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<\/p>\n\u201cSo where is this place, again?\u201d Brynjolf asked as they trudged down the snow-covered road on the far side of Pale Pass.<\/p>\n
It was so cold that their footsteps made an odd, squeaking noise against the snow, the kind of cold that froze the moisture in a man\u2019s nostrils and kept him from picking up scents.\u00a0 Andante was glad that the two of them were vampires, and thus had a certain degree of natural resistance to the cold, but even so he was uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s called Whitewood Creek, Bryn. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s down there, all I know is that it\u2019s south of the city. It doesn\u2019t matter though. We really ought to go during the day when we can see what\u2019s going on. I\u2019m not keen on running into ogres in the dark or something equally unpalatable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m hearing you say that, but alright. We\u2019ll go to the inn in Bruma first.\u201d\u00a0 Brynjolf was silent for a few moments, a few steps, and then cleared his throat. \u201cI hate to bring this up but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, you probably could have just told the gate guard that you were with the Imperial army. With your accent, you could have pulled it off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andante frowned. \u201cAnd the two of us in what is clearly vampire armor? I\u2019m certain that would have worked.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
They\u2019d reached the guard gate at Pale Pass not long before, and had been stopped by one of the Legion guards. One look had told Andante that this particular man took his job very seriously; unlike the highly bribable men Brynjolf had posted at the north gate of Riften, there was no potential for slipping him a few coins for passage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to go to Bruma,\u201d Andante had told him, trying to sound as official as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody gets through without the Legate\u2019s permission,\u201d the guard had said, puffed up and with a superior expression on his face.<\/p>\n
Andante had leaned forward and smiled.\u00a0 Or, rather, Vitus had smiled, that unpleasant and threatening smile that seemed to put absolutely everyone on edge. \u201cWell let me speak to the Legate, then.\u00a0 You\u2019re wasting my time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps his vampiric power shone out even through the illusion spell. The guard had gulped, nodded, and gone to get the Legate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t let just anyone through the border, citizen,\u201d the Legate told them. \u201cThere\u2019s a war on. You need to provide official papers or show some other valid justification for your passage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andante had turned to smile at Brynjolf.\u00a0 \u201cWell, we don\u2019t have any papers,\u201d he\u2019d said, winking at his companion.\u00a0 \u201cWe do have a justification, though.\u00a0 At least it justifies passage for us in my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
And he had transformed, shouting, \u201cWe want. To go. To Bruma!\u201d and had attacked the Legate with claws.<\/p>\n
\u201cShit,\u201d Brynjolf said.\u00a0 Then he, too, transformed.<\/p>\n
It had been complete pandemonium, accompanied by bloody carnage, for a short while after that.\u00a0 Andante\u2019s spells exploded over and over; guards rushed forward, shouting death threats, only to slump over lifeless.\u00a0 Others found their chests or necks ripped open either by Brynjolf\u2019s claws or by his teeth.\u00a0 The archers atop the watchtower had been absolutely certain that the vampires would die. They were wrong. Both Andante and Brynjolf had flown up into the tower and begun casting life-draining spells on them simultaneously; one of them somersaulted backward out of the tower and fell to his death and the other died shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n
Finally it had fallen silent around the border gate.\u00a0 Andante reverted to his human form, fed on the Legate, and then straightened up, brushing himself off and opening the gate with the Legate\u2019s key.<\/p>\n
\u201cShall we?\u201d he said, grinning at Brynjolf, who reverted and sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, lad. After all that, I think we\u2019d better move along.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t want to be here in the morning. The Legion is not going to be happy about the cleanup.\u201d<\/p>\n
They were on their way to Whitewood Creek in Bruma County, Cyrodiil, to retrieve an amulet.\u00a0 Feran Sadri, another of the Dunmer vampires in Volkihar Castle, had told Andante that he had discovered the locations of two amulets that were known to enhance a vampire lord\u2019s power.\u00a0 Andante wasn\u2019t particularly interested in retrieving them, even though he would be able to keep the amulets for himself, but Feran insisted that they be found so as not to linger in lesser hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course you may keep them for yourself,\u201d he\u2019d said. \u201cAnd then revel in your power.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019d fumed to himself, silently, that they\u2019d become the errand boys of the Volkihar vampires but had agreed to take on the task. It really wasn\u2019t<\/em> appropriate for amulets of vampiric power to be in hands other than theirs, after all, and the two of them were in fact the best-equipped to deal with the issue. He\u2019d gotten a barely-civil Serana to coat a few more arrows for him, and they had left.<\/p>\n The first of the amulets was easy to retrieve.\u00a0 The Forsworn of Druadach Redoubt had it tucked away in a chest in their cave; and while Andante might once have been fearful of going near a Forsworn encampment, those days were long behind him. It had taken no time at all to dispatch everyone in the cavern, scoop the amulet from its resting place and continue along the path south and east toward Falkreath Hold.<\/p>\n The second amulet, though \u2013 the one they were currently on their way to retrieve \u2013 was in Cyrodiil.<\/p>\n Andante hadn\u2019t wanted to go.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need it, Bryn. And we have other things to do, don\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you from Cyrodiil, Andante? This should be a quick and easy thing for you,\u201d Brynjolf asked as they made their way toward Falkreath Hold.<\/p>\n Andante had stopped and taken Brynjolf by the shoulders, turning him to face him.\u00a0 \u201cBryn. I don\u2019t remember<\/em>. I have a few memories of Bravil and the area around it, I\u2019ve told you that; but that\u2019s all. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve been through Bruma before \u2013 I must have been \u2013 but as far as my memory is concerned this may as well be my very first time there. I\u2019m really uncomfortable about taking on a job in completely unfamiliar territory.\u201d<\/p>\n I must have looked sad, he thought as Brynjolf gave him a quick one-armed hug.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t think.\u00a0 It must be hard for you. I don\u2019t remember much about Falskaar but I do remember it; to have no recollection at all, well\u2026 I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante shrugged. \u201cIt\u2019s fine, Bryn. Just don\u2019t expect much in the way of directions once we get to the border. We\u2019ll both need to keep our eyes peeled and our ears sharp.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, as they worked their way around a long curve through a heavily wooded part of the pass, tucked between high cliffs on either side, Brynjolf chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, I distinctly remember you being the one to tell me that these getups did not <\/em>scream vampire.\u00a0 But that was your excuse for \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, well, look what we have here,\u201d came a heavily-accented voice from ahead of them. Three figures rushed at them from the darkness of what looked to be a cave or a mine just down the road.<\/p>\n Andante sighed, and pulled his axe and the Razor.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we have here, my fine fellows, is the end of your lives.\u201d He stepped forward and hacked angrily at the first man to reach him.\u00a0 The man\u2019s torso clumped to the road as his head hurtled down the side of the Jeralls.\u00a0 Brynjolf dashed past Andante and took out the second man in line with a few efficient sword strikes; then they both set upon the last of the assailants.<\/p>\n When they were all dead Andante frowned, looking around.\u00a0 In addition to the three men they\u2019d dispatched there were other corpses: two farmers and their horse. Their wagon was upended just down the hill from the bodies.\u00a0 \u201cCutters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what they call themselves. Cutters.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why I know that, but I\u2019m sure it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you have been here before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, Bryn,\u201d he said, looking around, and then continuing around the corner of the switchback.\u00a0 The road crossed a bridge high over the river that rushed down the side of the mountains, and then made yet another sharp turn, this one to their right. They were emerging from the pass itself; the trees, no longer crowded by cliffs on either side, swept away in great drifts that spread outward and down toward the flatter lands beyond.\u00a0 Toward the middle of this stretch of road was a monument, a statue of a man standing sentinel over the pass to and from this province of Cyrodiil.\u00a0 They passed the statue and around another great, sweeping turn.<\/p>\n Andante looked at Brynjolf and shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cIt feels slightly familiar. I really wish I could tell you for certain, but I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He stopped, dumbstruck, and stared out across the expanse that opened up before them.<\/p>\n It\u2019s\u2026 It\u2019s\u2026 Oh my.<\/em><\/p>\n He stepped forward, off the road and toward the edge of the cliff beyond it.\u00a0 What he saw had memories flooding out from behind whatever gate had held them back, and he found his throat constricting with emotion.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the Imperial City, Brynjolf.\u00a0 Look.\u201d He pointed out across the sky, down the side of the mountains, toward the water surrounding Cyrodiil\u2019s capital, the capital of the Empire. \u00a0At its center, the slender spire of the White-Gold Tower reached for the clouds, the same as it had done the last time he\u2019d seen it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know when that was, or what I was doing, but there it is.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n He knew that once it was day, what he was looking at would be green, and alive, and beautiful, and the air would carry the sounds of hundreds of birds and beasts, of the rivers rippling down through the hillsides, and even of the trees whispering among themselves as the breezes blew through their leaves. Unbidden, his mind presented him with the scents of the warmer climate, of growing things, of the fragrances of flowers.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t that there were no growing things in Skyrim, no rushing rivers, no birds calling to each other in the golden leaves of the Rift\u2019s aspens. But these, the things he knew were in the place he could see before him, would be the sounds and smells of his home.<\/p>\n He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat, and turned to look toward his right. Atop the next ridge over, but at a lower elevation than the spot where they currently stood, was a walled city, its many towers dotting the hillside.\u00a0 \u201cAnd over there, see? It\u2019s Bruma.\u201d<\/p>\n He was suddenly overwhelmed by an unfamiliar surge of emotions. He turned to his companion and grabbed him by the arms, staring earnestly into Brynjolf\u2019s golden eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s home<\/em>, Bryn.\u201d\u00a0 He looked back at Bruma and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWell, not home \u2013 Bravil is home \u2013 but Brynjolf, I remember<\/em> this.\u00a0 I remember<\/em> it.\u00a0 I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n His voice broke, and he wiped at his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m\u2026 I\u2019m sorry, I don\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLad,\u201d Brynjolf said softly, smiling.\u00a0 He pulled Andante close. \u201cIt\u2019s alright.\u201d<\/p>\n It was too much for Andante.<\/p>\n For the next few moments he found himself clinging to Brynjolf, sobbing.<\/p>\n Part of his mind observed himself.<\/p>\n What is this? What in Oblivion is going on here? I don\u2019t cry. Why am I crying? Have I ever cried before? No, I\u2019m sure I haven\u2019t. I\u2019ve come close, but I\u2019ve never cried.<\/em><\/p>\n But now he was<\/em> crying, and he couldn\u2019t seem to get control over himself.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t make any sense to him that the sight of a place that hadn\u2019t even been his residence would make him cry. He was fairly certain that whatever else went along with remembering Cyrodiil probably wasn\u2019t something to be proud of, or nostalgic for. But he remembered, and that made him cry.<\/p>\n They took it away from me. For years. They took it away, and they\u2019ve turned me into some sort of blubbering idiot now that it\u2019s back. I want that time back. I want to have been whole, for all this time since I woke on the hillside. I hate them all. <\/em><\/p>\n Tears of anger. That\u2019s what these are. I\u2019ve heard of them before and now I understand.<\/em><\/p>\n He pushed himself away from Brynjolf, roughly scrubbing at his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d he muttered. \u201cI feel like an idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAndante,\u201d Brynjolf said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to feel bad about.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed out over the vista. \u201cWhatever happened to you robbed you of this for a long time, and now you have it back. I think I\u2019d be emotional, too.\u201d He dropped his gaze to the ground, and his voice softened.\u00a0 \u201cHeh. Who am I fooling? I know<\/em> I would be emotional.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to lose something important.\u201d<\/p>\n There were a few moments of silence, as Andante struggled to get himself under control and Brynjolf waited, patiently, his own thoughts held close to his own vest.\u00a0 Then, when Andante felt calm again and nodded, Brynjolf started back toward the road.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a way to go, if I remember correctly. Bruma isn\u2019t as close as it looks from here.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante\u2019s head snapped up.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you have<\/em> been here before?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf chuckled, walking down the roadway.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I have.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante stared after him for a few moments, astonished.\u00a0 Then he laughed out loud.<\/p>\n \u201cYou bastard. I\u2019ll get you for this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave to catch me first, lad,\u201d Brynjolf called back to him, breaking into the blindingly fast sprint of a vampire, and careening down the road into the valley below.<\/p>\n Andante laughed again and took off after him.<\/p>\n It took them some time, but not as long as Brynjolf\u2019s comment might have suggested, to reach the steep slopes leading up into the city of Bruma. At the crossroads, just where the road into the city peeled off to climb directly up the mountainside, they met a Khajiit dressed in warm Colovian fur clothing.\u00a0 Andante\u2019s eyes narrowed; there was something familiar in the look of the man.\u00a0 Hmm.<\/em> If I\u2019m right about this\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n The Khajiit waited, patiently, as they approached, and then stepped forward.<\/p>\n \u201cGreetings.\u00a0 This one has something sweet for the fellow traveler, if it entices.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled his toothy grin at Andante, awaiting the reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d Andante said, turning to Brynjolf and grinning.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know that they make the very best skooma in Cyrodiil? None of that watered-down stuff that makes its way across the border into Skyrim.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked from Andante to the Khajiit and back again, puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026 had heard that, but I would have thought that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Andante cut him off. \u201cAh, yes, that. You see, my dear Khajiit,\u201d he said, turning to the merchant, \u201cIt happens that I am something of a connoisseur of fine skooma. I\u2019d like to sample some of your stock.\u201d<\/p>\n The Khajiit frowned. \u201cSample? This one does not give out samples, traveler.\u00a0 Payment is expected.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante stepped up to the Khajiit and placed one arm around his shoulder, a gesture that clearly had the merchant uncomfortable. \u00a0\u201cYou see,\u201d he said in a conspiratorial whisper, leaning in close to the Khajiit\u2019s face, \u201cI\u2019m from Bravil. I\u2019ve been making my own for a very long time. Learned from the best.\u00a0 I like to keep up on the competition, to see whether my game is still up to scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n The Khajiit pulled back and hissed at him.\u00a0 \u201cNo, sir. This one does not believe you and he does not give out free samples.\u00a0 You may pay for his wares or you may continue along the road.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante stepped back, smiling, and shrugged. \u201cWell that\u2019s a shame. I had hoped there might be some pity for the poor footsore travelers. Another time, perhaps.\u201d\u00a0 He turned back to Brynjolf and nodded toward the road, then half-bowed to the Khajiit.\u00a0 \u201cSafe journeys.\u201d<\/p>\n They\u2019d not walked too far up the slope when Brynjolf said, \u201cAndante.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, nothing. Nothing at all.\u00a0 Oh wait, I meant to give this to you.\u00a0 A little something to enjoy later on.\u201d\u00a0 He clasped Brynjolf\u2019s hands in his own, slipping the bottle of Cyrodiilian skooma into the big redhead\u2019s possession.\u00a0 Then he chuckled. \u201cTook one for myself, too.\u00a0 I promise you it\u2019s good stuff, probably not as overpowering as that batch of mine we\u2019ve been working through.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked into his palm and then burst out laughing. \u201cYou took it right out of his pockets?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did. It\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve had such a good reason to practice. So there you go.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf grinned. \u201cYou would have thought I\u2019d have noticed what you were up to. Well done, lad.\u00a0 By the way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want you to teach me how to make it, sometime soon. Your idea for a side business is a good one, but if only one person knows how to do a thing, that makes the business a very risky one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s an excellent idea, loverboy. When we get back to Volkihar, I\u2019ll\u2026 \u00a0Oh!\u201d<\/p>\n Andante had been looking at either Brynjolf or the slick stones of the road in front of him, but stopped short as he caught sight of the city before them. He took stock of the well-kept masonry, the golden banners hug on either side of the archway, the enormous braziers lighting and warming passage into the city. The closer they got to the outermost gate, the more familiar it felt; and he turned to find Brynjolf smiling at him.<\/p>\n \u201cBeen here before, lad?\u201d Brynjolf asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I\u2019m fairly certain of it,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not completely sure, but it feels familiar.\u00a0 I think we need to go up the hill and\u2026 stairs? To the inn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Brynjolf said. \u201cThe Jerall View.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never stayed here but I\u2019ve heard it\u2019s a fine place. We can rent a room there and head out once it\u2019s light.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n The city of Bruma was encircled by a thick curtain wall, its outer and inner gates forming a stout defense for most of its residents.\u00a0 Andante stepped through the gate, nodding to the guard as he passed. Between the two openings the pathway was mounded, whether by natural terrain or by design he couldn\u2019t tell. They continued through the second gate, beyond which on either side was a row of low-lying homes, hugging the inner wall.\u00a0 Carts and barrels lined the street, and a large, roaring brazier warmed the evening for the guard stationed there.\u00a0 Beyond it, though, was a sight that stopped Andante in his tracks.<\/p>\n \u201cWow.\u201d<\/p>\n At the top of the steep roadway and to his left rose the massive edifice that was the Church of Saint Martin, the circular stained glass windows beneath its steeple a distinctive feature that he knew instantly.\u00a0 He looked around, and realized that everything was familiar. There, just there, beyond the church, they would find a plaza with a short staircase leading to the next level of the city; there they would find the inn, and shops, and the smith at the far right of the street.\u00a0 Above that he could see the tower that he knew belonged to Castle Bruma.<\/p>\n I know this. I\u2019ve been here before. I\u2019ve spent time here.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, Andante?\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed up the hill. \u201cI want to go into the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf had come to stand beside him, and was watching him carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cYou remember this, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cNot completely, not everything, but\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He pointed ahead of them. \u201cThe inn is up there. The good inn, that is.\u201d\u00a0 He thought hard. There\u2019s something else here. Another place. Something important about it, but\u2026\u00a0 <\/em>He shook his head. \u201cI know there\u2019s another inn here but I don\u2019t remember where. But I do know there\u2019s something important about the church.\u00a0 I want to go in.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf grinned. \u201cNever took you to be the religious type, but let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante snorted, the joke having shaken him out of his dazed state just a bit.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you were right. It\u2019s just that I\u2019m remembering.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf chuckled. \u201cI know. It\u2019s good that you\u2019re remembering.\u201d<\/p>\n I hope so. But I have a bad feeling.<\/em><\/p>\n They stepped through the massive doors and into the cathedral.\u00a0 Andante stood in the atrium, transfixed. He recognized it; its tranquility, its stained glass windows with the names of the deities inscribed. He recognized the immaculate condition of the place, the ancient but pristine stonework, the old polished wooden pews, and the quiet of it.\u00a0 He recognized the shrines to the Eight divines, each on its own low table, spaced along both aisles. He remembered the basin in the octagonal stone surround, at the front of the church. And the sense of foreboding he\u2019d felt walking up the hill increased.<\/p>\n This is the place. This. There\u2019s something\u2026\u00a0 It\u2019s down this way.<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf strolled casually down the nave, looking as though it was the most common thing in the world for a Vampire Lord to be in a cathedral that wasn\u2019t one dedicated to Molag Bal.\u00a0 Andante smiled, and continued silently down the steps from the atrium into the left aisle. He walked slowly down it, looking around for anything that would give him a clue as to why this place seemed so familiar and so significant. Julianos, Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella \u2013 these were the gods placed along the left, each shrine before the window bearing the same name.\u00a0 When he reached Dibella he turned to look at Brynjolf.<\/p>\n And he froze.<\/p>\n Brynjolf had reached the front row of pews and taken a seat in one of them, nearest the aisle where Andante stood.\u00a0 His head was inclined slightly, the weight of his upper body on the arm propped across his thighs, and with his hood on it was impossible to tell whether he was smiling, weeping, or resting his eyes. But Andante saw something else.<\/p>\n He saw a woman, slender, in black, her long red hair falling forward over her shoulders as she sighed, quietly mourning her parents in the still of the church.<\/p>\n Andante\u2019s throat clenched into a knot so tight that he had to fight to breathe.<\/p>\n By all the gods. I remember.<\/em><\/p>\n The girl. With red hair.\u00a0 I saw her here and I thought \u2013 I thought she was Alisanne Dupre.\u00a0 I was so certain that it was her and all I wanted in the world was for her to notice me and\u2026\u00a0 And she wouldn\u2019t look at me.\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t turn; she didn\u2019t acknowledge me even though I knew that she was aware of my presence.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n Listener, please look at me, please\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHmm?\u201d\u00a0 Brynjolf turned and glanced at him.\u00a0 \u201cIs everything alright, lad?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante fought to focus.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the girl. It\u2019s Brynjolf. And we have a job to do. It will be fine. And I\u2019m not Vitus Perdeti, I am Andante.<\/em><\/p>\n He drew a breath. He felt his heart beating.\u00a0 He shook his head.<\/p>\n I am Vitus Perdeti.<\/em><\/p>\n He forced his voice out between his teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it\u2019s fine.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go. I must have been imagining things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright. I could use a drink. Let\u2019s go find that inn.\u201d Brynjolf smiled at him and rose to leave the church, and Andante followed slowly behind, trying desperately to bring himself back to the present.\u00a0 He mounted the steps back to the atrium, and then turned to look back at the front pew one more time.<\/p>\n Alessia Previa.\u00a0 I remember her now.<\/em><\/p>\n She wasn\u2019t the Listener.<\/em><\/p>\n He pushed open the door into Bruma, certain that his expression must be set in the most grim lines possible.\u00a0 Almost without thinking, he turned left. The Jerall View would be directly in front of them if they took the staircase just ahead.\u00a0 He\u2019d almost reached the bottom of the steps when he frowned, and turned his head to the left again, looking down the alley that ran alongside the church.\u00a0 There\u2019s something about this spot. <\/em><\/p>\n He turned and made his way down the darkened street, almost as though he was being led.<\/p>\n \u201cLad?\u201d he heard behind him.\u00a0 \u201cThe inn\u2019s not that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I know,\u201d he murmured. \u201cBut there\u2019s something\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The area widened out into a dismal little market area with weeds growing up between the cobbles. The stones upon which the city\u2019s terraces rested pushed out, roughly, into the marketplace. The vendor\u2019s stalls were surrounded by carts and barrels with goods left out in the open.\u00a0 Everything was unguarded.\u00a0 The whole area was dark, and in spite of the gaily colored string of pennants trying to keep up a brave front, the entire area was imbued with an air of neglect.<\/p>\n Andante\u2019s heart started racing as he stepped past the well in the marketplace\u2019s center and circled right.\u00a0 He turned to his left, slightly, and was caught completely by surprise by the full force of the memory of an assassination.<\/p>\n No. It wasn\u2019t an assassination. It was a murder. I followed her here, at night, and I slit her throat because she wasn\u2019t Alisanne Dupre.\u00a0 I had no other reason for doing it. Nobody was paying me to do it. It was just a murder.<\/em><\/p>\n He stared, horrified, at the spot where it had happened. He remembered how it felt. A dance, each step unique, perfect and elegant, its climax a gaping wound, a limp form, the light slowly fading from a pair of exquisite eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026 don\u2019t feel well,\u201d he murmured, lurching to a secluded spot behind one of the stony outcroppings.\u00a0 His stomach emptied itself of what little it held. His eyes were closed but he heard Brynjolf, behind him, making concerned and comforting sounds.<\/p>\n I knew this was me. I knew that I\u2019m Vitus. But how could I have done such a horrendous thing? I kill as a business, for pay, for other people\u2019s reasons, not for my own. Or for self-protection, in a battle. She didn\u2019t do anything to me. She had no reason to die. She was a beautiful woman who just happened to be in the church when I was and I killed her for no reason at all.<\/em><\/p>\n What kind of monster am I?\u00a0 Why am I allowed to be here?<\/em><\/p>\n He coughed, his head swimming, and stood back from the stone, trying to catch his breath.\u00a0 He wiped an arm across the forehead that was slick with cold sweat and blinked to clear his eyes.<\/p>\n I shouldn\u2019t be here.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAndante. It\u2019s all right.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go find a room and get you some rest.\u00a0 Come on. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante was vaguely aware of Brynjolf\u2019s comforting arm wrapping around his shoulder, guiding him out of the marketplace and up the stairs toward the inn.\u00a0 It took several long moments before he came back to himself enough to turn his head and look at Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, my dear,\u201d he said faintly. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I don\u2019t know what happened to me.\u201d<\/p>\n And thus, I lie to you once again.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry.<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf smiled, but Andante could see worry in his eyes in spite of it.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure it has to be hard to have all these things coming back at once.\u00a0 It\u2019s normal. And you need to cast your illusion spell, right now,\u201d he said, lowering his voice. \u201cYellow eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.\u201d\u00a0 Andante shook his head and stepped away from Brynjolf, casting the spell, the familiarity of the routine bringing him back to himself a bit.\u00a0 He grinned at Brynjolf.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m certain you haven\u2019t had enough experience with amnesia victims to know whether becoming violently ill in the middle of a marketplace is normal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t give me a hard time, lad,\u201d Brynjolf told him, not sounding at all amused.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not talking about amnesia, I\u2019m talking about shock.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have you know that I lost at least one of my meals if not more after Dynny died.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Of course.\u00a0 How stupid of me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just get indoors.\u00a0 It\u2019s cold out here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is.\u00a0 It\u2019s very cold.\u201d<\/p>\n They were just about to open the doors of the Jerall View when Andante looked up at the nearby rooftops, not certain why he was doing so.\u00a0 Cold up there, too, I\u2019ll wager.<\/em>\u00a0 He pushed open the door of the inn, thinking about a warm drink and a warm bed.<\/p>\n As distracted as he had been by the crush of his own returning memories, Andante was taken out of himself, rudely, the moment they stepped through the door.\u00a0 At the far end of the long bar stood a man wearing fine clothing and a ridiculous fur hat of a style from a bygone age, making the most horrendous sounds Andante had ever heard.\u00a0 By the fact that he was strumming a lute, Andante took him to be a bard, or at least a man who fancied himself a bard.<\/p>\n Andante stared at Brynjolf, his mouth dropping open as the man soared to a note that might have been glorious coming from the throat of a person who could sing but which in this case sounded like a shattered glass being ground, slowly, beneath a millstone, shrieking and wailing as it went. Brynjolf looked back at him, astonished, and then snorted, his head dipping as he stifled a laugh.\u00a0 He slipped onto a barstool, facing away from the musician, and Andante walked in shock to stand by his side.<\/p>\n \u201cRenod, you\u2019re distressing the customers,\u201d the innkeeper said, a remark which led the man to launch a long, pompous, and mostly unintelligible rant about the inn impugning his honor. He moved toward the door, pronouncing that he would henceforth take his talent to the other establishment in town.\u00a0 At least that\u2019s what Andante thought he said.<\/p>\n \u201cYe gods,\u201d Brynjolf snickered from beneath his hood. \u201cI can sing better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante laughed. \u201cI can\u2019t, but I know enough to keep it to myself when I\u2019m too inebriated to stop.\u00a0 One moment.\u201d<\/p>\n He stepped up to the man in the absurd hat and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYou are?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRenod Even-Toned, trained at the Bard\u2019s College in Solitude.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante looked at the floor for a moment, smirking, running through the several choice things he wished to say.\u00a0 Then he raised his head and gave the man a look.\u00a0 It must be one of Vitus\u2019 looks, he thought as he saw Renod flinch and swallow hard.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were no more trained at the Bard\u2019s College than I was, my good sir, and I should know; I own a home next to the Bard\u2019s College.\u00a0 But I\u2019ll tell you what. I shall give you a great deal of gold right here, right now, if you will leave this fine establishment and pursue your training there, and a strenuous pursuit it\u2019s likely to be. You may be able to begin in a week or so if you get a good head start on the trip.\u201d<\/p>\n He reached into the depths of his pocket and pulled out a fat coin purse, handing it to the erstwhile Bard. Renod stood, dumbfounded, his mouth slightly open; then he turned on his heel and swept out the door, slamming it behind him.<\/p>\n The laugh Brynjolf had been suppressing during Renod\u2019s performance broke loose, and both Andante and the innkeeper joined him.<\/p>\n Much later in the evening Andante sat on the floor before the fire, in a room that he knew, leaning back against the side of the bed in which he remembered sleeping once before, listening to Brynjolf snoring softly.\u00a0 He sipped his brandy, sorting through memories that he\u2019d been longing to recover and now wished had stayed buried beneath the wall that the Jarl of Markarth\u2019s housecarl had built when she\u2019d brought her mace down onto his skull.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t deserve Brynjolf.\u00a0 I don\u2019t deserve Volkihar Castle.<\/em><\/p>\n I am not simply a thief, or an assassin, or even a pitiable skooma addict.\u00a0 I am a monster.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t a single redeeming quality about me.<\/em><\/p>\n I don\u2019t deserve to be alive. But I will be forced to live forever.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSo where is this place, again?\u201d Brynjolf asked as they trudged down the snow-covered road on the far side of Pale Pass. It was so cold that their footsteps made an odd, squeaking noise against the snow, the kind of cold that froze the moisture in a man\u2019s nostrils and kept him from picking up … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/3-2-16-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Counterpoint<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious <\/a>\/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"