Bannerfall. A crumbling tower once belonging to the Guardians. It was built on the opposite side of the Last City, directly across from the modern Tower used today. It was the location of a terrible faction war many years ago that nearly destroyed it. Now, it stands as both a ruined reminder and as a training ground for the Guardians.

The morning sun was just breaking the horizon as Frea materialized in the plaza. Unlike the Tower she knew so well, Bannerfall was eerily quiet. Only the faint whisper of rustling torn banners could be heard echoing over the stonework. She gazed over the area. The overall design of the Tower was also vastly different, it didn't have the same comforts offered now. It was rougher, created for wartime. Instead of the familiar symbols depicting the Guardians painted on the walls, the blood red mark of the New Monarchy greeted her. She once heard the stories of the Monarchy's rising and the war they created, but she'd never seen the aftermath.

Footsteps caught the huntress's attention and she turned to see Shaxx approach from the inner courtyard. He stopped next to her and noticed her stare.

"This your first time here?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Hm..." Shaxx clasped his hands behind his back. "Nasty thing, that faction war."

Frea looked up at him. "I didn't realize it was this bad."

"It was a long time ago, back when everything was still new," Shaxx said, a hint of melancholy in his tone. "We keep a firmer grasp on the factions these days and never let them in politics. They know better than to try something like this again." He met her eyes. "Come on, the others are waiting."

With a nod she followed him back into the courtyard, stealing once last glance at the red decorating the walls behind her.

"Alright." Shaxx's voice boomed off the stone when they reached the yard. "This will be a 3v3 deathmatch. One group led by the Hive-bane and the other led by me."

"How many kills to win?" One of the new Guardians, a Warlock, spoke up.

Shaxx sighed, his hand rubbed over the mouthpiece of his visor. "For the hundredth time, this is a training session, not a competition."

"First to twenty?" One of the Titans cut in, earning cheers from the others.

Frea covered her laugh as she viewed the scene. It was rare to see Shaxx so disgruntled, these newbies must be a handful. "Why not? A little competitiveness never hurt anyone," she said, a grin forming behind her mask. "There's no shame in losing, Shaxx."

Shaxx's attention snapped to the huntress. She figured he was going to turn down her challenge, but instead his posture straightened as his arms loosely fell to his sides. "Fine. First to twenty-five wins."

They split off into two groups of three and took up positions on the opposite sides of Bannerfall. Frea was assigned one of the Titans and a Warlock while Shaxx took the other Titan and a Hunter.

"Alright, you two. Any pointers about this layout?" Frea asked.

"Top portion and middle of the tower are open, great for sniping," the Warlock named Dand, replied as he readied his own sniper.

"Or getting sniped." The Titan, Unworth, snorted.

"There's some tight hallways on the far sides that offer cover for flanking." Dand continued. "The courtyard in the middle is always a bloodbath."

"So, avoid courtyard and stick to the hallways. Got it." Frea nodded.

"And try to avoid Lord Shaxx too." Unworth added with a laugh. "He's a beast at close range with that damn shotgun."

The huntress chuckled, pulling out her hand cannon. "Oh, don't worry. I can take care of Shaxx. You guys focus on the other two okay?"

They nodded at her and readied themselves. A speaker mounted over the arena began the countdown to match start. Frea could feel the adrenaline start to pump into her muscles. Fighting fellow Guardians was a completely different experience to fighting the minions of darkness. Guardians were stronger, unpredictable, and one of them on the other team has been fighting longer than all their lifespans combined. This was going to be an interesting match and Frea was actually excited for it. It'd been ages since she last sparred with Shaxx.

The bell sounded and all three of them took off running. Dand and Unworth went straight for the courtyard while Frea shot to the left toward the plaza. She blink jumped into the upper hallway and landed right in front of the Hunter from the other team. He went down before he could even react, her knife sprouting from his chest plate. His Ghost fluttered away back to the starting point to revive him. He would be back in less than a minute, but for now they had the number advantage.

Frea quickly tiptoed through the hall, being careful to make as little noise as possible. She came to the corner and started to peek around it but her skin prickled in warning. Ducking just in time, she avoided the array of bullets flying over her head. It was Shaxx.

"Every little noise echoes around here so sneaking around doesn't really help," he called.

"J-just making sure you're on your toes," she hollered back, her chest pounding from the close call.

Frea pressed herself to the wall. She wanted to go in with her own shotgun, but a Hunter was at a disadvantage against a Titan at medium range. A single charge from him could easily take her out, so she had to be cautious. If she could close the distance and get a knife hit on him, she'll have a chance. Shaxx's heavy footsteps were gradually getting closer.

"Come on, Frea. Show me those moves you used against that Ogre." He was close enough that she could hear him chuckle inside his helmet.

"Do you normally chat like this with your enemies?" She asked.

"Only when I'm having fun."

Just as he stepped around the corner, Frea slid past his feet and under the railing. She landed on the floor below and shot a bullet up at him with her hand cannon. He easily dodged it and hefted himself over the railing after her. She rolled away as he landed, the electric shockwave from his fall licking at her boots. He definitely had Striker equipped, the worst Titan subclass for her to fight against.

"Fun?" She breathed, taking cover behind a pillar. "I thought this was a training session?"

She tried to make a run for the hallway, but another round of buckshot in the wall made her halt. Shaxx was on her then. He charged at full force, the air around him sparking with arc power. Just before he reached her, Frea twisted away and he hit the pillar, cracking the stone. He backed away, slightly dazed from the hit. The huntress took the opportunity and pounced, throwing all her weight on the Titan and knocking him down with her. The impact sent Shaxx's helmet flying as she landed on top of him, the muzzle of her gun pressed against his chin.

"Ha," she said, trying to muster words between her heavy breaths. "I win."

A knowing smile played across his lips. "Did you now?"

His comment made Frea realize something hard was poking at her stomach. Glancing down, she saw his shotgun pressed right between the plates of her armor. She also noticed the compromising position they were now in because of her desperate maneuver. The huntress was straddling his waist, her legs sprawled to either side of his legs. The same thing that happened when they landed in the Hive nest, except this time she was the one on top.

Frea felt all the blood rush to her face. "A-a tie then, Lord Shaxx?"

Shaxx's smile disappeared and he reached up with his free hand, pulling her mask off. She adverted her eyes as he did so, too flustered to hide her expression right now. Frea dropped her gun and tried to get up, but he held her firmly by the hips. He wasn't going to let her run this time.

"Why?" He whispered. The sudden change in mood made her look back at him, his eyes met her's directly. "You react like this when I touch you and yet...you avoid me and use my title when I try to get closer. It's driving me mad."

She bit her lip, almost drawing blood. "We shouldn't."

"Why?" He asked again, his voice harsher.

A touch of irritation bubbled up in Frea's mind. Does he really not realize his importance to the Guardians? Or does he not care?

"Because you're Lord Shaxx!" She shouted. "You're too crucial to the Tower, you've been fighting for decades and you command half the Guardian forces. How can I, a Hunter who's only been around for three years, be so selfish to expect anything more from you?" She pounded on his chest armor with her fists in frustration.

The Titan stared up at her in silence. He went wide eyed for a moment during her rant before relaxing into a calmer expression. "So?"

Frea's head snapped back up. "So?"

"Yeah, so." He moved his hand to trace her cheek. "Status doesn't matter. Contrary to what Zavala wants to preach, younger generations of Guardians don't exist to protect the elders. You are here to fight alongside us, to protect the City and those who can't come back after death."

She leaned into his palm and closed her eyes, focusing the warmth of his hand. Shaxx gently pulled her head down and she felt his lips brush against her forehead.

"I won't force you into anything you don't want," he whispered into her hair. "But I care for you. Not as a leader or fellow Guardian, but as a man. Don't let status and a false sense of duty stop you from taking what you want."

Maybe he was right, she'd been worrying too much. She'd done so much for the City and its people, perhaps it was time to be a little selfish for once. The huntress leaned her head into his furry mantle. "I'll think about it."