Of Silence and Scars, Chapter 13

Hey all, this chapter was one of the main parts of the core story. It took a while to write and I hope you enjoy it! Please comment below with positive or negative thoughts! Thanks for reading!

XIII Sona toiled away at a few dirty dishes and thought absently to herself. Mind flashing to her next match in the League, to the next Pentakill concert, then on to idle fantasies. A loud rapping on her door made her almost drop the soapy plate to the floor. Flustered by the unexpected visitor and disturbance to her thoughts, her hands shook slightly as she gripped the bronze doorknob and twisted it open. Draven leaned on the doorframe, sling holding one arm against his chest. The arm was heavily bandaged under the sling. She put a hand to her mouth in shock before signaling rapidly asking what had happened. “A long epic tale of heroism and grandeur from yours truly, but we may want to sit down and discuss such matters. It is a tad long. But first I must ask, are you alright with your kin knowing of our…” He stalled for a moment as though a thought had thrown a wrench in his mental machinery. Shaking his head slightly, the wheels turned once more, “our friendship. If not I can not tell the handlers where I slipped off to.” Sona tilted her head and asked what he meant by handlers. “As trustworthy as I am, Ionians still may have grudges about a certain looting and burning invasion at Noxus’ hands. So they assigned two guards to follow me, and you might know them.” Sona was still slightly confused, but nodded she didn’t mind. Soon after Irelia and Shen turned the corner. Irelia called out to Draven, “How dare you ditch us! You slippery vermin! You agreed to behave, we are going to the gate and booting your sorry ass out of Ionia!” Draven smiled and held up his good arm in mock innocence, “Woa woa now! I thought you would embrace my excitement of this fine city and my desire to sprint through it! It was a mere coincidence my path took me through a crowd and many narrow alleyways with rapid turns! Besides my ship has left and will come for me at dawn. I cannot swim the miles and miles to the mainland with a bad arm, though I could obviously do it otherwise. I mean look at me! This godlike physique can do whatever it pleases!” Draven laughed as Irelia grabbed his collar and shook him. “You think this is a game?” She snarled. “Kinda!” His laughter grew louder. Shen crossed his arm and watched with disinterest at the events unfolding. He shifted his gaze to Sona hovering near the doorway peering at Draven’s predicament. Shen’s steel shade eyes widened as his brow rose in curiosity. Sona smiled meekly and shrugged. Shen cleared his throat loudly at his partner. Irelia stopped trying to scare Draven and turned halfway around. “What Shen?” Shen jabbed a thumb sideways at Sona. “He was here to see her.” “Is that so? Sona what does this sleaze want with you?” Sona signed that he had come to visit. She lied and said she had invited him in, but he surprised her so she wasn’t there to vouch for him at the gate. Irelia’s nostrils flared, “What? Why would…” She took a step towards the Maven of the Strings when Shen intercepted her. “You are too emotionally involved. I will handle this.” “But you can’t do this! If the elders…” He cut her short, “The elders know the law as do you. Anyone invited inside does not require surveillance. The accompanying of a citizen, much more a champion of the League will suffice. Outside of the laws, he has a bad arm and she can handle herself. It will be ok Irelia.” Irelia huffed a burst of anger and glared at Draven. “Just tread lightly Sona.” The two walked away. Shen was talking in low tones words of comfort to calm the Will of the Blades. Draven cocked a half smile, “Thanks for the assist back there. I wouldn’t have ditched them, but I didn’t want to mess with your life if you didn’t want me here. Could cause unwanted problems. May I come in?” She smiled back and nodded, floating to the side to allow him inside. Draven gazed around the brightly lit apartment. A table sat in the middle of the main room, next to a kitchen separated from the main area by a counter. White stone walls decorated with pictures and paintings of various isolated natural locations. Only the occasional picture of Sona hung, and in those friends were close at hand. No pictures of family, he could relate to that. Walking to the table he saw two doors, one slightly ajar showing a quaint bathroom and the other shut, but not seeing a bed out here he could assume with confidence that was a bedroom. Smile fading slightly as his arm pain whined for his attention, he sat heavily in the oak chair facing the windows showing the glorious horizon landscape of the island nation. Spires accented the hills of trees quite nicely, and the daytime sun reflected its glory from every building shining white as fresh snow on a winter morning. Sona asked if he would like tea, he smiled and declined. She took a seat near to him and signed if she could look at his arm. He nodded. She undid the wrappings gingerly and exposed to wounds. Several deep cuts sewed jagged lines down his forearm. Dried blood soaked the bandages she had removed. Not actively bleeding, but would take weeks to heal without her aid. She signed she was going to work on them, and requested that Draven tell her how this happened while she worked. Partly for entertainment, but also to take Draven’s mind off of his wound he agreed. While he told her the events in his slightly exaggerated and colorful manner, Sona pulled out her etwahl. Playing the Aria of Perseverance, she wove the tendrils of Draven’s skin back together and his muscle tissues multiplied rapidly to fill the gaps. Draven felt the warmth of the magic creeping over his arm and the pain of the rapid change to his arm. The stinging faded as his arm lifted, good as new. He laughed and thanked her. “Nothing can keep me down! Now where was I…” He continued the tale. When it concluded, Sona asked why he came here. He answered “I hadn’t seen you in a while, not since the Shadow Isles. I’m not a huge fan of writing letters, so I thought you could use a dose of Draven!” She smiled and thanked him for taking the time and the risk to come see her, it was a nice surprise. They talked idly and caught up for a couple of hours. She showed him several pictures and explained their meaning. He told her of the troubling news he had overheard at Noxus concerning the missing Yordles, but she knew nothing about it. The afternoon set in, and Draven pulled a flier from his pocket. His hands shook ever so slightly as he braced his arms on the worn wood of the chair. “I uhh, I had something else to ask ya.” He stuttered slightly and swore. A rosy pigment crept into his cheeks and Draven’s gaze dropped to his hands as he watched them fiddle with the paper. Feigning extreme interest in what his hands were doing, the executioner regretted the sentence half-finished that was hanging in the air. Sona reached over and grasped his hands, the shaking stopped. Her warm smile brought feelings the Noxian was not familiar with, but it comforted him greatly. With newfound courage, he asked “I found this and wondered if you would want to go with me? Sounds like fun, kinda, sorta, maybe…” Trailing off into silence he rubbed the back of his neck and looked down again. Sona looked at the flier for the Ionian Ball that evening. It slowly occurred to her that he was asking her out on a date… He grunted and stood up quickly. Pacing quickly to the window he sighed, “Ah hell, never mind the thing. It was a dumb idea, sorry. I ju…” He was cut short by the feeling of two arms around his chest. Turning his head, he saw that beautiful face staring up at him smiling. She nodded quickly, then blushed and let go of him. She signed she would love to go! No one ever asked her before. Draven laughed in delight. It seemed to be his reaction to most things Sona observed. Joy, fear, pain, something actually being funny, no matter the occasion he would laugh. They talked around the subject for a while, then seeing as it was almost time for the event, Sona took Draven to the bazaar to find clothes. Finding his first, they decided on a simple black tuxedo. Draven was not a huge fan of any of the options, so simple was best. He stood by outside her changing room in a dress store rocking on his feet uncomfortably. Dresses lined the floor from the previous failed attempts at the right one. A rainbow myriad of color and cloth surrounded the Glorious Executioner and he had a moment of panic that this was a big mistake! What was he doing here? He was not a high class type of person! He was the pride and joy of Noxus, not some school kid going to a dance. But he was cut off from finishing his mental tantrum by the radiant beauty approaching him. Draven’s mouth hung slightly open as Sona came out of the dressing room in a fine silk dress of red. It clung to her thin frame elegantly and hung an inch from the floor. Accented with a rose on each shoulder, the blood red fabric showed every curve of her form and had an open back. Slender arms moved freely as she turned to show off the dress, asking how it looked. Draven regained his composure, “It looks fantastic! People may actually ignore me if you stay by my side!” Making a quick stop back at her apartment to drop off their old clothes, they set off to the plaza. Lamps were lit in the street as the sun set, and a soft music floated into their ears. Passing the last set of buildings, the brightly lit plaza opened before them. Hanging lamps shone over the crowd dancing slowly in unison underneath. Rows of well-trimmed shrubs and trees all bloomed flowers of pink and orange, with the occasional petal being caught in the breeze to join in the dance below them. Laughter and music ran free from the gathering as Sona pulled Draven into the fray. The music changed to a faster pace as Sona began leading the Noxian in the moves to the dance. He was uncomfortable and welcomed her assistance, but his confidence was growing. After a couple minutes, Draven decided to take charge. Grabbing Sona’s waist in one arm while holding her hand firmly with the other, Draven dipped her backwards with a smile then winked. Before she could react the burly man pulled her upright quickly and sent her into a spin. With great fluidity, Draven led her through several rapid moves. Bodies in sync, twirling and stepping in perfect unison, the two were lost in the music and the moment. Draven gazed upon her gorgeous smile and her adorable laugh, though it was silent. She gazed into his grey eyes and saw the passion and energy in them. His broad, white smile made the world seem right and that nothing mattered. The moon itself gazed upon their grace with envy, all the stars a faint audience to the spectacle. The music slowed and ended, Draven straightened her lithe form and parted from the closed stance, while still holding her hand. He bowed theatrically as did she. They heard a clap resound in the night, echoing off the buildings around the plaza. Only then did they realize how quiet the party was. Looking around, Sona saw they were in a clearing. All other patrons to the ball had formed a circle around them and stood watching. Another clap resounded from the crowd, joined by more this time. Soon the whole crowd was clapping for them, unaccustomed to such vibrant dancing in the street. Normally such things only were seen in theaters! Draven soaked in the attention, shouting and raising his arms to encourage more. She blushed slightly and waved to the crowd as well. Spying Irelia near the concessions table shaking her head, Sona lowered her arm. Slowly the crowd dispersed as the pair headed to the table for a drink. Soraka nearly bowled Sona over while squealing. “Oh my god! What is that dress? You look so fantastic! You didn’t tell me you were coming! Where did you learn to dance like that?” Taking a breath in between the barrage of questions she shifted her gaze to Draven for a moment, “Hi Draven.” He chuckled and casually replied, “Howdy.” Sona looked over her shoulder at him as Soraka dragged her off resuming her bombardment of the silent girl with questions. Draven shook his head and smiled, turning to the drink in his hand. Some sort of fruit mix, the drink sated his thirst for now. It didn’t quite have the kick he would’ve liked for a drink, but it was ok. A hand planted itself firmly on Draven’s shoulder and a form bumped clumsily into him. Udyr had clearly been drinking quite a bit and leaned on Draven, “Wow, Sona looks really great, why is she with a loser like you? Hahaha” He laughed and laid his head on Draven’s shoulder. Lee Sin strode over and pried Udyr from Draven. “Sorry Noxian, my friend does not know the strength of the wine here. The Freljord is a different place.” Udyr shook him off and fell into a chair across from Draven. He asked why Draven had come to the event. Why was the executioner of Noxus even in the island nation? Draven shrugged it off and said something vague about visiting his friend knowing the drunken fighter was only half listening. Lee Sin was not easily avoided though, and questioned him further. Dodging as many questions as he could, he simply said Sona and he had met at a Pentakill concert and he liked her work. After nearly twenty minutes of awkward small talk, Draven sought to find his date, and used the excuse to depart from the table. He quickly saw Sona in her radiant beauty still being interrogated by Soraka and a couple other girls. Karma was the only one he recognized amongst them. Draven thought for a moment on how to break up the group, then walked over to the band. Slipping a light bribe to the leader, a slow song rose from the strings. He swiftly strode over to Sona and turned her around, “Care to dance?” Flashing his trademarked smile. A smile formed on her lips and she took his hand. Once on the dancefloor, they danced close under the moonlight. Swaying slowly side to side and watching the waves crash into the golden shores, all felt at peace. Sona rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Breathing in the moment, recording it all for darker nights when she needed joy, she felt perfect at that second. They kept dancing on into the night… Draven was exhausted after hours of the festival. He and Sona walked through the abandoned streets of Ionia in the middle of the night. No fear or reservations were held in the Ionian capital, so peaceful and quiet they could have been alone in the whole island and not have noticed a difference. They left the front gate and strode to a hill. Sitting on the crest, they could see for miles in all directions. Even the forest appeared to be asleep, limbs bowed from years of the trade winds assailing the woods. Tonight no such wind blew, not even a light breeze dared to interrupt the quiet conversation of the two Legends of Valoran. Sona thanked Draven for the excellent night, and for the surprise visit. He thanked her as well for sheltering him and healing his busted up arm. He appeared for what must have been the first time to be at a loss for words. He attempted to start a sentence several times, then sat quietly for a couple, very long minutes. Finally he mustered the words he needed, “Sona I needed to thank you for some time now.” He stood and leaned on a gnarled tree. Staring at the moon as if it was hypnotizing him, Draven dared not make eye contact lest he lose what little nerve remained. “You have been there for me. That night on the hill, there was something about it. I can’t fully explain, but I felt I could tell you anything. I don’t open up to anyone besides the rare case, and I emphasize rare, that I talk to Darius. But I told you so much, and you didn’t ignore me as most would. You wrote letters to me. You smiled and laughed with me that night on the Shadow Isles and danced with me here! I guess what I’m poorly describing is… you have been a friend to me. I have precious few of those, Sona. People don’t like me much. I have fans, sure. But those aren’t friends. I have a brother, sort of. That isn’t quite a friend either.” Draven grew suddenly angry, “There is a long list of people I cannot stand in this world, and my job is to kill people. That leaves precious few people to get close to! But you, you are different. I feared to ask you out tonight, and I do not fear women or talking. I’m good with both,” His smile returned slowly as he stared out at the moon. “I guess I just wanted to thank you for treating me as a person. You have a gift.” Draven twiddled his thumbs nonchalantly, but his hands betrayed him by shaking. Cold, delicate hands wrapped around his rough calloused ones. The moon showed every beautiful feature on her face. The slender nose and rounded cheeks completely overshadowed by her brilliant blue eyes. It was as if the ocean was born from her eyes. Sona looked up at him intensely and pulled him gently to the ground with her. Sitting underneath the tree she placed his hands on the base of the etwahl, and she closed her eyes as she began to play. A slow and hypnotic tune flowed forth, and Draven’s vision blurred into a world of color. Vivid greens and yellows twisted and corkscrewed towards him, then suddenly cleared in a flash as he saw an image floating a meter above the ground. Sona continued to play showing a young girl sitting alone. She was watching a dance from afar. A group of boys left the party and pointed at her, laughing. They threw things at her and mocked her, “You must like it if you don’t tell us to stop!” “Freak!” They laughed and walked off. The young girl brushed crumbs and garbage from her wavy blue hair and raised her crisp blue, tearing up eyes to the heavens. Draven recognized the youngling as Sona as the song faded and ended. He breathed out deeply and slowly. He looked back to her, “Have you never been to a dance before?” She shook her head. He sat for a moment, hesitant to ask. “Have you… Have you ever been on a date?” She looked at her feet, and slowly shook her head. “Not to be forward but, uh… ah hell I hate this kind of thing. You are a gorgeous woman. And you are nice and sweet. And…” Draven struggled for words as he rose to his feet. “They would be lucky to have someone like you!” Sona rose as well, signing that the boys all found it weird and creepy that she was mute. “Well their loss! I suppose I may like you so much because you listen. You listen to all of my crap and don’t spit it in my face. You just sit quietly and listen, such a rare quality. There is no selfishness about you…” Sona came closer to the Noxian, she signed that she liked listening, and he had many entertaining stories. It was always a fun puzzle to discern the truth from the bolstered version he told and she… her fingers stopped mid word and changed… liked that about him. Draven ignored the odd change, pretty sure what she meant to say. Brushing a rouge hair from her face ever so gently, he looked into those shimmering eyes, “I love you Sona.” Her smile ever so slowly widened. Her pearl white teeth seemed to sparkle in the night. She leaned forward and kissed Draven. He wrapped his arms around her slender frame and held her for what seemed like an eternity. But what an eternity it