The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Ulfric Stormcloak & Kayleigh Leanne – "Runaway With My Heart"
Location: Hjerim, Windhelm
9th of Second Seed
2:16am
Hjaalmarch was the next hold. However, Galmar needed to sort some things out as the camp sat up and the Stormcloaks moved there. Until he was ready and could call for the Dragonborn, Kayleigh was free. So she did a bit of adventuring. She had sat out to a few of the locations Arngeir had marked on her map to find Words of Power. Odahviing came along with her, seeing as how they had not talked much since Alduin's defeat. He even took her to see Paarthurnax and she could not be happier to see her two favorite dragons.
It was the middle of the night when Vigilance's sharp ears picked up a soft creek coming from the first floor. Feeling threatened, he licked the side of his master's face, prompting her to wake up.
"Oooooh! Vigilance!" Kayleigh was still half-sleep. "What is it?"
Creek…
I'm awake. "…Oh." She pulled the sheets off her and picked up her Mace of Molag Bal from the ground. She always kept it close to her, just for matters like these. "Do your thing, Buddy."
Vigilance jumped off the bed and silently crept down the steps. Kayleigh waited until he was gone from her sight then she exited her room and stood at the top of the stairs, waiting for a sign.
Be careful, Buddy.
She heard a loud yelp.
"Vigilance!" This time, Kayleigh hurried down the stairs and was stunned to see a blood trail leading to her mother's enchanting room. She gulped and tried again, "Vigilance? Buddy?" She called out.
As she was about to peer past the door of the enchanting room, an elven dagger nearly gutted her. Kayleigh pulled the armed hand forward and the attack fell forward.
"Dark Brotherhood! You bastards!" She was about to bring the mace down on the assassin, who was a female Redguard, when she rolled out of the way and the mace connected with the floorboards.
The Redguard got to her feet, dagger in hand. Unable to detach the mace with the floorboards, Kayleigh had little choice but to go with her fists and magic. Charging with her dagger, Kayleigh grabbed the Redguard's hand and jerked it. The Redguard quickly countered with the 'Sparks' destruction spell. Kayleigh grunted through gritted teeth as her body trembled due to the current. She was forced to her knees.
As Kayleigh tried to catch her breath, she lost balance and fell on her chest. Unintentionally, she turned her head to the right and into the enchanting room…
…where Vigilance laid in a pool of his own blood.
"Vigilance! NO!" She screamed.
"HYAAAAH!" Kayleigh heard the Redguard assassin form behind her and she rolled to her side. She was vulnerable on her back like this. Even as she tried to get up, the Redguard pinned her to the ground. "Keep still and this won't hurt!" She tried to stab the Dragonborn, but Kayleigh inadvertently grabbed the blade of the dagger to stop from being stabbed. The harder the assassin pushed the deeper the cuts on both her palms became.
The Redguard assassin then jerked the blade and Kayleigh was losing her grip on it. She felt her hands getting weaker. With one slash, the assassin broke through and gave her a cut just above her heart. Kayleigh rolled to the side, crying out in pain.
When the Redguard attempted to stab her again, Kayleigh kicked her in the thighs and she fell on her hands. When she was close to Kayleigh's face, she punched her in the jaw, hard. She rolled to the side, cursing the Dragonborn.
Kayleigh quickly rose to her feet and hurried over to her mace. Unable to grip it due to the fact that it was deeply lodged into the floorboards and also that her palms were soaking with blood and hurting, she had no choice but stay weaponless. Her hands were too hurt to use magic as well.
The assassin was semi-knocked out on her floor. There was only one thing Kayleigh could do now that she was in grave danger.
Run.
Kayleigh did not even notice that her door had been left ajar. Opening it fully, she escaped her home. She ran down the steps and managed to keep her footing, despite almost tripping on the last step. Stupid green belted tunic. With the blood dripping from both her hands, she tried to get to the Palace of the Kings via the shortcut.
However, Kayleigh was not even a reasonable distance from Hjerim when she struck with an arrow to that slash that was above her heart. She staggered back, but quickly pulled the arrow out.
That was when she spotted another Dark Brotherhood assassin sitting casually on the steps of another house. A female Khajit.
She was ready to strike the injured Dragonborn again with another arrow, but Kayleigh Shouted, "IISS SLEN!"
Another human popsicle.
With that taken care of, she scurried away. As she was hobbling through the shortcut that seemed forever to pass through, she looked up at the skies. "Sheo…" She screamed louder. "S-Sheogorath! Sheogorath, please! Please come! I need you!" She begged. "Please! Please come for me!"
With her attention to the stars, she did not see the man in front of her and she bumped into him like skier to a tree. She landed on her back and caught sight of this man:
A Breton Dark Brotherhood assassin. And he was huge.
With one hand, he gripped her neck and pulled her up to her feet. Unable to pry his hands, she attempted to elbow him the gut. She continued to do so, each time faster and harder than before. Feeling his grip loosen due to her hard hits, she broke free, clutched her fist, and delivered a hard punch to his jaw.
With the Breton on his knees, she continued to make her way to the palace. Once she was out of the shortcut valley, she noticed at the guard usually standing in front of the palace… was dead. Arrow to the chest.
Still in shock, she attempted to make a move when she was struck with a dagger to her upper left back, an area opposite her chest wound.
She fell face first connecting with the stone ground. Her left side was nearly paralyzed from the numbing pain. Sobbing, she tried to get up but a foot on her back kept her down. The Breton assassin slowly and painfully pulled out the dagger from her back, wanting her to suffer.
Pulling out a rag, the male Breton quickly gagged her with it. He whistled, and another male assassin, this time, a Dark Elf, walked up to him. "Help me with her hands."
Kayleigh shrugged, but the male Dark Elf stepped on her dagger wound. She sniveled in pain. "Keep still. I won't hesitate to break that arm."
"Stupid bitch…" It was the female Redguard assassin that Kayleigh had left in her house. "Astrid was right about her being a piece of work! No wonder she sent all of us. She turned Skavri into a human iceberg!"
"Did she get her with an arrow?" The Breton asked.
"Yeah. I got her palms and chest with my dagger."
"And I got her back with mine. The poison should kick in soon" He looked down at Kayleigh, who was struggling to keep her eyes open. "Aw, looks like mommy-dragon in falling asleep."
You bastards… Vigilance… what have you done…?
"I took out every guard in the city and every citizen who saw something." The Dark Elf said as the Breton hefted Kayleigh over his shoulder. "We should be fine."
The Redguard woman rubbed her jaw where Kayleigh had punched her. "Let's go then."
"Oh, no no no no no. You three aren't going anywhere." Blocking their way… was the Mad God. "That happens to be my Champion you have on your shoulder. I might just have to dent it if you don't put her down."
"I thought you said she lived alone!" The female Redguard spat.
"This must be her father. He looks old enough." The Breton said, but then looked disgusted. "But he doesn't dress the part."
"I will NOT have you, who obviously never had the time to treat your own face, to talk about MY youth!" Sheogorath took a step forward. "I will not say it again, mortal: that is my Champion, my daughter you have. Put her down, or OUT COME THE ENTRAILS."
"Take care of this old fool." The Breton ordered.
The Redguard woman and the male Dark Elf stepped forward.
"You heard him: put the lady down." Confused, they turned their heads to find Ulfric Stormcloak, dressed in red causal clothes, wielding an Iron Battleaxe, and looking really ferocious. "That's an order. Put her down, or I will not hesitate to kill you instead of arrest."
The Breton assassin huffed and plopped Kayleigh onto the ground like a sack of potatoes. "Take care of the Jarl. I got this old fool."
"You REALLY shouldn't have done that." Sheogorath growled. "My friend is not going to like it."
'Oh yeah? Which friend?"
"Let me give you a hint: he's short, brown in colour, has floppy ears, kind of cute, and is going to bite you in three… two… one…"
That was when the Breton was knocked to the ground by a jump attack by Vigilance.
A fight broke out between Ulfric and the two assassins. They wielded daggers and were quick on their feet, but Ulfric had the bigger weapon, and the shorter temper. Each time he attacked, they blocked it and each time they attacked, he blocked it.
It was then only that Sheogorath picked the Breton and smirked. "Out…" He punched him in the gut, his fist going through him and he pulled out what appeared to be his… intestines. "…come the ENTRAILS!" He laughed mercilessly and dropped his victim.
The Redguard and the Dark Elf turned their heads in shock. Ulfric took his opportunity to Shout, "IISS!" And they turned into human popsicles as well.
That was taken care of. They now had three Dark Brotherhood assassins to interrogate: the female Khajit, the female Redguard and the male Dark Elf. Once they've all been unfrozen, of course.
"Big-nose, keep an eye out for more of these black-red mortals!" Sheogorath ordered, as she and Vigilance ran to Kayleigh's side. She was still gagged and her hands were still tied behind her back.
"MUST you call me that?" Ulfric growled. "How is she? Is she breathing?"
"She's alive." Sheogorath himself tried not to freak out. Kayleigh was unconscious due to the poison. He casted a spell over her body to disrupt the poison's effects and wake her up. "Come on, Kayleigh…" Vigilance helped with giving her cheek a big lick. "That... might work." Sheogorath muttered.
And it did. Kayleigh slowly opened her eyes, unsure which era it was. She tried to speak through her gag, as Sheogorath untied it. "V-Vigilance…?" She spotted him.
Ulfric turned his head, and heaved a sigh of relief. Thank the Gods…
"He's alright, love, and so are you." He then untied her hands, and helped her sit up. "There we go."
"You came…" Her voice was barely above a whisper and tears were in her green eyes.
"But of course, love! You're my beloved Champion! What kind of Daedric Prince would I make if I didn't take care of my own?" He asked, with one of his smiles.
However, Kayleigh could only sob harder as she clutched her left arm. "Oh, now, now," Sheogorath pulled her into a comforting hug. "Don't cry, love! You'll make my elbows weak!" He stroked her hair and then whispered softly. "You're safe now, Kayleigh, you're safe."
A/N: Because Sheo loves his Champion like his own daughter :') I hope he didn't detach too far from his character though :/
So, what I right? Did I keep you beautiful people on the edge of your seats? Did anybody expect a different outcome? :)