"Nope! Nope nope nope nope nope!"
Vaarla ran as fast as she could, Renault's sword clasped firmly in hand with its blade glistening with freshly spilt blood. She has since abandoned the principle of refraining from using the Captain's sword the moment she stepped foot through that door. In her attempts to sneak past a goblin, eyes glued to the lanky creature, she managed to knock over a small pile of what looked like skulls. She didn't pay too close attention to that because she was immediately chased by the alerted enemies.
After plunging the curved blade of the katana through the breast of one of the horned creatures, she quickly made a blind break for it through the caverns. She actually began praying to the gods that she did not make a wrong turn and trap herself between a wall and the carnivorous monsters. Or blindly throw herself into a waiting ambush.
She wasn't putting much distance between herself and the seven spell casting demons. A burst of lightning zoomed past her head, buzzing in her ear and making her let out a sharp shriek. She could hear primitive snarls from the uncultured creatures as she tried to keep them from snapping their yellowed fangs at her feet.
"Shit! Oh.. Oh shit!" it was either about to be her day, or she was going to be majorly disappointed for a mere second before being torn to shreds. She was nearing another door, and it was all she could do to will for that door to be unlocked. She wasn't prepared to face an untimely end. Not when she needed answers.
"Ah!" She hit the door with a thud and frantically pushed it open. She could barely contain a squeal of delight from escaping her lips as she ran through it. Desperately, she pushed it to a close, sinking to the floor and pressing all her weight against it.. She could hear the angry snarls on the other side as the goblins thrashed and pounded and scratched against the old wood. She even reached up and held the knob just in case they were smart enough to use it. They were ferociously loud, and all she could was sit there with her eyes squeezed shut and hold the door closed.
It felt like hours, but eventually, it went quiet on the other side. The Imperial tentatively opened her eyes and hesitantly began to push herself away from the door. She was tense, prepared just in case the door burst open and an ugly horned face clashed with hers. Nothing happened. They seemed to have lost interest.
Brilliant!
Still, Renault's sword did not slide back into its sheath. Vaarla held the crimson stained blade out as though she were waiting for an attack and was ready to block it. Even as she took slow steps away from the door. Her back ended up hitting a wall parallel to the door, and she couldn't help but jump slightly and whirl around. Her nerves were beginning to get to her, it seemed. She could see another hole, light faintly filtering through the opening.
Lowering her borrowed weapon, Vaarla hurried to the hole, a joyous expression adorning her features. It seemed as though she were out of the dungeonous cave system; now she was simply back in the escape tunnels. At least, she assumed it to be. It looked like it, but then again, everything looked the same down here.
Either way,it looked like a way out, and she was more than happy to take it. She was not going back into that cavern. Prepping herself with a little sigh, she squeezed through the hole, sucking in her gut and grunting as she slid past the crumbling wall. Then she heard voices. Muffled voices echoed through the air, and she stalled her movements, catching her breath so she could listen and strainging to make out proper words.
"We must allow the Emperor to rest. And we require assistance. Really. Let's just set up a defensive post and wait fo-"
"Wait for what, Baurus? Help? What makes you think that help will get to us before those godsless bastards? No. We are pushing forward. We will fight and get the Emperor to safety.
It seems that she had caught up with the Emperor and his Blades. Did they get lost? The young Imperial was just about to make her presence known when-
"Get back, you bastards!"
She could see two men in the same blood red robes from before leap from a high ledge, daggers materializing in thin air aimed at the Emperor.
"I said get back!" The Blade who yelled shoved his master back, brandishing his blade to parry the new assassin's attack. A loud clink echoed off the stone walls and resonated through the sub-terrain
Baurus stepped before the Emperor, his own sword drawn and hungry for the blood that threatened his ward. With a small bit of trouble, as well as the unadvised assistance of Septim's own blade, the assassin's fell. Conjured armour faded away into mere wisps of dark magic and smoke, and blood seeped into the cracks of the stone.
Vaarla crept closer to the high ledge, sword at the ready as she prepared to jump down on the likely chance there were more assassins lurking in the dark. Baurus, it seemed, had the same idea.
"I think that may have been all of them. For now. I'm going to look around, make sure there are no more rats lurking in the cracks," the Blade announced, sword raised so he could fight anything that posed even the slightest of threat.
Which included Vaarla. So, she backed up so she could remain out of sight. She knew it would not bode well for her if the two men, both of whom held no trust for her what so ever, found her slinking about in the dark with a weapon drawn.
"I do not see anything, Sire. We should press forward."
Uriel's fatherly voice rang through the air, even though he spoke with trained propriety and softness."What of the prisoner? Do you see her?" The man looked around the dim room, almost as if he were hoping Vaarla would jump out and yell surprise.
The other Blade, his name escaped the Imperial, scoffed loudly. "I doubt she would follow us, Your Grace. She hasn't the smarts nor the way to get this far." She narrowed her eyes at that comment.
Uriel only smiled at the Blade. "You underestimate her, Glenory. Harshly so." His eyes trailed up the walls to the corner where she hid. "She already has." Both members of the Emperor's guard followed his gaze. Two more pairs of eyes settled on her through the shadows cast by the dim light.
What?
"What?!" Glenory nearly exclaimed, his loud voice echoing her thoughts. "Holy gods, it is her! Get down here, criminal!"
Vaarla sighed and moved closer to the edge, grumbling to herself about how he needed to work on his tone. She sat down, letting her legs dangle and let herself fall down to the lower floor. Dust particles shifted and stirred in the air. She barely had time to cough from the irritation because no sooner did her feet hit the floor did she find her back harshly shoved against the cold, stone wall. She let out a huffy little "ow" as her head hit the stone surface. Glenory had his palm digging into her shoulder with the curve of his blade pressing against her throat. "What in Oblivion are you doing?!" she hissed at him, blinking rapidly as she fought off the dizziness before glaring up at him angrily.
His immediate response was to press the blade tighter against her throat. The sharp edge nicked her skin just a bit from that minute amount of pressure. "You should not have followed us," he growled. "Now you will die."
Vaarla's glare only intensified despite the nervous tingles growing in her belly. "Don't you think that is a bit extreme? Don't you need help? What if you run into more of those assassins?" Her words came out as a growl, though she was so drained and worn that it would hardly be considered intimidating.
"For all we know, you could be working with the assassins!" His spit sprayed across her face as he yelled at her, which caused her to grimace a bit.
"Really? If that were the case, do you really think I would have been attacked and almost killed before we were separated? That I would have burned that one to a crisp? Really? You're not the sharpest sword on the rack, are you?"
That enticed a small response out of the distrustful Blade. His eyes burned with anger, and she could steadily feel the blade press into her throat even more. She was afraid to swallow..
"Enough!"
Both Vaarla and Glenory turned their heads to Uriel. He was walking towards the two.
"From both of you. Glenory." Uriel rested a hand on his wrist. He didn't pull Glenory's blade from her throat. He simply just held his wrist. "Release her. She is here to help. Trust me." His gaze turned to Vaarla. "You must help."
Glenory sighed and hesitantly released his hold on Vaarla. Very well.." He sheathed his sword and bowed his head at Uriel. "As you wish.."
Vaarla rubbed at her neck, blood smearing along her fair skin and staining it red. She cast a weary glance in the Emperor's direction, whom was already staring at her. He motioned for her to come closer to him. "Come here, child. Do not fear my guard: they will do you no harm." She approached him, keeping a nervous eye on Glenory.
Uriel grasped the young woman's hand once she was close enough, guiding her to the side. His thumb trailed along her cheek in a fatherly fashion, as if to comfort his distraught child. He wiped away the dried blood and grim from her skin as best he could. "Do not think too horribly of them. They do not see the light that shines upon you as I do." He let out a troubled sigh, and his many years showed on his face. "Give them time. They will. Everyone will see you the way I do."
Vaarla must of given him a funny look because he let out another sigh. This one sounded even more tire and exasperated than the last. "How do I explain..?" he murmured softly as he allowed his thumb to trail softly along her knuckles in small circles.
"You know the Nine. How they guide us through our fate with an invisible hand. Yes, even those who claim they walk their own path and wish for the gods to have no part in their lives," he quickly cut in before she could interject. Her mouth had barely opened to protest her and his precious deities weren't exactly on the same page as of late.. He merely continued with little pause. "I've served the Nine all of my days faithfully, and I've charted my course by the cycles of the heavens, filled with an indefinite number of signs. These stars, I know well. I read them almost intimately.." He paused, sighing somberly. "The signs I read show me my end. A necessary end, I'm afraid. Once death wraps me in his blanket.."
There was silence between the two Imperials. Even the Blades, whom were restless and alert, remained quiet during the exchange. It was.. Unnerving.. hearing this man, this kind man, speak of his death so.. freely. He accepted it, though the fear he flt was painfully obvious no matter how hard he wanted to hide it. His eyes couldn't hold in that lie.
"What.. What about me?" Vaarla asked, her voice soft and faint. Barely about a whisper.
His eyes began to smile at her as he looked upon her dotingly. "Fear not. Your stars are not my own. My fate today is not one you should fear for yourself. You will live on, guided by the fate that will demand your glory."
"But aren't you afraid? Of this? Of dying?"
His smile softened, his hands finally releasing hers to fall to his side. "One cannot help but be fearful if death.. But.. I have lived well. I have lived long. My spirit will rest easy. Besides, is it not silly to be fearful of death? Us men are fated to fade from existence. We are but flesh and and blood, and we know that our doom is ever presently over us. Though, if you will allow me to be completely transparent with you, the fact that the unknown hour of my death is quickly approaching is what frightens me most. It is hard to press forward, knowing full well that each step brings me to my last."
Silence fell over the two once more, save for heavy breathing and the occasional clank of armoured feet shifting impatiently. Several precious moments of somber silence passed as the group mulled over Uriel's words carefully.
"And of my fate? Can you see mine?"
Uriel let out a soft laugh. "I thought you said gods be damned." He shook his head and sighed. "Though I am blessed with the sight to see what others cannot.. My dreams only offer me glimpses of which do not proceed my death. I cannot tell you if your struggles from here on will lead to success. Or to failure."
"But you said my fate leads to glory."
"I did."
"But-"
"It could lead to it. One's fate is always uncertain. Yes, you are destined for great things, but your choices can loud it. I can tell you that I see the sun's companion when I look at you." Vaarla blinked at him in mild confusion. "The dawn of Akatosh's brigt glory may banish the coming darkness. I am hopeful that the promise of your aid and that light will bring satisfaction to my heart."
He reached up to squeeze at her shoulder, as if to comfort her mind, which he knew was troubled at this point. She wasn't one to completely believe in fate, destiny, divine intervention. But she found it hard to want to deny this man anything but her cooperation. Se wanted to, but his eyes begged for her.
He needed her to say yes.. He needed her to say she would fight against this upcoming darkness that threatened to raise its ugly head.
So..
She nodded her head. Her throat began to ache, though this timeā¦
This time, it wasn't for the lack of water..
