her when he gave to her, 'Pureness and innocence'. She was nothing like that, she was pretty sure. But the effort was well received and sealed deeply into her heart.
Contrary what everyone thinks, Ezreal was right to worry about her safety. Demacia wasn't a city that was fully clean of delinquency, the closest to one being Piltover, but even they can't manage to hit zero percent crime rates. Ezreal has the right to worry about what people could try to do to her. But she was someone very dangerous, too. She could take care of herself.
In any case, no one saw her as she approached the Crownguard mansion, her magic making her invisible. Her glance not in the roses anymore, she only showed herself after being only meters away from the gate of the garden. The two guards in front of her noticed her, hiding their surprise, and stood completely straight, bowing her deeply as Lux stopped in front of them.
"Good evening, Lady Luxanna," one of them greeted her with respect, his face showing a little nervousness at the presence of her. "Lady Crownguard told us to tell you that she is waiting for you inside. She said you know where to find her."
She frowned deeply, her senses telling that something wasn't right.
"Did she say when I should see her?" she asked, her hands itching.
"She said that you have to go there as quickly you can." he answered.
She stood there for moment, thinking and thanked them. They opened the gate to let her in, and closing it quickly to avoid any problem. Lux walked around the garden, following the stone path illuminated by the fancy lights alongside of it. The path led her to the main door, however, she deviated from the road, moving away a several steps from it. She caved a little space in the grass with her bare hands with a little effort and unfolded the roses. Summoning her magic staff, she dropped them carefully in the hole. After sighing deeply, she wagged her magic staff and the magic started to appear.
Her light went down, this time being a green, thick light, and delicately surrounded the roses. Lux saw the plants slowly joining the earth and blooming, the magic making the whole process easier. Sweat started to drop from her chin, but she ignored it. When the roses were finally united with the ground, she stopped, her head hurt a lot. However, at the sight of good job, she knew it was worth it. She stared at the roses for some time, thinking about it.
Lately, she was experimenting with new magic, trying to improve her whole knowledge. The one she used was nature magic. It allowed you to control the plants and derivatives with it and make trees appear and even destroy entire ecosystems, but she still was nowhere close to that. Lux liked learning, but it wasn't like she was growing tired of her light magic. Knowledge was something that appealed to her, getting her also interested in other magic branches, there were a lot of possibilities. However, she didn't like to get out of her comfort zone this sharply. It was something just for fun.
Lux returned to the path again, trying to focus in the present. She didn't want to know what her mother would want to talk with her. Almost every time she wished to talk in private with her meant bad news. Would it be best to go away and wait for tomorrow? Maybe go to the League to spend the night there?
No, that would only make things worse. Her mother didn't teach her to be a coward.
After gathering enough courage, she scaled the neat stairs and pushed the left door. It opened with an unpleasant chirp that resonated in every corner of the room. Not minding the sound, she went in and closed the door, still feeling the need to run away. The enormous hallway didn't suit her very well, she didn't like the emptiness of it; so much space to only being occupied by paintings and solitary plants. She nodded to herself, but sighed.
Passing by all the expensive things, like a sofa made of high-paid fabric or the bear skin carpet (she hated that one). The girl started to walk up one of the two giant white stairs. She didn't want to reach the end, but she knew she had to. Just like downstairs, a great hall opened before her eyes, dozens of doors connecting other rooms it. Lux turned to her right and walked to her mother's room. Watching the doors as the way to one of the worst moments in her life that was to come, Lux knocked two times, waiting patiently for the response. Seconds later, a quiet "Come in" came from the other side.
She grabbed the golden handle and turned it, the door opened easily. Augatha Crownguard was sitting on her chair. The woman didn't make any visible move that revealed she was aware of Lux as the mage approached, but the blonde knew that her mother's almost non-existent elderly face twitched a bit. Augatha twirled around just a little, her brown hair falling down her back like a waterfall and she stared at her daughter's blank expression.
She smiled, Lux felt sick.
"Hello, my girl," she greeted with an attempt at a lovely voice. Lux repressed the need to grimace. "How have you been?"
"I'm fine, mother," she answered with fake respect, a stern tone in her voice. If Augatha noticed it, she didn't say anything. Lux was amazing at hiding it, anyway. "The guards told me you want to talk with me."
"Ah, yes," she said. She then stood up from and grabbed something off the desk. The blonde recognized it as one of the family's photo albums. What the hell? "I was just remembering the old times. Come here, Lux. Sit with me," she almost ordered, walking to her bed.
Lux silently followed her, her mind racing up and down. Something was wrong, really wrong. Her mother was actually smiling to her and acting casually. She never does that, she strictly taught her to be the opposite of how she was behaving right now!
"Here," the woman said, flipping a couple of pages and showing her one of the old photos. Lux picked up and figured out that it was her and Garen, the two of them on a holiday at the Beach. Inevitably, Lux smiled, remembering those happy times when she was still innocent. She remembered destroying her brother's sand castle because he said something mean to her. "You two seemed so happy… The time goes by so fast…" she rambled.
Lux went wary again, her demeanor changing drastically one more time. She put back the photo and stared her mother.
"Mother, what's the meaning of this?" she asked, going straight to the point.
Then, she saw the woman close her eyes for a moment. Three seconds filled with tension later, she spoke.
"I heard that you went out for… quite a while," she said, not really answering and looking at Lux's orange dress with a disapproving gaze. Lux's eyes widened in shock. How did she know? Did she track her? She couldn't guess just by looking at her dress. "You don't have to explain anything, I already know."
"How?" she almost demanded, her voice rising slightly. "How did you know? I never told anyone."
"I'm your mother," she simply said with a disappointed expression in her eyes, Lux didn't like it. "It's my job to take care of you."
Lux rolled off the bed and stood up, her back facing the woman. She then started to count to ten mentally, trying to contain her anger. If a mother's job is to look out her child, then she wasn't her mother. She never does that. Not in the way a real parent would do.
Augatha closed the album and did the same, but with a disturbing calm expression.
"Please answer my question, mother," the girl said, this time turning around and watching her.
Augatha seemed suddenly defeated.
"I… asked The King to send Quinn to watch over you for me. I had my suspicions," Augatha told her, her daughter received the information and surprising stood calm, but her mind was chaotic. She knew that Valor was able to see through some of her light spells. "And I wasn't wrong. You left home at midday to meet… your date."
Lux's eyebrows frowned, puzzled. Why, having a lot of people to do the job, they send Quinn? She was such an important spy for Demacia, too. And again, what the hell The King does have to do with her?
"Ignoring that you were spying on me," she hissed crudely, making her mother frown her lips, "That doesn't make any sense," she pointed out, her head hurting as she tried to analyze the situation. "What does The King have to do with this?"
As the words left her mouth, the woman's demeanor seemed to look the worst.
"I never told you, actually…" she murmured almost to herself, but the blonde heard her. "… That doesn't matter right now. In any case, your dates with this guy Ezreal are now over. You aren't seeing him again".
"Yes, IT matters to me, mother," she contradicted. "And why, in the name of God, should I listen to you…?" she accused not caring to hide the anger in her voice anymore.
Augatha's eyes narrowed. She approached one step closer, her glance filled with contained fury.
"Don't dare to talk me like that again, young lady," she said sternly. "What I'm doing is the best for you! It's the best for everyone!"
"And would you be so kind to tell me why is the best for me? And everyone?"
Augatha seemed to be taken aback for a moment. Without saying anything, she sat down again, taking some time to prepare her words. Her daughter looked at her expectantly.
"It… happened long time ago," she started slowly. She stopped again, Lux almost screaming at her to continue, but she started to speak again." After the day I give you birth, The King came personally to congratulate your father and me," she recited. Lux's eyebrows rose. The damn problem was so big? "He… made a private surprise party for us after a month, only inviting people he trusts a lot. We celebrated your birth, and… your gift." Behold that, the mage stiffened. She didn't like how this was going. "Back then, we didn't believe it was magic as it is. We thought it was just a kind of blessing from the heavens. Besides, it was still kept as a secret. And then…coming closer to the end of the meeting, he went up to the stage and surprised every single person there with his next words."
At this moment, the woman was very nervous, her hands grasping the blankets of the bed, trying to relieve some stress.
"…Mother, what did he say?" Lux asked slowly.
Augatha looked into her eyes. Lux froze to the sight. Pain and sorrow, a couple of feelings that she thought never would see in her mother, were now exploding in her face.
"He said that his gift to our family and you was a… marriage arrangement. At the age of twenty-one, you are going to marry his son, Jarvan IV".
Lux couldn't move her body. She just stood here, her eyes loosing focus of her mother. For a moment, she just felt nothing, emptiness, a void inside of her. It was one of the most horrible things she ever felt in her life. It consumed her completely. This was it, right? The last thing her parents have yet to do to her, to completely ruin her.
Her body started to tremble.
"Lux…"
"No." she interrupted her, her voice almost unnatural of the rage and sadness she was feeling right now. "I… don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it anymore. I don't want to hear you anymore".
She can't believe it, she really can't. But it was happening.
"We didn't have another choice," her mother tried to explain herself to her daughter for the first time of her life. Lux shook her head, with tears rolling down her cheeks. "It… would do incredibly well for us, our family…"
"Yes, YOU HAD another damn choice!" she screamed to full force right into her face. Augatha sad expression was quickly engulfed by one of anger, rushing to Lux to threaten with a slap. She stopped it in midair at the sight of the girl's pair of eyes filled with pure hatred. It was an instant, an instant in that she felt fear, noticing how the room was also starting to tremble, the lights blinking and the objects starting to swing slightly.
The room was suddenly filled with an overwhelming energy.
"Go on, do it. Beat up your little daughter, just like you usually do. Every time she doesn't obeys, a slap does it instead." she saw her mother dubitative face and smiled dryly. "What? Oh, right, I'm not a harmless child anymore. You're just a coward, like father. Abusing a little, innocent child."
Lux didn't know why, but she waited some moments for her mother to respond. To say something, anything to comfort her, anything that showed her that she regretted it. That she regretted to have destroyed her daughter's life. But no, she only saw pain because of the situation, nothing deeper.
The only thing she could think of was to flee to the place that was still secure in that hell, her room. Her back faced her mother as she stormed out the room. The hallways had never been so long and annoying, but she finally reached her destination. The door, unlike the others, didn't have a keyhole, it only opened by a wag from her wrist. She made the loudest possible sound closing it.
Not satisfied by this, she summoned her staff and, in an act of fury, she recited every defensive spell in her head. Shining magic, runes and new walls appeared, surrounding everything and locking her away from the world. Her right hand was suddenly empty, her staff forgotten in the floor. She ran to her bedside table, grabbing harshly the picture frame and took out the piece of paper in it. Her hands trembling, she watched it deeply.
In the photo were her mother, father and she, the three of them smiling. She stared at it before magic started to burn it, making holes in her parents' head. A second later, it only was merely dust in the floor. She climbed to her bed.
Lux started to cry, sobs of pain coming out from her throat, not seeming to be stopping anytime soon.
….
Lux woke up in the middle of the night, her eyes swollen by the now dry tears on her face. Blinking a couple of times, she turned her head to the door, her magic informing her that her mother tried to enter the room, without any success. Her tired thoughts contemplated the idea of lying down again and sleeping forever, but her mind refused to do it. She sat on the bed, staring into the distance.
She had had enough of her parents and Demacia. She was tired of the same thing happening over and over again. What had her parents done for her? Nothing. What had Demacia done for her? Nothing. So, what was she doing there? Wasting her life for… nothing? She felt sorry for all the people, but it wasn't like the country would be in danger if she wasn't there. She was tired of being everybody's fool, the one of you look for when you have a problem, and the one who you forget when everything is solved.
The movie she saw yesterday with Ezreal came back to her mind. 'The lovers ran away in order to be happy'. Lux closed her eyes slowly. Thinking it for a couple of minutes… The answer is obvious, isn't it? Before completely insane, now convenient. It is ridiculous, and it seemed like she was overthinking it, but what she could do, anyways? Fry her mind thinking on a better solution didn't set well on her.
Her eyes opened, something in them changed. She was no longer tired; she felt a rush of energy and expectation in her body, forcing her to stand up! Lux didn't give a second glance to her undone bed, not really caring right now. She unlocked the bathroom and walked in, covering some steps with her legs, focusing on the fancy mirror on the white wall. Her face was shamefully ugly, her make-up completely messed up. She didn't know how, but the make-up had managed to form stains along her whole face. Her lipstick was also deformed. She didn't even use it that much!
Sighing, she washed her face, the remains quickly flowing out on the drain. Picking up the towel to her side, she dried her face. The towel ended a little dirty because she didn't clean her face very well, but it wasn't big deal. By the end of the day, it will be replaced by a new one. She then looked at herself in the mirror, an honest smile greeted her. That wasn't a new Lux, it was a Lux that just broke the shell her life forced her to hide in. Or at least the one who was trying.
The girl washed her teeth before getting a deserved shower. It took her a long hour to finish, doing it carefully and gradually. After half an hour drying her body and applying creams to her skin, she got out of the bathroom, her steps guiding her towards the closet, only wearing two towels. One around her body and the other covering her hair.
Her closet was actually a room. An immense room the size of ten square meters straight. She had everything a girl could dream of. Dresses, pants, shoes, heels, shirts, jackets, hats, trinkets… She even had an extreme amount of make-up for EVERY part of the body. It wasn't like their family had that much money, but the suddenly gifts from the King made sense now. It was like he was dressing her for the funeral; a creepy way to see it.
Everything was accommodated in shelves, open closets, coat hangers, and even a little deposit at the end, storing old-fashioned clothes. At first, she was delighted when her parents gave it to her when she was a kid in her birthday, but if you ask her now, she would say that was completely unnecessary, part thinking that was ridiculous, and part knowing that her parents and the King were trying to buy her with gifts. But it was there, anyways, and she was going to give it a use.
Today, she was feeling different. She'll try hard this time. Lux passed by the cheerful clothes, ignoring everything she would usually dress, and started to look deeper in the giant mass of duds. She putted her arm inside, looking for something to wear, and she hummed happily at the sight of a dark, short dress that she even didn't have a memory of. Lux grabbed and stared the closest mirror, the dress superimposed on her. It had something that drew her attention towards it.
She rushed to the dresser (yes, she had one), and dressed quickly. Now was the time to find a pair of heels. She wasn't one for wearing them every single day, but today was another example of yesterday. A different day where she did different things. Lux didn't waste too much time thinking. She picked up two black heels from one of the shelves and putted them on her feet. Watching her reflection in the mirror, she decided it was time for make-up. The place designed for it was in one of the corner of the room. Every cream, dust, eyeliner, lipstick was located in a giant make-up desk, everything accommodated like an organ. If Lux wished it, she could extend it to sides, making it even bigger.
She analyzed herself in the mirror and grabbed a light purple lipstick to match her outfit. Lipstick down, she picked up black eyeliner, putting some in her eyes carefully. Done with that, she saw herself again, shaking her head. Her skin wasn't helping her, being brilliant and a little tanned. She summoned her staff and waved it a little, making her skin a little paler. She tried again with the mirror, this time her hair catching her attention. Her hands caught it and made of it a pigtail, but making it to go to her right side. She smiled, now she looks like a real gothic girl! Ignoring her blonde hair, of course, but it was still cool.
Leaving the closet, she put her hands on her hips, with a smile that differed greatly with her choice of clothes.
"Oh, right. The spells," she remembered.
She focused in the sensation of the magic staff in her hand and started first with the 'extra walls'. The almost imperceptible wall surrounding the room started to sink in the floor, vanishing as she talked in Latin. Then, the runes followed. These were harder to remove. She had to walk around all the room, her hand touching key points and saying the right words at the same time in order to erase them. She had to be especially careful because, if she failed doing it, the whole house could explode. The last was her magic, but the difference that it was the light itself. It wasn't like the other two defenses because, when she used her magic to manage the spells, the first one was raw magic in primitive state. It took her an hour to absorb it, but she couldn't care less. She appreciated the distraction.
The room finally connected to the rest of the world, the protective layer around her vanished. She walked and looked out of the window. It was a beautiful day outside, the sun shone more than ever, and the birds sung cheerfully. She could even see glimpses of the city far away. Then, she made another important decision. She wasn't marrying Jarvan. She wasn't taking any orders Demacia or anyone else given to her anymore. She had had enough. And it would be the best to start as fast as possible.
Going to her desk, she sat down and picked a pen and some ink. She opened one drawer and took out paper and an unfolded letter. Then, she started to write first in the back of the letter.
"To: Dante Brievare Gleyoni Buffardersi," she recited as she wrote, his name brimming fanciness off her tongue as she spelled it. Cheeky. "Founder's Office, League of Legends."
Maybe writing to the very founder wasn't the best idea, but she was doing because she had the need to let him know what she would do. She turned the paper. She didn't exaggerated writing, she just explained what she was going to do and why. It was just an announcement, making it clear that she was doing it with or without his approval. It left inside her chest an excited feeling. That last part feltglorious, damn.
She finished it, doubled it and put it into the letter. She closed it with a little of her saliva and united it with one random stamp in the border. That should be enough. Focusing on her magic, light started to surround the letter and made it disappear. When the time is right, the letter will be automatically sent to the Summoner.
Now it was time to go downstairs and greet her family.
….