Chapter Text
Their dearest wish is to share a sky
Made large enough for both to dance
With hands and hearts entwined
.
"DIANA!", the Ra-Horak master jumped from her dream to the real world, screaming the name of the woman she was looking for. Cold sweat and a fast heart gave her the certain it was a bad one
"Leona, are you alright?", Pantheon asked, opening a little gap in the entrance of her tent
The woman sighed, "Yes, I just... Had a bad dream"
"Again?"
"I don't think I'll rest until I make things right with her", the woman layed back again, rubbing her tired eyes
"Don't worry, we will find her soon"
"I sure hope so. Thank you, Pantheon, have a good night"
"So do you"
As she heard the last of his footsteps, Leona plunged into thoughts and memories that didn't belong to her. Memories of the Solari injustice towards the Lunari, the people who they called brothers but were so quick to betray and slay after the horrors of the Void were nothing but a bad memory. Diana's people.
Shame and regret were the only things Leona could feel ever since she was chosen by the Sun.
As the dawn arrived, Leona was the first to leave her tent. She looked for a good spot to take in the sunlight, in a small hill not far from the camp. The Sun always gave her energy and ease, but since her awakening, it also gave her power.
A few minutes later, the Rakkor and it's leader were up and ready to leave
"What's next?", Pantheon asked from the hill's feet
"We should go the nearest village before heading into Shurima", the woman got up and started her way to her tent. She pointed a few places on the open map sited on a table, "Since we left Targon 4 days ago and still haven't heard anything in the mountains, the village at the begining of the Great Desert is our best shot to trace a clear path, and that would be... Nerimazeth. We should arrive tomorrow at nightfall"
"What if we don't find anything?"
Leona stared at the map a few seconds before turning to the man, "Then I'll continue this search on my own, into Shurima. You and your warriors can head back to Targon. It wouldn't be wise for you to stray away into the desert considering Noxus' offensive movements these last months"
"And when you will be back? Without the Ra-Horak, Targon is just as defenseless"
"Targon is my home, and the people in it are mine own blood. But I'm not gonna stay and defend something that I no longer believe in", she turned to the table again, "Diana's outburst was my fault as much as the Elders. Everything we did against her and her people should be atoned. And if not, we deserve what's coming"
"You think that's fair for the people who had no part in your story?", Pantheon's tone wasn't aggressive, but serious
"It's not my story, it's ours, Pantheon, it's Targon's story. No one tried to understand her. She was called a heretic, threatened to be executed, and for what? For false ideals? I'm not gonna stand for those ideals anymore", the woman sighed, "You do what you must, and I'll do what I believe is right"
"I'll let the rest know our path", the Aspect of War stopped in the entrance of the tent, "I don't know what kind of knowledge the Sun gave you, Leona, but don't forget who you are underneath all that power and wisdom. You will lose yourself if you do"
The road to Nerimazeth was a dangerous one. A lot of bandits from the Great Sai took shelter in the border between the mountains and Shurima, and a lonely woman with golden armor would sure attract a lot of them, Leona would lose plenty of precious time fighting them all, not that mere bandits would be a problem to the Aspect of the Sun, but none would approach a squad of Rakkor warriors, so she was glad to avoid it all.
Besides the bandits, the road itself proved to be a mix of sand, winds and a heat that was wearing the Rakkorians out, but didn't seem to affect Leona. The many stops they had to make so they wouldn't burn in the desert's powerful heat took hours that Leona knew would just create more distance between her and Diana.
As the night fell, the targonians camped again, just a little more than half-day away from their destiny. Leona could feel the moonlight's touch strong that night. And she knew she was on the right path.