Author's Note: Omg. It's finally done! Ish. I don't think I will ever finish editing my own personal copy, but for the intents and purposes of Fanfiction, it is complete! I hope you guys have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it! I know I say that practically every chapter, but it just amazes me how far this has come. I started it as a little project this summer, I didn't even intend to post it anywhere... And now it's this crazy 50 thousand word monstrosity! Clearly this is the longest anything I've ever written. Anyways, you all have been peaches, and I am ever grateful for the support I have received. I mean it when I say I don't think I would have finished it without you guys. You keep me motivated!

Also, I may or may not be planning to add a "smutilogue" to the end of this... ;)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the last installment of Sub Rosa! As always, please don't hesitate to PM me or anything if you have any questions/comments/ideas/want to gush about Talon/Lux and other cute League couples. Until next time!

At first, Lux had been rather shocked to see footprints grazing through the sand approaching the desolate cave. Her intuition told her it had to be Talon leaving behind the tracks, but she checked with her infrared vision nonetheless. It seemed odd to her that the invisibility sphere should behave in such a way, and for a moment the mage even bothered to wonder why the ground a foot and half beneath him was still visible. It also seemed odd to her that caves made of rock and stone could jut out of mountains covered in sand, but there were many things she did not understand about magic, and even more she did not comprehend about the landscape of Shurima, and as much as she might have liked to delve into the mysteries, she saved such inquiries for a more appropriate time.

Lux stood on top of a mound of sand facing the cave entrance, only fifty feet from the mouth. Upon realizing that her footprints must also be visible to inhabitants of the cave, of which there seemed to be only one, a ragged prisoner who looked strikingly like the General Du Couteau, the mage stepped slightly behind the mound so that she could still see into the cave, but such that her feet, and therefore footprints, would be hidden.

Turning her attention back to Talon, the mage watched as he gained on the entrance. He covered the remaining ten feet or so at a remarkable speed considering his stealthy movements. Lux even checked her infrared vision again to make sure he wasn't running, though she suspected he knew how to perform just about every movement without making noise. Satisfied that the assassin was indeed being slow and methodical enough about his approach into the cave, Lux returned to normal vision and waited for the moment she could no longer see his footprints.

Once all signs of Talon vanished, the mage set her efforts towards recreating the sight before her as an illusion. It was a fairly simple one, that of a disheveled man chained to a stone wall. How the capturer had managed to secure chains to the inside of a cave, Lux had no idea, but that did not concern her at that particular moment. She needed to get the illusion perfect.

Despite the apparent simplicity of her illusion spell, it was actually rather intricate. While it would have been trivial for a mage of her training and knowledge to create an illusion only for people looking into the cave, Lux suspected the creature she would be needed to trick would not be approaching the General from her direction. Creating an illusion to mimic something the caster could not see was not an impossible task, but it was quite a bit more difficult.

It took longer than the mage would have liked, but eventually, she secured the illusion and finished her job. All she had to do now was to wait and watch.

Switching to infrared vision, Lux realized she had gotten the spell off just in time. Talon's figure was just beginning to approach the chained man. The assassin bent tenderly, resting a soft hand on the prisoner's shoulder. The captive looked up with an expression that Lux could not quite read. Infrared vision had some major benefits, to be sure, but judging the emotions of people fifty feet away was challenging. It ended up not being an issue either way, for a winged presence appeared and interrupted all of Talon and Lux's planning.

Lux immediately saw why Talon was so good at his job. He was quite observant. By the time Lux had noticed the third man and looked to check that the assassin had too, Talon was already angled towards him, clearly conscious of his presence. The newcomer approached Talon and the General slowly, taking his time to move towards his captive, and for a few moments, Lux worried that the man could see Talon. It was almost as if the winged man approached Talon and not the General, but he stopped before the mage had enough time to determine if that was the case.

Cautiously, Talon began to rise, facing the winged man. Then, a fourth man appeared from the shadows, walking up to the winged man and taking a bold stance beside him. Immediately, Lux knew something was wrong. These were very strange actions for people who should not be able to see the assassin.

Deciding that she needed more information than was available to her with infrared vision, Lux toggled back to her normal state and found something very disturbing indeed. She could see Talon.

But how? He had not drank the elixir she had given him. It would have taken a very skilled magic user indeed to detect her illusion in the first place, but to dispel it? Glancing at the two unidentified men, Lux began to realize exactly how much danger Talon was in.

The mage was on the move in seconds. As stealthily as she could, which, granted, was not very stealthily at all, she moved down towards the entrance to the cave, if only to get a better look. It was not long before she was able to hear voices speaking, and as she stood on the bare edge of rock meeting sand, she was able to discern the entire conversation.

"You have always been such a hothead, Talon." Said the fourth man, who, until Lux had managed to relocate herself, had not recognized. Now, she knew for certain she had seen this man before. In fact, many people in Demacia had. He was Jarvan. Not Jarvan the Fourth, her old friend and Garen's own best man, but Jarvan the First, the long dead king of Demacia. Even his armor resembled the outdated designs of Demacia from years ago.

The winged figure drew a sword from a hilt at his hip. It glowed a pale green, hinting at it's magical nature, but the owner of the sword commanded much more attention than any curious weapon could. Eyeing him, Lux almost retched when she finally did get a look at the man, if she could even call him that. His skin was decaying, open pockets exposing muscle and even bone. Even the part of his skin that was still in tact was greyish brown and wrinkled, almost as if it had been dead for a very long time. The wings he sported had the same leathery looking texture as his skin, with holes and tears in random locations. Whoever he was, he looked like a decomposing corpse. It wasn't until then that Lux noticed the smell. It was rather faint, but rotting flesh was a hard scent to miss.

"My liege," The creature spoke, addressing Jarvan the First. "Please allow me to dispose of this Noxian filth."

There was something wrong with the rotting man. A certain fervor resided in his eyes, reminding Lux of a feral animal. She felt as if he might attack at any moment.

"Calm yourself, Reod." Jarvan laughed haughtily, displaying mannerism Lux had never known the Lightshields to possess. "We can still find use for this one."

As Lux watched the Demacian King, she felt it prudent to cast magic detection spell.

Dangerous though it was, there was clearly some important information she was missing, and she felt the information she would gain worth the risk of being discovered.

Quietly and as discreetly as she could, Lux channeled her energy into a detection spell. She was not surprised to find that the person pretending to be Jarvan the First was not actually Jarvan the First. She could not quite tell who the imposter actually was, but she suspected he was no ally of Demacia. She also reasoned that whoever he was, he must be an incredibly capable caster, for he had not only detected her illusions, but had dispelled them as well.

"I think you'll find I'm rather useless when I intend to be." Talon spat as he faced down his opponents, slyly drawing a dagger hidden in his sleeve. Lux could see it from her vantage point, but she doubted that either of the other men noticed.

The Jarvan imposter laughed. "We'll see if you hold the same antagonistic spite after a week of torture."

Although Lux could not see his face, she could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smirking as he said, "I'm sure you would enjoy that, wouldn't you, LeBlanc?"

At first, Lux was surprised by his observation. It seemed so random, but as the assassin taunted the imposter, Lux realized the truth in his words. Mistress of deception, conqueror of illusions, it all made sense. Except for the part about her impersonating a dead man. And her ability to dispel Lux's magic. She knew the woman was capable, but not with magic banishment.

LeBlanc, if that is who Jarvan truly was, seemed annoyed at Talon's accusation. Lux could tell he was losing control of the conversation.

Frowning, the imposter spoke harshly. "I am King Jarvan Lightshield of Demacia, and you shall treat me with all of the respect that a royal deserves, or you shall die by my blade!"

Lux could at least say that LeBlanc could play the part of a ruler very effectively.

"Please," The winged man interjected, eyes wild. "Do not lower yourself to such pedestrian duties, my liege. Allow me."

Slowly, the rotting man pointed the tip of his sword at Talon. As if the unnatural glow hadn't been a tip off, Lux could sense something otherworldly about the weapon. Though she told herself it was likely just a simple enchantment, that it was the smell of his decrepit corpse making her nauseous, a part in her knew the queasy feeling in her stomach was originating from the sword and its intent to harm Talon.

"He can do nothing to harm me, Reod." The pretender king taunted. "As he so previously stated, he is useless."

Talon was on LeBlanc in a matter of seconds. The assassin moved quickly and fervently, managing to catch the Jarvan look-alike off guard as he slashed at the body with one of his hidden daggers. Still, the deceiver was quick. He stepped away from Talon's attacks in a flash that Lux almost did not see, and certainly was not befitting of a king decked in plate mail.

But the winged man seemed to only notice one thing: an assassin attacking his king. With a raging scream, the man channeled a smoky light in his palm before directing his hand towards the assassin and swinging it rightwards, slamming Talon into a stone wall. Lux was shocked to find the corpse capable of magic. Judging by the power of his spell and trappings of his concentration, it was no simple understanding of the power. That was the work of practiced hands.

It was then that things started to click for the mage. Of course LeBlanc had not been the one to dispel her illusions. It had been the winged one who had discarded her efforts. And then there the decrepit skin, LeBlanc's impersonation of Jarvan the First… And those wings. Magically crafted wings, fleshy in appearance with no feathers whatsoever, straight from the instruction manual that was Parfuin Gúl.

The Noxian, hardened and used to dealing with sudden impacts and impressive wounds, began to stand, ready to retaliate. It is possible that Talon might have been able to hold his own against the decrepit sorcerer, and it is likely that he could have bested the man in a battle of swordsmanship. But however capable the Noxian might have been, Lux only saw the power of the winged corpse and the sickly glow of his sword, and decided that no matter how strong, fast, or skillful Talon might be, she was the one who had to save him.

She imagined all four men must have been surprised to hear a feminine voice shouting commands to Talon. Normally, Lux would have looked for their reactions, taking time to laugh at their dumb expressions, but this time, she had no time to waste. Rushing up between Talon, putting him within the five foot sphere of invisibility that not only allowed him to see her, but kept him hidden from the raging man, Lux turned to give him a short decisive order.

"Unchain your father and escape as quickly as you can." She looked fiercely into Talon's eyes. For the first time since she had met the man, he looked up to her with surprise on his face, while an intense expression lay on her own. "I will not be able to keep them distracted for long."

"I won't leave you here." He stated, as if it were a simple truth.

"Then don't keep me waiting." Lux replied, and she began her magic.

The first was a blinding spell, the same one she had used on the rainy streets of Noxus so many years ago. It would be her most effective spell, for it would keep her enemies from seeing either her or Talon even after the sorcerer dispelled her invisibility shroud, which she imagined he would do immediately upon realizing what was going on.

After she finished channeling, Lux was pleased to find that the Jarvan character seemed completely disoriented. The winged one, however, was not so much. His eyes were closed, granted, but she could see the dark magic channeling in his hands.

Immediately, Lux shot out her next spell, a light binding that should keep the perpetrators where they stood. It went off successfully, and the mage was beginning to think that her crazy plan might actually work. Taking a daring moment to glance back at Talon's progress, Lux was surprised to find that the assassin had made quick work of the first handcuff, and had already started on the second.

As she turned back to face the winged monster, her eyes went wide as she realized he was no longer snared. Neither was he blinded. Eyebrows furrowed and snarl growling, the fuming monster was headed straight for her and Talon, and it was then that she realized her invisibility was gone too.

Sensing the need to keep her fight away from Talon, Lux sprinted to the other side of the cave all the while channeling a third spell. She released it, hoping it's intended effect, to stun the pursuer, would see realization, but she was dismayed to find that the man was undisturbed by her stunt. Glancing back at Talon, she saw that he was just beginning to open the second cuff. She would only need to distract him a little longer.

But distract she did not. In fact, Lux realized she had made a grave mistake in her movement. While the winged man no doubt found her a nuisance, his attention was still directed at the assassin. Talon seemed to recognize this, and he easily dodged the first slash that came his way. Lux seized that opportunity to rush back to the other side of the cave, hoping to help the assassin in what little way she could now that her magic was being blocked.

She nearly made it. Talon dodged every blow. Lux landed every step. Both were determined to see their plan through to the end, to make it out alive, but, at just the last moment, as Lux was reaching the winged figure's backside, she saw Talon's life flash before her eyes.

A dark magic emanated from the sorcerer's hands and slithered out to strangle around Talon, binding him in some sort of odd constriction and holding him before the corpse in a manner that made killing him far too easy.

Lux had never moved so fast in her entire life. She was never a fleet-footed woman, nor was she a quick-fingered girl, but in that moment, she could have put even the most practiced of professionals to shame. The mage extracted a potion of utmost importance from her backpack, poured the contents into her mouth, and let the glass vial clatter onto the stone as she sprinted for Talon.

She could tell the man was opening his mouth in rage, certainly to order her to stay the hell away, to ask her why she was being so foolish, to order her to save herself and his father. But she had never been one to listen to Talon's orders. So instead of doing as she knew he wished, she pressed her hands to his face and kissed him.

The liquid passed easily into his mouth. Lux barely registered him swallow before an excruciating pain radiated from her waist. The slash of a sword moved all the way across her back, cutting deep and relentlessly, intending to wound, but not to kill. She screamed out a ghastly sound as she dropped to the floor succumbing to her wound.

Lux had faced serious blade injuries before. She knew the wound should not hurt as much as it did. She knew she should not feel the pain reaching up to her heart, threatening to rip all of the blood from her body. She knew she should not feel as if her brain were about to burst from her skull, as if her mind were being pulled away. She knew she should not feel as if her soul were being torn apart.

Pushing back against the external force with a sense of willpower that Lux had never before experienced, the kind of resolve that only surfaces when one is about to lose their life, Lux tried to expel the demon suffocating her. She summoned all of the magic she possessed, all of the energy left in her, all of her newfound resolve. With it she channeled, concentrating the magic into a form that was no spell, but rather one last attempt to keep herself alive.

"Faercrist." She managed to breathe, hoping to warn Talon of the sword's capabilities. Lux was not certain if the assassin heard her, for the voice that emanated from her throat was so weak and raspy, she could barely register it herself.

She didn't have time to give him any more warnings or advice. A haze was falling over her, and soon the mage lost consciousness. The last thing she heard was a livid voice growl "bastard" just before the world went black.

Talon had never in his life been such a fool. Not that he hadn't done foolish things before, no he was a teenage boy once. He'd done very many foolish things in his time, but nothing could quite compare to risking the lives of the two people he cared for most.

His father had made it back just fine. In fact, it had been his father who had ultimately saved him and Lux from almost certain death, decapitating the demented wizard known as Reod at a very important moment in the fight. Following that, LeBlanc had been easy enough to deal with. With her plans foiled and faced with two extremely vicious Du Couteau's, she had fled without a second thought. The woman had never been particularly brave, which explained why she would resort to using a dying sorcerer to try and capture him.

Marcus had been able to clear up a great many of Talon's questions, such as how he had disappeared in the first place, why LeBlanc cared about capturing him, and who the flying fuck Reod was. But, ultimately, none of that mattered to Talon. True, he had his father back, and he would trade almost anything in the world to have him. Almost anything.

Whether or not he would trade the life of Luxanna Crownguard was something he was still waiting to find out.

It was amazing to him that in such a short amount of time the woman had come to mean such a great deal to him. Normally, the assassin would have blamed the feelings on her feminine attributes, such as her nice ass or pert tits, but he knew the shape of her body had little to do with why he nearly choked on tears every time he thought about her. He'd never been a very emotional man either.

What ate at him the most was that he'd once threatened to kill her if she didn't forge the exact sword that had sent her into this two week coma in the first place. If there was one thing he could change in the whole shit storm of things that had happened since he joined the League of Legends, it would be that. To know that she might die with that threat still hanging in the air, unresolved… To know that she might die at all…

The assassin swallowed uncomfortably, trying to hold back the salty water that threatened to seep from his eyes. Fortunately enough for him, a newcomer made a presence on the hospital balcony at which he was currently hold up.

"Try not to think about it too much, son." A familiar voice rang out. Talon hated how his father could always read his mind.

"I'm such a fool." Talon admitted, not turning to face the man. Instead he looked out onto the clean streets of Demacia. It was far too nice of a day, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, for him to be so melancholy.

"Well," Marcus mused thoughtfully. "If being a fool is going to make you as emotional as the fat lady at an opera, I would suggest not being a fool anymore."

Turning, the assassin frowned at his father. He was chuckling to himself.

"You're a fucking sage, you are." Talon muttered.

"Runs in the family." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Let me impart a little wisdom on to you, my son."

The younger man nodded halfheartedly, knowing there would be no way of stopping the man, even if he had wanted to.

"It's not every day that a man can fuck up as grandly as you have," He started, doing little to make Talon feel any less emotional. "And still get a second chance to see her."

Talon almost missed the hidden connotation in his words. He opened his mouth to shoot another retort at his father, but halted when he realized what he was saying.

For the second time that day, the elder man read his mind.

"She's asking for you."

Talon was in the hallway in a matter of seconds. He sprinted, dodging through nurses and patients alike, desperate to see the woman he had spent far too much time worrying about.

He was panting when he finally did reach her room. Slowly, her head turned in his direction, as if curious to who the newcomer might be. Her light blonde hair still held all of the gorgeous sheen it always had and her pale skin almost seemed to glow in the florescent lighted room. As her face turned to meet his, her wide blue eyes finally connecting with his own, a rush of emotions shocked through his heart, and, for the first time in a very, very long time, the assassin felt himself blush.

"Talon!" She exclaimed with excitement. Lux had been hoping he would arrive soon; she'd been awake for the better part of an hour, but apparently delivering a message to one elusive assassin was a rather difficult task.

The man looked at her with an intensity that was quickly becoming one of his defining characteristics. Despite how familiar the look was, how she recognized the thoughts rushing through his mind as his eyes roved over her entire face, appreciating every line, every crease, the mage could still feel the world beginning to fade away.

He approached her swiftly, walking right up to her side, and it wasn't long before his hands cupped around her face and he bent to kiss her softly on the lips.

It was the most chaste kiss he had ever given her, but it was also the best.

After a few moments of their flesh simply connecting, Talon withdrew, still regarding her with fierce eyes.
A blush burned on Lux's face as she realized everyone else in the room, Garen, Katarina, her mother, her father, even Ezreal, were staring. Talon didn't seem to notice.

"I'm sorry." Was the first thing out of his mouth.

Surprised by his sudden apology, Lux quickly realized she and the Noxian assassin would need a private minute to chat.

"Um," She looked sheepishly towards her parents. "I think we need a moment alone, if you would."

Her father nodded knowingly and ushered all of her visitors out of the hospital room, including Ezreal, who looked like he was about to kill a man.

Turning back to the assassin, Lux was not surprised to find that his eyes still had not left her.

"There's no reason for you to be sorry, Talon." She smiled reassuringly. Lux didn't quite know what had gotten into him, but she placed no blame on the man.

"There most certainly is." He responded adamantly. "I almost lost you."

The blush Lux had been sporting moments earlier was nothing compared to the one she wore after Talon's bold declaration.

"I have a knack for getting myself into trouble." She shrugged lightheartedly. "Think, without you to save me, I might have ended up worse off."

Talon looked unconvinced, but given the soft curve of his brow, she could tell he wasn't going to fight her about it.

"Besides," Lux shot him a devious look. "Since I nearly had my soul ripped from my body trying to save you, I think you owe me your life."

The assassin chuckled. "Consider me indebted."

"Well, I have a few ideas on ways that you can repay your debt."

Talon raised an eyebrow.

"Not like that, you pervert!" She squealed indignantly. "I have a couple questions I want answered."

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, the assassin regarded her with a sly smile. "Ever the curious one."

"Let's start with the beginning." Lux stated. "How did your father fall into LeBlanc's hands?"

"It's much as I had originally expected." Talon replied easily. "He did venture into Sai to investigate a connection between the Black Rose and the Darkin. We saw the cave he found, but, at the time, LeBlanc was not aware of the location. Instead, she had sent some of her minions to follow Marcus until he found the cave, then she captured him, no doubt to help Swain attain his current position of General."

"And how does the deranged wizard play into all of this?"

"I think you should be able to answer that yourself."

"Well, I suspect that he is the author of Parfuin Gúl, that he was hold up in the cave always trying to summon one of his Darkin Gods… Judging based on the magic I read about in that book, I believe that Faercrist kept him alive well beyond his normal years. He probably imbued his own soul in the sword. It's a wonder you managed to kill him."

"You'd be surprised how effective a simple beheading is." Talon shrugged.

Lux shuddered at the thought. "I guess that would explain why LeBlanc was in disguise as Jarvan the First, Reod, I think his name was, was supposedly the king's favorite mage. But I'm still missing the part where your father ends up in the cave."

"Well, it turns out I wasn't discreet enough with my plans." Talon sighed. "There's just about nothing you can keep from LeBlanc, she has eyes everywhere. She had set my father as a captive there when she found out I was headed their a couple of months ago, and, from what my father tells me, he had been held captive there until we came to rescue him."

"Why was LeBlanc trying to capture you?" Lux wondered.

"Probably a mixture of wanting to reclaim Parfuin Gúl and wanting to keep me from solving more of her mystery. That and Swain probably wanted me locked up for good, where no amount of Noxian scruples could keep me from escaping. I think he's trying to secure all of the Du Couteaus." The assassin sighed.

"Wait a minute. I thought you said Swain didn't know where your father was." Lux accused.

"What do you mean?"

"You said that was why he was trying to get you in jail, back when we got framed for the Jenkins incident. But if he's working with LeBlanc, and LeBlanc had your father, then he would know where he was. So why try to get you in jail?"

"To be honest I still haven't figured that one out." Talon admitted. "I think he was trying to confuse me, to divert me from the real tracks. If so, it was pretty ingenious. Kept me unaware for the better part of two years."

"Hmmm." Lux mumbled, unconvinced.

The assassin laughed. "There are some mysteries that can never be solved, Lux."

"Nonsense!" She exclaimed. "It's not like he put us both on that mission just so that we would happen to fall in lo-"

A blush burned on her face immediately as she began to realize what she was about to say.

The assassin just chuckled. The same dark chuckle she had first heard him produce from his rumbly through nearly three years ago when she had failed to simply pick a pair of keys up from the floor.

"Bastard." The mage muttered when she finally did regain her words.

"Come now, Lux." He smirked. "Is that any way to treat the man that you supposedly love?"

"Yes." She affirmed adamantly. "Especially if he is acting like a bastard."

The assassin smiled warmly, but she could tell there was still something deep tugging in his eyes. It was guilt.

"I meant what I said when I said I was sorry." He said, abruptly changing the tone of the conversation.

"I should have never coerced you into coming on this dangerous mission, I should have never drug you out to Shurima without proper protection." His voice grew soft. "I should never have threatened to kill you for refusing to make me a sword that would have turned me into a rotting corpse."

"You're not going to kill me, Talon." She replied tenderly. "You've told me so yourself many times before."

"For two weeks I wondered if you would make a liar out of me." He muttered quietly.

"I'd never do that to you." Slowly, Lux reached for his hand, grabbing it gently and stroking the backside. "I'm the liar in this relationship, not you."

"How can I trust you then?" He asked with a small smile.

"I don't know." She smirked. "But I think you'll find a way. And I think it starts with taking me to dinner. Friday night. At seven."

A devious grin started to pull on his lips. "Seducing me, Crownguard?"

And, for the first time in Lux's life, she recognized herself as guilty of committing the heinous act. "Don't you see, Talon? I've been seducing you all along."