Narlou smiled down at the defeated younger brother who laid sprawled out on the grass, panting heavily.

"Jeez, just how strong are you?!"

"Stronger than you for sure." Narlou answered jokingly, sitting down next to the gently smiling Yone.

They had been wandering together for the last two days, and while it was only a short period of time that Narlou had known them for, he felt like he had known the kids his whole life already. They had grown on him extremely fast, and they had been a huge help in making Narlou feel much more positive again, whether they realized it or not.

"I wish I could fight with you too." Yone said with something akin to sadness in his voice, causing Narlou to pat the kid's shoulder with a small smile.

The older brother was still in the process of healing, so he had not yet fought with him like his younger brother had.

One thing that Narlou had discovered about Yone was that he was just as interested in fighting as his brother, despite his calm personality. He had attentively watched every battle between him and his brother and Narlou could guess that he was already planning counters and attacks against his wild fighting style for when it was his turn to fight.

Yasuo, on the other hand had turned out to be a natural when it came to the sword.

Narlou had faced lots of swordsmen on the battlefield, and he could tell that the kid would go far if trained properly.

Sadly though, Narlou was not a swordsman, meaning that he could not train the two very well. But what he could do was make the kids do training to strengthen their bodies more as well as occasionally sparing with them to give them fighting experience.

Talking about swordsman though, Narlou had found out something quite interesting.

Both of the kinds used a sword technique that allowed them to infuse wind into their blades without using actual wind magic or enhancement magic. He could tell that the technique had lots of potential, and Narlou did have to wonder just how strong they could become if they were to learn wind enhancement magic.

So, he had decided to teach them exactly that once Yone was completely healthy again.

"Once you're in fighting shape, I will fight you as much as you want."

Narlou watched with delight as Yone's eyes lit up with excitement.

"That's a promise, right?"

"Of course."

Narlou couldn't resist ruffling through the kid's hair as his expression brightened. He was just too cute.

"S-stop that!"

The little blush that formed on the normally emotionless brother's face made Narlou just ruffle harder.

"But your hair is just so soft, I can't help it!"

Yone's blush increased in color, and Narlou chuckled cheerfully.

"Oi old man, up for one more fight?"

Narlou turned to Yasuo who was standing on his two feet again, pointing his sword at him with fire in his eyes. He had to respect the kid's determination if nothing else.

"Who are you calling old man?!" Narlou shouted as he jumped up in mock anger, creating a small pure mana ball in his palm.

"Wait! That's unfair! Yone, help me!" Yasuo shouted as he dropped his sword and ran away from the manically laughing Narlou who was chasing after him.

"YONEEEEE!"

Yone's laugh resounded throughout the small clearing as Narlou hunted the younger brother, shooting harmless mana rays past the kid to scare him.

A wide smile covered Narlou's face as he took in the happy atmosphere.

He would do everything to protect them. It was the least he could do.

The sun was high in the sky when the little group of three found a small village by the river that they had been wandering alongside.

Small houses were scattered along the water with people doing all kinds of things to keep themselves entertained, creating a very peaceful atmosphere.

The three unanimously agreed to stay at the village for the day to rest, since they've been wandering around without much to do.

Narlou found the change to be very welcome as they walked along the dirt road that led through the village, people saying their hellos with kind smiles as they walked past before continuing with their work. It was nice to see the calm life of the village, and the brothers seemed to enjoy it too if the excitedly talking amongst themselves was anything to go by.

Narlou found their childlike happiness to be adorable.

The sound of a person approaching caused Narlou to look to the side, where an old man was smiling at them with a grandfatherly expression.

"Ho! Welcome to our humble village. I'm guessing you are here to stay for a night?"

The old guy's eyes wrinkled as his smile widened once he spotted the two smaller brothers behind Narlou, bending forward slightly with squinting eyes as if he could not see well.

"Hello, sir. We are indeed only here for a night's rest, though we might stay for longer if the kids like it here." Narlou answered with an equally kind smile.

He had always liked older people. They just seemed so kind.

"Are those your children if you don't mind me asking? You seem quite young to be a father already."

Yasuo decided that now was the perfect time to speak up.

"What?! Of course, he's not our father! He is our big brother!"

Yone nodded at his brother's words as if he had not just told the old man a lie.

The old man laughed good naturedly, but Narlou felt a warmth invade his stomach upon hearing Yasuo's words. To be called big brother was not something that he had ever imagined hearing in his lifetime.

It felt quite nice.

"I see. Now then, follow me and I will show you the way to the local tavern if that's alright with you."

"Please lead the way."

As they walked through the village and his kids talked with the old man about trivial things, Narlou noticed that the other residents were throwing them weird looks.

'No, not them, but the old man.'

Said man seemed to notice too, because he turned to Narlou with an apologetic smile.

"Please don't mind the villagers. They are just curious because I know a bit of magic."

"A bit of magic?" Narlou asked, curiosity apparent in his words.

"Well, a bit is probably the wrong word to use. I used to be a top magician in Ionia's capital, but the times where I was strong are long gone. My weak body cannot handle the strain of mana anymore."

"What happened, old man? Why are you here now?" Yasuo asked, not bothering with manners.

Luckily, the former magician didn't seem to be offended, instead offering a sheepish smile.

"It wasn't my fault. Believe me or not, but not every Ionian is as nice and good natured as the stories always led people to believe. That also includes the Ionian council."

The man's face darkened, and Narlou could tell that he did not like to talk about this. Still, something about that seemed fishy.

'This requires further investigation.'

"Well, enough about me. Tell me something about you."

The question was directed at the young Yasuo, who immediately pulled out his sword to put on a good show for them.

"My name is Yasuo, and I am the king of all swordsmen!" He swung his sword around randomly to emphasize his point.

The old man laughed heartfully, reaching out to ruffle Yasuo's hair.

Nobody noticed it, but the was a tiny twitch in Narlou's arm as he watched the old man's hand carefully. He had almost decapitated the old man then and there as his instincts had kicked in, but he had managed to hold himself back just in time.

Still, his brows furrowed ever so slightly and him muscles tensed as his eyes remained glued to the man's hand. The old man has said that he had been a strong magician, so he could probably wipe his little brother off the face of earth in the matter of seconds. And the fact that he still didn't know what had happened to the man didn't help putting his mind at ease at all.

"Narlou?"

The young but usually calm voice was filled with concern as Yone tugged on his sleeve, trying to get his attention.

"Yes?"

"Are you alright? You had such an intense look on your face just now."

Narlou felt guilt rise up inside of him. He had made the young kid worry about him for no reason.

He quickly reached out to ruffle his hair again, feeling calmness return to him as he performed the familiar action.

'No one but me is allowed to ruffle their hair!'

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Yone looked at him for a few more seconds, before nodding shortly, not even mentioning that Narlou's hand had yet to leave his head.

"Well then, here is the tavern. Hopefully it will be to your liking!" The old man suddenly spoke up, dragging Narlou out of his thoughts.

"Alright. Thank you for bringing us here! See you soon, uhm…"

"Martel, my name is Martel." The old man provided with an amused smile.

"See you soon Martel!"

"Bye old man!"

"Have a good day, Sir Martel."

Without any more needing to be said, Narlou went into the building with the two brothers only to suddenly come face to face with a small fat man.

"Watch where ya goin' brat!" The drunk man said as he pushed past Narlou, but not before giving his kids a long look.

Narlou has seen too many things to feel offended by that, but an uneasy feeling spread through him when the small man looked at his kids. There had been something in the man's eyes that felt familiar, but Narlou couldn't put his finger on it.

"The hell was that guy's problem?" Yasuo voiced, successfully distracting Narlou from his pondering.

"Some people will never learn proper manners, no matter their age." Yone added, a frown on his face as he stared at the door that the drunk man had just dashed through.

"Welp, the guy was probably still angry that he couldn't look over the counter."

Yasuo laughed out loud, and even Yone couldn't help but smile.

With the good atmosphere being reestablished, Narlou walked up to said counter, noticing how about half of the bar was filled with both young and old people.

A big man with a red beard and a bald head was cleaning a jug as they approached, his experienced eyes looking them up and down before as they came to a halt.

"lemme guess, a room for three for a night."

"And a beer for meeeeeeOUCH!" Yone interrupted Yasuo with a pull at his ear.

"Please excuse my brother's behavior, Sir."

"But I want to try one!" Yasuo pouted as he rubbed his red ear.

"And no means no."

Narlou watched from the sidelines as the brothers continued to bicker amongst themselves, amused at the scene.

"Yes, a room for three for one night please." Narlou answered the question, not looking away from the kids.

"8 Bronze with breakfast, 6 without."

Narlou quickly put a hand into his pocket, summoning 8 bronze coins into the hand before handing them to the barkeeper.

"Thanks." The man said while placing a key on the counter, turning towards another customer who had just appeared at the bar.

Narlou quickly grabbed the key and turned towards the kids again.

"Come on boys, let's go explore the village."

Yone let go of Yasuo's cheek to stand besides Narlou, but not before teasing his younger brother one more time.

"That's what you get if you keep being a brat."

Yasuo shot a glare at his brother.

"When you can fight again, I'm going to beat your ass!"

"Sure you will."

Before they could start fighting again, Narlou took them both by their hands and went outside, ignoring the embarrassed shouts of both brothers with a smirk.

"Stop behaving like little children and I won't treat you like one." Narlou said in a teasing tone, not being serious in the slightest.

He enjoyed watching them play around like that since they probably hadn't had many opportunities to do so back at their village, if the man there had been anything to go by.

It warmed his heart knowing that they could still joke like that despite the war they had partaken in.

'Talking about the war, I wonder what happened with it.'

He had not heard anything about the results as he had only been in the forest for the last week, and he was sure that such a remote village wouldn't know about it either.

"Exactly, Yasuo." Yone said with a superior expression, smiling impishly at his younger brother.

"You too, Yone."

"B-but-"

"HAH! Who's the child n-"

Narlou put a hand over their mouths before they could continue with their silly fight.

"Do you want to keep fighting or explore the village with me?"

The teens nodded excitedly and Narlou removed his hands, already walking ahead.

"Well then, let's go!"

The village turned out to be as beautiful as he had expected it to be.

The houses were small and mostly made out of wood, giving the whole village a cozy feeling, and with it being so close to nature, animals could be heard everywhere they went, sometimes even coming up to them for some pets.

Narlou had at first wondered why the animals were so friendly to them, but the answer had presented itself as they had walked through the village.

They were solely eating vegetables and fish, never hunting any animals around here.

Just the thought of no meat back in Noxus would have been ridiculous, so seeing this was quite a wonderful thing for Narlou.

Speaking of Nature, they had also spent some time by the river, and Narlou had to stop Yasuo from just jumping in when they had first arrived. There had been some fishers nearby, and Narlou didn't want the overenthusiastic kid to scare the fishes away.

Lastly, they had spoken to some villagers here and there, getting to know more about the village and the Ionian forest with all its wonders. Everyone had been very welcoming and nice, and the group found themselves enjoying the modest village.

"The river was much better though!" Yasuo argued as he and Yone walked in front of him, discussing the best part of the village.

"The river was nice, don't get me wrong, but the little hill is much more relaxing." Yone retaliated, pointing into the direction of a small hill at the end of the village, where one had quite the good view of the place.

"What's so great about a hill?"

"What's so great about a river?"

"You can swim in a river!"

"Or you can just relax on a hill."

Narlou smiled lightly as the two continued their familiar arguing, looking at the slowly setting sun.

A red and orange color swept over the rooftops when they finally came back to the tavern. As they entered the building, it was filled to the brim with people shouting, laughing, singing or just quietly enjoying the atmosphere.

"You must be the new travelers that I've heard so much about."

The three turned to the side to see a young man with handsome features lean against the wall next to the door, smiling at them welcomingly.

"I'm Jolune, the old magician's assistant, who I'm sure you have already met. Nice to meet you."

The man reached out to shake his hand, and Narlou took it carefully, watching the man with narrowed eyes.

The guy felt weird, almost fake.

"And who might you guys be?" He asked and turned towards the brothers, a big inviting smile on his face.

"They call me the best swordsm-" Yasuo was stopped by Yone bonking him on the head.

"Please excuse my brother. My name is Yone, and this embarrassing guy here is Yasuo."

Yone did a small polite bow, and Narlou had to admit that it looked quite adorable.

"Yes, I'm Yasuo, as I was about to say!" Said brother hissed at Yone, not amused in the slightest.

"Hahaha! You sure are lively. I couldn't help but notice that you two carry swords around. Would you mind showing me some of your moves? Only if it's alright with your master, of course."

Jolune sent him a questioning look and Narlou had to keep himself from frowning.

It was amusing that the guy assumed him to be the master, but it was absolutely not amusing that the guy was trying to see the brothers' swordsmanship. It was common sense that one did not ask about another person's abilities, especially if that person was a stranger.

"Maybe another time, we've been on the move the entire day, and our legs are quite tired."

"Are you sure? I don't mean to be intrusive, but it's very rare to see swordsmen around here. Just a small show would be enough for me!"

He sent Yone a meaningful look, and luckily, he seemed to understand quickly.

"Please don't take it personally sir, but what our master just said is indeed true. We will show you something tomorrow."

That seemed to brighten the man up, because he quickly nodded with a smile.

"No problem! See you tomorrow then."

And with that, he ran off, leaving the three to awkwardly stand at the entrance of the tavern.

Narlou slowly turned to Yone with a raised eyebrow, making the little guy squirm under his stare.

"Why did you say that?"

"Why did he say what?" Yasuo interjected, curiosity in his eyes as well.

Narlou saw this as an opportunity to give them some advice, so he walked over to an empty table and sat down with the brothers, ordering some food for them.

"The reason for my question is simple." Narlou began, placing his elbows onto the table while leaning forward.

"What is the first rule when it comes to fighting?"

"Being strong?"

Narlou shook his head with an amused smile, turning to look at Yone.

"Always take your enemy seriously?"

"Also no. The first rule when it comes to fighting is to know yourself and to know the enemy." He recited the words that Ethron had told him when they had been training together once.

"In other words, you should know your own abilities and limits, as well as the enemy's. If you know that, even people stronger than yourself would struggle against you."

The brothers' eyes were glued to him as he spoke and Narlou saw it as a sign to continue.

"Do you know why I'm telling you that?" he asked the two, and to his surprise, Yasuo answered first.

"Because Jolune might become an enemy one day, and if he would know our strengths and weaknesses, he could easily kill us."

Narlou smiled proudly, ruffling Yasuo's hair across the table.

"That's right. Well done, Yasuo."

The boy positively beamed at the praise.

"So, what do we do now? I've kinda promised the guy that we would show him something tomorrow." Yone interjected, a frown on his young face.

While he could of course just tell Jolune that he had changed his mind, he would rather avoid the awkward conversation.

"That's something that you can solve yourself."

The betrayed look on their faces made Narlou laugh out loud.

"I'm just kidding. It would be rude to not show him something, so just show him the bare minimum. You guys are way too strong for your age anyways, there is no way that he will doubt you if you just say that's all you can do."

The waiter finally arrived, placing a plate in front of each of the three guys, a steamy dish on top of it.

"Alright, we got this. At least I hope we do."

A glance at Yasuo who was already in the middle of stuffing his mouth full of food told them everything they needed to know.

"Well, maybe we won't."

Narlou laughed again, also digging into his food, and Yone followed soon after.

They talked and joked for the rest of the evening, even joining a group of men when they offered to play some games with them.

It was a good evening, and Narlou felt more alive than ever with the brothers at his side.

Sadly though, the nightmares still plagued his mind as he went to sleep that evening.