AN: Thanks for the feedback, reviews and faves, it means alot :)
WARNING! LOTS of evil stuff and SPOILERS in this chapter for any future chapters for Ashen Souls and beyond!
Just wanted to put that out there :D
Malyn Dravis climbed down from his mount and smiled at the sight. Handing over the reins to the stablemaster, he walked up the pathway that led him to the capital city of Skyrim, Solitude. Pulling his hood down, he allowed a rare moment of bliss to course through him as the sun burned his skin. Having travelled from Riverwood, he had passed through a seemingly unending rain storm, and had been forced to stop at numerous caves along the way.
Thankfully, he hadn't come across any bandits, although he had seen signs of their presence, especially around what used to be Morthal. He had heard the tales and had read the reports, but he hadn't been prepared for the devastation that Morthal represented.
The town was nothing more than an overgrown husk. Every building had collapsed, the rotting walls entangled in thick vines. Frostbite spider corpses had littered the ground, and more than once he had heard the skittering of their limbs as he passed through the abandoned town. But he had been unhindered and had been able to pass through unscathed.
The two days travel had allowed him time to reflect on what Hadvar had said, and he was becoming more curious about his tale. Had the Dragonborn truly been as selfless as he made her out to be? While many of the reports of Morgan Aurelius had been from non war veterans, he had to admit that the previous book written about her was a little biased against her.
But the public were entitled to the truth in his mind. And while she had been an icon for many, there was no doubt that she had been the cause of much strife and suffering as well. The deaths of at least two Jarls had her involvement in some way after all. Not to mention the horror stories that had come from Maven Black Briar's demise.
He passed through the main gates and continued through the streets, shaking his hea dozen children tore past him, some yelling words he had no idea translated as.
What kind of word is 'FUUUS'?
He stopped for a moment as he came across the most recent addition to Solitude's already impressive building collection, The Dragonborn Gallery. For forty or so years, it was still in impressive shape, the tall walls untouched by age or vegetation growth. And the centerpiece of the structure, a massive dragon skull looming over the entrance, was still as magnificent as he recalled seeing it over thirty years ago.
It was a fake, of course. The Dragonborn had insisted after seeing it that no real bones of her kin should ever be used in a public display. He shook his head again. The poor woman had become more draconic over the years, and her insistence of the bones indicated just how out of touch she had become.
Giving one last look at the Gallery, he moved on to the Blue Palace. And stopped when he saw a statue that had been erected in the main courtyard, a statue that had only recently been placed if the streaks of mortar on the cobblestone was anything to go by.
Morgan Aurelius standing in an attacking stance that scholars had identified as Akaviri in nature, one hand alight with magical fire, the other hand holding that wicked blade that had been given many names over the decades. Cleaver. Bone Slicer. Blood Drinker. The names went on. No-one knew how she had crafted the blade herself, although there had been mutterings of a Daedric Prince being involved.
Then there was the armour. It looked flimsy. Very reminiscent of leather in a way. Many people believed that she had taken the robes of the College of Winterhold and had changed them with blood magic, but none in the Magical studies of the Synod had figured it out.
Malyn stood there for a few moments, eyes fixed on the fangs that jutted out of her mouth in an animalistic snarl, before shaking his head once again. He had dawdled enough. It was time to meet the High Queen of Skyrim. Clutching his notebook tightly, he strode towards the main doors, eager to hear the Queens opinion of the elusive Dragonborn.
"Welcome to Solitude. In the name of the Nine Divines, I bid you welcome."
Malyn stood up from his kneeling position and kept his head at a respectable level as he faced the High Queen. Age had been kind to Elisif the Fair in his view. She was nearing her sixtieth year and yet she only had a few wrinkles on her face, her soft blue eyes containing a steel that he found a little unnerving. The robed woman standing beside stood away from the two of them, although he knew that she was ready to intervene should it be required.
"You have my sincere thanks, Your Majesty. It is an honour to be here once more."
"You have been here before? Oh yes, I recall your visit to the Gallery years ago. As I recall, you were screaming about a blue ghost stalking you in the Dark Brotherhood Gallery," Elisif said with an amused smile.
Malyn hid his shock at how sharp her memory was. But he managed a smile in return and explained why he had come so far. He noted that the Queen had an excellent 'false face' but she could not hide the soft expression that appeared on her face when the Dragonborns name was dropped.
"Morgan. My dearest friend. Yes, I dare say I knew he better than most," Elisif said as she adjusted her skirts and fixing him with a glare. "I do hope you are not planning to slander her name like that last book. That caused more than a few riots."
"I merely told the viewpoint for the benefit of the masses," Malyn lied smoothly.
"Morgan would like to say 'dragonshit' to that claim," Elisif replied with a grin. "So, what would you like to know?"
Straight to the point. I can see why she has become such a strong ruler.
"The Dragonborn has not been since in over a year, Your Majesty. Many are wondering if she has finally fallen in battle, or has abandoned the citizens that she claimed to protect?"
He wasn't ready for the unladylike snort that came from the Queen.
"Abandoned? For what she did for the 'people', I would have declared her birth date a day of festivities where all food, drink and other entertainment was free for the 'people'," Elisif said after a few seconds of chuckling. She then stood up and directed him to follow.
He did as asked and fell into step beside her, noting that she was shorter than he. He also noticed that the robed woman was walking right behind him. A perfect position for dealing with him were he an assassin.
"The Gallery was erected in her name. The orphanage was a home that I offered her for services to the Crown. She stayed there for a time but then sold the estate and insisted it become an orphanage for the children left homeless during the Civil War," Elisif explained as they walked through the Palace, nodding to the dozens of guards and staff that were in attendance.
"She defeated the World Eater when she had no clue as to her 'destiny' Morgan was never interested in power, gold or fame. Less than a year later, she battled with an ancient vampire that had plans for a permanent nightfall where the vampires would rule over the mortal realm. She stopped that because it was needed. She fell in love with the same vampire that accidentally turned her."
They stopped when they came to the exit.
"And then she travelled to Solstheim and tore half the island to the ground while fighting one of her own kind. A Dragonborn," she explained when she saw his baffled expression.
"But... she was the last?!"
"Yes. But Miraak was the first. The First Dragonborn versus the Last Dragonborn. Once again, the whims of the gods had placed Morgan on a path that she had no interest in. She only travelled to Solstheim when her daughters were placed in danger. It was personal."
Elisif smiled darkly.
"One thing I can tell you is that making an enemy of Morgan on a personal level is a very bad idea. But in her quest for vengeance, the island of Solstheim became an island of fear. The people of Raven Rock fled the settlement shortly before her final battle with Miraak. That battle levelled mountains."
Malyn knew his mouth had dropped, but the Queen kept going.
"Your scholars thought it had been a natural disaster. Another explosion from Red Mountain perhaps. Or even a fun joke at the expense of Sheogorath from what I have read. But no. It was Morgan and Serana AND Miraak Shouting the island into the sea."
Elisif smiled wider.
Were they fangs? No, trick of the light.
"Believe me, my dear. Morgan was the ultimate warrior. A master of the thu'um. Styles of magical use and blade skills lost to time meant even Miraak could not withstand her. The Thalmor couldn't either. They found that out when she came back, angrier than she had been before she left. Then there was the fallout afterwards."
Elisif nodded to the guards, who opened the doors.
"Many sought compensation from her for the damage done by her thu'um during the invasion. And you know what she did? She gave them every last Septim she had. Every jewel, every exotic weapon she had collected over the years, many of them now residing in the Gallery, which is a definition of irony Morgan would find amusing. Even the Dragon Priest masks."
Malyn found he couldn't speak. No-one had mentioned this in any of the records!
"Is it any wonder why she left the public eye? The poor girl lost everything save her own home in the Pale... then she lost entrance to most of the Holds, save a few. The people of Solitude have always looked at Morgan as one of our own. Perhaps it is time that others do the same, now that she is not around to deal with the bandits any longer?"
Malyn recognized that the interview (if it could be called such a thing), was at an end. He dipped his head in acknowledgement and made to leave when a surprisingly strong hand gripped his forearm.
"I only tell you this because you are not the first to search for Morgan. Just stop. Walk away. I am not sure why you are looking for her, but no-one has returned from their searches for her. The previous man was named Julius Marvius. A pleasant man but young and naïve. He disappeared months ago and we haven't heard from him since"
"You know something." Malyn said bluntly, his patience at an end. He hid his knowledge of that name however. Julius was a good boy, but very foolish to have come here alone. Only twenty years old as well.
If Elisif was unimpressed at his attitude, she hid it well. She shook her head.
"If you truly are set on your destructive course, then I can only offer you a name."
"Who?"
Elisif sighed as she let go of his arm.
"Aela. Safe travels, Malyn Dravis of the College of Whispers, also known as the Synod."
How did she know?!
He made to walk after the Queen, but the doors slammed shut before he could get there, a smirking smile from the robed woman the last thing he noted before the Queen vanished from view. He rubbed his eyes, feeling a little weak all of a sudden.
Elisif having fangs? No, she was aged, no possible way she is a vampire. Too much travelling on the road, not enough rest and water.
He would rest in the tavern before making his way back towards Whiterun. He knew the name 'Aela'. Anyone who knew anything about the Companions should know that name. If anyone knew of the Dragonborn's whereabouts, it would be the esteemed leader of the Companions. Malyn smiled, the warning of the Queen becoming nothing but background noise in his mind.
The trail was getting warmer, he just needed to stay on course.
"Well done, Your Majesty. Such an insufferable man," Sybille Stentor praised with a smile. "He didn't notice that you had taken his mind so easily."
Elisif the Fair smiled as sat up from her seated position, licking fresh blood from her lips before replying.
"Just another Gift that Morgan taught me. I got what I needed. The Synod won't be a threat for very long. Such a strange place to study magic, when all they do is try to ban it. No moving, boy," she added, pushing the man beneath her back down and smiling down at him for a moment. "You recall what I said about moving, yes?"
The man strapped to the table whimpered and nodded as Elisif lay down on top of him once more, her fangs already extending for another taste.
"A second scholar from the College of Whispers at my door. You people are persistent. And stupid. Still, Perhaps Mayln will have better luck?..."
Elisif grinned and covered his mouth with her hand and sank her fangs into his neck once more, holding his body with her thighs as he squirmed and attempted to scream.
Julius Marvius cried as the Queen vampire fed. He cried for his life. For the lives of the Synod and for the lives of the people. And then he cried with happiness as his Mistress kissed his throat before mounting him on his waist, her bloody lips set in a grin as her face became smooth, her skin becoming unblemished and youthful. Why had he been so worried? His Mistress took care of him. She always did.
Sybille Stentor smiled from the corner. The Queen had become much more confident since that fateful night, when the Dragonborn had paid a social call only three years after the defeat of the Thalmor.
Elisif had been reporting sickness for months, and a rare poison from the Summerset Isles had been the culprit. The would be assassin had been found and executed of course, but it was far too late for a cure to be found. On her deathbed, Elisif had called in the one favor that she had asked of Morgan. She hadn't been ready to die, and Skyrim had struggled to rebuild since she had vanished from the public eye.
Sybille smiled at the memory of the Queen emerging from her room with a bright smile and a face smeared with blood, her orange eyes ablaze with new life. The smirking Dragonborn had placed a tender kiss on Elisif's face before vanishing into smoke, leaving the two vampires to begin again.
Solitude would remain standing for centuries because of a Queen and a Dragonborn refusing to allow ethics to stop the growth of a nation. Sybille glanced up as she watched Elisif ride the helpless male beneath her.
A true Queen for Skyrim. All hail the Queen.
AN: I did warn you *evil grin* I spent a while thinking of this chapter, and hopefully its good enough for all my awesome readers :D
