Author's notes:

2021-11-18: Hey, I would like to share a short preview with you. Though as I have mentioned recently, I will try to take more time to finish each chapter, rereading it a couple of times. So, please do not be surprised if some parts of the preview do not make it through into the final release. Besides that, enjoy the text :)

2021-11-21: Hey, here is the updated version of the chapter. It is not finished by any means, but wanted to let you know how the things are looking currently.

2021-11-24: Hey, the chapter has been finished. I kind of like the development of this particular story, but I'm not the one to judge it. So, please let me know what do you think. Would you like to see more chapters crafted in such a way? Or, should I try something else?

Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.

Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.

As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)

Changelog:
[2021-11-18]: A preview was released.
[2021-11-21]: A small update; added around 1000+ words.
[2021-11-24]: A chapter has been finally released fully.

Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.

Bonuses' section:
A war call - extracting the parts into a new separate story.
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)

*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D

End of author's notes section.

Before the queen could have noticed, the morning came. As slowly as possible, the white-haired woman left her cosy bed, leaving behind the still-warm sheets. If she had been allowed, she would have stayed there the whole day, crawling into a small ball. But, sadly, as the monarch, her presence was required somewhere else. Still, the pressure of the inevitably coming events began affecting her more than she would have loved to admit. Thus, Ashe was not in the greatest of moods out of the start.

Merely a couple of moments, it took the white-haired woman to reach the blinded windows. Frankly saying, they should have been already uncovered, but someone must have prevented her maids from doing so. Considering how eventful the last night had been, she had a clue of whom had been behind this occurrence.

With little to no hesitation, the queen reached out toward the curtains, pulling them aside. Once the passage was cleared, the light beams blinded her at first. So, getting used to the current illumination level took her more than a couple of seconds. However, it really lasted shorter in the mind of the queen.

As soon as her eyes got used to the light, she looked through the window. Unexpected, the early Sun flooded the nearby area with countless rays of bright, almost blinding light. After all, the last couple of days had been nearly entirely reigned by the snowstorms. The ubiquitous snowdrifts that covered virtually everything nearby reflected these rays to make the current situation worse, amplifying them.

In most situations, the current weather could have been described as favourable. Although Ashe would not have agreed with such a statement, fully aware of what was coming her way. According to the scouts, it was a matter of time before the invader's forces would lay a siege. Some would swear that the black as night banners could be seen in a distance.

The only advantage of the current weather that the queen could think about was the extended line of sight. With the skies being as clean and blues as now, they should have been able to spot the approaching army from miles away. Still, it must have been admitted that snowstorms would have inevitably slowed down the marching enemies. Time, the most precious resource now, was running lower and lower.

As a result of her deepest fears, a heavy, exhausted sigh was drawn out of Ashe.

"What would I give for more time and warriors to work with?" the queen allowed herself to slip away, contemplating deep inside her conciseness. "Does it make any sense to resist? Would it save more of my people if I just surrendered? But, of course, not; they'd have been slaughtered all the same," she continued to think intensively.

Knowing all too well that if she had kept daydreaming, she would not have achieved anything. So, after cursing silently, she opted to leave her cosy bedroom. Some move would do her good now.

With a complete disregard for her clothing, she quickly closed the distance to the door. One swift twist of her wrist and the passage toward the rest of the hold stood open before her. Though it must have been noted that something felt off. As a result of that realisation, she decided to look around more thoroughly.

She did not have to look around for too long. To her left, she spotted a bench that she could swear had not been there yesterday. Surprised by her discovery, she opted to come closer. Within moments she was faced with an unexpected sight. Akali, the dread assassin that only yesterday had saved her life, was laying still, sleeping soundlessly. The face of the ninja was fully covered by the once snowy-white mask. Nevertheless, bloodstains could still be seen on its surface, proving that the eventful night had occurred.

"Have you slept well?" the exhausted voice of the Ionian sounded nearly instantly. "You were through a lot yesterday. How are you holding up?" she slowly stood up, allowing the stained piece of wood to fall onto the ground.

"After you saved me? Yes, I've managed to sleep decently, somehow," the white-haired woman responded after a moment of hesitation. "Could you explain to me what was that?" she asked, fixing her narrowed eyes at the assassin.

"I would love to," the Ionian started her response. "However, I wholeheartedly doubt we have time to waste to explain it properly," she added, lowering her gaze slightly as if embarrassed.

"Right… we have a battle inevitably coming our way," the queen uttered coldly. "What would you advise to do, then? How can we prepare more thoroughly?" she asked, visibly tired with the never-ending topic.

"My queen… I am afraid that we have done everything that we could," Akali replied, taking some time to provide her answer. "If you are religious, maybe some prayers will ease your mind."

"I don't really think that the gods plan to intervene," Ashe scoffed. "I'm more willing to believe that they'll be spectating our struggles, amused by our fragility," she opted to mock openly.

"My queen, if I may?" the assassin asked, closing in slightly. "I do not think that it is wise to throw a gauntlet against the gods. Even if they are not going to help us, they might at least remain passive. Currently, we need no more enemies," she added quietly.

"I'd have never considered you religious," the surprised queen commented. "But… maybe, just maybe there is an ounce of wisdom in your words," she decided to add a bit softer.

"Shall we proceed then?" the Ionian woman asked even though she already knew the answer.

"Yes, time is of the essence," the white-haired woman uttered, nodding.

"Then… you might want to change up, my lady," the raven-haired woman replied, pointing at the queen's clothing.

A couple of hours later:

Freljord's queen found herself standing atop the capital's walls in the late afternoon. Beside her, the city's citizens were visibly shaking out of fear. In front of them, just outside the archers' range, the Noxian army stood firmly. Hundreds of battle-ready soldiers were clustered in a tight formation, eyeing their prize in the meantime. Their black armours and coats differentiate from the surrounding. They looked like a dark tide that would soon wash over them.

For more than a couple of prolonged minutes, the staring contest lasted.

The Noxians stood still, waiting for their commanders to issue an order to attack. Such indecision was a surprising turn of events for the queen. She had frankly expected the invaders to start the assault right away. Though as she could currently see, it was not the case.

Unfortunately, the beautiful weather that had welcomed Ashe in the morning continued its reign over the nearby lands. Even though Sun had already begun its way toward the horizon, its rays were still flooding the ground. Some of them were being reflected by the metal pieces in the invaders' armours and shields.

Finally, after what had felt like an utter eternity, one of the Noxian stepped forward, slowly making its way toward the city walls. In comparison to his comrades, the messager was lightly armed. Instead of a heavy armour reinforced with steel plates, he was wearing a much lighter leather variant. His long dark hair was in constant motion due to the wind blows. Though he did not care about it all that much, strolling in his own tempo.

Before long, he stopped just a couple of dozens of metres away from the gates. Then, after a moment of inaction, his head was lifted slightly, looking around. On his tanned face, a smug smirk could be currently spotted. He seemed to know what he was looking for. And… it did not take him much to find it.

"I beg your pardon, usurper Ashe," he started, still smirking at the queen. "I'm but a messenger of the rightful ruler of Freljord, Sejuani. Although my name is not necessary for this encounter to proceed, I'll introduce myself as Narth, the harbinger of wrath. And… these fellows behind me are a personification of that wrath. I'm here to give a final chance to surrender. If you lay down your weapons and open the gates, your people will be spared. However, in your case, the situation will be a bit trickier," he continued speaking, mocking openly. "You're set to travel to the capital. Once there, you'll be judged by your rightful queen, usurper. So, the time is up. Your options lay before you, yet the clock is ticking quickly. So, take up the generous offer or perish!" the messenger decided to raise his tone whilst making the demand.

"You… Noxians, are the worst scams that I've ever seen," the white-haired queen threw, looking as if these words were causing her physical pain. "You have no right to demand anything from me. I'm a rightful ruler of these lands. And… if the situation requires it, I'll die protecting my people. So, if you're any smart, I'd turn back and leave if I were you. Freljord won't tolerate invaders upon its sacred soil," she finished pompously.

Without uttering a single word more, the white-haired woman drew her bow. The black-feathered arrow rested against the string. The arrowhead was massive, the surface ragged yet dangerously sharp.

"Don't be so smug, worthless worm!" Ashe spatted toward the messenger whilst aiming at him. "Mock once again, and this arrow will find your skull. I dare you to try out your luck, Noxian!" she continued venomously.

"It doesn't matter if you kill me, usurper," the dark-haired man responded with a smug face. "Go ahead and kill me. There're hundreds of people just like me to fill the space after me. So you can't realistically win. The forces behind me are but a small part of the forces Noxus kindly sent to her Sejuani to retake her throne. Just look at them. They're better than anything…."

Before the Noxian was allowed to finish his speech, the arrow was let loose. Within a moment, it landed precisely where the queen had uttered before. But, surprisingly, there was no whine, pain cry. Instead, the man fell down with his smirk still intact. Thus, even though his death was near-instant, he had managed to accomplish his mission, at least partially. Ashe was infuriated. It was such a bizarre dirty little trick, yet she had fallen into the trap.

She would have expected the Noxian to roar in anger. But, unfortunately, it was not the case. Instead, invaders tightened their formation, preparing for the assault. Their broad, heavy shields afforded them a lot of safety against the archers or any kind of skirmishers. Though much better prepared, equipped and trained, the Noxians did not push forward blindly. Instead, their slow and steady approach began, sending a clear message – "You are not going to stop us."

Some of the marching soldiers had been tasked with carrying the ladders. These ones could not protect themselves from the obvious reasons, so their comrades had grouped around them.

No chants, no mockery, no roars could have been heard from the attackers. To some extent, they seemed as if one giant machine. The construct seemed so inhuman, well trained, well oiled, ready for the war.

Soon enough, they had entered the outer boundary of archers' range. Unfortunately, some of the least-experienced bowmen had attempted to use that fact to their advantage. However, it quickly became a fruitless effort as the arrows began gliding on the broad shields. They shot a couple of times more before giving up on the idea. It was evidently only leading to them wasting the precious ammunition.

The time was slowly passing by whilst the invaders' approach was only getting closer and closer. They looked like one unmovable object. They could have been called the tide. The wave that would have soon flooded the fortifications, then the entire city.

Throughout their slow march, many of Ashe's people had tried to make a difference by striking the enemy whilst still having the distance advantage. But, sadly, the tries had brought little to no meaningful outcome.

The queen was not a fool. Whilst standing on top of the walls, she could very see the frustration growing inside her people. The white-haired woman was well aware that soon it would turn into fear. The kind of fear that would inevitably take away her people's willingness to fight. So, she would have to do everything to prevent that stage from being reached. Even though her own bow was capable of inflicting far more severe damage, she doubted it would make a change. Though currently, it was the least she could do.

Weirdly enough, Ashe's back muscles relaxed once she began drawing the bow once more. It was so surreal, feeling as if every single arrow meant a new page in her history, tabula rasa. As soon as the bow was fully drawn, she held her breath. Then, with the time significantly slowing down for her, she took as much time as needed to aim. Finally, as the air started to be exhaled slowly, the string was let loose. The arrow was set into motion, flying toward its target with a wheezing sound.

Then, the queen allowed herself to lower the weapon and look carefully, trying to spot the effect of her shoot. After a couple of moments, the very first success could have been announced. The speeding projectile passed through the shield wall, already achieving more than all of her soldiers. The queen held her breath for a moment, uttering a silent prayer. Maybe… just maybe, the gods above would have heard her pleas.

In fact, Ashe did not have to wait all that long. One of the shield-bearers fell down into the snow, dropping his tower shield. His unexpected death caused the line to crumble slightly, leaving a decent gap in the shield wall. Though it must have been admitted, the opening was quickly sealed by yet another soldier.

"Shoot only when I make the opening for you!" the queen turned to the side slightly, uttering a command loudly. "Don't let them reach the walls!" she added whilst swiftly reaching for another arrow. "Yet another nameless Noxian invader is going to meet the gods soon," Ashe whispered deep inside her mind.

The battle continues (an hour later):

After a little more than an hour, the walls must have been left behind. Even though many brave defenders had forsaken their lives to hold onto them, it had not been enough. The fortifications were covered in thick puddles of the blood of both invaders' and defenders' origins. Considering the heavy casualties, the current outcome could be hardly described as satisfactory.

As expected, the civilians could not match the Noxians' soldiers in close-counter combat. Moreover, the approaching tide – even though slightly depleted – could not have been container outside the city walls. The figures in black all seemed alike. When one of them fell, another invader was taking its place immediately. To some extent, it seemed as if these soldiers were immortal. To make the matter worse, the detailed battle plan had expected the fight to have several stages. But, unfortunately, it had quickly turned out to be a failed assumption. As soon as the walls had been breached, utter chaos began.

There was no specific defence line to speak off. The entire battle had been split into a series of smaller encounters that could have been hardly controlled. But, of course, such a situation favoured the Noxians. With their forces being better equipped and more experienced, the fights turned into slaughters in various areas.

"Why haven't I listened to that damned ninja?!" Freljord's ruler opted to complain inside her mind. "She's foreseen that exact scenario, warning me about it. Yet, in my dumbness, I've decided that I knew better," she continued for a couple of moments more.

Surprisingly enough, the second line consisted of lumberjacks, and woodmen held the firm and steady line against the invaders. The highest quality weapons and armours the city could offer had been – at least partially – given to them. And… frankly, they made good use of them. Still, sadly, it would not have been enough. Although the second line was not crumbling – as of now – they had been steadily pushed back. The endless tide of the Noxians was too much for them to handle. Step by step, the ground needed to be left behind. Ashe and her people hoped that they would be able to reach the hold. This place would mark the end of the line, their last stand.

Thankfully to the still ever-present snowdrifts, the enemy could not have utilised their numbers advantage. Instead, they had been forced to fight through the narrow passages between the city buildings. Their path to victory needed to be carved in flesh and paid in blood.

"We aren't going to last much longer, my queen," one of her Valkyries shouted. "We should fall back right to the hold. We should be able to fend them off there much easier."

The white-haired woman looked at the Valkyrie, thinking intensively.

"Can you replace them?" Ashe uttered a quiet question that barely could be heard through the cacophony. "Can you replace them at the front of our line? They won't be able to retreat whilst maintaining the tight formation."

"Your words are the order for us, my queen," the female warrior replied instantly. "If you want us to face the tide from the very first line. It shall be done," she uttered confidently.

"Do it, then," the queen simply replied whilst pulling the string to her cheek once again. "Skirmishers! All the missiles on the second and third rows," she yelled an order.

Truth be told, even though she was shouting, her words could be barely heard. It was so frustrating that all the woman could listen to was a horrific mix of steel clashing, groans of wounded, and the soft moans of the dying. Though Ashe was pleased for her order was heeded instantly. At least a couple of dozens of projectiles flew above her head, aiming directly at the ordered targets.

Once these missiles landed, the Noxian wave was forced to take a halt, pushing the wounded to the back of their lines. In the meantime, Ashe's people used that opportunity to swap the lumberjacks and the Valkeries whilst slowly taking steps back.

Then, out of a sudden, the queen spotted the movement of the buildings' roofs. With a couple of short-lived moments used for taking a closer look, she froze. Numerous civilians stepped onto the roofs holding bricks, rock, or other heavy items. One of them caught Ashe's attention especially. The man's name was Eivind. He was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, man living in the capital. His long, curly hair had lost its colour long ago, leaving only the greyness behind. If the invasion had occurred a few years ago, he would have been one of many standing in the front line. However, his strengths had failed him since then, leaving his once strong arms thin and crumbling. Though it seemed that he had disregarded that minor setback and had decided to defend his city. The queen could clearly see how much he struggled with a heavy rock that he tried to hold. Still, it did not stop him from going forward.

After a couple of moments, the old man got to the edge of the roof. Judging by his look and his massive chest rising and falling rapidly, he must have been exhausted. With all the strengths he could muster, the rock was lifted above his head, then thrown into the Noxian mass. A moment later, he looked directly into Ashe and proudly hit his broad chest a couple of times.

A small smile was allowed to manifest on the queen's face. Though the happiness and joy did not last long. Before she could have even noticed, Eivind's frame was pierced with arrows, javelins, and spears. Yet, he seemed to shrug the pain off. Till the very last moment, he stood proud and tall, not caring for the enemies wounding his mortal shell. Then, finally, the spark of life faded inside of him. Momentarily, his massive frame went flaccid, dropping off of the roof.

"Eivind!" the piercing scream was torn from the depths of the queen's throat.

She was grabbed from each side before she could press forward, driven by a murderous lust, and dragged backwards.

"You're going to pay! You're all going to die!" she continued to shout. But, in the meantime, deep inside her mind, the memories connected with the dead man were unleashed.