The Fall of Lord Kelvyn
By Commentaholic
A/N: Well, this story's a bit dusty... -blows dust off of TFoLK- Ah, there we go, almost didn't recognize it. Ack! -coughs on cloud of dust-
Yep, this story might be more prominent in the near future, although I have chapters for about four other stories in progress right now: TFoLK, A.N.D., Blurred Reality, and a secret project that I will not reveal until it is ready (If it ever is finished...). I used to have an Omicron chapter in the works, but I decided to opt against it for my secret project. And don't even get me started on my songfic series.
Chapter Twelve: Complications
Velvet sighed with boredom as Tierra and Rhesus talked animatedly in the corner. The Redguard warrior was obviously happy to see his wife after all this time, despite the gruesome nature of their reunion. To be honest, Velvet was surprised at Rhesus's actions while she had been in Skingrad. She had arrived back just in time to see Rhesus carrying the body of another Redguard off into some alleyway, and had, unknown to Rhesus, tailed him to discover what was going on. The method by which he had mutilated the corpse's brain was... familiar.
She shook her head. Surely an "honorable" warrior such as Rhesus would not have ever been in the Dark Brotherhood. But it still nagged at her a little bit. Such a method of mutilation was common practice among the Dark Brotherhood, mainly because of cases such as Rhesus. Necromancers often decided to resurrect bodies of their victims, which annoyed the Black Hand to no end. Zombies that were originally made dead by the Brotherhood often had a grudge, or at least, a reason to come back with more than just the shaky shuffling motions that most zombies had. The common variety of zombies were normally taken from forgotten graveyards or crypts, but some Necromancers had strange tastes in minions, and chose to select high-profile bodies.
Celedaen had been one such Necromancer, which had been part of the reason why his assassination had been sanctioned. He had made the mistake of resurrecting the former Listener of the Black Hand a few months before he had resurrected Rhesus. And then he had foolishly gotten the re-animated Listener brutally obliterated by charging it into some random Priory hidden in the forests far to the south of Skingrad. Apparently the Priory possessed some powerful bodies that would have been useful, should it have succeeded, but the lobotomized Listener's corpse had been swiftly defeated by a scrawny-looking rat that had broken into the building. It had been enough that the Altmer had desecrated the grave of a Listener, but losing the zombie to a mere rat... It was unforgivable.
But Velvet had other things on her mind.
Tierra's willingness to join up with Rhesus, even after his extended absence, was unexpected. She had even gone so far as to kill her current husband, such a high profile act that, no doubt, had been observed by "forces unknown". By this, she meant the Dark Brotherhood. While such an... invitation from the Dark Brotherhood would be beneficial in getting Tierra out of the way, she couldn't have Rhesus being distracted by the contemplation of his lover's actions. She had to get them out of here before a Dark Brotherhood representative showed up, or worse, Lucien. She couldn't have Lucien knowing about her clandestine actions... not yet, anyway.
"Hey, lovebirds! Let's get a move on!" she shouted over at them. The two Redguards broke away from the embrace that they had been sharing. Rhesus looked a little startled, almost as if he had forgotten about Velvet being there.
"Sorry, Velvet," he said. Tierra looked on from beyond Rhesus, watching Velvet warily. After all, Velvet was an unknown factor. From what Tierra had learned, Velvet had been responsible for Rhesus's return. Whether that meant that the mysterious Dunmer was a necromancer or not, Tierra was unsure, but she wouldn't take her eyes off the strangely-clad woman. Besides, who knew how close Rhesus had gotten to this "Velvet" character.
"Come on, you two, we've got to get moving." Velvet said, heading towards the city's south gate. She reckoned that they only had until tomorrow before someone noticed Owyn's absence. After all, the Redguard had been a man thoroughly devoted to his job. If they were going to get away clear, they'd have to get Tierra out of town and to somewhere safe, most likely the cabin that she had been stowing Rhesus all this time.
As they reached the gate, Velvet slipped off to the side without the two Redguards noticing, re-appearing momentarily with a black horse that, according to the sigil emblazoned on the saddle, belonged to the Black Horse Courier company. Tierra almost spoke up against this, but Rhesus hushed her. He knew that in order to even match half of Shadowmere's speed, they'd have to have the fastest horse available, despite the methods used to obtain it. He could only hope that Velvet had stolen it instead of... Rhesus shuddered at the thought of the alternative.
Rhesus helped Tierra up into the saddle and climbed up behind her, looking over at Velvet, who was glancing around nervously for some reason from her position on Shadowmere. Strangely enough, she wasn't watching the city guards, but the forest around them, eyes darting to the shadows as if expecting dark figures to leap out of the darkness. The sun had dropped towards the horizon since they had arrived, and the world was now entering the half-lit realm of twilight. Darkness would soon engulf the world, and they would be clear to travel without hindrances, or at least, very few. But Velvet didn't want to take any chances.
At their slower pace, since Shadowmere would have to slow down considerably to allow the couple to follow on their mere black horse, they would likely have to make a stop on the way to the cabin. Velvet's brow furrowed in thought. She didn't want to risk the thought that news of Owyn's disappearance could possibly make it ahead of them, however unlikely it would be, so she would take them through the wilderness south of the Imperial City. The Legion's patrols were lessened there, as there wasn't much in the way of settlements in that region except for the occasional farm and village.
As they traveled, Rhesus thought long and hard about what to do with Tierra. It wasn't likely that Velvet would take kindly to yet another tag-along.
Night fell as they traveled east. They took shelter at an old fort, hitching their horses on an old wrecked wagon that lay off in the weeds. The horse that Rhesus and Tierra shared could graze until morning. Velvet positioned herself apart from the two Redguards, choosing instead to rest on the second floor of the fort's ruined courtyard, her back against a pillar, watching the road, claymore at the ready.
When Rhesus woke, Velvet was already up and about, dousing the fire and packing their supplies. Rhesus roused Tierra and joined Velvet in the preparations for their departure. They tried to ignore the half-dried blood clinging to Shadowmere's hooves and lips. No doubt there was some brutally mutilated bandit corpse off in the grass, chunks ripped out of it and hoof marks in its back.
Later in the day, as they were riding along, Velvet suddenly stiffened in her saddle, reaching up for the claymore that lay across her back. Rhesus halted the horse that he and Tierra were riding, looking past Velvet to the hooded figure that stood in the road before them.
After a moment, Velvet chuckled and loosened the grip she had on her blade's handle. "Hello there, Mathieu. Long way from Anvil, aren't you?"
The robed figure lowered its hood, revealing a pale Breton with dark hair. "Indeed I am, Velvet, but I'm not the only one far from home." came a cold voice, "Cheydinhal lies along the left branch of the road you just passed. Where are you off to?"
"Nowhere in particular, Mathieu," Velvet replied, "Just doing some bodyguard work on the side. Someone has to help pay for the lair upkeep." She said, gesturing at Rhesus and Tierra. "I'm just doing my part."
Rhesus didn't like how Mathieu leered at Velvet. It was almost as if he was analyzing her the way a predator does to its prey.
"Indeed," Mathieu said, "And may I be the first to offer you congratulations. I hear you're next in line to be Lucien's silencer. I have it on good authority that the current one won't last."
Velvet seemed very surprised to hear this, "Geordis is a very capable agent of the Black Hand, Mathieu. Watch your tongue, or you might be his next target. The Black Hand doesn't like that kind of talk. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to." Velvet spurred Shadowmere back into motion, trotting past Mathieu. Rhesus swore he saw Velvet's monstrous black horse snap at Mathieu, who barely avoided those sharp teeth. Rhesus and Tierra followed Velvet, occasionally glancing back to find Mathieu staring back at them.
Rhesus could feel Mathieu's eyes follow them until the cloaked Breton vanished from sight, and didn't feel comfortable even after that.
"Rhesus?"
The Redguard woke with a start. Damn, he thought, Must've dozed off again. He stood up, cracking his back, looking towards the entrance to his tent, where a messenger stood. "Yes? What is it?"
"The Lady Velvet requests your presence, sir. She wants you to be there when she leads the charge."
The attack? Rhesus cursed and pushed past the messenger, looking outside. Dawn was creeping over the hills that surrounded the camp, dotted with the occasional tree. He must've overslept. Rhesus thanked the messenger and sent him on his way. Donning the armor with the practiced skill of years of combat experience, Rhesus emerged from his tent a few minutes later, ready for battle. For a moment, his hand lingered on the pommel of the blade strapped to his lower back. He hoped he wouldn't need to use it.
When Rhesus reached the command tent, Velvet and Helen were already there. The Argonians were nowhere to be seen. But then again, assassins rarely were.
Velvet looked up from the tactical map she had been examining. "Ah, Rhesus, nice of you to join us. For a moment, I thought you were going to miss out on the action."
A grin cracked Rhesus's features, "Wouldn't miss it." Velvet grinned back, but Rhesus could see the maniacal love of battle hidden within that simple smile.
"Well then," Velvet said, standing and grabbing the dark blade that rested against the table, "Let's get started." Rhesus noted the new sword with curiosity. Velvet already had her Elven claymore strapped across her back. Why would she need another sword? Whatever it was, it simply oozed with a murderous aura, which was suitable to the battle to come. Together, Velvet, Helen, and Rhesus emerged into the early day's light. Battlehorn Castle awaited.
A/N: Well, it's shorter than usual, but it's at least a hint of what's to come. I finally figured a way to dig myself out of the flashback tunnels that I dug myself into and got lost. I expect a battle scene in the next chapter.
All of you fans who have been waiting FOREVER for an update for this story, you can thank the diligent pestering of Arty Thrip and Dualkatanas. They never gave up, never failed to mention it in their reviews.
It's good to be back. The school's computers have finally un-blocked fanfiction again, and I can get on with my writing.
I can only hope the new, better version of this story will be an improvement. I've improved my skills since I began this, and I hope it all goes well.
-=Commentaholic=-