A Glimpse of Shining Starfire Ch.9 – Meaningful Conversations
Author's note: Okay! Finally got around to updating good old AGOSS. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that there isn't too much action in this particular chapter, it is mostly character development and setting up for something big about to happen. I will try, in the future, to update the story more often, but please feel free to tell me what you think of the story. -Kiba
That day, Hadar still had yet to show himself. Arcturus followed Quinn and I through the halls leading them to where they'd be sleeping for the night. While I would have enjoyed having him stay in my room, I knew that my mother would be absolutely furious. So instead, I opened the door for them, revealing the guest bedroom that contained two twin beds I'd had made up for each of them. "Thank you for this Lux, I really appreciate it." Quinn said as she sat upon the far bed.
"Yes, it'll be nice to not have to stay in the servant quarters." Arcturus agreed, crossing his legs under him on his own bed. I smiled, watching him bounce experimentally on the mattress.
"No need for thanks. Besides, after what happened earlier, this way I know Quinn will keep an eye on you to make sure you stay out of trouble."
Arcturus sighed, rubbing his temples. "I told you, nothing happened. I thought the door was locked and Fiora hid the key in her body suit. I sliced it open with Starshadow to get it, and I was leaving just as you opened the door."
"That is your side of the story." I admitted. "But you didn't seem too unhappy when she was clinging on to your arm earlier."
The fallen star let out a frustrated sigh. I heard a click, and seeing Quinn loading her crossbow I quickly thought of my brother and decided to end this line of conversation. "Well, good night you two." I laughed nervously. "Sweet dreams, sleep well, I'll see you in the morning for breakfast." I quickly let myself out of the room, closing the door behind me before retiring to my own bedroom.
I'd only taken a few steps when a horrid pain raced through my head. Clutching it tightly I fell to my knees, unable to even scream it hurt so greatly. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone leaving me on my floor with painful tears in my eyes. I hadn't had headaches like these since Kal and I hunted down the Void walkers, but even then it was nowhere near as painful as this.
I still hadn't told Arcturus or Quinn about the headaches; I knew it would just serve to worry them. They probably already saw me as the weakest member of our group since my light magic didn't work against starspawn and I wasn't able to wield any sort of weapons. I had to keep this to myself, to prove to myself that I was still strong enough to fight, even if it was just fighting pain.
Still a little dizzy, I clambered to my feet and shuffled to my bed where I collapsed with a sigh. Rolling over, I looked out the window up into the night sky where the cosmos smiled down on me. I wondered if Arcturus every got homesick, even if he did get kicked out. Drained, my eyes slowly closed and soon sleep had overtaken me.
As soon as the door shut, Quinn placed the safety on before putting her weapon on the night stand beside her. She could feel Arcturus' eyes watching as she removed her helmet, shaking her brown hair out around her. "Just going to keep staring?" She asked, unclipping her armored breast plate and removing it.
Arcturus became flustered that she'd caught him, and turned his head away. "Apologies, I didn't mean to be rude." He replied. "It's just…"
Quinn took a deep breath. "Ponder your next words carefully Arcturus, do recall I have a loaded crossbow and I'm a good shot."
"It's not like that!" He snapped quickly, causing Quinn to raise an eyebrow at his outburst. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout. It's just that I haven't seen you let your hair down before. I was curious what you looked like when you weren't expecting an ambush of some sort."
"Turn around please." She asked, not even acknowledging his explanation. When he did so, she quickly removed her top, reaching for the more casual night wear Lux had leant her. Slipping it over her head, she looked over her shoulder to see that he was still turned away. "Thank you. You can turn back now."
"I hope you do not mind if I get comfortable myself. I'm not quite so shy, but I will remain decent." Slipping off his coat, he placed it carefully over the back of the chair, revealing for the first time to Quinn, the long intricate markings that ran up and down his arms. Unbuttoning his shirt, he pulled it from his shoulders, exposing the fit body hidden underneath the glowed from the intricate purple markings.
"What are those?" Quinn asked in awe, taking a moment to look a little closer.
"Nightmarish fissures that lead to the Abyss. To stare into them is to look into madness itself." Arcturus answered, causing the knight to quickly jerk back and avert her eyes. The action made him chuckle, causing her to look at him confused. "I'm joking." He explained. "They are birthmarks. All Celestians are born with a unique pattern, much like a fingerprint."
"They're…brilliant." Quinn whispered, searching for a word to describe the shimmering swirls. "What is it that makes them glow like that?"
The swordsman grinned, running his fingers down his own arm, almost affectionately. "You know how people always say, you never know what you have until it's gone?"
The question caused the archer to look down at her feet. "All too well." She muttered, a tinge of sorrow in her voice. It was not something that Arcturus missed.
"The light is caused by my soul. Now that I have it back, my lines glow with starfire." Looking intently at Quinn, he paused before speaking. "I sense you have lost something as well." She nodded solemnly. "Do you wish to talk about it?" He asked.
"I didn't lose something…I lost someone…three someone's really." She bit her lip, walking to the window and pushing it open before sitting on the window seat and pulling her knees up to her chest. "Is it true what people say? That if you capture a star, it'll grant you a wish?"
Arcturus followed closer, sitting beside her. "Do you want the truth?" Again, she nodded. "It's not true. It's something passed around because when starspawn fall, they make pacts with mortals for their soul. So in a sense, they can grant wishes, but at a very high cost. That's what happened to me. But even a star spawn cannot bring back the people you've lost." He leaned against the window sill looking up to the stars again, his eyes shining brightly.
"That's new." Quinn commented. "I've never seen your eyes do that before."
Arcturus looked at her with a grin. "I'm talking to my sister." The knight leaned closer to the window.
"Which one is she?"
The Celestian extended his arm, and as Quinn follow where he pointed she saw the gleaming star in the sky. "She's beautiful." She whispered. "I had a sibling too. A brother."
"Had?"
"He died." Arcturus had never seen Quinn appear so meek before. She was curled up in a ball, rubbing her arm as if she wasn't sure she should be discussing this out loud. "It was an accident…a stupid, idiotic accident. When we were kids, we'd play in the woods by our home, pretending we were knights of Demacia, going on adventures and fighting Noxus…just dumb kid stuff. But when we got bored of that…we'd go hunting with our crossbows. Catching rabbits and squirrels and bringing them home to cook." Her eyes began to water as she withdrew even further into her arms. "It was just a trick…" she whimpered. "He was trying to play a trick on me by putting twigs in his ears like antlers and jumping out of the bush to scare me. But when he did…I…I…" The tears began to flow freely as she struggled to confess what had happened. "I killed him. I fired my crossbow and struck Caleb right between the eyes. My own twin…I'm the one who killed him, all because of some stupid game."
"I'm sure he does not blame you." Arcturus assured her.
She shook her head. "He should. It was my fault. I pulled the trigger. I fired the bolt that killed him. After that, I couldn't stand the thought of being a knight. Knights are people of honor and bravery. Not people who shoot their brothers and bury them in a shallow grave in the middle of the woods."
"And yet, you are a knight."
"For a year, I didn't set foot in that forest. I couldn't bear to after what I had done. But on the anniversary of his death…I couldn't help myself. I had to go back there to pay my respects at his grave. That's when I found him."
Arcturus looked puzzled. "Found who?"
"Valor." She smiled, a welcome sight despite the tears that still glistened on her soft cheeks. "Laying on my brother's grave was an injured Demacian Eagle. They were supposed to be extinct decades ago, so finding one there…I felt like it had to be a sign. He was just a fledgling when I found him, so scooping him up, I nursed him back to health, for my brother's sake. I named him Valor, because he had the same spirit Caleb had, and together we joined the Demacian military. We relied on each other completely, and he was at my side constantly until…"
"The imposter."
"Yeah. He, that is, she threw a spear at me, but Valor sacrificed himself to save me. That's why I came to find you. It's not often you meet someone that Valor has respect for, but he did for you. Not even Garen can say that."
"Is that why you're so focused on revealing this imposter?" He asked.
Quinn shook her head. "No…Valor sacrificed himself, but he wouldn't want petty revenge. I want to capture and expose the imposter to find the prince. Jarvan spoke up when other military commanders looked down their noses at me for being a commoner. He and I were very close. I don't know if he's alive or not, but if he is I know he needs help." Arcturus took a deep breath standing and walking to the other side of Quinn. Sitting behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. "W-what are you doing?!" She asked in shock.
"Lux once told me, when people need to be comforted they enjoy being hugged. You're crying…I can't think of anyone who needs to be comforted at the moment than you." Quinn frowned, but didn't struggle against his embrace.
"I'm not looking for comfort Arcturus. You should save it for someone else."
"I can't do that Quinn…you're my friend, and I don't like to see you hurting. I may not be able to make the pain go away, but I can do something and right now that something is to simply hug you." The ranger relaxed in his arms, surrendering herself to it and leaning against him.
'You're warm." She whispered, as if she needed an explanation for why she wasn't pulling away from him. "Can I ask you a question?" She inquired; her head tilting back to look into his eyes.
"Yes."
"Am I really your friend?"
He seemed to ponder the question for a moment. "Do you not wish to be?" He answered, using his own question.
She smiled, placing her head against him to look up at the stars. "I was just surprised is all. I mean, I did shoot you with an arrow."
"I've had people do worse."
That caused Quinn to giggle softly, before erupting into laughter. It had been a very long time since she'd laughed at anything. She couldn't even remember the last time she had. But it felt nice, all of it. Laughing, sharing her story, being hugged by a friend; ever bit of it was a dream come true for her. "Alright, alright." She gasped, her laughing fit finally dying down. "Question number two: what really happened with you and Fiora in that room?"
He shrugged. "Exactly what I said. She wanted to make Lux jealous, so she attempted to seduce me. She told me she locked me in before taking the key and dropping it into her body suit. So I used a quick slash from my blade to extract it from her, rather than searching for it the way she wanted me to. Then, in retaliation she sliced my belt causing my pants to come undone. I walked to the door with the key, then Lux opened it."
"Oh man, that is hilarious." Quinn chuckled. "She may have had better luck seducing literally any other man, but you."
"Why do you say that?"
She looked over her shoulder at him mischievously before collapsing back against him. "Oh Arcturus…it's so incredibly cold tonight." Her voice was a soft mew as she reached up with one arm to stroke his cheek. "I need something Arcturus…I need something hot inside of me. I want to feel its heat in my stomach so that I can be kept warm on such a cold, cold night."
"Erm…well, I could close the window. That could help, or if you'd like my blanket your welcome to it. I don't think Lux's mother would be too pleased if I snuck in the kitchen to get you some sort of tea or soup at this hour though." He replied.
"That's why I say that." She laughed. "You really have no idea when someone's flirting with you unless they're literally just throwing themselves upon you, do you? Hell, even if you did you don't strike me as the type to simply fall to a woman's charms easily."
"I suppose not." He mused. "Wait…were you flirting with me just now?"
"Don't get too excited there, I don't intend on joining your squealing girl fanclub. I'll leave that to the younger girls." She teased. "But still…I suppose I can understand why Lux is so attached to you. I mean you've obviously got the physical appeal, and darn it, you're simplicity just makes you so darn cute."
"…Now you're definitely flirting with me, I think."
Quinn snickered. "Haha, no. I'm not. Nice guess though." Her eyes went up to the moon, basking the world with its full face. "So what about the moon?" She asked. "Is that some sort of evil monster?"
"Oh no! Absolutely not!" He quickly answered. "Just the opposite, in fact. That would be my mother."
"Your mother is the moon? I'm almost concerned to ask who your father is."
"The sun."
"Yeah, I should have seen that one coming. Alright, one last question for you, okay?"
"Okay."
She stared into his eyes intensely, checking to see any hint of deception or untruth. "Do you love Lux?" The question stunned him. Of all the things he'd expected to hear her ask, this was one that he most certainly did not. "Well?" She insisted.
He could feel his heart race as she waited expectantly, trying to come up with an answer. "Well…I…um...that is…"
"I thought so." She sighed. "You've never told her you loved her. Not even once. Sure you've implied it…you've even gone so far as to make love to her, but you aren't able to bring yourself to say those three little words."
"What words?" He asked.
"I. Love. You. You just don't get it Arcturus. Luxanna is a young woman, and she cares about you very deeply. She, I'm rather sure, loves you. That's why she gets so jealous all the time. It's because she's young…she's never had someone all to herself before."
Arcturus remained silent, looking out the window, deep in thought.
"There's something else…isn't there?" Quinn asked. "There's a reason you won't say it to her."
"Sometimes Quinn…I really wish you weren't so insightful." He whispered.
The two fell silent for a time before she spoke up again. "Do you love her Arcturus?" Quinn repeated.
"Yes." He confessed softly.
"Then why won't you tell her?"
He took a deep breath, the warmth from his body growing to make his hug almost like being wrapped in a blanket. "Because I really wish I wasn't." He finally answered.
"Oh." Quinn yawned as she looked out the window once more. "You know…it really is kind of cold out. I hope you don't mind if I sit here with you a little longer."
"Not at all." Arcturus muttered, thankful that Quinn did not push the matter further. He was surprised when a few moments later she was fast asleep against him. Because of that, he did not stir, instead choosing to sleep there until daylight came the next morning.
The next day Garen awoke early and rode towards the castle on horseback. He'd thought about the previous day's events most of the night and he came to a conclusion. He had a duty to uphold as the Might of Demacia, and he would not fail in upholding it.
The guards made way, opening the gates so that the large armored swordsman could enter into the castle. Now inside, he stormed straight up the steps and into the throne room where the Crown Prince sat on his throne. Garen kneeled, putting the tip of his sword on the ground and bowing his head. "Your liege, I wish to speak to you."
Jarvan looked to Garen confused but nodded. "By all means friend, approach and tell me what troubles you."
"I think my lord…perhaps it would be better to speak in private." Again the prince nodded, signaling to the guards to wait outside of the palace chambers.
"What is all of this about Garen?" He asked.
Garen took a deep breath, unsure of how to express what he knew. "I…really don't know how to say this, your majesty." He started. "After your visit to my home yesterday…I spoke to Quinn."
Jarvan crossed his arms over his chest. "That traitor visited your home? Please tell me you managed to capture her and lock her up." Garen shook his head.
"Sorry my Lord, I was unable to. But sir, she told me something odd."
"And what's that?" Jarvan inquired.
Garen's grip tightened on his sword as he stared the Prince in the eye. "She told me that you are, in fact, an imposter, that you attacked her without provocation and have kidnapped the real Jarvan. Bear in mind, Jarvan is my best friend. If you are indeed an imposter, you had better come clean and tell me where he is, otherwise I will find him, and when I do it's your head I'll seek next."
"Oh Garen…" the Prince's voice was now that of a woman's. "I really wish you hadn't heard that." Garen's eyes went wide as the 'Prince' regained her true form, and rushing forward with his blade he held it high over head to slay her. But before he could reach her, she simply raised her hand firing a magical gold chain straight through him. Pinning itself to the ground, Garen let out a fierce cry, just as she transformed back into the prince, the guards bursting in to see Garen sword drawn at the Prince's feet.
"Guards, seize him!" The imposter ordered, causing the disoriented Garen to become easily subdued. "Throw him into the dungeon, no one is to speak with the traitor, understand? Anyone who does so will be swiftly executed, by order of the crown."
"You will not get away with this!" Garen roared as the guards dragged him away, the imposter smiling as the doors closed behind him.
"I already have." He turned to look out of the freshly repaired window that Quinn had leapt from, the Crownguard estate off in the far distance. "So, Quinn knows does she? Then it's a good thing I know where to go to silence her." The 'prince' turned away going to the guards at the gate. "I'm going to ride to the Crownguard estate to inform the family. I believe them to still be loyal, but I wish to go alone."
"Yes, your majesty!" The guard replied, opening the gate to let the Prince ride off from the castle walls. As he did so, once again the shape of the imposter would begin to shift, and soon 'Garen' was about to pay a surprise visit to the woman who had once been his Squire.
I yawned as my eyes opened, the morning sun filtering through my window to illuminate my bedroom with its light. I smiled to myself, it was good to be back in my own bed. I rolled out of bed, going to my closet and choosing my clothing for the day. Deciding on a light blue ensemble, I quickly dressed and went to the guest bedroom to wake Quinn and Arcturus.
I knocked softly on the door, and hearing no reply I cracked it open to slip inside. When I did, however, I was greeted by the sight of Quinn asleep on Arcturus chest as he dozed on the window seat with his arms draped around her and his shirt off. The sleeve of the nightshirt I leant her had slipped down her shoulder, revealing a large amount of her breast. I began to chuckle at first, then giggle as I began to realize the incredible irony of the situation. Put him in a room with Quinn! She'll make sure he wouldn't betray me! I should have known better. "Good morning!" I sang loudly, causing the two of them to slowly open their eyes.
"What time is it?" Quinn groaned, before her eyes lifted to see she was laying on Arcturus. "Eeep! I fell asleep?!" She gasped in disbelief, moving quickly to the other side of the window seat and covering herself. Looking to me, she could see the flames in my eyes, and she shook her head. "Oh no, you…you cannot possibly be thinking what I think you're thinking."
"Good morning Quinn. Good morning Lux." Arcturus sighed as he straightened up, cracking his back audibly. "Hey Quinn, next time I get to sleep on you okay? I don't know if my back can handle all this strain."
Quinn placed both of her hands over her face. "You stupid son of a bitch." She muttered as my smile just got bigger, walking towards the two of them.
"So did you two have an eventful night?" I sang in an overly cheerful voice.
Arcturus smiled at her and nodded. "I'd definitely say so. The two of us exposed ourselves intimately to one another until Quinn got so tired she fell asleep. She was complaining about how cold it was, so she wanted to sit beside me to keep warm. She looked so cute sleeping like that, I didn't have the heart to take her to bed."
Quinn glared at Arcturus. "I swear, you have got to be doing that on purpose! Lux, listen to me carefully. Arcturus and I did not do anything last night. So let's just calm down okay?"
"Calm?" I asked innocently. "I am perfectly calm. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Agreed. She seems fine to me." Arcturus replied.
"Idiot! She thinks we slept together." Quinn hissed.
Arcturus blinked. "But…we did sleep together."
"She thinks we had sex Arcturus! For the love of Gods, you cannot possibly be so dense!" Quinn rubbed the bridge of her nose as Arcturus eyes went wide, turning to look at me as I caught my scepter in my hand, contemplating which one of them I should club over the head first.
"Oh! No, no we didn't do anything of the sort Lux! Honestly, we just had a meaningful conversation. That's it. We absolutely, did not, have sex!" Acturus quickly sputtered.
"Oh really? Because it sure sounds like you had a bit more than a 'meaningful conversation'."
"He told me he loves you!" Quinn blurted, causing the both of us to turn to look at her in shock.. "Alright Lux? We just talked about ourselves, he told me he loved you, and then I fell asleep on him. We did not have sex. I would not do that to you, and he wouldn't either. You've already falsely accused him of cheating once, do you really want to do it again and risk losing him?"
I frowned, lowering my scepter as I shook my head. "No…I don't." I whispered finally, causing Quinn to give a sigh of relief. "Sorry, both of you. I know I get a little out of my head sometimes, especially a lot more often lately." I turned back to Arcturus, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear before holding my hands behind my back. "Did you really say that you loved me?" I asked.
"Yes." He strained though gritted teeth, an angry look at Quinn who didn't seem to take notice.
"I…I don't know what to say…" I whispered , turning to look back at the door. "Umm…I'll leave you two to get dressed. Breakfast should be ready soon, and Fiora will be here in an hour or two." I left, closing the door shut behind me as I felt an inexplicable joy running through my veins. He loved me! I couldn't believe he'd actually told Quinn that, and that he admitted it! For the first time in a long time, I had the same feeling with him that I had with Kal, and it was a feeling that I cherished deeply. Unable to contain my excitement, I skipped down the stairs eager to start making breakfast for them both.
As Lux disappeared through the door Quinn took a deep breath. "Thank goodness that snapped her out of it. For a moment I thought she was going to push me out the window."
Arcturus frowned, folding his arms over his chest. "That's still a possibility, though it won't be her doing the pushing."
Quinn looked at him puzzled. "What's your problem?" She asked, going to retrieve her armor and a fresh set of clothes.
"My problem? You told her that I loved her! That's my problem! After I specifically expressed that I did not want her to know that. I told you that in confidence Quinn…why would you tell her?"
Quinn froze as the realization struck her. "I…why did you agree? When she asked you could have said 'No.' You can't blame me for that."
He walked to the chair, slipping on his shirt over his glowing chest before yanking his jacket on. "If I had told her No, she'd have thought you were lying and we'd be back at the start again."
"What's the big deal anyway? If anything I just did you a favor. Now you don't have to worry about working up the courage to say it." Quinn argued.
"The 'big deal' Quinn is that I wasn't too scared to say it to her! It's because I don't want her to get hurt!" He argued back. "What if something happens to me, huh? What if I die while fighting the star spawn? Now she's just lost the second love of her life, where as if I hadn't told her I'd have just been some guy that she was interested in."
"News Flash Arcturus: You had sex with the girl. She already thought you were in love with her. Why else would she get mad at you for being with another woman? If she just thought it was one-sided, she wouldn't have a reason to be angry at us. She'd be hurt, yes. But she'd keep that to herself."
"Are you sure? Because lately everyone I've met has trouble keeping anything to themselves! Their hands, their problems, my secrets! Why are you arguing against this when you knew you weren't supposed to tell her?" He retaliated.
"Because I forgot!" She snapped at him before falling back to a normal tone. "Look…I forgot that you wanted it to be a secret okay? I didn't mean to betray your trust or your secrets. I just…I have problems saying I'm sorry."
"Are you?" He asked, his eyes sternly locked on her.
"Of course I am. I'm a knight of Demacia…I'd never betray my honor intentionally." Quinn paused for a moment before adding, "or my friend." She looked at him, as if expecting that he would object. In truth, he was still upset with her but finally he exhaled slowly.
"Alright. Then I forgive you Quinn. I'm sure you didn't do it on purpose. But, I'm going to need your help with something."
"Name it." She replied, turning away from him so she could dress.
"Help me to calm Lux down about this. You know how excited she gets…and as bad as it was before, now that she knows I love her, it may get even worse. I'm not good at those kinds of talks…but I really need your help."
The archer placed her helmet over her head, nodding in agreement. "Sure Arcturus. I'll help you. Thank you for forgiving me…it means a lot." The two smiled at one another as Quinn strapped her crossbow to her waist before glancing out the window and freezing. "Arcturus…we've got a problem." She whispered.
Turning to follow her gaze, his heart skipped a beat. Strolling across the courtyard, the bodies of the deceased guards littered around him was Hadar. And slung over his shoulder was the unconscious figure of Fiora. "Oh Arcturus!" He called loudly enough that his voice carried through the window. "Come out and play!"
To be continued…
