They would sort everything out when the dust settled.

That was what Fiora believed.

Fate had other plans for them, however.

"Madame?" The duelist blinked, her world coming back into full color. She noted the soft pressure at her chest, and another hand laid gently on her back. When her mind clicked with reality again, she realized she nearly fell out of her saddle, barely saved by an arm stopping her from completing the fall.

She blinked and swiveled her head just to see blue eyes turning away from her.

"Fiora? Are you alright?" She took a deep, heavy breath and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Suddenly the light was too bright, the voices too loud, and her head pounded like she had been clubbed over the head.

"'m fine. Just a little exhausted."

"Fiora, why don't you head home instead? I can handle matters with the Illuminators. You need the rest." Easier said than done when she didn't quite recognize where they were at the moment. She spent many nights staying up, but usually made up for it by sleeping in. It was the first time she stayed awake long after the sun cleared the horizon and hung high up in the sky. And her body did not like it one bit.

Lux saw the stress slowly creep into Fiora's body. It started in her back, then seeped into her arms and legs. She barely caught up in time to stop her from barreling forward and right off, and it took a bit of shaking to wake her up again. She'd been through a lot and Lux couldn't fault her – they were all exhausted.

The blonde decided to take the lead for now, keeping a watchful eye on the duelist.

By the time the gates to the manor came into view, Nera waited for them as if she knew exactly when they'd arrive.

"You poor soul..." the snowy-haired woman tutted as she came up to Lucette's side, reaching up to grab Fiora's arm and slowly help her off the horse. "I expected a delayed arrival, but I didn't think you'd take this long to get back."

"We deviated in case Sylas decided to retaliate and track our whereabouts," Lux explained as she hopped off Starfire. She grabbed Lucette's reins when Nera released them. The older woman opted to carry Fiora in her arms instead, walking as if she weighed next to nothing. "Do you need help?"

Nera jerked her head in the direction of the stables. "Just make sure Lucette is secured. I'll take care of milady."

Lux watched as Nera headed back in the direction of the manor. "Um, if I may ask-"

She stopped dead in her tracks, glancing off to the side and Lux felt something close off in her heart. "-come back later. She won't be awake until then. I suggest you return to the Capital for the time being."

There was nothing else she could, or wanted, to say.


She waited.

They waited.

Hours passed before she gave up. Perhaps the next day.

But the next day came, and passed just as the previous day had.

A few more, then a week had flown by.

Things returned to normal, as if that night never happened in the first place. She'd taken care of all the requests coming through, greatly reducing in volume by the end of the week. The only proof of their expedition had been a personal message sent by Sona, thanking her for guaranteeing Mina's safe return and a warm invitation to visit her whenever the duelist liked.

She was glad Mina was safe, along with her lover, in Demacia with people she trusted.

Yet her thoughts remained scattered like shadows in the light.

"Milady?" Fiora exhaled slowly when Nera knocked on her office door with a small tray in hand. "I just happened to pass by on my final rounds for the night. You look occupied."

She glanced down at the book in her hands – Valor and Justice: Volume One – before shaking her head. "Light reading."

She supposed staring at the same page for the last hour constituted 'light reading.'

The older woman hummed thoughtfully and set the tray on the opposite side of the desk. "Would you care for some-"

"-no thank you."

A full minute of silence passed.

"It's just some warm water and a towel, milady." The duelist sat up in her chair. Instead of the usual tea the Ionian had on hands at any given moment, a small bowl of steaming water and a washcloth sat on its surface. Nera soaked the towel and wrung off the excess before handing it to Fiora wordlessly – a gesture she accept gratefully. She wiped her face clean after pulling off her glasses and rubbed the back of her neck, easing tense muscles from sitting at the desk for so long.

"I'm sorry," Fiora murmured quietly in her native tongue.

Nera smiled fondly, a humor-filled hum rumbling in her throat. "For what?"

"You were only being kind. I'm a bit-"

"-milady, I already know what is troubling you." Nera took the towel back from Fiora and dipped it in the warm water. "You needn't apologize for your emotions, Fiora."

Fiora closed her eyes when Nera stepped behind her and let the older woman work her fingers into her skin. "I just..." She couldn't sleep well at night the entire week. Tossing and turning from unease churning in her gut. She believed she was above simple emotions and tumultuous thoughts stemming from a terrible fate called love.

Yet here she was, for the first time, unable to figure out how to combat distress filling every pore of her body.

"Fiora, look at me." The duelist complied, opening her eyes and craning her head up. "I will step out of line this once, whether you allow me to or not. No more secrets in this office, for now."

The duelist couldn't find it in her heart to snap back. She nodded mutely and let Nera roll her chair back a bit to bring another one over. It made the space behind the desk incredibly cramped and uncomfortable, but when Nera sat down and reached over to grasp her hands she wished for something more than just this.

"Forget Demacia for a moment. Forget their systems and hierarchies. We are one and the same, right now." Nera studied Fiora closely, continuing when the duelist remained quiet. "What does Lux mean to you?"

What did Lux mean to her?

Lux represented everything wrong with Demacia – born into nobility and a role expected of her name. She followed the rule book down to the last letter and stood proud by her kingdom's flag. An ancient kingdom that had no place in the modern world.

Lux represented everything right with Demacia – working tirelessly to ensure the citizen's welfare was taken care of one way or the other. She held fast to moral pillars and defended those that would have otherwise fallen at the unrelenting hands of justice. She was a beacon of light in the darkness falling over their lands.

"Lux..." she whispered, voice cracking as she buried her face in a hand to will the tears away. "Where did I go wrong?"

"I have known you for over a decade now Fiora. If you asked me what I thought of you now, I'd have no words. You are just Fiora to me – not 'Mistress Laurent,' not 'milady,' none of that." A hand came up to pry her own away, and the duelist found herself forced to meet Nera's soft gaze. "And I know for a fact, you are never wrong."

"I was a fool-"

"You are not a fool. You will never be a fool."

Fiora snapped.

"I am a fool to think I'd find love!"

Nera fell silent.

The duelist sank back in her chair, anger fleeing as quickly as it arrived. "I am a fool..." she croaked, feeling tears slowly work their way down her cheeks. "I am a bloody, fucking fool to believe she could be someone I could love."

Fiora failed to grasp this concept of 'love.' She knew it to be a folly, twisting the hearts of men and women alike to chase after another in hopes of living a life full of happiness and peace. She saw the jealousy it bred in others and the despair that came when it shattered as easily as glass. So many toyed with the fragility of hearts and manipulated the most resolute into straying from the light.

Not this. Not with Lux.

Lux was... different. And she rewrote the rules of the game.

She annoyed Fiora, made her question her decisions and actions. But she got under her skin in a way that stood out from the rest of Demacia. She persisted even when Fiora shook her off, and took away her prejudices with her own hands. She thrived where many would have quit, and quite frankly the duelist forgot about everything for a bit in her presence. The blonde came to her so easily and eased the stress of her days with a refreshing optimism she once found suffocating.

She thought it was simple admiration and respect for someone she once believed to be lackluster.

And then there were the fleeting touches. A hand on her cheek, a brush of their arms. She enjoyed looking into those baby blue eyes unbridled with raw emotions – wonderment, concern, happiness, determination. She came to love the little expressions she caught her making when the blonde thought no one was looking.

That admiration bloomed into unadulterated compassion.

The first kiss, not their accidental one, but their first real kiss sent shivers down her spine and her stomach unable to handle the rush filing her to the brim. And the second one, and the third – at some point, Fiora lost track. Their kisses never brought just desire to the duelist. Each one filled her with that, and so much more.

Reassurance, comfort, simple wishes.

Everything felt so down-to-earth. Nothing was rushed, none of this rose-filled romance she often envisioned when it came to love.

This was what she believed comprised true love.

The reassurance of someone watching her back, standing by her side, and fighting through the darkness to reach the light.

But there was so much that kept them apart as well.

They were bound to their names, obstructed by social constructs designed to cruelly punish all but the oppressive forces that reinforce them. They could flourish in secrecy, but at what cost when the iron fist came down and crushed their untainted bonds?

Who would be mad enough to voice their opinion against the Crown, when the kingdom would be ready to take down whomever stood again it?

The Crownguards loathed Fiora, enough to step on her foot. The Prince destroyed what small chance she had with her. Demacia, as it was, would sooner extinguish Lux's light if they discovered her secret.

And yet Fiora would risk it all. Risk damning herself to the Shadow Isles, risk losing all her possessions and power, risk being exiled and kicked out of Demacia.

Just. For. Her.

So what exactly was Lux to her?

"Fiora, you are many things. Ambitious, cautious, young, wise." Nera cupped her cheek gently and the duelist leaned into the touch. Just like the way Lux held her in Terbesia. "I could come up with so much more if you gave me the time of day, but never would I have considered foolish."

She brushed her thumb over wet cheeks, eyes softening at the unusual shininess within teals. "You love more than you realize you are capable of. You care for us all. You give us security. You'd do anything for those around you, and you never, I repeat, never let anything take you down. You are strong, mon cher. Unmatched, unchallenged. But this is not a matter of winning or losing, or of coming out on top."

Nera leaned in and rested her forehead against Fiora's, lips drawn up in a reassuring smile. "You know the answer in your heart."

The duelist closed her eyes and took a shaky breath.

Her servant - no, friend - was right.

The answer screamed itself in her heart, in every fiber of her being.

She found the courage to look up at Nera.

"I ask you once again. What is Lux to you then?"

Fiora felt the words leave her mouth without hesitation.

"My equal."


Lux stared at the ceiling blankly.

How did it all fall apart so quickly?

Silence deafened her to the point her own heartbeat felt like a quake rocking her to her core. She rolled over onto her side and watched the hands of her clock tick by slowly.

Two in the morning... and I can't sleep...

They whisked her away to make preparations for the wedding, hastened under the threat of Sylas after his attack on High Silvermere. She convened with the Prince but only in the public's eye as word spread far and wide of their engagement and impending wedding. There was no time for her to slip out anymore, guards positioned at every point possible to prevent her escape.

She was tired, exhausted emotionally and physically. The late nights were getting to her. If only she could find Eyrin-

Tears welled up in her eyes and she covered both of them with her hands. It didn't prevent the sob escaping her, not knowing where they held the former Noxian.

When Lux pushed the door open to the estate, something felt off. The lack of servants, the perpetuating silence as if the halls lost life, nothing seemed to stir as she walked through the large home.

Her heart sunk when the door to the family study was cracked open. An intruder? Not likely, there were no signs of a scuffle. Perhaps Sylas had gotten ahead of them and managed to return? But the guards would have given them trouble when they came back to the capital. Lux dared to creep closer and she silenced her approach with light footsteps to try and see who all occupied the room.

"We know you are there Lux."

No use in hiding now. She stepped out into full view and spotted her mother and aunt by the fireplace. A fire roared in its place and heated the room several degrees higher than the rest of the home. Tianna seemed perfectly at ease with her armor, but her mother had extra layers around herself.

Incredibly odd.

"I would ask the question that is burning on our minds, but I believe we already know the answer to that." Lux stiffened when her aunt's icy gaze landed on her, stripping her bare of any shields she tried to put up. "Gossip gets around quick in noble homes."

"Aunt Tianna, I was on a mission designated by the Illuminators-"

"That is not what I am referring to." The sharp interruption caused her to snap her jaw shut so quickly, she swore she heard her teeth rattle. "You are doing your duties as expected. I am not questioning that."

Her mother turned on her. "Your little friend wasn't as clever as she thought she was."

What?

"Your mother may be easily deceived, but I am not Luxanna." When Tianna advanced on her slowly, Lux shifted her feet slightly and clenched her fingers. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "I did not lead the Dauntless Vanguard for as long as I have just by pure strength and merit alone. You know this well – your brother currently leads it."

She tried to ascertain where her aunt went with this.

"I'll put it plainly for you – Demacia is dying. Our duty is to protect the Crown. I have no more patience to tolerate your friend, nor the plague that is House Laurent." Tianna glowered at Lux and the latter felt anger wash over her in waved. "The only house that has refused to stand united with us all are them. If they do not wish to stand against our enemies, then they may very well be our enemies."

Lux locked her jaw when the taller woman grabbed her chin roughly and tilted her head upward.

"Don't worry – your friend is quite safe. Eyrin, was it? She'll be returned as soon as we wring every last detail out of her pertaining to your little duelist and her Ionian friend."

"You leave them out of this-" A resounding slap cut Lux off sharply. She staggered and held her cheek, pain stinging her skin but not as much as the revelation of what her aunt could possibly do to Fiora and Nera.

"I've had enough of your insolence. I was wise to ask your brother to speak to his friend, the Prince, but perhaps I should have asked sooner." Lux glared at her, tears burning in her eyes out of sheer hatred. "You are forbidden from making contact with House Laurent. All associations you have to them, whether through obligatory official matters or not, will cease effective immediately." A direct order from her aunt, and one she couldn't ignore.

"It's about time you learned your place, and where Laurent has hers."

More lay underneath those words – threatening Eyrin's life and keeping her whereabouts hidden, slowly putting Fiora into a chokehold, and keeping her under close watch as the wedding drew closer.

And they trapped her in the middle of it all.

I just wish I knew where they took her... Eyrin's absence left Lux isolated from the rest of the kingdom. No matter how hard she tried, none of the others in the estate seemed to know where they took her to. The Mageseeker Complex was the only likely place to keep her under lock and key, but she could have easily vanished and escaped during the guard changes.

And Fiora...

Lux promised her she would return. She promised to come back.

The blonde curled up, hugging a pillow close to her. The thought of the duelist brought a fresh wave of tears.

And she didn't stop them this time, staining the pillow with her anguish.

Her spirit belonged to Demacia.

Her hand in marriage belonged to Prince Jarvan.

Her heart belonged to-

"Fiora..." she choked out, burying her face in the soft cotton. Her named echoed in the room and she desperately wished she had some kind of magic that could summon her beyond all the guards. She knew deep in her heart the only person in the world she wanted to see most was the duelist.

If only there was a way to let Fiora know she hadn't abandoned her, forgotten her as easily as the wind.

If only she had a way to get word out, a messenger bird, something.

If only-

Loud rattling broke the silence of her room and Lux bolted up from her bed. A dark figure perched on the windowsill, oddly familiar and her heart skipped a beat. She nearly tripped over herself getting out of bed and rushed over to unlock the panes, swinging them wide open to let the cool, night air in.

"Eyrin I-"

Lux stopped, her heart skipping several beats

Not Eyrin.

But literally the answer to her prayers.

"Fiora?"


Fiora took a careful step down from the windowsill and once safely inside the room, she turned around to shut the windows as quietly as she could afford. Once on the Crownguard estate, it took her a moment to figure out which room belonged to Lux, but once she put two-and-two together...

...of course they would keep their 'princess' in the highest room from the ground.

"Mon dieu, a child could get through those guards unnoticed," muttered Fiora as she dusted off the dirt from her gloves. Really with the number of guards posted around the grounds she was surprised they never noticed her slipping past them. Maybe it really was the Nightraven suit, minus the hair color and contact lenses. "You'd think-"

"...Fiora?" The duelist stilled her hand and found Lux gawking at her in complete and utter disbelief.

"Oui, what?"

The blonde didn't reply.

"Little Light?"

Nothing.

Fiora stepped closer to Lux and cupped her cheeks softly, tilting her head up. Tears brimmed at the corner of her eyes – concern furrowed the duelist's brows as she brushed her thumbs over Lux's eyes. "Mon cher, speak to me."

Lux grabbed her wrists and pull her hands away from her face. She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Fiora's lips, acutely aware of the fact she probably stained her face with her tears.

No rush, no excitement, nothing.

Nothing except patience and comfort.

"You're here," Lux breathed, as if the person before her was only a figment of her imagination. She reached up and caressed the duelist's face, tears brimming in her eyes once more. "You're actually here."

Fiora smiled thinly. "Of course mon cher. I waited for you to come back."

Guilt hit her hard in the gut. Lux bit her lower lip and buried her face in one hand. "I... I'm so sorry-" Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and the blonde let herself be embraced by the taller woman. Being in Fiora's arms now, despite all of the pain and weight settled on her shoulders, made it easier to breathe. Made it easier to think with clarity and control her emotions.

"But a prince must always come for the princess, non?"

Lux buried her face in Fiora's neck, breathing in the familiar scent of roses and tea. Yes, in all of those fairy tales she grew up hearing, the prince always sought the princess no matter how hard the challenge, no matter how far and wide he searched.

Man or woman, commoner or prince, it didn't really matter to her.

Fiora was here.

And the younger woman lost it.

Lux buried her face in silky tresses and crushed their lips together. She had enough of her emotions overloading her brain with sorrow. She was tired of all the attention from everyone, yet no one dared come close. She craved the touch of only one person in her life at that moment.

She needed Fiora.

"Lux-" The blonde silenced Fiora with another deep kiss the moment they broke away for air.

"Mon cher, listen to me-" Lux refused to heed to those words, pushing the duelist back more and more until the back of her knees collided with the bed and they fell over together. She wasted no time in straddling Fiora, fumbling and prying off the few pieces of armor clasped to her limbs and chest.

"Enough," Fiora hissed quietly.

The blonde felt the weight under her shift and she went weightless, toppling over onto her back when Fiora pushed her off. Her momentary disorientation was enough for the duelist to gain the upper hand, pinning Lux down by her wrists and sitting on her legs to prevent her from so much as moving. When she tested the taller woman's hold on her arms, Fiora only gripped tighter and it forced Lux to maintain eye contact.

Instead of hatred, concern filled Fiora' eyes.

Life really was so unfair sometimes, giving her someone so perfect, yet so far out of her own reach.

"Mon dieu, I am not going anywhere," she breathed, a little shaken from the sudden assertiveness coming from the diminutive blonde. She waited until they both calmed down, quieting further when footsteps passed the door. The guards really prowled the grounds tonight.

"You shouldn't be here..." So quiet and scared. Fiora couldn't help herself when tears trailed down Lux's cheeks and she relinquished her grip to wipe them away. Instead of being pushed off as she expected, the blonde grabbed her wrist and kept her hand there. "You shouldn't be here, at all."

Fiora noticed then how puffy Lux's eyes were. Had she been crying before she arrived? "Mon cher..."

She climbed off Lux once she knew the blonde wouldn't jump her again. Lux didn't even attempt sitting up, instead staring up at the ceiling until a hand coaxed her to rise just enough so she had her back against the duelist's chest. Arms wrapped around her shoulders and she sank into the warmth subconsciously.

And just like that night in Terbesia, Fiora held Lux until her breathing evened out and her sobbing subsided.

Because few things in this world were worth sacrificing for.

Lux included.


Fiora felt her eyelids droop, but the gentle breath cascading across her skin kept her awake. Blonde hair draped over her front and she continued to rub soothing circles with her thumb on Lux's arm.

Dark blue painted the black ink outside, but she lost all care for how much time passed.

She managed to slip away a moment earlier to rearrange her haphazardly tossed armor, setting them on one of the unoccupied chairs and shucking her boots off to join it. She debated on where to put her rapier but ultimately leaned it against the wall next to Lux's wand.

The second Fiora returned to bed, Lux pushed her down until she nestled comfortably against the pillows. Fiora disliked how soft the bed was and the pinch of her neck craned without support. Yet a single glance down to the woman laying in her arms pushed those discomforts to the back of her mind.

"I like the look of that." She thought Lux had fallen asleep after some time, but clearly she had not.

They both had too much on the mind, she supposed.

Fiora combed a hand through Lux's hair, brushing it away from her face so she could lean down and plant a soft kiss to her cheek. "Of what, mon cher?"

Lux pointed across the room and she followed her line of sight to their weapons. "That. Just think about it, a day of hard work, coming back and then... this."

It was a rather pleasant notion spending a quiet evening just wrapped up in each other's company.

The blonde's grip around her waist tightened and brought her back to reality. Fiora sighed quietly and tucked her finger under Lux's chin, bringing her attention upwards.

"We need to talk, mon cher." She indulged in the blonde's desire for physical contact long enough – this hadn't been the purpose of her visit.

Lux looked away wearily. "I know. This... whatever we have. It needs to end."

"No," began Fiora, capturing the blonde's attention with the defiance in her voice. "It doesn't need to end."

"Fiora, I'm getting married to Jarvan." She held up her hand with the single band around her ring finger. "I'm betrothed, there is no going back on this."

Fiora closed her eyes and leaned in to peck Lux's lips. "Then why do you not resist?"

She... couldn't. Lux had no desire in harming Fiora. "You know why..."

Fiora sighed. The ring offended her, really. She grasped her hand and brought it to her lips, kissing the top of the ring softly. If only she had put the ring there herself... "Do you remember what I promised a few weeks ago?"

How could Lux forget? "You'd protect me, you'd keep me safe."

"Oui, and I intend on keeping my word." The duelist shifted to make it easier to hold the blonde in her arms. "Demacia is not doing itself any favors by snuffing your light when it needs it the most. I will fight for you, mon cher."

"Fiora, this isn't a joking matter. If you oppose the marriage, you oppose the Crown. If you oppose the Crown, you go against Demacia." Fiora understood the implications of trying to stop the wedding and objection to the union. She hadn't spent the entire week drowning herself in every book she could get her hands on in regards to the laws and statues governing their kingdom. There had to be a code or limitation somewhere, something that could be used to prevent the union from being solidified. She went through the same thing with her father, but back then she had been desperate to keep their family in Demacia.

Lux, on the other hand, was a victim and in a much more precarious web.

"I know."

Lux cupped her cheek. There was so much sadness in them it made Fiora want nothing more than to bring the light back in the blonde. "Here I thought, you'd be a fighting, heated mess. I thought you never loved anyone before."

"I was a mess," Fiora admitted quietly, looking off to the side. "But few people in this world believe in me as strongly as Nera does." She gazed back into Lux's eyes. "You are correct – I have never loved before. But I am never wrong."

She held the blonde's hand in her own, weaving their fingers together. "You are the one I want in my life, little light."

The younger Crownguard buried herself in the duelist's embrace.

"Je t'aime, mon amour."

That was what Fiora knew.

And Lux believed her.


A/T: Talk about a heavy chapter.

This took me a fair bit to come back around to. Unfortunately I ended up catching a mild fever from being overworked a few days ago and while I had this written for a few days now, I never got a chance to edit and revise it. I wasn't all that happy with it because I debated whether or not I wanted to include certain scenes, but in the end I kept it because it drives home a couple of not-so-obvious points that will play key roles in the next couple.

And aside from the heavy emotions, I really just wanted to write Lux pinning Fiora down and asserting her dominance. There's few opportunities I get for that, and it goes to show just how dynamic she can be. I wanted to explore the more complex sides of each character rather than the surface personalities we're all used to seeing, and I admit these two ran away from me quite a bit. Not that I mind - I like the direction that they went in.

We're getting there folks. It's not the end, but we're finally stretching the band to its limits now.