It was easier the second time around.

For all of their arrogance and their claims of supremacy, the Thalmor were amazingly dim. The entire compound had now been cleared of vermin, save for Elenwen herself; not one of them had been aware of my presence, even when the bleeding carcasses of their colleagues had hit the ground in the room next to them, embedded with arrows. I was quite proud of the progress I'd made since I had last been here over 60 years ago.

Elenwen was asleep. I hadn't decided how I was going to kill her yet. I was getting excited about it, like a child about to attend a fete.

Would I fill her with terror? Torture her a little? Maybe I could slit her throat while she slept. Or I could even bend her will and watch on as I made her do it herself. Burn her? Freeze her? Disintegrate her? Slowly drain her vitality and taunt her as she faded away...
For the most fleeting moment, I wished that I was a vampire again. If there was ever anybody I would have loved to sink my teeth into, it was Elenwen.

Maybe I'd just sit in her room and wait until she woke up to freak her out and then bury an arrow in her eye.
I was spoilt for choice.

I sighed. It probably wasn't a good idea to get too carried away. Bad things always happened when distractions took over.

In any case, Teldryn was still waiting down in the dungeons and had been there for some time. Hopefully wearing the Thalmor robes I'd told him to put on.
I wondered if he'd be annoyed when he learned that I'd only made him do it to keep him occupied. And because I wanted to see how he looked in them.
Thalmor robes can look very attractive sometimes on the right person.

No matter. Focus.

I gripped my dagger and pushed open the door to Elenwen's quarters as I strode confidently toward the bed, my footsteps muffled by the Nightingale boots.

She gave an irritated snarl, her eyes still closed as I hopped up onto her bed, sitting lightly on her stomach as I rested my elbows on my knees.

'Get out, you dog! You only come into my bed when summoned!'

I smirked, not moving. It wasn't surprising that she slept with her guards.

She opened her eyes with an expression of anger on her face, just as I gripped her neck hard with my left hand and gave her a deliberately crazed grin. 'Good morning. Hold still.'
Her face blanched with terror as her eyes became wide with shock and fear; I pressed the blade of the ebony dagger hard against the skin of her throat and applied strong pressure as I dragged it slowly to the right, watching with an orgasmic satisfaction as the blood began to bubble out from the lengthening cut. I squeezed her neck harder as she fought to buck me off, smiling widely as I lowered my face close to hers.

'You're terrible at your job.' I saw the life begin to fade from her eyes as I spoke. 'You handed me your head on a silver platter, you dim-witted Thalmor lackey. Just a bit too sure of yourself.' The blood began to soak the sheets around us as her struggling and gurgling ceased; my knees became saturated and warm with it.
I smiled with a thrilled satisfaction as she exhaled her last breath, her blanched lips becoming still and her eyes becoming unfocused as she died beneath me.

I took a few moments to bask in it.

Everything had gone better than expected. Everyone was dead; guards, justiciars, wizards, staff. Finished.

I pondered for a short while as I stared down at Elenwen's corpse, my lips slightly pursed as I was thinking.
'Hmm. I don't think I'm done with you yet.'

'Teldryn,' I called out as I entered the torture room. 'It's all done. We have to go.'

'Shhhh!' I heard him hiss from down the stairs.
'You don't have to worry about that now.' I quickly skipped down the staircase as I held on to the hand rail. 'Come on, Elenwen.' My voice was bright and happy. 'Don't dawdle.'

Elenwen's reanimated corpse obediently followed me down the staircase, an occasional bubbling hiss emerging from her opened throat.
I saw Teldryn emerge from around the corner, his red eyes glowing from beneath the hood of the Thalmor wizard's robes. I smiled at him as he sighed upon seeing Elenwen.

'Really?' He said in a droll tone as I reached him. 'You really just couldn't leave it there like all the others?'

'She's fine with it. Aren't you, Elenwen?' I grinned at the corpse as it stood there silently, mouth ajar as blood dripped onto the wooden floorboards.
'That is just... Is it really necessary?' He sighed loudly. 'Fine. You can keep it. But you're responsible for it.'

I smiled as I slid my arms around his waist and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him; he tensed a little with surprise before resting his hands on my waist and gently returning the gesture.
I felt him exhale gently as his tension melted away; as if he'd been holding out for it.
'You look nice in your robes.'
'Well. I'm glad I could be of some use to you.' I felt him smile as he kissed me.
I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders now that the embassy had been cleared. I knew it wasn't the end of my problems; but the darker part of me had been appeased by the slaughter. It was the triumphant satisfaction of vengeance being sated.
I'd left Teldryn in the dungeon in case things went wrong. It was the risk of his capture which terrified me much more than the possibility of dying. Knowing that he had made it through the onslaught untouched was a blessed relief.

'Before we go, sera,' he said in an unusually gentle voice, 'I have something that I need to show you.'

I pulled away from him and frowned a little, warily staring up at his face. Elenwen moaned in the background.
'What is it?' My tone was flat and neutral.

He reached into his robes to pull something out of them; a bunch of scrolls of varying sizes. I felt a wave of foreboding as I took one of them from him and noticed the Thalmor wax seal upon its surface before I unfurled it.

Elenwen's report.

I felt a sickening knot form in the pit of my stomach as I quickly unfurled another one, and then another, seeing the same words written on each of them.
Had I really been so stupid as to think that Elenwen would only send one?
'No...' I whispered, feeling a sense of panic rise within me. 'Where did you find these?'

'Sera,' he said again, his voice still a soft and gentle purr. 'Please don't be fearful. There are no more of them outside of the embassy.' He paused for a moment, watching my face until he could see me begin to calm myself. 'These were collected from Elenwen's couriers and messenger birds. They were destined for the hold capitals and for the Summerset Isles. There are no more, and their carriers are dead. You will find Elenwen's dispatch orders in there too; all of the reports are accounted for.'

'Where did you get them?' I whispered, my eyes desperately searching his face. His calmness was disconcerting.

He waited for a few seconds, his eyes calmly watching my face.
'Do you love me, sera?'

I frowned a little, surprised. 'Yes.'

'And do you trust me?'

I was becoming nervous and guarded. This was out of character. I took a step backwards, almost bumping into Elenwen as I spoke again.

'...yes.'

'Then as your beloved and trusted companion, my darling, I ask that you hear me out and reserve your judgement. And stay your hand.'

A rush of fear flowed through my body.

He turned his head slightly, his face becoming partially obscured by the Thalmor robes.

'Come out now, little one. Slowly.'

My breath caught in my chest and my hand instantly flew for my bow as a small figure emerged from around the corner.

I felt Teldryn's hand quickly shoot out to grip my wrist. 'Please,' he said in a soft, pleading tone.

I felt the shock flare within me as the wood elf scout I had seen in the trees three nights before emerged from the shadows.

I wrenched my wrist from Teldryn's grasp and grabbed my dagger, its blade still slick with Elenwen's blood.
The girl whimpered and instantly fled to hide behind Teldryn's back, her dirty fingers clinging onto his arm. She peered out from behind his elbow, her eyes filled with unadulterated fear and glistening with moisture.
'Teldryn,' I hissed at him through clenched teeth as he calmly stood with his arms folded, allowing the scout to hide behind him. The painful sense of betrayal tore through me. 'What are you doing?!'

'This girl is the one who intercepted those reports.' He raised one eyebrow at me as he smoothly continued to speak. 'She came here to help us get rid of the Thalmor. She doesn't work for them.'

'How could you fall for that?!' I was enraged, overcome with disbelief. 'We saw her watching us and she's here in the Thalmor Embassy! Elenwen could have simply handed her those reports and told her to give you that story! I can't believe you could be so stupid!'

'Elenwen's dead now. So is anybody who the girl may have answered to.' His voice was still impossibly calm. 'This one has a story not unlike your friend, Malborn. It was he who inspired her to come and find us after the Thalmor slaughtered her entire family.'

I stopped at the sound of Malborn's name.

I had forgotten that not all of the Bosmer were allied with the Thalmor. There were many who had reason to hate them.

I looked at the girl. She was so young and small, and filled with terror. Tears streaked her dirty face; her lip trembled as she gazed up at me, an intense and hysterical fear in her eyes.

'She risked her life to come here and help us.' Teldryn looked at me with a solemn confidence in his eyes; an expectation that I would do the right thing.

I turned my focus back to the girl as I sheathed my dagger. 'You. Step forward.'
Teldryn gently placed his hand on her back as he guided her toward me; she looked up at him in fear before focusing on me again, her hands trembling.

I glared down at her as she stood in front of me, the tears shimmering in her eyes.
She was incapacitated with terror; like a rabbit before a wolf.

'Why did you do this?' I asked her in a low voice.

'I... I...' She stammered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

'Be gentle with her, sera. She's just a girl. Like you were once.'

I got the distinct impression that Teldryn felt sorry for her.
He had always been soft like that.

'What did you think we'd do when you approached us? Why didn't you make yourself known to us before?'

'Nysteris, please. Look at her. She's so scared that she can't even speak. She thinks you're going to kill her.'

I looked up at Teldryn again; his expression was pained and pleading. Begging me to be merciful.

I looked down at the little Bosmer girl again, my stare burning into her.

'What is her name?'
'Aerinda.'

I allowed a moment of silence to pass before I spoke; my voice was calmer now.

'Thank you, Aerinda.'

I heard Teldryn exhale.

The girl fell to her knees in front of me, emotionally drained.

I quickly turned on my heel and began to walk away, gripping by bow and nocking an arrow as I spoke. 'Come on, Teldryn. We're going.' I turned around and shot an arrow at Elenwen's carcass; it made a choked gasp as it crumbled into a pile of luminescent blue ash.

Aerinda screamed and grabbed onto Teldryn's arm; I ignored her and kept walking, speaking at the same time.

'We're taking Odahviing to Castle Volkihar.'

'As you wish, Sera.' He paused, his voice still gentle and soft. 'What about Aerinda?'

'...fine. You can keep it. But you're responsible for it.'