This fic is a retelling of the Dishonored storyline as to fit my headcanons, including Corvo being Emily's father. I wrote this because I had a re visioning that I believe is much more emotional and leaves me much more connected to the characters and the plot. I cant say the same about you, the readers, but I felt like I had to get this story written down and put up after my third playthrough.
So please, do enjoy and leave your thoughts in a review, I implore you.
"I know the day when the Empress was murdered, when her daughter was kidnapped, when you were falsely imprisoned…most men would've lost hope. Why do you still fight on?"
"Because I made a promise."
1827
The loud shrieks of a woman could be heard from behind a door to someone's private quarters; echoes of someone's pain would pass through ones ears and send shivers down their spine. This woman with long black hair and blue eyes that were hidden behind her tightly closed lids, legs spread apart on the bed, flanked by a nurse and another just at the end of the bed. The nurses aided her, guiding her in such an agonizing process of nature; bones to be pushed, canals to be squeezed through, an exit to be forced wide open to the departure of new life. The woman kept on screaming, a confusing time of her making death threats to those around, and apologies, and pleads to make it stop; yet she had to see it through, as a woman, it being her natural duty to deliver.
The process had gone on for hours, and hearing her cries troubled the man who was pacing back and forth just outside of the room. Serkonan in features; black hair down to his jaw, brown eyes, and olive skin with light stubble that typically defined a scowl when on duty. Years ago he was assigned to protect her for life, until death came to him; should he fail in his duty then he would gladly accept the punishment. But never did he expect that the events of their times together would lead them to here, and to an Empire of subjects that would forever judge their standing.
Finally, the shrieking of the woman had stopped, and he could hear the sound of an infant beginning to cry. The Serkonan man halted in his tracks and breathed, his heart beat quickened in a nervous manner; it was finally done, and what would happen now? A few more moments went by, his leg shook in place as he tried to regain composure until he was forced to by the call of his title.
"Lord Protector!" he heard one of the nurses call for him over the cries of the infant. Immediately, the Lord Protector rushed in through the door and caught sight of the woman who had rested on the bed in exhaustion, and then his gaze averted to the source of the crying baby. There it was, wrapped in blankets and in the arms of the nurse as she rocked it back and forth.
"Corvo…" the woman on the bed called out his name, evident in her longing for his presence.
"It's a girl," the nurse informed Corvo with a smile. He approached her and she handed him the baby, he coddled the child in his arms as it cried more, but it silenced and found peace in his space. Corvo looked up to the nurses and addressed them.
"Leave," he told them. "Please." The two hesitantly obeyed, bowed, and left the room, shutting the door behind them. All he was left with was the weight of the infant and the woman in his presence; he only stared down at the child that went silent like it was sleeping.
"Corvo," the woman called out his name again, her tone reflecting tiredness. He walked over to the side of the bed and knelt down to her level.
"Do you have a name for her?" He asked, handing the baby to her to coddle it in the same way.
"Emily," she replied, looking down to it.
"That's a good name," Corvo nodded, and he tenderly laid a hand on the woman's shoulder for comfort. In what most would occasionally be happy, this mood was one of concern and slight sadness, as their faces never showed a smile, and they were obviously bothered by the birth of this child.
"Corvo," she said, looking to him with glossy eyes. "We can't let them know…"
"Yes, Jessamine, I know," Corvo said, shutting his in dejection.
"We can't let them know this is your child, they will only hurt us more…" she said, a tear dropping down her cheek. Corvo wiped it away with his thumb and took her hand in both of his.
"I know," he said again, and then he sighed, looking away.
"Why did we let this happen, Corvo?"
He cupped her cheek; "We don't have to regret this."
"How are we going to keep us safe from them? As a family?" she pleaded. Corvo brought his face to Jessamine's and touched their foreheads together, closing their eyes.
"We'll find a way."
"Corvo," she whispered. "Promise me…"
"I'll be here for you, until I die," he said. Jessamine pulled her head back and looked deep into his eyes.
"Please promise me, whatever happens…protect our child, keep her safe," she said. "I know I can't, so just…please…promise me, whatever happens, protect her…"
"I promise I will," he said. "I promise to protect her and keep her safe from them, to raise her and share what I know. You have my word, my love." They leaned in and touched foreheads again. "I promise."