The waterways beneath Solitude weren't hard to navigate. The layout of the city was simple enough, and since the main pipe ran beneath the central road Veria could easily guess what buildings stood above her. Actually pulling herself through the sewers was the hard part. She stuffed her own hand into her mouth to muffle her cries of pain. Every step threatened to send her blubbering into the rancid waters that rose to her waist. Even the current that tore the waters past her threatened to whisk her away.
She pushed her way to the edge of the city where she knew the waters would drain into the ocean. She couldn't simply ride the current and let it drop her into the salty waters. With a broken leg, there was no way she'd be able to swim to shore. Instead, she kept her footing in the narrow pipes and fought to stay standing as she hobbled forward. She knew she was getting near when the water level began to decrease, and the darkness in the pipe started to lighten. She could see the exit ahead.
Veria dug her heel into the floor of the pipe and wrapped her fingers around the edge of the orifice. She carefully eased herself out into the early morning air and onto the narrow stone edge that ran below the drain. She descended slowly, nearly slipping several times on the putrid waters that covered the cliff face. The sky was already pale yellow with the rising of the sun, and she was only on the edge of the city. Rudnar and his mercenaries were sure to come looking for her in this area. She had to get to a safe place to treat her leg, and fast.
She landed in the salty mud by the shoreline and began limping as fast as she could toward the marshes east of Solitude. The water was shallow along the giant stone arch that supported the Blue Palace and noble homes, and wherever the water was too deep she could swim well enough with one leg to get to the next shallow area. Low and slow she went, keeping her splashes quiet and hiding behind anything she could. The road wasn't far, and anyone walking down it could spot her if they were looking in the right direction. Fortunately, the layer of grime she accumulated in the waterways served as an effective camouflage in the murky waters.
There was an old shack in the marshes that the Dark Brotherhood kept hidden for whatever they might need it for. Astrid liked to take potential recruits there on occasion. Members used it as a hideout in case they attracted some unwanted attention. Veria once used it to lure one of her targets out of the city. She had abandoned her armor for an attractive dress from Radiant Raiment and convinced the man to meet her there at midnight. "So we might get to know each other better," she had said. Of course, when he arrived, he quickly realized the shack wasn't the home of a beautiful woman and Veria killed him before he could turn away.
This time, the shack would serve as her sanctuary. The sun was high in the sky, but the mist of the marsh turned the golden light into a gray haze. She stumbled across the uneven terrain, avoiding Mudcrabs and praying to Sithis that she wouldn't find any Wisps on her way. Finally, Veria saw the shack rising out of patches of dead grass, rotting trees, and bones. She drew the key from one of her pockets and shoved her way inside, locking the door behind her. The place was empty. No assassin or even a dead body to greet her.
She went to the far side of the room and pried open a box covered in dust. There were bandages, but no potions or medicines to mend her bones. Without medicine, all she could do was set the bone. With bandages in hand she pried one of loose floorboards up and sat against the wall.
Veria sighed and cursed to herself, then stuffed some of the bandages into her mouth. She couldn't risk the noise reaching far out of the shack.
As Veezara trudged through the shallow waters of Hjallmarch he savored the sensation of water seeping into his leather boots and saturating his scales. Skyrim waters were often frigid and unfit to swim in for long, but even through the mist the high noon sun was able to warm it to a cool, comforting temperature. His target was a vampire and wouldn't emerge again until after the sun had set, so Veezara figured he'd catch a few moments of rest in the shack in the marsh.
When he readied the key to unlock the door, he noticed footprints on the ground below him. He knelt down to get a closer look, and saw in the moist earth the faint impression of small footprints, along with some long marks alongside them. Someone was dragging their feet. Perhaps one of his brothers had caught a target and dragged them inside? Perhaps Astrid was testing a new recruit? Whatever the reason, it was best to be cautious.
He quietly opened the door and peered in, seeing no Astrid and no captives, but a familiar woman crumpled against the wall.
"Veria?" He said, rushing to her side. She was out cold, and breathing shallow breaths. Her leg was bound tight to a wooden board, and her face was turning purple with bruises in several places. "Veria. Veria!" He tried to rouse her with a gentle slap on her cheek, but she remained unconscious.
From his pack Veezara drew three small potions. "You are fortunate I did not just bring poison, sister," he said. He poured the potions down her throat and slowly her breathing returned to normal. Her eyes fluttered and swiveled around the room as she tried to get her bearings. She spotted Veezara above her and tried to touch his face.
"Tulian?" she said. "You came?"
"No," he said. "It is Veezara, but Tulian would certainly have my head if I did not heal you. What happened to you?"
Veria tried to sit up but a shooting pain stabbed through the side of her chest. She clutched her side and let her head fall back.
"Rest," Veezara said. "The potions need time to settle into your system. Tell me, who did this do you?"
"I was an idiot," she said angrily. "The contract was fake. It was made just to draw one of us out."
Veezara drew a hand over his mouth and contemplated. "Who would do such a thing?" He asked.
"His name is Rudnar," Veria grunted as she tried to sit up again. She slowly worked her way into a sitting position and continued, "He had an Orc and a Breton working for him. They were mercenaries of some kind." She leaned forward and put a hand on Veezara's shoulder. "Veezara, he tried to get the Sanctuary location out of me. He's hunting our family. We have to get back home."
"Even if they find it," he replied, "no one has the power to extinguish the Brotherhood. We'll see them in Sithis' embrace before they can touch us."
Veria sighed and laid back down. "We should go soon," she said.
"I shouldn't leave a contract unfulfilled," Veezara said, scratching his chin. "Rest here, Veria. I'll be back within the hour."
Veria tried to protest but he was gone before she could say anything coherent. She rested her head on the damp floorboards and stared at the ceiling, wishing more than anything that Tulian was there with her.
She missed him so much her chest ached, and she curled her fist around the spot in an effort to quell the pain. He was probably sitting peacefully back at the Sanctuary, missing her, and knowing nothing about what had happened to her.
Veria couldn't resist her fatigue, and her eyes slid closed, the image of Tulian's face still floating in her mind.
When Veezara finally returned, the sun had fallen below the horizon and the marshes were bathed in a rapidly darkening orange haze. The potion had finally set into Veria's bones and she could walk well enough to make it to the edge of Hjallmarch before the moons were high in the sky. When darkness came they traveled the land like shadows, rousing the attention of nothing and no one they passed by.
The journey was long and Veria had to rest frequently. They didn't make it to Falkreath until late the following day. Her feet ached, her fractured rib was still sore, and her leg felt thin. She was hungry, thirsty, and so in need of her lover that when she saw the Sanctuary door in front of her, she forgot her pains and ran to it. On the stairs inside she stumbled, but Veezara caught her arm and kept her from falling. She gave a grateful nod, and he released her. They descended into their home together, and found most of their family gathered in the main chamber.
"Veezara, Veria," Astrid said, lowering a letter she'd been reading. "Welcome back. I expected you to..." she trailed off, noticing Veria's slumped posture and crooked leg. Fierce concern crossed her face. "What happened?"
Veria wasted no time in passing on the warning that the Brotherhood was being hunted. She recounted the important details of the past few days, and Astrid listened intently.
Suddenly a voice interrupted the exchange. "Veria!" Tulian cried as he pushed his way through the gathering crowd toward her. As he neared her, any strength she had left vanished, and she let herself fall into his arms. "Babette!" he yelled. The girl pushed through the crowd and inspected Veria's injuries.
Veria looked up at Astrid and said, "Rudnar, he has friends. They're coming for us-"
"Don't worry," Astrid put a reassuring hand on Veria's shoulder. "No one has penetrated the Sanctuary since its founding centuries ago. We'll find them, and put an end to their hunting. Babette, what's the damage?"
"A few broken bones. Some bad bruises. Then there's the trauma of traveling all this way with those injuries...It's nothing I can't handle. She'll be back on her feet in a day or two."
Astrid nodded and turned to some of the other onlookers. She began dolling out orders to secure the area around the Sanctuary and to put out feelers for the mercenaries. Veria turned her attention away from crowd and let her eyes gaze upward into Tulian's face. Seeing him there, with her head resting against his chest, she felt more at peace than she had in days. They exchanged small, relieved smiles, and Veria slipped into a deep and peaceful sleep.
A full day of potions and other treatments later, Veria was laying in her bed, waiting for the strength of her legs to return. She wanted to get back to work. She wanted to track down Rudnar. Threatening her family could not go unpunished. She shifted her body on top of the sheets and wiggled her toes. "Ugh!" She grunted in frustration, covering her eyes with her arm. "In the name of the dread-father, let me get up!"
"Someone is restless," came a voice. Veria looked up to see Tulian entering the room. "You have no idea," Veria said. "I can't stand laying around here for much longer! Help me up."
Tulian offered his hand, and she took it gratefully. He helped her off the bed and steadied her as she stood. She quickly lost balance and Tulian had to catch her. Veria groaned in agitation. "Nooo," she said. "I don't want to stay in this room anymore!"
"Well," Tulian said. "There's no helping it then." He turned around and crouched a little. "I'll carry you out."
Veria took a moment to adore the absurdity of Tulian carrying her on his back before taking it up.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders to stay upright, as he rose and carried her out the door, careful not the knock her head against the door frames. He took her to the main cavern to see what everyone was up to. There were a lot of members out on contracts, but Astrid was there, as always, pouring over her maps and letters. Her husband, Arnbjorn, sharpened his axe not far away. At the sight of Tulian carrying a fully grown Nord woman on his back, Astrid merely raised an eyebrow and returned to her work.
Babette wasn't so forgiving. "Tulian!" she scolded. "Veria should be laying in bed, not playing piggyback."
"Oh, come on, Babette," Veria chimed from beside Tulian's face. "I've been laying there long enough!"
Babette sighed. "Just...sit down for a little while and you should be able to walk on your own in a few hours."
Veria sighed, "Fine," and Tulian walked her to the feast hall to sit a while. They had nothing better to do than sample the new barrel of mead that just came in, along with a few helpings of fresh bread.
"Tulian," Veria said. "When I'm strong enough, I'm going to go looking for those mercenaries."
"How will you find them?"
"I don't know..." her hand slowly clenched into a fist on the table. Anger began to bubble up in her throat. "But I can't tolerate a threat to our family."
"I'd like to meet this Rudnar," Tulian said. He reached forward and touched Veria's face. "I'll make him suffer for hurting you like he did."
With a decisive nod, she said, "We'll find them together. You and I."
A few hours later, Veria had recovered enough that she could stand and walk on her own. She couldn't stand being without her armor much longer, so she discarded the old tunic she had been wearing. She opened the chest at the foot of her bed and pulled out her Brotherhood armor. She held it in front of her for a while, looking over the little scratches and tarnished places it had acquired over time. When Veria came to the Brotherhood, it was like her life finally had meaning. She was no longer empty.
She had Tulian, she had a family that cared for her, and she had a purpose. Being a servant of Sithis felt natural. Taking life felt good, and she was good at it. It had been hard at first to come to terms with it. Any average person knew that killing for the sake of killing was tainted, and bad for the soul. Veria denied it for a while, but Tulian helped her see the truth. He helped her realize her true nature, and gave her home that would welcome her for it.
Veria loved him for that.
A pair of arms appeared on either side of Veria's shoulders. She smiled as Tulian rested his scaly hands on top of hers. She was still holding her armor.
"Tulian," she said, leaning into him. She drank in his aroma, a subtle combination of fresh rain and river brine.
He rested his nose on the back of her head and responded quietly, "What is it?"
Veria let her hands drop and returned his embrace as best she could. "Oh... nothing in particular."
He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. Veria felt his affection for her pouring from his skin and into hers, and she knew all the hardship she'd lived through had been worth it, because it led her to him.
The next morning Veria donned her armor and got ready to train. She'd been inactive for far too long and was itching to get her muscles moving again. She flipped her dagger between her fingers as she headed for the main cavern. Everyone else was already up.
"Nazir," she called. "Where's Tulian? He's supposed to train with me today."
"Oh yes, he mentioned something of that sort earlier. He's just-"
What remained of Nazir's sentence was drowned out by a sudden, deafening blast. Smoke poured down the corridor to the Sanctuary entrance. Veria gripped he hilt of her dagger. "W-what in Oblivion-"
Tulian came rolling out of the smoke. He landed on his feet just in time for a barrage of arrows to come down upon him. One hit him in the shoulder, and he was sent sprawling on his back.
"Tulian!" Veria cried, rushing towards him.
"I'm fine!" He yelled, pulling the arrow free of his leather armor with one swift tug. "The door!"
Tulian rolled to the side as a blade came swinging out of the smoke, just narrowly missing him. In one fluid motion, he plunged his dagger into the neck of the swordsman as he barreled out of the haze. It was a man, someone Veria didn't recognize. His armor was worn and his sword well-used. A mercenary; hired help.
Brotherhood members scrambled for their weapons as more arrows and men burst from the smoke. They were little match for Veria's brothers and sisters. One by one they were overtaken by blade, claw, and fire. The smoke began to dissipate, and Veria spotted the archer. It was the Breton woman from Solitude, and next to her the orc. Fury overtook Veria's mind. Rudnar was nowhere to be seen, but one of them could tell her what she needed.
The orc raised his war hammer and barreled into the chaos. Veria sprinted for the stairs where the Breton ranger stood. She dodged and rolled expertly around swinging swords and axes, plunging her dagger here and there as she went. Three men fell in her wake, and when the woman saw Veria speeding towards her she aimed an arrow at her forehead and let it loose.
But too late. Veria pitched to the side and the arrow broke against the stone floor, and then Veria was upon her.
The Breton drew a knife just in time to deflect Veria's dagger, but not a second after the clang of metal came Veria's fist plummeting through the air into the side of her face. She stumbled down the stairs and began to fall, but she was limber. She tucked her slim form and flipped to land on her feet, and readied her blade. Veria lunged, but the Breton was skilled. She deflected Veria's stabs, and threw a punch. Veria dodged, but it was enough of a distraction to allow the dagger to be knocked from her hand. It clattered away, and Veria could only dodge the Breton's swipes.
Veria's unarmed skill wasn't perfect, but it was enough to deflect the Breton's blade for a while. Eventually, though, the Breton had the upper hand. Veria was knocked on her back, and the Breton stabbed the dagger down towards her neck. Veria caught her arm and fought to keep it at bay. The Breton's arm was strong, and the tip of the blade hovered inches from Veria's neck. Veria's arms burned. She couldn't hold it up much longer.
With one burst of strength she pushed the Breton's arm away, and gripped the top of her arm with the opposite hand. Veria pushed her and rolled to pin her to the ground. Before she could retaliate, Veria dealt a swift blow to her head, and she was out cold.
Veria took the Breton's dagger and stood. When she looked up, she saw the orc plunging a sword right through Tulian's abdomen.
"TULIAN!" She shrieked. She began to sprint. The battle around her became a blur. The orc slid the sword out of Tulian's body, and he fell. The orc turned on Veria and swung the sword down on her. She pitched and plunged the knife into the back of his neck, and left it there. She was at Tulian's side before the orc hit the ground.
"Tulian. Tulian!" Her hand hovered over his wound. It was gaping, and oozing blood. She wanted to do something, anything, but she didn't know any restoration spells. She took his face in her hands and angled it toward her. His eyes were wide, and fixed on her. "Tulian. Look at me, you're going to be fine, just-just-" His jaw moved slightly, but whatever he was trying to say was reduced to sickening gurgles as his mouth filled with blood. Veria's heart threatened to burst from her chest. She heard and saw nothing in the room. It was all a blur, reduced to a low, watery hum. Tulian raised his hand and struggled to touch her arm. She grasped it tightly, and held it close.
"Tulian. You're going to be okay. We'll-"
His fingers loosened. "Tulian?" His eyes were dark. Veria felt panic and terror overtake her body. She gripped the sides of his face and shook him gently. "No no no no, Tulian! Tulian!" He didn't move. His eyes stared blankly, and his heart was still.
Tulian was dead.