Kyra pushes open the door to the passageway leading to the exit of Northwatch Keep. She jogs to a stop, bolts from the crossbows of the guards in pursuit bounce off the walls and floor. Kyra pauses searching the room for a way out, she picks up an iron shield off the table and looks up at the pull chain above it, a smirk curls at the corner of her mouth.

The guards burst into the room as Kyra yanks the chain and takes off at a dead run towards the small passageway bisecting the two large rooms. Kyra throws herself onto the shield and slides through the passageway on her belly just as three sharp blades on the ends of swinging pendulums begin carving the air mere inches above her head.

She slides to a stop on the other side and stumbles to her feet picking up the shield as she pauses looking back at the guards who were yelling at her and firing crossbows, trying in vain to get one through the axe trap. She smiles and gives the guards a two finger wave turning and taking off for the double doors leading to the courtyard.

Kyra pushes the door open and her eyes meet the two Thalmor guards at the door. One was turned with his back to her and one was stooped on one knee adjusting a leather strap on his boot. He looks up at her in surprise fumbling for his sword. Kyra kicks off her back foot and drives her heel into the mans face knocking him back onto his ass.

She pulls the dagger from her belt and slits the second guards throat as she wraps her hand around the crossbow in his right hand turning him in place leveling the crossbow at the guard she kicked. She squeezes the trigger and the bolt goes cleanly through his left eye and out the back of his skull letting her human shield crumple to the ground.

Arrows begin whizzing past her head and impact the ground at her feet as she drops the crossbow and takes off sprinting towards the front gate. The two guards at the gate were already waiting for her swords at the ready, she doesn't slow down instead takes the stairs immediately to their left.

Taking the stairs three at a time she rams her shield into the archer to her right knocking him off the wall as she vaults over the railing and sails through the open air over the wall.

She impacts the ground rolling uncontrollably as she hits her head on a rock and stars explode behind her eyes. She digs her hands and feet into the ground making deep gouges into the dirt until she stops on her hands and knees. She looks up at the men who were saddling horses to lay chase to her, she pushes herself to her feet and takes off at a sprint into the thick woods surrounding the fortress.

Behind her she could hear the men giving chase, cursing and muttering as they fought their way through the thick brush. Kyra shoves the branches away from her face as she pants in the cold night air. She never slows the Thalmor close on her heels as she hears the ever growing sounds of rushing water.

She comes out of the woods at a small shore along a river, the water was shallow but turbulent moving rapidly towards its terminous, an enormous waterfall. Kyra splashes into the freezing water still able to walk through most of it as she comes to a stop at the mouth standing on a pile of rocks splitting the waterfall.

The Thalmor come out of the woods carrying torches and shouting at her. She turns to them as they make their way into the river some loosing arrows that whiz past her ear and hip. Kyra looks down the waterfall as one of her pursuers loses his footing and is pitched over the falls.

Kyra turns in place and spreads her arm throwing herself over the falls and towards the deep pool below her.

The air whips past her as she makes her body more rigid and brings her hands forward, extending her arms in front of her and bringing her feet together as the water rushes towards her, she plunges into the freezing depths of the choppy water. The pool below the waterfall was merely the beginning of an even larger river and she's immediately caught by the current and pitched into the rapids.

She claws her way to the surface as she rolls and tumbles unable to fight the current rushing her down the river. She gasps when her head breaks into the open air and reaches out for a rock but its slick with water and algae, her fingers unable to find purchase she's pushed along with the current again.

The water carries her along for a short distance before it begins to widen and calm. She rights herself and swims over to the nearest bit of shoreline, pushing herself onto the welcome relief of solid ground.

Kyra rolls onto her back and stares up at the sky for a long moment, Masser's red glow fills the sky as the stars twinkle. She exhales and wipes the water from her face, unable to find the energy to move.

A sabre cat screams in the distance providing the motivation to push herself onto her hands and knees then to her feet. She looks down brushing herself off and wringing the freezing water from her hair.

"You ok?" Kyra looks up at a man sitting atop a carriage, a lantern extended on a pole in front of him, his horse snorts clopping one shoed hoof against the ground.

"Don't suppose you're going my way are you?" She asks smiling politely as she ruffles her dripping hair.

"Even if I wasn't I can't leave a woman out here soaking wet in the freezing cold, what would my wife say? Climb in back." She thanks him profusely as she climbs in back moving aside several sacks of flour.

"So how did you-"

"It's a long story."

"It's a long ride."

"Well believe it or not it all started with a former lover."

"Every good story always does."

Kyra looks at herself in the long mirror straightening the simple dress Hador's wife, Vittoria had been gracious enough to lend her. She turns one cheek away and looks at the three long scars down her right cheek.

"Are you all right dear?" Vittoria asks standing just inside the doorway of the small dressing room just off their bedroom. Kyra uses two fingers to brush some of her bangs over to cover the scars and turns putting on her best fake smile.

"Yes, much better thank y-" Vittoria approaches her, cupping her chin in her hand she turns Kyra's head from one side to the other examining the scars and the bruises which had gone from deep purple to green as they began to heal.

"You've been through quite the ordeal from what Hador has told me." Kyra simply nods.

"Well if anyone can take it I'm sure you can, Dragonborn." Kyra looks away, she hadn't told them who she was.

"Listen I-" Vittoria holds up her hands.

"It's all right dear, it's perfectly all right."

"How'd you know?" Vittoria picks up Kyra's sword belt from the end table and pulls it out a few inches letting the sigil of the dragon clutching arrows in its talons, stamped into the base of the blade, glint in the lantern and candle light. Kyra brushes her bangs behind one ear blushing, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry I should've said something."

"As I said dear, its all right. Now let's get you into a bed, you look like you haven't slept in a month."

"By all means lead the way."

Kyra opens her eyes and stretches. She felt a little better, she rolls onto her side and presses her cheek back into her pillow, closing her eyes to go back to sleep, before the smell of food wafts its way to her nose. She sits up sliding out of bed, she crosses her arms across her chest as she shuffles sleepily out of the bedroom and downstairs.

"That smells deliciou-" Kyra stops in her tracks just inside the kitchen.

Hador sat at the table, slumped over his food a puddle of blood forming at his feet as it drips off the table onto the floor, his eyes frozen in surprise. Vittoria's head was in a pot of boiling liquid slumped over the stove the contents still bubbling from the heat, a knife driven into her spine.

"Hello Kyra." Kyra whirls around at the voice, looking at the hooded figure leaning against the wall cutting an apple with a knife.

"Gabriella."

"In the flesh." The Dark Elf smiles as she chews a slice of apple, Kyra's eyes fill with angry tears.

"These were good people, Gabriella. Harmless, good people." Gabriella shrugs.

"I got bored waiting for you to wake up." Kyra wipes her eyes and looks at the ceiling shaking her head in complete disbelief.

"What do you want?"

"Astrid had me track you down, she has a favor to ask."

"Whatever it is, tell her to go fuck herself."

"She said you'd say that, which is why we...aquired.. some leverage. Your little friend Lya." Kyra's heart feels like it stopped making her inhale sharply.

"Lyas alive?"

"For now, as long as you cooperate." Kyra blows the air from her lungs and looks at Vittoria and Hador a tear making its way down her cheek.

"What does she want?"

"Oh, she just wants you to help us assassinate the Emperor." Kyra's eyebrow arches.

"Excuse me?"