Authors note:
This story is slightly AU, as I have always pictured Tyermaillin as a female. Oh well.
Standard disclaimer: I do not own Morrowind, or any of the other wonderous creations of Bethesda Softworks, however I certainly lay claim to misspellings, mistakes, tweaks and characters of my own creation.
She looked up at him, a slender Breton mage wearing a mis-matched collection of armor, most of it obtained from the bodies of people she'd had to call to justice. Her sword was another trophy, battered but well-kept. He d initially wondered at its utility. Tyermaillin, however, had noted the subtle enchantments she d woven into it, and after some discreet observations, had concluded them impressive for her relative inexperience.
Were it anyone else who had abruptly decided to travel cross-country, alone, in hostile territory, she would never have made it all the way to Balmorra.
"And that's where the wooden pier-things started. From where I was, you go past the two parallel brown-gold stone spires, and then there is a patch of Scathecrow near a couple of abandoned looking wooden buildings. Then beyond them up where the pier-things were in better repair, two-story stone buildings with circular upper levels, built like the ones in Caldera."
Caius Cossades stroked his chin thoughtfully. Her memory for landmarks was as accurate as her sense of direction was abominable. "That would be the Calderan Ebony Mines. It's held under an Imperial charter. One of the most important imports from Morrowind is ebony."
Tallis nodded unhappily. She twisted her hands where they rested in her lap. "But it said Slave shack two on the door."
Caius nodded again, finally understanding where this was going. "What did you see?" He asked neutrally.
Tallis continued in a soft toneless voice. "They use slaves in the mine. The people who say they are miners don t really do much work. She wrung her hands in her lap. I talked to them. I talked to all of them. They beat the slaves, and sometimes even burn them with spells. Nobody even thinks they are doing anything strange."
She wiped angrily at one eye. "I want to go back there and tell them that the Emperor is not going to tolerate this."
Caius held up a hand. "Tallis. The Emperor sends out his blades because he cannot be everywhere, and we do follow his commands. However if he has not given a direct command to do something, then we cannot just say that he has."
Tallis eyes widened in protest and shock. "He would not allow slavery in an Imperial mine."
"Nor do I say that he would. I merely caution you. You cannot say you are acting on orders."
Slowly she frowned. She looked down for a long time, and then finally asked. "Then what should I do?"
"You are a Blade, Tallesma D'Artagnan. You must do what you believe to be right."
In a soft whisper, almost too quietly to be heard, Tallis said. "When you act, do so with all your heart." The cadence made is obvious that she was quoting something.
"What?" Caius asked.
She shook her head. "Something from a dream." She looked calmer, more determined. "Okay, I can't just say a Blade did this or the Emperor ordered this."
"You can only imply it." Caius tone was encouraging.
She reached into the pouch at her belt, and pulled out a handful of coins. Picking carefully through them, she chose two of Imperial mint. "The dragon is the symbol of the Septims, right? So, say if someone was found with two coins, dragon side up, to pay for their passage to the underworld, it wouldn't say anything." She let her voice trail off.
Caius nodded. "It would imply."
She stood up. "Thank you." She said, and walked out.
As the door closed behind her, a slender form wrapped in a red and gold patterned silk comforter stepped out of the shadows of the room. White-gold hair tumbled down to the middle of her back. In fact she had been standing, un-noted for twenty minutes in what few shadows were cast by the single lamp hanging from above Caius table. This should not have been enough concealment, but then, Tyermaillin was a Blade Adept. She could have hidden a Betty netch in the shadow of a single falling racer plume.
"I believe," Tyermaillin said dryly, "That she is going to attempt to murder those she considers slavers."
Caius produced a slender ebony dagger that hadn't been obvious before, and began cleaning his nails. "The Calderan mine contract is held by the East Empire Trading company, which has consistently shorted taxes owed to his Imperial Majesty and fomented disrespect that in two instances stopped just short of outright rebellion. These issues have been costly, in several senses, to put to rest."
"Among the owners of the mine is a house Hlaalu noble, Odral Helvi, who besides being greedy and corrupt in general, has deliberately falsified records, and murdered one of my Blades in the process of winning the mining contract. The loser was Garisa Llethri, a Redoran councilman who did most of the work of negotiating, including a gentleman's agreement to forswear slave labor within the mine itself."
Tyermalllin raised a delicate eyebrow. "I note that you failed to mention any of these details to the little one."
Caius shrugged. "Tallis will free the slaves, she'll finish the slavers, and she'll not loot the Emperor's ebony. This is exactly what needs to happen."
The golden elf looked thoughtfully at the door by which Tallis had departed. "Do you know all your Blades this well, I wonder?"
Caius set aside the dagger and reached for her. "I try to." His voice was low.
She laughed, and let the comforter fall away.