It had been quite some time since Tekun had last ventured into Rakelstake. He had intended on heading to the North to take care of some personal business but knew that he had long put off heading to the capital city. It was his own folly; he tended to have lapses in just how much time had passed while he was busy with his own work with the Institute, the Preservers and his restoration effort in Zaun. He had almost forgotten to tend to his roots. But at the very least, he knew Freljord was in good hands. He sent a letter in advance to one particular person he wanted to see.
Dear Ashe,
I know it has been a long time since we last spoke. I promise you, I have not forgotten Freljord. I intend to visit Rakelstake in the coming days, I expect to arrive there on the 3rd of the month, and I hope that you can set time aside to speak as we had in the past. It’s nothing important but it has been a long time. I’d like to meet in the Frozen Wyvern Inn if possible, assuming it’s still there.
-Sincerely Tekun Valos
The crunch of snow beneath steel toed boots was familiar to him as he carefully navigated Rakelstake. The glow of a purple torch light illuminated the base of a staircase as Tekun ascended into the streets of the city of ice. The set of stairs had been carved skillfully into the foundation of the mountainside the city was surrounded by. Snow fluttered down from the sky under the grey expanse above as it always seemed to. The white always enveloped all it seemed.
The Inn wasn’t too far away now, at least from what he could recall from memory. Fortunately it hadn’t served unreliably. The structure was made from a Freljordian Pine and a cold metal insignia of a curled up young white wyvern surrounded by the words, “Frozen Wyvern.” Helped indicate to Tekun he’d come to his destination. Through a reinforced window near the heavy door of the inn, the dim glow of candlelight could be seen as it leaked through the panes of glass.
The Inn is still very much standing, and has in fact, gathered more visitors than ever before. Of course I would not be against conversing with an old friend. I will be sure to see you there.
- Ashe."
There were no formalities and no grand seal to place upon the envelope as it was delivered back to the male. She remembered him from before she had been appointed Queen, and remembered him as fiercely loyal and courageous. A warrior whom she had befriended and gotten to know, yet time had separated them almost to the point where she had forgotten. The letter had been a pleasant surprise, and with what was happening around the Institute and with the darker musings of Freljord, Ashe knew that catching up with an acquaintance would not mean she was shirking her duties.
She had, of course, mentioned her plans to Tryndamere but otherwise did not make it a big announcement. The Archer had changed her garb to something a little less status-revealing - the clothing she wore whilst on the Fields would have to do, and with it, a dark brown cloak to further wrap herself in. Ashe left the icy palace, down the intricate steps and towards the Frozen Wyvern. Though she was 'royalty', Freljordians only gave her second glances. There was no need for cheers or bowing or kissing the ground she walked upon.
Ashe made her way to the Inn with little difficulty, smiling at the bartender who gave her a little wave. The room only quietened down for a split second before the bawdy laughter began once more. The tavern itself was not so much a place for brutes and bloody fights as it was for people who simply wanted a drink and a relaxing night. That alone did not stop bar fights, naturally, but Ashe knew she was safe. The Archer seated herself near the door, flipping her hood down as she waited patiently for Tekun's arrival.
Post by Tekun Valos on Jan 4, 2013 16:14:27 GMT -5
The door opened with a creek and little effort for the warrior and the sounds of the Inn escaped through the creek and to the outside world. It didn’t take long for Valos to spot her. She was sitting alone and by the door, waiting. Her attire was recognizable enough. Seeing her again, off the fields caused his lips to upturn at their edges into that of a smile. He promptly moved and took a seat adjacent from her.
The snow that had collected here and there began to melt and dampen his cloak somewhat. The warrior had looked no different save for maybe a few more scars here and there, the most notable of which was a large ringed one centered around the entirety of his right bicep.
“I hope that you haven’t been waiting long…” He wondered just how long she had expecting him to show up once more in this city, although he had been referring to her arrival within the inn. Maybe he was over thinking it. “It’s certainly good to see you and I’m glad you managed to find the time to meet.” The smile hadn’t left his face.
Whilst waiting for her old friend to arrive, Ashe had taken it upon herself to note the company she would be having along with Tekun. Warriors from Tryndamere's tribe clustered around two tables mashed together, raising their Graggy Ice up high as a cook brought in a large, roasted boar. No doubt they had brought it down together. The smell wafted through the room, crispy and greasy as Ashe turned her gaze around. A few figures, their faces shadowed by low hoods at the far end of the tavern - her eyes narrowed. Certainly suspicious, but it was not her place to pick a fight. Perhaps it was merely paranoia that forced her to be so alert. In Freljord, she felt as safe as she could, but the many attempts at her life had instilled a sense of wariness to her surroundings. She would have to keep an eye on the cloaked ones.
Ashe heard the door groan open, and her stare flitted over. Jumped from dark thoughts, her countenance softened considerably as a familiar face emerged from the blizzard. She did not say anything, merely watching as the male seated himself by her side, She moved her chair over a little, scraping it rather loudly against the wooden floor so that she could turn to talk easier. That was the only sound that had come from her for a few moments, as the Archer simply took her time into judging just what Tekun had been doing. It looked like had hadn't aged a day, with fresh scars adorning his features. Which, she didn't quite know, but Tekun had definitely added more to his collection since the last time they had met.
Finally she spoke, and her voice was soft. "Not long at all," Ashe tilted her head. If she got the male's implication, it did not quite show. "Time for a friend is always there." She held her left hand out, flattening the back of it against the table. In a way, it was something like a handshake but a little more. It was an act of trust - that the person you are presenting your wrist to would not try to cut the simple stream of blood running to your heart. Again, the Archer spoke, "Though you no longer walk amongst Freljordian walls, it is a relief to know that you haven't forgotten." What he had, she didn't - or couldn't - quite explain.
Post by Tekun Valos on Jan 4, 2013 23:30:39 GMT -5
Tekun returned the gesture in kind, he was familiar with it. Despite the abundance of scars upon his person, there wasn’t a single scar upon the back side of his wrist. “…It’s been difficult. There have been things that I’ve needed to do in the South. Important things no one else in the world really is paying mind to. But...it felt wrong to neglect my homeland for so long. I don’t want to forget but far too often things tend to slip this mind of mine.” It was embarrassing how one track minded he got some times.
“Tell me? Have things been fine in the Northern Lands? Have things been alright with yourself?” The warrior inquired. Yes, he paid mind to the League but there were often other issues that wouldn’t reach the ears of those in Zaun, Demacia or Noxus. Even in the Southern regions where Tekun worked with the Preservers, the matter was the same. Only the very large issues ever seemed to make waves.
Ashe's lips twitched, taking a slight upward curve as she noted the unmarred flesh of the other's wrist before lifting her own. She blinked once, eyes roaming over Tekun's shoulder in habit before fixating her gaze back onto the scarred male's face. The Archer moved her hand, sliding it through the air so that it hovered mere millimeters above Tekun's, then dropped it gently to clasp her friend's wrist. She could feel the blood beating through his veins, and through hers. But it was just a handshake, and one that lasted only briefly before she removed her hand.
Acutely aware that she needed to respond, she clasped her hand back to her lap, shaking her head slowly. "We cannot help but do what is necessary," she uttered, her eyes bright with reassurance. "Even if it means never contacting an old friend until goodness how long." This last part was said teasingly, and a palmed laugh accompanied it. "Of course, I understand the pressing need to take action when no-one else is willing to take it. I honestly do." After all, she had not abandoned the mantle thrown to her. She wanted Freljord to know peace - true peace. The title of Queen never really sat well with her, but it was what she needed to do.
She broke her thoughts with a firm shake of the head, deciding to focus on the present, instead of... well, the past. "As fine as they have been," Ashe mused, "There is definite progress, but there is still a long road of work ahead of... us." Her and Tryndamere. Together. To rule as one, and to die as one. That was her lot in life, but so long as she accomplished what she wanted, then that was enough. "Apart from League matches and the like, I've not seen Sejuani in a while. I can only hope she has abandoned her war-mongering ways," the Archer did not want to be bitter, but anyone could see that she disapproved of her cousin's ways. "As for myself, I'm perfectly fine."
The touch of her hand against his wrist was a soothing cold, but warmer than it had been. Many believed The Frost Archer had an icy cold touch but that was just rumor, most Freljordian’s dealt with the cold by having a slightly lower body temperature. However brief it may have been, it was pleasant. Tekun’s eyes fell upon it, failing to see how she looked upon his face. His eyes did match hers after the handshake had been completed. He shared her amusement with a further stretched smiled and listened.
Her hesitation on speaking of the monarchy that had been put into place and knew that their marriage was, as far as he knew, was just political. He knew Tryndamere as a friend and Ashe was his ally and friend as well. Their union brought a great deal to the country. It made it a city-state. He didn’t comment on it but the look on his face indicated he wanted to say something. It wasn’t his place, was it?
“You know I’ll dive back here the instant you want my aid for something. If there’s anything I can offer to you. You can have it, no questions asked.” Tekun had been accepted as one of their own and had known Ashe for years now. It wasn’t so much a question of his loyalty to her as one of two heads to the City-State as it was as a friend. “And great to hear.” Knowing she could say that with assurance was great.
“I’ve been doing my best in that regard…but I have a talent for being a cutting board.” Tekun let out the slightest of laughs. “…It sucks, but it keeps others unharmed. I suppose as long as I’m walking with everything intact and nothing missing by the end of the day its fine.”
She noted the glint in Tekun's eyes, wondering what was on the man's mind. Though if he did not wish to breathe life into those words, then Ashe was not willing to force it. Instead, she shrugged to herself and continued to speak as if she did not see. "Of course. Your loyalty is unwavering." Ashe laughed, "That, at least, has not changed. On the other hand, are those grey hairs I spy?" Again, light bites. Though her attempts at good natured humor with Tryndamere did not end in disaster a lot of the time, the Barbarian King still seemed a little unresponsive to such quips.
Ashe drew both her hands up now, resting them on the table. "I suppose." She echoed, a ghost of a smile still etched upon her soft visage. "But at the end of the day, we all change a little. Sometimes, we don't realize it but it's a gradual difference." She shook her head, knowing that she was rambling. Ashe didn't quite know where she was going with that line of conversation, only that she knew she could relate it somehow.
Another pause, before she sighed. "As confident as I am in your abilities - more than confident - I would say that I had hoped you'd be a little more careful. But you can't expect to suddenly be who you're not," Ashe twisted the ring on her left index finger absentmindedly. Normally she left it at home in a drawer, but today, she felt like she needed it. It anchored her to the reality she was living in. She glanced at the ringed scar around the male's bicep, "But I wonder. There are many things that can harm humans. Physically and mentally."
Ashe looked back at Tekun with a sharply raised eyebrow, "Does that count?"
“Grey hairs…hell. I hope not.” Tekun let out the slightest of laughs and then stopped upon her next words. Changing, he supposed everyone did but wasn’t quite sure where she was going with that but decided to leave it at that. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her twisting the ring upon her finger and then to where her eyes fell.
“…I suppose it does. And maybe I’d make that change. It depends on what you were to ask of me Ashe.” Tekun was intentionally casual, there was no need with formality with her. He wondered if there was a part of him that had a death wish. He had far out lived his natural life span but battle seemed to be the one thing that constantly kept him on edge. Enough blows well placed blows with a sword could very well end his life, although Tekun had survived far more than what anyone would have ever thought feasible. Some of those scars told horrific tales of injuries. He wasn’t quite sure if he could actually explain with a straight face the story of the scar on his arm. To anyone else it was easy enough to say he had nearly lost his arm, but to Ashe it was not easy in the least bit.
There was also the matter that Tekun constantly tested just how much he could take and he loathed seeing others, younger women and men dying far before their time. He always had to be that protector, the one to take the sword for someone because he knew he could take it. “People can be hurt by…sacrifice.” Tekun paused and his eyes drifted out of unease unto her ring finger again. Memory came flooding back for a moment. “…I’ll be more careful in the future Ashe. I don’t intend on causing anyone grief with my own passing.”
Ashe shook her head. "It is not my place to ask you to banish your instinct." There was that question on her tongue, an unspoken inquiry about the large scar but she had no words to ask. Everything that surfaced seemed to fleeting, as if it was of no importance. But it was more than just curiosity. She wanted to know how, and why. Where. Who he was protecting. She almost laughed at herself then. But it would be unbecoming. After all, it was only natural to be inqusitive about an old friend's journey. Still, she did not ask. Instead, Ashe expelled a short sigh, and despite the warm fire, she felt it cool upon her lips.
She spoke once more, "Someone once told me that I should not have given so much of myself to Freljord. That I have a duty to myself, perhaps more so than to my home." A wry smile graced her, "This is why I cannot ask you to change. Just like how you cannot say I should not live for Freljord, but for myself. The two are tied, however loosely." Ashe cocked her head to the side, listening with all the patience in the world. Tekun had seen so much - perhaps more than anyone she knew personally. Those who had been exposed to so much death no doubt no longer wished to experience it once again. With it, came a reckless chivalry and one Ashe knew was the downfall of many.
But his words surprised her. It showed through the way her fingers stopped twirling the golden band, and the way she looked at him oddly. She wanted to ask if he had taken one too many blows to the head, but decided against it. Tekun seemed serene and honest. Something Ashe wished she was, a long time ago. "With one sacrifice, you could make an entire nation happy. But with the very same sacrifice, there will always be hurt." She smiled, "I appreciate it. I want to see your hair turn white before I see a tomb." A little morbid, but it was all the Archer could do to stop herself from getting a little too sentimental.
“Maybe. There’s always give and take with those matters.” Tekun knew this, how much was one willing to give for a cause? How many men had died in their campaign against the Void? Tekun wished he could give names or say he knew them all but unfortunately many of those who fought he did not know.
“I had a friend who never liked seeing a life given for someone else’s. I suppose…when we talk about it we need to think about what we’re giving up; whether it is a life, a limb, something small or a missed opportunity.” Tekun was reminded of something else that he dare not bring up, his own gaze fell distractedly to the floor as his lips twitched with unease that he quickly dismissed in a vain attempt to avoid suspicion that something was wrong. Ashe had the eyes of a hawk and little escaped her. She certainly would see his attempt to hide that discomfort, but he wondered if she would have ever picked up on the source. He forced a smile again, but his words were sincere.
“I appreciate the sentiment. I’ve heard white hair is in now a days anyway.”
The Archer did not give her response immediately. Rather, she intended to muse quietly on Tekun's words. However small or important the situation was, and no matter how or who, you had to give to gain. There were very few opportunities when one could say that there were no consequences. A life could have been saved, but with it, a life given. Or even something as simple as replacing a table one's slightly violent husband had broken. She had lost a perfectly good piece of work, but had gained something new.
Tekun's voice continued onwards, and she snapped herself out of her reverie. She supposed this was what the male was talking about, and still she did not say anything. Instead, her attention was drawn to the way his eyes suddenly dropped. Ashe frowned, a glimmer of concern shadowing her brow - Tekun should know better than to hide his emotions in such a way. But she was not the type of woman to voice these things a loud to an old friend, so for his sake, she did not say a word.
Her face resumed its friendly disposition as Tekun spoke once again, this time chuckling lightly. It was common knowledge to all that the color of her own hair was not of natural cause, and though such a topic still pained her, Ashe would not give herself a reason to grieve any longer. She reached her hand up, fingering a lock that fell softly over her shoulder. "Enough of these heavy topics," she suddenly said, eyes flashing brighter. "Is there anything exciting you wish to share? Living in... Zaun, was it? I can't imagine how you do it."
“I run a clean tavern and inn in Zaun, called The Reserve. It’s been established there for roughly a year or so and seems to becoming a place to find…champions. So much drama there a few days ago, I thought I was going to have to knock a few heads…” Tekun sighed as he changed demeanors and began recounting the very recent experience.
“I own a chain of bakeries now; I stopped a Rune War from occurring a year and a half ago or so, I stopped Zaun from being completely leveled about six months ago. I’ve been fighting Void South of the barrier. I killed a Hydra on mount Targon…uh. A lot of things Ashe.” Tekun chuckled a bit nervously. “But…since I’ve been in Zaun I’ve been pressing an environmental effort in an attempt to not make Zaun a scum hole. I don’t really live in Zaun…I own property there though. But it’s not a permanent home.” Tekun chuckled and then shuddered a little.
“I hate to say it, but Zaun grows on you after a while. There’s something about it. A lot there to offer but a lot of it needs fixing.
Ashe only nodded as Tekun began to list his adventures. She had heard about the Rune War, of course, and of Zaun's near undoing. Though she did not quite know enough as she'd like on the Void, she knew that it would have been a dangerous venture. As would be the Hydra. She briefly wondered if that gave him a scar too, but did not linger too long. "You've been busy then," she commented - understatement of the century. "The last time I went to Zaun, my poor messengers came back heavy with dust and grime." She was talking about the ice birds she crafted as both her scouts and companions. Though she never lacked in people to talk to, sometimes she just wanted the quiet to blanket her. It was difficult to find such times, when Tryndamere snored so loudly.
She arched an eyebrow high, "That's... new." It was, at least, coming from someone who was not from Zaun. Freljord almost seemed to be its foil, not Piltover. The ice was clean, the seas and rivers were crystal pure. She shook her head, as if not quite believing it. "I suppose it's a good thing." Ashe laughed. Give and take. You took the blooming fruits of Zaun, and gave your ability to breathe unsaturated air.
She cleared her throat softly, "How long are you staying? In Freljord, I mean."
“That sounds like Zaun.” Tekun didn’t know which she referred to but either case seemed convincing to him. The laugh and comment made him a little concerned however. “Let’s hope we haven’t hit that point…I like my lungs.” Tekun let out just one light laugh before his smile came back in full bloom.
“I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be staying…the only thing I had on my list of things to do here was this.” Tekun thought. “After that…I was going to a place up on the mountain. It’s a place I kept to myself…some place nice and alone up near Iron Spike. It’s some place from long ago, mostly undisturbed due to its remote location. Special to me.” Tekun wanted to ask why she wanted to know, was it because she had plans or was just curious? Ah, the hell with it. “Why did you want to know…?”
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