Vesper sighed as she looked over her gear one more time. Her sister had sternly advised her several times to pack lightly, taking only what items she would need to survive. On the flight from the Imperial City, Vesper had quickly learned that what she considered packing light was not something her back agreed with. Her scholarly side was distraught at the idea of leaving behind her small collection of tomes, but The Lost Histories of Tamriel wasn't going to keep her alive on a freezing night in the woods.
She tucked the books away into the bottom shelf of a dusty dresser. By the look of surprise on the innkeepers face, she suspected it had been a long time since anyone had asked to rent a room. Vesper hoped that someone would find the abandoned books before they crumbled to dust, but that seemed unlikely.
A light tap on the door startled her from her thoughts, and she quickly stood up, wincing at the ache in her back. "Nevras?" Vesper called softly.
"Yes it's me, open up." Vesper carefully unlatched the rusty lock, which likely would have crumbled with a light tap from a dagger. The other woman took a step into the room and embraced Vesper in a tight hug. "I was worried about you."
Vesper pulled away with a puzzled look. "Why?"
Nevras walked to the bed in the corner and sat on the edge with a dramatic sigh. She wrung her hands and looked at the floor. Vesper re-latched the door and quietly studied the other woman. The silences between them always served to remind her that the two were not sisters at all. No one who looked at them would entertain the notion. That they were both Bosmer women of similar age was as far as physical similarities went. While Nevras was spotlessly pale, with dark-rimmed yellow eyes and smooth long black hair, Vesper's sun-kissed complexion was was splattered with freckles, her eyes were a dark purplish-pink, and her hair was a pale gold that fell past her shoulders.
They weren't really sisters, but that didn't seem to mean anything. They considered themselves sisters.
The silence had stretched long enough. "Nevras, what happened?"
Another sigh. "Relmar and I scouted the area to the West. We stopped at Aleswell and Relmar got the bright idea to try to nick some liquor from the inn." She rubbed her face with both hands before continuing. "Of course there was a couple of half-drunk legionaries there that decided dragging some petty thief off to prison was worth their time."
Vesper felt the blood drain from her face. "He's in the Imperial prison?"
"No! No, thank the Gods, I heard them say they'll stash him in an old reclaimed fort for the time being. Ugh those dumb drunks will probably forget he's there and leave him to starve." By this point Nevras had stood from the bed and was pacing around the room.
"Nev..." Vesper had a feeling she knew where this conversation was going.
"I can break him out, that wont be a problem at all. This is going to delay our plans considerably so... oh Vesper, I'm sorry. You need to head to Chorrol by yourself for now, find an inn and wait for us. I'll find you, I promise. This is just a minor setback."
Vesper smiled weakly. "You really think he's the one this time?"
Nevras looked taken aback, opened her mouth as though to speak but paused for a few heartbeats and sighed. "Yes? I think so? Look, I know I don't have the greatest history with men and-"
"Neither of us do." Vesper cut in with a disarming smile. Both women shared a familiar chuckle.
"Don't I know it. But even you seemed to like him! You never like my men." Vesper could hear the stress drain from Nevras' voice as she spoke.
Vesper rolled her eyes and absently turned her attention back to her repacking progress. "He seems... nice I suppose. A bit of a braggart but I suppose he's not nearly as much of a horses ass as some of the men you've courted." She knelt by her supplies and looked them over again: a waterskin, a small copper pot, an old iron dagger, a worn steel bow, and a quiver half-filled with shoddy arrows made up the bulk of her essential gear. A mortar and pestle, some potions, a journal, a quill, some ink, a map, and dried rations made up the rest.
"Hah, 'courted' is an unnecessarily polite term to use. You're not planning on taking that bow, are you?" Nevras leaned in, peering over her sisters shoulder.
"Actually I was. Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, for one thing, you're a terrible shot." Nevras sat down beside Vesper and picked up an arrow to examine. "And for a second thing, can't you just set things on fire from a safe distance? You could kill a rabbit and cook it at the same time!"
Vesper's shoulders drooped. "I've been getting better, I can hit a moving target... sometimes. Besides, throwing spells about in the woods might attract attention." Another silence stretched between them before Vesper turned to find an uncharacteristic look of concern on her sisters face once more.
"I don't see why you couldn't have joined one of the mage orders. You have a lot of talent, I bet you would have done well."
Vesper shrugged. This was a conversation they've had enough times that it was beginning to sound rehearsed. "I just don't think I'd fit in very well." A partial truth. Someone would eventually find out she was the ill-luck child pulled from a pile of corpses in a necromancers den. Now wouldn't that be a novelty?
Nevras leaned in and put an arm around her sister and rested her shoulder. "For what it's worth, I'm glad we're still together. Getting into trouble wouldn't be half as fun without you."
An odd feeling settled in the back of Vesper's mind. This whole trip seemed strange to her somehow, as if she was a piece in a puzzle that didn't fit anywhere. She smiled weakly. "Speaking of trouble, what's your plan for getting Relmar out of his predicament?"
"Simple enough. Head back to Aleswell, stake out that fort, and go pick a few locks when no one's watching. After that it's only a matter of dragging the dumb ape to cover before he does something else stupid and gets us both arrested. That's the tricky part." Nevras stretched her arms in front of her and stood up in a single graceful motion. "You go on ahead without me. As soon as I break Relmar out we'll head towards Chorrol to meet you. I'm not sure which road we'll take... it might be safer to head back here, or maybe take the Red Road instead."
"If I'm to take the Orange Road, it's entirely possible that you'll still reach Chorrol before I do." Vesper pointed out.
"True, although I think that track might still be safer. Less chance of running into the law, anyways." Nevras sat back on the bed and began adjusting the cuff of her boot.
"Last I checked, I didn't have any outstanding warrants."
"True, but a lone Bosmer on the road might be mistaken for a bandit. Or targeted by one. Or several, given the current state of Imperial patrols." She fished three delicate lockpicks from inside her boot and tossed them onto Vesper's partially sorted pile of gear. "Hopefully you've been getting better with more than just the bow."
"Hilarious. When are you heading out then?"
"At dawn." Nevras squinted at the window. The dust coating the panes of glass was thicker than the icing on a sweetroll, making it impossible to make out what lay outside beyond blurred shapes. The sun had been close to setting right before she had snuck into the decrepit inn, and the roads could be dangerous by night. "Mind if I sleep here?"
"Are you keeping a low profile? Did the innkeep see you?"
"Yes and no." Nevras sat back on the bed once more and began pulling her boots off. "I figured since we're setting off in different directions, no point in attracting attention to ourselves. Once we're back with Relmar and over the Hammerfell border, it should be clear sailing."
"If he can get us over the border. Assuming his boasts of being a renowned mercenary in favor with every merchant in Sentinel are true, I can't imagine getting past the border will be easy with a couple of elves in tow. Not to mention sneaking over would be suicidal for all three of us." Vesper sat beside her sister and kicked off her boots as well. "I just don't think it will be easy to convince anyone."
Nevras stretched out on the bed and rolled over onto her stomach, poking the sheets suspiciously. "You think they wont be convinced by a handsome Redguard man returning home after years of traveling, with his elegant Bosmer lover in tow with her sister? We could mix in something about fleeing Dominion persecution."
"Except you're fleeing the Imperial law, we don't actually look related at all, and I'm just along for your misadventures." Vesper stretched herself out on her back and folded her arms behind her head.
"You're having second thoughts?"
"No? Maybe? I just... never really imagined myself winding up in Hammerfell." She covered her eyes with her hand, as though it could help her filter through her thoughts.
"Where can you imagine yourself winding up? Not in the Synod or the College of Whispers. I'm pretty sure you've ruled out joining the Legion. I doubt we could go anywhere south. Morrowind is a wasteland and Skyrim is a frozen wasteland." Nevras paused and chuckled to herself as if thinking of some private joke. "If Hammerfell doesn't work out, we could always move on to High Rock."
"You mean if Relmar doesn't work out?" Her voice was sharp, and Vesper regretted her tone as soon as the words left her lips.
Her sister either didn't notice or didn't mind. "You've bedded your share of failed prospects, too." Nevras reached out and playfully messed Vesper's hair.
Vesper half-heartedly swatted her hand away. "Three is hardly a share. Besides, I never ran off with any of them."
"Well, maybe they wouldn't have failed as prospects if you'd been a little more open to the idea of relocating."
"I might have if any of them had been worth that consideration. Do you really think Relmar is?" Vesper shifted onto her side and propped her head up on her hand.
"I think he's worth a try. I know he doesn't always make the best decisions but he's genuinely kind... a hard trait to come by nowadays. But Vesper..." Nevras mirrored Vespers position, so that both women faced each other. "I wont hold you to this. If you don't want to go, we don't have to. We may not share blood, but I'm not going to let a man get in between fifteen years of sisterhood."
There it was, laid bare. A way out, the possibility of another path. Vesper searched her sisters face for some hint or clue as to how she should respond. Admittedly, Relmar was the longest Vesper had ever seen her sister keep a partner. Nevras' trysts rarely lasted more than a few weeks, but this time she had been with Relmar for almost a year. She was always slightly suspicious of the men her sister took to bed, but eventually admitted that this time the two seemed a good match, except for their inability to keep each other out of trouble. There was a genuine happiness on both their faces whenever Vesper saw them together.
"If you really think he's worth it, I think you should give him the chance. Go with him."
Nevras tilted her head. "And if that meant separating the inseparable sisters?"
"I don't know." Vesper rubbed her face. "I don't want to get in the way of your happiness."
The sudden burst of laughter from Nevras almost startled Vesper off the bed. It continued for a few awkward seconds until gasping for air but still a bit shaky, Nevras managed to compose herself. "Oh Vesper, you couldn't get in the way of it even if you wanted too. I don't need him to be happy. I don't need you either. Just myself. Other people just make it easier, sometimes." She sighed. "But I don't want you to think you have to follow me everywhere forever, just because that's the way it's been for the longest time."
"This isn't how I expected things to be." Vesper laid back and stared up and the dusty rafters. The sun had almost finished it's decent and only a dim red-violet light filtered through the grimy window.
"What did you expect?" asked Nevras.
"Why all the hard questions?" Vesper mumbled in reply.
"What does it matter if you don't answer any of them anyways?"
Yet another sigh."I don't know."
"Well, let me know when you find out. I'm going to sleep." With that, Nevras wriggled her way under the shabby, but thankfully clean, covers.
Vesper followed suit, trying to shift around into a comfortable position without disturbing her sister. Within minutes Nevras' breathing evened out into the steady rhythm of a deep sleeper, but Vesper couldn't quiet her thoughts. She had lived much of her life within sight of the Imperial City walls, and ventured within them on a regular basis, yet the thought of leaving it behind didn't trouble her. The thought of going into Hammerfell didn't rest easily on her mind, but she couldn't pinpoint why. Relmar had told them much about his homeland, about the vast deserts and grasslands and coastal cities. It sounded like a grand and wonderful place, yet an unease sat in the back of her mind like a fog. An itch in her thoughts told her she didn't belong there.
The night passed, as did her thoughts, until they slipped away and she drifted finally into slumber.
She slept through the night without a single dream, or at least none she remembered upon waking. She likely would have slept through the morning if not for Nevras incessantly shaking her by the shoulder.
"Wake up, it's almost dawn." she whispered harshly.
Vesper groaned and pulled herself upright. "Couldn't you wait until dawn, at least?"
Nevras shook her head. "I want to get a head start towards Aleswell. If this works I should have him sprung and be on the road well before evening." She glanced to the pile of equipment still on the floor. "You never finished packing."
"Not much left to finish." Vesper managed to say, stifling a yawn and rubbing her eyes.
"Have you decided?" Nevras asked in a tone that was uncharacteristically flat.
"I was supposed to decide in my sleep?"
"Vesper."
She looked up at her adoptive sister. She had already pulled her boots on and tamed her long black hair back into a low ponytail. She stood with her arms crossed, slender fingers nervously digging into her elbows. It struck Vesper that she had never seen her sister so unsure, so concerned. She suddenly felt a wave of guilt settle in her chest. Decisions were to be made, and they were to be made on a very unforgiving schedule. She opened her mouth to speak but words refused to form. A sharp intake of breath and all she could manage was to squeak, "I don't know. I'm sorry."
"It's alright." Nevras reached out and gently placed a hand on Vespers shoulder. "You don't have to decide right away. We'll meet in Chorrol, and see what happens then."
Vesper nodded, standing. The old wooden floor felt rough and cold against her bare feet. Nevras took her by the shoulders and pulled her into a close hug. The sisters stood there a moment, holding onto each other as they had so many times before.
"I have to get going." Nevras spoke as she pulled away. "It's a long road, give it some thought on the trip. I'm sure you'll figure something out. We'll talk when we all get to Chorrol."
Vesper nodded. "Alright. I'll try to... I don't know, think of something."
Nevras smiled warmly. "I know you will. For now, best I head off now. I'll see you in a few days."
"Alright. Go rescue that man of yours." The two shared a smile and a nod, and with that, Nevras unlatched the door and quietly slipped out, leaving Vesper alone with her half-assembled gear and her thoughts.
Bleaker's Way was well at her back by the time the sun cleared the horizon and the morning air began to lose it's chill. Vesper would be glad to never see that wretched little town and it's sorry excuse for an inn again.
A thick fog hovered over the landscape as she made her way North along the Silver road, giving the air a solemn gray cast. A few birds cried in the distance, but otherwise the only sound she could hear was her own footsteps. Her mind was firmly occupied trying to sort out the implications of the conversation with Nevras the night before.
Vesper loved her sister dearly. When she had been rescued from a necromancers den as a child, many had thought it was miraculous, but it didn't take long for whispers of curses and specters to become commonplace around her. She had never understood as a child, but the memories stuck with her long enough for her adult mind to bitterly assign them meaning. Eventually a Bosmer couple had been convinced, or perhaps bribed, to take her in. The pair didn't seem to thrilled with her, but their daughter had been delighted and immediately declared the slightly younger orphan as her best friend for all of time. The two differed and complimented each other in so many ways. Nevras was a sly weasel and quick to master both burglary and the bow in her youth, and had tried her best to mentor Vesper in all she knew. Likewise, when Vesper's talents for sorcery and scholarly persuits surfaced, she had tried her best to impart some wisdom onto her sister, to no avail.
As they both grew into womanhood, they grew distant from Nevras' birth parents. They scraped by a living by stealth and a bit of magic, never really having stable jobs or a stable home, but they never lacked for basic comforts. They rarely asked anything of each other, it was simply an unspoken understanding between them that they stick together.
Now that had changed. Nevras had acknowledged that perhaps their paths in life would at some point diverge, and that maybe that point was upon them. Although Vesper had never quite felt like she belonged anywhere, she had never before considered that she might belong somewhere other than with her sister...
She was snapped from her thoughts by almost walking into a sign-post. She had come to the crossroad, it seemed. The worn post had four markers: two pointing South, declaring Bleaker's Way and the Imperial City were both in that direction. Bruma lay to the North, and the long road to Chorrol to the West. She starred down the visible length of the Orange Road, visible a ways as the fog had mostly dissipated in the mid morning sun. She knew it was the agreed upon path, that a reunion with her sister and her sister's lover awaited her down that road. And then what? Hammerfell? High Rock? The itch in her mind had returned.
She turned and looked back the way she came. Even from this distance, the spire of the White-Gold Tower was clearly visible. There was less than a handful of people she would consider more than acquaintances in that city, especially now that Nevras was no longer there. There was nothing worth considering further south except run-down riverside towns... and Valenwood, her birthplace that could never be her home. She looked back to the west, but still couldn't bring her feet to move.
Nevras didn't need her, she had said that plainly. Vesper wondered if that revelation should have hurt. It didn't.
She wondered if she was the one who needed Nevras?
When the answer formed in her thoughts, it scared her. She didn't. She knew if they parted, sad as it would be, both of them would be perfectly fine for it. She wanted to let Nevras know, but it was a long journey to Chorrol, one she knew wasn't for her.
She whispered an apology to the wind and turned North. There was no where else to go. Slowly, she continued up the Silver Road, leaving shallow footprints in the damp road.
Soon it began to snow, and the snowflakes filled in the traces of her passing.