Chapter Text
With a silent curse, the queen of Flerjord tried to keep herself awake. Even though she would have never admitted such a matter aloud, she was tired. The entirety of the night was spent on discussing every possible advantage that Akali could see. Hours after hours, it seemed that the night faded away in a blink of an eye. One detail must be admitted aloud, Ashe was so impressed by the former ninja’s knowledge. Out of her own experience, she could say that it was never easy to speak coherently for such a long time. Unintentionally, she yawned loudly. It was only a matter of time before the fatigue would force her to take a rest.
“Drink it,” the masked woman simply uttered, handing her a decently-sized mug. The pungent aroma was escaping it with cloudy steam.
“What’s that?” the queen wanted to know, pressing her right palm to her lips to prevent another yawn.
“Just a mixture of herbs that I found during my journey here,” Akali replied, not looking at the white-haired woman. The young assassin headed toward the map, lying on top of the war table. She began inspecting it for the most likely hundredth time.
“Pfff,” Ashe scoffed, taking a hesitant sip of the provided brew. “You’ve been inspecting that very map for almost all night. Do you still keep fooling yourself that there’s more to read out of it?” the ruler added with a bored tone.
“Hmm,” the raven-haired woman hummed. “It is not about grasping anything more out of it,” she replied with a shrug. “It is just a habit of mine. I prefer to have everything planned, under control,” the assassin tried to provide an explanation.
“Pfff,” the white-haired queen commented Akali’s reasoning with a scoff. “If it makes your mind clearer, by all means, go ahead. However, I’d say that’s an utter waste of time.”
“Maybe you are right, my queen,” the assassin replied emotionlessly. “How is the brew?” she asked a moment later.
“Surprisingly good, thank you,” the Freljord’s ruler responded.
“Are you ready to proceed to the tunnels?” Akali asked, still focused on the map.
“Do I even have a say in that matter?!” Ashe ironically replied with a rhetorical question.
“For clearance, you have, at least to some extent, my queen,” the raven-haired woman uttered, turning around. “Your enemies’ army will not reach the capital for at least 3 to 4 day, so you can freely postpone a visit there,” another emotionless statement was provided.
“No, we have little to none time left,” Ashe said confidently. “We’ll need all damned time we can get if you’re to have even the faintest chance in the upcoming battle,” she added. “Lead the way, assassin,” the ruler ordered.
With just a slight nod as a response, Akali headed toward the hall’s exit. The coat that she wore last night was still lying discarded on the seat she occupied for hours by now. The young Ionian seemed not to care about such a minor detail – in her opinion – at all. With a silent scoff, the queen followed the raven-haired woman, putting her own coat on while doing so. As she expected, the moment the doorways were moved, the chilling harsh wind of the North made its way into the throne room. The fool who ordered to build a semi-open corridor leading to the ruler’s hall should have been executed when the idea came to his head. With a silent curse on her lips, the queen made sure to tighten up her clothes around her delicate frame. Looking at the assassin proceeding so effortlessly, carefree was a torture for the white-haired woman. How in the world, the Ionian woman seemed to be immune to the harsh northern weather whilst the white queen was so vulnerable to its effect? The queen would have never admitted that aloud, but the north weather was very problematic for her. Gritting her teeth, Ashe tried to speed up. After all, Akali was her guide, at least for now. It was so humiliating to the white-haired woman to be at the mercy of the assassin. For now, the future of her people lied in those blood-covered hands.
“How old is Akali, actually?” she asked herself out of a sudden.
It might have sounded ridiculous, but Ashe did not know the answer to that question. The war mother did not waste her time to make acquaintances whilst in the Institute. For the white-haired woman, her time there was just another duty, another chore that needed to be fulfiled. With her eyes of clear skies fixed on the Inonian’s frame, she came closer, reducing the gap between them to a minimum. Maybe, for the first time, the queen decided to look at the stoic assassin closer.
The Ionian woman was far more muscular than Ashe, there was no point in denying it. The scaly armour she wore seemed to be skin-tight. Underneath it, the white-haired queen could spot the firm muscles moving. One could say that the armour was made with her in mind, to highlight her figure, her musculature. Ashe tried to reach out for her memories of the times in the Institute. The queen might have been wrong, but she did not think that the young assassin walking in front of her was that muscular when they met for the very first time. The white-haired ruler scoffed under her breath just a moment later. What the hell was she thinking about? Her nation was about to be extinct, and yet she – their queen – seemed to be more intrigued by the frame of the Ionian woman than protecting what was most important to her.
“You seemed upset, my lady,” Akali’s voice sounded a couple of moments later.
“You could say that,” Ashe replied in a low, throaty tone.
“May I know the reason?” the assassin asked, still not looking at the white-haired beauty.
“Does it really matter?” the queen replied with a question of her own.
“I would think so,” the raven-haired woman responded, abruptly stopping.
The change was so sudden that Ashe did not manage to stop herself, ending up, bumping into the assassin. To her untold surprise, the Ionian woman was not moved even an inch by her impact. To prevent herself from falling, the queen reached out for Akali, hugging her frame from behind.
“Why have you stopped?!” the white-haired ruler said with her voice risen. “You’ve almost made me fell down!” she uttered angrily.
When the white-haired regained her balance, she was supposed to step away from the Ionian. Funnily, she did precisely opposite, strengthening her grip onto Akali. She could feel the tensed muscles moving under her palms and feel the warmth emanating from the assassin. The sensation could be described as pleasant, even intoxicating. For more than a couple of seconds, she continued to touch the raven-haired woman inappropriately. And, frankly, she enjoyed it surprisingly. Gods, she had not felt that way in a really long time, or even ever.
Sadly for the queen, the realisation came down on her not that long after. As soon as she came to her mind, she backed off, nearly jumping.
“No one can know about what happened!” she immediately said. Her voice filled with a note of the order.
“As you wish, my queen,” still emotionless assassin replied.
“Lead the damn way! We don’t have a whole day for that!” Ashe let her anger and maybe frustration spoke up.
The raven-haired woman turned around to face the white-haired ruler. As it was expected, no emotions could be read out of her beautiful face. With just a single short nod, the Ionian accepted an order. Without wasting even a fraction of a second, she continued her walk, looking straight ahead.
“If you want to win that war, you need to keep your head clear, my queen,” Akali uttered after at least a couple of moments of silence.
“I know that,” Ashe replied with a hint of nervousness. “I can deal with that on my own. All I ask you is to show me that damned place you’ve been continuously mentioning throughout the night,” she added nearly instantly.
“Are you sure you can handle that matter alone?” the assassin asked painfully emotionless. Still, to the white-haired queen, it felt as if someone was tearing her apart. As a ruler, her will should not have been doubted, her word not to be questioned.
“I’m the queen of Freljord,” the war mother replied slowly, making sure to put enough of emphasising into every single uttered word. “I can deal with such minor details like my thoughts!” it was unknown whether she tried to convince the Ionian, or herself.
The raven-haired woman turned her head slightly to the side. She looked straight into the eyes of the queen. The confidence, the northern woman wanted to present, could not be found in the orb of azure, only questions, doubts. For a couple of prolonged moments, the silence between them was maintained. Akali was not sure whether to comment about what she saw, but in the end, she decided that it was not worth trying. Ashe seemed to be tensed enough, even without the young woman asking uncomfortable questions.
Soon enough, the ruler’s hold was left behind. The Ionian was not entirely sure if the white-haired woman even noticed them exiting through the large gate. She decided to sigh heavily, trying to bring back the queen to reality. Exactly as she thought, a light gasp escaped the throat of the white-haired woman a moment later. Freljord’s ruler could pretend all she wanted, but she would not be able to fool the assassin. After all, it was part of her job to seek weaknesses, doubts inside her targets.
“It would be wise to take a couple of guards with us,” Akali simply stated.
“What for?” the slightly confused white-haired woman wanted to know the reason.
“Just in case some Noxian were sent ahead of the army,” the assassin stated with a shrug. “Other than that, I feel like it would wise to have someone else with the knowledge of those passages.”
“Hmm,” the queen hummed, thinking about the latter’s response. “There’s some wisdom behind your words,” she admitted after a few moments. “Let’s head toward this small building first, then,” the white-haired rules decided, pointing out the direction.
“As you wish,” Akali said with a quick nod.
Without slowing down, the assassin headed toward the requested direction. The building Ashe pointed out was not impressive in any way. Just a small construction built mostly out of the wooden logs. From her current position, the Ionian could see only one window that created a tiny gap. The weather worsened since they left the main hold of the capital. The chilling cold wind began to carry tiny snowflakes, reducing the sight significantly.
Within a couple of moments, they reached the wooden building. Akali stopped right in front of the entrance leading to the construction, waiting for the queen to call her men. With a loud scoff, Ashe slipped past the assassin, entering what was most likely an outpost. The door was shut closed after Freljord’s ruler. Still, the angry voice of the queen could be heard through the solid surface of the wood. It seemed that Ashe got pissed more out of their little chat than she wanted to show openly. The Ionian remained silent, it was not her goal to piss off the queen, it was far from that. If she wanted to save the woman and her people, she must make sure that the white-haired woman would calm down soon. The young woman did not manage to close her eyes before the door opened again. There was a positive side in that she did not have to wait for too long. The queen left the outpost as the very first. The scowl could be seen painted on top of her bright, beautiful face. A few moments later, the arms women began departing the building. There were 5 of them, all wearing the same equipment. It consisted of a mail long vest reaching the ankles, a furry coat, a conical helmet with a mask attached to it, a sword, a spear, and a shield. All of them were blondes, their long hair was emerging from under the helmets.
“Valkyries?” the dark-haired Ionian asked?
“It’s precisely their rank,” Ashe replied in a cold tone. “Most of my remaining forces consist of them. They’re my guardians, but currently, they’re all that’s left out of my army,” she bitterly added. “I can assure you, they’re as deadly as beautiful. Partially, it was a requirement to join.”
“I see,” the assassin hummed, sparing a couple of seconds to take a closer look at the women. “Can we proceed?” she asked afterwards.
“It’d be in your best interest to do so,” the queen huffed angrily.
“Very well, follow me,” the Ionian stated emotionlessly, annoying the ruler even further.
After just a couple of minutes of a walk, it was evident that the snow was scraped only around the ruler’s hold. To get to the tunnels below the city, they needed to get through mid-calf snowdrifts. As far as the assassin remembered, the road leading to the passages was not that unwelcome yesterday. It must have been snowing pretty heavily throughout the night. A low growl could be heard right behind her, marking the moment when Ashe spotted the obstacle.
“I will go first,” Akali said. “You, Valkyries, you are next, try to pave the passthrough as much as it is possible,” she referred toward the arms women.
Without uttering even a single word, the women-in-arms nodded. As soon as the raven-haired assassin saw it, she sighed, going forward through the wall of snow. In most cases, she would likely just try to cover the distance as soon as possible. However, currently, it was not an option. Following her instincts would cause her a lot of troubles. It was evident that Ashe would nag if her body would be touched by the snowdrifts. With a quick glance backwards, she proved her speculations. The Valkyries tried to push as much of the white fluff, disregarding their own comfort.
“Fantastically,” Akali uttered silently under her breath. “It is going to be a pleasant day, I am sure of that,” she allowed herself to nag a little.
After some time, they finally managed to get to the outer ring of the capital. Even though the snowdrifts were not paved, the life of the citizens continued. At least a couple of dozens of people were spotted by the assassin throughout their struggle to get there.
“Where’s the entrance to these passages?!” the irritated queen growled. “I’m losing my patience, assassin!” she added in a risen tone.
“We are just a couple steps from one of the entrances,” the Ionian assured the impatient leader of the northern tribes.
“You better be right, for your own good!” the white-haired woman huffed.
For a moment, Akali thought about starring back at the moody woman but opted not to do that, in the end. Without hesitation, she came closer to the snowdrift that was lying under one of the nearby houses.
“What do you want to show me, snowdrifts?! Believe me, we’re having a lot of these, here!” the queen scoffed.
“I am not interested in the snowdrift particularly, but it covered the entrance,” the raven-haired woman stated. “Can I borrow your shield?” she asked one of the shield women.
For a fraction of a second, the Valkyrie was not sure how she should reply. A loud scoff could be heard a moment later. It was followed by the quick, impatient nod of her queen, a direct order for the soldier to give her shield to the assassin. Valkyrie’s member came toward the Ionian with a bit of hesitation and handed her the item, not saying a word. Akali flashed a small smile, nodding as to thank for the borrow. With the solid shield in hand, she did not hesitate. The raven-haired woman pushed forward, starting to pave her way through the white fluff. For the very first couple of moments, it could look funnily. However, as soon as the snow started to be pushed back, the wooden wall’s outline could be spotted. The surface was damaged, chopped down.
“Is it?” Ashe asked.
“Yeah, the entrances were sealed some time ago, but the wood has rotted, making it easy to pass through,” Akali said, reappearing.
“Is it possible that this kind of entrances is under every single building in this city?” the pale queen wanted to know.
“No,” the assassin nodded negatively. “I know about 10 entrances, 11 were mentioned in the documents I have managed to find, but the last one collapsed,” she provided a further explanation.
“They’re surely leading to different passages!” Ashe exclaimed loudly.
“No, the architect made sure that all of them are leading to one and the same exit,” the Ionian replied. “There are pros and cons of that decision, but it does not really matter.”
“Can we collapse them without ruining the city?” the white-haired woman asked another question, the fear could be seen in her eyes.
“I doubt that,” Akali replied. “Still, the entrance, or exit however you want to call that part of the passage is a chokepoint,” she added. “It is possible that even a small group of skilled soldiers would be able to hold off the assault there.”
“It’s stretching my forces even thinner,” Ashe nagged.
“I can guard that chokepoint,” the raven-haired woman stated. “I am used to fighting on small spaces, and you should know by now how skilful fighter I am,” she added with a small smirk.
“Ehhh,” the queen sighed. “I must admit, you’re a formidable fighter. Still, I’m not sure whether you wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the sheer number,” the white-haired woman presented her concern.
“At the same time, I would have to fight only one enemy, there is no place for more of them,” the Ionian said, shrugging. “Or at least, if they do not want to risk additional casualties due to the fall into the abyss,” she added.
“Wait, how does this chokepoint look like?” Freljord’s ruler wanted to know.
“Think of an ice chamber with a slim passage that one person can safely follow. The abyss is on one of your sides while the thick wall of ice is on the other,” the former ninja replied nonchalantly. “It should give you an idea of how that place looks. However, if you want, I can lead you there. Of course, if you want,” she offered.
“I think I heard enough,” Ashe replied a bit too quickly, the fear reigniting inside these orbs of azure.
“I thought you would that,” the assassin allowed herself to chuckle.
It was a loud, rich sound that seemed to be echoing inside the queen’s mind. The laughter sounded so devilishly. Ashe feared it. It would not be an understatement if one said that she got more terrified from that sound than the situation she and her people were currently in.