MEL
Often, time and again, her mother Ambessa told of her of the Battle of Hildenard, on which her father - Mel's grandfather, for that fact - had Ambessa, on a very young age, collect every blade from the recently fallen corpses for a golden coin each, all under the pretense of 'needing the steel', except it was not: being of Noxian origin, it was meant to introduce young Ambessa on the notion of death.
A notion which Mel now wished she had, at least some of her mother's stomach for it, but at the same time was abhorred by it, since that fateful day, when childlike innocence died so soon.
The same innocence she was now seeing gone, in pure horror, on each once once living soul now taken away in that former market square, as she walked along the rows of it's once vibrant stalls with Jayce, him with the trustful Mercury Hammer on hand and both each with a mask borrowed from an Enforcer.
The corpses of men and women, children and elder alike, some indicating mothers and fathers with their sons and daughters. All collapsed to the floor, eyes and mouth open wide, in desperate need of a breathable air that wouldn't come at the time, and now they'd never breathe again. Even some animals were caught by it, Mel having been able to see both a cat, some birds, dogs and even a couple of Poros, all laid strewn on the cold stone streets, motionless.
Mel couldn't even muster words to this. What could be this, to begin with, of something even her mother, warlike as she was, would pale too just by looking at it... This wasn't a battlefield, or a siege, or a raid, or whatever military action it was. It wasn't even a terrorist act, and if it were, it was the worst of targets, as such acts are meant to target the government, not it's people.
This was anything but an act of war, this... this was murder. Cold. Systematic. As if they were mere things to be scraped off, like numbers in a lottery bill.
"Right at noon...", Jayce's voice croaked, as even he couldn't believe this. Many just put down, without even any bullets, let alone reason.
Just... just like that boy.
"H-how could they do this...", Jayce asked again.
"No, it couldn't have been the Chem-Barons, they wouldn't be as...", Mel grew nervous, agitated, shaking her head, attempting to rationalize such an irrational scene.
And yet she couldn't.
"Enforcer!", she shouted, and a nearby enforcer, in full mask and gear, approached her. "Sheriff Kiramman, she must've gone to the fissures. Get her here, fast as you can, whatever is happening that required her attention can wait, that's my direct order. Go!"
The enforcer nodded and turned and started to rush his way out of the desolated fair.
"It makes no sense...", Mel said, shaking her head slowly.
"Is there any sense to any of this, Mel?", Jayce asked, shaking his head as well, before he closed his eyes, thinking more and more on the matter. "You know what's gonna happen next, don't you? What we'll have to do?"
Mel turned to stare her lover, looking at him in the eye, starting to understand what he was talking about. "You cannot mean...", she started.
"Look around, Mel!", Jayce gestured around, nervous. "That's not something to simply turn a blind eye from! And even if it really weren't them, the city's gonna want something be done about this, now!"
"Didn't anything I said yesterday meant-", Mel started, shaken.
"Councillors!", a voice shouted, no doubt from one of the enforcers, as both Jayce and Mel turned around to then see new silhouettes having formed a row, the enforcers having backed off, rifles in hand. These new silhouettes brandished spears, armor and apparent steel masks and hoods, making it all very obvious for Mel to recognize them, and her heart raced and small streams of anger, akin to energy running along Hextech devices, started to pick up.
"We just saw the large poisonous cloud on our way out.", a voice, from one of the silhouettes. "We're here to provide relief."
Mel wasted no time in walking towards the ever more visible Noxian guardsmen, apparently at attention, noticing only they were there. Jayce noticed this and followed as well, also not liking that sight, at all.
"Stand down.", Jayce ordered the enforcers. "A bit late and unnecessary for that. And some would say *too* convenient..."
"Where is she?", Mel asked. "I wish to talk to her, and I will."
"Aboard the ship, as we last recall, ma'am.", the Noxian answered.
"As you recall?", Mel asked, clearly not believing any ounce on his answer.
"We're only here to assist.", the guardsman repeated.
"Says you.", Jayce retorted.
"I'll get to the estate, she might be there.", Mel said to Jayce.
"Wait, what if the press gets here, or anyone else?", Jayce asked.
"They're the least of our worries, now.", Mel answered, bluntly, rushing her steps as she walked away.
Jayce decided to follow, but took a glance at the Noxian guardsmen. "You, you get back to your ship.", Jayce ordered.
"You won't accept our aid, then?", the guardsman asked.
"This is a Piltovan matter, you've no authority here!", Jayce retorted, walking away, before taking a pause and turning to the guardsmen, whom started turning away and leaving. "When we need, we might call.", he shook his head and resumed his course, hurrying up to catch up to Mel.
The guardsmen moved away from the scene, leaving the enforcers on their own at the desolate, dead marketplace.
Mel and Jayce's trek back to the Medarda Mansion was brief, given the relative small distance between the fair and the mansion, compared to the distance between the graveyard and the city during the funeral procession. As they arrived, they could see the majestic palace-like building standing tall amidst an apparently cramped city, an apparent mixture of Piltovan and Noxian architecture, and it's wall walls protecting the property, as much as the gate by the tall arch, bearing the cardinal morning star that was the crest of House Medarda.
The same gate where Mel and Jayce could now see there were enforcers close by, though, if she recalled well, neither Jayce nor Mel asked for them. And in a larger group than usual, including wagons.
"What is this?", Mel asked, removing her mask and approaching the scene as the enforcers noticed her arrival, as well as Jayce's. She then shook her head, maybe they were there as a response to the chemical strike. "Nevermind, is General Ambes-"
"Councillor Medarda.", the enforcer cut her, on a firm, direct tone, unusual as one when addressing one of higher rank. "We need you to come with us."
"What?", she asked, as other enforcers arrived besides that one, apparently circling her, something Jayce didn't like, either.
"We're under orders to take you into custody, Councillor.", the enforcer informed, bluntly. "If you'll please come with-"
"Under orders, on whose authority!?", Jayce asked, livid, not believing these words.
"It's not on my permission to inform, Councillor Talis.", the enforcer said. "Miss Medarda, if you'll-"
"Not on your permission, my ass!", Jayce retorted, walking towards the enforcer.
"Councillor, please stand down.", the enforcer warned. "These are official orders."
"This is absurd!", Mel's voice had raised as well. "We're Councillors of Piltover, we're in our rights to demand who gave this order, I'm pretty sure it wasn't the Sheriff!"
"We're under Article 42, and those exercising it are the ones whom ordered you be taken into custody.", the enforcer replied, trying to maintain his own control.
"Article 42?", Jayce asked.
"What!? This *has* to be illegal, it wasn't-", Mel started at the same time, furious.
"Councillor Medarda, stand down and come with us, it'll be better for you.", the enforcer's voice raised, in a commanding tone. "Don't make this any more worse."
"This Article wasn't approved or even voted by the Council!", Mel retorted. "I refuse to abide!"
"Refuse all you want, we have our orders.", the enforcer ordered. "Take her."
And so the enforcers started to accomplish this absurd order, moving in to restrain her, despite she trying to move to defend herself or pull herself away from them.
"Get off, get off me!", Mel shouted, livid, but desperation was starting to breed in as well.
That was the last straw for Jayce however, as he moved in between them to push them off, not wanting anymore trouble, and yet it came for him and the one he loved, as well, but clearly the enforcers would not budge.
"Councillor, back away, now!", an enforcer shouted.
"RELEASE HER!", Jayce roared as other enforcers moved in to restrain him, as well. One of his hands got free and he punched one of the enforcers as the ones restraining Mel pinned her against the walls of the palace to handcuff her.
Jayce rapidly punched another one and pushed himself backwards to free himself, letting out a roar that pushed the enforcer restraining Mel into the wall, too, freeing her, despite she suffering some pain.
"Mel, run! RUN!", Jayce bellowed as Mel started to move and run, while the enforcers at the scene grabbed Jayce and restrained him.
However, Mel couldn't run very far, as one of the enforcers had thrown a ball that unwrapped itself into a restraining rope that grabbed Mel's legs and tied them, making her trip.
"MEL!", Jayce roared. "LET HER GO, LET-", his words were cut out as an enforcer suddenly hit a baton once to his diaphragm, catching him off-guard, groaning in pain.
"Get them away from each other, NOW!", one of the enforcers shouted as a pair moved in to capture the restrained Mel, whom was protesting, and put her inside a wagon, quickly shutting it's doors closed.
Jayce roared Mel's name in vain, as the enforcers, in higher number, pinned him to the ground with their combined strength as the wagon started it's engine and started moving away. One of the enforcers took a baton and then hit Jayce on the back of his head, knocking him out.
Jayce's sight and hearing started to fade away the screaming of Mel becoming impossible to discern, until they became impossible to hear anything.