[A/N]: Hey guys, it's good to be back! I have missed you all so dearly! :D
I had to take a break because of school, but it won't be long until summer. For any of you wondering I do plan on finishing this story and by my count there are about 23 chapters left, give or take a few. Plus, I do plan on catching up on any chapters I have missed, but that will be closer toward summer when I have a looser schedule. Well enough talk, I know it's been a long wait for this chapter!
Thank you xShadowmere, for being a wonderful beta and checking over this chapter! It means a lot to me! :)
[DISCLAIMER]: I don't own the Elder Scrolls Series, that's Bethesda's deal. But Arela, Celta, Delica, Garthla Pale-Storm and Enden are my characters and belong to me.
~Fun. Why Am I The One
Go on, go on, go on, if you were thinking that the worst is yet to come
Why am I the one always packing up my stuff?
For once, for once, for once I get the feeling that I'm right where I belong
Why am I the one always packing up my stuff?
I think I kinda like it but I might have had too much.
"You're a vampire?" Rune exclaimed in shock.
"Yes. I wasn't given any choice in the matter." Arela stated to the mass of members that were assembled. Many still had awestruck expressions slapped on their faces; her confession had come as very shocking to them.
There was a dreadful silence that seemed to sweep over the Guild like a cold, numbing rain. It was killing her to watch everyone stare at her with the same slack-jawed, surprised expression.
She had been honest with the Guild and told them the truth, which was the exact same story she had told Brynjolf and Karliah. She hoped they would understand that this choice hadn't been her's entirely, being a vampire had been her only feasible option, unless death was the option they had expected from her. She knew some of the members would understand but she knew too well some people lacked compassion and wouldn't accept her rational.
"A vampire!" Thrynn shouted angrily. "I was a bandit once, do you know what vampires do to bandits? They make them their thralls! Vampires are a bandit's worst nightmare." He finished with a feral growl.
"It's not like Arela's going to turn you into a thrall, Thrynn. No one would want you following them like a love sick puppy. That's a curse of their own making." Cynric retorted with a chuckle.
"Shut it, Cynric or I'll snap your damn neck." Thrynn hissed back in response. "We can't have a vampire living here!"
That seemed to only fuel Cynric into responding with a retort. "Arela would never hurt anyone and you know that! She's protected this Guild far more than you have!"
Brynjolf stepped between them, ending any confrontation. "Knock it off, the both of you."
"But Thrynn's right. We can't trust her while she's a vampire." Sapphire joined in vehemently.
"How can you say that Sapphire? Cynric has a good point, Arela defeated Mercer and rebuilt the Guild. Tossing her out on her ass doesn't seem like a fair repayment." Niruin cut in, shooting a dirty look at Sapphire.
"But would you sleep soundly knowing a predator was prowling around!" Thrynn defended Sapphire. "I know I won't be able to."
"That's not fair to Arela! She's done so much for us." Rune sprang into the acclimating fight. It seemed every moment the argument built another layer or conquered another mute soul.
"Ohe, I couldn't see myself working for any other boss." Delvin piped up. He didn't seemed troubled by the news at all, if anything he seemed cheerfully to know the truth.
"Yeah, but look at her now! She would stick her fangs in your neck and not feel guilty! How can you trust a monster?" Thrynn sneared.
"Easily, because she's not a monster, she's a friend." Ravyn spoke up. "Arela wouldn't do such a thing."
It was turning into a disaster: yelling, anger and unrest swept through the Guild like a tidal wave. Members were bickering amongst themselves, passionately taking side either with her or against her. She never wanted this, her own family tearing themselves apart because of her. Years of working hard to bring them together, to get one another to trust each other, and it was all going to waste.
"Please stop." She said, but they ignored her with their mindless bickering. She tried to yell but they seemed to be more fixated on fighting with each other.
"I think I agree with Thrynn on this one. I don't trust bloodsuckers, no matter how friendly or nice they once were." Vex chimed in. "Arela may be our Guildmaster, but she's still a vampire, and no one trusts vampires."
Arela was speechless by Vex's confession. She hadn't particularly expected the permanently disgruntled Guild Third to be sentimental, but Arela had expected Vex to side with her. Purely out of gratitude, and because it seemed like the right thing.
"You're only saying that because you want to be Guildmaster yourself!" Cynric spat.
"Oh shut it, you Forsworn inbreed. Who here doesn't want to be Guildmaster?"
Brynjolf grasped Cynric's shoulder to keep him from lashing out at Vex. "I don't. The only reason you're the Guild Third is because I didn't want the position, you selfish bitch. And how dare you call me a Forsworn inbreed, you stuffy Imperial snob!"
"Hey, watch what you call Vex." Garthar growled. It had always been known that Garthar had a soft spot for the person that recruited him. He would defend Vex's honor to his last breath.
"And calling him a Forsworn inbreed is fine? How about I call you a drooling oaf." Vipir drunkenly shot at Garthar. Vipir had just stumbled down the secret entrance, most likely returning from the Bee and Barb. He looked quite thrilled by all the fighting that was going on.
"It's time to stop this!" It was Karliah's soft voice that seemed to burst through all the vicious arguments and debates. It was unlike Karliah to ever speak out, but she had earned her respect in the Guild once again, so her voice commanded attention. Everyone halted what they were doing to listen to her.
"The best way to solve this problem is by a democratic vote. Either Arela stays our Guildmaster, or she goes. It's that simple."
Arela felt a lump building in her throat from the stress. Her voice was close to useless and all she could do was nod at Karliah until she found the strength to speak again. "I think it's a good suggestion." She agreed, weakly.
"This is the appropriate way to handle this. Those in favor of Arela leaving, step forward, now."
It was torture watching as Thrynn, Sapphire, Vex, Garthar and Tonilia stepped forward. Each person was someone she would have trusted with her life and seeing them wishing her gone was painful - equivalent to a dagger in the back.
"Those in favor of Arela resuming her station as Guildmaster, step forward."
She felt her shoulders relax when Cynric, Rune, Niruin, Brynjolf, Delvin, Ravyn and a drunken Vipir stepped forth. She still had the majority, which relieved her. She knew it wasn't going to be easy proving her worth, again. Proving her worth had been a challenge before, it was a worth feat, one she knew was achievable.
"This can't be happening!" Thrynn shouted. "You can't allow her to stay Guildmaster, Brynjolf. You must do something."
"It seems the Guild has spoken. If you have a problem Thrynn, you're free to leave." Brynjolf replied coolly.
"I'll buy someone's vote! How about eight hundred septims for each person that changes their vote."
There a was moment of silence and it was almost relieving to know no one was changing their mind - until she heard Vipir let out a snort.
"Sure, I'll switch. I've been a little light on the coin." Vipir chuckled.
"I can't believe you, Vipir." Cynric shouted, angrily. "It's nice to know how easy your opinion can be won." He crossed his arms over his chest and spit at Vipir.
Brynjolf stopped Vipir from throwing himself at Cynric in blind rage. "You two need to knock it off. I shouldn't have to break up fights every minute."
"It'll be your job now Bryn, because were even now. Kick that thing out, she doesn't belong here anymore." Thrynn growled.
"I vote for Arela to stay." Karliah said softly. "It's seven to six, it seems Arela will be staying no matter your opinion on it, Thrynn."
"You can't do that!" Thrynn hissed.
"Are you saying my vote doesn't matter?" Karliah stated bluntly, before speaking once more in a harsher tone. "If you don't approve of the vote there is the door. Feel free to use it."
Thrynn shook his head in anger but he quietly left for the training room; Sapphire even followed him. It was unsettling seeing them stomp away, they had once been people she had always kept a good repore with. She hoped they weren't going to conspire against her or plan her assassination.
Arela scanned around and for the most part things were settling down, most of the members were splintering away in small sects. Whispers permeated and side glances were shot from certain groups.
It was maddening but she ignored them, instead she focused her attention on Brynjolf, Cynric and Karliah who had congregated right next to her.
"It seems you have more support than you believed, Guildmaster." Brynjolf chuckled. "Now you I don't have to do your job." He gave her a wide smile.
"You look so overjoyed, it's good to know I'm making one person's life less miserable."
Brynjolf patted her lightly on the back. "Don't get down on yourself, lass. Things will be looking up again. There are plenty of pockets and houses left to raid since you left."
Cynric gave her a crooked grin, it was one of those sideways smirks that drove her insane. "People will begin to fear us again, especially once they see we've gotten restless once again."
Karliah cleared her throat. "Enough about business, we haven't seen you in a few months. Why don't you settle down and have a drink with us in the Flagon?"
"Sounds perfect, a stiff drink is exactly what I need."
The Flagon was exactly how she remembered it: cold, damp, and had the pungent aroma of stale vomit. This was the type of familiarity she needed at the moment, something to keep her from thinking about her mess with the vampires.
"Vekel, four Black-Briar ales over here," Brynjolf called as the three of them took a seat farthest away from the bar.
"Ah, up in just a minute, Brynjolf." Vekel hastily responded. The clinking of bottles was heard and Arela began to lean back in her set and rejoice. She hadn't had a drop of alcohol in months and maybe alcohol would quell her desire to feed.
Arela felt her shoulders fall as she felt at peace for the first time in a long while. She was finally coming to terms with her return and the fact that she wasn't directly being hunted.
It was odd not feeling the need to run consistently or worry about the next problem that would arise. It was good to be able to feel secure once again, because there was no security with Harkon or his vampire clan around.
Evading Orthjolf had been strenuous work, it had proven to be no easy feat and without Odahviing it would have been impossible for her to escape. But she knew Harkon was still looking for her and he wouldn't give up at all, not until he had achieved his goal of making her see his justice.
She closed her eyes and pushed the thought of Harkon into the back of her mind. Being killed by Harkon were the type of thoughts she need to the cease, relaxation was hard to come by nowadays and Arela wanted to soak it in while she still could.
It wasn't long until Vekel brought their drinks over and quickly everyone snatched one. Arela clenched the cool bottle between her fingers enjoying the icy feeling it brought to her.
Without another word she slammed a whole mouthful before the vile sting of acid caused her to let out a snarl.
"For Oblivion's sake, what is in this ale? It's disgusting!"
"Here, I'll try it." Cynric offered, leaning across the table to grab her drink. He took a quick sip and then gave her an odd look.
"Honestly, Arela there is nothing wrong with your drink. It tastes perfectly fine."
Arela frowned. Could it be that her desire for blood kept her from enjoying ale? If so, she was really going to have a miserable time as a vampire. It just seemed as of late that being a vampire meant you couldn't enjoy anything but the ecstasy of drinking blood and the thrill of killing.
Unfortunately, the alcohol seemed to reawaken the aching in her throat, and again she could feel the primal vampire desires stirring in her. It was as if acid was drenching her throat, choking her into an unconscious blood lusting haze.
It clawed in the back of her mind, trying desperately to escape its confounds, to unleash itself on the closest being with flesh and blood.
The blood-loving instinct in her whined to be released, begging for her to grab one of her friends and angrily sink her fangs straight into their tender throat, never to let go until they were bled dry. It was a nightmare that was being played in her mind, just the thought of hurting Brynjolf or Karliah was enough to keep her from losing her grasp.
Arela gripped on to the table for support, to anchor herself. She could hear and feel the splitting of wood as the table cried under her focused iron grip.
She couldn't let this primal desire to win, for if she did Cynric, Karliah or Bryn would be the ones to suffer. The monster inside her was going to lose this battle.
After a few seconds she was able to bury the fierce urge to feed, but she knew she needed to feed soon. It was only a matter of time until the desire would resurface or worse, become unbearable.
"Are you okay, Arela?" It was Karliah that was the first to speak, her question was only voicing concern.
She looked down at the table and saw the wood had bayed to her powerful vampiric grip. It was splintering and shooting up, blood was running from her hands as the splinters pierced her palms and fingers. It was an ugly scene and even Arela wanted to turn away. She tried to wipe the blood away from her palms but still shards of wood were blatantly piercing her hand.
Karliah and Brynjolf were giving her very helpless looks, as if they already knew she couldn't control herself. It was a sad unspoken truth, she was a monster, but they seemed to be coping with it.
Still, it wasn't safe for her to stay, at any moment she could slip into a monstrous lust for blood. She didn't want to chance hurting them, she could never live with herself if she did.
"I'm okay, don't worry, but I think I should go."
"Arela, please don't go." Cynric let out a desperate plea, but she shrugged it off. If she lost control and something happened she would never be able to live with herself.
Arela got up from her chair, and quickly made her way told the cistern door. She needed to get some fresh air or maybe just feeding would end the blinding burning desire for blood.
It would only be chance that as she made her way to the door a certain flaming, red haired individual would be standing before her. It was like looking in a mirror, blazing emerald eyes - eyes she had once had but were now replaced with crimson. The same deep ginger hair and the shy light freckles that danced across her face. The only thing that set them apart was age and of course Arela's new vampiric features.
"What do you want?" Arela hissed.
"You're not even going to stop and say hello to your mother?" Frarja replied with the same overconfident tone as she leaned against the brick wall, specifically blocking her path. Frarja of course had a drink in her hand, it was a trademark for her, something Arela had discovered on her first run-in with her mother.
"Get the hell out of my way." She demanded.
"That's all you have to say since visiting me last over two years ago?" Her tone was more aggressive now and Arela clenched her fists to control the bellowing rage that was building. She didn't want to do something rash like try and choke her own mother - but her anger was hard to ignore.
"I have nothing to say to you. And just so you know, you're no mother of mine. Now move out of my way."
"Really? So I guess giving birth to you don't constitute as being your mother?" She said, desperately trying to be a smart ass. The alcohol must have already gone to her head, giving her the boosted confidence she needed to say these remarks.
Arela took a deep breath to hold herself at bay. She was getting dangerously close to losing her temper and openly attacking her own mother.
"You may have birthed me, but that's all you did. You didn't raise me, you weren't there for me when I needed you. Garthla was though. She raised me and Enden for years. She was the one who spent the time raising us, healing our wounds and helping us learn who we really were. While you were spending your time getting drunk every night. Now, we have nothing left to say, so move." She said in a dark tone.
Still her mother stood in her path, unheeding. Her refusal to move was getting serious and in a few moments Arela felt she might hurt Frarja to escape. She turned to look behind her briefly and noticed the whole Flagon was watching in perpetual silence. They seemed engrossed in the mother-daughter conflict that was unfolding before them.
Not even Cynric was daring enough to get up and try to mediate the situation like he normally did. He was usually a diplomat but this wasn't a fight he could stop. This was a fight that had been brewing for a long time.
"So that's what you think of me? I was whoring around and drinking while you struggled to survive? So you think I should have taken you and Enden with me? Well sorry to burst your little fantasy daughter, but that would have never worked! Taking you along would have made my escape unbelievable to Mercer. He would have hunted us down and killed us all! Don't you see that leaving you here was the safest option I had, that we all had!"
Anger was radiating off Frarja, it seemed her birth mother had the same temper Enden possessed.
"Don't call me your daughter, I'm nothing like you!"
"How can you say that? You're just as stubborn as I am. Plus, you look like a spitting image of me, minus those blood thirsty eyes you have now. Yeah, I heard you're a vampire, the whole Guild's talking about it."
"That's not any of your damn business what I am." She shot back, this time she just pushed through her mother, using her newfound strength to overcome her mother's monstrous temperament.
But her mother lunged and grabbed on to her shoulder, trying to yield her escape.
Arela instantly responded by swatting away her mother's hand in an angry twirl. "Keep your damn hands off me and while you're here keep your distance too."
"Don't you be that way to me daughter."
"You gave up the right to call me your daughter years ago. You had your chance to be a mother, and you tossed that away." Arela turned her back to her and stormed off. If she saw her mother again it would be too soon.
She didn't have the energy to deal with her mother, it had been almost two days since she had last slept. After nearly being killed by an assassin, fighting werewolves and having to outrun Orthjolf she justified herself deserving a break. If she kept on going like this she might simply die from exhaustion before Serana and Enden returned from their journey for the Elder Scroll.
Maybe it was best if she rested at Riftweald and then returned to the Guild to pick up her duties as Guildmaster. She took a deep breath of fresh rainy air as she crawled of the stuffy Cistern. It was probably for the best to get some rest, the Guild had survived this long without her constant supervision. She doubted anything would happen while she was away.
Two days had passed since Arela had settled back into the monotonous waves of Guild work. She was once again organizing the ledger, and handing out jobs; it was extremely tedious. Many members seemed to cooperate and listen to her, but others were reluctant to take orders. Thrynn was still shooting daggers are her from across the Cistern, and he refused to be within twenty feet of her.
She accepted it. It was delusional to think everyone would accept her with open arms, and Thrynn had a good reason to be leery of her, given his past as a bandit. Sapphire wasn't tolerant, and her disapproval had been expected, but Vex's betrayal was still fresh in her mind. She might find a way to speak with Vex later, and it wasn't going to be pretty. Two stubborn women trying to prove themselves right; it was bound to be a disaster.
For the most part, the building storm had blown over, most members treated her with the same respect as they had before. Rune had seemed joyful to take a heist off her hands, and other members seemed enthusiastic to have her back. Brynjolf seemed especially relieved by her return.
She was appreciative of the support that Brynjolf and Karliah had extended to her. There was no way she could have tried to run this Guild without them, they were her critical pillars that kept the Guild from toppling over.
It had brought Arela peace to be able to confide in Karliah and Brynjolf. She had later spoke with them to unveil the whole extent of her story since she left. They had listened to every detail, her turning, the Blood Bond, the assassination from the Dark Brotherhood that nearly took her life, her revival from Akatosh, the two werewolves her and Harkon had dueled, and lastly her gut wrenching experiences with Harkon himself.
"Are you okay, Arela?" Karliah's voice sliced through her hazy strands of thoughts.
"Eh, yeah. I'm fine, why?" She knew Karliah wouldn't buy her half-assed slurred reply for a minute. The lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll. Her recent plague of bad dreams was keeping her from a good nights rest.
Instead of sleeping she had been spending her time in the Flagon with Cynric. Sadly, the ale tasted like bile to her now. She safely assumed the taste had something to do with needing blood to sustain herself. It was depressing to think blood was the only liquid that brought satisfaction now.
"You sound exhausted. Have you been sleeping or is the stress eating away at you?" Karliah prodded; she really did try being prim and proper, but it never worked. They had been through too much together to strictly call their friendship business related. Karliah was always worrying over her like it was some motherly instinct.
"I'm fine, just not sleeping well that's all." She confirmed, but didn't elaborate.
"Bad dreams?" She questioned.
Arela nodded, it felt so childish to be fussing over nightmares.
"Yes, nightmares. I think they're just side effects of–" She trailed off. To be honest, she had no clue what these dreams meant.
They were vivid, starting with her encompassed in a thick, volatile darkness. Soon blood would start to run along the ground like a river, flowing around her feet with a strong current. She would occasionally almost lose her balance and topple over into the river of crimson.
Sounds of pain would echo in her mind, screams for help, shrieks from torture, it would become maddening.
Then it would begin to lull into the background, soon whispers could arise. Whispers of death and of fear, whispers of failure and of suffering, they would overpower her eardrums. They would simultaneously speak at the same time - as if the purpose was to purely drive her to insanity. The voices would beat incessantly in her head before one distinct voice would conquer them all. This voice was familiar, it was robust, enthralling and made the darkness quake in its presence.
She could never decipher the words being spoken because the malice behind those words was so dictatorial and unsettling it left her reeling.
It wasn't long until tall figure would rise from the darkness and kill her, but this figure would not grant her a quick death. It was always slow and agonizing. It would slash at her, tearing at her flesh and ripping away at her. She would fight back with all the might she could conjure but she was still too weak and it was by far more agile and tactical.
With each slash the blood that pooled along her legs would rise - until she was drowning in a sea of crimson. Just the sheer thought of her dreams sent self induced chills shooting up her spine. Arela shook her recollections away, trying dearly to focus on reality.
Oddly enough, Karliah looked down at her small tankard of ale and refused to look up. "Your mother asked me to speak with you again. She wants me to convey her desire to speak with you again - but in private."
What a coward. Frarja was too afraid to say it to her face, instead she had baited Karliah into it. Arela fought down a scowl because Karliah didn't deserve it, only her birth mother did.
"You can tell my mother to piss off. I'm not speaking to her, she can consider herself lucky enough that I haven't had the gumption to kick her out - yet."
A deep and bitter silence ran between them for a few moments. It was wrong of her to snap at Karliah, but her mother was a subject that she really didn't want to discuss. That woman was so infuriating and after fighting with her in the Flagon Arela was reminded why she had such a strong aversion to her.
"I'm sorry I snapped, Karliah. It's just… Frarja is so maddening. She has never shown me a single attribute a mother posses but she wants to lay claim to being my mother? Garthla was a real mother and I would never give that title to someone else, especially someone so undeserving."
Karliah nodded slowly. She seemed to fully comprehend the dilemma, but her friendship with Frarja must make it hard to support one side.
It's was difficult to even think about giving the title of mother to someone else. She had always regarded Garthla as her mother and to try and have someone come and destroy her status was almost heartwrenching. Thankfully Karliah distracted her from the painful thought.
"Well, Brynjolf and I were talking about what we should do about the Dark Brotherhood and the contract they have on your head. We think you should personally go and pay Astrid a visit."
Arela felt shocked and she shot Karliah a look of pure surprise. "What are you crazy? Going right into their clutches? She would drive a dagger right through my heart the moment she saw me."
"No she wouldn't. She seemed to have the utmost respect for you the last time you and I met with her. Take a few members with you if you don't trust her, but we can't have this issue hanging open not if the vampires are as big a threat as you predicted. We might need to ask the Brotherhood for help if things go badly."
Karliah had a good point, but was it one that was worth risking her life over? Astrid was too unpredictable from for her perspective. The last thing she wanted to have to worry about was being stabbed in the back.
"So, I'm just suppose to waltz in and ask her to drop the contract on my head? It's the Dark Brotherhood, they are zealots about completing contracts and pleasing the Nightmother. There is no way she would agree, Karliah."
Instantly Karliah shook her head. "From what Delvin was saying there hasn't been a Listener for sometime, and Astrid doesn't seem particularly stringent on the old ways of the Brotherhood. I think there is a chance if you offer her enough money and maybe try and intimidate her she might be convinced to terminate it. I don't think she wants to make an enemy out of us."
"I see your point but I don't think she will be cooperative. Astrid is pretty stubborn and if she even think she's being manipulated things will go badly from there."
"Arela you're a thief, you need to sell it to her, make her fall for it. Thieves are very good at acting and lying, and I know for a fact you're a damn good thief. I know you can do it. Just take some members you trust and that know how to deal with the Brotherhood."
It was an interesting proposition, one that could prove to be advantageous if they were able to sway Astrid into aiding them against the vampires.
"It is an interesting idea, one worth some consideration. I might even take you up on the suggestion," she finally caved. "I think it is time we deal with the Brotherhood and even if things go bad at least we know where they stand."
Karliah smiled. "My point exactly."
[A/N]: So what did you guys think of this first chapter back? Next chapter is the fight with Durnehviir, which I know some of you are excited for! *cough* ShoutFinder *cough* So stay tuned because it is going to be extremely action packed! ;)
Please leave me some of your thoughts, because I could really use any feedback since I've been gone for so long. Again, thank you for all the support! :)