A/N: I told myself I'd post every other week, since including planning that's probably how long it takes me to write a chapter, but I feel like I just want to get at least a few chapters out there so the story has a bit of meat to it for now. I realise the chapters are a little long but the main events tend to separate them into 5-8k word sections naturally, so I hope it's not too much of an issue. Feel free to tell me what you think of the story, I always love to hear from any readers. Please enjoy!


No matter how many times she performed there, Sona still found the Cloudfield Concert Hall intimidating. Sparkling chandeliers hung from a high ceiling, coating everything below in a dim orange glow. A string quartet played a sweet, serene tune over the indistinct chatter of the guests, the musicians sitting upon a raised podium that Sona herself had stood on many times before. There were probably only a hundred people or so there in total, some of them sitting at spotless tables eating tiny yet delicious plates of food, constantly being topped up by the smartly dressed staff circling the venue. Others would take to dancing with one another, or were having their own hushed little conversations on the outskirts of the chamber far away from all the commotion.

Sona and her friends, save for Ahri who had rushed back to Ionia to handle a 'career emergency', were standing close to the entrance, waiting for the one and only volunteer for Sona's bodyguard job to show up.

"They're late." Garen huffed, tapping his foot impatiently. He quickly turned his head between the receptionist's desk at the hall's entrance and the ongoing performance on the opposite side of the room, undecided on whether he wanted to keep a vigilant watch of the entrance or look the other way so they would maybe finally come in when he wasn't looking.

"They might have travelled far to get here." Jarvan reasoned, not quite as anxious as Garen was to get a first look at their mystery visitor, though he still spared a glance over to the entrance every so often. "I'm sure we can forgive a little tardiness, all things considered."

Garen made a pessimistic humming noise that implied he thought otherwise.

"I wonder which of the past champions was kind enough to reach out." Sona wondered aloud. She had some friends from the League outside of Demacia, sure. But none she'd gotten so attached to that they'd stand out as an obvious choice above the rest.

"Wait, you mean none of you got the message from the Institute?" Quinn asked, expression showing a rare look of surprise. She then buried her head in her hands after finding out that no, they in fact did not get the message, made evident by the three blank faces blinking back at her.

"I thought that was the reason that Garen was so on edge, but I guess he really is just tightly wound like that." Quinn said.

"Why don't you enlighten the rest of us." Garen sneered, still keeping his eyes on the entrance. "Who is this champion that has me so 'on edge'?"

"It's Mordekaiser."

"Ha, ha, very funny." Jarvan mocked, rolling his eyes. "I didn't think you were one for telling jokes, Quinn. Perhaps the festive atmosphere here is affecting you more than I'd thought."

"I'm not joking you big dolt." Quinn said with a glare.

"I assumed you weren't, but the plausibility of Mordekaiser, the Lord of the Shadow Isles himself, coming here of all places to help out a Demacian, is just so ridiculous." Jarvan forced a laugh. "Even more so is the idea that Sona would be safer with him than going alone, or that you would be so casual about our impending doom if we were to see him."

"We wouldn't be doomed!" Garen was quick to interject. "There are four of us and one of him, I'm certain we could h-h-handle ourselves…" He trailed off as his confident demeanour turned into a whimper very quickly.

"Are you alright, Garen?" Sona turned to look at him with concern, watching the colour slowly drain from his face at the mere sight of something.

"Well, that is unexpected." Jarvan managed, his mouth drawn into a thin line.

Sona, not wanting to feel left out, leaned forward slightly to see past her friends and find out what had them so worried. Even at a distance, she could clearly make out the jagged, imposing form of a huge suit of black armour, currently towering over the poor receptionist at the front desk who seemed ready to pass out from shock at any moment. Sona recognised the former champion, Mordekaiser, from the Institute's old matches. Even though she had never interacted with him outside of a match, she could very clearly remember the terrifying feeling of fighting against him. Despite the fact she couldn't really be hurt due to the magic surrounding Summoner's Rift, the fear his savage, bloodthirsty fighting style had instilled in her had certainly been real.

Then again, Sona and her friends were nothing like they would appear in the rift matches outside of battle, so there was no reason to believe Mordekaiser wasn't the same way. But Garen had made a point of keeping her away from any of the Rift's representatives that he deemed dangerous outside of their matches, and Mordekaiser had been at the very top of that list, for reasons unbeknownst to her. This made it all the more strange that he had offered to become her bodyguard, especially since she couldn't even remember interacting with him before.

Sona was suddenly interrupted from her train of thought when she noticed the receptionist point a very shaky finger in her direction, then realising that the hulk of a man was now walking towards her. Maybe it was her imagination, but each giant step of his seemed to shake the ground a little, or maybe it was just how fast she could now feel her heart beating inside her chest. Her palms started to sweat, and Sona wondered if she were to run right now, then maybe-

"Relax, Sona." Quinn lightly squeezed Sona's shoulder, bringing her back to reality. "Nothing's going to happen to you. Any violent conduct with the Institute's peace treaty as it is right now would be complete suicide, even for someone like him. Besides, if the Shadow Isles really wanted to cause us harm, I'm sure that they could do better than sending along a one man army, without his weapon, even." Quinn graced Sona with a rare smile, which did manage to ease her nerves somewhat. She then immediately lost that smile as Quinn turned to glare at Garen and Jarvan.

"Which means you two can stop acting so pathetic, if you don't mind. It hardly inspires confidence in Sona if her 'protectors' can't keep their legs from shaking."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Garen said quickly. He turned sharply towards Sona, only really half looking at her while he stared fearfully at the rapidly approaching threat. "Don't worry Sona, me and Jarvan will devise a plan to get you out of this mess together. It's just that… we'll need time to strategize, won't we, Jarvan?" Garen's unsteady hand clasped Jarvan's and hurriedly pulled him away.

"We will? Oh, yes, we will!" Jarvan nodded vigorously. "In the meantime, if you two ladies could stall him for just a moment, that would be perfect."

"You cannot be serious." Quinn muttered, watching with disdain as Garen and Jarvan quickly scurried out of sight, lost in a small crowd that had gathered around a nearby buffet table.

Quinn didn't have time to do much other than curse under her breath, as her attention was caught by the clearing of a throat. Both Quinn and Sona turned towards the sound to find Mordekaiser standing in front of them, accompanied by one of the Institute of War's staff, a short man wearing a suit of blue and gold to match the Institute's old colour scheme.

"Lady Sona," the smartly dressed man began in a nasally voice, "In accordance with your request to have an accompanying bodyguard for your travels around Runeterra, I present to you, Lord Mordekaiser. He has agreed to provide indefinite protection as long as you are both content with the arrangement. Of course, it greatly benefits us at the Institute of War, to have the major world region's old representatives getting along with one another publicly, so we will try to assist you in any way we can."

Sona glanced up tentatively at Mordekaiser. He was even more imposing up close, and as broad as he was tall. He must have been at least seven feet in height, probably more, as her head barely reached his chestplate. It was hard to tell without being able to his face properly, but it looked like he was glaring at her. Sona found herself quickly looking at the floor to avoid his harsh gaze.

"It's very nice to meet you." She eventually managed, plucking the corners of her dress with trembling fingertips to give the monster of a man a polite bow.

"Likewise." Mordekaiser replied gruffly. Neither of them had much else to say, it seemed.

"I'll leave you all to get better acquainted." The Institute attendant waved them off, glad to be excusing himself from the situation. "Should you have any second thoughts about the arrangement or any other questions, do feel free to let us know."

And with that, he was gone, leaving Sona, Quinn and Mordekaiser in a very awkward silence.

"So... Shall we sit?" Quinn asked, addressing them both but not taking her eyes off of Mordekaiser as she spoke.

Sona was surprised at how casually she was able to talk to him still, gently taking a seat of her own at the nearest round table. She watched with curiosity as Mordekaiser wordlessly pulled a small cushioned chair towards himself, briefly considering it, before grabbing a second one and bringing them together to set himself down. The wooden legs creaked under his weight, but ultimately both chairs avoided collapsing.

"First of all, thank you for agreeing to help us out." Quinn was the epitome of politeness. "I trust your journey here was pleasant enough? I know the Shadow Isles is pretty far away."

"Could have been worse." Mordekaiser shrugged, his deep voice accompanied by the clank of his large shoulder pauldrons. "Though the people here are far from as welcoming as you Demacians like to think you are."

"If I may ask," Quinn proposed, very deliberately not stooping down to argue with the last part of his answer, "Do you think you could tell us why you'd make a good bodyguard for Sona here? We are obviously not looking for just anyone to take on the role."

Mordekaiser snorted, like the question was beneath him. "I would be more than happy to prove my strength to you now if the matches within the Institute aren't enough for you." Mordekaiser rumbled, his naturally menacing voice making it sound more like a threat than a helpful suggestion. "I think Crownguard almost wetting himself upon my arrival would be proof enough, though." He chuckled, and Sona tried to shake the childish thought that his low, booming laugh sounded like an evil cartoon villain.

"I see." Quinn hummed. If she was at all bothered by what he'd said, she didn't show it. "Speaking of said Crownguard, please excuse me for a moment while I go and look for him." Quinn tucked her chair in, missing Sona's pleading look of desperation at the idea of being left alone with Mordekaiser as she left. Sona stared after her for a few moments, in an attempt to delay the inevitable, before swallowing and turning back to the metal giant.

Truth be told, Mordekaiser was one of the last people she had imagined would show up. She knew very little about him, and what little information had been passed down to her from her friends wasn't exactly reassuring. She had expected, and maybe hoped, for someone like a little friendlier and more approachable. Maybe someone like Braum who had made a name for himself in helping others.

Sona tried very hard to not judge a book by its cover though, and to see the good in all people; After all, for whatever reason, Mordekaiser was the only person who had actually agreed to take the job she'd offered. But it was still more than a little unsettling how even sitting down across the table he would still loom over Sona, not taking his eyes off of her for a moment as his glare seemed to pierce directly through her soul. She struggled to think of something, anything she might say to him, just to avoid such intense scrutiny.

"Did you, um, perhaps come here because you liked my music?" She asked in a whisper almost too quiet to be heard, then immediately cursed herself for her first question to him being something so vain.

"I've never had the time for music." He grumbled, still staring intently at her like he was studying some foreign animal.

"Oh, sorry, I see." She rubbed a hand to the back of her head. Sona again tried to get into his mind, struggling to think of why he would have thought it worth his time to travel all the way here to meet her. What sort of things did someone like Mordekaiser even like?

"Then perhaps you are an admirer of Demacia, or are eager to travel around Runeterra?" She tried again.

Mordekaiser shook his head. "Not in the slightest." He said. Sona was now very confused.

"Then forgive me if this question seems a little rude," She began, piecing together what little courage she had, "But then why exactly did you want to work as a bodyguard for me? If you don't much like me, my music, Demacia or any of the other places we'll be going to, I am having trouble understanding what you might stand to gain from all this."

Mordekaiser observed her for a short while, moving to prop his head up with a giant fist as he moved one arm up onto the table, looking as if he were thinking how to answer the question. Sona unconsciously leaned forward slightly, eager to hear his answer, and noted how Mordekaiser finally looked away from her for a brief moment.

"I was recently… temporarily reassigned from my position as Lord of the Shadow Isles." Mordekaiser managed eventually, his usually loud voice a little less overbearing than normal.

"You were fired?" Sona blurted out without thinking. She then immediately recoiled at the reaction she got in return.

"If I had meant to say fired, then I assure you, I would have said it." Mordekaiser growled lowly, his eyes flaring in anger.

"Of course, I'm really sorry!" Sona squeaked, trying her best not to let on how his sudden change in attitude has almost given her a heart attack. There was a brief period where Sona thought she had stopped him from elaborating any more, until Mordekaiser continued as he relaxed the fist he had been clenching.

"Regardless, the king seems hellbent on having me 'see the world', whatever that means. Apparently gallivanting around with you on this little adventure will awaken some hidden epiphany in me or something, and while I find the whole thing to be a frivolous endeavour, I owe it to my king to see this through. So, whether I think it a waste of time or not, I have to at least humour him a little." Mordekaiser breathed a heavy sigh, wondering why he had bothered to practically spill his life story to a Demacian girl he knew barely anything about. Especially since she didn't seem to have anything meaningful to say in response. Perhaps the stress that came with the loss of his position as Lord of the Shadow Isles was slowly driving him insane.

"Sorry if you were expecting a better reason." He sneered as a mock apology.

"Oh, no, it's alright. I appreciate you telling me something so personal." Sona gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. He seemed surprisingly more human than she had expected, albeit a little rude. She found herself suddenly very interested in his completely foreign existence, wanting to ask a million questions. Sona wanted to know about who this king was, why Mordekaiser was so indebted to him, and what said king thought Mordekaiser would gain from accompanying her, but she decided not to start asking all those things at once. She was probably very lucky he even told her as much as he did.

"Let me ask you a question then." Mordekaiser rumbled, re-composing himself into his usual air of confidence. "Why did you even consider me for the job? Your friends and the other Demacians I've met here have made it very clear that I'm not the sort of person they like to associate with. You also don't strike me as someone who is actually important or abrasive enough to make enemies either, so I'm sure you could easily travel on your own without running into any trouble. Why did you ask me to come with you?"

Sona was about to answer, but she stopped herself for a second. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to tell Mordekaiser, who already didn't seem too thrilled with the idea of accompanying her, that she hadn't actually known that he was the champion the institute had put forward. But she didn't want to lie to him either.

"Honestly, I think I probably wouldn't make it travelling by myself." Sona said as she looked down in embarrassment. She wondered how pitiful she must have appeared to someone like Mordekaiser by admitting that. "My friends wanted me to have a bodyguard just to make sure I was safe. I think it would be nice anyway, to have someone there to ease the loneliness and stress that comes with leaving home. And, well, I wanted to travel not just to spread my love for music, but to experience other cultures, see new people, and other things like that. So I thought being with someone from somewhere so unlike Demacia would be a good way to appreciate those differences, I guess. So… it would make me happy if you were to agree to help me in that way."

Sona finally brought her head up to meet Mordekaiser's gaze, as he continued to stare at her.

"You really want me, of all people?" Mordekaiser asked. "Most Demacians I've met don't exactly seem fond of anyone from the Shadow Isles, least of all someone who has fought against them in the League's matches."

"I don't think Demacia is blameless for any of the conflicts we've fought in, as part of the Institute of War or otherwise." Sona said softly. "And so far, the only thing I really know about you is that you were the only champion kind enough to offer your services in escorting me when I'm in need of help, so you could say you've made a good first impression."

Sona was surprised to find herself now almost wishing for Mordekaiser to accept her request, just so she could learn more about him and satisfy her rising curiosity. He was so different from anyone else she knew, that Sona couldn't help but be at least a little interested, even if he was more than a little rough around the edges.

Whatever Mordekaiser was about to say in reply was cut short as there was a burst of applause from across the hall. They both watched the four musicians who had just been playing a minute ago wave and smile at the crowd as they left the podium, taking a well earned rest. Sona let out a silent gasp, suddenly remembering something.

"Oh, I'm supposed to be performing next." She said, hurriedly collecting herself from her seat before turning to Mordekaiser once more.

"If there's even a tiny part of you that might still be interested in the job, then I hope you'll at least give my songs tonight a listen, on the off chance that you like what you hear. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that the people here haven't been very accommodating, so maybe you can consider this your official welcoming to Demacia."

Sona gave him the same awkward bow she had greeted Mordekaiser with the first time they had met that night, and left to find her etwahl waiting behind the stage curtains ahead of her.

Meanwhile a short distance away, Garen and Jarvan, both of whom were rather comically leaning heavily over a fully stacked buffet table in an attempt to make out what Sona and Mordekaiser were talking about, collectively breathed a heavy sigh of relief once Sona finally left and escaped the clutches of the iron giant.

"Thank goodness." Garen exhaled, straightening himself into a more comfortable position.

"Why exactly did we have to leave again?" Jarvan asked. Now that he was not quite so shaken by their initial sighting of Mordekaiser, he was beginning to wonder why he'd let Garen drag him away in the first place. Quinn was probably right, as long as the Institute was keeping a close eye on things, Sona wouldn't be in any real danger. However, whether the same could still be said when it would just be the two of them, alone, far away from Jarvan's own watchful eye, was a whole different story. They would have to be certain of Mordekaiser's motives to assure Sona's safety in the long run.

"Why do you think?" Garen scoffed as if it should have been obvious. "Because he is very, very dangerous."

"And so because he is just that dangerous, you left me and Sona alone with him to fend for ourselves. How very noble of you." Quinn cocked a hand on her hip.

"Well when you put it like that, it sounds much worse." Garen frowned. He looked to Jarvan for support, who shrugged helplessly.

"I don't really need to do anything to point out how idiotic this whole thing is, but that's besides the point." Quinn didn't bother sparing Garen a glance, instead looking over the array of food in front of them, gently plucking a tiny quiche out from the top of the pile and taking a small bite.

Quinn's next words were muffled by the sounds of chewing. "You two need to get it stuck into your thick heads that, at least for now, all of Runeterra is supposed to be one big, happy family. You can't ostracise someone just because they're from a place you don't like."

"That's not the only reason why." Garen argued back. "He's a very dangerous individual-"

"During war time, yes, I'd agree." Quinn cut him off, already sensing where this was going. Garen was predictably close minded where the safety of Demacia and its people was concerned, though his ideals didn't exactly stray far from those of the Demacian government either.

"But right now he's like any one of us, an old soldier who has his life back from the Institute." Quinn explained. "Besides, you were the one who said Sona wouldn't be safe on her own, what are you going to do now, just tell her she can't leave?"

"If that's what's best for her…" Jarvan started to say, but failed to finish that sentence as he realised he wasn't sure if he actually believed what he was saying. There was a line somewhere of them being protective of Sona to a fault, and it was hard to say whether they were crossing it right now.

"All I'm saying is," Quinn spoke softly while watching over Sona as she readied herself to start playing her etwahl on the big stage above, "Eventually the baby bird has to leave the nest, whether the mother bird thinks she is ready or not."

Having wanted to get away from the judging stares he was getting from the many strangers occupying the main hall, Mordekaiser found himself inside a small indoor garden, acting like an extension of the main building. Flower beds of all colours from blues, yellows and oranges were dotted around next to the cobblestone paths. Vines of ivy wrapped themselves around clear white pillars, extending above to a dome shaped windowed ceiling that would have normally let in sunlight, but now in the evening instead gave a perfect view of the twinkling night sky. A small, stone fountain served as its centrepiece, the gentle sounds of trickling of water drowning out the irritating conversation back in the main area.

It was needlessly extravagant and typical of Demacia, Mordekaiser thought to himself as he sagged into a nearby bench, but there was a part of him that did appreciate its soothing atmosphere. And regardless of how gaudy it may have been, he was grateful for a place to be alone right now. There had been a few people here before he'd arrived, but they had all taken one look at him and decided they needed to immediately get themselves as far away from him as possible.

Mordekaiser had no interest in talking to any of these people anyway, and he would probably dislike them just as much as they did him. Even so, there was something in the way they looked at Mordekaiser that angered him. Their faces seemed scared, and even a little disgusted at his presence, like he was some wild rabid animal that might bite them at any moment. Mordekaiser wasn't expecting a hug from anyone, but being treated like this was a bit insulting, especially since almost every Demacian he'd seen, including Jarvan and his little Crownguard lackey, had shared that same look of contempt.

There were only two people who hadn't done so. The first was Quinn, who from what Mordekaiser could tell seemed indifferent to just about anything. And then there was Sona, who in all honesty Mordekaiser had no idea what to think of. She was just as frightened as the rest of them when they had first met, but had seemed to have at least tried to make him feel at ease. She'd seemed really interested when he had talked about his own life, and the Shadow Isles, which he found surprising. Sona had also called him 'kind' for agreeing to meet her here, despite Mordekaiser specifically telling her multiple times he didn't really want to be here in the first place. Overall, he found it very hard to tell whether she was really that considerate and perhaps naive, or if she had some ulterior motive for bringing him here.

Probably the former, Mordekaiser mused, watching as even from where he sat, he could see the maven in question silently shaking with nervousness as she took the stage. She looked like she couldn't hurt a fly, much less himself.

He was just about to leave and stuff himself at the buffet, thinking he may as well get a good meal out of this disaster of an evening, when the most delightful sound graced his ears. All the other noise from the garden and the other people around him was silenced by a beautiful yet melancholic tune, that slowly eased the weight from his shoulders he hadn't realised was there until he'd practically melted into his seat. Mordekaiser found himself holding onto each delicately plucked note, watching her mesmerising technique as it put him deeper and deeper into some kind of deep sleep, feeling himself relax properly for the first time in god knows how long. He breathed a large sigh and exhaled as his eyes closed, wanting to focus on nothing but the enticing sound that was gently coaxing his mind to rest, if only for a moment.

But all too soon, Mordekaiser was roused from his stupor by a deafening round of applause. He blinked himself awake as he watched Sona take a few quick bows, giving a weak wave to her cheering audience before she dashed behind the red stage curtains, avoiding the focused attention of the crowd like it could turn her to stone. Mordekaiser wasn't quite sure how long he had just sat and listened from afar, but decided it had probably been long enough.

He moved to rise from his seat, but stopped upon seeing Sona walk in from an entrance to the garden he hadn't seen when he'd come in. Mordekaiser watched silently as Sona, who hadn't seemed to notice him just yet, bent down to observe one of the many flowerbeds in the makeshift garden, tilting her head upwards as she appeared to take in the smell of the flowers. She then stood, turning to the other end of the garden before doing a double take and locking eyes with Mordekaiser, jumping a little out of shock.

"Oh, Sorry. I didn't notice you there." Sona smiled weakly as she closed the distance between the two of them. Mordekaiser said nothing in response, instead opting to stare at her as Sona seemed to look between him and the small amount of empty space to his side a couple of times.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you?" She eventually found the courage to ask. Mordekaiser raised an eyebrow at the request.

"Go ahead." He shrugged. After watching Sona struggle to try and fit into the small gap he had left on the bench for a little longer than he probably should have, Mordekaiser scooted himself over so they could sit comfortably side by side. They both stared ahead and watched the fountain trickle down below, not really looking at each other.

"Wouldn't you rather be with your friends?" Mordekaiser asked. He could barely make out Sona shaking her head at the question out of the corner of his eye.

"Whenever I perform, I end up getting nervous. No matter how many times I do it." She replied, looking down at her hands which were still shaking slightly from the leftover adrenaline. "I always feel pretty strung out afterwards, so I usually like to go somewhere quiet and wind down for a little while before I see everyone. Why do you ask? Would you rather I not be here?"

"I didn't say that." Mordekaiser relented after a short pause. And it was true, unlike a lot of the other people he'd met today, he didn't dislike Sona. She was a little wimpy for his liking, but she was one of the few people that didn't recoil at his meme presence. She was a little too open with some things that Mordekaiser would find embarrassing to admit himself, but this openness also made her readily approachable, so he didn't mind.

"Isn't this place wonderful?" Sona said softly, seemingly satisfied with Mordekaiser's response. "The designers of the building asked me for help in filling some of the space that they had left, since I perform for them so regularly. I thought somewhere reclusive like this might be nice so you could listen to music away from all the people."

"It's nice." He grumbled. It was all he could think to say. It wasn't like the Shadow Isles had any semblance of nature to compare it to that was pleasant to look at. There had been something strangely soothing about being somewhere so colourful, and so empty. Although maybe it was the aftermath of Sona's music that was creating that sensation inside him instead.

"You can hear the music being played pretty well from here, surprisingly." Sona remarked, then blushing ever so slightly as she realised something. "So you must have heard my playing from here right? It might sound a little conceited, but I'd like to hear what you think."

Mordekaiser turned to consider her. Sona seemed to be making a point of looking straight ahead, probably trying very hard to not look like she would be affected by his answer. It was somewhat tempting to lie and say he thought it was bad, just for his own amusement to see her reaction, but he did want to hear her play again.

"Your music was the silver lining of a very tiring day." He said as he sighed wearily. "Perhaps you'd be willing to tell me a little more about it."

"Of course!" Sona beamed brightly. "Let's see, where to begin… Well, my etwahl has followed me since as long as I can remember. To be honest, I don't quite understand how no matter where I leave it or who it got sold to, it manages to make its way back to me, but now I'm glad it does. My mother helped me refine my music, but I taught myself how to play at first since it would seem to help put people at ease, or cheer them up from something bad that happened. I know it's not much in the grand scheme of things, but to be able to help others at least a little is a good feeling, so I've always just kept playing." Sona spoke quickly to try and pack in as much information as possible, like no one had ever asked her about it before.

Mordekaiser was surprised to see how animated Sona could be when talking about something she liked, considering the modest, bashful person that had been talking to him just moments ago.

"You know, if you felt like you wanted to hear me play again, you'd always get a front row seat as my bodyguard." Sona said sheepishly. She turned towards Mordekaiser as she stood up, doing her best to ignore the pounding feeling in her chest coming on.

"I know that I'd be asking a lot of you, and if you don't want to then I understand. But you'd be doing me an impossibly huge favour. Some of the places we'd be travelling to would have all sorts of other musicians playing that I think you might enjoy. It would be nice to have someone accompany me that has even a small appreciation for music; I don't think my friends really like it all that much, to be honest. When I talk to them about it I feel like I'm rambling to a brick wall sometimes, so… what do you say?"

Mordekaiser observed the trembling hand that Sona had offered him, and wondered what it would mean if he took it. He would still much rather stay in the Shadow Isles and help rule over its people like he was used to doing, something that he was actually good at and gave him a purpose. Sona was nice enough, but tolerating someone for half a day and being their sole companion for months on end were two very different things. Plus he didn't much like the other annoying champions they were bound to bump into along the way.

But it didn't seem like he would be welcome back to the Isles anytime soon. Mordekaiser doubted that this day trip out would be enough to humour Viego should he return home now, and he did at least owe it to him to try and see this through, however painful it might be. So really, it wasn't like he had anything better to do.

And there was something about the earnestness in which Sona had asked him to help, and about how for reasons Mordekaiser still didn't quite understand, she seemed to want him to go with her, that spread a tiny bit of some strange warmth through him. It was almost like when Veigo had appointed him as his second in command, that same feeling of pride from being needed, wanted even. And something told Mordekaiser that whether it be through Sona's music or just generally being around her, he might get to experience more of this feeling if he swallowed his pride and took the job.

"Well, alright." Mordekaiser said gruffly, taking her tiny hand in his own and shaking it a little too roughly, doing his best to ignore the overjoyed expression Sona was looking at him with. "Just don't expect any more favours."