Telaendril has been on contract, that terrible night.

On the Red Ring Road outside the Imperial City, simply doing her duty as she always would. Stalking her target, a travelling merchant along the roads. Watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and vanish like a shadow, leaving his cart ransacked as though he'd simply been found by bandits. She was camping then, a small fire on a hill above the road where he'd stopped his cart and made camp himself. He had fallen asleep only an hour ago. Not yet. She was patient, content to wait.

All was silent until it wasn't. And she knew those heavy footfalls, those grunts of exertion anywhere.

"Gogron?"

"Telaendril!" He ran for her, gathered her up in his arms and squeezed her so tight she feared she'd snap. Gentle laughter trailed off when he put her down, when she realized his armour was spattered with heavy travel and dried blood.

"Gogron, what are you doing here? What has happened?"

"I had t'come, I had to warn you, 'fukken Sithis Himself – " He grabbed her again, breath coming hoarse. He'd been running – running hard, maybe for days to reach her. Alarm spiked heavy, sickly.

"What? What is it, my love?"

"His Silencer! The new kid, the Speaker's boy, he told us, he, Night Mother, I can't breathe – "

"Sit down, Gogron, catch your breath." She guided him into sitting, trying to meet his gaze. "What did he say?"

"He said…" Gogron, for all his brute strength and bravado, was an emotional man. A big heart suited for a big body, part of what she loved about the fool. His jaw shook, eyes wet. "He said the Speaker sent him ta, ta purify us – that one of us was the traitor 'n we all had t'die!"

The Purification. Telaendril went numb. She'd heard the term spoken in hushed tones before. An ancient rite. A terrible one. And on them. No, no, no. "Did – did anyone else survive?"

"Everyone but the kid 'mself, far as I know. He fought, but he didn't want t'fight. Just following orders. We scattered. I came here looking for you."

"There's still time." Her contract would have to wait. Telaendril rose from the fire, jaw setting firm. "If we can reach the Speaker we can explain that you and I aren't traitors, help him locate the true worm who would dare dishonor our family. If we – "

"You crazy, Tel? You think I'm going back there, back to that bastard?"

The Bosmer stopped short, her heart in her throat. "… How dare you talk of the Speaker that way."

"He would've had us all killed!" A near roar, but her target was forgotten. Telaendril narrowed her eyes, voice a low hiss in contrast.

"And that hurts, but it was surely the order of the Black Hand. They only want to cleanse the sickness in our Family. If we help them, prove our loyalty, we may yet survive this. Our Family might survive."

"Fuck that." A snarl from the Orc, now rising to tower over her. "I ain't going back to them who would've had me killed when I've been 'nuthin but loyal. It ain't right, and they'd probably just kill us on sight for running anyway." His expression softened, a meaty hand moving to her back to try and pull her closer. She stood her ground.

"Come on, Tel. Please. I know you love them, but they betrayed us. We can start over, y'know? Plenty of places need contract killers, plenty of blood t'be spilled in some other province. Come with me. Y'know I'll keep you safe."

She had felt safe, these years beside him. Nestled beside his massive form in bed, in his arms, his low, rumbling snores soothing her through insomnia. Laughing with each other about the stark contrast of their styles, how true it was that opposites attract. But this…

This wasn't loyalty. This wasn't the man she'd fallen for, teased and dallied with over the years. This was her Family no longer. Slowly she shook her head, taking a step back. "I cannot." Voice cold, cold as the grave. "I have a duty, Gogron, and so do you. Would you flee that duty out of fear? After the vows you made?"

He stared at her for a long moment, the hurt on his face tempering into something harder, more distant. His eyes closed. A long sigh. "Yeah. Yeah, I will." A bitter smile curved his lips, bared his teeth as his gaze flickered back to her. "Guess I'm a traitor, after all." He shrugged, but she heard the grief in his voice. "Goodbye, Telaendril."

He turned. She swallowed back her own grief as he began to leave her, trudging into the dark, past the rolling hill. In the back of her head, she was already making plans. Oh, the fear of being found a traitor on sight held true, but she would prove she was loyal or die trying. She had a duty to her family, to her beloved Dark Matron, above all others.

And as she thought, she nocked an arrow. Raised it high, shifting to face her mark as he made his way into the distance.

She felt a tear roll down her cheek, but her murmur was smooth.

"Goodbye, Gogron."

The arrow flew true.