The sky was dark, a red moon hanging ominously in the sky. Clouds shrouded parts of the landscape around the area as they rolled lazily across the sky high above. Tall pines surrounded the road on all sides, the towering conifers almost blacking out the sky. A large clearing opened up in the forest revealing several squat structures around the edges of the forest's edge. On one side, there was a darkened stable, the braying of horses and the gentle pawing of hooves on straw lined stoned echoing from within. There was a water pump and a trough for horse teams to drink from as they passed through, and a small shop that was closed up tight. Heavy locks and chains kept the door closed, and it looked as if it was only kept standing by the weight of the dust that rested upon it's many shelves.
On the opposite side of the path was a low slung building, with two short floors, that rose up only barely a third of the of the shortest of the pine trees. High, deeply set windows leaked light from around the lower stories of the building. The gentle slope of the slate roof that covered the building had been cracked and patched more times than anyone could tell in a single glance. A tattered sign hung by a single rung, it's letters so faded and worn that It was illegible. There was a large boar's head, it's black paint now faded to a dull gray.
"This is the place..." Jarvan said with a half-hearted grunt.
"It's not exactly as charming as I thought it would be..." Shyvana quipped, standing next to him, a mix of horror and mirth playing across her face.
"Anyone hungry?" Isaacs asked as gestured towards the door, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"If the food is anywhere near as bad inside as it looks like it's going to be..." Quinn said with a grimace.
"... then hell fucking no." Forsythe said, finishing Quinn's statement. She giggled, nodding as Forsythe put on a grimace of his own. He grunted, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as Jarvan and Isaacs both chuckled and both of the girls broke in smiles.
"I second those sentiments." Jarvan said, shaking his head, glowering at the conditions of the Pub. "Let's get this over with..."
"Bon'appitite." Isaacs said with a cheeky grin as he pushed the door open for the others to enter. He ushered the four through the door before letting it shut behind him as he swept inside. "And suddenly I feel as though we're not wanted company." Scars and angered expressions met them from every angle. Orange light from candles and a roaring fire gave the room an eerie glow, many of the patrons silouhetted in the dim light. Heavy timbers spanned the room, some dropping to the floor to hold up their weight of the rest of the building. Jarvan, Isaacs and Forsythe put on their best glowering expressions as the men slowly began to chatter again, returning to their drinks, dismissing the new company. Jarvan and his band had just started to step past the threshold into the Bar when someone shouted out.
"Oi!" The man behind the bar shouted. He wore an eyepatch over his right eye, and a fairly gruesome scar peeked out from beneath the black flap of leather.
Isaacs sighed, glowering from the back of the group. "Trouble already?"
"You with da boy'rd." The man bellowed with a heavy accent, pointing to Quinn. "Get yer damned pet out of bar."
"Don't worry, I'll pay." She said sheepishly, frowning at the bartender. She raised one hand up in front of her as if she was surrenderering, her other hand rising up to Valor's chest, where he sat on his shoulder. He looked unhappy with even being indoors.
"Not here, you's not." The man grunted, gesturing to the sign above the door behind her head. She peered at the small text that was barely legible, carved into a half-rotten board.
'No shirts, no shoes, no service.' Quinn frowned as the man tapped the edge of the sign with a knife. A small addendum had been added to the sign in an even less legible scrawl. 'NO PETS.' Quinn balked for a few moments before turning towards a man who sat at the bar. "But he's got shoes and he's getting served.. ." The man wasn't wearing shoes, though the peg leg that extended from his other pantleg as he turned towards the light quelled the anger Quinn felt.
"My bar, my rules." The man growled, his voice becoming menacing. "You don't like... you can get da hell out." Isaacs swept in front of her, glaring at the bartender. He fished through his pocket for a few moments before he lifted a coin and tossed it to the man. He caught the silver piece in a grubby fist, and eyed it for a few moments. He held it before his good eye for a few moments before chomping down on it with yellow teeth.
"A room for her, then." Isaacs said, injecting menace into his voice. He looked back towards Quinn. "And a meal?" She nodded, scowling at the man from behind Isaacs.
"Yeah, fine, Blehjd-head." He muttered, pocketing the silver coin. He grabbed a key from under the bar and tossed it to Isaacs. "Room 7. Now get da boy'rd outta mah saight." He turned back to his patrons at the bar, talking in low tones with some of them about the new patrons. A few more muttered ethnic swears drifted over the din of the other patrons, but Isaacs paid them no heed.
"Thanks for that." Quinn said, frowning, her arms crossed over her chest.
"No problem." Isaacs said, patting her on the shoulder and scratching Valor's neck with two fingers. He bird ruffled it's feathers happily at the man's touch. "Here's the key... I'll send some food up in a few moments." She nodded and took a forlorn glance as Jarvan before she disappeared up the steps. Isaacs handed Forsythe some money and nodded at him. Forsythe smiled his thanks and headed towards the kitchen to find something edible that wasn't covered in mold or drenched in gravy.
"Let's find ourselves a booth somewhere out of the way." Isaacs said. "Before some of the more... ah... open minded men here figure us for good marks." Jarvan nodded and ushered Shyvana towards the corner of the room, watching the people mill about. Many gave him sidelong glances as they passed, a bubble of hushed whispers following them through the crowded tavern till they reached a deserted booth backed up to the corner of the room. As they slid into the booth, Jarvan and Shyvana on one side, Isaacs across from them, Isaacs laid out a large map that covered much of the table.
"What's with the map?" Jarvan said, eying the topographic map littered with lines.
"This is a detailed map of the area I managed to buy off an old prospector a few weeks back." Isaacs grinned. "When we weren't having much luck with just trying to track the Dragon, we resorted to searching anywhere it could be hiding." He paused, tapping his finger on the table top. "We needed a trail or something to follow, and I figured that you would do the same thing eventually."
"Any luck with that?" Jarvan said, grinning sheepishly, leaning forward and looking over the map.
"Not really." Isaacs said, shrugging. There were red 'X's all over the map, and a few circles in a vague lime that curved and started to head north.
"What are these circles for?" Shyvana said, pointing to a red circle that was just above a marker that read 'Conifer basin'.
"Signs of a wounded animal passing through... blood, broken up trees and dead prey, anythign that could lead up to Kampf." Isaacs said, wearing a sly grin. "We've figured out which way he was heading... following some basic terrain features." He traced his finger up along the trail of red circles towards the top of the map where a large circle sat.
"I see... and the large circle?" Shyvana said, frowning. She tilted her head to the side, trying to decipher the map.
"This... is where we think he is hiding right now." Isaacs said tapping the large circle. "Some large caverns that would be the perfect hiding place for a recuperating dragon."
"That seems like the most likely place." Shyvana said, still looking at the map. "...What does it mean when the lines are really close together?"
"When they're close together?" Isaacs said, examining the map. "It means that the ground is steeper." He paused looking at the map. "When they touch it means they're a sheer cliff face." He tapped his finger on a series of lines that intersected near the entrance to the cavern that they suspected the Kampf was hiding in.
"Got an idea?" Jarvan said, looking down at Shyvana from where he had been staring out over the bar. He frowned, and wondered if they were ever going to get served. He turned back to the map though.
"It's going to be difficult to fight Kampf, no matter what condition he's in." She said, grimacing. "He'll have healed most of his major wounds, but there was plenty of irreparable damage done to him that we can try and take advantage of when we confront him."
"As I recall he's blind on one side." Jarvan said, grinning callously.
"And my father managed to shred part of his wing as well." Shyvana said reverently, though Jarvan could hear the anger boiling just beneath the surface. "He won't have much trouble flying once airborne... but it should slow his ascent noticeably. We're going to have to try and pin him down before he takes off..." She paused looking at the map, still struggling to read and make sense of the strange markings.
"See something?" Isaacs said, tilting his own head to the side to see if he was missing something.
"Have you scouted this area yet?" She pointed to the large circle. Isaacs shook his head, shrugging.
"Nope. We never got that far north." He said, crossing his arms over his chest and then leaning forward onto his elbows. "Why?"
"This cliff... is there any way to tell if it's stone or dirt?" Shyvana shriveled her nose up, a thoughtful frown appearing on her lips.
"A mix of both I suppose." Isaacs said, shrugging. "I really can't say... sorry."
"That's fine." She said, shaking her head, a thoughtful expression upon her face.
"What are you thinking?" Jarvan said, a small grin on his face. Shyvana looked past him towards his lance.
"Here's the plan." A smile of grim determination appearing on her face as she began. "First thing's first. We're going to need bait. In lieu of a large pile of raw meat, either Isaacs or Forsythe is going to need to draw the dragon out. As Jarvan demonstrated back in our first encounter, if your very presence doesn't manage to piss him off, a few crude gestures should prove effective enough. That'll get him out of the cave and directly where we want him. Whoever isn't serving as bait and I will descend from above to keep him surprised and stationary just long enough for the last part of the plan." She turned to Jarvan as he opened his mouth to ask where he'd be during this time. "You'll be waiting on the cliff... and you're going to bring the entire damn cliff down onto him." She smiled, the maliciousness in her eyes sending a shiver down Jarvan's spine. "And then we move in for the kill when he's completely immobilized."
Jarvan was grinning the entire time, and Isaacs's face displayed a wide range of emotions as she advanced through the steps of her plan. At first it had shown horror, but that soon turned to a grin and he ended up laughing his ass off, tears in his eyes as he struggled to stay in his seat.
"That's bloody insane!" Isaacs said, with a grin on his face. "It's perfect!"
"Sounds like a damn good plan." Jarvan said with a grin. He smiled at Shyvana, causing her to blush and look down at the table nervously.
"You think so?" She said, peeking up at him from behind her red bangs. She brushed her hair behind her ear and grinned sheepishly. She glanced at Isaacs, who winked at her, causing her to blush furiously and drop her gaze to the table again.
"Yep... terrain allowing, it sounds like a damn good idea." Isaacs said. He yawned, raising his arms over his head as he stretched. "I'mma go figure out what the deal with food it. I'll be right back." He lifted himself out of the booth and wandered off towards the bar.
"You sure about this plan of yours?" Jarvan said, sitting back in the corner of the booth. Shyvana smiled, leaning against him. He could see she was still tense among the many different people in the bar but she seemed content enough in the anonymity that seemed to come with being lost in a crowd. "You think it'll work?"
"Having doubts all of a sudden?" Shyvana said, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him, her smile still upon her face. She stuck out her nose and bared her teeth in a haughty grin. "You don't trust my plan?"
"No, not really." Jarvan said, chuckling. He let out a half hearted sigh as he seemed to deflate a little. Shyvana was surprised, gone was the normal, proud, regal aura and here was a man. He seemed slightly scared, about what She wasn't sure, but it was different from anything she had seem from him before. He was vulnerable, but just barely. "It's going to be dangerous out there, you know..."
His face was a blank mask, all of his emotion disappearing completely, hidden for the moment as he stared down at the map upon the table. Gone was that vulnerable young man, and here returned the fearless leader, angry at the world and frustrated with the fate that had been set before him. Shyvana watched his face quietly as candle light flickered in the dim pub. She leaned on the table, resting her chin upon her hand, letting the muddled conversations, the clink of silverware on plates, and the clamor of the pub just envelope her. Jarvan glanced over at her and met her gave and held it. Shyvana snaked her hand out of her lap and set it atop Jarvan's, which had rested on the edge of the table. She wrapped her hand around his and immediately felt at ease. She smiled sheepishly at him as she leaned against him and shut her eyes, just letting them rest, the days emotional events finally catching up to her. She hadn't realized just how drained she had felt.
"Can I stay like this for a little while?" She said softly over the clamor of the pub. Jarvan squeezed her hand and nodded when she looked up at him.
"As long as you like, love." Jarvan said huskily, a smile creeping into his eyes.
"I wish it could stay like this then... just you and me." Shyvana said, her voice starting to fade as she tucked her hands underneath her chin. She sighed contently, pushing up against him.
"I know, Shy... me too..."
She let her eyes flutter shut and sleep quickly overwhelmed her.
Shyvana opened her eyes to a red sky, where smoke and death hung in the air. Her eyes watered as she struggled to see anything through he dense smoke. She blinked a few times as she stood up and started to look around. She took a step and immeadiately stumbled to her knees, something laying on the ground next to her. Coughing, she kicked the heavy object off her leg, only getting a meaty 'thwack' in response. She felt her mouth go dry as she realized what she had just kicked. Corpses and dismembered bodies lay everywhere she look, and the smell of blood and charred human flesh was cloying at her nose. It was a miasma as she struggled to breath, her overly sensitive sense of smell causing her to gag. He raised her tunic up over her nose, trying to keep from passing out as she struggled to stay standing.
"What is this place..." She said, coughing as she stumbled over another dead body. She dropped to her knees next to the body and dragged him onto his back. The man wore a Noxian Guardsman's uniform. "What the hell happened here..." She spoke aloud, as if she was expecting someone to answer her.
"YOU SOUND WORRIED ABOUT SOMETHING, YOUNG ONE." A deep voice rumbled. A piercing laugh roared through Shyvana's head, dropping her back to her knees as she clamped her hands over her ears, cringing in pain. The voice cut through her mind like a hot knife. As the voice receded, she found her entire body trembling. It wasn't from pain however, as anger coursed through her veins.
"Kampf!" She shouted, trying to struggle to her feet and raise her arms. She tried to muster the strength to summon her flames, but she was unable to. She looked to her hands as she forced her entire body to flex, roaring aloud as she tried to get her flames to ignite. "...w-what?" Shyvana said, staring at her hands as she tried fruitlessly to get the flames to appear.
"PERFORMANCE ISSUES?" Kampf rumbled, chuckling again, his laughter causing the entire ground to shake around her. "HOW PITIFUL! MAYBE IF YOU HAD BEEN ABLE TO PROTECT HIM... IF YOU HADN'T BEEN AS WEAK AS YOUR HUMAN LOVER..."
"Show yourself!" Shyvana roared into the sky, a feeling of helplessness rising in her body. She shivered.
"I HAVE SOMETHING BETTER TO SHOW YOU THAN MYSELF..." More laugher. It wasn't haugty and superior sounding this time though, it was cold and malicious. The hair on the back of Shyvana's neck stood on end. She stared angrily into the smoke, expecting an attack, readying her body for the strike.
What came next... she had never expected.
A body dropped out of the sky before her, crumpling on the ground at her feet. It was limp and as the dust from the ash and sand settled upon the ground, Shyvana found herself coughing, waving the dust away, the rage still boiling in her veins.
Shyvana started to step over the body, but a glint of gold against matte black, both stained with the charcoal sheen of flames, caught her eye.
She froze as her stomach turned over, bile to rising in her throat. Her entire body shivered as she started to heave. Her throat burned.
"No..." She whispered, her voice getting caught in her throat as she collapsed next to the lifeless body of her beloved. "No, no, no..." She grappled the shoulder and rolled Jarvan's body over onto his back. She felt the hot sting of tears rolling down her face as she looked at the lifeless corpse before her. Blackened by flames and ripped limb from limb by razor sharp claw, the flesh barely managed to cling onto the bone in many places. The skin was burned away over much of his body, the leather fused to his skin everywhere else.
She shook his shoulders, as tears streamed down her face and sobs wracked her body. His head rolled, revealing that half of his face had been burned away. His cheek has been seared completely off, his teeth showing through. Where his crystal gray-green eyes had been was only just a sunken, blackened hole. She felt her voice catch in her throat, her stomach turning over.
"Jarvan!" She begged, turning his head. "Jarvan, wake up!" She pulled his body onto her lap, her tears dripping down her face and landing upon the tarnished golden armor he wore. "I don't want to lose you... not again..."
That damned booming laughter came again, cutting deep into her. The tears of sadness were burned away as fury filled her heart.
"SEE WHAT YOU DID?" Kampf boomed, laughing. "THIS IS ALL THANKS TO YOU... IF ONLY YOU HAD BEEN THERE TO SEE IT... HE BEGGED... LIKE THE WRETCHED BITCH HE CARED FOR."
"Kampf!" Shyvana roared, standing, a swirling inferno wrapping around her body. "Come down here and fight me, you pathetic lizard!"
"BIG WORDS FOR SUCH A LITTLE SLUT." Kampf's voice boomed, cutting deep into her mind. She winced, her legs feeling weak beneath her. She struggled to stay standing. She was struck on the shoulder as Kampf swooped down overhead, sending her tumbling across the ground. She cartwheeled end over end, her head screaming in pain. She struck a stone wall, screaming as the air was knocked completely from her body. She finally skidded to a stop, covered in blood and dust.
"NOW EXPERIENCE THE PAIN HE FELT!" Kampf's voice roared, the sound a sonic rumbling that kept Shyvana floored. She struggled towards Jarvan's body as Kampf swept towards them, the smoke getting swirled about by the force of his leathery wings. "JUST LIKE YOUR WEAKLING FATHER... YOU WILL DIE ALONE, BEGGING FOR YOUR LIFE!"
Shyvana, her head still swimming, felt the world start to spin around her as she was lifted from the ground. She tried to fight, but her entire body felt like a rock. It was as if her entire body was gone already, her body paralyzed. The world around her faded in and out as a cloud of blood and gore filled the are. She found herself falling, plummeting towards the ground.
Blackness swirled across her field of vision as the ground rushed up to meet her.
…
Shyvana opened her eyes, blood dripping down across her face. She had landed next to a pair of legs, the armor that they were clad in looking exactly like her own. Shyvana coughed, spweing blood and bile from her mouth.
"Please... Jarvan..." She croaked, her voice gone, her feeling in her body completely gone. She tried to move her arm, but she couldn't feel anything. Her mind told her that she was doing the right motions, but she couldn't feel anything.
"Jar...van..." Shyvana gasped, watching as her hand slwoly moved past her face, reaching out as she tried to crawl towards where Jarvan's body lay. Flames crashed down around her, blinding her immediately. She gasped for breath as the flame consumed all of the oxygen. She inhaled flame, the sensative human tissue blackening with the heat. The pain she felt was like a million knives cutting her from inside, as her throat and lungs were almost instantly vaporized. Her muscles and flesh began to burn away as the pain caused her to completely black out as she died.
Shyvana blinked the tears from her eyes and her chest rose and fall with frightening pace. She clutched at her chest, her hands gripping her legs and arms, patting herself down, making sure she still had her lower body attached.
Darkness surrounded her and she began to panic, thinking she was still blinded, but her mind slowly realized it was only the darkened interior of a room. She blinked a few times as her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness around her. She felt tears roll down her face, and she realized she had been crying. She breathed deeply as the terror that she had felt slowly subsided. Shyvana shivered as cold sweat covered her body. She could smell the stench of blood in the air, and the pain in her hand told her all that happened. Her finger tips were covered in blood, from her claws.
She hissed, the pain in her hands catching up with her as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She breathed deeply for a few minutes, before she shook her head, wiping the hair plastered with sweat from her face. She looked around the room and saw that it was empty and she felt a sense of dread.
"Just a dream..." She said to herself, her voice catching in her throat. She shook her head, taking a deep dream and slowly exhaling, the action causing her shoulders to shake.
A knock came at the door, startling her.
"Shyvana? Shyvana, what's wrong!" Isaacs' voice carried through the door, and it eased some of the tension she felt. She pushed her legs over the side of the bed, hissing to herself as her feet touched the cold stone flagons that lined the floor.
She wore an overlarge tunic that stretched down to middway past her thighs, and fell off one shoulder. She wasn't presentable at all, but she pulled blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders and moved to the door.
"Shyvana!" The knocking had turned into a banging now as Shyvana opened the door. Isaacs stood in the doorway with Forsythe behind him, both of them holding their weapons and both of them only half dressed. Both of them decorated with scars and shivering in the cold night air, they both looked her up and down before they lowered their weapons. Isaacs sighed a deep breath of relief. "Bloody hell, girl... you had me scared shitless." Isaacs shook his head, running a hand over his face and his stubble of a beard. "Screaming bloody murder like that..."
"Sorry..." Shyvana said sheepishly, clamping her eyes shut. "I just... it was a nightmare." Isaacs nodded and turned to Forsythe.
"Go on back to bed, Forsythe. Sorry to get you up." Forsythe glowered and grunted, but nodded, turning and heading back down the hall, his great sword draped over his shoulder. Isaacs waited fro his door to shut before he turned back to Shyvana, running a hand through his short brown hair. "Ya' alright, missy?"
"I think so." She said softly, nodding. She winced when she placed her hands upon her arms, the blanket falling off her shoulder. She pulled the blanket closer around her shoulders as Isaacs yawned, sheathing his sword. He held the weapon at his side and Shyvana had to wonder just how ready he had been to use that weapon in her defense. "It was not a pleasant dream."
"I'll say... your screams nearly woke the entire damn inn." Isaacs grinning, shaking his head. Shyvana glanced over his body, eyeing a particularly wicked looking scar that ran from his navel, up his chest and over his shoulder.
"I'm sorry." She said after she caught herself staring. She met his curious glare, blushing slightly.
"S'no problem." Isaacs said with another yawn. "You need to talk about it?" She shook her head from side to side slowly, smiling softly at him.
"I think I'll be okay." She said, trying to stifle her own yawn.
"Alrighty then..." Isaacs said, checking hesitantly over his shoulder. "I'mma head back to bed then."
"Good night." Shyvana said, dipping her head slightly in what could have passed as an informal bow. "Oh, uh... Isaa-... Val?"
"Hrm?" He said, raising a sleepy eyebrow.
"Uh... Have you seen Jarvan?" She said, glancing from the floor up to Isaacs.
"I think he's on the roof?" Isaacs smothered a yawn. "Careful when you go out there, it's cold." Shyvana nodded.
"Thanks." Isaacs waved over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner, leaving Shyvana standing in the hallway alone. She ducked back into the room, pulling the door shut behind her. She looked to where the window had been closed, shutters and all. Shyvana pulled on some pants and socks, then pulled the blanket closer around her, wiggling slightly. She still hated pants. She opened the window and clambered out onto the roof of what she expected was the kitchen, and then pulled herself up onto the roof above her room. She looked around the roof, to where she finally saw Jarvan perched atop the highest point of the roof, staring off into the night.
"Something on your mind?" Shyvana said as she approached, clambering up towards Jarvan on her knees, using one hand to hold herself up and the other to hold the blanket around her throat like a cape as she climbed.
"Oh!" Jarvan said, dropping out of what seemed like a trance. He shook his head then looked down at Shyvana. "Shy... I didn't hear you there."
"I can tell." She said, clambering up towards him. He was wrapped in a massive dark brown blanket, only his head sticking out from fuzzy bundle.
"What're you doing up here?" She said as she approached, shivering against the cold of the night, her breath a steamy white before her face. A grin tugged at the corner of Jarvan's mouth as she approached. He lifted the side of the blanket up, scooting over, granting Shyvana entrance. She slid into the blanket next to him, wrapping the blanket she had brought around her legs as Jarvan wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and pulled it over her.
"It's should be just big enough for the two of us." He said, not so subtly wrapping a hand around her back. She leaned up against him, shivering against the chilly night air.
"You seem wet..." Jarvan said, a frown crossing his face as she sighed softly. She giggled as Jarvan spoke, looking up at him with a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. Jarvan blushed. "I mean... are you alright?"
"Yeah..." She said, shaking her head and pulling herself closer to Jarvan, holding onto his shirt with one hand. "I just... I had a nightmare."
"About what..." Jarvan began to say, but his voice trailed off when Shyvana shivered and shook her head. "Sorry..." Shyvana looked up at him and shook her head.
"It's okay." She said sfotly, clearing her voice, struggling to keep the tears from her voice.
"Like hell it is..." Jarvan said, brushing a tear from Shyvana's cheek with his thumb. "Shy, what in the world did you dream about..." Shyvana's hand clutched Jarvan shirt tighter as she pulled herself closer up against him. She shook her head again.
"It's nothing..." She said softly, drying her eyes on his shirt.
"Shy..." Jarvan said, patting her back softly, running a hand up and down her spine slowly. She shivered, but the tears dried up as she pulled the blanket around her, a foot poking out. Jarvan, sensing the oportunity to try and change the subject, cleared his throat. "The blankets a little small..."
"Only just..." Shyvana said, looking up at him with a teary eyed smile. She sniffled as Jarvan looked down at her. His gray-green eyes sparkled like fire in the red moonlight. Jarvan nodded, serenely as he tore his eyes away to start back up at the stars above. She poked Jarvan roughly in the side. "That was a pitiful attempt to change the subject though." Jarvan grinned sheepishly, but looked up to the sky. "So... what's up there?" She said, following his gaze.
Jarvan grinned, glancing back down at her. "Nothing I suppose..." He shrugged, watching her carefully for a few moments.
"Well it must be something." She said, nudging him with her shoulder. She pulled her knees up to her chest, perching her chin upon them as she looked up at the stars. "It's stunning though... isn't it."
"It's not the only thing that's stunning." Jarvan said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Shyvana blushed, looking down at her lap.
"Jarvan, I..." She began to say.
Jarvan cut her off, a cheeky grin sneaking onto his face. "That cowlick on your head is pretty amazing."
"I... what?" Shyvana blinked a few times before she realized what Jarvan had just said. "Damn you!" She hissed, a smile upon her face with her crimson cheeks gleaming in the moonlight.
"It's okay." He said trying to smooth the rebellious locks of hair down upon the top of her head. "If only if it was wet..." He chuckled as Shyvana fiddled with it as well. "It'd be so mush easier that way."
"Does is always stand up like this?" Shyvana said worriedly, still struggling to get it to sit down properly. Jarvan wore a cheeky grin and winked at her.
"Only sometimes." He said, poking fun at her. She scowled but struggled to keep a straight face as Jarvan sat back, chuckling. He pushed some of her hair into her face and she blew out a cheek full of air, pouting at him.
"Now you're just making it worse." She pulled the hair aside, grinning at him and sticking her tongue out at him.
"Maybe." He said, grinning. He sighed, as he sat back again, his arm around Shyvana's back as she leaned against him. Shyvana was silent, simply drinking in the cool night air and listening the Jarvan's heart beating.
"Thanks." She said in a small voice.
"For what?" Jarvan looked down at the red hair that was pressed close up against him.
"I don't know... all of this..." She said quietly. Silence followed as they stared up at the stars. "Why can't we just stay like this?" She asked, finally breaking the silence. "It's so peaceful here..."
"Would you really enjoy a life like this?" Jarvan said, his mind obviously among the stars, his voice faint and fanciful, as if he was lost in a dream.
"If I was with you... yes..." Shyvana murmured, looking up at Jarvan. A smile drew one side of his mouth up as he glanced down at her.
"It's nice sometimes..." Jarvan said, letting his head fall back as he starred up to the stars right above them. "But I think I would get restless with things being so peaceful..."
"You can always fight me if you get restless." Shyvana said nonchalantly.
"What?" Jarvan had a blank look on his face. "Wait... why would I ever fight you?"
"I don't know..." Shyvana said, shrugging. "For training purposes? Fighting is always a good way to burn off stress, it's great exercise... and besides, it's fun."
"Another one of your father's nuances?" Jarvan said after a few moments, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head, laughing.
"Yes, actually." Shyvana grinned, eying Jarvan up. "Whenever I got too hot headed, we would fight. It would often turn into a lesson about combat and fighting techniques." She paused, frowning. "My father wasn't a warrior, but he had picked up how to fight over the years." Her gaze fell to her lap, tension flowing into her shoulders. Jarvan chuckled.
"You're cute when you're nervous." Jarvan said, causing her to blush even harder. "Though certainly fighting isn't always the answer to a disagreement. Though I suppose that I'm hardly one to say anything about that."Jarvan could only remember his recent fight with a pair of Noxian assassins that had literally gotten him killed. Looking back now, it merely brought a smile to his face.
"Well... it may be..." She said, blushing furiously. "There are... other things we can do together if you're restless..." She said, not so subtly putting a hand upon Jarvan's leg.
"Surely this isn't a 'We may die tomorrow so sleep with me tonight' kind of thing is it?" Jarvan looked over at her and could feel her start to warm up, the heat starting to pour off her body. Her face was a deep red as she stared at her lap, wringing the edge of the blanket in hand. She glanced innocently up at Jarvan from below her hair and then started staring right at her lap again. She simply nodded, her hair bouncing about around her head, the long braid laying gently over her shoulder. She tugged on it with one hand nervously, the other hanging onto the edge of the blanket is a white knuckled grip. Her shoulders rose and fell in a determined sigh as she released her hold upon the blanket.
"I... uh..." Jarvan gulped, freezing up like a greenhorn the first time he faced down a charging enemy brigade. Her hand began to slither up his leg and she fluidly slid up onto his lap, sitting face to face with him, straddling his lap. He could feel the tension flowing out of her shoulders as she let her body take over. She pushed her lips against his, her tongue brushing over his lips as he had once done to her, begging for entrance. Jarvan's lips parted, allowing her entrance and their tongues tangled briefly before he had to come up for air. Her hands were lost amid his mane of black hair, her milky skin a shade of pink in the moonlight.
Shy leaned in for another kiss, aggressive still, her spicy scent filling Jarvan's nostrils, the warmth of her body hot against his skin, the strength of her muscles rippling under her soft skin as he ran his hands along her body. She shivered as he ran a hand up her spine under her tunic, both his touch and the cold air causing goosebumps to rise up along her body. Suddenly though, Jarvan pulled back, breathing deeply as he tried to fight his more primal urges.
"Jarvan?" Shyvana said softly, unsure of how to react to his sudden withdrawal. "If I did something wrong..."
"No." Jarvan said, shaking his head, sighing heavily as he leaned his forehead against Shyvana's collarbone. The dragoness seemed surprised for a few moments, but she simply started to stroke his hair as he had done for her so many times before. "I just... I didn't mean for it to happen like this." Shyvana said nothing, simply continuing to hold him and breath deeply, letting him rest his head against her body.
"I suppose I still have much to learn." Shyvana said, chuckling softly, looking up at the stars and sighing.
"Surely you must think me mad to resist the advances of one so pretty as yourself." Jarvan said, finally sitting up. With Shyvana still upon his lap, they were nearly eye to eye and Shyvana grinned, it wasn't a view she got too often.
"Maybe... just a bit..." Shyvana said, grinning, brushing a few locks of red hair from her eyes. "But considering what we're doing... actively hunting one of the most powerful dragons on the continent... surely madness must come with the job."
Jarvan snorted in agreement, grinning as he did. "Something else your father said?" Shyvana nodded, matching his grin, though it carried a touch of sadness with it.
"Something like it anyways." She slid off his lap, but pulled one of his arms around her shoulders and across her chest, holding it tight. She let the sound of their breathing and the silent night air caress them for a few minutes before she spoke up. "Can I ask why, at the very least?"
"Of course." Jarvan said, sighing and yawning, an awkward sound emitting form his as he struggled to do both. Shyvana giggled at his face and he poked her in the side, eliciting a giggle. "Ticklish, are we?" He said with a sly grin.
"Yes." She said, drawing the hand she had been poked with into her own and held it tight, interlacing her fingers. "No changing the subject though." Her voice was stern. "I let that slide earlier... but no getting away from this one, Prince Jarvan Lightshild IV."
"Yes ma'am, alright." Jarvan said with a sheepish grin. "I suppose... I suppose the easiest way to put it is simply like this: It's not you, it's me."
Shyvana raised her eyebrow. "Surely you're... potent..." Shyvana had started with merely a grin, but the look of horror upon Jarvan's face was perfect, because Shyvana nearly tumbled off the roof from laughing so hard.
"Of course I am!" He stammered, his face blushed. "Besides, potency is not something I would be worrying about in a situation like ours." He sighed, wrapping his arms around her.
"Are you saying you do not wish for me to bear your children..." Shyvana said, blushing.
'I..." Jarvan's face went blank as he paused, obviously thinking how best to say what was on his mind. "Shyvana..." He said slowly. "I want you to know two things: one, I think the world of you. You're a clever, beautiful and not to mention deadly young woman, and you are the center of my universe right now, and I honestly don't plan on having that change any time soon." He poked her lightly on her chest, just over her heart. She blushed at his words as she looked down at her chest and back up at him."And two: I plan on trying my damnedest to make you happy and to give you a home in my world." He paused, still staring deeply into her eyes. "That being said... there are certain things that I as a prince and a gentleman, as hard as that may be to think of me as, simply cannot let happen." She smiled at him, running a hand against his cheek.
"A gentleman..." She said softly, looking back at him. "I'd love to meet him!"
"Bah!" Jarvan said with a blushing grin. "When we get back to Demacia... you'll probably get to know him pretty well."
"I look forward to it..." Shyvana said with a grin as she leaned against his chest, bringing her arms in close. "Anyways, you were saying?"
"Yeah..." Jarvan pulled the blanket up over her shoulder and slid down the roof just a bit, laying back so he could rest his head upon his other arm while keeping one wrapped over Shyvana's shoulders. "You mentioned children..." She nodded at him, and he noted a bit of a glimmer in her eye. He sighed, smiling but also feeling a certain weight upon his chest that wasn't just coming from the fact that Shyvana was pressed against his chest. "It would be considered... improper for a prince to have a child out of wedlock."
"It's because I'm only half human... isn't it?" Shyvana said sadly, tucking her arms under her chin, dropping her gaze from Jarvan's. He chuckled softly.
"Shyvana, my dear," He said, using the arm he had wrapped around her to brush a lock of her hair from her face. "If only that were the only problem." He chuckled. "The amount of trouble I would be in... is not something I want to think about." She propped herself up on her arm, resting her chin atop the back of her hand which lay upon his chest.
"But I thought you were a prince..." She said with a frown.
"All that means is that my father is the king." Jarvan said with a grin and a snort. "I don't hold any political power at all, unless specifically given said power by my Father... and even then he has to go through the Demacian Council for most things anyway." Jarvan shrugged. "Though my mother would be tickled pink."
"Your mother?" Shyvana said, surprised. Jarvan seldom talked about his parents.
"Yep." Jarvan said, smiling to himself. "She'll probably adore you. Might also talk till your ears bleed if given the chance..." Shyvana grabbed at her ears, a surprised look upon her face. Jarvan chuckled. "It's only an expression."
"That's... not one I'm familiar with..." Shyvana said, blushing slightly.
"You'll learn in time." Jarvan said, smiling to himself.
"So..." Shyvana said, finally breaking the silence that had ensued.
"So?" Jarvan said, raising his eyebrow this time, a hint of a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.
"Go back to that part about how I was clever, beautiful and deadly?" She said, smiling sweetly up at him. Jarvan laughed aloud, a smile now fully blossoming upon his face.
"Shall I list them all, my dear?" He said. With a cheesy smile upon his face. "For they are a vast and diverse as the sea of stars."
"And here I just though you like me for these." She said, pressing her chest against him and wiggling.
"Those are simply two reasons of many..." Jarvan said with a cheeky grin and a blushed face. "Well let's see here..." Shyvana snuggled into this side, her arms tucked under her chin and Jarvan's arm wrapped around her, a smile upon her face as he pointed to stars and praised her many different qualities into the night.