Author's Note: Here's chapter 24! Thank you all for stopping by! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 24: Onward

The carriage ride to Falkreath was a quiet one, even by Vottur's standards - - at least when it came to his Listener. It didn't take him long to figure out what had happened, conisdering the way she'd wanted to flee the Dawnstar Sanctuary in the middle of the night. The look on her face said it all - - she'd been hurt by that damned jester. Vottur thought him to be a pain in the ass as it was, and now he completely despised the little imbecile.

They were hitting the last stretch of their journey to Falkreath, as the wagon jostled along the rough and rocky path. Vottur had been silently gazing down the dwindling trail that slowly faded as it touched against the horizon. He glanced from the corner of his dark eye at his Listener. He caught the movement of her hand, wiping at her cheek quickly, as if trying not be be caught in the act. She was clearly fighting back tears.

Strangely, though Vottur never felt much of anything in terms of emotions, he felt this. The old, nearly-dead, and long-forgotten feeling of compassion began to course through his veins, as if awakening an old part of himself. There was something about seeing her in pain - - it reminded him of Mina.

Something about her reminded him of Mina, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. They didn't look a thing alike, nor did they have a similar personality. Mina was much more of a breezy, light-hearted woman than his quiet, burdened Listener. There was one thing they did have in common, however, and that was a history of pain and broken-heartedness.

Vottur thought back to the day he found out that Mina's father was an abhorrent bastard. It was when he found her out tending to her father's garden.

...

"Ah, Mina my lass! How about I sneak you away from your ole' man a bit? Let me take you for a ride!" Vottur exclaimed, pointing to his trusty horse.

"Oh, Vo...I'd better not...Not today..." Mina had said, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn't seem her usual joyful self. She worked quietly, head hung down, with her blonde curls draping over her face, nearly hiding it from his sight.

"Why not, lass?" Vottur had wondered aloud, feeling suddenly uneasy that his Mina was acting so odd.

"I-I'm just not feeling well, Vo...You better go on your way..." Mina spoke, her soft voice trembling. Then he saw her turn to quickly wipe at her cheek, trying not to be seen crying.

"Mina? What's wrong? Mina, look at me." Vottur gently grabbed her hand, turning her toward him. For the rest of his days he'd never forget how she looked. Tears began to stream down her face, as his eyes traced over the dark bruises that littered her face, tracing down her neck and dotting her shoulders.

"Please...Don't say anything to father...Vo..." She began to sob pitifully, clutching his arm.

Vottur remembered the burning rage he felt that day. The mere thought of that sick man laying his hands on Mina made him want to do terrible things. He pointed to his horse, "You come with me. We're leaving."

"B-but Vo, you know I can't! I have nowhere to go...If I leave and he finds me, he'll surely kill me...Ever since Mama died and he started getting lonely...he changed..." She whimpered, tears trailing from her sky blue eyes.

"Mina, you're a grown woman now. You don't have to stay here. Come with me, and I'll take you away from him." Vottur pleaded with the girl.

"But if he finds me..." She sniffled, trembling and scanning about to make sure her father wasn't watching.

"He won't. I'll make sure of it." Vottur said, eyes now piercing with anger, sending the message to his beloved of what he was about to do. Finally catching on, Mina's face grew still and somber as a silent understanding formed between the two of them. Vottur reached into his satchel, pulling out a coin purse and handing it to Mina. "Take my horse to Riften and stay at the Inn. I'll be there come nightfall." He said, thrusting the coin purse into her hand. "I don't want that son of a bitch killing you, Mina."

Vottur remembered the look in Mina's eyes, as if they silently conveyed her willingness to let him do what needed to be done. "...Okay, Vo..." She tightly closed her eyes, forcing herself to nod in agreement.

He remembered watching the love of his life ride out of sight, then pacing furiously to the farmhouse, grabbing the largest weapon he could find. It was a large, heavy iron pickaxe propped against her father's shed. He remembered gripping the handle so tightly his hand burned, kicking the front door of the farmhouse in, and seeing the drunken bastard propped up at the table, guzzling a large bottle of Mead. He remembered coming down on him with the heavy, rusted point before the man could so much as spit out his drink. The noise the man made - - a mixture of a shriek and a low, raspy gurgle - - sounded sweet to his ears.

...

Riding in that carriage in the dead of night, Vottur could still vividly see the inside of the farmhouse painted red with that man's blood. He could still breathe in the metallic saltiness of his red liquid, and still see his dead stare. He could still see his Mina's pain, sitting right across from him in the form of his Listener.

Feeling somehow compelled to help his Listener, as he helped his beloved Mina, Vottur spoke, breaking the silence. "I know what that jester did to you, Listener."

Ava quickly met eyes with him, gasping lightly in surprise. He could see the glimmering of her tear-filled eyes in the moonlight. "I-I didn't think you knew..." He could hear the distress in her voice.

"It's easy to see your pain." Vottur leaned toward his Listener, eyes burning fierce. "Do you want me to make him pay?"

Her eyes widened at his words, "W-what do you mean pay?"

"I've watched you two. You care deeply for the fool. Despite my dislike for him, I figured him to be different. What he did was unforgivable. He truly is a lunatic to do you that way, Listener. He hurt you. I can hurt him too, if you wish." Vottur explained, his demeaner as cold as ice.

Ava's face twisted into a look of horror, as she began to sob uncontrollably. "No! No...Vottur...I can't do that..."

Vottur furrowed his brow, confused that his Listener would want to leave the fool unscathed for his disgusting behavior toward her. "Listener, what he did was cold. He should pay for hurting you. He knows how you feel about him, yet he did it anyway. I can make him suffer."

"...I know it looks that way...and m-maybe you have a point, but...This is really my fault, Vottur. I caused it..." Ava wiped away another tear.

"How?" Vottur asked bluntly, not satisfied by her statement.

"Remember when Cicero saved me - - when you were still an initiate? Well, he told me how he felt. He told me he loved me. I'm not so good with those things. I was afraid to let him that close, so I lied to him. I basically told him I saw us as nothing more than friends. It was my fault. Now I have to live with it..." Ava said, choking back her tears.

"...I see..." Vottur spoke, looking back into the distance. Maybe he should have left well enough alone. She wasn't Mina, no matter how much she reminded him of her. She didn't need to be rescued.

"...Vottur?" Ava's voice spoke out, breaking a period of silence between them.

"Yes, Listener?"

"Thanks for looking out for me." She smiled at the Vampire through her grief-stricken appearance.

"No problem, Listener..." He gazed over the star-filled horizon, feeling strangely uneasy that he became so eager to help Ava. Perhaps it was her eerily familiar mannerisms when crying, or even the thought that if Mina were alive, she'd probably get along well with his Listener. As he'd reminded himself time and again, grief could make a man do funny things.

Nazir raised an eyebrow, reading the mysterious parchment Ava had given him. He finished, folding his arms and standing with a skeptical look on his face. "Surely you're not going to reply, are you?"

"No. That's why I was wondering if you'd like to check into it. I've let the others know, and we all believe it could be the work of Maro. He'd have every motivation to try and lure me out, and that would be one way to do it." Ava explained to the leary Redguard.

"On the other hand...If it's true, then the Dark Brotherhood would be dwelling outside of Skyrim once more..." The corner of Nazir's mouth raised in a dark smirk of satisfaction. "I could see it now - - our dark family would be growing yet again, spreading fear throughout Cyrodiil. Word gets around quick. All of Tamriel would be looking over their shoulders and watching the shadows, fearful of the Dark Brotherhood's ever-growing presence." He mused at the thought of yet another expansion.

"What do you think?" Ava questioned, hoping Nazir would help with a plan of action.

"Only a raving lunatic would have any further communication with this Temani person, especially with this new warning from the Night Mother you've informed me about," Nazir said bluntly. "But I do think this needs to be looked into - - as long as we're the ones who have the upper-hand, that is. I know Cyrodiil fairly well from my past travels. I could travel to Bruma myself. I could see if this assassin is more than just a hair-brained scheme from that idiotic Commander. They won't be aware that I'm paying a little visit, and what they don't know won't hurt them. If it's real, I'll see it with my own eyes." Nazir explained.

"That's good news to hear. I was hoping you'd want to investigate the matter." Ava smiled, relieved by his compliance.

"Did you really think I'd pass on an opportunity like this?" Nazir crossed his arms. "It's a win-win situation in my book. Either I'll find our assassin in Bruma, waiting to get his hands wet, or we'll have an opportunity to show that idiot Maro he'll have to do better than that if he wants to pull one over on the Dark Brotherhood."

"What's all this talk about Bruma?" That familiar, yet grating voice echoed into the room, bouncing off the cavern walls and screeching into Ava's ears. Lielle was back, much to her dismay.

"I'll be checking the place out. Who knows, we may have another addition to our happy little family." Nazir sported a devious grin, turning to the mage.

"Oh, the Temani thing?" Lielle smirked at Ava. "Cicero told me all about that..."

Ava could feel that familiar burning sensation blaze in her chest. Lielle wasn't going to let her hear the end of her little escapade with the Keeper. Ava breathed in deeply, looking to Nazir to remain focused. "So, when do you plan on leaving?"

"I plan to venture out come nightfall. I hardly like to wait around when it comes to hunting down my target, even if I'm not planning to kill them. I am a Stalker of the Sands, after all. I live for these moments!" Nazir flashed a proud smile.

Lielle's eyes narrowed in hearing the last bit of their conversation. "Going all the way to Bruma, huh? It'll be awfully lonely by yourself, Nazir."

Nazir shot her an irritable look, "Is that your way of hinting? Look, I don't care if you come or not, but it's really Ava's choice. If she needs you here, then you'll be staying."

"I know, I know..." Lielle rolled her eyes, sighing. She met eyes with Ava. "Let me guess, you need me to stay here and coddle you?"

Ava felt as if she completely hated the woman at this point. It wasn't enough for Lielle to torment her day after day; but to sleep with the one person she had feelings for, and then have the audacity to get an attitude afterword? That was just plain cruel. If there was one redemptive quality to this circumstance, it was that Lielle actually wanted to leave Ava alone for a bit. This was an offer Ava would surely not refuse the wench. Ava composed herself, trying to appear calm and unaffected by the mage's hostility. "No. You can accompany Nazir if he agrees to it."

Lielle's face wrinkled, as if she'd expected to hear a rejecting answer from Ava. "Really?" She asked, her voice thick with disbelief. Ava simply nodded, confirming her answer.

"Well, if you're gonna travel with me, you'd best be ready by nightfall. I don't like to wait around." Nazir declared authoritatively, as Lielle stood with a look of surprise painted on her features.

"Okay, Listener, what's the deal? You never let me do anything. Is this some sort of joke?" Lielle huffed, stepping up to Ava.

"No, it's not a joke of any kind." Ava folded her arms across her chest irritably. "I want you to go."

"Why?!" Lielle raised an eyebrow warily.

"Because I don't want to look at you." Ava said bluntly to the troublesome Breton. She never figured herself rude or mean-spirited, but Lielle somehow seemed to bring out the spitefulness in her. Ava turned to Nazir, "Be safe on your travels. Write to us, when you can." She turned away from the two, leaving Lielle standing with her mouth slightly gaped open and Nazir furrowing his brow, confused with Ava's reaction.

Lielle stood a few feet away from the Dead Man's Drink as dusk crept its way over Falkreath. Sure Nazir had expected her to leave with him in a timely manner, but she'd catch up later, if need be. They would surely be hiking about for some time, and she wanted to partake in some last minute debauchery before she departed from Skyrim - - especially since that disgusting old jester had the nerve to trick her in the worst of ways.

If it weren't for being a member of the Dark Brotherhood, she would've crept into his bedroom in the lone hours of the night and charred his flesh to a crisp. She'd never really been one-upped before, as she was used to having the advantage when it came to getting what she wanted from a man. All she needed was work her charms. Normally, all that was required of her was to suggest a few lude things, and then they were ready for the taking. Until that filthy jester, of course. Lielle's blood began to boil just thinking of Cicero's actions. The nerve of that boot-licker! She despised that he'd turned the tables on her and threatened her life - - and all for that pathetic Listener! What was so great about an assassin who would hardly kill anyone? Lielle thought of Ava as little more than a joke. She certainly didn't respect her.

Ego bruised and in quick need of repair, Lielle entered the tavern for a bit of drink and perhaps some company to boost her low, irritable mood.

She seated herself at a nearby table, ordering a bottle of Ale and listening to the resident bard carry on with songs of war and whatnot. It was really rather boring in the place, and Lielle was aching for a bit of excitement. Of course, the sleepy little tavern wasn't very lively at the moment and she was growing rather impatient.

As Lielle drank from her bottle, she smirked as she reminisced over the thought of Ava's trembling lips when she thought she caught her jester in the act with Lielle. That wretched fool may have tricked her, but Lielle would have the final laugh. He'd spent so long pining over Ava, desperately hoping for her to return his affections. Hell, he spent most of his time following her like a wolf drooling over a piece of bloody horker meat. Now Ava would likely never want a thing to do with him. Lielle reasoned that she'd ultimately won in the end, despite the potential bump in the road. Why wouldn't she win? Lielle always won.

She scanned the tavern, seeing no one but the usual laborers and the town drunkard passed out at a nearby table. Lielle scowled, considering leaving the dull atmosphere altogether. At least if she were with Nazir, there'd be a chance of running into someone to murder while on the road.

Distracted by the noise of someone entering the tavern, Lielle's eyes caught a glimpse of a large, dangerous looking Nord as he practically barged into the place. He was broad-shouldered and muscle-bound, with a fine stubble of sandy-blonde hair crowning his head. He wore a simple set of banded iron armor, and she noted a massive scar trailing down his exposed right arm from shoulder to wrist. What could've given him such a massive injury?

She observed as he seated himself at a nearby table, ordering his drink. He seemed to wear a bitter expression - - he certainly didn't come off as the friendly type. Not that Lielle cared - - she rather liked vengeful men. They were more of a challenge, and far more interesting than the kind ones. They were usually more dangerous too, and Lielle liked the allure of a dangerous man.

A mischievous smile crept over her face, as she approached the mysterious man. Maybe he could liven things up for her.

"Mind if I sit?" She asked in a seductive tone, as the Nord gave her a wary look.

"I don't care. I don't own this heap." He shrugged, his Nord accent thick and his voice deep and gritty.

"Hmph. Aren't you the cheery one?" Lielle remarked sarcastically, hoping to provoke the man for her entertainment.

"Why the hell do you care?" He grunted, downing nearly half his drink at once.

"I don't. I just thought you could entertain me for the evening. I've never seen you before. Are you from around here?" Lielle asked, leaning closer to the leary man.

"Haha..." He scoffed, finishing off the bottle. "I'm not from this gods-forsaken town, if that's what you mean. I'm passing through. We'll leave it at that."

"Hmmm...Sounds like you're hiding something, Nord." The Breton smirked, resting her head playfully on her chin.

"It's Haldor. I do have a name, Breton." He growled.

"Haldor..." Lielle said slowly, tasting the sound of it. "Hmm...not bad. It rolls off the tongue nicely, Nord. Just think of how it would sound if I were to perhaps scream it instead. You know - - repetitively, in the worst possible way." She grinned slyly, tracing her finger suggestively across her collarbone, causing the Nords eyes to lower to her exposed cleavage.

"Are you serious?" He scowled. "What's wrong with you?"

"Plenty. So, what do you do that would make you travel so much. You don't look like the merchant type to me. Are you the adventurous kind - - a warrior or something?"

"What I do is my business." He grunted irritably.

"Now, now...No need to be rude, Haldor. Would you like to know what I do for a living?" She leaned in, her voice falling soft.

"What?" Haldor asked, sounding completely disinterested, as if out of some obligatory reflex.

"Why, I'm a mystic of sorts. I can see the future...You know what I see for you?" She asked, whispering something into Haldor's ear, causing him to grimace from her obscene remarks.

"You're a crazy woman, you know that?!" He said, jerking away from her.

"Perhaps, but you're in a damnable town with nothing to do and here I am. Let me buy us another round of drinks, what say you?" Lielle grinned, fidgeting in her seat playfully.

"Whatever..." Haldor huffed.

"I didn't realize you were still here. I thought you'd already left for Bruma." Ava stepped into the large central room of the Sanctuary, seeing Nazir sharpening his scimitar at the grindstone while some young assassins trained behind him.

"If I had good sense I'd have already left. That blasted mage went out to the tavern again. She'll be late as usual. As a matter of fact, I'm leaving as soon as I finish what I'm doing. I don't know why I bother with her. She's lucky she's a decent assassin, or we'd all have her murdered by now." Nazir grunted, his voice lined with frustration. He glanced at Ava, raising an eyebrow. "What's the deal with you two, anyway?"

Ava felt her skin crawl thinking about the reason she wanted Lielle away. She didn't want to reveal any of the painful details to the questioning Redguard, so she simply attempted to deny the problem. "Nothing that I'm aware of. We never get along, really." Ava answered, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Now don't think I'd believe that for one moment. I know the two of you can't stand each other - - that point has been made clear the moment she became an initiate. Lielle's always a pain. It's you I'm talking about. What's with the sudden hostility?"

Ava didn't enjoy lying in the least, but she didn't want to think about the truth. She didn't want to think about Cicero - - about what he did with Lielle of all people. Ava knew good and well it was her own blasted fault for being so closed off. Most of all, she avoided these thoughts because she wanted to avoid the pain. She had the Dark Brotherhood to watch over, and she didn't want her emotions to get in the way again. "Maybe I'm just tired of her." Ava remarked, straying from the truth of the matter.

"Took you long enough." Nazir said, examining the sharpened blade. "I don't see how you've tolerated her without blowing up for so long. Well, it's good to see you standing up for yourself at least. If she wasn't such a talented killer, I wouldn't have given her the time of day. It certainly wasn't her people skills that got her here. Look, I'm going to grab my things. I'm tired of waiting on the little vermin. I've got a Sanctuary to find." Nazir declared.

Ava reckoned Lielle would stumble upon Nazir when she felt good and ready. The rebellious little trollop liked to do things her own way, no matter how inconvenient it was for her family. At least she'd be away from Ava for a good bit of time. Maybe that would give Ava some time to regroup and focus on the bigger picture. Vottur agreed to stay in Falkreath for the time being to help her keep things running smoothly, so that wouldn't be an issue.

Ava wondered if Cicero still cared for her at all. He certainly seemed to at times. Then again, to sleep with Lielle may have shown how faded his feelings toward Ava had become. Maybe his clingyness was nothing more than the obligation he felt to serve her as Listener. Maybe they really were nothing more than Keeper and Listener. She missed him. She missed him terribly.

"Have you had enough yet? Just because you're a Nord doesn't mean I can't drink you under the table." Lielle teased Haldor, who'd seemed to loosen up with a few empty bottles of Meade now under his belt.

"You think you're funny, don't ya? I've only begun." He smirked, popping the cork from another bottle.

"So really, what do you do? I literally know nothing about you! Spit it out already!" Lielle urged, eager to know more about this man.

"Okay, fine, but you haven't so much as told me your name. How about we start with that, and I might tell you what I do." He grinned. His smile was both handsome and up to no good. He seemed rugged and dangerous, and Lielle could swear he donned the look of a killer. He definitely had her attention.

"Lielle. Now, tell me." She demanded. She didn't know why, but she absolutely despised not knowing more about him. Perhaps it made her feel vunerable to feel ill-informed about him. Then again, maybe it was pure fascination.

"I'm an ex-soldier. I was a Stormcloak at one time." He said, his tone turning serious.

"Ahhh, how did I not see that coming? A Nord Stormcloak, eh? I should've guessed." Lielle replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Haldor asked, annoyed with her mocking attitude.

"It's just so...predictable. So, you abandoned your duties in some way? You said ex-soldier..." Lielle asked, prying for further information.

"Let's just say Ulfric is an arrogant, self-righteous bastard. Enough said." Haldor barked angrily, tightening his grip on the bottle he held in his grasp.

"Did you get that scar from the war?" Lielle studied the massive line trailing down his strong, muscular arm.

"No, it was something else." He answered, his eyes gazing in the distance as if in deep thought while he absent-mindedly stroked his sandy blonde facial hair. "Well, what of you? What do you do?"

"I'm a mage. My, this conversation is getting dull, don't you think? What do you say, Nord? I'll rent a room for us. You don't have to stay the night. I'm not the romantic type. I just like a little fun. You look like you could be real fun." Lielle said suggestively, hoping she could have a bit of a romp with the handsome fellow.

"It's Haldor, Breton. You don't give up so easily do you? Most women I meet are meek little things. They get intimidated easily. Not you..." He smirked, as he gave her a certain look that let her know he was now fair game. Lielle could tell he was a bit like her, perhaps. He seemed to like a challenge.

Nazir opened his eyes, stretching and yawning away the last bit of sleep left in his body. It was the crack of dawn, as the Redguard had traveled throughout the night until he'd set up camp where the wooded pine forest ended and the first traces of snow littered the ground. He crawled out of his sleeping bag, leaving the tent to eat his morning meal and be on his way.

"Well, hello Nazir..." Lielle grinned tiredly, half yawning as she spoke. She reeked of alcohol, with her blonde locks tangled about in all directions, and her clothes partially hanging off her frame. She looked completely disheveled, most likely from a night spent drinking and carousing with some foolish stranger. It was her usual behavior, and Nazir wasn't the least bit surprised by it.

"I see you've finally came dragging yourself in..." Nazir remarked irritably at the mage, as he pulled a loaf of bread from his satchel.

Lielle's eyes widened. "Oh, do you have any more? I'm starving to death!"

"It's called a hangover. It's what you get when you spend all night binge-drinking in a tavern like a sot." He sighed, breaking the loaf in two and handing the eager mage a half.

"Oh, come now, Nazir. You know you like to throw 'em back with the best of them! You can't tell me you don't like to tavern dwell. I know better. " She remarked, grating on the Redguard's nerves.

"Yes, but unlike you, I know when to stop." Nazir gave her a look of disgust. " AND I'm a bit more picky when it comes to those little things you call encounters, if you know what I mean. I don't know why you'd rather do that than attend to the business of the Brotherhood." Truly he meant it, too. Of course he liked the night life as well as any dweller of the shadows, but the Black Hand was his first priority. Nothing made the Redguard's adrenaline rush like the act of murder. He truly didn't understand why the witless girl was so enamored with other things.

"Pffft. Please..." Lielle scoffed. "Don't give me that, old man. You were young once..."

"Where do you get off calling me an old man?" Nazir remarked, offended by her disrespectful behavior. " And for your information, when I was young the Dark Brotherhood always came first. You need to learn that if you don't want to end up facing the Wrath. I took you in because of your talents. You earned your way to Speaker for the same reasons. Now, if you'd put your impulses behind your obligations, then there'd be no problem with you. Now, hurry and eat. We have a long journey ahead of us, mage." He lectured Lielle, hoping to put some sense into her thick skull. The girl did have her good qualities. Unfortunately, they were all related to murder and not to her personality or likeability.

"We're leaving NOW?! Ugh, Nazir...I just got here. I've been up all night." She whined, her mouth filled with bread.

"Too bad. You're coming with me, so you'll have to keep up." Nazir said sternly, beginning to pack up for the next bit of the journey.

After another bout of whining and complaining, Lielle followed suit as the two began to travel further south to the province of Cyrodiil. Nazir knew the path ahead would be rocky, mountainous, and not to mention cold as the bloody Void. Bruma, unfortunately, wasn't very different from Skyrim in that it was miserable and snow-covered. Not much of a change there. Out of all the warm, sunny areas of Cyrodiil the Sanctuary could've been, it had to be another gods-forsaken place like Skyrim. Nazir scowled at the very thought of it. Being from the hot, arid deserts of Hammerfell, he despised the cold with a bloody passion. Regardless of the downside of this journey, he still remained hopeful that this Temani thing would be more than just a scheme.