Home
"... And without a doubt, our country is truly blessed to have such a talented... brave... young woman at our service. No amount of gratitude... No amount of wealth... Truly, nothing at all... can ever repay the debt that we owe her. Now, without further ado, I hope you will all join me in giving a warm welcome to our beloved captain of the guard; Irelia!"
Immediately, the entire crowd of Ionian civilians shot to their feet and erupted in explosive applause.
Rising from her own chair, Irelia gazed out impassively at the entire procession before her.
It wasn't anything special.
It was a tradition.
Blessing the people with the barest of all smiles, Irelia raised a hand in acknowledgment before bowing slightly and returning to her seat. Realistically, Irelia took little enjoyment in such frivolous ceremonies. The only difference between this ceremony and all of the previous ones? The attendance of one, lone, disguised individual.
As she returned to her seat, Irelia tuned out of the announcer's droning speech. Instead, the warrior chose to run a scanning gaze over the crowd before her; searching for the one individual that made the ceremony unique.
Finally, she found her.
Seated to the side of the auditorium near the exit sat none other than an extremely annoyed looking Syndra. Without a doubt, the sovereign was to the very least, disgusted with her proximity to so many "weak willed fools".
Focusing her gaze on the mage, Irelia bit her lip and silently begged the sovereign to hold on to her patience for just a little longer.
From her seat, Syndra frowned and folded her arms and legs; clearly exhibiting her impatience.
Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of droning on and on, the announcer concluded his speech. Once again, the crowd roared to life with applause and at long last, the procession came to an end.
Praying that Syndra wouldn't loose her rage among the mass of milling Ionians, Irelia immediately hurried off the stage. Doing her best to avoid getting caught up in any greetings or delaying conversations, Irelia ducked out of the crowd and hurried over to the exit. Syndra was waiting outside.
"If I catch a whiff of one more weakling... This country will NOT see tomorrow." Syndra snarled darkly as Irelia caught up to her.
Irelia shyly bit her lip and did her best to catch Syndra in a gentle embrace; hoping the contact would placate the mage.
It didn't.
Matters only got worse when one of the council elders emerged from the auditorium and pulled Irelia away from the disguised sovereign.
"Miss Irelia!" The elder called out.
Irelia turned and glanced behind her at the speaker.
It was Elder Kwan, the third elder of Ionia's high council.
Immediately, Irelia stooped her head in a stiff bow to the elder.
"An honor, Elder Kwan..." Irelia greeted back in a respectful tone.
Behind Irelia, Syndra's grip on the warrior's hand turned from a gentle grasp into a deathly vice grip.
"May I be of service to you?" Irelia inquired in the same respectful tone, though she visibly winced in pain due to the force of Syndra's grip on her hand.
"Ah, so respectful as always." Elder Kwan answered with a large smile on his face, "Alas, no, there is nothing I... We require of you at this particular moment. Business can come later."
Irelia smiled back at the elder's kind words before wincing again and turning back to the sovereign and subtly shaking the hand that the mage was practically crushing. Syndra didn't meet Irelia's gaze. Instead, the mage had her eyes riveted on Elder Kwan. Hatred burned hungrily in the depths of the sovereign's eyes. A clear depiction of what the mage desired
"Ah... well, welcome home, my child." Elder Kwan continued, failing to notice both Irelia's discomfort and Syndra's blazing hatred.
Finally, Syndra's grip loosened slightly and she released a deep, calming breath.
"I am humbled by your welcome." Irelia answered respectfully, causing Syndra's grip to tighten once more.
At last, Irelia couldn't bear the pain any longer.
"Syn-Sandra, could you please?" Irelia finally hissed, fixing Syndra with a begging gaze.
Syndra blinked, startled. She then immediately released her death grip on the warrior's hand.
"Sorry..." the sovereign muttered and looked away guiltily.
The brief exchange of words between Irelia and Syndra finally caused Elder Kwan to notice Syndra's existence.
"Ah!" the elder exclaimed "My apologies, my child, I did not see you there!"
Subconsciously, Irelia drew a sharp breath as she feared that the elder would recognize the sovereign. Alas, without her traditional headdress, earpieces, or attire, the sovereign was unrecognized by the aging elder.
Behind Syndra's impassive gaze, the savage desire to destroy raged across her mind.
Irelia immediately picked up on it and moved to stop the elder from pressuring the mage any further.
"Elder Kwan, this is my close friend, Sandra. Sandra, Elder Kwan..." Irelia spoke up swiftly and concisely.
"Ah! Ah! A pleasure, my child, a please..." Elder Kwan spoke up, fixing Syndra with an ignorantly large smile.
Syndra's impassive gaze flickered slightly with the slightest traces of anger. Her lips pursed into a grim line as the limits of her disgust were pushed to the very edge of snapping. Still, she refused to return the elder's greeting.
"I'm sorry, Elder Kwan, Sandra is exhausted from our journey here." Irelia pointedly butted in as politely as possible. "It would be best if we could retire for the night."
Elder Kwan gave Irelia an understanding smile before speaking up.
"Oh, please, by all means, you deserve you rest." The elder quickly answered. "I suppose the gathering will have to continue without its star figure." Elder Kwan continued with a wry smile.
"Thank you... Please give my regards to everyone in my stead." Irelia requested sheepishly, earning her another wry smile from the elder.
"Of course..." Elder Kwan replied with his smile still on his face.
Irelia didn't waste a minute in hurrying Syndra away from the elders she despised to such an extreme degree.
The pair traveled in silence for a few minutes. Syndra was practically seething with fury until Irelia finally broke the unbearable silence.
"Syndra..." Irelia whispered, sounding almost hurt by the amount of anger seeping out of the mage.
"What." Syndra snapped, not holding back an ounce of her boiling rage.
Irelia visibly flinched and allowed her injured feelings to present themselves on her expression.
Syndra glanced at the warrior and immediately looked away with a slight trace of guilt in her eyes.
"What..." Syndra repeated, this time her tone was slightly less harsh.
"You're not happy..." Irelia whispered, moving closer to the mage and wrapping an arm about her shoulder.
A mixed storm of emotions flashed across Syndra's face before she spoke. It was clear that the sovereign was debating whether or not to berate the warrior or lie in place of her discomfort.
"My feet hurt." Syndra finally muttered in response.
It was a clear lie as to what was actually bothering her. None the less, Irelia chose to play along.
"How could I fix that?" Irelia inquired with a devious twinkle in her eye.
The edge of Syndra's lip curled upwards.
"Carry me." Syndra demanded almost immediately, a twisted grin plastering her face as she made her demand.
Irelia pretended to be annoyed and made an exaggerated eye roll.
"You're too heavy!" Irelia pretended to pout.
"Are you calling me fat?" Syndra snarled with feigned anger.
"No..." Irelia started, but Syndra interrupted her.
"Then you're calling yourself weak!" Syndra cackled wickedly.
"I'm not weak!" Irelia immediately argued back.
As if to exemplify her point, Irelia swooped Syndra off her feet and bore the mage in her arms; supporting the sovereign behind her knees and back as she usually did. The action was exactly what Syndra wanted. The sovereign smiled broadly as her wishes were fulfilled. Temporarily forgetting her previous anger, Syndra spoke up in a commanding tone.
"MUSH!" Syndra demanded, pointing down the street they were traveling along.
"I'm not a dog!" Irelia complained indignantly.
"Mush! Go plaything! Mush!" Syndra repeated like a spoiled child.
Finally, Irelia laughed and gave in to Syndra's childish commands.
"It's my turn when we get back." Irelia warned playfully.
Syndra pretended not to hear and continued issuing nonsensical commands to her warrior. Of course Irelia wasn't actually completing any of her commands, she only continued her steady pace toward her home.
"Jump! Spin! Faster!-"
Abruptly, Syndra's speech cut off as Irelia planted a light peck on her cheek. Turning to face Irelia, Syndra's cheeks pinked slightly with subdued embarrassment at Irelia's open affection.
"What?" Irelia questioned as Syndra shyly averted her gaze.
Without replying, Syndra ceased her ramblings and wrapped her arms around the warrior's neck before huddling closer into Irelia's arms. In response, Irelia gave the sovereign a brief, understanding squeeze. Even without her saying, Irelia knew that the mage was only acting; pretending as though nothing was bothering her, all in an effort to please the warrior. Irelia bit her lip as a small amount of pride and guilt simultaneously rose in her chest.
Though she would never admit it, Syndra had changed significantly during their time together.
Finally, Irelia gave the sovereign another comforting squeeze and allowed herself an open smile.
Progress was finally being made.
Or so she thought...
One Day Later...
"No." Syndra snapped angrily, her eyes flaring with resolution.
"Syndra... It's your home... Your village..." Irelia answered back unhappily.
"I'm not going back." Syndra snapped again.
Finally, Irelia sighed and settled down on the couch next to the sovereign.
"Are you sure?" Irelia whispered quietly, "I'm not going to make you go if you don't want to... It's just... along the way..."
Syndra flicked her gaze over to cross Irelia's face. Once again, a mixed storm of emotions flashed across her features, but the sovereign's expression quickly returned to its steely demeanor.
"There is nothing to see. Nothing to tell. Nothing." Syndra finally answered in a cold, rigid tone.
Irelia let out another subdued sigh before speaking.
"Alright, Syndra..." Irelia finally caved in, "I'll try to hurry back then, okay?"
Syndra bit her lip slightly and spoke up.
"Don't leave me alone." Syndra whispered, clearly displeased with the prospect of Irelia abandoning her in the middle of Ionia.
Irelia did her best to quell her rising frustration as Syndra continued to make unreasonable demands.
"Syndra, I can't! You know I have duties to attend to..." Irelia pushed resistantly.
"Your duty is to be my-"
"I know, I know, you want me to be your plaything... But that doesn't mean I don't have other duties to attend to!" Irelia interrupted insistently.
"..."
"Look, Syndra, I'm going to be late if I don't leave now." Irelia continued, "I'll come back as soon as I can, alright?"
Syndra turned away from Irelia and raised her nose to the air, refusing to acknowledge the warrior's decision. Irelia couldn't help but let out another exasperated sigh. Despite the typically large amounts of patience she had, Syndra's spoiled, child-like attitude was beginning to wear on her.
Rather than choosing to yet again cave into Syndra's spoiled demands, Irelia chose to remain resolute in her decisions.
"C'mon, Syndra... Don't be like that..." Irelia chided, allowing her displeasure to seep into her voice.
Syndra ignored the warrior once more.
"Ugh!" Irelia finally grunted, her frustration getting the better of her.
"Syndra!" Irelia called out demandingly, unconsciously raising her voice due to her frustration. "Could you at least try to be reasonable?! You're not listening to a single thing I say! This is completely unfair! You're making this an entirely one sided relationship!"
Syndra twitched slightly at that, suddenly realizing that Irelia was actually upset and hurt by her callous refusal of her offers. Slowly, the sovereign opened her mouth in attempt to voice her reasons, but her words got caught in her throat; refusing to leave her mouth.
From behind the sovereign, Irelia couldn't help but feel her frustration grow. She didn't realize that Syndra was actually trying to convey her emotions, but was having difficulty in doing so.
After a few moments of silence, Irelia took Syndra's silence as a refusal to acknowledge her arguments. Wounded beyond belief, Irelia finally turned on her heel and practically ran out of the house. So deep we're her wounds that she didn't even notice as Syndra helplessly called out after the warrior as she sprinted out of view.
"She is a freak! A monster! An abomination that must not be allowed to exist!"
"She refuses any notion of restraint! Teaching her is impossible! She must be removed from our society!"
"Stay away from her, didn't you hear about what she did?"
"Ahaha! Hey there, FREAK!"
"Why don't you go back to the gutter where you belong?"
Abruptly, Syndra stopped her recollection of her notable childhood memories.
The sovereign heaved an unusually heavy sigh and reached out to her right... Only to remember that there was no longer anyone there to comfort her.
She was alone...
Again...
Just like she was in her childhood.
Five hours had passed since Irelia had dashed out of her home without a backwards glance; leaving Syndra alone to the weight of her past. It seemed as though it was a whim that brought he sovereign out of the house and back to the village of her childhood, but realistically, it wasn't even that.
It was a burden.
A burden too heavy for the sovereign alone to bear.
A burden she needed to share.
Only now she had no one left to share it with.
Raising her gaze from the ground at her feet, Syndra shifted uncomfortably underneath the unfamiliar fabric of her dress. She gazed forward, staring into the pile of rubble that, in her past, she called "home".
It was the remains of the orphanage she lived in as a child. A place that held no pleasant memories for the mage. Syndra thought that seeing the orphanage in its decrepit state would bring her a certain degree of satisfaction.
She was wrong.
It didn't bring her any satisfaction at all. It only brought her a feeling of emptiness.
Lost in her thoughts, Syndra didn't notice as a lone individual snuck up behind her and watched her as she stared at the pile of rubble. Finally, the individual broke his silence.
"There used to be an orphanage here, mmhmm..."
Syndra flicked her deadened gaze over to the old man and back to the pile of rubble without speaking a word in response. She recognized the man. He was the same man that had greeted her the day before. He was Elder Kwan.
Ordinarily, Syndra would have immediately been angered by the elder's presence. This time, however, she was too forlorn to lash out at the elder in a fit of wrath.
"My child, your troubled thoughts beg to fall upon ears... Perhaps I may be of assistance to you?" Elder Kwan inquired worriedly.
Syndra glanced at the elder before turning away once more without replying.
The elder, however, was not discouraged by her silence. Covering the distance between him and the disguised sovereign, Elder Kwan seated himself comfortably beside the mage and spoke up once more.
"Ahh..." The elder sighed as he set his aging body down, "... one of the most talented mages that I have ever seen once lived here too..."
Syndra twitched.
"Alas, that mage's story is not a happy one..." Elder Kwan concluded with a heavy sigh, "Last I heard, she was carted off to the institute as some instrument of war..."
The elder looked away with a twinge of sadness in his eyes.
"The things we did to that poor girl..." Elder Kwan muttered softly to the air.
He failed to notice Syndra's hand clench into a white balled fist.
Thankfully, the elder avoided an untimely encounter with death by changing the subject.
"Sandra, was it not?" The elder inquired in a suddenly cheery voice that was an abrupt change from his previously darker tone.
Syndra quickly unfurled her fist and nodded mutely before returning her gaze to the orphanage rubble.
"Well, my child, could I perhaps set your troubled mind at ease?" The elder inquired again with a wrinkled smile on his face.
Syndra's impassive gaze hardened before she spoke.
"My burdens are mine alone." Syndra whispered darkly in response, doing a good job to disguise her voice.
Elder Kwan blinked slightly at the sovereign's refusal of his is offers, but his expression quickly changed into an understanding smile.
"One who bears her burdens alone is a strong woman... Alas, one who shares her burdens is a wise woman..." The elder commented in a sage like manner.
Syndra twitched again, but ignored the man. Ionian proverbs had a tendency to annoy her.
"Perhaps Irelia will be the one to assist you then." Elder Kwan concluded with a mildly disappointed, but knowing smile.
Syndra, on the other hand, visibly flinched at the mention of the warrior's name. A look of infinite pain crossed her features as she was quickly reminded of the warrior's absence.
Elder Kwan immediately recognized the look.
"Ah..." The elder sighed as he quickly discovered why the mage appeared so distraught. "So that is why our captain was in tears..."
Syndra's head instantly snapped up at the mention of Irelia being driven to tears.
"Tears?" Syndra questioned hollowly.
"And nobody knew as to why..." Elder Kwan affirmed.
The elder couldn't help but smile sadly as he watched the storm of guilt surge into the Syndra's eyes.
"She... needs you." The elder whispered softly after a few minutes had passed.
"You... need her..." He quickly added.
Syndra swallowed hard as she attempted to quell the insurmountable guilt in her chest. It was rare that the sovereign chose to listen to the advice of others, let alone the advice of her enemy. Yet, despite her stubborn amount of pride, she knew without question that the elder was right.
"Where..." Syndra whispered quietly.
Immediately, a large smile spread across the elder's features.
"She is here." The elder answered back, his smile not diminishing in the slightest. "She was in this village to give her blessings in the opening of the new monastery..."
Syndra stood up silently with the intention of leaving, but the elder gently pushed her back down.
"Please, my child... Allow me..." Elder Kwan offered generously.
Syndra glanced at the man before turning away without affirming or denying his offer, though she seemed surprisingly unbothered by the brief physical contact between them.
Elder Kwan smiled mutely at the mage before turning towards the path that led away from the crumbled ruins of the orphanage.
"She will be along shortly, Sandra..." The elder whispered with a smile.
Shortly turned out to be less than a minute. Not long after the elder had left her side, Syndra's ears picked up on the sound of a single pair of feet hesitantly making their way towards her.
The sovereign shut her eyes for a moment, allowing herself to focus solely on the sound of the approaching footsteps. As usual, they were strong and authoritative. Except every few steps, there would be a slight scuff along the ground, making it sound as though the walker was hesitating or unfocused for some reason.
Hesitating indeed.
As the distance between her and the mage closed, Irelia still could not bring herself to speak. Though thousands of ideas sprang into her mind as to how she could begin a conversation, her words caught in her strangled throat. Thankfully, she didn't need to. Syndra spoke first.
"It was one of the first things I remembered..." Syndra spoke out in a tight, strained tone, so softly that it almost came across as a whisper.
Irelia froze in her place behind the mage, maintaining the small distance between them. She had not anticipated Syndra's choice of conversation.
"Cold..." Syndra continued, her voice quivering slightly as she continued to draw forth memories of her suppressed past. "It was cold... I remember telling myself I would do anything go to escape from it."
The mage paused and ran a hand through her hair, brushing it aside as the wind tossed her tresses around.
"The orphanage... It wasn't big enough for the amount of children they had." Syndra voiced darkly. "The children... They formed their own bands... Grouping together like packs of rats to help each other survive."
She paused again and her gaze hardened.
"Not me though. No one wanted me..." the sovereign whispered. "I never knew why... In the winter, they abandoned me."
Syndra's voice broke off once more as more of her past memories flashed in her mind.
"I knocked on the door..." Syndra started, her eyes turning into chips of ice. " I... begged them to let me in... to escape the bitter cold... No one answered. Not to me...
...
Then, they came.
I didn't know who they were... didn't know what they wanted. They just pulled me away from the door."
Syndra stopped and drew a shaky breath, simultaneously running a hand through her tresses in recollection of how the men yanked her about by the hair; tossing her about like a used rag.
"I begged them to stop... I cried... Cried for help... Cried for mercy... but none was given. I... I... I don't remember what happened then... I remember feeling the cold ground on my back. I remember trying to move my arms... trying to run away... but they wouldn't move. I remember their touch... Then I... I... I stopped thinking. I was so scared. I just wanted to run away. I wanted them to leave me alone...
And they did.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting alone on the ground. There were three of them around me. They weren't moving... My shirt was torn, and I remember feeling cold again, so I went back to the orphanage... screamed at them to open the door.
It opened... But none of them opened it...
Then the children came, swarming like rats as they tried to push me out. I screamed at them to get away from me.
And they did... and none of them moved again..."
Syndra finally stopped her recollections and brought and hand up to her forehead; massaging her temple as the stress of her past bore it's weight heavily on her mind. It pained her to remember how weak... How powerless she used to be as a child. Awakening her true powers only served to isolate her even further. Quietly, Syndra's shoulders slouched and her entire body trembled; the loneliness of her entire life finally beginning to catch up to her.
Finally, Irelia moved forward and seated her self beside the mage.
Syndra looked up briefly at the warrior before trying to continue once more.
"I didn't mean to!" Syndra choked out, "I just... I just..."
The mage'a speech cut off as her vivid memories flashed in her mind, cruelly reminding her of the people whose lives she unintentionally took.
"I know." Irelia finally whispered, interrupting the sovereign and forcing her to stop. Suddenly, the anger and pain Irelia felt during the past five hours seemed unimportant. She finally realized why Syndra was so resistant to her attempts to persuade the sovereign to accompany her; recalling her past was akin to reopening old wounds that had never healed.
"But I... I..." Syndra blundered onward, "I can't- I was so angry..."
Irelia sighed slightly before reaching out with the hand nearest Syndra and gently grasping the mage's hand.
The sovereign hardly noticed.
Abruptly, Syndra's expression turned blank before twisting into a hardened grimace.
"I... enjoyed it..." The mage finally whispered, seeming almost stunned by her own emotions.
"I enjoyed it..." She repeated, "I watched their lives vanish before me... And I enjoyed it..."
Syndra's face paled as she realized how twisted her own desires were. Desperately, she glanced at Irelia for some hint of understanding; a desperate plea to know that the warrior wasn't afraid of the demon within her.
"You need to stop." Irelia whispered softly, her soft gaze not faltering for a second.
Syndra's head jerked sideways to gaze at the warrior.
Irelia's mouth quirked upwards slightly in a slight smile, knowing that a strong guiding hand was exactly what the sovereign needed.
"Yeah, just like that." The warrior encouraged.
"But-"
"It's okay." Irelia interrupted before the sovereign even finished starting. The warrior tentatively wrapped her arms around the mage in a hesitant embrace until Syndra tried to speak up again.
"But I-"
"I don't care. You're here now. That's what matters." Irelia interrupted again.
Instantly, Syndra stiffened beneath Irelia's awkward embrace. Shifting slightly, the mage moved so that she could gaze into the warrior's eyes; searching for any traces of lies or fear. There was none to be found. Only a firm belief, unwavering understanding, and steadfast support for the one she was holding in her arms. Overcome by a mixture of relief and guilt, Syndra trembled violently in Irelia's arms. Finally, the mage surged forward, smashing her forehead into Irelia's shoulder in attempt to smother herself in the Ionian's warmth.
Irelia said nothing, choosing only to strengthen the firmness of her hug as she did her best to comfort the mage. As she did so, Irelia could feel her shoulder grow slightly damp.
Syndra was crying once again. The steel exterior of her personality cracking even further to reveal her rare vulnerabilities.
Irelia let out a subdued sigh and moved one of her hands to the back of Syndra's head; caressing the mage in attempt to comfort her. Finally, the sovereign regained her senses slightly and shifted into a less awkward position. Still, she said nothing; choosing instead to huddle closely to Irelia's body.
Without a word, Irelia wrapped an arm around the mage, maintaining the contact between them. Much to her surprise, Syndra didn't attempt to return the embrace. The mage remained huddled up, giving her a small and meek appearance. Indeed, after what the mage had revealed, she felt very much vulnerable. Never before had she shared her past with anyone. Never before had she realized how lonely she was. Only now, after having met Irelia and temporarily loosing her did the sovereign realize what she had missed throughout her entire life.
Thirty minutes passed in silence, both Ionians lost to their own private thoughts.
Finally, Syndra opened her mouth and attempted to break the silence.
" 'relia... I'm sor-"
"No." Irelia interrupted, "you don't need to be..."
The mage sniffed and huddled closer, somehow managing to appear smaller than before.
"That's not the only thing I did though..." Syndra tried to continue, referring to her past, but Irelia stopped her.
"Don't." Irelia muttered softly, giving the mage a small squeeze. "We've had enough for today..."
Syndra looked back up at Irelia with a gaze filled with thankfulness.
"Only when you're ready..." Irelia whispered softly.
Finally, Irelia rose to her feet and turned to Syndra; making a motion as though she were about to hoist the mage up into her arms. Alas, Syndra surprised her by pulling away.
Standing up on her own, Syndra offered no words in explanation. Instead, she shuffled quietly over to Irelia's side before latching on to her arm and resting her head on the Ionian's shoulder.
"Can we go home now...?" Syndra whispered like a child asking her mother for permission.
Irelia didn't answer as the pair began making their way down the path away from the ruined orphanage. Mutely, she squeezed the mage's hand with her own. Even without the mage saying anything, Irelia knew how significant Syndra's actions were. To the sovereign, she was no longer a mere "plaything".
She was the closest thing the mage ever had to a family.
"Thank you..." Irelia thought silently as she glanced at the mage through the corner of her eye.
"Thank you..."
Author's Notes:
Greetings dear readers, thank you for making it this far in this series. I'll be keeping this A/N a little bit short as I am tight on time as far as uploading schedule goes. At this point, I hope that you all enjoy the direction that this story is turning in. This phase of relationship development will continue for the next few chapters and finally blossom into something else after this is done. I hope the change of pace will keep you all interested.
As always, thank you all for your support and criticism, and another thank you for making this series so successful. Hope to see you all in the chapters to come!