A/N: January, 2018. That's the last time I updated this story. That's the last time I touched the file where I left several chapters pre-written in order to try and maintain a semi-regular posting schedule. I don't know what came up that made me abandon this story, but I left it with several chapters ready to go, yet unpublished. It's now nearing the end of 2020. Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you the continuation of Unforeseen Queen.
The next few chapters will be ones that were already written and set aside for posting, and after that there will be new chapters coming out. If you notice any discrepancies between new chapters and plotlines/characters/other already established in the story, feel free to let me know so it can be addressed - there are several plotlines that have me over here racking my brain and trying to figure out where I was going with them. It's been a few years. Bear with me. I hope you enjoy.
That evening, as planned, Lorelette left Windhelm unharmed. Leola was sure that Aventus was lurking about somewhere, watching them go and breathing a sigh of relief. She couldn't really say that she blamed him, either. After realizing that his daughter's life might be in danger, she'd seen protective instincts flare up in him like she'd never seen before.
As Leola slept, though, she found herself restless. Something just didn't feel right. She could almost feel the watchful eye of Mehrunes Dagon, gazing upon her as though she ought to be ashamed. Did the Daedric Prince already know her plan? What would he say when she arrived to proposition him for a change in their deal?
It seemed like ages before morning finally came, and Leola had barely slept a wink. Still, she got up when she saw the first pinkish rays of sun peering over the horizon, dressing herself and bundling up in her cloak. She headed out of the palace, and sure enough, Aventus was waiting for her outside. He was dressed fully in his Dark Brotherhood gear, the black and red armour looking utterly striking against the dim light of the sunrise, and he had his hood and mask drawn up over his face. He was nothing more than a lean, shrouded figure and a piercing set of dark eyes, and for a moment, Leola found that she felt nervous.
There was no reason for her to fear him, though. It was Aventus, of all people. Her best friend, her left-hand man, the one who had given so much just to help her. So, she smiled when she saw him, straightening up and walking straight to the man.
"Are you ready to go?" she asked him, though she already knew the answer.
"Are you?" he asked, and she gave a nod.
"Of course," she said softly. "This is important to me."
"It's important to me too," he replied firmly. "So let's get going."
He led her out of the city, the guards giving them respectful nods as they passed through the gates, and to the stables. Shadowmere was waiting there, his dimly glowing red eyes watching the pair of them closely.
"Shadowmere," Leola murmured. A smile came to her lips and she moved towards the black horse, outstretching one hand. The horse nuzzled her palm slightly, snorting somewhat approvingly.
"Good to see that he remembers you," Aventus said with a smile. "Now, go and get your horse, my Queen, and we'll be on our way."
"Of course," Leola said, heading closer to the stables. Her own horse was there, and she climbed on top quickly. As she rode out of the stables, she met with Aventus, who was already on Shadowmere's back at the road.
"Let's go," he said.
They rode on for a couple of hours, encountering little that concerned them beyond a few wolves here and there. Between the two of them, they were easily able to dispatch the beasts quite quickly.
"Your skill with the sword impresses me," Aventus remarked after their third wolf attack.
"Thank you," Leola said with a grin, pleased that her improved skills had been noticed. "I've been training."
"It shows," he replied. "Frankly, it's a relief you didn't want to kill my daughter - there's no doubt in my mind now that you could have done it."
"I wouldn't have," Leola said quickly, shaking her head.
"I know that you - hey, do you see that?" Aventus asked, slowing Shadowmere to a stop and pointing ahead. Leola also stopped, her gaze following Aventus's finger. Up ahead on the road, there was a wagon on its side. Leola's eyes widened. The pair exchanged a glance before digging in their heels, hurrying their horses forward to check the wagon.
As they drew near, they saw the wagon's horse lying dead on the ground in front of it, and the bodies of two young Nords, a man and a woman. Leola climbed down from her horse, hurrying over and kneeling down over the woman's body.
"Dead," she said softly, looking up at Aventus.
"Damn," he murmured. "But thank Sithis it wasn't-"
"Torygga?"
Aventus was quiet for a moment, nodding in response at Leola's words. "Yes," he said. "That was my first thought when I saw it. I can't imagine all this work to save my daughter's life only to have her taken from me by bandits."
Leola was quiet a moment, standing upright and drawing her cloak closer around her to block out Skyrim's bitter cold. She turned to face Aventus, gazing into his dark eyes. "Do you have feelings for Torygga? Anything at all?" she asked in a soft voice.
"No," he replied calmly. He glanced away, his expression betraying his words.
Leola moved forward, placing a gentle hand in the middle of his chest. "Aventus," she said in a soft voice. "This is me you're talking to. You know you can tell me anything."
Aventus closed his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips. "Maybe a little," he said softly. "But she'd never accept me now, not after what I've done."
"You don't-"
"I do know that, Leola," he interrupted. She was surprised, but also unsurprised - Aventus knew her better than anyone, of course he knew what she would say. "There is no way that Torygga would want me after what I've put her through. I don't even know if she'd let me spend time with the twins, my children…"
"Why don't you explain?" Leola asked softly. She walked over to her horse, climbing back up on top.
"Explain what? That I made a deal with a Daedric Prince? Her virtue and heart in exchange for a fragment of your mother's soul?" he asked, his tone spiteful. He shook his head. "I don't think she could exactly forgive that, and I wouldn't want to get you involved. If she knew that I did what I did for your sake, she'd probably be angry with you, and you've just started to get on good terms with her."
"That...that is true," Leola said softly. All of it, she had to admit, was true. Torygga would never approve of hearing that Aventus had made a deal with Clavicus Vile, nor would she approve of Leola's involvement.
Of course, she hadn't told Aventus to accept the deal from Vile. She hadn't even known what the deal was. Had she known, she probably would have discouraged him from taking it. She probably would have done what they were trying to do now - she would have asked for a different deal.
They rode on a while longer in silence, stopping occasionally to dispatch a curious sabre cat or wolf pack. It was late in the afternoon by the time they were heading up the mountain to Dagon's shrine. Aventus, apparently, had packed some food, so they didn't end up needing to stop in any towns along the way. They agreed between themselves, though, that they'd head south to Whiterun for the night, since that was a long trek to make back to Windhelm and they likely wouldn't be back before dark.
The shrine of Mehrunes Dagon looked just as intimidating now as it had those years ago when they'd first come. Leola bit her lip as she dismounted her horse. The animal seemed somewhat spooked, and frankly, she didn't blame it. This was an uncomfortable place.
"Do you think he'll talk to me?" she asked, looking towards Aventus.
"It's worth a try," he said. "Just approach the shrine and try to speak to him. It worked last time."
"I also had his razor to offer last time," Leola said. "This time I have nothing to offer to him."
"I'm sure he can think of something he wants from you," he replied. "Just go - talk to him, see what he wants, see what kind of a deal you can make."
Gently, Leola laid her hands down on the altar. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on ignoring everything around her - the bitter cold, the noise of the wind, the occasional snorts of the two horses… All that mattered was contacting the Daedric Prince.
"Mehrunes Dagon?" she asked softly.
"Why do you contact me when Lorelette yet lives?" came the response, echoing about within her mind. She cringed inwardly. Surely he had to know the reason?
"It's...about Lorelette, actually," she said softly. "When I agreed to kill her for you, I didn't realize...I didn't know that she would be a child. I can't kill a baby, my lord."
"Then you shouldn't have wasted time making a deal you can't make good on," growled the Daedra. "Mehrunes Dagon demands a soul in exchange for that shard of your mother's, and until you deliver me the soul of Lorelette, I lay claim to yours."
Leola bit her lip slightly, hanging her head. "There has to be...there has to be some other soul you could accept," she said softly. "Please. I'll kill just about anyone you want, but I can't kill that little girl. She's only a child."
The Daedric Prince was silent. Leola waited for several long moments, wondering what he would say - or if he would say anything. Would his silence indicate that he was unwilling to change his stance on their deal? She was just about to give up, to turn back to Aventus and tell him that Dagon would not offer them another deal, when she heard him speak.
"There may be another."
Leola's blue eyes widened, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. "Who?" she asked quickly, eagerly.
"In the place of the child Lorelette...you have my permission to instead kill the Breton known as Erith."
Leola felt her pounding heart drop into the pit of her stomach. She opened her mouth to protest, but immediately, Dagon spoke again.
"This matter is no longer open for discussion. You will kill the child Lorelette or the Breton Erith. Your little assassin friend cannot do it for you, either - I will not have Sithis claiming souls that belong to me. Fail to kill either of them and I will send my minions to claim your soul, and the souls of everyone you've ever loved - and I guarantee you, foolish child, that your eternity in Oblivion will be a miserable one."
She could practically feel Dagon's presence fading away. Tears were beginning to come to her eyes, stinging against the cold, harsh wind. She stayed still a few moments before slowly turning to face Aventus, who was watching her with intense, dark eyes.
"He said no, didn't he?" breathed the assassin when he saw her face.
"No, he didn't," Leola responded softly, shaking her head. "He...he told me someone I could kill in Lorelette's place."
"That's perfect," Aventus said, his eyes widening. "Then all you have to do-"
"No, Aventus," she said quickly, shaking her head. "It's...Erith. He told me I had to kill Lorelette or Erith."
Aventus's wide-eyed glee was quick to fade. He moved forward, placing a gentle hand on Leola's arm. "Why Erith?" he asked softly.
"I don't know," Leola said, shaking her head. Tears were beginning to fill her eyes. "I just...this is too much. I don't want to kill your daughter, Aventus, but I also don't want to kill Erith. I love her…"
"Even after all that's happened?" Aventus asked.
"Of course!" Leola said, gazing up at him with wide, glistening eyes. "I've loved her for a long time - love like that doesn't simply fade. I want her to come back - I want to be with her again, to hold her again to kiss her, and tell her-" Leola's voice caught and she choked on her tears, a few of them trickling down her face.
"Shh, shh," Aventus murmured. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against his chest. Even after so much time apart, there were few things that felt safer and more comfortable than being in his arms, and she burst into tears, burying her face in his shoulder.
He held her tenderly for a few minutes, letting her cry against him. It occurred to Leola just how long it had been since she'd let herself have a good, long, heartfelt cry. She'd been spending so much time being the strong Queen, she'd forgotten to let herself be tender, sensitive Leola.
Once she'd calmed somewhat, Aventus gently pulled her away, placing his hands on her upper arms. "We should get to Whiterun," he said gently. "Vignar will have a comfortable room and good food for you."
"That's if he can remember who I am," Leola replied, smiling slightly through her tears. She lifted a hand to wipe the dampness away from her face. "Old man barely remembers he's the Jarl, let alone who his Queen is."
"Oh, come now," Aventus said with a laugh, squeezing her shoulders. "He's not that bad. He's old, yes, but not that old."