Two horses walked side-by-side, Ayrenn's favorite white mare and a black stallion for Kjoret. Both were armored in Aldmeri Dominion garb. The stallion had on a yellow cloth with the symbol of the eagle. Steel balding covered its head and haunches. Ayrenn's majestic horse looked even more elegant. Balding made of silver covered the majority of the body and was accented on the edges with gold and a gilded eagle on each side. The Queen seemed to glow with radiance and Kjoret tried to stifle a smile from just looking at her.
"What is it, Kjor?" Ayrenn asked, noticing Kjoret's look.
"You," she replied, looking into those deep ocean eyes.
"You're sweet, love. I'm lucky to have you here," the Queen said and reached her arm across the distance between them. Kjoret met her hand briefly and received Ayrenn's loving squeeze before their hands returned to the reigns. "I don't have pleasant memories from Cyrodiil."
"Do you mind telling me what happened?" Kjoret asked gently. The last time it had come up in conversation, it was clear Ayrenn was still pained by the memory so Kjoret had changed the subject. Today though, the Queen was in a good mood, feeling empowered and boldened upon entering Cyrodiil with her entourage in tow.
Ayrenn nodded, "I told you about Abnur Tharn, yes?"
"Only slightly… he knew your true identity?"
A sigh. "Yes. I was able to hide with ease for all those years just by staying on the move… going where people would never expect me to go, never staying settled for too long. I should have known that members of the Elder Council would have been notified of my disappearance. When I was in the Imperial City I was curious, and perhaps… reckless."
"Shocking," Kjoret teased, trying to keep the mood lighthearted.
"I fought in the Arena a number of times and started a win streak against some of the best gladiators the Arena could offer. Training and learning swordsmanship from the Direnni paid off, but it also attracted attention. Tharn put the pieces of the rumors together and figured out who I was. After an Arena match, he had Imperial guards restrain me in the barracks. I was taken to some secretive dungeon that only he knew about."
Kjoret's eyes narrowed. "What could he have wanted from you? We both know that he does things benefitting his own interests. This was before the war and before you set your eyes on conquering Cyrodiil."
"I may not have had plans to conquer yet, but he feared my father might. The White-Gold Tower was built by elves and is rightfully ours. Keeping me as a hostage gave Tharn an upper hand. Having me in his possession could quell any Altmer rebellions that would threaten his daughter Clivia's eventual reign."
"Did he… hurt you?"
Ayrenn was contemplative for a moment before carefully replying, "Not physically… but he tortured me in other… daedric ways I suppose. He played mind games and twisted the reality that I was experiencing. It was hard to determine what was real or illusion. I was forced to complete tests that were rigged for my failure. All of the extensive torture wore me down and weakened me… I was lucky to have escaped."
"Renn, I'm so sorry. I'm familiar with the torture style and am appalled by it. I can't imagine experiencing it." Kjoret led her horse closer to Ayrenn's and placed her hand on her lover's shoulder comfortingly.
"It is in the past," Ayrenn said confidently. She put her own hand reassuringly on Kjoret's. "This time in Cyrodiil, I have you and an entire army by my side."
The camp was alive with music, laughter, and a mixture of voices. Yellow tents dotted the gently sloped landscape. Wooden fortifications surrounded the outermost edges, only interrupted by the occasional watchtower that provided a better view for lookouts. Braziers crackled and provided light as Magnus approached the horizon. A large pavilion stood at the head of the flattened yard which had been filled with benches. Within the pavilion was a table more ornate than the rest. Seated at the center was Ayrenn, with Kjoret to her right in the place of honor. Razum-dar sat to her left as the first in the Eyes of the Queen. The handful of advisors, personal royal guards, and highest-ranking battlereeves were also welcome to the Queen's table. Their food had been served first and brought to them specifically. Food at the war camp was noticeably less rich than what the party had been dining on back in the comforts of cities such as Elden Root or Skywatch, but a hearty meal had still been prepared for Ayrenn's visit. Several soldiers meandered into the yard, looking for open seats on the benches. Tarragon chicken, braised rabbit, and a wide variety of vegetables were served tonight. Cheap wine and ale were provided for the soldiers, the few caskets of higher-quality alcohol were kept for those who sat under the pavilion. Kjoret had been initially surprised when Ayrenn grabbed a metal mug of ale instead of her usual flute of wine. She cast the Queen a look, which Ayrenn returned with a smirk before quickly downing the mug's contents and reaching for another. Oh, Ayrenn, Kjoret mused. Nobody had seemed to notice amongst all the clamor while other dishes were being served. Kjoret knew Ayrenn had done it jokingly to remind them of the mead-slamming incident years ago outside of Windhelm. These are the things I love you for. They shared a smile before Ayrenn got a more serious look on her face as she rose to her feet to address the camp.
"Fair day soldiers of the Aldmeri Dominion!" she greeted over the remaining voices and clank of plates being passed. The noise quieted down as the collection of elves, Khajiit and a handful of mankind individuals turned their attention to their Queen. "I am Queen Ayrenn Aldmeri. I had been touring the territories of the Dominion before arriving here in Cyrodiil. I plan to remain here for a period of time to oversee the progress that has been made in the war effort. I will lend my aid where I can in return for the hospitality you have provided for my entourage and myself. You have my gratitude, soldiers of the Dominion. Let us enjoy our meal!" She sat down, let out an exasperated sigh, and turned to Kjoret. "I've never been fond of giving speeches… something that is expected even though it seems like just theatrics to me."
"You'll be giving many more speeches when you rule all of Tamriel," Kjoret pointed out with a grin.
"I suppose you're right," Ayrenn laughed. "My cousin, Alwinarwe, serves as Proxy Queen for Summerset while I am away traveling. She is more of a traditionalist than I am. I'm sure she loves giving speeches to the people of Alinor. My people soak all that up- our heritage, history, traditions… and Alwin delivers," she finished, looking out over her troops.
"Renn," Kjoret began, "You do fine, your approach is just different. You are revolutionizing the Dominion. You are uniting people better than other rulers."
"I know, I just receive resistance every step of the way."
"Winning this war will show anyone who has doubts that your methods are effective. Tamriel is best when its people are united and not warring amongst themselves."
Ayrenn's look softened. "You always tell me what I need to hear, Kjor."
"I'm telling you the truth though."
Pleased, she replied, "I love you so much."
"Speaking of which-" Kjoret started, "What will your people think of… you know… us?"
A sigh. "Kjor, dearest, you worry about this too much. You have so much faith in me, you say winning this war will validate my absolute rule. Have faith in us. I believe winning the war will also shed my people of any doubts they may have regarding our relationship."
"But I'm a Nord. I am not a kinlady and haven't even descended from any royalty. A simple blacksmith's daughter. A commoner." Kjoret seemed strained. "You Altmer… family history is of utmost importance. And we can't even have children to continue the royal bloodline-"
"Kjor!" Ayrenn cut her off, but teased in a gentler tone, "Are you thinking of a future together?"
"...I, uh… just thinking about potential… things," Kjoret blushed a bright red.
"Ha! It's ok, love," Ayrenn squeezed Kjoret's hand. "I like thinking about the future too. As far as children go… Alwin is my cousin, so she still has royal blood. Being the traditionalist that she is, she will certainly marry a kinlord and have children. I adore and trust Alwin… she will make an excellent mother. I would be delighted if one of her eventual children inherit the throne."
Kjoret perked up, feeling relieved that she wasn't such a burden to Her Queen. "You've completely thought this through, haven't you?"
"You aren't the only one who has thoroughly planned for… potential… things," Ayrenn teased. "After dinner and once the camp is settled, we can have fun and you know… go not make children." Kjoret almost snorted ale out her nose.
Kjoret yawned and slightly lifted Ayrenn's arm that had been wrapped around her all night. They had slept so close against each other that Kjoret had to almost peel herself from Ayrenn in order to roll over and face her. Sensing movement, Ayrenn reentered the waking world, opening her own blue eyes to meet Kjoret's and greeted sleepily, "Good morning, beautiful."
"Good morning, beautiful, yourself," Kjoret returned and playfully nudged her nose against Ayrenn's. She felt the smile as their lips met in a lazy kiss.
They parted slowly. Ayrenn pressed her forehead against Kjoret's before asking, "Did you sleep well?"
"I did," Kjoret said gratefully. Two bedrolls had been placed within the Queen's personal tent. They had simply laughed, knowing that they would certainly only be using one. "I used to get nightmares often actually… about Mannimarco and that feeling of dying. I'd wake myself up screaming and sweating. Since I've been with you, I haven't had any."
"Well, I'm glad I can provide a variety of… services… between the sheets."
Kjoret tried and failed to keep a straight face. "You're terrible," she laughed.
"I recall you telling me something quite different last night." Kjoret had to silence Ayrenn with another, harder, kiss.
"What is on the itinerary today, my Queen?" Kjoret eventually asked.
"Hm, I told Raz that I would meet with him once we had awoken and prepared for the day. He will be accompanying me to a meeting with a handful of my top battlereeves that are present. They are to get me up to speed on the recent happenings in the war. Would you like to join me for the meeting?"
"It would be my honor."
"Kjor, love," Ayrenn pecked her on the lips, "By now you should know better than to be so humble and formal with me. Besides, I think meetings are something you are going to see a lot more of in your future." Kjoret grinned- she liked when Ayrenn talked about their future.
The pavilion was packed, the crowd of battlereeves, officers, and agents blocked any breeze that would have brought cooler air inside with it. Several helmets rested on a desk in the corner of the tent. A map of Tamriel was nailed to one of the wooden support posts. A polished wooden table occupied the center, a clearly well-used map of Cyrodiil spread out across its surface. Everyone who was in the tent rose to make room for Queen Ayrenn and stand at attention at her approach. Kjoret followed politely several steps behind and found a spot to stand near the entrance flaps.
"At ease," she commanded and took her spot around the table to look over the map. "Get me up to speed on recent enemy activities, please."
There was a silence that lasted a moment too long for comfort. A woman stepped forward, "Your Majesty, scouts this morning have delivered troublesome news," Battlereeve Sirilowe informed the Queen. Kjoret stood up a little straighter. She imagined the meeting would be rather dull, but now she was worried. "Covenant army movement has been spotted marching in this direction. Our camp has led several attacks over the past few months. We have targeted Covenant supply caravans to destroy resources, captured several of their scouts for interrogation, and other missions of a similar nature. We have reason to believe that they have discovered the location of this camp and are seeking revenge. It is a large force and they are about a two-days march away from this location."
Ayrenn's look was stern. "That leaves us only a day if we wish to engage them in battle and protect the camp. Do the rest of the soldiers in camp know?"
"No. We have not told them. The scouts who returned have been kept away from the rest of the troops in the event that they would share any information before we decided how to address the issue," Battlereeve Sirilowe explained.
"A wise decision. Let's weigh our options. We can prepare the troops this afternoon and start traveling north to meet the enemy. Or, knowing their movements in advance, we can retreat and relocate. However, this camp is clearly in a crucial spot that has access to caravan routes. The camp also serves as the first line of defense for the nearby Aldmeri Dominion Keeps." Queen Ayrenn pointed to Castle Roebeck and Castle Brindle, to the east and west, respectively. "I would hate to give up this location to the enemy."
Battlereeve Sirilowe continued, "I agree with your observations, my Queen. Although this isn't the only information our scouts returned with. King Emeric's entourage is confirmed to have been spotted traveling with that particular division. He, too, is in Cyrodiil, Your Majesty."
Ayrenn's jaw clenched, "Damn him!" She slammed an armored fist against the tabletop. Kjoret was startled by the demonstration of anger, which was incredibly rare. "Then we are left with no choice- we are forced to engage if the King accompanies them. If we are both present in Cyrodiil and he marches this way, I must battle him." She straightened herself after having been bent over the table to examine the map. "Prepare the troops. We set out tomorrow before dawn breaks."