Legends of Runeterra

The scorching sun hanging high in the clear sky outside shone through the slit windows of the audience hall, slanting in rays of light.

Alyssa once again stood before the Trifarix Council, her head held high, her hands shackled behind her back. The council members regarded her cautiously. The Faceless Man's enigmatic mask was perhaps the most terrifying of the three to Alyssa.

Finally, Swain broke the silence.

"Let me get this straight," he said. "The Delverhold is valuable to Noxus, but it's not worth compromising on. If we accept the governor's threats and demands, it would be a public sign of weakness. In less than a week, a dozen other provinces would be lining up to make demands. No, that won't happen. But you obviously already know that."

“I know,” Alicia said. “And apparently my brother doesn’t.”

"Well, the average person might wonder...why would a bright and young woman like you get involved in such a lame and botched conspiracy?"

“Responsibility,” Alyssa replied.

“Loyalty to the Empire must always take precedence over duty to family,” Swain said.

Alyssa might have been dazzled, but she thought she saw Darius's expression darken for a moment as he heard this. However, the Hand of Noxus did not respond.

"I totally agree," Alicia said. "That's why, when I realized it was my brother under the mask, I shot him."

Swain turned to the masked Faceless Man. "Gagning your captive and disguising him was a risky gamble. We could have tested her in other ways."

He turned back to Alyssa.

"Excuse me, but for the sake of the other council members. Tell me, why did you deliberately shoot your brother?"

“My father sent us to die,” Alyssa replied, “to use our deaths as an excuse to close the Delverhold to Noxus.”

"continue."

"My father and my brothers are fools. Blinded by their ambition to dominate the Ironthorn Mountains, they seek to restore their ancestors' power. They will lead my people to destruction, only to gain a moment of vanity."

A barely perceptible cold smile crept onto the corners of Swain's mouth.

"So, Elisa Roshka Grongyana Vallochan—what alternatives do you propose now?"

Alyssa flung open the door to the accounting office. The elderly regional governor, Valrokan, looked up, his face filled with anger.

"What's the matter, girl?" he cursed, rising. "You came back without telling me? Where's Oram?"

Behind her followed two warriors from the Trifaree Legion, clad in black iron spiked armor and holding axes and halberds. They looked majestic and murderous.

Beside his father was his eldest brother, Sherlock, heir apparent to the Delverhold, his eyes wide with fear.

"Guards!" the district commander yelled. "Stop them!"

Yet none of his personal guards dared to stir. The might of the Trifarii Legion spread across Valoran—even those who had never faced them directly or fought alongside them doubted it. They represented the authority of the Hand of Noxus. To oppose them was to oppose the Trifarii Council.

Alyssa thought over and over again about what Darius said, the very words her brother had scoffed at.

All it takes is two Trifarious Legionnaires to march right into your precious Delverhold and claim it for themselves.

Facts have proved that this statement is not just nonsense.

"What have you done?" her father hissed, collapsing back in his chair.

“It’s imperative.”

Alyssa produced a scroll of parchment, freshly written and bearing the Noxian crest—the crest of the Trifarix Council—and slammed it on the table before her father, who nearly jumped.

"I come here by order of the Commander to relieve you of your duties," Alyssa said. "From now on, I will oversee the administration of this place, acting in the name of the Empire and for its benefit."

"You?" her father sneered. "No woman has ever ruled the Delverhold!"

"Perhaps it's time for a change. Someone should think about the future of our people instead of being obsessed with the king's position and the glory of the past."

Alyssa nodded, and her father's personal guard stepped forward and grabbed him.

"You can't do this!" he cried feebly. "I am your father! I am your king!"

“You’re not a king,” Alyssa said. “You’re not my king.”