That's Madness (a Skyrim fanfiction)

Chapter Thirteen: Recipe for Disaster

Someone shakes me and tries to tug me out of bed. 

"Maryse. Wake up," Gabriella hisses urgently into my ear. 

"Wha-?" I mumble sleepily as Gabriella pulls me out of my bed and shakes me awake. "I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"You have to come with quickly," she puts her hands on my shoulders and looks me square in the eye. "The others...Astrid...she knows what you did,"

"How?" I feel my blood turn ice cold. "How could she know?"

"You have to get out of here!" Gabriella says frantically. "You're the Listener...if something happens to you then we're finished. You must go far away from here. To the Dawnstar Sanctuary and protect yourself from Astrid. She's still asleep now but if we hurry maybe we can-"

Gabriella freezes and I hear a horrible squelching noise. Her grips on me loosens and she falls to the floor, a sword sticking out of her back. I look up to see who threw the sword. 

Veezara. 

I scream and scan for my bow or my dagger but they're gone. 

"Not so powerful now that you haven't got your weapons, traitorus bitch," Veezara pulls the sword out of Gabriella's back. 

"What are you doing?" I sob. "What's going on?"

"Things were better before you came and ruined our Family," Veezara says through gritted teeth. "Before you messed everything up for me!"

"How did I mess things up for you!? You killed a Family member!" I scream. 

Veezara moves like lightning, pinning me against the wall with his hand covering my mouth so I can't scream. "Because I was one of the best. I was ruthless. There was no room in my heart for emotions or for caring! And you messed that up! You made me care for you, to...feel things for you-"

"There they are!" I hear Astrid's voice and my heart is beating so fast I worry it will burst out of my chest. "Good work Veezara...now it's time for us to end the plague on our family,"

Veezara loosens his grip on me and I'm too paralysed with fear to move as Astrid draws out her blade. She drives it into my chest and an agonising flash of pain sears across my body. 

***

"Maryse! Wake up! What's gotten into you!?" Gabriella shakes me awake. 

"I-I- you're dead!" I blurt. 

"Hush child, you were dreaming," Gabriella murmurs comfortingly. "Nobody but myseld heard your screams...is everything alright dear sister?"

I wipe away the sweat from my forehead and let out a few shaky breaths. "Y-you told me that I had to leave the Sanctuary and hide in Dawnstar...you didn't say why," I choose my words carefully. Gabriella, like everyone else here, is intensely loyal to Astrid. As am I. "Then Veezara killed you and said I had ruined everything and then he tried to kill me and that's when I woke up,"

Gabriella doesn't show any sign of a reaction on her face. "I see," she nods her head. "They are just dreams, Maryse. Do not dwell on them..." but there's a look of worry on her face. 

"I spoke to Olava yesterday and had my fortune told," I inform her. 

A sharp look crosses Gabriella's face. "And you had this dream immediately after?"

"Y-yes," my heart begins to thud and I feel icy cold all over. "What does that mean?"

"It is not for you to worry about," Gabriella says dismissively. "You do not need any more stress at the moment. Get changed, eat and speak to Festus Krex for your contract,"