I'm really proud of that last chapter. So proud that I didn't add bold text in front of it. Incidentally, that was the second longest chapter in this story, falling only to ch5. This chapter however was extremely difficult to write. But I tried my best. This story is nearing a close. In fact the next chapter may or may not be the last. I'm not too sure yet.
I'm taking a little vacation this week so I might not able to work on this for a while because I also procrastinate. Just a little warning. Anyway, reviews. I want them. But you already knew that.
Ooh One last thing, I'm thinking about doing an Ahri story next that will reference this story, but reading this will not be required. I have a friend who's in diamond who mains her, and I guess that got me into the spirit. I'm going to change my style in that story to third-person present-tense to see how that goes. So look forward to that...if you want..
Anyway onward! Read! Review! Repeat! (Or you know, you don't HAVE to)
I was walking home, solemnly. I had just killed a man with his own crossbow, and I really didn't know how to feel about that. It was definitely against the law. Would Demacia still allow me to live here? Would they still allow me to be a knight?
Tch. I didn't want to be a knight anymore. That was a dream I shared with my brother. But he is dead now. I just came back from visiting his grave site, in that quiet forest we play…no…used to play in. Now, what was I going to do? I needed to find my own dream. But without my brother, it felt as if the most important piece of the puzzle was missing. How could I set a goal without him?
The Demacian Eagle I decided to name Valor sat on my shoulder and pecked me on the cheek, and despite all the turmoil I just went through I smiled. It really felt weird, to smile without my brother beside me. It was true, Valor was with me. He wasn't the same piece my brother was but he was sure making an effort to replace it.
I stopped in front of my house, where no doubt my parents were still grieving over my brother. I looked at the bow that once belonged to the man who assaulted me. How in the world was I going to explain to my parents that I had just killed someone? Of course, I could try to hide it, throw this bow away somewhere, but for some reason or another the bow had a enigmatic to it that made me want to keep it. It was almost like this bow was calling to me and it felt that whatever I decided to do in the future, this bow was going to be part of it in some way. Valor, on my shoulder, gave a small hum of encouragement. Somehow Valor and I also connected. We couldn't speak the same tongue, but even with that heavy barrier we still were always on the same page. I thought back to that fight still fresh in mind. Valor marked the man somehow, with a large harrier. And I nailed it. I knew what to do as soon as it appeared. We…sure made quite the team.
I took a deep breath to calm myself, and I headed into my home. Tentatively, I opened the door, hoping maybe I could sneak this bow to a hiding place before my parents noticed. But I was greeted with a sight I wasn't expecting.
"Mom!" I yelled, rushing to the crying women "What happened?"
My mother looked up and saw me with wide eyes. Slowly she stroked my face as if to see if I was really there. "Quinn…You're okay.."
"Well…yeah…"
"I'm so sorry!"
My mother suddenly apologized to me, catching me off guard. I took a step toward her, and she notice the bow.
"Oh Quinn…where did you get that?"
Ah. I had forgotten all about hiding the bow. Now I had to say what happened. I feared my mother's reaction, though. How would she feel that her only remaining child was a murderer?
And so I told her everything-how a man jumped me on the way back, how Valor protected me, how I picked up the bow and shot him through the head. I could barely look at my mother as I said that last part.
Timidly, I checked her reaction. She was wide eyed, her mouth hung open, her face still pale.
"Are you mad?" I asked.
She shook her head no. Then, another unexpected thing happened. She moved in to hug me and all of a sudden started to cry on my shoulder. Awkwardly, I patted her back.
"Quinn…I'm sorry…you had to go through that."
"It's okay, Mom. It's not your fault."
"Not my fault…." Was it my imagination or was she crying harder? "Quinn…I promise, as long as I'm around nothing will harm you again! I swear on my life!"
"Okay, Mom.." I replied uncomfortably, not knowing why she seemed more traumatized then I. I pulled away. "Hey…what's going to happen to me now that I'm a murderer?"
"Oh." My Mom whispered. "You don't have to worry about that. The guy you killed was a notorious bounty hunter who had a hefty price on his head. You might even be rewarded."
"Oh really?" I replied happily. "How do you know that?"
My Mom paused as a foggy look came over her eyes. She glanced over her shoulder for a split second before turning back to me. "Call it…a mother's intuition."
I looked over at the place my Mom looked. I noticed a shadow move, disappearing behind a corner. Was that my Dad?
"I'm so proud of you honey." My Mom told me stroking my air lovingly. "So proud…"
"So what's your answer?" Swain asked me, still smiling. "Of course, you don't have to choose right away. Just know that you ARE in Noxian territory right now."
"Swain." Caleb said with a hint of anxiety in his voice. "Please don't put pressure on my sister right now."
"Oh, wouldn't dream of it."
I looked at the two of them, standing there in front of me. My brother, who looked worriedly at me, and Swain, my enemy, with still a amused look on his face. This was his plan then. I finally figured it out. He wanted me to join Noxus. He wanted me to be one of his pawns. And he was using my brother to do it. I imagine having a well-known Demacian abruptly switch sides would cause some internal strife within that city. They may lose some allies. It's a sign of weakness. If I joined Noxus, it was very likely that more city-states will side with them as well.
I saw my brother in front of me. Morgana was wrong. He was exactly the same brother that I had in my youth, the kind, compassionate, justice-driven brother. But she was also absolutely right. He wasn't the Demacian brother I had. He was now my Noxian brother. Devoted to Swain, my enemy, my brother.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't even hesitate. If this was an imposter in front of me, I'd no doubt say no. I would rather choose death than serve Noxus. But now, I wasn't so sure. I couldn't believe I was even considering the possibility of becoming a Noxian. But if it meant being with my brother, fighting by his side, fulfilling that impossible dream we had as children…
Swain spoke up. "Look. I don't have all day, Quinn. So I'm going to get to the point. You'd fit well in Noxus."
Those words stung. Me?
"…How so?"
"This is a city filled with assassins. Don't pretend that you don't think that you'd right in." I gaped at him in shock. An assassin? I'm…like an assassin? "Oh, come on. You fly out of nowhere on that bird of yours and suddenly appear right next to the enemy slashing their guts out. Isn't that the very definition of an assassin? Not only that but you have high mobility and awareness as well. Your vaults are exceptional. And Valor can scout the enemy out from hidden places."
"Quinn." My brother added. "Don't look so horrified. Assassins are cool."
Well, yeah, maybe here in Noxus, but-
But…he's calling me an assassin? Do I really fight like a Noxian? I shut my eyes.
Swain was right.
I did fight like that. I was a master at chasing and escaping with Valor and I was able to find the slipperiest targets. But my skills were used for hunting assassins, not for being one. But the way Swain put it…it seemed like it could be a set that an assassin would make use of.
It takes one to know one.
I shook my head. I couldn't let this bother me as well. I already had enough on my plate as it stands. I didn't need to question the ethics of my fighting style right now.
"Quinn…" My brother muttered. "Please join our side. Come on. It will be what we always dreamed of."
I turned to stare at my brother. He gave me a determined look.
"Quinn. We were commoners. We had no hope in Demacia. We were doomed to be dreamers. But don't you get it? Here in Noxus, anything is possible. People can be what they want as long as they have the drive. Even people like us Quinn." He shuffled his feet. "Yeah, you made it into the ranks. But you were luckier than some of the others. Even still, they won't let you be anything more than a ranger right? And tell me that everyone in Demacia is fine with that." He scoffed. "I'm sure that some people still question why you were let into the military without training."
He was right. There were many people who hated me, saying I cheated my way into the ranks, that I was nothing but a stinking commoner. How could I be let in without training? Even Garen seemed quite indignant when he first heard of me, but eventually he did warm up to me.
Were there really people like us out there? In city-states like Demacia status is everything. If we were born as the Crownguards it would be very likely my brother would be Garen and I would be Lux, the most loved champions in our city. But instead…
People like us…I wonder if that's worth fighting for…
"Well," Swain interrupted my thoughts. "I need an answer now."
"Swain, come on. Didn't you say she could take her time?"
"I lied. Your answer, Quinn. Now."
I swallowed a lump in throat. Right. I think I finally know what I want to do now.
"My answer…My answer is-"
