Vigilants of Stendarr

A Vigil's Light

Chapter 2

A Stormy Awakening

"She's just a child, Vendol! How could you bring her out there knowing that?" Mealena the Dark Elf hissed in a hushed tone, working to keep her voice low as a finger of hers struck out to point toward the girl she spoke of. Vendol met her stare, regarding the Elf as he replied, crossing his arms.

"A child? A child. As I recall you were out years before her age. Eirylth is not a child."

The Dunmer's eyes flashed and she was quick to defend herself, hand flying to her chest. "You know it's not the same, Ven. I was much stronger and better prepared than her!"

A pause, then, "Hmph. Are you saying that I have not prepared her enough?"

A sharp intake of breath then sputtering.

"Vendol, no, of course not! I am saying nothing of your skill or teachings, I know you're a very good teacher but… It's just…she's-she's different! Different than us all. She's softer, weaker-"

She was cut off by Vendol's reply of, "And who are you to say the true measure of her strength? For all you know she could be the strongest of us all." His remark was sharp enough that it immediately silenced the dark elf's tongue and had her taking an involuntary step or two back.

A strange light seemed to flicker in his eyes, one that dared the Elf to continue further, and Mealena blanched under such a stare, but she sucked in a breath and continued on, chin rising.

"Vendol, even you yourself have to admit that she was not ready for what you both did! For facing those group of savage abominations! By Stendarr's law, she was as white and shaky as a leaf when you brought her in! She could barely speak and her skin was bruised. She collapsed as soon as you brought her inside into the fort. Vendol… this life does not suit her it's…"

Her speech continued, the words impassioned and fierce. Though the words came off as faint and far-off to the girl who sat a few feet away in the room beside where the two quarrelling Vigils stood. Eirylth had tuned Mealena's words out, opting not to listen, though the buzz of conversation still reached her ears, but only as mere noise now. She continued -or rather pretended to continue- her writing, scribbling away in the journal before her as Vendol and Mealena continued. She had been doing it even before both the two had began their conversation. It had been Mealena who had been the one to initiate it, charging forward and approaching Vendol just as he had finished telling Eirylth to recopy and transcribe all of the Vigil's notes into new books, removing all that was no longer viable and adding all that was important and new.

She sat a bit sullen, silent and brooding, continuing to write as the voices rose and then fell only to rise again. Eirylth only continued to work on being invisible, not that such a feat was difficult with the way her senior Vigils were talking about her just a few feet away. She really didn't need to be hearing this as she worked and did as Vendol had asked her… She no longer needed even more reminders of her failures and lack of strength, much less have someone say it aloud for all to hear should they walk by, even if her mentor and elf spoke in low tones.

Mealena was still talking, replying to yet another calm reply or statement of Vendol's. Eirylth continued her job, though she had long finished, now she was simply retracing the words with her quill, the ink on the page becoming darker and darker, marking the pages under. The words "vampire", "neck", "wound" and "still injured" reached her ears and almost immediately Eirylth ceased her tracing, an involuntary hand traveling up to her neck that was now covered in bandages.

She traced the fabric, a wave of shame hitting her, a tidal wave of embarrassment and white hot humiliation drowning her. The wounds she had received had left marks… Deep dark marks that were even purple now with spots of green and yellow spreading and healing. A flash of her being brought into the Hall and immediately fainting flashed through her mind. Then waking up to the sensation of someone tending to her. The sensation had been right being that Eirylth had indeed awoken to find herself in a warm bed and Keeper Carcette tending to her, her warm hands pressed to her neck as they glowed with healing warmth.

Eirylth had been too weak and drowsy to maintain or even hold a second of conversation and so, upon seeing Carcette and noticing that she was safe, she had dropped into unconsciousness once more, and without a moment's hesitation. Her hand did another trace and her eyes grew all the more darker. It had been five days since then and her wounds still throbbed, though not as strong as before, not as sore or tender as it was when she had first gotten them. Under Carcette's expert hand, she was on a fast track to getting fully healed. The wounds were deep, the Keeper had informed her, any more pressure and she would have died. She had gotten off lucky.

Lucky…

She had to suppress a sudden breath of laughter. It was funny, Eirylth didn't feel so lucky.

Nightmares plagued her now.

Frightening and heart wrenching nightmares that left her gasping for air and covered in sweat. It was often the same thing. The sight of her being killed, of the hands that held her neck truly sinking into her flesh hard enough to crush and kill her, to crush and snap her neck. There was also the sight of sharp, clawed teeth sinking into her flesh, ripping, sucking. The frightful dreams all ended the same, with Eirylth drawing that last breath and everything fading to black. That was followed by Eirylth immediately launching up into a sit as she heaved, struggling to breathe.

She hadn't told anyone about the dreams just yet, but she suspected Vendol knew. Once or twice she had felt and later knew she had screamed just a bit as she dreamt, for she sometimes awoke with a sore throat hoarse as if with screaming. There was also the fact that he had come to check on her one night and found her drenched in her own sweat, her skin clammy and unearthly pale.

Maybe Mealena was right. Maybe she wasn't cut out for all this. For this life.

Tears pricked in her eyes, and a burning sensation worked its way up her nose. But she wanted to be cut out for this life, she so desperately needed it, because if she didn't have this Eirylth had nothing. Nothing. The Vigils of Stendarr was the only life she knew, the only group she knew, without them Eirylth felt she had no self, no being, she would not be herself. She needed them, but she wasn't so sure they needed her.

Her eyes began to burn now and Eirylth bit back a curse, silently chastising herself so that she did not cry. It was then that she no longer heard voices, and so, she blinked and looked up and over to find both her mentor and the dark elf silent. They were silent and looking toward someone-someone that wasn't her. They were instead looking toward the approaching figure that was Keeper Carcette. The woman approached them with a smile and settled just before them.

"Mealena. Vendol." She inclined her head at the two of them to which the pair of them bowed their heads.

"Keeper Carcette." They both greeted in turn.

Carcette's gaze drifted toward Eirylth and the room she sat in. Eirylth tensed, her gaze darting down so that she did not meet her Keeper's gaze.

"Is she in there?" She heard Carcette ask. Eirylth focused on scribbling away, her nerves skyrocketing. For some reason she suddenly felt uneasy….as if something was going to happen.

"She is." She heard Vendol reply. Then a pause before he asked somewhat slowly, "Do you need her?"

Eirylth could almost hear the Keeper nod as she replied with a, "Yes, I do actually. She's not too busy now, is she?" That was said almost jovially and Eirylth could almost see the amused smile and eyebrow raise that more than probably graced Carcette's features.

Vendol laughed. "No, no one is ever too busy for their leader. She's just in this room. You can go in."

"Mm, thank you Vendol."

The Keeper swept by them both to get to the younger Vigil. She walked into her room, first looking around then to the young girl in the seat before smiling and waiting.

Eirylth could only tense up all the more as she heard the approaching footsteps and her throat seemed to seize up with fear and more of that untold sense of unease and nerves. Why did Carcette want to see her? She hadn't told her that she was going to come by, much less speak to her… Although, she was her leader, so she supposed that Carcette could come by anytime she wanted. Even then Carcette hardly, if ever, approached her in private. There was no need to being that Eirylth was hardly important. And the past few days Carcette had told her when she was coming by to check up on the wounds and continue healing them.

"Hello Eirylth." Carcette was the first to greet, leaning upon one side of the wall with a smile. "It's good to see you. How are you feeling?"

Eirylth took a moment before she looked toward the Keeper, taking a shaky breath and swallowing before giving the woman a slow, "I'm...I'm fine."

Carcette merely nodded at that, peeling herself off the wall as she smiled and said, "Ah well, I am glad to hear that."

Eirylth looked away, the feeling in her gut deepening. The Keeper edged closer until she was less than a foot away from her young Vigil. Silence filled the room for a moment or two, Eirylth trying her best not to look at her leader and Carcette standing silently, waiting, shifting her weight from one leg to another. It hung for another fragile second before Carcette let out an amused sort of sound and asked, "May I?"

The blonde female looked slowly toward her Keeper and remained silent. Carcette inclined her head, lifting her chin just a fraction and staring squarely at Eirylth's bandages to indicate just what she meant.

Eirylth offered her a nod and worked on not meeting the Keeper's gaze as her hands traveled to her head. The Keeper had a gentle touch, twisting and angling Eirylth's head slowly as if to get a better look. The woman's eyes were intent and serious, all traces of her previous humor and goodwill gone as she examined the girl's neck. Her hands traveled to lay on the bandages and the two stood in a silence that seemed to last forever to Eirylth as Carcette gently probed and felt for any sort of abnormalities. Eirylth waited, attempting to calm her breathing and heart that seemed to be thrashing against her rib cage.

The older woman's smile returned and she stepped away with the gentle grace she always seemed to possess. "Well everything seems to be fine to me. Did any of that hurt?"

"I..No, not really..." Eirylth replied with a shake of her head. She traced her bandages with a hand and marveled at how her wounds didn't hurt as much as it did a day or two ago. Days where she could barely move her head without pain lancing through her. Now the only thing she felt was a faint throbbing, a fact she informed Carcette of.

"Ah well, soon enough that will go away too. I'm glad to see that your voice has returned to normal as well."

Eirylth nodded, glad as well. She could barely speak a day after she had arrived at the fort, her vocal cords much too damaged. The days after her voice had been much too hoarse to even manage speech, it hurt too much to even attempt it anyway. Carcette's healing truly was a blessing. The small blonde girl thanked the Nine Divines-Stendarr namely-for the fact that she had Carcette and that the woman was such an experienced healer.

"You must be wondering why I've come..."

She suddenly heard Carcette say, realizing that her keeper had been speaking to her. She hadn't been listening.

"I-uh-yes. Is-is something wrong?"

The woman smiled and shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. I simply have a task for you that I wish to speak of. Come." She stated smoothly, turning away from Eirylth and walking away, clearly expecting the younger Vigil to follow.

Eirylth gaped, blinking and swallowing before launching up from her seat and following after Carcette with a stammered "I-what?"

She swept past a surprised and startled Mealena and a quiet Vendol and followed Carcette to the great hall that was currently empty. Almost all the Vigils-no matter the small few that they were-were out doing either group missions, special cases or investigations given to them by either Carcette or the talk of townspeople. Either way, they were out and about, doing the work Stendarr had intended for them.

Mealena and Vendol followed Eirylth and entered the hall behind her, also curious as to what Carcette would or could possibly ask of the youngest member.

"Um...what task do you wish to give me, Keeper?" Eirylth asked hesitantly, eyeing the back of her Keeper warily as she waited. Vendol hung back, almost tense as he waited as well. Mealena drew close, her curiosity almost savage as she too waited with bated breath. The three all waited for their Keeper's words and order, holding their breaths each in their own way.

Eirylth swallowed as more silence filled the halls.

Carcette took a breath and exhaled softly before turning. "My dear Vigil. Young Eirylth Stornden, follower of Stendarr's word, I wish for you to go on a quest to retrieve all of the Daedric artifacts that litter the land of Skyrim. All of them, including the 17 that are of the Daedric Princes."

It seemed time hung with the Keeper's words, all breath stopping except hers. Eirylth froze and blinked. Vendol tensed, sucking in a breath as he closed his eyes. And Mealena, it seemed, gave the reaction that should have escaped Eirylth, a strangled and high pitched, "What?!" as a foot stepped forward and absolute shock and disbelief twisted her features.

Carcette waited, her job of giving a task long done. She now waited for what the girl would say. Though it seemed she was too caught up in her shock, her skin taking on a frightening white pallor, her pale green eyes wide and her body devoid of movement, to even muster an answer. It seemed as if she hadn't even heard Carcette's issue, as if she refused to believe or even hear it, which was presently happening.

Eirylth's world was spinning, her mind unable to formulate any solid thought besides the word what and stark disbelief. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to. Carcette hadn't just asked what she had, she hadn't just told her that she was to retrieve all the Daedric artifacts that littered all of Skyrim. No, she couldn't have, it was impossible.

How could she? How could she when she had sent out other Vigils-Vigils much more capable, stronger, skilled, older and wiser than Eirylth-to do just as she had asked only to have them return empty handed or not return at all after deciding to take on other things after giving up the initial task. Did the Keeper even know what she was asking? Did she? Did she?!

Eirylth supressed the urge to suddenly yell out against all that was wrong in the world and demand to know how the Keeper could ask a girl like her such a thing. Especially in her present state. Instead of doing that, Eirylth continued to look shell shocked, looking down wide eyed at her hands, then back at her Keeper. She opened her mouth then closed it as she struggled for words.

"I-you...You want me to...retrieve the Daedric artifacts?" She repeated, voice strung high with shock.

Carcette nodded. "That is what I said, yes."

"All of them?"

Carcette smiled. "Yes, if you can I'd like that very much."

"I..." Eirylth struggled for words. Her throat constricted, she tried to swallow but failed. Her skin paled all the more. Suddenly, the room was spinning, why was it spinning? Things began to look funny as well, blurring then sharpening, then blurring again. The air was thin, too thin, and only getting thinner. Eirylth suppressed the sudden, hysterical, and misplaced urge to laugh. Her knees felt weak, they shook. She staggered.

"I..."

She held out a hand in an attempt to balance herself, swaying on her feet. The room spun sharply, tilting.

"I..."

Everything was spinning.

Why doesn't it stop? Eirylth thought faintly before swaying once more. She fainted. Eyes rolling back, knees giving out, body crumpling, the young Eirylth Stornden fainted.