Walk with Shadows

We Know

Gweneith's eyes opened to the morning sun peaking through her tent. She groaned, pulling the furs over her, unwilling to rouse from her bed this early. It was funny, how no longer needing to work on a farm weakened her early riser status.

"Well. I know I take the mother role more often than not, but this is a little ridiculous." The voice pulled Gweneith cautiously out of the bedroll. She was used to being awoken by the vicious sounds of an overbearing, usually hungry predator. There was something in her gut leaning in on this being hardly different at the core. A sweeter voice with a soft face wouldn't obfuscate the intentions of the woman before her. She smelled of death and her eyes burned with a deep confidence that was appealing. "Good, you at least can take a hint. It gives me hope for your ability to execute my will."

"Who... In the hell are you?" Her words broke with how dry her throat ran. The woman pushed off the tree, unfolding her arms and taking steps to Gweneith. She took all she could in, every bit of information could help her in whatever situation she was currently in. This would not be the first, nor the last she suspected, time she would ever be woken by someone who sought to harm her. The massive thumping embedded in her temple was just enough distraction to not show fear, though an astute onlooker might take the slight concave of her pronounced brow as the proof of her true feelings. "Please spare me a run around."

"To the point. I like it." She stopped a little ways from Gweneith, clearly staring at her with no less passion in her eyes. It was that passion she was so enamored by. "My name is Astrid, and you, dear Gweneith, are a murderer." She was cool as the Bosmer woman before her showed signs of cracking. she had taken notice of the assassin knowing her name but whether she knew Astrid as an assassin at all was up for debate. Watching as she swore the temperature rose for the woman before her, Astrid did feel slightly bad. "Oh, no fear, woman. You have to be strong. After all, the flare in which you carried out Sithis' silent will was spectacular. The void gobbled them up and left you with the strength to not go through with the next step." Astrid pointed to her wrist and the woman scrambled quickly to cover it up. The leather band which offered no actual armor protection covered the gnarled scar of uncertainty within her at the time.

She was a broken shell after the ordeal, no matter her last words to the two. Longing only to distance herself, she buried herself in the motions, which fizzled out quickly She wouldn't remember them, now, checked out from this plane. The first cut was just to feel something all building to the idea that if she pressed down harder there would be the emptiness she longed for finally at her door. The pain is the only thing that brought her back into the world. It was curious then, that this woman so strong and bold could light a small spark of caring deep within her own gut. Furthermore, this woman was calling her strong. It was a complete confusion chiseled into her face, under the tussled hair. Astrid smiled wickedly seeing the question that had formed during this all. "My dear... Life is hard for most. That is the cowards way out. The woman who took her situation into her own hands and refused to be a victim to those who betrayed her... Is above that."

"What?" The words flew out as if they were loaded on a spring. The chill that creeps down her skin, prickling the hairs as if washes over her threatened to make a second round as she started to piece together the situation. This woman knew so much about her already and she could do with this only three things. Submit to being jailed in Skyrim as a Bosmer that killed a couple of Nords. Play dumb and try to walk away from this matter. Kill this woman before her to free herself from her shackled past. Each path was thought about in the matter of moments she continued to stare at Astrid, silent and fixed. The anticipation of her choice was locked on her face. "How... Do you know so much? I've never seen you before."

"Gweneith... My kind walk with the shadows. We are silence and death itself. Your display sent waves through our underground world. Your pain was earth shattering. Your sorrow still lingers. We noticed. So  Are you submitting, or will you kill me, too?" Gweneith's brow rose, looking to Astrid and she chuckled. "That was you're only recourse, right?"