Squawk.
"I don't know what you expect me to do, Valor." Quinn said, sitting atop the roof of one of the palace buildings, looking down over the proceedings with a thin grin.
Squa-squawk.
"I know he asked us to keep an eye on her." Quinn said, rolling her eyes. "I've got two on her right now. Nothing I can do." Quinn sighed heavily, looking around the courtyard at the huge mass of people that had gathered to watch the fight. More people steadily trickled in as the minutes passed.
Squawk?
"I won't interfere with her fight, Val. I was to keep Jormander and his thugs away from her. I've done that." Quinn said, rolling her eyes again. "Ow!" She hissed as the eagle nipped the back of her hand, cocking his head from side to side. "Val! Stop it!"
Squawk!
"Stow it, bird brain." Quinn said, waving a hand at the eagle and sending him flapping into the air, spiraling higher and higher. Quinn watched the Demacian Eagle climb, finally shaking her head and frowning, letting her voice become soft and small. "I heard what she said, and I don't care. It's not like I can do anything about the two of them now." She leaned heavily on her arm and watched, waiting for the fight to start. With an outburst that bold, Shyvana, I sure hope you've got the strength to back it up.
A crowd had now gathered along the edges of the courtyard, soldiers, officers, clerks, palace staff ranging from cooks to maids, and even a collection of high ranking officers had turned out along the balconies to watch the show.
"They act as if this was some sort of spectator sport." Jarvan grumbled, looking around the walkways and the courtyard itself. There was a large circle in the very center of the courtyard where Shyvana's flames had melted the ice that the two competitors now stood. Jarvan shook his head, leaning heavily on the railing, a frown clear on his face.
"Does it remind you of the time you were sent to the Noxian Gladiator's ring to be executed by her hand?" Lorcan said with a grin.
"No, that was terrifying." Jarvan grumbled. "This is just gut wrenching."
"It's compelling stuff." The councilor said, shrugging with a thin smile on his face. "Young miss Shyvana, an unknown who had captured the heart of the prince who has been locked away in a tower by his father. The young warrior now fights for the prince's hand in marriage and the approval of the king! Tis a fairy tale come to life, my boy!"
"You make it sound like I am some damsel in distress!" Jarvan said, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning at his grandfather.
"Well, naught but a few hours prior you were locked up in a prison cell." The councilor said, chuckling.
"Shall we send you back so you can play the part?" Lorcan piped up, grinning mischievously. "I can probably scare up a dress that'll put a blush on her face when she comes to rescue you if you want."
"I'll pass, thanks." Jarvan said, shaking his head politely, giving the general a polite but disapproving smile as the man cackled to himself, still leaning on his cane. Truth be told, I could use something to take my mind off this. The anticipation is killing me!
"You may choose any weapon you wish." The king said evenly, gesturing to an array that was being held out to her by several guards. She frowned, looking across to her opponent who stood stock still in the middle of their makeshift arena, his eyes closed, his spear held vertically before him as if he were meditating. She looked back to the array of weapons that were available for her to use. Guards held axes, swords, shields, lances, numerous knives and other weapons, but short of a little training with swords and lances, much of it was exotic and would be useless in her hands.
His lance gives him range advantage. She frowned, looking to the lance that a soldier carried. She flexed her hands around dragon's head gauntlets she had brought with her. They were scarred and badly beaten, but they had also served her well through her training. I can't give him an advantage such as range, but... She sighed and started fiddling with the larger of the two gauntlets, tightening the straps around her arm and sliding it a bit further up on her arm so she could carry a weapon. Satisfied it wouldn't budge, she gestured to the lance. The guard tossed the large weapon to her with both hands grunting with exertion; the dragoness caught it with one hand. She was surprised by how light the weapon felt in her hands. It weighs nothing compared to Jarvan's lance. She stepped into the ring and posted the lance by her side, holding the buckler slightly away from her body. She turned and nodded at the king, making sure she wore a confident frown as she did. I mustn't show any weakness.
"The fight shall go until the first fighter concedes victory." The king announced from the side of the makeshift ring. His guards stood close at hand, ready to jump in between a stray projectile or a flying body, anything that may threaten the life of the king. Several court mages also stood by, ready to protect the crowd if anything were to go wrong. "There are no restrictions. Fight honorably. You may begin!"
"As my king commands," Xin said, bowing shallowly to the king. "It shall be done." A cheer went up around the courtyard, and Shyvana found herself in a surprisingly familiar position. Xin bowed to her in a fighter's salute; Shyvana did not return the gesture. Instead, she started pacing in a circle, watching as the man opposite her did the same. He wore armor that was slightly different from most of the Demacian guardsmen. The plates were lighter and thinner, shaped differently, almost cruder in a way. He wore vambraces, grieves, pauldrons, a chest plate and a glimmering silver mail hauberk under a sleeveless tunic that bore the Demacian livery and dropped to low on his thigh. Metal faulds hung from a belt on his hips, cinched tight, gathering what little excess there was in the tunic and hauberk. It was armor pieced together for mobility, not so much the heavy protection her fellow Demacian guardsmen preferred. It would offer the barest minimum safety, but not in any heavy fighting.
He relies on mobility, rather than armor. Shyvana frowned, his fighting style would likely contradict hers, and she felt dread start to coalesce in her stomach.
"You seem to be familiar to this setting." He spoke aloud, catching Shyvana by surprise. She faltered a step, but quickly regained her footing, each of the warriors sizing up their opponent. "Few know the pressure and the thrill a fight like this carries, and how the desire for victory calls. Have you fought as a gladiator before?" Though he wasn't much taller than herself, Xin's presence came from his confidence and the intensity of his eyes, dark and concentrated, rather than sheer bulk.
Shyvana frowned. She did not wish to give up any sign on weakness, but she also didn't know when to expect an attack. If I speak and he jumps me, then he shall have the upper hand. She kept her guard up, both the lance and the buckler raised. "I have, only a short time though." She shook her head. "It wasn't exactly by choice."
He smiled knowingly. "You and I are much the same, then. I too was forced to fight as a gladiator until I was rescued by Jarvan II and brought here to Demacia. I swore my allegiance and here I stand, serving the king."
He's exactly like me! Shyvana shook the shocked look off of her face. "Then you know why I am doing this." She said, meeting his glare, letting a thin smile slide onto her face. "You understand why I must and will beat you."
"I understand why you desire to beat me, yes." Xin said serenely. "But I don't think that you will win."
"Then why don't you come over here and prove it!" Shyvana snarled, letting her anger get the best of her.
As if accepting the invitation, Xin launched himself forward in an audacious charge as if his lance were an arrow that had been shot directly at Shyvana's throat. She threw the buckler up just in time to bounce the lance away, but he followed through, forcing the blade onwards, catching Shyvana just under the shoulder. The sharpened spear head caught the under side of her shoulder pauldron and it nicked her arm, drawing blood. He immediately started his withdrawal, as there was no excess force in the blow to carry it out and away from her body. He retracted the lance as he stepped inwards, shouting a vicious battle cry as he brought the point forth in a swift stabbing motion, aimed directly at her gut. Shyvana blocked the first driving blow with with the buckler, but the second blow came impossibly quick after the first. It was aimed for the center of her mass, and she started to bring the lance down to knock the blow away, but it punched through her chest plate, directly along the center of her mass. Shyvana gasped for breath against the impact of the lance as cool air swirled inside her tunic between her breasts. She looked down at the shallow marks in the armor, expecting blood but there was none. As his lance retracted for the third strike, she rolled away, returning the distance between them. Her chest heaved with surprise; she had not realized it but she had been holding her breath since he charged, and the lance had caught her shoulder.
Shyvana touched her fingers that held the smaller half of the gauntlets to her shoulder, coming away bloody. She growled as the blood dripped down her arm, staining the freshly falling snow red with blood. Her arm felt heavy, the shield weighing it down., but she used her other arm to raise the lance up towards him and keep him at distance.
"You fight and defend savagely." Xin mused softly, watching as she paced. "But it seems fate has already made its choice, and a Demacian does not retreat."
"That is why I still stand and face you." Shyvana said, her voice wavering slightly. "The blood of my father runs strong within me, and I have yet to show Demacia my strength."
"Only actions truly speak." Xin said with a thin smile. "It is time you show me if you are truly worthy of the position you seek. Come, let me see if you have what it takes to be a true Demacian with the tip of my lance."
He paced carefully towards her, slowly closing.. Shyvana cloaked her legs in fire and launched herself forward, charging directly at the Seneschal, jumping forward with a burst of speed. She lashed out at him with a swing of the lance, arcing it up and across her body. Xin stepped inward, dodging the lance, but Shyvana knew she had screwed up. The bladed head of the lance carried much further than she intended, despite the weapon's light weight she did not have the strength of wrist to control the circular motion of the long weapon. Xin caught the head of the lance in the fork of his spear and tried to rip it from Shyvana's hands, but she kept a firm grip on the weapon and yanked back, jerking the Seneschal about. He let the lance slide from his forked weapon, stepping backwards out of her strike as she flailed the lance around again in a broad, sweeping strike.
"Do not bore me with a weapon you do not know how to use." Xin said firmly as she stepped back, and started to circle, yet again. "I have no time or interest in such worthless shows of bravado."
"I'll show you what I can do with it!" Shyvana snarled, raising the weapon over her shoulder, tossing it up slightly and catching it in her fist and then chucking it like a missile at the man's head. He seemed surprised by the speed of the projectile as it closed with his head. He ducked slightly, the lance passing through his ponytail and sending strands of hair fluttering to the ground. He looked back to the dragoness as she sprinted forth on a sheet of flames, the larger of the two gauntlets raised back as she leaped and crashed towards him. He raised the lance, a frown crossing his face as he held her off with his lance, struggling against the weight of her body and the heat of her flames as they descended onto him like the weight of a volcano whose cinder and ash darkened the sky.
She braced her knees against his lance as she fell, Xin forced to use his brute strength to hold her back, a brief moment of anger crossing his face. Shyvana kicked off, launching herself into the air. Behind them, a mage threw up a massive, shimmering blue barrier that bounced the lance backwards, high into the air in a spinning arc. She caught the lance and brought it down, driving the head of the lance down as if she were slaying a beast, a victorious smile on her face.
Xin slid backwards a step and brought his own lance up, catching the shaft of Shyvana's lance in hand and snapping it it with a deft twist, sending the dragoness crashing to the ground. She landed in a heap, gasping for breath as she coughed blood violently on the ground. She coughed raggedly several times, casting blood upon the ground as her chest heaved. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, wiping blood from her chin as she got to her feet.
"You are injured." Xin said evenly, looking at her with no expression upon his face. He frowned slightly as she pushed herself upwards, raising the dragon's head gauntlets before her face as she readied herself to fight.
"You would fight with nothing but buckler and a manifer?" Xin said, a moment of disbelief passing over his face.
"I need nothing more." Shyvana said, her voice weak as she dashed forth, a trail of flames marking the ground as she sprinted, dirt flying as she barreled along, coming up low as she snarled and reared her gauntlets back to strike. Xin shouted fiercely, sweeping out as he spun his lance around his body in a crescent sweep. The lance caught Shyvana in the stomach, her eyes bulging as she exhaled sharply. The force of the blow lofted her and sent her flying backwards. She hit the ground hard and rolled along the ground, her body bouncing. Her gauntlets were sent skittering away from her along the ground as she finally skidded to a halt in a mix of mud and snow.
The crowded courtyard was utterly silent as Xin slowly approached her, holding his lance vertically, close to the head. Shyvana groaned as she rolled over, untwisting her mess of arms and legs, rolling onto her stomach as she tried to pick herself up off the ground, her side screaming as blood stained the mud and snow a violent crimson color. She managed to get to her knees, screaming in pain as she clutched her stomach and her side where the gash marred her body, blood spilling from behind her hand. Her voice started to drop as anger and ferocity tainted her pained scream, dropping her head as horns burst from her skull. Xin Zhao watched serenely as her head came up, diamond pupils and golden eyes dancing with fire as steam and thin flames circled around her, dancing along the ground. They threatened to turn into an inferno as she started to bring a knee up to rise to her feet. She snarled at Xin as blue scales started to show on her face, creeping inward along her cheek bones and up along her neck.
"Power flows through me!" Shyvana declared, demonic anger flowing through her voice. Her tone grew multitonal and vicious as the flames sparked into an inferno, raging along the ground around her. Gusting wind, ushered by the heat of her flames, whipped at her body and Xin Zhao, but the man betrayed no hesitation and no fear. "Tremble before the power of a dragon!"
"Guards, barriers!" the captain of the king's guard shouted, the mages seemingly dumbstruck by Shyvana's anger and the furious flames that continued to grow. They raised their staves up and a bubbled began to form around the Seneschal and the dragoness, pale blue and translucent. Xin frowned, but stepped forward, raising his spear up across his chest. He brought it down violently, catching Shyvana across the face and sending her crashing to the ground. The wind spluttered and died, and the flames dropped away, leaving a cloud of steam to float down along the ground.
Shyvana lay on the ground, motionless for several long seconds, a soft murmur passing through the ground. "Is she alive?" one man murmured. "Maybe she's dead..." Another answered. The king frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, glancing left and around around the crowd, surprised by the worry over the dragoness. He turned back to the makeshift arena and watched, waiting for her to move.
"Captain, perhaps you should send for a doctor." Jarvan III said quietly. The man nodded, waving a soldier over and passing the order along. I thought you stronger than this...
A groan could be heard from within the dome as the steam started to settle, the wispy white material growing heavy in the cold air. Shyvana stirred on the ground. She pushed herself onto her back, flopping over as her chest rose and fell slowly. She started to prop herself up with an arm, pain rife on her face, but she froze, the bladed head of Xin Zhao's lance leveled with her throat.
"Your wound is severe." Xin Zhao said calmly as he looked down at her, his dark eyes watching her intently, his lance held between them, the tip hovering just under her chin. "You should give up already. Take some time to learn and heal up, you might be ready in a few months time."
"I cannot!" Shyvana snarled, shaking her head, glaring up at him defiantly. A slight smile grew on Xin's face as he watched her writhe in anger and pain. "I will not!" She tried to claw her way forward, but the pain in her side was blinding, the pain in her shoulder aching and her legs screaming in agony. "I cannot fail Jarvan! I refuse!"
"Your dedication and spirit are admirable, but your fighting skill is lacking and you rely on your physical strength too much." Xin Zhao said serenely, withdrawing his lance. "A battle is not only a test of strength, it is a test of the mind. You have strength and courage in spades, but you do not think. You leap blindly." He shouldered his lance and turned away, taking several steps when he froze for a moment and then side stepped a small rock. The pebble arced through the air, bouncing along the flagon-paved pathway he had been about to step onto.
"Don't turn your back on me..." Shyvana panted, as fire spluttered around her. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as she tried to summon her flames. "I am not done with you!"
"I am done with you, though." Xin Zhao said, turning away. "This fight bores me." He shook his head in disapproval as he strode slowly away.
"Coward!" Shyvana shouted angrily, pain contorting her voice as tears rolled down her face.
"It is not cowardly to know your own body's limits." Xin said, pausing as he looked back over his shoulder at the dragoness. He shook his head, the black pony tail shaking behind him. "Come back when you have learned how to fight and when your wound has healed. Perhaps then it will be a real battle." Xin approached the king and then bowed. "Apologies, your highness. That took me slightly longer than I expected."
"You fought well." The king said, nodding at his body guard. He turned to Shyvana, and frowned slightly. "As did you. You are strong, but you are like my son. You are too headstrong and you think yourself stronger than you are. I hope this fight has taught you that, if nothing else." Shyvana remained silent, tears running down her face as she gripped at the muddy ground, her fist shuddering slightly in anger. The king cast her one last glance and shook his head before turning back to the high-councilor and his guards. "Captain?"
"Oh—of course, sir." The head guardsman said, shaking his head from watching the fight. He quickly formed his men up and escorted the king away.
I can't believe I lost! Shyvana formed a fist and struck the ground, pain reverberating through her shoulder and chest as tears formed in her eyes. Damnit! I f only I were stronger! I've failed!
"Shyvana!"
The voice startled the dragoness, and for a brief moment her heart soared. Jarvan!? Quickly it fell though, the weight of her failure and the fear of seeing him again after their fight weighing heavily on her mind. She tried to get to her feet, but her legs failed her, her side screaming in pain as she collapsed back to the ground. "Jarvan..."
"Shyvana, you shouldn't move!" Alicia said desperately, dropping to the dragoness's side. "Your wound has opened again!" She looked the dragoness up and down quickly, a frown marring her face as she shook her head. "I told you this was a foolish idea!" The gunny pulled a small medical kit from her bag and opened it up, pulling gauze out and draping it over the large wound in the dragoness side. "But I'm glad you're alright. You had me worried there for a second."
"Please..." Shyvana said softly, tears still running down her face as she looked up at Alicia. "Do not let Jarvan see me like this. I don't not wish to see him after such a failure."
"Shyvana, If I were the prince I would be worried sick right now!" Alicia hissed, frowning as Shyvana whimpered under her care. "Here, hold this." Alicia said, pulling the dragoness's hand up and pressing it over the wound along her side to keep the thick wad on gauze in place.
"I know..." Shyvana said, wincing as Alicia helped roll the dragoness onto her back, leaving her staring at the sky. "I just... I can't face Jarvan right now. Not like this. Not after I've failed him so."
"Don't be an idiot!" Alicia hissed, glaring at her with a motherly frown. "You haven't failed anything or anyone, especially not Jarvan." She shook her head. "If anything, you should be angry at yourself for coming out here while you were still injured, you fool."
"But-..." Shyvana started to protest, but Alicia's angry glare quelled her complaints. I'm afraid of what he may say... I do not wish to be shamed or scolded. I already know I have failed.
"Shyvana!" Jarvan practically slid to the ground next to the dragoness, leaning over her. She turned away, and refused to meet his gaze, though her cheeks were furiously blushed. She tried to turn away, but pain coursed through her and she groaned.
"I'm sorry..." She whispered throatily as tears welled in her eyes. She shook her head gently, refusing to meet his gaze as he glared down at her. She whimpered as he tried to help her sit up, still clutching the gauze to her side. She blushed as she finally looked up at him, tears glassing her magenta eyes over. She tried to blink the tears away but they only ran down her cheeks, cutting a swath in the mud that stained her fair cheeks.
"Shy..." Jarvan said gently, looking her over, his hand hesitating over the wound on her hip. "Why are you apologizing?" He shook his head and pulled her close, summoning another weak wimpier from the dragoness, a sad and affectionate smile sliding onto his face. It suddenly hardened into a scowl as he glared at her. "You complete idiot!"
"What!?" She turned to look at him with outrage and anger at his senseless outburst, but he leaned down and kissed her deeply, taking her by surprise. She opposed him for just a few moments before she met his kiss with vigor, pressing firmly up against him. She flowed into his arms as best she could, whimpering slightly against the pain as she wrapped an arm around his head and pulling herself close as she hugged him. "Jarvan..." She whispered softly as tears dampened his neck. She took a deep breath of his scent, pressing her face into his neck again as she held him close, letting her breathing slow. Jarvan hugged her carefully, holding her close for several long moments. "It feels so good to wrap you in my arms after these past few days." She shook her head. "I was so worried after you left, and then Delancey told me what happened with Jormander... I was terrified that the worst had happened."
"Gods, I can't tell you how much I've missed you." Jarvan said softly, resting his forehead against the dragoness's, taking a few moments to breath her spicy scent. Tears ran down her cheeks as he sat back, cradling her in his lap, looking down at the dark red splotch that marred her side. "That wound..."
"It's the same one as before." Alicia said, shaking her head as she glared at the dragoness. "She said she was fine, but obviously that's not the case. As soon as she could walk, she took off to find the king and the Seneschal because of what you told her!" Alicia hissed, anger in her eyes as she glared at the prince. She shook her head as she continued to dig through her bag, looking for more gauze.
"I'm sorry..." Shyvana said sheepishly, averting her magenta eyes. "I-I..." Tears began to roll down her cheeks.
"What are you apologizing for, love?" Jarvan said softly, blinking a few times before he cupped her cheek and tried to brush a tear away with his thumb. He only managed to spread some of the mud around on he cheek, ridding her face of the streaks. He chuckled softly and Shyvana coughed a single sad chuckle as well before she winced in pain. Jarvan shook his head and gave her a soft smile. "I told you already, I should be the one saying how sorry I am... This never should have happened. The fight, the news of Elvarran, this entire fiasco. It's all my fault and I just hope you can forgive m-..." Shyvana pressed a finger to his lips and shook her head, smiling at him.
"It's okay." She whispered, her voice growing thick with pain, still holding back tears. "You're here now and that's all that I care about."
"Shyvana, you fool." Jarvan said, shaking his head, leaning down and kissing her tenderly again. "If I had thought you were going to rush out and demand a fight with Xin like this I would have never even mentioned it to you." He glared at her, but softened the gesture with a smile as she blushed and glanced away.
"I wanted to prove that I could stand by your side on my own two feet." She said softly, a frown settling on her face. "I'm only sorry that I failed. If only I had..."
"Don't worry about it." Jarvan said, sighing softly and shaking his head. "I'm just glad that you're okay. There will be many chances to try again later when you have healed." He drew her into another hug, the dragoness keeping her arm wrapped around the prince's neck, holding him close. She whimpered gently, but she kept her hand laced in his mane of black hair. Her breath quickened slightly, and Jarvan released her, lowering her down but continued to hold her in his lap.
"If you squeeze her any tighter, you might just bust the rest of her stitches, sir." A medic said with a scowl as he dropped to the dragoness's side. Jarvan looked surprised, glancing about to see who had summoned the medics. He looked to Alicia, but she shook her head tersely and went back to pulling Shyvana's armored shoulder plate off and tying a bandage in place. As if he knew what the prince was thinking, the medic grinned. "The king sent us." Jarvan blinked a few times but said nothing, shaking his head after a few moments and sighing. Shyvana squeezed his hand and gave him a smile, wincing slightly as Alicia finished tying the bandage off around the dragoness's arm.
"I'll tell you what." Jarvan said, a smile spread onto his face. "As soon as you get healed up, fully healed mind you, I'll help you train. We can take the evenings and you can learn to fight against a lance user. Xin Zhao did train me some so I know a few of his tricks. Besides, we've never actually had a tie breaker match anyways." Jarvan said with a grin.
Shyvana smiled and nodded, blushing lightly. "I'd like that." She said gently, closing her eyes as she rested her cheek against the prince's chest. "I just hope you know you're going to lose."
Jarvan grinned as he stroked her cheek. "That's the spirit." Several soldiers approached with a stretcher held between them, lowering it to the ground next to Shyvana. The soldiers moved towards the dragoness, one of them gesturing for Jarvan to take her other shoulder.
"Ready?" The medic said as he grabbed Shyvana's chest piece. Another medic nodded, taking a hold on her legs. "This may hurt a bit." Shyvana squeezed the prince's hand tightly and closed her eyes, holding them shut. Jarvan nodded at the medic. "Up we go!" They moved her gently onto a stretcher, pain playing over Shyvana's face as she screwed her face up so as not to whimper too loud. The medic gestured for the new soldiers to lift her up. They lifted her up gently, and then the medic got to his feet, Jarvan following slowly after him. "Alright, your highness. Let's go."
Jarvan blinked a few times, surprised, gesturing to himself. "Me?"
The medic nodded. "We're to take you and the dragon-girl here to the hospital. She needs new stitches and you need a check up according to General Lorcan. The king confirmed Lorcan's orders."
Jarvan slid his hand into Shyvana's hand as a smile broke onto the prince's face. Thank you, father.