This is the third fic set in the Twist of Fate universe. It is dedicated to Llarian, as without her (less than) subtle suggestions it never would have come into being.
Taking a deep breath he tried to identify the various scents that filled the room. Woodsmoke, coming from the blazing fire under the decorated mantle; a hint of roasting meat and other seasonal delicacies wafting up from the kitchens nearby; flowers, their fragrance captured and pressed to make the light perfume of the women; and the rich note of mortality, contributed by the many different races in the salon.
Janus smiled faintly, marveling at the unusual assortment of guests. The Empress certainly had a unique social circle, and the group she'd gathered for her 'Post Saturnalia' feast was no exception.
Yesterday's banquet had been appropriate, lovely, political, and perfectly impersonal. The various diplomats, ambassadors, and nobility staying in the Imperial City had been feted with copious amounts of food, wine, and music. It was exactly the sort of festivity an Emperor should hold.
Whereas this, well, it was something that definitely seemed far more appropriate for Lilia to be hosting. Already the odd collection of guests were chatting, their conversations not exactly what he'd expect to hear in the midst of the Palace.
"No, you've got them confused again," Delphine gently corrected Modryn, cutting off his story with a hand on the mer's arm. "The ogre was the one that ate the broom, not the troll. The troll got into the alchemy supplies. The crazed thing sprouted purple feathers - it took ages for Erthor and Athragar to pick them all up after I destroyed it for them. But they did come in handy. Softest stuffing for pillows I've ever found."
"Really?" Viera inquired politely while discreetly studying Modryn's stiff crest of hair. Janus wondered if she was musing on the same question that he did - how exactly did the mer sleep without destroying the bed?
"That's what I've always said. Vanto's third law of perception will not stop applying just because the mage hasn't heard of it." Ocato's voice attracted Janus' notice. The mer was busy speaking of esoteric magical mysteries with Hanibal Traven. Two former Arch Mages together was a slightly worrisome thought.
"Tweh." The future Empress of Tamriel tugged on Ocato's robes, small fists wrinkling the fabric. Without pausing in his conversation the Altmer bent down, scooped Makela up, and nestled her in one arm. From her high vantage point she proceeded to study the people in the room, blue eyes wide as she looked over the strangers. As she absently gnawed ineffectually at her hand a small puddle of Imperial slobber appeared on Ocato's shoulder. The mer didn't seem to notice.
Though Gwendolyn noticed, her eyes seeming to never leave her small charge. Except somehow it also seemed as if she never stopped watching Janus whenever he was around. It didn't surprise him too much that Lilia had chosen a witch from the Skeffington coven to play nursemaid to her daughter. Gwendolyn was aware of Janus' condition, and her body language made it well known that she wasn't overly pleased to have a vampire so close to her young ward. Occasionally a fit of perversity would overtake him and he'd wonder just how she would react if he suddenly bared his fangs at her. But the strange magic that floated over her, as well as Lilia's potential wrath, kept his odd impulses in check. That and it certainly wouldn't be a very dignified thing for him to do.
"Yes, that's really quite fascinating," Raminus murmured politely. The current Arch Mage didn't seem to be focusing his attention too deeply on Lyra's explanation of the inspiration for her newest piece. A small light spell flickered above his hands as they rested on the small of his back, out of view of the Imperial and her fiancé, but within sight of Makela. The little girl occasionally cooed as the light shifted through various colours and shapes. Currently a rainbow was slowly whirling around in circles.
The undertone in the giggles from the side of the room certainly held a meaning far opposite that of Makela's innocent exclamations of delight. Glancing over he saw Millona, no longer burdened with a last name, blushing slightly as she laughed at the Dunmer's joke. Synderius was standing close to her, and Janus regretted that he'd missed the mer's words. If he didn't know any better he'd swear the Gladiator was flirting with Ocato's new wife. As odd as the mer seemed he didn't appear daft enough to dare it though. At least, Janus sincerely hoped not. Lilia would surely be very distressed if Ocato vaporized any of her friends for their impudence.
"Oranges are all well and good if you like that sort of thing, but can you skin a goat with telekinesis?" The new Court Wizard of Bravil's inquiry caught his attention, and he looked over across the room in time to see her nose wrinkle slightly at the mention of oranges. "Otherwise I can't see the point of wasting magicka on produce."
"Hmm. Never tried skinning a goat. But I've caught more than a few criminals with it, so I'm still saying it is the most useful of all the spells." Carius replied. From what he'd heard the Watch Captain had learned quite a bit from the Arcane University.
"More useful than invisibility?" Thaeril countered. The tall Bosmer looked doubtful at the argument.
"Invisibility is like hiding in a wardrobe. Doesn't serve much purpose unless you've been up to something you shouldn't have. Or if you're hiding from the monsters under the bed."
"Do they have such things in Cyrodiil? Our monsters tend to hide in the trees," she asked anxiously. According to Fathis the mer was a recent émigré from Valenwood and still adjusting to life in the Imperial province. For the last week she'd been staying at the Palace, receiving instructions from the former Court Wizard, and getting the Dunmer into a fair bit of trouble.
"Carius, do not tell me that you've been regaling Thaeril with horror stories about the lovely province of Cyrodiil." Lilia called out as she walked over to join the man and the mer on the far side of the room.
"Lilia," the Imperial greeted her with a grin. "We've merely been having a friendly debate. Perhaps you can settle this for us. What is the most useful spell of all?"
"Easy. Detect life," she answered while surveying the salon. She nodded at Janus in greeting and gave Martin a friendly wave as he spoke quietly with Baurus over near the fireplace. Their conversation wasn't something Janus could hear - they'd used magic to keep it private.
"You're not eavesdropping on everyone, are you?" Fathis asked with a knowing grin, offering him the glass of wine he'd brought back. The two of them stood near the doorway, apart from the others.
"I would never do that. I merely have remarkable hearing," Janus answered. And a very remarkable ability to see things that no mage could. The way that Martin's body reacted when he looked at Fathis made him frown lightly. "Is she still having nightmares?"
"Yes," Fathis whispered, his eyes stealing a quick glance at his employers. "But it's not my fault no matter what Martin thinks."
Before he could question the Telvanni for the details dinner was announced.
"Just try a forkful. They're fresh - I brought them back from Morrowind."
"They're a vegetable," Thaeril replied, her nose wrinkling at the orange mound on her plate. Synderius laughed at her response before resuming his attempts to persuade the Bosmer to try the ash yams.
Janus wasn't sure what he'd done to earn Lilia's disfavour - she'd sandwiched him between a carnivorous Wood Elf and the most bloodthirsty Dunmer he'd ever met. Glancing at Modryn, seated at his right, he tried to pay attention to the conversation the Dark Elf was holding with Lilia, who was beside the mer at the end of the table, and Carius.
"No, the most useful spell is Delphine's. Enemies Explode is a work of art," Modryn argued.
"It's not very useful to a Watch Captain," Carius stated doubtfully.
"How could it not be? Last time Delphine and I went on contract..."
"Wait," Lilia interrupted, "Delphine joined the Fighter's Guild?"
"No." Modryn's plumage shook back and forth and Janus resisted his impulse to duck. "She comes along for research. It's rather important to know what effects the spell has on different creatures."
"I'm sure it is," Lilia murmured, her lips curling up in what Janus recognized as a restrained amused grin.
"Anyway, we had to clean out a bandit camp. You should have seen what the spell does to Khajiiti thieves. The fur starts to ripple..."
"Modryn," Lilia interrupted, having noticed the horrified expression that Millona was wearing as she stared at the Dunmer from across the table. Carius glanced over at the Imperial beside him and blanched. "Not every criminal deserves immediate and irreversible execution."
"Nonsense. That would keep the prison population under control. Think about it - it could save you a lot of septims." The Dunmer nodded sagely before biting off a chunk of his roll.
"The mutton is lovely, isn't it?" Carius inquired sheepishly, clearly embarrassed at having somehow caused the sudden disturbing turn in dinner conversation. Millona merely nodded at him in response. She was still eying Modryn warily.
"It definitely is," the warm voice with a strong trace of Valenwood beside him chimed in. Looking over he found Thaeril leaning close to him, answering a question he hadn't asked.
"Sorry, what is?"
"The mutton. What region is the recipe from?" The mer inquired. Her plate was almost devoid of meat, though the ash yams appeared to have been untouched.
"Elsweyr, I believe." For some reason both Martin and Lilia seemed to have an inordinate fondness for Khajiiti cuisine.
"Elsweyr? That can't be right. I've never tasted a combination like this before." Thaeril studied the meat, perhaps hoping that it would explain itself. But the mutton remained mute.
"I'm sure Lilia could answer your question," he added. Looking towards the end of the table did not yield the picture he'd expected. Instead of her waiting to add to the conversation, the Empress was busy chasing some wayward corn around her plate. Successful in finally capturing the elusive vegetable she brought her fork up, the movement suddenly halted when she realized that Janus and Thaeril were both politely watching her. The abrupt stop in motion caused the kernels to jump off her fork and make a desperate bid for freedom.
Freedom turning out to be her lap. Lilia grinned, blushed slightly, and brushed off her rebellious dinner.
"Praise the Nine for napkins. They've saved many a gown from an untimely end. Did you need something?"
It took Janus a few moments to remember that she wasn't a vampire anymore, and as such hadn't heard their quiet conversation. Her mortality still wasn't something he'd fully adjusted to. Especially since she'd developed a bad habit of using spells to eavesdrop on conversations, further confusing the issue of her now normal hearing.
"Where did you get the recipe for the mutton? It's very good." Thaeril inquired.
"Elsweyr," Lilia answered. Noting the Bosmer's confused look she continued. "It's from Leyawiin. Nowhere near the borders of Valenwood. Lovely flavour, isn't it? It's got a few Argonian herbs in it, which is why it tastes different than what you're used to."
"Leyawiin? That's not Elsweyr. That's Cyrodiil." Carius looked amused at the Empress' gaffe.
"Yes, it currently is." The way Lilia smiled as she answered caused Janus to sigh. She still hadn't given up her dream of returning Leyawiin to the Mane. Her pet projects were starting to take on a life of their own. Though he had to admit so far she'd done a masterful job of not letting her personal agendas become common knowledge. He only knew because she'd drawn him into her plots, seeking his advice on some very sensitive political matters, as well as asking for guidance on the best forms of subtle manipulation. The woman could be quite devious when she wanted to.
"How are you enjoying Cyrodiil?" Synderius, seated on the other side of Thaeril, asked the new Court Wizard. As she turned to answer him Janus became aware of just how much the mer had been invading his personal space. Bosmer were such a strange lot, as he knew from personal experience. Skingrad was positively crawling with them.
"It's very different. I mean, the houses are made with stone," she whispered the word as if passing on a shocking revelation. "I haven't seen a single building that's been grown yet."
"I've never been to Silvenar. Is it really a giant flower?" Millona inquired from across the table.
"You could describe it that way. It's sap, actually, that's been magically hardened to form everything. The most beautiful building is the palace. When the sun hits it right it glows like rubies," Thaeril answered wistfully. She placed her right elbow on the table and cupped her chin in her palm. Janus pondered how to cut his meat without bumping her - she was settled so far to the side of her plate she was almost touching his. Perhaps the new Court Wizard had a drinking problem, resulting in her odd behaviour. Though he'd not noticed her imbibing too much wine. But then he wasn't familiar enough with Wood Elves to know how much would be too much.
"The palace? Have you met the Silvenar? How is he?" Millona asked.
"She."
"She? Last I heard he was a he," Millona stated. A small frown of concentration was on her face, causing her lower lip to stick out in a very childish fashion.
"She just changed recently," Synderius added helpfully. "No need to hide that beautiful smile by thinking on it."
Millona blushed at the comment and Janus quickly glanced down the table. Fortunately Ocato was too busy engaging Fathis in conversation, their mutual coolness forgotten as they employed a desperate strategy to keep Lyra from starting up with her newest piece. Lilia's crazy Dunmer friend wouldn't be vaporized yet. But he was definitely flirting with Ocato's wife, and sudden death.
"What does she look like?" Janus asked. The Silvenar was another one of those odd Bosmeri institutions. They maintained that the Silvenar was a physical representation of the population and desires of Valenwood, and as such would change form, gender, and age depending on the collective mood. Most Imperials refused to believe them, instead attributing the rumours to the Wood Elves' odd sense of humour.
"Young, beautiful, and hopeful. When I last saw her she was laughing," Thaeril answered with a smile. Her leg bumped against his and he again wondered what was wrong with the mer. She was having a terrible time controlling her limbs and keeping a respectable distance.
"Oh my, I almost forgot!" Lilia exclaimed from the end of the table. Several bottles, filled with a dark brown liquid, floated from the sideboard and on to the dining room table.
"Rotmeth," she explained, noticing the curious looks her sudden actions had caused. "The Silvenar sent some recently and I've been saving it for now. That's what the liqueur glasses are for."
Janus grabbed a nearby bottle and opened it. Thaeril eagerly asked for him to fill her glass, causing him to suspect that perhaps she was indeed intoxicated. After serving Millona he poured a small amount for himself. It smelt very odd.
"Are we supposed to do anything to it?" Martin asked from the other end of the table, suspiciously sniffing his glass.
"No. All you need to do is drink it. Cheers!" Lilia answered.
Janus toasted, but hesitated to drink. Watching the reactions of the others at the table he really wasn't sure if he should or not. Thaeril was murmuring in approval, Lilia had closed her eyes as she savoured the taste, Millona made a small noise of shock and put her glass quickly down, and Carius was trying not to cough.
"Just try it. It's very fresh," Thaeril urged him as she reached for the bottle to refill her glass. Figuring that if she could handle it, then he may as well take an experimental sip.
The flavour was nothing like he'd expected. Sweet, salty, tangy, spicy, and...meaty. It was vaguely disturbing and yet horrifyingly refreshing.
"What is it?" Martin asked loudly. "Are you sure it hasn't gone off?"
Thaeril made a little squeak of protest, but Janus was too busy watching Lilia's shocked expression to pay attention.
"Off? Are you mad? This is the best rotmeth I've ever had! You can still taste the goat," the Empress protested.
"The what?" Now it was Ocato's turn to ask a very loud question. Most of the dinner guests were openly regarding their glasses with traces of horror.
"The goat. It's made from fermented meat juices," Lilia explained, sounding a bit defensive.
"Umm, meat doesn't have juice," Carius pointed out. "Not unless you count blood..."
By the way Lilia was studiously avoiding the Imperial's questioning look Janus knew that was exactly what she'd meant by meat 'juice.' By the Nine, leave it to the Bosmers to make alcohol from blood.
"Fermented blood?" Raminus asked with a smile. The Arch Mage was refilling his glass. "How do they remove the poisonous effects?"
"The spices. They act like a small cure poison potion," Thaeril explained. "It's perfectly harmless to drink. Other than the alcohol."
Oh yes, only the Bosmers would make potentially poisonous alcoholic blood potion and then serve it as a delicacy. They really were the most unusual of all the races, and the mer beside him was no exception. Janus wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but her knee was pressed against his and her shoulder pushing into his arm as she reached over for the bottle in front of him. Why she wasn't grabbing the rotmeth in front of Synderius he couldn't begin to imagine.
"Can you believe it? An ebony mace. She isn't even a year old!" Lilia chuckled at the remembrance. "When I pointed that out Modryn told me that by the time she could lift it she'll be ready to learn. Ebony! It weighs more than she does."
Janus laughed. He was seated on the sofa beside the Empress, listening to her chat about the more unusual of the Saturnalia presents her family had received.
"Lilia, I've written a new poem, and I think you might like it. It's a love sonnet..." Lyra's voice came from behind him and he almost flinched in surprise. And worry. Commander Lex's fiancée, while a very sweet woman, had to be the worst poetess he'd ever encountered. But he couldn't flee now - that would be far too rude. Lilia didn't seem to be worried though. Her body was remarkably calm even though she'd been effectively cornered.
"Lyra, come here. I've got a confession to make," Lilia whispered, indicated for the woman to lean in. The familiar smile on the Empress' lips worried him a little.
"What is it?" Lyra asked happily. The atmosphere was very much that of one schoolgirl sharing a secret with another. He felt a little like an interloper.
"There's really only one person on Nirn that I like hearing poetry from," Lilia answered. Her hand was discreetly pointing to Martin, where he sat oblivious on the other side of the room chatting happily with Hanibal, Viera, and Millona. "It's a quirk of mine. Too bad he hasn't learned any new pieces lately..."
"I'll see what I can do," Lyra replied with a wink before heading off towards the unsuspecting Emperor.
"That's not very nice," Janus scolded her once Lyra was safely out of range.
"It's his own fault. I keep telling him about the importance of half-truths and evasions, but he's just so bloody honest. Maybe this will teach him a lesson," she retorted, smiling wickedly as she watched Martin's flustered reaction to Lyra's commanding presence. Hanibal, Baurus, and Millona discreetly scattered, leaving the Emperor stranded.
"You've been planning that for a while now, haven't you?" He asked. She nodded in response.
"Since the Warrior Festival. Having to listen to Cling Clang, the Weapons Rang made me determined to never experience that again. If I've done it right then Lyra probably won't recite poetry around me in future," Lilia replied happily, well pleased with her cunning plan. "Though the same can't be said for Martin. But he really does need to learn how to handle these situations, especially since we'll be headed to Morrowind next. King Helseth will eat him alive if he's not careful."
"You'll be with him at all times?"
"Of course. I'm not about to let him face any heads of the Houses alone. I'm really looking forward to seeing Master Fyr again. And I can't believe I'm going to meet Barenziah." Her eyes lit up as she discussed the famed Dunmer Queen, before widening with confusion. "Why are you laughing?"
"I have no doubt that at least half of the Tamrielic nobility thinks the same way about meeting you and Martin," he explained. "Don't forget you two are currently the most famous people in the Empire."
"Thank you very much," she said tartly. "I actually was forgetting that for a brief moment. All night I've been nothing but Lilia, relaxing with my friends, not worrying about the fact that everyone can recognize me, even if I've never met them before."
Her sudden diatribe stopped and she sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. I'm just a bit cranky right now, that's all. Lack of sleep." She quickly looked at him and waved her hand to cut off his words. "We will not speak of that."
"What would you like to speak of?"
"Dwarves," she murmured, and he wasn't sure if she was actually answering his question or not.
"The Dwemer? I'm not too familiar with them. Their disappearance is said to be a mystery..."
"It's not a mystery, it's Raminus' fault," she replied, glancing over at the group in the far corner. Several of those who'd enjoyed the rotmeth had begun singing Saturnalia songs. Well, they'd started with Saturnalia songs, but the choice of ballad had quickly changed. "I can't believe he forgot the verse about the dwarf. If you'll excuse me, I simply can't allow this to continue."
Janus nodded, watching as she stalked over to them, demanding that they start singing The Lonely Farmer's Daughter and Her Magic Carrot from the beginning. Between her enthusiastic if unrefined voice, and Lyra's constant repetition of her sonnet, Janus contemplated that vampirism certainly could be considered a curse at times.