Chapter LIV – Prescience

"You know, we should really do something to drown out that horrible noise," Bishop smirked, pulling her closer to him and sliding his hand under her tunic a bit, stroking over her stomach.

They arrived to Morthal pretty late in the night but the young Orc was still eagerly 'entertaining' the tavern with his singing as they hid themselves at one of the more shadowy corner tables at Moorside Inn.

They disbanded several trolls in Cold Rock Pass and made their way to Morthal right away.

Bishop wanted to stay in the wilderness for some while, with ulterior motives of course, but the cold seemed to be getting to Aeyrin already. Whenever they passed through mountains or snowy regions, she was like a walking block of ice.

He wondered how she was ever going to survive Winterhold. She already expressed interest in the College.

Not that he was eager to go – he hated mages, too unpredictable, he never knew what to expect from them. And most of those he met were all condescending and puffed up just because they could make a little flame with their hands.

Big deal.

He could shoot an arrow through their eye from four hundred paces away – that required skill, not reading a measly book.

Aeyrin's magic at least was useful. And it could be beneficial if she could learn something more from the haughty fops – a stronger healing magic could have saved them so many times before, but most temples didn't really share their knowledge with the public.

They were probably wary, too many Nords shied away even from restoration magic, calling it abominable and too dangerous.

She blushed and squirmed slightly in his arms.

Bishop was half-lying on the long bench, his back leaning against the wall and she had her back nestled against his chest, her head lying on his shoulder, his hands over her waist and stomach.

The inn was almost empty – it was only them, the Orc, the Redguard innkeeper and the mage that helped them kill the dragon when they last visited Morthal.

A loud bark from outside the tavern door interrupted the Orc, who gave a fierce scowl.

The dark-haired woman that Bishop… 'investigated' before entered with an amused smirk thrown at him.

Aeyrin noticed that he tensed around her a bit – it seemed that Karnwyr's reaction to her still kept him somewhat on edge.

She wondered why the wolf reacted like this to some people. Bishop always said that he was sure that there was something wrong with those that the wolf went crazy around, but she couldn't imagine what it could be. The Companions for instance gave her home and camaraderie, and even treated Bishop decently, well maybe Farkas and Vilkas didn't, but to be fair, he wasn't exactly civil to them either.

She couldn't imagine what the wolf could sense that they didn't.

That woman did unsettle her a bit too, but she suspected it was more about the looks she gave Bishop and how… 'friendly' their last interaction appeared.

The woman headed towards the bar again but Aeyrin did notice her throwing glances at them every once in a while, well… probably only at Bishop.

The innkeeper and the mage who had been discussing something up until then went strangely quiet upon the dark-haired woman's arrival, throwing her odd looks from time to time.

She seemed to be enjoying the strange suspicious attention, looking around arrogantly and confidently with a sly smile permanently plastered on her lips.

Eventually, Aeyrin got up to head the bar to get another round of mead for them.

She had an uncomfortable feeling as she waited for the innkeeper to pour the drinks – she knew that the woman was watching her.

Why did she suddenly feel like a small mouse about to be pounced upon?

It was definitely just the dislike for that woman that she felt. Besides, it was completely unfounded – she did nothing to her, Bishop went to her last time, purposefully flirting to get information on her, it wasn't her fault that she took the bait.

She heard the barstool pull and the clacking of high heeled boots walking away from her.

She looked behind her, seeing the woman exit the tavern and breathed out an involuntary sigh of relief.

"I am telling you, I can feel something from her… something not of this plane. Believe me, I would know," the mage turned to the innkeeper immediately.

'Not of this plane'? Could it be that there really was something strange about that woman? That it wasn't just in her head?

"I'm sorry… what do you mean 'not of this plane'?" she interrupted them with a creased brow.

"I am a conjurer of some skill, girl. There's a… distinct feel of beings I summon to this world. Something about her reminds me of that…" the mage seemed quite content that someone took his claims seriously, rubbing his chin between his thumb and forefinger.

"Wait… are you saying that… she's somehow a… Daedra?" Aeyrin cringed uncomfortably as the innkeeper scoffed dismissively at that.

"No, nothing like that. How should I explain so that a layman would… Well, let's see. Us conjurers interact closely with Daedra. When I meet another conjurer, I can instantly tell – there's this… lingering essence, a feeling," the mage explained ponderingly.

"So she's a conjurer. No wonder she would hide this – look how they're treating you here," the innkeeper interjected.

"No, dear sister, not a conjurer. But there's a similar… lingering… something. I would love to study her more closely. A necropsy would be ideal," he seemed to be enveloped in his own world, his eyes peering upwards in deep thought.

"A… necropsy? You want to kill her for a strange feeling?" Aeyrin gasped but the innkeeper only chuckled at that.

"Don't take him too seriously. He wants to study everyone like that. He said that about you too when he saw that strange spectacle when the dragon died," she laughed as Aeyrin took a step away from the man nervously.

"There are some nasty rumors about the woman and the looks she throws people usually get them on edge, that's it," the innkeeper shrugged at Aeyrin with a smile.

"What nasty rumors?" Aeyrin pried, still not convinced. There were several odd things now – Karnwyr had no way of sensing 'rumors' and he would hardly be fazed by a nasty stare. And what could the mage's feeling mean?

"Oh. You probably didn't hear. It all happened after you left last time. There was a tragedy in our town," the innkeeper lowered her head somberly for a while before continuing. "There was a fire several days after the dragon attack. A house burned down, a child and her mother died. The father survived. The strange thing was that a day after the fire, he moved in with Alva – that woman we were talking about. They seem to be in a relationship now. People have so many crazy theories, most of them pinpoint either the father, Hroggar, or Alva as the ones who started the fire so they could make their affair legitimate," the innkeeper sighed and picked up a tankard, cleaning it meticulously.

"That's horrible… and so shortly after that woman was killed by the dragon," Aeyrin sighed, remembering their last visit.

"Exactly. Poor little Virkmund – first his mother, then Helgi," the Redguard sighed again somberly.

Helgi?!

That was the name of the girl they talked to last time!

The 'mortal'.

She knew something was up! She knew that something about the situation was strange!

And she left.

If she looked more into it, she could have prevented this.

Now a child and her mother were dead.

What was she thinking? She was supposed to help and protect even when she wasn't asked to. But she was preoccupied with Delphine's stupidly vague message.

They didn't even have proof that that Laelette woman was dead back then – just half of a body with her clothes. Someone could have staged that!

She grabbed the tankards without another word and headed back to the table quickly, a lump pressing in her throat uncomfortably.

She was distinctly paler when she returned to him, setting the tankards on the table with an empty stare.

She's been talking to the two Redguards for some time after that woman left – they must have told her something to unsettle her.

"What's wrong?" he sat up at the table at the sight of her.

"Do you… remember the girl from last time we were here? The 'mortal' girl?" she gave him both sad and disturbed look as he nodded in response.

It was too creepy to forget.

"She's dead. She and her mother burned down in a fire. It… might not have been an accident," she looked down somberly.

Oh, fuck, she was gonna be blaming herself for that, wasn't she?

"Princess…" he shook his head at her, sensing the trail of her thought all too well.

"We knew something was wrong. Maybe we were the only ones who knew. We should have looked into it more… we just left," her voice shook a little, her head still downcast.

"Princess, it's not your responsibility. You can't watch over every single person we meet. Anything can happen, you can't beat yourself up over shit like that," he placed his hand on her back reassuringly, stroking her soothingly for a while.

"They told us that the woman who said that to the girl was dead. What else was there to do?" he sighed.

"If we waited…" she sighed, but he interrupted her before she could continue her martyrdom.

"If we waited we could have had first row seats to the fire and that's about it. And better yet, whole Kynesgrove would probably be a pile of ash if we didn't intercept the dragon in time," he scowled determinedly at her.

He wanted to tell her how she couldn't save everyone but that concept was beyond her philosophy. And to be honest, he kind of liked this side of her. Even if it was irrational and pointless, the fact that she still wanted to help every single person they came across was somewhat heartwarming. He didn't get why he felt that way about a quality this annoying…

She stayed silent for a while, mulling over his words.

"Can we at least look into it now? So that something like this doesn't happen again?" she looked at him with glassy eyes, somewhat pleadingly.

As if he had any say in it.

He smiled at her and nodded.

"Talk to the jarl tomorrow, she should know the circumstances. Besides, word is, she's a seer of sorts. It's probably just talk, but it might be interesting to see if the rumors about the old hag are actually true."

They entered the longhouse before midday.

The jarl's place was not nearly as grand as Dragonsreach, but it still was a far cry from regular houses.

They passed a dark-haired young woman in a charcoal bouffant dress laced with white pearls that also graced her neck and hair. She gave them a polite nod as she watched a small boy in similarly dark but opulent outfit make his way to her from the second floor.

The jarl was across the long hall, sitting in her throne and discussing something calmly with the man standing beside her. She had a green long dress with patched embroidery on the sides with golden threads on the edges.

She was older, her hair braided into two halves and twisted into side buns and her jewelry was elegant but there were hints of arcane symbols in the charms and pendants.

It was surprising to see a jarl of all people rather open about her interest in magic, from what Aeyrin noticed so far, elves were not the only thing collectively distrusted and hated throughout Skyrim – mages often got the same treatment as her.

The difference was that most of them could not be identified by their physical features alone.

When the jarl spotted them, she straightened in her throne expectantly, nodding in greeting as they approached her.

"The Dragonborn and her companion. Welcome. I am Idgrod Ravencrone, Jarl of Hjaalmarch," she inclined her head politely in an official manner before continuing.

"I have seen your coming before me, for what purpose… we'll see. I hope it is something of more intrigue than seeking a reward for your assistance with the dragon," she gave a half-bored, half-sly smirk at them and waited patiently for their response.

"Is there a reward?" Bishop muttered quietly, before Aeyrin interrupted him.

The jarl, however, did smile covertly at that.

"We're actually here to ask about the… tragedy that happened in the city recently," Aeyrin said quickly before Bishop managed to demand money from the woman.

"Yes, the fire. Hardly anyone was willing to investigate. My people now believe the place to be cursed. And who am I to gainsay them," she scoffed a bit, waving her hand dismissively.

"You… didn't have it investigated?" Aeyrin raised her brows at her in surprise then scowled deeply.

"The mystery will be solved, I have seen it. The question is how or by whom… I am interested to wait for the events themselves. Perhaps you two are volunteering?" Idgrod pondered with an interested smile

"Pfft… convenient," Bishop scoffed. Claiming to be a seer seemed like a good opportunity to lie and ignore problems.

"Watch how you address the jarl!" the man beside her barked at Bishop but the jarl raised her hand at him calmly, stopping his outburst.

"I am aware, that it may seem like an excuse. I am all too familiar with people's distrust. But you were the ones who came before me. If you wish to investigate I will share what I know and what I have seen. Otherwise some other events will show the truth to me, I have no doubt of that," Idgrod shrugged, seemingly somewhat unperturbed by the tragedy.

It was difficult to say whether she was callous or whether her supposed 'gift' really gave her such certainty.

"We want to investigate," Aeyrin nodded after a while of watching the jarl's expression uncertainly.

"Excellent. Join me in the dining room, there are other things I wished to discuss as well."

They sat in the dining hall at the long table while the cook came to offer a plate to each of them.

Idgrod sent the cook and guards away, leaving only the three of them in the room. She was watching them with curiosity in her eyes, scanning their expressions carefully, measuredly.

After a long sip from her goblet of alto wine, which Aeyrin pointedly ignored her serving of, she gave them a strangely mysterious smile.

"Before we begin to discuss the events of the fire, I have some things to say first," she put her goblet back on the table before continuing.

"I assume you have come across at least some rumors of my gift. My citizens often dismiss it or outright shun me for it. It has, however, helped me and my Hold countless times before, as it will in the future. And even after I am gone, my dear daughter will hopefully use her gift to provide the same help and guidance to my people," her face was somewhat wistful and hopeful.

"Now, it may help you as well. It is up to you whether you take my words at value. My visions do not show a certain future, merely hint of events to come, not how they will transpire or how they will resolve themselves," her voice was a bit regretful, perhaps she wished her gifts would be of a more tangible value one day.

"I have had a vision one eve. Before the rumors of the events in the south reached us. Before the news of Helgen arrived and before the rumors of a Dragonborn roaming the land reached my ears," her smile was pleased, even proud of the forbearance of her premonitions.

"I have seen… wings, black like ebony, speckled with golden glints like fire. They soared through the skies, the feeling of dread in each swing and heave. Then… there was a loud noise and… a blue light. It enveloped them, constrained them and clipped them. There was pain in them, but it wasn't… mine. Mine was a feeling of hope, of… victory and survival," she paused as they looked at her uncertainly. She shook her head sadly, her voice more somber and quiet.

"My visions are rarely clear, they consist of feelings and images, but perhaps… perhaps they may be of use for those who can uncover the meaning behind them. I have heard a description of the dragon at Helgen. The Imperial soldiers were passed this information, in warning of the beast's immense power. The legate stationed at my Hold relayed this to me and then I knew. Or do you disagree?" she gave Aeyrin a curious expression, waiting for her reaction.

"N-no… the wings you spoke of… they are exactly like the ones of the dragon in Helgen. But… the blue light… do you know what it was?" Aeyrin looked at her hopefully, almost pleadingly.

Did she see a way to defeat the black beast?

She wasn't even sure if the one at Helgen and at Kynesgrove were the same creature. Perhaps there were more of them.

What was certain, however, was the dragon's power – it was unlike any other of their kind. None of the dragons they killed could wreak such havoc in such short time. They were powerful, sure, but never like that.

If there was a power, a spell, a Shout or an object that could… 'clip these wings' it would be more than she hoped for. A weapon she never even dreamed of having as an option.

"I was hoping you would have a better idea," Idgrod sighed in disappointment then gave a weak smile.

"Perhaps time will reveal more to you, or me. I hope my vision will prove useful either way. If I have any more, I will be sure to contact you, of course."

"To other matters then," Idgrod nodded resolutely, taking her goblet back into her hand and sipping periodically.

"The fire happened two days after your departure. Hroggar, the father, was not at the house at that time and the child and the woman inside perished in the fire. The townspeople spoke of strange behavior from Hroggar – he did not appear to mourn his family and the next day he publicly showed his relationship with the woman Alva. He moved into her house, but other than that, there are no strange circumstances to his behavior. He works and spends his time at Alva's house... It is the house right next to the barracks," she gave them a somewhat conspicuous smile as she said that.

"Alva spends her evenings in the inn, strangely enough, since she has a man in her house," the jarl smirked and gave them a knowing smile.

Did she expect them to break into a house? That was odd.

"I had a vision, sadly unsubstantial. There were only two things I saw. First was the burned down house in the moonlight. I had the guard visit the place at night but there was nothing outside the ordinary. The second thing was… blood," she gave a blank stare, not elaborating at all.

"Blood?" Aeyrin frowned.

The house was burned, there likely wasn't much blood involved.

"Simply blood. I cannot fathom why," Idgrod shrugged her shoulders and smiled at them kindly.

"I authorize you to investigate to your hearts' contents. However, if you in any way break the law without substantial reason and suspicion I cannot overlook that," her gaze turned stern for a bit and they both nodded in understanding.

"Now, let us enjoy the meal. I am curious to hear more of your travels and your efforts against the dragons."