Hey everybody! I'm sticking to my trend of writing for almost extinct groups of stories. I was playing Oblivion yesterday and realized that Lucien, one of the Dark Brotherhood guys, would make a great character in a Fan-Fic! I mean, he's tall, dark, and mysterious… Everyone loves a bad boy, right? And I'm not letting him die like the game does (sorry for anyone who didn't know that happened…)My main character's name is Quindi, and I'm making her a human. (Same w/ Lucien.) So, that brings us to the story… Enjoy!

People had always told me that I'd end up in bad places when I was older. I never did too well in school, not that girls were expected to. I would sneak up on people without even trying, and after a while, I used this to my advantage—pick pocketing was an easy way to make money.

Once I was old enough to be just an annoyance in my house, I enrolled in the Arena the first chance I got. The training was tough, but it was better than the life I left behind. Archery, sword-bearing, heavy armor, light armor, repairing, spell-craft… The list of things to learn in order to become Grand Champion seemed endless, but I slowly worked my way up the ranks in a few weeks. There was no use making friends in the Arena, as they could be killed at any moment. I noticed that one of the other competitors eyed me quite often, a half-human, half-elf man named Ruidri. One night, as I slept on my bedroll, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

"Quindi, wake up," a gruff voice whispered. I rolled over groggily, finding myself face-to-face with the Ruidri. He was the current Arena Grand Champion, a tough-looking man. "I need to talk to you."

I followed him to the far corner of the Bloodworks, stepping over sleeping bodies in the dark. He was intimidating and tall, almost a full foot taller than I was, and I could see the reflection of the scattered moonlight in his eyes. The light filtered in through the grating above, and he put his hands on my shoulders.

"You're thinking of challenging me, are you not?" he asked.

"Yes...I wish to become Grand Champion."

"Quindi…"

"What is it?" I whispered, though the fact that his hands were on me was making me increasingly uncomfortable.

"I know that one can't make friends in the Arena, but you and I… well, I've noticed you looking at me, and I've certainly watched you…"

I took a step backwards, but he took one closer.

"What are you implying?" I asked, trying to take another step back but hitting the wall. I realized with panic that I was out of sight of the other Arena contestants, in a secluded corner with a man I didn't know.

"You know, relieve a little stress?" Ruidri replied, closing the gap between us and running his hands down my sides. He licked my jaw, and I froze.

"And if I said no?" I said shakily.

"It wouldn't really matter, I suppose." He said, capturing my mouth in a too-hot kiss. I could taste alcohol on his lips, and refused to open my mouth to his probing tongue.

"Loosen up." He said, slapping me across the face. When my lips parted from the slap, he took advantage of this by plunging his tongue to the back of my throat. I stopped struggling, as I knew he would hurt me a lot more if I didn't succumb to him. I had to think… though the fact that Ruidri was holding me to the wall would probably inhibit most of my plans. Unless…

I tried to shove him away, but Ruidri caught my wrists and pinned my arms above my head. This was not good. He worked his hand up my shirt, and I knew I would only have one chance to make this work. I pointed my fingers toward his head in the certain way, and focused my entire energy on casting this one spell… And he would never see it coming.

My ancestor guardian appeared directly behind his head, and began attacking him abruptly. Ruidri's mouth left mine as he turned to defend himself, the action also releasing my wrists. While my guardian attacked him with weak, distracting blows, I pulled the knife out of my ankle strap and without a second thought, slit his throat. His eyes got very wide, and blood gushed from his neck and onto the floor. He gave a horrible, shuddering wet gasp and collapsed on the floor, a hand to his injured neck. Blood continued to seep from his fingers, and my ancestor guardian departed.

I knew I had to get out of here as fast as I could, and tried to block what I had just done from my mind. I packed my bedroll and other necessities, my fingers trembling. With one look back at the Arena Bloodworks, I ran out the door and into the dawn.

So there it is, the first chapter! Yeah, I know, it's pretty short, but quality over quantity, right? Review, even if you're not an Oblivion player. Gracias.

-FractureGirl