Chapter 2: Honor
The blades of grass surrounding the camp plunge their tips into the early morning's chill, drizzling them with fine dew. The air is crisp and cool. Lessien leads Shadow Bane through the forest; she is determined to put as much distance as possible between herself and Malfoy. Suddenly, the trees part and the sound of hooves tear through the calm of the morning.
"Thought you could leave with out me did you?" splutters Malfoy as he dismounts and takes his place by Lessiens side. "You didn't even give me a chance to…"
"Thank Me?"
"No, to defend my honor."
"Excuse me?!"
"How would it look for a Malfoy be struck down by some…some woman?!"
"You should feel honored. You are the only one who has ever survived my poisoned dagger." She said through gritted teeth.
Why did I save this ingrate? My honor and reputation is now at risk all because I had had a moment of weakness.
Weakness had nothing to do with it and you know that!"Are you even listening to me?" Dracos voice broke the silence between them.
"Very well, I shall accept your challenge and this time I shall not be so kind."
They drew their swords and began to circle. Lessien locked her eyes with Malfoys-she would finish what he started.
"Do you realize how beautiful you look right now? Your eyes are fiery with rage. Gorgeous."
"Silence. I shall not be swayed by your flatterings." Slowly Lessien felt her face grow warmer-could she, a cold-blooded assassin, be blushing? Impossible. A smirk stretched across Dracos face, he enjoyed what his words had done to her-how it had unraveled her, how it had disturbed her, and how it caused her face to glow. Malfoy stared into her eyes-they were truly beautiful. Their silence was suddenly broken by the sound of metal clashing; Lessien had made her move. Her sword met his, they were locked together, and with a flick of her wrist she had disarmed him. The solid wall of confidence in his cold blue eyes melted away only to be replaced by panic. She was no fool when it came to the art of war, her moves were always careful and calculated-her years as an assassin had taught her that mistakes made would only spell death. Draco was unarmed and as good as dead in Lessiens eyes. Lessien began to close in on him, "It is a pity that you should die. If I had known that you would eventually die by my hands then I would have let the poison do its job-it would have saved me quite a bit of trouble." She smiled coyly at him; she was not going to take his life-not yet. She wanted to see the fear in his eyes, the regret he would feel for challenging her. She wanted to see her reflection in his bewitching blue eyes at that perfect moment when fear would gripped them. Suddenly, a white blur charges out from behind the dark line of the trees, a unicorn. Lessien had never seen such a beautiful creature. The beast was blind with fear, it charged at her-she had to move and quickly or be impaled by it horn. She jumps out of its path just barely in time, its horn grazing her side. Malfoy seizes his fallen sword and promptly puts its blade to the fallen warriors throat.
"I see the fates have favored me in this little challenge," he smirked, his confidence restored. His eyes drifted down to her neck, her skin was so fair, so luminous; he ran the tip of his blade along its length.
"If you are waiting for me to plea for my life then kill me now, for I shall never beg. I would rather die like a warrior then live like a coward!" Lessien stares into his eyes, ready to die.
Dracos smirk widened, "A pity for such a pretty thing to die so young. Truly a waste..." He was in his element and like a cat playing with its prey-it was all a game. He withdrew his sword and began to walk away.
Lessiens mind was reeling.
How could I have lost?
Why doesn't he finish me off?
No, no, this isn't how it was supposed to be….
My parents, my people…
He's a Malfoy they are merciless.
They are murderers.
Using her sword, Lessien rises to her feet. She staggers towards Shadow Bane. It is over. She had failed. She had fallen.
What does it matter? You are an assassin; there is no honor in what you do or what you have done.
Her mind was relentless. What she needed to do now was to leave this place-this site of her dishonorering. The sun had started to set, traveling in the night of the Forbidden Forest would be folly but Lessien faded out of any sort of caring. She needed to run, to escape the reality of the battle. She called for Shadow Bane; she arrived in a silence, waiting patiently for her mistress to mount. Lessien clutched her side-the wound was deeper then she had thought. She was becoming light-headed and faint from the loss of blood. She had to stop. She had to rest. Her wound needed tending to. She reached for a canister of water on Shadow Banes saddle. She drenched an old tunic with water and pressed it to her side. The area was tender, still sore from its brush with the unicorn.
You realize now that the only reason he spared your life was because he wanted you to suffer and to know. To know the sting of defeat. To know the sickly stench of dishonor. To know the bitter taste of humiliation…
Lessien shook her head in a feeble attempt to stop the inane ranting of her mind. Her
only goal now to was leave-to get away from the reality of the situation, to forget it all. But with each step, Lessien's thoughts became fainter, until finally they were engulfed in a blanket of darkness, and she collapsed, falling yet again from grace onto the damp soil of the forest floor. Little did she know that amidst the darkness of the forest a creature was stalking her; biding its time.
