Most of all, she missed killing. She'd saved a few of the choice contracts for herself, that had been one benefit of the job, but she barely ever had time to go on them. Scarlett was determined to be a good leader, and to look after her Brotherhood; she had to lead the guild to glory, now, and she would not back out of a thing. Not like Silvanus... No. Batting the thought out of her mind, she leaned against the wall, running one hand through her blonde hair. She was so BORED. For an hour, she'd stood there, doing nothing but reading the tenets over and over again... Why had Silvanus had to run away, to fulfill his own selfish needs, and leave her in charge? Already, after only a few weeks, she was becoming more and more angry at him. How could he just escape like that? And why, oh Gods, had he kissed her like that, and then just left, without a proper farewell? What was he playing at, that was what the Nord girl wanted to know.
Duty. That was all her life was now: a god damn schedule. Five in the morning, get up, and exercise for an hour and a half. Seven thirty, have a small breakfast (if she had time) and take a quick bath. Work till seven (skipping lunch, of course), then, at nine, go and have food with the others, and the rest of the day was hers. Occasionally, if she was lucky, there was a day off for her to go into Dawnstar, or go on a contract. She'd had two so far, in the three weeks she'd been "Mistress of the Sanctuary". Usually, in that amount of time, she'd have at least eight, if not more... It was starting to get to her, the lack of blood and excitement. Hearing the others gloat about their kills got her even more; she'd almost thrown her plate at Sigrid when the stupid bitch had started talking about how "fun" her life was now, in a voice as drab and dull as her face. With a scowl, Scarlett bit her lip hard, and sucked the blood away. Enjoyable. Not.
"You know? I don't understand how my mother lived through what, five years of this?" she muttered to herself, kicking her boot up against the wall. This wasn't what a girl her age should be doing; hell, nobody should be this bored! She wouldn't wish this boring life on her worst enemy... Well, scratch that, she'd wish a lot worse on Diablos, even if he was dead. She fervently hoped that the assassins up in the Void were giving him hell, and that he'd at least lost his life eight hundred thousand times (painfully) by then. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a tiny spider scuttling along the floor, it's tiny pincers scooping up smaller insects from the floor. Shifting away from it (she was a slight aracnophobe), she lifted one foot and, with a snarl, crushed the tiny thing, and squished her foot around a few times for good measure. She was in a foul mood: not just because of her boredom. Because of Silvanus, because of Xindal, because of, well, EVERYONE. Stamping her foot again, childishly, she eliminated whatever might have been left of the creature. Her first kill in DAYS. With a low growl, she kicked the mangled remains away, and looked around, hoping for someone to talk to. Quite frankly, she didn't care who. She would swing a punch at them, rather than talk to them, but what, to an assassin, was the difference?
Luckily for her (and everyone else in the sanctuary) the person that came to her was far too small to be punched and, anyhow, couldn't talk. Scarlett felt fur against her legs, twining round them, and looked down with affectionate eyes to see her cat, VeezaraTheCat (shortened to The Cat by everyone). Smiling, she watched the thing wind around her ankles again and again, it's one eye looking up at her, asking for food. "Cat, you know that Nazir won't feed you." she repremanded, kicking it slightly in what, to Scarlett, was affection. The cat purred (it had just been kicked... why?), and padded off towards the stairs, turning it's furry head around one more time to give her what looked oddly to the young assassin like a smile. A familiar smile, oh too familiar. Like Veezara's smile: shy, gentle, and sweet... She was mad, that she knew. But she was an assassin. Didn't she have an excuse to be a bit screwed up inside?
But it did cheer her up, slightly, to see a familiar face amongst all this tragedy. So, as she began to sort through contracts once more, she did it with a smile. She knew, at that moment as she embraced her future, that she could never go back. There would never be another childhood to live, she'd lost that the second the Night Mother named her as Speaker but, in the end, she didn't care all that much. There were things she could do: do her chosen contracts, look for some new initiates, flirt shamelessly, work on getting her voice to go EXACTLY like her mothers, get herself six boyfriends, annoy Nazir, boss some people around, wait for letters from Silvanus... In the end, when she thought about it, life wasn't too bleak. She would just have to work with the bullshit she had and try and turn it into... nice bullshit. If that was possible.
Scarlett would have her children, the children of Sithis, soon enough, in only, when she thought about it, three and a bit years. Obsidias, Charon, Electra, and Xaphan... And maybe, later, she'd have her own child. With a man she loved; maybe she'd find that man someday. Silvanus wasn't the one, as much as she loved him, that she knew. Xindal certainly wasn't the one. Perhaps, if jealousy and Vassago hadn't driven him crazy... Diablos could've been the one. She'd loved him for a stretch of time. She missed the quiet youth who had written her poems.
But life moves on.
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And, yes, life did move on. Years went past. Summers, Springs, Autumns, and Winters went by, and little happened. Scarlett grew into a woman, and all who saw her swore she was the clone of her mother. Four years went by, and Scarlett's first child, Obsidias, was born, and she loved the little squeaking bundle dearly. The child was gone from the 18 year old woman, now, and sometimes, she missed her childhood. But, as she leaned against the wall in the entrance hall to the sanctuary, and watched her baby play with a toy sword... She was content. As content as Astrid had been, perhaps, when Scarlett herself was born. But, no. She was not content. For there were things that still had to be wrapped up. And, one day on the 29th of Last Seed, 4 era 204, something happened that shocked the Brotherhood.
The day began like normal: they all sat down to dinner together. Vast tureens of food weighed down the table, as the assassins sat around it, eating heartily. All except the Mistress. She was merely playing with her food, toying with some limp lettuce, as she watched Obsidias play with Babette, who was tickling his stomach. But she wasn't watching them carefully, oh no, her green eyes were unfocused. She hadn't recieved a letter from Silvanus for three months, and she was beginning to worry. "Scarlett?" a voice brought her out of her haze, and she looked up lazily, flashing Nazir her signature, flirtatious smile. Putting her fork down (and being pleased for an excuse to do so), she leaned forwards, placing her elbows on the table. "Mmm?" "I, well..." It had always been strange for Nazir, watching the kid grow up into such a dazzling young woman. Sometimes, he was awed by how much she had changed, and how much she looked like... Cutting his mind off its patter, the aged Redguard sighed, and looked at her carefully. "Has something been troubling you, Mistress? You haven't eaten properly for days. I was wondering if it was my cooking that was the problem..."
It never failed to make Scarlett chuckle hearing how much respect Nazir now addressed her with. Mistress? Ah, well, it was nice having a bit of courtesy around, especially with Xindal and Mortas, who hadn't stopped squabbling all these years, in the sanctuary. With a smile, she shook her head carefully. "No, no. I've just been wor- concerned," she cut herself off, cursing silently. As a leader, she knew that she should always seem in control. However, she was still learning, and still had much to find out about leadership. "I've been a bit concerned as to where and what our Listener is doing," Scarlett admitted. Shrugging, she leaned back. "Sil hasn't written in ages. It's almost nice, sometimes, to hear about places like Vvardenfell and Cyrodiil, even if he does seem slightly deranged from what I can tell..." she chuckled lightly. Opening her eyes fully, she saw that the whole guild was staring at her, looks of interest in their faces. The look on her face quickly went from slight worry, to a teasing grin. "Listening in?"
"Sister, he's been gone for four years. Our... Our Listener. When is he coming back?"
Scarlett bit her lip. She couldn't tell them. She knew, and it had been plaguing her heart. Either he was dead, and that was why he hadn't written, or he was too busy to listen... Like he was travelling... Four years had passed. He'd said four years would be his limit and, from what his letters had said, he hadn't found hide nor hair of Lukos. Scarlett knew what the lack of letters meant. It meant that he was coming back to the sanctuary, with bad news on his lips. Lips... Shaking her head, she got up, and excused herself from the table, the odd looks of each and every one of the assassins following her, as she walked out of the room.
He was coming. She knew it in her heart.
"Silvanus..."
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"Can't say I recognise you, lad. Young, aren't you? Seventeen or eighteen, perhaps? Coming to Skyrim in the hope of finding your fortune? Can't say there's much fortune to be had, here, boy... The Dark Brotherhood's on the loose, and that's putting most folk off coming here... Say, you heard of them?"
The light haired youth silently climbed up onto the cart. His eyes had dark rings around them, and the look on his face was of so much misery that it drove all who looked at him to feel as if someone had died... The blond fringe covered his eyes, and most of his hair was covered by a large black hood. He had the aura of someone who didn't want to be noticed. The aura of someone in mourning. Flipping the chatty cart-driver a gold coin, he said in a low, husky, hoarse voice, "How much to Dawnstar?"
The Nord driving the cart gave him a curious look. There was something about him that the man almost recognised... The high cheekbones, the pale skin, the electric blue eyes, the white blond hair... Something almost eerie. But it wasn't the man's job to be supersticious, that he knew, and no matter how much like a demon this strange youth looked, there was no way that Bjorlam would refuse the gold. Trying to keep the cold atmosphere friendly, the Nord said in a booming voice, "It's 20 gold pieces to Dawnstar on this cart. Won't get a better deal anywhere. What's your name?"
The young man paused for a second, eyes firmly on the Nord's face. Then, he shrugged. "Pollux." he said. "And yourself?" "Bjorlam. Nice to meet you, Pollux. Get yourself seated, and we'll go."
Silvanus sat down, a smile on his handsome features. He had called himself Pollux for the last few years, his old alter ego, to put off anyone who may recognise the infamous name Silvanus Coppercroft. He almost knew himself as that now. In someways, Silvanus Coppercroft had died the second he left Scarlett behind outside the Dawnstar Sanctuary. He could still remember the feel of her lips on his... So soft, so natural. But he didn't love her. To him, it'd been a kiss. Nothing more, nothing less. He was anxious to get to Astrid, in the Void... And Lukos. His little Lukos. No sign of him ANYWHERE. Angry tears blossomed up in the Breton's eyes, as he heared Bjorlam whip the horses into motion. The cart began to trundle along a dirt road, and Silvanus buried his head in his hands. Why hadn't he found Lukos? He'd worked so hard, tried so hard, searched every single CORNER of Tamriel... And no Lukos. There had been sightings, of course, mostly in Cyrodiil... But every single one he investigated turned out to be false. He'd killed every single rumourmonger, torn their heads from their bodies, and stabbed them till they screamed... The youth wanted to see his son! And that... that had been denied him. Why him? He'd heard horrific things... The idea of his poor, fragile, screaming baby being torn apart, burnt at the stake... He could feel more tears streaming from his eyes. Biting his lip, he shook his head.
"Why?" he whispered into his hands. Astrid. Lukos. No sign of his little boy, his little Lukos Lucien Coppercroft. He'd thought the child would be safe, be alright... But no. All of that had been taken away from him by Diablos and Commander Maro. Despite himself, he almost sympathised with the old Commander. Now, they both knew what it was like to lose a son... And Silvanus hadn't even known his son. This... this was pure agony, a pain in his heart, a dagger in his side. Then, as he looked up at Bjorlam's friendly, accented voice, he turned his pale face back as deadpan as he could. He would not show his weakness... Although, like he had said to Scarlett, he was an empty shell inside.
"Why you going to Dawnstar? Not the nicest place..."
"Family business. I lived there for a while, before then in Falkreath. I went to..." he waited for a second, racking his brains. Then, he thought of something. "See the world, really. I'm ill, you see. Dying... Not catching, don't worry." he'd seen the driver flinch away from him. With a throaty chuckle, he shook his head. "Just wanted something to do before I die. Get away from the snow, you know. It's beautiful, in High Rock at least. Cyrodiil's a pile of corrupt bullshit." Bjorlam laughed, and threw an amused glance over his shoulder. The words the youth spoke were cynical, but oddly funny, in an almost insane way... Odd.
Bjorlam was still laughing when Silvanus sank his teeth into his neck, and put a dagger to his throat.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Eventually, a lone horse and rider reached the Black Door. It was night, and the Northern Lights lit up the sky, along with countless stars... The deserted, sandy beach was a picture of beauty, as Silvanus dropped onto it, and looked out at the sea. It was dark, as he remembered it, and stormy further out... Waves crashed onto the shore, splattering his shrouded boots with water. Cold water, so cold, that it should have chilled him to the bone... But he was a vampire. A dead man, literally, and numb... Looking out into the sea, he sighed.
"Beautiful last moments." he muttered to himself. Then, he smiled. And, for the first time in his life, his smile was not frightening. It was genuine. He'd remembered something that had happened many years ago. Leaning down, he scooped up a handful of stones, and tossed them out to see. And, miraculously, one by one, they all skipped a few times, before being submerged under the unforgiving waves. He laughed quietly, and leaned down again, to throw more stones. Watching them drop into the water, he smiled at happy memories. And smiled even more when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"I thought you'd be back. They all wanted to come see you, but I thought you'd probably want to be left alone." Scarlett's voice. Grown, slightly deepened, and so much like her mother's that it could easily have been Astrid's own voice. However, the tone, unlike Astrid's usually, was soft. Silvanus felt a hand on his arm, and shivered slightly at the touch he had not felt for four years.
"You're eighteen, aren't you?" his own voice was slightly cracked from misuse. He still looked eighteen, being vampire by blood, but... Somehow, he had aged. He sounded tired, weary, ready to die, like an injured man. Scarlett felt a pang of regret as she slipped under his arm. Together, Silvanus' arm around her, they stared out into the huge sea.
"Yeah. And you're 22... Almost 23. Strange. You haven't aged a day, Silvanus. You didn't find him?" Slowly, Silvanus shook his head. He wanted to talk to Scarlett, to express how much he'd missed her, to tell her what was going on in his mind... Her beauty, now even more obvious to him, was apparent even in the dark. But the Northern Lights lit up her face, as she stared up at him, green eyes questioning. Then, tenderly, she brought up a hand to his face, and stroked his cheek. "You're going, then? T-" her voice went unstable, and she stopped. Taking a breath, she started again, determined. "To the Void?"
"Always said I would." the disappointment on her face was obvious. But, also there, was happiness. "I love Astrid. I still do. Every night I dream of her..."
"I know. You love her more than you could ever love me. I've accepted that... I'll miss you. I'll miss you more than you'll ever know. I just want you to know..." Taking both of his hands, she turned to face him. They looked intently at each other. "I love you. I always have, and I always will... As you say... Even in Death. I'll have my children, maybe even get married someday. But I'll never love anyone as much as I love you. So... take care of yourself, my Listener... Wait. Listener." she sounded harsh for a second. "Who'll be Listener now?"
"I don't know. When I'm in the Void, I'll make sure someone gets it. Scarlett, you must hate me, but..."
"By Sithis, I promise you, I do!" there was both laughter and tears in her voice, as she pressed a finger in his chest. "Leaving me in all your bullshit... I should kill you!" "Feel free."
They were silent for a second. Then, slowly, Scarlett looked up into his face. "I don't understand," she said quietly. "How you can talk so readily and calmly about death. The Void." They looked at each other. After what seemed like hours, Silvanus finally said,
"You forget, my dear, I'm a vampire. Dying is second nature to me."
"You're being brave. I've missed you, you night-spawn bastard." "I've missed you too, you she-devil."
They embraced tightly, holding each other for a few seconds. And then, when they broke apart, Scarlett looked up, and pointed, letting out a wild laugh. "Gods, this is a perfect night to die. Look at that sky!" they both looked. The Northern Lights shimmered brightly, stars twinkled, the moon was nowhere to be seen amidst the stars and the lights. Laughing, they returned to each other's arms, looking up at the sky. And then, they heard the sound of light steps on the sand, and turned around. Obsidias was walking, on chubby legs, towards them, mouth open, dark eyes wide in surprise. He was too young to be walking, albeit unsteadily, and it would unnerve most mothers to see a child at only a few months old being able to walk reasonably and talk a little too. However, Obsidias was a demi-God, being the son of Sithis. He would grow up, in that respect, unnaturally fast.
"Mama?" Scarlett smiled a kind smile, and walked towards her son, arms outstretched. He toddled into them, and she lifted him off the ground into her arms. Then, turning back to Silvanus, she smiled into the boy's mess of curly, corn blond hair. The baby stared at Silvanus for a second. Then, as if assessing him, he raised his arm, and prodded the Breton's face. "My... my dadda?" he said, in a stuttering, babyish voice. Scarlett kissed his curls, and shook her head, chortling at Silvanus' smirk and raised eyebrows.
"No. This is... Oh Sithis. Grandpa, technically." Silvanus pretended to slap himself in the face, and Scarlett giggled, and carefully put the baby down on the sand. He took a few unstable steps, steadying himself, then toddled at full speed towards Silvanus' legs, grabbing them with chubbing fists. Silvanus felt a sense of misery rising in him. This should've been his son. He should've been watching his son walk, and playing with Astrid, not Scarlett. Gently, he dislodged the child, and knelt down, looking the child in the eyes. The Breton smiled, and ruffled the boys hair.
"Maybe you'll be the next Listener, Dias," he whispered conspiritorially, sticking his tongue out at Scarlett when she mock sighed, rolling her eyes. Obsidias, unaware of the joke, was watching the adults with undisguised awe. Then, pleased with himself, he looked up at Silvanus. However, suddenly shy, he let out a giggle, and ran away through the Black Door, laughing at the top of his lungs. The door swung shut behind him, and Scarlett shook her head, smiling.
"Cute." Silvanus said, but the smile was straining now. He was thinking of Lukos. Poor Lukos; why had fate been so cruel to him? He wanted to be as happy as Scarlett. But then, looking at her, he looked into her green eyes, and said, in a quiet voice,
"You could be as happy as me and Dias. You... you could be the father... If you want. And maybe... maybe be the father to my real child? No." her voice was full of longing, but she glanced away, out to sea. But, suddenly, he felt an urge to kiss her again. Half of him was begging the other half to give in, to stay with Scarlett who he already had feelings for, and could maybe love someday as much as Astrid, not end his life so young... Astrid.
Her beautiful, long blonde hair. Her green eyes, so alive and perfect, and the teasing smile. Her voice, like honey, that dripped off her tongue and filled him with happiness and love... He could never abandon her. Not Astrid. Not his true love.
"I'm sorry, Scarlett. Maybe in another life, I could love you... It's just too hard... Do you... Do you understand?"
"Yeah." then, slowly, her hand went to the sheath of the Blade of Woe, and brought it out. The perfect, flawless blade gleamed in the starlight and she handed it to him. "Do it with this. The Blade of Woe. I'll be here. Unless you want to be alone."
"If you can, please stay. I don't want to be alone."
He was scared, terrified out of his wits, as he took the beautiful blade, and pressed it against where his heart should've been. He felt the blade prick his skin, and shook his head. "Won't go through armour." pulling the top half of his shrouded armour off, he took the blade again, and pressed it to his bare skin, eyes shut. He could feel the end against his skin, and, shutting his eyes, he felt Scarlett stroking his hair, singing a lullaby into his ear.
"When in snow, I like to lie,
And fold my arms,
And wait to die..." her voice was beautiful and clear, and soothing to his ear as she softly sang the words over and over again. They shouldn't have been the most soothing words, but to him... Taking one last full breath, he readied himself for death, as he plunged the Blade of Woe into his heart, silencing it. With a groan, he fell to the floor and, as sweet blood dripped from the deep, fatal wound from his chest, she cradled his head in her lap, singing again and again, as tears dripped from her eyes. And then, as he began to swirl away into the mist, as the pain became too much, he heard three last words.
"I love you."
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Astrid felt a hand on her shoulder, and knew who it was before she even turned around. The Void had been full of the news for days: The Listener had killed himself... And only she knew why. To be with her. "Astrid." she turned to face him, and felt the breath practically knocked out of her. Heart beating faster than it had in years, she looked into his perfect, electric blue eyes... And before she knew it, Astrid was in his arms, kissing him with so much passion she felt like she may explode. The feel of his soft lips on her own, his strong arms holding her tight... "I missed you, my love." he moved down to kiss her neck, and she smiled, throwing her head back in ecstasy. "I missed you too."
"I told you I'd come." he kissed her jawbone quickly, swirling around it with his tongue, then stood upright, still holding her in his arms, to stare into his eyes. He was in heaven. This woman, the woman he loved... They were reunited. Tears of joy fell down his face, and he saw that she was crying too, a smile on her face, as she shook her head at him. "You fool," she whispered in his ear, voice thickened with emotion, as she ruffled his hair gently. "You should've lived. You shouldn't have died for m-" "Shh." he brought his finger to her lips, and they stared at each other again. After diving in for another quick kiss, he whispered in her ear, "I promised you, Astrid. Even in death. And I don't break my promises... Astrid. I love you. And we're together now, and nothing will ever tear us apart, I promise. You are my one, my only... And I should never have thought otherwise." he whispered in her ear, biting her earlobe gently.
Then, she pulled away from him. They gazed at each other, so full of joy, and encased in their happiness... They embraced, holding each other close, arms wrapped around each other. There was nothing sexual about this hug: they'd missed each other so. Glorying in their love, they would be together forever now. The fight was over for this dazzling, perfect couple as they smiled at each other, foreheads pressed together, just knowing that it was the two of them... Thoughts of duty and the world below were gone. It was just them. And, as they kissed, the radiance practically shone off them, so happy were they to be together. Their tears of joy mixed together, as quietly, whispering words of love. There would be time to discuss other things later. All the two assassins knew, at that moment, was they were together.
"You look just the same. I hoped you wouldn't change." Astrid muttered to him. Silvanus laughed, and shook his head at her. "You look just the same. I hoped you wouldn't change." he echoed, almost mockingly. She giggled, and pushed his hair back out of his eyes, staring into them almost hungrily. "You always have. Ever since you were that teenage boy who I met and thought was so goodlooking and funny... You'll always be that boy, to me. And you are. And I love you for it."
"Astrid... I love you too. Come on. Let's go... let's go talk."
Hooking an arm around her waist, they began to walk away. Slowly, talking words that only the other could hear, until, eventually, they disappeared from sight. They would be back, destiny demanded it. But true love sometimes needs time, after a break, to regrow. Love is like a flower: when left alone it withers, sometimes. But for these two, who had thought about each other so much, and seen each other in their dreams? Merely a little bit of water would bring it back to what it was.
Even in Death, they were together.
The End.
For Now.
!NOTE FROM LACHANCE!
PHEW! IT'S OVER. READ THE NEXT "THANK YOU" CHAPTER FOR A SPOILER AND SOME THANK YOU'S. SKIP THE THANK YOU'S IF YOU DON'T CARE, BUT I CAN PROMISE IT'LL BE SHORT :) THE SPOILER IS KINDA IMPORTANT. AND THE POLL RESULTS!
