Location: The Winking Skeever, Solitude
27th of Rain's Hand
3:01pm

"You know, that was a nice thing you did for Svari and her mother," Sorex Vinius said as he poured Kayleigh another tankard of light Mead. "We need more people like you," He bent down to Vigilance's level and handed him a piece of cooked beef. "Here you go, boy."

Kayleigh picked up the tankard. "Thank you, Sorex. I just couldn't say no to her, you know? Such an innocent young child. And she was so concerned for her mother. I lost my mother at a young age. I couldn't turn Svari away when she empathized so much that she wanted to help her mother."

The Imperial smiled. "You know, if you want, you can help us with an… issue we've been having."

"Someone bothering you?" She asked. "Well, whoever it is, tell them to back off. I'm sure you can take them, Sorex."

He broke into a hearty cackle at that. "No, it's not that. You see, there's this beggar wondering around outside the Blue Palace for quite some time. He isn't bothering anyone, but the Elf's giving some people the creeps. "He explained. "Why don't you talk to him and see what's going on? Maybe the Jarl can even reward you for it."

"Hm." Kayleigh raised an eyebrow at the scenario, and quickly made her decision. "I don't see any harm in it. Why not?"

Location: Outside the Blue Palace

An Elf wondering around the Blue Palace. How hard can he be to find? And true enough, almost immediately, Kayleigh spotted an aging Wood Elf, pacing outside the Blue Palace. He wore a peasant's outfit looked rather dazed and concerned and petrified all together. He surely was not bothering anyone, but having a presence like that outside the Palace can be deemed as a threat.

With Vigilance sticking close by her, Kayleigh carefully approached the man from behind. "Excuse me, Sir?"

The Woof Elf spun around in an instant, stunned and trembling. "Please! Take pity on an old madman!" He begged.

"Take it easy! I'm not going to hurt you." She assured with her hands up. "Are you alright?

He sighed heavily, as if he was ready to sob. "My master has abandoned me! Abandoned his people!" He cried out in misery. "We need his guidance! Our homeland is falling apart! North rages war against the South! The holy flame flickers and dies! And nothing I say can change his mind. Now he refuses to even see me. He says I interrupt his vacation! But it's been so many years…"

Kayleigh furrowed her eyebrows at that. "Who takes a vacation that lasts for years..? So... where is his 'vacation' at?"

"At the Blue Palace." The Elf looked at it. "Last time I saw him, he was visiting a friend in there. But no one as mundane as the Jarl. No, no," He held up his hands, palms facing her and shook them, further stressing it. "Such people are below him… No, he went into the forbidden wing at the palace, to speak with an old friend. Said it had been ages since they had last had tea."

Kayleigh was finding this all harder to believe as this conversation went on. "Who goes into a… 'forbidden wing' to have tea?" She mumbled to herself.

The Wood Elf looked at her with artless eyes. "It's been so long. His people long for his return. As do I. Won't you please help? You seem like such a nice girl. Surely he'll listen to you."

She did not know what to say. Did she even have the time for this? Taking a quick glance at the Blue Palace, she gave him a smile. "Alright. I'll help you, sir. I'll convince your master to return home."

His expression brightened up; it was as if the sun returned to his face. "Oh, thank you, child! Thank you so much!"

"So who is your master? What's his name?" She asked, needing details if she was ever going to find this man.

"He is a great man, but one rarely praised. He rules twin empires that span the length and breadth of our minds. All know him, but few can name him. But… he has forbidden me from naming him. He says it distracts him and woe to those who draws his ire!"

Praising of his master aside, it was not helping Kayleigh to learn the identity of the missing person. "But how would I know who he is?"

"You will know him when you see him. He is the one who made me like this!"

Like what? Mad?

"Oh!" He exclaimed, almost forgetting. "You'll need the hip bone. It's very important." He opened his satchel and, literally, handed her a human hipbone. "No entering Pelagius' Wing without that."

Her eyes nearly popped out of its sockets as the hipbone was pressed into her hands. It took a while for her to register what he last said. "Pelagius' Wing?"

Location: Blue Palace, Solitude
3:16pm

"I expected a grander throne room. But this is rather quaint. Seems comfortable."

"Dragonborn,"Jarl Elisif the Fair had a light tremble in her voice as she rose to her feet upon seeing Kayleigh. The noblewoman may have called Kayleigh by her title, but in her eyes, she was seeing a Stormcloak.

"No, my Jarl, the Stormcloaks aren't invading or anything like that," Kayleigh told her, deducing the Jarl's concerns through her body language. "I am here for a different reason."

"Do you really think the Jarl is going to entertain you? A... a Stormcloak?" The Jarl's steward, Falk Firebeard spat in what appeared to be disgust.

"I'm not a Stormcloak, good sir. Not yet, at least. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't appear as if you were going to send all the guards here to slay me."

Elisif sat down on her throne, this time, calm. "Alright, Dragonborn. Tell the court the reason for your visit to the Blue Palace."

"Jarl Elisif," Falk turned his head to her. "You are not seriously considering giving her an audience!"

"The Dragonborn is not a rebel soldier. Not yet, as she has claimed," Sybille Stentor, the court wizard then spoke. "She's not a threat. Not yet, at least. Besides, my Jarl, should she pose a threat, she cannot fight off every soldier here in Solitude."

Unless we actually go through it, I wouldn't know. But I really don't want a bounty on my head. "Dragonborn or not, my prowess only goes so far." Kayleigh said with a light-hearted smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

"I apologize on behalf of the court, Dragonborn. Your political views aside, you... did indeed rid the world of an evil that would have swallowed us all whole," Elisif kept a small smile for the Dragonborn as a sign of appreciation for her work as Skyrim's savior."Please, go on."

"Thank you for your kindness, Jarl Elisif," Kayleigh gave her a bow. "I was here on visit, when I was told that there was an elf lurking around outside the palace."

"Falk?"

"Harmless madman, my lady. Nothing more."

Kayleigh knew for the fact now that that was not the entire story. "Actually, he spoke of his master having tea with an old friend in Pelagius' Wing of this palace."

"Beg your pardon, Dragonborn?" Elisif asked.

"I know: it's crazy."

"Yes indeed, it's crazy if you think the Jarl is going to let a Stormcloak into Pelagius' Wing! Be it cursed or not?" Falk Firebeard glared at Kayleigh as if she was pure poison.

"Which is why…" Kayleigh started out casually to the baffled Steward. "We should let the Jarl decide."

"I don't understand," Elisif confessed. "You're saying that the beggar that was wondering outside the palace, was looking for his master, who apparently has been taking a vacation in Pelagius' Wing for years? And on top of that, his master is having tea in there? With someone else?"

She nodded. "That's about right."

Elisif leaned back against her throne. "I'm sorry, Dragonborn. Even I'm having a hard time believing this."

"And I don't blame you, my Jarl," Kayleigh said. "He seemed sincere, despite being mad."

"That part of the palace is sealed off and uninhabited," Sybille Stentor said. "That wing was where Pelagius the Mad lived before becoming Emperor and is said to be cursed. No one is allowed to set foot there."

"Look, I don't really want to do this, but, I made a promise to the old man. All I need to do is go in, and grab his master. Whether he was lying or not, it doesn't matter. I can still help you stop a threat if there is even one," Kayleigh told the Jarl in persuasion. "You can even send your men in with me. I don't mind. If you think I'm trying to be funny."

Falk was unconvinced, but it was not his call. He looked at Elisif, who kept her gaze on the Dragonborn. "My Jarl?"

Elisif gave herself a moment, before finally giving her decision. "Alright. You may enter Pelagius's Wing. Falk here will hand you the key. I'll assign two of my men to go in with you."

Location: Pelagius' Wing, the Blue Palace

"Ah-choo!" Kayleigh sneezed. "Cursed as it may be, doesn't ANYBODY clean this place?"

Pelagius' Wing was indeed in a mess. Everything was covered in spider webs and dust. Goblets, plates, candlesticks, jug, empty bottles and ruined tables and chairs were left lying around. A few doorways were even sealed off.

"The maids only come in every once in a while to clean out the spiders, my lady." One of the two Imperial Soldiers said.

"Not much of a good job!" She felt her nose twitch again. "Ah-CHOO!"

Vigilance followed with his own sneeze.

"Bless you." The two soldiers said in union.

"Thank you…" There was a flight of stairs leading to another floor. She, Vigilance and the soldiers took it. "AH-CHOO!"

"Bless you." They repeated in union.

"I am SO tempted to use Unrelenting Force and blow all this dust away…" She mumbled in much irritation. On the second floor, there was a walkway that lead to another wing. Kayleigh sighed; she had had enough for touring this place. Yet a promise was a promise, and she had to find the Elf's master. If he actually existed. She believed that he did not.

"What's on the other wing?" She asked.

"Don't know. Don't want to know." The other Imperial Soldier said, obviously trembling just to be here.

Rolling her eyes, Kayleigh and Vigilance made a move for the other wing via the walkway. They were waking casually; the two Imperial soldiers behind them. However, they were not even half way across the walkway when Kayleigh and Vigilance felt themselves shifting… and darkness took their visions.

Location: The Mind of Pelagius Septim III

"OUCH!" Kayleigh yelped when she felt the sting of the thin layer of ice that covered her body. She attempted to shake it off, and Vigilance did the same thing. That was when they both realized that their armors were gone. Kayleigh was wearing a set of blue-colored fine clothes, as well as a hat. Her satchel was gone, as was her beloved Mace of Molag Bal. Oh, he was going to kill her if he ever found out. Vigilance was missing his own custom-made leather armor and instead, he was wearing a set of green-colored fine clothes. It came with a hat of its own. He was piqued because the little furry ball the end of the hat kept hitting him in the face.

"Where in Talos' name am I?" She questioned and glanced around. The sky was a dusty grey, like the life had been sucked right out of it. The trees surrounding them were dying, as well as the flowers. The unique thing was that there were three stone doorways on each corner.

And in the middle of it all, there seemed to be a… tea party going on.

There were two men conversing with each other. The table between then had a lighted candlestick, plates of food, goblets, teacups and jugs. One man was sitting on your everyday causal chair, wearing brown-colored fine clothes. His long blonde hair was loosely tied with a band and he had a slightly dark complexion than his tea partner. He looked rather dull, in both voice and action, but he was a handsome-looking young man nonetheless.

The other man, however, was a bit more… interesting. He was sitting on a red-colored throne, had white chin-length hair and a light beard. There was a cane lying against the side of the throne. His outfit, well… that was another thing all together. The right half of his long-sleeved jacket was in a light shade of purple and the other half, in red. Underneath it was a white cravat. His trousers were dark grey, but had purple-colored swirls and lines on them. At least his black boots were ordinary, as well as his thin belt. Yet, despite his appearance, he was looking rather charming as well.

"More tea, Pelly, my dear?" The otherworldly, multicolored top-wearing man asked, pouring another cup for himself.

"Oh, I couldn't. Goes right through me," 'Pelly' replied, shaking his head. "Besides, I have so many things to do…! So many undesirables to contend with: naysayers, buffoons, detractors… Why, my… my headsman hasn't slept in three days!" He exclaimed in horror.

Three days? Wouldn't his aiming be off?

Holding a cup of tea in one hand, the white-haired man clicked his tongue. "You are far too hard on yourself, my dear, sweet, homicidally insane Pelagius!"

WAIT A MINUTE! PELAGISUS SEPTIM THE THIRD? Kayleigh had to control herself from bursting out loud in shock, in case these men would try to attack. She had decided to wait in the corner until they had finished her conversation.

"What would the people do without you? Dance? Sing? Smile? HA! Grow old?" He questioned and then pointed to his company. "You are the best Septim that's ever ruled! Weeell, except for that Martin fellah, but he turned into a dragon god! And that's hardly sporting..." He shook his head.

He had an interesting accent; Kayleigh had never heard it before. Brynjolf, the member of the Thieves Guild she had encountered seemed to have a similar accent to him.

Martin?As in Martin Septim?

"You know, I was there for that whole sordid affair. Mm hm, marvelous time! Butterflies, blood, a Fox and severed head... Ho ho ho, and the CHEESE!" He cheered louder than before. "…To die for." He then sighed in pleasure.

Pelagius seemed rather annoyed just by hearing the old, otherworldly man speak. He continued to remain dull. "Yes, yes… as you've said countless times before…"

The old man was then offended. He huffed in greater infuriation. "Hafrumph! Well then, if you're going to be like that... Perhaps it's best I take my leave! A good day to you, sir," Instantly, he jumped onto his feet. "I SAID good day!" In one gulp, he finished the cup of tea and tossed the empty cup behind him. Crash!

"Yes, yes, Go. Leave me to my ceaseless responsibilities and burdens…" Then, the blonde-haired man disappeared into a gigantic sphere of black encased in purple that had surrounded him. Wasn't that the effects of summoning someone or something from Oblivion?

Did it matter? All Kayleigh wanted to do was find a way back to Solitude and get her items back. Since the blonde-haired handsome man was gone, she only had the otherworldly one to talk to. He sat back on this red throne and leaned back. Kayleigh and Vigilance made their way to him.

And that was when he looked at the Dragonborn. "How RUDE!" He was appalled by her presence, as he sat back down onto his throne. "Can't be bothered to host an old friend for a decade or two!"

"A decade or-?" Kayleigh had had enough. "Alright, LISTEN, old man! I want to know three things. One: where am I? Two: Who are YOU? And three: WHERE ARE MY ARMOR, MY CLOAK AND MY MACE OF MOLAG BAL?"

Vigilance barked.

"AND HIS ARMOR TOO!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm afraid I stopped listening at 'old man'..."

Kayleigh was not in the mood. "I'm serious. What is going on here? Where in the name of the Gods am I?"

"Inside the mind of Pelagius, SILLY! Oh… is it your… first time?" He asked.

"Inside the mind of- WHAT?" She did not hear that last part right.

"Pelagius Septim the Third! Do I need to spell it out for ya, Mortal? Now! Surely, you knew about Pelagius' decree!" He said. "On his death bed – oh, and this was inspired – he forbade… DEATH! That's right! DEATH! OUTLAWED!"

This man seated in front of her was crazier than a Nord after one too many tankards of mead. And this guy was not even drunk. "Look, I was supposed to find someone's master and deliver a message but I don't think I'm in the right place."

"A little mortal messenger! How exciting!" He grinned. "Haven't had those in a while! Actually… we've never had any at all." He just realized. "So, you pretty little thing," He placed one leg over the other. "Who sent you in the first place to deliver me this… 'message' you speak of? WAIT!" He stunned her and jumped onto his feet, again. He was slightly taller than Kayleigh. "Don't tell me! I want to guess!"

What am I talking to?

"Was it Molag?"

Kayleigh smirked a little. "No, it's not Mola-"

"NO! No..." He shocked her yet again. "Little Tim, the toymaker's son, eh? No?" He did not even give her time to react and say anything. "The ghost of King Lysandus? Or was it... Yes! Stanley, the talking grapefruit from PASSWALL!" His grin suppressed into a smile. "Wrong on all accounts, aren't I?"

Kayleigh simply nodded.

"HA! No matter! Honestly? I don't want to know! Why ruin the surprise?"

There's no surprise…

"But more to the point, He grabbed his cane and took slow steps towards Kayleigh, who stepped back. "Do you… tiny… puny… expandable little mortal…" With each word, he traced his finger from her cheek to her throat. "Actually think you can convince me," He gripped her neck, but with no force applied at all, so as not to hurt her. "To leave?"

Vigilance growled in anger, seeing as how this man attempting to hurt his master.

"Down, boy!" He looked at Vigilance, but kept his grip on Kayleigh's neck.

Vigilance was then paralyzed. He was stuck in a standing position and was unable move his limbs at all.

"Vigilance!"

"Now, where was I? Oh yes! The mortal messenger in my hand!" He locked his (literally) cat-like yellow-green eyes with Kayleigh's own green ones. "Because that's… crazy, asking me to leave and all," He removed his hand from her throat. "You do realize… who you're dealing with here?"

She massaged her neck. Despite the fact that he did not hurt her, she was still concerned. "That's easy! You're a madman!"

His eyes widened. He was pleased with her answer. "Jolly good guess! But only half right. I'm a mad god. The Mad God, actually. It's a family tittle! Gets passed down from me to myself every few thousand years."

How does one do that?

"Now you, sweet mortal. You can call me… Ann Marie!" He grinned, and then it was slowly disappearing. "But only if you're partial to being flayed alive! And having an angry immortal skip rope with your entrails!" Using the ball tip of his cane, he pointed to Kayleigh's abdomen.

She instinctively grabbed her torso. "You are NOT getting my entrails!"

"Weeeell… I can try…" He smirked, playing with the ball tip of his cane with his fingers.

"Listen, I really don't know who you are…"

He sighed. "Oh silly, silly mortal!" He clicked his tongue multiple times. "I am a part of you. I am a shadow in your subconscious. A blemish on you fragile little psyche," He used an index finger to tap her forehead. "You know me." He pushed her chin upwards so that he was staring into her eyes. He spoke in a deeper voice. "You just don't know it…"

She gulped. "I think I made a mistake coming here…"

"Oh, no no no no no no! No mistake at all!" He assured. "What you made… was a choice. Granted, not a very wise choice but, these things happen!" He then laughed. "Ah, the folly of youth."

I'm going to be 29… but thanks.

"You know, you remind of me-self at a young age, mm hm," He then wrapped one arm around her waist and they started to take a little stroll away from the table. "All I cared about was riding narwhales and… sleeping in honeycombs and…" He then pressed her cheeks together. "Drinkin' babies' tears!"

Are you in love with my face or something?

"A word of advice when you ride a narwhale, love," He tapped her nose. "Mind the pointy end." He then released her. "Ah, but there I go: waxing poetic about me misspent youth. Apologizes. Now where were we?"

She rubbed her cheeks after his killer squeeze. "You were trying to tell me who you were but you simply refused to."

He chuckled aloud. "Molag was RIGHT about you! Pretty and deadly as you may be, you are rather… dim."

"Hey!" She exclaimed.

"But he got the feisty part right," He smirked. "Now you, my little mortal lady, you call me… Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness," He took her hand, bent over, and kissed the top of it, just like any gentleman would. "Charmed..." As he was straightening his back, he took glance at her from head to toe. "And very much so…"

She continued to gape. She was not in front of just another madman. No. This guy was the ultimate. This man was Sheogorath! First Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of Domination, now him: the Daedric Prince of Madness.

But if she had to choose, she was rather to be stuck with Sheogorath. At least he did not have the title of 'The King of Rape', unlike Molag Bal.

"Now, my little mortal messenger. You said you had a message? What kind of a message is it?" He asked. "A song? A summons?" Sheogorath squealed in excitement. "Wait, I know! A death threat… written on the back of an Argonian concubine! HA HA HA! …Those are my favorites… Well?" He sneered at her. "SPIT it out, mortal! I haven't got an eternity!" He considered, and then said, "Actually… I do. Little joke." He chuckled.

His change of moods would have been funny to Kayleigh if she was not concerned that he might decide to kill her in a split second.

"Ah, but I do sincerely apologize, my little mortal. You still haven't given me my message!"

"Only if you'd stop interrupting me!" She chided. "I was asked to retrieve you from your vacation. Apparently, your 'people' need you. And they're kind of desperate."

"Hm… are they now?" He tapped his chin in thought.

"Yes, they are. So… are you going to leave?"

"Now that's the real question, isn't it? Because honestly, how much time off could a demented Daedra really need?"

Looking at you? A lot.

"Listen, here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to leave."

"Really?" Kayleigh folded her arms across her chest, highly skeptical.

"That's right, my little pretty dimwit! I'm done! Holiday – complete! Time to return to the hum drum day-to-day…" That was when he narrowed his eyes and smirked at her. "On one condition: you'll have to find the way out first. Good luck with that."

"How can I?" She protested. "This is the mind of the Mad Emperor!"

"I expect you to be more… resourceful then!" He grinned and pointed at her with his cane. "Yes, this is not the Solitude Botanical gardens, that's for sure. You're in the head of a dead, homicidally insane MONARCH! HA HA HA HA!" He chuckled. Wrapping an arm around her waist again, he led her back to his throne. "Now, you could reply on your swords and maces and spells and sneakin' and all that nonsense, if you want. Oh wait," He realized. "I forgot: You don't have any weapons! HAHA! Molag might be little mad if he found out his mace was missing."

"Which is why… I want it back… Along with my armor and cloak…"

"And you'll get it all back, sweet mortal. Only when you and your pooch are out of here. Oh, and speaking of your pooch," He glanced and Vigilance and he unfroze. He looked dazed; he was unsure which year it was. "Sorry about that. Anywho, as I was saying, since you don't have any other options, you can use… THE WABBAJACK!"

'The Wabba… wha-? OUCH!" She screamed out and rubbed her head when something felt on it. She looked on the ground: it was a grey-colored staff but with a strange-looking end. It had, what appeared to be three faces of different emotions: happiness, sadness and anger. It was quite possibly a reference to Sheogorath himself. She picked it up and looked at it with great confusion.

"Cure dear Pelagius of his night terrors, his self-loathing, and paranoia. If you survive," He twirled a lock of her dark auburn hair with his index finger. "I'll hold up my end of the bargain." So saying, he took a relaxing seat on his red throne. "Good luck, my little mortal!" He wished with a huge grin on his face.

A/N: SURPRISE! :D

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, and Elves and Argonians! SHEO-FREAKIN'-GORATH! XD EVERYBODY'S FAVOURITE DAEDRA!