Title: Deep Associations Here to Stay

Author: Cat

Rating: T (Could possibly change to M in later chapters due to violence and language)

Summary: An exploration into the relationship between Corvo Attano, the Royal Protector of Dunwall, and the one he is to protect, Empress Jessamine Kaldwin, prior to the events of Dishonored.

A/N: I accidentally deleted the story earlier instead of editing it (because I'm a moron), so I apologize to those that had already begun reading it.

He started out as words on a contract. He was a tangible symbol that the Isle of Serkonos and city of Dunwall could be allies. He wasn't ecstatic about it, after all he would be leaving home, but he would find a new home, and a new family. Dunwall would be his new home. It was a grand city, but it did not come without its flaws, of which it had many. All of those problems had been feeding off the Plague since it sprang up, a few short months ago. If they could just find some way to get rid of that damn Plague, he was certain all of the other chips would fall into place and, eventually over time, the city would restore itself. But that wasn't today, and it wouldn't be tomorrow. Today, the Empress was traveling to Kaldwin's Bridge, she needed to meet with Sokolov and inquire about his progress on an antidote to this Plague that was creeping up further. She was forced to travel in an armored, sealed, vehicle. They were the only two passengers; there wasn't even a need for a driver because the thing ran on a premade track. She sat silently staring out the window at the dying world beyond, and he watched her, wondering. When she was a child, had things been different? Had she been able to travel from District to District without worrying about being attacked? Had the streets been full of life and prosperity, instead of being deserted except for death and corruption? The wistful look in her eyes as she stared through that barrier of glass told him that it had been different, and that she wished she were back in those times. He knew she hated this, traveling in a metal shell like this, but he couldn't do anything about it. Even if he could, he wouldn't. His job, his only job, was to protect her. He was her bodyguard, nothing more. If protecting her intruded upon her happiness, he wouldn't think anything of it. In the dim red lighting of the vehicle, she truly looked miserable though. Not because she had to travel, this trip had been her idea after all, but because she could see just how far the poison had spread. For that reason, he berated himself for not convincing her to remain at Dunwall Tower. She had no reason to leave, he could have made this trip in her stead, as he had done numerous times in the past, but she had refused to stay walled in. She needed to see her city, and though it served as an inconvenience to him preparing this trip, just as he thought nothing of outweighing her happiness with her safety she thought nothing of outweighing his comfort with her preferences.

The vehicle jerked to a gentle stop and he was out the door, shutting it behind him and walking around the rear of the vehicle to the Empress's door. The things really didn't move that fast, he could have walked alongside it the entire time without fear of not being able to keep up. His dark eyes scanned the area, lingering on every shadow, studying the scene before him and looking for anything out of place. It was a nicer part of the city, he would admit, but the buildings had taken on an appearance of grunge. Shards of glass littered the streets and he could see the broken windows from where they had fallen from, there were large cracks in walls and chips in drywall. None of it was too obvious as to make one feel unsafe, but it certainly filled the air with unease. In reality, she was perhaps as safe as she could be here. Sokolov went to great lengths to make sure he was safe within his own home. Corvo could even see a few guards stationed outside the inventor's home, and even a few within the lavish home as they passed by windows. Even so, he wouldn't allow himself to drop his guard. He reached one hand out and opened the door, and once it was open he offered her his hand. She thanked him politely as she took accepted his assistance and took his hand to aid her in climbing out of the vehicle, but he never took his eyes away from their job of scanning the vicinity. He followed a step behind her as she walked to the front door of their destination, and when his eyes finally locked on the door ahead of them, he could see her smirking out of the corner of his eye. He frowned thoughtfully, knowing that she was laughing internally at his expense, though she would never say anything to reveal it. She had made it very clear that she thought much of his paranoia was quite unfounded, and maybe she was right, but still he never relaxed.

Two hours later, he opened the front door for her, and followed a step behind her again as they made the short journey from front door to armored car, still parked out front.

"That went… well." She commented, but her brow furrowed and her voice held just the slightest amount of sarcasm that revealed she truly thought it hadn't gone in any such a fashion. While some of what she had learned had been okay news, at best, she had learned far more about the current state of things in Dunwall that were far less than okay. He was somewhat upset with Sokolov for that. The man had told her unnecessary information, details she would have been far better off not knowing, and things that would haunt her thoughts for days. She would be working endlessly to do anything, even though she really couldn't. Sokolov had been able to remedy an elixir that would serve as a temporary solution, which was great news, but a temporary solution was no replacement for a permanent one. He'd even made a joke that it would be easier to count how many were still alive and well than how many were dead.

"You knew we wouldn't receive good news," She spoke without a hint of her words being a question. She looked at him as they approached the car, and once they reached it she turned around. He remained silent, but she refused to get in until he answered her, narrowing her eyes at him even when he opened the door. He avoided meeting her gaze, but he could feel her eyes on him, and when he couldn't take any more of it, he finally sighed and turned his head to look at her.

"I knew it was bad, yes." He admitted evenly. He traveled outside of Dunwall Tower far more than she did; he had seen, firsthand, the effects of the Plague on man. He wasn't sure what she had been expecting him to say, and he couldn't read her reaction either. She didn't immediately turn to get into the vehicle, her eyes dwelling on the building they had just exited, going over thoughts and concerns that she wouldn't share with him and even if she did, it wouldn't have been his place to listen. He allowed her a moment to think in the semi-open, cleaner air of Kaldwin's Bridge before she would be forced to return to the stuffy atmosphere of their mode of transportation for the day, averting his gaze again to watch a guard as he passed the opening of an alleyway on the street adjacent to theirs. It was purely out of luck that Corvo saw the glint of light on the wall, a glint that led him to turn around and look up. Along the roofs of the opposing set of buildings, a shadow jutted out unnaturally, breaking the otherwise smooth line of the structures. It took him less than a second to move in front of the Empress, and that sufficed to be enough for the moment. From this distance, he couldn't hear the strum of the release mechanism on the weapon. The crossbow bolt was silent as it sailed through the air, barely even whistling, and then it struck home, embedding itself in his shoulder less than seconds after he had moved to shield her. He grunted in pain as the left side of his body was jerked back by the force of the shot but kept his feet and quickly moved into action, knowing they'd only have seconds before the would-be assassin would have another bolt knocked and ready. That didn't matter, when he turned back around to face the vehicle and the Empress, he saw a hooded figure approaching them. They weren't charging in a blind attack, but stalking closer to their prey. Corvo didn't even take a second to curse before he wrenched the door open, and he didn't need to tell her to get in. All sense of nobility pride and manners fled as a more prominent sense of urgency took over and she scrambled into the armored shell that would ship them safely back to the Tower. The second assassin had picked up their pace when the bodyguard had noticed them, and they lifted a blade up, preparing to strike at him with it. Corvo was barely able to grab his attacker's arm, scowling slightly in exertion and pain as he lifted his leg and kicked out, causing them to stumble backwards, doubling over as the wind was knocked out from their lungs from the blow. He climbed in after the Empress and pulled the door shut behind him. He flipped a few switches, and moments later the vehicle began moving, following the same track as earlier but in the opposite direction now.

He leaned his head back against the seat, closing his eyes for a moment as he allowed himself to breathe and listen to the rhythmic hum of the mechanical monster carrying them. His shoulder was aflame; it sent spears of pain down his arm and into his chest, neck, and head. He never allowed himself to cringe or wince. When he opened his eyes again, she was staring at the bolt protruding from his shoulder. His jacket was beginning to darken with blood, but it truly wasn't a lot, not as much as it could have been. For now, the bolt itself was doing a well-enough job of staunching the blood flow. Either way, the Empress didn't shy away from the sight of blood, on the contrary, she looked almost angry as she observed his injury and he studied her as she did so.

"Corvo-" Her voice was stern as her gaze flicked up to meet his. The shock of the situation caused him to smile as he heard from the tone of her voice that she was about to reprimand him for something, but he cut her off before she could, "It is my duty, Empress, to keep you safe. Even at my own expense."

She stared at him, but when she spoke again her voice had softened, "Do you need me to do anything?"

He leaned his head back again, "No, we will return to the Tower soon enough and I will seek assistance there." He knew she was trying to come up with some way to aid him, but she had no medical training and she was afraid she would just make it worse. The remainder of the ride was spent in silence. When they arrived back, she wasted no time seeing to it that he did get that medical assistance, and while he was taken to the infirmary, she went to speak with the Spymaster. He dreaded the fact that he was, for the moment, leaving her alone with that man, even if there would be guards posted there, they accounted for almost nothing in this City. But, no matter how he insisted that he just needed a bandage, the doctor wouldn't allow him to leave until the wound had been properly cleaned and stitched up.

That evening, he stood guard outside her door, as he always did. While the entire rest of the tower slept, he remained awake; making sure no harm befell the Empress. He had insisted that guards be posted outside her door, simply out of precaution, but they had waved away his concerns. 'No one will get by us out here and no one can reach those windows, Corvo,' they had told him. He'd spent two hours coming up with fifteen different ways he could reach the Empress's room. If he could do it, he knew somebody else would be able to as well. So, he didn't sleep. He stood rigid and focused as he stared down the corridor. Emily's room wasn't far from her mother's, and he could see the door from where he stood. He was concerned about the young girl's safety as well, and usually he would take a position between their two rooms, but after the day's events he was more concerned with the Empress than the heir. He hoped, desperately, that when Emily took up her mother's throne, that she would be coming into a world far better than this one. He smiled as he remembered the day that he had met the young girl. She had been two, and she had been immediately frightened by the man presented before her, but over the year that he had been in Dunwall so far, Emily and himself had built up a bond of some sort. He had no idea what had come of the girl's father, and he had never asked, but he knew the man was no longer in the picture.

He was broken from his thoughts as the door opened behind him, and he turned his head to look over his shoulder.

"Corvo!" The Empress seemed startled by his appearance, but her surprise was fleeting, and she composed herself quickly, "What are you…" Her voice trailed off as she frowned thoughtfully. She was dressed in her evening wear, which was quite modest, but it was still odd for him to see her in anything other than the finely-made dresses, pants, blouses, shirts, and jackets he was accustomed to seeing her dressed in. In addition to that, her hair was down, her black locks falling in waves just past her shoulders, and he was used to seeing her hair pulled back. It didn't make him uncomfortable; it was simply unusual for him.

"Do you do this every night?"

"No, your Highness. Most nights I'll keep watch between yours and Emily's rooms." He turned to look down the corridor again, and though he knew she was still staring at him, he kept his gaze locked on the end of the corridor.

"You don't sleep?" Her voice wasn't stern, it was concerned, "Corvo, if you don't sleep-"

"I sleep when I am certain you and your daughter are safe." He replied, glancing at her, the frown on his own face the only evidence that he was becoming a bit impatient with the route this conversation was taking. If he had to explain, for the umpteenth time, his job to her, then he would certainly become impatient. He did sleep, but never for hours on end. Most of slip was acquired in naps while she was in a meeting or in her study, when she was preparing for the day and surrounded by servants. Those who wished her ill never rested, why should he?

"Corvo, you were shot today. You need to rest." He allowed himself to glance at her, and just as it had been earlier while they had ridden back to the Tower, he could see the concern plainly etched into her features, he averted his gaze again as he spoke, "I don't need to rest. Your Highness, I am perfectly fine." She wasn't convinced.

He started ever so slightly when she wrapped her arm around his and pulled him towards the open door, "What are you doing?" He allowed her to pull him a step, but then he remained rooted to the spot. She huffed slightly when he didn't budge any farther, "Corvo, if you're not going to rest, I'm going to at least give you the opportunity to be comfortable instead of standing on your feet all night." She pulled him towards the room again, and he followed her warily.

"I'm not going to-" She cut him off this time, glaring at him gently in a way that told him that she knew exactly where his mind had gone, "Corvo, you're going to sit in the chair." She told him bluntly and led him over to said-chair sitting close to her bed. There was a small nightstand right next to the bed, but that was the only thing separating the two other pieces of furniture. She released his arm, but he didn't immediately move to sit.

"Corvo, please. If you don't rest you won't be able to properly do your job. I will be right here, and if anything happens, you will know." He had never seen the Empress plead with anybody, but as he looked over to her, he could see in her eyes that she was begging him to do this one thing for her. He sighed and stepped over to the chair, sitting down tentatively when he reached it. She smiled when he relented, and he relaxed perhaps a bit, relieved to know that she wouldn't be preoccupied with worrying about him any longer.

"Thank you." She nodded graciously and stepped over to the door to close it. He took the lull in conversation to observe the room. He had never been in her sleeping quarters for extended periods of time. Maybe he had stepped in every so often to inform her of a visitor or something along those lines, but that had been all. His visits had never been for a long enough time to allow him to study the room in great detail. The room was luxurious, but not nearly as luxurious as one might have expected. The furniture was all well-made and very nice, and he was certain there was some artist's name behind each piece, but they were all quite simple as well. It took him a moment to realize what might have been different. They served a function. They weren't just there as decoration, like one might see in fancy hotel rooms or other estates of the wealthy, they were actually meant to be used. Take the chair he was sitting in right then for example. It was a comfortable seat. It looked nice, but it was also comfortable, and that was a rare trait to find in good seating arrangements… Not that he spent a very large chunk of his time dwelling on those things, but he had sat in enough, quite uncomfortable, chairs to notice things like that. The carpeting was quite extravagant, a few beautiful paintings and a functional clock were hanging on the walls, and there was a lovely chandelier hanging in the center of the room, but each of those were easily taken out of the spotlight by the view the windows covering one wall of the room provided. It provided a gorgeous view of Dunwall. In the center of the arrangement of windows, there was a pair of doors that led out onto a balcony (something Corvo had taken into account long ago). There were heavy curtains draped along either side of the windows that were currently pulled back. Corvo wondered momentarily why that was, but when the Empress stepped over to the glass doors and locked them before drawing the curtains down in front of the windows, he realized it was because she had probably been out on the balcony recently.

"Your Highness…." He watched her as she fretted with the curtains for a few moments, making sure they covered the entirety of the windows. She turned around to walk over to the bed and met his gaze, her silence inviting him to continue.

"Why are you not sleeping?" She hesitated a moment when he asked his question, and then pulled the blankets back and climbed onto the bed beneath them. She leaned back against her headboard, pulling the blankets up as far as they would reach, which at the moment was up to her stomach. She stared at the door of her room, pausing as though she wasn't sure she wished to answer.

"I have been thinking about what Sokolov told me, what I saw as we traveled through the City, what happened to you – what would have happened to me. Everything has been running through my head all day, and it has all poisoned my dreams." She finally told him, looking back at him. He nodded his understanding. He could perhaps understand bad dreams afflicting a person's mind and rendering them incapable of sleep better than anyone.

"What were you looking for when you left?" He asked slowly, and when she didn't immediately answer he elaborated, "You were leaving your room, were you not?"

She adjusted her position ever so slightly to become more comfortable before answering, "I was on my way to look for you," She admitted, "To make sure you were okay." She seemed as though she wished to continue, but after a few moments she sighed and reached over to her nightstand, where a book sat idly, "I am going to read, you do not mind?" Corvo shook his head, waving a hand gently for her to do as she wished. He glanced at the spine of the tome as she lifted it from its resting position on the nightstand, The Fables of the Blue Whale. He arched a brow, frowning thoughtfully. It was collection of popular fairy tales for children, covering all of the basic good morals that were common knowledge for most children growing up. The Empress caught him eyeing the book, and she turned her head to watch him, gauging how long it would take for him to notice her scrutiny. When he did finally realize that he was being watched, he averted his gaze quickly, clearing his throat like he'd been caught doing something inappropriate and gestured vaguely with one hand at the book she now shut, resting it on her lap as she watched him, "It's an… Interesting reading choice, your highness." He muttered.

She smiled and shook her head gently, "Corvo, it's okay to ask questions, and you don't have to always address me so formally." He shrugged gently in response, finally meeting her gaze. She didn't pressure him to say anything else and answered his unspoken question, looking down at the catalogue of tales in her hands, "My father used to read to me from this book when I was little. He was always so busy, but he would take the time to put me to bed and read…" She paused, smiling softly and shook her head gently, "Act out a fairy tale." She sighed and lifted her head to look at Corvo again, who was watching her with that ever-present frown of his. Honestly, the man really needed to loosen up a bit.

"I never much appreciated the simple act until he stopped doing it, at my request of course. Now, whenever I've had a… troubling day, I will read to myself to…" Her voice trailed off, trying to find the right words to reason her actions.

"To remember him," Corvo finished, "To keep him there with you." Her smile broadened a bit at his words and she nodded her head in confirmation. Silence fell between both of them as they were lost in their own thoughts for a few moments, until she finally spoke again, "Did your mother or father ever-" She cut herself off quickly. She realized that she knew little to nothing about Corvo's family and home, what he had left behind in Serkonos, if he'd left anything behind at all. She realized with a start that she knew very little about the man that had been protecting her life for almost a year now.

"No." He responded finally, answering her unfinished question, staring at the bed chamber door, "I do know the stories however." He looked back at her. It sounded as though memories were made fresh in his mind, but he didn't sound sorrowful or grudging. He was simply telling her the truth, something he had come to terms with and gotten over a long time ago. An awkward lull filled the air when he didn't immediately continue, and she couldn't find an easy route to redirect their conversation to.

"The Golden Ship was always my favorite." Corvo added to keep the silence at bay, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"He got what he deserved." He explained, clearly pleased by the fact that the tale's main character got their comeuppance in the story. The Empress smirked a bit skeptically before she replied, "You do realize there is more to that story than Fate getting its revenge?" Corvo looked down at his hands as he leaned forward, resting his elbows against his knees. He shrugged. Sure, he knew there was more to the story, but he mostly focused on the part where the man received his comeuppance. The man redeeming himself at the end, those things didn't happen in real life. People weren't upset by mistakes because they were wrong. They were upset by mistakes because they ruined plans. The man would have never sought to make reparations for what he had done had it not been for his one mistake, and, outside of the fairy tales, people were always looking for someone else to throw the blame at.

"Anyone can become anything they wish to be," The Empress studied the cover of the collection of tales in her hands, "He came from very humble beginnings and earned his wealth, becoming something nobody believed he could be." It was a valid point, Corvo supposed, but he frowned, unconvinced, "That's one of the most generic morals to any story. 'Follow your dream because you can do whatever you wish as long as you believe'," He scoffed lightly, and then seemed to remember to whom he was speaking and cleared his throat and quickly added, a tad bit sheepishly, "Your highness." She gave him a look, not for the informal tone of his former words, but for the formal addressing of his latter. She didn't comment on it, however, and thought for a moment before continuing, "Anyone can receive wealth, but no one can receive wealth and not give anything in return. Wealth is a gift, and if you give nothing back, eventually the gifts will no longer be sent."

He looked down at his hands as he wrung them gently, pondering her words. "So, we agree that our actions have a repercussion? He was selfish, amongst other things, and that led to his downfall," He looked back at her. She didn't seem entirely convinced when she responded, "But you could debate that his 'golden ship' sinking wasn't the beginning of his 'downfall', or that he ever had a 'downfall'. He amended his life without ever experiencing any sort of true tragedy."

Corvo sighed, somewhat impatiently, "It's a children's fairy tale," He stated, "They won't be doing very much debating or thinking too extensively into it." The Empress laughed lightly, and any impatience, any annoyance, Corvo had been beginning to feel faded. Maybe he was beginning to take their discussion a tad bit too seriously.

"We are debating," She pointed out, smiling at him, but then settled back a bit more comfortably against the headboard, opening her book again and lifting it so that she could continue her reading, "But you are right, Corvo. I think one of the main points of the story is that what you give to the world, Fate will give back to you."

A more amicable silence filled the air as the Empress continued reading and Corvo pondered their conversation, amongst other things. He believed in the ripple effect, that even the smallest of decisions could change the course of fate. That didn't necessarily mean that he pondered endlessly over what he'd eat to break his fast every morning, but it was something that filled his thoughts when he had moments to himself to mull over such things.

"Corvo," He looked up when his name was spoken. The Empress looked troubled, and she had closed her book again.

"What do you think I have done for fate to take the course it has?" It didn't take Corvo more than a moment to understand what she was referring to. She blamed herself for the Plague, for the state the City was currently in. It wasn't her fault, but she, as the Empress, felt responsible, and the idea of fate taking its own sort of revenge that Corvo had given her hadn't made anything better. He could've almost kicked himself, though he refrained.

"You have done nothing," Corvo responded immediately. She did not look convinced at all by his words when she spoke, "The City is falling apart. People wish for me dead. Clearly, I must have done something."

"Every city in the world will hit its lowest point, it is inevitable. It is simply unfortunate that you were the one that came to be responsible for this City at that time. That doesn't make you the cause of it, but I know it was not luck that has you here and now. If anyone can find a solution, I know it will be you, your highness." The Empress still looked a bit doubtful, but as she let them sink in, it was clear that they did help, at least a little.

"And what of the assassination attempts? You know better than anyone else how frequent those are becoming. I must have done something to anger someone," She didn't look angry, she looked sorrowful, and that caused a warm anger to build inside Corvo. This City was lucky to have an Empress such as her, especially during these times. She was far more intelligent than she was given credit for, and she had a far stronger hand in the decisions that were made than the general public believed. Just because she was a woman they thought she was soft and easy to manipulate. They thought that she was being manipulated, but Corvo knew better. He saw, firsthand, how she put each of her advisors back in line whenever they decided to step from it, and he saw how deeply she cared about her city and the citizens within it. She cared so much for them, and they knew so little about her, and they allowed that ignorance to fuel their belief of her. It was outraging to him.

"Some people simply wish to bring chaos, it cannot be avoided," Corvo informed her finally, she didn't look bothered by his honesty, but it sure didn't seem to make her feel any better, so he continued, "But that is why I am here, your highness. It might be selfish of me to say, but if those people did not exist, I would not be here." She smiled, and though it wasn't nearly as vibrant as previously it was genuine, "Well, I am happy you are here, Corvo."

A content smile formed on her face as she idly traced the cover of the book with two fingers, her thoughts becoming lost as she stared at the elegant writing scripted across the hard front. Corvo couldn't have said what had been on her mind, he couldn't tell, but she did not look nearly as troubled any longer, and a small surge of pride swelled inside of his chest when he realized that he'd been able to accomplish the task of aiding her troubled mind.

Corvo jerked to full consciousness suddenly. He wasn't entirely sure when it was he had dozed off, but he cursed himself silently for doing so. He ran a hand through his hair as his dark gaze swept across the room. The faintest tendrils of light were creeping into the room, entering through the cracks where the curtains didn't quite meet, but other than that, the room was dark and silent. He frowned slightly. It couldn't have been dawn yet. His eyes locked on the silently ticking clock hanging on the wall across the room. It took his eyes a moment to make out the hands of the clock in the darkness, but once he had been able to do that, he found that it wasn't dawn at all and was simply a very unreasonable hour of the morning. He sighed and pushed himself from the chair before stepping silently over to the curtained windows. He pulled the fabric back only enough for him to see outside. The full moon was beginning to dip behind the horizon, which was the cause of the light in the room. He wondered when the lamps in the room had been turned off. Had he turned them off? Had she? His heart fell slightly. He hadn't fallen asleep while she had still been awake, had he?

Corvo turned around and walked back over to the chair, but hesitated before sitting back down. He lifted his head and looked over at the Empress who had, at some point, found sleep as well. His eyes were as accustomed to the dark as they would ever be, and he could easily see her. In sleep, she looked peaceful. Her brow didn't furrow ever so slightly as it always did while she was awake, her mind running rampant with troubles and worries no one person should be forced to handle on their own. Her lips were turned up only enough to give her an expression of serenity.

The Royal Protector smiled in spite of himself. It was his duty to make sure she was safe and at peace, but it had nothing to do with his job that caused the slight swell of his heart as he watched her.

She looks-

He wrenched his gaze from her, looking back at the chair in front of him as his brow furrowed and a puzzled frown formed. He wouldn't allow himself to finish that thought. He would never be allowed to finish that thought, nor would it ever be appropriate. He couldn't stay in that room, not then. He turned away from the chair and stalked to the bedchamber door, careful not to make a sound even as his mind focused on other things. The only noise he made the entire way was the soft click of the door as he opened it, and then an echoing click as he shut it behind him again.

With his back turned to her, and soon the door separating them, he didn't witness how her expression transformed from one of peace to one of trouble in her sleep, simply from his undetected departure.