Several months had passed since Sejuani's invasion, and things had settled down since. The castle had quieted and the only times Ashe had heard of Sejuani's appearances were in passing. News traveled fast in such a secluded castle, and the news of Sejuani's escape spread like wildfire. Neither the Queen nor the King had seen Sejuani in the League, but rather an announcement that she was on a temporary leave honing her skills. Although her sister had come for her life, Ashe seemed relieved that her sister lived on, her hands finally cleansed of the sins she had carried.

Ashe woke up to a tugging sensation, at first the feeling frightened her, as she felt her body tense under the touch, but before she could even push herself up to further investigate, a large hand had placed itself upon her back. She could feel the panic set in until her husband's voice put her at ease, "Don't move." Her husband's voice was surprisingly soft, "You'll ruin it." There were a few more tugs, and now that Ashe was becoming more cognitive, she could feel it was her hair being pulled.

"What're you-"

"Give me a moment. I said don't move." Tryndamere's voice, though always gruff held a small irritable tone to it now. Laying still on her stomach, Ashe's eyes trailed around the white sheets of their bed, until a small fleck of blue caught her eye.

"What is this, Tryndamere?" Ashe drew her arms up, gathering herself carefully as she tried to push herself into a seated position. A large, exasperated huff came from behind her.

"If you must. For such a skilled archer you lack quite a bit of patience." The man murmured as he pulled away, allowing his wife to fully sit up. Reaching over to her nightstand, Tryndamere withdrew her hand mirror and carefully handed it to her. "I had planned on having it done before you had awoken, but you are terribly difficult to not stir."

Ashe took the mirror from him and carefully raised it to her face. Her face remained untouched, but as she raised it higher, her silvery locks had been woven into a neat braid that circled her head, and now that she was sitting up, trailed down her back. She allowed a small smile to grace her features before another blue speck caught her eye, and then she realized there were multiple blue specks. Tryndamere had woven small blue and white flowers into her hair, though the blue flowers were native for their magical healing properties, they obviously also made for beautiful decoration. The train of flowers were woven almost delicately through her hair, in a way that Ashe didn't even know the Barbarian King could manage.

"You managed to do this..?" Though it seemed insulting, the man Ashe had thought she married would've never been able to pull off such a feat.

"I am skilled at many things you are unaware of." Tryndamere answered quietly his hand reaching up as he stroked the ends of Ashe's hair.

"Where did you learn such a skill?" Ashe shifted, facing her husband.

"I used to braid my sister's hair by the river that ran through our village." Tryndamere answered simply. It was bittersweet to remember his younger sister, but he remembered her fondly. She was like any other younger sibling, bothersome, whiny, and always needing to be the center of attention, but Tryndamere loved her. He remembered the few times he could get her to quiet down was when he sat her down and clumsily braided her hair, decorating it with the native flowers on the riverbank. She would always insult his braiding skills in some way, shape or form, but she always left him dancing and twirling, proudly showing off the 'sloppy braid'. Though the memories were sweet, Tryndamere could rarely remember the good times without them slipping away in a cacophony of screams and cries as the memories of his ransacked village flooded his mind in his sister's place. Tryndamere closed his eyes tightly for a moment, his forehead furrowing slightly at the thought. It was only half a moment that he had closed his eyes, but he felt the cool touch of his wife's hand on his forehead.

"Don't do that." She murmured quietly, "You already wear your stress on your features," her fingertips traced along the wrinkle that was slowly starting to embed itself in the man's skin.

"I wear age and bloodshed, I do not wear stress."

"And you are not quite ancient," Ashe quipped back. Going back to her reflection, Ashe continued to smile gently admiring her husband's work before turning back to him. "This crown is beautiful-"

"Befitting for a Queen such as yourself."

"What's the occasion?"

"An olive branch. Those are not native here, but this was the best I could manage."

"And you do not see forgiveness as a weakness?" He could see it, though Ashe didn't move physically she had pulled away from him, even if the movement was ever so slight.

"It is not forgiveness I seek, it is peace." Tryndamere leaned in, grabbing his wife's hands, dwarfing them in his own. She could feel the rough callouses stroking her hands. "I lost everything, and I have killed many trying to get it back, knowing full well it would never come back to me. Nothing in my life is untainted by bloodshed. Not even you." Ashe's posture relaxed slightly, she was well aware of the man's rage, she had seen it many times in the League, but for some reason, to know it was, and had been used outside of the League, was unsettling to her.

"You are part of my life now and have been for this past year. A very important part, whether you want to be regarded as so, I'm not sure." Ashe knew the man had a more eloquent side; when speaking with the council it was important to have a diplomatic mask to wear, but she had never heard it from the Barbarians's mouth. Their words were always forced or harsh to one another, and to be addressed in this manner, left Ashe hesitant on how to receive them. "I have seen enough war, and bloodshed in my years that would scar many a man. But I do not wish to wage war with you. And I certainly don't want to lose you." Tryndamere concluded quietly. The Frost Archer hadn't noticed, but during the man's monologue, his eyes had dropped, only staring at the crisp white sheets of their bed now instead of looking to his wife's face.

"A marriage cannot only survive on peace." Ashe murmured quietly watching as Tryndamere lifted his gaze to meet her own. "Oddly enough, a town can, but a marriage cannot. It will idle, but it won't thrive."

"A town has many, we just have us." Tryndamere finally lifted his eyes looking at his wife. Though he would never comment during such a situation, she had never looked more beautiful to him. She almost rivaled the day he married her. Her pale skin basked in the ascending morning light and her light hair contrasted beautifully to the sprinkled blue flora.

"And is that enough for you?"

Tryndamere paused, the couple sitting anxiously in silence. Ashe could feel the regret beginning to pool in her stomach, was her doubt too prominent? But before Ashe could fret further she felt the bed shift and Tryndamere close the gap between them. Ashe stiffened slightly as she felt her husband's hand caress her cheek, drawing her face closer to his. She could feel his breath against her lips, it was unsteady, unsure - different for a man whose breath could've blown the entire castle down in one bellow had it been fueled by rage instead. The Barbarian King finally pressed his lips firmly against Ashe's his hand wrapping carefully around the woman's waist, drawing her closer and deeper into the kiss. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, before the man withdrew looking at Ashe - her eyes were still half lidded, but when they opened she finally looked at him. They didn't look unsure, they didn't shy away from his gaze and for once Ashe looked at Tryndamere with trust. Finally, Tryndamere spoke, "You're all I need."

And for the first time, Tryndamere and Ashe had finally found peace.

Author's Note: Apologies that this came to a rather abrupt end, I had planned on adding more and making this slightly more elaborate but obviously things got in the way and I've already dragged this story on and off for nearly four years. I really appreciate the support and I have been gradually getting back into writing recently. I hope this ending does the story at least some justice! I'm a sucker for cheesy endings, and clearly League has them still married so I'm more than positive they worked something out.

Also, I did write a slightly different ending as an alternative ending to this, which I'll be posting as soon as I review it (uh I promise, hopefully that doesn't take another billion years again [hopefully])

Lastly - thank you so much for all of the reviews/favorites/follows, I really appreciate every single one of you. And to those who reached out via PM during my absences - you guys went well above and beyond what I thought someone who's just reading my story would do for a stranger. Thank you so much for the support and kind words even during my disappearances. 3