Skyrim: The Nightshade Assassin

The Cure for Madness

Chapter 20

**lol I drew the photo a long time ago, so sorry if it looks weird**

23nd of Morning Star, 4E 202

Kaito still isn't back, even after a month. I heard Maro will be everywhere, surely he isn't lost finding him. My wounds are currently healing, and quick. I think everything is patched up already.

But still, I was disappointed I couldn't see him during the New Life Festival. Not that I really cared, I just wanted him to cook for us.

With half my face lying on my wooden table, I await the news of the murder of Maro. What's taking him so long?

Sighing, I pillow my face with my arms, sitting on the cold wooden chair. My cupboard is a mess. I close my eyes, and breath heavily. I open them again, this time staring at the porcelain doll Kaito gave me. Jordis must have sent it here from a courier, and Kaito set it on my desk. Wait, that means he was in my room.

Jerking up from my seat, I open the cupboard, drawers, and wardrobe. He better not have been looking through my stuff!

My doll stares at me as I rummage through everything. No trace of him messing anything up. I sigh of relief. Gripping a book, I slam it on the desk and rearrange my stuff in my chest.

Journal...

Cortana Amaranthine's Journal

I stop cleaning out my trunk and stare at the old, beaten-up book with drinks spilled on it, and the sides are burned. Slightly opening it, I read aloud the first words.

12th of Second Seed, 4E 185

Today is my birthday. I am turning five years old. Mother gave me a journal for a present, and Father gave me a jewelled dagger! I promise to take care of it, and not to stab anybody. Not like I will, but I accidentally stabbed my brother with a fork before. It was on accident, and he forgave me. It was funny. Mother had to cast a spell to make his cut feel better. And today, I can spend my coins. The Penitus Oculatus soldiers are so cool! They gave me twenty septims for my birthday. I live on a farm at Dragon Bridge, but it is sort of away from the settlement. The Emperor said we should keep our work secret. So at midday, I will go to Solitude with Father to buy everything in the stores!

Our farm is very big from the inside. Mother said my brother and I live like princes and princesses! Father said he is half Imperial, too, so big brother is an Imperial Prince, and I am an Elf Princess. We look nothing alike, though, but there are differences. Mother calls us diverse in a unique way. Our personality can be the same, too.

My big brother has orange hair, but he likes to call it red. It is not red. It is orange, but Father calls it red so I will call it red. I have pale purple hair. Father told me I was born like that, so he calls me a Nightshade Princess. I know he is lying. Mother told me the truth, he actually conjured a ghost thing. The colour of a conjuration spell mixed in with my hair! Purple and white makes light purple. I like it. It reminds me of flowers. Sometimes I do not like it. Other kids from Dragon Bridge make fun of me. But my brother scares them away. My mother's hair is pure white. Not grey like an old lady's, white. As in snow. Her skin is like snow, too. Mine too. I do not look like an Altmer, I have more of a Nord face, like Father. I want to be an Imperial, but I like being a Nordic Elf. It is funny, but guards are mean to me about it. I don't like it when they do that. They make fun of my ears. I hate when they stick out of my hair. A boy told me I was as ugly as a Falmer, and Mother told me she has Snow Elf blood in her. She does not look like a Snow Elf, though. Snow Elves are ugly. I saw one before. My ghost friend named Lucien showed one to me, but he killed it. I got scared, and he kept saying something about his dread father.