A/N- I am back! TAH-DAH! Okay, I know I promised myself that I'd put up a new chapter at least every two weeks, but after the last one I had a serious case of Writer's Block! I had the scenario in my head, but couldn't for the life of me actually write it down. I've been writing this chapter since July and only until yesterday was I finally satisfied with the result. Still not perfect... but close. It probably feels like a filler chapter, but really this flashback plays an important role in Tala's story! I'm still trying to decide if chapter 15 should be back to the present or another flashback- are the readers willing to help me make up my mind?
Otherwise, enjoy! The next chapter will come sooner because I'm actually writing the next two as I speak. The order in which they come depends on either my brain or your choice. :)
...
Tala had stumbled out the battered wooden door of Lake Arrius Caverns as the colors of morning were leaving the sky and the gentle blue hue of midday was taking over. Her sword and pummeled armor had been soaked in the blood of the Mythic Dawn... as well as her own blood on the inside. The battle mages had hit her hard enough to put dents in her armor and left aching bruises under the skin. Her left gauntlet had shattered and fell off her wrist after they had tried to split her lower arm like firewood- the blow had cut into deeply into her flesh, but thanks to the armor that blade had barely hit the bone; she was lucky she didn't loose a finger or two. She had a few tiny cuts across her nose where one of them had grazed her face with a dagger. There had been two dents in her helmet: one from being hit by a mace and another from being slammed into the wall with brute force. The last Mythic Dawn agent she had to deal with took a low swing with a war hammer and hit her left leg hard enough to take her down, but she had her chance to drive the blade up into a very small exposed area at his throat. The hit she took didn't allow her to walk normally the rest of the way; she had hobbled- if not practically crawled- towards the exit.
Her shoulder was in excruciating pain, and the blossomed bruises across her body had felt like cattle prods hitting her skin when the armor rubbed just right. She definitely had a concussion, but she didn't let herself rest until she knew she would be safe. As she shuffled out into the woods, she felt what was left of her resolve slowly slip away. The world would spin every now and then whenever she tried to survey the woods for any would-be attackers. As she treaded on, she had wondered if she'd even make it to the nearest town before she fainted. Cheydinhal was her destination to take a moment to rest, since it was the closest civilization. But in her condition, a simple two-hour journey ended up taking much longer. Tala should have used her healing magic before she treaded forward, but all she had focused on at the time was getting to the city so she could take the time to properly tend to herself.
The mid day sun had been beating down on her by the time she saw the walls of Cheydinhal. Her legs had begun to shake, but she had forced herself to walk despite her body's desperate cry for rest. She had been carefully walking down a hill when she had suddenly lost her breath and her vision had begun to blur. The damage to her head had officially taken away her ability to stay balanced. Tala had tried to stay on her feet, but she had ended up collapsing onto her hands and knees. Her shoulder screamed from the sudden strain and pressure the muscles had to endure in order to support herself, and it had caused her to let out a soft, yet extremely pain-filled scream of her own, so she collapsed on her left side to take the pressure off the right. Lying there on the grass, clutching her arm with tears running down her cheeks and nose, she felt defeated. She had been through much worse in the last six months, and to have this put her on the ground with the need to be dead to the world was demeaning on multiple levels. She had come out of this mission alive with the Mysterium Xarxes, but the mission was to get the Amulet of Kings. Not only did she fail to retrieve the Amulet, but she was also curled up on the ground like some weak little girl. She had slowly felt weaker, colder, and her eyelids had gotten extremely heavy. She had slowly taken her hand away from her arm and just closed her eyes, allowing her brain to slip her into slumber. First she heard the sound of the grass rustling in the wind, then the sound of her heart pounding in her head, then nothing. She went out with not even a dream or a nightmare to assure her brain that she was still alive.
Suddenly she had felt herself stir awake. Sounds slowly came back to her and she half expected to hear crickets or the sound of swaying grass. Instead, she had heard the sound of a flickering torch on the wall and the creaks and moans of the floorboards out in the hallway as people walked by and down the stairs.
Hallway? Stairs?
Where am I? Had been Tala's first thought as she opened her eyes wide to take in her surroundings.
She had been put in a bed lying on her back, so her first image was the wooden ceiling. When she had tried to sit up, her right shoulder gave off a sharp, shooting pain and her head began to swim, forcing her to lie back down. She had felt lighter and more freer- in other words she wasn't wearing her armor anymore. She had lifted the covers with her good arm and inspected her body. Thankfully, she was still wearing the white tunic she wore under her cuirass to keep from chafing; whoever undressed her was modest enough to still keep her somewhat clothed. Her shoulder had not only been bandaged, but it had been placed in a sling for proper healing. She had then lifted the tunic to look at her bare skin; her major cuts and bruises were gone- someone used either healing potions or spells to eliminate them. She looked to her left to see out the window to tell what time it was; she had noticed that it was pure dark out and her guesstimate had been two in the morning. There was a bowl full of water with a cloth draped over its side on a table propped below the windowsill; the moonlight shining in had made the water glow a beautiful silver-white. Obviously someone had taken the time to tend to her wounds so that she would heal suitably. The question was: who found her out in the woods and took care of her?
Then she put her hand to her head- aside from a warm brow she felt bandages, but no helmet... meaning whoever took care of her had taken her helmet off and saw her rich cobalt locks, and that thought made her panic the most.
Oh gods, I wonder what they thought? She had frantically thought. They probably laughed their asses off. And they probably brought their friends in for a laugh too. Like the half-dead freak would notice! "Man..." She had finally whimpered aloud as she pulled the covers over her head. "I wish a lion had eaten me while I was unconscious."
She had lain there for ten minutes with mortification practically fuming out her ears before she had heard footsteps coming towards the door. Her instincts had told her to fling the covers off and prepare for whoever was coming, but instead she had remained still and waited until the door slowly creaked open.
"Well now... you're awake." Came a courteous, male voice. Then she heard the door close. "I was worried that you would be out cold for days. Its good to see you are recovering quicker than I had anticipated."
Tala had then very slowly pulled the covers down around her chin to look at the man. His build was medium but muscular- based on the longer limb structure, she knew he was Breton like herself- and had appeared to be slightly taller than her. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt under a green sleeveless tunic and brown leather pants, and had long golden blonde hair that was pulled back in a tight ponytail. She had looked him over for a long moment before her blue eyes eventually saw his hazel green gaze staring back at her with a tender smile on his boyish face. Despite appearing like he was her age, maybe younger, she found out later that he was twenty-six... which was four years older. And she had discovered that he was indeed taller by two inches... precisely five-foot-six.
"Your wounds looked pretty serious, but they seem to be healing nicely... nothing a few healing potions didn't fix. Your shoulder looks like it's in the roughest shape, so it's in a sling to make sure it recovers properly." Then he had made his way to the table that had the bowl of water while he continued, "Your gauntlets were beyond repair, but the rest of your armor and your shield have been taken care of, almost good as new."
As she slowly started to regain her common sense, she had remembered that she was wearing practically nothing, and here was in a strange place with this strange man alone in a room. She had suddenly felt naked. She didn't even realize that she had pulled the covers tighter to her chest when he approached the table, but he had noticed her behavior and froze in mid-motion as he was reaching for the cloth.
"My apologizes." He had said very softly. "I have made you uncomfortable. Please, do not fret. I was the one who found you out in the woods while I was hunting. Thought at first you were dead, but I checked your pulse and you were still very much alive. I brought you back to Cheydinhal to recover. Dervera- the owner of the inn here- she dressed your wounds while I came in often to check your fever. It's been six hours that you've been in our care and we have not harmed or disgraced you in any way. You are in good hands, I assure you."
She had remained very quiet for a long moment, and the young man had remained very still, waiting for her to either let him continue or demand he leave. As she let her thoughts gather, somehow her mind played on his face like she had seen it before. She couldn't put her finger on why though. Perhaps she had just seen him around whenever she came into Cheydinhal for a Fighter's Guild contract? No, that wasn't it. But that was not a time to quietly try and answer one of her brain's silly questions.
"Thank you... for saving me." She had finally said. "B-but I feel a little vulnerable right now. I'd... feel more comfortable with some clean clothes."
He had quietly nodded and then walked toward the door. "I will ask Dervera if she has any spare attire she'd be willing to part with." He had said before closing the door behind him.
Tala had heard his footsteps fading down the stairs before she finally relaxed in the bed. She could have just asked for her clothes from her bag, but her favorite civilian attire had a very special book wrapped up inside it, and she didn't want anyone to know. She looked around the room for a second to see if her things were nearby; to her relief, her armor, swords, and bags were sitting up against the wall to her right. While she waited, she took the opportunity to use some more restoration magic to finish the already speeding recovery. She slowly summoned the spell to her hands and applied her palms to her wounds. The minute the magic had soaked into her skin, she could feel the flesh knit, scab, and smooth itself back to perfect, flawless skin. The cut on her arm had left a very faded scar that turned white and faded ever so smoothly that it became barely noticeable; in a few years, she'd probably forget that it was there. Obviously her wounds weren't as bad as she had predicted, and that her moment of weakness out in the woods was just plain exhaustion and head trauma. Hey, everyone burns out eventually.
She had just finished healing the remnants of the welt on her left leg when the young man had knocked on the door to alert her that he was coming in. When he had set the clothes on the foot of the bed, Tala finally had the sense to ask questions.
"Where in Cheydinhal am I?" Had been her first one.
"Newlands Lodge." He had replied. "This is my room- I'd have put you in one of the guest rooms, but the lodge is packed tonight. Dervera has let me live here for a few years now, in exchange for helping out at the bar downstairs."
Her second one was: "What time is it?"
"Oh... Dawn is trying to work its way into the sky... so I'd say close to four."
Damn, about two hours off. Then finally: "Have we met before? I haven't really stepped into the lodge before, but I have a feeling we might've talked at least once on the road or something."
"I don't think we've met before." He had said with a soft chuckle. "Don't think I'd ever forget a warrior maiden with a pretty face like that."
Her face had quickly flushed and she fought the urge to hide back under the covers. But she had settled with sinking her head low and looking towards the wall. He must be saying that to try and skirt around the fact he must've laughed at my hair while I was unconscious. She thought.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to keep talking. I should let you get back to sleep. Now that I know you're conscious, I can leave you be." He said as he headed back for the door.
Something about the way he said "sorry" had made her brain raise yet another 'he seems familiar' question. Then the picture of him in her mind appeared- the image that she thought she recognized him from, but yet...
"Has your hair always been long? Or did you have it cut short at one point?"
He had stopped midway at the door to turn and look at her. "Huh? No, my hair's been this long for quite some time."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to be so inquisitive. I still have this feeling like I've met you before. Just trying to figure it out."
"Well, bear in mind you had some pretty good bruises on your head. You could have a concussion and that's why your memory isn't doing you any good. But if you insist that we've met before... when you have it and you remember, let me know, Little Blue."
Her cheeks had flushed at that nickname, but yet she couldn't get angry over it. They really hadn't introduced themselves, so he couldn't address her by her actual name. But the nickname was rather insulting to her, so she had to correct him before it stuck. "Tala... my name is Tala."
"My name is Guilbert." He had replied with a smile. "Guilbert Jemane. It's very nice to make your acquaintance, miss Tala. I shall see you in the morning." And with that, he had slipped out of the room to leave her alone.
Guilbert had left her with a brown and white shirt, and a tan skirt. The outfit did not appeal to her since they made her hair stick out way more than it already did, but at that point she had just been thankful for some more concealing attire, and it wasn't like she was going to be in those clothes for very long; they were just something for her to wear in the morning. The next biggest thing had been to check her bag, so she had gotten up and slowly made her way over to her things. She had been able to stand okay, and she hoped she could walk without collapsing. Once she made it to her things, she checked to see if the book was still wrapped in her clothes all the way down in the bottom of the bag. To her relief, it was. She knew she couldn't return to Bruma in her state, so she decided to spend a little time recovering and returning to full health. Her embarrassment had faded away once she remembered her important mission, so she quickly became relieved that Guilbert had found her. And now that she knew she was safe, Tala returned to the bed and slept soundly until morning.
A few hours later, Guilbert had returned with soup and slightly warm bread to fill her up for breakfast. Dervera- the Dunmer that owned the lodge- had also made a point of coming up to say hello and told Tala she was more than welcome to stay as long as she wanted... and also to not pay any mind to sounds of fighting downstairs. Her bar was a Dunmer bar, she had said, and rowdiness tended to happen... especially at night.
"Thank you for the warning, but I really should be leaving now..." Tala had said after she finished her meal.
"You're not properly healed yet." Guilbert had quickly begged. "Please, at least stay for the day, and you may either choose to leave at sunset or leave first thing at dawn tomorrow. But you are no good to anyone- including yourself- if you are still injured." That logic alone had convinced her to remain in bed just a little while longer.
Later, Dervera had brought her lunch with "an old fashioned remedy" that helped with healing wounds. Once Tala had food in her belly and her wounds were completely healed, she got dressed in the borrowed clothes, wrapped her hair in a long strip of cloth to fashion it like a hood, and went around to the local shops to get potions and a new set of gauntlets to prepare for departure the next morning. That day, she had accepted the hospitality from friendly strangers, but next time she knew she could not afford to make a single mistake and waste no time for the sake of the Blades and restoring the peace.
By the end of the day, her strength had returned and almost all her wounds had completely healed. The only wound that still hurt was her shoulder, which had made Tala nervous. It was her fighting arm and she couldn't afford to have it ineffective. She had mentally tortured herself for what she'd done. Even though there was no point in it, she still felt naïve for not taking the necessary precautions to protect herself. That evening she sat with Guilbert at the bar and ate dinner and chatted. The Newlands Lodge had some good food, and the crowd in the bar that evening was not too rowdy, which was perfect for her.
"So... did you ever figure out where you might've seen me before?" Guilbert had asked in the midst of their dinner.
"I'm still trying. Bits and pieces keep coming back. I feel like I might've seen you outside of Cheydinhal."
"Is that so? Out in the woods maybe?"
Tala ate her food while she concentrated really hard on her thoughts. But the more she tried to think, the more it began to hurt her head. After it triggered a throb in her skull and she cradled her head in her hand, Guilbert laughed.
"Don't hurt yourself. Maybe you just thought you saw me before. You could've slipped in and out of consciousness while we were tending to you."
"No, I was out cold when I dropped in the woods. I'm sure of it." Then her thoughts quickly switched back to her guilt over the ordeal. "I still feel ridiculous for letting myself get hurt like that. I consider myself to be a pretty tough fighter, and I would've probably been fine in my investigation if it weren't for the fact that I let my guard down and got my shoulder ruined. Because I had to fight left-handed, I was at a slight disadvantage. I could've died out there in the field, completely passed out and vulnerable. I am very thankful that you looked after me, Guilbert. I will not forget your kindness... and I hope to one day return the favor."
Guilbert had then smiled sweetly and replied, "I shall look forward to the day I can find your services of use."
The way he had said that sounded rather amorous to her ears. She suddenly felt her cheeks get hot and she quickly stared at her food in the attempt to avoid his gaze. "How many drinks have you had tonight?"
"None. This is just water in my mug. I don't usually drink. One mug- maybe two- and that's it, otherwise I don't hold my liquor very well. The last time I had more than two mugs of ale I passed out on the counter, awoke in the morning, and was light sensitive all day. I never did that again." He said as he laughed at the end.
Then it had hit her. She remembered where she had first seen him. It was in Chorrol; she thought she saw him go on a drunken ramble about having an imposter and that someone should go tell this fraud that he was quite capable of besmirching his name without help... or something really weird along that line. She ran into him the very first time she came to Chorrol to find a bed for the night after she went looking for Jauffre; she'd had thought that was rather odd, but then again most drunks say the craziest things and she never thought about it- or him- again... until now.
"You look like you just had a revelation." Guilbert had said, snapping her out of her thought.
"I remembered where I saw you."
"Really? Where?" He asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I didn't really see you, per say. I saw someone like you, claiming to have someone impersonating him here in Cheydinhal. I think he might've been referring to you."
Guilbert gave her a rather twisted frown with a look of incomprehension on his face. He had no clue what to say, so he had just stared at her like she had lost her mind.
"I know that sounds weird, even I thought it was rather ridiculous." Tala said. She had then turned her gaze to the ceiling as she tried to remember more details. "Oh gee, I'm trying to remember his name too... I heard someone mention his name the next day. Rein... Reinhold... Reynard... 'Re' something."
Something had then flicked in his eyes and his befuddlement turned to a look of shock. "He... he's alive?!" He had suddenly exclaimed.
Tala had looked at him blankly. "You know who I might be talking about?"
"It has to be my twin brother, Reynald! I was told my mother and brother never survived!"
"Well I don't think that's the case. Sounds like he's very much alive and living in Chorrol. And I don't think he remembers he has a brother either, otherwise he wouldn't be assuming you're some sort of imposter."
Guilbert sat there, eyes focused on the counter as his mind ran crazy inside. A smile had then slowly formed across his face before he slammed his fist on the wooden surface and exclaimed, "This is amazing! I'll need to go see him at once!"
As he quickly arose from his seat and went upstairs to gather supplies, Tala quietly finished her food with a smile on her face. Well so much for helping me finish getting on my feet. She thought. He's too cute.
Once she was done, Tala walked upstairs and into his room just in time to see him finish packing. He saw her come in and he faced her with a delighted smile, "You'll have to excuse me; I'd better leave right away!"
"Of course." She happily said. "Don't worry about me; I'm pretty capable of caring for myself now. But I'm glad my memory didn't fail me after all, because I seemed to have returned the favor for you already."
His smile deepened and he nodded appreciatively. "Please, come see us in Chorrol. It would be wonderful for us both to be able to thank you for helping us find each other."
"If I'm ever that way again, I'll be sure." Then she thought about it for a heartbeat and quickly piped up, "Actually! I need to head to Bruma. Chorrol is in that general direction... maybe we can travel together for a little while, and part when its time for our paths to split?"
"I don't see why not." Guilbert said as he slipped on a leather harness that would hold his steel war hammer, which he grabbed from its resting place up against the dresser and clipped it onto his back. "I could make sure you are capable of surviving on your own so soon after your ordeal. You'll have to tell me what happened to you on the way."
He had then headed downstairs to wait for her while she slipped back into her armor. She had been able to do so without any dizzy feelings, which had been a good sign. She would just have to baby her shoulder for a little while, but if she came in contact with danger, she'd at least have someone to back her up if it had ever become too much.
The biggest concern for Tala had been traveling in the dark, but luckily their travel together had been uneventful. They hadn't run into any serious danger, other than the occasional wolf. Their conversation basically left off where it was at dinner, telling stories and jokes and making each other laugh. He had also explained to Tala that ogres had attacked his home when he was very young, and his family had been separated. He and his father couldn't find any traces of bodies, so they were under the impression that his mother and twin had perished. The look of joy on Guilbert's face- now that he new his brother was alive- was positively radiant to her, and she couldn't help but feel useful again. For the rest of the way, they talked and shared stories like they were childhood friends. She had brought the cloth sling she'd been wearing to support her shoulder, and when she had propped her arm in it, he had asked her for the truth of what had happened.
"Long story short, a mage shot a long ranged lightning spell at me and it struck my shoulder." She had explained. "Then he drove an enchanted dagger into my back, into the shoulder blade on the same side. It blasted lightning for a long period of time before I could grab the dagger and toss it aside."
"Your shoulder seemed to have taken it well then. I would never have guessed that level of damage given what it looked like when we tended to it."
"I already used restoration magic to try and heal it before it was too late, but it still isn't quite right. I fight right-handed. If I can't be at the top of my game, I won't be able to complete any new complicated tasks." Her eyes then turned away from her traveling companion and more downcast to the ground. "If my arm is no good, I'll be useless... and so much for being a skilled and strong fighter. Guess I'm just a silly little girl..." She said; half-laughing at the end, though the laugh wasn't genuine.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. If you think you can still fight with it someday, consider that a blessing. You've could've lost the whole use of your arm, or even lost the limb altogether. So you might have to readjust your skills in combat in order to compensate. Or maybe you'll have to retire from the Fighter's Guild altogether. No shame in that."
Tala had looked back at him and merely blinked while giving him a twisted frown. "I'm not worried about the Fighter's Guild. I'm still a peon in the guild, and six months ago I'd have strived to work my way to the top... but I have other affiliations I'm with that are much more important. I don't want to fail them."
Guilbert had eyed her curiously while they walked. Then a very innocent smirk came across his face and he asked in jest, "So... does that mean you're an assassin of some sort?"
She had shaken her head with a smile. "No, no. Although I feel like one sometimes when I've killed a whole cave of bandits, I'm not actually a part of a bandit crew or an assassin."
"So what other affiliation are you with?"
She had been quiet for a moment while she looked at him from the corners of her eyes, trying to decide how much to say. "I'd... rather not..." She had started cautiously.
"So you admit that you're an assassin?" He had teased.
The way he played with her felt way too much like a child trying to catch his best friend off guard and make them embarrassed. She had enjoyed it; she missed having a friend like that. As much as she didn't want to falter, she had felt like she could trust him to a degree. So she had let out a deep breath and decided to say it. "No, I assure you I'm not an assassin. I'm actually with the Blades."
Guilbert's eyes had widened. "The Blades? My goodness. I would have never have guessed."
"I'm a recent recruit."
"I see." Then he got quiet and his entire jesting demeanor had slowly faded. "It must be total chaos amongst the Blades and the Elder Council. I would imagine they are all rather distressed over the loss of the Emperor and his sons. Everyone in Cyrodiil feels like all hope is lost, with no emperor and no Dragonfires to protect us from the daedra."
Tala would have happily told Guilbert that hope was not completely lost, but she didn't know if it was safe to say anything, especially out in the open like that. She also didn't trust him enough to divulge such important information. It had been one thing just to say she was a Blade, there had been no harm in that. But to reveal Martin's identity would put him at risk, even if Guilbert swore not to tell a soul. That information always got to the wrong ears no matter how close-lipped the general public was.
"It is a little stressful sometimes." She had finally decided to say. "But we're doing what we can to keep as much peace as possible."
"So you must be in a hurry to return to the Blades headquarters, then?"
Tala nodded. "I was doing some investigating for the Grandmaster when I ran into trouble. I took care of my adversaries, but because I let my guard down around that mage and got my shoulder wounded, I put myself behind and really put myself and my mission in danger. If you hadn't found me and nothing had eaten me, I probably would've limped my way to the Inn anyway to rest, but I would've only stayed the night and gimped my way back to Bruma. I can't thank you enough for talking me in to staying and taking the time to care for me."
"And I can't thank you enough for reuniting me with my brother."
"Absolutely. Anything I can do to return the favor. Although I still feel like this isn't enough. If you ever need another small favor in the future, please feel free to ask it of me."
"I will be sure to do that."
They didn't get a chance to pause before they stopped at a fork in the road- the left led to Chorrol, while the right lead to Bruma.
"This is where we part." Tala had said. "I look forward to seeing you and Reynald the next time I'm in Chorrol."
"And I as well. Thank you, my friend. I will not forget your kindness."
And with those farewell words, they had separated.
And as Tala made her way past Bruma and towards Cloud Ruler Temple, she had hoped everyone would understand that her assignment to retrieve the Amulet was a tricky one, and that what she got instead will have to do for now. Luckily, it was.