I arrived back at Jorrvaskr and my mind instantly went back to Vilkas. I looked instinctively for him inside the hall but didn't see him. It was just Ria eating a late lunch and waving me over. I sighed and took her up on the invitation, stomach rumbling at the sight of food.
"Do you know where Vilkas is?" I asked, before I could think about it.
"He's out on a job," Ria said. "He left right after you."
I sighed and my eyes fell to my plate. I was… disappointed. Part of me thought I should be relieved. I had no idea where the kiss had come from, had never thought that Vilkas of all people could see me that way. Half the time I was sure he hated me.
And what was more, I couldn't imagine what I would say to him. I couldn't picture Vilkas spilling secrets or saying sweet nothings or anything like that. What would he say? What would I say? He'd probably think me a milkdrinker for wanting to talk about it.
And then there was -
"Farkas!" Ria said happily.
I looked at her, the way her eyes lit up as he came into the room. The thought of Vilkas like that almost made me want to laugh. No, even though I'd tried not to think about it, it was obvious Ria had feelings for Farkas and he -
He had feelings for me. Crap.
"Everlee, you're back!" he said happily.
He sat down beside me and I saw Ria quietly sigh more than heard her. He went to put an arm around my shoulders and I tensed. Everything had been so easy with him before but now I was tensing at his touch? Divines, I felt - I felt guilty. Even though it had been Vilkas who had kissed me. I wondered what Vilkas must feel. The one thing he made obvious was how much he loved his brother. It must be torture to know Farkas liked me too. And if I felt guilty about the kiss he must feel even worse.
"Is something wrong?" Farkas asked.
"No," I said.
I physically made myself relax as I pasted on a smile. We ate the rest of the meal, Ria and Farkas filling me in on the few things I missed. Athis and Njada were fighting again and refusing to talk to each other unless it was to insult one another. I remembered them dancing and thought that at least whatever relationship I had with Vilkas wasn't as tumultuous as theirs. Not that they were open about having a relationship if they had one. Not that I had a relationship with Vilkas.
My head began to hurt.
After lunch, Farkas went to train with Jared. Ria and I sat at the tables side by side, watching.
"Is something wrong?" Ria asked gently.
I looked at her and bit my lip. I just couldn't tell her about Vilkas kissing me but it was all that was on my mind now that I was back home.
"I don't know," I confessed. "I…"
Vilkas kissed me. Farkas liked me. Brynjolf was constantly flirting. And I was trying to just focus on keeping everyone alive. But it was getting harder and harder to ignore the other aspects of my relationships.
Softly I said, "You really like Farkas."
Ria looked away, blushing faintly. I sighed. It was as good a confession as any. And it had been some time since our talk of what passed for feelings. I liked Farkas, he was warm and comforting and was the first one to really make me feel at home at Jorrvaskr. I was never nervous around him and though I liked being with him - did I really have feelings beyond friendship?
Did I for Vilkas? Or Brynjolf?
Before I could think more on it Skjor was glaring at me.
"Job for you, just outside Markarth. It's urgent," he said. "Get ready to go, now."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Dragon."
xxx
"Oh, and one more thing," Astrid purred. "Do not kill the one who performed the Sacrament, Muiri like you did in Dawnstar. It is bad for business."
I didn't say anything.
"Or we might just take up another contract we've put aside. Like… the one we gave you ages ago. Or this new one that we have on that pretty thief of yours," Astrid added.
I gritted my teeth and nodded. "Understood."
"Good," Astrid said. "And good luck, sister."
xxx
I awoke with a start from the dream. Except it wasn't a dream, just a memory coming back to me from the haze of near sleep. The journey to Markarth had been long and I was happy for it to be over when we arrived early in the morning. I had slept uncomfortably on the cart bench and was ready to stretch my muscles and get this over with.
But Astrid's words were still with me. I had to do this, no matter what the details of the request were and I had t0 do it right - or the way they wanted me to that was. Or one of my friends would pay the price for it.
My heart felt shot at the idea of a blade passing over Vilkas's throat, an arrow through his heart. I'd had nightmares on the way as the contract weighed heavy on my mind. Even the dragon on the outskirts of town was not a distraction from them.
I was not their family, not their "sister." Not matter how nice some of them had been to me, the fact of the matter was I didn't want to be one of them, and only agreed because of blackmail.
Those facts didn't make me feel any less guilty about being an assassin unfortunately.
I was not happy to meet with Muriri or to hear that she wanted two heads for the price of one. She had said she would pay extra to kill an innocent girl to make an already suffering family suffer more because she felt wronged by them. I said nothing, now dressed in my Dark Brotherhood gear. I let her ramble on until she handed me a map with the location of her ex-lover on it who was the real target. She had performed the Black Sacrament once. She got one target. If she wanted to cause more death she'd have to pick up the knife herself.
I had changed outfits into my regular leathers and was about to leave town when a Breton man came up into the market in front of the inn and everyone standing there and drew his knife. I opened my mouth to shout a warning but it was too late as he plunged the dagger into the innocent girl's heart.
"The Reach belongs to the Forsworn!" he cried as the guards quickly cut him down.
"I… die for my people," the man breathed his last words before collapsing.
I stood, as stunned as everyone else. What people? And what did they have to do with the girl doing minor shopping at the stall?
"Can you believe it?" a man next to me said.
I turned my attention to another Breton man and gave him a confused shake of my head.
"I - no - I'm sorry, who are you?" I asked, as awkward as ever.
"Eltrys," he said. "I saw you drop this."
"I didn't…" I began as he handed me a note.
But he walked away and I read it. He wanted a secret meeting. I looked at the exit to Markarth and then back at the note in my hand and sighed.
Everyone wants something.
xxx
Markarth was an awful place I determined quickly. The mines sounded horrible, there was an undoubtedly haunted house front and center in the residential district, and almost everyone was suspicious and unfriendly. That was bad enough without the entire place existing like some sort of drunken maze out of Oblivion.
Eltrys had been investigating the Forsworn because his father had been killed by one and it had gone unpunished. Now another woman was dead by their hands, except the woman was actually an Imperial spy trying to buy out the mine. Now she was dead and someone named "N" was pulling all the strings.
The whole thing was crazy and I was in too deep now to stop. Who was "N?" And what was so important about the mine that someone would have her killed? Because the attack wasn't random, my time as an assassin told me that. It was too much a coincidence for me not to believe someone had wanted her away from that mine.
So I went even further down the rabbit hole and discovered "N" stood for Neppos who was working for or simply working the Forsworn, the leader of whom was imprisoned in the mine. After fighting my way out, I decided to make my way back to Eltrys.
I cursed when I saw his dead body. I heard a voice from the shadows and went to draw my blade.
"You're under arrest for murder," the guard said.
There was blood on his blade. Eltrys blood.
And then I heard the door behind me lock. I could attempt to kill the guard but that likely meant facing down all the others and who knew how far the conspiracy went. I swallowed hard, dug my feet in.
I couldn't be arrested. I had the Dark Brotherhood gear in my pack.
"Try me."
The men came forward and I shouted at them, causing one to stumble and fall. I took my sword and plunged it down into his chest before moving over him, my blade swirling faster than they could keep up with. My movements were sharp and precise compared to their blunt swings and blocks. It wasn't long before I killed the rest of them and grabbed the key as well.
Then I ran, stumbling over the uneven cobbles as I heard a guard shout in surprise. They knew. They knew I was to be arrested for something I didn't do. And worse I could hear them shouting.
"Get her! Get the Dovakiin!"
They knew who I was.
I ran for the door, shoving my whole body at the heavy gate just to get enough space for me to squeeze out. I was sprinting when I heard the first arrow fly. It went over my head. The second landed in my left shoulder and I cried out. I reached the stables, desperately swinging onto a horse. I could practically hear the stories now.
Dovakiin Companion turned murderer and horse thief.
But that was in the Reach. I would leave and I knew I had the protection I needed in Whiterun. I had saved them and was sure I could convince the Jarl of my innocence so he wouldn't have me expedited.
My mind was working over time with my heart racing and I urged the horse into a run. Better an outlaw than they find out I was a Thief or a Dark Brotherhood member. Likely the Companions would kick me out if I refused to leave and if I left I doomed them to assassination. The choice would kill me either way.
I felt another arrow dig in to my back and cried out again. Too close to something vital for me to relax. A hair's breadth from a swift death. I begged the horse to move faster as I rode.
And rode.
And rode.
Until there was silence. No more shouting at me to stop or at others to attack. Just silence.
I could feel warm blood on my back and sliding down my side. I leaned down on the horse as he fell into a trot, needing to rest but afraid of stopping. I tried to keep my eyes open but they kept falling shut. I felt the rhythmic movement of the horse under me and my eyes finally fell shut one last time.
