Here's chapter 3...enjoy...

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Chapter 3

There was darkness all around her. No matter where she looked, there was nothing but the Void.

Arvina's breathing began to grow shallow as her heart began to beat erratically.

Suddenly, out of the darkness a figure appeared in front of her.

It was tall, clad in heavy armour with a huge battle axe strapped to its back. Its skin was green and short tusks protruded from its mouth, marking it as an orc.

It looked at her and recognition struck her.

"Gogron!" she cried, stumbling back.

It was Gogron, the big, clumsy, loveable orc who had once been her friend. But he was drastically altered.

Blood poured from cuts on his face and his eyes were as dark as the darkness around the two of them.

Gogron drew the battle axe from his back and began to march towards her, slowly and menacingly.

"Why, Sister?" he said in a dull, lifeless voice. "Why did you kill me? I thought we were friends?"

Arvina screamed and turned to run.

And saw two more figures appeared up ahead.

This time, two Argonians stood before her.

The two lizard people looked alike, yet it was obvious that one was male, the other a female. They both stared at Arvina with the same eyes that the Gogron chasing her had.

"Ocheeva! Teinavaa!" choked out Arvina in terror.

The two Argonians siblings too had been altered. Their scales hung out in places, and blood was pouring out from gashes and wounds in their bodies.

"Sister, I thought you were the greatest friend anyone could ask for," said Ocheeva in a rasping voice. "But you killed me! Why?"

"We took you in," said Teinavaa in the same rasping voice. "We befriended you, treated you like family, but you betrayed us!"

"NO!"

Arvina screamed and ran another way.

This time a Breton girl about her age appeared before her.

She was extremely pale, and there was ugly gash in the side of her head from which blood poured freely.

"No, Antoinetta," moaned Arvina in fear.

The Breton girl regarded her with those terrible black eyes.

"You were better than me in everything," she said in a low voice. "Yet I still befriended you even though everyone kept saying that I should learn to be as good as you. but that wasn't enough for you, wasn't it? You just had to kill me!"

Arvina turned and ran right into a Bosmer.

She found herself looking right into the dead eyes of Telaendril.

The Bosmer glared at her, blood puring from a cut in her throat.

Arvina took a step back.

Telaendril said nothing but raised her hands to grab at Arvina.

Arvina dodged and ran blindly.

Another figure appeared in front of her. A male Breton clad all in black with dark hair and an extremely pale face, as though he had no blood in him. Unlike the others, he had no wounds on his face and his eyes were not dark. Instead they were burning, burning like the fires that had taken Arvina's parents.

"Vincente," whimpered Arvina in terror.

"Sister, how good of you to join us," said the vampire amiably. "We were just having a little reunion party to welcome you here for all eternity."

"What?" cried Arvina. "Where is here?"

The others had formed a circle around her, cutting off all escape.

"Why, the Void of course," replied Vincente. "You're dead now, like the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us however, you did not cause it. So you must understand that we all want some retribution."

"No!" screamed Arvina, falling to her knees. "I had no choice! Please, I'm sorry! I didn't want to kill any of you!"

They were all closing in around her, drawing their weapons.

Vincente knelt down and lifted her face to face him.

"You have all eternity to explain to us, but first we want revenge," said the vampire, grinning to reveal his fangs.

They all threw themselves upon her.

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Arvina woke up, screaming.

She looked around her wildly before realising that she was in the bedroom upstairs.

She took deep breaths, calming herself.

She heard a squeak from one corner of the room and turned to see Schemer the rat looking at her with wide eyes, shaking.

"Oh, Schemer," she said, getting out of bed and kneeling down to pat the rat on the head. "Did I scare you? I'm sorry."

She stayed that way for awhile, stroking the rat's head until he fell asleep before getting up and quietly left the room to go downstairs.

She entered the bedroom downstairs and peeped in.

M'raaj-Dar was sleeping soundly, still tied up to the bed.

Arvina can't help but smiled at the sight.

She tiptoed over quietly to the sleeping Khajiit and untied his hands.

Then, she climbed into the bed and cuddled up to him.

M'raaj-Dar stirred and looked down at her sleepily.

"Arvina?' he said in a sleepy voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nightmare," mumbled Arvina.

"Oh," said the Khajiit in an understanding tone.

Ever since the events that happened two years ago, nightmares of the past had been constantly haunting Arvina.

He heard some noises and looked down to see Arvina sobbing quietly.

The Khajiit wrapped his arms around Arvina and nuzzled the top of her head.

"Its okay," he said soothingly into her ebony hair, breathing in its sweet flowery scent. "I'm here, and I'll never leave you."

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"Finally," grunted Grun when he saw a hole in wall leading into a ruin similar to the one where the Emperor had left him.

He had been underground fighting rats, goblins, zombies and even more rats. Not that they had been a problem but it was still troublesome to the dwarf.

As he got through the hole, he spotted the Emperor and his men finishing a few of the assassins.

"How could they be waiting for us here?" cried the warrior called Glenroy.

"I don't know, but I don't like this at all," said the Redguard called Baurus.

"Are you all right, sire?" he asked the Emperor.

"I'm fine," said Uriel in his weary, troubled voice. "Any sign of the prisoner?"

"No, sir," answered Baurus.

"You think he followed us?" asked Glenroy.

"Missin' me already?" said Grun, dropping down from the ledge.

"Damn it!" cried Glenroy. "It's that prisoner! Kill him! He might be working for the assassins!"

Glenroy raised his katana and approached Grun, who only looked supremely unconcerned.

"No! He is not one of them," said Uriel in a powerful voice that was so different from his usual tired tone. "He can help us. He must help us."

Glenroy, though looking extremely mistrustful, sheathed his katana. "As you wish, sire."

Uriel approached Grun.

"They cannot understand why I trust you," he said in a low voice. "They have not seen what I have seen."

"What are you blabberin' about?" snorted Grun.

Uriel sighed. "I've studied the signs all my life, and I wonder what your sign is?"

Grun scratched his bald head as he pondered the question. "Following yer Tamriel lore, it would be the Warrior."

"I see," said Uriel.

"So you can see other people's fates?" asked Grun.

"Vaguely," answered Uriel.

"What's yer fate then?" asked the dwarf.

Uriel smile wryly.

"I go now to my grave," answered Uriel.

Grun gawped.

"Aren't you afraid to die, boy?" asked Grun.

"No accomplishments of mine precede me," answered Uriel. "I am blessed in the sense that I know when my doom is, and I can face it."

"What going to happen to me then?" asked the dwarf.

"Your fate is not mine," answered Uriel. "You have a task ahead of you unlike any of the tasks that you faced before in your long life."

"What kind of task?"

"You are the one who can save all of Nirn."

Grun merely stared at the old Emperor.

"Yer barkin' mad, you know that?" he said, scowling.

Uriel chuckled.

"So some people tell me," he said. "Butit does not matterif you accept it or not, you will fulfill your destiny. The Nine will see to it."

"But you will join us a little longer. Come now."

The Emperor turned and Baurus followed him.

As Grun moved to follow them, he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Glenroy scowling down at him.

"The Emperor may trust you, but I don't. So watch your step."

Grun scowled and seized the hand holding him by the wrist.

He held it for awhile and watched with amusement as Glenroy's face contorted with pain.

Grun let go.

Glenroy fell back, massaging his wrist and glared at the dwarf.

Grun smirked. "Prissy boy."

He followed Baurus and the Emperor, ignoring the death glare he knew Glenroy was givingto the back of his head.

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Arvina has a nightmare of the past...Glenroy doesn't like Grun, and the feeling is mutual...chap 4 coming soon...

as always...pls review!