Disclaimer: What's Bethesda's is theirs, etc. Stories might not be in chronological order.


Making Excuses

Kodlak Whitemane, Harbinger of the Companions, was dead. The Emperor and the jarls had left Whiterun two weeks ago, but there were still plenty of strangers in the city and surrounding areas. The Whiterun City Guards failed to note the purposeful gathering of a random assortment of armored visitors until too late. Although, to be fair, no one had expected an organized, hostile strike against the Companion's Hall of Jorrvaskr.

They'd escaped through a hidden tunnel beneath the Skyforge, a defense weakness unknown to the guards until now.

Farkas had come to see Revyn at Honningbrew to seek his help to put together a credible explanation to the Jarl and to the public about Jorrvaskr's tunnel. Vilkas and Nicky were out hunting for the relics stolen from Jorrvaskr. That left Aela and Farkas to regroup the Companions, many who had been everywhere else in the city and the surrounding countryside helping the city guards with security since the Indorils had left with Jarl Laila of The Rift and Julian Victor's Wolf Teeth mercenaries had left when their contract had ended. Companion Aela was out hunting for any Silver Hand still in the area. For all her intelligence, she was still too blindingly angry for reasoned coherency, and so it was left to "ice-brain" Farkas to defend the Companions against public opinion.

Jarl Balgruuf wanted answers of this egregious breech in his city's defense that the public now knew about. As Jarl, he had known of this tunnel; it had been trusted by himself and the past Jarls of Whiterun that the Companions would be responsible to guard this gate. They had failed, and he needed to know why.

Suddenly, "tradition" was a piss-poor excuse from the Companions, even for tradition-loving Nords.

"A reasonable assumption would be that this was meant to be an escape tunnel," said Revyn. "Its proximity to the palace would indicate the jarl's court would have access as the point was guarded on one end by the Companions who would ensure escape. The other end was at Battle-Born land, one of the founding families and, presumably, loyal to the Jarl. It's been centuries since the city was so threatened that the emergency contingency was never used and has been largely forgotten. The Harbinger and Inner Circle know, of course. But, as Whiterun has never been so threatened in centuries, beg the sin of complacency.

"Point out that the attackers were not a threat to Whiterun, but, obviously, only to the Companions. They came with weapons to attack and kill anyone who tried to stop them from taking the relics the Companions had been collecting. Wuulfrad. Ysgramor's axe. Your heritage. The heritage of all Nords.

"And so they murdered Harbinger Kodlak Whitemane. Also killed were Vignar Gray-Mane and his manservant, two young initiates, and the housekeeper.

"The Silver Hands claim the noble cause of hunting monsters, werewolves specifically. But time and again they've proved themselves no better than brigands. My wife can attest to having infiltrated their camps when asked to search for missing people. They catch werewolves, yes, but she's found plenty of non-were bodies dead from torture as these self-claimed heroes tried to make them confess to being beasts.

"They think themselves the peers of the Dawnguard and the Vigilants of Stendarr. Yet, when the call was put out to fight the vampires, the Silver Hands were absent. The claim of the Silver Hands that the Companions are werewolves and monsters by the reasoning that the Companions wear wolf totems on their armor, are therefore baseless."

Farkas shook his head, looking lost. "I can't say all that."

"Take a deep breath, Farkas, and relax. We'll practice the answers step by step. First of all, think of this as a shield exercise. This is defense work, not attack. You're absorbing the force of the blow or deflecting. Now, let's start with the first possible angle of attack . . ."

X—X—X—X—X

"Even if he had to hold a piece of paper of key points while he spoke, Farkas did well," said Amalie, hugging Revyn. "Thank you."

"My pleasure to help. It's not much different from what I've often done with Helsette. Though with her, it's political and social fencing and financial traps. Farkas was perfect for this. It wasn't polish the audience needed, but words from the heart and he delivered."

Amalie nodded. "Have you found anything else about these Silver Hand bastards?" she asked.

"Nothing new other that what I've already told you. It's fortunate Nicky knows the layout of Driftshade Refuge for having emptied it of the bandits on an earlier Companion contract.

"Ah, and I did get a message back from Isran. He has no respect for the Silver Hands. He is sending two whom he thinks may be able to help with hunting the remaining groups once the main group has been dealt with. One is Gunmar, an interesting fellow I've met before. I believe he's being sent from some sort of dark humor of Isran's because Gunmar is an animal trainer. The other is Florentius, a priest of Arkay. Helsette says he is an amusing fellow whose spends half his time talking with Arkay. And, of course, there is Serana, but she is soon to leave for Winterhold where she will pose as the Archimage Dragonborn while Helsette rests at Goldenglow."

"Will you be here when they come?"

"I'm afraid not. I have to return to Windhelm. Ulfric wants now to deal with Thane Gilder. This time, it's my turn to sift through Gilder's papers to discover what plots he is involved in. And I'm very afraid Ulfric may make good his threat to make me a thane."

"So you're not going to get a chance to be with Helsette at Goldenglow? Oh, that's sad. Helsette says she barely gets a chance to be with you more than two weeks before something comes up, and then it's weeks or even months before you get together again.

"All right, go back to Windhelm. But you will tell your Jarl that you will be attending your wife when the time comes. No excuses. We're already sending word to the rest of the family so you will be there to meet them, or we march on Windhelm."

Revyn couldn't help but grin as he imagined Ulfric facing off against General Inanna, Helsette's mother.

"Oh, the Family," he said, his grin fading. "Mayhap a decision will finally be made about the three Maormer ladies and their children? I cannot continued to keep them confined. They have been patient, but it is still imprisonment no matter how pleasant we endeavor to make their current residence. It was an easy enough excuse that they didn't know any language beyond their own, but their instructors tell me they've dedicated themselves quite well and can both speak and read Common, even a little bit of Dunmeris."

"Oh, dear. Of course, you're correct. And the Morgiah cousin. We need a lot more details. A raid into Auridon to rescue our cousins isn't an easy thing. Aunt Inanna is good at planning overland campaigns, but naval maneuvers is not her strong point. None of us have any experience against the Altmeri navy."

"One of the Maormer ladies is a naval mage," said Revyn. He and Amalie exchanged glances. "Of course, that doesn't mean she's an expert on naval combat. And the Maormer navy hasn't left the mists since the Third Era." He sighed. "I'll try talking again to her."

"Perhaps it's time they meet more of the family," said Amalie. "Once Helsette relaxes a bit more and is more reasonable about carrying a babe, we can make a quick trip up there and introduce ourselves to our new family members. Reconciling Maormer cousins to an Altmer cousin shouldn't be all on you."

"Thank you. I gladly turn that problem over to you. But good luck with keeping Helsette in place," chuckled Revyn.

"Yes, well, fool us once. She'll not be running away again to go adventuring any time soon.

"Speaking of running away, I don't suppose you've heard anything from Taliesin, have you? We're all worried because none of our contacts in Morrowind have heard anything."

Revyn shook his head. "No. All I can say is he's not yet joined the Ancestors."

"Oh. But he worships Zenithar and Akatosh like the rest of us."

"Even so, his passing would be noted by his Dunmer Ancestors."

X—X—X—X—X

"She cannot chase after dragons if she with child," said Jarl Balgruuf. "Have you any plans to cover for this?" His tone actually said, "You'd better have plans to cover for this."

"I do, my Jarl. Selrun has agreed to reprise his former role as dragon hunter and will lead hunters of his training. I expect Cousin Nicky, when he returns, will also take part. Now that he's proven a Tongue, he will need the practice, and I am sure the Companions will assist him. As for an excuse why the Dragonborn is not hunting, she has matters at Winterhold to deal with. She's been five-years in unceasing battle with Dragons and their undead priests. Even the Dragonborn needs time away from the battlefield to recover and re-asses her strategies. Also, as the Archimage, she does have duties that cannot be neglected."

The Jarl grunted, not a happy sound. "A risky excuse, and one that my countrymen will barely find acceptable."

"Because it's magic business, yes, we are aware."

"I understand you not wanting an angry Dragon soul around your child," Balgruuf conceded. "I have conversed with Helsette about Dragon souls and she admits that some of those souls are hard to subdue once she's absorbed them. An infant . . ." A snarl flitted across his face and Revyn knew the Jarl was thinking of the way Mephala's blade had affected his youngest son.

"We do not mean to devote the entire year solely to growing a babe," offered Revyn. "My wife may hold the title of Archimage, but her skills are below what a true archimage should have. This time away from Dragon hunting will allow her to raise her skills in magic. Indeed, she will have special lessons from a Telvanni Master who will teach her magic forbidden by Imperial decree — teleportation and levitation. A skill that, before the Oblivion Crisis, was widely available throughout Tamriel. Ideally, this will allow her to travel in a matter of moments what would take days, weeks, even months to traverse."

"Fearsome skills," admitted Balgruuf. "The tactical implications . . . I recall reading history records that this was a service controlled by the Mages Guild and only some temples. There used to be scrolls that allowed this. Morrowind was a particular user of this magic."

"Almsivi Intervention. A gift provided by our mortal Tribunal gods that vanished with them. Only the Telvanni Masters retain the knowledge. My wife is a member of their house, and because she is Dragonborn and the nominal head of the College, only now is a master demanding to teach her."

"'Demanding?'" Balgruuf repeated, amused.

"Yes. House pride, you understand. He sees it reflecting badly on House Telvanni that such a prominent member lacks the most basic skills expected of a Master of the House."

"Are you not afraid that her wielding and exercising such powers in her condition may affect your child?"

Revyn sighed and shrugged helplessly. "Of course I am, but I will have to trust that Master Baladas is ever mindful of her condition. I would hope House Telvanni has some experience with their own pregnant female mages.

"Indeed, we are depending on her condition to make her stay in place long enough for lessons to occur." At Balgruuf's interested expression, Revyn elaborated. "I've pointed out that her Dragon hunting takes her days, weeks, and months away from home. Does she want to miss so much of her child's company? Being the daughter of military officers greatly occupied during the Great War, hadn't she wished her parents were present more often despite their important duties? And I miss her, too.

"And, as you have wisely noted earlier, those skills are fearsome and give her important tactical advantages that she has no excuse not to learn if she has the power to enable it and there's a master who can teach her how to activate it."

Balgruuf nodded. His expression, however, was distant and saddened, and the fingers of his right hand rubbed the cape-holding brooch on his left should. A small gold shield with the Whiterun Stallion on it. When he came back from his thoughts, he noted Revyn's curious gaze. "War horses," he said as an excuse for his inattention. "My grandsire once had a herd of the finest war horses. Most were sacrificed in the Great War. Great stallions. Yet among the fiercest of beasts were the war mares who had colts waiting for them back at camp. Temperamental because they didn't want to leave their young and fighting like daedra because they had something they had to return to."


GalacticHalfling: Oh, it is in the game and all the online references. But dictionaries (except Wiktionary) say "archimage" is the proper spelling ("archimagus" latin, "archimagos" greek). But, then again, dictionary also recommend magus/magi over mage/mages.