League of Legends: Stories

The Willow Maid (Katarina x Ashe)

The Willow Maid

The harsh howl of the northern breeze was deafening in the ears of a foreigner. It would sound more like a roar rather than a simple sequential whoosh of air. The lands of the Freljord had long been ruled by the great family of Avarosa, the very first sovereign that built the kingdom from the ground with the most loyal people.

Thousands of years have passed and though nothing has changed with the natural climate, those who sat on the throne certainly have. Currently, the Avarosan kingdom was under the rule of Queen Ashe and her newly-married husband, Tryndamere.

Despite their marriage and the kingdom having a new King, the words of the Queen were still the law above all and whatever will she may have would be the one done. No one else's.

Of course her status wasn't enough to easily excuse her from her duties, especially now that they had taken the Kingʼs small yet immensely respectable kingdom into their circle. She had been busy for, admittedly, her entire life.

Ashe never had a chance to live her life the way she wanted to. The moment her parents passed away from a war with the people of Demacia years ago, Ashe was abruptly thrust into a position she was vastly unfamiliar with. It was like sailing in uncharted waters in a tiny raft, the thought of toppling over always lingering in the back of her mind.

Truthfully speaking, Ashe considered herself relatively fortunate that everyone in the high council of the kingdom were loyal to her family and in the name of Avarosa. Each and every one of them taught her everything she needed to know in ruling a nation with fair and just hand.

While children of her age at the time were more focused on making friends and experiencing their first puppy love, Ashe was being given a thorough lesson on how to properly negotiate with potential allies and traders. The only love Ashe became used to were the affections she received from the young Tundra Furyhorn her father had gifted her a few months before his and her mother's demise.

Even now, in her current years of life, Ashe had only married for the sake of her people. Out of all her suitors, Tryndamere was the most suitable choice she was provided with. Unlike the others, he was a gentleman despite his naturally intimidating face and seemingly unruly personality. He treated her with utmost respect, never once thought that she was an opportunity waiting to be taken, or maybe even a prize to be won over. With him, she did feel like a Queen. Rightfully so, as the council says.

Ashe saw a much clearer future with him. A future where she'll learn to love him for who he was and not for the mere fact that their union was a political move. All they needed was time for it to bloom.

What truly made Ashe happy with this marriage of theirs was the window of opportunity it presented. With Tryndamere being the King, Ashe had him step up and take over half of the duties she usually tended to. She had more breathing room. More freedom to explore. More time to actually live her life.

And that's exactly what she was doing now.

Clad in a deep navy blue and gold prowler coat and attire, an outfit that surely suited the normally high standard of royalty like her, Ashe rode her Furyhorn, Wren, through the forests somewhere between Uwendale and Tokogol.

This particular part of the woodlands was one of the few unmarked forests in the Freljord, said to house many types of creatures, both mythical and not. Asheʼs father had promised to take her there someday to hunt, and now, she was going to fulfill that promise for him with the furry companion he himself had blessed her with.

Soon, the snow underneath Wrenʼs paws thinned out until dirt and grass replaced the frosty ground. The wildlife around them shifting from icy white to the warm green color of life and Mother Nature.