Walking With Shadows [#Wattys2015] [Being Edited]

Dagger

"Magic, eh? You failed to let me in on this little secret." Kurse's raspy voice demanded through the darkness of Tassel's nightmare.

"It was not of importance, my lord. I felt confident enough with my skills as is." she answered back with her head hung low.

That was when he stepped forward out of the darkness. His icy eyes pierced her with a stern, intimidating look.

"It is not like you to keep secrets from me, Tassel."

He ran his long, scaly finger across her cheek. It took everything Tassel had not to flinch away.

Kurse's eyes suddenly turned dark, and he yelled, "Finish the job!"

Then, he pushed her backwards, and Tassel fell into the inescapable abyss once again.

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Tassel jerked her head up off of the pillow. She glanced out on the balcony and saw the sun had not even come up yet. Hastily, she pulled herself out of the bed and hurried into the bathroom. Her skin and face glistened with sweat and what appeared to be tears. Fright hung in her eyes, and Tassel could still feel Kurse's finger like a snake on her skin. She turned the sink on full blast and splashed water all over her face.

The sweat began to diminish, but now it looked as if she had been caught in a rainstorm. Tassel dried her face, heart still racing, and she slowly made her way out of the bathroom. She pulled on a pair of black trousers and changed into a matching black tank top.

"Surely I won't be easily seen in this," Tassel muttered to herself, "It's still pitch black outside."

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Slipping her small dagger into its sheath, she quietly hurried down the hall to the training room. Her pace slowed as she passed Thor and Loki's chambers. One of the assassin's hands slipped to her belt where the dagger was held. The other hand came to rest on the doorknob on Loki's door.

Tassel turned it gently and peeked inside, hesitating to pull the knife out. The younger prince was laying on his side with his back facing the door. He was perfectly still, and had Tassel not seen the gentle rise and fall of his chest, she would have presumed him dead. Tassel took one cautious step forward, quietly removing her weapon from its sheath. Before she could make it into the room, one of the floor boards underneath creaked, and Loki stirred. Heart racing at high speed once again, Tassel turned tail and sprinted for the training hall, not even bothering to attempt an attack on Thor.

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When Tassel flipped on the lights of the training hall, the room brightened to reveal swords and axes of all sizes and shapes. Some were curved, and others were straight as a board. In one corner, a pile of throwing knives were waiting to find their mark. Hanging from the walls were shields and bows, each custom fitted for their respected warrior. Targets and stuffed dummies lined the lower walls. Tassel's hand slipped over the dagger's hilt. The smooth leather had been worn by many years of use, and yet, it never missed. With one swift motion, Tassel pulled it from its sheath and threw it at the dummy's heart. It nailed its target, producing a perfect bullseye and causing the dummy to rock back and forth precariously. A smile broke out over Tassel's face.

"Nice one, old faithful." she whispered to herself.

She walked over, plucked the dagger from the dummy, and placed it back in its sheath. Then, Tassel picked up a sword and started beating against the dummies. Never did she expect that she wasn't the only one in the room.

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For the next hour, that was all Tassel did: practice her combat skills. It was only that sly voice that caused her to falter. Loki had crept in unnoticed, and he watched her in wonder. Glistening in sweat, slashing at the dummy, he could not understand how she was the same girl whom he had known before. She was different, like she was changed.

Or hardened.., Loki thought to himself, but didn't say that.

"Civilian, am I correct?"

Tassel froze.

"Loki, what is it you want?"

She dropped the sword where she stood and turned to face the prince. His arms were crossed, and the gaze he was giving her made Tassel uneasy. He was clearly up to something, and he also probably knew that it was she who had awoken him. Loki walked over to her and traced the long slashes her sword had made, wiping away excess stuffing.

"I believe Lady Sif is quite correct. You certainly do have more skills than most civilians. This was not mere slashing. It is methodical, strategic." he observed.

Loki placed a hand in the dagger box and pulled out a perfect blade.

"Throw it." he instructed simply, holding it out to her.

"What?"

"Throw it. Must I be any clearer?" Loki repeated, adding a sneer at the end of his statement.

The young prince nodded his head towards the farthest dummy from them. Tassel turned towards it, and in an effort to appear normal, she threw it lazily. The dagger didn't even come close to hitting the dummy. It landed about ten feet away from it, not even aligned with the target. Loki nodded slowly and pulled out another knife.

"Throw it."

"I just did!" Tassel said indignantly.

"You didn't try. Now, throw it." Loki said forcefully.

Inhaling deeply, Tassel threw it. This time she meant it. Her arm reared back and propelled the small weapon forward. It met the perfect bullseye with such great force that it sent a shockwave through the entire target. Loki walked over and turned the dummy over to look at the back.

"Well, well, you have a pretty good arm for a civilian." Loki said.

He turned the dummy around for Tassel to see. The full blade was stuck out of the back. The only thing that hadn't made it through was the hilt. With great force, Loki jerked the dagger out. He twirled it once in his hand before handing it back to Tassel. He met her gaze with harsh eyes.

"Who are you?" Loki asked.

Tassel angrily threw the dagger into its box. She turned and began to walk away before Loki called after her.

"Don't walk away from me, Tassel! Who are you?" he shouted.

"You want to know my big secret, Loki? Where I come from, you fight or you die. There's no in between. There's no live and let live. People fend for themselves. That's why I know how to fight! Are you satisfied?" Tassel went on.

"You didn't answer my question. Who are you?" Loki asked cooly as she opened the door.

Tassel merely turned to face him and said simply, "I'm Tassel."

Then, she left him standing alone in the training room. The weight of the small photograph was growing ever heavier in Loki's pocket.