Author's Note: Sorry I was a day late on this update. I got unexpectedly called into work and didn't get a chance to finish up the chapter on time like I planned.

Hopefully people are somewhat aware about Morgana and Kayle's lore for this chapter. Long story short within the Lore, Morgana was "randomly summoned to Valoran." Anyways, I try to stay accurate with what I know and do my homework when it comes to Lore, Characters, Pictures ect. I try to work with what Riot gives us and run with the things they don't. What good is an Oreo with no filling right? (Analogy...nailed it.)

Reviews always welcome!

Chapter 13: Shackled Secrets

"Ah, Morgana, your baked goods are divine as ever," Katherine smiled like a child while pleasantly chewing one of the cookies from the plate.

"Divine? I believe you are complimenting the wrong sister," Morgana smirked while sipping on her cup of tea.

The silver-haired summoner laughed softly, her chained hand reaching for another one of the shortbread treats.

"I am actually not the one to thank for today's delicacies," the fallen angel admitted as she set the tea cup back down onto its corresponding saucer, "My apprentice is."

"Well, this surprises me little," Katherine responded with a shrug, "That man did always want to be a baker after all." The pale summoner chuckled at the thought of the large bear of a man wearing an apron and pulling a sheet of cookies from the oven. "I should have known they were his since they are shaped like little suns…" Katherine cocked a silver eyebrow as she examined the cookie closer.

Morgana sighed, "Yes, well, we both know who inspired that recipe. He may be some 'Artisan of War,' but deep down he's a big buffoon with a little boy crush on Leona." The dark angel's tattered wings bobbed slightly as she shrugged her shoulders.

The summoner's hazy silver eyes carefully continued to scan the baked treat, "He has a good heart." Katherine smiled softly and enjoyed munching on the sunshine cookie. Katherine sighed in delight, "The lemon glaze makes these absolutely amazing! It just has that twist that makes it irresistible…better watch out, Morg, apprentice may out due the master one day."

"You of all people would know what lurks in the hearts and minds of the Champions here," Morgana said flatly, changing the subject away from the cookies. "Anyone who's ever set foot on that platform you mentally pick apart."

Katherine's shoulders shrugged, causing her chains to clink, "As if I have anything better to do…" She looked down at the table where her shackled wrists were resting. "It's not like people come to that platform to see me…However, I do enjoy it when you come and see me, Morgana."

Morgana's expression remained neutral for a couple moments. The fallen angel sighed deeply; the surrounding atmosphere became heavy and depressing. Morgana opened her mouth to speak only to hear the large iron doors to the dungeon chamber swing open aggressively.

"KATHERINE!"

The dark violet haired champion leaned out to the side so she could see past the summoner's keepers and confirm the all too familiar voice. "Oh my," she leaned back up straight and looked at the unresponsive shackled summoner sitting across from her, "What did you do this time?"

Silver bangs shadowed the summoner's eyes as an impish grin curled at her lips, "Right on time."

An exasperated Vessaria Kolminye walked swiftly towards the party of four. The High Counselor scowled, standing off to the side of the table where Morgana and Katherine sat.

"Vessaria," Morgana greeted.

"Morgana," the High Counselor replied as calm as she could manage herself to be. Vessaria's pale eyes shifted towards the silver haired summoner sitting across from Morgana. "What the HELL happened last night?"

Katherine quietly took a sip from her tea cup, "Whatever do you mean?"

Vessaira crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, "Cut the crap, Katherine."

The summoner didn't respond and continued to drink her tea.

The High Counselor's hand slammed down onto the table and she leaned towards the summoner, "You know damn well nothing happens under this Institution's roof without me hearing about it…"

"Then why are you asking me about what happened?" Katherine shrugged.

Vessaria grumbled and stood up straight. She quietly ran her hands down the front of her white and purple robes to straighten them out as she collected herself. "I'm growing tired of your little games, Katherine. Do not squander your duty to this establishment."

Katherine's shackles slammed down onto the table with enough force that Morgana had to save her tea from spilling. The summoner shot up from her chair and glared at the High Counselor, "Don't you DARE question my devotion to the Institute! " Katherine shouted at Vessaria, "Is there no greater sacrifice than one's humanity to serve the greater good!?"

The High Counselor winced lightly as the summoner's wrists were harshly yanked by the armed guards.

Katherine dropped to her knees at the feet of Vessaria from the force of the pull. Her long silver locks cascaded over her shoulders as she hung her head forward. The crossed steel spearheads from the battle mages responsible for corrupted summoner were ice cold against the soft skin of the young woman's neck. Katherine's voice was low, "We came here seeking a future, Vessa, yet I have become a prisoner of the past." Katherine's clouded irises had a tenuous glow from under the shadows of her bangs. Her eyes shifted up to look at the High Counselor, "With my own sibling as my warden." The summoner looked back down at the floor.

"What happened last night?" Vessaria's tone was serious.

Katherine was reluctant to answer for a short while. "I may have toyed with the exiled one a bit," she finally admitted. "She reacted; nothing more, nothing less."

The High Counselor pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers in quiet contemplation. Vessaria sighed deeply, "Harassing a Champion is a serious offense, Katherine, but I can't help but think you didn't do it 'just because' you 'felt' like it. What did you really hope to achieve out of that incident?"

The summoner lifted her head. Her expression was firm and serious, "Why did you let the court spare me?"

"What?"

Oh, things are about to get interesting, Morgana smirked slightly, taking another sip from her tea cup.

"You heard me," Katherine replied flatly.

Morgana's eyes shifted curiously back and forth between the summoners; patiently waiting to see which one of them would give in first.

The High Counselor finally sighed, "I…" she stuttered, "I wasn't about to stand idle and watch them execute you, Katherine."

The corners of the younger summoner's lips pulled down into an angry frown, "Yet, you can stand idle and watch me suffer!?" Katherine spat. "To live a life of exiled imprisonment from the rest of the Institute within the very walls that destroyed my livelihood…What purpose does my life truly serve to this establishment?" She growled at the High Counselor.

Vessaria's expression softened a bit, "You…chose this pa-"

"What other choice was there, Vessaria!?" Katherine interrupted, "No one listened to me when I warned ALL of you about the forthcoming assassination attempt on High Counselor Ashram!" Her teeth clenched down tight and her glare was vicious in nature. "I warned you all…" the younger summoner muttered darkly, "and the council, even my own sister, turned their backs on me. I learned that day that visions and words do not move mountains… actions do."

A long and drawn out silence returned to the dungeon.

"Oh, yes, I remember that day," Morgana broke the silence and caught the attention of both Vessaria and Katherine. "The day I was randomly pulled from my own world to this one by magic unknown to me with a straining summoner begging for my assistance," Morgana eyes were closed as she sipped from her tea cup.

The doors into the large golden hall blew open with enough force to dislodge them from their hinges. The two armored, winged, guards were thrown backward and landed on the floor. Their armor clanked hard against the floor as their bodies continued to roll limp until their beings came to rest only feet from their leader.

"KAYLE!" A voice roared venomously from the darkness of the entrance way where the doors once stood strong. "Your reign of tyranny ends, now!"

The rest of the posted angelic guards within the hall gripped their weapons tight and readied them as they all turned towards the dark entry. The guards halted their advance towards the doorway as the General raised her armored hand. The angel at the end of the hall, donned in golden armor forged by an ancient race long extinct, turned around to face the entrance at the opposite end of the hall. The General's glorious wings made a proud whoosh as they pressed against the air and lifted the angel from the floor where she stood. The General extended her large golden long sword towards the door, a symbol of acceptance towards one wishing to challenge her. The guards backed away and stood off to the sides as the dark sorceress emerged from the darkness of the doorway.

The General's eyes narrowed behind the golden and crimson accented helmet that hid away her delicate features as she stared down the interloper. "You wish to face me? Then come, Fallen!" Kayle announced towards the seething dark witch. The General pulled her arm back and gripped her fingers tight into a fist. The air that once was laced between Kayle's armored digits ignited in a blast of holy energy. The General shouted as she swung her arm forward and released the concentrated energy at the sorceress.

The guards shielded their eyes as a blinding flash consumed the atmosphere when the blast of energy made contact with its intended target. The dark shell of black magic faded from the fallen angel as she stood there, unscathed by Kayle's reckoning. "Is that the best you can offer, Kayle?" Morgana taunted the General, un-amused.

A slight growl of frustration echoed from under the plate armor helmet as the two, once sisters, stared at one another. "Enough talk! Let it be finished!" The General shouted and charged at Morgana. Holy flames began to lick at the edges of Kayle's sword and soon the length of the blade became engulfed in a blaze of glory. Just as Kayle's weapon was about to strike down and smite the treacherous evil from her halls, she felt herself become trapped; surrounded by walls of foul magic. "What?!" The General struggled against the bind she had found herself trapped within as her opponent pulled their arm back.

Morgana muttered a spell under her breath for a short moment before throwing her arm forward towards the imprisoned angel. Dark chains wrapped tightly around the General's hands and hilt of her sword. The dark sorceress' lips curled into a wicked smirk as her hand gripped at the chain and harshly pulled upon the spell chain.

The ancient holy weapon made a loud clank as it was forcibly ripped from its master's hands when it struck the floor, sliding away from the General. Kayle looked back at the sorceress after watching her blade hit the floor, only to be greeted by a blast of corrupted magic.

A slight gasp from the surrounding guards seemed to break the silence as the General's golden helmet clattered against the floor and rolled away. The General's armor made a loud thump as the angel fell to the floor. Kayle slowly got to her hands and knees, her large wings draped weakly over her back and resting on the floor at both her sides. "Ngh…" The General flinched as she felt the talons of her challenger's fingers cup her jaw; she knew she had been defeated.

Morgana forced the General to look up at her, "So long ago you struck the first blow by disowning me…Now look at you. I can feel your pleading heart beating at my fingertips." The fallen angel's free hand began to charge up another spell so that once and for all, Morgana could rid herself of her obsession with striking down the one person that drove her to her power hungry ways. "We may be immortal, dear sister, but that only applies to our age. We are not gods, Kayle," Morgana watched the thin trail of blood trickle from the corner of the General's mouth; "Gods don't bleed!" Just as Morgana was about to release the spell upon her sister a harsh blue light engulfed her being. "What sorcery is this!?" Morgana shouted.

Even Kayle herself looked shocked and confused as Morgana's being began to become enveloped in the strange magic.

"No! I will not be denied my victory!" Morgana yelled and tried to finish off her opponent.

Help me! A voice no louder than a feint whisper called out within the corrupted sorceress' mind.

A bright flash plagued the eyes of the General and her guards as the spell intensified. Kayle rubbed her eyes and opened them back up. Once they adjusted back to normal, there was no sign of Morgana.

"I know now that those were the early days of the Institute, when you summoner's were still mastering ways to control us Champions safely, but you all did nothing but delay my goal of destroying Kayle for good," Morgana frowned, "and dear Katherine, forcibly pulling me from my own realm without using a summoning platform or crystal orb to gain my service in snuffing out an assassination upon Ashram certainly took its toll. I believe you were apprenticing the High Counselor at the time, weren't you, Vessaria?"

The High Counselor looked away quietly, not wishing to relive the events of her sibling's fate. It was a guilt that pulled at her for a long while. Vessaria knew how to handle a lot of things, but this was not one of them, so just like any other conflicted human being, she tried to avoid it at all costs.

"Ashram silenced the Journal of Justice when news of the assassination attempt began to form into a rumor, but that is all it ever remained; a rumor," Katherine finally spoke. The corrupted summoner chuckled painfully, "To think, people thought I strained myself to the point of no return because they thought I was jealous of my sister being picked to apprentice the High Counselor…"

Vessaria frowned, "What is it that you really want, Katie?"

"Katie…been awhile since I've heard you call me that…" The summoner looked up at the High Counselor, "Now that you're here, I'll tell you what I want."

The High Counselor and Morgana both waited patiently for Katherine speak up. They both shared a curiosity that was itching to be scratched.

"I want to be the one that conducts the exiled one's re-entry judgment."

Morgana's expression was slightly surprised and dumfounded at the same time, this was certainly interesting indeed.

"No," Vessaria said flatly.

"Why!?" The summoner shouted, "You know the negative effects the judgments put on the body and mind, Vessaria." Katherine's hazy eyes locked with her sisters' pale and fading irises, "It's only a matter of time when you push it too far and we will be one and the same… you do a good job as the High Counselor, Vessa. I am beyond redemption. The amounts of magic you need to conduct those judgments are deteriorating you and you know it. Let me do it. The exile already made a fool of you once; she cannot hide anything from me."

Another long and drawn out silence began to inhabit the dungeon once more as Vessaria thought over her younger sister's request. "I will think this over, Katherine, but there are boundaries that you must abide when it comes to judging a Champion."

"So be it," the summoner said firmly.

A soft and pleasant herbal aroma permeated the room where the Noxian warrior was still engulfed in a gentle slumber. Riven's eyes quietly fluttered open as she breathed in the light scent. The exile took in a deep breath and sighed in slight delight. It had been a long while since she had gotten the pleasure of a good night's rest. All the stress she had suffered over the last few days had certainly tested her stamina. The Noxian propped herself up upon her forearms for a quick moment before sitting up completely. Riven groaned softly as she stretched her exhausted muscles awake. Her eyes lazily scanned over her surroundings before she emitted a soft yawn. Another whiff of the herbal scent played at her nose again and sparked her curiosity in finding the source.

Riven quietly got up from the dense mat that was a traditional Ionian style bed and stepped towards the door. Her bandaged arm quietly slid the door that lead into the hallway open and she stepped out. Riven quietly followed the minty herbal scent and found herself standing in the doorway to the dining room. The Noxian's crimson eyes blinked lazily as she finally brought her hands up to them and rubbed the sleep away. Once her eyes refocused she took another look at the room. There, sitting quietly on her knees at the low table, was Irelia. The Will of the Blades had a tea cup cradled gently within her hands and her eyes were closed. She looked almost as if she was meditating until Riven noticed her take a drink from the tea cup, which was probably the source of the scent she was seeking. The wooden floor creaked softly as Riven took a step into the room.

Irelia's head perked slightly from the sound of the creaking floor boards. Her jade eyes opened as she turned her head to look at her guest.

"Am I…disrupting anything?" Riven muttered softly as she halted once Irelia looked at her.

The Ionian Champion smiled softly at her guest, "Not at all. Would you like some tea?"

Riven straightened up and walked over to the opposite side of the table from Irelia where an empty cup had been placed since before she entered the room. The exile sat down on the floor and criss-crossed her long legs and sat there quietly hunched over her lower body with her forearms resting upon her knees. Riven cared little for her posture. She was far from a small person so sitting all straight and proper over comfort was not a detail she cared to correct. Riven quietly looked at Irelia, who was still enjoying the tea the exile assumed she brewed not too long ago. Riven finally asked, "What kind of tea?"

"It's a fresh white herbal mint tea with honey," Irelia smiled warmly after taking another sip from her cup. "Would you like some?"

"I'm…not much of a tea person," Riven gave a lackadaisical shrug. Not wanting to kill the conversation, the exile tried to seem interested, "It…smells nice, though…" Riven could feel the heat from the soft blush upon her cheeks as a gentle and light hearted laugh escaped her host's lips. "W-What's so funny?" Riven stuttered softly.

"Did you fail to notice that you're not wearing a shirt?" Irelia's eyes were closed as she lifted the warm cup to her lips once more.

Riven looked down to see nothing but her wraps around her chest and the bandages around her left forearm. The pale scares that littered her tan and hardened frame were exposed once again. Riven could feel herself wanting to hide away but the calm and gentle aura Irelia gave off seemed to keep her still for now. Riven hated them. She always tried to hide them away from the world and the on looking eyes of her peers.

Irelia's eyes remained closed and her being relaxed, "Some people see scars as a horrid reminder of the past. To me they are proof that healing is always possible."

Riven looked up from her tattered being and met the emerald irises of the Captain.

Irelia smiled softly towards the exile.

The exile quietly turned grabbed the empty tea cup from the table and held it out towards Irelia, "I guess I'll try some of that tea," Riven nervously mumbled.