((1st Person/Alessia POV))

I swam in blissful darkness, bare and open to the void. Despite the virtual blindness, I knew it was not a place to fear. Not yet, it seemed.

A gentle wind caressed my cheek, embracing me in its nothingness. Out of the empty came a voice, firm and soothing all the same. "You have nothing to fear," it purred, a sort of nothing coalescing into a hand and holding my own. How strange it was, but I believed it. This presence did not seem threatening but instead had a kind of guardian-like air about it. It

I opened my mouth to speak, to ask it who it was, but it acknowledged my question before I said a word. "I am your guide," it stated, "and with my help, you will be divine."

"Divine?" I murmured. "What are you talking about?" There was a pregnant silence before the being spoke again.

"You are not who you think you are," it boomed, bringing a new feeling to the conversation. Again, it was not dangerous, but mournful. In the very back of my mind, I wondered why. "You will learn. You will learn, and then we will make the world right. The webs of fate are not yet spun."

Confusion flooded my body. "Make the world right? What are you talking about?"

"Not yet spun..."

...

The room I was in was dark. But that raised the question... what room was I in? I couldn't place it, but then again, my mind seemed to be at half-capacity at the moment. All I could register was a sweet scent and quick panting.

My head pounded as I looked around the room, eyes finally settling on a dark form against a bed. An animal? Maybe a dog? Sitting on the bed was another figure I couldn't quite name. "You," I murmured, wincing as my headache pulsed once again. I was confused, very confused. "Who are you?"

"You're really out of it, aren't you, princess?" The nickname confused me for a moment, then annoyed me for a reason I couldn't quite figure.

"Why are you-" I abruptly stopped talking as nausea rose in my throat. A bucket had been placed under my chin in seconds, collecting the vomit that spewed from my lips. A candle was lit, offering a bit of light to the room. I squeezed my eyes shut and hid under the covers before the migraine could worsen.

The sound of footsteps walking away, then something being placed down, was followed by a low huff. I looked up and realized the candle had been moved to the other side of the room, still giving light, but it wasn't as bright and didn't strain my eyes. Now that the figure was closer, I could make out definitive features. It was a man, a familiar one that I couldn't quite place. Querulous amber eyes stared me down, a small scar above his left. He had light brown hair that looked soft as a feather. A cut jaw sharp as the knife that hung from his belt and a muscled form under black leather stood out. "That really did a number on you, ladyship, didn't it?" That voice... I should have known it. Low and rough, yet smooth all the same.

"You..." I gave a small laugh, still confused. "I know you." The man lifted an eyebrow but said nothing. I started to giggle, the action hurting my head. Despite the pain, I couldn't help it. "Ha... haha!" I took a deep breath and put my face down into the furs. "You're cute."

"Cu- what?!" My statement had surprised the man.

"Yeah... you're cute." I smiled, enjoying his shock for some reason.

He gave a huff. "Ladyship, you make me wonder how your mind works- if it works at all," he added. The gears in my mind turned as I tried to process his words.

"But..." I sniffed. "I don't like you." A moment of silence passed. "But you're nice, so nice..."

The man shook his head again, something I barely saw as I set my head down on the bed again. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were drunk." He apparently decided not to stick around, grabbing the bucket I'd used earlier and giving a disgusted groan. "At least you're talking this time. Go ahead and sleep. I'll keep watch until it's run its course."

I muttered something unintelligible, still trying to place his face. I knew him, dammit. My mind was muddled, reason gone. "You..."

"Go back to sleep." I felt a pat on my shoulder as I tried to protest, failing almost instantly. The light in the room vanished as he blew the candle out and left. The last thing I felt was a furry canine nose pushing into my cheek.

...

I bolted up, an action I instantly regretted as my head sent a wave of pain that knocked me back down. It pulsed over and over, and I found it difficult to catch my breath for a moment. It took a few minutes to recede just enough for me to turn over and go back to sleep.

When I woke up again, my headache was still present, though not quite as bad as before. It was enough to put me in a bad mood as I sat up, putting my head in my hands and groaning. "You really up this time, princess?"

"Shut up, Bishop," I grumbled, otherwise not moving. A low laugh came from a few feet before me, and I moved my finger just enough to peer through. The ranger, of course.

"I'll take that as a yes. Sorry, ladyship. I just can't help it." A wicked smile stretched his lips, and I readied myself for whatever snarky comment he had in store. "Can't help being cute."

I scrunched up my nose. "Cute? What in Oblivion are you talking about?"

Bishop shook his head, laughing under his breath. "It's nothing."

I sniffed and shifted my position, putting my legs under me. "I get the feeling I've been out for a while." The ranger nodded wordlessly. "Mind telling me what happened? I..." My mind scrambled to remember something. Karnwyr nosed at my leg and whined, begging for attention. I scratched his head absentmindedly while searching my own for answers.

"I've got a guess," he said uneasily, "but I don't think you'll like it."

"Oh, what a surprise." I waited for a reply. "Go ahead."

Bishop stopped, apparently thinking of what to say. "You were being carted out through the streets by some man. I couldn't quite catch his face, but I'm guessing that he managed to see me, and he threw you on the ground before running. Karnwyr tried chasing him down, but I have my suspicions that he used some kind of magic to get away. Karnwyr would have been able to get his scent otherwise," he informed me. "Do you remember anything? I might be able to figure out who it was if you can."

I racked my brain before shrugging. "Sorry, but no. Last I remember... I was walking through Windhelm after you were being a shithead." Right after I met Nade's son... Bishop's piercing golden gaze struck mine, though he didn't comment. I'll tell him later, but I figure if Nade's not in the Aretino house, he's out of Windhelm by now. I scratched at my cheek before wincing and feeling at my jaw. I had a bruise for one reason or another. "Any idea why I have this?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, but no," he mocked, pitching his voice higher. I rolled my eyes, and his tone returned to normal. "You attract trouble like a dead horse carcass attracts flies, ladyship."

"How flattering of a comparison."

"You're welcome." He took a deep breath. "You've been out for almost two days, princess. Woke up every so often, but for the most part, you were sleeping. Karnwyr and I have been keeping a closer eye on you." Bishop paused, thinking. "I'm thinking you were drugged in one way or another. I checked you for any cuts or pricks when I brought you back." I became aware that I was half-dressed, my armor laying in a pile in front of the dresser with only my ragged underclothes covering me.

Squealing- and hurting my head as a result- I covered myself and glared at the ranger, not that it would have done any good. "Bishop!" I snapped, biting my lip as my face heated up. He looked entirely amused and rested his chin on his hand again. "The only prick here is you!"

"You don't have anything to be ashamed of, ladyship," he teased. "Don't you worry your pretty little head. I didn't go snooping anywhere I shouldn't have." My glare didn't let up. "Your honor is still intact, sweetness. And so's mine," he added. His eyes flashed, and I waited for him to mention the thing that was in abundance- the scars crisscrossing my back or the scorch marks marring my thighs. To my relief, he said nothing. "But the point here is that if it wasn't through some external poison, it had to be in something else. Most likely taken orally." It took me a moment to figure out his devilish smirk, but when I did, I grabbed the flowers on the nightstand and chucked the bundle at him.

He didn't seem bothered and just straightened up. "What? Just stating facts, sweetheart."

"I'm not your sweetheart," I hissed, hugging my legs as though that would help. "Asshole."

Bishop laughed again. "You're so easy to fluster. It's amusing." He cracked his knuckles and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms behind his head as a cushion. His face returned to a neutral position. "But the question stands- who drugged you? Most likely that man bringing you through the streets, and if I had to take a wild guess, I'd say it was the same crazy that went after you beforehand." I paused to think. "And that's not all the bad news, though, princess."

"It's not?" I squeaked, earning me an irritated growl from Karnwyr beside me. Admittedly, I'd forgotten he was there. Scratching his neck as an apology, I nodded to Bishop to continue.

"While you were out, the killer struck again. A young girl, Isabella. He completely dismembered her." He pressed his lips together into a hard line. "People have started calling him the Butcher. And I have no doubt this 'Butcher' means to go after you, princess." I took the information in, trying to get a grip on my situation. "He most likely was the one who drugged you." The moment turned somber. "Now that you're awake, we can leave." His voice slowly gained an urgent tone. "Tonight, when the guards change shifts, it'll be the perfect time to-"

"No." At my refusal, Bishop paused, apoplectic.

"What? Why?" he demanded. "Gods be damned, woman!" He massaged the bridge of his nose. "Why?! You've got a mark on your head, yet you'll willingly stay?!" Bishop's golden eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"Because he'll strike elsewhere if we don't take him down," I reasoned, "and it's not fair for other women."

Bishop threw his arms up into the air. "Who gives a shit about other women? Or other people just- just at all?" He sounded more than a little exasperated. "Why are we even helping them?! They deserve to die! We are wasting our time here!"

I was taken aback by his harsh words. "Wait... what are you talking about?" I swallowed my nervousness. "They need me," I said lowly, "and I will not abandon them." I pondered how best to make him understand. "Pretend for a moment, if you will, that I hadn't joined you to take out that band of dogfighters." Bishop waited, that impatient and irritated gleam still in his amber eyes. "And you'd gone alone. Say you were killed, and you couldn't protect Karnwyr anymore." Pain was already flashing across his face as he envisioned the scenario. "Wouldn't you want someone, anyone, to free him? To kill the ones enslaving and torturing him?"

Bishop kicked at the floor but said nothing.

"It's no different here." I sat beside him, anger toward him gone. Taking a deep breath, I decided to open up just the slightest bit. "I had something happen to me a while back. It... I would have done anything to have someone rescue me. But instead, I spent what felt like a thousand years living a fate worse than death." My throat was closing, and tears welled up in my eyes. I quickly wiped them away before Bishop noticed. "Don't ask," I said softly but firmly. "Who knows what this Butcher character has planned? If I can save them- even just one person- catching him, then I'll be satisfied. That would be one life I'd save, one person who now has their entire life ahead of them."

The ranger was silent, apparently reflecting on my words. At last, he met my eyes. "Fine," he relented. "But just keep in mind, ladyship, that this is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard."

"Noted." I rubbed at my temples. "Now, I've got a headache the size of Skyrim, and half of it's probably from having nothing to eat for two days. Before we chase a crazy serial killer, how about we get some lunch." Bishop cracked a smile I wasn't quite sure was genuine.

"Sounds like a plan, princess."

...

Our boots crunched the snow down as we walked through Windhelm, keeping a wary eye out as we spoke. "This Butcher character will come after you," Bishop reminded me, "and if you're serious about wanting to catch him, then we'll need to be extra careful." He patted the small of my back, leaving me to sigh and push his hand away. I ignored the ensuing snicker. "The offer is still open, princess."

I didn't have to think. "Listen up, ranger. I won't let this killer wander the streets," I said definitively, my tone making it clear that I would not change my mind. "As I told you before, if I can help them, I will."

"I would've left the other night if it wasn't for Karnwyr." He scratched the top of the wolf's head affectionately. "You mangy mutt."

It took a moment for me to think, but eventually, I just shrugged and kept watching. "Well, thanks for sticking around. Come on, Prince Charming. We've got a killer to catch."