"When I look back on that day, there were a million things I could've done to prevent it. I learned the failings of my methods and the limits of my potential." -Leila Lockharte

Chapter 21: Elites of the Elite

The Elder Guard were the elites of the elite. They weren't apart of the formal structure of the Ranger Guard, but their order is far from unspoken, chosen from the ranks of the Ranger Guard and recognized as the strongest they had to offer, the Elder Guard consist of the strongest veterans to have ever blessed the ranks of Valenwood's finest fighting force. The Elder Guard were powerhouses you didn't want to face nonchalantly in any situation.

In a way, I hated to admit their strength. I was low-hanging fruit compared to an Elder Guard member. In retrospect, Arian, who'd just made short work of Aranwen, Gwendalyn, and I was once the tenth seat of the Elder Guard. That's tenth of the twelve terribly powerful warriors whom the order offered seats and a rank number based on their level of abilities. Needless to say, the seats one, two, and three were unfathomably strong.

If the trio that chased after Arian and my brother were, in fact, Elder Guard, then they were probably after Arian for his crimes against Valenwood. It is known that the Elder Guard make a conscious decision to take down such powerful foes, especially their own. Aranwen said his master had disappeared since ending his training; this was likely his first appearance in a long time. The simple fact the Elder Guard found him here, during our battle, was frightening. A testament to their skill.

I always thought…no, I knew I was strong—stronger than most Bosmer even, but these three must have been on a tier even I could not fathom.

'What do we do?' Elren asked.

'We have no choice but to follow,' I answered, '…and see what happens.'

We darted through the city streets, further away from the docks and towards the forests north of the city. The giant trees loomed over the skyline. Grahtwood's monstrous expanse seemed daunting from the outside looking in.

Ahead, Aranwen and Arian broke the tree line, then the three Elder Guard, and finally, Elren and I.

This fight was about to become even more hectic than it already was.

Once in the forest, the Elder Guardians made their move. The hooded coif, who seemed as if he led the other two, hopped in the air, caught hold of a hundred-foot-long vine and garnered an instant sway. He rode the vine to its height and at the peak of its swing, he let go and soared through the air. He somersaulted, ending his flight, and landed ahead of Arian and Aranwen making them both skid to halt.

The other two caught up the rear and blocked Aranwen from escaping as he turned quickly. Noticing their armor, Aranwen did the proper thing and pulled a face mask of his own to his face and withdrew his Tanto blades. The short, dagger-like swords gleamed in the low bioluminescent light emitted by the plant life.

Never challenge the Elder Guard. That was advice Tutor Rollyn gave me early on in training. One day, while making a stop on the outskirts of Woodhearth, we watched the warrior-turned-politician, Treethane Fert, train against twenty high ranking Rangers. Rollyn referred to him as the fourth seat. My Tutor knew most of the Elder Guard personally, so I heeded his words, having trained the few of them before my time, or even my brother's.

Elren and I hid behind the nearest root wall. The five stood in the avenue of several enormous trees. Their roots intermingled with each other creating hills and mounds of uneven ground. Lesser trees dotted the forest floor and emitted that dull green hue that shone faintly on the group.

'We should help,' Elren suggested.

'We'll just get in the way,' I said.

Arian sighed and looked back at Aranwen with an embarrassed expression. 'You can't beat them, Anny Boy. These three are—'

'Here for you, Arian.' The lead Elder Guard said.

He wielded two short swords, the distinguishable badges of the Ranger Guard. A long bow kept strapped to his back alongside a large quiver full of purple feathered arrows. Those short swords of Leviathan bone and refined quicksilver were typical of any Ranger Guard warrior; they were issued to them at their commencement to becoming a Ranger Guard feather. But once you're promoted, you receive newer short swords—ones made of various rare metals. But for an Elder Guard to use them was surely just for fun or the memorabilia behind them.

I couldn't see their faces, but the one wearing the Khajiiti-steel coif with the two feathers stood facing our direction. Shadows streaked across his nose and mouth, obscuring any recognition. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and there wasn't much of Y'ffre's Light from the plants around them to illuminate him to full detail. From what I could see, he was young. As young as Aranwen, even.

The other two didn't wear any head armor. Instead, they wore cowls to cover the lower half of their faces. But from behind, they were of the same height with the same silky, light brown hair of the same length. As a matter of fact, they seemed as if they were the same person.

My heart jolted to a stop, and an uneasy smile crept along my mouth. I knew these two: Heila and Neila Goldenseed! Up until now, I didn't know what their arrival meant for us. For Arian, they would probably arrest him; put him in bonds and take him away. Or they could kill him. The Goldenseed twins were the eighth and ninth seats. Technically they should be stronger than Arian being of a higher seat than him.

The identity of the third Elder Guardian eluded me. The others moved according to his direction, probably of a higher seat. But who? Either the way, it was three against one. All three of which were undoubtedly stronger than Arian.

I shivered.

'Let's at least get Aranwen out of there,' Elren pointed. 'This is the proper justice he wanted for Arian.'

'The Swords of Eplear.' I grunted.

'The Elder Guard will retrieve them.'

I still didn't like that. If Arian failed to take the swords back to Monsotar, he would send someone else to steal them from whoever comes to possess them in the end. They needed to be in our hands.

'You're always so self-righteous, did you know that?'

Elren nodded. 'I believe it's better to help and to forgive then it is to infect others with your pain. It's not a transfer—you don't lose it. You share it with others.'

'What happens when we let Arian escape, and Monsotar becomes stronger?' I asked him. His brown eyes locked in with mine.

'Monsotar remains Monsotar.' He smiled. 'And we remain good.'

Our attention moved back to the five Bosmer. Aranwen surveyed the twins warily. At this point, he should have realized whom the three were. Covering his face was a good move, this lot was under the direct command of my father. If Father found out about the Silver Crescents, terrible things would happen.

Aranwen backed up. He needed an out—a distraction. There wasn't anything I could think of that could distract the Elder Guard. 'We'll have to run in there. I don't see any other way.'

Elren considered my words then nodded. Rarely did he ever approve of my tactics, taking to a more silent kind. Ever since I met the boy, Elren has always been about the fast and quiet strike. This time was undoubtedly different. And we were desperate.

We got in a position ready to pounce. Elren still possessed Spell Thorn, the sword glimmered. I withdrew my Osseinnium dagger from its sheath.

'You ready?' I asked Elren.

He nodded.

'Go!'

We rushed around the root wall, running as fast as we could. I was just a few paces away before Neilo, the male twin noticed me. I slide across the soil, keeping my body low, and drew up under his guard. I thought I was doing well so far, but his shining green eyes followed my every move. He had such striking eyes; his black pupils were two fine points in a pool of green. I hooked up from my slide and drove a knee into Arian's back. I tried prying the third sword from it as he slammed to the ground. After three tries, Neilo was already on me.

Heila was already ready for Elren when he reached her. She had the same eyes. But this twin had a sinister looking smile about her. When she parted her lips, she revealed a row of sharp whites, ground for intimidation. Elren feigned an attack but tackled the girl instead.

Neilo's fist connected with my right cheek and a long line of blood spouted from parted lips. I ran my tongue through my gums, searching for the wound. Nothing but pressure and blood from it and all the feeling was gone. I spat. Neilo's strike put me a distance. As if the very force behind his fist was that of a bull, bumping me several paces instead of bulldozing. The pain hurt worse than getting stabbed.

My mind descended into a fog. The sound of metal clanking on metal echoed distantly as if I was somewhere far away. My vision blurred and fuzzed until I couldn't discern bush from people.

'What exactly is going on here?' The coiffed Bosmer asked.

'Nothing that concerns you, Crestel.' Arian replied.

Crestel crunched his nose. 'When it comes to my comrades, Arian. Everything concerns me.'

The name Crestel rang familiar, triggering many bells and whistles. It put the shakes in me. My family on both sides of the tree is full of renowned names that have a reputable amount of gravitas. Crestel High-Arrow was Mother's first cousin, removed once. About Milkar's age, he took the route Father always wanted for me. The gem of clan High-Arrow, he joined with Ranger Guard, climbed their ranks, and was invited as the first seat of the Elder Guard. Aranwen seemed he knew the implications, but Crestel didn't show any signs of recognizing us.

'What do you want with me?' Arian spared a glance towards the twins.

'There have been rumors that you were around working for the Thieves of the Wood.' Crestel glared from under his coif. 'The Countreeve employed the Battlereeve himself come to retrieve you.'

'Retrieve me?' Arian laughed. 'You are the puppet of the puppet of the puppet.'

Crestel seemed amused. 'Eight years ago, you fought the Lord of the Tam'Akar. Tell us the truth of that day. Why did you do it? Who ordered you to go after him?'

'No one ordered me,' Arian said. 'I challenged him because of his views, his plans, and his deeds.'

'Why was it any of your concern?' Crestel folded his arms. 'We take orders from the Battlereeve, and he is directly under the Countreeve. Have you forgotten about her? She's the Thalmor official that leads our—'

'We…are no longer Ranger Guard, Crestel. You do know that, don't you?' Arian narrowed his eyes. 'The Elder Guard plays no official role to Dominion other than a tradition that keeps us close to the Battlereeve and the Silvenar. Sure, some of us are still within the ranks of the Ranger Guard but being an Elder Guard doesn't mean anything. It's merely a prestigious band of veterans.'

Crestel rubbed his chin. 'That's true, Arian. But it is also tradition that if one of us becomes a traitor to his province or the Dominion, then we are the ones to take you down. You attacked someone of a considerable office without an order. That was treason.'

'He burned my mind, Crestel. He showed me things. The future! A world where the Thalmor rule, and the rest of the world are slaves. There was too much bloodshed and an angry winged shadow descended on the world to swallow it whole.'

'So, an old Altmerish mage cast an illusion spell on your mind to make you cower for eight years? How pathetic!' Heila said. She had a cleaver to Aranwen's neck, keeping him in place.

Neilo kept Elren bound on the ground, his knee stabbing Elren's spine.

'Don't worry, Arian. You will stand trial in front of the Countreeve, Silvenar, and a magistrate.'

'And you believe that to be justice?'

My cousin smiled sympathetically. 'It's the best we have.'

I limped slowly back to Neilo who chuckled at the sight of me. 'Say, Arian. Who are these three?'

Arian was silent for a long moment. 'Just some merchants. I stole these swords from them.'

'Those swords look familiar,' Crestel pointed.

'They're going to help save Valenwood.'

Crestel looked disappointed. 'Are you serious about waging war with the Tam'Akar? You know that is a fight even you cannot win.'

'I just have to kill one Altmer, and this will all be over.'

I drew my sword, earning a sidelong stare from Neilo. 'Are you sure they're merchants? They look heavily armed. Bandits maybe?'

Heila pushed her cleaver against Aranwen's skin, drawing a trickle of blood. 'They look too clean for bandits,' she said. 'This one's handsome.'

'Keep your legs closed, sister. You don't have to fuck every brigand we arrest, you know.'

'You shut your big trap!'

'If it's any consolation, I think you're quite beautiful,' Aranwen chuckled uneasily. Heila raised an eyebrow.

'Reframe from hurting them, if you will. The consequences will be dire for all of us if they are harmed.' Arian glanced back at Aranwen. 'Trust me.'

'You are not in a position to give orders, Arian.' Crestel narrowed his eyes. 'You never were.'

'I'm just giving you some advice.'

All three of the higher seated Elder Guard glanced at each other. Neilo watched me with incredulous eyes, unaware of the pain his knee was causing Elren. It pissed me off. I gripped Twilight's Talon and allowed power to reach its blade. An ominous violet color wrapped the Iron-Bark and marking the sword bruised with the darkest of blues and the blackest of blacks. The sudden shift caused Neilo to flinch a bit.

'What in the Void is that?' Neilo asked.

'Get off him,' I growled.

'Not until we know you are innocent.' His eyes didn't leave my blade.

Neilo was pretty, delicate, and lithe. Not exactly what I thought of the Elder Guard. The mind's eye viewed them as a group of strong but wrinkled old mer that still liked to play with swords. These three were far too young to be thought of as elders of anything. His sister was just the same. She was what most people would call cute. Even I looked tougher than both.

But looks were almost always deceiving. The stories of the Goldenseed twins were anything but adorable. They were nasty and capable warriors. Heila with her massive cleaver, and Neilo with his enchanted whip that can stretch around Nirn an infinite number of times and shred an entire Graht Oak to ribbons.

Crestel High-Arrow was the strongest of all the Elder Guard. I didn't know what set him apart from the others just that he was the son of Mano the Elder, Mother's cousin who was the eleventh seat of the Elder Guard. Crestel wore the standard Ranger Guard armor of an officer rank and wielded his first pair of Ranger Guard short swords. Now that I know that it's him, I can see those piercing emerald eyes we shared. All of clan High-Arrow shared them. He reminded me of Milkar.

None of that mattered now. I wanted Arian dead, the swords in our hands, and Elren freed from Neilo's knee.

But it was Arian that took advantage of their distraction. With a quick flick of the wrist, Arian shot of blast of cold air at his palm, aimed at Crestel. The First Seat shielded himself with just his arms. Frost formed over his armor and icicles spiked from the edges of the mer's body. I took that opportunity to unleash a wave of magicka towards the Neilo. As nimble as one would think, Neilo jumped of his static position and flipped head over heels in the air. Such acrobatics seemed an impossibility until now.

Arian bounded through the brush. My attack allowed Elren to recover Spell Thorn he dropped earlier. Heila defended herself with a few parries against Aranwen's Tantos and retreated with Neilo. Crestel flexed, and an ice explosion sent shards in all directions. He jerked his neck left and right earning the loud cracking of his spine bones.

'That was refreshing!' Crestel turned towards us.

Aranwen and Elren moved towards my sides.

'We should take them in,' Heila suggested.

'They may or may not be in league with Arian, but we can't be sure.' Neilo raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

'Aranwen,' I kept my voice low so that only we heard it, 'That's Cousin Crestel.'

'I know,' Aranwen replied. 'That's why I'm still trembling.'

'Is he that strong?' Elren dissected the three Elder Guardian in half with his new sword.

'Yes.'

I nodded.

'But we don't have any bad blood with him. Actually, I love the elf!' Aranwen let on a pained smile.

I sighed. 'We can't let him tell Father.'

'It might be a little too late for that.'

In that instant, something miraculous occurred. A small, glowing orb fell from the green roof of the forest. It hit the ground with a thud and bounced twice before coming to a stop between the three Elder Guardians.

'What now?' Crestel eyed the small orb of magicka.

Two more fell. I smiled. 'Elren! Aranwen! Get away.' I pushed them to the ground and away and the ground began to rumble.

Where there was once only underbrush grew larger plants in its place. The ground split apart, and large stalks beamed straight up. The three legendary warriors scattered to the ground-weaving roots that arched high enough away from the soil. Boughs of a tree snaked upward, and the long base pushed everything in its wake to the wayside.

'See! I told you not to use three Magicae balls,' Ceril said, scolding Sickle Ear. 'Look what you've gone and done.'

The two wild Bosmer stood on one of the branches of their newly grown tree.

'Yah worry a lil' too much. Everything seems fine.' The brute pointed to where we stood. 'Look it there.'

Ceril followed his finger and spotted us. 'What in Y'ffre's name are you still doing here? Go after that ugly elf that just escaped. We got it from here.'

Crestel jumped down from the arching root he took refuge. 'Okay.' He shrugged. 'I suppose that counts as an attack.'

Aranwen, Elren, and I escaped into the forest. A pang if guilt rocked me as we did so. I had hoped they would at least hold their own against such monstrously skilled warriors. But they won't; they couldn't. My family on my mother's side were known as darling heroes of the province. And those of clan Lockharte were known as the shrewd politicians, businessmen, and cunning cons.

'Will they be okay?' Elren asked as we swung through the trees.

'It isn't like we had a choice. They're both capable. We should have faith in them,' I told him.

'Is that your excuse?'

I released the vine and landed on a bough. Elren did the same and landed beside me. 'More of your moral compass?'

'Are we still chasing Arian? Are you going to kill him?' Elren's face grew grim.

I gritted my teeth. 'No. But I won't allow him to use those swords.'

Elren narrowed his eyes, but then his head snapped to where we left the Ceril and Sickle. 'They're here.'

I followed his glare. 'What? Already?'

A long-leathered line stretched across the forest and whipped Elren across his chest. The attack garnered a large gust of wind and sent Elren careening. The force of the blow created a crater in the meat of the nearest tree with Elren as its epicenter. His head went limp as he hung there, almost lifeless.

When the whip made a turn for me, I drew Twilight's Talon and activated its enchantment. Teeth studded the strap, creating a serrated edge that lashed at my blade. I let the whip wrap the sword and pulled as hard as I could to draw out its owner. Someone hidden in the brush began ruffling the mer-sized leaves. I jerked it down, and the whip went limp, uncoiling from my sword and slithering away.

'Come on out Neilo!' I called to the brush.

The eighth seat of the Elder Guard strode out across the branch with a wry grin stretched across his face, his whip was looped around his hand. I spat, still remembering the hard punch he administered earlier.

'Few can counter my attacks,' he said with a sing-song voice. If it weren't for his choice of weapons, I wouldn't be able to discern him from his sister.

Neilo had incredibly soft features, a small body, and a smooth, pretty face. It would be appropriate to say he looked childlike. But I couldn't underestimate the twin; he was after all, still an Elder Guardian.

Neilo raised an eyebrow. 'And you stood after taking a punch by my fist. Needless to say, I'm impressed.'

'You expected me to fall after one hit?' I asked him.

'He did.' Neilo nodded to Elren.

My jaw clenched. 'I suppose it's true when they say never meet your heroes.'

'Lest we forget, you attacked us. We were only here for Arian. You didn't have to butt in for any reason besides some selfish desire of your own.' Neilo shrugged. 'Now, where is he? Probably gone for another decade, who knows.'

'And now? Why have you stopped for me? Arian escaped that way.' I pointed with a thumb at the long, twisting wall of jungle to my back.

'Oh,' Neilo said. 'I'm here because you made me angry.'

I felt my body slip from the ground from my feet and twirl me around in the air. A vine slithered around my ankles and swiped me into the air. Hanging upside down, the rush of blood from my feet to my head left my world spinning. Twilight's Talon slipped from my grip and pierced the tree branch. It stood upright almost as if it looked up at me as I dangled from above. Another vine coiled around my wrists, bounding them together.

Neilo laughed and clapped his hands. He unfurled his whip and lashed it towards Elren. The whip struck out towards Elren's unconscious body and constricted him like a snake. Neilo brought his arm back, and his whip reacted, pulling Elren back to our branch. More vines crawled from the brush and hung Elren in the same manner.

'Hopefully, someone will find you before all your blood drains to your head, but until then, you should suffer your punishment.' Neilo winked at me. 'And be appreciative I didn't just kill you.'

The Goldenseed twin smiled and disappeared behind the thicket.

'Cheeky bastard.' I coughed.

I glanced over at Elren who still hung unconscious. He looked unharmed even after taking such a hard blow. I half expected to end up like this against any of them. I just didn't think I would feel as powerless. Even with Twilight's Talon, I was no match for Neilo.

I folded my body and straightened to gain some momentum. I swung just an inch, forward then backward. I did it again and gained a little more. A few more tries, and I began swinging at a faster pace across. I pushed with the forward motions and pulled with the backward. I did this until I was close enough to reach Elren.

Missing the first attempt to wrap my bound hands around him, I grunted and pulled back as hard as I can. This next swing came hard. My forward swing whipped air, and finally, I latched on to Elren by straddling his head between my forearms. Next, I brought my hands down to his belt knife and cut my hands free. Quickly, I took my knife and sliced my feet free which left me dangling on Elren. Elren's bandolier of throwing knives held but one throwing knife. I grabbed it and launched the smooth steel blade at the vines that held Elren's feet. We fell a dozen feet to the bark below.

'In a few years, we're going to look back at these adventures and laugh.' I patted Elren on the head.

There was another rustling among the leaves. I scrambled for my sword, but I'd just missed the mark. I slapped the side of my neck as if stung by a Marabunta wasp. What I found there was no insect, rather, I extracted a long, thin needle, ivory save for a speckle of my blood, which committed the crime of penetrating my skin. Almost immediately, my vision blurred, and my arms fell to my sides, the ability to raise them no longer with me. The needle dropped from my fingers and settled between the cracks of the trees corky bark. Rustling again, and a tall, dark figure appeared from behind the foliage. My tongue slipped from my mouth through parted lips, swollen fat and rebellious to my whim.

As the shadowed silhouettes grew closer, I tried to use my own body to shield Elren.

That's when the darkness took me.