Hey friends. Here is the chapter. Excuse the time it took to put this one out, I had a bit of trouble building the foundation of the plot and mapping it out and everything seems to be fairly in place already! Anyways, hopefully you guys enjoy this one. It might start a bit slow for now as I am still introducing things but it'll quicken up C:.

Quotes of the day: "I've always been a Perv." - Miss Yaoi Hands.

"Shit." -Cornonjacob

The Eye of Twilight sighed.

His mask was off of his face, lying on the bamboo counter. His brows, normally hidden, were furrowed with worry and exhaustion. Leaning down, he splashed cold water on his face to refresh himself, the liquid running across his features. He shook the water from his face and drew a towel across to dry himself before setting his mask back once more in its position. Switching off the bathroom light, he noiselessly shut the Ionian styled door behind him.

The information he had received from the Demacian ranger seemed trustworthy enough. There was no reason for the woman to have hid anything. The fate of both Ionia and Demacia were intertwined in this conflict after all and the Wings of Demacia was known to be loyal to her city-state. Furthermore, the information had seemed consistent with the scouting Kennen had conducted only several weeks earlier. Everything added up. Nothing seemed to be at of place at the moment of his investigation.

So why did he have a premonition that something was missing?

Swain's allies had all but been disabled and the Noxian champions were not in shape for another full scale invasion at all. Darius and Urgot were out of commission and Draven was too well interacted into the Noxian show life to prepare for war. Riven had long since left her former city-state and had settled down with a fellow Ionian in the city itself. And Leblanc's organization as well as she had been dealt with in the last major conflict.

Which left only a trio of possible allies to the Tactician.

Walking quietly to the table in the center of his room, he took a seat, his legs folded into a crossed position as Shen slowly examined the photos that had been given to him.

The first was an assassin. The first thing Shen noticed about her was the flowing red hair that hung loosely around her neck and the carefree smirk that always seemed to be plastered across her face. The wicked daggers that hung by her side at her body posture posed as if to threaten any who would even dare to look at her.

Katarina Du Couteau.

The Eye of Twilight had met her numerous times on the Rift and was familiar with her personality as well as her tactics. A brash champion, she was skilled in her craft of the assassination, but was often headstrong and arrogant, often taking on multiple opponents at a time. Though, her mastery of the blade was difficult to deny.

A powerful ally, if managed correctly.

However, Shen was aware of the rift between the assassin and the Tactician of Noxus. It was no secret to many champions that the two brazenly disliked each other, with Katarina's father's disappearance associated with Swain's rise to power. And from several what several Demacian sources had told her, she had previously worked with a Garen Crownguard, the Demacian captain, in the last conflict against her own city-state.

And now that Swain was nearly the sole power of Noxus, it was ever more unlikely that she would side with him at all. So that basically ruled her out of the equation.

Shen glanced at the remaining two photos. Cassiopeia and Talon Du Couteau. The other unknown factors. Both were siblings of Katarina and were known to have worked together on several missions. They weren't exactly what would be a traditional family, with one being a snake and the other an adopted Noxian street rat, but from past events, it always seemed that the family was on the same side regardless of their rough external relationships. They had both supported Katarina in her association with Demacia. There was no reason to believe they would stop supporting their sister now.

The Eye of Twilight sighed tiredly. So that ruled them out too.

That left no other Noxian champions to assist Swain in this phantom campaign of his.

Perhaps the ranger was right. Perhaps there was no real threat and only the senseless babble of a Noxian general depleting from his peak. Perhaps there was no threat to Ionia at all. As strong as the Kinkou were, they had been wrong in the past and they could certainly be wrong again.

But Shen just could not shake the feeling something was wrong with this situation. He simply could not place a finger on where he felt an inconsistency….

A sharp knock at his door broke him from his train of thoughts.

"Enter," he called.

Pushing the door open was a young woman dressed in a light green Kinkou outfit, karmas dangling by her side. Her brown eyes flicked to Shen, taking in his appearance as she pursued her lips behind to mask to speak.

"The convoy has arrived. It's time. Kennen has already moved to his position within the temple and is waiting for us."

Shen nodded.

"Very well." He stood to his full height and ushered the Fist of Shadow from his room. As he closed the large wooden door behind him, he could not help but take once last glance at the papers still left open on the face of his small desk. He stared for a moment, caught in a sudden daze.

"Shen? What's wrong?"

He turned back to his companion once more, giving her an assuring gaze.

"Nothing...Akali. Let us go. I'm sure that Kennen will be very impatient with our arrival."

The two pair turned to leave once more, their footsteps silent around the path beneath them.

….Could it be…them?

Why were there so many god damn people?

At least that's what Talon thought as he quickly waded through the crowd of people milling throughout the center of the city.

He hadn't visited the Ionian Capital city yet and he had always assumed that they would all just be a bunch of monks and what not. After all, that's what all he had seen during his other trips around the island continent. Talon had just expected the Ionians to be praying or doing Kung Fu in their monasteries or whatever else they did in their spare time.

But he sure as hell did not expect them to be crowding around the central forum. As he moved swiftly across the rooftops through the Ionian afternoon, dozens and dozens of people laughed and played, enjoying the cool weather. Couples sat together in the park, cuddling against each other as Talon look onwards.

He stared at them for a moment before he realized he had stopped dead in his tracks. He shook his head, angry at himself for exposing himself for so long.

Fuck. How much time had he wasted? Or even worse, had someone seen him? Throwing a glance around, he quickly resumed his path across the rooftops.

Quinn hadn't exactly sent him a location or anything of the sort, but it was obvious enough to him. If the Ionians had been involved with moving her from Noxus then there would be no place else to take her than the capital. This was where the best security was as well as the best medicine and healers. No doubt this was where she would be.

Leaping onto a large marble statue placed at the top of a large house, Talon slowly surveyed the situation placed before him.

Ahead were the government buildings— tall, intricate structures decorated with Ionian curved platforms dominated the area. Guards, armed with large spears and katannas slowly patrolled the gate, vigilantly watching for any intruders. The assassin also spotted several guards on the decks of several of the government platforms. Everywhere seemed to be well guarded.

He grimaced despite himself.

This would not be an easy task. Sneaking into a low down place in some unknown location across Runterra was one thing. That was made even easier when no one would expect him either. Attempting to sneak in to one of the most guarded places in all of Ionia by some of the nation's strongest warriors was another. And Talon was sure they would stop him and kill him on sight without giving him any time to explain himself. Though he hadn't exactly been with the initial Noxian invasion force, he knew there was still prejudice among Ionians.

Talon snarled in frustration.

Fuck. Was this foolish thing really going to stop him? There was no difference if he killed the guards now, especially since he was already a wanted man.

Besides, he owed this to Quinn. He should have been there. He should have watched over her. The Blade's Shadow had nearly lost her, but now he had another chance, and he sure as hell wasn't about to mess this up.

He drew several gleaming blades from his cloak, his rough fingers running over the cold, wicked steel. Talon's eyes silently counted the number of guards.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Se-Damn. There's just too many. I can't kill one without alarming the others. Looks like I'll just have to take them head on and try to cut down as many as I can before they can react.

Huh? What is this?

The cloaked assassin peered onwards as a large procession clanked up to the front gate. As he watched, he caught a glace of the colors that were beautifully glossed on the side of the massive carriage.

Blue and Gold. Demacian. And by the looks of the number of royal guards dressed in the best Demacian armor he had seen, it was likely that it was royalty as well. Talon frowned as he remembered the blue eyes of the Exemplar that he had fought on the Rift alongside a fierce dragon that had spewed blazing fire across the battle grounds. Were they here as well?

But what were the members of the Demacian royal family doing here? Their status made them high priority targets for assassins and bandits, so they never moved unless it was under dire circumstances. Past kings and princes had fallen to the hands of enemies before and it always posed a great risk to travel. Talon himself had conducted several missions on moving members of royalty.

So why were they here?

Amber eyes narrowed in wait as he watched a battalion of Ionian troops march out to the front of the gate to greet the convoy. The arrival of the Demacians had sent the Ionians into a flurry, guards shouting orders to another and ran around, opening the gate to allow the carriage and its occupants to pass through. The scene was nothing short of chaotic— and Talon saw his chance.

Jumping from his perch, he landed across the rooftop of another building and stealthily sprinted to another lower structure that stood below the one he was currently on. He was close now, he could hear the guards conversing in Ionian and the hooves of the horses against the paved stone road beneath them.

Quietly, he stuck to the shadows as he hopped down onto the lower building. Talon crouched and pressed himself against the large outer gate of the Ionian government. Slowly, he raised his head to take a quick peak over the top of the decorated iron gate. From his position, he saw many of the Ionian troops, once stationed on the rooftops and balconies of the Ionian buildings, now on the ground floor, eager to welcome their new guests. None were surveying their surroundings, as they were too busy exchanging greetings and kind words.

Perfect.

With a quick heave, Talon hopped over the steel gate. He rolled as he landed, assassin training kicking in as he quickly relocated himself in a bush that was planted near the gate. Throwing one last glance at the still distracted troops in the center of the square, Talon sprinted behind the closest government structure that stood near him.

As he leaned against the cool metal structure, he took a moment to gain control of his breath. And as he did, the assassin suddenly rubbed his face in frustration.

Huh.

He had made it past the guards without being detected. That much was done. But where would he go to find his ranger? After all, the government center wasn't exactly what one would call small. There were plenty of locations Quinn could have been moved to. He could search for years and years in this area and still be unable to find her. How could he have forgotten to think of it?!

As he silently berated himself, the sound of hooves clanking once more against the stone path reached his ears.

Wait. If Demacian royalty were here, then surely they would want to see the scout. They had sent her on that mission after all. With her going missing for a while, they would be eager to hear from her personally. Without any contact with her for that period, as well as the fact that she was one of Demacia's most famous rangers, she would likely become their first priority in Ionia.

And with the presence of the high ranking Demacians, this was turning out to be a serious matter. Talon was no political head, but he knew her city-state wouldn't exactly send such a large caravan just to make sure she was safe and to take her back home. Royalty had never needed to take such risks for such a meaningless purpose. Demacia would never give her sons for assassination unless it was necessary. Something was going on. And Talon needed to know.

But for now, all he needed to do was follow that brightly lit caravan across government location. There was a certain ranger he needed to speak to.

Beautiful. Wondrously beautiful.

At least that's what Jarvan thought of the Ionian architecture that he watched pass by the rattling carriage. He took a moment to admire the spiraling buildings and the beautifully carved patterns that were a part of every government building he could lay his eyes upon. The prince loved Demacia, but it was simply too difficult not to gawk at the ancient structures that towered above him. No one could deny the beauty of the island. Despite their seemingly intimidating appearance, he felt almost at peace here with the atmosphere of the island.

Almost.

He must have been frowning because a warm hand fell across his. He glanced up into the magenta eyes of his dragoness who was staring intently at him. Apparently his facial expression must have been worse than he thought.

"Jarvan, what's wrong?" Shyvana murmured, her voice laced with tender concern. "What's bothering you?"

The prince attempted to open his mouth to respond, but could not at first. There should have been nothing that made him feel this way. After all, he was already very happy that Shyvana was with him for this trip, as well as the fact that he was in one of the most beautiful locations across Runterra.

But there was something in the air that just…didn't feel right. What it was he could not say exactly, but Jarvan was confident that it was there.

He sighed silently to himself. Perhaps it was his nerves. Perhaps it was the air. Either way, it would do him no good to worry about things he was probably imagining. Jarvan had a purpose here he needed to take care of.

The Exemplar looked back at his dragoness and gave her a smile to settle her worry, wrapping his hand around her own to assure her.

"Nothing Shy, it's…nothing. I think I just imagined something."

Quinn sighed tiredly as she rubbed at the stiffness in her neck. She was geared up in her traditional Demacian armor once more, gold and blue uniform stretched across her figure once more. Although she was happy to be healthy and wearing the colors of beloved city-state once more, the scout was tired.

All night and day she had been pondering about the mind state of Talon. Valor had returned to her and successfully delivered his message. She knew that much. Her friend wouldn't have returned to her without completing his mission.

What she was worried about was what he would do. Quinn knew that he would be mad at her for not contacting him sooner. And as much of a "tough guy" appearance as he always attempted to put on, she knew Talon cared deeply for her and upon hearing the news of her status, would want to see her immediately.

And that was the problem. He wouldn't care about the political scene of Ionia of the fact that he would be unwelcome here on sight. Talon would come to see her regardless of who tried to talk to him or what they situation was like. That was simply the way he was.

And while she found that slightly romantic, it would prove poorly for relations between their already strained city-states. Demacian officials would not take lightly to such fraternization. Exile would be the likely consequence, if not execution. They had managed to keep their relationship off the map thus far. Would it be the end here?

But despite her brain's reasoning, she wanted to touch, to feel her assassin once more for the first time in weeks. She knew it was selfish and her brain nagged, but her heart shut out its thoughts.

God Talon…But I really need to see you. Why haven't you come?

The sound of a door opening drew Quinn out of her darkening thoughts. She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hand.

Whatever. She would have to worry about that later on. Right now, she needed to confer with the Demacian royals who had come to see her and discuss the situation. Talon would just have to wait.

"Ahem," came a light cough. Quinn opened her eyes to see a man dressed in a traditional Ionian garb standing before her. He gave her a light smile.

"Hello. I am Jonas, Guard of the Ionian Council. I have been instructed to escort you to the meeting chamber," he gave her a small nod, "We should move now Ms. Quinn. The Elders are waiting and so are your leaders. It would not do to keep them waiting."

Quinn stood, brushing a piece of lint from her formal armor set. She took a breath to steady her nerves before giving Jonas an affirming smile.

"Alright. Lead the way."

Hope you guys enjoyed that Chapter!

Thanks to Miss Yaoi Hands for the edit!

Please let me know if you liked it or if there is something I can do better!

Until Next Time,

-C. Geng