Desperate Times

a League of Legends fanfic

Chapter 8: Fates Continue On

A howl of rage and fury ripped itself from the lips of the woman as she swiped the maps from the table before her. Five months. Five months since Garen Crownguard had vanished, and her assassins had failed. Five months of frustration after frustration, and five months of decaying moral. "How could this have happened?" she asked herself, grabbing a small globe and hurling it at the wall of the cave. "I was careful, I was subtle, everything was going perfectly. And then some old bastard and his clock show up and everything gets RUINED!"

That was it, she realized. HE was the catalyst. After his interference in Jarvan's tower, everything had gone wrong. "Of course, hindsight is always perfect. Very well then. I guess it's your move now Jericho, but I'll have a counter or two ready for you."

Ten minutes later, Jarvan IV approached the recovery bead of his most faithful servant. Sitting down, he glanced around before leaning forward, "How are you feeling Shyvanna?"

The Half Dragon blushed slightly and tried to hide it as best as she could. "My lord, I wish you would stop, I failed you. I'm not worth looking at, let alone worrying over."

Behind her illusion, LeBlanc smiled. And then reached forward, laying a hand on Shyvanna's shoulder, "I've told you, it's ok. We underestimated just how far Garren had fallen under the enemy's sway. Nothing we could have done would have prepared us for that. But I need to know, are you well enough to fight? I have no choice but to consider the option that Noxus is preparing to invade us. I need you by my side now more than ever."

As he spoke, the prince's eyes seemed to shimmer. Before she could realize what had happened, Shyvanna felt a rush of emotions swell up within her. The prince needed her. HER! Even after she had failed him so thoroughly five months ago. She felt as if she would burst if she didn't do everything in her power to live up to his expectations. "O-of course my lord." She managed to stammer. "I am yours until the end."

Jarvan smiled warmly, and Shyvanna felt as if she would explode. "I'm glad. Now, hurry and get better, I'll have the army awaiting it's commander by the time you are."

As she walked through the halls of the palace, Le'blanc couldn't help but laugh, twisting that naive girl around her finger always put her in a better mood. Stepping around a corner, she saw Xin Xhao walking ahead of her. Making sure her disguise was still in place before stepping forward and calling out. "Seneschal."

Turning, Xin Xhao snapped into a swift and crisp salute, "Your Majesty."

Jarvan's eyes carried an immense amount of sadness in them as he spoke. "Xin, I want the army ready for war within the week. My agents have been unable to locate Garren, so I have no choice but to assume the worst, nobody knows Demacia's defenses as intimately as him. We have to be prepared for an attack from Noxus at any time. And instruct the mages to begin work on a shield for the capital."

Xin bowed low, but then paused, "But... what about the Institute? They're sure to intervene once they see our preparations."

Jarvan's face hardened. "I'll deal with them. Just get it done."

Five Months Ago

Luxanna was not very happy with the current state of affairs. No one would let her see or talk to her Brother, and she was starting to get legitimately worried. A week ago, Shyvanna and Xin Xhao had mobilized the entire Dauntless Vanguard with the exception of herself, and then marched out of the city in a huge rush. Then last night, they had come back, all of them injured, Shyvanna was nearly dead, and worse, the soldiers who would talk to Lux were saying it was Garren who'd done it.

Needles to say Lux was confused and upset as Fiora Luraunt approached her in the Vanguard's barracks. Even so, she was able to dry her tears and put on a strong face to stand before her old rival, "What do you want Fiora? Are you here to call me traitor like everyone else seems to be?"

The dark haired woman held up her hands as a sign of peace. "Non, nothing like zat. I mearly wish to speak vith you on a matter most private." With that, she turned on her heel and made her way down the hall way, gesturing for Lux to follow.

Lux raised an eyebrow, but felt curious enough to follow. No matter how much of a stuck up bitch Fiora may have been, Lux knew that she wasn't the kind of woman who would lead her into an ambush just because of a few rumors. As they walked, their trek took them a ways away from the barracks, as well as away from the military district itself, and eventually led them to the very cusp of the lower city, a locality not known for it's welcoming air, but a very good place to conduct business in secret, or so Lux had heard.

Finally, Fiora stopped and looked around, making sure no one was around before speaking, "I 'ave a message for your Brother."

Lux's eyes widened. "But he's in prison isn't he? Aren't they holding him as some sort of traitor to the... Oh god... that's why the Vanguard was mobilized isn't it?"

Fiora nodded, "Oui, but zer is more to zis particular story zen many realize. Zat is why I am here speaking to you."

"What happened Fiora, tell me everything you know."

"Very well, three weeks ago, as you know, General Garren Crownguard was arrested for high treason, however his arrest was not made public. However, one week ago, he disappeared from ze Gulag prison, leaving almost a dozen dead in ze wake of his disappearance. Ze Crown Prince Jarvan summoned Shyvanna, Xin Xhao, myself and Poppy and ordered us to find him, whatever the cost. It was during zis meeting zat ze suspicions of myself and Poppy were aroused, and ze where confirmed a while later when we confided with Galio on ze subject."

Lux frowned a little, "What suspicions?"

"Ever since his recovery from zat terrorist bombing, ze Prince has be acting strange. Ze only one who seems to not take any notice of it is Shyvanna, but zat is unimportant, what matters is zat something has happened to Prince Jarvan, and something dark has appeared in Demacia. From a form of barrier around ze palace zat prevents Gallio from entry, to a strange and subtle glammur placed upon Shyvanna, ze strangeness's just continue to pile up. So, two days ago, ze Vanguard caught up with Garren in a small village to ze east. He was in ze company of Katarina Du Couteau."

Luxanna's expression darkened. "That Noxian whore has been trying to sink her claws into Garren for years. Are you telling me that she finally did? Was the Gulag that bad that he'd turn traitor?"

Fiora raised her hand. "I do not know myself, I wasn't there, however Poppy was, and she managed to speak with you brother. Now, Luxanna, what comes next is not within any official reports, nor will it be. Garren is not a traitor. In fact he is ze betrayed."

"How do you mean?"

"His conversation with Poppy left no doubt in her mind, and therefore no doubt in mine, zat our Prince is different, darker. Also, he gave a message to Poppy for you, who in turn passed it on to me. Your brother wishes you to know zat he is 'doing what needs to be done. And zat everything will be alright.'"

Lux felt her shoulders slump a bit. She understood what that message really meant, it was a code that she and her brother had made when they were kids, but they hadn't needed to use it in almost ten years. What it basically meant was, 'don't trust anyone.' Turning away from Fiora, Lux wiped her eyes, making sure she didn't appear weak in front of her old rival. "I see." she said, her resolve returning once more. "Tell me now Fiora Laurent. Can I trust you not to betray me or my brother?"

Fiora began to answer, but caught herself upon noticing the glow that had begun to appear around the Crownguard girl. "For now, you most assuredly can. However, our opponent seems to be capable of twisting ze will of others to zat of his, so zer is ze possibility zat I may become compromised at some point. So, zer are two people you can trust without fear, Galio is investigating zis evil within Demacia, and he cannot be affected by mind control magic. And ze other is ze Lady Shauna Vayne, I have told her some of what I just told you. And zat has put her on ze trail. We plan on exposing ze truth."

Lux turned back to Fiora and extended her hand. "Then I'm in too. No way in hell am I going to just sit around doing nothing while my brother is out there as an exile."

Present Day

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this." Lux said as she walked through the Zaunite back alley, weary of any unexpected events. If Ezreal could see her now she knew he'd laugh himself silly, she had always been so disciplined and steady, never jumping at shadows, and now here she was, looking for an informant that may not even exist.

"Lady, you seem to be lost," a young man said as he stepped out of the shadows. "This ain't really a nice neighborhood to come through for such a pretty little thing like you."

Lux simply stared, almost dumbfounded at the utter cliche of her situation. "You must be kidding me..."

The man paused for a moment, obviously not prepared for the apathy of his new target. He then shook himself a bit, and brandished a knife, "Let's try this again sweetheart. Only this time, I want you to scream." He said, licking his lips.

Lux rolled her eyes, "What? No cronys? No henchmen to help you have your way with this 'poor little waif'? Give me a break, are you seriously so pathetic that you are going to try and mug someone you know absolutely nothing about?"

"What? Why you little..."

The young Demacian woman stepped forward and snapped her hand forward, striking the man's wrist and throwing his arm wide. His eyes widened in shock, and continued to widen as Lux's boot heel came smashing down into his foot with enough force to shatter most of the bones.

"Now then," She said, grabbing the man by the front of his shirt, hauling him up, and pushing his back into the alley wall. Her eye's shining, and her fist glowing with bright light. "Let's have a brief discussion about manners when talking to a lady. And then you can tell me where to find an informant named Zerhid."

Two Months Ago

Garren felt a shiver pass through him as the city came into view. Noxus. Ancient enemy of Demacia. The nation he had sworn countless oaths to defeat. And here he was, standing at it's gates, in the company of one of it's most deadly assassins, about to seek shelter behind it's walls.

Of course, he wasn't arriving as Garren Crownguard, he would have probably been executed on the spot if the guards realized who he was. Instead he and Kattarina were counting on the, by now rather impressively rugged beard he had managed to grow over the past couple of months.

"Remember, your cover is that you're one of my spies that's been in deep cover for the past several years." Kattarina said over her shoulder as she took the lead.

Garren grimaced. "I know Kat. I know. I'm not looking forward to this."

The red haired woman smiled, "Cheer up Crownguard. You'll do fine."

As they approached the guard post, Garren felt himself straiten his back a little and tried to change the look on his face to one of mild disinterest. One of the guards stepped forward, "Halt." he said, "Who goes... Oh Madam General!" He swiftly threw himself into arguably one of the swiftest, crispest salutes Garren had ever seen. "We had heard rumor that you were on assignment abroad, but we had no idea if they were true."

Kattarina smirked and made to answer, however, Garren suddenly cut her off, "Is this what this nation has been reduced to?" He asked in a gruff voice, earning a surprised look from the guard, his three companions and his own traveling companion, "A bunch of rumor trading imbicils guarding our borders? Heh, pathetic."

The guard in the lead narrowed his eyes, his hand moving to his sword hilt. "And just who the hell are you supposed to be? I certainly don't recognize you, and I suspect that you are disreputable at best in nature."

Garren smirked and stepped forward, until he was only a foot or two from the Noxian. "I'm someone you do not fuck with. And I am not someone who appreciates having his time wasted by fools blathering on about rumor and hearsay like a bunch of old cripples."

"You dare mock me?" The guard hissed.

"You dare waste even more of my time?"

The guard roared and grabbed for his sword, but froze solid as he felt the cold steel of a knife blade press against his throat. Kattarina blinked in surprise, recognizing her own knife, but seeing Garren's hand around the handle.

"Now then, shall I give you a scar for wasting my time?" Garren asked, "Or should I simply open you out onto the ground and let the dogs have the scraps? You ask who I am? I am a man in the employ of General Du Couteau, you do not need to know anything more than that. Now let us pass. The Madam General has had a long journey."

The guard glanced toward Kattarina but saw no sympathy in her eyes, and so he slowly backed away and nodded. "Welcome home General Du Couteau." He said, clearly shaken by the stranger in front of him, "I apologize for wasting your time, it will not happen again."

Kattarina stepped forward passed the check point, Garren falling into step behind her. After a few hundred yards, she burst out laughing. "Bah ha ha ha ha! Oh my god... it was all I could do to keep a straight face! That was fucking brilliant!" She slapped Garren hard across the back, "The look on that man's face was priceless!"

"I figured the best way to avoid any unnescessary questions in a culture that values strength was to show him that I was one of the strongest." Garren said, handing the knife back to Kattarina, "The rest was pretty much all instinct."

The grin on Kattarina Du Couteau's face would have chilled Garren to the bone even two months ago, "That was a good instinct. It'll help lend a bit of credibility to your cover. Speaking of which, I think while you're here, I'm going to call you Gerad in public, better name than 'Garren' around here."

Garren nodded, "Make's sense. Gerad, good and short. Well then, where first?"

The Noxian woman inclined her head up the hill towards the High Command structure. "I need to report in to General Swain, and he'll probably want to speak to you."

"Great... talking with Jericho Swain. This will be fun."

It took the two almost an hour to navigate the winding streets up the mountain, by the time they reached the entrance to High Command, the sun was beginning to set. By this point, word had spread of the return of General Du Couteau and her murderous agent, and they were ushered inside without any incident. They then spent another twenty minutes navigating the almost labyrinthine halls of the Noxian seat of power, until at last they came to a simple looking wooden door.

Kattarina knocked on the door, waited a few moments, and then pushed it open and made her way inside. Garren made to follow her, and quickly found himself throwing himself backwards out into the hall, as a large axe flashed through the space where his throat had been.

A large man shoved his way past the shocked looking Kattarina and through the door. He stood on par with Garren, with dark brown hair and a shock of white running through it. In his hand was a massive single bladed axe with a wicked and painful looking hook coming from the back of it.

"I always knew you were an idiot," the man said, raising his axe into position, "But even I never thought you would be this stupid." The man raised the axe over his head to strike down at Garren.

"Hold a moment Darius." A voice sounded from inside the room. Darius froze, his axe still raised. A rhythmic tapping noise then began to make its way closer and closer, untill another man, this one dressed in rather ornate armour and robes, a mask covering the lower half of his face, with a large elegant bird perched on his shoulder, and leaning heavily on a staff, emerged from the doorway. "It would be prudent to at least learn why a man such as this has found his way to the very heart of Noxus while the whole rest of the world hunts him. Would it not?"

Jericho Swain, Grand General and lord of Noxus extended a hand in greeting, "I don't believe you and I have ever met in person outside of official League matches General. A pleasure to finally meet you."

Slowly, Garren returned the handshake, keeping an eye on the still raised axe of the Hand of Noxus. "I suppose the feeling is at least in part, mutual." He said, "Your tactics are well known and respected by the Dauntless Vanguard. No one has ever challenged my men as successfully as you."

Swain nodded, and his cheeks raised in what Garren could only assume was a truly predatory grin. "I'm glad you and I can find at least something we can speak cordially about. Put that away General Darius," He said without his gaze ever leaving Garren, "If the need to kill General Crownguard arises, I will inform you."

Darius glanced between his commander and his most hated rival, duty warring with anger inside him. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the axe lowered. "As you wish, Grand General. Should you need me, simply call." And with that, he stalked away down the hall.

"Please, don't mind him," Swain said, "Won't you come in? I have little doubt in my mind as to why you are here in the company of General Du Couteau. But all the same, I would very much like to hear what you have to say." He then turned and limped back through the door, nodding to Kattarina on his way.

"If you do not mind me asking, how did you recognize me?" Garren asked as he followed the Noxian inside, pulling the door closed behind him. "I realize it's not perfect, but I've been able to fool most everyone I've met since we were in Zaun with this beard of mine."

Garren had never heared Swain laugh before today, and the sound of it sent a shiver down his spine. "Heh heh hahahaha. Please, that cannot even be considered a disguise before me. Not to mention that Beatrice saw you earlier while she was out hunting and informed me." He said as he stroked the stomach of the large bird that had now hopped from his shoulder onto a perch above the large desk that occupied a large portion of the office. "She has a very good memory when it comes to people we have had to fight, both on the Fields of Justice, and off. Now then," He said, sitting down in the ornate high top chair behind the desk, "General Du Couteau, make your report, and leave nothing out. After she is done, I would like to hear your side in all of this Garren Crownguard."

Two hours later, Swain sat with his fingers steelpled, deep in thought. "The Black Rose hmm?"

"What is the Black Rose, Swain?" Garren asked.

Swain glanced towards the Demacian briefly before returning his gaze forward, "I suppose you have earned the right for some answers, since you have survived this long. Very well, let me say this; the truth of the Black Rose begins and ends with a single woman and her lust for power. I believe the name Le'Blanc is familiar to you? Powerful sorceress, specializes in Illusions." Garren felt his blood run cold, Le'Blanc was one of the most deadly spellcasters he had ever fought in League matches. "Well, Le'Blanc has been using the Black Rose to control and manipulate Noxian government, politics, and lifestyle for longer than you or I have been alive. It is a cult, dedicated to her and her alone."

"Wait a moment," Kattarina spoke up, "I always heard that you and Le'Blanc were allies and friends. Hell, there was even a rumor going around a few years ago that you may have been lovers."

Swain's predatory gaze settled on the red haired woman, "You shouldn't believe every rumor that you hear Miss Du Couteau. While it is true that when she and I first met, we formed something of an alliance together, it was only ever for political gain. We were each an ally of convenience. But her personality is the sort that doesn't allow for friends, only pawns and servants. It was an inevitability that we would betray each other. Too put it another way, each and every move that Le'Blanc and I have made in the last ten years has been calculated so that it would in some way give us an advantage over the other."

Garren leaned back in his chair and stared at the Noxian across the table. "I'm not sure whether I should be impressed or disgusted by the two of you."

Again, Swain's cheeks rose in what Garren had by now identified as the closest thing to a grin the man ever showed, "A common reaction, I assure you. Now, as for the situation at hand, a little over a year ago, my spies informed me that Le'Blanc's cult was beginning to move, they were unsure of where and why, but they knew that it was a massive move. I took the opportunity to counter the cult's move by cutting off as many of its legs here in Noxus as was possible, but I knew that the main body of the cult had already escaped. My suspicions were confirmed when I began to hear rumors of a new cult beginning to rise in Demacia. I attempted to warn your precious friend, the Lightshield brat, but he refused to listen to my warnings. Then word reached me of the 'Terrorist Bombing' incident six months ago. I knew Le'Blanc had something to do with it, so I dispatched Lady Du Couteau to investigate. And now, here you are, The Might of Demacia, sitting in the heart of his enemy sharing a rather civil conversation with me."

Garren smiled thinly, "I assure you that I am very uncomfortable just being here. However I didn't have a choice."

"Oh I know, Sir Crownguard, I know. I understand the situation better than most. So the question now becomes, what will you do? I will grant you the protection of my office, and will allow you to stay here for a time, but only if you are able to repay me. If not, I'm sure the Demacian military would be more than happy to negotiate for your capture."

He sat there, thinking in silence for a while, feeling the gazes of both Noxians upon him. Finally he spoke, "Le'Blanc has become a nuisance to you hasn't she?" For a moment, Swain seemed surprised by the question, but at length nodded slowly. "Then I will hunt her down and deliver her to you. She has somehow managed to gain control over Jarvan, she has branded me a traitor to Demacia, and is using my nation, my whole nation, as some kind of pawn in her stupid game. I will not stand for this. I plan on recovering my strength, and reclaiming my nation from the claws of that witch."

Kattarina smiled widely, "And House Du Couteau is more than willing to sponsor him sir. Garren has proven time and time again that he has strength and skill, enough to satisfy any Noxian's arguments against him."

Swain nodded, his face completely unreadable. "Very well then, Garren Crownguard, I welcome you to Noxus. And as Grand General of Noxian High Command, I extend to you my promise of protection from all save your own actions. Rest, recover your strength, and prepair yourself. For once you are ready, your hunt for Le'Blanc will begin." He had by this time stood up and made his way around the table to where Garren now stood and extended his hand. "I expect good things from you, Sir Crownguard."