A Breton of House Ravenwatch, Part 6 – Facing the Past (Fanfiction) by Rhonda Parker

"Meet me in Daggerfall, near the old bridge outside the city. Come quickly." That was all the note had said.

Isabelle Kingston sat in her room at the Rosy Lion Inn. Gwendis's letter lay on the table. While her sister wasn't a woman of many words, she usually provided a little more information when it came to missions. The brevity of her message gave Isabelle pause.  She wasn't sure if that meant things were better explained in person, or that Gwendis just wanted her to get there as soon as possible.

Isabelle swirled the blood inside her flask before taking a large sip, letting the crimson liquid calm her hunger. She'd come to terms with the necessity of drinking blood, but it was still a struggle at times. Knowing that a willing donor filled the bottle helped.

Getting used to dinner time at Castle Ravenwatch took longer, and not just because it was different feeding on a live person. The first time she bit Kallin, he'd given her grief about how long it took her to do it. He said it with a smile, though.  Kallin was no stranger to the process, and always tried to help the newer members acclimate to it.

Eventually, Isabelle grew accustomed to feeding. She knew where and how to bite to make the process less traumatic for the donor. If it was terribly painful, the house servants never showed it. Still, live feeding wasn't her preference. And it never would be.

Isabelle replaced the stopper in the flask and slipped it inside her pack. As she collected the rest of her gear and prepared to leave, her mind drifted back to a few weeks prior. She remembered being called to Adusa's study, and waiting for more information…

———-

"Well, if it isn't the Ravenwatch Twins," Gwendis quipped as Isabelle and Fennorian entered the study at Castle Ravenwatch. The two vampires looked at each other. This was new.

"Twins?" Fennorian asked.

"Yeah," the Bosmer said. "You both work with restoration magic, you're both alchemists, and if I want to find either of you I just have to go to the library. And if you're both there, you're usually deep in some academic discussion that will bore me to tears."

The nicknamed friends gave each other an amused look. She wasn't wrong. In fact, they had just been discussing the potential uses of bugloss in advanced healing potions. And disagreeing on the proper reagents.

"I don't see how we could be twins, Gwendis. For one thing, I'm a Breton and Fenn is Aldmeri."

Fennorian grinned as he added his two drakes. "Well, now remember that the Bretons are distantly descended from the Altmer, so technically speaking we could be related."

Isabelle gasped. "We should check the archives. Perhaps I am descended from your family, Fenn!"

"Oh, wouldn't that be lovely!"

Gwendis rolled her eyes. "Oh, great." She leaned against a nearby wall and scowled playfully at them. Isabelle and Fennorian snickered and laughed. They knew all too well Gwendis hated it when they fought back. In that lighthearted moment, they really did come across as twins.

"Alright, you three, settle down," Adusa-daro said as she entered the room. The Khajiit vampire was House Ravenwatch's leader,  and while she enjoyed a good bit of fun she also knew things could get out of hand. And she needed them to focus right now.

Gwendis kept her place at the wall while Fennorian and Isabelle took a seat. All three vampires could see the look on Adusa's face, and knew this had to be serious.

Adusa took a deep breath, and looked at her siblings. "We have a new lead on Rada al-Saran."

A deafening silence fell across the room. It had been several months since the Ravenwatch shut down Rada's plans in Western Skyrim. They had been tracking his movements, and now Adusa was ready to send out the best agents in the Ravenwatch.

"As we suspected, he and his Gray Host have been active in The Reach. But this one doesn't want to charge in blindly. We need more information."

Adusa looked at her younger sibling. "Gwendis, you will need to look into the history behind the Gray Host's defeat at Bangkorai Garrison."

"Why aren't you sending one of the scholarly types?" she retorted, waving her hand at Fenn and Isabelle.

"Because Adusa is sending you," the Khajiit huffed. "And this is not a mission just for reading books. Besides, they have other assignments."

"Fine."

"Fennorian, Lyris Titanborn requests your help with an investigation for Jarl Svana. Which is also tied to our search for the Gray Host. Adusa has assured her of your assistance."

Fenn's eyes lit up. A new case was always intriguing for him, and he and Lyris had become good friends after their adventure in Western Skyrim. "Certainly, Adusa."

Adusa-daro turned to the Breton in the room. "Isabelle, this one needs you to stay here. Look after the other members of the House. Keep looking for information on anything related to the Gray Host."

"Understood."

She turned to Gwendis. "Send for Isabelle once you have something."

"Hang on-" Gwendis started, her eyes flashing.

Adusa raised her hand. "This one has seen how the two of you have treated each other since the Doomcrag. Yes, things have gotten better, but you are still distant. Adusa expects you to work together and act like the siblings you are."

Both women kept their mouths shut, and Fennorian wisely did likewise. It was true that things still seemed tense between the two of them, and they tended to avoid each other at home. But something about their shared experience at the Doomcrag had driven a wedge of sorts between them. It was more than just shared grief. Isabelle was with Verandis at the end. Gwendis was not. And that made them uncomfortable around each other.

Isabelle and Gwendis nodded, and Adusa sighed in obvious relief. "Good. Adusa is headed for The Reach. There have been reports of a vampire clan taking root there. And other troubles." Her voice seemed to fade a little as she said this, and a brief, thoughtful look crossed her face. Then it was gone as suddenly as it came.

"Are you sure you want to go alone?" Isabelle asked.

"Yes," Adusa responded, perhaps a bit too quickly. "This one has some history with two of their vampires."

"Is one of them Kathad?" Gwendis asked, a knowing tone to her voice.

Adusa gave her a look that could sear meat right on the bone. "Yes, Gwendis. This one fears that he is in trouble, and wants to bring him here. If he will come with Adusa."

Gwendis sighed. "And if he doesn't? What if he wants to stay with the Lothid Clan?"

"Then Adusa will leave him be and mourn his choice," the Khajiit snapped. She flexed her hands in a waving away gesture. "You all have your assignments. Now get moving."

The three junior agents of the house left the upstairs study. Fennorian headed towards his room, and Isabelle tried to stop Gwendis as they walked down the stairs towards the great hall.

"Gwendis-"

"Don't worry, I won't read any books without you," the Bosmer quipped, not bothering to look at her younger sister.

Isabelle frowned. "Look, I know we haven't truly dealt with-"

"And we're not doing it today. So let's go, alright?"

"GWENDIS!" Isabelle thundered, the sound ringing off the stonework.

Both of them stood in the great hall, unmoving. After a long moment, Gwendis turned around to face her sister.

"You want to do this now? Fine."  She stepped towards Isabelle with cold fury in her eyes.  "I don't want to think about that day. I don't want to think about the fact that I wasn't with Verandis when he needed me the most. I should have been there with him. Me. Not you!"

There it was. The wedge between them pulled cleanly, and painfully, from the wound.

Isabelle swallowed hard. She would rather any other person had been there than herself. But the Divines made their choice and put Isabelle in what Gwendis felt was her rightful place.

"I'm sorry, Gwendis." The Bosmer gave her a withering look. "I mean it. I don't know what else to say. You were so weak after what Montclair put you through. Maybe that's why it was me, and not you. Verandis knew what he planned to do, and maybe he was trying to protect you from that as well as from Montclair."

"You don't know what he thought."

"And neither do you."

At that Gwendis advanced on Isabelle. She stood stock still, determined not to back down. They were going to rip the bandage off this wound and treat it properly, not cover it up and ignore it.

"I don't pretend to know what Verandis would have done," Isabelle said in a whisper. "But I know how much he cared about you. About all of us. He would have wanted to protect you." She paused, the fury on Gwendis' face beginning to crack. "You couldn't have stopped him either, and you know it."

Even while her fury abated, Gwendis glared daggers at Isabelle, the red in her eyes growing darker and more pronounced. Her jaw clenched and her hands were drawn into fists.

It wasn't shared grief that kept the wound open for so long. It was shared regret. Neither of them could have stopped Verandis. No matter how much they might have convinced themselves otherwise.

Isabelle braced for the punch, knowing that she may have pushed Gwendis too far. She knew how Gwendis felt about Verandis. But Isabelle would be damned if she let this keep going on. They had to deal with this. They had to get past it.

Gwendis suddenly broke eye contact with Isabelle. "Damn it," she muttered into the floor. "You're right. I just… I just wish I'd been there."

Tears were flowing down both vampires' faces at this point. The two women looked at each other, and without warning they both reached out. The first of the barriers between them shattered, and they held each other in a long hug. Gwendis began to sob, and Isabelle joined her.

After a few long moments, the two women pulled back and wiped their tears away. Gwendis looked at Isabelle. "I'm still mad about it, you know."

Isabelle smiled. "I know. But maybe you and I can try to start over?"

"Yeah, I guess so. We're going to be in the Ravenwatch for a long time, after all." They both laughed. "I'll send for you when I have something. Take care of yourself, alright?"

"You too, Gwendis."

"I always do." She gave Isabelle her usual snarky grin, then disappeared into a red mist and left the hall. Isabelle shook her head and started towards the library.

From the upstairs balcony, Adusa-daro chuckled softly. "Finally," she said to herself. "Now maybe House Ravenwatch can truly start to heal." The Khajiit signed deeply and headed for her room. She also had a mission to complete.