The mid-day sun shone brightly over the fields of Valoran that day. On any other day the Noxian general might have been able to enjoy it. Today he despised it. Without a cloud in the sky the sun's heat turned his armor into an oven. It was especially bad after a day like today. He was sure what remained of his men would say the same. They all stood around him, patiently waiting for his next move.

He took the time to survey the battlefield to see the extent of his victory. Roughly five hundred slain Demacians littered the fields on this beautiful day. Accompanying them however, were nearly twice as many Noxians. He shook his head in disappointment. Darius knew first hand that this bitter victory was not due to their enemy's strength. No, they were weak just as he had expected them to be. All of this was because of the creature that now lay unconscious before him. The cut on his left eye, the cracks and tears in his armor, the scorched earth all around him, and the death of over half his army all came from this wretched dragon.

As he examined the creature he took note of how big it actually was. During their battle he was more focused on taking the beast down than admiring it. The armor it wore no longer shined the crimson and gold as it had before. Instead it was cracked and beaten, worn heavily by the abuse of the day. Even more abused was the creature's body. Blood and dirt seemed to coat every part that wasn't wearing armor. On its left arm was a deep wound that was still bleeding heavily. It was the one that had finally brought it down. Really it was a combination of everything it had done and all the abuse it had taken throughout the battle, not just the wound itself. This particular cut was just the straw that broke the dragon's back.

Looking back the dragon had more influence on this battle than an entire Demacian army. Long after its last comrade had fallen, the beast refused to give up or turn tail. It faced the Noxians with strength only they could truly admire. Left and right it slaughtered them, setting ablaze to everything in its wake. Even after reaching its breaking point it refused to give up. Driven only by its rage it seemed the beast would not have stopped fighting until they were all dead. He had heard of their power before, but this dragon gave Darius a new-found respect for the species.

Eventually however, the beast did succumb to its injuries and fatigue and now, as it lay before him, its life was in the general's hands. Admittedly, he wished the beast could be persuaded but after how it fought today it was clear where its loyalty lie. There was no point in trying to make it the Noxian it deserved to be.

'Such a waste.' he thought to himself as he raised his axe high above his head. 'Demacia did not deserve you…'

The dragon then suddenly engulfed itself in flame once more. Instead of following through with the execution, Darius quickly lowered his axe and took a step back. If he learned anything from today, it was that every move a dragon makes should be considered deadly, especially if said dragon bursts into flames. He was a cold killer, not a blood thirsty one. His opportunity to strike will come. For now he was not going to take any chances. He readied himself for whatever the beast was about to throw at him.

When the flames died down however, there was no dragon.

All around him his men began to whisper, for a blue skinned woman had taken the dragon's place. Confused, Darius stepped closer to get a better look at the girl. With the exception of her helmet, which now lay further away, she wore all the same armor the beast had. Dirt and blood covered almost all of her body, but the parts of skin he could see barely looked like skin. It was rough and rigid. More like a dragon's hide than anything else. A thick braid of black hair rested to both sides of her face. They were to keep her hair out of the way during battle. He had seen men use this tactic before and judging by their size her hair had never met a pair of scissors.

Her face was not smooth and pampered like one he came to expect of a lady's. It was rough and strong like that of a worker's. Like someone who fought for every day that they lived. Darius liked that. He also noticed something else about her he liked. Beneath her eyes she had what he originally thought to be freckles. Looking closer however, he realized they were actually scales. But they added something that Darius couldn't quite explain. It was as if they "softened" her. Somehow they made her more like a woman than a monster. Truly she was nothing like Darius had ever seen before.

He knew that this change meant nothing. She was obviously the dragon that had slaughtered his men and now this… "Half-breed" was to pay for it.

When he is in battle, the hand of Noxus often listens to his instincts. Most of the time he calculates each move and makes sure that each blow is one that matters. But you cannot plan for everything, and it is in those instances where he cannot plan that his instincts get him out alive. He now stood before the half-dragon with her fate in his hands. He was bloody and beaten but he was in this situation because he listened to his instincts.

Now they were telling him not to kill the girl.

As he continued to stare at the scaled woman's face his mind slowly began to lose all traces of thought. He kept telling himself to kill her, but the voice in his head was far too quiet for his body to hear. Deep down something else was telling him not to do it. That voice was just loud enough for him to hear. It lacked logic and reason but it was the only thing he had. Maybe this would pay off later… or maybe there was something else there.

"Darius?"

For a moment, the Hand of Noxus had forgotten where he was and had gotten lost in his own thoughts. He did not need to turn around to know who it was that brought him back to the real world. His men were always hesitant when disrupting him out of fear he might lash out at them. His younger brother on the other hand could care less. He was the only one that did not see Darius as the powerful, ruthless general he had made of himself. All Draven saw was his older brother not paying enough attention to him. Like any one could ever give him enough…

"Soooo bro… you gonna kill the girl or what?" Draven so delicately put as he spun one of his flashy axes in his hand. The look on his face said he was bored and very tired of waiting.

"No."

His men who had gathered to watch the execution, all at once, seemed shocked and confused at his statement. After a short silence one soldier finally spoke up;

"Did you just say no!?"

"But she deserves to die!" a second said with anger. They were all now starting to state their opinion about the situation but it was hard for Darius to make out when they all spoke at once.

"Why won't you kill her!?" one soldier yelled over the rest. The crowd then grew silent as they waited for their general's answer.

"Why aren't you going to kill her? Let me guess, you wanted your bro, Draven, to show you how it's done?" the big head asked with honest curiosity, and a hint of his usual narcissism. Only a hint though.

"No, Draven" Darius said slightly irritated, "No one will kill this woman today."

All at once his men began to make their opinion of the situation very clear if they hadn't before. He didn't have to understand what they were yelling, it was clear they didn't agree with his decision. To be honest he did not blame them. The half-dragon had single handedly crippled his forces, killing many of these men's comrades. One soldier with bright red hair then stepped forward and faced the mob.

"Do not listen to him! He has fallen for the half-breed's tricks! She is not a woman! We will not let such a vile beast live! Let us execute her our-"

KSH

The sound was sickening and brought with it a welcomed silenced. The soldier who had spoken out against Darius' decision fell to his knees and then face first into the scorched earth. A large axe wedged deep into his back. The other soldiers looked to Darius, with new-found obedience, patiently waiting for what he had to say.

"Do not question my decision again. Now go gather the wounded; we leave for Noxus at sunrise." His tone, cold and dominant, sent shivers down his men's spines. He allowed them to speak their minds, but attempting to disregard his orders was unacceptable.

Without hesitation his men quickly began the preparations.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Draven was giving him a smirk, but not his usual one. This one was surprisingly far more obnoxious than what was normally on his face.

"What?"

"Oh nothing…" Draven replied with a cocky tone, shrugging like the innocent bystander he pretended to play the part of. "I just think I know what you are thinking. If you know what I mean.

"I don't…"

"Riiiiighhhhttt," he said, adding a not so subtle wink before turning on his heel to walk away. "I'll get it out of you bro, you'll see. Oh, by the way nice throw. Put a little more wrist in it and you might just be able to throw like me. Might"

His brother was obnoxious to say the least. But Darius had other, more important things to worry about than that cocky airhead. What would his excuse in his reports be for leaving the dragon alive? His men would no doubt be talking about it later so there was no denying it happened. He also had to make sure to keep them in check. They would be talking about it a lot, and another might get the bright idea to follow in the red haired soldier's footsteps. He could not allow such a thing to happen again.

It was then that his thoughts were interrupted once more, but this time by a faint cough from behind him. It was the half dragon. Darius wasn't surprised she was starting to stir. It seemed the only thing that would keep her down for long would be death. Why she wasn't a Noxian was beyond him. Before she could even open her eyes, her whole body began to wince with pain. Her gasps for air were desperate and unsettling. Darius thought that at this moment she might actually die. As she began to clinch her teeth together another thought came to him. Perhaps she was weaker in this state. Her dragon form could probably handle the pain she was in better. Then again she may just be overwhelmed by the sudden rush of it all. Still, she was conscious and that's more than he could say about most men who would have been in her situation.

"Half-Breed, are you awake?" He asked, when he saw that her eyes were slowly opening again. The question was completely rhetorical, more of an excuse to talk to her if he was being honest with himself.

The look he received from her made him regret that decision. As she turned her head to look at him he fully expected a set of eyes to meet his. Instead, his met with two black holes, burning with a hatred he could not fathom. With a second wind she rolled on her stomach and attempted to stand. But it was apparent her body wasn't going to let her. She got as far as holding herself up on her elbow before she flopped back down to the ground with a thud. It was adding insult to injury at this point but she was not going to give up. Her body trembled on her second attempt, desperately pleading her to stop. The meaning of the word clearly lost to her. Finally she managed to hold herself up on her elbows with her head tilted upwards at the Noxian general. Her eyes still burned with hatred as sweat rolled down her face. It was a small action, but it was impressive given the state she was in. He was convinced; this was the strongest woman he had ever met. No, the strongest person he had ever met.

"Do not…call me…a half-breed" she wheezed out between her sharp clinched teeth.

Darius was a little caught off guard by her statement. Not only was it odd she was giving orders in her state, but of all things… that was what she had to say.

"Very well." he replied to her. Not quite sure what else to say. The silence that followed was uncomfortable and nerve-racking. The half dragon never once breaking her cold gaze, both eyes fixed on Darius as if he would attack her the moment she looked away.

He turned to retrieve his axe. Any more of this awkwardness would surely kill him. His stomach already felt like he had been poisoned. Churning and twisting into what felt like a thousand knots. It was a feeling he was not used to and did not enjoy. With one foot on his victim's back and both hands on the axe's handle, he pulled his blade free with ease. The sound that followed was like pulling a suction cup from glass. It was sickening but it was welcomed compared to the thick silence that surrounded them. Just then he thought he heard her say something. He didn't hear what it was however. He looked to her hoping she would repeat it. Her head was down, sweat and blood dripping in rhythm with her desperate attempts to catch her breath. Perhaps she didn't say anything. It didn't look like she had the energy too.

"I have spared your life today, I cannot guarantee it will happen a second time." He calmly told her. She looked up at him with the same eyes from before and responded with a vicious hiss. Even if she looked more human it would have been evident she was half animal. Even so, he could not help but make a note of how beautiful her eyes were. They were reptilian, but there was something about them. They didn't feel shallow or empty. They felt full and determined, like she was her honest self at all times. It was hard for him to explain, even to himself.

Without another word he turned to head to camp. Looking at this woman was toxic. He had to get away so he could think straight. As he walked he could not help himself, and stole one last look before he was too far away. She was out like a light, now lying on her side as she did before. Not sure if he actually spared her life or not he turned to continue his walk. It was best if she died here and now anyways. So why did he not wish to kill her? He would contemplate it later, for now he had to get something for his stomach. He was sure he had been poisoned.

I don't like author's notes so I will make this quick and simple. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. This is my first story period, so I'm sorry about any spelling errors or grammatical mistakes I inevitably made. I worked really hard on this and tried to avoid them but I'm human. I really appreciate constructive criticism. The other chapters are not finished but the story is already planned out. Much More will happen in the following chapters. Again thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed it and will stick around.