Chapter 44: News from the Thalmor?
[10thof Second Seed – 11thof Midyear 4E 202]
Of course we also took our time to talk to Lydia and Inigo; after all, they wanted to know more about the two girls, and we wanted to learn if they had managed to help Onmund in retrieving his family heirloom.
Lydia elaborated: "Oh, yes, that one. Well, it turned out to be not too difficult. We found Enthir's 'Grand Staff of Charming' without big problems, and Enthir gave back Onmund's amulet without hesitation when we returned. But without us, Onmund probably would not have managed. We really need to train the mage students in combat more frequently, so that they are getting used to survival under rough conditions out there."
"Yes, indeed, you are right," I replied, "but this should be up to Tolfdir and the other senior mages to decide."
For the next days and weeks, we fell back into an easy routine of learning and practicing, with a few idle days in between. Despite the cold, staying here at the college was nice, and besides some spells I did have my wonderful Khajiit wife to get warmed up. During that time we could see Marine talking a lot with J'zargo, and we understood that J'zargo wanted her to assist with testing some of his special and custom made spell scrolls. At one of those times Marine obviously was angrily complaining about something:
"Hey, you poor excuse for a Khajiit, your last spell scroll singed my hair and left some burns on my arms when I used it!"
"Ah. No, that was not supposed to happen. But... J'zargo is pleased to see that you are here, and not in pieces!"
"You better be pleased, and you owe me now!"
I got the feeling that those two were really a match for each other, and I could not help smiling when thinking about that. Later on I heard from Glacier that the Khajiit had to 'pay' by helping Marine to learn some other spells and also by serving as practice target for the girl's own spells multiple times.
Eventually, once we had spent a few nice weeks at the college, a courier came and brought news from M'lissa. Naturally, the message did not have any details, but she suggested to meet in Riverside Lodge a week from now. We were quite eager to learn if M'lissa had been able to achieve something regarding the planned raid of the Thalmor embassy, and thus we decided to leave for Whiterun day after tomorrow. The 'Dovahtwin' girls had just started their studies and so we left them here, same with Inigo and Lydia. However, it turned out that Nirya, the Altmer sorceress, also had business in Whiterun, and so we decided to travel together.
We did not have any other business in the area and actually managed to hire a carriage this time. In two days it took us easily to Whiterun without any major interruptions – no dragons, just a few unlucky bandits. We left Nirya to her tasks, which included visiting Farengar, and used the remaining few hours of daylight to walk to our cozy home, Riverside Lodge. M'lissa had not yet arrived, but we were welcomed by Jordis and Iona.
Only a few days later M'lissa came to our home, late in the evening. She was too tired to talk, but she gave us the news on the next day:
"First things first: Job done. Although it was not an easy task at all, a few of us managed to break into the Thalmor embassy, and they were only detected when they had collected all of what they needed and wanted. The Thalmor never found out what hit them, though, and we were never fully seen and identified."
M'lissa handed over a bag and continued: "The bag has all of the documents we found. This seems to be mostly dossiers on all kind of topics, like Ulfric, the Dragonborn, spies, and Talos worshippers. Interesting reading, I should guess. We found a lot of loot, and most of that has gone to the fences already. I have to admit that this job contributed a lot towards filling our coffins, and at least personally I was glad to rob the Thalmor. Let me know again when you have a similar job available!"
"Before I forget," the Khajiit added, "we also set a small number of prisoners free. One of them mumbled something about a guy called 'Esbern' who might be hiding in the Riften Ratway. Well, with me being in charge of the guild, I of course know of Esbern, and he has a room, more like a hiding place, deep down in the Ratway Warrens. If you want to visit him, just let me know and I will gladly guide you there."
T'mara and I spent a few hours browsing through the documents and dossiers. While M'lissa accepted our offer to rest for a day or two, we went to Riverwood to meet Delphine. After a leisurely walk and saying hello to some of our friends in Riverwood, we went into the inn and looked for Delphine. When she noticed that we had some news, she asked us down into her basement room, and then she asked:
"Got any news from the Thalmor?"
T'mara answered this: "Yes, we do. First things first: The Thalmor know nothing about the dragons."
"Really? That seems hard to believe. You're sure about that?"
"Why did you want us to get the information if you weren't going to believe us?"
"You're right, you're right. I just... I was sure it must have been them. If not the Thalmor, who? Or... what?"
"Actually, the Thalmor seem to be looking for someone named Esbern."
"Esbern? He's alive? I thought the Thalmor must have got him years ago. That crazy old man... Figures the Thalmor would be on his trail, though, if they were trying to find out what's going on with the dragons."
"What would the Thalmor want with Esbern?"
"You mean, aside from wanting to kill every Blade they can lay their hands on? Esbern was one of the Blades archivists, back before the Thalmor smashed us during the Great War. He knew almost everything about the ancient dragonlore of the Blades. Obsessed with it, really. Nobody paid much attention to him back then. I guess he wasn't as crazy as we all thought. Anyway, we've got to find Esbern before they do. He'll know how to stop the dragons if anybody does. Do they know where he is?"
"Yes, it appears that he may be hiding out in Riften, in the Ratway."
"OK – when you find Esbern... if you think I'm paranoid... you may have some trouble getting him to trust you. Just ask him where he was on the 30th of Frostfall. He'll know what it means."
I was curious now: "You do not want to come with us?"
"No," Delphine responded, "I am afraid that I might draw too much attention to us if I joined you for that. Can you meet me here again, please, when you have found Esbern?"
After looking at T'mara and seeing her nodding I agreed and we took our leave from Delphine. Outside of the inn Dorthe and Frodnar played with the boy's dog, and they happily waved towards us. We stayed a few minutes and chatted with them, and then we walked back to Riverside Lodge. As we enjoyed the early summer scenery with lots of flowers competing with each other, butterflies swirling around them, fish abundant in the river, and nice smells from grass, flowers, and trees all around, we took much longer than usual, but we were not in a hurry and happily ambulated in the nice summer afternoon, with Skyrim showing one of the best sides.
We managed to just arrive in time for supper, which we took on the porch. When M'lissa heard that we were actually planing to get to Riften, she said:
"Great – so let's travel to Riften together and delve deep into the Ratway Warrens. I have not been down there for quite some time, and maybe we will find some fun and adventure there together?"
"Maybe we will." I replied. "I would not be surprised at all to find out that the Thalmor got wind of his hiding place and also tried to get to Esbern. If they actually did, there might be a fight waiting for us!"
"Yes, but a fight does not exclude fun. The Thalmor better not try to infiltrate the 'Ragged Flagon' just to get to the Ratway Warrens!" M'lissa stated firmly. "If they try to do that, we will show them who is in control there, right?"
Very early in the next morning the three of us – M'lissa, Master of the Thieves Guild, T'mara, my lovely Khajiit wife and Dragonborn, and myself hurried towards the Whiterun stables to catch the morning carriage towards Riften. We found Sigaar, who had just delivered a few travelers from Riften on the day before and was eager to get back there. We had met him before, and he was quite happy to drive us again:
"Folks, happy to take you again. With you guys I know at least that I do not have to worry about bandits or dragons! Get right in, and we'll see how far we get today."
For most of the year the ride from Whiterun to Riften was done in two days, but in summer, when the sun was up for so long, carriage drivers sometimes left early in the morning and attempted to arrive in Riften just at dusk, at least when the carriage was not fully loaded. There were no other passengers, and consequently Sigaar asked:
"What do you think? Are you up for a full day tedious drive with late arrival, or would you rather take it easy and stop in Ivarstead overnight?"
We all opted for the first option and started off right away. Bran ran along, and Pammy and Edric were sometimes summoned to help scouting; with that kind of cover no bandit even tried to approach and we had an uninterrupted drive. Just before dusk we arrived in Riften, and we gave Sigaar some extra tip for his effort. We decided to search the Ratway Warrens on the next day, and once M'lissa went down towards the Guild quarters, T'mara and I retired to our comfortable bed in 'Honeyside'.
Well rested after a relaxed sleep together, we made our way to the 'Ragged Flagon' early in the next morning, quickly traversing the Ratway passage from the city. M'lissa already waited for us there and eagerly informed us:
"Looks like some Thalmor were already here and forced their way into the Warrens recently. Delvin, Brynjolf, Vex, and Sapphire will stay here and make sure that they don't get out alive, and we will go down now."
I nodded, and we quietly opened the door to the Ratway Tunnels. Rather than quickly proceeding onward, though, I sent Bran and Pammy ahead, and they soon flashed out a lone Thalmor soldier, who was probably left here to stand guard. The Altmer hissed some insults, but was quickly subdued and killed. Pammy was, after all, more than capable to handle a lone enemy on her own., Thalmor or no Thalmor.
Carefully we sneaked down the winding corridors. Foul smell was everywhere; we found a few corpses and dead skeevers, and I joked: "M'lissa, tell us, when was the last cleaning done down here?"
Curiously, no further Thalmor showed up, and we found the entry to the lowest level. Searching around for some time M'lissa finally identified a sturdy looking door; we got close to it and I knocked.
"Go away!" A voice shouted from inside.
"Esbern? Open the door. We are friends." I shouted back.
"What?! No, that's not me. I'm not Esbern. I don't know what you're talking about."
"It's okay. Delphine sent us."
"Delphine? How do you... so you've finally found her, and she led you to me. And here I am, caught like a rat in a trap."
"The Thalmor have found you. You need to get out of here."
"Oh, how reassuring! Most likely you're with the Thalmor and this is just a trick to get me to open the door!"
"No, Delphine needs your help to stop the dragons. Delphine said to 'remember the 30th of Frostfall.'"
"Ah. Indeed, indeed. I do remember. Delphine really is alive, then? You'd better come in then and tell me how you found me and what you want."
We heard some noise from inside; obviously Esbern had barred the door heavily and needed some time to get it open; we could hear him saying:
"This'll just take a moment… This one always sticks... there we go. Come in, come in! Make yourselves at home."
The three of us entered his room, and he locked the door behind us right away. Esbern looked at us and commented:
"Two female Khajiit and a male Nord – interesting combination."
T'mara hissed: "I hope that this is not meant an an insult!"
"No, no, not at all, I am just surprised!" he was quick to reply, and continued:
"So Delphine keeps up the fight, after all these years. I thought she'd have realized it's hopeless by now. I tried to tell her, years ago..."
I was not sure if it was wise to discuss details here and thus intervened: "The Thalmor have found you. We have to get out of here!"
"Yes, yes, so you said. But so what? The end is upon us. I may as well die here as anywhere else. I'm tired of running."
"What do you mean, 'the end is upon us'?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet? What more needs to happen before you all wake up and see what's going on? Alduin has returned, just like the prophecy said! The Dragon from the dawn of time, who devours the souls of the dead! No one can escape his hunger, here or in the afterlife! Alduin will devour all things and the world will end. Nothing can stop him, only a Dragonborn. But no Dragonborn has been known for centuries. It seems the gods have grown tired of us. They've left us to our fate, as the plaything of Alduin the World-Eater."
T'mara now jumped in: "It's not hopeless, Esbern. I'm Dragonborn."
"What? You're... can it really be true? Dragonborn? Then... then there is hope! The gods have not abandoned us! We must... we must... We must go, quickly now. Take me to Delphine. We have much to discuss."
Finally we were all on the same page. Esbern hastened to pack what he wanted to take with him, and he was done within a few minutes. However, just a couple of minutes after we had left Esbern's hideout, we were challenged by a group of Thalmor who had somehow managed to stay hidden before. Fortunately they gave us time to prepare for fighting as they decided to hurl some insults in our direction prior to attacking. As they were standing very close together, T'mara shouted a 'YOL' at them right before they could cast spells, and this hurt them enough to enable us to get close and hit them. Esbern actually turned out to be a very capable fighter, to my surprise, but with him being a former Blade, I should have rather expected that. Between the four of us, aided by Bran and Pammy, we managed to defeat the Thalmor quickly and without major injuries.
After leaving the Ratway area, we took our leave from M'lissa, thanked her for her assistance, and started our trip to Riverwood. Except for a dragon encounter, which enabled Esbern to see that my wife was indeed the Dragonborn, we got there a couple of days later and went to see Delphine right away, and she lead us into the basement. Once we were all there and she closed the door, Delphine first welcomed Esbern:
"Esbern, it is so good to see that you actually survived! I thought that I am the last Blade, but you might give us a chance to plan further ahead."
Esbern replied: "It is also good to see you, Delphine. I had given up hope when I heard about Alduin's return, but encountering the Dragonborn has revived me. There might be a few other options, but I believe that we should try to locate Alduin's Wall – this might provide some hints on how to defeat the World-Eater."
T'mara looked at him: "What is Alduin's Wall? I have never heard about that."
Esbern responded: "Alduin's Wall was created by the ancient Akaviri Dragonguard, the forerunners of the Blades. It is one of the lost secrets of the Blades, where they recorded all they knew of Alduin and his return. Part of it is history, another part is prophecy. Its location was lost for centuries, but I know where it is: Sky Haven Temple, an ancient Blades sanctuary, hidden within the crags of the Reach."
I cut in: "And where exactly would that Sky Haven Temple be?"
Delphine answered this one: "I know the area of the Reach that Esbern's talking about. Near what's nowadays known as Karthspire, in the Karth River canyon. We can meet you there, or all travel together – your call."
I looked at T'mara, and she replied: "Well, we are all together here, and we do not have any other urgent appointments at this time, so why don't we travel there together, and we can talk a little more. What's the best way to get there?"
"From here?" Delphine replied. "The road south through Falkreath is the most direct route. Or you could catch the carriage from Whiterun to Markarth and then approach from the west. Either way, the Reach is wild country these days. The Forsworn are everywhere. We need to be careful. Are you ready to go?"
We nodded, and I confirmed: "Always. Let's go see if we can find this Sky Haven Temple."
We all voted for walking rather than taking the carriage, and Delphine helped us to restock our supplies. Rather than actually passing the city of Falkreath, though, we opted to follow the scenic road along Lake Ilinalta. Esbern had been holed up underground for a long time, and he enjoyed to be strolling along in the open again, especially in pleasant Skyrim summer. We were lucky and got a sunny day to start, and as soon as we had descended to the lake, Esbern slowed down and took his time to look around. Delphine was sometimes trying to rush us:
"Esbern, come on, we don't have time to lose!"
However, both T'mara and I took Esbern's side and insisted that there was no reason to hurry. Colorful water lilies and other flowers decorated the lake's shore, dragonflies and butterflies swirled around them, and the occasional rabbit and fox ran away from us through the dense grass. The clear lake water seemed to beckon us to relax and maybe go swimming even.
T'mara could not avoid sighing:
"Skyrim is so beautiful, at least in this time of the year. Can we not forget about the dragons for some time and just relax and enjoy and maybe go for a swim?"
Delphine immediately objected dryly: "Alduin is not going to wait – no time to dawdle!"
However, I took my wife's side: "Come on Delphine, we are all human – well, or Khajiit, of course – and we can't focus on work all of the time. Actually, right now, I am also thinking about something else which is even prettier than all of the flowers around here!"
I pulled T'mara into my arms and gave her a tight hug and a hot long kiss, and I felt her melting into my arms.
Delphine shook her head: "I can't believe it. Alduin is around, the world is threatened by annihilation, and while we are hurrying to find vital information, and the two of you have nothing better to do than making out."
Esbern just smiled and said: "Get a room, you two!"
I replied with a smirk: "You can be sure that we will do that in the next inn. By the way, if I had a choice, I would follow the motto 'Make love, not war'!"
"Yeah, as if Alduin would be willing to adopt that..." Delphine mumbled.
Despite the friendly bantering, we walked more quickly now, and as the daylight period started early and ended quite late in summer, we expected to make it to 'Old Hroldan Inn' today. As a matter of fact, we took our lunch break just a little bit after noontime close to the town 'Granite Hill', enjoying the view across the Whiterun Plains to the northeast. T'mara and I had been here once or twice and chatted for a few minutes with the locals, before Delphine urged us to get on the road again.
"Remind me to not travel with this slave driver of a Nord next time", T'mara whispered in my direction when Delphine was way ahead of us. Esbern was happy to take it easy, and we used the time to tell him about how we had met and about some adventures we had experienced so far. We also told him about the twin cousins we had found in Riften – or rather who had found us there – and who claimed that they were not from Nirn, and he mumbled something like:
"Yes, yes, I have heard or read somewhere that Akatosh sometimes gets people to travel between different universes or so, quite interesting, need to learn more about it."
A group of bandits had taken the area where the road to Old Hroldan branched off the main road as waypoint for robbing travelers, and although we had Bran and Pammy scouting ahead, Delphine encountered them first as she was way ahead of us. Rather than retreating and waiting for us, the brave woman charged, totally surprising the bandits – they could not understand why a single traveler would dare to actually attack them, a group of six or seven. Delphine was a fierce warrior, but the bandits had a few additional archers hidden in the bushes, and soon the Breton was in trouble. Fortunately, both Bran and Pammy as well as Edric came down on the bandits now; Esbern and T'mara also raced forward, whereas I used my crossbow from a larger distance, out of the bandits' bow range. This turned the tide, and the outlaws suddenly found themselves defending rather than attacking; Delphine used their confusion to kill a few more of them, and Esbern and T'mara took care of the last ones. Delphine uttered:
"Bandits against Blades – who do they think they are?"
I decided to not point out the fact that she would have been in trouble without our support; tehre was no reason to antagonize the fierce Breton woman. We healed the few minor injuries mostly on Delphine's body, collected the best loot and finally made our way to the inn. The two Blades decided to share a room, as they wanted to talk about 'internal business', and T'mara and I got the room we had had the last time - 'Tiber Septims's room'. While we had dinner in the taproom, T'mara and I told the story about the ghost we had encountered here in the inn some time ago.
Later, when we were alone in our room, T'mara whispered seductively:
"There is something else I recall related to this inn here."
I raised my brows and pretended to think about that: "Hm, the soft bed? Great Breakfast? Nice view outside?"
T'mara playfully kicked my ribs, and I admitted: "Oh yes, we had quite a busy night, at least until we were interrupted by that ghost."
"Yes, we had, my dear" my wife purred, "and as a highlight you got quite a large hickey on your neck!"
I shuddered: "I recall that you left the room when you noticed that in the morning!"
"Yes, I did," she continued, "but looking back and thinking about it again, I like the idea and wold like to repeat the procedure – what do you think?"
I pretended to hesitate: "Can we maybe just do the lovemaking without the hickey?"
"No, no way," T'mara vehemently denied my request, "either you take both or none – chose wisely!"
Rather than answering I started to remove her armor and sighed: "Well, if you put it like that...".
[Authors' Notes: The slogan 'Make love, not war' stems back to the late 1960s, I believe, and was either invented or at least made well known by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The motto kind of fits my hero who would rather live in peace with everybody, but does not get the chance.]
