"What have you brought me?" Astrid asked, her voice a velvety purr. Oh, she knew the answer already, or part of it. She watched Arnbjorn pick up the blanket wrapped body and carelessly sling it over his shoulder.
"Be careful!" Babette snapped at him. "There's no need to hurt her. She's going to be feeling pretty poorly when she wakes up anyway."
Arnbjorn growled and snapped his teeth at Babette. They'd been at each other's throats ever since he'd taken a look at the girl. It wouldn't ever come to blows, of course. The Nord werewolf wasn't sure he could best the little vampire girl.
Astrid's eyebrow rose and she looked at Babette with a faint amused smile painting her perfect features. "What have you done to so upset my husband?" Her curiosity was nearly boiling over. Babette was definitely up to something. The little vampire liked to stir things up on occasion. She seemed to draw as much nourishment from tension and drama as she did from drinking blood.
Babette's youthful face showed nothing. "What? She's an imposter, she should be dealt with. I don't know why your husband is making such a fuss over this."
Astrid snorted with amusement. "Well, bring her in. Let's see what we're dealing with here." She moved aside as her husband brought the girl into the shack and unceremoniously dumped her on the bed. "Arn… careful, if anyone is going to punish this one it'll be me." She stepped over to the bed. "Now, let's see what we have…"
She pulled aside the blanket obscuring the unconscious girl's face and her smile started at her eyes then worked its way down to her lips. "She's lovely. She doesn't look like much of a murderer, does she?" She hummed to herself thinking of the possibilities. "But that's the best sort, isn't it?" She exchanged a look with Babette.
"Doesn't she remind you of anyone, Astrid?" Babette asked.
Astrid pondered the young woman's face. "She does look familiar. Maybe with her eyes open, I'd remember."
Babette laughed. "Oh, my darling girl, think back to when you were much younger." She walked over to Nessa and ran her little hand along the Nord girl's cheekbones.
Astrid mused over the puzzle for a moment then burst out laughing. "You think she looks like me? Like I did when I was that young?" She pulled back an eyelid and looked at her iris. "Were my eyes ever that blue?"
Babette grinned, her sharp incisors showing. "Yes, before you were turned. I always did love your eyes back then. I almost regret infecting you with the sanguinare because it changed your lovely eyes." She sighed. "But if I hadn't, you'd be dead by now, so it all worked out just fine." She bounced on her toes and turned, sticking out her tongue at Arnbjorn. "You should thank me for your beautiful wife, you ungrateful beast."
Arnbjorn narrowed his eyes and growled at Babette but said nothing. He gave his wife one last expressive look and strode out of the shack, letting the door slam behind him. Nazir, feeling uncomfortably out of place with the two vampires gushing over the girl, decided to join him. "I'll be waiting outside."
The two vampires hovered over the girl. "What should I do with her?" Astrid asked.
Babette shrugged. "Whatever you please. Feed on her if you like. Infect her then watch her change. Or not. You could… well, she is beautiful isn't she? And so very innocent."
The look on the Babette's face was unmistakable. Poor Babette would never know a woman's passion so she lived vicariously through Astrid. Her progenitor liked to hear Astrid's tales of seduction and there hadn't been any since she'd married Arnbjorn. Apparently the little vampire was getting bored with the status quo. Truthfully, so was Astrid.
"Our marriage could use a little excitement," she admitted. "Well, you're very thoughtful, my friend. Such a lovely gift!"
As she stared down at the much younger copy of herself, Nessa stirred.
"Ah, it looks like our sleeping beauty if going to awaken soon. I will leave you to… whatever it is you intend to do. Just be sure to tell me all about it!" Babette giggled girlishly and skipped outside.
Astrid barely heard the grinding of the cart wheels and the clopping of hooves, as the others headed back to Sanctuary. She sat beside the girl and thought about what she would do next. The moment was utterly fraught with possibilities. A tremor went through her as she considered the possibilities. This is going to change everything, she thought.
She didn't know until much later how prophetic that thought turned out to be.
~o~o~o~
Every muscle seemed to complain at once as she emerged from a very deep sleep. Her mouth tasted like she'd been chewing on rocks; it was hot, dry and dusty. She tried to wet her lips with her tongue but there really wasn't enough moisture in her mouth.
Talos! How much did I drink last night? She stretched and slowly opened her eyes. What? Confused and disoriented she sat up slowly, feeling her head swim.
"There's water next to the bed."
A voice of velvet and butter drifted from a corner of the… shack. Shack? How did I get here? But water, she desperately needed water. She found the water and drank from it greedily.
That buttery voice chuckled and she turned finally, looking for what sort of creature could speak so sonorously. A woman, wearing some sort of leather armor and a face mask, sat on a bookshelf in the corner of the shack, one leg pulled into her chest, the other dangled indolently.
Nessa couldn't help but stare. What little she could see of the woman… she was stunning. Her eyes twinkled like silver above the face mask. Those arched brows seemed to express interest and amusement. But her beauty seemed deadly somehow, like the bloom of a datura is beautiful, yet lethal. Nessa sat up, holding her head that seemed to pound with any little movement.
"How did I get here?" the Nord girl muttered. "Who are you?" Nessa could see the questions sparked amusement in the woman. Her eyes crinkled slightly and she chuckled.
"Does it matter?" she replied. "You're warm, dry… and still very much alive, which is more than I can say for old Grelod. Hmmm?"
Nessa swallowed hard. How can she know? "You know about… that?"
The woman laughed and Nessa felt conflicting emotions. She was frightened, yes, but… she wanted… that woman's voice was so compelling and her eyes were so beautiful… Her head swam for a moment and she felt like she would do anything for her, but she came back to herself. No! This is crazy. Who is she?
"Of course I know about it. But don't misunderstand, I'm not criticizing. It was a good kill. The old crone had it coming, and you saved a bunch of urchins, to boot. But there is a slight… hmmmm, problem, you see?"
Nessa swallowed again and fought against the pull this woman had. "I'm not sure I like where this is going."
"You see, that little Aretino boy was looking for the Dark Brotherhood, for me and my associates."
She's with the Dark Brotherhood? Oh gods, I am in it now, Nessa thought.
"Grelod, the kind, was by all rights a Dark Brotherhood contract… a kill that you stole. A kill you must repay."
"Repay?" Her hope kindled. "I will happily give you what the boy paid me with. It might even be in my stuff…" Nessa looked around the room for her backpack and didn't see it. "Oh, it's back in Riften, I think."
"Ha ha! Oh my dear, you are precious. No, you owe us a death. If you turn around you'll notice my guests. I've collected them from… well, that's not really important. The here and now, that iswhat matters. You see, there's a contract out on one of them and that person can't leave this room alive. But… oh, which one?" The humor was evident in the mysterious woman's voice. "Go on, see if you can figure it out. Make your choice. Make your kill. I just want to observe and admire."
Nessa turned around and saw three forms kneeling on the opposite side of the room. All of them had sacks over their heads. How could she possible know which one to kill? She doubted anyone would come out and admit it they were the one with a contract on them… what if they didn't even know? Oh gods, one is even a woman!
"I'll have no part of this insanity!" That she had already killed the old woman weighed heavily enough on her conscience, even though the old hag deserved it, but to possibly kill an innocent... in cold blood? That was asking too much.
The beautiful assassin's voice hardened; butter and velvet became steel. "Now that is a shame. What you fail to realize is that you involved yourself in this insanity when you took Grelod's life. You made your choice, now it's time to face the consequences of your actions. You don't leave this shack until someone dies."
Astrid watched the girl closely, hoping she would do what was required. It would be a terrible shame to have to kill this lovely reproduction of herself. Ah, but feasting on this one would be bitter-sweet. Even across the room she could sense the sweet blood of an innocent coursing through her arteries. But how innocent was she really? She'd already killed in cold blood. It was an intriguing question, the sort she and her associates often debated. If innocence were defined by youth and inexperience, then certainly this girl met that measure.
Nessa considered her options carefully. She was good with her blades, true, but she doubted she could best a trained assassin. But there was more than just self-preservation staying her hand. She swallowed nervously realizing that this woman had a pull she found almost irresistible. Maybe it was the drugs but whenever she looked at the woman she felt dizzy and warm. Daring to test it again, she looked at the woman and saw her gazing intently back at her. She wondered what the rest of her face looked like under the mask that covered her nose and mouth. Was her mouth as perfectly formed as her eyes? What would it be like to press her own lips against…
Shuddering at the thought, Nessa pulled her eyes away again. What makes me want to kiss a woman as if she were my lover? Never had she heard of such a thing. Unconsciously she wiped away the perspiration forming on her brow. She approached the three captives and questioned them. One was clearly a thug. He proudly admitted to having lots of people wish him dead and he threatened her with violence to boot! The woman was disagreeable and shrewish, demanding to be let go. Nessa didn't like her but she couldn't imagine mere unpleasantness would merit a Dark Brotherhood contract. The final captive was a soldier. He claimed to only be guilty of following orders. Nessa knew such excuses were used to cover a wide array of crimes; however, the man seemed truly remorseful.
It seemed obvious, but perhaps it was meant to trip her up. Maybe it was the least obvious of the three – the woman. Nessa's head spun with the weight of the decision. She stood before the Khajiit and turned to look at the assassin, looking for some sign she'd picked correctly or perhaps the woman had had a change of heart.
Astrid chuckled at her reluctance but only shrugged for a response. "Come now, my dear, make your kill. I'm not getting any younger." I'm also not getting any older, she thought.
One last consideration… her eyes swept over the three captives once more. Moving quickly, so the Khajiit wouldn't hear his death approaching, she sliced across the arteries in his neck and barely managed to twist out of the way of the fountain of blood.
Slow, applause came from the corner where the assassin watched. She jumped down from the bookshelf and approached Nessa. "Nicely done, although next time if you stand behind the victim you won't risk getting blood all over yourself. Just a small tip." Astrid could see the effect she was having on Nessa. She could easily make the girl a thrall, enslave her, drink from her when she must feed, but there was little challenge in that. No, this one must come freely, of her own will. That would be much more sporting.
"I sense something special about you, Nessa," she said, sensing the effect her voice had on the girl. "You look so sweet and innocent, but there's a darkness to you too, isn't there?"
Nessa said nothing but followed the assassin with her eyes as she slowly came toward her.
"It was what let you kill Grelod for that boy and… I'm guessing… for yourself too. No?" She stopped well within Nessa's personal space.
Nessa inhaled sharply but refused to take a step backward. She wouldn't show fear in front of this woman.
Astrid chuckled, her voice low and soft. "You're curious, aren't you?" She raised her hand and reached out to softly touch Nessa's face. "About… hmmm… many things, I think." She circled around the girl, letting her hand glide gently across her shoulder and then across the back of her neck. "I have answers to those questions you ponder at night when the thieves are sleeping. I think you'd find yourself quite at home within our little family." She completed her circle and let her hand fall to her side. "I think you should become a part of our family, Nessa."
"An assassin?" Nessa said quietly. "To kill people for…"
Another rich laugh bubbled from Astrid's throat. "For money, excitement, power… yes. An assassin. You."
"I don't…" Nessa shook her head, as if to dislodge the notion from her head. She had felt so alive as she killed Grelod. Darkness, the assassin said, yes, she had that. She sought out danger. With the thieves, it was the danger of being caught. That was exhilarating, but this… this was so much more. She stole a glance at the dead Khajiit. There was no remorse, no guilt, no shame. Perhaps the woman was right about her. "I don't know."
Astrid stood in front of her and pulled off her hood and mask, letting the girl see her face for the first time. "Think about it, Nessa. We assassins take care of one another. In me, you'd have a sister." She came closer to the girl and using her fingers tipped her face to the side and placed a lingering kiss on her cheek. "A very loving sister."
The girl stood still looking ever so conflicted and it was utterly becoming, Astrid thought. "My name is Astrid, Nessa. I will leave you a map to our sanctuary and the passphrase. If you decide to join us, ask for me. I am the guild leader." She turned and walked to the corner, picking up her knapsack and rummaging through it. She pulled out a map and left it on the bed for the girl who now watched her every move.
Unlocking the door to the shack, she turned to smile once more at the speechless Nord girl. "Farewell for now, Nessa. I do hope to see you again soon." She left without knowing whether or not she would ever see the girl again and that made her feel distinctly unsettled. Astrid was used to being in charge and knowing precisely what everyone was doing. This time she was leaving it all up to chance and to the sweet girl who could have been her twin, if a century hadn't separated them.
Nessa picked up the map and sat back down on the bed. "Gods…" she swore, "what do I do now?"