Wowza this chapter turned out way longer than planned! I hope you guys like it!
Azalea.
Zinnia's twin sister. Her only living family. The older one, as she liked to remind her. On the outside, they were perfectly identical. If they weren't wearing different clothes, there was nothing to tell them apart, not even a scar. But the inside was a different story. Azalea was wild and loud. No one, no headmistress, no man, no guard could hold her down. She could charm anyone she met and sweet talk herself out of anything. She did anything and everything, threw all caution to the wind, consequences be damned.
Azalea, above all, was selfish. Consequences be damned, even if those consequences were Zinnia's life.
Zinnia said nothing to Azalea, who came bounding up the hill and threw her arms around her. She let Azalea have her hug but she wasn't going to hug her back.
"What are you doing here?" Zinnia demanded, pulling away.
"What? No, 'hello' or 'good afternoon' for your one and only sister?" Azalea mocked offense.
"No."
Azalea clutched her chest, pretending to be hurt by Zinnia's coldness.
"Ouch!" Azalea whined. "Zinnie, I came here to find you!"
Zinnia regarded her carefully. Azalea was smiling warmly at her. She spoke to her as if she was returning from a Thieves Guild job. Zinnia never joined herself. She stayed behind, always waiting. And that's why Zinnia wasn't fooled this time.
"No, you're not," Zinnia accused. A smile of disbelief broke across her face and she crossed her arms. "You're here for a job."
"Aw, come on, Zin Zin. Don't be like that! Don't you know how happy I am to see you?"
"After you abandoned me?"
"I did not abandon you! We got separated!"
"We got separated because you ran off without me!" Zinnia snapped.
"Zinnie, I swear I thought you were right behind me," Azalea pleaded. "Please, you have to believe me. I would never abandon you. Ever."
Zinnia didn't want to believe her. She wanted to be angry with her. She's always wanted to be angry with her sister but couldn't. She knew why Azalea was the way she was. And there was no way Zinnia could blame her. After everything they've been through, she couldn't be angry with her. At the end of the day, they were all they had. Azalea was always there for her, protecting her from the criminals, putting food on the table and the clothes on her back. Zinnia would've died long ago in the Ratway if it wasn't for Azalea. So Azalea couldn't have truly abandoned her, right?
"They were after you, Azalea," Zinnia said quietly without meeting her sister's gaze. "They thought I was you."
"I know. It was all just a big understanding," Azalea responded. "I owe you one big for putting you through that. I'll make it up to you. I promise I will."
What could Azalea possibly do to make it up to Zinnia? She wanted to know.
"Why were they after you in the first place?"
Azalea shrugged, "beats me."
"No, you know why. You owe me that much to tell me why," Zinnia insisted. "When were you going to tell me about the Dark Brotherhood?"
"Do we have to talk about this now? Do you really gotta ruin the moment like that?" Azalea complained with a dramatic eye roll. Zinnia remained silent. "Look, you know that I love the Guild. I am a proud member of the Thieves Guild above all else. But you know that we've been struggling for coin with the Guild's reputation going south and everything."
"So you're working for the Dark Brotherhood now?"
"It's just a little bit on the side, Zinnie! It's nothing serious, all right? I'm only doing what I have to do, for the both of us," Azalea protested.
"You don't have to do anything for me, Azalea. I've got a good life here in Whiterun," Zinnia assured. "So you can quit the Dark Brotherhood. And you can go home to Riften."
"How can you have a good life without me?" Azalea asked teasingly. "Whatcha been up to?"
"Don't you have a job to do?" Zinnia asked impatiently. The last thing Zinnia wanted to do was tell Azalea about the Companions. She had a good thing going with them and feared that Azalea would interfere with that. The Companions were honorable people. Azalea was not. What would the Companions think of her knowing her twin was a wanted criminal?
"Yeah. Wanna come with?"
"No."
"Come on! Please? What else are you going to do?"
"As a matter of fact, I have plans." Azalea cocked an eyebrow. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to be late."
"You? Have plans? Where are you going?" Azalea questioned. Now it was Zinnia's turn to roll her eyes.
"It's nothing. I just have some work to do," Azalea opened her mouth, "and no, you can't come with me."
"Why not?" Azalea pouted.
"Because this is a one-person kind of job. I'm making my own money, Azalea. Now I'll be making as much as you, if not more."
"What, like a competition?"
"No, of course not." It was always a competition. "I'm saying that you don't need to worry about me anymore." If she ever did at all. "Now, please, I've got work to do."
"Fine!" Azalea whined. "Sounds very boring to me but whatever floats your boat, sister. I'm just glad to see you're finally getting out!" Zinnia said nothing. "Promise me we'll catch up later, all right?" Promises meant nothing to Azalea. "Drinks are on me!" More like on whichever poor Nord she can get her hands on. "We can go to Honningbrew together! I heard it was to die for!"
"Can I go now?"
"Promise?"
"Bye, Azalea." Zinnia was already heading downhill. Azalea pulled her hood back over her face as she watched Zinnia go and chuckled darkly.
Zinnia walked briskly to the Whiterun Stables with her head held high with newfound determination. Azalea was back in her life and under her skin already. But Zinnia didn't want to push her back out either. It would've been easier if Azalea had never set foot in Whiterun in the first place. It would've been easier if Zinnia never saw her again. But she did. They talked. And now Zinnia felt herself forgiving her. Maybe it was all just a big misunderstanding.
But that also didn't mean Zinnia was going to leave the Companions either. Even after seeing her sister again, she knew that this was still the place she wanted to be, with or without Azalea.
"Excuse me," Zinnia approached a tall man tending the horses. He turned around and Zinnia cleared her voice, forcing confidence in her tone. "Are you Skulvar Sable-Hilt?"
"Yes, ma'am. Looking to buy a warhorse?" He answered brightly. Just like every other Nord in Skyrim, he towered over Zinnia. The other thing she immediately noticed was his large muscles clearly visible under his shirt.
Just remember what Farkas taught you, she reminded herself internally.
"No thank you," she took a deep breath and folded her arms. "I'm with the Companions. I've been sent to resolve a dispute."
Azalea sauntered her way to the gates of Whiterun but was stopped by the guards just as she approached the city.
"Halt. What business do you have in Whiterun?" A male voice asked from under the helmet.
"I'm here to see a friend," Azalea answered.
"The city is closed unless you have a key or an invitation from Dragonsreach," the guard informed. Azalea rolled her eyes from under her hood. She patted her chest and fished through her pockets.
"I could've sworn I had that key somewhere!" The guard watched Azalea make a dramatic show of looking for a key she never had. "Gosh, I must've dropped it on my way here. I've traveled very far to see my friend here. Please, sir, can we overlook this?"
The guard snorted, "I'm afraid not. I know Thieves' Guild armor when I see it, you're not fooling anybody. No key, no entrance. Move along."
Azalea frowned. So much for that. She'd scale the wall if the sun wasn't as high as it was now. She turned away from the guard and walked to the awning at the edge of the hill that overlooked the Whiterun Hold. She leaned over the wall, searching for where her sister had wandered off to that was supposedly so important.
The sunlight reflecting off Zinnia's fair hair caught Azalea's attention. Zinnia was at the Whiterun Stables, locked in a fistfight with the stable master. Azalea watched Zinnia take a punch to the face that sent her to the dirt. And she didn't get back up.
In an instant, Azalea was dashing down the hill to her sister's side. The stable master was walking away from Zinnia, who was struggling to get on her hands and knees.
"Hey!" Azalea called angrily as she marched up to the stable master. As soon as he whipped his head around, Azalea's fist connected with his jaw. Skulvar staggered backward into a wooden post. She swiftly brought her foot to his groin and another fist to the face when he lurched forward.
Naturally, he was pissed.
"You bitch!"
But that's exactly what Azalea wanted. Skulvar lunged for her but she evaded him and drove an elbow into the back of his skull. Before Skulvar could straighten himself, Azalea rained punches on his body, from his abdomen to his chest, to his throat, to his jaw.
Skulvar lunged at Azalea again with a furious roar and tackled her into the same wooden post she previously knocked him into. She immediately grabbed a bottle of Honningbrew Mead from the top of a nearby barrel and smashed it against his head, then promptly headbutted him. She kicked him away from her and brought him down on his knees with another.
"I yield! I yield!" Skulvar wheezed, clutching his bloodied face. Azalea didn't care. She kicked him in the head one final time and pinned him with her boot.
"Azalea!" Zinnia was on her feet and at her sister's side.
"There's two of you?" Skulvar blinked. Azalea's hood had fallen down in the fight and he couldn't focus his gaze on either of the girls.
"Don't make me come back here again," Azalea spat.
"You have my word! Tell the Companions you have my word!" Skulvar begged. Zinnia pulled Azalea away from Skulvar and they left him there to recover.
"Are you okay?" Azalea scanned Zinnia for injuries. She had a black eye, a busted lip, and an ugly bruise on her jaw. "Damn, he beat the shit outta you."
Zinnia groaned, "he did not."
"Yeah, yeah. Say whatever you want. I saw you eating dirt," Azalea teased. Zinnia rolled her eyes. "Got any potions on you?"
Zinnia did not. Zinnia lost all of her possessions when she was taken to Helgen. The only things she had were the clothes on her back and the sword at her waist.
"No, but I can heal myself," Zinnia reassured, lifting a glowing hand. Azalea smiled.
"Good."
Zinnia healed her black eye first and then her lip until she ran out of Magicka. Her lip was only half-healed and she never got to heal the bruise on her jaw.
"Well, that's as good as it's going to get," Zinnia muttered under her breath. She supposed that she shouldn't be walking into Jorrvaskr fully healed anyway. She doubted the Companions would care for her magical abilities, even if they were restoration.
Oh gods, the Companions. What was she going to do? She just failed her first job! And here Zinnia thought she outgrew being protected by her sister. What was she going to say to them? How could she possibly tell them what happened?
"Hey, what's with the face?" Azalea asked, knitting her brows together. Zinnia swallowed. Maybe Azalea should have never come to Whiterun.
"Nothing. I need a drink," Zinnia grumbled.
"Excellent idea, sister! Lead the way!" Azalea urged with a wide grin. Zinnia began to make her way back up the hill to the gates, Azalea with her hood up once again and glued to her side.
"Don't you have a job to do?" Zinnia asked. Azalea's smile only grew.
"Yes, actually. I'm so glad you brought that up," Azalea replied cheerfully. "You see, I need your help."
Zinnia stopped, "what?"
"Oh, don't give me that look, Zin Zin! I'm not asking much!" Azalea protested. "I just need your help getting into Whiterun. Apparently you need a key to the city or an invite from the Jarl. Got either of those?"
She did.
"If they don't want you in the city, then I can't help you, Azalea," Zinnia said slowly.
"The city is just on high alert with the war going on," Azalea countered. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just here to meet up with a contact for the job and then I'll be out of everyone's hair. That's it."
"If you so much as to mess with one lock-"
"I won't, Zinnie!"
"Fine. Come on." Azalea was grinning from ear to ear under her hood and had a spring in her step. Zinnia expected the gates to open for her, just as they had when she exited the city and frowned when the guard stopped the pair.
"Halt. Didn't I just send you away?" The guard asked Azalea.
"I found my key," Azalea replied coolly. Zinnia reached into her pocket and produced the key to the city.
"She's with me, sir," Zinnia informed politely. "I'm a Thane in the Jarl's court."
Azalea's mouth fell open and she stared at Zinnia, stunned.
"Ah, now I remember. Forgive me, Thane. You two shall enter," the guard shifted his gaze back onto Azalea. "But I've got my eye on you. You better keep your hands to yourself."
"You have my word, sir," Zinnia injected. Azalea's mouth melted back into a satisfied smile as the pair entered the city. The other guards nodded at Zinnia in acknowledgment. Zinnia, on the other hand, still didn't know how to react to the recognition, so she hastily gave them a weak smile but kept her eyes on the ground like always.
"Thane? Thane?" Azalea shrieked happily. "How'd you manage that? Who'd you sleep with?"
"What? No one!"
"It was the Jarl, wasn't it?"
"No!"
Azalea burst out laughing as Zinnia's cheeks flushed.
"Come on! Lighten up, Zin!" Azalea chortled, slapping Zinnia on the back. "I'm sure you did something very honorable to earn that title. You got yourself a house I can crash at?"
Zinnia looked longingly at the house for sale, Breezehome, as they strolled past it. "Well, not yet…"
"What? You're a Thane but you don't own a house yet? Maybe I oughta sleep with someone for ya!"
"Azalea!"
Azalea was doubled over laughing. Zinnia quickened her pace away from the Guild member. She was ready for this conversation to be over.
"Thanks for helping me out back there. I really appreciate it," Azalea chimed. "Say, can I borrow some clothes?"
"Sure! Lemme just grab the ragged clothes I got from the Legion!" Zinnia said mockingly.
Azalea's grin faltered. She was still mad about that. Lovely.
"Look, I need to wear something normal for this job," Azalea explained. "They're going to know something's up if I show up in this armor."
"Well, you should've thought about that when you took the job from Brynjolf in the first place."
"Funny story! You'll never guess who gave me this job." Azalea waited for Zinnia to guess, but she offered none. "This job came directly from the mouth of Maven Black-Briar."
"Maven Black-Briar?" Zinnia repeated, raising her eyebrows.
"The one and only," Azalea bragged. "She asked for yours truly specifically for this job."
"Azalea, you should not be involving yourself with Maven Black-Briar. She's bad news."
"She's only the most powerful person in Riften, and probably all of Skyrim!" Azalea countered. "Of course I'm going to do this job for her. If I get in Maven Black-Briar's good favor, we're set for life, Zinnie. Maven is the best ally anyone could possibly have."
"She's so manipulative, Azalea. She's dangerous," Zinnia warned.
"I'm dangerous too," Azalea yawned. Zinnia rolled her eyes. She's gone for, what, four days? And Azalea's already getting herself into trouble? How could she let this happen?
Azalea stopped Zinnia at the bottom of the steps of the Bannered Mare. "Here, buy yourself a drink and one for me," she commanded, placing the gold pieces in Zinnia's palm. "I'm going to get myself some clothes. I'll be right back."
"Azalea," Zinnia's tone was a warning for her. She gave that look that Azalea absolutely loathed; the only thing in this world that had her using the word "loathed."
"Talos, lighten up, Zinnie. I'm not going to be gone long. You can strike up a nice conversation with the innkeeper while I'm away."
Zinnia knew exactly what Azalea was doing. Azalea wanted Zinnia to talk with the innkeeper. It was a distraction so Azalea could sneak into one of the rooms and steal clothes. Zinnia wanted none of it. But there was no stopping Azalea. And Zinnia couldn't walk away from her either.
Zinnia's lips formed a tight line. She said nothing to her sister and stormed through the doors of the Bannered Mare. She needed that drink now.
That's her girl. If there was one thing Azalea could count on in this unforgiving world, it was her sister. She'd bet on Zinnia every time. So while Zinnia sat down at the bar and ordered a large drink, Azalea slipped into the background until disappearing into the mead hall's kitchen to find Mallus Maccius. All according to plan.
Until she bumped into someone. And since she wasn't paying attention, she really bumped into this person. The man didn't budge. Azalea, on the other hand, did. She stumbled. Her hood fell back. But, thank the gods, she remained on her feet.
"New blood," a gruff voice greeted. Azalea paled. It wasn't Mallus. It was a Nord twice her size, dressed in steel armor, with messy brown hair that fell to his shoulders and dark warpaint around his silver-colored eyes. His face broke into a toothy smile at Azalea. "Did you finish the job?"
"Yes?"
"Good! I'll be honest, I wasn't sure if you had it in you, Zinnia," he admitted. Azalea suppressed a snort. Zinnia didn't have it in her, she knew. But Azalea was a good sister. And like all good sisters, she's going to lie for her sister.
"There's a lot more to me than you may realize," Azalea responded.
"Kind of fun to push people around sometimes, isn't it? Good work, sister!"
Azalea grinned, the words dripping from her tongue, "I wholeheartedly agree, brother."
"I don't have your pay on me right now, but I have it back at Jorrvaskr. Want to head back with me?" he offered.
"You know I'd love to, but I can't. I've got someone to see," Azalea said breezily with a flip of her hair.
"All right then. I guess I'll catch you at dinner then." But before they could part ways, the man frowned at Azalea and furrowed his brow, taking in her appearance. "Say, did you change your clothes?"
Azalea inwardly groaned. She was in her Thieves Guild armor, while Zinnia had worn hide armor. The big oaf was studying her but she hoped he didn't recognize the faction.
"What, this old thing?" Azalea batted her eyelashes. "I had to change my clothes because I had gotten some blood on my other ones. Not my blood, of course."
His frown lifted into a smile, "oh I get it. You must've had a really good fight then, huh?"
He bought it. The big oaf bought it without a shadow of a doubt. And here Azalea was coming up with a whole elaborate story and an escape plan.
"Like you wouldn't believe."
He laughed, "good to hear! I'm glad you're getting the hang of things around here. I think you'll fit in just fine."
"Ya know, I think so too." Wherever "here" was. "Listen, thanks for the chat, but I gotta get going. Can't keep my friend waiting. But I'll definitely be catching you later."
Azalea side-stepped around the Nord and made her way up the stairs to where Mallus was waiting for her.
Before Zinnia could drown herself in mead, someone had come up from behind her and said, "finished your job early, whelp?"
Zinnia, startled, nearly choked on her mead as the culprit took a seat on the stool beside her.
"Vilkas," Zinnia coughed. "What are you doing here?"
"I asked you a question, whelp," Vilkas clipped. Zinnia swallowed. What in Talos's name was she supposed to do?
"Yeah, the job's finished." Technically, it was true. Zinnia bit her lip under Vilkas's scrutinizing gaze. His silver eyes seemed to pierce right through her and she nervously picked at the hem of her armor.
"How did it go?" he asked after a pause.
"Well, uh, it was all right," Vilkas waited for her to continue. "It was tough but I was able to make Skulvar submit. He won't be bothering anyone in Whiterun anymore."
Vilkas nodded but remained silent. Why Farkas gave Zinnia such a job was beyond him. He expected to hear from Skulvar to come pick up the Breton's unconscious body from the stables. But Vilkas looked closely at her features. There was sweat on her brow, dirt on her cheeks and chin. Her lip looked like it was recovering from a nasty blow. Some of her exposed skin on her chest and shoulders began to look discolored as bruises formed. All telltale signs of a fight.
"Why do you have two drinks?" Vilkas suddenly asked, noticing the two bottles of mead on the counter.
Shit.
"I answered your question, now you answer mine," Zinnia countered boldly. Vilkas couldn't mask his surprise at the new blood's quick tongue. It was a fair point.
"I'm here with my brother," Vilkas answered. "We like to come here sometimes to take a break from Jorrvaskr. Farkas likes to talk to the ladies."
"Do you?"
"I believe it's your turn to answer my question," Vilkas threw back. Zinnia rolled her eyes. They really were going to back and forth like this, huh? The intensity held in his gaze told her he was serious.
"I'm celebrating." Again, technically true. "For finishing my first ever job with the Companions. And this is how I celebrate. One drink for each hand."
Vilkas suppressed a snort. He doubted her tiny body could handle one bottle of Nord mead, let alone two. What a strange woman she was indeed. He wasn't sure if he liked her or not.
"Here, you should take one," Zinnia pushed a bottle towards him.
"I don't want to ruin your 'celebration,'" Vilkas protested.
"It's probably best if I stick to one drink anyway. The last thing we need is for me to return to Jorrvaskr inebriated on my first day, right?"
"You wouldn't be the first," Vilkas muttered, recalling the first time he met Torvar. He took the bottle by the neck and nodded at Zinnia as a thank you before taking a sip. Zinnia took a drink of hers as well. "There will be plenty of celebrating tonight, though."
"Really?" Zinnia asked with raised eyebrows, setting down her drink. "For what?"
"For your accomplishment today. What else could we be celebrating?"
"I don't know, it's my first day!" Zinnia huffed. And just like that, the guilt entered Zinnia's body. "I don't think we need to make a big fuss. I just straightened a guy out is all. No need to get all the Companions involved."
The guilt gnawed at her insides. She bit the inside of her cheek. This was wrong. She hated this. She hated lying to Vilkas and the Companions. It was her first job and she wasn't even the one who finished it. Yet here she was, taking credit for something that she didn't do. Now all the Companions were going to congratulate her? For a lie? This was so wrong.
"We celebrate every time the new blood finishes their first job," Vilkas stated. If only she actually finished her first job in the first place…
"Well, uh, thanks…"
"Try not to sleep through it." Zinnia's jaw fell open. Even Vilkas was making a joke about her this morning.
"That was an accident!"
Just then, Zinnia caught Azalea moving in the shadows along the walls of the inn undetected to all but her. Azalea looked at Zinnia and winked at her before slipping out the back door. Vilkas noticed Zinnia's distracted look and frowned.
"What are you looking at?" he asked, snapping her attention back to him.
"Nothing!" she answered as she quickly got to her feet. "I've got to go now. I'll see you at home tonight. Bye!"
And just like that, the gold was on the counter and Zinnia was out the door after her sister.
Vilkas watched her as she left, a frown etched deep into his face. He glanced at her mead, noting she had barely drunk a third of it when she abruptly left. Whatever it was, he knew it wasn't any of his business. But it still bothered him. Her behavior was strange, unpredictable, mysterious-none of which were noble qualities, especially for that of a Companion. What was Zinnia truly after?
When Zinnia walked behind the Bannered Mare, she found Azalea pulling a neatly folded dress out from under her Thieves Guild armor. In the shadow of the building, Azalea discarded her armor and threw the green dress over her head.
"What do you think, Zin Zin? Fits like a glove, huh?" Azalea asked with a smile as her sister approached. Zinnia scowled at her.
"I hate it when you do this," Zinnia grumbled.
"There were tons of other clothes in the dresser. She's not going to miss this ugly one," Azalea assured smoothly. Zinnia's scowl worsened. " And I'll put it right back where I found it. Better?"
"No."
Azalea only laughed. How can she be so carefree? Zinnia wondered. And she'll never know. Once Azalea had her laugh, she took a step forward, her features turning seriously.
"I'm going to need your help again, sister."
So, what do you guys think? I really wanted Azalea to be likable, even though she has a really complicated relationship with Zinnia. And I really hope Zinnia's personality is starting to get fleshed out now. Tell me your thoughts!
Thanks for reading! 3