Rated Mature for this chapter. Contains gore and suggestive themes.

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Amelia awoke in the early morning, seemingly for no reason. At first, she couldn't place where she was, but then she spotted Solaf sleeping soundly on the bed beside her. She glanced around the room for her brother, but he was nowhere to be found. She guessed he was still out drinking.

Something began nibbling at the edges of her mind, but when she tried to figure out what it was, the thought fled and she still couldn't remember. Then she spotted the books on the nightstand, and everything came back.

The Dark Brotherhood…

Last nights thoughts resurfaced, and she began to feel slightly ill. Had she really conceived such plans of murder? That wasn't like her. She didn't do anything against the law, much less murder someone.

She frowned, turning over and looking up at the ceiling. She tried ignoring how attractive the Dark Brotherhood was to her, but it was no use. Some very sick part of her even wanted to summon them, to at least meet them. Maybe convince them somehow to take care of her brother…

What nonsense!

How could she be having such thoughts? It was wrong, so terribly wrong.

Besides, if she wanted her brother dead, she should do it herself…

No.

It wasn't as if she hadn't had thoughts like this before, of killing her brother… She would never actually do it. It wasn't right, even if he did deserve it for everything he'd done to her…

"AMELIA!" a voice called from below her, in the shop. Solaf stirred in his sleep, muttering. Amelia got to her feet and plundered down the stairs, meeting her brother there.

Fentius grinned wickedly at her, swaying on the spot, holding onto the counter for support.

"You called?" she asked, feeling uncomfortable. Odd…just as she was thinking of taking care of him, the perfect opportunity arose. He was weak, and the alcohol in his system would probably prevent him from being able to fight back. All of his movements were sloppy and uncontrolled, which was common after a night in a pub.

Her hand reached for her hip, where her dagger was concealed…

No. She couldn't. Her hand dropped back to her side.

"C'mere, 'melia," he commanded her. She stepped forward tentively, almost awkwardly.

"Closer."

She edged closer, wondering if he was going to beat her...or something else.

If it was 'something else'…well, maybe she could kill him.

She could smell him from this distance. The fumes of mead and wine and ale, practically radiating off of his grimy carcass. She shivered as he leaned closer, his arms suddenly wrapping around her waist, snatching her close and pushing her against him. His breath was hot on her cheek. The smell of him almost made her gag.

Her hand wandered to her side again, where she began to pull the dagger out of it's hidden sheath silently. She could feel his fingers fumbling with the back of her bodice, trying to figure out in his drunken state how it worked, and how to remove it. He began kissing her cheek and jawline, making Amelia tremble furiously. She knew what was going to happen if she didn't do something.

It was now or never, whilst he was distracted and drunk.

"Whatsa' matter, whore?" he asked, his voice like honey, dripping from the air.

Slowly, almost as if she were underwater she drew up the blade. Fentius' eyes were closed, so he couldn't see the descending knife.

She plunged the dagger deep into his neck, most likely piercing several main arteries and nerves. He tried to shout, but all that came out of his mouth was blood, dribbling from his lips. She pulled out the knife from his flesh, and backed away. She became engrossed in the kill, her first kill. She smiled, a scary smile that echoed the darkness of her pleasure. She had finally done what she had dreamed about for years.

She stepped forward again, playing with him now. Acting out her fantasies that she had conceived over the years.

She thrust the blade into his stomach this time, and watched as his face warped in pain and shock.

After a few more gruesome attacks on her brother, she backed away, heaving slightly. She felt…different. She wiped off the blood of her blade on Fentius' clothing—no use dirtying her own clothes—and put the knife on the counter, not intending to keep it on her person for obvious reasons.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar fear struck her with full force. What was she to do with the body? The blood?

She had to flee, immediately.

Or…perhaps she could stay, and call the guards? Tell them that she had wandered down to the main floor of the shop and found her brother, brutally and horribly murdered. Yes, and then she could throw on a nice façade as the poor sister, with no family…

That would work brilliantly. Nobody could ever suspect such an innocent young woman of such a crime! Not if she played her cards right.

She smiled again. She felt good. So much more…alive. She felt like an entirely different person, no longer the quiet, submissive girl she used to be.

She stepped over to the door, plastering a horrified expression on her face and preparing a fearful yell.

She threw open the door. "GUARDS! GUARDS! SOMEBODY CALL THE GUARDS! My brother's been murdered!"

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"Amelia, are you sure you're alright?" Solaf asked.

Amelia sniffled, pulling the blanket that was draped over her shoulders more tightly around her small frame. She nodded miserably, though inside she was jumping for joy. Things couldn't be going better! She had everyone in town fooled. Not only did nobody suspect her, but they all pitied her!

Solaf rubbed her back gently, trying to comfort the poor girl as they sat side-by-side on the steps of the inn.

"We should go inside, Amelia," Solaf suggested. She nodded again, and rose to her feet, Solaf doing the same. She sniffled some more and hugged herself.

Silence greeted her as she stepped into the Inn, all of the customers eying her solemnly. A few offered a few words of consolation. One man, a redguard, sat in the corner of the room, his eyes on her. He was smiling, a sly, knowing smile on his dark features. She avoided looking at him, taking a seat by the hearth. When she glanced back at the redguard, he was still looking at her. She turned to Solaf.

"Who's that Redguard, the one in the corner?" she asked quietly, adding a few trembles to her voice for good measure. Solaf lifted his head and looked at the man. A suspicious look crossed his face as he stared at the man.

"That, Amelia, could possibly be the man that murdered your brother."

Amelia looked back at Solaf, startled. "Why? Who is he?"

"He's a man, an assassin. He comes around here from time to time. Never talks to anybody. Everybody 'round here reckons he's with the…the Brotherhood." Solaf explained grimly, though he was attempting to be gentle as well.

Amelia looked at him curiously, a sudden respect for the man emerging in her.

"Really?" she asked, still staring at the redguard, who had averted his gaze to a book.

"Yes…I wonder who would commission him, though…nobody 'round her particularly dislikes your brother…"

"Yes, he was a wonderful man…" she murmured, acting like the tormented young woman she was, putting her face in her hands and allowing a few convincing sobs to wrack her body.

"Oh, come now. It'll be alright…" Solaf told her softly, rubbing her back again.

They stayed like that for a long while, talking amongst themselves. It was noon before Solaf finally left her side, saying he wanted to talk to the guards some more. She just nodded in response, secretly happy that he was leaving her alone. She wanted to have another look at that dark brotherhood fellow.

She watched the man from a distance, his face not visible from her vantage point because of the crimson turban-cowl he wore.

Suddenly, he looked up, catching her eyes with his own dark ones. She averted her eyes, looking instead at the bard that had started playing. She felt his eyes still on her, but didn't want to look. She had a strange feeling that this odd man knew exactly what she had done. The thought made her shiver. A Dark Brotherhood brother knowing about her killing…would they get mad? No, the books said they only got troubled when people started paying you to have people killed.

As she watched the bard playing a song of love and death, she felt alone. She wondered what she would do, now that she was free of her brother. She would go back to his—ahem, her shack and collect some of her belongings. She had already been given what gold Fentius had had on his body when he was found, but it wasn't much. Hardly 100 gold pieces. Of course, a couple of the townsfolk had pitched in a little too, but only about 50 gold pieces.

But…she supposed that would be enough to get her started.

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"Your brother's funeral is scheduled to be tomorrow at dawn. Why don't you get some sleep? I'll be sure to come and wake you up for it." Solaf told Amelia. A day had passed since her brother's death, and nothing at all seemed to be happening. In fact, she was getting a little tired of playing the part of a tortured little sister. It was tedious to constantly pretend to be someone else.
"Sure…" she mumbled. "I'll go ahead and stay at the inn another night. I'll be leaving tomorrow, after the passing."
"Of course. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose. Have a nice night, Amelia." He told her, leaving the inn. Amelia walked over to the innkeeper and dropped 10 gold pieces in front of her. "I'd like to stay another night, please."
"Sure thing, hon." The innkeeper said. "Have a good night."
"You too…" She trailed off, trying to seem distracted and dissociated. She went to her room and shut the door, collapsing on the bed. She fell asleep almost immediately, worn out from the day.

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I'M SO SICK OF WRITING AGH

Leave reviews and stuff if you want to make me happy.

Mmkay.

Bye.

-Crynn