"On the razor's edge."
Quick Prey
Chapter 10
"Prince Jarvan, may I ask where you are taking me?" Quinn asked as she tried to keep up with the prince. He hurried down the courtyard of the Demacian castle to a smaller set of buildings almost just as extravagant as the castle itself. Her heels clicked on the cobblestone walkway on the grass that shined in the sunlight like a sea of emeralds. Blue hydrangeas decorated the yard along with tall hedges trimmed into lions and other fierce animals—it was breathtaking.
"Hurry and you will see." Jarvan smiled wide when he looked down at her. He grasped her hand and pulled her along; Quinn was now jogging clumsily behind him. Guards at the door greeted the prince with a nod when they finally arrived at the large manor. He stopped the guards before they opened the door for them and he turned to Quinn, who was trying to catch her breath, "Here we are."
"Where are we exactly, you majesty?" Quinn asked as her head tilted to the side while she glanced up the building.
"This is a very special place for the Demacian Elite. It's a place where my friends live." Jarvan patted the white wall of the manor, "Although the Crownguard siblings live at home with their families. My fierce Shyvana, the fearless Xin Zhao, and the wise Galio reside within here."
"So what does that mean?" Quinn's eyes wandered back to the beaming prince.
"Now that you are a part of my team, you live here as well, that's what it means. I know you would want to take a rest after that long mission. Here, I'll show you inside." Jarvan nodded to his guards and they rushed to open the doors for their prince. Quinn's jaw dropped, she had never seen an interior so magnificent. The walls were white and cobalt and they had a portrait of the past kings in gold frames all the way down the halls. There were many doors and every so often they passed a name on a plaque by them— Xin Zhao was the first, then Galio, and towards the end of the hall was Shyvana. On the very last door, on a silver plaque, read two names.
"Quinn and Valor: Demacia's Wings." The scout read aloud while a smile grew on her lips. She glanced up at her prince, his rugged face grinned down at her, and she bowed quickly. "Thank you, Prince Jarvan! I am forever in your debt!"
"Ha, there is no need for that." He laid his massive hand on her shoulder, "Oh, but I do have one more surprise for you—open the door."
Quinn glanced at the gold handle of the door and back at her grinning prince. What more could he do for her? The prince nudged her forward and with a shaky hand Quinn turned the knob. The white door slowly opened to an enormous bedroom, complete with a sofa, desk, dressers and a bed with a canopy. Quinn had never had so much in her life. She bolted into the room and touched everything from wall to wall, feeling everything under her fingertips.
"This room is complete with everything except for…" The scout hurried to the large door leading to the balcony. The familiar wind of Demacia rushed passed Quinn and she breathed in deeply. It cooled her senses, almost numbing them. The evening sky was just the perfect color of vermillion. It casted a shadow on the structured state of Demacia and it turned cobalt banners and white streets to navy and silver. Suddenly, she felt large claws rake across her shoulder and something pulled on her hair. The scout grasped what had landed on top of her head and she recognized the thick feathers and a cheerful chirp made her heart flutter.
"Val! I knew this day was missing something!" The massive bird rubbed his cheek on his best friend and she wrapped her arms around him. "I have so much to tell you, buddy."
"That reminds me." Jarvan tapped his fingers on the door frame, "You usually write down what you do on missions for me. Did you write anything while you were in Noxus?"
Quinn stopped cuddling her partner, who just continued to coo and rub himself on her, she remembered that she had given her mission summaries to Talon before he left her—they were all in complete detail of her actions until as of late when she began to draw more and more. It may have been her journal but she still had to report something while on duty—she planned on tearing out her numerous portraits of the assassin and keeping them a secret.
"I did." Quinn said taking a few steps towards the prince, "It was just confiscated and burned before my eyes."
"I see." Jarvan sighed, "Then you wouldn't mind telling me all about it with complete detail in person, would you?"
"Absolutely not."
"Excellent. Now rest, we will meet tomorrow before noon. I will have a guard arrive here and escort you."
"Yes, Prince Jarvan."
"Alright, I'll be heading off then. My father asked that I see him when I got back to Demacia, but this was more important." The prince stepped forward and patted Quinn's shoulder, but Valor was quick to nip his finger. Jarvan yanked his thumb from the eagle's beak as he hissed, "Oh, very protective I see."
"Val no!" Quinn scolded the eagle. Valor glided over to the windowsill and watched Jarvan with his sharp eyes. The scout shook her head at the bird, "I'm sorry, my prince, he has never let anyone touch or even get near me—especially men."
"Now that's a true friend." Jarvan nodded at the eagle while he glared back at him. Valor's feathers ruffled with anger, Jarvan raised his bleeding thumb to the eagle and scout. Quinn gasped while Valor raised his head proudly, "And a strong fellow too."
"Oh, you're bleeding! Prince Jarvan, I apologize, please let me help!"
"It's nothing." Jarvan chuckled, waving her away, and he stuck his finger in his mouth. Pulling it out, the blood had stopped flowing, "See?"
"Oh alright…" Quinn chuckled nervously with Jarvan while she rubbed her arm.
"Okay, now I'll be taking my leave." Jarvan laughed as he clapped her shoulder and earned a very loud, very angry squawk from Valor. The prince gracefully made his way out and shut the door softly.
Quinn glared over at Valor who only nipped at his wing feathers. The scout chuckled, Val will never change. She walked over to him and raised her arm under his feet. He gladly hopped on to her and instantly tried to get her to forgive him by pecking her lips continuously.
"I can't stay mad at you, Val." Quinn nuzzled him as she walked back from the balcony to her new room and she let Valor fly wherever he wanted to perch himself—he chose the foot-frame of the bed. The scout threw off her boots, not caring where they landed along with her cloak, and she opened the curtain to her bed—just the thought of sleeping almost brought a tear to her eye. She fell onto the cloud-like sheets with a large content sigh. A real bed, not a cot, not a tree trunk, and definitely not her cloak rolled up on a forest floor. It was a bed she had all to herself. Tired eyes fluttered shut, sore muscles finally eased, and a yawn escaped the lips of the scout. But to Quinn's displeasure, a chirp came from Valor—he wanted something. Quinn peeked over at him through heavy eyes and she slowly turned onto her side. His silver eyes shined with curiosity—she knew.
"Right, I was going to tell you what happened to me in Noxus. Well just after you flew off to give Prince Jarvan my letter, I thought I found the Noxian we were looking for walking on the street in front of me. He began to run so I chased him into a dead end, but it turns out it wasn't him. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by two men that wanted to capture me for gold.
"I was cornered, alone, and scared. When I thought I was done for, suddenly the men dropped dead, and before me stood the Noxian we were looking for: Talon, the Blade's Shadow." Quinn leaned in to Valor after he chirped, she grinned at the concerned bird. "I'm obviously okay, Val. Where was I, oh right, and there he stood tall with his blades glistening, blood dripping off the tip of his arm blade, and a sneer was glued to his expression—I was just speechless. He gave me an ultimatum; either I die in Noxus or live as a failure. Although I chose death, he let me live. Not only that, he vowed to lead me out to safety.
"Not even hours later I found myself in garbage-filled horrid alleys, disgusting dark underground tunnels, and protected from the rain in his arms... and rescued from a dungeon cell, and carried to safety all by his doing and quick reactions..." Quinn trailed off. She sat up and grasped her arms, folding her legs under her on the warm bed. Valor tilted his head, scratched the bedpost with his claws, and took a gander at Quinn as she smiled. The scout turned and reached over to the eagle. He immediately pressed his head under her palm and she stroked the back of his neck. Valor let out a small coo, "What do mean what happened next? I'm alive."
The eagle nipped her wrist; he always knew when she was keeping something from him. She shook the pain in her hand away and she chuckled lightly. The scout fell back on the bed as her laugh faded—Valor hopped on the sheets and laid next to her—she patted his soft feathers. Quinn stared at the silver canopy that hung over her bed; the sheer fabric flowed all the way on all sides. She ran her fingers through her hair as she thought. The scout grinned and took a long, deep breath.
My hair has definitely gotten longer since I started this mission a few weeks ago. It's now to my shoulders. Right, it had been weeks, although this whole time has felt more like mere seconds... but if each day was a second, I would do anything just to spend even one more minute with Talon...
"What happened next was, well Valor, I fell in love."
The eagle's head shot up, eyes wide, and a shocked squawk came from his beak. Quinn turned and saw his indigo feathers expanding in anger; she giggled and patted them down.
"Calm down." Quinn scoffed, "You know that I would never love someone more that I love you, Val." The eagle still glared, but eased. Valor rested his head down in the sheets, fatigue getting a hold of him as well. He cooed before shutting his eyes. Quinn yawned, "See you in the morning, Val."
Talon slammed his empty beer bottle on the table, almost knocking over the other five off. Six whole beers and he was still able to see everything in front of him. He watched as the men at other tables ogled the waitresses in their bunny suits as they passed by. To his left, the bunnies laughed, joked around with customers, and danced with them. To his right, he saw his waitress bringing him another case of beer; her face forced a smile as she approached the sour-faced assassin. She quickly switched out the empty bottles for the full ones, popping one open, and handing it to him. Talon raised it to her, thanking her silently.
"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat, honey?" She asked and her rabbit ears bounced as she tilted her head. Talon looked up from the rim of the bottle annoyed, this was the fourth time that waitress has asked him. He only came for the liquor.
"I'm fine." He growled. The waitress sighed while she pushed back her long brunette hair over her bare shoulders. Her heels clicked as she walked away and Talon watched her caress the cheek of another man who called for her. It was her—and every other waitress's—job to attend to all men in the bar, but Talon heard her say she had something to do, even over the loud music playing. Her bunny tail wiggled as she made her way into the kitchen. The assassin watched the man across from him have two other bunnies tend to him. What man wouldn't want a beautiful woman's barely covered cleavage falling out of her top to look at as he drank good liquor? A man with someone else on his mind already.
The Rabbit Hole: a bar with girls in bows, stockings, and bunny ears for waitresses and—for the most part—entertainment. It was the most famous bar between the borders Piltover and Zaun. He didn't choose this pace for the scantily-clad women, no, he chose this place for all the action. Talon chose this bar because the constant fights between men kept his mind away from his lonesome thoughts.
Talon sighed as he chugged the full beer down, slammed it down on the table, and then grabbed another. As he looked up, sneering as he recognized that same waitress walking towards him. He grumbled as he saw that same forced smile. Her heels stopped in front of him and she placed a plate down on the table. Talon glared at the large pork sandwich. Looking up, the waitress had her green eyes gleaming. His brow furrowed and his remaining gold itched in his pocket.
"Don't worry. It's on me." She giggled while twirling her hair around her finger. He had to admit, the sandwich did look appetizing. Talon grabbed it, examining the brown sauce drip from between the meat. The sharp smell made his nose tingle; he had never smelled anything like this. One bite and his mouth was overrun with the tastes of sweetness and tanginess, and a content sigh escaped him. The assassin glanced up at the waitress when she giggled, "We get that reaction a lot whenever someone takes a bite out of our most famous barbecue sandwich. So stranger…" The woman smiled as she pulled a seat close to Talon, who only shifted away. She folded her legs to where he could see them, leaned over, and flipped her hair back, "Never seen you around here before. What's your name, handsome?"
"I'm not interested." Talon growled. The waitress straightened herself and pulled up her top she intentionally let fall.
"A taken man I assume?"
"You could say that."
"Who is she?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"You've had a sour face as soon as you sat down, you've only ordered beer, and you have not looked at a single woman here. Did you two have an argument?"
"Why do you care?" Talon growled with his mouth full.
"Any man who wanders in here we, all care for." The waitress tilted her head as she grinned.
"She's on the other side of Valoran." Talon swallowed as he placed the sandwich down. He was going to wipe his chin with his hand, but the brunette handed him a napkin. "We didn't have a fight... I just let her go."
"Then what are you doing here? Every man that comes in here usually has a fight with their girl and tries to distract it while inside another."
"I can't go where she is."
"Don't you love her?"
Talon glowered at the waitress while she kept her pink lips wide and smiling. The assassin only nodded as he reached for another bite of his food.
"If you love her, you shouldn't let anything stop you from being with her."
The assassin had to agree with the woman; his traveling for the past week had been because he wanted the Demacian girl off his mind. Everywhere he went only reminded him of her—and him carrying her journal only fueled his desire to travel west. Talon hopped to his feet, pulled some gold from his pocket, and flung it across the table to the waitress while he hurried to the exit. Bunnies blew kisses and asked him to visit again as he crashed through the front doors.
I'll see you soon.
"I won't be long Valor. I promise when I'm finished talking with the prince we'll go hunting for hare, sound alright?" Quinn whispered to the eagle while he stood on her forearm, his eyes glazed over with disapproval yet he pressed his head to her helmet, graciously left by the prince to replace her lost one. It was a perfect replica of the first. It shined like gold and was clean of dents and scratches from previous missions. She giggled as she sent him off flying above her and the guard sent by the prince escorted her to their meeting place. The man turned every so often when Quinn would talk to Valor and gave her a look as if she were mad. The scout only grinned to him and then looked to her partner as he glided on the breeze. Glancing around, she noticed how empty the streets were. Although there were some people, it seemed as though not one person was walking alone.
Peculiar, it's such a beautiful morning. I would assume more than a dozen or so citizens would be out, also most of the ones out are guards; I just noticed there are so many. Something is definitely wrong, I can feel it.
Quinn glanced down every road she and the guard passed. A gust of wind came storming down one of the streets causing both of them to crouch on the ground as it blew by, taking debris along with it. The scout immediately looked up for Valor as soon as she could open her eyes in the gale and to her relief he was alright—and surprisingly he was enjoying himself while he pushed himself against the wind as if he was challenging it's strength.
Good old Val.
The gusts slowly began to die down and the scout and guard both collected themselves, the guard's spear managed to find itself lodged into one of the trees planted alongside the sidewalks. As the guard fought to dislodge his weapon, Quinn felt Valor land on her shoulders and he mentioned something in her ear.
"What did you sense?" Quinn asked after her partner said that he felt a huge disturbance when the gale passed. "A dark feeling, no, an evil feeling? I felt something just before the winds came bellowing through, we will have to look more into it later Val."
"Good thing no one was standing beside us, you would have impaled someone." Chuckled the guard to his spear after he removed it from the tree. He glanced up at Quinn, who smirked at him.
The scout, eagle, and guard both stopped in front of a fairly deserted book shop. There was no one around besides a few other guards and the shopkeeper Quinn could make out through the window. Her escort nodded to her as he walked over to open the door for the scout. She patted her partner just before casting him off and she entered the shop. The storekeeper greeted her as she walked in and mentioned that alchemy books were discounted with any purchase of a potions guide.
As she wandered throughout the large aisles, Quinn noticed a disorganized pile of older printouts of the Journal of Justice close to the back of the store. The first issue her hand picked up read of a man named Swain. Skimming the entry, she learned that this was a Noxian who had bad blood with Prince Jarvan.
"Ah yes, Swain." A rugged voice sighed behind Quinn. She jumped, dropping the paper back on the pile as she spun around. The prince grinned, his face matched his voice. Jarvan stepped beside Quinn and grasped the newspaper, grimacing at the Noxian's name printed on it. "I've fought many battles with Swain, physically and tactically. I know for a fact that he killed Noxus' former leader to be where he is today—he's an evil man. But we are not here to talk about that." The prince placed it down with a small chuckle. Jarvan led the scout to a pair of chairs far away from the table full of papers. He placed his lance behind one chair and sat, "We have business to discuss. Please sit."
"What is it you would like to know?" Quinn asked as she sat in the chair beside the prince.
"I would like for you to tell me about the week you spent in Noxus. How exactly were you captured, Quinn?"
"Oh, well…" Quinn hesitated as she remembered the Noxian rooftop, the city cloaked in mist, and the red-headed woman's cackling. "I made a tactical mistake of chasing my target into a dark alley. I caught him off guard, but I was still no match for his tricks. Before I knew it, I was knocked unconscious and found myself in a holding cell."
"Seems like something a filthy Noxian would do. What happened in this jail cell?"
"The days passed like minutes in the darkness and nothing significant occurred." Quinn clenched the arms of the chair as she remembered the darkness.
"Did anyone hurt you?"
"I earned a few cuts and bruises, but nothing too serious." The scout bit her lip as the image of Katarina's blade coming for her eye reared its ugly face in her mind.
"I see. How did you manage to escape?"
"I waited for someone to open my cell behind the door, when someone finally did arrive, I slipped out. I threw myself out a window and that is when my target began to chase me. The early morning mist was easy to hide myself in, but eventually he caught me, and you've seen the result of that."
"My, my, Quinn. You're more of an incredible woman than I thought you were." The prince smiled and clapped his hands together as he was tricked by her lie. He hopped to his feet and grabbed his lance, turning to Quinn with his grin still on his face, "Say, you haven't spent much time wandering around the city of Demacia, have you?"
"No, my Prince."
"I would have assumed so, you haven't been in the city for a while and we always have some mission for you to embark on. I have a little free time, would you like to join me for a stroll through the streets?"
"Um, of course."
"Excellent." Jarvan chuckled, turning on his heel for the exit, and Quinn followed behind. The shopkeeper gave his regards to the king while Jarvan held the door open for the scout. She glanced up, catching his deep blue eyes gazing at her—she quickly turned her face to the sidewalk.
I feel awfully guilty for lying to you, Prince Jarvan. But I have no idea how you would have reacted to the truth. How would you if I said that I fell in love with the enemy? It just sounds ridiculous and even treasonous. Please forgive me.
"Ah," Jarvan contently sighed as he took a breath of the fresh air outside, leaning on his lance, "I love Demacian afternoons, especially when I don't have tedious paperwork. Come; let's head to my favorite area in all of Demacia—the Market Square."
The scout walked alongside the prince, glancing up at him once every so often and seeing him smile ever so greatly. His usual fast pace walking seemed to have slowed to a stroll. She already knew the Square was close because she noticed more and more citizens gathering—and even more guards kept watch at every entrance. Even with the small amount of people wandering, shopkeepers kept their wares on display—the florist had just finished setting out the last vases of tulips outside her door and smoke came from the dozens of open windows at the blacksmiths; the scout couldn't help but feel just as content as Jarvan.
A group of women came rushing to the prince, greeting him and pushing Quinn aside. As the woman and Jarvan—unwillingly—started small talk, the scout wandered away from the group. Looking up she saw that Valor was coming in for a landing, she lifted her arm. Quinn patted his head as he climbed over to her shoulders. Quinn walked over to a peculiar looking poster pinned to a wall, her eyes widened in shock as she read.
Notice: a curfew has been set until the Noxian assassin has been caught. Any citizen found breaking this rule will be fined. Curfew begins at sunset. King Jarvan III.
"Unbelievable," Quinn whispered as she read the notice a few times over, "This man must be very dangerous if he has all of Demacia on city-wide curfew."
"My father doesn't want any more blood spilt because of this filthy dog, he set this law after you went on your way to Noxus." Jarvan scowled at the poster as he walked over to Quinn's side, "I don't know what this trash's plan is, all I know is I should have killed him when I had the chance."
"Prince Jarvan," Quinn said shakily, wondering if she should tell the truth to the prince now. He glanced down at her, his grimace softening at the sight of her face. "There is something I need to say to you..."
"What's the matter?" Suddenly the clock tower rang through the city, as it struck noon. The prince sighed while he looked at its face, "I am needed back at the castle; I've spent too much time wandering."
"Alright," Quinn said.
"You should come along as well. We can talk on our way there." said Jarvan while he took a few steps in the direction of the castle. Quinn hurried behind him, casting Valor off as she did. The busy sound of the Square was now gone as the Prince and scout made their way down a lonesome sidewalk. "So what was it you wanted to tell me, Quinn?"
"Well, it's about the assassin, your Highness." Quinn scratched her cheek as she thought on how to start. Jarvan looked back as she took a long pause before breathing in, "While I was captured, I spoke with him."
"About?" Jarvan tone had a hint of skepticism underlying in it.
"He told me that there was another man framing him, that man is who is killing all these people and..."
"Quinn," Jarvan sighed, "You couldn't possibly have believed that monster's words? He was definitely trying to trick you, like every other Noxian."
"But my prince," Quinn ran in his path, Jarvan halted before toppling over the small scout. Before she could speak, a loud warning call came from Valor; something dangerous was near the two. Quinn glanced up at Valor, who was flying in erratic circles, there was something around that he sensed. "Valor sees something wrong, get behind me!"
Jarvan pressed his back to Quinn, drawing his lance out in front of him. Quinn readied her dagger from her side, eyes jumping all around to every alley near them. It was too quiet, and the wind felt stale. Quinn heard footsteps coming in their direction, but before she could react she was hurled to the ground.
As she hurried to her feet, a swift kick swiped her legs from under her. She cried out as her forearm was cut from her dagger. Her eyes scoured for the prince, she found him holding off a long arm blade with his lance. The man who attacked her was a masked assassin; she assumed it was the imposter. She knew it wasn't Talon, she could tell by his eyes—they were green, not brown. That bastard would even go as far as wearing violet. What nerve. Quinn pulled her dagger from her arm, ignoring the searing pain, and sprinted towards the masked man.
The masked assassin glared at the scout, but took the opportunity to slash the openings between the prince's chest and stomach armor, blood quickly spilling out over the steel. A chuckle came from the man as Jarvan fell to his knees, and he gave him a hard boot to the face. Quinn's blood boiled while she rammed herself into him, dagger to his hip. To her surprise, he seemed unhurt when he harshly pushed her to the ground.
Quinn growled as the man straddled her, holding his arm blade over his head. The scout felt around on the floor for anything and her fingers found her dagger. Seeing this, the masked assassin held her wrist over her. Suddenly the man was struck from behind, Quinn saw it was the dull end of Jarvan's lance; Jarvan smirked as the masked man glared over at him before falling back onto the sidewalk. The scout took the opportunity of the assassin taking his eyes off her and she stabbed his thigh. Yelping in agony, the masked man hopped off Quinn and hobbled off into the shadows of the alley. The scout crawled over to the out of breath prince, she tried to speak but he could only spit out one word.
"Follow..." He heaved in for air.
"No! I have to make sure you're ok!" Quinn yelled as she pressed her hands onto Jarvan's wound. Her golden eyes stayed on his as he blinked away tears. He gasped in pain as she applied pressure to stop the bleeding. Jarvan grasped Quinn's cheek as he gave a small smile to her. Soon a horde of guards came rushing to the bloodied duo, alerted by the sound of their brawl. Quinn was pulled off of the Prince as he was lifted up by a few of the guards; he was still smiling at her.
"We have to get them some medical attention immediately!" One guard shouted.
"The closest aid would be the castle!"
Quinn tried to fight one guard's arms off her as she tried to run in the direction of where the masked assassin had slipped away. She pleaded for him to release her, but he hurried behind the rest of the men as they sprinted for the castle. Quinn's eyes stayed glued to the alley.
I'll find you, you bastard.
Notes: Sorry for the long wait, I had a period of no ideas until I was looking to buy a Riven skin; I saw Talon in the background of Battle Bunny and I got the inspiration for the bar scene. I also took a bit longer because I drew my own cover for this story :) Also, thank you CornonJacob for helping me with my mistakes.
Headcannons: Talon has no table manners; the citizens love their prince.
See you next chapter.