"Carry me."

"…?"

Hecarim looked at Elise quizzically. The two Shadow Isles denizens were standing on a dark, grainy beach. Hecarim had just returned to the Isles after a quick raid on a Demacian merchant fleet. After reporting to the higher ups, he barely had a moment to himself before a spiderling dropped on his face, the large arachnid holding a message in its mandibles that revealed his presence was required by an even larger arachnid…woman. He made haste to Vilemaw's caverns before another spiderling descended on his shoulder, giving him another note before crawling on top of his head to join its now resting sibling. The scrap of parchment told him to meet the Spider Queen on the eastern beaches. And now he stood before her, not entirely sure what she wished of him.

"The boat I normally take to the mainland departed earlier than usual."

"That is unfortunate Spider Quee—"

Red eyes narrowed.

"—Elise."

The red and black haired woman relaxed her gaze and looked off at the ocean.

"Yes, it truly is unfortunate. I think I'll have to have a word with Yorick later. You did say he was recently put in charge of the ships."

Hecarim felt dread and worry for his morbid friend. He had a feeling that webs would be appearing all over the undead ferryman's home in the near future. And they wouldn't be going away no matter what the poor ghoul did.

"Anyway, I need to meet with my Noxian congregation in three days' time, and the next boat will not be ready until tomorrow."

Elise looked at her spectral companion, focusing particularly on the ghastly blue flames emanating from the joints in the undead centaur's armor. Most of the Shadow Isle's armies marched abroad using the power of the Black Mist, but she knew that Hecarim's ghostly flames allowed him to cross the seas whenever he wished. She snapped her fingers and the two spiderlings sleeping on the centaur's helm awoke and crawled down his armor; they scattered away towards the caverns as their mistress took a few steps closer to the warhorse. She placed a hand on his shoulder and slid her fingers down his arm. He looked at her, his body giving off a slightly awkward vibe.

"I require your assistance, Hecarim. You have the power to run over the waters, and because of such I believe only you can bring me to Noxus in time."

Always eager to aid his companion, the undead centaur bowed his head while crossing his free arm over his chest.

"I exist to serve you…Elise."

"Thank you, dear. Your willingness to help is always appreciated."

Hecarim then lowered his body to the ground and looked at the Spider Queen. He was about to gesture for her to place herself onto his back before noticing that she had a slight smirk on her face. One of her eyebrows was raised as she slightly tilted her head in mock confusion.

"What are you doing, Hecarim?"

The warhorse was rather confused.

"I, uh…did you not wish for me to carry you across the sea?"

"I do, my dear. When I said 'carry me', I meant…"

She pointed an elegant hand at the spectral centaur's armored gauntlets.

"…for you to carry me in your arms."

If Hecarim could raise an eyebrow, he would. Unfortunately, he did not have eyebrows, so he was forced to voice his befuddlement instead.

"I do not understand. Would it not be easier for you to relax during the ride on my back?"

"Thank you for your concern. But that is not what's important. How else am I going to see your face for the whole trip?"

Hecarim stared at her, saying nothing. One could call his face deadpan. One could also describe it as slightly blushing. Well, as much as an undead, armored centaur could blush anyway.

"I…uh...how will I hold onto my glaive?"

"Surely you do not think I'm so large that I'll take up more than one of your arms?"

For a moment, he thought of her increased size in her spider form, but chose not to comment. He didn't want his home to be covered in webs too.

"…Keep your body close and hold tight."

"I don't intend to do anything else."

With that, he held his weapon in his right hand while he gently picked up his passenger with his left. After making sure she was secure, he began to trot onto the ocean's surface, his ghostly flames keeping him above the water.

"You have nothing with you, Elise. Do you require me to carry anything else for you?"

"Everything I need is already in Noxus. Thank you for the offer though."

Hecarim looked down and saw the spider woman smiling gently at him. She raised an arm and stroked his metal cheek. He became silent and began to run. After a few minutes, the Isles began to shrink into the distance as they raced across the open waters. Elise looked up at her companion.

"Hecarim, dear?"

The warhorse looked down at her, an expectant look on his face.

"You are…fast, yes?"

"I am the swiftest being through all the Shadow Isles. I would think I am fast."

His pace began to quicken.

"Hrmm…nay, my speed is without compare. In all my time in Valoran and the surrounding islands, none have escaped my grasp when I have been charged to run them down!"

He began to laugh viciously as old memories came to his mind. Elise could feel the ghostly energies beneath his armor tremble as his laughter boomed across the surface of the ocean. It was strangely comforting. The old Hecarim may not have laughed like this in life, but at the very least his laughter now was proof that he still had some life in him…figuratively speaking of course. She smiled and let the force of his laughter wash over her body.

"Show me your speed then, Hecarim."

He was more than happy to oblige.

"As you wish."

The spectral warhorse's run became a gallop, the water's surface strangely still as he blazed towards the eastern coast of Valoran. Elise's smile became a little sly. At this rate, they would arrive well before three days' time. And if she finished her business early, then she would have time to spare for "that".

True to her prediction, the two Shadow Isles denizens arrived on the coast bordering Noxus two days early. They snuck into a small cave near the port Elise usually landed at, the spider woman not wanting the locals to panic at Hecarim's presence. Once they were out of sight, the undead horseman gently placed his passenger onto the ground before standing up straight. He almost stretched his limbs before remembering he didn't have joints. Elise stood up straight as well before retracting her spidery appendages into her back. After a second of concentration, her "clothes" weaved themselves into a form-fitting outfit that looked one part dress and another part robe. As her crown of sorts vanished from her head, Hecarim took note of her now uncovered hair. A strand fell loose from its now-disappeared confines and rested on the spider woman's forehead.

"You look…nice, Elise."

"Only nice? Oh, Hecarim, you always were terrible at complimenting those of the opposite sex."

The spider woman made a teasing smirk while her companion struggle to think of a better compliment. Before he could say a word, she silenced him with a finger on his "lips".

"Even if you're terrible at making compliments, I'm grateful regardless. Now I'll be back by tomorrow. Rushing my followers to arrive a few days early may not be the best idea, but there is something I simply must do afterwards."

Hecarim remained quiet and nodded his head.

"Now be a good little terror and rampage across the countryside away from Noxus. I don't need some of my people failing to show up because an undead centaur scared them away."

Said undead centaur sheepishly scratched the back of his head even though he didn't have skin that could itch in the first place.

"As you wish, Elise."

"Good. Now be here tomorrow afternoon around…4pm; that would be the best time. Break into someone's home or shop if you need to find a clock."

Hecarim nodded once more as the spider priestess made ready to leave to her congregation. Once she was at the entrance of the cave, she turned her head and looked at him one last time.

"Thank you again, Hecarim, for your help. You're the best horse a spider could ask for."

And with that she departed, leaving a lone horse smiling to himself.

Hecarim was bored and frowning by the fifth village he razed to the ground. There were few guards or soldiers to fight, and these independent villages had little organization to set up a defense against his charge.

"I just wanted to see the flowe—"

The warhorse caught the head of a tourist which he had just sent flying with a swing of his glaive a moment before. It seemed some of the people in the villages were visitors on their way to see some floral…spectacle. Whatever their business was, it mattered not to him. All he knew was that there was no one alive for miles now and he was still bored. He looked towards the distance where Noxus could be seen and wondered how Elise's work was going.

"What do you mean, he's deceased?!"

"I'm so sorry most high priestess! A terrible monster from the Shadow Isles killed him a week ago. We have been investigating the matter ever since."

Elise pursed her lips slightly before making a deep frown. It seemed something, someone was taking her quarry, and she didn't like it one bit. Especially if that someone was one of her neighbors. Part of her thought of her precious companion running down the poor soul while laughing savagely, but then she remembered Hecarim's last few missions had been sea raids and thus he couldn't have killed her follower. She looked up and saw that those of her congregation who were present appeared a bit nervous at her unusual temper. She took a moment to calm and compose herself. She resumed her regal air and made a graceful smile.

"It is most sorrowful that one of our own, one of the chosen, has been struck down before he could make the pilgrimage. May we remember him fondly and pray that he lives well in the great web of the afterlife. He was a good—"

As her followers nodded in unison to her words, the door near the back of the room slammed open, interrupting the spider priestess's eulogy. As her followers looked at the source of the interruption, she was tempted to fling an explosive spiderling at the person disturbing her moment. But seeing as how that would make her followers flee in terror, she held back. It was hard to find good, easily brainwashed people after all.

"I have news most high priestess! We have identified the culprit who stole our brother's life!"

Elise narrowed her eyes just a centimeter as she mentally went through a list of Shadow Isles denizens to potentially punish and take revenge on.

"Tell us, tell us everything you know."

"Of course, most high priestess. It was a terrible specter, bathed in a green light."

Elise felt her heartbeat slow down for an instant. Surely, it couldn't have been her dearest—wait. Hecarim's ghostly fire was mainly blue with a green tint. That left…

"And it had a lantern and a sickle that reaped our brother's soul!"

Thresh. Oh, she couldn't wait to get her limbs on his skull and break it with her mandibles. If Hecarim had killed the poor fool, then it would have been an accident due to the warhorse's overzealous nature. But Thresh...he knew she was protective of her cult, and she had told him many times that her followers existed for her to live off of, not him. She had no idea why Hecarim thought that fool of jailer made for good company. That wretch was so selfish, so unnecessarily cruel and twisted—why she ought to have Vilemaw eat him and then spit him out onto a boat travelling to the Purifiers' headquarters for this slight.

"Most high priestess, most high priestess!"

Elise snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her gasping and murmuring followers. They were staring at her, wondering what to do.

"Fear not, my people! I will contact the greatest hunters Valoran has to offer and see to it that they destroy this vile beast. Your brother shall be avenged!"

As her followers cheered and manically roared for vengeance, she rubbed her temples and let out a deep sigh. She felt a migraine coming on. Oh, Thresh would be hunted down alright…

Hecarim giddily ran towards the cave where he and Elise were supposed to meet. In the last few hours, he had managed to find some amusement letting a few mounted soldiers chase him through the countryside. Before long, his pursuers watched in horror as their horses dropped dead from the inevitable exhaustion. As the horse lord crushed the heads of the screaming soldiers, he saw a shiny object fly out of one of their pockets. He then looked at the ground and saw that the object was a pocket watch. It had an unfamiliar flower pattern on it…some sort of lily perhaps? He ripped the watch free from the soldier's corpse, and after carefully opening it, he kept it in his hand to count down how much longer he needed to wait. Looking back at the brief memory, the warhorse laughed to himself as he continued to run. Once he reached the cave, he pranced around the entrance in a circle.

"Another blue ribbon for Hecarim!"

"That's a watch, dear."

Startled by the rather tired sounding voice, Hecarim looked into the cave and saw Elise sitting on a rock, her red eyes staring venomously at the wall opposite of her. Her glare diminished as she looked up at him, his gleeful energy soothing her fury.

"…Er, rough day?"

"The roughest, Hecarim. Only half the congregation showed up, Thresh has apparently been reaping my followers, and the supposedly luxurious inn I was staying at ran out of bath salts."

Hecarim looked at his companion and felt displeasure at the things that troubled her.

"Fear not, Elise. I can do nothing about your followers' attendance, but I will trample the inn into the ground and drag Thresh through the dirt around the Isles for days on end!"

Elise smiled and giggled slightly at the warhorse's flared temper.

"Thank you, Hecarim, but that won't be necessary. It was my fault many of my followers were missing, and destroying the inn might scare possible neophytes away. As for Thresh…the fool would probably enjoy being scraped against the ground. He'd probably call it a massage, the masochistic cretin."

She looked at Hecarim and her face softened. The spectral centaur rubbed his hind legs against the floor as he calmed down.

"Well, we can work out some sort of punishment for Thresh later. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised you are willing to harm one of your friends."

"A friend he may be, Elise, but your happiness always comes first. If he interferes in that matter, I will not hesitate to smash his skull into the dirt."

Elise's cold heart warmed significantly at her companion's words, and she felt her face flush.

"Thank you, my dear Hecarim. For a shadow of war, you are surprisingly sweet at times."

Well, not so surprising considering who he used to be…

"I will be anything, even…sweet, in my service to you."

They both smiled at each other for a moment before Hecarim recalled something the spider woman had mentioned the previous day.

"Elise, you said yesterday there was something you had to do after your work was done."

Surprise graced Elise's face as she didn't expect the warhorse to remember such offhand words. She looked outside.

"There's a flower viewing festival just south of here. A grove of flower-bearing trees blooms at the edge of the Great Barrier this time of year, and I was hoping to see the petals as they opened."

She let out a heavy sigh as her shoulders sagged down.

"But to be honest, Hecarim, I am simply far too exhausted to go now. I just want to go home and take a real bath."

She looked at the spectral centaur and let out a soft laugh.

"Of course, I wanted you to come with me. We'd hide you, somehow…or just have you scare away everyone else."

Hecarim briefly laughed at the thought before quieting down. Elise gazed back outside, and from behind she looked rather dejected. The warhorse stared at his melancholy companion as he put two and two together. So the "spectacle" the dying tourists had mentioned must have been referring to this festival. He paused for a second before looking at his left hand. The pocket watch he picked up from earlier did have a floral pattern on it…

"Here, Elise, take this."

The spider woman looked over at her companion and saw him offer a closed hand. She opened her right hand in response and he pressed the watch into her palm. She looked at the watch and felt her fatigue wash away as a much warmer feeling took hold of her heart. A pattern of spider lilies decorated the cover of the watch. She looked up at Hecarim and stood up. He remained still, patiently waiting to see her reaction to his gift. His patience soon turned to curiosity as she began to walk towards him, her steps soon slowing to a halt when she was standing right in front of him. Before he knew what happened, she leaned forward and planted her lips on his cheek, causing him to freeze in place. After a second, she drew back and ran her fingers against his other cheek. She smiled tenderly, her red eyes softly glistening.

"You really are the best horse a spider could ask for."