Riven was unwell, and she was only getting worse. Teneff was not blind to it. The signs had been there from the first moment they'd been reunited. So wary were Teneff and her sisters of the devastation Riven could cause that they had approached the simple farm, with its small house and humble barn, as if it had been a fortress. And yet, the Riven that met them on the road held no weapon.
'I'm not that person anymore', Riven had said. But that had not been true. Not wholly. What she valued had changed, but Riven had not. And when what she valued was threatened, that small man, the one she had called 'fair', sure enough, blood had been spilled. Marit's blood.
That same Riven stood before her again, this time at the bank of a river, hands scoured raw.
'Teneff, I don't want to fight anymore.'
And again, it wasn't true, or at least, Teneff refused to believe it was. But that didn't mean it was a lie. This Riven believed it. But there was something Teneff had noticed more and more as she travelled with her sister. There were many Rivens.
She'd come to realize that each of them was a piece of the woman she had known, and she could only ever seem to speak with one piece at a time. And though each piece was incomplete and strange, they all felt familiar. All except for this one. This piece of Riven had grown and been nurtured on Ionian soil.
She sounded battle-weary, and the soldier's heart was thick in her expression. It saddened Teneff to see it there, but Teneff had seen it just as earnestly on soldiers who had seen, and done, far less than Riven had. It did not surprise her. But, Riven's words did.
Riven had always been a fighter. Not by trade the way that other soldiers were. The other soldiers were men and women who fought. Riven was a fighter by nature, she embodied the spirit of Noxus itself. Fighting had been who she was. And near the end of the Ionian campaign, when Riven's blade had grown heavy, and her faith had faltered, she had fought that, too.
That woman still slept inside of Riven, Teneff knew it. She lay in pieces, jealously guarded by a beast. And yet each piece lived, for she had met them, one at a time.
Words offered no solution to Teneff, so she fell back on actions. There had only been one moment since they had left the old man's farm that she had seen Riven whole.
She turned from Riven and walked to where Talz was resting. Her objective stood out from the saddlebags, tools, and supplies, not just for its unusual colour and shape, but also for its size. She gripped the massive sword by its hilt with her right hand and hesitated. She recalled Marit. Marit had succeeded, albeit unknowingly, in awakening a piece of Riven. Teneff shivered but steeled herself. She tightened her grip on the weapon and hauled it back from its sheath to draw it.
What she drew was a fragment of the whole, and still, her arm shook from the effort of supporting its weight. She was forced to adjust her balance as she drew it. She turned on her heel with the momentum gained from drawing the blade, hoping that she managed to make the motion seem fluid, and looked to Riven. Her sister's lips were pressed thin, and her brows held low, shadowing her eyes. But her eyes, reddish and surrounded by black warpaint, rested on the broken blade in Teneff's hand. Teneff could not decide whether she was glaring at it, or longed for it. She tossed it to Riven.
The way that Riven caught it without stumbling, or even flinching, still impressed Teneff. She had seen the blade whole, and how Riven could move with it. But even a fragment was more than most soldiers could hope to swing. Her cheeks hurt, and she realized she was grinning.
'First blood', she declared and unhitched her hook and chain as well.
'You...Want to fight?', Riven asked, and lifted the broken blade in her hand to look at it.
'You need it', Teneff said, and lazily looped her chain through the air, enjoying the weight and momentum against her hand. It felt comfortable, proper. Noxian. It reassured her. Riven frowned.
'Why?' Teneff swung her chain forward as soon as she felt the circling motion position it behind herself. It was a loose shot aimed at Riven's centre of mass, and Riven shifted her blade to block it accordingly. Her hook bounced off the broad side of Riven's blade, and Teneff tugged the chain taught and returned to spinning it in loose circles.
'Because I don't believe you. What are you, if not a fighter?' Riven was a statue. There was nothing on her face, no recognition or discernible emotion. She resembled both a stopped clock and a broken siege engine. Teneff slowed the cycling of her chain. When Riven finally moved, it was heard more than seen. The leather wrapping of the weapon hilt creaked under her tightening grip.
'I don't want to fight', Riven said. Teneff set her jaw and increased the speed of her chain's rotations so that she could hear it cutting the air. She could not take hearing it again, so rather than demand that Riven fight with words, she hurled her hook forward. This time her aim and focus were both very tight. The head of her weapon shot toward Riven's exposed face, it was a potentially crippling blow. It didn't matter whether Riven wanted to fight, she needed to.
If Riven returned to Noxus unwilling to lift her sword, she would die. Teneff had to find the pieces of her sister that still lived, and she was willing to risk Riven's life if it meant she would save it.
The chain jerked, pinching the flesh of Teneff's hand and jarring her joints to the shoulder. Riven had not settled for a simple block. Instead, she'd sent the hook flying away with a backhand swing. A lesser soldier would have let go, but Teneff was Fury Company. Riven had barely moved, and Teneff knew she had to push harder. She let the hook sail away from Riven and spun with it, letting loose the weighted tail of the weapon to lash at Riven as she moved. When Riven intercepted the chain with her blade, the weight at the end carried it around in tight circles, capturing her weapon. Against most opponents, Teneff would have felt confident in her position of control over their sword. But Riven was something very, very rare. She was stronger than Teneff, and they both knew it. Riven widened her stance and pulled back with her sword. Teneff had to either advance or surrender her weapon. But, at least, Riven was finally moving.
Good, Teneff thought. She rushed forward, creating enough slack in the chain that Riven could not use it to control her, and swung again with her hook. Riven swatted it away again, and Teneff recovered it quickly, turning the momentum Riven had imparted to the hook into speed as it looped fully around behind Teneff to swing again at Riven from the side.
This time, when Riven moved her sword to defend herself, Teneff stomped down hard on the slack chain that hung between them. Riven's sword jerked downward with the unexpected weight, the hook passed her guard. She was forced to duck.
As Riven bent underneath the swinging hook, she looked into Teneff's eyes. There was a moment of recognition between them. The Riven looking at her was not the one who had stood motionless in front of her just moments before.
When Riven stepped forward Teneff felt a chill; a piece of Riven had woken up, but she was not whole.
Riven swung her sword against Teneff's armoured torso. Her breastplate deformed from the impact, and she was sent from her feet. She rolled with the impact as best she could, but she was certain she'd torn her stitches. She regained her feet, but Riven was already on her. She never saw what took her legs from beneath her, but the sole of Riven's boot collided with her dented armour and stole the air from her lungs before she'd even hit the ground.
Pain surged through her guts. Her eyes screwed shut as she rolled badly through the dirt. When she opened her eyes again she lay on her side. Instinct wrapped her arm around her agonizing middle and she coughed. Her spasming muscles aggravated the raw hurt in her abdomen. But as she dragged her arm over herself she felt that she still held her chain. A small spark of pride flickered amid her pain. She looked to her sister, certain she had lost. But, rather than end the fight, Riven had stood back.
Teneff fought to stand herself up again, eyes never leaving her opponent. Riven's lips were twisted just slightly at the corners as she watched Teneff struggle to her feet. A cold sweat ran down Teneff's neck and forehead. She had made a mistake. A wave of adrenaline rolled over her. She rode the wave and swung her hook at Riven again. And again. Her chain flashed through the air in a flurry, it was a desperate bid for first blood. Teneff had pushed her sister to fight, and the Riven that advanced through her hail of blows was beginning to remind her very much of the Riven who had killed Marit.
Riven was weaving through her strikes with worrying efficiency. Every step, parry, leap, strike, and dodge brought the fragmented sword closer. Teneff was dancing with The Wolf, and the unwelcome urge to surrender blossomed in the back of her mind. She suppressed it.
With every stride Riven gained, the length of useable chain available to strike at her grew shorter. It meant Teneff could attack more quickly; but it made no difference. Riven was as solid as the earth, and she danced like fire. Teneff told herself again that she would not surrender. She sustained her attack. She redoubled her efforts. It didn't matter.
The hook of Teneff's chain was sent wide. The other end was captured by Riven's fist. Finally, and truly helpless, Teneff swallowed hard as Riven pulled back her sword arm.
She shut her eyes as Riven drove the blade forward.
A light stinging in her cheek sparked her eyes open. The tip of the broken blade was pressed to the skin of her face, and her eyes followed it to Riven's hand and up her arm to the face of her sister.
'First blood', Riven declared, and the breath that Teneff had been holding escaped her as a heaving laugh. She fell to her knees and placed a hand over her broken breastplate.
'Alright, yes, you win', she gasped. But to her, surviving felt like winning. Riven extended her wrapped hand and Teneff took it.
'You were afraid', Riven said as she pulled Teneff to her feet, and Teneff nodded. 'Why didn't you yield?'
'Trust that is only spoken isn't worth much, is it?' Teneff took a few breaths, her extremities felt numb and tingly. 'I gambled your life, it would be cowardly to do so without gambling my own. But, yes, I was afraid.'
'Thank you.' Riven placed her hand on Teneff's shoulder, and asked 'did you get what you wanted?'
'Yeah, yeah, I did', Teneff said, and her head moved up and down at pace with her heartbeat. Riven smiled.
'You would have killed me', Riven said. Teneff frowned and shrugged.
'Had to get through to you. Better my hand than the executioners'. When we get to Noxus...', she let the thought linger.
'They will kill me.' Riven said the words without a trace of passion, and it worried Teneff.
'Will you let them?', she asked.
'I'm beginning to doubt it', Riven said, she still smiled, but it was faint, and her eyes were thin, to Teneff she looked pained. Eventually Riven sighed and spoke again. 'You were right, though. I did need it', she said, and finally, the tension between them broke enough that Teneff could truly smile.
'But', Riven added, 'please, don't do that again.'
'Why not? You seemed to enjoy yourself', Teneff was only half-joking, 'I saw you smile, or smirk, or whatever. You could have had first blood, but instead, you stood back and smiled.' Riven frowned at her, and Teneff had a hard time understanding why. But, she supposed, she had a hard time understanding Riven in general. She decided she would think on it.
'Sometimes', Riven said, 'enjoying something is a reason not to do it.' It was Teneff's turn to frown. She felt like she was on the edge of understanding, but not quite there, it was a frustrating feeling. Riven clapped her on the back, and Teneff winced. She was tender around her wound. 'Let me stitch you back up', Riven said, 'I was rougher than I needed to be.'
'I'd be more hurt if you'd gone easy on me.' The smile that Riven gave her, and the rolling eyes that accompanied it, they were familiar to Teneff. Riven was not whole, but she was still Riven. Teneff took solace in that.
But her heart pounded in her chest even after Riven had resheathed the fragment of her once immense sword. Teneff could not shake the feeling that the beast was still awake. Riven was trying to pacify it and keep it chained, but it was not asleep. And if Riven could not learn to live with it, Teneff doubted it would ever rest at all.
It had seemed cruel to place the living man in the bed of the cart with the dead bodies of two men he'd known in life. Cruel, but necessary. Still, even necessary cruelties weighed on Irelia, and the ever-increasing load grew burdensome.
The load never gets lighter, you just get stronger, she'd reminded herself. She'd heard it so long ago that she couldn't be sure who'd said it, perhaps her father? It didn't matter, the words rang true to her.
The response of the villagers that one man yet lived had been bittersweet. One less dead than expected, but it'd meant cold finality for two families that had held out hope of seeing their loved ones return. The families of the men had come to town when they'd gone missing, and for two out of three Irelia had only a corpse.
They'd looked to her, Irelia had spoken no words for them, she had run out of words for dead soldiers she had never known. She bowed her head respectfully as their families received what they saw as fallen heroes. Irelia wanted to see them that way, too. But the seed of doubt planted by a shattered chain had found fertile soil in her, and been well-tended by the old farmer who had shared her silent bow. Asa was good with words, and when she recalled that moment it seemed unusual to her that he could not spin together some for the families of the dead.
The third man's family had come, too. The guilty truth was that it was the family of the living man who had caused Irelia the most stress. She had wanted to isolate him and get what little of his story she could before he could speak to anyone else. If his story had matched the one she'd heard from master Nobu, that would've put the matter to bed, at least. But if it had been different, well.
The thought had prompted her to really look at Asa, and she'd felt deep pity for him. He seemed alone in the world, even when she'd come across him in the town hall, he had been the sole voice in favour of his daughter's innocence.
Irelia winced, catching herself. She corrected her thoughts, the Noxian woman was not his daughter. She could not be, Irelia did not want to have to take a child from their parent.
Regardless, she could not have kept the surviving man's family from seeing him while he convalesced, and so they'd all gone together to the mender's hut and Irelia had given up on what might have been her most valuable lead. She was relieved, at least, when she heard he would live. And with the fate of the missing men off her mind, it was time to move on. She turned her attention to what ate at her most.
The woman that Asa had housed, fed, clothed, and even grown to love. Just who was she? Her thoughts returned to the shattered chain, the force of the strike must have been inhuman. The woman must have been armed, she decided with some growing discomfort. Irelia pictured the woman with a massive axe, just like the one stamped onto Noxian armour. It didn't seem out of place in her hands, but even then, it was hard to imagine the strength necessary to do what she had done. The unease she felt settled in her stomach.
She was tethered to a tree, why would she be armed?
Irelia decided that the woman's captor obviously wanted her alive, and that she could have been given the weapon to defend herself if they were set upon...But that wasn't what had happened, was it?
Her blades fanned like tensed wings as her fingers found her temples and her mind strained. Perhaps she'd misread the scene? The more the pieces seemed to come together, the more they fell apart. She had so many questions, so much to do. Problem after problem to solve, and all of them were two Noxian women. She was not ready to grapple with the implications of the killings being acts of self-defence.
She stroked the snout of her elk, whose patience she was sure was being as tested as her own. Nearby, Yu and Eiji were loafing about the mender's gate with their horses, clearly aware that it was time to move, but with no clear direction as to where. Irelia felt unsuited to provide it.
She supposed the next move was tea with Asa, he had answers she needed. There were things he hadn't told her, and there were reasons he had kept his silence. Even if he was right, and master Nobu had lied, even if the Noxians had been defending themselves, she wondered if it mattered. Irelia had seen danger and strength in the shattered chain.
It might be, Irelia thought, that the woman was simply too dangerous to be allowed to return to Noxus. She prayed to the spirits that she was wrong.
It was then that, as if to further complicate her life, the boy had arrived. He was a man, but barely so. He was tall and lanky and youthful, but his boyish face was marred by a black eye, swollen nearly shut.
'Master Konte! Blade dancer!', he called in a slight accent as he ran to them. Irelia willed her blades to rest near her shoulders as she turned to greet the boy. Asa beat her to it.
'Gemi!', he called back. It was not a Navori name, and Irelia wondered if the boy's family had been displaced by the war. 'What happened to your face?'
'Noxian handshake', Gemi said and rubbed the back of his head. Irelia felt coals in her stomach.
'Noxians did this to you?', she asked as gently as she could, it came out as more of a demand. Gemi frowned.
'No, no. I just-'
'I apologise', she said, raising a hand. Of course, it was just an expression. She knew better, and mentally chastised herself for being so sore to the topic of Noxian violence.
Asa spared her a merciful look before chiming in. 'Who hit you, Gemi?', he asked and provided no presuppositions. The boy deflated.
'Daitarō', Gemi said, and Asa's mouth spread into a thin line.
'The elder's son gets away with much', he grumbled. 'Were I younger…' Irelia got the impression that the last bit wasn't meant to be heard, but the implication made her smile. She stepped back, leaned into her elk, and set her intention to enjoying a moment of humanity amid the chaos.
'Well...I started it', Gemi admitted, and Asa looked puzzled, suggesting that picking fights was not in the boy's nature. Irelia found that easy to believe, he seemed friendly. 'He spoke ill of Riven.' There it was. Irelia sighed. Of course, it had to be about the Noxian woman. Her day could involve nothing else. 'Anyway, she asked me to check on you. That's why I'm here. I saw your cart and-'
Irelia could not help herself, 'you spoke with her?' she blurted out of turn. Her outburst drew the attention of Yu and Eiji, but Gemi nodded and smiled, seemingly unbothered by the breach of etiquette.
'I spoke with both of them. Her and Teneff.' Teneff, that was the first time Irelia had heard the second Noxian's name. 'Teneff seemed mean, but I suppose Noxians just come across like that. I don't believe what people are saying about them, though. Riven would never.'
Irelia found herself scanning Asa's face, as she had on the way to the Nobu house. Again, Asa looked pensive.
Wouldn't she? Irelia kept the thought to herself, but his Riven was no innocent, and he clearly knew it. Worse, he seemed to know just what she was capable of but would not speak it. But, she did not distrust the man. He seemed incapable of malice. He clearly knew an uncomfortable truth, but it did not seem to be a truth he deemed useful.
'You're going to find her?', Gemi's voice. Irelia snapped out of her thoughts, Asa and Gemi were both looking at her. She nodded.
'We are', she said, and then intercepted his next question, 'you may not come with us.' His face scrunched up.
'Why not? I can help. I'm strong! And I'm worried about Riven.' Irelia took note of his word choice, strength was a Noxian ideal.
'Gemi', Asa said, 'your mother would have me skinned.' That put the matter to bed. Eiji and Yu exchanged knowing looks.
'You can still help us', Irelia said. She let go of her elk's reins and stepped into place at Asa's side. 'You spoke with her, can you tell us what happened?' Her mouth dried. The boy might've been her only useful witness, but he could not be called unbiased. 'Exactly what happened', she emphasized.
'They passed through yesterday', he said without hesitation. 'I recognised Riven, she's hard to miss', he smiled as he said it, and that was when Irelia knew. Gemi was infatuated with Riven; the poor idiot had fallen for the foreign barbarian. She held her tongue, not wanting to either interrupt or guide his story.
The boy continued. 'She was chained up, had shackles on her wrists, so I ran over. She looked kind of roughed up, too. Busted lip, I think Teneff must've hit her. They had a handshake of their own, I guess', the boy laughed uncomfortably and placed one hand on his opposite elbow as his arm hung at his side. 'I asked what was going on...Cause I was worried.' He looked to Asa as if he hoped the old man would have some sort of answer, but Asa was looking back at the boy the same way.
'Please, go on', Irelia prodded. Gemi nodded and continued.
'She said she was going back to Noxus. Said it like it was her idea', his expression grew sad. 'It was really strange. I don't know why she'd want to go back, but she said she was going willingly. She even seemed to be in charge. I think Teneff wanted to reorganize my skeleton when I wouldn't stop asking questions, but Riven told her to stand down.' Irelia's eyebrows shot up.
Yu spoke up, 'that sounds like an order, doesn't it?'
'Yeah, I guess it does', admitted Gemi. Irelia frowned at Yu. She was right, of course, but Irelia hadn't wanted Gemi's perceptions shaped. 'Riven said she wouldn't be coming back. I gave them some fruit for the road, I didn't know how else to say goodbye.'
Irelia squeezed the bridge of her nose. If the woman truly didn't plan on coming back, it would be easy to just let her slip away. If she left Ionia and never came back she ceased to be Irelia's problem. Of course, Irelia didn't trust a Noxian soldier to stay behind Noxian borders. And even if she did, any harm the Noxians caused in her homeland because she'd let them go would be on her hands.
'I'm alright. Thank you, Gemi', Asa was saying. Irelia let go of her nose and frowned. The woman seemed to at least care about Asa on some level if she'd asked the boy to check on him. The woman, Riven, had nothing to gain from that except for peace of mind.
Irelia's heart stung, like a nose that'd been wiped too many times. It was not agony, but it was unpleasant. She wrestled with the knowledge that she might have to cut the woman down despite whatever humanity she'd learned in Asa's care. Whatever had happened by the river had forced her involvement, and only at the scene had she learned that she didn't know nearly enough.
'You've been of great help to us, Gemi', she said and placed her hand on Asa's shoulder. 'We have to keep moving, or else Riven and Teneff might get away.'
'You're going to bring her back, right?' Gemi's brow wrinkled with concern.
One way or another, Irelia thought. 'Yes, we'll bring her back', she said.
It was enough to satisfy Gemi, who nodded and turned to leave. As he walked away he looked back at them frequently, there was clearly something more on his mind, but there were not enough hours in the day to deal with the neuroticisms of lovesick boys.
'I suppose it's tea time', Asa said, Irelia nodded.
'You know how it sounds', she said, and she felt Yu take her place beside her, arms folded and silks folded at her elbow.
'I do', said Asa, Eiji stood at Asa's back, placing a hand on his shoulder from behind. Yu spoke first.
'The only one in this town who believes she's innocent is a boy with a crush', she said. Irelia sighed, but Yu's straightforward approach had merit.
'And even then', Irelia said, 'his story seems suspicious. If she's in charge, why is she in chains? And she gives orders. It's starting to sound like she just wanted to go home.' Asa's face shrivelled, and so stern was his frown that his mouth retreated in on itself.
'She was home,' his voice shook, but his volume rose as he continued. 'She is my daughter, I know her, she wouldn't cook up a complicated plan just to go back to the place that broke her spirit. And if, if that's what this truly was, there would be no dead Noxians on my doorstep!'
Asa's anger, even contained as it was, seemed ill-fitting on him. Too tainted by loss to be threatening, and too potent to be pathetic. But his words had weight, and the implication was not lost on her.
Riven had spilled blood.
'Show me', she said, breaking what had been a long silence. Asa bowed his head.
'Of course, I am sorry for my outburst. I will make you my finest tea, and I will give you what answers I can', he said. Irelia frowned and stepped closer to him, she placed her hand on the shoulder Eiji did not already occupy.
'It's fine, I understand', she said before straightening herself.
'My farm is an hour North by cart', Asa said, and Irelia could already feel Yu's next outburst. She spun on her heel and made eye contact with the younger woman. She lowered her chin to angle her face and regarded her closest follower seriously. Yu's face retreated into her neck and she turned a subtle pink. She remained silent.
'They're on foot and one of them is injured, they won't make it far. It's only three hours, we can spare it', Irelia said. 'Yu, Eiji, I want you to follow the trail the Noxians left beyond the river. We'll meet here again at sunset. Knowing our path will save some of the lost time.' The pair bowed and turned to mount their horses. Irelia likewise mounted her elk, but not before stroking the animal's nose once more.
Asa waited for his ox to be satisfied with her fill at the water trough before hitching his cart, again. The man needed a horse. She was patient, though. It was easy to be patient with Asa, who so reminded her of her grandmother. She frowned and wondered what he meant to the Noxian woman, and who he reminded her of.
She swallowed her melancholy and refocused her thoughts. She had questions that needed answers, and she had actions to take once those answers were hers. Her duty was to her lands and to her people, including Asa. It was best if she did not draw personal comparisons that could cloud her judgement. In the end, what the woman felt wasn't important, the danger she represented was. What she had done, and what she might do going forward. Irelia had to be ready to do whatever her responsibilities required of her, without hesitation.
Heavy steps carried Isaya through the deep-trod mud of the war camp. His armour clanked, and his red cape flowed behind him. It was time, he had received his orders, but he had yet to give orders in turn to his battalion. He had to see it, first. He passed out of the camp, away from the fires, drinking, and fighting pits, and onto the paved road that connected the camps to the docks and what used to be the fortress of Fae'lor. All the way to the docks, choked as they were with warships and transports.
He stopped a moment to appreciate the sight; he never tired of it. The efficiency of the Noxian war machine was on display as men and women of all descriptions moved cargo, took inventory, relayed orders, and maintained and piloted their ships and boats. Fae'lor was the stronghold that ensured a Noxian foothold in Ionia, and so there was no room for slack or error.
But the sheer volume of activity and ships meant he had no clear view of what he wanted to see. He crossed the docks to one of the ships that had a tall mast and crow's nest. The gangway was occupied by a load of provisions, and he took a moment to admire himself in the reflection of the water of the Ionian coast.
Isaya had his armour polished to a mirror-like shine, even his large pauldrons were silvery in the setting sunlight. His dark skin contrasted against the brightness of his armour and cape handsomely, and he regarded his own well-kept beard and jawline in the water, feeling he truly looked the part of general. And, If he carried out his part in the coming war well, Lieutenant-Colonel Isaya would surely be promoted. Brigadier General Isaya had a ring to it that made him grin.
The gangway cleared and Isaya crossed it, heading to the mast directly. He scaled it with impatient vigour, and upon reaching the crow's nest turned to scan the horizon. Finally, he could see.
And there it was. On the horizon, framed against the lowering light of the sun, a black shape that trailed grey smoke from a triplicate of towers. The Leviathan. Grand General Jericho Swain's pet naval project, a ship of such vast dimensions that it could, if the need ever arose, ferry an entire legion to any coast in all of Runeterra. So far away as it was, it was merely a shape, and yet the scale of the thing brought pressure into his chest and throat. But, for all the awe he felt, there was also something that unnerved him.
Deep in the bowels of the ship, there was a creature. Once a man of incomparable rage and bloodlust. In life, he had killed a king of Demacia with his bare hands. It had been his final act, while pierced by sword and spear and arrow, and it had secured his legend forever.
But they'd brought him back. And now he, it, was coming to Ionia. Once, fighting alongside Sion would have been an honour, but Isaya saw no honour in what had been done with a fallen hero. He'd heard the creature was controlled by blood magic, but just barely.
He stayed in the crow's nest for a few minutes, clearing his head of unuseful thoughts. He did not have long, he still had to direct his subordinates. His battalion, the Blades of the Bloodcliffs, was made up of seven companies and warbands, and each had their role to play. Under his command, they would be the vanguard.
Reluctantly, he turned from the Horizon and looked across the channel to the Ionian mainland. There was a river system, he'd helped to map it during the first Ionian war. The main waterway was large enough for small to mid-sized ships to make it deep inland. All the way to the Navori heartland, in fact. And the various tributaries spread out like veins.
This river network would be where they struck the first blow. His battalion would control the river, take the and draw the armies of Ionia away from the coast to make way for the Leviathan and its bloodthirsty cargo. Isaya smiled, it was a good plan. Surely, once it had succeeded, he would command an entire regiment.
Irelia held her tea carefully in her right hand and supported her small cup with her left. The aroma that greeted her nose was unusual for tea. There were hints of spices she did not recognise, and it held a certain boldness that seemed out of place in a tea. She brought the tea to her lips and took a gentle sip, mindful to make no noise. The tea was delicious, and unexpectedly so, considering it deviated so far from what she knew. She placed the tea down in respectful silence. It was her host's right to speak first.
He did not bother to ask how the tea was, and she was grateful. If he had asked she would have told him it was delicious, even if it had not been. Irelia did not mind poor quality tea, luxury was not something she was concerned with, but she hated to lie about it. That the tea truly was delicious was a treat.
'This is a rare blend, for special occasions. I've kept some for the blossom festival.'
'I've never had tea like this' Asa smiled into his cup.
'This tea was Riven's favourite before she came to us', he said. Irelia's hands fell from her cup and she flattened them against the surface of the table. She had not realized Noxians even drank tea, and before her sat a blend that, were it not grown by bloodstained hands, she could have loved more than any from her homeland.
'It's...very good, not what I would have expected', she said. Asa waved a hand, dismissing the topic.
'You did not come here to talk about tea, but I am glad it's to your liking. Please, ask your questions, I'll answer as best I can. I promise this', Asa said. Irelia nodded.
'Who is she?', she asked plainly. Asa frowned at her.
'She is Riven. My wife and I found her in our field one day, she was dying.' Irelia felt heat in her palms. Her hands had returned to her cup of tea without her permission. She sipped it in surrender, as well as to give herself time to choose her words.
'And before that?', she asked. 'Who was she before you found her?'
Asa leaned away from the table, one hand splayed over the woven placemat where his teacup and saucer rester.
'I don't know for sure.' Irelia waited, watching him quietly. The old man's fingers began to tap on the tabletop.
'Did you never ask her?' Asa shook his head.
'By the time she could speak to us, it didn't matter. She was no threat to us, or anyone. Whatever happened to her…She was in enough pain without us reopening her wounds.' His eyes had begun to shine. He held himself well, he did not shake or falter, but he looked toward the ceiling as he took in breath. Irelia did not want to hurt this man, but she needed to know.
'You know her better than anyone', Irelia reminded him. It was what he had told her, and it was the gentlest way she could think of to pry.
'I know that she was a leader of some sort in the army, and that she cared for those under her command. When we found her- Before she had the strength to speak, she would scream. There were names.' Irelia's grip on her cup tightened uncomfortably.
Father, mother, grandmother, Irelia shook her head and cleared her throat. Zelos, Ohn, Kai, little Ruu... She blinked hard, the names disappeared. Her heart beat too quickly, she sipped her tea and tried to embrace warmth and calm.
'There's a place in the North where she used to wander', Asa said. 'A valley where nothing lives anymore.' Irelia knew of such a place. 'She would mention it when her demons pressed in on her, or when taken by fevered dreams. At first it meant nothing to us, we thought she was simply unwell.'
'But you learned something.' Irelia's blades floated near to her chest, pretending to be the armour that she felt she needed.
Asa exhaled long and slow before speaking. 'We, Shava and I, went to eat with her family. Riven stayed home, she said she would have felt out of place', he sipped his tea, and Irelia thought she could see the man choosing his words as if each one of them were a venomous snake. 'Marumaru, my brother by marriage, told us a ghost story.'
'A ghost story?' Asa nodded slowly.
'He told us about the spirit of a Noxian soldier who had died, possessed by grief and rage. It resembled a hulking beast in broken armour, with the white hair of a specter, and glowing red eyes.'
'The beast of Shon-Xan', Irelia breathed.
AN: Legion General from Legends of Runeterra joins the cast! And he's brought Sion with him. What could possibly be happening?
Thank you guys all for your patience! This one took a while. I rewrote the scene between Riven and Teneff literally five times. It eventually evolved into what you see, and I'm proud of it, even if I have reservations about at least one decision I had to make to execute it.
There are a couple of callbacks in this chapter, and I don't expect people to catch most of them, but they brought me joy to write.
I hope you like it! Questions, criticisms, and comments are all always welcome!
P.S. If you like my fics you can follow me on Twitter! /LiteraryMaxims
P.P.S. Irelia has 99 problems and Riven is all of them.