Chapter 2: Ice and Raptor Part 1
" Knock, knock " Valor hooted.
" Who's there? " Quinn asked.
" Frostbite " Valor hooted in reply.
" Frostbite who? " Quinn followed up.
" Frost-bite your food, then chew it! " Valor hooted.
" Alright, alright!" Quinn chuckled.
Three days had passed. She had finally been able to move around without aching all over. Her shoulder was healing up nicely, too. She was currently holding some roasted hare meat, which Valor had interrupted her from eating in order to deliver the joke. Quinn was sitting on a bench not far from Sejuani's tent, following Sejuani's instructions to ' not stray too far from her '. Quinn had just wanted a quick stroll as she felt cramped, being in the tent all day. Sejuani had tried to make her as comfortable as possible, though. The past three days the Great Chief had personally nursed Quinn back to health. Quinn then heard heavy footsteps behind her.
" The meat is delicious. " Sejuani stated, seeing as Quinn hadn't touched her food.
Quinn greeted her, before digging in to, as Sejuani claimed, tasty food. The meat was tougher than Quinn was used to, but it was still good.
" Val was telling me a joke, just now. " Quinn explained for whatever reason.
" Sure " Sejuani said doubtfully, taking a seat on the bench, to Quinn's left.
" Yeah, I guess it does sound weird." Quinn chuckled. " But I really do think me and Val understand each other perfectly. "
" Me and Bristle don't have that sort of bond " Sejuani stated. " I doubt he would have saved me the way Valor saved you. The only reason you survived the Ice Witch was because he was there. He could have gotten away easily, but defied your order and looked for help, instead. "
" Val's stealing all the glory again. " Quinn smiled at Valor, who puffed his chest triumphantly.
The two women let out a few laughs.
Quinn fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
" Back at the tent…" Quinn began. " …you mentioned Ashe ' couldn't help ' me, even though she was a True Ice magic user. What did you mean? "
Sejuani sighed. Crap, Quinn thought. She hoped she hadn't struck a nerve. It was no secret Sejuani held contempt for Ashe due to Ashe's 'perversion' of Freljord culture.
" Ashe…is a weakling. " Sejuani said simply.
" Oh. I see. " Quinn responded lamely. Of course.
" I wasn't finished. " Sejuani snapped.
Quinn slammed her mouth shut.
" There's a reason why I never joined the Avarosans. A reason why Ashe should not be Queen. A reason I was forced to retreat when I did. And not for reasons that Ashe speaks of to people. " Sejuani explained.
One week after the Avarosan and the Frostguard formed an alliance.
" ….Princess Lissandra has given her full support to the fool, Ashe? Has she gone mad?! " a Winter's Claw Elder cried.
Sejuani was in an audience with the Elders, a council of the oldest and wisest of the tribe, who were discussing the recent alliance between the Frostguard and the Avarosan. The Frostguard's princess had died 'a natural death' and the next one in line became princess: Lissandra. Lissandra was massively supportive of Ashe's foolish ideals, thus forming an alliance with Ashe, shocking the whole of Freljord.
She said it was time to unite Freljord under a single banner in peace. And Ashe blindly accepted the alliance. Wasn't it obvious Lissandra had an agenda? She was up to something, and didn't want her duties as a princess getting in the way, thus shifting her responsibilities to Ashe. To the weakling. Why? To leave Freljord vulnerable, of course. Vulnerable to what? It was unknown, but Sejuani knew it had something to do with the vision she had when she first found her True Ice Flail: there were large creatures of black ice rampaging across the Freljord, ravaging everything in their wake. Assuming that vision was true, then a dark force must have somehow made its way to the Frostguard, and taken control. The Frostguard could not be trusted.
" They will all expect us to react. But we cannot give in. The safety of Freljord is in our hands now, and we cannot let it descend to darkness " said another Elder.
Freljord had been divided into three main factions, with princesses ruling each one of them. Ashe and Lissasndra were the princesses of the Avarosan and Frostguard respectively. The third princess was from the Tribe of the Winter's Claw. That princess was Sejuani, the Wrath of Winter Incarnate. With the two of them joining forces, they had backed Sejuani into a corner. Sejuani could not just stand idly by, she had to do something soon or the people of Freljord would expect that she would do nothing at all.
" We have to tell them the foolishness of Ashe's ideals! " an Elder insisted.
" We have, countless times. But none of them will listen. They claim Ashe's world is advanced and civilised, while we are mere savages who think with our fists. "another countered.
Ashe's ideals. To unite the Freljord in peace. Foolish, just as Avarosa herself. It was the ideals of Avarosa's 'freedom' that caused the great Freljord to fall to ruin. And what did she achieve? Freedom? Freljordians were freed, yes, but at what cost? They were fractured and lost. They had no army to protect them, no authority to govern them. But they were free, and so all was well? Nay, freedom was merely the sugar-coated term for chaos. Freljordians dwindled in number greatly, how many lives were lost for that illusion of freedom? The sweet notion of doing whatever you wanted and no one could tell you otherwise. Did they get that in the end? Or were they massacred by the chaos they had brought upon themselves? And then what saved them? Was it freedom? Nay, it was the three leaders who managed to clean up Avarosa's mess, through unity- the opposite of freedom. Avarosa was a fool. And it appears her descendent also intends to play the fool in this era.
Peace. It has a nice ring to it. But peace, like freedom, was a mere sugar-coated term. When people mention peace, they actually mean luxury. When a country is at 'peace' they do not have to fight or struggle, in fact- they prosper, expand and grow. The prosperity ensures the people never go hungry and never have to worry. People would relish it, enjoy it, and get addicted to it. That was the problem. When people can afford luxury, what trait does that nourish? When they could get what they wanted easily, what trait does that nourish? It was laziness! Why would people work hard if life was so easy? So devoid of hardships? As a result, people would work less. At the same time, prosperity meant the country would expand, needing larger armies to protect them, to uphold the peace. With decreasing income, what would pay for the growing army? Taxes. Heavy taxes, to make up for the less productive workers as well as the growing army. What do heavy taxes mean? Less profit for businesses, thus even less productivity, which means even less income, prompting even heavier taxes, and the cycle repeats over and over. Eventually there would be no businesses, no work, no income, no army, and no peace. The empire would fall, and Avarosa's legacy would continue.
Sejuani was not going to let that happen. Call it barbaric or savage or whatever. People need hardships. They need to fight. They need to struggle. They need strength. They need conflict. They need a leader who is realistic. Someone who was not illusioned by a false haven. Never again would Freljordians be led to their deaths following a lie. Sejuani wouldn't stand for that. Ashe must not be queen. She has blinded her own people and countless others with a lie, intoxicating them with the joys of luxury.
Lissandra, if she does indeed have an agenda, probably knows this as well. This simple truth. She wants Freljord to fall. But that would not happen. Not while the Winter's Claw still thrived. Not while Sejuani still breathed.
" We're under attack! " a messenger burst into the Elders' Councilroom.
" Tell me by whom. " Sejuani demanded.
" A witch! A witch of black ice! " he cried.
" The Ice Witch! She has returned! She must be the one behind the Frostguard's sudden alliance! " an Elder deduced.
" The soldiers will be no match for her. Her black ice corrupts anything it touches." another Elder warned.
" Only the one who wields True Ice can stop her. True Ice is resistant to the black ice's corruption. " a third Elder added.
All the Elders turned to look at Sejuani.
" I will stop her here. " Sejuani declared. " Evacuate everyone else deep into the mountains. Take Bristle. He knows the path. " Sejuani told the messenger.
" Right away, Great Chief! " the messenger acknowledged as he hurriedly sprinted off to deliver the order.
" Great Chief Sejuani, " an Elder called out.
" You are the one who has to succeed the throne " a second Elder told her.
" You must return alive. " another Elder cautioned.
Sejuani looked at the elders respectfully and declared.
" I will rule the Freljord. "
The darkness was closing in. A blanket of Black Ice was fast approaching. The Winter's Claw soldiers had been given the order to retreat, despite their wishes of battle. Olaf, was the most displeased. He sought death in battle. But even he knew, that there was no battle with the witch. She would massacre them. It was not his time, and not his battle. The Tribe ran as fast as they could. But the Black Ice advanced ever further, ever faster. Until the black ice was inches away from the tribe. Then…!
The head of a massive flail was smashed into the ground where the Black Ice gathered, destroying all traces of the dark matter. Sejuani had arrived on the scene to save her people. As the Black Ice tried to move past her, Sejuani immediately began swinging her flail, summoning a miniature blizzard in its wake. The Black Ice around her vanished, allowing the tribe the time to flee.
Then, Black Ice gathered in front of Sejuani, slowly forming a humanoid form. The Ice Witch had finally showed herself. She stood atop a cluster of black ice, her robes were as dark as her ice, and she wore an armguard on her left forearm. She also had pale blue skin visible on her hands and face. She had her eyes covered with a large and odd v-shaped headdress. The elders had informed her that the Ice Witch had no eyes, but saw through her ice via echolocation. Meaning anything that would come close to her ice, she could see.
" You showing up has made my task so much easier. " the Ice Witch smirked.
" Likewise!" Sejuani roared.
Sejuani charged for the Ice Witch, bringing her flail down on the mage. The witch disintegrated herself into mere black ice, successfully evading the attack. Then from behind flew a black ice shard at Sejuani. Instinctively, Sejuani spun around, using the momentum to swing her flail as well. The flail hit the shard, but the black ice then disintegrated into three smaller pieces, two which missed as they had diverged to either side, but one had resumed its original journey towards Sejuani's skull. Acting fast, Sejuani ducked, causing the shard to only break the left horn of her helmet.
Sejuani glared at the Ice Witch. She now seemed to have a better grasp on the witch's capabilities.
" You want absolute strength too, do you not, child? " Lissandra provoked. " Kneel before me and I will unleash your power! "
" Not your definition of it, Ice Witch! " Sejuani yelled. " Prepare to be shattered! "
Sejuani made a charge for the mage again, only to be sidestepped like before. But the same trick wouldn't work twice. Sejuani launched a True Ice bola from her flail towards the direction she knew the Ice Witch would appear from. The sorceress was startled, and quickly shielded herself in a wall of black ice. The True Ice bola and the Black Ice wall cancelled each other out, leaving the Ice Witch unharmed- from the True Ice bola, at least. Sejuani had charged behind the bola, using it to block the echolocation, making her arrival unnoticed. By the time the Ice Witch realised, Sejuani had already brought down her flail to the Ice Witch's body. It was all the mage could muster just to avoid being sliced in half. Instead, her left arm was destroyed- all that remained was the unbreakable armguard.
The Ice Witch, seeing that she had vastly underestimated the Wrath of Winter Incarnate, quickly fled the scene in a wave of black ice.
" Flee, like the coward you are! " Sejuani taunted.
If I had Bristle, I could have caught up to her, she thought. Glancing over to the armguard the Ice Witch dropped, Sejuani went and picked it up. The black ice surrounding it was neutralised, and Sejuani was impressed this piece of equipment had not shattered with the force of her flail. She then picked it up and wore it. Deciding that it was more useful to someone who could actually utilise the strength of the armguard rather than one who shattered to pieces at the slightest touch.
" No spoils for the meek. " Sejuani muttered.
"…you fought the Ice Witch, and won? " Quinn asked in astonishment.
She could not believe her ears. She had seen the powers of the Ice Witch first hand, and barely escaped within an inch of her life. But Sejuani had bested the mage one-on-one, nearly destroying her, forcing the witch to flee for her life. Quinn realised she had never seen the Wrath of Winter Incarnate fight before. Upon hearing the tale, Quinn had newfound respect and admiration for the warrior.
" This armguard is proof, " Sejuani raised her left forearm, displaying her spoils of war proudly. Valor perched himself onto the armguard by force of habit, making the two women laugh. The pride of a falconer, however, made Quinn hold up her falconry gauntlet on her right forearm, ordering Valor to perch on her hand instead. Valor merely flew away, embarrassing his partner. Sejuani laughed at the sight of Valor's insubordination. Then she continued.
" The elders recognised it to be the Seeker's Armguard. An armor that indeed belonged to the Ice Witch. It strengthens itself with each foe the wearer slays. " Sejuani explained. " It also serves as proof that I am an enemy of the Ice Witch, lending me credibility for recruiting fine warriors who are also against the witch, like the Spirit Walker and the Thunder's Roar" she continued.
Quinn nodded in understanding. Something still bugged her.
" Why didn't you ever repair the horn, though? " Quinn asked, thoughtlessly placing her hand on Sejuani's helmet.
" To a warrior, it's-" Sejuani paused. Quinn had her hand to Sejuani's left horn, which had also meant Quinn's face was way too close to hers for comfort. There was another truth she had hidden. Sejuani had told the tribe that an elite ranger like Quinn might escape without her supervision, but it was only half the reason. She had nursed Quinn personally because she thought Quinn's electric blue eyes, in addition to the ranger's smooth, delicate and war painted face, was extremely-
" -beautiful. " the words slipped out from her mouth. Sejuani's eyes widened with alarm. Did she just-
" A broken horn is beautiful? " Quinn asked, her hand still on the helmet, her gaze on it prevented her from seeing the other woman's pale white cheeks turning a reddish hue.
Oh, thank the Elders. Sejuani thought, relieved.
"- a beautiful reminder of a battle we've won. " Sejuani corrected.
" I see. " Quinn pulled back, her curiousity satisfied.
Don't go, said a silent plea.
" The story doesn't end there " Sejuani said, looking away as if reminiscing, while actually giving her cheeks time to regain their normal color.
Two days after the coronation of King Tryndamere and Queen Ashe.
The Ice Witch's attack was a mere diversion, she had wanted Sejuani out of the way so that she couldn't interfere with the coronation. Sejuani, with her tribe deep in the mountains, received news of the coronation late, and arrived to see it even later. By the time Sejuani had arrived, it had been two days after the coronation was over.
It's not too late, Sejuani thought.
She then demanded an audience with the self-proclaimed king and queen of Freljord, using her authority as a Freljordian Princess. The Queen kindly responded, saying she had plans to offer Sejuani a seat in Freljord's new Royal Advisory Council. In her castle, the Queen and Princess had their confrontation.
" Cease this. " Sejuani commanded. She wanted Ashe to step down as Queen, as her visions for the future of Freljord was severely misguided.
" You are in no position to give orders. I am the Queen. You are merely a misguided warmonger." the Queen replied.
" You don't believe that. " Sejuani responded.
The Queen burst into laughter. " Of course not! It was just a joke, foolish Sejuani "
" Then cease this farce! " she ordered. " There's too much at stake! Not only will your plans not help Freljord see a future, it also won't stop the Ice Witch. "
"It may plunge Freljord into chaos once more, but the Ice Witch will be stopped. " the Queen insisted.
" Explain. " Sejuani glared.
" Not everything has to be fought head-on, foolish Sejuani. " Ashe explained. " Some battles are won with proper planning. There is a whole world out there. Thousands of cultures, races, technology and magic. If you had opened your eyes to the world, instead of staying secluded under your rock, you would see there's something it can offer. "
" You want to let others do your work for you. " Sejuani concluded in disgust, knowing where Ashe was going from this. " We're the only ones who can stop the Ice Witch, Ashe. No one else can do it but us. The most anyone else can do is to fight off the Troll King. "
Sejuani knew that the trolls, the race with the highest birth rate, could easily outnumber a human army in months. In the past, the trolls had posed no threat no matter how many there were. Their idiocy was surpassed only by their repulsiveness. They were slain easily, which was why their numbers dwindled as easily as they increased.
Recently, however, the trolls had underwent a serious power spike. What used to be a helpless idiot was now an intelligent creature that wielded lethal weapons. They were stronger, faster and smarter. They even began appointing leaders, such as Trundle, the Troll King. It was a mystery how they evolved so drastically. It is believed that the Ice Witch was most likely the culprit. With her leadership and magic, this feat would certainly be possible. This was part of the reason why a strong army was necessary. Without it, Sejuani wouldn't be able to get close to the witch, not without fighting off a thousand trolls first.
" See, that'swhere you're wrong. " the Queen shook her head. " Think about it! We build an army, charge into wherever-the-ice-witch-is, and if we fail, then what? "
" Then we better make sure we succeed. " Sejuani stated.
" And this is why I call you ' foolish Sejuani '. We need a backup plan. There's too much at stake. We have to be smart about this. " the Queen pointed out.
" Having a backup plan is a double-edged sword. On one hand you have a second chance. On the other you are not afraid of failure, thus lessening your determination, making the second chance pointless as the first was wasted. " Sejuani retorted.
" Listen. If we promise peace, it will be easy to rally the majority of the world, making them our allies. If another True Ice user can be found, it would help greatly in fighting the Ice Witch. There may also be someone who is capable of replicating the magic. If we administered that knowledge to a whole battalion, the Ice Witch would be powerless! " Ashe reasoned.
" That's a lot of ifs. " Sejuani pointed out. " You can't let your people fall into an endless cycle of despair, for nothing more than an unrealistic solution, just so you can run away from your responsibilities! "
" The Ice Witch will fall. Once that happens, we can rule Freljord properly. " Ashe explained.
" You can never rule Freljord properly, coward. " Sejuani retaliated. " And I will never accept you as my Queen. "
" So now you know the truth. " Sejuani said finally.
Quinn sat there in a daze. That was quite a lot to take in.
" Basically, what you're saying is…you and Ashe are the same but completely different? " Quinn interpreted. " You both want to save your people and defeat the Ice Witch, but Ashe wants to try the indirect solution whereas you prefer the direct solution. "
Sejuani sighed. " I think you're making this more complicated than it should be. She's a coward. I'm not. End of story. "
Well that sure dumbed things down, Quinn thought. Suddenly an idea struck Quinn.
" Do you think Ashe might be on to something though? " she asked.
" Ok. Alright. I don't think you were paying attention. " Sejuani said, annoyed.
" I was! Just listen. Remember what you told me before? About the sick? " Quinn said. " You said that if they were cured, they would be resistant to the disease. "
Sejuani's sky-blue eyes lit up. She had caught on to what Quinn was getting at.
" If someone was cured of the Black Ice- " Quinn theorised.
" -they would be immune to it! " Sejuani finished for her.
" But where could we find some black ice- " Quinn wondered, before the realisation struck her- " The shard that impaled me! It might still be on that tree, so I'll just have to take it."
" It's a long shot, but if this theory proves to be true, it would change everything. " Sejuani remarked.
Sejuani walked back inside her tent, grabbed a few things and went back out. When she returned to Quinn, she presented the items to her.
" Use this to contain the Black Ice " Sejuani said as she presented a box of moderate size. " It's two boxes with a layer of True Ice in between. " she explained. " So that the box doesn't corrupt nor does the True Ice neutralise the Black Ice inside it. "
Quinn took it, feeling the weight. The box itself was light, but the True Ice seemed to make it at least three kilos heavier. How the hell does Sejuani wave around that gigantic flail? She pondered. Then another question popped into her mind.
" I'm curious though- why doesn't Black Ice neutralise your flail? " Quinn questioned.
Sejuani glanced at the flail that was resting by her tent's entrance. Instead of a metal ball, it had a large block of True Ice attached to the head of the flail. Sejuani then turned her gaze back to Quinn.
" It's a complex weapon forged by the Iceborn. Even I don't know all its secrets. " she shrugged. " But here's a weapon that isn't so. " Sejuani said as she handed Quinn back her crossbow and bolts. The crossbow had been confiscated since Quinn had first entered, obviously due to trust issues.
" Is this okay? " Quinn asked.
" It is. " Sejuani assured simply.
After Quinn packed a few supplies, she exited the campsite, Valor perched on her gauntlet. At the exit, Sejuani was waiting for her.
" Just here to see you off. " Sejuani claimed.
" Thanks. I'll be on my way then. " Quinn responded.
" …Quinn! "
" Hm? "
" Stay alert. "
" That's what I do. " Quinn smiled.
With that, the two women went their separate ways.
" Report on the blizzard's status " Sejuani commanded.
She was in her tent, along with three of her most trusted warriors: Udyr, Olaf, and Volibear. They usually held meetings like these to decide the next course of action. Freljord was an unpredictable place, and they constantly had to stay alert to any and all changes.
" Regarding that, Great Chief. It seems to have picked up more speed than anticipated " Udyr replied. " We'll have to relocate sooner than expected. "
Sejuani knew she had to relocate the camp soon, but Quinn still hadn't returned and she had no way of telling her where they were going. If they left without notice, Quinn may not find them in time. At least not before her rations ran out. Quinn was taking her time, though. It had been almost six hours. Maybe Valor was having a hard time finding the scene of the attack. Or perhaps they found the scene but couldn't find the right tree. Or the shard could have disappeared in the snow.
Sigh. Worrying won't help. Sejuani had to trust in Quinn and Valor's abilities. Quinn had, after all, single-handedly infiltrated all three of Freljord's largest camps and walked out of them alive. Perhaps she should consider hiring Quinn for her skills. She was an excellent scout. But enough drooling over Quinn, Sejuani had to focus on the meeting at hand.
" In addition, there seems to be another blizzard approaching us from the East. " Volibear added.
Sejuani froze. The East? The Frostguard was in the East. Quinn had been attacked by the Ice Witch whilst running from the Frostguard, into Winter's Claw territory. So if there was a blizzard from coming from the East…..
Oh for the Elders, Quinn was heading straight into a blizzard.
" Great Chief? " Olaf called.
" O-oh. We'll head for the next campsite as soon as we are ready " Sejuani declared, reluctantly.
Quinn was a capable woman. And with Valor's eyes, she'd see that blizzard coming from miles away. Of course she'd turn back…..But Quinn could have stayed on the path to find the shard. She might do it, in order to help Sejuani rid Freljord of its darkness. If she did, it would be Sejuani's fault. Sejuani had to go and save her. Only the body that was cut from the ice, shaped in the storms and hardened in the cold could save Quinn now. But…with her absence, her people would be much more vulnerable. She could not just abandon them. But she could not just abandon Quinn either. No….the choice was clear: she had to protect her people, first and foremost. After all, Quinn was just a stranger. A mere outsider. She was….not important.
" Then we'll leave as soon as Quinn returns. " Udyr reported.
" We're not waiting for her. We leave as soon as we are ready. " Sejuani insisted. This was the right choice, she told herself.
The three warriors stared at Sejuani in shock. The three of them had figured out Sejuani's true feelings for Quinn a long time ago. Evident from the way Sejuani first brought her to the camp, and how she had insisted to care for Quinn personally, while giving shady excuses.
The three of them knew what had to be done. Each of them gave the other an understanding nod.
" We will go to the next site without you, then. " Volibear responded.
" No. I'm going with my tribe. " Sejuani retorted.
" Leave NOTHING behind! " Olaf yelled, before exiting the tent.
Sejuani stared after him in disbelief.
" Don't deny your instincts, warrior " Udyr counseled, as he followed after Olaf.
" Face the storm! " Volibear advised, as he exited the tent as well.
Sejuani couldn't believe it. Her own warriors telling her to chase after a woman. They didn't want her to have regrets. They were right, obviously. Sejuani was the Great Chief of the Tribe of the Winter's Claw, the Wrath of Winter Incarnate. Running from her battles was nothing like her. If she ran away now, she would never forgive herself for it. She thanked her subordinates. It seems in her quest to gather allies, she had found friends as well.
Sejuani urged Bristle to move faster. The cold air was restless. The blizzard was still far away, but its effects had begun to show already. She had to find Quinn fast. Quinn wasn't at a hundred percent yet. Even if she was, she wouldn't be able to battle through a Freljordian blizzard. She hoped that Valor was looking out for her as always.
Then it was heard. The sound of Valor's hooting. Quinn was close!
Sejuani made Bristle go faster. He obeyed, going as fast as he could. Then, with a sense of deja vu, she saw a figure in the distance. She ordered Bristle to halt, and he did so, leaving him to be dismounted by Sejuani.
She sprinted towards the figure.
It made its way toward her as well.
Finally, she was able to make out who it was. It was who she desperately hoped it to be: Quinn.
Sejuani felt her ice-hardened heart flutter in delight.
Sejuani rushed to Quinn and pulled her into a tight hug with strong arms which were now wrapped around Quinn lovingly. Quinn looked at her, startled.
" I thought I'd lost you. " Sejuani said to her, relieved.
" We Demacians are no easy prey. " Quinn assured proudly. " What are you doing out here- " But Sejuani interrupted her. She pulled Quinn close-
-to her armor, shielding her from the cold wind which had grown much more violent. It seems the blizzard had gotten closer faster than anticipated. Sejuani summoned Bristle to her side. " Bristle! " she called, and Bristle came towards the two. Sejuani quickly mounted her boar, then immediately stretched out her hand to help Quinn up.
But Quinn was sitting on the ground, trembling and had a frightened look on her face.
" Quinn… " Sejuani muttered, confused.
" I…I can walk. You go on ahead. " Quinn stammered, getting up.
Leave NOTHING behind.
" Quinn, the blizzard is picking up speed. You won't be able to outrun it in your condition, and Valor won't be able to fly in that storm. Bristle is the only one with the power and speed to get us out of this, and there's no way I'm leaving you behind." Sejuani explained.
" I-I'm fine,just….give me a second. "
" Quinn, you don't seem fine. "
" I'm fine, I just lost my footing or something. "
Don't deny your instincts, warrior.
Sejuani got down from Bristle. She then walked up to Quinn. " My instincts are telling me you're afraid of Bristle. " Sejuani said to Quinn softly. Quinn looked up at the taller woman. " Don't be afraid of him. Just think of him as an oversized poro. As of right now, I am Poro Rider Sejuani. " Sejuani joked. Quinn had a quick giggle. " I don't have that much imagination, sorry. " Quinn said, still quivering.
The blizzard raged on behind them.
Face the storm!
Volibear, you are hereby demoted.
The blizzard was getting closer by the second, and Quinn was barely able to stand. Sejuani tried something else. " Try this then " She said, as she lifted Quinn in the 'one person lift ' method. She then mounted her boar. " Imagine that you are riding me, not Bristle. " Sejuani instructed, embarrassed of how she was using this whole predicament to take advantage of her crush. Quinn was dumbfounded. But Quinn was also desperate not to think of the boar right now. " I…don't have much imagination. At least not in this position. " Quinn told Sejuani. Quinn then sat on top of Sejuani's thighs, facing the warrior.
" I can't see. " Sejuani complained, despite her heart pounding at this rare opportunity.
" We have eyes in the sky. " Quinn said simply.
Nice one,Valor. " Follow the Owl! " Sejuani told Bristle.
As he started to charge forward at full speed, Quinn's body rocked against Sejuani, due to the unconventional position they were in. Giving a good illusion for Quinn, and especially Sejuani for that matter. As Bristle began panting and running, however, Quinn began wishing for something to plug her ears.
" Say something, Sejuani. Keep my mind off him. " she pled.
" On the first day of Snowdown-" Sejuani sang, too lightheaded to think straight right now.
" I'm riding you, remember? " Quinn reminded. " Talk like it! "
Sejuani felt herself go crazy.
A/N: Chapter 2 is up! On to chapter 3!