Chapter 9: The Stray Dog
Several years prior.
Walking around the suburbs, a young Noxian man felt a rather out of place. Judging by his tattered clothes and frayed shoes, he doesn't seem to be a resident of the area, which catered to Noxus elites as a place to put indulge in their vast wealth. He fiddled around his vest pocket, making sure he had his "insurance"; a curved dagger he had prepared before visiting the man who spared him his life a few nights ago. Though his assailant was merciful, the young man knew better than to trust any Noxian.
After almost an hour of searching for the right place, he came upon a manor with the name 'Du Couteau' elegantly embossed on the gate. He lifted a hand to knock on the door, though the motion was useless, as it was immediately answered by the very man who had pinned him down with his blade.
"So you actually came." The man said as he opened the door. The younger man looked around, a bit marveled by home's luxurious interior. A grand chandelier had dangled over his head while glossy marble stairs connected the entire home. Also, there was the rare scent of warm food, dominating the bottom floor. Nothing was familiar from his own makeshift home in the slums. He followed his host up the stairs and into an office at the center of it all.
"Go ahead, take a seat." The older man signaled him to a nearby leather couch. He took a seat, a bit overwhelmed by his grumbling stomach and the smell of good food.
"We should properly introduce ourselves, before we get any business done. I am Marcus Du Couteau. I am a member of the High Command and a head general of The Noxus Military. What is your name?"
The younger man was hesitant in his answer. The only name he could associate to himself was by a nickname that his ex-friend had given him; the ex-friend whose body was now lying in a gutter, after their botched plan left them hungry another night. It was another reason why he had found it so hard to trust others.
"I was never formally given a name, but I can be called Talon." He had gotten the name by the way he would steal food from the market: sharp eyed and ever swift, like a hawk.
"No real name? That's strange. I assume you don't have parents or family. "
"That's because the strong rely on no one but themselves. If my family was still around, they would surely be in my way."
Du Couteau remained quiet, leaning on his desk. Juxtaposing Talon, he was dressed in a regal crimson uniform, detailed with military badges on his arms. Attached to his belt was crimson scabbard, holding the very same blade that almost ended Talon's life. Talon remembered that blade well; sharp and precise unlike any other weapon he had handled before.
"You don't have a real home, do you?"
Talon nodded a yes.
"Well, here's my offer: I'd like for you to join the Noxus Military. I'll arrange for you to start out high, and even get a nice clean room for you…"
"I refuse." Talon immediately replied. "In fact, I'd rather that you would just kill me now before I join that treacherous organization."
"You feel that strongly about us?" The general crossed his arms, and paused."Then how about you work for me personally? I'll give you a room here in my place, if it's no inconvenience to you."
Talon's eyebrow wrinkled, "Don't you think that's a bit foolish? You've just met me, andnow you're inviting me to come live with you."
"If I can defeat you once, I'm sure I could do it again. Besides, I can tell you're pretty talented. It would be a waste to let you go." Du Couteau smiled, despite his threat.
Talon remembered the night he had been pinned and caught by this man. He was caught off-guard, and after a struggle, his own weapons were unreachable. Within minutes of the ambush, Du Couteau's blade was already touching his throat. How Du Couteau managed to do so still puzzled Talon up to the moment.
"If it doesn't offend you, may I ask for your secret as to how you defeated me? Your strategies were quite sophisticated and the quality of your weapons has far… " A raised hand signaled for Talon to stop.
"I don't intend on attacking you a second time, so you don't need to prepare. After all, you've already proven yourself to be trustworthy by being here today and keeping your promise to me that night. I believe that's enough."
Had this man not seen how deceitful Noxus was? Talon thought. Someway, somehow, Du Couteau was different from the rest. He was naïve of this world and didn't seem to have an unquenchable thirst for blood. Yet, this man was a general and held a position in the Noxian High Command. This made Du Couteau became more and more peculiar by the minute.
Through the corner of his eye, Talon noticed a large portrait above the couch, portraying what appeared to be General Du Couteau's family. Hewas suited in a more formal uniform and dominated the left side of the photo. Judging by the growth of grey hair since the photo, Talon assumed that the portrait was quite dated. Beside him in the photograph was a small but impressionable woman, with bright green eyes. Their hands were intertwined, though the detail seemed to be hidden behind two girls, presumably their daughters.
"Is that your wife?"
The general turned to the portrait, as his lips let out a small smile.
"Yes, the mother of my two beautiful daughters." He paused. "You sort of remind me of her."
"How so?"
"She came from a poor, indebted family, and I was sent to assassinate her by my commander at the time. Like you, she was pretty strong."
"So is she the only person that has actually defeated you? She doesn't look much like a fighter. " Talon observed.
"You can say she did, but you are right about her not being an actual fighter. Rather, she was very strong willed and ended up resisting my assaults each time. I don't know how, but she has taught me a lot since I've met her."
"That wasn't a good reason to let her live." Talon winced.
The general smiled, though unlike before it seemed to be forced. "Love is like a dagger, coming at you from nowhere. Once you let it hit you, you're trapped."
Talon shifted his eyes to the young girls, particularly the one with red hair. She had taken her mother's green eyes and seemed to be staring directly at Talon. Out of the two, she seemed older and less decorated with jewelry than the younger sister beside her. Yet she still possessed a natural beauty that had intrigued Talon, until he was interrupted by the general.
"You will meet my elder daughter Katarina soon. You won't have to take orders from her, but I intend to pair you with her during dangerous missions, so you can shadow each other." He paused, the smile becoming weaker. "I'd be completely shattered to lose her next."
"Well, I don't think even I want to take your offer sir. After all, there is no purpose as to why I should fight for the very same city-state that has betrayed people like me. They all expect us just to curl up and die, but instead we're out there suffering, death being a promotion."
The smile faded from Du Couteau's face. "Talon, you seem like a good kid. A past like yours isn't easy at all to overcome. So let me tell you this, about that "secret" you asked me earlier. A fighter who fights for his heart is the one who truly wins, regardless of the of the battle's outcome. Your victory will never be as sweet, and yet defeat will only strengthen you further."
He detached his scabbard from his belt, and placed it on the table before Talon. There was no other place to conceal a weapon on his heavy uniform, and Talon was sure he didn't place any other weapons around the room.
"I haven't betrayed you now, and nor do I ever intend to."
The general was right. Talon still had his grasp on his life, and instead of taking it away, the general offered something better. His only real possessions were tattered clothes, dull weapons and a constantly starving stomach. The offer began to seem like a more viable option. Perhaps, he could truly learn something special from the general. Something he could not learn from being always alone.
"I have one sole condition before I take your offer, General." Talon raised the dagger he had prepared earlier and placed it on the table beside Du Couteau's sword. "I will listen to your orders, but I refuse all others."
Katarina had fallen asleep, but a shriek awoke her. The scar under left eye was gone, and she was several years younger. Holding one of her father's swords in her right hand, a body was spilling blood below her. It dampened her socks and soaked her toes.
Though it was not the notion of killing someone that had terrified her; instead it was watching her mother, only moments before her eternal sleep. Katarina had recalled this scene many times before in her nightmares. The mother Du Couteau seemed to be mouthing words out of her final strength. But instead of the sorrowful words that Katarina had remembered, she muttered something different.
Why do you want to join the league, Katarina?
"I want revenge for my family. I need to find strength."
Katarina continued to watch her mother's sad eyes, the exact same aquamarine green as her own. It only took a moment until they had shut for good.
How does it feel, to expose you like this?
"Don't test your luck, summoner." A small knife from her pocket escaped from her belt and landed dead point on the summoner's throat.
Wiping away a small tear, Katarina opened the doors that lead her to the league.
Talon stretched on his bed, a frown uniformed to his face. It was days like these Talon saw no reason to get up, though it got more and more frequent, the longer that Katarina had been gone. Light was peeking through the curtains, yet he preferred to leave it shut. After all, right outside his window was the spot where she had left him in a standstill, several months ago. Loneliness was once his closest friend, but now his only thought was keeping it away.
Chatter echoed through the hallway he shared with other servants of the DuCouteau family. Though the staff had decreased significantly, the amount of noise they were making sparked his interest. He put on his purple cloak, propped his hood over his messy brown hair, and walked toward the racket. Just outside his door, two maids were huddled around a newspaper, wide eyed by its contents.
"My god, really? What's been going on out there!" exclaimed one.
"May I see the paper when you are done?" Talon approached the duo, who seemed too distracted to notice him coming out his room.
"Sure thing." The maid holding the newspaper folded it back to the front page and handed it to Talon. In bold, vibrant print the words read:
Grand General Boram Darkwill Murdered; Noxian High Command in a state of chaos.
"Don't you think it's odd though?" The two maids continued their conversation as Talon glanced over the newspaper's details.
"Maybe, the time frame wasn't that much."
"Yeah, and I'm sure lot of people are pretty envious of Master Du Couteau."
"Is that so? Sorry, I don't normally divulge much into politics." Talon intruded into the conversation, intrigued by their possible theory.
"Essentially, General Du Couteau and Darkwill were pretty close comrades. They were so close that Boram chose him as his successor, over his own son Keiran. But of course, since Master DuCouteau's disappearance, Boram had no time to call for another successor."
"It's anyone's game now." The other maid concluded.
Talon's eyes widened, a concerned look on his face. "Thank you ladies,"
In a huff, he made his way toward the general's old office, as if time was against him.
Author's note: So sorry I've been losing frequency when getting these chapters out. :(
I'm getting busy, but don't fret, it will all come out… eventually. As usual, leave me comments/suggestions/anything that'll help me make this story better. Enjoy! :3
