Honor Thy Family
Bound By Others' Blood
"I find your past… interesting," the vampire revealed as she sat down in front of him. "Even though we have all been loners, you are quite a case."
"Yes," the Argonian said, drawing out the word with a hiss. "But from what I've heard you must have been lonely as well."
She brushed some dust off her dress, folding her legs so she could be sitting in the same position as he. "When you have certain possibilities like myself you have the time to find a lot of friends. Not that they last forever."
He nodded in agreement, still a bit confused about her presence. "You sure must have seen some things."
"But not too many Shadowscales," she said with a small smile. "Astrid always let out some information before we get new recruits."
"I see," Veezara said shortly. "Not that I know much about all of you. But I sure remember seeing you last evening."
"Oh, yes," she said, remembering as well how the Argonian had stepped into their home, a hand on his sword the whole time, just to be ready. But now, in the morning, he seemed to have relaxed. "But I bet you still need to know a lot about us."
He chuckled dryly. "You win that bet. I don't even know your name, if you truly want me to admit my lack of knowledge."
She smiled, showing off her fangs. "Name's Babette and I do know yours."
"No need to present myself then," he said, shrugging lightly.
"But I do want to know you better," she protested, still keeping up her smile. "None of us should be strangers here. We do live with each other, after all."
"True. Unfortunately, not many are so willing to share their pasts. Though, I can relate to that. Some things are better left unspoken."
She started playing with her hair as she listened. "Well, I do find secrets foolish; unless they are of utmost importance. I can tell you all about my past; if you want, of course. With my age, I have a lot to tell."
"Yes," he slowly hissed the word. "I did sense the Sanguinare Vampiris when I met you all."
"Or perhaps you just saw my eyes," she teased him. "They are the mirror of the soul. Whether I have one or not, can be discussed, but I am sure all here will agree when I say that I have quite the personality."
"I don't doubt that," Veezara said, finding the girl (or should he call her a girl? He was still unsure about that) amusing. He had not exactly expected the most bloodthirsty assassins of all of Tamriel to chat like this. Not that he found it annoying, not at all.
It did, after all, make him feel a bit more welcome.
"Don't be too scared of the others," she suddenly told her. "They were all a bit grumpy when you came… It was late night, and, even though some don't believe it, we do work hard. And with the big argument about Festus and his experiences… They were not exactly in the best mood. That's why we all vanished so quickly."
"I didn't mind," he said, shrugging it off. "I too longed for sleep." He paused briefly while licking his lips in a quick movement. "But if I could ask, there is something you might help me with."
"What?" She had tilted her head in curiosity.
"Astrid may have told me a bit about you all, but there was not exactly time for a properly introduction last night." The argonian could not hold back an old habit and let out a hiss. "So I just thought it would be a good idea to know their names before I'll have a conversation with them… And, if it is not too much, I would too like to make a good impression. No reason to make enemies here… or just offend somebody by accident."
"I see," Babette said while nodding. "Even though we are all family down here, I can say that some of us have a really short temper, so I understand you completely. You do already know Astrid so not much else can be said about her; well, else than she is out leader and you have to follow her lead, then you'll do great. Arnbjorn is her husband; he is the Nord with the long hair. Oh, he's a werewolf too, and he's very proud of it. He isn't exactly kind to strangers, so keep a distance until you have proven your worth." She paused for a second, remembering something, "Oh, and don't wear the color blue while he sees it. Actually, don't even mention the color while he's around."
That fact confused the newcomer. "Why?"
Babette sighed. "A long story you'll get another day. Then there is Festus Krex."
"You mentioned him."
"Yes, he's our mage. A prodigy, if you ask him yourself. I must admit he master destruction magic very well, but I've seen and smelled too many of his explosions to call him a prodigy. You'll know him when you hear him; no one can sound as grumpy as him. But we've all learned to live with it."
"Sounds like an uncle I once had," Veezara muttered. "Except the magic stuff."
"Then there is Gabriella. A Dark Elf with remarkable skills when it comes to alchemy. We share the same passion, you see. She is very nice, but she'll probably tell you to disappear, but that's just because you are a male."
"How lovely."
"And at last, there is Nazir. Be sure to remember his name; he'll be the one granting you the contacts. Actually, if you are eager to start killing, just go see him. He's probably in the dining room… Oh, and he's the Redguard by the way." When he rose from the ground, she did the same. "If you have questions about how this whole thing works, you can always ask Astrid."
"Thank you," he said, bowing his head slightly, "for your help."
She placed her hands behind her back, using her childish charm. "You are very welcome. And good luck with your first contract!"
Veezara first truly knew he had made the right choice when he walked through the shadows of Windhelm. Being an assassin was what he was; it was the reason why he was born.
And this mission actually seemed quite easy after all. He had suspected that he would be tested as it now was his time to prove his worth, but so far it all just seemed too easy.
He just needed to pick a lock and slip inside with the victim waking up as he entered. The guards had not paid too much notice of him; he had told them, he was just another worker at the docks. He was still wearing his farmer clothes, but had his new armor on him, just in case.
Unfortunately, Veezara soon found out that his victim must have sensed he was in trouble. The lock was more difficult than expected, and with each broken lockpick came a cursing word. Even when he had run out of the small tools, he still had a lot of words left to use.
And use them he did.
He would need a key to get in now, and that key was inside the locked house… He would have to wait until morning, killing the Nord when he came out.
Nazir had not told him much; from what he knew, it was just a traveler who had decided to settle down in Windhelm, unfortunately angering a former lover he had left when he decided to get a home for himself. And this former lover had been willing to pay for revenge.
Veezara slammed the back of his scaled head against the wall. He had hoped to get back to the Sanctuary as soon as possible, so he perhaps could impress the Brotherhood, but now he had to delay it all a bit.
But no worry; his mind had already come up with a plan. Hopefully, the Nord, named Dagfinn, would open the door and step outside at a moment where no one would see the argonian slit his throat and throw the body back into the little house…
The sound of small rocks clattering against the hard stone-ground caught his attention. With a quick movement, he had sunk his claws into the wall and pulled himself upwards. Being meters above the ground, he looked down to see if it was a guard patrolling the street.
It took seconds before he could spot a little figure down under him, but before he had even recognized her, she had jumped into the shadows, as the narrow street was suddenly lit up by guard's torch.
The guard walked passed them both without even knowing they were there.
As soon as it was safe, Veezara let go and landed gracefully on his feet. As he straightened out his back, Babette stepped forwards. "Good evening," she said in a hushed tone.
He raised an eyebrow. "Should I be surprised that you are here?"
She did not answer, but instead threw a little purse towards him. He grabbed it and expected to find coins when he opened it; instead he found lockpicks.
"I thought you might want to continue your work," she explained. "Though, I found it very amusing to see you fiddling with the lock. I kind of thought it would be a skill of yours."
"Oh, it is," he hissed. "It had just been quite a while since I've used that so-called skill… and I really should have brought more than just nine lockpicks." He tightened the grip on the purse. "Thank you."
"It's nothing. I won't tell Astrid about you slip-up, if you won't tell her that you actually noticed my presence. I wasn't exactly supposed to be seen."
He understood. "You were here to see how I was doing."
"Yeah, Astrid likes to know if the newcomers can handle the pressure…" She trailed off, looking around to make sure that no guards were around. "We got a new recruit some years ago, you see. The first thing he did was to find a guard and tell where the Sanctuary was hidden… Good thing Arnbjorn killed them both before they could spread the word. But Astrid never makes the same mistake twice."
"I see." The argonian turned towards the door again, already trying his luck with his new lockpicks. "No need to fear that from me."
"Oh, I know. It's just the way we…" She trailed off, once again checking if a guard was coming their way.
Meanwhile, Veezara finally heard the reassuring click as he managed to get the door open. "Finally," he muttered, stepping into the house. He looked over his shoulder to see if Babette was following him, but the vampire was standing still in the doorway.
He cringed. "I can't exactly do it," he began, "with you watching like that."
To his surprise, the vampire actually blushed for a short moment. "Oh, yes. Sorry. You won't even notice I am here," she said as she stepped outside, "if I am even here." She carefully closed the door, leaving him alone with his sleeping victim.
Veezara shook his head for himself. The Dark Brotherhood sure was wicked.
Babette silently walked through the streets, smiling for herself. She did not even have to be there to know that her new Brother would do well. After all, a sleeping kill was an easy kill; but it would also grant a safe kill with no guards running around.
When she finally did get a contract, she would nearly always face the attacker. But she also did make sure that they were alone when she finally made her… move.
"Hold!"
The sound of a demanding voice almost made her flinch. She had thought she was alone, but now she saw a guard coming towards her.
Great. She had to use her tongue to get out of this one… And if it did not work, she would have to use her fangs.
"Hello," she said sweetly, studying to guard who was now standing in front of her. It was a female with a round face and deep brown eyes. She looked sweet enough, but the way her brows were furrowed it was clear that she saw the little girl as a problem.
"What are you doing up so late? Or so early in the morning, if you would call it that?" She tried to sound kind, but there was still a tiny bit of demand in the question.
"I was just taking a small walk. My papa's is just over in the inn; we arrived just some hours ago."
"I see. But this is still no place for child." She reached out her hand to put it on the child's shoulder, but Babette backed away.
The irritation and hatred could easily be spotted in her eyes, but just as she was about to take the guard by surprise, when she noticed persons in the distance. Probably guards too, seeing how they were surrounded by the light of a torch.
New plan. "I'll just find my Papa then," she said, taking two steps backwards before rushing towards the inn. Finding the nearest entrance, she quickly glanced back to see if the guard would follow her, but from what Babette could see, she was stuck hesitating.
Closing the door behind her, the little person rushed through the hallway, turning left to enter a room where she could hide.
She stayed quiet, waiting to see if anyone should have heard her enter. When the door stayed closed, she sat down on a nearby chair, picking up a green apple from the little table in front of her.
The vampire took a bite of the fruit, forcing back a grimace. Human food had been tasteless for so many years… One of the curses of being almost immortal.
"Huh?" She looked up as she heard footsteps coming outside the room, and she had only just risen from her chair when the door was opened.
In came travelers… Or that was what Babette thought they were until she recognized their outfits.
…Was there a reason for why she was so unlucky today?
For what was the chance that Vigilants of Stendarr had rented the room she was hiding in?
Mouth agape and widened eyes she looked up; the women's faces mirroring her surprise. But that was just until they noticed her blood-red eyes. Trained to spot certain flaws when it came to the human nature, they immediately saw that something was wrong with the girl in front of them.
But before they could open their mouths, Babette lunged at them. She managed to knock one of them over, but the other one quickly lit her torch with the help of a candle and swung it at the vampire. Babette avoided it with ease, but knew she should not take up the fight against them.
The noise must have alarmed the other customers, because suddenly the inn seemed to be alive. Voices were raised as Babette ran out, only to freeze the moment she stepped outside.
The sky was red and the sun was coming up.
Reacting by instinct, Babette ran; she had to find a place indoors but she could not go back to the inn. The guards had sensed trouble and shouted after her as she ran by; she had spotted a door and was now hoping it would lead to a safe place.
She smacked the wooden door shut with so much force that she could hear the icicles fall down outside. Thinking quickly she grabbed one of the benches that was filling the room and started pulling it towards the door.
"Yes, yes, I am coming, I am-"
Babette became sure that she had entered a temple the moment she saw the priest coming towards her; still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
When he saw the struggling girl, his eyes became wide open. "By Talos!"
Babette stopped pulling to look up at him. She put up a small smile. "Do you have a key to the door I could borrow?"
The priest did not answer but ran out of the temple. Babette sighed as she faintly could hear him yell "Devil-child! Devil-child!" With her last efforts she placed the bench against the door so she at least had some kind of barrier.
Taking in a deep breath, she calmed herself down. It was not the first time she had been recognized as a vampire nor was it the first time she had tried being chased.
Looking around in the temple she found no other way to exit than the door she had just blocked.
Pressing her ear against it, she could hear a lot of different voices.
"She's in there! I just saw her!"
"And this is the only way she can get out?"
"Get some torches. Fire is the easiest way to get rid of such creatures."
"And burn the temple?! Do you wish Talos' anger upon you?!"
"Alvilda, do you really wish to do this? She is just a child."
"You know what she is as much as I do, Caja. Now we must stop her before it spread further; possibly to other innocent children."
"She told me, she and her father had just arrived here… I did notice there was something strange about her eyes… But I never thought-"
"You two! You should take are of this problem! Go in there and do whatever you have to do!"
"Usually we would require fire to force the beasts out-"
"Stone doesn't burn, you idiots! I'll gather some men and then we'll take care of her the old-fashioned way."
Babette backed away, cursing under her breath. She did not like fire nor did she like the 'old-fashioned way'.
Fiddling with her hidden pockets she only found two bottles of poison. She had not exactly planning on combat when she had been told to follow Veezara.
Speaking of the Argonian; where was he? Perhaps he could help her out of this sticky situation.
Veezara had managed to get himself some friends. In the years he had spent in Tamriel, he had not seen many argonians. And those he had actually met had not been following an honorable way of living.
Well, when it came to that question, was his life then honorable? But he was happy and that was important.
But now, at the docks, he had found fellow Argonians. Surprisingly they were already up when he had knocked on their door; they were first supposed to be working at sunrise and there was still an hour until then, but now they were sharing what they had for breakfast together.
Truth to be told, Veezara did miss his homeland. And so it was great to get some news and stories about how the others had ended up in this cold strange land.
Getting quickly back to the sanctuary did not really matter. Now when Babette was going to put in some good words for him, he could arrive some hours later.
But when he started to hear turmoil he immediately knew it was time to leave. They had probably found his victim and were now searching for the murderer, so sticking around here would not be a good idea.
The dock-workers looked up, confused by the yelling that still could be heard even though it came from inside the city walls.
He had told them he would go investigate and had left before they could utter a word. His plan had been to dive into the water and disappear under the surface…
But today just seemed like great day to improvise.
And when he heard the guards mention the word 'vampire' before disappearing through the gate that led into the city, Veezara turned around to follow them.
He was not sure if Babette might have been planning this; he was not even sure what was going on. But in case the girl needed help, he should be there.
After all, Astrid had told him that in this new family, they all looked out for each other.
But if Babette was just toying with him, he was going to hold a grudge for a long time.
Though, when he saw the group of people in front of what he knew was the Temple of Talos, he understood it was pretty serious. A big group of people were standing in front of the entrance; many of them were guards, but there were also many villagers who had not been able to hold back their curiosity.
And then he recognized two women as Vigilants of Stendarr. Seeing the maces hanging from their belts, he stopped in his tracks for a moment. Keeping a hand on the hilt of his sword, he tried to hear their conversation.
"I'll do it, Caja. There's a bigger chance that one of those fools mess it up than they actually manage to get rid of her. I doubt any of them has had any experience before."
"I don't know if I should call them lucky or not because of that."
"I'll call if I need you to assist me. Until then, make sure no one just suddenly rush in; I need you out here in case she gets past me-" The Nord woman turned around suspiciously, meeting the Argonian's sharp glance.
He smiled calmly, even though he did know that they were suspecting him for eavesdropping. "Good morning, my ladies."
Even though he tried with his charm, there was absolutely no sign of kindness in the women's features. That just made Veezara smile even brighter. "With my good hearing, I could not help but hear that you might need some help."
She raised an eyebrow. "If you had such good hearing you would know that help is what I do not need."
"I've met vampires on my travels. Perhaps I could assist."
"I did not think Sanguinare Vampiris was so endemic in Black Marsh."
"You are right about that. But Skyrim seems to be just infested with the creatures."
Her eyes darkened. "Exactly." She paused, but then made up her mind. "But if you are willing to play bait, you can come with me in." Her eyes travelled to his sword. "I trust you can defend yourself."
"I use my sword when it is necessary," he lied, "which seems to be quite often."
She gave him a nod, waited for a moment, but then tried to open the door. "Damn thing must have barricaded it. Come help me with getting it open." Together, they slammed their bodies into the door and continued to push it open until there was a crack big enough for them to squeeze through.
Holding their breaths, they entered.
The Vigilant was holding her mace, ready to take a swing at any moment. Veezara briefly wondered what would happen if the weapon met Babette's arm…; and he shuddered at the thought. But in truth, he did not know the vampire's strength, but he did find it hard to imagine Babette as a bloodthirsty slayer… She was an assassin and did not meet her opponents face to face; especially not when they were alarmed and many.
Veezara scanned the room with his eyes, being unable to call out the vampire's name; if he did so, it would seem way too suspicious. Now was not the time to reveal he was here to help the girl.
The next thing that happened was the Vigilant's quiet groan as her body hit the floor. Something as sitting on her chest, hissing dangerously.
"You're quite fast," Veezara said breathlessly, as he had not even seen the little vampire leap at the Vigilant.
She looked over her shoulder, eyes widened in surprise. "Veezara!" she said, her lips forming a big smile. "I thought you were on your way back to the-" She stopped herself, but the hesitation cost her grip on the Nord; the Vigilant pushed the girl away, grabbed her weapon and swung.
Babette ducked and jumped backwards, so the mace hit a bench instead; wood was splintered and flew in all directions.
Veezara leapt towards her as she was getting back on her feet, ready to go after the vampire. Swinging his sword, it was only by luck that she had he time to turn around and block it with her own weapon.
She gritted her teeth as she realized who he was in reality helping. "You little-"
Babette had run up on her from behind and kicked her shin; Veezara swung his sword as she fell, hitting her throat.
The vampire was kneeling down beside her in a second, though not exactly to try and help her… "Look away," she sternly told the Argonian.
"Why?" he asked with his hissing voice.
"Because I need her blood and you don't want to see that," she quickly explained. "I'll explain afterwards, but I don't have the time for my dinner to get cold."
Veezara kept his glance on the door, hearing the remaining Vigilant calling from outside, "Alvilda? Has the girl met the light yet?"
"Done," Babette said, brushing the back of her hand against her lips to brush away some blood; it merely ended as a smear on her cheek. "I will always be weak in the sunlight, but this helps a little."
"Any ideas of what to do now?" Babette was standing next to him, glancing at the door with big eyes.
"We could make a run for it," he suggested. "I'll distract the group and you'll run towards the gate."
She cringed. "That would be a good idea, but I am the bearer of one not so small problem. I never really made it to a safe place before the sun rose. I would have found some place to hide, but then I met a guard and you can figure out the rest."
Veezara pushed his own weight against the door, as someone tried to get into the temple. "How to get rid of the problem, Babette?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Her eyes darted around. "I… Vampires are incredible weak in the sunlight. And, being me, you are not really physically able to receive many hits from any weapon…"
"Oh." Veezara tried to come up with a plan, but he knew that the city was filled with guards… Babette had to be extremely lucky to avoid them all. "Well… I'll stay close."
She shrugged. "I don't really have any ideas… If Astrid knew how badly I messed up today…" It almost came out as a whimper, showing how nervous she in reality was. Then she took in a deep breath and calmed herself down.
Veezara lowered her voice till a whisper. "Do you have some sort of weapon?"
"Fangs."
"Are they any help in this situation?" he asked dryly.
"Depends on a lot of things, but I think the answer will be 'no'." She paused slightly, but grinned as she got an idea. She rushed back to the body of the Vigilant, all while Veezara was grunting in frustration as the door shook more fiercely.
"Healing potions," she explained. "We both could end up needing them."
"Good," he hissed, "because here they come!" He let go of the door to step backwards and ready his sword; the next moment a guard and the remaining Vigilant rushed inside.
Babette kept herself in the background until Veezara managed to make the guard stagger; she then jumped outside, squinting as the sunlight made her skin hurt, but then had to avoid a swing from a sword as a villager had been quick enough to recognize her as the threat.
She then sprinted towards the gate she could see in the distance. "Come on, Veezara," she thought, "it won't last long before I don't have the strength to run… You got to help me…"
Unlike some of the others from the Brotherhood, Babette almost immediately trusted a new member. She never regretted that, even when she was wrong. And now she needed Veezara to get out of the city of stone.
She threw her little body against the gate; all while thinking that it should open faster. "Wait a minute…" But she did not stop as the guards called after her.
"I hate the sun. It should always be night, always." For a moment she forgot the fact that she was being chased, as her hatred for the sun filled all her thoughts.
The bridge seemed awfully long, and Babette then realized with dread that she would be too exhausted to reach the end of it.
Then someone grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. She let out a hiss but then saw it was Veezara who was dragging her up the stairs, up to the higher level of the bridge. "I suppose you have a plan?" she asked breathlessly, seeing the many guards who were chasing them.
He gave her a grim smile. "I hope you like water."
"Wha-?" She did not have the time to finish the word before his grip on her tightened; then he jumped off the bridge, dragging her along.
They hit the water with a mighty splash and to her relief the Argonian pulled her towards the surface. Seeing the big pieces of ice floating in the water next to them, she realized how lucky they had been.
Veezara seemed completely calm. "Don't worry; they won't follow us."
She glanced at him bitterly. "Oh, well, I was expecting them to jump off the bridge too!" she said bitterly.
He grinned. "Did you have any other ideas?"
Being in the ice cold water, she was starting to shake. Weird; she was cold but her skin still felt like it was being burned… "Just find a cave…"
"On it, Sister."
As he pulled her to shore, she was still gasping after breath. "To your praise, we can say that no one even noticed your murder. I am sure Astrid likes that. When Festus just blows off a victim, the guards are searching for us for weeks."
He was still glancing at her worriedly. "Are you sure you are alright?"
"Sure," she breathed out. "Just need some shadows. Come on." She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Oh, and thanks for helping me back there. It was a pretty stupid place to hide."
"No problem."
"I'll tell Astrid about it. I am sure the others will go soft on you because of that."
"I don't need them being soft," he said, shrugging it off.
She rolled her eyes. "Argonians are always so tough-skinned. But just so you know; this is the last time I'll ever go swimming with you."
"I think I can survive that."
They walked slowly as Babette did not stop panting. When they finally found a cave, they had done their best to be unseen and as they looked around, they could not find any trace of guards chasing them.
"I bet the others think you messed up and has been executed," she suddenly said. "Not all members were as promising as Astrid had described them. But it was their own mistake." She sighed. "I am way too old to get in troubles like that. Wasn't really thinking. But to my defense I must say I have never tried sharing inn with Vigilants of Stendarr before."
He grunted in amusement.
She tilted her head as she looked at him. "I am glad Astrid chose you to be our Brother."
Veezara gave a small nod. "Thank you, Sister."
"Because after all, we are your family now. None of us has a real family; well, I did have parents once, but they were killed when I was bitten. And I think I had a sister… But I am pretty sure I killed her."
Veezara looked up; she did not sound sad, but it was not a happy subject for her either.
"Memories do fade when you are a vampire. I guess it's a good thing; I would not want to remember that in details… What about you? You don't have any family besides us, do you?"
He shook his head. "No… I was trained to be a Shadowscale from the moment I was born and was sent away the moment I was ready. Now I am the last, and find myself in this strange land…" He lifted an eyebrow as he added, "with strange people too."
"But you'll like it in the Brotherhood. We are not exactly the perfectly ideal family and we don't share the same blood… But we are family and we are bound together by blood; not our own, but our victims'… We take care of each other, and you did just take care of me, so you are now fully my Brother," she said with a deep voice, meaning it.
"Just remember to help me if I ever get stuck in a temple."
"I will."
"I mean it seriously; I've never been the most religious type."
Babette paused for a moment; remembering how life was when she first joined the Brotherhood, and how much it has changed since then. First she served Sithis; she still did, but she did also serve Astrid… Finally, she declared, "As I said; you'll like it here."
Veezara glanced up towards the blue sky. "There is still a long time until sunset."
Babette grinned. "Then let's get to know each other until then, Brother. I never get tired of hearing people's life-stories."
"I doubt there'll be enough time to hear the entire yours?"
Her smile grew until her fangs could be seen. "Oh, don't worry; I can split it up in chapters and then you can come see me when Nazir hasn't given you a contract. Deal?"
He grinned. "Deal."
A/N: Hello, readers! This is my first try for the Skyrim-fanfiction, and I can tell you it took some tries! This is the third one-shot I have started for this collection, so I will soon have other chapters read for you!
Babette and Veezara are my absolute favorite assassins, so I decided my first one-short should be a about them. Don't worry; we'll set focus on the others later. Actually, if you have any ideas or requests, just tell me, and I'll see what I can do.
The jumping of the bridge thing was pretty much inspired from my own game-play… I love making guards chase me and then make a great escape by jumping… But half of the times I end up dying…
Oh, and so you know; I am from Denmark so I apologize for me typoes and grammar-mistakes.
Please review; I would love to hear how I did, now when it is my first try for this fandom. Hope you enjoyed.
I do not own The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim