[0849] Collusion

As Tryndamere's stern gaze swept over Ashe's attendants—people she usually trusted deeply, and who played important roles in the day-to-day management of the Avarosan tribe—they fell silent one by one.

It was clear that many of them had reservations about Ashe's decision, but for now, they respected their Warmother's choice.

When Tryndamere withdrew his gaze and silently placed his right hand behind Ashe's back, it seemed that all the Warmother's attendants had begun considering how to adjust their future dealings with the Frostguard Priests, as Ashe had asked.

Lux watched everything unfold before her, calm and composed.

Ashe's decision hadn't surprised her. Though it was possible Ashe was merely trying to keep her at ease, Lux trusted her own judgment—and believed Ashe would make the wise choice. If Ashe chose to head north to the great glacier and take part in Anivia's trial, then she was all but certain to end up at odds with Lissandra.

But Lux didn't believe that the attendants, who looked as though they wanted to speak but held back, could all see the situation clearly.

According to the intelligence team's reports, not all of the Warmother's attendants around Ashe had followed her from the beginning, when she rebuilt the Avarosan tribe. As the tribe expanded and pushed east, many people from other tribes had joined the Avarosans and become part of them. Among those tribes' Warmothers and Blood Pacts, several had become Ashe's attendants.

This was how Ashe had united and incorporated other tribes while sharing some of her power. The Avarosan tribe's subsequent rise had depended in no small part on those attendants.

At the same time, because these tribes weren't Avarosa's "old guard," they had different attitudes toward some of Ashe's decisions. In particular, when it came to the Frostguard Tribe, many of