Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls series in any way, shape or form.

IV

[Papercut]

"If you would know who controls

you see who you may not criticise."

- Tacitus -

"To go or not to go?"

She flipped the coin, carefully catching it between two fingers. She had gotten good at that. Once she gained her answer, she continued towards Whiterun. The carriage was fortunately parked far away from the entrance to the city, so now she could perhaps avoid any confrontations with the large man.

"Sneaky, sneaky." She whispered to the coin that she had now lovingly named Halvo. "What kind of name is Halvo?" Giggling to herself as she walked towards the carriage driver. He now looked suitably terrified.

"I-I'm sorry, miss, I don't want any trouble now." He stammered.

Lucina feigned ignorance. "Neither!" She exclaimed as cheerily as she could. "I just want a ride to Windhelm, if that's alright."

The driver visibly relaxed. "That'll be 20 gold, miss." She quietly handed the amount over. "Climb in, when you're ready." She did just that, settling down in the back. Placing Halvo securely in her pocket, she informed the driver that she would sleep for the duration of the ride.

She didn't expect Windhelm to be this cold.

The ground was covered in a fresh sprinkling of snow, that crunched beneath her leather bound feet. Bjorlam, the carriage driver, had already turned back to Whiterun but was nice enough to inform her that there was an inn near the entrance to the city- Candlehearth Hall. She didn't make eye contact with anyone as she entered, and was tempted to just go find the boy and leave. Already she didn't like some of the looks she received from some of the locals.

"Welcome to Candlehearth Hall, what can I do for you today miss?"

"A room, please."

"Certainly, that'll be 10 gold." Upon receiving her payment, she showed her the way to her room. Lucina smiled. Much better than that Delphine woman. Though she had to ruin it by shouting, "Now don't you break nothing!"

Lucina sighed, and shut the door after the lady. "Maybe she's just accustomed to guests breaking her things, Halvo." The coin stared back at her. "You're right, maybe she's just another odd person." She sat down at a small desk that was nestled into a corner. Perhaps now was a good time to write to Ysabel.

After several hours of rewriting the letter, she finally managed a version that didn't make it sound like she was having bucket loads of trouble. She didn't dare explain that she had been stabbed in the side by a sneaky fellow. Yet somehow, informing her dearest twin that she'd now named the coin Halvo was good. It seemed like a perfect balance. On the one hand, she didn't know enough about what had happened to cause any worry. But on the other, she had inserted something that sounded mildly crazy, but enough like the self her sister knew to reassure her. Now, if only she knew how to find a courier.

She promptly left the room with new fervor, and approached the woman who had given her a room. "Excuse me, but do you happen to know where I could find a courier?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Ah, yes. You're in luck. There should be one upstairs, he just arrived a few minutes ago."

"Upstairs we go, Halvo." She said to the coin, then looking around quickly to make sure no one had heard her. She didn't know much about these people yet, but one could never know. They may be crazy and believe that poor Halvo was some kind of oracle. The courier was easy enough to find. He was seated by the fire, clutching a bag that appeared to hold letters. Lucina made his way over to him.

"Good evening. I have a letter I want delivered to Bruma. Are you able to do this?"

The courier appeared deep in thought, then frowned. "Hmm, may be difficult. Haven't you heard? The Pale Pass collapsed around the time Helgen got destroyed. But I can take it with anyway, there's bound to be some other couriers who are heading that way, if you want me to take it."

Lucina stared at the letter in her hands. That made it more difficult. Not only that but now she'd somehow have to find another way around, which would ultimately be more time consuming, unless she learned how to fly of course. "What should I do?" She whispered to Halvo, who was seated in her pocket. "Okay, fine. Yes, if you would please take it. Thank you, and here." She thrust a coin purse at him before running downstairs. In the safety of her room she placed Halvo down on the desk. "You're becoming very 'yes-yes' Halvo. I don't like this new attitude of yours."

She lay down on the bed, and stared up at the ceiling. She would find this boy in the morning. Perhaps she could so something useful with her time.

Finding the boy's house was more difficult than she anticipated. She wandered around, even asked a few guards. However, they were even more quiet about it. One even said that he would do nothing about it, and hoped that someone else would sort him out, but she did manage to get a name out of them. She turned and walked down another path. Now she was sure she could hear someone chanting. She walked faster, and almost ran into a Dunmer woman speaking to another boy.

"Excuse me, is this the Aretino residence?"

The Dunmer woman looked suspicious. "Why do you want to know that?"

Lucina frowned. "Because I want to check on him." At this the other woman relaxed, and nodded. She left the area, taking the boy with her. Knowing that it was unlikely for the door to be unlocked, she pulled out a lockpick and opened it with ease. The chanting was louder now. He sounded exhausted. As Lucina made her way up the stairs, she saw him leaning over a skeleton; the surrounding area was decorated with human flesh, nightshade, candles and a single dagger.

"Aventus?" She called softly. He paused, turned and looked up at her. His face that showed signs of despair, lit up ever so slightly when he saw her.

"You finally came!" He ran to stand before her. "I did the Black Sacrament over and over! And now you're here, and you can kill Grelod the Kind!"

"Ah," Lucina frowned. "Aventus, I'm sorry but I'm not a member of the Dark Brother-"

"Of course you are! Why else would you have arrived here?"

"Well I heard you were trying to contact them. Why do you want to kill her?"

Aventus bowed his head so that she couldn't see his face. "My mother..." he whispered. "She died, she was the only family I had. I was alone, and they sent me to the orphanage in Riften. The woman who runs it..." A few tears hit the floor. "She's cruel! She treats us like animals! We all hate her... She doesn't let anyone adopt us!" He stared at her now. Lucina was shocked. Weren't old ladies who ran orphanages meant to be kind? Perhaps that was just a stereotype.

"So that's why I tried to contact the Dark Brotherhood. She's a monster. She doesn't deserve to live!" He lowered his head again, turning away slightly. He shook as he tried to fight back tears.

"I'll go to Riften then." Lucina could handle one, little old lady.

Aventus looked up. "You're going to kill her?" He studied her for a moment. "Well I suppose you look the part..."

Lucina smiled, and kneeled so she was more level with him. She'd always had a soft spot for children, much like her sister. "It'll be fine. I'll sort something out." Aventus beamed at her. "Please hurry!"

Back at the inn, she sorted herself out. Gathered all her belongings, then unpacked them, then repacked them again. Now she was having conflicting thoughts about what to do with this woman. Her chest tightened, the precursor to another wave of nausea. She ran down to the end of the hall, where the washroom was located. She placed more water in the washbasin, and threw it over her face. Now ever so slightly relaxed, she turned to leave, when movement in the corner attracted her eye.

In the corner long forgotten, stood an old mirror that had been partially covered by an old sheet. Pulling the sheet back revealed several cracks and marks with marred the glass. Lucina stared back at herself. She looked positively crazy. Perhaps it was no wonder that Aventus believed she was Dark Brotherhood.

"Who am I?" Her reflection whispered. Realisation washed over her- but it wasn't a relief. It felt as though she'd been thrown into the ice water outside Windhelm and left to drown.

For the first time since arriving in Skyrim, she realised how stupid she had become. She let one incident sway her. Before she left Cyrodiil she believed she was strong- but this revealed to her how sheltered she was, and even more how her sister balanced her. Sure, she was paranoid, and perhaps a little eccentric. But why in Oblivion was she talking to a coin? The mad glint in her eye unsettled her. She didn't want to be this person: and if she really was going mad, perhaps she could stave it off a little longer.

Gods, she needed her sister more than she realised. Together, they were basically one person: she was one half and Ysabel was the other.

"Like two sides of a coin." She mused. Smiling to herself, she left the inn, coin still in hand. Yes it was still important to her, and she couldn't quite part ways with it just yet. She headed out to the stables. The new revelation somehow assured her that she would be able to help Aventus and the other children at the orphanage, without resorting to violence. At least that was what she hoped for.

Now she'd seen two cities, and almost seen another. Riften was a bit of a shock to her. At the gate, she was harassed by a guard, who demanded that she'd pay to enter the city. After that, she was basically told not to cause trouble, as a family known as the Black-Briars didn't need it. Then, when she went to ask where the orphanage was, she was again harassed by a red headed man who insisted that he knew that she'd gotten her coin illegally. She was on the verge of throwing someone into the river. Eventually, she found the orphanage on her own. The sight inside shocked her to no extent. Now she seriously considered throwing the woman into the river.

The children were lined up next to their beds, the woman, who she assumed was Grelod the Kind was lecturing them. There was a younger woman standing off to the side, near her. The expression on her face showed she was regretful.

"Those who shirk their duties will get an extra beating. Do I make myself clear?" Grelod scowled down at them. Everything about her was cruel: her voice, her stance, even her skin.

"Yes, Grelod." Lucina felt her hand twitch.

"And one more thing: I will hear no more talk about adoptions! None of you riff-raff is getting adopted. Ever! Nobody needs you, nobody wants you. That, my darlings, is why you're here. Why you'll always be here, until the day you come of age and get thrown into that wide, horrible world."

She paused, a wild smirk cutting across her face. "Now, what do you all say?"

"We love you, Grelod. Thank you for your kindness."

"That's better." She looks satisfied. "Now scurry off, my little guttersnipes."

The children scattered after the speech. Grelod pulled the other woman aside. "Hroar's crying is keeping me up at night. I'll give you one chance to talk the tears out of him, or he's getting the belt."

The other woman sighed. "I'll handle it. There's no need to blow things out of proportion." Grelod nodded, then turned to Lucina who was still staring intensely at her from the other end of the hall.

"What do you want? You have no business being here!" With that she turned and locked herself in the back room. Lucina moved forwards. The children watched her in anticipation. The woman tried to talk her down, but she just kept moving forward.

She entered the room, shutting the door tight behind her. Grelod was seated at a desk, reading a book. She didn't even notice Lucina approach until she felt the cold steel of a dagger pressed into her neck. In blind panic she tried to turn, but the arrow just pushed deeper. Grelod came to an absolute stand still. Lucina didn't even recognise her own voice when she spoke. She asked the woman if she had any last words, before slicing the old woman's throat. The dying scream echoed throughout the orphanage, and as she left the children cheered. The woman ran around screaming for a while, but Lucina didn't care.

It was dark when she left the orphanage. Wandering aimlessly, she found herself in near some graves behind a few of the houses. Someone shouted at her as her vision faded, but she no longer cared.

[x x x]

Somewhere between Helgen and Whiterun, it had become natural to hold Hadvar's hand.

As they closed in on Dragonsreach, he let go, but reassured her with a smile. "I'll wait out here," he said. Ysabel wasn't sure why he wanted to, but she didn't question it. She pushed open the large doors and stepped inside. It was surprisingly empty. There was a cleaner near the entrance, and the Jarl appeared to be seated right down the back. There were guards on either side as she made her way up. In Cyrodiil, she'd only been up to the castles a few times before. But they always seemed to be bustling with activity. Perhaps it was just the size of the hall.

As she got closer, a Dunmer woman brandished her sword and moved towards her. "The Jarl is seeing no visitors today, on account of the dragon's flying about. Why are you here?"

"I-I've come from Riverwood, Alvor asked me to warn the Jarl about the dragon attack. I was at Helgen." She remained still, as she tried to speak with as much confidence as possible.

"Fine," she said. "You may approach the Jarl."

Ysabel nodded and stepped forward. "I saw the dragon at Helgen," she addressed the Jarl. "It was flying around the mountains near Riverwood when I last saw it- Alvor asked me to come warn you."

"Alvor, the blacksmith eh? He's not prone to flights of fancy. Irelith, send a detachment of guards to Riverwood at once."

"Yes, my Jarl." As she left, the steward looked to the Jarl as though he wanted to say something, but instead turned on his heel, stating "I shall return to my duties."

The Jarl turned to Ysabel. "Thank you, for relaying this message. On behalf of my hold and my people, let me present you with a gift. Proventus!" The steward returned promptly, clearly not having been far away. The Jarl whispered something to him, and again he left.

"There is something you could help us with," he continued. Standing up, he gestured for her to follow him. "My court wizard believes he may have found something related to the dragons." They walked into a side room, where a tall man in hooded robes stood idly over a number of documents and magical apparatus on the table.

"Farengar, tell her what you need." As Farengar explained to Ysabel, Proventus returned with a sword; the Jarl then took it from him and waited patiently for Farengar to finish. When he was, Ysabel turned back to the Jarl looking overwhelmed. The expression morphed into shock when he presented her with the sword. It was a simple steel sword, but enchanted. She looked up at Jarl, to express her gratitude, but the look on her face must have given something away.

"Its a steel sword, as you can tell. Enchanted with lightning. I hope it helps on your journey." Ysabel left the hall, memories of Lucina coming back to her. Her sister was skilled with a bow, arrows and a dagger- but she had also dreamed of being a weapon master like their grandfather. Meanwhile, she had dabbled in the arcane, learning healing spells and enchantments.

"You appear to have gained a weapon." Hadvar said when she reached him. He had been perched on the edge of the stairs leading up, watching the water below. "Were you alright in there?"

"Yeah," Ysabel smiled, attaching the sword to a loop in her armor. She'd completely forgotten that she was wearing it in the first place. "I was asked to go to some place called Bleak Falls Barrow, to retrieve a stone of some sort."

Hadvar raised an eyebrow at this. "They asked you? And they couldn't ask anyone else?" Ysabel shot him a look, causing him to sigh. "I'm just worried, alright? That place used to give me nightmares when I was a child."

Ysabel smiled. "You don't need to worry too much about me. I have had some basic training with healing spells, and I vaguely know how to swing a sword."

This did not alleviate Hadvar's tension. "Well, its kind of near Riverwood anyway. I can walk you back, if you want, but then I have to go report back to Solitude." He paused. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Secretly she did. "No I'll be fine. If you want you could always catch a carriage from here. I have money, so I can just buy a horse from the stables if I want to get back quickly." Hadvar sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Fine, but shall we meet in Riverwood in perhaps a week's time? I should be back by then, but if it looks like I'm going to take longer, I'll send a message."

"I'd like that." Ysabel looked away shyly. "But before you go, could you perhaps teach me a few things about swords?" The next few hours flew by too quickly. Together they gathered some more supplies for her quest, then Hadvar led her to a patch of field outside of the city to teach her a few tricks. Given the time frame, she didn't learn enough to be an effective fighter, but Hadvar felt that she knew well enough to at least survive the barrow.

"I still can't believe they're sending you in there alone." He sighed, as they stood near the stables.

"Well, like I said I've still got some money. Maybe I could go hire a mercenary or something, just for now." Hadvar nodded his approval.

"I guess... I'd better get going. What are you going to do now?"

"I may just stay here for the night. Head out again in the morning."

"Hm." The sky had already begun its descent into darkness. "I'll walk you back to the city, if you want."

"You're such a gentleman!" Ysabel giggled. "But its okay. Its just a short walk from here. You better go now, I think your ride is waiting." Behind them the carriage driver was starting to get a little impatient.

"Yes, alright. Well see you in a week's time. And good luck." He smiled at her, before turning and walking away. Ysabel felt a slight disappointment settling over her heart, when he suddenly turned around and ran back to her. Wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace, he whispered in her ear, to stay safe for him until he got back. Gently, she returned the gesture.

"Oh come on!" The carriage driver yelled. Ysabel giggled, sending him off again. For now, the feeling had dissipated from that tiny gesture. When the carriage was no longer in sight, she walked back up to the city. She had no idea where she was supposed to find a mercenary- and decided the best course of action would be to ask someone in the morning. For now, she was hungry and exhausted, and in desperate need of a good night's rest.

It took them half a day to clear out the barrow. Ysabel, with no real fighting experience, felt more like a burden on Jenassa, who she had hired at The Drunken Huntsman. A couple of people within the city had recommended her, and she could see why. Jenassa was a skilled fighter, and was kind to her, stating that she needn't worry about not being a seasoned fighter. She offered her healing several times as thanks. They came away from the barrow from a different entrance. Fortunately, Jenassa figured out where they were and guided them back to Riverwood for the night.

"Well, someone has to do something!" Camilla snapped, annoyed at her brother's lack of initiative. They were standing outside the shop as Ysabel and Jenassa came into town.

"Are you guys alright?" Ysabel asked, looking between the two.

"Ah, I'm sorry- which one are you?"

She smiled, "Ysabel, don't worry I get that a lot."

"Ah Ysabel!" Camilla exclaimed. "Maybe you can talk some sense into my brother. Someone stole something from our shop. An ornament thing, gold, in the shape of a claw. Maybe you saw it when you last came in?"

"This thing?" She pulled the claw out of her bag. "I found this on a guy in Bleak Falls Barrow. Here you go."

The siblings were stunned. "How...? Nevermind. Let me get the payment from my last shipment, as thanks. It means a lot to have this back, thank you so much." Ysabel waved him off.

"Don't worry about paying me, I'm just glad you have it back now."

"You're too kind, Ysabel." Camilla said. "Would you two care to join us for dinner?"