Branches scraped at Veria's skin as they plummeted through the forest. The man was shrouded in darkness and moving faster than she had run. It took all her strength to keep moving her legs and keep her balance. They stopped suddenly to crouch near a rocky outcropping, and in the light of the moons Veria could see scales, and two glimmering eyes set in a reptilian face that searched the area around them.
"Tulian!" She said. He pit a finger to his lips and didn't reply. Veria snapped her mouth shut and fell silent. Tulizn peered in the shadows, and soon pulled Veria into a run once again. They ran for what felt like hours. Veria's legs screamed for relief. Just when she thought her legs would quit on her entirely, they came up on an abandoned shack that was choked with pines on both sides. It was built against a cliff, and although it looked abandoned it was tightly locked. Tulian had the key, and as soon as they came up on the shack he opened the door and noiselessly pulled Veria inside.
Tulian set her on a decaying bed and secured all the windows. He made sure all if them were bolted tight, and checked for any pests that might have tried to make their homes in the floorboards. It took him only a few moments to do so, and when that was done he went to an old chest and took out a cloak. He shook the dust and cobwebs from it, brushing it with his hand for good measure. He then turned to Veria and found her fast asleep.
Veria awoke to a dim, dusty room with pale morning light streaming in through tiny holes in the ceiling. She was wrapped tightly in an old cloak. That's right, she thought. The shack. Tulian sat on the floor against the wall opposite the bed. He had all his tools set neatly in front of him and was fiddling with a set of lock picks.
"Tulian," she said, sitting up. The cloak fell a bit to reveal her bare shoulder, and she adjusted it so it covered her more reliably. "What happened?" He glanced up at her and continued to inspect his picks. "The plan was successful. We were able to plant the skooma, and now all we must do is wait a few days to return home." Veria sighed. "You caught me so quickly." Tulian nodded and replied, "Bedrel had me wait for you. He charged me with getting you back safely."
"He must trust you." Veria slouched and gripped the cloak to keep out the cold air. Tulian replied, "He is my friend." She nodded halfheartedly and said nothing. She had slept through the night, but still felt weary. After a stretch of silence, he asked "Are you ill? You normally have more to say." Veria sighed and said "I'm just so tired." Tulian shifted his focus to his daggers and poisons. "Then go back to sleep. We have a lot of time here."
"No," she said. "I mean...I'm tired. I'm so tired of...all of this," tears welled up on her eyes and she buried her face in her hands to hide them. Her quivering voice betrayed her, though. "I've never felt like this before. I've never been in so much agony. My spirit can't take much more..." despite herself, she sobbed. Tulian was silent for a long while as he let her cry.
"So now you know," he finally said. Veria looked up at him and he continued. "You know our pain now. This is what your father inflicted on us years ago." Veria was silent. She looked away, down to the dusty floorboards. "I'm not my father..." she said. "I don't deserve this."
"Don't you?" Veria stared at Tulian for the comment, and he continued. "From what I understand, you led quite the permiscuous lifestyle back in Windhelm. Guardsmen, married men, court wizard..." Veria scowled and said, "And so what? It was how I lived my life. I enjoyed it. I was happy, and Bedrel has destroyed that." "You never considered that it might be for the better?" Veria stood, furious. "How dare you! You are a murderer and a theif! Who are you to judge me?"
"It is unhealthy to spread yourself so thin," he said as if she'd said nothing. "You can only give and take so much." Veria snorted. "I gave and I took however much I liked. Men were too foolish to resist, and I hurt no one." "You hurt yourself. It does not matter what you believe, whenever you sleep with a man a piece of yourself goes with him. Making love is just that. You love no one, and I fund that to be a greater concern than my own crimes."
"No," she said. "I did love someone once. I gave him everything I had and he took it and ran. Letting love cloud your pleasures only leads to pain. Love had nothing to do with what I did in Windhelm." Tulian shook his head. "A shame," he said. "To have given up on it so soon in favor of something so hollow." Veria huffed out a single laugh and threw herself on the bed. She said bitterly, "Hollow. What makes you think it's so hollow?"
"It is meant to express something more. Alone, it doesn't last." Veria rolled over and lay with her back to him. "You're quite the romantic for a fucking thief," she grumbled bitterly. He merely shrugged in reply. "We are all full of surprises."
They were to stay in the shack for a few days before returning to the cave. It was meant to be a precaution; they were to wait for the heat to die down, just in case the authorities caught wind of them. There was nothing to do in the shack but rest. Tulian went out to forage for food in the forest occasionally, and they filled themselves with berries and roots in silence. In the morning of the second day, Tulian sat in his place by the wall, and Veria stared at the ceiling from the bed. They hadn't spoken in almost a day, so it was a little jarring when Tulian suddenly said, "May I ask you a question?" Veria snorted. "We do not have much else to do," he continued. "May as well humor me."
She sighed. "What?" They didn't look at each other, and Tulian was drawing figures in the dust. "Before," he said. "You mentioned men as fools. Do you really think this?"
"Of course," she said, without hesitation. "They're easy. Show a little skin, hint at what their missing, and their all ears."
"You hate them for this?"
Veria was quiet for a moment. She never considered how she really felt about men before, and as she pondered it she came to realize how little she thought of them. She truly thought of them as fools, all for being so easily taken by her. "I suppose I do," she said finally. Tulian chuckled, "Funny. You hate them for a crime you yourself are guilty of." Veria found herself chuckling as well. "I know," she said. "But humans are made of natures that contradict."
"Still, you shouldn't give us so little credit." Veria glanced over to him with a peculiar expression. He arched a scaly brow at her and said, "You mean to say you've never met a man who didn't fall for your persuasions?"
Veria shifted where she lay as she recalled her life in Windhelm. She hesitated, then said "Jarl Ulfric." Tulian suddenly laughed. "Ulfric Stormcloak? You tried to seduce Ulfric Stormcloak?" Veria grimanced as he laughed. "God among men, I hear," he continued. "You were never going to catch him." She huffed in frustration and turned away. "But you see?" Tulian said. "Not all men are as weak as you believe."
They spoke little the rest of the day. Veria became incredibly bored, but she was grateful for a break from Bedrel. She was fortunate Tulian was the one who caught her. It suddenly occurred to her that he could perhaps be persuaded to help her. It was the perfect moment. They were far from any other Black Eagle. He could simply say she escaped. But something kept her from asking. Somehow she knew whatever bond he had with Bedrel was stronger than whatever it was he felt towards her. She stared as he fiddled with a tiny locked strongbox she hasn't seen before. It was old and dusty, as stained with time as the shack itself.
"What are you doing?" She asked. Without looking up from his hands he answered, "passing the time." The lock popped open loudly. He clicked it back in place and began picking it again. It wasn't a few seconds before it popped open again. He repeated this. Veria gathered the old cloak close around her naked body and walked over to him. Crouching down, she watched closely as he opened the lock again. "How are you doing that?" She asked. He shrugged a shoulder and said, "years of practice." She recalled her short time in the Windhelm prison, and thought having such a skill would be useful. "Could you teach me?" Tulian looked up at her with a suspicious expression. "I...do not think Bedrel would appreciate me teaching you such things."
"You don't have to tell him. It's not like you have much else to do, right?" His stare continued. "He doesn't lock me up that often. And I doubt I'll be good enough by tomorrow to do any damage anyway." He considered her for a long moment, then finally sighed in defeat. "Fine." He slid the strongbox so the lock faced her. He handed her two metal tools: a straight rod that tapered to a point with a small hook at the end and a similar, thinner tool. Tulian pointed to the smaller tool. "This is for pushing the pins inside the lock. The other tool is for holding the lock open and turning it to open."
"So what do I do?" Tulian touched her hand that held the bigger tool and lightly guided it to the lock. "Insert this here..." Following the force of his fingers, she inserted the tool and tilted it slightly to expose the pins inside. "Alright, now take the other and gently..." his other hand guided the smaller tool inside the lock. "One quick sweep from the back to try and feel out the pins, and maybe lodge a few by luck." She did so, but Tulian immediately stopped her. "Not so fast! Its a very delicate system. You have to feel for the littlest things." She trued again, this time a little slower. She felt the pins slide over her pick, but none of them stuck.
"Alright now you have to go in and try and find each pin." She gently eased the pick through the lick, feeling for each pin. Her voice fell into a murmer, then a whisper, as if a loud noise would dupset the pins. "OK I think I have one." Tulians hands backed away from hers but stilled hovered. "Alright," he said quietly. "Now tap very gently, and listen for a click. That is the pin sticking." Veria did so. Her breath became shallow, her voice barely a whisper. She tapped several times until she heard a little click. "Now the next one..." she continued. There were only three pins in this lock, and as each one clicked her focus intensified. Her toes curled into fists, and as she gently tapped the last pin her skin was like stone. At the click, Tulian murmured, "Now turn..." Picks still lodged firmly on the lock, Veria turned, her stomach getting tighter in fear of the pins slipping.
Suddenly there was a metallic pop, and the lock swung open. Veria released a breath she hasn't realized she was holding. She gasped a little for air. "By the Nine!" She said. Tulian nodded. "Good job." She scratched her forehead. "That was a lot more stressful than I'd thought it'd be. It felt good, though." Tulian half-chuckled. "Would you like to try again?" Veria nodded. "Definitely."
By late afternoon, Veria could get the lock open in under a minute. It was an old, rusty lock, though. She'd be useless against a good lock. It was only a matter of practice, and she doubted Tulian would lend her lockpicks after they returned. As she became mor conscious of what she would be returning to soon, she fell again into melancholy. Tulian sensed this, and they ate their supper of juniper berries in pained silence.
"What will you do?" He asked finally. Veria looked up at him in question. "Bedrel will certainly want a turn when you return. Is he finally getting through to you?" Veria opened her mouth, then closed it. She ate a handful of berries and scowled. "Maybe. But not in the way he hoped. I just need to...I need to escape." Tulian was expressionless as usual. "How will you manage that?" Veria looked at him. "I could go now. You could let me go." Tulian shook his head. "Don't misplace your trust. I cannot allow that." She glared at him. "You care about me, though." He shook his head but she continued, "Don't try to deny it. What is it? What do you want from me? Is this that love your so fond of preaching about?" He glared at her. "That is ludicrous." She stood, looking at him fiercely. "What do you want, then? My body?" She let the cloak around her shoulders go limp and reveal one of her breasts. "I'll give you all night if you want!" Tulian's face glowed anger as he stood.
"Don't insult me, slave! Bedrel is my friend. I won't sell my loyalty for your sake, or whatever filth you try to offer. Don't insult yourself." Her eyes were death, glaring at him in fury. Tears began to well up. "You can't," she said, fighting for composure. "You can't make me go back." His expression didn't soften. His eyes were ice, and his brow was set like stone. "I can," he said, his wet-gravel voice almost a growl. "And I will." Veria's scowl deepened. Her head fell forward to rest on his chest. "I hate you," she hissed. "I fucking hate you." Tears rolled quietly down her cheeks and she gripped her cloak tightly. Tulian didn't push her away, but his arms remained at his sides.
The next morning, Tulian woke to find Veria as she was when they met. She stood facing the door, her back straight and shoulders square. Her cloak was draped gracefully over her, and her eyes were set with the fire of someone on a mission. If were not for the nakedness she was hiding, and the state of the cloak, she would have looked positively regal; a woman worthy of the estates in Solitude. She glanced over to him. "Are we going or not?" She demanded. Without a word, he unlocked the door and led her into the pale morning.
Their journey took almost the whole day, and was silent save the few words they spoke when Tulian suddenly stopped them on the road. He glances around to make sure no one was around, then took out a vial of green liquid. "I am to carry you the rest of the way." She glared at the bottle, then at him. "I will get out, Tulian." He replied, "Fine. But not with my help." She snatched the bottle and downed the contents in one gulp. Half a second later she was falling. Tulian caught her and lifted her so she rested comfortably over his back.
Bedrel hadn't been feeding her well, tulian could tell. She was a little too light, and her limbs were thinner than a Nord's should be. When he set her down a few hours later to rest, he noticed how thin her face was. She had been well fed when he first saw her in Windhelm, but she was decaying into half of what she was. He refused to give himself more time to think about it, so he lifted her up and pressed on.
She was stirring as he was making his way up the final slope. She tilted her head and asked grogiy, "are we almost there?" Tulian nodded, and she dozed until they reached the mouth of the cave and descended to a wooden door that closed it off like a mine. Tulian stood a now fully awake Veria on her feet and led her through the darkness to the torchlit entryway. As the pushed open the door, Bedrel was there waiting.
"Tulian! You've finally returned. And my precious dove!" Veria ran to his outstretched arms and embraced him like a lover she hadn't seen in years. Tulian fought the urge to roll his eyes. Veria pulled away and beamed hopefully up at him like a child. "Did I do well? Was the plan a success?" Bedrel took her face in his palms and planted a kiss on her lips. "Yes, you did swimmingly." He grasped her hand and turned to Tulian. "Come, everyone else has arrived. Gather in the hall with the others." Tulian obliged, and Bedrel led Veria into the cave after him. They didn't go directly to the main hall, but first to one of the storage rooms. Bedrel had more dresses for her, and helped her into a light gray one with a brown belt and like boots. When she was dressed, he took both her hands in his. "My dear, I confess this mission of yours was a test. Of your loyalty to me." She tilted her head curiously and he caught it in his palm. "You will see. Come."
He led her to the hall where the men were gathered. The fire roared, and they were sharing celebratory drinks. As he entered, the men cheered. He took his place in front of them and began to speak. "Men, with the return on Tulian and my girl, our operation is officially complete. The caravans are all headed to the cities of Skyrim. By tomorrow Roth will be found guilty of dealing in skooma. His enterprise will crumble, and we will be rich!" At this the men cheered, spilling mead on themselves. "The Black Eagles will receive their payment, as well as the money from the auction of all of Roth's assets. Our client shall be pleased, and spread discrete word of us to his friends who are in need of our services. We transform now into one of the most powerful organizations in Skyrim! With a legacy that will last for ages to come!"
He continued, "and to carry on that legacy," he pulled Veria to him and presented her to the men watching. "This woman shall carry my seed. She shall be the mother of my children, the future masters of the Black Eagles. This woman shall be my wife!" The men cheered, chanting to the legacy of the Black Eagles, but Veria could only hear her heart threatening to burst from her chest.
