Riften
Three days now she'd been gone, her belongings left behind exactly where she had put them down the night she disappeared. Brynjolf fingered the wooden soldier that she'd bought for the orphan boy. Orphans. Common enough in a place like the Rift where it seemed like someone was always at war with someone else. Bandits, the Forsworn, necromancers and now the Imperium and Stormcloaks. Plenty of people going around making orphans these days. Not to mention cave bears and saber-toothed… kittens. He chuckled quietly thinking of the tale she'd told about the marks on her face. The toy fell from his hand as pieces of information collided and clicked into place in his mind. Nessa was an orphan, an orphan boy, the toy, scratches on her face… Grelod murdered. He swore quietly. Did Nessa murder Grelod?
He kept the toy soldier and decided to ask around at the orphanage. Maybe someone there would know something. He turned, and pulled aside the curtain that had given her some privacy and nearly ran into Delvin.
"Don't tell me you're still thinking about that girl, lad. I don't reckon you'll be seeing her again." Delvin clapped him on the shoulder and shook his head.
Brynjolf laughed, trying to make light of his snooping. "No, no. Nothing like that, Del. I'm just curious why the Dark Brotherhood would be after her."
"Well, come on. I'll wager there's bottle of mead with your name on it at the Flagon. I've been working on a new shell game… I need to try it out on you." They walked out of the cistern together laughing and joking as they always did.
~o~o~o~
"I don't know, mister," the little girl said shyly.
"It's all right, lassie," Brynjolf said, his voice calm and reassuring. The voice worked on marks, and it worked on children just as well. I like you. Trust me. His warm, friendly words seemed to weave a spell over listeners. "Do you know if there might be any boys that would know a lady like this? She was going to bring one of them a toy and she had to leave suddenly. I'd like to find out who it is supposed to go to."
The little girl shrugged then scratched her nose. "Maybe the new boy, Aventus?" She giggled. "We call him booger-face. He's a stinking, slime-bag Imperial!"
Brynjolf chuckled. "My goodness, lassie, where'd you learn to talk like that?" He was astonished how quickly the child had picked up such prejudices.
She looked at him pleadingly. "Don't tell on me! I heard a guard saying Imperials stink of garlic and sour milk. Besides, Aventus says he is friends with the Dark Brotherhood." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "He says he did the Dark Ritual and hired a…ah… ah…nassin to kill nasty old Grelod!"
Things began to fall into place with that whispered confession. "I promise I will never tell on you, young missy. Your secret is safe with me!" He yanked gently on one of her braids and kissed her on the cheek. "I think I might have something for you." He searched through his pockets and then frowned when he couldn't find what he was looking for. "Well, now, I must have misplaced it." Then his face broke into a winsome smile. "Ah! Yes, I forgot I had put it there." He reached out for her ear and produced a piece of peppermint candy in his palm. "Well look at that!" He tsked. "You need to clean your ears better." He reached for her other ear and produced a very shiny coin. "And look what is in the other ear!" The high-pitched squeal of delight that came from the girl brought more children running and he was pulling candy and coins out of ears until the last of them had something.
There was only one child who stayed apart from the rest, an older boy, perhaps thirteen. He ventured a guess this might be the boy the little girl was talking about. He joined the boy and sat down beside him, but maintained a little distance. He knew this boy didn't feel like he belonged here. There was a lot he could tell from the sullen expression on the boy's face.
"I think we might have a mutual friend, Aventus," Brynjolf said, gambling on instinct.
He responded with a shrug. "I don't really know anyone in Riften. I'm from Windhelm."
So he is Aventus. He didn't dispute the name. "I know a very, pretty lass with fair hair and blue eyes. She always wove her hair in lots of braids and sometimes she tied them with a blue ribbon. She had to leave town rather suddenly… quite recently, in fact."
The boy looked up at Brynjolf, his face suddenly avid. "You know her?" he whispered. "Are you one of them, too?"
Brynjolf smiled. "No, lad, I'm not, but the lady in question had something I know she wanted you to have before she had to leave." He pulled the toy soldier out of his leather jacket where it had been poking him in the ribs all morning.
"Wow!" the boy exclaimed in a whisper. "I got a gift from a Dark Brotherhood assassin! Do you suppose this means they want to recruit me? I told her I wanted to be an assassin too and help little children, just like she did."
Brynjolf shook his head. "No, lad. It's just a gift from that lady. She wanted me to tell you not to get mixed up with that lot. They're a dangerous bunch, you know."
The little boy shook his head. "So it's from her then?" He stared at the toy and rubbed it with his thumb. "She didn't seem like an assassin, really, but I guess they take all sorts of people." He smiled up at Brynjolf. "When she comes back would you tell her to come visit me?"
He smiled sadly and nodded. "I don't know when she will be back, lad, but I will tell her."
"She didn't have to leave because she… well, you know. She's not in trouble is she?" Aventus asked.
Brynjolf thought for a moment about how best to answer the question. The boy was too interested in the doings of the Brotherhood, it might be in the lad's best interests to be a little truthful. "Well… yes, she's in a bit of trouble. That's why she wanted me to find you and warn you, all right? You stay away from assassins and rituals in the future, young man. You hear?"
Aventus was disturbed at the news that his heroine was in trouble. He looked down at his shoes and nodded. "All right. Tell her when you see her… tell her I won't do it again, but she should still come to see me."
Brynjolf nodded at the boy and clapped him warmly on the back. "I will, lad. I promise." He left the orphanage feeling gratified that he'd brought some happiness to the children's lives, but there was an aching heaviness in his heart for Nessa. At least he knew now that Nessa was dead. The Brotherhood would never stand for someone meddling in their business, of this he was certain.
He walked back to the Flagon and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to crawl into a bottle of mead.
The Abandoned Shack
Nessa cut the bonds of the remaining two prisoners and let them go free. They both swore to protect her identity but she doubted the woman. She'd probably accuse her in public if given half an opportunity. The soldier swore on all the gods her identity was safe with him.
"I was just following orders," Nessa said grimly and watched him grimace. See how that excuse sounds to your ears now.
"Aye, that you were." He trudged away from the abandoned shack where they had been held prisoner without ever looking back.
Nessa watched the pair until they were out of sight then returned to the shack and sat down on the bed. Now what? She asked herself for the hundredth time. She could return to Riften and try to explain why she had suddenly disappeared.
What did you do, lass? She heard Brynjolf's voice in her head, his voice ringing with disappointment. He had always sounded so proud of her when she did something clever, like handling that Golden Glow estate job. Even Mercer, the cantankerous guild master, had been even a little – truthfully, very little – complimentary. They might even kick her out for getting messed up in Dark Brotherhood business. They'd been very clear there was to be no violence, no killing, and she'd gone and broken that rule. No, she couldn't go back to Riften and face him.
Maybe her place was with murderers, after all. She shivered even though the shack was quite warm. That dark place within her longed to see Astrid again. A family. A sister! Even coming from a place of such darkness within her, such words resonated. She'd never really belonged to anything, until recently. The thieves' guild had been sort of a family, but that was over. She couldn't go back after breaking their rules.
She had nothing with her but her dagger and sword and the map Astrid had left her. She picked up the map, glanced at it briefly and left the shack to find the nearest road that would take her to Falkreath.
~o~o~o~
"Silence, my brother," she said to the door. She looked around wondering if anyone would see her talking to a door, but the entrance to the assassin's sanctuary was cleverly hidden from the road. There was a click and she reached out to see if she could open the door and it slid open as she yanked on the handle.
~o~o~o~
The smile on Astrid's face showed the tips of her sharp incisors. Her sharp hearing had picked up the sound of the door opening. "She came." She looked sidelong at Arnbjorn whose face immediately turned into a scowl.
Babette's smile looked equally as delighted. She hopped up from her chair and clapped her hands.
"She'll be dead within a week," Arnbjorn growled.
Striding over to her husband she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "If you harm her, Arn, so help me!" She glanced around at all the assassins assembled in the cavern. "That goes for all of you. This girl is to become a part of our family. She doesn't need to be coddled, but I won't have any of you harming her. Am I clear?"
There were mumbled assents from all and a grudging one from her husband.
"Family. Pah!" He spat on the rocky stone floor and went back to sharpening the blade of his axe.
"Well, I should go greet our newest member." Astrid turned to walk up the narrow hallway to the entry way and turned to Babette. "Keep everyone here so the girl can meet us all."
Babette nodded. "As you wish. I can hardly wait to see what she's like when she is awake."
Astrid was waiting at her desk when Nessa came down the hall. "I'm happy to see you took me up on my invitation. I think you'll like it here. Everyone is very eager to meet you."
"Thank you," Nessa looked around the chamber that served as both an office for Astrid and lobby to the sanctuary. "I… don't have my things. I guess they must be back in Riften."
"We'll see you're properly outfitted and given everything you need. In fact, I believe I have a set of lightweight but sturdy leather armor that should fit you perfectly." She swept Nessa with critical eye. "You've lost weight. You're looking rather gaunt, my dear. Didn't you eat?"
"The trip was long and I had no money. I had to forage and hunt for myself." Nessa shrugged. "I'm a pretty good hunter, but I'm not a very good cook. I got sick."
She couldn't help herself; the girl was so sweet and honest. She turned her face away to try to hide her smile. "Ah! Babette is a genius with potions. She'll have you feeling better in no time. Gabrielle knows a bit of restoration magic too." She came around the desk and wrapped a protective arm around Nessa then tipped her face up and looked at her in the torch light. "You look exhausted too." She tsked and began to walk her down the hallway, leading to the cavern that served as their commons. "You'll meet the others and then you'll have a big meal, a bath and a good long rest." She kissed her gently on the forehead. "Welcome home, Nessa. Your new family awaits you."
They arrived in the commons where Babette was retelling the story of her latest contract.
"You're such a pretty little girl," she said in a creaky old man's voice. "Would the sweetie like a sweetie? Oh yes? How about some chocolate?"
"Oh yes, please!" Her voice took on a child's quality. "My momma and poppa left me all alone and I'm so very hungry! I know a shortcut to the candy shop. It's through this alley."
The others laughed and nudged one another, knowing what was coming next. Nessa looked in wonder at the little girl and then cast a confused look at Astrid. "Surely she's not…" Nessa whispered.
Astrid gave a low, quiet chuckle. "There's more to her than is apparent." She leaned in close to Nessa and whispered into her ear. "She's actually a three-hundred year old vampire. The oldest I've ever known. Her name is Babette. So very fitting, don't you think?"
Nessa swallowed hard. "A vampire?" she whispered back. The tales she had heard, ones children had told each other to terrify themselves mostly, surely they were just stories.
The guild leader noted how the new recruit shivered, but she nodded at her and smiled. "This family is very surprising, as I think you will see. But we do take care of one another, so you need never fear from any of us, no matter how unusual you may find us."
Reassured by her kindness, Nessa turned back to the little girl… ancient vampire, she corrected herself.
"Oh yes, very good," Babette said in the old man's voice. "My but it is dark down here. Oh, but you are so beautiful! Such a lovely smile, my dear. Oh… but your teeth! Your teeth! No! Argh!"
The other assassins erupted into laughter and applauded the girl's performance. She made a prim, curtsy and flounced over to Astrid and the newcomer. "Welcome, sister!" she said and threw her arms around Nessa's waist to hug her.
Nessa's instincts were to respond to the young girl's enthusiastic welcome as she would to any sweet, guileless child, but this one was an ancient vampire. She had no idea how to react.
"Thank you," she said politely. "It is… a pleasure to meet you, Babette."
Astrid let go of Nessa's waist and clapped her hands to bring everyone to order. "Please, brothers and sisters. If you will be quiet a moment..." She waited for the babble to cease then she took Nessa's hands. "I would like to introduce our newest member. This is Nessa, lately of Riften. Please make her feel at home here amongst us."
All the assassins turned to look at Nessa and she felt like a tiny bug under their scrutiny. There gazes ranged from warm to wary, one man seemed unwilling to meet her eyes at all. They were such a disparate group. There was an old man who Nessa thought looked as old as Babette actually was, a dark elf of middle years, a tall, handsome Nord, one of the lizard men, and a stately-looking Redguard who had a golden ring woven into his long, black beard.
They each, in turn, introduced themselves to Nessa. Oddly, despite his cold skin, the lizard-man, Argonian, Veezara was one of the warmer people. He seemed quite happy to meet Nessa and hear her story. The old man, Festus, was rather grumpy. The dark elf, Gabriella, had an odd sense of humor and used it to deflect questions away from herself. The Redguard, Nazir, was nice, but a little aloof.
"I will be giving you your contracts until Astrid has something for you," he explained.
Nessa nodded and shook his hand politely, trying not to stare at the ring in his beard wondering if how it stayed in and whether he took it out at night to sleep. Divines! I am exhausted. Such crazy thoughts were running through her mind.
Last of all was the man who refused to look at her when she was introduced. The tall, fair Nord was barefoot and dressed in skintight leathers. His very pale hair fell to just below his shoulders, very wide shoulders Nessa noted. Maybe it was due to her exhaustion, but her mouth dropped open at his physical beauty. He finally lifted his eyes to meet hers and there was something feral about them. They were golden, like a wolf's. Her mouth went dry and she rotely extended her hand to shake his, as she had done for all the others.
He stared at her but didn't extend his hand.
"Don't be surly, Arn. Introduce yourself to Nessa," Astrid said, giving her husband a significant look.
His mouth twisted into a smirk and he took Nessa's hand into his. He couldn't help but notice her intensely blue eyes. Despite how angry this girl's presence made him, her eyes were fascinating, he had to admit that. "It's always nice to meet raw meat. My beautiful wife has told me all about you."
Nessa swallowed at the feel of her smaller hand in his warm, calloused one. She couldn't pull her eyes away from his. "I… I… I'm pleased to meet you," she said barely above a whisper.
Her hesitation made Arnbjorn smile. The girl was clearly intimidated by him. "I give you a week before you end up dead in a ditch." He gripped her hand firmer than was necessary and enjoyed watching her startled reaction to his rudeness.
"Arn!" Astrid sounded annoyed.
Nessa tried to pull back her hand but Arnbjorn kept it firmly in his own. "Don't try to get to know me. I don't like you, I never will. It's nothing personal but… Look, here's all you need to know about me. I'm a werewolf. I like killing things. I love Astrid. I hate annoying people. And the color blue gives me a headache." He dropped her hand suddenly and grinned at her. "Let me guess, Astrid didn't tell you I was her husband. She has a habit of doing that." He shot his wife another annoyed look and strode away suddenly.
"Oh!" Nessa looked at Astrid almost apologetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were married." That was stupid! Why am I apologizing? As soon as she thought it, she knew. She had practically made a fool of herself, so taken was she with Arnbjorn. Now he hated her… why?
Astrid sighed and shook her head. "He's quite impossible at times." She wrapped her arm around Nessa's shoulders again. "Ignore him. He'll come around." She looked around for Babette and called her over. "Nessa has been ill. Do you have anything for her?"
"Maybe! What are your symptoms, dear?" The little vampire asked, smiling at the new recruit.
Nessa blushed. "I think I had some bad food. Maybe some sort of parasite, too. I might not have cooked that venison enough."
"You should leave the raw meat for Arnbjorn," Babette quipped. "He seems able to eat almost anything and it never bothers him. But for you, I think I can concoct a potion that'll take care of you. I'll be right back." She turned and dashed off up the stairs nearly running headlong into Gabriella. Nessa heard her girlish laugh and then she disappeared.
"Meanwhile, I bet you'd like a warm bath, hmmmm?" Astrid guided her up the stairs Babette had just run up. "We have a lovely feature in our sanctuary. There is a hot mineral spring. We spend an inordinate amount of time soaking in it when we're not busy with contracts."
"Oh! That sounds wonderful," Nessa said. It had been a long, long trip and she had only had cold pools of water to wash in. Needless to say, she could have been much cleaner when she arrived at the sanctuary.
"I hope you're not shy. We are family after all and there is only the one hot spring so we bathe together at times."
"I'm…" Nessa wondered what she meant by together, the men and women together? "I'm not shy." Nothing could be further from the truth. She already felt naked and exposed before these people, taking her clothes off… be brave, she told herself.
"Good! Then I'll join you if you don't mind."
"Of course," Nessa said, speaking more boldly than she felt. Something in particular about Astrid was making her nervous. It was the way the older woman always seemed to touch her. Even more so, it was the fact that she, Nessa, liked it.
The hot spring was in a lovely grotto. Cold water streamed down a wall and fell into the pool fed by hot water coming from underground. The room was steamy and hot and the large boulders inside were covered in pretty green moss. There was a wooden bench placed outside where they left their clothes and then slipped inside to sink into the hot pool.
Nessa was happy to find the pool was rather cloudy with minerals, so she could hide her nakedness under the water. Astrid seemed to have no concerns whatsoever and she sat with her breasts bobbing gently on the water. The glances Nessa stole at the older woman confirmed she was much curvier than Nessa. Her breasts were a somewhat larger and her hips were too. But then she was older, maybe by ten years or so, making her around thirty.
"So, hmmmm, this is lovely, isn't it?" Astrid lounged against the rock walls of the pool and closed her eyes. "Do you have any questions for me? You must be curious. You've been awfully quiet since you arrived."
"I guess I am a little shy around new people at first," Nessa admitted. "Yes, I do have questions." She watched Astrid relax and hoped she wasn't being too personal. "Is your husband truly a werewoof?"
She's quite taken with him! She didn't know whether to feel jealous or delighted. It was definitely an odd situation to feel a little jealous of one's own husband. It was a little vexing, but only just a little. The girl would definitely liven things up around here. She stifled a laugh thinking she would have to be certain to throw Arnbjorn and Nessa together whenever possible. Really, it was far too amusing. Arnbjorn was jealous of Nessa and Astrid was jealous of Arnbjorn. Babette was going to love this when she found out.
"Oh, sorry! My mind wandered for a moment." Astrid apologized for her silence. "Yes, my husband is a werewolf. But don't worry about him, he won't hurt you"
"I think he hates me," Nessa said, her eyes conveying her hurt. "Why? I don't even know him."
"He's always suspicious of newcomers. Don't worry, little sister, he'll come around in time." Astrid cleared her throat. "I suppose I should tell you something about myself." She unfastened her braid and combed through her hair with her fingers. "I, like Babette, am a vampire."
Nessa jumped involuntarily and the water splashed a bit. "You… you're a vampire?"
Astrid smiled a little larger than she had before in the girl's presence and Nessa saw her sharp incisors. "Don't be alarmed, my dear. I wouldn't dream of harming you, or taking your blood."
Nessa's eyes were wide with the revelation. "Take my blood?"
"It's not necessary, so don't even concern yourself with it. I have plenty of opportunities to feed in our line of work, and Arnbjorn is generous with his blood. Such a big, healthy man like him doesn't miss a bit of blood."
Nessa stared at her with wide-eyes. "You drink your husband's blood?" This night seemed to deliver one shock after another to her.
Her shoulder rose in a little shrug. "It can be rather a pleasurable, intimate experience for us both." She moved closer to Nessa. "You see, I can sense the life blood pulsing in anyone." She raised her hand out of the hot water and traced a line along the column of Nessa's throat gently, with a fingernail. "Right here, it pulses strongest." Her finger came to rest over the artery. "One bite can bring exquisite pleasure, or death. Or both."
Nessa shivered under the finger. Her flesh was goose-pimpling with fear and desire. Desire? I'm losing my mind.
Astrid laughed and pulled her hand away. "You're safe from me though. No matter how delicious your blood smells none of us would ever feed on a family member, or harm them in any way, without mutual consent." Astrid's rich warm laughter echoed throughout the grotto. "Ah, my dear. You need to have a good dinner, drink Babette's potion, and have a good long rest."
Nessa finished bathing and Astrid gave her a nightshirt and a robe. She ate a very large dinner and Babette's potion did settle her disturbed guts, making her very sleepy as well. Even though her head was swirling from meeting her new family she couldn't keep her eyes open a moment longer. Two weeks of traveling across Skyrim and her illness had left her exhausted. Perhaps in the morning things won't be so confusing. She yawned and burrowed under the covers of the soft, fur covered bed they had given her. Not even childhood tales of vampires and werewolves could keep her awake a moment longer… or the memory of Astrid's fingers on her neck.
~o~o~o~
Notes: I definitely am writing a soap-opera, aren't I? I certainly appreciate the reviews! I'm trying to divide my time between this and "Post-Blight Management for Dummies". These chapters are shorter and the plot is only getting underway so it tends to be a little easier to write.
My ultra-mega-thanks to whoopsiedoodle, Biff McLaughlin, Zevgirl, NekoMara, Ethizen, x_Janelle_x, Mr CJ of Blackwater for taking the time to review. You all are feeding the muse and she appreciates your contribution! I love hearing from my readers. Please review!
Some interesting notes on my Skyrim game. I ran into Cicero outside of Whiterun before I even did the quest "Innocence Lost". His cart had a broken wheel and he needed my help getting it fixed. Also, in my game the prisoners didn't have bags on their heads, but their voices are muffled. It's rather funny.
You might have noticed that Nessa has a little trouble pronouncing werewolf correctly. It always comes out as werewoof.