As the days passed, they became stronger each day until after a week they were at the peak of their health. Ashe could walk straight without much trouble, and Selina's wound had almost completely healed. As soon as they were better they began to head back, their trip worthwhile as they encountered an allied village along the way, giving them supplies for the rest of the journey. As they approached Rakelstake, Selina stopped. Ashe noticed and stopped as well.
"What's wrong?" she asked. The assassin glanced at the entrance warily.
"They won't let me back in, I'm not really one of them, they'll suspect me for sure," Selina said shakily. Ashe sighed.
"Selina, look at me." She did. Ashe gazed at her with a calm gaze, one of a leader and yet a normal human being at the same time.
"They will not blame you, you saved me. When they know that, they will see you as one of their own." Ashe said calmly.
"Are you sure?" Selina asked. The older woman smiled and held out her arm.
"I promise, now come on!' Selina smiled and went towards her, Ashe guiding her into the pass. As they came out and approached the village, a farmer glanced up from his work, his tired gaze turning into one of happiness.
"Ashe is back! Our Warmother is back!" he shouted sprinting towards the village. His voice was heard by the other villagers and soon they were swarmed by happy voices and smiles.
"Ashe, thank Averosa you're ok!" "What happened? Were you injured?" "Were you captured? Did she hurt you?" "How did you survive the blizzard?" Ashe raised her hand and immediately the crowd fell silent, their eyes gleaming as they waited.
"It's ok, I did get lost and I was hurt. But I managed to survive with the help of Selina. She rescued me from the blizzard and nursed me to health." The villagers turned to her with doubtful expressions.
"Seriously, her? No way." Selina shifted, uncomfortable about being watched. Ashe must've noticed and she quickly made a movement with her arm, and a bigger circle opened around them.
"Give them space!" she heard a voice shout. The crowd parted and she saw the captain come forward, his gaze tired, but bright.
"Ashe, thank gods you're alright." The warmother nodded.
"It's good to see you Amir," she said warmly. Amir nodded and glanced at me with a surprised gaze. "Who is this?"
"This is Selina, she is the reason that I am alive," Ashe said. Amir nodded to her.
"Well Selina, you have our full support. Thank you for saving Ashe, we would've been lost without her."
"Yeah, no problem," Selina said quietly. Ashe twitched beside her and she spoke in a tired voice.
"Amir, did anything happen while I was gone?" she asked quietly. Amir shook his head.
"No, no one came while we were away. Not even the frostguard." Selina saw a worried look flash across Ashes face for a second before fading.
"Ok, please keep watch for any sign of them. I don't trust Lissandra to take the break in our alliance kindly. So keep a close watch, I will be in my room in case anyone needs anything, tell them not to disturb us for now though please," Ashe said. Amir nodded. "As you wish. Ashe turned to her.
"Come on, we should check with Jerled first." Selina nodded and followed her as they made their way to the healer's hut. She could tell that Ashe was tired, and she was too, but they didn't stop which she admired about her. Ashe never seemed to give up no matter what, always seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Ashe gently knocked on the door and it quickly opened revealing the face of Jerled. His tired expression turned into one of shock and relief.
"Ashe! You're alive!" he exclaimed. Ashe nodded.
"Yes, I am, I would like to talk but we're tired and we need our wounds checked," she said softly. He nodded.
"Of course." He quickly let them inside and closed the door behind them. He went to Ashe first immediately noticing the wound in her back.
"You're a very lucky Warmother, it just managed to miss the spine," he said after inspecting it. Ashe's ear twitched.
"Then it's a good thing that I was found before any real damage was done," she said in relief. He nodded, then glanced at Selina with a frown.
"Hi, I heard the news. I am grateful that you found her and took care of her, we are in your debt."
"Well I wouldn't have been able to stop the bleeding if it weren't for your teachings," The dark-haired woman said. He smiled then went back to work, checking each of them for infection or other injuries. Once they are good he sent them away with strict instructions to take it easy. As they stepped outside Ashe looked around for a long moment, her gaze somber. "Ashe, you ok?" Selina asked, worried. Ashe took a deep breath. "It feels different, somehow. Like I haven't been here for years, yet I was only away for a week," she whispered. Selina nodded in understanding.
"Yeah, it feels strange," she said. The frost archer sighed then her face lit up. Selina watched curiously as she looked around, grabbing someone who was walking past and speaking into their ear with a low voice. Selina shifted impatiently as finally they pulled away and the other person ran off.
"What was that all about?" Selina asked. Ashe turned to her with a bright gaze.
"I told them to prepare a feast for tomorrow to celebrate our return. I thought that we might need that," she said cheerfully. Selina smiled.
"That would be amazing," she said. Ashe nodded.
"I thought so." she turned and started going towards her house so Selina turned to go back into the healer's hut when she heard Ashe call out to her. "Selina, come on!" Selina turned in surprise. Ashe had stopped and was waving for her to follow.
"But that's your house," Selina said, confused. Ashe laughed.
"Of course it is," she said.
"So shouldn't I go somewhere else? You know, find somewhere to sleep?" Selina said following her. Ashe shrugged.
"I mean you can go back into the healer's hut if you want, but since you shared your home, why not share mine? Consider it a gift for saving me." she smiled.
"No, I couldn't agree to that." Selina said, shaking her head. Ashe rolled her eyes.
"Just come on!" She grabbed her arm and dragged her over, opening the door and leading her inside. Selina relaxed as she felt the warmth of the house, seeing a fireplace that was surprisingly lit even though Ashe had been gone for so long.
"They really must like her if they're willing to keep her house neat like this." Selina thought noticing how each piece of furniture was clean, and the place was brightly lit. Ashe led her upstairs where the rooms were, stopping at a door at the opposite side of Ashe's room. Ashe gently opened the door into a room that was similar to hers, only not as decorative, and there wasn't as much space.
"Here, you can stay here for as long as you like," Ashe said, turning towards her. Selina looked around in awe.
"Ashe, I-" She trailed off not knowing what to say. She had never been given something like this in her entire life. "Thank you." Ashe nodded.
"If you ever need anything, just come to my room and knock. I'll try my best to answer, even when I'm asleep. But this is your room, so you can do whatever you want with it." Selina didn't know the words to say, she had never expected this...her whole life was about her and how she would survive all alone. No one had ever shown her kindness, her parents could've cared less about her, but Ashe...she saw her as someone who needed help. She didn't care if Selina was a stranger, she seemed to only see the young girl as one of her own people. "It's just how I wanted to feel, but can I even accept it? From her?" But as she met Ashe's soft gaze the feeling overwhelmed her so much, that before she realized what was happening her arms went around the other woman's body and she hugged the archer with all her might startling the other woman, tears streaming down her face.
"Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me," she whispered. Ashe hugged her as well, her arms wrapping around the smaller woman.
"I'm glad you like it, I just don't want you to be out in the cold anymore," she murmured. Selina smiled for a moment then realizing what she was doing she immediately pulled away, embarrassed. Ashe shook herself.
"Ok, I'm going to go and wash up. If you want you can use it after me." Selina nodded and Ashe smiled.
"Okay, we'll get settled and I'll try to get us something to eat. I'll come to get you when I'm done alright?" Selina nodded.
"Good, ok I'll see you soon." Ashe walked past her and out of the room, closing the door behind her. Selina gazed around the room with a smile then let out a cry of happiness and jumped into the bed laying down immediately, feeling the soft blankets envelope her.
"My home, my own home." she thought. She didn't have to sleep in the cold anymore, she didn't have to steal or sneak around for her meals. She had almost everything she had ever wanted, a home, and a person who cared about her. She closed her eyes and sighed, letting her exhausted body sink into the covers until sleep came, taking her in its embrace. She didn't have one nightmare.
When she woke she saw that the covers were splayed out around her and she slowly sat up, looking around with confusion.
"Where am I?" she wondered. Then it came back to her. She was in her room, light shining through a window to her left. She glanced at it with a shocked expression seeing the morning light. She hadn't meant to sleep that long! She quickly got out of bed and rushed out the door, looking around for Ashe. She quickly went over to her room and gently knocked. No one answered and she sighed. Ashe must've woken up and went on with her day. She quickly went downstairs and saw in surprise that there was a plate of food and a note that said "Gone on patrol, be back soon-Ashe" Selina let out a sigh and glanced at the plate seeing a combination of fruit and some sort of meat. The smell caused her mouth to water, and she heard her stomach growl.
"Well, I should at least eat something before running off." she thought. As she ate she tried to think about what she had to do. She knew that the frostguard were making their move and that she should check on them, but she also didn't want to leave the village without telling Ashe where she was going. She sighed and quickly gobbled the food up, grateful that it tasted so good. As she finished she picked up the plate and went into the kitchen, cleaning it and putting it with the other dishes. Then she turned, going outside and feeling the cold air on her face.
"Ok, time to check up on things." she thought. As she walked around she began noticing that the villagers were much more friendly, greeting her and asking her to tell them about the experience. She answered them with a smile, also noticing that some still have her looks of distrust. She knew that they were right to not trust her, she was a stranger and strangers were not to be trusted. But the majority was nice and she wondered if Ashe had told them to be. As she walked towards the edge of the village she noticed that a huge group of people was gathering with horses and weapons.
"Hi, what's going on?" she said, walking up. Amir glanced at her startled. "Oh, Selina! We're just going on a huge hunt for the feast tonight."
"Sound fun! Can I come?" Selina asked. The captain flinched.
"I don't know if you're allowed too, Ashe told us to make sure that you didn't go anywhere without her knowing," he said. Selina sighed. "I'm still on house arrest aren't I? she said, her heart sinking. He shrugged. "I don't know, it seemed as if she wanted to do something, but I'll give you a deal, if you can learn how to handle a bow, then maybe I'll let you come with us next time deal?
"Sure!" Then she paused. "But I don't really know how to handle one though…" He nodded behind her and she turned in the direction noticing a training area.
"Maybe practice there for a few weeks and I'll see how your progress is coming. I might even teach you a few tricks, deal?" he said with a grin. Selina smiled. "Deal." He nodded then letting out a cry he rode away into the pass, the group following him in a herd. She took a deep breath then slowly turned and walked towards the arena. She had no idea what the rules of a bow were, but it looked like she was about to find out. She studied each of her weapons, then chose one that was bigger than her, grunting as she tried to lift it.
"Ok, so this one is definitely too big." she thought with a huff. She placed it back then took a smaller one inspecting it. "This one seems better...I think?" She turned to one of the dummies and tried to hold the bow in a way that she had seen archers do it, but her stance seemed awkward and the bow felt weird in her hand as she tried to aim the arrow at the target. But as she released it the arrow flew straight past the target landing a good few feet away from it. She practiced trying to get the angles right and her footing right, but her movements were slightly awkward and she found herself losing her balance more than ever. She sighed then glanced up at the sky, her mood a little damped at the results.
"Forget this." she thought, irritated. She turned, placing the bow back before walking out of the arena heading towards the house. As she reached for the door it suddenly opened, revealing Ashe, her expression one of surprise.
"Selina! There you are!" she said. Selina froze. "Ashe! I didn't know you came back." "I came back a while ago, I was looking for you actually," she said smiling. Selina gave her a questioning look. "Why?" That's when she noticed the bow gleaming on Ashe's back. "Why do you have your-" Ashe went past her and led her to the arena. Selina followed her confused. "What are we doing here?" she asked. Ashe didn't answer, instead going towards the bow rack and studying it for a moment before choosing one of medium size. She then turned and handed it to her. Selina was surprised that it didn't weigh as much as she originally thought.
"What's going on?" The older woman smiled.
"Amir told me about the challenge he set for you and no offense, but your hunting skills could use a little work." Selina frowned in annoyance.
"So what? You're going to take me to hunt?" Ashe shook her head.
"Before you can go out to hunt with a bow or any hunting equipment, you must first learn how to use it. Do you know anything about how to use a bow?" she asked. Selina shook her head.
"Okay, then just do what I do. The bow can be tricky for some, but maybe you can catch on quickly, now copy my stance." She turned, grabbing her bow and notching an arrow into the arrow holder. Selina studied her for a moment noticing how relaxed she was, considering the tension of the string. She did her best to copy her stance pretending to notch an arrow as well. Ashe glanced over and went towards her, correcting her so that she stood with her back leg slightly behind the other.
"This stance gives you the most balance and the quickest reaction. How does it feel?" Selina blinked.
"Kinda cool," she said. Ashe nodded and handed her an arrow, its freezing cold temperature shocking her.
"Okay, now we're going to try aiming. Usually, when hunting you do not shoot where the target is when it flees, you aim at where the target is going to be, but since the dummies aren't moving we have to work with what we have, for now, now try and aim at the target." She stepped aside revealing the dummy that stood bare, a large red and white target in the center. Selina took a deep breath, taking her time and lining up the shot.
"Remember to-" Selina let the arrow fly, watching as it emebbed itself near the shoulder of the dummy.
"Not quite, but that's ok, that's why we practice," Ashe said moving forward and taking the arrow out of the dummy and handing it to her. "Try again." Selina got back into her stance and Ashe came over next to her. "Okay now aim…" Selina narrowed her eyes as she pulled the string taut, lining it up in the center. Ashe gently adjusted it, moving it slightly lower. 'A little more…" Selina's fingers started to hurt.
"Release!" Ashe commanded. Selina let the arrow fly watching in excitement as it embedded itself into the cent of the target.
"I did it!" she said happily.
"Yes you did," Ashe said nodding in satisfaction. Selina let out a sigh of relief.
"That's so fun! Where did you learn how to become a master?" Ashe shrugged.
"I usually would train in the forest when I was younger. Lots of targets there, now let's keep practicing," she said. They practiced until the sun started to set until their fingers hurt and Selina was out of breath.
"Okay, let's take a break for today, you did well," Ashe said. Selina gently put the bow back in relief and followed Ashe as she made her way to the center of the village where tables and chairs were being set along with a tablecloth.
"Wow," Selina said, impressed at the decor. Ashe didn't say anything, only going towards the chair at the end which Selina noticed looked more like a throne than anything, seemingly carved from ice and wood. She also noticed Ashe barely glanced at it as she went past to talk to another person. She looked around and spotted the captain, helping with the arrangements. She walked towards him feeling confident.
"Hello captain good hunt?" she asked. He turned to her.
"Hello Selina! Yes, it was a very good hunt, we found a lot for the festival tonight," he said. Selina glanced around at the palettes of food that were being placed at the table.
"I can see that, and guess what I learned how to use a bow today." He smiled.
"Really? How did you like it?"
"It was fun, Ashe is a really good teacher, I learned a lot." His eyes widened.
"Wow, it's an honor to learn from Ashe herself! She is a master of the bow after all." Selina nodded watching as the warmother went over to talk to what looked like to be another woman holding a child in her arms, a friendly look in her eyes.
"I wonder if she ever thinks about having children." she thought watching how Ashe seemed to be relaxed as she cradled the child, a warm smile on her face. She knew that Ashe would have to have an heir, but she hadn't seen any sign of a husband or what they called bloodsworn.
"I should probably get ready, excuse me," Amir said, snapping Selina back into reality. He bowed slightly then went away towards one of the houses. Selina sighed and glanced around seeing everyone start to gather in their seats as the food piled up. Selina stood there for a moment, not exactly sure where to sit or if she was even welcome until she saw Ashe beckoning her over. Selina went over gratefully and the frost archer gestured to a seat beside her.
"Sit here." Selina did and noticed just how far away everyone looked from here, and she realized that it must look even longer to Ashe.
"I like your throne." She whispered. She saw the other woman flinch a little at the comment and was surprised.
"It's just a chair, nothing more," she said softly before sitting. As everyone else sat as well and the last of the food was being set Ashe rose from her seat and cleared her throat. Immediately everyone turned to her and Selina noticed that she seemed slightly uncomfortable.
"Strange, I wonder if she doesn't like being the center of attention." Selina thought.
"Averosans! Never before have we gathered for such a special celebration like this one. Yesterday we survived the hardships that Friejlord has forced us to face. Now we celebrate the return of a new dawn! Let us eat and drink together and celebrate another victory!" The crowd cheered and as they began to dig in, piling food onto their plate. Selina hesitated not knowing which food to try first. Ashe didn't eat either, instead, watching as others got their food first.
"So do you have feasts like this often?" Selina asked. Ashe glanced at her.
"Only to celebrate victories, or for the harvest festival," she said. Selina nodded, and slowly reached out grabbing a piece of rabbit and putting it on her plate. As she ate she took note of how happy the people were and also noticed that Ashe didn't take as much for herself.
"Not hungry?" The frost archer glanced over at her.
"Not really, its been a long day." Selina nodded. "So what's the harvest festival?"
"It's usually the biggest festival that we have right before winter. It celebrates our victories that happened over the three seasons and also celebrates the coming of winter," she responded with a hint of pride in her voice. Selina listened with interest.
"Wow, it seemed like a special thing to do." The young queen nodded. "Yes it's very special, especially since it also honors the three sisters, Serylda, Lissandra, and Averosa." Ashe's voice grew quieter when she mentioned Averosa and Selina noticed that her gaze became more distant and somber.
"You ok?" Selina asked. Ashe flashed her a reassuring smile.
"I'm alright, don't worry abou-" she was cut off as suddenly the temperature dropped several degrees, the torches went out and the people broke out into yells of alarm. The warmother tensed and Selina followed her gaze freezing in horror as she saw a figure standing at the end of the table. She was tall, with porcelain skin and long white hair that fell into a braid down her back. She was smiling, but instead of sending warmth, it sent shivers down the assassin's spine.
"Who is that?" Selina whispered. Ashe didn't answer and she saw that Ashe's gaze was now cold as the northern winds.
"Lissandra, you are no longer invited here, leave or I will slay you on the spot," Ashe said, reaching towards her bow on her back. Lissandra smiled.
"Now, don't be so cold Ashe. I'm not here with any intent, I just wanted to know why you cut off our alliance so soon?" she said, her voice echoing with malice. Ashe narrowed her eyes.
"You know why, you've been sending scouts to our villages, taking my people and making them suffer. You also almost killed-"
"Ah yes," Lissandra murmured, cutting her off. She didn't look around, but for some reason, Selina didn't feel safe, even though Lissandra couldn't see her. "Where is your new friend? I would so like to meet this new person you've become so fond of." Her voice cold. "Fond enough where you would break our alliance." Selina shivered as Lissandra turned her head towards her direction with a smile. "Yes, my frostguard told me much about you. He said that you're fighting so to protect this tribe. I ask why, outsider." Her voice dripped with venom. "Why do you sacrifice yourself for their cause, or should I say for her?" Selina paused unsure how to answer. Why did she? They should've meant nothing to her, and yet she was here sacrificing her life for them. Then the memory flashed in her head, of Ashe gazing at her with a warm smile. How she gave her everything when no one else would. How she cared for her like she was one of her own. Then the memory of her parents flashed through her mind, how they abandoned her, looking at her with disgust as she struggled to push the warrior off her, feeling his blade cut into her neck…
"Ashe is more of a mother to me than my real parents ever were." She took a deep breath and glared at the ice witch.
"Because she's treated me with more kindness than anyone has in my life. She's more family to me than my parents ever were." Selina saw Ashe give her a surprised look. Lissandra didn't respond for a moment, before smiling coldly.
"I see, and yet you don't truly know what will happen to this so-called family of yours do you?"
"Enough." Ashe rose from her seat. "What are you doing here Lissandra?" Lissandra's smile faded and the wind seemed to get even colder.
"I have come to warn you Averosa." Her voice dripped with resentment as she said that name and Selina saw Ashe tense.
"Your break in our alliance was your biggest mistake, we have grown stronger than ever, and soon enough we will have all of Runeterra including your pitiful tribe." Her voice echoed for all of the ears that listened. "A storm unlike anything you have seen is coming, and this time it shall strike without mercy, so tell me, dear archer, are you willing to risk everything for your precious dream? Or will you surrender for your tribe? The choice is yours, just don't take too long to decide, you don't have much time." As soon as she said those words the wind picked up and she was soon surrounded by a flurry of ice and wind and then suddenly she was gone, only a small pile of ice crystals marked her being here, and the haunting words that struck deep into their hearts.
