Dagger in the Night

The swirling of a purple-blue sky and ominous whispering of the Twilight Star dominated Serenity's dream. She was ten years old and standing next to her mother by the ocean. It was the day she left, a memory that had haunted Serenity for over twenty years. Everything looked exactly how she remembered it, except the sky. The sky was unnatural. Strange, alien, and alive. Her mother turned to face her. She looked terrifying. Her eyes glowed red and her body had throbbing, black veins running down its length. Her mother lifted her father's severed head as she cried tears of blood.

"Serenity, you bitch. Just look at what you've done!" she screamed. Her voice was something inhuman… something evil.

Serenity woke up in a panic. Cas was beside her, stroking her face and whispering words of comfort. Her heart was racing, and her throat felt like it was on fire. She clung to Cas, gazing up at her with wide eyes.

"C-Cas… someone killed him, I saw it. Please. Please tell me it's not true, tell me it was a part of that nightmare…" she said with her damaged voice.

Cas looked at her sadly. Serenity saw that her face was red from crying and immediately knew that her father's death was no dream.

Cas handed her a red potion, which smelled like ambrosia, blue mountain flowers, roses, and bitter greens. "Drink this, it's for your vocal cords."

Serenity lifted herself up with her elbow. She threw her head back and downed the bitter-tasting liquid, feeling the familiar yet excruciating feeling of her tissues rapidly mending themselves. Wincing through the pain, she looked around and realized that she was in the infirmary. Addison was standing a few feet away with his head bowed.

"Addison… how could you let my father be killed? Why didn't you do something?" Serenity sobbed, tears falling down her face as she looked at him.

Addison walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. "Serenity, I've got something I need to tell you. I'm so sorry, about everything…"

"Oh Addison, please just tell me."

Addison bowed his head again, closing his eyes as if trying to find the right words. "We were tricked. The guard you saw with me yesterday was an imposter. We believe he is responsible for Prince Qiaren's murder, and that he framed your father."

Serenity stared at Addison in utter disbelief. "And you saw my father killed, before finding out the truth?"

"You don't understand, I—"

"Then MAKE ME!"

"Serenity! Just listen to me, please."

Cas put her hand on her shoulder. "Peace, Serenity. You'll want to hear this."

Serenity took a deep breath to compose herself and nodded at him to continue.

"The man who arrested your father… he's some kind of mage. Talented in Illusion magic, among other things. He had a great many of us fooled, including Queen Luala. But he isn't the only one involved in this. He has an entire syndicate working with him, and they're highly organized and extremely dangerous. While you were so nobly trying to have your father rescued," he looked down and sighed. "They murdered everyone who was in Hearthart Hall. Your brothers Salazar and Brandon, Rosalie… they're all dead."

Serenity trembled, white with shock. She opened her mouth, but couldn't speak. She didn't think any of it was real. Just yesterday they were all sitting in an inn together, and now they're gone. Her vision blurred with tears and she started to shake.

Addison watched her face carefully and put an arm on his leg, leaning on it.

"But that isn't all. Serenity, please pay careful attention to what I'm about to tell you. For your own safety, you need to get out of High Rock. Some recent information has come to light about your father, and his wealth and assets have been frozen. Which means you are now broke. I'm sure your family's killers will soon be after you, they don't seem to be the type to tolerate loose ends. Not only that, but I have received word from the King. Despite everything, and for reasons that elude me, he wants you dead as well. You no longer have any friends in Daggerfall. Please believe me when I say there is no one left to trust. I've given Cas 25,000 gold, and have organized your passage on a Baandari caravan bound for Bangkorai. Once you reach Evermore, go to a place called The Jealous Witch Inn. Ask for Terrence. He'll tell you what to do next. I am risking my own life doing this… but I love you, Serenity. I love you and I cannot bear to watch you die."

Cas walked back toward the infirmary with a bag of things from her house, a small, unassuming cabin on the edge of town. She stayed at Hearthhart Hall for the most part, but she was a sharp mer, as smart as they came. Enough to put your average Altmer to shame. In case of emergencies, she had the cabin built some years ago. She walked past a smoldering wreck, all that remained of what was once the proud Hearthhart Hall. This meant that all of Serenity's worldly possessions, along with her family, were now gone. She truly had nothing left. Cas felt for the poor girl, she didn't deserve any of this. But what's done is done as Cas's mother always used to say, Arkay rest her soul.

She hadn't had time to ponder everything properly, but the whole mess had the stench of Daedric meddling about it. Cas knew all too well that lot couldn't leave well enough alone. Happiness always skips a generation here on Nirn, and sometimes more than one. She hurried past the caravan that she and Serenity were to catch. It wasn't going to stop, and they had to board as it was passing. She entered the infirmary and looked around. Healers were milling about, talking with the frail and to each other. Nothing out of the ordinary. She walked past Serenity's room and saw her exactly as she left her, which was both a relief and cause for concern. She sat, hunched over and unmoving, just staring into her lap.

Cas knew that the next few days would be crucial for Serenity, and whether or not she'll survive them remained to be seen.

Serenity sat in her bed, thinking about both everything and nothing. She felt numb inside. She wasn't sure if that was her brain trying to protect her from feeling too much, or if it was the potion she drank for her vocal cords. Witnessing her father's murder, seeing the look on his face as he met his end… it'll be burned into her brain for the rest of her days. The horror she felt when the man who killed her father cut through his neck, his blood flowing freely onto his arm. It all replayed in her mind again and again. What's worse, he and all the others responsible for her father's death were still out there. They could even be right there, watching her. Serenity saw movement in her peripheral vision and quickly looked up. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Cas holding a bucket of clean water.

"Serenity, the caravan will be passing us soon. We need to get you washed up and changed. I have a spare set of clothes for you. Up you get, quickly now."

"Okay. I just can't understand it, Cas. Why us? Why did they target us? Surely whatever my father did wasn't that bad. He was a good man."

"Your father wasn't all that good when he was younger, according to what Addison has found out. His wealth was earned under, well, questionable circumstances."

"What?"

Cas looked at her as she held up a towel. "The man posing as a guard… Your father has wronged him and maybe others as well. They have come for retribution."

"Retri—"

Suddenly it dawned on her, and all the pieces came together in her mind at once, making her dizzy. The bright star in the sky before her father's arrest, the light she saw while staring across Iliac Bay on the night of the party, the icy grip on her heart, and the haunting words she heard as she fell asleep. All of this was her fault. Serenity's head spun violently, making her faint.

"What's wrong, Serenity? Healer! Come quick!"

"Azura. It was Azura," Serenity said weakly as she looked up at Cas, who was holding her in her arms.

Cas shook her head. "Azura… Sweet Auri-El. What have you done, child?"

Serenity doubled over and vomited all over the floor as the healers walked in.

"You need to compose yourself, Serenity. Come on. Look, there's the caravan," said Cas as she led Serenity out of the infirmary. She pointed at the caravan, which was quickly making its way to the road leading out of Daggerfall.

"I want Addison, where is Addison?" Serenity cried, turning into a blubbering mess.

"Enough of that. He's been ordered to kill you, remember? We need to be as subtle as we can while we're out in the open like this."

Serenity proceeded to cry like a child. Cas pushed her onto one of the carriages, with the help of a telekinesis spell her father had taught her. Mysticism was a dying art, but an extremely powerful school of magic. The Psijics knew what they were doing. She huddled into the corner with Serenity, moving past other passengers who, fortunately, paid them little heed.

Cas took hold of Serenity's face. "If you want to live, you need to get it together," she said in a hushed but firm voice.

Serenity tried to struggle against her, but Cas held on tighter. "Listen to me. I'm not bound to serve you anymore. I'm doing this as a friend, out of respect for your family. Particularly your mother."

"My ma?" Serenity whispered through her squished cheeks, hiccuping and blinking slowly.

"Yes, your mother. You contacted Azura for help, so she's helped," Cas snapped, waving her arm around her. "Tell me, what exactly did you ask for? What did you say to her?"

Serenity thought for a moment.

"Take your time, by all means."

"Stop being so mean."

"Why should I? You seemed to have ruined both our lives last time I checked. I love you Serenity, but you've really fucked up."

Tears rolled down Serenity's cheeks. "I'm sorry. I didn't think this would happen."

"What did you expect? Azura is no Divine, Serenity. She's a Daedric Prince. Ask one for a pet lamb, and they'll burn an entire city to the ground so a flock of sheep will move in. Now I'll ask again, what did you say to her?"

"All I wanted was to find out the truth about my mother. I wasn't happy, Cas."

"Well? Are you happy now?"

"No."

"That figures. Your family is dead, your life here is no more. Our lives here are no more, thanks to your little prayer. All we can do now is what Addison has instructed, keep a low profile, and hope those murderous fiends don't find us. We're lucky to be alive at all. By Y'ffre, making that boy fall in love with you... it may well be the one thing you've done right. Now, try to get some sleep. I'll stay awake, and make sure no one comes through with a dagger in the night."