This is a sequel to "The Adventures of a Dragonborn". I really recommend you to have read the first of you are taking on this since, well, basically it is obvious. I said I'd post this one in mid-December, but I couldn't wait :) The next update will take a while, though.
"Karlilah!" she exclaimed as the door to Breezehome flew open. "It's good to see you!"
Aurora knew Karlilah was not a hugger, so she decided to keep her distance. Closing the door behind her, she took a few steps towards the fire pit and sat down in the free chair.
"Indeed, although I'd hoped it would be under different conditions." Her voice sounded very concerned. The Imperial's heart rate went up, and the anxiety washed over her. She bit her lip and looked on her sister-in-crime.
"What happened?"
"We have a problem, and I wouldn't go to you if I thought we could handle this ourselves." Her gaze was flickering. "A fortnight ago, we learned about an alleged collection of rare, flawless diamonds kept in the dungeons of the Palace of the Kings. We sent out best lockpickers there, but it was a trap. We're not even sure the collection actually exists, and now Vipir and Vex are held prisoners. I'd go myself, but I'm not very good at lockpicking, and there will be a lot of that..."
That was not exactly what she anticipated. Well, at least no one was dead. Brynjolf had not decided to take the same path as Mercer... All right, this was the third worst thing that could have happened. Not that she found any type of joy to the situation, but in all honesty, she was more than happy to escape Whiterun, even if it only was for a few days. A new adventure was exactly what she needed. Her mind had to be somewhere else; she would not have made it through otherwise. The sensation of having loved and lost killed her from within... It took her a few minutes to mentally return to the conversation before she asked:
"What's the plan?"
Karlilah cleared her throat. "You will dress up as a noblewoman and pretend you're there to see Ulfric. You shall sneak down to the dungeon and free Vex and Vipir. I'll meet you outside of the castle."
Aurora got up from the chair and started walking around, nervously. The sheer extent of the problem was overwhelming. There were so many things that could go wrong. It was best not to think at all. The thought of breaking into the Windhelm prison... It was almost worse than the Thalmor embassy, only thing was, she already experienced that type of excitement, and she was not keen on repeating it.
"Let's go, Aurora."
Karlilah was already by the door when the Imperial turned around. She nodded absent-mindedly.
There were about two hours left until darkness would fold over Skyrim when the companions got their first glimpse of the town. A bitter sense of coldness hung in the air. It was not just the northern air – there was more to it. It was the first time Aurora had ever seen the town, and she took a certain disliking to it. It was not all like her beloved Whiterun, no, it was harsh. Difficult living conditions. The walls seemed so high and dark, imprisoning the ones living there.
"I'll take another way into the town. You go straight ahead." Aurora's thoughts were interrupted by the older woman.
"Why?" she asked, surprised.
"Don't you know? Elves aren't exactly welcome in Ulfric's town."
There was resentment in her voice and expression. Worry too. Never had she seen Karlilah in this state before. That may have been due to the fact that they had only known each other for about a year, and Aurora being unfamiliar with the life the woman had lived before, she thought, but it still worried her. Karlilah always knew what had to be done. A life on the run had made her that way.
"Ready?" Karlilah asked.
Aurora nodded, once again very absent-mindedly. The older woman jumped off her horse and bound it to a tree whilst thinking of something. Noticing that her companion had not moved an inch, she asked her:
"You haven't eaten anything, are you not hungry?"
The Imperial jerked. "Oh... no, I'm not. I'll do fine with a little water."
Probably the nerves, Karlilah thought. It was not a risk-free mission she was sending the youngling onto. She still needed her energy, though. The trip had lasted one and a half days, and losing another member due to mistakes committed by hunger was not acceptable. Brynjolf would kill her if something went wrong. Especially with Aurora.
She swallowed her anxiety and gave the Imperial a package. Her reaction worried Karlilah even more – there was none. She hit the younger woman with it on the leg before she turned her gaze on it.
"Take this on."
"Why?"
"You can't wear an armour to Ulfric, are you mad?"
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't thinking..."
Nocturnal, give her strength. She was not focused at all. That really made edgy. Had she known better, she would have called off the operation at once, but she was desperate. The Guild needed Vex and Vipir back – before they would have their heads chopped off.
She could get used to it – wearing dresses. The one on her body was a cheap imitation of what a real lady would wear, but it would do for the mission, she thought. Something felt wrong, though. She was defenceless without so much as a dagger in her trousers.
The walk to the palace was a nervous one, what was a good thing. During their entire journey, she had not given so much as a thought on what lay ahead. She just could not. The thoughts of him were pushing everything else away. Everything vital for survival.
There was barely any life left in her. Every morning, she cursed destiny for keeping her breathing even though every cell in her body told her it was better not to. She was superfluous in her own existence. What she went through could by no means be classified as 'life' – it was nothing more than survival.
A voice in the back of her head said it was best like that. It did not matter if she was successful with this mission, not for her. The responsibility for others, that was another thing. The only thing that made it worth putting in an effort.
It was cold, and goose bumps were forming on her arms. There was a trace of nervousness, a small glimpse of normal life. It almost made her ecstatic. For a fortnight, she had not felt anything but melancholy and indolence, but there it came! A butterfly was awake. Not completely, but it made a small wing movement – enough to wake the woman out of her hibernation.
Parts of her remembered how a mission of this type should be done. Walking up to the guards, she had an almost confident look. It took her a few moments to realise it was the wrong role she was playing.
"Oh, hello. I'm miss... ehm..."
The guards did not look as they cared. With an expression of annoyance, they opened the heavy doors to the empty hall.
It was beautifully decorated, Aurora thought. A long table occupied most of the centre of the room. That was her chance. With a leap, she threw herself to the right side of it, hiding behind the tablecloth. There were a few doors to choose from. Damn it! Karlilah had told her where to go, but she had not listened. It would have to be trial and error then.
She chose the first door to the right and made a run for it. Distant voices were heard from somewhere else, so it seemed as a good choice to pick the silent door. It was heavy and made a horrible sound when opened. The hinges were ancient based on the squeak.
Carefully, she closed it. She let it take its time. The woman was not nervous, but she had to admit, it was exciting to be a thief again. Having exchanged her heavy boots for soft shoes, she made almost no sound whilst moving. The dress made it easier too.
Eager to proceed, she held a rather quick pace, almost running into a crowded barrack. By the Nine! They were everywhere! Kneeling down, she counted four guarding soldiers and three sleeping ones. The hall was very spacious, something she had to take advantage of. The beds were situated on the right side, and the tables where two of the patrolling guards sat by, were on the left.
The discipline was rather bad, though. They were not too coordinated, opening up a possibility for Aurora to sneak by to the beds whilst both had their backs toward her. With a roll, she ended up beneath one of the beds, thanking Nocturnal for her luck. Holding her breath, she listened for the continuing steps of the patrollers.
She advanced slowly, but effectively. The guards sitting by a table were eating, not focusing on the movement on the right side of the room. The difficult part came when she got to the last bed.
When entering the hall, she had the advantage of speed when she rolled beneath the first bed, but now, she had to do it from a harder position.
Waiting for the guards to have their back against her, she peeked out, only to regret it a second later. The soldier furthest away from her raised himself slightly from the chair, looking at her direction. Holding her breath, she saw him gaze around, only to ignore it.
Aurora could admit, her heart rate increased. There was no time to lose. She got up on her knees next to the sleeping soldier and rolled towards the open vault.
"What was that?" she could hear one of the guards asking.
Then came silence. That awful, nervous silence. The atmosphere changed drastically. Before she could think, she turned around and leapt forwards, only to be met by corridors. Corridors leading everywhere.
Almost panicking, she ran a few steps forwards. There were possible turns to almost every direction, and she got lost a few times. None seemed to lead her to Vex and Vipir.
Turning right in Gods know where, she heard the steps of another guard. The corridor split in two, ahead was nothing but darkness, but to the left she saw a fire.
There it was! The end of the corridor. Only one guard stood between her and the rescue of her siblings-in-crime. Throwing herself to the floor, she prepared the lockpick and inserted it. She only had seconds before the guard would turn back around the wall and see her. Aurora pushed it to the right, but at no position would the stupid lock move! Bigger angle, smaller one, nothing worked. Realising it was hopeless, she went back with only moments to spare before the guard emerged behind the other wall. The run up the stairs had made her lose her breath, making her worried that someone would hear her. It did not happen, though. The guard soon turned away, and Aurora went for the stairs once more.
This time, she was successful on her first try. The lock was positioned at a sharp angle to the left.
Walking into the compartment, she noticed how difficult it was to breathe. The air was moist and warm, and the stank! A half-dead prisoner was situated in the first cell. Aurora threw a quick gaze at him, but they were not familiar.
"Over here!"
"Vipir! Where's Vex?"
"I don't know. I can't see her from here. Haven't heard her since they arrested us!"
"Stay calm, I'll get you out."
Kneeling down, she took a new lockpick and struggled with the lock. It was very good at its job, protecting the outside world from criminals like her...
"Aurora! Behind..."
It was too late. When she got up, a man was already looking at her. A guard, damn it! He seemed to be as surprised to see her as she was to watch him.
"What are you doing here, miss?"
Her first instinct was to take a leap and cut him to the ground, but she figured she would not be able to do it quickly enough for him not to have time to scream for help. Her only option was to play along with her role of a maiden.
"Oh... I... I was just. I got lost. I thought the dungeons..."
"Another stupid young girl. It is not interesting down here! There are convicted criminals. Dangerous criminals!"
"I'm sorry... I won't..."
The soldier watched her suspiciously. His gaze went from her all but innocent face to her, what seemed as, elegant clothing.
"What are you doing in the castle anyway?"
"I was invited... by the Jarl."
"We shall see."
The guard stretched for something placed on the right side of the entrance. Moments later, the sound of a ringing bell filled the room. Aurora threw a worried look at Vipir who had taken a few steps back in his cell. This was it then. She was to rot in this godsforsaken place.
What seemed as ages later, a man with a funny hat and even funnier moustache arrived. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and he bore a very angry look.
"Who are you?"
"Oh..."
"You don't look Nord to me. Imperial."
Aurora had no chance to answer before being interrupted. Doing her best to look ashamed, she watched the floor. The red-brown boots of the man in front of her was a good focus point.
"Em... yes. Imperial," she answered.
"Guess you'll have to do."
That was a very strange thing to say to someone he was about to condemn to the axe. Perplexed, Aurora raised her gaze to his legs and chest, trying to figure out if he was some kind of steward or not.
"Sorry?"
"You said you were supposed to meet the Jarl. I'm the one taking care of his schedule, and I have no memory of him 'meeting' with someone today. I thought your father sent you to..."
"Yes! My father sent me here. I'm... Um... Prepared."
"Good, then I'll send for a servant to make you a bath."
"A bath?"
"The Jarl likes his women clean."
With that, he turned around and disappeared. With her heart beating fast, she could only think: Dear Gods. What had she gotten herself into?
