Merry Christmas! My gift from me to all of you dear readers is a brand new chapter!

I already know what you're thinking; "Mirage, why did it take so long for this chapter to come out?" I will answer that right now. I moved to a different state, plain and simple. After the break-up with my ex I stayed with my Dad and older brother in Connecticut for a few months, but I didn't really feel comfortable being the only girl in an apartment with three guys, even if two of them were my blood relatives. So my new boyfriend suggested we do a trial run of living together before I made any permanent decisions on my living situation. So I stayed with him for a month and it turned out we are very compatible in many aspects, so I decided to just stay in Missouri with him.

Things got a little stressful with moving, but I got a brand new computer and I'm currently trying to get my life put together (I.E. Learning to Drive, Enrolling in a local college, getting a job). My updates probably won't be as regular as they were in the past, mainly because it's tough to write when I'm so busy, but I've making myself get at least one hour of writing done a day so I can keep this book series going and so you can all have something to read.

So anyways, let's see where we left Einarr and Naril last time, shall we?

Musical Inspiration for this Chapter: One Way or Another by Blondie, Fingernails by Skillet, I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Five

(13th of Midyear, 204 4E)

"Einarr, stop it, you're killing him!" Assa screamed as he violently and repeatedly punch Naril.

But Einarr was too consumed by his rage to even hear Assa's desperate please. He was too focused on venting out all his anger and frustration on Naril. He was deep in the throes of a powerful bloodlust that he recognized and experienced many times before. It was his beast blood, the animal within that was fueling him and driving him to annihilate the pathetic Dunmer in front of him. With each strike and blow he fed the wolf and could feel him starving for more.

"Einarr, enough!" Assa shouted, rushing over and grabbing his arm.

Big mistake.

With a snarl of rage, Einarr shoved Assa aside roughly, sending the woman backwards and causing her to lose her balance. She fell into a stack of wooden crates that someone stored nearby and the sound of the wood cracking and splintering from the impact caused Einarr to freeze in shock. He stood there dumbstruck, just staring at Assa as she lay dazed amidst the debris. He could hear the sound of footsteps thundering down the steps and then a gasp of shock from the base.

"Einarr, what have you done?" his sisters voice demanded. She moved into his line of sight and knelt down beside Assa. "Assa, are you okay?"

Assa groaned and lifted her head slowly, shaking it to try and clear it. To Einarr's relief she didn't appear to be injured aside from a few scrapes and scratches that the fall had caused. Lassarina helped the woman to her feet and then Assa shocked everyone by walking right up to Einarr with a look of fury on her face. Without warning, she punched Einarr in the face, causing him to reel back, clutching his nose with one hand and feeling blood seep out from between his fingers.

"Control yourself!" Assa snapped at him, her gray eyes bright with pain, and Einarr could bet it wasn't just physical pain. "You can't just vent all of your anger on one person because you're frustrated, especially if that person can't even fight back!"

"Dibella's tits, man, what in Oblivion did you do to this kid?" Finverior exclaimed, alerting Einarr to his presence for the first time. He watched the Bosmer move over to Naril and check over his injuries. "His eyes are swollen shut!"

Vilkas had been right behind Finverior and looked over Naril himself. "He won't be able to breathe well if he doesn't get his nose fixed."

Lassarina moved to the injured Dunmer and started to heal him with Finverior assisting. "You were supposed to call us once he woke, Einarr! He would be dead if you had kept beating him!"

Einarr stood there silently, holding his nose and watching his sister and Finverior heal the Dunmer. He was mildly horrified by how out of hand he had gotten during his mindless attack of the elf. Naril's face was completely swollen, bruised and covered in his own blood. Vilkas didn't need to point out that the elf's nose was broken, the crooked angle and his shallow, whistling breathing was clear evidence. As the restoration magic did its work and the swelling around Naril's face began to go down, Einarr could see that he was still conscious and was mildly impressed.

"Please," Naril groaned pitifully. "Please, have mercy. No more . . . no more."

"Don't worry," Lassarina murmured soothingly. "You won't experience any more pain. You just need to answer some questions."

Naril looked up to stare at Lassarina, a complete stranger thanks to her glamour. "And who are you?"

"You know, if it wasn't for this glamour, I have no doubt that you'd know who I was, but for now let's just establish that I can be your best friend or your worst enemy."

The young Dunmer sucked in a breath and looked past her at Einarr. His red eyes filled with fear, he started to struggle against his bindings, attempting to escape. Finverior stepped forward, rolling his eyes at Naril's vain attempts, and grabbed his chin, glaring daggers at him.

"You really think we'd let you escape, kid? There are several trained thieves and warriors ready to catch you if can somehow miraculously get out of those shackles. I'd save my strength for your interrogation if I were you."

"There's no need for an interrogation because I don't know anything!" Naril snapped, his mouth trembling. "So you'd better just let me go!"

"Then why did you have this on you?" Einarr spat, grabbing Kiraya's bow and holding it up to the Dunmer's face.

Naril couldn't seem to stand gazing at the bow longer than a few seconds before his guilty eyes avoided it completely. "What about it? It's just a bow."

"A dragonbone bow that I gave my daughter. She'd never part with this. Now where is she, Naril?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, I've never even met your daughter!"

"Stop lying to me!" Einarr snarled, punching the wooden column right beside Naril's ear, causing the young mer to let out a yelp of fear.

"Einarr!" Lassarina shouted his name just as Vilkas grabbed his wrist in a firm grip, yanking it back. "Control yourself!"

But Einarr still continued to glare at Naril, his eyes like shards of ice. "Where did you get that scar on your cheek, hmm? Did my daughter do that to you?"

"Get him away from me!" Naril begged, struggling madly in his bonds. "He's going to kill me!"

"You're right about that," Finverior stated smoothly. "Unless you answer his questions, I don't think there's anything we can do to physically stop him from murdering you. So if I were you, I'd just tell him how you got the scar."

"A cat, okay? A cat scratched me."

Einarr was ready to call him out on his lie, but Lassarina had Vilkas pull him back some more while Finverior held up a hand, silently stopping Einarr from making another outburst and expressing that he wanted to handle this. So it was with great reluctance that Einarr allowed Vilkas to lead him back a few feet away from their prisoner.

"Look, I know you're the one who wants to do this, but trust me when I tell you to let Finverior handle this," Lassarina pleaded softly. "He may not be the most serious man in Tamriel, but he has experience with this kind of stuff. I doubt he spent all those years working for the Thalmor without learning a few tricks."

Einarr gritted his teeth, but saw reason through his sisters words. It was true, Finverior had a history with the Thalmor that could be used to their advantage in this situation. While it was still a mystery to all of them exactly what his work had entailed as a scout a spy for the Thalmor, Einarr trusted him to handle Naril's interrogation. For now.

"A cat, eh?" Finverior repeated, grabbing Naril's chin and forcibly turning his head so he could study the scar. "Well, that must have been one big cat. Wonder what you did to piss it off."

"Nothing," Naril replied gruffly, yanking his chin out of Finn's grasp. "It just scratched me."

"You sure about that? Cause cat's are small and if it wanted to claw you, it would have gone for your leg. Not to mention it looks a little too deep and wide for the paws of your average alley cat."

"What are you getting at, Bosmer?"

Finverior shrugged and turned his back to the dark elf. "I'm just saying, seems a little far fetched that a little cat scratched your face. Maybe a bigger cat could pull it off . . ."

"What, think a sabre cat got its claws on me?"

"Kid, if a sabre cat had gotten to you, you'd have more than just that tiny scar. You're probably be dead. No, I was thinking more along the lines of a Khajiit." Finverior paused and looked at his prisoner curiously. "Know any Khajiit, Naril?"

"That Dragonborn's daughter didn't scratch me!" Naril snapped, yanking on his shackles.

"Hey, hey, hey, what makes you think I was even talking about his daughter?"

"You asked me if I knew any Khajiit–"

"– And how would you know that she's Khajiit if you've never met her?"

Naril's mouth opened, but no sound came out as the dark elf realized his mistake. Einarr's brows rose, extremely impressed by how Finverior had managed to trap the young Dunmer so easily. He could clearly see their captive trying to come up with a way to talk his way out of this hole he dug himself into, but was struggling.

"I- I haven't," Naril finally stuttered. "But everyone in Skyrim knows that his daughter is half-Khajiit."

"Hmm, you've got me there," Finverior conceded, scratching at the bit of stubble on his chin. "But if you've never met Einarr's daughter, then can you explain to me how you ended up in possession of her bow?"

Einarr watched Naril bite the inside of his cheek before he answered, "Look, I'm a courier and I come across a lot of stuff just lying abandoned near the main roads when I'm traveling. It's how I got the bow; I just found it abandoned on the side of the road."

"Where was it that you found it exactly?"

"By the road in The Reach, a few miles outside of Rorikstead."

Finverior nodded slowly and started to pace back and forth in front of the restrained Dunmer. "Ah, I see . . . well that's unfortunate. That part of Skyrim is crawling with bandits and Reachmen. I'd hate to say it, Einarr, but your daughter is probably dead."

Einarr's eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared dangerously. "That's it then? You told me to trust him, Lassarina!"

"Nay, Einarr, I'm sure that Finn isn't going to leave it at that," his sister reassured him. "Just be patient."

"You're letting your anger get the best of you again," Assa added snappily.

Just then Finverior snapped his fingers. "Actually, I just remembered there was one other thing I wanted to ask you about, if that's okay with you."

"No! No more questions!" Naril shouted. "I want you to let me go right now! I'll even do you a courtesy and give you ten minutes to run out of town before I send Imperial soldiers after you!"

"Tell you what, Naril, I'll personally turn myself in if you can clear up this one last thing for me."

Naril hesitated, looking around the room as if trying to find some method of escape. Einarr could tell that the young dark elf was reluctant to answer any questions Finverior had, on account of fearing he'd get caught in a lie. But any refusal to answer could and would be seen as an admission of guilt in their eyes, and Naril knew that.

"Fine, what is it then?" Naril muttered, looking down at his own feet.

Finverior smiled reassuringly and leaned in closer to the Dunmer. "You're a courier, yes?"

Naril eyed his interrogator suspiciously. "Yes . . ."

"And I heard from a friend that you're stationed in Windhelm. In fact, you may not recognize her right now, but one of the women behind me is Thane there and has seen you before."

"He's personally delivered letters to my house before," Assa put in helpfully.

"What's the point?" Naril demanded impatiently.

"The point is that for the past two months, the Dragonborn's daughter has been living in Windhelm," Finverior clarified. "Do you mean to tell me that you've never once run into her?"

"I tend to stay where Ulfric designated where me and the rest of my people belong. In that cesspool everyone calls the Gray Quarter."

Finverior narrowed his eyes dangerously and pulled a folded piece of parchment out from one of his pockets. "Then why do I have this letter, written by Einarr's daughter, saying she was coming here to Solitude with her friend named Naril."

"Just because we have the same name doesn't mean that I'm the Naril she's speaking of."

Finverior turned his head an inch to the side, keeping his piercing amber eyes on the prisoner in front of him. "Assa, dear, you'd probably know the answer to this. Exactly how many citizens with the name Naril live in Windhelm?"

Assa crossed her arms and nodded her head to the column. "Only one, and you're looking at him.

"Maybe this Naril in the letter wasn't a citizen of Windhelm," Naril suggested, his voice becoming noticeably desperate. "You people are just looking for any excuse to convict me!"

"Then explain the Khaiit who says he saw and spoke to Einarr's daughter before she disappeared!" Finverior shouted, finally dropping his friendly demeanor. "According to him, she said she was traveling with a Dunmer and had purchased toys for two small boys."

"There are hundreds of Dunmer living in Skyrim. Do you know how common the name Naril is? Very!"

"All right, so here's what we know," Finn continued, ignoring Naril's outburst. "Einarr's daughter was heading to Solitude with a Dunmer named Naril and was last seen in Morthal. And here we have a Dunmer named Naril who hails from Windhelm, currently in possession of a dragonbone bow that was forged by Einarr and given to his daughter."

"I told you, I just picked it up near Morthal–"

"Morthal? Now I thought you said you found it near Rorikstead?"

Naril flinched and started to babble. "That's what I meant, you're just confusing me!"

"Are you confused because you're really lying and can't even keep your story straight?"

"No, I–"

"Because you really do know where Einarr's daughter is?"

"I'm telling you, I don't have anything to do with Kiraya's disappearance!"

And right there was his biggest mistake, one that everyone in the room, including Naril himself, noticed immediately. Einarr bared his teeth in a snarl and his pupils started to dilate in the beginning of his werewolf transformation. His canines started to elongate in his mouth and he didn't need to look down to know the hair on his arms was becoming coarser and thicker. His sister noticed the telltale signs of change that were coming upon him and dug her nails into his arm, using pain to drag his focus from his anger.

"Is this really the place to do that?" she whispered directly into his ear.

Einarr forced himself to calm down and felt his wolf recede into that dark corner of his mind once more. He had to keep his anger in check right now, especially with Assa in the room. Taking a few deep breaths, he watch Finverior get right up in Naril's face.

"That's strange, I don't think I recall ever mentioning her name. So how did you now it if you've never met her before, Naril?"

"Because, ugh, I– uhm, well–"

"It's because you did meet her, didn't you? You talked her into leaving Windhelm with you, because the Kiraya I know isn't the type to do something as dangerous and reckless as traveling all the way across the country without an adult! But when you reached Morthal you abandoned her and robbed her! Admit it, Naril!"

"I'll admit nothing because I did nothing!"

"Really?" Lassarina intervened then, her eyes cold and calculating. "Are you sure that's the testimony you want to stick with, Naril?"

The Dunmer stared st her, his entire body quivering as he remained silent.

Lassarina stared right back, her gaze unwavering, but after a few moments of complete silence she sighed heavily. "Very well, but just remember, I gave you a chance to confess." She moved toward the stairs and called out loudly, "Rune, bring what you found!"

Einarr kept his eyes focused on Naril as his sister walked back over, her footsteps barely audible despite the silence in the room. She stood beside Finverior in front of Naril, both of them with their arms cross.

"I knew the name because that kid you had lead me here said it right before I was captured!" Naril told them, fighting to get free, his chest heaving with panic.

"It doesn't change anything," Lassarina stated simply as she turned her gaze toward Rune, who had just reached the bottom of the stairs and was carrying a familiar looking pack in his arms.

"That's Kiraya's pack!" Einarr gasped, recognizing it instantly since he had been the one to help her make it.

"I took the liberty of sending a couple of my thieves down to your room at the Winking Skeever after we had captured you," Lassarina told Naril, taking the pack from Rune and thanking him. "This pack and all of its contents belong to Kiraya. Her clothing, books, quiver of dragonbone arrows, they're all in here, as well as two childrens toys she no doubt bought for a couple of little boys. Two toys, just like the ones the Khajiit merchant sold to her."

Naril's lips began to quiver as Lassarina spoke, but he remained silent still and she continued.

"There was also a diary inside. I'll bet you didn't know she kept one, huh, Naril? I'll bet you also didn't know that she writes in it every day if she's able. Now I wouldn't dare pry into my niece's private belongings, but I made an exception in this case and only read the last few passages she had written right before her disappearance. It just so happens that your name came up a lot, and she even wrote a nice little description of you. In her words, you actually seem like a nice guy."

Einarr scoffed and the hold on his patience finally slipped away. He decided he had enough of letting someone else handle this situation for him and stepped forward, shoving his sister and Finverior to the side. Naril managed to let out a shout of fear just before Einarr's hand closed around his throat.

"Enough of this!" he barked in the Dunmer's face. "You will tell me where my daughter is. Right now."

Naril made a choking sound, but no words came out. Assa had to step forward and glare at Einarr. "How do you expect him to answer you if you're choking him too hard to be able to speak?"

Einarr saw the reasoning in her words and loosened his grip just enough for Naril to be able to speak. "There. Now talk."

Naril sucked in a gasping breath and tired vainly to shake his head. "I don't know anything. That red-haired kid said her name to me! Her pack was with the bow!"

"Enough, Naril, it's over," Lassarina said with an exasperated sigh. "Even if you hadn't known her name, the evidence we have against you goes far beyond coincidence. It's best if you just give up and tell us what we want to know."

"No . . ."

"Come on, confess already! We know you're guilty!"

"I can't."

"You can't? Well guess what, I can't protect you from the wrath of the man currently gripping your throat if you don't answer. It's a damned miracle he's shown this much restraint."

As if to back-up her point, Einarr squeezed Naril's throat a little harder, making the Dunmer choke and struggle for air. After a few seconds of strangling, he eased up to allow his captive to speak.

"Please, you don't understand," Naril pleaded, tears streaming down his face. "I can't talk!"

"Nay, you can, you just chose not to," Lassarina spat at him.

"Please . . . they'll kill me."

Suddenly Vilkas spoke up behind them. "Wait, what did he say?"

Lassarina held up her hand to silence her husband and glared at Naril. "Einarr will kill you if you don't start talk soon."

"Love, wait just a moment," Vilkas interrupted again, walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Einarr saw his sister turn to glare at him out of the corner of his eye. ""Vilkas, I am handling this."

"Would you just trust me for a moment? Allow me a couple of moments with the lad, I think I know why he refuses to talk."

Lassarina turned to Einarr and they both shared a silent conversation, debating on whether or not to give Vilkas the chance to get Naril talking. Finally they both sighed in defeat and backed away, Naril letting out a strangled cry the very second Einarr released his throat. He made sure to growl right in the boys face before he walked away and joined his sister.

"Naril," Vilkas began gently, his voice soothing as he spoke to the sobbing Dunmer. "You said that if you talked, they would kill you. Who are they?"

Naril spoke his head and continued to cry. "No . . . I can't. She won't tolerate betrayal."

"Naril, we can protect you from whoever she is, but only if you tell us. Please, a little girl's life is on the line."

Vilkas fell silent and the only sound in the room was Naril soft moans of pain and misery. When the Dunmer kept shaking his head and refused to speak, Vilkas finally said:

"It's the Thalmor, isn't it?"

The look of pure terror that crosses Naril's face in that moment was enough to ensure that Vilkas was right, but it was almost nearly enough to make Einarr feel sorry for the poor sod. His entire body was trembling and his red eyes were so wide that they were practically bulging from out of his head.

"Please, you have to let this go!" Naril begged Vilkas. "If you retaliate against them or try and take her back, they'll all of us! She's mad with power and will do anything to keep it!"

Lassarina marched forward while Naril's panicked words spilled from his lips and stood in front of him, her body tense and slightly trembling. "You're talking about Elenwen, aren't you? That sadistic bitch has Kiraya?"

"What?" Einarr shouted, now even terrified for Kiraya's life than her was before. He had seen first hand what the cruel Thalmor Emissary was capable of after having rescued Lassarina from the Thalmor prison and had overheard her and Ulfric talking about the torture they endured at her hands.

"Where is she keeping her, Naril?" Lassarina demanded, grabbing Naril by the shoulders and shaking him roughly. "Where is that woman keeping my niece?!"

A shocking realization dawned on Naril then and he stared at the glamoured Lassarina with shock and awe. "You're her . . . You're the other Dragonborn; Lassarina Stormcloak. Then you know! You know what she is capable of! Please, Kiraya is safe so long as you don't interfere anymore! Elenwen is just using her as leverage! I promise you she's not in any danger!"

"You and I both know that's a lie!"

Naril's mouth snapped shut and his lips trembled as an unbearable guilt and sorrow flooded his features and the Dunmer began to cry all over again. Lassarina's words must have struck a chord with him and Einarr was digusted watching the boy wallow in his own emotional agony.

"I had to do as she commanded me," Naril said, his voice thick with tears. "You can't refuse her orders, you'll be made an example of if you do."

"Where is my daughter, Naril?" Einarr asked him again, his voice now pleading and desperate.

Naril shook his head slowly and smiled bitterly. "She was so trusting, never even suspected I had ulterior motives . . . If things had been different we actually could have been friends. Your daughter . . . she's too good for a world like this. So sweet and naive . . . I both admired her for it and feared for her. She's so brave too, willing to travel across the entire country all with the sole intent of seeing her best friend."

It pained Einarr to hear Naril speak of Kiraya in this way, mostly because he could hear true feeling and sentiment in his words. Even though he had betrayed Kiraya and sold her out to Elenwen, Naril had grown to care for her during the time they spent together. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he walked up to the restrained Dunmer, his sister stepping aside so he could place both his hands on his shoulders. Naril looked at him when he did that and must have been shocked to see Einarr's eyes watering.

"The way you speak of my daughter means you care about her," Einarr said. "So I'm begging you, as a man who only wants his daughter back safe and sound: Please tell me where she is, Naril."

Naril stared at him for a few moments, his mouth opening and closing several times in that span. Finally his body slackened beneath his touch and he leaned against the pillar, looking utterly defeated.

"North of Morthal, along the beach, there's a manor on a hill, at the base of a small mountain. You'll find Kiraya there, guarded by at least ten Thalmor soldiers."

Einarr let out a huge sigh of relief and squeezed Naril's shoulders. He was glad he had his daughters location now, but felt conflicted since now he had no idea what to do with Naril.

Lassarina came up to him then and looked at the Dunmer. "My daughter, she's only a baby, Elenwen took her from me a few months ago. Tell me, is my Lyanna there as well?"

Naril lifted his head a bit to look at Lassarina before shaking it. "No . . . Elenwen is keeping her somewhere else, but believe me when I tell you I do not know where. She only discloses information like that with people she trusts."

Einarr could see his sister's eyes shut tightly and pain course through her entire being at the news, but she sucked in a breath and forced herself to smile at him. "Well, at least now we know where Kiraya is. And maybe one of the soldiers there knows where Lyanna is."

Einarr smiled back at his sister and reached out to hug her. "Aye, maybe."

Vilkas stepped in then and held out his arms to take Lassarina into them and offer her more comfort than Einarr could. Once his sister was out of his embrace, he looked down at Naril and stared at him, Finverior walking over and voice the question in everyone's head.

"What do we do with him now?"

Assa was there with an answer almost immediately. "We can keep him as a prisoner of war. He'd serve his time and maybe after some time, he can be released and try and make up for his mistakes."

"It'll have to do for now," Einarr agreed, not having the heart to just kill Naril. "But for now, we have a rescue mission to plan."

He turned to face everyone in the room when suddenly the whole house shook and a familiar roar reached all of their ears, causing some to stiffen in fear while Einarr and Lassarina simply looked at one another knowingly. It was only moments later that someone noisily rushed down the stairs and a breathless Farkas came into view, pointing up at the ceiling and struggling to catch his breath.

"There's a dragon flying around the city," he told Einarr and Lassarina specifically.

"Aye, we figured," Lassarina sighed, checking her belt for her daggers and making for the stairs.

But Farkas stopped her. "Nay, you don't understand. It's not attacking."

Einarr arched a brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It's the dragon you captured. It's Odahviing."

Oh dear... Is that another famous Mirage cliffhanger? You're damn straight it is! I'm sorry (not sorry) that I leave you guys on the edge like this, but know it's only cause I love you all!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if I could ask you all for one favor and leave some reviews? Hearing from all of you really gets me motivated to write more and I'm in a bit of a writers funk lately. It can be your Christmas present to me!

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the holidays, may your christmas, hannukah, and/or kwanza be merry, and Happy Festivus for the rest of us!

Please make sure to Fave/Follow/Review and let me know what you think!

Love,

Mirage