"Beautiful, beautiful..." My eyes opened to the sound of scraping and a man's low voice on the other side of the wall. Karnwyr was asleep beside me, but that didn't mean I wasn't necessarily in danger. I remained as still as possible, though clutched my blades in preparation to use them. My heart dropped in my stomach as I heard my door shake ever so slightly, then the sound of a metal key turning the lock.

Someone was trying to get in.

Bishop was right, my mind told me, as though I wasn't already greatly aware of that. I glanced at Karnwyr again, but the wolf was still sound asleep. "Karnwyr," I whispered, hoping the great hound would wake. He stirred slightly before settling again, asleep.

The door opened ever so slowly, not even creaking in the slightest. I gritted my teeth, fists tightening around the hilt of my blade. The form approached me, obviously malicious. I refused to let him take another step and rolled out of bed, waking Karnwyr and dodging the outstretched fingers.

I lunged toward my foe, intent on taking him down. To my dismay, he managed to vanish before my eyes. Even Karnwyr seemed confused about what had happened to the man, but the sound of rapid footsteps leading away from us gave the slightest hint. Karnwyr's wound made him slower, but he followed me out the door to chase down the would-be attacker.

As I passed Bishop's door, I pounded on it before continuing my pursuit. I took the lead in front of Karnwyr, the wolf's limp impairing his speed. The sound of a door opening behind me let me know that Bishop was already following.

The exit to the inn swung open, slamming just as I reached it. I did not doubt that the man was pushing against the door, as I found it increasingly difficult to open it. There was definitely a force behind it preventing me from going anywhere.

"Move it!" I didn't hesitate to obey Bishop's command, and he rammed himself into the door shoulder-first. The man out the door must have been more than a little surprised, as when Bishop and I made it outside, there was a disturbance in the snow in front. The footsteps were easier to follow with their indent as he fled.

Bishop was faster than me, even despite his injury. He'd probably guessed what had happened. All I could do was follow the trail as quickly as possible while Bishop sprinted ahead.

He drew his bow and shot, the arrow hitting its mark but falling to the ground without damaging its target. The attacker had a ward up, no doubt. Whoever had tried to attack me had to have been using some sort of magic to move faster. Outrunning Bishop, even an injured Bishop, was nearly impossible. I'd seen the ranger run to catch a deer as it darted away; an ordinary man was nothing.

Then again, I doubted this was an ordinary man. "Magic," I muttered, turning on a dime to follow the tracks. "I hate magic."

A scream echoed out into the early morning, followed by a thump up ahead. Bishop had skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over a woman hunched over in the snow. She clutched her stomach while coughing up blood, shivering and shaking in agony. Her pained blue eyes met mine for the briefest moment before she collapsed to the ground.

I bent down to check her pulse just in case she could be brought to the town healer. There was no surprise when I found none, the porcelain-skinned woman dead without a doubt. I turned to Bishop and shook my head before standing up, wondering what to do.

"We're leaving," Bishop growled, grabbing my arm and abandoning the body.

"Wait, wait, what?" I twisted free of the ranger and rubbed at my skin. "What about the killer? What about my business?!"

"He'll come after you again. I have no doubt." Bishop's nose wrinkled up, the torchlight illuminating his furious expression. "We can camp in the woods and come back another time. I doubt you'll be able to sleep here after tonight as it is." I had to admit he was right.

I dipped my head. "Fine," I relented. "Let's go."

People were already crowding around the body by the time we reached the inn, which couldn't have been more than a minute or so. Perhaps the commotion had woken them up. It didn't matter; all Bishop and I were doing was leaving the city before we became the next victims. I guess we have to come back when the fracas dies down to ask around. I wasn't happy with it, but I wanted to stay out of the prisons and live long enough to kill the fucker who'd ruined my life.

Our frantic packing was accompanied by Bishop's annoyed muttering. "What did I tell you?" he snapped. "You piss someone off; you get your head on a spike!"

"Well, I'm not dead," I pointed out. "My head's right here, and I'm not letting anyone take it." He paused and stared at me, entirely unamused.

"And I'm not taking the chance that Karnwyr or I'm gonna be next," Bishop said crossly.

"Good to know you're worried about my well-being."

"Come on, ladyship." He slung his pack over his shoulder. "Let's get as far away from here as possible." Wordlessly, I trailed just behind him. "Vekel said your target was headed this way, not that he was moving in."

I suppressed a shiver as we left the inn, the cold wintry air not something I enjoyed. Something I'll have to get used to, I suppose, I mused. A wet nose wiggled into my hand as Karnwyr begged for attention. "We're on the move, buddy," I told him softly, still scratching his neck. The wolf's tail wagged a bit faster, and we continued on our way. Well, for about ten feet before we were stopped at the gate.

"You're not going anywhere." The guard puffed out his chest, though I suspected from his stance (he was at least half a foot shorter than Bishop and far less built) that he was scared of the ranger in front of him. Probably new, little more than a lad eager to defend the count- or jarl, whatever they call them.

Bishop remained standing and glared down at the young guard. "See, you're gonna let us pass," he snarled, "and I won't-"

"Bishop!" I hissed, yanking him away. His glare was now on me. "Let's not piss off the city guard! They'll have our heads!" Bishop shrugged me off.

"Guards in Cyrodil are anything but weak. They're almost vicious in their pursuit of upholding the law, correct?" He set his sharp golden eyes on the guard again. "But here in Skyrim, they're nothing."

"I'm not too fond of becoming an outlaw." Again.

"Again," Bishop added, echoing my thoughts.

I sighed. "Yeah. Again. Now, let's just listen to what he has to say. Maybe it's something we can discuss." I paused, waiting for a response. "Either way, we can't get into a fight with all of Skyrim just because you got pissed at a city guard."

"Just Eastmarch, ladyship."

"Pardon?"

"Cyrodil shares its criminal details between cities, correct?" I didn't reply to his question, waiting for him to continue. "For all their blow about 'unity' and 'defense,' Skyrim guards couldn't give a shit about what happens in other holds. You could commit murder in Riften and run here without any consequences."

I was thoroughly annoyed with his point but took his explanation. "I have a lot to remember about Skyrim, don't I?" I said quietly. Bishop snorted and turned back to the guard.

"Yeah, princess. You do." He approached the guard, whose attempt to hide his trepidation failed. "Well? Why can't we leave?"

The guard kept his eyes on me, most likely to avoid looking at the substantially taller Nord in front of him. "There was another murder not too long ago," he informed us. "And the steward ordered a quarantine on the city until we can figure out the culprit." Bishop took another step closer to the guard, eyes burning.

"Please don't do anything stupid," I muttered. He gave no sign that he'd heard, but after a moment, he backed away and looked at me.

"Whatever," he grumbled, grasping my forearm and pulling me back into the inn. "But we're getting a shared room for as long as it takes these fuckers to find them."

I slipped my arm from his grip, though still followed him back into the inn. "But- what? Why-" Bishop ignored me and marched over to the counter, sharing a few quiet words with the woman at the counter before tossing a small pouch of coins onto the bar. She slid a single key toward him, eyeing me with distrust as I followed the ranger into the back. He walked down the hallway purposefully, keeping his eyes on the path. I decided to try again. "Bi-"

"No." I quieted down at his demanding refusal to speak. He suddenly turned to the right, and I almost tripped trying to follow. The air became heavy. Bishop was pissed, that much was obvious. Very, very obvious. I opened and closed my mouth several times as he tossed his pack onto the ground and sat on the leftmost bed, forehead set against his clasped hands. I slowly moved to the other bed, chewing on the inside of my lip as I considered potential responses.

"B-"

"No." His voice was gruff. "Why? How the hell does your head even work- if it works at all?!" My own anger rose. "Gods, why do you have to-"

"Piss everyone off?" I challenged, aware of where he was going. "Right, like when I nearly assaulted a Riften guard for mouthing off, or terrified a Windhelm one because he got told 'no'?" Bishop's face turned red as he seethed with fury. "You're throwing a temper tantrum because the guard is trying to uphold the law!"

"Princess, that's-

"What, enough?" I felt my mood turning sour and stood up straight. "This might come as a shock to you, but I don't serve you! I can take care of myself! If I think I should protect someone who's on the verge of being beat-"

"Why do you protect them?! It's pointless!" he hollered, matching my volume. "And now we're stuck here for gods know how long because of your shitty bleeding heart! No one needs it, and no one wants it!" I ran my tongue along my teeth before grabbing my swords and throwing them onto my bed. "And no one deserves it!"

"Everyone does!" I snapped. "Everyone deserves someone at their back, someone they can trust!" My voice cracked, and I winced at how my emotions were showing. "I never had anyone at my back, Bishop!" I squeezed my eyes shut. "You son of a bitch, I-"

"Excuse me?" His voice had become threateningly low while his golden eyes glinted with resentment. "Care to repeat that, ladyship?"

I knew it would be better to drop the subject, but I couldn't help myself. He'd pissed me off, pinned everything on me, and shoved all the blame my way. "You heard me," I hissed, crossing my arms with a firm scowl on my face. "You're a son of a bitch."

"I may be a son of a bitch, but at least I'm not a fucking idiot!" I couldn't help myself and swung my hand toward his face, ready to slap the bastard. My hand never made contact, the ranger catching my movement easily and holding on to my wrist tightly. If possible, he looked even more furious than me as he twisted my raised hand behind my back, pulling me flush against him. "Don't try that again, wench," he growled into my ear, dangerously tense. "You think I'm kidding?! Do it, and you may not live to regret it!" My heart thrummed with fury as I tried tugging away from him. He stood stoic, refusing to let me go.

"What, so you like it this way?" I mocked darkly, and it was clear it was not an endearing statement.

Bishop's chest rumbled with a growl before shoving me away coldly, animosity blazing in his amber eyes. He watched me reproachfully, voice dropping an octave in his reply. "No. No, I do not." I rubbed my wrist reproachfully and impulsively stormed out the door without looking back.

"Fuck you, Bishop," I muttered. "Fuck you."

...

The man scribbled in his journal, nearly laughing as he wrote. He spoke aloud with every word. "They fought," he said to himself. "She'll be alone today. This is perfect, too perfect. She got away last night, but I won't fail this time. After all, she's weaponless now. The Imperial first, then the others. Today, the ritual begins."