The fact that his boss had trusted him with a perfectly legal shipment had at first made no sense. And then he found out that it was going to Dawnstar. The place was completely overrun by dragons, who seemingly attacked nearly every day. Still, Scouts-Many-Marshes decided, it was nice to get out of Windhelm and get paid for doing it, so it was well worth it even if he died by dragon fire.

The two horses pulling his cart started to whine uncomfortably. "What's wrong?" They only snorted and sniffed, then screamed as small rocks started to fall from the hills overlooking the road. He cursed as the began to fight his control, one of the rearing and the other crying out.

And then a black horse bolted from the hills right in front of them, and in that flash he thought he saw red in its eyes. It was like the Shadowmere of legend, and it would make almost perfect sense, too.

Dawnstar was also apparently a hub of Dark Brotherhood activity.

The horses shrieked and all control and order was lost as they fled. He cursed, pulling the reigns and trying to slow them. It worked to a point, though they still weren't slow enough to completely control. He led them quickly to the right then shifted directions randomly, causing the horses to have to focus unless they wanted to crash into each other. It worked after a few tries, and they came to a nervous halt. He couldn't risk moving them again, not while they were panicking.

And then he saw the familiar shadowed Argonian on the hill beside him.

"And here I was thinking that the most dangerous things in Dawnstar were the dragon attacks!" The Argonian chuckled, bright eyes flickering. "Did you really have to startle the horses like that?" The offending horse trotted back over the hills and stood happily next to her mistress. In the clear light Scouts saw that he had been foolish – the horse did not have red eyes but normal brown.

Karoa rose to her feet, leaping gracefully down the rocks and rolling in front of the cart. The horses let out more panicked whines at her approach. "Easy now, girls. Just calm down." Her voice was slow, soft, and soothing. They calmed almost instantly, and within a minute they were happily brushing their noses against her gloved palms. She turned to Scouts and smirked. "No real harm done, is there? They seem fine to me. A little tired, but fine otherwise." She gently pushed the horse's nose away before nodding at the stunned male.

"So you're an assassin that's also an animal person?" He couldn't hide his skepticism. And she could tell, too, letting out a pained laugh. As she craned her neck to get a look at the horses, Scouts noticed scars along her neck, adding to the three that were swiped on her eye. Unlike those, the neck scars seemed someone new, though not completely fresh. "What happened to your neck? Look like you were bitten or something."

She was quick to snap her hood over the injuries, orange eyes staring directly at him. "Not that it matters, but I had a brief run-in with some vampires. The situation's been handled, of course." She waved it off as though it were nothing. Though even the thought of the night creatures startled Scouts, he couldn't help but admire her bravery that was almost stupidity. Then again, she fought dragons on a regular basis. A couple of vampires were probably nothing to her.

His curiosity still got the better of him, and she could see it in his face. With a chuckle she addressed his unspoken question. "While I can't go into specifics, I can safely say never do what a talking dog wants you to do. Ever." She offered no more on the subject, gently patting the two horses before leaping back towards the rocks.

"Well, okay, fine. You still haven't told me why you stopped the cart in the first place. How did you know that I was even going to be in it, or that we'd be traveling along this route?" She sighed, leaning against her own horse while gently tugging its mane. Perhaps she really was an animal lover. Maybe it wasn't an act. The horse definitely didn't seem to mind the Argonian's fingers running through her mane, even seeming to enjoy it. The horses of Windhelm would have kicked a man for even attempting to groom their manes without proper equipment.

"Let's just say that I have contacts in your general area. I'm always interested in what my own kind is up to, you know? Been so long since I've been to Black Marsh…" She sighed wistfully, her fingers moving from the horse's mane down towards her hoof. It was remarkably well kept, Scouts decided, for the horse of an assassin. "Well, anyway, I stopped you to ask you a few questions, since no one else can apparently answer them."

He stared stupidly at her. She had endangered his life to ask him a few questions? She couldn't have waited until he arrived in Dawnstar to kidnap him or something? The Argonian glanced at the contented horses next to him, and decided that Karoa's plan, whatever it was, had gone off without a hitch. It was like she was perfect at everything she did. It unnerved him, slightly. A woman who was unwilling to show her weaknesses. Then again, it was probably an offshoot of living so long with Shahvee, an Argonian so happy and open with her strengths and weaknesses that it almost killed the Assemblage.

Of course, everyone had a weakness. Even Karoa-of-Black-Marsh. She was just smart enough to keep it hidden. A perfect guise for an assassin that wanted to spread fear throughout Skyrim. "What are the questions? I'll answer them as best I can if you allow me to go free afterward."

She waved a hand at the perfectly intact cart. "I don't think I ever captured you, your goods, or your horses. Technically, you could have left at any time. You just seem to be so delighted by my company that you decided to stay, I should hope." He just stared at her again, causing her to sigh. "You are absolutely no fun at all. You don't get scared, you don't charge at me… what would you do if I was holding a knife to you neck right now? You don't have the advantage of the ice and blinding snow here in Dawnstar."

"Is that one of your questions?" Karoa grinned.

"There you go, that's the fire I like to see! A sharp tongue to match an equal! Anyway, no, that wasn't one of my questions. My first is about your origins. Where were you born? How old are you? So on, so forth."

He puzzled over this, watching her suspiciously. Still, it fit to answer truthfully. He was pretty sure her contact in Windhelm could tell her everything about him at the drop of a pin. "I was born in Windhelm, actually. I've never lived in Black Marsh, will probably not live to see it. I'm twenty and six years, as of this past season. And you?" She seemed surprised by the return question.

"Oh, um… I was born in Black Marsh. Was travelling and brought her as a prisoner for doing nothing… er… I'm twenty and five, almost six as of this month." He hid his smile. The female had rehearsed every step of this, he was sure. Now she seemed flustered by the fact that he had asked a question back.

So for every question she asked about Skyrim, he asked her about Black Marsh. For every question she asked about his family and friends, he asked about her own. By the end she was getting frustrated, on the brink of snapping. He smiled. "You like perfection, don't you?"

The previous questions he had asked had been related to her questions, and this new one took her a second to register. "Doesn't everyone?"

"Not obsessively. I noticed it back in Windhelm. When the dragon came, you panicked and everything fell into chaos."

She stared back at him. "Dragons tend to do that, Scouts-Many-Marshes."

He rolled his eyes. "You've fought tons of dragons before, I'm sure. Believe me, I wasn't the only one in Windhelm stumped by the fact that you made such a messy job of the kill. We had heard that you were almost mechanical in your approach, neat enough to quickly blind the thing before killing it. If it hadn't fallen into the ice by complete accident, I don't think many of us would still be alive. And then you almost drowned, despite the fact that you're an Argonian."

"I-It was cold water. The water in Black Marsh is-"

"You've been in Skyrim for at least a year, haven't you? Since Helgen? Considering what you're wearing, you've become used to the weather. And we can swim perfectly fine in the cold. You just froze up mentally."

She stared blankly at him. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a delivery to make. So if you'll excuse me." Karoa merely watched as he mounted the cart and straightened the horses, which seemed almost reluctant to leave their newfound friend. As he started to pull away, she stood up.

"One last question, please. The most important one." He stopped and turned back, waiting. "Why did you save me after I tried to kill you?"

He shrugged. "You were still my egg-sister. And you had just saved Windhelm from a dragon attack. Leaving you to drown would be just despicable, really. You didn't murder my family at the Assemblage, and that was good enough for me."

Scouts sighed. "You know, if you come without weapons, I'll be in Dawnstar for a few days while this shipment is finalized. If you have more questions, talk to me there."

She said nothing, only flicking her tail to show that she had heard before she bounded over the hill towards Dawnstar.

A/N: Look, I haven't quit this story yet! :D

Anyway, this chapter was originally going to be Haemar's Shame, but the entire event was so boring until the end to write that I just scrapped it. Don't worry, Barbas is still there, and he'll make an appearance next chapter!

Reviews are loved as always 3