Hello Everyone.

I'm sorry I'm not updating my other stories. I'm feeling quite dried out right now about them. Can't force myself to write as my muse refuses to show even a flash of her hair or a twinkle of her eyes when I try. But for the Talon x Quinn one, she's dancing with me to a slow, romantic tune, making me weave line after line without the least bit of effort on my part.

So here it is... The third part of The Hawk and the Sparrow. Why do I sound so down? You'll know why.

~ Wings

Fly with me

They had questioned me once I had returned, all of them asking where I had gone, why I was away for an entire day. I said I'd fallen into a ditch and decided to spend the night there since it was already too dark to find my way out. They believed me. The night I spent there… With Talon. It left me with so many feelings inside I couldn't describe. Talon was my enemy, as I was his… So why couldn't we kill each other? Why didn't we kill each other? It was more of the question of why he didn't kill me, but I could've killed him yesterday, while he was prone on the ground, defenseless. But I didn't.

I couldn't fathom why.

Along with all these swirling emotions and thoughts in my head, having been in the rain like that had given me a bad cold, despite Talon's help. So, here I was, confined to the bed, my face feeling too heated to be comfortable. Moving my fingers felt like hard work and my breaths came out in small, soft puffs. Sona had been kind enough to help me with it and so, here I was, wearing nothing but my underclothes, under strict bedrest not just because of Jarvan's orders, but because I couldn't get out without feeling absolutely miserable either.

I still felt miserable now. My fever was burning up further and I felt worse. I felt like I was going to ignite. And the boredom… Even while I was this sick, I was bored out of my mind. I couldn't go to sleep nor could I just lie on my bed. Spying my journal on the desk, I debated in my mind.

I struggled to get to my feet, pushing off the covers and using the bed to support me as I stood up on shaky, unsure feet. Slowly and awkwardly, I took baby steps forward, reaching for my journal. If I could only get to my desk, I could sit down on the chai-

I fell, too weak to even cry out in pain as I fell onto my sore left side. My entire body was sore, now that I thought about it. Tomorrow was the dawn of another battle… And here I was, weak and useless. How Caleb would be ashamed of me… Not even being able to help Demacia defeat Noxus.

The thought of my brother, coupled with how weak and helpless I was feeling, caused a choked cry to escape my mouth as I curled up on the floor, regretting my decision to get out of the warm bed as the wind chilled me through my thin garments, the cold of the night biting at my exposed skin as well.

Warm, gloved hands suddenly wrapped around me as I opened my eyes weakly to see, but I couldn't see who was holding me as he had grabbed me from behind. And then, he turned me around and picked me up in his arms. I turned my head to look up at him and my eyes widened.

Talon was staring down at me, his long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing what looked like heavy armor for an assassin. I recognized the insignia of the Crimson Elite on his chest plate, to which he held me close. A spark of fear shot through me to see him dressed like this, yet he only carried me back to my bed while saying, "Why must I find you everytime with your feathers ruffled, Little Bird?"

"What are you… doing here?" I said weakly, my voice weak and croaky. I felt like crying again; he had seen me sobbing on the floor, too weak to even move. He must've thought I was a useless, broken bird now. Noxians always held strength above all. Yet, Talon's eyes were unfathomable… and soft. I beheld his face to see the soft expression. Sure, he had a flat, emotionless expression on his face as always, yet now, I could see the edge he usually held was dulled, softened.

"I'm here to tuck you in, Little Bird." Talon said, sarcasm dripping from his words, yet that's what he did. He slowly placed me back on my bed and pulled up the sheets over me. He then straightened up and looked down at me, shaking his head disapprovingly. "What were you even doing out of bed?" He asked.

I flushed, although I doubt my face could've gotten redder as it was already flushed from my high fever. "I was… trying to get my journal…" I said as Talon sighed, shaking his head further. "Did you have any medication?" He asked as I shook my head. "The war's taking alot of toll… They're saving the potions… For those who need it more."

"I know." Talon said, extracting a small vial containing a red liquid from within the depths of his belt. My eye's widened slightly. "No… Talon... "

"The ones they're using these on are going to die anyway. Either tomorrow or the day after." Talon said coldly, uncorking it. "Now must I forcefeed this to you, Little Bird?"

Weakly, I straightened up as much as I could so it was easier for Talon as he brought the vial close to my mouth. With a gentleness that I did not expect from him, he tipped the contents of the vials into my mouth just as the rim of the vial touched my lips. I drank the liquid which tasted faintly of mint and wildberries, feeling the warmth spreading through my body. Unlike the heat of the fever, this warmth was much more… pleasant. Soothing, even.

I sighed after I had drunk the small amount in the vial, while Talon's eyes flashed approvingly, the vial disappearing into his pocket with a smooth motion of his hands. As I eased back into my bed, I was almost about to relax when I saw Talon had moved over to my desk, reaching for my journal.

"NO, DON'T!" I screamed instinctively as Talon flinched, quickly looking at me in surprise as his hand froze. Instantly, his eyes turned to the tent flap as a guard barged in. He froze as he spotted Talon standing there, turned towards me while I lay on the bed nearly helpless, staring at the guard in shock and fear. Not fear of Talon, but fear of what was going to happen to him now. Right behind the guard, another one shouted, "Wha's goin' on, Tom?"

"ASSASSI-KHH!" The man couldn't even finish his scream of alarm before Talon had moved, lunging forward like a shadow. His hextech armor responded, his helmet automatically opening up and then coming up to encase his head from behind, closing on his face just as his Crimson Elite arm-blade, which had shot out of his gauntlet, slit the guard's throat, causing the death-gurgle that was his last sounds. The other guard barged in right then and there, shoving Talon back with his spear while Talon was still recovering from attacking the other guard.

"ASSASSIN! ASSASSIN!" The guard shouted at the top of his lungs and, even as Talon has thrown his daggers at the man, silencing him forever, ten other soldiers rushed into the tent, followed by ten more. Within seconds, Talon was surrounded on all sides with spears as he stood alone in their midst, on edge as he looked left and right, anywhere to find a way out. But there was none in this confined little tent of mine.

Jarvan walked in just as I was standing up, uncaring about showing my lithe body off to all the soldiers present, dressed in nothing but my usual combo of white tanktop and grey panties.

"Quinn, are you alright?" Jarvan asked, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me to see if I was okay. That had the opposite effect as it jarred my feverish head even more, giving me a headache that was going away due to the potion.

"Yeah.. I'm fine…" I said through gritted teeth but Jarvan had forgotten about me, looking at Talon.

"So… A Noxian Assassin trying to assassinate one of the prominent members in our ranks… I believe you're the same one who's been killing everyone else after dark falls." Jarvan said strictly as Talon stared silently at Jarvan, his face hidden behind his mask. Jarvan's eyes lit up with fire as he narrowed his eyes. The soldiers parted just in time as Jarvan lunged forward, his right fist grabbing Talon by his mask face. Talon's right hand shot up, but was stopped midway by Jarvan's other hand as he held onto the underside of Talon's right forearm. Talon was built for speed, not strength, and couldn't hope to match the Demacian Prince.

There was a horrid crash as Jarvan picked Talon up like that and then, turning Talon horizontal, slammed him into the ground. It caused Talon's helmet to crack from the impact as a grunt of pain escaped Talon. That is when I jumped into action, spurred by Talon's grunt of pain as I instinctively rushed forward, pushing through the soldiers (although it was more like I tripped and stumbled through them in my weak state) before tackling Jarvan around the waist. But due to the difference between our sizes and strengths, as well as due to the weakness in my muscles from my fever, I did little except surprise Jarvan.

"Quinn?" Jarvan asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise as I tried pushing Jarvan away with all of my might, before falling to my knees next to Talon, my back towards him, arms spread, shielding him from Jarvan. "Don't hurt him… He wasn't… trying… to kill me…" Quinn said as Jarvan's eyes hardened.

"Quinn, this man is a wanted fugitive who has slain countless demacian officers and nobles. I'll say this only once and if you comply, I'll forget this ever happened. Get. Away. From him." Jarvan said as I looked up at him, seeing no traces of Jarvan her friend. Now, she only saw Jarvan IV, the Crown Prince of Demacia. Yet, still, she shook her head. There were a few gasps in the crowd of soldiers around them at her open defiance.

Slap!

I almost collapsed to the side, my hands hitting the floor and stopping me before I fully fell to the floor. Dazed, I could just barely register the slow trickle of blood coming out of the corner of my lips, the left side of my face stinging harshly as it was probably starting to redden. Jarvan lowered his hand to his sword as he glared down at Quinn.

"You don't know how hard it was for me to do that Quinn. Now get away from him before I have to wrench you away!" Jarvan shouted as I straightened up, holding back the tears of pain in my eyes as I began shaking my head again. I froze, however, as a hand roughly grabbed my short hair, pulling my head back viciously right before I felt cold steel on my throat, the smallest pressure away from cutting it open.

"No one move…"

Talon's voice seemed an almighty relief as his breath washed passed by ears, yet I couldn't deny the doubt in my heart, as well as the fear. Would he really kill me just to save himself?

"Or else I will make sure this Little Bird never sings again."

That is when all the doubt in my heart vanished. I knew that Talon wouldn't harm me… I believed it, with all my heart. I was willing to bet my life on it that he wouldn't, which was ironic in a way because thats exactly what I was doing. But I knew Talon wouldn't kill me. Jarvan, however, did not as I saw the conflict in his eyes.

"Now you are going to have all your soldiers get away from me and let me escape, or I will slit her open and bathe you in her blood." Talon said as Jarvan narrowed his eyes.

"Do you see now, Quinn? He's just a fucking Noxian." Jarvan said with disgust as I stared at Jarvan, the tears from his slap still twinkling in my eyes, making it look like I really believed Jarvan would let me die. However, I saw the shadow of the Jarvan she knew in his eyes as Jarvan's face fell, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Men… Fall back."

…

He had slowly dragged me into the forest like that, his blade digging into my skin yet never breaking skin, as the Demacian sentries stared at us, watching us go. Jarvan stood at the edge of the camp, waiting. Finally, at the edge of the Forest, I hear his low laughter.

"You trust too willingly, Little Bird." He muttered as I scowled, my fever almost gone now thanks to his potion.

"My name is Quinn." I said, unable to think of anything else to say.

"So it is. But to me…" He paused, and then, I suddenly felt his lips on the curve of my neck, giving a playful, yet slightly painful bite, causing me to gasp and flush, before leaving a butterfly kiss on the same spot. "...You'll always be my Little Bird."

And then, he let me go and pushed me forward, darting into the forest and disappearing without a trace.

At once, a whole squad of Demacian Rangers rushed out, running past me and into the forest, trying to find Talon again, yet I didn't worry one bit. I was one of the best damn Rangers that Demacia had and even I couldn't track Talon down. Every time, he was the one who'd tracked me down.

I walked back to the encampment, as Jarvan looked down apologetically at me and my swollen cheek.

"Quinn.. I, uh… wanted to ap-"

"Don't, Jarvan…" I muttered, walking past him without looking at him, yet I could feel the hurt and regret in him. "Just don't…"

Jarvan remained silent, watching me go.

...

Metal clashing on Metal. The screams of pain, death, anger and fear, regardless of which color they wore. Bodies littered the already blood soaked ground. The body count on both Demacian and Noxian sides were going up high. I was running around the outskirts of the fight, firing off arrows here and there at any Noxian I could spot. My left arm, I held close to my body as it was injured, bleeding from the shoulder from a knife wound.

As another bolt shot out of my crossbow and into the neck of a soldier, I heard Valor screech loudly as he dived, attacking a man right behind me who had tried to sneak up on me while I was taking out the other man. I turned around, reloading my crossbow quickly while Valor was holding him off. Valor's pained cry made me miss the latch as I was drawing back a bolt, firing the bolt haphazardly and without aim. But due to the close proximity, the bolt stuck into the man's chest as he fell back, while Valor also fell.

"VALOR!" I screamed, forgetting about everything around me as I threw my crossbow down and ran to my fallen bird, falling onto my knees as I stopped next to him, cradling him up. Valor coo'd weakly, a slash almost cutting his wing off at his left wing joint. I held his wing up, keeping it in place as his blood poured out, his eyes half lidded. I was panicking, panicked hysterical sobs escaping me as I cradled him against my chest and ran, trying to run away from the battle so could help him.

Panic was eating away at my mind and everytime I got cut off by the battle waging all around me, forcing me to stop, my panic and fear increased tenfold. I was hyperventilating, tears cascading down my cheeks without any restraint, my golden eyes wide and wild. As I was shoved back due to a demacian soldier almost falling ontop of me, I looked back down at Valor, seeing him not moving. His eyes were closed.

"No…" I spoke, my voice barely a whisper as I brought Valor close… He was still breathing!

The emptiness that had threatened to overtake me subsided as adrenaline shot through me once more. I ran as hard as I could until suddenly I bumped into a familiar face.

"Quinn?" Cullen, one of her friends who worked in the field medics, looked at her in surprise, his white armor coated in blood.

"Cullen! Valor… Valor…" I couldn't speak coherently, my voice loud and wild sounding as I pushed Valor into his arms, almost screaming at him as panicked cries escaped me. Cullen's eyes widened as he quickly took Valor into his arms. "COVER ME!" He shouted to his company around him and they moved around him, quickly retreating back towards the demacian line to help Valor. I followed, but then someone bowled into me and one of the officers guarding Cullen.

I fell backwards as a behemoth of a man in heavy Noxian armor raised his warhammer at me, uttering a guttural warcry. I reached for my crossbow, but realized I had thrown it down in my haste to save Valor. Just as his warhammer was about to crash down on me, blood spurted from his arms, his tendons severed as the warhammer fell from his grasp behind him. A second later, a sleek slender blade shot out of his chest, having been driven into him from behind.

The man fell away to reveal Talon behind him, his helmet broken and shattered, leaving his face revealed. His hair was matted with blood, turning it a darker, almost black color on some places. He looked bad, but I could see that most of the blood was not his.

"Quinn!" He shouted, grabbing me by my shoulders and hauling me up. The look in his eyes were wild and angry. "What the fuck are you doing here?! Where's your crossbow!?" He shouted and I flinched. Talon looked behind me and his eyes widened.

"LOOK OUT!" He shouted as he threw me aside just as a horse with a dead rider clinging onto it's back bowled into Talon, throwing him onto the ground. I myself had fallen onto the ground in the fray. Someone stepped on my hand and I screamed as I felt my hand getting crushed under the weight. A foot slammed into the side of my head, spinning me around a bit as I rolled into a freshly dead body, the blood still spurting out of the wounds, coating me in its redness. An armored foot stomped down on my stomach as I cried out in pain again, curling up and turning onto my side to protect my stomach. The foot stomped down again, this time on my exposed side, making me groan again in pain. And then, a hand was grabbing me and hauling me back up again.

"Come on, you useless fucking bird!" Talon's voice came out through gritted teeth as he held me up. I limped, supported by him, my entire body wracked with pain. Somehow, this time, we managed to get out of the huge battle happening, exitting off to some side. After maybe God knows how long, I dimly registered that we were under the shade of trees.

Talon collapsed then, taking me down with him. We both lied down there for a few seconds before I slowly pushed myself up, wincing as pain shot through me. I hadn't noticed when I had coughed up so much blood, but now I noticed the unholy looking blood covering my entire front as well as my mouth and chin. I found it hard to breathe, realizing that that stomp must've caved in a rib or two and punctured my lung.

I looked weakly over to Talon and my eyes widened. Talon's entire right side was covered in blood. There was a vicious slash going from his right shoulder to his left waist, everything underneath covered in his blood as he lied there, breathing raggedly.

I tried saying something but coughed violently, feeling horrid, excruciating pain in my lower chest area, collapsing down again as I groaned. Talon managed to give a weak chuckle as he muttered, "So… I guess… this is it…"

I clutched at the ground with my gloved fingers, dragging myself up through the ground weakly until I was right next to Talon. "Talon…" I whispered as Talon glanced down at me, before wrapping an arm around me and pulling me in close to him feebly.

"I only wish… this fucking war… had never existed…" Talon said. "So I could… be with you… Little Bird… I only wish… I had told you sooner."

I knew now what I had felt for so long. I now knew why everything I ever thought about Talon was unfathomable, why everything had transpired between us.

"Talon… I… I love...you…" I whispered, unable to say it louder as I felt my lungs failing me. Drawing breaths was now excruciatingly painful and difficult and I could feel a numbness setting into my limbs.

"Little Bird… No… Quinn…" Talon murmured sleepily, though it wasn't sleep he was heading to, she knew. His skin had a deathly pallor, the blood now coming out lazily from his body. "Are… you scared?" He asked.

I don't know if I nodded or not, but I spoke all the same, "Yes… I'm afraid…"

"It's okay…" Talon said, slowly taking my hand, which was rested on his chest. He pulled me up closer, so I rested my head on his shoulder now. I looked up at him, seeing his pale face with the dark circles under his eyes, knowing that it was mirrored on my face. "Fly with me… And I'll… keep you safe…" Talon whispered, barely audible.

I nodded feebly and with the last ounce of energy I had, I stretched my neck so I could give him a gentle peck on the lips. He returned it, ever so gently, like the touch of death. And after our kiss broke off, I felt my breath slowly leaving me…

…

Valor's screech is what drew Jarvan's attention.

"Sir, I think he's found her!"

"Good! Quick!" Jarvan shouted as he moved quickly, briskly walking through the forest towards where Valor's screech had indicated. The bird had been in bad shape, but a health potion had patched him right up. But Quinn was missing after the last bout. It was already past sundown and the rain had made it even harder. But thankfully, it had stopped now. As they moved towards Valor's sound, the Blue Eagle screeched again… Although, it was not a screech. It was more like a moan… Jarvan felt his heart sinking as he paused.

He waited.

Valor moaned again, his avian voice filled with indescribable sadness. Jarvan held up his hand, stopping everyone as he walked on ahead forward. Slowly, he parted the foliage away as he came upon a small clearing where the moonlight managed to penetrate the foliage just a bit better than the rest of the area, so thin rays of moonlight lit it up.

Jarvan fell to his knees, his face expressing how broken he felt as Valor moaned again, nudging Quinn's cheek with his head, trying to rouse her, yet she would not rouse. She would never wake again.

There she lay, her Head resting upon Talon's shoulder, who lay right beside her, her hand half wrapped around him, resting on his chest where her fingers were entwined with his. Talon's other hand snaked it's way around Quinn, hand on Quinn's other shoulder, holding her close to him even after death. They looked ageless, no blood on them due to the rain having washed it off, moonlight lighting up their skin like marble.

Valor moaned again, a long, low tone filled with anguish before taking off, flying off into the air and circling it, singing a song of lament for his fallen friend and her lover.

And as Valor flew off into the air, two feathers fell away from the bird, drifting back down to the Earth. One landed on Talon's chest. The other landed on Quinn's chest.

…

"Are you afraid, Little Bird?"

"No. I'm not."

"And Why is that?"

"Because you're with me."

Trust me when I say that it's never been so painful to write about a character's death. This was the most sorrowful death I've written and it's pulling at my dark interior at strings I never knew were still playable.

But I found it beautiful to write. I hope you guys find it beautiful to read.

Thank you guys for reading all three, if you did.

Farewell until next time.

~ Wings