-Unknown Location-
Near a forest, a glen filled with wildflowers under a strange starlight sky the night suddenly falls silent. The sound of crickets cease, night animals quiet, even the wind falls still. The air starts to shimmer around the glade as an apparition forms near the trees. A powerful body, armed with bow and knife with the head of a majestic stag, antlers that seem to reach up toward the stars. The next to appear is a mysterious beautiful figure in a long robe that shimmers like the night sky. The sun and moons seem to shimmer into existence around her as she stands in flowers, her glow shining them soft blue light. In the shadows of a large group of rocks near the edge of the glen, a massively powerful figure appears, cast in shadows. A glimmer of red skin, fiery dark eyes, and horns are the only things that can be seen of him. The last to appear is a woman shimmering with golden light, wearing simple garments. Her eyes are like chips of gold, cold and angry. The four are silent, for the shadows are gathering and a portal of inky darkness appears, and out steps Speaker Malkeyranis of the Dark Brotherhood. He regards the four Princes with cold and unafraid eyes before stalking to a large flat rock and stands next to it, claiming his place. Before anyone can break the silence, there is a small pop and a grey tabby with black stripes appears and moves to Speaker Malkeyranis, rubbing against his legs before leaping onto the rock and hissing at everyone.
Meridia's eyes move to the cat, regarding him in an icy light. "What are you doing here, Prince of Madness?"
Sheogorath arches his back and yowls at everyone. "Why should I NOT be here!? The damn lizard wants to end all madness! THAT IS NOT ALRIGHT!"
"Quiet," Mehrunes Dagon speaks, "Or I will squash you like vermin beneath my heel."
"Rude!" Sheogorath hisses.
"Quiet, Prince of Madness, and we will let you stay," Azura says. "Unless you think you can stop all four of us from banishing you back to your realm of the Shivering Isles."
Sheogorath hisses again and then circles and curls up on the rock. "As long as you know I have a steak in all of this. Stake!" He puts his head on his paws and finally falls silent.
"Now that is settled..." Azura says, but Meridia is quick to interrupt her.
"Enough of these petty things," Meridia says, anger flowing through her eyes as she turns to Hircine. "We agreed to work together because of what that foul beast Molag Bal has done!" Meridia snaps. "We agreed to aid in the prophecy, to ensure he never gets his way. So why, Lord of the Hunt, have you done this?" Meridia steps closer to Hircine. "Why choose the one who helped cause all of this? She is unworthy and defiled, by her own choices! And she aids that abomination of a necromancer!"
"Calm, Meridia," Azura says.
Meridia turns on Azura, the anger palpable in the air. "Silence! I will have an answer."
"I would know as well," Mehrunes Dagon says, as he too turns to Hircine.
Hircine regards Mehrunes Dagon before turning his gaze back onto Merida. "Without Jeziasi in play the hunt is predictable. Viperish Night is hunted and killed, or he hunts and kills all of Nirn." Hircine smiles. "With her...so much more interesting. A hunt worth watching."
"You are mad, Hircine." Meridia hisses.
"No, he's not!" Sheogorath chirps in. "I am the mad one! All the madness belongs to me!" As the Prince's glare at him, he settles and falls silent again.
Speaker Malkeyranis is observing all of this in silence, his eyes following the Princes every word. He crosses his arms against his chest, a small smirk on his face. He is entertained at the petty infighting between such powerful forces.
Mehrunes Dagon catches the Speaker's smile and he snarls. "Enough of this petty squabbling." Mehrunes Dagon says as his eyes turn toward Hircine. "The Vestige can turn the tides, cause the dawn to rise for her son. This is not what I want, Hircine."
"If a hunt has no risk, what is the point?" Hircine asks.
Meridia's glow intensifies and she advances on Hircine. "Relinquish your hold on her, revoke her as your chosen champion or face my WRATH," Merida says.
Hircine's eyes glow and he snarls. "Watch your tone, Lady of Light. My wolfs prosper across all of Nirn. If I had cause to raise them all in my Wild Hunt, do you think you could stand against that?" Meridia halts and then she backs down, returning to her previous spot. Hircine's eyes follow her, as a wolf follows a rabbit. "Be glad I have no designs on Nirn, save to watch the hunt and watch my wolfs until they come home to my Hunting Grounds."
Speaker Malkeyranis finally breaks his silence. "Now that the threats are done with, can we continue?" Speaker Malkeyranis asks.
"The mortal finally speaks," Azura says. "You, who represent The Dread Father, The Night Mother, the everlasting Void."
"Molag Bal took one of our own." Speaker Malkeyranis says. "We of the Dark Brotherhood are accustomed to death, including that of our Brothers and Sisters as well as our own. But Molag Bal destroyed Stalks-In-Darkness's soul. Stalks-In-Darkness was a loyal member of our family. His reward should have been The Void, not annihilation."
"Molag Bal oversteps," Azura says, the sun and moons circling her. "He has defiled the Vestige, created an offspring that has more power than any mortal should have, and seeks to get around the Compact itself with his mortal manifestation." Azura pauses and her eyes move to Speaker Malkeyranis. "And how he took his mortal form..." she trails off.
"To cross Sotha Sil is no small thing." Mehrunes Dagon says. "Though I am loathe to admit it."
"And yet you scheme as well, Prince of Destruction," Meridia says. "We are not unaware of your current plans."
"My plans are my business." Mehrunes Dagon says. "They are no concern of any of yours."
"Again with the petty squabbling," Speaker Malkeyranis says.
"You dare mortal?" Meridia says.
"He has a point," Azura says as the sun and moons glow brighter, causing attention to be focused on her. "We gathered to form this temporary allegiance. To choose champions to represent the Prophecy. Mortals have free will, however, and their actions are not predictable."
"That's what makes them so fun!" Sheogorath meows.
"Life, Light. Dark, death. And one other, the Vestige. According to your prophecy, she had to be chosen for this," Speaker Malkeyranis says, pointing out Meridia's protest was futile and earning a glaring look from her.
"Without the Vestige darkness is cast, With her, it may yet still be," Azura says, quoting the prophecy. "This is what the stars spoke of, what the sun and moons shone their light upon."
"She is still defiled," Meridia says. "Still responsible for this," Meridia says. "She fell from the light. I will not forget or forgive this."
Mehrunes Dagon laughs. "Mortals choices always amuse," he says. "The Vestige has given us such entertainment...and annoyance at times," he adds, glancing at Meridia.
"And yet, it is I that claimed her," Hircine says. "She turned to me when I offered the hunt to her. She did not refuse the gift."
"And yet, she turned from you," Meridia says. "You should be furious, that she would dare."
Hircine's eyes fill with anger. "Jeziasi allowed herself to be hunted and caught. Do not make the mistake of thinking I have forgotten or forgiven this. I rarely give second chances," Hircine says.
Sheogorath interrupts him. "Never! I pay attention!"
Hircine continues as if Sheogorath had never interrupted. "Jeziasi will not fail me again. Her fangs will come down upon Molag Bal's throat."
"And if she does fail?" Mehrunes Dagon asks. "You must know how high the risk of her Son being utterly corrupted by Molag Bal is. Of him following under his father's sway. The Vestige will follow her son."
"Then the Wild Hunt will ride and rend her flesh from her bones," Hircine says. "I will revoke all of my gifts should she fail, should she once more become Molag Bal's prey." Hircine's eyes fill with wrath. "If the Wild Hunt must ride into Coldharber itself to rend judgment, it will."
"Daedric Princes truly have no mercy," Speaker Malkeyranis says. "Like-minded with The Void," his eyes narrow. "Now what is the state of all of the chosen? That is why we are here."
"Iveryni Rathnil is nearly ready to embrace the flames of a new dawn," Mehrunes Dagon answers.
"Theodyn Vautrine has far too much mercy within him," Meridia says. "But he is nearly ready to be engulfed in my light. He will have little mercy left than."
"I have given my chosen to the Hist," Azura says. "The Hist is life, its roots cover all of the marsh and the Argonian's are leaves to its branches. They feel the blame for this deeply. Softly-Speckled-Crab moves even now to the roots of the marsh...she will be ready when she needs to be."
"Rufico Lexonus embraces the shadows," Speaker Malkeyranis says. "He will come out of The Void our merciless dagger."
The glade falls silent and everyone turns to Hircine, who has not yet spoken of his chosen. Hircine laughs. "My chosen seems to be hunting for the other side for the moment. I decline to share her status with you." With a shimmer, he vanishes.
Meridia snarls and she vanishes in an angry golden burst, Azura fades and is gone, and Mehrunes Dagon laughs again before he too vanishes.
"This has been...boring!" Sheogorath declares, standing up and stretching. "Or maybe it was interesting!" he gives a few licks to one paw. "Meridia should have punched Hircine! THAT would have been entertaining!" Speaker Malkeyranis turns without giving Sheogorath a second look and enters the black portal, as it snaps shut Sheogorath yowls. "Was it something I said?"