So I've been reading fanfics for like...an eternity now and after writing tons of reviews correcting and criticizing other writers' works I finally had the balls to try and write something of my own.

So yeah, this is what I came up with, feel free to tear it to pieces in the reviews, I'm glad for any kind of feedback :]
Enjoy!

The wind gently brushed against her cheeks as she breathed in and filled her lungs with the cool morning air. Countless odors overlapped each other. She could smell the last of the hoarfrost that had yet to be touched by the rising sun and still covered the shaded meadow below her. She could smell the spring flowers, seeking to surpass each other with their sweet and heavy fragrances. She could smell the mice and hares scurrying along unseen in this ocean of green, filling it with life. And she could smell the lizards soaking up the light of the early sun that fell on this rocky outcrop next to a pond a few miles east of the great city of Demacia. The same outcrop that Shyvana had chosen herself.

She slowly opened her eyes. From her vantage point she could see the gentle rolling countryside below her, its foothills touching a wide and open plain. Farmhouses dotted the landscape, the fields still left empty from the harsh winter, waiting to be worked again. Half a dozen rivers cut through the land like veins, joining together just south of the city.

Demacia. A bastion of civilization. A monument of a united people. A safe haven against the threats of magic.

A lie that Shyvana hadn't believed in for a long time.

When she had first come here after the battle of Wrenwall she had felt the same awe that everyone felt when they first stood before those flawless white walls and towers. The city had a way of conveying a feeling of safety like no other place Shyvana had ever visited. Its clean and orderly architecture, the ever present guards on the streets. Even the hustle and bustle in the numerous marketplaces around the city seemed to follow certain unwritten rules. She remembered asking one of the city guards about it. "Magic has been the cause for some of the greatest conflicts in history. It conjures up a greed for power and control. Every citizen of Demacia has experienced this truth at one point in their lives. That's why they're here. For only by banning magic can true order finally be established". The devotion with which the guard had spoken had almost convinced her. It had sounded so...reasonable.

It hadn't taken her long to figure out the so called "truth" herself. This peace and order was built on the suffering of hundreds lowborn mages, imprisoned deep in the dungeons below the king's palace. Waiting to be exiled, tortured with so called "treatments" of petricite potions or simply executed, whilst their highborn counterparts sat on councils, hidden and untouchable. The hypocrisy was near unbearable.

For that reason she had been glad when Prince Jaravan IV had asked her to act as an advisor to the Dragonguard training in a camp outside the city. She'd still have a purpose, a place she at least somewhat belonged to but she wouldn't have to witness the lies of the city every day. Or so she had thought.

Tearing her gaze away from the city Shyvana let the air flow out of her lungs and looked down at her reflection in the mirror like surface of the pond. Light purple skin, dark purple hair that fell over her shoulders as two braided pigtails down to her chest that was wrapped in white bandages. Her eyes were slightly slanted, vertically slit and gold in color. The eyes of a predator. No matter how hard she tried to forget the fate of all those mages in the dungeons, all of them not so different from herself, every time she laid her eyes on those white walls she was reminded of them. Over the time she had come to the conclusion that the Prince hadn't asked her to help with the training because of her unique abilities. Well, maybe partly because of that. But it also meant that she would only rarely be in the city. He still owed her his life so he was honor bound to keep her from prosecution or exile. And there had been a time where she had hoped that there was more to it than just duty. But those feelings had faded long ago.

Shyvana got up from her cross-legged seat and fell to one knee as her right leg refused to carry her weight. How long had she been sitting here? An hour? She turned around to find that the sun had risen over the hilltop behind her. Alright, so more like two then. She stretched her arms and looked down at the city again. So much for not starting the day with gloomy thoughts. Promising not to come back here hadn't kept her from doing so in the past so she didn't even bother. Trying to forget the whole thing wouldn't make it vanish.

The rustling of metal plates brought her back to reality. The footsteps were heavy but even, someone accustomed to wearing the heavy armor of the city guard. The scent that accompanied the stranger however was unfamiliar to her. The steps grew closer and eventually stopped. A sharp metal clang followed, the sound of an iron clad fist striking a breastplate.

"I don't believe we've met"

"No, milady, we haven't"

She turned to find the newcomer about ten feet behind her up the hill. He was wearing the signature red plate armor of the Dragonguard but he had taken off his helmet, carrying it under his left arm allowing her to study his face. He was young, no older than twenty-four. His short brown hair was cut in the same meticulous militaristic style all of the new recruits showed, his face was cleanly shaven, the closed fist of his right hand over his left chest, back of his hand facing towards her. His posture upright and unmoving. The perfect soldier.

This one would be a lot of work

She let out a sigh as she walked up the hill and approached him. "Drop the act, this is no parade"

"Yes, milady!", he shouted yet the only thing he dropped was his right arm to his side. Other than that he didn't move.

"Fine, have it your way. Name? And what are you doing here?"

"Arcus Spiritmight, milady! I was transferred here to commence my training with the Dragonguard. As the lieutenant in charge was preoccupied with a different matter I chose to report to the next highest commanding soldier in this camp. Here are my orders." He reached into the armhole of his breastplate and handed her an envelope. Shyvana didn't even bother looking at the orders, she knew what she'd find.

Spiritmight, huh? That at least explained his demeanor. The noble families had always lent towards a very authoritarian education. That much she'd sensed with the prince. She would've been surprised if his cousin was any different. But even the heir apparent wasn't as buttoned up as this one. I guess since he's only second in line to the throne and Jaravan gets all the attention, he seeks to prove himself in other ways.

"Alright, seems like you already got yourself geared up and ready to go. Training won't start until Lieutenant Jerik is ready so use the time to get yourself acquainted with the other recruits" She eyed him from head to toe. "Might also want to grab something to eat, you got a rough day ahead of you and I won't to drag you back to your tent when you faint. Dismissed!"

Arcus saluted once again, put on his helmet, turned around walked up the hill again.

Shyvana watched him disappear over the hilltop, shaking her head in disbelief. She couldn't help but be amused. It always fascinated her how even highborn nobles could be turned into soldiers that followed every order they were given. She herself had always struggled with hierarchy and discipline. She blamed her dragon half for that but it wasn't like she resented herself for it. Partly because of this she was glad that Jerik embraced a style of leadership that left his subordinates room to think for themselves.

Walking up to the hilltop, he looked down at the small package in her hand and sighed. She'd need to report this to Jerik before the training started. I'll just have to hurry a bit. When she reached the top, she turned around to get one last look at the city. And then she started to run. Slowly at first but quickly picking up the pace until she was sprinting down the hill at full speed. Her armored boots hitting the ground in a steady rhythm, her breathing quick but controlled. Her hair was blowing in the wind, the same wind that always seemed to stir up the flame that burned inside her. Running like this was the closest she got to her true nature without giving into it. The closest she ever got to true freedom.

She slowed down as she neared the edge of the camp, walking down the central path flanked by three long tents on each side. The recruits occupied the first two on each side with three soldiers assigned to every tent. The last tent on the right was used for storage while the one on the left was used as a kitchen and mess hall. The central path ended at the assembly area with Lieutenant Jerik's tent at the opposite side. Unlike the other ones this one wasn't white, but crimson in color with the golden crest of the Dragonguard stitched into it. The actual training area was located behind it.

She reached the tent and knocked against one of its posts.

"I think I made myself rather clear when I told you that I was not to be disturbed! I am busy with a most delicate matter!"

Leaning against the tent pole Shyvana couldn't help but smile. "And what would that be, old man?"

Lieutenant Jerik's head appeared in the entrance. His blonde hair was a mess, his beard only half trimmed and together with his nose that had been broken at least two times in the past his face could easily have been the one of a fearsome brute. But the calm blue eyes and laugh lines immediately dispelled that image.

"You know, you could have just told me it was you Ana" he scolded her whilst holding the tent entrance open for her.

She laughed as she ducked through the opening. "Now where's the fun in that?"

For an officer's tent the interior was rather disappointing. His desk dominated the space inside, a monstrous thing of dark wood. It was probably large enough for all of the camp to dine together where it not for the mountains of maps, orders and documents that were spread out on the table. She had never understood how Jerik actually managed to find anything in this chaos but he did. Three chairs flanked the desk, two on her side and one on the other. His armor hung from a rack in the back left corner next to a chest that Shyvana assumed held his personal belongings. Because she didn't have a tent of her own she had simply tossed her own gear on top of it. The lieutenant's bed stood to the right of the table and next to one of the tent poles a wash bowl had found its home with a small mirror hanging from the pole itself.

It was to that mirror that Jerik now returned to, a razor in his hand. He was a bit taller than Shyvana, maybe 5' 10'' but the years of his service had given him a broad and muscular upper body. His chest was covered in scars with the biggest reaching from his right hip almost up to his armpit. She had been there when he had sustained that injury, a nasty slash, almost as wide as one of her hands. She could still feel his warm blood gushing on her hands, smell the smoke and fire in the air and hear the thundering roar of a colossal beast.

"Are you just gonna stand there and leave me in the dark about why you feel the need to intrude my privacy like that?" His voice was monotonous but she could see by the twinkle in his eyes that he enjoyed the friendly banter.

Shyvana went over to the chair opposite side of the desk, slumped down in it and put one of her legs up on the table. "You know, I thought you'd might want to know about the new recruit that intruded my privacy because a certain lieutenant was busy" She threw the transfer orders on the table. "I didn't know there were four new recruits. Since when does the Dragonguard operate in units of four?"

Jerik stopped to look at her with a frown. "We don't. Who does this recruit claim to be?"

"Arcus Spiritmight." She gave a quick nod towards the documents. "I didn't look at his orders but only a fool would try to impersonate a Spiritmight"

Jerik put down the razor, went over to the desk and picked up the envelope. He broke the seal with his thumb and pulled a letter from the envelope. She watched him read the orders, his face a mask she couldn't read. He examined the red wax seal, the then folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.

"Well", he sighed, "I wish had been informed of this ahead of time but who am I to question our king"

"The king?" She was intrigued now "Since when does the king himself select the recruits?"

"Well, it seems like his son had the idea, that the royal guard should be prepared for all emergencies. So they sent one of their own for us to train"

Shyvana took her leg off the table, propping her forearms on her thighs. "But why only one? The Dragonguard always work together as groups of three. Teamwork is a pretty important aspect of their training."

"You're right, but they're not supposed to kill any dragons. They're supposed to know what a dragon is capable of and how to protect the king and his family in the case of an attack. And while I don't like being passed over like this I can see the benefits for the king's safety"

Shyvana raised her hands."You're the one who has to deal with this mess. It's your training camp after all." She stood up from the chair." Speaking of which, shouldn't we get going?"

"Alright. Take your gear and head to the training area. I'll finish here, give the newcomers a short welcome and then we can get started I think"

"Yes sir!" She saluted sarcastically and walked over the her gear. She slipped out of her pants and quickly donned her armor, consisting of a breastplate that left her belly exposed, pauldrons, the boots she was already wearing as well as a skirt-like piece consisting of overlapping metal plates that covered her waist and outer thighs. It was designed more with mobility in mind than protection, just like she wanted it to be. Finally, she reached for her weapons that looked more like oversized gauntlets resembling the upper and lower jaw of a dragon. She left her helmet where it was, she wouldn't need it today.

She turned around to find Jerik almost completely dressed in his own Dragonguard armor. He only struggled to close one of the buckles on his left boot.

She went past him chuckling lightly. "I'll see you at the field then"

"Yeah, yeah, go already"

She left the tent and was blinded by the sunlight. While she had been in the tent with Jerik the camp had come alive. Dragonguard recruits where sitting in front of their tents, sharpening weapons, checking the fit of their armor or grabbing one last bite before the training would commence. Dragonguard training took a full three years so some of them had been here before she had assumed her role as an instructor. She saw a few familiar faces raised her arm to greet them, then turned around and headed for the training area.