Preface

The second short story in my "League of TSfH" series is a character study of Lux - I had been very intrigued with her after delving into her lore more, and wanted to take a look at what her life outside the Fields of Justice was like. I was inspired by "Blackheart" from the Skyworld album for this story, and to an extent even set the story to the song.

This one's a little shorter than "Rise of Quinn" because I originally intended to do a few different 'stories' with the same song, and would have posted them all in a big multi-part post, but in the end I decided to give each part a little more love.

I haven't quite decided what to write next, but I've got a few ideas involving Wukong, Leona, Diana, Nami, Shyvana, and Jarvan. I hope to get the next one out within a week, but we'll see.

Dim lights flickered around her room as Lux sat in as much darkness as she could bear, the reddish glow of the candles' flames futilely radiating out against the cold, stone walls. The young Crownguard sat on her bed, staring down at the baton resting across her lap, the polished staff reflecting the dancing flame of the strongest burning candle that sat on her desk across the room. 'Maybe they'll never come...' she hoped. 'Maybe they'll enjoy the party without me, and leave me here.'

A gentle breeze carried the music from the gala below through the open window, crisper and colder than usual for an early summer's evening, and the chill bit into her through the thin material of her formal dress. In the darkness, no one could see the disgust on Luxanna's face that grew stronger with every passing minute she sat in wait. She was to be the lady of honor at the ball this evening, an event to celebrate the Demacian military that had stolen her and warped her into a soldier. Her parents - the same ones who gave her up to the recruiters years ago - had organized the gala and advertised her presence. A bitter taste filled Lux's mouth. Her parents were using her for their own gain, and she had no choice but to comply, or subject her family name to the worst kind of humiliation in Demacian society. One of the sputtering candles finally died, making the stone prison Lux had once called her bedroom even darker.

Movement in the hallway outside the room caught the girl's attention, and she listened intently as two people approached her door, deep in conversation. She could tell they were discussing the party, and her, and they weren't her parents nor any voice she recognized. The voices cut out sharply as they reached the oak door with her name etched in its front, and she stood quickly and silently as one of the figures knocked softly. With a final moment's hesitation, Lux pulled the door open and stared out at the two soldiers waiting. "I'm ready."

"Then let's go," the one who knocked said, gruffly. He turned and started back the way he had come, letting Lux and the other soldier follow behind. As they walked, Lux sized up the two soldiers. She noted that they were wearing their formal uniforms, a sharp blue coat with gold trim and thick, golden seam around the shoulders with pure white pants. It was the uniform of the lower ranks in the military, much further down than either her unit or her brother Garen's. 'He's not coming,' she told herself, which only made her more upset. Of all the people to represent the Demacian military - and her family - why had her parents chosen her? Why not the Might of Demacia himself? Only the echoes of sound from the rapidly approaching ballroom shook Lux from her thoughts.

The stone hallway came to an abrupt end, and the large double doors against the wall stood open, letting in a dazzling bright light compared to the half-lit stones. Lux let the soldiers pass through the blinding barrier first, and as she followed them she was met with a symphony of voices, clanking glasses and plates, and blurred noise from the crowd below. She stopped at the top of a marble staircase that cascaded gracefully into the ballroom, looking down at the faces that slowly began to focus their gazes on her. And as the hush gradually filled the ballroom, Lux felt the hundreds of pairs of eyes burning through the dress that didn't quite shine as brightly as it should, interrogating the young Crownguard from a distance. These were the eyes that would humiliate her parents and the Crownguard name if she failed to impress. Lux wasn't quite sure if that would be a good thing. Here she stood, alone, the focus of attention of the richest and most powerful figures in Demacia, a puppet to her parents with no support. Her mind was already beginning to remember the illusion that would bend the light around her and make her invisible to the world.

Suddenly, the enormous doors against the far wall creaked, and inched open. The doors, which stood two stories tall and was adorned with iron and steel plating, took five men to open and close. In an instant, the attention had shifted off of Lux, as every eye watched the slowly opening doors with apprehension. The light from the ballroom flooded out into onto the grand patio beyond them and shone off a gold-trimmed sapphire carved in the likeness of a Demacian eagle. Garen took a step into the ballroom, the sapphire on his peaked cap glinting as he looked up toward his sister at the top of the stairs. His soldiers filed into rank behind him, all in their formal uniforms - a white and gold coat adorned with many medals of valor on the left chest, with blue pants matching the color of the sapphire on their blue and white peaked caps. The Might of Demacia waited a beat after his men formed ranks before giving Lux a small smile and saluting her as the men behind her saluted with him.

Lux found herself smiling brightly, her dress shining like one made of gold as she twirled the baton in her hands, watching as strands of light danced their way out of the ends of the staff and toward the ceiling, creating a spectacle for the partygoers. The symphony struck up a new song as light played in and around the enormous chandelier in the middle of the ceiling, creating an entrancing pattern in the air around it. The only disappointment for Lux was that she had made her parents proud.

She started down the stairs as the light demonstration began to fade away above her, watching as Garen made his way slowly through the crowd to meed her at the landing. He was waiting when she reached the bottom. "I didn't think you'd come."

"I said the same thing to my soldiers," came Garen's immediate reply. He wasn't the type to make a joke.

Lux could hear the matter-of-fact tone of her brother, and it made her disappointed in herself. Even if she hadn't shamed her parents, she had already shamed her brother. "You only came for the reputation of our family?" she asked, even though she knew the answer. Garen nodded, and she sighed, looking down at her baton. "I'm sorry."

A rugged but gentle hand came to rest on Lux's shoulder as Garen looked down at her. "I came to protect your reputation too, Luxanna. That was just as important."

Her brother's kind words made her feel better, and as she saw her parents making their way over to them, Lux felt the need to act like a child again. She looked up at Garen and grinned wickedly. "More important than finding Katarina again?" she asked, with the infuriating sweetness of the young girl who had always been able to get on her older brother's nerve. She giggled as he tightened his grip on her shoulder playfully, and moved away to approach her parents. At least she was happy for a few moments tonight.