Hey guys, I may have confused some of you with the featured characters in the story, but I assure you, Sapphire and Maven will NOT have a love affair. That would be unusual. I should have only featured Maven as a featured character, because Sapphire was not intended to be an important character in the story. She might, though! Let me know how you're liking the story and I will see you around!
As Arthelio set up camp, he questioned whether this errand was entirely worth it. He could have packed up his stuff, grabbed Vilad, and been halfway to Hammerfell, but, then again, he heard from a noble couple going to a wedding in Solitude that a calvary of Stormcloaks had been picked off there and were going to the block in the next week. The fire burned passionately, like his love for Vilad. He prayed to Mara she didn't fall for another man during his absense. After all, the marriage wasn't even official quite yet. He unraveled his bedroll, but, while unrolling it, he heard some rustling in the bushes. At first, he assumed the noise was just a fox, but, after hearing some more, he picked up his dagger. After all, it wouldn't be good to have your throat slit in the middle of the night by some Forsworn.
"Who goes there?" Arthelio asked.
A Forsworn recruit quickly arose.
"Please don't kill me! Uh... uh... my friend K'halo put me up to this!"
The person was a young Khajit, the sneaky type. Something didn't seem right about that. Despite his age, a Khajit wouldn't have made that drastic of a mistake.
"Why?" Arthelio persisted. "Why would you even want to do something like that?"
"I cannot tell, for it is a secret of the Forsworn."
"Don't give me that horse-dung." Arhtelio continued. "You're a Khajit. Khajits don't mess up sneaking. Where are they?"
"Where are who?"
Arthelio ran up to him and put his steel dagger against the cat's throat.
"Where are you buddies!?" Arthelio was getting irritated with the cat now.
"Ok, ok... I am not going to lie... the lady in Riften hired us to kill you! But my friends are not here."
"Then who is 'us'?"
At that moment, a Khajit ran up and attempted to stab Arthelio in the back. He sidestepped the cat, who stabbed his friend in the chest. The blood of the young Khajit hit the ground, as well as his tears.
"K'halo..." the Khajit wheezed out. "Don't... do... it. It's not... it's not worth... the stone!"
"Wait, I was getting that damned thing for..." Arthelio began to think. At this time, K'halo tried an over-the-head hit with his ebony blade. Arthelio, once again, sidestepped the cat.
"You want this thing? Well, you'll have to take it off of my corpse!"
"It's the Khajit tradition, my friend!"
As things have been for the last two months, Vilad was wide awake and the night was enjoying a good nap. She kept telling herself that she'd run out of candles if she couldn't sleep, or at least magicka potions. As she went to go do chores, she ran into a particularly special person. Maven. With a host of Dark Brotherhood assassins.
"Well, well, if it isn't Vilad." Maven said in a mockingly pitiful voice. "I'm afraid there's been an... accident... regarding a frost troll and Arthelio."
"I..." Vilad staggered.
"You!" Maven pointed to an assassin on the right. "Take care of her however you feel."
"Gladly," the assassin replied.
The two Khajit stood dead at his feet. A pool of blood formed around him. And all Arthelio could do was weep for them. He prayed to the gods to show them favor, lest they shouldn't make it into the gates of Sovngarde. He would go to bed, but he couldn't do it in his blood-stained armor. He couldn't even do it when he dressed the part for sleep. He decided to ride on through the night.
