So now that you've all got to meet Larunda, the thief-
you get to meet the always lovely Jovita.

Enjoy!
I hope someone at leasts chuckles while reading this.
I did while writing it.
Tavi is gonna be a fun character, I can already tell.

Disclaimer: Bethesda owns Skyrim.
I own Jovita, Larunda, Rohesia and Evora.

"Warning" : Contains foul language.
I blame Tavi.

Loredas, 16th of Last Seed, 4E 201

Had you asked me 7 years ago if I ever saw myself and assassin- I would have told you no. If you asked me four years ago- would I ever be caught on the wrong side of a blade? I'd have laughed in your face. Now I see how wrong I was, both times- as I knelt here on the frozen ground within Imperial sword pointed directly at me. The tip of the sharp blade was directly against my throat, so a wrong move from either of us could easily send me to Sovengarde. Not that I would ever have a peaceful afterlife- with all the stunts I've pulled these past few years.

"She is nothing but a murderer! No better than those damned Stormcloaks! Just kill her, I say, kill her!"

I could hear my mark arguing, trying to convince the Imperial soldiers. They had been passing by at the time and somehow this contract had gone all wrong. There was nothing else to do but escape- however, that put me in my current position- seeing as to how shouts of "murderer" and "help" could be clearly heard throughout the surrounding area.

My hands were bound behind me- and as good of an assassin I was, I knew my limitations. Taking on five armed Imperials at once? Not the best of choices.

"What are your orders captain?" a gruff male voice asked.

"We'll take her with us and let General Tullius decide. Make sure she has no hidden weapons- and have her change into something else- I am sure this citizen has a spare tunic."

"By your orders Captain."

"Oh, and if she tries anything," the female said, eyeing me with distaste," kill her."

I had to literally bite my tongue to keep from getting any further into trouble. Even my brethren in the Brotherhood held distain for my quirky quick remarks. The soldier- with his blade still pointed at me- ordered me to my feet and closely followed me to a side area.

"You heard her- try anything and you are as good as dead," one of the soldiers sneered, as he used a dagger to cut the binds around my hand. A brown tunic was tossed in my direction, landing on the ground a few feet from me.

"Change," Another soldier ordered, glaring at me," And watch how you move, Assassin."

'Keep your mouth shut Tavi. Keep. It. Shut.' I had to keep telling myself, over and over. I didn't bother asking for privacy- I knew they wouldn't give it to me. Besides, I wasn't exactly shy or modest anymore; my past helped me get past that- real quick. As I undressed, I noticed one of the soldiers kept glancing away from me, as if he were uncomfortable with the scene before him. It took me a good few moments to take off all the armor, but the final piece finally fell to the ground, clanking with the rest of it. After I shimmied into the rough spun tunic, the guards rebound my hands- making it tighter this time. Biting my tongue, I laughed inwardly as I remembered earlier- when they had bound my hands the first time.

'Oh my, bondage? Lovely, dear. Just remember, my safe word is sweet roll.'

"What are you smiling about?!" one of the guards demanded, glaring at me.

"Nothing- not to worry. Just a…. fond memory, if you will."

I followed the guards, continuously jerking my head about in an effort to keep my hair out of my face. In my line of work- if you can't see everything around you, those blind spots can prove deadly. The blonde strands were quickly becoming irritating, and I began wishing I had taken up Fustus' offer when he said he'd cut my hair the next time he saw it. The cranky old geezer.

Just thinking about my dysfunctional family made caused me to stop and wonder. How had this gone so wrong? I was always cautious- even before I joined the brotherhood. Every exit and strategy, every battle plan and detail- I had to know everything before I made my move. Somehow though… this contract…. It all went terribly wrong. I was missing something, and not knowing what that was- was killing me.

'Dying not knowing, is even worse. Maybe they'll at least grant me that? Doubt it.'

I followed the group of soldiers to their carriages, and they led me to the last one in line. It wasn't until we approached that I actually realized I was not going to be alone on this journey. The cart they shoved me on too held three other men- including one with a cloth over his mouth. It didn't take a genius to recognize two of the three- Stormcloaks- and to top it all, Ulric Stormcloak himself. I had heard the rumors of what the Jarl had done to the High King, but I had never been in his company before- I never had a reason to be.

"Sit down and don't try anything," a soldier commanded, as I considered spitting in his face. How dare he shove a lady? It's not like I tried to kill him or anything- I didn't kill unless it was necessary, with a few exceptions, due to my current faction membership of course. Since I had to sit across from one of them, I was able to get a decent look at him- and I had to admit: he was very attractive. His blonde hair and blue eyes gave away his Nord lineage, but I could tell there was more to him then met the eye. The carriages jerked as they began to move- as we headed to what was probably our end.

Morndas, 18th of Last Seed, 4E 201

I don't know how much time had passed, but at some point, I had fallen asleep. The next thing I knew, I was being jostled awake as we approached a small fort. I looked around curiously, trying to figure out why we were here- wherever here was; I thought we we're headed to Cyrodil.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking at the Nord—Ralof, I had learned his name was.

"Helgen."

'Ah, yes. Helgen. Just perfect. Hopefully that brat won't recognize me… shouldn't, since he didn't actually see my face… Besides, it's been what? At least a good half year now….' One of my contracts had led me to Helgen, where some guy wanted his wife gone. Didn't care when it was done, but just that it had to look like an accident—or that she took her own life. I opted for the 'accident' route, and switched a few potions with a few poisons. Of course, on my way out of the marks house- some kid had seen me. He immediately called for guards, but by the time they had shown up- I was already lurking in the safety of trees, waiting for them to all clear out so I could leave.

I could hear the horse thief and Ralof bantering back and forth, but I didn't pay much attention to them- though I did catch parts of their conversation.

"Divines… help us…."

"….Tullius… Thalmor…."

"..used to be sweet on a girl from here…."

"…Wine with juniper berries…."

Then the journey came to an end, as the carriage came to a halt.

"Wait- why are we stopping?!" the horse thief exclaimed.

"Why do you think? End of the line," Ralof told him.

"No! You have to tell them we're not with you! This is a mistake!"

"Face your death like a man, Horse thief." We all stood up and slowly made our way out of the carriage. The residents of Helgen were all standing about, watching from a distance.

"When we call your name, head over to the block."

"Empire loves their damned lists." I heard Ralof mutter- and I had to choke back a laugh.

'He sounds so irritated by the Imperials, it's kind of cute.'

"Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm."

As I stand here, waiting for my fate- I wondered one thing. If I had been given a second chance- what would I have done differently?