A/N: Hello, hello! As I played through the Dark Brotherhood quest for the first time (I've played through it many more by now lol), I found myself both intrigued and fascinated by Astrid. She was calm, cool, collected, and cold-blooded. What little information she gives concerning her past leaves a lot to ponder about...and ponder I did! And so, this is my take on the events that led to her rise to power...Here's the first two chapters. I'll try to update every Saturday. Hope you guys like it and thanks to all who stop in to read!

Chapter 1: Powerless

The bitter chill of winter rain fell from the uncaring, gray sky above as Astrid stood eyeing the fresh soil on her mother's grave. Its location lay on the outer edge of her mother's small property, its presence an ever-constant reminder of her absence. Thunder murmered from above, the cold wind stinging Astrid's face among the contrast of hot, unwanted tears.

Astrid sighed, brushing back her hair from her eyes and turning to the small, pitiful shack she and her mother had dwelled in together. At least, in moments past, she had some comfort in her mother's presence. Now, there was nothing but the eerie silence of being alone. She glanced at her mother's resting place one final time before heading inside from the unrelenting elements.

The old wooden door creaked open, with Astrid's lonely footsteps echoing off the rickety walls of her home. She entered her room, changing out of her dirt-laden work clothes and into a clean, but worn and tattered dress. She inhaled deeply, seeing the depressing pit of poverty that was her life. It didn't seem so bleak when she had another human being to share it with. Feeling numb, she left her room, wandering toward the small kitchen area. On the way, she glanced briefly into the shadowy bedroom that belonged to her mother. Empty and silent. Astrid quickly averted her eyes, walking briskly past the painful reminder of death within her home.

Lighting a small candle, Astrid seated herself at the table, well aware by the grumbling in her stomach that she should eat. Watching a small, black spider crawl across the old wood of the table with little interest, she felt entirely too numb and empty to actually act on the impulse. She was alone. Completely alone. Fighting it was useless. Feeling the flood of despair in her mind, she cradled her head in her hands, weeping uncontrollably.

Astrid knelt on the ground, digging up three potatoes to completely fill her large, now-heavy basket. She stood, knocking the dirt from her clothes as she clutched the basket, heading toward the quaint farmhouse in the distance.

"Ah, I see you're finished for the day," an elderly man stated as she approached him. Astrid and her mother had frequented his farm for years, tending to his garden and lending a helping hand for coin to get by on. His pay was meager, but it had been enough to buy food and what little clothing they could afford. He was a nice enough man, and he had very kind eyes. "How many have you got there?"

"Thirty-seven," she answered, handing over his basket.

"Very well, then. Just wait here. I'll be back with your gold." The old man disappeared inside his home briefly, coming out with a small coin purse. "Here you go, young lady," he smiled warmly, as Astrid forced a half-smile in return.

"Thank you..." she mumbled, now feeling uncomfortable from his kind demeanor and the hint of sympathy in his tone. She briefly nodded, turning to leave for her next location. It was a small cottage about a mile away, where she occasionally performed housekeeping for a very elderly Breton lady.

"Astrid..." the old man spoke softly, alerting her to whip around in surprise. "I'm so sorry to hear about Nona. Your mother was a good woman. I know it'll be harder for you with her gone. If you ever need extra work or coin, I'm sure I'll be able to find something else for you to do around here."

Astrid nodded briefly, averting her eyes from him uncomfortably as she followed the trail away from his farmhouse.

The cold silence of night filled the air as Astrid approached her home. Exhausted and filthy, Astrid unlocked the front door of her small shack, the tired door whining open. Kicking off her muddy boots outside, she entered, pulling out three small coin purses from her satchel and tossing them carelessly on the kitchen table.

She set her lantern beside her, counting gold coins in the dim light it emitted. It didn't amount to much, especially since many of her clients were poor and elderly and couldn't afford to pay her more than a handful of coin. She shrugged, feeling drained and apathetic to everything. Who cared anyway? She didn't even know why she bothered to obtain gold - she felt far too sick and disgusted with her life to eat, anyway.

Suddenly feeling far too exhausted to stand up, she quietly laid her head on the hard, cold wood of the table, her eyes closing as she succumbed to restless, tormented sleep.

...

Astrid gasped, jolting up from her sleep, her brow beaded with cold sweat and her heart racing in her chest. The nightmares since her mother's death were always the same. Astrid would always relive her mother's final moments - seeing her pitiful, frail state and hearing her dying cries.

Cupping her face in her hands, Astrid began to sob uncontrollably. This was her life now. She was nothing but an empty, hollow shell doomed to live alone in poverty forever. Love had been the only thing keeping her afloat in a sea of wrath, and now even that had been torn mercilessly from her grip.

A loud banging noise caused Astrid's eyes to shoot open, as she gasped, quickly standing in fear. Her eyes darted about the room, seeing the faint rays of sunlight filtering through the dusty air in the old cabin. She sighed, wiping last night's drool from her lip as she composed herself. She must've been dreaming again. Who in Oblivion would visit her, anyway? Barely anyone even knew her, save for the few that she performed hired labor for.

Her eyes grew wide again, hearing another loud knock on the door. "Hey! You in there, girl?!" a man's rough, abrasive voice boomed from the other side.

"What in Oblivion...?" Astrid mumbled to herself, slowly stepping toward the door. Hesitantly, she unlocked it, creaking it open just a fraction. A tall, lean, dark-haired Nord stood, hands on his hips, eyeing her curiously. He was covered in grime and sweat, as if he'd been working vigorously before approaching her doorstep. His green eyes narrowed under thin, furrowed black brows as they met with her own.

"You Astrid?" he asked bluntly, spitting nonchalantly on the ground as he wiped at the sweat trickling down his brow.

"...Yes...What is it?" Astrid asked him warily, keeping the door barely cracked.

"I guess Nona didn't tell you about me, huh? Doesn't surprise me..." he snorted. "You'd think she'd at least tell you something, considering what she was asking of me."

Astrid's brow furrowed. "Who are you?"

"The name's Reiner - Nona's brother," he stated, eyeing the inside of the old cabin through the crack in the door. "You two were living in this dump?! By Talos' manhood, this was worse than I thought! Nona was loonier than I took her for! She should've come back home after her daft prick of a husband ran off with that whore he'd been romping with." he mused, clearly not showing any sensitivity to the subject matter.

Astrid found herself growing quickly annoyed by his lack of tact or compassion. "So you're my uncle, then?" she asked skeptically. "Why are you here now, of all times? I've never seen you come around here before. My mother was bedfast for quite a while, and yet I've never seen your face the whole time." she spat, opening the door a bit farther.

"Your mother never informed me," he replied in a mocking tone. "I just recently got this bloody letter!" he snarled, pulling a crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket and holding it inches from Astrid's face.

She huffed, grabbing the parchment from his hands and reading it:

Brother,

I never thought this time would come, for I never expected my life to turn out so poorly. I've grown ill in our long time apart, and I lay dying as I write this plea to you. I'd not turn to you with such a task, but you are all the family I have left, and I am desperate to keep my daughter alive, though I soon will not be. Winter has just begun, and my home is very poor - much worse than you remember from your brief visit when Astrid was just a baby. She's so young, and she deserves more in life than I have been able to give her. I know that if you're alive and well that you have inherited father's farm and his small fortune, so you will be able to give her a better life. She's been alive eighteen winters and is old enough to work and marry, and that is what I wish for her. Maybe you can find it in your heart to help her. All I ask is that you treat her with dignity and not allow her the same fate that befell me when we were close. I have nothing, and all I ask is for your mercy.

-Nona

Astrid felt her mouth slightly gape open, meeting eyes with the strange man before her. "Why didn't you visit her more than once?" Astrid asked timidly, caught up in her emotions of pity after reading her mother's pleas.

Reiner sighed, rubbing the back of his head and averting his eyes. "She didn't want me to. We...didn't get along like I'd hoped." he answered cryptically.

Astrid sighed, fully opening the door. If this was what her mother had wanted for her, it certainly couldn't be worse than the life she currently lived. "Come in..." she told her uncle, defeatedly.

He followed her inside, seating himself across from her at the kitchen table, pulling out a silver flask of what Astrid believed to be some sort of alcholol. Taking a greedy swig, he wiped his lips, eyeing her. "You do look a lot like your mother. Spitting image of her, actually." He gave a crooked smirk.

Astrid sighed, looking away from him. The thought of leaving her mother in the cold, unforgiving ground alone made her soul ache. Of course, her life was a wreck, so she had little to bargain for. Reiner seemed mannerless and abrasive, but she needed him right now. "So...Where do you live?" she asked.

"On a big farmhouse a little ways north of Riften. It's a nice bit of land, really. Much warmer than this bloody place, with less of that blasted snow." he spoke, taking another drink.

"When do we leave, then?" she asked, taking in the smell of alchohol mixed with his musky sweat. She wasn't comfortable with asking the question, or with him, but she knew it was inevitable. She'd be living with him for a bit. Hopefully, she'd get on her feet soon and not have to be around him. Something about Reiner was a bit unnerving to her. What was so terrible about him that her mother wanted him to stay away? Why did she turn to him now, if he was so vile? Questions upon questions sprang out in Astrid's mind. Unfortunately, she held no answers.

"Well, if you get your things together this evening, we'll leave tonight. No use staying in a gods-forsaken place like this longer than we have to." he remarked. "That is, if you have any belongings. Surely you have something better than those dirty old rags to wear, eh?"

Astrid scowled, scoffing. "These are my work clothes. I was exhausted and fell asleep in them last night, if you must know. Your clothes aren't much better..."

"Haha...Seems like I've hit a nerve, young Astrid. Very well, then. Just get your bloody things ready by this evening and I'll be back to get you. Winterhold isn't far from here. I'm going there for a bit. You know, to get a few drinks and such. Be ready when I come back." he instructed, causing Astrid to bristle at his demanding tone. The thought of this belligerent man telling her what to do was less than pleasant. Hopefully, she'd get used to him in time.