Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 10

Middas the 19th of Sun's Height 4E48

The last three days had passed in almost identical fashion to the one before. During the mornings, Alex had attended the College of Whispers to continue his training in healing magic with Patrick. After four days, that training was effectively complete. Although, Patrick had still encouraged Alex to return for further training at some later time.

The afternoons involved lengthy training sessions at the Fighter's Guild. Alex's archery skill had improved fairly easily with guidance. A greater measure of effort was required to produce results with blade and shield. Nonetheless, he had become far more proficient than when he had started. He just needed to keep practising what he had learned.

Monika had worked Alex in an arduous fashion during each afternoon of training. He had found himself suitably exhausted by the end of each day. Accordingly, he had slept solidly each night without any problem.

They had continued to share the same room and the same bed since they had moved into the Oak and Crosier. That particular circumstance had not changed at all.

There had still been no specific mention of the activities of the first night that they arrived. Unless Alex had been just too stupid to notice, there had not been any obvious suggestion of further opportunity of such coupling. Not that he would have had the energy for anything like that by the time the long days were done.

It seemed to remain fully ambiguous to Alex's mind. Monika's general behaviour had seemed just a little more than friendly when they were alone in their room at the inn. It was in the tone of her voice and her facial expressions. However, each night as they climbed into bed, Monika had quickly turned her back and gone straight to sleep. Then, each morning Alex would awake to find Monika's naked body wrapped about his own. He figured that he would need to actually speak with her soon.

Since Alex had finished with that other training at the College of Whispers, the fifth day of weapons training had started much earlier at the Fighter's Guild. He had only just started to adjust to managing with the half-day training. He had anticipated a long day ahead of him. The mild bruising from the previous day reminded him that Monika was not about to permit him any laxity with regard to his training sessions.

They had only been at it for about a couple of hours when they were interrupted. Dale, the Guild Porter, had appeared from the rear door of the Guild Hall in his flawlessly polished armour. He had marched directly to within a short distance of them and cleared his throat to announce himself.

"Karl gro-Baroth requests your attendance in the upper office." He stated. Once he was certain that the message was received, Dale turned and marched back inside.

Alex had looked to Monika in question.

"Could be a job." She said.

"Should I keep training?" Alex asked.

"No. You're with me, unless Karl says otherwise. If it's a job, I want you there for the briefing. Get your equipment together and we'll head up there."

Monika and Alex packed up their gear and headed inside, then up the stairs to the office. As before, they found Karl gro-Baroth grumbling behind the large messy desk. The Guild Head had still not returned. Leaving Karl still in charge of the office.

"Hey Karl." Monika said in a friendly manner.

"Monika." Karl said, looking up. "And uh…"

"Alex." She reminded him.

"Yeah, Alex." He paused a moment. "I got a job for you."

"Great. What is it?"

"It's a bit unusual, this one." Karl paused, scratching an itch above his bushy brow. "Should be real easy, but it's gotta be kept real quiet." He looked at Alex as he said the last part.

"That's not a problem." Monika said firmly. "He's with me, and he doesn't know anyone else anyway."

"Right." Karl huffed. "Well, it's just a delivery of some documents. Thing is, it's for the Penitus Oculatus." He paused. "Whatever it is, it's too important for a courier and they don't want to attract attention by using Imperial Guard. They want someone who can protect the delivery without looking like they're making one." Another pause. "Interested?"

Monika hesitated for a moment. "Yeah. Sounds good. I think." Her tone remained guarded. "What's it pay?"

"They're paying eight hundred."

Monika raised her eyebrows. "That much for a delivery? Must be important."

"Yeah. Must be." Karl responded.

"Do you have it?"

"Not here."

"Do we need to…"

"No." Karl cut her off. "They want to do it quiet and its gotta be collected today. You need to be at the main bar at the Empire Inn at noon, and wait there for one hour. You're 'sposed to order some drinks and look natural. That means dress light. You wear this and someone will contact you." He handed her a copper bracelet with a small blue stone setting.

"Yeah, uh…" Monika trailed off.

"Yeah, I know." Karl looked at her pointedly. "They're sneaky bastards, but it's all above board. They just want it keep it all quite."

Monika paused a moment before responding. "Okay then… we'll take it."

"Good." Karl accepted. "I didn't want to hafta send some else." He unfurled the scroll that he had been holding onto. "Sign this and the contract is yours. You get paid on delivery at the other end."

They attended to the paperwork and Monika took the bracelet. They headed off quickly. There was just over an hour to get to the Empire Inn.

Monika and Alex returned briskly to the Oak and Crosier to stash their weapons and armour, changing into casual clothes.

As they were changing their clothing, Alex finally asked the question that he had been holding onto since leaving the Fighter's Guild office. "What is the Penitus Oculatus?"

Monika spoke quickly. "They are the eyes and ears of the Emperor. Not part of the Imperial Guard. Some sort of military spies for the Emperor. They're supposed to be watching for threats against the Empire, or the Emperor himself. Like the way the Blades used to serve the Septims."

Alex was surprised and remained somewhat confused. "What kind of threats?"

"Who knows? Nothing is ever openly reported about what they do. I've heard rumours about the secret elimination of assassins and spies, but never anything more than just idle talk. Tavern talk."

"But… what are the threats to the Empire?"

"Well, from inside Cyrodiil… I wouldn't have a clue. Maybe there are secret power struggles that we never hear about."

Alex was thinking about that as he pulled on his boots.

"From outside of Cyrodiil…" Monika continued. "Well, obviously not High Rock or Skyrim… or even Hammerfell. Most of the lands are either allied to the new Empire, or at least… not enemies. Even Black Marsh remains reasonably friendly, as far I know. Just from a more independent point of view." She paused a moment, looking down to check her clothing. "I suppose that the biggest worry is the Summerset Isles… or Alinor, as they're calling it now. They've always been a snotty bunch, but since the Thalmor faction took over, all official ties have been cut to Cyrodiil. From what I understand, it was Alinor that drove the rebellion in Valenwood. Now, it's also cut off from the Empire and directly allied to Alinor. I suppose that would be the biggest concern."

"Yes, I suppose." Alex agreed.

"Either way, we don't have time to think about that now." Monika settled.

Monika paused to examine Alex for a moment. "Come here." She produced a comb and tried to tidy up his hair. "When we get to the inn, we need to look like a couple. Just stopping at the inn to have a drink." She fussed with his outfit and adjusted his shirt. She stepped back to consider his appearance. "That'll have to do."

Alex didn't say anything.

"Come on. We need to keep moving."

Alex followed Monika out and they headed directly to the Empire Inn.

Inside the Empire Inn, Alex was immediately struck by just how different it was from any other tavern or inn that he had seen before. It seemed wastefully large with a lot of empty spaces between everything. Perhaps even more so, given that it was not at all crowded. Alex could see no more than about fifteen people in the place, and that included those that obviously worked there. He thought that it would probably take at least sixty before it started to look even just a little crowded.

Monika could tell that Alex was likely to just stand there and gawk. She gently guided him toward the main bar area of the inn, before any of the staff arrived to direct them to a table.

They took to stools at the bar and ordered drinks. Alex was struck by the inflated cost of the drinks, but tried to pretend otherwise.

There was nobody else seated at the bar. Aside from the barkeeper, no one else had seemed particularly interested in their presence.

Monika sat facing the bar with Alex to her right. The bracelet worn upon her left arm in a fashion that left it easy to see. Alex had glanced about and noted that just a few of the patrons appeared overtly wealthy. Most seemed less so, or at the least, were not so obvious about it. Monika had quietly reminded him not to stare at anyone. She had instead tried to engage him in idle conversation to keep him distracted.

"We'll need to head back to the stores after this." Monika said quietly.

"Okay."

"It's the twentieth tomorrow, so everything will be closed."

"Oh, yes. Sun's Rest." Alex remembered. Each year, on the twentieth of Sun's Height, was the day of Sun's Rest. Everything would be closed for the day of rest except for the temples and taverns.

"That's right." Said Monika. "If we're travelling, we'll need to make sure that we have proper provisions."

"We do not know where we are going." Alex commented.

"No, not yet." She took another sip of her drink.

Monika continued with idle conversation, commenting upon the long run of sunny days since the last brief rain over a week earlier.

Alex had considered a topic that he wanted to discuss, but he didn't feel particularly comfortable in the current circumstance.

Not too long afterward, a man had come along and sat at the bar to Monika's left. He sat forward leaning over the bar. There was nothing remarkable about his appearance. Average build. An ordinary face, clean shaved with cropped hair. Not particularly old, nor particularly young. Nothing in his manner of dress to distinguish him from any average imperial citizen of middling station.

Monika had thought that he had looked at her bracelet out of the corner of his eyes. It seemed to her that he was trying too hard not be obvious. She had thought that it made it appear all the more obvious. She glanced at him only briefly.

"No need to look at me." The man said quietly. In fact, best that you don't."

Monika complied. She reasonably assumed that he was the one she was expecting.

"Who is the man with you?" He asked, just as quietly.

Monika replied without looking at him. "He's my partner."

Alex remained silent.

After pause, the man responded. "Very well." He stopped to order a drink from the barkeeper. Once he had his drink and the barkeep had moved away, he resumed. "You are contracted to make the delivery?" It was not clear if it was a statement or a question.

"The Guild sent me." Monika confirmed, maintaining a quite voice.

"I will leave the sealed pouch when I leave. Protect it with your lives. It is not to be opened under any circumstances. Speak of it to no one."

"I understand." She accepted.

"Travel to the Imperial City. Take no longer than three days. Attract no unusual attention. Go to the White-Gold tower and tell the guards that you have a delivery for Martin Hand. They will understand."

After a moment, Monika confirmed. "Understood."

Alex had listened intently to the hushed exchange, but continued to remain silent throughout.

The man finished his drink and then departed without another word. Upon the table where he had been leaning, a sealed pouch was left behind. Monika had discreetly taken the pouch and tucked it into her shirt. She slowly finished her drink and told Alex to finish his own. A few moments later, they left the Empire Inn behind.

Monika and Alex had stopped just down the street by The Grey Mare. Monika had turned to speak to Alex, but did not immediately say anything.

"What are we doing?" Alex asked. He wondered why they had stopped.

"We're headed to Northern Goods."

"Okay, but…"

"Don't look around or anything. Just keep talking to me."

Alex was even more confused. "What should I… talk about?"

"Doesn't matter. We'll pick up supplies at Northern Goods. Is there anything in particular that you think we'll need?"

"Uh… we probably have most of what we need. Maybe just some dried foods for the road?" He suggested.

"Sounds good." She said distractedly. "Okay, let's go."

"Okay."

They continued walking further down the street. Just as they approached their destination, Monika spoke again. "Don't look around at all." She prefaced. "I don't think anyone is following us, but I don't want you to act like you think someone is."

"Okay." He agreed, resisting the urge to actually take a look since she had now succeeded in planting the seed in his mind.

Inside the store, they purchased some basic supplies. As they left the front door, Monika seemed to push Alex just a bit to keep him from moving too slowly.

"Let's head straight back to the Oak and Crosier." She said, trying to make it sound like a suggestion. "We'll talk when we get there."

"Okay."

Once they had returned to their room, Monika turned and looked at Alex for a lengthy moment without saying anything.

"Is this going to be dangerous?" Alex asked, hoping to break the tension.

"I don't know." Monika sounded uncertain. Her amber eyes had turned a darker shade of brown.

"Did you see anyone following us?" Alex asked.

"No, but I would expect that the Penitus Oculatus had someone watching us from a distance, or watching to see if someone else was watching us."

"You are not putting me at ease." Alex commented.

Monika paused a moment before speaking. "You're right. Usually, I wouldn't be too worried about something like this. I'm letting that spectre get to me."

"Spectre?"

"Inspector. That's what they call themselves. Spectre is what others call them."

"Ah. Funny." Alex managed a smirk.

"Look, there's two ways this is likely to play out. Everything should be fine if we just act normal. We head off toward the Imperial City tomorrow morning. We should make halfway before nightfall. We just act like any other couple on their way to the city."

Alex suppressed his thoughts over the last part, given the weight of the immediate issue at hand. "What is the other likely way?"

"Well, if anyone really is after us or the documents in this pouch… then we could be in for some trouble."

"So… we should just act normal, but be ready for trouble."

"That's about the size of it." She confirmed.

"Okay. What now?"

"We should pack up our gear, ready to head out early tomorrow."

Monika and Alex proceeded to pack everything for an early start. Afterward, they went up to the main tavern area for an early meal before the evening rush arrived. Alex had noticed that Monika had taken her dagger with her, keeping it discreetly under her shirt.

They returned to the room before using the bathroom facilities. Alex had again noted that Monika had taken her dagger to the bathroom. He was trying to remain somewhat at ease and behave normally, but was suitably concerned at Monika's unusual level of alert. He tried to wash and shave quickly in case there actually was any unexpected call to action. As it passed, nothing at all usual had transpired.

Once Alex had emerged from the bathroom, he had decided to adopt a fully confident attitude. He would maintain the usual measure of alertness to unexpected dangers. That would be normal behaviour anyway. He had thought that he would not only act normal, but he would choose to actually believe everything was normal until circumstance proved otherwise. More the case, he had hoped that his own behaviour would help restore Monika's usual level of confidence.

Monika had not yet returned from the other bathroom on that level. She had the key to the room, so Alex just waited outside. He leaned casually against the wall and thought about the next day. They would be heading for the Imperial City and that great tower that he had only seen from a distance. He was quite excited about actually seeing that city.

Monika had finally returned and interrupted Alex's musings.

"Oh." He acknowledged her. "Feeling better?"

"Uh, yeah." She responded distractedly as she unlocked the door.

Alex followed her into the room. She locked the door behind them. He had returned to his previous train of thought and gave voice to it.

"I am looking forward to seeing the Imperial City." Alex said with enthusiasm.

Monika looked at him oddly.

"How long do you think it will take us to get there?" He asked.

"Uh, no more than two days on foot, I think. If there's no trouble."

"Oh, good. What is the Imperial City like? Tell me about it."

Monika glared at him again. She did not seem at all at ease. "You do realise the kind of dangers we could be facing. Don't you?"

"Of course." Alex spoke mildly. "I have been facing dangers of one sort or another ever since I left Falkreath. Now I am a little better at facing them. Beside all that, I am not facing them alone." He grinned.

Monika remained silent a moment longer.

Alex continued in a calm fashion. "You said it yourself. We should just act normal and remain alert for trouble. They obviously want those documents to arrive safely at their destination. Provided that nobody else knows that we have them, there is no reason for anyone to suspect what we are carrying. If we run into any of the usual kind of trouble, we deal with it. If we run into any unusual troubles, then we deal with that just the same. The odds are, we are just getting well paid to visit the Imperial City."

"Okay, you're probably right." Monika conceded. "You're actually making a lot more sense than I am right now. Why is that?"

"I have a good teacher." He grinned again. "I am just listening to your best advice."

"All right then. Point taken, but we still need to stay alert on the road tomorrow. Even if I'm worrying over nothing, that doesn't mean that other things I'm not worried about won't fall upon us."

"Of course." Alex agreed, ignoring the muddled tone of what she had just said.

"We should be heading out at dawn tomorrow." Monika said. "So, we should make sure that we get up well before that."

"And that means we should get an early night of proper rest." Alex finished.

"Yeah, if we can." Monika looked up at the ceiling. A general din of varied noise was coming from the main tavern floor above.

"I am sure we can manage." Alex said optimistically, as he put out the candles on his side of the room and began to undress for bed.

Alex got into the bed as Monika extinguished all the other candles but one. She had just stashed the document pouch in the lock box, but Alex had noted that she still kept her dagger within close reach.

Alex had considered one good way to help ease Monika's anxieties and tension, but she had indicated that she was not interested. Accordingly he had eased back without taking any offence. Nor did she seem offended by his intent. Just not in the mood for it.

Alex had settled in easily enough. Despite the muffled noise from above, he found it relatively easy to fall asleep after not too long.

Monika had seemed far more restless. Shifting this way and that. Seemingly unable to get comfortable or surrender to the call of sleep. She had eventually fallen asleep at some point, only realising it because she had awoken at some time later in the night when there was far less noise coming from above. She found that she had settled into a position with her head nuzzled up against Alex with her arms and legs draped over him. She adjusted her position a little and soon returned to sleep, only somewhat less fitfully than before.

~O~