chapter (9):First steps
"Well, well, this was an unexpected trip. You think it was violent for them to do these things, right?
"The world isn't black and white, it's gray. Despite their brutality, they have their own reasons. Each of us has our own reasons. This is the nature of our world, the world of Runeterra."
"Although their consequences will haunt them in the future..."
Okay, back to the story! Let me remind you where we were... Oh yes, we were in The Tale of the Two Sisters! Let's get back to them...
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In an unknown place... Ashe was walking through a field shrouded in fog.
She didn't remember when she arrived here or how long she had been walking in this place. She felt confused—the last thing she remembered was the feast celebrating the people of Dahàa at the bottom of the Ursine's lair. She had joined them as a sign of being a War Mother, standing with them in good times and bad.
She remembered being utterly exhausted, yet she had tried to stay composed as much as possible. Just as she was about to sleep in her tent, she saw Avaros's Throne glowing blue. She touched it… and found herself here—literally in the middle of nowhere. She wondered why she was walking forward automatically, without any destination.
But in the distance, Ashe could see the shadowy figure of a woman. The fog obscured her features, but something about her felt familiar.
"Mother? Is that you?"
But the woman didn't respond. She turned and walked away, fading quietly into the fog as if she had never been there.
"Wait! Mother, stop! Where are you going?!"
Ashe ran, trying to catch up with all her strength, but she couldn't follow her. She sprinted with everything she had, but the fog surrounded her from all directions.
She felt lost and desperate until, exhausted from running for hours, she collapsed. Breathing heavily, she looked down at the snow, watching sweat drip from her face onto the ice.
"Mother… please don't leave me. I won't fail you again. Just… please… I just want to see you. (Crying) I'm sorry… I promise I'll be better."
"When have you ever failed me, child?"
When Ashe heard her mother's voice, she lifted her head and turned toward the sound—but found no one. Only the wind and snow in the distant frozen fields.
"Tell me, Ashe… what scars do you bear?"
This time, Ashe tried to find the source of the voice, but no matter how hard she searched, she found nothing. She gave up and decided to speak, even though she couldn't see her mother.
"Mother… I… I found it. I found Avaros's Throne! It was real! Your suffering wasn't in vain, Mother… you were right. Like you always were. But… our tribe was destroyed by the person I loved."
"Sejuani… she raised her weapon against me. I met her in the village—she had become cruel. She was about to wipe out an entire village… I couldn't let that happen. We parted ways… and the next time we meet, we'll be enemies."
"I took those people and led them far away, to start anew. I fought the Ursine using Avaros's Throne… and… and… I still don't know what to do. I saved a tribe. I became a War Mother—for the new Avarosa. But I don't know what future awaits me… Am I truly worthy of being a War Mother?"
"You don't need my help… not now, not ever. You can lead your people on your own. You are more than capable, my daughter."
"But… I don't know…"
"Child, do you remember the first thing I ever told you about the Freljord?"
"It is a place of survival. A battleground where only the strongest endure."
"Yes. But it is also a land of honor and worth. If you want something badly enough, you must prove yourself worthy of it."
"Because the Freljord will test you, my child. Every trial is a battle—proof that what you desire can become reality… or not. Whether you fail or succeed, it all rests on your shoulders."
"And mine as well."
As Grena spoke, another voice joined—a woman's voice, majestic and commanding. It made Ashe feel small just hearing it. When she looked in its direction, she saw a blue, shadowy figure and felt a shiver of awe.
"Who… are you?"
"Time will tell you. For now… it is time to wake up."
"What? (☉｡☉)!"
Suddenly, the world went dark. She couldn't see anything—and in the next moment, she felt a hard impact. Her eyes snapped open.
"(Gasp)… Hah… Hah… Where…?"
She looked around and realized she was back in her tent, just as she had been before. She noticed she was gripping her bow tightly.
"Was… all of that a dream?"
"I can't believe it… It felt so real… That can't be… Unless… (Looks at her bow)… Is this a message from her?"
"… (Sigh)… No use thinking about it now. I need to see what's happening in the village."
Ashe stood up.
The refugees she had brought with her had integrated well with the people of Dahàa, who had now become a single tribe under the name Avarosa—founded just yesterday. She was still exhausted.
The villagers looked at Ashe, their eyes widening in joy at the sight of her.
"Avarosa!"
"The War Mother has awakened!"
Five tribesmen gathered around her, greeting her with concern. She noticed some of their clothes were torn and felt a pang of confusion.
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. But… what happened to your clothes? Why are they torn?"
"This was because of the Ursin siege. Hunting animals had become difficult and we needed new clothes for our children, so we tore our clothes for them"
"This is terrible, I didn't know you guys went through such a tough ordeal, you people held on strong for your children you're the real warrior's"
"Thank you avarosa"
"But there, the wolf pelts from yesterday's hunt. You can make coats out of them. Why haven't you?"
(The villagers exchanged glances) "We… were worried you might need them for something else. So we kept the pelts in reserve."
"Don't worry. I iceborn—the cold doesn't bother me. Use them to keep warm before the storm hits. We don't know when it will come."
"Thank you, Avarosa."
"Long live Ashe!"
After she spoke, they left happily to craft their coats. Ashe felt a little embarrassed—she had become their leader, even though many of them were older than her.
She decided to walk around the village and assess the situation. As she wandered, she saw sturdy houses and tents, people preparing a pyre to burn the Ursine corpses, and families gathering around the bodies of fallen warriors.
A heavy atmosphere weighed on her. She felt sorrow and pain.
"This is my fault… They died because of me. If only I were stronger… If only I—"
"Hey, try and catch me!"
Her thoughts were interrupted by something that caught her attention. She stopped and looked.
Children were playing—but that wasn't what stood out. What truly caught her eye was that among them were children from the Quchar tribe.
The refugees had brought children with them, but they had hidden behind the villagers during the battle. These were the children Sejuani would have slaughtered if Ashe hadn't stopped her.
She watched them playing tag, throwing snowballs, or helping the adults—smiling as if they had already forgotten the harsh world around them.
Ashe felt a pang of nostalgia. She wished she could return to those days—when she, Sejuani, and her mother, Grena, were together. But she knew those days were gone. The next time she and Sejuani met, they would be enemies.
As she reminisced, Ashe noticed two elderly villagers who seemed anxious.
Curious, she approached them and saw they were discussing something urgently.
"Excuse me… Is something wrong? Why do you both look so pale?"
The two villagers exchanged nervous glances before one spoke, his voice tense.
"Greetings, Avarosa. (Bows) I am Ugar, and this is Dago. (Dago: bows) We are responsible for supplies and housing in the Dahàa tribe."
Ugar was a thin man wearing ordinary coats and clothes, holding a book—a rare sight in the Freljord. Beside him, Dago was a short man carrying a hammer and a backpack.
They looked at Ashe with a familiar expression—one she had seen before. It made her tense.
"What's the matter? Tell me."
"We have… some problems, War Mother."
Ashe stiffened as they stared at her. It was the same look the old Avarosans had given Grena—a look of need and helplessness.
Grena had told her that becoming a War Mother meant entering a new world—one she was now stepping into. She looked at them calmly.
"Problems? Please, tell me what we're facing."
"First, the houses. The Ursine destroyed most of them. We have tents, but… I doubt they'll hold against the storm."
"Why not use the trees around us? There are plenty to rebuild wooden houses."
"We could… but the wood here takes too long to dry."
"Then use the wolf pelts for temporary shelters or have some families share homes until the wood is ready. Once it's dried, rebuild quickly."
"Understood. There's another issue—the funeral rites."
"We planned to bury them where their ancestors rest, in the heart of the forest. We thought to hold the ceremony at midday—"
"No. We'll hold the funeral at night—to honor them. The villagers shouldn't be reminded of that calamity. They shouldn't have to relive their scars."
"As you command. There's… another problem. Food."
"We have wolf meat, but it'll only last a week or two at most. We need a stable hunting ground if we're to survive the winter."
"Don't you usually have hunting areas?"
"It was there hunting lands."
"Was?"
"We used to hunt elk near the river or in the forests. But because of the Ursine, they've nearly gone extinct or fled far away."
"Is there a fishing lake?"
"There was, but…"
"When we went to check, the lake had completely dried up. I don't know how… but I'm sure the Ursine did it.those monsters!"
"What about other areas?"
"Where do you suggest we go, War Mother?"
"Do you have a map?"
"Yes, of course. Here."
Ugar handed her the map. Ashe studied it, noting the X marks where the elk and fishing spots had been. There were too many—finding food would be difficult.
"This is really bad issue… Hmm?"
As she examined the map, she noticed a strange drawing—a tree with oddly shaped fruits.
"What about this area? What's here?"
"That? It's just a place with short trees bearing strange fruits."
"strange fruits? Can I see them?"
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Elsewhere...in the Winter Claw Tribe
Sejuani was sitting on the new throne, having taken it from her mother. She was in the meeting room. Behind her were our men. She was staring coldly at about five people standing and bowing. They had faces and looked at her, assessing her usefulness. They were acting arrogantly as if they owned the place.
Sejuani felt angry and wanted to kill them now, but she was patient, endured, and wanted to see what they were planning.
"Little girl, are you the new WarMother in winter claw??"
"..╬ಠ_ಠ...Yes...and you are?"
"I am ////// of the Winter Fang Tribe and them is..."
" ////// From the Winter Foot."
" /////// of the Winter Spear."
" /////// of the Winter Sons."
" ////// of the Winter dagger."
"What are people like you doing in my tribe?"
"We heard about the unfortunate incident that happened to WarMother"
Sejuani stared sharply at the person who had said this. He hadn't mentioned her mother's name or that she was her mother. She knew full well that he knew she was her daughter, but she had deliberately overlooked it.
"So what did you come for?"
"The former Mother of War was a brave and strong warrior. She allied with us and became a friend of our beloved Mother of War, leading us on great journeys."
"It was truly unfortunate that she ended up at the hands of the Ice Guardians. No one expected them to be so cunning."
"What happened to her was unfortunate, but she owed us many supplies of food and weapons, and I see you have plenty, so that's why..."
Sejuani ignored everything he said, because it was all nonsense.
Sejuani remembered, but her mother had never gone or owed them anything. Her mother had done everything herself.
When she saw some of the envoys nodding their heads in unison, she understood that they had agreed. She felt a sense of revelation and knew what was happening.
They had come together, wanting to unify their stance toward each other and create a situation for her where she wouldn't be able to refuse, so they could control her influence as the new Mother of War. They hadn't come to offer condolences; they had agreed to take a piece of Winter's Claw.
When Sejuani understood the situation, it was as if she had gathered everything. The puzzle pieces came together and I understood what was happening. I smiled sarcastically.
"Ah... so that's it, I get it."
"Then it's good that you understand. We need at least__"
Sejaani swung her whip, and the head of the envoy flew off quickly and fell to the ground, becoming a lifeless corpse. All the envoys were shocked and wide-eyed.
"What the?!"
"Sh*t!"
"Oh, Kendred!"
All the envoys quickly recoiled in shock at what had just happened. You had just killed the envoy, something no War Mother should ever do.
"Since you want to act this way, well then, remember, or I'll say it one time."
I, Seejuani, daughter of kalkia and WarMother, sever all ties and alliances with the tribes starting today. Give them a clear message!"
"To all who will not submit to the Winter Claw Tribe, face our wrath and fangs! Tell them! Tell them that I am coming for those who will not submit to me, because I will be their end! I am the Wrath of Winter!