Chapter 3: Thronir

Author's Note:I apologize about the length of time this chapter has taken to be released, as well as the length of the chapter itself, as compared to others, but this one was much more difficult to write from a narrative standpoint. Besides that, it was written during one of the busiest parts of the year. I'll try to have the next chapter out on time.

4E 201, 9 Second Seed, 3 PM

Seemingly from nowhere, an arrow lodged into the wrist of the lead hagraven. The lead hagraven clutched her wrist as blood spurted from the wound, covering Selene and the altar. The other two hagravens spun around, searching for the attacker. Another arrow flew into the group, catching one of the hags in the leg, causing her to stumble and fall. The uninjured hag began to shoot fireballs in all directions, hoping to hit something. Selene managed to find her wits and grabbed the iron dagger that just a few moments before had been raised above her chest. She slashed the blade across the stomach of the nearest hagraven, causing the creature to crumple, and fall to the ground. A final arrow shot out and took the hagraven shooting fireballs in the head. The fight was over.

Selene looked around, trying to find her savior, but saw only air. She gave a start, dagger raised, as Thronir stepped from thin air. "Hey," he said, holding up his hands in surrender, "I just saved your life! Don't thank me with a dagger."

"Sorry," Selene didn't lower the weapon. "Listen, I know you just saved my life, but I know what you are. I overhead Rorgul and Gjek just before... before they died... mercenary." She spat the word out, as if it were something foul.

Thronir's face softened. "Hey, you don't understand how it is. Yeah I got paid by Rorgul, but I had a respect for the old Orc. You don't work for somebody for five years without gaining a certain level of friendship with them. These past few months, I knew the old man didn't have the money to pay, and so I didn't ask for it. We had an understanding, Rorgul and I." Selene had dropped the dagger to the ground, suddenly feeling her weariness from the days' struggle, and sat heavily against the altar. Thronir dropped to the ground, and sat beside her. "I can only imagine how rough last night must have been for you, but you have to believe me, I'm not an enemy."

Selene answered: "I know, Thronir, and I need your help now more than ever. Rorgul told me a few things about my people but," she nodded at the fortress entrance, "what happened in there doesn't make any sense to me."

Thronir understood, after all, one doesn't live for a century without learning a thing or two along the way. "Listen Selene, I know you are confused right now, but come with me, and I promise that you'll find yourself. We can't stay here, in the middle of a Forsworn camp. Even if you did manage to clear the inner keep, they most likely sent out hunting parties, which are bound to return at any time." He stood, and offered her his hand: "Come with me." Selene took it, and they ran. They ran around behind the fortress, going down the way Thronir had come up. They raced down the trail so quickly that they didn't notice the Forsworn scout no more than 10 feet away. He watched the two elves leave the fortress silently, and made his way back home.

4E 201, 9 Second Seed, 11:12 PM

They had traveled for hours; Selene followed Thronir, her mind still on autopilot. Through the journey Thronir had carried on with his usual banter, but Selene couldn't shake the feeling that he knew more than he let on. They finally arrived at a small cabin in the woods, just an hour earlier, and Thronir had introduced her to a Redguard woman, a hunter who seemed to watch everywhere and nowhere at once. Now they sat around a fire, eating fresh, nearly bloody venison from the Redguard woman's supply. The fire was surrounded by stumps, that probably served as chairs for guests to the Redguard's home.

"Camina," Thronir spoke jovially, "I didn't know you were still stuck out in this mudhole."

"Thronir," the woman replied coolly, "I didn't know you still were so short."

Thronir's mouth split in a wide grin as he replied: "Racism ill becomes you Camina, and you aren't so tall yourself."

Camina's mouth twitched in the smallest hint of a smile, "well, tall enough for a wood elf."

How long has he known her, Selene wondered. They seemed to have known each other all their lives, and to any outsider, including Selene, they would have passed for siblings if not for the obvious differences. Selene sat back against a stump and watched the pair's playful banter.

"Well, at least I'm the better shot," Camina made a shooting motion.

"As if. Wood elves are the best bowman in all Tamriel." Thronir had been drinking mead since they arrived, and his voice was beginning to slur.

Camina's eyebrows shot up, and the asked pointedly: "Well, what about her?" She pointed at Selene.

"Me?" Selene was momentarily jolted out of her inner questions.

"You're a Lunari aren't you?" Camina was looking at her expectantly.

"Yes...," Selene replied slowly, unsure of where the conversation was going.

Well," Camina replied, "then prove to this bum," she nudged Thronir, who standing at her side, "who's the best shot at this merry little party."

Thronir grabbed an apple from one of the stumps and lodged it in between the branches of a tree nearly 200 feet away from the fire. "Hit that," he challenged Selene, "as dark as it is, not even a Lunari could hit an apple at that distance..."

4E 201, 17 Rain's Hand

The old Orc had been preparing his afternoon meal, and the Wood Elf had gone into the nearby mining village of Karthwasten for supplies. The Nord was the only one capable of hunting, so he had been given the task, grudgingly, by the Orc. He was on his way back when he was ambushed by Forsworn. The hagravens were hungry, and they wanted fresh meat. The Nord had fought the Forsworn, but ultimately taken to a small clearing, and offered to the creatures. That Nord was crafty though, and he offered them something else instead. A young Lunari elf was nearby, and he could deliver her to them...

4E 201, 9 Second Seed, 11:52 PM

Selene confidently brought her bow to bear and took aim. It is dark, she thought to herself, but if I just focus on where he lodged the apple, I can barely see it. She drew back the bowstring to it's full length, and fired. The arrow flew through the air, whistling in the wind. So dark was the night, that Thronir would have sworn that Selene didn't fire an arrow at all, until the arrow clove the apple in two with a loud "Schlop!"

"How?" Thronir seemed to be at a loss for words.

Camina, apparently on the same page as Thronir, asked, "how did you even see that?"

Selene shrugged, and said, "I could see it in the tree, just barely. The light from the moon was enough."

"That little sliver of a moon?" Camina pointed at the sky. "That's not even a moon, and even for an elf, that's not light enough."

Thronir recovered himself and said, "well that was pure luck. A real archer would be able to hit this," he hefted a large piece of meat from their meal.

Selene, utterly calm, replied, "do it."

Thronir's throw was perfect. His arm drew back, legs flexing, and hurled the hunk of venison as hard as he possibly could, his every muscle in tune with his will. The meat hadn't left Thronir's hand before Selene had drawn her bow and taken aim. The throw flew only 30 feet before Selene had shot an arrow directly through it's center.

"Told you," Camina said to Thronir, but her voice was slightly shaky.

Thronir knew when he had been bested, but he had just seen the impossible. The night may have looked dimly lit to Selene, but to he and the Redguard, it was as black as pitch. Besides that, there was still a heavy fog covering the area.

"What's wrong?" Selene studied her companions. "I know it was a great shot, but it wasn't anything too challenging."

"Selene," Thronir cleared his throat, "you just shot a target that I would have struggled to hit in the daylight."

"I couldn't even see it," Camina piped in.

Selene, confused, sat down on one of the stumps. "What do you mean? It's not that dark, and I'm sure you could have hit it Thronir."

"Selene," Thronir said, deadly serious, "how much did Rorgul tell you about your people?"

"Not much," she admitted, "he said we were great hunters."

"More than that," Thronir replied, "the Lunari are the most skilled archers in Tamriel, or so it's been told. I had to see for myself to believe it. You haven't even had formal training and could easily best me in an archery competition."

Camina had sat down as well, and as Thronir spoke to Selene, she studied the young elf. There was something in her mind she couldn't quite remember, a niggling thought at the back of her mind. Suddenly she shot upright. "Thronir!" He turned to look at her alarmed face. "We have to get that girl out of the Reach. I just remembered, some Thalmor agents had come by earlier today, asking anyone in the area if they had seen a Lunari elf woman. It's got to be her."

Thronir grabbed Camina by the arms. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" He was practically shouting. "I don't know what they would want with her, but we've got to get her out of here now." Thronir had Selene grab a few pieces of dried meat and stick them in her pack, as well as a few apples. "Camina, aren't you going?" Selene looked at the Redguard woman.

"No child, you go, this has been my home for two decades, and I don't see that changing any time soon."

Thronir grabbed Selene's arm and virtually shoved her into the dark, misty night.