The morning was foggy and chill, I wanted to be out of the swamp as quickly as possible before it decided to snow or worse spit ice. We followed a game path out and eventually found the trail into Morthal. I pulled the saddle bag's out of my pack and placed them on my horse, taking the pack itself into the Inn with us, Signar did the same with his pack.
I had a berry tart for breakfast, Signar had a much heartier breakfast with sausage, eggs, toasted bread, and some mead. Tex had what looked like a very thick stew, it had been pretty funny when the barmaid had asked what we wanted and then started to leave, Tex had made a growl-bark sound and Signar had told her that Tex wanted something also. Funnier still after she brought our food and went to leave he stopped her by walking in front and nudging her till she was forced to put out her hand like she was going to pet him.... and he dropped a gold coin into said hand. Signar laughed and said, "Breakfast is on him".
Sometimes I wondered if that dog wasn't more human than some people I knew. I ate my tart with an appreciation for the heat of the berries in the middle and watched as Signar plowed through his food as if he had not eaten in a week. As I finished the last bite of my dinner a woman in a low-cut dress came over and started chatting Signar up, because of the way she was standing he was staring straight at her two best assets. His cheeks went red and he looked back down at his food. I shook my head, but as she leaned over to whisper in his ear, I had had enough and spoke up.
"Lady, I beg you to keep those fangs to yourself or we might have to face each other at noon with our favorite weapons." She looked and me, and I stared back, with raised eyebrows. I knew what she was and I was letting her know I knew. Tex was standing behind her with his hackles up and growling low in his throat. How the people of this town didn't see what she is, was beyond me, but each to their own.
I got up and went to get the food that the Inn Keeper had promised me, putting it in both of our packs. The woman winked and said that there were a couple of frozen venison steaks, potatoes, and tarts in the packs. They would last at least until tonight and if we were headed to higher regions maybe longer. I thanked her and went out to saddle the horses, Tex followed along with me, but I paused to tell Signar to take his time with breakfast, it would be a few days before we would get to Rorikstead and at least a day after that to Whiterun.
As we neared the Whiterun stables a courier came up and handed me a letter from the Jarl of Falkreath Hold. I gave the man a few gold and said thank you, then put the letter in my pack. As I started to unsaddle my horse, Tex flopped down and whined, I looked down into those big blue eyes and told him if he wanted to go see Hulda and get a bowl of her stew to go ahead, it wasn't like he would help unsaddle the horses or carry gear to the house. He jumped up and ran a few steps then came back and reared up on his hind leg's almost knocking me down and licked the side of my face once and then bolted. I shook my head as I watched him go.
Signar was laughing so I asked him if he wanted to give me a hug, a lick, and then run. That got the stable man laughing. Signar just paused in the grooming of his horse and looked over her back at me. I blinked at the intense stare he gave me and went beat red when he said.
"My Lady if I wanted to hug and lick you, I would not be running away after:", To which the stable man fell out of his chair laughing. I balled up the cloth I was using and threw it at him, it landed on top of his blond head. He just pulled it off and kept rubbing his horse down.
When we ended up on the same side, between the horses, he caught me by the shoulder and leaned down... "My Lady, I but tease, I know you do not look upon me in such a way." I looked at our feet and heaved a huge sigh. I looked back up and saw the concern on his face.
"No, Signar, I think of you as a good friend, not just my housecarl. I do not know that I want my heart entangled with another, so long as this curse is on me. Martin was bad enough and I only lost him once, though I have a lifetime of memories from each of my resurrections. It is bad enough when I begin to care for someone only to lose them again and again until I give up our friendship and make events happen in a different way. I remember that friendship, but they have no knowledge of the depth it goes to."
He nodded and said he understood, I wondered though. It had been a long time since his wife died, but I could not and would not let those types of thoughts interfere with our friendship, it was too rare that I had anyone that I could count on.
When we reached the house, the guard that was assigned handed me a stack of towels and said that as soon as he had seen the black hound dart past, he had started filling the bath with hot water. I thanked him calmly and politely, even though I wanted to squeal and give him a great big hug... a hot bath...hot!! I hurried upstairs to my bath and soaked until the water turned cool. I crawled into bed and slept the clock around.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was walking back from the baths when my door opened before I touched the handle, the Lady of the house was standing there, she beckoned me inside. When my eye's adjusted to the dimmer light of the bedroom, I saw that she and her daughters were standing there in gowns so sheer they might as well not have been wearing them. She walked up to me and started unbuttoning my shirt, "Your master will be home tomorrow, we wish to have some fun tonight" I knew the kind of fun they wanted, I had avoided them as much as possible, but it wasn't always possible. Well all three of them at once, this would piss the master off if he knew. And really isn't that what my life had come down to, pissing him off without going so far that he would have his favored assassin killed... punished, oh yes, I had the whip scar's to prove that he would punish.
I was laying at my ease, after having satisfied all three of the ladies..two of them curled one on either side, with their mother half draped over my thighs, when I heard the heavy click of The Master's footsteps. I did not even bother to move, other than to place my hand's on the headboard behind me. As he stepped into the room two men went around him one on either side.
He bellowed in rage and all three of the ladies jerked awake and screamed, it is not like they could yell rape when they were in my room. He yelled for them to leave and slapped his wife as she passed him. Me he threatened to kill, telling the men to take me to the courtyard.
As they neared, took a step closer to the bed, I pulled two daggers from the sheaths behind the headboard and threw one at each man. They both hit the floor as the slow-acting paralytic poison took effect. The master yelled and drew his sword and I came off the bed with the sword I drew from the scabbard that was hanging on the bedpost.
It was not a fair fight, I was young and the best assassin that he had ever trained, he was old and had slowed much more than he thought. As I held my sword against his throat, I told him that all he had ever had to do was treat me with respect and kindness and I probably would have been his dog until death. Inch by inch, I pressed the blade into his throat until the main artery was severed and pumping his lifeblood out.
I turned around and quickly got dressed, as I was sure that the ladies had hysterically told the guards some false story about what was happening. That night those three ladies and I were the only things left alive in the villa. I had almost forgotten my name, almost, but I said it out loud now..."Nelthas Dareathys, I am Nelthas Dareathys, I am no longer the Crimson Raven, I am my own man." I knew at that time that I would not be able to quit being an assassin, but I would only take those jobs that I wanted to take.
I awoke with a start, covered in sweat, with the smell of blood strong in my nose. I had not thought of those days in a very long time. Was I still that cold-blooded assassin that rarely ever thought beyond pleasing his Master? That is until his Master got crueler and crueler as he got older and slower.
Signar was laughing so I asked him if he wanted to give me a hug, a lick, and then run. That got the stable man laughing. Signar just paused in the grooming of his horse and looked over her back at me. I blinked at the intense stare he gave me and went beat red when he said.
"My Lady if I wanted to hug and lick you, I would not be running away after:", To which the stable man fell out of his chair laughing. I balled up the cloth I was using and threw it at him, it landed on top of his blond head. He just pulled it off and kept rubbing his horse down.
When we ended up on the same side, between the horses, he caught me by the shoulder and leaned down... "My Lady, I but tease, I know you do not look upon me in such a way." I looked at our feet and heaved a huge sigh. I looked back up and saw the concern on his face.
"No, Signar, I think of you as a good friend, not just my housecarl. I do not know that I want my heart entangled with another, so long as this curse is on me. Martin was bad enough and I only lost him once, though I have a lifetime of memories from each of my resurrections. It is bad enough when I begin to care for someone only to lose them again and again until I give up our friendship and make events happen in a different way. I remember that friendship, but they have no knowledge of the depth it goes to."
He nodded and said he understood, I wondered though. It had been a long time since his wife died, but I could not and would not let those types of thoughts interfere with our friendship, it was too rare that I had anyone that I could count on.
When we reached the house, the guard that was assigned handed me a stack of towels and said that as soon as he had seen the black hound dart past, he had started filling the bath with hot water. I thanked him calmly and politely, even though I wanted to squeal and give him a great big hug... a hot bath...hot!! I hurried upstairs to my bath and soaked until the water turned cool. I crawled into bed and slept the clock around.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was walking back from the baths when my door opened before I touched the handle, the Lady of the house was standing there, she beckoned me inside. When my eye's adjusted to the dimmer light of the bedroom, I saw that she and her daughters were standing there in gowns so sheer they might as well not have been wearing them. She walked up to me and started unbuttoning my shirt, "Your master will be home tomorrow, we wish to have some fun tonight" I knew the kind of fun they wanted, I had avoided them as much as possible, but it wasn't always possible. Well all three of them at once, this would piss the master off if he knew. And really isn't that what my life had come down to, pissing him off without going so far that he would have his favored assassin killed... punished, oh yes, I had the whip scar's to prove that he would punish.
I was laying at my ease, after having satisfied all three of the ladies..two of them curled one on either side, with their mother half draped over my thighs, when I heard the heavy click of The Master's footsteps. I did not even bother to move, other than to place my hand's on the headboard behind me. As he stepped into the room two men went around him one on either side.
He bellowed in rage and all three of the ladies jerked awake and screamed, it is not like they could yell rape when they were in my room. He yelled for them to leave and slapped his wife as she passed him. Me he threatened to kill, telling the men to take me to the courtyard.
As they neared, took a step closer to the bed, I pulled two daggers from the sheaths behind the headboard and threw one at each man. They both hit the floor as the slow-acting paralytic poison took effect. The master yelled and drew his sword and I came off the bed with the sword I drew from the scabbard that was hanging on the bedpost.
It was not a fair fight, I was young and the best assassin that he had ever trained, he was old and had slowed much more than he thought. As I held my sword against his throat, I told him that all he had ever had to do was treat me with respect and kindness and I probably would have been his dog until death. Inch by inch, I pressed the blade into his throat until the main artery was severed and pumping his lifeblood out.
I turned around and quickly got dressed, as I was sure that the ladies had hysterically told the guards some false story about what was happening. That night those three ladies and I were the only things left alive in the villa. I had almost forgotten my name, almost, but I said it out loud now..."Nelthas Dareathys, I am Nelthas Dareathys, I am no longer the Crimson Raven, I am my own man." I knew at that time that I would not be able to quit being an assassin, but I would only take those jobs that I wanted to take.
I awoke with a start, covered in sweat, with the smell of blood strong in my nose. I had not thought of those days in a very long time. Was I still that cold-blooded assassin that rarely ever thought beyond pleasing his Master? That is until his Master got crueler and crueler as he got older and slower.
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