When Love Turns Sour

Theo was so beyond ridiculously excited. He was going to see Thorn for the first time in what seemed like forever. He was waiting in the spot that they had had their first date. In his hands, was a gorgeous velvet black rose. He was smiling as the moon started to rise over the sky.

Meaning his love would be here any moment now. He would finally be able to hold her, if only for a moment. He wasn't going to let her walk away from Falkreath forever. No.

They both loved this tiny little village too much for that. They both had too many memories of what had started them on their paths together here. He wanted her to have it and he wanted to help her. He was going to encourage her to stay strong and keep going with her plan.

Thirty minutes past and he was still waiting. He rested against one of the headstones, his hands still clutching the rose. To him it was a symbol of his love. Why was she late? It wasn't like Thorn to do that, she had never been before. What was holding her up?

Two hours passed and he was still sat there, only now he was looking at his feet. His eyes had started to fill with tears and they leaked over to his cheeks. His hand gripped the rose so tightly that the thorns dug into his hands, causing blood to pool in his fist.

The sound of footsteps made his head snap up. Though, it was not his beloved. He could tell that almost immediately. So who was visiting the graveyard at such an odd hour?

It was not Thorn who walked through the graveyard that night. It was obvious for the sound of a man was very different from the sound of a woman. Helvard was that man, the personal bodyguard for Jarl Siddgeir of Falkreath. He walked with purpose towards Theo, showing no surprise to see him there alone, waiting under the moonlight.

"Theodwin," he addressed him. They had never met but he knew what the man looked like. And he also knew what the man meant to his Jarl. "My lady Thorn sends her regards. She will not be coming to meet with you tonight. She attends our lord's needs instead." He held up a small coin bag. "Compensation for your time." He dropped the bag at Theo's feet.

Theo's eyes immediately narrowed. "You lie." he hissed automatically, though he was hurting and it was obvious thorn was not going to join him. He kicked the money back at the man, "you can hand that back to your Jarl, he needs it after all, because he cannot win a woman's heart without it."

Helvard gave nothing away if it was truly a lie or not. It was, of course. Thorn currently slept under a daedric curse, completely unaware of what was going on outside her own nightmares. He left the money there and did not rise to the insult. It would be more satisfying not to give in. He bowed ever so slightly to Theo with a little smirk on his face. "Enjoy the rest of your evening." And with that, he walked away. His job was done.

Theo was crushed. Beyond crushed. His heart crumbled and the pain he felt was beyond bareable. It hurt so bad he didn't have the energy to return home. Instead he slid to the floor and pathetically stayed that way.

But he wasn't alone, mistery had followed. She was terribly nosy and apparently with good reason. She followed Helvar now. She was going to kill the man for breaking her friend and investigate what had happened to Thorn.

More than that, she had a job to do of course. This was for Thorn, so she could have the town she adored. She was making it a little easier. Plus she wanted to see the look on Helvar's face as she told him why he was taking his life.

Helvard left the graveyard and walked through the sleeping town. He did not linger not return home. Instead he went right back to the castle to report to Siddgeir. While he had nothing against Thorn, liking her as much as everyone else in Falkreath did, his loyalty to the Jarl had to come first.

Mistery easily kept to the shadows. It was easy to not be spotted. This was her job after all. As the leader of the dark brotherhood, she obviously had some serious skills. Even creeping through the keep. People were not that smart in this keep.

Sidd was sitting in his throne. He was slouched and leaning against his hand. He didn't move so much as Helvar approached but he did look over. A smirk crawled across his lips. "How did it go? Was he sufficiently pathetic?"

"I think you've successfully broken him, my lord," Helvard answered dutifully. "He called me a liar but I do not know if he truly believes that. I do not think that he will return here." Theo had sounded like quite the shattered man when he'd left him there in the graveyard.

"That will teach him for sniping my wife from right under my nose." Sidd said and laughed, he was so amused. "I assume everything else has gone to plan this evening?" He said, finally standing as they couldn't have this full conversation in public.

Mistery's hands turned to fists. It was so hard for her to not kill them both where they stood and bathe in the blood of scum. She so badly wanted too, but she took a steadying breath. Helvard was going to get what was coming to him very, very shortly. She followed behind. Using a cloaking spell to mask her from their vision.

Helvard nodded as he followed after Siddgreid to somewhere a little more private. It wouldn't do for anyone to know that the Jarl was responsible for the princess' current condition. "Yes, my lord. Everything went smoothly."

"Good, then soon all shall be right again in my keep." Sidd said as he looked thoughtful. "Is there anything else to report on, my old friend?"

Mistery tilted her head to the side. What had gone smoothly? She badly wanted to know. Maybe she could squeeze it from Halvard before she squeezed the life from him.

Helvard was quiet a moment. "The trail has been set up. Nothing will point to your involvement."

"Okay. Wonderful news, now... Go and rest. You are relieved of duties this evening. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. You will need your rest. I am going to go and check on my wife." Sidd said and nodded his head at Halvard.

Mistery started to worry. Plots. Wicked hurtful things being done to Theo, wasn't what Halvard meant about it not tracing back to his jarl. That was something... Else.

Helvard nodded and bowed to Siddgeir. "Good night to you, Jarl." He left his jarl's company and walked through the dimly lit hallways to his room. It was very late and everyone else was sleeping except a few servants finishing their tasks.

Helvard shut the door to his room and kicked off his boots. He started to remove his armor. He never slept in it.

Mistery had slipped into the room before Halvard had closed the door. She dropped the cloaking spell and put a hand on her hip. Of course, to Halvard she would be whatever he most desired in a woman. "A gift from the jarl," she said huskily as she moved in closer. "For all of your fine services." She said, knowing it was likely not the first whore to have been waiting for the man.

Helvard paused in his undressing to look at the woman the Jarl had sent for him. She was not the first he had been given but she was the prettiest. Only he knew what he saw in Mistery as she stood there before him. He liked what he saw. That was fairly obvious. "How generous of him."

"According to my sisters at the brothel, you are generous with your visitors too." Mistery said as she pushed him towards the bed, until his knees hit the frame and she used the momentum to make him be on his back as she slid into his lap. "You tell them the heroic deeds that earn you such a generous gift from your Jarl too. Do I get to hear them, too?"

"I do what my Jarl requires," Helvard said, somewhat distracted by her body and sexy voice. He wasn't as interested in her words. "But his business is not your business." He was not going to so easily betray his jarl, even to impress a very sexy woman like the one he'd been gifted.

Mistery pouted softly. "But, hearing of your heroics and gallantry will get a girl going. Making your life easier." She said, leaning down to kiss his neck softly and she used her hands to distract him some more. "You must be able to tell me a little, little bit?"

Helvard was weak to her charms. He was just a man. But his loyalty still won out in the end. Mostly. "Well," he said. If hearing just a little something would get her going... he could do that, surely. "My lord was having a little trouble with attaining the heart of his wife. I helped encourage her to love him and removed the outside influences that would have made her stray."

"Oh my, how nice of you." Mistery said, but realised he was too loyal to fully give into her. She put her hands on his large chest and slowly started to drain him. "In the name of love, what wouldn't you do? How romantic."

"Sure," Helvard said, just agreeing with her to agree. He didn't realize what she was doing. He probably wouldn't until it was too late. He had no reason to think that she was anything else than what she said. She seemed too much like a professional.

Mistery was a professional. A profession killer. She did not do much more with him, because she in her heart belonged to another. She just drained him slightly faster and faster as she went. "By the way, sugar..." She whispered in his ear. "You should be careful who you fuck with. The companions are protected by the dark brotherhood. Thorn too. I'm going to enjoy watching you die, then killing your precious, lazy, idiot Jarl who can't get a woman." she said with a devilishly wicked smile.

It clicked with Helvard. Everyone who knew anything knew what the Dark Brotherhood was. He was not going to go down without fighting. But in the end he would not win. Not against her. He would not even be able to warn his Jarl what was coming.

No, he wouldn't. Mistery did not look strong, but she had an almost supernatural strength that made her job just a little too easy. But the look on his face pleased her. She removed herself from his now dead, limp and cold body and fussed with her hair and outfit to make it look as though she'd given him a good time before opening his pants. That would work well enough for anyone who decided to look.

And then she left the keep entirely. No one questioned her leaving in the middle of the night, almost early hours of the morning. No one questioned her presence at all.

She went straight to briar as well. Knowing he kept odd hours, she wasn't afraid of waking him.