Northern Winds
Author: Ark Angel HFB
"Talking" & "Thinking"
Chapter 2: Heavy Breathing
Ashe walked into the joint room smiling as she looked at the massive bed. "It will be the same bed but... it isn't like we will be next to one another..." She still felt ill as she walked over to the bed and sat down gracefully before laying back gently.
Tryndamere on the other hand wasted no time in simply walking over and flopping onto the bed. "Sleep an hour, then go feast, I'm going to enjoy Gragus's gift and then I'm collecting our little bet."
Ashe rolled over before mumbling into a pillow. "That is very unlikely."
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People walked at an easy pace as they milled about the town square. Couples held hands walking close to each other in the cold as snow fell. Food was plentiful as some carried bread, and everyone seemed to be clothed well. The town seemed to hum with Joy as cold blue eyes scanned over it. Strong able bodied people helped move the supplies and safety was clearly secure for all.
xxxXXXxxx
As the figures in black cloaks and armor flowed into the village, cutting down the villagers they overtook, a hail of arrows flew through their ranks. Defending troops grouped and pushed through the gaps created as the invading warriors fell. The black cloaked attackers broke away fleeing as more arrows picked them off and the defending forces chased them down. As the battle ended steely blue eyes scanned over the survivors. Mothers hugged children, fathers rustled the hair of their young, and the remaining people stood together in safety as the snow fell around them.
xxxXXXxxx
Ashe's eyes flickered, her mind sweeping over the dream she had been having. "Whatever this marriage is... for that, it is worth it." She rubbed sleep from her eyes as she looked to her side to see the sleeping barbarian. Ashe sat up as she ran her hand through her hair to untangle it. A few passes through her hair with her figures, and she stood up flipping her hair back over her shoulder.
Tryndamere's eyes opened to stare at Ashe's back as reality pushed the dream from his mind. "I'll put up with the pansy ass crap for that." Tryndamere didn't bother stopping in a sitting position as he rolled out of the bed and onto his feet. "Hey, is it time to go do the whole eating and pansy ass crap."
Ashe sighed. "It is not pansy crap. It is helping secure the future of mining in Freljord. This dinner can bring Freljord great wealth and good relations with Demacia." Ashe said as she straightened her clothing. "I can't believe I slept in this. Everything needs to be handled delicately today."
"Hah, whatever, talk with people who don't know how to throw a punch. Sounds like pansy ass crap to me." Tryndamere laughed to himself as he walked to the luggage that had been brought in for them. "Well let's get things straight." He reached out, holding a green bottle before walking to a table and placing it there with a thud. "We do the wimpy stuff, then I tackle this, then we settle our little wager,"
Ashe couldn't help but groan. "At least you have your priorities straight." Ashe walked to a finely wrapped bundle of silk. She parted the silk wrappings before picking up the dress they protected. The elegant light blue dress was held firmly as she walked to the bathroom. "I'll be right back."
"Yeah sure... I know your type, you'll take half a damn hour." Tryndamere watched her walk into the restroom before grinning.
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Ashe slipped from her current wrinkled dress before she let it drop to the floor. She was standing holding the new dress in front of her when she heard the whistle from behind her. "Really..." Ashe was sure to not turn around completely as she held the new dress to her chest and barely looked over her shoulder to give the man an annoyed look.
Tryndamere smirked as he clapped his hands as his eyes trailing up and down Ashe's bare backside. "Damn nice to stare at..."
"Would you get out, I'm trying to dress." Ashe said, giving the man a cold stare.
Tryndamere didn't say a word as he scoffed, crossed his arms, and continued to look over Ashe's rear.
"Fine... Take a good look. It's the last you're going to get..." Ashe quipped over her shoulder as she went back to dressing.
"Feh," The barbarian watched as she rather quickly and gracefully slipped into the dress. The dress fit tight to her body, outlining it but leaving everything to the imagination. "Hell she almost looks better in the damn dress... almost."
Ashe finished tying the knot at the back of her neck that held the top of the open back dress up. She slung the silk cape over her shoulder tying an elegant knot under one of the metal buckles at the tip of the cape. "Ok, follow the plan and let me do the talking." Ashe turned, walking back into the main room to see the naked backside of Tryndamere. "... IDIOT! Warn someone when you are changing!"
Tryndamere wrestled with the fancy pants.
Ashe crossed her arms looking away. She stood fighting herself as her gaze kept trailing back to the man in front of her. Finally, she walked past the King as he pulled up the pants and then dawned his shirt. "I thought you said you would be waiting on me."
"I thought you'd take your sweet time. Guess you're in a hurry to get to that jawing you seem to like people to do." Tryndamere retorted.
"Ha, Why would I want to spend my night listening to fools who think they can get me to agree to something moronic." Ashe said in an outburst as she turned walking to the door.
"Well I got you to agree to our little bet didn't I." The King said with a loud voice.
Ashe jerked the door open walking out in a rush. "How does that moron get under my skin so easily!?"
"Well, looks like the Ice Queen has some fire in her somewhere." Tryndamere laughed as walked out after Ashe.
xxxXXXxxx
The events of the night had been pleasant enough. Speeches congratulating the new couple had been the order of the night, and Ashe had made great headway in settling a deal that would help her entire kingdom. "Peace... Unity... Prosperity... this is going well."
The party had been rather boring by Tryndamere standards, the drink was weak, the fireplace held a joke of a fire, the food was tasty but not really filling, and no one had even bothered to throw a punch or kick yet. Most were not even telling stories of a good fight. "Maybe this is metal warfare... if this keeps up I'll die of boredom or hunger."
Ashe nodded slightly as another nameless Demacian congratulated her politely. "Thank you."
"Aaah 'Queen Ashe'. It has a wonderful ring to it, does it no?." A short man in a pea colored outfit said.
Ashe raised an eyebrow as she looked him over. "And here comes a sales pitch..." Ashe kept her face cold as she looked over the man. "I suppose."
"Lovely party the competition has thrown." The shorter sharp faced man said, flashing his hand out to greedily grab a small cracker and cheese off a plate that had been carried by. He crammed it into his mouth, chewing quickly as he looked around but made sure to stay close to Ashe.
"Competition?" Ashe asked, being sure to let no emotion cross her face. "This guy would make a good friend for Twitch."
Tryndamere was busy downing another weak bubbly beverage as he listened to the conversation, although he much more enjoyed the chat he was having with two of the guards about fights they'd been in. "Tell you what, go ahead, take your best shot." He said, finishing the drink and tapping his chest.
"Are you my Lor-" The Demacian guard was cut off by Tryndamere.
"Cut the crap and throw a damn punch already." Tryndamere said loudly.
The guard's punch was in perfect form until it reached the king's chest, at which point the guard's wrist bent at an extreme angle.
Tryndamere took a step back laughing at the guard who was shaking his hand while holding his wrist. "Damn! Good punch, man." Tryndamere curled his hand into a fist before tapping the guard's breastplate lightly. "Better ice that before it swells." Tryndamere noticed a large bowl of ice being carried by a servant and took it from their hands.
"Sir, that is for the drinks!" the waiter whined before giving up and hurrying to get another bowl.
"Here." Tryndamere handed the bowl to the guard's good hand before grabbing his hurt wrist and pushed it into the bowl. "There. Yaah go, keep it in there."
"Thank aahh, You." The guard continued to hold his wrist in the ice as Tryndamere laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
Tryndamere walked away from the guard as he ambled towards Ashe.
Ashe gritted her teeth, keeping her face stoic as she ignored the scene behind her. "Stick to the plan, Stick to the plan."
"Yeah anyway." The short man started without finishing chewing. "I run a mining company just like the snobby guy throwing this little shindig. I'd like to offer you a better deal. See, I happen to know he is offering a contract that would give his company sole rights to mine the best areas in the Northern Lands."
"Is that so..." Ashe remained silent as she sipped her drink. "He smells like Twitch too..."
"I know he is talking about bringing in better equipment and teaching your people to use it and what not. Then he takes a small cut off the top and you agree to sell a certain amount of the haul to Demacia at a fixed low price." The man waved his hand like the offer was a bad idea.
Tryndamere stopped as he reached Ashe's side.
"Bad really... It takes time to teach people that stuff. No, no. No! My company is based in Zaun and we will bring our own workers and our own people who already know the tech. You let us do the mining and we'll sell it to the highest bidder and give you 80% profit. After that we pay our workers and other 'costs' but don't worry about that." The man grabbed another bit of food as it passed.
"So we would only get the profit... What about my people, who mine for a living and live in the area?" Ashe asked, completely fighting the urge to break the fool's nose. "Profit... yeah and I bet you pay yourself so much there isn't one. Arrogant rodent!"
"You are the ruler right? well tell them to move their asses, the country needs the land. Right? " The man said, chuckling. "I mean 80% profit you can afford to give them plenty and they don't even have to work much right? Give em a job doing something they are good at... like shoveling snow or something."
"They are good at mining." Ashe said coldly.
"Well, We could teach them, but it would take so much time and waste money so screw that! Naa why teach 'cold' dogs new tricks." The man laughed like he had said a clever joke.
"So now my people are 'dogs'?" Ashe asked as her fist clinched so tightly she lost feeling in them. She narrowed her eyes but she remained otherwise outwardly calm. "I wounder if I can even be tried for murder in Demacia now..."
"Deal!" Tryndamere said boldly.
Ashe's head jerked to her left to stare with a mix of anger, horror, and shock at the Barbarian. "Wha What!?" Ashe's voice was louder than she had meant to.
The man looked at the King for a full second before he held out his hand. "Great!"
"Hey hold on! Wait a second!" Ashe said, her stoic face breaking into panic. "That deal will ruin our people."
"I'm sick of waiting... and Screw shaking hands." Tryndamere said, still smiling. He kept his voice low in the noisy room as he leaned in a little. "We have our own Northern Tradition to seal a deal like this. See we stand face to face, yeah like that, and first you tap my chest then I tap yours. It's the manly way to agree on something important." Tryndamere laughed as he stood up straight.
The short man looked puzzled for a second. "Oh... ok... like this?" The short man reached out, poking the King in the chest.
"No, no." The King said with a grin. "Close your hand, put some force into it, yell a bit."
"Oh... ok." The short man made a weak fist before barely touching it to the King's chest with an anemic shout. "Ok, was that right?"
"Perfect..." Tryndamere said as he grin became almost evil. "My turn."
Ashe watched in slow motion as her husband stepped into a massive right straight punch, his whole body turning as he threw his weight behind the punch.
Trynd made sure to follow through as the short man in the pea colored outfit was taken completely off his feet, flying a good five feet before landing on a table and sliding over it then off onto the ground.
The entire room fell quiet and no one moved. The man lay on the ground covered in food, barely making a sound as he held his chest. His face looked like he wanted to scream, but he held no air left in his body to voice the cry.
Tryndamere stood up straight, putting his hands on his hips. "Well damn... I was ready to make a deal but if you won't stand with me how can we..." Tryndamere reached out, taking a small drink off a tray a stunned waitress held. "Guess we'll keep looking for other offers." Tryndamere walked back over to a group of guards and started to chat like nothing had happened.
Ashe stood frozen as she watched two guards pick the coughing and moaning man up, and carry him out of the room. "That was not the plan... "
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Ashe made her way to the bed as she smiled to herself and called over her shoulder. "You know you could have been a bit more diplomatic in turning down that offer..."
"HAH! I was plenty diplomatic, I coulda punch him right in his rat face. If that deal was full of any more horse shit, I woulda." Tryndamere spat as he pulled his shirt off before pacing over to a small table. "And now for part two the to-do list." He said as he stared at a green bottle.
Ashe sighed. "You have any clue how hard it was to convince the party's host that he wouldn't have to seal the agreement with you if we reached a deal."