Author's Note:

TRIGGER WARNING!

Yes, yes, another one to finalize the plotline. I hope you all enjoyed the Thrice-Banished ride. Now we're just going to tie up any loose ends and see how the clan celebrates their freedom. It's been a long time coming for Bishop to solve his family's problems and finally get some peace from them. And one can only hope they can move on with their lives now that their tormentors are gone.

I hope you enjoy. Specific warnings at the end of the chapter, as always.

Chapter XXVIII – The Peace You Deserve

Aeyrin was already feeling much better after a few more hours at the temple.

Good enough to be released from their care. It was still hard to believe that both Ost and Duful were dead. And she was very happy for Bishop's sake, but she was still not entirely feeling up to joining him for the celebrations with his clan. And she was pretty sure she wouldn't be too welcome. Maybe by some, but she was kind of dreading seeing Bishop's mother. She sounded like someone who would make her feel unwelcome no matter what. And maybe it was her imagination, but Bishop seemed a little relieved too that she wouldn't come with him. She understood. He had very mixed feelings about his family and getting his future 'family' tangled up in this was uncomfortable for him. She knew that all too well.

And they still haven't decided when they would leave. If they wanted, they could go see them together later. Things were still too fresh now and Bishop had no idea what the clan would do. It was for the best if he approached them again alone to see how things were developing.

Until that time, the two of them enjoyed a very calm and worry-free afternoon together at the inn. With nothing to be concerned about.

They didn't really even do anything but laze on the bed and order food into their room. But it was perfect. A perfect respite that both of them needed after the last two days.

And eventually, when night fell, Bishop bought a bottle of some decent wine, to actually show those fuckers what 'alcohol' was, and he headed back towards the cave.

The celebrations were already in full swing there, by the fire outside of the cave. Though not in the numbers Bishop had anticipated.

Kari, Liesl and Galric were drinking happily. Liesl was even playing on some old drum, trying to make some sort of a catchy tune, but she was really not good at it. And Galric tried to clap to the rhythm, but he could never tell where Liesl was gonna go with it. It was pretty amusing. Kari seemed content to watch them silently as she drank from a large bottle of something Bishop couldn't identify.

Rina was there too. Watching everyone with a disdainful look and distancing herself again, like she always did. Who cared about her though? Bitter bitch.

The kids were nowhere around though. If this was any other family, Bishop would have assumed that they were excluded from the celebrations, maybe to keep them away from the booze or just to ensure they wouldn't run off somewhere while everyone was distracted. But there was no way any of these things would be of any concern to anyone here. Celebrations like this were common for his clan, though they never had this… atmosphere. There was always a tyrant looming over them, getting pissed gradually as he drank more, and taking his anger out on his children.

Now Bishop only saw excitement in his siblings.

"There he is!" Liesl beamed when she noticed Bishop approaching.

For once, he didn't even take his weapons and armor when he came here. Just his hunting knife. It was only a short distance from the city after all, and most importantly, there was nothing more to be worried about.

"Hey," he nodded at them with a small smile decorating his face. It was pretty nice to see them in such a good mood. They seemed like different people. People that didn't piss him off nearly as much as they used to. Funny how the absence of those fuckers affected everything.

"Come on, sit, grab a drink," Kari inclined her head towards a large rock she had been sitting on, urging him to join her.

He nodded and tossed the bottle in his hand over to Galric – the only one with free hands.

"Brought you some actual booze. So you know what it is, instead of the stolen cheap shit you drink," he smirked. He didn't even taste what they had yet, but he knew that was what it was.

Galric studied the bottle for a bit before he put it down next to him.

"Thanks," he nodded. "And… for the record… I didn't think you'd pull through. That was impressive."

"It was amazing!" Liesl clapped her hands in excitement. "I can't believe they're really dead. We're free!"

"You are," Bishop smirked while he sat down next to Kari. "So? What's the plan? What are you gonna do now?"

"I'm going home, after we finish what's needed here," Kari sighed wistfully. "I don't need anything else. No fucking money or shit like that. They'll send someone for me and I'll be able to go back home and stay there. With my family safe."

"Right. What the fuck even happened?" Bishop prodded curiously. "What made you go chase me down?"

"Fuckers threatened to burn my home down," she grumbled angrily.

"It's a cave, Kari. It doesn't burn," he smirked. It didn't seem like the breaking point he was expecting.

"Yeah? Well, they fucking demonstrated. My real brother's robes fucking burned!" She snarled angrily.

Oh fuck. Alright. That was a breaking point.

"No more talking about the fuckheads!" Liesl declared. "We're done!"

She had a point. It'd been enough.

"Right. So, what about you?" Bishop nodded at Liesl. She had such high hopes for her future, always talking about the University. He wasn't so sure about that shit, but she could still at least try. Or just do anything for herself, instead of for those assholes.

"We just gotta get some money," Liesl nodded. "Me and Galric, we know how to get money if we need. Now we don't have to give it to no one!" She cheered happily. "And we'll get money soon to get out of here. Other shit will figure itself out.

"You're leaving the rest behind?" Bishop asked. It may have been for the best.

"Rina can go fuck herself," Liesl scoffed. "Hear me, Rina?! Go fuck yourself! You'll die without money and food in a week, lazy bitch!"

"You'll regret your filthy mouth, cheap cunt!" Rina called out to her in turn. Nobody really reacted to that exchange at all. It was common enough.

"The kids will either die or figure shit out. Who cares?" Liesl shrugged.

Fair enough. Bishop had already given them some tips at least. Maybe they'd manage to get up on their feet. There was not much else Bishop could do for them. Unless giving them a few drakes would help them start.

"Where are they anyway?" Bishop pondered.

"Running around somewhere. Who knows?" Liesl shrugged. It wasn't really surprising how little the siblings cared for each other's fate. Bishop wouldn't really care either if they hadn't dragged him into this shit. Now he was just intent on clearing his mind of any other burdens involving his family. For good. He was going to leave here, without the chance of these fucking shadows ever coming to haunt his life in Skyrim ever again.

Rina would be abandoned, and she would either find someone to support her, or she would just die out of starvation like Liesl said. That did not really bother Bishop at all though. She wasn't the one trapped, not really. She was the one who chose to let everyone else be trapped. Her ignorance of Torban's tyranny was harmful to everyone. And she actively pushed it onto others – that fucking blind obedience to whatever abuser chose to enslave them. Disgusting.

Everyone would be better off without her.

"Come on, this is boring," Galric, yanked Liesl's arm. "Let's dance."

There was no music, not with Liesl abandoning her drum, though that could hardly be called 'music' anyway. Liesl and Galric didn't seem to mind though. They rushed some distance away, onto a more steady ground, and they started to spin around merrily there.

"Hey," Kari nudged Bishop with her shoulder. She was still holding her bottle with one hand, but she was presenting another one to Bishop. "Have some. You deserve it."

He took the bottle from her with a nod and Kari promptly clinked her own against it.

"I promised you, you'd get peace after you help. So… this is it. Toast to the peace you deserve," she smiled almost reverently.

That was fitting. He was looking forward to putting them all out of his mind. This time though, with a bit less resentment maybe.

Before he could take a swig from the unidentifiable bottle though, something interrupted the pleasant peace of the swamp.

A scream.

It sounded like a really terrified scream. And soon after that, noises of the bog being disturbed followed. Murk sloshing, people running, branches snapping.

"Come on, drink," Kari nudged Bishop again, clearly unperturbed by the disturbance. Though Galric and Liesl stopped dancing and stared into the direction where the noises came from.

Bishop ignored Kari and stood up from his provisionary seat. What the fuck was going on now?

Soon enough, someone emerged from the trees, running wildly towards them.

Dylia.

There she was. Was it her who screamed before?

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Do something!" She yelled as she ran, and as she did, more figures emerged behind her.

There was a woman running after her. An adult woman, holding a crossbow and chasing Dylia. And behind that woman, two other children ran – Talos and Chomp.

What was going on? Bishop started to make his way towards the commotion, but he only made a few steps before that strange woman tripped on some large root, falling down onto the swampy ground. It looked like a good thing.

At first.

A bolt shot from her crossbow. Bishop had no idea if it was intentional or not, but it didn't matter. In a second, Dylia let out a gurgled shriek and the swamp fell deadly silent again. The bolt pierced her neck from behind.

She was dead right on the spot. She toppled to the ground limply in a second. The only ones not stopped in their shock were Chomp and Talos. They rushed forth and they jumped on the woman with fierce hatred in their eyes.

What the fuck just happened?!

Bishop managed to rouse himself from the shock and he rushed towards the woman. Liesl and Galric were only staring at the scene in horror and Kari didn't seem to even move. But he managed to actually do something.

The children were punching the woman's back, but they were not doing any damage, they were both already yelling though. Incoherent mumbles about Dylia and Ressel. Did this woman kill them both?!

She was armored, though not in anything too sturdy. It mostly looked like clothes reinforced only with some leather on the torso and bracers and boots. She had straight long brown hair, which Bishop promptly took advantage of. Her crossbow was now out of her hands. Hopefully she wouldn't pose as much danger now and he could get a fucking explanation about why she just killed a child.

He grabbed her by the hair and the children hopped off her. He yanked her up, forcing her to sit on the swampy ground, and he pulled her enough until she looked at him with her… amber eyes.

"Aces?!"

What the fuck?! Was that really her?! Bishop did remember her, though he wouldn't be able to recognize her from afar. But now that he saw her face properly, there was no mistaking it.

What the fuck was Aces doing here? Wasn't she gone, away from the clan? And why did she just kill Dylia? Was it an accident?

"W-what?" Aces stammered in confusion as she studied his face. "Bishop? What are you…?" She was still gasping and trying to catch her breath. Her face was filthy from the mud and there was some blood on it too, but Bishop didn't see any wounds.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" He gaped at her incredulously. What the fuck was happening?

"S-shit! Shit! They got you too?!" Aces finally seemed to collect herself and she grabbed her hair, yanking it from Bishop's grip. He was still so shocked, he let her. "I'll take the small shits, you take the rest. I am wounded, you know?" She snarled and she promptly reached for her crossbow again. That time Bishop did react though and he managed to step on her hand preventing the action. Aces only let out a shocked gasp.

"What the fuck are you on about? Why the fuck did you just kill the kid?!" He growled at her, but instead of explanations, Aces looked him over, seemingly even more confused than him.

"What?! Are you… you're not even tied up!" Her eyes widened at him. "You're not even wounded! What the fuck, you dipshit?! We need to kill them! Now! They're unarmed! Come on!"

Kari finally stood up from her seat and she rushed forth. Bishop noticed the direction of her gaze instantly. The crossbow. He had no fucking idea what was going on, but… not a chance in Oblivion he would let anyone take the weapon before he found out.

He bent down and grabbed it himself, aiming at Kari.

"Back. I'm getting answers right fucking now and none of you will move," he snarled angrily. What the fuck was this shit now? Why could nothing with his family ever be simple?

"She killed Dylia!" Liesl whined. "Kill her, Bishop!"

"She… they tried to kill me!" Aces scoffed. "They're trying to kill you, you fucktard!"

What. The. Fuck?

"That's not true. Don't listen to the bitch," Kari shook her head promptly.

"Shut the fuck up Kari! Don't try to play him!" Aces yelled. "Bishop, they lured me here to kill me. They want to get rid of all of us! You don't know? The whole shit of theirs about wiping Torban's blood from the world?"

What?

Wiping Torban's blood from the world? Was that… was that true?

Bishop was not convinced. Not really. But… some things began to… come to his mind. Like Kari's insistence just now, even despite the screams, that he drank that bottle she gave him. Or all that talk about Torban's 'superior' blood from the kids. Were they really convinced there was something to the actual blood? Because to them, the blood would not be just 'superior'. It would be the blood of their tormentors.

Kari did say something about finishing important business here.

Fuck. Was this real? Did she use him to do half the job and now… now it was his turn?

Bishop had no idea what to think anymore. And it was mostly instinct. His eyes went from Aces towards Liesl. Fuck. She looked guilty.

"Liesl?" He was surprised he even got the words out with how constricted his neck felt. Did they intend this all along? Was it them who told Ost about Aeyrin and his room at the Three Sisters'? Maybe they just wanted them all to kill each other and deal with whoever was left.

"She said it's inevitable," Liesl mumbled, giving a brief look to Rina. "They always turn bad. Sorry. We can't let it go on. You're the last ones."

"What?! Are you insane?!" Bishop sputtered in disbelief. It was true?! It was really true. They used him to get rid of Ost and Duful, and now they were gonna kill him. Did Kari poison the drink she kept forcing on him? He couldn't stop thinking about that.

He… actually felt hurt. He wouldn't put it past Kari to get an insane idea like that into her head, but… Liesl too? After everything he'd just done for them?

"You fucking trust what Rina tells you?" He shook his head incredulously.

"It makes sense! Look at everything that happened! What always happens!" Liesl cringed with a desperate look on her face, as if she actually thought she might convince Bishop that she was right.

"Every one of you is a vicious killer!" Kari snarled. "Look at her," she gestured towards Aces. "She just killed that Dylada or whatever."

"Dylia, you bitch! Learn the fucking name already!" Talos yelled at her.

"Why? She's with Arkay now, he doesn't care about names," Kari rolled her eyes.

"She killed Ressel too!" Chomp interjected. "All of them, killers and fucking assholes!"

"And what the fuck are you?!" Bishop growled. Alright, the fact that Aces just killed two children was throwing him, but he was still so fucking pissed about this ridiculous plan of theirs. Why the fuck could not a single person in the clan be an actual person? As far as he was concerned, they were all insane assholes. "You fucking herded us here to kill us!"

"You were supposed to kill each other," Kari snarled.

"Oh, great, then your hands are clean, right?" Bishop scoffed. "So what the fuck was the plan, you have me kill those two and now you thought I'd kill Aces?"

"I didn't kill that little shit," Aces growled.

"What?" Bishop just asked in exasperation, crossbow still in hand, trained at anyone who made even the slightest move. This was getting so confusing. Did she mean Ressel? Because she did just kill Dylia.

"Don't listen to her! She killed them both! You see what happens to everyone with that fucked up blood? You'll make the world better by finishing it," Kari gave him an intent look. Did she just tell him to kill Aces and himself? "You'll get the peace you deserve."

"You are fucking insane!" He shook his head in disbelief. "Blood doesn't mean shit!" Although granted, now he was leaning towards the theory that Ost and Duful had. Every one of Rina's children was insane. But he was pretty sure that was just Rina's bullshit she kept spewing on and on.

"You're the only ones," Liesl piped up, almost quietly.

"How the fuck do you even know that?" Bishop scoffed. "You're so fucking obsessed with blood, do you have any idea how many girls Duful was fucking. Or Ost. Or Torban, for fuck's sake. This is just insane."

"We took care of that! Rina snuck this… potion to Torban after Duful was born. And she taught us how to make it," Liesl mumbled. "You're the only ones."

Potion? To prevent them from knocking up women? That was… wait…

"Is that why you kept asking Aeyrin if she was pregnant?!" He gaped at Liesl.

"We needed to make sure," Liesl shrugged.

"Did you feed her some fucking potion?! Or me?!" Bishop fumed. They better not have done anything. He was pissed off enough as it was, but this on top of all that…

"No! We… didn't have to. She's not knocked up, she was pretty sure. And she was pretty sure you didn't knock up anyone else before either. So we're good there," Liesl shrugged. "And you were gonna die anyway after… tonight, so…" At least she was forthcoming now. She clearly saw that their plan was lost.

"This is what they do," Aces snarled hatefully. "They started with Jack and now they just wanna finish it all."

Wait, what now?

"Jack? What the fuck does any of this have to do with Jack?" Bishop gaped at her. What the fuck was this about now?

"Oh you don't know? That's fucking rich," Aces scoffed. "You know that fiancé of his got pregnant? After Torban fucked her."

"Yeah. She killed herself…" Bishop gave Aces an uncertain look. Didn't she?

"Because they made her! They kept telling her that her kid's gonna be evil, didn't matter if it was Torban's or Jack's. It had the fucked up blood. They were fucking hounding her until she couldn't take it anymore," Aces screamed angrily. "That was his kid. Even if it wasn't… it was… fuck, he was supposed to leave something behind." Surprisingly enough, Bishop was pretty sure that tears began to glitter in her eyes. "They took everything that was left!"

Fucking Void. This had been going on for years. They've been thinking this, plotting this, for years. Did Aces really kill Ressel or did they? Just to make Aces look guilty and have him kill her too.

"Who killed the little one?" Bishop snarled. "The little Redguard. Who did it?"

Kari pointed at Aces promptly, but Aces was still shaking her head. Yet in the meantime, with a trembling hand, Liesl pointed at Rina.

"It… it was her idea… how to make everything work… how to make you kill her. And you… you'd drink Kari's stuff and… then you'd… you know…" she stammered.

There was no more hesitation. This was one thing Bishop did not need to be convinced of. Liesl barely finished talking and Bishop aimed the crossbow at his mother. A few brief gasps escaped the siblings' lips as the bolt shot out, penetrating Rina's forehead. They could all hear the skull crack.

Rina fell face-first into her weird runes. Dead.

It was for the best.

Bishop looked at her lifeless body for a while, still trying to make sense of it all. This was all so much worse than he could have ever thought.

The only thing that tore him from the haze was Liesl's exclamation.

"Aces, watch out!"

What?

Before Bishop could realize what was happening, a long branch penetrated Aces's torso from behind, going straight through. Talos was holding the other end, but he looked freaked. He watched the blood on the wood with horror in his eyes before his gaze met Bishop's. There was so much fear in it.

"No… fuck, please, no…" he stammered as he yanked the branch back, eliciting a pained gasp from Aces. She was alive, but the wound would be fatal eventually, even if it miraculously didn't pierce any organs.

"I don't really wanna kill a kid, but what the fuck…" before he could finish the thought, Aces reached out with a pained scream and she yanked the crossbow from his arms. Everything happened so fast. She didn't hesitate. Another bolt shot from the multi-bolt crossbow, right in between Kari's eyes.

Alright… now Kari was dead. Fuck. This was all getting so messed up. They were all dropping like fucking wisps when you kill a wispmother. And he did just kill the mother.

Aces tried to turn around to aim the crossbow elsewhere, either at Liesl and Galric or at the two remaining kids, but that motion made her scream out in palpably excruciating pain. She dropped the crossbow and Bishop promptly bent down to grab it again.

"I didn't wanna. Please, I didn't wanna. She made me," Talos's cheeks were stained with tears by now and she pointed accusingly at Kari's dead body on the ground.

"It's true! She gestured to him to do it, I saw!" Liesl called out.

"That's why she's dead," Aces growled through gritted teeth. "And you're next. Kill him, Bishop. For all of us. For Jack."

"No! Fucking enough!" Bishop snarled. He was not gonna kill a crying kid! And he was not gonna kill any more of them. It was fucking enough. Aces was hurt. She needed help. Liesl was clearly fucking confused entirely without any idea whose side to take in this mess and the kids were just manipulated and clueless. Galric was quiet the entire time. He was hiding behind Liesl without making a single sound.

Bishop grabbed the remaining two bolts loaded in the crossbow and he dropped the weapon onto the ground. Then he proceeded to snap the bolts in half. It'd been enough.

"You," he turned his narrowed gaze to Talos and Chomp, "Leave. Now. You leave and stay the fuck away from me and from Aces, from Liesl and Galric and from Morgen too if he's alive. You fucking stay away from this clan, go and live your own fucking lives, away from this shit."

"We… alright," Talos nodded with fear in his eyes while Chomp clung to his side, unable to speak. "We'll… we'll try to go… where you said… those guilds and stuff. We'll leave. We promise."

"Now!" Bishop growled. Even after this mess, maybe there was still hope for them. They were just kids. And as they both bolted, running from the swamp in the direction of the town, there were only two left, along with his severely wounded older sister.

"I'm sorry, Bishop," Liesl sobbed while she hugged Galric desperately. "I'm so sorry, I know we fucked up. We thought… I don't know… it was all so convincing, and we didn't know what else to do. What if… what if after you killed them you… you decided to take over."

Fuck.

Fuck, he hated that he actually understood her. Understood the fear. It was easy to get manipulated into strange ideas when one lived in constant fear and torment.

"I don't want anything to do with you, do you understand? I will not 'take over' anything. I just want you out of my life, I just wanna go fucking live my life!" Bishop snarled back at her.

"I… yeah… I… believe you. We… we want that too," Liesl continued to sob.

"Let us live," Galric's voice was soft and scared as he spoke. "Please. It's over. We won't bother you or Aces ever again. Please, just… let us live too."

The pleading got interrupted by a loud groan from Aces. Fuck, the wound was bad. She needed help now. Bishop promptly grabbed her under her shoulders trying to get her to stand up. She did, but her legs were weak. He could carry her though.

"Come on, you need to get to the temple," he ushered her before he could try and hoist her in his arms.

"No!" Aces snarled. "No temple. Are you fucking… insane? You take me to a temple… I'll fucking kill you. I… I'm not going… anywhere near… those fucking… ugh…" the pain was making it hard for her to speak, but her message was clear. Fuck, was she fucking serious? She needed a priest's help.

"This is a fucking fatal wound! They'll save you there!" Bishop scoffed at her incredulously.

"Bishop, you fucking take me… to a temple and… I die there… in that place… I will fucking kill you… even if I have to… have to do it undead…" she growled. Alright, fuck, hatred of temples established. That was nothing strange at all, growing up with Rina did that to a person. Though Aces's hatred was over the top. He wasn't sure what else to do.

"Liesl. Go get Aeyrin. Now," he commanded. "They won't let you in the room anymore after Duful got in, but ask the guard to call her. Bring her here."

"I… Alright. Whatever you want," Liesl nodded hurriedly.

"And don't fucking try anything funny. She's stronger than you and she'd snap you in half," Bishop snarled. He didn't think Liesl would try anything, not with how scared she looked right now. But then again, he couldn't trust any of them with anything.

"I won't!" She shook her head briskly. "But… what if she thinks it's a trap?"

Alright, that was a fair point. Bishop had made it clear to Aeyrin never to trust any of his siblings. He needed something to let Aeyrin know it really was him calling for her. Some… password. A word only they would know.

"Just… if she doesn't believe you, say… 'Karnwyr'. She'll know I was the one who really sent you then," Bishop nodded.

He started guiding Aces towards a large flat rock while Liesl ran off. The wound looked so fucking bad. He hoped that Aeyrin would be able to help.

But he didn't have high hopes for that.

…

Another knock on the door interrupted Aeyrin's dinner.

Alright, second dinner. She was bored and food was always a good way to pass time. And it was important for her recuperation. She was already feeling so much better.

She didn't expect a knock though. It was pretty late at night and she wasn't expecting any more food or drinks. Bishop better not have misplaced his key again. She couldn't deal with that once more.

She got up from the armchair and went to open the door. Much to her surprise, there was a familiar house guard standing there.

"Excuse me, my lady, I'm sorry to disturb you so late. There's… another one… downstairs…" he stammered a bit.

Another one? Another what?

"A… person. A… shifty person. A woman. But you have brought her and another one here once before. I still didn't let her up. I just… told her you'll come down to talk to her if you so choose," he explained.

Oh. Kari or Liesl were here. Odd. She hoped nothing bad happened to Bishop.

"Alright. Thank you. I'll go see her," Aeyrin nodded promptly. She grabbed her own key and walked out of the room, locking it behind her.

"I will make sure that she doesn't do anything to you, my lady," the house guard smiled at her kindly. "Though… after what I've seen… you don't really need any help in that area."

"I still appreciate it," she smiled back. He was sweet, but she was definitely looking forward to being free of the clan's dealings for good.

They went downstairs together until she spotted Liesl waiting there. She looked… disturbed. Her heavy makeup was smudged everywhere and her eyes were glassy and red, as if she had been crying. What happened? Oh Gods, please don't let anything be wrong with Bishop!

"Liesl, what's wrong?" Aeyrin instantly questioned her.

"Someone's hurt…" Liesl mumbled. She looked a little nervous talking here in public.

"Bishop?" Aeyrin gasped. No, please, no.

"No… not him. He needs your help though. You gotta come with me," Liesl urged her.

Hm. Alright. Someone was hurt. Aeyrin did feel a little conflicted though. Bishop was very clear about her being careful around his family, no matter which one of them it was. What if something else happened? She wasn't sure what, with Ost and Duful dead, but still…

"He said… he said if you didn't believe me it was him who sent me, to tell you the word… 'Karnyr'?"

Ah. Karnwyr. Heh, Bishop used him as a password. Clever. Nobody else would know the wolf's name, not here.

Alright. Whatever was going on, it was clearly Bishop calling for her. He wouldn't do that if there was any danger in it for her.

"Let's go," she nodded at Liesl. Hopefully she'd find out more on the way.

…

Liesl was infuriatingly tight-lipped today.

She didn't say anything useful to Aeyrin. She said there was a fight and that a lot of the family died. Aeyrin had no idea whom they fought with. Guards? Other bandits? Liesl wouldn't say. She didn't tell her who died either, nor who was hurt. She kept telling Aeyrin that 'she'd see'.

Finally they made it to the outskirts of town and continued into the swamp. After a while, Aeyrin could see a small campfire burning in the distance, and when they got even closer, she noticed the people there.

Unmistakably Bishop was standing above a stone with another person lying on it. And there was one more person sitting by a tree. A few more paces and Aeyrin finally noticed other things.

Like the corpses.

Kari's robes and lush black hair were the first thing to draw her attention, she was lying on her back in the swamp, eyes empty.

There was a small corpse near her. A child, face-first down and motionless. And some distance away there was an older dead woman too, with hair as black as Kari's.

The woman on the stone didn't look like Kari and Liesl. And when Aeyrin rushed towards Bishop, she finally saw the woman properly. Her hair, her eyes, they were just like Bishop's. It must have been another sister of his, but… aside from the kids, there were only Kari and Liesl and…

Oh. Was this Aces? The one that disappeared?

"Bish," Aeyrin got his attention at last, though her gaze lingered on the hole in Aces's torso. That looked nasty.

"Princess, good, you're here. She needs help," Bishop let out a sigh.

"We need to get her to a temple," Aeyrin still couldn't tear her eyes from the wound. That was well beyond her capabilities.

"If you take me anywhere…" Aces snarled, but in between her words, a violent cough interrupted her and a splatter of blood spewed from her lips. "You take me… anywhere near that place… I'll… I'll fucking kill you…" she finished her threat.

"What?! But… I can't heal this!" Aeyrin shook her head promptly. That was too much. She couldn't keep her alive!

"Just… do what you can, princess, please," Bishop sighed. Aces was stubborn. She wouldn't let them take her to the temple and there was not much else he could do. She would probably try to run from them if they tried to drag her there. And he was… just resigned by now.

Aeyrin nodded somberly and she moved her healing hands over Aces's wound. It would take a long time and a lot of effort to close, and she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to close it entirely. Not to mention deal with the inevitable internal bleeding.

"What… what happened here?" She asked carefully. Nobody was telling her anything. "Who attacked this place?"

"No one," Bishop said somberly. "You're just seeing the Thrice-Banished clan in its full glory," he scoffed. Why was he even surprised? Why was he even hurt? Fucking stupid idiot. He should have seen it coming. He was a fucking dumbass to think any of them could somehow turn into something they never were during all those years.

Aeyrin wasn't sure what to ask next, if she should mention the dead bodies around, especially the child, or if she should just… not say anything at all. This was… a horrifying sight. What did Bishop mean? Nobody attacked them, so… did they do all this to themselves? Why? Ost and Duful were gone. Why would this happen? And why was Aces here? Well… she only assumed it was Aces, she never really asked. But the family resemblance was unmistakable.

"Bishop," Aces groaned in pain as Aeyrin tried to heal her. She knew she wasn't doing this right. She didn't have the skills to close a literal hole in a body, through and through. When she tried internal tissue mending, it always hurt the ones she tried it on. Like with Bishop when he almost died in that safehouse after Mercer's ambush. But she had to at least try. Without internal mending, the bleeding would kill Aces.

"Yeah?" Bishop responded promptly.

"Get my knife. Please. They… they took it… I… I want it with me when…" Aces tried to get the words out, but he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Liesl? What knife?" Bishop scowled.

"Stupid thing, it was Kari's idea," Liesl mumbled. "She said… she said Aces always had it, never let anyone touch it. That's… that's how we… brought her here. Kari… someone from her cult tracked Aces down. And… then one of the kids stole that knife. We… we left… trail. Trying to sell it to people. We didn't wanna sell it, just… get her here. And… it worked. Dylia's job was to… to be the face. The thief. Aces's been here for a few days, in the wilderness, and now… now that those two were dead and everything ready, the kids went to… show themselves to Aces and then… ran here. So that… you know."

So that he would kill Aces.

"Why wouldn't you think she would track you down herself?" Bishop scoffed.

"We… we were worried about that. That's why… that's why Kari… she wanted things to move faster. So… she told Ost. About you. That… that you were lying. That you didn't need their money," Liesl looked on the ground with guilt on her face.

Fucking Kari. Fucking all of them. They blabbed to Ost?! They got Aeyrin attacked, and him too. Fuck!

He was getting angry again. He just wanted this to stop, to just… leave this all behind for good. But for all this shit, he still wanted to see it through. For Aces. If she could be saved. Why the fuck was she so stubborn about the temple?!

"Why the fuck's a knife that important?" He growled.

"It was… it was his," Aces's voice was quiet now. She could barely speak anymore. "Jack's. He gave it to me… when he taught me… taught me to use it. It's… it's the only thing… left."

Bishop never knew that Jack and Aces were so close. They were both reclusive, both tried to keep their distance from the clan. There was apparently much he didn't know about them.

"Where's the knife?" Bishop narrowed his eyes at Liesl. He would get it to Aces. No matter what.

"We… we had to always bury it where we stayed. Ost and Duful would take it otherwise. We aren't allowed weapons," Liesl sighed.

"So it's here? Get it. Now," Bishop snarled at her.

"I'll… I'll get it," Galric piped up from behind Bishop and he ran off somewhere. Bishop was definitely gonna watch him with that knife. None of them could be trusted with weapons now. Fuck, now he really did sound like one of their tyrants who just wanted them helpless and unarmed, whether Torban or Ost and Duful, but how could he trust them after all this?

"Thanks…" Aces groaned before another hiss of pain escaped her lips at Aeyrin's next attempt.

It was quiet after that. Aeyrin continued the healing, still so confused about everything, while Aces grunted in pain every now and then.

After several minutes, Galric returned. And surprisingly enough, he handed an old steel knife with dirt all over it right to Bishop obediently.

"Here," Bishop pressed the hilt into Aces's hand. He knew exactly why she would follow the thieves wherever they went. He had a knife like that too. With memories of a sibling he cared about more than anything, just like she did.

"I… I can't do this," Aeyrin shook her head desperately. "We really need to get her to a temple. This is too much for me. Or I can go fetch a priest and…"

"No!" Aces snarled. "No fucking priest."

"You need the healing," Bishop growled. "No more fucking protests. We're getting you to a temple." Bringing a priest here was not a good idea. What would they say about the corpses?

"No. You… you try to… I'll use that fucking knife on myself," Aces growled.

So fucking infuriatingly stubborn! Why?

"Bishop… I can feel it. It's… it's getting dark," she sighed. "Please… I don't wanna die in a… a fucking… temple. Just… make them leave. I don't… I don't want them here. They… they did this to me. Just… make them go. I wanna stay here. With my knife. And you. Only one… left alive… who didn't betray me."

"Leave," Bishop promptly narrowed his eyes at Liesl and Galric. "Be fucking grateful that you can leave. I never want to see you or hear from you ever again, understood?"

Liesl nodded frantically, trying to suppress her tears. She still managed to get some words out though.

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Bishop."

"Save it," he growled. If she was really sorry, she would have stopped this long before now, long before he got the upper hand and she knew there was no other way out than to take his side and tell him the truth. "Just go. Both of you."

They both rushed off without any further prompting. Talking was no longer gonna do any good anyway.

"Should I… should I keep trying?" Aeyrin asked uncertainly. She had no idea what to do.

"No," Aces shook her head. "I don't know who the fuck… you are. But… thanks… for trying. And just… leave me with my brother."

Bishop only inclined his head towards the cave behind him. She could wait for him there. Aeyrin didn't need any more signals before she ran off too. It was killing her to leave Aces there like that. She had sworn to help anyone whether they asked for it or not but… Aces seemed so determined. Even determined enough to quicken this all by killing herself. The sight of her resigned face would likely haunt her for a long time yet.

When Aeyrin was gone, Bishop merely stayed by his sister's side silently. She moved the knife into her other hand and then reached out for him with the hand close to him. He grabbed her hand promptly, but there were no more words.

He had no idea how long this would take.

But he would stay with her there until it happened. Just like she wanted.

Until she got the 'peace' she did nothing to deserve.

* Trigger warning: mentions of forced sterilization of an unwitting person, mentions of suicide, mentions of driving a person to suicide, threatening suicide, suggestions of someone committing a murder and a suicide on-screen, mentions of murder of a child, on-screen killing of a child (not too gory or too explicit, possibly unintentional), talk and threats of killing a child

Whew, that's a lot of them :D