Author's notes:

I would like to present a preview of the new chapter.

Hope you'll like it.

2020.11.29 - a preview was posted.
2020.12.01 - a whole chapter posted.

PS. My current plan for a couple of next weeks:
3rd chapter of Alone,
3rd chapter of Kiss the Rain (it's possible that I will end up rewriting the 1rst chapter as well),
3rd chapter of Sometimes it's just better not to know,
8th chapter of The rise of the Blood Moons' servants.

Then, I will probably rewrite one chapter of "My home is where my heart lies" and write 17th chapter of that story, but who knows.

. If you have an idea that you would like to see me write, or want me to quicken the writing of any of my stories, feel free to write a comment :D

As always, till the next time, and thanks for everything.

It is so easy to fool people. To achieve that, all you have to do is just pretend, lie and manipulate. Of course, the prestige, renown, connections can make the whole process easier, but it can be achieved without it.

Oh, how stupid Ashe was to even remotely believe that the peace between her people and Senjuani's would last. She wanted that to happen more than probably anything in her life. She was ready for sacrifices to see the end of that war. Months of chaotic, draining negations were rewarded with the peace treaty. In that very moment, the queen of the Freljord was the proudest woman in the entire world. To see the results of her efforts was indescribable.

At last, she could focus all of her strengths, not to defend or conquer, but to rebuild her nation. She knew that it was a lot to ask for, but she believed that it was achievable. Oh… how naive she was, how stupid.

The snowy-haired woman married the barbarian only to strengthen her people. There were no such things as love behind it. She was smiling, cheerful, beautiful at their wedding, but deep inside, she was dead. The young woman never planned to marry anyone. She was forced to do this, to secure the future of her one true love – her people.

Even when the priest gave them the blessings of the Gods, and allowed them to make love for the very first time as a king and queen, she was acting. When he tried to make her fall for him, Ashe just demanded him to quicken up the pace. Even though she was a virgin, she did not ask for gentleness, she wanted the whole farce to be over with as soon as possible. Don't get me wrong. The white-haired queen was screaming on top of her lungs that night and every night after that. But it was not out of pleasure, it was caused by unbearable pain.

Probably the most difficult part of her life was to play the role of a happy wife. It required her to wear a mask all the time. But… if it was the cost for the future of her people, she was more than willing to pay that price. Still, it was ridiculous, but… deep inside of her, Ashe wanted to be just like every other woman. She wanted to live happily ever after, after all.

It was so foolish for the queen of Freljord to believe in any words that escaped the mouth of Sejuani. She should have known better than to trust the raiders' boss.

The peace did not even last a year. When the people of Ashe were celebrating the holiday, the armies of Sejuani attacked. With her forces, the raiders' boss's new ally came along. The Noxus sent one of its many legions to assist so-called "true queen of Freljord" in reclaiming her throne. Just in the span of a few days, most of the Ashe's territory was conquered. Within the next few days, the army led by Tryndamer – Ashe's husband – was decimated, and the king was executed publically. All the young queen was left with was a capital and a couple of villages that were protected it. The army was gone. In fact, it was the snowy-haired woman who insisted on leaving only a handful of troops in the capital city. And now, she was going to pay the price for her foolishness.

The only bright side in that mess was the fact that the young queen would not spend any more night at the side of the brute that was called her husband. At least for that, the snowy-haired woman was thankful.

Even though Ashe needed her sleep more than ever, she was simply unable to fall asleep. As soon as her eyes were closed, the images of untold horrors would appear inside her mind. She could try to fight them, try to exhaust her mind and body to the point of blackout, but it would not be a solution. That night was not different. After rumbling all over her bed for God-knows how long, she finally gave up. With a low groan, the white-haired woman stood up, grabbing a thick fur coat before exiting her quarters.

The queen was met by the chilling-cold wind that was howling through the night. Even though it was already past midnight, it was not as dark as one might expect. The ever-present snow was reflecting the moonlight, making it easy enough to walk without any source of additional light. Without an ounce of thinking, Ashe headed toward the tall walls of the capital city. To be frank, it was the only structure that was entirely made of stone.

The unpleasant shiver ran down Ashe's spine. She had a feeling as if someone was watching her from the shadows. The first time, she got that feeling was during her climb toward the wall's top. She scoffed quietly, it was a ridiculous idea. No one would want to venture outside during the cold nights of Freljord's winter. Even a few guards that were left inside the city were staying inside the towers. The chill of the night was being countered by the warmth of the fireplaces.

Ashe cursed under her breath. It was way colder outside than she initially anticipated. It was just another foolish idea of hers, nothing more nothing less. The woman tightened her grip on the fur coat. Every single breath she took made her throat ache a little. Every single exhale was turned into a white cloudly mist that flew into the skies.

The young queen needed to admit, she came here to calm her mind. It could be considered weird, but she found comfort in standing on top of the tall walls. She enjoyed the sight that was presented before her very eyes.

"Enjoying your night, my queen?" the unexpected question was asked out of nowhere.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" the surprised and to some extend terrified woman ordered.

"As you wish," the response came a moment later. "Look behind," the voice added.

Without hesitation, the white-haired woman turned around. There was a single person that was resting against the cold surface of the stones. Ashe could swear that the person was not there a moment ago. The woman – based on the voice – was shorter than her, but there was no denying that her confident aura was terrifying. The newcomer was dressed in a long thick coat in the colour of the snow. The face of the woman was hidden behind the mask. There was no doubt that the stranger had a weapon hidden somewhere beneath her warm clothing.

"Who are you?!" Ashe repeated her demand. "What are you doing here?" she asked, taking a single step back.

"Are you afraid?" the masked woman asked nonchalantly. "Where are you going to run?"

"I'm the queen of Frejlord, I'm not going to run away!" the white-haired woman replied confidently, but still took another step back.

"Oh… I see," the stranger uttered. "I am not here to kill you," she added nearly instantaneously.

"I beg your pardon," the queen scoffed. "What else would bring you here?" she demanded to know.

"It is a long story," the masked woman responded cooly. "If you want me to tell it to you, we should better go inside. A couple of minutes more in that bezier outfit of yours, and you will end up catching a cold," she added, heading toward Ashe.

"I'm not going to move anywhere till you finally answer my questions!" the white-haired ruler uttered in slightly risen tone.

"Fine, I will answer your question then," the stranger replied, sighing, and shaking her head.

"Who are you?!" Ashe repeated herself for the third time.

"I am Akali, you should remember me from the 'League'," the newcomer responded quietly.

"Pfff… prove it," the young ruler scoffed.

"Prove it how?" the masked woman asked stoically.

"Discard your mask and hood. Show me your face!" the queen ordered.

"As you wish, my queen," the hooded woman replied respectfully.

Ashe took another two steps back. Despite her confident words, she was ready to run away if the situation demanded it. The stranger stopped. Without an ounce of hesitation, the hood was discarded, showing the long put-down hair in the colour of the night. The plain silver masked shared the same fate a moment later. As soon as the item was removed, the young noble face was revealed. The rich brown eyes were fixed at the queen of Freljord while the full lips were tightened into a solid line. No emotion could be read out of the face of the woman. Still… it was Akali, indeed.

"Akali?" the surprised white-haired woman called. "What are you doing here?"

"As I said… it is quite a long story, it would be better for us to move inside if you want to hear it," the Ionian repeated herself.

"Should I greet you, or have you imprisoned?" Ashe asked.

"It is your choice, my queen," Akali responded immediately, shrugging.

"Ughh… let's come inside then," the ruler of Freljord said. "Follow me," she ordered.

"After you."

Even though the white-haired woman wanted to ask so many more questions, Akali was right, she began to feel the effect of the Freljord's winter night. She needed to warm herself, or she would soon get sick. Without turning her head even a single time, she led the assassin to her throne room. As it was to be expected, inside the halls, the temperature was significantly higher. She allowed herself to sit onto the throne before addressing the stranger that arrived unexpectedly into her kingdom.

"So? What is the reason behind your arrival?" the queen asked once again.

"Ehhh…" Akali sighed heavily, unbuttoning her coat. "I am no longer part of Kinkou Order," she added after a brief pause. "Before my mother exiled me, she gave me the last order. I am to protect you with my very own life," the ninja explained.

"Wait… what?" the shooked queen asked. "Your mother exiled you?"

"It is not like she ever cared for me," the assassin replied with a short shrug. "We disagree on many fields that it was just a matter of time before she would want me out," she provided a short explanation. "It was not unexpected," she added without emotions.

"Why should I keep you?" the white-haired woman asked, even though she already knew at least a couple of reasons. "What use will I have of you?"

"My queen," Akali started formally. "You know me from 'League', you know what I am capable of. The question is not 'what use will you have of me?', it is 'what do you want me to do for you?'," the ninja stated. "I am a trained soldier, I can kill without making a sound or leaving any trail behind me. I can sabotage, I can make people stir up, I can kill someone that presents a threat to you. I am currently homeless if you want me, I will serve you till the end of my days. If you do not, I will end my life, cause I am just a failure," she explained.

"Straight to the point, I see," Ashe hummed. "I could use the service of such an experienced assassin as you," she admitted aloud. "I assume you're familiar with the situation my kingdom is under as of now?" she asked.

"Of course, my queen," the Ionian simply replied. "I process some intel that might be valuable to you and believe that I can help you turn the war around," she stated with confidence in her tone.

"Hmmm?" the white-haired woman got interested. "What do you mean?"

"Your enemies are only 2 days away from the capital city," the assassin uttered in a quiet tone. "The forces that were assigned to deal with your last reasonable stand are not as massive as you might have anticipated. 500 of Senjuani's warriors and 1000 Noxians, considering the entirety of their armies, it is your best shot to defend the capital, my queen," she explained.

"They still have at least 1500 soldiers while I'm left with at most 300," the ruler of Fralejord scoffed. "Even if I asked my people to fight, they'd be no match to the professional soldiers."

"You are right, my queen. In open battle, the remnants of your force would be easily overpowered and crushed. Still, sieges are more favourable toward defenders in most cases. Considering that the walls that surround the city, there is a considerably high chance for us to win. All you need to do, my queen, is to recruit the citizens. They will not fight openly, I would rather use them as skirmishers. Let them shoot with bows, throw javelins. Those 300 remaining regular soldiers are enough to hold the gate and the walls with the assist of the skirmishers. The person who built this city knew what he was doing. The enemy forces can not march past us and deal with these few villages that are supplying the capital. They are left with just two choices. If we eliminate one of them, the victory is a certainty," the ninja explained.

"What choices are you talking about?" the queen wanted to know. "I'd assume that the first option would be a frontal assault, they don't have enough resources to maintain a siege," Ashe uttered.

"Yes… it is a correct guess, my queen," Akali agreed, bowing slightly. "The second option would be to use the underground tunnels that one of the previous rulers of the city ordered to build," she added after a moment of pause. "They were supposed to act as the last way out of the city, but plan assumed that the attack would come from the sea, not from the mainland. I have checked those passages already, most of them are still useable. If I was able to find them so easily, it would not take too much time for Noxians to locate them," she explained without emotions.

"What would you suggest to do with that 'minor' detail?" Freljord's ruler wanted to know.

"Oh… there are plenty of ways to deal with that," Akali assured the white-haired woman. "If you want, I can go through all of them with examples and details, my queen," the black-haired woman offered."

"Do it," Ashe ordered immediately. "If what you've just mentioned is right, I'll need every advantage I can get. Tomorrow in the morning, you'll show me these passages," she demanded.

"As you wish," the rogue-ninja simply replied, nodding.

"But now, I want to know everything," Ashe uttered.

"It's going to be a long night," the queen sighed deep inside her mind.