The plan was simple – get in, get Mina, get out, and hopefully all without being seen.

However as with all things requiring and extra layer of delicacy and caution, there existed too many factors and unknown variables that made virtually any idea near impossible to pass their scrutiny. One piece in the wrong place meant catastrophic consequences.

"Sylas is where this time?" Lux canned the map from behind Fiora's desk, eyes wandering over the myriad of new red lines crisscrossing the map like latticework. Along with some fresher, off-colored ones, it looked like they had taken a few steps back rather than forward.

"He's been dancing through the outskirts of the kingdom," the duelist replied with a quiet grunt as she pushed herself up off the couch. It was highly unusual for Fiora to be anything but the epitome of poise, yet here she was haphazardly draped over said furniture like a lazily tossed towel. Unlike the winter, their usual meetings were suspended indefinitely – Fiora saw an influx of urgent messages and requests passing through the front doors of the manor that ate up nearly all of her, and Nera's, time, while Lux did her best to juggle her own demons, responsibilities, and family without letting each one bleed into the other.

Yet somehow, they managed to find time to see each other no matter how brief.

Strong arms sneaked their way around Lux's waist from behind and her eyelids fluttered shut at the gentle kisses peppered along her neck.

A comforting gesture, born of habit and intimacy.

She liked Fiora like this.

"It's clear her wants to rile up the barbarians to grief Demacia's troops."

Lux rolled her eyes and pinched a pale forearm. "They're not barbarians. They're tough living where they are. You have to admit they've got grit." She could hear the scowl on the duelist's face, giggling quietly when Fiora squeezed her a little bit tighter to indicate her irritation.

"Mon dieu, that is besides the point." Actually, it was sort of the point or else Fiora wouldn't have brought it up to begin with. "With them griefing Demacia's troops and forcing us to stretch our troops thin, it leaves the rest of our kingdom defenseless."

"And making us easier targets for the Mage Rebellion." Lux already caught on to the duelist's train of thought as she went back to studying the map. Indeed the attacks on various towns increased and some of them successful in subduing or liberating from Demacian control. She'd seen the large map in the war room and the frantic scrambling of generals and commanders trying to get a grip of the situation.

Jarvan's attempt at ushering her away from the war room failed when they passed by. He tried to guide her away futilely with a hand around her waist but she shook him off and dared closer. "Lux, please. It's not for a lady as yourself."

Lux rolled her eyes and glared back at Jarvan, actually offended by his comment. "Jarvan, you and I both know I couldn't be further from a 'lady.' And I've been places you haven't either. What's going on that's gotten everyone riled up?"

Sheepish at being called out so crassly in front of the guards posted by the door, he rubbed the back of his neck and waved them to relax. The blonde was a Crownguard, by title, but as a good friend she reserved the right to berate him as a person would to another. He pushed the door open, but their entry went unnoticed among the gathered generals and commanders, far too absorbed in their ruminations. "Sylas has made another major attack. This time in High Silvermere."

Her heart skipped a beat. Her hometown, attacked by Sylas? She knew he was dangerous, lethal, and even cruel but not crazy enough to strike at such a major city. "Was he successful?"

"Fortunately not, Lady Crownguard." One of the generals at the table they gathered around finally addressed them. A few others gave murmured courtesies, but she ignored the informality in favor of inspecting the map laid out in front of them. "High Silvermere has a formidable defense and we were lucky the Unshackled Mage was not present. Your brother was also fortunate to be there when the attack happened and gathered his troops to retaliate and hold the line until reinforcements arrived. He is to remain there until the threat passes, or at least whatever Dauntless Vanguard units he sees fit to defend the city."

Lux nodded, taking mental note of that as she absorbed as much information as she could in front of her. Compared to the map she'd seen in the duelist's estate, this one had a few more pieces of information that could help them pinpoint his location. "I'm glad Garen was there. I couldn't imagine the number of casualties we could have suffered otherwise."

"Yes, we were lucky your brother happened to be there, Luxanna." The blonde fought to keep her expression neutral when her aunt stepped in. "Why don't you leave this to the generals and the Lightshields? They have this situation under control, there is no need to concern yourself with a trivial matter."

Lux glared at Tianna, matching her expression of contempt with one of challenge. Still, she knew better than to provoke an argument in the middle of a war council and bowed politely. "Of course, Demacia's strength will always overcome any adversity. As an ambassador to the Illuminators, I was simply concerned if any assistance would be needed."

The general smiled despite the tension in the air and gave a curt bow of his head. "We are always indebted to the Illuminators and their generosity in these trying times. Should there be of great need, we will contact you immediately Lady Crownguard."

Lux followed a few more lines on the map and frowned deeply. These were new – not even the war room had these on the map. She traced her fingers lightly over their path. "How did you know about this? Not even the fastest messengers in the kingdom got this information to the generals?"

Guilt wrote itself all over Fiora's face, though it was the stiffness in her embrace that gave it away. Lux put two and two together and peeled out of the duelist's arms. Despite their height differences, Lux matched Fiora in a heated glare. "Fiora, have you been asking Eyrin to relay messages? Because if that's the reason why she's been so exhausted as of late-"

"Yes, I have." At least she's honest about it. Fiora didn't hide her cards there and the blonde felt the need to strike back, but she beat her to the punchline. "Both her and Nera are stretching themselves thin for this. Not just herself." The duelist sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, a deep sigh leaving her lips as her voice dropped a notch in volume.

"She offered her assistance. I was adamant about including her, initially at least."

Lux knew Fiora wouldn't – couldn't really – lie to her, so instead of accusing her further, she folded her arms over her chest and put a lid on her temper. "What made you change your mind?"

"Nera's promise." Simply said, as if it explained everything.

It did. Lux knew the older woman adored her raven-haired friend and went to great lengths to train and protect her. And judging from how deep the bond of trust lay between the duelist and the Ionian, there was no doubt in her mind this 'promise' included every facet in keeping Eyrin safe and out of harm's way.

"So where is he headed now?" Lux chose to let the subject drop and cleverly so. There was no need to have the duelist elaborate and waste precious time arguing over semantics.

"Even with her tracking, his movements are too erratic." Fiora leaned against the desk with one arm, her other hand pointing to various markers. Teal eye pierced the well-worn paper as if glaring daggers would suddenly cause the answer to jump out at them. For her, she always read the enemy and anticipated their movements before they even knew they would follow through. Sylas proved to be far more capable than that and her frustration over the months mounted to a breaking point.

Lux canted her head when something peculiar tickled the back of her mind, looking at the map in front of her. She nudged Fiora a bit to the side with her hip, a wordless gesture to give her some space. The duelist gave her the space she needed, but hovered near when Lux picked up a pen.

"There is always a pattern," she remarked quietly, creating a few new markers and scribbling some notes beside them. "Humans are finicky, but we are always creatures of habit no matter how unpredictable we can be." She may have been Sylas' friend briefly, but she stayed at his side long enough to recognize a few ticks and quirks about the vengeful man. Initially she approached him about controlling her magic, but if only she had been wiser and less trusting he wouldn't be throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil at this moment.

She glanced up from her work, biting the end of her pen as she met Fiora's gaze from across the table.

Maybe... the revolt was a good thing.

She wouldn't have had the courage to knock on Fiora's door.

She wouldn't be standing here, sharing a secret, late night mingling with one of the brightest minds she knew.

She most certainly wouldn't have thought she'd garner the affections of a woman she once admired from afar, and definitely not from someone who had harbored ill-conceptions of her.

"Perhaps, things do happen for a reason?"

Fiora frowned. "Do you know something?"

Lux giggled quietly. "You know, I was going to ask if you had a quill with how antiquated Demacians tend to be. This pen is kind of nifty since you introduced me to them."

Fiora rolled her eyes and folded her own arms over her chest, grousing quietly. "I am not antiquated."

"You aren't, but Demacia is." Lux tapped the pen on the new icons on the map. "Sylas always plans for the long term. He never makes it obvious and he bides his time, which is why it's so hard to figure out what he intends. Presently he's leading the Mage Rebellion, something we all know." She could see curiosity and eagerness replace confusion in the duelist's eyes.

Fiora loved knowledge, craved it.

"However, I was able to use my connection to the Prince, as a good friend and confidant-" Lux inwardly winced at that. She hadn't brought up his proposal to her with Fiora, and right now she definitely didn't need to know. "-and I found myself in the midst of the kingdom's war room. From what I gathered, he's launched several smaller attacks in towns you may not have connections to. But the biggest one was in High Silvermere."

Fiora frowned at the mention of this. "He's either a madman, or clever enough to draw attention away from elsewhere and to a major city."

"Precisely, and he's a bit of both I suppose." She circled her hometown on the map. "My brother is trapped there, forced to hold up a defense until their next move which means the Dauntless Vanguard is busy elsewhere."

What the duelist said next only proved to Lux that Fiora was definitely someone one didn't want to cross paths with.

"He plans on using High Silvermere as a distraction to attack the Capital directly."

Lux nodded. "And with the current governing bodies in place, as well as our laws-"

"- mages will never have equality. He wants to overthrow the royal family and instate anarchy by creating a kingdom full of mages led on the wrong path."

"From one extreme to the other, unfortunately." Lux sighed and dropped into Fiora's chair, pulling it up to the desk just so she could prop herself up on her elbows and plant her chin in her hands. "It seems crazy and implausible, but I do know how he operates. When I was with him, he asked about the manuscripts of Durand. I didn't know what for at the time or how he accomplished what he did, but when I met you and Nera, it made everything clear. He has the ability to absorb magic on his own from whomever he comes in contact with, and petricite only amplifies that effect."

Fiora paled. "And if he has an entire army of mages at his disposal..."

Silence hung in the air as the duelist found herself incapable of completing her sentence. Unnecessary, really, seeing as they both realized the gravity of the threat.

"So..." the duelist began again, in an awkward attempt at reengaging the conversation. "We know his intent. But where is he?"

Lux jabbed the point of her pen towards a large city on the other side of the map, closest to Fiora. "He's holing up there."

"Zeffira?" The former capital of Demacia and large enough to rival that of their current capital.

The blonde didn't respond, opting instead to let the inquiry hang in the air.

Fiora studied the map carefully and furrowed her eyebrows.

She's thinking.

Lux waited for the duelist to wrap her mind around the possibility. It had been something she learned about Fiora over time – her silences weren't from a lack of desire to speak, but rather her turning over information carefully as to not leave a single detail missed. She was just as calculative as she was quick with her tongue and more often than not they spent more time thinking than actually conversing when left to their own affairs.

"It makes sense," she concluded, relaxing her shoulders and unfurling her arms. "Demacia is slow, they will assume he is traveling with his mages for maximum protection. He appears when it's crucial, but otherwise hides from sight as he plans. The last place they would suspect is Zeffira."

Befitting, when Lux thought about it. The last time Demacia had such a violent turn in history was during the Battle of the Sisters. She supposed it was Sylas' way of leaving his own mark in history.

"We must move quickly," Fiora added shortly after and Lux actually sat up when the duelist left the desk.

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

Fiora stopped before she left her office, one hand barely making it to the doorknob. "We do not have time to wait. We must make the first move, now that we know what his plan is. Do you know where Zeffira is, little light?"

Lux flushed at the nickname, but kept her composure together enough to utter her response. "Yes? It's in the middle of the..."

And then it dawned on her.

"Oh. Oh."

Fiora smirked and left the office, leaving Lux to scramble and pick up the pieces the duelist left her.

The Petricite Forest, where magic was nonexistent and inhibited.

Where their other strengths came into play.

Fiora, being the most elite of duelists in the kingdom, could waltz in like air. And Lux herself was no slouch either, proving to be just as capable with physical combat outside of her magic.

After all, she did serve in Demacia's military for some time.

They both did, technically.


The plan was simple – get in, get Mina, get out, and hopefully all without being seen.

Except, this time they did have a plan. A risky one, but it was the best shot they had at stopping this madness before it collapsed on them.

"This is as far as I can take you," remarked Eyrin as they stepped out of the black mist transporting them to the edge of the Petricite forest. "Any further and we'd be trapped in oblivion probably."

Lux shook her head and placed a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "You've done plenty. Thank you for taking us this far. I'm just glad you're okay."

Eyrin shrugged and subtly gestured towards Fiora who looked a little less than pleased at experiencing her first magical transport. "You can thank her later. She's the reason why I pushed myself this much." The raven-haired woman went over and tapped the duelist on the shoulder, grabbing her attention for a brief moment.

"Hey, I know we don't speak much, but please do be safe." Fiora nodded mutely, uncertain of how to handle the well-wishes and if her stomach would turn over. "Nera was worried sick when you made mention of doing this by yourself, so come back in one piece, at least for her?"

Fiora hated leaving Nera out of the loop for this one, but the more people they included in this stealth mission, the greater the chances of it failing. And Nera swallowed her own pride long enough to humbly bow out of it without much protest when they discussed their plans. "I will. We will."

Eyrin smiled, though the tension in the air kept it small. "Alright, Lucette and Starfire are waiting nearby. If you guys make it out with her, head straight for Cloudswood and don't stop. You know you have until dawn, before the last ship to Piltover leaves port for the month."

They knew Kepi waited patiently for them to rescue her mother, but even she had been hard pressed to return to the City of Progress. Time couldn't wait for everyone, even if the young Crownguard wanted it to stop until Mina was safe. The duelist nodded in affirmation before Eyrin vanished in a dark mist.

"You know, I wasn't aware you owned something other than the few suits you've worn when I see you." Fiora blinked when a warm hand encircled her arm and the awe in Lux's eyes was enough to make her a little self-conscious. She opted out of her normally colorful ensemble in favor of the night, her armor and clothes barely making her visible against the dark aside from where her skin showed.

Unfortunately, this particular outfit had been one of her more... risque ones, if one could count showing plentiful cleavage as such. Back in her earlier years when she went to deal with the more rowdy bunches, she used her own natural beauty as a part of her arsenal in defeating them while keeping her identity hidden. It was an older outfit, dubbed 'Nightraven' by her incredibly loyal and cheesy-at-times servant. Since then, she swore off letting Nera give her any sort of vigilante nicknames that would cause further embarrassment to the duelist.

She was more surprised it still fit her given how much she grew over the years. "I don't use this much."

"You should use it more," the blonde suggested unhelpfully as she craned her head up to kiss Fiora's cheek softly. "You look good in it. I like the red."

Fiora's hand went up to rub her eyes uncomfortably. They changed their appearances to keep their identities hidden, though the duelist's had been a little more extreme. Instead of her usual pink streak in her hair, Nera went ahead and dyed it snowy-white. Kepi gave her something called 'contact lenses' to alter her eye color seeing as the forest would wipe away any magical enchantment otherwise.

Aside from her rapier that would have given away her skill, she looked drastically different than normal. "I do not like having to change so much."

"Nor do I." Lux altered fewer things of herself including deep chocolate eyes that made her a lot more plain looking, but the change was enough for Fiora to know for a fact she would miss her at a glance. The blonde stuck with the same outfit she spotted her in during the duel except she took extra precautions to keep her attire form fitting.

What definitely stuck out was her lack of a weapon however. The duelist almost always saw her with her wand.

Definitely serious business now.

"Ready to go save a damsel in distress?"

Fiora couldn't hold back a groan, following Lux as they went to find their horses.

"Oui, just don't be that damsel in distress, mon cher."


A/N + A/T: It has been a hot damn minute since I updated. To put it this way: the internal nomenclature I adopted for this fanfic has been "lwotb chapter [#]." I completely forgot how to name it and typed "lwotb 24" instead so now it shall remain in my doc manager as such until the end of time. orz

First and foremost, I am so sorry for having dropped off the face of the earth in terms of updates. I usually am pretty on-point with it, but an array of situations left me on a mini-hiatus I hadn't intended on taking. I see no reason in hiding and I will be openly honest to all of my readers who do read these little notes.

Mental health is, and will always be, a very serious matter for me. For anyone who is struggling with stress, depression, or anything of the sort, please do speak to someone or contact the appropriate hotlines. It's tough when your emotions and chemical imbalances get the better of you. I have anxiety and a combination of that with depression drains me of any energy I may have remaining. It makes doing anything almost impossible and on top of the massive heat wave that sat in my area, I was more or less sprawled out on the tile floors of the sunroom at my place trying to preserve my sanity.

Life also sprung up on me suddenly. I had to sort out issues with the DMV on top of figuring out some banking issues. I also have a very lovely girlfriend whom I've been coordinating with when she returns from Japan in the coming months, and a 15-hour time difference makes communicating at the odd hours of the day really crucial. School is also on the horizon and I desperately need to go back to finish my degree and get a more stable job so I have better hours than my current one.

And in regards to the story itself, I did hit a bit of a mental block and creative slump. I have some idea of how the subsequent chapters go, but my outline offered nothing for the transition between the previous chapter and the coming ones, and it took me a few weeks of sorting before I finally snagged onto something. I'm a lot more pleased with the current version as opposed to the half-assed draft I had sitting for a week.

I have also been contemplating an array of other LoL fanfics in the past month. I won't list them here, but I'll have the pairings on my profile somewhere probably. I do intend on doing them at some point, just not until this particular one is done.

For this fanfic in itself, it really has been quite a journey and testing my own ability to remain consistent or at least give it a finale. I know, I'm twenty-four chapters deep and still no actual lemons yet?! I promised a story, and I'm doing my best to deliver. Hopefully you guys stick it out with me and bear with my dumb self adsfdgasgadagads.

As always, feel free to leave a review or comment! I already have the next chapter in the works, but that might take a minute as well. It's just kind of lengthy with what I have planned.