I daresay this chapter is long overdue... I've spent a lot of time wondering what excuses I would give but truth is, I have none. In all reality, I lost motivation. I lost motivation to type much of anything. I understand that this is a rather short chapter from me but it was a bitch. I gotta thank my bro Ethan for even writing part of this chapter for me and giving me advice where I needed it.
Morthal was a quiet town. It lacked any sort of appeal though. Part of Elsa wondered why anyone would choose to settle down in the marshy wasteland that was Morthal. Since most of Hjaalmarch was a wet marsh, the Khajiit caravans never bothered to stop in Morthal to sell their goods. The most Elsa had ever seen of the Hold was what she could view from across the Solitude Inlet. Now she knew that she really wasn't missing much. Yet here she was, standing in a swamp-like wasteland.
It was times like these when Elsa was incredibly thankful for Marsh. The massive horse seemed to have no problem maneuvering in the wetlands. Olaf seemed perfectly fine as well. The mud was sticking to his paws and legs but he didn't seem to mind at all. Anna and Joan seemed to be fine as well. It was just Elsa who disliked the territory before her. She chalked this up to her Khajiit upbringing. After all, it took her almost a full year to become accustomed to bathing properly. That was a part of her life that she often did her best to forget.
"So this is Morthal…?" Elsa asked curiously as the horses moved through it. Many of the houses were built on the water surrounding the town. Well, they were built on large stilts over the water. It was rather ingenious to be honest; still unappealing, but brilliant to say the least. The Princess had to commend the inhabitant's for their smart thinking. However she was still confused as to why someone would even wish to live in a muddy swamp.
"You betcha!" Anna replied happily, she obviously didn't share Elsa's disgust for the city. She and Joan were leading the group right now. "It's quaint and quiet. Nothing ever happens here and that makes it kind of relaxing in a way… Except for that apparently," Anna pointed to her left with her brows furrowed.
Elsa followed the Companion's gaze to see what looked to be the remains of a charred house. The house stood rather close to what seemed to be the Jarl's Longhouse. The burn marks looked to be recent. The mage turned her head to look at Anna. Her nose was scrunched up and she wore a look of disgust. It was as if she smelled something foul. Elsa didn't question it though. Anna seemed to have a very good sense of smell.
A growl had sounded from Olaf as he had seemed to smell whatever Anna had spotted. Marsh's head turned away slightly and the massive beast did his best to put some distance between himself and the house. It seemed as if Elsa was the only one who couldn't catch this mysterious scent. However, judging by the look on Anna's face, she was thankful that she could not.
"You'd think with all this water, there wouldn't be many fires." Elsa muttered out almost sarcastically as she kept her eyes on the burned foundation. She had seen enough burns and caused many while learning how to properly contain Flames. Unlike her ice spells, any fire magic was very difficult for her.
"At least it wasn't the mill." Anna replied, her voice sounding more like a snarl and almost inhuman. Elsa noticed that her eyes were darting from place to place, determined to try and find
something. As the two moves away from the town, it seemed as if Anna spotted what she was looking for. The Companion effortlessly leaped off of Joan's back and raced up a large wooden ramp to the top of the mill.
"ADAM!" Anna hollered out happily. A large man turned just in time to see the young companion racing toward him. He extended his arms to her and pulled the redhead into a fierce hug. From Elsa's position on her horse, the scene was rather adorable. After all it wasn't every day that Elsa saw the Companion practically jump up and hug someone with such ferocity.
"It's good to see you, cousin!" The large man laughed out as he effortlessly twirled the redhead in his arms.
"You too! Where's Belle?" Anna asked with a wolfish grin.
"She's working down at her shop. Just took on an apprentice who loves experimenting with supplies as much as she does." The man said while crossing his arms. He silently studied Anna, curious about something. Suddenly he noted Elsa's presence. "Anna, who have you brought to my marshy territory?"
"Ah! Adam, meet um..." She looked over to Elsa, trying to figure out how best to address her.
"Hail Companion, I am Elsa." The blonde clicked her tongue twice, prompting Marsh to move up to the edge of the mill. Once she was near to them, she slipped off her mount gracefully and moved forward to properly greet Adam. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Anna has told me about you."
"Only good things, I hope- wait!" Suddenly her named dawned upon the lumber worker. "You mean High Princess Elsa?"
"The same." Elsa replied simply. She pulled her mage's hood down to show off her trademark blonde hair. "I recognize you from the time of my Father."
A jovial laugh resounded from Adam, "aye! You were just a little tyke then! Look at you now, a grown woman and soon to be High Queen of Skyrim, divines be praised." The man sounded sincere about that.
"Thank you, but I have no intentions to take the throne."
"Maybe Ulfric Stormcloak will..." Anna piped up quietly. Both Elsa and Adam looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "What?" It was no secret that Elsa sided with the Imperials, given her upbringing. It seemed that Anna was shocked that Adam agreed with them too.
"What Stormcloak nonsense has Vignar placed in your head?" Adam asked almost condescendingly. "Has Kodlak done nothing to quell this nonsense?" His eyes burned angrily as he spoke of the Stormcloaks.
"It's not nonsense." Anna replied hotly. "But whatever, thats not the point. We're here because of far more pressing matters." She desperately wanted to drop the subject now.
"Yes, this is more important than any silly rebellion." Elsa added quickly, brushing her bangs off to the left side of her face. Using a small amount of her ice powers, she lightly froze them in place to prevent the hair from falling back in her face. Though given how muggy the marsh was, she would not be surprised to see them melt in a few hours time. "Do you have some place where we can speak quietly?"
"Oh, and we're going to be staying one or two nights so do you think the Inn can keep us?" Anna asked, now moving back toward Joan. Anna posed a good question. With all the Imperial soldiers about, she had no doubt that they would be occupying the inn.
"They would love it. The door never get used except for one of us who wants a drink." Adam replied. The man wandered off toward the side of the mill only to return a moment later with an ax in hand. "C'mon, the day is done anyway. First round of drinks is on me. You can tell me all about your little important mission. No one will be there anyway." Both women shrugged but agreed. After all, what Nord in their right mind would turn down free mead?
The three sat down at a table near the fire. The inn's layout was incredibly similar to the one in Riverwood and Ivarstead with tables along the wall with a large roaring fire pit through the center to keep the building warm. Off to one side, an Orc did his best to serenade the small group. They seemed to be doing their best to drown him out though.
"So Anna here is being sent on a task by the Greybeards to get this horn so that they can prove she's the Dragonborn?" Adam asked after he took a long swig of Honningbrew Mead. With Whiterun so close, the tavern seemed to only stock Honningbrew Mead instead of Elsa's preferred drink.
"More or less. It's at Houstongrad-" Anna started off before Elsa cut in to correct her, again.
"Ustengrav," Elsa corrected before turning back to her drink. Her head was aching and the Orc's singing was not helping.
"Yes that, and I have to go find it. They want me to take Elsa because they trust her or something but I'm not taking her." Anna replied casually. She still didn't completely understand the whole thing like Elsa did.
"Why can't you go, Princess?" Adam asked curiously, gaze focusing on the princess for a moment. "And if she doesn't go, who will go in her place? Anna, you need a Shield-Sibling." Even though his Companion days were finished, he still would never go anywhere without a Shield-Sibling.
"Olaf." Elsa and Anna answered in sync. The two then took a sip of mead before Elsa took the time to expand on the statement. "I am quite ill. Trekking through some ancient burial mound would be the death of me. So I will be staying here while Anna and Olaf go off."
"Besides, Olaf is a great guard dog!" At the sound of his name, Olaf barked and wagged his tail happily.
Adam didn't seem to approve of his cousin going alone with just a dog. He didn't voice his disagreement. "Well fine. But if you aren't back by dark tomorrow, then I'm sending a search party after you."
"Hah! You underestimate the power of the mighty Dragonborn!" Anna roared loudly. The redhead raised her glass to the sky and grinned triumphantly. Moments later she took a large gulp of mead with bits of the liquid spilling down the sides of her mouth.
"You haven't been confirmed to be the Dragonborn. Now could you please lower your voice. You're giving me a headache." Elsa snapped back quickly. She had been nursing her mug but the mead didn't help make her feel any better. Her head was lowered and her bangs (which had unfrozen by now) were brushing against the table.
"Alright, Elsa, lets get you in bed." Anna said after wiping mead off her face.
Under normal circumstances, Elsa would have argued but sleep sounded nice. "I can do it myself. You have fun." She left the table and headed off to the small single room that she had rented with Olaf treading at her heels. Anna was sleeping in the room next to her. After a short walk, Elsa closed her door and soon fell into a restful sleep.
The two Companions watched the princess disappear and the moment her door was shut, they turned back to each other.
"I assume you smelled the filth in the city." Adam growled out, pulling his mug of mead closer to him. His eyes flashed dangerously as he spoke.
"Aye. That scent is all over the marsh." Anna growled back. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck rise as she spoke. Not only was the scent of vampires about, but also the stench of burned flesh. Both smelled foul to her.
"Vampires. Reckon you haven't run into one since you received your gift, eh?"
"Never ran into one ever." Anna responded. "I got it about a week ago and I've been a bit busy for vampire hunting." She had been referring to her recent Dragonborn discovery.
"I suppose you wouldn't have. It was something the Circle did..." Adam replied thoughtfully. "No matter, you have now, and I know that they're planning something. We have to investigate."
"Then what are we waiting for, Shield-Brother?"
The next morning, Elsa awoke around midmorning. It was later than what she usually liked to sleep, but her body thanked her for the extra recovery time. It seemed as if she was getting much better. The soreness in her muscles seemed to have gone, but she still had not recovered fully.
Slowly Elsa got out of bed and began to change into a simple set of blue mage robes. Included in her robes was a large blue hood and she also wore her fur lined boots for extra warmth (not that she needed it, but it kept the water off her feet). Her hair ended up getting pulled back in a low ponytail and then hidden under her massive hood. All that could be seen of the blonde locks was a small strip that rested slightly off center on her forehead.
Once she deemed herself presentable, she left her room to go explore Morthal. She was rather curious about the burned house and wanted to find out more about it. Normally she would have gone to Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone but she did not wish to draw any attention to her being in Morthal (no matter how difficult it would be given that the old woman probably knew of her arrival already). Her best bet would be speaking to locals who didn't know who she was.
Just as Elsa stepped out into the marshy land, she found herself running into a very muscular chest. The blonde stumbled backward into the door and nearly froze the person who ran into her. However she managed to save herself by looking up to see that she had accidentally hit Adam. Upon her realization, she was quite glad to not have frozen him.
"Good day, Adam. I trust you and Anna had a nice night of catching up?" Elsa told the man in a cheerful tone.
The burly Nord bowed his head in greeting and then spoke. "Aye, your highness. My wife wasn't too pleased as we stayed up until the wee hours of the morning." As he spoke, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Got a bit of trouble, but breakfast in bed and some flowers fixed it up nicely. But nevermind that, how do you plan to spend your day here in Morthal?"
Elsa shrugged a little. "To be honest, the burned house has me intrigued." Part of her wondered why none of the guards had investigated it. "Why haven't guard investigated it?"
"The guards are spread thin due to the war." Adam replied, putting his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "No one has looked into it... well, except me and Anna."
That interested Elsa. Anna had spent part of her time investigating? The Princess didn't think that a warrior would have been a good detective, as she seemed to like solving her problems with her iron fists. "You did?"
Adam nodded to her. He didn't answer immediately but he gestured for the blonde to follow him. Elsa did without hesitation. If Anna trusted this man, the saw no reason for her to distrust him. The two trekked down the steps of the inn and landed on the dock like structure that connected Morthal to solid land. From their position on the docks, Elsa could see the burned house a few paces to her right. It sat on a slight hill just behind a patch of water.
Without speaking, Adam lead her down the dock and right up the steps of the house. "No one in their right mind would look into this. This was the work of magic... Vampire Magic at that." The Nord man spat out.
"What makes you say that?" Elsa asked him defensively. Those who disliked magic were not ones Elsa felt comfortable around.
"Saw one." Adam replied. He pointed to a corner of the small one room house and began to explain his short adventure. "Anna and I came last night. There we saw the ghost of Helgi, Hroggar's daughter. She convinced Anna to play Hide and Seek because someone was looking for her." The man explained with his arms crossed.
"Where was she ghost hiding?" Elsa asked curiously. Playing hide and seek with a ghost sounded like something Anna would do. After all, the other day she was playing tag with two horses and a dog. It was cute though.
"Souls that haven't gone to Sovngarde can't stray too far from their bodies." Adam told her as he stepped through the ruins of the house. "I encountered a few of them during my time with the Companions. Cursed to stay with their bodies until they can be freed and sent off or unable to rest until their life mission is complete, whatever that may be."
Elsa followed after Adam as he left the ruined house. After climbing up the hill that the house rested on, Elsa spoke again. "So you found her where?" Not understanding what the miller said.
"With her body." Elsa peered behind Adam's large frame to see two coffins, one large and another small, half buried in the earth at the top of the hill. Next to the coffin was a woman who was laying face down in the snow. Blood covered the ground surrounding her.
"Who's that on the ground?"
"I think you mean what is that." Adam spat out as he glared at the figure. "That vile creature is a vampire. The first vampires were created by Molag Bal, Daedric Prince of Domination. Anna was given the honor of slaying this one." Elsa said nothing but looked at Adam cautiously. "This is where we stopped. We have a lead for the next part of the investigation but you should rest. It involves a lot of sneaking about. I can wait for Anna to return."
"Sounds like something I can manage easily then." Elsa replied quickly. "Divines know I'm quieter than Anna is." Sneaking about was child's play to a Khajiit raised woman. She had been taught to sneak from an early age. Sneak, Speechcraft and lockpicking were all valuable life skills to a Khajiit. These skills made her set up for a life as a thief, which was why the Thieves Guild took to her well whilst in Riften.
Adam didn't seem to particularly approve of Elsa getting involve but he couldn't entirely say no to Skyrim Royalty. "Well then. I guess we best check Alva's house. Hroggar is holed up there for now. If there is any information that Hroggar has, it will be there now..."
Elsa was skeptical about this plan of Adam's. It was almost night, meaning vampires would be out. The man had insisted that this was the best course of action. The two had planned all day. Part of Elsa hoped that Anna and Olaf would return soon. As much as Elsa didn't wish to think it... She missed Anna.
"Remember the plan?" Adam asked as they walked down the docks toward Alva's house.
"Get in, hide, get the information, get out." Elsa replied in a bored tone. "And above all, don't get caught." As the age old saying went, 'do job first, get drunk second,' and Elsa planned to enjoy a nice mug of mead afterward.
"Whatever information you get, run straight to the Jarl." Adam added on. Elsa didn't want to see Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone but she knew there would be no avoiding it. The old crone probably knew that Elsa was in her hold. She was prone to having visions which gave her information. She was also very wise and knowledgeable. This was why the Imperials wished to keep Morthal under her command.
Elsa crept into position, just behind the door. After giving a nod, Adam knocked three times.
"Hroggar, I need your help over at the mill!" He shouted. There was a minute or so before the door opened a crack.
"What do you need? I'm… busy." The nord asked, barely sticking his nose outside.
"We're a little behind on a last-minute delivery. I'll give you overtime pay and a bottle of mead if you help out."
Elsa had to give Adam credit, he knew how to get the man's attention. Alcohol and money seemed to be the way to the heart of most nords. Nonetheless, Hroggar still paused before relenting.
"Yeah, alright, let me get my axe." He replied before closing the door. Staying low, Elsa switched to the other side of the door and pressed herself against the wall. The moment that Hroggar opened the door and left enough of a gap, Elsa was inside the house with no one the wiser.
The door closed and soon Elsa was completely alone in the small house. The hard part was now over. The blonde let out a breath that she didn't even realize that she was holding and then the search began.
Any information about what happened to Hroggar's family would be kept hidden, so Elsa first looked in any drawers and rummaged through bedside tables. Uptop the single bed, Elsa did note there was a copy of Immortal Blood laying there.
"Vampires…" Elsa muttered before turning her searches elsewhere. It didn't take her long to realize that there was no information up on the first floor. Her blue eyes travelled down to a stairwell which she had avoided until now. Now it was her only place left to look.
Carefully, Elsa padded down the steps and opened the door. She peeked her head inside to make sure that it was empty. Just like the rest of the house, this room was empty of people. The most interesting part of the room was a large wooden coffin inside.
Curiosity got the better of Elsa as she peered inside the wooden box. Inside there was a small leather bound book which seemed to be a journal. Without thinking, Elsa picked it up and flipped it open. As she read through the neat scrawl, the woman realized that this was the information she needed to give to the Jarl. It proved Hroggar's innocence and this so called Alva's crime.
Instantly, Elsa raced up the steps and out of the house. Night had definitely fallen, But the torches that were held by the guard marked where the Jarl's long house was. Elsa quickly raced across the boardwalk only to run right into an armored individual also racing into the town.
The mage fell flat on her back with the wind knocked out of her. Moments later, something, or rather, some dog, started licking her face.
"Oh shoot! By the Divines, I'm sorry, Els!" A familiar voice called out. Not even a second later, Elsa felt someone slowly helping her to her feet.
Once the princess found herself able to breathe again, she was able to open her eyes. Next to her stood Anna with a concerned look on her. On Elsa's other side was Olaf whose tail was wagging faster than a dragon's wings could flap.
"Well, hello to you two." Elsa replied with a small grin. "Took you long enough to get back." The princess joked as she lightly nudged the armored woman with her elbow.
"Yeah well, we may have gotten lost a few times." Olaf quickly barked in what seemed to be an argument. "Well, I got lost. Olaf seemed to know exactly where he was going."
"He's a smart boy." Elsa replied with a confident grin. She then reached down to pat her companion on the head. As she did so, she noted that Olaf had picked up a book and seemed ready to hand it to her. "Oh, thanks. Must have dropped that." The blonde mumbled and she took it from her dog. She gave him a few scratched behind the ears before leafing through the book. All the evidence Elsa needed seemed to be in the journal, which was good.
"What do you have there?" Anna asked, peering over Elsa's shoulders.
The blonde quickly handed over the journal so that Anna could read it. "Adam asked me to help pick up where you two left off last night."
Anna nodded and returned the journal back to Elsa. "You better go take this to the Jarl. I'm going to tell Adam that I'm back." Elsa nodded and the two quickly split up. This time Olaf followed his master off to the Jarl's Longhouse.
"Good evening, Princess Elsa, I wondered when you would be visiting me." The young blonde woman grimaced as Jarl Ravencrone's voice sounded from across the entryway.
"Oh Princess Elsa! It's a pleasure to see you again!" A young woman called. Idgrod the Younger, the Jarl's daughter. She was quite gorgeous with big beautiful brown eyes and lovely dark hair. The two females often got along when in each other's company.
Idgrod came up to the princes and wrapped her into a friendly hug, which Elsa happily returned. The Jrl's daughter was the closest thing to a female friend that Elsa had. Though they were more like acquaintances if Elsa had to be honest.
"I apologize for my state of dress. Not very becoming of a Princess I suppose." Elsa responded after she broke the embrace.
"I would have to agree with that mi'lady. You look like a true mage though." Idgrod replied with a kind smile. At that, Elsa couldn't help but blush slightly and look away. "How has your training been? Difficult I'm sure, but I'm sure you are doing fantastically as you always do. I remember always being impressed by your skills whenever I saw you."
"You give me far too much credit my friend." Elsa laughed. She was often asked to demonstrate her magical prowess when her father had guests over. It was like a party trick in a sense. Very simple little tricks with her magic, nothing to blatantly show how powerful she really was. "I am still in my training. I haven't even gone to the College yet." From off to the side, a snort could be heard. The Jarl's Housecarl - he, like most people in Morthal, disapproved of magic.
"The College is daft not to accept you." Idgrod replied with a kind smile.
"Or perhaps smart to not allow a woman unable to control her abilities entrance." Elsa knew that she was powerful. Terrifyingly so. As a child she froze over Solitude on accident, now there was no telling what abilities that she had. "Besides, Winterhold is under Stormcloak control. I doubt I would be welcomed."
The young brunette sighed but had to agree with the Princess. "You're right, as always." She said gloomily. "But enough of that now. The guards said you has been her for a day already and then took a room in the Inn."
"I didn't want to bother you." Elsa said quickly.
"You didn't want us to know you were here." A new voice called out, interrupting the two younger women. It was the Jarl who was slouched in her throne. "You hoped that I would have no idea of your arrival."
Elsa looked to the stone floor as her face flushed. Frost slowly began to form around her fingertips and in the crevices between the stones on the floor. The Jarl was correct, of course. Nothing could get past old Ravencrone. She just always seemed to know everything. Perhaps it came with age.
"Now why are you here, Princess? You would not come to us willingly unless it was important. You, like your father, value your independence far too much." Despite being of higher status, as a Princess of Skyrim, this was not Elsa's court. She had been taught that she must play by other's rules in their courts. A lesson which her Father stressed on every trip. Perhaps he wished her to respect others in their homes or he just did not wish for her to grow up as a bratty princess. Either way, the young mage did not assert her authority unless needed (like she had done in Balgruuf's court).
Reaching into her pockets, Elsa pulled out. The small leather bound book she had picked up earlier. "I'm traveling with a Companion and we stopped here for the night." Elsa explained as she passed the book to Idgrod the Younger, who passed it to her mother. "We noticed Hroggar's house and apparently last night she investigated it." The Jarl took the book from her daughter and cautiously opened it.
"This morning I finished the investigation and found this book in Alva's house. I believe it proves his innocence and confirms Alva's guilt." Three heads read the book alongside the Jarl. Her daughter, her housecarl and the Jarl's steward were also reading along. None could believe their eyes but it was the evidence that they were looking for.
"I believe Hroggar is currently acting as as Alva's Thrall. I think it's why he has been hiding in her house. He's been protecting her as she sleeps." Elsa told the group. She knew quite a bit about vampirism as her former mentor was a vampire. She had been in her father's court as well as her brother's court. Though that wasn't entirely common knowledge.
"I can't believe we have a vampire running loose! We must have her captured immediately!" Aslfur, the steward cried out.
"But wait, Da, it says that she's working with The Master Vampire Movarth." Idgrod the Younger said quickly as her eyes skimmed to book for more information. "We can't launch a reckless assault on them, we'd die."
"She's right. We would need a small army to invade a vampire lair." Elsa added quickly.
"All our guards are spread thin due to the war." The Jarl replied quickly.
Elsa frowned at this. She should have expected it though. Every town through out Skyrim was short on guards. Every young man and woman had left their homes to take up arms to fight in the ridiculous rebellion that plagued the land.
The woman folded her arms and stood silently, trying to contemplate a plan. Suddenly it hit her. There were two Companions of Jorrvaskr in the town. If anyone could take down vampires, it would be the Companions. If the town could provide a few people as back up for Adam and Anna could easily take out the entire clan of vampires.
"The Companions." The Princess said with a triumphant smile. "I'm traveling with one and you have a retired one here right now. If anyone can take out these vampires, it would be them." And I think they would enjoy it… Though that was something Elsa kept to herself.
"Thats two people against an entire layer, Princess." Aslfur deadpanned. "No offense your highness, but not even I am that confident in their abilities to kill them all."
"Thats why we need back up. Just a few townsfolk to take on their thralls while they go after the vampires. I'm confident that they can handle it." After all, the Dragonborn is among us.
"Will you be joining them, Princess?" The Jarl questioned. Her dark eyes locked with Elsa's light blue ones almost like she was challenging the Princess.
"What sort of High Queen would I make if I didn't lead my own troops into battle?" That was no the answer anyone expected, but it was a good one. The Jarl bowed her head and a small confident grin crossed her face. Soon Elsa was given the go ahead to gather what men and women she could to go and fight the vampires.
"This is the best we could do, Princess." Idgrod said as she and Elsa stood on the steps of the Longhouse. Below was Belle, Adam's beautiful wife (who was apparently skilled in alchemy). Next to her was Benor, a man who did odd jobs around the town and had expressed a desire to be a Guard. Apparently Anna got into a fist fight with the man to prove herself (and won). By him was Thonnir whose wife was the vampire that Anna had killed. Jorgen, one of Adam's workers was also there. Even Falion, the wizard who no one liked, had joined the group.
Six people wasn't the best turn out, but it was better than none, which Elsa thanked the divines for. Every person had a weapon, even Belle (which was something Elsa did not expect). No one had a shield which made Elsa slightly nervous, but there was only so much she could do. If needed, she could use her ice to shield anyone from any critical injuries
"This is perfect, Idgrod." Elsa said, lying through her teeth. "I have no doubt that we will be able to handle anything that gets thrown at us. Those Vampires won't have a clue what hit them." The people below cheered and gave their own versions of a war cry. "Now lets go show them who they're messing with." More cheers followed her small speech and the group raced off down the road to where the lair was with Olaf hot on their tails.
Elsa bounded down the steps and leaped onto Marsh's back. "Let's go boy." The horse nodded his massive head and raced off.
It didn't take the woman very long to catch up to the group and soon she overtook them. "I'm going to scout up ahead to make sure they aren't waiting for us." She told them, the group nodded and watch Elsa gallop ahead. This time Olaf was with her.
As Elsa drew near to the cave, two figures could be seen exiting it. Well, it was one figure walking while carrying a smaller second figure. Once they were at the mouth of the cave, the taller figure dropped the smaller one unceremoniously in the dirt path.
"Adam! What the hell?"
"Get dressed. You don't want anyone to see you like this." Adam replied with a cheeky grin. As he spoke, he pulled a pair of trousers over his body followed by some fur shoes.
"Who's gonna come see me?" Anna replied as she sat up. Her first instinct was to check and make sure that Laaskuz was with her. Which it was.
"You'd be surprised." Adam laughed out once he finished dressing, with his Wolf Armor included. "Anyway I'm headed back to the village with this." He held up the decapitated heads of Movarth and Alva with a wolfish grin. To most people, it would be rather unsettling, but not to Anna. She just grinned back.
"Have fun!" Anna called to the man racing through the marsh. He seemed far too eager to get out of there. The redhead couldn't blame him though, she smelled like bloodsuckers and it was disgusting. Groaning, Anna stood up and stretched out her sore limbs. She didn't entirely care that she was naked for the world to see as she could easily Shout someone away if she needed to do so.
Finally she started digging through her pile of clothes to find her undergarments. She was able to find her underwear before the sound of hooves hitting the ground caught her attention. Ignoring her clothes, Anna reached for her blade and prepared for attack.
She knew that without the last word to unrelenting Force, she wouldn't be as effective if her target was farther away. So she waited a few seconds until the figure came into her eyesight. It was a small person on a horse, but Anna didn't care. She still had adrenaline coursing through her veins and she was about to knock this person off their horse.
"FUS RO!" Anna screamed, using the Voice blessed upon her by the Gods. With it's power, Anna easily caught the rider unaware and sent them flying off the horse. The horse reared up and retreated, leaving it's rider stranded out in the marsh. After a moment of silence, Anna saw no movement. Curiously, she set out a little further into the marsh, only to fall into a trap.
The second Anna was a few paces away from the mouth of the cave, she heard movement to the side of her. The Companion spun on the balls of her feet only to come face to face with a hooded figure. Before she could ready her blade and get into stance, Anna was sent flying backwards and sliding through the dirt..
"FUS RO DAH!"
Suddenly Anna's mind clicked. That voice was familiar. There was only one person that she knew that could use the full Shout for Unrelenting Force. The very person she heard about the Vampires from.
"Elsa?" Anna called out as she slowly rose to her hands and knees.
"Wait- Anna?" The voice called back. The Princess lowered her hood so that her attacked could see her bright blonde hair as if it was a fire in the darkness.
The Companion laughed and sat back on her knees. She had accidentally attacked Elsa on Marsh! The redhead didn't know how she couldn't tell that she had accidentally attacked Elsa but she did it.
As she was laughing her ass off, Elsa approached slowly, unsure if Anna was going to attack her again. Her own sword was drawn and her ice magic was crackling around her fingertips, begging to be released. Once she could see Anna, she realized that she was in no danger and she sheathed her weapon and cancelled her magic (though that was rather difficult to do as she was still on edge).
When she finally got a good look at the Companion, her face flushed considerably. Anna was completely naked except for a small strip of cloth covering her lower body. So needless to say Elsa got an eyeful of the Companions well toned abdominal muscles, arm muscles and her surprisingly full breasts.
Almost instantly, Elsa stumbled backwards. Unfortunately her boots caught onto the edge of her robes and she fell backwards onto the dirt covered ground. Her head hit the ground with an audible thump which sent her vision fading to black for a small moment. When her sight returned, Elsa saw Anna straddling her and shaking her slightly.
"A-Anna! I'm awake!" Elsa called out trying to shove the other woman away from her.
"Are you sure you're OK Elsa? You hit your head pretty hard."
"I'll be better when you put some clothing on!" Elsa half shouted with her face covered in an attempt to stop staring at Anna's well developed chest. When she did that, sheets of ice covered the ground along with a small blanket of snow.
There was a awkward moment of silence before Anna shifted slightly. Elsa thought it meant that the redhead was going to get off her. She was dead wrong.
Instead Anna pressed herself closer to the Princess. With the sudden shift of weight, Elsa also moved so that she was slightly sitting up on her elbows. She was planning on moving the Companion off of her but she couldn't get the words out. Before she spoke, a pair of full lips gently pressed against her own and for once, Elsa had no idea what she should do. Her mind went blank, her eyes closed and their lips moved together.
To Elsa, Anna's lips were like the rest of her body, firm and a bit rough. No doubt they were chapped because of the lovely Skyrim weather. Her hands carefully traced over Anna's arm and back muscles before she gently wrapped her arms around Anna's neck and pulling her closer into the kiss.
As this happened, Anna could feel something cool hitting her bare back. She knew it wasn't rain, as she would have been able to hear it. Soon it came to her though. It was snow. But it was not the harsh snowstorms that Skyrim was known for, instead it felt… gentle, as if someone was controlling it. Whoever it was, they seemed content, and it was good.
Finally Anna found the strength to pull away. Elsa was still in a slight daze and the Companion couldn't help but grin slightly. She thought it was cute.
"So…" She started quietly, "Can I do that again?"
"Only if you put your clothes back on." Elsa replied with her arms crossed. Her face was still a tad bit pink from earlier.
As if she had super speed, Anna leaped off the princess and began throwing on her clothing as fast as she could.
While she was busy doing that, Elsa got to her feet and noticed the flakes of snow falling. This was unlike anything she had seen. Usually her powers were destructive. Even her little party tricks, if Elsa lost control for a moment, she could injure a person. This was, strangely calm and peaceful. This was a side of her that even she hadn't seen before… And for once, she was fine with her abilities.
"It's pretty." Anna said quietly as she walked back over to Elsa. "Just like you."
"It's just snow." Elsa replied quietly as she looked up to the falling particles.
"I've always loved snow." Anna told her, now standing next to her. She wrapped one arm around Elsa's waist and pulled the woman closer to her. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think that you were the one making the snow."
"Then you clearly don't know better." Elsa said with a small grin. She held up one hand and let forth a flurry of snow. It was nothing fancy, just one of her simple party tricks she had used over the years. Despite its simplicity, it never failed to wow the simplest of people.
"HOLY TALOS!" The Companion shouted excitedly. "That's so cool!"
"Not really." Elsa told her. "I'm just a mage."
"A mage who has power over all snow and ice." Anna told her. "That's way cooler than being a werewolf. I mean- being a werewolf is pretty cool but I can't control an entire element!"
"Wait- what?" Elsa asked, looking over to Anna in shock. "Werewolf?"
Realizing she was caught, Anna scratched the back of her head and grinned sheepishly. "Whoops. Forgot I wasn't supposed to say that… Aela's gonna kill me for telling. My bad… Um… Don't worry! I won't eat you or anything… I mean, unless you want me too… if you know what I mean." Anna's innocent grin turned into a sly devious one. She also licked her lips just to make the situation even worse.
Elsa's blush came right back and without hesitating, she shot a mound of snow in the Companion's direction. The massive pile snow caught Anna by surprise and within moments she was caught under it and flailing for help.
"I'm sorry! I surrender!" Anna shouted from under the snow. "Now help me out! It's cold!"
"You can get out by yourself. I'm going to tell the Jarl that Adam killed the vampires." Elsa replied. "And maybe if you're a good dog, I'll give you some credit too." She shot the Companion a playful wink before vanishing. "WULD NAH KEST!
Anna quickly got out of the snow and chased after her. "WULD!" The Dragonborn screamed as she gave chase to her High Princess of Skyrim.
Oops they kissed. Sorry not sorry. Romance has started. Thanks for reading y'all. Yes I know Elsa kind of seems like Weiss from RWBY... Thats what I get for watching it while knocking out the last part of this chapter. If anyone has any ideas of quests you want to see, let me know. Also, as a random side note, I don't want to be using Disney and Skyrim characters, I'm thinking of adding some OCs into the mix. If anyone has any ideas for that, feel free to message me. Love you all. Later!