Alrighty! Here's the final chapter of this fic! I will likely be doing a sequel later depending on the reviews and how people would feel about a sequel! Hope you enjoyed the story! I only got a few responses about the pairing question so if people find the pairing just didn't work I will edit this chapter if need be.
Chapter 7
Sylvi stared out into the distance as she made her way across the snowy stretch between Whiterun and Dawnstar. The steed she bought from the stables moved quickly over the rough terrain. Celestra rode beside the Imperial on Shadowmere. The Nord seemed to be more excited about the fight than the Imperial but didn't say anything. Celestra looked at Sylvi, who was wearing her wolf armor instead of her usual thieve's guild armor. The Imperial had looked at it with reverence and sorrow when she took it out of the wardrobe. Celestra nodded, "The armor suits you. Kodlak would be proud of you, you know that?"
Sylvi nodded and offered a small smile as thanks. As they approached Dawnstar they saw the Jarl of Whiterun's army was stationed close by, as was General Tallius' army, and the thieves of Riften and the Nightingales. Tallius was about to say something when an explosion rocked the ground and assaulted the ears of people nearby. The Nord and Imperial looked up to see an Oblivion gate starting to open. With a salute they dismounted and charged off towards the Vigilants and Thalmor.
As they charged ahead they were met by a wall of Vigilants, all armed and ready to fight. Celestra dove at the closest one and bit into their neck, draining the life from their body, before turning a bloodlust-filled gaze at another Vigilant. The Vigilants seemed to focus more on Sylvi's new demonic appearance, giving Celestra the chance to take down a few more before the loss of Vigilants began to set it amongst the ranks. Sylvi grabbed one of the Vigilants by the throat before tossing him off a cliff and turning to run her dagger into the gut of another attacker. She had been blasted back by a ball of fire only to bounce back up and lunge at the brave Vigilant.
Azura stood with the other Princes in Oblivion as a gate started to open. Everyone was calm despite the threat that was trying to get in. She looked over at Molag Bal, the one person they didn't expect to show up. He grinned darkly in anticipation of the fight. He had said that there was nothing that would make him happier than seeing the Thalmor and Vigilants submit to him. He stood in front of the opening gate, ready to charge through at any moment. Nocturnal looked over at Clavicus, "You seem agitated, Vile."
He gave her a sharp look, "I am fine."
"Then why do you fidget? If you must do that would you do it somewhere else? I am trying to focus. My Nightingale and her friend of darkness are taking a big risk and I want to make sure their luck does not dwindle." She stated plainly.
He turned to face her fully, "Your Nightingale, my Minion."
"So you are concerned." Nocturnal mused with a small smirk, "Interesting. I will have to look into what brought about this change in you."
Clavicus was about to say shout when Molag Bal's battle cry cut him off. Everone looked up as Molag Bal shot through the now open gate and attacked whatever unfortunate soul was on the other side. Nocturnal cast a final glance at Clavicus before nodding at Azura and moving through the gate herself. Clavicus muttered something dark under his breath before he felt a presence beside him. He looked over to see Sheogorath grinning broadly like a playful child before barreling through the gate. Clavicus spared a glance at Sanguine, who looked like he was trying to bite back a smirk, "One word... One sound... And I'll gut you."
Sylvi and Celestra had just finished off most of the Vigilants and were running to stop the Thalmor when the gate opened. They skid to a halt, narrowly missing Molag Bal as he charged out, grabbing several Thalmor and pummeling them into the ground. Sylvi pursed her lips and looked from Molag Bal and his play things to Celestra, "And I'm his kin?"
Celestra looked at Molag Bal, who was tossing around the Thalmor contently, "I don't see the similarities."
The Imperial and Nord grinned as the Daedric Princes emerged from the gate and started attacking the Thalmor. Sanguine and Torvar fought nearby, mowing down any remaining Vigilants who hadn't had the sense to flee. Celestra was about to say something when she was tackled to the snowy, blood covered ground by Sylvi just as an ice spike flew over head. The two females saw a volley of ice spikes about to rain down on them and braced for impact. A dark figure stood over them and knocked the spikes away like they were nothing. They looked up to see a tall Daedric Prince standing over them, his cape billowing over them like a shield, and sword raised after he cut down the spikes. The Prince looked down at Celestra, "My Champion, you can do better than that."
Celestra stood and brushed herself off before helping Sylvi up. She looked at the Prince, "Got distracted, Boethiah. But you can't blame me. I mean... Look a the chaos." She grinned, "Haven't been involved in a fight like this since..." She turned and ran a blade into a Vigilant before casually looking back at the Prince and the Imperial, "Well, it's been ages." The Nord caught sight of a Thalmor trying to retreat in the distance, "Sylvi, you get that guy. I'll work on closing the gate."
Sylvi nodded before bolting off after the Thalmor. As she got closer she noticed the tome in the Altmer's hands. The Thalmor glared at her before pointing their staff at her, "Back, monster!" Sylvi grinned as she slowly stalked towards her prey. All she needed to do was get the book, then she could track this Thalmor down later. Sylvi circled around the Thalmor, guiding him back towards the gate like a dog would guide cattle into a pen.
The Thalmor stood, pressed against the edge of the gate, and stared at the young half Daedra as she approached him. She lunged forward and drove her dagger into his shoulder, giving it a sharp twist before she wrenched the book free. As soon as it was in her hands it caught fire and turned to ashes, leaving her palms burned. She glared at the Thalmor as if demanding an explanation. The Altmer laughed at her as he clutched his shoulder, "Foolish little Daedra... You think we'd bring a powerful tome around your kind and not put an enchantment on it?" He laughed mockingly at her, "Such simple creatures."
Celestra and Boethiah watched as Sylvi grabbed the tome, which turned to ashes in her hands. Nocturnal frowned as she dropped a Thalmor, "Of course they would enchant it. Looks like they aren't that stupid afterall."
Celestra narrowed her eyes as she watched Sylvi grab the Thalmor by the throat and smirk, saying something into his ear. Celestra's eyes widened, "She wouldn't!"
Celestra began to race towards her friend, ducking and dodging the Thalmor, Vigilants, and Daedric Princes as they fought. The Thalmor had some how managed to wrench from Sylvi's grasp, though not without serious injury. As the Thalmor scrambled to his feet his hands glowed a pale green colour. Sylvi smirked down at him as she approached, not noticing the ground opening behind her. Celestra cried out a warning to Sylvi only to watch as he friend cause a confused look her way before spike-like vines shot from the ground and impaled her. Celestra let out a shout as she struggled to make her way to Sylvi.
Sylvi cast a fire spell that destroyed the vines before tearing the remaining spikes from her body. She grabbed the Thalmor and whispered something in his ear before tumbling through the gate. Celestra ran up to the gate and was ready to jump through it when someone grabbed her shoulder. She turned, ready to run the person through when she noticed the person was one of the Princes.
Clavicus stared down at her, "You finish off the Thalmor. I'll go get her."
"That is my friend, my sister in combat, I will not stay here-!" She shouted.
Boethiah stood behind his Champion, "She has chosen her path. Now, destroy the Thalmor that sought to challenge us."
Celestra growled in frustration before jabbing a finger at Clavicus, "If anything happens to her you will pay the price." With that she turned to rain Oblivion down upon the remaining Thalmor while the Daedric Princes all gathered and went back through the gate. It was better that they leave now and let the mortals finish off the remaining handful of Thalmor and Vigilants than stay and have the gate close and leave them on Nirn.
In Oblivion Sylvi tumbled to the ground with the Thalmor still in her grasp. The gate needed to be closed, but without the tome there was only one thing left to do. If she killed the one who cast the spell and tryed to disrupt the gate with her own magic, maybe that would close the gate. She waited as the Princes all shot through before pinning the Thalmor to the gate, her hands sparking with magic. The Princes all stood back. This was Sylvi's decision to make, though it was a very dangerous gamble.
Sylvi's fingers dug into the Thalmor as dark energy and electricity swirled around her. The Thalmor screamed and writhed as the magic fried him. He grabbed Sylvi's throat and grinned darkly as blood trickled from his lips. He muttered a few dark words before both he and the Imperial were engulfed in a sphere of dark and light energy. The resulting explosion destroyed the portal, leaving nothhing by rubble behind. The force of the explosion knocked the Daedra back, as well as the mortals back on Nirn.
Clavicus and the other Princes looked up as the dust settled. Sheogorath laughed loudly with mild hysteria, "The lass did it! She gave that rat bastard a what for! Damn... Now I'm craving roasted meat...!"
Sanguine laughed as he turned his gaze from the Prince of Madness to Clavicus, his smile fading quickly when he saw the shocked look on the smaller Daedra's face. He followed his friend's gaze until it fell on the smoking body of Sylvi a fair distance away, "Oh no..."
Clavicus raced over and knelt down beside Sylvi, who was just barely breathing. Barbas sat beside her with a sad expression in his eyes and whimpered. Sylvi's body was covered in wounds and scorched in places from the magic. The holes in her chest from the spikes still oozed blood. She coughed, sputtering from the blood in her mouth before half opening her eyes, "Clavicus?"
"Y-yes?" He asked, unsure how to react to the situation. His hands shook as he reached out and touched a burnt part of Sylvi's arm.
"Is the gate closed?"
"Yes."
"Is that bastard dead?"
"He... He is."
She chuckled weakly, "Good... Fuck, if I look as... As bad as I feel... Then I must look like sh-shit." She tilted her head, "Can I ask for a favor?"
Clavicus held his breath. He couldn't explain why his chest ached as he watched the Imperial bleeding out, burned, scarred, yet still speaking pleasantly with a smile on her face. He nodded, "Go ahead."
"Make sure this never happens again... And tell Celestra I'm sorry... Looks like she'll have to raise some chaos without me..." She chuckled wryly before her eyes slid shut.
Nocturnal approached behind Clavicus, "I will take her from here." When he didn't move she gave him a moment before speaking again, "Clavicus, let me take her. Her soul will be safe with me."
Clavicus offered a small smirk as he felt a faint pulse on Sylvi's wrist, "You can only do that if she's dead."
Nocturnal knelt down and checked Sylvi for a pulse before looking back at Clavicus. The look on his face made her furrow her brows, "What are you...? What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that you should back up while I do this. If I wait much longer she will be dead." Clavicus stated with an irritated tone before resting a hand on Sylvi's chest.
Sylvi felt herself floating in darkness, cold, tired, and alone. She soon felt a warmth emanating from her chest, the heat growing and engulfing her body. After a few moments she could feel the burning of her scars and wounds fading and the holes in her chest shutting. She became aware of the dirt beneath her, the murmurs of people around her, and a hand on her chest. Her eyes opened slightly, despite how weak and tired she felt, and looked up at Clavicus. She tried to speak but was too weak to form anything coherent.
Clavicus smirked weakly at the Imperial, "Yeah, yeah. You're fine. Now sleep." As if on cue her eyes fell shut again and her body relaxed. Clavicus stared down at the Imperial before collapsing backwards. His body was drained of energy. He hadn't ressurected someone from near death before, but the whole ordeal had completely drained him. He looked up to see Nocturnal standing over Sylvi, checking to make sure she was alive and well. He closed his eyes, "I'm going to get bitched at for that, aren't I?"
"Indeed." Nocturnal said before pausing as she looked at the Imperial, "Though... I will thank you for saving my Nightingale."
Sylvi opened her eyes and found herself in the home of the Companions. She looked over to see Athis gape at her before running from the room to get the others. Not even five seconds later the room was filled with her friends and allies. Sylvi sat up, surprised to find that her body didn't hurt, "Hey guys."
"Almost killed, out cold for a week, and that's all you can say?" Farkas said in a mock disappointed tone before hugging the Imperial, "Welcome back, sister."
Celestra pushed past everyone and looked at Sylvi with wide eyes, "Thank Sithis..."
One everyone had gotten a chance to speak to Sylvi, Celestra ushered everyone out of the room so she could speak to the Harbinger in peace. Celestra looked at her friend before hugging her, a rare sign of affection for the Listener to show, "I thought you were dead."
"I thought so too..." Sylvi said before looking at her arms and finding nothing but a few faded scars, and her Daedra markings, "What happened?"
"Sanguine brought you back to us. He said you'd be sleeping for a few days while your body recovered." Celestra said before frowning, "And he told me about the suicidal move you made in Oblivion."
"What other choice did I have? The gate needed to be closed." Sylvi sighed softly, "At least I killed that Altmer."
"Speaking of the Mer..." Celestra said, earning a curious look from Sylvi, "The remaining Stormcloaks are up in arms now claiming that the Mer races almost killed us all and that they are traitors."
Sylvi groaned and ran a hand through her hair, "You are fucking with me right? Please tell me that's a joke?"
"I wish it was." Celestra said, "Though that issue seems to be contained within the Stormcloak ranks and Windhelm."
"Fuck..." Sylvi groaned, "Screw it, I'll deal with that bullshit later..."
Celestra cleared her throat, "On a more fun note... It sounds like Clavicus got read the riot act by Nocturnal for saving you."
"He claimed me when I was half dead once before. What makes this different?" Sylvi asked.
"Sylvi..." Celestra furrowed her brows with a concerned expression, "You were a heartbeat away from death. Clavicus basically had to ressurect you before anyone could claim your soul."
Sylvi blinked in shock before leaning back and staring at the wall. She lifted a hand and looked at the markings on her arm, "Why are my markings showing?"
Celestra chuckled, "Apparently the ressurrection kick started your Daedra blood. Welcome to the world of shadows and immortals."
Sylvi blinked before closing her eyes and leaning back against the wall, "Anything else I need to know?"
"Nope, I think that's all." Celestra chuckled as she pat her friend's shoulder, "Relax and let things settle. I'll get you some food."
Once Sylvi had eaten and all the new information had settled on her mind she decided that she was going to speak to Clavicus. She found Sanguine in the Bannered Mare and he brought her to Oblivion. As she stood in Clavicus' realm she smiled and looked around. Ever since she had awoke her body had been flood by the feeling of relief and a sense that told her everything was going to be okay.
She smiled as Barbas charged up to her and tackled her to the ground. Sanguine chuckled before walking off to find Clavicus. Barbas wagged his tail happily, "Kid, you're okay! I knew the spell would work!" He sniffed at her markings, "Oh, I see it had another effect. How are you holding up?"
"With the markings? Fine. I've had them all my life... Now they are just more visible." She said as she stood up, "I'm alive, that's all that matters at the moment." She looked at Barbas, "Why did he do that?"
"Do what? Save you?"
"Yeah. Why? He could have easily let Nocturnal take my soul. It's not like I'm needed anymore by the Daedra. The prophecy is fulfilled. I mean... If he wanted to stay on Nirn all he had to do was stay outside the Oblivion gate."
"Daedra do feel though." Barbas pointed out, "I mean, look at Molag Bal. As ruthless a bastard as he is... He still felt disappointed about the choices his children made because it wasn't what he thought was best."
"He's not exactly a good example, you know that?" Sylvi smirked wryly.
"True," Barbas said, "But my point is still valid. We Daedra may not be like the races of Nirn, but we can still feel. It's just that some of us are... more use to certain emotions than others. Clavicus has never felt the need to really care for someone other than himself, so when you showed that you cared about his well-being it threw him off." He frowned slightly before grinning, "Follow me. You'll see."
Sanguine took a seat on the grass beside Clavicus, "You seem to be doing well."
"All I needed was some rest." Clavicus stated, "You got the girl back to her family?"
"Yeah. She's been recovering back on Nirn. She just woke up a few hours ago." Sanguine explained, chuckling as Clavicus let out a small sigh of relief, "I'm truly surprised at you. Looks like maybe you're starting to see things like I do."
"What are you babbling about?" Clavicus asked.
"That mortals can be fun to have around. They make life... interesting." Sanguine grinned, "And there's usually at least one we find more bearable than others."
Clavicus snorted, "Don't try and play games with me! I never said anything about caring for the girl or about her being bearable!"
"And yet you saved her at the risk of really pissing off another Daedric Prince who could, if they wanted, have made your life very difficult. And let's not forget you defending her from Molag Bal." Sanguine counted on his fingers, "That last one I still say you are fucking insane for doing."
"She's my Minion. I have to protect what's mine." Clavicus murmured as he crossed his arms.
"Barbas is also you 'minion'. I mean, he's got half of your power, and you still turn him away." Sanguine said before leaning forward, "And yet you race to save the halfling when she's in danger. You could easily find another 'minion', but you choose Sylvi and protect her."
Clavicus stammered before looking away, "My choice of actions is none of your business."
Sanguine sighed as he stood up, "Fine, be a stubborn ass... But I saw the look on your face when you thought Sylvi was dead. You were scared. I dare you to tell me differently."
Clavicus nodded after a moment, "I was scared..."
"Of losing a minion?"
"...Of losing Sylvi."
Sanguine chuckled, "Now, was that so hard to say?"
Clavicus was about to say something else when he heard footsteps and barking coming closer. He looked over and gaped when he saw Sylvi running over with Barbas. Sanguine bit back a laugh as he looked at the elated expression on his friend's face. Clavicus shot Sanguine a glare before clearing his throat and turning to look at Sylvi, "I see you are well-"
He grunted as he was tackled to the ground from the Imperial's hug. He tensed, surprised by the show the affection and unsure how to respond. He swallowed dryly as he sat up, "What was that for?"
"I wanted to thank you for saving me." Sylvi smiled, "I know you didn't have to... But I really do appreciate the... Well, third chance at life." She expression softened, "You really aren't that bad a Daedra, you know that?"
Clavicus grunted, "You know that really bugs me!"
"What?"
"That! How you act all kind and thankful! How you forgive, how you protect others! You should have hated me and yet you put your life at risk to stop Molag Bal from beating me into the ground! Why?"
"I care. It's in my nature." Sylvi shrugged, "I can't help it, so don't think I would ever change just because you don't like that part of me." She stood, "Besides, it's not like you need me any more so..."
"You are welcome here..." Clavicus murmured before crossing his arms, "I mean, I can't tell you what to do. It's obvious you won't listen if you don't agree."
"Do I really bug you that much?" Sylvi asked.
"What? No! I-" Clavicus groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Women..."
Sylvi looked at Sanguine before kneeling beside Clavicus, "I have to get going. Celestra's waiting for me. If you decide to come to Nirn I'm fine with that. And, Clavicus?"
"Yeah?" He looked over at her.
She leaned in an gave him a quick kiss before pulling away, "Thank you."
Clavicus watched with wide eyes as Sanguine and Sylvi vanished. He turned and stared out at the field before smirking, "I think I will be visiting her later..." He looked at Barbas, "I think a certain little thief owes me for stealing that kiss."
