The Lady's Honor

As the morning sky lightened towards dawn, the carriage rolled between the sparse trees surrounding the forest edge in Elwynn. It slipped into a clearing, still gray and dull with the last shadows of night, rolling slowly to a stop several yards from a group of people that waited there.

The conveyance itself was extravagant; a wooden structure framed with carefully rounded sides that had been artfully painted and filigreed; it was clear that the person within was of some importance or wealth. As it came to a halt, a tall, lanky looking man jumped down from the driver's seat, quickly hurrying to the carriage door. The man was dressed in the finery usually provided to only the highest level servants within a noble house, his vest and pants cut perfectly to his size and a fashionable hat perched on his head adding further to his already imposing height.

With practiced efficiency the man quickly lowered the retractable steps on the side of the carriage's frame before gracefully opening the door, allowing the occupant to dismount. The group of people already in the clearing, which consisted of two men dressed in the latest style of the nobles of Stormwind and another who was obviously a manservant of some sort, watched as the shadows within the carriage stirred and the person within made an appearance.

A golden head of hair appeared first, followed by a pale countenance that had been enhanced with cosmetics to give the descending woman an almost ivory appearance. The gaze of the onlookers took in her form as the woman carefully set a designer shoe on the first of the steps, one of her delicate hands gracefully accepting the aid of her manservant as she stepped down. The Lady Britany LaFevre was in her middle age, her figure filled out from her life of luxury but not gone entirely to fat. The dress she had selected, like all of her dresses, was carefully styled to accent only her best features, and the huge affair of expensive cloth and laces cascaded down her body, the glittering of jewels and golden jewelry at her fingers, wrists, and ears highlighting the wealth she displayed.

As she reached the grass, she carefully gathered her dress at her hips, preventing the dew that clung to the greenery from soaking her outfit. Her manservant smiled almost sadly at her, leaning forward to whisper to her softly, "M'lady, you don't have to do this. I am sure another solution can be reached."

Britany turned and offered the man a smile, reaching out to pat his hand with one of her own, gloved hands, "Ah James, you worry overmuch for my health. Despite the danger, honor must be upheld and in these difficult times it is even more important to show a brave face. Thank you for your concern though my dear old friend."

With that the Lady turned and walked towards the group of waiting men, pausing within a few feet of them and offering them a polite curtsey. When she spoke, her voice had no hint of malice, but neither did it hold fear, "Good day gentlemen. I trust that all is in order? I would like to finish this quickly as you can imagine."

One of the men stepped forward, removing his hat and offering a polite bow, "Lady LaFevre, it grieves me terribly to see that you have chosen this course. Please, I beg of you, reconsider before we commence. I will be reasonable should you capitulate."

Britany offered the man a half-smile before shaking her head, "My Lord Baxon, although I appreciate your sincerity, I cannot allow House LaFevre to lose face in this. You made bold statements, accusing me of stealing your share of the latest ship-building contracts, and if I were to allow such a slight to pass the others would swoop down upon my poor head, pillaging what remains of my father's once mighty House. I fear that I cannot rescind my acceptance of your declarations or offer."

The man she addressed sighed heavily, looking over his shoulder at the other two and nodding. The manservant stepped forward, holding a small box in his hand. He opened the lid, presenting the contents to the two. Britany's eyes roamed over the paired dueling pistols, her hands caressing them. Beside her, the man who had challenged her to the duel sighed again, speaking softly, "As the challenged, it is your right to select your weapon first M'lady. I do wish you would choose a champion however. It is...unseemly for me to fire upon a Lady."

Britany shook her head, one of her gloved hands grasping the handle of one of the two pistols. She looked at the man and offered him a smile, "Nonsense. As my House has no Lord, it is my duty to defend its honor. If you would fire upon Lord LaFevre, then you should have no issue with firing upon Lady LaFevre. And fire upon me you shall, as I shall upon you."

She reached out, grasping one of Lord Baxon's hands in hers for a moment, their eyes meeting, "Do try not to strike one of my better features, would you my Lord?"

Lord Baxon blinked once in surprise, his eyes roaming over several of the lady's 'good features' before he managed to restrain himself. He offered her a polite smile before taking up the second pistol and placing his back to hers. "One shot each m'Lady. Regardless of the outcome, honor will be satisfied."

Britany nodded and spoke over her shoulder to her opponent, "Agreed."

Their Seconds scrambled to take their places as the two began to pace away from one another, each taking ten steps. When they reached that point, the two turned to face one another. Lord Baxon, a known duelist who had slain or wounded almost a dozen other nobles as of late in the forests near Stormwind, brought his pistol up first.

In the seconds that he sighted down the barrel, something washed over him. His weapon aligned with the Lady LaFevre, but as he looked at her, it seemed not to be her anymore. As the Fear spell that Britany had placed upon him with her touch took full effect, he began to see horrible sights. The Lady had sprouted horns from her head. Dark wings flapped behind her, and instead of her cheerful face, a wicked sneer stared at him. Flames licked the hem of her gown and the ground around her, and imps playfully frolicked in the fires, peeking at him from around their Mistress. Lord Baxon's hands began to shake as he witnessed the horrifying vision, the imps dancing towards him, leaving little trails of flame behind them and laughing at him, always laughing.

To the others, it simply appeared as if the Lord hesitated when he aimed at Lady LaFevre. Perhaps he had second thoughts about shooting a woman. Perhaps his heart was not truly in the duel. Regardless of the case, his arm trembled and as he squeezed the trigger, his pistol discharged, the shot well clear of the Lady LaFevre and not even disturbing a single lock of her hair.

For her part, and to the surprise of all of the onlookers except her own manservant, Britany brought her pistol up with some degree of expertise, sighted down the barrel, and gently squeezed the trigger. Her weapon discharged, the shot hurtling across the distance between the two and striking the Lord Baxon in the stomach. The sound of the metal striking vulnerable flesh wetly echoed through the clearing and the Lord crumpled to the ground.

What the onlookers did not see, what they could not see, was that the curse of enfeeblement that Britany had placed on her shot before firing her weapon was affecting the man. The shot, lodged deep in his gut, was giving off waves of fel magic, weakening the organs around the otherwise non-vital hit, stopping his kidneys, his liver, and soon after his heart and lungs. The man gave a great sigh and then perished right there on the spot, to the dismay of his Second and the manservant he'd brought.

Britany stepped towards her fallen foe, smoking dueling pistol in hand. Her face held a look of sorrow on it as the two men tried to resuscitate the man in vain. Finally, they gave up their efforts, laying him on the grass gently and looking up at her.

Britany looked down at them and placed her pistol in the grass gently, sighing, "It pains me that such a great man as Lord Baxon has passed from this world. Although we had quarreled, I did not wish him ill. Let his heir know that even though I am the victor here, I will not forget the Lord's original distress over current arrangements. His heir shall have precisely one fourth of the business secured by House LaFevre, and I shall make a donation to Stormwind's orphanage in Lord Baxon's name."

The two men rose slowly, bowing before Britany. "M'Lady is far too kind," the Lord's Second declared softly. "I am sure his son and widow will be most pleased to hear of your honor in this. All will hold you faultless, for Lord Baxon did challenge you, and you did honorable combat with him."

Britany inclined her head once, ascknowledging the words before turning and looking to her own manservant, "James, I wish to depart now if you will. This morning has been distressing and I fear that I need to meditate in peaceful solitude for a time."

James snapped to action, quickly opening the carriage door and offering a hand to help the noblewoman up, "Yes m'Lady. At once."

The door closed behind the Lady Britany LaFevre and her carriage quickly rolled away, passing into the forest and leaving the others behind to begin the task of taking the Lord's body away. Within the darkness of the conveyance, where no one could see, Britany smiled to herself, her eyes glowing slightly with fel magic as she reclined on luxurious cushions. A small laugh escaped her as the carriage headed back into Stormwind.The interests of House LaFevre had been well served this day.

No one stood again Lady LaFevre and lived to brag of it. No one.