I grunted. I wanted to ask what for, but I knew questioning the order of a military leader was frowned upon, especially when that leader was the prince.
"Of course," I agreed. "Where shall I be meeting him?"
"The Palace. The guard has already been informed of your arrival."
"Excellent." Most of the time when I tried to enter the palace, the guard would halt me and ask what my business was. They knew who I was—the right hand of the prince himself—yet they insisted that I needed written proof Jarvan had requested to see me. I would then demand they fetch a servant to go to the prince himself. Jarvan usually gave the servant a letter to send to the guard or he would come out himself and escort me.
I squeezed Ezreal's hand, who was looking at me with unmasked worry. "It's okay," I assured him. "I'm not in trouble or anything, at least I think I'm not."
He frowned, not convinced by my words. He didn't purse the subject though. "Meet me at the library later?"
"Always." I nodded, handing him the rose as his fingers slipped from my grasp. I started in the general direction of the palace, nodding to Garen in thanks. I wondered what the prince wanted to see me for. Usually our meetings involved battle planning, his hatred of Noxus was quite unsettling sometimes.
I guess everyone harbored some sort of ill will toward Noxus, besides Noxus itself of course. I'm not sure how I felt. Yeah, they did some bad things, but fighting all the time wasn't always the best idea. The last Rune Wars had caused some devastating damage to the land, and the League of Legends had only helped so much.
I may have been a solider, but I still knew I was taking the lives of people who probably had spouses and children. I was the cause of taking their child's parent away. The thought made me feel sick.
I was deep in thought and not paying attention to where I was walking. Most people weaved around me, others shoved me angrily to get by. I closed my eyes...
And felt something hit me. Hard.
I stumbled back awkwardly, the most ungraceful thing I've ever done. I felt the air rush through my hair as I fell backward. My head collided with the concrete pavement hard. A sharp cry escaped from my lips.
I heard a sharp gasp and a high pitched voice squeaked. "Sorry! I didn't see you!"
I groaned. I was going to have a killer headache later. I sat up, moving a hand toward the back of my head where my hair was sticky with my blood. My hand came back coated in the stuff.
"Oh no," I heard the voice say. I looked forward, it was a tiny girl probably no more than seven. She frowned, her eyes going to my hand. "I did that?"
"You didn't," I insisted. "The ground did."
I wiped the blood off on my dress, staining it with my bloody hand-print. I struggled into a standing position, feeling my head throb painfully. It really hurt.
"My mommy can take you to the infirmary." The little girl insisted.
"Um..." I've had enough of that place for a lifetime. "I have somewhere I need to be. I'll be fine, I promise."
I patted her head with my other hand, giving her a reassuring smile and then winced when the pain in my head spiked. She stomped her feet.
"No! You're gonna come with me."
"Sorry kid," I danced out of her way before she could try to grip my hand. "Got places to be!"
I ran, brushing past people who shouted after me angrily. The prince had insisted my presence, it's not like I could refuse. What if I was in trouble? That wouldn't bode well one bit. Perhaps he'd understand once he figured out I was injured, but he'd be furious before then.
The palace stood tall above all else in Demacia. It was an impressive structure, home of the Royal Family—the Lightshields.
Their bloodline had been ruling for many generations and they were well loved by the people. They were greatly feared in battle and rightly so, especially Jarvan IV.
I slowed as I approached the two guards at attention. They nodded in acknowledgment of me, gesturing for me to proceed. I sighed in relief, Garen had been right.
My head throbbed, the pain getting worse as time passed. I hoped whatever Jarvan wanted to see me for would be quick. I stopped in my tracks as I wondered where I should go. Garen hadn't told me where Jarvan had wanted to meet me.
Perhaps the guard would know?
I retraced my steps back to the front of the palace where the two guards that had let me in were.
"Excuse me, do you happen to know where the prince wanted me to meet him?"
"His room." One of the guards said, sounding bored.
"His room?" I repeated in disbelief. "You're joking."
"Certainly not." Said the other guard.
I thanked them quickly and made my way toward the palace gardens. I remembered faintly Jarvan's room was quite close to it. If I could find the gardens, I could find his room.
But why did he want to meet there? Never had we met in a place so...private. When he summoned my presence, he was always in company with another military leader or someone of the sort.
I was still mulling over this when the palace gardens came into sight. A thick layer of mist settled over the plants and I could feel the heat from where I was. It was a place I had always wanted to explore but I knew it would not be appropriate for me to ask Jarvan.
There was only one door at the end of the corridor I was walking. Torches were lined up on the wall and caused shadows to dance as I walked. I shivered, walking faster than I had been a minute ago.
The door was curved, made of a dark colored wood. I knocked hesitantly, the hardness of the door causing my knuckles to ache. The door swung open and I stifled a gasp.
Jarvan stood in the doorway, dressed in a black shirt that hugged his body and made his muscles more prominent. His pants stopped just above his knees and he was barefoot.
"My Lord...?" I stammered. "You summoned me?"
I had never seen Jarvan so casually dressed. Seeing any skin other than his face was a shock. He was always dressed from head to toe in armor. This? Was this even the Exemplar of Demacia himself?
He ignored what I said. "Your dress, there's blood on it."
"Oh that? That's nothing really."
The pain decided to spike again and caused me to cradle the back of my head. A moan escaped from my lips and I gritted my teeth.
"Shyvana!" Jarvan said in alarm.
Black spots coated my vision. The world around me spun and I fell forward, feeling strong arms embrace me. The last thing I heard was a door closing before I blacked out.
