Chapter Seven
Even though Maric had dismissed Alys, Hadvar held up his hand to tell her to stick around until he was done talking to both of them. He pulled a journal out of a leather satchel tied to his belt. He walked over to the table where Maric still sat, sketching away at the blueprint and dipped a quill into the ink pot.
"All right, tell me what you two have accomplished today. General Tullius enjoys having a weekly update about any projects we could use for city defense or offense for that matter."
"So, today, Maric and I created an outline for a ballista that would be able to launch any kind of several stone projectile at least one thousand feet."
Hadvar nodded and jotted that down in his journal. "Could I see both of your notes? I will give them back, I would just like to take them to the printing press and have them copied for the General" he said in a professional manner. "Maric, it wouldn't kill you to relax for an evening."
Maric rolled his eyes. "I'm in my fifties and I can't believe that I'm being pestered by two kids such as you both" he commented in an annoyed manner.
"For Gods' sake, Maric I'm twenty-five" Alys rebutted. She rather enjoyed bantering back and forth with Maric the whole day since he did get irritated easily.
"Ah, so I'm still right then about you being a kid" he stubbornly stated. "Don't Bretons age slowly anyways?"
Alys laughed at his question. Since Bretons were so far removed from their particular mer ancestors, most Bretons had a similar lifespan to humans, if not slightly longer. Talented Breton mages could live for around 150 years, which was impressively long for humans. Her great-grandfather was a Bosmer; but he died long before she was born.
"Well, yes and no. It depends on how much elven ancestry you have. For example, I have some Bosmer ancestry on my mother's side; however, my father is a Redguard. It's hard to say, personally I think I'm aging similarly to a regular human" she stated.
"Interesting, I didn't realize there was so much diversity with Bretons" Hadvar commented. "Anyways, those notes."
"Right" Maric said. He compiled all of his notes into a neat stack and handed them to Hadvar.
"Alys, would you like to come with me to the printing press?" he asked her kindly.
"Sure thing, see you tomorrow Maric."
"Yep. Good bye now!" he shouted. Maric once more was enthralled by his work. She figured that he would be working until nearly midnight.
They walked down the stairs that led to the Underkeep's entrance in silence. Alys wasn't sure what to say, although she did have a few opinions about this arrangement.
"So, I did read your letter earlier—I couldn't help but laugh at your description of Maric as an inventor right from the Shivering Isles. He's a bit difficult at times, but I think you're handling his tangents quite well" he complimented her. "Also, don't worry about response time—it's been a rough few months since I have been back in Skyrim. In some ways it was invigorating to be in High Rock for that month with you and Ide."
She smiled at him, not exactly sure what to talk about. Ah, just now a question had popped into her mind, but she wasn't sure how to phrase it.
"I can't help but wonder if my position here is a conflict of interest" she inquired slyly. He turned to face her, clearly looking like she had taken him off guard. She made sure to make unwavering eye contact with him.
Hadvar raised his left eyebrow in surprise at her question. He gripped Maric's notes tighter. "I don't know what you mean" he told her with a twinkle in his eyes. "Between us, I recommended you to Maric because I thought you were qualified to work alongside him" he said thoughtfully.
"I think I must be going crazy because I actually believe you, Hadvar" she responded, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Aren't we all a bit crazy here? I had the option to retire at the ripe age of 21 summers; yet here I am three years later. Being a Legate is an honor of course, don't get the impression that I'm ungrateful. The Empire is the only thing that can keep the Aldmeri Dominion away from the rest of Skyrim." He straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Cyrus told us that he is retiring from the legion next year, he is tired of being so far away from family. His kids barely get to see him" Alys mentioned. She was hoping to see Cyrus at some point next year, along with his children.
"That's a noble choice, I do miss seeing my Aunt and Uncle—although last I heard they had moved to Falkreath, too many painful memories in Riverwood. They almost moved to Solitude" he winced after he said the city's name. "Needless to say, I'm quite glad they didn't."
"Am I allowed to ask what's happening there?"
He cringed at that question. After pondering her question for a few seconds, he sighed. "Since I requested you here to help Maric design certain…objects for the legion, I suppose that could tell you about the situation in Solitude. We're at a bit of a…stalemate so to speak. We're technically not at war; however, the tension is so thick in the air that it's all but inevitable." He sounded quite reluctant to give away any information to her.
"Is Markarth going to be…?" she asked nervously. Encountering small skirmishes with desperate bandits on the road was one thing, but being in combat with thousands of soldiers on either side was a prospect that terrified her.
Hadvar looked uncomfortable with her question. He stopped walking and looked her right in the eyes. "Listen Miss Alys, I cannot promise that you won't see combat. The only thing I can promise you is that the Legion will do our best to keep you safe if the worst happens."
"I suppose that's all anyone can promise in Skyrim" she responded quietly. She fidgeted with an unruly curl that was sticking out of her hair tie.
"You'll be all right, I've seen how formidable you are with destruction magic."
Not sure what else to say, they continued the walk in silence. When they reached the printing press, he gestured her to lay the notes face down on the press face. His eyes drifted up and down her body, she pretended not to notice. It annoyed her how restrained he was being with her, although she did understand where he was coming from—being seen cozying up with a new assistant engineer (she technically had no actual engineering experience that he had recommended for the job could be seen as nepotism. Or make her seem like she was 'sleeping to the top'. Then again, she knew many legionnaires that were married to each other, they usually happened to be at different posts.
The middle aged Nord running the printing press started operating it and hung the pages to dry before enclosing them in a magically sealed container. Alys wasn't sure what spell the Nord had casted upon it, she decided that it was some special spell that a legion spell caster had thought up for security. She was curious, but she didn't want to push any more of Hadvar's buttons or ask for any special favors. She tried to remember that this was just a temporary job until the end of spring.
"Good work as usual Patrik, the General will appreciate these" Hadvar told the Nord with a nod.
Hadvar and Alys left the office to head back towards the Underkeep. They walked in silence at a meandering pace until Hadvar stopped. "It's nice spending time with you under calmer circumstances. I don't have to pull you out of the sea water at a moment's notice at the very least."
She glanced at him for a moment while she thought of a decent response. "I think so too."
They got closer to the Underkeep and nodded at the palace guards that opened the doors for them graciously. He walked with her up until they reached her quarters. Sanna was sitting on a chair covered in furs and was thoroughly engrossed in Ghosts of the Storm. Alys had been trying to find a copy of that book for a while; she decided that she would ask Sanna for her thoughts on the book when she was done.
Sanna's eyes got wide as she saw Hadvar. Eagerly jumping to her feet, she placed her hand on her heart and bowed her head at Hadvar. "Legate Derickkson, it's an honor meeting you."
"The honor is mine Praefect" Hadvar responded back professionally. "I'm glad that Alys is in such capable hands during these troubling times."
Alys bid them both good night and climbed under the blankets after throwing on a heavy cotton shift that she hoped would ward off the cold winter air. Dreading the thought of having to put up with Maric in the morning, she decided to distract herself with thoughts of Hadvar. In her opinion they still have so much romantic chemistry between them. When they first met, their attraction to each other was based upon looks. Up until today, they hadn't even talked in several months, which admittedly was her fault.
Oh well, it's just another thing I don't need to worry about, she thought to herself as she slowly drifted into her uneasy slumber.
Several weeks passed and before Alys even knew it, it was already the first week of Morning Star. She and Maric had been working away on a trebuchet blueprint that could be fired more accurately if calibrated correctly. Lately the workdays had been long due to General Tullius wanting a working trebuchet model by the second week of Morning Star.
She was lying in bed this particular night, just thinking about the plans for her project. Her eyelids still felt heavy with exhaustion; however, sleep just was not coming to her tonight. The whole day yesterday she had felt as if something was amiss, although she dismissed that feeling towards the evening.
Bam! Crack! Boom!
Not sure what was happening, she threw off the covers and threw on some linen breeches underneath her night shift. The stone floor shook from the explosion's shockwaves.
"Alys, I'm sure you heard the explosion, but you need to get your armor on right now!" Sanna's voice shouted outside her bedroom door.
Shoot, it was going to take a second for her to get the armor to strap on correctly. Her fingers fumbled nervously as she started securing her leather chest piece over her shift. All sorts of thoughts ran through her mind as she tried to hypothesize what or who caused an explosion in the palace. She assumed that it could be some angry Forsworn in a mad dash to retake Markarth. Well, either that or it was the Thalmor.
After securing her emergency sword to her belt, she got the door open fast. Sanna looked disheveled yet fearsome in her new set of Imperial steel plate armor. A distinct smell of paper on fire wafted into her nose.
Alys ran down the stairs and saw two battlemages setting her and Maric's notes on fire. Her jaw dropped and she was about to yell until Sanna put her hand on her shoulder.
"They're coming for us" Sanna told her forebodingly. Sanna's eyes looked glassed over for a moment before they returned to normal. "We're evacuating into the market square."
"Sanna, who is they? Thalmor? Forsworn?" Alys asked her in an exasperated tone.
"Those Thalmor bastards must have found a tunnel system that leads into the old ruins" Sanna said angrily. "Come on Alys, we need to get you out of here!"
There were soldiers everywhere, most of them were escorting the Jarl's family and other palace dwellers out of the Underkeep. She saw a small squad of soldiers formed around Hadvar as he shouted orders at all of the soldiers, appearing to wave them through the doors to Markarth. Palace guards were standing on guard with fearsome pole spears pointed towards the room that was Calcelmo's impressive private collection of Dwemer artifacts from the ruins below the city.
"Over here Alys!" Sanna shouted amidst the chaos. She waved her arm towards the palace entrance.
Alys paused for a brief moment to summon a protective armor spell over herself. She took a deep breath after she felt the spell overtake her body.
"Alys, we need to get out of here right now, Legate's orders" Sanna said impatiently. "I'd love to fight here too, but we need to evacuate the rest of Markarth!"
Okay, I know what I need to do now. Sanna isn't going to like this one bit. She shook her head no at Sanna and started the process of summoning a fireball spell.
"Gods damn you Alys, this fight is going to be closer quarters than what you're used to!" Sanna shoved her way through the crowd of soldiers that were leaving the keep.
An awful scraping sound filled the air. Its high pitch of metal scratching metal made nearly everyone left in the entrance wincing. The solid dwarven metal doors that led to the ruins appeared to be buckling from the amount of pressure on the other side. Alys felt her stomach drop when she saw what happened next.
Steam filled the air in the entrance as it billowed out from underneath the door. Alys nearly fell to the ground as the ground rumbled. Pole-bearers had their spears pointing towards the door, ready to pierce whatever came through the door. A final explosion blasted through the air and the door let loose their foes…
Machinations and Thalmor soldiers poured through the doorway. The dwarven spiders were starting to slip their way into the crowd and wreaking havoc. Alys shot a fireball at one so hot that she was able to melt its core. Legionnaires were slashing at any foe that came their way and she could hear Hadvar shouting for everyone to fall back out of the keep.
The crack of a lightning bolt nearly deafened Alys as it singed the back of her neck. Holding up her sword, Sanna charged towards a Khajjit that was slashing his way through legionnaires. Sanna dodged the slash of daggers and pierced the Khajjit through the heart. A golden needle from a spider nearly took Sanna down if it wasn't for a Legion soldier that drove his sword into the delicate circuitry of the spider.
Moonlight illuminated the battle field as Hadvar led the retreating soldiers to the fleeting safety of the city. Screams were abundant as people attempted to flee from the incoming Thalmor and dwarven machines. Many brave soldiers attempted to form a haphazard shield wall in a last-ditch attempt to stop the unexpected onslaught. Alys glimpsed Hadvar holding up his sword while trying to keep morale up.
"We fight for Markarth! We fight for Skyrim! We fight for the Empire!" his voice boomed through the air.
"For the Empire!" the legionnaires shouted. They extended their spears and ran them through anyone or anything that got close to them.
Several battle mages formed a ward large enough to deflect the incoming bolts of fire, frost, and lightning. Alys wanted to join them, but she felt Sanna's strong grip on her arm.
"I know you care about the Legate; but it's more important that you follow his orders!" Sanna shouted. She practically dragged Alys away from the frontlines.
Alys took one last glance back towards Hadvar's dwindling personal guard. His soldiers were either being pierced by machinations or melted alive by fire balls. May the gods preserve both their souls and mine she muttered to herself.
In the chaos of nearly everyone in the city evacuating down the mountain that encapsulated Markarth, Alys tripped and heard a sickening snap come from her leg. A rather pale Altmer in wizard robes noticed her as she tried crawling out of the crowd's way. Alys sensed the mage was preparing to incinerate her where she lied.
Pain emitting from her left arm made it hard for her to focus on summoning a spell. Right, I have a knife, she remembered suddenly. Struggling to get the knife out of its hidden sheath, she pulled it out right as the Altmer shot a frost spell at her. She rolled over onto her right side as pain radiated from her arm in an attempt to avoid getting frost bite from the spell. Her left hand grasped the knife and used all of her might to stab the Altmer right underneath his ribcage. He grasped the knife's handle and pulled out the bloody blade and slashed it through the air, narrowly missing her. Trying to fight the pain, she shot a weak bolt of fire directly towards the wound. Both she and the Altmer cried out in pain as she felt the red-hot fire singe her fingertips. She had managed to fell the fair Altmer to his knees.
"I cannot wait for Auriel's warm embrace, the same can't be said for you, you half-breed!" the Altmer hissed through his teeth in pain.
"Good thing then, I didn't plan on making you wait" Alys shouted as she wrestled the knife from his hand and drove it through his heart. Blood gushed as she took out knife out of his heart.
I think I broke a few of my ribs with that fall too. She spat out blood and looked down at her hands with disgust. They were coated with blood and grime, the sight of them repulsed her. She heard the grinding of gears in the distance and she saw Hadvar sparring with the long needle of a centurion alongside four of his guards. He rolled out of the way into the stream to avoid the incoming flurry of steam coming from the machine. Grasping her ribcage and her arm, she winced as she got closer to the fight. Trying her hardest to concentrate on summoning a fierce lightning bolt, she felt a twinge of misplace joy as she felt a massive jolt of electricity emerge from her body and witnessed the sparks seize up the centurion.
Hadvar had a shocked look on his face after he managed to dodge the falling machine. He turned around and saw her kneeling on the ground in what appeared to be crippling pain. Not hesitating to run towards her, he grasped her good arm and slung her over his shoulder as he led the surviving soldiers further down the mountain. Archers perched on the towers near the palace fired down at the dwindling Thalmor soldiers and machines.
There were nearly a hundred legionnaires forming up a second blockade near the market square. They let up their spears briefly as Hadvar and his guard were able to get behind the blockade. It appeared that many of Markarth's citizens were ready to defend their city as many had drawn swords, bows, axes, and magical staffs.
Hadvar crouched to the ground and Alys rolled off his shoulder and gently landed against a burlap bag of corn. He laid his hand over her ribcage and her right arm. "I'll have someone look at this."
"Hold the line Legionnaires! We can defeat them! We need to hold the line!" Hadvar shouted. A dozen archers knelt on the ground and knocked their arrows. "Archers, fire at will!" he ordered.
Fireballs and frost spells came in towards them in volleys. Alys was struggling once again to concentrate on casting a healing spell upon herself. I can barely concentrate…too much pain. My arm has to be reset, she realized.
"Fire another volley archers!" Hadvar's voice screeched hoarsely through the air. "We're almost at the last of them!"
The next few minutes passed by slowly, every second seemed like an hour. The smell of blood and fire filled Alys' nostrils as she struggled to get to her feet and help defeat the remaining stragglers.
Hadvar narrowly avoided a frost spike to the heart by leaping behind a stray market stand near where Alys lie. She threw up a ward spell to deflect the fireball that was too close for comfort. "Hadvar, I can fight if you give me a hand" she told him.
"No, I can't let you do that" he responded as he held up his shield to deflect a stray arrow. The arrow embedded itself into the shield and it caught Alys' attention. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at the arrow. It was an ancient design that looked unfamiliar to her. Something that she would investigate once everything was calm.
A civilian wielding only a pitchfork was able to stab a Thalmor agent while slowly dying from a gash in the femoral artery. There were maybe just a dozen Thalmor agents left at this point and Hadvar's soldiers were making short work of the demoralized agents who initially had the upper hand on the legionnaires. So much fighting was happening in the city that the streams were tinged with blood and the smell of iron ruined the air.
She watched Hadvar fight the last agent, who was remarkably fast and agile with a blade. Hadvar lost his footing and fell to the ground as the agent was ready to run him through with his blade. Alys closed her eyes and sent a fireball towards the agent's head. Flames enraptured the agent as his corpse started burning to a crisp.
Hadvar took a few steps backwards from the charred corpse. He glanced around the area and shot his fist up in the air.
"Tonight we are victorious! Stand down legion!" he shouted. Both soldiers and civilians gathered around him, many nursing severe wounds from the battle. "Let no one forget the fourth day of Morning Star in the Empire! For now, I, Legate Hadvar Derickkson, declare war on the Aldmeri Dominion on behalf of the Empire!"
Many of the older civilians in the crowd gasped as they saw the carnage from the battle. Over the course of five hours, hundreds lay dead in the streets on both sides, along with the destroyed machines. The early winter sun peaked through the clouds and the morning sky was tinged with orange and pink hues. To Alys, the sunrise meant that Akatosh was giving them hope after this gruesome battle. Unfortunately, she had the feeling that this was only the beginning of a new great war.
"Soldiers, I order you to start assisting any who are injured and looking for any surviving Thalmor agents! We need to find out the purpose behind tonight's mad attempt at taking over this great city!" Hadvar ordered his crowd of soldiers.
A Nord woman walked up next to her. "Hello Miss, you look injured."
She looked at the healer and looked at her disjointed arm. "I think a broke a few ribs and my right arm is dislocated."
"Come with me, I'll try to make this as painless as possible, Miss" the Nord attempted to reassure her. She led Alys inside an inn that was now an emergency hospital. The inn was quite crowded with injured civilians and soldiers alike. She sat down on a wool blanket and was shaking with anxiety about the pain that would come with getting her arm set into place.
Hadvar walked into the inn and told two of his guards to stand back towards the entrance. He walked towards where Alys was sitting and watched the healer run her hand over Alys' arm.
"Are you okay with the legate being here Miss?" she asked her.
"It's not like I have privacy here anyways." She glanced at Hadvar. "I think it would be best for you to stay for moral support."
"I will try my best" Hadvar said and nodded at the healer. "What would you have me do?"
"Just keep her distracted, I don't care what you do" the healer ordered. She put her hand on Alys' right shoulder and slowly started to apply pressure with her strong hands.
Hadvar grasped her left hand and she gripped it tightly. The healer removed her armor and her shirt. Red-hot pain went through her as she felt her arm pop back into place. She thought that she was going to break Hadvar's hand in the process.
"You handled that better than the soldiers do most of the time" the healer laughed. "Your rib cage feels off as well, my guess is that you cracked a rib or two."
Alys laid down, letting go of Hadvar's hand. The healer ran a chalice of icy water over her ribcage, which somewhat relieved the pain from the broken rib. Then she popped open a bottle of a bitter-smelling concoction and ordered her to drink it. The aftertaste was awful, but she was starting to breathe easier.
"Here are a few ground rules, absolutely no combat or strenuous exercise for three weeks, and do not put any pressure onto your ribcage. Yes, that includes that breast band, just wear an extra shirt" the healer ordered her.
"All right, I will try not to ruin your work" Alys responded quietly. Now that all the adrenaline was out of her body, she was having a hard time talking at her normal volume.
"Follow me Alys" Hadvar requested. He walked out of the inn and led her up the stairs towards the tower that housed his office.