Chapter 5 – Garen`s Protecting Hand

Time passed by and Katarina was in her 20`s. She joined the Noxian army by her free will. There was no newbie mission from her father and she didn`t want her special assasin training to be a big waste. As she joined the forces with the rest of the soldier, she could remember that strong one with his axe. He was Darius and his unfriendly face told her to keep distance, even if he kept staring in her back. Though he even looked older as his hair started to grow white.

"That red head is not trustworthy." The man grunted and clenched his fists looking over Katarina very obvious. In his eyes she looked like she craved for attention shoving her long hair and having an almost girlish presence. He wanted to see what she got.

And so he was right! At the midnight, Katarina left the noxian camp and she infiltrates in the demacian frontier. Probably she had a reason for this stupid plan.

Some demacians were guarding the line, so she run behind some tents, entering one just by curiosity. Her eyes grow brighter looking at a tall muscled man half undressed who just got caught with guard down. Her female instinct made her blush lifting her hand to cover her embarrassed face. "You.. hurry up and dress up, foe." She chuckled at the demacian.

"W-What is this?!" Garen doesn`t bother to dress up faster looking at the red head woman assuming that she is from Noxus. "You`re a spy!" He gasps and grabs his sword, lifting it over the shorter noxian girl.

"No, wait..." Watching over the strong man and his large sword, left her mostly speechless and frightened. In her mind she thought it must end there. It was a shame that demacian men must look so handsome, yet to be so dangerous. Not even her brother in law could reach such perfect body like this man from the enemy side. Wait. Why was she thinking about Talon in such a decisive moment? Indeed! He had to be here and save her! Why he is not...?

As her thoughts were fighting each other, from the outside the tent, some soldiers questioned the man about to slay her.

"Are you alright, Garen?" That was Xin Zhao who patrolled the camp and could hear noise.

"Uh..." Garen stood contemplating the situation and answered. "Yes! I`m fine. I`ll charge you in the morning." His big hand covers the woman`s mouth as his bare arm lowers the sword. She didn`t look dangerous but she was definitely a spy. "Now tell. Why are you in our base?"

"I.." She removes his hand gaining her stubborn personality back. "I am looking for answers!"

"Answers?" He tilts head in confusion.

"My father, general Du Couteau, disappeared in this stupid war between our states! I join the noxian army to find the truth!" She shouts at him and he covers her mouth again still confused of what she was doing in his sleeping tent. Yet the fact that she was the daughter of one of the noxian generals made him wonder why was he so lucky that night.

Next days, Katarina was on the battlefield encountering the demacian soldiers. As Garen popped up in front of her, both smiled a little and started to play, not hurting each other. It was like a fighting chit-chat crossing their blades. This thing gained Poppy`s attention and also made Darius even more suspicious. He comes on her fighting lane and slammed his axe on Garen`s sword, proving his supremacy over Katarina.

"This girl is weak. Don`t manage her." His cursed lips spoke for the first time near Katarina and she could say that Darius was a cruel beast just like his voice. He started a real fight against Garen, while the red head was looking over powerless.

The noxian man was actually upgraded as military general and he could kick Katarina away from the military service. His powerful hands bear his will axe, yet the demacian was a powerful force too. Their heavy weapons smashes over and over again with hatred. Still Katarina was wondering what the demacian will think now of her. She befriended him a night ago on their ground, now she was between Demacia and the angry Darius.

Her thoughts caught her with guard down again and two demacian soldiers attacked her, pushing her down and cutting her left eye.

"Gaaaaaaaaah!" She fights to get up, but they pinch her down. Garen escapes as fast as he could, getting Darius axe right in his back. His pain was nothing for a strong man like him, but he reached Katarina, covering her from his people attacks and receiving Darius furry in his back scraping through his armour.

"Katarina..." The blue eyed demacian was exhausted already and Darius annoying axe didn`t let him alone. He didn`t move, he protected the noxian woman with his bare body. "Just hold on." His hand touched her face imprinted with panic and blood. He couldn`t tell if she was scared because of the pain or the loose. Though it might be a probability that her eye was alright, so he had to check it. His bulky fingers opens her cut through eye even if it might hurt Katarina. Her scared green pupil was drawn in red. It was blood continuing flowing from the cut, but the man was fine to know that she didn`t lost her right eye sight.

"Step aside from her, demacian!" Darius rages behind trying to move the heavy thing called man or at least how a man should look in Demacia.

"You`ll be fine, Kat." Garen continued ignoring Darius axe in his ribs.

With her eyes forced close in pain, the sound of her short name spoken my a male voice, reminds her of the times she wasn`t a soldier and she was just playing darts in the back yard with Talon.

In a while, she felt the heavy man stepping aside from her small body and as somebody picked her up. Her consciousness felt asleep.

When she could open her eye again, she was home. The battle ended and her demacian savior returned home.

It was the time to see her face. Her fingers checked the raw scar. As she picks a round mirror from her sister`s things, her face stood emotionless for a moment. She gained everything she could to discover how she actually felt. Nothing. Her lips curves into a fanatic laugh. She started to laugh at her own pain. It was pointless to feel anything else except revenge. She wanted to revenge herself. She wanted revenge for everything. For her father who disappeared, for Cassiopeia who went in Shurima, for Talon who wasn`t there for her, for Noxus fighting Demacia, for every single one who left her alone in the Du Couteau mansion...

She takes her favorite blades and kisses them. They never left her behind like humans. Now the younger daughter of the general Du Couteau made up her mind.