"The Hashturs have fled the city." A balding man with white streaks in his already grey hair, clad in too-classic grey robes observed, trying and failing to look nonchalant. "Nobody knows why, but they didn't come to the last Council's meeting. Their house lays abandoned."
Swain inclined his head. He already knew as much, Amoline had roasted nine guards on their way out. Gregori had always been fast. "Summon the Grey Order." He ordered.
The man turned around. His flaring robes gave the impression of a plucked chicken, amplified by the indignant puffing of his cheeks. "Only Darkwill or the Grand Master is allowed to call for a full gathering. The sheer amount of-"
"You are right." Swain bent the claws of his demonic appendage before closing them in a tight grip. Suddenly, the man in front of him choked. "They would never accept you as their new Grand Master. You don't possess the influence to summon them, which renders you useless." His voice was as impassive as his face while he regarded the facial color of the man hanging in his grip change from red to purple.
The figure in his grasp writhed, mouth opening and closing. Swain released his fist and the man fell to the ground, gasping for air, hands wringing around his abused throat. "I'll…I'll find a way…" He coughed.
"Oh, I am confident you will." Swain's red eyes flashed. He already knew what to do. So close, the vision of what would be, of what was to happen. But he knew best: Noxus wasn't built on vision alone. There were three principles of strength, all of them had a reason for existing. Now, he needed guile. Might would come later. All of that in perfectly planned order. "Just to make sure of your success, I'll send someone with you." He rasped. He would reform Noxus, he would prepare for what was to come.
The coughing man scrambled to his feet, frantically looking around, as if the person in question was already inside the room.
"You'll meet them outside. Consider that they are not as patient as I am." Swain advised.
Talon didn't sleep that night. After hours of eerie stillness, Lux' body started shivering, but her starting to move brought little reassurance. She was chilled to the bone and sharing his own body heat, trapped under two thick blankets, only sufficed to have Talon freezing as well. The cold sweat she had broken into was probably neither a good sign. The candles burning down seemed to worsen her condition, so he lit them again and opened the curtains to let the pale moonlight in. The permanent, painful pulsing in his head made it impossible to relax anyway, even if he had been able to push the fear for her, the traitorous thoughts that she looked like agonized by wolf's maws, away, which he wasn't. Minutes passed away like hours, stretching unnaturally while he held her in waiting, hoped, encouraged the kindling that was Lux to keep fighting, to keep holding on to him.
The greater part of the night passed away before a shiver of her mind startled him, like the fluttering of a small bird's wings which noticed it was held captive. Then he felt it, like a storm in a bottle, brewing panic inside her mind, preparing to lash out at whatever kept her caged. He reached for her, with his arms and his mind alike and the instantly following piercing pain, as if she clawed into his head to keep herself steady, nearly knocked him out.
Her eyes opened wide, staring at him with panic and incomprehension. Was that the reflection of the moon or...He tried it with a soothing sound, a gentle stroke through her hair, tugging on it to get a better look of her eyes. Her hands wandered to his chest as he tilted her head upwards.
Talon didn't know how her mouth ended on his, but there was warm breath on his lips right before the distance between them melted away.
Her trembling hands flitted over his shoulders, searching for something to hold on. He pulled her close, relief over her waking up nearly washing him away. With her leaning into his frame, her panic slowly subsided and Talon cupped her cheek to get that dreadfully anticipated look at her eyes. He sucked in a deep breath before her craning her neck after him put a stop to his endeavors through their lips connecting once more. The warmth surging through him was unlike any other emotion he had ever felt, relieve, gladness, pure joy, with so much more he had no words for. Her mind fluttering against his was the most reassuring thing he could remember feeling, for she felt terrified, exhausted, confused, but otherwise healthy and different in a way he could only describe as sharp. Their kiss eased out and Talon was content with sliding them down the bed so they both were able to lie down. He stroked over her hair and tapped his fingers against her cheek to get her to look at him, but he wasn't able to see anything in her half-opened, rapidly blinking eyes. Instead, her lips melted against his once more and Talon closed his eyes, relishing her warmth. He had no idea why he was still feeling her inside his mind, despite the necklace being gone, the small flamelet hiding somewhere in his head, like it had been since he had taken control over the damned device.
He should not be fine with someone so close to such a personal part of himself, he should try and erect the barrier he knew he could, but this was Lux again, his Lux, the woman he had searched for weeks, and finally being close to her was exhilarating instead of terrifying. Maybe she'd hold on to him until there was no danger anymore for her to slip away? It was as good an explanation as any. So he kissed her with all the pent-up longing of endless lonely nights, calming himself with the steady contact.
Being held seemingly wasn't enough to soothe her though; she gasped in sudden distress and curled against his front. Talon's arms closed around her back without a conscious thought, lips descending on her crown. Her hands bailed to fists in his shirt and Talon found himself humming a tune he remembered vividly. Her head tilted slightly, indicating that her attention turned to him. He began to form words evenly low, a song he had found in the Freljord and had brought to her a long time ago. A song about a cold, beautiful country, a journey and the pleasantry of welcoming arms. Hopefully the part of her that really counted was listening. The feeling of her twisting inside his mind made him nearly vomit, but breaking the silence seemed to be good for something, for her shivering, the overwhelming compulsion to give in, to dissipate, eased somewhere mid-song.
The rising of the autumn sun seemed to bring her a bit of relief, at least her vice-like grip around his mind loosened gradually with darkness turning into twilight. The feeling of her touching him didn't cease but became stronger until, with the first brighter rays of the sun touching her face, her grip around him flickered in sync with her lids. He felt a soft ripple going through her mind, like the careful stretch of a muscle to test if it was still working. His hands were at her cheeks instantly, cupping her face, his forehead bumped against her clammy one as his heart-rate sped up.
"Lux?" He whispered, nudging against her cold and damp cheeks.
She stirred and her eyelids moved. A slit appeared first and he put an evaluating distance between their faces. Her blue eyes opened blinkingly, disoriented, tired, but there was recognition as she stopped to regard his face, a hint of the warm light, her subtle brightness and everything he had missed so fucking much.
Talon let out a breath he did not know he was holding as he pulled her close to his chest, emotions exploding within him. Gratitude, anger, relief, happiness, disappointment, and many more he had no names for left his insides with a disturbing cocktail. They left him feeling out of himself, out of his comfort zone, for there was too much where there normally was nothing unmanageable. But right now that was okay, because Lux was here and her light as well and…he needed to get a grip.
She hadn't moved yet, so Talon placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her a few centimeters away, until he was able to look into her face once more. She made no move to distance herself even further.
Lux moved slowly, like caught right after sleep, but she blinked at him, wide-eyed, then she rose her spread hands up to her face, looking at her palms. She flexed her fingers and a flickering light appeared on the tips. Her eyes widened impossibly as she let the glowing ball dance over her skin, growing in size until it illuminated her whole hand. She coughed, a sound that broke way to a sob as the light shattered into tiny fireflies flickering around them. Her hands flew to her face as she all but crumbled into Talon's form. Only a short moment, one strangled sob, then her hand clasped around the back of his head, forcing his face against her neck. Talon had enough presence of mind to squeeze his eyes shut right before she exploded, bright enough to shine through the protection of his eyelids. Not painfully so, but bright enough to blind any incautious onlooker. He wasn't able to see what else she was doing, but her grasp around him tightened. The light shining through his eyelids was not entirely unpleasant, it didn't hurt and finally, she felt warm to the touch rather than cold and clammy. What she did was probably the equivalent of testing a regrown limb, but her sobs increased and erupted to full-on crying mere moments later. Talon was able to open his eyes soon after, lifting his head from her neck to check on the weeping woman in his lap. The orbs of light flying around them still shone bright, lazily flittering to the ground like magical confetti.
"Hey…" He nudged her. What was wrong now?
Her shoulders shook, by now her closing eyes were an alarming warning-sign. She took a deep breath before reopening them - blue and bright and no need to worry - and words tumbled out of her mouth. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please forgive me, I didn't mean to - I didn't want to - I'm so sorry!" She cried as the glowing spheres dissipated, leaving only the usual, faint glow radiating off of her.
Her light was really back. She was free now, right? Talon dropped back on the matrass, pulling her with him. He wanted, needed this brief moment of simply holding her, stroking her back and breathing in her scent. Just a moment to defy reality, to gather himself before he refocused.
Of course it wasn't over, he knew as much, the real deal would begin now. Time to assess the damage that had happened during her captivity.
"What have you done?" He asked, calm because he wasn't in Noxus Prime anymore, wasn't able to change anything there, regardless what her captor had gotten out of her, regardless of what she had planned under the control of another person. Maybe it would be enough to justify a written interim report…
She hesitated for a moment, clearly not sure if she should lean her head on him. To his great disappointment she didn't, but straightened herself, swallowed down her sobs and looked him into his eyes. Despite her fear, the light in her blue orbs was the most beautiful sight he could imagine. "I'm sorry for binding you. I'm sorry for blinding you - you frightened me." She stuttered, clearly not knowing where to put her hands.
Talon was caught on the wrong foot and a little confused, being reminded of their ugly fallout. No one else but her had ever apologized for something as trivial as throwing him off, her assault hadn't even hurt. He had expected a confession about the knowledge her captor had pulled out of her brain. Interesting to know how that wasn't her first priority. "I….am sorry that I prepared myself for a strike. I am glad you didn't let me. What else are you apologizing for?" He clarified.
Her brow creased, hands folding in her lap. "Nothing?" Her mouth distorted in contemplation.
Talon took a deep breath. Now, there really were so many things he needed to know, he hardly knew where to start. First of all: had she really regained the full control over her mind? "Why was your memory so tumbled?" He asked instead, trying to approach the truth on a different way. He would have a few days to sound her out on everything else, as long as she really was herself again.
A shudder rippled through her, but she didn't evade his stare. It felt like she was resigning to his judgement, a very uncomfortable and unfamiliar position for him. She didn't even made an effort to put at least some distance between them. "A golden eyed woman intercepted my escape from Noxus Prime. She wanted to know things. I didn't want to tell."
This was more what he was looking for. "What kind of things?" Talon asked, trying to convey with his body-language that he would not strike, regardless of the answer.
Lux finally pushed her hair back and averted her eyes, collecting herself for a moment before she looked to him again. Talon knew the inquisitive expression of her face well enough by now, as if it hadn't been him who asked the questions. He almost smiled at the familiarity. "She wanted to know things about you. And about your father." She sounded troubled.
Talon stroke her back calmingly. He had guessed that it would be bad. "What did you tell her?" He inquired.
The first flickers of the proud gleam, the gleam he had missed so much started to lighten up her whole face, alleviating the heaviness of his chest a bit. "Lies." She whispered conspiratorially, the corners of her mouth threatening to twitch upwards.
Talon's brow knitted. He had experienced first-hand what had happened when she as much as failed to comply an order to the last letter. "How were you able to?" He asked in doubt. Was she really free after all?
Lux regarded him for a moment longer, the tremor in her fingers intensifying. "By using the force that tried to rip the answer from me in…different…ways. She had the choice between letting me kill myself or letting me mess up my memory and not bother me with too strict orders. She chose that she needed a halfway sane watcher close to Swain more than answers about you and your father's whereabouts." She still looked at him like a doe before the hunter, waiting for the arrow.
Talon stared back at her. He wasn't sure how he felt about her actions. "You play with high stakes." He concluded. But…after all…it had worked, there was no reason for the sour taste in his mouth. Absolutely no reason.
Lux shrugged, expressing stubbornness rather than her usual optimism. "I told you I'd rather die than betraying your former trust in me. I still don't think it was my worst option."
Talon would rather not let it come to that. Never. The knowledge alone that she had seen no other way out of her situation but trying to kill herselfwas bad enough. He took in her face, averted in defiance. "Who did that to you?" He asked tunelessly, lifting his hand to cup her cheek once more. She felt warm now.
Lux shrugged again. "I already told you everything I know."
The assassin tapped at her chin until she looked at him again. "And what more do you suspect?" He knew by now how she was able to turn words around.
She did not laugh, but the corner of her mouth twitched, her gaze softening. This small detail changed so much in her whole expression that Talon almost kissed her, lured by her sudden gentleness, by her light, by the familiarity of the look she shot him.
"I have no idea who could have even known about us!" She exclaimed. "I only understood that the woman wanted to know about your father's and your behavioral patterns during…during our investigation of the spider-like god. Information about both of your emotional patterns, the way you make decisions. She wanted to know how much you knowabout an organization close to that spider-like god. I did not get more until she noticed what I was doing."
About that, Talon was glad. Very glad. He wasn't even able to think about Lux being dead, like the woman he had found right before their fallout. Wait. "Someone set us up." He concluded. "Weeks ago, right before we…fought…, I found a dead body wearing a blue and silver mask. It was a woman with blue eyes, blonde hair, facial features like you and one of my blades in between her eyes." He eyed her with something borderlining on nervousness.
Her eyes widened with guilt. "That was the reason for your aggressiveness?"
Talon's shoulder twitched as he didn't know how to answer. Then her arms were around him once more and she squeezed the air out of his lungs with her tight embrace. His shirt muffled her words, but he was able to make out her begging for forgiveness.
He wound his arms around her, placing his lips on her crown. "I'm the one who should apologize." He murmured, "I chased you away where I should have-"
She silenced him with pulling him into a kiss, salty from her tears. Her lips moved against his in the way nothing else ever had, her breath warm and the hand spread out over the nape of his neck reassuring. A second later he was on his back again, Lux' things at his sides while the curtain of her blonde hair fell around them, shutting everything out until it was only him, her, and her illuminating light. He nipped at her mouth once more, pulling her close and then their tongues started to dance. Talon's hand glided down her side, pushing against her thighs until she slumped on him, then he spun her around so he was the one kneeling between her thighs, kissing her with ardent fervor. Her sigh was the sweetest thing he was able to imagine, her body stretching against his, her thighs clamping around his hip. It was this moment where Talon noticed that their blanket had slid away - and her lack of clothing underneath; she had not dressed yesterday after shower, and he had not cared to do so during the night.
"I would forgive you without an apology." She breathed against his lips, her fingers wandering over his back.
Talon couldn't help but stretch and rake his fingers through her hair. This was an offer, and the whole situation was tempting, oh so tempting…but Lux' gaze didn't give way for her carefree, intimate smile, the one telling him that everything was, at least temporarily, well. Because…it wasn't. And they both knew as much. A little canoodling wouldn't change that.
Soon enough, Lux confirmed his suspicions. She stroke his cheek with her fingertips, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, more reassuring and tender than arousing. "Do you know someone called Beatrix?" She asked.
Talon took a deep breath. He knew this was, again, only an offer to continue their professional talk, it was not too late to silence her, to go for bodily affection rather than…rather than for everything else that was going on. He glanced outside the window, the new day was already hours old. They were getting late, he still planned on making several miles today. "That sounds like a woman's name." He commented.
Lux giggled and the corners of Talon's mouth twitched upwards at the unexpected sound. Their dynamic started to feel normal again. "Why?" He inquired and, with a last kiss, he lifted himself up.
The mage watched him with interest. "The woman who caught me seems to have several connections to Swain, and one of those things seems to be someone named Beatrix." She explained.
Talon stretched out his hand. She took it without consideration and let him pull her from the bed. "From where did you get that piece of information?" He wanted to know while she searched for her clothes. There was no time now, but maybe tonight.
Lux, oblivious to the course his thoughts had taken, shuddered again as if she had to shake off a very unpleasant memory. "Every weapon can be turned against its user. Mind-control seems to be no exception. I don't know how it worked, but I am good at finding loopholes." She shot him a sharp gaze before she pulled a shirt over her head.
"I already experienced as much." Talon noted dryly.
Lux' cheeks heated up and she looked to the ground. "I'm sorry for that. I hope you'll forgive me the intrusion."
Talon scoffed, remembering the feeling like cotton over his thoughts. For that moment he had been inattentive, lost to the world around him. A truly dangerous situation he had no intention of repeating, regardless how good their reunion had felt. "Just don't do it again." He extracted from his chest.
Lux took a relieved breath and angled for her pants. "I'll try to catch your attention the traditional way, next time." Her nervous glance at him betrayed the bold statement, making it look like an inquiry.
Talon snorted in amusement and caressed her shoulder in reassurance, but continued his questioning. "So…this woman who captured you is in a feud with Swain. Did you find out anything else?"
Lux chewed her lip. "I do think that we got tangled up in something beyond our current understanding, but as much is obvious. I'm sure your father knows more…" She threw him a cautious gaze, "us having discovered a giant werespider, someone knowing about us, someone trying to use me to gain Intel about you, your father and Swain; this cannot be a simple coincidence. Swain has his own agenda, but there is something strange inside of him. Something bad. But regardless of what he does, he is convinced about the rightness of his path. He gathers his followers, two of his assassins failed to kill Lady Blackclaw's eldest son, family Tomyri lost the control over the Noxian fleet and nothing will connect the fire in their boat builder's yard to the Tactician. He managed to send Urgot away to Zaun under a pretext…"
Talon took a deep breath. So many leads he'd have to follow as soon as he'd be back in Noxus Prime. His heart suddenly sank. "You…are…going back to Demacia." It was not really a question, they had already established as much, he had already established as much, but he needed to hear it out of her mouth anyway.
She looked to the pants in her hands. "I…yes. You already said as much, Swain saw through my disguise and is, by now, probably a bit miffed. The strange woman might be, as well." Her throat moved in a dry gulp and her eyes became wet again.
Talon waited, waited for the words that would make the rest of their journey incredibly painful for him but, after a few minutes, Lux resumed slipping into her pants. Talon finished changing.
"We are going to Kalamanda, right?" Lux broke the contemplating silence.
Talon made a confirming sound. "A Demacian party camps as well." He informed her.
Her movements became anxious. "Will we...will we still be allies, until then?" She asked shyly with averted face.
Talon's eyebrows shot up. "After everything you told me yesterday and today?" Red spread over her neck. His heart sunk. Maybe her confession meant different things for her than for him? "I hadn't expected you turning on me, even when you return to your country." He murmured, for the only conclusion in such a case would be violence again. This was his only condition.
"I won't! Never have, never will." She reassured hastily. "But that was my side, I don't know how you see this..."
The words almost stuck in his throat at her hopeful, nervous gaze and the implied question. "I...like to continue for as long as we can." He reassured, a little confused. It had always been within her rights to call this off, he had never wanted to do as much.
Still, her breathing out felt like relieve.
"Have you ever promoted a change of regime?" Talon inquired while scanning the room for any forgotten items.
Lux shook her head. "Promoted? That sounds a lot more gentle than what I figure you did."
Talon sent her a sharp gaze, but her expression stayed soft, a hint of the mischievous smile returning to the edges of her mouth, cushioning her words.
"Have you?" Lux asked, and Talon nodded. He had been more subtle than what she described from Noxus Prime, but he had done some cleaning up in preparation to incorporate a few city-states into the empire without much bloodshed.
"I thought you didn't care for politics." Lux mused, equally to herself and to Talon.
Talon's eyebrow arched. "But I always had a thing for Noxian diplomacy." He said impassively.
Now, her gaze to him was calculating again, before she shook her head with a small smile. Something in that gesture reminded him of Marcus after one of his tries to wake his interest for the High Command's scheming. The General had ditched those futile efforts only last year in favor of mapping out which results he expected, leaving the way on how to achieve those objectives open.
Packing up didn't take long after that and, after finishing, Lux kneeled down in the corner, her half outstretched hand shivering. Talon glanced over to her. She crouched in front of the necklace he had thrown away the prior evening. He strode to her, picking up the device without apprehension, ignoring the cold feeling creeping up his fingers.
Lux exhaled with relief as she inspected the thing without having to touch it. "Some beads look different." She noted, a frown settling on her face.
Talon looked at them as well. The newly formed beads indeed looked different, even without blood splattered all over them. "Yes, Katarina brought me some petricite. There was this artifact mage, you killed him, he weaved a second necklace. I hoped to be able to take control over the first thing that way." Talon didn't know how much she had picked up, so he better filled her in.
Now her brows raised. "Katarina? Is she still in Kalamanda?"
Talon nodded and this time, Lux actually dared to touch the necklace, even though she looked like she touched a particularly displeasing basilisk. She rolled one of the newly formed beads in between her fingers, where the formerly engraved symbol, probably a crest, had almost been polished away. Almost. She stroke over it with her thumb, her expression wavering. "Then…I owe her a thank you as well."
"You know the crest." He interpreted her sudden hoarseness. Where had Katarina taken this from? Another glance out of the window told him that they really should be going.
The light in her eyes nearly died, and Talon wasn't able to distinguish if it originated from the contact to the petricite, but it made him feel unwell either way. "It is my family's." She finally confessed.
Talon looked at the impression in the stone, trying to identify it. "Ironic coincidence, if you look at it the right way." He pointed out, indicating but not pressing for her to go on.
Her gaze twitched to him, her smile shaky. "I'm not sure if my brother would see it as you do. Our uncle gifted him those clasps."
"Your brother." Talon repeated tonelessly. That was a lot less abstract than a suddenly appearing crest from a nameless enemy.
The corners of her lips twitched downwards again. "I told you that he joined the Dauntless Vanguard when he was twelve." She said in defense, all melody having left her voice.
He scanned his memory for a man befitting her description. A noble, dangerous enough to attract his sister's attention as well as challenge her arrogance, last name starting with the letters 'Cr'. He looked at the beads in his hand in contemplation.
Wait.
His head twitched up, eyes narrowing. Lux looked just as tired as he felt, waiting for the coin to drop with slouched shoulders. His first reaction, the loudly groaned 'no fucking way!', stuck somewhere in his chest to make room for a deep, calming breath. Some days just wouldn't get better. "Crownguard?" He asked, clipped, not sure which answer he'd like to get.
Lux nodded, eyes averted, fingers intertwining in front of her stomach. Now, she didn't look like a doe anymore. She wasn't preparing to flee and she wasn't readying herself to lash out with her magic. This was...not defeat, he figured, acceptance would be the more fitting word. Maybe more, guessing from the way her brows knitted as she glanced up to him. He almost threw his hands up in exasperation. How was this even possible? This really was Lux, as he was reminded again and again, regardless which last name she wore, regardless if she had just been snatched from Wolf's maws; and the trait that would always shine out most, that was gleaming at him from her big blue eyes right now, was hope.
Talon pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut to shield himself from her gaze.
All things put together...did it really matter that her brother was not only the Captain of the fucking Dauntless Vanguard, but also the guy holding his ground against Katarina? Nothing for him to judge, he finally decided. They really need to keep going if they wanted to cover any ground today.
"More when we are on horseback?" He offered, and Lux agreed with a wavering smile. Her hand searched his arm, her forehead briefly sinking against his shoulder. Talon watched her for a moment, his hand wandering to the dip of her waist, squeezing her lightly.
"You wanna keep that?" He swang the necklace in front of him with his other hand to fend off the next wave of affection, regardless how much he'd like to indulge in her right now.
Lux disconnected from him with a deep inhale. "Sure. Just be so kind and express my gratitude towards Katarina, shouldn't I be able to do as much."
Talon calmed the innkeeper with a few coins, and then they were on the road again. His heart stuttered at how different Lux behaved. Now, she looked around, noticed her surroundings. She stretched after the sun, held her face into the light as if she bathed in it, caressed her horse, smiled at him with increasing strength…It could be worse, he figured. Much worse. Probably the best thing was that she didn't leave his side, but rode right next to him, glancing at him ever so often. Her radiant smile gained strength with every passing hour. Watching her was calming and reassuring, but it also reminded him that he had not slept the night prior. She seemed to flourish with each ray of sunlight she soaked in, and it was such an impressive sight that he disturbed her charging only about four hours later, when the ground already started to change; the steppe giving way to the rocks of the foothills. Tonight would be the first night to sleep under the stars.
"Do you remember what Marcus tasked me with?" He finally broke the companionable silence when the sun had already wandered past the zenith.
Her eyes widened. "The documents!" She exclaimed, "I already decoded them a little, where did you get a spell like that from?" She started searching her body, seemingly not remembering where she had stashed her notes away.
Talon shrugged and halted his horse, intending to feed and water the animals to preserve their strength. "Marcus gave it to me, combined with the order to keep Darkwill away from Katarina. That is all I know."
Her brow furrowed as she slipped on the ground as well, giving Starfire his oats before searching for said papers in her saddlebags. After having found them, she settled upon a stone, scanning the scriptures. Her usual excitement about a particularly hard riddle seemed to tarnish with scepsis, something he had never seen on her before. He figured that it had to be bad, then. "Tell me if you want to talk something through." He offered and Lux nodded absentmindedly, scribbling notes in a little pocket book.
She kept to her brooding even after mounting. Starfire seemingly didn't need his owner to pay attention to their path, he followed Talon's horse without any fuss.
The next hours passed in silence. The sun wandered over the horizon and the path started to become uneven with more and more rocks. Still not enough vegetation for an ambush, but Talon kept his eyes open nonetheless.
With the sun setting, the warmth of the day slowly dissipated, giving way to autumn's chill. Soon, it became time for a more extended rest. By that time, Lux had started chewing on her lip, her bright expression gone.
"Is it that bad?" Talon inquired.
"The magic is completely averse to mine. Tainted." Lux confirmed, looking around briefly, seemingly mildly surprised by how fast the nature around them had changed. "And I have no idea how to work around that, except for trying out parts of the spell. I mean, it is obviously a ritual, but the exact purpose I cannot make out. Yet." she shook her head and dismounted with a few claps to Starfire's neck.
Talon shook his head and went to the ground as well. "Tainted?" He asked, silently agreeing that she should not try out something she described like that.
Lux lifted her shoulders while setting her horse for the night. "I tried feeling myself into the magic to get a better grasp, but I feared what that would make of me. I can only give you a vast outline of what the spell means, for the core-parts I managed to understand. You know the Black Mist?"
The following explanations, in all their incompletion and with all the imponderabilities Lux pointed out, left Talon brooding with cold determination, the possibilities Lux had illustrated freezing him to the bone, filling him with cold determination.
They prepared the fireplace in absolute silence until their dinner simmered above the fire and their bedrolls were lain out. There was nothing he was able to do here, Talon had decided by the time Lux had sparked something like a barrier around their camp, he'd only be able to cross the distance to Kalamanda much faster than Darkwill. By now, they should have at least four days of advantage towards Darkwill, despite their late departure from Noxus Prime.
Lux dug in her food like she hadn't eaten in eternity. Taking her lost weight into account, she probably had tried to starve herself. Talon studied her movements and, not for the first time, admired her determination. She was merciless in her own way and she did not cease to surprise him, to challenge his skills. And soon she'd be gone.
But right now she was still here, watching him attentively, as if she tried to solve a riddle, while he tried to decide whether he'd be able to sleep like this.
She regarded him for a few minutes, taking a breath as if she wanted to say something, before slipping under her blanket. Talon tilted his head inquisitively. "May I sleep close to you?" She questioned, hope mixing with worry in her eyes.
He nodded before slipping under his own cover, laying down on his back to look up into the night sky. He might as well enjoy the time they still had.
The woman sighed with relief and, a moment later, he was rewarded with a fresh armful of Lux, placing her head on his chest. Talon started running his fingers through her soft hair. The missed sleep almost reclaimed him right there, but something tugged at his consciousness. Maybe because he laid on his back, he had never been able to sleep with his abdomen open for attack. Lux stretching against him was worth the minutes of lost sleep, though.
"Do you know of star signs"? She pulled him out of his brooding.
"Enough to navigate in every season." Talon answered, accepting the distraction. The half moon didn't cast enough light to conceal the stars. He was always amazed by the night sky, when no cloud of Noxus Prime, no lights from the ever-working forges shrouded the bright speckles.
"Are the stars different in the Freljord?" Lux snuggled even closer.
Talon closed his arm around her waist, stroking her sides. "Not really, no. Just a bit shifted. Umbra's portal is more…" He pointed to the middle of the sky, before he let his finger wander towards Noxus Prime, "more in this direction, and there are constellations" he pointed to the far horizon, "which the nomadic people have named. There is a triple star they call the three sisters, so close to the sea that we don't see it in Noxus Prime." His hand shifted in the direction of the Ironspike Mountains, "you cannot see it right now, but the more to the northwards you go, the better you can. There is one star, just above the horizon, which is very bright. In the Freljord, it stands a few decimeters higher. The Barbarians call it the Windrose, and it is the star that always guards them home."
Lux had listened to him quietly until now. "You did talk to people."
His face spun to her, but her smile was warm and her expression attentive. He shrugged. "If you want to be taken for a local…?" He shrugged again. "Constellations and navigation are important for the Freljordians I met. Are the stars in Demacia different?"
Lux turned her eyes upwards again. "A bit. I mean, it is just south from the Freljord. We see the Axe only in winter, you see it all the time."
"I think you can see the three Sisters from Demacia, but I don't know how you call them."
"Did you never go into deep cover? Wait, I know you did so in Demacia."
She placed her hand on his flank and, suddenly, Talon remembered which scar hid there and he asked himself if she really knew what else, besides his coup in the Citadel of Light, had happened in her home country. She looked calm, so probably not. "No. Most Demacian commoners don't give much about the night sky, so I didn't take it for important enough to learn your names."
Her head sunk down on his chest again. "You didn't sleep last night right?"
He shook his head, knowing that she'd feel the vibrations.
"Can I help you sleeping? Nobody will get past me." She reassured, "I'll take watch tonight. Just sleep as much as you want to."
"I don't need as much sleep as you do."
"That is no answer." She smiled warmly at him, squeezing his side.
"Because you didn't sleep either." He let his fingertips glide over the skin under her eyes. He felt her tiredness almost like his own, not as foreign as it had been a few days ago.
She leaned against his touch as soon as he had cupped her cheek.
For she didn't answer to that, Talon pulled her flush against him and rolled her over, adjusting his own position until she was nearly buried underneath him, her back pressed against his chest, and he laid on his side in his usual sleeping position. He didn't care for the ground, but… "Can you sleep like this?" He whispered in her ear, rubbing his nose against her neck.
"Yes." She sighed, cuddling closer to him and adjusting the blanket. Her whole presence was warm and calming, from the small hand strengthening his hold around her waist to the way she curled against him.
Talon, fully intending to make this position as comfortable as possible, nosed her neck and inhaled deeply. Lux made no move to get away, just pressed herself closer to him, so he sprinkled a few soft kisses on her shoulders, peppering her neck with attention. She made a contented sound and continued stroking his arms around her midsection, baring her throat in an absolutely not tiredness-inducing way. He placed his hand on her abdomen, massaging slow circles under her shirt. Another satisfied noise broke from her chest, her head turning just enough for him to be able to reach her cheek. Talon continued his assault until she started to writhe, sending the idea to just go to sleep far, far away. With an impossible movement, she turned on the spot until she faced him, cupping his cheek with her hand. There was the warm gleam in her eyes, her nose nudging against his…
"May I?" Lux breathed on his lips.
"Yes." Talon confirmed, stroking her sides.
Her lids fluttered shut as she tilted her head slightly, and then her lips touched him, hesitant at first, with growing sureness, soft but firm, warm, moving against him. Talon closed his eyes, letting himself fall. Only a gentle adjustment was needed to guide her on her back completely. Now, his hair hung into her face as he nipped at her lips before his tongue delved into her mouth. He was tired. He parted from her, her face in his hands, and caressed her high cheekbones with his thumbs. This was probably the longest period he had ever seen her without wearing any concealment, and the blue of her eyes shone brighter than the moon. Her expression was soft and her smile as warm as a summer breeze. He tasted her lips once more, and her tongue met his in a dance. He had originally planned on, somewhere in the future, taking his time with her to really make her glow, but he knew the expression on her face. He knew that, from here, it would take hardly any effort to make her shine like a fallen star. Somehow, the past events hadn't disturbed her equilibrium enough to take away her sense of security. She didn't cease to amaze him, regardless how often he looked at her.
He still contemplated if he felt safe enough with her to let his guard down. She took a heavy breath, rubbed her nose at his cheek and started to speak. "I wanted you to know that what I said yesterday, right before you ripped the chain off." Now she looked at his forehead, unable to meet his eyes. His grip around her strengthened. "I did not say that because I was under a spell or because I forgot essential part about yourself, or because I forgot about your profession and was suddenly deluded to see something in you that you are not." His eyebrows lifted. "I just…want you to know that I meant what I said. Every word of the explanation, everything."
"Everything?" Talon echoed tunelessly.
Now, her gaze met his and it felt like she was making a bold foray. "Being with you was something I did purely for myself. Not for anyone else. And I really love you, with everything I told you to back that simple word up." While she told him as much, the gleam in her eyes dulled. Now, her expression was cautious, as if this was a moment where she needed to guard herself.
"So…you remember every word?" Talon asked and Lux nodded, guessing by her expression, even if she had not voiced any question, this was a point for him to decide. "You explained that feeling…" his hand splayed over her chest, the point she had repeatedly touched during her explanations, the point where he was met with her rapidly pulsing heart, "with something only for me." He summarized hesitatingly. She nodded once more, but the warmth in her eyes didn't return. The warmth Talon had associated with being alone with her, with having nothing to worry about, the smile that told him everything was okay and would be, regardless what happened anywhere else, had vanished from one second to the other. "You always seem to understand me without me actually speaking." He finished lamely, because feelings weren't something he had ever talked about. How should words he felt completely uneasy with convey how good he felt in her company? How confident the knowledge that she was, despite their fights, despite what had happened, still his, made him? That she could still look at him, acknowledge who he was and who he was still becoming, without turning away?
The angles of her lips turned up, her expression softened "You are right, Talon." She reassured and, like he had said something right, the warmth in her eyes was back, making his heart beat faster in his chest. Whatever had had her so uptight, it was over now, she'd let this topic rest and probably never speak of it again.
She'd never again tell him how much she felt for him, using words that might not mean anything to him yet, but much more to her. She'd look at him in that way, but she'd keep quiet. His arms tightened around her. "What I want to say…" Suddenly his heart hammered in his chest. "What I want to say is…that…I don't know the words to condense what I feel for you, but…but…I think I would be okay with finding a name for what is there for you, and only for you."
Her lips crashed against him with enough drive to force him on his back while Lux, glowing like the rising sun, tried to eliminate every distance between them. Which was more than fine for Talon, whose passion matched her fire. His arms clamped around her, supporting her in her quest to melt into his frame. His fatigue waned enough to become nothing more than a distant nuisance while hands tangled in hair, groped cloth-covered curves, bodies moving in increasingly fervid union. Her thighs moved over the sides of Talon's hip, only to press them together even closer, him grasping for the back of her thighs to aid her scheme.
Her lips parted only for a second, his face secured in between her palms, lids open enough to bath him in their light. "You want to sleep - or continue?" She whispered breathlessly.
He placed his hands on her thigh, groping firmly before letting his thumb wander to the insides of her thighs, then upwards. Her pants were in the way, but Lux threw her head back regardless and ground down on him. Her let his hands wander further, over her hip to her back. His hands splayed over her back before pulling her, down to him, until their lips locked once more and he was able to close his arms tightly around her.
One of her hands tangled in his hair, the other stroke his cheek with their faces only centimeters apart. The gleam in her eyes was feverish, red dusted her cheeks and down her décolleté, the knowledge to where else the color would spread making him close the distance between their faces again. Her body moved against his in sinuous waves and he adjusted his thigh just enough for her to gasp at her next movement, to stifle a moan and to press closer to him.
Talon was still undecided though, with his body practically begging him to cave…"I'd like to take my time with you. Something I don't see happening at the moment." He murmured, her lips ghosting from his nose to his forehead making his hair stand on end. He grasped for her hip and ground her against him, igniting his own arousal to full flame.
"I'm way ahead of you." She whispered throatily, underlining her point with another demanding shove against his thigh. Talon could already feel the tremors rolling through her and he waited for her to finish herself like this. Instead, she took a deep, shuddering breath and embraced his head, pushing their lips together and shoving her tongue into his mouth. He reciprocated likewise, tasting, feeling...but she didn't resume her determined motions, but caught his cheek, looking at him as if she waited for him.
"Not the point." Talon grunted, "I'm not stopping you, though." He slid his hands over her thighs in reinforcement.
"Not the point." Her smile lit up her face.
Talon took hold of her neck to flip her on her back, arching into the inviting warmth of her still-clothed groin. "You have a point?" He asked against her lips, sinking in her softness.
Her hand stroke down his sides, briefly stopping at his hips to give him enough time to intercept. Then her fingertips glided over his groin, softly, before cupping the bulge in his already uncomfortable pants. "Not exactly a point, no." She smirked.
Talon was hardly able to refrain from arching into the pressure of her hand.
"Thank you for staying awake last night." She sealed her words with luring him in for another kiss. "I understand that you need to sleep." Her words didn't sound as teasing as they would with any other woman, but rather like her usual, honest, ready to compromise-self.
Talon had laughed if not for the abrupt loss of contact as her hands wandered to his abdomen instead. "I didn't say that." He grumbled.
Lux' smile returned with a mischievousness that made Talon doubting his first assessment but, instead of dwelling on that thought, he started playing with her waistband.
"Then what did you say?" Lux whispered breathlessly.
Talon, not having enough patience for quibbling, pulled her pants down to replace words with more primal sounds.
Afterwards, fatigue came fast. The assassin's lids flipped shut, the image of Lux burning brighter behind his lids than the stars. His woman in his arm, her spells around them, completely surrounded by her presence; there were worse places to get a few hours of rest. The light-mage settled against his chest with a satisfied sigh before she started to chant something - and then abruptly tensed up. Talon was back to full-attention in no time, listening to the sounds of their surroundings. His grip around Lux tightened, silently conveying that he was awake.
"No, there is no one around." Lux broke the silence, her muscles still tense as a bowstring.
"Then why does your heart hammer against my arm?" Talon inquired, strengthening his hold around her midsection to underline his statement.
She took a deliberately calm breath. "Just…memories. How long have I been under that spell?"
"Close to seven weeks. What is wrong?" Talon urged.
Slowly, Lux settled back in his arms. "Nothing to upset you. Go to sleep." She advised and nestled back into his embrace. She seemingly was upset though, her flying breath indicating that there was a problem. Talon looked around, but he sensed no danger, no sounds that weren't usual for this landscape, no movements disturbed his vision.
Slowly, with Lux calmly stroking the nape of his neck, he settled back into the blanket as well. "What did you forget?" He concluded.
"Many things." Lux confessed, continuing with a more final tune to her voice, "but none of them matter right now."
Talon shortly debated with himself, but then he kissed the nape of her neck, pressing her to his front as tightly as he would with a cushion. If it was important, she told him. "Then good night." He murmured, burying his nose in her hair.
I couldn't help with Swain's Palpatin-grip…he looks too much like him in his splash.
Featuring: revelations that could be dramatic if one partner would only make a fuss over it. This chapter feels like taking a breath.
I wanted to make this a Christmas-piece, but two third of my team at work called in sick, so I had to work like an idiot. Nexus Blitz didn't help, either. Then Christmas came, and brought endless relatives. Which was awesome, but there was no chance to slip away to write in peace. And then there was the short story "At the edge of the world", which included new aspects of Noxus and new characters who make me want to squeeze in an earlier chapter, taking place in Noxus Prime. I'd also love to continue with Lux' and Talon's travel, for there is so much content about Shurima and the Freljord coming up *hyperventilates* Let's see if I do that x_X Anyway, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
Ohmai: *flails back*
Marziie: You made me realize that it only took me nine chapters to get them back together with their thoughts halfway in line xD You have no idea how much I anticipate a story about Lux and Talon in those two skins! I actually started by making a mindmap and a small storyline by myself already but, until this story ends, I won't start another one. But maybe, in the distant future, when Steps Measured and the continuation of it is finished, I'll try to do a story with Enduring Sword Talon and Lunar Empress Lux. I think that would be just perfect! Damn, I also want to do my take on Swain's past that fits into this storyline…And a little spin-off with Decius…AAAH! I don't have enough time. Thank you for promoting my story 3 I'll be watching out for those chibis :O
Generalblood1: Thank you so much! Stay there, we'll see if he manages to fill the word with enough meaning to present it to someone like Lux.