Chapter 21: Confrontation

A sick, disgusting grin warped its way onto Traven's face. The sound of Melina's feet crunching on the leaves made him turn his head and put both of his beefy arms on his waist. "Hello, Melina."

Melina made no expression. "Traven."

"So you finally came to your senses!" Traven said rudely. "And not a single cat in sight, I see. What's the matter, did things not work out? Oh, what a surprise…"

The idea that Traven believed her and J'zargo had broken up made her insides chuckle. But she had to play along. "Where are my parents? Did you hurt them?"

"Not anymore." Traven teased. "Which reminds me, come on out everybody."

Several red-coated hooded people began to swarm the area like an infestation of larva. They climbed over the rooftop, through the doors, behind the walls…but to Melina surprise, there weren't as many as she thought. Maybe seven at the most. With Traven's money, she figured he had the expenses to buy out the entire Skyrim cult. Unless this was the entire cult.

But Melina did see one thing that made her blood curl—the female assassin coming up from the roof had a recognizable weapon attacked to her back. It was the Staff of Flavel. Melina tried not to look at it for too long, but the sight of the weapon made her automatically uneasy.

"This is it?" Melina said threateningly. She had to be strong. "Doesn't seem like much."

"More than you have, I take it."

Melina was smiling on the inside. If this was really all they had, she would be out of there before nightfall. And with all attention focused on her, that meant J'zargo and Kiara weren't being watched. "Whatever, I don't care. I'm here now. Where are my parents?"

Traven kept smiling like the disgusting villain he was. "There here, and alive. A little torn apart. My friends here had to get a few words out of them."

"They WHAT?" Melina yelped.

"Well how else were going to know where you ran off to? You could be halfway to Hammerfell by now." He replied cocky. "I must say, for a couple of mages you sure run around fast. It was hard to keep up with you at first. But everybody knows a little lost girl can't go long without going to mommy and daddy."

"Stop being an asshole, Traven." Melina ordered. "I'm here now, you have what you want, give me my parents."

"Calm down sweetheart it was only a joke." He responded in sarcasm. Melina was just reassured how little respect she had for him. "You're so on edge. How did you get away from your kidnapper, anyway? Did you filet up some Slaughterfish and throw it a few feet away?"

"J'zargo was NOT a kidnapper." Melina stomped. Just because she was pretending to be dumped doesn't mean he could trash talk her fiancé. "He…was a good man. Better than you."

Traven looked like a little kid on Christmas with the smile on his face. He had everything his little black heart wanted. "Oh, Melina, I told you that you'd learn. All of those beasts are the same. Disgusting, flea-ridden abominations of man roaming Tamriel ruining things for us Nords. For everyone."

Traven couldn't have been more wrong. But he couldn't know that yet. Little did he know that Melina had no intention of surrendering to him. But she needed to see her parents first. "Great. You were right. I was wrong. Where are my parents?"

"Alright, alright, you can see your god damn parents—"

One of Traven's hooded goons piped up, "Uh, 'scuse me, but the girl is here. Can we go?"

"No!" Traven snapped quickly. "You leave when I say so! Now shut up."

The Dark Brotherhood elf looked like he wanted to throw a knife into Traven's back, but she followed instructions and did what Traven said. Melina was tickled by how cowardly Traven was, without his hired swords he knew he didn't stand a chance. It was pathetic.

Melina decided to spice things up and stop sitting back. "So what did Jarl Balgruuf say about you hiring assassins to kill his court mages? I bet he was just thrilled."

Traven had no fast reply, just sad stuttering, "It doesn't matter! I have what I want now. We'll go back to Windhelm where I belong, forget about Whiterun."

One of the male assassins spoke up, "Yeah, and thanks to you their security has been tripled."

"I told you to shut up!"

Melina laughed, "Wow, you really are stupid."

"I think I'd watch my tongue if I were you." Traven threatened, "You're standing there in a blue dress while I have the entire Dark Brotherhood army behind me."

Melina knew Traven wasn't going to kill her. He came too far to let his work be for nothing. "That's the entire Dark Brotherhood army? Are you kidding?"

The assassins didn't seem very offended. In fact, most of them just shrugged like they agreed.

"Oh, just shut up, Melina." Traven croaked. "You're always like this. So disrespectful. How about you stop mouthing off before I have that 'pathetic Dark Brotherhood' slice your parents' throats."

Melina agreed, though she didn't nod. "Fine. So will you tell me what you plan to do next? You have me. You won. You can't go back to Whiterun ever again, I hope it was worth leaving your family and thane status."

Traven brushed it off like he didn't even care, though it was obvious he did. "Jarl Balgruuf and I never saw eye to eye. What do I care? I've been thane of Windhelm since before I was in college. Ulfric Stormcloak will welcome me back like a hero. Hope you're used to the cold, sweet cakes, because that's where you're living now."

Melina couldn't help laughing again. "You think word doesn't get around you tried to hire swords for murder."

"You'll never understand, Melina, because you're not a Nord." Traven boasted. "We have a different way of doing things. Hell, the Nord leader killed that dumbass High King of Skyrim and I don't see him leaving that throne anytime soon. Plus, I don't think the life of your little pussycat is more valuable than Skyrim's old king."

"You're still a criminal."

"How? He's not dead is he?"

"No, he's not, but—"

Traven belted out a hardy laugh and slapped his burly knee. "It's even better than being dead. He wasn't even killed, he left you. He probably read my little note and then took off running, like all Khajiits do."

An exotic, Elsweyrian voice arose the behind the trees. "No he did not."

The smile smacked from Traven's face, "You!"

Melina turned around quickly, and there he was. "J'zargo!" she cried out. He was there just like he said he would. Melina didn't have any doubt.

All seven of Traven's goons ripped out their swords, daggers, and bows as soon as J'zargo stepped out from behind his tree. The goon on the top of the roof also reached for the Staff of Flavel, but Traven raised his hand up to stop all them, "Wait."

"Hello, Traven." J'zargo taunted. Melina was so ready to fight.

"What the hell are you doing here? Did you want to see my wife's parents get their heads sliced off?"

J'zargo fists clenched like he was going to punch out a fireball. "She is not your wife anymore, you swine. And no, I didn't come for that, I came to see your head on a silver PLATTER!"

"Now wait a second!" Traven said, his own short sword now unsheathed from his belt. The tension was tight and everybody was now threatening their arms, including Melina. "If you really care about this girl then you shouldn't be so stupid. With one snap of my finger, I can tell one of my men to kill Duncan and Maria in one swoop. Is that really what you want?"

To Melina's surprise, another voice cried out from behind all the commotion. "TRAVEN!"

All eyes jerked around, and everyone laid eyes on the blacked haired Khajiit woman holding hands with a man and woman at the top of the hill. It was Kiara, and with her were Melina's parents. She had rescued them.

Traven clenched his short word and his jaw dropped to the ground. He recognized it right away, and now all of the Dark Brotherhood's weapons were pointed at her. "You…YOU?!"

"Traven!" Kiara cried out in a desperate plea. "Stop what you're doing, Traven. Please."

Traven continued to stare in complete shock. "K…Kiara? You're…what are you…"

Melina locked eyes with her mother and father immediately, and took Traven's shock as an opportunity to beckon her parents to run away. The staff holder on the roof raised her weapon to her, but J'zargo very quickly screamed, "DON'T MOVE!"

Kiara broke hands with Melina's father and they ran towards the woods. Kiara very gracefully drew her bow from behind her back and pointed it directly at Traven. "Drop your weapons, Traven. Please."

Traven's tone quickly changed to anger. The expression of his face looked as if he had just had a huge memory flashback. "What are you doing here?! You're working with them?!"

Kiara nodded. She was speaking very calmly to Traven. "I've come to talk to you. Things are not what you think they are, Traven. You need to put down your weapons."

"—you left me! You stole from me!"

"I had to take it from you, Traven. I couldn't let you go down with me."

Traven's hand was turning red from the tight grip he was holding on his sword. His face was starting to boil with anger as well. "You stole from me…and you never even thought…I'M NOT BUYING YOUR LIES!"

Kiara pulled back the arrow tighter. "I'm telling you the truth! Traven, you need to lower your weapons, and I can explain—"

"NO!" Traven screamed. "All you Khajiit are the same! You come into people's lives, take what you want, and leave us in the dust! YOU'RE ALL THE SAME!"

A small tear dripped down Kiara's cheek that she ignored. "Traven I'm so sorry…I'm sorry I left you… I'm sorry I never explained why. But things have gone too far, Traven. Assassins? Murder? This isn't you…"

Every member of the Dark Brotherhood was looking at each other in complete confusion.

Traven turned his thick neck from side to side. "I can't turn back now. I'm going to get walk out of this with what I want, and you're not going to take it away from me!"

"But what is it you really want?!" cried Kiara, "You'll never have Melina as your wife. This fight is meaningless! Put the weapon down!"

"No, this fight is not meaningless" Traven quaked, "Now that you're here, I have something new to fight for."

"M-My love, please…"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!"

Traven let lose an ear splitting scream that made all of the prepped assassins let lose their daggers and arrows. Kiara swiftly jumped behind the farm shack making all the weapons slam into the wood she was hiding behind.

As soon as the fight broke out, J'zargo and Melina both aimed their spells to the rooftop to paralyze the assassin holding the Staff of Flavel. While Melina was dealing out flamethrowers from both of her palms to ward off the goonies that were aiming for them, J'zargo performed a quick telekinesis to claim the Staff of Flavel from the clenched hands of the roof dweller, and quickly hitting her with a paralyzing lightning blast from the Staff that froze her body still and made her slide off the roof. She was dead.

With the Staff of Flavel in one hand and a powerful lightning spell in the other, J'zargo teamed up with Melina to battle three assassins who were ganging up on them. J'zargo faced the sword bearing Imperial who attempted to creep around the battle while Melina was fighting off both a mage and an archer that were flinging arrows and spells in her direction. She held a ward to deflect the mage's spells and a fireball to shatter the incoming arrows.

J'zargo quickly finished off his opponent with one fatal swoop from the Staff of Flavel, and was able to assist Melina by sneaking a Staff blow onto the archer when he wasn't even looking. With three of the Dark Brotherhood dead, J'zargo took it upon himself to fight with the magister personally.

Meanwhile, following his roar, Traven and three of his goons had raced up the hill to retrieve their thrown weapons and gang up on Kiara behind the farm. While Melina was fighting off the gang near the door, she continued to hear battle cries, which reassured her that Kiara was anything but outnumbered.

While dueling the mage, J'zargo turned to Melina and yelled, "Go to Kiara! This one is mine."

Melina nodded and jogged up the hill as fast as her legs could take her. Behind the farm house where the other half of the battle was taking place, Traven and three assassins were pinning Kiara up against a bundle of hay while she fought all of them her own sword. It was just as she reached the top that Kiara rammed her Sword into the chest of one of assassins, forcing them to keel over. Traven was not participating as much as the other three, which Melina saw as a small sign of hope.

At the top of the hill, Melina took the few seconds she had of Kiara's distraction to begin charging up a spell she had never performed before. She envisioned a colossal inferno boiling within her Magicka, leaned down to gather her energy, and started to charge a master destruction spell.

Once Traven realized she was there, he and the other goons ran in her direction instantly. But they were already too late. Within seconds of them realizing she was there, Melina unleashed an inferno blast from herself that scorched the entire area. All three of them were thrown back, both assassins crashing their skulls up against the back of the house.

Traven was the only one who got up. "What…What in the name of Oblivion was that?!"

Melina grinned. Raising one hand in the air, Melina closed her eyes and conjured a ghostly purple sword from the realms of Oblivion that shattered the air like butter. With her conjured sword, Kiara ran to Melina's side and they looked Traven dead in the eye.

"Give up while you still have the chance." Melina sneered.

Traven breath was like the panting of a dehydrated bulldog. His face was bloodshot red and his greasy eyes were staring crossly at his two adversaries. "You two…you just won't give up. You won't be satisfied unless everything in my life I treasure is ripped from underneath me."

"You brought this on yourself." Melina snapped.

"No!" He bellowed, "Kiara, you…you had the chance. We could have been in love. But you soiled it! You betrayed me…"

Kiara's sword was pointed a foot away from Traven's throat. She silently sobbed, "I'm sorry, Traven. I did this. What happened to you? You aren't the man I fell in love with, you're nothing more than a coward."

J'zargo voice came up over the hill. "The Dark Brotherhood is dead."

"Hear that, Traven?" Melina taunted, "They're all dead. You're defenseless."

"CAT!" Traven screamed. Within that instant he performed a quick dodge roll and grabbed the sword out of the hands of the assassin Kiara had ran through. Once he stood up, Traven was now holding two swords. He had gone completely mad; his face was still red as a tomato and now an unfriendly smile had filled the lower half of his greasy face. "Come on, come get me you beast. I'll kill all of you in the name of Talos!"

Melina and Kiara both dueled Traven the old fashioned way, with swords clinging and clanging on each other like swashbuckling pirates. Melina had never sword fought before, but the adrenaline rush was making Melina do things she never she'd ever do.

J'zargo followed Melina's example and summoned his own sword to fight Traven with. With three people on him, Traven didn't stand much of a chance at all. After a few minutes of parrying and attempting to get a swipe at Traven's throat, they eventually pinned him up against a corner and he dropped to his knees.

Melina and J'zargo dismissed their conjured swords with one flick of the wrist, which left Kiara holding Traven at sword point. The metal was pressing right against Traven's neck. Melina didn't dare interfere—Kiara was the only one who had the authority to judge Traven's life. She and J'zargo both stood about-face in case he tried to do anything funny, but mostly, they both left the two alone.

"Kiara…" Traven cried, tears of fear now coming from him, "Please don't kill me. I can change…I CAN CHANGE!'

With her sword still pressed against him, Kiara leaned down to Traven's level and looked him dead in the eye. "After all you've put this couple through, after you've changed so much, why should I care about this Traven? You aren't the man I love anymore. Why do you deserve to live?"

Traven was bellowing in uncontrollable fear and anguish, "I-I've made so many mistakes…you broke my heart, Kiara, I… I couldn't let it happen again… not again…"

Kiara threw her sword on the ground, freeing Traven. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out Traven's ruby encrusted ring, and showed it to Traven in the palm of her hand. "I've kept it all this time."

With his neck able to move, he looked down and the tears seized. "My ring…but why? I thought you would—"

"—Sell it?" Kiara interjected. "No. I would never sell something that meant so much to you."

Traven tried to push Kiara aside, but the trio had worm him out so much that he could barely move a muscle. "Save your shit! You led me on…you wanted that ring. You knew how valuable it was."

Kiara merely shook her head. "No. I didn't. I may be one of Tamriel's most wanted criminals, but I do not betray those I love. Do you ever think about how your life would have ended up if I didn't take that ring? An aspiring Nordic college student having a secret love life with a Khajiit—how would have looked?"

Traven shook his head from side to side, sweat dripping from his brown hair. "No, the guards knew you were bad news and had come to take you away. They had to get you before you struck again—but they were too late. I know what happened that night, Kiara. You can't talk your way out—"

"—You needed to be angry at me, don't you see?" Kiara pleaded, "They wouldn't have believed you if I hadn't taken your ring. They would have seen you as an accomplice!"

Traven had no response.

"And now look what you've become. I heard from these two what a bastard you've become, but now… now I see it with my own eyes." She stood back up and looked down at Traven with her bright blue eyes, "—and I'm not blaming myself anymore."

Traven raised his feeble arm and pointed it to Kiara. "—you did this to me. You used me. And I will never forgive you for that."

Kiara didn't budge an inch. "If you can't even take responsibility for what you've done… then I won't forgive you either."

Kiara turned around to Melina and J'zargo, who were remaining silent. Her face was vacant of expression, Melina didn't know what she could do to comfort her. All she did was look down and nod, "I've done what I can."

"What should we do with him?" J'zargo asked.

"I don't care."

Kiara walked away and down the hill. Melina felt it was best to leave her alone for the time being, fearing she couldn't help at all after watching her experience such heartache. Traven went silent, he had surrendered.

J'zargo used his magic to cast a giant flare into the sky that exploded above the treetops. "That should alert the Cheydinhal guards. They'll take it from there."

Out of the trees from behind the farmhouse, Melina heard shuffling and chatter, "Is it over yet…" a voice whispered.

Melina cuffed her hands around her mouth, "Mom? Dad?"

"Melina—?!"

Melina had recognized her father's voice whispering and ran into the bushes. Both of her parents were there, standing close together holding each other's hand. She didn't stop running towards them until her arms were locked around both of them, forcing them into a huge hug.

Melina's mother began to cry, "Melina! Oh, my baby… You're alright…"

"Mom, Dad, I'm so sorry. I put you two in terrible danger, I—"

Melina's father chuckled, "Oh, that Dark Brotherhood is a huge pushover. They don't know how to torture properly."

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something had happen to you. I'm so sorry. Nothing like that is ever going to happen again."

"Honestly dear, we're fine." Her mother said gently. "We knew you were going to come for us."

Duncan interrupted, "—So Traven used to love a Khajiit too, huh? Figures. Damn hypocrite."

Melina nodded in agreement. The more she thought about it, she more she thought Kiara likely needed a shoulder to cry on. Even if she couldn't help, it might be best to at least show she cared. "Will you two excuse me? I think I should probably…talk to her."

"Yes, yes, dear, you go." Maria said.

Melina instructed J'zargo to look after Traven so he didn't try to run away, and then followed Kiara's boot prints down the hill and into the farm house. On her walk there she saw all the fallen Dark Brotherhood assassins laying in ruin across the yellow grass. It really made Melina feel like her problems were over—they had gotten out alive, J'zargo and her parents were alive, Traven had surrendered, and now they could move on with their lives.

Kiara still remained, however. Before Melina creaked open the door to the farmhouse, Melina could hear the sound of crying coming from inside. It was Kiara. Melina opened the door slowly, in case Kiara didn't want her to be there, "Can I come in?"

There was no reply, only the sound of sobbing and anxious breathing. Melina came into the farmhouse and saw her friend Kiara sitting at the dining table with her head buried into her arms, crying softly into her own leather suit.

"Kiara, are you alright?"

"…I will be. I thought I could change him. I didn't think he was so—"

Melina took a seat at the table right next to her and put her hand on her back, just as J'zargo had done for her. "This isn't your fault. Traven is a right bastard because that was his choice. You were trying to do the best for him—and you did."

"It is about that." Kiara continued to cry, "I had thought, just maybe, if he was willing to listen to my side of the story, we might have been able to start over. I just never thought that…while I had never stopped loving him…his love for me stopped the second I left his life."

"That's because Traven doesn't listen." Melina comforted, "If he had the capacity to listen to what people said, do you think we'd even be in this situation?"

Melina knew Kiara was suffering from nothing shorter than a broken heart. It was something Melina couldn't mend; she could only be there during the healing process. If only there was a spell for mending an illness of the heart, but there wasn't.

Kiara turned her head towards Melina, the tears were making her entire furry face wet. "I keep thinking back to what you told me in the woods. 'True love never dies'. I think of it, and I don't know if I should smile because it wasn't meant to be, or cry because it never will."

"I suppose what I meant was… love will always lead you in the right direction. Traven wasn't your true love, but that doesn't mean somebody else won't be. I thought Traven would be the only person I'd ever fall in love with, but then I met J'zargo, and everything came together."

"Is it supposed to hurt this much?"

Melina nodded. "When your heart is broken, all you can do it begin to rebuild a new one."

The two friends exchanged a warm hug. Melina cared about Kiara's wellbeing, after what she's been through and how much she'd helped her, she knew they would be friends for a very long time.

"Are you ready to go back out?" Melina asked.

Kiara nodded, "Yes. I've cried enough tears of Traven."

"We all have."

Back outside, a few Cheydinhal guards had already come to investigate the signal flare J'zargo casted. Melina hustled over to the situation as fast as she could so J'zargo would be believable. Thankfully they were in Cyrodiil, where Khajiits aren't as outcast like they are back in Skyrim.

"So…you're saying this Nord hired all these assassins to hill you?" The Imperial guard questioned, pointing at Traven who was passed out up again the farmhouse.

"Yes." J'zargo said. "For the past month or so. By now he is a wanted criminal back in Skyrim, up north in the city of Whiterun. Send a letter to the Jarl and he will surely explain everything."

Melina ran up to the guard as soon she saw him. "Oh good, you're here. Everything he says is true." She said, shaking the guard's hand. The other Imperial was investigating the dead bodies of all Dark Brotherhood assassins.

"I see." The guard replied, "Very well. I'll escort him to the Count. He will likely be interrogated for his side of the story, unless you have another witness—"

"—over here sir." Kiara said, coming up from behind Melina. "I can testify for this man's charges."

"And you are?"

"…An old friend of his."

"Great." He replied, taking everything down on a small piece of paper. "Thank you for signaling us. And…great job taking out all these criminals. We had no idea they were even active again."

Both guards woke up Traven by kicking him in his boots, "On your feet."

"Wha—what's goin' on?"

"You're under arrest for activity with murderous criminal organizations."

Traven said nothing. As got on his feet, his eyes glared to Kiara one last time. In that instant, Melina could see the blankness on Kiara's face peering back into his eyes. It wasn't mean, but it wasn't friendly.

As they took him away, Kiara nodded her head and whispered, "Goodbye, Traven."