Master Aryon of House Telvanni.

I'd lost control of my little section of the world. I was no stranger to plots, schemes, and power plays, but usually I was able to stay aware of them. So when my grandson introduced me to an Imperial Agent named Caius Cosades who had apparently infiltrated my organization without my knowledge, I did what I could to get the upper hand.

I was kind enough to invite him to discuss this whole affair in my stronghold. A risky move, allowing a potentially hostile actor into your home, but I knew how to play the game. This foreigner had the upper hand on me, so it was in my best interest to learn as much about him as possible. It came as no surprise when he insisted on bringing some of his Legion into Tel Vos. He respected my power and House Telvanni's independence and he was right to distrust me.

Caius leaned heavily on Tyermailin, still in pain and weakened from blood loss, but his wound had been completely sealed by the High elf healer, a feat that was beyond any healer I'd met in the time he'd had to work with. They both still wore their armor, hiding their identities until we were safely locked in my council room, with a guard from each of our forces guarding every door to ensure we could speak in private. "I appreciate you granting us use of your facilities," Caius said tiredly, on the verge of collapse.

Han lu, Virisa, Caius, Tyermailin, two female Blades in their own armor, and myself were all present. All other related parties, namely Fargoth, Blue, Cindana, and Gildee waited in another room under guard.

We all sat at the table, me at the head and Virisa and Han lu facing the Blades. I looked to Caius, who now removed his helmet and sat up tiredly. "Master Blade, would you like to begin the proceedings," I invited?

"Yes," Caius began doggedly, seeming on the verge of fainting. "The way things stand, the Empire has plenty of justification to call for the execution of both Han lu and Virisa. I am authorized to issue warrants for their arrest and serve those warrants as needed."

Everyone in the room stiffened, except Caius and myself. He was negotiating and he wanted to start negotiations from a position of power. I knew from that moment that Caius and I were men who could understand one another. He had the brass and backing to make deathly threats in enemy territory. He knew he had the weight of the might of the Empire behind him, as I had the power of House Telvanni to back my words. He continued speaking in a pattern I knew he'd follow.

"As you know, I'd prefer not to. I wish to maintain stable relations with House Telvanni, so I am willing to negotiate certain conditions for Han lu's cooperation. Keep in mind that if we are not able to come to some agreement, I am authorized to stage an attack on Tel Vos and the town by the Emperor himself. I am sure, however that we can come to a peaceful resolution."

He turned to face Han lu directly. "If I am not mistaken, your issue was that working with the Blades was keeping you from seeking out your mother. That is why you ran away, yes?"

My grandson nodded. "I wasn't terribly pleased to be helping the people who killed my father either."

What could I say about Han lu? Virisa had told me much about her son. Of course, I only got details from her perspective. She thought he was brilliant and resourceful. I couldn't say one way or the other yet. All I knew for sure was that he reminded me of his father, both in his cautious defiant manor and in the fact that unnecessary trouble seemed to follow him.

Caius spread his hands in a placating gesture. "Your anger is understandable, but the Emperor's actions were completely justified considering your father's crimes. I would ask, not only professionally, but personally that you forgive or at least set aside your anger. I can grant you and your mother full pardons for your rolls in the Emperor's assassination attempt. Is that not reasonable?"

I saw in Han lu's face that he wasn't ready to accept the responsibility Adairan bore for his actions, the same way Adairan wouldn't have accepted it. The boy was stubborn and he was fully prepared to lie to Caius, telling him what he wanted to hear until he could steal his mother away and disappear somewhere that the Empire would have trouble finding him, but Virisa put a hand on her son's arm, looking to Caius. "It is. We are both willing to accept that." Han lu swallowed hard, but did not contradict. The defiance left his eyes. I marveled at the effect of a woman to disarm hot headed young men. It was one thing that had never changed in all my years.

Caius nodded. "Now as for the conditions of the pardons, I'm afraid Han lu has abused what little trust existed between us. If I grant you these pardons, what assurance have I that you will not just flee, this time with your mother, never to be seen again? That is the reason I deployed here. If I had Virisa imprisoned, I could have used her to force compliance. Obviously, that will be unacceptable to you, but allowing her to have free reign to disappear whenever she desires is unacceptable to me. Do you have a counter offer?"

I was the first to speak, knowing it was time to assert myself to protect my family. "Virisa has already been in hiding here. Perhaps some sort of house arrest? You could leave someone to guard her around the clock."

Virisa turned to me with displeasure. "Father, really."

"We cannot avoid consequences for our actions and your actions have been dire." My voice was a rebuke. After all, this was my daughter and I saw all these proceedings as a result of her marriage nearly two decades hence. Perhaps it was time to be strong with her, to avoid letting her get into further trouble. "Better that you live a quiet life here in Vos than find some way to galavant across Tamriel again with your boy, getting into Oblivion knows what kind of trouble. I had hoped you had satisfied your wanderlust?"

"I had rather hoped to accompany my son," Virisa countered with the the authority and dignity of her upbringing. "Do I strike you as a pretty housewife to tend the garden and manage servants? Remember, I took part in the assassination plot also, along with many other various missions, which may or may not have run contrary to the law," she added, glancing mischievously at the Blades.

Caius interjected. "Wait a moment. Keep in mind, I must have some reassurance that Han lu will do as I say. Lady Virisa, if you wish to assist in that, I am sure that in time we could find a place for a skilled sorceress and infiltrator such as yourself."

"Which begs to question, what is it you people want from my son?" Virisa was the only one not aware of the Blades intent, although Han lu gave me a look, signalling to feign ignorance. So he did have some modicum of intelligence. It wouldn't do to volunteer that I knew anything Caius didn't tell me from his own mouth. Caius also looked to me. "This may be where you want to step outside Master wizard. Although you may become privy to parts of our mission eventually, our telling you could put you at risk and would require us to keep a close eye on you."

I stroked my chin thoughtfully. "This concerns my family. As the patriarch, I feel I need to stay informed, especially considering the... political nature of what's happened between us so far." Not to mention the political implications Han lu's mission may have on the future, I kept to myself.

"Very well. The Emperor has declared that Han lu appears to have the potential to fulfill the prophecy of the Nerevarine. The Emperor has failed to explain what he expects from the Nerevarine, rather, he has asked me to help Han lu discover the true purpose of the Nerevarine, separating the superstition from the pure prophecy so that Han lu can fulfill it, or appear to fulfill it as the case may be."

Virisa frowned. While I myself had long known of the secretive Nerevarine cult, I had never seen the need to teach my children that some believed that St. Nerevar of the temple would one day be reincarnated. Obviously, I'd already had my hands full teaching my rebellious young daughter more practical things. Of course, I acted as though this were my first time hearing of the mission. I bowed my head. "Master spy, from what I know of this prophecy, or rather, these prophecies, there are many contradictions one with another. How do you intend to decipher the true roll of the Nerevarine, if he were reincarnated?"

Caius shifted in his seat with a weak grimace, trying to gain a more comfortable position. "Only Han lu can do that. Who knows? Perhaps it's up to the Nerevarine to decide his path. Speaking of which, we need to get a reliable informant among the Ashlanders. I had a promising lead, but I had to pull my agent away to come here. Perhaps, it will work out better this way." He turned to Virisa, " After all, your in-laws are Ashlanders, are they not?"

Virisa's face seemed to unintentionally fall a bit. "Well, yes. However, it will be uncomfortable to go to them. I haven't any idea how they will react to news of my husbands passing."

"Be that as it may," Caius interrupted with a sweeping gesture, "Han lu will need to go to the Urshilaku camp anyway, to meet the leaders of the Nerevarine cult. I can only hope that having family there will provide an easier way into the trust of those leaders." He turned to Han lu. "It is time for you to try your fate. You must go to the Urshilaku tribes camp and submit yourself to the testing of the Nerevarine cult. You must do whatever you can to pass their tests."

Han lu nodded somberly but raised his eyes to question. "Caius, what if they decide I'm not the Nerevarine?"

I leaned forward attentively, knowing that there could be only one answer from the Imperial. Caius' gaze hardened. "That is not an option. If you cannot fulfill the requirements, you must fake it or trick them. That is why, at least for the time being, your mother must remain under guard. Once you have the following of the cult, we can discuss your mother helping in other capacities."

I knew he would say something of the sort. If Caius left Han lu any room for failure, Han lu might use it as an excuse to get out of the mission. In the end, Caius had to threaten Virisa's life. This was nothing new to me. The threat of death was stock and trade in House Telvanni, if not for the Dunmer race at large. Be that as it may, it was never pleasant when you were on the wrong end of it. I didn't like it, especially considering that I didn't believe in this Nerevarine prophecy, but if I refused to agree to these terms, it would be war with the Empire. My daughter sat quietly, weighing the situation in her soul. She knew what it meant. If Han lu was unable to win over a camp of religious fanatics, she would be executed. After running away to Morrowind, not only had she finally been captured, she'd made the situation many times worse by involving politics. She met my eyes, but I offered no advice. She was smart like me and she would arrive at the same conclusions I would.

"Very well," she said. "I'll submit to your terms."

Caius slowly stood with a respectful bow to the lady. "Thank you Madam Urshar. There are only a few things I must say in parting." He leaned across the table, gesturing for Han lu to come closer. "If you need to communicate with me, you can send mail to the South Wall cornerclub. Address the letter to C.C. They know what to do with it. Keep details vague, as there is always a risk of the letters being intercepted." He leaned back, standing in a more comfortable position and clutching where his wound had been. "Virisa, I hope you will start going by your maiden last name of Aryon. Part of the prophecy includes the Nerevarine being of uncertain parents and it would be best to distance yourself from him, at least publicly."

Virisa inhaled sharply and looked meaningfully to Han lu. "That's… too much of a coincidence."

Han lu was taken aback and looked at his mother with hurt. "What do you mean?"

"Han lu, your father and I agreed never to tell you this. Adairan received a dream shortly after we were married. He told me Azura was to give us a gift of great trust and honor. The next day, he went hunting with his tribes hunters. When he came back, he held a baby wrapped in cloth. Burial cloth, which I thought was odd. He said the child was the gift. We decided to raise you Han lu. It made more sense later when we found out that I… I was unable to bare children."

I sighed, filling with mixed emotion. "Virisa, we are not Ashlanders and we do not worship Daedra. However, you told me Han lu was yours. Why would you do that?"

"I feared you'd claim he was an unwanted Ashland bastard and disown him. Far better that you thought he was blood."

An arrow of ice pierced my heart and I looked down in shame, then to Han lu. I couldn't deny it, for I had disowned, not only Han lu, but both his parents. I struggled to speak through a lump in my throat, but forced myself to do it. "I want to say I am a different man than I was then. I fear now that it was my own wrath and ignorance that drove Adairan to take you from my home. I'm so sorry Virisa."

Caius watched the moment intently, no doubt noting everything he could use. After waiting a polite moment, he said, "Do not fear failure Han lu. I believe we are fated to succeed in this endeavour, I feel it. Do not put off your task for longer than necessary. I must speak to each of your companions concerning their roles in all this. I suggest you do the same. I've never been able to accomplish anything difficult alone. I suggest you keep these friends close."

Han lu stood quickly to speak before Caius tried to leave. "Caius, about that. When I took the ship to the mainland, I had a friend with me."

"Ajira of the mages guild," Caius nodded. "What of her?"

"She was not among the dead. Blue, my Argonian companion checked. Have you been looking for her?"

Caius took several steadying breaths before answering, clearly strained to his physical limits. "I have had eyes out for her on every part of the island, but I've received no reports."

Han lu cleared his throat. "I need to find her. I owe it to her to make sure she's okay. Before I go to the Urshilaku camp, I have to take care of this."

Caius groaned softly, settling back into his chair. "I'll make you a bargain. If you will show a gesture of goodwill and attend to the duties I've assigned you, I'll be able to spare more resources for other projects and fewer on you. I'll alert the whole spy network to watch for her and to assist her if she's in danger. That would seem far more efficient than searching the towns of Vvardenfell on your own, would it not?"

Han lu sighed in relief. "Yes, you have a deal."

"Good, now that that's concluded," Caius started to rise from the chair and Tyermailin supported him by the arm.

"There is one more thing," Han lu added.

Caius paused, taking a deep breath. "You ask for a lot considering I just had to send a regiment after you."

"It's not for me. Blue saved my life. You owe him as much as I do. He has a woman. An Argonian slave at the Dren Plantation. I promised to help him free her."

Caius just nodded. "More complex than you think, but I will also look into that, provided you keep your end of the bargain."

Caius turned to look at one of his agents, a mage named Surane Leoriane who was disguised by hooded green and blue decorative robes. "I need a skilled battlemage to guard Virisa. I know it will interrupt your other assignments, but this is imperative. Will you take charge?"

The Breton woman nodded. "I understand spymaster."

As Caius turned to talk to the rest of the involved parties, Han lu felt the need to call after him. "For what it's worth, I am sorry for stabbing you."

The Imperial waved his arm dismissively, "All's fair in love and war. This mission seems to be heavily intertwined with both."