𝘀𝗸𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗺|𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁𝘀

⚔︎𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐥𝐟⚔︎

𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕-𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑.
𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏.

⚔︎

Ebelle lay on her back dazing in and out of consciousness, the sun at its peak in the sky, shining through the snowy clouds above the land of Northern Eastern Skyrim.
A fire crackled gently at her legs, the bedroll she lay on a few feet from the dangerous warmth.

She wasn't alone, for with her a Dunmer, picking at the leg of a cooked rabbit almost feverishly. As if she'd been starved for days. 

Ebelle now fully conscious tried to sit up, urgently looking around too see if there was any immediate threat.

"Easy, easy. Don't get up so quickly" a low but smooth voice came from the side of her.

Ebelle looked up to see the Dunmer, well more than one since her vision was still trying to find focus again

"How are you feeling?" The Dunmer asked walking over to Ebelle and helping her up.

As Ebelle's vision came back to her, a sudden wave of realisation hit her like a mass of bricks. It was Karliah, the woman who shot her. Ebelle took three rushed steps back before tripping up and falling down again, her thieves guild armour making rustling sounds as she did so.

"Hold on...you shot me" Ebelle shouted, a rage threatening to be released scratched in the pit of her soul.

"No, I saved your life. My arrow was topped with a unique paralytic poison. It slowed your heart and kept you from bleeding out" Karliah responded walking over to Ebelle who had a confused look plastered on her face.

Karliah held out her gloved hand waiting for Ebelle to take it, and when she did she hoisted her back up to her feet.

"Had I intended to kill, we wouldn't be having this conversation" Karliah carried on, Ebelle pulled a face of agreement

"But..why save me?" She asked, her face now going back to confusion as she looked at Karliah, who now sat herself on a rock by her bedroll

"My original intention was to use that arrow in Mercer, but I never had a clear shot" she responded glancing into the fire solemnly

"I made a split second decision to get you out of the way and it prevented your death" she continued. Ebelle thought for a moment, this woman saved her from that bastard

"Then I am in your debt" she concluded, sitting down on her own bedroll and glancing at her saviour and back at the fire, completely mesmerized by the glowing tendrils it made

"More than you'll ever realize. The poison in that arrow took a year to perfect; I only had enough for a single shot. All I had hoped was to capture Mercer alive" this caused Ebelle's head to snap up and once again, contort into one of confusion

"why capture Mercer alive?" She asked, fiddling with her hands

"Mercer must be brought before the Guild to answer for what he's done. He needs to pay for Gallus's murder" Ebelle's face dropped, Mercer killed Gallus? It all made sense now. She was such a fool for trusting him.