Of Love and Death
A Dark Brotherhood Tale
Disclaimer: ... yeah I didn't make Oblivion... but one can dream.
Karine blew out a long sigh before rolling over onto her side. She was in her bed in the living quarters of the Cheydinhal sanctuary. Being a member of the Dark Brotherhood could be amazingly exhilarating at times. Other times it was just plain frustrating. Right now was one of those frustrating times.
If she had been having trouble with a contract that would have been on thing. That kind of trouble she could roll with and even eventually overcome. Lately she hadn't even really been given any real contracts. She had gotten plenty of silly menial tasks and once or twice in the last couple of months she had gotten a straightforward get in there and kill the person contract, but other than that nothing. And it had been far too long since she had even gotten a simple contract like that.
She had come a long way since she originally joined the Dark Brotherhood too. She had overcome a lot of challenges and dealt with situations that no person should ever have to personally deal with. It had all started simply with her father betraying her and having a contract placed on her head with the Dark Brotherhood. It all ended with her killing him. That isn't to say that the road to killing him had been a smooth path but since then there were few things, if any, Karine had to complain about. Until recently.
Restless, Karine rolled back onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She didn't like thinking about the past, too often it hurt. There were so many things she had wished had gone differently. So many things and decisions she wished she could change. Like sand through her fingers she allowed the thoughts to slip away, if she didn't she would never feel any peace. She focused instead on her immediate senses.
It was cool in the underground sanctuary but surprisingly dry considering the one of the entrances was through a well. Though dim as it was, and dark as some might see it, this was her home. And it always smelled faintly of nightshade.
She heard the door between the atrium of the living quarters open and the slightest sound of footsteps walking in. If Karine had been anywhere else she would have already been on her feet prepared to greet her visitor. Instead she lay completely still, relaxed. If whoever it was wanted anything from her they would come over and bother her.
"Daydreaming sister?" A female Argonian by the name of Ocheeva asked. Karine recognized her voice immediately.
Karine sat up and looked at her sister, the mistress of this sanctuary. Karine smiled at Ocheeva and Ocheeva smiled back. "So it would seem," Karine replied smoothly.
"What about?" Ocheeva asked, she too was an executioner. Her, Karine, and Vicente were the only people at that rank in the sanctuary. Everyone else was either an assassin or lower.
"This and that. Trying my best not to dwell on the darker aspects of my past," Karine said with a shrug.
Karine was an Imperial and attractive in her own way. She had long, straight, black hair and the most peculiar eyes. Her irises were the lightest grey color, almost more like an iridescent white. They were luminescent, her very unique feature.
Slowly, Karine got up out of her bed. She looked Ocheeva over. "So, what other pointless tasks have been assigned to me this time? Though I may just be overstepping myself, you probably don't have anything for me right now…"
Ocheeva smiled apologetically. "I have nothing for you to do at this moment… I am sorry about the tasks you have been given lately. I know you could do more than you have been."
Karine shook her head slowly and waved a dismissive hand, "It's not your fault. Maybe I'll have a chat with my dear Big Brother though I suppose this is all beside the point. Did you need something? It's unusual for you to stop and chat just for the sake of being social."
"I just wanted to check on you, make sure that you were doing well. I know that you have been less than pleased with the work assigned to you as of late."
Karine laughed softly at this. "Oh I have been just fine," she assured Ocheeva as they both walked out of the living quarters and into the atrium.
It was coincidence. As Ocheeva and Karine were walking out into the atrium Lucien Lachance dropped into the sanctuary through the well entrance. Karine watched him carefully. He was older, robed in black with his hood up. When he put his hood down, behind the dark façade and chillingly alluring voice was a surprisingly attractive man whose long dark hair was always pulled neatly back in a loose pony tail.
"Ah Ocheeva, just the person I needed," Lucien said. His eyes had swept over Karine before they settled on Ocheeva.
"Speaker!" Ocheeva sounded pleasantly surprised. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Lucien looked very pleased which was unusual, "We will soon have a new sister. You need to be prepared to outfit her when she arrives."
"Of course," Ocheeva replied smoothly.
Without another word over even a passing acknowledgment Lucien went to leave via the abandoned house entrance. Karine fell into step behind him, following him out of the crimson door. "Do you need something?" Lucien asked stopping just inside of the basement of the abandoned house. He sounded distant; he had been like that a lot lately.
The door shut with a resounding thud. Karine had stopped just outside the door and leaned back against it now. Even in the darkness of the basement it was obvious she was stung by Lucien's chilly behavior toward her. It seemed suddenly colder in the basement to Karine. "Did I do something to make you mad Big Brother?" Karine asked in a quiet voice.
Lucien's whole body froze at this. He turned and looked Karine in the eyes. "What, why would you think I was angry with you?"
Karine scratched the back of her head. "I can't imagine what else it could be… I mean lately all I've been given are menial tasks. I haven't taken a real contract in months! Plus every time you are around lately you've been like this with me, really cold… not that I've seen much of you lately as it has been."
Karine's gaze dropped to the dirt floor that existed between the door to the sanctuary and the stone floor of the abandoned house. "It's either that or I did something to anger the Night Mother right?"
A small smile twitched on Lucien's lips now. "What, you aren't going to ask if you've angered Sithis?
Karine's eyes snapped up to Lucien's at this. She was scowling at him. "If Sithis were unhappy with me we both know that I would be well aware of it by now! I'm not that stupid Big Brother!"
"Indeed," Lucien conceded with a small smile, "you would certainly know by now if you had…"
Karine's eyes were locked on her feet now, she was still slumped against the crimson door. "You didn't answer my original question. Are you mad at me?"
Lucien put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. He looked down at the girl rather warily. "I'm not angry with you Kari," Lucien sighed heavily before continuing. "It's just that you're more useful around the sanctuary."
Karine rolled her eyes at this. "Of course… none of this has anything to do with what Raine requested of you, does it? I should have just opted to never give you that damned letter in the first place…"
Lucien thanked the fact that he had Raine as a scapegoat for why he did these kinds of things. The truth was a lot stranger and scarier than that. At least it seemed that way to him. He did not want to admit to the fact that he may very well have been falling for the damned girl. He was already 40 and she was… well, she was quite a bit younger!
"Come on Lucien, I'm a good assassin! Why can't I do my job anymore?"
Lucien felt chest tighten with emotion at this. He sighed again before running a hand through his long dark hair pushing his hood down at the same time. It wasn't a matter of whether she was good at her job. The fact was that sometimes things happened that you couldn't anticipate or prevent. Accidents happen. Since Lucien had been promoted to silencer by Raine half of his job had been protecting and guiding Karine. Spending so much time around the girl was probably what had caused him to become so unusually fond of the girl.
After a prolonged period of silence Lucien groaned. "Fine, I'll make sure you get a contract," he grumbled before quietly adding." Though I'd rather not."
Karine hadn't heard that last part because she was too busy celebrating. "Yay!" she jumped on Lucien hugging him tightly. It was a brief hug and when she let go she stepped back and grinned up at him. "Thank you Lucien."
She practically skipped to the door to the sanctuary. The demonic voice issued from the door its usual question, "What is the color of night?"
"Sanguine of course!" Karine replied cheerfully.
She entered the sanctuary and turned around. Just before the door closed behind her she gave a little wave to Lucien and said, "Buh-bye."
After the door swung shut Lucien sighed heavily. He couldn't help remembering the old Karine. Back when she was constantly angry, self-loathing, and extraordinarily anti-social. The person he had known and the one he saw now were two completely different women. That was probably a good thing though. In fact, he admitted to himself, he rather preferred this version of Karine. The happy one.
Lucien covered his eyes with his right hand looking as if, for a moment, he had a headache. In truth he was just trying to get his suddenly rampant thoughts under control again. An image of pushing Karine up against the wall and kissing her came to his mind drowning out any rational thought he had had before.
Lucien took a few deep breaths, and struggled to gain control. When he felt he had managed this he turned and headed to Fort Farragut. Later that day, back at the sanctuary, a new member of the Brotherhood arrived. Her name was Angelic. Someone who, from the moment she laid eyes on her, caused Karine to feel a certain sense of foreboding.
This one is promising, Karine thought. What does her presence mean for the Brotherhood…?
Shadow- I'm going to be rewriting what is up
And hopefully adding more new material.
It's fascinating to see how much my writing style has changed