18th of Hearthfire
"Sisters, I have never seen your armor shine so brightly." I said to the two housecarls.
"We applied extra effort in our polishing." Jordis said. "It is not every day one is in the presence of the Emperor."
"Not every day for most." Rigel said with a smile. "Some of us meet him regularly."
"You have met him only once before." Joris said. "How often must you bring this up?"
"As often as you bring up Silent Moons battlefield." Rigel replied.
"Do you two truly still argue over this?" Lucia asked. She had returned quite late after escorting Rene back to the Mage's guild hall; quite late, but also quite happy.
"Sisters, you are radiant." I said as I looked at her and Runa.
"You are also, sister" Lucia replied, "Though will you not be hot on this summer day wearing both robes and cloak?"
"Trust me, sister" I said, "you will want for a cloak in that large stone edifice, even if it hides your wonderful figure."
"Has the Emperor truly requested all of us attend?" Runa asked.
"Yes." Aric replied. "I had a note from him early this morning, announcing the bestowment of a knighthood, and requesting all of my family in attendance."
"Beloved, how splendid!" I said. "It is well deserved. I am so happy for you."
"You do not think it should be declined?" Aric asked. "An Imperial Knighthood in Skyrim will please barely half of the population."
"It can in no way be declined." I said. "It comes from the hand of the Emperor himself. Skyrim must find the strength to endure one of its residents being knighted."
"Very well madam. I have heard my charge and will ensure that it is carried out." Aric replied.
"Where is Kurst?" Runa asked.
"You mean Captain Kurst?" Lucia asked playfully, "Or Cousin Kurst?"
"Shut up." Runa replied to her sister.
"We must be away." Aric said. "Or we will certainly be late."
It required three carriages to deliver us to the palace. We arrived in the larger audience hall, a large group attracting a large portion of attention.
"Kurst has still not arrived." Runa said as she looked about the room.
"He will arrive shortly." I said to her. "Never fear."
We walked up to the herald who recognized Aric and me immediately. The herald had a folded white cloth in his hands.
"Prefect, it is custom for the one to be knighted to wear a simple white robe during the ceremony." The man said as he handed the parcel to me. "It is to signify purity."
"This robe is certainly too small for the Archmage." I said as I held the white garment at arm's length.
"I do not understand." The man said. "You are the one to be knighted, Prefect, not the Archmage."
"Now it is I who do not understand." I said as I looked at Aric. "You said you were to receive a Knighthood."
"No, I said a Knighthood was to be bestowed." Aric replied with a devious grin. "I did not mention the name of the recipient."
"But I cannot possibly accept such an honor." I said. "I must certainly decline."
"You yourself argued quite forcefully that it can in no way be declined." Aric said, his smile growing. "And I swore that I would see it carried out."
"You have laid a trap for me sir." I said. "It was cleverly done."
"Your other words still ring true." Aric said. "This knighthood is well deserved."
Gods, I thought, can this possibly be my life?
"But I have no idea what is expected of me." I said. "I made no preparations at all."
"Do not fret Prefect." the herald said. "You are required to recite only two words, and those words are quite simple."
We were a solemn procession entering the smaller audience chamber; a chamber holding a larger number of people than our last two visits.
And it was clear that Captain Kurst had proceeded us, and that his presence was never in doubt.
"In recognition for service to the Empire, Noxaura Jarnesus, Archpriestess of the Maetreum of Cybele, High Priestess and Custos Urbi for Skyrim, Advisor to the person of the Emperor and the Imperial Council, is hereby elevated to the rank of Knight of the Order of the Nine and Guardian Defender of Cyrodiil." Emperor Titus Mede II read from a document Kurst held for him.
"Archpriestess Noxaura is it your intention by your presence here to accept this solemn duty, and the charge required of you?" The Emperor asked.
"It is." I replied from where I stood a small distance from the raised dais on which the Emperor stood, Captain Kurst at his side, holding the document the Emperor was reading.
"Then kneel." He commanded.
An attendant appeared with a pillow on which I should kneel and placed it in front of me before offering his had to assist me to kneel.
"The office of Imperial Knight is to promote faith in the Divines, and to protect those that worship in their names anywhere upon the face of this world that They have made." The Emperor read.
"I charge you:
You shall be loyal in word and deed.
You shall be brave in battle.
You shall be chivalrous in service to others.
You shall serve everyone with justice and compassion.
You shall temper justice with mercy.
You shall look to it that no one be in reproach through your default.
You shall respect the weak and constitute yourself the defender of them.
You shall never lie and shall remain faithful to your pledged word.
You shall be generous and give largesse to everyone.
You shall demonstrate nobility and forbearance.
You shall always and everywhere be a champion for right and good and fight always against evil and injustice."
Kurst stepped forward and drew an exquisite sword from a scabbard held by an aid. The Emperor held the document himself as he read the final passage.
"Hearken, we beseech thee, blessed Divines, to our prayers, and deign to bless with the right hand of your majesty this sword which your servant Noxaura desires to be girded, that it may be a defense of widows, orphans, and all your servants, and may be the terror and dread of evil-doers, and that it may be just in both attack and defense."
Kurst stepped in front of me and, as the Emperor read those final word, touched the blade of the sword he held to each of my shoulders.
"Arise Sir Noxaura, Guardian Defender of Cyrodiil." The Emperor said.
"I shall not keep you long, Sir Noxaura." The Emperor said as we stood in a group after the ceremony was concluded. "Please accept my congratulations on the newest addition to your list of titles, and my gratitude for, once again, extending my life span. Never in Cyrodiil's history was a knighthood more deserved."
"You are most generous with your praise, your Majesty." I replied. "I find I am still in shock from this unexpected honor."
"You wear that sword as naturally as any warrior, madam." The Emperor said. "Though it may be necessary to add an additional hole or two in the belt that holds it."
"My sister has been burning the candle at both ends." Lucia said with a smile. "We are all charged with the task of ensuring that she eats regularly and properly."
Lucia had caught the Emperor's attention as soon as we had approached the dais before the ceremony. His attention had returned to her several times afterwards. I knew him to be a bachelor, and thought it was a bachelor's interest that kept causing his eyes to return to her, but I was mistaken.
"Forgive me, lady, but you so much resemble a woman from my youth that you could be that very person, transported across all of the years, untouched by age." The Emperor said.
"May I present my eldest daughter Lucia, your Majesty."
Lucia curtsied to the Emperor of Tamriel.
It took the Emperor a moment to speak again, during which time his eyes never left Lucia.
"She must resemble her mother, sir." Titus Mede II said to Aric. "Her golden hair in no way resembles your blacker variety."
"She certainly resembles someone more attractive than I." Aric said, producing an eye roll from almost every woman in our party. "Lucia is my daughter through adoption, and is spared the inconvenience of resembling me."
The Emperor was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Did you have the opportunity to know your previous parents?" he asked Lucia.
"I have now only vague memories of them." Lucia said. "I was still a child when they died. They were both officers in the Imperial Legion, and died on the same battlefield."
"That is very sad." The Emperor said. He was quiet again before he continued.
"Can you recall their names, Lady?" he asked Lucia. "If so, I will have their names read on Remembrance Day."
"Their names are forever written on my heart, your Majesty." Lucia said. "They are listed on the formal adoption document that my Father had from Jarl Balgruuf; a document I have almost worn out from handling and reading."
"Calvus Maximus is Lucia's father's name." Aric said. "Ladia Jarol is the name of Lucia's mother."
The Emperor was quiet for long enough that it began to draw attention. Something he had heard had clearly affected him.
"Record those name on the list of the distinguished fallen." The Emperor said to his aid.
"That is very kind of you, your Majesty." Lucia said.
"It is less than they deserve, and a poor reward for their service." The Emperor replied. "Do I recall correctly that Balgruuf is Jarl of Whiterun?" he asked.
"Yes, your Majesty, he is." Lucia said. "Whiterun is also where I make my home with my sister Runa."
The Emperor had recovered from whatever had affected him. His eyes, which seemed to be entirely for Lucia, finally looked at Runa and me.
"I am very happy to see three beautiful women so much recovered from their injuries." He said.
"I have news to share before you depart, and before I forget." The Emperor said to all of us. "A thorough search of the palace was conducted. My personal guard was given the task, even though she protested loudly that she would never leave my side. In the end, she was convinced to undertake the task after tripling the number of men who guarded me. Another orb such as what you presented to us was discovered. It was in the private chambers of the Chancellor."
"In the chambers of the Chancellor." I said. "It cannot be linked to the Cultist network. This must be a case of mistaken identity."
"It is no mistake." The Emperor said. "Chancellor Coris is fled. He is nowhere to be found. It appears he packed hastily. His horses are not in the Imperial stable.
"He has many responsibilities, and I was beneath his station." I said, quoting Jofarr; a quote that the Emperor had already heard me repeat. "Jofarr was referring to the Chancellor."
"The first part of his description is true, but certainly not the second part." Titus Mede II said. "So you see, madam, your statement previously that your mission to the guild hall had failed is also in error. You have succeeded in every aspect."
"Except that the head of this cult is at large." I said. "But I concede freely that his capture was not part of my mission."
"Take your victories as and where you can, Sir Noxaura." The Emperor said. "I have always found it convenient to do so, and I am sure the Archmage will agree that it is good advice."
"I most certainly agree your Majesty." Aric said as he smiled at me.
"I cannot recall when last someone called me by my name." The Emperor said. "If I did not spend a fair portion of my day signing it to documents I would surely forget it."
"We are of a kind then, your Majesty." I said to him. "I also miss the sound of the name my mother gave me."
"How I wish we were of a kind, madam." The Emperor said as he took my hand in his and bent slightly as he kissed it. "Farewell friends and safe journey."
Bows and curtsies were given to the receding person of the Emperor of Tamriel, who walked back to the dais, and the uncomfortable chair that he must endure. Our procession out of the audience halls into the open air and the waiting carriages was a quiet one; quiet except for the low voices and occasional laughter shared and traded between Runa and Kurst.
Aric and I glanced at each other but said nothing when those sounds reached our ears.
Our party separated, the carriage with Jordis, Runa, Lucia and Kurst turning towards their lodgings while the remaining two carriages continued on towards the Inn from which all our adventures in the Imperial City had been planned. Eventually, our fine clothes exchanged for traveling attire, our baggage carried to a waiting cart, we made our farewells. Both day and night attendant were present as was the owner of the Inn who, having requested I sign the guest book with my now somewhat longer title, looked on with pride.
"I cannot thank you three enough." I said. "Your assistance in defense of the Empire and the Emperor himself has been invaluable. I shall never forget your kindness."
The daytime attendant, who upon or return from the palace had announced to everyone in the Inn with working ears: "Ladies and Lords, may I present Sir Noxaura, Guardian Defender of Cyrodiil!" held the door for us one last time.
"Divines bless you, Sir Noxaura." He said, his face shining.
"Divines bless you and protect you as well, kind sir." I said, placing my hand on his arm.
We assembled at the stables. A similar assembly as when we had made the night we attacked Sulla's men in the cave, except for the abundance of baggage and the absence of Nahana and Avirel, who, after a private meeting and an exchange of farewells, would resume their regular lives and regular schedules.
Aric has somewhat rearranged the order of the column, and it took no skill in divination to understand the logic of the pairings.
"Rafel arrived at the stables as a member of the Jordis' party." Aric said to me quietly.
"There parting will be first." I said, "Since Chorrol is the first stop we make."
"Yes, but they will have today, and tonight, to say their farewells." Aric said with a smile.
"Runa and Kurst's farewell will be last." I said. "They will not want the days on the road to end."
"I recall similar roads, and similar feelings, that we two shared." Aric said.
"As do I." I said. "I wish them the same happiness, however short it may be."
Our late start meant either a night under canvas or a long ride straight through to Chorrol and a late morning tomorrow.
"In either case, the effect would be the same." Aric said. "We will not depart Chorrol until the day after tomorrow. What is your preference Sir Noxaura?" he asked me.
My answer was completely spontaneous, and totally impractical.
"My preference is to ride south and visit my mother." I said.
"Chorrol to equidistant from Bruma and Skingrad." Aric said. "It would triple the time it takes us to return home. If you truly wish to visit your mother, now is the time to turn towards Skingrad. We should not stop in Chorrol first."
"It is a dream only, beloved." I said. "I cannot turn this entire party south on my own personal whim?"
"Why can you not?" Aric asked me simply.
"For one, I do not know the exact location of my small village." I said.
"Can there be so many small villages that exist to service orchards east of Skingrad?" he asked. "Your dream of your mother referenced the image of both Skingrad Castle and the Spire of the Chapel of Julianos in the distance. That is certainly a clue how far east from Skingrad we must travel."
"Sir, you sound as if you are serious." I said.
"I am serious, madam." He replied. "If your wish is to visit your mother, then visit her we shall."
I did not know how to respond to him, except to express what was in my heart.
"I love you." I said.
"And I love you." He replied as he reached his hand out for mine. "Rigel! Halt the column!" he yelled to the housecarl at the front of our traveling band.
"Let us consult Ensim and his brethren." Aric said. "And I must inform Rafel that his return to Chorrol must be made alone."
"I will give you odds sir that he will choose to remain at Jordis' side for as long as humanly possible." I said.
"I will not accept your odds, madam, knowing this deck is certainly stacked against me." He replied.
"Do not trouble yourself, sir." Rafel said to Aric after the change of plans was announced. "It is of no consequence. My home will be exactly where I left it. I will see it again, if not tomorrow then a week from tomorrow."
"Very well, sir." Aric said as both Jordis and Rafel failed in their attempts to hide their glee. "I thank you for your understanding and your patience."
"I thank you as well, dear friend." I said. "I am glad to continue to enjoy your company; and I am sure I am not alone in those feelings."
"Ensim, how do we fare by way of a travel route?" Aric asked.
"The fastest route is for us to turn south and travel overland until we pick up the main road, milord. Otherwise, we can back track an hour or so and take the road south; but overland will be faster."
"What will we encounter if we travel overland?" Aric asked him.
"An old runestone site and a shrine to Kynareth, milord." Ensim said.
"We will ride right close to Fort Nikel soon after we turn south though." Toinen said. "No telling who or what is living there now."
"Bandits?" Kurst asked.
"Only if they don't mind living rough." Kolmas said. "Calling it a fort is a bit of a stretch. Its crumbling walls and nothing else. No roofs, no cover from the elements."
"The risk sounds small." Rene said before glancing at Jordis and smiling. "And we are a strong force."
"Is it right that simply the thought of turning south cause me this much excitement?" I asked Aric.
""It is right because it tells me that it is absolutely what we should do." He replied.
"South, then." Rigel said before mounting her horse and leading us off the road and south towards Skingrad.
"Definitely a night under canvas." Runa said to Kurst as the two cousins returned to their own saddles and turned to follow Rigel.
"It will be a beautiful night." Kurst said.
"Yes," she said as she smiled at him, "that it will."
Aric and I shared a glance, but again said nothing.
Kolmas was correct regarding the condition of Fort Nikel. What remained upright could barely be described as walls, and gave little protection. Our journey south soon began to resemble more a leisurly outing on a warm summer afternoon than a marshal procession. Rigel and Lucia were at the head of the column, followed by Kurst and Runa, with Rafel and Jordis immediately in front of Aric and me. Ensim, Toinen and Kolmas comprised our rear guard. Both of the pairs to my front, and the trio to my rear, were happy, though not boisterous, traveling companions. Everyone remained watchful, mostly. Occasional glances and smiles were exchanged. It was not in the nature of either Runa or Jordis to exhibit shyness, and neither displayed any of that trait now. Glances were direct, the recipient having full knowledge of their presence and returning them in kind.
"You have been smiling for several minutes straight." Aric said to me.
"Have I?" I asked. "I had not realized."
"You have been humming a tune as well." He said.
"That I did know." I said. "I recalled it after my dream with my mother. She would sing it to me at bedtime when I was a child."
"What is it called?" Aric asked. "I did not recognize its tune."
"Dog and Butterfly." I replied. "I recall the tune, but none of the words. I had forgotten how beautiful a tune it is."
"Perhaps your mother can tell us the words." Aric said.
"It still does not seem real that I will see her again, and the house where I was born." I said.
"From what you tell me, she will see our coming while we are still far from there." Aric said. "She will surely feel just as you do."
A thought occurred to me.
"She will be but a few years older than you." I said to Aric. "She had seen but twenty winters when I was born."
"Then barely five years separate us in age." Aric said.
"I have no idea if she ever found someone to replace my father after I had departed." I said, "Or whether she had other children."
"You may ask her yourself quite soon." Aric said as he reached across the gap between us and found my hand.
It was dusk when we arrived at the shrine to Kynareth and our predetermined camp site for the evening.
The shrine was a beautiful stone statue on a wide pedestal, and some enchantment had clearly been used to protect it from decay.
"It's hundreds of years old, but you would never know it." Ensim said.
"It is beautiful." Kurst said.
"We will set our camp a respectable distance away." Aric said. "Those of us who wish to commune with Kynareth should be afforded some privacy."
Some of us will require privacy for a different reason, I thought to myself.
It is as if Aric had plucked my thoughts out of the air.
"We have sufficient space." He said to Jordis and Rigel, "Space the tents out a bit more than usual. And set the order of the watch."
"Yes, Thane." Both women said in unison.
"That was very kind of you, beloved." I said to Aric.
"It is a wide plain, and we have sufficient room." Aric answered. "And nothing will approach without the horses alarming us. The risk is negligible."
"You know of what I speak," I said, the smile on my face echoing in my voice. "You need not play the obtuse Thane with me."
"Such a lascivious smile is surely not proper on the face of an Archpriestess, madam." Aric said.
"It is the nature of the office that all ArchPriestesses are women, sir." I answered, "And as such, a lascivious smile, and for that matter, an amorous heart, is quite proper."
"I have seen it so modeled in a priestess or two." Aric replied as his arms wrapped around my waist.
"I have seen it modeled in a Thane or two." I replied, my arms mimicking his.
He kissed me softly, as my arms pulled him a bit closer.
"Perhaps I will place our own tent somewhat farther back." He said softly.
"Much can be said for a soft mattress in a comfortable Inn, but a camp under the stars possesses magic that cannot be found elsewhere." I said to Lucia as we sat by the camp fire. My four companions, who at this moment had separated into two couples, we walking, or sitting, under the star filled sky. My three retainers and Rigel had taken the opportunity for weapons practice and were now spending time sharpening blades, and making adjustments or small repairs to armor. Aric was indulging himself with an extended visit with all the horses in our group.
"I agree completely." Lucia said as she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the crackling fire. "Though it is nice to have an oversized bed that has ample room to stretch."
"Unless I am very much mistaken, sister, you will have more than your usual portion of the tent tonight." I said.
"You are not mistaken." Lucia said as she opened her eyes and glanced in the direction of Kurst and Runa, who had stopped a distance away, their faces turned up to the stars. "They cling to each other like a newly wedded couple whenever they can. It is because they both know that their dream will end when we depart Bruma."
"I wish them whatever joy they can find before then." I said. "I am only concerned for the pain that must follow. I will never erase the image of Farkas carrying Runa's bloody form, begging me to save her. You will laugh, but I was certain that you and she would be wed before we departed for Cyrodiil, that neither of you would accompany us on this journey."
"Kurst and Farkas are as different as two men can be, and Runa's relationship with each is just as unique. Kurst is a new and beautiful item to be explored, while Farkas is an old and familiar and much loved one. Kurst is a connection to the family of her heritage, while Farkas is part of her family as it is now. Runa has never been one to give her heart in its entirety, and never to only one man. But one of those men has always been Farkas."
"I forget that she is several years younger than I." I said "I always think of her as being several years older."
"It is her shoulders." Lucia said. "The mind plays trick when beholding a powerful set of arms and shoulders."
"She and Sara played like they were both children when we were all together in Whiterun." I said. "I can still hear the sound of their laughter."
"They have always been that way together." Lucia said.
"And what of you, sister?" I asked. "Did I detect an attraction between you and Rene, or did my mind play a trick on me as well?"
Lucia smiled and looked at the cup in her hand.
"She is very beautiful when she is not crying." Lucia said. "And I admit that my mind traveled in that direction for a short while. We talked almost the either time we were together. She unburdened herself, and my sympathy for her, and her beauty, played their part. Afterwards, when her tears gave way to laughter and her eyes had dried, I explored the softness of her hands and she explored the roughness of mine. She has an exquisite touch."
"You do not have rough hands, sister." I said. "Not that I have noticed, at least."
"Wielding a staff does not lend itself to soft hands, sister." I said. "Neither does wielding swords."
"I am diligent to use the ointment your father makes for me in large quantities." I said.
"If we had tarried in the Imperial City longer, I might have given in to this mid-summer madness that has taken hold of our group." Lucia said. "But that dream must remain a dream only, though I admit that I will dream of exploring much more than her hands."
"Dreams are for dreaming, sister." I said as I took her hand. "I have that on very good authority."
Kurst and Runa had stopped at the Shrine of Kynareth while the Captain paid homage to the Divine that his family had worshiped for generations. I passed the two cousins as they walked back from the shrine and I walked towards it. We nodded at each other, but said nothing.
The shrine was illuminated by moonlight, which only added to its beauty. My thoughts again wandered through the index of my life as I wondered which of the steps I had taken on my life's road had been nudged either left or right by the Divine whose image stood before me.
I sat on the dry grass and gazed upon the statue before lying down and gazing at the stars. The long day began to take its toll as my eyes began to close repeatedly.
I felt like I had drifted off to sleep only for a moment but when I awoke the shrine was gone from in front of me. I turned and looked around be it was nowhere to be seen. But something looked familiar about the wood line to my right, and the stand of stones to my left.
"Child." A voice said from behind me.
I reached for my sword as I turned only to realize that I was unarmed, and I was wearing simple robes rather than the armor that I had worn our entire journey here.
"Mother." I said. "What has happened? How do you come to be so far from home?"
"I often wander when I dream." My mother answered. "Sometimes it is I that choose my destination. Other times someone draws me to them. So in answer to your second question, it is you who cause me to be so far from my home. In answer to your first question, let us walk a short distance."
I heard them well before I saw them. They were a large band, and made no attempts at stealth.
And they were also traveling south, following our progress by the tracks we had left.
"That is what draws them onward." My mother said, nodding south, where the faint glow of our fire shone.
"Gods." I said.
"You have little time, my dear." She said. "Time now for you to awaken."
I was lying on the grass, looking at the sky. The shrine to Kynareth was before me.
I stood and raced back to the campfire as fast as I could run.
They needed no words from me to know something was wrong.
"Aric!" I cried out. "A large band of men approaches from the north. They are following our track. They see our campfire in the distance. They will be upon us soon."
"How long until they arrive?" he asked me.
"They were almost to the rune stone when I saw them." I said.
"You saw them?" Rafel said.
"I fell asleep by the shrine." I said. "My mother showed the men to me."
"I do not understand." Rafel said.
"It is a story for another time." Aric said. "We have at most ten minutes. We cannot flee, and so we must fight. The horses are well positioned, but we are not."
""The night is still dark." I said. "They do not know we are aware of them."
"We can lay a trap." Aric said. "But if they delay until the moon rises to its zenith we lose cover of darkness."
"Give me Rigel and Jordis and Runa." Kurst said. "I will get us behind them without them seeing. We will harry them with arrows and with swords when it is time."
Aric thought only for a moment.
"Stealth and speed." He said to the four warriors, ending with a smile. "Be sure of what you aim at."
Two grins from two housecarls answered him. "Of course, honored Thane." Jordis said.
"Gods." Aric said at the tone of her comment as the four warriors ran north.
"Arrange the tents as if we are asleep with no guard posted." Aric said Ensim and his comrades. "And then we must position ourselves out of sight."
It took little time to close all the tent flaps before racing a short distance east where a large boulder and small stand of trees gave cover.
Two men acting as scouts were first to appear. They crept up slowly, scanning for a watchman that did not exist. Convinced that the camp was unguarded they retreated to the main group. The gap through which they must pass to reach our camp had boulders acting as obstacles on both their left and right. The boulder and trees to the right hid us from their sight.
"It is work for magic now." Aric whispered to us.
"What shall we do, milord?" Ensim asked.
"You must form a wall to our right." Aric replied, "And guard our flank. No one must pass you."
"No one will get past us, milord." Ensim said as his two companions nodded, their swords already drawn.
"I would refrain from using the rings, since we cannot recharge them readily." Aric said to the mages in our small band.
"It is just as well." Rafel said. "I left mine in my baggage."
"And we cannot carry Noxaura unconscious into her mother's house and say, she will wake up in a day or two. So let us leave the power of the Earthbones where it is."
"Well, then, we must all rely on our own wits." I said.
"They will be in position in less than a minute." Aric said. "Let us not all pick the same spell. I have always found that most embarrassing."
"I will delay, and then raise the first five bandits that are struck down." I said.
"Five, lady?" Rafel asked, "All at once?"
"She has done it before." Lucia said. "As for myself, I will use my staff and a flame Atronach."
"You are a pyrophile, sister." I said. "I have always suspected so."
"You will excuse me if I stand over there." Aric whispered to his daughter, indicating a point far behind us.
"Will I never live that incident down?" she asked as she kissed her father.
"Not while I draw breath, heart of my heart." Aric replied.
"Will you allow me to begin?" Rafel asked.
"The honor is yours, sir." I said.
"I thank you madam." Rafel said before casting a spell that produced a giant stone Gollum in front of the bandits just as they began to pass through the gap.
The men at the front of the column began to scream. Their screams were soon echoed from the rear of the column as Kurst and his archers began to take their toll.
There were a large number of men penned in the center of the column that stood in confusion with no immediate enemy to engage. It took little time for the Gollum to provide me with my five volunteers. I stepped just far enough to the left to provide me the sight line required, and the number of our ranks grew by five.
"Wait." Aric said to Lucia, his hand on her shoulder. The bandits began to find some order. A line began to form facing the Gollum, while it appeared that a shield wall began to form at the rear.
"Now." Aric said. A flame Atronach suddenly appeared and began to hurl balls of fire into the forming line just as several lightning bolts discharged into the center of the band.
A storm Atronach appeared at the rear of the column and began to wreak havoc in the newly formed shield wall just as I was raising the next group of dead bandits.
We stood still, allowing our Atronachs time to do their work when a clash of arms just next of us signaled that some of the fleeing bandits had fled into the wall protecting our flank. I drew my sword quickly and added myself to the wall of men who still wore the dark blue of the Maetreum of Cybele. It was quick and bloody work, not allowing time for any form of finesse. We were four screaming forms, clad in armor, swinging swords upwards before bringing them down in hammering blows while our feet remained planted, unmoving, barely enough space between us to allow us to raise our sword arms without endangering our neighbors. I was fortunate that I was right-most, and my sword arm was free. I cast the first spell I had learned as a novice, slightly altered, when a break appeared in the flow of bandits. A larger version of my enchanted wolf formed to the front of our small line.
Those men who survived the initial encounter with our wall of swords chose to run into the darkness and disappear from our sight, my glowing wolf in pursuit. But more men in the main group had identified our position and began to run towards us. We stood four abreast as they approached us before they were met with a series of fireballs from Lucia's staff. Those that were not consumed by fire reconsidered their charge.
"You will forgive me, sir, if I stretch my legs." Rafel said to Aric as he removed a short, thick staff that seemed to be made of ebony from its place on his back and charged into the men who had survived Lucia's fireballs and stood in front of our wall.
"Gods." Toinen said as he watched the battlemage wade into no less than ten men, swinging his staff left and right and using its momentum occasionally to pivot on one foot in a complete circle, striking down men as fast as one could count.
"He is impressive." Lucia said with a smile.
"Gods, he will run in unassisted." Aric said as Rafel continued on towards the main group. "I will be but a moment." He said as he drew his own sword and followed after Rafel.
"Do they not know that I cannot use fire magic when they are mixed in with the enemy?" Lucia said. "I must now stand here and simply watch."
"I will stand with you sister." I said as I raised five more of the dead and sent them to assist Aric and Rafel. "By the looks of the dwindling number of bandits, we shall not have to stand and watch much longer."