Wow. I was not expecting that. Starshadow comments in my mind. I try to get to Sylas, though Tianna holds me back. The king looks back at me with a frown, though his face clears in understanding before turning to the young man in front of him.
"Are you fully aware that Lady Leilah Starshadow is a recognized Lady of my court?" The king asks.
"Yes, sir." Sylas murmurs. His eyes keep flicking over to me.
"She would not come to harm if you asked for trial and is a witness."
"I understand, sir."
"Do you still plead guilty?" The king demands. I glance around to see every single soldier looking at me in confusion. I'm still not known to the people as part of the king's court.
"Yes, your majesty. I am guilty of betraying my fellow mageseekers. I am guilty of not doing my part to protect Demacia." Sylas states diligently. Tianna has to wrap both her arms around me at this point.
"He's lying!" I cry out. Tianna slaps a hand over my mouth, though I keep struggling to get out. The prince glances over at me in confusion, though continues to watch the trial commence.
"Are you sure, Sylas of Dregbourne? You are given a chance for freedom with this new information. If you choose to remain guilty, you will be put in prison for life." The king asks. He's a little bit gentler now, like an adult asking a child. I stop struggling. "If you go through with the trial and fail, you will be executed, but if you are found innocent, you will be free."
"Why is banishment not an option, your majesty?" Sylas asks. His voice quivers a bit. I can see his hands start to shake.
"Your… disease is too powerful if it was able to completely kill some of our best mageseekers. Demacia would not feel comfortable letting that disease into the world." The king explains. I want to snarl and fight.
That little bastard. Oh, Yone is definitely going to hear about this.
What are you talking about?
Apparently, either he's worshipping you or he has feelings for you. Starshadow clarifies. I stop struggling against Tianna. It's a little much for me, thinking that there's a third person that has expressed an interest in me. And in the village, I was the girl no boy wanted because I grew up with them all, treating them like family. Well, a few boys were not that close, but they were all obnoxious and couldn't handle my adoration of stories.
I really hope it isn't both. That's just too much.
"...I'm guilty, your majesty." The boy mumbles. Everyone around us murmurs to each other. It really is unexpected, that he would rather claim he's guilty instead of being tried. Many innocent people would fight tooth and nail.
I struggle against Tianna again. This can't be happening. Sylas needs the chance to be free. He didn't do anything wrong! Starshadow's tail smacks into my back.
Calm down. We're in Demacia. We play by Demacia rules.
But Sylas doesn't deserve this!
We can't change anything. Let it go.
"Very well. Let it be known that Sylas of Dregbourne… is declared guilty." The king announces reluctantly. My hands tremble and tears fall down my face. He glances at me again. There's a soft sorrow in his eyes as he looks at me. Tianna shifts from holding me back to holding me up. My legs gave out. All this time, I thought I would be able to help him. I failed to save him once. He left before I could do anything. Now he's here again, standing in front of me, a young man, and I… I can't help him. He won't accept my help. I can't get him to the other mages that are going to help others escape this tyranny. Or he's trying to protect me. Idiot. I can take care of myself. "You will be placed in the deepest cell under constant supervision. You will be isolated as the disease you have can greatly harm others."
"I understand, your majesty." Sylas bows his head. Two guards step forward and start to haul him away.
"Your majesty, please wait!" I call out. Murmurs erupt from the people around us, though nothing seems to happen. The king raises an eyebrow at my interruption.
"Lady Starshadow, I do not recall giving you permission to speak." The king gently chastises me. Starshadow whacks against my neck harshly. I wince from the pain, but I do my best to keep my head up tall.
"Apologies, your majesty, but Sylas of Dregbourne has been nothing but compliant. I was going to be his witness, and I consider him a friend. Please, let me talk to him. Let me say goodbye." I beg. Sylas starts to struggle a little bit, feeling like something might go wrong. There is a bit of a possibility that there could. I subtly wave my hand under Tianna's arm, casting enough magic to keep Sylas from struggling too much. I can see when Sylas realizes that he can't struggle. He's frozen stiff.
The king is silent. He stares at me. I hold my head up tall, ignoring everyone else's muttering. There's a lot of whispers discussing who I am and how I can speak up against the king and his ruling. I feel all eyes stare at me. All the attention makes my skin crawl, but I can't back down now. I'm the Aspect of Hope. I inspire people to always be better. I am a storyteller from a far off village in Targon. I climbed Mount Targon. I trapped a demon. I met an ancient Ice Witch and survived Freljordian magic. A few whispers is certainly not going to stop me especially when a child needs me.
"...You may accompany him to his cell. Though I expect you at the palace tomorrow, to introduce you to the people as a Demacian royal." The king states.
"I'm a targonian, your majesty. While I appreciate your kindness, I am not a Demacian. Not while Demacia treats those most like me so horribly." I state cooly. That earns me an incredibly harsh glare and an increase in whispers. "I am not even sure if I will be here tomorrow anyway. I am a champion of Mount Targon, the Aspect of Hope, and I am a healer. I will not be aligned to any single country, but I will always protect those that need protection. Right now, I see a young man being treated like a criminal. Even if he refused to have assistance, he still needs someone to tell him he's not alone."
What the hell are you doing?
"Some day, when Demacia is in grave danger, I will be there to help. Until then, I will defend the ones that can not defend themselves, and that, right now, is Sylas." I finish. Silence reigns the courtyard. I yank myself out of Tianna's grasp, though it's not that hard. Her grip is slack. I surprised everyone here. I'm not going to let someone dictate what I do. I'm not Demacian royalty.
...Well, there goes all the privileges of Demacian royalty.
You're ok with this?
What makes you think I can fix this? I don't like it, but you are my bonded and nothing you said was a lie. Besides, I can't enjoy Demacian food if I am unable to reveal myself. Oh, oh, can we go back to Ionia? I miss their delicious foods.
Oh, Starshadow. You never cease to be a glutton.
The best thing about being a celestial, I will never look bad.
You sure? I think I see a few wrinkles.
BLASPHEMY! Starshadow protests. I laugh mentally as I feel the magic making us look presentable returns to my normal, comfy clothes.
Are you ever going to leave my wardrobe alone?
Nope.
"...Are you certain you wish to go down this path, Lady Starshadow?" The king repeats himself. Prince Jarvan peaks around the number of guards surrounding him.
"Please, Lady Starshadow. Take back what you said. Come to the palace." The young man begs. It tears at my heart that I'm going to deny his request, but it doesn't stop me.
"If you don't mind, please tell Lord and Lady Crownguard that I greatly appreciate their generosity. And I will also be around whenever they or their families need me." I claim. I can't look at Jarvan. I'm afraid I'd retract my statement. It doesn't matter to me that I didn't even spend that much time with him. Children are precious. I'd hate to disappoint any young one. I keep my head up high, though. Taking the surest steps I can, I walk up to Sylas's guards. "Lead the way."
"Lady Starshadow?" a young guard asks.
"It's Leilah. I'm not a Lady of Demacia. Not anymore." I claim and step up to Sylas' side, though I don't touch him. I might have just stepped all over Demacian traditions… that might not be so good… but Sylas needs support more than Jarvan or Garen or Lux or even the king right now. He's the one that is going to be suffering for a mistake that he couldn't control. He needs someone to be there for him, to believe in him. Sylas gazes at me in wonder and adoration as I pass by him to look right at the general. Somehow, he still has respect in his eyes.
"Follow me." The general gestures to me to follow him. Four guards step up around us. Two try to handle him, though a sharp glare puts an end to that. They simply linger around us. I walk nearby, close enough that we can converse quietly, far enough that Sylas can't accidentally touch me. Or the Petricite around his wrists.
"You don't have to come with me." Sylas whispers quietly. He leans over to be able to talk with me. I notice that he keeps the Petricite away from me. I… didn't exactly have the best reaction to the stuff. I'm glad he remembered, it was a rather extreme reaction last time. Though, I'm surprised no one is noting the fact that I'm still walking when we walk past doors. This place feels very strongly of Petricite. Starshadow morphs our magic to feel like the possessive stuff. Now that I know how Petricite feels and my magic is restored, I can resist attempting to grab the guard's weapons. I'm not exactly successful, since Starshadow is constantly tapping my neck, but I don't bring attention to the fact that my magic can still work.
"Like hell I'm going to let you deal with this alone. Why did you state you were guilty? My story could have cleared your name!" I snap quietly.
"Leilah, you've done so much for me. Back then, when I was younger and scared, you stood there, like a pillar of safety. You did your best to protect me while your magic was bound. Then you buried the others when I was too shocked to do so. Then when we met again, you let yourself be captured in your attempt to protect me. You healed me when I was asleep and escaped to inform the king. You got me a trial. You did all this for me, but if you allowed yourself to be a witness, some of the mageseekers here would attempt to take revenge for someone that could destroy their reputation. I didn't want that for you." Sylas answers me.
"It's my choice to make. Besides, I'm rarely here. What can they do?"
"They might take it out on other mages in the country. Better that I take their fate than let them all suffer." Sylas shrugs his shoulders.
"But what about you? Shouldn't you have your own freedom?" I demand.
"You showed me that if I can, I should try to protect others. Every single time you were hurt, it was because of me. Maybe this way, other mages won't be hurt. They won't be hunting me down, so there's a little less pressure-"
"You're only fifteen! You shouldn't be thinking like that! I'm almost twenty years old. I can heal. I'm really, really hard to keep injured." I snap.
"I was raised in the corps. I know how they think. I know how they would have hunted me. They would have gone to every single house. If they found a mage, they would take him with them, regardless that the mage wasn't me."
"You sound like you were going to turn yourself in."
"No, nothing like that. I... well, I went back to the farm to see if you were still there, but that was after around a month. Then I tried to leave the country, but I couldn't. Demacia is my home. I want to protect it, but I can't do that if I'm not there. So, I was just… listless. Then you appeared and we were found." Sylas tries to explain what happened to him.
"I guess I revealed your location?" A feeling of guilt sinks into my chest. My heart feels like it's being crushed.
"No, nothing like that. I just lost track of them and went back on a path. You just happened to appear. Besides, you never appear in a flash of light. It's more like shadows are spitting you out." Sylas does his best to comfort me. It works as my chest loosens.
"Are you going to be ok?" I ask. A smack from Starshadow's tail has me hiding my hands under my armpits to avoid stealing from the general. I really don't need to hoard weapons while we're being escorted. I really don't… maybe I do… Nope.
"I'll be alright. They'll feed me and let me sleep, afterall." Sylas sounds so gentle and tender. He probably assumes that the petricite is getting to me. It sort of is, so he's not wrong, just not in the way he expected…
"But you won't be free. You won't have experienced your first kiss or date or know what it's like to live. You won't get to smell the fresh breeze or feel the sun on your face or just close your eyes under a tree or-" My rambles are cut short when Sylas plants a kiss right on my lips. There's a soft sliding sound of swords being drawn, though Sylas pulls away just as quickly.
Oh, the nerve of that boy! That's it. Sett is my second to least favorite person. Sylas is the worst. At least Sett asked for a date first. Who raised this hooligan? Starshadow heats up my neck.
Ow. You're burning me, Starshadow. And he's going away to prison for a while.
Sorry, and that's no excuse. Starshadow's scales cool my neck. Though, perhaps this is a good thing. This should light a fire under Yone's ass.
Starshadow! Why would you want to burn him?
Figure of speech, Leilah. Figure of speech. It just means that maybe Yone will stop dragging his heels and actually come with us… Do I need to explain dragging his heels?
I hate you.
No you don't. I don't need to look at Starshadow to know he's smirking at me.
"There. That's one thing on your list that I will have gotten to experience. It's just a shame that I won't be able to do that again." Sylas mumbles. He's tall and proud, acting like nothing happened. The guards around us close ranks, separating him from me.
"Take him to his cell." The general snaps. It's so cold I'm wondering if the man has Freljordian magic in his body. Though, he wouldn't be in charge of the mageseekers if he was.
Sylas is yanked away from me. I'm honestly too stunned by the fact that he just kissed me to respond, though when he's pulled behind a huge set of doors, I can't say anything to him anymore. Now, it's just me and the general. He sighs before turning to me.
"Are you alright, Lady St… Lady Leilah?" The man asks. I nod dumbly. Starshadow snickers in my head at my misfortune.
"Uh, just… wait, why are you calling me a lady? I told everyone that I didn't want the title." I recall. He slowly walks back the way. His slow pace is remarkably fast for my tiny form still.
"Your behaviour today, that is the behaviour of a true Demacian, in my opinion." The general takes a moment to collect his thoughts. "You stood up for what you believed in, protecting and helping those that could not support themselves. Lady Tianna told me the story of what happened out there. You tried to get him to change his mind, to try to help him. You knew he was innocent. When he wanted to be guilty, you refused to stop supporting him. He might be a mage, but very few people would be so vehement about protecting someone who couldn't defend themselves."
"I couldn't free him, though." I sigh. My head drops a little bit. Starshadow's nuzzling into my neck.
Even if the bastard kissed you, you were the embodiment of hope to all mages.
There weren't any mages there.
No obvious ones, but there were definitely those that know of mages or support them. Starshadow helpfully points out. It makes me feel a little bit better.
"But, aren't you a mageseeker? Don't you dislike mages for a job?"
"When you've been a mageseeker as long as I have, the lines blur. I've had to go to healers to save my companions. A few times, I've enlisted mages to help me track a particularly bad mage. They've taught me that not all mages are bad. Some of them are just like normal humans." General murmurs. I didn't think it was possible that someone could be so calm about mages, yet here stands a person just like that. "I am curious though. How are you able to stand comfortably in this prison?"
"Uh, my magic can adjust to different magics. Petricite uses its own magic, mine just mimics the feel of it, though with that mimicry comes… personality quirks." I explain quickly. The man looks back at me curiously. He opens his mouth to ask another question when we exit to a group of soldiers standing in front of the king. The prince is being ushered away, though it's clear he's curious about what's going to happen. I dip into a trained curtsy. When I look up again, the king is standing right in front of me. He waves away the men.
The general slowly rises and leaves. He gently presses a hand against my shoulder before barking orders. Men scramble to follow his command. Before long, the king and I are completely alone, though there are several eyes looking in our direction. It doesn't concern the King as he steps into my space. For the first time since this joke of a trial, Starshadow moves. He makes sure the king clearly sees him, with his ruby red eyes right next to mine. I have to move my head a little bit to accommodate Starshadow's massive hood.
"What do you want, your highness? She's already snubbed you. Are you here to arrest her? Because I will make sure no one will be able to hold her." Starshadow hisses.
Now who's being rude?
I tried it first, though you plowed through that. Might as well follow your bad idea to the end.
Rude.
"Peace, Starshadow. I merely wish to speak with you. Both of you." The king holds up his hands. I can straighten my neck.
"Oh… Apologies." Starshadow blushes a little bit, though he keeps his head up.
Well done. I deadpan in my head.
It is so hard to keep you safe with your behaviour. Better to react with impunity when it doesn't look good.
"I understand that Leilah is your priority. I also understand that the mageseekers here did not present a good first impression." The king waves off Starshadow's behaviour. "I came here to talk to you. Walk with me."
"Your majesty?" I mumble quietly. He walks away. I scramble to follow him.
"You said that you declined being a lady of Demacia. I am not accepting that." The king merely states. I blink.
"Sir?" I am definitely more than confused.
"You may be a mage, but you behave better than most of my men. You would be a great role model for my son." The king remarks.
"How would I be a role model to your son? All I did in front of him is pass out and be held back while being under attack." I retort.
"Truth. I would be a better role model for Prince Jarvan than Leilah." Starshadow joins in. I make a little magic tap his nose. He gives a little hiss at the rebuke and sticks his tongue in my ear. I try to not squirm too much.
"You show that you would protect what matters most to you, yes, but Leilah here shows that even with her limitations, she will fight to protect those that would not be able to defend themselves. It doesn't matter how impossible the situation is, she will defend others to the best of her ability." The king explains. I blush a little at the praise.
"I… suppose that if you had to choose someone to be a good influence on the young prince, Leilah would be a candidate worthy of taking that title from me." Starshadow relents. I snort. The king raises an eyebrow.
Your ego is showing so much I'm surprised it fits in Demacia.
I can not believe that I am not allowed to be a role model for a prince. That… is insulting to someone of my caliber. Starshadow whines as 'noble' as he can.
"Apologies." I mumble quickly.
"You have done nothing wrong. Starshadow is your bonded, sworn to protect you. As much as I wish a celestial would be his true role model, someone a little more like him would be better suited." The king explains, not noticing that he's placated Starshadow.
Well, when he puts it like that… I'm happy.
Vain.
Celestial.
"Do you want me to still be a lady of the court? I'm still a mage and a foreigner." I try to point out why exactly I should not be a lady of Demacia.
"Perhaps, when you are here, because you are the Aspect of Hope, people will listen. Especially if you are a respected lady of the court."
"...What do you want me to do then, your majesty?" I ask.
"For now, do what you must. I will raise my son to understand that what you say is not to be taken lightly. Until we meet again."
"I hope we'll meet when I'm more of a tourist than I am a saviour." I remark. He walks me past the gates. Lady Tianna bows her head to both of us.
"I hope so as well. Until we next meet, Lady Leilah." The king states clearly. Tianna jumps a little bit at realizing that I still have a title.
"Until then." I nod my head. The king nods and walks away. I sigh and relax, only to jump at Tianna getting right in my face.
"How on Runeterra did you manage to get the king to reinstate you as a lady? Most would only ever have one chance." Tianna immediately questions me. I start to open my mouth when a sharp tug at my core halts me. A quick glance down at my feet and my eyes are wide open. I quickly look around for something, anything to hide me. I'm teleporting.
"Long story short, my actions spoke much louder than words. Is there any place I can hide before I disappear?" I demand. She gestures to the carriage that brought us in. I make a dash for it, the shadows creeping up my ankle the entire time. I just manage to dive into the carriage when it sweeps up my face.
I crash into a wooden wall. Quite painfully, as my nose breaks on contact with it. The quick trickle of blood comes to a quick halt. It still smarts a little bit as I rub at it. At least it's dark out, so maybe I won't be so obviously seen. If someone dislikes magic, it's going to be a problem if they see an obvious teleport and my face heals instantly. As I sit up, I realize that I'm caught out by a pair of people.
A boy holding two oars with a woman at the head of a small boat. She has golden lines on her cheek, while she is garbed in black and gold. Her hair is tied up very tightly against her head. A golden necklace with circles and bars rest against her collar. Her shoulders are bare, but her wrists are covered in a red material. The boy behind her has tightly braided hair all over his head. He wears a similar look to the woman, only his golden lines make the corner of squares on his cheeks. He also has a dark tattoo all over his right arm. I freeze, not knowing what to do.
Well, this is unexpected. Starshadow snarks in my head.
No kidding.
"What are you doing aboard this vessel?" The woman snaps, quickly pulling the boy behind her.
"Uh, I don't know. My name is Leilah, this is my bonded Starshadow." I decide to introduce myself. They seem rather tense. Granted I did just appear out of nowhere in front of them, so that might be what's setting them on edge.
"I do not care about your names. What do you think you are doing on this vessel?" There's a bit of panic in her voice. I can't help but reach for my hair to play with.
"Um, uh, I'm not sure. Why? What's so bad?"
"You were not sanctioned to come with us to the Shadow Isles. Turn back." The woman orders.
"We are almost done, Mother. She should be safe if she remains here." The boy speaks up. That's when Starshadow balks. I'm almost afraid when I feel how cold he's gotten.
"I'm sorry, did you just say the Shadow Isles?"
As promised, the end of the Demacia chapter leads into the Shadow Isles. Oh, I am SO excited for the next arc! Literally 3 postings until I unveil my masterpiece!.. I mean... Ahem... It's going to be a short arc because survival on the Shadow Isles is not going to go smoothly, but... Ah whatever, just know that the next few chapters are going to be... interesting with Leilah on the shadow Isles. The beginning of it is inspired from the cinematic with Thresh, so feel free to look at it to... refresh yourself.
Who guessed that Sylas would have kissed the girl? Raise of hands? Maybe reviews? *hint hint*. This is an arc that I wanted to show that even when everything is against her, Leilah will do what she believes to be right. The king respects that, which is why she still has her title. That, and he wants her snake to protect them...
So, my ordinary readers, I grant thee, an extraordinary day, for thee... are in it. XD (I am happy to take suggestions for how to end my chapters, there's only so many ways I can wish you guys an extraordinary day without repetition... though I've already probably done that...:D)
