*MARKARTH*
THE REACH
SKYRIM

"So you mean to tell me that you met the Lord of Oblivion, Mehrunes Dagon himself, defeated the Dragonborn in single combat, and all he gave you in token of his blessing was this dagger?"

Serana turned the Razor over in her hand, feeling the new-made blade's weight and balance.

"It seems…not as impressive as I imagined, somehow."

Tala shrugged.

"He was out of T-Shirts, apparently."

Serana's face contorted in confusion.

"Commemorative robes," Tala clarified.

"Seems very little return for so much risk," Serana continued.

"Hey, now," Tala objected, "I returned with not only the blessings of Mehrunes Dagon, but also those of the Lord's Stone and of Peryite."

"Ahh… so what does the Lord of Pestilence to say about us?"

"See for yourself."

Tala reached at her back and pulled out the singular shield.

"Spellbreaker."

Serana looked unimpressed.

"A shield?"

"Cast a spell… Any Destruction Spell."

Serana arched her eyebrow, but charged a Lightning spell all the same, and cast it across the room at Tala. When it struck Spellbreaker, the spell arced, sending the stream of lighting back towards the sender.

Serana threw up a Ward at the last minute against her own spell.

"That… that is impressive," she conceded.

Tala replaced the shield on her back.

"So how has the city fared in my absence?"

"Surprisingly well," Serana answered. "Word from Orsinium is that King Burgurk has occupied the mountain."

"Jorgen Thul's conscripts didn't feel like dying for their king, then?"

"Considering they killed him and threw open their own gates, I'm guessing not.'

"Icando handled being Hand of the Queen well?"

"He did: one of the vampires who's wandered in over the past few weeks apparently tried to attack a young girl. Icando and Nestor staked him out in the sun for two days. His skin was a charred wreck before they beheaded him. The townsfolk are still remarking on his fairness. Although, two cases he deferred for your judgement upon your return."

"I see," Tala nodded.

Did you think EVERY vampire would be content to feed only on your enemies?

I had every confidence in the guards' abilities.

Icando's example will go a long way towards circumventing any further ideas of predation.

Serana and Tala were now entering the Understone Keep, followed by Skoberth and the rest of the Queen's guard. Various supplicants lined the hall, awaiting the Queen's justice, but the harsh and menacing stares from the guards prevented any of them from attempting to jump the line and address the Queen directly. As they approached the Mournful Throne, Potema sent a pulse of approval to see Icando delivering his judgements from the Steward's chair, and not from the queen's throne itself.

He was an excellent choice, little Tala: Clever, but not overly ambitious.

He DID run a coven directly underneath the Blue Palace. I knew he had to have been at least a patient Dunmer to do that.

"My Queen," Icando greeted, rising from his seat, "All the Vodahmin rejoice to have their High Mother return unto them safely."

"I hear from many that I left them in good hands, Icando Damn-Rune," Tala smiled, taking the Dunmer's hand to walk up the steps to her throne.

"I was merely the instrument of the Queen's will," Icando replied modestly. "However, two cases await your royal adjudication and sentence."

"Very well, my Hand, show them in."

"Bring forth the prisoner," Icando said to a nearby Foresworn Briarheart. The antlered figure bowed and departed down the hallway.

The trio on the raised dais heard the prisoner being brought into the throne room long before they could see her. Grunts and the sounds of blows being landed echoed through the stone halls before eight men appeared, each holding a rope attached to a single figure.

"We caught her at the border, my Queen," Icando explained. "She is a werewolf, but several of the guards recognized her as a…"

"Companion of Ysgramor," Tala said in a hushed voice. "Aela the Huntress, is it not?'

The painted face whirled to face the throne, anger and rage barely contained beneath the surface.

"I'm surprised you've managed to suppress your wolf," Tala stated, addressing the Companion.

"She hasn't," Icando muttered. "She's woged… Four times. Eight of the guards are being attended to for their wounds."

"If I had wanted to kill them," Aela glared at the Dunmer, "They would have all been dead men, knife-ears."

"She is a Companion, my queen," Kaie muttered from the side of the room where she stood watching. "An ally of that the Dragonborn kufr what murdered King Madonach!"

"I am with the Companions no longer!" Aela snapped back.

"Not since your new Harbinger ordered the Circle to give up the wolf," Tala added.

Aela's eyes went wide at the Queen's knowledge.

"How the Daedra…?"

Then she snapped her mouth shut.

"Forsaking the wolf was one thing," she said through clenched teeth. "Such was done to honor Kodlack Whitemane and earn entry to Sovngarde. But then…"

"Then he forsook his role as Harbinger," Tala added for her, "And rebuild and reorganized the same Silver Hands that once hunted your own kind. Between them and the Dawnguard, I'm guessing lycanthropy was treated as a disease, rather than the gift it is?"

Aela's fists clenched.

"We hunted them down," she answered, raw shame and sorrow in her voice, "We whom we of all people, should have understood, should have taken under our protection…"

Aela's voice broke, and she stared at the ground for a long moment. Then she looked up at the Throne.

"My mother was a Companion. And her mother. And all the women in my family, back to Hrotti Blackblade. I stayed with my father in the woods until I was old enough for my Trial. We hunted everything there was to hunt... Good training. Ma didn't live long enough to see me join, but I fight to honor her and all my Shield-sisters through time.

But I cannot follow my brothers and sisters in their rejection of Hircine and the Great Hunt."

Tala nodded, placing her hands on her chin thoughtfully.

"Release her."

The eight guards shared a look, but then released the ropes attached to the belt at the Huntress' waist. Kaie still stared angrily at the Nordic woman, but drew a dagger and sliced the bonds holding her wrists together. Tala stood to her feet, and everyone in the Throne Room did the same. The eyes flashed blue.

"Aela the Huntress," Potema began, "We both know the pain and sorrow of betrayal, especially of our loved ones."

There was a flicker of emotion from Aela at the reference to the exact nature of her relationship with Llewellyn Dragonborn, but she said nothing.

"Here, the word and Hunt of Hircine is honored and respected. You are welcome to dwell within the city, and what is more, you are welcome to join my Hunters. If you would join us, then together, we will take the Vodahmin, the forgotten, and the forsaken under our protection, from those who would do them harm.

I cannot promise you rank, position, gold, or lands: I promise you battles Glorious, with foes terrible and powerful. I promise you prey worthy of the Hunt, and battles worthy of my warriors.

What say you?"

Aela the Huntress cocked her head to the side, and then brought a hand to her chest and bowed somewhat awkwardly at the waist.

"I… I will stand with the Vodahmin… my Queen."

"Lady Kaie," Tala stated, retaking control from Potema, "Return her weapons to her, and introduce her to Lord War-Raed and his Pack."

Kaie still looked guardedly at Aela, but bowed to her queen's command, and led the Nordic woman from the Throne room.

A worthy ally. Especially one so close to the Dragonborn's heart… She should prove VERY useful.

Just another person the "Dragonborn" has alienated by being an asshole.

"What is next, Lord Damn-Rune?" Tala asked aloud.

Next was Venarus Vulpin, leader of the Redwater Den coven. The Imperial vampire was over-exuberant with praise and flattery for the Mournful Thone.

"My coven has been driven from our home in Redwater Den, most noble and gracious queen," Venarus continued. "We would humbly beg sanctuary of the Reach, and lend our aid and talents towards establishing your dynasty to last ten thousand years, most noble and–"

"Are you still the holder of the Bloodstone Chalice then, Lord Vulpin?" Tala asked, cutting the vampire off.

Venarus paled, even beyond his vampiric complexion.

"M-m-my L-llady?" he stuttered.

"DO NOT TAKE ME FOR A FOOL, Vulpin!"

The Imperial bowed his head even lower (now just a few inches above the ground).

"Forgive this most innocuous scrap of dust and ashes, my lady. I did have the self-same chalice of legend, but unfortunately, it was lost in our evacuation of Redwater Den."

"So… Harkon and his minions just waltzed in a took it from you, then," Tala stated.

Serana started, as did Vulpin, but the look on his face confirmed Tala's suspicions as who exactly had sent Venarus Vulpin scurrying from his hole. Potema's bright blue eyes flashed across the Queen's face.

"So tell me, Venarus Vulpin: why should I accept a broken and empty-handed refugee into the Vodahmin?"

Venarus Vulpin grinned widely, the long canine fangs visible.

"Not empty handed does the Redwater Coven come to Markarth, great and noble queen," he said, now standing to his feet and stretching his arms wide in a theatrical display. "BRING HER!"

A figure in a tattered green dress was dragged forward by two of the Redwater vampires and thrown before the dais. Shocked gasps ran through members of the crowd, and Tala did not miss seeing Kottir Red-Shoal grip his sword and start forward, only to be stopped by his comrades.

"Queen Tala Niwot of the Vodahmin," Venarus proclaimed loudly, "I bring, for your pleasure, as a gift and token of our high esteem – Laila Law-giver, former Jarl of Riften!"

Llewellyn Dragonborn, Nightingale of Nocturnal, and Guild Master of the Thieves Guild of Skyrim:

LET IT BE KNOWN TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

An open bounty shall be paid to the one who brings the Skull of Potema Septim from the Hall of the Dead in Markarth to Falk Firebeard in the Blue Palace of Solitude.

Upon Verification via the ritual of Arkay, the one(s) who bring(s) the skull of Potema Septim shall be rewarded the full sum of 100,000 septims.

HEREIN LAYS THE MARK OF NOCTURNAL, and the signet sign of the Thieves Guild Master.

- L.H

Author's Note:

Hello everyone! Glad to share this chapter with you all! Tala and her Vodahmin are reunited, and the plots continue to thicken, and the blessings of the Daedra continue to stream in.

The Dragonborn has survived, and apparently has no intentions to remain idly by while the Wolf Queen rules in the Reach.

Hope to resume regular chapters of this story as Beacon's Effect 4 winds down.

Thanks for all the awesome reviews, ideas, and yes, the constructive criticisms! Keep the reviews coming, however short they may be!

You guys are awesome!

-Tusken1602

Reviewer Responses:

Lord Canadian – It will not be an easy task to defeat the Queen of Markarth, certainly.

hopelessromantic34 – The Dragonborn certainly underestimated Tala, for sure. And there is no "Load" function in real life…

JimmyHall24 – Nope, not dead yet. ;)

Malhavoc Shadowlord – It's actually not Tala who is Shouting, it is Potema (who learned FusRoDah after long study at High Hrothgar when she was a young girl). Don't plan on Tala learning any more shouts, just because I think that would be slightly OP for her. But she IS gathering Daedric Princes and their blessings, as well as the Standing Stones. As for Herma-Mora, his involvement in the story is not quite done.

Wulfyre – Well, calling upon the dragons would definitely make an enemy of the Blades. So… it's a question of which ones are more valuable. Also, the sheer deed of the Dragonborn slaying Alduin is likely to deter any dragons from openly joining the Vodahmin.

Draco Oblivion, griezz, KingHoborg, Guest, Tech Warrior Ender, wars apprentice – I am not trying to write the Dragonborn as a villain, certainly. He is a person trying to do good, and who has been lauded as doing good for perhaps too long. Not evil, but hypocrite, certainly.

Lord Mortem – the Aldmeri Dominion would certainly be happy to see them go to war, as well.

rc48177 – We certainly have all kinds of refugees making their way towards the Reach.

METALHELLSWPN, XCOMHEAVY12, Lamreal, Guest, jdboss1, kairobinson880, Lieutenant Paladine – Thanks! I really appreciate it! You all are the best!

ROCK ON, EVERYBODY!