4. Deep in the Forest (Inspired By "Nightwood" TSFH)
Haven was even busier than Velyn Harbor, except the warships were fit and armed to the teeth. Even at this early hour, sailors and dockworkers scurried about securing lines, hauling cargo and inspecting hulls for leaks. Even worse, troops mustered in the town square from the fort sitting high above town. Most were Bosmer with a smattering of Altmer officers at the head of the formations. Eren growled at the sight of these High Elf officers. Tara lowered the hood over her face.
"Take it easy, Eren." She whispered.
"More Bosmer to slaughter," Eren growled.
"It will be you if you make trouble," Tara warned.
"I won't. They made their choice." Eren said in a low voice.
"Cold," Tara said irritated.
"Wonder what they're planning," Eren mused just loud enough for Tara to hear.
"How 'bout I ask?" Tara said.
She grabbed a rushing worker by the shoulder, "What's going on here?"
"You ain't heard?" The worker said quizzically, "There's a human fleet making for the Nibenay Bay from the east. We're meeting them up the river. Hopefully put a stop to the barbarous Nords and their toadies."
"Barbarous Nords?" Tara said with an edge to her voice, "Thanks."
The worker scurried off after Tara gave a weak shove.
"What's wrong?" Eren asked.
"Get me to your hideout and I'll tell you." Tara stared straight ahead.
They made their way down the west road. The troops behind them stomped to their ships. Neither of them turned to watch them go. The guards at the gate did not trouble them. Eren grabbed five extra arrows from one while his back was turned, and off they went into the forest without a second glance.
This road was well kept for a path in the wilds of Valenwood. Only a short layer of grass and brush covered the old, cobbled Imperial road to Southpoint. No one else walked the road today. The path became entangled with roots and covered with leaves as they left civilization behind. Eren and Tara walked for hours to the sounds of chirping insects and singing birds. Something bothered Eren about the bird songs. Neither of them said a word after the solemn scene in Haven. Only when the Nightwood swirled into being was their silence broken.
"Damn!" Tara shouted in surprise, "Is the whole of Valenwood your home?"
"No," The Nightwood's leafy eyes darted quickly to Eren.
"How in Oblivion is she following us around?" Tara asked frustrated.
Eren held up a hand then let a finger fall on his lips. Tara's hand went to her axe and the Nightwood dispersed instantly. Insects still chirped in the underbrush, but the birdsongs ceased. While straining his pointed ears, Eren notched an arrow into a waiting bow. Then even the insects stopped chirping. He breathed in and drew back. A hawk silently swooped between treetops. Eren did not miss a beat and picked off the raptor halfway to its destination. He then aimed his bow at the base of the tree.
"Next one's you, Adran!" Eren snarled.
"You think you can shoot through trees now?" Said a gravelly voice from behind the trunk.
"Try me," Eren growled.
An aged Bosmer stepped out onto the path. From head to toe he was covered in armor of thick leather interwoven with bone at critical points. The green and brown hues offset his outline, and if not for the gleaming sword at his hip and the rugged shield on his back, he would have disappeared into the background. A small smile lifted the corners of his weathered face. Silver streaked hair hung loosely off his thick skull.
Eren lowered his bow but said, "The others?"
Adran whistled and six more similarly dressed individuals rose from cover. One walked over and collected the corpse of the hawk. He glared daggers at the unremorseful Eren.
"You owe Enoral a new bird," Adran said.
"How did you find me?" Eren demanded.
"Seriel had to do a lot of scrying," Adran motioned to a she elf with a staff, "And we followed rumors of a disgraced marine commander. Hi, Tara. Good to see you again."
"Adran," Tara nodded with familiarity, "How're the Vinedusk Rangers?"
"Well, thank you," Adran answered.
"Why?" Eren asked.
"Never one to waste words," Adran sighed, "We're not here to kill you."
"I guessed," Eren said.
"Right. I've got a warning," Adran said.
"Go on." Eren urged.
"You need to stop Eren," Adran stared him in the eye, "The Thalmor are catching on to your antics."
"You are catching on to my antics," Eren snapped.
"We don't report to the Thalmor. We report directly to King Camoran," Adran's eyes narrowed.
"What's the difference?" Eren sneered.
"The difference is your still alive and we have freedoms to check the Thalmor in our own way." Adran said gravely.
"Seems effective," Eren scoffed.
"More effective than stabbing grunts in the wilds," Adran countered.
"Hindering Thalmor operations," Eren corrected angrily.
"Making life harder for everyone else," Adran crossed his arms.
Eren would have argued, but he remembered the scuffle with Gwinny and held his tongue.
"Gods, Adran. You're usually so sunny." Tara said.
"Sorry, he just gets under my skin." Adran sighed.
"That he does," Tara agreed.
Eren exhaled. The other Rangers there eyed him anxiously.
"You should take tip from Ariq Greyfur when it comes to disruption," Adran advised, "Spymaster Elenwen and Head Justiciar Eramen promised to sacrifice him to Mehrunes Dagon."
Tara's eyes doubled in size, "Really?"
"That's the rumor, and it would explain why she's oblivion bent of catching him again." Adran shrugged.
"'She's?' What about Eramen?" Tara asked.
"He's dead." Adran said flatly.
"How?" Tara asked.
"You're enemies of the Dominion, you know too much already." Adran smiled.
"That's not fair!" Tara complained.
"Look, if you get caught in Eren's latest scheme, it's better they didn't suspect you talked to us," Adran said.
"You think I have a scheme?" Eren asked.
"I know you have a scheme. Just take my advice," Adran said.
"Alright," Eren nodded.
Adran waved his hands and the Vinedusk Rangers disappeared. Eren waited until he lost their light footsteps before moving on without a word. The encounter had broken the silent spell on Tara, however.
"Were you a Vinedusk Ranger?" She asked.
"Yes," Eren answered.
"Why did I not know this?" Tara said surprised.
"You didn't ask," Eren shrugged.
"I'm gonna fix that," Tara said.
"I'm sure," Eren said evenly.
"Crazy how Elenwen had it out for Ariq's soul though," Tara thought aloud, "I knew she hated him, but not that much."
"Wonder what pushed her that far," Eren played along.
"Well she does blame him for the break in at one of her parties, and he did kill a few of her agents," Tara mused.
"Ariq? The cat insistent I not kill the officers we hunted." Eren said with a touch of annoyance.
"He never did give me an explanation other than, 'it was a different time,'" Tara answered, "Hey, what happened to the road?"
The road was far behind them. She hardly noticed they had moved onto a thin animal trail beneath the Graht oaks. They passed through long shadows in the afternoon heat. One tree, thicker than the rest, rose in the center of a stone ringed space that looked a garden compared to the rest of the forest. Beams of sunlight between the leaves highlighted bits of bone white tangled in the woody roots. The discernable shapes were unlike any other bones interred by the mortal races of Tamriel.
"Is this the Bone Orchard?" Tara looked around surprised.
"Yes," Eren replied.
A skeleton fell out from behind a tree in front of them with a loud crash and a flurry of words. Tara instinctively reached for her weapon, but Eren gently put a hand on her arm.
"Don't bother. Keep walking," Eren sounded irritated.
"What is that?" Tara whispered.
"A nuisance," Eren grumbled.
The skeleton rose to his feet and brushed off his bones. His ribs played a tune as he ran his fingers over them. The eye sockets were filled with a magical blueish light which seemed to glow brighter as they came to rest on the approaching couple.
"Ooo, my friend! It's so good to see you!" The skeleton said excitedly.
"Dringoth," Eren nodded and pushed right past him.
"You've gotta help me!" Dringoth pleaded, "Spinner Tivine's gonna have my head,"
In response, Eren stooped down, picked up a stone, and whipped it at Dringoth's head. With a hollow ping, the stone collided the skull and popped it right off his crooked spine. Dringoth collapsed in a jumbled pile.
"Oh dear," Dringoth whined.
"Why'd you do that?" Tara scolded.
"Save myself a headache," Eren answered.
A crow swooped down on the bone pile and picked at the bones.
"Hey, stop that! Shoo! Shoo!" Dringoth exclaimed.
The bird ignored his cries and instead hopped on one of his leg bones and took off with it.
"That's my femur!" Dringoth called after it.
"That was just rude," Tara said as they left the pile of chattering bones.
"If you knew him, you'd thank me," Eren said unapologetically.
"So this is where you live?" Tara asked.
"No," Then Eren added when Tara gave him a look, "We're almost there, it's deeper in."
The Nightwood swirled into existence.
"It's even more beautiful than this," She said.
"'Cause it's where your roots are, right?" Tara said without looking at her.
"It is, but more than that," The Nightwood replied.
"You'll see," Eren said.
They skirted a rocky hill and emerged from the thick trees to the shores of the Abecean Sea. Tara made her way down to the sand, but Eren hugged the tree line. This was an ingrained to find cover in the forest at a moment's notice, and one an ex commander of the Dominion Marines should have shared. Yet Tara did not even have her hood up. Perhaps her little adventure had worn away her good training. She turned and looked at him expectantly, and although every instinct told him to pull her to the trees, he joined her. She grinned. The Nightwood floated soundlessly behind them.
As the sun set they came to a small stream emptying into the sea. The forest stretched down towards the water and left only a few feet of sand buffering the harsh salt water. Here Eren turned inland up the stream. Tara refused to move.
"I don't think we should go through here," Tara said cautiously.
"Why not?" Eren asked although he already knew the answer.
"Maybe because that's Gil-Var-Delle? You know, where a particularly nasty Daedric Prince manifested himself on our plane?" Tara threw out her hands.
"Molag Bal's influence has faded with time," Eren assured her.
"That's not the sort of thing that just goes away," Tara was not convinced.
"Not normally," Eren said as he continued down the stream.
"What do you mean…" Tara trailed off as she took in her surroundings.
The graht oaks gave Gil-Var-Delle a wide berth, but scrappy, thin hardwoods stretched in vain to meet the heights of their healthier brethren. As the trees fought for survival the brush and grass flourished. Flowers of every shade and hue dotted the landscape. Mosses crept up and down the struggling foliage and brightened in the setting sun. The stream ran from a sharp, muddy gully that seemed to exist only to separate the cursed Bosmer tree village from the rest of the Valenwood. Fortunately, the hill sloped down gently to the beach and was easy to climb.
Then the ruins loomed over them. Once a great Elder Tree spiraled to the heavens. Now only a husk of the titan remained, but even the stump was impressive. The derelict city soared higher than any elf made structure in Valenwood. Two of the massive withered roots parted to create a grand gateway greater than that of the capital city Elden Root. Night blossoms clustered beneath the growing shade. As the sunlight retreated they reared their luminous heads. Tara ran a finger over a loosening petal.
"It's beautiful," She said at last.
"It won't be what it was," Eren said, "But the Green will make it new,"
"You sap," Tara giggled.
Eren rolled his eyes.
They passed through the great archway and were met with the most beautiful sight yet. Any remains of the former city had vanished beneath new growth. The pale purple blooms of the Nightshade flower and scrub brush filled the space within, but these were only accents to the centerpiece. Another tree had taken root within the husk of the Elder Tree. The silvery purple trunk was as thick as a house. The skyward branches and twisted and twined like a spider's web. The setting sun set the tree ablaze shining through the fiery leaves.
"Is that…?" Tara began.
"It's me," answered the Nightwood glowing in the sunlight.
"Where I live," Eren said.
"If the Nightwood is here, how in oblivion was she floating around up by Velyn Harbor?" Tara asked confused.
Eren tapped his bow, "It's a branch. Freely given."
"So, you take her around everywhere," Tara reasoned.
"She gives me an edge," Eren stated.
"I see," Tara frowned "Let's just get settled."
The trunk of the Nightwood cracked open just wide enough to slip inside. There was just enough room for extended elbows and jutting branches leading up to a dark ceiling. Normally, Eren would clear the stairs in leaps and bounds, but this time he patiently climbed step by step just ahead of the unbalanced one-armed Tara. An opening in the ceiling revealed just as they rounded the final twist. After ducking to squeeze through, their heads popped up into the hollow that served as Eren's home.
"Certainly looks like you live here," Tara noted.
The room was nearly empty. There was a simple pile of furs as a bed, a table, a cubby, and a single knife. Vines hung from the ceiling ending in little bright bulbs that lit the room. Four openings in the cardinal directions opened the room up to the fiery branches of the Nightwood.
"Make yourself at home," Eren said as he tucked his bow away in the cubby.
"Gladly," Tara heaved a heavy sigh.
Eren saw what Tara had seen in him on the ship. She leaned her axe in the cubby and collapsed in a heap on the furs. Slowly, Tara rolled up her sleeve and undid the straps on her prosthetic. When she finally fought it off, she tossed the thing clear across the room. This was the first time Eren had seen the scar. The edges were still rough and jagged looking. The center was depressed as if the skin had been sucked into the socket and was still pink and raw. Eren did not bother to hide his flinch this time.
"Looks like this hurts you more than me," Tara gave a weak smile.
"Should've been faster," Eren muttered.
"I heard that," Tara said, "And I could've won."
"You didn't," Eren stated.
"And you were too slow," Tara snapped.
"I know," Eren said grimly.
The Nightwood's form swirled into being, "I've never seen him move so fast,"
"Oh, is that so?" Tara snarled.
"She found you and your friends," Eren growled, "She's why I got there before you were executed,"
"Incarcerated more like," Tara scoffed, "That was the deal. If I lost she got to take me and my friends in,"
"The arm wasn't part of deal," Eren said.
"But it wasn't necessarily unexpected," Tara pointed out.
"And you didn't expect an execution?" Eren asked evenly.
"Cause I know my sister," Tara answered, "She may serve the Dominion, but she's honorable."
"Commander Sara, commanding officer of the Aldmeri Marine Expeditionary Force. A platoon of Bosmer under her command, all new and untested. Your old position," Eren recited.
Tara's eyes narrowed, "You only talk that way about targets,"
"I've had that information since the incident," Eren said.
"Good on you. What are you waiting for? My say so?" Tara flailed her arms.
"Yes," Eren answered candidly.
Tara was taken aback but said, "Good, you won't get it."
"Then I'll sit on it," Eren shrugged.
"Or you could forget it entirely," Tara suggested.
"Why do you protect her? She betrayed you and serves the Dominion," Eren argued.
"Because I've lost enough, Eren," Tara's voice cracked, "I'm not adding my sister to the list."
The Nightwood vanished.
"Tara…" Eren began, but Tara wasn't quite listening.
"Theron, Fiara, Harid, Kaeli," Tara rattled off the names of her marines, "And Hjalmar,"
"Your Nord friend?" Eren cocked his head.
"My damn shield brother," Tara chuckled through tears, "We went through Oblivion together. Literally,"
"Sounds like an ordeal," Eren said, "You were vague earlier,"
"Your worst nightmares aren't the easiest thing to describe," Tara let out along breath, "I found Hjalmar crying and surrounded by Dremora after fighting away from my own nightmare,"
"Why was he crying?" Eren asked.
"He said he saw his family impaled on pikes by the Thalmor. They were being punished for worshiping Talos," Tara said quietly.
"That's horrible," Eren said a bit too callous.
"We saw similar things he and I," Tara said with difficulty.
Eren tensed. He had known since the road to Velyn Harbor she would want to talk about this, but he was not eager to hear. Eren had never been to Quagmire, but the realm's Daedric Prince Vaermina was the lord of omens as well as nightmares. No visions of her's ever went well.
"What did you see?" Eren asked nervously.
Tara took a deep breath and let everything out, "I saw everything destroyed, everyone dead and all that garbage. I saw my marines, slaughtered again and again, I saw my friends, thrown in Thalmor torture chambers and flayed alive, I saw Valenwood, the Bosmer, razed to ash by Altmer pyromages," Tara choked out the rest, "I saw you, broken and bloody, strung up on the branches of Falinesti as a warning for all those who would defy the Dominion Royal Family. I only got away by swinging at a Dremora and shattering the illusion."
"Very detailed," Eren did his best to hide his unease.
"Sorry, forgot about your weak constitution," Tara chuckled, "I've just been holding that in for so long,"
"You never talked to the others about it?" Eren tilted his head.
"It's not an easy thing to bring up, and the others had their own worries," Tara explained, "Wilhelm has Alessia and the legion, Talis and Jadera have each other and the college, gods know Kenarthi and Ariq had problems to work out, Cyrus is an arsehole, and Hjalmar didn't really want to bring it up again."
"So, you came in the middle of a war?" Eren felt a pang of guilt, "Why?"
"'Cause I missed you!" Tara threw her arms up, "I could hardly keep it together after I found out Hjalmar died. I just needed to make sure I didn't lose you too,"
"I'm fine," Eren said assuredly as he sat down next to her.
"Just had to be sure," Tara rested her head on his shoulder, "So, you have some big plan in the works like Adran says?"
"Yes," Eren admitted, "But I need to gather information."
"Fair enough," Tara said drowsily,
"Tomorrow," Eren gave her a quick squeeze.
"Tomorrow," Tara nodded.
She nestled herself down into the furs and pulled the majority of them over herself. Eren sighed and settled in to what was left. He drifted off into sleep as the light of the two moons peeked dimly through the windows.
Eren woke to a soft brush on his cheek. He turned to find the Nightwood standing over him. She waved a leafy finger and Eren followed her outside onto a sturdy branch.
"The Valenwood is anxious," She said.
"What's happening?" Eren asked.
"There is much activity around the Elden Root. Plenty of metal clad Altmer scurry in the roots," The Nightwood reported.
"Then I'm right. A perfect time to strike," Eren said thoughtfully.
"Are you sure we should bring her along?" The Nightwood pointed to Tara, "She may be a hinderance,"
Out of the corner of his eye Eren believed he saw Tara roll over.
"She's a boon. Trust me," Eren declared.
"If you say," The Nightwood shrugged.
"I do," Eren nodded.
The Nightwood dissipated. Eren slowly made his way back. Perhaps Tara's dislike of the Nightwood is justified, He thought. As he settled back into place he planted a quick kiss on her cheek. She stayed still, but the corner of her mouth curled up into a smile. With that, Eren fall happily asleep.