There came a voice from outside the prison cell. The guard was talking to himself, as he often did while making the rounds. Reaching the cell, he came to an abrupt halt and began belting orders to the man inside. The man was dressed in rags, his dark brown hair long and unkempt, as was his beard. He was very skinny, and looked malnourished. Clearly, this was of no concern to the guard.
"Canis! Wake up, you filthy maggot! Up! Now! Against the wall!"
The man in the stone cell swiftly and silently did as he was told.
"You know the drill. Latch 'em up."
The man put his back against the stone wall. Grabbing the iron cuffs which were attached by chain to the wall, he cuffed himself and made a motion to the guard to represent his immobility. The guard returned from whence he had come and for a few moments the cell was silent. Then the man chained to the wall heard footsteps approaching, and looked to the door. Standing outside was a man dressed not as a guard but rather as a noble. He was a tall, blonde Imperial, and his blue silk garments seemed to shine in the pale sunlight that crept through the high window at the back of the cell. Having been in this cell for some two years, the man in blue was a distinctive but not completely welcome sight. Most of the time someone was sent to his cell, it meant that the man now chained to the wall was due for a beating.
The guard returned and unlocked the door. As he held open the door for the man in blue, he reminded the new visitor to keep due distance from the prisoner. The man in blue nodded and dismissed the guard, who headed back up the steps. Now the cell contained only the noble and the prisoner.
The man in blue pulled the prisoner's chair from the corner of the room and sat down facing the man chained to the wall. He smiled at the prisoner in an almost-friendly way and then began.
"Canis Artoria?"
"That's me," answered the man chained to the wall.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Canis. I am Ignatius Varis. My job is to ensure the efficiency and wellbeing of the Empire by any means necessary. While I technically work as a Legionnaire, my occupation more often deals with small groups or lone operators rather than armies. You see, unlike your typical operations, my occupation deals more with precision than force. True, sometimes it is best to launch an assault and unleash the horde to wholesale slaughter the enemies of the Empire. More often, however, a bit of restraint can be just as effective, if not more so, and cheaper as well. Armies can destroy nations, but a single soldier can strike swiftly and quietly. More importantly, a swift, quiet man often returns from a mission where many legionnaires do not. We prefer to keep our men alive. Return on investment."
During all this, the man chained to the wall remained silent. Ignatius continued.
"Let's just get to the point. For the crime of desertion of your post, you face a life in this cell. You will never again see the daytime and you will die cold, alone, and forgotten: a fitting death for a coward. You will receive no funeral, and your name will be struck from the histories, like you were never here. Had anyone died under your command you would certainly have most certainly lost your head years ago, and no one would have so much as flinched at the sight.
"However, I come here not to comment on your sins but rather to offer you respite. At present you face a coward's death and an unmarked grave. While I could not hope to offer a coward like you glory or honor, I can offer you freedom."
The prisoner was silent, but his face betrayed his thoughts. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes that had been absent for some years. The man in blue seemed to notice.
"I see you are considering the proposal. The job is simple. As you know, there has been considerable political strife in the provinces of late, most recently in Skyrim. Even with the war effectively won, peace continues to elude us. But that is the job of the soldier. I need precision. This is where you come in.
"A man named Sibbi Black-Briar has effectively taken control of the settlement of Riften. After his mother and brother were assassinated, he took the throne. We believe that he had his own family cut down as a means of taking power. He is ruling as despot, and he needs to be stopped."
For the first time since the noble in the blue suit arrived, the prisoner spoke.
"You want ME to kill Sibbi Black-Briar? How on earth could you expect that? You said yourself I'm a coward. I've never even killed a man, not outright at least. And look at me. I'm wasting away in here. I haven't eaten a solid meal in months. I couldn't lift a sword now much less fight and kill a man, not to mention whoever he has guarding him. I want my freedom but you are asking for the impossible."
"We don't necessarily need him dead," Ignatius was quick to respond. "We just need him gone, off the throne. We'd rather have him as a prisoner than a corpse.
Should it come to that, however, you won't be killing him. We have a man for that. Your job is to guide our man to Riften. You'll just be assisting him. You still remember Riften, I assume? You haven't been locked up that long."
Indeed, Canis remembered Riften. He had spent the majority of his life there. Born and raised.
"So," Canis started, "I take your man to Riften, he kills Sibbi, and I get my freedom?"
"We feel that simply removing Sibbi might only cause more unrest. Everyone else will start grasping for the throne and Riften will return to chaos. We need to insert a leader sympathetic to the Empire. We could send in someone to fill that spot, some noble that we appoint, but we feel that a better strategy would be to put someone the people of Riften know. We do not know the whereabouts of Ingun Black-Briar, but have heard no news of her death so she is assumed to be alive, most likely imprisoned by Sibbi. Should this be true, you are to recover her and place her on the throne. If she does turn up dead, we will respond accordingly."
Canis thought it over. "So I guide your man to Riften and find Ingun Black-Briar. Then I get my freedom."
"You will also receive a nominal reward for completion of the mission. You will then be honorably discharged from the legion, and you will be free to live your life any way you see fit so long as you never again interfere with the efforts of the Imperial Legion. You will never be a soldier, you will never have honor, but you will at least get your name back. You can get a house by the beach and watch the sun rise, and have a name on your gravestone. Maybe even flowers. That is the best offer I can make to you."
There was a long silence. Finally, Canis spoke.
"What's to stop me just running off after you set me on this mission?"
Ignatius smiled. "The man you will accompany to Riften is one of our absolute best. The gods do not simply make men like him, he was forged. I have never seen a more ruthless killing machine. He is absolutely loyal to us and will follow any command without question and without hesitation. I have personally seen him rip men limb from limb with the calmest of demeanors. And I mean limb from limb. He will kill men. He will kill women. He will kill children. If we asked him too he would kill his own mother and send us her severed head as proof of the deed. He can track a man for miles and he can shoot a target the size of an apple from distances you wouldn't believe. I've seen it. He is brutal, terrifying, and tenacious and by the Divines if you do should turn tail and desert like you did before we will send him after you and tell him to make you squeal. And believe me when I say he will."
Canis was visibly shaken. "And this man works for the Legion?"
"As I said, he is loyal. He is precise, and he is effective. Not every mission we carry out is as straightforward as putting down a rebellion. Sometimes we have to get our hands dirty. So we send a man with dirty hands. Now, you can either have this man on your side to protect you or on your trail to dismember you. Do not desert again, coward."
Canis was again silent for a spell, and then spoke. "I lead him to Riften, we find Ingun, and he does the rest?"
"Yes."
"And then I'm free? I come back and you all leave me alone?"
"Yes. It is not a difficult job for you, Canis. But it is necessary. So what say you? Will you serve your empire and return to the world of the living? Or will you wither in here until your bones turn to dust?"
The man chained to the wall was given little choice. "When do we start?"
Ignatius's mouth curved into a broad smile. "Soon. Take the week to regain your strength. Get some solid food in your stomach, and consider reacquainting yourself with a sword. Just in case. I will see to it that you are fed and clothed, and might be able to get you some light training before you leave. You'll be given a horse, and by this time next week you'll be on your way to Riften. You'll meet our man at Bruma and head from there together to Riften. Get in, do your job, and return here when the deed is done. You will receive your payment and be on your way. And we will never see each other again, of that I can assure you."
Canis nodded. Still smiling, Ignatius called for the guard. When he arrived, Ignatius instructed the guard to unlock the prisoner's cuffs and escort him to the barracks for a hot meal and a soft bed. The guard grumpily complied.
As the three men walked toward the door leading outside, Canis reflected on the situation. He would be returning home, after all this time. He could see his family. Things could return to normal, like the days before Black Marsh.
As the guard opened the door, Canis could not help but smile. For the first time in two years, the man dressed in rags stepped outside and into the sunlight.