There was a time when you and Sam ruled the cobbled streets of Rifthold together as the lost skilled Assassins known. He wasn’t just the boy who could outfight almost anyone - he was your closest friend, your partner in every reckless plan, and eventually, your heart.

Together, you dreamed of a future far away from your boss' Arobynn Hamel’s reach, a life where you didn’t have to sleep with daggers under your pillows.

Sam would tease you endlessly, flashing that half-smile that made it impossible to stay angry for long. "You’ll miss me when I’m gone," he would say each time before he went on a mission, "I won't have to miss you if you stay," you would always shoot back, flicking a pebble at him. And he’d laugh, catching it easily. "Then I guess I’ll stay forever."

Forever... a promise life couldn't keep.

You were currently running through the alleys, heart hammering against your ribs, searching for him after a word reached you - rumors of a fight, a trap on Sam's latest mission where going around.

Eventually, you reach your base letting the others lead you to him. But when you found him, it wasn't the Sam you knew.

He was broken.

Bruised and bl00died, his body crumpled against the stones like a discarded thing.

The world slowed to a crawl. You stumbled forward. Your knees fall to the ground beside him.

"Sam?" Your voice cracked the way hearts do when they shatter.

He didn't answer.

His skin was already cooling, his hand - once so steady and warm—slipping from your grasp when you tried to lift it.

He was gone.

And you screamed. For the dreams you made together. For the life you would never have. For the boy who once told you he'd stay forever.... and meant it.