Our Hidden Blades

The Agreement

Katarina listened intently from her perch in a tall, angled tree. Sometimes she was sure that she'd just fallen asleep, and others she was sure that she was paying full attention. She didn't want to miss anything, especially because one slip of his word could reveal Garen to be a backstabber, one thing she's secretly been hoping he would not.

Garen's voice trailed between the few trees between them, clear from the fact that it's path was not broken by many obstacles - he was conducting all this from a clearing, after all. The strength he exuded was clear from his voice alone, Katarina noticed. It was commanding yet had a touch of gentle persuasion. She could hear the royal steward of Demacia answering only apologetically - obviously both frightened and impressed with Garen's display of control over Katarina and the situation. 

Katarina's mind wondered while he spoke. Day dreams slipped into her thought, an image of lips touching lips fervently, hands grasping tightly, and breaths mixing intensely. Red came back to Katarina's cheeks, a reminder of her loss of concentration. Katarina gasped to herself, slapping her cheeks and taking a deep breath. She opened her eyes to stare ahead of her intently, but as she did she noticed the sounds of the men talking had subsided completely. Panic hit Katarina for a moment, a flash of a second in time of panic that Garen possibly left her and returned to Demacia - prisoner or not. They'd come for her then, to throw her back in the cells of Demacia - to be watched by someone other than Garen - to sit and hear of a death penalty which would come about... for her crimes against the city-state and her being one of their strongest enemies.

"Why were you slapping yourself?" Garen's voice broke Katarina's seconds of panic, bringing her to find his blue eyes in seconds, finding him just slightly below her, at the base of the tree. 

She watched as he began to climb the tree briskly. Without much of his armor, she couldn't help but eye the muscles of his arms contract as he used them to bring himself higher, reaching for where she lay. His smile was mocking, as if he knew she'd been having ridiculous thoughts. Katarina's mind was quick, but not smart, in reply, "Slapping yourself makes your face stronger."

Garen stared at her blankly for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter, "That was a horrible excuse!" 

Katarina tried to maintain a serious expression but she knew that by the time it had come out of her mouth. Her lips curled at the ends in an attempt to stop a crawling smile. Garen lifted himself to where Katarina sat, positioning himself close to her, as there wasn't much room. His arm rested behind her, holding the tree's slight curve in his large hand.

 "What did you say to him?" Katarina asked, examining the curve of her dagger. 

"I thought you were listening?" Garen asked mockingly before sighing and continuing, "I asked him who sent him, if there's a message for me, when he's supposed to return."

Katarina waited, "and? What did he say?"

"He was sent by Jarvan, of course."

"The king?"

"No, The prince. Jarvan. He went behind his father's orders - apparently he doesn't think anything of you and I and believes in me full heartedly to 'do the right thing' - and ordered Xin Zhao to sneak a peek at what I've been doing here."

"So this isn't official business?"

"No, Jarvan is simply acting selfishly. Xin also claims that he believed I'd be innocent - explaining why he panicked so much and was so prepared for a fight once he found us..."

Katarina listened to the silence that followed. It was clear that Garen's emotions were hurt by all the trust his friend and king had had in him, while he indeed gave in to his weakness and went after his enemy as a friend, and more.

Katarina felt some guilt for how he felt, but taking full responsibility for his feelings was not up her alley. After a few moments of guilt, she was already ready to start turning over his feelings to being his problem rather than theirs. It was once more a problem of his pride and need for validation rather than something that Katarina was ready to admit was part of her own actions with him.

"It has nothing to do with you, though. It was my actions that made things this way." Garen interrupted Katarina's thoughts with words which sounded almost like he was trying to comfort her...

"Does he really think I was going to blame it on myself?" Katarina thought irately, trying her best to stare into him and see whether that was his true intention. Katarina climbed down from the tree and Garen followed her, as if her reply wasn't really necessary. It still stuck in her mind - did he really believe that she was going to take the blame?

Katarina took in a calming breath, trying to forget. She stepped forward into the clearing, where an anxious Xin Zhao awaited her. He was spear-less and the armor which once adorned his shoulders was taken off. He looked much weaker without the armor, something that Katarina hadn't quite imagined. The only person of Demacia who she had seen without his armor was Garen, and without it he still struck her as just as large and strong. Though Xin didn't appear to be dainty without the weight, he was no comparison to Garen's definition.

Katarina decided to continue to let Garen lead at this moment, seeing a look of futility in Xin's eyes. 

"You can return to Demacia, Xin, but I trust that you will not say anything about us. You can tell Jarvan that you couldn't find me, but there were signs that I had been around." 

Katarina grabbed Garen's arm, realizing the dangerousness of trusting Xin to return to Demacia and lie. "Garen, we can't let him go back. That's ridiculous. He'll get us both put away. You might even be killed. Do you want to die?" 

Garen sighed, as if he knew this reaction was coming, "I trust Xin. If anything he will be an ally and a source of better living for us here. If Jarvan hears that I'm not up to any trouble he would most likely just send Xin back every now and then. He could provide us with partitions."

Katarina's hand wavered on his for a second, a look of obvious worry and distrust passing her features. She looked to Xin, who did seem very beaten in his opportunities. He only had this one, to go back and not die through lying to his friend. 

Katarina let go of Garen's arm, glaring at Xin Zhao but watching him as he nodded his head in agreement. 

"I have seen nothing."

Garen smiled very lightly and gave Xin a pat on his shoulder, returning his armor and weapon to him with one swipe of his arm. 

"I trust in you, Xin. I know you will do the right thing. You have always been able to understand situations like this from the bottom of your heart, and I know it's because of your time in the Colosseum." 

Xin quietly put on his armor and spear and Garen began to walk away, seeming very proud of the agreement which had been made. Garen walked off from the clearing, leaving Katarina with the loyal servant of the King.

Katarina stared at him for a while, watching him sit and avoid eye contact as he did the necessary latches and ties of his armor. She approached him in soft, soundless steps and kept her voice just as low,

"I will find a way to kill you if you tell him what you saw."

The assassin leaned in very close, putting her lips to his ear and making sure the tips of her nails ran against a pulsing vain at his throat, 

"I will be watching you. I don't have to remind you that I am the most deadly assassin throughout all of Runeterra, and I will be watching. I will see to it that you say what you have promised to Garen today, or you will die, and no one will ever suspect that it was me. You saw what happened to your King's wife. Quite a mystery, wasn't it? She could have used someone like you."

Garen's voice called to Katarina from a distance and Katarina let the silence fill the air once more as she began to pull away from the used-to-be gladiator. In a last threat, her voice flew like needles to Xin's ears.

"It'd be a shame if that happened to you. How are you supposed to protect your King when you're dead?"