Chapter Twenty-Five

"Now can you tell me how they could simply not show up?!" I turn on Danders as soon as the door to our room closes. It had been a horribly long night; I was beyond exhausted and my feet were in severe pain. Worse, I had nothing to bring back to Mal except bad news.

"I might, but I doubt you wanna hear it," he said simply as he took off his jacket. He threw it on the bed and then closed the heavy curtains of the window.

"What exactly does that mean?" I asked carefully.

"They didn't show up and they didn't warn me they wouldn't be showing up. Chances are…" he took a heavy sigh and continued, "Chances are they were figured out and captured."

"No….no. That couldn't have happened," I shook my hands as if I were trying to shove away the idea. "Do you know why that couldn't have happened? Because this was supposed to be an easy job! It was supposed to be laid out in front of me and I was supposed to go back to Mal and prove that it wasn't a big deal!"

"Mal? Is that the hairy Imperial?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Yes, the hairy Imperial. He's my General."

"Let me guess: This Mal told you that he thought you couldn't handle such a dauntless task."

"Actually, he told me he didn't want me to do it. He worried it would be too dangerous," I laughed at the irony.

Danders cringed, "And I bet that only fueled your fire worse. I must not be the only one who falls for a hardheaded woman, then."

"Danders," I warned.

"What? Did you think I couldn't see it? I don't hold any grudge against ya, Miss Emi. Last you heard I didn't want to see you again. At the time I truly meant it, too. But now we've found each other again. Don't you think that means something?"

"Do I think it means something? Yes, Danders, I think Mara is personally screwing with us simply for giggles."

A sly smile spread across Danders face. Despite myself, I couldn't help but admire the very slight blonde stubble that had started to make an appearance. His smile grew wider as if he could tell I was chastising myself for my thoughts.

"You've certainly grew a bit more fire in your belly since the last time we've met, haven't you?"

"Would you mind explaining yourself?" I questioned him through narrowed eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, you've never been timid. However, the Emerald I knew did the best she could to mind her manners, even if it meant nearly biting her tongue off. It's difficult for me to believe, but I like you even better this way."

Up until this point, he had remained next to the window. He suddenly started walking towards me and then softly placed a hand on each of my arms.

Very solemnly, with a heavy look on his face I had only seen once or twice before, he asked, "Have you had to let any arrows fly?"

I looked him in the eyes and could see all the concern they held for me. How much had I really changed so much in this short time? I flinched as I recollected my grief over the man-beast, but my carelessness as a bandit bled out at my feet.

"I've been depending more on daggers, to be honest," I replied in a cooler tone than I meant.

"You're strong, Miss Emi. Very strong." He leaned down and kissed me gently on the forehead. "Let's save that strength for tomorrow. That Mal fellow won't be too enthused with your information."

"Please don't remind me," I sighed.

Danders plopped down on the hard mattress and kicked his feet up. I slapped at his dirty boots and said, "Are you not even going to offer the bed to a lady, Mr. Greensley?"

He tilted his head back in laughter. "Because we lay next to one another on a bed of hay doesn't mean we're courting, Miss Emi. Or is this about the General?"

"This had nothing to do with the General," I argued. His only response to this was stretching his lovely smile wider. "It doesn't!"

He laughed at me again until I finally gave up and sat down on the bed next to him.

"I don't have anything to change into," I sighed and gestured at the green silk dress that I was quickly beginning to tire of. "I hadn't realized I would be staying the night."

Without a word, Danders got up from the bed and walked over to a knapsack sitting on the dresser. He tossed some clothes at me and said, "I know I never got the others back, but I guess I'll let you borrow these."

"Am I supposed to change in front of you too," I grinned at him.

"Now you know well enough that I'm going to give you your privacy, you silly girl. I'll run down and see about getting us some food and wine." With another dashing smile, he was out of the room and down the hall.

I sat by myself in the room and realized it was the first time I had been alone since I crossed the border into Elsweyr. I suddenly feel an aching loneliness deep in my soul. As I dress, my thoughts wonder to Jurgis Wind-Shifter. He and Frelene would be halfway to Skyrim by now. I hadn't even asked Mal how he was handling seeing the man who practically raised him leave his side. He was right, we all had our challenges and I've been self-absorbed not taking that into consideration.

When Danders returned, I was sitting on the bed and wallowing in my self-pity. I wasn't crying; I hadn't cried since the time Mal coaxed it out of me. Once he saw me sitting there, he put the plate piled high of food onto the dresser and uncorked both the bottles of wine he had grasped in one large hand. Without a word, he handed me an entire bottle of Tamika and began drinking from his own.

"It's not gonna get any easier," he sighed between lengthy sips of wine.

"I know."

"You can still get out."

"So can you," I countered.

"We can go back to Dasek Moor. Hell, we can go to Morrowind for all I care. We can grow old together. We can get out of this shroud of death around us."

I took a swig of the wine and said, "I know too much now to ever truly escape this, Danders."

"What do you mean?"

"For example, I've learned that my great-grandfather is alive…in a sense." I continued on explaining to him about Ravenwood, and then continued on telling him the overview of my journey since I last saw him. He told me how angry he was with his grandmother when he learned that she sent me to be recruited by the White-Gold Rebellion. He knew I wouldn't be safe with them and feared he would never find his way back to me.

Yet here we were, brought back together again by the very thing that I thought would take me further from him. Perhaps he was right? Perhaps this was a sign from the gods? But a sign for what?

After finishing up our bottles, we lounged on the bed next to each other and nibbled on the food he had brought up.

"What are you going to do now?" I ask. "Are you going to continue…whatever it's called that you're doing? I mean, now that the spy has been caught are you worried that you'll be compromised as well?"

He took a moment to think and then said, "I'll proceed with caution. If I haven't been compromised, but I lay low anyways then I'll appear suspicious. It's best if I stay as involved as I can to prepare for the next spy they send in."

"You think they'll have someone else go in there?!"

"Do you think this one is the first, Miss Emi? There have been three this year. Now four. They also cycle men like me through the cities. I was leaving Anvil when I first met ya." He fiddled with a piece of cheese and then said, "Honestly, with everything you've told me, I wouldn't be surprised if the Council request for you to be the next to infiltrate the Aldmeri Dominion."