Chapter 14 – Rise of a Noxian Commander
Yasuo started to wonder around valoran again. His drinking habit didn`t let him alone and he was glad to know Talon. Sometimes they hang together not talking about each other lose. Besides, Talon didn`t even tell him that Katarina is missing. The exiled ionian didn`t have to bother with Noxus matters after all. It was enough he knew about Black Rose and the war between his state and Demacia. Exiled soldiers didn`t have to know many things, because it could harm them just like it happened with Riven.
"It`s so cold today." Yasuo gasps shaking his palms because of the cold wind. He was broke again so his summer clothes started to rag.
"Yeah, the winter approaches..." Talon tries to ignore him, so he won`t ask to stay over night at his place.
After a while, Talon stopped searching for Katarina. He assumed that Swain made her disappear just like her father. He was hanging around with Yasuo all this time, showing the same Talon he used to be with people he knew for a long time, but deep inside, he lost his reason. When he was alone in his chamber in slums, sometimes he thinks that she will never return just like the general. It was a waste, his waste of feeling useful. Even if she wasn`t the best person she could take care of, from shadow, he found her worth his existence after he finished the business with Swain. He used to keep an eye on her all the time, mostly staying behind just watching. That last day in the mansion turned to poison his mind. It ended so fast and after Du Couteau house burned down, Cassiopeia left for dessert and Katarina disappeared.
Looking around the room, he noticed Du Couteau watch in one of his pockets. He was sure he didn`t stole it. He forgot that old habit a long time ago, but this thing made him just wonder why would Katarina, the last person who owned it, would give the general`s watch to him.
As he was making up his mind, Swain`s bird arrived at his window with a message. His sharp eyes were fixed on the bird, but he didn`t open the window. Seeing this, after a long time, the crow leaves in the cold air. Talon breaths in and made his choice. He will forget about Katarina, but not about the general. Her memory started to become more bothering to him probably because they started to get attached by each other. This was the first problem when he arrived in house though. Training with general`s daughter, befriending her and all of these things, while there can`t be only friendship between two different gender persons. But it`s worth a try. A painful try.
Riven`s memory vanished fast. It was like no one remember about her bar. The war started again and it was late autumn. The fallen leaves covered the dried rocks of the battlefield and the remained dead bodies. It was a cold feeling raveling Garen who fixes his blue scarf. Over the scent of war, there were still a few soldiers from Demacia. There was Poppy too and her big hammer was stained with blood at the edges. Her death of passion was real and her face proved the fact that she forgot to smile.
"Hey, Garen...!" She turns around to see him, while the big shouldered man was looking for Noxus. "That noxian red head didn`t show today. Maybe tomorrow, she will be here." But the truth was that Garen searched for Katarina everyday. The war lasted a few weeks, but there was no sight of the red haired woman.
"Yeah... Definitely. She will" His voice was low and sad. He knew that he might not see her probably forever.
As all hopes started to fade away from both sides, the next day of war in Noxus was dedicated to the new high commander. It was a female. A slender good looking female with burning fire hair. That was Katarina. All this time she took instructions and notes from the military general Darius and strategist Swain. Though they didn`t get along with each other, her reason was clear. Proving that Noxus is superior trained than Demacia and gaining their respect back through war.
It wasn`t like Talon was on the battlefield undercover in noxian soldier clothes to check for Katarina, but he was there when she made her appearance. She was as beautiful as he knew her, but again she looked like a cruel assasin. He thought that these past days made her return to her dark side, so he let her be.
On the other side of the battle, Garen`s eyes were glued on the beautiful red head too. He thought he might dream seeing too much war the previous days and wanting to see Katarina so bad, but the lucky demacian had the chance to see his dear one right ahead.
"Katarina!" He yells trying to come closer to the center of war, when Darius`s furious axe bumped in his armoured big chest. He understands to stay away.
The red haired started to clean the field of demacians, throwing sharp blades in her way. They started to fall like potatoes sacks under her ravage, but as Talon admired her awesome soft striking skills, she stopped checking her hand. He assumed she cut her finger, so he facepalmed. That would be more like she broke a nail or something because she wore gloves without fingers. The noxian assasin made room through the noxian soldiers and reached her, pulling her aside. After all, no one could hold him back because his noxian uniform looked familiar.
"My sister is a badass, huh?" He grabs her hand to check the minor damage, as Katarina is astonished to see him.
"How... Why did you…?" She growls and takes her hand away. There were other important soldiers and also Darius, who recovered pretty well after his battle with Riven. "Beware! He`ll come after your ass if you don`t mind your own business."
"Just in time when I gave up on general`s last order." He smirks at her joking.
"What do you want? As you gave up on his last words, then allow me to tell you that I have to give up on liars too!" She shouts at him annoyed. She didn`t mind he escaped from the underground prison and just as he made up his mind, so she did. When she is alone, the power of her past training and solitude made her to become who she was supposed to be all this time. A cold assasin! But for some reasons, Talon always arrived in the wrong moment and destroyed everything.
"Kat. I can tell you right here if you want to know what your father said to me." He looked her straight in face. He could let it be this time, once and for all. He got pissed of her attitude and he decided this is the time when they can say farawell.
"Wait! Not here." She grabbed his arm as the autumn wind blows in their way. Her reddish hair was messed by the wind and she shoves her cut finger in mouth. "Let`s go to the camp." They start dodging the soldiers attacks, while demacians started to push.
"Katarina...!" He talks loud enough to make himself heard. The way he called her was also serious. "Your father asked me to take care of you...!" They steps over the broken armours and raw ground, trying to get away from demacian sharp weapons pointed in their way.
"What?" She yelled back as the thick sound of their swords and axes disturbs their chat.
"The last thing that your father asked me... was to take care of you!" He answers loud, trying to protect her more from the angry warriors. "He said that you are good with blades but you are not careful and he asked me to take care of you in your place...!" He finished what he meant and they reached the safe noxian camp.
Katarina kept her dazzled eyes on Talon after he finished what he had to say. This was the secret he kept hidden all this time. Even in slums, in the motel, she didn`t know why she was so soft when they were too close, but in this moment, after checking in the past memories to see if he indeed took care of her, he won the argument. It was all so clear and she always thought he betrayed her and her family. "Such a shame of me..." She mumbled getting distance from him.
"Let me patch your finger. You can count this as the last time I take care of you!" He takes some patches from his uniform pockets and both takes a seat near the camp and noxian equipment."A soldier always carry these with him..." He looks at her finger after she licked it and wiped it disgusted. "Mhm. Your father said that you are strong, so this is the reason he tough me to counter you if you go over limit." The noxian assasin attention was on a good bandage patch.
"Talon." She takes her finger away and he could understand how she might feel.
"Kat..." He paused and ruffles her hair with a fake smile. "I don`t know how to cheer you up." His voice was the same. "I`m sorry..."
"Idiot!" She cuts his apologize off with a question on her face.
"What now?" He looks confused at her matching her desire for hug. They hugged each other as she forced herself to not cry. It was a silent moment for both of them. He didn`t even know if what he feels for her is more than brother-sister love, but it felt good to hold her in his arms.
"Talon. You can keep my father`s promise. I bet he will be mad at you if you would broke it." She closed her eyes and let her tears fall.
"I will, Kat." So like he used to do in past, even if he wasn`t effectively near her. He keep an eye from distance, staying in the shadows. The general liked his presence near her, seeing him like his own son, always taking care of Katarina when they were training. Her father knew that could be his last moment when he could see someone from family, so he entrusted Talon. He put his trust in him, after he saw that the slum boy could turn into a fine assasin under his family name.
She lifts her head from his shoulder and wipes her tears laughing. "We can`t be sad for long. Still I won`t forgive you for leaving me behind and making my mind go dark after I got this beautiful scar!"
"You are still beautiful no matter what." He sounded casual, but when he realized that he spoke his mind like that, he covers his mouth embarrassed.
"Ahahaha!" She laughs in his face.
"Ugh... Anyway, Kat... The war is up there and you are in a high command place. You should be going."
She gets up and breaths in. "The war between Demacia and Noxus will never stop. But I must be part of it." She stands tall and gets her blades from her leg ties. "Blood for Noxus!" She shouts jumping in the fight as Talon looks proud in her back.