"Oh look... A boy and his dog..." Talon growled, his cloaks swirling around him as he examined his blade with a menacing smile.
"Somehow... when I heard the news, I knew you were involved, prince." The voice was as cold as the ice under foot, and the words were sharp enough that they could have been used as blades. Jarvan groaned, though for once it wasn't from the pain. Shyvana slid before Jarvan, lowering herself to the ground and growling, her teeth barred as heat swirled around her, causing her hair to billow. Jarvan struggled to his feet, trying to hide the pain in his face, but he had to lean on his lance to keep himself from tottering over and crashing to the ground.
"Talon... Katarina..." Jarvan hissed through clenched teeth. The assassins descended from the wall they were both perched upon, their cloaks billowing around them as they dropped to the ground, ice crunching underfoot. Shyvana growled menacingly.
"Call off your dog, boy." Talon said neutrally as he pulled down his mask. He bowed in a mocking fashion in Jarvan's direction, letting his own teeth show as he did.
"Enough, Talon." Katarina said, a tight lipped grin upon her face. "We did not come here to bicker, only to investigate the disappearance of a company of Noxian Infantry." Jarvan nodded as he lowered himself back to the steps, wheezing as he did.
"You look tired, prince." Talon snipped, as he looked around the area with a tight lipped smile. "Looks like you and your girlfriend had a row..."
"You want me to show you how it happened?" Shyvana growled, her hair still billowing as heat poured off her body. "I'll rip your arms off your damned shoulders..."
"Easy there, firecracker..." Talon said with a sneer, looking at Shyvana and taking a large step backwards out of her reach.
"Enough." Jarvan said, waving Shyvana down. She grimaced, but took a step back, standing next to Jarvan, still protective of her prince.
"You as well Talon, shut up before I sew your lips together." Katarina growled, her tone as cold as steel and almost as sharp. Talon sneered but turned away, wandering off towards the corpse of the dragon, a subdued look on his face and in his shoulders. "Apologies, Prince, we did not come to antagonize you."
"Then what are you doing here?" Jarvan said, his breathing strained. He pulled his cloak around him to hide the bandages, but Katarina's eyes already danced up and down his body, the bleached white bandages stained with pink peeking out from the inside of his cloak.
"As I said, we were investigating the disappearance of a Noxian company." Katarina said with a grimace. "When I heard the rumors of a dragon being involved I had feared the worst." She looked at Shyvana with a condescending glance, looking down her nose at the Dragoness.
"Well your company is here... and there... and there..." Shyvana said gesturing around the center of town, doing her best to match Talon's sneer.
"Shyvana." Jarvan said, a touch of anger in his voice. Shyvana rolled her eyes and growled, though all the fire was gone from her tone. "She's right though, we haven't found anything but corpses and ashes." Jarvan shook his head. "The entire village was laid to waste when we got here." Katarina crossed her arms over her chest, a sour look on her face.
"The company of infantry?" Katarina said, the anger slipping into her voice.
"No one was left alive in the village when we arrived." Jarvan said, shaking his head. "We identified several bodies in Noxian colors, but many of them were scorched beyond recognition."
"A pity." Katarina said, coldly. "Major Danil was a good family friend... he served with my father."
"The only officer we found was the female lieutenant that was serving with him." Jarvan said, grimacing as the haunting images from their exploration of the still burning village cut into his mind.
"Yes, she was a good officer." Katarina said, nodding. "I think her name was Constantine or something like that?" Katarina shook her head. "It's beside the point."
"That's cold." Shyvana said with an unpleasant grimace.
"That's life." Talon said, wearing his ever present, unpleasant sneer, circling past the steps of the town hall again as he continued examining the open area with a mixture of amusement and mirth crossing his face. Katarina waved him off, shaking her head as she looked back up to Jarvan, fitting him with a hard stare.
"And you had nothing to do with all of this?" Katarina said, narrowing her eyes as she watched Jarvan and Shyvana, who shifted from foot to foot awkwardly. Shyvana frowned as she looked up at the crimson haired assassin, a guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach. She opened her mouth to speak but Jarvan cut her off.
"We had been hunting a dragon back when we first encountered you." Jarvan said, staving off Shyvana. She met his gaze for a few moments but conceded to let Jarvan address the other two. "We were tracking him northward when we heard the rumors of dragon spottings for ourselves."
"So this beast was not your mark?" Katarina said, looking over at the remains of the dragon, where the green scaled behemoth sat decomposing. Fluids leaked from him like rotting fruit, and flies, now bored with the charred corpses, had come to find something new to their liking.
"No." Jarvan said firmly, shaking his head. "We have come to believe that this one was driven from its roost to the north of here by our target..."
"And you were driving your prey northward?" Katarina interjected, a frown on her face. "Surely that led this one to attack this village..." Jarvan shook his head and raised a hand to stop her before she continued making more accusations.
"We were tracking it, not driving it deeper into Noxian territory." Jarvan said firmly. Katarina opened her mouth to speak, but simply worked her jaw for a few moments before sighing and nodding.
"I see..." Katarina said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger as she looked at the ground, one foot tapping as she thought.
"There is something else..." Jarvan said hesitantly, pausing to trade a glance with Shyvana before he looked back to Katarina. "Someone is trying to use the dragons with the intention of igniting a war."
"How can you claim that?" Katarina said, her eyebrow rising up.
"The dragon we hunt is cruel and has an extreme hatred of humans." Jarvan said quietly. "He intended to blame it upon Shyvana and I after he attacked us just north of Mogron pass." Katarina nodded and let a small smile creep onto her face.
"That is where I first picked up your trail..." She mused, trying to keep a smile off of her face. "And that explains things a bit better." She forestalled the quizzical look upon Jarvan's face with a hand. "You recall the assassins who tried to end your life when you spent the night at my estate?"
"I do..." Jarvan said, his brow creasing as a smile played across Katarina's lips.
"I did some digging about after that little event and I found a few things out." Katarina said, leaning against the statue of the wolf that Jarvan sat at the base of. "It turns out that Swain has been advocating a buildup of arms. He and Darius have been training their men and stockpiling weapons and supplies for a while now, as if they have reason to believe a war is going to erupt soon." She paused, her fingers strumming against her own arm.
"But Noxus is an advocate of the League of Legends, is it not?" Jarvan said, frowning. "I thought the League was in place to keep something like that from happening..."
"The League has no standing military, and it has no say over the behavior of a country within its own borders." Katarina sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. "Luckily, Noxus does support and endorse the League, so they must maintain at least the appearance of peace, especially with Darkwill in power. However, Swain has been making moves as if he intends to make a grab for power. If he does manage to seize power... I fear that even the League won't quell his thirst for Demacian blood."
"What does this have to do with us, though?" Shyvana said, obviously struggling to follow.
"Well..." Katarina sighed and gestured towards the destruction around them. "Swain and Darius aren't operating on their own, they have a hidden backer who is bolstering their power. I've dubbed her 'L', and that is only because of what little we got from our wannabe assassin." She shook her head. "Everything else is a black hole. You ask a question to an information broker... the broker either kicks you to the curb or he turns up dead shortly afterwards. Anyone who knows anything is too afraid to speak up and I've not been able to find out about it. Which brings me to my point. Swain and this 'L' have been trying to come up with an excuse to make their grab for power, and they've been unable to do so with the peace right now."
"That means..." Jarvan said, the answers starting to form in his head. Katarina nodded somberly.
"When I heard about what happened, I knew that Swain would have a perfect excuse to make his move." Katarina said sighing. "I managed to get Darkwill out of the city on business to Zaun to forestall any action, and encouraged Major Danil to hurry here with his company to investigate." She shook her head. "I didn't think he would try and stop the dragon on his own... I supposed he paid the highest price for his hubris."
"How did Swain react?" Jarvan said, evenly. Katarina wore an ice cold smile that sent a shiver down Jarvan's spine.
"He appeared calm... but he was livid." Katarina's eyes gleamed like polished steel. "Without Darkwill's authorization, Swain is unable to call for martial action without starting an international incident that would land him between the blades of the Noxian Loyalists and the League of Legends. He's biding his time though. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a product of his own doing... he would easily sacrifice a village of innocents just to further his goals."
"And here I thought I was cutthroat..." Talon said under his breath. Jarvan paid the remark no heed.
"So, no matter what I do, I run the risk of starting an international incident and possibly the next great war..." Jarvan said shaking his head. "Damnit... I walked straight into his trap again."
"Possibly." Katarina said, shrugging. "I came to ensure that it wasn't a direct attempt by Swain to frame you and your Dragoness in the face of the Noxian Generals to sway them to his camp. And while I entertained the idea for a short while, I am relieved to find out that my suspicions were wrong." Shyvana gave her an unpleasant glare, but the assassin didn't back down, simply glancing away towards Jarvan. "What are you planning on doing, Prince? You can't stay here, Noxians will be descending upon the area before the day's end; you're lucky the storm last night bought you that much time."
"I want answers." Jarvan growled, taking the assassins by surprise. "And right now, I only know one person who can answer for this." He shook his head. "And I refuse to be used by that bastard, Swain."
"It's good to see that your injuries have not slowed your tenacity." Katarina said with an amused smile. "Short of diving back into the heart of Noxus and asking Swain himself though... who could have any answers?" Katarina narrowed her eyes again, posting a fist on her hip. "You haven't discovered who 'L' is, have you?"
"Not yet, but I'm going to make sure I do..." Jarvan said with a growl, shaking his head. "And we have one more... creature who we can ask... he already has one murder to answer for." Shyvana's body went rigid as anger at her father's murder coursed through her body.
"Your mark?" Katarina said, leaning back against the statue. "Would he be in League with Swain and 'L'?" Jarvan mulled it over in his head for a few moments, trying to think if the vengeful dragon would even be willing to use someone like this. His hatred of humans was paramount; the only thing he hated more was Shyvana.
Jarvan looked to Shyvana. "Would Kampf be capable of something like this?" She opened her mouth but paused, frowning as she looked over at the corpse of the dragon and then to the destruction that was spread out around her.
"Capable? Yes. Willing? I doubt it." Shyvana said, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. "He hated my father for sullying his pure dragon blood by mating with a human, and he views me as an abomination who deserves no better than the dirt under his feet." Shyvana shook her head, her voice heavy with a mix of both anger and regret. "He would rather die than work with humans." The bitterness in her voice was almost palatable.
"Could he be taken advantage of, then?" Katarina said, looking down at the red haired dragoness.
"It's possible." Shyvana said, nodding. "He's more brawn than brain, and he's more tenacious than contemplative. He could be deceived and led into a plot without him knowing... though I fear the person who manages to do so."
"Agreed." Jarvan said, shaking his head. "He's easily the largest Dragon I've ever seen."
"So then you're going to track him down then?" Talon said, kneeling, sticking his finger into the pool of noxious liquids that had formed underneath the dragon's corpse.
"We have a strong lead on where he might be." Jarvan said. "And a plan to deal with him."
"Good." Katarina said, eying Jarvan up. "Though I don't think you're in any position to actually do anything about it right now though. You look like you went through a meat grinder."
Jarvan nodded. "I want to act as soon as possible, but I don't think I'm going to be capable of fighting for a long time..."
"I might have an idea." Katarina said with a sly smile. She reached around her back, and Shyvana brought her hands up in a defensive position, sinking into a fighting stance. "Woah. Easy there... I know you're jumpy but I'm just getting something." Shyvana looked surprised, but she lowered her guard, though Jarvan could see that the tension didn't ease from her shoulders. Shyvana was still on edge, and he couldn't blame her. "Here." Katarina said, holding out a small pouch for Shyvana to take.
Shyvana took the pouch with hesitation, but opened the leather bag and looked at the contents. "These are health potions, no?" Shyvana said, surprised, handing the pouch to Jarvan. Jarvan drew two vials out, both of them filled with a faintly glowing red material.
"Those aren't just any health potions." Katarina said, pointing at the pouch. "Those are Zaunite, Martial-grade health restoration potions. They're five times more effective than the normal swill that you can purchase off the street in Demacia or Noxus." She wore a smile that was more cruel than reassuring. "They don't have any distillers or filling material... they're as potent as healing potions come."
"Thanks." Jarvan said, surprised. "This solves a lot of problems..."
"Talon." Katarina called to the assassin who was still examining the silvery-black liquids.
"What?" He grunted, looking over his shoulder.
"Fork over those Elixirs of Fortitude that you stole from the League arsenal." Katarina said, a toothy grin spreading onto her face as a look of surprise and horror spread onto Talon's face.
"How did you..." He stammered, standing up, his hand unconsciously going to a pouch on his belt.
"You're lucky I didn't turn you over to the adjudicators." Katarina growled. "Hand them over." Talon grumbled, but he begrudgingly handed the flasks over, the contents of the bottle glowing dimly in the sunlight. He stalked off, still muttering profanities as he did, glaring over his shoulder from time to time as his purple cloak swirled around him.
"Here." Katarina said, holding them up to the light of the sun, and peering through the contents of the bottle. "These are from the League of Legends... drinking the entire flask with give you immense strength and the ability to simply shrug off blows as if they were nothing for a short period of time..." She let a menacing glare sweep onto her face. "But it will catch up with you after a short period of time... so use it wisely."
Jarvan accepted the two flasks from Katarina and tucked them away, nodding. "I'll keep it in mind."
"What are you going to do now?" Katarina said, crossing her arms back over her chest, her eyes drawing to the dragoness who still watched the hooded assassin with wary eyes.
"I need to ensure my men get out of Noxus first." Jarvan said, frowning. "I don't want them getting involved in all of this... they had nothing to do with this plat I got dragged into."
"That would be the best." Katarina said, nodded. "Swain and other officers are going to be descending from Noxus before long, and that would simply complicate matters. And we don't want to overcomplicate things." Jarvan grinned and nodded.
"I'll leave Talon to watch over your men." Katarina said, frowning. "And I'll do what I can to delay the Noxians." Talon growled, but Katarina silenced him with a glare that could have shattered ice.
"Thank you again, Miss Du Couteau." Jarvan said, bowing shallowly. She gave him a tight smile as she turned away. "A moment though, if you please." She looked surprised as Jarvan called on her, but she paused and nodded. Jarvan turned to Shyvana who gave him a wary glance, but nodded. She leaned down and hugged his shoulders from behind, kissing him on the cheek before giving Katarina a menacing glare. She hopped down from the statue and strode off, her hips bouncing slightly as she went. Talon had already disappeared to somewhere.
"She really doesn't like me, does she?" Katarina said with a sardonic grin.
"You did kill me." Jarvan said, shrugging. "Besides... she really doesn't like anyone."
"Point." Katarina chuckled, shaking her head. "What did you want?"
"I need you to do me a favor." Jarvan said, letting a very serious look onto his face.
"I've already done you several favors." Katarina said with a grimace. "What more do you want?"
"I know, I know... it pains me to ask more of you." Jarvan said shaking his head. His held up his hands to show her, and they were shaking. Katarina took a half step back, surprised.
"W-what..." Katarina said hesitantly. Jarvan sighed, leaning on his arms and covered his mouth with his hands, trying to hide his shaking. "Hold on... If you want to give someone your last will and testament, you should be speaking with Shyvana, not I..." Jarvan sighed, lowering his hand and shaking his head, letting his eyes fall to the stone beneath his feet. He took a deep breath, wincing as he inhaled, grabbing at this stomach. He let out a ragged breath, clamping his eyes shut as he did, biting back the pain before he opened his eyes and met Katarina's gaze with an intensity that she had not seen since she last saw her father. Katarina wrapped her arms around her chest and shook her head, trying to erase the image of her father that Jarvan's fatalistic glare reminded her of. She had only seen it once before.
"If we die, I need you to ensure that my body isn't used to start a war." Jarvan's voice was soft and reverent as they fell away from her own gaze. Katarina chuckled softly, running a hand through her long red hair, looking down at Jarvan, expecting him to smile at her. His eyes were distant, and his shoulders were slack, his foot tapping nervously.
"You're kidding, right?" Katarina said, running a hand through her hair to clear her long red hair from her face. Jarvan looked up at her, a deathly serious look about his eyes. She plopped down on the base of the statue next to him, leaning on her hand as she looked up at Jarvan's face. "You're not kidding..." She shook her head and sighed. "You're really that worried you're not going to make it?" Jarvan nodded somberly.
"I don't think she remembers..." Jarvan said quietly. "But Shyvana's transformation failed. She wasn't able to transform when she needed it most.. and we nearly paid the price." Jarvan shook his head, holding onto his hair, a worried look on his face. "She nearly died... and I would have died if it hadn't been for my Tracker also being a wannabe med student."
"I saw that it was bad..." Katarina said, a frown on her face. "But I didn't know it was that bad."
"It was." Jarvan said quietly. "And I don't know if it's going to get any better... Kampf is even larger."
"I'll make sure you get a proper funeral." Katarina said, shaking her head. Jarvan grunted, still hunched over, a fatalistic look upon his face. "For what it's worth... good luck."
"Thanks." Jarvan said, letting his eye drift shut. Katarina gave him a fleeting glance, shaking her head before she took off to find Talon.
"Do you think they'll make it?" Talon said, appearing next to Katarina, sheathing the blade on his hip.
"I don't know." Katarina said, a frown on her face. "If I were crazy, I might think you were worried." Talon grunted, shaking his head.
"If they don't pull this off, things are going to be a pain in our ass." Talon glowered.
"True." Katarina said, glancing over her shoulder at the Demacian prince. He held his head in his hands, his shoulders rising slowly up and down. She almost felt sorry for him, and she considered going back and offering him her assistance, but she knew better.
Good luck, Prince.
"This isn't going to be easy..." Shyvana said, shaking her head as she stepped back up to Jarvan. She sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around him.
"I never expected that it would." Jarvan said, shaking his head. Shyvana shivered and Jarvan looked up at her, locking gazes with the brilliant magenta orbs. "It's going to be tough, no matter how we look at it... what's bothering you?"
"Can we ever truly be ready for a fight like this? Like the ones we're about to face?" Shyvana said, pushing against him, draping her arms gently over his shoulders. "Can't we just run away?" Shyvana sighed, resting her head against Jarvan's neck.
"Sometimes... I wish I could." Jarvan said quietly. "I've been running away from my life for over two years. It's time I finally faced the world and stopped fucking about. I've wasted enough time and I need to finally get back to Demacia and assume my place as Prince." Shyvana giggled softly, shaking her hand. "You find something about that funny?" Jarvan said, raising an eyebrow as he watched the dragoness try to control her laughter. She shook her head and tried to stop her laughing.
"Sorry..." She said with a quiet voice, her small shoulders shaking slightly as her face dropped to look at the ground. Her shoulders started to shake as sobs wracked her body, tears dripping from her face.
Jarvan furrowed his brow and frowned as she shook her head side to side. "What in the world is wrong, Shyvana?" She shrugged, wiping at her eyes and turning away from him, trying to hide her face.
"Shyvana..." Jarvan said, putting a hand on her back and gently stroking her back. She sniffed a few times and wiped some tears from her face, her hand coming away wet, but she couldn't stop the tears. She looked over her shoulder at Jarvan and he could see tears welling in her eyes and a smile on her face.
"I don't know..." Shyvana said, shaking her head and laughing. She looked up at Jarvan with glassy eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. Jarvan looked surprised, sitting up and looking at her with concern into her eyes. "I'm just so scared... I don't know what to say or think..." Jarvan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pull her in, wiping at the tears that streamed down her face. Her entire body trembled as she shook her head, trying to shake the tears away. Jarvan pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her, stroking her hair. She buried her face in his neck, squeezing her arms around his chest.
"It's alright, Shyvana..." Jarvan said quietly, holding her close and stroking her long red hair. "I'd say I wasn't scared... but that would be a lie." Shyvana chuckled softly, wiping at her tears.
"I know..." Shyvana said quietly, sniffing. "I'm sorry." She shook her head, wrapping Jarvan tightly up and a hug.
"Ouch... too tight, love..." Jarvan said, breathlessly.
"Oh!" She squeaked, still wiping at her eyes, letting him go. "Sorry..." Jarvan shook his head and kept an arm around her.
"I'd rather it be too tight than not at all..." He said, chuckling softly. Shyvana nodded, wiping the last of her tears away and looking up at Jarvan, her face glowing as she put on a brave face. Jarvan pressed her lips to hers and kissed her deeply. He pulled back and just let his forehead rest against hers, staring deep into her magenta orbs. Jarvan and Shyvana sat quiet amid the destruction, holding each other, letting their nerves settle as the world seemed to swirl around them.
Jarvan groaned and laid back, letting his chest rise and fall gently. "God I hurt..." Jarvan said, shaking his head from side to side. "If I never hurt this bad again, It'd be too soon..."
"Katarina gave you those health potions, right?" Shyvana said hesitantly. Jarvan nodded.
"On my belt... there is a small pouch on my right hip. Can you get it please?" Shyvana leaned across his body and struggled with the small pouch before she finally figured out it would be easier to just loosen his belt before she could get it off. She fumbled with his belt buckle for a few moments, the metal warm to the touch. She finally slid the pouch off his belt and sat back, holding in her hand. "Open it up and inside you'll see a few crystal vials." He coughed into his hand, groaning as it came away crimson. Jarvan groaned and glanced away. Shyvana had opened the bag and pulled out a small crystal vial, holding it up to the light. The shape was small and sharp, with hard edges and a warning label that had a large warning on it.
"Warning... do not ingest more than one at a time... can cause internal damage."
"Well... that's reassuring..." Jarvan said, shivering, looking at the label and shivering. "A health potion that CAUSES more pain."
"Should we even try it?" Shyvana said, looking hesitant as she looked at the little red filled crystal vial.
"Well... it's not poison." Jarvan said, his voice strained. "Katarina wouldn't poison me... I don't think."
"Not while you're of some use to her at least." Shyvana said, shaking her head. She ripped out the cork with her teeth and sniffed the contents. "It smells alright..." Jarvan took a deep breath and nodded, his face now pale.
"This is what I get for thinking I was alright." Jarvan said weakly. "Help me, please..." Shyvana nodded, tilting the bottle up and emptying the contents of the bottle into her mouth before she lowered her face to Jarvan's mouth and pressing her lips to his, letting the warm, fizzy red liquid draining into Jarvan's mouth. She sat back, her face blushed as she waited for something to happen, still holding onto Jarvan's hand.
An eerie green glow enveloped his body as Shyvana felt the heat begin to pour of his body. He closed his eyes and sat back, breathing deeply. His breathing grew deeper, quicker and sharper as he started to struggle. He opened his mouth and howled raggedly, his voice strained and tapering off a his clenched his body and arced his bad, his grip on Shyvana's hand like that of a vice.
"Jarvan?" She said with trepidation, leaning over him, steam starting to rise up from underneath his cloak. "Jarvan!" Shyvana screamed, shaking his hand and using her other hand to shake his shoulder. "Jarvan, speak to me!" Jarvan screamed, the sound cutting through Shyvana like a knife and causing her more pain than anything she could have imagined. He tossed his head back in a silent scream, his eyes wide. Steam exploded out oh his mouth and he gasped for breath, each successive gasp for air growing shorter and shallower as he started to claw at his chest.
"Can't... bre-..." He gasped, his hands moving to his throat as he scratched at his neck and tried to gasp for breath. Panic flooded Shyvana's mind as she struggled, trying to think what she could do. The sound of straining fabric, drew her eyes towards his chest, the bandages like a vice around his body. His stomach and chest was starting to grow in size, straining the bandages. Shyvana panicked as she looked side to side for something to cut the bandages away with. She couldn't find anything, so she gritted her teeth and felt fire race up and down her arm as long talons exploded from her hand. She slid a long, sharp talon under the edge of the bandages, slitting the bandages like butter. Jarvan gasped for breath as his chest rapidly expanded and shrunk.
Shyvana clasped a hand over her mouth as Jarvan's stomach boiled beneath his skin, the wounds starting to boil blood. It pooled on his stomach and continued to boil, the smell of burnt meat filling Shyvana's nostrils. She watched as the wounds boiled, letting steam escape and rise to the sky as Jarvan howled in pain again. Jarvan clamped his hands over his stomach, blood bubbling up from under his hand. He rolled onto his side, gasping for breath, his face screwed up in pain.
"...Jarvan?" Shyvana said hesitantly, as the green glow faded away. "Jarvan, are you alright?" Shyvana gently rolled Jarvan onto his back. He breathed deeply, his face still pale as he finally opened his eyes and looked past Shyvana and into the sky. He let his head roll towards Shyvana, his mouth trying to form words, his voice hoarse and barely audible.
"Water..." He groaned finally, Shyvana nodding quickly. She dug under Jarvan's cloak and pulled the soft-sided canteen from his belt and pulled the cork out, putting her hand under his head and lifting him up just enough to to put the canteen to his lip. He sucked the water down greedily before he coughed, sending pink stained water spraying to the side. He gasped for breath, blinking slowly as he looked straight into the sky. He finally looked over at Shyvana, his chest still rising and falling rapidly.
"Jarvan?" She said quietly. "Jarvan, are you okay?"
"That felt like a descent through the seven layers of hell..." He said quietly, still blinking, dazed. "Next time... remind me that the pain isn't nearly as bad as these fucking health potions."
"How do you feel?" Shyvana said, looking towards his blood soaked hands. Jarvan looked down, sitting up and groaning a little, lifting his hand away. The skin was smooth and while pink it was healed. "That's... amazing." Shyvana said, gasping.
"It hurt like hell." Jarvan said, letting his head fall back. "Now I'm just tired..." Shyvana breathed deeply, shaking her head.
"Next time... just let me beat the hell out of you." Shyvana said looking down at him trying to hide her fear and relief with a cross expression. Jarvan saw through it though, smiling and looking up at her.
"It'll probably hurt a lot less." Jarvan said cheekily, his voice now starting to reflect how tired he looked. His eyes fluttered shut, his chest rising and falling. "But now... I feel perfectly fit... if exhausted."
"Good." Shyvana snipped, sighing, her shoulders sinking. "I think I need something to drink after that... that made me hurt." She shook her head, her hand clenched in her lap. She looked down at Jarvan's stomach, the image of his stomach boiling underneath his skin enough to cause her to shiver.
It probably looked like my transformation. Shyvana shivered.
"You know... when I said 'help me..." Jarvan said, looking tired as Shyvana looked over at him and wore an embarrassed smile. "I just meant for you to help me sit up..."
"Oh..." Shyvana said, blushing deeply.
"Sorry..." Shyvana said, looking at the ground. "I didn't know."
"It's fine." Jarvan said haggardly. He lay back, pushing himself over towards Shyvana, resting his head on Shyvana's lap. "It was cute..." He grinned at her and she scowled. She leaned over and planted a kiss squarely on his lips. The prince grinned, and slid a bloody hand onto her cheek and held her there as he pushed back up against her. He wore a crooked grin as he looked up as the red hand print on her face, trying not to laugh. His eyes fluttered shut and he sighed contently, pushing himself up so his head rested in Shyvana's lap.
"I'm just going to take a bit of a nap." Jarvan said quietly, a smile on her face. Shyvana nodded, brushing some hair from Jarvan's face as she smiled, looking up to the blue sky above her, a mote of hope now glowing in her heart.