Chapter 19

"Play nice, Talon," Katarina sighed.

The door swung shut behind him as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, keeping his eyes on the other woman. She seemed horribly amused, a smile on her lips and her brows raised as she shared Talon's gaze, the tip of her tail flicking back and forth methodically.

"Kat told me the news," Cassiopeia sighed, "It's funny, I always thought that stupid captain would knock our dear sister up eventually, but you had to go and be an overachiever. Bravo."

Katarina glanced down for but a moment, trying to hide the discomfort on her face from her sister's remark, only to look back up at Talon, anticipating his response. Only he remained silent, keeping his gaze with Cassiopeia even, a fire slowly smoldering in his eyes.

That seemed to annoy Cassiopeia, her tail twitching as her face morphed into a scowl. Her and Talon hadn't gotten along ever since her return from Shurima, and she almost seemed to enjoy getting a rise out of him, actively antagonizing him whenever they crossed paths. Talon was well aware of this and had begun to adapt by not responding to her at all. If he didn't give her a reaction, she didn't get what she wanted.

The snake woman slithered her way over to Talon, circling him once so that her tail wrapped around the base of his legs, something she knew he hated. His visible shudder boosted Cassiopeia's confidence a bit and she leaned in close to his ear, being sure to let her forked tongue flick against his ear as she spoke.

"I'd be more excited about becoming an auntie if your child wasn't going to be a filthy half-breed."

That was enough to wear down his resolve, a grin returning to her face as he shoved her away from him, stepping over her tail to stand beside Katarina. His eyes were ablaze now and he was quite visibly holding himself back from doing something violent. He'd gotten used to Cassiopeia's insults and vague threats, but hearing her talk about Quinn like that was different.

"Speaking of the little skank," Cassiopeia continued, "Where is she? I figured this discussion concerns her as well."

Katarina was able to grab Talon's arm before he could take a step forward, knowing very well that Cassiopeia was playing a dangerous game at this point. She'd been the peacemaker of the family ever since their father had disappeared, but Cassiopeia and Talon's animosity toward each other had only worsened, and Katarina feared that one of them would soon be killed by the other.

"This is a Du Couteau matter," Katarina answered smoothly, "The Demacian will be dealt with once we determine how to approach this… situation."

Talon yanked his arm from Katarina's grasp and mumbled something under his breath, his eyes narrowing as Cassiopeia's lips curled up even more, her eyes gleaming with cruel mischief.

"The answer's obvious, is it not?" she asked.

Without waiting for either sibling to respond, she continued.

"We get rid of her. If word gets out that Talon's harboring a Demacian lover here, one that bears his child, then the Du Couteau name will be ruined."

"Why you –" Talon started, only to be cut off by his older sister.

"She has a point."

The silence that followed was painfully uncomfortable. Cassiopeia hadn't expected her sister to agree with her, and neither had Talon. Eventually someone had to speak, and it was Talon who broke the tension.

"No one has to know."

Cassiopeia let out a shrill laugh, one laced with malice as she turned her nose up at him.

"Noxus has eyes and ears everywhere," she scoffed, "You should know that better than anyone, dear brother."

Talon clenched his fists tightly and bit his tongue, the faintest taste of something metallic playing on his taste buds as a small amount of blood sprung forth.

She was right. She was right and he hated it. There was little privacy when it came to Noxian nobility, especially with the Du Couteau's. After Marcus' disappearance under unexplained circumstances and the fact that the family had actively opposed Swain's leadership, a large target was placed on their backs, one they couldn't ignore.

"She can't stay here," Katarina said quietly, "If Swain finds out, he'll kill you both and the Du Couteau's will lose everything."

To be honest, Talon didn't really care about the possibility of dying. He'd committed atrocities and he knew that they would catch up to him eventually. But Quinn hadn't, she didn't deserve this. He'd brought her into this mess, he had to get her out.

"She has nowhere to go," he replied, "Jarvan is probably hunting her down as we speak. All of Demacia will be looking for her, they think she's a traitor."

"She is," Cassiopeia hissed, "As are you."

Katarina sighed, placing a hand on Talon's shoulder. It almost seemed to be an attempt at comforting him rather than restraining him, her touch unusually gentle as she looked for his gaze.

"Take her away from here. Somewhere safe."

Cassiopeia scoffed, seemingly at the idea of there being somewhere "safe" in Valoran. Noxus had spies all over the continent, making it nearly impossible to avoid Swain's eye.

Talon on the other hand seemed surprised at Katarina's suggestion. It was the obvious answer, to leave, but he hadn't expected her to be so willing. Piltover would probably be a relatively safe option, its advanced technology meant better security, better ways to hide. It was something to consider at the very least.

Seeing Talon nod allowed Katarina a sigh of relief. This could be dealt with quickly and they could just return to their normal lives, as if nothing had happened.

"Good," she said, "We'll determine the best location as soon as possible. Once you've taken her there, you'll return to Noxus and we can carry on with our lives."

A knot twisted in Talon's stomach. Return to Noxus without Quinn, leave her alone in an unknown land to raise his child by herself…

"What's the matter?" Cassiopeia's voice cut into his thoughts, "You want to run off and play make-believe family with your little dove?"

Her laugh was shrill enough to make his ears ring, but he managed to avoid any kind of reaction. Katarina looked at him, surprised when he didn't laugh in return. The idea of being domestic and having a family was something Talon had often voiced a distaste for, claiming he didn't have time for such trivial things. And yet here he was, silent in the face of his accuser, unable to rebuff her.

"We need you, Talon," Katarina said softly, "We've been making progress in finding father because of you."

The knot in his stomach twisted further. She was right. He'd poured himself into the investigation over the past month after he'd lost touch with Quinn. They'd made some small leads and there was a possibility that there was a contact that knew where Marcus was.

"Cass and I will keep working on things until you get back. Depending on where you take her, it could take a little while, but the sooner you're back the better."

Talon opened his mouth to respond, but his words failed him. What was he supposed to say in this situation? Sure, he'd go and take this woman, whose life he'd ruined, to some foreign land and abandon her with his child? And why did it matter to him anyways? He'd abandoned people before, this was nothing new.

"Unless," Cassiopeia's voice interrupted his thoughts, "You're madly in love with her and want to run away and start a new life with her."

Her tone was teasing, but there was a sinister look in her eyes as she stared into his soul, one that knew the truth. She was waiting for him to cave, to admit that he was weak and had emotions. To abandon Noxus and his family. To give up on Marcus.

Talon straightened his back, meeting Cassiopeia's intense stare.

"I'll return as soon as I know she's safe."

Lux ran as fast as her feet could carry her. The entire citadel had been woken by a distress signal, one that had guards sprinting from their posts to handle the situation.

Lux had managed to put a robe on and peek out her door trying to understand the situation. In her half-asleep mindset, it took her a moment to realize where all the guards were running. They were on her floor, running to the end of the hall. To Quinn's room.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd run so fast.

The past several weeks had been difficult for her after hearing that her closest friend was being placed under house arrest on suspicion of treason. Lux knew Quinn well and she knew that Quinn would never betray Demacia, but Jarvan was convinced. He'd claimed she'd grown close to a high ranking Noxian official and had leaked intel, but Lux had a hard time believing it.

When she found out that she was pregnant, it began to make a bit more sense. Quinn had told her about her supposed "boyfriend" but had kept it relatively secret. Was it truly because he was Noxian and she was his source of information? Lux didn't want to believe it.

Quinn hadn't been allowed out of her room since her arrest, so Lux never had the chance to see or speak to her since there were always guards posted in front of her door. She just wanted to know the truth.

And now she looked upon three dead bodies lying in front of her friend's door, pools of blood coating the stone floor.

Garen was there, as he was always the first to arrive to such things, and was quick to rush to Lux's side, turning her away from the violent scene.

"Return to your room, this is under control," he said in a surprisingly soft tone, "I don't want you to see this."

"Quinn? Is Quinn alright?"

It was all Lux could manage to say. She couldn't believe it. There was no way Quinn could do this, something must've happened.

When Garen didn't respond, Lux panicked and bolted from Garen's grasp, running into Quinn's room.

"Lux, wait!" Garen called.

But she'd already entered the room. There was more blood, a trail that led to the bed, but it laid empty, Quinn nowhere to be seen.

Jarvan IV inspected the trail of blood and a few other guards were examining the area, but that was all. The prince looked up at the sound of Lux's footsteps, his face turning grim.

"Luxanna, you should –"

"What happened?" she asked, her voice breaking on a sob.

Jarvan got to his feet and approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to console her.

"We're not sure," he admitted, "But we think… someone's taken her."

His voice turned to a growl with the last words, his eyes narrowing as he glanced back at the trail of blood.

"Taken her?" Lux asked, "What do… what do you mean?"

"Her Noxian partner, most likely. Came to take back what was his."

His nose wrinkled in disgust as he turned away, going back to inspect the scene further.

Lux stood there dumbfounded.

Noxian partner? The man she'd committed treason for? Why would he come back to save her? She'd been caught, there was no need to risk his life to get her back for some intel.

She found herself wandering the room, eyes glancing over but not really taking in any of her surroundings. The wardrobe had been flung open and rummaged through, suggesting that the kidnapper had been looking for something in there, but Lux couldn't think of anything Quinn had that a Noxian wanted.

Her feet carried her to the wall of art that Quinn had made, her eyes lazily glossing over each one. She'd always loved Quinn's art and told her that she should pursue a career in it if she ever left the military. Quinn had laughed and said that would never happen, she'd serve Demacia until the day she died.

There was one of the whole Vanguard that made the corners of Lux's lips turn up ever so slightly. Seeing all of them together reminded her of not so long ago, when they trained together in the fields, Lux complaining about combat training while Shyvanna ran laps around them. What she wouldn't give for that again.

As she began to turn back to Jarvan, one sketch in particular caught her eye. It was shoved into the corner, almost as if Quinn had been trying to hide it. Lux peeled back one of the portraits that partially covered it, eyes widening at what she saw.

It was a sketch of a man, and while he seemed rather grumpy, Lux could tell that he was terribly handsome, something Quinn had captured well. The detail was impeccable and thoughtful, passion behind every strand of hair, curve of his face. Beneath the drawing, in Quinn's perfect penmanship, read "The Blade's Shadow."

The Blade's Shadow was common knowledge amongst Demacians, as he was one of their prime targets due to his several successful assassinations, but his identity was a mystery, something no one had ever been able to figure out.

And Lux recognized him. The ball, the man who had asked Quinn to dance, the one who seemed so infatuated with her…

"Lux?"

Jarvan's voice almost caused Lux to jump out of her skin, but she managed to maintain composure. With one swift pull, she tore the drawing off the wall and clenched it tightly, putting her hands behind her back as she turned to face Jarvan. He'd noticed her wandering and had grown concerned.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

The drawing burned in Lux's hand, her skin stinging with what felt like roaring flames. She managed to offer a small nod before glancing down at the floor.

"I… I think this is all a bit much for me," she admitted, "I think I'll return to my room."

Jarvan nodded sympathetically, giving her another pat on the shoulder.

"I understand this is a lot for you. Please, get some rest."

Lux nodded, quickly stuffing her hands into the pockets of her robe before hurrying back to her room.

Quinn, what have you done?

Author's Note: Surprise, I'm not dead.