It turned out I had no other choice than put that dress on, together with my leather cloak and step down the stairs to the bar at the ground floor of The End of The World. I was freezing in my odd outfit and could hardly prevent my hands from shaking when I approached the counter. Standing there, calmly sipping from a large goblet, was a tall well-built Nordic woman with a shiny red-blonde hair floating down her back. She was dressed in a brown and blue woollen shirt with a fur-collar, over a brown long skirt and gave me a curious look as I came closer.

"Ye look as if yer freezin´ Miss" she gave me a friendly smile, "C'mon `ave a Mead, it'll warm ya up." The woman nodded at the barkeep and gave me her hand.

"Anja Swift-Sailer, at yer service. Drink's on me tonight; me longboat's all ready by now, time te celebrate!"

I felt at ease hearing that Nordic tongue again, it reminded me of Sonya and thus my eyes filled with tears; the recent events rushed back upon me and my legs felt weak so I had to lean on the counter for support.

"Aye, lassie, wassup?" Anja grabbed my shoulders and led me to a chair and sat me down; really, she carried me to the seat, for my legs just bent under me and all went black for a minute. Anja pressed my head down between my knees in order to prevent me from fainting...and the blood slowly went back to my head again. I then tried the drink that was put in front of me and it really did warm me up a bit, but not as much as the friendly confident Nordic woman beside me.

Anja was very cheerful this afternoon; she was the proud owner of a small freight-company inherited from her father. This very day her new longboat had been delivered and now she could take passengers as well as freight. Unlike the open boats of the type, this one had a deck covering the hold and was powered by sails instead of oars. That made it easy for one person to operate in the islands off the north coast of Vvardenfell. We had a couple of drinks in the bar and I told her I was going to the Ahemmusa Camp. She offered to take me there by boat, which I welcomed. I just had to get myself some clothes first so she followed me to Heifnir the Trader. I bought some plain warm clothes that were also suitable to wear at the Camp. I had a feeling that it would be a mistake to appear at an Ashlander camp in Imperial finery; the Ashlander's antipathy toward the Empire was well known. If I were to have a chance with the nomadic Dunmer, the first impression would be critical.

Anja and I got on very well together; she was well liked throughout Dagon Fel and being with her granted me the same friendliness among the mostly Nordic population. We went to her house and she cooked me a hearty dinner as well as letting me use her washing-facility. I felt very good sitting in the large wooden barrel that she used as bathtub, deep down in hot water seasoned with Heather.

"Ye like ´aving a bath, lassie?" Anja smiled as she washed my back with a piece of sload-soap, "My, my ye´ve ´ad a good beatin´up I reckon, lots a bruises ´ere, them must be botherin´ya!"

I was still rather sore from the fight with that assassin in black armour, but the hot bath and Anja´s gentle rubbing of my back relaxed my tense muscles and eased the pain of the bruises.

Since Anja was kind enough to let me sleep on her couch that night I was rather refreshed when I woke up the following morning. No assassination-attempts disturbed my sleep. Just as the edge of the sun peeked over the horizon, we set sail on Anja´s new ship.

The sea was calm and clear this morning as we went south-east through the Dagon-Fel archipelago, small islands and pointy rocks were scattered along our route. I who could not take the sea did not get sea-sick at all; I enjoyed very much sitting on deck in the bright sunshine watching the surroundings. I did see a couple of cliff-racers though, which made me feel a bit uneasy!

We reached the location of the Ahemmusa Camp at sunset. The boat drew too much water to go near the shore so Anja took me there in a small dinghy. We parted on good terms and I had to promise to let her know next time I went to Dagon-Fel....so we could meet.

There I was now, all alone on a strange shore. According to a map Anja had made, the Ahemmusa Camp was right behind the hills in front of me. I enjoyed the beautiful landscape as I headed up the small hill, but was abruptly interrupted by a hoarse voice;

"Stay exactly where you are woman, or you may greet your ancestors on the other side."

I froze and held my breath, I berated myself for not being attentive; this was the wilderness and such behaviour could easily be fatal. I heard footsteps behind me and soon enough I was grabbed by the shoulder and briskly turned around, facing a young Dunmer with fiery red hair in two braids embracing an emotionless face. He aimed at me with an impressively big crossbow, circling around me, smirking;

"What are you doing here Imperial? You are not wanted in this area; its Ahemmusa land here, we want no interference.....Get out of here!"

I swallowed, cleared my throat and told him I had to speak to the Ahemmusa Wise Woman. Apparently he did not believe me, for he grumbled something, and spat on the ground deliberately near my feet. Still, he couldn't be sure, so he scowled and pushed me forward.

"Move it, outlander, let's see what our Gulakhan will say about this!"

I entered the Ahemmusa Camp as a prisoner, and was lead directly to a huge yurt surrounded by other huge yurts situated in a half-circle around a fireplace. There were not many people strolling around in the camp, and those who were did not pay any attention to me and my guard.

"Dutadalk, it's me Sallit, may I speak with you on a matter of great importance?" My guard announced before we could enter. A dark voice answered from inside; apparently granting the audience, for Sallit pushed me inside and followed tight behind.

The interior of the tent was simple but completely functional, a fireplace in the middle, a bedroll, some urns and sacks, even a small table and two chairs were standing on one side. Since the tent was circular all things were placed along the sides in circumference to the fireplace. It was rather dark inside; the tent was only lit by two minor lamps, one at the table and one hanging on the wall beside the bedroll.

The man who appeared out of the darker area was tall and skinny, but seemed rather friendly; he pushed his long black hair out of his eyes and looked curiously at us asking;

"What is it this time Sallit? Weren't you supposed to try and find those missing guars? What you have brought doesn't look like a guar to me....."

"Gulakhan Dutadalk, I found this Imperial walking on the shore. What shall we do with her?"

"I ...." That was as far as I got before Sallit hit me hard in the face and I tasted blood. Fury at the blow rose up in me, but I did not say anything. My mission was too important, and I knew that I had to succeed.

"No need for that!" the Gulakhan snapped at Sallit, "Let her talk!"

"I would like to speak with the Ahemmusa Wise Woman," I said, "I have this letter of introduction."

I took out the piece of parchment Imsin had given me and showed the Gulakhan. He turned away from me grumbling, trying to pretend not to see it. Instead he told Sallit to take me to the Wise Woman's yurt. Sallit started to protest but was immediately given a sign to be quiet.

The Wise Woman's yurt was considerably bigger than the others, and was situated outside the main circle of yurts in splendid solitude to mark the importance of its inhabitant.

Sallit just pushed me forwards and told me to enter, and then he disappeared. I hesitated for a moment, and then went inside. When my eyes got used to the darkness I noticed that this yurt was like and yet not like the Gulakhan´s yurt. It was bigger; the walls were covered with beautiful pieces of tapestry, woven in intricate patterns in dark earthy colours, and the floor had lots of carpets, lying almost on top of each other, in order to entirely cover the ground. Behind a screen I noticed a bedroll, a lamp and some books. Big urns were standing around the walls and there were also a chest of drawers, with some alchemical equipment on top.

But most conspicuous was the woman who came towards me, a tall slender woman with a noticeably fair complexion for being a Dunmeri, dark red eyes and silver hair, clad in a shirt that was like a piece of art, made from softest leather, embroidered throughout its front, with pearls, precious stones and cliff racer plumes put together in an intricate pattern. I was stunned and it took a second or two before I noticed the woman was talking to me, in a melodious voice.

"You wish to speak with me?" I then looked at her face; there was something familiar about that face, as if I actually knew her.....

"I greet you, Wise Woman of the Ahemmusa," I said bowing my head out of courtesy, "I have been sent to you, and I have this letter, issued by Imsin The Dreamer of Fort Buckmoth."

I handed her the letter, still not knowing what was so familiar about her. She took it but did not open it; instead she looked straight into my eyes, took my hand and said;

"The Ahemmusa welcome you, Serene."

Her hand touching mine sent a whirling sensation right through me and then I knew where I'd met her before......