Magic.

It was outlawed in her kingdom shortly after the Rune Wars, fear gripping much of the nation after witnessing the derelict horrors it wrought upon the world. The Mageseekers quickly formed to quell unrest, and began methodic searches. Anyone with an affinity towards it was expected to surrender themselves for treatment. Those who fled the authorities were treated no better than criminals guilty of thievery and murder.

But Lux knew, from her time spent in the Mageseekers' Complex, the only option for many was to hide.

Yet still, she dared dance with the notion of imprisonment, even exile. Light flowed along her fingertips in streams and slivers, weaving between the digits like snakes coiled around their prey. Only here in the privacy of her study did she let it run free like winds in the sky and water in a river. Light in all things, as was the embodiment their kingdom strove for.

But hers was no different than the "affliction" many of her kind were born with.

Magic. Touted as a disease; a curse needing to be purged from the people.

'My people,' she mused bitterly at the irony of such a statement. She collected the tendrils of magic into her palm and let it hover above the long-forgotten text she'd been pouring over out of boredom. Her people were first and foremost Demacians, all else be damned, but she wasn't the Queen of the nation. No, she had to play by their rules and abide by their laws or else risk everything she worked so hard to achieve to this point. And thus, she used her privilege to keep her secret safe. No one would dare question or point a finger at a noble family whose entire purpose was to protect the reigning patriarch.

It shielded her from persecution - a discretion afforded by a simple name, and the guilt ate away at her.

"Lady Crownguard?" A soft knock echoed through her chamber. She snapped out of her reverie and waved her hand to dissipate the magic.

"Lady Lux?" Ah, she knew that voice anywhere. Lux rose from her seat just as the door creaked open. "I'm in here, Mina."

The visitor poked her head around the corner and came into full view. "Your mother requests your presence at the earliest convenience."

Lux bounded up to the woman and gave her a tight hug. "How is she?"

"She's seen better days, that's for sure." Mina held Lux at arm's length and tutted softly. "You feel a bit thin dear, have you been taking care of your health recently?" Ever the worrier. Lux nodded, giving a small curtsy.

"Just a lot of obligations keep me running about. I've not forgotten my meals."

"Alright." Mina wrapped an arm around Lux and nudged her towards the door. "She'll be out in the gardens. If she gives you any lip, you send a messenger to fetch me."

Lux giggled, waving to the woman before heading in the opposite direction. Thankfully Mina chose to settle her mother outside rather than indoors - a much needed change of pace compared to the stuffy buildings. The Crownguard estates covered a generous portion of land, consisting of great stone buildings and pathways and accentuated by the sparse greenery. A shudder ran through Lux's body when she passed through the looming gateway leading to the gardens, feeling her magic slowly seep back into her limbs the further she got from imposing white.

'Curse whoever came up with the brilliant idea to mix marble and petricite…'

"Ah, Luxanna. I was wondering if the Buvelle healer got lost."

"Mother," the blonde greeted politely when the matron beckoned her over. "You seem to be in much better spirits today."

A smile crinkled her face, wizened from the years piling onto the woman. "The healer was right in assuming I simply needed some fresh air and a spot of sunshine." Well it didn't take a genius to figure out spending time in nature would do the human spirit some good compared to a colorless room. "How are you, my child?"

"Same as always," Lux replied, taking a seat opposite of her mother. "You've chosen well to have your tea out here today - it is a rather pleasant day."

"I thought it best to enjoy the last of our fair weather. Winter is coming, as it inevitably does in this part of Demacia." She pulled the shawl around her shoulders tighter. "Bah, I'm not getting any younger either. Not as spry as I used to be at your age."

"Pardon, Lady Augatha, but would you care for a cup of tea, Lady Luxanna?"

"Yes, pour one out for my daughter and leave us be." Lux bit her tongue at the interjection, flashing the servant an apologetic smile. He looked more relieved to be out of the vicinity and soon enough, the pair was left to their own devices. She only broke the silence after taking a cautionary sip of her warm drink. "Mina relayed that you wished to meet with me. What was it you wanted to discuss?"

"To the point, I see." The blonde's spine straightened and she did her best not to cower under Augatha's scrutiny. "Miss Winstrom appraised me of the ongoings in the healer house. More and more soldiers are returning with greater wounds."

Lux pursed her lips, taking care not to let her bubbly visage drop. Of course her mother was referring to the insurgency taking place within the kingdom - a conflict brewing between the "magic-afflicted'' people and the kingdom. Ever since her frequent visitations to the Mageseeker's compound came to light, she'd been extremely careful about involving herself with anything politically (and magically) charged. On top of that, one of the most notorious "criminals" known as the Unshackled Mage Sylas managed to break free of the prison - the first in its history - and led with him a band of vengeful rebels who wanted retribution for their imprisonment. Her family suspected Lux had some hand in his escape. Even Garen, her older brother and someone she looked up to often, insisted on subjecting her to intensive questioning and kept her under house arrest until a final decision could be made.

The blonde came out of that wiser, tempered, and more discreet. While she was cleared of any charges in aiding Sylas' escape, her family kept a careful eye on her coming and going. And it was then she realized she could trust no one to divulge her secrets to, not even blood family.

And that fact alone kept her from straying too far into the light.

"Perhaps the Illuminators can be of assistance? If the healers are overwhelmed-"

Augatha shook her head. "No, they are perfectly capable of handling wartime efforts. This little tantrum being spun up by the magic-afflicted won't be a burden to them. However, there is a matter of greater import I must entrust to you. A more… intimate, one if you will.."

'Oh goddesses above, please don't be something ridiculous like visiting someone I don't want to.'

"You are familiar with Fiora Laurent, head of House Laurent, correct?"

'You've gotta be kidding me. I jinxed myself. I'm sure I just jinxed myself.' "I am familiar with the name, yes." Well, Lux was a little more acquainted than just the name. Just about everyone in Demacia not only knew who they were, being a noble house, but also the massive scandal as a result of the young Laurent's father. Her family joined the others in making mockery of the slandered house and its bad blood, but she could only empathize with Fiora's plight. Forced to slay her father in a duel for the sake of keeping the house's honor intact, and donning the title of Head of House at such a tender age, it presented challenges Lux couldn't fathom even after all these years since that shocking turn of events.

"Many of the houses have declared unification against our common foe, these 'justice-seeking' mongrels." Lux bit her tongue. "The few remaining remained neutral parties, due to several members of their houses having willingly turned themselves in for curing while others are still undergoing title changes from deaths within the family. However, House Laurent has yet to answer the call to arms, and their refusal to make a decision has brewed unsettling rumors throughout the capitol."

Augatha pushed a few papers over in Lux's direction, who picked them up against her better judgment. Blue eyes widened upon reading the title of the first, then the second, and all the ones following after.

"House Laurent… is being accused of hiding magic-afflicted?" She winced inwardly at using the derogatory term.

Her mother nodded stoically. "And given the uncanny nature of their youngest progeny's skill with the rapier, many have also come to believe she too possesses magic."

Lux's heart skipped a beat. "I… well that seems to be a bit rash and hurried."

Augatha pierced her with an accusatory glare. The blonde cleared her throat and corrected herself. "That is to say, Mother, we mustn't lend our ears to falsehoods and unproven claims. This is not a light decision to be made, as some of these magic-afflicted citizens were trusted allies and close family even. Given the nature of her father's illicit activities in their history, I can but assume the Head of House must weigh her declaration with the utmost consideration of all factors involved, lest she repeat her father's mistakes. That besides, her father was the most renowned duelist and even at a quarter his age, she still bested him and won. Her skills since then, assuming she has not let an ounce of effort go to waste, would have vastly improved."

"Hm. I see…" Relief would have flooded Lux, but she knew her mother - there was always something more. "Perhaps I am a bit… overzealous. But as Crownguards, it is our sworn duty to protect the current crown, the Lightshields. Your brother leads the Vanguard and you are an Illuminator. Your aunt Tianna is a vaunted and honored war hero. Even for an aging matriarch myself, I must uphold my duties even if they may be unconventional methods." She gestured to the newspapers in Lux's hand. "And I have an obligation to investigate these baseless rumors, as suspicious as they may be."

Lux frowned at the idea of her ailing mother traveling such distances to the Laurent manors. "Perhaps it would be wiser to involve the Mageseekers? They are better equipped to handle something of this nature than ourselves."

"The Mageseekers are not wont to launch an investigation against a noble house, despite bearing a tarnished name. Should the rumors prove false, it would undermine the authority of their organization and raise House Laurent into favorable standing. I do not agree with Laurent's methods of handling relations and businesses, and giving them more power would only empower her to attempt irrational decisions. She is too young and not suited for the delicate art of politics."

This puzzled the blonde. "Who do you intend on sending then? Your health will not permit you to travel…."

And then it dawned on her.

"M-Mother!" Lux shot up from her seat, clutching the edges of the table. "I cannot-"

"-but you will." Augatha looked entirely too pleased with her decision to send the young Crownguard into the metaphorical-belly of the beast. Lux cursed herself - her mother knew how to maneuver her into a trap, and it would take all of her wits to avert this catastrophe. "Sit down, Luxanna. I raised you to be a lady, not a child throwing tantrums."

The blonde took a deep breath, remembering all of the lessons burned into her memory. She finally took her seat again. "Even disregarding my status as a Crownguard, I am still an Illuminator - not a Mageseeker. We are benefactors of goodwill and charity, not spies stealing in the light. Entertaining the fact I might go along with this, should I be caught it would only fuel a more divisive nation than a united one."

Augatha sneered lightly. "If you are caught. You are charming and sweet, my dear. You are nearer to her age than I, and less burdened by misgivings. From what I know, Laurent has more enemies than friends, and fewer are women. Lending an ear could lower her defenses, and with your skills, you might be able to pry enough out of her to keep her quiet if she wishes to keep her dignity."

Lux wanted to vomit and recoil at her mother's suggestive tone. Yes, her time as a spy in Noxus gave her a certain… skill set to seduce and enamor certain targets in giving up military secrets but never did she employ those sordid abilities against her own countrymen. And yet here her mother was, trying to use her as a chess piece in this political, hare-brained scheme of hers. The blonde didn't even know what Fiora's taste in partners was, if she had one to begin with. Yes, she heard the stories of the Laurent progeny turning down suitors left and right (and every single one of them male) but that didn't mean she caught feelings for other women. Even if she did, it wasn't any of their business who she shared a bed with.

She swallowed her pride and tried not to sound desperate. "She is far too clever and sharp to fall for baseless charms and paltry words. Perhaps at best, I can extend a friendly offer to begin amending our relations with the Laurents, as a testament to our willingness to move towards a common future of a united Demacia."

Augatha chided Lux. "Do not forget to find any evidence of magic, or disprove them. That is your ultimate mission."

"Of course, Mother."

The Crownguard matron nodded and dismissed her with a lazy flick of her wrist. "Very good, Lux. Report to me if you've discovered anything of import."

Lux didn't waste a second in departing, giving a customary bow before leaving the gardens. What her mother asked of her meant doing things she had no heart for and cross lines better left alone. She didn't know if Fiora would acknowledge her presence in all of this, being a Crownguard and the bane of the Laurents' existence for so long. Let to her own devices however, Augatha would quicker destroy the little stability they had between many of the noble houses they (and Lux) worked so tirelessly to acquire. Having the support of House Laurent would no doubt solidify the resolve of other homes but losing it would cause the rift to widen even further with no chances of bridging the gap.

She wiped her face as she approached the family home, mind already racing to plot her own pieces on the board. Her mother may be better at navigating a political landmine, but Lux was just as clever and had the advantage of knowing how to stay in the shadows when necessary.

"Game on, Mother."

If she was going to convince her mother of anything, she needed to be believable. She needed to have an agenda behind whatever she presented to Augatha and believable alibis. But more importantly, she needed to achieve the impossible.

What was that impossibility?

"I can't believe I'm dumb enough to do this," Lux muttered to herself under her breath.

"I'm gonna be Fiora's best friend."

A/N: :))))))))))))