I would like to thank my beta reader. Eating Flapjacks.
I had been putting off updating this story because of two things…pure procrastination and fear of having a shitty ending. I've managed to do this chapter so obviously I've dealt with the procrastination, hopefully the next few chapters are worth it. I remember when I would only do 1300-1800 word chapters…now I'm hitting 2800-3k, please let me know if its too much and you lose interest (I can shorten them). Thanks please, give me a follow and review would be very much so appreciated!
Pantheon, found himself walking with Leona through the dimly light outer corridors of the institute. Couples were laughing, drinking from flasks and kissing each other. They would hear the careless whispers (yes a George Michael song ) of lovers, but as they walked side by side with Pantheon's arm around Leona, they remained quiet. She kept trying to speak, ask for forgiveness among many other things but he remained stoic, he just leaned and whispered.
"We will be at your place soon, will speak then."
She wanted to argue but she just looked up at him with lips open in silent protest before nodding, she knew this time with him was a luxury and she was lucky to have him at all.
As they walked through the cobblestone outer gardens Pantheon held her not lovingly, but protectively as if trying to shield her from the scaring whispers of the couples and drunks that noticed them passing by. He would never admit it, but the words dug deep as Pantheon didn't want to be thought of that way.
So he's bored of that half Fox and now back to his old squeeze?
Wish I had two woman like that to myself…I'd be drained...
Poor Ahri, she seemed to really like him…
Good for her, getting her man back!
He pretended not to hear any of the comments, it felt like a walking through a crucible voices.
"Were almost there, Leo" he spoke into her ear. Her hair brushing against her hair and brushing against his lips before he pulled away.
He was glad to have arrived at her room. Before his failed proposal he had spent most of his time in her room. It felt more feminine and at home, unlike his room which was bare and had no character to it. Leona's room had sun flowers, a couple sketches she had of them together that she had made through the years. He pretended not to notice the open sketch book on the table with a drawing of Leona in a white gown walking down the aisle with the groom's face missing.
"Lay" he pointed at the bed.
She walked up and stood next to it, with her back to him. She put her hands to her shoulders on her shoulder straps. She slid them off and felt him walk up behind her, his warm hands held the fabric in place and spoke softly.
"no leo…not now" as his fingers slowly slid across her soft skin putting the straps back along her shoulders.
"just lay down and I'll make you your favorite tea." She didn't reply feeling embarrassed from his rejection.
She felt a bit rejected but hoped that if she slept with him again, she could win him back. She didn't care if he was no longer enamored with her. As long as he was by her side was all he could hope for as this moment.
Pantheon dug through Leona's cabinets until he found the cloth pouches he made before they arrived at the institute. Filled with sunflowers and mountain herbs he turned on a tea kettle. While the water boiled, he pulled a single cup out, which was not unnoticed by Leona. He poured honey from a clay jar he had made her when they were teenagers that she had on on the counter.
When the water was hot enough he poured the water in to the cup and stirred quickly adding some lemon juice. Lemons were quite new to him as they did not grow on Mount Targon but he enjoyed the taste they gave to the honey infused tea and how it's smelled helped to elevate the taste and scent of the room.
Pantheon, walked up to Leona and sat the tea on the table next to the bed. He gestured her to drink but when she did not, he stood there looking at her. The silence and awkwardness was alien to both of them, since she was a child he had taken care of her.
"Leo…I" He tried to think of something to say to her, anything to unleash his burden.
"Please lay next to me, before you speak. I haven't spoken to you in months so please Pantheon, I'm begging you just lay next to me." He did his best to ignore her forlon tone.
Without answering her, he proceeded to lie down next to her. His long strong body propped up against her pillows. Her back was pressed against the wall as she laid sideways. Her head was on his chest and she had her eyes closed as he ran his fingers through her hair and massaged her shoulders.
"Leo…I've missed you my old friend" he finally spoked Leona winced at the word "friend"
"Our time as patron and client has come to an end Leo…I can no longer be your guard. I have left you vulnerable and I have disgraced my position." As he spoke he concentrated on a tile on the floor forcing himself not to look at the auburn hair beauty whose head was learning on his chest.
"But..but Pantheon." She tried to protest…
He gently lifted her head off his chest and released her hands from his own. He had some one more important in his heart to see so he decided to be quick and short with her.
He stood up and refused to look back at her as he spoke, he let the water from her kitchen sink run cold as he splashed cool refreshing water on himself.
"Leona, I have loved you and will always love you. Since we were children I had always wanted you to be my…." He refused to say bride or mother of my child he knew those words would only add injury to insult.
Over her the sounds of her crying and begging he continued talking.
"Leo, I have never felt so humiliated in my life. I got down on one knee and you walked away from me. I …loved you more than you'll ever know. " He refused to tell her how he cried himself to sleep or refused to eat for days.
He could hear her say how sorry she was how she will make it all better from now on, show she wished for him to just stay with her forever.
"I can no longer watch your back Leo, I can't be your friend your guardian your anything. These last few months we have acted like we are nothing but strangers" He finally looked back at her, her hot tears made her eyes pink and puffy. The red wine stain on her dress looked like, she had been wounded. Only added to the difficultness of the situation.
"I think its time we part ways good, Leona…I have found some new to sing me to sleep and to nature my wounds" He touched his lip which was still soft and sensitive from Darius punch, Ahri's stitching and ointments had healed it back up. As he spoke he thought of her soothing words and humming had kept his nightmares away. He'd realize how Ahri had replaced Leona and as sad to lose his old friend, he was hopeful of his new future.
"Leo…this is good bye" as he spoke he found himself tossing the parchment orders from his pocket which stated he must guard at all times on the counter by the door.
Before she could speak, Leona heard Pantheon open and leave her there alone. She reached over holding her sketch book tight against her chest crying, her tears ruining and dampening the pages.
…
Pantheon, walked quickly through the institute complex although Leona and Ahri lived just a few doors apart he wanted to purchase some last minute gifts.
He remembered how the institute had a little shop opened sometimes late on the weekends that sold candy, alcohol and even flowers.
He saw the lights of the store were still on, and the open sign was still facing outwards. He quickly rushed in to purchase a bottle of fizzy white wine that he knew Ahri loved from their date, some chocolates in a cliché heart shaped box and a single red rose. He paid the girl who was ogling at him at the counter and made his way back towards the Ahri's room.
He kept repeating and practicing exactly what he wants to say to her. Part of his heart was petrified as he had cut all ties with Leona the only woman he had ever loved. What if Ahri changed her mind and didn't care about him, he shook his head reminding himself she did love him and he loved her.
Right as he reached to open the door to wing where their apartments were, (his, Ahri's and Leona's as Ionian and Mount Targon were so far neutral) he felt a sharp pain at his kidney.
Darius and Draven had waited in the shadows following him, waiting for him to be alone and pre-occupied. With one arm holding the items he had purchased for Ahri, while the other hand reached for the door knob both brothers ran from their hiding space and ambushed him. Pantheon fell backwards in agonizing pain, before he could turn up to look at his attacker. He could hear Draven's voice.
"Draven's gonna enjoy this!"
The sound off air escaping his stomach was the only thing he could hear. He felt like he was blacking out.
A second kick to the face had him lying on his back with blood obstructing his vision.
He felt cold steel placed against his cheek before Darius pressed it up against his throat.
"Any last words, you womanizing moron ?"
To Draven and Darius's amazement Pantheon just looked up at the moon and smiled.
I will be again with you Father, Mother at the table of the gods eating, dancing and fighting. I have died a warrior's death.
With a grin on his face and blood on his lips he said.
"you and your brother have no honor."
Honor in battle to the Rakkor was the epitome of their culture and what Darius and Draven were about to accomplished, was very dishonorable.
Draven just shrugged his shoulders at his brother and very nonchalantly dragged his thumb across his throat indicating to Darius to kill him.
"We haven't got much time, Draven's got things to do." He was actually scared of the repricatious if he or Darius were caught murdering Pantheon.
But just as Darius lifted the blade right above Pantheon's chest, an unlikely hero arrived.
He heard both Darius and Draven's voice say his name at the same time.
"Crownguard?!"
Pantheon and Garen were both confused.
Garen, was on his way to confront Pantheon. He had planned on knocking him out for dancing and receiving a kiss from Katarina. The last thing he expected outside the neutral champion wing was to find Darius and Draven.
Pantheon just laid there…confused and awaiting death. He had always feared it, because he knew his death meant Leona's safety would be compromised. However, now he was free of her. She did not want him and he no longer burdened himself with her well-being. But now he would die knowing of a new love, each moment the blade was pressed against his chest all he could only think of was Ahri's face.
But he was shaken from his thoughts of a peaceful ending with Darius pointing his finger at Garen. Darius's bloody knuckles shimmered in the moonlight.
"You will not deny me of this revenge Crownguard! Now walk away!"
Before Garen knew what was going on, recognized who the man on the ground was.
"Pantheon?" he spoke in a bewildered tone.
"That's its Crownguard! Tonight the blood brothers defeat two foes!" Darius spoke with an impatient and angry voice. He had very little patience for Demacian's and he had suspected Garen of being too familiar with his "future wife", Katarina.
"I'm not here to, fight you two!" but before the words escaped his mouth, Draven started running at full speed towards him. As Draven rushed Garen, Pantheon kicked a leg out from the younger brother, tripping Draven and quickly grabbing ahold of Darius's hand with both of his. While Darius held on to the knife Pantheon put the man's large hand in his mouth and bit as hard as he could the fleshy part between pinky and wrist. Tearing flesh and until his teeth reached bone.
Darius rolled around on the ground next to him while Pantheon rolled onto him straddles his chest and began to wail blow after blow on Darius face.
Draven quickly got on his knees and reached for the dagger and saw Pantheon on top of his brother beating him mercilessly. Blood was splattering and the sound of flesh and bone coming into violent contact hurried his actions. Right as he reached for the dagger Garen kicked it into the nearby bushes and out of instinct kneed Draven as hard as he could in the face.
"Oh shit! Oh shit! Are you okay!?" Garen, asked nervously, poking at Draven's face but could only hear him snoring.
Before he could pull Pantheon off of Darius he felt himself becoming stiff and unable to move. A couple hooded figures appeared. Summoners; had put all four of them in stasis, behind them followed Vi and Caitlyn and it was no more than 40 seconds when a wagon appeared.
Caitlyn she was dressed in a police uniform that appeared a size too small for her. It read I.S.F. (Institute Security Force), Vi wore the same one but her appearance was less formal.
One of the summoners reported to Caitlyn. "We arrived just in time, it appears to be a drunken brawl. Good job demanding we put additional guards on patrol during the institutes first big event."
Caitlyn, walked and examined the four men, they were unable to move or talk.
"Keep them in stasis until you get them back to a holding cell. The two of them together and the other two in a cell together." She pointed at Darius and Draven, and Pantheon and Garen respectively.
Since the knife had been kicked into the bushes the scene looked just like a bloody fist fight gone wrong.
…..
Ahri, laid in bed impatiently waiting for Pantheon, she stood up and walked around her apartment. She didn't want to let all her negative thoughts get the worst of her but she started to feel angry at herself. Half an hour turned into one an hour into two and just before the third hour she pulled her apartment door open. She angrily walked towards Leona's door, she knew Pantheon would be there. She put her hand in a fist trembled as she raised her fist and her hand was no more than an inch from the wooden door but something inside her was unable make her knock. She felt something inside her just give up.
She walked back slowly to her room, she looked at herself in the mirror and started removing her earrings and make up. She wasn't going to let him get to her.
Then her dark, angry and sad thoughts ripped through her head.
He was too good for you; no man wants a whore!
Did you really think he loved you?
You don't deserve to be loved for all the shameful things you've done.
Her ugly side that had become her self-defense mechanism kicked in. The more she told herself she didn't deserve him, that she was all the things people thought she was. The less it would hurt but with Pantheon it was so much worse. The heart break become physically painful.
She forced herself to smile into the mirror ignoring the pinkness of her eyes as she fought back tears.
"Maybe next time, can't win them all…" her mirror did nothing but show off a quivering smile, before she turned away.
She couldn't look at herself anymore. She lay in bed for hours in the dark in silence remembering all the men she had slept with and killed she deserved this pain. But as much as she tried to hate herself memories of him holding her and his love kept her from dropping into a deep pit of despair. She had waited even teased him earlier on she would not have resisted if Pantheon made advances towards her. But the more time she spent with him and the closer she felt to him. The prouder she felt that he had not pushed her to be intimate. She had cut herself intimately from anyone out of fear of killing them, and at the same time had shut herself in emotionally. But she had it all figured out she would take it slow not let her urges to feed take over and that night she had planned on finally giving herself over to him completely.
She closed her eyes tightly and as hard as she tried to sleep she could not stop sobbing at the thought of Pantheon leaving her.
"How could you? I loved you so much! How could you?"
Before finally succumbing to sleep.