I am not a Warrior (Lucifer and Ksenia)

Ksenia stood about ten feet away from a tree studying it with a cocked head. There was really nothing extraordinary about that particular tree. It was like many others on the island. Yet the girl was studying it with an expression that resided on her face when she was trying to understand a complex concept from a textbook. The dagger that she held in her hand was her first one. She knew that technically it shouldn't be that difficult to figure out the precise way to throw it exactly where she wanted it to land. The problem was that her thinking style was not well suited to the problem at hand and she was aware of that.

Ares taught her the basics of using the weapon, but she knew she actually needed to try it first hand to figure out how to do it properly. The witch lifted her hand up and threw the dagger from over her shoulder hard watching as it as it cut off a thin piece of bark before flying past the tree and out of her sight.

"Great," Ksenia muttered to herself as she started walking in the direction of her dagger.

A walk was all he wanted to give himself a break from training and what did he find? A girl playing with knives and not that greatly either. Without a thought he headed over and looked at the girl. "Hello Miss Sokol." He said his voice thick with his accent.

"I couldn't help but notice your throw." He said nodding towards the barely touched tree. "Perhaps i could be of some assistance." He said picking up her knife and spinning it around so the handle ended up pointing towards her.

"Signor Sicarius," Ksenia said, slightly surprised to see him. "Thank you," she said taking the dagger from him. She was glad that she had ran into him again. He was the kind of person you wouldn't meet any other day.

"This is not the kind of thing that I do," she admitted. "I always stuck to spells thus far. I guess I am just not in the right mindset." she studied him for a few moments. He had handled the knife with such ease, and yet he didn't do much with it.

He polietly bowed his head at her address. It had been tradition in his family to treat women as if they were Queens. Especially those you ended up marrying. The thought of this man hurting her, his wife, just drove him insane. No one should place a finger on a woman!

"You're welcome." He said moving to place his hands back by his sides. "You could give my brother a run for his money. I can't seem to get him out of the library now adays." He said giving her a ghost of a smile. He'd never truly smiled. He'd never had reason too, not when your life meant training and more training.

"Never learnt to fight then?" He asked.

"I would have been in the library myself if I wasn't General Ryker's apprentice," Ksenia said with a small, but genuine smile. She wasn't one to smile often, especially after running into Abraxas. "I am broadening my fields of learning," she said as she spread her arms. Somehow at that moment she felt free, free of Abraxas, free of the family curse.

Ksenia shook her head at him. "Fighting is not my thing. I could never kill anyone."

"He teaches battle strategies right?" He asked, his father had told him about the General. They seem to have a good working relationship going on. Acquaintances like that were hard to come by. He knew that first off, since most assassins tended to work alone and trusted no one.

He nodded. "It is certainly a good field to learn." He said moving to stand in front of the tree she had aimed at. "Fighting isn't about killing. It's about self defense. If you want to be able to stand up for yourself, then you have no choice but learn to fight." He shrugged flicking his wrist so his own knife appeared in his hand.

"I could teach you. It's all about the technique." He said throwing it deep into the center of the trees trunk.

"He does," Ksenia nodded her head slightly, thinking of her teacher. She only had one meeting with him, but he was a man who had a lot of standing. She knewe that she could trust him, though she was not quite willing to share her secrets with him.

"It's a very fascinating subject. The logic that you must use to put everything in place is extraordinary," she said with a smile as she talked of her favorite subject.

She looked as he maneuvered his own knife knowing she would never learn such skill simply because she did not have the passion for it. "Or you could defend me instead," she said with a smirk, her tone teasing. She really couldn't believe herself. Ksenia could not remember the last time she spoke in such a light fashion. At that moment she had the freedom to talk to a person and not hide within herself like she usually did.

He nodded. "A bit like battle strategies yes?" He said standing ready in a position that he could easily protect himself from in an instant if needed. Not that he expected to get attacked here but he was training and thats what training did to him. "We are both required to think through plans for and after the fight?"

He nodded. "I could, yes." He said simply. He had the power and skill to protect anyone he desired but that meant nothing. "One this husband of yours is killed you will have nothing let to fear right?" He asked.

"I suppose you are right. It is the same," Ksenia said thoughtfully. "Though it would be much more real on the battle field itself. Only you do not have any time to think out there. Your decisions have to be based on instinct. The instinct that only comes with proper training. That is probably the only way to survive out there," she continued, shrugging her shoulders slightly. She really didn't know what she was talking about, she had never fought before. "Actually planning the whole thing would be more interesting for me. It's like working with a puzzle. Fitting everything in place."

Her expression turned serious once again as she met his gaze before a sigh escaped her lips. She lowered her body to sit on a large rock, not saying anything for a few moments. "There are a lot of men who want my gift. Most of them are driven by greed and nothing else. I have Managed to stay safe in the school for the past three years. But when Abraxas Montague comes to live close to the school and ends up dead soon after, I fear that some people might get suspicious. The Montagues have been close friends of the Volans family for quite a few years," she paused once again. That was the rational side of her argument. "It is very selfish of me to ask you to be my protector." But the thought of it sounded so good. She knew that this might be one of her only hopes to return to a normal life. To make anything of her life really. She knew the s he would just lose herself in all the negative emotions sooner or later. "If they come for me I know I will not be able to protect myself, even if I did know how to use a dagger. That would never be enough."

"During a battle you have less than a split second to think. Unless you can't train yourself to think ahead and anticipate your opponents next move. That gives you the advantage others can only wish for. It's all up here." He said tapping the side of his head with two fingers. "All the best fighters have strong minds and great instincts."

"Your gift? The power thing?" He asked. He'd done his research on her the moment she let slip her real identity. It was what he did. He liked to know exactly who he was working for so he knew what he was up against. He nodded. "Once Abraxus disappears it will alert people to the area." He said thinking it through in his head. He could see how that would be a problem. But it wasn't his problem, he could kill the guy and leave. That was all his job entailed.

"You do realise what you are asking of me? I would be laying my life down for you without any way out of the bargain." He said moving to lean back against the tree but not before collecting his knife. "The only way for me to do that properly would be to become your warrior and that is magically binding." He said bringing the knife to his chin as he thought.

“You know, now that you talk about it this way, the idea of learning how to defend myself does sound more appealing. Not that I ever thought that soldiers were barbarians, I just never connected the two fields properly,” Ksenia said thoughtfully.

“It’s more of a curse then a power,” she said her tone dry. It had been like that for almost four years now. “It brought me nothing but pain.” She still remembered the days when her mother told her to treasure her power, told her that they were the only ones who possessed it now. Now it just all seemed a dream. A happy dream that came before the nightmare of the real life.

“I do,” Ksenia said quietly. “But I would never forgive myself if I didn’t ask when I had the chance.” A sad smile slipped onto her lips. “The protection of a warrior would be seen nothing more than a thing from a fairy-tale. And to many it probably is. I can’t ask you to add even more enemies then you are going to have already,” she said as she stood up. “Thank you for your assistance, Signor Sicarius, but we have not known each other for long enough to be asking for life-time bonds of any type. As much as I am tempted to do so,” she said with another sad smile.

A smile appeared on his face without his consent. "People think of us as barbarians?" He smirked. It was understandable of course. People just saw the killer in an assassin not the person that rids the world of those not fit to be in it. "People forget that we can think beyond our fists and weapons. Assassins are probably some of the most intelligent people in the world. We have to know everything to get the job done correctly."

"You see this?" He asked turning to reveal a black tattoo just behind his ear. "This ables me to see how to kill a person by just looking at someone. It's not something i can turn off. Imagine looking at your mother and seeing a million ways you could kill her. Or a girlfriend or wife. What you have is a gift." He said turning back around to hide the tattoo. It wasn't something he liked people to know about, but he knew about her so it couldn't hurt her knowing.

"Wait!" He said thinking back to his research. "Did you know our families have been entwined for many centuries now because of a prophecy. One of my ancestors found a prophecy and he believed that this prophecy would come true." He said stopping in thought. Would leaving her unprotected be going against his ancestors work? He moved and sat down with his head in his hands. What would his father say?

“I think the majority of the population try to distance themselves from people like you. Because the things that you have to do for a living are so gruesome and different from what they ever imagine themselves doing,” Ksenia said. “Even when some leaders send out soldiers to the front lines, they don’t think of them as they do themselves,”

“I suppose you are right,” she nodded her head slightly. “Though it is very hard to think like that when you are alone,” she said before shaking her head. She was losing herself in the thoughts about her life. And there were not a lot of positive ones there.

She turned to face him, watching him as he sat down. “Yes I know that our families have known each other closely for a long time. But I never heard any details about the prophecy. Do you know something?” she asked curiously. She really couldn’t let this chance slip through her fingers.

"People like me?" He asked raising an eyebrow. "Im not like other assassins. In fact most assassins are different. We all have our own styles and tastes and beliefs." He said. It annoyed him how his family were just thrown in with the other common assassins. The others didn't know the real meaning of being an assassin and thats what annoyed him most.

He nodded. "Just pawns in the middle of a bigger fight right?" He said leaning back against a tree. "Someone needs to make people aware that every life is worth living." He said which probably sounded weird coming from a man paid to kill.

"No the prophecy is long lost. I just know it has something to do with the future. The future of one of our family members." He shrugged. "It must have been important for them to hand over their lives for you. Being a warrior isn't something most Sicarius' are willing to do."

"You all take lives. That is what alienates other people," Ksenia explained. "I know that you are different," she gave him a small smile. "But it is very hard to understand from the outside."

"Yes," she agreed. "If we did that then we probably wouldn't have any wars. And I don't think that is going to happen any time soon. People are far too selfish to let that happen. They sacrifice the lives of others for their own good."

"It doesn't help the fact that I am one of the only two who are still alive," Ksenia said with a sad smile. "Still, you cannot say that there will be no personal gain there for you," she said as she met his eyes. She knew that the assassins did not rely on their magic very much, but it was still an advantage that he could have.

"I take the lives of those that dont deserve to live. People like Abe who abuse their lives and the power they have. He's one step away from abusing and possible even killing innocent victims. You no doubt would have been the center of it all. I can not allow him to continue." He said placing a hand over the hilt of his sword.

He nodded in agreement. "The world is an ugly. selfish place to be. Some need shielding from it whilst others need removing from it entirely. Power is a great thing but when placed in the hands of those that cannot bare it responsible it can cause the destruction of many." He frowned running his hand through his hair.

"Maybe thats it. Maybe we are set to protect you to make sure your family name lives on. You say there are only two of you left? Who is the other and where are they?" He asked. Maybe this was his destiny.

"There are a lot more people out there who are like him and even worse. He is a fool himself," Ksenia said, her expression turning angry for a few moments. "He took the easiest source of power that was offered to him, blackmail. You can't kill all of them all by yourself," she said. She tucked the dagger she was holding into its sheath in her boot, finished with her practice. There were far more important issues to discuss at the moment.

"You think it could be that simple? Would you be willing to do it?" Ksenia asked him, her eyebrows rising slightly, her voice containing a few notes of hope. It was all that she could allow herself really. "The other one is my sister, Regina. She is back in England. I have not seen her for years. But I have this," she said as she pulled out a silver pendant from under her shirt. It was covered with Ancient Runes which were engraved upon its surface. "She has one just like this. If one of us were to die both of the pendants would crack in the middle. It's the only form of communication I will be able to get from her at the moment."

He nodded. "I know that. There are people out there working to stop them though. I've seen them around so i know they are out there somewhere." He said looking up at her. "I don't intend to waste time thinking i can. I know there are far too many people out there that don't deserve to live but for now i shall stick to those willing to ask for help against them. It's how it has always been."

He watched her place her knife away and frowned. "It's no good down there. You will never reach it in time." He said pulling back his sleeve so he could take off the holster hidden on his forearm. "Here take this." He said handing it over. "It's a lot more reliable and quicker than your boot."

"These things are never simple Ksenia. They weren't made to be simple." He sighed, got to his feet and started pacing. He had no idea what to do. Did he follow what his ancesters thought was important? Or just continue what he had been trained to do and forget about her after the job was done? He sighed once more and stopped pacing. "i need to think about it."

"So many people are too afraid to ask for help," Ksenia said thoughtfully, thinking of women who were on similar situations to her own. "If someone was there to encourage such victims to step forward it would be perfect," she said with a small smile.

"Thank you, but I don't even know how to use the blade properly," she said as she took the holster from him. "This won't help me much if I end up in a dangerous situation right now." And it especially wouldn't do any good against Abraxas, she thought to herself. Any form of resistance would be dangerous, she knew that.

"It's almost impossible to understand what is fated to be, even when you have some hazy explanation right in front of you," she said quietly. 'Thank you. It is the most I can hope for at the moment," she said to him.

"I know that. I have centuries of my bloodlines experience to know all about that. But we get work eventually. My father is never home because hes going that many hits all at once." He said getting to his feet. "That's what i plan to do! Im going make sure more people get the chance to get rid of the scum that ruin their lives."

"You can always learn. Im sure when faced with potential danger your body will act on instinct. If you have a mind like Ar... Professor Rykers then you'll know what to do when the time came. He is great when it comes to split second thinking." He said thinking back the the many stories his father had told him about when they'd worked together.

He nodded. "I must leave." He said turning to look at the castle. He needed to think and he did that best when training. "I guess i'll see you around." He said before giving her a bow of his head and leaving.