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<\/p>\nAndante waited until they were well inside the door before speaking to Brynjolf.\u00a0 He gazed from one golden eye to the other, trying to fathom what might be going on behind them, and failing. \u00a0All he knew was that where there had been a shimmering warmth inside him, the fire that had led him to create a ring that symbolized it, there was now an icy dread.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo. You have a son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it seems, lad,\u201d Brynjolf said, stepping closer. His face read confusion, heartbreak, love, and a dozen other emotions at the same time. \u201cThat child\u2026 and Dag.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. It\u2019s hard to imagine. Bryn,\u201d he said, hesitating a bit, \u201cplease don\u2019t be angry with me but I knew that Sayma was Dagnell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brynjolf\u2019s eyebrows shot up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly for just a short time, Bryn.\u00a0 Roggi and I, and Delvin \u2013 we figured out a way to trick her into revealing herself.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t even know she was being tricked.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI can only assume that Roggi and Dardeh were here to call her on it. I can\u2019t imagine why else they would have been here. But I can promise you none of us had a single idea about the boy. I\u2019m just as shocked as you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brynjolf drew in a deep breath and opened his mouth as if to say something, then dropped his shoulders. \u201cI don\u2019t know what to do now.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Andante smiled sadly. \u201cWell there\u2019s only one thing you can do, loverboy.\u00a0 You need to be a father. If you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAndante,\u201d Brynjolf said, with a sad smile. \u201cHow can I do that? How could it work out? Look at what we are. We\u2019re vampires. You\u2019re the Lord of Volkihar castle. Falion\u2019s dead, and that\u2019s what I\u2019ll be forever. I\u2019m your Second. I\u2019m good at being Second.\u201d He grinned. \u201cThere\u2019s no way around it. And we\u2019ve been together. You even gave me a ring.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andante snorted, interrupting him. \u201cIt had better work out, Brynjolf, after all the talk about the Guild being family and all that. You\u2019ve subjected all of us to that too long for you to abandon the idea now.\u201d He laughed. \u201cYeah, I made a ring for you, Bryn.\u00a0 I\u2026 felt like that was something that I needed to do. I wanted you to have a little bit of me to keep nearby. It felt good, and I\u2019ll never forget that smile when you looked at it.\u201d He reached up and touched Brynjolf\u2019s face. That was one of the happiest moments I can ever remember. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBut seriously. Look at that boy, Bryn. He\u2019s beautiful. He\u2019s \u2026 you. He needs his father. I know that he does. I didn\u2019t have a father, at least not one that I remember, and I\u2019m certain things might have been better if I had. Maybe I wouldn\u2019t have ended up being such a bad influence.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf laughed, and smiled again, a smile of genuine affection.<\/p>\n \u201cYes we\u2019ve been together.\u201d And gods, I would do anything for you. Vitus wouldn\u2019t \u2013 but I would.<\/em> \u201cBut I\u2019m not your family.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf shook his head. \u201cIt\u2019s just not that simple, lad,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t just suddenly be a father. I barely remember my own.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned and walked a few paces away, toward the sea quietly lapping up against the shoreline, shaking his head.\u00a0 Andante followed him at a distance, wondering what was going on.<\/p>\n Then, without warning, he felt the strange tingling between his shoulders that he\u2019d felt before \u2013 the feeling that he was being targeted from behind.\u00a0 He turned to both sides and scanned the shoreline again, then the horizon.\u00a0 He saw nothing, but that didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n They\u2019re coming. I knew they would be. <\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf returned to him and, to his complete surprise, wrapped his arms around Andante loosely. He smiled, another smile that went up to his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, lad. It\u2019s not like a switch that you can throw and just change your life like that. She\u2019s been gone for a long time now, and I\u2019ve been with you. I can\u2019t just forget the time we\u2019ve spent together.\u201d His voice dropped, softer, and his eyes followed suit. \u201cDon\u2019t you understand that? Truly?\u201d<\/p>\n For a moment, Andante\u2019s heart stopped. What is he telling me?<\/em><\/p>\n They gazed at each other for a long moment, neither one saying what was on his mind.<\/p>\n Then Brynjolf continued.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t pretend she didn\u2019t leave me, hurt Roggi.\u00a0 I can\u2019t pretend you don\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n Ah, I was imagining things. He doesn\u2019t love me. He wasn\u2019t trying to tell me a single thing. I don\u2019t know why I got my hopes up.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll never forget I exist.\u00a0 Remember? You\u2019d miss me if I were lost.\u201d Andante leaned forward and kissed him, slowly.\u00a0 His mouth is so sweet. I will never kiss another<\/em>.<\/p>\n It came to him then, the knowledge of that thing that he\u2019d been looking for, the thing he\u2019d left unfinished, the thing he had to do. For a moment that felt like an eternity he continued to hold Brynjolf, savoring his touch.\u00a0 Then he nodded to himself. It was time.<\/p>\n \u201cI have something I want to give you, Brynjolf,\u201d Andante said slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust\u2026 stand here a moment and I\u2019ll show you.\u201d\u00a0 He dropped his hands and stepped back from Brynjolf, took a deep breath, then started gathering magic.<\/p>\n Andante had a spell, a very important spell, one he had never used before and had never intended to use under any circumstances. Not even Nocturnal\u2019s promise to release Dynjyl from the Soul Cairn if Brynjolf was whole had been enough to make him consider it. But now, he knew, it was time. It took him a few moments to gather enough energy and to remember all of the elements of the spell. Once he had it he was going to have to cast it quickly, before Brynjolf could stop him from doing it.<\/p>\n He opened his mind, smiled at Brynjolf, and cast the spell, using both hands to make certain that its force was strong enough. Brynjolf instinctively raised his shield and drew his sword as a golden glow enveloped and swirled around him.\u00a0 His illusion dissipated and his yellow eyes flickered under the aura of the spell Andante had cast.<\/p>\n Brynjolf jumped.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is this?\u201d he yelped.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you just do to me?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante lowered his hands and smiled sadly.\u00a0 \u201cDo you remember the day we went to have Falion cure me?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf frowned.\u00a0 \u201cOf course I do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe said I was human again. \u2018Just like the rest of us,\u2019 he said, and then he pointed at you and said \u2018Except him.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that have to do with anything at all, Andante? What is going on here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe took me aside, remember?\u00a0 And what he did was teach me this spell.\u00a0 Tollere Sanguinare. \u00a0It\u2019s a spell to cure someone that I had turned.\u00a0 I\u2026 wasn\u2019t ever going to use it.\u00a0 Because I\u2019m a greedy son of a bitch, Brynjolf, and I wanted you to be like me. I wanted you to be with me, forever, the two of us in Volkihar, starting our own clan of vampires. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve wanted ever since I saw the damnable castle. But\u2026 I just cast it on you. You\u2019ll be human again in, well, not very long.\u201d<\/p>\n He started to say something brave, something witty, and it just caught in his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, Brynjolf. I know you can find a way to become a vampire again easily enough, but don\u2019t. You have to be a father, Bryn.\u00a0 And maybe you can work it out again with Sayma \u2013 with Dag. \u00a0You can\u2019t do that if you\u2019re hiding from the rest of the world half the time just because a selfish bastard \u2026 wants you for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf was standing with his mouth open.\u00a0 The spell took a while to take full effect, but already his eyes were reverting to their original emerald green as opposed to the artificial green of the illusion.\u00a0 Andante sniffled, looking at the fangs slowly receding.<\/p>\n \u201cHeh,\u201d he said, half laughing, half crying.\u00a0 \u201cYou were the most beautiful vampire I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLad,\u201d Brynjolf breathed, reaching up to touch his own face, realizing the changes going on in him.\u00a0 \u201cYou should have asked me first.\u201d He dropped his hands and glowered at Andante, then shouted.\u00a0 \u201cYou should have asked me first!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you would have said no, for all the wrong reasons, and then the idiots who are running this way right now to kill the vampire would have put you and your family in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s head snapped up and he scanned the shoreline. There was nobody in sight, and Andante couldn\u2019t hear them yet but he knew they were coming.\u00a0 He\u2019d felt them, following at a distance, for a long time now. They weren\u2019t going to let live the creature who could blot out the sun; and besides, Ondolemar would pay them handsomely.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn, I can\u2019t hear anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cDamn you, Andante! Who said that I wanted to be cured?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante smiled sadly.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody said that,\u201d he answered. \u201cListen, Brynjolf. This is important. I have to tell you a bunch of things, quickly, while I have this chance, so just listen, please? There are some words I\u2019ve never used before, and I want to share them with you.\u201d<\/p>\n I have to say this. I may never have another chance and I\u2019ve never wanted anything so badly.<\/em><\/p>\n Andante gazed at him, taking in the way he looked, memorizing every line so that he would never forget. He took a deep breath. \u201cI love you, Brynjolf. I love you.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled. \u201cBy the gods that felt good to say, finally. I\u2019m sure you knew it already, but still. I love you. I have loved you from the beginning, even when you were telling me to get lost. I just love you. So much.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled at Brynjolf\u2019s stunned expression.\u00a0 Then Brynjolf smiled, just a tiny smile.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve actually told me that before, lad, but I\u2019m not surprised if you don\u2019t remember it.\u00a0 In the Vale. You were falling asleep and you told me you loved me.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I wasn\u2019t dreaming that after all.\u00a0 And you told me that you knew.\u00a0 I\u2019m a fool, then, and you\u2019ve known it all this time.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad that\u2019s the case. Still, Bryn\u2026. I love you.\u201d\u00a0 He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cBy all the gods I love you, Brynjolf. So much.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned. \u201cI think I\u2019ve just made up for lost time, telling you that so many times in a row.\u201d<\/p>\n Then he shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I can\u2019t come close. I couldn\u2019t come close to Dynjyl and I am not even a poor substitute for those people, in there. They\u2019re your family.\u201d\u00a0 He threw his head back and laughed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just so damned ridiculous<\/em>.\u00a0 The Dragonborn is your brother-in-law.\u00a0 The Listener<\/em> is your wife<\/em>.\u00a0 And you have a son. A beautiful child.\u201d<\/p>\n His voice dropped, became softer and colder, and he caught Brynjolf\u2019s gaze and made sure he was holding it fast. \u201cI used to\u2026 kill<\/em> children, Bryn. That\u2019s the kind of man I am. Wonderful, eh? I killed children. Just because they were there. And because I don\u2019t like them. They remind me of what life was like for me, when I was a child. And I probably would have killed many more of them if the Thalmor hadn\u2019t beaten my life out of me.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at Brynjolf\u2019s horrified expression and then down at the ground.<\/p>\n I wish I could cry. I wish I could cry for those children. But I can\u2019t. I don\u2019t have it in me.\u00a0 I don\u2019t\u2026 feel anything. I barely even feel regret. When I killed them it was because I wanted them to be gone. And then they were. And I don\u2019t feel\u2026 anything. I\u2019m not \u2026 right. I can cry for Brynjolf, but I can\u2019t cry for all the lives I erased. I\u2019m just\u2026 wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t compete with your family.\u00a0 And I shouldn\u2019t even try.\u00a0 So I want you to go in there and be happy. Listen, Bryn. There\u2019s something else important, too. I want you to know this.\u201d<\/p>\n He paused, considering, not wanting to say what had to be said but knowing that he needed to. A faint noise caught his attention and he scanned the shoreline, quickly, the movements of tiny figures in the distance telling him that time was truly running out. One of them wore the thick white cloak that gave him away as Haran, the bounty hunter who had been searching for him since he escaped the Thalmor.\u00a0 They were going to find me eventually. I left as obvious a trail for them as I could, the past few days. I could run, right now, but\u2026<\/em> He looked back at Brynjolf, and started speaking as quickly as he could.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were right. I remembered almost everything some time back. Some of it you know and some you don\u2019t. I know who I am, and I just couldn\u2019t bear to tell you. But I\u2019ll give it to you now, my name, because you\u2019re the only person in the world I trust with it. My real name is Vitus. Vitus Perdeti.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s eyes widened and his mouth opened just a bit, but he said nothing. Ah, so he knows the name. I\u2019m not surprised.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m from Bravil. I\u2019ve been an assassin since I was barely old enough to grow a beard, and as far as I can tell I\u2019ve been a skooma addict since I was younger than that. I joined the Dark Brotherhood there. The Listener \u2013 Alisanne \u2013 well, she took me in and made something of me when I was not much more than a boy. I watched when they burned her home. She made me run away\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n His voice caught for a moment, then he shook his head and continued. \u201cThat\u2019s why Nocturnal wouldn\u2019t take me, Bryn. I really have been sworn to Sithis my whole life, even if I don\u2019t really care about Sithis at all. There\u2019s nothing left for Nocturnal to take. Well, now you\u2019re whole again. She has two of her three Nightingales again. Maybe it\u2019ll work out, and Sayma can help you set Dynjyl free. I hope so. I like him, and there really have never been more than a handful of people I liked. I would like to think he\u2019ll have peace. If you see him again, tell him I\u2019m sorry. I tried. Maybe that ring will help protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n He gave Brynjolf a lopsided smile.<\/p>\n \u201cI was such a good assassin. It\u2019s no wonder they recruited me here, quickly enough after I escaped the Thalmor, although nobody ever knew who I used to be, not even me. You see, Vitus \u2013 I – always wore a hood with a mask.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cThat mask. Horrible thing. That mask was why I was so rattled when we destroyed the Keepers. No face. It\u2019s in the wardrobe in Honeyside. Ask Roggi.\u201d<\/p>\n He snickered, thinking about it. \u201cRoggi stole it right out from under the Thalmor\u2019s noses. He\u2019s pretty resourceful, Roggi is. But I\u2019m sure you already know that. Roggi was the one who convinced the face changer to tell us about Sayma, by the way, by using that mask so she couldn\u2019t identify him afterward.\u00a0 Thing would have scared me, too.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed. \u201cDamn. I\u2019m babbling.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s face reflected his confusion. He opened his mouth wider, as if to speak, but Andante interrupted him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m \u2026 a ghastly person. I know, I know, you\u2019re going to try to say that you and I are both thieves and that makes us not good people by default, but I\u2019m\u2026 well…\u00a0 Ask Roggi about me, or Delvin. They both know who I am.\u00a0 Who I was. They didn\u2019t know it was me, at least I don\u2019t think so, but they know who Vitus Perdeti is.\u201d<\/p>\n When Brynjolf spoke, his voice was subdued.\u00a0 \u201cI know who Vitus Perdeti is, lad.\u00a0 Everyone does. The best, and the nastiest. No limits, no regrets, no conscience. He disappeared a couple of years ago. You expect me to believe that you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Andante nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you think I wouldn\u2019t give you my name, loverboy? We were already being pursued \u2013 do you know how much danger you would have been in if you\u2019d slipped and called me Vitus?\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled sadly.<\/p>\n \u201cYes. I expect you to believe it.\u00a0 You\u2019ve seen that I can be nasty, don\u2019t look so surprised. You remember the argument we had after those two dragons in the lake?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho do you think was talking to you right then, Brynjolf?\u201d He felt his voice go cold, even as he said the words, and Brynjolf\u2019s eyes showed that he heard the difference as well.\u00a0 \u201cIt was me, Vitus Perdeti. A man who doesn\u2019t tolerate being argued with. You also watched me kill Harkon and then take Serana\u2019s blood without even thinking about it.\u00a0 You know it\u2019s me, if you\u2019re honest with yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n He watched as Brynjolf\u2019s expression turned to horror once more.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve heard the real me before that, as well, but neither of us knew it at the time. The only thing neither of us knew was my name, not until I overheard Ondolemar talking about it when we were in Markarth.\u201d He shook his head, still angry at himself over his own failure. \u201cI very much understand why you\u2019re always talking about being careful, you see, and not just because of what happened with Dynjyl. I got captured by the Thalmor while trying to complete a contract, because I made a stupid mistake. Gods-damned skooma. And I even cooked it myself. Talk about shooting an arrow through your own knee.\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed.\u00a0 He took a quick look around to confirm that pursuit was still a fair distance away, and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cOndolemar. He\u2019s alive because I was an idiot. He was supposed to be dead over two years ago. I was beaten. Tortured. Do you know how I got away?\u00a0 I made a shiv out of a bone. I used it on the guard. From behind. Cut his throat, and did the same for every single one of the other guards.\u00a0 I just remembered that not long ago. It was a hell of a feat but I pulled it off, Brynjolf, because I\u2019m Vitus gods-damned Perdeti and I\u2019m the guy who could do it. I got away, and you met me after I\u2019d gotten myself established again. Ondolemar was Vitus\u2019 – my – last contract before I met these people here, and the only one I ever failed. Nobody knew who the target was except me, and whoever paid me for it, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n He sighed. Well this isn\u2019t a pleasant thing to share, but here it is.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAnd you can probably confirm this, too, if you still don\u2019t believe me. I told you a little bit about this before. A few days before Markarth I \u2013 Vitus – killed a woman in Bruma just because she wasn\u2019t the Listener.\u00a0 Her name was Alessia Previa, if I remember correctly. She looked just like Alisanne but she wasn\u2019t her. I just\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He shrugged.\u00a0 I remember it, I remember feeling nothing. I still feel nothing. Except for one thing. I don\u2019t want Brynjolf to hate me.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI just killed her. Cut her throat. And a mark I was supposed to take out. And a couple of little kids who just got in the way.\u00a0 Bruma was supposed to have one assassination that week and they got four instead. And at least\u2026\u201d he stopped, counting on his fingers. \u201cFour, I think, on the road between Falkreath and Markarth.\u00a0 He was on a roll. \u00a0I was, I mean. \u201d<\/p>\n He chuckled, and then realized how horrible that chuckle must have sounded, and shrugged again.<\/p>\n \u201cI sound insane, talking about myself as though I\u2019m two different people. It feels odd to use the word \u2018I\u2019 when I\u2019m talking about Vitus, because I\u2019m Andante now.\u00a0 And yet, I\u2019m Vitus.\u201d\u00a0 He stopped, and looked Brynjolf in the eyes. When he spoke again, it was more slowly, more calmly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, my love. I suppose it was Vitus who wanted that damned castle so much. Andante already had what he wanted most.\u201d<\/p>\n He stepped forward, cupped Brynjolf\u2019s stunned face with one hand and kissed him gently.<\/p>\n \u201cI remembered that last bit, about the girl, when we went to Bruma, out in the marketplace. And then I remembered about the children just now when\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He had to stop and clear his throat. \u201cYour son. Has red hair, like one of the little boys I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head, unable to finish the sentence.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess before that I thought that well, maybe Vitus wasn\u2019t as bad as I thought. Maybe there was some redeeming quality in me. But there isn\u2019t. I\u2019m desperately bad, Brynjolf. Not just a bad influence, the way we\u2019ve joked about, but bad. It\u2019s funny. I don\u2019t think I ever understood that, before I was Andante, but I do now. There\u2019s something wrong with me, Bryn. I\u2019m just wrong, and I always have been, from the day I was born. I shouldn\u2019t exist in the world. Maybe Andante is some little bit of me that wasn\u2019t as horrible as the rest. \u00a0Or maybe it\u2019s just that because of having known you I can actually tell the difference now.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf was still standing like a rock, his mouth partially open, clearly struggling to take in everything that was happening.<\/p>\n Andante smiled.<\/p>\n This is the most important thing I\u2019ll ever say.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBryn, I want you to remember this.\u00a0 This is really important. Vitus Perdeti,\u201d he patted his chest, \u201cthe Man in the Mask and the Lord of Volkihar Castle, that man \u2013 me – only ever loved one person, in his entire life. Only one. That\u2019s not an exaggeration. And that person was Brynjolf, of Riften.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked up at Brynjolf\u2019s shocked expression and tried to smile, but his mouth twisted to the side in a tortured position and he murmured, \u201cYou\u2019re the only thing that has ever made me happy. You\u2019re the only person who has ever made me feel worthwhile. You\u2019re the only person I\u2019ve ever loved.\u00a0 Send word to Serana. The castle is hers now. Run, my love.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let them capture you.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf was staring at him, looking as though he was trying to formulate words and not being able to do so.<\/p>\n From down the shore came a cry. \u201cKill it! Kill the vampire!\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf was clearly in shock but even so he knew enough to slink back into the shadows next to the Black Door. Andante could see where he was, but he knew the vigilantes would not.<\/p>\n The first of the men emerged from around the corner, brandishing weapons.\u00a0 It was a larger group than Andante had expected, the three having been joined by others with swords, and clubs, and even a shovel or two. From behind them stepped the familiar shape of Haran, the bounty hunter he\u2019d first encountered in Markarth.<\/p>\n \u201cVitus Perdeti, you have committed crimes against the Empire through countless murders for hire, and against the Thalmor Embassy by attempting the assassination of one of its officers. You are wanted in almost every province of Tamriel. You are guilty of the crime of vampirism. You have declared war against the living of Nirn itself, by blotting out the sun. You are hereby condemned to death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, my man,\u201d he said, smiling, to the man who\u2019d just pronounced his death.\u00a0 \u201cYou have the wrong person. My name is Andante. I undoubtedly have some small bounty or other here, in this hold, because I am rather fond of taking what isn\u2019t mine. But crimes against Nirn? Surely you jest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh there\u2019s no mistake,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been tracking you for years, Vitus, and I\u2019ve finally found you. I almost had you in Bruma, and you led me a good chase, but there\u2019s no getting away this time. Your crimes were horrific before and you\u2019ve only compounded them since you got away from the Thalmor. It\u2019s time to pay for everything you\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n Vitus snarled. He dropped his illusion and bared his fangs.\u00a0 Some of the men in the back of the pack flinched, drew back in fear.<\/p>\n You\u2019re all dead and you don\u2019t even know it. To Sithis with every one of your souls.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t think being beaten nearly to death by the Thalmor and thrown away like yesterday\u2019s table scrapings was a good enough payment?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot nearly good enough.\u201d\u00a0 This was from one of the other men, angry as a demon.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t recognize him. Wonder if I killed some of his family<\/em>, Andante mused.<\/p>\n He took a deep breath and began battling himself.\u00a0 The larger part of him wanted to attack these men as he had the soldiers at Fort Dunstan; wanted to rip them apart, bathe in their blood, revel in the glory of being one of the strongest of Tamriel\u2019s vampires. Instead, he gritted his teeth and exerted every bit of his will; and as he did, he smiled.<\/p>\n The men started brandishing their weapons again.\u00a0 \u201cCome quietly.\u00a0 Your end draws near.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante cast a sideways glance at the sky.\u00a0 Then he grinned toward Brynjolf.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it\u2019s time to get pretty.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf yelped, breaking his cover. \u201cNo, lad! What are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante hurled Auriel\u2019s Bow away from himself, toward the Black Door, just as hard as he could. Then he shifted into his Vampire Lord form.<\/p>\n He aimed a spell just to the outside of where the bounty hunter was standing, and it exploded onto the ground with a gigantic percussion. The man staggered back.\u00a0 Andante floated down the shore, away from Brynjolf, away from the Door, drawing the posse as far away as he could.\u00a0 He cast another life drain spell, purposefully missing by just enough to stagger them but not kill them.<\/p>\n He looked back and saw Brynjolf struggling.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t going to be much he could do for some time while his body reverted to normal, but he was clearly yelling, or speaking\u2026or something. Don\u2019t think about it. Pay attention.<\/em> The men ignored him and rushed forward toward Andante.\u00a0 Probably thought I was attacking him. They\u2019d have no way to know that he\u2019s the love of my life.<\/em><\/p>\n The first of the men reached Andante and started slashing at him with swords, peppering him with arrows.\u00a0 They did damage, and it hurt, but he refused to fight back.\u00a0 He laughed. Truly these men had no concept of how easily he could drop to the ground and tear them apart with one swipe of his claws.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter. He wasn\u2019t going to harm them, if he could help it. He just wanted them to follow him away from Brynjolf, away from the doors, away from the child, away from all the things that might possibly give Brynjolf a happy future.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to protect him, Dynny. I promised you I would do that. I may never do another decent thing in this lifetime but I will keep that promise.<\/em><\/p>\n The sun rose.<\/p>\n Andante cringed as its first rays touched him. He was hungry, desperately so, and thus, in his barely-covered vampire lord form, had no protection against the power striking him. \u201cGods, this is going to hurt,\u201d he mumbled, as the men kept attacking him.\u00a0 Their weapons weren\u2019t going to kill him.<\/p>\n But it didn\u2019t take more than a few moments until Andante felt himself burning.<\/p>\n He laughed, long and hard.<\/p>\n They won\u2019t get me, and they won\u2019t get Brynjolf.\u00a0 I\u2019m robbing them of their last chance to spew their hate at me.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had my revenge. On all of them. <\/em><\/p>\n He looked back at Brynjolf, and smiled. \u00a0He mouthed \u201cI love you,\u201d not knowing whether Brynjolf would be able to read his lips in this form. I must look lovely, he thought, feeling his skin cracking and vaporizing.<\/p>\n And then there was a shimmering pile of dust beneath the spot where he had been floating just a moment earlier.<\/p>\n Andante waited until they were well inside the door before speaking to Brynjolf.\u00a0 He gazed from one golden eye to the other, trying to fathom what might be going on behind them, and failing. \u00a0All he knew was that where there had been a shimmering warmth inside him, the fire that had led him to … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/3-2-23-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Counterpoint<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"