Okay! Here is another chapter! Now, I hope you guys have revised on your knowledge of Challenges of a Warrior, because, yet again, there are some hints to things that happened in there ;) I got a huge brainwave yesterday and now I am full of ideas! I promise you that you'll get some chapters quite quickly, once I work out how this idea will work in this story :D Anyway, enjoy this part which I have typed up just for you guys :P
The ash in the air caused Emalia's intakes of air to sound raspy and coarse, she wasn't as used to the bad condition of the air after quite some time away from Solstheim. Emalia kept a strong hand over her satchel, protecting it from any thieving or curious hands. I will not repeat the mistake I made. Emalia thought firmly.
Gelebor glanced at everything which he was unfamiliar with, all the plants, the animals, the landscape. He'd been used to the snow covered valleys of the Forgotten Vale, this must be like an entirely different world to him... Emalia shivered and pulled her cloak tightly around her. Being a Bosmer, the cold wasn't very compatible with her. She was used to the warm, humid, forests of Valenwood. It didn't matter how long she stayed in Skyrim, she would still be shivering at the slightest traces of cold. Her steps sent little puffs of ashen sand spiraling in the air like dark snowflakes. The sky was a purplish gray, but on the good days was a pale orange. Faint aurora borealis shimmered in the sky, like ghostly snakes squirming across stones. Stars were just beginning to appear, but no moon was in sight yet. Emalia and Gelebor had been traveling for most of the day and their feet ached from so much use. Though the island was small, it was still mountainous and covered with fire, ash and snow. After a little while more of walking, they came to a small clearing in the forest of sickly looking trees. "We rest here for the night." Emalia declared.
She dropped her things and fell to the floor, which only caused clouds of ash to puff up and cause her to sneeze. Emalia pulled out a tinderbox, found a few scraps of wood and started a small fire. Gelebor laid his sword and sat by the fire. He seemed entranced by the dancing flames. Emalia sighed and looked to the horizon. "Most people think Solstheim is just a barren wasteland of ash and snow..." She muttered.
Gelebor turned to look at her, then followed her gaze. "I, personally, think that this 'wasteland' has a certain beauty..." Emalia added.
The Snow Elf snorted. "I'm not sure I can see what you mean. Burnt trees aren't exactly the most flattering."
Emalia glared at him for a moment. "Look at it from a different perspective. In the perspective of someone who has experienced a lot and knows that you don't just have to look at something as an empty picture. Every painting has a hidden meaning."
She sighed and continued to gaze at the sky. "Get some rest..." She told Gelebor. "We have a long road tomorrow."
Emalia heard the Snow Elf get up and walk away. She closed her eyes and savored the sound of the wind. Her throat burned from the ash and fumes which tainted the air of Morrowind, but she barely minded it. There were more things that made her feel pain... She leaned back and lay on the ashen sand, her long locks framing her face and tickling her cheeks. Emalia gazed up at the glittering skies. She closed her eyes and felt her consciousness drifting away, pulling her spirit to the sky. She soared past stars, constellations and time until she floated in the middle of eighteen unique constellations. Emalia turned to one she was the most familiar with and reached out for the only star that didn't glow as bright as the rest, the last one at the very tip. Then she heard her name being called out, over and over again. The tone was more of curiosity and not anger. "Vilkas, I'm doing something..." She muttered subconsciously.
She touched the star and felt it's power flow through her veins, Emalia smiled and sighed. Her mind longed to stay amongst the stars for longer, but her name was still being called! With a huff, she slowly returned to her senses in the normal world. She opened her eyes, her gaze met with a Snow Elf's pale blue gaze, not the silver eyes she had hoped to see. A content smile on her face soon faded away. "Who's Vilkas?" Gelebor asked.
Emalia's heart broke at the sound of that name. A single tear trickled down her cheek, smudging the war paint around her eyes. She wished she could answer, but her throat burned with grief and pain. Guilt flooded through her and Emalia clenched her fists. Anger, grief, depression, sorrow, anguish, pain, rage and guilt swirled in her mind. She bit her lip and looked away. "It's nothing... Just a memory..." She whispered.
One name, and so much hurt swelled up inside of her. Emalia felt tears threatening to spill, sobs straining to rip from her lips, wails of anguish wanting echoing in her mind and guilt wanting to send a sword through her heart. Gelebor sensed her emotions and knew he shouldn't push the topic, no matter how much he wanted to know something. Without a word, Emalia stood up and walked over to where she had set up her bed roll. She slipped out of her armor and slid into the bed roll without a word. There was silence. But if Gelebor listened closely, he could hear soft sobbing from Emalia's form.
Emalia walked in a silent forest, all the colour had been stripped from the leaves of the towering trees which presided over her like great gods towering over their subjects. She could feel a dark presence watching her from afar. There was a long howl, then the sound of a powerful creature running after her. Emalia gasped as she saw a dark form running towards her. She ran, branches clawing her face and ripping out locks of her hair. As she ran, pain rippled through her body. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest and her muscles felt as if they were being stretched. Emalia could hear the loud, slow, thumping of her heart in her ears. Each heart beat caused the world to pulse and flicker darker and darker. A loud amused laugh echoed through the forest, the laugh of a deity watching it's subjects suffer... And enjoying it. "Run, little Companion! Run as fast as you can! But you can never hide from me..." A voice growled.
Emalia screamed in horror and ran even harder and faster than before. Then a huge creature jumped out and forced her to fall to the ground painfully. Just as she was about to scramble back up, a large boot forced her to the ground. She tilted her head and got a glimpse of a giant set of stag horns. A spear grazed the back of her neck and the same evil chuckle sounded again, but closer. She felt a hot breath against her neck, causing her skin to prickle. "The Lord of the Hunt always get's his prey in the end..." Snarled the voice, now close to her ear.
Pure terror ran through Emalia's veins, but she couldn't scream or move. "After you stole those who were my property, I cannot tell you how angry I was... And how angry one of their friends were... Isn't that right my loyal hound?"
She heard the deep growl of a wolf nearby. "If I can't get what was rightfully mine, at least I have the pleasure of torturing the one who stole my prey... My... Friend, Haemerous Mora, has already started to break you... Now I shall strip you of your sanity, drive you to madness, and destroy you. I will rip any sense of hope and happiness that once lived within you... You will suffer for all of your actions against me, Companion!"
The spear point was pushed deeper into Emalia's skin, now drawing blood. "I will make sure that you will never join your loved ones... I will destroy your already broken mind... Just you wait, Companion... Just you wait..."
Emalia's eyes snapped open, she was drenched in cold sweat and her heart was pumping fast. She whipped her head around fearfully, her hair flying. She sighed in relief when she saw nothing. But after a few moments, reality hit her. "I've really pissed off a Daedric Prince..." She muttered.
When Gelebor awoke, Emalia was wide awake. Sitting by the fire, her eyes darting everywhere at any sound. When she wasn't distracted, Emalia stared at the dancing flames as if looking for a sign in the fire. "What's wrong?" He asked.
She squeaked at looked over at him, tension left her body and she let out a sigh of relief. "N-nothing... It's okay." She muttered. "Just a bad dream..."
Gelebor didn't say anything and gathered up his things. Then he heard a sigh from Emalia. "I think I've angered a Daedric Prince..." She whispered fearfully.
He turned around and regarded her with a strong gaze. "That's bad. Very bad. What have you done to anger such a dark deity?"
Emalia shrugged. "I don't know! But I just know that it is Hircine who's wrath I should fear. I heard his laugh and he taunting me, saying that he was going to 'break my already broken heart'."
"'Already broken heart?'"
Emalia nodded, but didn't say anything else. "He must be mad at me about that time... When..." She slowly trailed off, as if refusing to finish her sentence.
Gelebor knew not to push her, so he said nothing else. He was just satisfied that he actually learnt something from her. Emalia let out a breath and stood up, dusting the ash from her leggings and cloak. "Well! We best get going! It's a long road ahead of us and we aren't even close to the glacier yet!"
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