A Queen's Champion

Come to Terms

Tryndamere studied the purple-haired young woman closely, acutely aware of the fact that she was quite attractive. She was apparently the queen of this kingdom, which he found a little hard to believe given her youth. Something must have happened to have forced her into such a position at an early age, unless it was customary for this society to bestow such an important title and position to young rulers who undoubtedly had little experience.

Finding that he was uncomfortable in his current position, he changed his sitting position as he brought his legs underneath him, crossing them.

"Tryndamere..." she repeated his name, as if testing how it sounded with her own voice. "What does it mean... to be First Warrior?"

He was taken aback by the question, not having expected to have to explain what it meant. Taking his time, he mulled over how best he would describe the title. "What does it mean? To be First Warrior is to be... the strongest fighter of all the northern tribes. It means responsibility in directing the armies in battle. It means defending the honor and safety of the tribes from all aggressors. It means being the champion of the northern tribes... champion of my people." It also meant that he would have been able to challenge for the position of king. King of the Barbarians, they would have called him, had he been given some more time to carry out his plans. Unfortunately, fate had a habit of interrupting the best laid plans and brought him here to a place he assumed was far removed from Valoran.

"I see," she said, "So you are a champion." She seemed to study him then.

He straightened a little at being called that, pride swelling in him. He had fought long and hard to gain the title of First Warrior. It was no easy task to accomplish, particularly for one so young such as himself. In fact, he was the youngest to ever become First Warrior and served as an inspiration to all the tribes of the north of what they could accomplish if they set their minds to it.

The greatest weakness of the tribes was always their lack of unity. Their divisions prevented them from becoming a force to reckon with as the tribes often fought with one another, greatly weakening them as a whole and thus making them easy prey for the established kingdoms of Valoran, namely Demacia and Nox. Not only did it make them easy to handle militarily, it also weakened their political influence and thus they were relegated to the background as Demacia and Nox dictated the terms of power and control in Valoran.

He had hoped to be the one to bring back the glory and might of the northern tribes. Destiny seemed to call to him as he rose through the ranks quickly, gaining honor and respect for his fighting prowess as well as having a good head on his shoulders. For once there seemed to be hope that the northern tribes might be united under one banner once more, and that the barbarians of the north may finally have a say in how Valoran would be shaped going forward.

He scratched the back of his head. "Excuse me, your highness," he said, honoring her with her respectful title. "You mention that you summoned me here to be... a familiar?"

She immediately blushed at his words, her hands clasped together and rising up as she held them in front of her chest. "I... well... yes. That's right..."

"What does that actually entail?" He had an inkling as to what it meant, he was no fool after all, but he needed to hear it from the young woman herself.

His straightforwardness seemed to make her more embarrassed as she struggled to find the right words to say to him. "Uhh... you see... Tryndamere... well.. a familiar... is a magical servant." She seemed hesitant to say that last bit, aware that he might not appreciate his current situation. Henriette continued to explain, like she was trying to justify what she did. "It's really a... magical contract of sorts, that binds us together as, well... as master and servant. But really, I prefer the term partners..."

He was silent, crossing his muscular arms across his mostly bare chest, assessing his options. He concentrated, sensing if anything was different in the way he felt. After a moment, Tryndamere could indeed feel a strange and very slight sensation deep within his body that was not there before. Perhaps this was the magical energy of the contract that she spoke of, and if so he wondered what the conditions of the contract were. Whatever magic this was that now bound him, it was powerful enough to not only interfere with the magics that kept him in the League but also powerful enough to bring him all the way from Valoran to here, wherever 'here' really was.

She seemed suddenly very nervous to him, perhaps mystified and fearful by his silence. Before she could say anything else, he finally talked.

"Have you ever heard of a continent called Valoran?" he asked, needing to make sure that he was indeed far away from his homeland. He could feel the anger burning slowly inside of him, threatening to grow. This was definitely not a situation he thought he might find himself in and he was upset about how the fates seemed to have given him the shaft. And yet, perhaps there was a reason for all of this happening. The gods of his tribe worked in mysterious ways, after all.

Her eyes widened slightly, as if realizing something. Henrietta's response was immediate as she shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not... I'm so sorry..."

He gave her a quizzical look then. "Sorry for what?"

"For summoning you here... for binding you to a contract like this without your knowledge. It's... It's actually forbidden by law for Royalty to have familiars, and yet... because I felt so alone... because I was so weak... so... so selfish... I... I..." she brought her hands down to her lap again and hung her head.

"You're right," he stated simply, perhaps a little harshly even.

"Wh-what?" she said, surprised that he would say that.

"You're right. You were selfish. As a leader, you broke your own laws to fulfill something you wanted. You also tore me away from my tribe, my home, to be your servant," he continued, "So you're right. However, I accept your apology and do not hold any ill-will towards you."

This time Henrietta did not even know what to say, simply staring with teary eyes at the First Warrior of the North, confused.

"What is done is done, your highness. The gods, fate, what have you... they brought me here just as much as you did. There is a purpose to me being here, and I am admittedly interested to know what that reason is. What is important is moving forward from here. Always move forward," he explained to the young monarch.

After spending a moment to digest what he had said, she asked, hesitantly, "So... what happens now?"

Still sitting cross-legged, Tryndamere placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward as he rested his chin on his now intertwined hands. He stared coolly into her eyes as he replied, "Now, your highness, you must explain your terms."

-xxxxxx-

The hooded figure with a crimson coat was leaning against the wall in the shadows of an alleyway, one of many in the capital city of Tristania. Anyone who did not look closely enough would have missed the figure had they passed, which was entirely the point of why the figure was there. Not to mention that the figure was waiting for someone.

A moment later and someone turned into the alley, walking further. It was a rather large man who had entered the alley, large in the sense that he was a bit overweight with his belly hanging over his waist. He had a thick red beard and mustache with matching short curly red hair. He walked warily, eyes darting back and forth, having completely walked by and missed the man who waited in the shadows.

The figure wasted no time, walking up behind the fat man. "Do not turn around," the figure stated simply.

The big man froze, eyes wide, and he resisted strongly the urge to turn around. He valued his life after all, and these people were not to be trifled with.

"Do you have the information we requested?" asked the figure, straight to the point.

The man nodded, "Y-y-yes."

"Then tell me. If your information is no good... well, let's just say that things won't go too well for you."

It took all his willpower to prevent himself from letting his bowels loose at the suggestion of his death should they be unsatisfied. He gulped, trying to find the strength to gather his thoughts and speak.

"Spit it out, fool!" the figure growled, getting irritated.

That was all the push he needed as he gushed out the information that they had asked him for. In the process, he did soil himself, much to the disgust of the crimson-robed figure. Nevertheless, the information the man provided was vital for the operation that was ongoing, and hopefully soon-to-be accomplished.

When the man was done, he fell to his knees, his entire body shaking. There was no response from the hooded figure, and after a long while the man eventually found the courage and the curiosity to turn ever so slightly.

He was alone in the alleyway.

-xxxxxx-

"Explain... my terms?" repeated Henrietta. She had not thought about that, though she understood why he would want to. While there was indeed a contract now between them through magic, the contract simply bound him to her without actually stipulating any responsibilities to anyone involved in the contract. Though inherent in the contract was the fact that he was bound to protect her and serve her, what serving meant was not actually defined. She understood then why he would want to have terms and thus a specific definition of his responsibilities to her.

"Yes. If there is a contract of servitude, then you must at least explain to me the terms of my service," he said as if it was not really a big bother to him at all, which surprised her.

His philosophy about life was very refreshing and also quite surprising, given that he appeared to have been a great and respected warrior and leader in his home. Because of her summons, he now sat in the balcony of her home far away from his own lands and away from his goals and ambitions there. Not only that, but he was now bound by magic to serve her; however, even with all of that he seemed to have taken it all in stride.

While hesitant and understandably confused at first, he apparently accepted this sudden change in his situation. He attributed it to the gods or even to fate, and that there must have been a reason that he was there, a reason other than the fact that she gave in to a selfish impulse. She wondered if perhaps he was a crazy person, since she imagined that if she were in his shoes she would not like her situation one bit and would do anything in her power to change it.

Then again, he never did say he was not trying to change his situation or to get out of the contract, merely that he accepted that it existed. She shook her head slightly, clearing such thoughts away. It was not right to start such an important relationship with mistrusting thoughts like that. For now, she would trust him since he was now her familiar since the contract was completed and sealed with that kiss.

Thinking about the kiss made her lips tingle, her cheeks suddenly reddening as she found she could not look at him.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, his strong voice tinged with a little worry that she almost did not catch.

She finally looked at him, shaking her head mightily, "No! Nothing wrong. Sorry, I was just thinking about the terms of our contract..."

He rubbed his chin with his left hand, his arms still folded in front of his chest, "If I may, I would simply like to say that keeping the terms simple would be nice."

She thought for a moment longer, then finally came to a decision. "Well, inherent in the familiar contract is the responsibility to protect me," he nodded at that in understanding, "So basically, you are my familiar... so you must to stay by my side, follow my commands, and protect me. You are free to do as you please unless it interferes with any of these fundamental terms... And you must also call me by my name, Henrietta. No honorifics or titles or anything." She paused, then added, "Is this okay?"

He grinned. "Simple enough. It may have also been obvious, but it is better to hear the terms straight from you than for me to assume."

She let out a relieved sigh. Things were turning out better than she thought.

"Although, I do want to ask, your high- I mean, Henrietta. Have you seen my equipment around?"

The only thing she remembered seeing was him; she had not seen any equipment or anything other than the ones he was already wearing. She explained as much to the First Warrior.

"That's problematic, then. I need my equipment so that I may best serve you..." he trailed off, contemplating the matter.

"What equipment is that, if I may ask?" She was curious to know what types of items he was looking for because she could probably commission a blacksmith, either private or from the Tristanian Army, to craft the equipment he needed.

"Several items that have come in handy for me in my past battles," he said a little vaguely. "They are unique and powerful items of the League." Apparently he had figured out what she was trying to get at with her line of inquiry.

"Well, maybe they're around here somewhere..." she glanced around the balcony. The bright light that had flashed when the summoning was completed had blinded her and knocked her back, so she had not been able to actually see what happened during the actual summoning phase. She wondered if perhaps the items were scattered around the area. This was the first time ever that she had cast the familiar summoning spell after all.

"Well, in truth the only thing I really need from all my old equipment is my sword, but if it's not here... wel... hmm... no matter, I'll make do with whatever equipment I can get," he looked at her expectantly, "If you can get me some."

"Of course!" replied the Queen of Tristain. A warrior without any proper equipment was a rather useless warrior after all. She would make sure he got what he needed. A sudden thought popped into her head then as she remembered something that might prove helpful in this regard.

Tryndamere had stood up at that point, stretching to wake up some of his muscles. He walked over to the low wall at the edge of the balcony, looking out over the city of Tristania for the first time. He seemed sad to her, though she had no idea what to do or say to cheer him up. She wondered what he was thinking about and if he really was fine with what happened.

In hindsight, she never should have given in to her selfish and emotional desires like that. She knew better. After all the trouble that her selfishness and emotions had cost her throughout the past few years, she should have known better. Yet, even though she understood now that going through with the summoning was a mistake, it was not a mistake that she regretted. At least, not yet.

Taking stock of the surprisingly well-mannered barbarian, Henrietta marveled at how tall he was as she too stood up. She was barely tall enough to reach his chest, which meant he was probably six feet tall at the least. His worn armor actually made him look more dangerous, as it showed that he was undoubtedly battle-tested, plus it of course helped that he was pretty buff and intimidating to begin with.

She walked over and stood next to him, leaning against the low wall that kept her from falling off the balcony. Her gaze swept across her beloved city as the sun began to set, lights beginning to twinkle on all over.

"This is a beautiful city," he remarked.

She glanced sideways at him, studying him but unable to discern anything other than that he seemed a little sad in her eyes. "Are you... Are you really okay with all this?" Henrietta was not sure if she actually wanted to know the answer to that question, but she felt that she needed to ask it.

"I'll come to terms with it," replied the warrior as he continued to look out at the city, awash in an orange glow from the setting sun far off in the distance.

Author's notes: Thanks for reading. Two things: this happens AFTER the events of the anime (hence why Louise and Saito get married officially, etc.) and while this is a crossover, the story will take place entirely in Halkeginia and the Zero universe. Currently only element of LoL is Tryndamere himself... although there may be some surprises ahead. You'll have to read on to find out.

Also, the reason why he's not angry is simply because he only gets angry when in a hostile environment (which is often when he is in battle). Plus, Henrietta is a civilian and he does have, in my opinion, a strict moral code regarding civilians.

ONE OTHER THING: Chapters will get longer! Don't worry.