I am aware that this story is moving pretty quickly, but it should slow down heavily once we arrive at the forest(Still Du Weldenvarden, but the capital is renamed to Ionia, and everything is still the same). I'm trying my best to incorporate my original thoughts for a plot, as well as incorporating Runeterra into the world of Alagaesia. PS: There will be a huge bombshell near the end of the chapter, and yes it is tragic.
He couldn't help but just stare at the older man. Brom and Ajihad stood before the small group of travelers and Thorn. It had been two days after Irelia showed her affection to Connor. Brom stepped forward and hugged Murtagh and said his goodbyes, moving to Irelia, he gave her a quick hug and said goodbye as well. Finally he moved towards Connor, his armor fully restored, matte black even in the morning sunlight.
The armored man silently looked him up and down. Brom was clearly getting close to the end of his life, he was starting to bald on top of his head and his long beard had turned almost completely white. He tentatively took a step towards the armored man, Connor could almost smell the fear that he was hiding.
"Aatrox." He paused, "I have only just met you, and I hope to know your true identity some day, but until then, you have my thanks. Durza did not belong to this world, and you have done us all a great favor in slaying him. Know that you will always be welcome with the Varden." He stuck his hand out to shake Connor's. Connor waited just a moment, testing to see if the old man would falter in his false confidence. He didn't. He finally reached out an armored hand and shook the old man's hand firmly. Brom quickly stepped back afterwards, a sigh of relief only heard by those listening specifically for it.
"Thank you Brom, you are most welcome." Though he still wanted nothing more than to stab the man through the heart, he knew that would not benefit anyone. Ajihad had said his parting words with Irelia and Murtagh as Brom and Connor talked, and he then stepped up to Connor. "As Brom has already said, Aatrox, we cannot thank you enough for your efforts in the great battle. Many lives were saved due to your abilities, and you have my respect." He shook Connor's hand, neither hesitating. "I have given a missive to Irelia that has stated that you shall not be harmed, and shall be treated with the same respect as Irelia is treated with."
"I appreciate your thanks, but I removed Durza from existence because he was not natural. He had no control over anything his body said or did, there was no man left." Lowering his voice, "I assume Nasuada will be assuming your role as leader of the Varden sometime soon?" Ajihad just stared at him, slightly dumbfounded. After a second, he finally nodded his head, not daring to question how the knight found the information.
Murtagh finally mounted Thorn, followed by Irelia, Connor right behind her. Thorn didn't waste any time and immediately took off, his great ruby wings flapping hard. Murtagh hung on tight to the saddle, as did Irelia, while Connor simply sat in the back leaning against his palms, watching as they rose up and up, eventually rising out of the valley they were in. He had no complaints about leaving Farthen Dur, it was nothing but rock anyways.
After a few hours of flight in silence, Connor felt Irelia's mind brush up against his. They had yet to share a mindspace yet, but he hesitantly lowered his barriers just enough to let her hover in the outer reaches of his mind. He could tell her mind was vast, but had a deeper complexion than any other mind he had ever felt, even Galbatorix's.
We will be landing in an hour to set up camp, after tonight we shall try to travel two days at a time. Her voice sang throughout his head. He had to concentrate to not let her any deeper into his mind.
Again, we could have just met them there. I could have ran there with you in less than a week if you directed me.
Thorn will make it a three week journey, deal with it. He didn't admit it, but he liked when she was sassy like this.
She stayed within the outer regions of his mind for the remainder of the flight, but their conversations were nothing meaningful.
It took them very little time to set up a camp after Thorn landed. Murtagh had set up a tent and had long disappeared into it, leaving Connor and Irelia sitting around the fire with Thorn.
Murtagh must not know about me yet. I am going to talk to Thorn, he shall be able to relay all I need to.
Connor nodded. Irelia looked at him with a puzzled look, "why did you just nod?" She asked in the ancient language, which they mainly talked in towards each other now.
"I- uh, I was talking to the dragon." he pointed at Thorn, he blinked in and out of vision, his armor off when he reappeared. She seemed satisfied with his answer. Changing the subject, he asked, "Did you bring a tent?" She turned fully towards him, her diamond-like eyes shining in the moonlight.
Now it was her turn to stammer and come up with an excuse, "Uh, I-I must have forgotten." She answered him in english. "I guess we will have to share a tent." She smiled at him, her teeth pristine and glowing in the light of the fire. He looked at her with a look she couldn't quite understand.
"Alright then." Only if you knew him, you could hear the tiniest sliver of excitement in his usually monotone voice. Together they set up the tent in minutes. Irelia followed him inside the tent, barely enough room for the both of them. She lied down directly next to where he sat, deep in thought. He glanced down at her, smiling and relaxing a little bit.
Reaching up to grab Connor's arm, Irelia said, "Come on Connor, it has been days since you last slept." He didn't resist her pulling and slowly lied down, directly next to her, their bodies slightly touching. To her surprise, he grabbed her hand before she could pull it back to her, holding on to her hand as if it was a prized possession.
"I'm not sure I can really sleep at this point." He let out a sigh.
"Then tell me more about yourself, a story or something. How about you tell me the real reason you hide your face from the public?" Neither of them looked at each other, but both held on for dear life to each other's hand.
"Everyone wears a mask. I met a man, many years ago. He carried a contraption I couldn't comprehend. It was some sort of crossbow that shot metal scraps, but that's a tale for another day. This man, he wore a mask that covered his face." He paused, squeezing her hand. "Some would call him crazy, or a psychopath. I consider him a societal genius, he understood people more than they did themselves. But he told me that everyone wears a mask. And behind that mask, is another mask. I wear the helmet, my mask you could say, because it's who I am. When people look at the helmet, they don't see a person, and that's what I am. I've become so numb to the world. I am hollow." He looked over to her. She noticed his eyes were slightly watery.
Just then, Irelia moved, quick as ever. In an instant, she was resting her head on Connor's chest, half laying on top of him. He said nothing, and simply put his arms around her.
"Connor? Are we just friends at this point?" Her eyes the only properly visible thing in the darkness.
"I- I don't know at this point anymore, but I do know for sure that I like you, Irelia." He pulled her body closer to his, she smelled like fresh pine. "And I don't want what we have to end. Somehow, over the past few weeks, you've become my best friend." He paused, a confused expression passed his face. "I- I'm sorry, I don't usually talk like this, I- ju- you…" She held a finger up to his lips, shushing him. He spoke against her finger, "I've never had a relationship before… a friend, a lover, the closest thing to even an accomplice I had was Durza." Her eyes seemed to shine even more in the dark as they stared up at him.
"Irelia?"
"Yes?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Where did your blades come from?" Her expression darkened almost immediately.
"They were a gift… from my father." She averted her gaze, "Well, it wasn't supposed to be a weapon. It was originally the symbol of my family. But it all changed after he died in the war. I was filled with hate, anger, vengeance. All I wanted was to avenge him, and I still wish for vengeance on Galbatorix." As she talked, her blades slithered against each other, gentle metallic grinding heard behind her voice, eventually settling into a position with 3 points, six blades merging together perfectly to form a triangular shaped symbol.
In awe, Connor stared at the blades behind her, "It's beautiful, Irelia."
"They seem to be drawn to my very will." She lifted her arm and swept it in an arc above him. All six blades reassembled themselves and flowed with the movement of her arm, as if attached directly to her. "It is why I can duel so effectively, I'll always have at least three times as many blades as my opponent." She smirked a little, lightening the mood.
As the two laid there, Irelia halfway on top of Connor, she leaned in closer to him. Their eyes connected, black veined rubies to diamonds. She leaned closer to him, inches away from his face.
"Irelia?"
She smiled, and finally closed the gap between their mouths, kissing him gently. He kissed her back, his hands reaching out to rub her back. She shuddered at his touch before pulling away slightly, her eyes wild and her lips swollen. If either could properly see each other, they would see how much the other was blushing.
"Irelia, a- are you sure you want this?" He gently grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. He already knew what her answer was, "Nothing good will come out of this, except for you and me. The queen of elves will probably kill me. I'm not able to help you with emotions Irelia, and I- I have some other problems you don't know about, some things I'm not even allowed to tell you." His eyes, despite being bloodred, were somber.
She leaned back down, kissing again, harder this time. She paused, pulling back, readjusting herself to lay down more comfortably on him. She kissed him again, still silent, pushing his head down with the force that she kissed him. Finally, she pulled away, panting. "Do you really need me to answer at this point?" He shook his head, sighing.
He laid back down, trying to slow his heartbeat. Irelia went with him, settling on his chest, closing her eyes with her gorgeous smile. He closed his eyes, but couldn't sleep, for every time he closed his eyes, he opened them right back up to stare at her.
What the hell am I feeling right now? I've never felt this way about another being… besides… Aurora…
The feeling is mutual, my rider. Know that she could be yours, and tha-
The mental voice booming through his head faded out, covered once again by the screams of the spirits in his head. Every time a thought could be heard, he kept it to heart, her voice deep and majestic, but still feminine and filled with love for him.
I'm sorry that my life turned out like this.
As he sent the thought out, knowing that it wouldn't be heard, a single tear fell down his cheek.
The following morning, Irelia was gently shook awake to the sight of Connor watching her sleep.
"Did you not sleep?" She was seriously concerned about the lack of sleep that he was getting.
"You drool in your sleep." He didn't answer her. "Murtagh and Thorn are almost ready to leave.
She slowly sat up. She paused, leaned back down to kiss him once more, falling into his embrace, both of them lost in each other. They only paused when they needed to breathe, "Irelia, we should go." She nodded, standing up, stepping out of the tent. The sun was low, and the morning was cool.
Connor stepped out of the tent a second after her, armored, but lacking his helmet. Murtagh, who was sitting on the ground against Thorn's side, stared at Connor, his jaw dropping. "Did… you two sleep in the same tent?" He looked as confused as a human could be. "And what happened to your face? Why no helmet? Why are your eyes red? Are you even a human?"
Ignoring the barrage of questions, Connor walked up to Murtagh, nodding at Thorn, "You may call me Connor." He reached his hand down to Murtagh, who took it and let himself be pulled up to stand. "I feel as if you will keep my identity safe if need be, and I should mention that I am a shade." Murtagh immediately leapt back, his sword drawn. Connor sighed and shook his head, "Have I killed you yet?" He shook his head, and after a moment of contemplation, sheathed his sword.
"We should be on our way then." Murtagh said stiffly, turning to mount Thorn. Irelia and Connor followed.
It was their last night camping, the forest in sight behind Connor as he sat watching the fire, a blank expression on his face. After minutes of all three warriors sitting in silence, Murtagh stood and went inside his tent, Irelia eventually following suit and entering her joint tent with Connor. Connor remained, staring at the fire. He knew he was going to tell her one of his biggest secrets, and that he had to tell her before it was too late.
After dozens of minutes of waiting in their tent, eventually Connor entered. Irelia stared at him, she lifted her hand and motioned for him to come to her. He slowly walked over to her, sitting down beside her, she leaned in for a brief kiss, relishing in his taste.
After he pulled away from her, in a strained voice he said "Irelia, I- I have to tell you something, something very important. You might hate me after I tell you, and that'd be fair." She looked at him, he looked scared for once.
"I think it'd be pretty hard for me to hate you. Take your time and tell me." She held out a hand, when he grabbed it, she pulled him closer, pulling him up to her chest and holding him tight.
He let out a shaking sigh, she had never seen him so distressed.
"I killed my dragon."
She said nothing.
"Irelia? Say something please." She felt a drop on her hand, he was crying.
"Why? Why did you do it?" Her voice was shaking, she was trying her best to not assume anything about this.
"She- She… made me. Two years before I became this beast that I am, Aurora hatched for me. Two years later, after I was turned to a shade, she was heavily affected. We could barely access each other's minds, and she shared in the constant pain that was existence." He stopped, tears running down his face, dampening her shirt, but she didn't care. She just held him tighter, squeezing his hand to signal that it was alright.
"She told me that… she couldn't take it. I would have done anything for her, and I mean anything. I never expected tha-" He broke off again. "That she would ask for me to end her life. She made me make a promise to her. I was to k- kill her, stop her suffering, I tried everything I could to change her mind, but she would have committed suicide, and died an even more painful death." He reached his hands up to grip Irelia's arms holding him, holding on for dear life.
"She was four years old. She had suffered more than most beings would in multiple lifetimes. We'd been separated, forced to fight each other, forced to hurt each other, forced to kill innocent people together. She just… couldn't take it. I executed her in private, I- I stabbed her in the heart, and used a spell to drain her life in an instant. The most painless thing I could do for her. Sh- she made me remove her scales, her claws." He stiffened.
"I HARVESTED MY OWN DRAGON IRELIA! She made me USE HER CORPSE!" He was shouting at this point, before starting to violently shake, crying. "Shut the fuck up." He wasn't talking to Irelia. He suddenly reached into one of his boots, pulling out a mid-sized knife. It was made of the same material as his blade, which she assumed to be the same as a rider's blade, but the handle looked to be made of bone, and the blade itself curved in the shape of a talon. He tightened his grip on the blade, pushing it hard into his wrist, blood welling up, spilling over his arm onto Irelia. She slowly reached over, taking the blade from his limp hand and whispering a spell of healing.
"I killed my dragon… and I can't kill myself, she made me promise." He stilled, falling limply into Irelia's arms. She cradled his head, watching as tears fell out of his red eyes, glazed over and staring at nothing at all. Tears started to fall down her face, too. They remained there, together, for the rest of the night.
The next morning, Connor awoke in Irelia's arms, dried tears on his face, he looked down, his left arm covered in blood that he knew to be his own.
I do not regret my death, dear rider. The elf will be your savior… please, allow yourself to be saved.
Irelia stirred beneath him, her eyes opening. In a panic, she grabbed Connor and pulled him against her, as if shielding him from himself.
"Irelia! Let me go!" Squirming out of her arms, he moved to sit down beside her. "I want to apologize. I wish I never let her make me promise. It's my fault that she's dead, I'll never see her again. You'll never get to properly meet her, she- she would have loved you." He gently reached up, cupping her chin. "Do you hate me Irelia?" He looked scared, but accepting.
She paused, despite all that he had done, she somehow wanted him more. She wanted to protect him, even if it was from himself. "No, Connor, I don't hate you." She reached out to cup his chin too, pulling his face close to hers, "I think I might like you more." She closed the gap, kissing him hard. She pushed him down onto his back, climbing on top of him, kissing him into the ground. Her tongue sought entry into his mouth, which he allowed, letting out a sigh. Her hands were all over his chest reaching under his shirt, while his hands roamed her back, tracing her spine.
After a minute, she pulled away from him to breathe, both panting heavily. "I- I think Murtagh is waiting." His blush deepened at her statement. He moved to sit up, before she pounced on him again, kissing him hard one last time before standing up off him, reaching a hand down to help him up.
"How long do you think they'll jail me? My guess is a couple months before you can convince them to let me out."
As Thorn landed, Connor saw the elves in the trees, there were at least four of them, all equipped with bows and either swords or pikes. All three warriors dropped down to the ground, Connor behind Irelia, who stood beside Murtagh.
An arrow flew right of his face, he stopped it an inch away from him with a simple thought, the arrow dropping down to the ground.
"Don't move." A female voice from behind warned him, a musical tone behind the aggression. "Just who do you think you are coming here, Aatrox?"
Ignoring the orders of the elf, he turned around, a blank expression on his face. "My name is Connor, and I come with the Varden. Jail me if need be, execute me if you can, I'd appreciate it honestly. I am here to turn myself in to the elves for my crimes against the riders and humanity. Do with me what you must, but know this: it is going to be very hard to kill me." He threw his hand out, catching an arrow that was heading for the back of his head from the treeline. The elf girl in front of him gasped, taking a step back.
"W-what are you?" She looked scared, something he was very familiar with. "We have you surrounded, surrender your weapons, now!" Her voice was shaky, but firm.
He unsheathed his blade, the purple veins pulsing aggressively, and stabbed it point first into the ground, cutting straight through a rock. He extracted his talon-forged knife and tossed it on the ground in front of her. He didn't turn, but he felt the presence of multiple elves approaching him, and he stuck his hands behind his back.
"Chain me if you must, it is quite unnecessary. Would you like a promise not to hurt anyone?"
None of the elves responded, but he promised to them anyway. The elves started to walk back into the forest, the party of riders and Irelia following behind. He had noticed that the elves had greeted Irelia as he was being interrogated, each of them greeting her first, a sign that she was of a higher power or respect. I guess I'll get to know if my prediction is correct soon.
He trudged through the forest, grateful that he wasn't chained due to his promise, although the elves guiding him were never kind with how he moved. Looking ahead into the trees, he saw elven faces watching him, unaware that he could see them in their stealth. He knew that he would be here for a while.
So yeah, Connor killed Aurora. His own dragon. He did say that he'd do anything for her, and it's tragic, but he still kinda has her, in spirit at least. This has probably been the longest chapter so far in this writing, and there will be more longer chapters ahead. Let me know if y'all have any tips on writing romance scenes, or if I've done alright so far. The next few chapters will be placed in Ionia, which is NOT LORE ACCURATE, Ionia is just Ellesmera renamed, hate me if you want. All the characters will be the same, as well as maybe a few extras. Anyways, thanks for reading, let me know how I'm doing so far. Bye! 3