AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is just something I thought of while I was bored at school, the beginning seems choppy, but that's because some of it was accidentally deleted and I couldn't remember what i had written down for the life of me. Just enjoy reading, it's still a work in progress.
"You smell like a wet dog." She said, crinkling her nose in sheer disgust.
The man laughed, placing a hand on his blade, "Better a wet dog than a walking corpse, sister!"
The woman snarled, her eyes flaring a bright red and her fangs glinting in the sunlight. Then her stature changed, she became more relaxed, and she smiled. "Godrel, you know that you could never beat me, The Dragon of the North!"
Godrel growled, "That title does not belong to you, Frea." He said, the words in his voice rippling with raw, untamed power
Frea chuckled, sensing her brother's anger rise to uncontrollable levels. "Well, it was nice to see you again, brother, but I am afraid that I must take my leave for now!" Frea said, fading away into the mist, leaving Godrel alone.
Godrel sighed, calming himself down enough to think clearly. After a few moments, he looked toward the nearby forest and said, "Rökkr, you can come out, it's not like you can hide from me."
Rökkr chuckled from the tree trunk he was leaning on. "Apparently I can't sneak up on either of you anymore."
Godrel laughed, "You could never sneak up on me, and you know that for a fact."
"There was that one time in Dimhollow Crypt…" Rökkr said, trailing off with a smirk on his face.
Godrel gave his brother a glare, and sighed. As he began to look closer at Rökkr, he noticed a dagger on the right of his belt, with a sheath that bore the symbol of an Oblivion Gate. Godrel shook his head and ignored it.
"You know she has to be dealt with." Rökkr said, attempting to change the discussion.
"No," Godrel growled, "We can discuss this some other time."
"And what time is that?" Rökkr replied, his look of concern growing, "When Frea finally decides to stop toying with Tamriel and destroys everything? You know what she is capable of, you heard what happened in Dawnstar!"
"That was the Dark Brotherhoods doing." Godrel muttered.
Rökkr grasped his elder brother by his shoulders and stared into Godrel's eyes, "It wasn't us. I saw her; I saw what she did to those innocent people. Godrel, when will you open your eyes?"
Godrel shoved Rökkr off of him and roared,
"FUS-RO-DAH!"
His Shout thundered throughout the valley, causing animals and birds alike to scatter into the four winds. Godrel panted heavily, feeling his anger ebb slowly away.
Rökkr couldn't believe his eyes, Godrel, a man so kind, and so gentle, had never been so quick to anger before. And as Godrel looked at his younger brother, Rökkr noticed his elder brothers eyes were a bright green, much unlike their original color of sky grey.
"I understand how hard it must be for you," Rökkr said, crouching down and circling the dirt, "To watch as the ones you care about slowly slip away into the darkness. With I as the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood and the Master of the Thieves Guild, and Frea, who became mad with the lust for knowledge and power."
"Enough," Godrel said, stopping his brother before he could speak anymore. Godrel gave a sharp whistle, and Godrel's horse walked beside him. Godrel gave a quick "Hup!" as he jumped upon the saddle of his horse.
"Aren't you coming along, brother?" Godrel asked, confused that his brother had no horse. Rökkr smiled, and snapped his fingers. There was a chill in the air, and Godrel could hear whinnying all throughout the valley. Out of nowhere, a horse as dark as night itself appeared before Rökkr, and its eyes were as red as blood. On its saddle, the mark of the Dark Brotherhood lay in plain sight.
"So this is the horse whose hoof beats mean death." Godrel muttered, staring down the legendary creature known only as Shadowmere. Some said it was born out of humanity's pure hate. However, Godrel knew the truth; that Shadowmere was a gift given to the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood.
"Can you keep up with me?" Rökkr asked, leaping up onto his ride with a chuckle. The two Nords smiled at one another, and with a loud yell, they took off down the misty valley.
It was dusk when the two brothers finally made camp. Godrel had tied his now exhausted horse against a tree, whose branches were bare from the chill of Frostfall. Rökkr was now reaching through his pouch, and pulled out two pieces of what appeared to be fresh bread. Rökkr then tossed one of the two pieces towards Godrel, who caught it with much surprise.
"Why, this bread can't be more than a day old!" Godrel exclaimed, his eyes wide and his mouth watering, "Where did you get this?" He asked his younger brother.
Rökkr smiled, "There was a contract I had recently, and-"
Godrel instantly handed back the bread, knowing how the story would end. He did not want to eat with blood on his mind.
Rökkr pushed the bread back. "Calm yourself, brother, you didn't let me finish." Godrel hesitated for a second, and then reluctantly brought the bread back to his lap. "I had a contract," Rökkr continued, "That asked me to take out a young whelp of a lad, about a year or so younger than me. He was an arrogant boy, thought he was the descendant of some Ancient Hero, but if he was, he certainly didn't live up to his ancestor's legacy. The boy died before he could even draw his blade." Rökkr paused for a moment, taking a bite of the bread in his hands, chewed for a bit and then swallowed. "The woman who had asked for his death was his wife. She couldn't pay me enough for the job, so naturally, I was a bit angry, and she said that she didn't know how to make up for the loss."
"Rökkr! You didn't-!" Godrel blurted over the cackle of the fire.
"No, I didn't. I'm not like a Bandit or some rogue mercenary. I looked at her hands, and noticed that she was a baker. So I said, 'If you bake me thirty loaves of fresh bread, we'll call it even.' And as she piled the baked bread, I took two of the thirty loaves and left a note that read, 'Donate the rest to the poor and homeless here in Falkreath. Then we're even.'"
Godrel sat in stunned silence, "Rökkr, I never knew that-"
"That I had a heart?" Rökkr finished, "No, I just couldn't carry all of that bread."
Godrel laughed and smiled, "Brother, you have always been a terrible liar around me."
Rökkr seemed to hide his face with his hood, and continued to eat the bread in his hands. Godrel laughed, and took a large bite of the fresh bread. The two Nords sat together in silence, eating over a crackling fire.
The wind shifted to the North and Godrel's horse grunted. Godrel instantly became aware of his surroundings. His nose twitched as he came across an unfamiliar scent.
"Rökkr-" Godrel began to say, but was silenced as his brother nodded his head, acknowledging that he knew as well. The two siblings continued to eat their food in silence, pretending to have not noticed their hunters.
"Godrel, don't be mad man, but can you reach for my bag?" Rökkr asked, breaking the silence. Godrel smiled,
"No," was Godrel's reply, "Not mad man." Godrel handed over Rökkr's bag, simultaneously answering his brother's hidden question. It was the secret way that they had asked questions whenever they felt threatened as kids. Using key words, or making slight movements that were unlike the asker, they could prepare themselves for any situation.
"Later at night," Rökkr said, standing up to stretch, "Want to go for a walk?"
Godrel took in a deep breath, scenting the air, and he could taste cold flesh upon his tongue. "Yeah, that would be nice." He said as he stood up, wolfing down the rest of the bread.
Rökkr grabbed his crossbow, and knocked a bolt into place, casually placing the weapon on his lap. Rökkr strained his ears, carefully listening for the slightest sound. There was a tense silence for a while, when Rökkr smiled.
"LAAS YAH NIR!" He whispered,
Instantly, Rökkr could see the aura of everything within his eye's reach from the smallest insect, to the large, blundering mammoths and their Giant Masters. He also saw a crouched form, standing a few feet away from his brother. Its hand moved, and it appeared to be drawing something from its belt.
Rökkr took aim and without a moment's hesitation, fired the bolt into the form's hind leg. The form yowled in pain, but before it could retaliate, Godrel drew his sword, turned on his heels and lunged, driving his Dragonbone blade into the form's torso, the end of it painted crimson.
The invisibility spell began to fade, and Godrel began staring into the bright red eyes of a Dunmer. "Who knew that the puppy had more bite than bark, eh?" The Dunmer muttered, blood beginning to drip from his mouth. Rökkr calmly walked over, grabbed the bolt that had embedded itself into the Dunmer's flesh, and twisted it, causing the Dunmer to wince in pain.
"Stop your incoherent babbling," Rökkr said, his hood covering his eyes, "Who sent you after us?"
The Dunmer smiled, "The Dark Brother-" Before the Dunmer could finish, Rökkr grabbed his Ebony dagger and shoved it firmly in the Dunmer's hand, twisting the blade as it went further and further into his palm.
"Don't lie to me." Rökkr hissed, the fury in his voice no longer hidden. "You do not bear the Black Hand, you are no servant of Sithis!"
"How did a Dark Elf such as yourself succumb to Saguinare Vampiris?"
The Elf chuckled, "Succumb? Ha-ha, unlike you and your curse," The Elf said, spitting out the word "curse" as if it was laced in venom, "I embraced the power of the night! My mistress bestowed this gift upon me and I accepted!"
"Mistress…?" The two brothers asked simultaneously.
The Dark Elf laughed, "The Mistress of the Night sends her regards!" And as he said that, he burst into a bright purple flame, causing both siblings to leap back in shock and shield their eyes from the intense heat.