Chapter 1

His note was too brief to be understood.

Veezara kept reading the notes until the lines were almost unbearable. Nazir watched with amusement at the Shadowscale Argonian. Whoever performed the Black Sacrament, they had not specified where would the target be.

In this case, a farm near Solitude where the horses were. Other members of the Dark Brotherhood had other tasks and Astrid's words were law.

"Trouble?"

Veezara shook his head. "Not really. Sometimes the messages can be too broad- I don't mean to ask for anything specific! It's just something I noticed whenever we get new orders. Heh, almost as if I wanted the order to be somewhat like 'hi, I want you to kill this person because I'm a petty piss baby.'"

This caused Nazir to laugh, since it was rare to hear Veezara cursed out loud since he was known as the quiet type. The Shadowscale also joined in the laughter since he needed that before carrying out his task.

Astrid wouldn't like anyone to dawdle. ESPECIALLY not a skilled assassin such as himself.

In order to move from Falkreath's sanctuary to Solitude, he will have to hitch a ride at the back of a carriage without getting caught. He was used to stealth since he was a young hatchling. Before meeting Astrid and her 'family', he had served the king of Black Marsh as one of the best assassins. He was born/hatched under the sign of the Shadow and has been trained in the art of assassination since childhood. It's all he knew and that made him a living weapon to be reckoned with.

Now, he was the last of his kind.

No other Argonian could understand his motives or the ways of the Shadowscale. But with the Dark Brotherhood, he hoped he could put his skills to good use.

In terms of weapons, he always carried a great sword but most of the time he'd rather use his claws. The closer he was to the target, the better he could feel their flesh ripped under his own natural weapons.

Besides, other weapons felt like a burden for him to lug around if he were to carry out his tasks.

By the time he reached the docks of Solitude, he was his cue to jump off before anyone suspected a hitchhiker on board.

...

Meanwhile outside of Solitude, there was a farm that was run by a woman named Katla. She was the matriarch of the farm and was firm with most of her staff. One of her staff happens to be a Redguard woman named Kiri.

Kiri had long black hair that was tied into plaits whenever she would do manual labour. Her dress was a simple cream and apricot dress that almost looked like an apron with shoes fit for toiling in mud and soil. Most of her jobs were harvesting the vegetables and caring for the farm animals.

Her favourite animals were the horses, where she would brush them every morning after feeding and then took them out for a small gallop around the coast.

During that time, she would untie her hair to let the breeze flow through.

When the horses were returned to the stables, they were content and ready for any potential buyers. Since Solitude was known for the Bard's College, there were a few eager students that wanted to learn how to ride a horse.

Since Geimund was not up to teach them, Kiri decided to step in. Plus, it made her feel connected to the students who were mostly in her age group. If she needed a drink, she could easily go to the Winking Skeever for an ale or two.

"Kiri!" Katla called from her home. "I have a potential customer who wants my best leeks and potatoes. Make sure you harvest them before the afternoon!"

"Yes, Katla," she replied, unsaddling the horses. Besides her, there was a little boy who helped her named Blaise. His parents were both killed after joining the Imperial Legion during an ambush. While Katla allowed him to work under her, she wouldn't let him stay in one of the houses.

Kiri was the one who decided to care for him as they both lived nearby in a small house that she had saved up with her earnings. There were two bedrooms, a hearth, dining table and a fence. It wasn't much but it was home. He was like a little brother to her.

"Hey Blaise," she called to the young boy, "do you want to play a game? Let's see who can harvest the most potatoes and leeks before sun high. Winner gets to have first pick of fish at the Solitude market."

This made the young boy's eyes lit up. "Deal! I'll be sure to beat you this time!"

Kiri laughed, racing after him to start their work. By the time it was hot in the afternoon, both of the young woman and boy were panting from exhaustion. Clearly, Blaise won by having more leeks in the basket.

"Alright, a deal's a deal. Let's go to the market to get your favourite fish for dinner."

When they have reached to Solitude, Blaise was happily picking his favourite fish when Kiri accidentally bumped into a tall Altmer woman. "Watch where you are going. My skin and dress are far too precious to be touched by someone who's as gauche as you," she sneered.

"I'm sorry, it won't happened again."

The woman checked her up and down. "How typical for a peasant girl. I would be embarrassed to wear that, even in the presence of the market."

Kiri glared at her but decided not to go and tell her off. She couldn't let Blaise wander off by himself even in a city as safe as Solitude. She couldn't understand that Altmer's problem and vowed to never cross her paths again.

Later that evening after dinner, Kiri was cleaning up after sending Blaise to bed. Humming to herself, she wasn't aware that there was a figure watching her in the shadows. The said figure made his move once she was alone in her own bedroom.

Before she knew it, a scaly hand clasped her mouth to prevent her from screaming. A smooth, deep voice uttered into her ear:

"The Dark Brotherhood has come, Kiri."

This is my first attempt at writing a Veezara fic since he deserves love and I was heartbroken that he died. This story is rated R for violence and dark themes of the Dark Brotherhood

Enjoy the story!